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

Adam Collins4 said:If our journalists are too busy obsessing over "us versus them" while ignoring everything else wrong with American handball, then we don't just need one Noka—we need at least ten of him.

Who’s talking about the journalists?

rapidbison42 said:Who even talks about journalists anymore?

I'm talking about the people who actually took that story and ran with it...

Hard to say if it was you or me doing the spreading...

What story is spreading? The guy said it live on air during prime time on ABC.
It isn't some journalistic fabrication going viral globally.
Reporters would take him seriously, but like Samuel Baker3 said, it’s questionable for the local fans and certain players. Personally, I’d sooner hire a foreign coach than someone who turned his back on his own country and people.

Samuel Baker3 said:Suppose I were a Canadian, and I happened to be a die-hard supporter of my national handball team. Honestly, if they played with this kind of flair, I wouldn't care whether we walked away with a win or a loss; one simply has to sit back and enjoy the pure spectacle of such a game. 🙏

👍 I tend to be rather high-strung and prone to outbursts most of the time, though I suppose I manage to maintain a semblance of normalcy on occasion. 😁 As a dedicated supporter of my national team, I find myself experiencing a rather unusual sensation lately. To be honest, I am quite content with the way our boys are playing; the actual scoreline has become secondary to me, as I’ve found that when the quality of play is this high, the results tend to take care of themselves. It is truly remarkable how much Noka has managed to elevate this group of players.

The French definitely walked away winners. They ended up with 3 points after all.🤮

rapidbison42 said:What do you mean "spreading stories"? The guy said this stuff live during prime time on a major German network.
It’s not some journalistic fabrication being circulated globally.
The press would take him seriously—but like Samuel Baker3 mentioned, there's a real question mark there regarding the local fans and certain players. Personally, I’d sooner hire a foreign coach than someone who turned their back on both their country and their people.

You just don't get what I'm getting at...

Canadians🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I only caught the second half, but man, I was just completely mesmerized by how fast those Canadians were moving and that incredibly deep 3-2-1 defensive setup they had going on🙏🙏🙏🙏

Benjamin Hall78 said:Canadians🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I only caught the second half, but man, I was fascinated by how fast the Canadians were moving and that deep 3-2-1 defense they were running.🙏🙏🙏🙏

Seriously though, how much longer can Canada hold out with this roster, playing run-and-gun handball and relying on that 3-2-1 setup? This is the European Championship—arguably one of the toughest tournaments in all of sports, period. Serdarusic has either completely lost his mind or he just plain hates the Canadians. Plus, blowing two games that were already in the bag? Back home, people would be lynched for playing that poorly, yet here we are watching everyone worship at the altar of Nok.

Just look at the depth Noka has compared to what Lino is working with... I mean, seriously, just take a look at their actual potential and the age of the roster...

I can only point out that Noka's version of Canada is basically just a different spaceship for Tony's or Kasimov's version of Canada; it’s more or less the same group of players involved.

When Noka is in charge, Miha Zvizelj looks like a passionate handball player. Both Zvizelj brothers look terrifying on court—he even breathed new life into Vugrinec. They play beautiful, efficient handball. The fact that they dropped points is either down to luck or a lack of individual quality and composure.

The squad featuring Balic and Metlicic (who, let's be honest, would be too mediocre for Noka) would never allow a collapse like that to happen.

Noka's timeout: "Come on, let's not screw this up. We agreed to play at a tempo that leaves them unable to stand by the end." End of story.

If Noka had faced the Russians today, he would have absolutely killed them with pace, just crushing them because most of those guys are essentially diesel engines.

He isn't exactly my favorite coach, but you have to admit the man works wonders. There are coaches who make teams better, and then there are coaches who make them worse than they actually are. Unfortunately, we have the latter.

