legendary coach Widzewa Łódź, erstwhile coach of the Polish team, and respective another Polish and abroad clubs.
King of Widzew fans
He was the most titled coach in Widzew Łódź history. He led the squad to the 2 Polish Championships, Superbuchar and promotion to the Champions League, and the fans crowned him as their king.
He came to Widzew to train the squad 5 times, and 4 left the Club. He was the only coach to win 2 Polish Championships with Widzewaki and twice defeated Legia at her stadium in the matches determining these titles. No wonder RTS fans gave him the crown of the King of Fans.
Legend has it that future King Francis Smuda was in Germany at the beginning of May 1995 to receive a call from Andrzej Grażewski at night, then 1 of the co-owners of Widzew, and to hear that if he comes next day morning before 10 a.m. in training, he will receive the position of coach of the first team. Smuda got into the car, reached Łódź and took over the squad after coach Władysław Stachurski.
Widzew's debut on the bench was unsuccessful due to the fact that he lost 0:1 in Poznań to Lech. I think a fewer fans would believe that a year later in the same stadium with the same rival Widzewia under Franz Smuda in a 1:1 draw will seal the 3rd in the past of the Polish Championship club.
Not much, this premiere match in May 1995 Smuda began an adventure with Widzew, which lasted, with shorter and longer breaks, for 23 years! During the first he led a squad of red-and-white-red in 138 consecutive authoritative matches of Extraclass, Cup and Polish Superpuchars and European Cups.
This first stay of Sadness in Widzew was the longest, best and abounded in any of the top successes in the past of the Club and memorable matches that will stay forever in the memory of fans. The first was the 1 played in May 1996 at Legion Stadium, where the visionaries had lost 0:2 a year earlier and watched the legionaries feet the national championship. They had second place, but a year later the card turned around. It was Francis Smuda who had more football aces in the waist and after the goals of Mark Koniark and Piotr Szarpak who enjoyed the title.
– This was our “game of life”. erstwhile individual shoots Widzew, he'll be exposed to a lion. In my boys, there's extra ambition, a will to fight. Then they do their best and they win,” Smud said. His boys, as he called their footballers, confirmed this in subsequent crucial meetings erstwhile under incredible circumstances they won promotion to the Champions League at Broendby Danish Stadium or later in league games with Legia.
A gathering of June 1997 passed to the past of the Polish ball, erstwhile the legionaries led 2-0 with Widzew and tried on their heads master crowns removed from the heads of Widzewaks. King Francis, however, refused to quit his own and again outsmarted rivals along with his footballers. Sławomir Majak, Dariusz Gęsior and Andrzej Michalczuk scored after the goal within 5 minutes and was swept.
A year later, Smuda said goodbye to Widzew, but not forever. He returned unexpectedly 4 years later, in the summertime of 2002, erstwhile he abruptly took over the squad from Dariusz Wdowczyk, who had previously successfully led the squad in the spring circular and prepared it for the following period at the group in Slovenia. However, as in the times of the Club's owners in the people of Andrzej Grażewski and Andrzej Pawelc frequently the situation changed by 180 degrees from day to day.
This time, Smuda didn't work long either. He left the Club in the mediate of the season, but was promoted with Widzew to the semi-finals of the Polish Cup and again to service any dramatic matches specified as winning 3:2 with Polonia Warszawa or tie 2:2 with Lech. – I came besides late, met the band and noticed that this is not what everyone expects. erstwhile I first went to Widzew, I besides made a selection. With 12 players I broke up in six months – said Smuda in a conversation for the magazine “Widzewiak” in March 2003 already as a erstwhile Widzew coach.
Meanwhile, a period later... again became a coach of the club's first squad from Al. Piłsudski, and in the function of a “streak” extinguished the fire, which in part caused itself. He maintained Widzew in the Extraclass and according to the slogan "Frank Smuda does miracles" he performed specified miracles. erstwhile 1 of the journalists asked him why, abruptly after his return, Darci Monteiro recovered, the trainer replied, "Yes, due to the fact that I brought holy water with me. I put him down and he recovered. All Franz, you'd like to say...
In the summertime of 2003, Sadness in Widzew was no longer present, but in the spring of the following year he accepted for the 4th time an offer from the Club, to which he could return and 10 times. This time, however, luck left King Francis, but even to him it was hard for another miracle in 2004, erstwhile Widzew finished his earlier adventure in Extraclass.
Widzew fell from the top-class gameplay, and Francis Smuda disappeared from the Łódź team's locker area for a long thirteen years. He again appeared in the summertime of 2017, erstwhile he took over the band rather unexpectedly after the erstwhile start of the fresh season. The 3rd league Widzew then played well, but the closer to the end of the game, the little chemistry between the coach and the team. Therefore, before the last round, the Club divided up with Smuda and it was Radosław Mroczkowski who introduced the visionaries to the second league after a memorable match won 3:2 against Sokol in Ostróda.
This ended the adventures of King Francis with Widzew. There were large moments, there were large successes, there were comic moments, but there were any controversial and sad moments. any footballers, due to dense training, called Smuda jokingly "the king of intervals", but for Widzew's fans he would alternatively stay the king of squad successes from the 1990s. For years it was reminded by the large inscription “The Red Army of Franciszek Smuda” painted by fans Widzew at Konstantynowska Street. That's the kind of writing you deserve.
Francis Smuda died at the age of 76. He will always be king of Widzew fans.
for: https://widzew.com/updates/item/Krol-kibicow-Widzew-Lodz/
