[MINDSCAPE]

Here is the first of a series of thread to encourage more participation from across the forum.
Liverpool as we have seen is a multinational team, we have Poles, Czechs, Germans, Portuguese, French, English etc.
So I invite all manner of fans to contribute to these series of threads. I will open a new thread (for every new players) every half a week. ( I hope ).

If you have any info of the player's eating habits, what beers he takes, photos of his wife, girlfriend, mothers, fathers, uncles...etc.

Or U would just like to share some of the hard facts you know for example, debut for international team, debut for clubs, memorable matches. etc.

Anything...

Don't be afraid of posting something which you may have heard it 3 years ago but can't prove it. This is where we can talk it out.

Trival, factual, anything!!

Past and present, past clubs, U-21, Int, Liverpool.

As usual
the Forum Rules apply.

I will start off with a brief bio taken from onefootball.com and I hope you lot can carry on from there.

I expect our Polish friends to have a lot to say regarding the first guest of our show.

 

[MINDSCAPE]

JERZY DUDEK

Position:
Goalkeeper
Date of birth: Friday 23rd March 1973
Age: 29 yrs
Birthplace: Rybnik (Where is this place?), Poland
Height: 1.87m
Weight: 78kg
Signed from: Feyenoord

Rated as one of Europe's best goalkeepers, Dudek was wanted by Real Madrid, Espanyol, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and was watched by Manchester United several times before finally signing for Liverpool in August 2001 on the same day as young England keeper Chris Kirkland.

The son of a Polish miner, he has become a cult hero in Rotterdam, not solely because of his talent. His approach to playing in Holland has reminded people of Peter Schmeichel's attempts at adopting the English way of life when he was at Manchester United.

His signing in 1997 was something of a surprise, but when Ed De Goey left for Chelsea at the end of that season, Dudek seized his chance. Brave, with sharp reflexes, he was voted the best goal keeper in Holland in 1998-99. Made his Polish debut in February, 1998, versus Israel.

Dudek was expected to sign for Arsenal in the summer of 2001 but the Gunners would not match Feyenoord's asking price and plumped for Ipswich youngster Richard Wright.

The Pole's dream move to Anfield also looked to have fell through over a disputed medical but the £4.85m deal was finally finalised.

However, he finally signed minutes before the Champions' League deadline on August 31, 2001.

He made his debut against Aston Villa in a 3-1 defeat but then kept four clean sheets in October to establish himself at Anfield.
________________________________________

 

[Mr Fowler]

I hear he is a big fan of Danger Mouse

 

[utopia]

I expect our Polish friends to have a lot to say regarding the first guest of our show.

Barlinek comes to mind

 

[Barlinek]

They say your ears itch when someone is talking about you. Hey, what do ya know!!

Very good topic Mindshare. Especially your first choice player.

One of my favourite stories about Dudek is his final game at Feyenoord. Throughout the entire game the fans were standing at every moment he touched the ball, and gave him countless standing ovations. They also cheered his name throughout the entire game.

Many fans also brought him good-luck cards and many flower bouquets.

Excellent stuff.

 

[Prewitt]

The whole Dudek's story is absolutely amazing. He was lucky, but he helped his luck a lot. There's a Polish saying "from shoeblack to a millionnaire" and Dudek matches it exactly.

He played in Polish first division only one round and it was in spring 1996. He defended Sokol's Tychy goal (one of the weakest Polish teams at the time, now not even existing). I remember Legia-Sokol game. Legia was Champions League quarter-finalist that season and obviously totally overplayed Sokol. Our strikers and midfielders created unbeliavable number of opportunities, but managed to score only twice. Dudek made so many magnificent saves that I sweared on him many times during that 90 minutes

However, his first games in Polish goal were all the way disappointing. In his debut against Israel, he was beaten after a relatively easy shot (we lost it 0-2). He had also bad luck in game vs. Spain. We were leading 1-0 after Hajto scored and Matysek was superb in goal. It was 60th minute when Matysek was replaced by Dudek. Within ten minutes there were two Spanish shots on goal (Morientes and Munitis) and Dudek was helpless. We lost it 1-2.

