Photo: U-Gett
30 year-old Croatian utility man Danijel Pranjić is being wooed by a first division Chinese club. The current Bayern Munich man has seen little first team football this season and is more than interested in the cash this unnamed club would like to throw at him. He signed with Bayern Munich in 2009 but never got a true chance with all the talent around him. It is reported that Pranjić would make €4.5 million per season, signing a two and half year contract. He will fly to China after the Champions League final on May 19th to discuss the deal in person.
“I got an offer from China, which is really impossible to refuse! Well, it is unbelievable, the money is really great!,” said Pranjić. “The offer was such that it can not be refused. I believe I will finally sign the contract.”
Pranjić will talk this over with his wife and family before he signs on the dotted line, but it sounds like he could pull the trigger. The deal would include 24-hour private car service as well as a house of his choice.
It’s a pretty good deal on paper but Pranjić would be playing outside Europe and against lesser competition. Will we see Croatians Around Asia next season?
The money is great for him, but its to bad for his career. He was misused at Bayern and by Bilic on the NT. His offensive abilityies would have been helpful in the 2010 WC and even the 2012 Euro qualifiers. The guy was the fourth or fifth highest scorer his last year in Holand. He would be a great addition to teams like Everton, Hamburg, Breman, etc. I would like to see him stay in Euorpe.
Olic fit. Kranjcar will play from the bench over sharbini any day. Rakitic not fit?
Are you smoking sine?
is there any chance still get call for reseve
kranjcar not fit
lorven not fit
olic not fit
ratikic not fit
simunic not fit too old
sharbini over badelj big time wtf
sharbini is a dribler over spain and italy perfect
CROATIA wc 2014
anas sharbini kreso ljbubic birght future for wc 2014 and vs sebria 2 games
sammir maybe i hate him
petric klasnic yes not going vs andrroa sucked
The reason he made it in 2008 was because he was still playing at Rijeka 😀 and he wasn’t ruined by the Splican’s at Hajduk 😀 😉
anas sharbini made it 2008 just in case
not now makes no sense hns is bullshit
Whatever ana has to say sounds good to me!!
Ibanez zbog Mamića dobio bocu u glavu, sve to gledao i mali Kovačić!
http://tinyurl.com/76sxduz
@ GoldenChild
Wanted to be somewhat PC, in case someone out there swears up and down that the HNS is doings a great job and is handling the HNL and NT well lol
@armada
Correction. Nobody is claiming the savez is crooked…we all know it’s crooked.
@Sydney United.58
Thank you sir!
@AZ
“statistics only tell part of the story…we cannot just look at statistics to determine whether pletikosa or keleva is the better gk…or whether keleva is good enough to replace pletikosa. Most of the shots that keleva saved are pretty straight forward…just stretch out legs and cover yourself well…especially in the first match against real madrid..and the shots are mainly direct straight at the gk
I also realise pletikosa has not saving much recently…However, the opponents have few chances (only 11 shots in 4 games) to aim shots at him…the goals conceded by him are mainly shots that are difficult to save…”
I never once said that Keleva was a better goalie than Pleti. My point is that the abuse Keleva takes is unwarranted. Nothing more nothing less.
The #1 job of a goalie is to stop shots. What Keleva does and the stats support this is stop a ton of shots. Going to have to disagree with the Real Madrid point. Although, even if it were true, he stops shots and that is his job. Watch the Malmo highlights of the second game especially the saves @ the end of the game and you will see that he has to go out of his way to make saves.
Pleti has to start for us in the Euros. There was a time when my confidence level in Pleti was fairly high but right now I am not sure but he is without a doubt the starter and I hope he has a great tournament!
@Ziva Istina
“I do have to admit, I give you credit for looking at all those stats. But, the only stat I look at or care about is goals scored. I have seen enough of GPS Kelava to realize he needs a lot of work to ever be a productive, consistent GK on the international level. There is nothing I have seen from him in the european matches that makes me think he can play.”
Very much appreciated.
1 – Keleva is not as bad of a goalie as you make him out to be and that is the bottom line. Nothing more nothing less.
2 – You cannot hold the away Real Madrid game and the last game with Lyon against him as the team in front of him went on a holiday if that is the proper term to use.
3 – Goals against average is not the only stat that matters when discussing goaltenders. (If a goalie in the NHL faces 100 shots in a game but let’s in 10 goals his goals against average would be absolutely pathetic and according to your logic that is your only concern being the goals allowed. However, that would be a phenomenal accomplishment as he would have made 90 saves in one game! The number of saves means everything as it is #1 job of the goalie to make saves and keep the ball or puck out of the net.) The truer indicator of an issue using the 90 saves scenario is the team in front of that goalie.
Hockey origins only had the goals against average stat but they realized it was not a true indicator of a goalies performance. Goaltenders would face low amounts of shots and their goals against average was phenomenal because they were getting under 15 shots a game and in hockey that is very very low and it was not a proper measurement to gauge with other goalies as it is unfair if one goalie gets so little work compared to someone that is getting blistered night in and night out.
At this point in time the international points are irrelevant because it has no bearing on my point @ hand. I never once said Keleva should start for our National team now or in the future. Not that I really care because as per usual I feel indifferent to the entire situation. The guy makes saves and that is all anyone can ask from a goalie.
Suker and Stimac……Thumbs up to that!
@ ante
anas sharbini? really? lol
@ the Suker/Stimac leak news
I read that before coming to this site and it made me a bit sick to my stomach. For all of us claiming the savez to be crooked and just a big mafia, putting these two clowns in will only be taking a step back. I’m sure the international community will think “Davor Suker as HNS prez? Makes sense, he’s there best player ever, a national hero, bla bla bla” But we know better. These guys are in cahoots with the rest of the mafia that’s leading the savez. Ziva I think actually put a positive spin on this; yes, there is hope that maybe Stimac pans out and hopefully Suker does rise up, take the job seriously and doesn’t become a puppet for all the rest of his cronies at the top. I don’t have a good feeling about this at all…
No surprises with that list.
But, what is really dumb is the news leaking out that Suker and Stimac will be named new savez president and national team coach before the Euros even begin.
