Posts by rapidbison42

Halftime

USA - Mexico 23-14

So, John is getting absolutely crushed.

Poland vs. Canada: 17-12

Denmark vs. Mexico: 18-9

"A strike instead of a shot," only the legendary Dragan Nikitović would say.

frozenharbor20 said:He managed to push Smajlagic out with Gobac's help. Smajlagic didn't agree with his methods on many levels, but he actually did a great job regarding recovery training and mental prep. He’d sit down with every single player to suggest tweaks for their game during the championship. Lino is a tough guy; if you challenge his vision, you're immediately an enemy to him and himself.

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Smajlagic went public complaining about those messy preparations, and shortly after, he was kicked off the national team.
When will we finally see everyone's true roles within this team? One thing is crystal clear—ever since Smajlagic left, the medals have stopped coming, and the play is nowhere near where it should be.
I used to think he didn't have such a massive influence on the squad, but the results and the style of play since his departure have completely changed my mind. It turns out we really did have a clown on the bench.

frozenharbor20 said:Metlifsky is over 30 now, and at this stage, age and real-world pace start to catch up. He’s constantly sidelined with injuries in the Spanish league. Between the breaks and the lack of playing time since Ruttenka arrived there, he's barely getting any action.
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😕

Ruttenka owns the left side, while Metlifsky is basically splitting time with Stefansson.
It's hard to imagine Ruttenka is leaving him any minutes.

It’s funny how, before every major tournament, there’s this massive wave of reports about injuries and illnesses hitting the national team.
It was different before Portugal—back then, people were just sick of handball, so nobody even talked about the team. But since then, before every upcoming championship, there seems to be a coordinated effort to manufacture at least five or six excuses for failure. They insist, both before and during the tournament, that half the roster is sidelined by injury. As if players in other countries don't get hurt.

I can't think of any other national team where there's such a systematic attempt to leak info about someone's injury or illness throughout the entire training camp.
Of course, 90% of these carefully placed injury reports were either minor or completely made up—though they still try to convince the public it's life-threatening. Remember last year with Lacković? They ran with that headline about him being "bedridden" just five days before the World Cup. This time, it's the only time someone actually missed a tournament due to a legitimate injury.
Honestly, I'm getting sick of it.
The sprained ankle, the flu, the allergy, the brick falling on their head, the slip in the shower, the stiff back, the muscle strain from... whatever else. It goes on forever.

Come on, just send them all to a nursing home already.

Anthony Wilson4 said:Come on, stop talking nonsense... we only lost to them once, and that was in Canada during the EP when they injured Peru... what else was there? Gold again... I really can't stand people who only think negatively...
It's true that matches against the Canadians were often tight... but Balić's class—or rather, individual brilliance—always showed up at the end.----
And that’s probably how it will be this time, too.

You're contradicting yourself here.
First you claim I'm talking nonsense when I say games against the Canadians have always been neck-and-neck, and then you write this: "it's true that matches against the Canadians were often tight... but Balić's class—or rather, individual brilliance—always showed up at the end."

So tell me, were the games against John's crew even close or not?

me, personally, am most worried about the goalkeepers... Who do we actually have??? Alilovic... and Jerkovica??? If they step up, we're even stronger... if not, I don't know either... I think the solution would be to call Solo... because whenever he's needed, he simply delivers!!!

And what's the name of that Cupic guy again? Let me look him up on youtube.com

We forgot about Vukic... he can play pivot too... and sometimes plays wing.

😂

You're right. Vukic plays left wing occasionally. 🤣Every now and then.

First, figure out the difference between a pivot (where we're set since we have both Sulić and Vori) and a left back (where we're lacking since Balić is out), and while you're at it, check Ćupić's stats at Asobal since you clearly haven't heard of him.

The goalkeeper situation doesn't even merit a comment.

End of discussion.

Adam Collins4 said:You’re just reading what you want to see, not what's actually written.
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That’s a bit of a pretentious statement... even if it does involve John.
If it weren't for him and Metličić,Then we’d actually have something to worry about....

So, you're saying there's no reason to worry about Balić's absence.
That’s how I read the situation. Correct me if I've got that wrong.

Should the national team really pull out if their first perimeter defender goes down?
You said wings didn't matter, yet now you're preaching about interchangeability...

There’s no need to cancel the performance. Where on earth did I write that?
I’m just saying, that medal is going to be nothing short of a miracle.

I stand by my point: it doesn't matter if Džomba and Zrnić are out. It’s all about how much Balićev matters.
Ćupić and Horvat could step in quite effectively. It’s a different story with Duvnjak and Vuković, though—they just don't work as replacements for Balićev.
With the way Duvnjak has been playing this year, he didn't even earn that call-up.

