CSR LEGEND ANTE BBB
Ante BBB and his better half hosted Team CSR this past weekend for the Croatia-Israel match in Big Bear, California. It was great watching the game with another diehard Croatian fan; with the 2-1 win making things that much more sweet. Denis and I want to extend our utmost thanks for the second-to-none hospitality as we felt right at home.
CSR is always open to invitations from Prva Generacija members and fellow followers alike to experience how they watch Croatian games. This upcoming Tuesday, we will be closer to home at Alpine Village in Torrance,CA to catch the U-21 return leg between Croatia and Spain at 7AM (Pacific) with the Croatia-Norway senior friendly at 11AM (Pacific). If you are in the area, come on down to catch some Croatian soccer and a pint of German beer with the boys.
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@andrej @ Ziva
He's not eligible to be playing in CL for Rangers, and now he's not playing at all injured is he?
Why does going to Scotland give him a better chance at going to the EPL? Dudu, Modric, and Krunjchie had no problems going from the HNL, let alone an Austrian Uefa Cup team… the austrian team was doing well, which is why he was on anyone's radar to begin with… in regard to money, sure, having a severe injury sure does hurt your "career earning potential" doesn't it?
If he's smart he'll heal up properly and leave that fiasco of a fubtol otok.
@kmac
that was a stupid comparison because a croatian would never be looked upon the same if he did choose to go to a team like that. that also brings up pride/nationality/patriotism! And "YES" it is a lot about money. As you age and get older and have accomplished things you may want to settle for playing time but when you are Jelavic age you are collecting the greens because you are an injury away from not being able to again. I dont care what you say but its only human to chase money and a better life. As for what you guys think the Rangers are is still a CL team am I right? They actually are putting up results in the CL more then his team was doing in Austria!
It's always about the Money….ask any of these croatian players if they wouldn't go play for Partizan if the green was correct??? Not one of them would say no….
Kranjcar's energy has been a question, yes. but not his effort. Kid has always tried. Problem with him is that he has no speed whick makes the average person think he lacks effort. he does not lack effort, just speed. You don't go from HNL to EPL without effort. Some of you guys use too many cliches when describing players.
@JP……Jelavic went to Scotland to get paid. Much more money with rangers than in austria. Plus, if he plays well in Scotland that opens up the doors for a the EPL.
@Ziva
I have to disagree with your Kranjcar statement. His effort and energy has ALWAYS been a question. The game against Israel was the first time he ran like that in a long time. Even picked up a yellow card. Golden Child you are right, maybe not to the level of Randy Moss, but good comparison.
@Anon
Great link of Kranjcar highlights, some wonderful moves there that I didn't necessarily see in the flow of the game.
@ Kvartuc
Agreed, I'd love to see Bilic and Dudu together, I could see that working.
btw., in regard to Jelavic, the broken leg is what he deserved for going to Rangers… I never understood his desire to go there… that league is a beer league (literally), but it's life or death for those blokes, and so broken legs are common… think of the EPL but way less talent, and no internationals. I hope not for his sake, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's never the same again.
The Kovac elbow is simple in terms of intent.
From a soccer player's perspective, Kovac:
1. Never locked his elbow (hand was open)
2. Used his arm for balance in the air.
Cole got his head in the only spot there could be damage.
In the end, horrible refereeing. Can't judge a foul and possible cards on some blood.
As for Olic, the game was basically over and he was going to be subbed out anyways. I'm being optimistic here. We don't need him for Norway or Malta and Bayern can do without him for a month.
The right time for injuries is right now since we got the 3 points in Israel. I think we can put our U-21's out against Malta and be fine.
Here's my lineup for the Norway friendly, looks like Rakitic, Lovren, Jajalo, Perisic, Vida are all in with Kalinic out due to yellow cards.
Pletikosa
Corluka Schildenfeld Simunic Strinic (defense needs to work on communication)
Dujmovic
Srna Ilicevic Pranjic
Eduardo Bilic
I want to see Bilic and Eduardo together. Sub in Mandza and Kranjcar at half for Pranjic and Eduardo. Bartulovic is 50/50 IMO. Modric doesn't need to play. Please God no Pokrivac!!
I guess we will have to agree to disagree! 🙂
Well without replay you cannot always tell intent in such a fast action as that and in both of those I cannot tell you I see "clear" intent. There may be foul play involved but what I see it as both are deserving of a red.
Kovac Elbow:
http://vinovo.magnify.net/video/Joe-Cole-vs-Robert-Kovac-Red-C-2
I know you may think its not intentional but the way he goes up and executes this is deserving of a red and I wouldnt suspend 4 matches but thats what they did. Olic elbow deserves at least a suspension or a red. You cannot sit here and tell me Kovac looks innocent there. Those brothers were my favorite players in the team but you cannot tell me they were the cleanest players out there because both were known for being rough. Intentional or not its a red there by Fifa standards…now the 4 match ban is a different story only fifa knows why he got it and why others have got away with breaking legs and ect… with no punishment like de jong
The Joe Cole incident and the Ivica Olic incident are not the same.
