The full match report is on www.marienlystcentret.dk but here are a few other quick thoughts from the match.
What the hell is going on over there in Polythallen? I heard it was a weird place to play but I didn’t expect that we would be playing in semi-darkness. I mean, there has to be a certain standard for how much light there should be in a hall. I felt more like I was in a planetarium than a gym. Sitting down in the corner during the third set I could barely see the team on the other side of the net. Some guy from the other side of one of the walls (I think he was lifting weights) was yelling for us to shut up during the match. Weird place. No offense to them but I hope that I don’t have to play there again.
No warm up music? It has been a long time since I have warmed up without music. It is amazing how much difference a little music can make.
I didn’t really notice it, but apparently PVC got an extra point, or we missed one of our points, or something, during the second set. That is two matches in a row now that the score people have messed up.
I’m not here to brutally criticize any of the referees. But I do want to say that I was disappointed with the refereeing yesterday. I felt that we were the really bad during the match, but the refs didn’t have their best day either. And being called under five times in a match is not a very normal occurrence. I’m not sure if the rule was being enforced correctly…
My string hair band made its debut appearance in the match. I’ll have to consider if it was bad enough to put it away again………..
Monday, October 31, 2005
Friday, October 28, 2005
Tips 29-10-05
I hope everyone made it through last weekend okay… There were certainly a couple surprising results. Clearly, this week I’ll have to redeem myself by predicting all of the weekend’s matches.
SK Aarhus vs. HIK – This was a much better bet last night when the odds were higher. At present HIK is listed at 1.55; still pretty decent money with no handicap involved but not exactly a sure bet. HIK’s record isn’t as good but they have had a much harder schedule. Both of their losses in the regular tournament have been 3-2 so it is hard to say that they aren’t better than 2-2. Aalborg definitely has the talent advantage on paper and they are still an excellent blocking team, especially when they can create situations where they are setup on the outside. If Aarhus doesn’t pass well enough to keep Makoto in system then this one could get out of hand pretty quickly. Continued strong serving from HIK against unproven passing for SK means that my money has to be in Aalborg for this one.
Gentofte vs. Hvidovre (2.50H) – Gentofte is clearly a top team. They proved that they have depth last weekend in Aarhus, playing without Peter Halling or Kristian Bech. Hvidovre still hasn’t shown that they can challenge any of the top teams this year. Without Søren Bruncke it looks like they are going to have an even harder test. Too much talent on the other side of the net, I don’t think they pass the test. With odds 1.20 and a handicap of 2.50 though, there isn’t really any value in this bet.
Holte IF vs. DHG (1.50H) – Huge match for both teams. If they have any plans at all to make the slutspil DHG has to start winning matches, especially against other so-called “mid-level” teams. Their problem continues to be that they just don’t have enough depth to keep blockers away from Martin and Anders. Holte, on the other hand, has proven that they can win and that they have solid players at most of the positions on the court. There is no one on their team that can take over a match and carry the team by himself, but as long as they aren’t pressured too much they will play a consistent match. I think their experience, consistency and ability to spread the court will be important here. Holte takes this one in a tight match.
PVC (2.50H) vs. Marienlyst – Marienlyst? Yeah. (nodding head confidently).
SK Aarhus vs. HIK – This was a much better bet last night when the odds were higher. At present HIK is listed at 1.55; still pretty decent money with no handicap involved but not exactly a sure bet. HIK’s record isn’t as good but they have had a much harder schedule. Both of their losses in the regular tournament have been 3-2 so it is hard to say that they aren’t better than 2-2. Aalborg definitely has the talent advantage on paper and they are still an excellent blocking team, especially when they can create situations where they are setup on the outside. If Aarhus doesn’t pass well enough to keep Makoto in system then this one could get out of hand pretty quickly. Continued strong serving from HIK against unproven passing for SK means that my money has to be in Aalborg for this one.
Gentofte vs. Hvidovre (2.50H) – Gentofte is clearly a top team. They proved that they have depth last weekend in Aarhus, playing without Peter Halling or Kristian Bech. Hvidovre still hasn’t shown that they can challenge any of the top teams this year. Without Søren Bruncke it looks like they are going to have an even harder test. Too much talent on the other side of the net, I don’t think they pass the test. With odds 1.20 and a handicap of 2.50 though, there isn’t really any value in this bet.
Holte IF vs. DHG (1.50H) – Huge match for both teams. If they have any plans at all to make the slutspil DHG has to start winning matches, especially against other so-called “mid-level” teams. Their problem continues to be that they just don’t have enough depth to keep blockers away from Martin and Anders. Holte, on the other hand, has proven that they can win and that they have solid players at most of the positions on the court. There is no one on their team that can take over a match and carry the team by himself, but as long as they aren’t pressured too much they will play a consistent match. I think their experience, consistency and ability to spread the court will be important here. Holte takes this one in a tight match.
PVC (2.50H) vs. Marienlyst – Marienlyst? Yeah. (nodding head confidently).
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Professional League?
Surprisingly, I’ve heard many people complaining about the relatively recent development of foreign players coming to Denmark. Actually, to be more accurate, I’ve heard lots of complaints about clubs that “buy” players in order to become successful. Coming to Marienlyst last year, it was only natural that I would hear that a few times. So, let’s examine the idea of professional clubs in Denmark and see what the positives and negatives are.
In my mind the biggest change that professional players have made to the club system has to do with money. Immediately, it became clear who had money and who didn’t. It also became clear which clubs had ambitions and which clubs were content with remaining as they were. As I’ve argued earlier, foreign players seem to be here to stay in Denmark. What does that mean for the elite division? Well, in my mind it means two things. To be competitive, teams will have to improve their rosters. Whether that means looking outside of Denmark or not remains to be seen. Already in the last two to three years we have seen a tremendous refocusing on youth volleyball and on developing players from the inside. Teams like Gentofte and Lyngby have wonderful youth programs which will bare fruit in the coming years. If teams are unable or unwilling to develop their own players, then they will be forced to find players from outside of the country. What does that mean? They will have to find money to pay them and that means they will have to work doubly hard finding sponsors and drawing fans/attention to the sport. In this case, competition absolutely breeds competition. It also means that teams will have to provide a strong, stabile, professional environment for their players if they expect them to remain a part of the club. (This is a topic for another post so I won’t get into it now) In any case, I see all of these things as a positive for Danish volleyball.
