Hellas futebol

[Faliro]

Vital & Lundqvist are very good for the Greek league (on paper, of course). Palacios seems like a Asteras signing (argentinian and old)

I think PAO would be happy to be as organized and composed as Asteras, perhaps that is what they going for! 

Things keep looking up for the league. You keep the same idea as me, that the current SL format is EXCELLENT, yeah? 

Yea, I think the league will dip slightly before the turbo of the new stadia kicks in and makes the league dominate the region. I am happy with 16 teams. However I understand many teams are not yet where they should be infrastructure wise. The reason i want 16 teams is that Greece has only one cup and many teams are usually out of europe early, so the more games the better.

Expectations for SL2? Xhanti main favourites for automatic promotion?

That league may be just as interesting as the SL this season. It is the strongest SL2 I ever seen.

Favourites? Hard to tell as I have not be following these teams, but off the bat.. Xanthi (although it seems the club may have just be sold on the sly), Olympiacos Volos (can you imagine two Volos teams in the SL..  and yet Patras and Larissa doesn't have a single team there...), Panionios (big favourites surely - especially if Tsakiris returns), Iraklis (because.. in a heavy Greece accent..''Why not?'' They are the 6th biggest club in Greece after Aris), Ergotelis (you never know - always well organised), Kallithea, Panseraikos and Aegalio - all had long stints in the SL and of course AEL. Kavala - pure attacking football like Olympiacos Volos - like Olympiacos Volos and Iraklis - demoted for off the field issues - always scored enough points to stay in the SL. If Kalamata get momentum... they could do something big.  In fact it is easier to say who are not favourites, there are many big teams in SL2 now - and dont forget, Oly B, PAO B, AEK B and PAOK B will be there too.. anarchy.

------------------------------------------------------------

So... Tzolis - perhaps one of the most gifted Greek players in a generation - made his Norwich debut today. 2 goals, 2 assists...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2dzNJsDqDo

Here is the thing with him. He doesn't have the usual Greek weaknesses. Which are:

1/ Inconsistent form. Goes missing.
2/ Not getting into goal scoring positions.
3/ Poor shooting.
4/ Weak mentally.
5/ Weak physically.
6/ No drive.
7/ No real politik.

He is exceptionally talented, strong and a bastard. I still can't believe Norwich got him.. and for under £10 million.. If he had an Italian passport instead of Greek he would already be over 25 million.

[Calcio]

What happened to Panachaiki? They weren't demoted(?). The league really is stacked tho lol



Since our PAOK game, I've fall in love with Tzolis. PAOK got other good youth too.

[Faliro]

What happened to Panachaiki? They weren't demoted(?). The league really is stacked tho lol

Sadly, as I always told, they are a terribly run club. Perhaps the worst I have seen. To play in the SL2 - every team has to provide a deposit of 150,000 euros.. Panaxaiki couldn't do it, so were booted out the league.

https://pelop.gr/katantia-kai-thlipsi/

Since our PAOK game, I've fall in love with Tzolis. PAOK got other good youth too.

Yes, PAOK hoover up all the youth from all of that area. Olympiacos sometimes get a few - but nearly all of them first get shown to PAOK.. most good Greek footballers come from the north of the country.. however their current team has little to no youth and what they do have - teams are already trying to buy - like Koutsias - who is blowing everyone away in training and who Torino FC are trying to buy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgos_Koutsias

Tzolis was an interesting one. He was clearly already exceptional at 18 the same way kyriakos Papadopoulos was at 17. PAOK have had some great attackers - but they always sell them.. Gary Rodrigues, Prijovic, Limnios, Tzolis etc

They are still anarchic. Savvidis has given the stability of them now knowing they will never be in debt, but there is still a broken attitude - especially in transfers - and especially concerning the redevelopment of their Syrian-esque dump of a ground the Toumba. Without Tsipras, they would not have won the league - that is clear and as long as Olympiacos does not fuck up - I think we will be able to retain the league. Since PAOK sold Tzolis, their team is half the speed.

[Faliro]

If aris get this guy, they will have one of the most complete squads in Greece.

https://www.sportime.gr/aris-fc/aris-exelixis-me-brorson/

========

Paok complete on Mitriță and Sidcley. They also bring back Akpom.

[Covenant]

Good players for PAOK. They are trying, at least.

[Faliro]

Good players for PAOK. They are trying, at least.

I agree totally. They are making the moves that need to made.. AEK on the other hand - I didn't even bother to mention to you guys.. their main target is Iago Falque.. 
There biggest signings this summer? Nordin Amrabat and Le Tallec... 

[Covenant]

Good players for PAOK. They are trying, at least.

I agree totally. They are making the moves that need to made.. AEK on the other hand - I didn't even bother to mention to you guys.. their main target is Iago Falque.. 
There biggest signings this summer? Nordin Amrabat and Le Tallec... 

I totally forget about Iago Falque. Big flop.

