Bulgaria - Бачково Суперлига 2014/2015

Some additional roster changes didn't affect the return first round results much.

Probably the biggest league update. The NT setter Georgi Bratoev left the Russian top-league Neftyanik Orenburg due to the financial insecurity at the club. Bratoev made his debut in Gabrovo and with him in the roster Montana should surely fight for medals, to say the least.

Dobrudzha's selection continues. The table leaders probably have the largest group of players training with the team. They are rumored to have appr. 20 players available for training sessions. Their latest signing is Simeon Aleksandrov (OH) who changed clubs already this season. He started the season in Egypt, then spent a month or so in a club and Greece and now moves to Dobrudzha. I am not a fan of such dramas. They should introduce the football rule where a player is not allowed to have more than two clubs a season, else he gets a suspension. Also, Georgi Manchev (the ex-NT setter, former player of CSKA and Levski) is finally fit to compete for Dobrudzha after the injury he suffered from in the first half of the season is now gone.

Neftochimik's new coach Nikolay Zhelyazkov made a successful debut in terms of wins, but failed to impress as someone who could take advantage of the class the club possesses. A very hard-fought 3-2 home win versus Arda is not impressive, the first round one in Kardzhali ended 3-1 for Neftochimik. Georgi Petrov (opposite) returns to Burgas after half a season in England. Ivan Vlasev (MB) didn't sign with the club. The roster now contains 12 local players and youngsters out of 14. This comes due to the fact that Tedy Dremsizov (S, loaned by Arda), Todor Dimitrov (OH) and Krasen Nikolov (MB) all return to Burgas after loans in other teams.

Last, Stoyan Gunchev is the new head coach of Pirin after the weak start of the season. Yordan Mitsin leaves the position on a mutual agreement.

Ivan Vlasev (MB, Coco Volley Club Gabrovo) also leaves the Bulgarian championship and joins the Romanian CSM Bucharest. He will be the third Bulgarian there after the setter Dobromir Dimitrov and the newly appointed head coach Viktor Karagyozov.

11th round:

23-January

Arda - Dobrudzha 07 3-1 (25-13, 25-13, 22-25, 25-23) stats
Montana - Minyor 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-15) stats
CSKA - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-16) stats

24-January

Pirin - Levski Ball 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-18 ) stats

Standings:

1 - Montana 27
2 - Dobrudzha 07 25
3 - Marek Union-Ivkoni (-1) 22
4 - Pirin 21
5 - Neftochimik 2010 (-1) 19
6 - Arda 17
7 - CSKA 16
8 - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 5
9 - Minyor (-1) 4
10-Levski Ball (-1) 3

There was a surprise in the 11th round. Arda's home victory against the recent league leaders Dobrudzha wasn't expected by many. Dobrudzha had one of their worst evenings since the championship started. The score in the first two sets proves it. Now Montana is back atop.

The match between Marek Union-Ivkoni and Neftochimik has been postponed till 11. February due to Marek's CL participation and the long journey to Novosibirsk.

Some more players changed their clubs in the winter break. Nikolay Manchev (Youth NT setter, Levski Ball, brother of Georgi Manchev) will finish the season in Gabrovo. Coco Volley found a sponsor which will secure the club's existence at least until the end of the season.

Vassiliy Petrov (MB, Neftochimik 2010 Burgas) and Velizar Chernokozhev (Junior NT opposite, free agent) return to Levski Ball.

Also, the Federation announced the program for the Cup in their website. The current standings (after the second return round) shall be applied!?! Of course, no need to say logic is missing because it just doesn't set teams in equal conditions. Let alone the fact that there are still matches to be played so that all teams have 11 in terms of numbers. Still, it is good that there is going to be such a tournament. There was still no information or intention for such an organization until very recently.

