Ivan Klasnić won’t be wagging his finger at the Reebok stadium next season

Croatian international Ivan Klasnić has decided to test the waters and leave Bolton after the Wanderers failed to secure a place in the Premiership next season. ”Killer” first came to the club on loan from Nantes in 2009 and played his way to a two year contract. However, that contract ran out at the end of this season, and the 32-year-old former Werder Bremen striker chose not to extend his stay in north west England. Klasnić finished the season as Bolton’s top scorer in the league with 8 goals from 29 appearances.

Does Ivan still have something left in the tank? Do you see him signing for a midtable club in a big league? Most importantly, will Klasnić wear the checkers again? 

“I can’t believe it and I’m sad and unhappy. I got a very good time in Bolton the last three years. I hope they [are promoted] next year to the premier league cause this team belong to the premiership. I’ll leave the club, [I want] to say thank you for three years. I’ll keep Bolton in my heart. “ 

~Ivan Klasnic wrote on his official website

Photo: OleOle

Ivica Olić and Danijel Pranjić may not play in the Champions League Final this Saturday, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hang out with your favorite quasi-journalists during the most important club match of the season. CroatianSports.com is going coast to coast this year for the Final with two viewing parties: one in New York and one in Los Angeles.

Denis Svirčić will head the East Coast Croatian contingent at Scorpio Cafe & Bar, “where everybody knows your name.” Scorpio’s is located at 3515 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11106. Contact Mr. Svirčić at Denis@CroatianSports.com for more information. The match kicks off at 2:45PM (EST).

Ante Kvartuč will join the Bayern Munich fan club at Alpine Village, located 20 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles, at 833 West Torrance Blvd Torrance, CA 90502. Alpine Village will be the home to CroatianSports.com during all of Croatia’s EURO 2012 matches as well as their two warm-up friendlies with Estonia and Norway. Contact Ante for more information at Ante@CroatianSports.com.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2012 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL

This year’s German runners-up will be playing the Final in their home stadium, the Allianz Arena. The local support will surely tip the atmosphere in the Bavarians way as Chelsea not only try to win their first ever Champions League crown, but attempt to qualify for next year’s tournament as well. Remember, Chelsea finished sixth in the English Premiership this season and can only qualify for next year’s Champions League as defending champions. If they do not beat Bayern Munich on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur will take the berth as they finished in fourth position.

Both clubs will be shorthanded first-team players. Chelsea have been devastated by suspensions, with defenders John Terry And Branislav Ivanović out, as well as midfielders Raul Meireles and Ramires. Gary Cahill, Florent Malouda and David Luiz are all questionable due to injury. Bayern Munich will be with out the services of defender Holger Badstuber and midfielder Luis Gustavo Dias due to yellow card suspensions. 

Ivica Olić is ready to end his Bayern Munich career on a high note as he will be joing Wolfsburg after EURO 2012. “As far as I’m concerned, winning the Champions League would crown my club career,” Olić said in Sportske Novosti.

Olić tasted European success while playing for CSKA Moscow in 2005 but he said: “Even though I have won the UEFA Cup, winning the Champions League would be something really special.”

CHELSEA DEFENDER BRANISLAV IVANOVIĆ BEING TOLD HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PLAY IN THE FINAL

Pokrajac goes the distance

Photo: MMASky 

Igor Pokrajac extended his win streak to four tonight with a unanimous decision victory over Fabio Maldonado. The fight is a contender for the “Fight of the Night” award as both men left it all in the cage.

The first round was all Pokrajac as he got the take-down early and worked from the top position as Maldonado had no answer on the ground. The round ended with both men exchanging on the feet.

The second round was when the stand-up war began. Pokrajac and Maldonado exchanged on the feet for the whole round with both men showing their iron chin. Maldonado connected with  more strikes in the round but Pokrajac landed the more effective power strikes.

The third round started the same as the second and ended with both combatants swinging for the fences. The shots and knees Igor hit Maldonado with would of crippled most fighters, but Fabio has shown in previous bouts he is almost impossible to knockout.

The judges scored the three round bout 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28 all for the victor “The Duke” Igor Pokrajac.

POKRAJAC VS. MALDONADO FULL FIGHT 

This fight really showed the heart and chin of the Croatian light heavyweight contender. Igor’s next opponent has to be a top ten fighter or ex-UFC champion. The UFC can not ignore Pokrajac anymore, they have to step up and put a top named fighter in front of him. If you missed the fight I will try and post it once available. This is a fight you did not want to miss.

