Franciszek Smuda
Encyclopedia
Franciszek Smuda is a Polish
football
manager
and former player. Who played in Poland, the United States, and Germany. In 1983 he turned to coaching, becoming the manager of Widzew Łódź, Wisła Kraków, Legia Warsaw and Lech Poznań
, among others. He has won three Polish league titles. As of October 2009, he is the manager of the Poland national football team
.
. He got his debut in the Ekstraklasa playing for Stal Mielec
during the 1970/1971 season. He also played for Piast Gliwice
, followed by a short spell at Vistula Garfield in the USA. He also participated in the NASL Hartford Bi-Centennials. In 1975 Smuda returned to Poland to play for Legia Warsaw. In 1978 he returned to the USA again to play for 3 other NASL clubs. He finished his career as a player in Germany soon after becoming a manager.
for a total of 4 years. In 1993, Smuda returned to Poland to help save Stal Mielec
from relegation. During the seasons in Mielec, he managed to maintain the team in the Ekstraklasa.
. Widzew were drawn into a difficult group containing Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund
and Steaua Bucharest. Widzew finished the group in 3rd place. The team from Łódź were able to repeat their feat of winning the Ekstraklasa again. The next season was not as promising as Widzew's management sold some of their key players and were eliminated in the qualifying phases of the Champions League. Widzew finished in 4th place that year and were unable to qualify for any European competitions. Shortly thereafter, Smuda moved to Wisła Kraków where he had much success. He returned to Widzew on short spells in 2002, 2003 and 2004 during Widzew's crisis.
during a UEFA Cup match against Parma F.C.
. In September 1999, Smuda was dismissed as manager of Wisła for losing one single game. He was re-hired on June 2001 after Wisła lost to Legia Warsaw. He failed to defeat FC Barcelona
in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League. After losing to Polonia Warsaw and Legia Warsaw in March 2002, he was replaced by Henryk Kasperczak
.
. However, he did not win any trophies, nor qualify for any European competitions. After a 0:4 defeat by Zagłębie Lubin in March 2001, Smuda was sacked.
following the club's merger with Amica Wronki
. He led the club to a sixth place finish in the 2006-07
season and fourth the following season
. In 2008–09, Lech Poznań managed to reach the top of the league table by the winter break, but a series of draws during the spring round resulted in a 3rd place finish at the end of the season. His contract with the club was not extended.
in Poland as well as the Cypriot team Omonia. He was also a candidate for the head coach position of the national football team of Gabon
. Since 2004 he has been coaching in the Polish Ekstraklasa. He helped Odra Wodzisław stave off relegation. A year later he finished in 3rd place with Zagłębie Lubin earning a spot in the UEFA Cup
for the next season. After several seasons with Lech Poznań, he returned to Zagłębie Lubin in August 2009.
. After the resignation of Antoni Piechniczek
in 1997 he was linked as the next manager, however, Janusz Wójcik
received the position. In the autumn of 1999 he was again linked to the position after the resignation of Wójcik. He was unable to take the position at the time because of his binding contract with Legia Warsaw, and in turn Jerzy Engel
was hired. His name was brought up again as a replacement for Paweł Janas after the poor results of the national team in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. On October 29, 2009 he was chosen as the new manager of the Poland national team.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former player. Who played in Poland, the United States, and Germany. In 1983 he turned to coaching, becoming the manager of Widzew Łódź, Wisła Kraków, Legia Warsaw and Lech Poznań
Lech Poznan
Lech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways...
, among others. He has won three Polish league titles. As of October 2009, he is the manager of the Poland national football team
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
.
Playing career
As a player, he played as a defender mostly. He began his career at Unia Racibórz. Later, he played for Odra Wodzisław Śląski and Ruch ChorzówRuch Chorzów
Ruch Chorzów is a Polish association football club based in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. It is one of the most successful football teams in Poland: 14 time national champion, and 3 time winner of the Polish Cup. Currently the team plays in the top Polish league, the Ekstraklasa. Their stadium capacity...
