Croatian League - Hrvatska nogometna liga

[swogerino]

Prior to the start of new season I don't think that anyone expected this, even the most die hard hajduk fans: Hajduk Split at the top of the table with 8 points ahead of Dinamo Zagreb (they have one game less though) with latter only getting 4 points from 3 games.

Given the circumstances in Dinamo (Sutalo just left, Livakovic just a matter of day and possibly Ivanusec and Petkovic, Biscan being incompetent) I think that its now or never for Hajduk to finally win the championship after 18-19 years of waiting.

/snip

Oh man, I forgot all about this thread. Yes, I agree that this is the now or never year for Hajduk to become the champion. But after seeing them play against PAOK, I don't think they have what it takes to win. Rijeka also have solid chance to win the title again, not just Hajduk. Dinamo changed a lot in the last year - new coach, new management... We will see how long the new management will have patience with Biscan. If they lose against Sparta Prague, I think they will look for another coach.

Loads of changes,not good changes at Dinamo I assume after they were eliminated from the Champions League fight for the group stages where most of the time we are used to see them,they should be happy with Europa League now which is not that bad but surely not their main objective.What makes it painful is that they were leading 0-2 and they lost it all in the additional minutes added in the end of the second half.

This makes them fight for the Croatian title a priority now and despite other teams having chances I think they will be the Champions also this year.

[slackovic]

Oh, wow! That was fast. I was watching the news this morning and saw Dario Simic (a member of the board) who said that Biscan has their full suport. I guess a lot have changed since then. I didn't look at the news portals so the news skipped me. But I must say that I expected them to fire him.

EDIT: Rikafip it looks like the runoes weren't true. I just saw the news that Sergej Jakirovic is appointed as the new Dinamo coach. That was really fast.

[Rikafip]

When the famous Kjuno Jurcic returns, then we will know that Dinamo has reached rock bottom.

Haha yeah, but I think that we might be closer to Jurcic coming back than we think. Maybe if Jakirovic doesn't work out.

EDIT: Rikafip it looks like the runoes weren't true. I just saw the news that Sergej Jakirovic is appointed as the new Dinamo coach. That was really fast.

Yep, just saw it and was about to share the news. I thought that I would be happier that Dinamo got Jakirovic who was probably the best choice, but on the other hand when I think about it, it kinda sucks for Rijeka to lose the coach that way, at the start of the season and before their important Conference League qualifiers games vs Lille.

From what I could notice on other forums, Rijeka fans are gutted by Sergej's move (I would be too if I was Rijeka fan) but what they have to understand is that is hard to resist Dinamo call and much bigger salary. Also, there are rumours that Dinamo appointing him is a sign that Mamic brothers still have the last call in Dinamo which is not a good news.

[cryptofrka]

Jakirović will quadruple his wages - nobody should be surprised by his choice.

Taking Dinamo isn't really a smart move at this point in time, there's too much internal power struggle and he won't get the support he needs. But nobody local rejects Dinamo when they come calling.

[slackovic]

Jakirović will quadruple his wages - nobody should be surprised by his choice.

Taking Dinamo isn't really a smart move at this point in time, there's too much internal power struggle and he won't get the support he needs. But nobody local rejects Dinamo when they come calling.

I'm sure that Rijeka fans are outraged by the behavior of Jakirović. He left them just before the most important game of the season. But he also took his whole staff with him (at least it's what I have read in the news yesterday).

On another note, it looks like Dinamo goalkeeper Livaković played his last game in Athens on Saturday. The rumors are that the management tried to persuade him into staying until after the game against Sparta, but could not. Dinamo even tried to persuade him to stay until winter with a raise, but he didn't want to. The rumor is that he will sign for Fenerbahce. Now Jakirović needs to decide who will be his successor - Nevistić or Zagorac.

[Lucius]

~snip~
From what I could notice on other forums, Rijeka fans are gutted by Sergej's move (I would be too if I was Rijeka fan) but what they have to understand is that is hard to resist Dinamo call and much bigger salary.

In fact, everything revolves around money, and this kind of move only proves that. Apart from that, there is also the matter of some kind of prestige and the further career of each coach, because if you do something good in Dinamo, it is definitely a good reference for your further career. Bjelica did a good job in Dinamo and then after Osijek he went abroad, and he certainly wouldn't have done that if he was the coach of a smaller club from HNL.

Also, there are rumours that Dinamo appointing him is a sign that Mamic brothers still have the last call in Dinamo which is not a good news.

There is no doubt that there are connections between Miskovic and the fugitive brothers, but I can tell you that most of the people who were loyal to the brothers were expelled from the club, although the question arises whether there is some kind of financial weight from the past that still gives the brothers the opportunity to influence some decisions.

[Rikafip]

I'm sure that Rijeka fans are outraged by the behavior of Jakirović. He left them just before the most important game of the season. But he also took his whole staff with him (at least it's what I have read in the news yesterday).

There is one guy who refused to go to Dinamo and that's Djalovic, Jakirovic's assistant.

