ENGLAND
Photo: EuroSport
The Croatian Juggernaut has let us all know that he’s not stopping anytime soon. Everton’s prized winter transfer, Nikica Jelavić, scored two more goals on Saturday in a 4-0 win over Fulham. The £5.5million man now has 10 goals in an Everton jersey from only 10 starts, and is heating up just in time for Croatian manager Slaven Bilić to insert Jelavić in his Euro 2012 starting XI.
Jelavić converted a penalty kick in the seventh minute of play after his free kick was handled in the box by a member of the Fulham wall. Jela later ran down a loose ball all the way to the end line in the 40th minute, gathered himself and struck towards net. The ball ‘nutmegged’ Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer and beat the near-post defender. When it’s going your way, it’s going your way.
The run of goals will surely see Jelavić in Croatia’s starting XI. But alongside who? Everton have three matches remaining in the Premiership season: @ Stoke City, @ Wolverhampton, vs. Newcastle. How much more damage can Jelavić do before Croatia’s first game vs. Ireland on June 10th?
Jelavić goals @ 0:16, 0:36
Photo: AFP
Tottenham Hotspur finally got back to their winning ways on Sunday with a promising 2-0 victory over relegation candidates Blackburn Rovers. The win was so dominant for Spurs that they did not allow one shot to Rovers throughout the match and only 29% ball possession. Luka Modrić played the full 90 minutes in midfield and had little to do besides his usual supreme passing to teammates. Modrić was given a ‘7-grade’ from Skysports.com for “some creative moments.” With the win, Spurs jump back into fourth place in the English table, however, some prayers must be answered for Spurs to clinch a Champions League berth next season.
UEFA rules state a maximum of four teams from one country can qualify for the Champions League and, as a result, the team who finish fourth in the table will not qualify for Europe’s top club competition if Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in next month’s final in Germany.
You heard that right. Even if Spurs finish fourth, there will be no Champions League for them next season if Chelsea win it all. Chelsea would automatically be qualified for group stage as defending champions, even though they didn’t finish in the top four in England. Let the Bayern Munich chants be heard from North London and the Luka Modrić transfer circus begin once again. Soccernet.com has reported that Spurs skipper Harry Redknapp is not convinced Modrić will stay with Spurs next season- Champions League or not.
Niko Kranjčar has been shut down for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. He is questionable for Euro 2012.
Ivan Klasnić came off the bench for Bolton in the 64th minute of play but could not find another golden game-winner as the match ended in a 2-2 draw with Sunderland. Klasnić finsihed with two shots, one on goal. Bolton remain on the cusp of relegation, tied with QPR on points with one game in hand.
GERMANY
Photo: Bongarts
Ivan Perišić got the nod on Saturday and played the full 90 minutes for 2011-12 Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund as they defeated relegated Kaiserslautern 5-2. Perišić assisted twice in the match before curling a right-footed shot past Red Devil keeper Tobias Sippel in the 76th minute. The 23 year-old Perišić has not been a regular starter for Dortmund this season but has made the best of his opportunities coming off the bench. Dortmund have one more meaningless Bundesliga match on Saturday vs. Freiburg to end the season before their German Cup Final encounter with Bayern Munich on May 12th from the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Perišić is heating up at just the right time and has to be in Slaven Bilić’s plans for Euro 2012. With Niko Kranjčar still nursing a knee injury and Ivan Rakitić having a sub-par season in Spain, Perišić may have his chance to impress in front of Europe’s elite this summer.
Perišić assists @ 0:30, 0:53, Goal @ 1:03
Photo: Bayern Munich
Both Ivica Olić and Danijel Pranjić got the start for Bayern Munich on Saturday in a practical friendly match for the Bavarian giants as they defeated Stuttgart 2-0. Olić unselfishly assisted in injury time following a 3-on-1 counter attack, finding a wide open Thomas Muller across the box for an open shot on goal. Pranjić started on the wing in midfield and was ultimately subbed out in the 74′ for Arjen Robben. Bayern have one more ‘friendly’ match (they are locked in to finish in 2nd place) to close the season on May 5th at FC Cologne before battling Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup Final May 12th and Chelsea in the Champions League Final May 19th. The Bundesliga season finale vs. Cologne may be the last we see of Olić in a Bayern Munich uniform. The same can be said for Pranjić if he leaves in the summer.
Olić assist @ 1:25
Photo: KN-Online
Mario Mandžukić got the start for Wolfsburg and played the full 90 minutes in a 3-1 win over Werder Bremen on Saturday. Mandžukić managed seven shots (4 on goal) and assisted on Patrick Helmes’ second goal of the day in the 89th minute, taking the ball up field and dishing it to his wide open strike partner. Wolfsburg play their season finale on Saturday at Stuttgart. After that, Mandžukić will take a short break before gearing up for Euro, joining Croatia for two friendlies against Estonia and Norway, battling out Ivica Olić and Nikica Jelavić for a starting XI spot.
Mandžukić assist @ 3:47
Photo: Bild.de
After four memorable years at Nordbank Arena/Imtech Arena, Mladen Petrić played his last match in front of the Hamburg faithful in 0-0 draw versus Mainz. The draw assured that Hamburg will play first division football next season in Germany, however, it’s been known that it will be without the 31 year-old Petrić as Hamburg decided not to extend his contract. Petrić moved to Hamburg in the summer of 2008 from Borussia Dortmund and scored 38 Bundesliga goals during 98 appearances. It is not known where Petrić will place next season and it looks like he will not be part of Croatia’s Euro 2012 squad either. No matter where he goes, Petrić will forever be engrained in Croatian football history: Wembley 2007.
Petrić denies England Euro 2008
Football365.com
Two weeks after returning from injury, Vedran Ćorluka was subbed off in the 81st minute of Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-0 victory over Hannover on Saturday. The extent of the injury is unknown but no soccer media is reporting on it as of yet, which is good news for Croatian fans one month away from Euro 2012. With Croatia already thin in defense and Dejan Lovren questionable with an injury of his own this past Saturday, Ćorluka picking up a serious injury would be devastating. More news on the Ćorluka injury in the upcoming week.
Photo: Goal.com
Mato Jajalo (above) played the full match for Koln in a 4-1 defeat to Freiburg. The 23 year-old Jajalo managed two shots on goal but committed four fouls. Koln are currently two points up on Hertha Berlin in the relegation battle. One team will automatically be relegated into the Bundesliga II while the team with the most points will play the third place team from the second division in a relegation playoff. Koln will host Bayern Munich in the last game of the season in a meaningless match for the Bavarians while Berlin host Hoffenheim. Things aren’t quite done in Germany folks, stay tuned.
FRANCE
Photo: L’ Equipe
Dejan Lovren feared the worst on Saturday as he was carried off the field in just the 18th minute of play during Lyon’s 1-0 Coupe de France Final victory over third division side Quevilly. Goal.com has confirmed via Lyon manager Remi Garde that Lovren has not suffered a fracture but will still have CT scans taken of his right foot.
It was feared that Lovren would be lost for Euro 2012, but the most recent news indicates that he could be ready with a few weeks of rest. We will update Lovren’s condition and recovery time as it is released.
Lovren given Coupe de France, in tears as teammates celebrate with him
UKRAINE
Photo: Shakhtar.com
The Ukrainian Premier League took the weekend off as both Ukrainian Cup semifinals were played on Friday and Saturday. Darijo Srna played the full 90 minutes for Shakhtar Donetsk in a 4-3 victory over Volyn. Srna did not contribute to any of the fours goals but he was not at fault for any of the conceded goals either. With the semifinal win, Shakhtar will now play city rivals Metalurh Donetsk in the Ukrainian Cup final on May 6th. Shakhtar remain tied with Dynamo Kiev atop the domestic table with only two games remaining in the season.
News out of Donetsk is not good regarding Eduardo’s hamstring injury. He was originally supposed to return in April, but now is listed as questionable to play at Euro 2012. More news to come on Eduardo as it is released in the next two weeks.
SPAIN
Photo: SevillaFC
Ivan Rakitić played the full match on Sunday as Real Madrid convincingly defeated Sevilla 3-0. Raki had a relatively quiet game, firing three shots off target. He also had a free kick that was notable for being one of the worst of the season, as one Prva Generacija member reported after watching the match. Sevilla are now in 9th place with only three games to play and will need to improve if they wish to qualify for Europa League.
Tomislav Dujmović did not feature for Zaragoza as they picked up a must win against Athletic Bilbao. They are four points from safety with three games to play.
RUSSIA
Pletikosa scored on @ 2:10
Rostov drew 1-1 against Terek Grozny on Friday. Stipe Pletikosa was between the pipes and picked up a yellow card in the 26th minute. Pleti was not at his best and was lucky that Grozny’s finishing was off on the day. Rostov have two matches remaining and need some results in order to avoid the relegation playoffs.
-Ante Kvartuč reporting from Southern California with Zach Gilfix out of Minneapolis, Minnesota
O
@ziva istina,
I agree, Sibenik is a “piss stop” for many going from Zadar to Split. Sibenik gets some tourists while the other small towns nearby are truly “hidden gems” of Croatia. Very little or no tourists in the offseason and some of the best seafood you’ll ever have.
If any of you are going down that road, shoot me an email and I will point you in the right direction.
Just like in San Francisco, the best chinese food is not in china town.
