Croatia lose to Scotland for a 2nd time

Sorry guys…I meant World Cup not Euros!!!

Denis, Faux Cro, MatesicMethod, thanks for your comments. As Faux mentioned, your players can take this as a wake up call…we all know you can play a lot better than in these last few matches. Look forward to the playoffs guys, you’re almost in the Euros and I’m sure you’ll be there and playing the type of football that everyone knows you are capable of. Since Scotland aren’t going and I’d rather stick needles in my eyes than support England, I’ll be behind Croatia. Sincerely, good luck!!

Mali sranje ? Sounds like what I call your wife in bed …. You guys have no friends so you guys come on here to get the attention you guys so deserve, like little bitches lol

We always do things the hard way.

These 2 losses and a new manager might be the spark we need to get us through a playoff round.

If the team isn’t hungry now, then they will never be hungry.

@ Faux Cro

“Good point about the anthem.”

I agree.

@SišmiššĆovjek,

I agree with you. Olic always gave 110%

@Tomo,

I agree 100%

@funkyy,

Thanks for chiming in. I always rooted for Scotland and against the English. There are only a handful of teams I wouldn’t mind losing to and one of them is scotland. Hopefully, this is a turning point for you guys and your national team gets some luck in the next draw.

Thanks for your comments Albatross and Petar. When Croatia first appeared as a national team we all fell in love with their style of play and the technically gifted players you had..it was a pleasure to watch them. We Scots have been suffering the dreaded “transitional period” where our national football team sank lower and lower in FIFA’s rankings, and it hurt because we love our football. We had Bertie Voghts as manager and I think his record was something like 16 defeats, 4 draws and 5 victories, then we had various other managers. Sometimes we had the kind of results that in the 70’s-80’s wouldn’t have been considered “surprise” results…we beat France home and away in the Euro Qualifiers and we beat England 1-0 at Wembley in Euro Qualifiers. The problem was consistency, we were just consistently shit. But, under great pressure from the fans (and probably worried about their own jobs) the Scottish Football Association finally gave in and appointed Strachan. We know that this doesn’t mean we’re gonna reach the World Cup final or the Euro Final…but at least we can qualify and restore a bit of pride in our team by contributing and making an impression in those competitions.
As for Croatia, good luck in the play off, I’m sure you’ll qualify. And if you play England in the Euros you’ll have all of Scotland supporting you too!!!
By the way, just to set the record straight, we don’t have any problem with the English people..it’s the English media and their arrogance that makes us support any team that plays against them…they really believe that they are gonna reach the final of every World Cup, so we enjoy it when their little bubble is popped, usually in the quarter final.

@Funkyy

You’re not minnows at all. Read my post near the top when you have a chance.

@ Denis – Glad to be back. I hope the Wedding and the trip went well!! All the best from Toronto!!

@ Faux Cro

Good point about the anthem.

I am on the liberal spectrum of Hrvat but firmly believe you have to sing the hymna from deep within your Croatian CORE.

As much as I root for Rakitic to perform for us I wonder if NOT singing the anthem jinxes him?

Italians always sing the anthem and those Mali pederi find a way to win big matches in major tournaments.

Every player should made to sing the hymna.

@ Dennis

Always appreciate your 2-10 cents !

Jebi ga it’s your site. Share the whole dollar.

Give Srna the first half and sub him out 60′ mark.

Kovac will pick the hungriest crew he can find.

Jebi ga on zna kako ide na veliki utakmice.

Advantage Hrvatska our playoff opponent will watch all of sranje matches and feel that they will exploit us. Then the Kovac “we came to kick your ass crew” shows up and runs you down like pride of lions that have not eaten in 2 weeks!

I am sort of down with Stari on Friday Nov. 16th and will witness the real Vatreni.

Ps – love to see Lovren in DM role.

The wife can wait. Croatian football is more important 🙂

@Ivica,

I am impressed with Lovren this season. However, the dude makes bonehead mistakes. The positives outweigh the negatives right now. However, dude can cost us a goal or two.

I would give Benko a shot off the bench.

@Faux Cro,

I agree with you on Srna. However, I think he’s past his prime. He’s on the downhill right now.

Everyone talks shit about the Brazilianborn croat, but dude gives 100% every time hes on the pitch.

Call me Denis #600 after getting the #600 comment.

@Denis:

Well said, I agree.

Srna also hussles on the pitch.

Watch the Cro Nat Anthem played. The players that seem the most visibly moved (Srna,Pletikosa, Big Joe) play the hardest for the full 90.

Lovren has been impressive these past two games, but was at fault for a couple of goals. He’s a good player, but I just don’t know why this happens.

Someone brought up the idea of playing him at DM. That would be interesting. He gets to make his runs into the opponent’s box, and he gets to take down opposing players outside our own box.

It’s an interesting experiment. Too bad we won’t have a friendly to test this out.

I blame the players more than I blame Stimac. I hope Kovac sits some of these regulars that half-ass it in training or on the pitch in game one of the playoff. I hope he fields hungry players. Bring in Benko, bring in Rebic, bring in Radosevic if necessary. Some of these regulars are not hungry enough for the croatian shirt.

Kovac might be our first foreign manager. Dude might bring some of that German mentality which he and his brother showed on the pitch.

The only question now is how much influence Suker and Mamic will have on the team?

my 2 cents….

1) I can’t believe all this talk of “we suck” “we are not good enough” now after the past four games. What were these people saying after we tied Belgium in Belgium, after we beat Serbia and were undefeated for the first half of qualifying? This team does not suck.

2) The team gave up. A few players gave 100%, the rest were frustrated and lost interest. Against Scotland they gave up on Stimac. Again, this doesnt mean that they suck. There is enormous talent on this team. On paper we are good enough to qualify for the world cup from europe. However, the game is not played on paper.

3) Any manager at this point is good for the team. Stimac lost control of the team. He knows this and “honorably” gave his resignation. Would he be fired if he didnt give his resignation? hmmm 50% chance.

4) I never thought that Stimac would resign. I didnt think he was that big of a man.

5) players do this all the time. Give a half-ass effort to get the manager packing. Stimac was unqualified for the job, but did what he could with the pressure of Stimac to play Sammir and probably a few more players. Stimac signed a deal with the devil and got stung in the end. However, I’m not saying that Stimac is an angel. Karma comes back to bite yo in the ass.

6) Niko Kovac: The players will show up for both qualifiers. It all depends who we face. France: 10% chance, Sweden 25% chance, Romania: 60% chance, Iceland 60% chance.

I would have brought in Ciro or Cico and maybe even have the Kovac brothers as assistants just to get the experience. Kovac is not a bad signing, even if he signed a 2 year gig. Most likely, he wont ask for a lot of $$$.

7) In the end, our national team will not progress under this type of management, however, the management under Markovic wasn’t that much better and we survived and produced good results for a country of 4 million people.

@ Ziva comment
“If they call up Halilovic for the playoffs, then we know Kovac doesn’t have full control. After all, it was only about 6-8 weeks ago when he said players not playing at a high level with their clubs have no business being on the repka. Let’s see if he sticks to his words or follows Mamic’s lead. And if that means Halilovic decides to go play for BiH….Fine by me. It would mean he never was fully onboard in playing for Cro afterall.
I know some will want Kovac to bring in some of the other U-21s, but based on Kovac’s own criteria, there currently is no place on the senior side for Halilovic and Rebic.”