Just more of the same with Suker. Cover up all the no-good of the savez by placing Suker as the figurehead of the savez. He has no experience and his only position where he had any management/executive role, he failed. So, sure, why not, lets hire someone with no experience leading anything and someone whose work ethic is questioned when it comes to roles like this. And people wonder why the likes of Boban have no interest in the savez.
As for Stimac…….he may be a good national team manager/coach, but there is no body of work to judge him on besides his minimal coaching positions in the HNL. He is not the first person to be hired as a national team coach with limited or no experience, but this hire was nothing more than an agreement between Mamic’s camp and Stimac’s camp.
I hope Suker surrounds himself with smart, hard workers, because if we have to rely on him, then croatian soccer is about to get into much bigger trouble.
@Mihovil….I do have to admit, I give you credit for looking at all those stats. But, the only stat I look at or care about is goals scored. I have seen enough of GPS Kelava to realize he needs a lot of work to ever be a productive, consistent GK on the international level. There is nothing I have seen from him in the european matches that makes me think he can play.
Bilic Names Euro 2012 Provisional Squad
http://tinyurl.com/7la8r7m
we had a chance vs italy and spain becuase of him not anymore croatia is done like dinner anas sharbini not badelj
where the hell is
anas sharbini
@Mihovil
statistics only tell part of the story…we cannot just look at statistics to determine whether pletikosa or keleva is the better gk…or whether keleva is good enough to replace pletikosa
Most of the shots that keleva saved are pretty straight forward…just stretch out legs and cover yourself well…especially in the first match against real madrid..and the shots are mainly direct straight at the gk
I also realise pletikosa has not saving much recently…However, the opponents have few chances (only 11 shots in 4 games) to aim shots at him…the goals conceded by him are mainly shots that are difficult to save…
@Mihovil-I do have to give you some credit on the homework you did with the stats and percetages!
Top 10 goals of the year in the EPL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2UeTDLbCLU&feature=g-u-u
Well said again! Also, Roy was my hero back in the day.
I think everyone here can agree that none of us have HIGH expectations for Kelava. We all have mediocre expectations, and like Ziva said, we pretty much have a decent keeper now in Pleti, so that is fine. Is Kelava on Stipe’s level? No, not yet, but you can’t blame the keeper for mistakes made by the rest of the team. Sure, some positioning mistakes are made by him, but that is something that can be learned and fixed (with the purchase of a GPS). I have a high tolerance for mediocre soccer, and I do give the HNL more credit than most others on here, but it is still a professional league and he is a decent keeper. Has he been linked to any other league besides HNL? I think he’s done all he can there and could probably develop more in a slightly more competitive league, or at least give us more of a viewing of his skill set.
I’m trying to be as objective as possible here, but like I said, I’m a life long keeper myself, and man… do I hate when people rag on goalkeepers. That is, unless you’re just as bad as these guys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4b7flwMTwM 🙂
When was the last time you heard of a player doing well in the K League and coming back to play well for his national team. Wanting to leave for money is great, but your talent dwindles when you play against lesser competition. Sure he’s playing, and his talent will still be there, but his form will dwindle.
And yes, we’ve had players rise from lower leagues and come up to do great, but that’s younger players. If he goes to Asia his looks are going to be even less frequent. It’s like playing a C league for basketball, double A for baseball, etc.
That’s why I care.
@ARMADA87
I really hope Sluga pans out! Thank you for the info!
@Ante Kvartuč
“Someone mentioned save percentage above…I looked into it. During Dinamo’s 6-game Champions League trip, they had 22 goals scored against with 54 shots on goal against. That means Kelava’s Save Percentage was 59%.
Not great..but at the same time he had to go against Real Madrid who lit him up and then the Lyon game which was fixed for another 7. Skewed #’s????”
That would be I.
According to UEFA.com Keleva faced 61 shots in total. That would give him a save percentage of 63%. As you stated above, those two games throw everything out of whack. The Real Madrid game in which Dinamo and Keleva had absolutely no shot at, and the other more prolific example of a game that just did not seem or feel right, was the last game of the tournament for Dinamo against Lyon where Keleva seemed like the only player on the field as I did not see any defense. Those two games throw everything for a loop. Unfairly I might add.
To keep a goalie in net like that only to be peppered and embarrassed is a testament to Keleva as a person as well. Talk about an excellent attitude. He never complained and he brushed it off like it was nothing. Most goalies would have a complex after something like that. Leaving a goalie in to long is considered a no no and when the Montreal Canadiens did that to Patrick Roy in 95 and what transpired is history.
“On December 2, 1995, in his 19th game (and the team’s 23rd) of the 1995-96 season, Roy was in net against the Detroit Red Wings during Montreal’s worst home game in franchise history, an 11-1 loss. Roy allowed nine goals on 26 shots (five in the first period, and then another four in the second period), and the crowd jeered him whenever he made an easy save during the second period after the game was already 7-1 in favor of the Red Wings. In response, Roy raised his arms in mock celebration. When coach Mario Tremblay finally pulled Roy in the middle of the second period in favor of Pat Jablonski (who allowed two more goals), Roy stormed past him and told team president Ronald Corey “It’s my last game in Montreal.” Roy later told the media that despite allowing five goals on 17 shots in the first, Tremblay kept him in net in order to humiliate him.”
I am not saying they should have pulled Keleva but he did not let that embarrassment get to him or suck out about it in anyway. That shows mental toughness and class.
Keleva averaged 10.2 shots per game against the quality teams in that group in 6 games.
Pleti faced 1 shot in two games versus Turkey. Keleva faced 21 shots in his first two games in the Champions League and gave up 3 goals.
Pleti played 4 games in our Euro 2012 qualifying campaign and he faced 11 shots and gave up 4 goals.
Keleva is nowhere near as bad of a goalie as some people from this site make him out to be. That is the only point I am trying to make here. Will he be our starter in the future? That is irrelevant and has no bearing on anything currently. The item in question is whether he is a brutal, horrible, awful, rubbish goaltender? The answer is NO, he is not.
O Bože hvala ti sta sam Lakerovac… zivim za ljubicastu boju…
how does that sound?
