Hattrick United

By Mehmet Ouldamar

It’s hard to believe but the owner of KK Krosno is not a heartless or insensate robot – what is more he is very committed to his players and he is even said to follow closely their careers. Such declarations sound all the more strange, since in the present squad of Krosnianka Karpaty plays no product of club’s academy… But let’s give voice to hubeq and let’s see how the owner of KKK explains these fact – commitment to players on the one hand and on the other, no place for U-21 players (especially those from our academy) in Krosnianka Karpaty.

- At the moment young players are unable to provide us satisfactory level of quality. The results of our youth team, SMS Karpaty Krosno, have been recently abysmal and hopeless – boys were relegated from the HTUM U18 Championship and I’m sure someone will need to clean this mess one day. For example, one of our scouts, mr Mirosław Kotek – with all due respect – is 72 now and it’s probably high time to look for a replacement for him. For that reason I’m not willing to focus on development of young players at the moment, especially that even these two 19-year old guys – Röbi Wiesmann from FC Rünenberg and Alexandre Sardinha Jr. from Los Mejores Fútbol Club – let our coaching staff down and to be honest we are looking forward to sack them.

So what about this attachment to ex-KKK players?

- Well, I don’t forget about former members of our squad. Many of them took their first steps here in Krosno and later made nice careers abroad. Krzysztof Przybyłowicz is probably the most significant example – 9 seasons in Dutch club Smitties made him a really great defender. But of course, I’m tracking not only players from our academy but also these players who had been bought for a relatively low price and later sold with a profit – ‘El Nino’ Branco and ‘Batigol’ Batina may be good examples. Hence, I decided to launch a small project, which I unofficially call ‘Project Nostalgia’. It’s a little bit usurpatory idea, launched without any arrangement with the supervisory board, but luckily it’s not very expensive and our funds are not running low because of it. The idea is simple as I’ll be trying to find on transferlist mature ex-KKK players seeking the end of their careers in Krosno. Of course these guys will be still able to play in friendly games and I will be honoured to place them later in hall of fame of Krosnianka Karpaty Krosno, as many of them – like Czesław Wolsztyniak or Lucian Prodan – have truly deserved a special place in memories of our fans and should be model examples for their successors in Krosnianka Karpaty.

Is there any glimmer of hope for youngsters who would like to follow Wolsztyniak, Szolc or Kölbl?

- Of course there is. But first we want to provide those young boys some role models. Pure professionalists who give their heart for the club, who are loyal to the club’s emblem and who are able to inspire other players. I am sure the time for young players will come one day, but at the moment I may only say that Krosnianka Karpaty Krosno is no club for young, unskilled or inexperienced men.

Let’s go back to your idea of hiring former players of KK Krosno. Can you provide our fans any names of possible future transfers?

- You have probably noticed that we are going to sign a contract with Mustafa Brunner. He was a member of KKK in season 34 and 35 – he showed up in 26 games and scored 3 goals. But as far as other names are concerned, I would like to keep them in secret. A few seasons ago we were close to finalize the transfer of Marcel Fryc – our loyal fans remember him as an early example of multiskilled player who was an extraordinary playmaker and winger those days. Unfortunately the deal fell through as this club went bankrupt due to some unclear business connections and corruption allegations leading to a lifelong disqualification of all players playing in Marcel’s club.

Just one more thing at the end – can you give us away any details on the announced during Monday’s shareholders meeting transfers of two forwards?

- Our scouts are looking for U-23 titanic strikers who are either quick or unpredictable. I’m in touch with the agent of Ivan Sagaydachny, however I’m not sure if and how he will be able to acclimatize in our club as I’ve heard that he is often fiery and infamous, but maybe it’s just a stupid gossip. We are not in hurry but I would be glad if we find these strikers by the end of the season.

By: Johan Börjesson & Mehmet Ouldamar

The season is slowly going to an end. Although it is still too early to provide any detailed analysis, the seasonal meeting of shareholders held this Monday pointed out a few important issues.

