Written by DENNIS FISTONIĆ aka HvarSplićan
Much has been said about Niko Kranjčar since his career began with Dinamo Zagreb in 2001. Some have gone as far to say that he would be the next Robert Prosinečki in midfield for Croatia. Although only 25 years of age, Kranjčar may not yet be in his prime. However, I am here to say that Niko Kranjčar will never meet the expectations once laid upon him.
When an international footballer reaches his mid 20’s, that individual quickly develops an identity within himself. Up to this point, Niko has not shown the ability to develop trademark skills in which that player is known for (i.e. shooting, dribbling, effort, etc.). Since joining Portsmouth in 2006, Kranjčar has only scored 9 goals in 83 apperances for the club. Whether that total is respectable among midfielders is debatable. However, his work ethic and the ability to take on defenders is something that isn’t up for debate. Niko simply doesn’t have it in him.
Prime examples of this was witnessed when Kranjčar competed against Belarus and England in the most recent FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Though he played an unfamiliar role, Niko looked completelty lost on the pitch. Instead of moving up the field when given the ball, Niko would switch the ball to the opposite side of the field on most occasions with 20 meters of space in front of him. If he were to fufill the Luka Modrić role in the midfield, he would need to play smarter and become more creative with the ball.
We can dispute it all day long whether it was a wise decision for Slaven Bilić to put Kranjčar in that position in the first place. The bottom line is that by this point in his career, Niko Kranjčar should have already developed the skills necessary in order to be classified as a premier player in the world. Maybe it was foolish for certain ex-players and coaches to make those comparisons in the first place. Additionally, it was easy to make those sort of observations when a player is dominating the 1. HNL the way Kranjčar was when playing for Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split. Nonetheless, Niko Kranjčar will never live up to those expectations and continue to be an average player in the Barclay’s Premier League and Croatian National Team.
All in all, Niko Kranjčar will forever be a BUST!
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This has ignorance written all over it!
Just because he isn't like Messi, Ronaldo, Aguero, etc doesn't mean he isn't good.
Players take time, some more than others, Niko still has his career ahead, besides Messi considered the best player in the world completely sucks for Argentina.
I believe Niko will show what he is worth within the next two years.
Oh and by the way, Modric isn't a big thing then either 😉
Niko Kranjcar is aweseome. He is the only croatian player that has cool soccer videos on youtube…
I really don't mean to bash on you Hvar but your debates and rebuttals need to be formed better as your arguments aren't sound.
You can't argue that Ante BBB has no life. I would bet you that everyone on CSR has shit to do day in and day out, whether it's school, work, kids or managing their wives.
The point is (and this is my favorite part) that when people come on to CSR, they always bring their A game. Denis and I always bring our A game, or at least try to. We stayed up until 3am last night finishing Croatians Around Europe. It would take longer but Ivica has now joined the teamed and knocks out Belgium, Turkey, Greece and Austria. Thank you very much Ivica, once again fantastic job.
Dinamofan:) is also on fire with his HNL reports. We're slowly but surely building a great team here.
Hvar, I know you're roughly new to the site but I see potential in you. You're going to have to develop a backbone first if you want to hang with the CSR boys, because let me tell you- they're tough and they will never give you benefit of the doubt. Denis and I have had numerous confrontations with some of our members.
So with all that said, the ball is now in your court- don't double dribble!
Anyone with half a brain knows Kranjcar can play and play at a high level. The guy can not carry a team consistently, but he is valuable peice of the puzzle. If his last was not Kranjcar, nobody would have an issue with him.
The kid is a true pro and could have countless times said fuck you to Mamic and Dinamo and the kid has stayed classy the entire time.
Apparently Niko Kranjcar was fantastic for Tottenham today. Looks like he's got his first team place now.
I also wander is Croatia's problem partly down to coaching cos if we look at our coaching staff we have Mrmic and Ladic around both who are goalkeepers, you got Bilic who was a defender, Nikola Jurcevic was a wideman, Asanovic and Prosinecki were midfielders, but i wander wouldn't it be useful if we had a striker coaching the strikers. Petric and Olic for example had no idea how to make their strike partnership work at international level. I know this sounds not a little obvious, but you'd imagine Davor Suker would be able to teach Croatia's striker a thing or two about how to find space and how to make the right runs. Olic adores Suker so we know he'd listen, but Petric is the one who needs some serious coaching into how to become a number 9. i doubt Prosinecki or Asanovic can teach him how to be a goalscorer. I think English teams do this. At Spurs they recruited ex players to work especially with certain players to improve their play. Suker also seems like he can't get away from the whole thing of goalscoring. He's supposed to have had video's of defenders and goalkeepers when he was playing and since then all he's done is spend time teaching infants and kids how to play football. To me this guys whole life seems obsessed with goalscoring and i'm not sure why Croatia wouldn't want to use his knowledge.
oh and by the way – i'm aware in the end Baric put Mornar and Olic on the wing in Euro 2004. But just pointing out that the hallmark of a great coach is when they are really under pressure and in the shits they come out with something magical to change it all. I don't see Bilic possessing that quality. I think when Croatia are sinking he has no answers.