@JerseyCro,
dude, I will hitchhike to jersey if it would make it easier for you. Find a couple hours in between The Voice and Mr. Belvedere for a drink. I dont mind that you are a dinamovac.
@ana – at pranjic’s age and based on the little amount of playing time he does get at a big club…I dont see him getting much more at any middle of the road or larger club the older he gets…so saying that and fully understanding your point…pranjic has to do whats best for him at this point in his career…beckham, who was regarded far higher in stature went for his financial…even though i didnt agree with it i understood it!
Who cares when player play for other country . Play good for Croatia in euro end world cup
Pranjic needs to play! So if that means going to China and making good coin, then so be it & If not, and he can play in Europe so be it. Who really cares if he’s going to China?
Stipe has 3 1/2 weeks to get injured (keeping my fingers crossed)
Someone mentioned save percentage above…I looked into it.
During Dinamo’s 6-game Champions League trip, they had 22 goals scored against with 54 shots on goal against. That means Kelava’s Save Percentage was 59%.
Not great..but at the same time he had to go against Real Madrid who lit him up and then the Lyon game which was fixed for another 7. Skewed #’s????
———
As for Pranjic,
I’m surprised more of you wouldn’t be happier with this move, as a move anywhere to play is better for him and the repka, than sitting on the bench for Bayern.
He has done nothing this year for Bayern as he can’t get in the squad. As far as Bilic goes with selection, Pranjic might as well be injured as he’s out of form. Sure he gets to kick the ball around with Robben and Ribery at practice, but what does that ultimately translate to???
It’s all about confidence and being healthy. Remember when Pranjic was first brought into the repka he was tearing it up in Holland for Heerenveen???
I could care less if the man plays for a third division club in Azerbaijan, as long as he brings it when he plays for Croatia.
I think the confusion comes in us being fans and wanting to talk about our (Croatian) players to our friends and colleagues who are non-Croatians. We like throwing out the big names like, “Hey, my boy Pranjic plays for Bayern Munich” or “Stipe Pletikosa used to play for Tottenham.” It’s all name recognition.
Who cares of he goes to China?? He would be more in form for the repka than he is now. Catch my drift?
Now, Pranjic is 30 and might only be good for one more qualifying cycle anyways. If I was his advisor, I would tell him to take the Chinese money. $$$$$$ and playing time and possible legendary status with his team there if he performs well. I think a Chinese team made a statue of Stephon Marbury already if my memory serves correct.
Why the hell not?!?!?!
suti samo suti suti moj djecace plavi lako je kad kupijes titule…
I bagged on Kelava a bit yesterday to point out that he is no hope currently to replace Stipe ,so I really cant see the point of getting too behind the guy claiming he should be the man,no chance at all.As I said,I hope he develops,he is young,but not that young or raw.I doubt that we will see too much of him for NT unless we are getting really tight.Hopefully some of the other options can start coming through sooner rather than later.
One thing to remember about all young kids; very few pan out. no shock there.
The good thing is that there are kids in Cro who are leaving Croatia and going to these academies. Their parents or whoever is advising them is doing a good job of telling them to leave Croatia and never play in the HNL and avoid the managers/mobsters staking claim to them.
Simunac plays for the Croatia U17s, so he has already decided
There is also Tomislav Gomelt at Tottenham and Filip Faletar at Villarreal when speaking of Croatians in foreign academies.
@Armada
There’s another Croat playing on Juve’s primavera squad. His name is Stipe Simunac and he’s a 17-year old left-footed striker. He’s raised in Switzerland but has dual-nationality. Judging by his last name, he’s from Livno…so if he pans out, he’s likely to choose Cro over the Swiss.
There seem to be a ton of young Croat teens that have been going to other teams at quite an early age…Gomelt, Husinec, Livaja, Halilovic, Sluga, Simunac, and that 8-year old Dubrovcanin (Ivo Cengic) that Barcelona picked up, lol.
Simon Sluga and Matej Delac are both really young and, hopefully, at least one of them pans out. I had high hopes for Kelava last year, but he looks like he will be just another Ladic or Pletikosa. He’ll play well one game, and blunder in another. He’s still young, but my only concern is that he has had quite a bit of exposure (much more than Delac, Sluga, and Antolovic for example) yet his name never comes up in any of the Dinamo transfer rumours. Pretty much everyone on that roster has had some rumour about potential outside interest (be it exaggerated or not), but I’ve heard nothing about anyone ever having interest in Kelava.
As for Croatia never producing goalies…I don’t think any Croatian kid ever wants to play in net. People in that country like to play around with the ball and dribble all day long, which is probably the reason why we are such a factory for midfielders. It’s the only explanation I have as to why a country that has the highest average height and well above average in athleticism, cannot manage to develop one solid goaltender.
Our domestic goaltending coaches must suck too. I mentioned before that if we’re going to develop a good goalie, it will have to be a youngster who grows up in another country’s system (ideally in Germany or Italy where the best keepers are from).
So far so good with Simon Sluga. Playing in Italy will hopefully benefit him and the repka. I’m not too keen on Delac not playing in the Czech. Hopefully his next loan is in Germany or somewhere where he can grow. He’s still only 19, so anything can happen.
I just hope Simon doesn’t use that Italian passport he somehow managed to get and ends up playing for the wops if he does actually get good one day. 😉
Ana no good opinion
@ziva
‘allow him to do what he wants’
…yeah…hate to break it to you ziva, not like he comes on here and is like hmmm what does the diaspora on croatian sports think i should do?
man’s gonna do what he wants and what he feels is best for himself, its got nothing to do w. ‘allowing’ him lol
shooting the shit on here isnt gonna affect him in the slightest, so i really dont care if u or anyone likes my opinion on what i think he does, since its just that, an opinion
I agree with that.
@Ziva-you totally can use the Boban incident,because its not a direct comparison of the situation.As I said,In most peoples mind,Pranjic will be quite right to make his own best choice.
My comparison is only to do with you saying that players owe fans nothing.I am saying if players/individuals have that attitude,its up to them.Boban did not have that attitude.I pray for people like this on the NT rather than selfish ones.This does not refer to Pranjics case,but a team of selfish types would only get a passing interest from me and many others.Everything is not always about cold hard facts to fit every situation.Passion matters.
