When I arrived at Stadion Dresden in 1991 from my hometown club of Sachsen Leipzig, I saw players like Uwe Rosler and Torsten Gutschow. This made me feel like part of a team looking to be right up there with the best in the Bundesliga. I was taught very wrong by the teams we played, finishing constantly mid-table before succumbing to the drop in 1995.


I'm René Müller. I was Dynamo Dresden's goalkeeper in those four years spent in the Bundesliga, and even the wealth of international experience found upon the squad at the time couldn't keep us up that year. Since then, Dresden have gone further and further down that seemingly never ending slope that has slowed down since being relegated to the Third Division of German football last season. It's now time to use that slow momentum to pick ourselves up and push ourselves back up that mountain we fell down.


All them embezzlement allegations, all them financial fears need to be wiped from the memory of this club, it's time for a revival for this fallen giant. I want to be the one who leads it. I want to be the one who regains top-flight stature for this wonderful club who consistently rake in 20,000 plus fans per home game, despite being God knows how many years in the doldrums of German football. I love football and I especially love an underdog - they're the ones who make football the nail-biting and beautiful game that appears on our screens across the planet everyday.

Being the adorer of underdogs that I am, I want to lead my own pack into the heights of German football. I want to take Dynamo Dresden into the top-flight, I know I'm repeating myself, but that's my ambition talking, not my sense! I want to take them beyond top-flight. Battle against the titans that are Dortmund, Bayern, Schalke, Leverkusen - win titles over them. What a wonderful dream, what a hopeful reality.

Stadion Dresden

Seeing the beautifully rounded corners of the Stadion Dresden - Dresden Stadium in English, it let off a series of glorious shivers down the back of my spine as I drove down Memory Lane. I was now on Lennéstraße. My car was now reflecting off one of the glass implements and I was searching for a parking spot outside the 32,000-seater.

It was a few fans waiting for their tour of the stadium that greeted me, questioning my whereabouts to which I had to reply "You may find out why in a few days.". No, it wasn't very discreet, but that's how confident I felt about to be presented to the president and managing director. No doubt the rumours would be circulating around the Dresden hashtag on Twitter later tonight.

I walked towards the entrance, finely renovated ever since this extraordinary piece of architecture was first built in 1923. I appeared in front of the beautiful blonde receptionist and said who I was, what I was doing here et cetera. She told me to sit down in the comfy black couch opposite to her desk, it was a great view of the lass as well, walking in and out of the doors behind the desk - obviously very busy, but also very beautiful.



The phone rang on the desk to which the blonde lady quickly got hold of. "The president and the managing director would like to see you now." I said a quick thanks and one last look at her. The confidence once within me had now shattered into a million particles of nerves as I walked towards that pine door with the gold plating which read 'Andreas Ritter' and 'President' below it carved in black. I knocked two times before the door was opened by a short, black haired man. "Hello René, a pleasure to have you back here." said Ritter.

"I'm sure you have fonder memories of this place than the situation it finds itself in now, it's why we took your application seriously. You 'get' this place. You understand the people who follow this club - the pain they suffered with you when we were relegated that season. That experience is why we want you here, to hear what you have to say." Ritter continued, as I began to relive the days I played with Gutschow and Rosler in the Bundesliga.
"It's a great club" I said, with the nerves beginning to soar now. They looked at me, expecting me to continue or elaborate my point, but the truth was that I couldn't think of anything to say.

"Yes?" Said Robert Schafer, the managing director.
"It's a great club... Because when I was here, the fans... The fans wouldn't be quiet. They would support us no matter what or who we are. That's what made this club special to me. The fans knew we were heading towards the drop that season, yet still urged us to carry on and pull through it - unfortunately we couldn't do that. But I'm sure the feelings for this club from the fans hasn't changed since then." The words were beginning to come out now. I was entering the good zone.
"I believe I can use my affiliation with the fans to take us higher in the game, I think they liked me, I was the international goalkeeper at around that time. I think this club still has plenty of life left in it, just that someone with a bit of ambition and drive can fully fulfil that life. I think that person is me."

