Merging Clubs - Top down; Bottom Up

**HarpoJoyce** · 15/07/2008, 3:35 AM

There is another example of that most horrendous of practices, the merger of two clubs. In his case it seems to be an out-right buyout by a mid-table Polish side from Warsaw KPS Polonia and a recently successful Premier Division (Ekstraklasa), third placed last season, Groclin Dyskobolia SSA (Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski).

Basically a construction magnate Jozef Wojciechowski has bought out the higher placed club. And taken their place in the top league. Unfortunately, I have found very little in English on the subject (UEFA).

UEFA.com short piece
http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/n...id=731958.html

Polish football forum, with English
http://www.polishgoal.com/index.cgi?...ay&thread=1493

Couple of articles with final league table (Polski)
(1st one very slow to load)
http://www.sport.pl/pilka/1,70991,54...Groclinem.html

http://www.soccer.com.pl/index.php?o...=view&id=25448

Groclin Dyskobolia website
http://www.dyskobolia.com.pl/

KSP Polonia
http://www.ksppolonia.pl/

I know UCD's Bulgarian opponents in the Intertoto in 2000 were taken over by Lokomotiv Plovdiv in 2001
http://albionroad.com/club-profiles/...v-plovdiv.html
"Took the A Grupa place of Velbazhd Kyustendil before the 2001-02 season after a 'merger'."
Fortunately, Velbazdh are back in the league again.

What do fans think of mergers in general and what other examples are there out there? Are there any good examples of mergers where both clubs established equality/fairness early on ( usually through the name) and it was viewed as successful?

**Junior** · 15/07/2008, 9:48 AM

Obvious one maybe "Inverness Caledonian Thistle"

Bitter reaction at first from both sets of fans but they seem to have gone onwards and upwards doing relatively well in the SPL, even gaining one of the best headlines in tabloid history after their cup win at Celtic Park

"Super Cally Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious!!"

Mini Doc here..

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xyLPdBT75-4

reading the comments below the video though there are still fans who are not happy about the merger as you would expect.

**Sheridan** · 15/07/2008, 9:50 AM

HJ, it's not regarded with anything like the same disapproval in Central Europe and has been common practice there for as long as the game has existed. Most of the major clubs in that part of the world originated from mergers of one kind or another. As for the after the effects, it's the same as any mixture; the stronger the respective ingredients, the more evenly they'll be distributed in the final product.

**Lionel Ritchie** · 15/07/2008, 10:09 AM

...and why not.

Man Uniteds name wouldn't be nearly as ridiculous if they merged with Man City -who's name would no longer sound like a nightclub for gentlemens gentlemen.

Celtic and Rangers could become Rantic.

Liverpool and Everton could agree something that respectfully and evenhandedly honours their shared hubcap stealing heritage.

**SÓC** · 15/07/2008, 11:24 AM

Great read in the recent UCD - Cork City Progamme about different leagues all over Europe where things like this have been happening and crazy antics like owners disbanding clubs but then changing their mind after they've released all the players!

**stojkovic** · 15/07/2008, 10:29 PM

The whole successful Dynamo Dresden team were moved en bloc by the envious Stasi and became the despised Dynamo Berlin. Dynamo Dresden reformed.

**HarpoJoyce** · 17/07/2008, 8:04 PM

Originally Posted by stojkovic

The whole successful Dynamo Dresden team were moved en bloc by the envious Stasi and became the despised Dynamo Berlin. Dynamo Dresden reformed.

That's some hi-jacking alright.

The authorities also forced the successful army club, Vorwarts Berlin to move to Frankfurt-am-Oder (on the Polish border) in 1971.
http://www.f-archiv.de
It gave Dynamo of Berlin less competition in the capital.