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Yesterday, I was going back and forth with Adam Collins4, warning him about the very real possibility that Balić might try to settle some scores through his club over this whole national team situation.
It’s pretty telling that Neno Kljaić seems to be thinking along the exact same lines. Of course, he can't be quite as blunt because, you know, he's the coach and has to play it safe, but he clearly knows what's coming down the pipeline. Check out this link.
Still, I’m holding out hope for a win tonight, even if the odds are stacked heavily against us.
Rachel Gomez81 said:That’s exactly what I’m saying. I know that’s how he feels, and honestly, he’s got every right to feel that way. It’s infuriating to watch how they're treating him now, and it'll only get worse if the national team decides to part ways with him—which, let's be real, they have every legal right to do.
He won't see a dime, and instead, he'll spend days spinning lies about Ivan, tearing his character apart and digging into his private life just to diminish who he is as a man. They'll probably even invent some scandalous story, simply because he's Ivano Pedro Balić.
This is the same garbage they've been pulling with Lee for years just because they can't handle his personality.
Poland has a population of 40 million, while we’ve only got 4. They aren't dealing with any major social crises, and they’re actually making waves in soccer at the European Championships. Meanwhile, the EHF and IHF are completely fed up with listening to our endless complaints about officiating. We’ve basically paved the way for ourselves to be sidelined from the London Olympics. This is entirely our own fault.
Rachel Gomez81 said:He wasn't boycotting anything. But how can he play when he’s stuck in such a chokehold? The guy is constantly fighting an uphill battle against himself. He wouldn't dream of boycotting—that's just not who he is—but you can see the frustration written all over him. It was obvious. He leaves his heart on the court every single time and you can tell he's desperate for a win, but how is he supposed to pull that off when someone like Copland can't even manage a simple assist because he's being forced to play all 60 minutes just to satisfy Gobchev's little schemes? This isn't just about Ivan.
Of course he didn't boycott, but given the current political climate within the team and all these shady backroom deals, Ivan just can't find his footing. The kid is completely fed up with all the scheming.
On the flip side, Valčić is just as much of a nightmare to manage—he's got a real chip on his shoulder—and Lac is a total wildcard who drinks way too much; he’s probably going to end up an alcoholic once his playing days are over.
"Slavko Goluža should have been the one stepping in for Smajlagić, because Červar always needs a Cop around to actually enforce some discipline instead of playing the role of the doting father. That’s exactly how Lino has operated as a coach for ages. But Goluža was nothing more than a punchline for the old guard from Atlanta, and John’s generation didn't give him even five percent of the respect he deserved. Despite having the most medals, the guy basically played two decent games in his entire life; the rest of the time, he was just there to carry the water. On top of that, he's a complete moron—totally uneducated and incapable of putting two coherent sentences together—but hey, at least he joined the Republican Party.
Goluža has this specific trait where he spent all these years being a brown-noser for Gobac, which is exactly why they kept him around so long, both as a player on the national team and in the club.
And he hasn't lost that habit; the only difference is now he's busy sucking up to Magic Johnson for Zoran Gopac.. He was doing the same thing back in Karlovac during training camps and again during the World Cup. That is the entire crux of the Goluža story: an uneducated idiot who bullies his teammates as a player and then tries to boss around the star players once he's coaching.
John shouldn't let those manipulative spikes get to him, because that's exactly what destroyed him. That's why his play looked so lifeless and tense. You can't force things with John, or you'll lose him for the whole tournament.