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thefootballlife · 2 years

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The Football Life interviews... Dejan Grabic

Over the past few years, there have been few success stories in Slovenian football as great as the rise of NK Bravo and their head coach Dejan Grabic. Having taken over the club in the second tier in 2017, he took the club to promotion in 2018/19 and, now in their third season in the top flight, Bravo have become a mainstay of the top flight finishing sixth in their first season and currently sitting fourth in the league at the conclusion of the winter break. My thanks to Dejan Grabic and the PR team at Bravo for taking the time to answer my questions around the long game at Bravo and Dejan's thoughts on Slovenian football in general.

You’ve been at Bravo for nearly five years now - almost three years longer in role than any other current manager in the Prva Liga. Do you believe that your longevity in the role is a key reason behind the club’s success?

DG - "NK Bravo is a club that puts a lot of effort into continuity at all levels. Come April it will be five years since I became the head coach at the club. It is similar with other members of the professional team. Because of this, we have time to calmly develop our game model and to develop the players. Similarly, we want to have our team as constant as possible. Because we are mostly financed from the sale of players, there are a lot of departures, but that is our mission. We are trying to replace players who are moving to a higher level with young players with high development potential from our youth program or elsewhere. The fact that we have been together for so long is very important for our results on the pitch and also for the business side of the club."

We’ve seen Bravo do an impressive job of developing players in the short and long term - players such as Igor Vekic, Roko Baturina, Sandi Ogrinec, David Brekalo and many more have gone on to big moves directly from the club. What do you think is unique to Bravo that makes the club so successful in bringing players through?

"We must not forget Jaka Bijol, Domen Gril, Aljoša Matko, Milan Tučić, Vanja Drkusić, ... I could go on and on. These are all players who have managed to jump two or three levels higher than our league. The success of these players is a mixture of the good environment we offer them, the planned and quality work of the coaching profession and good scouting. Every year we try to add as many players from our youth drive as possible. It is up to them, however, when they manage to get to the level of becoming standard members of the first team. As for scouting... In previous years, we have learned very well to filter players that we think have development potential and are suitable for us the way we play. So we can narrow down the selection. The vast majority of potential reinforcements come in a one- or two-week trial. That’s when we get a closer look at their footballing abilities as well as their character."

Over the past year, we’ve seen the market within Slovenia change as clubs with European windfalls such as Celje and Mura have invested quite large sums in bringing in younger players. Have you found that increased competition for youth players a challenge?

"So far, we have never paid compensation for any player. The fact that the mentioned clubs have started to pay decent compensation for Slovenian players seems positive to me. On the other hand, we will see what this will mean for us. We will probably be able to make a good transfer within Slovenia as well. There is less and less romance in football today. Players, parents, agents are increasingly opting for current money rather than a good career path."

Each season in the Prva Liga has seen Bravo bring in a player in the winter break who has proven to be a very effective striker. With many clubs planning a couple of transfer windows ahead, is that something that you aim to do each season or have things been more reactive? Do you look for something different in a winter signing than you do a summer one?

"The fact that we usually get higher quality in the winter transfer window is more of a coincidence than a rule. It’s true that we got the most effective players in the winter. We would like to have a similar team throughout the season. But we are currently in a financial situation where we can not assemble a team exclusively with players under our contract. In previous years, we got quite a few players on loan from bigger clubs because we weren’t able to cover their entire salaries. So we got quality players that we couldn't otherwise afford. However, it is true that this is how we develop a player of another club and with their transfers we do not get the money to invest back in the team. Years ago we had 4 or five loan players, at the moment we only have one."

Every season under your management so far has seen an improvement in league position. Are you now at the point where your ambition for the club is to challenge for the title?

"We are very ambitious, but also very realistic. In no case do we want to deviate from our mission and our way of working. This is the development of young players, the development of the coaching staff and our financial self-sufficiency. So far, we are doing great in all areas. If our organic growth continues, we will also enter European competitions at some point."

Turning away from Bravo, the style of play in Slovenia tends to be a little slower and less pressing based than many leagues. How do you feel this impacts the standard of the league and its competitiveness on the continental stage?