Do you agree with the criteria that players not playing at a high level with their clubs should not be called up?

I don’t.

Rebic is on a team right now that has more striker depth than our national team (Fiorentina has Gomez and Rossi, Cro has Mandzo and little else). Just because Rebic can’t crack the starting lineup for Fiorentina, doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a callup. He scored in the only game he’s played for us, and his ability to play on the left side, his ability to shoot from outside the box, and his work ethic and strength are exactly the reasons why we need to at least have him off the bench.

If we were to follow this thinking, then Simunic would’ve retired back in 2009. Pletikosa wouldn’t have been our starting keeper at Euro2008. Even Niko Kovac himself wasn’t really killing it at Red Bull Salzburg while starting for us at Euro2008 (and winning player of the game against Germany).

I think Niko said those things to motivate his young players to work harder, and not to be satisfied with that pay cheque. I don’t think he will leave out hard working players if they’re not starting…andI don’t think he is a puppet for Mamic if he does call people up who don’t.

Zdravko Mamić: Nemojte mene ništa pitati, pa nije ovo Dinamo

hahaha – This guy is like the Joe Pesci of Croatian soccer.

@tomo
Kranjcar barely saw the pitch during the euro 2012 qualifying campaign and fairly well led us to the tournament, additionally in the few appearances he made for levy united he was playing well and bagging goals, the player just has to want it

@MatesicMethold

I like how you roll and you seem to have a clue and im guessing you’re from the Zadar area 😀

Its not just stimac that is the problem. Our coaches have a history playing players that are sitting on benches at their clubs or aren’t in form. The majority of our team at the moment is based in the ukraine/russia. The current team is just shit. And on top of that they play out of their natural positions. IF THIS CRAP KEEPS CONTINUING, EXPECT MORE HUMILIATION FOR OUR JERSEY!!!

NIKO KOVAC!!!!!!!

Win lose or draw we will compete and be organized from the back up through the spine.

At least now we have a fighting chance to claim a spot in the WC. Then we will have time to blood all of our young talent.

Count me down for bearing the cross of the Niko Kovac appointment.

The beauty of Croatia is that we are a nation that lives across all 4 corners of the globe.

He has is right hand man Robert Kovac with him to sure up the cb’s.

You can’t win a playoff if you cannot secure your defense.

Full faith once we find out draw that Niko will be able to look into the souls of all of our players and discern who is ready to step up and who needs to step off.

@ Svi Hravti.

The creme always rises to the top.

Bog I Hrvati.

Voljet ce te Stimca jos vise kad procitate ovo

at the above, english please

modric deserves the arm band. The dude leads by example. He hustles on that field, unlike some of the lazy fucks on our team that dont think its important to mark there men during a penalty kick or give up the ball and fail to play defense. Srna = lazy

Regarding Adnan Januzaj, he has already turned down the country he was born in, three times. Wilmots has said it is up to him now and they will not ask again. Somehow, I believe he will ask again. The English are delusional and believe they even have a remote chance. I believe he is eligible to play for 6 Nations. His connections to those Nations are remote at best. Croatia is among them, however, I have never read that he has even even mentioned us. I personally do not give a damn, I would tell the kid to follow his heart and he will never regret his decision. I have been following him for over a year and from everything I have read, he has only ever talked of playing for Albania. If that’s the case, good for him and I wish him all the best. Nobody can ever claim that he was trying to play for a bigger nation just to win.

Our persistent chase of the Argentinian striker and French midfielder, Sertic, is bordering on the pathetic.

Well, with everything you wrote about Halilovic you seem to think the obvious choice for him is Cro. If so, no need to be scared and play him just for the sake of playing him. If the kid is committed to Cro he will be willing to wait. If not, then we dont need him. He will be another one of these players who does better for the club side than for the repka.

That 18 yr old Albanian in not a hrvat. i bet you would be willing to play a foreigner on our repka. Someone with no attachment to Cro.

@F1….yes sir, I am willing to carry the cross and question everything the savez does unlike some. If there were more people like me the savez would not be in the position it is in right now.

@ Ziva – You are wrong, Rebic has already made his Firoentina debut. Albeit, a very short cameo. I believe he was slightly injured in that encounter. After Gomez was ruled out for a few months, Montella came out publicly and said that this would be the chance for Rebic to showcase himself.

I have always advocated challenging younger players. When I learned that Kovac would be the new coach, my first reaction was to think that the impossible is possible. My second thought was what if we can get rid of Mamic and all his corrupt puppets one day. My third thought was, I wonder if he will call up any Under 21 players. Brozovic, Kovacic, Radosevic, Rebic, Bubnjic and perhaps Simunovic would be the only ones that warrant a call up. Obviously, how they could be used by the senior side varies from player to player. Its also almost a direct comparison with Slaven Bilic. He was brought almost immediately from the Under 21s to the senior side and brought some young talents that he had trusted (Modric, Corluka and Eduardo). The interesting caveat in all of this is that poor Niko is being thrown right into the fire. I do not believe any competitive match will occur before the playoffs start. Would he risk a youngster in matches where the margin for error is razor thin? That is the problem when so many teams loan their youngsters to teams that always seem to be in relegation battles. Teams such as those cannot afford to go through the trials and tribulations that with blooding youngsters into the game. Every point counts and you tend to lean towards the older experienced players. Having said all that, Radosevic looked fine to me when ever he was on the field. Kovacic is a beast, he doesn’t need to prove anything to me. I am also fine with Rebic or Brozovic seeing some action.

@ Ante – Regarding Jedvaj, he was not allowed to suit up for the longest time, not even allowed to be on the subs bench because he needed some kind of special registration paperwork from Uefa. From what I read it was partly down to his age and also because of Croatias slow transition into the EU. I believe he would also count as an import at one time. Last few matches he just sat on the bench. Regardless, he is already talented enough to at least be on our bench. The kid is an animal. During the Rome Derby, both he and Josip Elez were on their respective benches.

@ZI … love the religious oeuvre you’re displaying… annoint, cross to bear, fortification/cloistered from the world, not leaving mommy’s bosom, pedantic righteousness, no mention of Tata Istina etc…

Don’t mean this at all in a bad way, as I’m not a psychologist by any stretch… just stating what I observe. Since you post a lot, and sometimes insightfully, some things popped out at me.

Ziva will now carry the cross. Gotta give you that one. LMAO.

Is Srna a captain? We can argue that.

But, based on what we have watched from Modric. He is no leader. But, he may get it by default.

oh ok, well that was then and this is now… anyway I guess we’ll see, but if it were me there’s no better way to send a very clear message to the locker room that there’s a new sheriff in town, than by demoting, or not even calling the existing captain. It’d be a bold move, and a productive one on the pitch for the reasons that i mention. Niko was a captain too, so he knows full well the responsibility, and the power of the spot… in my mind Srna’s never done anything leadership wise on the pitch… Giving it to Luka would at least acknowledge that he’s the best player on the team and would force him to never disappear on the pitch as he quite often does for a player of his caliber.

@Miro… not sure what you mean, did he come out and say that Srna is captain…?

