It seems as though the chaos that has surrounded the Flaming Wodkas FC for the past weeks, months… some would say seasons may now finally have ebbed and the club itself seems ready to enter a period of stability. What is the reason or reasons for this? We take a deeper look.

Firstly, the instability at the very top of the club looks to finally have been solved. Club owner Mr. B had recently sold 49% of his stake to the somewhat unpopular Roses Foundation. After huge accusations on MSO blog from former Wodkas manager and Renaissance FC President Aldopaolo Peroni, the Roses Foundation received an impressive buy out offer from Black Industries (as mentioned in our earlier post) and left their places in the club after only a few weeks. With a new President due to be voted in at the start of March, and with the boardroom a stable place once more this is our first reason for a period of calm in the little Lower Silesian club.

Secondly, the team is clearly focused on the direction in which it is headed. Almost symbolically the club is keen to shed it’s Flaming Wodkas image and all the controversy that went with that name and will be renamed Raszków Revival thus finally bringing recognition to the small village in the South-West of the country not far from the Czech border.

Our next reason is the recognition of continuity that coach Temmink continues to show with his purchases and the resilience to keep to the homegrown programme. That does not mean that all youth players are guaranteed first-team survival, as was shown with Kalasanty Nakielski recently, but it does show that if you have the potential and the right temperament you will be given a chance. That has happened this week with Marcin ‘Bad Cheese’ Ostapowicz, who despite his unfortunate and rather cryptic nickname in the dressing room, will be given a central midfield role against visiting MS Odense in the Golden League. He was delighted when we spoke with him:

Obviously we’re not at the level of the Danish team and our recent 3-1 win was special because it was so unexpected. I don’t think we’ll come close to repeating that, and I myself have a lot of work to do to get close to my own team mates first. It gives us huge confidence to know that the boss is willing to play us even though it means he won’t get a result. This game is about more than results though. It’s an anniversary game in many ways as it’s 5 seasons since the Wodkas launched an almost impossible comeback in their first GL game with MS Odense, narrowly losing 3-4. It was this club’s 2nd only GL game and this will be my first. I truly can’t wait.

My nickname? *He laughs* It happened recently when we were taking part in the B2B training program in Odense and the youth team were an intrinsic part of the coaching sessions from Scavo’s team of staff under MSO guidance. Their club owner greeted and met with us and he joked with me that my Polish surname was a bit like a particularly bad Danish cheese, Ost, and so my mates nicknamed me Bad Cheese. I don’t mind it. It’s unique and I think team’s will not relish having to play Bad Cheese in a few years from now.

Aside from young Ostapowicz and players like him being given a chance, there is also a clear desire to continue recruiting players of a similar type on the transfer market. Kai Rheino Rheinheimer has been an undoubted hit since his signing from Vi Flaesker Jer in November 2012, and will continue to be so despite him getting nearer to 40 years of age. The club though made a clear indication of their desire to find his replacement earlier today when they signed 19 year old unpredictable Dutch striker Bert Jan Fens. Coach Temmink said:

Bert, along with Gabi (Buhoci) will be two players we will be focusing on in our scoring training in a few seasons from now. Before then however, we will make an extra slot for Bert. Gabi is already receiving playmaking training and Bert will now join him. That does mean however, that we will have to give some players an opportunity to move on. We also have to bear in mind the talents coming through in the youth team, with Lenartowski one in particular we are keen to promote in our reserves. He is due for promotion in 4 weeks from now and we may keep him in the youth team for a while after to ensure his full potential. It does however mean that there are a couple of players playing for their futures in this season. There will only be 1 slot available once this campaign is over. What more motivation do you need?

With a long-term plan in hand, the case for stability seems to grow. Having trained Primdahl, Sieniawski and Muller in defence for a capable back three in the league, along with roles for homegrown wing-back Krzysztof Jamrozy and Sebastien Coquerel, the back line of the Wodkas seems ready to adapt to the remainder of the Division 8 campaign. Having already secured 2 wins and currently in 3rd place, and with the midfield undergoing training every week it seems like more points will be picked up despite the inevitable losses that will come, most likely next week against 1st placed Moniuszki. However, with Odachowski and Rheinheimer leading the line, and young signing Jan Fens in the shadows, the overall performance of the team appears to be quite respectable. Relegation looked a certainty… but the team now looks like they may be in with a chance of finishing mid-table even this early on. Surely this wasn’t the scenario when all those experienced midfielders were sold before the season began?

So, stability in the board room, a sound long-term training plan, a healthy squad, a youth team full of promise and potential due to mature and a rebranding to disassociate the club with the controversies of the past… looks like the name Revival could be very apt indeed.