On another note, it looks like Dinamo goalkeeper Livaković played his last game in Athens on Saturday. The rumors are that the management tried to persuade him into staying until after the game against Sparta, but could not. Dinamo even tried to persuade him to stay until winter with a raise, but he didn't want to. The rumor is that he will sign for Fenerbahce

Livakovic is already in Istanbul so that's done deal, and it looks like tonight's game vs Sparta will be the last game for Ivanusec who is going to Feyenoord for 10M euro. With all these Dinamo players gone, I don't think that Hajduk will have a better chance to win championship soon.

Now Jakirović needs to decide who will be his successor - Nevistić or Zagorac.

My guess is Nevistic as they didn't pay Lokomotiva 3 million for nothing.

but I can tell you that most of the people who were loyal to the brothers were expelled from the club, although the question arises whether there is some kind of financial weight from the past that still gives the brothers the opportunity to influence some decisions.

I don't think that power struggle is over yet and Mamic probably still has some chance to come back. This current situation reminds me of Harry Potter where Mamic is Voldemort in this scenario. 

[slackovic]

There are already rumors that Dinamo is looking to get their former certain Ademi back from China. I'm not sure how much mo ey are they willing to pay, but I'm not sure that Chinese club will want to let him go.

As for the players that are leaving or have left, we'll see how will Dibamo play today and especially the next week without Livakovic and Ivanusec. I hope that they won't be missed as much, but I'm not that sure about it. Especially Livakovic...

[CLS63]

As a Fenerbahce fan I'm very happy for transferring Livakovic. I was thinking that he would go to one of top teams in the world after his performance in the World Cup. I want to ask Croatian league regulars here his success chance at Fenerbahce because of knowing only his national team performance.

[slackovic]

As a Fenerbahce fan I'm very happy for transferring Livakovic. I was thinking that he would go to one of top teams in the world after his performance in the World Cup. I want to ask Croatian league regulars here his success chance at Fenerbahce because of knowing only his national team performance.

If Croatian news say correctly, the transfer is a done deal. There were rumors that he could play against Sparta today, but he missed the last training and I think he is already in Turkey doing medical checkup. There were also rumors that he could sign for Sevilla but I guess that wasn't true. Anyhow, he is a great goalkeeper and I think that both of medals from the World cups Croatia got thanks to his great saves.

[Rikafip]

I want to ask Croatian league regulars here his success chance at Fenerbahce because of knowing only his national team performance.

You got yourself a very good goalkeeper, especially at that price. He has some weaknesses though (if not he would be at the top club) like crosses but overall you will probably be satisfied with him.

Anyhow, he is a great goalkeeper and I think that both of medals from the World cups Croatia got thanks to his great saves.

Subasic was our goalkeeper in Russia, not Livakovic. I mean he was there too but iirc he didn't enter any of the games there.

[slackovic]

/snip

Anyhow, he is a great goalkeeper and I think that both of medals from the World cups Croatia got thanks to his great saves.

Subasic was our goalkeeper in Russia, not Livakovic. I mean he was there too but iirc he didn't enter any of the games there.

Damn, you are right. I completely forgot about Subasic. What happened to him after Russia? I see that he has retired this year after playing for Hajduk since 2021. He played very well (at least at the World cup in Russia), but I don't remember seeing him after that World cup. I guess he was one of the players that said goodbye to the national team after that silver medal.

[Rikafip]

He played very well (at least at the World cup in Russia), but I don't remember seeing him after that World cup. I guess he was one of the players that said goodbye to the national team after that silver medal.

Yeah he retired after Russia, wanting to give younger guys like Livakovic a chance.

I always like to think that he retired so early because the guy before him (Pletikosa) stayed in our national team for at least few years too long while Subasic was obviously a better goalkeeper than him at that point (I remember Pletikosa being crap in the WC in Brazil) but since there's the thing called hierarchy in our national team, Subasic had to wait for him to retire. So maybe he didn't want to do the same thing.

[cryptofrka]

As a Fenerbahce fan I'm very happy for transferring Livakovic. I was thinking that he would go to one of top teams in the world after his performance in the World Cup. I want to ask Croatian league regulars here his success chance at Fenerbahce because of knowing only his national team performance.

Considering that you'll apparently pay close to 10m euros for him, I'd say it's one of the worst deals you could have made.
He is a decent keeper, but better keepers were sold for less money. Top clubs overpay top ball-playing goalkeepers, other than that, goalkeepers are quite cheap.

Livaković is horrible with his feet and not good as a sweeper keeper, so definitely not in the 'modern goalkeepers' bracket that you would need to overpay for.

What is your plan with Altay? He's not such a horrible GK. If I were you, I would have rather spent that money on a good CM - Fener is thin in midfield.

[CLS63]

As a Fenerbahce fan I'm very happy for transferring Livakovic. I was thinking that he would go to one of top teams in the world after his performance in the World Cup. I want to ask Croatian league regulars here his success chance at Fenerbahce because of knowing only his national team performance.

Considering that you'll apparently pay close to 10m euros for him, I'd say it's one of the worst deals you could have made.
He is a decent keeper, but better keepers were sold for less money. Top clubs overpay top ball-playing goalkeepers, other than that, goalkeepers are quite cheap.

