ამ წერილის მთლიანი ვერსია.
Czech Uhrin wants to revive Dinamo Tbilisi glory
By Gennady Fyodorov
TBILISI, Oct 25 (Reuters) - While many men of 63 are either retired or looking forward to putting their feet up, former Czech Republic manager Dusan Uhrin still has a young man's hunger for success.
Uhrin, who has coached clubs and national teams in Sweden, Cyprus, Israel, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and the Czech Republic, is now enjoying the latest stop on his soccer odyssey -- coaching Dinamo Tbilisi of Georgia.
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"I've always liked warm weather," said the charismatic, tanned, Czech in an interview with Reuters at Dinamo's training facility in central Tbilisi.
Slovakia-born Uhrin said he was not scared of travelling thousands of miles away from his home to the small Caucasus country, still in the grip of unresolved separatist conflicts.
"I've worked all over the world. I had some offers from Russian clubs as well as national teams in Bahrain and Belarus, but I decided to come here.
"Dinamo is the biggest club in Georgia. It is also well known around Europe. It didn't take me long to agree a deal to come here after I'd seen the training facilities and was told about the ambitious programme of reviving this great club."
BIGGEST SUCCESS
Founded in 1925, Dinamo Tbilisi were one of the most popular clubs in the former Soviet Union, winning the championship in 1964 and 1978 and the Soviet Cup in 1976 and 1979.
They captured a huge scalp in 1979 when they knocked Liverpool out of the first round of the European Cup 4-2 on aggregate and in 1981 they scored their biggest success when they beat East Germans Carl Zeiss Jena 2-1 to win the old European Cup Winners' Cup and become only the second Soviet club to lift a European trophy.
After the break-up of the Soviet Union, Dinamo dominated Georgia's championship, winning 10 consecutive titles between 1990 and 2000. But they have not had things all their own way since then.
The Interior Ministry took over the running of the club in 2003 after former Dinamo president Merab Zhordaniya was arrested and charged with evading almost $400,000 in taxes.
The charges were later dropped, but Dinamo's financial problems remained. Things began to change after Georgian billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili bought the club three years ago and they won the title again in 2005.
Uhrin is eager to turn around Dinamo's fortunes and has made a bright start since arriving last month.
"When I came here they were in sixth place," he said.
"But Dinamo are used to winning titles, so anything less than a top three finish would be considered a failure."
They are currently third in the table after four wins in their last five matches.
EURO ACHIEVEMENT
The most memorable achievement in his long career was leading the Czechs to the runners-up spot in Euro 96 in England, where they lost to Germany after conceeding a "golden goal" in extra time.
A spell in Kuwait followed which ended in February 2001 when he was sacked as Kuwait's national team manager after failing to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals.
After a brief spell in Cyprus with Apoel Nicosia, he had a break from football and went into business.
"I was building a spa resort in Frantiskovy Lazne (a Czech town near the German border) for two years, but after it was completed I felt the need to return to coaching," he said.
"First and foremost I'm a football coach, not a sanatorium chief. I have some friends to look after the business but this is where I belong and feel most comfortable."
Unlike Klaus Toppmoeller, the German manager of Georgia's national team who lives abroad, Uhrin lives in Tbilisi and is adapting well to his new home.
"My wife is coming here and will stay with me until Christmas," he said.
He also talks daily with his son Dusan, the coach of Czech club Mlada Boleslav, who last month caused a major shock by knoking former European champions Olympique Marseille out of the UEFA Cup.
It was in sense, a case of history repeating itself as Uhrin senior coached Sparta Prague when they beat Marseille in the European Cup in 1992.
CZECH SUCCESS
Uhrin smiled when asked if he wanted to emulate the success of fellow Czech coach Vlastimil Petrzela, who guided Zenit St Petersburg to second place in the Russian League in his first season at the helm in 2003.
"Oh, Petrzela! He used to play for me back then in Czechoslovakia, so I know him well. He did a good job with Zenit but I'm not under any pressure to match his success.
"We have a very young team here with eight players under 21. Technically they are very good, tactically and physically they are also not far behind most of European clubs," he said.
"But the mental part of their game needs to improve. They have to become more professional, so it's going to take time for me to change that and make a difference."
As that is something he has been doing throughout his long career, there is no reason to doubt his ability to carry on doing it -- and even perhaps re-establish Dinamo as one of eastern Europe's top clubs again.
მიმაგრებული სურათი
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სკ "დინამო" - თბილისი 1925, ყველაფერი სკ ”დინამო” - თბილისის შესახებ.