He makes good call ups occasionally to the squad like Rakitic, Gabric, Dudu, Corluka, Modric, but never does it to throw a new guy straight in team and stick his neck out. Its a bit like what Ferguson did with Federico Marcheda who helped United bag a title last season. I don't know what others think but i don't think Bilic has this kind of touch. I also think thats partly why Croatia has gone stale. 10% is down to losing a full working Niko kovac, Robert Kovac and losing Dario Simic all to age. However still doesn't excuse being demolished by England and drawing twice with Ukraine. If he had the golden touch he could have kicked back against any problem he faced.
Hrvasplican:
Basically what you've done wrong here is just focus on things which add weight to your arguement and you ignore the good things about Kranjcar. As i said that is not what you call being objective. I never ever do things like that. If i'm aware of a fact i'd never try to disguise it or hide it.
You and Vlad talk about Hype, but that is all way in the past now. I encourage you to go to You tube and find interviews with Kranjcar on Portsmouth TV. He talks about that club reviving his career after admittedly going off track in Croatia. He also admits that all the hype surrounding him was too much for him to deal with at an early age. So therefore from that moment the hype is dead, finished over.
As soon as Kranjcar stepped football in England it was all about hard work. He helped Portsmouth to a level of success they have never ever reached before. The reason it wasn't so good last season was due to injury. Do we have to dispute that the guy had an injury. He never played during 80% of Croatia's game since the Euro. Its a fact. He also missed most of Portsmouth's season. When he returned to full fitness they had sold off all the assets and they are now a second division side trying to compete in the Premiership. However if you do some actual research on Portsmouth then you'll see they only signed people like Kranjcar, Crouch, Defoe etc by taking out massive bank loans. Eventually you have to pay all this back. They make no money through the terraces cos the ground is so small and conditions are not great. They over achieved too soon. In England cos the transfer fees of top players needed to compete in EPL is so high, you have to a good solid financial foundation before you start. You can't walk into the league with a ground that looks like Inter Zapresic's. Kranjcar is now in a new situation at Spurs. He's only just started. Why not wait before calling him a bust. Write your article at the end of the season and you might get less abuse, but your also being abuse cos the words you put across are trying to create an illusion. For Croatia Niko is one peice in a jigsaw. If all the peices are not there Croatia cannot play. However this is the same for Croatia's rival England.. right. If they lose Rooney, Gerrard, Terry they are far from the same team. That is why Croatia beat them Ziva easily. Niko is not the star. He is one of a few options. If Bilic actually brought through more competition for Kranjcar then you'd see him not dare to have a bad game. Kranjcar would be in the same position as Petric. Croatia should not aim to rely on any player and that includes Modric. I think i said this before but it is possible to beat Ukraine with Croatia's B team if you get everyone in their right position. You have to have a squad of players who can slot it as Bilic tries to fit peices into his jigsaw which don't fit like Pranjic left back, like Rakitic left wing, like Petric up front even when he's out of form, like Pokrivac left back, like calling up a guy when he's not at the right level of game intensity to cope with international football like Drpic, Vejic, Leko. Bilic just did not get the chemistry right. In my opinion you can beat Ukraine with this team that we had available that day.
Pletikosa, Corluka, Sablic, Krizanac, Simunic; Srna, Vukojevic, Modric, Pranjic; M Bilic, Olic or Petric
however Bilic chose to put Pranjic, Raki out of position. He also played Petric and Olic when the partnership had been out of form for a long while in the international level. However he kept using it and using it and it never once worked.
People go on about Bilic being a great coach but i can compare him with Otto Baric. Baric was in a situation of pressure right in the middle of the group and he just got a load of in form guys and threw them straight in the first team. They were Dario Srna, Tomislav Maric and Dado Prso. In my opinion Bilic is not capable of being as daring as that. He could have done the same to get Croatia moving again, but he just tried to make do with the same old group.
@ Ante BBB,
I'm gonna have to call this bout 35 seconds into the second round due to TKO. That was pretty bad Ante BBB, I'll give you that- yet comical as well.
FYI You can always write a subjective piece on Dinamo and/or BBB and we would post it. There's nothing wrong from writing opinionated pieces on CSR, remember that. As long as you can handle the banter thereafter.
Retard of the Month: HvarSplican
Can somebody let this leper know that we use ETC for et cetera?
"@ Ante BBB
If you're saying that I didn't put in the time and research to do the article, then you simply didn't read the article or understand the article."
Biggest. Understatement. Ever.
