I went to Middelfart last night to see the bronze medal match between Middelfart and Gentofte. I've got a few random thoughts from watching.
1. Thanks to Middelfart for letting us come in for free. I don't know if it is a rule (It was at some point), but we really should let other elite volleyball players into our matches without paying.
2. There should absolutely be a rule about referee stands and their closeness to the court. Middelfart's referee stand is by far the worst, there are two legs that sit probably 50cm from the sidelines. They are right where a player trying to hit a set that travels slightly too far outside of the court would land. I saw three different situations last night where players were centimeters from ruining their legs/ankles/knees. I didn't think it was a big deal until three other people noticed the exact same thing.
3. There is little question in my mind that the semi-final matchups worked out perfectly for us in Marienlyst. Middelfart gave us problems all year and the physical nature of their play definitely didn't give them as much of an advantage against HIK as it would have against us or Gentofte. Time and time again, when they needed an important side out or to score an important point, they would just set a high ball to the opposite and let his height do the work. Gentofte didn't really have an answer for it and that was the biggest difference in the match.
4. It took me awhile but I've finally decided what I think about Gentofte. My take is that they are the team that is the most able to score points and put pressure on other teams by actually "playing volleyball". I know that sounds ridiculous, but let me explain. What I mean is that they can play defense and turn that defense into points. They don't rely on powerful serving, and while they are a capable blocking team, they usually don't dominate at the net. What sets them apart, as far as I've seen, is that they have a knack for making plays. The ball that you think is down is almost never down. They cover extremely well and they are usually in the correct spot. While a lot of mens teams rely on their serving or their blocking to create point opportunities, Gentofte is good at creating those point opportunities even when the other team is passing well and running an in-system offense. And it makes for exciting volleyball........usually.
5. I have to give credit to Middelfart for playing at a high level to end the season. A lot of teams would have just packed it up and not really cared about the bronze medals, but Middelfart was concentrated and solid. So, congratulations, that third place is actually very important looking ahead to next year.
And that brings me to my last point. This is difficult for me to discuss because I'm coming from a place of biased ignorance. But, I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about the end of the season and how to kind of spruce things up. I've got a few ideas that I want to use this space to unpack a little bit.
First, I think that the playoffs need to expand. If it is only going to be the top four teams that make the playoffs (which is correct in my mind) then the series should be turned into best of five format. Take a little bit more time to play them and pack a few more "quality" matches into the schedule. It's best for everyone.
Second, and I've talked about doing this a million times before, it could be really cool to set something up with Sweden. The format could work in many different ways:
The two champions could meet a few days after each country's finals are finished. Say, the weekend after both are done. It would be one match and it could alternate between Malmo and Copenhagen. An Oresund series if you will. Make it an arrangement with women's and men's teams playing like the pokal final. Minimal work to get it set up and I think that people would enjoy watching it. Am I totally overestimating the rivalry between Sweden and Denmark? Do people care at all? I think it would be fun.
Thinking about it last night, something that would be even more fun would be to setup a kind of tournament that would culminate in the best teams playing each other right after season's end. Take the top three teams from each league and let them play a one day tournament in two pools separated by country. The winner of each pool gets to play the next day in the "finals". This would be interesting because the teams that get second and third in their league would have a kind of second chance to win a championship. It would also add interest in the bronze medal match as the fourth place team would be out of the running. A great example is Middelfart this year, they would have a second chance to prove how good of a team they are...
A third format could be an all-star competition. We tried to do this four years ago, an all-star team from the Danish Elite against the Danish national team. It was kind of fun, but it lacked any real excitement. What if we took an all-star team from the Danish elite and put them up against an all-star team from Sweden? Put a limit on the amount of foreigners that could be on the court and play.
