Superliga, round 15: Borac - FK Partizan 1:2

We won. We happy, Vincent?

Fuck off.

Two things to mention before getting deep into it.

1. Congratulations, high five and respect to Borac. They played bravely and heroically (hence the name!), sometimes better than us. A draw would have been much more just, I even think Borac would have deserved to win.

2. I hope Partizan’s management sends a bottle of fine champagne to referee Novica Anđelovski on New Year. Practically this win would have never happened without him.

Heavy rain in the first half. The only thing to mention. Two completely equal teams on the pitch. (This fact might be flattering only for Borac…) Zoćević dribbled around Janković in a way that left the Montenegrin speechless, he could just blink.

Zoćević had a great game. He ran a lot, dribbled a lot, he meant danger for our goal. I really hope this talented kid will not get forgotten.

Borac attacked. They finished the first half with a huge chance (43rd minute, ended with a corner-kick) while in the second they had such actions that Partizan-defenders’ hair was streaming from the wind their attacks made. I swear it was only the Almighty’s grace Team Čačak didn’t take the lead in the 50th minute, Knežević hit the goalpost. Another big chance eas missed by the home team in the 57th minute. We had a few tryings from counter-attacks, then finally Tawamba literally pushed the ball into the box in the 59th minute. It was a 100 % unmissable “zicer”, but even this way Tawamba struggled for a while. (0:1) The goal woke us up a bit, but - big respect! - Borac didn’t stop fighting. They made it really amazing. They visibly prepared well and decided not to come to the pitch with hands up. They got the (may I say well-deserved) result: Brazilian striker Mateus equalized in the 70th minute. (1:1)

Did they deserve it? Absolutely!

Did they play bravely, spectacularly? They did!

Have we been lame ducks? As usual.

How many chances did we miss out after this? At least 3 of these “unmissables”, but there were a lot of others, less dangerous, but we could have still scored from those.

Have we been shitty? Beyond question.

What does head coach Đukić deserve for blaming the quality of the pitch after he was asked why we played again like shit? Someone to hit a nettle-bush with his dick as a bat.

The best was still left.

87th minute. We attack. Someone pushes Janković to the ground inside the penalty area. Penalty kick. Tošić stands behind the ball, he kicks…

...AND THE GOALKEEPER SAVED!!!

It was unbelievable. I’ll be honest here: I was laughing hard. Bambi, dude, will you please go to hell. It’s something only we can do. The 90th minute brought a fight, Everton tackled Jovanović way too hard, Jovanović wanted to kick into Everton in exchange - finally he kicked only into thin air, but that was enough to start a fight. They both got yellow card. Meanwhile the referee decided about 5 minutes of extra time, and these 5 minutes eventually had a key role. Tension rose high, Pantić also got into a fight with a home player. Everyone was waiting for the final whistle, the very last seconds were running, when Tošić clashed with a Borac-player. Referee Novica Anđelovski - for a great shock - whistled direct free kick for Partizan. (Meanwhile the extra time was over.)

I’ll be honest. Anđelovski screwed it up. A lot. It was not Borac’s player that fouled. It was Bambi. And if I could see this fact from here, on the other side of the border, through an online stream, then it’s impossible that a (-n allegedly) professional referee who is standing right there, supported by his assistants can’t see it.

Sorry everyone. I fucking hate when a referee is biased, even if for our benefit (and even if it happens only once in a century).

Oh well.

Tošić shot, and unlike with the penalty kick, this time he could score. (1:2) Local fans were hissing, booing and cursing. Honestly? I could understand them. Nor am I happy with this victory. A draw would have been fairer… (I don’t give a fuck on with how many points we’d be behind the neighbourhood then. I prefer much more to have a larger disadvantage with hinest play than having closer ties with a referee’s help).

Tošić (left) and Ožegović after the match (photo: partizan.rs)

Upon news FSS will have a talk with referee Anđelovski about this football game. He might even get suspended. Crvena Zvezda had a press release about the referee’s impact on the result (which was, according to them, scandalous), not as if anyone would have asked them.

Current championship standings:

1. Crvena Zvezda 40 points

2. Partizan 36 points

3. Vojvodina 30 points

4. Voždovac 28 points

5. Spartak 26 points

6. Čukarički 25 points

7. Napredak 23 points

8. Radnički Niš 23 points

9. Mladost 18 points

10. Radnik 18 points

11. Mačva 16 points

12. Zemun 14 points

13. OFK Bačka 13 points

14. Javor 11 points

15. Rad 8 points

16. Borac 7 points

ABA Liga, round 4: Cibona - KK Partizan 74:90

Cibona: check. We happy, Vincent?

Get the fuck out.

Was it a shitty game? It was.

