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Another Slavia Horror Show
The inquest has begun. A 3-2 home defeat against Olomouc left Slavia Praha in the bottom two with just one point out of a possible nine. A desperate start. Confidence, among the fans at least, was high before kick-off as everyone was expecting Slavia to get their first win of the season but the reality […]
Posted in: Czech Football
Gambrinus Liga: Week Three Tips
August 2, 2013
by Mark Smith
Week Two Review The beating that Bohemka took from Plzen two weeks was always a difficult one to measure. There is no shame getting spanked by Plzen, especially if you are a newly promoted side, but the 5-1 beating dished out by Brno illustrates what a tough task Bohemka have to stay in the division. […]
Posted in: Czech Football
Gambrinus Liga: Week Two Tips
July 26, 2013
by Mark Smith
Week 1 Review It was an interesting opening weekend in the Gambrinus Liga. But there already appears to be ominous signs for the rest of the league as Plzeň and Sparta occupy the top two spots after a glut of goals. It’s hard to envisage anything but a two horse race this season. There were some […]
Posted in: Czech Football
Slavia luckless in front of goal
July 20, 2013
by Mark Smith
Slavia Praha kicked off their season with a frustrating 1-1 home draw against Banik Ostrava. Missed chances and defensive mistakes cost Slavia two points here, however, there were signs of encouragement with the amount of chances created in a second half rally. Over 7500 fans were dotted around Eden and the combination of the sweltering […]
Posted in: Uncategorized
Slavia Praha and Priorities
July 9, 2013
by Mark Smith
We are just ten days away from the new Gambrinus Liga season kicking off and I can feel a sense of cautious optimism building around Eden. Pre-season has habit of breeding false confidence – I should know – but Slavia seem to be heading in the right direction after an excellent end to last season. […]
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Jiří Štajner to inspire Mladá Boleslav
June 20, 2013
by Mark Smith
The Gambrinus foam has barely been wiped from Pavel Horvath’s mouth and yet I am pining for the new season to kick off. And without a major tournament vying for our attention this summer, although the Confederations Cup has been excellent so far, we have to feed off the transfer window for footballing nourishment. Thankfully […]
Posted in: Uncategorized
Goals at the Juliska
April 26, 2013
by Mark Smith
It’s Friday and the sun is shining – this can only mean one thing (well two things actually) – we are coming to the end of the season and Dukla Praha are playing at home. Dukla Praha v Sigma Olomouc Dukla welcome Sigma Olomouc to Prague this evening in rude health and in search of […]
Posted in: Uncategorized
Brazil 2014: Denmark to oust Czechs and Bulgaria
April 22, 2013
by Mark Smith
Michal Bilek may have kept his job last week as coach of the Czech Republic but the chances of his side, in my opinion, reaching the World Cup in 2014 look very remote indeed. Italy, you would expect, can start booking their accommodation in Brazil after a blistering start in Group B. The Italians sit in top spot […]
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Jablonec to bounce back against České Budějovice
April 16, 2013
by Mark Smith
So the dust has settled on the ‘S’ derby and the Sparta squad have enjoyed a trip to see the mayor and collect a giant key to the city for their efforts. It was a predictable result in all fairness as Sparta proved to be far too slick. On a positive note for Slavia fans it landed […]
Posted in: Uncategorized
Milan Baroš: Repairing his reputation
March 12, 2013
by Mark Smith
Milan Baroš scored his first goals since returning to the Czech Republic this weekend and in the process, whether he meant to or not, the ex Liverpool striker went someway into repairing his ailing reputation. The hat-trick, his first in Czech football, he notched in the 3-0 win over Hradec Králové was crowned by giving his […]
Posted in: Uncategorized
Laughing all the way to the Banik
March 9, 2013
by Mark Smith
There were 1-0 victories for two Prague sides last night. Dukla overcame Pribram 1-0 and Slavia finally managed to win away from home against Brno. Hurrah! Anyways, here are my thoughts on todays action. Banik Ostrava v Hradec Kralove – 3pm Ostrava have yet to win a game with Milan Baros back at the club, […]
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Dukla Praha look primed for home win
March 7, 2013
by Mark Smith
Last Friday saw both predictions come sailing in. KABOOM! Liberec and Jihlava finished 0-0 ensuring Under 2.5 goal backers collected with plenty to spare and David Lafata broke his league duck with Sparta scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over České Budějovice – Lafata was a juicy 4/1 to open the scoring. Very nice indeed. […]
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Liberec and Lafata to shine?
February 28, 2013
by Mark Smith
The Gambrinus Liga is back. Well it was back last week but somebody forgot to tell the strikers as goals were at a premium, that was, until the top two sides weighed in with a few. Hopefully round 18 can provide us with more entertainment and a few winners to boost the Svijany fund. Here […]
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Zdeněk Zeman: The 65 year-old Czech and AS Roma
November 2, 2012
by Mark Smith
They knew it was never going to be an easy ride, but the Giallorossi fans always knew it would be fun. We are only 10 games into the season but Zdeněk Zeman’s AS Roma were, yet again, on the wrong end of a five goal thriller – this time Parma inflicted the third 3-2 reverse […]
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The Lowdown on Olympique Lyonnais
September 20, 2012
by Mark Smith
Sparta Praha open their Europa League adventure with their toughest fixture of the group stage. An away trip to Lyon. The french outfit are regular Champions League participants, however, they will have to make do with the Europa League after finishing in just 4th position in Ligue 1 last season (and 18 points off champions […]
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Fresh Corruption Scandal Looms
September 18, 2012
by Mark Smith
Breaking news has surfaced today about the alleged match fixing and the handling of specific games in the Gambrinus Liga. Sparta chief, Daniel Křetínský, has met with the Czech FA President, Miroslav Pelta, and presented information that is sure to send reverberations around the footballing community in the Czech Republic. Just months after former health […]
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The Aftermath: Czech Republic 0-1 Finland
September 12, 2012
by Mark Smith
The Czech Republic were humiliated by a Finnish side ranked 96th in the world – 77 places lower than the Czechs. Sierra Leone, Libya, Haiti and Canada are all deemed significantly superior according to FIFA’s latest rankings. However, to gather some perspective, let’s remember England and Portugal are ranked third and fourth respectively. Galatasary defender, […]
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2014 World Cup Qualifier – Denmark vs Czech Republic
September 5, 2012
by Mark Smith
The Czech Republic begin their World Cup qualification campaign with a tricky opener in Denmark. The Dane’s impressive form in qualification games must be a concern for Michal Bílek. Denmark have won their two previous qualification groups, ousting Portugal on both occasions to qualify directly to the 2010 World Cup and this summer’s European Championship […]
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August 6, 2013
by Mark Smith
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