Both Ritter and Schafer looked to each other with what seemed like a positive expression. Ritter then opened his drawer to pull out a bundle of papers.
"Read." He said to me.

It was all looking brilliant. A deal until the end of this season, a £5,000 pay packet per week. I couldn't protest against it. It was perfect.
"It's perfect." I muttered.
"Well, here's a pen, sign the dotted line and guess what?"
"What?"
"You are the new head coach of Dynamo Dresden and you will take training tomorrow, taking control with immediate effect as soon as you write your signature." I couldn't have wrote anything quicker. This was the beginning of a new life.

YES! <3 so much love for this man, Dresden are a great team to manage; good luck!

The Press Conference

It's only been my second drive to the Stadion Dresden since gaining my job here, but now I have to face the press. As if talking to the president wasn't bad enough! Since arriving I had assessed the squad in training, but haven't come to an ultimate decision as to who will face Zwickau in a few days time. The staff have handed me a recording of the 3-0 defeat suffered at the hands of Sparta Prague a few days before I was handed the job at Stadion Dresden. The team played poorly, but there was something to salvage in this team - I could just tell.

I'd taken a look round the scenery inside the Dresden press room, looked quite good. This was where I'd be leading my press conference in about twenty minutes time, introducing myself to the local and national press - maybe international press.

The press officer at the club welcomed me and made sure I looked presentable for the wide press attendance today. Unfortunately I didn't catch his name, so I ended up calling him 'mate' for the entirety of our conversation. Not very professional, but it'd have to do before I get used to my surroundings here. I was thinking to myself about random stuff that no one but me would think of - I wouldn't like to share, but that's when I heard "RENÉ! WHERE ARE YOU?"

I was sat in the wrong room wasn't I. I was two minutes late for my own press conference greeting the press. Great start René. But anyway, I walked into the packed room, journalists swarming the wooden chairs put out before them, some even having to stand up against walls or sitting on the floor! I never thought of myself or the club as being this big!

The first question was from The German Football Chronicle. It was "How are you feeling upon being given this job at Dynamo Dresden?"

I replied "It's a dream come true. I've seen this club fall over the past decade or two, I was part of the start of that long slope headed down here in the depths of the third tier of German football. I want to save this club - that's why I'm here."
'Well played René' I said to myself as the first question was out of the way.

"When you just said you want to save this club, where do you want to take this club?" ESPNFC.com asked.
"I want to take this club to the top." The room sighed in disbelief at my 'delusion'
"Are you sure that you, never mind the club is capable of that?" The Korean bloke said.
"Am I sure? Would I have said it if I didn't mean it? I haven't taken this job to muck around in the lower tiers of German football! I've taken this job to show my ambition, and to exploit how long this club has been sitting around with incapable leaders, players and ambitions.

"It's been twenty whole years since we touched that precious top-tier football. That was just mid-table mediocrity as well. Do you think I'd lie to these fans who've supported the club since them days? Would I fill their minds with false hope? No. Because that'd put my reputation in the bin and it's only my first job!" After that little rant, I drank the cup of water, and calmed a little bit, prepared for more questions.

Klaus Kraus from The German Football Chronicle again fired a question towards me. "What attracted you to the job here?"
"Obviously, I played here for a few years. In that time I fell in love with the club and it's main asset, which is the fans. I think people underestimate the power of the fan. Owners, players, managers, properties - they all have at least one thing in common, which is that they all come and go. The fans. The fans stay. They stay through whatever anyone has to throw at them. That's what's brought me here, and that's who I am going to pay back."

René Schulz asked me "What are the chances of Dynamo Dresden bouncing straight back into Bundesliga.2 this season?"
"I'm positive that this club, under my leadership can bounce straight back up there, and then continue with that momentum to take us up to the top-flight. Easier said than done, but I personally think it's a realistic scenario."

