Posts by velvetcrane85

hollowhawk412 said:But if we're going down that road, then we might as well host the championship every two years...
because honestly, the money wouldn't even be wasted on those tedious qualifying matches...
and it should probably run a bit longer too...
imagine having six groups of four, where the top two from each move on along with the four best third-place finishers
followed by a knockout tournament style all the way to the final winner.

That’s exactly how the World Cup in Italy back in '90 felt—and honestly, I suspect that's pretty much how the upcoming European Championship is going to play out, too.
Personally, I’m totally fine with expanding the field to 24 teams for the European Championship—I mean, I really don't think it would water down the quality of the tournament at all.

The movie has some clever moments—I mean, having Meryl Streep playing an angel and a devil alongside Harrison Ford is honestly such a blast—but overall, it’s just pretty mindless. There is no way I’d ever go so far as to call it a masterpiece, even in my wildest dreams.

The Beatles might be around, but true friends? Not so much.🙂

velvetcrane85 said:that one with the "in on the kill" vibe 🙂

Personally, I’m leaning more towards the track from end Hits—if I recall correctly, maybe it was the eighth or ninth letter in the series.

Alex Scott22 said:Mladen Burnác

1. I've been through it all
2. Riding that wave of pure bliss
3. Without you, I'm just sinking
4. Which—I suppose—is why I can't help but love you
5. There's this pull... something drawing me in

Anyone still skeptical:

http://www.geocities.com/burnac2003/

Enjoy yourselves! 😬

😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

The Clash-Hateful

feralbison62 said:If I were calling the shots for the starting five on Play, I think I’d actually prefer seeing Ukic out there instead of Popovic.

Well, I have to disagree—I wouldn't.

Physically speaking, I think Nikša has all the tools to be an elite stretch four or five, but—to be honest—his head isn't quite in the game. I guess he just let Sesar influence him for way too long, which probably messed with his perspective.
And look, Bagarić is definitely improving; if we really need a traditional, bruising big man, he’s our best bet. He's actually a prime example of how the NBA can sometimes ruin a player's development, but unlike šundov, he actually has enough sense to realize that himself—so maybe, just maybe, it isn't too late for him to evolve into a truly solid center.

It’s definitely gotta be lončar. And when we're talking about the younger talent—well, I guess you absolutely have to look at Banić from San Diego.

Torcida_ZG said:Great thread, Vanja—though I think it probably needs a new title.😁

Honestly, even I’m struggling to decide who I’d actually want to see on the US national team... I mean, Dražen Petrović already said DEFINITELY NOT for the national squad.

I suppose if I had to pick, I’d love to see:
- Giričeka
- Planinić
- Kasun
- Vujčić
- Popović

...and even some of the younger guys (Ukić, Perić, Pašalić, Tomas).

That’s pretty much how it’ll look—except maybe for Perić and Pašalić (they haven't really earned it, if you ask me). Personally, I’d also love to see Mamić out there, and given how he’s been playing all season, Joka Vranković deserves a call too (I know, I know, he's getting up there in age, but still...).

grifone said:Regarding the ""return"" of Ronaldo to Inter Miami—it seems the local fans made their feelings pretty clear yesterday with a banner, basically shouting that this is the last thing they want.

A good friend of mine has been living in New York City for about six years now, and he’s a die-hard Inter Miami supporter. He was telling me just the other day how much love and patience—and honestly, quite a bit of patience, since they put up with him for such a long time—those fans actually had for that guy. It was almost unbelievable. But the resentment that’s boiled over now that he’s essentially abandoned them? Well, that's even more intense... which I guess is why those double quotes are so fitting.

Hannah Thompson2 said:Since we’ve got Ronaldo, Owen, and Robinho on the roster too—along with him—
it feels like the front office has sent a pretty loud message, basically saying, this is how it's going to be.

Personally, I don't think he's going anywhere—not really. At the end of the day, he's a club icon and a total fan favorite. Sure, his performance over the last two seasons has been... well, let's just say he's been lost in the shuffle of a mediocre squad. But even if he isn't scoring as much as he used to—and god knows he's missed more easy chances than anyone else lately—he still leaves his heart on the field, which is a far cry from how Ronaldo plays compared to our other big stars.
Mind you, once Roman starts opening up that massive checkbook, it's hard for anyone to stay neutral about what happens next.🙄

Mr. Wrong said:Yeah. A total circus. 😁

It’s definitely a circus—no doubt about that—but I still find myself kind of hoping they actually pull off that lineup, mostly because we're talking about Anthrax here, which is basically dream material for anyone into this stuff. I mean, sure, there's always that massive risk of being let down, but if Anthrax actually shows up alongside Belladonon and Spitzon... well, that would be something else entirely.