@Sydney….you cant compare what Boban did and what Pranjic will do. One has nothing to do with the other. It’s a bit different when the commie police are beating down on your fans and then a complete different situation with a player receiving an alleged offer that will wet your pants.
Playing for the national team often means you have to sacrafice something. For many players that’s a non issue and they are proud and honored to play any time they are called up. For some, at some point it becomes a burden and can take years off your career. I’m not saying Pranjic falls into either category either. But, lets also remember this about the repka, about 10 years ago they did bitch about the portion of the World Cup money they were due to receive. They wanted a larger portion than what was being offered to them at first by the savez.
@Ana-nice comeback.
@Ziva-sure,you are largely right, but concentrating too much on cold hard facts about players not owing anything.It all depends on what atttude players have.Of course they need to look after themselves and their families future.I dont blame someone like Pranjic for whatever decision he makes .
I would hate to see it develop where all players on the NT just have the 100% me first attitude.Did Boban owe anything to that fan that was being beaten by a policeman.Thats the diferrence.Its not all about cold hard facts.
Yeah i suppose he could’ve been a little more compossed. Im no professional by any means, but I remember having to play goal once against a really good team and losing like 7 or 8 nothing and just feeling completely helpless. The other team could probably smell the fear on me! For that reason alone I kinda sympathize with the guy.
I think what will happen is if he plays well at the primavera, they’ll buy him and loan him back to Rijeka for a season or two, then see what progress he’s made.
@ Mihovil
Simon Sluga (19 years old, born in Rijeka) is currently a keeper for the Juve primavera team. While his rights are still owned by Rijeka until 2015, his loan deal in Turin will keep him there until this summer, but Juve does have the option to buy. He’s also been called up a handful of times by Dinko Jelecic of the U-19’s. From what I’ve read, Sluga is getting starts for the primavera, but is also ‘competing’ against Laurentiu Branescu, who people are claiming will succeed Gigi Buffon as the #1 for Juve one day. I’ve only seen a handful of highlights of Simon, but he looks good and definitely has the potential. I’ll admit that I do talk him up a bit while wearing my Rijeka homer glasses 😀 but even in Croatia, many see him as a potential #1 for the NT down the line. But at this point, it’s a bit too early to really gauge how well he’ll turn out, at least from my point of view. Everyone was ready to claim Matej Delac (who’s also 19 as well) to be the new Petr Cech, but look where he’s at now…
Give both of them a bit more time to marinate at lower clubs/youth squads – then we’ll see what we’re dealing with.
too critical
@Poglavnik……I don’t care about the shots he gave up, my bigger concern with him is his lack of positioning and being in no-mans land on crosses, corners and other set peices. If he played at any other club but Dinamo nobody would mention his name. The guy was brutal this year. His defense was crap as well, but he was still out of position on so many occasions. i could understand if he was a young kid, but he is 24 years old. Still young for a GK, but he is not raw.
Tonci Gabric thinks I’m being to critical 🙂
@ jerseycro forget the weekend then you still got tonite thursday and friday party pooper or what not aliud out of the house you gotta chance to meet crosport Denis what a pussy -U-
@Ziva
Id love to see some of the best goalies in the world try playing behind that Dinamo team in the CL. Dude was being bombarded left, right, and centre. Give him a break for being out of positon and seeming a little rattled. He’s only a kid as far as goalies go.
@ARMADA87
“He faced the most shots on goal in CL history – but to have ’6 games, 22 goals’ attached to your resume doesn’t help your cause.”
In the NHL there is a goalie stat called “Save Percentage”. This S% number expresses a goalie’s success based on the number of shots he faces and that what is what I am trying to get across essentially. It also means there are other factors that come into play. The team in front of him, defense, and the teams he played against etc…
Any scout worth their weight in salt would see the heavy number of shots associated to that statistic. They would not just see “6 games, 22 goals”, they would dig further. If the shot totals were low than it would not be a good thing. There is a bigger picture than 6 goals 22 games.
“I’d like to see him spend another year, at most at Dinamo and then get into a better league and see what Ivan is really made of. I just hope this all happens sooner rather than later so we can start figuring out who’ll be taking the reins from Stipe.”
Agreed ! One hundred percent.
Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t think the nickname is warranted as he can stop shots really well. Will he ever start for our NT side? That is a good question as our other options I am not too sure about? Although, I like what I have scene and mostly heard about Simon Sluga. You could tell me more about his play and what he is about that is for certain!
@Colin (Right Place Right Time) O’Haravić
Puno hvala Olic!
🙂
“I guess as a keeper myself I will give them the benefit of the doubt sometimes, but that’s ridiculous to say.”
Not in the least.
It is a thankless position! Even if a goalie makes 1,000 saves but let’s 1 bad goal in everyone and their mothers blames the goalie for the loss. Most people do not see the big picture and it is easy to judge a shot and an attempted save rather than everything else going on around the play. The goalie, especially in hockey, is the fall guy.
How many times do teams ride a goalie all the way? Thousands…. When you have faith in your goaltender the team in front of you plays that much better as they have confidence and do not have to be overly concerned behind them and as a result it fires them up!
Look @ Buffon with Italy. That guy was instrumental in winning Italy the WC in 2006! He was not the only factor but he was beyond solid in that tournament and throughout his career. The save he makes off Zidane’s header in the final was stellar!
Hopefully Buffon has a bad day @ the office when we play against him @ the Euros!
http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html
Woo hoo! still number 8 ranked, despite looking like number 100 ranked compared to number 17 sweden just a couple months ago. It’s still interesting to me that we can be ranked so high when even our euro qualification 2008 wins against england and victory in euro 2008 against germany have dropped out of the scoring, but i guess its so. after looking closer it makes more sense. Points are derived from an equation of pionts x importance (friendly, qualifier, tournament etc) x strength of opposing team (200-rank)x strength of confederation. there have been some disappointing losses (greece obviously, sweden, georgia) but croatia has still managed to tally some decent points (ties with greece 14, france 16, ireland 18, turkey 33)), wins over norway 24 , czech 34, slovakia, turkey 33 , israel 54 twice). Unfortunately, the team hasn’t seemed to have a big win over one of the big boys like england or germany in quite sometime so there has been a lot of disappointment. Not to mention some unexpected losses (georgia) and some “come on, can’t we do better than that” losses ( greece, sweden). None-the-less, for the last 4 years, the team has been consistently above average and held its own for the most part. perhaps praise for bilic?
