Problém Zbrojovky - How a decade of malaise is finally coming to a head in Brno

 Problém Zbrojovky - How a decade of malaise is finally coming to a head in Brno

Football is crap isn’t it? Some of you may have read my blog last week celebrating my lack of goalless draws so far this season. It’s only natural that it would end with the very next fixture.

It’s not often that both my beloved Stevenage and Zbrojovka draw blanks and keep clean sheets on the same day, but both Fleetwood and Tábor managed to earn what they would probably see as solid points on the road. That said, Tábor will feel a little hard done by, with Viktoria Plzen’s loanee goalkeeper Dominik Sváček and some excellent last ditch defending at times keeping them at bay.

In truth, they were the better side, and it was clear as to why they find themselves just above Zbrojovka in the league standings. That said, given the difference in resources between the two clubs, it was indicative of a decade-long malaise in the heart of South Moravia which shows little sign of ending if Václav Bartoněk continues in his refusal to sell the club.

A decade of turbulence: What the hell is going on at Zbrojovka Brno?

First we must go back to 2013, when Mr Bartoněk took over, having made his wealth via transport construction during Czechoslovakia’s communist period. By all accounts, there was a degree of optimism at his arrival, with plans to construct a new stadium behind Lužánky; Zbrojovka’s spiritual home since being kicked out in 2001.

Plans have stalled on that front for countless reasons, with renovations and improvements of Srbská taking place in lieu of this lack of movement on Lužánky. There are talks of a new stadium, but with Zbrojovka, it’s always a case of seeing in order to truly believe.

As well as the stadium fiasco, however, the club has endured a torrid and turbulent decade, which actually seemed to start reasonably well, following a 9th placed finish in the First League and a Czech Cup semi in 2014. The club peaked in 2016 during this decade with a 6th placed finish. By all accounts, Zbrojovka were heading in the right direction.

Then came a forgettable and lamentable 2017-18 season, in which Zbrojovka finished bottom with a paltry 24 points from 30 games. An embarrassing but not unthinkable relegation - after all, Zbrojovka had been in this position once before in 2011. Funnily enough their record was almost identical for both seasons. 

In 2012, they bounced back at the first time of asking, albeit due to factors beyond their control - namely the inability of leaders Ústí nad Labem’s inability to possess a stadium that could meet First League standards. Baník Sokolov were denied promotion in third for the same reason, so despite finishing 4th, Zbrojovka were back.

They would be back again after the 2018 relegation, though within two seasons on this occasion, despite a third placed finish in 2019. Of course 2021 would see them down once again, before returning the following season, then dropping again into the Second League, where they now find themselves. Only this time, they’re truly languishing despite the obvious resource advantage. And it would be fair to say Bartoněk is a huge reason for this.

“My už toho máme dost!”

The rough translation of the above into English is “We’ve had enough!”, and with recent events in the saga, it’s understandable why one fan would yell those words toward the VIP section of Saturday’s game against Tábor.

Things really came to a head off the pitch, with the hardcore fans walking out around the sixty minute mark in order to storm the other side of the stadium, particularly the aforementioned VIP section. It wasn’t unprecedented, and there have probably been more dramatic scenes in Czech football over the years, but it’s clear - Bartoněk’s position is untenable at this point.

So what’s been happening recently? Well, allegedly a deal that was in place between Bartoněk and the prospective new owner Pavel Svoreň has been placed in jeopardy, with reports suggesting an unwillingness to even answer the phone from Bartoněk’s side. Just when all seemed to be looking brighter, with numerous mid-season signings of considerable pedigree for the Czech second-tier, the plug gets pulled once again, and darkness once again appears to reign supreme in the second city.

The anger is understandable, with the cries of ‘Bartoněk ven’ (Bartoněk out) completely justified, as well as the funeral procession from the ultras toward the ground, with a banner reading “Bartoněk hrobař Zbrojovky“ (‘Bartoněk; Zbrojovka’s undertaker).

Given the heaps of players that have gone onto better things from Zbrojovka deemed surplus to requirements at the time, the anger is understandable. The likes of Ipswich Town goalkeeper Václav Hladký who was sold to Slovan Liberec for £200k. Ladislav Krejčí to Sparta Prague for just £300k. 

As the Zbrojovka Gentleman Ultras group chat regularly mentions, too often, players have left and gone onto better things, with Zbrojovka rarely cashing in as fully as they could have done. Mismanagement seems to linger throughout the club, and even having only been following the club for the best part of two years is long enough to see that.

In any case, the club is in some deep, deep hovno right now. I’ll let you guess that translation.

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