No real point having separate league threads per year when they average about 20-30 posts each, and with sponsors constantly changing the league name I figured it best to just have an all purpose thread for the domestic league season, including lower divisions. We are closing out the 5th week of the season and the stories so far are how poorly the top teams (Sparta have done well enough to get results domestically, but Plzen, Slavia and Liberec have been underwhelming) are playing and how surprisingly well Fastav Zlin is playing. My hometown club of Zbrojovka Brno, is treating fans to an absurdly dull (though not entirely ineffective as we are mid-table) season of football so far having scored 2 goals and conceded 1 through 4 matches.
The Vaclav Kadlec return to Sparta is done, if the reported fee is correct it doubles the previous Czech transfer record.
Zlin have taken sole possession of the top spot after their victory and Sparta's draw. Even after Plzen bought Tomas Poznar last week. An impressive start to the season to say the least.
That's pretty bad, although it looks like they may get their first point today. Also, noticing the Mlada Boleslav score. I haven't actually seen him play this season but it at least appears that, from a goal production standpoint, Jan Chramosta has bounced back from some injury plagued years. At his best a few years back he was a much younger and more talented version of Lafata (goal poacher with some skill), although with a Baros-ian tendency to dive any chance he got.
I went to the Brno match today. Completely blew it at the end to let hradec tie in. I forgot how terrible the football here was. Outside of plzen, Sparta, and now Zlin, the football is just kick it deep to a tall player and hope he can flick it somewhere good.
I'd say Liberec and Mlada Boleslav also have some quality, but in general yes this league is bad (though I'd say a bit less so than 5-6 years ago).
Just seeing some highlights from the ongoing Zlin - Sparta match. Overall its a good good atmosphere but it looks like Zlin forgot to finish building that stadium. FT 1-1, Zlin remain in first place for another week.
I struggle to rate a league that's called the "ePojisteni.cz liga". Outside of five or six teams, I can't take anyone seriously. I only try to watch Sparta and Plzen, but I find Liberec to be the most likeable team in the league. Even watching those first two teams can be remarkably frustrating. On a side note, Gino van Kessel seems to be an early contender for flop of the season.
Zlin actually started pretty well (I believe around 6th place mid-season) last year too, and then fell apart in the Spring to finish just clear of relegation. I haven't seen enough to know what they are doing right, but it'll be interesting to see if they can maintain form this time around.
I wish I could've seen the Zlin Sparta match. It was still nice to see my hometown team play though. I guess they are your club too.
Slavia managed their first win at Letna since 2008 2-0 over Sparta. Scasny is not surprisingly gone, Sparta's roster looks great on paper but the product on the field has been frequently dreadful this season. Zlin won again and is still on top.
Besides that Europa League run, Scasny was a subpar manager who turned into a complete moron at the end. Sparta's European success now appears to be a case of the entire team catching form and quickly burning out. My favourite Scasny moment? A back three of Hybs, Holek, and Marecek against CSKA Moscow. That seemed to lay the foundation for the rest of his tenure.
Brno 3 : Sparta 3, I only caught part of the 2nd half this morning since it was a rare quality stream opportunity. Good crowd, nearly 10,000 in Brno is rare these days. We missed a penalty early in the 2nd half but the equalizer on 2-2 was an excellent strike. Missed the very eventful last few minutes, seems there was an offside controversy on the final goal. Zlin are still unbeaten but draws won't be enough to stay up top, they have drifted into 2nd behind Mlada Boleslav and will fall further to third if Plzen defeats Hradec Kralove later.
Also worth noting that Koubek relayed a similar message, though it was in a post-match interview following a terrible game for him. Very disappointing to hear him say that, but it's nowhere near the level of stupidity demonstrated by Vacha. Ironic coming from him.
The winter break started last month and finishes in mid-February, but here are now things stand at the moment. Top 5 1. Plzen 36pts 2. Slavia Prague 35pts 3. Sparta Prague 32pts 4. Zlin 31pts 5. Mlada Boleslav 28pts Bottom 4 13. Liberec 15pts 14. Brno 15pts 15. Jihlava 13pts 16. Pribram 9pts Pribram is one of those teams that just barely survives ever year, but I think this is the year they will drop down... hopefully...
Hero soccer player acts fast to save knocked-out goalie’s life By Aaron West, Fox Sports February 26, 2017 3:42pm
http://isport.blesk.cz/clanek/fotba...na-model-se-tremi-skupinami-po-30-kolech.html Any thoughts on this new league format that begins in a couple of years? It seems like a ridiculously convoluted system, although it does at least attempt to address two of the league's biggest issues: the season has too few matches and the top teams don't play each other enough. That said I don't really like it (especially that positions 7-10 will play for a Europa League spot, which... is just stupid), and believe the better solution would be to the reduce the top league to ten or twelve and play 4 rounds, because this new system does nothing to change the fact that we don't really have the markets and talent pool to maintain a strong 16 team top-tier. Would rather have fewer better teams play each other more often (and I say that as a fan of team that has struggled against relegation in recent years), it would be a better product and better for young talent to develop.
It seems silly. So 30 matches then it will break up into groups? Why? The simple system that most leagues use is ideal in my opinion. I don't like leagues that do a type of playoff scenario. It favors teams who hit a hot streak instead of teams that were consistent.
I completely agree with the idea of having 10-12 teams and 4 rounds. I appreciate the changes from an entertainment standpoint, but it doesn't address the more important issues like the quality throughout the league and the development of young players. It's madness to have a team finish tenth and then compete for a Europa League spot when our top teams can barely manage to qualify. The current title race between Plzen and Slavia is intriguing, but I've found this season to be a disappointment as a neutral. None of the top teams have consistently performed well for their standards and they're usually unwatchable. I suppose with Vrba returning to Plzen, we may finally see a return to the Champions League, or at least a side that is properly managed. Sparta's once promising season has been overshadowed by injuries and managerial failures. Besides Karavaev and in recent weeks Vatajelu, all of their transfers have been complete flops. Their one bright spot has been Michal Sacek who looks like the real deal.
I think having playoffs is a bad idea as well. The 16-team 30-game model is perfect for the Czech Republic. The league is now ranked 11th in UEFA which means in most years your champ will directly qualify for the group stages of the Champions League. Don't fix what isn't broken.
This has to be one of the busiest transfer windows in Czech league history. Slavia and Sparta in particular are both spending much more than usually seen in Czech league.