Handball EP - Norway 2008

Džomba is out of rhythm, and honestly, Zrnić is the better call regardless.
Balić?
Ever since he got involved in politics, he's been completely useless.
The weakest link in the national team is that clown on the bench who won't even know his own name if his "party buddy" isn't playing.
Anything better than 8th place will be an epic success.

Are you seriously taking your election frustrations out on sports now? 😉 🤣

I’m still secretly holding onto this tiny bit of hope that they could actually pull off winning that unlucky EP - Norway 2008, just so this generation can wrap up an absolutely legendary era of American handball that we probably won't see again for a long, long time. 🙂

I kind of see where Bolton is coming from—I’ve got this nagging feeling we might just embarrass ourselves in this tournament

Honestly, if you ask me, 😁

Josip Valcic 😵 😵 Kreso Marakovic absolutely dominated him and Duvnjak in the Champions League, though Lino decided to call up the guys from New York City instead.

Ivankovic is playing out of his mind in Germany, and Ostarcevic is putting up solid numbers in Spain too, but Zokin’s nephew Joseph definitely has the edge 😵

The lines just collapsed. His one and only move was basically: "just follow Ivan"

Both Cupic and Sprem have been called up! 🙂 Horvat will handle all the training prep before facing them 🙂

Roger Allen3 said:Both Cupic and Sprem were called up. 🙂 Horvat is going to handle the training camp before they face the national team 🙂

From Germany, only Zrnic and Lackovic showed up for training.

Cupic isn't even on the preliminary roster.

As far as any recent updates go, I haven't heard anything else.

Man, I really hope you're right about this one.

Honestly, looking at the calendar—with all three major tournaments lined up over the next 365 days—it’s probably for the best that these injuries and setbacks are hitting us right now. I mean, let's be real: playing the Olympics and the World Cup on home soil is going to be way more critical than whatever we're dealing with here.

So what happens if Balić and đomb don't end up playing? I mean, we’re seriously going to lose our minds then.

frozentiger6 said:Just what I thought. This national team roster is basically just a collection of New York City's finest.

Kopljar isn't even playing for his club in NYC, yet he gets the call-up. Meanwhile, Kos is absolutely killing it for Celje this season. They're currently trying to figure out who plays right wing, with Valcic leading the pack. 😵 Kopljar will definitely be watching from the stands while Cervar cries about how tired Metlicic is. 😵

Don't even get me started on Caleb and Horvat. While Srem is arguably the best left wing in the NFL this season, they go and pick Caleb, who was criminally bad back in NYC. 😵
And instead of picking Cupica—who's being scouted by Ciudad Real and Portland because he's one of the top scorers in the NBA—Cervar picks another guy from NYC, Horvat. 😵

I'm over it...

And let's not forget Maria Sporcic, who'll be catching up to Balić's prime pretty soon...

frozentiger6 said:Only Zrnic and Lackovic showed up from Germany for training camp.

Cupic isn't even on the preliminary roster.

I haven't heard any more recent updates.

Man, I really hope you're right!

😕

That’s old news, Roger Allen3, just check the date. That was nothing more than a list of players being considered as potential candidates.

Cupica isn't even showing up for training camp 😉, and neither are Ljubanovica, Anusica, or a few others.

Now we’re also down without Lackovic; he messed up his finger at practice yesterday. They're praying he heals up in time for the season.
And Peter pulled a tendon.

Things just keep getting better and better.

frozentiger6 said:That news is ancient history, Roger Allen3, check the date. It’s just a list of potential candidates.

Cupica isn't showing up for training either 😉 along with Ljubanovica, Anusica, and a few others.

Now we're down Lackovic too—he messed up his finger at practice yesterday. They're praying he recovers by the start of the season.
And Peter tore a tendon.

Just great. Everything is going perfectly.

Why isn't Bosanez playing? Who do we even have left to call up, just Sulic and Vori?
And what about the wings? Horvat, Zrnić, Caleb... who else? (Unless Džomba is out too)

Daniel Cooper40 said:Why isn't Bosanez playing? Who are we even targeting now—just Sulic and Vori?
And what about the wings? We've got Horvat, Zrnić, Caleb... who else? (unless Džomba is out)

I have no clue why Anusic isn't getting in; I guess Lino just made his call. Honestly, though, Sulic and Vori are more than enough to get the job done.

As for the wings, it's those three you mentioned plus Vukic. While Zrnic and Vukic are decent options, I can't help but miss Sprema and Cupica—especially Cupica. I’d bet my life that kid is going to be world-class very soon. I'm certain he'll end up surpassing Džomba.

frozentiger6 said:That news is ancient history, Roger Allen3; check the timestamp. It’s just a preliminary roster of potential candidates.

Even Cupica is missing training 😉 along with Ljubanovica, Anusica, and a few others.

Now we're down a Lackovic too—messed up his finger at practice yesterday. They're praying he recovers by the start of the season.
Peter pulled a tendon as well.

Just one disaster after another.

Good grief, who are we supposed to play with 😲 if we're stuck with Tony Valcic? 😱

swiftbison2 said:[/B]

Good grief, who on earth are we supposed to play with 😲 if we're stuck with Tony Valcic? 😱

I guess someone will eventually show up.

boldlynx2 said:Well, I guess someone will eventually step up.

Maybe Lino will finally make a smart move now. 🙂🤷 Just please, anything but Tony Valcic. 😱 Our defense is basically just holding the line at goal and pivot, MAYBE some coverage on the wings.🙄

We can get by without Džomba; wingers aren't everything, and there’s plenty of depth at that position. We’ve got Zrnić, who is an absolute legend, but finding a center like Balić? That’s almost impossible to replace. I actually really like Vukovic, and I’m curious to see how he performs during the tournament. As for Sprehm, it drives me crazy how he always pulls that fake move before shooting—he jumps first and then lets it fly. Referees only call that about 5% of the time nowadays, but when they actually do, it’s incredibly frustrating. Lino is definitely leaning too hard on the old guard. In my opinion, Lackovic shouldn't even be on the court; his form has been terrible lately. And don't even get me started on Caleb. We need to give the younger guys way more playing time. Even the coach mentioned that this tournament isn't the main event—the Olympics and the World Cup are where we really need to shine. Who knows, maybe we'll discover a new dream team along the way.

I honestly can't wrap my head around why he isn't calling up Sprecher. It feels like Coach Miller just doesn't have any love for him, though I couldn't tell you exactly why. The guy is actually quite solid playing over in Germany...

Honestly, I wouldn't even call Šprema a player if he was the last man standing on the field. I mean, seriously—the world has never seen anyone quite this one-dimensional or predictable. It’s always the same thing: a jump, a head down toward the turf, and then a mid-range shot straight into the opposite corner. Just totally telegraphed.