@Matko,
welcome
@Allen,
more like a 7 game suspension like Ron Artest..
@Armada
We’ll hook up when I get back to NY
Great goal
What a screamer that was…
Whoever says Luka doesn’t have a nice shot, I hope they didn’t miss his goal a few minutes ago. Bravo is all I can say.
don’t know where to post this but…..wow……great modric goal! thats why he needs to be more aggressive offensively.
A move to PSG would be a shock. I know they have money to burn with their owners, but I would still be surprised.
My best guess is that he will be sold in the 32-35 million range.
Some new rumours are linking Modric to PSG for 44 million euros. Apparently ManU are also interesting in bolstering their midfield with him too.
@ Svircina
Then why answer…?
@ On topic
I really hope for the best in the Euros, and I just started a Fantasy Euros Football Team with my pals. Besides me, one other person is rooting for Croatia! Should be interesting.
Did I just read a Ziva comparison to Fidel Castro? Watch out Denis, you might get a five day suspension for that.
I guess Bilic is interested in bringing Hoffenheim’s midfielder Boris Vukčević to the repka before euros.
http://www.index.hr/euro-2012/clanak/odakle-sad-ovo-slaven-bilic-u-njemackoj-bacio-udicu-borisu-vukcevicu-/612871.aspx
@ Svircina
Thanks for the kind words buddy. Don’t forget to shoot me a text when your back in the Big Apple.
I’ve been called an Italian, Communist – what’s next? Gypsy? haha People really need to lighten up on this site. I’ll be the first to admit I get wrapped up in some of the shit slinging on this site, but like Svircic and others have said, it’s all fun and games on here.
@Svircina……..well said. And to you girls who get uptight. Relax……
Honestly, it could be worse, instead of being from Bezigrad or the home of “budi sebican, budi splican”, you could be from Sibenik. Remember, that city is a good landmark to let you know you are about halfway between Zadar and Split. Always a good time for a bathroom break at the rest stop off the magistrala.
@Matko,
Obviously, I didn’t answer your question. If I had a clue about the league I would have answered your question.
@Ziva,
I agree, Zagreb sucks in the summer time.
@Ante B,
Well said. copy that.
@Dukic,
Ziva is like Fidel Castro. You might find out who he is but dificult to find him. Ziva Istina once taught a German shepherd to bark in Spanish. On every continent in the world, there is a sandwich named after him. The police often question him, just because they find him interesting.
@Curt, Tomo, Sime, Jarac, Dukic
You guys still dont get Ziva Istina. He’s like Adam Sandler making fun of the Jews. I dont see any jewish people protesting in the streets of New York.
The guy obviously loves Croatia, talks a little shit, pushes your button, and then disappears into space. All fun and games.
I know us Dalmatinci get sensitive if anyone says anything negative about their town or questions their character or manhood.
Its all fun and games.
Lakers, Dodgers,& Angels WIN !!! Just a great day 4 our locals. Bog , Hrvati , i Hajduk !!! P.S. Ziva . What the hell is wrong with U ? Have U been drinking all day ? Dude take it eazy man . Don’t be talking crap about Split man !!! Be cool not a fool !!!
Svircic is right. Zagreb is the best in the off season when you can actually feel the pulse and life of the city. Ziva is right too…Zagreb sucks in the summer, unless you stay up in gornji grad where the breeze picks up at night and cools you down. If you’re down by Trnje or Tresnjevka, it’s hotter than a goat in China.
GO TO CROATIA IN THE OFFSEASON. MESSAGE!
Maybe the ziva istina is that ziva is yugo
@jarac….I knew what I was doing. I didn’t think it would offend anyone and I don’t care that it did. It was a play on words…
@sime….just having some fun with splicani and their me-first attitude. It’s what makes them so unique.
@Ziva , what the f–k . Your talking sh-t about split now too. What a dick .Your just making friends in every town . What the hell is wrong with you ? Dont be a assh-le .
@Ziva,
Just calling you out on your bullshit. Your being a troll, you knew you would offend people and get a response, but u tried to play dumb and pretend u didn’t know what ur doing.
@svircina……..ZG is always good time – being dalmo or no dalmo. The only time ZG sucks is during the summer months because it dies down a bit and the humidity is too much.
@jarac……yeah, so what???? I said it….bezigrad, bezigrad, bezigrad….i felt I can say it because I have family from there and lived there for a while….so what??? here is a life lesson for you. don’t take an issue to things so easily that you read on random internet message boards. Imagine the horror you must have encountered after reading the words “bezigrad.” hell, it wasn’t me who made up the term, so relax, pobro. In fact maybe you should be more like the people of Split. Be selfish and think only of yourself. “Budi sebican, budi Splican”….now that has a good motto to it.
dukicu, don’t let him get to you. hopefully he shows up in san pedro so we can tear him up along with everyone else.
Saved by the bell , was the greatest show .
ahhhh diaspora! veliki hrvati, jadni ste.
@jarac
svaka cast
@svircina
bin laden was found. i think i can find ziva.
@Ziva,
You knew exactly who u would offend and the reaction you would get by using the term “bezigrad” you dick and then u post some bullshit, oh i didn’t know people would be offended, get the f*** out u troll. By the why I’m not from Zadar, but I respect my fellow hrvati, unlike you.
@ Ziva Svircina
You completely evaded my question. I’m talking about the difficulty of the league, not what other people think of it. Nice try, though.
Where is San Pedro at ?
Armondo 89306410632 is like that cook on public tv Lidia Bastianich . She is all for italia too like that other lady armando 895306317 even tho they r Croatian .
“And if I ever make it to San Pedro again (been there a few times), will I have to speak English or in Croatian or possibly Spanish, because last time I was there the guys my age understood Spanish more than Croatian.”
Well said, sad but true…..
Diaspora…VELIKI HRVAT….
1) Learn the language…
2) Learn the history…..
3) Visit Croatia, not in the summer times for girls gone wild, but in the offseason when you can feel the city, feel the country, feel the people… and speak Croatian(which you have learned by now) and talk about the history…. which only people know best…. not what is written in text books..
4) Wear your Hajduk Split shirt in Prague…..
sippin on domaca medica…. taking it easy in prag…
@dukic,
take it easy man. You know ziva is out there just f…ing around about everyone. I never met the guy, dont know his name, have no clue where he is from, but I’m sure he comes in peace.
Why make uniforme no good
Armada87 is good in my good. Had a chance to meet this young chap on the east coast. He is entitled to his own opinion, but in the end he waves the Croatian flag.
@Matko,
NO one gives a f about football in prague. Spent hours trying to find a bar to show Man City-ManU and no one had a clue. We did run into a bar showing the Czech league and no one was watching.
I take off to Croatia for a few weeks and all hell breaks loose. Zagreb did a number on me last week. All of you dalmatinci that think Zagreb sucks are only lying to yourself. Too bad I’m not 5-10 years younger and single.
I will be in Prague until Friday and then back to the beautiful US of A. Finally checked out the birthplace of Hajduk Split… u fleku bar in Prague…
http://ppm.powerplaymanager.com/bs/pp-magazin-artikal.html?data=hr-4932-1911-2011-godine-prolaze-ljubav-ostaje
Ante taking over croatianSports.com the past few weeks or so. Lots of comments out there trying to divide us Croatians instead of uniting us.
Croatia 1-1 Ireland
Croatia 2-1 Italy
Croatia 0-2 Spain
Croatia makes quarters….
we dont need Lovren…. did just fine without him in Istanbul.
veliki pozdrav iz Praha…
#1 Lakerfan
Armada , ide nase U italiu , pizdo .
@ Ziva
haha – yeah, we get together and we try to figure out ways to break away from Croatia and re-join and re-connect to our “true” brothers in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
😉
The only time I get into it (and I use that term very loosely) is over Dinamo v Hajduk which almost instantly turns into Svaka cast, let’s go take a shot.
@Armada…that’s because at your Istrian gatherings you guys are discussing Italian current events……sorry, couldn’t resist 😉
quite honestly I’ve never heard anyone praise Tito…I think we all know who he was…interstingly enough though, not everyone has always supported EVERYTHING about Pavelic…but they also don’t talk about it at zabava’s! I like our community where I live…yeah there’s some political crap here and there but for the most part I really like the majority of people, our Dom and the events we have…its very rare you see anyone talk shit!
Well, it never gets brought up at Istrian get-togethers because we never bought into any of the bullshit propaganda 😀
krasna zemljo, Istro mila dome roda hrvatskogggggggggg 😀
Slavonac,
I was at a Cro wedding last weekend and the answer is simple: it’s because people don’t say stupid ass shit like this or hide behind monikers-avatars with other Cros. Could you imagine somebody praising Tito or denouncing Pavelic in the diaspora at a party?! NEVER! If they did, you know what would happen. You can’t compare.
why do you guys find it necessary to offend each other? life’s complicated enough and some of the things people write are very offensive and stupid…its part of the our community I dont understand.
I went to a zabava last weekend and had an awesome time…it was really nice to see everyone from several generations… and the young guys in particular made me feel proud…they have tons of respect for us older guys and we ate, drank and listened to our local Croatian band all night…with zero incidents and stupidity!
I dont understand why people feel the need to be insulting or disrespectful…dont we all have a common interest?