1. It is the intent and the result. Joe Cole literally jumps up into Robert's elbow. Robert's elbow is straight and he does not swing the elbow at all as Cole jumps up to it. If Joe Cole was not bleeding there would have been no card at all. Ben Haim takes a full UFC elbow backswing into the nose of Ivica Olic. It was one hundred per cent executed to hurt and to do damage. Which is what happened.
2. Joe Cole's elbow was not to the face but the top of the head. Olic's nose explodes as a result of the elbow directly to the face.
You make some good points but I do not agree that they are the same. The intent and viciousness of the act and result are different.
I agree with you that there will be no disciplinary action taken here! Which is wrong. Regardless of the player, regardless of the country, that elbow to Olic was vicious!
Anonyoumus,
Their is no comparison? Please I know we are all croatian here and want to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt but I loved Kovac for his tough attitude and his aggressive nature and whether it was intentional or not it was a red but on the same standard as Ben Haim his should have been a red followed by the same suspension! Both were elbows in the face which caused blood intention or not they have warned of this many times of going in the air this way. My point is simply if Kovac got one for his this was equally deserving of the same punishment. I dont care about Joe Cole I dont care about Ivica Olic in the retrospect of english or croatian I am just saying if one is deserving of this penalty so is the other. Both were bad and Kovac didnt deserve a 4 match ban but since he got one now I would say for the same elbow Ben Haim deserves the same ban.
Fifa wont do this as they are just such pansies as always.. they are just so inconsistent with this kind of stuff that you dont know what to expect. Since their was no red by the ref I dont know if they will even look into it.
Oh, and for the record, there is no comparison between Robert Kovac's elbow to Joe Cole versus the elbow Ben Haim gave Ivica Olic!!!! Absolutely none!!!! Ivica's face exploded after the elbow was given and he needed to have an operation on his nose today. He also had a deep cut under his eye.
Joe Cole was back on the bench with the England team even before the game ended. If you watch the replay, Joe Cole literally jumps up into Robert's elbow. That was not the case in Ivica's situation. Ben Haim should have disciplinary punishment for that elbow, but nothing will happen which is flat out wrong !!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6NLXvpMme4&feature=player_embedded#!
Those moves at 3:05 plus are pure class!
Keep up the awesome work Niko!
@Ante B,
Finally, we gotcha on tape. Was I the only one that wasn't nervous about this game?
"Israel manager has said that he's "figured out the Croatian defense" and will "squeeze us from the opening whistle." This might be so, however, I dont see this lasting longer than 10 minutes. After this Israeli 'blitzkrieg' Croatia will score twice, first coming from a Rakitic free kick in the first half, second goal coming from Olic in the second half. Israel will get one back and put the pressure back on Croatia, however, little too late. 2-1 Croatia
U21 Spain 2-1 over U21 Croatia… Not a bad result considering the return leg is in Croatia. I'd take a 2-1 defeat.
November prediction, Croatia 5-0 Malta"
OCTOBER 8, 2010 12:32 AM
This is why I sat down for the second half. At halftime I said, "the second half is going to be boring."
I need to start selling my picks.
@TheGoldenChild……Randy Moss syndrome???? What type of nonsense is this. What makes you think Kranjcar plays when he wants to play. The kids effort has never been a question. Maybe he is just not good enough to play consistently at a high level. There have been questions about his fitness, but the kid is in great shape ever since going to England. Some players just look slow and because they are slow. Kranjcar is a good player, but dont make him out to be some stud. He has limitations like like all the other players on the national team. You can argue if he is better inside or out on the wing, but don't say he playes when he wants to play. He is not that good where he can turn it on or off.
I can't help the fact that I'm irresistible and you can't prove that wasn't Kristina, you saucy minx.
Anonymous who said I was hot, thanks mom.
Anonymous who asked where I got the shirt, I got it in Zagreb last year at Udruga Navijaca Dinama.
@ ANTE BBB AND ANONYMOUS
Wow, Ante BBB is HOT! His better half is one lucky girl!
Stop making Kristina write on CSR for you. haha
@ Kranjcar move
I think Kranjcar getting out of Tottenham would be a good move for him, simply because of his lack of PT. He's a great player, but he has the Randy Moss syndrome. He only plays 100% when he feels like it. Maybe a new change of scenery, where he is getting extended minutes would be good for him. I know Liverpool is going down the drain and it may be a good move with someone like Gerrard in the middle. The only problem I see here, is the fact that Torres has been having the same mentality as Krunchi this season. His lackluster play is something that a midfielder would not like to play with.
Villa might be a better fit for him in terms of more playing time. Villa also has more promise, with their young guns and better record. My vote goes to Villa.
