Well folks Dalmacija can sleep easy following the tourist scare that Zagreb gave it just before the holidays. Its unveiling of its "Secret Tourist Hot Spots" that was going to have every tourist fleeing the scenic coast line of Dalmacija to pound the asphalt of Zagreb caused a huge storm in European tourism. Let us examine Zagreb's Secrets Capri that was going to make it the Mecca of Croatian Tourism. First the new "Surf N Fries" on the "Trg" that was suppose to be a great hit with tourists and become the new craze around Europe has fizzled like Dinamo in the Europa League after it was discovered that the fires taste like rusty artillery shells. The idea was that tourists could buy some "Surf N Fries" while at the Trg, except there was no surf, to go with the fires, so tourists could do the next best thing and lay out a beach towel with the Dinamo Zagreb logo on it and stare at Ban Jelacic for the day. If the tourists pretend hard enough they could imagine themselves at the beach. Love those "dreamy" Surf N fries. Well we can't forget the "secret hot spot" in the Zagreb kvartovi like Vincek where they sell pastries that tourists can buy just about anywhere else in the world. http://www.vincek.com.hr/en/home/ You can get some cake to drown the terrible taste of the Surf N Fries. If you are still feeling sick after eating the cake which you probably would be considering all the crap you ate, you could work off the calories and pound the Zagreb asphalt and tour the posh street of Tkalcieva which has an impossible name to pronounce. If you can say the street name 10x fast the Zagreb tourist board will give any tourist a free T shirt with the word Skropec written on it. As it turns out this isn't a hot spot at all but a drink that folks buy there to wash down the dreadful cake at Vincek and the hideous Serf N fries after a long day of staring at Ban Jelacic at the Trg. I think its safe to say that Zagreb better leave the tourism to Dalmacija and stick to what they do best graft and corruption. http://visitcroatia.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=else&action=print&thread=5301 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tkal%C4%8Di%C4%87eva_Street
yes, all your points are very good JerseyCro! I would love to see some new younger players even just to get a little experience but I also know there is a lot at risk so its not an easy decision to make…and about Pokrivac….dios mio…criminal!
tight knit is important but also, players respect each others abilities…so if ther there were to be a newer member that contributes he would surely gain immediately respect! these players are very cosmopolitan, most of them have been exposed to brilliance and professionalism in soccer so its part of the culture to welcome and adapt to a new addition!
thats one problem I have with Bilic, he seems to have his core 16-18 players and sticks with them no matter what their form is. In friendly matches he pretty much uses the same lineups as qualifiers and when he does use young guys he puts them on for 5 minutes. I remember Badelj coming on in something like the 88th minute for his debut
Who cares what Olic, Simunic, Srna, Kranjcar etc.. do in friendlies? We already saw them 50-60 times. Why not shake things up in friendly matches, if we lose we lose, but at least expand the roster some bit and weed out players not good enough for the NT in those matches, and not in actual qualifiers like Pokrivac vs. England
I understand he wants to make the NT a tight knit unit, but remember back in one of his first qualifiers he kicked out Olic, Srna and Balaban from the team before the Russia match? You think he would do that today?! HA!
My theory is the Macedonia match in Zagreb changed him. He benched Srna that day but put him on in the second half and he eventually turned the game around. Ever since that I think he is afraid to bench the "established" players
I dont think anybody can attack you based on your comments…Bilic is a new young coach with limited coaching experience but I think he does have an innate ability and does posess competency to be a coach…he just lacks experience. I remember reading how he wanted to learn from such figures as Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex ferguson… he certainly understands a lot. I was wondering if he has become a little too dependant on his philosophies rather than depend on which current players he selects or doesn't? my point is sometimes when a player is in form for his club side it may be a good time to introduce them to the national team…he hasn't really made any major additions this campaign so it makes me wonder if his players feel the need to compete for their positions like in some other countries (Argentina, Spain, Germany…) most players are always challenging for a starting 11 position!
I will probably be attacked for saying this, but I will still say it: Bilic was vastly overrated by us. Don't get me wrong, he is a good coach, but he is not good enough to manage in the EPL/Bundesliga.
He brought fresh faces and a new energy to the team back in 2006 but I will review each qualifying cycle
Euro 2008 Qualifying: Croatia finished first and knocked out England, true…but even in that qualifying we weren't overly brilliant. Two scoreless draws with Russia, a loss to Macedonia (ok it didn't mean much) and squeezing by Macedonia in Zagreb. Poor performance in Tallinn with the infrom Eduardo saving our ass. Overall, good qualiyinf campaign but not as great as it appears.
Euro 2008: Another tournament, looking back on it, was disappointing and we somewhat overrate. Somehow manage to beat Austria with one penalty kick and one shot on target. The Germany game was great, Poland was pressure free and then of course the cautious approach against a DEPLETED Turkey team. That was probably our best chance to make a final of a major tournament, but the tactics in the Turkey game were a joke. Played not to lose rather than win
World Cup 2010 Qualifying: Debacle not to qualify with that group of players. I know there were injury problems but still, they did not win one match out of four against England/Ukraine. Won't even get to the England joke, Ukraine away was once again Bilic's cautious tactics and the Ukraine home game was the typical "score early, bunker" Croatia tactic
And in this qualifying, while we got two good away results there was once again and underwhelming home performance against an average Greek side.
I will ask you this, when it the last time we actually beat a respectable opponent at home?! We used to pride oursevles on the home field advantage but in recent years: England, Greece, Ukraine, Russia all took points in Zagreb and we got scares from Macedonia and Belarus
I felt Bilic should have gone at the end of 2010, he is very lucky to still be manager, its just the HNS doesn't want to pay a legit manager (why do you think Ladic is still with the U21s?) and Bilic had no offers anyway. If we don't qualify for Euro 2012, it will be an embarassment. This is arguably the best generation since 96-98 and they could potentially miss two tournaments.
I will probably be attacked for saying this, but I will still say it: Bilic was vastly overrated by us. Don't get me wrong, he is a good coach, but he is not good enough to manage in the EPL/Bundesliga.
He brought fresh faces and a new energy to the team back in 2006 but I will review each qualifying cycle
Euro 2008 Qualifying: Croatia finished first and knocked out England, true…but even in that qualifying we weren't overly brilliant. Two scoreless draws with Russia, a loss to Macedonia (ok it didn't mean much) and squeezing by Macedonia in Zagreb. Poor performance in Tallinn with the infrom Eduardo saving our ass. Overall, good qualiyinf campaign but not as great as it appears.
Euro 2008: Another tournament, looking back on it, was disappointing and we somewhat overrate. Somehow manage to beat Austria with one penalty kick and one shot on target. The Germany game was great, Poland was pressure free and then of course the cautious approach against a DEPLETED Turkey team. That was probably our best chance to make a final of a major tournament, but the tactics in the Turkey game were a joke. Played not to lose rather than win
World Cup 2010 Qualifying: Debacle not to qualify with that group of players. I know there were injury problems but still, they did not win one match out of four against England/Ukraine. Won't even get to the England joke, Ukraine away was once again Bilic's cautious tactics and the Ukraine home game was the typical "score early, bunker" Croatia tactic
And in this qualifying, while we got two good away results there was once again and underwhelming home performance against an average Greek side.
I will ask you this, when it the last time we actually beat a respectable opponent at home?! We used to pride oursevles on the home field advantage but in recent years: England, Greece, Ukraine, Russia all took points in Zagreb and we got scares from Macedonia and Belarus
I felt Bilic should have gone at the end of 2010, he is very lucky to still be manager, its just the HNS doesn't want to pay a legit manager (why do you think Ladic is still with the U21s?) and Bilic had no offers anyway. If we don't qualify for Euro 2012, it will be an embarassment. This is arguably the best generation since 96-98 and they could potentially miss two tournaments.
I will probably be attacked for saying this, but I will still say it: Bilic was vastly overrated by us. Don't get me wrong, he is a good coach, but he is not good enough to manage in the EPL/Bundesliga.
He brought fresh faces and a new energy to the team back in 2006 but I will review each qualifying cycle
Euro 2008 Qualifying: Croatia finished first and knocked out England, true…but even in that qualifying we weren't overly brilliant. Two scoreless draws with Russia, a loss to Macedonia (ok it didn't mean much) and squeezing by Macedonia in Zagreb. Poor performance in Tallinn with the infrom Eduardo saving our ass. Overall, good qualiyinf campaign but not as great as it appears.
Euro 2008: Another tournament, looking back on it, was disappointing and we somewhat overrate. Somehow manage to beat Austria with one penalty kick and one shot on target. The Germany game was great, Poland was pressure free and then of course the cautious approach against a DEPLETED Turkey team. That was probably our best chance to make a final of a major tournament, but the tactics in the Turkey game were a joke. Played not to lose rather than win
World Cup 2010 Qualifying: Debacle not to qualify with that group of players. I know there were injury problems but still, they did not win one match out of four against England/Ukraine. Won't even get to the England joke, Ukraine away was once again Bilic's cautious tactics and the Ukraine home game was the typical "score early, bunker" Croatia tactic
And in this qualifying, while we got two good away results there was once again and underwhelming home performance against an average Greek side.
I will ask you this, when it the last time we actually beat a respectable opponent at home?! We used to pride oursevles on the home field advantage but in recent years: England, Greece, Ukraine, Russia all took points in Zagreb and we got scares from Macedonia and Belarus
I felt Bilic should have gone at the end of 2010, he is very lucky to still be manager, its just the HNS doesn't want to pay a legit manager (why do you think Ladic is still with the U21s?) and Bilic had no offers anyway. If we don't qualify for Euro 2012, it will be an embarassment. This is arguably the best generation since 96-98 and they could potentially miss two tournaments.
I can vaguely remember his first test as a coach… an exhibition game against Italy…if my memory doesn't fail me he brought in Corluka, Eduardo and Modric ( Modric who i think played a limited role under Cico Kranjcar for the National team). I was amazed to know we have 3 phenomenal players that were not in the previous coach's plans! Bilic seemed to have strategy, an eye for young talent (i guess because he coached the under 21 National team?) and a lot of charisma…all the palyers seemed to love him! something I think he learned from Ciro…I heard a lot of people say he was a great players coach but not such a genius like he thinks he is.
when I look back at some of Bilic's experiences and try to understand why he was such an optimist, strategist and motivator i guess its easy to see he had experienced playing with some of the greatest players in the world at one point… Croatia's '98 world cup team was amazing! I think (my opinion only) the reason that team was so successful was purely because of the proper mixture of work ethic (we had some tough animals in our lineup) as well as a motivator in Blazevic and then the talent of the Suker's, Boban's, Stanic, Asanovic, Jarni…
when Bilic took over this team in 2006 we quickly saw some experiments (like Pranjic playing left back), a serious role (which i always liked) from Olic (he is the hardest work ever…the guy puts fear into defenders cause he just never quits), it was now Modric's team, Eduardo had instant goal scoring success…and the heart of the squad were players like the Kovac brothers…
my question is… do any of you think Bilic has done enough lately? does he still have the same creativity, trust in younger players, proper mixture of talent and workers?? has his strategy started to backfire?
