“Would have romped it”: ex-HSV star with surprise promotion claim | OneFootball

When HSV were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga for the first time in 2018, almost everyone involved was convinced of one thing: their stay in the second tier would only be brief.

In the end, however, the Rothosen needed a full seven years to make their return. On May 10, 2025, Davie Selke, Ransford Königsdörffer and company sealed the long-awaited promotion with a 6–1 win over Ulm. But HSV had already come very close several times in the years before that – including in the 2020/21 season.

The team coached by Daniel Thioune got off to a flying start in that pandemic-hit campaign with five straight wins. “Only eight teams had managed to win their first five out of five. Four of them were promoted in the end, and four didn’t make it,” 2. Bundesliga record goalscorer Simon Terodde recently recalled on the podcast “Tusche und Terodde – Ein Ball für zwei”.

Photo: IMAGO

The striker himself was under contract with HSV that season and played a key role in Hamburg’s dream start with six goals. Even so, by the end of the season the Hanseatic club were among the teams Terodde mentioned that missed out on promotion despite their strong start. So what was the reason?

Terodde convinced: HSV lost their “flow”

The now 38-year-old has one explanation: “I’m still convinced that if there had been spectators in the stadium back then, we would have cruised through. It gives you flow.” In fact, the 2020/21 season was played without fan support due to COVID restrictions, apart from the opening matchdays when a limited number of spectators were permitted. It is therefore possible that clubs with particularly passionate supporters, such as HSV, were affected more than others.

That said, the truth is also that the club from the Elbe repeatedly made dreadful mistakes and went winless in five straight matches on two separate occasions over the course of the season. By the end, the gap to a direct promotion place was a relatively clear six points. Instead, VfL Bochum and SpVgg Greuther Fürth celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga. Holstein Kiel, meanwhile, fell to 1. FC Köln in the relegation playoff. HSV, on the other hand, had to wait another four years – until relief finally came in May 2025.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.