''I know I haven't forgotten how to defend in three or four games—but let’s be real, someone around here always needs a scapegoat. I’ve been in this game for ten years now, and lately, whether it's fair or not, I seem to be the one everyone points the finger at. I’m used to it by now.''
''Things were rough last year in the States (I mean, seriously, who would have thought you'd struggle in back-to-back tournaments?), but there's been stuff going on for a while now that just doesn't sit right with me. Honestly, it feels totally ridiculous that after just one or two games, people start questioning if I can still defend or not—they've been asking that same question for six or seven years straight! I’ve been playing elite handball for a decade; my career has been on an upward trajectory, and I’m part of a massive club like Veszprem—I certainly didn't stumble into that spot by accident. Besides, my hard work and discipline earned me another two-year contract extension, which should speak for itself. But look, I'll say it again: it hurts that things aren't going the way I want them to with the national team. It is what it is.''
It is what it is? Really? Then why are you putting Babić in the semifinals after Stevie plays the game of his life against the home team? 😂
Hey Carl Garcia22, just find me one—just one single game—where Alilovic played better than Swab today? Don't even bother looking at semifinals or finals, because we both know Alilovic never actually saved us...
George Chavez8 said:Back when we were grabbing gold, we had Scholl and Losert—they knew exactly when to step up in '03 and '04... though everyone seems to forget that pretty fast.
This whole curse involving the Frenchmen started back in that miserable 2007 tournament. We were playing the absolute best handball in history during that run—we were insanely good! But apparently, just one old lion, Omeyer, was enough to wreck our entire generation and leave us with this permanent mental block.
I’m convinced we would’ve walked away with a few more golds if we just had a better goalie—even if the rest of the roster was 20-30% weaker than what we actually had. In a sport like this, the keeper is everything.
One elite goalkeeper and a coach with actual authority and expertise would have prevented this tragedy; since 2004, we haven't seen a single gold despite having players this talented.
Our new coach basically told me everything when the semifinals start with Alilović and Čupič—the guy is an idiot, though he is a likable one.
SIGNATURE 👍
If we had a weaker roster but possessed someone like Omeyer, we would have landed 3 or 4 golds after '04.
When I think back to 2007, the tears literally come to my eyes—one damn goalie snatched the gold right out of our hands. Just one goalie.
Omeyer is the perfect example of what a goalie can do for handball—specifically, that vital communication and synergy between the defense and the net. We have the defense, but we don't have the goalie. So, goodbye. 🙂
I have nothing against Thomas in the paint—he needs solid play to actually be dominant, and let's face it, he isn't Shaq, for crying out loud. Don't go labeling me one of Thomas's haters; I'm just calling out that octopus who puts in maybe 10-15% effort on defense from tournament to tournament.
And it doesn't matter if Swab makes the save tomorrow—what kind of argument is that? The guy is pure gold, yet you're over here worrying about whether "he'll make the save tomorrow"? 😂 You are seriously defending Mike like he's your own son! Imagine if we were playing in the finals and Mirko Bran was as shaky as Swab is today—I bet you'd be writing him nothing but praise; you certainly wouldn't be asking if his dad would defend him tomorrow!
I know all goalie saves look similar at first glance, but there's a massive difference in positioning, closing down an attacker, wing defense, clearing corners, or choosing the right angle on outside shots instead of just diving for the floor in the middle—so if you think I'm wrong, well, you're wrong. God, the guy is the worst goalie in America—that's what we're talking about—and it proves itself tournament after tournament, game after game... Just take all those arguments of yours and throw them in the trash.
And I don't think there's a lobby behind him; I think he's just a textbook example of being overrated—a total textbook case.
So, basically, when Mirko makes a save our players are playing bad defense, but when Steve makes a save our players are playing great defense... My, how interesting!
jadeseal7 said:After this tournament, it’s obvious he needs to move on—everyone knows it...