I realize there are a lot of logistical problems with the scenarios presented here, but I think they could be overcome. If everyone was interested in the concept and made an honest effort to win this could be a great way to add some more quality volleyball matches to the schedule. It would also add some excitement to the end of the year and create an interesting showcase for fans if done correctly.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Monday, April 07, 2008
New Classics
What a playoff series. And from what I hear, that goes for both semis. When we got the message on Saturday, right after our match was over, that Middelfart and Aalborg were 2-2 and just beginning a fifth set, my first thought was how sad it was that we couldn't be there court side to see it. After all the drama that we went through in our first two matches against Gentofte it would have been nice to sit back and watch how other teams dealt with it. Without knowing too much about it, I have to take my hat off to Aalborg. I know how good I feel about being in the finals, but I can't imagine how they feel. Losing that first match at home 0-3 and not letting it stop them from coming back to win two grueling 5 set matches in Middelfart. Everyone else has said it already, but the difference in that team from the middle of the season to now is incredible. It's also amazing, in the current playoff system, how quickly that 1st place finish can be wiped away. Lose that first match and the entire regular season is washed away pretty much.
I also think it's significant to note that the difference in the two series came down to very few points. One sideout here or one point scored there and everything is different. From that viewpoint, any of the four teams could be in the finals right now. We were down a match ball in the fourth set of our second match and somehow figured out how to win anyways. I'd imagine that it was the same way in the other semi. I'm rambling a little bit, but the point is that these were all exciting matches, for players, fans and anyone else out there. And the intensity/emotion of the atmosphere has been incredible. It is these kinds of matches that get people excited about watching and playing volleyball. Hopefully the finals will be the same...............with maybe a little less drama surrounding the outcome...........
Anyways, all respect to Gentofte. They play good volleyball, they do the right things most of the time and they are always well prepared. Like I said to Sebastian after our match Saturday, their time is coming, if they stay together they are going to win a lot of gold medals. Luckily for us, it won't be this year.
As far as our team goes, I think that Saturday was a great match for us. It felt like we found ourselves again in that match. We remembered what we can do on the court and we did it, without nerves and without feeling any pressure. We played free and made few mistakes, all the while putting pressure on the other side of the net. If we can keep playing like that, we'll be tough to handle in the finals.
Congrats to Aalborg. Looking forward to seeing you guys on Sunday. And I'm not afraid to promise a better game than last time!
I also think it's significant to note that the difference in the two series came down to very few points. One sideout here or one point scored there and everything is different. From that viewpoint, any of the four teams could be in the finals right now. We were down a match ball in the fourth set of our second match and somehow figured out how to win anyways. I'd imagine that it was the same way in the other semi. I'm rambling a little bit, but the point is that these were all exciting matches, for players, fans and anyone else out there. And the intensity/emotion of the atmosphere has been incredible. It is these kinds of matches that get people excited about watching and playing volleyball. Hopefully the finals will be the same...............with maybe a little less drama surrounding the outcome...........
Anyways, all respect to Gentofte. They play good volleyball, they do the right things most of the time and they are always well prepared. Like I said to Sebastian after our match Saturday, their time is coming, if they stay together they are going to win a lot of gold medals. Luckily for us, it won't be this year.
As far as our team goes, I think that Saturday was a great match for us. It felt like we found ourselves again in that match. We remembered what we can do on the court and we did it, without nerves and without feeling any pressure. We played free and made few mistakes, all the while putting pressure on the other side of the net. If we can keep playing like that, we'll be tough to handle in the finals.
Congrats to Aalborg. Looking forward to seeing you guys on Sunday. And I'm not afraid to promise a better game than last time!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Trouble before tonight's second semi...
Several Marienlyst players disqualified from tonight's semi-final against Gentofte.
Players looked at each other in disbelief as representatives from Elite Sport Danmark's newly formed Commission for Reform Against Portliness descended upon last night's training. With scales and calipers in hand they spent nearly two hours running the bewildered players through various tests of physical fitness.
Several players have been deemed unfit to participate in any further athletic activity. While the identities of these players are unknown at this point, sources close to the commission indicate that key players will not be able to play tonight. The future of these athletes will be determined in an upcoming hearing scheduled for the 4th of August. At the hearing, the players implicated will be given the chance to prove that they have never eaten at McDonald's or ingested anything containing ingredients that are identified by E numbers. Guilty athletes will be banished from all athletic activity immediately.
A spokesperson for the commission issued this statement: "As the organization responsible for Elite Athletics here in Denmark, we are engaged in all aspects of the culture. It recently came to our attention that supposed "elite" athletes have not respected their bodies enough to keep them in top physical condition. This disregard for elite sport cannot go unpunished. The rules clearly state that athletes should maintain an outwardly clean, trim appearance (editor's note: official rules state that body fat should never exceed 9% for men) and that their souls, conscience and inner being should be unblemished. No exceptions. These players must consider how their actions reflect on the community around them and in particular the kids that look up to them."