Guess what, ex lax? The majority of the people in this thread didn't understand your article and they used words like stupid, illogical, moronic, ETC. They of course are completely correct. If you would like me to use FACTS, then without having to write another article, just look at some of the previous posts (dinamofan, ziva istina, matt, bizzario, ETC). I share their views and agree with them. If facts is what you want, then these people have crushed you with them. If you would like me to re-iterate what they said, I can do it. You bring up the game against England and him not being able to do anything, WHAT ABOUT THE GAME AGAINST BULGARIA? Your father should've use a condom. I can continue with more but just not in full detail tonight because unlike you, I have a girlfriend to attend to this weekend. A real girlfriend, not that thing that's under your bed that you have to blow up fortnightly for a smile.
"I can stoop down to your level by saying you're a no-nothing, name calling, don't know shit son of a bitch. But I'm not gonna do that."
Then you would be lying because unlike you, I actually go to the games and know what I'm talking about. I don't have to solely rely on sportnet, sportal or sportske novosti. I'm Prva Generacija on this site and that means something. Unlike you, I didn't show up yesterday. (Ante and Denis, that should be the motto for Prva Generacija, btw)
I never said I wanted you off the site. All I said was that your writing is tragic and you should not be able to write again because you have no idea what that entails. I use this article as an example.
"With your recent posts regarding PERSONAL attacks against myself, you have done nothing but embarass yourself, your fan club, and all other members of this site."
A little melodramatic aren't we? Don't flatter yourself sweetheart. Just because I called you out on being a dildo who doesn't know how to write a fucking article doesn't mean the BBB are in a uproar. I've been more with those guys throughout Europe than you with your beloved Torcida. For the record, I have nothing against the Torcida. I only have a lot of things against Hajduk the club itself.
"You deserve a staright RED"
Oh be original for once. Are you really using my lines and attempting to pass them off as your own? How cute, you actually are.
Clown shoes.
@ Ante Kvartuc
Even though I'm an engineering major at the university, I still have to write papers every once in a while lol
@ Ante BBB
If you're saying that I didn't put in the time and research to do the article, then you simply didn't read the article or understand the article. We can agree on one thing, Skip Bayless is a moron, however I'm not even close in being like him.
Ante BBB, you made it personal. Your name calling calling people like myself retards, numbnuts, ect completely crosses the line. In your previous article you mention you want me off the site period. Crticize me based on facts, ect NOT by name calling.
I can stoop down to your level by saying you're a no-nothing, name calling, don't know shit son of a bitch. But I'm not gonna do that. You can criticize Hajduk and Torcida, WITH FACTS. Just because you're on the other side doesn't mean you cant criticize "the enemy." I welcome the criticism when it comes to Hajduk, ect. Hajduk has been shit the last 3-4 years. I can look at my team objectively and say they suck. JUST DO IT WITH FACTS!! Period. Exclamation Point. My artcle was opinionated based with facts. If you have a problem with it, do so with FACTS.
With your recent posts regarding PERSONAL attacks against myself, you have done nothing but embarass yourself, your fan club, and all other members of this site.
You deserve a staright RED
I do not understand what it is that you want me to write in response.
If the kid wants to become CSR's version of Skip Bayless, then go ahead. Skip Bayless is a moron so Hvar has definitely taken a step in the right direction. If he is going to write an op-ed piece, then he should at least do a minimal amount of research and use some logic. I'm not questioning his grammar or sentence structure; I'm questioning his article as a whole. I also think you're (to Ante) giving the kid too much credit. So what if he was the first? By all accounts, I was probably the first person here to ever pull my foreskin back. Do I deserve a prize because I was first? Of course not.
I have always been the first to say that I would not be able to write for CSR because it would be impossible for me to remain objective-especially when it comes to Dinamo and the BBB. Hence why I always support our navijaci (that's supporterts to those of you who don't speak Croatian, tragic) even though the majority of people here love to spit on the groups and their actions.
For example, I have absolutely no respect for hajduk or its history as a club but I'm not going to write an opinion piece about it. Even more, if I did, I wouldn't bitch and complain about the reaction to it. I would shockingly do some research and use logic in my arguments…something Hvar has completely overlooked.
All in all, except for the large majority of retards, numbnuts and virgins on this site, I think CSR is doing a great job. Otherwise I wouldn't bother coming here.
@ CSR Nation,
I am writing this message, not as a fan of Croatian soccer, but as the co-founder and administrator of CroatianSoccerReport.
CSR has now been around for 19 months and in that short time has had huge success as our fan base of 'true' followers keeps growing. We always have real debates about Croatian soccer and its players on a daily basis which consists of view points from all over the soccer spectrum.
This is personally my favorite aspect of the site.
CSR is always trying to grow and push our followers to contribute themselves as well.
We hit a home run right away with our "Croatians Around Europe" weekly report which we are very happy about.
