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Personal
Fullname: Jirí Jarošík
aka: Jiri Jarosik
Height: 6.04
Born: 27 October 1977
Birthplace: Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia
Signed: 19 June 06
Left: 31 January 2008
Position: Midfielder
Debut: […]
Internationals: Czech Republic
International Caps: 23
International Goals: 0
Summary
Jiri Jarosik was born on October 27, 1977 in Ústí nad Labem, Czechoslovakia (Communist pre-Berlin Wall days).
He has been capped over 20 times for his country.
In Feb 08, Jarosik has left Celtic to join Russian club FC Samara on a two-year-deal, for a reputed €1m transfer fee. [BBC]
After two seasons back in Russia he joined Real Zaragoza on a free transfer in January 2010.
Biog
| “Nowhere has the passion of the Celtic fans.” Jiří Jarošík |
With a pedigree like that behind Jiri Jarosik you might have thought that Celtic got a good deal.
It’s said that Jose Mourinho (the self-proclaimed special one) after managing Porto to win the UEFA Cup and then the European Cup, left Porto on the back of that the club wouldn’t help him get Jarosik. Mourinho ended up finally landing the player in his successful stint at Chelsea (although Jarosik himself was no success there). Alex Ferguson even had a few good words to say as Celtic bought the player (“bargain” was in there somewhere). Jarosik even scored on his debut (always a good start) v Kilmarnock.
So where did it go wrong? Or did it go wrong? That’s the puzzle when it comes to this enigmatic player, and no side is entirely right or wrong. When you look at his emaciated build, you’d hardly think he has the physique to be a professional footballer, but underlying it was a very talented player. He could hold the ball and play good passes, the kind of player that Gordon Strachan (the Celtic manager who purchased him) liked so well.
Poor performances saw him in and out the side but interspersed were some match winning performances, nicking late and last minute goals twice against Hearts to help us come from behind against them to win. He also (cringingly) won a notable free kick from his over-dramatics which led to the classic Naka free-kick to beat Manchester Utd 1-0 in the Champions League.
Everyone knew that he had the skill to achieve much for the club, but excuses and reasoning by both camps on his ability abounded:
– He’s played out of position! Not his fault then?
– He’s too light-weight!
– He can’t take to the Scottish game!
– He’s too skilful for the league! (Not a reason this editor has ever understood)
– He’s just plain lazy!
– He’s only here for European games etc etc etc.
Whatever side you were on and whatever you said about him, the bottom line was that at the end of the first season he wasn’t even fit for the bench. Jarosik seemed to simply wish to play in one single position, else he would go in a huff or not be able to perform. He wasn’t given too many opportunities to play in his preferred attacking central midfield position, but that doesn’t say much about his ability if he was not willing to be more flexible and show his worth in different areas in the midfield.
After one long spell out of the first team (many a time not even on the bench) he was finally brought out incredibly to play practically as a striker against AC Milan in the European Cup. A baffling move by the manager, but it amazingly paid off as Celtic won the match and he played a key role.
He had his share of notable moments, including the aforementioned key goals v Hearts setting Celtic up for the victories, but also an equalising goal v Shaktar Donestk that pushed Celtic to an important 2-1 victory in the Champions League. They were though too few and far between, he was inconsistent.
“The Shakhtar game was my best moment at Celtic. That night was like every European game at Celtic Park. The fans are the best in the world. I loved all of those games, but to be the man who is responsible for that noise is a wonderful thing.”
Into a new season and Celtic were drawn against Spartak Moscow in a vital set of qualifiers for the Champions League group stages. Jarosik did an interview for a Russian paper giving a general background/overview to the squad. Some saw it as selling out his teammates, but the rest just thought he was just stating what everyone already knew. There was nothing exactly that could be deemed as insider trading. It was a bad move publicly by him and he lost the faith of most sections of the support and the most cynical saw it as a ploy to help him move on.
He ended up playing a few good games back in the first half of season 2007/08, but his heart was on leaving and he left unsurprisingly in January 2008 for Russian side FC Samara. In a later newspaper story, he said he didn’t like the food in Glasgow and weather and so on, and basically came over as a bit too precious. We’re sure he could easily afford food and meals from the better eateries with his wages, and if he didn’t like the Glasgow weather then he was hardly going to enjoy the Russian extremes of weather. In any case, the comments were more just childish and can be brushed off.
Analysing his time at the club is as much a puzzle as the man himself. There’s no right answers and explanations, but no doubt that neither Celtic nor anyone else has got the best out of what Jarosik had the ability to achieve, and in that sense that is the biggest loss of them all. He never seemed to settle at any club, and critics also chimed that he was simply too half-hearted when on-field.
Maybe if he took some responsibility and admitted that the problem was partly himself then he might have achieved what he potentially could have (be it at Celtic or elsewhere). Admittedly he has a fine haul of medals, but it could hardly be argued that he had been a pivotal player in those teams that won them (except possibly at Sparta Prague).
On the other hand at least he had left the Celtic support with a good laugh (see Jarosik picture).
