NK Osijek

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

NK Osijek

Full name

Nogometni Klub Osijek

Nickname(s)

"bijelo-plavi"
"white-blues"

Founded

1947

Ground

Stadion Gradski vrt
Osijek, Croatia
(Capacity 19,500)

Chairman

Manager

League

Prva HNL, 3rd





Home colours





Away colours

NK Osijek is a Croatian football club, from Osijek in eastern Croatia.

1 History
2 Current squad 2007/2008
3 Winter transfer window 2007/2008
4 Former notable players
5 Former managers
6 League and Cup results
7 Honours
8 Trivia
9 External links

[edit] History

NK Osijek's early roots are found in club called NK Udarnik that was formed in 1945 under FPR Yugoslavia's new communist authorities on the ashes of dissolved HŠK Slavija. Slavija was founded in 1916 and competed in the Narodna liga of Kingdom of Yugoslavia (country's top division) from 1923 until 1940.

In 1946 NK Udarnik and another local club NK Jedinstvo merged together to form a new entity - NK Slavonija. The very next year, NK Slavonija merged with NK Bratstvo thus again creating a new club - NK Proleter. This took place on February 2, 1947, a date that present day NK Osijek considers to be its birthday.

On September 1, 1962 NK Proleter joined with the Boxing and Athletic club Mladost and formed a multi-sport Sportsko društvo Slavonija (Slavonija Sporting Society). The football club thus again started competing under the name NK Slavonija.

Finally on April 3, 1967, SD Slavonija's football section announced its separation from the sporting society and started competing under the name NK Osijek. At the time, the club colors were red and blue, but sometime in the 1970s they were changed to blue and white.

Since the late 1970s the club has almost exclusively played in the top division of SFR Yugoslavia. The club entered the Yugoslav First League in 1977 and remained there until its dissolution in 1991 (with the exception of the 1980/81 season). Osijek was one of the founding members of the Prva HNL in 1991 and has played there ever since.

It has seen moderate success in the Prva HNL, achieving a UEFA Cup spot in 1998/1999 and winning the Croatian Cup in 1999.

The club's most famous former player is Davor Šuker, who went on to be the most successful Croatian striker in international play and a starter on many of Europe's top clubs.

NK Osijek host domestic fixtures at Stadion Gradski vrt which has a capacity of 19,500. The team's fans are known as Kohorta.

[edit] Current squad 2007/2008

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Marin Skender
3	DF	Jurica Pranjić
4	DF	Damir Vuica
5	MF	Matej Vlaović
6	DF	Tomislav Višević
7	FW	Vedran Nikšić
8	MF	Aleksandar Šolić
9	FW	Karlo Primorac
10	MF	Josip Knežević
11	FW	Antonio Hrnčević
12	GK	Filip Šušnjara
13	DF	Slobodan Stranatić

No.	Position	Player
14	FW	Ivica Lončarević
15	MF	Marko Prskalo
16	FW	Goran Todorčev
17	MF	Ante Vitaić
18	MF	Tomislav Šorša
19	MF	Domagoj Vida
20	FW	Milan Pavličić
21	FW	Igor Prijić
22	DF	Valentin Babić (captain)
24	DF	Ivo Smoje
25	MF	Srđan Vidaković
31	GK	Ivan Vargić

[edit] Winter transfer window 2007/2008

In:

Matej Vlaović - NK Mladost Cernik

Out:

[edit] Former notable players

Ljupko Petrović
Vladimir Balić
Mato Neretljak
Goran Ljubojević
Krešimir Brkić
Josip Balatinac
Dragan Vukoja
Ante Rakela
Petar Krpan
Ilica Perić
Tomislav Rukavina
Aleksandar Metlickiy
Alen Petrović
Igor Pamić

Ivica Grnja
Antun Labak
Danijel Popović†
Ivan Lukačević
Mirko Lulić
Davor Bajsić
Mile Dumančić
Ratomir Dujković
Danijel Ljuboja
Tomislav Steinbrückner
Bakir Beširević
Almir Turković
Mustafa Hukić
Dumitru Mitu

