Smuda Falls At First Hurdle

The pitch was terrible, the Polish players even worse, according to most fans watching the game. The Polish football team lost, yet again, this time to Romania 0:1 at home. Franciszek Smuda, former manager of Zagłębia Lubin, Lech Poznań, Wisła Kraków, Legia Warsaw and Widzew Łódź took charge of his first game as manager of the Polish national team. The man, hailed as the new saviour of the Polish football team, did little to inspire a team lacking quality and energy. Expectations are high, surprisingly, after predecessor Leo Beenhakker’s failed qualification campaign for the World Cup in South Africa.    
Wirtualna Polska

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Czech Republic vs. Poland

Czechs vs. Poles

On Friday the Polish football team landed in Prague and will face the Czech football team. “Everyone is in a good mood and has high hopes for victory. If one strongly believes in what he is doing, everything can happen,” said the manager of the Polish football team, Stefan Majewski. He added that the only thing he was not sure about was the lineup of the team, but after Friday’s training  session everything was clear. “I’ve already chosen 10 players but I am not sure what to do with the defence,” said Majewski and added that he wants to play with two strikers. The manger revealed that he does not have any doubts who will be the goalkeeper in the match. Mariusz Lewandowski who is captain can be sure about his position in the team. The injured Marcin Wasilewski, Michał Żewłakow and Artur Boruc will not play in the match. “The defenders are playing better now. The last training  session showed us that the team is more integrated and organised,” said Lewandowski. Polish and Czech journalists as well as autograph-hunters were waiting for the Polish footballers at the airport in Prague. The Polish team was pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of the Czech fans (who had pictures of the Polish footballers in special books) so they eagerly gave them their signatures. Unfortunately, they were less willing to talk to the media. Jerzy Dudek, who plays for Real Madrid, said “we will talk to you later.”
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Who will Replace Beenhakker?

Avram - Bursting onto the Scene

Not only does Lothar Matthäus want to work for the Polish Football Association (PZPN) but also the former manager of Chelsea, Avram Grant, is willing to become the manager of the Polish football team. Grzegorz Lato, the head of the PZPN, has already invited Grant for a meeting. The former manager of Chelsea was also the manager of the Israeli football team and his ancestors are of Polish descent. “I will undoubtedly meet Grant and listen to what he has to say,” said Lato. Another candidate for the position of manager of the Polish football team, Lothar Matthäus, will not be invited to a meeting with PZPN officials because his management career has not been paved with success. What is most important, however, is the fact that the PZPN is no longer insisting on a Polish manager.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Lothar Herbert Matthäus

Beenhakker Ignores PZPN

Ignorance is Bliss

As it was expected Leo Beenhakker did not come for the meeting with members of the Polish Football Association (PZPN), during which he was expected to discuss the end of his cooperation with the Polish football team. Jakub Kwiatkowski, spokesman for the PZPN, says that “the terms and conditions of Beenahakker’s dismissal will be agreed during Thursday’s meeting of the board”. Leo’s contract ends in November. After Wednesday’s failure of the Polish football team the head of PZPN, Grzegorz Lato, said that he will not extend Leo Beenahakker’s contract.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Lato insults Beenhakker

Leo Out

“The footballers did they best but showed what level Polish football is at. In the qualifications to the European Championships the Polish team played quite well and now they are two years older and are not as athletic as they were and also seem to lack the necessary skills to play at this level. I have said for three years that the Polish football team is stepping backward; the rest of the world is overtaking us because they all seem to have a plan, training sessions and are well-organised. Poland is not moving forward. Is it normal that Poland has only once reached the European championships? Is it a coincidence?” said Beenhakker in a interview for Rzeczpospolita. “I am deeply disappointed with the performance of the Polish football team in Maribor and shocked by President Lato’s behaviour (head of the PZPN). No one has ever treated me like that. I was expecting at least a bit of respect after three years of cooperation,” he said, “While I was waiting to do an interview for TVP one of the reporters was interpreting Lato’s interview for nSport in which the head of the Polish Football Association (PZPN) fired me and then asked me to come for a meeting on Tuesday. What was that? Was he drunk? I will not speak to him ever again. I am the first person to blame for the failure of the Polish football team and I know that I would be fired but for God’s sake not this way,” he added.
Onet.pl

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Ludo the Hero

New Polish (?) Hero

Ludovic Obraniak, the Frenchman with a shiny, new Polish passport, made a glittering debut and a dream start to his Polish football career. Poland took on Greece in a friendly on Wednesday night and deservedly beat the former European champions 2-0 thanks to two brilliant goals by Ludovic Obraniak. The first was scored in the 47th minute thanks to a deflection from a Marcin Wasilewski shot. Poland and Obraniak’s second came in the 79th after a series of slick passes and a wonderful team effort.
Wirtualna Polska

