2014 FIVB World Championship - Poland - 8/30

  • You guys all depressed me. I was quite optimistic, even after such a shitty draw, but it seems no one gives Poland any chances... And all these complains. Ok, I got it. All three, Poland, Brazil, Russia, got unlucky. I have a feeling that whatever the draw result would be, we would still complain. There is always sth to complain about, right? ;) FIVB is one big joke. I watched this draw live because after the match it was broadcasted. Camera was set behind Antiga's back and even though I couldn't see his face I knew exactly every single emotion on it after Poland and Russia was drawn to Brazil's group. (And Miro commenting like "we have no reasons to shake our pants before Brazil and Russia" or "maybe it's even better". Miro, please, go back to the circus you belong :aww: ). I kinda felt this scenario right after France secured 1st place in group. That's life. Still I believe our guys have absolutely no reasons to be afraid of any from two Brazil or Russia. Respect the opponents but we won't give up before matches even started :win: I expect exciting matches. I'm fully ready for anything that may happen. Just bought a new pack of candy with melissa. Now I'm only hoping for every injured guys, doesn't matter if it's Pole, Brazilian, Russian, I mean EVERY, to recover and to be ready to fight :box: Don't know why, but nothing scares me more than Muserskiy possibly playing as OPP :S I was changing channels yesterday, between all the matches, and my fantastic sense of time drive me to Russian match right in time to see how poor Moroz has been injured. I swear, I couldn't think of anything else the next two hours :white: Poor guy, I hope he will be ok. I also strongly believe we will have Winiarski back. Somewhere he became the one without whom our team can't handle the biggest challenges. Not that I don't believe in the rest of our guys. But Winiar is for now the heart, the blood and the air of this team.
    I wasn't here yesterday but shortly I just have to comment all these wonders happened :D Feel ugly now, because, being totally honest, I didn't believe Argentina can make it happen. And it was probably the best match I've seen from them :obey: What a pity they can't play every match like this, giving the precious advance to themselves not to other teams. Anyways, it was the best possible scenario for me, as I wanted badly both Poland and Iran to be in 6. So, guys :flower: This crazy joy by Iranian touched my heart :rolleyes: Congratulations, Iran, you deserved this like no one :flower: I know, I can sound ridiculous, but on the other hand I feel sorry for Americans. Sounds like I don't know whom to cheer? I know, I would give medals to everyone if it was only possible :D But, being serious now, this should be heart-tearing for USA, they were so close and in one minute they ended with nothing. Really, really sad for these guys... Considering their fair-play attitude, with even-tempered and polite coach, they will be one of the most missed team. Have to say this, John Speraw is so likable :thumbup:


    so yeah, I AM bitter. Because I watch this stupid game for ages and I don't know if our boys deserve medals, but from what I saw they sure as hell deserve fair chance to get it, not this shit. Especially in their own country. And my heart do breaks when I see Winiarski first almost crying because he can't help his team and then almost crying from happiness because there IS third round and "he is still alive" and "the worst day in his life ended and sun is still shining" or some crap like that. He deserves fair chance to get medal in championship played in his own fucking country :mad:


    and we as fans deserve this chance too for ages of keeping our fingers crossed and the see of tears after defeats. In Poland we really do love volleyball, we do love our boys (sometimes we mock them, we curse them, but we do love them all - even Nowakowski :lol: ). The problem is that our federation love money more than volleyball (because Przedelski says opelny in media that there is third round so there would be more matches - so he can get more money from tickets)


    So much like me :thumbup: But nah, not Nowakowski, not after ALL this :lol:


    Igor Kolaković resigned as head coach of Serbia


    FINALLY :obey:

  • FIVB is shit :wavy:


    I patented this opinion :D

  • first of all three teams groups make it incredibly easy to manipulate result and screw up the team who plays first two matches (like Brasil did in this WL)


    Well remembered, depending on the result, Russia and Poland can play to kick out Brazil like they did in WL, in other group it is a bit more difficult because they are quite the same, but system is a fail, and create this opportunity.


    I wish someday volleyball can be lead by serious and integrity people that don't change the rule or championship system every year


    Corruption and lack of moral is everywhere. Brazil is not clean in that regard - 2010 WCH is an example, but also many other teams. Our federation also is corrupt, but mainly against our own interests / we have 0 nationalism which triglav thinks as bad and nobody cares for his/her country/, but as a whole the sport is spoiled systematically at top level. That is the reason I supported the USA candidate for FIVB president - he could change that, which is precisely why they didn't elect him. If you need proof why corruption is bad, just look at my country and our economics and compare with Sweden or Finland where corruption is unknown word.

  • Oh, and I would totally forget... Spirik, better feel sorry for yourself not for us. No one can guarantee Russia will advance from this group, just like Brazil or Poland. But we can guarantee one thing: ONE BIG HELL in Atlas Arena coming on Thursday. You just added fuel to this hell fire so see you soon :wavy:

  • So, it looks like i am the only one with no complaints :D OK, it could have been Poland instead of France but anyway.......