I have faith in Kelava that he will improve. Like Mihovil and Colin said, he’s not that horrible; no need to roast him, since he is our third-choice GK. Imagine what the Spanish fans are saying about Papa Reina…?
Conceding a goal does not instantly imply that the GK is at fault. Blame the defenders as well, and boy, the HNL could use some “better” ones.
I’m not sure if that was in the League or the previous round of the Cup, but Kelava saved another dire penalty besides this one. Kelava still needs good experience in another club, but when that happens, he might become much better and very relied upon in the future.
First congrats to Dinamo on the cup. My Hajduk can only dream of winning titles at this point. But, hey, we get to hang our hat on winning meaningless youth titles by players who will never advance past the HNL first division. Awesome!!!
Well, those of you hailng “GPS Kelava” for helping Dinamo win the cup…..that’s cool. You can applaud him for playing well in the HNL – I have nothing bad to say about his performance in goal against inferior competition. I’ll choose to remember his performance in the Champions League where he let in some bad goals, was out of position on corner kicks and other set pieces, in no-mans land on crosses, and may have one of the weakest legs I have ever seen for a GK. I’ll choose to remember how he performed against elite competition – and last time I checked playing in the Euros and qualifiers for your country, you do go up against elite competition. By the way, I also recall “GPS Kelava” having no idea what do on PKs in the summer of 2010 when Dinamo went out against some team from Khazastan or Azerbajan or some other country. PKs are a lottery, both for the guy kicking and for the GK. There are some GKs that are very good at PKs, I have not seen enough of debeli “GPS Kelava” to make an accurate assesment of his PK abilities.
What any of our players do in the HNL is meaningless. I’ll judge them on what they do in better competitions. And, by the way, someone mentioned “GPS Kelava’s” preformance in the CL qualifer. He did that against Malmo. Some of you may be asking who is that? Who or what is Malmo?? Yep, almighty Malmo, which finised in 4th place in the Swedish league this past season. That is something to hang your hat on.
If your argument is that he faced the most shots in CL history and gave up ONLY 6 goals…..well, that is not really an argument. But, I get it, you are grasping at straws.
One more thing….those who think “GPS Kelava” is a national-team quality keeper, are you saying that because you really believe that, you want to believe it, or you are a dinamo fan and will cheer any dinamo player. Folks, you need to look at this objectively and without the homer glasses on. Nobody chears more for the trobojnica than me, but there comes a point where you have to look at things without being a homer.
@Ana…..that’s what you want him to do. Take the emotion out of it and allow him to do what he wants. After all, he doesn’t play for you, he plays for himself and his family.
Denis, wish I could but I’m actually out of town this weekend (some luck lol)
He could definitely afford to lose that spare tire he’s wearing though…
I would like everyone to take the time and scroll back up a little and re read what Mihovil said about Kelava. Well said, man. We all like to rip on the dude, and sometimes for good reasons, but eventually, we’re going to have to count on him and he’s not as terrible as we make him out to be. Oh and saving a penalty in the HNL is easy??? There’s never an “easy” save in a penalty. I mean come on. I guess as a keeper myself I will give them the benefit of the doubt sometimes, but that’s ridiculous to say.
He’s faced the most shots on goal in CL history and only let 6 in*
Although it’s easy to joke on Kelava thus far, it’s really hard to put his results in perspective.
He’s been good for Dinamo – in the HNL. But then again, the HNL is crap.
He faced the most shots on goal in CL history – but to have ‘6 games, 22 goals’ attached to your resume doesn’t help your cause.
I’d like to see him spend another year, at most at Dinamo and then get into a better league and see what Ivan is really made of. I just hope this all happens sooner rather than later so we can start figuring out who’ll be taking the reins from Stipe.
O Bože hvala ti, kaj Purgeri smo mi! O kako bi vi sretni bili da ste Purgeri….
Lijem krv, a suza nema, Ti si boja mojih vena, neka cijeli svijet sad cuje to JA VOLIM DINAMO!!!!
@Dinamo D
Is it??-U-
@jerseyCro,
I will be in New York for another week or so. Would be great to meet you and have a couple drinks. Shoot me an email denis@croatiansports.com
Anyone else in NY? shoot me an email.
@ Nizic
WOW! Crazy that your “Buba” could save a penalty!
Keleva is fat and sucks as a keeper I hope he never gets to play repka ball big deal saved a penal against a hnl team my buba could do the same our only hope is Pleti to keep balls out of the net but we have more to worry about people we will be lucky if we get any goals this euro im having visions of WC 2002. With too many older players returning just like this year I think we are in for a shocker -U-
@JerseyCro
“Kelava is a good shot stopper, saves penalties as well. He needs to work on his aerial game (but really, which Croatian keeper is good in the air?)
But the heat Kelava gets is unfair, he has come up big for Dinamo this season”
Bingo!
He is not as bad as people make him out to be. Is he our starter? Not right now. He is not as bad as he is being made out to be and he needs work on certain aspects of his game and hopefully he gets it.
If it were not for Keleva Dinamo does not make the Champions League as some of the saves he makes in the second game against Malmo are amazing!
http://tinyurl.com/7h4ukf9
He faced the 2nd or 3rd most shots in Champions League group stage history. Giving up 6 goals with facing that many shots is a positive rather than a negative. I really doubt Pleti would have done much better. That is not a shot @ Pleti as he has been big for us when called upon but it is true.
Kelava is a good shot stopper, saves penalties as well. He needs to work on his aerial game (but really, which Croatian keeper is good in the air?)
But the heat Kelava gets is unfair, he has come up big for Dinamo this season
DUPLA KRUNA!