I recently tried to see if our followers would like a video portion of Croatians Around Europe but that was shot down immediately.
Fan Zone is also semi-popular when people particiapte. Although we don't get a lot of comments, I believe that readers enjoy to watch them.
Remember that CSR is still in its infant stages. We're always trying to put new things up that will keep our readers happy as well as bring in new members. Sometimes we hit and sometimes we miss- and there's nothing wrong with that.
In this Kranjcar article, I gave HvarSplicani a chance to right an opion piece. I knew it would receive a lot of criticism before I even posted it. But debate is what we're all about.
You can criticize him all you want for his opinion on the Kranjcar bust view, but to criticize him as a writer is unfair- because he is not a professional writer. We do not write like we work for the New York Times.
That was probably his first written piece of work since English class in high school. I commend him for the effort and time he put into the article. Any 'member' of CSR who contributes by commenting on a regular basis is always welcome to write something for us.
Look at what dinamofan:) is doing. He's already being plagarized on other blogs. You're doing a fantastic job by the way. Hope you're enjoying it as well.
You should write the Dinamo blog a message saying that you want credit should they use your material.
dinamofan:), CroatianSoccerReport.com HNL correspondent!
I know we're a little hard on each from time to time on CSR but it's better to be honest than shy.
I especially want to hear from Ante BBB on all that I just wrote. You keep things fun around here.
-Ante
By the way whoever writes Dinamo Zagreb blogspot and used my report on there website last week – i just want to say i respect your website and everything, but please try and name check me if possible if using my articles.
@dinamofan
I have no problem with you reporting on the games objectively. Just remember to be fair at all times. You will get questioned by Hajduk fans because of your handle but hopefully you knew that beforehand. I've read some of your articles and thus far have no complaints. It's once an objective reporter starts going off on a tangent that gets me going..especially poorly written ones (read: HvarSplico's awful attempt).
Re: Ante BBB
You didn't call it stupid. I called it stupid.
Don't want other people taking credit for my stupid remark:)
HvarSplico,
I didn't say your article was stupid; I said it was an embarrasment. In fact, let me be so subtle as to claim that it was a god damn Greek travesty.
If you are going to write an opinion piece, then you need to expect that people will either enjoy or criticize your stuff. Furthermore, it was poorly written and contained no shread of logic. The time it was written makes no difference either. Hell, do you even know what journalistic integrity is?
It was a horrible article and I hope it will be your last.
To use a Croatian word here (since apparently nobody here even attempts to speak it):
SRAMOTA.
CSR – Yellow card.
Hvar – Second yellow card. Out next game and hopefully for the rest of the season.
@ alex…..well said. I agree completely. Only those that bought into the hype around kranjcar are the ones complaining. The kid was never going to the leader of this generation. His last name created all the hype. But for those of you saying he does not deserve to be in the EPL…you are nuts.
His name and father's background means nothing in England and he has been courted by numerous teams in that country.
Again, I think the hatred exists for him because of the correct move he made going to hajduk. remeber, he never quit on Dinamo. Dinamo quit on him. he had a valid contract and was asked to take pay cut, he said no claiming his contract firmly stated what he should make. Dinamo decided to get rid of him.
I wrote an article on potential players Croatia could call to the squad. I gave it to Ante, but i think its too long to post on CSR. If anyone wants to read it go to
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/topic.php?uid=134729040065&topic=10723
Hey Ante BBB:)
what about my HNL1 reports, do you like them or do i stink as well?
Any ideas for improvements:)
I think i'm gonna regret that question. Something along the line of shoving a rocket where the sun don't shine i imagine:)
Re: Splitski
If its opinion, put it under the heading of opinion then. You're talking rubbish regards my article. You seem to think that everyone should write what you think. I'm writing about what Dinamo are doing to correct the situation in Europe, but you seem to be saying to me and Dinamo oh don't try to do anything cos you are rubbish and should not travel to Belgium. You're a comedian. Do you think that the guys down at the Maksimir stadium don't hope for a change in Euro results. I mean whats you whole point. Do you just say we all lay down and die? You actually say things which don't stand up. You said Anderlecht continuously qualify for Champions League. I showed that to be complete bullshit. They not entered the Champions League in the last two season. Beyond that is history. Don't make me have to get Zdavko Mamic out here to tell you that Dinamo Zagreb are surprised to lose to Anderlecht cos then you'll know what lack of class and obnoxiousness is really about.
To write an article like you did show's no style what so ever. It was a pure hatchet job. also vlad you're talking rubbish about Portsmouth. Clearly you don't have access to all there games like us viewers here in England.
Most over rated player ive ever seen or read about been saying this for years. If it wasent for the media and the national team he would still be playing in croatia. He was average in portsmouth, in 90 minutes he would make one nice pass and people would say " what a player, i have nothing against the guy and do believe he has been in unfair postions his whole life, but the fact remains his style of play is out dated, some people say he dosent suit england, which is true, but his lack of pace dosent suit the modern game.