I think Bilic is an amazing person with many abilities but I don't really know much about whats happening with him and our national team lately other than the recent games and scores. he seemed to always have a lot of new ideas and enthusiasm that i just don't see lately (maybe I'm just not exposed to this enough) but I would love to see him have success with our team for these upcoming Euro's!
The Slaven Bilic shirt was our first model back in 2009. We're thinking about bringing it back. If we get enough requests, we will contact our shirt guy.
Re: New Site
It's been green lighted. That's all I can say for now. Stay tuned. It'll be sooner than later.
Merry Chirstmas, great to meet you in NY. Thanks for the kind words. Looking forward to 2011!
@Ante B
"Dalmacija vs Zagreb"
I never knew this was the topic. The topic was, "why do Dalmatinci hate Zagreb."
As far as "Dalmacija vs Zagreb", I might be a fair judge(but I am not here to judge) because I like both. The last 3 times I visited Croatia I spent more time in ZG than in Dalmacija. When I think of going back, it really is a 50-50 for me. Great things in both regions.
@Corzo
You are right. I apologize. I only spent a few hours in Rijeka waiting for the bus and from what I experienced, I figured Rijeka was like Istra.
"I'll take the Italians and Austrians any day, over Bosance, Shiptari etc"
haha. pick our poison. In the end it comes down to power. Italians will always push for Dalmatia and some Italian political figures in the past five years have brought up Dalmatia = Italy.
"My only point is that this Zagreb Dalmacija debate is a false one"
I am not debating this at all. Comparing apples and Oranges.
"Anyway, those were crazy times for sure."
well said.
@Jordan Armada
"It just cracks me up how you folks just split Croatia into Zagreb vs. Dalmacija and how the same group of folks look down upon Istra, Rijeka, etc. "
I dont believe that us folks look down on Rijeka, but instead, Rijeka is the forgotten region. How about Slavonia? Most people here dont even know it exists. I for one have never stepped foot in Slavonia.(Definitely on my top 5 list)
"While us folks from Rijeka and Istra might not be Super Hrvati"
This is not the case at all. I think Rijeka is the forgotten region of Croatia. Its like N. Italy vs. S. Italy… all they talk about is Rome vs. Milan.
"proclaim to be big-time Croats and judge who are more or less Croatian"
I agree.
Great comment. Thanks for sticking with us. Also, we appreciate your feedback.
One half of my family is from Istra (Labin), the other half is from Primorsko-Goranska (otok Unije). It just cracks me up how you folks just split Croatia into Zagreb vs. Dalmacija and how the same group of folks look down upon Istra, Rijeka, etc. While us folks from Rijeka and Istra might not be Super Hrvati (like a lot of posters on this site…) I think we're much more level headed. Yes, some older generations are still fond of old Istra, run by facist Italy. Perfect example: a few people in my family still wish Istra remained part of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
With younger generations though, I think most have come to embrace Croatia fully and consider themselves Croats, above anything else (such as the case with me). I'm glad, personally, that I wasn't raised to hate Serbs, think Croatia and Croats are the best people ever, be proud of ustaše etc. etc. I learned about Croatian culture and history primarily by myself. And although I'm not some "super hrvat" I'm as proud a Croat as anyone from Zagreb/Dalmacija and most people from Istra/Rijeka feel the same way…I just get really turned off by how some people (on this site especially) proclaim to be big-time Croats and judge who are more or less Croatian lol it cracks me up but I find it pretty sad at the same time. Every thread boils down to who is from where, who is the 'bigger' Croat, who's town is better, etc. It's part of the reason why I just mainly read the articles on here and post a lot, a lot less. But on a positive note:
You are aware that Rijeka and Istra are very different right? If anything, there's more Austrian influence than Italian (ie see Opatija, which is Bec south)… sure, historically I get it, but Spalato…?
Anyway, personally I'll take the Italians and Austrians any day, over Bosance, Shiptari etc. These days it's kind of a moot point anyway, with tourists and home owners of all stripes.
My only point is that this Zagreb Dalmacija debate is a false one… I'll take the corridor from Crikvenica, Opatija, Rijeka to Senj any day… It's got the best of both the worlds that you are debating over… Rijeka has jobs, i ima more i plaze koliko hoces.
There's a reason the Digice and Vlachichi (let alone the Ottomans) have been trying to get it for our entire history…
As for Pavelic selling Dalmacija… well I'm pretty sure that he didn't have a lot of choices in the matter… I'm almost certain that he didn't volunteer to do that…
Likely, he was doing what he could to keep NDH a contiguous territory, knowing that the Italians could never keep Dalmacija anyway, not without first getting the contiguous part of NDH.
Sorry Svircic but you're not a fair judge when it comes to the matter of Dalmacija vs Zagreb. I feel like a black man trying to get a fair trial in the South. Its just not going to happen. Secrets of Zagreb? Vincek, skropec, tkalciceva, various local places in all of the kvartovi. Again, why explain it to someone who will never see it?
I won't be at the Israel game but I will be at the Georgia game in ZG on June 4. Mark it!
My rebuttal still stands and Svircic can't be a judge. The Rijeka gentleman is neutral so only his verdict counts.
Sorry Svircic but you're not a fair judge when it comes to the matter of Dalmacija vs Zagreb. I feel like a black man trying to get a fair trial in the South. Its just not going to happen. Secrets of Zagreb? Vincek, skropec, tkalciceva, various local places in all of the kvartovi. Again, why explain it to someone who will never see it?
I won't be at the Israel game but I will be at the Georgia game in ZG on June 4. Mark it!
My rebuttal still stands and Svircic can't be a judge. The Rijeka gentleman is neutral so only his verdict counts.
Sorry Svircic but you're not a fair judge when it comes to the matter of Dalmacija vs Zagreb. I feel like a black man trying to get a fair trial in the South. Its just not going to happen. Secrets of Zagreb? Vincek, skropec, tkalciceva, various local places in all of the kvartovi. Again, why explain it to someone who will never see it?
I won't be at the Israel game but I will be at the Georgia game in ZG on June 4. Mark it!
My rebuttal still stands and Svircic can't be a judge. The Rijeka gentleman is neutral so only his verdict counts.
Merry Christmas to all the guys on the board. It has been a tough year, but the team is back on the rise. You guys are awesome for making this site and I am proud to be on it. I will be now eating pancakes with my Crottenham shirt on and my new Tottenham scarf <3333. Christmas has been awesome so far, I hope for all of you it's as good as mine. You guys deserve it.
"They're living in Zagreb, not the villa where they come from in Dalmacija."
90% of people with villas from Dalmacija… that are from Dalmacija are living in Dalmacija. Its the people that are struggling that have made the jump to ZG. Also, most of ZG is students. All the young people move to ZG for education and opportunity. Most of these students traded in their "kamen, maslina i draca" for "asphalt, overcast, and $$$".
"Croatia makes its money from tourism so of course Dalmacija will be taxed by Zagreb. "
I am not sure on the numbers here, but why not bring some of that $$$ back in the Dalmatian economy. Zagreb should get their cut, this is true, but some of this has to go to Dalmacija as well.
So you still going to ZG for Cro-Israel?
Great debates the past few days. Sretan Bozic i Nova Godina!
@Dan
Thanks for the kind words. Great to have you aboard. Definitely, looking forward to build on this in 2011.
takoder, tebi i tvojima!
Corzo
I'm not a big fan of Rijeka. I think the Italian culture throws me off. Istra really needs to get rid of all those Digice. Digici will forever try to snatch Dalmatia. Also, for all you ustase out there from Dalmacija…. didn't Pavelic sell Dalmacija to Italy? You would be speaking Italian today if it stayed the way it did. I remember when my grandpa told me "da su ga talijanci istriskali kad je bija mali." I'm no Digic fan.
@Slavonac from Canada
"the government is corrupt but it is made up of criminals from all regions"
My pops told me today about Suker trying to squeeze into the HNS on HRT. As of right now, I'm not impressed with Davor.
"I always like the pace of the city more than the laid back lifestyle"
I agree. As of right now, I like ZG. However, the laid back lifestyle is good for a short period of time. Also, Dalmatinska kuzina is one of the best in the world.
@Franjo Tudjman
What size are you looking for?
@KingBronk
I agree with your analysis on Zagreb vs. Split.
1) Zagreb is not that bad. Sure as far as physical beauty, Dalmacija is priceless. As far as all year nightlife, ZG puts Dalamcija to shame.
2) Split is not much better when it comes to gangster criminals.
3) "Everything runs through Zagreb just like it did through Beograd. "
From what I've heard, I agree, just not on the same scale as Beograd.
Beach Volleyball in Zagreb….hahaha… Whats next, a bobsled team from Makarska?
4) "The Croatian national team never plays anywhere else but Zagreb because the Zagreb criminals won't let them."
This might be true, but this isnt the only reason. From what I've heard, most of the players would rather play in ZG… less pressure.
Thanks for the analysis.
"The reason Dalmatinci go live in Zagreb is because that's where the jobs are. "
I agree. Also, 18-22 year olds going for education and city lifestyle.
"Dalmacija has become a colony of Zagreb and the politicians there are exploiting it to the fullest."
This is what I've heard from lots of educated people in Dalmatia and ZG. However, not to the same level as Beograd.
"in the past Dinamo had Tudjman funnelling money into the club to make them the best team in Croatia using tourist revenue from Dalmacija."
I agree.
"pretend you work for the ZG tourist board what would you say to a tourist who would venture off to ZG?"
"The Purgeri would be coming to Dalmacija looking for work and a better tan not the other way around."
hahahahaha…. good shit.
"As for your secret tourist spots in ZG which you refuse to talk. My guess is you won't talk about it because they don't exist. I've been to Zagreb before."
