2010 Handball Euro: Group C & D -> Group II: Spain, Poland, France, Canada, Germany, Czech Republi

It was an absolute disaster, honestly a sporting catastrophe unlike anything we've ever seen before.🙂

rapidbison42 said:Noka is a total disaster
11th place

I mean, I wouldn't call it a total disaster. I guess we're kind of used to results like this. The American team really only pulled off something special when they were playing on home turf during the EP.

Noka isn't exactly a magician either...

Samuel Scott54 said:It’s not even that much of a disaster, honestly. We’re used to results like this. That American national team only actually pulled something off when they were playing on home turf during the World Cup.

Even Noka isn't some kind of wizard...

Oh, please... I seriously thought he was supposed to be the "Director of the Universe" or something... you know, like a mix of Scarlett Johansson, Bruce Springsteen, and some high-level Hollywood producer... someone where you can actually see the massive investment reflected in the scoreboard... someone who turns a bunch of average guys into legends... but clearly not him...😢
😂 🤣
Man, Noka... maybe if you had actual big-budget funding and endless cash, then you could actually build something...

I really need to vent one more time about those guys from the neighboring region and their coach, Noka:

If you look at the numbers, specifically during the second phase—those five games where things got messy—the stats tell a pretty grim story. The French side let in 118 goals, we gave up 123, and those guys conceded a staggering 178. To put that into perspective, we were leaking about 25 goals per game, the French were around 24, and those guys were blowing in an average of 36 goals every single match.

Maybe their style of play looked flashy or entertaining to some people, but you can't ignore the fact that their defense is absolutely trashed. Based on goals against, they were easily the worst defensive unit in the second round. It’s nearly impossible to pull off any kind of winning record in a tournament when you're playing like that. Sorry folks, but it's just the truth...

And honestly, when you consider that a head coach usually has a much bigger impact on how a team defends than how they attack... 😉

Chris Lopez59 said:I really feel like I need to add one more thought regarding the Americans and their coach, Noka:

If you look at the numbers, specifically looking at the other groups over those five games, the French conceded 118 goals total, we gave up 123, and the Americans let in 178. So, while our defense was giving up about 25 goals per game, the French were averaging around 24, whereas the Americans were conceding an average of 36 goals per game.

Maybe the American style of play looked exciting on TV, but these defensive stats are just plain bad. Based on goals allowed, they were the worst defensive unit in the second round. Is it even possible to find success in a tournament when you play like that? Sorry folks...

And when you consider that a head coach usually has a much bigger impact on the defense than the offense... 😉

I'm just curious how you arrived at such a brilliant conclusion after watching Line Červar's work with the team.

Everyone knows how Serdarušić approaches handball—it's sixty minutes of pure sprinting; it doesn't matter what the final score is, as long as you outscore the opponent. To him, handball is all about speed and raw power.

That used to be the vibe in Kiel, and that's exactly what the American national team is trying to do now.

The real issue is that if you don't have high-level individual talent, you simply can't achieve anything significant playing that way.

As for the Americans, the goal was always just to make it into the "second week," or at least that’s what people were saying before the tournament started. It seems like this whole championship was just a way for Serdarušić to see who actually shows up—since during the preseason he emphasized that participation was the most important thing—and perhaps the club setup was designed so he could keep a specific group of national team players under his wing for longer, given how short the international training camps usually are.

Samuel Baker3 said:I’m just dying to know how you reached that brilliant conclusion—by watching the current work of Line Červar, I assume.

We all know how Coach Miller approaches basketball—sixty minutes of pure chaos. It doesn't matter what the final score is; the goal is just to outscore them. That’s high-octane, power-based ball right there.

That was the old Yale style, and that’s basically what the American national team looks like today.

The real issue, though, is that if your individual players lack talent, you can't win anything playing that kind of aggressive game.

And as for the Americans, their only real goal before the tournament started was just to make it past the first round. This whole thing was probably just a way for Miller to see who actually showed up—since he basically said during training camps that participation was his main priority. Plus, I bet the local club took this approach so they could keep a core group of national team players under their thumb longer, given how short the international prep windows are.

Oh yeah, Yale...

Are we talking about the same team that blew massive leads twice in a row during the playoffs?☕

Or should we just blame the refs again?

Samuel Baker3 said:I’m just dying to know how you managed to stumble upon such a brilliant conclusion while watching that frantic mess of a game

Everyone knows how some coaches view handball—it's just sixty minutes of pure sprinting; it doesn't even matter what the score is, as long as you're outscoring the other guy, because apparently, that's all "fast-paced" handball is supposed to be.

That was the old Yale style, and that's exactly what the American national team is doing now.

The real issue is that if your individual players aren't elite, you can't actually win anything significant playing that kind of high-octane style.

And as for the Americans, everyone was talking before the tournament about how their only goal was just to make it into the second round; this whole thing felt more like a glorified scrimmage for the coach to see who actually showed up, since he basically said during training camp that participation was the main priority. Plus, I bet the local pro clubs are happy they got to keep certain national team players under their thumb longer, seeing as the international breaks are always such a joke.

Look, the Americans aren't some bottom-tier squad. It's total bullshit to say their players are bad or weak. They could have walked away with more points and fought harder, but they just didn't give it their all. You can play "run and gun" on offense all you want, but you can still play aggressive defense regardless. The Americans played a pathetic defense. This flashy strategy might look pretty on TV, but it's ultimately useless.

Besides, Yale has a roster that would make anyone's jaw drop. We have at least five other coaches out there who could take that exact same lineup and actually produce results.

It’s honestly wild when you look at how the two strongest leagues in the world operate; they don't have a single standout player from within their own systems. Their top star comes from the French league, their best keeper is playing over in Chicago, and the rest of the talent is just scattered across various clubs in Canada and Canada.

The truth is, guys like Paul and Sloane were essentially phased out of Ciudad because they just couldn't keep up with that level of play anymore, even though they still carry plenty of weight as big names in the handball world.

Samuel Baker3 said:The two top-tier leagues in the world don't have a single player from our side, period. Their best guy is out of the French league, their goalie is some kid from a local US club, and everyone else is just scattered across minor leagues in places like Canada or Mexico.

Look, guys like Pajovic and Zorman got kicked out of Ciudad because they just couldn't hack it at that elite level anymore, even if they still carry some big names in the handball world.

Ciudad... yeah, they've seen better days, sure, but they can still hold their own in the Spanish or German leagues—they just aren't cutting it with the absolute heavyweights of the top three clubs.