. He got his debut in the Ekstraklasa playing for Stal Mielec
Stal Mielec
Stal Mielec is a Polish football club based in Mielec, Poland. The club was established on April 10, 1939. The construction of the club's current stadium, Stadion Stali Mielec at Solskiego 1, was concluded in 1953. Currently the stadium is undergoing a major renovation...
during the 1970/1971 season. He also played for Piast Gliwice
Piast Gliwice
Gliwicki Klub Sportowy Piast Gliwice is a Polish football club based in Gliwice, Poland. Founded in June 1945 by the Poles who had been forced to leave their homeland in present-day Western Ukraine, Piast's football team played as many as 32 seasons in the Polish Second Division, before finally...
, followed by a short spell at Vistula Garfield in the USA. He also participated in the NASL Hartford Bi-Centennials. In 1975 Smuda returned to Poland to play for Legia Warsaw. In 1978 he returned to the USA again to play for 3 other NASL clubs. He finished his career as a player in Germany soon after becoming a manager.
Coaching career
He began his coaching career successfully in the lower leagues in Germany. During the late 1980s, he was appointed as a manager in Turkey. He coached Altay Izmir and KonyasporKonyaspor
Konyaspor is a professional Turkish football club based in Konya. Konyaspor currently play in the Süper Lig. The club was founded in 1922 but then reformed in 1981. The club colours are green and white and they play their home games at Konya Atatürk Stadium....
for a total of 4 years. In 1993, Smuda returned to Poland to help save Stal Mielec
Stal Mielec
Stal Mielec is a Polish football club based in Mielec, Poland. The club was established on April 10, 1939. The construction of the club's current stadium, Stadion Stali Mielec at Solskiego 1, was concluded in 1953. Currently the stadium is undergoing a major renovation...
from relegation. During the seasons in Mielec, he managed to maintain the team in the Ekstraklasa.
Widzew Łódź
In May 1995 he was appointed as the manager of Widzew Łódź and finished in 2nd place behind Legia Warsaw in the 1994/1995 season. The following season Smuda managed to not lose a single league game. The 1995/1996 season was another successful one with Widzew's Marek Koniarek scoring the most goals in the league at 29. Widzew qualified for the Champions League competition for the 1996/1997 season. Smuda managed the team to eliminate the Danish champions, Brøndby IFBrøndby IF
Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
. Widzew were drawn into a difficult group containing Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
and Steaua Bucharest. Widzew finished the group in 3rd place. The team from Łódź were able to repeat their feat of winning the Ekstraklasa again. The next season was not as promising as Widzew's management sold some of their key players and were eliminated in the qualifying phases of the Champions League. Widzew finished in 4th place that year and were unable to qualify for any European competitions. Shortly thereafter, Smuda moved to Wisła Kraków where he had much success. He returned to Widzew on short spells in 2002, 2003 and 2004 during Widzew's crisis.
Wisła Kraków
After gaining popularity and value, Smuda was appointed as the manager of Wisła Kraków at the end of the 1997-1998 season. His goal was to build a team that would be not only be successful in Poland but also in European cups. Smuda won the Polish League the following season, however, Wisła was ejected from European tournaments due to a fan throwing a knife at Dino BaggioDino Baggio
Dino Baggio is a retired Italian football defensive midfielder. He has 60 caps at international level for the Italian national team.-Clubs and achievements:...
during a UEFA Cup match against Parma F.C.
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
. In September 1999, Smuda was dismissed as manager of Wisła for losing one single game. He was re-hired on June 2001 after Wisła lost to Legia Warsaw. He failed to defeat FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League. After losing to Polonia Warsaw and Legia Warsaw in March 2002, he was replaced by Henryk Kasperczak
Henryk Kasperczak
Henryk Wojciech Kasperczak is a Polish football manager and a football player.As a player, Kasperczak took part in two FIFA World Cups with Poland, achieving third place in 1974, as well as a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada.As a manager, Kasperczak enjoyed most...
.
Legia Warsaw
After leaving Wisła in September 1999, Smuda was hired as manager of Legia Warsaw replacing Dariusz KubickiDariusz Kubicki
Dariusz Jan Kubicki is a former Polish football player and the current manager of Dolcan Ząbki.-Playing career:...
. However, he did not win any trophies, nor qualify for any European competitions. After a 0:4 defeat by Zagłębie Lubin in March 2001, Smuda was sacked.
