All Around The World: Croatia

Hello and welcome to Outside The Box, the football blog with a cultured left foot. 

Following the success of our interview with Simon Clark from The Other Bundesliga podcast (check it out here: https://otbfootball.blogspot.com/2020/01/), this piece sort of follows on from that as we take a look at football in another country in Europe. 

This week, I spoke to @CroatiaFooty all about the game in the Balkan region. Please enjoy our chat and then stay tuned at the end as we'll take a look at how September 2001 treated my Nottingham Forest team in CM 01/02. 

How high is the profile of football in Croatia? Does the game compete with any other sports in terms of popularity and exposure? 

'The profile of football here is pretty high. Everyone watches it and it's the most watched sport. In terms of popularity and exposure, the closest sports are handball, basketball and maybe waterpolo.' 

Who are the key teams in the Prva Liga? Who are the most successful and best supported? 

'The key team in the HNL is Dinamo Zagreb. They had an amazing run last season in the Europa League where they reached the round of sixteen. They also performed well in the Champions League this season but were eventually knocked out. In terms of best supported I would go for Hajduk Split. The numbers show that their games are the most watched round in round out but the team's performances don't reflect that. Sadly, they were knocked out of the Europa League in the first qualification round by Gzira United from Malta. 

What is the public opinion of the Croatian national team? 

'Everyone supports the national team with their heart, Most of the people (myself included) would die to see Croatia go on an insane run again like we did at France 98 or Russia in 2018. Every game is a must win for us and with the Euros coming up we hope we can do something similar to Russia.' 

How do ticket prices compare against other countries? How does the fan experience differ? 

'The prices are fairly good in comparison to other countries but the fan experience may differ dependent on what team you support. If you support a mid-table team then there would likely be around 1000 to 2000 fans in the stands but if you support a team in the lower half of the league then there will be under 1000 people attending the games. 

The derbies are the most entertaining and most watched games, especially Hajduk vs Dinamo which is the biggest derby in Croatia, better known as the 'Eternal Derby'. That is the best fan experience you can get in Croatia.' 

Are there any grounds that you would recommend as a 'must visit' for groundhoppers? 

'A must visit would be Poijud, the home of Hajduk Split and Maksimir which is Dinamo Zagreb's home. I would also recommend Pampas in a few years time. It's currently being built to be home for NK Osijek, a team that has been on the rise in recent years.' 

How well exposed are other major leagues in Europe such as the Premier League, Serie A or La Liga in Croatia? 

'If you ask me, those leagues are very well exposed. Most Croats support the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool or Bayern. I follow all of the top five leagues, just because I love football and love to be in the running with everything that's happening in the football world.' 

And with that, our chat about football in Croatia comes to an end. If you want to know more about the game in the country and get regular updates on all the action, follow our guest on Twitter @CroatiaFooty. 

Before we go, it's time to check out how my Nottingham Forest team in Championship Manager 01/02 got on the virtual world as we once again step into THE HOTSEAT. 

September got off to the worst possible start as our winless run continued after losing 2-0 at home to Gillingham, despite having most of the possession we couldn't create any chances and it seemed inevitable that we weren't going to get anything from the game. To rub further salt into the wound, goalkeeper Darren Ward was sent off for the second game in a row.

We started our next game, away at Crewe, as the better side and deservedly went a goal to the good when Craig Westcarr continued his impressive form to put us ahead. That was as good as it got for us as we folded like the proverbial pack of cards and collapsed quickly, capitulating to a 4-1 defeat. Westcarr was sent off for scrapping with ex-Forest man Geoff Thomas and despite Crewe ending with nine men, the damage had been done a long time prior.

Thankfully, our prayers were answered in our third game of September as we finally managed to bag three points for the first time this season. Craig Westcarr grabbed his third goal in four games to help us beat Norwich 1-0 at the City Ground to lift us out of the relegation zone.

Buoyed by the win, we showed tremendous character to recover from 2-0 down inside the first seven minutes to be level at 3-3 at half time in our big League Cup tie away at arch-rivals Derby County. Despite showing our class and matching our Premier League opposition for most of the second half, we tired towards the end of the game and conceded twice more to end our interest in the competition for the season.

My notes for the next league game just read 'poor, so very very poor' as we lose 2-0 away at Sheffield Wednesday and my misery continues with another trip to South Yorkshire as we let a 2-1 half time lead slip to lose 3-2 to Rotherham United which sees us sink to the bottom of Division One.

The month ends with yet another defeat as we once again let a comfortable half time lead slip to lose 2-1 at home to Wimbledon. This is going be harder than I thought.....

With all that considered, it's time to put this one to bed. Thanks very much for reading and supporting the page, it's very much appreciated. 

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Until next time, take care.