Croatia’s favorite manager from the past decade, Slaven Bilić, faces his toughest test at club level when he takes his Besiktas side into battle against English power Arsenal FC. The winner of the two-legged Champions League playoff tie will make the group stage while the losers drop to the Europa League group stage. Bilić pulled off two remarkable victories when he was in charge of the Vatreni: defeating England 3-2 at Wembley in 2007 to oust them from Euro 2008 and then defeating Germany 2-1 that summer to win the group and get Croatia out of group stage for the first time since 1998.
If Bilić were to get Besiktas past mighty Arsenal, it would surely move him up the European ranks. He is sure to manage Croatia once again in his career. But what will he accomplish in the mean time?
The matches take place August 19th and 27th.
and the key of this match will be in their coach .
I think Bilic step ahead Wenger to concider about player’s role .
Besikas will become anonymous . and wenger has yet to know about them M:~!
@Poglavnik
We are only one color and that is blue.
Last year in the playoff round Fenerbahce lost 5:0 to Arsenal on aggregate.
^ ^
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
How can any self respecting Hrvat like that team full of Serbs?
BTW the boys in Blue begin their Journey to EPL title today at 3 pm EST. CFC!!!
I have no worries about Lovren at Liverpool. He will do very well with them. The English and the city of Liverpool are very open and accepting of the homosexual lifestyle or other questionable lifestyles.
Have no fear, he will do well. Always easier to do well when surrounded with support.
Me thinks Lovern’s mind is at the pool party.
Always here just reading and had to finally post after Ziva served your ass to you on a silver platter. 🙂
I only saw second half, but there were some shaky moments. Still made out a lot of clearances. Liverpool’s midfield were over ran bad. Don’t think Lovern was that shaky though, besides a few close calls.
By the way, shaky performance by Lovren. I know first game at a new club means nothing long term, but uneven.
True………good call. He will be remembered by many for being a fraud.
Funny you’re talking about how Bilic will be remembered cuz I was at a bar earlier and few English tourists were there and we started talking about footy and one of these Englishmen asked me if Bilic was still our coach. He then mentioned how he never liked Bilic and it all stemmed from him drawing that red on Blanc in ’98.
Pretty sure a lot of people will remember Bilic for that above all else.
^^^^^^^^^^^^Ok,if nothing else,at least I am honest enough around here to say that was me.
Man,that Ante ZSD is the man,he puts that ass Ziva in his place all the time.He is witty,Ziva is just a f-wit.
It does make you go hmmmm?
My sinko has done some of his decent posts lately.I even complimented him the other day,after all,I am no anti Ziv-ite.
Nver have been,never will be.
I never fully agree with anything he says,but thats not what its all about.Its a fine line that he walks and it takes more brains to stay on the right side of that fine line that to go over it in the vulgar way he often does.Lets see how clever my growing boy can be.I get the feeling he will tip over soon,but tata is always the optimist.
I’m surprised as well. Honestly, I liked it better when I was hated by everyone.
I’m with Iviva on this one…….JP, your comments are idiotic at best, makes me think Kovac is related to you. We all hope Kovac can succeed. But, his micromanagement of the team and coaching at the WC did nothing to convince he neutral observer he is ready. Maybe he will get the job done, but only reason he has the job is because of Mamic. No other reason.
Funny how these random usernames that have never shown up on this site before, have been appearing lately to pump up Ziva
😉
Ziva, you spelt ENGERAND wrong !
Ivica give it a break. You got served by Ziva.
@JP
Re: your comment….
“we’ve already seen Bilic’s ceiling as a coach, meanwhile, Kovac’s floor is already higher than that. You need not look any further than the number of WC’s that they’ve coached in to see that.”
Ha ha. Oh man. You can’t be serious with that comment.
Agree with @Armada…
Personally my view is that Bilic squandered most of that generation that he was smart enough to debut… very poor strategic/tactical coach, too involved/loyal with the players (which is a general Hrvat trait, though he’s displays a particularly pedantic version of it), brutal sideline demeanor to boot, and the whole rockstar thing really bit him in the ass in the end. If we beat Turkey as we should’ve, things are very different all around… but that was his Waterloo, that really can’t be forgiven frankly. He had some bad luck… ie the Turkey loss, Dudu’s injury etc…, but then again this is what coaches need to learn to deal with.
I do give him credit for getting the generation that he brought in, into the EPL in particular, which has paved the way for some of the success that you see with our young guys now. My prediction is that we’ve already seen Bilic’s ceiling as a coach, meanwhile, Kovac’s floor is already higher than that. You need not look any further than the number of WC’s that they’ve coached in to see that.
The people in England think they should beat Cro 4-1 and 5-1 everytime with their arrogant views to smaller nations.
Bilic could lose 10-0 aggregate and he will still get a coaching job in England one day.
Just look at who some of the coaches are with the bottom-tier and even mid-tier clubs.