What do foreigners offer the league?
Most foreigners that I know are required to help out at the club they play at, usually coaching. That means new ideas. As a foreigner I know that I have learned a lot about volleyball in my time here. The more viewpoints we have and are able to assimilate, the more our collective volleyball knowledge grows. Foreigners bring new ideas and new viewpoints to the game. They also learn new things. In this sense, volleyball in Denmark can only benefit. Let’s take a look at a concrete example: Makoto from SK Aarhus is playing and assistant coaching for their elite team. There is no doubt that he has brought some fresh insights into playing volleyball. He plays the game differently than most and if we can all learn to take something from that then we have all reaped the benefits.
Foreigners raise the level of play. If you look at the top teams from the last three years you will find that most of them have had at least one foreign player. This is not only an external phenomenon, by that I mean teams beating other teams because of their foreigners, it is definitely an internal phenomenon as well. Foreign players generally help to raise the level of the other players on their own team. I know this was the case while I played in Aarhus and it is definitely the case in Middelfart right now.
In many ways, professional players add spice to volleyball in Denmark. Think of it as an infusion of new neighbors into what is a fairly small community in the first place. Volleyball in Denmark is small and everyone knows each other. Foreigners not only offer good volleyball, they offer excitement and, most of all, entertainment in several ways. If anyone saw my first Danish speaking interview last year then they know all about that entertainment factor that I’m talking about… But, whether it is a new outrageous personality, or Geo Santos hitting ceiling balls in warm-ups the point is that each year there is something new and fresh to see and that can never be bad for the sport.
What are the dangers?
Money, money, money. The danger is that certain teams will have all the power and other teams will have nothing. Essentially destroying any possibility for a league with any excitement. This has happened in a lots of sports leagues around Europe: Belgium has Maaseik and Roeselare in volley, SAS ligaen has FCK and Brøndby, etc… You can’t punish a team for their ambition their ability, sometimes things like this happen. Then it is up to the other teams to do what they can to catch them.
Some Danish players might get lost in the shuffle. A couple of years ago, Middelfart brought in a foreign setter instead of letting Martin Stenderup develop into their main setter. The more foreigners there are in the league, the more there is a risk of Danish players taking a back seat. On the other hand, if those players, especially the young ones, look at it as a learning experience they could get quite a bit out of it. I’m sure Martin learned quite a bit from Lee when he was here even if he wasn’t on the court very much. Now, he has his chance to prove that he deserves to be playing all the time. Development doesn’t necessarily have to happen during matches. A certain amount of court time is necessary for experience, but if you are good enough to do it you will get your chance when the time is right.
Clubs will be able to “buy” championships if they have enough money. This statement is clearly and directly untrue. There is always talk of this in lots of different sports and it is simply not true. The teams that spend the most money on talent almost never win championships. Real Madrid? This year’s New York Yankees? A good example from last year was Middelfart. They had three foreigners. Three! And they could barely manage to stay in the Elite division. Now, they have two foreigners and several new Danish players and they are one of the top teams in the league. It is and always will be team chemistry, stabile management, strong training environment and effective coaching that separate the really good teams from those that just have money. Yes, you do have to have players with ability, but there are plenty of quality players out there to be had.
I think it is fair to say that since I have been in Denmark, this year is the best the entire league has looked as far as level of play. There are at least five teams playing nice volleyball. There are also several teams that are building up their young players for the future. None of these things are bad. Foreigners have had an impact on the sport and in my opinion the impact has been positive. Does that mean that Denmark could, or even should, have a full time professional league in the future? I don’t have an answer for that and I think the first step is to get more people interested/invested in the game. But I will ask this: Isn’t that the dream for almost all of the young athletes in the country? To go and play for a team professionally in another country? Wouldn’t it be great if those same kids could dream of playing for SK Aarhus or Marienlyst or Gentofte one day instead?
In my mind the biggest change that professional players have made to the club system has to do with money. Immediately, it became clear who had money and who didn’t. It also became clear which clubs had ambitions and which clubs were content with remaining as they were. As I’ve argued earlier, foreign players seem to be here to stay in Denmark. What does that mean for the elite division? Well, in my mind it means two things. To be competitive, teams will have to improve their rosters. Whether that means looking outside of Denmark or not remains to be seen. Already in the last two to three years we have seen a tremendous refocusing on youth volleyball and on developing players from the inside. Teams like Gentofte and Lyngby have wonderful youth programs which will bare fruit in the coming years. If teams are unable or unwilling to develop their own players, then they will be forced to find players from outside of the country. What does that mean? They will have to find money to pay them and that means they will have to work doubly hard finding sponsors and drawing fans/attention to the sport. In this case, competition absolutely breeds competition. It also means that teams will have to provide a strong, stabile, professional environment for their players if they expect them to remain a part of the club. (This is a topic for another post so I won’t get into it now) In any case, I see all of these things as a positive for Danish volleyball.
What do foreigners offer the league?
Most foreigners that I know are required to help out at the club they play at, usually coaching. That means new ideas. As a foreigner I know that I have learned a lot about volleyball in my time here. The more viewpoints we have and are able to assimilate, the more our collective volleyball knowledge grows. Foreigners bring new ideas and new viewpoints to the game. They also learn new things. In this sense, volleyball in Denmark can only benefit. Let’s take a look at a concrete example: Makoto from SK Aarhus is playing and assistant coaching for their elite team. There is no doubt that he has brought some fresh insights into playing volleyball. He plays the game differently than most and if we can all learn to take something from that then we have all reaped the benefits.
Foreigners raise the level of play. If you look at the top teams from the last three years you will find that most of them have had at least one foreign player. This is not only an external phenomenon, by that I mean teams beating other teams because of their foreigners, it is definitely an internal phenomenon as well. Foreign players generally help to raise the level of the other players on their own team. I know this was the case while I played in Aarhus and it is definitely the case in Middelfart right now.
In many ways, professional players add spice to volleyball in Denmark. Think of it as an infusion of new neighbors into what is a fairly small community in the first place. Volleyball in Denmark is small and everyone knows each other. Foreigners not only offer good volleyball, they offer excitement and, most of all, entertainment in several ways. If anyone saw my first Danish speaking interview last year then they know all about that entertainment factor that I’m talking about… But, whether it is a new outrageous personality, or Geo Santos hitting ceiling balls in warm-ups the point is that each year there is something new and fresh to see and that can never be bad for the sport.