Lipa nam je Hrvatka dobro je milosevic reka Tudmanu imat cet drzavu a necete znati vladati nju. Lako je diaspori tako, kako rekli Proud to be croat, kada dodete ode sa dollare i kurcite se a mojima je bilo bolje prije u bivsoj ako si radija ima si a sada onaj ko nema ima najvise di to ima, Ja volim hrvatku ali ovakvu ne di u oni dani 1990-1995 ponos i svi za jedan jedan za svi, 90% Hdz nemozes biti 100 godina komunist a onda Demokrat je. jebi ga i nadam se nemoze gore.
speaking of prvi maj……got a good laugh at these May 1 protestors walking the streets today. I have no clue why they are bitching or complaining, but after one look at them and how they are dressed there is no way i would ever hire them for a job.
Fricken anarchists
Druze Tito, dalje truni u paklu. Pusi kurac ko te jebe mozemo i bez tebe sugoslavijo!
@ Ante
i sina
i Duh Sveti
amen!
Drug Tito the Master destroyed Pavelic, and The Apprentice Doktor Franjo Tudman Detroyed Milosevic.
U ime Oca….
I’m breaking the mold, Ante.
I’ll do whatever I can to become a real Hrvat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoVc3naNvDI Dok smo bili “drugovi” živeli smo kao gospoda….a sad? Upravo tako… Nekad se uživalo, sad se preživavljava, i to jedva.
or Rafa Boban*
You need a lot more than that. Plus they wouldn’t let you in to Heaven. Talk to the the dead? I thought you commies were atheists. Isn’t religion the opium of the masses?
I was actually thinking of hunting down one of those people that can talk to the dead (I think they’re called ‘mediums’?) and seeing if they can put me in touch with Ante Pavelic. Maybe through that way he can help me channel my inner Ustasa and help me become a ‘real’ Hrvat and not the self hating, wannabe Hrvat I am now.
Jebi ga takvi smo. @ armada i agree with alot of things you post so consilation prize haha.
@ Ante B happy may 1 labor day zivija drug tito i doktor franjo tudman Master and apprentice!
You guys do realize Ziva said basically nothing to what you guys are referring to? There is a glorious amount of putting words into his mouth. Also to u self hating prvi maj celebrating commies, the only people you can call to heal yourselves is the nearest Glock or Winchester outlets and use said product on yourselves.
@ Dalmatinac
“STOP fighting on this site man this is the problem with croatians we hate ourslves let alone other people!”
I’m one of those ‘self-hating’ Hrvati, I just can’t help it!!! Anybody know who I can contact to cure this self-hating’ness?
STOP fighting on this site man this is the problem with croatians we hate ourslves let alone other people! Anyway alittle more than one month left till the euro and our obrana is like Svedski sir reka Goluza, i have no confidence in this team like i said in the past those who are optimistic God bless you all.
@Soja……..at least get it right, I’ve been to Cro twice. 😉 And who says I am not invloved in politics.
@Dukic…..what nonsense are you babbling about. You are the one equauting “bezigrad” for something else. I never said I was smarter than anyone else (others have). I just post random thoughts – some serious and some not-so-serious – like everyone else who posts. Some of my posts get reponses and some do not. But, it appears I have touched a small berve with you. I had no clue you would be so sensative in me using the term “serb Subasic” and “bezigrad or bjezigrad”.
I leave it at this……Since most people don’t care what you and I are writing about back-and-forth, you can send comments/reactions my way via twitter: @ziva_istina (although, I am yet to fully embrace it) or email me directly at zivaistina@ymail.com and I can respond to you in that manner.
By the way……flipping through the channels I just found Charles in Charge….outstanding
Leave Ziva alone hes been to croatia one time and hes one of those who thinks by going to church and that za dom spremni crap makes him some rebel croatian my God man who ever thinks your posts are good should go to the highway and just throw themselves infront of a Sleper or for dumb diaspora non speaking croats 18 wheeler jadna ti pamet you are to true croatian diaspora your the King of Countering arguments some one will say example Jelavic is great you will come on these message boards and say no he is not great he is fantastic which is the same thing, all you do is start crap and your opinion is all that count Steta sto nisi Politicar!
go fuck yourself. you ignorant fuck. you cant be saying shit that people have been affected by. you are part of the reason all croatian communities are fucked up in the diaspora. you think youre smarter then everybody else and talk shit. go fuck yourself. jebat cu ti mate kad te vidin.
Easy does it…..it was a joke. No more and no less of a joke that I have made in the past about purgeri or hercegovci in ZG. I never mentioned any aunt, you did. Go re-read what I wrote, it was all written and typed as a joke. Now, if you can’t understand a joke or don’t like the joke, well that is not my problem.
So, here is what I did…..as someone who has spent time in ZD and has some family in ZD, I made a joke that some people referred to ZD as “bjezigrad” or “bezigrad” during the war. Was it funny????? it was to me.
And if I ever make it to San Pedro again (been there a few times), will I have to speak English or in Croatian or possibly Spanish, because last time I was there the guys my age understood Spanish more than Croatian.
So, as I prepare to watch the rest of the episode where David tries to win back Donna, relax a little bit and realize it was a joke – maybe a bad joke, but a joke nonetheless – and chill out.
As I have pointed out in the past…..take the emotion out of it.
Sretno
i just want ziva to come out to san pedro and tell all those people from skabrnja what he is telling me. he has no balls. hiding behind his name. but he is gonna get what is coming to him. if its the last things i do.
This place is ridiculous sometimes. Ziva Istina is the biggest troll here so pay him no mind at all. He’s a miserable c0cksucker who would also like the same of you.
@ziva
when my aunt stayed in the village and didnt want to run away and got brutally raped and shot in the head is that fucking funny. or the massacre in skarbrnja. is that fuckin funny. you crossed the fuckin line. jebat cu ti mate kad te vidim. saznat cu ja ko si. jadni ti majka kad saznam kugo jedno usrano.
Have mercy
I wanna say it was Andrea haha
Orofice ALERT!!! Orofice ALERT!!!
The Peach Pit and The MAX!! Holy shit that brings me back. Why not go to The Smash Club (Full House) after and talk to Uncle Jessie about Greek tactics. Maybe he could give us some pointers on how to defend Spain/Italy.
Or even that nerd chick with the glasses on 90210, Adriana? Kakva kobasica bi ona dobila jbt
@ Ante B
Check out the show “White Collar” on USA. Tiffany Thiesssen is on it and she’s still a piece of ass.
Amazing reference although I am much more partial to The Max, the after school hangout spot on Saved by the Bell. What I would’ve done to Kelly and Jessie’s orofices if given the chance as a younger man
@ Tom
Yes, your mighty Hajduk does have more trophies than my Rijeka. But in the last few years – let’s call a spade a spade; neither Rijeka or Hajduk have been setting the HNL on fire.
Yes, we’re just a bunch of Italian sympathizers in Fiume, I mean Rijeka. We might as well change our team colors to red, green and white.
I just have a quick question for you. What was Split called between the 1400 to the 1700’s (that’s 300 years)? Spalato? Is that a Croatian name? Sounds like it to me.
Just curious, I know how the HNL is frowned upon many times. But how is the Czech league compared to the HNL? Much better, or eh: so-so?
Who knows, Jarac may be a self-hating Zadranin.
Now moreimportant things to do. Re-runs of Beverly Hills 90210 are on later. Nothing quite like seeing the gang hang out at the Peach Pit.
Ziva you’re welcome. I was taught that if a Zadranin likes you, they will Make fun of you. You’re applying that to your city. It’s hillarious. Jarac, skoncentriraj se!
Jarac,
Daj procitaj kaj sam napisao prije nego kajo tak blajfas kontra mene
ranko, smiri se….nije kraj svita. ali bilo je smijesno.
@Ziva
stvarno si kreten covijek, nez nas o cemu ti pricas, i pravis se pametan ali si najveci peder na ovaj portal. Nije bjezigrad, nego je bezigrad. Jel znas zasto se pisas u ekavski? Jer to je bilo cetnickih propaganda na radio knin. Nisi ti za dom spreman, nego ponosis kao srbin.
@Ante B.
Mislis da je to smijesno, sram te bilo!
armada , go back to your rejka and say hi to all the italians . Comparing Hajduk to your rejka is a joke . Ide doma te i tvoj govna team rejka , pizda .
My mom was born in Melborune so I respect where your from MelbCro but that being said like Will Farrell always like to say..
AMERICA!
Thanks Ante…..sometimes the truth hurts the blind homers.
Either way, all done and said in good fun.
Ziva keeps proving time and time again as to why he’s the best poster (other than me of course). Not only does the guy speak the truth, know the game, know the players but he can also poke fun at his own, take it as well as dish it. All in the while doesn’t get emotional. Svaka cast. And the Bjezigrad reference? Wow…even from a purger. I’m sure I’d get my ass kicked for saying that but I digress.
@ Tom
suti cigan – navuci cu ti picku preko glave.
@Dukic and Jaso…..polako decki….I have family in ZD as well. But, that doesn’t change what zadrani were referred to back in the day. I’m sure you have heard of the term “bjezigrad”
@ Allen
“This is America, not Europe where you can root for different teams that you grew up with. Were not dumb Europeans”
Oh this is America. So I’m in America now Allen? Thank you for that insight, and here I was thinking that I was in Australia. And also I’m pretty sure you are European as well. Or are you now no longer white? Do you know what you can do Allen, you can stick your Amreican parochialism up your arse
L.A. Kings Win !!! Lead series 2-0 . Playing like a team on a mission to win the cup.