Again, coaches (unless elite) are hired to be fired. Just look at our coaches and how many of them coach in the middle east or far east. They could give a shit about the type of teams they coach, as long as they get paid. They coach for a year and collect a very nice salary and then go back a few years so they can pay off the new addition to the videndica along the coast or even Bjezigrad.
“He will always be remembered for the win in Wembley an nothing else”
Really? Nothing else?
I’m pretty sure people in England remember the sweet revenge they got against Bilic’s boys in those two 4-1 and 5-1 beatdowns.
I agree that nobody followed his abysmal season in Russia, but it would still impact an EPL team owner’s decision to hire him as it is one of his only stints as a club coach.
Also, yes, nobody knows he is coaching in Turkey, but now they do. Them playing Arsenal, gives Bilic some more exposure to the English media and even though Besiktas are expected to lose…if they get hammered, it still doesn’t bode well for Bilic.
Once again Ziva sets everyone straight and is correct. I hate it.
Bilic’s rep in England is fine. He will always be remembered for the win in Wembley an nothing else – good or bad. We in Cro tend to overestimate or uderestimate everything when it comes to Cro sports and athletes and how it is viewed outside of Cro. Nobody in England even knows he is coaching in Turkey.
Personally, I hope Bilic gets whipped because I never root for Turkish teams unless I bet on them.
Armada – i know ! im terribad.. there is a ZDS lifestyle going on in my family except for me !
lol
he’s the coach of crystal palace, like i said, now.. as i said, give it a few years
Iggy…you’re mental mate. If Viduka didn’t play for the repka, nobody in their right mind would hire some Aussie league coach. Watching A-League football is comparable to college football in the states. Lots of athleticism and lots of embarrassment.
Still watiing for Popovic to be a good coach
give him a few years and he’ll be a candidate for us
Bilić’s season with Lokomotiv was the worst in club history, so yes, it was an epic failure especially since they had such high hopes for him, yet shockingly finished in the worst position ever.
Nobody is expecting him to win against Arsenal, but Bešiktaš isn’t that good, and are only in this position due to Fenerbahçe’s disqualification. There is a chance that Bešiktaš is hammered in London and Bilić is humiliated, yet again, on British television.
I like Bilić, and that Russia tenure was not his fault… But perception is everything (especially with that British media). Not sure how a team would be able to sell Bilić to the masses if they only remember watching him on the receiving end of 4-1 and 5-1 losses.
I think Bilić will play it real safe (just as he’s done in the past) to ensure they are not crushed in London. If they lose by a respectable margin, then it’s fine.
Best post for some time.
Very well said Ziva. Good post.
Epic failures with Lokomotiv??????? Appears to me he did about as good as that club can expect. Same with Besiktas last year.
If they go out to Arsenal, that is not his fault. That club is simply not good enough and does not have the players to beat Arsenal.. He is in a win-win situation in that tie. Lose and its OK because nobody expected them to get by Arsenal. Win and he celebrates CL berth and more money down the road.
Coaches are hired to get fired. He will one day coach at England at a mid-tier to lower-tier club, but one that will pay him very nicely. And that is what it is all about. I’m sure nobody in Cro grows up dreaming to coach in Russia or Turkey other than the fact it pays to coach over there.
BILIC BILIC BILIC
SLAVEN SLAVEN SLAVEN!
This is very high pressure draw for Bilic.
After he knocked out England from Euro 2008, he was a very sought after coach in the EPL…but that all went away after he was blown out against England and failed to qualify for WC2010, along with past season’s epic failure with Lokomotiv Moskva.
There still may be a few lower end EPL teams that would take a flier on Bilic, but if he gets blown out by Arsenal in these two matches, then any chance of him going to the EPL is out the window. Plus, he may end up getting canned by Besiktas as well.
Oh shut up cico he was great. Fuck we did not even make the WC in 2010 with him. I guess you forgot that. Best thing he is gone. Support the current coach.
Ha , Ha , Ha, Ha !! 90% of U Doofuses want Him Gone when he Coached over Beloved HNS ! Now U LOVE Him ! What a Bunch of self Hating Posers ! I would Love to see the Old Poasts by U BIG -SMART HRVATI Now !! U Should have Known that he was Great Back Then ,U self hating Croatians ! How the Hell can he have Not been Great ? He is Born & Played for the GREATEST Team in CROATIA – Our HAJDUK-SPLIT !! Now U all Can Dream what could have Been !! Nothing Happens in 1 sec. Like U Pizdas would Like ! Have Faith & Patience My Brothers !! Just Rememeber , The Great People of Split & Hajduk Know All , with Heart & Love !! Bog, Hrvati , Hajduk , i HNS !!!
i believe there are great coaches and great players with croatian lineage ,through out the world ,that would love to be a part of the repka, but they will never be invited because they have no ties, finacially ,with the status quo pricks in croatian nogomet.