Honestly, he should have moved on five years ago! Everyone can see how much this tournament cost us—denying us a spot in the finals and that potential gold medal. But I’ll tell you one thing—he's going to be guarding those Olympic qualifiers. He's the starting goalie, after all; what are Isaac and Steve supposed to do against an absolute octopus like him?
George Robinson43 said:It’s the same story after every championship. An attorney shows up with a legal brief claiming Mike isn't at fault—that he's actually great! Suddenly, a goalie doesn't even need to worry about conceding easy goals or penalties.
So, I’m heading over to the national team headquarters—I’m 6'4", built lean, and I play a killer game of hacky sack—I’ve got an incredible sense of positioning, and my strategy is simple: if they fire a shot at the crossbar, I'll just jump, spread my arms and legs wide, and close my eyes.
That's all it takes to be a legendary octopus in the national jersey.
So—is Omeyer really just saving shots through blocks and from impossible angles? Today, Svaba actually snatched away at least 6 or 7 balls that would have been guaranteed goals for Mike. It’s not about how the defense sets up or the angle of the shot—it’s all about how the goalie positions himself and reacts (from the keeper's perspective). Honestly, if the defense breaks and leaves a hole, you might as well just let the goal in and call it a day! Someone has to keep their cool when things fall apart; you can't play high-intensity defense for 60 straight minutes without someone buckling. Today, they gave Svaba about ten openings on the wings and the line—they had penalties galore—but the GOALIE pulled them out of it and kept us in it. Do you seriously think the French play better defense? Or that Karbatic plays better defense than Dule? No, he doesn't—it's just that Omeyer covers his back and saves 30-40% of shots, while our idiot here only saves 10-15%. The main culprit for the loss against Spain was the defense (5-1), and the second is Mike in the net.
Look, I'm saying even Stevie isn't world-class, but compared to this trash, Omeyer is basically on steroids. I know three handball coaches—one coaches a powerhouse team in the NBA—and they all agree that our goalie is by far the worst part of this squad. By a mile. Defending Mike is exactly why we have three better goalies sitting at home watching the tournament, while this guy averages a measly 10-20% save rate and chokes in every big game.
Besides, in every single game of the championship—except the semifinals—we played decent defense, nothing worse than what Svaba or the French did today. Against the Poles, we played our best game of the tournament, but once again, our goalie tripped us up early and ended up being the "player of the match" for the wrong reasons. Now suddenly everyone is an idiot, and you're the only smart one in the room. I know the truth is somewhere in the middle and maybe Mike doesn't deserve this much heat, but I think it's time for him to hang it up. In my opinion, he should have been watching from the bench five years ago, but after this tournament, he should just move on and we can all have some peace.
Carl Garcia22 said:Who’s defending him? I’ve barely even posted five times during this entire tournament. My main issue—and honestly, it's just baffling—is how anyone can blame the goalie when you concede 18 goals in a single half! And if memory serves, one of those was just a single penalty from Canellas off a fast break. Everyone except friendship was pointing the finger at the keeper. To me, that’s just ridiculous—so then someone tries to act like a total expert or a genius or whatever else. Look, constructive criticism is fine; Mike had a rough tournament, we get it—but let’s try to stay grounded in reality.
As for the idea that Mike cost us two or three gold medals? I don't even want to get into it because, as you know, that's complete nonsense. 🙂
In my opinion, Kosta cost us at least 2-3 golds 🙂—he's easily the worst goalie among the top 8 teams in the world... by far.
If I recall, there was one tournament in the last 6 or 7 years where his save percentage was 30% or lower—which is just embarrassing. My heart goes out most to players like Doug, Horvat, Strlek, Mary, and even Kopljar, who is out there fighting through the pain on one good knee.
But you lose everything because you have a total disaster in the net. Today, Svabo was letting in easy shots, and Stevie was doing the same, which dragged us down. On Friday, that jerk didn't even stop three breakaway shots from aga—sure, the defense slipped, but if you just stop one sitter instead of calling a goal every time the ball touches the line, we'd be fine.
