Argy

That's great. Still want to see him as number 2 or 3 for the Ethniki for the next Euro campaign behind Vlachodimo.

He is a true asset. If healthy and in form, I'd go as far as saying he could battle Sokratis and Manolas for a spot. I truly believe that. What happens when someone is often injured is that, when healthy, it's that much harder to regain 1. form, 2. confidence in yourself and 3. the confidence of your manager. The more you get injured that deeper the hole you start from every single time.

Kone signed with A-League newcomers Western Melbourne FC on a two year deal. He was never Andrea Pirlo, but, for a couple of years, he was one of the better Greek players in Europe. His career really nosedived in his late 20s, and now, at only 31, he's gonna be playing in Australia.

He was a sure bet with Sokratis/Manolas quality but injuries decimated his career.

You are right and I did know that. Mind must have been on Nikolaou from the prior post.

A couple of Greeks Abroad newcomers: Stelios Kitsiou from PAOK to Ankaragucu in Turkey on loan until then end of the season 18 year old Nikos Michelis permanent transfer from Asteras to AC Milan. We will be keeping an eye on this one.

18 months is a long time for a 30 year old striker that seems to be slowing down. Not my favourite move for him, but yea hope he gets firing. I have a good feeling he will have success in Turkey.

Dimitrios Nikolaou has been sent from Olympiacos to Empoli on loan for the rest of the season.

On 3 January he moved to Serie B side Lecce on loan, with a clause included to make the move permanent in the summer.

Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-0 today. Our boy had Hazard in his pocket and a finally in-form Koscielny took some of the weight off Sokratis in the backline and they both had a huge game. Sokratis assisted on Koscielny's goal with a well-directed volley.

He's doing great. One of the best CB in the EPL at the moment.

There is so much to say about Greek's abroad. So many examples and different experiences. Certainly the longer you stay in the Greek league, the better chance you stagnate. KPap and Ninis are different though. Injuries tore apart KPap's career, whereas Ninis' inconsistency and lack of development killed his. Lots of factors come into play for Greeks going abroad. No Greek goes into a foreign club with any kind of pedigree, as I believe that players from the GSL, and Greek footballers, in general, have to work twice as hard to earn the respect and confidence of managers. Also, as I've stated in the past, what's hindering young Greek players in General from getting a timely opportunity abroad is the fact that, for years, the GSL has been just good enough to keep their talent long enough to sell for a higher profit. Whereas, in countries like Croatia, where the league wasn't as competitive, would sell their players younger and cheaper to bigger clubs around Europe. And the results are in front of us.

That all goes to show that the youth talent is present, but club & league culture and training programs & facilities, all which translate to professionalism and development, are lacking in Greece. The most successful players leave Greece very young. Yes, there are examples of players leaving and coming back, some falling off the map, others thriving in the GSL, but, nevertheless, if a young Greek player wants to give himself the best shot at a successful career, he needs to develop outside Greece.

I dont think anyone fathomed him as the present. He is clearly the past, but I guess it's just interesting to keep tabs on someone that was central topic of conversations for mny years. At this point he will retire at 30.

When was it published?

Yes it's his first one, but he's also only 20 years old. When did K Pap start getting hurt? Probably around the same age. Not saying he will end up like that, but I just don't want to see another wasted Greek talent.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos 2.0. World class potential at a very young age, but injury prone. Let's hope he doesn't continue with this pattern. His season is now a complete wash.

It's ok because Finland is not really a Pot 3 team, and Bosnia is arguably not a Pot 2 team. We did not feel the brunt of coming in through Pot 4.

Positive for us.

My take on this draw: We would have drawn a similar calibre group if we came in through Pot 2 instead of Pot 4. All very interesting matchups: Can't wait for Italy-Greece matches for obvious reasons. Greece at their best can get a result vs the Italians. We keep drawing Bosnia and have developed somewhat of a rivalry with them throughout the years. They are good, but very beatable. Finland are playing well as of late, but, as we showed a couple of weeks ago, we are the better side. They are overacheaving and are a Pot 4 team at their core. I don't think Armenia will be walk in the park, especially with Greece's habit of playing down to their opponents. This isn't a strong side, we should win both, but they sometimes come to play and Mhkitaryan is pretty good. Lietchenstein should be a breeze if we have any ambition. All in all, could have drawn a more difficult group and did not really suffer the full brunt of coming in through Pot 4.

I am most excited about this match.

I think if they buy him they intend to play him. They will make the necessary adjustments to their squad and will be clear with the Manolas camp before any contracts are signed.

I think you misread. I believe it's Mantalos they are eyeing.

The teams in Pot 3 aren't THAT much better than the ones in Pot 4. If we are up to task to qualify, we should be able to take any one of them. Pot 3 definitely has more quality but even the best side could have easily found itself in Pot 4. Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Norway are not strong teams; If we land one of those we would turn the table on this draw IMO. If there is one team I would want to avoid, it's Turkey. As much as I would circle the dates on my calendar, we are already in the hole going into this campaign, and the rivalry would render these games just as difficult as the ones vs Pot 1 and 2 sides; we have enough obstacles as it is. Here's hoping for a favourable draw.

People in charge of Greek clubs and players for EA FIFA have never been too generous with ratings.