Olympiacos Piraeus

[Festivus]

As a whole, are Greeks quite religious? Here, about 80-90 percent of people identify as catholic, according to the latests pop census, but probably roughly about 40 percent of people actually practice the religion.

[Faliro]

Greeks are not so religious any more. Maybe some of the older folks.. Greeks are however exceptionally superstitious. They are also natural conspiracy theorists. Most Greeks will say they are greek orthodox on reflex, but if you get to know them, you will see the only thing they worship are cigarettes, HD televisions, smart phones, Frappe and sex.

Also Greek managers are actually very good tactically. That is why PAOK, AEK and PAO constantly get beaten by teams like Platanias and Giannina. However, they are not brave or artistic enough to try coaching outside Greece. Most like their comfort zones and will only go to the Emirates for big money if they ever leave Greece. You will never see a Greek coach in the EU unless he is an assistant. A coach like Sakis Tsiolis is easily good enough to coach at a high level somewhere, but I doubt he will ever wish to go abroad. When you have money in Greece it is hard to beat the lifestyle, even Michel was crying non-stop when he was leaving Greece.

[Faliro]

Here is an example of a Sakis Tsiolis team, Olympiakos Volou, thrashing AEK in their home field at the OAKA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK5KPg921Qk

and then again... taking apart PAO in Volos..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjAx40wa6-Y

[lost_paradise]

Greeks are not so religious any more. Maybe some of the older folks.. Greeks are however exceptionally superstitious. They are also natural conspiracy theorists. Most Greeks will say they are greek orthodox on reflex, but if you get to know them, you will see the only thing they worship are cigarettes, HD televisions, smart phones, Frappe and sex.

Also Greek managers are actually very good tactically. That is why PAOK, AEK and PAO constantly get beaten by teams like Platanias and Giannina. However, they are not brave or artistic enough to try coaching outside Greece. Most like their comfort zones and will only go to the Emirates for big money if they ever leave Greece. You will never see a Greek coach in the EU unless he is an assistant. A coach like Sakis Tsiolis is easily good enough to coach at a high level somewhere, but I doubt he will ever wish to go abroad. When you have money in Greece it is hard to beat the lifestyle, even Michel was crying non-stop when he was leaving Greece.

Although I never been to Greece, I don`t doubt that for a second. But Portugal IMO,  is also a fantastic place to live with tremendous quality of life, when you dont have to count every cent.

So, it`s mutch more a cultural and mentality thing. Portuguese are explorers by nature and adapt real well to other costumes or cultures so there`s an impetum to leave. They moan constantly about everything in their homeland when they are home, but when they`re abroad, there`s almost a huge sense of belonging and spiritual connection to the homeland- pátria. Quite contraditory.

It`s the word saudade, that the music genre Fado made popular.

[Faliro]

Def agree with this ^^. Greeks are not 1% as brave as Portuguese to travel around the globe and find new horizons to work and play in a professionals. Also I can guarantee that if a Greek coach ever coaches in Portugal for example, all these Greeks you did not even know lived in Portugal.. would come out the woodwork to attack and insult him before he even gets a chance to coach. 

I remember my wife last year met an old Greek man from Crete in BH, Brazil who was in charge of the Hellenic Centre of BH she had discovered online (a 3 meter office set up to skip tax obviously). I was in Europe at the time so she went down to centre to see what it was all about. She met this guy and asked him about how many Greeks there are in BH, what the centre does etc... All he wanted to know was about me. So she said who I was etc and he told her for the next 30 minutes not to trust me because Greeks are not trustworthy..and that she was safe there with him.. he also tried to kiss her etc..  He was 92 years old..

[lost_paradise]

You know the real poetic reason to have the impetum to explore?

This is Cabo da Roca (Cape), the western point of european continent:




This is Sagres in south of Portugal, the place where the Age of discovery started:




O mar sem fim é português. The endless sea is portuguese.

Fernando Pessoa

[Faliro]

I never knew Sagres was a place. For me it was always this..

[lost_paradise]

Def agree with this ^^. Greeks are not 1% as brave as Portuguese to travel around the globe and find new horizons to work and play in a professionals. Also I can guarantee that if a Greek coach ever coaches in Portugal for example, all these Greeks you did not even know lived in Portugal.. would come out the woodwork to attack and insult him before he even gets a chance to coach. 

I remember my wife last year met an old Greek man from Crete in BH, Brazil who was in charge of the Hellenic Centre of BH she had discovered online (a 3 meter office set up to skip tax obviously). I was in Europe at the time so she went down to centre to see what it was all about. She met this guy and asked him about how many Greeks there are in BH, what the centre does etc... All he wanted to know was about me. So she said who I was etc and he told her for the next 30 minutes not to trust me because Greeks are not trustworthy..and that she was safe there with him.. he also tried to kiss her etc..  He was 92 years old..

ah ah. The flirty old man without absolutely no shame whatsoever, because he has nothing to lose. 

[Faliro]

Just typical Greek behaviour.. 

[lost_paradise]

I never knew Sagres was a place. For me it was always this..

Dont tell other benfiquistas, but I prefer Super Bock. It`s the other portuguese mainstream beer and sponsors our rivals. Benfica is sponsored by Sagres. keep it a secret because for once, I`m betraying my club. Nobody`s  perfect.

[Faliro]

What is the best beer in Portugal in your opinion?