In absolute THRILLING Croatian Cup news:
“Need GPS” Kelava made some big saves and stopped a penalty kick in Dinamo’s 3-1 win over Osijek.
@ Ziva
Ignorant, and stupid.
@ AZ
You make some great points in your post. I don’t think all of our 30+ players should leave the NT, nor do I believe it will really happen. I’m 99% the Euro will be Big Joe’s swan song. If he starts both upcoming friendlies, plays in all the group stage games (maybe he sees another game if we make it to the knockout rounds) and maybe plays a ‘farewell’ friendly, it should put him right around Dario Simic’s record (with Darijo Srna probably passing him shortly after). I see Srna staying on to his mid 30’s, flopping around like he always does. The rest of +30 group won’t be severely missed: Petric, Klasnic, Pranjic. I think all those guys has their moments with the NT, but can be replaced by younger guys. I think that two guys whose departures might sting the most are Olic and Pletikosa. Olic is one of a kind and really brings a unique set of talents to the team that probably can’t be replaced. Pletikosa isn’t an amazing keeper, I just don’t think any of our younger guys are really ready to take the reigns and be a solid option for us (Kelava, Tomic, Subasic, Kresic, Delac, etc.)
I think our younger generation is looking good though (Vida, Lovren, Strinic, Vrsaljko, Illicevic, Badelj, Perisic, Jajalo, Vukusic, Kovacic, Pavlovic, Ademi etc.) We should be alright long term, we just need to produce some more quality forwards.
@denis
ahem, i am not some delusional little girl w. her head in the clouds, trust me i have none of those delusions thank you
i like it because i found it funny, a melo dramatic funny
that and it does hold a truth, like everyones said pranjic is old, end of his career, wants to cash in blah blah blah, but he may very well still see one more tournament or two and him running off to china is not good for the repka
i can already see ziva repremanding me saying hes gonna do whats in his best interest, and thats fine
but as a fan its in my best interest is him staying in a higher level of competition, so im still praying some club w. deep pockets in europe approaches him
The fact Pranjic is entering the 4th quarter of his career IS the reason he should take less money to play for a team like say Everton instead of going into exile for more cash. It’s a question of acting on a big stage for less money, or being a freak in a carnival for more money.
I don’t know why some of you got caught up in the word “dream”; I just made an analogy, I don’t claim to know what Pranjic thinks – unlike some of you wannabe amatuer psychologists who probably never even heard or read anything Pranjic has ever said.
Kelava rescued the cup for Dinamo today hehe, saved a one on one and a penalty in the final 10 minutes
@DinamoDennis: sure, in an ideal world. But, in most cases nothing happens to these clowns once they screw up. The bigger star you are, the more you can get away with and ignored.
They owe it to themselves to saty out of trouble, I don’t see the connection here why they owe it to the fans. All I want from any athlete is max effort on the field. I don’t care how they conduct themselves away from the field. If they want to assualt someone, get into a fight or even rape a woman, i don’t care. I treat athletes like I treat a garbage bag. Use it to its fullest capabilities and when you can’t use them (it) any longer, go get a new one.
@ Ziva
I think they do owe fans good conduct outside the field ….
Its part of the job…the job doest stop one you step off the field…jsut like a sales job doesnt end when you leave the office…
we cannot afford to have all 30+ yr old players retiring after euro 2012..simunic klasnic petric pranjic olic srna…we may need a couple of them still..srna and pranjic are rather important to NT still as we need wide players..we have lack of depth in wide players who can wipe crosses so far…
both pranjic and srna can also cover at fullback positions as well which we are currently weak at too..
so i do hope pranjic can stay in a european league still…i believe he will be called up still after euro2012
its kind of sad that despite being current national team player with most international goals, eduardo still has not featured in any of major tournmant for NT…
Ziva then I’m definitely said jock sniffer. Sorry man but I like the autographs and photos with celebrities. There’s a time and place though for it.
Bilic will name his squad tomorrow, probably a provisional squad but no more than 25-26 players, final squads are due May 29. Already 5-6 teams announced provisional squads, with the Dutch naming 36 players 😀
Most media believe Bilic has 22 certains, with the only debate being Badelj or Ilicevic for the final spot in midfield. Other than that there are no surprises.
If Lovren can’t make Euro, Buljat or Knezevic will be called up. Vukusic will be called up if Eduardo can’t make it. Vukusic will be going to Poland either way, either as the 4th striker (if Eduardo is out) or as one of the two youngsters Bilic takes to train with the team. The other youngster will be 99% certain be Mateo Kovacic. The 1% chance is Mateo Pavlovic of NK Zagreb but recent interviews point towards Kovacic/Vukusic being the two young players
Will he have to eat dogs and bugs over there since they do that there.
@DinamoDennis….when I send “playing” I also mean practice; should have included it, but I think it is assumed. They owe 100% effort and that is it. They don’t owe the fans good conduct outside the field. It would be nice if they stay out of trouble and are a “good guy” away from the pitch, but they don’t owe you that. I laugh when I hear some fan say “XXXXX athlete was a dick because he didn’t want to sign an autograph or pose for a picture.” Athletes don’t owe you that and what gives any fan the right to come up as a complete stranger and ask for a photo or autograph. I’ll add this to my list of pet peeves: I already said adults who wear the jersey number and name of an athlete are jock sniffers. Grown adults who ask for autographs and photos of pro athletes are jock sniffers as well.
@Ante tdot: good God man, how many people do you have on your roster. The limit is 23.
@Denis: you can also add this….maybe this is the dream for Pranjic. Getting paid a ton of money in a shitty league to play soccer. That is a pretty good dream to have. Not everybody can be Messi, not everybody is gifted. Sometimes you realize you have to take the opportunity when it is presented. Again, if the rumors of this Cina deal are true, then Pranjic must take it. I still have my doubts because I cant beleive their is a club on this planet that would be willing to pay a player like pranjic 11 million over 30 months.
Denis
It’s gonna be ok.
off topic……
Lepa Brena coming to NY in a a few days…
made me giggle when I saw that flyer.