12th round:

30-January

Neftochimik 2010 - Pirin 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-18 ) stats

31-January

Coco Volley Club Gabrovo - Arda 0-3 (19-25, 17-25, 17-25) stats
Minyor - CSKA 1-3 (19-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-25)
Levski Ball - Montana 0-3 (19-25, 17-25, 23-25)

Standings:

1 - Montana 30
2 - Dobrudzha 07 (-1) 25
3 - Marek Union-Ivkoni (-2) 22
4 - Neftochimik 2010 (-1) 22
5 - Pirin 21
6 - Arda 20
7 - CSKA 19
8 - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 5
9 - Minyor (-1) 4
10-Levski Ball (-1) 3

13th round:

4-February

CSKA - Montana 3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 23-25, 25-15) stats
Pirin - Dobrudzha 07 3-2 (30-28, 19-25, 19-25, 25-23, 15-13) stats
Neftochimik 2010 - Levski Ball 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-14) stats
Marek Union-Ivkoni - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-16)
Arda - Minyor 3-1 (25-14, 25-20, 23-25, 25-17)

Standings:

1 - Montana 30
2 - Dobrudzha 07 (-1) 26
3 - Marek Union-Ivkoni (-2) 25
4 - Neftochimik 2010 (-1) 25
5 - Pirin 23
6 - Arda 23
7 - CSKA 22
8 - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 5
9 - Minyor (-1) 4
10-Levski Ball (-1) 3

Quite a successful round for the home teams. The surprise of the mid-week round was undoubtedly in Sofia, where CSKA has continued to show good games and results against Montana, no matter how their squads look like. Unlike previous years when Montana had gathered players from CSKA, this year's Montana squad is full of former Levski players, including Georgi Bratoev who entered as a sub, and still lost to a very young CSKA.

However, Montana's advantage on top of the table wasn't challenged seriously this week as Dobrudzha lost away to Pirin. It was a tough game to predict, but Dobrudzha, who were the league leaders after the first half of the season, haven't shown the form they had had at the end of 2014 yet. Another defeat that could soon send them out of top 3.

A very important postponed game will be played on 11th February when Marek takes Neftochimik at home. Probably the two teams with the highest momentum. A clear win would be enough for Marek to regain the league leadership (which they haven't had since last season), whereas a win for the visiting side would make the championship more interesting and balanced for sure.

14th round:

7-February

Minyor - Marek Union-Ivkoni 1-3 (26-24, 15-25, 14-25, 15-25)
Coco Volley Club Gabrovo - Pirin 2-3 (17-25, 30-28, 21-25, 25-23, 13-15) stats
Levski Ball - CSKA 1-3 (25-20, 22-25, 16-25, 19-25) stats
Montana - Arda 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 26-28, 26-24) stats

11th round (postponed game):

11-February

Marek Union-Ivkoni - Neftochimik 2010 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-21) stats

Standings:

1 - Montana 33
2 - Marek Union-Ivkoni (-1) 31
3 - Dobrudzha 07 (-2) 26
4 - Pirin 25
5 - Neftochimik 2010 (-1) 25
6 - CSKA 25
7 - Arda 23
8 - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 6
9 - Minyor (-1) 4
10-Levski Ball (-1) 3

15th round:

14-February

Pirin - Minyor 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 24-26, 25-16) stats
Arda - CSKA 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 27-25, 24-26, 15-10)

15-February

Marek Union-Ivkoni - Montana 2-3 (21-25, 25-19, 20-25, 26-24, 9-15) stats
Neftochimik 2010 - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-16) stats
Dobrudhza 07 - Levski Ball 3-2 (25-13, 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 16-14) stats

Standings:

1 - Montana 35
2 - Marek Union-Ivkoni (-1) 32
3 - Neftochimik 2010 (-1) 28
4 - Pirin 28
5 - Dobrudzha 07 (-2) 28
6 - CSKA 26
7 - Arda 25
8 - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 6
9 - Minyor (-1) 4
10-Levski Ball (-1) 4

Montana won the big derby of the 15th round. Marek's ambitions to top the standings after this round had been shattered. The visitors are the only team that could beat Marek away, even if some others got close already. Montana's good season has turned out to be more than just a hunch, the team they have built is comfortably settling now atop. And they still mostly use Georgi Bratoev as a substitution.

Dobrudzha, league leaders before the winter break, are the disappointment of the second half of the season. This weekend they struggled at home versus the strengthened, but still weak Levski.

