Iker Romero recovers

Spanish international Iker Romero has recovered after an elbow injury. The player suffered a nasty injury in his right elbow and it kept him out of action at the beginning of the season. The recovery time was estimated two months, but Romero is back two weeks before that. T

Doctor Gutierrez is very satisfied with the player’s condition:

“The recovery was faster than we hoped for. He is ready to play, but he must go on with the rehabilitation exercises. It is important that he can travel with the team, though it is not sure whether he can play”.

Romero will travel to Cuenca for an Asobal game and he will probably also be in the squad against Drammen this weekend.

Champions league standings

Pos	Teams	Pts		Pos	Teams	Pts
1	THW Kiel	8		1	HSV Hamburg	8
2	FC Barcelona Borges	4		2	FC Kopenhagen	4
3	HC Metalurg Skopje	2		3	Tatran Presov	4
4	Drammen HK	0		4	RK Crvena Zvezda	0

Pos	Teams	Pts		Pos	Teams	Pts
1	Steaua MFA Bucuresti	6		1	Cro. Osiguranje-Zagreb	7
2	Chehovskie Medvedi	4		2	Rhein-Neckar Löwen	7
3	Portland San Antonio	4		3	Pick Szeged	2
4	RK Cimos Koper	2		4	Wisla Plock	0

Pos	Teams	Pts		Pos	Teams	Pts
1	Chambery Savoie HB	8		1	BM Ciudad Real	8
2	Celje Pivovarna Lasko	6		2	GOG Svendborg TGI	6
3	Hammarby IF	2		3	HC Bosna Sarajevo	2
4	HC Granitas-Karys	0		4	A.S.E. Doukas	0

Pos	Teams	Pts		Pos	Teams	Pts
1	Reale Ademar Leon	8		1	SG Flensburg-Hande.	6
2	Montpellier HB	6		2	MKB Veszprem KC	6
3	ZMC Amicitia Zürich	2		3	Haukar Hafnarfjördur	4
4	A1 Bregenz HB	0		4	ZTR Zaporozhye	0

Ola Lindgren in HM interview: "Scandinavian model mixed with German one"

Field appointment in Nordhorn, HSG Nordhorn´s office: For German Handball-Magazin, Ola Lindgren, 44, took more than our to discuss about handball. On the financial crisis of HSG Nordhorn, about the lessons learned from coach ikon Bengt Johansson, his life in a family full of women and his love to old Mustang cars and fast horses. handball-world.com prints and translates extracts of this interview in cooperation with Handball-Magazin, the complete interview is only part of the November issue of “HM” which can be bought in Germany from 31 October.

During the talk with HM, Lindgren showed the ease which is as typical for the people of the County of Bad Bentheim. And another element fitted: Ending the talk, Lindgren catched his cap and went to training by bike.. "This is my contribution to environment protection", the double World Champion stated winking.

Excerpt from HM-Interview

HM: How do you esteem Nordhorn?

Ola Lindgren
It is amazing that we have a work climate at ease, here. There is not so much pressure from outside. We can implement our scandinavian model without hurry and stress. And we have always been lucky to commit new players who fit into the region, emerge and adapt to their envisaged role. Elsewhere the pressure to success is harder.

HM: Is the „Grafschaft“ really a pressure-free zone?

Ola Lindgren
No. We produce the pressure inside our team and elaborate goals for ourselves. After a defeat there will be nobody to hold a crisis talk. It is important for us to control such a situation internally. One is a lot more engaged if one finds our himself where the mistakes have been made and if the solution is made up together.

HM: So, self-motivation instead of strict rules?

Ola Lindgren
I say, you do not have to be late. This is a rule. But if the team sets his our framework concerning punctuality and mutual respect, then the acceptation is much higher than with simple rules. Since it results from the group cohesion and contributes inner power to the team.

HM: What is this philosophy derived from?

Ola Lindgren
It is no great mysterium that I have mixed the Scandinavian model with the German one...

The complete interview is released on 31 October in November issue of Handball-Magazin (German only).

Chambery: team of October in France

The beginning of the season was fabulous for the French Chambery Savoie. They clinched six victories from six games in two competitions, the French League and the Champions League. Not many clubs can boast with such an achievement.

The team of coach Gardent is leading the table in France and they have good chances to qualify for the Main Round. As a consequence, the French coaches chose Chambery the best team of the month October.

Chambery president, Alain Poncet, was really satisfied with this prize:

“It is very nice for our players. It means that we are on the right track and we are working properly. But the season is very long and we must keep playing with the same motivation that we had last games. We cannot think that everything is done. We have to work to continue in the same way”.