[Faliro]

Most interesting signings so far in colour:

Olympiacos
Tiquinho 30
Kunde 26
Onyekuru 24
Vaclik 32
Lopes 25
Aguibou Camara 20
Bah 18
Pinakas 19
Kane 24
Karbownik 20



PAOK
Lucas Taylor 26
Tzimas 20
Akpom 25
Oliveira 29
Sidcley 28
Mitrita26
Kurtic 32


Aris
Kamara 26
Iturbe 28
Lumour 24
Hajdrovic 29
Fabiano 29
Jakub Brabec 29
Mohanad Ali 21
Denis 34
Ndiaye 30


Panathinaikos
Kotsiras 28
Vital 23
Lundqvist 24
​​​​​​​Palacios 29
Perez 32
Sarlija 24


AEK
Mitoglou 21
Michelin 24
Zuber 30
Jevtić 28
Le Tallec 31
Araujo 29
Stankovic 28
Vranjes 31
Parras 23
Tzavellas 33
Amrabat 34
Hajsafi 31

[Calcio]

https://www.sdna.gr/podosfairo/873188_nea-stoiheia-gia-ton-podosfairisti-poy-katigoreitai-gia-sexoyaliki-kakopoiisi

Amr Warda? 

[Faliro]

https://www.sdna.gr/podosfairo/873188_nea-stoiheia-gia-ton-podosfairisti-poy-katigoreitai-gia-sexoyaliki-kakopoiisi

Amr Warda? 

No idea although Warda would likely have a house in Glyfada when he was playing for Atromitos. Could be career ending.

[Covenant]

Most interesting signings so far in colour:

Olympiacos
Tiquinho 30
Kunde 26
Onyekuru 24
Vaclik 32
Lopes 25
Aguibou Camara 20
Bah 18
Kane 24
Karbownik 20



PAOK
Lucas Taylor 26
Tzimas 20
Akpom 25
Oliveira 29
Sidcley 28
Mitrita26
Kurtic 32


Aris
Kamara 26
Iturbe 28
Lumour 24
Hajdrovic 29
Fabiano 29
Denis 34
Ndiaye 30


Panathinaikos
Kotsiras 28
Vital 23
Lundqvist 24
Perez 32
Sarlija 24


AEK
Mitoglou 21
Michelin 24
Le Tallec 31
Araujo 29
Stankovic 28
Vranjes 31
Parras 23
Tzavellas 33
Amrabat 34
Hajsafi 31

Zuber - - > AEK. Good signing.

[Faliro]

https://www.sdna.gr/podosfairo/873188_nea-stoiheia-gia-ton-podosfairisti-poy-katigoreitai-gia-sexoyaliki-kakopoiisi

Amr Warda? 

Oh shit....

https://www.sport24.gr/epikairothta/dikigoros-semedo-yparchoyn-stoicheia-poy-apokleioyn-tin-kataggelia.9338448.html

[Calcio]

Of course!...

[Faliro]

Most interesting signings so far in colour:

Olympiacos
Tiquinho 30
Kunde 26
Onyekuru 24
Vaclik 32
Lopes 25
Aguibou Camara 20
Bah 18
Kane 24
Karbownik 20



PAOK
Lucas Taylor 26
Tzimas 20
Akpom 25
Oliveira 29
Sidcley 28
Mitrita26
Kurtic 32


Aris
Kamara 26
Iturbe 28
Lumour 24
Hajdrovic 29
Fabiano 29
Denis 34
Ndiaye 30


Panathinaikos
Kotsiras 28
Vital 23
Lundqvist 24
Perez 32
Sarlija 24


AEK
Mitoglou 21
Michelin 24
Le Tallec 31
Araujo 29
Stankovic 28
Vranjes 31
Parras 23
Tzavellas 33
Amrabat 34
Hajsafi 31

Zuber - - > AEK. Good signing.

This is hilarious. Zuber's statements on AEK indicate he has never seen AEK. Use Google translate:

https://www.gavros.gr/article/paraskinia/324914-den-prepei-na-exei-dei-pote-toy-aek-o-tsoymper

Added the the players AEK and Aris just completed on to the list.

[Faliro]

So back the bizzaro world of Greek football.

Out of absolutely no where, Aris have ditched plans to renovate the Xarilao and decided to do a Panathinaikos style deal. They will donate the Xarilao (20 acres) to the state to become a much needed park or "green lung" in the over built city of Salonika. They will in exchange recieve a large parcel of land, 170 acres, owned by the OAED (Labour employment organisation) 7km West of their current stadium. There they will build a 30k stadium with shops, hotel etc etc..

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rWBhHgtRbIY

I suppose this all came about due to the fact that like Leoforos, the site is too small and it is cheaper to simply start a fresh else where. All this to start in 1.5 years.

==============

In other news, Zagorakis quit as the head of the mafia EPO after just 5 months in charge. None of his decisions were accepted by the EPO mafia - who till this day still hide their finances from public view. Zagorakis was openly against the EPO bizarrely deducting 6 points from Aris last week and he also has no say in the next Greek manager as Van`t Schip is about to be fired tonight.

========

In other news, the investigation into who bribed Aris keeper Siampanis to throw the game in favour of PAOK is finally underway after 1 year... he refused the bribe and reported the incident to police. Seems according to Olympiacos it was a PAOK official who bribed him but the police are reluctant to get to the bottom of it.