    Regarding this "draw" discussion, i can only refer to Yavors post, especially the first part. Thats quite
    spot on and my opinion as well. There is just nothing like a "just draw" and if you do it, it can end like this.


    I am really happy that german team did not spoil it in last match.I was a little bit afraid, to be honest. Especially as the first part of the tournament was almost completely ignored by german media and now slowly the media interest is growing. That can only be good for german volleyball.


    I was hoping that we can push Brazil/Russia a little bit harder, but for some reasons it didn't work out in these matches. But the team always came back and did their job in a very professional manner.
    Beating France and/or Iran is a tough task, but it shouldn't be completely out of this world for Germany. Personally I hope, that they play at their best and that we see good matches. From what i can read the team is a little bit more ambitious and definitely wants to play for a medal. That would almost be historic and in two years, no one (outside this forum) will remember, how much they benifited from "drawing luck".


    So go ahead guys, there might be no better opportunity in near future :super:



    I don't really like mentioning it like this, but I remember vividly how I, about a year ago, criticized the formula for the third round in the very same thread here. I think my comment is still somewhere on the first pages. I stay behind my words now as well. Too many games with this third round, too many even for a WCH. It's too exhausting. I proposed the Olympic system back then and people started complaining that there are more teams in a WCH, which means there should be more games, and that how it is not perfect either. Well, enjoy the draw then :)


    I agree with the users who say Poland has NOT benefited from the draw and the system itself. I agree, there has been no host with such a tough schedule so far, not that I remember. Getting a day more in terms of rest might pay off in the long run, but this is just ridiculous. Remember, some of the teams had the chance yesterday to play with the back-ups. The ones who did can be relaxed now, the ones who didn't will have to think about injuries, teams like Iran and Germany had to play at full strength, no escape from that sometimes. Still, you can't deny it's been a very entertaining and interesting tournament so far, no draw can spoil it. Many more balanced and prepared teams, some "favourites" disappointed, but it's all part of the game. Now we might have new heroes, e.g. France, Iran or Germany.

    :wavy:
    Probably i won't be able to see the match on Wednesday :wall:

    my buddy, TimHH. Finally, we are in the same group :D
    We were so good luck in every thing because Argentina have beaten USA and the draw was acceptable for us. :)

  • <sarcasm on>I know why the draw was just perfectly fair: the teams with the injuries had to be in one group to have equal pre-conditions and one can save money on travel cost for doctors :lol:<sarcasm off>


    <...>
    There is no need for a Phase 3. Would we have complained if the top 4 teams from each group advanced to a quarterfinals? I really doubt it. Imagine what the matches would have been: Brazil vs. USA, France vs. Canada, Germany vs. Poland and Russia vs. Iran.
    <...>


    Totally agree.


    FIFA - which is far from being a club of saints - found a formula that is both interesting and fair. OK, one has to admit that in soccer the depth of quality (number of good teams) is bigger.
    But FIVB ? Every tournament there is a new formula.


    Why is the Olympic formula so easy ? Because it's done by the IOC, not the FIVB.
    Why is the Olympic qualification such a mess ? Because it's done by FIVB, not the IOC.

  • Update on Murilo/Sidão/Wallace's injuries: Sidão is doing fine and will probably play tomorrow. Wallace is doing better and there's a slim chance he might be considered for the game. Murilo has a pulled muscle (he said he's been feeling some pain throughout the entire tournament, but yesterday the pain was different). I'd say both are probably out, giving Lipe and Vissotto the starter positions with Maurício and Renan as backups. Source


    In other words, Brazil will need to play one hell of a game to overcome all of this. Lipe and Vissotto are having a good tournament so far, but you never know.

  • Murilo has a pulled muscle (he said he's been feeling some pain throughout the entire tournament, but yesterday the pain was different)


    i just don't understand why he was on court then, in this meaningless game...... :wall:

  • News re Moroz' injury, it appears that the injury is not that serious if Russian officials are to be believed, the latter is currently being treated and may play in the last matches => http://www.worldofvolley.com/N…z-will-soon-be-ready.html

    The real news is that Moroz can't walk as of yesterday, so I think someone is overoptimistic:
    http://www.championat.com/voll…nogu-silnaja-opukhol.html


    Also, you never know when your last match is going to come :)

  • i just don't understand why he was on court then, in this meaningless game...... :wall:

    Believe me, no one understands it. :aww:
    And given how ugly his injury was, if Moroz is still able to play in this WCH somehow, Russian doctors are magicians.

  • Don't know why, but nothing scares me more than Muserskiy possibly playing as OPP :S

    Oh, and I would totally forget... Spirik, better feel sorry for yourself not for us. No one can guarantee Russia will advance from this group, just like Brazil or Poland. But we can guarantee one thing: ONE BIG HELL in Atlas Arena coming on Thursday. You just added fuel to this hell fire so see you soon :wavy:

    I think you're wrong and wrong and wrong here :).


