Players waive wages: the 1973/74 season could only be completed because the players gave up part of their wages in spring 1974. By that point the best players had already been sold off in emergency deals. Hans-Werner Hartl was practically shipped out to Bochum and Theo Buecker sold to Duisburg. The depleted remainder of Dortmund's squad was sharply criticized by coach Janos Bedl, who said that if a professional showed so little for so much money, then he had to be shown his limits.\n\nIt worked only to a degree.
Bedl had to go after a 1:1 at bottom club Viktoria Cologne. BVB idol Dieter Kurrat took over and reached the minimum target: sixth place and qualification for the new two-division 2. Bundesliga.