Michael Lindner from The German Football Express then asked "How will you achieve that ambition just stated? What will you implicate to make sure that them ambitions become reality?"
Tough one this one.
"Erm... Well. First of all, at this level of football, big changes are pointless. Big changes can only make the job more difficult, so I'm going to work with what I've been dealt with here, which is a pretty good squad. I think the prediction we'll finish around mid-table is preposterous. I'm aiming for promotion and I have told the players that. If they don't believe that's capable, they can... go away." I almost swore then. Dear me.

The final question arose from the back of the room "Oliver Bock from Goal.com. Do you think you have the backing of the players after stating them ambitions?"
"I hope so. I've only had them for a day, and I put a lot of expectation on their shoulders, too soon? Maybe. I suppose we'll see. But I'm sure they'll put every bit of effort in to make sure these fans are satisfied. They support them too much to not want to please them."

2015-05-10 13:34#212844 InfraRed : YES! <3 so much love for this man, Dresden are a great team to manage; good luck!

Thank you! I'll be trying my best

The Team Meeting

It's only two days before our first game of the season against Arminia Bielefeld, favourites for promotion this year. It's time for the plans for the season to be set out, the philosophies set in stone. The team need to know what they're doing.

Muller: Morning boys. Take a seat.

Team sits down. Muller and coaching staff stand.

Muller: Me and my colleagues have called you in today after training because we feel that two days before competitive football kicks in, you need to know what you're doing, and obviously, suggestions are appreciated - but only when I say you can offer your view.

Team nods in approval.

Muller: Right. Okay. So, on Saturday you're playing in a 4-1-4-1 formation, it's nothing new, you've played out pre-season in it so it shouldn't be an issue now. Our pre-season was poor in my opinion. Poor. All we proved was that we could do it against the weaker teams, but against the big boys? I didn't see anything. 8-0 against Walldorf? What's that meant to prove? They're hardly fucking world-beaters are they? They play regionally for Christ sake. Even worse against Nottingen! 1-0?! Is that it?! They're in Walldorf's league, they might as well have put on a team of pissheads from the local! I wouldn't put it past them, actually. 1-0? Dear me. Then we had Atlético Madrid. You lot should've been on fire then! It's the Champions League finalists for God sake! Yeah, yeah, we scored a goal, well done. But they scored four, what's the use of one goal when they have four? Shocking.

Silence for seconds

Muller: Right. Now I've got that out of the way, focus on Saturday. They're promotion favourites as I'm sure you know by all the national media arselicking process in pre-season. To be fair to you though, they did worse in pre-season than you lot, but that's not to say you should be proud of yourselves. Their striker, Klos, I think his name is, blonde hair, shit hairstyle, you'll notice him. Anyway. That lad is good. Rated £1million but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to stop him scoring does it? He's been quality for years, played for Wolfsburg he did. Got Biefefeld promoted single-handedly, but now they're back down here so that doesn't matter. All I'm saying is just stop him alright? Dennis (Erdmann), Michael (Hefele), you get me? You're the pair that'll be stopping him tomorrow. Do a good job of it.

Erdmann and Hefele look up and nod in approval.

Muller: Tobias (Muller), you need to be everywhere, I've seen you pre-season and you're a class act. Use your youthful advantage to rip them bastards to shreds. Everyone, we're aiming for this lad tomorrow (pointing to Tobias Muller).

Muller looks up confidently, yet pressured.

Muller: Midfielders, that's you Robert (Andrich), Cristian (Fiél), Quirin (Moll). Do your thing and take over the middle yeah? You're quality players, it shouldn't be difficult for you. Robert, you'll be defensive midfield, Cristian, Quirin, you're the central midfielders - like I said, feed Tobias up there, create anything you can.

Fiél, Moll and Muller share a knowing look.

Muller: Anything else you lads want to say now?

