Squad Watch Week 6: Don’t Count On Ireneusz Jeleń.

6 months sor boenisch.

Honestly I can’t even remember the last time we had all our best players on the pitch. Not to mention even if it looks good before tournements it turns bads soon after the start. Like at the Euro we were already missing Kuba and the Zurawski got injured after one half with Germany. I just know by the time this Eruo rolls around, we will either be missing one or two key players before and then lose a couple more one the tournament starts. Our best players are the most injury prone for whatever reason.

Posted from  United States

Apparantly Arboleda will be a Polish citizen around December. If he gets called up to play for Poland (big if, depending probably more on how healthy our defenders are) how many people are gonna complain about it?

If some guys are going to come early to the game in Chicago I will be tailgating (beer & brauts) most likely in the south parking lot ~ 4-5 PM. We will have a tall flag pole with a Polish flag on top & a Chicago flag underneath (horizontal baby blue stripe on the top & bottom with a white center & 4 red stars.
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* * * *
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Come by & ask for JZ & have a beer.
I will be in section 152 row 1 (behind the north goal)

If Arboleda gets a passport on his own without presidential help then I have no problem with him being on the NT because he put in the 5 years like anybody else. Plus he is a good defender & would be a good option for our NT.

thanks tomasz! for specifics on Obraniak and Murawski; and totally appreciate your current run down for the strongest lineup situation; this does help me to put things in perspective with the injuries and in general. I don’t mind seeing ‘new blood’ if Smuda needs to evaluation players. Will be interested in how Niedzielan does in these next two games.

JZ, plan to be early with one of my brothers; we’ll keep an eye out – thanks. (Now i realize the Chicago Red Stars have the Chicago flag as their jersey).

I associate Arboleda with Polish football. I hope he gets his chance. We will likely need more depth at defense for Euro2012.

Posted from  United States

i agree arboleda would be a useful addition to the polish kadra and he feels like a polak anyway he sent his son to polish school and he has been in poland for five years now. so he appreciates poland and would play his heart out for poland as well.

Bad news guys, Kuba Błaszczykowski will only play in one of the games, probably the first against the USA. It’s result of an agreement that Smuda made with Dortmund’s manager.

That sucks for those of us going to see the match in Montreal. Ah well.

I am all for Arboleda playing for Poland. Like some of you mentioned, he has lived in Poland for 5 yrs now, so he is entitled to a Polish citizenship, like anyone else.

Also, I read that Perquis is 100% sure now he wants to play for Poland, so I think by early 2011, we will see both Perquis and Arboleda on the NT. Our Defence is finally beginning to take shape by the looks of it.
Perquis article:
http://sport.onet.pl/pilka-nozna/reprezentacja/perquis-zdecydowalem-w-ktorej-kadrze-zagram,1,3724833,wiadomosc.html

Now if our strikers could stay healthy and start scoring goals for the NT like they do for their clubs, we’d finally start rolling!

For those going to the match in Chicago, I read that on Thursday Nike is sponsoring an event in the Polish district, Centrum Sport Store, where fans will be able to meet and greet the Polish NT. If I were you I would check that out!
Article:
http://sport.onet.pl/pilka-nozna/reprezentacja/ciche-przywitanie-polskich-pilkarzy-w-usa,1,3724693,wiadomosc.html

Posted from  Canada

I, too, am excited about Arboleda beome a Pole. I’d love to see him on the team, and Roger back as well. I think in situations Roger could come in and add something extra. Like an oponent with a weak midfield, Roger would wreak havoc on them. And getting him games with whomever plays up front is crucial. Its all about timing.

Back to Arboleda. Anyone have any clue why Smuda appears to be down on the idea of using him?

@adas -
IMO once Arboleda gets his passport Smuda will call him up. Smuda stated previously that he did want to force a foreigner on to the NT (like Roger).

Smuda does not intend to persuade his former defender Manuel Arboleda. -”First, he would never want to play for us. Secondly, I would not take him. When he won the league title with Lech Poznan, he ran on the pitch with a Colombian flag. So his heart beats for Colombia – Smuda explains to “Gazeta Wyborcza”.