Bravo Igore!!!! Samo Naprijed

Written by Mike “Croatian Crippler” Rozic

You can follow the Crippler on Twitter @ Crocrippler or on Facebook @ Croatian Crippler.

Photo: MMAweekly.com 

Igor Pokrajac was gracious enough to give the Croatian Crippler an interview prior to his bout with Fabio Maldonado Tuesday night. The weigh-ins took place on Monday and both Pokrajac and Maldonado weighed in at 205 pounds. The fight will be featured on the main card of the UFC on Fuel Tv 3 card taking place at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, USA. This fight has the makings of a true barn burner with both combatants known for their aggressive stand-up game. Tune in to watch Pokrajac try and extend his winning streak and his goal of becoming UFC light heavyweight champion.

The fight will be live on Fuel Tv in the United States and on Rogers Sportsnet in Canada tomorrow May 15th.  Enjoy the Interview!!!!

1. How is the training camp going for this fight? Any changes in your preperation for this fight compared to other fights?

Training camp was great, had some new things in my trainings that made me more complete than before and I’m fighting now for MMA Academy Only Men Stuff.

2. Did you bring anyone in to the camp to get you ready for the fight?

I didn’t bring anyone in because we have  great MMA fighters in Croatian Top Team and Croatia.

3. Is there any truth to the news that you are training with Mirko CroCop again?

He called me and asked if I can  help him and come for a sparring session, I said yes and went for only one training session.

4. How did you feel when the UFC pulled Thiago Silva out and replaced him with Fabio Maldonado?

I’m doing my job and who ever they put in front of me I will fight and bring the fans what they want.

5. Any comments on your opponent Fabio Maldonado?

Great boxer coming from the Noguiera Team with solid Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and hart of a warrior.

6. How do you see this fight ending?

I’m not a fortune teller to be able to tell you that.

7. If you win this fight do you think you are ready for a top ten opponent? And who would you like to fight?

Like I said , who ever they put in front of me I will fight, my goal is a title shot , any of the Ex UFC champions will do.

8. The UFC extended your contract after your victory over Sozynski, how many fights were you given?

The contract is correct and I’m glad to be in UFC.

9. How do you feel you match up against Fabio Maldonado in the Striking game?

I’m evenly matched with his boxing.

10. Have you been following any of the other Croatian fighters in the UFC?

Of course , Perosh and Miocic are doing great, would be great that we fight on the same card one day, in Croatia.!!!

11. Your training partner Luka Jelcic is competing again in MMA, Do you see Luka in the UFC or another big organization one day?

Luka is a great fighter and right now he is competing in the Croatian MMA League , his position is to be on the UFC roster.

12. Are there any other prospects training at Croatian Top Team?

I have a lot of fighters , young ones, 18 and 17 years old, they just need to train and we will see who can go through.

13. There has been a lot of interest in your walkout shirt from UFC 140 on the site. Will your shirt be available for purchase?

Yes, I have a new walkout t-shirt and  it will be available for purchase at Kaiwaa site.

14. Last time we talked you commented on the up coming European Championships, Do you still see Hrvatska getting out of their group?

I don’t see in them that they want it, I would like more than anything to see them as champions , but Bilic already signed for another club, they want to change the president of HNS, lots of everything but not about football , not about Croatia, just interest.

 15. In closing any thing you want to say to your Croatian fans on Croatian sports.com ?

 Thank you for your support and watch me on Tuesday night, Good bless you all, thanks to you to Crippler.  

UFC on Fuel Tv 3 Weigh Ins

Written by Mike “Croatian Crippler” Rozic

You can follow the Crippler on twitter@ Crocrippler or on Facebook @ Croatian Crippler

Slaven says no to the Barclays Premier League

Croatia manager Slaven Bilić has snubbed the Barclays Premier League after announcing his decision to take charge of Lokomotiv Moscow following Croatia’s Euro 2012 campaign, the club said on Monday. The 43-year-old Croat signed a three-year  three million euros ($3.8 million) per season deal with the Russian Premier League side and replaces Portuguese coach Jose Couceiro.

In a press conference held in Split, Bilić revealed that a big motivation for his decision was Lokomotiv’s desire for European football, as well as the club agreeing to take on his two main assistants — Nikola Jurčević and Aljoša Asanović as well as his goalkeeper trainers. Croatian media is also reporting that former Hajduk Split and NK Zagreb manager, Igor Štimac, will take over for Slaven Bilić for the World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign.   

