Posts by George Robinson43

Paul Jones7 said:The group stage format actually reduces the total number of rounds played, which adds more depth to the competition.

We could go back and forth on this until tomorrow, but I think you get my point. Even if you don't, that's fine by me.

And your point is?

Personally, I see absolutely no value in these group formats. It’s all just a scheme to squeeze out more matches and milk more revenue from TV rights, which is clearly the primary objective for Mustafa and his organization.
Just look at how many pointless, filler matches were played in the second group.
One team walks away with 4 points while another gets nothing, leaving those bottom teams to lose their first game and completely lose any motivation to compete.

Paul Jones7 said:In other words, they could certainly try to act like everything is fine... but the real question is how the International Handball Federation would actually react. They might just slap them with heavy penalties, leaving everyone to complain to whoever they want. Or, they might let it slide under the principle of "insufficient evidence." It all comes down to what serves their interests best.

Well, here we are, waiting to see if they get penalized for practically handing Horvat a weapon and letting players aim straight at the concrete while playing with a man advantage against the Spaniards.
We’re looking at an outright ban from the World Cup. ☕

Paul Jones7 said:It wasn't a total farce since at least some of our guys actually showed up in the end. But imagine if we had played like the Spaniards—what kind of disaster would that have been?

In the end, both sides would have just ended up facing penalties.

What kind of penalty? Penalties for what?
I mean, in handball, it’s easy to avoid scoring. You can commit traveling violations or charging without much fuss... as long as you don't throw a hard pass to the wing.

But no, we’ll be the ones committing traveling, charging, and throwing the ball out of bounds specifically when we need a call... and nobody will penalize us.

The sports you're talking about aren't all the same; the system that works in handball doesn't necessarily apply everywhere. In soccer, for instance, it wouldn't be the best approach. But that doesn't mean soccer isn't full of nonsense—just look at how we botched things back in '96. It was a logical move on our part, but they still gave us grief. Or take how the English played us during the 2010 qualifiers against Ukraine. They couldn't have cared less about that specific match.

Aha.. those sports are drastically different.
It's common knowledge that in soccer, hockey, and water polo, the mechanics are different and the goal isn't always just about scoring.

Paul Jones7 said:but there's actually a massive difference between reaching the quarterfinals versus the semifinals; once you're down to just four teams, the outcome remains unpredictable until the final whistle.
I honestly can't recall a single tournament structure that utilized this semifinal setup. While it isn't impossible, I'd say the chances of seeing such a chaotic mess are significantly lower.

Aha. Soccer, basketball, water polo, volleyball, and hockey are all more disorganized than other sports because they suffer from such a broken bracket system starting at least from the quarterfinals.

The format of having two group stages followed by semifinals is an absolute abomination.
That’s exactly why they used it in handball, which is run by various Mustafas and similar idiots.
It should be simple: groups, then straight to knockout rounds to see who truly has the guts to win.

Today wasn't just a mess; it was simply yet another example of our national team's stupidity over the last decade.

Paul Jones7 said:the system is flawed; there's a massive loophole here

Back when the format moved straight from group stages to the semifinals, scenarios like this were incredibly rare.

The more rounds you add to a tournament, the more opportunities there are for shady business.

Aha, we faced an almost identical situation back during the 2007 tournament structure.
The only difference was we headed to the quarterfinals instead of the semifinals.
It wasn't uncommon for semifinal matchups to be manipulated during those second-round stages.

At this World Cup, the "fixing" seemed limited to our specific game.
It was like the Spaniards were planning a backyard BBQ while others were just spinning around like lost lambs in a small town in Kansas. After the grill is hot—it's coffee and cake time!

casualskipper8 said:It’s a complete paradox right now. Instead of celebrating our victory over the Spaniards on their own turf, we’re moping about how flawed the tournament structure is.

The system works perfectly fine!
Think of it like this: we were given a choice between a leisurely stroll toward the championship or a high-stakes gamble with a massive risk of crashing out in the quarterfinals.
We simply opted for the adrenaline rush.
Now, the real question remains: was this brilliant strategy or just pure madness?

Drew Edwards8 said:So, what happened to you, Štrlek?

He broke his hand just trying to cheer on the Frogs and the Dance teams!

rowdygull90 said:I get that winning is the goal, but isn't it even more important to make things easier on ourselves if we have the chance? We’ve been burned before, so shouldn't that serve as a sufficient lesson? What happens if the Spaniards take home the gold while we end up heading back to the States much earlier than expected?

Repetition is indeed the mother of mastery.
The lessons from 2007 seem to have been lost to time. Everything needs to be revisited.

It would be such a tremendous joy to return home and say we played the most spectacular handball in the tournament right up until our exit. Medals are secondary to that kind of performance.

casualskipper8 said:Actually, this outcome might be a blessing in disguise! If we had ended up in a different group, we could have faced the Poles in the round of sixteen and been knocked right out. Unlike some other teams, our athletes truly understand the spirit of fair play. What our soccer players achieved against the English, and what our handball stars are doing now, is nothing short of inspiring. We certainly don't want to act like the Mexicans. Even if they possessed our level of talent in handball, if they were in our shoes, they would have lost to the Spaniards by twenty points.

Everything seems fine.
But honestly, can you imagine the absolute chaos that will break out here if we lose to the Frenchmen or the Danes?

Frank Turner72 said:How could we say we weren't calculating our moves?! Are you kidding yourselves? The game was only intense for about five minutes—we were playing strategically, yet we still managed to fail like absolute amateurs.

To top it all off, we actually ended up empty-handed in a match where the other team was practically handing us the win on a silver platter. 🙏 🙏

Jerry Myers19 said:So, it's a 10,000% guarantee that the French will make it through 🤔 Iceland??

Nothing is ever a guarantee—just like how nothing guarantees we’ll make it past Belarus.

The Spaniards have a clear stroll to the finals ahead of them... whereas we're facing the frogs! If God actually answered Vukovic's prayers, maybe we'll see them at the Dance, where they're playing much better than they did at the UN.

Why settle for a casual walk to the finals when you could crash out in the QF?

Gregory Ramos3 said:I have to disagree; just take a look at who actually holds power in the US Congress today. 😁

There were certainly much sharper minds on that field than the ones playing today.

Spaniards make it to the finals like clockwork.
Our guys are currently praying to God and hoping someone upstairs is actually paying attention.
But let’s be honest, God doesn't have much patience for fools.

👋

Look at how they completely mismanage things even when they have a two-man advantage on the field.

Tooooooo 🙏 🙏

Hahaha!

I simply cannot fathom how we allowed that goal to slip past us! 🙏 🙏

Go jump in a lake, you absolute loser!

Here is another lineup 🙏 🙏

Simply

It is much like sending a group of reckless teenagers to work at a high-end Chicago steakhouse managed by absolute perfectionists.

Cut it out, Šterbik! What's the hold-up?