Link to article
http://polandsoccer.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/smudaacquafresca-yes-arboleda-no/

Mimo to “Franz” wyklucza rozpoczęcie starań o Arboledę. – Po pierwsze, on nigdy nie będzie chciał dla nas grać. Po drugie, nie wziąłbym go. Gdy zdobył mistrzostwo kraju z Lechem Poznań, to biegał po boisku z flagą kolumbijską. Czyli jego serce bije dla Kolumbii – wyjaśnia Smuda “Gazecie Wyborczej”.
Link to Polish article
http://sport.wp.pl/kat,1728,title,Smuda-Acquafresca-tak-Arboleda-nie,wid,12595052,wiadomosc.html?ticaid=1b03f

centrum sports store is a soccer paradise, i love that store with a passion and w.e im in chicago i always go there, wish i could be there ….im going to the montreal game but was hoping to see Kuba, oh well guess i wont be able to see kuba, jelen, boenisch…

@JZ, I read that before. I understand he doesn’t want to force him to play. Here’s the thing, and i may be in the wrong. When I read it, I felt there was an air of Smuda not wanting Arboleda period. Obviously, no one forced Arboleda to apply for a passport. And he seems legitimately to want to play for Poland. Again, I got the feeling from what Smuda said that even in this circumstance he wouldn’t take him. Perhaps I read the tone of the quote incorrectly.

you would think, and hope, that Smuda can recognize changes in the situation. There’s a big difference between a 3yr EK player from Colombia and a 5yr player becoming a citizen of Polska. Playing for Poland must have seemed a far possibility a couple years ago. Columbia is a country with people Polakians could appreciate. They have maintained/rebuilt their country/societies inspite of adversity. Not hard to imagine he could embrace Poland.

At first, Smuda objected calling up players without any Polish ancestors (like Olisadebe and Roger in the past). Now. when he’s become aware of the fact that we don’t really possess tons of quality players he’s starting to loosen his rules. I think it’s possible that we’ll see Arboleda wearing red and white.

But tomasz, why in the case of Arboleda would you not want to call him up? Roger, fine, I see how he could be viewed as a mercenary. But Arboleda seems content not playing for a national side. He’d obviously love the chance, but he’s not looking to use it to boost his pocket. He doesn’t seem to expect it to happen. He’s just said he’s excited at the prospect. And if he’s 5 years in Poland and not screaming to get out, then why not embrace him?

I have less of a problem with guys like Arboleda getting a call than guys like Roger and Obraniak who are straight up mercenaries. Do you guys honestly think Obraniak will ever even live in Poland? We have a guy who has probably never even spent a full calender month in the country he represents, how ridiculous is that?

Actually if you’d read one of his interviews, you’d know that Obraniak has a strong emotional link to Poland. And didn’t he mention he wants to open a youth academy in Poland after he ends his career.

I won’t necessarily object to Arboleda given our defensive worries but I’d prefer a solid ancestral connection which establishes an emotional connection that simply residing in a country does not provide.

Posted from  Canada

Just take a look at German players without German ancestry – most of them don’t want to sing the anthem! But they’ve all lived in the country many years!

Posted from  Canada

Yeah zaraza, but what if this is the beginning of an ancestral link for Arboleda’s family? He’s got them here, and if he represents Poland what’s to say he doesn’t stay there. His kids will grow up in Poland and maybe even take Polish spouses. They’ll have Polish kids and the cycle begins. In an open world it seems stupid to sit idly by and watch other countries take advantage of players with multiple nationalities while Poland doesn’t. Our players are already behind the rest of Europe even if you deal with just the “true” players, not naturalized but born. So, add the mercenaries as you guys call them, and Poland’s that much more behind everyone.

Arboleda seems very attached to Columbia. I’m not convinced he’ll stay in Poland or even visit once his career ends.

And by the way, Poland is NOT the only country that avoids using players whose only connection to the country is a job. Many English fans can’t accept Arteta as English even though he qualified for citizenship.

I’m having trouble understanding your last sentence. If Poland remains behind with mercenaries, why bother?

Posted from  Canada

Ok, I reread it and understand what you meant. However, other countries stick to players who’ve lived there many years, 10 or more! It’s quite uncommon for them to do what we’re doing, call up a player after only three to five years, in fact I remember an English writer mocking us for the Roger callup. That’s something a country like Azerbaijan does!

Posted from  Canada

zaraza, the last sentence meant if we don’t pick up foreign born players then we’re even more behind the rest of the world.

