Posts by Paul Jones7

electricorca112 said:Honestly, looking at the pile of nonsense that's been dumped here since my last post (including that little "intervention" regarding what I wrote 🙄), it’s actually much easier for me to just pluck out the occasional smart comment I can get behind rather than trying to fix all the stupidity:

I agree with these points and their implications—most of everything else being said is just pure filler. 🙂

electricorca112, we played poorly. I mean, given our actual capabilities, it was bad. It’s obvious to everyone that we don't have that perimeter lineup we used to have back when it was Laco-Balić-Metla, but even so, this is still a solid group of players who played the entire tournament well below their potential. Just look at the defense—the mistakes are everywhere, they're over-relying on the block and avoiding early fouls. And the set offense? They just force that one specific crossing play over and over, playing way too statically outside of it. We knew our transition game was our only real weapon, and we knew things would fall apart if the fast break got shut down. Honestly, give these guys a top-tier coach and with an open bracket like this, they’d be a lock for the finals.

Jesse Thompson94 said:Bringing back Červar wouldn't actually fix anything.
The vibe is just off. It’s not even that the players aren't talented—it’s more that they just don't seem to care when they suit up for the national team. They probably realize that once their performance dips even slightly, they'll be tossed aside like yesterday's news.
Some of them are even bitter because they're sitting on the bench, or getting limited minutes, simply because someone else needs to stay in the spotlight to keep their market value high. I guess that logic applies to the national team, too.

As for Gobac and his political party—like I mentioned before, if he’s this much of a powerhouse while the opposition is running things, I can't help but wonder what happens when his side actually takes control.

just hire vujović as the coach and call it a day—problem solved regarding the coaching situation. though, obviously, that doesn't deal with Gobac; those guys are a bit harder to shake loose.

Kenneth Clark18 said:Back in ep 2012, they absolutely folded against those Mexicans—who, let's be honest, aren't even a factor anymore.
Then there's that thing Vori said about them being terrified of Dinart.
By 2013, Denmark just steamrolled them right after we sent those Frenchmen into retirement.
In 2014, we were actually leading against Denmark at halftime, but then we basically ate a massive pile of garbage in the second half.
Then 2015 happened... total collapse. We started getting hammered by teams from the second tier of world handball.

KETA, the absolute legend.

Keta hit his target, though—the quarterfinals. So, I guess you could call this a success.

Whatever, man... if you want to be a jerk and talk trash, go ahead.

Nathan Foster23 said:That’s true—most of our wins come during the group stages, while they seem to consistently knock us out when the stakes actually get high.

Honestly, the Americans are always the favorites for gold—it’s just the way things work.

There’s one more thing I should probably mention... their conditioning for these big tournaments is just on another level. I can’t even remember the last time I saw the US squad look physically exhausted. It’s been a real problem for us, too—it’s cost us so many semifinals and finals (and not just against the Americans) where we actually had great momentum and solid rosters, but we ended up being totally gassed by the time we hit the knockout rounds.

jadeseal7 said:If we actually make it to the finals and end up facing the French, I don't think I could sit through that match. Honestly, people have given us such an inferiority complex over the last few years, just because of teams like 😁

Look, it’s really not about us. They basically admit themselves that they take more losses against us than anyone else. Eight gold medals in the last decade—let's be realistic here—we're talking about the absolute best national team of the last ten years. Those kinds of successes aren't just luck; they're showing off their dominance against other top-tier teams too.

I mean, sure, the US could have done more after those games against Portugal and Athens, but that would've required much better leadership—and maybe a bit more depth on the defensive side of things. The French have these incredible defenders and a whole system built around their backline; that's where they really pull ahead.

Frank Sanchez37 said:Keep an eye on the game against Poland... Coach Goluza said: "We're going to play a 6-0 defense to pull their shooters further away from the goal."

Can someone who actually knows what they're talking about explain this to me? How exactly does playing a 6-0 defense push the opponent's shooters further away from our goal?

That’s what I call backward logic... at least, I hope that’s all it is.😁

We really needed that Bičanić play—it just wasn't over yet. Given how close the Egal matchup was too, I'd say we're finally there. Unless, of course, we want to go ahead and mess everything up ☕

Honestly, it gets under my skin—the way officiating works when you've got aggressive attackers on the court. It feels like they let those guys get away with all kinds of shoving and hacking, while the defense is the only one actually getting called for fouls. It’s frustrating, I guess.

Gerald Jones56 said:Water.

Look, it’s just one game—Goldman Sachs has been tearing teams apart for years now. I already mentioned I might have misread the situation earlier, but even so, I still think Goldman Sachs didn't get nearly enough minutes today...

Yeah, but he just doesn't seem to be playing at his usual level during this tournament. Which, I guess, works out fine for us.

