Derek Rae

In that other place where the sky is blue, same nickname if anyone is interested.

⚽️ has its own bizarre laws. Daniel Thioune was sacked by Fortuna Düsseldorf in October after a poor start in the 2. Bundesliga. In February though, he landed his first top flight coaching job with struggling Bremen & kept them up. In May, Düsseldorf descended to the 3. Liga.

@dgfawkes Tickets are not easy to come by in most places but with a bit of planning & choosing the right game it can be done. Mainz often doable. Try for a big traditional club - Frankfurt, Schalke, etc against a smaller club. You’ll be most welcome. Bochum in the 2. Liga a joy.

@RaeComm Derek - I asked you this a few years ago but I've forgotten your answer. Where would be a good German city to visit for a match? Somewhere that tickets would be relatively easy to get plus friendly towards Dons fans!

Albert Riera and Eintracht Frankfurt lasted but a few short months. Always felt like a gamble and this one didn’t pay off.

@Bi9_6ow @SteffenFreund 8:30 pm our time here in Germany. So 7:30 pm if you’re in the uk

@RaeComm @SteffenFreund Hi Derek. What time is the ko on Thursday? On the FotMob app it says 3pm.

Wolfsburg-Paderborn over 2 legs for the one remaining place in next season‘s Bundesliga. Thursday: 1st leg in Wolfsburg Monday: 2nd leg in Paderborn Join us on the world feed for both. Moritz Volz my co-comm for the first leg & @SteffenFreund for the second.

Just off the train from Munich and now for Schalke-Braunschweig before 60,000+. Final day in the 2. Bundesliga. Meisterschale handover for Schalke. Braunschweig battling to stay in the division. 15:20 German time/14:20 UK/09:20 ET. Usual places.

@colingale @VfLWolfsburg_EN We will know today. Most likely Hannover and a Niedersachsen derby. But could be Elversberg or Paderborn. Simultaneous kick offs.

@RaeComm Do @VfLWolfsburg_EN know who they will be up against in the playoff?

Always enjoyable covering the celebratory scenes and associated beer showers after a Bundesliga Meisterschake handover. Fun day at the mic 🎙️ with @SteffenFreund here at the Allianz Arena. On to the playoff on Thursday. Wolfsburg definitely in it. Opponents determined tomorrow.

@athvia Hope you’ll stay with us

@RaeComm Hey Derek, I love your work on TV; just wanna share that as an Iranian loyal Bundesliga fan, sometimes it’s hard to watch Fussball bcs of everything going on back there.

Bayern-Köln & all the presentations after the final whistle here in Munich tomorrow. Reminder that in addition to all the games offered individually (all played simultaneously), you can also follow the Goal Arena-Bundesliga Konferenz bouncing from one game to the next.

We’re saying farewell to Deniz Aytekin & Patrick Ittrich today, 2 high profile referees who are part of the Bundesliga fabric. Refs are dedicated people who love ⚽️, don’t live superstar lifestyles yet are often panned far more than players or coaches.

Tomorrow will be fantastic!⚽️🍾🍺 @DFL_Official @FCBayern @fckoeln #FCBKOE #Meisterschale

@Lynny_5_1 I love the stories aspect of football in terms of how it binds communities, cities or sections of cities. This would be quite the story! Enjoy it (though I know it will be nerve shredding)

@RaeComm You've always, always been very fair to Hearts and our fans, oh and given us some outstanding commentaries too I know you're a Dandy, but think you have a strong affinity with Hearts too. HHGH

To hope Hearts win the title is to hope fans who have never tasted such glory, get to experience that high for the first time. It’s no more complicated than that for many of us who love ⚽️. Felt it commentating on the Leverkusen story here in Germany 2 years ago. Enjoy tomorrow!

@Alan_Morrison67 Not really no. There is dislike of Leverkusen in some quarters but more because of their set up/Bayer factor. Had it been Stuttgart or Frankfurt, most would have cheered. Leverkusen were off the charts good. Had little to do with Bayern failings.

@RaeComm Derek - i listened to a view from other journos that many German fans of other clubs (not Bayern nor Bayer) did not want Bayer to win as it highlighted the poor performance of their clubs, whilst a Bayern win is the accepted default? Something you experienced?

It’s an aside point to the argument still raging from last night but that incident has guaranteed Sky an even bigger audience figure for Celtic-Hearts on Saturday. Publicity = viewers + Surely a very good chance it will surpass any other Scottish domestic game in Sky‘s history.

German holiday today. Back to Munich tomorrow for Bayern-Köln on the final day of the Bundesliga season and the official handover of the Meisterschale. World feed alongside @SteffenFreund and we’ll also see the well liked Deniz Aytekin officiate his final game. #FCBKOE

No top flight title race anywhere in the world among countries where ⚽️ truly matters to the resident population, can match the wildness of this race in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Tonight‘s last second drama only the latest cliff hanger chapter. Now Celtic v Hearts to settle it.

Good week for women in the men’s Bundesliga. After coach Marie-Louise Eta guided Union to victory on Sunday, Hamburg have appointed Kathleen Krüger to the role of sporting CEO. Krüger has worked at Bayern for more than 20 years latterly as head of organization and infrastructure.

Flying visit to Aberdeen & looking forward to being at the final home game of the season tonight.