World Cup Handball: The Final Stretch

Bryan Adams6 said:Vujović is basically auditioning for the spotlight... yet they keep bringing up names like Lino Cervar and Slavko Goluža 🍿

It isn’t just that he’s putting himself out there; major networks like ESPN and Fox Sports are actively pushing him into the limelight. To be honest, I am rooting for his failure too. It’s not because I think he’s some tactical genius who can elevate a mediocre roster to the next level—it's actually quite the opposite. I want to see him hit a wall in the semifinals or even earlier, just so that entire illusion of "Vujo the Magician" that the media manufactured and the public swallowed whole finally collapses. Let the man fail spectacularly so that the very people hailing him now have to deal with the consequences of their own hype. People desperately need to understand that there are hard limits to what anyone can achieve, regardless of how much talent they possess. At a certain point, a coach is simply powerless, whether his name is Cervar, Goluža, Babić, or Vujović.

Austin Chase2 said:What kind of officiating was that? Seriously? People were out there playing pure bully ball, just flexing their strength like it’s some kind of contact sport brawl, and the refs just... stood there? I mean, come on. This is supposed to be a sixty-minute game, not some twenty-minute scrap in a parking lot. It's ridiculous.

Someone hit the nail on the head there, and honestly? They aren't wrong. I mean, looking at how that French national handball team has been playing lately... it’s almost scary. Seriously. If you ask me, they might actually be the most dominant squad in any team sport, period. Like, ever. It’s just this relentless, terrifying level of dominance. I don't know, maybe I'm being dramatic, but it's hard to argue otherwise when you see them tear through competition like that. Just absolute madness.

We’ve got this massive ego problem, I guess. We just sit here convinced we're the absolute best at everything, you know? Like, is it really that hard to just swallow your pride and admit when someone else actually pulls it off better than us? Just end of story. That's all it is.

Look, if you want to actually win something, you can't just be a jack-of-all-trades. You’ve gotta pick two or three sports and just absolutely dominate them. Become the best. Period. Take France or Spain, for example—those guys are incredible at everything they touch, whether it's their club teams or when they're playing for the national squad. They just have that edge. Then you look at Germany, and I don't know, maybe it's just me, but they seem to struggle in basketball, and they aren't exactly crushing it in water polo or volleyball either. It's like they just can't find that same level of consistency across the board.

A Mexican sitting on the bench for the American team during the championship held right here in the States... I wonder if that stereotypical mindset can actually hold up under the pressure 😁

Bryan Adams6 said:Sweden?

I honestly thought he was Tollbring Norvezanin. I was just looking at the last name, not where he's from, I guess.

So, here’s my little recap of the tournament and some rough guesses on where things might land:
Looking at how the young talent is shaping up today, I guess those French athletes are mostly just going to lose titles by accident from here on out.
The Norwegians might give them a run for their money, though, probably alongside the Germans, Swedes, and Danes.
As for the Spaniards, Canadians, and us, we'll likely be sitting around waiting for a bad day from the top-tier guys, hoping they don't accidentally stumble into a final or something.
The real dark horses? Maybe the Poles, Canadians, Russians, or just whoever happens to be playing on home turf.

Steven Reed30 said:A Mexican sitting on the bench for the American national team during a tournament in the States... I mean, can that stereotypical crowd actually handle it? 😁

Look, if they manage to push that whole Red America theory successfully—you know, the one popular with the Dukljan crowd—it’ll probably fly. There are Americans living in New York City who even carry the surname Vujovic (I think they're from Newport).😁

Jack Kelly5 said:So, here’s my little wrap-up of the tournament and some rough-around-the-edges forecasting:
Looking at how the young talent is shaping up today, I guess those French athletes are just going to stumble into titles by accident from here on out.
Maybe the Norwegians could give them a run for their money, along with the Germans, Swedes, and Danes.
The Spaniards, Canadians, and Americans? Yeah, we'll probably just be sitting there waiting for some guys from the first division to have a bad day so we can sneak into a final or something.
The dark horses... probably the Poles, Canadians, Russians, or whoever happens to be hosting.