    There is not much place for miracles in this world. In 201-12 season, Belogorie ended up having no reliable opp. The old man Dineykin, who was so good in 2010-11 injured his toe and stopped jumping. The young Zhigalov looked shaky. Ilinykh didn't like playing opp. This gave Muserskiy the opportunity to practice throughout the national champ and CL. Last season, as you probably could see, Belogorie was OK with opps, so Dima played MB only. Muserskiy has definitely improved his performance... but he won't play the opp that brilliant way he did it in London. He hasn't done it for two years by the way :).


    Secondly, Spirik's spirit has never won a single set for Russian NT. It did won some for Iskra Odintsovo and Ural, where Spiridonov could score 30+ point in a game. But in the NT, he is being used mainly as a defender.


    Thirdly, Russian NT players won't be affected by the spectators. You can always make them angrier but at this level players filter out the background noise very well - there are no likes of Kurek in Russian NT, thanks to God. Where you may succeed, is the Referee aspect. I know some of them who would seriously go with the audience.

  • So, Brazil, the team with the best campaign in the tournament, with 9 victories in 9 games, having only lost 3 sets, is rewarded not with any advantage, but only with disadvantages.

    Well , I don't think a team should be considered as the best campaigner by beating such teams like KOR , TUN , FIN , CUB , etc but just by beating RUS is spite of Group A & D teams which played many more hard games against each other.

  • I’ve watched the replay of USA vs Argentina. It’s an entertaining game with a lot of long rallies.


    In the beginning of the match, USA seemed to adopt a 4-receiver system including Anderson. Later on, however, they switched back to the regular 3-receiver system, and let Anderson focus on offense. Considering that USA reception was not too stable throughout the match, the coach made this (a bit risky) change perhaps because Anderson didn’t have a sharp performance, and taking Anderson out of the reception system would put less burden on him.


    One interesting tactic the USA team coach used was to include Holt in reception to handle Crer’s jump float. Taylor Sander mishandled his float badly in Set 4 when he tried to receive overhand. Since then, the coach arranged Holt to stand at position 1 to receive, such that Taylor Sander could stay near the sideline of position 5 to have his chance of being targeted by Crer minimized.


    Throughout the match, both teams used a lot of soft touches, a bit more than usual. Taylor Sander was particularly notable. It seems that he dared not add power to his spikes in this crucial game.

  • Since Kolakovic took Serbia they won a ton of medals, including in WCH 2010, several world leagues and gold at the ECH 2011. I wouldn't call that a failure.

  • Igor Kolaković resigned as head coach of Serbia

    I have a slightly different opinion about him as a coach and it is surprisingly close to raylight's. First of all, have they accepted his resignation? Second, the Serbian Federation did the right thing letting him work for so many years. This is the only way to embed your vision in a team. He practically took part in the rejuvenation of the Serbian NT and he, in my humble opinion, did it quite well. Of course, for that he had a group of young and very talented players in absolutely every position, but he never feared using youngsters in his games, regardless of what the results might be. It turned out, when you draw the line, that it was worth the risk. Third, he replied with results. And I don't mean only the last two ECHs or the bronze medals at the 2010 WCH. He won silver medals in the WL as well and was the man behind Serbia's relatively constant presence over the years. The weak moments were fewer than his good ones, so I see no reason why he should've left earlier. OK, Serbia might've not had the most brilliant 2013, but they finished it nicely and cleverly with bronze in Copenhagen. And they let him win these bronze medals despite the fiasco in London. So, as I said, he did more than fine as a NT coach overall. Now is perhaps the right time for someone new, two years before the next OG. The one thing that probably triggered his decision is not that he was disappointed by the finish in Poland, but rather he probably couldn't bring anything more to this team. Because their game obviously suffered in 2014.

  • Yes, Federation accepted his resignation. He said he stubbornly forced some tactical ideas and he didnt fullfil expectations. According to him there wasnt enough passion in players like before, he was largely disappointed with that. On other side he underlined there werent any conflicts inside team.

  • I still found something else to complain about:


    Why do both groups play at the same time? I want to see both matches tonight :mad:
    18 and 20.30 looks possible, at least in the first and second round ?(

  • I see all users (except TimHH :D) are predicting French win 8| Germany plays really good, finally they dont depent just on Grozer, Kaliberda nad Bohme are playing extremly good, Tille is defense master... Heynen is brilliant tactician, I'm quite sure he will exploit all French weaknesses. Also German style of play shouldnt fit to France as they play similar. I'm close to think Germans are taking this :whistle:


  • USA is a very good team however they don't have A deep bench. They have problems with OH2 which is visible on their reception. It's odd that they lost to weaker teams. The team is still young and many of them haven't played professionally. I believe that they can surprise us in the near future. There's so much room for improvement.