Górnik Zabrze
Górnik Zabrze (Polish/Polish pronunciation ) is a Polish football club from Zabrze. The club has won numerous championships, and was a dominant force in the 1960s and 1980s. Although they have not won the title since 1988, the club remains a member of the Ekstraklasa, Poland's top division. The club plays in red and white kit, and is based at the Ernest Pohl Stadium.
History
First years
The club was founded in 1948, three years after borders of Poland had switched westwards and the city of Zabrze (until then called Hindenburg) became part of the Polish Republic. Gornik was based on several smaller sports associations that had existed in Zabrze between 1945 and 1948 - KS Zjednoczenie, KS Pogon, KS Skra, KS Concordia. The clubs merged into a single organisation, which took the name "Górnik", the Polish word for "Miner", reflecting the fact that Zabrze was an important coal-mining centre.In 1950 Górnik joined the Opole Silesia regional league. In 1952 the club was promoted to the Polish Second Division. Their first game in the second tier was against Skra Częstochowa, and was witnessed by 20,000, with Gornik winning 5-1. The whole season was very successful and Gornik finished second overall, behind Gornik Wałbrzych.
The club was promoted to the top division in 1955. In their first game in the top flight Górnik beat local rivals Ruch Chorzów 3-1, with 25,000 in attendance; the club finished the season in 6th place.
First successes
In 1957, just a year after promotion, Górnik won its first championship of Poland. The team, with star, Ernest Pohl, was third in 1958, to regain the crown in 1959 and 1961, together with such players as Stanislaw Oslizlo and Hubert Kostka. In 1961 Górnik for the first time appeared in European Cups, losing in the first round to Tottenham Hotspur.Golden years
The next championship, won in 1963, marked the beginning of an unusual streak of five consecutive titles (1963, 64, 65, 66 and 67), which is a Polish record.Górnik's biggest success in European football took place in 1970 (even though in Poland the team was second, after Legia Warsaw). In the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, Gornik beat all their opponents - Olympiacos, Rangers, Levski Sofia and AS Roma, reaching the final, which took place in Vienna. There, Manchester City turned out to be the better team, winning 2-1. The following season Górnik would once again play Manchester City, with the 1970 final being repeated this time in the First Round.
Late 1970s and early 1980s
Since mid-1970s Górnik deteriorated and in late spring of 1978, the team was relegated to the Second Division. However, it returned after one year and in games of 1979-80, Zabrze's side finished sixth. In 1984, after purchasing of a group of talented players (Ryszard Komornicki, Waldemar Matysik, Eugeniusz Cebrat, Andrzej Zgutczyński, Tadeusz Dolny, Andrzej Pałasz), Gornik finished fourth, which was a sign of better times.Late 1980s until now
Between 1985 and 1988 Górnik again marked a magnificent streak, with four consecutive championships. Zabrze's side also played versus renowned European powerhouses, such as Bayern Munich, Anderlecht, Hamburger SV, Juventus and Real Madrid.In 1994 Górnik tried to regain the crown, and with such players as Jerzy Brzęczek, Grzegorz Mielcarski, Tomasz Wałdoch, hopes were high. However, in the last game in Warsaw, Gornik tied 1-1 with Legia, due to partisan refereeing, which gave Legia the crown. The referee was Slawomir Redzinski who has finished his job after this match. Since this game to nowadays nooone knows who and how much paid Redzinski's (how do you know he was paid?). This crime (what crime?) has come under the statute of limitations.
Also, in the same year Górnik played its last so far game in European Cups, losing to Admira Wacker Vienna.
In the spring of 2007 Górnik got a new, rich sponsor - German insurance company Allianz. Several new players were bought (together with Brzeczek and Tomasz Hajto). With strong financial support, Zabrze's supporters hope that good times will return.
Achievements
- Orange Ekstraklasa (First League)
- 1st Place (14-record): 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
- 2nd Place (4): 1962, 1969, 1974, 1991
- Polish Cup
- Winner (6): 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972
- Finalist (7): 1956, 1957, 1962, 1966, 1986, 1992, 2001
- Polish SuperCup:
- Winners (1): 1988
- Polish League Cup:
- Winners (1) 1978 (Not Official)
- UEFA Champions League:
- Quater-Final (1): 1968
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (UEFA Cup):
- Finalist (1): 1970
Górnik in Europe
Current squad
accurate on 27 December 2007Notable former players
Notable coaches
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Saturday October 04, 2008 at 07:22:12 PDT (GMT -0700)
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