His first very good game in our NT was vs. France at Saint Denis. We lost it 0-1, but we showed some quite good football and Dudek was absolute world class (especially when he saved Henry's header - Henry himself couldn't believe that ).

And his name in English means "hoopoe"

 

[pool]

Apparently his favourite film is "The Invisible Man" and he did a bloody good impression of it last week against Leverkusen!
He is a very good 'keeper though so we can forgive him the odd mistake. I'm glad we signed him and so cheaply as well. He will be a big factor in our success over the next few years.

 

[numerodix]

Apparently his favourite film is "The Invisible Man" and he did a bloody good impression of it last week against Leverkusen!

Damn good joke, man! Classy!!!

 

[beast1]

JERZY DUDEK


Birthplace: Rybnik (Where is this place?), Poland
_

Rybnik it's a 150-thousand-people city in the southern part of Poland called Gorny Slask(in english-Upper Silesia?).The nearest big cities are Katowice,Chorzow and Tychy.
Although he was born in Rybnik his first club was Concordia Knurow where he had played untill the end of 1995.After that
as Prewitt said he became a Sokol Tychy player and after playing
in only 15 Polish league games he moved to Feyenoord.There
he played in 139 league games 1996-2001(first season on the bench).In 2000 he was named a Player of the Season in Dutch League.He was also named a best goalkeeper in the
league twice(as far as I remember).
So far he has 20 caps for Poland(but tommorow we'll play with Romania )
I've heard that Jerzy's driving in England Vauxhall Cavalier(because he wants to get used to left-side driving).And on his birthsday Pool supportes wished him some new car instead this
"fuc.king crap"

 

[MINDSCAPE]

I thought he was a class act. The first I saw of him as in a league game in Holland against a minor side, I forgot which club. Then I got more impressed with him as times went on.

When Dudek signed for Liverpool, my friends said,"Who the feck is he?"

I swore on my head that he will be a superb buy.
My head is still on my neck

Dudek is a mysterous character, before Holland, I know next to nothing about him! Well thanks for your contribitions, esp from our Polish friends.

He is a fantastic keeper

Keep the posts coming.

 

[Barlinek]

I was reading somewhere that he transfer from poland took place so fast that he had to pretty much go on the plane with only a bit of belongings, and the rest his mom had to send to him.
When he got to the Feyenoord airport, there was noone there to greet him, and he knew little of the language. When he told the airport staff he told them that he had arrived to keep goal for Feyenoord. They took one look at his slim build and just laughed.

I wonder if they were cheering Dudek! in the years to come?:tongue:

 

[utopia]

Very interesting stuff Thanks to the Polish dudes for chipping in...

 

[beast1]

Official Dudek's site

http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~dudek/

Just kidding

And his name in English means "hoopoe"

Yeah,and if you find "Jerzy"too difficult to say,you can call him "George",which is English equivalent .

 

[GarethUK]

Just to let you know, I think we might steal this idea for our forum...

 

[MINDSCAPE]

Copyrighted. All rights reserved

 

[beast1]

Well,he's got 21 caps for Poland now,and another penalty saved :dazed: But we've lost 1:2

 

[B*O*S*H*]

A big big pity hes not english....

I reckon he is better than seaman, martyn and definetely calamity james

 

[paw]

At 29, he has only 20 caps. Guess he was a late bloomer, or either that he was not in favour for the Polish NT. I do not remember any very prominent Polish GK before him though. Any Polish fans wish to fill in more?

paw

 

[beast1]

Well just before Dudek's tenure in Polish goal we had Matysek,
in these days Bayer Leverkusen's goalie.Earlier ,mostly keepers from our league who were found more experienced and simply better

 

[paw]

It is sad to know that he did not become prominent until he went to Holland. But never mind. At least, now when he is playing for Liverpool, he is turning out to be worth every single penny that Liverpool is paying for.

paw