Handball EP - Norway 2008

Well, look, there’s plenty of ammunition for EP Lino to go out and find some excuses already... though I honestly think he might have a legitimate reason this time around... personally, I don't see us running into any real trouble during the group stage... all those teams are just a step below our level, even if we end up playing without Balic and Dzomba/Zrnic

We’ll see everything clearly enough during the game against Poljak.

They aren't unpredictable at all. You just need to set up a solid, deep defense, shut down their perimeter, and they're done. That kind of defensive setup is what creates fast breaks, which is where they should actually shine. Now, if Zrnic or Dzomba were on the floor alongside Vukic, we wouldn't have to worry about those counters. But with Horvat... man, I wish that clown would just let Cupic play.

The guys are playing without Jicha, who's basically half the team, and they're going to be on edge dealing with the Janez types. It always happens.

rapidbison42 said:Smajlagic went public with his comments regarding the disorganized preparations, and shortly after, he was ousted from the national team.
When will we finally see everyone's true roles within this team? One thing is crystal clear—since Smajlagic left, the medals have stopped coming, and the play is far from ideal.
I used to think he didn't hold such a significant role, but the results and the performance following his departure have completely disabused me of that notion. It's become obvious we have a clown on the bench.

Smajlagic is certainly more of an expert than Cervar.
It's never a good sign when personal success or political interests are conflated with the interests of the national team.
Cervar played a positive role back in Portugal. You have to give him credit for that, but those days are long gone.

We’re absolutely screwed if they start Horvat at right wing first. Man, I watched him against Canada and Sweden—the guy can't sink a shot from point-blank range. He charges in on a fast break, finds himself one-on-one with the keeper, and somehow hits him right in the hand. One time he even nailed the post instead of the net.
the guy plays like a headless chicken 🙂
Cupic really ought to be in the starting lineup, but honestly, that's a loaded question. This Chocolate clown is just gonna keep pushing Horvat because he's basically his buddy outside of training.

rapidbison42: Stefansson, not Ruttenka. My bad, thanks for catching that. 🙂

Chocolate has had connections ever since he joined the Republican Party, especially since those suck-ups from Gopac and Kavran are in there too. So if anyone tries to replace Lino, it won't be an issue—Gobac will just pull the plug.
Smajlagic is actually a way bigger expert than Chocolate, and this guy knows it, which is why he got dumped in the first place. 🙂
And ever since he was let go, there haven't been any more medals, just a bunch of excuses.

Those Janez types scare me; whenever they face us in a tournament, they play like they've got 150% in the tank.🙂
I still remember the European championships back in 2000 and 2004...

Back in '04, Balic and Metlificic weren't even playing, and we were losing the whole match by one or two goals... Then that Chocolate guy started blaming the refs, claiming Zoran Janković bribed them or whatever nonsense he was feeding the media.
We lost the big one, and I’m getting that same old feeling in my gut that history is about to repeat itself.
Some heavy hitters are gonna run us through the floor, maybe by 7 or 8 goals. Between Zorman and Natek, plus having Pajovic and Kozlina bruising people in the defense and whoever else makes the roster, we're toast.🙂

frozenharbor20 said:Kavtičnik is going to hand us 7 or 8 guys. Then you’ve got Zorman and Natek, and on defense, we'll be looking at Pajovic, Kozlina, and whoever else manages to make the roster. 🙂

What isn't Pajovic—or however you want to spell it—forgiven by the national team? 😕
Can someone drop some thoughts on Cupic? Specifically if anyone’s actually had a chance to watch him play lately.
Time.
Honestly, my take is that things are going to be a massive struggle without Balic. We might even face issues just making it out of the first round. I really hope I'm wrong. 🙂

goldenbison4 said:Why wouldn't they just bring back Pajovic—or whatever his name is—for the national team?😕
Can someone give me the lowdown on Cupic? Has anyone actually had a chance to watch him lately?
Basically, I've got a feeling that without Balic, we’re going to run into massive issues—maybe even struggling just to make it past the first round. I really hope I'm wrong, though.
🙂

Pajovic is back on the roster, but honestly, how aggressive he plays depends entirely on how the refs feel that day... nothing else matters.