“I signed a three-year contract with Lokomotiv Moscow, the contract shall come into force after the European Championship. I am extremely happy and proud to go to a big club, big city and a very strong league. I informed the President, the Secretary-General and some members of the FA, as well as some older players. Lokomotiv is a big club and it’s a big challenge for me, but I have ambitions to achieve a good result here.”

~Slaven Bilić

Lokomotiv president Olga Smorodskaya was ecstatic about the signing, ”I’m very glad that we have managed to sign a contract with such a strong and renowned coach. Bilić is one of the best coaches in Europe, and in fighting for him we had to hold off serious competition from many clubs, including from the English Premier League. I don’t doubt that Bilić will take our team to a new level and find success with Lokomotiv.” The Railroaders finished seventh in the Russian Premier League and missed a spot in the Europa League next season.

England has been introduced to the roar of Nikica Jelavić

Photo: EuroSport

After going scoreless in his past two games for Everton, Nikica Jelavić ended the season on a high note, scoring in the 27th minute against a tough Newcastle United team in a 3-1 win. Jela made the run down field and had the ball put over the top to him. He appeared to handle the ball with his arm before he fired strong towards net. Newcastle keeper Tim Krul made the initial save but the ball bounced back in Jelavić’s direction and in an unorthodox fashion, he right-footed into an open net. He was subbed off in the 84th minute.

Jelavić has scored 11 goals for Everton in only 16 appearances since coming over from Rangers during the 2012 winter transfer window. He won the 2012 Barclays Premier League Player of the Month award for April and is hitting on all cylinders going into Euro 2012. 

Was this the last of the Modrić/Redknapp show?

Photo:Action Images

Luka Modrić and Tottenham did what they had to do this season: finish in the top-four. Spurs’ 2-0 win over Fulham on Sunday confirmed the finish but they will have to wait until May 19th to see if they will play Champions League football in September. Since only a maximum of four teams can qualify for Champions League from one country, should Chelsea defeat Bayern Munich in the Final on Saturday, they will receive an automatic berth into next season’s tournament as defending champions alongside the top three finishers from England. This would bump Tottenham to Europa League. 

With the offers he received last transfer window, Modrić will surely leave White Hart Lane in the summer if Tottenham do not secure Champions League football. But what if they do? The Croatian midfielder will once again become part of the transfer circus after Euro 2012 with European super clubs Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City calling his name.

In the last match of the 2011-12 season, Modrić once again played the full 90 minutes for Spurs as he pulled the strings in the midfield. He only managed two shots, none on goal, and was given a ’7′ grade from SkySports.com. Is this the last we see from Luka Modrić in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt?

Niko Kranjčar has been shut down for the club season due to a knee injury but should be ready for Slaven Bilić and Croatia for Euro 2012 duty.

Klasnić (17) at kickoff after Stoke scores early goal

Photo: Empics Sports

Ivan Klasnić and the Bolton Wanderers needed a win vs. Stoke City on Sunday and help from Manchester City to avoid relegation and stay in the English first flight next season. The help from City came in one of the most dramatic and epic season finales in all of sports history. Manchester City scored not one, but two extra time goals Sunday afternoon to defeat relegation candidates QPR 3-2 and claim the English Premier League crown over city rivals Manchester United.

With the QPR loss, all Bolton needed to do was defeat Stoke City to remain a Premier League club. Klasnić got the start in this must win match and made the best of what was possibly his last action in England. Killer rocketed a shot towards goal in the first half but Stoke keeper Sorensen made a fantastic save. Later, Klasnić set up the play which lead to Bolton’s first goal. He played strong in his 69 minutes on the pitch and Bilić made a big, big mistake by not taking Klasnić to Euro 2012.

Two late first half goals by Mark and Kevin Davies gave Bolton the lead going into the last half of the season, but a 77′ penalty for Stoke would deny Bolton in the 2-2 draw. Bolton will now be relegated to the second division next season, but what will happen to 32 year-old Ivan Klasnić? Killer was Bolton’s leading scorer this season with eight goals and played the majority of 2012 coming off the bench. 

Surely he will not play for a second division English club next season. Where should Klasnić queue his swan song?

