Posts by Pedro

Well, quite sincerely: it's FBA's cup to lose. I mean, if the play ok I believe there's no way they can lose the cup. They could have some problems because they played so few matches all together this year, but really they are one of the best teams ever and I mean they can just lose this cup.

Quote from deepblue

Pedro, what did Guiggi say exactly about Hooker's situation/injury?

Guiggi said that in 10 years she never met a player like her. That would be enough probably (as Ilgar said! Again you didn't answer my question: why should I believe Hooker and not the rest of the team??).

However she said she never gave her her number, she way crying when practising because she said they were practising way too much. She also said this fact was in the air for a long time and so they were kind of happy she left, because she was unbearable at that point.

Tofoli said that in a men team the whole team would have crushed against her after a few days and that the girls were way too kind and that he would have played a F4 of ECL even on one leg.

Ferretti said she left without saying anything, just writing an e-mail on Facebook to all the other gilrs in the team, but she didn't say anything to Tofoli (he hasn't got Facebook...hahahaha)

So? Who should I believe?

Quote from Ilgar Azero

I am the one who is very close to Rabita... I ahvenot heard anything like that...Yes of course we`d like to see her i our team,but it does not mean that Rabita transferred her ot interested her...... Destinee will be opearted on tomorrow and she has really very serious injury... Please,dont believe such type of rumours.

ABSURD!!!

Ilgar, sincerely: why should I believe Hooker instead of Tofoli, Guiggi and the whole Scavolini team?

I mean, I'm pretty sure she has an injury, but I believe you are exaggerating when you say "really serious injury". This said, I don't think any of you has the proof to say Hooker is injured, very injured or whatever. All of us (me included) don't know the truth, but I believe more in what Guiggi and everyone else said in Pesaro than Hooker.

.....I'll just let you guess who will Scavolini play against next Saturday in Istanbul???

If she will really go there next year, she is really classless (not because of the choice obviously, I respect and like Baku vey much), but because all this would feel much more strange, if it was necessary.

hahaha...what do you mean with knowing italian mentality? that's so funny.

However one of those articles posted above was stated directly by Hooker's former manager in Italy: i'm quite speechless, the way she seems to have behaved is really terrifying. And more than one doctor said she could be ok in 2 weeks..no words.

The worst think for me of this case is that most of you are now debunking Pesaro, as if it really did something wrong. Probably we shouldn't just read Destinee's words and try to hear what's the point of view of the society, too.

Hooker for sure has an injury, but that cannot threathen her career, nor that's something she couldn't live with for 2 more weeks. That's what the society believes IMO, as the F4 of the IECL should have been a very good reason to wait just 2 more weeks and then, if necessary (some doctors say it is not) have the surgery.

However, as most of you are forgetting that, don't you remember that just 2 weeks ago (when Hooker was already "injured), when her cousin just passed away, she immediately wanted to play, and gave everything. Wasn't she already injured by then?? So didn't she threathen her dreams and carreer, too?? I just believe that all the success she had during last summer was too much all in a time, and she hasn't been humble at all since she arrived (even 3 weeks later than the others) at Pesaro.

I believe Hooker's fact is much more complicated than most of us believe.

Surely she has some physical problems but as much surely many other players (e.g. Guiggi last year) played with way bigger physical problems.

But that doesn't matter, because if she's really injured than she has to take the surgery and rehabe.

What's for sure is that is completely false that Hooker is the only great player Pesaro has, that all the ohter players are spiritless in that team. Come on, some of those players won everything in Italy in the last few years and as much as she is a very good spiker (IMO she's better as opposite also as she attacks better from p2 than p4), Hooker is also a very weak receiver.

For sure now Pesaro is the weakest team in F4, but that doesn't matter they won't give it all and try to win, still.

Urbino won 3-0 in Istanbul, too.

good job Urbino!

Just a great match, no one had won in Moscow this year still (if I'm not wrong) and Pesaro did with a superb performance.

Really poor second set, but for the rest they were super. Ferretti is just fantastic, I believe she's better than Lo Bianco now and she has been for the last 2, 3 years.

But the whole team was fantastic: Hooker, Flier, Manzano, and the others also

So an italian is a contender, still. We'll see.

Quote from jaco

Muszyna had problem with Debby Stam for whole season, she had injury then she was not able to recover. Agnieszka Bednarek was also injured for some time, the same as Magdalena Piatek.
Bielsko-Biala played first round without Baranska and Podolec what really makes a difference.
Dynamo Moscow is playing without Parkhomenko now, who is the setter. Rabita's Mammadova is playing with injury. And we can count like this in every team I suppose.

