Birthday boys

Meanwhile there was drama and double-talk all day long about the Škuletić-case, the team celebrated Darko Brašanac and Gregor Balažić in the Turkey training camp, who both had their birthday on 12th. Brašanac celebrated his 23rd, Balažić his 27th birthday.

Birthday boys together

Gregor Balažić

Darko Brašanac

(I don’t know what’s going on there behind him and I don’t even want to know)

Volkov found the perfect pose for partying

Photos: partizan.rs

Petar Škuletić: case closed

I try to resume this whole story. The waves of shitstorm are so high that they have been flowing over the dams and faeces are getting as high as our knees.

The situation is, as follows: Petar Škuletić signed to Lokomotiv Moscow. The price Russians paid for him is 4 million euros. The striker has already left the team in Turkey and came back to Belgrade. They had a short press conference, he had a few hours left to pack up and he left in the evening to Moscow.
A few weeks ago French team Lille wanted to sign him. Everything looked fine, Škuletić went to France, took part at medical examinations. He was loved around, everything looked to be perfect. The French team offered 2 and a half million euros for him. Yet Partizan’s newly elected management said in the last minute that the Montenegrin striker was not for sale. It caused numerous new grey hair for Škuletić’s manager, the striker just said resigned to a sports site, the world would not collapse if he couldn’t sign to a foreign team, just he had financial problems and his bottom would be soon out from his pants.
A Chinese offer showed up as well, but Škuletić refused saying he’d not want to go to the Far East.

I can absolutely understand him.

Things seemed to calm down. Škuleitć travelled with the team to Turkey for spring preparations, the average fan was already thinking of the upcoming season with Škuletić and co. shooting goals, our name can be engraved into the championship cup in advance, thanks.
Then came the news out of the blue: Petar Škuletić signs to Lokomotiv Moscow, 10 days before the start of the season. Marko Nikolić made no secret about how embarrassing it was all for him. He added, he had and would have no voice in it.
Team leadership immediately started to wash their hands.
All that Dragan Ćirić could say was the following to mondo.rs:
- Well, see, I have no decision-making power here.

WTF?...

- It is very embarrassing - he added.
You get what I mean. FK Partizan’s sports director have no power to make decisions. Ćirić swore by all that is holy he knew nothing about Škuletić’s transfer.
Vučelić tried to explain things to mozzartsport.com:
- The club is in a very difficult financial situation. We indeed refused Lille’s offer about 2,3 million euros. There had been offers from China and Germany, even Sporting Lisboa seemed to be interested, but none of them was serous enough. The first really serious offer came from Lokomotiv, they were even willing to pay the price at once.
Reports talk about the management immediately having a meeting in Belgrade to discuss the fate of Škuletić. Finally they decided (9 "yes" against 3 "no") to sell the striker. Ljubiša Tumbaković allegedly left the meeting like an angry stormwind (he was one of those 3 members voting with "no"). Beside him Dragan Bjelogrlić and dr. Nele Karaljić were against the transfer.

Earlier Tumbaković said, too, he had no knowledge about this entire story about Škuletić, as he was with the team in Turkey for the whole time. When he got to know about it, he immediately travelled back to Belgrade for an urgent meeting of the board.

After all this the question rose: who is responsible for this all? Whose interest is this, to make the team this weak, selling the two best players, Škuletić and Lazović this very quickly, one and a half weeks before the start of the spring season? (And let’s not forget about Fofana being on loan.) Pantić was also successfully thrown out of the team. Who will score goals?
Vučelić gave a very mysterious answer to the "who is responsible"-question.
- The management, of course. - Then he added: - And the trainer.
The journalist surely made a shocked facial expression, because Vučelić gave this explanation:
- It is not the management’s job to score goals. It is high time for the trainer and the players to stop using the management as an alibi. Everyone knows who are to play football - he said.

I hope it is only paranoia talking from me, but why, why do I have the impression the new management wants to make a scapegoat of Marko Nikolić, that finally the trainer himself will leave the team?... Do you still remember of the last days of 2014, when the newly elected leadership instantly wanted to fire Nikolić - only the rage of fans kept them back from making this step.

Škuletić seems to be tired, worn out, fed up and can’t wait to get over this fuss.