I know Niko Kovac as a player very well but have not followed him as a coach. I’m hearing some good things. He has a good work ethic, literately obsessed with what ever task is in front of him. Lets hope is enough to spark a squad revival and ticket to Brazil.

Ribery has come out and stated that France wants to avoid Portugal and Croatia.

Niko Kovac’s U-21 side through 4 games have not given up a goal and have scored 13.

From what I’m hearing about Stimac from friends back home is that not only is he in trouble with the courts, there are also rumors that the Mafia is not happy with him about something. Don’t be surprised if you hear he has already left the country.

A good coach will tailor his tactics based on the players at his disposal and the opponent….time will tell.

Let the dude evaluate first what he has and who he thinks he can work with…..no doubt lots of film-watching and in-live game watching over the short terms for him and his staff.

I want the Gypsies!
No Frogs please.

Since when does it matter if you play for club or not play with heart of croatia exapmle the 1998 were for most part bench players average line up
Ladic-HNL king
Simic-At the time Croatia fc benh at inter
Stimac-Derby county regular
Bilic-50-50 always hurt
Jarni-Bench at real
Stanic-Parma starter
Asanovic-Bench
Boban-Ac milan starter/sub
Prosinecki-Lazy Croatia fc
Suker-Real Bench
Vlaovic-50-50 at club

Some notable no club playing time Rapaic always gave 100% for croatia. N.Kovac at one point fell out of favor but played well. Remeber just qaulify then you have 1.5 months to prepare with National team

Ciro Blazevic shits on Mamic which i dont mind but hey Ciro you were a Tudman kiss ass and Croatia FC owned you.

Ziva….. Halilovic has more quality and vision than fucken Peresic and Kalinic combined. What makes him beast is that he has a great touch, good eye for goal and doesn’t hesitate. Put Kranjcar, Kovacic, Halilovic and modric in the midfield we would never lose the ball. Put srna RB, corluka LB….lovren and simunic in CB…and find more consistent strikers…Mando is overrated and inconsistent for the national team. Olic is a luckbox, dudu has not been the same since the legbreak and jelavic was just a 1 hit wonder at everton…we need a backbone on the national team a real captain and star of some sort..srna is too soft as a captain and modric is a star but he is a follower not a leader. Fucken Croatian scouts need to get their shit together… this is the recipe for a winning team in my opinion. oh and fuck any player that punts the ball forward for no reason just because they feel a lil pressure from the opposing team. Pletikosa pisses me of for punting the ball every fuckin time he has the ball…doesnt he know the average height of croatian national team player is 5, 8″ give or take…no common sense on the squad. Croatian coaches need to watch a barca, arrsenal or a dortmund game once in a while.

@ziva he is eligible, was on the bench a few times,

a beast in what??????? Not a beast on the field based on what we have watched.

@Ante B……no, has not played for Roma. I think – and I could be wrong here – he is ineligible to play for Roma until he turns 18 next month. But, he has not played one minute.

Has Jedvaj been playing for Roma at all. Anybody know?

If they call up Halilovic for the playoffs, then we know Kovac doesn’t have full control. After all, it was only about 6-8 weeks ago when he said players not playing at a high level with their clubs have no business being on the repka. Let’s see if he sticks to his words or follows Mamic’s lead. And if that means Halilovic decides to go play for BiH….Fine by me. It would mean he never was fully onboard in playing for Cro afterall.

I know some will want Kovac to bring in some of the other U-21s, but based on Kovac’s own criteria, there currently is no place on the senior side for Halilovic and Rebic.

You know what would be awesome……if HRT decides to bring back Stimac as the analyst for Cro national team games. Now, that would be good TV.

U21’s will need a coach & staff. Please do not let the likes of Kruno Jurcic anywhere near those kids.

I like that his brother is joining the staff, which was probably obvious from the get go. They have the potential to be a nice 1-2 coaching tandem. Just wish they would have had more seasoning with the U21 setup.

Srna pricalo se o Sukeru Mamicu HNSu i ta sva negativna energija se prenjela na ekipu

http://tinyurl.com/knptj88

Enough with the Halilovic talk. If Kovac invites him back well he is no different than Stimac. The kid has done nothing to warrant a call up. If he picks Bosnia over Hrvatska so be it.

@Adame

The new updated FIFA rankings will come out tomorrow and that is what will be used to determine the seeds. As a result of the games from yesterday, Ukraine will now be seeded and France and Sweden will not be. Portugal, Croatia, Greece and Ukraine will be the seeded teams and the rest will be non seeded.

I’m fine with whoever we draw. At some point you have to beat a quality to earn a spot at the World Cup. We have not beaten any quality sides unless you think the Serbs are quality.

The Kovac move is to bring an emotional spark. Not of us know, including the savez, what hind of tactician Kovac is. And, two games in qualifying won’t give us that answer either (win or lose). But, he does bring with him repsect and discipline. I don’t know what the players thought of Stimac. Some had financial relationships with him (Srna and Kranjcar). But, I think we can all assume they will respect Kovac. Effort wont be a question in November. its the other intangibles we have to find an answer for. We have to get back to winning the 50/50 balls and playing quicker. Right now, our style of play is easy to prepare for.

Ukraine and France will be a nightmare for us. Im hoping we draw Iceland or Romania.

The problem with France is they will for sure have fifa / uefa / platini backing to advance. As such, they are the only team I really hope we avoid.

Sweden to a lesser extent.

Hopefully we get Romania or Iceland.

@nije bitno

We will draw France or Sweden. But I hope you’re right.

Hvala majstore.

Game should be in Zagreb. We have a new coach who is Croatian and from the diaspora. I love it. Great player who hopefully will make an impact as a coach. Another one who is new and will learn on the job but it is what it is.

No more excuses from the players. Most of them need to pick it up and play with some passion just like the Kovac brothers did.

Does anyone know when the draw will be for the playoff? I heard three different dates!

One step closer to what’s needed, now the axe needs to fall on the puppet, and then we will be on the right path.

@ Hajduk_MTL – good comment dude, I agree with most of what you said. structure is a necessity on a team that desires any success, everyone has a role and MUST understand their role regardless of whether they like it or not!

I think the savez has already come out saying the playoff will be in Zagreb. I wouldn’t be opposed to having it in Split.

BUT … What happens if they schedule the game for Split and there is a torrential downpour leading up to the game? Exactly. Split is a no go.

@nije…….I don’t even pay attention to anything HAET posts anymore. I just glance over it.

I was discussing the following over breakfast with Mama Istina and her man toy this morning………what if kovac fails and we don’t make it to Brazil. Will that be enough for Pupper Suker to be removed. Personally, I doubt it. We would have to fail at Euro 2016 qualifying for Puppet Suker to be removed. The blame here will fall on Stimac. He will serve as the scapegoat.

I’m just thrilled that a week ago I was typing that the best thing for us would be to lose to Belgium and be humiliated in Scotland, which would leave to Stimac’s removal……..fast forward a week and here we are.

Martin Luther King Jr. was right……..you can dream and dreams can come true.

Don’t give up!!!

– the ghost of Franjo Wölfl

@Dalmo Ante
Good post on Cico Kranjcar. I am surprised why people were all over him for the NT coach. He is done and in my opinion was an awful coach during the 2006 world cup. Glad he is not back.

Niko Kovac is the best option at the moment. Hope he can change it quickly and succeeds.

