The winners of the very first Bundesliga title in 1963-64, FC Köln have had a mixed history in the intervening period, having dropped down to the second flight no scarcer than five times over the recent decades and most lately in 2011/12. The Billy Goats' famous nickname dates back to 1950, when a circus presented the club with a Billy Goat as a carnival joke. This goat was implemented as the club's official mascot and currently in its eighth manifestation, is a core of the pre-match program when FC Köln are playing at the Rhein Energie Stadion. A club that is supported tremendously around the North-Rhine Westphalia, FC Köln has approximately 54,000 club members. ‘The Billy Goats’’ have been German Champions three times and the DFB Pokal four times but have not seen a major trophy since 1983.
In contemporary years, the club's enactment has been diverse. FC Köln holds the worst goal drought in Bundesliga history as in 2002, the supporters had to wait nearly twelve games as Polish player Thomas Cichon eventually located the back of the net which seemed to end the psychological threat to ‘The Billy Goats’’.
In the premature years of the Bundesliga, FC Köln was the most successful club in West Germany in terms of total points obtained. Commencement in the early 1990s, however, the club's performance tumbled and in 1998, they were relegated for the first time in their illustrious history. When the millennium finally arrived FC Köln has never really been able to acquire any consistency and have turned into a fragment of a yo-yo team, as they have been moving between the first and second divisions.
In the 04-05 season FC Köln returned to the top flight of German football as 2. Bundesliga champions after they were relegated in the season before. When arriving in the Bundesliga they were written off by many critiques and were chosen by German football magazine ‘Kicker’ as the favourite club to be relegated. However ‘Kicker’ could rub their hands in glory, as their prognostication was spot on with ‘The Billy Goats’’ losing to Hamburger SV 1–0 towards the end of the season, which confirmed their relegation mathematically. To add insult to injury, they finished seventeenth and were awarded with conceding the leagues most goals, seventy one.
In the year of 2006, previous coach Christophe Daum decided to come to the 2. Bundesliga club and it appeared to be a shrewd decision as he led them back to 1. Bundesliga in 2008. In 2010/11 season FC Köln were relegated back to the second tier of German football finishing in seventeenth place. Last season under new trainer Holger Stanislawski, FC Köln finished in fifth place and just missed out on promotion back to the top tier. They feel that they should be back with the big boys and this was felt by the club themselves when Holger Stanislawski had his contract terminated in May 2012 after the game against FC Ingolstadt 04.
FC Köln are back in the top flight after a two year break away from Germany’s top league. In their first season under new head coach Peter Stöger, the foundational Bundesliga champions left the competition behind them to take the second-flight title with something to spare. 1860 München also provided Köln with Yuya Osako for the upcoming campaign. In his first half-season in Germany, the 24-year-old forward played fifteen times for the Bavarian organisation, scoring six goals. Already a star in his native Japan, Osako is poised that he can still play well and score more frequently.
Two years after dropping out of the Germany’s top flight league and for the fifth time since the turn of the millennium, Köln reclaimed their place at the top table, concluding six points clear of second place Paderborn. Köln had the the second-youngest team in the division and also with a strong defence to brag about. They achieved a record for their defensive displays, they performed throughout the season supremely.
Köln will have to have their target as staying up in the league and they can certainly take encouragement from Hertha BSC’s performances last season. Köln are a major club in Germany and will certainly feel at home when they begin their campaign.