Livaković is horrible with his feet and not good as a sweeper keeper, so definitely not in the 'modern goalkeepers' bracket that you would need to overpay for.

What is your plan with Altay? He's not such a horrible GK. If I were you, I would have rather spent that money on a good CM - Fener is thin in midfield.

Fenerbahce club stated the cost of the player as 7 million euros. Frankly I think Livakovic will be successful in our team. Altay Bayındır is a good goalkeeper with potential. It is said that he will be transferred by Manchester United. When we think the requirement of having 3 Turkish players in starting eleven in the Turkish league, it is quite a risky move to put a foreign goalkeeper in his place. However Altay can't motivate himself for matches from now on due to the existence of big problems between him and the fans. The hardest thing for a player must be to get booed by their own fans.

Altay's biggest misfortune is that our arch rival has an elite goalkeeper like Muslera. He is always in a situation to be compared to him.

[cryptofrka]

Fenerbahce club stated the cost of the player as 7 million euros. Frankly I think Livakovic will be successful in our team. Altay Bayındır is a good goalkeeper with potential. It is said that he will be transferred by Manchester United. When we think the requirement of having 3 Turkish players in starting eleven in the Turkish league, it is quite a risky move to put a foreign goalkeeper in his place. However Altay can't motivate himself for matches from now on due to the existence of big problems between him and the fans. The hardest thing for a player must be to get booed by their own fans.

Altay's biggest misfortune is that our arch rival has an elite goalkeeper like Muslera. He is always in a situation to be compared to him.

If you're selling Altay, then it makes sense. However - there are 5 days left until the deadline and United already brought a new GK - not sure how much truth there is in this transfer.
If you don't sell Altay, then you'll have 2 expensive GK's - which is crazy considering the overall depth of your team.

______________________________________________________

I would not care much what the fans think, if he performs well for 5 games in a row they will suddenly start cheering him. Fans are something you should mostly ignore when making business decisions.

[Rikafip]

Livaković is horrible with his feet and not good as a sweeper keeper, so definitely not in the 'modern goalkeepers' bracket that you would need to overpay for.

I don't think that 6.65M (transfermarkt number) Fenerbahce paid for Livakovic is overpaying. He is entering best goalkeeper years, has tons of experience at the highest level and beside some defficiencies (which are the reason he is not at a bigger club) is a pretty good goalkeeper for a club of Fenerbahce level. If you ask me, they sold him for too cheap and as a Dinamo fan I would much rather see him stay than them getting him for that kind of money.

Whether he ends up being a good choice for Fenerbahce remains to be seen, but he did a good job for Dinamo and our national team so far.

[slackovic]

Livaković is horrible with his feet and not good as a sweeper keeper, so definitely not in the 'modern goalkeepers' bracket that you would need to overpay for.

I don't think that 6.65M (transfermarkt number) Fenerbahce paid for Livakovic is overpaying. He is entering best goalkeeper years, has tons of experience at the highest level and beside some defficiencies (which are the reason he is not at a bigger club) is a pretty good goalkeeper for a club of Fenerbahce level. If you ask me, they sold him for too cheap and as a Dinamo fan I would much rather see him stay than them getting him for that kind of money.

Whether he ends up being a good choice for Fenerbahce remains to be seen, but he did a good job for Dinamo and our national team so far.

I completely agree. Few years ago he was lousy at playing the ball, but he improved that in the last couple of years. He may not be at the level of the best goalkeepers, but I think that he is a very good goalkeeper for Fenerbahce. Especially for that price. But didn't Croatian news say that Dinamk sold him for around 9-10 million dollars? I'm not sure anymore...

[cryptofrka]

The fee is closer to 10 million. 6.5 mil immediately with 3 million in installments/reachable clauses.
As I said - he's a really solid GK. The thing for me is the fee spent for a GK is too high for a club of Fener's rank, especially considering they have a solid GK to begin with.

For example - Feyenoord spent the same on Ivanušec - a 24-year old winger with much higher resell value. That's a very good transfer, Livaković's one is in my opinion a much better deal for Dinamo than for Fener.

[CLS63]

Was there any plan of Dinamo Zagreb after Livakovic? Zagreb are a team that needs to be successful in the league and European competitions both.

The fee is closer to 10 million. 6.5 mil immediately with 3 million in installments/reachable clauses.

Fenerbahçe have stated with the official statement they made that they are going to pay 7.6 million euros for Livakovic together with bonuses.

As I said - he's a really solid GK. The thing for me is the fee spent for a GK is too high for a club of Fener's rank, especially considering they have a solid GK to begin with.

I also agree with the topic that Altay is a quite good goalkeeper for Fenerbahçe's level. However he was really in bad with the fans. He was in a situation that he would still be protested even if he concedes 1 goal after having a clean sheet for 10 matches. This parting will be good for both sides. When we think that Manchester United will pay 7 million euros for Altay Bayındır it didn't cost Fenerbahçe too much to replace their goalkeeper.