Sloboden Drapich is expected to return to Kiryat Shmona as a replacement for Nir Berkovich who was fired last night (Saturday) after the loss to Maccabi Haifa, only half a year after he unexpectedly ended his career despite his success with the team. As I recall, Drapich was appointed Kiryat city coach appointed by Izzy Sharetzki in November 2021 when the team was in last place in the league, he almost led it to the upper playoffs and it ended up in seventh place – the first in the lower playoffs.
In Kiryat Shmona admitted this morning that “Slovo should have stayed and not left”, but were happy to find out that Schertzky agreed to withdraw and appoint the coach he chose to leave last season. So for the benefit of those who don’t remember and also for those who do, here are the difficult and surprising statements made by Ratsky despite Drapich’s success in Kiryat Shmona, in preparation for the expected and surprising return of the coach.
It should be noted in advance that Sharetzky’s statements against Drapich exactly a year ago, were while the team was still faltering and was in the midst of a streak of negative results, after three consecutive losses in the league to be more precise, but Sharetzky, as he has accustomed us more than once in recent years, did not mince words.
“Drapich is rude, thinks I’m a puppet and an ATM,” Sharetzky shot last year, “Drapich told me that I don’t decide anything, even though I pay for everything. He thinks that I won’t decide anything and keep quiet. We’re playing without strikers and haven’t kicked a goal for three games He is not a good coach and there is no way he will continue with me next season.”
The harsh sentences above were said by Sharetzky on February 14, 2022. Drapich chose not to respond, and a few days later he heard Sharetzky being interviewed once again and said against him: “After three games where we didn’t kick a goal, I called Drapich and told him that he should play with three strikers . He answered me, ‘You don’t decide anything’. I didn’t fire him because I already fired one coach this year, but I was sure he would resign on his own. I should have fired him, I was wrong, but I won’t fire him because we are in the fight for the top playoffs.”
Already in those days, as he also stated, Ratsky knew that Drapich would not continue with the team another season, but two months later, last April, he apologized for his words against Drapich: “He is a good coach and a good person, and that is the most important thing. He hurt me, but I forgave him And the door is not closed to him in the future. Half the league wants him.”
Indeed, Drapich left Kiryat Shmona at the end of the season and was appointed coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv in September. About a month ago, he ended his career at Hapoel Tel Aviv, and is now expected to return from a vacation abroad to try to save Kiryat Shmona from relegation for another year. What will his relationship with Sharetzki look like? We will not be surprised if we see the team playing with three strikers, at least in part from the time
And for those who wish to recall some more “dramatic” statements by the owners of Kiryat Shmona in recent years – from Bibi to BBZ – you are invited to click here and read all the idle threats of Izzy Sharetzki in recent years.