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Your attention this time we offer an interview with Pavol Barmoš, former defender of the Slovak youth national team, who played in the second half of last season for Vilnius "Vėtra". To the Slovak sports newspaper "Denik Šport" he talked about his achievements in the A league, coach A. Tarchanov, and the difficult Lithuanian language.
- The Vilnius club "Vėtra", founded in 1996, last year repeated its highest achievement - took the third place in the Lithuanian championship. Why do you think this happened? - With the start of the championship, a Russian coach, Aleksandras Tarchanov, came to the team, in August new players were added and the game started to improve. The team collected points and climbed up the tournament table stairs, and eventually, without much tension, took the third place. At the beginning of the championship, it seemed that nothing good would come from "Vėtra". It was at the bottom of the tournament table. Unsatisfactory results led to the club parting ways with three players. I also contributed to this successful end, but in general, the third place is the merit of the whole team. - What did you get for the third place? - They promised us bonuses, but no one paid them... - Do you have a bronze medal? - After the season, there was a solemn tribute to the best teams in the country, organized by the football federation. A great event that comforted me pleasantly, saddened that I still can't return home for ten days after the season, if not for those awards, I would have spent that time at home with my family. At the banquet, three teams from the highest and first leagues and youth teams participated, each player was awarded a medal, and after the official program, communication and a cultural program began. - The most famous Lithuanian club "Žalgiris" finished the championship after you - in the fourth place. Surprising? - Understandable. And big. Luckily, they made it to the Baltic Cup. It's something like the UEFA Cup of the Baltic countries. It involves four teams from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. - You played with the number 33. Did you choose it yourself? - My father played with the number three and it was my favorite. I had it in my previous club Bratislava "Inter", but in "Vėtra" it was taken. Just like the 23rd. So I asked for the 33rd. - Did you have trouble communicating? Your generation must already learn Russian... - I speak English well, and it is the most popular language. With their youth, you can easily communicate in English. Older people speak Russian better. I myself am learning Russian without any coercion. I didn't try to learn Lithuanian, it is similar to the Nordic languages, and I don't want to twist my tongue... That's why I can't read local newspapers. - What is football for Lithuania? - The most popular sport there is basketball without a doubt. It's nothing special for a team to play in front of 20 thousand spectators. Football can only envy that. In some stadiums, a constant thousand people gather. In the summer, we started home games at half-past seven, in the fall - an hour earlier. True, at the end of the season, we played on snow and ice. We have a good fan club, around a thousand spectators came to our games, before the game against "Žalgiris" they used so much pyrotechnics that the game had to be stopped several times. But everything went without fines. The Ultras there can control themselves, there were no fights in the stadiums or nearby. - How would you characterize coach A. Tarchanov? - Calm. Not very nervous, doesn't shout at the players. He doesn't raise his voice even during breaks when the team is losing. In every situation, he manages to raise the players' spirits. He is an expert and a psychologist. Loyal to the 4-5-1 tactical scheme, where the full-backs often help in defense. - A. Tarchanov played for the Russian national team against your father. Did you talk to him about it in Vilnius? - Yes. We met after practice, talked, remembered our days as footballers. Tarchanov visited Banska Bystrica with Moscow CSKA during the tournaments of the socialist countries' armies, they competed against each other several times. - You played 12 games. Are you satisfied with that? - Don't forget this: I joined the team when there were 15 games left until the end of the season. In the game against "Žalgiris", I played the last 25 minutes and since then I played mostly. In the end, I can remember 12 games without a yellow card, which for a defender, I think, is a solid achievement. - In August, you signed a one-year contract with "Vėtra". Did it pay off? - You see what kind of life it is. But everything can change, even after an hour...
