Pixie and 11 Stamped

All stories are similar to each other, the difference is in who tells them.

I no longer have any expectations from life. Zvezda was the champion of Europe and the world, I watched Maradona and Iggy Pop live, I sat with Robert Crumb, I was in America and England, the country of the proletariat, I finished school, I bought a gramophone, a fender guitar and a bass with the money I earned, I played on film, I worked on the radio , traveled around the world, got married, bought an Opel Krntia from his uncle, took the child on a trip. What more?

When are you and the Championships in Qatar. It's all unrealistic. What idiot had the idea to stop everything in the middle of the season and send the footballers to the desert to some peninsula the size of the Serbian part of the Banat, and even to the Persian Gulf, where brother and brother rock each other for 40 years in all directions around the oil pumps (although they say the air is cleaner than in Belgrade)? Probably the same one who leveled Savamala with an excavator. It's called the Spirit of Time, which is irresistibly reminiscent of the Spirit with an Axe, only slightly more inhumane. Really, what happened to the people? Or, more precisely, what happened to rich people? Well, if you study the historical records a little more, nothing sensational. Whether it is Franjo Tahi or Muhammad Ibn Thani is completely irrelevant. The problem is between us and them, the corrupt echelon. You always arranged everything for us according to the list for the sake of status and growing wealth, because God wanted it that way. And who else? He maintains regular Skype communication from the Vatican to Mecca and back. International relations with Constantinople have been somewhat worse for the last half millennium, but here the Russians are working on it, it is human to hope.

What can I tell you, you know everything yourself. Someone flies to Doha with "Charles de Gaulle", and someone from Surčin under siege. That pretty much says it all. Both are held by the French. A measure of reality. And that is why the working people are crying out for someone to take some measure on their behalf. And where can you find a better opportunity than on the world stage, where we have been traditionally embarrassing ourselves for half a century now. There were also beautiful moments. Let's say the one when Barbie shoved a juicy slammer directly into Jeremis's throat, even the tonsils didn't help. Or when the minor, anonymous Messi, in a total of 15 minutes spent on the field, shuffled our defense up and down, raising the game to the level of pandemonium, assisting for the fifth along the way, and then scoring Argentina's sixth goal with his right. Who can resist such scenes? It simply entices you to sit in front of the TV every next time and wonder what's next on the menu. And then the Serbs beat the Prussians out of sheer madness, and just when you think evogamamemuga, our joy, our pride, the captain of Manchester plays as a pivot in the sevens and returns us to the factory settings. Because, although football has something to do with skill, it's about something else entirely.

In approach.

"THAT'S THAT FAMOUS RILE? "

"What, uh, eventual, uh... What, uh, eventual, uh... I have to go to Qatar!" - these are the words that Pixi addressed to Aca Stojanović at the press conference before the decisive match with Portugal, in which only victory directly led to the World Cup. It is also the key to understanding the success formula. Weeks ago, on HRT you can watch a series about the last title of the Chicago Bulls from a season a quarter of a century ago with flashbacks to the history of building the famous team that won 6 NBA titles in the nineties. Although they were all skilled and knew everything with the ball, what is evident is the difference that Jordan made in the approach not only when it comes to his teammates but also the entire NBA caravan. In the 94/95 season. Jordan returns after 21 months since his last official game, during which he faces the murder of his father, accusations of gambling debts, retirement from basketball and playing minor league baseball. He leads the struggling Bulls to the playoffs where they face the up-and-coming Florida Hurricanes in the East Semifinals, led by projected rising mega-stars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. As he leads the last charge, Nick Anderson sneaks up on him, steals the ball masterfully and seals the victory for Orlando with a malicious comment that the number 45 is not the same as the number 23, alluding that the difference between the number on the jersey Jordan wore on his return and the one before retirement is also the difference in the quality of the game provided. And what was the answer? The next 2 matches, Michael goes out on the field with the number 23 on his back and tears both. They ended the series defeated with 4:2, but Em-J immediately started putting pressure on his teammates and management, so that they entered the next season sharpened and strengthened by thirty-five-year-old (sic!) Dennis Rodman, losing only 10 games in the regular season. In the playoffs, they swept the same Magic in the final of the East with 4:0, while winning 3 more titles in a row. The trigger of it all was malice that triggered determination. Before a game, Jordan said the following to his teammates in the locker room, about another in a series of similar episodes: "It doesn't matter. I'm really interested in whether they'll be proud even when it's 0:0, and not just when they're leading by 5-6 points. To see them. If you can give a shit when the score is tied or when you are losing, you are a face. It's easy to be loud when you're in the lead."

There are many factors involved, of course, things are never that simple. Jordan won his first title with the Bulls only in his seventh season. Teammates, coaches changed, the team was built for the first 3 titles, then dismantled, then rebuilt for the next 3. Michael then played in the Wizards and nothing. But when you are at the top and when everything comes together, a clear division of roles, team composition, harmony in the game, who leads from the bench, focus on work, mutual connection and dedication to the goal is exactly what makes the difference. Because look at the selection of Serbia. They are not miracle workers. These are mostly the same players who took us to Russia under Muslin, then spent time barefoot on thorns with Krstaj, then hit rock bottom under Tumba, and here they are now under Pixie in the starry sky. Did they know it, then forget it, and suddenly, out of nowhere, suddenly realize that they also know everything about the ball? That doesn't happen.

It's amazing how much access to something can lift you up or bring you down.