The Marienlyst players have not been reached for comment. Sports chief Jesper Hansen offered this comment, "It's an unfortunate situation, one that I clearly never had a problem with. We'll move forward though and hope that our remaining less heavy players can be successful tonight."
The newly formed Commission for Reform Against Portliness will continue to make unannounced checks throughout the country.
Players looked at each other in disbelief as representatives from Elite Sport Danmark's newly formed Commission for Reform Against Portliness descended upon last night's training. With scales and calipers in hand they spent nearly two hours running the bewildered players through various tests of physical fitness.
Several players have been deemed unfit to participate in any further athletic activity. While the identities of these players are unknown at this point, sources close to the commission indicate that key players will not be able to play tonight. The future of these athletes will be determined in an upcoming hearing scheduled for the 4th of August. At the hearing, the players implicated will be given the chance to prove that they have never eaten at McDonald's or ingested anything containing ingredients that are identified by E numbers. Guilty athletes will be banished from all athletic activity immediately.
A spokesperson for the commission issued this statement: "As the organization responsible for Elite Athletics here in Denmark, we are engaged in all aspects of the culture. It recently came to our attention that supposed "elite" athletes have not respected their bodies enough to keep them in top physical condition. This disregard for elite sport cannot go unpunished. The rules clearly state that athletes should maintain an outwardly clean, trim appearance (editor's note: official rules state that body fat should never exceed 9% for men) and that their souls, conscience and inner being should be unblemished. No exceptions. These players must consider how their actions reflect on the community around them and in particular the kids that look up to them."
The Marienlyst players have not been reached for comment. Sports chief Jesper Hansen offered this comment, "It's an unfortunate situation, one that I clearly never had a problem with. We'll move forward though and hope that our remaining less heavy players can be successful tonight."
The newly formed Commission for Reform Against Portliness will continue to make unannounced checks throughout the country.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Finally.
I'm so excited for the next week of volleyball. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. I think we're in for a week of really good volleyball. Four teams, all with something to prove and only two get to go to the finals. I think the match-ups are perfect and I'll use this space to explain why:
HIK - Middelfart
From the drama standpoint, you've got Aalborg with a chip on their shoulder from all this weirdness around arranging their home match. No matter how much people blame it on the TSG and deny it being personal between the teams, I can't imagine that the players don't have a little edge to them. Putting aside judgment as to who is in the right here, I think we can all agree that Aalborg's press releases have been a little venomous... In any case, I can't imagine a scenario where this match doesn't have a lot of emotion in it.
From the volleyball standpoint, both teams are playing incredibly well right now. Neither has lost in a long time (though HIK has played more "meaningful" opponents in the last month and half) so they are clearly both doing the right thing on the court. Both teams are physical, power teams that can control games with good blocking. Ryan Vandenburg has been hitting over the top all year long, putting a lot of balls away and carrying a huge load for Middelfart's offense. Will he be able to, straight physically, dominate against the larger HIK block? Can Aalborg play defense behind their block? How will each team react to the pressure of playing a semi-final? Will Aalborg be able to scrape together a big crowd at 9pm? (By the way, I think a 9pm Saturday start time is perfect, sets up perfectly for the rest of the night...) I haven't seen Middelfart play in over a month so I am slightly biased towards HIK after playing them recently, but I think this series has the potential to be an absolute classic. I'm still hoping that I'll get the chance to see them play one of their matches against each other.
From the spectator standpoint, you're guaranteed to see exciting power volleyball. You're going to see a lot of big blocks, and you're going to see a lot of strong attacking. This is going to be real classic men's volleyball.
Marienlyst - Gentofte
Drama: Two teams that know each other really well. Geo and Søe coming back to Gentofte and playing for the other team. The only men's team from Copenhagen still in the playoffs vs. the only team that has beaten them in Copenhagen this year. Besides all that, we've got a history of playing great semi-final matches against each other.
