I need to tell you a story about Darrell ‘Dudley’ Freeland.
Wednesday 4th December would have been Duds 44th birthday. Most of you reading this will know him as either the best of mates, incredible colleague, legend of non league football or all three and more besides.
This weekend, myself and a couple of others are headed to see our German mates who you may remember came across to his funeral. We’ll be enjoying a few beers in his honour, probably a bit of karaoke and almost certainly some Jager (yes really, even me).
Why? Way back in 2015, Duds, Keeno and myself were driving to Dortmund to see the guys. I had a CD that they’d left at my house full of Borussia Dortmund songs after the Champions League Final at Wembley in 2013.
On it was one song that was, although entirely in German, had this incredibly catchy chorus of ‘Heja BVB, Heja BVB, Heja Heja Heja BVB’.
Now, fast forward a couple of days, we’ve been in the Yellow Wall watching Die Schwarzgelben dismantle VFB Stuttgart and are in a bar just down from the stadium. We’ve had plenty to drink. We’re three English blokes in a bar full of BVB fans and getting along brilliantly.
Duds has disappeared, but then there he is, a tray of Jagermeister in his hands, singing at the top of his voice: JAGER BVB, JAGER BVB, JAGER JAGER JAGER BVB.
I feel like the bar went silent, this bloke walking toward us with a tray of shots, and then we, and all the bar join in with this song. It stuck, and I am sure this weekend it’ll get more than a few airings. It was one of those silly little moments where he took over the room, ridiculous and brilliant. The moments we loved him for.
Anyway, I’ve found the song on Spotify, it’s by K.H. Bandosz. I thought it might be fun if we could confuse the hell out of Spotify by getting this song up the digital charts. Play it, on repeat, and raise a glass (preferably Jager but whatever you like in fairness), and repeat after me..
JAGER BVB, JAGER BVB, JAGER JAGER JAGER BVB.
Happy birthday mate.
