3) Hamburger SV
The famous “Bundesliga clock”; the clock that hangs at Hamburger’s stadium Volksparkstadion indicating them to be the only club to have never relegated from the top flight ;did come into danger of being removed the last two seasons when they finished in the relegation qualification playoff spot, but won both of them to keep the remarkable record intact.
Although Hamburger seemed to have finished this season strongly , finishing 10th in the League but they were still only 5 points clear of the relegation zone.
Their last season saw a finale which surely would have given some faithful fans a heart attack. They finished with the worst goalscoring record in the league, managing just 9 goals in 34 games. But in a turnaround of the season, they secured the playoff spot following a run of three wins in their last five games.
After drawing to third placed second division side Karlsruher at home in the first leg of the playoff, they came from a goal down to score an equalizer in injury time in the second leg and went on to win the match in extra time!
The 10th place finish could be a sign of things to come for the Hamburg-based club and fans will be hoping that the club improves further under current manager and club legend, Bruno Labbadia.