I must say you took round 1…. ding ding ding…
KING BRONK, you're always welcome here at CSR, Sretan Bozic i Nova Godina
Crozo you basically agree with everything I said. Besides your long diatribe about how a parliamentary democracy works your economic examples makes no sense and is easily proven wrong. Zagreb is a rich city so why is it being subsidized at Dalmatia's expense? Look at Canada. Ottawa is the capital city of Canada, but it isn't Canada's economic engine, Toronto is and the money made there for the most part stays there and this can be said for many other countries. Another example, the USA, Washington is the capital but New York is the economic engine and the money made their generally stays there. You don't see Washington being built into a super city at the expense of the rest of the nation. The bulk of the money raised in Toronto and New York doesn't leave to build up Ottawa and Washington into a super citys like its being done in Croatia. Croatia's main economic region is Dalmatia. However, it doesn't get to keep what it makes but has it taken away to subsidize Zagreb. If you're so into socialism why doesn't the money go to Osijek, Vukovar or some other poorer regions of Croatia ? It generally all goes to Zagreb. This is the problem and this is where the hostility comes from towards Zagreb in other regions of Croatia namely Dalmacija.
let me step in for a moment, in the spirit of giving, to help you with your understanding of economics… it's not necessarily easy to grasp the subtleties of the system, and you're certainly not alone in this regard, and so there's nothing to be ashamed of in any way. nema se na cemu sramit.
just so you know, I don't know, nor do I care who has more crooks, Zagreb or Dalmacija…
plus you'd have to be a bit "tighter" with your definition of exactly what constitutes a crook… politicians are their own class… in fact actually, i think it's kind of cute how you use the word crook… it's like I'm watching Happy Days again … ehhh Mrs. C 🙂
anyway, in actual fact the Kuna exists as legal tender in HRV, because the government is given the sovereign right to control it's own legal tender within its domain via the constitution… the constitution sets the parameters of law in a nation, and because we are a democracy those laws are upheld and added to, and changed, by those people that we send to the Sabor, representing every single region of the country. this is called the legislative branch of government.
the party (or coalition thereof) with the most votes/representatives "forms the government", and thus forms the executive branch of government. this is where our Leaders/Minister's etc., usually come from.
the final branch is the judicial branch comprised by the the supreme court, and the court system, judges etc.
for the most part, on paper this is how it works in most countries.
the funding for these three branches of government (what might more colloquially be known as the "drzava") comes from the drzava's revenue…just like any other business… in fact the drzava itself is indeed incorporated just like any other legitimate business… so therefore we could call it Croatia Inc.
if Croatia Inc.'s revenues are less than its expenses… which has been the case for most if not all of our recently independent history, due to the reconstruction and modernization of the country, then Croatia Inc. needs to borrow from external lenders. They do this by issuing debt (ie selling bonds) to these external creditors, who in turn give us money today, in exchange for the promise to pay back with interest at some point in the future.
because Zagreb is our capital, this is where the "head offices" of the drzava are (they need to be somewhere after all)… and because our country is beautiful in every area, we are lucky enough to derive some of Croatia Inc's revenue from tourism… in other words all areas are important… in such a system the richer parts always subsidize the poorer parts, but before that can happen, revenue is centralized at head office…
every country has some form of this.
anyway, this is a start.
so you don't like Zagreb, fine don't go… you have that freedom. but to blame Zagreb is to blame Croatia Inc., in all its forms. and maybe that's justified, but if so, I'd suggest that you use your rights of freedom and democracy to do something about it, instead of blaming those, who for the most are trying their best to operate a business with at least 10 million customers… all of whom are homegrown experts like you.
The population goes where the money is. It isn't the industrious people from Zagreb making it an economic success. It's the fact that they exploit Dalmacija for their economic benefit. If you leave the money in the region that generates it those demographics would quickly change, because the jobs would be there and not in Zagreb. The Purgeri would be coming to Dalmacija looking for work and a better tan not the other way around. As for Sanadar he basically lived in Zagreb while he was in office and ran its agenda, along with the rest of Croatia's crooks. All that tied him to Dalmacija was his birth certificate. Zagreb's economic activity consists of being the home base for economic swindle in Croatia. The main territory that is being swindled is Dalmacija. This is a well known fact. Dalmacija generates the money through tourism and Zagreb spends it on itself building up its own infrastructure. You would think politicians would spend those dollars in Dalmacija to build up the tourism infrastructure to make it more lucrative and generate more money for the state. That just makes business sense, but that's not what happens. The money goes to Zagreb from Dalmacija not the other way around. It's so blatant that beach volleyball tournaments are held in Zagreb. They literally come to Damacija take the sand from beaches there in trucks and drive it off to Zagreb and hold the tournament there. How insane is that!
As for your secret tourist spots in ZG which you refuse to talk. My guess is you won't talk about it because they don't exist. I've been to Zagreb before. What is really there? Ban Jelacic, Crkva St. Marka, the Sabor aka the "Den of Thieves" and Mirogoj. If we are talking sports Maksimir is the pits, UEFA even designated it as a disaster zone. Poljud is a million times better looking facility but no soccer games ever come to the coast. Why do you think that is? I'll tell you because the crooks in Zagreb believe the national team is there's and it should be called Hrvatska Zagreb!
As for Hajduk beating Sesveta 5-0 in a fixed game, post the article that mentions them fixing the game and let them be punished if that's the case. There is a mountain of evidence, from UEFA no less pointing straight at Dinamo Zagreb and nothing happens, no investigation, no relegation nothing! Can the corruption be any more obvious. It's a joke.
You constitute basic fundamental economics of a country as exploitation. Cough, Dalmacija radi, Zagreb se gradi. Like I said before, resources will mainly go to the capital where the highest population is.
Criminals also run Dalmacija and Hajduk. Let's take a look at your boy Ivo Sanader and Zeljko Kerum. Luckily, Ivo is now in jail. Let's not even talk about Stimac. What about Sinovcic from Zadar? Tally it up.
Are you purposely omitting Dalmatinci?!
In terms of where you'd want to live, like I said, the answer is in front of you, its Zagreb. If you asked where you'd rather vacation, of course its Dalmacija.
As for me telling you, who is obviously anti Zagreb, where the spots are that make Zagreb special would be counter productive because you wouldn't know anyway. It would be like introducing you to a girl, some things are just not meant to happen.
Rebuttal still stands. Ps. There's no "evidence" of Hajduk beating Sesveta 5:0? Let's go ahead and look that one up.
Take your own advice and stop speculating. Ill stop insulting you when you say something smart which I fear might never happen. Good luck though.
Your rebuttal is pathetic. You name call and admit everything I said is true.
Economic analysis of Zagreb's economic growth….correct
Zagreb's economic explotation of Dalmacija…..correct
Economic analysis of Dinamo's soccer success….correct
Dinamo's documented match fixing scandal…..correct The point I was making with hajduk with regards to match fixing is that there is no "evidence " of hajduk doing this. There is "evidence" with Dinamo. If Hajduk is fixing games they aren't doing a very good job of it because Dinamo wins every year:P
Criminals run Zagreb…..correct
Where would you want to live Damacija vs Zagreb……Damacija….correct
Sretan Bozic
PS Can you tell us all what the hidden secrets of Zagreb are? What is there to do and see there? Can you elaborate on this a little? pretend you work for the ZG tourist board what would you say to a tourist who would venture off to ZG?
if you think match fixing is only prone to Dinamo you must be on another planet! the whole league and the lower leagues as well are completely corrupt…its like that in more European countries as well (maybe not all). Hajduk doesn't have much to talk about either, there is always some type of cloak and dagger going on within that organisation!specu;ate? pleeaasseee…don't be so naive, they are just as bad as the rest…they have major internal issues so thats why they cant compete like they used to!
with regards to Dalmacija financing the country…it isn't because of hard workers or major job creation…be certain about that…just because they have a beautifeul shoreline and great weather it doesnt mean they create jobs to improve the unemployment.
the government is whats causing tonnes of instability there…too much fraud …companies like Ina, Podravka and many others…the government is corrupt but it is made up of criminals from all regions…Zagreb just happens to be the capital!
Look, judging by your writing, you know nothing of the real Zagreb which is fine. Sto vise manje takvih idiota u Zagrebu, to bolje. Everything else you wrote is a giant repeat of your previous post. Its because of people who think like you that I have to see the ne gazi travu signs.
Dinamo and Hajduk both have criminals running them. Both Dinamo and Hajduk are under investigation. If both get caught, hello second and fourth divisions.
You say don't speculate yet you speculate using "if". Hypocritical, maybe? Croatia makes its money from tourism so of course Dalmacija will be taxed by Zagreb. Again, this is called economics and business.
See it's comments like "nobody likes Zagreb" that make you look like a mujo. Before you click "publish your comment" think about everything you said. I like Zagreb, so do a lot of other people: that are not communists, hercegovci, mafiosos. Nemoj biti smotan.
Listen Purger the "Secrets of Zagreb" as you put it is that there is nothing to see there other than a Statue of Ban Jelacic and a Hrvatski Grb on a Church. The reason Dalmatinci go live in Zagreb is because that's where the jobs are. How did the jobs get there you ask? Zagreb steals the tourist dollars through taxation that is generated in Dalmacija and spends it in Zagreb. That's a fact. If the tourist dollars were spent where they were generated, believe me no Dalmatinac would ever move to Zagreb. Dalmacija single handily financed all of Yugoslavia. Now Zagreb has jumped on the gravy train and is getting rich on the tourist dollars generated in Dalmacija. Dalmacija has become a colony of Zagreb and the politicians there are exploiting it to the fullest. As for soccer, Dinamo Zagreb is subsidized by the city, they don't pay taxes and they had their debt forgiven. All the other clubs were forced to privatize and pay their tax bill. Dinamo Zagreb receives more government money than all the other clubs in Croatia combined. When you also take into account that the subsidy comes from tourist dollars, Hajduk in effect is paying Dinamo Zagreb to win. That is Dinamo's secret to their soccer success in Croatia. On top of all of that Dinamo still resorts to fixing matches. You can speculate about Hajduk all you want but Dinamo Zagreb has been busted. There is evidence and nothing is done. In Italy when that happened Juve got relegated. Why is Dinamo still in the 1st division? Dinamo's criminal activity shouln't suprise anyone really; in the past Dinamo had Tudjman funnelling money into the club to make them the best team in Croatia using tourist revenue from Dalmacija. That's what gets the Dalmatinci steamed about Zagreb. Mr. Rijeka I am sure remembers when his team got cheated out of a league championship by the criminals in Zagreb by a fix. This is why no one likes Zagreb.
I reccomend you guys watch Otvoreno from last night on HRT (its on the website), Suker comes off as a blown calling himself a "Brand" of Croatia, while it might be true, not exactly flattering to call yourself that
I come from a mixed family: My father is a Dalmo while my mother is from Zagreb, best of both worlds I guess lol. Always liked Zagreb, because I'm not a big beach guy and since I'm from the NYC metro area, I always like the pace of the city more than the laid back lifestyle
@Ante B My only argument against playing in Zagreb is that Maskimir looks like shit. You gotta remember the Natonal Team's image is partly portrayed in the enviroment they play in. Its been a half finished stadium for over 20 yaers now and Im sure that playing in Albania would look more appealing. The Poljud atleast looks respectful, so it only makes sense that we play a couple of games there (but we all know thats not going to happen now). And also you gotta remember the fans, I mean how many people from Dalmacia would drive all the way to Zagreb to watch an International Match? They are missing out badly too i tell you that!
@ Ante, Denis and Branimir cheers for all the hard work this year. This is definitely a year too remember this year for CSR. You guys have successfuly broken the boundries and established yourselfs within the croatian media. Looking forward to an exciting 2011 for croatian soccer.
Spoken like a true non-Zagrebcanin. It never fails. If you don't know what else is in Zagreb besides Jelacic, then you really haven't been around it much to know it's secrets and what it's really about. Zagreb is beautiful, as is Dalmacija. You don't like asphalt, fine, don't let the gates hit you on the way out.
The only thing Zagreb and Beograd have in common is that they are capitals of their respective countries. Zagreb is the capital of Croatia so of course most of the country's resources are going there because that's where most of the country's population is as well. Hello Econ 101, have you met?
And you know what else? All the non-Zagreb people already made the decision you asked about. They're living in Zagreb, not the villa where they come from in Dalmacija. How many Purgeri have moved to Dalmacija again? Like I said before, let me ask all 17 of them.
