Politehnica Timisoara - English

The Departure of a Generation

2011-08-05T18:57:00.002+02:00

It's been a while since last writing here, mainly because we, the Cronica Violeta "staff", felt that the effort is unrewarding - as much as we'd like to aid the creation of an international community around the club, it's quite clear that the club has to want it too. And while the club did not put too much effort into brand-related activities coming into 2011, all that was done on a local and national level has been negated by Poli's relegation to the second league - despite being the vice-champions of Romanian football for the second time in three years. The whole matter is iffy an speculative, as it is hard to find culprits and try to feed conspiracy theories at the same time, but fact is that the gavel has fallen and the sporting merits of the team reduced to rubble.

Unsurprisingly, many players have left Politehnica in the last month or so. Captain Alexa was first to leave, followed by the likes of Burca, Bourceanu and Nikolic. Of the players still expecting the expected, such as Goga, Sepsi, Curtean and Tames, Pantilimon was the first to sign for a new club just today. It is, by all means, the transfer that has brought most satisfaction to my heart, as a player that has been quite emblematic of the crumbling white-violet generation managed to be sold for a good sum of money to a world renowned club, the likes of Manchester City. An example for all the players who tend to mistake progress with transfers to other Romanian clubs.

Of course, few are in the position of Pantilimon, of being Romania's number 1 goalkeeper. This transfer is, however, no guarantee for future success, particularly because Pantilimon has just finished a fairly mediocre season, goalkeeping-wise, and has had a tough time making progress in his trade of choice. Hopefully, under the proper tutelage, he will manage to keep Politehnica's banner pretty high in the years to come.

Other than that, the new season starts on the 20th of August, as Poli aim for promotion, despite the club's dubious administrative issues. With a young squad, comprised of players with little first league experience, our chances will depend on whether all the remaining players of the "old guard" will leave. But there's hope yet, as the club's success at junior levels, particularly the U19s who ended up national champions, can yield a great team for the future, with proper care and just the proper amount of passion.

The Spring Season

2011-04-20T14:57:00.005+02:00

As we reach the cusp of this year's Romanian football season, the question of who is set to win the competition is still wide open. Poli is the main reason why that is the case, as our team, despite achieving a flawless start in the first four rounds of 2011, started dropping points at home in the following matches, which brought the first and the fifth placed teams within eight points of one another. Currently, Poli lies second, one point adrift from leaders Otelul.

Here are this year's results:

Poli Timisoara - Gaz Metan Medias 3 : 1
(Goga, Zicu, Zicu)

CFR Cluj - Poli Timisoara 1 : 2
(Zicu, Ricketts)

Poli Timisoara - Universitatea Craiova 4 : 0
(Zicu, Magera, Goga, Goga)

Victoria Branesti - Poli Timisoara 0 : 2
(Zicu, Goga)

Poli Timisoara - Steaua Bucuresti 0 : 0

Poli Timisoara - Astra Ploiesti 2 : 2
(Zicu, Zagrean)

Sportul Studentesc - Poli Timisoara 2 : 3
(Zagrean, Zagrean, Goga)

Poli Timisoara - Pandurii Tg Jiu 2 : 2
(Magera, Zicu)

Rapid Bucuresti - Poli Timisoara 3 : 2
(Zicu, Alexa)

It's been a very hectic ride, as the team played no less than five matches between the 2nd and the 17th of April, with a worrying trend. After pretty convincing performances against Medias, Cluj, Craiova and Branesti, the white-violets started losing steam. The match against Steaua, which started the April rush, ended in a goalless draw, despite the away side playing a bit better and Poli being refused a penalty in the latter part of the game. The draw against Astra saw the team coming back from 0:2, after another refused penalty, but also an unconvincing performance. Goga's last gasp goal in the added minutes ensured the three points went Poli's way in the match against "bottom leaders" Sportul, as the home side squandered a few good chances to earn a win moments before. Another last minute goal, this time by Zicu, avoided the first loss of the season in the match with Pandurii, but there was nothing left to do last weekend against Rapid, as the team was inflicted it's first loss of the year, as well as it's first away loss since 2009!

Under normal conditions, any club in the position of boasting with such achievements should be leading the standings easily, but the many draws obtained by Poli leave the team only in second place. Although considered early favourites for the title, going into 2011, after the recent performances and particularly the unconvincing manner of play exhibited on the pitch, they have lost their status. Of course, this is no issue in itself, as the team is still very much involved in the title bout and has quite a few arguments supporting its cause, but it's also fairly obvious that some sort of impulse is needed to jump-start the latent fighting spirit.

Of the players who have joined the club in the winter break, only Ghionea has found a cozy spot in the first eleven. Ignatjevic has made several appearances, due to Sepsi suffering an injury, but his performances have been unconvincing, while Zagrean has proven an interesting replacement for Axente, scoring three goals in the few minutes played. The other players have played even less, with Rocha and Ricketts seeming interesting prospects. The latter even managed to score the winning goal against CFR Cluj, before suffering an injury that sidelined him until last weekend, when we found his way back on the bench.

It seems like the series of injuries and suspensions incurred by several Poli players has been a deciding factor for the poor run of late, but there is also a sense of something more complicated evolving within the team. Whether it is an underlying physical problem or a matter of remuneration, a solution needs to be found, if Poli is to stay in it with a chance until these last seven rounds have been played.

Another interview with Ricketts

2011-03-12T13:32:00.004+02:00

Poli's official site has just posted an interview with Tosaint Ricketts, which offers insight into his personal life, and his personality as a football player. We offer you the translation below:

Who discovered your talent and who encouraged you to take on a professional career?

My brothers, who have played football themselves. I wasn't very interested in the sport in the beginning - I only played for the school team, but I had the chance to obtain an athletic college scholarship. That's when I starting considering it more seriously. Football players start at an early age, whereas I was around 13-14, and fell in love with it a bit later. Now I play professionally, but I'm still learning and I have a long way to go.

Do you dream football?

Actually, yes, several times a week. When you do the same thing all day, it sticks in your mind, so it's normal for me to dream about football. Sometimes, they are nightmares, like being in front of goal and being unable to score.

What do you do before a match? Do you have any rituals?

Not really. I like listening to some music, focus on the match ahead. I imagine myself scoring, and I think about what I have to do when go in, so that I'll be prepared.

Any lucky talismans?

Not really. Maybe my defenders, because I still wear the ones I had when I started playing. So you might call them a lucky charm.

What is your weak point?

Experience. Because I've mostly played college football, which is a very different level from playing professionally. I have only three years of professional football: 2 in Finland, one here.

What was the hardest match you've played?

The first one that pops into my mind is Poli-Mypa 3-3. That was the hardest match I've ever played, and the worst defeat.

What do you like the most about Poli?

The players. My teammates are better than the ones I've played with until now. They're simply at a higher level.

Is there anything that you'd like to change about the club?

I'd like to change the fact that we haven't won the championship until now.

The goal against CFR Cluj was your first official goal for Poli. How did you feel?

I felt good. You always feel good when you score. It was an important match, which meant a lot for me.

How sure were you that you would play?

I wasn't sure, you can't ever be sure. Anything can happen. A player can get injured in the first 5 minutes, and you have to go in immediately, or you might not play at all.

How much till you assure yourself a place in the first 11?

Hard to say. Everybody is playing well at the moment. But no matter if you make the team or not, it's important to train yourself and see what happens next.

What do you when you don't play football?

Rest and relaxation. I play video games, chat with family over the Internet... nothing special.

Tell us a little bit about your origins.

Both my parents are born in Jamaica. They moved to Canada 25 years ago, and shortly after that I was born in Edmonton, Alberta. I went to school there, and then to colleg in the USA. We're still surrounded by Jamaican culture. My parents run two Jamaican restaurants.

What person are you most closely related to?

My brother. He's very passionate about football. He played a while, but he couldn't get to a professional level because of an injury. He was always by my side. He's happy when I play well, and he wants details about everything I do. I have three older brothers and they all follow me. We have to find some place where they can watch my matches.

We've heard you're good at basketball as well!

Yeah, I've played basketball a lot when I was a kid. Nowadays, I only play when I go home, with my friends, just for fun.

Being so far from home, what do you miss the most?

Definitely my mother's cooking. The food here in Romania is good, better than the one in Finland, but I love my mother's cooking. When I go home, I eat daily at her restaurant.

A message to the fans?

Weather has gotten better, so come to the match!

Finally, please say something in Romanian.

Mulțumesc! (Translator's note: Thank you!)

Tosaint Ricketts interview

2011-02-09T02:35:00.000+02:00

Following his selection for Canada's national team, Tosaint Ricketts has been caught in a very interesting 20 minute audio interview from Canadian Soccer News, in which he talks about team Canada, his European endeavor and his transfer to Poli. You can find it here. Enjoy!

And go Canada in the friendly against Greece!

Happy holidays!

2010-12-25T18:08:00.002+02:00

We wish you a joyful Christmas and may the New Year be full of fulfillments!

Hopefully, Santa will bring me some time to finish the year's review, so you'll have something to read.

Dusan Uhrin's comeback

2010-12-25T18:01:00.002+02:00

The end of the season has brought a predictable split between coach Cosmin Contra and Marian Iancu. Even though Contra's achievements were more than amazing, considering his lack of experience, Poli's higher targets need a seasoned hand. Thus, Iancu has brought back Dusan Uhrin exactly 2 years after dismissing him. While this has calmed down spirits, it remains to be seen how we stand next year in the run to catch up with the leaders, and whether the Czechs second term will at least as successful as his first.

Ricketts, ex-MyPa striker, signs with Poli

2010-11-23T20:08:00.002+02:00

Tosaint Ricketts is a Canadian-born 23-year old striker, which our defenders know all too well after the double-leg against MyPa in the Europa League qualifiers this summer, when he scored 3 goals overall. His main skill is his terrible speed, which our defenders have already fallen prey to. He is among the fastest football players, but experts say he is more a sprinter than a footballer. What good he will bring to our team remains to be seen, as it is efficiency we are looking for. All in all, I feel it is a good transfer, even if it is not great. Speed is certainly what we lacked up front, and we were also in need of a different type of attacker next to the ones we already have.

Two more players for Poli

2010-10-30T12:34:00.002+02:00

Ever since the start of the championship, Poli has been looking to strengthen up their ranks, by testing different free agents. Jiří Krejčí and Rafael Rocha are the ones that convinced the technical staff and the management that they could be valuable for Poli. They have both been tested in a friendly match against a third league team, Național Sebiș, won 2-0.

Jiří Krejčí is a 24 year old Czech central defender, measuring 1m90, and will prove a tough challenge to Luchin, Cisovsky, Burcă and Mera for a spot on the team. He will also be a menace in our adversaries's box, having already scored with a header at his debut.

Rafael Rocha, nicknamed Rato, is a 21 year old Brazilian who plays left back, and has already been considered to be the equivalent of Helder on the left side, which means that Sepsi has to watch over his performance.

Despite some minor technicalities, the two players have already been officialy presented on the team, and are looking to play their first official matches. We will see if they will happen this year, whether for the main team or for the second one.

In related news, the year has already ended for Curtean who has suffered a knee injury that will keep him from playing the remaining stages until the winter break.

Review - September 2010

2010-10-04T19:14:00.006+02:00

It's been quite an eventful month: matches against two of the Bucharest sides - Steaua and Rapid, a new coach, a cup match. So let's take it from where we left.

It was supposed to be a life and death match, but instead it was one of the most boring and uninteresting of clashes. I can't even say that Poli and Steaua were taunting each other, as both suffered severely in the tactical compartment. Perhaps unaware of the actual realities in Romanian football, Petrovic lined up an ultra-defensive team with 5 defenders, against a shadow of the team that Steaua's name from twenty years ago might suggest. Thus, the first half, we simply had no opportunities at all, letting our adversaries control the game. Not even at half time, did Petrovic react. It was necessary to concede a goal for him to finally send in some offensive players: Zicu and Magera before the one hour mark, and Contra in the 64th minute, who would go on to score the equalizer from a very good free kick. We could have won, but the changes were a bit too late. Looking back, I feel these were two points lost. While at that time Steaua were 4 points ahead of us, today they have fallen 2 points behind us.

After this match, the players enjoyed a two-week break due to the European qualifiers. During this time, Poli signed two players - right wing Helder and attacker Nikolic, whom I have presented earlier.

Rumors were already running that Petrovic would be assigned to the Serbian national team. Indeed, the away match against Astra was his last one as Poli's coach. And it was one of the poorest yet. You could have excused the decisions for the match with Steaua, as the players were relatively tired after the joust with Manchester City, and had, perhaps, gotten used to the defensive system, but to play in the same manner against Astra as well, after two weeks? Preposterous.

As in the previous match, after an uneventful first half, we conceded a goal close to the 60-minute mark. To blame is the totally misguided defense, after one of the dumbest moves I've seen from a Poli coach. Despite the appalling display of the hostilities, at half time, Petrovic decided to take out an attacker - Goga, and send in Mera, a central defender - the fourth one on the pitch! Admittedly, Helder moved up a notch to play midfield, but the whole defensive line was composed of central defenders, who were totally confused as to where each one's place was. As had become customary, Poli pushed ahead with Zicu, and the goal came with 15 minutes to goal, after a great header for Helder, who made an excellent debut for Poli. Nothing happened till the end, as Petrovic was satisfied with the draw, or rather was fearful of a defeat.

In the time spent at Poli, Petrovic managed 2 wins and 5 draws in the championship, one win and a draw against MyPa and two defeats against Manchester City. Following his departure, the easiest solution at hand was to appoint Contra, who was also approaching the end of his football career. With no experience whatsoever, he put a great amount of effort in preparing the matches for the next period. He started well enough with a win, albeit a hard one, against Sportul Studențesc. In the customary manner, Poli conceded a goal after a quarter of the match, when we were in control. However, it would be Scutaru's night, who scored two goals, both after a header. The end of the match found Contra sending himself on the pitch to guard the one-goal advantage, which almost proved fatal, as the opponents came surging down. Contra almost destroyed his first match as coach, when he headed a ball straight into Pantilimon's crossbar.

Only a few days afterwards came our first cup match, against Juventus Colentina, a Bucharest outfit from the second league. A few of the key players were rested, and some less used players were given the chance to show their stuff. Among them was Mansour, who was coming after an injury, and it was his first match after the one against MyPa. It started great for him, having the first opportunities and scoring the first goal. But it all came crumbling down when he injured himself close to the end of the first half. A ligament rupture and around 6 months off for the unlucky Senegalese. The win was quite easy, but not without tension, as after leading 3-0, Cisovsky received a red card, and we also conceded a goal, but it all ended well.

The next match marked the first away win for us this season, against Pandurii Targu Jiu, where Axente managed to score his only goal in what has been a very dry period for the young striker.

And so we reach the last match, and the most important yet. Rapid was having a great period, with consecutive wins and at big goal differences. They had the best defence in the country, with only 4 goals against in 9 matches, and also the second number of goals scored. This was a battle between second and third. The beginning looked very dark for us. We couldn't keep control of the ball, Rapid looked superior, and we were wondering if we would ever be able to score, especially after Rapid took the lead in the 25th minute. Luckily for us, the equaliser came very quick and swiftly, when Alexa provided an excellent cross for Zicu's header. Poli began to connect passes more easily, and looked more into the match, as Rapid sat back, waiting for the end and a well earned draw. Helder was very hard working on the side, putting a lot of effort into it. Once again, Contra decided to take matters into his own hands and came in, retreating the Brazilian to the defender's line. Good move, as one of Rapid's long ball met him, and he blasted it back, finding Rapid's line of defenders too high, and our attackers in an excellent position. It was Zicu to score the double in an excellent win for Poli, which was his ticket to being capped by the national team for the match against France.

The best player for this month is Zicu by far, not only for his last performance, but also for how he is able to find the best place on the pitch, and is able to bring something to the team, even when he comes in the latter parts of the game. Helder proved to be an excellent acquisition, bringing that extra punch on the right flank. His sprints can always prove deadly against any defender. In fact, our whole defense was very solid, even though goals were still conceded. At least there weren't grave mistakes. Luchin is on an ascending path and in good form, and Burcă as well, after a bit of hard adapting. Sepsi was in shape, but he needs some competition for his spot. Dukic as well played very good in the cup match, and I am sure he will prove usefull when needed. On the other hand, Magera is in a bad period, with some under par efforts. But it might as well be because of the new style, which may not suit him very well. Axente, as mentioned before, was not the same as last month. This too can be attributed to how some matches went, starting from the ones against Manchester City, in which he was very isolated, and couldn't do much. Nevertheless, he scored a winning goal, and was constantly sent in from the beginning of the game. He also had a very good chance in the match against Rapid, when Zicu served him perfectly, but he lacked composure when face to face with the goalie. Axente is very important for the attack, being the only solution at the moment, but he needs to get back in form. Goga, however, is only an appalling phantom moving around the pitch, not finding his place there. It's very sad. Last, there are few words to be said about Dan Alexa, who lives up to his position as captain - the chief in defence, but also very effective in attack. Also, Pantilimon seems to be regaining his form. No more goofs, a more assuring performance between the posts, which has gained him, like Zicu, a spot on the national team. In fact, he was excellent in the match against France, having at least 3 outstanding saves, in a short period of time.

An excellent start for Contra, with 4 wins out of 4. Currently, Oțelul Galați lead surprisingly, with us 2 points behind. Rapid are tied with Steaua another 2 points behind, followed at the same distance by Gaz Metan, and then very closely by a pack of other teams, which include Vaslui, Dinamo, Urziceni, and CFR Cluj. It's a crazy championship, with very compact standings.

The two week break in the championship can be very dangerous. And the next period will be the hardest, with matches against most of the top teams. The first one is away, against Targu Mures who are currently lead, by Poli's last season coach, Ovidiu Sabău. It will be very hard, and a real test for the team and for Contra. Stay tuned.

Mansour - out again!

2010-09-29T20:58:00.002+03:00

It's been a terrible year for our striker Gueye Mansour, who once again has to hang up his boots for 6 months. Before the start of last season, he was injured after a contact with another player in a friendly match. Ligament rupture at his right knee, surgery, and 6 months off the pitch. He made an uneasy comeback in spring, but was injured again, and had undergone surgery at the same knee, somewhere in May, which left him out for another 2 months - the rest of the season basically.

This season started reasonably well for Mansour, being one of the decisive players in the second leg against MyPa, when he came in in the second half. He was supposed to be in the first team in the wonderful match against CFR Cluj, but a muscle strain left him uncertain for about a month. His comeback was made in last week's cup match. It started perfectly for him, scoring the first goal. However, just before half time, his knee - the other one this time - snapped. Ligament rupture again, and he will only be able to rejoin the team next year, in spring.

It was devastating for our young striker, who came out in tears, and was willing to give it all way were it not for the fans who showed great support, and his teammates who before the beginning of the last match wore white t-shirts with the inscription "Be strong, Mansi!"

Cosmin Contra - the new coach

2010-09-17T08:49:00.002+03:00

Petrovic was assigned as coach of the national Serbian team, and as a measure, Poli's management as appointed a technical staff composed of Cosmin Contra, Vali Velcea, Iosif Rotariu to lead the team. The latter two were also assisting coaches in previous mandates, but Contra, who has just signed an extension to his contract as a player, has no experience coaching. Whether he will resign his career, or he will fulfill both roles for the near future, remains to be seen, but signs say he will concentrate on coaching.

It's a bit risky to appoint such a young, and inexperienced staff, and probably also a bit lazy from the management. What's done is done, and we will see how things go on.

Good luck, Cosmin!

Squad for 2010

2010-09-13T19:22:00.002+03:00

The transfer period has officially ended. The last minute changes involve two transfers: Stefan Nikolić and Helder, ex-Rapid right-back, who can also play as wing, who came from Dinamo, after some adjustment troubles. He will be a great asset, as his position was quite uncovered. He has already made his debut, an excellent one, in which he's also scored a goal.

Nikolić is a 20 year-old attacker from Montenegro, coming free of contract from the 1st Belgian league. This transfer seems weak, as despite playing in a good league, he has only scored 2 goals last season. Also, there are not many players who came for free, that actually proved something for Poli. However, he is young, and will probably help the second team, or be loaned to another team, so who knows what the future will hold. See Axente as an example. Nikolić has played for OFK Beograd, Lierse(3 goals in 17 matches), Roselare(2 goals in 24 matches). Also, he was capped 8 times for the youth squad of the national teams, having scored one goal.

In related news, Contra's contract was supposed to expire after the match against Steaua, but the 34 year-old was convinced not to give up his career yet, and he will continue to play for Poli.

The full squad at the moment is the following:

Goalkeepers: Costel Pantilimon, Pedro Taborda, Andrei Cobliş

Defenders: Andrei Sava, Srgian Luchin, Laszlo Sepsi, Cristian Scutaru, Ioan Mera, Helder Mauricio, Dusan Dukic, Ovidiu Burcă, Marian Cisovsky

Midfielders: Dan Alexa, Alexandru Curtean, Iulian Tameş, Hristu Chiacu, Cosmin Contra, Alexandru Bourceanu, Marian Fuchs, Adrian Poparadu, Răzvan Dobricean, Dorin Goga

Forwards: Mircea Axente, Gueye Mansour, Lukas Magera, Stefan Nikolic, Ianis Zicu, Alexandru Popovici

There is, however, a very big question mark. Vladimir Petrovic is wanted to coach the Serbian national team. He has declared that he cannot refuse such an offer, if it will be made. All signs show that he will probably be appointed by the Serbian federation, but the official statement should come in the following days, and then we will all know where we are standing.

Review - August 2010

2010-08-28T16:25:00.002+02:00

Not the best of season starts, but one that tells a lot about what Poli looks like and where it is headed under the command of Petrovic. In fact, it is very customary for us to start with a draw. Same as last year, the first match was against Bistrița, and we managed to pull a 2-2 draw. The results of the first 5 stages so far are as follows:

Poli - Gloria Bistrița 2:2 (1:1)
Gaz Metan Mediaș - Poli 2:2 (1:0)
Poli - CFR Cluj 3:2 (2:1)
Universitatea Craiova - Poli 1:1 (0:0)
Poli - Victoria Brănești 2:1 (1:0)

As you can see, many goals, but also many draws, which leaves us currently at 4 points behind the leaders. Many of the conceded goals were personal mistakes, which is what defines Poli in this beginning of the season: very offensive, but also very uncoordinated and insecure in defense. This style has been a bit interrupted by our European endeavour, where we were forced to play very defensively, and has also put a burden on the playes.

One of the best players, and definitely the most impressive, was Mircea Axente. Although he's been with the club for about 6 years, he's been mostly loaned to other teams, or played a bit for the second team. Last year he was loaned to Oțelul Galați and managed to score 3 goals in the two matches against Poli - what irony! Even so, nobody expected for him to make such a fantastic start for the big team, definitely catching a starting spot, in front of the other players, that have already played for Poli. His goals were very important, scoring the equaliser against Gaz Metan, and a very nice goal in the brilliant win against CFR Cluj, where he managed to fool the keeper, while also keeping a defender at bay. He's also scored to in the Europa League qualifiers, the winning goal in the first leg with MyPa, and our first goal for the incredible comeback in the second leg. Tall, well built, skillful and fast is what describes our 23 year old attacker. And for sure, he has more to prove.

Another good performer was Magera, but that is no big surprise, as he has shown to be a very important player for Poli. He is currently our top goal scorer in the championship, with 3 goals. Another big surprise is Zicu, who was transferred after the season start. He isn't and top physical form, and has always been sent in in the second half, but he's managed to score 3 important goals: the 2nd one against MyPa, the late equaliser at Craiova, and a splendid scissors-kick for the winner against Victoria Brănești. We hope that he will prove to be a very important player, especially after he is fully recovered.

At the other end, we can't single out any bad players, as all defenders, even Cisovsky or Alexa have made grave errors which lead to goals, but despite these, they've played very good the rest of the time. Mera, perhaps, was a bit insecure more than the others.