What are the dangers?
Money, money, money. The danger is that certain teams will have all the power and other teams will have nothing. Essentially destroying any possibility for a league with any excitement. This has happened in a lots of sports leagues around Europe: Belgium has Maaseik and Roeselare in volley, SAS ligaen has FCK and Brøndby, etc… You can’t punish a team for their ambition their ability, sometimes things like this happen. Then it is up to the other teams to do what they can to catch them.
Some Danish players might get lost in the shuffle. A couple of years ago, Middelfart brought in a foreign setter instead of letting Martin Stenderup develop into their main setter. The more foreigners there are in the league, the more there is a risk of Danish players taking a back seat. On the other hand, if those players, especially the young ones, look at it as a learning experience they could get quite a bit out of it. I’m sure Martin learned quite a bit from Lee when he was here even if he wasn’t on the court very much. Now, he has his chance to prove that he deserves to be playing all the time. Development doesn’t necessarily have to happen during matches. A certain amount of court time is necessary for experience, but if you are good enough to do it you will get your chance when the time is right.
Clubs will be able to “buy” championships if they have enough money. This statement is clearly and directly untrue. There is always talk of this in lots of different sports and it is simply not true. The teams that spend the most money on talent almost never win championships. Real Madrid? This year’s New York Yankees? A good example from last year was Middelfart. They had three foreigners. Three! And they could barely manage to stay in the Elite division. Now, they have two foreigners and several new Danish players and they are one of the top teams in the league. It is and always will be team chemistry, stabile management, strong training environment and effective coaching that separate the really good teams from those that just have money. Yes, you do have to have players with ability, but there are plenty of quality players out there to be had.
I think it is fair to say that since I have been in Denmark, this year is the best the entire league has looked as far as level of play. There are at least five teams playing nice volleyball. There are also several teams that are building up their young players for the future. None of these things are bad. Foreigners have had an impact on the sport and in my opinion the impact has been positive. Does that mean that Denmark could, or even should, have a full time professional league in the future? I don’t have an answer for that and I think the first step is to get more people interested/invested in the game. But I will ask this: Isn’t that the dream for almost all of the young athletes in the country? To go and play for a team professionally in another country? Wouldn’t it be great if those same kids could dream of playing for SK Aarhus or Marienlyst or Gentofte one day instead?
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Pros and Danes
Professional Vs. Amateur
Danish volleyball is in an interesting period at the moment. I don’t claim to know the history of the league very well, but from what I understand, it wasn’t until around five years ago that the first “foreign professional” made his debut. Since then, the league has seen several more foreign players, paid and unpaid, arrive to play in Denmark every year. Certainly, the league cannot be called a professional league, semi-professional would probably not even be accurate; but, one could easily make the argument that the first steps have been taken in that direction. Whether or not it has been a positive development is debatable and I would like to use this space to talk about professionalism vs. amateurism in Danish volleyball.
People have often asked me why I decided to come to Denmark to play volleyball. Usually, the person asks in a way that suggests that anyone who would pick Denmark to play volleyball must be crazy, but I see it in a different way. I think Denmark is a wonderful place for a foreigner to play volleyball. Think about it, everyone speaks English well, TV and movies are generally in English, the society is stable and free, you don’t have to worry about whether you are going to get paid at the end of the month, etc… Okay, the weather blows, but you can’t have it all. And maybe as a foreigner you can make some more money in another country, but how much is that money worth to you? I could also make a bunch of money playing volleyball in Iran, but is that something I’m interested in? The level of play may also be lower than average compared to Europe but so is the level in Division 2 Germany, yet there are lots of foreigners there. Anyways, the point is that Denmark is actually one of the better destinations in Europe to play volleyball, especially for the first or second year foreign player. There will always be a surplus of volleyball players due to the lack of professional leagues in the US and Canada, and as far as I can tell, foreign players in Denmark are here to stay.
Being a so-called professional volleyball player is not exactly all it is cracked up to be. If anyone is interested in some of the many challenges that professional teams and players face, I suggest checking out Mads Olesen’s series of articles from Danskbasket.dk. The link is here: http://www.danskbasket.dk/nyhed.asp?id=922. The series is about basketball in foreign countries but a lot of what he says is applicable to volleyball and being a foreigner in Denmark. There are also some really good ideas for clubs out there looking to make some extra cash. Anyways, life as a professional can be great, playing volleyball for a living is something that I always wanted to do. However, there are definitely challenges. And what I think most people fail to realize is that the players, especially the ones here in Denmark, are doing it mostly out of love for the game. We are relied on to perform every match, we are expected to be there at every practice/meeting/work opportunity, etc… In some ways we become the property of the club. It isn’t a particularly glamorous life all the time.
What are the benefits then? Well, you get to play volleyball for a living. You get money in return for playing a sport. Whether it is earned or not, the foreigners get a lot of credit and attention in the newspapers and from the fans. And of course, whenever I fill out anything that asks my occupation I get to write “Athlete” in the blank space provided. We also get to live in a foreign country and learn a new culture, meet new people and learn new things. I think generally, my time here in Denmark has helped me learn new things about life, which has been just as significant as playing volleyball. It can definitely be rewarding.
These are just a few personal thoughts about my experience here in Denmark as a volleyball player. I hope they don’t come off as whining or feeling sorry for myself because that isn’t the intention. I just think that people should realize that there is more than just playing matches and hanging out involved in being a professional.
In the next post I’ll give my thoughts on the league and where it is headed. What advantages come with more foreign players and what problems could there be?
Danish volleyball is in an interesting period at the moment. I don’t claim to know the history of the league very well, but from what I understand, it wasn’t until around five years ago that the first “foreign professional” made his debut. Since then, the league has seen several more foreign players, paid and unpaid, arrive to play in Denmark every year. Certainly, the league cannot be called a professional league, semi-professional would probably not even be accurate; but, one could easily make the argument that the first steps have been taken in that direction. Whether or not it has been a positive development is debatable and I would like to use this space to talk about professionalism vs. amateurism in Danish volleyball.