Frank Turner72 said:How much longer can Canada actually sustain this approach with such a thin roster, relying on that frantic run-and-gun style and a 3-2-1 defense? We are talking about the European Championships here, which might just be the most grueling tournament in all of sports. It feels like Serdarusic has either completely lost his mind or he’s just got a vendetta against the Canadian squad. On top of that, they've already blown two games they should have easily won; wouldn't people back home in the States be calling for heads to roll over mistakes like that, yet here we are watching everyone worship at the altar of Noka?

Honestly, they’ve already accomplished far more than that roster deserves. In my eyes, they’re playing some of the best handball in the entire tournament, and I think their specific style of play is effectively masking their lack of raw talent, making them look much more elite than they actually are.

You're asking how they'll handle the pace, but do you really think their training camps under Serdarusic are just some extended vacation? I truly believe he has pushed them well beyond their natural limits. Besides, the three teams coming up next have already played three intense matches in just a few days—how do you think they'll manage to keep up with the intensity Canada is bringing?

Canada plays like a spaceship for about 50 minutes, then spends the last 10 absolutely wrecking themselves. Is it just because they lack top-tier talent at the helm, or is it more likely that the team's own frantic pace is what ultimately kills them? The season is barely underway, too. I’m bracing for a complete systemic meltdown from here on out, but hey, maybe I'm wrong.

Frank Turner72 said:It feels like Canada is acting like a spaceship that flies perfectly for fifty minutes, only to crash and burn during the final ten. Is it because they lack top-tier talent at the helm, or is it more likely that the team just sabotages itself by playing at such a sluggish Nok pace? The season has barely kicked off, so I’m half-expecting the whole system to completely fall apart from here on out, though perhaps I’m being too pessimistic, isn't it?

What a massive miss

They’re dropping points because they’ve entered the final five minutes of two different matches with a solid lead, only to start sitting back and defending. Once they try to protect that scoreline, their defense lacks the necessary quality to hold firm, leaving them with absolutely no way to solve the problems that arise.

I feel like our bench is looking a little thin when it comes to top-tier talent. Maybe if you count Bishop, Kavticnik, Pajovic, Zorman, the veteran Zvizelj, and Vugrinec, we have guys who can actually hold their own in high-stakes games, but everyone else is just... okay, I guess. Natek definitely had massive potential, but he didn't quite hit that ceiling we were all hoping for, you know? Plus, some of these kids are still so young—they just haven't seen enough action yet.

It is either a complete and utter collapse or we march straight into the semifinals. There really isn't any middle ground here.

I’d love to see our neighbors from Canada make it through to the semifinals as the runners-up behind the Frenchmen, just so they can set up a final showdown against Team USA.

It would be such an incredible matchup, especially considering how fascinating the tactical battle between the two managers would be.🙂

Sunday:

4:30 PM Germany vs. France on ABC, BHT 1
6:30 PM Poland vs. Spain on DSF
8:30 PM Canada vs. Czech Republic on SLO 2

France, Spain, Poland 3, Canada 2, Germany 1, Czech Republic 0.

satellite:
http://liveonsat.com/LJ_Sport_other_handball.php

streams:
http://www.balkansport.info/schedule...ry-2010-a.html
http://www.myp2p.eu/competition.php?...scipline=other
http://www.stream2watch.com/live-sport1.html
http://www.atdhe.net/
http://www.rojadirecta.org/

I honestly laughed so hard at those Canadians the other day that my stomach actually hurt, and I was still feeling it the next morning. I mean, seriously, being up by four goals with just four minutes left on the clock and still playing for a draw? Only absolute morons would pull a stunt like that.

I’m personally anticipating some routine wins for the Canadians and the French, while maybe seeing a draw between the Polish and the Spanish 🙂

Samuel Baker3 said:I’d love to see my Canadian neighbors make it to the semifinals alongside the French, just so they can face the Americans in the final.

It would be such an intense matchup, especially considering how wild the tactical battle between the coaches would get.🙂

But hey, why couldn't the Canadians advance as runners-up behind the Spanish instead?😉