Dalmacija is beautiful in the summer but if I had a choice of where to live, I'd pick Zagreb any day of the week. Then again I'm biased. But then again, Zagreb has been overtaken by Hercegovci and Dalmatinci.
Lest we forget that the mafia rules Dalmacija as well, including Split, as well as Hajduk. Take a look at Zeljko Kerum. Are you telling us that you also believe Hajduk did not fix matches? If Dinamo would fall to 2nd division then Hajduk would barely get by in the 4th with the shit they're pulling too.
The only thing I will agree with you on is in your rant against Zdravko Mamic, Dinamo being funded by the city and Markovic deciding that every game be in Zagreb.
The city gives money to Dinamo-agreed.
Zdravko Mamic is a criminal-agreed.
It's a travesty that only games are only played in Zagreb-agreed, I always have. While it is the capital, Zagreb is not the only town in Croatia. I have always stated the repka should play all over Croatia.
I was reading the earlier Zagreb vs. Split debate that was going on and I found it very interesting. Let me clarify why exactly Zagreb is so hated by the rest of Croatia and by Split specifically.
1)Honestly where would you really want to live if you had a choice? In a concrete post communist jungle that is Zagreb or by the Adriatic sea? Millions of tourists come to see the coast not Zagreb. I think the choice is obvious. What exactly is attractive about Zagreb anyway? Staring at the Ban Jelacic statue is fun for only so long.
2) Zagreb is controlled by a bunch of gangster criminals. They remind me so much of the old corrupt Yugo- communists…wait they are the old corrupt Yugo-communists.
3) Everything runs through Zagreb just like it did through Beograd. The taxes and tourist dollars all go to Zagreb and its development at the expense of Split and the other regions of Croatia. This was what used to happen in the ex Yugoslavia where all the tax revenue went to Serbia, more specifically Beograd. Even beach volleyball tournaments are held in Zagreb if that is to be believed. Its ridicules. What exactly does Zagreb have to do with beach volleyball is beyond me. http://www.beach-volleyball.us/vip_open_in_zagreb_croatia
4) Now on to soccer. The Croatian national team never plays anywhere else but Zagreb because the Zagreb criminals won't let them. I remember when Tudjman changed Dinamo Zagreb's name to Croatia Zagreb. I think a mistake was made with the paper work. That name change was intended for the national team which explains why they never play anywhere but Zagreb.
6) Dinamo Zagreb gets caught fixing games and nothing happens. In Italy Juve got relegated for this. In Croatia Dinamo Zagreb wins another league title.
7)The owner criminal of Dinamo Zagreb which the BBB acknowledge Zdravko Mamic gets an illegal delegate to cast the winning vote to keep his puppet Markovic (who is older than God) in control of his match fixing league.
These are just a few reasons off the top of my head why people hate Zagreb. If you gave anyone a choice to live in a villa by the sea in Dalmatia or live in home in down town Zagreb I think it's a slam dunk which place they would pick. As for soccer, if the league were cleaned up and the rules were enforced Dinamo Zagreb would be in the 2nd division for match fixing and Mamic would be in jail for corruption.
I could be a dick and say Bilic is lucky to still be around but I'll be nice and in the holiday mood 🙂
btw, Dinamo Zagreb signed two players today, Josip Brezovec (Varazdin) and Antun Palic (Inter Zapresic). The arrival of Brezovec most likely means the end of one of the following: Calello, Chago, Ibanez or possibly selling Badelj to Hoffenheim which is rumored. Palic is a left sided midfielder, had some decent matches with the U21 national team but most guys from Zapresic have been busts at Dinamo (Dodo, Sivonjic). His arrival only adds more doubt about Morales' future.
Lokomotiva signed two foreign players which almost 99% will come to Dinamo if they are any good. One of them is a 18 year old defender from Gambia
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been impressed with Skvorc so far but Varazdin are asking for seven figures
To get Bilić to send the pozdrav to the CSR nation required a lot of maneuvering.
First, because CSR is known in Croatia, we were able to get two credentials to the Dinamo v. PAOK game including a VIP parking pass.
The credentials entitled us to watch the game from one of two press boxes. We chose the lame press seats about 30 rows up from the field because they were in proximity to all the VIP's at the game including Mamic, Markovic, Bandic, Cacic, Bilic and Suker.
Our goal was to keep an eye on Mamic and get his reaction should Croatia score a goal or win the game.
After PAOK scored Mamic did not react so no footage from that. BTW Markovic left at halftime.
We learned that Mamic does not make himself available for formal post-game press conferences in the press room, but rather gives a statement in the VIP parking lot here the exit to the luxury box elevator is located.
This area is not available to the general public. Only members of accredited media and VIP's have access.
We waited for him there for 40 minutes after the game in -8C temperatures.
While waiting for Mamić, Bilić came out and gave a short statement. After his short statement, as he quickly marched to his car, new CSR Zagreb reporter, Rozalija Kučko, ran to him and asked him to give CSR a shout out.
We chatted for a few seconds before the official shout out. I told Bilic that CSR covers Croatian Soccer for the English speaking Diaspora and that he is featured on a CSR shirt.
He got excited and said "I want one!" not remembering he already got one, as proven by the photo in in shout out video.
In the end I think it is important to know that Bilic knows that CSR exists and that there is a building fanbase that is intouch with Croatian Soccer outside Croatia….
This is the best t-shirt of all time, you guys are the best. When I wear this I know all the Cro chicks will be all over me, When I go to Croatia next summer, my first time in Harvetska, I know that all the Crochicks will be following me around, lookin for action. And I'll owe it all to CSR and your awesome t-shirt. Thanks guys!
thanks for the kind words. If you can please sign in or just sign out with a name(doesnt have to be your own) on the bottom. I like the "Pozdrav iz Splita"
@anonymous #2,
Thanks for the link. Also, if you can please sign in or sign out at the end of your comment.
@Rob,
Bordeaux did Runje dirty twice. First they kicked him in the collar bone after Runje was already down to pick up the loose ball…resulting in a second yellow card and exclusion from the game… then minutes after he gets a deliberate elbow in that same area. Runje kicked the ball out of bounds and requested a sub… in the 92nd minute Bordeaux equalize with Runje in the locker room.
@Boris,
I was waiting for you to say something about the Bucks.
I have to give credit where credit is due, and the Milwaukee Bucks deserve all the credit in the world. They have been playing amazing the past week or so, and like you said, starting from their D.
Bogut made Gasol look silly. Orlando took a huge gamble with the latest trade and will most likely finish in that #4 or #5 slot. I still dont see the Bucks beating Chicago, Miami, or Boston in the first round. That would mean, the Bucks would have to finish in that #4 or #5 slot.
Bogut shot me an email the noght before the Lakers-Bucks game:
"Ill catch you guys tonight in LA or vs the Clippers next year. "
Unfortunately, NBA hasnt been kind to us about media credentials. We are still working with them and hopefully, we get Bogut against the Clippers in late January.
bogut and the bucks held the lakers to 33 pts in the second half, and only 13 pts in the 4th quarter. now THAT'S some D!
they came off a bad beat to portland, and brandon jennings is out for 4-6 weeks, so that was a huge win. they also beat the mavs last week in Dallas, and barely lost to the spurs in the next game (buzzer beater by ginobli which was definitely a travel but wasn't called).
i know their record doesn't reflect it yet, but the bucks are good, and bogut has been on fire.
did any of the CSR guys get a chance to go to the game? any new bogut interviews forthcoming?
I love Slaven's beard, hope he keeps always now. Ante, I advise you to grow out facial hair, it's awesome!! Anyway I will wait till Christmas to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
To Denis and Ante: Thank you for an interesting year and for your help to go through the WC without Croatia. My family and I wish you happiness, good health, prosperity and all the luck you need to bring us interesting and entertaining Croatian Soccer Report.
To all soccer players, coaches and every child in Croatia that is kicking soccer ball with passion and love: MAY YOU MAKE CROATIAN SOCCER SHINE!
This was right after the Dinamo-PAOK game. Remember, these guys aren't Lebron James' or Tom Brady's. Players and coaches are much more accessible in Croatia than in the States.
Bilic shows his class by this video. He didn't have to do it. He could have easily said 'no thank you' and walked away. Sure we all jumped on him for a horrible WC 2010 qualifying campaign, but that shouldn't take away from him being a great stand-up guy.
Sometimes you have to 'stalk your prey' to get the exclusive you want. These guys are never going to spoon feed a reporter anything. For Kranjcar, we waited 20 minutes after the game in a crowded media scrum. For Redknapp, another half an hour while he was talking to some guys right in front of us. All well worth it.
So to answer your question: 25% Stalk and 60% Determination…with 15% Luck…
@Branimir,
To the CSR Brudder. How did you flag Bilic down? What else did he say to you? Does he know/read about CSR? How long did you wait outside Maksimir for this?
Fantastic job once again, not just with Bilic, but with the entire Dinamo match coverage. I think you're finally getting the hang of it 🙂
@ Denis,
Nope. Not me. Still don't have the facial hair going.
Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!
Well folks Dalmacija can sleep easy following the tourist scare that Zagreb gave it just before the holidays. Its unveiling of its "Secret Tourist Hot Spots" that was going to have every tourist fleeing the scenic coast line of Dalmacija to pound the asphalt of Zagreb caused a huge storm in European tourism. Let us examine Zagreb's Secrets Capri that was going to make it the Mecca of Croatian Tourism. First the new "Surf N Fries" on the "Trg" that was suppose to be a great hit with tourists and become the new craze around Europe has fizzled like Dinamo in the Europa League after it was discovered that the fires taste like rusty artillery shells. The idea was that tourists could buy some "Surf N Fries" while at the Trg, except there was no surf, to go with the fires, so tourists could do the next best thing and lay out a beach towel with the Dinamo Zagreb logo on it and stare at Ban Jelacic for the day. If the tourists pretend hard enough they could imagine themselves at the beach. Love those "dreamy" Surf N fries. Well we can't forget the "secret hot spot" in the Zagreb kvartovi like Vincek where they sell pastries that tourists can buy just about anywhere else in the world. http://www.vincek.com.hr/en/home/ You can get some cake to drown the terrible taste of the Surf N Fries. If you are still feeling sick after eating the cake which you probably would be considering all the crap you ate, you could work off the calories and pound the Zagreb asphalt and tour the posh street of Tkalcieva which has an impossible name to pronounce. If you can say the street name 10x fast the Zagreb tourist board will give any tourist a free T shirt with the word Skropec written on it. As it turns out this isn't a hot spot at all but a drink that folks buy there to wash down the dreadful cake at Vincek and the hideous Serf N fries after a long day of staring at Ban Jelacic at the Trg. I think its safe to say that Zagreb better leave the tourism to Dalmacija and stick to what they do best graft and corruption.
http://visitcroatia.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=else&action=print&thread=5301
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tkal%C4%8Di%C4%87eva_Street
yes, all your points are very good JerseyCro! I would love to see some new younger players even just to get a little experience but I also know there is a lot at risk so its not an easy decision to make…and about Pokrivac….dios mio…criminal!
tight knit is important but also, players respect each others abilities…so if ther there were to be a newer member that contributes he would surely gain immediately respect! these players are very cosmopolitan, most of them have been exposed to brilliance and professionalism in soccer so its part of the culture to welcome and adapt to a new addition!
thank for your comments on this topic!
thats one problem I have with Bilic, he seems to have his core 16-18 players and sticks with them no matter what their form is. In friendly matches he pretty much uses the same lineups as qualifiers and when he does use young guys he puts them on for 5 minutes. I remember Badelj coming on in something like the 88th minute for his debut
Who cares what Olic, Simunic, Srna, Kranjcar etc.. do in friendlies? We already saw them 50-60 times. Why not shake things up in friendly matches, if we lose we lose, but at least expand the roster some bit and weed out players not good enough for the NT in those matches, and not in actual qualifiers like Pokrivac vs. England
I understand he wants to make the NT a tight knit unit, but remember back in one of his first qualifiers he kicked out Olic, Srna and Balaban from the team before the Russia match? You think he would do that today?! HA!