Footnote-This uncle^^^^also lived the same version of Zivas “Za dom spremni lifesyle”.
http://media05.regionaut.meinbezirk.at/2012/09/26/3058813_web.jpg?1348694655
@Iggy-Since we are on the subject of family trees,this fellow was Zivas favourite uncle.
https://www.dropcam.com/p/BYzf5Q
Here’s a look in to a little Velika Gospa on otok Olib
Iggy I don’t get it did u just find out who your daddy is?
Leverkusen up 5-0.
Lots of Croats playing in Jedvaj, Drmić, and Spahić. 😉
Krešić on the bench.
@ Iggy
Based upon your background/uncle, It looks like you’re family lives a “za dom ….. spremni” lifestyle
what happened to you dude? who failed you?
kidding!
Tin in the line-up for Bayer today
Hey Iggz, maybe he’s abandoning you. Went to go buy a pack of cigarettes and poof… Gone.
Dad’s staying with him so lemme know if anyone has contact with the Merceps or Kolars in Zagreb.. my dad is seriously the laziest cunt ever.. doesnt even contact his kids in aus
this dude is my uncle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomislav_Mer%C4%8Dep
Armada:
I agree, im not jumping on the bilic cock yet.. i mean, i think niko should be given a chance.. my opinion is he got pushed up too early from youth team to senior team but.. fuck.. here we are..
i’m prepared to give the dude a chance to grow for sure
but in general terms.. in 10 years let’s get Tony Popovic : )
Any aussie will agree : P
That way no one can whinge about him not speaking the language or not being a veliki hrvat etc.. i mean cmon.. sheesh
Oh btw my dad is in Zagreb atm but the cunt won’t contact me
Anyone familiar with the Kolar/Mercep family in Zagreb? Tomislav Mercep spent some time in prison for being `a war criminal’ – if – he defended Croatia – if anyone has a means to contact those wankers let me know !
Cheers ! : )
2010 WC qualifying was an aberation. We had nowhere near the talent we do today. Also we lost our major scoring threat in DaSilva in that he never regained his form. Modric and Olic were hurt duing key games. No Mario , gay Lovern and Rakitic was just a freshmen although he did score 3 goals from what I remember. Wasn’t Subo in goal during that second match with England? What killed us was not being able to beat the Ukraine. Didn’t we hit the post 3 times in that game in Zagreb?
Would any of them be interested in being a Mamic puppet?
No need talking about another coach for at least 2-4 more years.
There’s actually more Croat coaches in the rest of Europe than we all think.
How many people knew about Vladimir Petković before he became Lazio’s coach, and now the Swiss National Team coach?
There’s also Boro Primorac who is coaching Arsenal’s first team (but he is way out of reach for us anyway).
But if we want to avoid spending too much, we can still get coaches with decent experience in those middle tier leagues. Look at what Nenad Bjelica managed to do in the Champions League with Austria Wien (after they eliminated Dinamo). They missed out on the Round of 16 by a point.
Rapid Vienna’s current coach (Zoran Barišić) is a Croat. Georgia’s coach (when they beat us) was some Croat who was coaching in the 2.Bundesliga before that. If we want to go even cheaper, we can look at Robert Prosinečki, Igor Pamić, or Igor Tudor, who at least have SOME experience that was seen as successful. Or we can go with a semi-foreign coach (who can speak Cro) with guys like Matjaž Kek (who was amazing with Slovenia) or Eduardo Reja (who created Napoli).
There aren’t many Cro coaches, but there are definitely more options than a former player with ZERO experience.
Before you all start jumping on the Bilic bandwagon again, look at your posts just before Stimac left and Stico took the helm… I’d say 90% wanted Stimac out of here … and for good reason (he shit the bed during WC 2010 qualifying for a very, very winnable group)
I don’t think we should jump ship with Niko i brate yet … We really under performed and NK and his crew are partly to blame – I say we ride with NK through Euro 2016, if we under perform again or get bounced out in the groups – and if Bilic continues to make his way up the coaching ladder, he would be my #1 candidate at that time…. Lot of time between now and 2016 though, we will see I guess
who cares
anyway – i have an interesting Q for u guys
The manager for Crystal Cunts just got sacked and the word is Tony Popovic (read – Ante Popovic) the Aussie coach who’s done such a brilliant job with WSW in Aus will take over.
Now, i know HRV is incapable of ever picking a foreign coach for our repka no matter what – even tho we throw the job around to anyone with a cro passport..
My question is – do u think one day it might be worth having a HRV/AUS coach for our repka ? I can see the day coming.
I know we can’t have a non-croat.. im just wondering if in a few more years – Popovic has already proved to be a great coach and dude – i wonder if in a few more years he might be an option ??
Maybe HRV should look to AUS not just for players, but for coaches too ? There’s a shitload of croat coaches in AUS.
I pray that he comes back to the NT
Wish he never left.