As for the rest of the line-up, we must note that Poli has let Igor Popovic go, without him playing a single minute in an official match. Dukic has only played one half, and it seems he hasn't met Petrovic's standards. But he may as well play in the future, seeing that Contra's contract ends after the next match and he is considering retirement. He also missed two matches, having been very easily sent off in the match against Bistrița. However, Dukic has a strong opponent for the right back spot, as Scutaru has put in a few very good performances. Also, Bonfim has been sold to Steaua, to meet up with Latovlevici who arrived there earlier this year. Chiacu, who plays right wing, as Contra did in several matches, has only played a few minutes, but hasn't proven much. Also, the most recent transfer is Burcă, a Romanian defender, who's played very much abroad, his last team being Energie Cottbus. He's made a rather unsatisfying debut in the second leg against Manchester City, but perhaps his experience will be much needed in case one of the central defenders gets injured, as has recently happened with Cisovsky. Also on the injury list is unlucky Mansour, who has made a rather good start.

Thus ends our first review. It should be said that we are at a crucial turning point, as our next match is away, against Steaua, who is 4 points ahead. Thus, a win will set us on a path to fight for the championship, while a loss will definitely put us a few steps behind.

EL: Manchester City - Poli 2:0 (1:0)

2010-08-27T23:54:00.002+02:00

The score does not say much at all about how the match went on, as Manchester City have dominated it in a most thorough fashion, even though they left many of their amazing transfers on the bench. With three central defenders, 2 defensive midfielders, there was no chance at all for Poli. Axente was hopeless at 40 yards with City's full line of defense in front of him.

Just like in the 1st leg, there were not many opportunities, and nothing spectacular, but Manchester was controlling the match even more, and it looked more like a training session for them than an actual Europa League play-off. The first goal came in the 42nd minute, after Vieira saw a breach down the middle, and Shaun-Wright Phillips swiftly left behind his man to score at the far post. Adebayor also had a good opportunity after receiving the ball from Sepsi (who was either making mistakes like that, or excellent last minute blocks), but the shot was wide. Axente came with Poli's biggest chance when he dashed down the right, into the box, but with a defender blocking his way, he cold only blow it into the side net.

And just like in the second leg, Poli's game went even lower in the second half, not counting much at all. City seemed to be exercising different passing schemes, but the goal came in the 60th minute, after a free kick from the right, executed to the far post. Burcă couldn't even get off the ground, as his man, Boyata, headed the ball into the goal, left empty by a wandering Pantilimon. The same Burcă, transfered from Cottbus, seemed to have lost his mind when he fumbled a ball inside our box, which he should have either blown away, or pass to our keeper from the very beginning. Luckily, Pantilimon was there to block Adebayor. Bourceanu tried a long distance effort. The ball was going well enough, to the corner of the posts, but Hart stopped it in its tracks, just like Pantilimon stopped Tevez's free kick last week. Apart from that, another opportunity that should be noted, is that Axente received a very good long ball, and was one on one with a defender, who brought him dowm. The referee, however, was reluctant to give the free kick.

And with that, we put a stop to our short European adventure this year. Let it be said that we achieved as much as it was possible for us. We should have won both legs against MyPa, but in the end we managed to pull ourselves to the next stage, against this colossus. We can regret not achieving at least a draw in either matches against Manchester City, but I think it's more important for the team to draw the line, ask themselves what is to be learned from this experience, and concentrate on the championship.

Poli: Pantilimon - Burcă, Mera, Luchin, Sepsi - Contra, Bourceanu, Alexa - Magera, Axente, Curtean

Substitutions:

Zicu for Magera (min 45)
Goga for Curtean (min 57)
Chiacu for Contra (min 83)

Match preview: Manchester City - Poli

2010-08-25T00:37:00.002+02:00

There's not much to say about this game, as there is very little hope for us. Perhaps if we somehow manage to score first, things will get interesting. But it's going to be very hard. Manchester City already know us, and they will probably be more direct than the first leg.

Thus there can be an issue on how to approach this game? Should we play defensively like in the home match, to avoid a shameful defeat, or should we risk it all and let our hope die last? If you ask me, I'd go for the latter, because it's the honorable way to go, and you don't know when miracles might just happen.

Our advantage is that Mancini still insists to play it safe, the good old Italian way, and the million dollar players will probably treat us very superficially. Our only hope is to take them by a very big surprise.

Cisovsky will miss this match because of an injury, so it is very possible to see a fully Romanian lineup. And since we're talking about lineups, there is also the possibility to rest the key players for the very important upcoming away match against Steaua Bucharest in the championship, on Sunday evening. But Zicu, Tames seem to not be at 100%, and cannot handle a full match, and the other players haven't showed much when given the chance. Perhaps some of the youngsters on the list could be used, but I have yet to see a coach take such a decision, so I'm betting on a standard lineup for this match.

Go Poli!

Radical Changes

2010-08-25T00:05:00.002+02:00

You may have noticed the lack of match reports from the championship. That's because we want to change the format a bit. Instead of boring recounts, we thought it would be interesting to have periodical reviews - probably one every month. We will give you the results, but the focus will be to talk about the general direction of the team, which players sparked, which were awful and so on. We'll still have individual reports and previews of the European matches, although for this season those are about to end quite soon.

We'd also like to receive feedback from you, our readers. What would you like to read and know about Poli? Because this blog is for you. So if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment to this post. We won't mind if you also tell us a few about yourself, where you are from, what relates you to Poli and whatever else you like. We're not pushing you, of course.

Expect to see the first review on Friday, after the match against Manchester City.

Poli - Manchester City 0:1 (0:0)

2010-08-19T23:28:00.004+02:00

Not much to say about the opportunities in this match as they were quite sporadic. Manchester City started cautiously, keeping the ball in their half, leaving Poli to be brave on the attacking phase. The English side felt more dangerous when they climbed up into our half, but the only opportunities were a few missed corners and a free-kick from Tevez, easily caught by Pantilimon.

On the other hand, Poli was trying to overcome their fear, on the guidance of the more experienced Alexa and Contra, the latter who was well prepared for this big game, looking on his top form. Magera also felt on a higher level than his colleagues, providing some heartened duels, while Bourceanu and Curtean tried any tricks they could come up with to lighten Poli's game. Axente, however, felt a bit shaken, probably by the big stake of the match. When the ball came to his feet, he didn't know what to do, and was usually blocked by one of the massive defenders. Our problem was mostly that, with two defensive midfielders, the game was cramped on our flanks, leaving no room for improvisations in the center, and our game lacked that flow that leads to goals.

Anyway, in the second half, things changed, with Manchester City pushing us towards our goal. Overrun, physically and mentally, Poli was pushed in its own half, and barely had the chance to come out. The final possession (60% in favour of City) speaks for itself. Still, there were no big opportunities until the 70 minute mark. After a corner, Yaya Toure receives the ball in the box, and pounces on it, blasting it into the near post. Scutaru, a bit injured and limping, is changed with Zicu, and Contra is pulled back into his place as right-back. This proves fatal, as Adebayor receives on the right, crosses low, past Cisovsky, and Balotelli takes Luchin's face to push it into the empty net.

There was nothing that Poli could do, and the Blues stepped back almost completely, and were mistreating every big opportunities they received on counter attack. A good result overall, although a draw could have been achievable. In attack, City's massive defenders seemed impenetrable, while our defense was very effective until they pushed with all their team in our half, but it also seemed that they didn't even try hard enough.

Not very spectacular for the neutral spectator, or, indeed, even for a City fan, this game is something to learn from, at both the physical and individual levels, because it was surely at a different level from what we've seen on "Dan Păltinișanu" stadium before. I think we'll see a different, more mature Poli in the next championship match.

The players should be congratulated for their determination and ambition that they've put in this match, despite the odds.

Poli: Pantilimon - Scutaru, Luchin, Cisovsky, Sepsi - Contra, Alexa, Bourceanu, Curtean - Axente, Magera

Substitutions:

Zicu for Scutaru (min 70)
Mera for Contra (min 80)
Goga for Magera (min 83)

Match preview: Poli - Manchester City

2010-08-18T11:54:00.002+02:00

I'm sure to get a lot of raised eyebrows when I say that the only big advantage Manchester City has over us is the big number of big names they have on their squad and despite the repeated use of 'big' that advantage is not that big as it might seem.

For sure, I wouldn't want to be in Mancini's shoes these days - to be facing a totally unknown adversary and to have to choose a starting 11 from over 30 players with impressive skills and big figures next to their name on the transfer market. Not to mention to have them play as a team and to motivate them.

It is my reasoning that pumping loads of money into a team is no silver bullet to big performances. Manchester City's recent history reminds me somehow of Poli's history. After struggling a bit in the lower division, City managed to make a stable comeback in the Premier League in the early 2000s. The Arabian investors' transfer spree is similar (but larger in scale, of course) to Poli's strategy when BKP came in. Each year we would buy a whole new set of overpriced players, and each year, the results would be mediocre. The same seems to be with City these days. With only one European Cup participation (albeit a pretty good one) in the last five years, their strategy still has to prove its worth. Especially, after the utter failure of missing the last Champions League place in the previous season. I'm betting Tottenham Hotspur is a truely despised team by the "Citizens" by now. Will Politehnica Timișoara be another one?

I see two possible scenarios for this game. Either we make some big mistakes in defense and give away the first goal and possibly end in disaster, or we can bet on a 1X ending. I think the key is the concentration that our defenders will have. And they are known for surpassing themselves in the big European matches - if we think of last years bouts with Shaktar, Stuttgart or Ajax. On the other hand, there were mistakes in other matches as well, so anything is possible. But I'm sure we stand a better chance than most people see it.

Let's go, Poli!

Poli - MyPa 3:3 (0:3)

2010-08-08T14:19:00.002+03:00

The European matches with small teams are the most exciting, because unknown ambition is shown from such sides, that overcome the odds to put in more than a good effort.

So it was, that despite a 2-1 away win, Petrovic sent in some of the best players, but with some slight, but important changes. Goga had the first opportunity of the match in the 11th minute, but the Finns caused panic with some blistering counter attacks, especially due to the speedy Ricketts. The Canadian had passed Mera to meet the incoming ball. Taborda was on spot to push it out, but Äijälä calmly lobbed the ball over our keeper.

An unfortunate setback, it seemed, but just 2 minutes later, after a corner kick, the ball fumbles close to the near post, and Ricketts pinches it in. At this score we were eliminated, but there was no need to despair. That is until Ricketts left Cisovsky in the dust and calmly executed Taborda for an unbeliveable 0-3, just 7 minutes after the first goal. Things were looking very bad, indeed, as Poli needed to score 3 goals in little over an hour. Baffled, the team tried aimlessly to score, but not much happened till half time.

Petrovic reacted by substituting right defender Dukic with Bourceanu. Although he didn't make mistakes, his collaboration with Contra on the right side was somewhat inefficient. Poli started more aggresively, the first big chance coming in the 51st minute, when Alexa's shot struck the root of the post. Just 4 minutes later, Tameș walked the ball close to the box, pushed it to Magera, who opened up Goga. He put it past the keeper, but the ball hit the post again. Luckily, Axente followed it and pushed it in. Tameș created another similar opportunity, right before being substituted by Zicu, who made his debut in the violet t-shirt.

Unfortunately, this setback the team a little, as the game re-balanced itself. MyPa had a few counter attacks, but they were visibly exhausted, probably by the unsual (for them) heat, going for the water bottle quite often. Even Ricketts was running in a lower gear than in the first half, but still had a good opportunity to kill the game with a quarter to go, when he shot the ball past Taborda, and luckily, past the post as well.

Then, almost out of nowhere, Alexa opened Zicu in the corner of the box, who blasted the ball past the keeper into the net. Just one more! Goga managed a header which was going for the empty net, but a defender managed to deflect it into the post. It was the 85th minute - time was running out - that should have been it, but it wasn't. MyPa had another opportunity to finish it, right at the 90 minute mark, but the ball again strolled shamelessly past the post.

2 minutes into extra time, the ball fell on the edge of the 6 yard box. Mansour jumped to it and won the duel with the adversary, lifted it towards the center, where Cisovsky was waiting to push it into the empty net with his head!

A dramatic match, despite all appearances before the start, but that's what makes football beautiful. Happy with the result in the end, but there are some bad conclusions to be drawn. Firstly, the utter lack of concentration from the players and, second, the lack of organization in defense. There are lessons to be learned, and after all, what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.

How strong? We will soon see.

Poli: Taborda (4,5) - Dukic (5), Mera (4,5), Cisovsky (5,5), Sepsi (5,5) - Contra (5,5), Alexa (6,5), Tameş (6), Goga (6) - Axente (6), Magera (5,5)

Substitutions:

Bourceanu (6) for Dukic (min 45)
Zicu (6,5) for Tameş (min 55)
Mansour (6,5) for Magera (min 71)

EL Play-Off: Poli Timisoara - Manchester City

2010-08-06T15:04:00.002+03:00

Massive match-up for the play-off round in the Europa League, as Poli is set to meet Manchester City, one of the richest teams in the world and the most interesting choice from the available opponents. Of course, the challenge is immense, but the experience is bound to be worth remembering.

Looking forward to the first leg, at home, on the 19th of August. The return leg will take place on the 26th of August.

MyPa - Poli 1:2 (0:1)

2010-08-03T23:37:00.002+03:00

In European matches, even small teams are a tough nut to crack. Especially if there is a long way ahead, both on wheels, and in the air to Kouvala in cold Finland. The team of Myllykoski, a suburb of this metropolis, has earned its place through UEFA's Fair Play ranking system, despite finishing 9th out of 14 in their national championship.

After defeating Estonia's Nava Trans and Andorra's Sant Julia, the Finns started the match against Poli with big ambitions. Perhaps prudent, or tired, our side accepted to be dominated, being pressed hard into our own half, also allowing a handfull of corner kicks. However, Goga had the first big opportunity of the match, hitting the bar, while MyPa responded in the same way some minutes later. Tameș scored the only goal of the first half, when he found himself with the ball after a well exercised free kick.

The second part was more entertaining, but unfortunately the equaliser came after a mistake from Pantilimon. With opportunities going both ways, Poli came out as winners when Axente managed the goal 15 minutes before the whistle.

An easy, but at the same time hard-earned victory, which, besides assuring somewhat the qualification, also adds precious points to Poli's international portfolio.

Poli: Pantilimon - Luchin, Mera, Cisovsky, Scutaru - Chiacu, Alexa, Tameş, Curtean - Goga, Magera

Substitutions:

Axente for Curtean (min 45)
Contra for Chiacu (min 45)
Bourceanu for Tameş (min 84)

Poli - Gloria Bistriţa 2:2 (1:1)

2010-08-01T01:11:00.002+03:00

Sorry for the delay. I was on holiday and was unable to see the debut match against Bistrița. Not the best of starts, Poli still showing signs of old weaknesses, especially uncertainty in defense. On the other hand, Petrovic has imposed a more passing style, and it seems that Poli will remain one of the top goal scorers in the championship. The problem will be efficiency.

A balanced match, but one which was plagued by very tight refereeing. Goga managed an early goal in the 11th minute, but Bistrița scored a very quick equaliser after an excellent counter attack in the 19th minute. The match died down, with only two important moments in the rest of the first half. In a similar opportunity, Bistrița scored again about one third into the match, but the goal was ruled out, because of a slight infringement. Goga also tried a long distance shot, but without any success.

The second half started in much the same manner, until in the 70th minute, Bonfim was overtaken and provoked a penalty. Coroian scored, and at the next moment, Contra, sent in at half-time, fought with a bit too much determination for the referee, who showed him the red card after a duel with an adversary.

Luck would have it that just 3 minutes later, Magera scored from a free kick to make 2-2. The numbers were balanced when an opponent was sent off for a bad tackle, but Poli couldn't change the result, only having a goal invalidated after Tameș played the ball with his hand.

Poli: Pantilimon (5) - Sepsi (6), Cisovsky (5,5), Mera (4,5), Bonfim (5) - Poparadu (5), Alexa (5,5), Tameş (5,5), Bourceanu (5,5) - Magera (6,5), Goga (6)

Substitutions:

Contra (2) for Poparadu (min 57)
Curtean for Bourceanu (min 75)
Axente for Tameş (min 88)

New Defender: Igor Popović

2010-06-09T18:13:00.002+03:00

After Marian Iancu declared that there will be no budget for transfers, and that Poli will only sign free-of-contract players, the first one on the list is Serbian central defender Igor Popović. At 27 years old he has spent his entire professional career at FK Spartak Subotica, totalling 128 appearances, and 8 goals, but also being on loan 3 times. The 1m85 defender appears to be a welcome arrival, considering Nibombé's parting.

How good, it remains to be seen.

Duško Dukić signs with Poli

2010-06-06T22:52:00.002+03:00

In other news, 23 year-old right back Duško Dukić has signed with Poli. He comes from the Serbian outfit Hajduk Kula, and he describes himself as a fast, technical player, who also likes to participate in attack. He considers this a step forward in his career, coming from a smaller club. The management's intentions for him are cleary to be a challenge for Bonfim, who plays the same position as the Serb.

Welcome to Poli, Duško!

New Coach: Vladimir Petrović

2010-06-06T22:36:00.002+03:00

Vladimir Petrović is one of Red Star Belgrade's legends, where he had an excellent career. It was also the place where he started coaching, before being appointed to the Serbia and Montenegro national U-21 team. His op achievement is a runners-up place at the 2004 European Championship.

He head a venture in China, coaching a club team, then failing to qualify to the World Cup with the national team. His last appointment was with the same Red Star Belgrade last season. He was sacked before the end, after a defeat, despite leaving the club on the top position.

The Serbian fans already regret him, and he is pleased with his recently signed contract. Petrović hopes to achieve good results in the European matches, and considers Poli to be a an important name, especially after playing the Champions League play-offs last year. He is also looking forward to a good relationship with the management.

We wish him a warm welcome and a very fruitful stay!

Sabău resigns as Poli's coach

2010-05-27T13:35:00.004+03:00

Despite having the management's approvement, Sabău decided not to continue, most probably due to the fact that he has been contested by the fans. Although he managed a lower position that we achieved last season, some very good results have been achieved during his time in Timișoara: the elimination of UEFA Cup holders Shaktar from the Champions League qualifiers, a good performance in the Europa League, and the double win against Dinamo in the championship.

I leave you with an interview:

Are you satisfied with your achievements?

Yes, with a few exceptions. The season ending was difficult, but I'd like to thank and congratulate the players for what we've achieved together, because I believe they have outperformed themselves. In the last few stages we've had a lot of problems due to injuries. There were matches when I could basically rely on only 10 players.

So why did you decide to resign?

I cannot answer this question. It's better that way, because I don't want to leave opportunities for misinterpretations and arguements.

Are you relieved now? You seemed very tense in the last period.

I am not at all relieved. I didn't want it to end. I'm convinced the next year would have been better. The players are already used to my methods and they've grown some good habits. We could have achieved much more.

What about your relation with the management?

I've had a very good collaboration with mr. Iancu, with mr. Chivorchian (president) and with Daniel Stanciu (sports manager). I have nothing bad to say.

Mr. Iancu seems to be very impressed by you. What do you have to say?

He had his arguments to support me. I respect him and everyone I have worked with. I believe this is how to part ways.

Source: ProSport

Poli - FC Braşov 1:2 (0:2)

2010-05-25T22:38:00.002+03:00

With no motivation whatsoever and a battered lineup, Poli had no say in the last match of the season. Fifteen minutes in, we were already two goals down due to a dreamy defense which left Taborda with little chance in front of the attackers. Brezinsky, who has played a lot for the second team, didn't seem to fit in the team, Luchin was taking all the wrong decisions, while Maxim was easily overtaken on the left.

Our big opportunities were a weak shot from Magera, and a good header from Curtean, who other than that made himself noticed by takend several chances on his own, but they all ended the same way, with the ball drifting inches past either post.

Goga was not only absent from the game, but when he did touch the ball, it all went wrong, which brought out his substitution with Mejia in the second half. Our goal came after a cross from Cociș and a header from Chiacu, right after another big opportunity in which he missed the ball miserably in the middle of the box. Other than that, the right-winger, who substituted Maxim at half time, wasn't to be seen in the match.

Mejia sped up the game a bit, but it wasn't until later that he actually managed to pass a few defenders and provide a good ball. The goal came quite early in the second half, but our players couldn't find the equaliser, the game ending with a very big miss, when Magera and Cociș couldn't get past the keeper.

It's disappointing to end the championship with a loss, especially in front of the fans, but we have gotten used to poor endings in the past seasons. Even with the win, we would have finished 5th, as both Vaslui and Steaua had won their games. Poli will play in the third round of the Europa League qualifiers, as a seeded team. If we get to the play-off, we will most probably encounter a tough adversary.

Until then, some changes and clarifications are sure to take place.

Poli: Taborda (6) - Bourceanu (5), Luchin (4,5), Brezinsky (4,5), Maxim (4,5) - Curtean (4,5), Alexa (5,5), Cociş (6), Sepsi (5) - Magera (5,5), Goga (4,5)

Substitutions:

Chiacu (5,5) for Maxim (min 45)
Mejia for Goga (min 74)

Pandurii - Poli 0:0

2010-05-20T00:32:00.002+03:00

A hard match awaited at Tg. Jiu, where lots of the big teams couldn't manage a victory. Indeed the first half was a cautionary battle at midfield, with little dangerous opportunities. Poli tried to play their passing game, but usually some sort of miscalculation or goof would put an end to our attack. Pandurii, struggling to jump above the relegation line, tried ambitiously to be dangerous on the counter attack, but the balls thrown into our box, couldn't be intercepted by their attackers. Towards the half-time whistle, Magera and Curtean tried some long distance shots, but only the Czech managing to hit the target.

In the second half, Poli pushed a lot harder, and due to a harsher pressing, we managed to keep the ball inside their half althroughout. The opportunities succeeded one another, but the goal failed to come. Pandurii massed all their players into their own box, as if on a courageous last stand, making it very hard for us to drive the ball into a good position. Goga decided to try his shot whenever he could, even though at times a pass to a teammate would have been much better. Bourceanu was perhaps the most inspired when he turned no less than 3 defenders, and when everybody thought he had a clear shot on goal, a 4th appeared in front to block him! The best chance of the game took place very late in the game, in the 88th minute. Cociș was found somewhere on the 6 yard line, with his back to the goal. He made an excellent turn, avoiding the defender at his back, shot diagonally past the keeper, but, again, a defender was in the way, blocking the ball right off the goal line. So frustrating!

The last stage of the championship poses only one last battle - for the 3rd, 4th and 5th places. Incredibly, Poli, Steaua and Vaslui are tied at 59 points, with advantage for Steaua, having better direct results. The stake is whether to start the Europa League qualifiers in the 3rd round or in the 2nd one and our objective is to somehow finish above Steaua. That means that Steaua shouldn't win. Considering that we win against Brașov, of course.

Poli: Taborda (6) - Luchin (5,5), Cisovsky (6), Nibombe (6), Maxim (5,5) - Curtean (4,5), Bourceanu (5,5), Sepsi (6) - Cociş (5,5), Magera (5,5), Goga (5)

Substitutions: None

Poli - Gaz Metan Mediaş 0:2 (0:1)

2010-05-12T22:48:00.002+03:00

Poli started with a similar lineup to the last four games or so, this time Magera, coming back from a suspension, taking Goga's place in attack. We played good in the first half, trying the goal and not letting the adversary get close to ours. Magera, especially was very active, trying to score from different situations: from a cross, a volley, from a free kick. Curtean managed a surprise shot, which although not very powerful, fooled the goalkeeper, but hit the bar. At a prolonged attack, the ball snaps back to Contra, whose shot hits the top post, comes down inches behind the line, but the referees don't see it, and we are deprived of a valid goal. To make matters worse, Cisovsky tries a trick in defense, but is depossesed, which leads to the first goal of the match.