@Poglavnik,
nice touch
@HAET
I found your analogy amusing. However, it doesnt apply to Pranjic. Danijel’s career is coming to an end. A couple more years in China and then back to the Netherlands or possibly MLS. The so called “dream” if Pranjic has ever had one has long been forgotten.
This is why Ana likes your analogy. She, just like most young women, believe that “some day my prince will come” and that “everything was meant to be.”
For Pranjic it was “some day, I will start for Croatia at LM.” That “some day” happened once or twice I believe in meaningless games. That “dream” if he ever had one, is over.
Pranjic thought, “Bayern Munich is the place for me. Big $$$, big club, lifestyle, wife happy. Bayern will secure me a spot at LM for Croatia.” However, Pranjic didnt take into consideration “competition at Bayern” and playing time.
Bayern is like finding a girl with boobs and a big ass. That might be most important for some of you dudes out there, but then there is the other side of the coin.
So, now Pranjic’ priorities are not the same. No more Croatia. No more dream. No more boobs and ass. Time to secure as much $$$ as possible in the next 2-3 years as time is ticking.
Just like a girl, “someday, my prince will come.” Then when her prince doesnt come at age 32-35… she must secure any half-decent dude to pop a couple kids out as her time is ticking.
I hope I didnt offend any women out there with my rant 🙂
@DinamoDennis
We’re talkin about practice man! Practice!
(in honour of Iverson’s rant that was 10 years ago yesterday) 🙂
@ Ziva
“in fact no athlete owes the fans anything other than 100% effort while they play”
stupid commen….. players owe fans more then just 100% effort while they play. What about effort in practice and training ? What about the way they conduct themselves off the field ? I would say they owe us more then just effort
The Orient? They don’t like to be called that. (fog horn)
BILIĆEV ŠIRI POPIS Milan Badelj ipak ispred Ive Iličevića, ali i – Nikole Kalinića!
http://tinyurl.com/d93nyd8
PLETIKOSA
SCHILDENFELD VRSALIJKO STRINIC PRANJIC
SRNA MODRIC PERISIC SHARBINI
MANDZUKIC EDUARDO
euro 2012 picks
Pletikosa, Subašić, Kelava
Vida, Ćorluka, Lovren, Šimunić, Schildenfeld, Vrsaljko, Strinić, Pranjić
Srna, Dujmović, Vukojević, Modrić, Rakitić, Perišić, Kranjčar, (Badelj) Ive Iličević Kovačić sharbini sammir
Mandžukić, Jelavić, Olić, Eduardo Nikole Kalinić klasnic
@HAET…….very bad analogy. Maybe Pranjic already fulfilled his dreams (played for the repka, played for Bayern and might win a Champions League medal). He got our of the selo and has made a very respectable career. Maybe now its time to cash in before his career is over assuming these rumors are true. The actor you suggested has plenty of years in his career, Pranjic does not.
Remember this people……If true, Pranjic is being offered double or triple in China what he would be making in Europe in the next 30 months. How many people will take about 6 million less? It’s one thing if we are talking about a player that has already made multi-millions in his career, but Pranjic has not. I’m pretty sure Pranjic has made less than 10 million in his entire career and he now has a chance to easily double his bank account in the next two years. And if that means saying goodbye to the repka, well that is his call. He does not owe the fans anything, in fact no athlete owes the fans anything other than 100% effort while they play.
@HAET-oh well,atleast you can say Ana liked your analogy.
@Allen
the reason lifestyle matters so much in soccer is because they are chosing between countries, continents, and cultures. Unlike North American sports where they’re choosing between places like Miami, New York, or Cleveland.
As far as Pranjic goes, I’ve always felt he was under-rated and under-used for Hrvatska. He was one of our best players at our last tournament (Euro 2008). When we have decent wide players on the field it makes a world of a difference. Im sure Jelavic would love to have him whipping in crosses from that left side. He’s always seemed to be good at putting in well-timed, low crosses which would be perfect for Jela…
Torcida 4 Life
HAET,
What the hell are you talking about?!?!
That was one of the stupidest analogies ever. You basically just turned a sports situation into the same movie situation.
Not cool.
love the analogy ^
Let’s say you dreamed about being a great motion films actor your whole life, you then became an up and coming actor with several secondary roles in acclaimed films; then your agent got you into a couple of bad films that damaged your reputation as an actor. You now have an offer to star in a new TV show created by successful writers, and you’re confident this could salvage your career; but some Chinese show is offering you three times the money. You know you’ll be forgotten by going to China and never be able to fullfill your dream in any meaningful way. What would you do?
More FAs Rule Out Battling Turkey for Euro 2020
http://tinyurl.com/6t283vn
@dukic….znam ja za kup……but that was the past. That is all hajduk is anymore, relive the glory days of yesteryear. Nema danas nista od ajduka
@ Ziva,
I agree 100%, money is the number one factor in decision making. Again this is a generalization, there are going to be you exceptions, but it’s a no brainer, pranjic towards the end of his career, capable of gaining a significantly more amount of wealth before he retires. This is an obvious. If you offered me a million dollar job in china or anywhere else in the world, where my life would not be at risk, I would take it in a heart beat. Whats a couple years to make about 10 mil. If you diagree your full of shit, haha.
e moj ziva pa ti ne znas sto je taj kup znacio. nisi ti hajdukovac. nije taj kup samo za hajduk nego za citavu hrvatsku. ko te jebe stvarno si kreten od covika.
Good on you Pranje take the money and run-U-
Pranjic isn’t in the repka’s long term plans, so I’m happy for him and I bid him adieu. If it was someone like Perisic, then I’d be pissed, but for Pranjic, I’m happy that the guy can make himself some serious cash before he bows out.
Who knows, maybe he’ll like it there. Being only 5’7″ in one of the tallest nations in Croatia must take a mental toll. Going to a midget-country like China will make him feel like a giant for the first time in his life.
🙂
and basically 21 years since Hajduk was relevant
For you it is, for others it might not.
It’s not like there wont be english-langauge schools to send your children or elite sections of the the country/city to live in and avoid the average Chinaman.
My point goes back to this…..nobody should rip into an athlete for taking the money. They have a short life span and have only a short period of time to make as much $$$$$ as they can.
