Bananas

Sheez I came into this thread to see the latest posts and lo and behold pash has managed to desecrate it. Not that I'm surprised. He's our special one. @PaokCT welcome. Hope you enjoy your time here. We've been living great days with our team with hopefully more to come. Now I've just gotta find my ruler ... I know I had one laying around here somewhere.

More important than the 3 points, we need a derby win. If we don't win then it will just play on the team psychologically. It will be a tough game either way. As for our GK's, we've never had a class GK. I though with Paschalakis we were finally there, but alas it's not to be. You'd think with all our youth there'd be someone coming up.

Maybe we can swap EK for Shakhov ?

The planet will heal itself, no doubt, but in the meantime we will have exacted an enormous toll. At least people are talking about it now. There are so many angles to it, but in the end the only thing that will make it get serious attention is when it affects "us" humans directly, often and in a very serious way. Until then, the mantra of perpetual growth remains.

Hopefully Mystakidis signs there and kicks ass. I always had a soft spot for him but in the last few seasons the level of players we brought to the team has been strong and he hasn't been able to stay in the first team. It is what it is.

almand, the club re-signed Biseswar for 3 years and now his contract expires in June 2022. He is 31 years old so the club absolutely understands his abilities and values him. If anything, Biseswar is getting more game time under the new coach than with Lucescu. I think it will be a very long time before we get a player of similar technical ability. He really is a fantastic player. If he was a bit stronger/faster he wouldn't be playing in Greece. As for all the different analyses, I will defer to Mitsos analysis. It's pretty spot on. As for PAOK, our new coach seems to be from the Martins school of "I want to win and play beautiful at the same time" which has led us to 4 draws and 1 loss in derbies. I personally prefer the practical approach of Lucescu who still had a team that played well enough to win but at the same time you had to spit blood to score a goal against us. We will see what the rest of the season brings.

You've lost weight and trimmed the beard. Looking good young man.

To be fair he didn't get any opportunities at Sporting. Even with us last season Misic had virtually no opportunities. For myself, I am happy to have a "free" surprise like this. The fact that he can play as a 10 if required even if it's not his natural position is a bonus!

I would believe you and I prefer it was Aris rather than a small team or especially worse a team from Athens. In the first half we were better, not by much but better. But so what ? What matters is what you do with the ball. The only thing I can say is that the strategy of your manager is a bit "all in". You can't always expect your finishing will be so good. But anyway, that's his (and your) problem so to hell with that and enjoy the victory today. As for Yiankos, he has praised your performance on our forum. It worries me though. Could it be that now Yiankos might become an Aris fan ?

Agree Blackhawk but football and derbies especially are about seizing the moment. And today Aris did just that.

I'm kind of glad the no loss streak is over. There was too much emphasis on it. As for the game the 2 goals off crosses were cheap and reminiscent of the goals we would concede a few years ago. Teams will be noting this and trying to exploit. It's no use having possession if when you lose the ball the opposition run over you. Abel needs to set this straight. We are even after all this time still lacking a 6 that can cut down opposition counter attacks. Worryingly Zivkovic was poor today. One at the near post and one off the cross which he should have got to. Maybe Paschalakis might get one final chance. In the long run this loss could be a good thing because it did show our weaknesses and even if Olympiakos win we are only 1 point behind them. More important will be the psychology of the team against AEK who will be smelling blood.

I am very confused. I thought all the referees are on our books, so then how did this happen ? I even read a letter from your owner https://www.sport24.gr/football/omades/Olympiakos/pae-olympiakos-o-paok-einai-prwtathlhths-sta-trigwna.5665112.html that says as much. Anyway, enough of the kazoura. At the end of the day it's a big win for you guys and well deserved. Football is simple, stick the ball in the net and all the rest is fluff. Good to see derbies are still derbies even if my team copped a good old fashioned beating. These things happen. Onward and upward.

Esiti has dropped off the map. In theory he’s made for tough games like these where it will get rough but the game will also be fast paced. If Augusto can’t play then Esiti will have to be ready to come off the bench. Could use a Shakhov right about now.

I would not be surprised to see another draw. Hopefully it’s an open game like the most recent where both teams have tried for the win. ukworm you are correct, if you try and sit back to defend and let the opponent get momentum it’s a recipe for disaster. Sitting back, that should only be done at the very end of the game. Anyway, I am hoping for a 4-0 win for PAOK just as you boys are hoping for a 4-0 win for Aris. Xronia polla for the New Year and whatever happens hope to see Aris in the top 6 at the end of the season.

So let me get this right. 1) Referees are on strike and won't return until their safety can be guaranteed. Being Greece, this is not possible. So basically it means they won't return. 2) Olympiakos won't attend Super League meetings until "the league is cleaned up". 3) Any time a bad referee decision goes against Olympiakos, they can bring the league to a stop. Not sure when or how this will end. If Olympiakos want a league where they play 30+ games and they don't get one bad decision going against them, then I guess they'll be waiting forever.