Things didn't look so bad, as we had played well enough. However, as we got used under these situations, the second half brought out an uninspired play, with little foresight for a goal. To make matters even worse, Contra made an irational gesture, going into Silvășan (ex-Poli player) not only with a tackle for the ball, but also with an elbow to the face. Undoubtul elimination. As we pushed forward, we were very often caught on the counter attack, with only 2 or 3 defenders against several attackers. After a shot in the bar, the second goal finally came close to the end. We weren't able to create any big opportunities, and the numerous corner kicks and free kicks have been - as usual - unfruitful.

An unexpected and sad defeat, which leaves us on a lowly 4th place. The final two matches shouldn't change much, although there is hope for the second place but very improbable. 3rd or 4th place are the same for us, leading to the same spot in the Europa League qualifiers. So I guess the objective for the championship finale is to remain above Steaua (5th place). Very feasible, indeed.

Poli: Pantilimon (4,5) - Bonfim (4,5), Luchin (5), Cisovsky (4), Sepsi (5,5) - Curtean (5), Bourceanu (4,5), Alexa (5), Contra (4) - Magera (4,5), Cociş (4,5)

Substitutions:

Goga (4,5) for Bourceanu (min 45)
Parks (4,5) for Curtean (min 60)
Ionescu for Magera (min 74)

Dinamo - Poli 1:2 (0:1)

2010-05-07T17:51:00.002+03:00

There is a big contrast between the importance of this victory and the actual quality of the game. The first half was easily one of the most boring ones we've played this season. Dinamo welcomed us with a highly improvised, cropped up line-up due to several absences on their part. I guess Poli just didn't bother seeing how weak their adversaries were, and as a consequence the first part was a just a mish-mash of wrong passes and uninspired play. We based our game on long passes, despite the fast one-touch passing style Sabău has been trying to impose for quite some matches now. This meant that we would let the opponents keep the ball more than us, but it was a great idea overall, because they just didn't prove dangerous at all, and in the end it brought our goal one minute before the half-time whistle. Contra lobbed the ball past the line of defense and Goga was one meter ahead of them since Boștină, forced to play left-back, eliminated the offside position. Goga shot on the near corner and the half ended with a relaxing 1-0 for us. The only other opportunity was a header from Cociș after a corner kick, but it was too central, and the keeper's reflex blocked it out.

The second half quickly brought us the second goal. Just three minutes in, an excellent pass from Sepsi, found us 3 against 2, with two more players coming forward. Still, Cociș decided to try his luck, and Curcă had no reaction as the ball went in at the near corner again.

As we have been accustomed, Poli relaxed a lot and through lack of concentration conceded a goal, which spiced things up, when the game could have easily and with no emotions went our way. The first sign was a powerful shot from 30 meters by Niculae. It was going right under the bar, but Taborda made an excellent save. With half an hour to go, a long cross had found the same Niculae inside the box, between Luchin and Bonfim, with Cisovsky nowhere in sight. From such a good position, the attacker easily executed Taborda with a shot a diagonal shot to the far corner.

Of course, the goal put fear on our players and Dinamo seemed more dangerous. N'Doye had a good shot from a sharp angle, but was blocked by Taborda. Towards the end, Poli managed to hold the ball a bit more and kept the danger way, except for conceding a free kick right in the last minute of added time. Fortunately, the cross couldn't be met by any players and this marked a historic win for Poli.

This is our first win on Dinamo's turf after 45 years! And since Sabău had already managed bust another myth by defeating them at home after 12 years, he enters history by becoming Poli's first coach to defeat Dinamo twice in the same season!

As far as this championship goes, CFR only managed a draw against Vaslui, which means there will be a very intense fight in the last 3 matches. Poli is third, just 2 points behind, but Urziceni has only one point difference. Vaslui and Steaua also wait for any missed step as they are only 2 points behind us.

A very interesting finale indeed.

Poli: Taborda (6) - Bonfim (5,5), Luchin (5,5), Cisovsky (5,5), Sepsi (6) - Curtean (6), Alexa (6), Contra (6,5), Bourceanu (6) - Cociş (6,5), Goga (6,5)

Substitutions:

Dede for Curtean (min 77)
Parks for Cociş (min 81)
Maxim for Contra (min 86)

Poli - Oţelul 2:1 (2:0)

2010-05-03T16:10:00.002+03:00

Another match in which Poli showed us its two faces. They easily controlled the first half, sealing an early 2 goal lead. First, in the 5th minute, Bonfim dashed down the side line after a pass from Cociș, and managed a sliding cross, where a brilliant Magera took the face of the defender and appeared out of nowhere at the near post to push it in. In the 11th minute, Alexa provides an excellent header from close range, after a free kick from the right, but the keeper manages to block it. And the next minute, the same Alexa gives a long ball for Cociș, who is one foot ahead of the defenders. The keeper comes out, and our striker finds the perfect opportunity to lob the ball over him and score. Like I said, Poli had a very good half, controlling the game, passing the ball around, with a visible relaxation given by the advantage. Despite this, the only two chances, came from long distance shots, first from Alexa, and then a very good effort from Curtean.

Half time was a changing moment, as we came out less concentrated, while Oțelul put pressure on use, looking for the goal. The threat appeared very early, in the 48th minute, when our defense made an almost fatal mistake at a free kick. Two attackers were left at least two meters in front of the defense, no offside, but luckily the header was poor. The goal in the 58th minute sort of poured lead in our shoes. Nibombe tried to clear gracefully, but he lost the ball. Axente, our player on loan to Oțelul, who had also scored against us in the away match, found the ball at his feet, took a quick looked to see Taborda a bit out and swerved the ball over him, into the net.

Oțelul had another big chance, when a player dashed into the box on the side, past Taborda who came to meet him, and got into a position similar to the one from where Deac scored against us on the goal line in the last home match, but our defense grouped quickly to block him. Although that was their last serious effort, Poli played more weary and uninspired, with the last few minutes bringing big chances for us, but with a fear that we might concede a goal towards the end. Fortunately, it wasn't to be.

First a long distance shot from Magera in the 70th minute, and then another one from Alexa with 3 minutes to go, both coming very close to the target. The biggest chance of the match came soon after, when Bonfim dashed on the right, luring three defenders and passing to Magera who was completely alone on the other side. He leaves the ball for Maxim, who tries a dribble, but slips right when he was about to shoot. Magera reposses the ball, but his shot is blocked. The ball jumps to him again, this time the keeper blocks, and then is quick enough to jump at Kozaks feet and stop him from scoring.

All in all a good effort from the team, and three precious points for the championship. CFR Cluj and Steaua have lost, leaving a slight opportunity for the title. But Vaslui and Urziceni have won, which means that the battle for second place is still fierce. Next match is against bitter rivals Dinamo, who are 6 behind us. It would be excellent to score a victory on their pitch, after 45 years!

Poli: Taborda (5,5) - Bonfim (6), Luchin (6), Nibombe (5,5), Sepsi (6) - Curtean (5,5), Contra (6), Alexa (6,5), Bourceanu (6) - Magera (6,5), Cociş (6,5)

Substitutions:

Dede for Contra (min 74)
Kozak for Cociş (min 74)
Maxim for Curtean (min 87)

Steaua - Poli 3:3 (1:0)

2010-04-26T16:51:00.003+02:00

This match has lived up to its name as a confrontation between the 2nd and 3rd placed teams. And for this championship that means a fast-paced game, lots of goals and a dramatic finish, but with lots of errors, poor quality football, the battle in midfield and the opportunities being decided by goofs rather than by brilliant play.

Sabău had sent in, as usual, a weird lineup. With Alexa being suspended, Angolan Dede made his debut for Poli, but his close-ups cast a rather dark light upon him: a clash with Arman Karamyan, two injuries and a loose marking at the first goal. Contra and Bourceanu weren't as effective as the last match, Steaua dominating the first half, and Cociș again not being integrated with the rest of the team.

Golanski had the first opportunity coming in from the left and rattling the sidebar. Taborda was providential in front of Kapetanos and Plesan, the former being a big threat, especially in the air, to our defenders. In the 33rd minute a corner kick could only be deflected to the side, where Golanski moved the balled past Dede and scored from close range. Our only chance of the first half came from a nice flow that found Goga a meter ahead of his man, but his dash wasn't what you would expect and his last moment shot was straight into Zapata.

Without any modifications at half time, somehow the tide had changed into our favour, and the first chance found Bonfim completely open inside the box, but he showed this was a rather unusual position for him, and he poorely delivered the cross. Our goal came in the 50th minute after, of course, a bad pass from Plesan at midfield. Goga was quick to react, opened Cocis perfectly, who dahsed away to score past Zapata.

The game stagnated, with one opportunity each close to the 80 minute mark. Kapetanos was again stopped by Taborda, and Goga managed to go past a couple of defenders, but his shot went way over. Throughout this championship, both Poli and Steaua have managed to score many goals in the last 10 minutes, sealing crucial points. Indeed, it was exactly the 80th minute when, at an action inside our box, Bonfim was to slow to clear, and our ex-player - Artiom (who replaced his brother) stole the ball and was brought down by the Brazilian. Kapetanos transformed the penalty, the ball going under Taborda, who was very close to stop it.

Sabău acted quickly, risking everything by substituting a defender - Mera, for Magera. The game quickly switched in our favour. Bonfim made up for his error, being brought down in the box. Contra executed without emotions and Poli hoped for more. Just 3 minutes later, with one before injury time, Cociș won a free-kick close to the left corner of the box. Contra executed well, the wall deflected the ball to the other side of the goal and Poli was alredy celebrating. Sabău quickly introduced Nibombe to guard this advantage.

In the last minute, however, Kozak lost the ball midfield, and our defense was caught outnumbered. A diagonal cross met Kapetanos on the right, Taborda was there to block him, but the ball jumped to Jelev, who pushed it into the empty goal.

A draw that helps none of the teams. CFR Cluj has gained a 6 point advantage and it seems impossible for them to lose the title now. Urziceni have jumped over Poli and Steaua, with 53 points, the same as Steaua, while Poli is just one point behind. Vaslui still has to play, and a win for them will bring them on level terms with us.

As you can see, a very tight battle for top positions, each striving for a better spot in the European competitions. It will be tought, but we hope that in the end we will be above all of them.

Poli: Taborda (6,5) - Sepsi (5), Cisovsky (6), Mera (6), Bonfim (5) - Bourceanu (6), Contra (7), Dede (6), Curtean (5) - Cociş (6), Goga (5,5)

Substitutions:

Kozak (4) for Dede (min 66)
Magera for Mera (min 83)
Nibombe for Curtean (min 90)

Poli - CFR Cluj 1:1 (0:0)

2010-04-21T22:47:00.002+02:00

Poli played great, the first half being one of the best this season, good rythm, fast passing, possession, dribbling, basically just eye-pleasing football. But the end of the match found us all cheering, relieved of all frustration, for a very late equaliser.

Sabău sent in a strange lineup. As always it might be said. But this played to great effect. Not only were the opponents baffled, but it produced a fast-paced game based on continuous passes. For the first time, probably, Poli played with only one defensive midfielder - Alexa. In front of him we found Contra, as determined as ever, and his mark on the game could be well seen, bringing attitude and ambition, which were totally lacking the past two matches. The flanks were covered by Bourceanu and Curtean, but while Curtean usually played left, and Bourceanu had at times played on the right, this time they were switched. This must have awoken Curtean, whose performances up to date were way under par. Perhaps because he was a bit lost with his position in the beginnning, he was more in the game than usual and had a strong influence on his flank, along with the very offensive Bonfim, while Bourceanu was dazzling to his opponents on the left, twisting and turning them like we would have expected from Mejia rather than him.

That was the key. With a strong midfield, precise pressing, Cluj barely managed to get out of their own half. But this didn't trouble them much. The championship leaders happy with the draw, put out a sturdy defense and were wasting time very early in the game. Nevertheless, the first big opportunity arised inside the first minute, when Mansour was found in the box, touched the ball right in front of the keepr, who could only bring him down. But the referees didn't see it, and no penalty was given. 12 minutes later, the same Mansour is at the end of a cross from Sepsi, but Nuno Claro's deflection is enought to make him miss the target from close range. Then, Curtean with a shot from outside the box, and Mansour with another header test Nuno Claro's skill. Poli's domination continued, but only materialized close to the end of the half, when Cisovsky's long distance shot stretched the goalkeeper quite a bit.

At half time, the feeling was one of frustration, that despite the total domination the ball just wouldn't go in. Indeed, Cluj came out better in the second half and started to get closer to our goal, Deac shooting a hard one that stretches Taborda as well. The goal came after a poor free kick, which hit the wall, but bounced unfortunately in the corner of the keeper's box. Taborda scrambled at Deac's feet, but couldn't retain the ball, which jumped back at the attacker, who, from an almost impossible angle, pushed the ball along the goal line and into the net.

After such a lucky goal, Poli's efforts were marked by despair and up to the end, only few big opportunities occured. The only one to mention is a header from Mansour, which was going towards an empty net, but Cadu, out of nowhere twisted in the air to deflected at the last moment. In the 86th minute, Nuno Claro was shown a second yellow card for misconduct, after just one minute earlier being cautioned for delaying the game. With no substitutes remaining, Cadu had to assume the role of goalkeeper. But even with the numerical advantage, Poli's game was plagued by frustration and despair. Sabău changed very late and without much effect. The opportunities only appeared late into injury time. First, Mansour dashed into the box from the side and shot wide, when a pass was perhaps more reasonable. Alexa managed a shot on goal, but Cadu showed he is a good goalkeeper as well, rising to deflect it. The goal came after the corner - the last of countless that Poli had throught the game. Mansour and a defender jumped for the ball, which, luckily fell back in the box, Alexa heading it into the net, with a few seconds past the 7 minutes of injury time. The referee signaled the end of the game.

Like I said, it's very frustrating to know that Poli played so well, but had to struggle only to get a draw, which in the end doesn't help at all. With 5 points ahead, 6 matches to go, and only Vaslui being the only serious adversary left for Cluj, it seems they are set to win the title. But, in our championship, who knows?

Still, we need to play just as good, as the battle for second place is still very pen, the next match being a decisive one, against Steaua, which is one point ahead. But with a game like this, we can very well imagine a win against them.

Poli: Taborda (6) - Bonfim (5,5), Nibombe (5,5), Cisovsky (5,5), Sepsi (5,5) - Curtean (5,5), Alexa (6,5), Contra (6), Bourceanu (6) - Goga (5), Mansour (6)

Substitutions:

Cociş for Goga (min 75)
Magera for Curtean (min 75)
Ionescu for Bourceanu (min 82)

How's Dare been doing?

2010-04-14T18:56:00.003+02:00

Dare Vršič was lent this winter to FC Koper in his home country. This proves to have been an excellent move, both for the club, but especially for Dare's career. After his awful injury that kept him away from the pitch for more than a year, he was having a hard time getting back in form and he wasn't able to make the team. That is what lead to his loan.

Well, FC Koper, who've never won a championship in their history, are on first position, way ahead with 11 points from the 2nd placed team with only 6 games to go. Dare Vršič has had a big contribution to this achievement, his stats showing 6 goals and 4 assists in just 8 matches, which is already twice as many as he scored for Poli in 3 years, over 21 matches. The 6 goals started with a whopping 35 meter long shot and has culminated with a hat-trick in the last match, which you can enjoy here. His performance may be due to the position he plays for Koper. They play a rather unusual 4-2-3-1, with Dare on the right side, close to the attacker, so he can be quite offensive.

But still, it's amazing how big a difference there is between what he showed here and what he is showing now. Could it be that he wasn't used right? Is it that Poli's game can never be suited to include Dare Vršič? Perhaps, the answer to this we will find out after the summer, when he should return to Timișoara.

If not even now he can't be useful to the team, then I say that he should be let go wherever he feels best. This move to Koper is great for his career as it gives him hope and belief in himself, that he has recuperated nicely from his injury and that he can play excellent football. Also, this is a great opportunity to have a good return to his national team and become a key player.

Until we meet again, we wish you maximum success, Dare!

Ceahlăul - Poli 0-0 (1-1)

2010-04-12T16:22:00.002+02:00

Unfortunately, Poli's game is on a downward slope. Another game with one of the bottom teams, another draw! Slow and uninspired is what best describes it. Despite having the ball most of the time, the players could not find any solutions. More than that, in the first half, it was the other team that had the opportunities.

First, in the 5th minute, Bonfim headed the ball home, but too slow, almost causing a goal as Pantilimon could not retain the ball, and was countered by one of Ceahlău's men. The referee saved us by giving away a foul. Two headers followed. First one in the 19th minute from Mulisa, left unmarked in the middle of the box, but it went over the bar. Nine minutes later a free kick was executed long from the left, Forminte jumped higher than Sepsi and headed the ball to the opposite corner, but Pantilimon easily stretched to retain it. Most of the time, the ball was just passed between our defenders. This could have proved costly, because close to half-time, Mera goofed, and Velkovski intercepted the ball. Fortunately, despite having a clear run for goal, his shot was way off.

After the break, Poli started pushing forward. The first chance occured in the opening minutes of the second half, when Kozak played a free kick deep into the box, but Chiacu's header went wide. Contra's and entrance at half time and Mansour in the 62nd minute animated the game. First, Contra's corner kick was head by the Senegalese, close to the post, but a defender was there to kick it away. Right in the next minute, the same Mansour received a ball on the left side, inside the box, beautifully shot the ball, but it went just wide. Finally, in the 67th minute, a long distance shot was deflected by a defender, but unluckily for him, the ball jumped in front of the goal. Chiacu could only push it into the keeper, but Mansour covered his back and drove it in. It could have been all over in the 85th minute, when Mansour, again, was excellently opened for goal. He was in an offside position, but the referee didn't see it. Perhaps feeling guilty, he tried to chip the ball, but too low... The keeper stopped it.

Ceahlău tried to do something, but wasn't really that dangerous. However, Bourceanu, who came in right after the goal, caused an unnecessary foul, close to the right corner of the box. The ball had a nice curve, that could have easily been held by Pantilimon. Inexplicably, he stretched, but let the ball fall. It hit the bar, and an attacker managed to hit it as best he could. The ball hit the ground, made it through the defenders. Pantilimon was right there, but the ball just hit him and jumped into the net. Ceahlau pressed, carried on by the crowd, but the only big chance was stopped by Cisovsky with an excelent last minute tackle in the box.

Our best players were Mansour, of course, Alexa, as usual, and Cisovsky who has made an excellent comeback, not only being close to perfect in defense, but also contributing to the attack. Perhaps he will be a key player for this championship end. At the other end, besides Pantilimon, who cost us dearly, Bonfim and Mera stand out, each with a serious error, that could have meant a goal against us. Mera made up for it somewhat with some good interventions, but Bonfim was nowhere, despite being everywhere. He often goofed and was inefficient in attack. Our attackers were quite blank, not being helped very much by our poor midfield. Goga was invisible, and Magera did what he could coming down to deliver some balls. Kozak unfortunately does not fit in this scheme, being mostly lost in Poli's no man's land - the center midfield.

Next match is against CFR Cluj, who are current leaders and it will be a crucial match. Fortunately, the 3 points we received recently, have gave us some comfort, but there are some really hard matches ahead of us and we need to gather enough points to remain in a top position. Let's hope the team has enough composure to make most of what's left.

Poli: Pantilimon (4) - Sepsi (5,5), Cisovski (6), Mera (4,5), Bonfim (4) - Cocis (5), Alexa (6), Kozak (5,5), Chiacu (5) - Magera (5,5), Goga (5)

Substitutions:

Contra (5,5) for Cociș (min 45)
Mansour (6) for Kozak (min 62)
Bourceanu (5) for Chiacu (min 67)

Rapid - Poli 0-3 after extra debate

2010-04-09T17:49:00.002+02:00

This is something that's been brewing ever since the match, lost 0-1 by Poli on the pitch. However, Rapid had used two players - Varga and Bălan - that had just been acquired in a last minute dubious transfer.

The story is like this. The two players are owned by Șiman, owner of Sportul Studențesc in the second league. Waiting for a booming offer, perhaps from a European club, he had delayed selling them for the past 2 years or so. Instead, he waited until the last moment, and finally loaned them to some club or the other for half a season at a time. That is how Unirea Urziceni won last year's championship, borrowing the two for the second part of the season. Then, for the first half of this season, Șiman, for lack of a better option, lent them again to Urziceni, barely before their Champions League stint.

During the break, the players were allowed to train with Urziceni, while Șiman awaited a good offer. The championship had already started, 2 stages had been played, and the transfer period was already over. At least for the first league that is. Determined to acquire the players, Rapid's owner Copos, perhaps more wicked in his ways than Șiman, had struck a deal with him.

So, in order to complete the transfer they looked for a hole in the rules and indeed they found one. For the lower leagues, the transfer period had not ended yet. So, Rapid created another team - Rapid 3 - as they already had a Rapid 2, which they registered to play in Romania's fourth League. Now, since this was still mid-season, you might think that this would be impossible or absurd. But, the administration of the league - AMFB (the meaning of the acronym is not important), decided that since a team had withdrawn from the competition, it was OK to include Rapid 3 in its place, and play semi-official games (whatever that means - I have no idea).

Of course, Rapid had no intention for this team to play any games. It was created just so that it could transfer the two players. And since the rules say that players from any subordinate team of a club can play in its main team, Rapid could use Varga and Bălan from its third team. This is a good rule as it is meant to encourage clubs to use young players from the second team in its main team. Seems that some have found new uses.

Anyway, it all sounds and is very dubious, but allowed by the Romania's rulebooks. But Rapid hadn't followed through in legal terms, probably in the hassle of the transfer, which happened right before the match against Poli. The fourth league, as I said, is under the administration of AMFB, which is subordinate to the Romanian Football Federation. But the first league is watched over and organized by LPF. So for players to play in the first league, they have to be approved by LPF. However, if AMFB aproves the players to play in their league, then LPF automatically gives them the right to play in the first league, but the procedure must be followed.

Now, after weeks of ping-pong passing the matter around, without much deliberation, it has been decided that the players did not have the right to play from LPF on the day of the match. Rapid had some notice from LPF, but was given on the 4th of March. Rapid 3 was created on the 5th, right on the day of the match. So it is clear that the notice given by LPF was invalid, has the players didn't even belong to a team, has it had not been created yet! Why LPF had given the allowance, I have no idea.

So that's it and that is why Rapid has forfeited the match, by using two players that did not have the right to play. Of course, there is the matter of morality here, that we have won 3 points that we lost on the pitch, but rules are rules and we can't break them over and over again and close our eyes when it happens. Sure, Rapid is to be blamed for trying such trickery, but there is also a bigger and more important guilt here. It's amazing that the rules are so that it can lead to such complicated issues. And also there are some facts, allowed by the governing bodies, that are plain to everybody just wrong: the transfer periods end differently among the leagues, you can make-up a team on the spot, even it has just two players, you can join a championship mid-season, LPF gives invalid decisions, and so on.

But that is a too big issue to be resolved in an instant and without proper support and it evades our subject here: Poli Timișoara. For us, this means that we jump back to second place, three points behind CFR Cluj. Next match is against Ceahlau, and a win there will mean that the home match against CFR next week will be extremely important for the championship title. Let's see how we manage this given.

Poli - Inter Curtea de Argeş 0:0

2010-04-08T18:30:00.002+02:00

With a 3-0 win on Inter's turf, before the match against a team currently on a relegation spot, everybody was thinking: "Will they score 6 again?" But instead we got one of the most pitiful matches seen in a long time.

The starting line-up was standard as far as the players go. But the actual displacement was a bit wierd with Parks and Goga being pulled down on the flanks, right and left, respectively. This match was also the debut for Cociș under the violet colours, in attack, alongside Magera, surprisingly as everybody, even Sabău, said that he would most likely cover the left flank. And it wasn't a spectacular debut, showing that he is not in touch with the team, struggling to find his place on the field, and his teammates.

It is difficult to say which team was clumsier, but at least that says much about Poli's performance. In the first half there were only two really good opportunities. First a free-kick from Goga, deflected with the head by Parks, but over the bar. Second, Bonfim showed his skill on the right side, outsmarting his opponents, got a good run down the goal line, but instead of finding a free teammate in front of goal, decided to shoot from a closed angle, of course, hitting the goalkeeper once, and again on the rebound.