And I don't really think that Fofao is the same for Fener as LoBianco for Foppa as Fener has really good second setter and better players on each positions. So Foppa was without chances this year. Even with Leo

You're obviously right...each teams has its own problem, I'm not saying that. And I'm also pretty sure Bergamo couldn't win this ECL; but probably with Leo they would have managed to pass the first round. Signorile is not bad, but is not even that good; Ortolani was the probably the best italian player during the whole summer, but she just attacks so few balls withi Signorile. For sure with Leo Bergamo would be (will be hopefully) a much better team.

The thing I can't agree with you is about Fofafo/Aydemir: just so much difference between them (that's just my opinion obviously), and in fact the level Fenerbache has produced in the big-matches in Turkish league is so poor compared to what they offer when Fofao is in. I repeat that's just my opinion.

It's quite obvious that now the strongest teams are not in Italy, at least this year! But Italian teams won the Champions League for the last 6 years if I'm not wrong, it wouldn't be a drama if this year someone else will do that.

However we must add that our teams were also quite unfortunate this year: Bergamo had the toughest group with the 2 times defending champions, former finalist e 2009 finalist and there was no way they could beat Moscow and Istanbul without Lo Bianco (even Fenerbache with or without Fofao is quite a different team, don't you agree??).

Villa Cortese was unfortunate as well; I mean it is mostly their fault, but Aguero and Berg were out for a long time and Calloni couldn't even play. Still they played awful volley most of the time, not their real level, so they deserve to be out and Muszyna deserves to be in the F6.

Last, there is Pesaro: they are pretty fine now, but they really have a tough match in Moscow; i don't see them winning there, but the golden set is always a lottery. Still Pesaro is a really strong team, so hopefully they'll pass.

However this ECL is pretty wide open and exciting; I mean, a part from Fenerbache, all the other teams have their weakness: I don't consider Eczacibacsi and Vafikbank so solid, they have strong attacks, but have some trouble in reception and setters. No one is unbeatable, so it will be interesting to see how it develops.

Italian teams haven't been great so far, but I think some of you are understimating their potential way too much. I agree Scavolini isn't favourite against Dinamo, but she can make it if they play as they can. On the other hand, in my opinion, in its quarter Villa is the favourite to make it to F4 over Rabita.

Last quarter I cant' pick between Ezcacibacsi (haven't seen them much), Cannes and Vafikbank.

We'll see!

congrats fenerbache, they deserve this title. I actually believe Sokolova (she is just so impressive right now) or Fofao ( ) would have deserved the mvp title more.

However, we all know how strong this team is (when they can play with all their players, like in ECL). They played well, they can play better, but it will be so difficult for anybody to beat them. They bought the best players (or nearly so) in every possible role, a part from the libero. Well done!

I think is fine to invite Fenerbache; if the sixth team was to be from Europe, they just reached the final in the ECL and they easily have the best team in the world right now. I mean they invested so much, probably your team's cost is more than double than any other team in the world now, so I think that's quite obvious.

Quote from Canter

Thansk "SantaCruz" for the info.
Btw, i couldnt watch the match between Bergamo-Coneglio via "Sportube" yesterday.
Can someone help me how to watch "Sportube"?...i downloaded required programms appeared in the website to download but i couldnt watch it though.

I had the same problems initially; then I downloaded the required programs for Windows and then I just installed that program (sportube should be its name), reopened the site and it was going fine. It should work this way

Didn't Eczacibacsi play its first match, too?

If so, does anybody have stats or even just the score?

Thanks a lot.

Good http://news: Novara will play next year in Serie A1!

Coach: Caprara

Setters: Bechis, Camera

Middle-blockers: Veljikovic, Paolini (Usa NT), Folie (italian youngster)

Wing Spikers: Barcellini, ?, ?

Opposite: ?

Libero: Sansonna (from Castellana Grotte), Zardo

1) Gioli as opposite is just a possibility, not that it will happen for sure. Probably Barbolini could play with 3 middle-blockers (especially if Guiggi comes back for WCH) and Simona could play as "opposite".

2) I understood Piccinini, Lo Bianco, Del Core, Barazza, Gioli and Cardullo wouldn't play WGP. I'm not sure anyway.

Fenerbache was quite unfair with De Brandt probably...Still, Zè is one the best coaches so I can't blame them.

However wasn't Zè allowed to coach just the national team?

And is there going to be any other surprise at 12.00?

Haha this discussion is becoming so silly..

Come on, no one has any problem with the fact all those players are going to Turkey, but you can't tell me it is because of the volleyball tradition, of its wonderful league and the beauty of its cities..

And to ones saying in Italy players are paid too little...how much do you think they should take? FBA has way too many money, the others (almost all the italian teams) has average money.

P.s.: Costagrande, Francia and Aguero were all naturalized, but in order to do that there are some rules you have to respect.