My theory is the Macedonia match in Zagreb changed him. He benched Srna that day but put him on in the second half and he eventually turned the game around. Ever since that I think he is afraid to bench the "established" players
@ JerseyCro
I dont think anybody can attack you based on your comments…Bilic is a new young coach with limited coaching experience but I think he does have an innate ability and does posess competency to be a coach…he just lacks experience. I remember reading how he wanted to learn from such figures as Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex ferguson… he certainly understands a lot. I was wondering if he has become a little too dependant on his philosophies rather than depend on which current players he selects or doesn't? my point is sometimes when a player is in form for his club side it may be a good time to introduce them to the national team…he hasn't really made any major additions this campaign so it makes me wonder if his players feel the need to compete for their positions like in some other countries (Argentina, Spain, Germany…) most players are always challenging for a starting 11 position!
I will probably be attacked for saying this, but I will still say it: Bilic was vastly overrated by us. Don't get me wrong, he is a good coach, but he is not good enough to manage in the EPL/Bundesliga.
He brought fresh faces and a new energy to the team back in 2006 but I will review each qualifying cycle
Euro 2008 Qualifying: Croatia finished first and knocked out England, true…but even in that qualifying we weren't overly brilliant. Two scoreless draws with Russia, a loss to Macedonia (ok it didn't mean much) and squeezing by Macedonia in Zagreb. Poor performance in Tallinn with the infrom Eduardo saving our ass. Overall, good qualiyinf campaign but not as great as it appears.
Euro 2008: Another tournament, looking back on it, was disappointing and we somewhat overrate. Somehow manage to beat Austria with one penalty kick and one shot on target. The Germany game was great, Poland was pressure free and then of course the cautious approach against a DEPLETED Turkey team. That was probably our best chance to make a final of a major tournament, but the tactics in the Turkey game were a joke. Played not to lose rather than win
World Cup 2010 Qualifying: Debacle not to qualify with that group of players. I know there were injury problems but still, they did not win one match out of four against England/Ukraine. Won't even get to the England joke, Ukraine away was once again Bilic's cautious tactics and the Ukraine home game was the typical "score early, bunker" Croatia tactic
And in this qualifying, while we got two good away results there was once again and underwhelming home performance against an average Greek side.
I will ask you this, when it the last time we actually beat a respectable opponent at home?! We used to pride oursevles on the home field advantage but in recent years: England, Greece, Ukraine, Russia all took points in Zagreb and we got scares from Macedonia and Belarus
I felt Bilic should have gone at the end of 2010, he is very lucky to still be manager, its just the HNS doesn't want to pay a legit manager (why do you think Ladic is still with the U21s?) and Bilic had no offers anyway. If we don't qualify for Euro 2012, it will be an embarassment. This is arguably the best generation since 96-98 and they could potentially miss two tournaments.
I will probably be attacked for saying this, but I will still say it: Bilic was vastly overrated by us. Don't get me wrong, he is a good coach, but he is not good enough to manage in the EPL/Bundesliga.
He brought fresh faces and a new energy to the team back in 2006 but I will review each qualifying cycle
Euro 2008 Qualifying: Croatia finished first and knocked out England, true…but even in that qualifying we weren't overly brilliant. Two scoreless draws with Russia, a loss to Macedonia (ok it didn't mean much) and squeezing by Macedonia in Zagreb. Poor performance in Tallinn with the infrom Eduardo saving our ass. Overall, good qualiyinf campaign but not as great as it appears.
Euro 2008: Another tournament, looking back on it, was disappointing and we somewhat overrate. Somehow manage to beat Austria with one penalty kick and one shot on target. The Germany game was great, Poland was pressure free and then of course the cautious approach against a DEPLETED Turkey team. That was probably our best chance to make a final of a major tournament, but the tactics in the Turkey game were a joke. Played not to lose rather than win
World Cup 2010 Qualifying: Debacle not to qualify with that group of players. I know there were injury problems but still, they did not win one match out of four against England/Ukraine. Won't even get to the England joke, Ukraine away was once again Bilic's cautious tactics and the Ukraine home game was the typical "score early, bunker" Croatia tactic
And in this qualifying, while we got two good away results there was once again and underwhelming home performance against an average Greek side.
I will ask you this, when it the last time we actually beat a respectable opponent at home?! We used to pride oursevles on the home field advantage but in recent years: England, Greece, Ukraine, Russia all took points in Zagreb and we got scares from Macedonia and Belarus
I felt Bilic should have gone at the end of 2010, he is very lucky to still be manager, its just the HNS doesn't want to pay a legit manager (why do you think Ladic is still with the U21s?) and Bilic had no offers anyway. If we don't qualify for Euro 2012, it will be an embarassment. This is arguably the best generation since 96-98 and they could potentially miss two tournaments.
I will probably be attacked for saying this, but I will still say it: Bilic was vastly overrated by us. Don't get me wrong, he is a good coach, but he is not good enough to manage in the EPL/Bundesliga.
He brought fresh faces and a new energy to the team back in 2006 but I will review each qualifying cycle
Euro 2008 Qualifying: Croatia finished first and knocked out England, true…but even in that qualifying we weren't overly brilliant. Two scoreless draws with Russia, a loss to Macedonia (ok it didn't mean much) and squeezing by Macedonia in Zagreb. Poor performance in Tallinn with the infrom Eduardo saving our ass. Overall, good qualiyinf campaign but not as great as it appears.
Euro 2008: Another tournament, looking back on it, was disappointing and we somewhat overrate. Somehow manage to beat Austria with one penalty kick and one shot on target. The Germany game was great, Poland was pressure free and then of course the cautious approach against a DEPLETED Turkey team. That was probably our best chance to make a final of a major tournament, but the tactics in the Turkey game were a joke. Played not to lose rather than win
World Cup 2010 Qualifying: Debacle not to qualify with that group of players. I know there were injury problems but still, they did not win one match out of four against England/Ukraine. Won't even get to the England joke, Ukraine away was once again Bilic's cautious tactics and the Ukraine home game was the typical "score early, bunker" Croatia tactic
And in this qualifying, while we got two good away results there was once again and underwhelming home performance against an average Greek side.
I will ask you this, when it the last time we actually beat a respectable opponent at home?! We used to pride oursevles on the home field advantage but in recent years: England, Greece, Ukraine, Russia all took points in Zagreb and we got scares from Macedonia and Belarus
I felt Bilic should have gone at the end of 2010, he is very lucky to still be manager, its just the HNS doesn't want to pay a legit manager (why do you think Ladic is still with the U21s?) and Bilic had no offers anyway. If we don't qualify for Euro 2012, it will be an embarassment. This is arguably the best generation since 96-98 and they could potentially miss two tournaments.
Regarding Bilic The Boss! Has he lost his Mojo?
I can vaguely remember his first test as a coach… an exhibition game against Italy…if my memory doesn't fail me he brought in Corluka, Eduardo and Modric ( Modric who i think played a limited role under Cico Kranjcar for the National team). I was amazed to know we have 3 phenomenal players that were not in the previous coach's plans! Bilic seemed to have strategy, an eye for young talent (i guess because he coached the under 21 National team?) and a lot of charisma…all the palyers seemed to love him! something I think he learned from Ciro…I heard a lot of people say he was a great players coach but not such a genius like he thinks he is.
when I look back at some of Bilic's experiences and try to understand why he was such an optimist, strategist and motivator i guess its easy to see he had experienced playing with some of the greatest players in the world at one point… Croatia's '98 world cup team was amazing! I think (my opinion only) the reason that team was so successful was purely because of the proper mixture of work ethic (we had some tough animals in our lineup) as well as a motivator in Blazevic and then the talent of the Suker's, Boban's, Stanic, Asanovic, Jarni…
when Bilic took over this team in 2006 we quickly saw some experiments (like Pranjic playing left back), a serious role (which i always liked) from Olic (he is the hardest work ever…the guy puts fear into defenders cause he just never quits), it was now Modric's team, Eduardo had instant goal scoring success…and the heart of the squad were players like the Kovac brothers…
my question is… do any of you think Bilic has done enough lately? does he still have the same creativity, trust in younger players, proper mixture of talent and workers?? has his strategy started to backfire?
I think Bilic is an amazing person with many abilities but I don't really know much about whats happening with him and our national team lately other than the recent games and scores. he seemed to always have a lot of new ideas and enthusiasm that i just don't see lately (maybe I'm just not exposed to this enough) but I would love to see him have success with our team for these upcoming Euro's!
comments?
what is right with bosanci????
whats wrong with bosanci
@ Anonymous,
The Slaven Bilic shirt was our first model back in 2009. We're thinking about bringing it back. If we get enough requests, we will contact our shirt guy.
Re: New Site
It's been green lighted. That's all I can say for now. Stay tuned. It'll be sooner than later.
@Allen19
Merry Chirstmas, great to meet you in NY. Thanks for the kind words. Looking forward to 2011!
@Ante B
"Dalmacija vs Zagreb"
I never knew this was the topic. The topic was, "why do Dalmatinci hate Zagreb."
As far as "Dalmacija vs Zagreb", I might be a fair judge(but I am not here to judge) because I like both. The last 3 times I visited Croatia I spent more time in ZG than in Dalmacija. When I think of going back, it really is a 50-50 for me. Great things in both regions.
@Corzo
You are right. I apologize. I only spent a few hours in Rijeka waiting for the bus and from what I experienced, I figured Rijeka was like Istra.
"I'll take the Italians and Austrians any day, over Bosance, Shiptari etc"
haha. pick our poison. In the end it comes down to power. Italians will always push for Dalmatia and some Italian political figures in the past five years have brought up Dalmatia = Italy.
"My only point is that this Zagreb Dalmacija debate is a false one"
I am not debating this at all. Comparing apples and Oranges.
"Anyway, those were crazy times for sure."
well said.