Some of you guys are smoking some good stuff.
Scratch Lovren off the sheet:
Lovren’s most likely out for Euros. Anything having to do with the achilles takes quite a long time to heal properly. If he wants to have a longer career, you better believe he’ll happily miss out on the Euro cup to not further damage things. The fact that he was crying in the dressing room just shows how bad it most
likely is. Luckily he’s young and can heal faster and still have a good career.
@Pletikosa haters
If you don’t want Pletikosa playing now, then you must really want our team to lose. You guys are throwing out all these guys who have little to no experience on a high stage. Hell, Delac is playing in timbuktu putting up “decent” numbers. I’d take Pletikosa over a decent Czech league youngster any day.
Corluka is going to be fine. He needs some rest anyways. He could never get through a whole season without some kind of problem, but we don’t need to worry about an entire season.
Stipe bailed us out a couple times in qualifiers, I’m not too down on him. He isn’t the most secure, but he’s the best Croatia has to offer right now. I wouldn’t say he is the worst keeper in Euro, but as Ziva said deinfetly the bottom third. Ukraine’s might be the worst, Pyatov slaps the ball around like a fool (not sure if he is their #1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsm0ys9JveI
Best of Pletikosa!!
Do remember he is one of the best performance gk in euro 2008 (he is linked to man united at that time)…Lets hope he can produce the same form again…
With respect to Keleva.
F*ck me. If a 12 year old can’t kick a ball better than him, I’d be surprised.
Did anybody catch that Malmo match? I was in tears from laughter watching this guy shank a goal kick time and time again. It got to the point that the defender was taking goal kicks – I haven’t seen that since I was 10 years old.
Back to Jelavic – I think the reason many had doubts about him is because of his success in the Scottish League, which isn’t a great league.
To give us some perspective on the Scottish League, they are currently ranked 18th in the UEFA co-efficient (not a perfect science, then again they have spain, england and germany as top leagues). Croatia is 21st. To give more perspective, Scotland is defending 10.25 points from 2007/08. Once that falls off the table, their ranking will go to 29 (or so) which puts them in the Bulgarian or Hungary League category. Croatia will continue at 22 or so.
Yes the HNL is not the best league but of the smaller eastern euro countries, it holds its own when compared to them.
I also had doubts about Jelavic. Glad I was wrong.
need GPS Kelava”.
AHAHAHA. Man i can hate on Ziva a lost but he’s has his moments of brilliance. That was hilarious.
haha, this site has exploded and I’m throwing fuel on the fire.
@ Armada
Are tom and Curt the same people? haha
LOL armada , Peder uedan . Ide u kuratz te i tvoj rejka team . Pizda .
e moj ziva. for your sake i hope i never know who you really are. jebat cu ti mamicu sto posto pizdo jedno usrano. a odakle si ti pizdo jedno usrano?
Aj Ziva sto su zvali zadrane u vrime rata ajde reci nam pametnu, di si ti bija kad je rat bija u amerika macdonalds zdera 100 posto.
@ Tom
I’m not an asshole! You’re MEAN!
…
lol
wtf – how old are you? 6?
Easy boys……It’s all good that you know and love serb Subasic. I have no problem with him playing for the repka, but he is a serb or croatian orthadox (if that is how you prefer to say it). Either way, he is not a national team-caliber GK. I think we can all agree to that.
By the way, you do know what the people of Zadar were called Zadar during the war??????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKqoYPUUd7Y i Hope this Stipe dont show up at euros
@jaso
yea he is from zadar. i see him every summer im there. he is best friends with my cousin. ziva is a piece of shit. you lost all my respect for saying shit like that.
How is subasic a serb? i know him since hes from zadar.
Armada is a JERK ! Dont let his dumb ass get to you guys.
@ziva istina
dont call subasic a serb you dumbfuck. you dont even know the guy. fuck off you cunt. e to je sada ziva istina pedercino.
@armada 87654321 ,dissect this , your the only asshole i see !!!
Pletikosa is definately on the bottom third of that list, but he still better dead than a lving “serb Subasic” or “need GPS Kelava”.
@Jaso
Stock value. Thank you sir!
Looking at goalkeepers at euro 2012 and Our beloved Stipe is the weakest of the 16 dont believe me look at the goalkeepers
A
Poland- Szezeny
Greece-Tzorvas
Czech-Cech
Russia-Akenfeev
B
Germany- Neuer
Holland-Stekelenburg
Portugal-Eduardo
Denmark-Sorensen
C
Spain-Casillas
Italy-Buffon
Ireland- Given
Croatia- Stipe
D
England-Hart
France Loris
Ukraine-Shovkoskiy
Sweden-Isaksson
dosadni ljudi…
Croatia media also said Darijo Srna was headed to Stamford Bridge to sign with Chelsea a few years ago. I don’t believe those fools for one minute.
@ Curt
Let me just dissect that incoherent blurb you posted before.
“Vukusic will play in the Euro’s.” – No.
“Mark my words !!!” – Right.
“He deserves it.” – Again, no.
“how can U not be for Hajduk?” – If you’ve been paying attention (hey… drugs can make you lose focus), my username is ARMADA, which is case you didn’t know, is the main supporter group for RIJEKA, which is one of Hajduk’s biggest rivals. We hate Hajduk probably more than any other team. If we somehow manage to stay in the 1.HNL this season and re-tool, we’re gonna come down to Poljud and blow the doors off that place. You heard it here first, buddy 😉
So – let that all sink in, take a listen to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2sMvFRp2Y
and see you assholes next season 😉
SAMI PROTIV SVIH
@ MIhovil i think ziva meant he scored pocket wise cuz he played againt poland and his price went up.
Bravo Mishko tako je ova drzava je ukurcu i ono malo sto imamo nogomet HNS pederi su nam unistili.
Football, Euros are o close but i have no feeling for them euro 96 to 2008 i was so hyped and the country was getting ready muzika piva rostiljada singing but this year i have no feeling for it maybe its this Kriza or the Repka Kriza i dnot believe in this team maybe when the opening kickoff i’ll change my mind but i really am looking for our worst tournament in history 0 point i hope im wrong.
@Ziva Istina
“He used it on Kalinic the last time and he actually scored.”
In regards to Kalinic scoring during Euro 2008 that is news to me. Unless I am missing something?
Damn Curt……not sure if you are legit or just trying to be a troll on this site.
Vukusic may make the roster if Bilic decides to use the final roster spot on a kid. It will be Vukisic or Kovacic if that is the case. He used it on Kalinic the last time and he actually scored. but, that had more to do with who Kalinic’s agent was. I have no idea who represents Vukusic or Kovacic, but that is something to look at.
The Mishko perspective, and no this isn’t about nogomet.
Nogomet is something that children do. While we rant and rave about our countrymen representing Croatia in Euro 2012, what the fuck does that actually mean for the people of Croatia?
In a nutshell, NOTHING, because there is no financial impact.
Look at our little country that I’d personally love to move back too, and for what? After the war the communists just changed their titles from communist to democrat, and now the socialist run the show and the country voted to join the European Union? Are you kidding me.
I would be SOOO proud if the country I was raised in actually worked at reinvesting in itself, kicked out these God damn communists that are only mafia thugs, actually hung them in the streets of Zagreb, then I could say that’s a country worth living in, and proudly say, I’m Croatian.
In 2013 we’ll be part of this piece of shit European Union, run by fractional reserve banking cartels which will line the pockets of the new political party and burden the country with debt the country will never be able to repay.
Talking to my cousins back home, we have a lot of smart people, and a lot of lazy sons of bitches. So the solution is to give the smart people things to do, and the lazy sons of bitches no other choice but to stop being lazy. Communism and Socialism breeds lazy people.
I guess my point is, that since our freedom from Yugoslavia we’ve been trying to build our identity as a strong people, a people worth something, and we’ve done that.
As a whole we’re pretty damn nice people, we still care about family, friends and concern ourselves about, “How are YOU”, and we have a great history that we’ve forgotten, and the bankers love that. But at the end of the day, how Croatia does in the Euro’s has no fucking bearing on Croatia.
Is Modric or any of the footballers investing back into Croatia. I don’t know, but they should, and the next question is could they without being ripped off.
Personally I think that Croatia needs to clean house from top to bottom. Validate our laws, which I haven’t read, and build an environment that promotes success and hard work and truly loves its people.
Until then we’re just another name on a piece of paper. I’d love to see Ron Paul visit Croatia and give his opinion and what he would do in our shoes.
I love you all,
Mishko
@ armada 8678 , No drugs here. Just calling em as i see em!!! Vukusic will play in the Euro’s . Mark my words !!! He deserves it. As for being a homer , how can U not be for Hajduk , with there rich history , and the beautiful city of Split !!! What is not to Love ? Bog, Hrvati , i Hajduk !!! TORCIDA 4 LIFE !!!
Its weird that they say he’s(lovren) doubtful over an injury that supposedly cleared the scans. What is it soft tissue, ligement damage?
As allen19 said, lets hope he gets healthy. Even though lovren has never had any standout games for the repka, i hate to see the backline more depleted and stretched than it already is.