People have often asked me why I decided to come to Denmark to play volleyball. Usually, the person asks in a way that suggests that anyone who would pick Denmark to play volleyball must be crazy, but I see it in a different way. I think Denmark is a wonderful place for a foreigner to play volleyball. Think about it, everyone speaks English well, TV and movies are generally in English, the society is stable and free, you don’t have to worry about whether you are going to get paid at the end of the month, etc… Okay, the weather blows, but you can’t have it all. And maybe as a foreigner you can make some more money in another country, but how much is that money worth to you? I could also make a bunch of money playing volleyball in Iran, but is that something I’m interested in? The level of play may also be lower than average compared to Europe but so is the level in Division 2 Germany, yet there are lots of foreigners there. Anyways, the point is that Denmark is actually one of the better destinations in Europe to play volleyball, especially for the first or second year foreign player. There will always be a surplus of volleyball players due to the lack of professional leagues in the US and Canada, and as far as I can tell, foreign players in Denmark are here to stay.
Being a so-called professional volleyball player is not exactly all it is cracked up to be. If anyone is interested in some of the many challenges that professional teams and players face, I suggest checking out Mads Olesen’s series of articles from Danskbasket.dk. The link is here: http://www.danskbasket.dk/nyhed.asp?id=922. The series is about basketball in foreign countries but a lot of what he says is applicable to volleyball and being a foreigner in Denmark. There are also some really good ideas for clubs out there looking to make some extra cash. Anyways, life as a professional can be great, playing volleyball for a living is something that I always wanted to do. However, there are definitely challenges. And what I think most people fail to realize is that the players, especially the ones here in Denmark, are doing it mostly out of love for the game. We are relied on to perform every match, we are expected to be there at every practice/meeting/work opportunity, etc… In some ways we become the property of the club. It isn’t a particularly glamorous life all the time.
What are the benefits then? Well, you get to play volleyball for a living. You get money in return for playing a sport. Whether it is earned or not, the foreigners get a lot of credit and attention in the newspapers and from the fans. And of course, whenever I fill out anything that asks my occupation I get to write “Athlete” in the blank space provided. We also get to live in a foreign country and learn a new culture, meet new people and learn new things. I think generally, my time here in Denmark has helped me learn new things about life, which has been just as significant as playing volleyball. It can definitely be rewarding.
These are just a few personal thoughts about my experience here in Denmark as a volleyball player. I hope they don’t come off as whining or feeling sorry for myself because that isn’t the intention. I just think that people should realize that there is more than just playing matches and hanging out involved in being a professional.
In the next post I’ll give my thoughts on the league and where it is headed. What advantages come with more foreign players and what problems could there be?
Monday, October 24, 2005
Match Report Aalborg
Most everything that needed to be said is on the Marienlyst website. I just thought I would add a few things that didn't really belong on there.
The women's match before ours was delayed by about 45 minutes when one of the posts broke and had to be fixed/replaced. Kind of a bummer when you walk into the gym at 14:20 and two women's teams are standing around in the court with confused looks in their eyes.
It is especially disturbing when you know that you need to get home so that you are ready for the Mustache party that night.
The fourth set was actually 26-23 to us. The scorekeepers forgot to give us a point early on in the set and it made for kind of a weird situation. Does anyone know what the rule is in this case? It can't be true that the final decision is made by the "official" scorekeeper. Next time that we play a home match and we are losing, can we just change the score to our advantage? If anyone makes a fuss about it we'll just refer them to one of our official scorekeepers...
Stewart hit a ball that was at least one meter outside of the antenna right down the line into the corner. The rules do state that a ball must be hit inside the two antennas but apparently in this case the referees decided to let it go, I guess a line judge would have been some help...
Sounds like it was an eventful weekend in the elite division. Glad to see that no one ended up winning 3-0. The more sets the better!
The women's match before ours was delayed by about 45 minutes when one of the posts broke and had to be fixed/replaced. Kind of a bummer when you walk into the gym at 14:20 and two women's teams are standing around in the court with confused looks in their eyes.
It is especially disturbing when you know that you need to get home so that you are ready for the Mustache party that night.
The fourth set was actually 26-23 to us. The scorekeepers forgot to give us a point early on in the set and it made for kind of a weird situation. Does anyone know what the rule is in this case? It can't be true that the final decision is made by the "official" scorekeeper. Next time that we play a home match and we are losing, can we just change the score to our advantage? If anyone makes a fuss about it we'll just refer them to one of our official scorekeepers...
Stewart hit a ball that was at least one meter outside of the antenna right down the line into the corner. The rules do state that a ball must be hit inside the two antennas but apparently in this case the referees decided to let it go, I guess a line judge would have been some help...
Sounds like it was an eventful weekend in the elite division. Glad to see that no one ended up winning 3-0. The more sets the better!
Friday, October 21, 2005
Tips 21-10-05
Tips 21-10-05
Well, well, well ladies and gentlemen. Today I come to you with a smile on my face. We’ll see if that smile lasts until after this weekend is over…
Before we get into the tips, I’d like to mention that another volleyball blog has sprung up on the net. Anders Aarkrog (you might recognize him as SK Aarhus’ libero) has entered the blogosphere at: http://volleyballreflektioner.blogspot.com/. The tag line is volleyball from a rookie’s point of view. Should be interesting to see how it develops…
Now on to the tips in no particular order:
Sk Aarhus – Gentofte (1.50 H): For those few who didn’t get in on this when Gentofte still had 1.60 odds…I’m sorry. It’s now down to 1.45 which is, in my opinion, still pretty nice. I don’t think that SK is a bad team; but, in their own words, they haven’t been playing well enough to be considered a top team. Gentofte has proven that they are playing well at the moment. Even though Santos played his first match last weekend, it can’t hurt that he has had some more time to work back into the game. Aarhus, on the other hand, hasn’t been tested at all this year. True, they haven’t lost a set yet, but they haven’t played anyone in the top six yet either. Gentofte should be too much to handle for them this weekend, and with a set already in the bag I like this bet for Gentofte.
DHG (2.50 H) – Middelfart: Odds are only 1.30 for Middelfart and they have to win 3-0, but I wouldn’t necessarily discard this bet. This is a meeting of the deepest team and the least deep team in the league. DHG has seven players, Middelfart goes about fourteen deep. Middelfart has also proven that they can use almost anyone on their bench positively. Middelfart also showed that their blocking has improved quite a bit and this should cause quite a few problems for a DHG team that relies heavily on two outside hitters. DHG still has not won a set this year. I’m surprised actually that the odds aren’t much worse. Don’t be afraid of this bet.
