[Ljubuski]

Something just dawned on me.

We all know how strong our team was in 96 and 98.

It definitely could have won either tourney, especially 98.

We all know the main reason why our campaign was not as successful as it should have been.

Now. Every team entering a major tourney suffers injuries.

The Italians just lost Pessotto. Other teams will also suffer injuries.

WE cannot expect to enter a tourney at full strength. It is inevitable that someone will get injured. This time its poor Igor.
We don't have the manpower to sustain a full 20-man roster of superstars such as Argentina, Italy, Germany, or France.
I let my nationalist tendencies get the better of me. I thought we had a chance of winning in 96 and expected a victory in 98.

This time I also thought until the bad news that we could win.
We need more Hrvati. Until then we will have to settle on being the dangerous team of every tourney, simple as that.

Sounds cynical so I'll revert to my old self and simply say........

.....And we shall wipe the slate clean of these so-called footballing nations and prove that the Croats are the world's FINEST, the only deserving ones that remain.....

ZA DOM.

 

[JureM]

You're to much Ljubuski....

 

[Ljubuski]

MENE MOJA NAUCILA MATI.........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[spwolf]

you expected that we win before WC begun in '98? sure you did ;-)

if you seriously did expect that, you are crazy and you expect way too much out of nation with 4.5 mil people

 

[CroatTommy]

Spwolf you sound like Prosinecki in that interview a while ago! yes its good to be realistic but sometimes idiotic comments like Blazevic's are just what we need! if u expect little you will recieve little! if u go for it all then sometimes u fall flat on your face while other times you reach the peak of the mountain just look at the USA's mentality when going into a sporting competition usualy they just want to go there to WIN BABY! and thats all! i know the US is much bigger than Cro but if you dont dream big you wont ever have the inspiration and desire to win BIG!

 

[JureM]

Yeah...I remember the story about this ant...and everyone told him that he can't move this rubber tree plant...but you know what?? THat ant moved that rubber tree plant. And do you know why??? Because he had high hopes....Hot apple pie in the sky hopes....

 

[spwolf]

nah, I want Croatia to finish first... I think we can beat anyone... however, after everything is said and done, if we go to 3rd round of the WC, I will always think that our boys have done us proud and that we are da sh1t

I would never go into the game thinking that we cant win...

 

[JureM]

just like that ant...you moved that rubber tree plant...and that all comes when you have high hopes....

 

[Ero]

True, a deep bench is valuable, but not essential. A good starting 11 and 3 or 4 good subs should get the job done, I think we've got that, we've got replacements for every player except Robi Prosinecki

 

[mARZ]

IMO our biggest weakness is our mentality.

 

[spwolf]

True, a deep bench is valuable, but not essential. A good starting 11 and 3 or 4 good subs should get the job done, I think we've got that, we've got replacements for every player except Robi Prosinecki

for the one who needs the replacement the most ;-)

 

[Ljubuski]

Sorry wolf but in '98 I was playing for Norval Croatia here in Ontario and the day before the tourney began we obviously started talking about the tourney.

I was the only guy who said we'd at least make the semis and I told them that I thought we had the best team, but without boka it would be much harder.

Yes I did expect to win because as a football fan I saw great players who at their prime and had more to play for than any other team there.

I guess I'm crazy.

Just like my father when the Cro community would congregate back in the days of my youth and he'd blare about an independent Croatia. Many said (as Marcus Turner points out in his new conclusion) that the dream of an independent Croatia was a fantasy of right-wing emigres.

Well here we are.

....Prosinecki, Suker, Boban, Jarni, Stanic, Stimac, Bilic, Asanovic......all names worthy of the World Cup not because they're Croatiann but because they are all great if not legendary footballers.

mARZ you are correct, our mentality is the biggest problem. I know I mentioned we'll never win above but I can't help think that just may do it with the proper tactics, morale and luck.

 

[placebo]

not gonna be greedy here, but seriously, Croatia should have won the WC and possibly even euro 96.

