Stanko "Špaco" Poklepović (19 April 1938 – 24 December 2018) was a Croatian professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
.
Poklepović managed a number of teams over 46 years, including
Hajduk Split
Hrvatski Nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, the club's home ...
on four occasions.
He was also the first manager to win the
Croatian First Football League
The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establishe ...
with Hajduk Split, in its inaugural season, in
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
.
Playing career
Throughout his whole career, Poklepović played for
RNK Split, between 1956 and 1976, and won the
Yugoslav Second League
Yugoslav Second League ( Bosnian: ''Druga savezna liga,'' Croatian: ''Druga savezna liga'', Serbian: ''Друга савезна лига'', Slovenian: ''Druga zvezna liga'', Macedonian: ''Втора сојузна лига'', ''Vtora sojuzna l ...
twice, first in the
1956–57 (Zone I) season, and then after in the
1959–60 (West) season.
Coaching career
He made his impact in the
1984–85 Yugoslav First League
In the 1984-85 Yugoslav First League season, Sarajevo has won the second tittle of its history and it was the last non Serbian champion in the Yugoslavian league history.
Teams
Changes from last season
;Teams promoted from 1983 to 1984 Yugoslav ...
as a manager of
Hajduk Split
Hrvatski Nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, the club's home ...
when he took over the Yugoslav powerhouse at the time when many important players left the club and many young players like
Asanović,
Andrijašević and
Španjić joined the club with no experience.
Poklepović almost won the league but finished 2nd because of match-fixing that was popular with other clubs in the league. Hajduk broke the record and scored 2 or more goals in every match that season.
In the
1985–86 UEFA Cup
The 1985–86 UEFA Cup was the 15th season of the UEFA Cup, the third-tier club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The final was played over two legs at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, ...
, Poklepović lead Hajduk to the quarter-finals. Poklepović won the first leg match against
Waregem
Waregem (; ), spelled Waereghem before, is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality lies in the valley of the river Lys, between Kortrijk and Ghent. It is part of the administrative district of ...
1–0 on
Poljud but he was then sacked from Hajduk for under-performing in the league so he didn't manage the second leg game against Waregem which Hajduk lost on penalties after a 0–1 defeat.
In 1991, he returned to Hajduk, winning the
1992 Prva HNL which was Poklepović's first league trophy in his career. In 1992, he took over the
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team () represents Croatia in men's international Association football, football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UEF ...
, but after 4 games and only 1 win, he left the team.
In 1994, he went to manage the
Iran national football team
The Iran national football team (), recognised as IR Iran by FIFA since 2018, represents Iran in men's international senior Association football, football and is governed by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI).
At the cont ...
and
Persepolis
Persepolis (; ; ) was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (). It is situated in the plains of Marvdasht, encircled by the southern Zagros mountains, Fars province of Iran. It is one of the key Iranian cultural heritage sites and ...
. He won the
1995–96 Azadegan League and the
1996–97 Azadegan League with Persepolis.
In 1998, he took over
Osijek
Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
and won the
1998–99 Croatian Cup which is Osijek's first and only trophy till today. He also finished 4th in the
Prva HNL
The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establish ...
the same season and secured a place in European competitions for Osijek. He returned again to Iran in 2005 and 2009, but unsuccessfully.
In February 2010, he returned to Hajduk Split for the third time. He won the
2009–10 Croatian Cup and finished 2nd in the
Prva HNL
The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establish ...
the same season. He qualified with Hajduk for the
2010–11 UEFA Europa League
The 2010–11 UEFA Europa League was the second season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 40th edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. It began on 1 July 2010, with ...
after defeating
Dinamo București and
Unirea Urziceni
Fotbal Club Unirea Urziceni, commonly known as Unirea Urziceni (), was a Romanian professional Association football, football Club (organization), club based in Urziceni, Ialomița County. Unirea became Divizia A Final Tables, national champions ...
in the qualifying rounds. In the
2010–11 Prva HNL, he controlled the 1st position for a while and became a favorite of the fans and the media. In the Europa League, he defeated
Anderlecht
Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...
1–0 on
Poljud, which was Hajduk's biggest European victory since the mid 1990s. After losing a cup game against
Istra 1961 in the round of 16 and losing the 1st position in the league, he was sacked by Hajduk chairman
Joško Svaguša on 27 October 2010.
In February 2015, five years later, Poklepović returned again to Hajduk Split for the fourth time in his career,
but later in April, he was sacked because of underperforming in the league.
Death
Poklepović died on 24 December 2018, at
Split Hospital, after a long battle with health issues, aged 80.
Quotes
*Look at this, they call me
funnel
A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its constructi ...
, then they said, the Špaco funnel. Go to hell you and that funnel. You don't know what is a funnel or what is a defense.
**After being asked by a reporter to elaborate his defense tactics which Poklepović compared to a funnel
*I asked
Ahmad what is a penetration and he looks at me confused. I elaborate to him that penetration is a process in which the male penis enters the female vagina, and when I asked him what is ecstasy, half of the dressing room started laughing on the floor. I am a coach that educates, I speak about everything, even sex.
**When asked about Ahmad Sharbini's limited playing time
*Excuse me?! Please don't ask me that! What bunker, we had 8 chances to score while they had 10. Where is the bunker there?! What are you talking about, you should quit journalism.
**When accused by a reporter of using bunker tactics after winning the 2010 Croatian Cup against NK Šibenik
*I feel great, mentally and physically. I may be too old for sex, but not for football.
**After becoming manager of Hajduk Split for the fourth time in his career at the age of 77
*In Croatian, there are no attributes which can describe the greatness of Hajduk Split. Hajduk is not only immortal, Hajduk is indestructible
**When asked to describe what is Hajduk Split
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
Split
*
Yugoslav Second League
Yugoslav Second League ( Bosnian: ''Druga savezna liga,'' Croatian: ''Druga savezna liga'', Serbian: ''Друга савезна лига'', Slovenian: ''Druga zvezna liga'', Macedonian: ''Втора сојузна лига'', ''Vtora sojuzna l ...
:
1956–57 (Zone I),
1959–60 (West)
Manager
Hajduk Split
*
Prva HNL
The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establish ...
:
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
*
Croatian Cup:
2009–10
*
Croatian Supercup:
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
Persepolis
*
Azadegan League (changed later to Persian Gulf Pro League):
1995–96,
1996–97
Osijek
*
Croatian Cup:
1998–99
References
External links
Stanko Poklepović profileat soccerway.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poklepovic, Stanko
1938 births
2018 deaths
Footballers from Split, Croatia
Men's association football players not categorized by position
Yugoslav men's footballers
RNK Split players
Yugoslav football managers
RNK Split managers
HNK Hajduk Split managers
FK Budućnost Podgorica managers
FK Borac Banja Luka managers
APOEL FC managers
Yugoslav expatriate football managers
Expatriate football managers in Cyprus
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus
Croatian football managers
NK GOŠK-Dubrovnik 1919 managers
Iran national football team managers
Persepolis F.C. managers
NK Celje managers
NK Osijek managers
Ferencvárosi TC managers
Sepahan S.C. managers
S.C. Damash Gilan managers
Yugoslav First League managers
Cypriot First Division managers
Croatian Football League managers
Persian Gulf Pro League managers
Nemzeti Bajnokság I managers
Croatia national football team managers
Croatian expatriate football managers
Expatriate football managers in Iran
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Iran
Expatriate football managers in Slovenia
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Slovenia
Expatriate football managers in Hungary
Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary
Deaths from kidney failure