Darmstadt move clear, Fürth fire coach

Through 12 second division contests, Darmstadt and Paderborn have notably exceeded expectations, while several recent first division sides face a likely relegation battle ahead.

The former league leaders of Hamburger SV were blistered 3-0 in the derby by St. Pauli on Friday, making way for Darmstadt to top the always exciting 2. Bundesliga standings. After their victory over SV Sandhausen, Paderborn are now tied with Hamburg to cement the top three.
While the likes of 4th-place Heidenheim and 5th-place Hannover could very well make a charge back into the promotion places, it’s almost more interesting to see what’s happening at the bottom of the table.

Fürth, who were just in the Bundesliga, are 16th and finally fired coach Marc Schneider after their abysmal start to the campaign. Their friends at Arminia Bielefeld sit last in what’s turning out to be yet another unpredictable second division season.

But, everything is still extremely tight just 12 games in. Only seven points separate relegation and 7th place, with promotion-favorites Nürnberg and St. Pauli sitting dangerously close to slipping into the bottom three.

Relegation-favorites Eintracht Braunschweig are somehow unbeaten in six league games and find themselves tied with the surprisingly decent side of Jahn Regensburg.

Statistics wise, Paderborn easily lead the scoring charts with 32 goals recorded already. They’ve only allowed 12 goals into the back of their net, which is bested by Tim Walter’s Hamburg, who are searching for answers offensively.

There’s still so much left to play for in one of the scrappiest leagues in world football.

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