@ Alex
I think you bring up a very good point bringing up the rationale of "Bilic's guys." No matter what you read on net.hr or croatian times or index.hr, ect, this will be Bilic's last hurra for the national team. In his eyes, Bilic is gonna go with the guys that got him this far (whether they've been top notch for him or not) and the new coach after WC 2010 can bring up the youth movement.
I dont see it as a good idea for Bilic because there is a possibility that some of these younger guys can contribute for THIS UPCOMING WORLD CUP!! (other NT's may not be accustomed with these players). Why have them wait until September of 2010 (qualifying for Euro 2012), to prove themselves????
@Dinamo Fan, Ante BBB, Matt, Petar, Ziva Istina & all the critics
Maybe I wasn't clear enough in the article. This piece was strictly an editorial, my opinions on the subject. I wasn't reporting anything, like DinamoFan was biasly reporting on Dinamo. This was an opionated article. Whether you agree or disagree is up to you guys. However, to call this article stupid shows the amount of class you have. DinamoFan, never did I once call any of your posts or collumns stupid. I simply had a different point of view, and expressed those views eloquently. This piece was written a while ago, and it was up to the founders of this website to post it when they so chose.
And how can Prosinecki be ever classified as a bust? He's was always one of the leaders for the national team.
@staten island croat
You know exactly where im coming from.
@ CSR Nation
I'm with ya'll on the Jerko Leko call up / other veterans who dont play/ lack of youth…. Bring in men who play
Someone needs to send this topic to Niko himself, maybe then he'll worry less about his hair and beard and more about his performance.
Seriously, though, the only people who are dissapointed with how Kranjcar developed are the same people who hyped him and made all these grand predictions about his future in the first place- they are the ones who failed (with their predictions), not Kranjcar. For those who call him lazy, it should tell you something that both Redknapp and Joe Jordan wanted to bring him to Spurs from Portsmouth after working with him for 3 years. Some seem to confuse a lack of natural athleticism with laziness.
Ante, what surprised me about this article is it's arbitrariness- out of all the issues surrounding the NT lately, why write about Kranjcar?
kranjcar used to have glimpses of greatness i rememeber, now hes slowley going backwords, i remeber being so excited he was going to english league, now im excitied when he gets subed out of a game, hes 25, at this point hes either got it or not, whats the last great thing he did for croatia? answer me that
There is no way in hell that a guy playing in the reserves should get a NT callup, no matter how good he is. Fact is, Leko put himself in that position by demanding ridiculous wages(£30,000/week) from Wolves. By calling up Leko under these circumstances, Bilic is showing he's got nothing left to contribute to the NT. Like I said previously, Bilic sees his projekt as basically over- it's the next guys job to blood new players- now is the time to reward his squad players for their loyalty as bench warmers(v Qatar). Yes, Dinamofan, we could easily be referring to dogs, but that just shows where Bilics reign has ended-up. Far from the heady days of 2006, that's for certain…
I think we are commenting because its such a poorly written article op-ed piece.
@ Ante BBB and the rest of the CSR nation,
Remember that it's always open-mic night here at CSR. If you send us little editorials we're going to post them. HvarSplican had the balls to go first and I commend him on it.
It doesn't matter that few agree with him. But he definitely lit a firecracker under all of your asses. Look how heated everyone is about this Kranjcar topic.
It's obviously a debatable topic as people are commenting.
Ante BBB, you know your stuff but you are always so quick to shut people down.
Send us something. Then you'll see how hard it is when you have critics and have to justify yourself to 100 other view points.
Jesus H Christ…
Even though I completely despise Niko Kranjcar (dates back to him choosing tito's former team hajduk), what I despise more is this type of "journalism" or can we call it an op-ed article?
This embarassment of a piece (and others like it) is exactly why I refuse to write anything for CSR.com.
Tragic.
Jerko Leko is 100% driven by money these days. His attitude since he joined Monaco stinks. Basically he went to Monaco for easy wages at a club that happily floats in midtable. Guy Lacombe went there and identified people like Leko who are draining the club in wages without giving anything back and wanted to kick him straight out the door. But Leko is going round saying to interested clubs that he wants same wages as at Monaco even though he's not worth it. So he's just sitting it out taking the wages from his final year of his contract whilst not being part of Lacombe's plan. Since Lacombe kicked him out Monaco have improved. The bid Leko had from Wolves was excellant. To play regular Premier League football should have been a dream but just cos the wage was lower he said no. Lacombe won't bring him back. He won't play for the rest of the year so why are we selecting for national team.
Leko should be slotting in for Modric, but he's not match fit so we can't even use the guy. I'm just baffled by Bilic.
Leko has experience and every time he comes off the bench he has a shot on net. Great reasons to be called up as a sub.