The team was barely creating anything, as the two defensive midfielders were way too low, and the attackers didn't bother to come down to receive the ball, leaving a big gap in the middle. Sabău acted at half time, introducing Ionescu in place of Parks. But the hostilities were delayed for the last 20 minutes, when the game got more aggitated. Until then, the visitors got more courageous, and their passes started to connect, taking advantage of the free spaces in our defense. This lead to the biggest chance of the match, when an attacker was found well by a cross, but his diving shot met the bar!

Poli retaliated with a good shot from Ionescu, but deflected by the keeper, ex-Poli player Marius Popa. Mansour, who came in for the last 10 minutes of the game, quickened the game, leading to more action in the box, but he couldn't connect with ball after a cross from Kozak in front of the goal and the score remained a disappointing 0-0.

Few players are worthy to be mentioned. Perhaps the best was Alexa who showed good ambition, making some good tackles upfield and giving good passes to his teammates, but his efforts for construction weren't enough. The three substitutes lightened up the game a bit. Ionescu, besides the shot had a great opening for Goga, but the latter was on a terrible day. More than once he couldn't get past his opponents, proving once and for all that he is not a replacement for Gigel Bucur.

All is not lost, but we have to change this situation because we are terribly close to losing the top spots, and a few more lost points could prove fatal. If we cannot beat the big teams, we should at least prove ourselves against the small ones.

Poli: Pantilimon (5,5) - Bonfim (5,5), Mera (5,5), Luchin (5,5), Sepsi (5,5) - Parks (5), Alexa (6), Bourceanu (5), Goga (4,5) - Magera (4,5), Cociş (4,5)

Substitutes:

Ionescu (5,5) for Parks (min 45)
Kozak (5) for Cociş (min 66)
Mansour for Bourceanu (min 82)

Universitatea Craiova - Poli 1:2 (1:1)

2010-04-03T20:38:00.000+02:00

Another tough stage for Poli at Drobeta Turnu-Severin, where Universitatea Craiova has found the love of new fans that filled the 20,000 seats of the stadium on a sunny Saturday before Easter. Seeing that all rivals had easy matches, against small teams that didn't even bother to trouble them, Poli had the toughest match of the day, which could have gone either way, with us struggling to keep in touch with the top positions, and Craiova clinging on every point to avoid relegation.

First ones to test their luck were the home team, with ex-Poli player Bălace trying a shot from outside the box, which brought out Pantilimon's first strech, despite the ball going safely wide. In the 7th minute though, Parks scrambled from the half-way line towards a long ball, found himself one on one with the goalkeeper, but decided to pass it left, avoid a last moment tackle, and Goga pushed it into the empty net.

Poli then went on to control the game, Chițu testing his luck in the 17th minute, with a 20m shot off the rebound, but it goes a little over the bar. With a good pressing and sturdy defense, they managed to keep Craiova out of the box till about the half-hour mark. The home team could only try long shots, like the one in the 17th minute, when Mera's clearance unfortunately meets an opponent. His diagonal shot from 25m left of the goal is retained by Pantilimon, with a bit of effort, but it's in his hands nevertheless.

Our reluctance, gave Craiova the courage to push forward, noticing a weakness on our right flank, where Luchin was constantly surpassed and not being helped by the midfielders. First, a cross meets Pițurcă's header, who had just blazingly taken Nibombe's face, but luckily the ball zooms over the crossbar. In the 32nd minute, a free kick is executed shortly, taking us by surprise, a dash down the sideline, a cross on the near post, a back heel from Ilyev, from between Magera and Nibombe, and not even Pantilimon's touch could stop the ball from going in. A bit more attention on our side and perhaps this goal would never have been. Craiova was certainly on a roll, becuse 5 minutes later, the defense was once again too slow for a long ball, but Pantilimon jumped on the ball, after slipping, right at the opponent's feet. The end of the half, however, found Poli in attack, with the biggest chance coming in the 40th minute, when Kozak's free kick, was headed by Nibombe, the keeper cand only block it, but the same Nibombe, on the rebound, can only blast it over the bar, with the empty goal in front of him.

The second half began with Luchin's substitution for Bonfim, whose speed changed the game both defensively and offensively. Poli dominated the most part, but Craiova was dangerous on the counter-attack. First big chance cam in the 55th minute when Kozak opens up Parks on the right, the Costarican fends off two opponents, sees Alexa on the edge of the box. His shot is blocked but bounds to Magera, who finds himself alone with the keeper, but can only target him with the ball.

Craiova first raises its head in the 65th minute with a 30m powerful shot by Costea, but it's right on the middle, and Pantilimon blocks it. Right afterwards, an incursion on the left, down the goal line, ends with a strange high, backwards cross. But it is followed well and finalized with a back volley. Pantilimon is once again attentive and stretches to take hold of the ball. A very big opportunity, that could have sealed a victory for Craiova took place in the 85th minute. Another counter, another reluctant dash on the right, the cross is pushed forward by Pantilimon, but because the attacker has to come back and get the ball, Pantilimon has just enough time to get back on his feet and block the shot. And as fortune would have it, in the last minute of the game, Craiova's keeper handles Sepsi's cross in the same way, but Magera is right on the spot to volley the ball between two defenders and into the net, bringing 3 golden points home.

It's hard to say something after such a match. We can only repeat ourselves about how Poli plays at the moment, and in the end what's important is the 3 points, and the fact that we are still in a good position, with 2 easy games ahead next week. Among our players, Parks was among the best, being a thorn in the opponents' defense and showing that he plays better as servant. Magera had good and bad moments, scoring the winning goal, but also having a terrible miss. As was Nibombe, at times being surpassed, but at other times being the decisive man in defense. Kozak was sometimes in the game, opening up the play slightly, but for periods of time you couldn't tell he was on the pitch. His crosses were on a bad day as well. Wether he has not yet sinked in with the team or not, it is too early to say. Finally, Mejia, who came in quite early, in the 67th minute, was almost invisible and totally unimpressive when he had the ball.

So let us saviour this win, and wish everybody a happy Easter!

Poli: Pantilimon (6) - Luchin (5), Mera (5,5), Nibombe (5,5), Sepsi (6,5) - Goga (5,5), Alexa (6), Kozak (5), Chiţu (5) - Parks (6), Magera (6)

Substitutions:

Bonfim (5,5) for Luchin (min 45)
Mejia (5) for Chiţu (min 67)
Contra for Kozak (min 77)

Poli - Vaslui 0:1 (0:1)

2010-03-30T20:43:00.003+02:00

With Magera suspended for yellow cards and Kozak suffering an injury during training last week, Sabău had a hard choice to make among all the rest of the available players, each being as unsure as the next. He decided to go with Curtean on the left side, and Mansour to form the offensive duo with Goga.

Poli started well, building up the game, with Vaslui trying their chances on the counter. First sign of danger was a shot that fell on the net. Then in the 12th minute, after a long pass, the broad-shouldered Costly made his ball well in front of the defense, Taborda came out only to draw the ref's attention, and it was 0-1.

Poli's players got quite fired up, but good for them they cooled down and tried to open up Vaslui's defense. Unfortunately, the opponents decided to close the game completely, buying time, and our players weren't very inspired. First chance came from a distance shot from Bourceanu in the 29th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, Pavlovici brought Goga down close to the box. He received the second yellow card and Sepsi's free kick swerved very close to the bar.

The second half looked to be easily dominated by Poli, which indeed happened, but they outdid each other in frustrating misses, and despite having the one-man advantage, the game ended in a loss. First, Mansour's pass would come back off a defender, but despite the good position, his shot would fly over the post.

A decisive moment was a penalty given after Sânmărtean played the ball with his hand in the box. After the last match, when Goga's shot met the post before going in off the keeper, this time, the striker decided to drive it down the middle. Kuciak dived short and was able to kick it off the line.

The game died down again, with Poli unable to be truly dangerous, unable to drive the ball to the middle of the box. Parks and Ionescu's entrances would change this a bit. But first, Taborda had to be on his feet to stop Wesley's free kick. Then, in the 80th minute, Parks received a cross from Sepsi on the 16 meter line but his volley landed on the top post. Shots flew wide again from Parks and Bonfim, probably because of the hard terrain. In the 89th minute, the same Parks entered the box on the left to find Alexa run up free in the middle, but his shot landed straight into Kuciak's hands.

A hard day, when the ball just wouldn't go in, with Poli missing a lot and wasting almost a dozen(!) corner kicks, which were either caught by Kuciak or headed away by the tall defense.

The defense can't be blamed, Nibombe and Taborda being there when it was needed. Bonfim seems to be seen good again by Sabău, forming a good duo with Contra. Mansour was unfortunately on a bad day again, missing some shots, but some passes as well. Like I said, Parks improved the game a bit, but he too had some off-moments. The best man for Poli was Sepsi, who once again proved he is on an ascending form.

Fortunately, we are just 4 points behind, there still is hope, but we must achieve the maximum from the next few games against weaker teams. At least to consolidate our position among the qualifying spots.

Poli: Taborda (6) - Bonfim (6), Luchin (6), Nibombe (6), Sepsi (6,5) - Contra (6), Alexa (5,5), Bourceanu (5), Curtean (5) - Mansour (4,5), Goga (5)

Schimbări:

Parks (5) for Bourceanu (min 45)
Chiţu (5) for Curtean (min 59)
Ionescu (5) for Contra (min 67)

Astra Ploieşti - Poli 1:3 (1:2)

2010-03-23T22:17:00.002+02:00

With all other top teams (except Rapid) scoring wins, it was very important for us to win as well. A very tough challenge, considering our opponents haven't lost a single game on their home turf, since after the first match of the championship. That, and Astra have stopped some of the good teams, most recently winning a Rapid last stage. Not to mention the 0-0 draw against us and our Cup elimination on penalties with 2-2 after extra time.

Probably, one of the hardest match of this stage. But the violets started excellently and after 10 minutes it was already 2-0. First, in the second minute, Chițu provided a good cross, Goga with the deflection and Magera appears at the far post to put it in. Then, after a corner kick, one of the defenders stops Nibombe's header with his hand and the referee offers a penalty. Goga's strike hits the bar but rebounds off the goalkeeper and into the net.

Unfortunately, the players lost their concentration very quickly and let Astra become dangerous. It was only the 18th minute when our slow central defenders - Mera and Nibombe - were found at least two meters behind the attackers. Taborda came out of the box to slide at the feet of Astra's player, who had made the ball to the left. Free kick and yellow card for our goalie. Liviu Ganea, their star striker, borrowed from Dinamo, executed the free kick, low, to the far post. Taborda was baffled and had no reaction as the balled went past him.

Poli had a try 2 minutes later, but Magera's running shot lacked the power. After that, Astra started to dominate the game, their fast players going past our defenders too easily, especially Nibombe, who in the 36th minute brought down Strătilă in the box. Liviu Ganea executed, but this time his strategy didn't work, and the shot was poor enough for Taborda to grab hold of it. Fortunately, Astra's incursions weren't fruitful, except for Diego Silva's shot and Strătilă's lobbed volley, which went inches past the post.

Right before the 45 minute mark, Mera was following a ball alongside Liviu Ganea, but being slower, blocked him with his arm. The referee showed him the second yellow card and was sent off. This might, in fact, have been good for Poli, as in the second half the team was more compact. And with Contra coming in for Chiacu (who's performance was appaling), little team Astra faced a mature and more experienced team.

Indeed, the second half was much less interesting that the first one, Astra not having almost any chances, despite having a one man advantage. Poli played well, keeping the pressing up, and Goga's persistance gave us two chances. First, he ended with a poor shot, right in the hands of the goalkeeper. But in the 88th minute, after a pass from Magera, he went through two defenders, flipped the goalie and pushed into the empty goal, securing our win.

After Bonfim came in, the duo with Contra created some danger on the right side, although towards the end they were more concerned with keeping the ball than creating opportunities. Another big chance came from a free kick on the left side, played short to Sepsi, who swerved into the box and blasted it into the short corner, but the goalkeeper was on target.

All in all, a deserved, hard-worked win, and congratulations to the players for showing the necessary spirit. Unfortunately, from now on all games have to be played for the win.

Poli: Taborda (6) - Luchin (6), Mera (3), Nibombe (4), Sepsi (6,5) - Chiacu (5), Bourceanu (5,5), Kozak (5), Chiţu (5,5) - Magera (6), Goga (7)

Substitutions:

Contra (6) for Chiacu (min 45)
Bonfim (5,5) for Kozak (min 58)
Parks for Chiţu (min 71)

Poli - Unirea Alba Iulia 6:0 (3:0)

2010-03-19T23:25:00.003+02:00

With the last-placed team as visitors, this match didn't look to be a problem for the violets, and, indeed, they delighted the audience with another 6-0 win.

Goga had the first chance in the 4th minute, but wast too kind with the opposing goalkeeper. The game stumbled a bit for 15 minutes, but Goga had another shot, deflected by the keeper, and Kozák's volley hit the ground before plunging into the net, marking the Slovak's first goal for Poli. In the 25th minute, Magera finalized a very good cross from Sepsi, before scoring the double, only 6 minutes later after a corner-kick from Kozák .

In the second half, the players didn't step back, with Mera scoring the fourth goal, after another corner from Kozák. Magera was substituted by Mansour, eager to score a goal in front of the fans, after so much time. First, a poor finish after a good engagement from Kozák. But, not letting his spirit down, after a good pass from Contra, he found Goga inside the box, who put it past Cernea once again. Alba Iulia had their opportunity, but Taborda was right there to do his job. And in the end, Mansour would score the final goal, after a personal run on the left side.

Lots of people to congratulate. First of all Kozák and Magera did an excellent job and were probably the most dangerous people on the field. Sepsi is starting to feel better and better, and this match also meant the debut for Fuchs, who has been promoted from the junior team that won the championship last year. Well done!

It is a good win for morale, but seeing that the top 7 teams are withing 2 points of each other, means that we have to do a great match against Astra. And it's not going to be easy, as lots teams struggled against them, not to mention our elimination from the Cup.

Poli: Taborda (6) - Bonfim (6), Nibombe (6), Mera (6,5), Sepsi (7) - Parks (5,5), Alexa (6), Kozak (7), Mejia (5,5) - Goga (6,5), Magera (7)

Substitutions:
Contra (6) for Bonfim (min 45)
Mansour (6,5) for Magera (min 57)
Fuchs (6) for Kozak (min 68)

Poli - Urziceni 0:0

2010-03-14T20:46:00.001+02:00

It took me a while to get here (Andrei's absence being, thus, more than obvious), but I'm here now and I'll do a short recap of Sunday's match.

Poli and Unirea played good football, even if the scoring opportunities were few and in between - particularly in the first half. The referee proved to be the more controversial figure of the day, as he refused two penalties - one for each side - and came to some dubious decisions at more mundane moments of the match.

Unirea had two good chances to begin with, after a free-kick and the following corner kick, but Taborda confirmed he deserves the first eleven spot and made two essential saves. The away side went on to control the match for about twenty minutes, before the tides started to turn. Bourceanu signalled Poli's intentions with a long range shot, before a very strong move on the left, lead by Chitu, allowed the midfielder to cross, but Goga couldn't finish from an excellent position.

The second-half was more entertaining than the first, with the white-violets constantly sampling their determination and their desire to win. After Luchin made a long and seemingly useless run, he forced a corner-kick off the Unirea goalkeeper and the two most important scoring opportunities of the match followed: first, Mera headed the ball towards the top corner, but the goalkeeper made was well positioned to manage the save for another corner-kick, and then Goga volleyed the ball with power, but the goalie was once more at the right place with impressive reflexes.

When one of Unirea's players ran into Taborda's raised foot, the away side were looking to receive a penalty, despite the obvious case, which was that it was a rash run by the striker in a situation wherein he had no chance of challenging for the ball. Just a couple of minutes later, the linesman signalled a clear handball in the Unirea penalty area, but Mr. Kovacs decided, "for" his better judgement, to ignore it. Despite the tension, little else happened unitl the final whistle, which sealed a match that, like so many others, could've gone our way, with a bit of luck.

Poli: Taborda (6,5) - Luchin (6,5), Mera (6), Nibombe (6), Sepsi (6) - Chiacu (5,5), Alexa (6,5), Bourceanu (5), Chitu (6) - Goga (6), Parks (6)

Substitutions:

Contra (6) for Chiacu (min 45)
Magera (5,5) for Parks (min 67)
Mejia for Chiţu (min 77)

Rapid - Poli 1:0 (1:0)

2010-03-06T17:11:00.003+02:00

Sometimes playing good just isn't enough. You need to play smart and actually take advantage of the opportunities you create. The scene last night was Poli controlling much of the match, but Rapid scoring a one-in-a-million goal from one of the few chances they had, all set in a snow covered field, just barely cleaned before the start of the match.

Despite the conditions, the game had good pace, with Poli trying to make their way right from the start. Sepsi had a first great shot in the 5th minute, which just scratched the post after being slightly deflected. Rapid came back into the game, but they only had one opportunity, the one from which they scored the only goal of the match. While everybody was waiting for Spadacio to shoot from a 35-meter free kick, he instead pushed the ball to Matic, who drove it diagonally right into the corner of the posts.

Poli tried to equalise, with Parks pushing into the box, but being reluctant to give the ball away or his teammates were unable to be at the best place to push it in. In the second half, Sabău raised the stakes by sending Contra in, but the performance from the last match wasn't to be repeated. Mansour's comeback was a flop, perhaps he was a bit afraid of the bad state of the pitch.

Rapid proved to be more dangerous, but only because Poli marched into attack, lowering the guards a bit. Still, they only had three chances - shot wide from Spadacio, a lob which almost caught Taborda unprepared, and a wasted opportunity from Varga, who, found in a good position in the box, only managed a weak shot.

Poli had a lot more chances, but as the game drew to the an end, they were getting more erratic, instead of more dangerous. Alexa started the show, with Chiacu wasting the most opportunities - whether shots from outside the box, or a weak header from 12 meters. Mansour escaped on a clear run for goal, but fumbled it. And many shots from all players and positions, but they were either a bit wide, or blocked by Bornescu. Goga was more involved than previous matches, but still didn't manage a good execution like last week.

Sepsi was one of the best on the pitch - sturdy in defense, but also contributed to the attack, putting a couple of shots on goal as well. Sabău's starting lineup was a bit of a surprise. Pantilimon had a slight injury at the national team, so Taborda was sent it for safety. He did a good job. There was nothing he could do to stop the goal. Bonfim also had to skip this match, and Luchin was moved in his place, leaving Mera and Nibombe in the centre. Overall, the defense played well, with no big mistakes. Chițu debuted for Poli in the championship and also did a good job.

There really isn't anything to blame on the players or the coach, other than the lack of composure shown in front of goal. It was one of those matches that brings out what is beautiful in football and we could talk endlessly on all that was this match, but we have to prepare for Unirea's visit next week.

Poli: Taborda (6) - Sepsi (6), Nibombe (6), Mera (6), Luchin (6) - Chiţu (5,5), Bourceanu (5,5), Alexa (6), Chiacu (5) - Parks (5,5), Goga (5)

Substitutions:

Contra (6) for Chiţu (min 55)
Mansour (4,5) for Parks (min 65)
Kozak for Luchin (min 72)

Cociș to play for Poli this season

2010-03-02T20:03:00.002+02:00

Poli has officially anounced that Răzvan Cociș was brought to play until the end of this season with a possibility of continuing afterwards. The 27 year-old was raised by Universitatea Cluj before being bought by Sheriff Tiraspol and Lokomotiv Moscow after that. He has played 12 times for the U21 national team, and capped 32 times for Romania's big team. He normally plays offensive midfielder, but can also play on the flanks and even up-front. Probably Sabău will use him on the left, where we are still lacking after Karamyan's departure. Cociș has come free of contract and is still suffering from an arm injury, having to wear a cast. But he can still train with the team, and will probably be able to play in at most a month.

Poli - Poli Iaşi 2:1 (0:1)

2010-03-02T19:11:00.003+02:00

Poli started the first home game of the year with ambition and determination. But the slow defense was overwhelmed by a series of fast counter-attacks in the beginning of the game. Poli Iași has strengthened itself with some players from other teams, which proved to be very dangerous.

Coming after a 2-1 win against Rapid Bucharest, Iași found themselves leading 1-0 in the 9th minute. Our defense was to far in front and slow to step back. These counter-attacks plagued us all night, being their only means of being dangerous.

After the goal, Poli played the same, trying different approaches to the opposing goal. Unlike the previous match, this time Parks was the servant and it suited him better, his incurssions from the sides finding his teammates in suitable positions, but they were unable to score. Goga and Chiacu were the culprits. Indeed, Chiacu was moved from left to right and in front of goal, perhaps in an attempt to confuse the adversaries. Luchin tried a header and Parks was unable to finalize a good pass in the middle of the box, instead being blocked by two defenders.

The second half brought forth a hero in the person of Cosmin Contra. The 34 year old redebuted for Poli after 5 years and showed an ambition far superior to his teammates. This animated the game, even captain Alexa had to keep up with Contra. It was only right that he was the one to score the equaliser, with a 30 meter free kick in the 57th minute. The game died down a bit, with Poli struggling to find solutions, even Mera (central defender!) found himself in attack. Iași had another good shot, but Panti stretched to push the ball away from the near post.

The referee offered a generous 5 minutes of overtime, but the game was looking to end in a 1-1 draw. However, a fan decided to take matters into his own hands, jumped on the pitch, took a football, covered the whole length of the field and pushed it into the goal. Goga followed the example and in the very last second, took the opportunity, swept himself to the center of the field, and elegantly shot the ball past the goalkeeper, from around 20 meters. An otherwise blank appearance the whole night, Goga made himself the hero of this hard-worked win.

The result gives us hope, placing us on the second place, tied with Steaua and Urziceni, and 3 points from Cluj. But the play is worrying, because much tougher games are ahead. Mejía is not yet the wonderkid we expect, Kozák needs to integrate, and the problems from the first game are still there.

Still, it's a new team, which has a lot more ahead, so we have to wait for the next games.

Poli: Pantilimon (5) - Sepsi (5), Luchin (5,5), Mera (5,5), Bonfim (5) - Kozák (5,5), Alexa (6), Bourceanu (6), Chiacu (5) - Parks (5,5), Goga (6)

Schimbări:

Mejía (5) for Chiacu (min 45)
Contra (7) for Kozák (min 53)
Curtean (5) for Parks (min 74

Gloria Bistriţa - Poli (0:0)

2010-02-22T20:18:00.002+02:00

A slow start for Poli with a nil-nil at Bistrița. Luckily, the other candidates didn't fare much better, with Steaua and Rapid losing against more modest adversaries, Vaslui struggling to a draw, with only Brașov and Dinamo coming 2 points closer to us, while CFR Cluj taking a step in front all the rest after defeating co-leaders Unirea Urziceni.

It's relevant to say that Bistrița is a much better team than it was in the autumn, with a young, ambitious Șumudică as coach (Sabău's former teammate at Rapid), and a handful of good new acquisitions. Among them, Moraes was the most dangerous, having a couple of decent shots and one spectacular display of technique in the second half, when after a brilliantly stopping a long ball, opened-up our defense to serve one of his teammates for a good opportunity. Sepsi might be having bad dreams after being overtaken by Hora a few times on the left flank. Otherwise, the whole defense seemed sturdy enough, and despite Gloria having a good deal of chances, they were mildly troublesome for Pantilimon.

Our big frustrations came from Parks who was set to miss any opportunity, no matter how big, like when he was one on one with the keeper, but the shot was terribly soft and predictable and numerous other occasions in which he was easily caught by the defenders, despite being well served by Magera. That brings us to another troublesome aspect: Poli had almost no inspiration when attacking. The most danger were such long balls, deflected by Magera, who also did well to cover defense as well. Alexa seemed not in the game, and substitutes Mejia and Ionescu didn't seem much better either. Kozak played well, as much as he could be seen, because a whole deal of the time his teammates decided not to bother and just throw the ball up front.