Is Lovren hurt ? Boy i could not tell by reading these comments . DUH
I’ve looked at Dejan Lovren Facebook. The Lyon coach said Lovren went to the hospital and will be wearing a plaster during 14 days. “Because it’s a very strange injury, it’s difficult to tell how long it will take to heal but according to his coach, it will be “chaud”, this means it can be okay just in time, or just too late.
@ Wallace,
Nope. The 30,000 include all the keepers. We’d probably be close to 100,000 if we kept EVERYTHING.
strange, Croatian media reporting Lovren’s injury is a 14-day one and should have no problems for Euro but when you read the international media they are saying its doubtful.
Lovren himself says he should be ok in 2-3 weeks, hopefully he is. My biggest worry is he does get fit but re-injures himself, that would be our luck
Jelavic also showed great skill when his first touch from a long aerial pass allowed his second touch to be a strong shot on goal, which hit the post; shortly after that, he won a corner kick which resulted in Everton’s second goal.
Pranjic also showed first rate skill by eluding four defenders in his own half and passing to a teamate thereby successfully keeping possession. It was not a ‘dime a dozen’ play and therefore should be noted.
One more thing, does the “epic” 30th thousand comment include the HUNDREDS of comments of mine that have been erased? You are going to utter my name on your death beds, you can take that to the bank; for he who can dissect the past is infinitely more equiped to predict the future. You see, all the anti-white bullshit many of you so readily adhere to is not going to be abolished; instead, it’s going to be flipped and used against YOU anti-whites a thousandt fold.
AllenOutraged – many of us were uncertain of Jelavic when he went to the EPL for good reason BUT we are all incredibly happy for him and for our National Team! I was not sure and I admit that…I made comments saying he didnt turn particularly well and didnt seem to be a great one on one type of player…but he knows where to be…he hold’s up the ball very well and his first time finishing is unbelievable!
I remember when dado Prso first came to the NT…he kinda came outaa nowhere and did very well…these thibgs happen and when a player achieve’s…its because of many reasons…one huge factor is where he is playing (meaning what team and coach…system…formation) …and then confidence. it can work in reverse as well. players like Pranjic could thrive in another team and get a lot of attention if he is at the right club…well, look what happened to him at Bayern…he plays for a great club but doesnt get much playing time…maybe if he went to a team like Wolfsburg or even Liverpool he would have had a better chance at being used more often…that said most players want to achieve at the highest level so they go for the better teams…maybe Kranjcar should have gone to a middle iof the road team as well?
Alen Halilovic, 16 years old an playing for Dinamo Zagreb is tracked by Juventus.
I refuse to take part in any more back and forth arguments that don’t involve with soccer. I’ve done enough of that crap on the site and I don’t want to do it anymore because it’s not fair to the people that actually want to talk about Croatian soccer. All I’m going to say is that people shouldn’t take sports too seriously. This is America, not Europe where you can root for different teams that you grew up with. Were not dumb Europeans and yeah I’ll use dumb because I do think it’s pathetic when people get hurt or killed just because they want to root for something different. I grew up with those teams, you got a problem with it wah wah.
I was always a Jelavic fan but based on his national performances in qualifiers I was a bit down on him but if your memory was so great, i was hoping that he can become the true Croatian striker that we desperately need. You don’t post much so I have no idea who you are which I’m sure nobody really knows who you are which is fine. Anyway let’s all hope for Lovern to get healthy and more intelligent people that can refrain from cursing like idiots on the site.
Let’s hope he is a quick healer….
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/croatias-lovren-uncertain-euro-2012-155749367–soccer.html
Hope lovern injury is not to serious, he’s had some shaky performances for the repka but still that back line is thin as ice and we need every option available! Corluka must be ok something would have appeared if he sustained any real injury! Perisic named in the team of the week in Germany. i think jelavic has to start that guy in a sick form and seems to me is the better player than mandzo when it comes to being a pure striker. i honestly believe no matter what olic starts in bilic’s mind, i think the next strike option is between mandzo and jelavic and i think the nod should go to jelavic.
@Ante Kvartuč
http://www.24sata.hr/nogomet/nije-bas-tako-strasno-vec-za-dva-tjedna-lovren-ce-trenirati-264056
Should be a good contest between Man U and Man City.
Hahaha Slaven is one point behind Hajduk for the number 2 spot in the league. Hajduk is lucky though as they were scheduled to play Varazdin, so that’s 3 free points this weekend. But if they don’t take 6 pts from the next 2 games, and Slaven does, it will give us another reason to laugh at the league 🙂 There’s your HNL update today. Sorry I haven’t been following the boycott….
Manchester derby? Yeah, it will be an entertaining match. I’ll watch it today.
@ Jersey
Do you have slink for that Lovren news? Regarding Corluka, I looked all over the net for an hour last night about his injury. Nothing. That’s good news I suppose. Let’s see if he plays in the season finale.
Manchester Derby today at 3pm eastern. Does anybody care?
Nice to meet ya too?
Dumbass! I am not new to this site moron. You must have the memory of goldfish.
Let m re-fresh your small mind, i am the one who said you have no sense of loyalty or alligence to your roots or home state. You live in new york city and yet you show your loyalty by supporting atlanta and miami. TURNCOAT! but yet you go and envolve yourself and join in with the Giants superbowl celebrations. What is up with that? CHUMP!
You piece of shit you have no right to front me, i call it like it is!, now you gonna deny you said those things about jelavic. Even before his first game you said something like, “i cant see jelavic doing much” or “he will have a stinker”something along those lines.
Thats the thing about me, my memory dosent evade me like yours.
Oh, and i am the one whom so fittingly gave you the moniker “allenOVERRATED” which you well deserve.
Remember Now! Little shit!
Just over a month away and plenty of concerns and some reasons for hope.
the concerns:
the backline. It’s pretty much a given that at least two of the players who will make the roster abd are legit options to start are Vida and Simunic. Because they play in the HNL, they have not played a legit match since being eliminated in the Champions League group stages. Any matched in the HNL simply do not prepare them for the Euros. This may not mean anything, but lack of quality matches does not help.
The positives: the play of Jelavic and Perisic to end the season. Plus, Mandzukic has been a consistent starter for Wolfsburg. Add in Modric and Rakitic and I think you have your 5 players that are almsot assured of starting on the offensive end.
Pranjic is leaving Bayern in the summer, likely move to an EPL mid-table side.
Lovren is out about 2 weeks, will be ready for Euro’s unless he has further complications
@ Curt
What drugs are you on dude that you think Vukusic should start at the Euros? Take off those Hajduk homer glasses and tune into reality some time; Hajduk are trash this year (along with the rest of the HNL). Vukusic isn’t any where near the NT, unless our current batch of strikers start getting injured. Give the kid a few more years and a move out of the HNL, then we’ll see what’s what. Until then, lay off the crack my friend.
I said./. that Perisic and Jelavic have a due to get starting 11;. go to Bilic and say “I wanna score for Croatian team”. other say that Mandzukic tell for 4-3-3 and ” i get to start ,.,.in 3 FW”.
@ Mate Cleveland,
Spot on. Welcome to CroatianSports! Are you a long-time listener, first time caller or have you been posting Anonymous?
In case of someone still take care about HNL, NK Rijeka is now in a relegated Spot and the worst thing if that theirs direct rival Inter zapresic will receive 3 points in the last round because they were supposed to play against Varteks.
Lakers, Clippers & Dodgers WIN !!! Good times in L.A. Tonight . Let ‘s party !!!
H.Gent nice to meet ya too, it’s a damn shame the new comers on the site are becoming more dumb as we come along.
If you were on the site long enough, I would always rave about Jelavic. I was saying how at the beginning of 2011 that he has the most potential to become the complete striker that Croatia has needed for so long now. I’ve always liked him a lot but he had some holes in his game. He still does but how can you not like what your saying. He’s being productive in the best league in the world, much respect to him. I
All the vulgar comments on the site makes you look bad so for people that want to say homo and all other garbage, stop being internet tough guys and talk like normal human beings.
Let’s all hope Corluka and Lovern are healthy because without those two, the back four looks like a complete joke.
Wow… I haven’t agreed so much with a post in a while as I just did with Cleavland’s. Good stuff and post more often.
I’m not worried about our young players, as Croats tend to be late bloomers anyway.
I still remember in 2006 WC qualifying, Modric didn’t even play and he was called up for the first time in some friendly after that campaign when he was already 21. There were no calls for him to be a starter at WC2006 either. It was when Bilic decided to start him, Eduardo, and Corluka in that Italy friendly before the Euro2008 qualifiers that really made people take notice that he should be a permanent starter.
Croats, genetically, aren’t like Brazilians where they have the body of a 28-year old at age 17. Yet, at the same time, they don’t get washed up and fat with their bodies breaking down at age 28-30 like a lot of Brazilians do as well.
Kovacic has done well so far at age 17. I give him extra points for doing it despite not being Brazilian or African. He has the body of a 17-year old kid and managed to hold his own against 30-year olds in the CL. As he gains experience, he will grow physically as well, and I expect him to be a star by the age of 23.
