Morning all, and welcome back to Germany where I’m attempting to fashion a competitive Cologne team from neighbouring countries and the homeland. As to where we are in Season 2 – here’s our Graham with a quick reminder:

Let’s start with some cup action, which is always fun. My deadly duo strike force get a deuce a piece and we’re in the hat for the next round. Happy Days.

Not so good Al on our return to league action against Schalke and De Kock but Captain Baumann puts in a sterling performance to keep a clean sheet.

It’s even less good against Munich 7pm. Red cards, injuries. a true Halloween horror so and no mistake.

Thankfully things are a little easier when Twente come to town and two nothing shut out eases us into the fourth round aided by future Manchester United cup winning manager seeing red.

Well, that draw could have been a lot nicer. We’ll be welcoming Ronaldo and Co but there looked like no easy games. Well, maybe Boavista.

This is more like it, the stuff Vindaloo was made of.

We take one step forward, we take two steps back, we come together because opposites attract. Hang on, that’s a Paula Abdul song with a cartoon cat….anyway. Another loss, another future Premier League manager gets his marching orders.

Make that two further steps back

This however, is why we do it. A trip into the Giuseppa Meazza and we stifle Ronaldo and come out with a commanding position for the second leg. I’m starting to like these boys.

Anelka seems to have taken his early season criticism in a positive way, showing me it’s not all about Bierhoff.

Well, actually sometimes, it is all about Bierhoff

Stenzel is my favoured left wingback at the moment and he’s popping up with his fair share of goals

As good as recent form has been, we get well and truly put in our place when Inter come to town. We might have kept Ronaldo quiet again, but his buddies overturn our lead and then some.

Still, early progress in europe will hopefully galvanise my lads with a response…

Or maybe not so much….

Well, lets just take our frustrations out on Bochum then

It feels like we still have a long way to go in this save though. Bayern make sauerkraut out of us once again. What the hell is Colin Hendry doing in their defence anyway??

Rostock is more our thing. You know where you are with Rostock. Good old Rostock.

That win means we’ve hot the magic 24 out of 34 games and it’s time to check the league table and take a break until next week. Still in 6th. Out of Europe. Still in the Pokal Cup. What’s our aim from here? Win the cup? Sneak into the European places again for next season? Hopefully some progress can be made next week – we’ll see…..