Luckily, after the biggest chance of the game, when Pantilimon swiftly dived at the feet of an escaped attacker in the beginning of the second half, Șumudică decided to make it easy for us, by pulling out two of the 3 most dangerous men he had - Hora and Băjenaru. Poli took control, but without ideas, the only real chances came from two free kicks executed by Magera over the bar.

A worrying start, but there still is time. The game needs to improve, the players need to start fitting in and especially an attacker needs to step up and prove himself. And that even if we only want to catch a European League spot.

Poli: Pantilimon (6,5) - Bonfim (6), Luchin (6), Nibombe (6), Sepsi (6) - Chiacu (5), Alexa (5,5), Kozak (5,5), Goga (5) - Magera (6), Parks (4,5)

Substitutions:
Bourceanu (6) for Chiacu (min 56)
Mejia (5,5) for Kozak (min 62)
Ionescu (5) for Parks (min 70)

Vázquez out

2010-02-20T00:20:00.002+02:00

Without any goal scored in the numerous friendlies played in the past weeks, Pablo Osvaldo Vázquez, who was meant to be the man to replace top goal scorer Gigel Bucur, has been dismissed by Poli.

In less than 15 hours Poli will play the first game of the championship restart, at Bistrița, against Sabău's former club. Let's hope for a victory and see how the new players turn out in this 3 month sprint for the title.

Go Poli!

Poli - Vojvodina Novi Sad 1:3 (1:1)

2010-02-13T01:36:00.003+02:00

After unconvincing results with not so high-valued teams, Poli leaves Turkey with another defeat. Despite creating numerous opportunities through well-played passes, the players lacked composure at the final moment, with Parks distinguishing himself with his handful of misses. At the other end, Vojvodina was first to score at its first big opportunity, in the 21st minute. Magera scored the equaliser just before half-time, when Bonfim regained a lost ball, and managed to give the decisive pass. Afterwards, the Serbs managed to score on counterattack, while our team played with its chances.

Very appaling results, but that can be understood considering that Sabău tried out many players and different lineups. He also says that this training session was mainly concentrated on the physical fitness as their will not be any time for that in the gruelling 3 months ahead. All in all, he and the players are satisfied with the team's training, but Sabău was upset with the attitude of some of them during the friendlies.

There is nothing more to add. We just have to wait the first few games, starting a week from now, and then we can see where the team is headed.

Go Poli!

Poli - Tavria Simferopol 0:0 (0:0)

2010-02-13T01:26:00.002+02:00

The match lasted only 60 minutes beacuse it couldn't continue due to problems with the lighting mechanism. Poli didn't have much to show until a penalty in the 30th minute, which was saved by Pantilimon. Mejía was the creator of two good opportunities, but the defenders resisted.

Dédé had to leave the pitch very prematurely in the 7th minute feeling some pain at his injured thigh. Despite saying that it isn't a new injury, it was latered discovered to be a muscle rapture, which means he will be unavailable for a month. If it is true that the contract was not finalized it is very probable that Poli will not continue with him.

Poli - Litex 1:1 (0:0)

2010-02-08T19:55:00.003+02:00

Poli's big guns couldn't manage to repeat the performance of their less experienced teammates and could only obtain a draw in the second match of the day, against Bulgarian side Litex Lovech. After a very early goal in the second half, Magera scored the equaliser from a 22m free kick. Supić was to blame for the conceded goal, misjudging the ball's trajectory, heavily influenced by the wind. Mansour and Kozák have also played in this match, coming in in the 73rd minute.

Poli's lineup: Supić - Bonfim, Luchin, Scutaru, Sepsi - Bourceanu, Alexa, Magera (Kozák, 73'), Goga - Mejía (Mansour, 73'), Parks

Poli - Buducnost 1:0 (1:0)

2010-02-07T14:16:00.002+02:00

Two games scheduled for today, the first one being against FK Budućnost Podgorica, current leaders in Montenegro. Poli played with a secondary squad, which included the three under 20 players - Fuchs, Dudaș, Dobriceanu. The last one, it seems, has had a good match, providing good passes and even a shot on goal. But the hero of the game is seen to be Ionescu, who scored the only goal of the match in the 13th minute, a powerful shot in the corner of the posts. Perhaps Sabău's words have made a mark on the player, who also had other good opportunities.

The worrying part comes from Vázquez, who is still unable to score, missing every opportunity he's had, no matter how good they are. It's troublesome, because he was brought to cover Bucur's departure, and up to now it was an utter failure. Let's hope it will change in time for the championship matches.

The match has also been the first one for Kozák and Dédé. The latter has managed to play for 83 minutes before needing to be substituted. The former came in in the 73rd minute.

All in all, it is a good result, especially considering our lineup and our opponent's standing in their league.

Possible transfer: Thiago Carleto Alves

2010-02-06T12:49:00.002+02:00

Brazilian Carleto is the one Iancu talked about yesterday. He plays left-wing and is known for his powerful shots and free-kicks, which has gained him a comparison with Roberto Carlos. The 20 year old was raised by Santos, and it is said that clubs like Chelsea or Real Madrid were interested. Instead, in 2008 he joined Valencia. He didn't quite make it and, if all goes well, he will be loaned to Poli until the summer, with the possibility of a full purchase afterwards. His value seems to be evaluated at around €2.5 million. In any case, this is one of the biggest transfers made in Romania, especially when you consider that the seller is such a big club from a top European championship. More about it when the transfer is sealed.

Medical status and new guns

2010-02-05T20:53:00.000+02:00

Dédé has joined the team and declares he is 100% fit. The club's doctors have not yet given their opinions. Maxim has undergone a simple surgery after an injury and will be out for about a month. Tiago Costa is said to have the same injury, but no surgery yet. And last and worst, Contra has suffered a muscle rapture. Poli's head phisician Teymoor Ahmadi has estimated that complete recovery will not take more than 3 weeks. Still, Contra will miss the first matches and who knows in what shape he will be after that. He can only hope that we can see him back on "Dan Păltinișanu", in a violet outfit, soon....

It seems that the old problems are back again, despite the club actually doing something to solve them. The flanks are still uncovered. While Sepsi plugged the hole in the back, Artiom's departure has umplugged another. And Maxim's injury doesn't help at all. The situation is the same where Stancu who could be used as a replacement at hand is gone, and the man who came to consolidate that side is now injured as well. Plus Gigel's departure has reduced our ofensive power a great deal, only when we consider that about 40% of Poli's goals came from the young striker.

Of course, this is the time for the others to rise up to the occasion and take over the role of goal getter. Goga is next in line, but Vázquez, Parks and Mansour must give their best, too.

Then again, the club was fast to act. Ján Kozák, a Slovak international and also selected as captain of the national team, has signed today. At 29 years old, 1m90, he plays offensive midfielder, and can be distinguished by his speculative passes. It sounds like a great transfer, and, as always, it's the hush-hush transfers that are the most worthy. It is interesting to see how he and Mejía will compete. On one hand we have a very young future talent, and on the other a footballer at the peak of his career. But I'm sure there will be enough matches for both.

It seems to me that Sabău now only has to make the right choices, adopt and prepare the players with the right strategies, and to motivate them. Iancu has already anounced another spectacular transfer for tomorrow. A left-wing. Let's wait and see.

Poli - Spartak Moscova 2:4 (0:1)

2010-02-05T20:04:00.002+02:00

Another defeat, but this time against a much more worthy adversary. It is still hard to put a verdict, but surely expectations will be higher for the final matches before the season restart. Sabău has commented against the attitude of some players. If it's only that, it can be solved. It seems that Sepsi and Mejía have integrated well and are up high on Sabău's list. The latter has even scored a goal, lobbing the goalkeeper who mistakenly rushed out after a ball at about 35m. The other one was a header from Nibombé.

On the other hand, the team will surely suffer from the recent transfers (the Karamyan twins and Gigel Bucur) and from the injuries. Vázquez has also been a disappointment up to now. Let's just hope it is only because of an accomodation period.

Poli's lineup: Pantilimon - Bonfim, Nibombé, Brezinský
, Sepsi - Chiacu, Alexa, Bourceanu - Goga, Vázquez, Mejía

Substitutes:
Luchin for Brezinský (45')
Magera for Chiacu (45')
Mera for Nibombé (65')
Supić for Pantilimon (73')
Scutaru for Mejía (73')
Chiţu for Sepsi (74')
Ionescu for Goga (78')
Dobriceanu for Ionescu (87')

Ionescu had made a mistake in that led to Spartak's fourth goal and that is, perhaps, the reason he had only played 9 minutes, going out 3 minutes before full time.

Goodbye, and thanks for all the goals!

2010-02-05T19:33:00.003+02:00

It seems that, after all, communications were reestablished with the Russians and Gigel Bucur will no longer play in violet, but will join Kuban Krasnodar and his former coach from Sportul, Dan Petrescu. Poli will gain €1.8 million in the transfer and Bucur will be paid with up to €600,000 a year, way more than our club could ever offer. It's wise of him at almost 30 years to search financial input, even though his career is still far from over, and we must respect his decision.

In Romania he has only played for two teams: Poli Timișoara (2005-2010) and Sportul Studențesc (1998–2005), a wonderful team that always provided generations of talented football players. Bucur's was one of the best. At Timișoara, after a slow start, he has become an emblamatic player for the club. He alone has scored so many goals for Poli as the other strikers have scored in their careers. When he was in a bad period we would cry out, but when he was scoring match after match we would be cheering again and again. All of his goals were important, especially the ones that brought points for the team and it is only fit that he is the one who scored in the now legendary win against Dinamo last year. Also, we cannot forget that it was his two goals against UEFA Cup Winners Shaktar Donetsk that etched another brilliant performance in the club's history.

Alas, as all stories must come to an end, we can only thank Gigel for the joy (which, ironically is what is last name means) he has brought us in the 5 years he has spent with Poli, and never forget him. The club's history will surely always bear his name.

Thank you!

Poli - Shangdong 1:2 (0:1)

2010-02-03T19:36:00.003+02:00

The team has returned to Lara, near Antalya, for the second leg of training. Without the Karamyan brothers who have signed with Steaua, but with Cosmin Contra back in the violet t-shirt. Čišovský has also joined the other players, but only to work in the gym on his recuperation. He estimates that he will be able to play an official game somewhere in April. The Angolan Dédé is also on the list, although for some unknown reason we do not know his medical situation after his injury during the first match of the African Cup of Nations.

A surprise is the drafting of Chițu (left midfielder) and of 3 young players from the second team, all midfielders: Răzvan Dobriceanu, Marian Fuchs, Alexandru Dudaş. Chițu was originally loaned to Bistrița, but, probably because of Artiom's departure made this opportunity possible.

The first match of the second leg, unfortunately, ended the same as the last one of the first leg. Shangdong are a Chinese team, currently on the 4th position in their league. The first half meant Sepsi's and Contra's first game for Poli. Despite the opportunities going only our way, the one's to score were the opponents, close to the end of the half. The second lineup included Chițu and Dobriceanu, and managed to score a goal through Mera, after a corner kick in the 52nd minute. Similar to the first half, the Chinese were the ones to score again, despite a lot of misses from Poli.

Sabău is quite upset with some of the players' attitudes, but let's hope they will be focused as the official matches draw near.

Video footage:

Poli lineup:

1st half: Pantilimon - Tiago Costa, Luchin, Nibombé, Sepsi - Contra, Bourceanu, Mejía - Goga, Vázquez, Mansour

2nd half: Supić - Scutaru, Mera, Brezinský, Chiţu - Alexa, Dobriceanu, Chiacu - Ionescu, Curtean, Magera

Poli - Gyeongnam 1-2 (0-1)

2010-01-26T20:19:00.007+02:00

The second friendly match was also a defeat, against Korean side, Gyeongnam, who started with a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. Despite a lot of chances and 10 corners in the first half, Poli couldn't equalise until the 52nd minute, when Mejia created a good opportunity, continued by Ionescu and finalized by Tiago Costa.

The Koreans scored soon afterward, after Mera committed a penalty. The game went haywire from here, because of the ref's decisions, sending people off and on the pitch. Poli missed some more chances and in the end went out as losers.

Video footage:

Poli lineup:

1st half: Supić - Bonfim, Luchin, Nibombe, Maxim - Curtean, Alexa, Bourceanu, Goga - Parks, Vázquez

2nd half: Taborda - Tiago Costa, Mera, Brezinský , Artiom Karamyan - Chiacu, Scutaru, Ionescu, Arman Karamyan - Magera, Mejía

Exit: Stage Left

2010-01-26T19:44:00.004+02:00

Another melodramatic transfer season is closing in to an end, with lots of confirmations on this day.

Let's start with the soap operas. Surprise, surprise, Dayro Moreno won't be joining us, as he has a great desire to stay in his home country, Columbia. Also, Bucur will not leave, as the Russian messenger was probably lost in the cold waves of the Turkish sea and the negotiations could not even start.

Contra, who has been mostly watching football at Getafe, rather than playing it, managed to convince his manager to let him go. He will join Poli in Antalya on Saturday and will help the violets until the end of the season. Of course, this will probably be just a stopping point for him, as I don't think that Poli is the kind of club that can keep such a good player. Nevertheless, it is a great transfer, both for him, because he will get to play and keep the wheels turning, and for us, as the spot of right back is now covered.

And finally, another long story has gotten to its end. The club has amiably ended the deals with the Karamyan brothers. They were in their last 6 months of contract and were asking for a salary raise despite their performances being on a somewhat downward curve. The club tried to sell them but was unable to. The contract resiliation is an incredible goof if you ask me. They could have very well played their part in these last 6 months, Artiom being one of the key players. And the €150,000 which would have been their salary for the upcoming period, isn't such a big sum if you consider that the club was willing to spend €500,000 for Dayro's transfer. Even worse, it seems that the Armenians will join Steaua. Great strategy giving one of your best players to the adversary midway during a fight for the title, wouldn't you say?

All in all, this transfer period was actually very good for Poli, covering up for 2 weak spots in the lineup, and bringing 3 (4 if you count Mejia, too) players to keep up the pressure on the main players.

Mejía joins the team in Antalya

2010-01-23T12:32:00.002+02:00

After a slight problem with his visa, Christian Mejía has finally arrived on Turkish shores to prepare alongside the team he will play for, for at least the next 5 months. He too, offered a few words for Poli's official site:

"I was very happy when I heard that I can finally play for Poli. I can now prove that all the efforts to bring me here were worthwile. I feel good and I will push hard to be at 100% at the championship restart. My goal is to be fit to play for the first game. If the coach will need me, of course. The period up to now, when I couldn't play for Poli, has been very hard. It's the most difficult situation for a football player, not being able to play."

"Timișoara is a top team, with good technical skills. I think that this year its value will only go up and we will be able to win the title. I'm happy that all this time, people have been supporting me and were interested about me. But now I have to play well in order to thank for the club's, my teammates' and the fans' beneficial support. I want my perforamnce to reflect the sacrfifices made by my transfer to Timișoara!"

Mansi is back!

2010-01-23T12:25:00.003+02:00

A short interview provided to Poli's official site:

"I felt reborn! The two goals are important, but even more important is the fact that I'm back on the pitch and that I finally got to play. I thank Allah that I'm well again and able to play football. It was hard, of course, because I had to get back in shape. It is true, we met a weaker adversary, but for my morale it's very important that I scored. That will help me a lot to get back to 100%. I'm glad that there are high expectations from me. It means that they care about me and appreciate my efforts. Their support helps me pull through this hard period of training."

Congratulations, Mansi!

Friendly: Poli - SV Kapfenberg 6:1 (2:1)

2010-01-22T20:06:00.003+02:00

And we have the first friendly of the leg, against SV Kapfenberg's juniors. Poli sent two different teams in each half. In the first 45 minutes, despite Bucur and Parks being on the pitch, Goga was the man with the goals, in the 5th and 25th minutes. A mistake from Luchin allowed Michael Tieber to score in the last minute of the half, after he had two more chances before that.

The first goal of the second part came in the 67th minute, surprisingly from central defender Mera, who after a 1-2 with Magera, lobbed the Austrian goalkeeper. A great many opportunities were missed by Poli, including a couple big ones from Vázquez. But fortune would shine on Mansour, whose day was at a complete opposite from the first friendly 6 months ago. He came in in the 68th minute to score twice, in the 75th and 84th minutes. Certainly a good debut for his morale. The game ended with a penalty obtained by Chiacu and transformed by Arman Karamyan.

A bit of video footage from the match can be found here.

Following are the two lineups in each half. The only thing to note is that it seems that Artiom Karamyan played defender. It can be understandable by the fact that Sepsi is not fully available, but still, why insist on him?

Poli (1st half): Taborda - Bonfim, Luchin, Nibombe, Maxim - Curtean, Alexa, Cl. Ionescu, Goga - Parks, Bucur

Poli (2nd half): Pantilimon - Tiago, Mera, Brezinský, Artiom Karamyan - Chiacu, Scutaru, Bourceanu ('68, Mansour), Arman Karamyan - Magera, Vázquez

Confirmations and other news

2010-01-15T20:52:00.005+02:00

Borbely has officialy joined Dušan Uhrin at AEL Limassol. Latovlevici's loan to Bistrița has been finalized.

The team that will leave tomorrow for Antalya is the following:

Goalkeepers: Pantilimon, Taborda, Supić

Defenders: Bonfim, Tiago Costa, Brezinsky, Nibombe, Scutaru, Mera, Luchin, Maxim, Sepsi

Midfielders: Alexa, Artiom Karamyan, Arman Karamyan, Ionescu, Chiacu, Bourceanu, Curtean

Attackers: Parks, Goga, Mansour, Magera, Mejia, Bucur, Vázquez

As you can see, Stancu is not on the list. He is free to go to any club that will pay €200,000. It seems that Brașov might be interested.

And as breaking news, Dayro Moreno (Steaua București) is close to coming to Poli.

Pablo Vázquez interview

2010-01-14T19:43:00.003+02:00

The new acquisition has offered an exclusive interview to "Gazeta Sporturilor". Here is the translation below:

Pablo, how did you get to sign with Poli? Was it a simple decision to come to Romania?
I was in my last year of contract in Bolivia, but my manager had relations in Romania. After I received the offer, I didn't even stop to think. It has always been a dream of mine to play in Europe. All South American players make themselves known when they play in strong European Championships, and the one in Romania is one of them.

What is your background?
I've loved football since I was a kid and my dream was to play in Argentina's top division. That came true, and afterwards I was given the opportunity to play in Bolivia where I felt great. Now I'm starting it all over.

The Brazilians' secret is that they play a lot of football on the beaches. What is the Argentinians' secret?
Football in the sand is very popular in Argentina, too. You gain many qualities if you start playing early in the sand. I, however, started on the streets, like all kids today. Even back then I liked scoring very much. I've only played in attack and I didn't accept any compromises because I was in love goals. Even on my first day at a professional club I made my point of playing as a striker.

At first impression you look like a "bad boy", a ruffian. How are you, actually?
Outside the pitch I'm always "tranquillo". I don't cause any trouble, I like to mind my own business. In a match, however, I always know what I have to do to prove myself.

What are your strong points in the field?
I like to fight for every ball and try long distance shots. I'm a powerful attacker, but I don't like to talk much about myself. I said that I score about 15 matches per season, but that is what an attacking player must do. It's his first obligation. I always try to score at least one goal in every match.

Your former club in Bolivia is called "The Strongest". Will you make Poli "The Strongest" in Romania?
I've heard that Poli is already a very good team. Of course our goal is to be the best. That's why I came here.

About the fans:
"I know that a lot of fans come to stadium. This is a great support for the players. I looked on the Internet, and I was impressed by what I saw about Poli's fans."

On his first day of training, he, Mansour and Sepsi got seperate treatment. It was a good opportunity to become friends with the latter, as Sepsi speaks good Spanish, having played for Santander. Vázquez has good things to say about him: "He already helps me a lot. He is a good guy."

Source:
gsp.ro (Romanian)

Pablo Vázquez signs with Poli

2010-01-13T22:48:00.004+02:00

It is now official, the 27 year old Argentian striker has a signed contract with Poli. After Sepsi, this is another good looking transfer. Brought as a possible replacement for Gigel Bucur, Vázquez shares Magera's impressive build, being 1.87m tall, and a bit of Bucur's technical skills.

He boasts of a 15-goal average per season, and indeed, last year he has scored 19 in 33 appearances for his former team, Bolivian side "Club The Strongest" from La Paz. Besides having a great feel for the goal, I noticed that he is very good at protecting the ball, which at his stature, is no surprise. I think this will prove a very important skill, which might be decisive for Poli.

Of course you can't really tell his actual value from two clips of his goals, nor when he comes from a championship like Bolivia. But the club says they have been watching him for quite some time, so perhaps he is as good as he looks. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, the offer for Bucur has been purely fictive up to now, when Poli is ready to set out for the training sessions in Antalya. But the "field detectives" assure us that the negotiations between Kuban Krasnodar, Poli and the striker will take place in the Turkish resort. In the form of a message in a bottle, no doubt.

Sources:
Wikipedia
Youtube: (1) (2)

Mansour + Timișoara = Love

2010-01-12T00:15:00.004+02:00

The Scissor-man is back! A bit stirred, quieter and a bit more set back, like in 2004 when he didn't speak English at all, Gueye Mansour set foot once again on "Dan Păltinișanu" stadium, where he met his teammates. Some new, some old, but none have been as much with the team as him. He is the only survivor of the "old squad", back when performance was only a dream, and nobody had heard of Iancu and BKP, when Buia, Șuleap or Silvășan reigned in the lockers.

Yes, he's been through a lot. A young talent, fabulous executions, but the ball jumped off him like off of a bat. The fans cheered him to incredible heights, and scoffed him away from Timișoara. He was meant to go to Dinamo, but unlike a certain home boy, raised by the club and a big hope for the fans, the Senegalese refused. He didn't want to play there. He wanted Poli and Timișoara. Of course, his boldness wasn't seen good by the club. That was perhaps one of his darkest periods. A failed marriage, which was supposed to be more like a fairytale, ended after only three months. He was excluded from the team and his future was uncertain.

Finally he was sent to Buzău, where he played for the second part of the season. And what a great deal that was for him. There he became a star, with 14 appearances (out of 17 possible) and 7 goals! The feat brought him back into the attention of the club and new coach Sabău, who called him and took him with Poli's preparations for the new season. This was his chance, the closest to making the team again. But, alas, fate would have it, that he suffered a serious injury right in the first friendly.

After 6 months off the pitch, he is back again, but this time he's task is "twice as hard as before", as he has sturdy opponents - his teammates, who've had more time to settle in. Certainly, Mansour will have to do way more than we are used to seeing him do. But, he says, "I'm more prepared than before, because my problems have motivated me. It all depends on me, but I have faith." Indeed, faith his something he has plenty of: "I've prayed to Allah and I feel this year will be good for me."

More than 5 years with the same club is certainly a lot, but the Senegalese is still young at 24 years old. However, in a moment of introspection, Gueye confesses: "I am more mature now, I think differently, not like a child anymore. A man changes through life".

Furthermore, in a truely touching description, Mansour reveals us his feelings towards Poli, Timișoara and the fans: "That was how Allah wanted it to be, that I fall in love with Timișoara and the fans with me. They have given me goosebumps at my first match against Dinamo, and since then, I love them greatly."

The "Black Panther" as he is also nicknamed, reaches out to the fans to come and cheere for him. "They give me strength and faith in me. For Poli, they give all they have."

As he could not play football, he spent the winter at his home in Senegal, with his family, but also training, to stay in shape, like his teammates. After two years of absence, he hopes to play once again on the grass of "Dan Păltinișanu" stadium.

While I do not know how he will able to help the team, considering the many good strikers that Poli has at the moment, I, for one, will be certainly overjoyed to see the "Black Panther" in action once again, and why not, even one of his characteristic scissor-kicks against a big team. His charisma and ambition can make one close an eye to his lack of technical skills at times, and this lightens me up more than any of the news and rumours of people going back and forth that have been circulating this past days.

Welcome back, Gueye!