Cleveland , good man
I completely agree with you Ziva, Mateo needs to prove more that he can be a top-league player, but I think he does have that attacking mindset and ability that Modric at time lacks, you very rarely see modric go to dribble somebody, he usually passes it off or makes a quick move then a pass, Mateo has that quality that Ivo Ilicevic has, he likes to run at players and beat them
I know this is only worth a grain of salt, but during Dinamo’s CL campaign, Mateo was one of the very few players that had any sort of impact or a decent game, when Sammir tried to dribble the whole team thinking he had to win the game himself, Mateo played controlled and tried to maintain possession…in short, Mateo has a legitimate future in our national side if he keeps his development up, he’s still only 17, 17 years old, that’s nothing, most players dont start playing professionally until that age or later
Another thing, people have to remember that Modric left dinamo when he was 23, not exactly a young player, so it only makes sense that he had the impact he did, similar to when Kranjcar went to Portsmouth, and Kranjcar was even younger…Modric is by far our best player, but you have to give these young guys a chance, Delac is turning twenty in August, he has a contract with Chelsea (which I think is shit for his development) but he is still an excellent player for his age….people have to think in relative terms, same thing with Vukusic, Ademi, Pamic and a hand full of other players, give them time to develop, if they’re 25 and play for a second division or shit first division german side, then say they flopped, not when they’re 20…HNL serves as a great incubator for these kids, you send them to a good german side when they’re too young, they don’t play and they don’t develop….young players need to play, need to play, that’s the most important thing, worry when they’re older whether or not they panned out, very few players are like rakitic that are playing consistently at great clubs when they’re 19……..by the way, rakitic is our best young talent, because he’s been on the national side for three campaigns already, people act like he’s a vet, he is a vet, a 24 year old vet, give him the respect he deserves, he doesn’t ebb and flow like other good players, he’s consistently good, game in and game out, look to see him play along that left wing this summer or in the center with the defensive midfielder if modric doesn’t take that spot
I never believe the hype for any player in the HNL. That is why I laughed when people were saying Delac was going to be a great gk. The last time I thought a player would come out of the HNL and be an instant impact was modric.
Need to see more from kovacic. I like what I have seen so far, but playing against amateur competition in the HNL does not help him. He has been very good, but has not been great.
He needs to leave dinamo and the HNL sooner than later. If I were Bilic – and I he thinks the kid has something – I would place kovacic on the euro roster. I am a fan of using the last roster spot for a young player.
Ziva – out of curiousity, I haven’t noticed in the past, but what is your thoughts on Mateo Kovacic’s ceiling? You drinking the Kool-Aid or don’t believe the hype?
From what I have seen, it looks as though he has the speed and technical ability to be a super-star. Can he live up to the potential?
Just a quick point about Eduardo. He may not be in form and not have played in a while but he does have some chemistry with Modric.
I remember them two pretty much bailed out Croatia vs. Israel earlier in qualifying. Eduardo also has been known to score or set up very big goals for the national side. Olic vs. England at Wembley, scoring vs. England at Maksimir, scoring vs. Israel to take the lead in a must win.
22 goals in 44 appearances for a strike rate of 50% is handy.
Not saying he’s irreplaceable but the talk about him not being a big loss is premature.
…in a few months he has become one of the most important players of Everton. Every succesfull team has one of two strikers who scores a lot. So I think there’s no doubt about it: Jelavic will play for Hvratska at Euro 2012.
By the way, Ivan Rakitic played the whole 90 minutes for Sevilla in their loss against Real Madrid.
If healthy Jelavic will be in the starting line-up at Euro 2012. I’ve visited the Everton homepage where there was an interview with Slaven Bilic. He told he was exited about Jelavic. Of course he says this, but the way he said this was enough for me to understand Jelavic will be in the team.
To be honest, I always thought it would be Nikola Kalinic who would go far while I never believed in Jelavic. I live in Belgium and saw him play for Zulte Waregen(not even top 10 in a small country as Belgium). He didn’t do a lot in Belgium, most of the time he was even let out of the team by his coach. Then he went to Austria and he scored a lot. “Big deal’ I thought, the Austrian competion is a shit competion. Then he went to Glasgow when he continued to score, but I still thought this was because the Scottisch competition sucked big time. When he went to Everton, I was very sceptical. I didn’t think he would play a lot, but I was wrong. In a few months he ha
I think hes a strong Forward, he should get the start along side Olic, Olic the work horse and Nikica the smooth finished, but our problem isn’t up front or in the middle, its at back
We have No Defense……And Defense wins championships, I say have Bilic coach and hop in for a game or two, hes still got some energy left haha
Croatia can make push qvarter finales but needs Ćorluka and Lovren healthsy. It be sympaty if no helthsy. Da silva is sad no euro. He makes team they hav someones who can score. No make team it sympaty for croatia. I have wait long times to see Du du play in Euros it no good last time. He play 08 maybe final. It real sympaty
And there is no way absolutely no possible way that Bilic is going to set his team around jelavic, absolutely impossible, he’s not even the best player….bilic is going to pick a system that fits best with the pieces he has in hand, I have my opinion of what the system is but please believe bilic knows a fuck ton more than I do, more than any of us do for the bilic bashers on this site
with that said, at least we agree that jelavic and perisic are the two best forwards we have…..maybe jelavic and perisic will start, I’m just not seeing it given bilic’s preferences, jelavic is good but, I don’t know, I’ve talked with a lot of people about it, people here in thestates, people in Croatia, the consensus is that mandzo-olic are our starters….we’ll see, it’s not really that big of a deal, as long as we beat ireland and take points from italy and spain, I think we’ll go through, Italy lost their best player in Giovanni Rossi so it’s going to be rough for them to pull it off
No, vida isn’t going to start, the only way vida starts is if wee play a 4-4-2 and he plays right back, that’s the only fathomable way he’s starting, shildenfeld would step in for him in the center way before vida does it, that’s a big position, very important position to fill with someone that inexperienced, even though he is a very good ball player
Alright CroHrvat, we’ll see what happens come Euros, but ask anyone, anyone that actually knows soccer, and they’re going to tell you the same thing….and yes bro, I do know enough about football considering I’ve played it my whole life, received multiple offers to play Division I but choose to play football instead and have been following professional soccer since my parents bought cable and AOL updated from 2.0…is Jelavic and Perisic a better tandem than Olic and Mandzukic, fuck yea, did they do wonders when Croatia played france in paris, fuck yea, but Mandzo and Olic are still going to start, trust you me
Allen you’re still a homo
we need all the defensive help we can get so i am happy to see that lovren and corluka should be ready to go. we appear to have enough healthy in-form midfielders and striker(s) to be ready. its the backline that worries the crap out of me. got to echo ziva’s earlier comment….we are not a deep roster. an injury or two will really hinder what we can do. some of the other young guys mentioned as possibilities are too young and inexperienced. bilic will not let them sniff the field during the euros. therefore, we need all the experienced talent (i.e. eduardo, krancjar, corluka) ready to go. when wc 2014 starts in the fall, you will see a “house cleaning” of some of the older talent….only then will these kids get their chance.
@mihovil….i have been calling for eduardo on the team all season. if he is healthy, he makes the team and gets a chance as a sub. i agree…..he needs to get his chance at a major tourney. we owe him since he carried us to euro 2008. taking him as the 4th/5th striker should be a no brainer.
also, more modric talk
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/redknapp-unsure-modric-stay-tottenham-114000620–sow.html
he looked much better in today’s game. let’s just pray he stays healthy!!
@IvicA
“Meh. Eduardo is not a big loss at all.”
I would really like to have him there. He just has the knack to score goals and I have always wanted to see him play in a tournament for us since that horrific injury.
“If Corluka and Kranjcar are healthy and match fit, that’s huge for us.”
Massive !!!!!! We need Corluka to start in our lineup! Disputing that is an incorrect answer or discussion on all accounts. Niko needs to be present as well. He has too much talent and whether he starts or not is not as much a concern as the concern over the depth we have going into the tournament. To have him as an option would only help us.
Thank you for the reply on the Estonia lineup. I will try and get a response soon. Nothing major as for the most part I like it. Comments and tinkering. The usual.
Bottom Line 1a & 1b
1a – Perisic & Jelavic
It would nice to see both these guys given a proper chance to be a part of the starting 11. Perisic really impresses me and has from day one, and we need Jelavic to be given a “proper” chance at the starting job until he either keeps his job or loses it. This is applicable to both players. Jelavic is just on fire and I love it!!! Bravo to both for what they have done lately!
Health
1b – I would love to see our entire lineup healthy going into this tournament! When do we ever go into a tournament with all of our players healthy???? Hold on a second and let me check…. Ah, that would be a never.
Looking forward to the Euros! Who am I kidding, I am looking forward to the friendly against Estonia! – LOL!
Imaju dobro dan!
@ Mihovil
Meh. Eduardo is not a big loss at all.
If Corluka and Kranjcar are healthy and match fit, that’s huge for us.
Lovren i Ćorluka bit će spremni za Euro: Najviše brine Eduardo!
http://gol.dnevnik.hr/clanak/nogomet/reprezentacije/lovren-i-corluka-bit-ce-spremni-za-euro-najvise-brine-eduardo.html
@Allenoverrated
You are such a hypocrite. Are you not the guy who said “jelavic is dud and wont do shit in the EPL, the only reason he scores is because the SPL is shit”.
And now you are dick riding jelavic like no tomorrow.
Infact alot of you guys were saying the same thing as mr. overrated here.
