unexpectedly

By Sam Beckwith "If he can get his head together," somebody once said of Jan Šimák, "he could be better than Pavel Nedved." And that was not idle speculation - the opinion was Nedved's own.Depressive illnessBy September 2003, though, the skilful midfield player was set to quit the game, aged just 24, suffering from depression. "I was mentally down, burnt out, and looking for a way out, so I did what I did," he told uefa com. Just over a year later, though, he's on the brink of a bright new era with AC Sparta Praha, possibly about to fulfil some of the massive potential he showed earlier in his career.Turning pointSparta coach František Straka's decision to start the attacking midfield player in the Matchday 5 fixture against Fenerbahçe SK, as a replacement for the suspended Karel Poborský, could well be a turning point in Šimák's career, marking a full return to top-level football.Straka's assessmentWhile the game did not go Sparta's way - the 1-0 defeat consigned the Czech team to last place in Group D - Šimák did enough to justify Straka's faith. "I've got no complaints so far," Straka said. "Signing him really was a gamble, but I told him clearly that I was willing to draw a line under the past and start again. I stressed that this was his last chance, and that if he broke the rules we'd agreed on it would be the end. So far he hasn't broken his word."AWOL at HannoverThe current situation is a welcome contrast to Šimák's problems in Germany, which culminated in the player going AWOL while with Hannover 96. Ironically, Šimák's first spell at Hannover had gone well. After impressing for Czech side FK Chmel Blšany, he moved to Germany in the summer of 2000, scoring 18 goals in his second season after an unsettled first campaign.Leverkusen shiftBayer 04 Leverkusen paid €6m for Šimák the following summer, viewing the player as a replacement for FC Bayern München-bound Michael Ballack. The move to a bigger club seemed to intimidate Šimák, though, while indiscipline on and off the pitch quickly earned him a reputation as a troublemaker.Odd disappearanceŠimák was loaned back to Hannover the following season but was rested after just six games, [url=http://www.gnanananda.org/gnananda.html]cheap baltimore ravens jerseys[/url] complaining that he could not take the mental pressure of top-level football. Then, unexpectedly, he disappeared, grabbing headlines on both sides of the Czech-German border. Upon resurfacing, Šimák announced his retirement. Welcome chanceAfter nearly ten months out of action, Šimák was ready to start again, signing a one-year deal with Sparta when Leverkusen agreed to cancel his old contract. "Sparta gave me a chance to get back into [url=http://www.crownpointbeachhotel.com/test/form.php]nfl womens jerseys[/url] football when everyone else had written me off," he said. "I'm grateful for that and I'll do my best to make the most of this chance."Substitute [url=http://www.afett.com/Uploads/team.html]houston texans jerseys[/url] appearancesThe long lay-off has, inevitably, taken its toll. The player's 18 appearances for Sparta so far this year have mostly been as a substitute and he is yet to play a full 90 minutes for his new club - against Fenerbahçe he was withdrawn after 77.'Immediate priority'But Straka believes that Šimák is improving with every game while the player himself has learned to be patient. "Right now, I'm happy where I [url=http://www.pmituae.com/main.html]cheap nfl womens jerseys[/url] am," he said. "My immediate priority is to start playing regularly, and to shake off the 'troublemaker' image. What happens later on is a long way off." Related ItemsBlazek's Sparta glove affairSparta sell to survive
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