dessitea

People of volleyball-movies, this could be a very important moment for us all:
Raylight, do you solemnly swear that, if (IF) Italy makes it to the medals, you'll stop complaining about Italy getting the easy path?

:-P

Now, apart from the stupid consideration:
I didn't like the idea of drawing the lots before knowing all qualified teams. There shouldn't be surprises, yet it wasn't elegant IMO.
I missed the qualifications... what happened in the Asian confederation? How could China do better than Japan?

Group D will be electric, only Norceca4 can't hope to get to the second phase. My guess is that none of the other 5 teams will neately prevail, the pool ranking will be very compact, all teams with not many points. Since results from the first phase will be valid during the second phase, this will create a very complicate situation in pool E. On the other hand, pool A is also quite equilibrated, even if at a lower level.

In group B, Brasil has no opponents, unless Cuba decides to put an end to all those ridiculous disqualifies and calls a real squad. Otherwise, 2013's Cuba and Canada are quite irrelevant (why does Norceca has 5 spots?!). Same stands for Russia and Bulgaria in group C.

Well, if the format was meant to avoid the host team being favoured like in 2010, it did work: despite being seed #1, Poland will have a hard time.

@pearl: ... and Le Roux

@HCLT: Last summer Berruto called three different setters for three different competitions... I think he just wanted to test all of them, knowing that none of them could really take Travica's place. Now the situation is clearly different: Saitta and Falaschi are ok-setters (though I don't know anything about how Falaschi is doing in Montenegro), Boninfante is having a pretty good season too, but Baranowicz is proving to be at another level. He had a good chance in WGCC, and my guess is that Travica and Bara will share the grades in Berruto's hierarchies. Tischer is injured I think, but I'm not sure he would be much better than Kampa (enough said...). Steuerwald has some nightmar-ish days but maybe he really "deserves a real chance" to use HCLT's words.

@HCLT: "[...] while the other half can’t stand the guy." If you know any of this people, make sure they never set foot in Modena, for their own sake :-D Bruno is treated like the Messiah!

@pearl: Who does? ;-)

@danteamaral: prophetical!

Are you serious?

Yeah, Qyss, as if it means something... Kaziyski had still a contract but he left, Juantorena and Rapha have still a contract but they'll go. Mosna is just saying random things in these days.

@ Sllaveq: thanks

HI, where will Reid Priddy play next season? He was in Halkbank Ankara but a flood of foreigners will arrive... will he stay nonetheless?

How many teams will be "relegated" and will play next year's qualifications?
Anyway I think Iran has excellent chances against Cuba and pretty good chances against Germany. In one year's time, at the World Championship, Iran will be in the first 10 teams in the world.

John17, I'll give you my opinion about these rumors about turkish transfers.
At the moment (I mean, until last season) Turkish league is a minor one, so many people don't get why top players accept to join clubs like Halbank Ankara. Maybe Turkish league will become stronger and stronger, I don't know, but I oath HOW Turkish clubs are trying to escalate the rankings.
Signing too many foreigners would mean rotating them and letting them play only part of the season, or only European cups. I don't know well what happened to Matej Cernic, but he spent more time on the stands than on court/bench.
Secondly, it is useless to buy all the good foreigners without working on the youth teams and with volleyball schools. You might have the best league in the world for a few years, but when money finishes, or when interest fades, what remains? Not young nationals, not good coaches, non passion to build a new generation...
Thirdly: if this Stoytchev-Juantorena-Rapha-Matey negotiation will be concluded, how can you say that Ankara built a good team? They use someone else's work of years and acquire the whole package. No one really works for something and suddenly Trento moves to Ankara. Is that the point of sport, of competition? Do you like volleyball, do you want your city to have a good team, to have an attraction for Sundays, a show that makes people to get passionate about sport? Well, just work and build something useful.

(I'm in a hurry and I can't re-read the post, sorry for eventual mistakes and I hope that my point is clear)

I agree that the groups are not equally balanced... does someone know if there was some particular criterium for sorting the teams?
Like, Denmark is first seed because they are hosts?
Anyway, an easier pool for Italy would mean a thougher quarter-final ;-)

This is a topic about transfers, so it makes sense to share info about actual transfers, including those in the Polish lower leagues. What doesn't make sense is shouting about possible or impossible negotiations without source, swearing at other users. It would be nice, if possible, to keep the thread as clean as possibile, also deleting useless or offensive posts...
;-)
It's a pity because this is a great community and forum!

Cuneo has not announced Djuric yet.
Wijsmans has declared earlier this morning that he hasn't signed any contract, he's still a Cuneo player at the moment.

Again, guys: please post only confirmed news! Savani and Simon have NOT been announced by Ural Ufa. The "team" on Ufa website is at the moment composed by 4 or 5 players. The "source" that Daryl_Zero linked actually says that it looks like their negotiations look close to an agreement.
This is an international forum, if you have doubts with some language just ask for help!

@matheus (hi, I could become your official translator)
It's a press release by New Mater Castellana Grotte. It says that the society rejects decisions taken by federation and league about legal agreements (it's still about "sport titles market" we already talked about). They express their opposition by retiring from the league.
It is not a clear situation, and the society didn't release any other statement or comment. Let's hope this become clearer, but there is a little time left before the deadline for next season's league... so probably New Mater won't exist anymore.

Guy, you really need to calm down. This is no way to have a conversation. Now, a few points, even if I'm a new user in this forum:

1 - "humiliate your nation"?! We're talking about volleyball here!
2 - the fact that you "talked" to some random polish girl on the web does not authorise you to offend and swear here in this forum. If you have issues with this particular girl, talk to her, not to us.
3 - "these transfers like zlatanov fonteles savani kaziyskii juantorena stoychev makes me smile": you're talking as if all these transfers are already concluded.... let's all wait for officiality before judging.
4 - "buying your players for turkish national team". I don't even want to comment this. You just want turkish league to have appeal, you don't give a fuck about this game. Turkey could win everything by "buying" players but you don't care about spreading volleyball among kids and the population. Volley is fun, values, friendship. Volley is kids playing at school, small teams to enjoy a hobby, a way to stay healthy having a good time... it's not only great clubs that win important cups.

I then agree with casamodena: we volleyball people are worried about how vb management could change. Paying tons of money to buy players who have a contract; paying an excessive number of foreigners who will could not play all matches or could only play in european cups; generate a kind of market that could not be supported by most countries and leagues. Since volley is not football, these aspects could KILL volleyball and interest for volleyball all around the world. Would that be better for the turkish league, if vb lose its appeal?

Laola is great (excellent video quality), but during the intercontinental phase they choose only 1 match a week ? but they'll stream the whole F6 I think.

Hi saeed. Most Italy's matches will be offered by Raisport (channels Raisport1 or Raisport2), which broadcasts on satellite too. I can't help you for other matches.