Month: December 2019

First Division. Romanian football was defined by traditional rivalry between Steaua and Dinamo, only it reached new level in the 1980s. The talented new generation of players was still a bit dispersed, so at least one more club was enjoying good time at the moment – Sportul Studentesc. But the provincial clubs, so strong in the 1970s, were already pushed down: the championship was entirely Bucharest battle and nobody came close to the three leaders of the this championship.

Politehnica (Iasi) was last with 24 points.

A rather mysterious club was 17th with 26 points. FC Maramures (Baia Mare). The name was never clearly established – written alternatively Maramures or Baia Mare. The name changed during the years, but when it was Maramures and when Baia Mare? May be the name was not even important – the club was lowly and why anybody should care about the correct name of the relegated?

Jiul (Petrosani) finished 16th with 28 points – they were doomed to relegation, because of worse goal-difference.

SC Bacau was lucky to survive – 15th with 28 points. Chimia (Ramnicu Vilcea) was 14th with 29 points. FC Olt (Scornicesti) – 13th with 30 points.

FCM Brasov – 12th with 30 points.

Rapid (Bucharest) – 11th with 30 points.

FC Bihor (Oradea) – 10th with 31 points.

Politehnica (Timisoara) – 9th with 32 points.

Corvinul (Hunedoara) – 8th with 32 points.

FC Arges (Pitesti) – 7th with 32 points.

ASA (Targu Mures) – 6th with 33 points.

Gloria (Buzau) – 5th with 34 points. Wonderful season for insignificant club, but so far the Romanian league was pretty much equal and shuffling up and down largely with escaping relegation in mind.

Universitatea (Craiova) was different category – 4th with 39 points. Traditionally strong, but arguably the leader of Romanian football in the 1970s was going down. Not in crisis, but the center changed entirely to Bucharest.

Sportul Studentesc (Bucharest) was part of the shift of power back to Bucharest – 3rd with 48 points and sharing with Steaua the honor of scoring most goal this season – 71. Strong period, no doubt – they were fighting for the title, perhaps, entirely against the odds, for they had no powerful sponsors, but they had Gheorghe Hagi.

Dinamo (Bucharest) finished 2nd with 52 points. Bested Sportul Studentesc in the battle for the title, but lost to Steaua.

Steaua (Bucharest) won the title with 54 points. 23 wins, 8 ties, 3 losses, 71-24 goal-difference. By itself, nothing new about Steaua winning the championship. Even the rapid improvement of the team was not new – the new talented generation was already noticed and was concentrated in Dinamo and Steaua. Naturally, the best talent of the country was quickly snapped by these two clubs , thus, it was sure that Hagi would be the next target and the next clash between Dinamo and Steaua. However, Steaua started its rebuilding a bit later than Dinamo and already had the key players of the great young generation. It was more promising team and may be that was decisive – Hagi moved to Steaua. And soon this wonderful team will concur the world: powerful sponsors or not, the class of this team was most important in footballing terms.

Romania. If Yugoslavian football was going through a period of decline, the Romanian one enjoyed a period of strong revival, thanks to wonderful generation of players. At club level, it almost reached its peak – the very best in the history of Romanian football. True, there was heavy state involvement, which Ceausescu’s son directly running Steaua as his own club and taking the upper hand over rivals of Ministry of Internal Affairs, but state meddling could not do much if talented players and coaches do not exist. Romania was blessed with incredible talent at the moment and it was young talent: consider this – Hagi was not even playing for Steaua yet; Jenei was still young and yet unknown coach and his assistant was even younger Iordanescu. Some great players were still unheard of – Belodedici, for example.

Second Division. Three groups, their winners promoted, as usual. But this season was significant in the light of the tricky and long-lasting battle between Army and Police. Apart from that, nothing really new: each group had dominant leader without a rival.

Serie I.

Otelul (Galati) finished 3rd with 38 points. Expected to battle for the promotional spot, but did not. City rivals Dunarea CSU (Galati) was much stronger – 2nd with 48 points – but even they were not much of a challenge to the leaders.

FC Petrolul (Ploesti) easily won the championship: 24 wins, 6 ties, 6 losses, 67-23, 54 points. Superior all the way and happily returning to First Division.

