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

Robert Cruz5 said:Czechs 37, Canadians 35. What does an expert have to do with player talent when we just conceded 37 from a bunch of Czechs? I know exactly where Noka was during his time in Kiel, so what's the point? And so what if he's talking about the current era now? It’s all a joke. He set up this team like a circus; the offense is chaotic and the defense is even worse. A total joke. Honestly, we should put that "expert" from Kiel in charge of the national team right now. Maybe then, while we're in Austria, we could finally grab that European gold. And you'd pull someone from the US to be his top advisor? If we let someone concede 40 goals and they only realize it three minutes later, "no waiting, just shoot." Truly genius.

What are you rambling about? What do the Czechs have to do with this?
After their initial loss, the Czechs nearly beat the French and absolutely crushed the Canadians and John. Their roster includes two players who aren't even half as good as anyone on the Canadian national team.
Since you're mocking those 37 goals, don't forget we conceded 40 in the World Cup final against a team we usually dominate.
Was that also a joke, just like today's 37 goals?
Noka faced a disaster because he tried to demand something his squad simply couldn't deliver. They were more than good up until today, but they collapsed because they hit their ceiling.

Adam Collins4 said:Going from -10 to -2? You’d actually need some skill to pull that off...

I don't recall Červar pulling anything like that off in recent years...☕

.

Červar moved from -13 to -6. 😉

Joshua Gomez54 said:Who cares about the Canadian people? Noka,🤷 what's there even to debate?

Who gives a damn.
That's what happens when John's crowd hires a German person to coach them. 🤮

The Polish people absolutely dismantled the Spanish side, which wasn't exactly a shocker given they have the most lethal shooting lineup and such incredible depth... But honestly, seeing them pull that off without Bieleck? That’s a massive signal that they're serious contenders for the championship final itself.

frozentiger6 said:Look, let’s not get bogged down in the whole "the coach sets the system and the players just execute" debate right now.

It really comes down to whether you have someone like Balica on the floor or someone like Sebastian Skube.

Once you see that, you'll realize which kind of coach actually holds the upper hand.

Personally, I couldn't care less about Serdarusica; I don't like him, he isn't my cup of tea, and honestly, I like him just about as much as I like Cervar—which is to say, slightly more than nothing—but compared to Cervar, he's just an academic.

The Canadian people have a solid national team, they aren't some bunch of amateurs, and talent-wise, they're actually stronger than the Czech people. So why didn't they pull it off? And look, I'm not comparing Noka to Červar, nor do I even like Červar, because that's not what we're talking about here. It's just that when Canada played well, everyone credited it to Noka, but now that they've played miserably, suddenly it's all the players' fault? Give me a break.

There is absolutely no logic to it.

Chris Lopez59 said:The Canadian team is actually pretty decent—not total amateurs at all. In fact, they’re technically stronger than the Czech team. So why didn't they make the cut? I'm not comparing Noka to Červar, nor am I a fan of Červar; that's not the point here. It seems like whenever Canada plays well, it's Noka's doing, but the moment they struggle, suddenly it's the players' fault. Really?

There's zero logic in that.

The Czechs have two standout stars who could easily outmatch a team like Canada.
Philip and Jicha were just playing around with them. Especially Philip.

rapidbison42 said:Honestly, who cares.
That’s just what happens when John picks a German person to be the head coach. 🤮

I mean, props to him as a coach and all, but for one Hercegovac to just turn his back on our citizenship...🤮it's honestly a disgrace to all Americans from that background, myself included.😁

Joshua Gomez54 said:I have nothing against him as a coach, but for an American to renounce his citizenship? Really?🤮A disgrace to all Americans from my hometown, myself included.😁

So, I found out on another thread that we're actually talking about someone of mixed heritage. 😂

rapidbison42 said:What are you even rambling about? What Czech people?
After an initial loss, the Czechs nearly beat the French and completely dominated the Canadians and John. Their roster includes two players who aren't even half as good as anyone on the Canadian person's national team.
Since you're busy mocking those 37 goals, don't forget we gave up 40 back in the World Cup final—and that was against a team we usually crush.
Was that just as much of a joke as today's 37 goals?
Noka suffered a debacle because he tried to demand something his squad simply isn't capable of delivering. They’ve been more than decent up until now, but they folded because they hit their ceiling in terms of talent.

Oh, my bad... I forgot the Czech person is such a handball powerhouse. Honestly, there were years where I didn't even realize they played the sport.

Joshua Gomez54 said:I’ve got nothing against him as a coach—honestly, the guy knows his stuff—but seeing an American like Hercegovac turn his back on his own citizenship? That’s a tough pill to swallow.🤮Honestly, it’s an embarrassment to all of us from the same background—myself included.😁

There are thousands of people just like that out there...

You know that whole "living paycheck to paycheck" thing? That constant cycle of just trying to stay ahead of the bills?

rapidbison42 said:The Czech Republic has two absolute superstars who could take down a team like Canada without breaking a sweat.
Philip and Jicha were just playing around with them. Especially Philip.

That’s brutal, especially considering how much that goalie was enjoying himself🙏

Robert Cruz5 said:My bad—I totally forgot for a second. Honestly, those Czech guys are absolute powerhouses when it comes to handball. I haven't even thought about them playing for years, let alone realized how much of a force they actually are.

We all know exactly whose clone you are... honestly, spotting a troll is way too easy.