I remember a match I played with pajtos against guys two years older. We were 18, they were 20. It was before the World Cup in Spain in the yard of the Fourth in Dedinje. We were insanely coordinated and we blew them away. They were stunned and somewhat humiliated. They scheduled a rematch on the DIF field in a week. We told them that it's nothing compared to how we play when we play with Rilet in the lineup. That day will come, we are all here, Rilet is gone. The same lineups. We start, they are aware of how good we are, we that this time will be more difficult. We behave quite decently. No one has a significant advantage. Let's even lead. And suddenly Rile appeared, with another couple with whom he had been drinking all night. He was a fickle character, like many gifted people. He came in wobbling, and that defeated us. From that moment, they mopped the floor with us, they did whatever they wanted. At the end they told us: "Is that the famous Rile?" Phenomenal.”

I remembered that for the rest of my life, I understood what happened in 1974, 1982, 1990, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2018. You are sold by the association, coach, teammate or someone else when you least expect it and you no longer have support or confidence in your own abilities, want to change something, because the moment flies by, while these are in a rush and don't wait if you will and when you recover from the shock. The fact that Sunnyboy does not take Drobnjak, at that moment Lance's best scorer, who wins the championship of France in May 1998, the country where the World Cup is held a month later and in whose stadiums he scored goals as a centre-forward, is beyond my reach of understanding life. , let alone football. Let's not talk about the invisible Rambo Petković. Or speaking of Petković - about Ilija's unjustified bringing of her son Dušan, after the brilliantly played qualifications, in which the latter did not participate, nor was he even on the wider list. Or when Schwabo in Italy put Hadji, who scored a penalty against Colombia, to shoot again against Argentina and retreat theatrically to the dressing room so as not to watch. What is it, what is it about, what is the spark of self-destruction in this nation, is for a deeper analysis.

FUCA IS A GAME OF BIG NUMBERS

photo: Rade Prelić / Tanjug

But that game, dear God, my partners and I have been completely bewitched, from a young age. Nothing can compare to her. Because basically it is for everyone. There is no game in which the tall and the short and the square and the round and the slim and the chunky and the crooked and the long-legged and the short-legged, black, white, yellow, all colors, classes and races from all continents perform equally successfully. Even women. I remember their World Cup final in Germany in 2011 between Japan and USA, it was unforgettable. The Japanese women won on penalties after 120 minutes of mutually lethal play and 2:2 in the regular part. I deliberately make a distinction between games and sports according to the old English model, according to which sports are individual and games are collective, always between teams, with plot and props. Therefore, teams, especially in the old days, were often representatives of a certain milieu, settlement, local community, often class, then city, regional, even national in international frameworks. It is inextricably linked to the development of industrial society. The first two clubs were founded in Sheffield, which was the steel capital of the world in the 19s. The flame first caught the north, it took 3 decades until clubs started to be established in the south, including London. The rest is history.

That's why we should stand behind these people, without big stories. Their talent or commitment should not be questioned. He leads and directs them like a strategist who once played the best games against the strongest. He loved a challenge. This is best seen in the matches he played on the international stage, against Milan or France, Spain, Argentina... Regardless of the final outcome, no one ever had anything to complain about him. He always played energetically, at the highest level, making himself and everyone around him better both in victory and defeat. A true example of indomitable sportsmanship, based on competition and elemental chivalry. Everything about that is neither his nor their concern. Because, in the end, only the game is remembered.

I heard from Chupa, he believes not only that we will go far, but that we will carry 6 kilos of cast 18-carat gold and some malachite in the pedestal home. Brother, what can I tell you, I think, it would be nice, but look at it this way – fuca is a game of big numbers, and they are relentless. The only national team that ever won the championship and came from a country with a small population was Uruguay. There are about 3,3 million of them and the last time this happened was in 1950. Since then, the country with the smallest number of inhabitants that won the World Cup was Argentina with 42 million. That says it all and there is no mystery there. Czechoslovakia (2x), Hungary (2x), Sweden, the Netherlands (3x) and Croatia sometimes reach the finals, but this has happened a total of 9 times out of a possible 21, and less often in the last half century, and since 1978 to 2010 no way, so that it would be the Netherlands again who pushed through to the finals on two consecutive occasions before the mentioned dry spell, so Croatia's success from the previous convocation in Russia is flat wonder. Therefore, I have no intention of predicting anything. I sincerely wish them the best in every way. Let them enjoy it, and they will enjoy it if they play with courage, composure and inspiration. Statistics are not on their side, tradition is not on their side, but that's the charm. Because what MJ said: how many games did I have to lose before I started winning. And I know a kid from Basel who kept his poster hanging in his room, there are also photos to be found on the net. You know how many Wimbledon men's singles winners Switzerland had before him? Zero. Hope. Zero. And then another kid jumps out of some empty pool from Banjica and starts yelling at this one, you wouldn't believe it, and that's at Wimbledon. How many Grand Slam winners did Serbia have in men's singles competition before him? Zero. Hope. Zero. Everything is possible. This area has registered world champions in football in the under-21 competition. Decades ago, it was seriously worked on, with excellent selection results, especially at the European championships. Brazil was defeated in the final. They won the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in extra time, 360 minutes in a row, hey... And those from the Linglong League. The root is there. Time and care are needed for the tree to develop and begin to bear fruit. Why this was not methodologically transferred to the senior competition is a question more for criminologists and astrologers than for the profession. And especially for politics, the pandora's box of all our hypocrites. But about that another time. For now, all I want to do is curl up in the sofa, turn on the TV and let myself go, whatever happens. I don't need anyone. Just joy. Pure, unadulterated. In color.