10th round (postponed game):

18-February

Levski Ball - Minyor 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-22)

16th round:

20-February

CSKA - Marek Union-Ivkoni 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-15) stats
Montana - Pirin 3-2 (21-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 15-10) stats

21-February

Minyor - Neftochimik 2010 1-3 (19-25, 22-25, 25-23, 12-25)
Coco Volley Club Gabrovo - Dobrudzha 07 0-3 (15-25, 24-26, 11-25)
Levski Ball - Arda 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-19)

Standings:

1 - Montana 37
2 - Marek Union-Ivkoni (-1) 32
3 - Neftochimik 2010 (-1) 31
4 - Dobrudzha 07 (-2) 31
5 - Pirin 29
6 - CSKA 29
7 - Arda 25
8 - Levski Ball 10
9 - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 6
10-Minyor 4

A great week for the teams from Sofia. Levski came off the bottom by taking six points in their two home games. Now they have very good chances to finish on the 8th position. Surprising was their win versus Arda. It turns out that Velizar Chernokozhev, who returned to his club after the "internship" at Trento, might be right that Levski will stay in the league.

The two best matches of the week were held on Friday. CSKA's recent form is working in their favour. The "reds" have another victim, this time it is the defending champions Marek. A spectacular match by the middle blocker Krasimir Georgiev (15 points, 89% in attack, 7 blocks).

Montana secured their first position by stealing two points from Pirin at home in a match they could've easily lost in three sets. Mincho Minchev, Montana's opposite, was the MVP with his 30 points (4 aces). Montana now have two very important last games of the regular season before heading to the playoffs. They should find a way to handle Neftochimik in Burgas and Dobrudzha at home to gain advantage over Marek.

On Tuesday Dobrudzha takes Marek at home. The champions lost their last two games, so the hosts have every chance to do Montana a favour.

Quote from raylight

Yavor, what do you think about Velizar Chernokojev? Does he have potential to be a starter for the NT in the future? I wonder what Stoytchev thinks of him after the period with Trento.

At his age he should've been a starter in a better team in the league already. He gets to play regularly in Levski now, which is fine, but at the beginning of the season he was released by the very same club. The period at Trentino could only be positive, I am sure there are things he has seen and learned. And I even think he might be the leader of Levski right now because of what he gained in Italy. One problem with him and his generation, in my modest opinion, is psychological. The Youth and Junior NTs with which he has performed and is still performing have never reached their potential. They actually barely scored any greater results and I have often criticized their performance. Another problem, just as big actually, is that there are no impressive young opposites in Bulgaria apart from him (if we just for a second consider Chernokozhev talented). And it is the same position that has brought glory to Bulgaria for decades (just remember Ganev, Nikolov, Sokolov, Yordanov). Perhaps only Radoslav Parapunov from CSKA could make an exception, but
let's mention him in discussions after the Youth European Championship
in Turkey.

The third problem I see is that a powerful opposite like him, the type that normally grows in Bulgaria because we don't have many technical and clever opposites, should be able to decide games by himself. Something I have never seen Chernokozhev do. Not even in the relatively easier games at European Championships, qualifiers, etc.

So, unfortunately, I am not very optimistic about the potential hidden inside Chernokozhev. However, he will be a NT player one day simply because we have no one else.. If there is a ray of hope, this will be Chernokozhev's impressive height and physical parameters. He's 19 and (perhaps officially) 212 cm.

Quote from raylight

Do you consider Zhani Zhelyazkov? I see big change in him In Italy, even in a position as sub.

P.S. Never have Bulgarian MEN NT volleyball team ever reached the potential - the loss in 1970, the bronze in 2006 and everything after that when we could be champions up to 2011.

Apart from the Bulgarian 1970 NT, which really should've won the title in Sofia, there is no Bulgarian NT that I see as champions. And surely we wouldn't be title holders in any event between 2006 and 2011. Our opinions strongly diverge about tournaments from the 70s on. In the last 10 years Bulgaria's maximum could've been a final, be it at the WCH 2006, ECH 2009, WL 2012 or WL 2013. Sometimes they underachieved indeed, but what they missed were a couple of bronze medals more and a final. Overall, they got almost everything they deserved. It is a totally different question if Bulgaria as a volleyball nation deserve more in general.

