Russian NT 2012

  • although sokolova is not in her best shape, i think she showed yesterday that she can play better than artamonova..

    Artamonova had way too much knees injuries during her career :S

  • So in the next Euro, in next year We will see probably:

    Startseva-Goncharova
    Kosheleva-Scherban (Chaplina)
    Borisenko-Perepelkina
    Kriuchkova

    or

    Star-Alisheva
    Kosheleva-Goncharova
    Bori-Pere
    Kriu

  • Farewell to the three best Russian players ever: Gamova, Sokolova, and Artamonova. They all made an indelible mark in volleyball and had an illustrious career difficult to match. I'am afraid it won't be soon before Russia will have another player of their caliber. They made me fan of Russia. It's most unfortunate that they were not able to achieve the gold medal despite the hard work. I already missed them in NT.


    about future roster, I think it will most probably:
    Startseva, Kosheleva, Goncharova, Scherban, Morozova, Perepelkina, Kryuchova/Ulanova. It would be great for them if they can develop a Middle-Blocker who can attack very well like Tishchenko.

  • Kosheleva played well only when she has a good receiver just next to her such as Sokolova so I am curious about how would she perform with Goncharova next to her (or scherban)

  • Kosheleva played well only when she has a good receiver just next to her such as Sokolova so I am curious about how would she perform with Goncharova next to her (or scherban)

    Certainly it would be better with Shcherban comparing her reception with Goncharova. Natlia can be first OPP, but there's also Allisheva.

    Gold medal - World League 2013 Prediction Game
    Bronze medal - World League 2012 Prediction Game

  • alisheva is too old for the national team and she has no international experience. it would be better if they develop young players.

  • alisheva is too old for the national team and she has no international experience. it would be better if they develop young players.


    I agree. Maybe Pasynkova could be a better option than her.

  • I agree. Maybe Pasynkova could be a better option than her.



    Karpol should use Pasynkova and Chaplin in the Superleague more often for them to get noticed by the coach of the national team. I think they are decent receivers and good attackers which Russia needs now.

  • Gamova and Sokolova told about their plans considering NT:
    Gamova: "I'm VERY tired and I want to take a break in NT. I think I'll come back but it's hard to say smth definitely."
    Sokolova: "I have a desire to play as long as I can. I have 2-year contract with Turkish club. If I am healthy I will play in clubs and in NT with great pleasure. Next Olympic Games? It's hard to make plans. 4 years ahead and it's quite a long period of time."
    Frankly speaking I have mixed feelings and don't know what to think. I think both of them won't be very athletic and powerful in 4 years, however I wish both of them to be healthy and to maintain their level and play very good. From the other hand, I wish Russia to raise some new talents within these 4 years but unfortunately it's almost impossible. I want Gamova and Sokolova to be healthy but I don't want to watch Russian team relying on 39 year old Sokolova and 36 year Gamova in OG 2016.


    The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself. (Oscar Wilde).

  • I just knew it. She'll never go away, she'll be 75 and still in consideration for the NT. :cursing:

    You mean Lyuba or Gamova?


    I can live with Gamova staying a few more years, but not Lyuba. Gamova has always been there in the last 12 years without break, she played practically every tournament and it's so hard to imagine NT without her. Lyuba, on the other hand... :roll: It's been discussed here already, her attitude is not good for a team player, and the drama this summer caused a lot of damage. Even though she played well against Brazil, she was visibly far away from her best form. She will never play like she did in 2006 again anyway, but if she had played in OG like she did in Fenerbahce last season, she could have helped the team a lot. Unfortunately, because of her drama she missed one month or so of preparation, and the result was that she was not in good shape and the coach had to change the whole system to fit her in.

  • It is sad to see that we won't see this kind of special players in major tournaments again. (Maybe Gamova would be back for WCH 2014) Although Russia has still young players such as Goncharova, Kosheleva, Startseva and even Borisenko. However non of them can upgrade the team to medal contender level as Gamova and Sokolova did for years. What is worse is that Russia doesn't reach good result neither youth nor junior level in international area so I don't see any rising generation as well. Their best players were Naumova and Smirnova from1990 generation when they reached silver junior ECH and bronze at youth WCH but where are they :roll:

  • You mean Lyuba or Gamova?

    Sokolova, of course. I agree with everything you've written, it sums up my thoughts entirely. I can easily see Gamova going strong for another Olympic cycle, albeit with some breaks and a lighter schedule. But Sokolova's time is out, she's over the hill and is not getting any better. And while a player of her stature certainly deserves Olympic gold, it's clear by now that's not gonna happen. If Russia is still depending on her by 2016, it means that they certainly won't be winning the gold, and it would be silly to have her there just to make the numbers.

  • What do you think about the possibility of Goncharova remaining as an outside hitter? Yes, she is not a great receiver but she is far better than I would have guessed she would have been with such little time training at the position. Even if she moves back to the opposite spot and once Kosheleva is healthy, Russia will still need a good receiver. Is there anyone else who can replace Solokova/Artamanova in terms of reception stability?

  • If Obmochaeva (Goncharova) comes back to OPP the best solution in my opinion is Yana Shcherban. She's a bit underestimated but she has good reception and also quite good attack, she proved it in Russian league being among best scorers and receivers.

    Gold medal - World League 2013 Prediction Game
    Bronze medal - World League 2012 Prediction Game