You guys are all a bunch of dweebs , you guys don’t even play sports but you guys think you can criticize a team sport. most of you guys never even played a sport and some of you think you can coach gtfoh and be regular humans live and watch don’t speak ..

@olly……..Are you serious?????? what can Puppet Suker teach our forwards?????? Just because someone was a great player doesn’t mean he can coach. This isn’t osmosis where our forwards will get better by standing next to a washed up crook. Besides, Puppet Suker doesn’t want to coach. He is using the savez for his own personal interests. Puppet Suker’s ultimate goal is to be placed on the FIFA executive board. Zvone Boban wants nothing to do with the savez if the likes of Mamic and Puppet Suker are involved. Why do people have such a hard time understanding that. Boban has been approached a number of times to have some role within the savez and he refuses every single time. There isa reason for that.

Now, it all depends on the draw. If we get France, we have a 5% chance of advancing, 20% against Sweden and 50% against Romania and we would be slight favorites against Iceland.

I like the choice of Kovac……but, don’t think we can change things right away because he is the new coach. I think he is an emotional spark that can have us playing well for a two game stretch (playofs) and then if we get in, he will have 7 months to get the team ready to his standards through lineups and formations.

Too bad Igor Tudor is not playing anymore. I would have loved to see him take orders from Kovac as his coach. That would have been entertainment.

Go Niko and his leather head bands.

@Adame I agree with you sto posto….

Niko was an excellent choice at this stage. He has done very well with the U21 group, knows the senior team players, was a wrok-horse bar none as a player, has that German mentalitet and discipline and finally will not suffer fools lightly.

Svaka ti cast Niko i puno srece….admire his jajce for taking the job in such a difficult circumstance but expect he did it because he loves that shirt so very much.

He will no doubt weed out those who don’t share his dedication, quickly.

Kovac named temporary Croatia manager

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/kovac-named-temporary-croatia-manager
.

Fuck those pommy wankers, never feel ashamed to be a Hrvat, the poms have been free to compete in all competitions and basically have Kurac all to show for it, one rigged WC

@elcroato – Blazevic is now almost 80 and couldn’t even keep NK Zagreb in the prva liga last year. Personally I’d take Kovac over one of the ghosts from our past any day of the week, even with his marginal experience so far.

It’s a win/ win situation for Kovac, anyway. If we lose in the playoffs everyone will still blame Stimac and our friend Suker for having destroyed the team and that it was too late to turn things around for Niko. If we win then Kovac can claim the credit and would be well placed to start making demands for how to change things over the next 2 – 3 years.

We once dreamed of being first seeds for Brazil. If we get through the play-off we will be THIRD seeds. Sigh.

Not all bad news…….I just read that BiH will be above Cro in the FIFA rankings. Which means I won my lucrative bet. So, the good continues for me. I win a nice bet and Stimac is out within 24 hours……NICE!!!

first, this roster will stay pretty much the same for the playoff round. Kovac will only have 4 practice sessions before the first playoff game. Not enough time to really do much. So, don’t expect much in changing personal. What we have to hope is that he can give the team an emotional lift. is this the kick in the ass they need?

For Kovac’s sake, i hope he demanded a contract that takes him through Euro 2016 qualifying and not just these two games. Because he is an uphill battle.

the negative about this pick…….Kovac has no resume or experience that warrants a coaching gig like this, but this is the hole the savez has dug itself into.

now, lets look at what needs to happen for Suker to leave…..failing in the playoff round puts the process in motion for his ouster. not sure it would guarentee his exit, but dont forget Suker is even less qualified to be head of the savez than Strucnjak Stimac was as coach.

Kovac = bullshit
What the fuks modric and co. Gonna learn from
him. Experience is needed not experimentation.

Time to move on to what we all hope will be a brighter future. As a first time poster here i would just like to say you all do fine work here, keep it up.
As far as Niko’s appointment i think it will be a step in the right direction so far we have had a monkey at the helm of a ship which has a lot of talent, it’s not all doom and gloom. I’d suspect a guy like Niko would have made it clear it is his team to run and that all the people with their hands in various pockets can get fucked. Niko is a footballer whereas Igor is more suited to standing over people for a quid.

Now it is time to remind the world of who we are, the Vatreni will fire up again, or at least Mamic/Suker can pay our fucking tabs at the local and our shrinks if we are so inclined 🙂

Niko Kovac = great choice in the circumstances given his work for the U-21s and how he brought all our players together as team captain. He’s also a diaspora Croat so hopefully won’t have the same HNS mafia issues as baggage, unlike Stimac.

At least this whole will they/ won’t they sack Stimac saga is finally behind us now, it was all getting so boring…

Did anyone else notice how Modric was persistently fouled and even when off the ball?

Win or lose Scotland is a bunch of hacks.

Sorry but Kovacic, Modric, Rakitic and Kranjcar are not useless. If you can’t make use of creativity like that and with players like Perisic, Ilicevic and young guys like Caktas, Brozovic coming through then theres something wrong. Its not a players problem.

Strikers Jelavic and Mandzo. Eduardo, Kalinic and Olic are good for bit parts. Rebic, Livaja, Perica are all coming through. Santini is bang on form too at the minute. There is players that can be used who other countries would make more use of if they had them.

I saw Lovren yesterday and he looked good as a defender. We have to form a defensive partnership though. The team changes every match. Vida was all over the place yesterday and that sort of performance aint good enough. Srna played poor as well. Kranjcar put the ball on a plate for him several times and he gave a dud cross. Rakitic needs to wake up too as he’s better than this.

Kovacic needs a mentor. Thats where having Asanovic and Prosinecki involved in the past was useful.

Otto Baric? Same Otto Baric that put Mornar on the national team? Lmao.

Get Alex Ferguson
Fuck these backward corrupt wogs

Turns out Mishko might be on to something…

I did my own research on Pranjic, and he’s now the starting LM/LW for Panathinkos. Seems like he’s doing well there.

He’s naturally left footed and can put good crosses in. He can also track back and defend. Pranjic is our best option on the left.

and wow brozovic 6 goals in 4 games for the u21’s

@Imocan, I’ve been saying the same thing about Pranjic for almost a year.

“Iako meni osobno nije ponudio ostavku, znam sto treba učiniti, Igor više neće biti izbornik!” -Davor Šuker

Translation: The Bitch is fired. You heard it hear first. Fresh from this mornings papers.

http://www.vecernji.hr/sport/vijesti/stimac-ponudio-ostavku-suker-igor-vise-nece-biti-izbornik-clanak-628147

…………Mandza-Rebic
..Pranjic-Rakitic-Modric-Srna
……………Lovren……………
….Jedvaj-Simunic-Corluka
…………..Pletikosa…………..

lovren is talented enough to take the position, maybe even jedvaj could do it

can we persuade pranjic to come back???

with 3 at the back, pranjic and srna are ideal wing backs/outside mids

Finally ! Finally the Players have had Enough of this Mamic/dinamo Crap in the HNS ! They just Stopped Careing , because of all the Trouble Mamic/dinamo Causes !! I Told U -Nothing but Trouble !! The Top 4 Teams in the HNL can play Better then these Guys Lately ! Too Bad the HNS does not have a Good coach like Hajduk’s Tudor ! Also Thank U Guys for the Votes for Coach !! I am Honnored !! Now i must go , & drown My Sorrows ! It has to get Better ! I Pray ! It Can’t get Much Worst, Can It ? I Hope & Pray it does not !! Tudor 4 Coach of the Year !! Hajduk , i Torcida 4 Life !! Bog , Hrvati , USA , Champion L.A. Galaxy , Hajduk , i HNS !!!