HIK Aalborg (1.50 H) – Marienlyst: Marienlyst wins this one!
Now we’re looking into murkier waters, I don’t feel strongly about either of the next two matches but lets try to break them down and see what we can find:
Hvidovre (1.50 H) – PVC Lyngby: I’ve got to be honest; I don’t see any reason why Hvidovre should have a 1.5 set advantage here. PVC has one win on the season over a DHG team that has had its own problems otherwise they have lost fairly convincingly. Hvidovre hasn’t been spectacular either but generally I would say this one is fairly even. I haven’t seen either team play yet during the regular season so I’m going to cop out and take the odds/handicap. Hvidovre wins this one, or at least takes it to five sets…
Lyngby (1.50 H) – Holte: This one should be interesting. Both teams should consider this a must win if they have any ambition of being in the top six. We’ve just played both of these teams in the last week and they both bring different things to the table. I would also expect to see two different rosters, Holte will probably have more of their older players, Lyngby will probably have more as well considering this one is in Copenhagen. Holte plays a cleaner style than Lyngby, but Lyngby has a way of making a match ugly. I think a lot of this match depends on who shows up to play for each team, therefore I’m taking the scared money again. Lyngby wins this one, or at least takes it to five.
I know, I know, a weak way to decide the last two. Stay away from the last two anyway. The money is in the top three bets. I hope everyone has a good weekend, good luck to everybody! Hopefully we’ll all be smiling after this weekend is over…
Well, well, well ladies and gentlemen. Today I come to you with a smile on my face. We’ll see if that smile lasts until after this weekend is over…
Before we get into the tips, I’d like to mention that another volleyball blog has sprung up on the net. Anders Aarkrog (you might recognize him as SK Aarhus’ libero) has entered the blogosphere at: http://volleyballreflektioner.blogspot.com/. The tag line is volleyball from a rookie’s point of view. Should be interesting to see how it develops…
Now on to the tips in no particular order:
Sk Aarhus – Gentofte (1.50 H): For those few who didn’t get in on this when Gentofte still had 1.60 odds…I’m sorry. It’s now down to 1.45 which is, in my opinion, still pretty nice. I don’t think that SK is a bad team; but, in their own words, they haven’t been playing well enough to be considered a top team. Gentofte has proven that they are playing well at the moment. Even though Santos played his first match last weekend, it can’t hurt that he has had some more time to work back into the game. Aarhus, on the other hand, hasn’t been tested at all this year. True, they haven’t lost a set yet, but they haven’t played anyone in the top six yet either. Gentofte should be too much to handle for them this weekend, and with a set already in the bag I like this bet for Gentofte.
DHG (2.50 H) – Middelfart: Odds are only 1.30 for Middelfart and they have to win 3-0, but I wouldn’t necessarily discard this bet. This is a meeting of the deepest team and the least deep team in the league. DHG has seven players, Middelfart goes about fourteen deep. Middelfart has also proven that they can use almost anyone on their bench positively. Middelfart also showed that their blocking has improved quite a bit and this should cause quite a few problems for a DHG team that relies heavily on two outside hitters. DHG still has not won a set this year. I’m surprised actually that the odds aren’t much worse. Don’t be afraid of this bet.
HIK Aalborg (1.50 H) – Marienlyst: Marienlyst wins this one!
Now we’re looking into murkier waters, I don’t feel strongly about either of the next two matches but lets try to break them down and see what we can find:
Hvidovre (1.50 H) – PVC Lyngby: I’ve got to be honest; I don’t see any reason why Hvidovre should have a 1.5 set advantage here. PVC has one win on the season over a DHG team that has had its own problems otherwise they have lost fairly convincingly. Hvidovre hasn’t been spectacular either but generally I would say this one is fairly even. I haven’t seen either team play yet during the regular season so I’m going to cop out and take the odds/handicap. Hvidovre wins this one, or at least takes it to five sets…
Lyngby (1.50 H) – Holte: This one should be interesting. Both teams should consider this a must win if they have any ambition of being in the top six. We’ve just played both of these teams in the last week and they both bring different things to the table. I would also expect to see two different rosters, Holte will probably have more of their older players, Lyngby will probably have more as well considering this one is in Copenhagen. Holte plays a cleaner style than Lyngby, but Lyngby has a way of making a match ugly. I think a lot of this match depends on who shows up to play for each team, therefore I’m taking the scared money again. Lyngby wins this one, or at least takes it to five.
I know, I know, a weak way to decide the last two. Stay away from the last two anyway. The money is in the top three bets. I hope everyone has a good weekend, good luck to everybody! Hopefully we’ll all be smiling after this weekend is over…
Monday, October 17, 2005
Match Report Lyngby
Match Report 16/10/05
Marienlyst – Lyngby
3-0, 25-21, 31-29, 25-12
Not a pretty affair in Marienlystcentret yesterday when Lyngby came by for an afternoon match. The newspaper article pretty much sums up the atmosphere and the effort from our side: uninspired.
However, we did come out of the match with two points in the account and there were a few things worth mentioning.
The problem with yesterday’s match was not the level of the volleyball. Of course the level was too low, and we made too many mistakes, but the problem is that for most of the match we didn’t really seem to care. In fact, I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t lose the second set, maybe that would have forced us to wake up. If we are supposed to be one of the so-called “top teams” then we need to be able to use all of our time on the court to our advantage and if we don’t feel threatened as far as winning or losing then we need to take it upon ourselves to be motivated. All of that is easier said than done.
Anyways, some notes from the match:
One of the positive things we can take out of this match is that Jesper Hansen didn’t play, BT has been hurt all week and we were still in control of the match most of the time. I’m glad to see that we have a deep enough bench that we can use everyone and still win.
Someone turned Nathan on in the third set. I don’t know what happened but he turned his game up a few notches and it was impressive.
I think Lyngby made a good decision by bringing in some young talent. They have a future if they continue to develop. At the moment though, they aren’t good enough to talk shit.
Generally I’m a fan of Lyngby and the way that they play. I also like the fact that they enjoy their time on the court. But, the “Moose” cheer is one of the worst cheers I have ever seen. I know everyone over there will hate me for saying that but I don’t care. Yelling out, “Moose, moose!” just sounds ridiculous. Can anyone tell me what the story is?
