2010 World Handball Championship: USA vs. Denmark (27-23)

Vori went out of his way to publicly thank the Danish coach Vilbek—who, by the way, described them as a bunch of players with zero defensive discipline. It’s funny, because people on this forum have been busy hyping up AQ Vilbek as some coaching genius who couldn't even hold a candle to Cokolina if he tried.

I’m genuinely curious where Hvidt Casper fits in the goalkeeper hierarchy. Is he a shot-stopper or just someone who happens to be standing there? Because neither role seemed to help him much yesterday. Honestly, they were lucky they weren't undone by those ceski refs—the ones who sent Gojun off just two minutes in, which, I suppose, led to the perfectly valid red card for Zrnic.

And Gojun actually gave credit to Wilbek... not just Vori...

Which basically means Červar didn't even bother motivating the squad—it was the opposing coach who did all the heavy lifting...

And I even heard through the grapevine that Irfan pipa Smailagic was lurking behind the bench yesterday—sneaking around and giving unsolicited advice to Lina and the rest of the crew on what they should be doing.

Everyone who actually played beautiful handball has moved on—I guess we were playing some pretty decent ball ourselves, too. But what did it even matter? We’d always run into the French or the Danes, and then you'd have some officiating duo from Ukraine or those Pedersen guys from last year blowing the whistle against us.

Robert Cruz5 said:And I heard through the grapevine that Irfan pipa Smailagic was lurking behind the bench yesterday, low-key giving Lina and the rest of the crew some "expert" advice on how to handle things.

That’s just not true—Pipe is actually out at training camp...

But he’s definitely blowing up their phones with texts...

This time around, we decided to try playing ugly and unappealing just to see how it pans out. Unlike before, we’ve actually got three towers in defense now—we're just missing one kind of heavy hitter, like a lumberjack from a big US timber company—so I guess we'll see what happens once the real carnage starts.

Robert Cruz5 said:All those teams that actually played beautiful handball have moved on—and honestly, we’ve played some pretty decent stuff ourselves up to this point. But what does any of that even matter? We always end up facing the French or the Danes, usually paired with some officiating crew from Ukraine or those Pedersen types from last year who just blow every single call against us.

What exactly is wrong with Ludovika and Vakula?

And when exactly was the last time we got absolutely robbed playing against the Danes?

Robert Cruz5 said:This time we decided to go for a gritty, unappealing style just to see if it actually works. Unlike before, we’ve got three solid pillars holding up the defense now—all we really need is one guy who hits like a sledgehammer, like a literal lumberjack—so let's see how things hold up once the heavy hitting starts.

Wait, you think yesterday was ugly and unappealing? Were we even watching the same game?

And Dinart isn't exactly a lumberjack...

As for pipa—it’s all just a joke. Anyway, you mentioned you used to play handball, or maybe you still do? Regardless, tell me: what's it actually like when you realize the refs aren't even playing the same game? It feels like they’re using one set of rules for you and an entirely different yardstick for your opponent.

When I say it’s ugly and unattractive, I’m primarily referring to the content posted on this forum. In short—it was just plain eyesore.

Regarding those Ukrainians you mentioned—they aren't lacking anything, honestly. But they definitely outplayed us in Germany during the World Championship. I don't mean to sound bitter, but I still remember how Karabatic absolutely leveled one of our guys with a punch to the head and didn't even get a two-minute penalty for it. Meanwhile, our players were getting tossed out for much lighter fouls.

Robert Cruz5 said:Look, I don't care about the pipette thing. You mentioned you used to play—or maybe you still do—handball. Either way, just tell me: what’s it like when you realize the refs aren't even playing the same game? Like, they're using one set of rules for you and a completely different playbook for your opponent.

I played... and look, back when I was playing, up until I was 18, I was basically just a kid...

And at that age, hormones are doing all the heavy lifting—you're wired, you're tense—but the worst part is when you start getting argumentative...

You lose focus on the game entirely, then everyone starts bickering with each other, and before you know it, you're in a shouting match with the ref...

Trust me, there's nothing worse than that, because I've actually been a referee myself... as a player, you can never be right in their eyes, and I'm certainly not going to change my call just because you're yelling—that would just make me look like an idiot...

The only move you've got, if you've actually got some integrity and you know you messed up, is to wait until play resumes and then just own it—tell the guys and the coach what happened...

The same thing happened to us during the 2010 season finals against the Danes—they just wouldn't let us get within a single point of them. I’m surprised you even forgot how they called that foul on Caleb when he clearly had a clean fast break. And don't even get me started on the officiating regarding those crossing moves. Also, was that Gojun's play yesterday really worth a two-minute penalty?

Robert Cruz5 said:The same crew basically ran us over during the 2010 season finals against the Danes—they wouldn't let us even get within a single point of them. Honestly, I’m surprised you forgot how they called a foul on Caleb when he had a perfectly clean fast break. And don't even get me started on how they were calling those crossing moves. Plus, was that two-minute penalty on Gojun yesterday actually legit?

Man, the refs in that final even "stole" a clear goal from the Danes... the ball went way past the line, but they didn't call it...

Everything was going sideways back then...

I have to admit, I don't even remember Gojun's penalty from yesterday...

Do I really need to remind you how they let Karabatic elbow Balic in the neck last year? /that’s that photo where Balic and Karabatic are just exchanging looks/. Even back in the EGA days, they didn't even toss him out for stuff like that. And it’s just great that you're a judge now—really. I guess you get it, though—the rules say if you target the head or neck, it's a two-minute penalty, and in extreme cases, it's a red card, right?

John was standing there like the Statue of Liberty in New York City, just minding his own business, when Dan charged right into him—no nothing, not even a foul called—and yet he gets slapped with a two-minute penalty. Which, naturally, led to Smith getting sent off immediately after. I guess Smith’s penalty was fair since he was clearly playing with his feet, but if John hadn't been penalized in the first place, Smith wouldn't have been out either.

Robert Cruz5 said:Do I really need to remind you how they let Karabatic elbow Balic right in the neck last year? You know—that iconic photo where Balic and Karabatic are just trading stares? Even back in the Egel era, they wouldn't even toss him out for stuff like that. And honestly, it’s great that you're an official too. So you get it—the rules say if you're targeting the head or neck, it’s a two-minute penalty, and in extreme cases, it’s a red card, right?

So, I'm actually arguing about the whole hitting thing with some guy who insists Karabatic is this perfectly fair and decent player based on his stats—but that was on a different thread...

Anyway, he isn't answering my questions...

Yeah, that play was definitely pushing the limit of a red card... but let's be real, it's tough for refs to pull a red on the best player on the court during a championship game...

And for the record, I'm not a referee anymore—I'm an observer now. The rulebook knowledge stays the same, it's just the role that's shifted a bit...

Don’t forget to explain why Karabatic gets a free pass to basically bash opponents in the head. And I guess you tell me—do you actually think those Danish refs called things fairly last year?

Honestly, they’re tossing John out of games for the most ridiculous nonsense at this tournament, almost as if they're just trying to pad the penalty stats... The kid doesn't exactly show much deference to the refs, but his defensive play is absolutely top-tier.