It is increasingly difficult for the team in France. From now on all clubs are putting in double effort to become the first team to beat Chambery.

Metz: disappointment after Viborg

Viborg are among the greatest European clubs and also favourites for the CL title. It doesn’t change the situation: Metz are disappointed to lose against the team of coach Vestergaard.

Metz top scorer, Svetlana Ognjenovic, commented:

“We played badly, but the 13-goal difference does not reflect the real strength of the two teams. It will be difficult to play worse than we did that day”.

Metz president Thierry Weizman was not so negative:

“We lost against a great club, the best in the world for me. This defeat shows everybody where we stand in reality. However, we are hopeful to qualify”.

Two players, Helene Francois and Vesna Horacek, agreed in some critical points:

“We lost balls and we were not able to impose our style. It is a pity because we fought well in the first half,” Francois said.

Horacek added: “We worked hard in the first half and we gave up in the second. Their goalkeeper Haraldsen showed why she is one of the best in her position. I hope that we can learn from the defeat”.

TEXT: Fernando Urra Goni

Dutchmen with surprising victory against Ukraine

Gerrie Eijlers was backing his team In qualification group 7 for Euro 2010 in Austria, the Netherlands celebrated a surprising home victory. With a 24:19 (14:19) result, the host team prevailed against Ukraine and may now dream of participating in European Championship finals. If the games against Lithuania and Cyprus would be won, and both Ukraine and the Netherlands would lose their matches against Spain, it would amount to the showdown in the return match on 17 June 2009, because then the direct comparison would decide. The best scorer of the Dutch who were especially convincing in defense, was no Bundesliga legionnaire but Bartek Konitz with seven goals.

"Spain is the favourite in our group, but against Ukraine and Lithuania, we must show our potential. The physical and mental state of the day will decide those matches. The upcoming comparison with Ukraine is already a key game for us," goalie Gerrie Eijlers put up the significance of the successful match in advance. And the Dutchmen should proof to be an equal adversary in that match.

After the start, the 1,400 spectators in Emmen were glad about the first 2-goals-lead at 7:5 with three goals of Bartek Kontitz. But then, a time penalty against Mark Bult was an advantage for Ukraine who scored three goals in succession at 8:10. But now the defense of the Dutch ameliorated, while Ukraine equally lost power offense. Tim Remer catched up the backlog and also due to three goals of Mark Schmetz the outsider took a 14:10 lead into the cabin.

At the beginning of the second half Ukraine came up to 18:16, but the Dutchmen had the match in their grip. Especially the strong and movable defence arranged for Ukrainian problems. The back players did not get in positions because they lacked the necessary pressure, but also goalkeeper Gerrie Eijlers was excellent. So, the host led the match by 22:17 and after a double blow to 24:17 the decision was finally taken. Ukraine, however, still managed an answer to 24:19, which, if the direct comparison between these two teams should still be relevant in the end, might be decisive.

The Dutch coach Harrie Weermann was overjoyed, the whole week we have sensed that the team wants to win this game and is able to. "Nineteen goals against by Ukraine - this is unprecedented," said Weermann on their defense and goalkeeper Eijlers: "It might also have been a seven goals lead," Weermann looks back a bit sad at the last minutes of the game. "But before the game we would have been overjoyed about a one-goal-win," relativized Weermann immediately. "The victory was our aim that we have achieved now. We habe a good feeling. In defence we were good, there we have won the game," said Fabian van Olphen, who still added: "Saturday will be the game against Cyprus and there will be no discussion that we have to win."

EHF suspends Dimovski

The European Handball Federation (EHF) suspended Vanco Dimovski for one match. The Macedonian player was convicted of an „action against team spirit“ during the last five seconds of a match in Champions League Gruppe C, when his team Metalurg Skopje played against Drammen HK. Dimovski was disqualified directly and was no suspended by EHF.

In the match against the Northmen, Skopje won 37:30. So, it was no typical case of lack of sportsmanship for securing a result. Dimovski who is also captain of Metalurg, scored seven times and now is missing in the game against Barcelona on 8 November.

2010 Men's European Championship Qualification Results

Russia - Bosnia and Herz. 37:25

Greece – Hungary 21:27

Estonia – Norway 25:33

Croatia – Finland 39:20

Israel – Slovenia 28:36

Latvia - Czech Republic 31:34

Spain – Cyprus 32:20

Germany – Bulgaria 42:11

Faroe Islands – Serbia 20:41

Poland – Montenegro 30:20

Iceland – Belgium 40:21