Groundhopping24

  Let's rewind to 1st May 2024, and not just because it was my last day as a 28 year old on God's sweet Earth. No, in fact we must head east to Kosice, where Ruzomberok and Spartak Trnava will fight for the 2024 Slovak Cup. For Ružomberok, it was the chance to end an eighteen year wait for a Cup, whereas for Trnava, it was a chance to hold onto the trophy they'd beaten fierce rivals Slovan Bratislava to in the final for the last two seasons. Ružomberok did come close in 2020, with an Alen Ozbolt penalty stopping them from getting their hands on the trophy, instead giving it to Slovan Bratislava. But perhaps in 2024, things would finally be different for Ružomberok, who were relative underdogs in terms of league position and standing, as well as other factors like town and club size. The only top flight side they'd seen off en route to the final was DAC Dunajska Streda, whereas Spartak needed to see of Košice, Michalovce, and Podbrezova.  That said, Ružombero...

 When taking a cursory glance at Slovan Liberec's Wikipedia page, one thing stands out in particular - since the formation of the Czech League as a result of Czechoslovakia's dissolution in 1993-94, Slovan Liberec have spent 31 seasons consistently in the top flight. Included within this timeframe are also three title wins and two cup successes, as well as many a European night since the turn of the millennium. Only Sparta and Slavia can boast similar top flight longevity as far as Czech football goes. But who exactly are Slovan Liberec, and why should anyone care at this point? After all, the team has been solidly mid-table since 2016, with only a 5th place finish in 2020 granting them their most recent European endeavour. Sadly it was the year of the pandemic, meaning fans couldn't enjoy their last foray into the Europa League, in which they saw off Riterai of Lithuania, FCSB of Romania and APOEL of Cyprus en route to the group stage.  They crashed out on seven points, wi...

 When it comes to third tier Czech side Znojmo, there are questons that need to be addressed. In many ways, the main question I would want to ask is: are Znojmo a rare positive example of multinationalism in Czech football, or are they an absolute basket case of a club? The short Football Cliches approved answer is - it's a bit of both. You only have to look at their squad list on TransferMarkt, as well as the fact they're managed by a Portuguese man named Rui Amorim (no relation to United's current head honcho). The rest of their squad is littered with Lusophone players from the likes of Cabo Verde, Portugal, Brazil, even Guinea-Bissau. A glance at their squad list will show you flags of Finland, Cameroon, Senegal, USA, Ivory Coast, France, and a host of others. They even have an array of dual nationality players - possibly the only Portuguese-Moldovan player in world football, as well as a Finnish-Moroccan and an Italian-Ivorian. Frankly the assortment of flag...