@Jordan Armada
"It just cracks me up how you folks just split Croatia into Zagreb vs. Dalmacija and how the same group of folks look down upon Istra, Rijeka, etc. "
I dont believe that us folks look down on Rijeka, but instead, Rijeka is the forgotten region. How about Slavonia? Most people here dont even know it exists. I for one have never stepped foot in Slavonia.(Definitely on my top 5 list)
"While us folks from Rijeka and Istra might not be Super Hrvati"
This is not the case at all. I think Rijeka is the forgotten region of Croatia. Its like N. Italy vs. S. Italy… all they talk about is Rome vs. Milan.
"proclaim to be big-time Croats and judge who are more or less Croatian"
I agree.
Great comment. Thanks for sticking with us. Also, we appreciate your feedback.
Sretan Bozic!
Where can I get this Slaven Bilic shirt… you guys should really open up an online store or something.
What's happening with the upcoming new website btw?
Sretan Bozic!
@ this Istra/Rijeka arguement
One half of my family is from Istra (Labin), the other half is from Primorsko-Goranska (otok Unije). It just cracks me up how you folks just split Croatia into Zagreb vs. Dalmacija and how the same group of folks look down upon Istra, Rijeka, etc. While us folks from Rijeka and Istra might not be Super Hrvati (like a lot of posters on this site…) I think we're much more level headed. Yes, some older generations are still fond of old Istra, run by facist Italy. Perfect example: a few people in my family still wish Istra remained part of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
With younger generations though, I think most have come to embrace Croatia fully and consider themselves Croats, above anything else (such as the case with me). I'm glad, personally, that I wasn't raised to hate Serbs, think Croatia and Croats are the best people ever, be proud of ustaše etc. etc. I learned about Croatian culture and history primarily by myself. And although I'm not some "super hrvat" I'm as proud a Croat as anyone from Zagreb/Dalmacija and most people from Istra/Rijeka feel the same way…I just get really turned off by how some people (on this site especially) proclaim to be big-time Croats and judge who are more or less Croatian lol it cracks me up but I find it pretty sad at the same time. Every thread boils down to who is from where, who is the 'bigger' Croat, who's town is better, etc. It's part of the reason why I just mainly read the articles on here and post a lot, a lot less. But on a positive note:
Bog i Hrvati
Čestit božić i sretna nova godina
Jesus Christ….go away for a few days and the ZG v Split debate erupts.
here are my thoughts……Both ZG and Split are great. Why???? because I have hooked up with with chicks in both cities.
@Svircic
You are aware that Rijeka and Istra are very different right? If anything, there's more Austrian influence than Italian (ie see Opatija, which is Bec south)… sure, historically I get it, but Spalato…?
Anyway, personally I'll take the Italians and Austrians any day, over Bosance, Shiptari etc. These days it's kind of a moot point anyway, with tourists and home owners of all stripes.
My only point is that this Zagreb Dalmacija debate is a false one… I'll take the corridor from Crikvenica, Opatija, Rijeka to Senj any day… It's got the best of both the worlds that you are debating over… Rijeka has jobs, i ima more i plaze koliko hoces.
There's a reason the Digice and Vlachichi (let alone the Ottomans) have been trying to get it for our entire history…
As for Pavelic selling Dalmacija… well I'm pretty sure that he didn't have a lot of choices in the matter… I'm almost certain that he didn't volunteer to do that…
Likely, he was doing what he could to keep NDH a contiguous territory, knowing that the Italians could never keep Dalmacija anyway, not without first getting the contiguous part of NDH.
Anyway, those were crazy times for sure.
Zagreb Secret: Surf N Fries na trgu!!!!! Mmmmmmmmm 12kuna get the sweet chili dip!!!!
Sorry Svircic but you're not a fair judge when it comes to the matter of Dalmacija vs Zagreb. I feel like a black man trying to get a fair trial in the South. Its just not going to happen. Secrets of Zagreb? Vincek, skropec, tkalciceva, various local places in all of the kvartovi. Again, why explain it to someone who will never see it?
I won't be at the Israel game but I will be at the Georgia game in ZG on June 4. Mark it!
My rebuttal still stands and Svircic can't be a judge. The Rijeka gentleman is neutral so only his verdict counts.
Sretan Bozic svima!
Bog i Hrvati
Za Dom Spremni
Sorry Svircic but you're not a fair judge when it comes to the matter of Dalmacija vs Zagreb. I feel like a black man trying to get a fair trial in the South. Its just not going to happen. Secrets of Zagreb? Vincek, skropec, tkalciceva, various local places in all of the kvartovi. Again, why explain it to someone who will never see it?
I won't be at the Israel game but I will be at the Georgia game in ZG on June 4. Mark it!
My rebuttal still stands and Svircic can't be a judge. The Rijeka gentleman is neutral so only his verdict counts.
Sretan Bozic svima!
Bog i Hrvati
Za Dom Spremni
Sorry Svircic but you're not a fair judge when it comes to the matter of Dalmacija vs Zagreb. I feel like a black man trying to get a fair trial in the South. Its just not going to happen. Secrets of Zagreb? Vincek, skropec, tkalciceva, various local places in all of the kvartovi. Again, why explain it to someone who will never see it?
I won't be at the Israel game but I will be at the Georgia game in ZG on June 4. Mark it!
My rebuttal still stands and Svircic can't be a judge. The Rijeka gentleman is neutral so only his verdict counts.
Sretan Bozic svima!
Bog i Hrvati
Za Dom Spremni
Merry Christmas to all the guys on the board. It has been a tough year, but the team is back on the rise. You guys are awesome for making this site and I am proud to be on it. I will be now eating pancakes with my Crottenham shirt on and my new Tottenham scarf <3333. Christmas has been awesome so far, I hope for all of you it's as good as mine. You guys deserve it.
@Ante B
"They're living in Zagreb, not the villa where they come from in Dalmacija."
90% of people with villas from Dalmacija… that are from Dalmacija are living in Dalmacija. Its the people that are struggling that have made the jump to ZG. Also, most of ZG is students. All the young people move to ZG for education and opportunity. Most of these students traded in their "kamen, maslina i draca" for "asphalt, overcast, and $$$".
"Croatia makes its money from tourism so of course Dalmacija will be taxed by Zagreb. "
I am not sure on the numbers here, but why not bring some of that $$$ back in the Dalmatian economy. Zagreb should get their cut, this is true, but some of this has to go to Dalmacija as well.
So you still going to ZG for Cro-Israel?
Great debates the past few days.
Sretan Bozic i Nova Godina!
@Dan
Thanks for the kind words. Great to have you aboard. Definitely, looking forward to build on this in 2011.
takoder, tebi i tvojima!
Corzo
I'm not a big fan of Rijeka. I think the Italian culture throws me off. Istra really needs to get rid of all those Digice. Digici will forever try to snatch Dalmatia. Also, for all you ustase out there from Dalmacija…. didn't Pavelic sell Dalmacija to Italy? You would be speaking Italian today if it stayed the way it did. I remember when my grandpa told me "da su ga talijanci istriskali kad je bija mali." I'm no Digic fan.
@Slavonac from Canada
"the government is corrupt but it is made up of criminals from all regions"
I agree. Zagreb is not the only one to blame.
@JerseyCro
Thanks for Dinamo news.
My pops told me today about Suker trying to squeeze into the HNS on HRT. As of right now, I'm not impressed with Davor.
"I always like the pace of the city more than the laid back lifestyle"
I agree. As of right now, I like ZG. However, the laid back lifestyle is good for a short period of time. Also, Dalmatinska kuzina is one of the best in the world.
@Franjo Tudjman
What size are you looking for?
@KingBronk
I agree with your analysis on Zagreb vs. Split.
1) Zagreb is not that bad. Sure as far as physical beauty, Dalmacija is priceless. As far as all year nightlife, ZG puts Dalamcija to shame.
2) Split is not much better when it comes to gangster criminals.
3) "Everything runs through Zagreb just like it did through Beograd. "
From what I've heard, I agree, just not on the same scale as Beograd.
Beach Volleyball in Zagreb….hahaha… Whats next, a bobsled team from Makarska?
4) "The Croatian national team never plays anywhere else but Zagreb because the Zagreb criminals won't let them."
This might be true, but this isnt the only reason. From what I've heard, most of the players would rather play in ZG… less pressure.
Thanks for the analysis.
"The reason Dalmatinci go live in Zagreb is because that's where the jobs are. "
I agree. Also, 18-22 year olds going for education and city lifestyle.
"Dalmacija has become a colony of Zagreb and the politicians there are exploiting it to the fullest."
This is what I've heard from lots of educated people in Dalmatia and ZG. However, not to the same level as Beograd.
"in the past Dinamo had Tudjman funnelling money into the club to make them the best team in Croatia using tourist revenue from Dalmacija."
I agree.
"pretend you work for the ZG tourist board what would you say to a tourist who would venture off to ZG?"
"The Purgeri would be coming to Dalmacija looking for work and a better tan not the other way around."
hahahahaha…. good shit.
"As for your secret tourist spots in ZG which you refuse to talk. My guess is you won't talk about it because they don't exist. I've been to Zagreb before."
I must say you took round 1…. ding ding ding…
KING BRONK, you're always welcome here at CSR, Sretan Bozic i Nova Godina
Sretan Bozic i Nova Godina CSR!
To blame Zagreb is to blame Croatia…News Flash there is more to Croatia than Zagreb…What arrogance!
Crozo you basically agree with everything I said. Besides your long diatribe about how a parliamentary democracy works your economic examples makes no sense and is easily proven wrong. Zagreb is a rich city so why is it being subsidized at Dalmatia's expense? Look at Canada. Ottawa is the capital city of Canada, but it isn't Canada's economic engine, Toronto is and the money made there for the most part stays there and this can be said for many other countries. Another example, the USA, Washington is the capital but New York is the economic engine and the money made their generally stays there. You don't see Washington being built into a super city at the expense of the rest of the nation. The bulk of the money raised in Toronto and New York doesn't leave to build up Ottawa and Washington into a super citys like its being done in Croatia. Croatia's main economic region is Dalmatia. However, it doesn't get to keep what it makes but has it taken away to subsidize Zagreb. If you're so into socialism why doesn't the money go to Osijek, Vukovar or some other poorer regions of Croatia ? It generally all goes to Zagreb. This is the problem and this is where the hostility comes from towards Zagreb in other regions of Croatia namely Dalmacija.