If Mamic has any sense of humor, tomorrow orning he should invite the media to the savez HQ and have white smoke merging from the chimney and at the same time introduce Jurcic as the new coach………

on a more serious note…..lets assume Strucnjak Stimac is gone and spot is offered to Kovac. If I were Kovac, I would refuse the job.

i still don’t believe it…….if true, I’ll be the first to apologize and give you credit. But, right now there is no way I can see them hiring someone who has less credentials than Stimac. Shit, why not hire Vlaovic or Silvio Maric.

@nomajstorija…..not sure if you are serious or not. But Jarni would be a joke if hired. His resume is about as bad as Stimac’s resume.

@ Ivica – true, like Ziva mentions, who wants to be under Suker/Mamic?

Don’t know the personalities or dynamics of the possible candidates. Is there anyone strong enough to push Mamic away from the scene or is this basically a puppet assembly line until Mamic removes himself?

How ironic that in a game that meant nothing to our qualifying might mean so much to our future? Stimac needed the game for himself, but, it made more sense to play conservatively, not get hurt and not get yellows.

A perfect scenario for Ziva’s “short-term pain, for long-term growth” might have just unfolded.

By the way, when you look at the latest Fifa rankings–Croatia will have taken a major nose dive. We almost became an unseeded team.

Heartbreak in Panama – couldn’t protect a 2-1 lead in extra time and lose out. Mexico was all but eliminated – should have seen them on the bench when they heard USA scored to save them.

@Bobby V

Not a good time to be a Croatian coach…

oops, looks like USA just saved Mexico’s arse as I am typing this

You should really watch some Real Madrid games

Well smart guys and maybe gals….it is pretty simple…Stimac stinks. He has a crop of players with better than average talent, he has been out coach by the Scotts twice who have below average talent. The formation he plays does not effectively utilize the talent he has. If any of you have half a brian you would have seen long ago this team has played disjointed in every match since the end of Euro 2012..beginning with friendly against Switzerland in Poljud…I have watched every game and can tell you all the truth about how shit he is. He was a defensive player in his day, he thinks defence. Just like Bilic, but perhaps more so. For instance, why in Godsearth would Modric play so far back? He is setting up plays from his own half a majority of the time. Does that make sense when you are pressing for goals? Modric is our most talented player, he needs to be more forward to setup a guy like Jelavic or Manzuk….similiar to what Robin does for Bayren Munich

Take it easy Ziva. Not everyone on this board is a homer that you needs your assistance in seeing the light.

Besides, you didn’t call shit.

You never make any firm predictions, and put out statements with qualifiers in them that ensures you cover all your bases. Then when your constant pessimism is finally validated, you’ve somehow made this genius prediction, lol.

The only homer here is you for thinking that all of Stimac, Suker, and Mamic would be removed if fans didn’t show up to games in Zagreb or if anything short of not qualifying for the World Cup would have Stimac removed.

Yea, you’re probably right that Stimac’s resignation will not be accepted. All some pre-planned nonsense where it makes Stimac look like a big man in attempting to step down, gaining some respect, and Suker insisting that he finish what he started. These are typical tactics, not some ingenius strategy. I’m just hoping that Mamic has a bad day and gets into a heated argument with Stimac, or if someone (that everyone in the media really likes) jumps at the chance to coach the team in its current state. That’s really the only way Suker accepts his resignation.

actually, my chicken shit life is quite good. How is your chicken shit life. Again, people blaming the messenger for giving you the message before everybody knew about it.

right, I’m not a real fan?????

Please…..I am a disgusted fan who has watched the national side turned into a personal playground for a limited number of people within Cro soccer. I want the scum removed from cro soccer and I get questioned for not being a fan. Brother, nobody gives more of a shit than I do. I’m not here trying to say I’m some big hrvat and I’m not trying to say I am better than any of you. But, I firmly believe that I look at things without the homer glasses on and what I have watched the last few years with the behind the scenes moves within Cro soccer have disgusted me. I’m a true fan because I want the scum gone. What is so hard to understand about any of that. Nobody needed a crystal ball to see what was going to happen. And in case you did need it, I was right here for you. I’ll say it again. We need short term pain for long term growth and success.

I see Boban was mentioned……Boban is the smartest guy because he wants nothing to do with any of these idiots. Boban probably thinks in the very same way I do. There is a reason the smart guys from the 98 generation want nothing to do with the Mamic, the Puppet Suker and Strucnjak Stimac types of the world. People like Boban, Simic and Stanic stay clear of these idiots.

remember this…..just because Stimac said he is giving his resignation to the board, that doesn’t mean it will be accepted. This is a typical Balkan move done in sports, politics and business in the former yugo. Next move is with Suker and that is assuming none of the was planned in advance.

ziva istina is a cetnik.

Rukovic and Ziva, you guys find this shit funny because you are NOT real fans!
You two would rather be right at any cost than show an requited love for something. Thats not what real sports fans do. You’d probably treat your families the same way too!
Good luck with your chicken shit lives!

Holy crap.

Stimac offers Croatia resignation

Can someone validate this?

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/285045,stimac-offers-croatia-resignation.aspx

I’m sick of players with next to no coaching experience being in charge of this team! First Bilic, then Stimac, now people want Robi, or Niko Kovac. How about someone thats more than 15 years removed from being a player on the team?! How about Srecko Jurcic or Kek from Rijeka? Kek may be Slovenian but Rijeka are currently the only thing related to Croatian football to be proud of. At this point I’d have no qualms about a foreigner coaching us.

It’s painful to see all the Bosanci celebrating while we’re sitting here praying we draw Iceland.

Whatever happened to Boban? I say that because I loved his patriotism. Coincidence that he’s not around the savez these days?

Death to Mamic.

And death to all of those red partizani bastards that have infiltrated every inch of Croatian politics. It’s no wonder Zvonko Busic took his own life.

Bobby V you speak the truth. The fact Croatia never fully uilized Tomislav Ivic is a disgrace – arguably one of the top European coaches of all time.

Cico Kranjcar was always an offensive-oriented coach, and you have to credit him for bringing back that beautiful style of play (after the years of defensive play from Jozic and Baric).

Cico would probably fix our scoring problems. Not sure if he’s a long term solution, but then again, who is?

Stari Kranjcar led us to the WC with an average Cro team.
I think he could do wonders with thia line up.

Bilic on a temp basis could be my first choice followed by Kranjcar.

Cico did have a great run with crna gora.

And if Srna makes penalty against Japan then he would have lead us to the second round in 2006.

Either him or Kovac could take us through.

@ Ziva

If Stimac resigns then you called this one well in advance. The basement goggles have served you well with this one.

Who’s done better at major tournaments than Cico Kranjcar, save for Ciro Blazevic and Bilic? Bilic made a knock-out phase once. Once. Kranjcar did no worse or better than the rest.