Lech Poznań
In May 2006, Smuda was hired as the manager of Lech PoznańLech Poznan
Lech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways...
following the club's merger with Amica Wronki
Amica Wronki
Amica Wronki was a Polish football club based in Wronki, Poland.The history of SSA Amica Sport goes back to 1992 when the Amica company wanted to sponsor a football team in the town of Wronki where their factory was located. The company's increasing profits gave the new team tremendous financial...
. He led the club to a sixth place finish in the 2006-07
Ekstraklasa 2006-07
The 2006-07 Ekstraklasa season started on 28 July 2006 and finished on 26 May 2007. Zagłębie Lubin were crowned champions with 62 points.For the second time league was sponsored by cell phone operator Orange and official name for championship was Orange Ekstraklasa 2006/2007.-Corruption:On 12 April...
season and fourth the following season
Ekstraklasa 2007-08
The 2007–08 Ekstraklasa started in July 2007 and ended in mid-May 2008. It was run by the Polish Football Association.The Polish Champion will qualify for the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. The runner-up and winner of the Polish Cup will qualify for the UEFA Cup first...
. In 2008–09, Lech Poznań managed to reach the top of the league table by the winter break, but a series of draws during the spring round resulted in a 3rd place finish at the end of the season. His contract with the club was not extended.
Other clubs
Smuda also managed Piotrcovia Piotrków TrybunalskiPiotrcovia Piotrków Trybunalski
Piotrcovia Piotrków Trybunalski is a Polish women's handball team, based in Piotrków Trybunalski, playing in Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League .-See also:* Handball in Poland* Sports in Poland...
in Poland as well as the Cypriot team Omonia. He was also a candidate for the head coach position of the national football team of Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
. Since 2004 he has been coaching in the Polish Ekstraklasa. He helped Odra Wodzisław stave off relegation. A year later he finished in 3rd place with Zagłębie Lubin earning a spot in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
for the next season. After several seasons with Lech Poznań, he returned to Zagłębie Lubin in August 2009.
Polish national football team
The Polish media has repeatedly suggested Smuda as a candidate for head coach of the Poland national football teamPoland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
. After the resignation of Antoni Piechniczek
Antoni Piechniczek
Antoni Piechniczek is a retired Polish football player and a football manager. Since 2007 he is a Polish senator.- Player career :...
in 1997 he was linked as the next manager, however, Janusz Wójcik
Janusz Wójcik
Janusz Marek Wójcik is a Polish politician and former football player and coach.-Playing Career:He played in several clubs at home and abroad, including Agrykola, Gwardia, Ursus and Hutnik Warszawa, Ravalpandi and the Toronto Falcons .-Coaching career:Wójcik also trained several Polish clubs like...
received the position. In the autumn of 1999 he was again linked to the position after the resignation of Wójcik. He was unable to take the position at the time because of his binding contract with Legia Warsaw, and in turn Jerzy Engel
Jerzy Engel
Władysław Jerzy Engel was a Polish footballer and coach. Engel began his career in football at an early age playing at local club Junak Wloclawek, before moving to Polonia Warsaw , Hutnik Warszawa and several other clubs.Engel, nicknamed "Jurek", began playing in midfield or attack before, at...
was hired. His name was brought up again as a replacement for Paweł Janas after the poor results of the national team in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. On October 29, 2009 he was chosen as the new manager of the Poland national team.
Achievements
- Polish Championship 1996 and 1997 with Widzew Łódź
- Qualified for Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Group Stage in 1996 with Widzew Łódź - Polish Championship 1999 with Wisła Kraków
- 3rd place in Cypriot league with AC OmoniaAC OmoniaAthletic Club Omonoia Nicosia is a professional football club that plays in the Cyprus capital city Nicosia. The club was established in 1948 and became a member of the Cyprus Football Association in 1953...
- 3rd place in Polish league with Zagłębie Lubin 2005
- Qualified for UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
Group Stage in 2008/2009 season with Lech PoznańLech PoznanLech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways... - 3rd place in Polish league with Lech PoznańLech PoznanLech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways...
2009 - Polish CupPolish CupThe Polish Cup in football or officially Remes Puchar Polski, is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title...
with Lech PoznańLech PoznanLech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways...
in 2008/09 season
External links
- Official website
- NASL stats
- Franciszek Smuda at mackolik.com