Volleyball: Less physical than Aalborg and Middelfart. We've got experience and some really explosive players, Gentofte has talent, youth and an obvious star in Jonas, who will have the best day? This game might be decided by who can step up at the net and get more blocks/touches and play disciplined defense. Can we stop Gentofte's outsides if they get hot? Who will be able to serve consistently? All of these questions are real basic volleyball difference makers. The team that plays the best, most consistent volleyball is going to win. Not that I think Middelfart and Aalborg play unorthodox, but they have the ability to do other things physically if they make some mistakes, Gentofte and Us have to play really good all around volleyball to be successful. It's going to be really competitive and really exciting. Hopefully the volleyball will look good.
Fans: Out of anywhere else, I think Gentofte has great fan support. I love to hear the Galas making noise, home crowds should have a little edge to them and they definitely supply that edge. I hope that we see all the familiar faces from Copenhagen since this is the only men's semi taking place there. I think everyone will see a good, technical match featuring two teams that have had a lot of success in the past several years. Only one of the two teams that have won the last three championships is going to still be around after this.
I can't remember being this excited about the semi-finals ever. I really think that this week is going to be one of the best weeks that I've experienced in Danish Volleyball. I hope that everyone else is just as excited as I am. It will be good to see you all out at the games. I know I'm going to have fun playing in them, hopefully all the spectators will enjoy watching them just as much...
HIK - Middelfart
From the drama standpoint, you've got Aalborg with a chip on their shoulder from all this weirdness around arranging their home match. No matter how much people blame it on the TSG and deny it being personal between the teams, I can't imagine that the players don't have a little edge to them. Putting aside judgment as to who is in the right here, I think we can all agree that Aalborg's press releases have been a little venomous... In any case, I can't imagine a scenario where this match doesn't have a lot of emotion in it.
From the volleyball standpoint, both teams are playing incredibly well right now. Neither has lost in a long time (though HIK has played more "meaningful" opponents in the last month and half) so they are clearly both doing the right thing on the court. Both teams are physical, power teams that can control games with good blocking. Ryan Vandenburg has been hitting over the top all year long, putting a lot of balls away and carrying a huge load for Middelfart's offense. Will he be able to, straight physically, dominate against the larger HIK block? Can Aalborg play defense behind their block? How will each team react to the pressure of playing a semi-final? Will Aalborg be able to scrape together a big crowd at 9pm? (By the way, I think a 9pm Saturday start time is perfect, sets up perfectly for the rest of the night...) I haven't seen Middelfart play in over a month so I am slightly biased towards HIK after playing them recently, but I think this series has the potential to be an absolute classic. I'm still hoping that I'll get the chance to see them play one of their matches against each other.
From the spectator standpoint, you're guaranteed to see exciting power volleyball. You're going to see a lot of big blocks, and you're going to see a lot of strong attacking. This is going to be real classic men's volleyball.
Marienlyst - Gentofte
Drama: Two teams that know each other really well. Geo and Søe coming back to Gentofte and playing for the other team. The only men's team from Copenhagen still in the playoffs vs. the only team that has beaten them in Copenhagen this year. Besides all that, we've got a history of playing great semi-final matches against each other.
Volleyball: Less physical than Aalborg and Middelfart. We've got experience and some really explosive players, Gentofte has talent, youth and an obvious star in Jonas, who will have the best day? This game might be decided by who can step up at the net and get more blocks/touches and play disciplined defense. Can we stop Gentofte's outsides if they get hot? Who will be able to serve consistently? All of these questions are real basic volleyball difference makers. The team that plays the best, most consistent volleyball is going to win. Not that I think Middelfart and Aalborg play unorthodox, but they have the ability to do other things physically if they make some mistakes, Gentofte and Us have to play really good all around volleyball to be successful. It's going to be really competitive and really exciting. Hopefully the volleyball will look good.
Fans: Out of anywhere else, I think Gentofte has great fan support. I love to hear the Galas making noise, home crowds should have a little edge to them and they definitely supply that edge. I hope that we see all the familiar faces from Copenhagen since this is the only men's semi taking place there. I think everyone will see a good, technical match featuring two teams that have had a lot of success in the past several years. Only one of the two teams that have won the last three championships is going to still be around after this.