PS: Those of us that are informed, and actually know what the fuck is going on in many parts of the world, are prepared to leave this site.

There’s no need to leave anonymous comments. I’ve noticed it’s a rather frequent occurrence here. There’s practically no support for your comments, so you have to revert to supporting yourself under a guise.

Bunch of fucking pussies. Good riddance.

Stimac is a stupid cunt. This whole team is shit too.

Come on be realistic about cico Kranjcar. 2006 World Cup was a disaster. They did not renew his contract for a reason.

Ante B you know your Croatian and your passion shows in every post. No need to deal with this jugo scum that cries for Tito. Yes you get attacked but remember the source and even this site has a fair amount of that jugo trash.

Bog I Hrvati.

Saw that during the match. Perhaps Modric is designated to tip off Plete. Who knows. Maybe just chance.

Nije Bitno,

Didn’t call you a red head. I said the ZG is not a Croatian city statement was red head.

@ Laku Noc… good thinking there, nothing like a man thinking “inside the box” 🙂 love it.

If Zlatko Kranjcar came back, I would be so happy. He had a great run with Montenegro, unfairly was sacked. Deserves another shot.

Also Niko would be motivated and limit himself to one big mac a week.

got this from the Torcida website…….anyone disagree????

Najžalosnije od svega je šta tek večeras Hrvatski narod jebe mater Štimcu. U normalnoj državi taj čovik bi moga jedino u zatvor, a on dobije izborničku funkciju pete reprezentacije svijeta. O njegovim grijesima može se napisat roman, a dok se nije “upristojia” stupci crne kronike su mu bili svakodnevnica. I taj “gospodin” gubi podršku samo zbog rezultata?!?
Dobrodošli u zemlju apsurda, dobrodošli u Hrvatsku.

HNS PEDERI, NOGOMET STE SJEBALI!

This is a prime example of why our national team is no longer what it used to be:

http://www.dnevno.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/98171-foto-kako-je-suker-posjetio-fk-bezaniju-klub-znakovitog-imena-kojemu-su-u-10-godina-ubili-cak-tri-predsjednika.html

Petkovic=Sarajevska legenda

Umm ya you guys should be happy for us so you will have some company when you join us in Brazil:) hah. Sto se uvijek svadata balkanci haha. Sta sad vam ne valja Zagreb? nikako ne kontam kako je Sarajevo moglo biti glavni gradi Hrvatske.. haha, haj da si rekao Mostar… ali Sarajevo nikako mi ne ide u glavu.. istorija ti je malo na ljevo buraz

Doktore back to your point:

Stari moj, I’ve called everything from day one and people loved to shit on me jer sam dinamovac, jer su moji iz Zagreba, jerbo me smatraju ‘genocidnim ustasom’ itd but I’ve always stood my ground. From day one I have considered myself the voice of reason for all things related to Croatian soccer and politics for the desnicari. Believe me, we are the overwhelming minority here on CSR. So when I hear someone I respect say something completely stupid like ZG is not the Croatian city, capital, kaj god, it is inexcusable and the epitome of what the crveni spout here. I know you’re not a red head but you can’t be cereal like they say in South Park.

I’ve been right about everything til now from soccer to politics and I stand behind it.

Thank you Tiha Vala for the kind words. It’s not my aim to brag but I do appreciate the recognition

The capital of NDH was supposed to be Banja Luka originally.

Ne moram. I believe you.

Yes, it WAS a fortress. But hasn’t been in some time. Many people in the past thought Croatia = Dinamo. Well, looks like they got what they wished for.

Now I’ve read it all. Oslobodi me Boze even the ones I think are hardcore spew commie dribble from time to time. Thank God for Cavoglave.

Let me make myself clear, Ante, Zagreb has Croats in it – but is not a Croatian city and does not cut it as the capital. Plain and simple.

There is NO excuse for such poor turnouts for Croatia matches in the capital. NO excuse.

Sretni radi cega? Sto umjetna tvorevina ide na svjetsko prvenstvo? E, pa.. sto je previse – previse je .

Ok, mozete nas malo podrzat isto ko i mi vas sve ove godine! A veceras momci se vracaju u Sarajevo i mi slavimo sa njima a takode moji hrvatski susjedi isto ce ici slavit tako da u Bosni svi su sretni i mislim da bi i vi trebali biti, sretno vam dalje sa Stimcom idiotom

Best post in recent times, anywhere:

http://www.xtratime.org/forum/showpost.php?p=12589105&postcount=158

This is hallarious! I’m getting chuckles reading all theses posts! Everyone here is such an expert. Before the Belgium game everyone was predicting a Croatia win, then after the game when I scrolled down I read how much this team sucks and how, won’t mention any names (ziva) I saw this coming! Lol. Svi ste pametni. Some people here won’t sleep for days because of this loss today, while as we speak our players showered up after the game got their clubbing clothes on and hit the nite life in Glasgow

@Doktor – don’t know what you’ve been watching since 1991, but, the only true soccer coach Croatia has ever had was Tomislav Ivic.

Hoping for Guus Hiddink, but, Mamic won’t allow it because he wants another puppet.

What good will another coach do if Mamic is still there telling the new guy what to do?

Prosinecki, the man that actually took photos with Arkan; saluted (just recently) with 3 fingers; coached Red Star Belgrade just recently….

You people are Croats? Vi ste govna izdajnicka.

We should go from a faux nationalist to a half-Serb with mixed loyalties in one fell swoop, is that right??

The team lacks national pride, first and foremost. And you want to see a mongrel at the helm.

Also, this statement by Stimac doesn’t mean he is gone. This type of stuff happens all the time in Cro where someone offers to resign, but its not accepted.

Trust me, I don’t like the idea of prosinecki getting the job. But, he is more qualifed than many of the names being tossed around. I think Niko Kovac can work as a short term fix.

Večeras je naša fešta, večeras nam igor ide….:D

who cares if we are not seeded. The other teams are all looking at us as they team they most want to play.

We might not be seeded

France might be seeded as germany beat sweden 5-3 and France won 3-0
Playoffs Nazalost Croatia,Greece,Romania,France ,Ukraine,Sweden,Iceland,Portugal.

I would love to see Cico Kranjcar coach the playoffs….he so fucking amazing at organizing teams…ramen bet when he coached back in the day.., what a boss!!!

@nije bitno – What if Croatia qualifies for the World Cup but Suker pulls a EASports move and tells FIFA its not enough money, so we aren’t going?

Alright fellas after today’s debacle, Allen Outraged might need to make another video. It worked before the Turkey game, it may work for the playoffs again.

Time to go get my suit, pajama pants, and Croatia hat ready.

We would have also had a different frame of mind in the last two games if we knew we needed points.

What if I told you guys one of the best tactical soccer minds might be available to coach the repka. There are rumors in Turkey Prosinecki could be fired from his club team. I don’t know for sure, but if he was available he might be the best choice. Personally, I don’t like that he played and coached at Zvezda, but he is a damn good soccer mind.

http://sportske.jutarnji.hr/igor-stimac-ponudio-ostavku/1133158/

As it turns out, we finished only 3 points ahead of Serbia. Had we not drawn 1-1 in Belgrade, Serbia would have finished ahead of us with a better goal difference.

honorable thing to do??????? he is beating them to the punch.