Sources:
violamania.ro (Romanian), Wikipedia

One man enters, one man leaves

2010-01-09T23:57:00.003+02:00

This will be a two in one, interviews with two players in opposite situations. On the one hand, Dejan Rusič and Poli will part ways, while Dédé will join the team after competing in the African Cup of Nations. Let's start with the sad story first.

Dejan Rusič leaves the team after having scored against all major opponents, but has been in bad shape for at least the last year, and has been surpassed by his other colleagues in attack. Thus, no longer needed, he feels he, and the club, have done the right decision to end the contract amicably.

However, the Slovenian has nothing but regret for departing from the club, especially from the fans. "I have no right words to say how much they meant to me and how good they've made me feel the whole period I was here. I will always remember them. They were incredible. I leave Timișoara with great sadness. Such a great public makes you feel like a big football player. They said they will keep me in their hearts.... How can I answer that? I can't think of anything to say to make them know how much I appreciate them."

A big cause in Dejan's shape has been his troublesome back injury. "At one point there was even the possibility of me having to retire. I was beginnning to prepare myself with the thought, until I met some great doctors in Germany, who've promised to put me back on my feet. My manager told me I already have some good offers, but I don't want foolish hopes. Right now, all I want is to be healthy, and only after that I can concentrate on my career." The next period has the Slovenian going to check-ups in Germany, and hopefully in 3 weeks he can return to the pitch.

We wish him the best of health! And, Dejan, we will always remember you! Take care!

Dédé describes himself as ambitious and identifies with Poli's spirit. This is what determined him to leave French side Arles, where things weren't going too well, and to come to Timișoara, where he has the opportunity to fight for the title. "It will be a test for me, which I will have to pass" is how Dédé sums up his determination.

The Angolan plays midfield and describes himself as "full of energy, the kind of player that works hard the entire game". He also says that he likes both to come back to defend, and to push upward towards the goal.

Not knowing his teammates very well yet, Dédé hopes they will support him, as he will surely help them whenever they need.

But for now, I think his thoughts are towards another team and another competition - the African Cup of Nations, where Angola are hosts, and Dédé will surely want to make a good show.

Let's wish him good games, but what's most important is for him to come back safe.

Medical status and other news

2010-01-08T21:59:00.002+02:00

Cisovsky is due to return in March, which means that the problems in the center of defence will persist, at least in the begin of the season restart, but perhaps even more, until the Slovak is at full form and at level with the rest of the team. I think Brezinsky should be kept, at least until the summer. He may just be the backup needed.

Supić will be sent to more detailed medical examinations as his ankle problems just won't quit and he has not been at maximum capacity at all. This may be one of the reasons that Taborda will not be let go, after all. I think it's important that all three goalkeepers stay united and try to outperform each other. A good competitive spirit is what Poli needs for the goalie position.

And in the misc. section, it seems that Contra's transfer is as good as done, all that is needed being Getafe's accord. Other than that, Bucur will leave.... sometime, Alexa is wanted, and outside it's raining. Or maybe not. I didn't look.

László Sepsi

2010-01-06T19:46:00.003+02:00

It is not the first time Sepsi has played under Sabău's lead. In fact, Sabău is the one who found and promoted him back when he coached Gaz Metan Mediaș. For the 2005-2006 season, Sepsi was accounted to the French side Rennes, brought by another Romanian coach - Bölöni. Even though he didn't get to play any match in the championship, being noticed by two coaches who are known to have a good eye for young talents says much about him.

Sabău then brought László to his new team - Gloria Bistrița, from where he was sold for somewhere around €2 million to Benfica at the beginning of 2008. He only played 7 matches, as he was loaned to Santander, where he got to play more, but not much.

Finally, Sabău decided to once again count on the now 23 year old defender and Sepsi is now the player of Politehnica Timișoara. The transfer sum is €1.2 million and his salary is reported at €200 000 a year. The defender says that he was convinced by the club's staff, especially by Sabău with whom he keeps a close relation, but also by Poli's aspirations to win the title this year and to play in the European Cups.

He is quite familiar with a few of the guys playing for Timișoara from the Under 21 national team, where he summed up 13 appearances. These players include Pantilimon, Latovlevici and Luchin. Sepsi has also been capped once to the "big" team, in the friendly against Russia (3-0) before Euro 2008.

At first sight, he seems like a player who didn't put up with the expectations. But for Poli he is just what was needed. Karamyan doesn't belong at all in defense, meaning that Sepsi will most likely be the preferred player for that spot, leaving the Armenian to play where he plays best. Even if he doesn't play as expected, if he just plays good enough, that is great for Poli. And the transfer sum seems right.

So, welcome aboard, László!

Sources:
Wikipedia, Youtube interview (Romanian)

Beginning of the year news

2010-01-06T17:50:00.003+02:00

Among some useless babbling and as yet unconfirmed rumours, there are also some important things that have already happened for Poli.

The first one, left defender László Sepsi has been transfered from Benfica for €1.2 million, and has signed a contract with Poli for a period of 5 years. More about him in the next post.

Poli's numerous squad will be much lighter at the restart of the season. As announced last year, some players have been let go. Borbely and Rusic have ended their contract agreement. Stancu is free to go for an offer of €200 000. Chițu and Latovlevici will be lent to Gloria Bistrița until the end of the season. The same goes for Vršič, who will play somewhere in his home country, Slovenia, most probably for FC Koper. Brezinsky is said to play once again under Uhrin's command at AEL Limassol.

UPDATE: Dusan Uhrin declared that Borbely is the one he wants for Limassol. He would like Brezinsky, too, but the club only allows him to do one transfer, and he opted for Borbely.

I would regret Brezinsky's departure, as he seemed a good central defender, certainly comparable to Luchin or Nibombe, but probably his injuries have set him back much. And as we really suffered in this compartment last year, I think it is an unfortunate loss. As for the three departures, they were, perhaps, overdue, so nothing to comment there. Hopefully the loaned players will take Bonfim's example and come back in a better form, especially Vršič and Chițu. The former seemed like a good talent, but his agonizing time away from the pitch might have been a too big a hit for him. Chițu is young and needs to play and gain experience, and probably he might make the team next season. Latovlevici, I don't think can improve himself, he's had way too many opportunities to do it and didn't. But he was raised by the club, so I guess it's ok to keep him and improve him as much as possible, in hope of a good transfer.

The rumuours include a possible loan for Contra for 6 months from Getafe and a departure for Gigel Bucur to Dan Petrescu's new club, Kuban Krasnodar. More on this when and if they happen.

Finally, we wish you a happy new year, and wish you to be healthy and able to fullfil your onsets. Also, we hope that 2010 will bring what we all wish for - the championship title for Poli, and that we will celebrate it together.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T15:00:00.001+02:00

We wish you all a great Christmas!

Christian Mejia can play for Poli

2009-12-21T18:26:00.005+02:00

Finally, FIFA has given the Columbian wonder kid the right to play for us. This is not a final decision on the matter, only a pass until the case is debated. Mejia's former club had a three year contract with him, but his family and managers disputed the contract based on the fact that in Columbia you cannot sign a work contract below the age of 18, the player being 16 at that time. I wonder why FIFA couldn't make this simple decision 3 months ago, instead of making the player stay out of official games the whole time.

From another point of view, I've seen some clips of Christian in action. While indeed he is a great talent, which he has definitely shown us in the friendly against Vojvodina when he wowed the audience for the whole 30 minutes he played, I can't shake the feeling I got after seeing some 10 minutes of his supposedly best moments. In the end I got pretty bored seeing as each of his individual actions ended either with him being fouled or with a very lousy cross. Sure, he made his opponents dizzy from trying to keep up with him, but in the end, it's of not much use if the ball doesn't end in the net.

Of course, there is plenty to gain from such a talent, especially at his young age. And hearing Sabău praise him continuously, especially after seeing him in training, encourages me to think that Mejia will play an important part next year. Sabău is not the kind of coach to be dazzled only by amazing footwork. Rather he is impressed by hard work and disciplined tactics. And I'm sure he is not praising him gratuitously. But only time will tell.

Glad to finally have you, Christian, and we're looking forward to being wowed again!

Youtube links: (1) (2) (3) (4)

To keep Taborda or not?

2009-12-20T19:45:00.004+02:00

That is the question after Pedro's excellent performance in the last match of the year, against Dinamo Zagreb. I don't know how much this will affect the staff's decision. After all, the Portuguese, upset that he didn't get many chances to play for Poli, asked them to let him go at the end of the season. So the decision to part came from him, rather than from the club. It's understandable from both sides. He doesn't want to be an 'eternal substitute', whereas the club doesn't mind having a good third goalie.

But while the club ponders over the final decision, here is what Pedro has to say about it: "I'm waiting for a phone from mr. Iancu to tell me exactly what he expects from me. Two weeks ago, he told me I was free to leave. But he also said that after the match against Zagreb we'll have a final conversation."

As for what he expects from Poli, this is what he said: "Most of all, I think I deserve more respect than I received until now. It's very hard for a 31 year old keeper to do something for his future, when he is not playing. It's tough to train all week only to sit on the bench. I would like to get more chances. I only got to play now, when there weren't other options available."

Taborda's downfall came right after last season's match against Mediaş (1-5), when 3 of the goals are attributed to him. He remembers the day, and also talks about his relationship with Poli's coaches and the other goalkeepers. "I never had anything against them, but I think I deserved to play instead of Supici. He was with the club only for a month, he came after an injury and doesn't speak Romanian well. Pantilimon is an excellent guy and a very good goalkeeper. He is still young, he has a lot of ambition and I believe he will go far. However, we are very different, and I am more experienced than him. It happens sometimes that a goalie receives 5 goals. After that match, there wasn't a more upset man than me. What was I to do? Jump into the first plane to Portugal and start working in some bar? Life goes on, I've got personality, I'm not afraid to go on the pitch. I dread that at the end of the month I get my paycheck but I haven't played a single minute. I'm not that kind of player."

Fans still support him, especially after the last two international matches, and the general opinion is that he should stay. "That means a lot for me, but the final decision doesn't depend on that."

As for a personal opinion about Taborda, I think his problem is that he just didn't give assurance that he is there when needed. At first, he was considered number one, but after a series of bad matches, Pantilimon deservingly got the front spot. Of course, he has made some goofs over time, which probably should have meant giving Taborda the chance to play. But let's see some of Taborda's matches, when he had to match Pantilimon's abilities, but didn't. Last season's away match against Craiova. Pantilimon had to be substituted at half time because of an injury. All second half we basically prayed that the ball wouldn't go in as Taborda was making a fool of himself. Then, this season, in the Cup match lost against Astra, the first goal was due to a bad deflection from his part. The equalising goal in the friendly against Vojvodina? Also his fault. Those are the chances Pedro received but didn't prove he deserves more.

I think that the club has no reason to give him away. A third goalkeeper is always necessary, so it all comes down to Pedro's decision, whether he wants to leave or not. If he wants to stay, than he must accept his position as third goalie and perhaps try harder to show he deserves more.

In any case.... Thank you, Pedro Taborda!

Sources:
violamania.ro (Romanian)

Dinamo Zagreb - Poli 1:2 (0:0)

2009-12-19T12:21:00.002+02:00

It was an excellent which finally brought a well deserved win for Poli, the only one this European season. A lovely match ensued, despite the frozen pitch, -5°C temperature and empty stadium due to UEFA's ban against the home side. It all started early on, when Slepička found himself face to face with Taborda, who excellently stretched himself to deflect the shot. Zagreb had a few attempts from the same Slepička and from Sammir and Mandžukić, as Poli was slow to heat up their engines. But while the inexperienced defense (Mera, Scutaru, Nibombe) couldn't stop the Croats, Taborda delivered his best game for Poli.

The violets came back to write down a few opportunities, as Parks and Bucur were very collaborative in the attack, each serving the other. First, Parks's header stretched Butina quite a bit, then Bucur failed to connect with the ball crossed by Parks in front of the goal, after a remarcable action from the Costa Rican. Butin also had to be on his toes to block Maxim's free kick attempt, and Stancu's long distance shot. The game died down towards half time.

The second half, started with Dinamo pulling the strings, allowed by our shaky defense, which failed to clear the ball. This enabled the adversaries to stay in our own half for many minutes, and had numerous consecutive corners. They were all delivered to central defender Lovren, which Mera, despite being taller then him, lost duel after duel. Luckily, Lovren's headers weren't effective either. Taborda once again had to stretch himself to block Ibáñez shot.

Like in the first half, Poli striked back, with Bucur handling the ball well on the left, made his way to the goal line, and lobbed the ball back, excelently finding Curtean, who I forgot was even in the game, but, too sure of himself, he put it over the top post, despite having the perfect position. But two minutes later, Parks received the ball close to the box, found Bourceanu on the left, whose cross missed Bucur, but arrived at Stancu. Stancu's shot was good, because it wasn't full on, but rather to side, and Bucur could deflect it into the net. His first goal in the group stage.

But when Zagreb's attempts couldn't beat Taborda, Sivonjić did well to fool our play at offside, and his poor shot went past our keeper. Scutaru was there, but somehow, instead of clearing the ball, only helped it hit the back of the net. Maxim also had a very good night, with a great left flank incursion, putting the ball consecutively past two opponents, but his cross was blocked. Nevertheless, on another occasion he delivered it to Parks, who deflected it back to the 16 meter line, from where substitute Goga put it past Butina for 2-1. The game ended with Claudiu Ionescu and debutant Matei on the pitch.

It was Poli's best match in the group stage, and a wonderful end to a great European campaign and an excellent year all over. I said that Magera's absence would cost us dearly, but Sabău did well to contradict me. Bucur and Parks played on the same line, and close to the midfielders, which meant none of them was ever isolated, both changing from servant to receiver. One occasion, even found Bucur in our half to pass for Parks who was way up front.

Even with three defenders, their lack of experience proved to be decisive on many occasions. I think there wasn't a single time when they cleared the ball on first attempt. Luckily, Alexa stepped back to help them, blocking numerous balls. Tactically, Poli played perfect, isolating their midfielder, Morales, his teammates, unable to offer him any good passes. Instead, they resorted to incursions on our weak central defense, but, like I said, Taborda ended his counts with Poli, giving his best performance. Bourceanu on the other hand was very often the connector between Poli's attackers and displayed good effort as usual. Our flanks were excellent, both Stancu and Maxim showing they can achieve more than we think. Curtean, however, was invisible and his performance appalling.

This win also enters history as the first away win in European competitions ever for Poli. Bravo!

Poli: Taborda (8) - Stancu (6), Nibombe (5,5), Mera (5,5), Scutaru (4), Maxim (6,5) - Curtean (5), Bourceanu (6,5), Alexa (7) - Parks (6), Bucur (6,5)

Substitutions:

Goga for Curtean (min 75)
Matei for Bucur (min 88)
Ionescu for Parks (min 90+2)

Match preview: Dinamo Zagreb - Poli

2009-12-17T01:04:00.003+02:00

It's the last match of the year for Poli, and our last chance to score a victory in this European endeavour. And it will be extremely hard to achieve it now, considering all the absences on our side. It will probably be Taborda's biggest match, but even if he will give his best, we can only hope that his abilities will not betray him. It will certainly be Dubou's most wonderful night, even if he doesn't play a single minute. He will be Taborda's substitute, as he is Poli's circumstantial third goalie in the Europa League. Because of UEFA regulations, an additional set of players could only be listed if they are under 21 and have played for the club for at least 3 years. Since second team's Colbiş has only been with us for one year, his substitute got the chance to be put on the list. Of course, it was never expected that he would be necessary, but Pantilimon's elimination changed that. Supić could not play either because he was already used by his former team.

Bonfim will be absent, also because of an elimination in the last match. Without him, only Magera will probably have offensive duties midfield, otherwise the team would be split in two, with not many balls reaching the strikers. Considering these circumstances, I approve Sabău's decision to give a chance to the players that have played less.

But I also hope that we will see players like youngsters Adrian Ganea or Matei. Even Ionescu would be nice to see, as despite having a good season start, he has disappeared from the team. There is a fear not to be ridiculed, but in these conditions I think sending in a younger team would be actually beneficial. Some of the usual players are already thinking of the holidays, and will not be very concentrated on a very unimportant match. Younger players will terribly want to show their worth and will give their best.

If we think about it, the defense is in terrible shape anyway, it can't get much worse than that. But at least we could see a very disputed, ambitious game, rather than the last two. Almost three years ago, Marian Iancu decided to send in Poli's youngsters against another Dinamo. The result was an incredible 1-1. Why shouldn't that happen again?

To look on the bright side, we can see a few advantages. The "substitutes" might be more motivated and perhaps we might even take Dinamo by surprise. The fact that they are still in the stakes to qualify can come back against them. Of course, if we look on the other side.... Our chances our low. Very low. We can at least hope for an intriguing game. If we manage to score a goal, even if we concede 5, I would call that a success.

So come on, Poli!

FC Braşov - Poli 1:0 (0:0)

2009-12-14T18:02:00.004+02:00

Poli started with the best team available, and in the first few minutes they really looked good, playing the ball around, trying to penetrate the defense. Magera got a good try early on. But as our side kept exercising their passes on a harsh pitch, at -5 degrees Celsius outside, Braşov started to get into the game.

The fact that after a few good passes, the ball would be lost, usually by Magera didn't help at all. As the half time was drawing nearer, Braşov closed in on the goal. First, a good header, but which couldn't bother the 2m3cm Pantilimon. Then, Zaharia managed to break from Nibombe's close marking and executed a great shot which shook the top post. Poli's only real opportunity was when Ezequias, under Bucur's pressured hit the ball to softly. Mincă, however, was quick to react stopping our striker from reaching it.

It has come to my belief that even when Magera plays bad, he shouldn't be pulled out. This could be the reason as to why, in the second half, when Parks replaced the Czech, Poli was not to be seen on the pitch. It was just Braşov all the way. Măldărăşanu was the first to announce the goal, after a diagonal cross to Pantilimon's near post, but his header was poor and went over the bar.

The goal came after a corner kick, deflected to the far post, where Bonfim did nothing to block Diogo. Pantilimon jumped from his side to the other, but without actually trying a save. The ball went past him and that was that. Nothing changed in Poli's game afterwards, no inspiration, no ideeas, no ambition. Even though Braşov slowed down a bit towards the end, we just couldn't create a clear opportunity.

Only bad words for the players, and even those who made a mark on the game, made a negative one. Magera could be seen as the culprit, but I would think otherwise. At least he was in the game, as opposed to other players like Goga or Chiacu, which almost couldn't not be seen. And even though his passes or deflections didn't reach the target, it wasn't always his fault, as the target also needs to be there to receive the ball. Anyway, I think his absence was decisive in the second half.

A very troubling aspect is the fact that Bonfim keeps making mistakes in defense. Pretty soon I'll be running out of fingers counting the goals we received in which he was not doing his job right. While not flagrant errors, he is just innefective in stopping his adversaries. No matter how good he is up field, this is just inadmissible. Even Artiom doesn't play this bad as defender. Speaking of the twins, they were both introduced in the second half, but miracles don't happen just like that. Parks, too, had nothing to say about the game.

It is sad to end the year with a loss, especially when this means we fall out of the leading bunch, trailing 3 points. But there are still many games to play and a lot can and will happen over the winter. It seems this season, the break will be quite short, as the championship is due to kick off in mid-February.

Poli: Pantilimon (5,5) - Bonfim (4,5), Luchin (6), Nibombe (5,5), Maxim (5) - Bourceanu (6), Alexa (6,5), Chiacu (5) - Bucur (5,5), Magera (5), Goga (5)

Substitutions:

Parks (5) for Magera (min 45)
Art. Kramyan (5,5) for Chiacu (min 57)
Arm. Karamyan for Maxim (min 74)

Magera's regrets

2009-12-10T22:30:00.002+02:00

Short after the incident, the speculative press was fast to have the Czech player offered to rivals Dinamo Bucharest. Overlooking the fact that it's idiotic of a club to "suggest" a valuable and important player to any other club, the amount he was to be sold for was way under his real value - a mere 600,000 Euro. Politehnica Timișoara immediately denied the whole story.

Lukas also relates how he and his teammates joked about the whole matter. "We were all laughing about it in the lockers. On Monday they said I was to be fined for 10,000 Euro, the next day that I was to be transfered to Dinamo. It's out of the question. I've come here to play for Timișoara and I will train daily to prove that I deserve to be on the team. I'm not thinking of any other team because I have no reason to. I am very happy here, I don't have any conflicts with anybody. It was a regrettable incident, which I hope will not come back to haunt me in the future."

He goes on to describe his feelings and what happened at that dreadful moment: "It was the last home game of the season and I greatly desired to play till the end. I was feeling very fit for that. Something just came over me when I saw my number called of the pitch. I now realize my mistake and regret it greatly."

Magera confesses that the next day he came to the stadium early to have a talk with the coach and apologize, explaining that he had nothing against him and that it wasn't about disrespect. "I know I made mistake and that I have to accept it and the coach's decision. I wish to have a conversation with him, although I have no doubt I will be fined. But I hope to convince him that I deserve to play in the future."

Rumours that the Czech has a habit of partying late at night have been infirmed. Magera denies them: "I spend my free time at home. If anybody says otherwise, they're lying. My case is clean and I have nothing to hide."

Sources:
violamania.ro (Romanian)

Magera's breakout

2009-12-08T20:15:00.003+02:00

During Sunday's match against Pandurii, Lukas Magera was changed in the 51st minute. Angry of the decision, he threw his t-shirt on the bench, and left for the showers, without turning around, or looking back to his teammates. A very rude gesture, regardless of the context.

People admire the dedication he's been putting into his game lately. His frustration could also be amplified by some of the "dead hands" on the pitch with him. But, nevertheless, such behaviour is to be condemned. It's bad for the whole team. What is the coach to do, when he knows the player doesn't like him and criticizes his decisions? Or what about his teammates? Surely the spirit of the team is affected.

But I don't agree with the staff's attitude after the match. Sabău shouldn't have expressed what his attitude will be towards the Czech. That only amplifies the conflict. It's well known that there are strict disciplinary rules that are applied in such cases. Other comments should be restrained. Club President Chivorchian's reaction was even more spiritual and harsh. Why bash such an important player, when this is his very first breakout and there have been many other such cases, that were overlooked.

I think the case should be shut closed and forgotten. Apply the rules, a fine should suffice and that's it. The rest should remain inside the club, not released out in the world, to be exaggerated by the ruthless press. Magera's reaction was the best of all those involved. He apologized, fully deserving the applause he received after leaving the pitch:

"I had an inadequate behaviour. I let myself overwhelmed by my emotions and I want to apologize to the management, the club, the coaches, my teammates and the fans. It's untypical of me to have such outbursts and I now regret what happened."

Sources:
www.politimisoara.com (Romanian)

Poli - Pandurii 1:0 (1:0)

2009-12-07T20:27:00.003+02:00

A chilly evening greeted Sunday's match, where not more than 5000 assisted Poli's win over Pandurii Targu Jiu. The violets started good, having good chances, the first one in the 6th minute, when Magera found Parks in the box, but the Costa Rican shot wide from a difficult angle. After a few more attempts, the 11th minute brought our team's goal and basically the end of the match. Goga's shot was going wide, but Bucur was in its path, and from 6 meters it was a simple formality.

Poli set way back into a poor and uninspired game, despite controlling it. Three more notable opportunities in the first half: a header by Bucur in the 15th minute and another one from Nibombe towards the end, which was incredibly saved by goalkeeper Stanca. A beautiful team play ended with a shot right below the top post, but the same Stanca was right on it. Pandurii tried to score on the counter-attack, but were quite easily stopped by Nibombe, Luchin or Pantilimon, the latter having a spectacular, but not really difficult save.

In the second half, Poli started less enthusiastically, letting the opponents take slight control of the match, especially after Magera was substituted for Chiacu. Luckily they weren't too inspired, but still were getting closer and closer to our posts. Artiom Karamyan's entrance improved things a bit and Poli started to keep the ball. Most danger came on the left flank where the Armenian had some good incursions with the help of Bucur, and backed up by Bourceanu. This finally ended in a good shot from the first, which was deflected by Stanca, who was on a really good night. Karamyan's balls into the box were still defective, though...