Nils Teixeira: How are us full-backs meant to play boss?

Muller: You and David (Vrzogic) ought to be attacking as much as you can, pounce on any loose ball out wide and even in the middle and just get forward and send some balls into the middle if you can. That's all I expect of you tomorrow.

Nils Teixeira: Ah, okay, cheers boss.

Muller: Nothing else? No? Okay. I'm going to leave you in the hands of my good friend Marcel Miserius, who so happens to be your fitness coach! He's going to talk you through the warm-ups before the match tomorrow. See you on the bus lads.

Team: See ya boss.

Pre-Season

In the team meeting earlier, I mentioned how pre-season this year was 'disappointing'. Well, not disappointing, I used slightly more direct language, but we were poor nevertheless. I took charge of four of the five games, with the first fixture - Sparta Prague taking place two days before I took the job at Dynamo Dresden. Tobias Muller showed me just how much ability he has stored in his 21-year-old body, scoring seven goals in four games - six coming in just one game. Other players like Michael Hefele, Marvin Stefaniak and Justin Eilers impressed as well.

Although some individual performances pleased the eye, as a whole, pre-season was very unpleasing. We could only manage to defeat the smaller teams, and even against Zwickau of the Regional Divisions we only managed a draw. Other results included a 3-0 loss to Sparta Prague, a 4-1 loss to Atlético Madrid, an 8-0 win over Walldorf and a 1-0 win over Nottingen. During the process of pre-season and just after, we completed the signings of two new players and the departures of three.

Fixtures

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FSV ZWICKAU 2 (Zimmermann 43 Genausch 64), DYNAMO DRESDEN (Hefele 45+1 Muller 57).

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FSVZ: Braunsdorf, Fritz, Wachsmuth, Mai, Paul, Gobel, Rohr, During, Luge, Stiefel, Zimmermann (Genausch 57).

SGDD: Kirsten, Teixeira, Erdmann, Hefele, Sidibé, Andrich, Fiél, Moll, Eilers, Tekerci, Muller.

Referee: A. Aarnick.

Booked: Rohr, Gobel, Schumann (Zwickau).

Attendance: 1,716.

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DYNAMO DRESDEN 1 (Stefaniak 56), ATLÉTICO MADRID 4 (Mandzukic 14 Torres 32, 43 Tiago 90+2

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SGDD: Wiegers, Teixeira, Sabah, Hefele, Sidibé, Hartmann (Vrzogic 26), Durholtz, Moll, Zeldenrust, Stefaniak, Muller.

ATLETI: Moyá, Juanfran, Godín, Giménez, Siqueira, Raúl García (Tiago 60), Gabi, Saúl, Koke, Torres, Mandzukic.

Referee: P. Sippel.

Booked: None.

Sent off: Sidibé (Dresden).

Attendance: 11,852.

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ASTORIA WALLDORF 0, DYNAMO DRESDEN 8 (Fiél 3 Muller 23, 34, 41, 75, 79, 89 Stefaniak 24).

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FCAW: T Hillenbrand, N Hillenbrand, Gottlicher, Hofmann, Stadler, Hofbauer, Haas, Schon, Kern, Kaufmann, Gross.

SGDD: Kirsten, Teixeira, Erdmann, Hefele, Vrzogic, Andrich, Fiél, Moll, Eilers, Stefaniak, Muller.

Referee: A. Blos.

Booked: None.

Attendance: 1,447.

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FC NOTTINGEN 0, DYNAMO DRESDEN 1 (Eilers 29).

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FCN: Kraski, Brenner, Fuchs, Walter, Frank, Schenker, Muller, Schneckenberger, Plattek, Hohn, Schurg.

SGDD: Wiegers, Teixeira, Sabah, J Muller, Sidibé, Hartmann, Andrich, Moll, Eilers, Tekerci, T Muller.

Referee: M. Dittrich.

Booked: None.

