The performances of Baník Ostrava are on a swing this league season. The scenario repeats itself: a win away and a draw or loss at home. The performances and especially the results of the Ostrava team at the home stadium were so desperate that the club’s management resorted to an exceptional marketing campaign “for every goal scored during the match, three crowns from the price of another glass of beer down”. And so, while at the beginning of the match with Teplice, a 0.5 l glass of beer was said to cost 49 CZK, at the end of the match, after four goals in the away net, it was only 37 CZK. And that was one more Baník goal disallowed for offside after the intervention of VAR. Anyway, the 4:1 win was an extraordinary event after many months. Moreover, after a performance that was “watchable”.
Even if supporting an increase in alcohol consumption among spectators is not exactly an exemplary way, the Baník audience must have liked this extraordinary marketing event. It is exceptionally understandable. After all, Baník did not win in the league at its own stadium for more than half a year.
It must be appreciated that the management of Baník is trying. The second marketing event of the day it was “children under 15 free”. She is definitely to be commended! Almost ten thousand spectators enjoyed such a big win for the home team. Including fathers with children. So maybe dads didn’t go too far with the consumption of cheap beer. And if perhaps some did, the children led them home.
The excellent attendance of almost 10,000 spectators at the unpopular Vítkovice stadium “just” in Teplice once again showed that fans are hungry for league football in Ostrava. And if Baník plays well at home and wins, most of his matches will certainly be sold out.
After the 26th round, Baník is in 4th place in the table with 40 points. Although he has an abysmal loss of 14 points to the third Plzeň, he is already practically certain of the top six and has a one-point lead over his closest pursuers, Slovácko and Mlada Boleslav. It’s quite possibly a rarity. Although Baník has not won at home since September, it has improved in the table and is realistically fighting for 4th place, which ensures participation in the preliminary round of the Conference League.
The miner is “helped” by rivals. Slovakia has a very bad spring. In the last five league matches, they got only 4 points, which is a really sad record for European Cup contenders. It corresponds more to a team that is playing for salvation. Mladá Boleslav again had a bad end to the autumn part, after which they changed their coach. But she scored 11 points in the last five games. At the moment, Baník seems to be a stronger opponent in the fight for fourth place than the somewhat “sniffy” Slovácko.
The miner goes to Jablonec in the next round. In outdoor stadiums, they are among the best teams in the league. He is in 4th place in the running table “Venku”, having scored 22 points from 13 matches. Only Slavia, Sparta and Pilsen are better off. Subsequently, he has Karvinou at home in the “derby”. If he wants to think about 4th place and European cups, this is clearly a must-win. But Baník is in 10th place in the “Home” table with 18 points from 13 games. And before the match with Teplice, he was even worse.
In the penultimate round, Ostrava travel to Letná in Prague, where they have nothing to lose against Sparta. They can only surprise the favorite. Baník plays the last round at the Vítkovice stadium against Slovan Liberec. That is, the team that is currently in 7th place.
Then comes the superstructure. The miner can “shuffle cards” against the favorites. But it will mainly depend on the results with teams “of their level”, which will fight for 4th-6th place. place. In any case, the 4th line is currently realistic for Baník. With that, participation in the preliminary round of the European Cup. And that would be a really big event years later.
Baník last played in Europe in the second and third preliminary rounds of the Europa League in the 2010/11 season. Nothing since then! A club with a long tradition, which once played European cups regularly and has also reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup against Bayern Munich (1980/81), the semi-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup against Fortuna Düsseldorf (1978/79) and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup (1974 /75) with Borussia Mönchengladbach, it’s a long fast. He would definitely like to end it already. Excited fans would certainly welcome it and support the team in Europe.
Will Pavel Hapal remain the coach of Baník, even if he leads the team to 4th place in the season and to the preliminary round of the European Cup?
Or will the owner of Baník, Václav Brabec, still be dismissed, as has been rumored for a long time and is more or less expected?
It is a question whether the owner himself knows this now. Maybe he’s waiting to see what the games will look like in the rest of the season. And not only in terms of results, but also in terms of gameplay. Or is it already clear?
In recent days, there was talk of the courtship of the Ostrava bosses with Radoslav Kováč, who should leave Pardubice after the season. However, Slovan Liberec is also reportedly interested in Kováč, who took over the new owner Ondřej Kania and, as expected, immediately appointed Jan Nezmar, who previously worked as a player and manager in Liberec, as the club’s boss. Then he “went on orange” in Slavia… He is now returning to Czech professional football after a longer break. The continuation of coach Luboš Kozlo in Slovan is not expected…
However, in connection with Baník, there has been talk for a long time about Martin Svědík, the current coach of Slovácko. He was already in Baník once and was fired, even though the team was doing well in terms of results. Much like now, actually. But that was in the era before the current owner Václav Brabec.
Just a few days ago, it seemed that Pavel Hapal did not bring the necessary energy and vision. There was still no clear handwriting on the team, what he actually wanted to play with. Hapal seemed a bit clueless at times. He did not react to the development of the match with a suitable substitution. His media comments after matches were sometimes strange.
Miner finally won at home. In addition, a significant difference after a good performance that endured a stricter benchmark. Even if it was “only” with Teplice. He finally pleased his fans at the Vítkovice stadium. Captured the Flyer. Especially Ewerton, Tank, Rusnák and Boul did well. Pavel Hapal also contributed to this, when he made several changes that worked for him. Perhaps the coach from Ostrava felt that he had nothing left to lose.
Maybe in the end Pavel Hapal will get the confidence for the next season as well. Not long ago, few would have bet on it. However, if the team under Hapal managed to get fourth place, and in addition, at the end of the season, “you could watch Baník’s matches” in home matches as well, and win them, it could easily happen.
In such a situation, it is difficult for the coach to appeal. Although we also know that from the past. Some owners or heads of clubs, such as Daniel Křetínský or Adolf Šádek, were once able to dismiss the coach of a team that even led the league. If Hapal leads the team to the top of the cup, it will in any case be problematic and risky for the fans and the general public to replace him with another coach from the team who will end up with his current club behind him (Svědík from Slovácko) or a coach who “only” works with the team in the league “he saved (Kováčem from Pardubice).
Of course, the current (una)availability of other coach-candidates can also have an impact on Hapal’s situation. Baník has replaced several coaches in short succession in recent years. Petržela, Kučera, Pánik, Kozel, Smetana, Galásek and Vrba were already active in the club during Brabc’s era. Although there are many holders of a professional coaching license, other real candidates, outstanding personalities, for the coaching position in Ostrava’s Baník are probably not currently available.
Who else could come if the club wanted to replace Hapal and did not agree with either of Kováč and Svědík?
It remains to be surprised what the next months will bring. How will Baník’s management solve it. Pavel Hapal and his team can make it easier and harder for him with their performances.
Another source: Livesport statistics