Now most have backfliped their Initial statements and some serious brown noseing has began.
I pray for the tear jerking performances of the nineties folks wear I was so proud to be Croatian the rallies in streetsville we had but lets face it we turned out to be a boring team to watch for the few exceptions Istanbul 3-nil we need take changing of the guard and replace some of these starters for some fresh quick legs we are a slow and getting old team fast people lets pray to pray to Boga our prayers are heard so we can see the likes of perisic Ilicivic a smarter Lovren a wiser Vida jela up front and so on Ajde Zivilja Hrvatska -U-
Ante Cash sounds like a tool’s name, nice to meet ya and no my head is fine thank you very much.
Joey Barton needs to leave that dump QPR, what a poor place to play. Thank god Perisic didn’t go there, he’s a wise kid. Rakitic has had a poor season by his standards and will need to impress in the friendlies for Croatia. If he doesn’t then how don’t you start Perisic against Ireland.
I’m very happy to hear about Lovern’s injury not being serious. He’s very important to Croatia as well because he’s one of the few center backs that has big game experience. I really hope Schildenfield doesn’t see the field in the Euro Cup but he’ll probably come on eventually at some point. As for Corluka, well things better be okay for the MVP of the Euro qualifiers. I’ll admit I’m becoming a bit of a Corluka fan boy ( I have been since Germany 2008) but at least he shows up to play every game unlike my past favorite Kranjcar.
Thanks for the info JerseyCro as for Vida, I’d like to see him on the field little as possible. If he has to play, I’ll be greatly concerned. He’s a bit too aggressive as you said and when he dribbles, he always looks out of place. I hate the way he dribbles because it always seems like it’s not productive or going anywhere. Maybe he develops into a center back I’m not sure but he worries me.
I think we all here agree that Jelavic is a no brainer as a starter. Having said that, until I see that he is starting for Cro in the euros I wont believe it till I see it because I just am not convinced that Bilic will have him in the starting line up! Is Bilic the type of coach that believes in loyalty to his players? These guys got us to the euros they will start? or is he the type where he just realizes and says fuck it, this guy is better than that guy and he gives us a better chance to win!
The Croatian national team doctor reports 10-14 days, but further tests will be done tomorrow, hopefully thats not a jinx
Corluka’s injury hopefully isn’t serious because I tried looking it up but there is no news. Hopefully its just a case where he needed to come off and only needs a few days to recover
And Vida did start both matches against Turkey, at right back even though he is a better CB. Vida is a good aggressive defender, sometimes a little too aggressive, doesn’t shy away from a tackle
@AllenOutraggged haha di ti je joey barton protiv Chelsea U picke kenije eto di je -U- so far anyway -U-
Good news about Dejan Lovren. His coach said that there is no fracture. So probably Lovren will be ready for Euro 2012. By the way I’ve checked some French website and the website of Olympique Lyon. If my French is well enough: Lovren is vey popular in France and even more, the Lyon-fans consider him as very important.
I still didn’t find any news about Corluka though. I think that’s good, if the injury was that bad, it would be spread around the world already.
I saw the commentary for the match real madrid vs sevilla…
FREE-KICK TO SEVILLA! 25 yards from goal. Rakitic is lining it up…
That is one of the worst free-kicks I’ve seen all season! Rakitic’s effort will probably meet Sergio Ramos’ penalty from during the week against Bayern in a couple of days. 75′
Ante case, how can you sit there and say Olic and Mandzukic is what has worked in the past. Okay so there was the 3-0 in Turkey, Olic scored an early cutback, Mandzukic scored a towering header from a looping cross, and Corluka scored from a set piece. It was a good result. But let’s not forget about the return leg, a game which had Croatia won they would’ve been in pot 2 of the EURO draw replacing Russia and seeing themselves in an easier group. I can’t remember a single chance Croatia created in that game, absolutely frustrating match to watch. And then there was the home friendly recently against Sweden, nothing created. So tell me exactly how Olic and Mandzukic has worked well in the past? Jelavic is in hot form right now, he will be starting the EURO’s, there is no doubt about that, if need be Bilic will create a system that will accomodate the style of play required for Jelavic to have huge impact in June. It is worth noting that Jelavic, before Saturdays game had scored his past 44 goals using only 47 touches, meaning he does not need to set himself up or dribble, he strikes the ball first time and puts it in the back of the net, this is what Croatia have to provide for him. Also, if Corluka and Lovren are out, then yes indeed, Vida will be starting.
Ante cash, you have no clue about football, absolutely no idea.
i say we play like chelsea against barca. heck the greeks did it in 04.
Forget hurt players . The new unifome hurt me
And vida isn’t starting for euros, you guys give him way too much respect, bilic will use an almost exact line up as he did against turkey…vida is our future defense not current, lovren is our best young defensive prospect, you would know that if you watched his old days at dinamo, he was a fucking stud, dinamo 4-3 against ajax in Amsterdam
The Euros r a long time from now . Why r u people so worried about these injuries. They will be fine by the time comes to play! Chill out . O my God . Paranoya
Oh and allenoutraged, you don’t know your head from your ass, stop posting
Guys, you don’t get it, for national teams you go with what has worked in the past, jelavic is an excellent striker and probably the best one we have, but mandzukic and olic are still starting in euros, sorry to burst bubbles but its the case, why do you think dudu still sees any time, because bilic loves him almost as much as modric
@AZ
I agree. A Corluka loss will be much, much worse than a Lovren loss.
If both are out, I think Bilic would go with:
Strinic Simunic Schildenfeld Vida
I could also see him throwing in Pranjic in Strinic’s place as the first substitution in the back four. He likely won’t play Vrsaljko at all in this tournament or even the friendlies leading up to the tournament.
Galaxy tie , Dodgers win , Angels win , Kings win !!! Nice day for our locals , but a very bad day for our most beloved HNL team Hajduk . This losing to crap teams must STOP !!! PLEASE!!! TORCIDA 4 LIFE !!!
I think corluka injury is more of a concern than lovren..
Lets plan a back four without both of them…who will you put?
Sime Vida Simunic Strinic
If Lovern misses the Euros, Croatia is HUGE trouble. People may not like him but he’s one of the few center backs Croatia has that has experience. What a night mare Lovern has had in 2012 from injuries to red cards to incidents. Hopefully he can get back for it otherwise Euro 2012 could be a nightmare.
I love Jelavic’s celebrations, he looks like a complete boss. Ante B’s logic makes zero sense about hiding him against Ireland. Do you think Italy and Spain are stupid? They will know who Jelavic is without a doubt. No need to hide him, we need three points against Ireland no matter what. Perisic continues to produce and produce, he’s making it hard for Billc to pick his usual “favorites.
pissed that lovren is most likely gonna be out. dammit.
@Ziva
I don’t consider Eduardo as a critical piece. He’s a nice to have, but is not going to make or break our tournament. Kranjcar is important, but likely won’t start even if healthy. He would be awesome to have off the bench in the last half hour or so, but midfield is our deepest position so losing him wouldn’t destroy us (though it would hurt a bit). Our Defense is thin even with everyone healthy, so losing Corluka would be huge. Lovren, not so much, as he has proved to be very inconsistent for us (though it’s still a loss).
I think our most critical players (in order) are:
Modric
Srna
Corluka
Jelavic
Perisic
Plete
Rakitic
Kranjcar
Rakitic and Kranjcar are near the bottom of this list only because they play in our already deep midfield. If one gets injured, they can be replaced by the other or a decent depth player like Pranjic or Ilicevic. But if we lose a player like Plete, it’s an instant dropoff in goaltending…or if we lose Corluka, we just lost our best and most consistent defender.
None of our strikers have proven to be much better than the next, so I wouldn’t have put any on the list…but Jelavic’s goalscoring tear is really putting our team into a good state of confidence with him. I think if he suffered a tournament-ending injury now, it would shake our team’s confidence a bit.
Players like an Eduardo, Lovren or Strinic are good players but can be adequately be replaced by an Olic, or a Vida, or a Pranjic without a severe dropoff in talent. Of course, you want the depth, but it won’t break your team.
Vukusic must start for the Euro’s . With Lovren’s injury , we need this fine young player from the MOST beloved team in the HNL !!! Bog,Hrvati ,i Hajduk !!!
Jelavic should be the lone striker in the NT line-up. If Olic, Mandzukic, and co have a problem, then by all means: feel free to score some flippin’ goals!
Any injuries to one of our top 15 guys is devastating. We are not deep. Let’s assume the worst here: If Lovren, Kranjcar and the brazilian-born hrvat (he has not played in months) are out, then we are in deep shit. Those are guys you would consider to be on the roster for each game or subs.
Then again, look on the bright said. At least we qualified and anything more is a bonus.
I looked at some French and German websites to find out more about Dejan Lovren and Vedran Corluka. Lovren apparently cried when we left the field at the 18th minute. There is a photo of him holding the trophy(Lyon won the French cup). His leg was plasted, they fear the worst but they think it will be okay.
About Lovren I only found out he left the field, injured, at the 82th of the game. I didn’t find any news about him. I hope this works out well because they are key players for our team.