As for a new coach. I am not opposed to Kovac. He would have my backing. I think he is more in the mold of Bilic. Student of the game, person who spends time looking over our opponents, our own players and trying to figure out tactical lineups, etc…..He is raw, but he might be the kick in the ass that we need.

If Stimac is indeed gone, then my plans/dreams/hopes all have worked out. I told you guys that we need short term trouble (i.e. losing at home to Belgum and then to Scotland) for long term success (the removal of Stimac).

new rankings in a couple days i think

They just dont look eager or driven anymore. They look fed up. I think Croatia’s got to this point due to messing around with the team so much. The players change every match. Formation changes. The players have not formed any continuity playing amongst the same teammates. I thought just when Kranjcar was starting to be effective, Stimac pulled him off for a low on confidence Perisic. I still dont see what Jelavic did wrong. In the Euro’s Jelavic and Mandzo were forming a good partnership and its been ripped up since then.

If it’s true that’s a very smart move by Stimac for everyone concerned. And not to mention the honourable thing to do.

Stimac finally figured out that these players are no longer playing for him.

Now, if they don’t qualify for the World Cup, can we all agree to lay the blame on our lack of talent?

http://www.index.hr/mobile/clanak.aspx?category=sport&id=706296

Štimac: Ponudit ću Šukeru večeras svoju ostavku!

I’ve suddenly found an ounce of respect for Igor Stimac.

We need a black coach!

we will get killed by france and sweden, gotta hope for romania or iceland

Stimac said we were handicapped by the yellow card situation and player fatigue.

so fucking true bobby v my god retards on this site think a new couch will make our players be more creative ,alert and hungry our team sucks nobody plays like they care mandzo almost every game has hands at side or on head and complaining teams full of cancer like players that prevent us from making noise on big stage .. ridicule me all you want Croatia sucks atm bad ..

Wont beat ukraine in the playoff, definitely wont beat france.

I hope we get france like stimac wanted.

Time to pull a Lane Kiffin on Stimac and fire him on the way to the airport, and give him cash for a busride home.

@ziva

yea you’re right the truth hurts. fucking this team sucks balls.

Toronto Croatia – “maybe Croatia has gotten all of the losses out of their system”

I know you didnt mean this literally but its time to look at the real facts, you were somewhat defending Stimac, its time to lay blame where it belongs. Stimac has no clue on how to select a staryting lineup, his strategies are an experiment, his formations are always proven to be off, he doesnt research his opponents properly, he lacks the ability to self reflect, he doesnt motivate the players, he’s far to arrogant for anyone!

Croatia is a small country that has hung around the top 10 in the World for a long time. This is the beginning of the end.

We are looking much like our neighbors now – Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia, etc. No shame in that, hopefully our down cycle won’t last as long.

You can change the coach, but, at this point, it’s pretty much like putting lipstick on a svinja.

i cant wait to read stimac’s comments.

So, did France leapfrog Sweden in the FIFA rankings after they won today and Sweden lost?

Also, how is our ranking now that we suffered a couple of losses? Who are the seeds now?

ciro wont coach as long as mamic has any say. i can see kovac getting the call up as interim even. but stimac isnt getting the boot

Ciro Ciro Ciro!

Ciro!!!!!

it seems we are lacking what carried us so far before. heart

what a disgrace..FIRE EVERYONE NOW!!!!!!!!

we’re definitely not trying to score goals, heres jelavic

hAhA StimAc!

U guys happy now? I bet you would like me back!

te-hehe!

newsflash………….this just in. France has removed their appeal over the playoff ranking systems. They wish to remain where they are and have asked to be unseeded, with one condition. They want Cro to be seeded so we have to play them.

were awful I cant watch this shit no more lets all meet back here in 5 years hope for a better squad ..

12. masturbate. just saying

Hahaha trash pathetic. A joke

Good job by Pletikosa though

thank you Vida…….we have a chance to see 2-0 now…….LOL

LMAO PENALTY!!!! GTFO

lol nvm….we lost…he just put peresic in…disaster

I say: fire Stimac, its time

this is so fun watching some of you post and squirm thinking we wont make the playoffs….relax guys, we are in…….only need to root for a few more Scotland goals so Strucnjak Stimac is let go.

Gees it got really foggy in Scotland.

what the fuck do we need to happen to make playoff if we loose?

focusing on group B
bulgaria – currently 13 pts – 6pt(malta is worst team) = 7pts
cech – currently 12 pts – 6 pts = 6 pts
denmark – currently 13 pts = 7pts
aremenia – currently 12pts – 3pts (have a loss to malta) = 9pts

Croatia 17 pts = -6 = 11pts
so if my math is correct, armenia has to beat italy here and we wont go.

VELIKA SRAMOTA, naprid!

muther fucker

our fans must be pissed, lighting flares now…….so here comes a fine and possible closed door match at home for the playoffs…….

You people gotta understand that we know we qualified for the playoffs already, we are just not trying to get any red cards. Mogomet je Tako. We all know we play to the level
Of our competition

Outcoached….again. This clown is in over his head.
What an embarrassment.

Modric is class and its a shame that he will never play in the world cup because of poor coaching. Only spark we have today.

Wow – clear penalty on Kranjcar!

Will a loss today be enough to get rid if stimac?

Vlaovic and Simunic congratulating Bosnia on their automatic World Cup birth – I’d like to do the same. Happy for my Mom’s side of the family who live in Stolac.

vuko is out for the first leg…good riddance

A tweet from ESPNFC

FT Denmark 6 – 0 Malta – The Danes finish second but are the unlucky second-placed team and will not be in the playoffs.

Ziva Istina says:
I’m actually enjoying the game………..

You call yourself a fan of this team? Sad.

I’m actually enjoying the game………..

Vukojevic should never see the field against teams like Scotland. There is no need to play him, an extra defender, against teams like this. You lose a creative player when you do that. You play Vukojevic against the likes of Spain, Germany, Holland……teams that will have more of the possesion, where you need a CDM like him. But, not today.

At this point, even the jock-sniffing autograph seakers would want nothing to do with this team.

By the way, if you guys want to see a winner from the Balkans, you can go to St. Luois next month. BiH’s game with Argentina is official now that BiH was clinched their group.

Stimac should be hanged, drawn and quartered like William Wallace!

Are attack can’t hold the ball for their life, they give it away way to fast and not clinical enough with their chances, gives Scotland the ability to attack when they want.

Vukojevic is awesome. He reminds me of Petar Krpan from the Cro team at France 98′. Never figured how he was on the team but somehow he was there and actually saw the field.

@Mike if Denmark can hold onto their 5-0 lead against Malta I think that’s enough to guarantee a playoff berth.

damn im usually the one to say dont worry we’re better and we’ll win but honestly I dont think our team can do it any more. maybe we peaked in the euros. Maybe they really do suck or maybe they are sucking on purpose cause they dont wanna play for stimac. Fuck it im joining the rest of you and saying that we wont make it to brazil.

come on, that is crazy talk with the u-21s…….best case scenerio with an u-21 side is if more than 3 guys actually develop into reliable national team players.

1 chance from a scottish mistake in 20 minutes against a team like Scotland is nothing to be impressed about.

our u21 would give our senior team our run for their money right now. get stimac out. the u21 team looks creative, lively. our senior team… not so much

@mkez00

Up until the goal we were moving the ball and getting forward, mandzo had a nice chance on the Scottish net but got stripped….jebi ga.

