that they were too old – in favour of a dozen newcomers. It would take the club nine years to recover and return from an exile in the second tier, first the Regionalliga Süd, then the 2. Bundesliga Süd, that included several failed efforts in the promotion rounds. 1. FCN returned to the Bundesliga for a year in 1978, but played to a 17th-place finish and were relegated again. The club immediately played its way back to the top flight, but since then its Bundesliga performances have been stumbling ones, characterized by finishes well down the league table and occasional relegation for a season or two. The side's best recent result was a fifth-place finish in 1988. The early 1980s also saw the rise of a longstanding and intense friendship between the fans of Nürnberg and those of former archrival Schalke 04. Fans accompany each other's on their respective away games, and the two-season matches between the teams are generally a very laid-back and hospitable affair for all fans involved. In the mid-1990s, Nürnberg had financial problems, including the conviction of their club treasurer Ingo Böbel for fraud and misallocating club finances. This led to their being penalized six points in the 1995–96 season while playing in the 2. Bundesliga. The club was relegated to the third division as a consequence. Improved management saw the club clawing back and return to the top flight eventually. In 1999, however, 1. FCN suffered what was arguably the worst meltdown in Bundesliga history. Going into the last game of the season, the club sat in 12th place, three points and five goals ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt, which was sitting in 16th place and seemingly headed to relegation. Nürnberg was closing out the season with what looked to be an easy home game against SC Freiburg, which was also facing relegation. Frankfurt was up against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, last season's champions which were in a fight for a UEFA Champions League spot. Therefore, FCN had already begun soliciting season tickets for next Bundesliga season in a letter to current season ticket holders within celebrating successfully avoiding relegation. The stage was set for an improbable outcome. Nürnberg lost 1–2 with Frank Baumann missing a chance to score in the last minute. Every other 1. FCN rival won, including Frankfurt, which routed Kaiserslautern 5–1 with three late tallies – this put the side ahead on goals