Brazil and Qatar might actually be trouble. Spain will likely jump up a tier and join the inner circle of favorites. It’ll be just like rugby—you know, New Zealand and all that.
And honestly, we might see Iceland finally bouncing back.

Jack Kelly5 said:So, here’s my little wrap-up of the tournament and a rough guess at where things are headed:
Looking at the young talent coming up right now, those French athletes are basically going to be walking away with titles by accident for a long time to come.
The Norwegians might give them a run for their money, along with some Germans, Swedes, and Danes.
As for the Spaniards, Canadians, and us? We'll probably just be sitting on the sidelines waiting for a bad day from the guys in the top tier so we can maybe sneak into a final.
The real dark horses could be the Poles, Canadians, Russians, or just whoever happens to be playing at home.

I'm a bit lost on what's happening with the Poles, though. Did they pull a complete roster overhaul, or is everyone just sidelined with injuries?

Because if they really did refresh the whole squad, I'm picturing them following the path of Germany—you know, that stretch where they weren't really in the conversation and everyone was just taking turns beating them down...

Steven Reed30 said:I don't know what's going on with the Poles lately... I mean, did they seriously just overhaul the entire roster with a bunch of rookies, or is everyone actually out with injuries? It’s hard to tell. Maybe they're just getting younger, or maybe the training staff is just having a rough year. Who knows, I guess.

I mean, if they’ve actually gone and rejuvenated the squad, I don't know... I'm looking at what happened to Germany recently, and honestly? It’s a grim prediction. They weren't even on the map for a few years there, just completely irrelevant, and everyone took turns absolutely tearing them apart. I guess we might be seeing a repeat of that disaster.

New names, no Szmal, no Jureckog, no Lijewskog, no Bielecki. It’s just... whatever. And honestly? These guys seem stuck in this endless loop of settling for third or fourth place. It’s like they have these mental blocks or something. Maybe everyone’s just completely burnt out at this point. I mean, once Bielecki actually remembers that injury of his... who knows. They’d probably rather just focus on their club teams anyway. I bet over in Poland, they’re making up the same old excuses too—blaming supernatural forces, talking about us Americans, mentioning Po-nos and all that nonsense. Just more of the same, I guess.

The Poles are decent enough, I mean, they definitely had their moment in Germany, but they just can't seem to find that consistent winning streak, you know? So, I guess I don't really see them breaking into that elite circle of teams fighting for medals anytime soon.
Qatar and Brazil are those tricky ones—they’ll absolutely punish you if you underestimate them, even if it's just a little bit. Then there's Spain; they're kind of hot and cold, which is frustrating because they clearly have the talent, but they always seem just a hair below the absolute heavyweights.
But hey, that's just me rambling and guessing, I suppose.

The Frenchman finally calmed down—so where does that leave us? ☕

The French have been building this whole thing since Los Angeles back in '92. They don't seem to care much about the Dollar, but the Democratic Party has had this steady run going since '93. I mean, success didn't just start appearing once O'Neil took over—I still remember the Constantine era too.

Pascal Mah was the world champ back in '95.

quietbison86 said:The French side finally cooled off... where the hell are we now? ☕

Our guys are young and totally green right up until they hit Tokyo, then they're just gonna be burnt out because they've been carrying the whole damn game on their backs. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?😁
I still remember when they were hyping up Karacica as the next big thing, the successor to Balicev, someone who could actually take the pressure off Duvnjak so he wouldn't collapse from exhaustion. All we got was the exhaustion.

France will definitely stay at the top, but I don't see them dominating quite like they did over the last decade. They’re sitting on just one title right now. And I say *just* one, considering they used to hold all three.

Germany, Denmark, Spain, Norway, and Sweden? Yeah, they'll be permanent medal contenders, that's a given.