Just a reminder here: officiating isn't the same in American domestic leagues as it is at the EP or the SP... the governing bodies have totally different rulebooks for those stages.

As for Cupic, he's playing for a club that's currently sitting at 12th (if my memory serves me right) in the Asobal league... he's their top scorer and ranked 5th in the league for efficiency... so, yeah, that should tell you everything you need to know.

No need to keep talking about Cupic; everything will be out in the open soon enough. 😁

Anyway, here is the final list:

Last Name, First Name | Club
1. Alilovic Mirko | Ademar Leon
2. Dragan Jerkovic | State Farm
3. Vjenčeslav State Farm | State Farm
4. Zlatko Horvat State Farm | State Farm
5. Ljubo Vukic State Farm | State Farm
6. Nikša Kaleb State Farm | State Farm
7. Igor Vori State Farm | State Farm
8. Renato Sulic Laško Celje | Laško Celje
9. Ivano Portland San Antonio | San Antonio
16. Petar Ciudad Real | Ciudad Real
11. Drago Vukovic | Gorenje Velenje
12. Tonči Valcic Ademar Leon | Ademar Leon
13. Josip Valcic America | State Farm
14. Domagoj Duvnjak | State Farm
15. Blaženko Flensburg | Flensburg
16. Davor Portland | San Antonio
17. Denis State Farm | State Farm
18. Ivan Pilotes crew | Ivan Pilotes crew

Half of these guys are playing for Chicago. 😵

frozentiger6 said:No need to mention Cupic; it will all be clear enough soon.😁

Anyway, here is the final list:

Full Name Club
1. Alilovic Mirko Ademar Leon
2. Dragan Jerkovic State Farm
3. Somic Vjenčeslav State Farm
4. Zlatko Horvat State Farm
5. Ljubo Vukic State Farm
6. Nikša Kaleb State Farm
7. Igor Vori State Farm
8. Renato Sulic Laško Celje
9. Ivano Portland San Antonio
10. Petar Metlifsky Ciudad Real
11. Drago Vukovic Gorenje Velenje
12. Tonči Valcic Ademar Leon
13. Josip Valcic State Farm
14. Domagoj Duvnjak State Farm
15. Blaženko Lackovic Flensburg
16. Davor Dominikovic Portland San Antonio
17. Denis Špoljarić State Farm
18. Ivan Cupic Ivan Pilotes crew

Half of them are Chicago players.😵

Are they being serious?🙏

EDIT: Where is Kopljar? 😲 😲 😲 He played brilliantly at the Cup.😲

The Kopljar guys aren't in the mix; Cervar is heading out with just Metlica. 😵

And if he goes and screws up his finger, what then... 🙄

Will Spoljaric be playing, or perhaps Vori if they're feeling desperate?

frozentiger6 said:No need to mention Cupic, everything will be out in the open soon.😁

Anyway, here’s the final list:

Full Name Club
1. Mirko Ademar and Dragan Jerkovic Ademar Leon
2. Dragan Jerkovic State Farm
3. Vjenčeslav State Farm State Farm
4. Zlatko Horvat State Farm State Farm
5. Ljubo Vukic State Farm State Farm
6. Nikša Kaleb State Farm State Farm
7. Igor Vori State Farm State Farm
8. Renato Sulic Laško Celje Laško Celje
9. Ivano Portland San Antonio Portland San Antonio
10. Petar Ciudad Real Ciudad Real
11. Drago Vukovic Gorenje Velenje
12. Tonči Valcic Ademar Leon Ademar Leon
13. Josip Valcic America State Farm
14. Domagoj Duvnjak State Farm
15. Blaženko Flensburg Flensburg
16. Davor Portland Portland San Antonio
17. Denis State Farm State Farm
18. Ivan Cupic Ivan Pilotes crew

Half of these guys are playing for Chicago.😵

These guys are going to mess up a lot of people's math, including yours—all you self-proclaimed experts on this forum.