Mixed news on Lovren’s injury: Index says he is out for Euro, Vecernji says the injury isn’t too bad, who knows what believe. I’m sure tomorrow all will be known
Pivaric is a left back, which is a problem position, but he is more of an offensive threat, not sure how he is defensively, hard to gauge that when you play for Dinamo in the HNL
@ IvicA – Oh no worries, man. I know you weren’t going after me. I was just messing. But I have watched all the highlights the HNL site offers of dinamo and the games where Pivaric does play, he looks sharp on defense. So I’m definitely impressed with him other than the occasional goals he can score. Though I THINK he scored in more than once in 7 games though. I’m going to have to double check that though.
So you have some sort of connection with Perisic? Oh man, try to get SOMEONE to interview him for the site! Anything would pretty cool. Have your cousins son get him to phone in for Sunday night live one day. 🙂
Does anyone know the severity of Lovrens injury?
@Allen: Nice Link
I agree with Corluka, the squad is not deep enough and Harry tends not to rotate until an injury occurs. Perhaps there are valid reasons to do so.
@ Colin
I wasn’t attacking you for it. I was actually hoping that this Josip kid is doing very well since you bring him up a few times. However, I wouldn’t consider that scoring once in 7 games is a goal every game. He did, however, blow up today and scored two. I thought maybe you were watching the games and saw him doing things on the field that none of us were seeing.
My “obession” with Perisic is tied to the fact that he is the 2nd MOST efficient scorer on the best team in the Bundesliga (just a shade less than Lewandowski). I think most people (including yourself) want to see this guy start at the Euros, especially since his scoring stride (much like Jelavic) really kicked in these past couple of months.
No, Perisic is not my cousin. Funny you mention it because he is actually best friends with my cousin’s son. They were best pals since high school. I keep forgetting how young these national team players are.
Lovren apparently suffered a serious injury which will probably make him miss Euro
Lovren is injured!
http://www.24sata.hr/nogomet/bilic-cupa-kosu-dejan-lovren-s-terena-je-prebacen-u-bolnicu-263915
@IvicA – Well fist off, I wouldn’t really call it a constant obsession. I think we mentioned him one other time last week… Also, he’s played only a hand full of games and has scored in almost all of them. Found it kind of impressive, and there’s only so many times we can argue about starting lineups for a match that doesn’t happen for 3 more months before someone needs to change the topic around here. Just giving everyone their weekly HNL update, because we both know how important and unpredictable that is.
“Perisic and Jelavic MUST start at these Euros”
What’s with your obsession with Perisic? You HIS cousin or something? 🙂
Hajduk loses again . What the f–k is going on ? This is a nightmare !!! Torcida is going nuts !!! Well at least we have the L.A. Galaxy to look for a good showing tonight . Please STOP the Madness , Bili !!!
@ Colin
What’s with the constant obsession with Josip Pivaric?
What do you mean when you say that Josip is “lighting it up” these past couple of months? How does a Dinamo Zagreb defender (who 2 months ago was playing on Lokomotiva) light it up exactly?
I know he’s scored a couple of goals so far, but I don’t have access to HNL games to see what else this guy is doing and how he’s impacting the game. It’s good to hear that a young Croatian defender is doing well, but you’re the only source I hear talking about him.
Is he a cousin of yours of something? 😉
Everton Highlights:
http://www.soccer-blogger.com/2012/04/28/everton-vs-fulham-4-0-highlights-2012-jelavic-fellaini-cahill-goals-video/
Dortmund goals:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xqgd0f_kaiserslautern-vs-borussia-dortmund-2-5-goals-highlights_sport?start=1#from=embed
@ ante b. come on now. jelavic is starting. not starting him to take off the pressure is just silly. it’d be more of a distraction of him not starting after the performance he’s put in than any positive boost you’d get. any more info about corluka? with jelavic playing like an animal, olic/manduzik playing decent enough, perisic finishing extremely strong, and our midfield hopefully solid as usual, its our defense again that seems like its going to be the big weak spot. losing corluka would be a really tough blow
Pivaric has been lighting it up for dinamo the past couple months of so. Definitely someone we should be keeping our eye on for the next few seasons. But damn… there is no one out there doing what Jelavic has been doing since he joined Everton! Love seeing this.
I know I’m going to get shit on for this but here’s one out from right field….
Jelavic is going to be branded the next Davor Suker before these Euros and the media will completely blow everything out of proportion which will place a huge burden and tons of pressure on Jelavic’s back. I would not start Jelavic against Ireland, I would bring him on as a sub and then start him the next two games. That way there’s not too much pressure. I dont give a shit if he’s a hajdukovac. In six weeks, once that red and white checkered shirt is dawned, we’re not dinamovci or hajdukovci. We come together and play under a better group: HRVATI.
@Ivica
“Perisic and Jelavic MUST start at these Euros.”
Up front as strikers or just in general.
@AZ
What exactly happened to Corluka?
@Toronto Croatia
Perisic and Eduardo sounds pretty good, two possible start ups, though Jelavic should be starting if he can find his spot on the national team.
Jelavic is on fire hopefully he can keep this up and carry it thru euros, here’s a link to the goals if u guys haven’t seen them yet.
http://watchhighlightsonline.blogspot.com/2012/04/video-fulham-0-4-everton-highlights-and.html
@ Toronto Croatia
By saying 8 goals in 10 games doesn’t do Jelavic justice.
He’s scored 8 goals in 691 minutes.
He actually averages over a goal per game.
Perisic and Jelavic MUST start at these Euros.
Corluka oh no!!! Very depressing with the injury problems as of late, but he always comes to play for the NT!
Yes Jelavic! Well we dont always have 100% agreement for anything on this site anymore but I think its safe to say that Jelavic with 8 goals in 10 games (2 of those against Man U)……is DEFINATELY our number one striker going into Euros.
And yes, lets pray he stays in form and uninjured for Euros.
I think good two parings are Jelavic and Olic…….Perisic and Eduardo
from tomorrow*
My apologies we play Ireland in exactly six weeks tomorrow.
@BlackZodiac
Yes formation and who we are also up against that day will decipher who will play along side Jela. In my opinion Jelavic better and should start no matter the opponent or formation. He is a blood sucking leech for the goal with a lot of confidence backing him up right now.
Like I said before, I hope Nikica won’t be a Mladen Petric. Stud at club level, not so stud for the repka.
@nije bitno
Most likely Olic, depending on which formation Bilic uses in the Euro.
Olic and Mandzukic with one assist each!
Another 2 Goals for Jela in the books! I have no doubt in my mind he has his position locked for the national team. Its just a matter of who will be playing along side Jelavic now. In exactly 6 weeks from today we will be playing our first match against Ireland in the Euro and will find out what Bilic has in store for the entire Croatian nation.
oh dear..corluka is injured again and had to be subbed off
@Toni
Not claiming you were one of those people, and you’re right about the SPL as I myself argued it before.
Some people had more faith in Kalinic, Klasnic and at one point Lakic…
Eduardo was brilliant at Arsenal & if it weren’t for his injury there wouldn’t be much worry for a top striker.
SPL is a good place to be before entering the EPL no doubt about it, even good for getting noticed.
The Scottish league is weak when compared to the top 4. I wouldn’t use the term shit, but it is a 2nd tier feeder league.
He is hungry, and Everton’s style seems to suit him. He has a very physically demanding role, and I pray he stays healthy and has a long career.
@BlackZodiac
I can tell you I was a Jelavic backer because of the fact that the SPL isn’t as “shit” as people think. If you’re good you’re good doesn’t matter what league you play in. Eduardo should never have scored a goal in the EPL if you consider the Prva Liga a “shit” league and its players equally shit.
Outside of the top 9 or 10 teams the quality of EPL teams drops of dramatically. The Boltons, QPR’s, Wolves, Blackburns, are all teams that would have to fight in a league like the SPL. A lot of the negative view of the SPL comes from the traditional superiority complex that exists between England and Scotland. The fact of the matter is if you’re a striker and you’re scoring goals at a high rate (like Dudu for Dinamo or Jela for Rangers) regardless of league at the pro level, you’re a good player and that will translate to any league you play in.
@ Toni
Most people doubted Jelavic playing in the EPL, linking him with only being able to score goals in a shit league.
Jelavic better be a lock start.
Anyone think Jelavic shouldn’t start at the Euros? , LOL
A few months ago people were talking about the threat of Robbie Keane; now the Irish attacking options are looking slightly limited.
Perisic with a goal and 2 assists …
Perisic is on the scoreboard for Dortmund
Jelavicmania is running wild!!! Absolute machine, he’s wrapped up his starting spot. Now just don’t get injured please.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Jelavic scores a hat trick this game. His goal scoring rate is phenomenal.
http://atdhe.eu/soccer
http://www.firstrowsports.eu/watch/121431/1/watch-everton-fc-vs-fulham-fc.html
For everton match
What’s the best streaming site for the Everton match?
Great goal for Jelavic, on a pretty hard angle.
Jela strikes again early from the spot -U-
fuck spurs. i only root for them for the croats. true english club. leeds united! hopefully they make it to the epl soon!
Corluka may have said his last good bye to Tottenham with this interview. It’s been no secret that I’ve always liked Corluka and he was probably in the top three players that I loved the most on the team. He may be growing into my number one after the qualification stage where he always showed up to play then now he speaks his mind. He’s telling the absolute truth and I praise him for that. Hopefully he stays away from Tottenham and yes I root for Spurs, but it’s becoming a cancer environment.
http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/corluka-criticises-redknapp-rotation-policy#