Wisła players remember Franciszek Smuda

There's no denying that Franciszek Smuda is an outstanding coach. He has made a name for himself in Polish football history, and will also be remembered for his time at R22, having coached the White Star team three times.

Franciszek Smuda is a colorful character, much loved in the world, not just in football. How does Kazimierz Kmiecik remember his colleague? "Franek wasn't just my boss, he was above all a friend. We worked together at Wisła, but even after he left, we stayed in touch. We met, we called each other. We talked a lot about football, life, but above all, football, because it was truly his whole life. He loved football with all his heart. Not so long ago, we saw each other for coffee. Even today, it's hard for me to think of Franek as someone who's already left us. Too soon, definitely too soon. He could have given so much more to football, to young players..." said the legendary sniper.

Tomasz Frankowski was a key link in Franciszek Smuda's career when Wisła won the Polish Championship after 21 years. "We played excellent football for those years. The coach had great charisma, kept the locker room tidy. He told the players that you had to pay attention to detail. If you have order around you, it's easier in training and on the pitch. Discipline was a must in Smuda's locker room, but he was a coach whose work brought results. Often, whatever he touched turned to gold," Frankowski said. "I think the image of Franciszek Smuda in the media was often inaccurate. They made jokes about him, exaggerated certain of his qualities. He was a decent man and very organized. A stickler! He would wash his car every two days. He was always neatly dressed and had another passion: his garden, which he took great care of," he said.

Paweł Brożek is another striker who had the opportunity to showcase his skills not only in Poland, thanks to Franciszek Smuda. "It was Coach Smuda who gave me my debut at Wisła Kraków. He was a coach who knew what he wanted. He used simple but effective methods, and he had great charisma and was well-liked in the locker room. The players respected him because it was not worth displeasing Smuda. He had clear rules, and if anyone didn't follow them, they had a problem. Although he also had his favorites, and sometimes he allowed them to do more... But they were also simply very good players, and they rewarded the coach with good play on the pitch," he recalled.

Maciej Żurawski clearly emphasizes how important Franciszek Smuda was to him: "The fact that I even came to Wisła was largely thanks to coach Franciszek Smuda, because he really wanted me and pushed hard to make the transfer happen. But it so happened that when I finally arrived at Wisła, there was no coach at the club, and I had to wait until his next term," he explained. "The coach was obedient. The training sessions were short, but very intense. I really liked that; I enjoyed those kinds of sessions. This later translated onto the pitch, because with good physical preparation, we were often able to outplay our opponents, and we had excellent players in the team. If he liked someone, he would sometimes turn a blind eye, but this also had his limits, which no one could cross with him. It also worked the other way around. If someone got on his nerves, he could later go to bat for them, and the coach always found something to criticize them for," he added.