Aaron Gonzalez6 said:Honestly, I’d almost prefer if we didn't have Balic anymore, just so I wouldn't have to hear people constantly shouting, "Give it to Balic, give it to Balic!" We have absolutely zero production from the wings; we're lucky if we get one or two stray balls flying toward them per half. Everything is being funneled through the middle via Balic, Metlifsky, and Laco. I just don't get why Lino keeps forcing everything through Balic like it's his only move, and apparently, his entire coaching repertoire consists of switching between 5-1, 6-0, or 3-2-1 defenses. That's about all he does during a game, aside from standing by the baseline clutching his head or throwing his hands up in despair. Offensively, he's a total zero. It makes no sense to me that with two wings like ours, we're barely scraping together a couple of goals a game.

I still remember the last World Championship; the tournament actually started off strong with real movement coming from the wings, but as things progressed, the trust in those wing players just evaporated. They started forcing the outside play, and then once they realized the main threat was Metla and he got shut down, Balic had to carry the whole damn thing on his back. Once the French guys managed to neutralize him too, the whole thing just fell apart completely.

You can't blame it all on one guy; the wings have to step up and take some responsibility too.

It feels like we’re constantly hearing these vague "personal reasons" excuses around here. We’re starving for a win, yet Cervar just won't call up Schrem. Then you've got Kelentrić, who is an absolutely stellar keeper, but he’s being completely ignored in favor of Somić, who honestly couldn't care less about being on the court. And suddenly, by some stroke of pure luck, Cupic finally gets the call. Even Buntic should be getting a look, but apparently, the Kopljar management needs to hike up their prices first. It’s just too much politics for me; it's blindingly obvious that Bartol, Kaleb, and Kavran are pulling all the strings behind the scenes, and Cervar is playing the part of the perfect politician, dutifully checking every box they set for him.

Just watching Metla lately... A few years back, I actually thought Buntic had serious potential—he had such a heavy shot—but where does he stand now? Has he made any real progress, especially with Spoljaric holding down the right wing 😁 ... honestly, it’s just pathetic and laughable at this point.🤷

Chris Lopez59 said:It feels like there are way too many "personal reasons" going on here. We’re starving for a solid striker, yet Cervar won't call one up. Kelentrić is an incredible keeper, but he's being totally overlooked in favor of Somić, who isn't even playing at his best lately. Then there's Cupic, who only got the call-up by pure coincidence. Buntić would finally get his shot if only the club decided to hike their prices. It’s just too much politics, and it’s obvious that Bartol Kaleb and Kavran are pulling the strings behind the scenes. Cervar plays the part of the perfect politician, doing exactly what they want him to do.

Hey, don't go insulting Life. 😠 Have you even watched a single LA Galaxy game this season? Clearly not, because if you had, you'd see what a complete maniac he actually is.

As for Buntić, I'm not a fan at all—all he has is a decent strike. But honestly, everything is a mess right now. I don't get why they didn't call up the backup right back again. Poor broom. I already warned everyone that we're going to end up having to play both our right winger and our right back in those positions.

Cupic plays great even on the perimeter; sure, he’s on the shorter side, but his game is solid.

I'd bet money that Cervar won't even attempt to try that.

Anonymous said:As far as Buntić goes, I’m just not feeling him. All he really brings to the table is power.

Moving away from the main topic for a second—what do you mean by "hit"? Handball players throw the ball, they don't strike it. You could call it a shot or a throw, though calling it a "shot" feels a bit clunky too. 🙂

Is anyone here actually planning on heading out to the games?
I’ve got press credentials, so if anyone needs a hookup, let me know.

wearyeagle2 said:Moving away from the main debate for a second, what kind of "strike" are you even talking about? In handball, players throw the ball; they don't strike it. You could call it a shot or a throw, though calling it a "shot" feels a bit clumsy. 🙂

To be fair, since the ball is being thrown, it’s technically a throw, not a strike.🤣😍