Have we been lame ducks again? We have been.

Have Cibona been a team of even lamer ducks? Absolutely.

Have there been again 600 million missed-out baskets? Possibly even more.

Am I a masochist? Beyond question.

Oh, wait, almost forgot. This newly signed Jamaican, Samuels debuted tonight. I swear I didn’t notice him being on the court until the commentator mentioned his name. The Leader Of The Gang said, he looks and moves like a bear. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t notice him, he was as sluggish as all the others.

The standing was 12:10 in the first quarter after 7 and a half minutes. Compared to the fact that this game was announced as the derby of the two top guns of ex-YU basketball, this result was depressing. The home team had turnover 6 times. We equalized for the end of the quarter, the second one was about Cibona sinking slowly. I seriously don’t know when was the last time I saw this many rebounds. It was seriously very saddening and depressive to watch. Additionally I did something I’ve never done yet: I muted the volume of the broadcast, because the commentators of ArenaSport got on my nerves. We were leading, but I almost fell asleep. Shitty game with a shitty and an even shittier team. Veličković had some tantrum before half-time

Veličković. Oh my fucking God, Veličković. Lately his only function seems to be as the 5th player to make a whole team when nobody else is around. He plays like a pensioner. Slow, sluggish, as if he would hate it all. No wonder he has been barely on court lately. He scored no points on this game. None.

The half-time result was 33:43, but I couldn’t mention a single player to have an extraordinary performance. All of them played dull. The third quarter was about Partizan or rather about how Cibona was struggling and suffering along the court, while we did whatever we wanted, or rather what our abilities made possible.If I remember well, we gained a 20-point-advantage, but I’m not sure. The last quarter was a comedy, a basketball-parody, the crappy version. We scored the first basket of the quarter after more than 5 minutes. Until that we did nothing. Though it tells all about Cibona that during these more than 5 minutes they could reduce the 51:67 difference only to 59:67. Knowing this there’s no surprise in the end result.

Cibona: Bilinovac, Uljarević, Young (20), Žorić (20), Ćorić, Melvin III (9), Novačič, Bošnjak (8), Rozić (12), Gospić (3), Tomas (2), Bušma

Partizan: Williams-Goss (20), Tadić, Marinković (19), Veličković, Tomić, Pecarski, Gavrilović (6), Andrić (14), Samuels (16), Čakarević (6), Stevanović (3), Šalić (6)

Postponed match from round 9: Zemun - FK Partizan 1:3

Someday for some reason this match was postponed. Today it was played. No idea why it was postponed back then, I don’t remember it anymore. (If you do, kindly whisper it into my ear via the comment box.) Nor have I idea why it actually had to be played instead of cancelling it forever. It would have been better to forget it. It was shit. Just shit.

I don’t care that we won. We played so shitty that it’s in fact equal to a defeat.

There was wrestling, but football, nothing. Tawamba reminds more and more of Bojinov, putting the “missing-out-from-the-goalmouth” onto an artistic level. Not as if the others would have forced themselves… We took the lead in the 25th minute, Mitrović (no, not Mitrogol, but Milan) headed a long pass into the box. (0:1) The pace slowed down after the goal, Zemun didn’t have much to show off with, as for Partizan, they didn’t push themselves at all. Tawamba again missed out a big chance.

Just like in the previous season. That time we had already reached unknown dimensions of the phenomenon “lame duck”. Average Fan wanted to cut veins. Then Marko Nikolić brought the team into shape in the winter break. The chance for this right now is less than minimal.

Then came the end of the first half and a plot twist: Mitrović scored another goal. Just the problem was that he did it into oir net.

Had he scored one more, he would have achieved hat-trick.

The second half was lethargy itself. Nothing happened. Just nothing. We possessed the goal, but we could have stuck it up into the arse, because we did nothing with it. Zemun had two dangerous-looking actions, but those were good only for making us see there is actually an opponent on the pitch. It was a shitty match, we played shit, seriously a draw would have been much more a mirror for this fucked-up game. Especially that Tawamba missed out the Chance Of The Year in the 73rd minute, he got a precise cross - and headed it too high from the goalmouth. Finally, after a long suffering Ožegović scored in the 85th minute (1:2), then he was tackled to the ground in the 89th, the referee whistled. Penalt(izan). Jevtović scored (1:3), then the referee gave the final whistle to this comedy.

Eurocup, round 3: Bilbao - KK Partizan 92:96

Whoa. We won.

It kinda happens sometimes. We happy, Vincent?