First of all the club’s marketing and PR are appaling.
- We cannot stay passive and watch the owner’s negligence in communicating with fans, not to mention his dilatory approach in running club’s website! – said Jakub Bindas, legendary player of Shalom Kazimierz and one of shareholders of Krosnianka Karpaty.

- It’s a shame that due to the owner’s laziness and indolence the last post on KK Krosno’s blog appeared on August 2012! – shouted Maciej Budźko, ex-coach of KKK.

- Blacha must go! – screamed angry Teddy ‘The Chocolate’, representative of Krosnianka Karpaty fan-club ‘Karpaciarze’.

Another problem was club’s financial situation.
- It’s more than OK, but we are deeply concerned about needless expenditures. – stated club’s auditor – We have been unable to fill a stadium recently, mainly due to a bad weather but also because of unsatisfying level of marketing.

- Please, don’t forget that our players are still developing into extra-terrestrial level! They have to be paid what they deserve… – Bolesław Blacha, KKK spokesman added.

- Blacha must go!!! – repeated furious Teddy.

- I would also like to remind that we have a small surplus over 100 mln zlotys, that is almost 25 mln euro. – hubeq recalled numbers from a balance sheet – Furthermore, I ask you for a permission to sign contracts with two U-23 forwards this season. At the same time I would like to waive one forward and two or three defenders at the end of this season.

Such statement brought a confusion among all gathered at conference room.
- Dear guests and friends of Krosnianka Karpaty Krosno – hubeq tried to calm down this unnecessary excitement – Mr Andre Bras, the coach of KK Krosno, asked me to assure him full starting eleven before the year 2014. I trust this guy and I have no doubt that such movement on a transfer market is a necessity if we want to celebrate more success in the nearby future.

Surprisingly, the voting went smooth, despite the unexpected absence of Teddy. The seasonal report was accepted and a green light for new transfers was switched on.

- I feel a relief. I am sure that we will find these two missing parts in our puzzle. I am also convinced that we are able to end this season with some good games in Golden League and HTUM Challenge Trophy. After next two seasons we’ll start focusing on our domestic league and I’m sure we will bring some fear and scare amid teams in 4th division! – hubeq announced.

There is also another winner of this meeting.
- Yes, I’m still a spokesman and a secretary of Krosnianka Karpaty Krosno. Needless to say I’m very proud and happy that the club’s shareholders gave me a vote of confidence. I also hope that it will be a new beginning for me and for people responsible for our PR. – Bolesław Blacha told us with mysterious smile like Mona Lisa…

So what happened with the notorious motion of Teddy ‘the Chocolate’? We have no idea, but just a first glance at his disarming smile and precious collection in his arms gave us an irresistable feeling of continuous drunk El Dorado in Teddy’s social housing…

Do you remember newly signed playmaking trio? Just to remind: Marian Ferenz, Łukasz Dulat and Sobiesław Hełmecki came to Krosno for a sum exceeding 27 000 000 PLN (ca. 6 600 000 euro). These guys are very promising players and are considered to be a solid base for our midfield with their fine physical abilities, anyway – let’s coach of KKK mr Andre Bras has his voice:
- In my opinion they are not only hot prospects for the future but even now, still lacking experience, they are able to underlie the quality of midfield in many clubs. Everyone in the club is looking after these boys and our staff is keeping special attention on them.

How this special attention looks like? Just like this:

15 July – injury of Marian Ferenz (+2),
22 July – injury of Łukasz Dulat (+1),
25 July – injury of Sobiesław Hełmecki (+3).

So what’s going on with our young playmakers? Club’s spokesman, Bolesław Blacha, tries to explain it:
- Our training regime is very exhausting and it may fatigue some of younger players who are not accustomed to such load. Besides, mr Bras clearly stated that there will be no ‘off peak tariff’ this season and unfortunately boys fell victim to it.