Furthermore, I’m not saying that we should hurry to add those types of players. Let’s face it, with Smuda’s mentality being similar to PZPN’s no one’s gonna wait 10 years to call someone up. On the one hand he says he doesn’t want to do that. On the other he pushes Boenisch into the team and is really going after Perquis. Both players perhaps have Polish roots, but Arboleda’s spent more time in Poland and might even speak better Polish than the other two. My argument here is you can’t have it both ways. I don’t care who your grandparents were. And everyone complains that the system in Poland is flawed with the youth development, and the scouting of Poles living abroad or with dual citizenship. So naturally, Poland’s handling of these “mercenaries” is gonna be bad too. If there’s a problem with football in Poland, its top to bottom and all over the place.

Like I said, I reread your sentence and understood what you meant.
Anyway, the fact remains that calling up Arboleda would not be seen as a normal by other countries. He’s lived in the country a total of four years. No self-respecting country would call him up. We’ll certainly be seen as a joke, as we were when we called up Roger. I don’t see how I “want it both ways”. I think I’ve been pretty clear that I don’t want us to stoop to the level of Azerbaijan. Arboleda has NO ties to Poland except working there.

Posted from  Canada

In any case, if we really are that desperate in defense, fine, call him up. But don’t try to present it as normal because it’s not.

Posted from  Canada

Personally I am embarrassed to see Poland resorting to hiring mercenary type guys in order to fill out a squad. Boenish, Roger and Obraniak are not Polish thats just a fact. They would have spurned Poland in a second if they have gotten a legitimate shot with their home countries. And I’m not one of those nationalist idiots but there is just a principle broken here that is not really broken in most of Europe (say what you want about Germany but most of their so called “foreign” players speak fluent German and have been schooled in Germany for all their lives.

A polish last name does not make you Polish! Obraniak will say all the right things in interviews (do you honestly expect anything different) that doesn’t make it any less bullshit.

zaraza, when I said you can’t have it both ways I meant Smuda can’t have it both ways. You’ve been consistent with your view, he has not.

And Peter we’re not hiring mercenaries. When you hire a mercenary you pay him to do a job and then he leaves. These guys aren’t going to go play for another national team when they’re done.

The Polish team is not overrun by foreign players. Olisadebe didn’t last long. Roger is out, even though I think we should use him if we have him. Boenisch and Obraniak are the only two on the team so far. Perquis hasn’t played yet, and he might not. Who knows. Anyone else?

It doesn’t seem like there’s a huge outcry of people running to play for Poland. And you’d think this would be the time with the guarantee to showcase your talents at Euro 2012. I mean, on the one hand I’ll be laughing when Koscielny doesn’t make the French team, and I don’t think he will. But that guy would be bullshit on the team.

Obraniak might be sincere, we don’t know. Boensich, he’s just trying to get on the national stage in my opinion. Perquis, same thing. He knows he won’t play for France. But Arboleda, I can’t be hard on the guy. Someone asked him a question and he said he was interested. Wouldn’t you play for a country you adopted if they asked you to? I mean, its not like columbia’s banging on his door asking him to play. And the reality is, as many of you have said, especially in defense we don’t have the talent.

You guys need to remember that we’re not supposed to win the whole thing in 2012, but we can’t be a laughing stock either. right now, the guys in charge are nervous and probably panicing to put together a competetive team. That means no matter what Smuda says, he’ll stretch to get talent that Poland doesn’t have. I say, whatever team he puts together is one that has to perform well enough. In the end, the success of this tournament will be either how it boosts the development of the sport in Poland or its gonna be a total waste of money with no change in our football. It won’t be a success in terms of wins or goals scored by our team.

And anyways, the current squad feels like a bunch of freshman playing together in college. There’s no chemistry, they’re all rather young, and no one is stepping up to be the leader. They were thrown together anyways, and no attempt is being made to get them on the same page. The best hope is the boys at Dortmund since they’ll be seeing eachother a lot. But we can’t have just three out of eleven all comfortable with eachother. I mean, there’s no easy solution here, but Smuda’s gonna reach for one, even if that means Boenisch, Obraniak, Perquis, Arboleda, hell Aquafresca…the list goes on.

And that’s my biggest criticism of Smuda so far. He’s not proving to be much of a leader instilling confidence in his players if he’s always turning to someone who’s mother’s uncle’s wife’s neighbor may have lived in Poland for two weeks back in 1925.

All right, I’m done ranting.