In handball, everything hinges on having a solid goalie, and right now, we have nothing. It’s just sad to see the rest of the guys working their tails off while a zero in the net wastes all that effort.
And it’s not just that Mike had one bad tournament; this is actually his sixth poor showing. Every single time, he falls apart in the big games while the opposing goalie is making saves left and right. It’s a shame—one man has robbed us of so much gold and joy. We could have been at least a France-level contender, but instead, we’re settling for bronze and reminiscing about glory days from 2004.
It’s a pity the public is only realizing this now. Personally, I’ve been saying he’s been a subpar goalie in the national jersey since 2010. People used to drag me through the mud on the forums and in person back then, but it seems like eyes are finally being opened. At least for most people.
Carl Garcia22 said:Alilović joined the national team right when he was the starting keeper for Ademar Leon—statistically the best goalie in the Spanish league at the time. But hey, your lack of sports knowledge is pretty much legendary in other arenas too. 👍
Why the relentless defense of this player trash? Is he truly the worst goalkeeper among all the top teams in Europe? YES! Has his presence cost us 3 or 4 gold medals since he took the #1 spot? YES! Did he cost us the gold in this tournament (defending during those losses against Norway and Spain)? YES!
Covik has been a cancer to this team for years—that is a straight FACT. I don't know, Carl Garcia22, why you're defending this garbage, or why anyone keeps trying to save him. We have the best center in the world with an insane vision of the game, we have ELITE wingers, great pivots, an excellent left wing, and even though our right wing is a bit shaky, we're still solid there.
It’s true that without Dule, our offense hits some dead zones occasionally—but every team has holes! And you fix those holes with a GOALIE! Today, our goalie patched those holes. The Germans were carried to gold today; Omeyer led the French to gold countless times.
Alilović, if you have even a shred of athletic or human conscience left, just get out and never come back. And Babic made one of the biggest blunders in history by putting Mirko in goal instead of Steve. Truly one of the greatest coaching mistakes ever—especially alongside that famous 5-1 defense that left the Spaniards with zero scoring from the wings.
All in all, congrats to the players (except for that piece of work Mirko)—just the players. Thanks to Peri for encouraging them against the Americans and giving us one of the greatest victories in American sports history.
Omeyer pulling off 17 or 18 saves—now THAT is how you show the gap between two teams! It’s just the same old story again, honestly... we always seem to run into this wall when playing against the Frenchmen—dammit, Omeyer!
The Spanish keeper is doing an incredible job, but this guy? He’s practically an alien.
"I have to say—that Frenchman was a formidable opponent. They've given us nothing but trouble all these years, and now they’re finally heading into retirement where they belong. Let them leave with a bit of bitterness—after all, we're the ones who sent them there!"
Rachel Gomez81 said:What kind of nonsense is Vori pulling—especially since he's been playing so sloppily lately? 😕
''Vori to home!!'' 🤣 🤣
To me, Kopljar is the only handball player on the planet who can drop five goals in a game while leaving the impression of being the absolute worst player out there... I mean, the guy does everything on the court, but—honestly, *everything*—he does it all wrong... Aside from jumping for shots and scoring a few goals, he contributes nothing else! No drawing defenders, no cross-court passes, no feeding the pivots, no finding the wings—what an anti-handballer 👎
You could put a 6'11" stationary tree on the court and it would produce the exact same results as him—God help us 🙂
Personally, I’m a fan of this kind of humor—at the end of the day, that's really all there is to it! If you dig that style, the movie is a total win; if you don't, then it's garbage. It’s the same logic when it comes to Jim Carrey and his comedies (even though he’s got some fantastic dramas under his belt, the comparison still holds true)...
I actually found myself laughing out loud at a few scenes—honestly, that’s exactly what keeps you hooked on the movie.