It is not only Ďolíček that is undergoing substantial changes. The management team of Bohemians as well as the football team are not immune to changes, either. The most significant change that happened in the off-season is the departure of the immensely popular director of Bohemians 1905, Jiří Steinbroch. Jiří joined Bohemians 1905 on day 1 and was instrumental in building up the team from scratch, in the second league license purchase, negotiating the team’s stay in Ďolíček, etc. He was not only a director, he was a fan too. His communication with other fans was second to none. No question addressed to him on the club’s web site remained unanswered, even those unpleasant ones. And if there were things to resolve and he promised a solution, you could bet that he would deliver on his promise.
Jiří has had his share of health problems - two heart attacks, one by-pass surgery. That’s officially the reason why he is leaving the club. He is heading to a Slovak club Ružomberok where he will work as a director too. Ružomberok finished fourth in the Slovak first league this past season, a disappointment after winning the championship the year before that. So the pressure will be there too. It is likely that his long time friendship with the owner of Ružomberok football club played some role in his decision.
The club has not appointed Jiří’s replacement, yet. Whoever that person will be, it is safe to say that he/she has very large shoes to fill.
Coach Busta took some time to ponder if he should continue with the first team or if he should return to his original work with Bohemians youth teams. Busta’s problem is that he does not have the coaching license required by the Czech Football Association (ČMFS) for coaching professional teams. So far, he got away with it by being listed as a custodian or whatever in order to be on the bench during games. The ČMFS indicated that this charade will not be allowed in the first league. Bohemians have asked, and were granted, an exception, allowing Busta to be listed as an assistant coach. He is expected to apply for a professional coaching license study which starts in November. If he is accepted, the ČMFS will allow him to act as a head coach. In the meantime, his hesitation did not probably hurt him in the pocketbook as the club wooed him back with a new contract.
Busta’s success with the club is undeniable as is his excellent work with youngsters coming up through Bohemians youth system. Most clubs in the Czech Republic can only dream of having that many promising young players in their system and having a coach that has enough confidence in them to field them even in critical games and situations.
One of the players that did not quite fulfil Busta’s expectations was Pavel Hašek. Háša, as he was known to fans, was nevertheless very popular with fans for his energetic approach to the game. Hašek’s contract with Bohemians has expired at the end of the spring season and he decided to try his luck with the first league team of FK Teplice. We wish Pavel Hašek all the best in his new club, hoping that he will crack the starting line-up there after failing to do so with Bohemians 1905.
Coach Busta made it clear that he does not want to make any wholesale changes in the club’s roster, preferring to go mostly with players that fought out the promotion to the first league. He would like to see a few experienced players to join the team to provide the necessary calming influence to his young corps. One of the players rumoured to be on his way to Bohemians is 36-year old midfielder from Hradec Králové, MIchal Šmarda. His age caused quite a stir among Bohemians fans. However, we should remember our similar reaction to the arrival of defender Karel Rada from Teplice, who proved to be one of the best players anytime he stepped on the field.
The club has also signed a few players that were on loan from other clubs, namely midfielder Lukáš Adam who came from České Budějovice and forward Vladimír Bálek from Slavia Praha. Moreover, the contract with midfielder/defender Jiří Rychík (Ružomberok) is supposed to be signed shortly.
