Sascha Staat Unplugged

Just to let you know right away, I’m not a fan of the THW Kiel.  Actually I’m not a fan of any club.  I like some, but I’m far away from being a supporter.  But I love to see young and talented players develop into stars.  Stars that surprise us with their extraordinary skills, players that kids can admire and …

Hungary’s Veszprem already looked like the champion of Europe, but shockingly wasted a 9-goal lead in the most dramatic Champions League final to date, losing to Kielce in a penalty shoot-out.  It was a heartbreaking loss for the club and its fans, the “red Hungarian army”, who once again had traveled to Cologne to see their heroes win – finally. …

Although German outfit THW Kiel has emerged as a top threat to Barcelona’s throne as the biggest club in handball the Catalans are still number one, and maybe that’s not really a point of discussion.  But something has changed recently at the “Blaugrana”, where anything but first place is considered failure.  Well, at least when it comes to the Spanish …

Guess what, Rhein-Neckar Löwen weren’t too happy when the Champions League draw was held earlier this summer.  They will face a lot of beatable teams in their group, but not the most attractive ones.  Barcelona, Paris, Veszprem, Kiel and Flensburg all ended up in Group A.  The Lions will make it to the next stage, for sure.  And they might …

From Kielce we move on to Macedonia – Skopje to be exact – in our preview of next season’s Champions League.  After Yugoslavia’s split up, the nation of Macedonia became one of the most interesting stories in the world of handball, while superstar Kiril Lazarov put the small country on the map with his outstanding performances over the years.  So …

I’ve seen a lot of handball games on location, especially in recent times.  Finals of all major tournaments like the EURO, the World Championship or even the Olympic games. Final matches of European club competitions like the EHF Cup or the Cup Winners Cup.  But none of them did come anywhere close to the dramatic ending of this year’s Champions …

I guess by now all of you have read about the new rules which were put into effect prior to the start of the new season.  They were in use already during the Olympic games in Rio da Janeiro, which was not just bad timing, but also let me think what the hell was going on in the minds of …

He’s young, maybe a little bit crazy as well, but first and foremost he’s fun to talk to.  He was a member of the young German national team that stunned the world of handball, winning the EHF Euro 2016 in Poland.  And since Jannik Kohlbacher is a “stregspiller”, why not take a closer look at him and his position, his …

Yes, he’s as cold as ice, but unlike the musicians of “Foreigner” in their world-famous song from 1977, Dagur Sigurdsson is taking advice, mostly from his assistant coaches Axel Kromer and Alexander Haase.  Still, the Icelandic mastermind is in the spotlight, and rightfully so.  Within two years he has changed the attitude and culture of the German national handball team …

He’s outspoken, he’s charismatic, and he’s a good player.  Still German “stregspiller” Christoph Theuerkauf is currently without a club.  It’s strange because when you look at his career and his age, – he’s still just 31 years old – you might think a lot of teams could use someone like Theuerkauf.  So, I gave him a call to ask him …