Kevin Chavez3 said:Look, I get it... I mean, Anthrax is a phenomenal band. Honestly, if you haven't heard them, please go download "Got the Time"—it’s got that pure Offspring vibe, and it's an absolute massive hit. My only real gripe, though—and this is just my two cents—is that they’ve gone and reunited with their old members (the singer and guitarist) for this tour. It feels a bit strange because they reformed into what everyone considers their strongest lineup, yet they spent fifteen years publicly feuding with those guys across every media outlet imaginable. I can't help but feel a little bummed when a band that’s always been so sincere and straightforward starts feeling like they're just putting on a show for the paycheck. 😢

np The Meteors - Papa Jupa

Wait, hold on... are you actually telling me Belladon and Spitz are coming to San Diego???

feralbison62 said:As for me, I still vividly remember that Germany vs Netherlands match—actually, I was right there in the stands for it.
Back then, Rodak was playing for Bayern Munich as a junior, which is how I managed to get my hands on tickets. Of course, we were all rooting for the Dutch, and I’ll never forget that heavy, suffocating silence among the Germans when Van Basten scored that winning goal from the ground right near the end of the match.

If I recall correctly—and I think I do—it ended 2:1, and those first two goals both came from penalty kicks.

Peter Shilton, you were absolutely right about this one👍

I’m honestly not quite sure if Muhren was actually the second oldest—since back during the Dance era, Morten Olsen was playing, and he was born in '49—but honestly, that’s beside the point. What really matters is that old man Muhren managed to set up Van Basten for that absolutely legendary volley from a corner against Rinat Dasayev.
And yeah, I have to admit, one of the main reasons I’ve been rooting for the Netherlands since the very beginning (I swear!) was because of those Dutch Black players; back then, they were still such a rare, exotic sight in European national teams.

Thanks, you seriously saved my life here😉

How could anyone disagree? Between Rinat Dasayev and that Belgian keeper—I’ll have to check with Vuk because I'm not entirely certain on the name—Faf—he was, without a doubt, the absolute best goalkeeper of the eighties.

frozentiger6 said:I think he might have been dealing with some sort of injury right at the start—I'm not entirely certain, though—but as the tournament progressed, Marco just seemed to become more and more dangerous with every passing game.

What sticks most vividly in my mind from that tournament has to be the Italy vs Spain match—I remember watching it while I was down in Dubrovnik. It’s funny, really; it seemed like absolutely everyone else was rooting for the Azzurri, but there I was, stubbornly pulling for Spain all by myself. 😁 We were all sitting in this little local diner—you know the type—watching the game unfold on the screen, and man, things just went absolutely sideways. It was one of those moments where everything seemed to pile up at once; just a total mess that left us all staring at the TV in disbelief.
Everyone seemed to have such an intense fascination with Valeriy Lobanovskyi and Russia back then—there was just something about them that everyone seemed to absolutely adore at the time, I guess.

I honestly suspect it wasn't even an injury issue—it felt more like they were playing such a high-intensity attacking style that VantShip and Bosman just couldn't keep up. If I remember correctly, Rinus pulled him toward the end of that match against the Englishmen, and he mentioned being pretty sure he’d scored two goals before he was finally subbed out. Or maybe I'm misremembering that part, but that's how it sticks in my mind.

I have to say, I remember this vividly—back when I was a kid, my grandad used to work around the shipyards, and naturally, the old-timers would always congregate down by the docks. And of course, everyone there was rooting for the Soviet Union. Honestly, those older folks—they were still fighting against global imperialism well into the late eighties, if you can believe it. But, I guess we have to give credit where it’s due: that Soviet squad played some absolutely terrifying football back then. They had absolute legends like Protasov, Belanov, Litovchenko, and Mikhailichenko... and, let's be real, about 70-80% of that national team was basically just Dynamo Kyiv in disguise.
For me, the absolute standout from that tournament had to be the Netherlands vs Ireland match—you know, the one where the Dutch pulled off that narrow 1-0 win thanks to Kieft finding the back of the net in the 89th minute. It was such a nail-biter! Honestly, if they hadn't managed to squeeze that goal in, it’s entirely possible Ireland would have been the ones moving on to the semifinals instead.