Gerald Jones56 said:That Polish coach, Goluža, just won't stop sticking with that rookie in goal...

Man, what are you drinking? Szmal made his comeback ages ago—and honestly, that kid of theirs basically handed the win to the Swedes on a silver platter.

If we actually want to pull off a win in this game, our defense is going to have to step up big time--really dig in and give more than they have been so far.

Joseph Clark37 said:Too many times during these high-stakes games, our guys just turn into Serena Williams—and once that happens, it's basically game over.

Hopefully, things might shake out a little differently in the second half.

Oh, come on, Hildegard... it's never quite that simple. On tournaments like this one, pretty much every single matchup feels like a must-win—there's really zero margin for error.

The offense is just... stuck. It’s like half the guys on the court can't even find their footing. Bičanić—nothing from him, zero impact—though I guess Kopljar managed to break through twice decently enough

Poland's defense is looking pretty solid

And now he’s actually trying to claim that the whole strategy in the first half was for him to stop shooting so Dule and Kopljar could take over ☕ I swear, I am going to lose my mind...

Philli said:That start to the second half was everything—that's really when we snatched it from them!

Honestly, those first 15 minutes of the second half were the whole game right there. Our defense really stepped up, and I guess you could say the offense actually kept pace for once. Just fifteen minutes of solid play, really.

You think we can't pull it off? I mean, the Danes will probably take first, and even if they don't, the French are looking like the favorites here 😕

I was saying earlier that there isn't much incentive to go all out, but maybe there is—sort of a low-stakes warmup before the semifinals, instead of just grinding through a scrap

As for us, I honestly don't see how the French could handle us in a final. It feels like they already assume they've got our number in any game that actually matters

Kenneth Clark18 said:Kaleb - Štrlek... man, I don't even know where to start there. Kaleb always seemed to have those massive scoring runs when it mattered.

It’s pretty straightforward, really—technically speaking, Štrlek is much sharper, but then you look at Kaleb, and he's definitely got the edge on defense. As for fast breaks? Hmm. Let's just say they're about equal. If you actually sit down and crunch the numbers, maybe somewhere around here...

Kenneth Clark18 said:Referees are at it again.

It’s not about the Frenchmen.
It isn’t even about Omeyer.
It’s not some divine intervention from a French or Danish deity—it’s just our own heads.

This generation... they just don't have that WINNER'S MENTALITY. Period. No question about it.

They keep throwing away these absolute brain-dead games, and honestly, it feels like we haven't had a decent sports psychologist on staff in years.

I mean, how do you explain what happened in Chicago back in '09?
How do you explain that total blackout during the '07 run in Germany?
How do you account for that utter nonsense at the Olympics in Beijing?
And what about the game against Mexico? Seriously, Mexico! 🙂
How do you explain the Olympics in London after being up by seven against Denmark?
Or that complete meltdown in Spain where we practically begged to play in a harder round?

There’s no explanation. And there aren't any excuses either. None.

This is a deep-seated, systemic issue. It hasn't just been a bad two months; it's been going on since 2005.

It’s actually pretty straightforward:

1. The French are just better than us.
2. Plus, they have our number.

Our national team is more mobile, which makes their offense slightly less smooth, but we tend to be relatively static. They’re stronger than us, and their physical conditioning is better (I think I read somewhere that they prioritize pure strength and readiness as a core pillar of training in the French league).

You see it as "blackouts," but I don't think that's it. It's more like falling straight into a French trap.

We were actually playing quite well and moving fluidly in the first half. But then what happened? They shut down our rhythm, and we just ran out of gas. Suddenly, we're taking shots from semi-set positions. That's exactly the kind of thing Omeyer lives for. 😉

But the real mistake was failing to shut down their attack in the first half. We pressured them, sure, but we couldn't defend our own goal to keep them off balance.

Samuel Baker3, why on earth would the French let that Swede slip through with just a one-point loss?

It’s not like they’re actually all that intimidating—honestly, neither are we. If we had to play them next, I guess we’d just be more exhausted by then.

boldhound8 said:Man, this is honestly the last thing Goluža would have ever tactically planned🤣🤣

But no, I just don't get this whole narrative about us playing "great." How are we playing great? Our defense is basically Swiss cheese at this point—just holes everywhere—the goalie is practically invisible, and our offense is just a series of incredibly expensive mistakes... I mean, if there's any difference at all—and I mean the *only* reason we're even in this—it's because we're getting those Kopljarev shots that we usually can't find a way to make.😁

The real kicker was that man-advantage we had; instead of actually capitalizing on it, we let them slip two quick transition goals past us. That’s just unacceptable in a game like this. We’re doing everything except the basics—we’re just handing them the ball on a silver platter.