"The description of our league is quite correct. It does not mean that it is not of good quality, but it is a bit slower than for example the Austrian league, which is very close to us. We observe that players from our league are less competitive abroad due to this fact when they succeed in a transfer. That is why the style of play in our club is adapted to faster leagues, because we want our players to do well in the better leagues after the transfer and stay there. Years ago, Celje played with a young team very fast and modern football with a lot of pressure. In my opinion, they had a team for places 4 to 7 on the championship scale in terms of individual quality. But they became champions. A large part of the success of the club was Dušan Kosič, who was at the helm for three years. And we are again at the continuity and systematic work."

The Prva Liga currently only provides a couple of players to the national side. What do you think can be done to improve that? Is there one change you’d make to Slovenian football to improve the standard of the game?

"It doesn't even matter how many players from our league are in the national team. Our league will be more and more developmental, so the better players will always move abroad. More important is the question of how to produce more quality players who can play in more developed leagues. Therefore, I would try to change the style of play in the league and in the national team and adjust the work in youth drives in Slovenia."

On a personal level, which managers do you most try to style yourself around? Are there things you’ve seen from other clubs that you’ve implemented or would like to put into place at Bravo?

"I don’t have a role model among coaches. I have great respect for the knowledge and also the diversity of each coach. The philosophies of Rinus Michels and Johann Cruyiff are very close to me. Lately, however, I have been studying a lot and delving into the German coaching school, because this is the closest thing to what our club needs."

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smokehqs · 4 years

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VANJA NOVAK

Occupation: Desk job at Gringotts Age: 24 Gender: Non-binary Pronouns: He/Him or They/Them Blood status: Pureblood Allegiance: Neutral Faceclaim: Robert Sheehan

You wanted to go to London to get away from all the fighting and expectations so you could experience the peace your parents taught you to value, there wasn’t any way you could know how bad the war would become. It’s not the life without conflict that you wanted and you try to turn a blind eye to the suffering, but each day the Daily Prophet proves that you’re in the middle of something worse than you left.

HISTORY:

From the very day that Vanja was born, it seemed that he took to magic like oil to water. Coming from a long line of Purebloods, his parents were at first in disbelief that their son may possibly not be able to perform magic. He never showed any signs of interest, abilities, or will to make things happen on their own without him knowing why. As the years slowly ticked on, his parents attempted to nudge him into magic, refusing to believe their son could possibly be a squib. There were days that his parents pushed him so hard to practice that he wanted to run away, though he never got far. Most of the time he just hid in his closet or ran to the neighbor’s house. Though they never acted aggressively toward him, their constant insistence that he just keep practicing struck a nerve that he didn’t feel quite comfortable with. The truth was, that Vanja couldn’t have cared less about whether he had magic or not. It wasn’t that he resented being a wizard, though he did not take pride in it as much as others did. To him, it was merely one small fragment of who he was, not some end all be all determining factor that would shape his eternal destiny. While his parents raised him well, to believe that peace was what would change the wizarding world, Vanja truly doubted that such peace would ever really come.

The first instance that he allowed his parents to see his magic was when Vanja was nine years old. Up until then, no one had ever really seen him perform any sort of magical tendency, as his sister Valerija was likely too young to remember and he hadn’t shown the same enthusiasm as other wizards had with finding out their capabilities. It was on Christmas eve that he had allowed his power to be exposed for the first time, just after his ninth birthday. His mother had forgotten to top their Christmas tree with the most important ornament, to which Vanja grabbed his father’s wand, and attempted to lift it carefully to the top of the tree. Albeit, it was a bit sloppy, as his control had yet to be mastered, though it had come as a shock that he was able to perform such a task at all. Delighted by this revelation, his parents sat him down to inform him about the wonders of magic, and that he should never be ashamed of it, though he wasn’t ashamed. That was never the issue, but rather, he didn’t entirely see the need for it until he started school.

