Second Division. Apart from the punishment of Shumen and Pirin (Gotze Delchev), the second level perhaps suffered less than the other divisions the changes ordered by the Communist Party. As it happened, there were no clubs with suspect names at the moment, so nobody was renamed. The reduction of the league after Shumen and Pirin were expelled was perhaps more positive than negative, for 22 teams was still too many for relatively competitive championship and breeding opportunities for match-fixing. So, 20 teams now – still too many, but better than 22. Two were going to be relegated this year instead of 4, which was not good really. The recent structural reforms of the Second Division greatly reduced the number of former top league members: now they were 8 – 10 such teams were in Third Division this season, trying to climb back at least to second level. Was Second Division somewhat stronger than before is doubtful – a look at the final table tells that more than half the league really tried to avoid relegation, a battle between fairly equal teams, none strong. Even the usual ‘comfort’ zone, occupied by ‘eternal’ members, was more in danger of going down than usual. Four team – more or less – fought for top positions, all former First Division members, but two of them were just promoted from Third Division. None was really impressive and at least one of final winners was caught by surprise from its own success. Everthing was ‘normal’ this season, but years later some former players spoke of bribes – and top teams were mentioned. Depending on who was speaking… the truth will never be known. What is known, however, is that reforms or no reforms, there was no really strong team. Even the champions.
Lokomotiv (Rousse) finished last with 29 points. Crouching from left: Bobby Stoyanov, Illian Minchev, Evgeny Ignatov, Tayfun Mehmedov, Sasho Todorov, Blagovest Georgiev, Roumen Monev.
Middle row: Pavel Malinov – assistant coach, Toma Filipov, Stanislav Pashev, Kosta Avramov, Iliya Yankov, Krassimir Kolev, Petko Tzirkov, Todor Todorov – coach.
Top row: masseur, Kolyo Chizmarov, Plamen Petkov, Tzonyo Kyuranov- administrator, Plamen Dobchev, Stoyan Pumpalov, team doctor.
Weaker than the rest and no surprise: football was ailing in Rousse during the 1980s. Normally, both city clubs were feeding each other – new talent moving from Lokomotiv to Dunav and experienced veterans taking the opposite way. But now… Dunav was weak and so Lokomotiv as well. Both teams were relegated this season – Dunav from top flight and Lokomotiv from second level. From this squad only Stoyan Pumpalov eventually made a name for himself, but with another club from another city.
Dorostol (Silistra) ended 19th with 33 points and was the second rekegated team. One of the longest members of Second Division was a bit unfortunate, for they were relegated on goal-difference, but that was the new reality: for years they kept mediocre, but secure existence. However, the Second Division was reduced by half recently… and Dorostol apparently did not take care or was unable to take care for the reality in a smaller league.
Rilski sportist (Samokov) escaped relegation – 18th with 33 points, but they lost 3 points on scoreless ties. They were just promoted, so the finish was fine, but that was also part of the new reality for clubs like Dorostol: Rilski spotist belonged to small town, but a town close to Sofia. They were quite likely to get players from Sofia unlike far away Dorostol. True, Silistra was a district capital, but playing for Rilski sportist did not mean living in Samokov – one could easily live in Sofia and commute for training and games. The end result was that Dorostol had it tough to compete with small Rilski sportist.
Haskovo (Haskovo) barely escaped relegation: 17th with 34 points. They lost 2 points on scoreless ties, but the season was terrible – only recently they played First Division football and now were almost relegated to third level. Locally, club policy was blamed – coaches from outside were hired way too often and when the team earned promotion such coaches brought veterans from Sofia. Once the team went down all outsiders disappeared, leaving the club in worse shape than it shoud have been, Yet, the practice was not changed – Vassil Metodiev was hired to coach them the next season. A great coach, but often punished… lastly, expelled from coaching for he was the coach of Levski in the scandalous Cup final with CSKA in 1985. With him various plyers arrived from Sofia and Plovdiv – players no longer needed by their original clubs. To loacl eyes, club Haskovo was determined to repeat the same mistake forever.
Dobrudzha (Tolbukhin – today Dobrich). 16th with 34 points. Lost 1 point on scoreless tie, but pretty much in situation similar to their neigbours Dorostol: secure second-level existence was shaken by the reduction of the division. At least they survived.
Chirpan (Chirpan) – 15th with 35 points. No scoreless ties, so they got all possible points and survived. Nothing special, of course, and no way to be something special, for they represented small town.
Spartak (Plovdiv) – 14th with 35 points. Like Chirpan, they had no scoreless tie. Once upon a time Bulgarian champions, but can’t blame them for current mediocrity – Spartak was forcefully merged with Botev in the second half of the 1960s to form Trakia. But Botev – and the Army – took the upper hand and Trakia was effectively Botev in everybody’s mind. Spartak disappeared.. and was revamped only recently, starting from the bottom of the football pyramid. This was their only 2nd secon in Second Division after restoration and they were still new, shaky, mostly trying to survive and build a team. Survival was the prime concern.
Arda (Kradzali) – 13th with 35 points. Like Dorostol and Dobrudzha, they played second division football for years, a typical mid-table club. Now they had to fight for survival.
Septemvriyska slava (Mikhailovgrad – today Montana) – same as Arda, Dobridzha… hence, 12th with 35 points.
