FC St. Pauli

It was with a wink that the third-oldest player in the St. Pauli squad confirmed, after umpteen training sessions and a warm-up match against Wehen Wiesbaden, that everything is in good order as far as he and his fitness are concerned. Happily, that can be said of all the members of the travelling party. "It's great not to have any injuries, as it means we can work on the training content as a group," the midfielder said. But how far are Jos Luhukay's side in their preparations? "That's difficult to say," said Flumi, who has nothing but praise for his teammates. "The players are really fired up in training. Everyone's trying to stake a claim for a place in the team when we resume at Fürth," the 32-year-old said.

Luhukay had already said in advance that the Boys in Brown would largely be spared arduous sessions without the ball at training camp, and after a couple of days in Spain the midfield schemer concurred. "We've mainly been working on set moves and solutions in the attacking and defensive areas. We're continuing on our path and taking a lot of young players with us. It can be a bit bumpy at times but I'm confident we're going to have a lot of joy with this team."

Flum's first start this season came against former club Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB Cup.

The road felt very bumpy back in autumn, when the results weren't coming and the critics were getting louder. How do you deal with that as a player? "I read the press coverage and opinions. We're all a bit vain after all, aren't we? But the opinion of my teammates and the people in charge is far more important as far as I'm concerned," said Flumi, who confirmed it was something the players talk about in the dressing room, too. "We're confronted with it every day and we exchange views on the latest developments. That's part and parcel of the game. We're professional footballers and public figures and that's one part of it", he said.

Enforced absences are another part of the job. The 32-year-old had to endure one in summer when he had a metal disc removed from his knee and admits it set him back in his preparations for the new season. "You have to work hard to get back. I went flat out because I know how it is in this business. You have to stick at it," he said, reflecting on the first part of the season. Looking ahead to the second, two things are of particular importance, he said: "The main priority for me is to stay healthy but the success of the team comes above that and obviously I want to do my bit."

Photos: Witters