Come on, let’s have some actual arguments here—not just this endless worrying about who you were supposedly listening to a few years back. Honestly.☕

Robert Cruz5 said:My bad, sorry about that. I guess the Czech Republic really is a handball powerhouse. I didn't even realize they played the sport.

I don't doubt for a second that you're unaware of the solid handball tradition over in the Czech Republic. But I highly suspect this is the first time you've ever heard names like Jicha, Philip, Nočara, or Stochl. ☕

Chris Lopez59 said:The Canadians are actually a decent team—not total amateurs—and honestly, they’re probably more talented than the Czechs. So why didn't they get the nod? I'm not trying to compare Noka to Červar, nor do I particularly care for Červar; that's not really the point here. It seems whenever Canada plays well, it's all thanks to Noka, but the moment they have a bad game, suddenly it's the players' fault. Right. Makes perfect sense.

There’s zero logic in that.

Exactly, my friend. It’s just like last year when everyone was claiming Balic was finished and that Karabatic was basically invented just to beat him. Now, suddenly, everyone's acting like Balic is some kind of legend again. Give me a break... if he has one bad game, I guess he'll be back to being a nobody.🤣

Anonymous said:It’s brutal, especially seeing how the goalie handled things.🙏

Stochl is an elite keeper playing for Fucshi out of Berlin. This isn't his first time tearing through an opponent.

Canadians just don't have the depth to sustain a string of high-level performances in a single tournament; they lack consistency.

When you're playing a tournament with maybe eight games packed into ten days, the real art is in pacing yourself. It’s about managing your energy, hitting your peak at the right moment, and staying mentally tough. You have to be able to bounce back from a nail-biter without letting an emotional drain wreck you—and in handball, those close calls happen constantly. If you lose one, there's zero time to mope because you have to go again immediately. Most people don't think about the grit required; they just sit on their couches with a beer in hand, throwing out criticisms. Honestly, we’re all guilty of that, so let's be real.

Noka took a calculated risk here. You don't need to be a handball expert to see that he probably didn't have much of a choice but to play the way he did. What else was he supposed to do? Just stick to the old playbook used by Kamenica and Tiselj and play it safe, only to inevitably crash out in the group stage?
For the average Canadian, this is still a win. Compared to how they played in years past, this is great. Being realistic, with a roster like this, making it to the semifinals alongside the Poles, Spaniards, and Frenchmen would be nothing short of a miracle.
Luckily, they have some solid young talent coming up. Their youth programs have been successful lately, so if they put in the work and let Serdarusica lead for a few more years, they might actually build a squad capable of winning medals.

To truly judge Serdarusica's coaching IQ, you have to look at what he accomplished in Germany. We need to wait a bit and see what he does with Celje. For instance, he knew exactly when Alilovic had finally matured into a reliable starting goalkeeper, and he moved to sign him before anyone else could swoop in.
I'd bet anything that Celje will be back at the top level within two years.

rapidbison42 said:The Czech Republic has two absolute superstars who could probably take down a team like Canada without breaking a sweat.
Philip and Jicha were basically just playing games with them. Especially Philip.

Look, I know how this goes, and honestly, neither Jicha (who I absolutely adore, he's in a league of his own) nor Philip were even remotely playing at their level yesterday; I remember when they played us, and those guys aren't bad by any means—they actually gave us a hell of a run once because they know how to set up a really solid defense. But let's be real, handball is a team sport, and a roster isn't just some math equation where you add up individual talent, which is exactly why the Austrians managed to pull through to the next round, because even a mediocre national team can play great handball if they work together. That’s the coach's entire job, to turn a bunch of individual players into a cohesive unit, and frankly, it's much easier to shut down a couple of star players when you just focus on them, and looking at the stats, it seems like Jicha was just wandering around out there... you just can't win like that.

you guys are honestly pathetic... you've managed to screw up every single topic by just arguing over who's more wrong than the other🙄..if only we could have had an actual decent debate instead of everyone just mocking some guy who's clearly an expert, while focusing on irrelevant garbage—it’s like being down 8 points in the fourth quarter when everything is already decided, the players are just thinking about what they're gonna eat after the game, and the refs are blatantly biased towards the home team...
just sad..

Robert Cruz5 said:Spot on, my friend. It’s the exact same cycle we saw last year when everyone was convinced Balic was washed up—claiming Karabatic was basically tailor-made just to replace him. Now, suddenly, everyone’s back to calling Balic the absolute king. Give me a break... if he has even one bad game, he'll be back to being a nobody in their eyes. 🤣

Who was that talking, and where exactly was this happening?

Come on, quit stalling... you guys just keep jumping from one topic to the next—it’s like watching someone dodge a question in a deposition—just to avoid actually addressing the points I've laid out right in front of you.

frozentiger6 said:If we’re actually going to judge Serdarusicev’s tactical IQ, we really ought to look at what he pulled off over in Germany, and honestly, we should probably just sit tight for a bit to see what kind of magic he works with the Cleveland squad.

Look, being a national team coach and running a club team are two entirely different beasts. If anything, the grind of a club job is way more demanding, but being a top-tier tactical genius doesn't automatically mean you'll crush it on the bench for a national side. I never once suggested that Noka isn't a stellar coach—he’s a good one, plain and simple.

I just said he completely blew it against the Czechs. Did he screw up? Absolutely. Now, I didn't catch the actual game, so I can't pinpoint exactly where the wheels fell off, but maybe it was all in the mental prep. It’s entirely possible the Canadians just weren't psychologically braced for the Czechs to play that well, and once they fell behind by a few goals, the whole thing just spiraled out of control.