@Bronk
let me step in for a moment, in the spirit of giving, to help you with your understanding of economics… it's not necessarily easy to grasp the subtleties of the system, and you're certainly not alone in this regard, and so there's nothing to be ashamed of in any way. nema se na cemu sramit.
just so you know, I don't know, nor do I care who has more crooks, Zagreb or Dalmacija…
plus you'd have to be a bit "tighter" with your definition of exactly what constitutes a crook…
politicians are their own class… in fact actually, i think it's kind of cute how you use the word crook… it's like I'm watching Happy Days again … ehhh Mrs. C 🙂
anyway, in actual fact the Kuna exists as legal tender in HRV, because the government is given the sovereign right to control it's own legal tender within its domain via the constitution… the constitution sets the parameters of law in a nation, and because we are a democracy those laws are upheld and added to, and changed, by those people that we send to the Sabor, representing every single region of the country. this is called the legislative branch of government.
the party (or coalition thereof) with the most votes/representatives "forms the government", and thus forms the executive branch of government. this is where our Leaders/Minister's etc., usually come from.
the final branch is the judicial branch comprised by the the supreme court, and the court system, judges etc.
for the most part, on paper this is how it works in most countries.
the funding for these three branches of government (what might more colloquially be known as the "drzava") comes from the drzava's revenue…just like any other business… in fact the drzava itself is indeed incorporated just like any other legitimate business… so therefore we could call it Croatia Inc.
if Croatia Inc.'s revenues are less than its expenses… which has been the case for most if not all of our recently independent history, due to the reconstruction and modernization of the country, then Croatia Inc. needs to borrow from external lenders. They do this by issuing debt (ie selling bonds) to these external creditors, who in turn give us money today, in exchange for the promise to pay back with interest at some point in the future.
because Zagreb is our capital, this is where the "head offices" of the drzava are (they need to be somewhere after all)… and because our country is beautiful in every area, we are lucky enough to derive some of Croatia Inc's revenue from tourism… in other words all areas are important… in such a system the richer parts always subsidize the poorer parts, but before that can happen, revenue is centralized at head office…
every country has some form of this.
anyway, this is a start.
so you don't like Zagreb, fine don't go… you have that freedom. but to blame Zagreb is to blame Croatia Inc., in all its forms. and maybe that's justified, but if so, I'd suggest that you use your rights of freedom and democracy to do something about it, instead of blaming those, who for the most are trying their best to operate a business with at least 10 million customers… all of whom are homegrown experts like you.
anyway, something to think about.
sretan bozic!
The population goes where the money is. It isn't the industrious people from Zagreb making it an economic success. It's the fact that they exploit Dalmacija for their economic benefit. If you leave the money in the region that generates it those demographics would quickly change, because the jobs would be there and not in Zagreb. The Purgeri would be coming to Dalmacija looking for work and a better tan not the other way around. As for Sanadar he basically lived in Zagreb while he was in office and ran its agenda, along with the rest of Croatia's crooks. All that tied him to Dalmacija was his birth certificate. Zagreb's economic activity consists of being the home base for economic swindle in Croatia. The main territory that is being swindled is Dalmacija. This is a well known fact.
Dalmacija generates the money through tourism and Zagreb spends it on itself building up its own infrastructure. You would think politicians would spend those dollars in Dalmacija to build up the tourism infrastructure to make it more lucrative and generate more money for the state. That just makes business sense, but that's not what happens. The money goes to Zagreb from Dalmacija not the other way around.
It's so blatant that beach volleyball tournaments are held in Zagreb. They literally come to Damacija take the sand from beaches there in trucks and drive it off to Zagreb and hold the tournament there. How insane is that!
As for your secret tourist spots in ZG which you refuse to talk. My guess is you won't talk about it because they don't exist. I've been to Zagreb before. What is really there? Ban Jelacic, Crkva St. Marka, the Sabor aka the "Den of Thieves" and Mirogoj. If we are talking sports Maksimir is the pits, UEFA even designated it as a disaster zone. Poljud is a million times better looking facility but no soccer games ever come to the coast. Why do you think that is? I'll tell you because the crooks in Zagreb believe the national team is there's and it should be called Hrvatska Zagreb!
As for Hajduk beating Sesveta 5-0 in a fixed game, post the article that mentions them fixing the game and let them be punished if that's the case. There is a mountain of evidence, from UEFA no less pointing straight at Dinamo Zagreb and nothing happens, no investigation, no relegation nothing! Can the corruption be any more obvious. It's a joke.
You constitute basic fundamental economics of a country as exploitation. Cough, Dalmacija radi, Zagreb se gradi. Like I said before, resources will mainly go to the capital where the highest population is.
Criminals also run Dalmacija and Hajduk. Let's take a look at your boy Ivo Sanader and Zeljko Kerum. Luckily, Ivo is now in jail. Let's not even talk about Stimac. What about Sinovcic from Zadar? Tally it up.
Are you purposely omitting Dalmatinci?!
In terms of where you'd want to live, like I said, the answer is in front of you, its Zagreb. If you asked where you'd rather vacation, of course its Dalmacija.
As for me telling you, who is obviously anti Zagreb, where the spots are that make Zagreb special would be counter productive because you wouldn't know anyway. It would be like introducing you to a girl, some things are just not meant to happen.
Rebuttal still stands.
Ps. There's no "evidence" of Hajduk beating Sesveta 5:0? Let's go ahead and look that one up.
Take your own advice and stop speculating. Ill stop insulting you when you say something smart which I fear might never happen. Good luck though.
Your rebuttal is pathetic. You name call and admit everything I said is true.
Economic analysis of Zagreb's economic growth….correct
Zagreb's economic explotation of Dalmacija…..correct
Economic analysis of Dinamo's soccer success….correct
Dinamo's documented match fixing scandal…..correct
The point I was making with hajduk with regards to match fixing is that there is no "evidence " of hajduk doing this. There is "evidence" with Dinamo. If Hajduk is fixing games they aren't doing a very good job of it because Dinamo wins every year:P
Criminals run Zagreb…..correct
Where would you want to live Damacija vs Zagreb……Damacija….correct
Sretan Bozic
PS Can you tell us all what the hidden secrets of Zagreb are? What is there to do and see there? Can you elaborate on this a little? pretend you work for the ZG tourist board what would you say to a tourist who would venture off to ZG?
Im bored at work today…hence all the posts.
Looks like Luka isn't leaving ever. No word on Krancjar though.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/857230?cc=5901
@ king bronk
if you think match fixing is only prone to Dinamo you must be on another planet! the whole league and the lower leagues as well are completely corrupt…its like that in more European countries as well (maybe not all). Hajduk doesn't have much to talk about either, there is always some type of cloak and dagger going on within that organisation!specu;ate? pleeaasseee…don't be so naive, they are just as bad as the rest…they have major internal issues so thats why they cant compete like they used to!
with regards to Dalmacija financing the country…it isn't because of hard workers or major job creation…be certain about that…just because they have a beautifeul shoreline and great weather it doesnt mean they create jobs to improve the unemployment.
the government is whats causing tonnes of instability there…too much fraud …companies like Ina, Podravka and many others…the government is corrupt but it is made up of criminals from all regions…Zagreb just happens to be the capital!
A mujo does fit him perfectly.
Look, judging by your writing, you know nothing of the real Zagreb which is fine. Sto vise manje takvih idiota u Zagrebu, to bolje. Everything else you wrote is a giant repeat of your previous post. Its because of people who think like you that I have to see the ne gazi travu signs.
Dinamo and Hajduk both have criminals running them. Both Dinamo and Hajduk are under investigation. If both get caught, hello second and fourth divisions.
You say don't speculate yet you speculate using "if". Hypocritical, maybe? Croatia makes its money from tourism so of course Dalmacija will be taxed by Zagreb. Again, this is called economics and business.
My rebuttal still stands.
See it's comments like "nobody likes Zagreb" that make you look like a mujo. Before you click "publish your comment" think about everything you said.
I like Zagreb, so do a lot of other people: that are not communists, hercegovci, mafiosos. Nemoj biti smotan.
Listen Purger the "Secrets of Zagreb" as you put it is that there is nothing to see there other than a Statue of Ban Jelacic and a Hrvatski Grb on a Church. The reason Dalmatinci go live in Zagreb is because that's where the jobs are. How did the jobs get there you ask? Zagreb steals the tourist dollars through taxation that is generated in Dalmacija and spends it in Zagreb. That's a fact. If the tourist dollars were spent where they were generated, believe me no Dalmatinac would ever move to Zagreb. Dalmacija single handily financed all of Yugoslavia. Now Zagreb has jumped on the gravy train and is getting rich on the tourist dollars generated in Dalmacija. Dalmacija has become a colony of Zagreb and the politicians there are exploiting it to the fullest. As for soccer, Dinamo Zagreb is subsidized by the city, they don't pay taxes and they had their debt forgiven. All the other clubs were forced to privatize and pay their tax bill. Dinamo Zagreb receives more government money than all the other clubs in Croatia combined. When you also take into account that the subsidy comes from tourist dollars, Hajduk in effect is paying Dinamo Zagreb to win. That is Dinamo's secret to their soccer success in Croatia. On top of all of that Dinamo still resorts to fixing matches. You can speculate about Hajduk all you want but Dinamo Zagreb has been busted. There is evidence and nothing is done. In Italy when that happened Juve got relegated. Why is Dinamo still in the 1st division? Dinamo's criminal activity shouln't suprise anyone really; in the past Dinamo had Tudjman funnelling money into the club to make them the best team in Croatia using tourist revenue from Dalmacija. That's what gets the Dalmatinci steamed about Zagreb. Mr. Rijeka I am sure remembers when his team got cheated out of a league championship by the criminals in Zagreb by a fix. This is why no one likes Zagreb.
It's funny, as if there is only 2 areas of Hrvatska. Anybody who knows, knows that Rijeka is the the best of both Zagreb and Dalmatia!!!
I reccomend you guys watch Otvoreno from last night on HRT (its on the website), Suker comes off as a blown calling himself a "Brand" of Croatia, while it might be true, not exactly flattering to call yourself that
I come from a mixed family: My father is a Dalmo while my mother is from Zagreb, best of both worlds I guess lol. Always liked Zagreb, because I'm not a big beach guy and since I'm from the NYC metro area, I always like the pace of the city more than the laid back lifestyle
hell, as a dalmo,l I love ZG…..back in the day I hooked up with plenty of girls from the capital and stayed disease free….
Dan,
Agreed. Maksimir is a crap hole.
Kristijan Ipsa dreamteam:
http://www.transfermarkt.tv/de/die-traumelf-von-kristian-ipsa/anzeigen/video_666_autostart.html?from=teasertv
This guy is clueless
@Ante B
My only argument against playing in Zagreb is that Maskimir looks like shit. You gotta remember the Natonal Team's image is partly portrayed in the enviroment they play in. Its been a half finished stadium for over 20 yaers now and Im sure that playing in Albania would look more appealing. The Poljud atleast looks respectful, so it only makes sense that we play a couple of games there (but we all know thats not going to happen now). And also you gotta remember the fans, I mean how many people from Dalmacia would drive all the way to Zagreb to watch an International Match? They are missing out badly too i tell you that!
@ Ante, Denis and Branimir cheers for all the hard work this year. This is definitely a year too remember this year for CSR. You guys have successfuly broken the boundries and established yourselfs within the croatian media. Looking forward to an exciting 2011 for croatian soccer.
Sretan Bozic i Sretna Nova Godina!
Spoken like a true non-Zagrebcanin. It never fails. If you don't know what else is in Zagreb besides Jelacic, then you really haven't been around it much to know it's secrets and what it's really about. Zagreb is beautiful, as is Dalmacija. You don't like asphalt, fine, don't let the gates hit you on the way out.
The only thing Zagreb and Beograd have in common is that they are capitals of their respective countries. Zagreb is the capital of Croatia so of course most of the country's resources are going there because that's where most of the country's population is as well. Hello Econ 101, have you met?
