This one is easy as only two countries are crazy enough to give our coaches chance to succeed in football. The first one is obviously Poland and second is United States. Maybe the distance between Europe and North America is long enough to forget about how poor results are Polish coaches achieving in last decade. It must be something else though, as Warzycha and Nowak are both in the USA long enough to make people forget about theirs Polish citizenship.
5th place – Jacek Zieliński (ex-Lech Poznań, currently unemployed, 22.03.1961)
He deserves to be in top five for winning Polish championship although with lots of luck and help from the opposition but it’s was still great achievement for him and his ex-club in last season. This year however, he lost it completely and that’s why he is so low in the rank. No qualification to Champions League and poor performances against Sparta Prague and Inter Baku, lucky escape from Europa League elimination with awful run in Polish league resulted in sacking him. But he will be back, stronger.
4th place, ex aqueo – Robert Warzycha (Columbus Crew, USA, 20.08.1963) and Piotr Nowak (Philadelphia Union, USA, 05.07.1964)
Both deserve to be here despite that they are still pretty unknown for their coaching qualities here in Poland. I believe that Nowak must be good and turn his team into something better that 14th side in MLS but he needs time and will be given it, while Warzycha did good job during first round of the season and his team was eliminated in KO phase. They are very respected there and it must be mentioned as very few of Polish coaches got to the point where people talk good about their job and talents.
3rd place – Tomasz Kafarski (Lechia Gdańsk, Poland, 13.01.1975)
Where the hell they got him from? – many of us thought when he was appointed Lechia’s manager succeeding unsuccessful Jacek Zieliński (the other one, not that one from 5th place). But he kept Lechia in Ekstraklasa, worked hard and it is paying off, although even members of the club board agree that there were dark clouds over his head at times. But this season, Lechia is proving to be one of better sides, playing some sensational stuff at times and one of braver teams in terms of tactics. He manage to select really good group of people, ambitious and there are good times ahead for Lechia fans – hopefully with him as clubs coach.
2nd place – Marcin Sasal (Korona Kielce, Poland, 22.12.1970)
I suppose that he is a hard man to live and work with – demanding a lot, expecting even more, always looking for progress, searching for negatives rather than smiling about positives… wait, is it all that bad? Not at all and that’s why he is one of more promising managers in Poland. Qualities and money are limited in Kielce but he is doing more than fine with what he’s got and Korona’s position after first round is proving that, despite poor run in last two months. Should get his chance in bigger club or make miracles at Kielce. Either it’s goot for Polish football.
1st place – Michał Probierz (Jagiellonia Białystok, Poland, 24.09.1972)
Fantastic year for him. Won Polish Cup and survived in the league with Jagiellonia despite ten points deducted at the start of last season and now they are leading in the table. He may not be always right about players and he got fairly few transfers wrong but after some proper selection over the summer his side is now unstoppable at home and very strong away, playing attracting and modern football. Actually, I think that his team is the closest one to the Europe sides in terms of tactics and other on-pitch details. The credit must go to the players as well but Probierz is the man behind current and future success of Jagiellonia. Good that he says he is too young to get national team!
Worth mention: Franciszek Smuda (Well… he is still in the job, isn’t he?), Maciej Skorża (Had very hard task to cope with disillusioned squad he took in Legia and after huge transfer activity had problems and was close to losing the job but got over it and now they are third in the table) and Adam Nawałka (He may not be a fovirte coach of Wisła Kraków fans but his work during this year with Górnik Zabrze must deserve at least a mention. After hard situation in last winter he got his side promoted and now they sit comfortably in the middle of the table).
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