Pre Match: Rapid Vienna vs Liverpool: 19th July 2009

SK Rapid Vienna vs. Liverpool F.C. 19th July 2009

Rapid Vienna Web Site

Rapid Vienna, Who are they? (Edited Highlights)
History:
SK RAPID was founded on 8th January 1899, effectively replacing the “Erste Wiener Arbeiter Fußballklub” founded in September 1898. Since 1911 SK Rapid has played in the top flight in Austria. The club won the first football league, held in 1911/1912, and is today the record title holder having won the league title an impressive 32 times. Rapid also became the first club to win the Austrian Cup in the 1918/1919 season.
The club is famous for the “Rapidviertelstunde” – a tradition where the fans applaud for the final 15 minutes of every single game to motivate the players – and the “Rapidgeist” – the spirit of the club. The team is dedicated to what it represents and therefore never gives up, something that has been highlighted over the years by a number of matches that have been dramatically turned around.
The club celebrated its centenary year in 1999. For ten days, Vienna’s Rathausplatz was transformed into a Rapid zone decorated in the green and white of the club. To mark the occasion, a celebratory tournament was held in July which was attended by Roma, Werder Bremen and Botafogo Rio de Janeiro, as well as dozens of ex-Rapid players from throughout the club’s rich history. Unfortunately no title was to follow that year.
The record title winners are still Austria’s most popular club. This is an achievement of which we are proud and determined not only to maintain, but also continuously build upon.
In the 2004/05 season Rapid won their first league title since 1996. The average attendance rocketed and, with almost 15,000 fans per game, memories of the glory years during the 50s and 60s came flooding back.
Another title was added three years later. In the 2007/08 campaign, the Hütteldorf side secured its 32nd league title. Several games were sold out throughout the season, again increasing the average attendance. And the perfect highlight came in the run-in, as Rapid destroyed reigning champions and league leaders Red Bull Salzburg 7:0 in their own stadium.
Honors:
32 x Austrian League Champions
14 x Austrian Cup Winners
3 x Austrian Supercup Winners
UEFA Intertoto Cup 2007

Stadium:
Gerhard Hanappi-Stadium
The Gerhard Hanappi Stadion, located to the west of Vienna’s city centre, was opened on 10th May 1977 under the name ‘Weststadion’ with a match against FK Magna. The stadium was the successor to the legendary ‘Pfarrwiese’. The stadium construction project was handed to the long-serving and commendable Rapid captain Gerhard Hanappi, who had moved into the field of architecture following his career as a professional footballer. A few years later and Hanappi had planned Rapid’s new home with a capacity of 19,600 by order of the city of Vienna. It was a classic stadium, which still to this day is home to a unique atmosphere thanks to the wonderful fans that pack in match after match. The Weststadion was renamed the Hanappi Stadion following the death of Hanappi in 1980 from lymphoma.

The Match
Date: 19th of July, 2009
19:15 o'clock (time isn't fixed yet)
Ernst Happel-Stadion
(Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wienerstadion) in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna, is the largest stadium in Austria. It was built between 1929 and 1931 for the second Workers' Olympiad to the design of German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer. The stadium was renamed in honour of Ernst Happel following his death in 1992. The stadium was host to seven games in UEFA Euro 2008, including the final which saw Spain triumph over Germany. It also served as a Holocaust prison during World War II.

Interesting they are playing the game at the Ernst Happel-Stadion, and not at their home ground.

Christ not long finished the first game of Pre Season and is already another Pre Match thread going

Had it sorted a few days ago
But only 4 days to go to KO.

Had it sorted a few days ago
But only 4 days to go to KO.

Ha. I looked at that post and the first thing I thought was - he's had that ready!

Nice one.  Just thinking now - I would have really liked to have gone to Vienna for this one.

Anyone got any spares?

Ha. I looked at that post and the first thing I thought was - he's had that ready!

Nice one.  Just thinking now - I would have really liked to have gone to Vienna for this one.

Anyone got any spares?

I'll bagsy one now too.

The beer sounds good there.

Sunday night then? I'll be looking forward to it.

Cheers RedPuppy.

Ha. I looked at that post and the first thing I thought was - he's had that ready!

Nice one.  Just thinking now - I would have really liked to have gone to Vienna for this one.

Anyone got any spares?

I should have hid on the plane when my mum and step dad got on it the other day and got a ticket out there.

Would get them to try and send a load of tickets over but dont think the Imperial Hotel is anywhere near the ground

3-2 win to the Reds.

After today's 0-0, we'll wanna score a few which we're capable of. Dave Ngog hat trick.

Take it no Spaniards are back for this game.

Take it no Spaniards are back for this game.

Think they'll be back, but not long enough for a decent run out.

I'll go for a 2-0.

Take it no Spaniards are back for this game.

Rafa is

I'll go for a 2-0 win maybe Stevie G will get on the scoresheet

Rafa is

San Jose and Pacheco

I think they'll provide a more stern test than St Gallen.

Hopefully we get a couple, 3-1.

Going to be a cracking game, but due to the game being at such a late hour here I'll probably not be catching it.. What a pity I know really, but I'm having school the next day

For me I think its going to be another good warmup like the game at St Gallen's, good to see some football kicking back into gear. I think its going to be a 2-1 win for us, N'gog and Johnson getting on the scoresheet.

Another game to test the fitness of the lads, I expect Rafa will do similar to what he did last night, play two different teams in each half, sussing out and giving all the lads some game time.

These games will start coming thick and fast, after seeing the lads playing last night, it's whetting my appetite for more.

I think we'll win this narrowly by 2 goals to 1.

Anorthosis Famagusta won that team and qualified at the CL

Anybody know if Rapid Vienna play a high-tempo game.

Anybody know if Rapid Vienna play a high-tempo game.

I don't know about that but I've heard they play a bit of Ultravox in the dressing room before a game.

I don't know about that but I've heard they play a bit of Ultravox in the dressing room before a game.

This means nothing to me.

Anybody know if Rapid Vienna play a high-tempo game.

I don't know about that but I've heard they play a bit of Ultravox in the dressing room before a game.

Ross
Rapid....High Tempo, and Ultrvox has a boss song, called Vienna, did not get to No.1 because it was stopped by "Shut Upa yer Face" a dreadful "song" by Joe Dolce.

Haha yeah I know mate, maybe it'll help if I repeat my post in a different manner:

'This means nothing to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'.