In the end, all that matters is that we won, and we maintain first place, still because of superior goal difference to the other 3 teams: Urziceni, Steaua, CFR. Other than the names highlighted above, Nibombe made a good comeback after his hustle with the cold, a bit shaky in the first few minutes, but very sure of himself for the rest of the match. Parks was a bit of a mess, almost all his touches being awful. Magera wasn't on top either, as is his current trend, but certainly not the worst on the pitch. He was changed early in the second half, and had an unnecessary reaction, throwing his t-shirt and heading straight for the showers. But more on that later.

Poli: Pantilimon (6) - Bonfim (6), Luchin (6), Nibombe (6), Maxim (5,5) - Bourceanu (6), Alexa (5,5), Goga (5) - Parks (5), Magera (5,5), Bucur (6,5)

Substitutions:

Chiacu (5) for Magera (min 51)
Art. Karamyan (5,5) for Goga (min 69)
Stancu for Parks (min 85)

A notable event happened at half time, when Poli's supporters arranged a moving choreography, accompanied by hearty applause, to celebrate the memory of those who fell twenty years ago in the fight for freedom. Respect to all of them!

Poli - Ajax 1:2 (1:1) [0:0]

2009-12-03T21:59:00.003+02:00

That is how the match went out: 1-1 at half time, 1-2 after full time and 0-0 in the 30 minutes Poli played in 9 men. It was indeed a great night for football, which started perfectly for Poli right in the second minute, when a long diagonal pass, excellently headed by Stancu found Bucur in front of the Dutch defenders. The small striker struggled to lay down the ball, and lost a pace or two, but was inspired to turn around and found Goga who put it past Stekelenburg.

However, Poli's defense was as shaky as ever, with Nibombe struck down by a cold in the short time before the matchday. Not confident on Scutaru and Mera to form the centre of defense, Sabău relied heavily on improvisations. Bonfim was brough from the right flank to play as the third central midfielder, and Karamyan was pulled down the field. It was the armeanean who was totally baffled by Luis Suárez on our left flank. It's true that the ball was deflected somewhat luckily to the Uruguayan, who then hit the ball with exterior, shaming Pantilimon at the near post, a bit before the 10 minute mark.

The rest of the first half was quite balanced, with both teams getting quite close to goal. Ajax tried to prove their worth through their speed and our patched-up defense, but really it was their strikers - Suárez and Pantelić - who were the most dangerous, and the most forgiving, as both missed a series of good occasions. Poli's possessive play wasn't that good, with Magera in bad shape. At most times, he was one step behind the ball, and his frustration grew as he couldn't find his place on the pitch. It was he who offered the ball to the opponents, letting Pantelić have the first opportunity in the 4th minute. The Czech almost put it in from a free kick, after another try, but from the other side, by Bourceanu. The latter, also came close to score after a well worked attack from the whole team, but Stekelenburg dived to save it. The second half was looking open to any outcome.

And it start it, like the first, with an early goal. Pantelić was found perfectly between our defenders, who were neither marking the Serb, nor playing for offside, and it was a mere formality for him to score. The disaster struck in the 53rd minute, when in a similar situation, Bonfim desperately struggled to catch Donald, who decided to fall in the box. The unforgiving Italian referee decided: penalty and elimination. A hastened decision if you ask me, enhanced by some dubious offside positions uncalled by the linesman, who seemed a tad slow and bad-sighted. The high-tech transmission also seemed to be defective or otherwise reluctant to show concludent replays.

But in such situations, fighters do not let down, but rise to stand tall, as Pantilimon saved Suárez's poor penalty. Bucur could have made a miracle when he darted towards goal but was stopped by an disproportionate duel. This time, however, the ref decided no foul. In the 62nd minute, Stancu was outrun by Suárez and his effort to deflect the ball only let the Uruguayan a clear path to goal. Pantilimon was late and toppled him just inside the box. Once again, penalty and elimination. Taborda came in for Bucur, as the crowd chanted both goalkeepers' names. Suárez once again, different man in front of him, but the rest was the same. Same shot, another save, and the Uruguayan sealed his title of goof of the Europa League: 27 shots on goal, only 2 in the back of the net.

With 2 men down, Poli had little to say offensively, but played sturdy to keep the Dutchmen far from goal. Ajax also seemed not wanting to push, as their qualification was set in stone, but still had lots of opportunities, including two coming off the top post. The only spark was coming from their captain whose frustration grew and grew, one huge miss after the other.

A good, ambitious play from Poli throughout the match, but the poor defense made its definite mark at the end of a high-spirited night. Kudos to all the players for their dedication! The team left the field after their last match at home in the Europa League this season, in the applause of the whole crowd.

Poli: Pantilimon (5,5) - Bonfim (4), Scutaru (4,5), Mera (5,5) - Stancu (5,5), Bourceanu (6,5), Alexa (6,5), Art. Karamyan (5,5) - Bucur (6), Magera (5,5), Goga (6,5)

Substitutions:

Parks (5,5) for Magera (min 50)
Taborda (6,5) for Bucur (min 62)
Maxim for Goga (min 73)

Match preview: Poli - Ajax

2009-12-01T20:02:00.004+02:00

Well, we're back on 4th place, where we belong. Zagreb's appeal was successful, UEFA deciding to give them their 3 points back, leaving them with a big fine and a harsh final warning. This doesn't change anything, our qualification chances remaining the same: almost nil.

That being the situation, all that is left for us is to play for pleasure and for prestige. We are yet to win a match in the Europa League, and a match against Ajax would be the perfect occasion. Although the Dutch side isn't what it used to be, they are still a great team, and our 0-0 draw in Amsterdam was stretching it, at best. It was an easy trip for them, now topping the group table along with Anderlecht. In the championship they are only 3rd, but for the last 6 matches, except a 1-0 loss in the derby against current leaders Twente, they've thrashed their opponents, scoring 4 or 5 goals per match. These include 4-2 at Alkmaar and 5-1 against Feyenoord.

And since Poli's staff has announced they will play offensively, it looks like a match with lots of goals coming up. This is the right choice, since there is nothing to lose, and the last two matches have shown us how beautiful Poli can look. It sure would be nice to see how the team that can beat Dinamo 2-0 and score 6 goals at Mediaș can do against a valuable adversary such as Ajax. And it is time that the fans finally see some show in this much praised Europa League.

Ajax only needs a draw, so they will most probably play a waiting game and try to score on counter attack. So we'd better beware, as the last time this was the case, we lost 1-3 to Anderlecht. An early goal would be best for us, as that would make life easier. At Amsterdam we resisted because we didn't let them get close enough and all their chances were long shots that even Suárez, the League's player with most shots on goal, couldn't put past Pantilimon. Wednesday evening, however, will be much different as we will have to press forward. It will be interesting to see if the team can do the same possessive play like in the last two matches.

Devoid of mathematical complications, with only prestige at stake, it is looking to be a very interesting match indeed.

Gaz Metan - Poli 2:6 (2:2)

2009-12-01T15:09:00.003+02:00

Poli was set to face an ambitious team and a harsh pitch in what turned out to be a wonderful game of football.

Following the style used in last week's match against Dinamo, Sabău sent in a truly offensive 4-3-3 line-up, with Magera, Parks and Bucur up front. Even though Alexa and Bourceanu were both in the starting eleven, the latter didn't play his usual role of defensive midfielder, instead he was given attacking duties. And indeed, in the 27th minute, Parks found him in the middle of the box. Bourceanu swerved and lobbed the ball in, his first goal for Poli.

Afterwards, they stepped back a bit, and Mediaș was really able to be dangerous, ending with an excellent shot in the corner of the posts by Todea in the 38th minute. Our side snapped back, and an almost identical situation as the first goal happened in the last minutes of the first half. This time, Bourceanu's shot which was going right under the top post, was deflected by a defender, using his hand. A red card and the penalty was transformed by Bucur. On the replay, however, Bud fell easily inside the box, and the referee offered a penalty kick for Mediaș. It was 2-2 and the first half ended.

Lazăr's elimination proved to be very harsh on his team. Poli took control of the match. And while at first they seemed to be struggling to find the goal, the opponents did almost nothing to try and control the ball. This proved fatal. In the 56th minute, Karamyan remembered his good days and offered a great free kick right on Alexa's head, who scored his second goal for Poli since 2007. Unshackled, Poli played more relaxed and confident. They started passing the ball around, all over the pitch, for several minutes and tens of passes. In the end, the Mediaș players were left weary, as Bonfim finally found Bucur alone for his second goal. Top scorer for Poli before this match, Goga was sent in, and after a 1-2 with Magera, tied Bucur with 6 goals. But the small striker decided that it was time he once again be Timișoara's top scorer, ending the night with a hat-trick. It is incredible how in just 2 matches Bucur went from 2 to 7 goals, now being just one behind the championship top scorer, Craiova's Florin Costea.

An excellent result, which was possible because each and every player had a say in the game. There is not one which deserves to steal the whole glory. Bourceanu was the best in the first half, perhaps wanting to outdo himself after foolishly being eliminated with Steaua. But Parks was the one who served him on both occasions, the Costa Rican's inspiration proving to be decisive at moments. Artiom Karamyan made a good match, showing us is not yet too tired to play well, while it is getting harder for Magera to be the decisive player of a match since everyone is playing so well. It was also the debut match for Supić, and while receiving 2 goals is not a nice way to start, there was not much he could do about them. Other than that, it's not enough to make a good impression, except for the fact that he is very good at intercepting high balls. Bonfim's excellent form showed once again, both in destabilizing the defense and offering the decisive pass.

After this round, five teams once again share the top spot, with 28 points, but because of the devastating goal difference of 28-11, Poli is considered the leader.

Well done, Poli! Let's go for max in the last 2 matches.

Poli: Supici (6) - Bonfim (7), Luchin (6), Nibombe (6), Maxim (5,5) - Bourceanu (7,5), Alexa (6,5), Art. Karamyan (6,5) - Bucur (7), Magera (6), Parks (6,5)

Substitutions:

Goga (6,5) for Maxim (min 53)
Arm. Karamyan for Parks (min 73)
Curtean for Bourceanu (min 79)

Debut for Nemanja Supić?

2009-11-29T00:18:00.003+02:00

Poli has brought Nemanja Supić as a third goalkeeper and as a possible contender for Pantilimon's spot in the starting team. Despite being capped in the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, he has yet to play in a match for Poli. Even in games where the substitutes were sent in, Taborda was preferred instead. The reasons behind this are unknown.

For tomorrow's match against Gaz Metan Mediaş, however, as Pantilimon is suspended, Supić seemed to be favourite, were it not for a slight injury. The goalkeeper explains: "I've had a hard blow to my right leg. It isn't serious, the ball hit me in an unfortunate manner, and I felt some pain. But I think I will be able to play on Sunday."

He is, of course, eager to play his first match for Timişoara, as he also fears that he won't be called by the national team. On the other hand, he says that the times when he felt nervous on his debut match are far behind and that he is prepared to give his best and assure us that he was a good acquisition.

Nemanja also speaks about the reasons he has not yet got a chance to play: "At first I had some problems with the visa, then I had to join the national team early. Being always away, I had little chance to prove my worth. To add to that, I wasn't on my top shape. Even I cannot be satisfied with the way I presented myself to the technical staff."

If the match against Mediaş will indeed be his first, we hope it will not leave its mark on himself, as it did last year on Taborda. Receiving 5 goals, 3 by his own mistakes, that match meant the end for the Brazilian as top goalie for Poli.

When asked about the Romanian championship, Supić had praises for Unirea's ambitious play against Sevilla and saw Rapid, Steaua and CFR Cluj as playing quality football. He also thinks Poli has a good chance for the title.

Happy debut, Nemanja! And pretty soon we hope!

Sources:
violamania.ro (Romanian)

Jonathan McKain on Romanian and New Zealand football

2009-11-27T19:34:00.004+02:00

Former Poli Timişoara player Jonathan McKain was recently interviewed about his current career and about how he sees Romanian football.

The Aussie is currently committed to Wellington Phoenix, a Kiwi outfit which plays in the Australian championship. Even though only 10 teams are competing against each other, Jon says the league table is quite compact, and the results can go either way. For example, when his team was eighth, they beat the leaders 6-0. "Maybe we wouldn't have a chance for the title in Romania, but we would be somewhere near the top." McKain presumes. It's no wonder then, that New Zealand has gained a wonderful spot in the World Cup next year, along with the Australian. The "All Whites" as the Kiwi soccer team is called, are beginning to look up to their much more popular bigger brothers, the "All Blacks". The fantastic result is the work of Ricki Herbert who coaches both the national team and Wellington Phoenix. In fact, 8 players from Wellington form the base of the "All Whites" squad. Mckain is certainly in good company.

The Australian defender has spent 5 years in Romania and speaks the language quite fluently. He keeps in touch with his former teammates from Timişoara - Marius Popa, Naidin and Abiodun. He's had ups and downs, but in the end he thinks he will not ever return to Romania, despite receiving offers. His motives are his family on the one side, and the appalling state of the atmosphere surrounding football in Romania on the other side. "I check the results on the web. I see only scandals, scandals, scandals.... There is something wrong when there's a scandal every week." is Jonathan's view on things.

All the best to your family and your career, Jon!

Sources:
evz.ro (Romanian)

Poli - Dinamo 2:0 (0:0)

2009-11-24T20:09:00.003+02:00

Finally, the first championship win against bitter rivals, Dinamo Bucharest, after 12 frustrating years. Both teams agreed on a foreign referee, which was selected from Serbia, so there weren't any flagrant mistakes. The Bucharest outfit had a tumultuous flight to Timisoara, because of fog, and after a second try they had finally arrived after midnight, before the match. All the better for us, as the players looked totally lost on the pitch.

Coach Sabău also had a few surprises up his sleeve. He sent the best 11 available, but the new thing was how they played the ball amongst them. Right from the warming up before the match and all throughout the first half you could see what they had been practicing the past 2 weeks since the last match. A game based on possession of the ball, with smart short passes and one-two combinations, quite beautiful to the eye. Despite a moderate rythm, and not many opportunities to score, Poli was totally in control of the match. All players were more involved in the game, Parks and Bucur's incursions kept the white-red defense on their toes, with the last one being one of the most active ones, as he wasn't isolated like in previous matches. Another surprise was that the small striker was the one to execute the corner kicks. Not being his best skill, the balls he sent were low and soft at the near post, but were quite dangerous. Certainly much better than Artiom Karamyan's long high ones. The biggest opportunity of the first half came only in the 42nd minute, when Magera's header went inches past the post.

In the second half, Poli went in more determined and Goga's shots, both in action and from a free kick were closing in on the goal. Dinamo, however had a big opportunity when Niculescu's free kick hit the outer side of the post in the 62nd minute. Bonfim was in excellent form, and 6 minutes later, after swerving past two defenders on the right, imitating Parks a few minutes before, found Bucur in the center of the box, who excellently takes over the ball, and puts himself in an impossible to miss position. It was 1-0 and the crowd goes crazy.

Dinamo upped their pace, trying fruitlessly to score. Towards the end of the match. The ever present mist decided to lay down on the Dan Paltinisanu stadium. It was the 85th minute and from my side I couldn't see a thing on the pitch. But the opposite corner could see the ball tripping Goian after a pass from his partner in defense - Tamas. Bucur was sneakily waiting the opportunity and grabbed the ball, diving towards the goal and putting it past Curca for a second time. It was a frenzy as soon all the stadium realized what happened. 4 minutes later, the game stopped. The linesman in Poli's half was one meter inside the pitch and then moved towards the box. Apparently it was a penalty for Dinamo. And also, the crowds cheers meant only one thing - they missed it. Whether Niculae had a bad shot or couldn't see the posts, remained a "mist"-ery.

The final whistle sounded a tremendous victory and as most of the stadium couldn't actually see their favourites celebrating, the more fanatic fans decied to invade the pitch and enjoy the sweetness of triumph. Good game, Poli!

The defense was sturdy, the only weaknesses being Nibombe's slow starts letting the smaller and faster Torje and Cristea run past him. But otherwise, a very solid play from the Togolese. Parks was as enchanting as always, perhaps a bit shadowed by Bucur's enthusiastic comeback. The Costa Rican was a great help to the attack, his highlight being an incursion on the right in the first minutes of the second half, passing through Dinamo's defense, going between two players, despite being fouled, getting to the center of the box leaving Goga for a great shot on goal. Magera was the one Sabău sent in as midfielder, but he also had a more offensive position, letting other player's with the decisive passes. The danger came more from the right flank, where Bonfim was king. An excellent performance from the Brazilian, as he has gotten us used, too.

Poli: Pantilimon (6) - Bonfim (7), Luchin (6), Nibombe (6,5), Maxim (6) - Chiacu (5), Alexa (7), Magera (6,5), Goga (5,5) - Bucur (7,5), Parks (6,5)

Substitutions:

Borbely for Magera (min 78)
Arm. Karamyan for Chiacu (min 82)
Stancu for Parks (min 88)

Mansour to cheer for Poli against Dinamo

2009-11-21T11:51:00.003+02:00

Another injured player to speak about his frustrations, Gueye Mansour didn't get a chance to play at all this season, as he was taken out during one of the friendlies before the start of the competition.

However, the Senegalese cannot stay far from the team, especially with such an important match coming up this Monday. "I'll grab a violet t-shirt and go among the fans. I cannot jump, because of my leg, but I can cheer and sing", Mansi reveals, and also had good things to say about the fans: "They are the spirit of Poli. If they will cheer like they do best, and motivate the team, then I have faith that together we will prevail."

Besides the great atmosphere, Mansour also remembers excelent performances against Dinamo: a goal in a 1-1 draw in which Poli played mostly with youngsters, and a fabulous scissor-kick. "For me, all goals are important, but the ones against Dinamo are different, because I know how much they mean for the fans. When I speak with someone about Poli, they always ask me about that goal, and also about the one against Steaua. I hope to return to the field soon and repeat these feats. I enjoy scoring against Dinamo, they are my `friends`." It's no wonder the striker has been nicknamed "The Barber" or "Scissor-man".

Mansour's relationship with the Bucharest club is even more special, as back when home-bread Torje was sold to Dinamo, he was also part of the deal, but he refused, as he did not want to play for them. The Senegalese talks about the situation: "They can't stand me because I refused them. When I was in Bucharest once, a taxi driver who was a Dinamo fan, told me he can't forgive me for that. Well, he didn't get any tip from me."

Of course, his action wasn't seen with good eyes by the club and it meant his decline. His performances weren't all that good and wasn't included in the big team. Things weren't looking good, as it seemed there was no need for the Senegalese striker. Then he was lent to Buzau this year where he made an excellent comeback, which made coach Sabău take him in the summer preparation. But then came the very unfortunate accident.

Mansour also has some technical comments about Monday's match. "Maybe even Nibombe or Mera might score, as the central defenders are taller than theirs. Or perhaps Bucur could go past their slow defenders." He sees Torje and Cristea as the major threats, both of them playing for Poli before. "It will be hard for our defense, because Andrei Cristea will want to prove that he was released so easily from Poli. He is in good shape and has good self-esteem after being drafted for the national team."

Dinamo also has some long-standing injuries. Niculae and Bratu, the last having been absent for a whole year, are said to make a return to the pitch right against Poli. Mansour thinks otherwise. "If they are going to play, then I'll be playing to. They'll meet me on the pitch, Monday evening. I miss playing on "Dan Paltinisanu" stadium. I haven't played there for 2 years."

May your dreams come true, Gueye, and may you cheer the team to victory on Monday evening!

Sources:
violamania.ro (Romanian)

Marian Cisovsky's Frustration

2009-11-16T20:06:00.005+02:00

It's still 4 more months far from the football pitch for Marian Cisovsky. Problems started from the second-leg match against Stuttgart. Initially, doctors said that surgery is necessary but that it can be delayed for the winter break. Second opinions however, lead to the Slovak player getting under the knife much earlier. 6 months off was the verdict.

The funny thing (as can be called this way in such situations) is that he had no pains, only a feeling that something was wrong. "The first days were terrible. It all came all of a sudden." Cisovsky recounts. "I never thought I would have to bear something like that." We can understand such anguish, especially considering that not much time has passed since spring, when the 28 year old defender had to deal with a nagging arm injury, which had him play several games with bandages.

He goes on to share his torment: "When I see my teammates going on the pitch to practice, while I'm stuck in the gym.... I hate that gym!" and also his hopes for the future: "In January I can start running again, and in March, I can come back to the field. It's very hard for me even to watch football. But I am going to support the team in the next match, against Dinamo." He regrets missing this match, as he was hoping to make up for last year's dispute, when we lost 0-3 at home. One of the goals was a shot unhapilly deflected by our central defender.

Indeed, his presence in the team is greatly missed as he was one of the pillars of defense. Without him, Poli has to count on the young and less experienced Mera and Scutaru, or the sometimes fragile Nibombe. The outcome could be seen in some of the poorer results in the championship, but also in the Europa League, which Cisovsky greatly regrets not taking part in despite having a great contribution to the team's qualification.

On a brighter side, as parting thoughts I give you Marian Cisovsky's words about his life in Timişoara, where the Slovak is accompanied by his loving family - wife Martina and his two sons - 4 year old Maros and 1 year old Martin.

"I'm feeling very well here. I have managed very good performances, also thanks to the team. It's quite different to Slovakia, where there are only two big sides that are fighting for the title, as opposed to Romania, where there are eight or nine very close at the top. But I enjoy a bigger contest."

Get well soon, Marian! Poli needs you!

Sources:
violamania.ro (1) (2) (3) (Romanian)

Éder Bonfim's turnaround at Timişoara

2009-11-12T19:31:00.009+02:00

Brazilian Bonfim's debut for Timişoara in 2008 was a football player's nightmare. Introduced in the last minutes against modest Buzău, at 2-0 for Poli. His first touch of the ball was also a beginner's mistake. Unable to hit the ball, it went between his legs, to an opposing attacker, leaving him a clear shot for goal. That sealed Bonfim's fate with Poli's coach back then, Dusan Uhrin. He was introduced sporadically for the rest of the half-season, without showing anything to put behind the first impression, that of just another failed transfer.

In love with the round ball, young Bonfim recounts how he started to play football, not on the beaches of Copacabana, as one might think of a Brazilian, but in his home town of Mineiros, situated in the center of Brazil. But that did not stop him to play with his friends all day, 'till dark.

His career started with Grêmio Anápolis in 2000 as right-wing defender. Despite signing a 5 year contract in 2002, he didn't play much for Grêmio, as he was loaned to different Portuguese teams: Benfica, Estrela da Amadora, Sporting Braga and Vitória Setúbal. Finally, in 2005, he was sold to União Leiria, for which he gathered 76 appearances in 3 years. Despite being in the views of Rapid Bucharest for a longer period of time, after Leiria's relegation, Bonfim chose to come to Timişoara.

And, when he thought he ended his streak of being loaned from one team to the other, after the winter break of the 2008-2009 season, he was given to Gloria Buzău, together with other players from Timişoara. He certainly got to play more matches, and soon it became obvious he was one of the best from the Buzău squad.

Unsurprisingly, after the summer assessment of available players, new coach Ioan Ovidiu Sabău, decided to keep him at Timişoara. Not only that, but he gave the Brazilian a spot in the first eleven. His debut was another bad one, with two mistakes, facilitating Shaktar's goals. Nevertheless, his play, especially the first half, was very good. Sabău noticed that, and gave him another chance, the defender becoming a constant presence in the team, with good matches all round. Certainly, a wonderful turnaround!

Bonfim was so delighted, that he thanked the coach for believing in his abilities and offering him the chance to prove himself: "Nobody believed in me at first. My only support was my family, always close when I needed. Even when I played at Buzău, they motivated me to work hard, in hope of better times. Then came Mr. Sabău, who understood my football character and offered me the chance I desired, also giving me what I lacked most: trust."

Even Poli's boss, Marian Iancu, has praises for him, despite giving him hard times back when nobody cared about Bonfim: "He is truly a professional player. [...] He is exceptional, one of the most offensive defenders I have seen."

Many good games ahead, Éder!