I'm not surprised at all that Bilic called the same players. He's a predictable coach who hands out invitations to only familiar faces. Leko shouldn't even be in the top 40 players at the moment. Invitations should be earned not handed out. Every other quality national team calls only players who are in form. For example, Ricardo Quaresma does not get called by Portugal just because he plays for Inter Milan. This keeps the players motivated at all times to perform their best. If they are not playing at their clubs they should not expect call ups. I'm really not sure why Leko didn't leave during the transfer window. Personally, he's never impressed me. I remember he had one good game against Belgium years ago for the national team and that's it. I would much rather see a young talent get called up like Ilicevic or Badelj. I think its ridiculous.
Its Kazakstan and Qatar. I'd have thought the time for experimenting would be now. Basically i'll give Vejic his dues as at least he plays some football which is minimum requirement for national team. I mean he aint playing much good at Hajduk but at least hes playing. But in Leko we've called up a guy who doesn't play any football. He isn't really even involved in serious first team training. We can't use the word deserve and Leko in the same sentance.
Re: Leko/ Vejic
Sort of like an old pet dog then which he's had for a while.
I think Bilic sees Vejic and Leko etc, as "his guys", who've been with the NT for a while, are experienced players and deserve to be rewarded with some playing time in a friendly. I'd imagine he views his projekt as essentially over and for any squad rebuilding to the job of the next coach. He also likely doesn't want to try new things out right before the (likely)crucial phase of qualification- the time for experimentation was earlier in the campaign.
I think Bilic sees Vejic and Leko etc, as "his guys", who've been with the NT for a while, are experienced players and deserve to be rewarded with some playing time in a friendly. I'd imagine he views his projekt as essentially over and for any squad rebuilding to the job of the next coach. He also likely doesn't want to try new things out right before the (likely)crucial phase of qualification- the time for experimentation was earlier in the campaign.
You take what you get in this game. If England throw us a lifeline we have to improve and be ready for the play offs. I personally think England's players are playing too well at present to not beat Ukraine. Some of their players are right on the spot regards form. Ukraine is gonna have a problem with England's pace as Ukrainian style football is played extremely slowly.
My worry is that if Bilic is calling Leko, Vejic and Pokrivac is our squad gonna be good enough if we get injuries in the play offs. By then just imagine how much football Leko would have missed. Modric may still not be back and we may have Kranjcar in central midfield against Russia or someone. I hoped Bilic would find a alternative to Modric now rather than hope for his return. If we don't qualify the first point i'd make is that Bilic never worked hard enough to find any answers to the problems he faced during the campaign. He's a diverer. He's not a chancer. Another game is gonna go by with no solution found to Kovac postion, Modric position or goalkeeper position. Looks like i'll have to enjoy Gabric, Dujmovic and Ilicevic play at club level at moment. Gonna be a while before Bilic becomes aware of them. HNS should speak to Dujmovic particularly cos if they're gonna give him the cold shoulder, theres little point in him turning his back on Montenegro.
Eng wont field an all b team, It will be a mixture of both,and with some new formations, they only have a few games to prepare from now until the world cup and are going to take every game seriously
Legit game???? England qualified first in the group. They can play who they want.
England does not owe us anything and if they play an entire roster of u-21s (which they wont), I would have no problem with that.
Regardless of the result between Eng and Ukraine, we do not deserve to advance to the next stage. 2 points out of a possible 12 against Eng and Ukraine.
When Kranjcar played behind Olic against Germany last summer ateuro 2008 no one said anything but he played exceptionally he had great chances and played extremely well that's his position that's where he belongs not playing Modric's role. He tried though and it didn't work out but atleasthe tried to do whatwas asked of him. I'm not surprised he doesn't perform up to potential or his abilities rather. Becuase he always gets criticized when he plays bad but never recieves applause for great play. The media get at him and so do people thatfollow the media and criticize him as well whata bunchof sheep they just follow. Splicankakav siti Splicankad tebi Kranjcar nevalja huh? Tko je napravio prvaka od Hajduka? Kranjcar pa ondan sta pizdis. Redknapp needs to find a tactical position for him like he did during their time together at Portsmouth just give Redknapp some time he'll get Niko back in form again. Niko is out of form is all. The squad should be in full form by November for the 2nd round of qualifying and that's only if we make it. I'm more worried about how England is going to do against Ukraine or who they are going to play rather. If it's the Under 21's or U-19's I'm going to be pissed hell even England playing the bench would kill it for us the starters need to be in thatlineup for it to be a legit game not one with ? marks all over it.
I'm just dismissing what Splitski said about Kranjcar. What i want to know is how Jerko Leko can make the national team by playing no football. Someone help me out here?
Also he arranges a friendly against Qatar, but calls up no new players and even some oldies who are gonna retires. Can someone give me some insight into the logic of Slaven Bilic. Whats going on here?