21 years since boksic scored in beograd for cup. hajduk zivi vjecno.
@ziva
you could not pay me enough to move to china
its just too culturally different, its not always about the money
So, are you saying players in in football and basketball don’t go to another city for the money or the lifestyle???? Carmelo Anthony went to NYC for the lifestyle. In fact Carmelo wanted to play so bad in NYC that he depleted the Knicks roster forcing the Knicks to trade valuable assets to make the deal. Instead of waiting to be a free agent and sign with the Knicks and keep their roster with some talent, he wanted even more money and forced the trade. Shaq left a team in Orlando that went to the NBA finals to go to a lesser Lakers squad so he can make more money and play in LA alllowing him an opportunity to make even more money because of the entertainment industry.
You can’t judge the NFL because they don’t have true free agency because of the franchise tag placed on star players.
All I am saying is that each choice is an individual choice. Nobody should bitch about Pranjic (if the China rumors are true) if he goes to China. I would love to meet the person who would refuse a chance to double, maybe triple, his salary in the next 30 months.
I’d love to meet people on the site that actually love to see players stay up in competition than favor lifestyle over everything. Only sport I swear that i see “fans” put more effort into talking lifestyle and anything other than actual competition and still playing with the best in the world. Only in soccer ugh, thank god for football and basketball where i don’t have to talk to guys that talk and act like females like this jackass above me. Thank the lord! Also thank the lord in other sports where people don’t compare sports to actual career fields. Thank you lord, I love you for having people that care about the actual sport and competition than Ziva “probably has no balls” Istina.
I just don’t understand some of you guys. Now, this is assuming the dollar figures are correct. If his family is OK with the move, who would be willing to turn their back on making an additional $6 million over a 30-month span by playing in China. It’s not elite football??? Who cares. He is leaving one of the best teams in the world (Bayern) and if a mid-table team in England is interested in him, it’s still a step down from Bayern. So, instead of taking 2 steps down he will take 6 steps down. Big deal, the money will comfort him.
Forget about the living conditions in China. He will be living with the elite of that country. He will be taken care of. When a star players signs with an team in LA, NYC or Chicago, do you think they are living with the crnci in the projects in those three cities? No, they live in the nice areas.
This is a no-brainer for Pranjic. He will make more in 30-months playing in China than he has made his entire career.
I’d love to meet some of you who would turn that down in your career fields.
to all – in several conversations we have discussed which league is better throughout europe…maby of you were critical of the EPL and included Italy as one of the better leagues…ok, I dont say EPL is best quality but I will say you dont see this either:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/article/1175027–italian-soccer-may-be-rocked-by-another-match-fixing-scandal
Italian scandal again?
Why would you throw your career/vocation in the garbage just for (extra) money? Plus he and his family are going to stick out like sore thumbs in that country; it’s a country of 1.3 Billion people and 99.5% are Asian, and the vast majority of the 0.05% non-Asian are just guest workers who can be kicked out at China’s liesure.
What a joke. He’s going to be asking to leave within the year.
It makes sense, but I’d love to see him at Everton with Jela.
Klasnic wants to end his career at St. Pauli, his hometown club. Doubt he would return to the HNL as his career is pretty much almost over
In other news:
Rijeka u lovu na Ivana Klasnića
http://www.dnevno.hr/sport/nogomet/rijeka_u_lovu_na_ivana_klasnica/716767.html
would LOVE to see Killer come to Kantrida! But I think he’ll still get some offers from Germany or England.
I never rated Pranjic highly and now he’s just about done with the NT. The money is looking pretty good but if he wants to go to China and play a bunch of low level talents then go ahead but your services won’t be needed for NT. Pretty lame move but understandable. I still think he’s going to be done with the NT because Billc believes in club form highly and I don’t blame him.
I’m shocked at the wages these guys make.
Does anybody know of a website/resource that tracks player’s salaries?
Doesn’t Modric make about the same that Pranjic is set to make?
@ Svircic
Mato apparently was named to the K-League Best XI 3 years straight. I guess after killing it in Korea, he decided to take his talents to Split.
@Jordan,
I know that Mato Neretljak was a legend in Korea. At least this is what Koreans in LA tell me. I’m not sure about any others in Asia. I’m sure there are plenty of Croatians chowing down on sashimi in southeast Asia.
wow thats the last thing i expected, i have a hard time believing hed go somewhere so completely culturally different, itll b a hard adjustment, money aside. but i guess he wants to fatten up that retirement fund…id still rather him stay in europe
Who cares he only ad 3 good games for croatia at euro 2008 germany, poland ,and turkey never liked him at LB could have been used as a winger more but our coach debilic is an idiot and he will start in at euro 2012 even if pranjic doesnt deserve to but what ever 3 and out!, good luck pranjic in your future.
@ Denis
Aren’t there a couple of journeymen type players of ours scattered around the J-League, K-League, Malay First League, etc.?
At first, I was against Pranjic “off to the Orient.” However, after taking into consideration Pranjic’ age, his career earnings, his status with the national team, and the overall offer from China this is a no brainer. The only obsticle might be his wife and kids(if he has any kids). 2 1/2 years in China is a long time away from the family.
“Will we see Croatians Around Asia next season?”
nice touch Ante.
agreed…..at his age, this could be his final shot to really “cash in” and make some $$$. limited windows for these athletes to earn so if he can do it, good for him. he is probably out of the NT picture anyway after this summer (if he’s even a significant factor this summer) so he can start to think about other things. curious to see if he will do this!
also, if this offer is true, guess we won’t be seeing any quality croats playing their final years in mls…..the money ain’t this good in mls unless you are named beckham or henry.
this would be tough to pass up. That offer from China is double what he can make in Europe.
You can’t blame the bloke.
End of his career, and he might as well cash in.
When his finished in China he can come to Melbourne Croatia
Ditto.
Bad news for our national team. I still think he’s the only one who could be a decent player at the LB. When he heads to China, he can still perform at the Euros but those will be his last games for our team. It’s a shame. The guy is still good enough for teams such as Palermo, Everton, Fullham, Leverkussen etc.