Overall, this was just a bad match. I can understand if no one who saw that match ever comes back to see another volleyball match in their life. Hopefully we can turn that around and do a better job this week against Holte and Aalborg. Exciting to see who is playing for Holte tomorrow, I guess it could be anyone…
Marienlyst – Lyngby
3-0, 25-21, 31-29, 25-12
Not a pretty affair in Marienlystcentret yesterday when Lyngby came by for an afternoon match. The newspaper article pretty much sums up the atmosphere and the effort from our side: uninspired.
However, we did come out of the match with two points in the account and there were a few things worth mentioning.
The problem with yesterday’s match was not the level of the volleyball. Of course the level was too low, and we made too many mistakes, but the problem is that for most of the match we didn’t really seem to care. In fact, I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t lose the second set, maybe that would have forced us to wake up. If we are supposed to be one of the so-called “top teams” then we need to be able to use all of our time on the court to our advantage and if we don’t feel threatened as far as winning or losing then we need to take it upon ourselves to be motivated. All of that is easier said than done.
Anyways, some notes from the match:
One of the positive things we can take out of this match is that Jesper Hansen didn’t play, BT has been hurt all week and we were still in control of the match most of the time. I’m glad to see that we have a deep enough bench that we can use everyone and still win.
Someone turned Nathan on in the third set. I don’t know what happened but he turned his game up a few notches and it was impressive.
I think Lyngby made a good decision by bringing in some young talent. They have a future if they continue to develop. At the moment though, they aren’t good enough to talk shit.
Generally I’m a fan of Lyngby and the way that they play. I also like the fact that they enjoy their time on the court. But, the “Moose” cheer is one of the worst cheers I have ever seen. I know everyone over there will hate me for saying that but I don’t care. Yelling out, “Moose, moose!” just sounds ridiculous. Can anyone tell me what the story is?
Overall, this was just a bad match. I can understand if no one who saw that match ever comes back to see another volleyball match in their life. Hopefully we can turn that around and do a better job this week against Holte and Aalborg. Exciting to see who is playing for Holte tomorrow, I guess it could be anyone…
Sunday, October 16, 2005
TIPS 16-10-05
Tips 16/10/05
PVC Lyngby – SK Aarhus: SK makes another trip to Copenhagen to play another team called Lyngby. Last time they barely made it out of Lyngby without losing a set. They still haven’t played any of the top teams but PVC doesn’t appear to be a big threat either. We know that SK has a really good setter and if a team can’t knock off their serve receive rhythm then they probably won’t have a shot. Does PVC have enough serving strength to bother them? I don’t think so. PVC is also going to have to prove that they can stop someone in the middle, especially Brian Nordberg. I don’t think they can do that. With that being said, the 2.50 handicap makes me nervous. I think this one deserves small stakes on Aarhus, 1.50 isn’t too bad to take a chance on.
Holte – Hvidovre: This match just happened about ten days ago and it was close. So the question is: Is there any reason why the result would be different this time? Kasper says that he hurt his finger in training this week but that he will be ready to play in this match. And lately it seems like Hvidovre has had Holte’s number. It’s a new role for Hvidovre to be the favorites but I think this time they come through. 1.75 looks like a nice number here.
Marienlyst – Lyngby: Marienlyst.
PVC Lyngby – SK Aarhus: SK makes another trip to Copenhagen to play another team called Lyngby. Last time they barely made it out of Lyngby without losing a set. They still haven’t played any of the top teams but PVC doesn’t appear to be a big threat either. We know that SK has a really good setter and if a team can’t knock off their serve receive rhythm then they probably won’t have a shot. Does PVC have enough serving strength to bother them? I don’t think so. PVC is also going to have to prove that they can stop someone in the middle, especially Brian Nordberg. I don’t think they can do that. With that being said, the 2.50 handicap makes me nervous. I think this one deserves small stakes on Aarhus, 1.50 isn’t too bad to take a chance on.
Holte – Hvidovre: This match just happened about ten days ago and it was close. So the question is: Is there any reason why the result would be different this time? Kasper says that he hurt his finger in training this week but that he will be ready to play in this match. And lately it seems like Hvidovre has had Holte’s number. It’s a new role for Hvidovre to be the favorites but I think this time they come through. 1.75 looks like a nice number here.
Marienlyst – Lyngby: Marienlyst.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Conspiracy?
A few complaints here in this blog. A quick mention of conspiracy. And after a new lottery there are no favorite against favorite matches in the quarterfinals of the Pokal...
In a weird twist on what I wrote last time, I'm actually kind of sad about it. Probably because I was hoping to see two other teams who were "favorites" have to play each other. But maybe I'm starting to agree with Villadsen and Skibe. The whole point of the cup is to make things a little different from the regular playoffs. The possibility that anyone can play anyone kind of spices things up. So, after further review, I think that the new system should continue...
Some quick notes:
Who is the luckiest team so far? Sk Aarhus, who not only has drawn their second first division team in a row but who now has to travel all 35 minutes to Spentrup to play the quarterfinals. A close second would be Gentofte, only because they have to travel all the way to Odense to play theirs.
Can someone please fill me in on the Brazilian in Gentofte? Karsten has chosen to be sly about what is going on over there. But as far as I can tell Santos hasn't played in a match for them yet... We'll see what happens this weekend in Middelfart.
Looks like pretty decent odds tonight on HIK. Even though they have to win 3-0 I think it's a pretty safe bet... At odds 1.70 it is definitely worth a shot.
In a weird twist on what I wrote last time, I'm actually kind of sad about it. Probably because I was hoping to see two other teams who were "favorites" have to play each other. But maybe I'm starting to agree with Villadsen and Skibe. The whole point of the cup is to make things a little different from the regular playoffs. The possibility that anyone can play anyone kind of spices things up. So, after further review, I think that the new system should continue...
Some quick notes:
Who is the luckiest team so far? Sk Aarhus, who not only has drawn their second first division team in a row but who now has to travel all 35 minutes to Spentrup to play the quarterfinals. A close second would be Gentofte, only because they have to travel all the way to Odense to play theirs.
Can someone please fill me in on the Brazilian in Gentofte? Karsten has chosen to be sly about what is going on over there. But as far as I can tell Santos hasn't played in a match for them yet... We'll see what happens this weekend in Middelfart.
Looks like pretty decent odds tonight on HIK. Even though they have to win 3-0 I think it's a pretty safe bet... At odds 1.70 it is definitely worth a shot.