Standard Scottish counter burned us, then almost 0-2.

Time to step it up again. Lots of time left in the game.

@vatrena cast

agreed, they players are probably just as fed up if not more than the media, etc. They could well just not care.

Lovren went into the challenge so weakly, you always have to assume that someone is going to be coming over your back in that situation.

is it too early to say “i told you so.”….just checking.

its not about them sucking, or formations or anything anymore.. it honestly just looks like they dont want to play for stimac anymore. i cant blame them. no one is playing their hearts out. i really think it might be that simple.

Another horrible performance so far

one point from the last four games is what we are looking at right now……

Pletikosa has to challenge that, he stayed on his line, he is part at fault for that one. This is funny..please get the fuck out Stimac, you stupid dick.

Braveheart!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things are about to get interesting…..a few more goals might put Strucnjak Stimac on the hot seat…….this should be fun to watch.

Zbogom Stimac

Get the fuck out of here.

I like the way we are playing, on the front foot and fast. Kranjcar looks good in combination with Luka.

OH come the fuck on guys

I think Croatia will lose gain today.

** ahhh, Ljubuski???? The only place that I have ever witnessed that has a half a mesnica on one side of the store and a gas station on the other side.

ahhh, Ljubuski???? The only place that I have ever witnessed that has a half a mesnica on one of the store and half gas station.

Damn Hutton wanted to hurt Kranjcar

Hrt2 no because Italy is already in.

7:25 HNS PEDERI NOGOMET STE SJEBALI

That wasn’t a foul he got the ball first. Stupid ref.

Beautiful combination, Modric-Kranjcar, and then an awful shot from Kalinic, who should not be on the pitch.

Kranjcar looking pretty nice early on!

LOL WATCH OUT CROAKS THERE IS NEW REAL FOOTBALL TEAM NOW. BiH KING OF AREA HAHAHHA

Vida needs a new hair style…he looks ridiculous, maybe Rakitic could suggest a new stylist?

y is espn3 in spanish, wen it says english

there is a new king of soccer in the balkans and its BiH.

Wow, a save from Begovic off a Lithuanian free kick that was deflected. A minute earlier Ex-Hajuduk player Ibricic gets a yellow card from the bench for throwing an extra ball on the pitch during run of play.

Games over – Bosnia is in.

@bobby V…..agreed…they have a good number of players who could start for Cro.

2Ivan STRINIC
1Stipe PLETIKOSA (GK)
5Vedran CORLUKA
6Dejan LOVREN
8Ognjen VUKOJEVIC
10Luka MODRIC
11Darijo SRNA (C)
14Nikola KALINIC
17Mario MANDZUKIC
19Niko KRANJCAR
21Domagoj VIDA

I found a picture of Ziva Istina in his fortified basement.

http://is.gd/fxiMGp

zero chance that line up is correct…..

Love the lineup, but mandza and corluka r idiots so they will prob geta yellow tonight… But formation wise looks like stimac is taking tips from ciro 98

Denmark’s win will not allow Armenia to finish second – Armenia the only team from that group that can finish above us.

fifa and there goofy rules and point system

HOw do we qualify if Denmark win?

@jm

Hands out yellow cards like candy.

http://is.gd/AUtFhS

1-0 Bosnia -Ibisevic

Bosnia just had a goal taken away due to offside……..

@Vuk – Czech are already eliminated, so I’d say them. Too lazy to look into it deeper.

can anyone take a break from talking about Canadian soccer to tell me who to route for Bulgaria or Czech thanks

I would not want to face BiH in the playoffs……..

In response to Ziva’s questions

1. I say we score more goals.
2. Rakitic header
3. American politician
4. Mandzukic
5. diaspora hrvat trying to pick up a local along the coast?

Lithuania-Bosnia 0-0 at half – I would love to see Croatia – Bosnia in the playoff, just to laugh at all the arguing.

Ghana thumping Egypt 6-1. Why in fuck would you hire an American to coach your national team?

@ Ziva

Stop picking on Niko …. or I’ll water down your Ožujsko/Karlovačko!!

He’s perfect as he is – chunky thighs and all.

And if he ever wants to pop over to mine for some roast beef & Yorkshire pudding, he’ll be very welcome!

Bulgaria or Czech who do we need to win?

I’ve never been a fan of English/Scotish food.

I’ve also heard rumors that Krnajcar sleeps next to a big jar of mayonnaise on his nightstand, so when he wakes up he has something to snack on.

Nah, Kranjcar has a wealth of terrible fatty food in Scotland to deal with.

Have you not been to a Scottish fish n chip shop? Scottish Cook Book consists of:

Step 1) Take organ meat and mash together
Step 2) Deep fry
Step 3) Serve with chips
Step 4) Drink Irn Bru

23rd minute and 0-0 in the BiH game, which means Mama Istina wins the bet.

do we route for Bulgaria or Czech? http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=2195395/index.html

I wonder what will get bigger TV ratings tonight in croatian parts of BiH? The Cro-Scotland game or the BiH game as most (not all) hrvati tune in and root for BiH to lose.

Greece are up 1-0…………BiH still knotted at 0.

I say BiH score right at the end of the first half………round the time Corluka finds some Scottish bird and Kranjcar eats his 3rd round of deep fried Haggis.

@Adame………because if Strucnjak Stimac is stupid enough to play him in a game that means nothing – and he picks up a yellow card – then we deserve to be laughed at.

Ziva, I have to say sometimes you say the stupidest shit. Why would you hope Modric picks up another yellow?

Anything short of a blowout loss keeps Strucnjak Stimac as the coach.

The one tragic element in all of this is TV commentator Stimac would never approve of Strucnjak Stimac the coach. Don’t we all miss the days of Stimac broadcasting the games on HRT and stepping all over Drago Cosic’s play-by-play.

Either way, should be interesting vieweing in the fortified basement.

This game is so unpredictable. Even Vegas is offering even money on Croatia to win. Bet $100 and win $110. If I had $100 in my pocket I would throw it down on a win.

2-1 Croatia. Olic-Kalinic-Snodgrass

@Darko,

I agree.

I hope they win too. A) because it’s Croatia, and B) I do believe they need a morale boost. I want a confident and motivated team going into the playoff team.

I get the argument that the coach may be fired soon if there are more poor showings, however there is no guarantee the higher ups would fire him. I think we are stuck with what we see before us.

Best of luck Croatia!

for those of you guys who like to calculate the FIFA rankings…….assuming we win today at Scotland and assuming BiH takes care of business later today in Lithuania. where will each team be ranked in the FIFA rankings.

As few months ago I made a bet with a blind CRO homer and told him BiH would be ranked higher in the FIFA rankings for at least one month by the end of next summer’s World Cup. How close would both teams be after today’s games. I’m considering doubling down on my bet.

Give us BiH in the playoff round. Send them back home. Fuck them!

Fucken mujos!

OK, so if all the players on yellow cards don’t play today, they’re sure to be available for the 1st leg of the play off. But, they’ll still be on yellow cards, won’t they? So, if they get booked in the first play off game, they’ll miss the second one (which might be the more important of the two).

Or do all the yellow cards get scrapped after tonight???