Munich - Some seasons live long in the memory, but for Hertha Berlin, 2012/13 might just go down as one of their best yet.

Soar like the Eagles

Rather than mope around, lamenting a second relegation from the top flight in three seasons, Jos Luhukay's men instead knuckled down and in the end took the Bundesliga 2 crown at a canter. Now, as they prepare to storm the Bundesliga shores for the 31st time, the question is: can the capital club make their stay permanent?

With the Old Lady's latest remit in mind, Luhukay has wasted little time in tweaking his squad for the new campaign. The Dutchman recognised that players boasting Bundesliga experience have the potential to make all the difference, with new recruits Sebastian Langkamp, Hajime Hosogai, Johannes van den Bergh and Alexander Baumjohann bringing exactly that to the Hertha table.

You only have to look at the fortunes of last season's promoted Bundesliga trio to see what effect even a smattering of top-flight know-how can have on the campaign in the long run. Greuther Fürth failed to win a single game at home on their way back down, while an equally inexperienced Fortuna Düsseldorf side soon ran out of steam, succumbing to the second-tier current on the final day.

The only freshly-promoted outfit to beat the drop were Eintracht Frankfurt - handsomely at that. And while a top-six finish is an exception to the rule, there is no question that prior top-flight knowledge helped their cause. Carlos Zambrano, Bastian Oczipka and Alex Meier are just three Eagles representatives to have previously enjoyed top-tier run-outs elsewhere.

Operation stay afloat

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