Rozova dolina (Kazanlik) – 11th with 36 points.
Vihren (Sandaski) – 10th with 36 points.
Balkan (Botevgrad) – 9th with 36 points.
Osam (Lovech) – 8th with 37 points. Well… just ever. Mid-table and no more? May be less, for like pretty much all traditional mid-table clubs, they were now closer to relegation and no longer secure. All depended on ability to get some well-known veterans – if you do, survival was possible. If you don’t… third level. Osam was able – former national team goalkeeper Stefan Staykov, for example. And a great future star was at hand – Petar Houbchev, still unknown, but already with over 100 second-division games. Osam apparently was coping with the new second division reality and going down was unlikely. But so was unlikely going up.
Ludogoretz (Razgrad) – 7th with 38 points. Oh, this was not the well known name playing regularly in the group phase of the European tournaments and collecting Bulgarian titles of today – back than it was small club quite happy to play in Second Division, which was not granted at all. Thus, this season was rather strong and successful for them. Especially because they had rather anonymous squad even for second division team.
Svetkavitza (Targovishte) – 6th with 38 points. Same as ever… no bite for climbing higher and no ambitions eather. Only… relegation zone was closer now than it used to be.
Neftokhimik (Bourgas) – 5th with 40 points. Strong in recent years, but aiming higher was so far impossible – as second team in Bourgas, they somewaht depended on the whims of Chernomoretz.
Minyor (Pernik) – 4th with 41 points. Freshly relegated and failing to climb back. Sitting from left: Krastev, Ivo Slavchev, Boyanov, St. Vladimirov. R. Andonov, B. Nikolov, M. Valkov.
Middle row: D. Kontev – coach, G. Aleksiev, Borissov, B. Savov, A. Genadiev, V. Metodiev, Em. Serafimov, G. Grigorov. Lazarov, Evl. Banchev – assistant coach.
Third row: Rangelov – doctor, Iv. Paliyski, Ivo Simov, Stoyanov, Mitov, St. Mantarkov, Kr. Ilkov, Chr. Trifonov – masseur.
Hard to tell why Minyor was failing year after year – one possible reason was their close proximity to Sofia. Often players came from there – and they did not have Minyor on their mind, but to go back to Sofia. Local talent was also hoping to play in Sofia. With such hopes and priorities, motivation was low and distractions too many.
Lokomotiv (Gorna Oryahovitza) – 3rd with 44 points. Great season – they just came back from exile in Third Division. Perhaps the most promising team this season – coached by ambitious Dobromir Zhechev, they were a team with some vision for the future. Building process started and was going well. They were not ready yet to push for promotion, but seemingly they were going to be a force. First Division was coming into focus and a dream to return to it – where they played briefly in the arly 1960s – was forming.
Dimitrovgrad (Dimitrovgrad) – 2nd with 47 points. They won most games this season – 22. Promoted, of course, and it was fantastic, for theirs was real Cinderella story. Like Lokomotiv (Gorna Oryahovitza), they played briefly top-league football once upon a time, but were mostly associated with Second Division. Recently relegated, though, and just coming back. Unlike Lokomotiv (GO), they had modest squad and even they did not expect to do more than reestablishing themselves in the league. But they well, collected point after point, eventually finding themselves at the top. Promotion, however, was a surprise more to them than to anybody else – now it was realised that they had no team for the top division and probably would be even unable to patch something. What happened after the success was comic – looking for and trying to lure players on the beaches, where they were taking vacation. The former Slavia and national team defender Ivan Illiev was their greatest name and he was over 30 now, doing a favour for the club more than anything. Great success, but hardly ever there was a team so unprepared for playing in First Division. Instead of happiness, promotion created worries and uneasiness, almost a panic.
Chernomoretz (Bourgas) won the championship with 48 points from 21 wins, 7 ties, 10 losses, 81-42 goal-difference. Just relegated from First Division, they managed to keep pretty much their top-league squad and clearly were the strongest team in second division. But.., and it was rather big ‘but’. This was a squad which somewhat stopped developing without reaching its potential – mostly players coming from the club’s youth system, praised for their talent 5-6 years ago, selected for various junior national teams, expected to become real stars. With years going one after another the talented hopefuls were only getting older and their experience eventually led them to arrogance – which was more or less present this season: obviously the best team, they did not dominate the league, but came barely ahead of extremely modest Dimitrovgrad squad. No wonder they were relegated in the first place… looked like they don’t play seriously enough and had no ambitions. Talent was good enoug to win Second Division, but it was more than doubtful they will excell back in First Division. A sad story, really.
Front row from left: Miroslav Kralev, Zhelyazko Markov, Ivan Yovchev, Valentin Peev, Ivan Aleksandrov, Georgy Illiev.
Middle row: Christo Gotzkov, Dimitar Stoychev, Nikolay Russev, Konstantin Kostenski, Ivaylo Kotzev, Aleksi Zhelyazkov, Todor Raykov.
Top row: Lyubomir Borissov – assistant coach, Valentin Deliminkov, Georgy Stanchev – club’s chairman, Lyubomir Sheytanov, Toma Tomov – club’s vice-chairman, Vladimir Stoyanov, Vassil Zhelev – coach.
Well, no matter what – good luck to the newly promoted Chernomoretz and Dimitrovgrad in the next season.
A Football Blog