Transfer Rumors & Discussion (2020/2021)

  • They will probable try to work some type of Serbian system, but it will have 2 crucial disadvantages:


    1)Less firepower on the left wing, because neither Hande nor Thompson are Brankica, meaning that the (barely-existent) reception will have to be much better than in Serbian NT to compensate for it


    2)A much, much poorer setter, meaning, in combination with poor reception, a non-factor MBs (as always), which negates Ogbogu's potential arrival

    IMHO Brakica is the worst passer I have ever seen at elite level. Thompson played outside hitter her whole college career, with very decent passing skills, and Karch wants her and Plummer to be both outside hitters. I think she has more potential than Plummer to be an outside hitter. Having to pass the ball, didn't stop her from killing 50 points last year. It won't be that easy among the professionals, but still a good start.

  • If all these rumors are confirmed, next Champions League will be (again) Vakifbank vs. Conegliano. None of the other European teams can compete with these two.

    It's not like there was ever much doubt about it as long as both kept their entire teams (or almost), really.

  • I like Thompson, she so criminally underrated here only because she didn't kill 60% every match in FB after starting her first pro season abroad after graduation lol I don't want to see her in EczV only because I think Hande should be starter.


    What I saw, was really good. Is the Thompson rumour even confirmed btw? Where is it coming from?

    I can see a random Kelsey Robinson-Hande duo also which would make more sense imo and be the best bet, Hande deserves to be starter.

  • IMHO Brakica is the worst passer I have ever seen at elite level. Thompson played outside hitter her whole college career, with very decent passing skills, and Karch wants her and Plummer to be both outside hitters. I think she has more potential than Plummer to be an outside hitter. Having to pass the ball, didn't stop her from killing 50 points last year. It won't be that easy among the professionals, but still a good start.

    Yeah, but it's not really relevant to my point, is it? She is better than any of Vitra's OH in attack, which means the Turkish club will have to have that much better reception and pass than Serbian NT to compensate for it.

  • IMHO Brakica is the worst passer I have ever seen at elite level. Thompson played outside hitter her whole college career, with very decent passing skills, and Karch wants her and Plummer to be both outside hitters. I think she has more potential than Plummer to be an outside hitter. Having to pass the ball, didn't stop her from killing 50 points last year. It won't be that easy among the professionals, but still a good start.

    I agree, I would pick Brankica over Hande and Thompson as well esp if it was only power in attack they needed. However the other names have their advantages as well, I think Thompson and Hande (she was good last season) can do better in reception so it kinda balances it out esp. if they can get a good MB.


    I saw Thompson in FB pass, it was good for an offensive OH as well.

  • Yeah, but it's not really relevant to my point, is it? She is better than any of Vitra's OH in attack, which means the Turkish club will have to have that much better reception and pass than Serbian NT to compensate for it.

    Someone compared Eczacibasi to Serbia...

    IMHO 2 decent/so so passers (Eczacibasi) > 1 strong passer + 1 weak passer is (Serbia NT)

  • If all these rumors are confirmed, next Champions League will be (again) Vakifbank vs. Conegliano. None of the other European teams can compete with these two.

    IMHO Novara could make some upset! It seems they will have decent players on every position. Not the biggest stars, but as a team it could work out really well!

  • Don't forget Eczacibasi won CL with de la Cruz, another weak passer.


    Sometimes Neslihan had to pass in her place, but against Busto (final game) both her and Asuman played bad (mostly struggling with their nerves) and got subbed by Gozde and Nilay, so Bethania had to pass the whole game and it didn't stop her. As we all know, Hande is nowhere close to Larson's ball control, but Thompson is far better than Bethania at passing. This team is not so different than that one.

  • Also Simge is kinda better. Although I still like Popovic (she is underrated) always had a rough life with Brankica and gets too much hate for it w/o ppl realizing what she has to deal with :lol:

    She's simply amazing. One of the best liberos in the world.


    Unpopular opinion: Brankica is a burden for every team she plays for.

  • Also Simge is kinda better. Although I still like Popovic (she is underrated) always had a rough life with Brankica and gets too much hate for it w/o ppl realizing what she has to deal with :lol:

    It's almost the same with Busa... that girl could play wherever she wants to play after what she had to do in Serbian NT, but people don't see that, just because she isn't that powerful, her style isn't eye-catching

  • Don't forget Eczacibasi won CL with de la Cruz, another weak passer.


