Wickside: A weekly column by Ahrela Weisberg

What it's like to get three: the little dramas behind the big derby

Danny Franco asked to "turn the locker room into a red temple," and received a copy of the Drive In by Elijah.

One moment illustrated how Maccabi Tel Aviv is not a trained team.

Her fans reacted according to the new low their team presented - and some even miss 2:27

Ahrela Weisberg

15/02/2022

Tuesday, 15 February 2022, 09:10

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Jacoben Brown Hapoel Tel Aviv player (Or Shakedi)

1. Logistical operation in the enemy's rear

Shortly after seven o'clock in the evening, last night (Monday), the Hapoel Tel Aviv players exchanged stunned looks with each other.

They entered the guests' locker room at Yad Eliyahu, and for a moment were sure they had mistaken the address.

The place has become a remarkably accurate replica of the dressing room in their home hall at Drive In.

The huge red carpet was spread out in the middle of the space, the uniforms were waiting for everyone in their seats, decorated with an action picture from one of the games, and flags and scarves hung around them.

This was, it turns out, the first action that Danny Franco performed ahead of the derby against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the semi-finals of the State Cup.

"Turn the dressing room into a red temple," he told club staff as early as last Thursday.

VP Matan Kaplan, director Itai Berger and his assistant Nof Barzel heard, internalized and performed; the night before the game, the logistical operation was completed. An operation in the enemy's rear, some would say.

Ascending the parquet, the Reds were reminded of other plays, which they would have preferred to forget.

Under the natural and understandable influence of the football derby, which ended less than 48 hours earlier, the fans in yellow made sure to tease and remind their opponents several times "what it's like to get three".

At about eleven o'clock they received an answer.

82:83, 77:78, 80:90.

Hapoel Tel Aviv 3, Maccabi Tel Aviv 0. Who would have believed.

More on Walla!

1969, 1988, 1994: The ancient records that Hapoel Tel Aviv shattered in the derby

To the full article

No, this is not Hapoel Tel Aviv's home - but the locker room at Menora Mivtachim Hall (Photo: Photos by surfers, unnamed)

2. Igor Kolshov, final contractor

There are so many ways to describe the rare, even sometimes bizarre, happenings that led to Hapoel's Derby victory trilogy in about a month and a half.

For example, through Idan Zalmanson's unimaginable balance of threes this season: 5 of 7 against Maccabi, 2 of 9 against everyone else.

Or maybe, through birthday groom Jacoben Brown, who even missed the celebration in the previous derby: only in the 15th minute did he score his first field goal, and he came down at the end with no less than 30 points.

And possibly through Josh Evans.

The gray-haired player still managed to win a derby with Carlon Brown in 2014, and yesterday Lanta Zizic did what Nikola Milutinov did not succeed just a few days ago.

The other Brown, and not only he, knew how to find him in perfect positions, which left the color area of ​​the Yellows exposed, pale and embarrassed.

But there is a situation that the change was brought about by Igor Kolshov, who joined the Reds only three weeks ago - and no, not because of the crazy three-pointer with the buzzer to end the first half.

Since returning to Israel, the guy has stood for four cup finals in four seasons.

Will he finally be able to win the title the next day?

5 of 7 for three against Maccabi Tel Aviv, 2 of 9 against all other rivals.

Idan Zalmanson (Photo: Danny Maron)

"At least at 2:27 they tried to change and fix"

One of the desperate fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv managed to miss even the darkest days in the history of the club.

"Everyone laughs to this day at 2:27, when Erez Edelstein received the dismissal notice in 2016, but you know what?", He wondered to me recently, "at least then the management tried to change, shock and correct. And they do nothing. "

Only this time, it is not certain that apathy will be possible.

Maccabi has broken quite a few negative records in years, months and even in recent weeks, and somehow, everything went relatively smoothly.

Then there were games where the hall was left half empty, and there were quite a few instances where the fans left before the end so as not to get stuck in traffic jams, and there were also contemptuous whistles for the players and a few dozen calling for a "resign" coach.

But yesterday something changed in terms of the yellow crowd.

In the face of the abuses that occurred in Europe and the losses in the local arena, there were those who took care to "support the group in its difficult moments" etc .;

The nervous reaction to this loss was already different and different from anything they had known so far in Yad Eliyahu.

The audience's reaction is not reminiscent of anything that happened until yesterday at Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Scotty Wilbkin (Photo: Danny Maron)

Back in the game, one of the fans behind the bench cursed Scotty Wilbkin, who started torturing him and arguing with him, trying to figure out how he was actually blaming him.

Then, fans tried to burst into the locker room.

Two others were arrested by security forces.

And if there are already security guards, then they finished the shift late, because they had to accompany the Maccabi men from side departures, and not because of Hapoel fans.

These are pictures that are reminiscent of other clubs in other industries, and maybe even in other countries.

And they illustrate the low point in which the yellow crowd finds itself at this moment.

A slump like no other - not in the days of dropping out of the EuroCup, nor when his team was ranked last in the Euroleague, and not even after the championship losses against Hapoel Eilat, Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Rishon Lezion.

3: 0 in derbies, with the last one in a direct knockout game, in front of half a hall painted in red?

This is another movie.

The most basic instinct in running sports clubs requires firing the coach in times of crisis like the one the Yellows are currently facing.

Perhaps the last 34 seconds of the second quarter illustrate how Maccabi Tel Aviv is not a trained team at the moment;

She led by five points, having two fouls to give - and on the way, also a timeout - but conceded two threes to the buzzer and lost her last advantage of the game.

Then, when the Greek expected someone to save the title for him (and possibly the job), he put up a quintet that included Yiftach Ziv, Anjo Cloiaro and Oz Blazer at the same time, and failed to buy a basket.

Itai Berger and Nof Barzel, the manager of Hapoel Tel Aviv and his assistant, in a tribute in honor of the late Daniel Sasson (Photo: Danny Maron)

More in the weekly section "Wickside":

• The night the bottles were outlawed

• Alexi Sheved in an exclusive interview: "I want to lead a team to the top, and know I can"

• Dino Radja: "Mom called at 2 at night. Drazen died. It was awful"

• The natural solution to knee pain is closer than ever - with a refund from the health insurance fund

4. And to think that it's all thanks to Guy Pnini

For the first time since 2009, the State Cup final will be held without the presence of Maccabi Tel Aviv or Hapoel Jerusalem.

Last time it happened - Danny Franco won and won with Hapoel Holon;

The time before that, in 1995, Bnei Herzliya was the one to wave (thanks to Michael Goldberg for the figure).

Who will celebrate this coming Thursday?

And it's time to mention again, that Hapoel Tel Aviv entered the trophy factory at the last minute this season, in a league game in which it did not appear at all, thanks to a victory basket by Guy Pnini.

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• Maccabi Tel Aviv in basketball

• Hapoel Tel Aviv Basketball