Slovenia vs. Romania Match Report

Romania look to be the team to beat in Group F and the Slovenian NT tried to topple them but were unsuccessful meaning Romania go 3-0 and remain in 1st place.

While Slovenia lost by 1 TD there are many positives to take from the game. Eddie Skočaj had another solid game with 6 TDs and 585 yards, he did also throw a costly INT at the beginning of the 2nd quarter that allowed Romania to go up by 28-7.

At that stage, 3 TDs down looked like an impossible task to overcome but the offense kicked into overdrive and managed to level the score in the 3rd quarter 42-42. Erik Jeršič had his best game of the qualifiers so far with 316 yards and 3 TDs. Šolar also put in another good performance to record Slovenia's other 3 TDs.

The Slovenian D had a goodish game, they didn't really start playing until the 2nd quarter but they managed to get some pressures and stall some Romanian drives in the later stages on the game. No picks or sacks today, so this is something they'll be looking to improve on in the rematch against Russia next week.

Overall it was a good performance for Slovenia but a poor result. On another day they may have walked away with the win. However, the future is looking bright and with 3 games remaining Slovenia's fate is still in their own hands.

Canada vs Slovenia Match Report

This match report has been delayed due to the Slovenian players going on a bender after their 2nd WC qualification win!

Hopefully they haven't too much as the win over Canada has set up a winner take all match against Romania this Friday with the prize being a place in World Cup XII.

Eddie Skočaj had an indistinguishable performance from last week's loss against Russia, posting similar passing yards and completion percentage stats. Slovenian's main offensive weapons, Zdravko Šolar and Erik Jeršič also put in similar performances but they did manage to score an extra TD each in comparison to last week.

The real heroes of the day were the Slovenian defense. DEs Žibert and Vidic, as well as OLB Miloš Vogelnik combined for 4 pressures to put Tyshawn Degrâce off his game. However, the man of the match award was rightly presented to MLB Denis Kosmač who picked off the Canadian QB twice in the game. The 1st pick was part way through the 1st quarter and returned for 11 yards putting the Slovenian offense on the halfway mark and allowing them to go up by 21-0. The 2nd pick was midway through the 4th quarter, the Canadian offense had rallied and only trailed by 1 TD at 35-28, they were driving towards the endzone when Kosmač flew in front of Lethiecq and plucked the ball from the air. He returned the interception for 8 yards putting Slovenia on the 64 yard line. Two completions later and Slovenia led by 42-28. The Canadians were severely demoralised and stalled on their next drive giving Slovenia the win and most importantly, hope that they can still qualify for the WC!

Slovenia face a tough match against a strong Romania team on Friday, they lost 42-49 in the 1st match at home and will look to secure qualification on the road at Romania's St. Nicholas Stadium. Romania started strongly in the group leading by 3-0 at one point, however they have lost their last 2 games so while Slovenia face a difficult task it is not an impossibility.

Thanks

If a NT doesn't have anyone from that nation apply for the coach's position then the admins give the job to someone else who volunteers to do it.

In the last few cycles, it has tended to be New Zealand, Brazil and Bosnia who have had coaches of other nationalities. Currently these 3 NTs and Slovenia are coached by managers from other countries. I also coached New Zealand last cycle and I know they were coached the cycle before that by another UK manager.

It's meant to be a short term fix, but its generally NTs who used to have a lot of active managers from that country but don't anymore e.g. there are currently only 2 or 3 active managers from New Zealand.

Personally I think it's good that some of us have the opportunity to gain some NT experience. I would love to coach the UK at some point in my GI career and managing other NTs can only help in the long run. Although I did feel a bit traitorous last cycle as I beat the UK twice in the WC qualification group with New Zealand and the UK then failed to qualify for last season's World Cup

Phiba wrote: Thanks If a NT doesn't have anyone from that nation apply for the coach's position then the admins give the job to someone else who volunteers to do it. In the last few cycles, it has tended to be New Zealand, Brazil and Bosnia who have had coaches of other nationalities. Currently these 3 NTs and Slovenia are coached by managers from other countries. I also coached New Zealand last cycle and I know they were coached the cycle before that by another UK manager. It's meant to be a short term fix, but its generally NTs who used to have a lot of active managers from that country but don't anymore e.g. there are currently only 2 or 3 active managers from New Zealand. Personally I think it's good that some of us have the opportunity to gain some NT experience. I would love to coach the UK at some point in my GI career and managing other NTs can only help in the long run. Although I did feel a bit traitorous last cycle as I beat the UK twice in the WC qualification group with New Zealand and the UK then failed to qualify for last season's World Cup

Well, you were a traitor, but it says something for your character as you managed the NZ team as hard as they could play.

hoospack wrote: Thanks for the explanation. That brings something else to mind, as it seems like the same folks being shuffled around to fill different NT positions. How is it that the same folks seem to be getting the job for coaching these other NTs? Shouldn't the opportunity be spread to others? Who is doing the selecting? If it is advertised, then why is it that the same people are the only ones to get selected? Too many questions....

It's not being advertised really. Basically if you see a NT without a coach, you send the admin a message saying you want to coach it. It's first come first serve. I coached Brazil 3 cycles ago. It was fun, but I don't plan on doing it again. It seems unfair that a country with no active managers goes out there and beats small countries that are actually trying. I didn't used to feel this way, but I've changed my mind on the matter.

Does it make the WC more exciting? Most definitely yes. Is it fair to the little countries who could beat, say Brazil if they botted, but get dominated by a foreign coach? No. If the coach was Brazilian, then Brazil deserves that win. Unless voting is opened to anyone for any country, then I think a foreign player managing a NT is unfair