I can't remember being this excited about the semi-finals ever. I really think that this week is going to be one of the best weeks that I've experienced in Danish Volleyball. I hope that everyone else is just as excited as I am. It will be good to see you all out at the games. I know I'm going to have fun playing in them, hopefully all the spectators will enjoy watching them just as much...
Friday, March 21, 2008
Status
I'm not going to spend any real time describing yesterday's game because, frankly, nothing interesting happened. If you want to read about something interesting and exciting go to Olafsen's Volley and read about his teams' big quarterfinal win.
The scores in our match speak for themselves. 18-17-18. We took a beating. Luckily, this game meant nothing to us as far as the final standings. But I have to hand it to HIK, they played a great match. Their block, serve, passing and attacking was much improved compared to earlier in the season. They were running an extremely quick ball to the outside and generally made up for any mistakes on their side with really solid blocking. They are going to be a difficult out in the playoffs if they continue to play like they did yesterday.
Yesterday's result means that we play Gentofte in the semis. I'm not really sure that I want to go back to Kildeskovshallen for another playoff match. We've had our difficulties there over the years and Gentofte has always been dangerous at home.
I think the semi-final match-ups are really interesting this year. You've got two really physical teams in HIK and Middelfart on one side and two teams that are a little bit more technically oriented in Us and Gentofte on the other.
HIK and Middelfart have won and lost to each other this year and they both carry long winning streaks into their series, so it should be really competitive. It will be interesting to see if HIK's middles can contain Ryan on the right side. And if Middelfart can't get as much production out of the opposite as they have all year, how will they react? Also, who will be able to serve well and consistently put pressure on the other team's passers? I hope that I'll get a chance to get over to Middelfart and see at least one match between these two...
We've beaten Gentofte every time we've played this year, but only one of those wins was convincing. We have a tradition for playing really tight matches against each other and I don't see any reason why this year will be any different. Hopefully, we'll be able to play better than we have the last week and find our way back to top form.
It's been a really long regular season and it's great to see the playoffs coming around the corner. It's also positive to see the quality of the top four teams. I don't think I can remember a year (maybe my first year in Denmark 2002-03) where there were four teams that were this good in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how the hot teams fare, and if we can live up to the favorite role that we've had on our backs all year.
The scores in our match speak for themselves. 18-17-18. We took a beating. Luckily, this game meant nothing to us as far as the final standings. But I have to hand it to HIK, they played a great match. Their block, serve, passing and attacking was much improved compared to earlier in the season. They were running an extremely quick ball to the outside and generally made up for any mistakes on their side with really solid blocking. They are going to be a difficult out in the playoffs if they continue to play like they did yesterday.
Yesterday's result means that we play Gentofte in the semis. I'm not really sure that I want to go back to Kildeskovshallen for another playoff match. We've had our difficulties there over the years and Gentofte has always been dangerous at home.
I think the semi-final match-ups are really interesting this year. You've got two really physical teams in HIK and Middelfart on one side and two teams that are a little bit more technically oriented in Us and Gentofte on the other.
HIK and Middelfart have won and lost to each other this year and they both carry long winning streaks into their series, so it should be really competitive. It will be interesting to see if HIK's middles can contain Ryan on the right side. And if Middelfart can't get as much production out of the opposite as they have all year, how will they react? Also, who will be able to serve well and consistently put pressure on the other team's passers? I hope that I'll get a chance to get over to Middelfart and see at least one match between these two...
We've beaten Gentofte every time we've played this year, but only one of those wins was convincing. We have a tradition for playing really tight matches against each other and I don't see any reason why this year will be any different. Hopefully, we'll be able to play better than we have the last week and find our way back to top form.
It's been a really long regular season and it's great to see the playoffs coming around the corner. It's also positive to see the quality of the top four teams. I don't think I can remember a year (maybe my first year in Denmark 2002-03) where there were four teams that were this good in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how the hot teams fare, and if we can live up to the favorite role that we've had on our backs all year.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Playoffs...Already?
I feel like it has been months since I played any serious volleyball. This might be because it actually has been about a month since I played. But more than that, I think I am just a little bit jealous. It seems like everyone else is getting ready to start the playoffs. Danish Basketball, Swedish Volleyball, German volleyball, Champions League is getting down to the final four, March Madness… I don’t know, I’m getting kind of antsy. We’ve still got two more games and after that, a solid ten or eleven days before the playoffs begin. It’s times like these that make me think we should have a more developed playoff schedule. Best of five perhaps? Maybe best of three semi final and then best of five final? Would this be too much or just the right amount?