Sources:

violamania.ro (Romanian)
Wikipedia

Oțelul Galați - Poli 3:3 (2:0)

2009-11-08T17:18:00.003+02:00

With both defensive midfielders suspended for this match, Sabău had to change the starting 11 and the tactical play. Vrsic and Magera played offensive, behind Gigel Bucur who was much more into the game then previous matches. Scutaru as defensive midfielder and Luchin (back from his injury) with Mera formed the triangle to counter Oţelu's attacks. This, unfortunately turned out to be the team's weak spot.

Poli pressed hard from the beginning, in the first twenty minutes creating very good opportunities to score. Magera did well to provide good passes for Bucur's characteristic incursions from the left, but the tiny striker failed to shoot it past the keeper. When he was in a good central position, he decided to give the ball to Chiacu, who had a poor finish.

And, as things go in football, the game died down, and an incredible goof from Mera, who failed to hit the ball, left Axente to put it past Pantilimon. The young player, borrowed from Poli, had another good opportunity 10 minutes later, but blew it over the post, from inside the box. Sabău changed Mera for Artiom Karamyan, but, with two minutes to go, our defenders neither held Axente, nor played for offside, Pantilimon hesitated to charge him, and the violets went in with 2 goals behind.

With nothing to lose, Stancu took Scutaru's place at half time. And soon enough, Magera's shot was deflected into the post, but Chiacu was at the right spot to head it in. Things were looking good for a comeback, but Karamyan failed to clear a ball, and Ibeh shot it past Pantilimon from the middle of the box.

Poli felt shook, and Otelu controlled the game, still being dangerous. However, they set back, looking to keep the lucky result, and the violets came back in it. Magera's free kick hit the post, and Chiacu couldn't hit it well enough on the rebound. In the 82nd minute, the goalkeeper failed to deflect a corner kick, which found Chiacu with the ball at his feet, passed it to Magera, who pushed it in from 3 meters. Still enough time to save the result. Otelu did their best to keep their advantage, but Stancu managed to win a good ball from Patras, another Poli player lent to Galaţi, passed it to Magera who made an excellent cross awaited by three players in violet. Luchin was the one to head it in, right at the end of regular play.

A very eye-pleasing game, which Poli could have easily won, were it not for the grave errors in defense. Magera is on top form, and together with Vrsic made the ball flow in midfield. Karamyan played well, but not well enough to make up for costing us the third goal.

A minor setback, but Poli is still undefeated in away games. The championship is far from being decided, the top 8 teams trying to pass each other in mediocrity and surprising results. The next match, against Dinamo, might shed some light.

Poli: Pantilimon (5) - Bonfim (6), Luchin (5), Mera (3,5), Maxim (5,5) - Chiacu (5,5), Vrsici (5,5), Scutaru (4,5), Curtean (4,5) - Magera (6,5), Bucur (5,5)

Substitutions:

Art. Karamyan (4,5) for Mera (min 37)
Stancu (5,5) for Scutaru (min 45)
Goga (5) for Curtean (min 55)

Anderlecht - Poli 3:1 (1:0)

2009-11-07T14:50:00.004+02:00

Well, it just wasn't to be. Poli Timişoara conceded 3-1, after a beautiful game of football, which Michel Platini decided himself to witness. As this was an all or nothing match, Sabău sent in a classical lineup for Poli, at least in the past season: Bucur and Parks upfield, with Magera behind them. Despite the offensive intent, the coach had to come up with some improvisations to cover the weak spots. While captain Alexa played as regular defensive midfielder, his partner, Bourceanu, was sent on the right, a position he was not accustomed to. Artiom Karamyan was moved upward on the left, the spot he is most comfortable with. Despite not convincing before, Maxim had duties to cover his back on the defensive line, while Nibombe and less experienced Scutaru had the responsibility of blocking anything that came in the center of the box.

Hostilities began with a sterile fight for possession, gradually won by the home side, despite a big chance for Poli, when Bucur received a good long pass, rushed in from the side, but his cross was barely deflected by Parks. Anderlecht certainly didn't need the help offered by Nibombe at the half hour mark. Though a sturdy play overall, the Togolese had a few moments of insecurity, including this one, when a 1-2 ball hit him, and instead of clearing, he deflected it to Suarez. Maxim, despite a best effort, couldn't stop him cleanly enough and the referee signaled a penalty. The same Suarez slugged it in - a poor shot, just a bit to the right of the keeper, but Pantilimon dived left.

After the break, our side came in more determined and the equalizer fell in after a brilliant corner kick, which is sort of a rarity for Poli lately. Parks had all the center of the box for himself and was right on with a header to score our first goal in Europa League. Too bad that the other 10 corner kicks weren't so rewarding.

Poli pushed on, with Parks on an excellent night, showing his great technical skills, the best guy on the pitch for us. The tipping point was marked by the substitutions. The invisible Bourceanu came out, to be replaced by Stancu, who in the end would have wished he were not so visible. For Anderlecht, Legear proved to be the winning substitute, with his determined presence upfield. And so it was that in the 67th minute, a cross from him found tiny Boussoufa at the end, with a dreamy Stancu next to him.

Poli became even more dangerous after this, Parks with his wonderful legwork, to open up the strong Belgian defense. A good-looking play, but the ball wouldn't go in and Stancu foiling some passes. Magera had a good shot just a little over the top, and in the extended play, after a cross, substitute Goga pushed the ball in to the box and Scutaru with a very good shot in, deflected over by the keeper. Anderlecht had a couple more counter-attacks, with the final blow given in the 95th minute by the same Legear. A cleared corner kick found him charging from close to the center point all the way to goal with a nice chip over Pantilimon.

3-1 in the end, but Poli gave a good fight, leaving Bruxelles with heads up. Clearly a more decent play than recent games. Just goes to show how much better the game looks when you can have a few more passes in. Other than Parks, Karamyan gave a good show on his flank, offering good passes to his teammates, but also rushing back to recover some useful balls. Magera was more and more into the game as time passed and, while not one of his best, he was there with very useful deflections and passes, and a nice shot for goal. Bonfim didn't shine as much and he could have probably helped defense more, but a good play overall. Nibombe still has some weaknesses and unfortunately they caused us another goal, but he certainly was the pillar of defense on other occasions.

Good game, Poli!

Match preview: Anderlecht - Poli

2009-11-03T19:41:00.004+02:00

An important event preceded match day 4 of the UEFA Europa League's Group A. Dinamo Zagreb have been deducted 3 points, after the serious incidents caused by the Croatian fans in Timişoara on match day 2, leaving them with no points on last place. Furthermore, their team will play with the remaining two home matches against Ajax and Timişoara behind closed doors. I disprove team standings being decided in offices instead of on the football pitch, and I have to praise the Croatian news media for having an objective point of view on the whole matter. They did not embark to blame Timişoara for the points penalty, instead bash the disruptive minority amongst their fans, who see a football match as an opportunity to cause havoc, instead of to take part in the show. Hooliganism does not belong in the stadiums.

That said, I do not think the penalty favors our side. At least not for the immediate future. Ajax and Anderlecht are 3 points ahead, so our only chances to stay in the game is a victory on Belgian soil on Thursday. The home game showed, to me at least, that they are a team to beat. I am unsure, however, that that was their real form. From the Belgian press's reaction it seemed that Anderlecht came to Timişoara seeking the draw, not pushing for the full 3 points.

In the championship, Anderlecht is doing good, 1 point behind leaders Club Brugge. Their last 3 games ended in a 2-0 victory, after a bitter loss 2-4 against Brugge. In home European matches against Romanian clubs, they have an almost perfect streak (6 wins, one draw, 12 goals against 2). However, in recent European matches, besides a 5-0 win against modest Sivasspor, Anderlecht have a staggering 3 defeats and one draw on home turf in their last 5 matches. A glimmer of hope, perhaps, for our first win in Europe after 19 years minus 2 days, and indeed our first goal in the group stage.

Poli's last games, on the other hand, have meant being thrown out of the Romanian Cup and losing fisrt position, after losing in front of a packed stadium at home. In Europe, the team didn't show that it can stick their heads out of the group stages, despite the historic elimination of UEFA Cup holders Shaktar Donetsk.

That is why Thursday's match can turn the tides and end this miserable streak. Nothing less than a win will do. Anderlecht will probably play defensive, a point basically sealing their qualifying spot. They will try to score on counter attacks, knowing too well that Poli will have to charge forward. Our best bet is to attack, there is no more time for caution. However, any conceded goals would probably mean disaster. It will be very difficult, as Poli has not yet shown it can do the offensive play good enough, only against modest adversaries. Perhaps introducing Magera and Parks would be a good bet, at least in my mind, as they have shown good capabilities in this sort of games.

But the final decision rests in Sabău's hands and I hope it will be a good one. At the end of the night, a 1-0 win, after an own goal, will sound fabulous.

Poli - Steaua 0:1 (0:0)

2009-11-02T21:18:00.003+02:00

A packed "Dan Păltinişanu" awaited the derby against Steaua Bucharest, drawn to the stadium by lower ticket prices set by the management. However, they only witnessed the first defeat in the championship, after a football match whose quality was as low as the said prices. You only get what you paid for. Lots of goofed balls by both sides, including a hilarious free kick by Dayro Moreno, and a terrible mistake made by Pantilimon were the highlights of the night.

In the first half, the two teams split their dominance over the game. During the initial 20 minutes, Poli set back letting the visitors control the hostilities. But the red-blues couldn't take advantage of this, creating panic only with balls fumbled around in our box. The violets on the other hand, tried to counter-attack with incursions on Artiom Karamyan's flank - most unsuccessful - and by balls dived-in from the midfielders for Bonfim's spurts on the right, which created mild danger. The only real opportunity of the first half, however, came from Curtean with one of his characteristic shots from 25-30m, but Zapata made a spectacular save and left the impression that Poli would settle things in the second half.

Indeed, Sabău made an offensive change quite early on: Parks for central defender Mera, switching from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2. With caution blown away, Steaua had their first real chance just 2 minutes later, when Nicoliţă received a good pass leaving him with a clear shot on goal, but he only managed to hit Pantilimon. Parks immediately made his mark on the game, which picked up the pace, but he was found in an offside position.

After a clearance from Zapata, the ball should have been easily intercepted by Bourceanu, but instead it fooled two or three players from either side, being finally picked up by Dayro Moreno, who advanced unheeded and took a shot on goal. Pantilimon, too sure of himself, dropped the ball in front of him, leaving Surdu to slide in for the goal.

Poli quickly stepped up on the attack creating a few good chances. A swell pass from Parks, but Bucur only managed to find Steaua's goalie. A series of good passes opened up the visiting side's defense, Parks deflected the ball, and Arman Karamyan scored, but from an offside position. Surdu later made a fool of himself, when left one-on-one with Pantilimon he shot wide. Alexa tried a couple of shots from long distance, but they were totally above target. His midfield partner, Bourceanu, took his chance, too, after dribbling midfield and then making a spectacular shot over Zapata, which unfortunately only hit the woodwork. Later, however, he made a useless and foolish attack from behind, which inevitably lead to his sending off. This recklessness will make him miss the game against Galati and the one against bitter rivals, Dinamo. Sabau will have to find new solutions for midfield, because Alexa will also be suspended for the next match after seeing his fifth yellow card of the season.

The Karamyan brothers played in the same manner - hard working, but not well enough. Artiom's free kicks were particularly useless. Nibombe was ok, but was unsure on two separate occasions. The one in the second half could have been serious, when in a moment of indecision he was robbed of the ball, but luckily, Scutaru dived in to save his back. Parks played well, clearly changing the face of the game, fulfilling the role of the man who connects passes between midfield and attackers. Too bad the efforts were eclipsed by the error in defense.

The end of the twelfth stage of this crazy championship sees four teams struggling for the top spot with 22 points, and three others including Poli with 21. Braşov are lurking behind, too, with 20 points. The season is far from over and this defeat is not that serious to the overall balance, as it is frustrating that our favourites couldn't take advantage of the opportunity to take a 2 point lead.

P.S. It was nice to see a handful of fans supporting Magera at the stadium, even though their player only came on late in the match.

Poli: Pantilimon (3,5) - Scutaru (6), Nibombe (5), Mera (5,5) - Bonfim (5,5), Alexa (6), Bourceanu (5), Arm. Karamyan (5,5), Art. Karamyan (5) - Bucur (5), Curtean (5,5)

Substitutions:

Parks (5,5) for Mera
Stancu (5) for Curtean
Magera for Alexa

RC: Astra Ploiesti - Poli 8:7 (2:2, 1:1, 1:1)

2009-10-29T13:46:00.005+02:00

The white-violets narrowly lost out yesterday in the Romanian Cup, despite having numerous opportunities to win the match. Astra scored first through Miranda, as Parks equalized in the 20th minute. The Costa Rica forward should've scored when one on one against the Astra goalie, but his finishing was a poor as always. The home side was stronger in the second half, but Poli could have won the game, either through Chiacu, who copied Parks in how to miss a huge opportunity, or through Curtean, who wasn't able to scored from less than ten meters in the 90th minute.

It was hard for Poli in extra-time, as Borbely was sent off toward the end of the second half, and Astra took full advantage by scoring in the 93rd minute. The white-violets had a bit of a miracle up their sleeves, as Chitu and Vrsic were at the right place to take advantage of a ball fumbled by the otherwise impecable Astra goalie, with the Slovenian equalizing. Not much happened until the end of extra-time so the match went to penalties.

Both goalies did well, with Taborda saving two shots and Miron saving three, while one player from each time sent the ball wide. For Poli, Vrsic, Stancu, Magera, Maxim and Luchin scored, while Curtean, Chiacu, Chitu and Mera missed. Had either Chiacu or Chitu scored, then Poli would've won the match. But as things were, it wasn't enough and Astra are through to the next round.

Match highlights here.

Poli: Taborda (5) - Maxim (5), Luchin (5,5), Brezinsky (5,5), Stancu (5) - Chitu (6), Ionescu (5), Borbely (3), Curtean (4) - Magera (5,5), Parks (6)

Substitutions:

Vrsici (6) for Ionescu (min 65)
Mera (5,5) for Brezinsky (min 70)
Chiacu (4,5) for Parks (min 75)

CFR Cluj - Poli 0:0

2009-10-26T20:09:00.002+02:00

Here's the first (of, hopefully, many) match reports brought to you by my new blog aid Andrei. Definitely more useful than my latest efforts. Enjoy!

Unsurprisingly, Sabău decided to once again play it safe, this time in stage XI's derby match against CFR Cluj. Knowing that the losing team would be left behind in the championship run, both opponents concentrated on defense. This, however, resulted in a lack of quality, personal errors, many lost balls changing possession midfield, but also individual struggles and duels, all within the limits of fair-play.

The first half was quite balanced, none of the teams having clear chances, except maybe one or two incursions from the speedy Gigel Bucur. Like Thursday's game against Anderlecht, Sabău introduced the same defensive trio - Scutaru, Mera, Nibombe - perhaps not confident enough on the first two, with Cisovsky's absence looking to be prolonged.

In the second part however, Cluj stepped up a bit, clearly dominating our side and had the best chances to score, through long-distance shots (Muresan) and fumbled corner kicks, where the defense didn't manage to clear the ball. Poli's tactics were on the verge of being shattered, when after one such situation, Alcantara blasted the ball from inside the box, but Pantilimon was on one of his great nights, making an incredible save, despite everybody else being sure of the goal.

The match balanced out again, after Traore was sent off for a second yellow card. However, Poli did not have enough courage or inspiration to take advantage of the situation, and beside a few somewhat dangerous long passes and wide shots, there was no clear scoring opportunity. No risks were taken, Parks entered the pitch only to take Bucur's place and the game ended in an undecisive nil-nil. The two teams remained tied for the top spot, but Poli's reputation as having the best defense in the championship gives them advantage on goal difference. However, hard matches are coming next, while Cluj has a (relatively) easy November ahead.

Nibombe played sturdy in defense, and while still showing a few of his weaknesses, gave confidence to his younger, less experienced partners. The Armenian twins played the whole match together. Artiom didn't show signs of being tired, running front and back, engaging in hard duels and showing good motivation. His crosses, unfortunately, are still lacking. His brother, Arman, didn't count enough to make a difference, but the relationship between the two produced a few interesting situations. Brazilian Bonfim once again showed why he makes the team, giving a good fight, and showing his good technique. One of the best players on field. Vrsici was given only 20 minutes to play, and could only be seen in one interception and a shot gone wide.

There are many good and many bad things to be said about the team's play, but what is important is that we are in first place and perhaps more important, that the team and the coach seek to improve for the upcoming matches, which will be decisive, at least for the winter break.

Poli: Pantilimon (7) - Mera (6), Nibombe (6), Scutaru (6) - Bonfim (6,5), Alexa (6), Bourceanu (5,5), Art. Karamyan (6,5) - Chiacu (5), Bucur (5,5), Arm. Karamyan (6)

Substitutions:

Vrsici (5) for Alexa (min 70)
Parks for Bucur (min 82)

Poli - Anderlecht 0:0

2009-10-24T09:39:00.002+02:00

Thursday's match ended in a fair draw against the Belgians of Anderlecht, although the white-violets would've very much needed a victory to keep their qualification hopes alive. There were chances on both sides, with Karamyan forcing Proto to make a couple of saves, while Panti was busy particularly in the second half.

It's hard to say what should be expected of the remaining matches. Up to now, this year's participation in European competitions was a bit of a roller coaster ride, with the lack of fans on the stadium (due to both poor marketing and stupid UEFA match scheduling) being the main disappointment. At least, I hope, we can end on a high.

Match highlights here.

Poli: Pantilimon - Mera, Nibombe, Scutaru - Bonfim, Alexa, Bourceanu, Art. Karamyan - Goga, Bucur, Arm. Karamian

Substitutions:

Curtean for Arm. Karamyan (min 75)
Parks for Bucur (min 76)
Magera for Alexa (min 81)

Poli - Ceahlaul 6:0 (2:0)

2009-10-17T23:03:00.006+02:00

Football can be easy, when everything is in place. An instant opener, in the first minute of the match, which turned into a quickfire double three minutes later and no worries left in the world.

Magera opened the score with a great lob, before he assisted Chiacu for the second. The Czech international scored again at the beginning of the second half, missed a couple of one on ones later on, before Alexa and Bonfim aided Goga to a double. Magera insisted on staying in the limelight, as he offered another brilliant pass to Chiacu in the 90th minute, to call it game, set, match.

A really enjoyable night in Timisoara, despite the freezing weather, and hopefully something to build on in view of the upcoming three super-matches (Anderlecht, CFR Cluj and Steaua). It's clear we'll need a determined performance to take the most out of the three matches.

You can find the goals by looking through the fanatik archive.

Poli: Pantilimon (6) - Maxim (5), Nibombe (6), Scutaru (5,5), Bonfim (6) - Curtean (5), Vrsic (6), Bourceanu (5,5), Chiacu (7) - Goga (6,5), Magera (8)

Substitutions:

Art. Karamyan (6,5) for Curtean (min 45)
Alexa (6,5) for Bourceanu (min 60)
Stancu (5,5) for Maxim (min 64)

International Curtea de Arges - Poli 0:3 (0:0)

2009-10-05T19:14:00.003+02:00

It took the white-violets forty-five minutes to get going, during which Inter came close to opening the score, but once they did, it was an easy match. The Karamyan brothers were key in today's win, as they were the source of all three goals. Goga scored first, after an Arman cross, Bucur made it two thanks to a cross from Artiom and Artiom crossed into the penalty area before the ball reached Arman, who smashed it into the net. It wasn't a particularly reassuring win, but a highly needed one, which should, hopefully, lead the way toward a better series of results.

Poli: Pantilimon (6,5) - Bonfim (6), Scutaru (5), Nibombe (6), Art. Karamyan (6,5) - Chiacu (6), Vrsic (5,5), Bourceanu (6), Arm. Karamyan (6,5) - Goga (6), Bucur (5,5)

Substitutions:

Alexa (6) for Vrsic (min 69)
Parks for Bucur (min 79)
Magera for Goga (min 80)

Poli - Dinamo Zagreb 0:3 (0:1)

2009-10-01T23:40:00.002+02:00

A disastrous result, thanks to an uninspired starting eleven and a bunch of defensive blunders, coupled with about the same amount of missed opportunities. There's really nothing I'd want to say, just that nobody played up to the team's standards today and times will be tough in the following weeks unless Poli wins the next couple of matches.

Poli: Pantilimon (4,5) - Bonfim (4,5), Mera (4), Nibombe (3,5), Art. Karamyan (5) - Arm. Karamyan (4,5), Goga (4), Alexa (5), Ionescu (5), Curtean (4) - Bucur (4)

Substitutions:

Parks (4,5) for Arm. Karamyan (min 45)
Bourceanu (4,5) for Ionescu (min 55)
Magera (4,5) for Curtean (min 69)

Poli - Universitatea Craiova 1:1 (0:1)

2009-09-28T08:23:00.002+02:00

The white-violets gifted two points to their opponents on Saturday, after what was an ugly display of football, particularly during the first half.

Craiova scored first as M. Costea took advantage of a Bonfim blunder, just before half-time. Poli were more determined as the second half commenced and the equalizer came in the 63. minute, as Mera easily pushed the ball past the line after a free-kick. Controversy arose immediately, as our defender was accused to have fouled (a claim that Mera has admitted to), and Mitchell, of Craiova, slammed him to the ground, before throwing a bit of a punch towards Arman Karamyan. The referee pretended he didn't see anything, complacent in his obliviousness, and only two minutes later Mera was sent off, after a fairly reckless tackle which, under different circumstances, may not have warranted more than a yellow. Poli could've have still easily won the match, as Arm. Karamyan, Bucur and Chiacu had great scoring opportunities, but all three failed to convert.

Despite the disappointment, this match has to be put behind us as soon as possible, given that a vital Europa League game is up for grabs on Thursday.

Poli: Pantilimon (5) - Bonfim (4,5), Mera (5,5), Nibombe (6,5), Art. Karamyan (5) - Arm. Karamyan (4,5), Alexa (6), Bourceanu (5,5), Goga (5) - Bucur (5,5), Parks (6)

Substitutions:

Cl. Ionescu (6,5) for Goga (min 45)
Scutaru for Bourceanu (min 71)
Chiacu for Parks (min 74)

RC: Poli - Sanatatea Cluj 7:0 (2:0)

2009-09-23T21:54:00.003+02:00

Easy pickins for Poli today against third league club Sanatatea in the Romanian Cup.

Two goals a piece from Vrsic (one penalty), Magera and Parks, while Rusic netted the last goal of the match.

Poli: Taborda (6) - Latovlevici (6), Brezinsky (6), Scutaru (6), Dăruială (6) - Sandu (5), Vrsic (6,5), Chitu (6,5), Matei (5,5), Chiacu (6) - Magera (6,5)

Substitutions:

Parks (6,5) for Chiacu (min 45)
Borbely (6) for Sandu (min 45)
Rusic (6) for Magera

FC Vaslui - Poli 0:1 (0:0)

2009-09-21T14:04:00.003+02:00

All is fine when it ends fine, no?

Poli played a defensive and unattractive game at Vaslui and there were very few scoring chances throughout the match, but Goga's fine finish on Ionescu's cross made the difference. It's difficult to play competitively on three levels with the amount of players we currently have available, which might work as an excuse for the less than spectacular performances in the league. Nonetheless, as soon as the European adventure will come to an end, every point earned in the Liga 1 will prove most needed, so whether it happens this year, or next year, consistency will be key for the team's long term future.

As a side note, Wednesday from 6.30 Poli will be playing Sanatatea Cluj, in the Romanian Cup. The game can be followed live on sport.ro.

Poli: Pantilimon (6) - Bonfim (6), Mera (6), Nibombe (5,5), Art. Karamyan (6) - Stancu (5), Bourceanu (6), Alexa (5,5), Arm. Karamyan (5) - Goga (6), Cl. Ionescu (6)

Substitutions:

Bucur for Cl. Ionescu (min 75)
Curtean for Stancu (min 86)
Parks for Goga (min 89)