Handball EP - Norway 2008

Ivo Diaz is already 35, and honestly, he wasn't even on anyone's radar when he was 25.😬

The Americans are going to be powerhouse players—tough, gritty, soulful, and full of heart...😬

Roger Allen3 said:Ivo Diaz is 35 now, and honestly, he wasn't even a real player back when he was 25.😬

The Spanish teams will be tough though—physical, gritty, full of heart, just pure grit... 😬

Man, where did you dig up those Siberian beasts from... 🤣

But yeah, he was a hell of a player... a total wrecking ball on the line.👍

We landed somewhere in the middle, but honestly, we'll likely battle it out with Poland for that top spot!

Group A: USA, Canada, Poland, Czech Group B
Group B: Denmark, Russia, Norway, Mexico Group C
Group C: Spain, Germany, Canada, Belarus
Group D: France, Iceland, Slovakia, Sweden

Honestly, we hit the jackpot with this crew; I wouldn't trade a single person in our drum section for anyone else in the world 🙏
So, who are we actually up against?

I mean, it’s not actually a bad draw. Coming out of that second tough group, we ended up facing the easiest opponent available. Honestly, if we stick to our 3-2-1 defense, we should be able to handle the Poles pretty easily since they mostly just rely on those heavy shooters from the perimeter. We basically pulled the easiest path out of this last group too.

We were really sweating that Group B lineup, but looking at the big picture, things aren't looking too shabby. We managed to dodge France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Canada, and Iceland—I mean, you really can't ask for much better than that.

Joshua Martinez10 said:We dodged the bullets in Group B, so all things considered, we're in a good spot. We managed to avoid facing the French, Germans, Spaniards, Swedes, Canadians, and Icelanders—it doesn't get much better than that.

Let's go for the title.👋

Roger Allen3 said:Dude, Kjeling totally bailed on us back in Tunis two years ago—stop playing dumb😕

We were sitting at 2nd place while they were stuck at 7th, so quit acting like you know everything.
One single game doesn't prove who's actually better...

And where else have they even been???
Norway? Please... they don't stand a chance... maybe if women were playing, then we'd talk.

Dennis Bishop41 said:let's go with this title👋

alright, let's play a little game here😁

Group A: USA, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic
Group B: Denmark, Russia, Norway, Mexico Group C
Group C: Spain, Germany, Canada, Belarus
Group D: France, Iceland, Slovakia, Sweden

A1 USA
------------------- > USA
B2 Russia
------------------------------ > USA
B1 Denmark
------------------- > Denmark
A2 Poland
---------------------------------------------- > USA 👋
C1 Spain
-------------------- > Spain
D2 Germany
------------------------------- > France
D1 France
----------------- > France
C2 Iceland

did I totally screw up this bracket layout or what?😁

Solid draw.
John and the Czechs aren't really a threat... but we'll need to give it our all against the Poles.

David Taylor13 said:Did I mess this up with the crossing? 😁

Just a quick fact to clarify: they aren't actually playing quarterfinal matches, but rather those traditional "quarterfinal groups." 🤣

We kick things off on January 17th against the Poles, then we face the Czechs on either the 18th or 19th, and finally, we wrap it all up with the Canadians on January 20th!

I think Czech Group B and Mexico Group C will likely be the first ones out. Even though the Czechs have already proven they aren't exactly pushovers, nobody is going to have an easy time once the Mexicans start swinging.

silentsurfer19 said:We finished 2nd and they were 7th, so let's not act like we know everything.
One single game doesn't determine who's actually better.

And where else have they even been???
Norway? Please. They don't stand a chance... unless we're talking about women's teams, then maybe.

I mean, look at where Tunisia and Canada placed before and after hosting their own tournaments.😕 Not to mention Norway is a serious powerhouse, unlike some amateur club level sides or those Canadians. I'm not saying they'll win the whole thing, but they are definitely among the top favorites. Look at recent hosts: Germany won it, Sweden won it, Tunisia made the semis, Canada made the finals, Greece hit the quarterfinals, and Portugal reached the quarterfinals (they beat Tunisia there too). Nobody really failed except the Swiss, though they did snag a point against the Poles. These stats are pretty encouraging for the home teams!

I wouldn't say Norway is any more serious than Canada.
Just look at the results over the last decade. Half the time, the Norwegians weren't even in the running.
Before the EP in Canada, the Canadians weren't winning medals either, but they were regulars at major tournaments—something the Norwegians can't claim.
The Canadians showed up in Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens... achievements we can't exactly boast about ourselves.
So, John and his crew have maintained a steady spot just below the world elite.
Sadly, they'll likely never break into the top tier.

Honestly, there’s no reason to sweat the Mexicans. They play a lot like we do when we face Iceland—you know, with Portugal. Most of the game stays pretty level, maybe they pull ahead by three or four, and then Portugal just claws it back to a tie.

I mean, let's be real, they aren't exactly a powerhouse. You've got Kapisoda and Dobrkovic on the wings, Toskic at pivot, and then Lisicic, Mrvaljevic, and Muratovic handling the perimeter. Plus, Djuka and Djurkovic are getting up there in age... they just don't have that old spark they had back in the Tunis days.

Roger Allen3 said:I mean, look at where Tunis and Canada landed in their last few home tournaments. 😕Not to mention, Norway is actually a serious contender, unlike that HMAM United squad or the Canadians. I’m not saying they’re going to win the whole thing, but they’re definitely in that inner circle of favorites. Just looking at recent home results: Germany took it, Sweden won, Tunis made the semis, Canada reached the finals, Greece hit the quarterfinals, and even Portugal made the final eight (and they beat Tunis while doing it)... honestly, nothing much happened except for the Swiss, though they did snag a point against the Poles. For the host nation, those numbers are pretty encouraging, I guess.

They basically fell apart after that wild guy from Flensburg left, and Kjeling isn't even a shadow of the player he used to be back in Ademar. Portland totally broke him, for sure.

Roger Allen3 said:Are you kidding me? It’s not even a quarterfinal! Let’s just call it what it actually is: those ridiculous, traditional "quarterfinal groups." Why even bother using the right terminology when they're clearly just playing around with the format? 🤣

🙈 I completely lost track of that, honestly! How did I manage to let that slip my mind entirely? 🤣
God, I am so sick of these damn quarterfinals! Seriously, what were they thinking with this group format? It’s absolutely infuriating! 😠 🤮

David Taylor13 said:🙈 I completely lost track of that! 🤣
And honestly, those quarterfinal groups are just the worst. 😠 🤮

It’s such a shame. We always seemed to breeze through those groups straight into the semifinals, but then they come up with these quarterfinals in Germany and—poof—it's all over. 😬

The whole thing really boiled down to Line's sheer brilliance and how he just relentlessly hammered away at that French granite 3-2-1 defense through the middle. 🙄 But look, I’m not trying to reopen those old wounds right now 😬

David Taylor13 said:The win happened because of Line's pure genius—he just kept relentlessly pushing that central attack right through the heart of the French 3-2-1 granite defense! 🙄 But let's not go digging up old wounds right now. 😬

It’s a real shame, isn't it? Now we're stuck without any Frenchmen making the cut until at least the semifinals! 🙂

It’s such a shame those days are gone—back when they actually feared us. We absolutely crushed them in Portugal and steamrolled them in Tunis, yet now they’re the ones trying to collect from us. 🤮

The European Championship is right around the corner, and honestly, I’m starting to lose my mind! We’re probably going to end up traveling without any gear at all, and with Ivano’s status still totally up in the air, my optimism is basically hitting rock bottom. 😢

True, but let's not lose heart just yet! We still have plenty of reasons to stay optimistic...