(photo: mozzartsport.com)

- It was an offer you get once in a lifetime - he said during the day. - I said earlier to the team that I want to sign to a foreign club. The only thing I regret is that I couldn't win championship with Partizan. But I do believe my friends will win again the title.
He added, he is very glad with the offer of Lokomotiv and feels satisfied.
- I got a phone call early in the morning with the offer. I couldn't even say goodbye properly to the team, only to those few fellow players who were awake at that time.
Some say, this farewell was not this easy, Škuletić had an emotional, tearful leave from Partizan.

(You shouldn’t have said this. Now I will cry, too.)

The best part is yet to come.
Milorad Vučelić said to mondo.rs: what Ljubiša Tumbaković said earlier, that he knew nothing about the striker’s transfer, is false.
- We got the offer from Lokomotiv on Tuesday evening. We immediately had a conference call, including all board members. Everyone knew about it.
Journalists tried to confront the management with their own statements from earlier, namely they wouldn’t sell anyone from the team (yet they sold out the two strikers and Pantić with turbo speed). Milomir Gligorijević explained it as follows:
- We must never, we should never lie to our fans. We could never do such a thing.

Don’t laugh yet, here’s the best part.

- We would leave this club rather than descending to lie. But everyone must understand, the circumstances have changed in the meantime.
This was Gligorijević’s Nobel-prize winner explanation.

And if you’re still not crying and/or raging and want to burn down the house together with every dirty, corrupted, coward liar pigs, then watch this early morning video, because SOS Kanal could catch a very sleepy, very worn-out Petar Škuletić before he left Turkey, with Vulićević, his roommate saying him goodbye at the exit.

Petar,
Thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for your 21 goals, for being the most reliable member of the team. I hope you'll return to Belgrade one day. And thank you for being able to meet you.
Take care!

Spandau - VK Partizan 8:6 (Champions League)

I'd like to express my gratitude to all TV channels that DID NOT broadcast this match. Would it have hurt?...

We started so good. We were on the lead to 0:2 with the goals of Subotić and Vico. What is more, thanks to Stojanović we made it to 1:3 in the second quarter. But then Germans took over control and we went to half-time break with 4:3.
After the pause we attacked the Berlin-based team so much that Stojanović and Tanasković could switch the standing to 4:5.
From that point on we couldn’t score even one thin goal for long and we had to pay the price. Germans made it to 8:5 (mostly by the goals of Croatian player Ćuk). Mandić could finally score one, 76 seconds before the end.
And no, it does not make me happy that this was the German team’s first victory in Champions League.




Team standing:
1. Szolnok 12 points
2. Primorje 12 points
3. Jug Dubrovnik 12 points
4. Partizan 3 points
5. Galatasaray 3 points
6. Spandau 3 points

Next round: 4th March

Mid-month sales

The news are fresh, still warm: Škuletić is said to leave FK Partizan, now for real. Sportskacentrala.com tells about Russian club Lokomotiv, mozzartsport.com even mentions the price: Russians offer 4 million euros for everyone’s favourite Montenegrin. Leaders of Lokomotiv didn’t confirm, nor denied the information. As for Partizan, everyone keeps silent.

May God break the sky on those who are responsible for this. On everyone, all those rotten, corrupted rats who push responsibility to the others. (I’m looking at you now, Mr. Ćirić...) "We won’t sell players." Yeah. Sure. Of course. "For the request of the head coach." Since then Fofana has been sent away ("on loan"), Lazović has left the team and Škuletić is about to leave. All these happens when there are only 10 days left until the start of the spring season. At this moment there are 2 (two) strikers in the team: Kojić and Šaponjić, the latter one is not even 18 years old yet. Did those know-it-all’s up there in the management mean it seriously that we must start the championship season like THIS? Not to mention Marko Nikolić being still suspended, which means, he is not allowed to sit on the bench until mid-March.
Who is responsible for this? Who allowed it all, the team to be destroyed this way? Who is that rotten traitor who got into the team’s leadership? And why do the others let it all happen, to disorganize that little we still have?
So many questions, I know I’ll never get any answer to them ever.

And if you’re still not raging (or crying), then here is a video.