[edit] Former managers

since 1978

Miljenko Mihić, 1978/79, 1979/80
Andrija Vekić, 1981
Josip Duvančić, 1982
Ljupko Petrović, 1987
Stjepan Čordaš, 1989, 1992/93, 2004/05
Tonko Vukušić, 1990
Šaban Jasenica, 1990
Ivica Grnja, 1991, 1993/94
Vlado Bilić, 1992/93, 2000/01, 2001/02
Ivo Šušak, 1993/94, 1994/95, 2005/06, 2006/07
Ivica Matković, 1995/96
Ante Čačić, 1995/96
Ivan Katalinić, 1995/96
Goran Popović, 1996/97
Luka Bonačić, 1996/97
Milan Đuričić, 1996/97, 1997/98,1998/99, 2002/03
Stanko Poklepović, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2002/03
Pavo Strugačevac, 1999/00
Stanko Mršić, 1999/00, 2000/01
Vjekoslav Lokica, 2001/02
Miroslav Blažević, 2001/02
Nenad Gračan, 2002/03
Branko Karačić, 2003/04
Miroslav Žitnjak, 2006/07

[edit] League and Cup results

Season	League	Position	Pts	P	W	D	L	F	A	Cup
1992	Prva HNL	3	27	22	12	3	7	33	28	Quarterfinals
1992/93	Prva HNL	6	29	30	11	7	12	40	42	Quarterfinals
1993/94	Prva HNL	8	35	34	12	11	11	56	58	1/8 Finals
1994/95	Prva HNL	3	59	30	16	11	3	65	30	Semifinal
1995/96	Prva HNL	4	15	32	16	4	12	51	32	Quarterfinal
1996/97	Prva HNL	8	41	30	12	5	13	40	38	Semifinal
1997/98	Prva HNL	3	32	32	14	6	12	42	38	1/16 Final
1998/99	Prva HNL	4	30	32	14	6	12	51	39	Winner
1999/2000	Prva HNL	3	53	33	15	8	10	55	49	1/4 Final
2000/01	Prva HNL	3	57	32	17	6	9	61	47	Semifinal
2001/02	Prva HNL	8	37	30	11	4	15	45	48	Semifinal
2002/03	Prva HNL	8	39	32	10	9	13	32	51	Quarterfinal
2003/04	Prva HNL	4	39	32	11	6	15	50	57	Quarterfinal
2004/05	Prva HNL	8	41	32	9	14	9	41	45	Semifinal
2005/06	Prva HNL	4	44	32	13	5	14	31	48	Quarterfinal
2006/07	Prva HNL	6	43	33	11	10	12	42	45	1/8 finals
2007/08	Prva HNL	3	54	33	16	6	11	43	34	tba

[edit] Honours

Croatian Cup: 1

1999

[edit] Trivia

NK Osijek U18 team is Croatian U18 champion for season 2005/06.
NK Osijek played home match against AC Milan at Gradski Vrt stadium in (former competition) Mid-European Cup at season 1981/82. Match ended 1-1.
NK Osijek also played home friendly match against Nottingham Forest in 1977, just year before Nottingham Forest won Champions League
Andriy Shevchenko was once offered to NK Osijek while teenager. NK Osijek had tight relations with Ukraine and Belarus teams and player managers at start of the 90's. Aleksandar Metlickiy and Alexey Shalimo played for the team.
Davor Šuker playing for NK Osijek in season 1988/89 was top scorer of Yugoslav Premier Division with 17 goals.
Highest attendance at Gradski Vrt stadium is 42 000 spectators from a game against Dinamo Zagreb in 1982.
Maksimir stadium attendance record (over 70 000 spectators) is from 1973, when NK Osijek played Yugoslav Premier division promotion play-off with NK Zagreb on neutral ground. It was in time when Maksimir stadium was not all seater.
NK Osijek U18 team won Yugoslav youth cup in 1988.
Jasmin Džeko is only player to won caps for former Yugoslav national team. Džeko played 2 times for national team and scored 1 goal in his debut against Romania in 1983. Second cap Džeko won in away game against France.