Euro 96 the NT screwed themselves by throwing the portugal match just so they can play Germany. They had Germany on the ropes and then Stimac suffers a brain explosion and there goes a golden opportunity. It didnt help that everyone wanted an England-Germany semi final and you can see that both QFs were rigged just so this could happen. Boksic's injury didnthelp against Turkey aswell as Prosinecki's supposedly injury.

If Jozic was coach in France, Croatia would have won it. I tipped Croatia to make the semi's (sorry Ljubuski, you weren't the only one ) and as Ljubuski pointed out, when you look at the players, they were good enough and should have won it. On paper they were the best team in France. Had they held on to the 1-0 lead for 5 minutes, then jebu majku croatia would have won the World Cup.


This squad may not be as good as France 98 (especially without Tudor and Maric ) but they'll still do really well. It will take a really good side to knock Croatia out. I still believe that they'll get to the semi finals. But look at Goran. He had to ask for a wildcard and won wimbledon. the same happened with Kostelic, came back from injury and won 3 gold...and the samw will happen in Japan/Korea with our NT.

 

[Ljubuski]

For me the greatest "what might have been" is still a healthy Boka at both those tourneys.

Ivic as coach would have been better yes.
Replacing Boban at half in 98 semi would have been better yes.
Having a healthy Boban or happy Prosinecki in 'that game' in Zagreb for the 2000 Euros would have been nice, yes.

But the fact that perhaps the one player who could have been the legend of that group (and what a group!) was not available for both those tourney guts me.

I feel gutted just thinking about it.

Same goes for Igor, but that's life and you must enter these playoffs with your head high and flag up and heart supercharged because the ball is round and its 90 minutes at a time.

GET READY WORLD HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!

:hopefull: :hopefull: :excited: :excited: :excited: :scream: :scream:

 

[placebo]

Boksic hasnt played for the last month for boro coz after he secured their place in the PL with that goal against Man Utd, i reckon he told them that he's not gonna play anymore so he can be fully ready for the WC!

 

[Ero]

Ivic is a different matter, he gave us no hope while Blazevic believed, and made the players believe.

Our mentalty has given us highs, and lows.

You think mentality had nothing to do with our success?

No way, the players were motivated and fiercly detirmined in Euro and WC98, as they are today. We were demeaned and belittled everywhere we played, the Italian press made a mockery of our team, only to see their beloved squad get outplayed by the little, slow and no-name Croatians. They made fun of us, as did the Germans and many others. We kept at it, and left all those teams in our wake.

Mentality screwed us in Ireland, but got us through these qualifiers and to the top of the world. Something that the old 'yugoslavia' hasn't done in 70 years of international football.

70 years !!

 

[Hrvatski Vitez]

Proud to be Croat!

We have to be realistic, winning the World Cup or European cup is a dream come true for any nogomet fanatic, but I'm just proud of Hrvatska for making the World Cup. Yes, I hope they win every game and do well, any-thing is possible. My favorit part of the tournament is before the kick-off when I see the vatreni holding there hand on there "srce". That's when I fell, Proud to be Craotian.

 

[Ljubuski]

Placebo!!

"Bloody 'ell!!!!!! Give that Croat 100,000 pounds a week I don't care 'e scored at Old Trafford...........OLD TRAFFORD!!!!!!"

For that goal and his unlucky past the man deserves some time off.

Anyone see that chip he struck off the bar in the F.A. Cup quaterfinal?

 

[boksic]

Placebo!!

"Bloody 'ell!!!!!! Give that Croat 100,000 pounds a week I don't care 'e scored at Old Trafford...........OLD TRAFFORD!!!!!!"

He did the same thing for Juve in the CL. Juve won on Old Trafford with 1-0, guess who scored?

 

[boksic]

Hmm

Am I the only one who thinks that Croatias best team (so far) was in euro-96? Everybody is talking about WC-98, but in -96 they where even better. Even Berti "Yoda" Vogts admitted that Croatia was that tournaments best team.





I ako onaj turcin nije "derno" glavu Boksica, bili bi jos bolji