We wished him the best moving forward.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES (subs) |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2006-08 | 24 (9) | 2(0) | 1 | 8 (3) | 35(12) |
| Goals | 5 | 0 | 2 (1) | 2 | 9 (1) |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish Premier League:
Scottish Cup:
| KDS Honours |
||
| MOTM Winners 2007-08 | ||
| 20-Oct-07 | Rangers 3 v 0 Celtic | SPL |
| 28-Nov-07 | Celtic 2 v 1 Shakhtar Donetsk | Champions League |
Pictures
Articles
Jiri Jarosik recalls Celtic Champions League stunner against Shakhtar as two sides meet again in crucial group stage clash
https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/sport/football/jiri-jarosik-recalls-celtic-champions-28322587
The former Czech Republic international scored a vital goal against tonight’s opponents in the 2007/08 Champions League campaign to help Celtic reach the last 16
Sport
ByAnthony Evans
11:42, 25 OCT 2022Updated12:03, 25 OCT 2022
Jiri Jarosik’s memorable strike against Shakhtar helped Celtic fight back to win 2-1
Jiri Jarosik says he has very fond memories of his time at Celtic, and hailed the Parkhead faithful for the belief they gave him in big European nights.
The 44 year old joined Celtic in the summer of 2006 from Birmingham City with great pedigree, having won league titles with hometown club Sparta Prague, CSKA Moscow in Russia and the Premier League with Chelsea. He went on to make 42 appearances in his 18 month spell in Glasgow, netting seven times in all competitions, helping Celtic to a Premiership and Scottish Cup double in his first season.
Two of those strikes came in the Champions League, including a left-footed volley against Shakhtar Donetsk which got Celtic level, before Italian Massimo Donati grabbed a last-gasp winner to put Gordon Strachan’s side on the brink of a place in the last 16 .Jarosik, who represented his native Czech Republic on 22 occasions, also played in famous victories against Manchester United, AC Milan and Benfica in the competition during his time with the club, and says that the energy and passion from the Parkhead crowd was vital in helping the team secure some memorable results.
Speaking on the Celtic View Podcast, he said: “We had big success in those games because we played in front of these fans who gave you strength and courage. We played very well at home and of course we have some good memories of beating those big teams. It was a great time for everyone, not only for the players and the fans but the whole club.
“Celtic have incredible fans who give you everything, and that’s why you are there on the pitch fighting to the end and believing for 90-95 minutes. The atmosphere there is amazing and everybody I have spoke to who who played there or knows Celtic, wants to see those nights repeated.”
Jarosik also recalled his stunning equaliser against tonight’s opponents Shakhtar, which then enabled the Hoops to fight back from a goal down to go on and win 2-1.
“I remember we played a 4-4-1-1 and I played left midfield which wasn’t my position, but I played well. We were losing the game 1-0 but we pushed them to the back and I remember the situation for my goal. It was from a ball up to the Shakhtar box and the two central defenders jumped to head the ball away, and I collected the ball and shot with my left foot to score.
It was an amazing goal but it was very important as we then had the chance to go and win this game. I didn’t score a lot of goals in my career, but for me I was always a team player. Everybody was celebrating as one with the fans and that’s why we had some very special games at home.”
Jiri Jarosik admits he wasn’t overly impressed by Scottish football when he played for Celtic
By Paul Gillespie 25 July, 2023 3 Comments
24.10.2007 Photo: imago/Latinphoto/Amorim Mannschaftsbild Celtic Glasgow hi.v.li.: John Kennedy, Torwart Artur Boruc, Lee Naylor, Paul Hartley, Jiri Jarosik, Massimo Donati; vorn: Aiden McGeady, Stephen McManus, Chris Killen, Scott Brown, Gary Caldwell
Jiri Jarosik admits he wasn’t overly impressed by Scottish football when he played for Celtic
Jiri Jarosik has admitted he wasn’t exactly a fan of Scottish football during his time in the Scottish Premier League with Celtic all those years ago. The former Czech Republic international signed for the Hoops under Gordon Strachan when he took over the reins from Martin O’Neill back in 2005 and has revealed he disliked the way the game was played up here.
Purchased from Chelsea at the time, big things were expected from Jarosik but he didn’t set the heather on fire as many anticipated he would, with a player of his pedigree. He had his moments undoubtedly in a Celtic shirt; scoring against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League group stages at Celtic Park and scoring a peach during a comeback against Hearts at Tynecastle.
However, the big man didn’t do it often enough for a player of his technical ability and pedigree. He subsequently got used sparingly by Gordon Strachan and more often than not made substitute appearances from the bench. Now a football manager himself in Russia with FC Orenburg and the coach didn’t hold back in his scathing assessment. As reported by Football Scotland, he said: “I would compare the Scottish league with the English league of 30 years ago.
“Scotland has lots of local players, coaches and still play a kick and rush style. When I was at Celtic, I always considered myself a team player, but I was playing with guys who got the ball, booted it forward as quickly as possible and then lost the ball.
“But on the other hand, there was always an amazing atmosphere at matches. We won the league when I was there and beat a very strong Manchester United in the Champions League. But honestly, I didn’t like Scottish football at all.”