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Bananas

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Posts posted by Bananas

  1. I think we'll end up 3rd to 5th.  2nd ... maybe depends on Panathinaikos and AEK.  Panathinaikos are really going hard this transfer window.  We'll see I guess.

    Is this squad better than previous years ?  Almost certainly not.  But the club is going down a different path.  Previously it was experienced players 28+ years old in general and the wages were a lot higher.  You look at our transfers this transfer window and they are all quite young.

    Which would I prefer ?  The Michel model but we just don't have the cash to do that sustainably.  So it is what it is.  My concern is how many of these "prospects" will come good ?  How long will it take ?  And very importantly, will Lucescu stick around ?

  2. I guess because we were complacent and just assumed we'd be fine.  Basically we were unprepared.  I also think other leagues we'd consider weaker than us have become stronger over the years and the gap in quality isn't as big as it used to be.  Will we learn a lesson ?  I doubt it.

    Every Greek team except for Olympiakos has been eliminated this season.  Let that sink in.  And the only reason Olympiakos is still in Europe is because they keep getting a chance by dropping to a lower competition.  The worrying thing is for the most part, our teams have been beaten convincingly.  Have we become complacent ?  I can only assume so.  Do I expect changes to rectify the situation.  Hell no, this is Greece. 😁

  3. Good to hear the club is withholding wages.  I'm fine with him not being in the squad.  He has never fulfilled his potential although to be fair the injury knocked him and he's never been the same.  Fine don't play if you don't want, but you can't expect to be paid either.

  4. 3 hours ago, Blackhawk said:

    Are we on the right path with the rebuild? And do PAOK fans have the patience for it?

    Are we on the right path ?  Yes ... because we don't have a choice.  The old guard from 18/19 are all gone.

    Do PAOK fans have the patience ?  Stupid question ha ha.  Of course not.

    I think we won't be able to judge Boto's signings until round 10 or so.  So far they are unimpressive.  The only good thing to come out of pre season is Koutsias.  I just hope we can scrounge enough points to at least be -6 points or less from Olympiacos at the winter break so we can at least be interested in the league.  Having one game a week will have its advantages and disadvantages.

  5. It shouldn't matter if Savvidis is there or not.  The man knows nothing about football and I'm sure he'll freely admit that.  That's why he hires people to run the club that are in theory meant to know about football.  The sole thing Savvidis is meant to do is fund the club and he does that.  He is limited as to what he can do regarding transfers due to FFP regulations.

    The elimination in Europe is 100% on the footballing department, manager, coaches, scouts, transfers.  No ifs or buts.  Even taking into account our limited budget due to FFP we should be able to comfortably beat a team like Levski Sofia.

    I am not sure how we can easily improve without increasing the wages budget so it's a catch 22.  The transfer budget is there (from the sales of Tzolis and Giannoulis) but the wages budget is not.  Ideally we'd be signing "Zivkovic" quality players at a minimum and you would see the squad improve considerably but the budget just isn't there.  And you can only attract players of a certain quality with the budget we have.

    I think now all we can do is wait a few months at which point we can assess whether the transfers from Boto were actually half decent.  He too is constrained.  It's one thing attracting and purchasing players when you're working for Benfica or Shakhtar and it's another when you're working for PAOK.  That is the reality.

    • Like it 2
  6. What do you say.  I have posted earlier that I don't really care if we miss out on Europe once in every few seasons.  It's the financial hit and the missing out on UEFA coefficient points that hurts.  Let's see what happens but all the ingredients are there for Greece to really move down the rankings.  I hope the other teams can qualify and accumulate some UEFA coefficient points but I am not optimistic.

    As for the team not being prepared ... did Lucescu really say that ?  That's his job and everyone else at the club.  The worse thing is we thoroughly deserved to be eliminated.  It's not like we were better in any way.

  7. No idea on this one.  What I expect is for us to have a poor first half of the season and what I hope is that in the 2nd half of the season (along with solid transfers in the winter break - a man can dream) we kick into gear and be serious title contenders the following season.  My only prediction is we are between -8 and -12 points behind Olympiacos but the winter break.

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  8. AEK supposedly signed quality players last season also and didn't make Europe so I'll wait to see on that one.  Aris too early to call.  In fact, everything is too early to call.  The only thing we can say with certainty is once again we were not prepared properly for our UEFA qualifiers.  One day (and it could even be this year) all of the Greek teams will fail to qualify for the group stages and then EPO might wake up to themselves.

    As for our transfers, none of them excite me but it is what it is.  I don't think anyone on this forum is impressed by them.  You keep flogging a dead horse.  But your solution ... for Savvidis to leave is just plain bizarre.  That's what I would want if I wanted to ruin PAOK.  Give me a list of billionaires ready to part with their money that are willing to buy and fund PAOK and I am happy to contact them.

    • Like it 3
  9. PAOK Talk, nice video.  I agree with the general depressing mood.  After all who can be optimistic given the result in Europe.  Next time a few more drinks and some more slurring please.  Also not enough profanity for my liking.

    • Haha 1
  10. Oof we do like to make it hard for ourselves each year.  What I don't understand is why we go in unprepared each year into these qualification games and just hope for the best.  Would it kill EPO to use some common sense and bring forward the start of the league a month or so to give our teams a better chance.  From a sporting perspective I'm not really fussed if we don't play in Europe each and every year.  If we don't play once in every 5 years, "kai ti egine".  But the financial hit ... that's where the real problem is.  Anyway, time to hold our breath for one week and see what next week brings.

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