Posts by James Jones11

Jeremy Irons🙏 I suppose he really does suit the part, doesn't he?

Frank Moore4 said:Folks, I have to say, the recent technical glitches on this forum are starting to become quite aggravating, and I suppose it would be perfectly reasonable—perhaps even overdue—to have them rectified once and for all. There were moments recently where waiting for a single page to load felt like it took ten minutes, almost as if I had been somehow transported back to the nineties, during those days when Netscape Navigator seemed to rule the entire internet. 🙄

And now, it seems we are constantly being slapped with a 502 Bad Gateway error, which resulted in several of my own posts simply vanishing into thin air, wasted effort, I suppose...

This 502 error is truly killing me.🤮

I nearly lost this post to the void myself🙂, though I didn't quite give up just yet.

Maria Phillips54 said:It was just an abysmal performance; there isn't some grand stroke of bad luck to blame here...

Pavic was terrible, but perhaps even worse was Ratko Rudić, who seemed to have absolutely no one to turn to when things fell apart.

Dobud is a solid player, I suppose, though he’s miles away from that world-class status our local sports journalists seem so desperate to project onto him... and don't even get me started on Paškvalin...

Cloth is clearly a top-tier talent, but I suspect he hasn't quite grasped yet that the mantle of responsibility needs to fall on his shoulders, especially since the veterans seem to be lacking any real grit lately.

Djokovic is also a phenomenal lefty, but I guess he just wasn't feeling it today (and I truly mean that).

Karac, Buljubašić, Obradović, Barač... what on earth were they thinking???

Muslim... completely out of form, honestly, bravo Rudić!

Burić... he’s got raw potential, much like he did fifteen years ago back in the junior leagues; he’s arguably the most physically imposing defender in the world, but... well, Kunac, Sarič, and Komadina are playing at a level he can't even touch right now.

If I've left anyone out, there’s probably a reason for it... goodness knows why...

I find myself agreeing with most of this. Except, perhaps, regarding Obradović, who is a very capable player with a stellar shot—the kind of guy who doesn't care about the consequences and will fire off five shots if that's what it takes to score. He actually has some backbone.
Muslim was, in my estimation, the standout performer against Mexico, so I genuinely cannot fathom why his game collapsed so spectacularly against Italy.

Burić is pure raw material; a man standing six-foot-ten and weighing two hundred pounds, yet he's throwing the ball like a child in the junior ranks, barely reaching the goal. One shouldn't forget he could easily penetrate the two-meter zone and cause chaos. He's heavy on potential, but I still think he's better than several people you mentioned, particularly Kunac (where on earth did you find him in your ranking?)🤣

To wrap this up, I feel that even Rudić should probably be given the boot.
Most of these players simply didn't make sense for us anymore, I guess. And ever since he took over, that sense of purpose has been steadily evaporating.

When we played against Mexico, everything made sense—despite their absences and what I would call a subpar showing from Šefik—especially our defensive structure.

But that's how it goes, I suppose; one day everything clicks, and the next, you can't even handle the ball properly.
Even though our first half was nothing short of criminal, we managed to stay in it because we had man-advantage situations that brought us within one point; we play poorly, and they immediately strike back to put us three down.

So, here we are, looking at yet another fourth-place finish staring us in the face. Unless the Canadians aren't too physically or mentally drained from the semifinals, in which case it would be a crime not to beat them.

And finally, I see reports today claiming Rudić is complaining about the officiating against Italy.🤦
In my view, the refereeing was excellent, both against Mexico and Italy (aside from that one specific incident against Mexico, of course).
😁

Terry Fisher2 said:Buljubašić, Paškvalin, and Karac really just played around out there today, so I have to wonder, who on earth called them up in the first place?

It’s just a collection of subpar players who seem to only be capable of sitting there and jumping up a few times whenever we actually manage to score a goal during those "big" games. As for why they were selected... well, I honestly haven't the slightest clue, and I doubt anyone is ever going to sit me down and explain why they are supposedly the right choice for the national team.