    Sometimes Neslihan had to pass in her place, but against Busto (final game) both her and Asuman played bad (mostly struggling with their nerves) and got subbed by Gozde and Nilay, so Bethania had to pass the whole game and it didn't stop her. As we all know, Hande is nowhere close to Larson's ball control, but Thompson is far better than Bethania at passing. This team is not so different than that one.

    i think we should look at EczV without being judgemental, ok they kinda flopped last 3-4 seasons. But it's successful club, anything can happen in the future. I think this wil be their best season as well if they don't completely f it up. Having someone like Boskovic with some young talents could actually be the most dangerous thing I heard from EczV the past couple seasons.

  • She's simply amazing. One of the best liberos in the world.

    Omg I love seeing someone that stans Popovic like me XD I honestly felt scared posting that here as I know how much people used to hate on her as the only player not quality enough of all positions in Serbia, apparently the missing key. I couldn't disagree more, I'm always amazed with her skills as well.

  • She's simply amazing. One of the best liberos in the world.


    Unpopular opinion: Brankica is a burden for every team she plays for.

    On the one hand, that's simply truism. Of course she is. She forces her teams to orient their lineups around her strengths and weaknesses, just because both are enormous. But what a boon she is when she isn't forced to be a primary scorer!:obey:


    Btw, I'm glad all of us appreciate the unsung heroes Busa and Popovic.:drink:

  • On the one hand, that's simply truism. Of course she is. She forces her teams to orient their lineups around her strengths and weaknesses, just because both are enormous. But what a boon she is when she isn't forced to be a primary scorer!:obey:


    Btw, I'm glad all of us appreciate the unsung heroes Busa and Popovic.:drink:

    I agree 100% from first to last one word.

  • What I saw, was really good. Is the Thompson rumour even confirmed btw? Where is it coming from?

    It's fake news from managers. No local rumours about her.


    Comparison of De la Cruz and JT's passing is not objective. Bethenia passed solid in F4 of CL, while JT passed OK with molten ball in NCAA. (I'm agreed that Bethy is not good receiver but she received perfectly in F4 at Poland)


    https://www.cev.eu/Competition…hStatistics.aspx?ID=26982


    against Vakıfbank, 45 times passing without an error. 60-31%

  • Well, Robinson is a great player and I love her. A lot of people do here. But her role in Terzic’s system didn’t allow us to see her real potential. Keeping that in mind, Courtney will be still sufficient for that role with Branicka, in my opinion. I really don’t want Kelsey to leave Turkey, if she leaves, she should go to Italy but not China.


    Thompson as OH in Eczacibasi is not good for Thompson, she has potential and what Eczacibasi did to other potential players in the past should be considered a punishable crime. She simply shouldn’t go there, let alone as OH. I also would like to see them investing in potential players rather then players who past their prime. But that doesn’t mean Thompson should go there and play as OH. Italy would be the best choice in her case, in a respectable team with a good coach. I hope she will make the best choice for herself.

  • I agree that Ecz maybe getting too much criticism (i'm defintly in that group), but it is just "amazing" what they did in the last two or three seasons and especially as a "fun" of Boskovic it is hard to me to watching her and waste of the time.

    At the end Eczacibasi must to get standing ovation only because/at least they enlist Boskovic in right time.

  • Omg I love seeing someone that stans Popovic like me XD I honestly felt scared posting that here as I know how much people used to hate on her as the only player not quality enough of all positions in Serbia, apparently the missing key. I couldn't disagree more, I'm always amazed with her skills as well.

    nobody hates her. Saying that he is not one of the best liberos doesn't mean that I hate her. Why do you always have to take things to the most dramatic end of the spectrum?


    By the way Thompson's reception was not good at all, she received very rarely and she covered very limited area whenever she received and still she didn't give a solid reception whenever I watched her. Her NCAA performance is not a good indicator. Moreover her attack ratio from position 4 was worse than her attack from position 2. That's why I really don't see any point why Eczacıbasi would ever want to invest her as oh while they also have Hande anyways

  • Unpopular opinion: Brankica is a burden for every team she plays for.

    yes she is, in Japan League she is an aweful teammate, nagging when teammate is making an error, and the worst is not making a handshake to Santiago. 😃😃😃