Review: FC Bayern Munich DVD and CD musical
by MM Sports’ FC Bayern ambassador Ben Roden
Do you ever feel like today’s footballing world has passed you by? Are you strung out on eye-pokes and “El Clasicos?” Has Chelsea’s latest game of managerial musical chairs left you feeling empty? If you yearn for a simpler time, Miniver Cheevy, fear not – I have in my hand the passport to the glorious past. Unwrap your FC Bayern DoublePack, close your eyes, and journey with me to 2007 – a legendary realm in which Fernando Torres could still score goals. In this mystical era, Fernando Allianz Arena has the shine of a freshly unwrapped Christmas present, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s hair has the shine of an over-eager dye-job, and Oliver Kahn rules Bayern Munich’s penalty box with iron fists and maniacal outbursts. Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose batter Bundesliga defenses, and Franck Ribery has just arrived in Bavaria, ready to punish opponents with his amazing skill and horrifying visage.
2007 was truly a year of hope and promise for Bayern. With questions being raised over the winning credentials of Bayern’s current squad, it’s satisfying to reminisce about times when FC Hollywood could seemingly do no wrong.
Der FC Bayern Doppelpack lets you pine for victories past with both a DVD and Audio CD.
Video segments include a highlight reel from the 06/07 season, a tribute to the career of Mehmet Scholl, and an Allianz Arena guided tour with Bastian Schweinsteiger (who manages to match his scarf with his Converse All-Stars…very chic.) Each of these segments is interesting enough, but the amount of content is disappointing. The entire season highlight reel, for example, is only three minutes long. This lack of content and the lackluster interface make the DVD feel hastily assembled. The disc would have benefited from a bit more polish in terms of presentation, as well as a few more segments – a season review would have been a particularly welcome addition.
The audio portion has a bit less appeal. I was hoping for some fan chants, or perhaps an example of the spectacular call-and-answer interactions between the announcer and Allianz crowds (“DANKE!” “BITTE!)
Instead, the CD is a collection of Bayern-themed rock songs. I’m sure these tracks would be great for a little rabble-rousing en-route to the match, but they don’t hold up all that well for the solo listener.
There are some fun moments, particularly in Die Prinzen’s tribute to Oli Kahn, but on the whole the audio is a bit of a disappointment.
The 2007 FC Bayern Doublepack is a definitely a fun and quirky piece, but one for which the audience is probably quite small. This is definitely a product for the hard-core supporter. While 2007 isn’t too far in the past, the footballing world moves quite quickly – as such, new-comers to Bayern fandom my struggle to find familiar faces. For those of us who have been with FC Bayern for years, it’s fun to look back to see where Rekordmeister has been in recent years, and to find hope for similar successes in the future.