I’ll be honest. The only reason I watched this so-called basketball game was that I found no link for the game of Ádám Hanga & Co. Barcelona too played last night, against Žalgiris, but all sports channels available for me would rather die instead of broadcasting Euroleague. Nevertheless out of caution I switched on TV broadcasting DFB-Pokal (German Cup). It was Magdeburg - Borussia Dortmund, with breathtaking coreography of the home fans. One needs quality football/sports broadcast time as well.

The link I found was on the verge of death for the entire first quarter, though I don’t think I missed out too much. Bilbao was leading to 26:21 for the end of the first part and it seemed so (even later on) that we can put another defeat to the “incoming” side. The second quarter was a nip-and-tuck game sometimes we briefly took the lead, but at this point it was quickly gone. The quality of the game was between shit and full total boredom, both teams were as awkward as possible. Too many fouls, fragmented game. That was until half-time (49:39), and even afterwards. If I say there was absolutely no score in the third quarter for two massive minutes (the clock on the screen showed 7:56, when Veličković finally pushed the ball into the ring after a long row of fumbling), then believe me I was as diplomatic as I could be. Then Bilbao’s advantage slowly melted and the truth is that the Basques can thank it only to themselves. They screwed it up, they made a 5-point-disadvantage out of a 10-point-advantage for the last quarter (68:73).

A végét nem néztem, ennyire azért nem vagyok mazochista, mint ahogy annyira sem, hogy Miroslav Nikolić vezetőedzőt most hirtelen elkezdjem éltetni. (Azt bírom, hogy most pont azok éltetik a leghangosabban, akik eddig a legdurvábban szidták… Döntsétek már el, hogy mit akartok, basszátok meg.) Néha a győzelem is előfordul, majd akkor talán hajlandó leszek megállni és elgondolkodni egy pillanatra, ha egymás után nyerjük a meccseket látványos, tetszetős játékkal. Addig meg marad a Barcelona meg a Fenerbahce.

I didn't watch the end, I’m not such a masochist. Nor am I one of those who suddenly started to hail head coach Miroslav Nikolić. (I find that especially amazing that those hail him now the loudest who spitted on him the heaviest. Fucking decide what you want…) Sometimes victories just happen. I might give it all a deeper thought when victories come in a row with spectacular playing style and self-confidence. Until then Barcelona and Fenerbahce.

Finally Barcelona got defeated from Lithuanians, yet Hanga scored the most, 19 points, to be precise. (Just for the sake of facts.)

Superliga, round 14: FK Partizan - OFK Bačka 3:1

I’ve asked myself approx. 600 times in the past 24 hours why I’m watching this shit. First the basketball team sucked out my energies (no, this “NBA-result” of 117:104 doesn’t touch me at all, because it will be worthless on an international level), today the football team killed my leftover nerves. I asked myself again and again and again: Why am I watching this?

There are millions of better games, quality teams and talented players worldwide, why am I getting upset over a broken Serbian team that have its best days passed over?

There’s no answer.

And I still get upset over and over again, every week, cursing and getting depressed. Every week, watching them, over and over again.

Maybe I love this team?

The first half was over after about 20 minutes. There were 3 (okay, 2 and a half) chances, all ending with goal. No more. We got a penalty in the 6th minute after Janković was kicked down. Jevtovuć shot and scored. (1:0)

Fans on Twitter commented it saying we are turning into “Penaltizan”, and I’m not saying that they aren’t right.

Ožegović got a pass at the half-line in the 14th minute. He fired off his rockets, left everyone behind running upfield. The goalkeeper ran out, Ožegović dribbled and didn’t stop until arriving at the box. (2:0) Bačka scored in the 20th minute, Mićić scored from an impossible angle. (2:1) And that was all. From then on both teams were just hanging around in the pitch, like 22 rheumatic snails. New dimensions of “lame duck” opened. It wasn’t even painful anymore to watch. It was so awful that it started to be interesting. I had an urge to smash Antonov in the face with a tuna. The dude literally did nothing, and he screwed up even that.

So, when 40-year-old veteran Saša Ilić appears at the place of left back - Antonov's place - making a deadly sprint to block a counter-attack, while Antonov is just watching, then I guess this should be the point to think things over.

Bačka woke up at the end of the second half, they started to attack vigorously - seriously it was a joy to watch. I even waited for the equalizing goal. Finally we pressed out one more, just before the final whistle. Tawamba scored. (3:1) Very well, we can pat ourselves on the shoulder. Just keep away from international grounds.

Eurocup, round 2: KK Partizan - Lietuvos Rytas 80:91

I know this game was days ago, but do I look like I care that I’m not up-to-date?