KK Partizan - Levski Sofia 94:66 (Adriatic League)

That's how the match started.
Yes, dear fans, readers and visitors, Grave Diggers applaused Bulgarian players. No booing, no whistles. Only fair play, the most noble type.

Levski's trainer, Konstantin Papazov was amazed by this welcome, and he spoke it at the press conference after the match. This gesture from fans was indeed chivalrous, especially after the first match in Sofia, where fans clashed and the sports hall was destroyed.

Newcomer Božo Đumić was there watching

(photo: Twitter)

The match started with a bad omen. Same day, in the afternoon basketball president Todorić had a car accident. He was even taken to hospital to get medical attendance. But for the match he was already out, wearing a brace-alike thing around his neck (sitting next to Đumić). He made it.

(photo: kurir.rs)

It was at the beginning of the match, Milosavljević threw the ball and Milutinov dunked it into the ring with an alley-oop trick. Partizan’s bench jumped up like one man and cheered.

Still the first quarter was not a reason to be satisfied. Levski sped up the pace, they did not let control slip out of their hands, no matter how much Mačvan and Milutinov were threwing baskets. We could equalize only 20 seconds before the end buzz, to 22:22, after Dallo made a miracle.

Levski was leading for the whole period, our defense had more holes than an Emmenthaler cheese. At a point cameras focused on Duško Vujošević as he was shaking his head.
In the second quarter we picked ourselves together slowly but surely. Dallo had a great moment in the beginning (24:24), then we took the lead, thanks to Marinković (26:24). A lot of chances were missed out on both sides (too much fumbling, for both us and them), but our defense line started to make a shape, we blocked with more and more self-confidence the attempts of the opponent. Tepić made the difference to two-digit (40:29), then it was Edo Murić Time.

Levski scored a lot of 3-pointers, they reduced the difference to 44:39. Saša Pavlović set the half-time result 17 seconds before the end (46:39).
We kept things under our control in the third quarter, too. Bezbradica scored (50:39), Levski again tried with 3-pointers, but there was still a firm difference (59:50). We also scored some 3-pointers, first Andrić (62:50), then Marinković (65:50). Bulgarians reduced it to 66:58 and it was only 35 seconds left, when we set the two-digit difference back (68:58).
The last quarter was a festival. Like, when Murić bit himself onto the opponent player, made a fantastic steal and demonstrated the greatest scene of the match, for the joy of the audience.

Levski was fighting hard and brave, but we swept them off for the end. At the very end the team was joined by Ioannis Kouzeloglou, the young Greek, who immediately scored his first basket. And then, his first 3-pointer. With that he set the final result of the match.

(photo: Twitter)

Kouzeloglou was still standing on the parquet after the match, surrounded by fans, giving autographs

(photo: Twitter)

 

Božo Đumić

...now officially Partizan’s new basketball player.

(photo: kkpartizan.rs)

Welcome home!

Dobrodošao!

Nota bene: today at 18:00 KK Partizan plays against Levski Sofia in Adriatic League. The match will be broadcasted live by Sport Klub 1.

HK Crvena Zvezda - HK Partizan 3:10

At the other side of the city, at Pionir Ice Hall the ice hockey team stepped over the red team laughing (and probably entertaining each other with jokes) making a training match out of the eternal derby. The team’s best player was Dimitrije Filipović with 4 goals, joined by Ogrizović (2), Raković, Brkušanin, Čuković and Gabrić (1-1).

Goalkeeper Milan Luković explains something to Kovačević (19)

(photo: blic.rs)

Filipović gave a quick interview to blic.rs after the match with a wide grin.
- It’s always a great feeling to score against our eternal rival, especially 4 goals. - He added: - I expected more from their defense line, especially that they signed players from Slovakia and Czech Republic.