And you know what else? All the non-Zagreb people already made the decision you asked about. They're living in Zagreb, not the villa where they come from in Dalmacija. How many Purgeri have moved to Dalmacija again? Like I said before, let me ask all 17 of them.
Dalmacija is beautiful in the summer but if I had a choice of where to live, I'd pick Zagreb any day of the week. Then again I'm biased. But then again, Zagreb has been overtaken by Hercegovci and Dalmatinci.
Lest we forget that the mafia rules Dalmacija as well, including Split, as well as Hajduk. Take a look at Zeljko Kerum. Are you telling us that you also believe Hajduk did not fix matches? If Dinamo would fall to 2nd division then Hajduk would barely get by in the 4th with the shit they're pulling too.
The only thing I will agree with you on is in your rant against Zdravko Mamic, Dinamo being funded by the city and Markovic deciding that every game be in Zagreb.
The city gives money to Dinamo-agreed.
Zdravko Mamic is a criminal-agreed.
It's a travesty that only games are only played in Zagreb-agreed, I always have. While it is the capital, Zagreb is not the only town in Croatia. I have always stated the repka should play all over Croatia.
This was my rebuttal.
I was reading the earlier Zagreb vs. Split debate that was going on and I found it very interesting. Let me clarify why exactly Zagreb is so hated by the rest of Croatia and by Split specifically.
1)Honestly where would you really want to live if you had a choice? In a concrete post communist jungle that is Zagreb or by the Adriatic sea? Millions of tourists come to see the coast not Zagreb. I think the choice is obvious. What exactly is attractive about Zagreb anyway? Staring at the Ban Jelacic statue is fun for only so long.
2) Zagreb is controlled by a bunch of gangster criminals. They remind me so much of the old corrupt Yugo- communists…wait they are the old corrupt Yugo-communists.
3) Everything runs through Zagreb just like it did through Beograd.
The taxes and tourist dollars all go to Zagreb and its development at the expense of Split and the other regions of Croatia. This was what used to happen in the ex Yugoslavia where all the tax revenue went to Serbia, more specifically Beograd. Even beach volleyball tournaments are held in Zagreb if that is to be believed. Its ridicules. What exactly does Zagreb have to do with beach volleyball is beyond me. http://www.beach-volleyball.us/vip_open_in_zagreb_croatia
4) Now on to soccer. The Croatian national team never plays anywhere else but Zagreb because the Zagreb criminals won't let them. I remember when Tudjman changed Dinamo Zagreb's name to Croatia Zagreb. I think a mistake was made with the paper work. That name change was intended for the national team which explains why they never play anywhere but Zagreb.
5) The only reason Dinamo Zagreb is so dominant in the Croatian league is because it is largely subsidized by the city and they don't pay taxes or their debt like the other clubs. http://www.worldsoccer.com/features/croatian_rivals_renew_hostilities_by_zdravko_reic_features_279851.html If this advantage wasn't big enough the mobsters there fix the matches in their favour.http://daily.tportal.hr/79247/Interior-minister-says-operation-Offside-still-in-progress.html
6) Dinamo Zagreb gets caught fixing games and nothing happens. In Italy Juve got relegated for this. In Croatia Dinamo Zagreb wins another league title.
7)The owner criminal of Dinamo Zagreb which the BBB acknowledge Zdravko Mamic gets an illegal delegate to cast the winning vote to keep his puppet Markovic (who is older than God) in control of his match fixing league.
These are just a few reasons off the top of my head why people hate Zagreb. If you gave anyone a choice to live in a villa by the sea in Dalmatia or live in home in down town Zagreb I think it's a slam dunk which place they would pick. As for soccer, if the league were cleaned up and the rules were enforced Dinamo Zagreb would be in the 2nd division for match fixing and Mamic would be in jail for corruption.
Sretan Bozic
Awesome!
PS- Is there still a way to buy a Bilic shirt?
AWSOME!!!
Merry Christmas all!!!!
I could be a dick and say Bilic is lucky to still be around but I'll be nice and in the holiday mood 🙂
btw, Dinamo Zagreb signed two players today, Josip Brezovec (Varazdin) and Antun Palic (Inter Zapresic). The arrival of Brezovec most likely means the end of one of the following: Calello, Chago, Ibanez or possibly selling Badelj to Hoffenheim which is rumored. Palic is a left sided midfielder, had some decent matches with the U21 national team but most guys from Zapresic have been busts at Dinamo (Dodo, Sivonjic). His arrival only adds more doubt about Morales' future.
Lokomotiva signed two foreign players which almost 99% will come to Dinamo if they are any good. One of them is a 18 year old defender from Gambia
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been impressed with Skvorc so far but Varazdin are asking for seven figures
To get Bilić to send the pozdrav to the CSR nation required a lot of maneuvering.
First, because CSR is known in Croatia, we were able to get two credentials to the Dinamo v. PAOK game including a VIP parking pass.
The credentials entitled us to watch the game from one of two press boxes. We chose the lame press seats about 30 rows up from the field because they were in proximity to all the VIP's at the game including Mamic, Markovic, Bandic, Cacic, Bilic and Suker.
Our goal was to keep an eye on Mamic and get his reaction should Croatia score a goal or win the game.
After PAOK scored Mamic did not react so no footage from that. BTW Markovic left at halftime.
We learned that Mamic does not make himself available for formal post-game press conferences in the press room, but rather gives a statement in the VIP parking lot here the exit to the luxury box elevator is located.
This area is not available to the general public. Only members of accredited media and VIP's have access.
We waited for him there for 40 minutes after the game in -8C temperatures.
While waiting for Mamić, Bilić came out and gave a short statement. After his short statement, as he quickly marched to his car, new CSR Zagreb reporter, Rozalija Kučko, ran to him and asked him to give CSR a shout out.
We chatted for a few seconds before the official shout out. I told Bilic that CSR covers Croatian Soccer for the English speaking Diaspora and that he is featured on a CSR shirt.
He got excited and said "I want one!" not remembering he already got one, as proven by the photo in in shout out video.
In the end I think it is important to know that Bilic knows that CSR exists and that there is a building fanbase that is intouch with Croatian Soccer outside Croatia….
This is the best t-shirt of all time, you guys are the best. When I wear this I know all the Cro chicks will be all over me, When I go to Croatia next summer, my first time in Harvetska, I know that all the Crochicks will be following me around, lookin for action. And I'll owe it all to CSR and your awesome t-shirt. Thanks guys!
@anonymous #1,
thanks for the kind words. If you can please sign in or just sign out with a name(doesnt have to be your own) on the bottom. I like the "Pozdrav iz Splita"
@anonymous #2,
Thanks for the link. Also, if you can please sign in or sign out at the end of your comment.
@Rob,
Bordeaux did Runje dirty twice. First they kicked him in the collar bone after Runje was already down to pick up the loose ball…resulting in a second yellow card and exclusion from the game… then minutes after he gets a deliberate elbow in that same area. Runje kicked the ball out of bounds and requested a sub… in the 92nd minute Bordeaux equalize with Runje in the locker room.
@Boris,
I was waiting for you to say something about the Bucks.
I have to give credit where credit is due, and the Milwaukee Bucks deserve all the credit in the world. They have been playing amazing the past week or so, and like you said, starting from their D.
Bogut made Gasol look silly. Orlando took a huge gamble with the latest trade and will most likely finish in that #4 or #5 slot. I still dont see the Bucks beating Chicago, Miami, or Boston in the first round. That would mean, the Bucks would have to finish in that #4 or #5 slot.
Bogut shot me an email the noght before the Lakers-Bucks game:
"Ill catch you guys tonight in LA or vs the Clippers next year. "
Unfortunately, NBA hasnt been kind to us about media credentials. We are still working with them and hopefully, we get Bogut against the Clippers in late January.
@ the laker fans on CSR
bucks 98
lakers 79
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/bucks/112290584.html
bogut and the bucks held the lakers to 33 pts in the second half, and only 13 pts in the 4th quarter. now THAT'S some D!
they came off a bad beat to portland, and brandon jennings is out for 4-6 weeks, so that was a huge win. they also beat the mavs last week in Dallas, and barely lost to the spurs in the next game (buzzer beater by ginobli which was definitely a travel but wasn't called).
i know their record doesn't reflect it yet, but the bucks are good, and bogut has been on fire.
did any of the CSR guys get a chance to go to the game? any new bogut interviews forthcoming?
thanks for Bilic video clip, btw. that's awesome.
sretan bozic to all CSR readers.
Awesome!
Anybody know what happened to Runje today? He got subbed out in the 82nd minute so I'm guessing an injury.
I love Slaven's beard, hope he keeps always now. Ante, I advise you to grow out facial hair, it's awesome!! Anyway I will wait till Christmas to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
check out this interview with Mamic, haha
http://gol.hr/clanak/hnl/veliki-incident-u-dinamu-mamic-potpuno-izgubio-kontrolu.html
To CSR family:
CESTIT BOZIC i SRETNA NOVA GODINA!
To Denis and Ante:
Thank you for an interesting year and for your help to go through the WC without Croatia.
My family and I wish you happiness, good health, prosperity and all the luck you need to bring us interesting and entertaining Croatian Soccer Report.
To all soccer players, coaches and every child in Croatia that is kicking soccer ball with passion and love:
MAY YOU MAKE CROATIAN SOCCER SHINE!
HAJDUK ZIVI VJECNO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pozdrav iz Splita
Amazing stuff guys!! Sretan Bozic to all!
@ GoldenChild,
This was right after the Dinamo-PAOK game. Remember, these guys aren't Lebron James' or Tom Brady's. Players and coaches are much more accessible in Croatia than in the States.
Bilic shows his class by this video. He didn't have to do it. He could have easily said 'no thank you' and walked away. Sure we all jumped on him for a horrible WC 2010 qualifying campaign, but that shouldn't take away from him being a great stand-up guy.
Sometimes you have to 'stalk your prey' to get the exclusive you want. These guys are never going to spoon feed a reporter anything. For Kranjcar, we waited 20 minutes after the game in a crowded media scrum. For Redknapp, another half an hour while he was talking to some guys right in front of us. All well worth it.
So to answer your question: 25% Stalk and 60% Determination…with 15% Luck…
@Branimir,
To the CSR Brudder. How did you flag Bilic down? What else did he say to you? Does he know/read about CSR? How long did you wait outside Maksimir for this?
Fantastic job once again, not just with Bilic, but with the entire Dinamo match coverage. I think you're finally getting the hang of it 🙂
@ Denis,
Nope. Not me. Still don't have the facial hair going.
Nice job guys.
Sretan bozic i tebi Slavene.
I'm glad he's clued into our blog, his coaching has improved markedly ever since 🙂
and of course a very merry x-mas and sretna nova godina to y'all too!
fucking awesome!! Happy holidays everyone I Sretna Nova!!
That wasn't Slaven Bilic. That was Ante Kvartuc with facial hair.
bravo CSR guys!
Are you guys stalking him or is it just coincidence you are able to find him all the time?
To! Bravo, Slavene!
Sretan Bozic! Sretna Nova Godina!
ZIVILI HRVATI!
Excellent job on capturing this.