Any time it’s about KK Partizan, I turn into a 3-year-old. I say ‘why’ at least ten times a minute. Last week Alba Berlin smashed us, now it was Lietuvos Rytas, and the Lithuanians were kind enough to deliver it for us home. (Between these two games we managed to beat Zadar in ABA Liga, but there was noting in that game to remember. On the contrary.) To be honest, originally I planned not to watch this game. Getting my nerves fucked up is a too expensive hobby for Average Fan, plus there was also a football game waiting, the one against Skenderbeu away, nerves made from rope were badly needed (finalky it ended as a goalless draw, we sweated blood, let’s just forget that match quickly and go on). This day was also CL-day, who the heck wants to watch a bored, tired team, who are so unmotivated, that if it made physical pain, the whole Belgrade would echo their screaming?...

Yes. Me. Finally I did watch it.

No, not the whole game. No way. I just had to watch football, too, at the same time, for sanity reasons. That’s one thing that most of our scores came from free throws (and not from actions) and for this the game was fragmented. But at the same time our game was so dull, boring,grey and soulless that it didn’t matter at all when I join the game and when I switch to football, because we played in the same garbage style at every point of the match with insignificant semi-talents, and it reached the level of masochism.

Either you call back Duško Vujošević, or disband the whole team, go and hoe or dig ditch.

For the facts: it was a nip-and-tuck game for 3 quarters, with a lot of mistakes on both sides. Then Lithuanians probably got bored with the fumbling and smashed into our faces hard. From 60:57 to 64:64, then 68:70… Two minutes before the end it was 74:81, then 76:86… It ended with 80:91. Ridiculous? It definitely is.

Serbian Cup, 1/16 final: FK Rtanj Boljevac - FK Partizan 0:3

I do not deny - and don't feel ashamed at all - that I fell asleep after the first goal and woke up some time in the half-time. It was scored it in the 35th minute by Tawamba, and let's admit, the boys didn't have a hard time, neither before the goal, nor afterwards. Well, okay, obviously they didn't have to push themselves hard against the otherwise very much likabke and enthusiastic Rtanj. And let's admit that, too, that the home team didn't get scared at all. They played in a well-organized, spectacle style, and yes, sometimes we were lucky not getting the ball behind our goal. I had the same impression as last night watching the WC-qualifier between Hungary and Faroe Islands (yes, I watched it, because I'm a masochistic bastard), as Faroe playing simply but bravely and focused tackled easily Hungarians who sometimes just stared out of their head while often being dangerously close to the home team's goal. It was similar here, too, on the other side there was an enthusiastic and organized Rtanj, on the other a not-soooo-enthusiastic Partizan playing on the obligatory minimum level. That's it, there's nothing else to say. Just for the sake of facts: out second goal was scored by Jevtović from penalty in the 70th minute, the third was brought by Ožegović in the 86th. Dear FK Rtanj, hats off, applause and respect to you!

Group hug at the end of the game (photo: partizan.rs)

ABA Liga, Round 2: Mornar Bar - KK Partizan 83:81

ABA Liga, 2nd round, two games, two failures. We fucked up everything so far, there's no reason to soften it. In the first round we played against MZT Skopje, one of the weakest teams of the league. They washed up the court with us (92:89), now we got a special delivery from Mornar Bar: a horse dick up to our ass. Did anyone expect anything else? We were just loafing around on the court for three (3) quarters. Like a fart in the pants. Mornar humiliated us. Not even 4 minutes were gone, when they were ahead with 10:4. Then 15:6. Then 20:9. They might have even told jokes to each other. Meanwhie a bunch of lame ducks were hanging around on the court wearing Partizan-jersey. As if they were picked right from the street 5 minutes before the game.

No exception
And this was going fo three quarters.

This goes for Veličković as well. For some odd reason a lot of people are all over him. Though Veličković had quite a pave like a pensioner back in the previous season as well. For now he should be out of the team, being so slow and imprecise. What he dan't solve from routine, that remains unsolvrd forever.

Mornar had a great time. We didn't bother them in that. 47:33, 52:39, 74:53, and so on. Training game.
The team started to do something that distantly reminded of basketball only in the 4th quarter. Mornar was quite comfortable for this time, we actually managed to surprise them. We were not in top form though, to say the least. After too many mistakes (Williams-Goss was fouled out after two unsportsmanlike fouls in a row) we equalized with blood and sweat to 81:81, with only 51 seconds left. It all looked like a very nasty constipation with hemorrhoid. Time-out. After that we came back to the court. Mornar screw up the attack, turnover for us. Čakarević shoots - and misses. Mornar ran up, Ross shoots - and scores a buzzer-beater. Another game that we fucked up. 
By the way, today is the 72nd anniversary of founding SD Partizan.
Hapoy Birthday, Partizan.
Oh, wait...

Match action. It eas especially weird to watch Luković playing against us. (photo: Facebook/KK Partizan)