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

Adam Collins4 said:Come on, there’s actually some truth to what frozentiger6 is saying here...

Just look back at how Doug was hyping things up last year, and he’s doing the exact same thing again this season...

Even before this 2010 season kicked off, people were insisting the game wouldn't depend on Balić because we had Duvnjak to lean on...

And now, Lino is basically dropping hints that Doug is just a placeholder for the HSV roster...

They're just spinning the narrative however it suits them at the moment...

Perry isn't performing well today, but hey, watch him show up again next year—I’d probably bet money on it, honestly, just based on how much they constantly flip-flop their stories...

I don't even see how any of this is relevant anymore...

I'm not one of those people who constantly praises Lino; I think his time has passed and it might be best if he moved on. I'm grateful for everything he's done, but that's really where it ends for me.

Sure, they have a few irreplaceable players, I'll give them that. The Canadians lack depth—they've got a solid starting six and nothing else to speak of. But then again, how much depth does any national team really have? Most of them struggle with that exact same issue.

Joshua Gomez54 said:And even if he’s just a backup, so what?🤷 Look, the kid is young—this is his first season playing in the German league—so you have to account for the adjustment period to the American style of play. It takes time to get used to the pace.

It's pretty obvious he put on some muscle mass, which obviously cost him a bit of his speed. But, honestly, if he sticks to a solid individual training regimen, he'll be back to his old self in a few months. Actually, he'll probably end up better than before.

If you actually sit down and watch the highlights and goals on the official league website, he isn't even that bad...

Especially when you consider he joined the club without any real preseason prep, since Gobac moved him over to the secondary squad at CO...

Adam Collins4 said:Of course, the defense falls squarely on the coach's shoulders; I didn't actually sit through the game, so I can't really weigh in on how any specific player performed out there on the field...

Look, if you let things slide down to negative ten, you’re basically watching the entire system collapse right before your eyes in a single, disastrous heartbeat.

All you can really do at this point is call up the big shots and try to salvage whatever's left of this mess before everything goes completely south...

Look, if you’ve got a solid squad on your hands, letting a lead slip by ten points shouldn't even be on the table, really—not unless you're staring down some absolute juggernaut of a team, and honestly, even then, you should be able to hold the line. I mean, look back at what those Danes did to us during the group stage; that only happened because they were playing out of their minds and were just on another level at that moment. The real breakdown, though, was definitely in the mental prep leading up to those games against the Canadians and the Czechs.

Chris Lopez59 said:I don't even see how those two things are connected anymore...

Look, I'm not one of those people constantly singing Lino's praises—I actually think his time at the helm has passed and he should probably move on. I mean, thanks for everything you did, but that’s it. It's over.

Sure, there are players you just can't replace—that's a fact. And yeah, the Canadians lack depth; they have a solid starting six and nothing else to offer, period. But then again, how much depth does the US national team actually have? Most teams run into that exact same issue.

Actually, it does matter... Červar is just busy building an alibi that suits him perfectly...

You mentioned Nora earlier—when Sloane plays well, some people act like Nora is the reason why... but when the performance drops, suddenly it's the players' fault, not Nora's...

See, that's exactly what some of you guys on this forum do...

And honestly, is that really how a national team coach should behave? Taking zero blame when things go south, while acting like the hero whenever we actually win?

Adam Collins4 said:Look, there’s definitely a pattern here... Červar is just busy crafting whatever alibi makes him look good in the moment...

You said it yourself regarding Nora—whenever the US team is playing well, some people act like Nora is the sole reason for the success, but the second things fall apart, suddenly it’s all the players' fault and somehow Nora is off the hook...

And honestly, that’s exactly what I see some of you folks on this forum doing too...

Because really, is it even remotely okay for a national team coach to have that kind of attitude? To act like he’s never the one at fault, it’s always the players... unless, of course, they actually win a game...

I get it, and I actually agree with everything you're saying, but I honestly have no idea why you're telling me all this.🙂

Honestly, forget about the Aussies and the Canadians. That whole chapter is closed. Anyway, who would you rather see in the semifinals? The French or the Poles?

Frank Turner72 said:Forget about Noka and the Sloanes. That whole thing is history. Let's talk real: who would you rather see in the semifinals? France or Polly?

I'm pulling for Polly, but they still have to grind through at least two more games before we can even talk about the semis.

If Iceland falls tomorrow and a few other scores go our way, they'll basically have one foot in the semifinals.

Adam Collins4 said:It matters. Chervar is just building an alibi that suits him perfectly...

You said it about Nock—when the Canadians play well, some people credit Nock. When they play poorly, it’s always the players' fault, never Nock's...

See? That's how some forum users operate...

Is it right for a national team coach to take that stance? To be never at fault, always blaming the players... unless, of course, they win...

Considering the Canadians were knocked out of the US qualifiers by nothing special Slovaks, and given the zero chemistry among the players, the German did a decent job.
They beat objectively stronger Swedes, lost a second point to clearly superior Poles, and dropped a point against the Germans, who are decent but teams the Canadians have never actually beaten.
Today was a disaster, but we saw during the Euro that the Czechs are rising, and I don't see where this Canadian squad is any stronger than them.

Nock did a solid job, but he won't get results with this squad because they simply don't have the talent for it.
If you ask me, he messed up before the Euro even started by trying to implement a style of play his players couldn't keep up with during a tournament where you play every other day.
Maybe that works at a World Cup where you face semi-pros, but at the Euro, where every single match is a fight for survival, it just doesn't work.
Nock seriously underestimated international handball.

Frank Turner72 said:Honestly, forget about the underdog or the local favorites. That whole debate is dead and buried. Let's get to the real question: who would you rather see in the semifinals? Team France or Team Polly?

Doesn't matter at all—both teams are total underdogs.🙄

Frenchmen 😁

because according to some law of probability, they should be winning while losing out to the Poles 😛

Frank Turner72 said:Forget about the Canadian. That's old news. Who would you rather see in the semifinals? The Frenchman or the Pole?

The Frenchman. I think they know them better.