Serie II. Here was the interesting occurrence suggested at the beginning.

Most participants hardly ever aimed for a place above second level. Here is an example of the typical: Flacara (Moreni). 13th with 33 points. Normally, former first division members were on top of the table, trying to return back to the top league.

Clubs like CS Targoviste, but it was not their year – they finished 5th with 35 points. True, they had 3 points deducted for some infringement, but even with full record this squad was not going to be more than 3rd. A distant 3rd – the winners finished 10 points ahead of the 2nd placed Siomii (Sibiu).

And what winners! This is most likely a photo of them – because of the name. Dinamo Victoria (Bucharest) had its strongest season since foundation and won the league after 18 wins, 12 ties, 4 losses, 69-41, and 48 points. Their victory made immediate problem and what a quandary it was: this was a semi-club, founded in 1971 – it was the second team of Dinamo (Bucharest). Thus, promotion should have be prohibited… but Dinamo was the club not just of the Police, but of the all-powerful Secret Police. As far as I can tell, Dinamo was the only club having a second team playing in Second Division ever and very likely there were no clear rules about promotion of such type of teams. Opposing the Secret Police was not easy, but some kind of opposition was seemingly voiced, most likely coming from Steaua, belonging to the Army and at that time personally led by Nicolae Ceausescu’s son. Dinamo Victoria was promoted nevertheless, but the name was changed to Victoria and the club was separated from Dinamo, becoming independent entity. This was most likely done only in jest, because as soon as Ceausescu was toppled in 1989, Victoria was disbanded: ‘for violation of the laws and sports rules’. That, because the club was never separated from the Police and was subservient to mother-club Dinamo. Even Ceausescu’s son was unable to change that. For the present moment – the end of the 1984-85 season – the fact was simple: Dinamo Victoria was promoted. Very few enjoyed that.

Serie III. The same as the other groups, as far as the season went.

Aurul (Brad) had strong season and finished 4th, but promotion was not even a dream for them – former top league members were above them: CSM Resita, 3rd, and Gloria (Bistrita), 2nd. Neither provided strong challenge to the leaders – Gloria ended with 42 points. That was 8 points less than the winner’s record.

Universitatea (Cluj-Napoca) dominated the championship, finishing with 20 wins, 10 ties, 4 losses, 68-23, and 50 points. Like the winners of Serie I, FC Petrolul, they were just returning to top flight after some regretful exile.

The Cup final opposed Crvena zvezda to Dinamo. Naturally, a great clash: the rivalry between Serbians and Croatians, between Belgrade and Zagreb, spiced by additional desire to win a trophy when the title was clearly out of their reach. May be not great football, but it was tense and highly contested final. It ended without a winner: 1-1. In the replay Crvena zvezda extracted 2-1 victory. Dinamo lost.

Given the gravity of the final, what kind of squads the rivals had is unimportant. Yet, Dinamo was a bit weaker team and perhaps that mattered at the end. Top row from left: Kobescak, Mlinaric, Arslanovic, Dzeko, Arnautovic, Juric, Lulic, Susak

Middle row: Cupan, Maric, Rumora, Istvanic, Cerin, Dragan Bosnjak, Stojic, Cvjetkovic

Sitting: Branko Bosnjak, Munjakovic, Petrovic, Ivic – coach, Bogdan, Borislav Cvetkovic, Zvezdan Cvetkovic.

Ivic did what he could with the squad as it was, but apart from Mlinaric and Maric nobody else was at his prime – the Cvetkovic brothers and Dzeko were too young, others seemingly reached the limits of their potential and could go no further. Tiny loss, by single goal, but a loss.

Crvena zvezda clinched the victory and won its 11th Cup. If anything, the season was saved and it was firmly established that the 1970s, when Crvena zvezda was practically unable to win the Cup, were not going to be repeated – this was already the 2nd Cup Crvena zvezda won in the 80s. As for the squad, it was great that the boys could win, but it was largely due to willpower. True, the leading players of Crvena zvezda were more than those of Dinamo and slightly better too, but talented recruits were badly needed.