Started by neonfalcon16 · · 👁 8 views · 244 replies
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Adam Williams2 said:Eva is great, quit messing around. 🙂
And what about him? He's acting like a total thief. 🤦
Dear Eva, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm right here. 🙂 Not like I'm much to look at myself, if that's even your thing. 🙂
Dennis Doyle3 said:Just so we’re all on the same page here—he's clearly just the backup keeper at this club. 😉
wiredrider9 said:What’s the percentage on Miller's defense during this tournament? Is he seriously the worst one out there?
Carol Harris64 said:25 saves in shots (41 out of 165) and 13% on long-range attempts (23 out of 19!!!!)
Jonathan Barnes5 said:What a waste of time... I read these posts and just lose faith...
I honestly can't tell if anyone here has ever actually played a sport...
Listen, he’ll get to the head coach and say, "Don't pick me, I'm not in form."
Who would ever go pro at the highest level if they thought or reasoned in such a retarded way?
Once a player stops believing in himself, he's done... amen... end of story.
A player can be in poor form... he can even get cut by his club... but he can never stop believing in himself and his own talent.
Carol Harris64 said:Alright, let’s stop the constant bashing for five minutes and actually give credit where it's due.
Take Horvat and Strlek, for instance—they are literally the TWO BEST shooters in the entire league (hitting at 82% and 80% respectively)!!!
http://pol2016.ehf-euro.com/statisti...HBM400.Lists.0
Samuel Walker7 said:And Steve is somehow even thinner than 7/20... What kind of curse is this, where you have a keeper this golden but he can still cost you the final? I guess that just happens to us, unfortunately...
So, basically, the other Chicago keeper—who probably wouldn't even be sitting on the bench for any of the top 8 teams in the EU—is being treated as our savior and the reason we missed the final. Mike, just give it a rest!
jadeseal7 said:Look, let’s just be realistic when it comes to Babb—I mean, he definitely cost us that championship game, but if Goluza were the one calling the shots on the bench right now, he probably would've started today with Alilovic and Cupic too. He likely wouldn't have even touched those kids, maybe giving them a couple of minutes at most. But Babb? He actually brought in Zlaja and Steve. Honestly, that might be one of his few smart calls lately.
Paul Jones7 said:If Steve had been in goal, he would have pulled off a few more of those clutch saves, plain and simple. I'm not saying he didn't need to make the saves he did—of course he did—but he wouldn't have let the game slip through his fingers like that.
Paul Jones7 said:Steve wouldn't have carried us to the finals; the defense absolutely blew it, folks. This isn't about Alilovic being the keeper—it's a critique of the leaky defense being the main reason we lost.
So, we put up 14 goals against the Spaniards in the first half, while Germany only managed ten. Meanwhile, we let in 18, whereas they only gave up 6.
Scoring 14 goals is perfectly fine. Especially when you consider our offense completely fell apart during the stretch where we were conceding goals from every single Spanish attack, whether it was off the line or through a fast break. For crying out loud. And then the Germans shut down those Spanish passes on the perimeter, and suddenly their game just falls apart because they had zero Plan B.
By the way, just imagine the domestic media tearing into the Spanish coach—the guy everyone was praising—for having no backup plan. The funny thing is, he actually did have one (it worked against us), but for a final, you clearly need a Plan C, and that was nowhere to be found. And he's supposed to be this "elite" manager.
If Steve had been in goal, he might have saved a few more, and that’s it. It doesn't mean he shouldn't have played—of course he should have, he had to—but he wouldn't have single-handedly flipped the script on this game.
That’s back to the manager's domain. We have the defensive players we have, and these same guys have shown in previous games, or in specific segments of matches, that they know how to defend. But consistency is what makes the difference. There was a time when our coaches knew how to deploy three different defensive setups, and if an opponent broke through one, they’d switch, and usually, they’d find something else that worked. Nowadays, we get breached, and the coach just stands there looking puzzled while the opponent rolls in 8 or 10 goals—especially since the offense panics when we can't hold ground—instead of making adjustments in real-time.
Therein lies the key. We made the semifinals and grabbed a medal because of good defense; we couldn't go any further because of the bad defense. The fluctuations in quality were massive. And it sounds ridiculous, but I honestly don't think the result would have changed even if Steve had been in the net 100% of the time (which, frankly, he should have been).
Regardless, hats off to Steve for this tournament; he showed pure class.
As for Alilovic or Cupic, I can only see two reasons why they were pushed so hard. One is coaching stupidity—forcing former starters into roles because the coach can't realize how much things have changed over the years. The second is just playing favorites with guys from his own region. Who knows, maybe it's a mix of both.
Paul Jones7;57156109 said:Steve wouldn't have gotten us to the finals—the defense totally blew it, folks. I'm not talking about Alilovic's performance in goal, I'm critiquing how porous the defense was as the main reason we lost.
Look, we put 14 goals past the Spaniards in the first half, while the Germans only managed ten. But here's the kicker: we let in 18, whereas they only conceded 6.
Scoring 14 goals? That’s perfectly fine by me! Especially when you consider our offense completely fell apart right during that stretch where we were getting picked apart by the Spaniards—either from the goal line or on those quick half-court transitions. Man, what a mess. Then, suddenly, the Germans shut down those Spanish passes at the line, their rhythm completely broke, and they realized they didn't have a Plan B whatsoever.
By the way... just imagine the domestic media tearing into the Spanish coach after everyone was praising him so much for not having a backup plan. The funny thing is, he actually did have one (it worked against us!), but for a championship game, you clearly need a Plan C, and that was nowhere to be found. And there he is, supposedly this "world-class" manager.
If Steve had been in the net, we probably would've walked away with a few more easy saves, and that's really the gist of it. It doesn't mean he shouldn't have played—of course he should have, he had to be out there—but his presence alone wouldn't have flipped the entire script of this game.
I ACTUALLY THINK IT WOULD HAVE. If we had just saved 2 of those 18 goals, we’d be looking at being in the absolute worst-case scenario of maybe trailing by 2 at halftime, or potentially even just -1 instead of being down by 4.
Bottom Line: if we want to finally push through that semifinal and grab the gold, we aren't going to do it unless Holman can step up and bail us out with a couple of easy stops or a penalty save. Only then.
Keep the discussion focused on the goalkeepers.🙂
Jeremy Brooks87 said:And honestly, if Horvat had been out there, we wouldn't have blown those two golden opportunities while everything was falling apart—kind of like how Cupic struggled—and we probably would've walked away with at least a draw. (Plus, both Steve and Horvat were absolutely killing it against Norway back then, leaving them in the dust!)
Dennis Doyle3 said:Whether we would have actually beaten the Spaniards if we had Steve and Horvat on the court—well, I guess we’ll never truly know. But, looking at this as a total amateur, there's something else bugging me. That Spanish squad basically builds their entire game on just two things: 1. feeding the ball to the pivot and 2. running fast breaks. They don't really have any long-range shooting. Shouldn't we have been playing a 6-0 defense against a team like that? I mean, I get why they might try a 5-1—maybe that aggressive push prevents the defender from letting the pivot get the ball—but honestly, a 6-0 seems way more logical in a situation like this.
frozenrider112 said:I honestly think it would have been enough if we just had two of those 18 shots saved—then we’d be looking at a -2 or maybe even a -1 at halftime instead of being down by 4.
Bottom Line: if we actually want to finally break through that semifinal wall and grab the gold, we aren't doing it unless our goalie manages to shut down a few of those easy ones and some penalties. That's the only way, I guess.
Let's keep the discussion focused on the goalkeepers.🙂