Some other thoughts for this time of year:
With Aalborg’s win over Gentofte this weekend the whole playoff picture has kind of come into focus. It’s a really interesting development that puts my team in a really weird situation. Assuming that we can play well enough to stay in first place, we are going to play either Gentofte or Aalborg in the semis. We are also going to play them in our last two matches of the regular season. Gentofte this Saturday and then Aalborg next Thursday. If we win both, then we get Aalborg in the semis. If one of them beats us, then they will probably end up in third place. It’s also possible that we’ll play Aalborg next Thursday in a match that means nothing to us and might mean a lot to them.
Some people would also argue that we are in a position to decide who we want to play against in the semi finals. I think that talking about match-ups, etc… for the playoffs is kind of a waste of time and usually counter productive. I think that you have to just go into each match and try to play your best and win. No one ever got in trouble for playing as hard as they can every time. When you start talking about losing to Team A so that you can play Team B in a certain situation I think you end up creating more negatives than positives.
It might be easy for me to say this because Aalborg and Gentofte are both really good teams. We’ve had our problems with Gentofte, and Aalborg has really played well in their last six or seven matches. Who wants to play the hot team in the playoffs?
What’s even more weird, is that we haven’t really played in so long, I have no idea how good we are at the moment. It almost feels like we are starting a second part of the season from scratch right now. So, hopefully we’ll be able to step up and finish this season off well.
I know that the schedule was kind of thrown off at the beginning of the season because DHG pulled out of the Elite, but has anyone noticed that some teams have had more home games than others? Just for posterity’s sake let’s take a look. Gentofte for example, up until now, the best home team in the league with 7 wins and 1 loss and a set score of 23-4 (That means, besides the three sets they lost to Marienlyst, they have lost one set at home all year). At the end of the schedule they will have played an equal amount of matches home and away – 9 and 9. Important when you notice that their record is 3 wins and 6 losses away from Kildeskovshallen.
Aalborg, who is also much better at home at 7-2, will end the season with 10 home games and only 8 away games. This is a pretty big deal when you consider that Gentofte and Aalborg are battling to see where they will finish for the playoffs. If Aalborg had had one more away game would they have lost it? If Gentofte had had one more home game would they have won it? Just to be a bitch, I’ll also mention that Marienlyst will end the season with 8 home games and 10 away games – kind of unfair?
Lastly, I’ve read with great interest the couple of shots that people have taken at SK Aarhus in the last few weeks. I don’t really feel that it is up to people from the outside to judge what they are doing over there. I was a part of it for two years and I am really glad for the chance that I got to play there. What I do think is important to note, is that they have not done anything illegal or against the rules. There are no rules that forbid a certain amount of players or how often they can be switched out. So, they can do whatever they want as long as it is inside the rules. Do I think it is the best strategy for the future? Probably not, but in case no one else has noticed, SK has a solid portion of young players that have a good future in the Elite division. Supplementing with foreign players until the younger guys are ready to really step up isn’t the worst idea. Sending players home because they can’t make the playoffs? Well, I can’t really condone that.
A more important point though, and this relates to the above paragraphs, is the luck factor in when and how a team faces Aarhus. You could argue that they have been responsible for more tumult in the elite division this year than any other team. They’re kind of like going out to the bar with your one crazy, unpredictable friend. You might end up having the best night of your life, you also might end up getting into a fight and getting stabbed, and there’s no real way to know before you get out there.
Look at Gentofte, they played an Aarhus volley that no other team in the league played against. They had the bad luck of playing them when they had the services of a Tunisian, among other motivated foreigners, who were pretty good. If Gentofte got to play them again today, with the team they have right now, they would most likely win.
ASV got the opposite, they got to play an Aarhus volley that was in a transitional phase, with unmotivated and new foreigners that weren’t in playing shape yet. The result was a win for ASV, a win that has turned out to be a very important win for them in relation to staying in the elite next year.
Aarhus has been the wildcard of the league all year. There is no question that it was an advantage to play them at the right time this year and that’s directly due to the fact that they have switched out their team a couple of times this year. Kind of unfair? You tell me.