Attendance: 1,444.

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Player of Pre-Season

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Tobias Muller
Striker


The striker was our main man up top - playing all the games I controlled and returning my trust with seven goals. I can tell already that he will be one of our star men this season.

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August

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This month we will face great challenges such as Arminia Bielefeld and especially Schalke in the cup. Arminia are the ones I'm hoping to beat most out of this month. Not only does it get our season off to a great start, but it sets the standard as to where we should be performing at for the rest of this season. Other fixtures include Chemnitz, Unterhaching and Erfurt.

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Transfers

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Amadou Sidibé - Free Transfer


Flavien Tamou - Free Transfer

Muller Revitalised

Dynamo Dresden star Tobias Muller.

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Under Olaf Janßen, Tobias Muller had minimal opportunities in the first-team since signing his first professional contract back in 2009 under Matthias Maucksch. Now his namesake, René, has offered him a crack at first-team football, and he has repaid his trust in him.

Following Muller's sterling performances in pre-season, fellow striker Sylvano Comvalius has since left the club having been told he was surplus to requirements, leaving Muller and summer signing Flavien Tamou as the only recognised strikers in the Dynamo Dresden first-team - and you can see why as the season is picking up pace.

Muller made his first appearance under his boss, Muller in a 2-2 draw with affiliate club Zwickau in pre-season. Muller gave Dresden the lead in the game, scoring in the 57th minute to make it 2-1 to Dynamo. The goal was cancelled out by Oliver Genausch's equaliser just seven minutes after Muller's goal. Despite the result, this put the 21-year-old in Muller's good books before the season had even began - and that was just his first fixture under the former goalkeeper's reign.

Tobias Muller kept up his superb goalscoring record in the 8-0 trouncing of Walldorf. He netted a double hat-trick for Dresden and assisted Marvin Stefaniak's goal in the 24th minute. Shortly after this fixture, Muller's sole competition for the striker spot - Sylvano Comvalius was put on the unwanted list at Stadion Dresden. This somewhat cemented Tobias Muller's spot in the first-team for the coming season, with Frenchman Flavien Tamou arriving at the club as a back-up striker.

Muller has been on fire so far this season, becoming the leagues joint top-scorer with four goals.

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Any doubts of Muller's consistency were wiped out in Dynamo Dresden's first competitive game of the season, with Muller bagging a goal in the 3-1 win over promotion favourites Arminia Bielefeld which earned the young striker many plaudits in the crowd and in his manager, René Muller. Since that game, Muller has gone onto become the leagues top scorer, netting four goals and five assists in four games - a potent threat which could ultimately lead Dresden onto higher platforms.

In a recent pre-match press conference, René Muller sang his young strikers praises, he was quoted saying: "Tobias is a wonderful player, one with mighty potential and someone I can utilise to our advantage. The boy has a natural goal-scoring touch and that is a huge asset at any level - never mind the third tier of German football. Muller will only get better, the fans will worship him."

Dresden's number ten commented about his manager and his own progress as a footballer. "I'm twenty-one years old now, if I don't push on and make progress I can only count myself as a failure - and I'm the only to blame should that situation arise.

"The manager, René, has been excellent to me. You would've thought he was a striker in his playing days the way he feeds me advice on the training ground! But honestly, I haven't known a better motivator and coach like René. He's made me come on and improve my game tons since he arrived, and I think that improvement is starting to show now, especially with my exposure to first-team and playing with such quality players. The lads in the first-team have welcomed me amazingly, it's looking like more of a family here than a group of individuals and that is always a positive in today's game - we have to thank René for that."

August Update

The season has got off to a belting start for us, leading the table at the end of August after four consecutive league wins this month. The first win arrived at the SchucoArena as we ran out 3-1 winners over Arminia Bielefeld which sent us straight up into the top three off the back of one game. Our form continued into the 4-1 win over Chemnitz and then we came up against the German Goliath in Schalke in the German Cup. We came very close to causing a shock to the system against them, losing only 2-1 to the Champions League challengers.