Update: a bunch of match photos.
Source: Facebook/Hokejaški klub Partizan (Fan page)

VK Crvena Zvezda - VK Partizan 8:8 (Triglav League)

We started with a good pace. Average Fan even had distant day-dreams about a possible high goal difference victory over the red team, especially that the match was organized in Milan Gale Muškatirović Swimming Pool.
In the first quarter we were self-confident, winning it to 3:4. Slobodan Soro finally came back home from Brazil and made miracles at the goal line. Subotić and Mandić made a fool of Šefik time after time. We even made it for the half-time, being on the lead to 4:6.
The third quarter is yet something to forget as quickly as possible. Nothing worked, the entire period was a desperate swimming between the two goal-lines struggling. It isn’t much of a comforting thought that the opponent also failed to take advantage of their chances, the quarter’s only goal was still scored by them soon before the end. Their goalkeeper picked himself together and their defense line formed a much stronger wall than in the first half.
The last quarter was a total nervous breakdown. Red team equalized, then they even took the lead (8:7). Their goalkeeper made impossible tricks while having a wide grin at Partizan-players who seemingly turned into more and more pale. Finally Jakšić got fed up and equalized 40 seconds before the end buzz.

The team’s best were Subotić, Mandić and Stojanović, all scored 2-2 goals.

News and results altogether

I was brutally knocked out by a flu virus, that's the reason of the lack of blogposts in the past days. Now I try and make up all lost ground.

The basketball team has already found a new player for the place of Đorđe Gagić. The new boy is called Božo Đumić and there are only the last arrangements left to sign the contract. He can play for the first time at the match against Cibona the earliest. (On Monday, against Levski it will still be too early for him.)

(photo: mozzartsport.com)

Đumić had an enthusiastic interview with mozzartsport.com where he talked about himself being a Partizan-fan since his early years and with this contract his childhood dream would come true.

***

It’s possible the basketball team won’t take part in Korać Cup this year either. Duško Vujošević explained, the reason behind it is the financial state of the club.

***

Now it is sure Danko Lazović leaves FK Partizan for China. At some places it is also known that the striker signs to Beijing Entertainment, a team in the Chinese 2nd division, where former Partizan (and Videoton) player Aleksandar Stanojević is the head coach.

Tell me it’s a joke. It must be a joke that such a qualified player ends up in the Chinese (!!!) 2nd division (!!!!!!!). Why didn’t you let him to Anderlecht then, where he was (allegedly) waited with open arms?... Who must be kicked in the ass hard for this?...

***

Here you can read an interview with former Partizan legend Dževad Prekazi.

***

Several days ago unknown people attacked and beat Miša Tumbas at daylight, on a street. The reason of the attack has not been found out yet, nevertheless media quickly picked the news and published it with banner headlines. What it was still worth for that we could find out, Miša Tumbas lives in inhumane conditions in a ruined building with no heat and running water in a village named Barič about 20 km from Belgrade. Grave Diggers immediately joined to help him. The house has been disinfected since then and fans are about to paint and clean the place as well as give blankets and a new bed to Miša among others. They even opened a bank account where anyone can send money to help him.

I don’t upload photos about Miša’s place for solidarity. If any of you wants to see what kind of conditions Miša Tumbas had to, has to live in, just ask Google. 
To those who attacked him: you’re rats. The most coward among them. Miša Tumbas is an ill, old man, who couldn’t harm a fly. Yet you attacked him, beat him and kicked him. I just wish you after all these to meet a few of the angriest, most vengeful and strongest Grave Diggers in a dark, narrow street. And if you can still talk afterwards, you can tell me how it was going.

Until then, a photo of Miša

(photo: Facebook/Partizan is life)

***

Partizan’s ice hockey team won over HK Vitez to 9:2 yesterday. (1:2, 3:0, 5:0)

***

The volleyball team won 3:0 at Đerdap’s home. (20:25, 20:25, 22:25) Marko Nikolić was the hero of the day with his 19 points, so much that he even became the best player of January.

Nikolić said humbly, it was not his merits, but the team’s and collective work.

We love you, too, Marko.

***

Finally, the block of the day, performed by Bogdan Bogdanović.

VK Partizan - VK Jug Dubrovnik 5:12 (Triglav League)

There isn't much to detail about it... We lost. Croatian team took the lead already in the first quarter, to 1:5. In the second they scored "only" one goal, the half-time result was 1:6. In the third period we threw two goals, but the problem was that the players of Dubrovnik threw another, the standing was 3:7 at this point. In the final quarter they destroyed us.
Only Gavril Subotić can be highlighted from Partizan, he scored two goals. After the match he admitted, the team this night played in a very bad form.