Spurs boys on International duty this weekend

[Gino Ginelli]

Tomorrow and tuesday will see a number of our lads away in the Euro qualifiers. Here's who should be in action:

Roman Pavluchenko - Russia v Andorra & Slovakia

Luka Modric
Vedran Corluka
Niko Krancjar
Stipe Pletikosa - Croatia v Latvia & Greece

Rafael Van Der Vaart (woo-hoo!!) - Holland v San Marino & Finland


Other players away on international friendly duty are:

Wilson Palacios - Honduras v El Salvador & Canada

Giovani Dos Santos - Mexico v Ecuador & Colombia


Personally I'm very much looking forward (as I'm sure you all are as well) to seeing our new boy Rafael in action for Holland. It'll also be good to see our Croatian boys back in competitive International football too. I hope they make the Euros this time round!

If I've missed anyone, post it up!

[Elthamspur]

Tomorrow and tuesday will see a number of our lads away in the Euro qualifiers. Here's who should be in action:

Roman Pavluchenko - Russia v Andorra & Slovakia

Luka Modric
Vedran Corluka
Niko Krancjar
Stipe Pletikosa - Croatia v Latvia & Greece

Rafael Van Der Vaart (woo-hoo!!) - Holland v San Marino & Finland


Other players away on international friendly duty are:

Wilson Palacios - Honduras v El Salvador & Canada

Giovani Dos Santos - Mexico v Ecuador & Colombia


Personally I'm very much looking forward (as I'm sure you all are as well) to seeing our new boy Rafael in action for Holland. It'll also be good to see our Croatian boys back in competitive International football too. I hope they make the Euros this time round!

If I've missed anyone, post it up!

Myself, I'd rather they didn't play him so he's fresh for us and does'nt risk any injuries!

[Elthamspur]

Ahhh, I don't like my last post but I always worry about these things! Just want the guy fit for us, that's all!

[denis-cro]

Just an update for Spurs´Croatian players. First game of the EURO 2012 Qualifying round saw us traveling to Latvia. Against host we played wery well, and won comfortably by 3-0. As for our players, Modrić wasnt forced to start, as he is stll not fully fit, but the good news is that he will be available for Tuesday´s game vs Greece. Niko Kranjcar and Vedran Corluka played all 90 minutes, and did well. Corluka was playing as CB - didnt have much to do, as we outplayed Latvia, and have been most of the match on their half of the pitch. Kranjcar played as advanced CM and had some nice moments, worked hard. Stipe Pletikosa was on the bench as reserve GK ... :ciao:

[malc123]

Just an update for Spurs´Croatian players. First game of the EURO 2012 Qualifying round saw us traveling to Latvia. Against host we played wery well, and won comfortably by 3-0. As for our players, Modrić wasnt forced to start, as he is stll not fully fit, but the good news is that he will be available for Tuesday´s game vs Greece. Niko Kranjcar and Vedran Corluka played all 90 minutes, and did well. Corluka was playing as CB - didnt have much to do, as we outplayed Latvia, and have been most of the match on their half of the pitch. Kranjcar played as advanced CM and had some nice moments, worked hard. Stipe Pletikosa was on the bench as reserve GK ... :ciao:

Thanks for the info-sounds good news re Modric

[TURKISH]

Just an update for Spurs´Croatian players. First game of the EURO 2012 Qualifying round saw us traveling to Latvia. Against host we played wery well, and won comfortably by 3-0. As for our players, Modrić wasnt forced to start, as he is stll not fully fit, but the good news is that he will be available for Tuesday´s game vs Greece. Niko Kranjcar and Vedran Corluka played all 90 minutes, and did well. Corluka was playing as CB - didnt have much to do, as we outplayed Latvia, and have been most of the match on their half of the pitch. Kranjcar played as advanced CM and had some nice moments, worked hard. Stipe Pletikosa was on the bench as reserve GK ... :ciao:

Cheers Den son.

[Antilokhos]

Just an update for Spurs´Croatian players. First game of the EURO 2012 Qualifying round saw us traveling to Latvia. Against host we played wery well, and won comfortably by 3-0. As for our players, Modrić wasnt forced to start, as he is stll not fully fit, but the good news is that he will be available for Tuesday´s game vs Greece. Niko Kranjcar and Vedran Corluka played all 90 minutes, and did well. Corluka was playing as CB - didnt have much to do, as we outplayed Latvia, and have been most of the match on their half of the pitch. Kranjcar played as advanced CM and had some nice moments, worked hard. Stipe Pletikosa was on the bench as reserve GK ... :ciao:
As our resident Croatian expert, quick question about our new signing. Is Stipe Pletikosa considered first choice for Croatia? Is he normally the back up? I was under the impression he was the starter, although that may just be an assumption on my part. Thanks for the info as well.

[denis-cro]

Stipe Pletikosa was Croatian first choice GK since he had advanced from U-21. In that time he was Gk of domestic club - Hajduk Split, and he was inreplacable, as for the club and as a first choice national GK. The Shaktar Donetck scouts noticed him, and he was big money signing for the Ukrainian club in 2003. This appeared to be a mistake cause during that period he was all but regular first choice GK (not because he was not good, but apparently he had a row with Shaktar manager...). Situation at the club affected his form which was noticable during National team games when he had made some "Gomes look-a-like mistakes" that cost him to be a first start choice afterwards. His transfer to Spartak Moscow in 2007 was good deal for him, cause he had established as a first choice GK when he arrived, but unfortunatelly during a period in Moscow he was victim of many injuries that made him unconstant...especially his last injury which was last year, and he had just recently recovered from it. All this situations about his injuries during last few years cost him as a first choice Croatian GK. He is a good GK, but he is also very passionate, which means that if he plays regularly than he is very reliable, but if he gets his chance from time to time and is treated as a reserve, than he is mistake prone.

Personally, I wasnt sweet on this loan deal, but knowing him when he was Hajduk Split GK - he was one of the best in the world at that time, which means that he is capable to be a good replacement for Gomes. Just hope that situation with allready 3 Croatian players in the team will affect positively on his morale, and his adaptibility, and that his overall not good episode in Eastern Europe was about adaptibility and bad luck and not about his quality...

There, I hope that Ive helped... COYS !!!!

[Antilokhos]

Great little history lesson, thanks a lot.

[deadleyledley]

so who is croatia's number 1 atm?

[denis-cro]

so who is croatia's number 1 atm?

Vedran Runje, 34-years old GK of french side Lens... he was also GK of french side Olympique Marseille for a few years.