Fixtures

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ARMINIA BIELEFELD 1 (Borner 40), DYNAMO DRESDEN 3 (Eilers 45+1 Muller 49 Fiél 90+2)

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DSCAB: Schwolow, Dick, Borner, Salger, Schuppan (Burmeister 73), Brinkmann, Kluge, Hemlein (Lorenz 68), Muller, Mast, Klos

SGDD: Kirsten, Teixeira, Erdmann, Hefele, Vrzogic, Andrich, Fiél, Moll, Eilers, Stefaniak, Muller

Referee: S. Stegemann

Booked: Fiél (Dresden)

Attendance: 10,746

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DYNAMO DRESDEN 4 (Muller 23 Fiél 36 Stefaniak 45 Hefele 53), CHEMNITZER FC 1 (Danneburg 30)

SGDD: Kirsten, Teixeira, Erdmann, Hefele, Vrzogic, Eilers, Andrich, Fiél, Moll, Stefaniak, Muller

CFC: Pentke, Stenzel (Conrad 85), Roseler (Hagmann 74), Endres, Poggenburg, Turpitz, Hensel, Danneburg, Cincotta, Kehl-Gómez, Loning (Hansch 53)

Referee: D. Nowak

Booked: Endres (Chemnitz)

Attendance: 25,832

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DYNAMO DRESDEN 1 (Tamou 27), GELSENKIRCHEN 2 (Meyer 25, 66)

SGDD: Kirsten, Teixeira, Erdmann, Hefele, Sidibé, Andrich, Fiél, Moll, Eilers, Stefaniak, Tamou

S04: Fahrmann, Howedes, Matip, Nastasic, Itter, Fuchs, Boateng (Ayhan 53), Neustadter, Meyer, Choupo-Moting, Huntelaar

Referee: P. Gagelmann

Booked: Sidibé (Dresden), Boateng, Itter (Schalke)

Attendance: 31,702

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UNTERHACHING 1 (Kopke 16), DYNAMO DRESDEN 3 (Muller 24 Eilers 49, 65)

SPVGGU: Marinovic, Welzmuller, Erb, Schwabl, Schwarz, Thiel, Abelski, Werhle, Bigalke, Gasch (Ollert 61), Kopke

SGDD: Kirsten, Teixeira, Erdmann, Hefele, Vrzogic, Hartmann, Fiél, Moll, Eilers, Stefaniak, Muller

Referee: S. Glaschmacher

Booked: Schwabl, Erb, Thiel (Unterhaching), Muller (Dresden)

Attendance: 2,442

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DYNAMO DRESDEN 4 (Tamou 27 Fiél pen 51 Stefaniak 77 Muller 85), ROT-WEIß ERFURT 0

SGDD: Kirsten, Teixeira, Erdmann, Hefele, Sidibé, Andrich, Fiél, Moll, Eilers, Stefaniak, Tamou (Muller 57)

FCRWE: Klewin, Judt, Gohouri, Mockel, Czichos, Menz, Wiegel (Baumgarten 58), Mohwald, Tyrala, Bukva, Palacios-Martinez

Referee: A. Aarnick

Booked: Sidibé (Dresden), Judt, Gohouri, Mockel (Erfurt)

Sent off: Gohouri (Erfurt)

Attendance: 24,690

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League Table

As you can see, we have won all four games this month which puts us steadily at the top of the table after four games and four wins. We lead the goal-scoring charts by a heavy margin of five goals, with Erfurt only recording nine goals compared to our fourteen. Our 4-0 thrashing of Erfurt has resulted in us achieving a massive goal difference advantage of them.

September

In September we play a full month of league fixtures following our knockout of the German Cup. The last three fixtures of the month are the ones we should be really worrying about with Wehen, Cuttbus and Stuttgart II being potential threats to the promotion chase.