Monday, October 10, 2005
POKAL - First Match
Pokal – First Round
Marienlyst – HIK
3-0, 25-18, 25-23, 30-28
Coming into our first pokal match of the season we didn’t really know what to expect. Our team has been under quite a bit of construction and re-construction in the last month or so. We’ve had several players hurt and, of course, a few new players to integrate into the team. So there were several questions that we would get answered in our first “big” match of the season.
As the scores represent, we answered most of the questions positively.
As was expected Jesper Villadsen was back for Aalborg. And it seems the quarantine did little to mellow him out. (Villa, I love it.) But other than that the team was as they have been throughout the preseason. There was some talk that Jeppe might be back and ready to play but he only came in briefly to pass.
It was obvious that they were intent on running the middle from the beginning of the match in order to open things up for their outsides later. Actually, I think Flemming was 6 out of 6 for the match. I can’t remember us stopping him once. Their first two sideouts of the match went through the middle as it looked like Villadsen’s return had immediately improved their passing. Eventually though, as we worked into a stronger serving rhythm, the passes were pushed farther and farther back into the court. The serve pressure and a well functioning side out game proved to be enough for us to take the first set relatively easily.
Second set was more of the same, although Aalborg made it closer, the set was never really in danger. Throughout the match, Aalborg would make several key service mistakes which really took the pressure off of our team.
The third set was a lot more back and forth. We would get a lead and they would come back and take their own lead. This must have happened four or five times until around
17 – 17 when we took three or four points and looked like we would finish the set. This was not the case as they came back and tied it again. With a one point lead 24 – 23 all we needed was a sideout to put the match away. It was not to be, as Aalborg made a nice block control on a Jesper Hansen B from the backrow and ended up putting the ball away to tie it up. We managed to sideout on the next ball and the match went back and forth for the next five or six balls. Villadsen had a few big kills for them in this stretch with one especially important one down the line from the right side on a trouble set. Eventually, I’ll admit, we got lucky when the referee ruled that Aalborg touched a ball in the block that was under the tape allowing us to play it up and Stewart to put the ball away for the match.
Too bad that it ended on that point but overall I think the match was well played from both sides. Aside from the service mistakes, HIK pushed us to play at a high level. I’m just glad to move to the next round where who knows which team we will play…
Marienlyst – HIK
3-0, 25-18, 25-23, 30-28
Coming into our first pokal match of the season we didn’t really know what to expect. Our team has been under quite a bit of construction and re-construction in the last month or so. We’ve had several players hurt and, of course, a few new players to integrate into the team. So there were several questions that we would get answered in our first “big” match of the season.
As the scores represent, we answered most of the questions positively.
As was expected Jesper Villadsen was back for Aalborg. And it seems the quarantine did little to mellow him out. (Villa, I love it.) But other than that the team was as they have been throughout the preseason. There was some talk that Jeppe might be back and ready to play but he only came in briefly to pass.
It was obvious that they were intent on running the middle from the beginning of the match in order to open things up for their outsides later. Actually, I think Flemming was 6 out of 6 for the match. I can’t remember us stopping him once. Their first two sideouts of the match went through the middle as it looked like Villadsen’s return had immediately improved their passing. Eventually though, as we worked into a stronger serving rhythm, the passes were pushed farther and farther back into the court. The serve pressure and a well functioning side out game proved to be enough for us to take the first set relatively easily.
Second set was more of the same, although Aalborg made it closer, the set was never really in danger. Throughout the match, Aalborg would make several key service mistakes which really took the pressure off of our team.
The third set was a lot more back and forth. We would get a lead and they would come back and take their own lead. This must have happened four or five times until around
17 – 17 when we took three or four points and looked like we would finish the set. This was not the case as they came back and tied it again. With a one point lead 24 – 23 all we needed was a sideout to put the match away. It was not to be, as Aalborg made a nice block control on a Jesper Hansen B from the backrow and ended up putting the ball away to tie it up. We managed to sideout on the next ball and the match went back and forth for the next five or six balls. Villadsen had a few big kills for them in this stretch with one especially important one down the line from the right side on a trouble set. Eventually, I’ll admit, we got lucky when the referee ruled that Aalborg touched a ball in the block that was under the tape allowing us to play it up and Stewart to put the ball away for the match.
Too bad that it ended on that point but overall I think the match was well played from both sides. Aside from the service mistakes, HIK pushed us to play at a high level. I’m just glad to move to the next round where who knows which team we will play…
Thursday, October 06, 2005
POKAL - New System...Why?
I guess by now anyone who has been reading this blog will figure that I am completely unsatisfied with anything and everything that goes on in Danish volleyball. The only things I have written have been criticism and I apologize for that. However, one of the reasons for the blog is to discuss the things I have a problem with and the ways that those things could be better.
Since this weekend is our first (and very possibly our only) pokal match of the year, I would like to talk a bit about the new structure.
As everyone already knows, this year’s tournament has been changed to a lottery system where any team could face any other team in each round, regardless of seeding. In my mind, this is a mistake.
I know what you are thinking. Jordan, the only reason you have a problem with the new system is because your team has to play Aalborg in the first round. And yes, that is one of the reasons why I think the new system is dumb, but there are more.
I think that the random system is actually an okay idea. It works very well for example with football. Someone tell me if I’m wrong but I think it was last year that Horsens or some other first division team made it to the finals of one of the cup tournaments and that was all very exciting. But, that was football. It is a completely different sport with a completely different set of circumstances surrounding it.
The nature of football is that there are not that many goals. And as a result it is possible that a lesser team can pack themselves back on defense and hope to keep the other team from scoring. A tie is good enough for them in certain circumstances and even if they only give up one or two goals, the match is still going to be exciting. This is not the case in volleyball. Volleyball is a sport that requires two teams who can match each other evenly to be exciting. Of course with two uneven teams you might see some big hits and big blocks, which can be fun to look at. But, unless there is some drama at the end of a tight set then the match has not lived up to its full potential. When you put two teams who are not in the same class together on a volleyball court the entire level of the match falls.
This problem was still a part of the old cup tournament system. When the seeded teams would come in the matches were inevitably lop-sided. But once the quarterfinals came there was also guaranteed to be some good matches. With the new system there is a fairly good chance that we’ll see a first division team playing a top level elite team in the semi-finals. It is even possible that this could happen in the finals. This would not be good for the sport.
