Posts by JoanaBG

There wasn't anything official from what I remember. Back then in 2015 Stevanović was coming off an amazing season in Pomi and I thought it was naturally assumed she'd take over for Krsmanović, who was the oldest of the MBs, with her best days already behind her (and similar playing style - also a slider).

Nataša was on the wide roster for Rio '16, but unsurprisingly didn't make it.

Anyway, she's always been a rather reserved person, rarely giving interviews or enjoying the media attention, so it was totally in character for her to just quietly retire from NT when the time came.

I wouldn't write Malešević out completely just yet. If she manages to recover her best form (a very big if, granted), she can still be useful.

Well, I did not see this coming. She said she was prolonging with Dinamo, but then she talked about being dispirited by their lack of ambition in the Champions League (she was openly told the club only cared about winning the Russian league), so perhaps it played a part too.

Yes, she's out for this year.

Well, I'm just glad that this torture is finally over. I'm extremely displeased with the approach Serbia took to this year's competition. Trying out new players is fine, giving up on a good result before you've even started playing is something else. I don't think it was fair to anyone - to those young players who sure got lots of experience - in how to lose. Or to the image of the sport in Serbia that is struggling a lot and is completely dependent on the results of NTs. Ot to Sport Klub who must have dished out a lot of money to broadcast the competition and is really trying hard to promote this sport that still has a hard time getting real media attention in this country, even after all the amazing results of both men's and women's NT over the last 25 years. I don't think they got much in return.

And even with all the experiments, in the end it turned out that one of the most problematic positions on the team - the back-up OPP - is not settled at all and Bjelica is still clearly the best we have.

Oh well. On to the Olympic qualies now.

Terzić won't be travelling to Japan and China either.

I don't really see the point of this and I don't really believe in "gaining experience" this way. They're going to get absolutely slaughtered by everyone, probably even Bulgaria, and it's not going to be pretty.

Meatballs wrote:

Big clubs like Vakifbank and Eczacibasi are Istanbul team with no actual supporters, since they only focus on volleyball.

This is what surprises me the most. OK, we all know Eczacibasi can be a total mess, but Vakifbank is arguably the most professionally organized club in the world, they're very serious about what they're doing and seemingly have an infinite budget. So, I really don't understand how in all these years they haven't invested more in marketing and promotion, making themselves a real brand. I'm sure there's way more than a few hundred people in Istanbul that would be interested in waching their matches.

I've also always wanted to see more of a geographic diversity in the Turkish league. But I also wonder if it's somewhat like in Serbia, where we have a catch 22 of a sort - clubs outside Belgrade (in all sports) tend to get very little media coverage and thus have a hard time finding sponsors, even though they have good crowds. While on the other hand, in Belgrade, where the real money is, people are mostly interested in football and basketball, and specifically in the two most established teams (Crvena Zvetda and Partizan - the Serbian version of Galatasaray/Fenerbahce/Besiktas or Olympiakos/Panathinaikos). So, it's hard to strike a good balance.

At the risk of turning it into yet another Italy vs Turkey discussion, I can't help but notice that the Istanbul giants aren't even in the top 70 The discrepancy between their budgets and the actual public interest seems huge and I wonder how much longer it can be sustained.

Impressive numbers for the German league, all things considered.

The same squad for week 3 as for week 2. Terzić will not be there in Kortrijk, though, he goes to Belgrade to work with the rest of the team. The assistant coach Branko Kovačević will lead the team in Belgium instead.

I've barely got to see any of the VNL, but I did watch the games against DR and Italy this week and they really weren't half bad. IMO it was much better than in week 1 that had a much stronger squad. I'm glad to see the girls are trying really hard and making the most of the chances they get.

The only slight disappointment is Maja Aleksić. I still have faith in her and expect much bigger things, but she still looks very nervous and stiff. Hopefully she'll be able to shake it off and show everything she's got.

hakin12 wrote:

Ivana is Ivanka also as well? I thought I heard someone pronounce it so recently, don´t remember the context.

No, those are two different names. "Ivanka" is rather old-fashioned and not really common anymore, though.

ossubtus wrote:

sorry for the OT, but can you tell me, how is kacper pronounced? i'd have thought it should be written kasper????

In Polish, like in other Slavic languages, "c" = ts. So, it's pronounced "Katsper". Just like Brankica is "Brankitsa", not "Brankicka".

The roster for the 2nd week:

S: Mirković, Antanasijević

OPP: Bjelica, Kubura

MB: Popović, Aleksić, Savić, Kocić

OH: Blagojević, Buša, Lozo, Lazović

L: Pušić, Gočanin

It should be something very similar for the 3rd week as well, without the main players.

I don't think Terzić's idea of having the best possible team play in Belgrade really worked out and perhaps it was better to go with the B squad since the beginning, but it was impossible to know in advance.

Apparently it's from CL final. The story with Stevanović just keeps getting weirder. Who the hell knows what happened there.

Milena will be back for Olympic qualies and ECh, as I understand. But I agree that it's important that some of the MBs that have been outside "the big 3" step up.

I also think it's high time Lazović starts seeing more action. Hopefully already from the next tournament on.

Maja is there to support the team

Norway won the televote and it's all that matters

I agree that the Azeri guy is the best looking objectively, but the blonde Norwegian just melts my heart

Also, #nohomo, but where have all the hot chicks gone? You know it's bad when Serbia's Nevena with the charisma of canned tuna is possibly the prettiest one.

I didn't like it. And I'm glad Ukraine is out after all the political BS they've pulled over the years that wouldn't have been tolerated for anyone else.

Norway is my absolute fave. It's a feel-good, fun bop - all I want from Eurovision. Plus all three of them are adorable and they make a good show. I'm definitely going to vote for them and hope for a good placement on Saturday.

Serbia sent a boring ballad and was lucky to be in the weaker semi. I don't expect anything in the final, probably the lower end of top 20.

Netherlands looks like a sure winner at this point, but there have been surprises in the last years, so who knows. Italy is also in the running, Sweden - I hope not with the same song they send every year. Russia obviously won't win because you can't have Eurogaysion in Moscow but will be in top 3.

Sisko95 wrote:

I finished my last ever university exam today.

I hope you can feel some of my good vibes.

Congrats!

And welcome to the real world

beri wrote:

How do you think her being (possibly) gay is related to this?

Uhm, I don't, and I never said it was.