Today we were wandering around aimlessly, much like that eccentric fellow Mike. First, he claimed Buric had picked up three exclusions, only to realize ten minutes later—as if it mattered—that he meant Milo had received three; though, of course, both men were still very much in the game at the time. 🤦

Our performance today was frankly pathetic; our shooting was abysmal in Tempestia, and we seem to have this endless habit of playing a safe, stagnant game when we have a man advantage, where absolutely zero action ever occurs.

Pavic 🤦, meanwhile, managed to concede every single goal in the near corner, not to mention those nasty lobs. What a total disaster.

Richard Patel21 said:It's 13:13 and now it's an attack for Mexico.

What's your take on this?

Daniel Cooper40 said:It’s tied at 13:13; I suppose both sides just missed two golden opportunities to pull ahead. The Canadians have swapped out their goalie. Only two minutes left.

Richard Patel21 said:13:13

Overtime.

Daniel Cooper40 said:Nothing settled yet. After that 13:13 tie, it seems like nobody could actually make any headway on offense.

Nicholas Morales48 said:That's how it goes!!!!!!!!!!

14:13

Nicholas Morales48 said:15:14 for Mexico

The Canadians have the ball for another 40 seconds, I think.

They have a man advantage.

Final Quote 👋 👋 👋

Daniel Cooper40 said:15:14, and it looks like Mexico is heading into the finals.

It seems we have already deduced exactly what was going on, just as we have in times past, I suppose.🤣

redmaker15 said:It seems the Canadians managed to completely squander a 12-8 lead, somehow sliding all the way back to a 13-13 deadlock in less than five minutes. I suppose it was inevitable, really, given how quickly momentum can evaporate when you aren't paying close enough attention, though one would think a lead like that might hold for at least a little longer. 🤦

Nathan Kern9 said:I am quite intimately acquainted with the sheer volume of shots taken in water polo, and frankly, this entire situation has been an unprecedented display of stupidity. At first glance, I was under the impression that Titch played a truly disgraceful hand, especially following that incredibly insolent technical timeout called by Porobic. However, having reviewed the footage myself, my perspective seems to diverge somewhat from what the official HTV water polo institution apparently concluded.

It’s dead time now, really—there are about 14 seconds left on the clock, and I suppose Buslje is already starting to lose his grip just two meters out because they haven't even begun to set their positions properly; they’ve all just sort of drifted forward in the water. Now, Buslje is actually holding his ground here, but this other guy, well, he obviously isn't going to bother watching him while he’s busy holding his hand up, and unfortunately, that's how it ends up hitting him right in the head.

I suspect the Mexicans wouldn't have even managed to make an impact out there; they likely would have just spent the entire match chasing the ball aimlessly until the final whistle blew. Honestly, I think Buslje could have simply positioned himself right between the players and the ball and effectively neutralized the whole thing. ...or perhaps trailing just behind him.
I suppose I should probably just step aside now and give credit where it's due, offering my hand and my best wishes to the guys as they head into the fray to fight for fifth place... good luck to them, I guess.

He really should have stood his ground behind him, and if those guys had just been pushing the ball toward the two-point line, he probably would have let him take the shot. And then he might have actually said, "Bravo, maestro," acknowledging how much he’d truly outmaneuvered the defense.

Henry Cox78 said:Titch is garbage 🤮

The Mexicans call a 15-second timeout right before the end just to trigger their go-to play: "breaking the Bušlje arc." 🤮🤮

Well, I am personally convinced there was no prearranged plan here. It seems more likely that he just acted entirely on his own impulse—damn it, it looked to me as if he was holding Buslje’s hand, and he simply couldn't break free, so then the strike happened. It was probably just pure frustration resulting from a sense of helplessness.
I truly hope that jerk receives some kind of penalty.

As for the match itself, things went quite well for our side, though I suppose we were somewhat fortunate with all those long-range shots—bloopers, glancing blows, all sorts of lucky bounces that somehow ended up in the net for us.
However, I really have to single out Muslim; it is quite incredible what an elite player he has become. He’s playing perimeter, he’s playing defense, and he even moves in to the two-meter mark. That shot from the outside hitting the post was nothing short of perverse.

Bravo to our guys!