For us, the next EP will basically decide this team's entire future. Given how things stand, there are really only two ways this goes: we either grab gold or face a total meltdown—like finishing 6th, for instance. There isn't much middle ground. For Canada, it probably comes down to Vujović.

Qatar and Brazil will be tough non-European teams to deal with, but I highly doubt they'll ever truly contend for medals again.

I'd love to see Iceland and Russia get back on the big stage.

Joseph Kern5 said:Our guys are young and totally green—right up until they hit Tokyo, at which point they're gonna be completely spent because they’ve been carrying the whole damn team on their backs. Sound familiar?😁
I still remember when they were hyping up Karacica as the next big thing after Balicev—the guy who was supposed to finally give Duvnjak a break so he wouldn't burn out. Well, guess what? All we got was the burnout.

Man, these new Frenchmen are probably gonna retire before they even make it to Tokyo, don't you think? ☕

Kenneth Clark18 said:France is definitely going to stay at the top, but honestly? I don't see them dominating the scene like they did over the last decade. They’re only holding onto one title right now—and I emphasize *one*, considering they used to sweep all three.

Germany, Denmark, Spain, Norway, and Sweden? Yeah, they'll be permanent fixtures on the podium. That's a given.

As for us, the next EP is basically make-or-break for this roster. We’re looking at two extreme scenarios here: it’s either gold or a complete meltdown—like finishing 6th or something. There is no middle ground. And look, Canada's fate really hinges a lot on Vujović.

Qatar and Brazil are going to be those pesky non-European teams that give everyone trouble, but I seriously doubt they'll ever actually contend for medals again.

Man, I’d love to see Iceland and Russia back on the big stage.

handball is finally returning to its roots, and that’s what matters most.
okay, — Spain

quietbison86 said:handball is just returning to its roots, that's what matters most
Sure, — Spain

Exactly. Handball really is a quintessential Germanic sport. I guess Sweden has been out of the running for too long, except for 2012. Germany was the same way until last year.

Maybe if Russia returns, things will finally fall into place. I'm not even counting the Romanians. 😁

quietbison86 said:By the time they get to Tokyo, these new French guys will probably be ready for retirement, don't you think? ☕

I mean, Jola will be back. He's only 31, after all.😁
Then you'll see Afgour, Lamon, Emonet, M'Tima, Kounkoud, Kempf, Dourte, Belhacene, Arthur Anquetil, Causse, Bingo, Grebille, Bonnefond, Faustin... I guess they have at least three or four solid guys ready to go.

Kenneth Clark18 said:I mean, yeah, handball is pretty much the quintessential Germanic sport. Sweden hasn't really been on top lately, maybe just back in 2012. Germany was kind of in the same boat until last year.

I guess if Russia makes a comeback, things might finally start making sense. I won't even mention the Romanians. 😁

Man, I'd love to see a breakdown of how many medals all the Germans have grabbed compared to Americans and the French.
In women's handball, they totally dominate, that's for sure.

Kenneth Clark18 said:I mean, yeah, handball is basically the quintessential Germanic sport. Sweden has been stuck in a slump forever—well, except for 2012, I guess. And Germany was pretty much in the same boat until last year.

If Russia actually makes a comeback, things might finally start making sense again. I'm not even counting the Romanians. 😁

The Romanian team used to be filled with Germans living there: Otto Tellman, Hans Moser, Alexandar Folker, Roland Gunnesch, Willi Kirschner, Hans Hermannstädter, Fritz Haffer
Karl Haffer, Fritz Halmen, Willi Heidel, Hans Georg Herzog, Alfred Höchsmann, Bruno Holzträger... Hans Schmidt, Simon Schobel, Günther Schorsten, Werner Stöckl, Stefan Zoller

There were just way too many Germans from Romania playing for the Romanian national team. Most of them probably packed up and moved to Germany back in 1990 or even earlier. That's probably why Romanian handball just kind of... vanished.