Back to the real discussion. When I said that the generation of Chernokozhev, Krasimir Georgiev, Lapkov, Stanislav Velichkov, Seganov never reached its potential, I meant that they never really left their mark in any competition they have entered. We are not talking about lost finals or medals. We are talking about lost qualifications, 1 or 2 even at home in Sofia. We are talking about disastrous European Championships. THIS, to me, is underachievement and a probable, also to me, lack of potential and class.

Last, let's not place Zhani Zhelyazkov among the reliable Bulgarian opposites. Back when he was a Junior NT player, under the guidance of his father Nikolay Zhelyazkov, our Junior NT won a silver at the ECH in Belarus in spite of his presence there (as the only opposite!), not because of it. He wasn't even playing regularly or impressively in our weaker national league when he left for Ravenna. Let's be honest, because of the connections of his father probably or thanks to a good agent. Also, on a technical level, he lacks physical presence, technique and pretty much everything else. In an interview once he confessed he had never wanted to play volleyball that much, so I wouldn't understand why a serious coach could give him chances in a serious team.

12th round (postponed game):

24-February

Dobrudzha 07 - Marek Union-Ivkoni 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-18 ) stats

To me, one of the slight surprises of the second half of the regular season. Dobrudzha have not been in shape, just like Marek actually, but this 3-0 came a bit unexpected. Great game by Kostadin Stoykov. It's the third straight defeat for the defending champions. The team from Dobrich on second position after they took all 3 points.

17th round:

26-February

Neftochimik 2010 - Montana 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 26-24, 25-19) stats

27-February

Pirin - CSKA 0-3 (21-25, 24-26, 14-25) stats
Dobrudzha 07 - Minyor 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-12) stats

28-February

Coco Volley Club Gabrovo - Levski Ball 0-3 (17-25, 21-25, 11-25) stats

1-March

Marek Union-Ivkoni - Arda 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-14) stats

Standings:

1 - Montana 37
2 - Dobrudzha 07 (-1) 37
3 - Marek Union-Ivkoni 35
4 - Neftochimik 2010 (-1) 34
5 - CSKA 32
6 - Pirin 29
7 - Arda 25
8 - Levski Ball 13
9 - Coco Volley Club Gabrovo 6
10-Minyor 4

The penultimate week of the regular season was interesting and left some open questions prior to next weekend's last round. The home win of Neftochimik against Montana (a historically suitable opponent for the Burgas team) made the top 4 battle very entertaining. Following an easy and predictable win versus Minyor, Dobrudzha will now face namely Neftochimik tomorrow, Tuesday, at home in an interesting postponed game. Dobrudzha has been the only team this campaign to beat Neftochimik in Burgas, so the visitors will have things to say, hopefully. But still, a win in Dobrich doesn't seem too likely right now.

There was a red hot derby in Razlog where the local Pirin lost in three sets at home for the first time this season and for the first time in quite a while. An intense game had been expected, both in terms of score and emotions, based also on their previous encounters and disputes in said city, but it didn't turn out quite the way it should have. There were yellow, red and yellow-red cards, especially at the end of the second set. Georgi Seganov, CSKA's setter, how grew up namely in Razlog, was CSKA's best scrorer (!, 5 aces for a total of 10 points) and enjoyed a great match, but was in the middle of a fight at the end of 2nd set at 24-25 for CSKA. He was sent off (yellow + red jointly) due to an attempt to confront Pirin's captain Katrandzhiev physically. Katrandzhiev, on the other hand, was also sent off (only red card) which resulted in a point penalty for the hosts and thus a set in favour of the visitors. No need to say that this caused some major verbal aggression. Both suspended players returned on court for the third set which was also the last one as Pirin just lost motivation and scored only 14 points.

6 more games to be played before the playoffs. Dobrudzha vs. Neftochimik play on Tuesday. After that we have 5 very balanced matches on Sunday that will reshuffle he standings one last time.

Minyor vs. CVC Gabrovo
Montana vs. Dobrudzha
CSKA vs. Neftochimik
Arda vs. Pirin
Levski vs. Marek