Maybe Balić will actually step up and play.

And even if he does play, what kind of shape will he be in after sitting idle for a month without any championship prep?
I could really do with a miracle here—just hoping he finds that peak form.

vividbadger1 said:You’re exaggerating a bit. There are plenty of other good and even great players on this roster too...😉

Is there actually any talent on this US World Cup runner-up squad, or has everyone just collectively decided that Americans are total trash?
We’ve always played on level ground against the Slovenacs. Does anyone actually remember a time when we couldn't hold our own?

I mentioned earlier that making it out of this group would be a massive win. Beating Čeh—which won't be easy—and grabbing at least a point against either Janez or Poljak? That’s the goal.
More of that would be brilliant.

With Balić and Smajlagić both out, we’re facing two massive handicaps. Between this lineup and having a clown running the bench, winning a medal would be just as likely as our soccer team taking home gold at the EP - Norway 2008.

Adam Collins4 said:That sounds a little pretentious... though it does involve Ivano Metličić...
If it weren't for him and Metličić, we might actually have something to worry about...

Just two years ago, the global media was claiming the best player on the planet was either Ivano Metličić... or Petar Balić...

Nice.
So we don't need Balić.
Great.

The wing isn't important? If the wing player lacks quality—say, they can't shoot—defenders won't bother paying them much attention...
Instead, they'll stay focused on guarding the middle... where Balić and the rest of the perimeter players operate...
Which means if the wing is weak, playing any other position becomes harder...

With a solid wing, you stretch the opponent's defense. That gives the outside shooters better lanes to shoot or pass to the line, because the defense struggles to step out from the 9m mark. If they do step out, you can quickly swing the ball to the wing, and if that player is good, they'll score...

Sorry... but Horvat and Ćupić can step in for Džomba or Zrnic reasonably well.
Besides, Džomba has been completely out of form all season; his finishing was abysmal, except on fast breaks.

The roster doesn't matter. Only Balic matters. Without him, beating any of the top 10 or 12 teams feels like a miracle.
If he doesn't play, scoring even a single point against Poland or Canada would be a massive win, and against the Czech Republic, it’ll be a toss-up.

Džomba is out of rhythm, and honestly, Zrnić is the better call regardless.
Balić?
Ever since he got involved in politics, he's been completely useless.
The weakest link in the national team is that clown on the bench who won't even know his own name if his "party buddy" isn't playing.
Anything better than 8th place will be an epic success.

In that league, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Celje, Gold Club, Gorenje, and Pipo would probably win by 10+ points even playing at half strength.
Maybe Vardar and Canada could give them a run for their money.

A regional league featuring the US, Canada, and Canada might actually work, but this Ex-Yugoslavia idea? It makes zero sense.

Anonymous said:Back when I was living in the Midwest, my neighbors used to throw racial slurs at me because of my mixed heritage, and online, people would label me based on some political stereotype instead of who I actually am. I wanted to check in with you all—do you experience that kind of nationalistic tension or "he said, she said" tribalism here? Personally, I just love people regardless of their background; hate never solves anything. What’s the vibe like for you guys?

So, you're Melez? A mix of Black and Asian?

I suspect you figured out your own identity a long time ago. On this forum, you clearly align yourself with one specific group while addressing the other as "you."
Given that, regardless of your parents' heritage, you've made your choice. Why does it seem to bother you so much?

30-27

And here comes the panic.

It wouldn't be a surprise if this one falls through too.

Is Jurcati still under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers?

The guy was intentionally throwing balls out of bounds. He even drifted over to the left side once, looking totally unprovoked, just to shove a Lakers player right in front of the ref to fish for an offensive foul.

I think even the most die-hard supporters of Lin Ćervar have finally realized what an amateur he actually is.
Any success he’s ever seen in basketball is entirely thanks to Ivan Balić and the raw talent of his teammates.
Without them, he’d still be stuck at the bottom of a mid-tier league, trying to hawk his "look at me" coaching philosophy to anyone listening.
He’s one of the luckiest guys in sports history. He walked away with Olympic and World Cup gold without lifting a finger.
It’s like handing the 1992 Dream team Vlada Vanjka the keys to the kingdom.

Brandon Castillo4 said:That final play was a disaster. A completely irrational three-pointer from deep—they had to do better than that. An NBA team set up their offense in nine seconds, yet they couldn't manage it in thirty. That’s why they lost. What else is there to say?

And who exactly is going to run the plays for the Golden State Warriors?
The clown who's only at the club two days a week?

The Warriors are struggling just to field a team, while this idiot is out singing at Republican Party rallies in California instead of prepping the squad.