[Festivus]

Greeks are not so religious any more. Maybe some of the older folks.. Greeks are however exceptionally superstitious. They are also natural conspiracy theorists. Most Greeks will say they are greek orthodox on reflex, but if you get to know them, you will see the only thing they worship are cigarettes, HD televisions, smart phones, Frappe and sex.

Also Greek managers are actually very good tactically. That is why PAOK, AEK and PAO constantly get beaten by teams like Platanias and Giannina. However, they are not brave or artistic enough to try coaching outside Greece. Most like their comfort zones and will only go to the Emirates for big money if they ever leave Greece. You will never see a Greek coach in the EU unless he is an assistant. A coach like Sakis Tsiolis is easily good enough to coach at a high level somewhere, but I doubt he will ever wish to go abroad. When you have money in Greece it is hard to beat the lifestyle, even Michel was crying non-stop when he was leaving Greece.

Except for what you've said about Greek managers, the rest sorta applies to portuguese people as well. Your first paragraph is very familiar to me.

I never knew Sagres was a place. For me it was always this..

They sell Sagres in Brazil/UK/Greece?

What is the best beer in Portugal in your opinion?

We're primarily a wine country and not a beer one, as you might know. Of the big 2 beers, I prefer Super Bock. Sagres is pretty bland, imo. And most foreigners seem to prefer Super Bock as well.

I've heard that there's some new microbreweries popping out here. Need to try 'em out someday.

[lost_paradise]

What is the best beer in Portugal in your opinion?

Super Bock. Super Bock and Sagres  are the only major industrial beers in Portugal. There are some regional ones but the ones I dranked were awful.

But I`m not the best person to give you recomendations in the beer department. I enjoy it a lot when it`s hot in the summer or with some kind of food like seafood, but I prefer wine.

But regarding mainstream beer, Superbock is one of the best I ever tasted. Belgic, Netherlands, Ireland and Germanay are probably the best countries for high standards quality of beer. They have an historic tradition in that industry.

In wine, Portugal has an amazing diversity and quality in all types of wines like red, white and green wine and  fortified wines like Port, Moscatel and Madeira.

The fortified wines can be easily drinked before or after a meal.   

[Faliro]

Greeks are not so religious any more. Maybe some of the older folks.. Greeks are however exceptionally superstitious. They are also natural conspiracy theorists. Most Greeks will say they are greek orthodox on reflex, but if you get to know them, you will see the only thing they worship are cigarettes, HD televisions, smart phones, Frappe and sex.

Also Greek managers are actually very good tactically. That is why PAOK, AEK and PAO constantly get beaten by teams like Platanias and Giannina. However, they are not brave or artistic enough to try coaching outside Greece. Most like their comfort zones and will only go to the Emirates for big money if they ever leave Greece. You will never see a Greek coach in the EU unless he is an assistant. A coach like Sakis Tsiolis is easily good enough to coach at a high level somewhere, but I doubt he will ever wish to go abroad. When you have money in Greece it is hard to beat the lifestyle, even Michel was crying non-stop when he was leaving Greece.

Except for what you've said about Greek managers, the rest sorta applies to portuguese people as well. Your first paragraph is very familiar to me.

I never knew Sagres was a place. For me it was always this..

They sell Sagres in Brazil/UK/Greece?

What is the best beer in Portugal in your opinion?

We're primarily a wine country and not a beer one, as you might know. Of the big 2 beers, I prefer Super Bock. Sagres is pretty bland, imo. And most foreigners seem to prefer Super Bock as well.

I've heard that there's some new microbreweries popping out here. Need to try 'em out someday.

I have had Sagres in London. I have not seen in it Greece or Brazil. Brazil is weird because I find their beer like piss. Brahma literally tastes like piss to me - Skol the same. But they seem to love them. The only Brazilian beer I enjoy with my chapa mista is Bohemia and they seem to think it is shit.. 

[Festivus]

Marco Alexandre Saraiva da Silva

Segue o teu Destino (follow your destiny)

Segue o teu destino,
Rega as tuas plantas,
Ama as tuas rosas.
O resto é a sombra
De árvores alheias.

A realidade
Sempre é mais ou menos
Do que nos queremos.
Só nós somos sempre
Iguais a nós-proprios.

Suave é viver só.
Grande e nobre é sempre
Viver simplesmente.
Deixa a dor nas aras
Como ex-voto aos deuses.

Vê de longe a vida.
Nunca a interrogues.
Ela nada pode
Dizer-te. A resposta
Está além dos deuses.

Mas serenamente
Imita o Olimpo
No teu coração.
Os deuses são deuses
Porque não se pensam.


I Would translate this poem to english but It would be impossible to do it  justice. It`s Fernando Pessoa the portuguese poet in a Ricardo Reis encarnation, one of his heteronyms. It`s so fucking beautiful that you can feel the powerful emotions come right through your screen, even without understanding Portuguese.


PS Ricardo Reis believed in greek gods. It was destiny that brought Marco Silva to your beloved team and it`s destiny that one day will be fulfilled, when Marco Silva and Benfica join forces in a event of cosmic significance.

Zeus will make this happen.

Beautiful poem. In Brazil the school children often have to study Pessoa and do presentations on him. 

Meanwhile, here in Portugal, the only Brazilian author people can name is Paulo Coelho