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

From France to Poland

Playing for Poland

Leo Beenhakker has surprised football fans in Poland and France by calling up young Frenchman Ludovic Obraniak. The 24-year old winger, who plies his trade with Lille in France qualifies to play for Poland through a Polish grandfather. Beenhakker together with his management team see Obraniak playing on the left wing or tucked behind the attacking midfielders. Due to problems with his current playing staff, namely Ebi Smolarek, who has not played regular football for a year, and Rafał Murawski, who has not played football since May, Beenhakker has been forced to look for talented footballers abroad. Obraniak follows in the footsteps of Roger and Olisadebe – naturalised foreigners who turned out for Poland. Last season, Obraniak played 33 times for Lille and scored nine goals. He was voted second best Lille player by France Football. Strangely enough, Obraniak will come into the squad together with an interpreter – the young winger speaks only French.
Gazeta Wyborcza

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Champions League in Another Lifetime

Just a Dream

What is much worse than Polish clubs losing on the European stage year after year are the consequences felt across Poland. Polish football fans are instantly thrown into a maelstrom of feverish responses: mistakes are pointed out by those who know better and announcements  are made that the team will be purged. After Wisła Kraków was humiliated in Estonia, there are some claiming to have the perfect solution to the problem. The club should sell all its players apart from the younger ones upon which the new team should be built. It should also fire Wisła’s manager Maciej Skorża because he does not have what it takes to play in Europe. The club’s owner Bogusław Cupiał should take a long look at himself. If he wants his team to qualify for the CL he should provide a budget at least as hefty as the funds behind the top Ukrainian and Romanian teams. Wisła has lost on the European stage and the pundits have lost their minds. Franciszek Smuda, possibly Skorża’s replacement at Wisła, is openly calling the defeat the ‘Tallin debacle’ although it was Smuda himself who failed to overcome the Moldavian amateurs FC Sheriff Tiraspol two years ago. It is plain to see the level of football the Polish champion is playing at but, unfortunately, there was no other team in last year’s Polish league that could play better. Skorża, now knocked and battered, seemed like the perfect man to replace Leo Beenhakker, Poland’s manager, not so long ago.

No Polish Abramovich

The Wisła chairman, Cupiał, is the man who pumped PLN 100 million of his own money into Wisła. Now, Poland longs for its own Roman Abramovich but unfortunately he is nowhere to be found. There are no oil or gas moguls because, thank goodness, Poland’s economy is nothing like Russia’s or Ukraine’s and as a result there is no easy money to be made. No sheikhs from the Persian Gulf will visit Poland because in football they seek splendour and splendour Polish football does not have. What it does have, however, is a poor quality league, pompous players and high expectations. Of course, when there is no mogul then good marketing, high-quality scouting and large stadia become a necessity. But in Poland even the top teams have difficulty in finding a sponsor, scouting is still in its infancy, and stadia are under construction. Only when they are finished will Polish football have the right to demand teams in the CL. Polish people are deluded. Otherwise they might find themselves in a situation similar to one in which the Polish Film Institute would take it upon itself to make one Oscar-winning movie per year and the Jagiellonian University to annually educate a Noble Prize winner. Sure, it is always worth aiming high but why invite ridicule?
Rzeczpospolita

Vote now for our blog friends – Transubstantiation

Beenhakker Sneers at Poland

More Leo Trouble

Artur Wichniarek thinks Leo Beenhakker’s behaviour is unacceptable. “I will play for the Polish football team at any time of day or night, but I will not play for Leo Beenhakker who mocks Polish people and my country,” said the Hertha Berlin striker. “The manager of the Polish team had no time for me so I will not find time for him,” he added. Wichniarek claims that he will not regret his decision not to play for Beenhakker. “I have a lot of experience and I’m not 19 years old so being called up is no longer such a big deal to me. I was expecting a conversation with Beenhakker over coffee, he might tell me that he’s been watching me, that I have a chance to play in the national team or even say a simple hello,” explains Wichniarek. The striker cannot understand Beenhakker’s behaviour. “For three years I have been scoring goals regularly in the German league but Beenhakker has never called. Footballers playing worse than I do or who have problems with alcohol and gambling are now playing in the national football team,” said a resigned Wichniarek.
Dziennik

Vote now for our blog friends – Transubstantiation

New Hosts of Euro 2012

A Lot on Viktor's Mind

At first every one thought that it is only a rumour, but now Germany seems to be very close to taking over the organisation of Euro 2012 from Ukraine. Viktor Yushchenko, the President of Ukraine, announced recently that the country has serious financial problems. According to Bild it is almost certain that the football matches will take place in Berlin and Lipsk. “Ukraine is able to cover only 5% of all costs needed for the organisation of Euro 2012. This means that they lack about €665 million needed for bringing Kiev, Lvov, Donieck and Dniepropietrovsk up to UEFA requirements. So far only Kiev has been approved of by UEFA,” reports Bild. The German newspaper also writes about the high level of economic recession in Ukraine and it  quotes Michael Platini who said that Germany is one of the options that should be taken into consideration in case Ukraine fails. However, information about changing one of the hosts of Euro 2012 has not yet been confirmed. Wolfgang Niersbach, secretary general of the German Football Association (DFB), said that everyone wants Poland and Ukraine to be the hosts of Euro 2012.
Dziennik

Vote now for our blog friends – Transubstantiation