Okuka ousted at Legia
Friday, June 13, 2003
Article summary
Legia Warszawa coach Dragomir Okuka has been replaced by his assistant Dariusz Kubicki.
Article body
Near miss
Legia ended the season one point behind GKS Katowice in fourth place in the Ekstraklasa, narrowly missing out on a place in the UEFA Cup, but that was not enough to earn the Serbian coach an extension to his contract, which expires on 30 June.
Kubicki in charge
Now his assistant, former Polish international Kubicki, will lead the club for the 2003/04 campaign, having spent a brief period in charge of Legia in the late 1990s.
Valuable experience
Kubicki gained valuable experience playing in the English Premiership for Aston Villa FC and Sunderland AFC and has pledged to use that knowledge and the insight gained from working alongside Okuka to bring success to Legia.
'Balkan and English methods'
"My style of management and play will mix Balkan and English methods," he said, referring also to the striking prowess of Serbian Stanko Svitlica, who was top scorer in the Ekstraklasa with 24 goals. "This team has a lot of potential despite the results last year," he added. "We need just three or four more players to be ready for next season."
Title celebrations
Legia won the Polish title in Okuka's first season at the helm, 2001/02, before losing out to FC Barcelona in the third qualifying round of the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League, and bowing out of the UEFA Cup in the third round after a defeat by FC Schalke 04.