Good luck to those that are starting playoffs already. I can’t wait to join you. It’s going to be a while I guess.
Some other thoughts for this time of year:
With Aalborg’s win over Gentofte this weekend the whole playoff picture has kind of come into focus. It’s a really interesting development that puts my team in a really weird situation. Assuming that we can play well enough to stay in first place, we are going to play either Gentofte or Aalborg in the semis. We are also going to play them in our last two matches of the regular season. Gentofte this Saturday and then Aalborg next Thursday. If we win both, then we get Aalborg in the semis. If one of them beats us, then they will probably end up in third place. It’s also possible that we’ll play Aalborg next Thursday in a match that means nothing to us and might mean a lot to them.
Some people would also argue that we are in a position to decide who we want to play against in the semi finals. I think that talking about match-ups, etc… for the playoffs is kind of a waste of time and usually counter productive. I think that you have to just go into each match and try to play your best and win. No one ever got in trouble for playing as hard as they can every time. When you start talking about losing to Team A so that you can play Team B in a certain situation I think you end up creating more negatives than positives.
It might be easy for me to say this because Aalborg and Gentofte are both really good teams. We’ve had our problems with Gentofte, and Aalborg has really played well in their last six or seven matches. Who wants to play the hot team in the playoffs?
What’s even more weird, is that we haven’t really played in so long, I have no idea how good we are at the moment. It almost feels like we are starting a second part of the season from scratch right now. So, hopefully we’ll be able to step up and finish this season off well.
I know that the schedule was kind of thrown off at the beginning of the season because DHG pulled out of the Elite, but has anyone noticed that some teams have had more home games than others? Just for posterity’s sake let’s take a look. Gentofte for example, up until now, the best home team in the league with 7 wins and 1 loss and a set score of 23-4 (That means, besides the three sets they lost to Marienlyst, they have lost one set at home all year). At the end of the schedule they will have played an equal amount of matches home and away – 9 and 9. Important when you notice that their record is 3 wins and 6 losses away from Kildeskovshallen.
Aalborg, who is also much better at home at 7-2, will end the season with 10 home games and only 8 away games. This is a pretty big deal when you consider that Gentofte and Aalborg are battling to see where they will finish for the playoffs. If Aalborg had had one more away game would they have lost it? If Gentofte had had one more home game would they have won it? Just to be a bitch, I’ll also mention that Marienlyst will end the season with 8 home games and 10 away games – kind of unfair?
Lastly, I’ve read with great interest the couple of shots that people have taken at SK Aarhus in the last few weeks. I don’t really feel that it is up to people from the outside to judge what they are doing over there. I was a part of it for two years and I am really glad for the chance that I got to play there. What I do think is important to note, is that they have not done anything illegal or against the rules. There are no rules that forbid a certain amount of players or how often they can be switched out. So, they can do whatever they want as long as it is inside the rules. Do I think it is the best strategy for the future? Probably not, but in case no one else has noticed, SK has a solid portion of young players that have a good future in the Elite division. Supplementing with foreign players until the younger guys are ready to really step up isn’t the worst idea. Sending players home because they can’t make the playoffs? Well, I can’t really condone that.
A more important point though, and this relates to the above paragraphs, is the luck factor in when and how a team faces Aarhus. You could argue that they have been responsible for more tumult in the elite division this year than any other team. They’re kind of like going out to the bar with your one crazy, unpredictable friend. You might end up having the best night of your life, you also might end up getting into a fight and getting stabbed, and there’s no real way to know before you get out there.
Look at Gentofte, they played an Aarhus volley that no other team in the league played against. They had the bad luck of playing them when they had the services of a Tunisian, among other motivated foreigners, who were pretty good. If Gentofte got to play them again today, with the team they have right now, they would most likely win.
ASV got the opposite, they got to play an Aarhus volley that was in a transitional phase, with unmotivated and new foreigners that weren’t in playing shape yet. The result was a win for ASV, a win that has turned out to be a very important win for them in relation to staying in the elite next year.
Aarhus has been the wildcard of the league all year. There is no question that it was an advantage to play them at the right time this year and that’s directly due to the fact that they have switched out their team a couple of times this year. Kind of unfair? You tell me.