Vanja quickly learned that as much as he and his parents would like to believe that the world was naturally good, that was merely a seemingly impossible fantasy. The world was a cruel place, and there were many people in it that believed that magic was superior. Vanja, never having obtained these views, often kept his opinions about magic to himself, though he knew better than to publicly draw attention to himself and the fact that he disagreed. He preferred to do things from the sidelines, and lookout for himself and his sister on his own terms. At Durmstrang, Vanja was an incredibly clever young wizard. He knew more than most of his class, though never bragged about it or talked much about his grades. His intelligence not only in magic but in world knowledge impressed his professors, gaining him a quite favorable reputation at the school. What he would do with all of this gained knowledge, they could only speculate.

As a student at Durmstrang, his dreams were filled with odd figures in hoods who terrorized innocent people, and he often woke in a panic, covered in sweat at least every few months. It seemed that the dreams got more realistic and more prominent as he got older, though once he left the school they stopped coming as frequently. Once Vanja’s sister graduated, there was no longer any need for him to stay in their home town. He became determined to leave Bulgaria and head for London, in search for the peace he had so often dreamed of, and was thrilled when his sister insisted on tagging along. They had been close, growing up, and though Vanja was always more of a loner, there wasn’t anything that he wouldn’t do for his younger sister, to which he vowed to protect her from whatever evil was to come.

CONNECTIONS:

Valerija Novak: Siblings

Zara Ivanova: Cousins

Kyo Amano: Exes

Mirek Yaxley: Owes a debt to

Mundungus Fletcher: Despises

Xiomara Rojas: Friendly

Nathan Chastain: Competitive with

CLOSED · PENNED BY ALLURA

#harry potter rp #marauders era rp #skeleton rp #mature rp #marauders rp #smokeskeleton #smokeskeletonclosed #vanja novak

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thegloober · 6 years

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Watch Tesla Model S P100D Smoke Pair Of Dodge Demons

5 H BY VANJA KLJAIC

The Model S performs some exorcism on the drag strip

For all the hype’s worth over the course of last year, the Dodge Demon and the Tesla Model S have been crowned the king of the drag strip by numerous news outlets. Whether it’s the one or the other purely depends on what your motoring preferences are: old school V8 American Muscle or the new, all-electric family sedans that push out mind-numbing performance in a straight line. This video comes courtesy of the Tesla Racing Channel and it gives us a direct showcase of what can a Tesla Model S P100D can do against a pair of Dodge Demons.

More Dodge Demons and Teslas Racing Videos

While these two cars couldn’t be farther apart from both how they’re powered and what they’re made for, they do pose two rather great drag strip combatants. One is marketed as a solid, luxury-laden family sedan that comes with an impressive electric range and even more appealing performance. The other one is a beast built purely for the racetrack.

Dodge claims that the Demon is the time the world’s fastest production vehicle with a 0-60mph (0-97km/h) time of just 2.3 seconds. With a roll-out, that could sink down to 2.1 seconds. On paper, that’s quicker than a Bugatti Chiron (2.4secs) and the Tesla P100D with Ludicrous Plus (2.3 and a little bit). Overall, an impressive figure for a V8 supercharged vehicle that is RWD (Rear Wheel Drive) and which doesn’t come with all the traction luxuries as the AWD (All Wheel Drive) Tesla.

However, that doesn’t stop the Demon in tripping the lights at an insanely fast 9.65 seconds and posts an impressive top speed of 140mph. In theory, the Demon should give the Tesla a run for its money. But, for this Tesla Model S P100D, that doesn’t seem to be enough at all. Even though both seem to be running the Demon crate package (set of items designed to improve the Demon’s drag racing performance), Tesla doesn’t even blink.

You can see how the 840 horsepower Dodge Demons fair against this Model S P100D in the video above. But let me tell you, some egos will be hurt. If Elon can advance the Model S in a similar fashion once again, we’re looking at 9-second family sedans down the 1/4 mile track. And that’s impressive.

Categories: Racing, Tesla, Videos

Tags: Dodge Demon, drag race, drag racing, featured, tesla drag race, Tesla Model S

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Source: https://bloghyped.com/watch-tesla-model-s-p100d-smoke-pair-of-dodge-demons/

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