Another reason that the lottery system works for football or even for Champions League volleyball is because every team is playing on a relatively high level. Teams like AC Horsens or FC Randers, while not being able to play consistently well enough to be in the top of the elite division, are good enough to play with the top teams like FCK or Brøndby for one match here and there. This is not the case in volleyball here in Denmark. The last two years have seen one first division team qualify themselves for the elite. And generally, the drop off from the top four elite level teams to the rest of the elite division is fairly dramatic as well. That means that teams coming from the first division have a very, very small chance of winning a match against a top team in the elite division. Why make it possible that one of these teams could make it to the semi finals or finals simply by the luck of the draw?
Let’s look at the practical implications of the new system:
Either Marienlyst (the defending champion) or Aalborg HIK (Pokal Champion 5 out of the last 7 years) is going to be out of the tournament before the quarter finals.
Spentrup (fell out of elite division last year) and Hvidovre (Had to re-qualify to the elite last year) will be in the quarterfinals.
DHG (0-2 so far in the elite) does not have to play anyone this round so they are automatically into the quarterfinals.
Not all of the matches are finished yet but if we assume that Lyngby beats Midtfyns (!?) that gives us four teams who are either in the bottom of the elite division or in the first division playing in the quarterfinals. That also means there is a possibility that two of these teams will play each other in the quarterfinals leading them to a spot in the semis.
I just don’t see how this is an improvement over the last few years. The pokal has always been a good tournament and the finals have always been a great showcase for the sport. In fact, due to the pokalfestival, it seems like the pokal final has the largest number of kids who come to see it. With the growth of Kids volley I can only expect that each year that number will grow. Why make it possible that the final might be a terrible match to see?
I would love to hear what some other people think about this. Especially the players who are playing for the lower level clubs. Is the new system better? I don’t want to make it seem like I just don’t care at all about those teams but I think a team should have to earn their way up. To be honest, I always thought it was kind of cool for some of the lower teams to get their chance to play against the best that the elite level had to offer. Kind of like last year when our team got to play against the Italians in the CEV cup. There was no doubt which team was better that day but it was a great experience to play them anyways.
In the end I think the new system rewards the weaker teams at the expense of the strong and that isn’t the way it should be. Once again, I would love to hear any arguments in favor of the new system…
Monday, October 03, 2005
DHG Match Report 2/10/05
Match Report DHG
Since I didn’t start playing for Marienlyst until last year, I have never really been a part of the local rivalry with DHG. With so many changes to both teams in the past few years it seems like that rivalry is pretty much dead and buried. No matter what the journalists write in the papers or what the coaches say, it just doesn’t have the feeling of a rivalry anymore.
The match itself wasn’t anything too exciting. The first set stayed even until around 16-16 mostly due to sloppy defense and uninspired serving from our side of the net. It wasn’t until the end of the set that we found a bit of aggression and could start to dictate the game a little bit more. It was clear from the start that DHG has quite a few beach players who maybe haven’t quite transitioned onto the hardcourt yet. They played quite a few shots and half speed hits that took us a little while to get used to. Eventually we figured it out and we weren’t really threatened after that.
The second and third set were more of the same. DHG has few options to attack with. It looked like the centers were having trouble connecting with Mio in the middle and that made it much easier for our centers to read and put up a stabile block. I don’t have any statistics in front of me here but I would guess that we had one or two blocks in the first set, four or five in the second and six or seven in the last and that made the biggest difference in the set scores. By the end of the match they had little left except to set the ball outside against a two-man block.
Our play throughout the match was still not consistent enough. We did enough to win today and there were moment when everything was functioning on a fairly high level. But I think in order to compete with the top competition in the Elite division we’ll have to play on a higher level for a longer period of time.
After five days and ten hours of sleep and about forty hours total of plane flights, Nathan Roberts got his home court debut yesterday and did a fine job in the few points he was in. Obviously, it is too early to tell what kind of a player he is but physically he looks promising. I think everyone on the team is looking forward to get out on the practice court tonight and see what he can bring to the team.
This of course was only the first match of the season but next weekend we already have a tough match against Aalborg in the pokal tournament. That one is going to be exciting.
If anyone missed it they should check the Kamp Referater section on volleynet where Jes Barkler posted an article about the match as well as a short tv clip. Looking forward to seeing everyone out in Marienlyst next week!
Since I didn’t start playing for Marienlyst until last year, I have never really been a part of the local rivalry with DHG. With so many changes to both teams in the past few years it seems like that rivalry is pretty much dead and buried. No matter what the journalists write in the papers or what the coaches say, it just doesn’t have the feeling of a rivalry anymore.
The match itself wasn’t anything too exciting. The first set stayed even until around 16-16 mostly due to sloppy defense and uninspired serving from our side of the net. It wasn’t until the end of the set that we found a bit of aggression and could start to dictate the game a little bit more. It was clear from the start that DHG has quite a few beach players who maybe haven’t quite transitioned onto the hardcourt yet. They played quite a few shots and half speed hits that took us a little while to get used to. Eventually we figured it out and we weren’t really threatened after that.
The second and third set were more of the same. DHG has few options to attack with. It looked like the centers were having trouble connecting with Mio in the middle and that made it much easier for our centers to read and put up a stabile block. I don’t have any statistics in front of me here but I would guess that we had one or two blocks in the first set, four or five in the second and six or seven in the last and that made the biggest difference in the set scores. By the end of the match they had little left except to set the ball outside against a two-man block.
Our play throughout the match was still not consistent enough. We did enough to win today and there were moment when everything was functioning on a fairly high level. But I think in order to compete with the top competition in the Elite division we’ll have to play on a higher level for a longer period of time.
After five days and ten hours of sleep and about forty hours total of plane flights, Nathan Roberts got his home court debut yesterday and did a fine job in the few points he was in. Obviously, it is too early to tell what kind of a player he is but physically he looks promising. I think everyone on the team is looking forward to get out on the practice court tonight and see what he can bring to the team.
This of course was only the first match of the season but next weekend we already have a tough match against Aalborg in the pokal tournament. That one is going to be exciting.
If anyone missed it they should check the Kamp Referater section on volleynet where Jes Barkler posted an article about the match as well as a short tv clip. Looking forward to seeing everyone out in Marienlyst next week!
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