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

I’m actually pretty happy with how things are looking. I wasn't expecting much from this national team at the 2010 EP, especially after we got absolutely crushed by Mexico in that friendly match held in Canada. Vugrinec is putting in the effort, but I guess he just isn't at that elite level he used to be, kind of like Zorman and Pajovic. Honestly, maybe only Bishop and Kavticnik have true class on an individual level right now... Kavticnik has seriously turned into a star player, hats off to him!

Once again, you let two games slip right through your fingers in the exact same way.
Some of these players just seem to crumble under pressure.

rapidbison42 said:Once again, you guys let two games slip right through your fingers in the exact same way.
It seems like some players really struggle when the pressure starts mounting.

Yeah, especially little Zvizhej and Spiler.

Skube actually surprised me today, though—the kid's looking pretty good!

Terry Fisher2 said:Philip 14/18
Philip 11/16
🙏

here’s their ESAs🙏🙏🙏🙏

Not exactly thrilled with how that turned out, though the play itself was decent. This sport relies way too much on the refs, so I’m trying not to let my blood pressure spike... if you're down by 4 points here, it feels more like 10 in basketball. The officiating usually sucks or they just refuse to call it even when the favorite starts losing. Honestly, we got robbed on that foul call for the free throw, plus they ignored two blatant offensive fouls by Poljak on Vugrinac earlier.

Our guys started dragging the tempo in the final minutes because they had the lead, but that wasn't really their style—they just couldn't find any rhythm against that Polish defense, and that’s what killed us. 😢

At the end of the day, the most important thing is they proved to themselves they can hang with anyone. That's what matters.👍
Serdusic is a legend. After 15 years, we finally remember how to run a 3-2-1 defense again. 🙏🙏

That offensive foul? Honestly, felt like one, but Pajovic gave Poljak just enough of a nudge toward Vugrinec to make it messy. If he hadn't touched him, it would've been a clear turnover violation.

Terry Fisher2 said:That offensive foul? It looked like one, sure, but Pajovic also gave Paul a little nudge toward Vugrinec. If he hadn't touched him, it would've been a turnover on the other side.

Yeah, whatever... I’m just convinced if the roles were reversed, they’d call an offensive foul on us in a heartbeat. Just like they did a few plays ago. But honestly, everything comes down to the officiating... (that massive factor in basketball; you don't deal with this stuff in soccer, and hockey is way cleaner...)

Looking at how the Canadian team has played over their last two games, based on what they've shown so far, I honestly think they're playing much better than us... and a whole lot of other things...🤦

Brian Doyle6 said:Yeah, right... though I’m pretty convinced if the roles were reversed, they'd be calling an offensive foul on us every single time. Just like they did a few possessions ago. But honestly, everything just comes down to the penalty calls... (that massive variable in basketball—you don't see this in soccer, and hockey is way more straightforward about it... etc.)

I wouldn't go so far as to say hockey is "cleaner"—it's just that they actually bother to look at the replay, whereas in this game, they barely glance at it...

I don't even need to hand you a penalty to absolutely dismantle you...

And especially since that kind of thing doesn't happen in basketball—one wrong look and boom, whistle, foul...

Or maybe it does, depending on what they need. You're forgetting that basketball involves much more player rotation, and the game is twenty minutes shorter...

Which matters a lot more than you think...

Terry Fisher2 said:That offensive foul—it looked like one, sure, but Pajovic also gave Paul a little nudge into Vugrinec. If he hadn't touched him at all, it would have been a turnover on the defense.

Look, once a player steps in defensively with his back turned, there’s zero chance of a successful drive...

Everyone knows what a drive actually looks like... you've got both feet planted, you're staying stationary...

Instead, he's just driving into you with his shoulder or his back while he's spinning away...

Anything else—shoving with your backside, hacking at an arm, whatever—that isn't a legitimate drive.

Just take a look at what Noka is doing with those guys from Canada, and then come to me with some actual, solid arguments trying to claim that Linus isn't a total clown—or that we couldn't have done better with a different roster...

I mean, just imagine our squad playing that high-octane, run-and-gun style of handball... we’d be absolutely crushing the French by five goals easy. They wouldn't even be able to touch us, let alone keep up. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit, but you get my point...

Fortaleza, why don't you just start a fresh thread for this? I know, I know—I'm being a bit of an idiot here—but I’ve already managed to open this exact same thing twice from the main page thinking it was a brand-new topic... I’m getting old, I guess, and my brain just forgets stuff...

Adam Collins4 said:Just look at how Noka handles the Canadian people. If anyone wants to argue that Lino isn't a joke and that we couldn't have done better with this roster, go ahead. I'll wait.

Imagine if our guys played a fast-paced, run-and-gun style of handball... we’d be blowing the Frenchmen out by five points before they even realized what hit them. They wouldn't even be able to touch us. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but still...

Noka would improve our game by at least 30%.
The only issue is I could never get past how he used "wir" for the Germans and "sie" for us back on ABC. 🤮

rapidbison42 said:Noka would probably boost our performance by at least 30%.
The thing is, I could never get past how he used "we" for the Germans and "they" when referring to us on ABC. 🤮

You’re forgetting that Noka is actually German by citizenship...

Though, personally, I see things a bit differently...

In that case, most reasonable people would stick to more neutral terms like Germany and America instead of constantly saying "we" and "us." I can only imagine what Americans living in Germany were thinking while listening to him—just total confusion, right? 🤦
Fine, he gave up his citizenship, but it feels like he gave up on his own people too.

Once, an inquisitor told me something about Zvonimir, but I honestly can't recall the specifics if you cut me 😁 mostly it wasn't anything good 😁

I don't really get how someone from that part of the country can be so incredibly stubborn; they aren't usually that set in their ways... damn it, Ink, just tell me again. If you're reading this, shoot me a DM 😁

rapidbison42 said:In that scenario, any sane person would stick to more neutral language—you know, using terms like "Germany" or "America" instead of constantly saying "we" and "they." I can only imagine what Americans living in Germany must have been thinking while listening to him—just total confusion. 🤦
Ok, so he gave up his citizenship, but honestly? It feels like he gave up on his own people too.

He just took the path of least resistance...

Look, I lived in Switzerland for nearly 30 years, so I actually know how this works...

Just look at how Americans react whenever Miran Jukić puts on our national jersey... suddenly he's ungrateful or whatever nonsense they claim...

Public figures are expected to be even more "American" than the people actually born there—the ones whose families have been settled for generations. That's just the standard they're held to...

Since Noka acts more German than the Germans themselves, and treats our players like outsiders while treating German players like his own kin, I highly doubt any player would actually accept him as their coach.

If our journalists think "us versus them" is the biggest crisis we face—while they completely ignore everything actually happening with our handball programs—then honestly, we don't just need one Noka, we need at least ten of him...

jicha🙏::🙂

Regarding Serdarušić, there's just no way he could coach the American national team; the core players and some of the veterans wouldn't stand for it, but that's a whole different conversation entirely.

As for that "us against the world" mentality he carries, I honestly can't find it in me to hold it against him.

What truly fascinates me about his style is that he’s one of those rare coaches in all of sports who can walk into any locker room, take over, and deliver immediate, visible results.

I mean, if I were a Canadian fan cheering on my own national handball team, would it even matter if we won or lost when they play with this much heart? When the game looks like this, you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.🙏