Wisla Krakow wins Title; Gornik relegated

I will begin by congratulating Wisla Krakow on becoming the champions of Polish soccer today, with a 2-0 win over Slask Wroclaw, Krakow wins it’s 13th league title in their history. I also want to congratulate the clubs who survived relegation. I usually try not to be biased, and anyone who reads my blogs can vouch for me that I try to speak about all the clubs and never hold a bias towards my team. It’s no secret that I’m a Gornik Zabrze supporter from birth and today, well, is a very sad day for me and the entire Gornik Zabrze community. For the first time in my life-time and the first time since 1978, Gornik Zabrze is getting relegated to the second division and they only have themselves to blame.

From Ernest Pol stadium…. 2-0 Gornik Zabrze

Hey, me again, again writing from Gliwice. Just returned from the derby between Gornik Zabrze and Polonia Bytom. Not sure if it’s the bias in me since i just spend about 3-hours at Ernest Pol stadium, or if it’s just the beer talking, but seeing Adam Banas live was incredible. I have no idea why Leo Beenhakker hasn’t called him up yet to the national team. Banas seriously reminds me of Jaap Stam. Tough central defender. Always in great position, never giving up on any play, doesn’t lose any battle, he is loud and is really a true leader, in fact he was the captain today since Sebestian Nowak was out injured. And he scores clutch goals. The guy is one of the best footballers that I remember seeing play in Poland. Sure, over the computer as I watch weekly he looks solid too, but seeing him live was something else. Hope Beenhakker keeps his tabs on him, he is a true talent.

Ekstraklasa Round 22 Wrap-up

The Polish Ekstraklasa returned after a week off due to international duty. Piast Gliwice can finally they they “arrived” to the Ekstraklasa, as they hosted their first game in Gliwice since getting their promotion. Piast Gliwice has been playing in Wodzislawiu Slaskim as their stadium was getting fixed to meet Polish FA regulations. And Piast did not disappoint, beating their rivals, Gornik Zabrze, 1-0, which also moved Piast from regulation battle to 9th place. The premier match of the weekend was in Poznan, between Wisla Krakow and Lech Poznan. In a very physical match, Krakow took the lead early in the 2nd half with a goal by Peter Singlar. Lech Poznan tied it though, in the 83rd minute, on a Semir Stilic strike to give his club the draw. Legia Warsaw got full points, in a tight game against Arka Gydnia, but a solid road victory for the capital team. Goal scoring machine Takesure Chinyama gave his team the advantage, which now moves Legia just 1 point behind leader Lech Poznan.

Reymonta – no longer a fortress?

Kuba - early days at Wisla Krakow

My, my… I remember times of Henryk Kasperczak, when Wisla Krakow was a heavyweight champion of Polish Ekstraklasa. The teams feared to compete on their ground, as it was a stronghold nearly impossible to capture. Teams that achieved draw were celebrating a success. Only Legia, if I rack my memory well enough, was able to compete at champion’s territory. Even though, a draw was all they could achieve most of the time.

Wisla Krakow are still Champions of Poland, but I feel that times when the Reymonta Stadium was a symbol of glory are now gone. Some of you might remember a sensational 2-4 loss against GKS Belchatow in season 06/07. It was spoken of by the media for a long time as a moment, when spell of Reymonta was broken. And it seems they were right. Since then, I believe, the fear of playing away at Wisla’s turf is gone.

The Great Derby of Silesia

One of Poland’s biggest and longest rivalries is renewed this Saturday afternoon, when Gornik Zabrze and Ruch Chorzow meet for the 92nd time in league play at Slaski Stadium in Chorzow. Gornik leads the all-time series with 36 wins, 24 defeats and 31 draws. The two Polish giants have also met 13 times in Puchar Polish (Polish Cup), five wins for Gornik, five for Ruch and three draws. While two of the five Gornik wins came in the final. Four of the five for Ruch were in the Final. The Ruch Chorzow vs. Gornik Zabrze derby is one of the most important matches of the season, not only in Silesia, but in all of Poland. Both clubs have an amazing history of legendary players, great fan support and results on the pitch. Both clubs share the record total of 14 League Championships. Zabrze has also won six League Cups while Chorzow has won three.

And so it begins….

Since this is my first entry on the “Soca Soul”, i provide you with some information about myself and why i am qualified to write a blog exclusively on Polish football.