Good luck to those that are starting playoffs already. I can’t wait to join you. It’s going to be a while I guess.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Underachievers?
We've lost two matches all year. In both of those matches we've been fairly handicapped in that we've had to play without key players. Whether or not we would have lost those matches with our full lineup is not really the point of this post. All I'm saying is that, so far this season, by the most obvious marker - wins and losses - we've been pretty successful. But, as I read the match reports from all the different teams that we've played this year, it becomes fairly clear that there is a disconnect between our record and our performance on the court. I started thinking about this last weekend when I read this article about our match against Gentofte. When Dickens, the newly retired libero from Aarhus, basically reiterated Peter Borglund's feelings after our match on Saturday I decided I would write about it.
With few exceptions, other teams and impartial observers that I have talked with have been unimpressed with our play on the court. Other teams have expressed a general feeling that they've had the chance to beat us but haven't quite been able to get the job done. In other words, they've been close enough that the match was theirs to win or lose. I won't list all of them here, but if you look at the match reports from our side and opposing teams throughout the season you'll see a lot of discrepancies. Sometimes it's hard to reconcile those differences. History is absolutely influenced by the historian and truth in history does seem to be difficult to achieve...
I can't speak for other teams, there clearly have been matches this year where we were in danger of losing, but I have to ask: how can a team that lost 3-0 call the match close? Can we even put a number on dominance? For example, if one team wins 25-22 and another team wins 25-19 is there a real difference in those two wins? Can a team that loses 25-17, 25-18, 23-25, 25-16 claim that they had all the chances in the world? Is one team better if their record is 15-5 but they're set score is better than another team that finished the season 19-1?
This isn't to pick on Matt, as this is how he felt and that is totally valid. But look at his recollection of their most recent match against us here. The fifth paragraph is especially telling. It was their drop in intensity that allowed us to get back in the match and take over from there. You can imagine that I had a different take on things.
So, to my point. Are we underachieving? Or is this a phenomenon of too high expectations?
In order to be dominant does a team have to blow out every team they play against? I don't think so. I don't think it hurts. But I think that a win is a win. If the number one team in the league beats the last place team in the league 3-2 it is still going to count in the standings. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but I don't necessarily think it is the worst thing in the world. We all know there are teams that tend to play to their opposition's level and clearly in a perfect world this would not happen. But, this is what makes sports interesting isn't it? Are we one of those teams? Maybe. Does that mean we're not as good as we think we are? I don't know. I guess the jury is still out.
With few exceptions, other teams and impartial observers that I have talked with have been unimpressed with our play on the court. Other teams have expressed a general feeling that they've had the chance to beat us but haven't quite been able to get the job done. In other words, they've been close enough that the match was theirs to win or lose. I won't list all of them here, but if you look at the match reports from our side and opposing teams throughout the season you'll see a lot of discrepancies. Sometimes it's hard to reconcile those differences. History is absolutely influenced by the historian and truth in history does seem to be difficult to achieve...
I can't speak for other teams, there clearly have been matches this year where we were in danger of losing, but I have to ask: how can a team that lost 3-0 call the match close? Can we even put a number on dominance? For example, if one team wins 25-22 and another team wins 25-19 is there a real difference in those two wins? Can a team that loses 25-17, 25-18, 23-25, 25-16 claim that they had all the chances in the world? Is one team better if their record is 15-5 but they're set score is better than another team that finished the season 19-1?
This isn't to pick on Matt, as this is how he felt and that is totally valid. But look at his recollection of their most recent match against us here. The fifth paragraph is especially telling. It was their drop in intensity that allowed us to get back in the match and take over from there. You can imagine that I had a different take on things.
So, to my point. Are we underachieving? Or is this a phenomenon of too high expectations?
In order to be dominant does a team have to blow out every team they play against? I don't think so. I don't think it hurts. But I think that a win is a win. If the number one team in the league beats the last place team in the league 3-2 it is still going to count in the standings. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but I don't necessarily think it is the worst thing in the world. We all know there are teams that tend to play to their opposition's level and clearly in a perfect world this would not happen. But, this is what makes sports interesting isn't it? Are we one of those teams? Maybe. Does that mean we're not as good as we think we are? I don't know. I guess the jury is still out.
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