For me honestly I would prefer Kranjcar at LM too and Bale at LB but HR will never do that it seems. VdV and Modric probably prefer to play with guys with technical skills. The problem I do have with Bale is that he is so inpatient on his crosses….the guy runs up the wing and instead of looking to do a drop of pass he will cross the ball in to nobody especially since Crouch is usually only one in box and he is terrible in the air i dont care if he is a giant he never scores. VdV nearly killed him one game because he just whipped a cross in while he was wide open on an easy thru ball…Regardless at LM Bale is better then Kranjcar but at a LB LM combo i think Kranjcar and Bale are better then Bale and BAE.Bale is an attacking force but he is nowhere near as talented technically as Kranjcar but at the same time Kranjcar does not nearly have the pace and work rate of Bale. If Bale is LB that leaves him unmarkable and lets Kranjcar move forward/inward and gives Bale more space as its difficult to mark an attacking LB. Kranjcar is a good goal scorer and I am in noway saying he is a better player then Bale but he will score you more goals then Bale ever will. I dont think Kranjcar should be starting every week as I do feel he gets lazy and needs to always be kept on his toes but I dont see why BAE plays so often because he has no idea how to pass the ball on the ground its always stupid diagonal passes and it drives me crazy. Jenas and Palacios are garbage and sadly see more games then Kranjcar and if he does not get games he should leave tottenham as sad as it would be. Some people rave about how much depth they have but guys like Bentley, Jenas, and Palacios to me are not even worth of playing for them.
great, so now we have people thinking that opposing players throughout Europe are targeting croatian players.
@ andrej
i'd rather see niko stay with spurs and start at left mid, with bale at left back. to me bale is more dangerous as a left back than at left mid. bale is fit and gets up and down the field quickly….left back gives him more room to roam up and down the touchline and makes it harder for defenses to deal with him. plus, niko has better ball skills than bale and is a better passer…skills more suited to the midfield.
FYI….espn 30for30 film series is premiering their divac/petrovic film called once brothers on espn tuesday oct 12 at 8pm (eastern).
http://30for30.espn.com/film/once-brothers.html
from the preview clip on the website, sounds like divac is the narrator, and will drone on about how it used to be so great in yugoslavia when they were all friends, and what a shame that it's not like that now. i don't want to pre-judge because i haven't watched it yet, so we'll see after it airs.
If Niko goes to Liverpool he would be a moron that club is on the down faster then any team in the world!! I would not even go to Villa they prefer just counter attacking football and running on the wings. I would like to see him go to Everton they have had a bad start to the season but like every single year they pull together and get out of it. I think if he stays in the PL that Everton could be his best fit.
First of, Modric leg break was probably the most comical leg break I have ever seen. I am sorry but there was no malicious intent their it wasnt a great tackle but it also was not one that should have ever broken a leg. The Jelavic was a red card but "no card" was handed out? I mean their is such inconsistency its ridiculous!
As for the Olic broken nose I remember the Croatia 4-1 loss at home to England where Robert Kovac received the red after the ref saw blood…He origionally wasnt going to do anything so I did expect a straight red after that blood started pouring. I have seen reds given for far less then that…and on top of that we lost Kovac after that to retirement because he was handed a 4 game ban!! Now I would like to expect the same punishment handed to Israel but you know it will not be sadly.
where are all the niko haters after his two-goal performance against israel?
niko maybe going to liverpool or villa:
http://www.joe.ie/football/football-news/liverpool-target-tottenham-and-croatia-midfielder-006036-1
Ben Haim is trash and has always been trash. This attitude and lack of sportsmanship is nothing new from him. As we saw when he was at Chelsea, once the pressure and frustration get to him…he starts goin out and trying to injure people
That elbow by Ben Haim was done on purpose and with malicious intent to injure! Why do we just let that incident slide as if nothing had happened? To add insult to injury, he did not receive a yellow or a red card. Which I still do not understand?? That is a straight red!
That was blatant and something should have been done about it on a disciplinary level.
Our players seem to be free game to everyone! Look at what happened to Jelavic. That was a straight red in my opinion and a suspension as well. The same can be said when Luka broke his leg. Lee Bowyer kicked the back of Luka's leg like he was kicking a field goal. It did not seem right, once again nothing was done.
Why are we open season for everybody to go out and injure! Oh yeah, don't forget about Eduardo!
Hrvatska Broj Jedan!
Olic out for 3-4 weeks it seems.
http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/405428/nogomet-reprezentacija/ivica-olic-van-terena-tri-do-cetiri-tjedna
pametan kranjcar.
Hey Ante, where'd you get that shirt? haha
Wow, Ante BBB is HOT! His better half is one lucky girl!
Excellent interview, what a portly intoxicated stud-muffin. Always a pleasure hanging out with you guys, let's do it again real soon.
Here we goooooo
Spremni