Also does that last few games from Gabric in Turkey not deserve a call up. Are we actually afraid to play him against Qatar. Its all crazy to me. I'm throwing in the towell.
He is FAR from a bust. He simply is not built for that league. Great players like Fernando Morientes and Diego Forlan couldn't adapt to the EPL. All Forlan needed was a switch to Spain. Morientes scored in just about ever league he played in except for the EPL. To thrive in the EPL you need pace, something Kranjcar was not blessed with. I think he would be outstanding in a technical league like LaLiga or the Bundesliga. Look at the highlights of our 2games against the Russians in Euro qualifying and then write about his one on one attack. He was amazing.
If we are going to have to read columns on this, at least write them with logic and not illconceived opinion.
Kranjcar is fine as a player. he is what he is. Unrealistic expecations were placed on him by the ZG media and Dinamo fans because of who his father was. End of story. Nobody with a head on their shoulders ever said he was going to be great. And some Dinamo fans cant forgive him for leaving and going to hajduk. he made the right move and he was not the reason dinamo was in bad shape when he left.
The kid is one of our 11 best players. Is he great? No. Is he above serviceable? Without a doubt.
take kranjcar out of the line up for the national team and replace him with who???
And if we want to talk about busts….prosinecki can be considered a bust. He did nothing at Real or Barca. he was a waste of talent.
Just saw the lineup, he definately should of called up some new players and tried them out this game to see if there worthy for the playoffs, we dont know who were going to face in the playoffs but i bet it will be tough,
Thats if we get there.
Splitski you should write a article called Slaven Bilic, is he a moron. He called up Jerko Leko again,… unbelievable.
So basically all he's gonna do against Kazak is play Kranjcar again in central mid and wait till Modric comes back. Oh yeah must say great way to find a long term solution to the problem. Rakitic will be again out of position on left.
Also whats the point in arranging a friendly against Qatar and making Kranjcar, Eduardo, Olic etc play in it. I'm sure they'll enjoy that. We'll learn zero from that friendly. He's got no new players who we will see play against Qatar. We're just gonna see Leko, Pokrivac, Vejic out there. Its just a waste of time. Vejic and Kovac won't even be around for the next qualifying campaign so what's the point in having a friendly match for them.
I think Slaven Bilic should also be investigate over his use of HNL1 players. Why's Gabric suddenly got the boot? If he's gonna use Rakitic on left then, calling up Anas seems to mainly be about getting him caps. I'm actually pleased Anas is there as its at least one new guy. But Gabric deserves it as well. I don't even wanna talk about Leko and Pokrivac as that's embarrassing.
Bilic, you shouldn't have bothered with the Qatar match. Play Kazak and win it. Then everyone watch the Ukraine and England game – end of story. What's with this unnecessary friendly with no purpose to it.
I just find this article stupid end of story. To slaughter one player unneccessarily whose not even been part of the campaign is crazy. We've got a whole load of players who we could argue aren't producing their best in a Croatia shirt at present. Yet Mr Splitski decides to have a go at Niko Kranjcar. As for the hype i've listened to interviews from Kranjcar and he says all that is bullshit. He never created the hype. He just had to live with it. To me Kranjcar is just one component in the team. He's not the star and i doubt he regards himself as the star. He's also not trying to be the next Prosinecki.
Basically Kranjcar can be dropped when he's not on form. We should not be dependent on him. We should rotate continuously and we'll see these guys raise their game as they fight to get into the side. If a player has the jersey without any competition then you'll never see the best of them. However if we get Rakitic, Sharbini and Pranjic right on the heels of Kranjcar for his jersey then you'll see a better Kranjcar. Same with Petric, Eduardo etc. Forget trying to lambast players like Kranjcar, its improving competition which we need to do. I'm surprised Ante even bothered publishing this article.
This sounds like a biased opinion like from those who all claim him "fat pig", give me a break,
The guy is class when in form, he's been going through injuries, towards the end of last season before he got injured he was man of match for most portsmouth matches, same with 2 years ago, now he is just starting to get into his form and not playing in his postion or starting at spurs, once he is and playing in his position you will see how good he is, Does pranjic look good at Left back for croatia? no, Alot of some of our players not looking good is because Bilic's tactics arnt getting the best of them, we should have played a 5 person midfield with kranjcar behind eduardo in england, like germany.
ouch. Kranjcar is smart with the ball but he needs to work on his shooting. He's picked out by fans and critics because we can all see he has the potential to break through to a higher level. It's frustrating to see him, over and over, advance and create some good space and then he shoots the ball 20 feet outside of the post. A moment of brilliance and then nothing.
