Posts by Susan Miller6

Jacob Price23 said:World Cup 2011 - 5th place (no knockout rounds before the semifinals; lost a decisive group game to reach the semis)
Euro 2012 - loss in the semifinals
World Cup 2013 - loss in the semifinals
Euro 2014 - loss in the semifinals
World Cup 2015 - loss in the quarterfinals
Euro 2016 - loss in the semifinals
Olympic Games 2016 - loss in the quarterfinals
World Cup 2017 - loss in the semifinals

This many semifinal losses can no longer be dismissed as mere coincidence.

Meanwhile, someone like Omeyer played ten finals during his career and walked away with nine victories.

Honestly, it has become incredibly frustrating, especially since handball is essentially our national sport.
Players like Omeyer and the rest—from Narciss to Gigu (whose name I am tired of hearing)—are clearly held in high regard abroad, whereas here we seem to write off our veteran players for whatever reasons. A player can have four championship rings to his name, yet our thirty-somethings are discarded without much thought.
There was a time when you watched a match with genuine excitement; now, after watching our national team, you feel like walking straight into a mental health clinic just to escape the frustration.

Joseph Kern5 said:Valčić, Lacković, and an Olympic winner—likely even the 2003 World Championship winners and runners-up in Tunisia back in 2007. It means everything when you have two or three players in your squad who possess a true championship mindset; they pass that essence down to the younger guys. What can Zlatko Duvnjak teach the rising generation, aside from what was painfully evident in that post-game interview? The near tears, the heavy sighing... it was just a disaster.

We used to have players with such grit and unshakable resolve: Balić, Caleb, Metličić, Lacković, Dominiković... it is difficult to find anyone in today's national team roster who shares their specific temperament. They appeared composed on the surface, yet they were fierce competitors underneath.

In 2003, we had Balić, Lac and Vuković from that group
. Regarding the Athens games, we were missing Valčić and Čavar, but that's water under the bridge now; what happened, happened. My point is about the years following that period, when most of those names were still playing, and even then, we saw nothing.
I simply cannot compare the generation that brought us gold at the 1996 Olympics with what has been happening over the last few years.

It’s a shame we blew it, plain and simple.
If Lino had been coaching yesterday, people would be criticizing him just as harshly right now.
Success doesn't rest solely on the coach, nor does it fall entirely on the goalkeeper, nor is it all down to one Mamić or Duvnjak. Handball is a team sport; a squad needs to be cohesive, complete, and synchronized, and our boys simply weren't that this tournament.
I don't recall any other tournament where the wing shots were so poor.
Everything felt off. It isn't the same coach and it isn't the same team, but nobody can honestly claim the players lacked the will to win.
Best regards!

Joseph Kern5 said:Where are Sliskovic, Alilovic, Sulic, Spoljaric, who spent seven years at Fuchs Berlin, Kresimir kozin, Drago Vukovic, Vukic, Ivan Horvat (Flensburg), Kopljar, Ivan Nincevic, Tonc Valcic, Brozovic, Lackovic, Cupic, Karacic, Sego, Blazevic, Obranovic, and Buntic?

I have been following handball for perhaps twenty years now, dating back roughly to 1996, and I can say with certainty that the offense has never felt this stagnant. There is a total lack of synergy with the wings, the pivot’s role remains undefined, and both our left and right backs—along with the playmaker—have struggled to find any rhythm.

I feel the same way. However, one must remember that even when Sliskovic, Alilovic, Kozina, Vukić, Kopljar, Ninčević, both Valčić brothers, Lac, Čupko, Karačić, Šego, and Buntić were all on the court, we still found ourselves exiting early.
Looking strictly at the quality of play since this tournament began, we actually progressed quite far, aided by the luck of seeing both Germany and Denmark eliminated before the semifinals.
While watching them fight for bronze is more aggravating for me, I suppose it is better than returning home empty-handed. They gave it their all, but ultimately, it just wasn't enough.

Harold Long21 said:No, we aren't simply going to overlook everything that Kopljar provided for the national team. 🤦

Exactly! 🤣🤣

What is there left to say? It’s a tragedy. But then again, that isn't what handball is all about...

The level of frustration I am feeling right now is truly overwhelming.

Apple!!!

🙏 🙏 🙏