2011-12 Final English Premier League Table

GERMANY

Ivan Perišić (R) kisses the German DFB Pokal Cup after Dortmund's 5-2 win over Bayern on Saturday

Photo: AP

Ivan Perišić covered himself with the Croatian flag for the second time this season after Borussia Dortmund captured the German Cup on Saturday, defeating Bayern Munich 5-2 in the DFB Pokal Final. Perišic came off the bench late to only play the last six minutes of the match but has been a fantastic substitute for the Bundesliga champions this campaign. With much of Dortmund’s talent reported to be bought in the offseason, Perišić may receive a starting role next season.

Although Borussia Dortmund had Bayern’s number this season, winning the German double, Bayern Munich will have an opportunity to have the last laugh with a win over Chelsea on May 19th to capture the Champions League crown. Ivica Olić and Danijel Pranjić remained on the bench in the Cup final on Saturday and look to play the same role against Chelsea. Olić is heading to Wolfsburg in the summer while Pranjić has been rumored with a move to China.

UKRAINE

Srna lifts the Ukrainian Premier League trophy in front of his home crowd

Photo: Shakhtar

FULL UKRAINIAN REPORT ‘CLICK HERE’

FRANCE

Lovren expected to be at full strength for Euro 2012

Photo: Youtube Screengrab

After suffering a right achilles injury in the Coupe de France Final, Dejan Lovren wrote on his official Facebook page that his foot is still a bit sore but it feels much better and he is expecting to return within the next 15 days. The timeframe insists that Lovren will be ready to join Croatia for their two friendlies against Estonia and Norway before facing Ireland on June 10th in their Euro 2012 opener.

SPAIN

Rakitić (center) happy to end the season with an assist

Photo: SevillaFC

Ivan Rakitić and Sevilla’s final match of the year was truly a microcosm of their entire season. Despite being the better side on the road against Espanyol, they had to settle for a 1-1 draw in their La Liga finale. Ivan played the entire match and took two shots, assisting on Sevilla’s lone goal just before halftime with a nice lob over the top to release Perotti. Sevilla finish the season in a disappointing eighth place and will not play in Europe next season. Rakitić will be extremely disappointed with his season as he scored five goals in his first 13 appearances for Sevilla last season but was unable to find the back of the net this year in 18 starts. However, he managed to produce five assists this campaign, mostly from corners.

Rakitić plays a nice lob to set up Perotti

Everything went well for Dujmović at Zaragoza

Photo: ElPeriodico

Real Zaragoza won a crazy match over Getafe on Sunday to secure their spot in La Liga next season. It was only two months ago that Zaragoza were in the basement of Spain with relegation looking more likely than not. Their season finale featured four red cards, with three being for Getafe. Up two men with half an hour to go, Zaragoza took advantage and were comfortably on their way to winning, although their task got slightly harder thanks to Tomislav Dujmović’s red card in the 83rd minute. Tomo was subbed on in the 64th minute and his only significant contribution to the game was his sending off for a reckless tackle on Abdel Barrada. With Zaragoza up for next season, will Dujmović get signed by Zaragoza or will La Liga remain a league yet to be cracked by Croats? He was loaned out by Dynamo Moscow in the winter transfer window.

Final 2011-12 La Liga table

RUSSIA

Pletikosa guesses right but can’t grab PK (Remix Edition?)

Rostov lost 2-1 to Tom Tomsk Sunday on a stoppage time penalty, ending a successful season for all involved with the club. Stipe Pletikosa was not at fault for either of the two goals conceded and nearly saved Tomsk’s penalty goal. Rostov needed a win in this match to avoid the relgation playoff. They will play a home-away series against Shinnik, from the Russian second division for a spot in the 2012-13 Russian Premier League. Rostov is home for the first leg which will be played on May 18th with the return leg on May 22nd, three days before Croatia plays Estonia in a friendly.

A special thanks goes out to Zach Gilfix for taking the time to contribute to CroatianSports.com by covering Spain and Russia the entire season. Croatians Around Europe will return in August.

CroatianSports.com’s Denis Svirčić hosted Sunday Night Live on May 13th @ 8PM(ET)/5PM(PT) with Prva Generacija member AllenOUTRAGED from New York. They discussed the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament, which players Croatia should take and the current NBA playoffs.

Headlines:

• Ivan Perišić plays last six minutes of the DFB Pokal Final as Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund defeat Bayern Munich 5-2 Saturday to claim the German double. Ivica Olić, Danijel Pranjić did not feature for Bayern Munich.

 

Videos:

 

 

 

Jelavić goal vs. Newcastle on final day…was it a handball?

 

 

 

Ivan Perišić (R) kisses the German DFB Pokal Cup after Dortmund's 5-2 win over Bayern on Saturday

Photo: AP