Sebastian Szolc, who is also currently injured, plays it down too:
- I know what does it mean to train hard and to be suddenly blow with a serious injury. But I think we are all professionals and injuries are part of our job and it’s our standard risk. I’m sure dr Lecter and his medical staff will help boys with becoming fully fit and ready to play within one week.

Injuries, ups and downs of form – these circumstances surely don’t help our team in a long run. And in the present season this run is pretty long – on Sunday KKK is going to play away league game in Zofiów against local KS, on Monday there is an extremely tough away encounter with Klaukkala Bears in 1/4 final of HTUM Challenge Trophy and finally on Wednesday afternoon our players are going to end this exhausting marathon with a Golden League game against FC X-Team at Stadium Arcadium.

Łukasz Dulat admits that life in such hurry is not easy:
- We are moving from one place to another all the time. We are training very hard all the week. I wasn’t aware of it when I was coming to Krosno. But I understand it and accept it. One day Wiesław Pruszkowski, the legend of KKK, took Marian, Sobiesław and me on a walk and told us: ‘Boys, be prepared for hard work, be aware of injuries, tears and moments of discouragement. Consider it as your baptism of fire and forge of your character.’

Due to the so called permanent lack of time, the blog hasn’t been updated for a long time. Now it’s time to change things a little bit. It’s too late to describe last season’s 1st place in VI. division and the battle for promotion but it’s good time to pay a tribute to our former coach and hall of fame member – mr Maciej Budźko.

Maciej was born in Silesia, Poland.

Budźko was born somewhere within those yellow fields called ‘Silesia’ (‘Śląsk’ in Polish)

After spending his youth as a miner in Halemba coal mine, he decided to devote himself to football and started his career in Halemba HKS. In 2007 he was spotted by scouts of Krosnianka Karpaty Krosno.

- I liked him from the first sight. I was fascinated with his bravery, leadership and professionalism. Therefore I asked the owner of KKK for the permission to sign Budźko. – says mr Manole Petrea, former coach of KKK.

As soon as Budźko moved to Kraków (until 2011 a head office of KKK was located there) he met the legendary coach of Shalom Kazimierz mr Benjamin Hirth.

-Mr Hirth had a huge influence on me and my view on coaching. He was insisting on my further education in gaining qualifications for the professional coach. I remember those times when mr Hirth was in a good health and me along with Erotokritos Papanikolopoulos from Vifon Krosno spent many Sunday evenings in his country house, enjoying his olives, wine and of course watching and analising football games. He taught us both how to attack in the middle, how to attack on wings… – mr Budźko recalls and adds: -Now mr Hirth is an elderly gentleman and spends most of his time in provincial specialist hospital in Kraków. I’m still thinking of him and I hope he feel better soon.

From left to right: Erotokritos Papanikolopoulos, Benjamin Hirth, Maciej Budźko having good time in mr Hirth’s garden

After ending his rich in experience (he was a solid forward and solid defender) playing career, Maciej Budźko finally became a coach.

-First I was shocked. I played with Maciej in one line for a few seasons and when he came one day to locker room and told me that we’re not going to play together anymore, I was sad and almost cried. Then he poked me and said ‘Wiechu, I’ll be a new coach!’. You may imagine how surprised I was. – KKK veteran Wiesław Pruszkowski smiles.

Not only Wiesław was surprised. Many people considered Budźko as not the best choice for Krosnianka Karpaty leader.
-Some people told me that I’m not the best choice, I had some arguments with our fans. But after all, if I had been that bad, I wouldn’t be able to stay in this club for such a long time, would I? – mr Budźko asks rethorical.