Where did this sudden attack on Niko Kranjcar spring from. Why are we talking about Kranjcar's ability to win a World Cup. We haven't even qualified yet and Kranjcar was missing for 80% of the matches. Maybe if he wasn't injured then it might have helped us rather than relying on Modric and Rakitic to create everything. The only way Kranjcar will do anything is alongside good teams, not by doing it all on his own. As we seen from Modric. He can't do it on his own either. Basically its a team which wins world cup's not one or two individuals. This article's just pointless and unneeded during a time when Croatia has to build a squad and add more depth. Its like England fans slaughtering Rooney and Lampard right after the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. Good players need other good players around them. Our team, squad and system at times has just been a mess. As for Bilic apparently calling up Kranjcar cos he's his friend, that's ridiculous. Kranjcar has barely played for Croatia during the last year. What a bizarre remark. Same with Ivan Klasnic. The guy spent nearly a year and a half out of football.
IN OTHER NEWS
BUDAN SCORED 2ND OF SEASON LAST NIGHT AGAINST ROMA.
JELAVIC SCORED NOTHING AGAIN FOR RAPID. STILL ONLY 2 GOALS IN AUSTRIAN LEAGUE SO FAR.
PETRIC SCORED FOR HSV IN POKAL.
KLASNIC STARTED AT IS GETTING CLOSER TO FINDING HIS FIRST GOAL FOR BOLTON. 3 GOOD CHANCES AGAINST WEST HAM.
KALINIC STARTED, PLAYED OKAY, BUT FAILED TO SCORE AGAINST SECOND DIVISION NOTTS FOREST.
SIMIC AND LEKO I THINK GOT AN OUTING AGAINST NANCY IN CUP DEFEAT BUT NOT SURE THEY PLAYED VERY WELL.
Spurs realise he's no Modric. Of course not, they are two different players. However thats not the reason he didn't play last night. He was cup tied. Against Man Utd and Chelsea Redknapp clearly thought he needed runners so he benched Kranjcar. Spurs is a squad system – he'd get his chance. Its up to Niko to produce. Last season lets not forget Modric was no great shakes. He was good some games, disappointing other games. Two seasons ago Kranjcar was excellant every game. Kranjcar needs to get back into his rythm and then he'll be fine. Its also strange how everyone jumps from one guy to the next. Nobody particularly was impressed by Modric's performance when he was fit early campaign and Kranjcar wasn't. Now Modric is injured everyone thinks he makes the difference. He played in the 4-1 defeat in Zagreb and both draws with Ukraine. Arguably Kranjcar was one of the best players in Minsk as well. Lets keep things balanced here. As i say Kranjcar is part of Croatia's and Spur's squad. Nobody is claiming he's Zidane.
This article is just opinion. I can't believe you questioned by objectivity when you write an article like this. Niko himself has said he's fed up of people putting him on a pedestal then shooting him down. As someone who lives in England the opinion on Kranjcar at Portsmouth is ridiculous. The guy played well at Portsmouth and improved his fitness and form drastically. Then he suffered injuries last season in a stop start campaign and this season he was sold cos he's an asset to a club in debt.
With all due respect did Prosinecki not have a similar career. Was he not hit and miss. By late 20's Pros was playing in HNL1 again then DRAGOVOLJAC for a few weeks, then to Belgian league, English second division then to Slovenia. If you're gonna write the next Prosinecki then don't forget what Prosinecki's career was.
Niko is not trying to be the next Prosinecki or Boban, he's just trying to improve. With Croatia he is a useful asset. He is definitely not a central midfielder and even watch video's on you tube saying it is not his position. So why would he go on about his play in central midfield. This is just a totally negative article, which serves no purpose. All it achieves is name calling. Kranjcar is part of Croatia's team – he is not the guy who is expected to do everything himself. He's one of many not the whole team. In my opinion you get the best from Kranjcar, Rakitic, Pranjic, Srna, Sharbini by them all being fit and rotating them. We have not had that situation so far. When we do that all those players will be appreciated a lot more.
People are forgetting that when he was coming up in Croatia, there was no other young playmaker of any consequence for years. With the Croats huge cult of the playmaker, everyone projected their hopes and desire for "the next Prosinecki/Boban" onto Kranjcar. The fact is, most hyped teenage players never become top-class. For Kranjcar to be where he is at 25 is a success- at Spurs he's in the top 1-3% of the world game. To slam him because he's not Modric' quality(ie, one of the best mids on the planet) is being both ridiculously harsh and completely unrealistic.
What's the point there when bilic always puts his friends first when playing a team. Watch Niko crash and burn at tottenham as the spurs realise he's no modric
potential, potential, potential…. Niko has been playing for the national team for almost 6 years! He's shown his potential already… He's not very good!
All I hear so far is POTENTIAL. Potential doesn't help a team win World Cups.
BUST? No not really he just hasn't found his role within Croatia. He has great potential yes, but the problem within his play in the EPL is Portsmouth were never relatively competitive beyond the bottom to mid table range.
i disagreeeeee…he has great potential and will get better if used properly