Indeed, he was probably the only one who was willing to stay with our club during poor seasons and bad times. Not only did he stay, but also he kept his proud and faith in his vision of the great Krosnianka.
-Actually, this catchword ‘Great Krosnianka’ was invented by me. I told the owner about my idea, he was sitting in his office, he listened me carefully and told me to get the f… out go back to my work. I thought he didn’t agree but when he told me a few weeks later that players like Berrettoni, Cieślikiewicz or Świątkowski our going to be sold I thought to myself ‘Oh my God, he’s doing it! Times of disgrace are coming…’. And yes, next years were extremely tough as we had to focus on training our young forwards and play with players like Pujol, Fassano or Luis Figl on other positions. Luckily, I got support from Andre Bras who was our starting goalkeeper and fans often booed him for his clumsy saves. Then we started the proper training and now I’m really proud when I see players like Kolbl, Szolc or Otrocki. – Budźko says.

And what about Budźko’s bad temper? Opinions are divided.
-He’s a foul and mean man! Remember how was he motivating players to inflict injuries to opponents in Golden League, eh? – Francois Delort (ex-Scousers goalkeeper) asks.

-Ah, Francois… He’d better start cleaning carpets again. But honestly, I was always with my players. I wanted to support them and when I saw that games were getting sharper, I was willing to help my boys somehow. You know, maybe it’s my Silesian temper or simply I’m this kind of person who is likely to become easily thrown off the balance? – Budźko wonders.

-In my opinion Maciej is a great man. His behaviour during games can’t simply shatter his character and approach toward players. Besides, he’s a man of great vision, strong psyche and moral immunity. Without those abilities he wouldn’t be able to become the first member of KKK Hall of Fame titled as a great coach. – the owner of Krosnianka Karpaty Krosno summed it all up.

Everyone in the club is sure that our present coach mr Andre Bras will also become a hall of fame member as he managed to win VI league in his debut season and is willing to continue mr Budźko’s philosophy of training. If he achieve another success? Time will tell.

The end of this season brought some surprising events – the most unexpected of them was definitely the promotion for KKK.
After 90 minutes of hard but a little bit boring game in Przasnysz against already relegated Przaśnia Team we earned 3 points after goals by Mrowczyk and Kolbl scored within 2 minutes. Tired players were leaving the pitch when our spokesman, Bolesław Blacha started to shout: We’ve made it, lads! We have promtion!

Soon after returning to Krosno players and staff along with over 1370 of Karpaciarze began celebrating of coming back to the 6. division.
Even coach of KKK, mr Maciej Budźko, smiled for a moment:
- I’m feeling like Odysseus – when I started as a coach of Krosnianka Karpaty we were fighting for the promotion to 5. league. We failed and the management sold out the squad, what resulted in our long journey through the lower leagues. And now we’re back in 6. division, in our Ithaca. Boys did a wonderful job this season – with lot of blood, sweat and tears. We often had some arguments in the locker room but now it’s not time to speak about it. It’s a party time and let’s keep it this way.

One of the keys to success this season have been probably our Finnish playmaker – Henri Heikkinen who has been also voted the best midfielder by the HTUM managers.
-It’s a great honour. I feel so much appreciated with this award. I would like to cordially thank to all managers who placed their votes for me, as well as congratulate the trio of AS Uijeongbu 07 – Fazil, Aybars and Hasan for their remarkable effort in collecting other awards. I hope we have a chance to meet on the pitch next season!

As soon as every fan of KKK in Krosno became sober after Sunday night, the main and still unsolved problem once again came back – who should be the coach of Krosnianka Karpaty next season? The owner of the club had another baffling news:
-I had a conversation with mr Budźko yesterday and he told me that he is tired with all the pressure put on him. Well, he was always considered to be a controversial person, some people even called him pure and simple – ‘dick’. Of course I was always behind Maciej and replied that ‘Budźko is not a dick!’, but now I have to respect his will and not offer him a contract for the next season. I’m really sad about it but I can’t do much about it – all good things come to an end. After next week’s final GL game against VFJ we will officially announce Budźko’s retirement and the new trainer of Krosnianka Karpaty Krosno will be introduced.

An interim coach has already decided to buy 4 new players who will be officially presented this Saturday.