Good comments pash. There is just something about Matos charging up the wing and into the box that I love. Agree about our midfield and getting an "Oliveira" quality player. Good comments Yiankos. I totally agree about the love affairs with Katcheridi and Berbatov, what a waste of time and money. I agree about dropping the median age of the team, especially in the back line where in the next 2 to 3 years Matos, Crespo, Varela and Vieirinha will all be gone. Add to that Mauricio and Biseswar. This is why I am not keen on selling players like Giannoulis but if a big offer comes in then fair enough. Overall the squad is strong even if as you say the form of players is up and down. Hopefully we will find players in the future that are at least as good as what we have. Ideally we try and go the next level and get even better. We have the resources, and I believe the players are out there. The trouble as always is getting them to come to play in Greece.

Any chance this can be resolved before the 4th of January ? Any chance I can sue Theodoridis for suing the referees ? The yanks on this site should be able to give me an answer. Don't yanks try to sue anything that moves ?

He's be a good pickup for some mid level teams in the GSL. Assuming of course he was interested.

Source ?

Back by popular demand, well actually just @pash but I'll take what I can get, we have the mid year analysis for season 2019-2020. Note that I haven't watched many games this year instead using highlights, forums, articles to form my opinions. Team Domestically good, in Europe bad. Getting Ajax in the draw was the gods laughing at us but we played admirably. Being eliminated to Slovan Bratislava was unacceptable. Domestically, importantly, we are in the title race. The team started off unusually conceding goals game after game. It appears to be due to the loss of form of Paschalakis and Varela who are both well below their form of last year and with Zivkovic and Ingason becoming starters the defense seems to be performing at a much better level, especially in the last run of games. Of note we haven't won any derbies (all draws) and have conceded in all of them. This needs to change in the second round and obviously in the play-offs where every game will be a derby. The only game we were outplayed was against Olympiakos in Athens and even that it was in the second half. Fair enough they are a good team. All the other games were there for the taking. Manager : Abel Ferreira Overall I am happy with his performance. He seems to have the club room and that is half the battle of management. Tactically his line ups and substitutions seem sensible. It's not easy to take after someone like Lucescu had created history but overall Ferreira seems to have acclimatised well to our league. He is helping with the development of Giannoulis and Limnios who are getting lots of game time and have improved considerably this year. Other players have dropped off. Paschalakis, Varela, and less so Biseswar but how much this is due to Ferreira and how much is due to the players I don't know. I said of Lucescu after he was at PAOK for 6 months "I dare say he could be the first manager we keep for more than 12 months in the Savvidis era" and the same applies to Ferreira. It feels odd to have two competent managers in a row. Definitely a first for us PAOK fans. I don't see any reason other than him getting a big offer from another league or the team having a melt down for him being replaced. Goal Keepers Paschalakis : Disappointing. Huge drop in form. Almost each game at the beginning of the season we were expecting him to make a mistake. I love his craziness though (his reaction when he saved the penalty against CSKA Moscow is priceless). It's fair to say we all expected him to be the first team keeper this season but now it's hard to say when, or if, he'll get another opportunity. Zivkovic: Solid. Has stepped up when we needed him. He was signed to be the backup keeper and the truth is no one knows how a player will play until the time comes. Zivkovic has handled the pressure well and if his form continues, there is no reason why he won't remain the first team keeper. I think we are all right for keepers but at the same time if Zivkovic gets injured I don't feel too confident in Paschalakis stepping up. I have serious doubts as to whether he can play at the same level as last season. Maybe it was just a freak season for him. In addition, I have no idea what our third choice keeper is like. In the event of a long term injury to Zivkovic I don't know if we'd try and buy another keeper or recall Rey or Melissas. This would be a tricky scenario. Defenders Matos : Solid. I don't think he's quite at the heights of last season where he was saving us with his headers but overall he's having a good season. Giannoulis: Very good. Surprise packet #1. I expected once Vierinha recovered he would take over the LB position or we would buy another LB as I really didn't think Giannoulis was good enough to be anything other than a backup player. 5 assists so far is very good. If he maintains his form he will be our LB for the rest of the season. Varela: Disappointing. BIg drop in form from last season. I hope that watching Ingason from the bench fires him up. The fact he gets paid double what the other defenders get paid and is expected to be a leader only his loss of form even worse. Crespo: Solid. He is Mr Reliable. Seems to have stepped up a gear since partnering with Ingason. Ingason: Very good. Surprise packet #2. I suppose we all thought he would be pretty good considering how much we paid for him (our record transfer at 4 million) but I've been surprised at the ease and with which he's done so. Varela should be very worried, and motivated, by this. Also it's very good to see he has a knack for getting into good offensive positions on set pieces and has a pretty tidy total of 4 goals which is crazy when you think he hasn't played in half the games. Nothing makes me happier than getting a cheap goal off a set piece. This is probably a psychological issue born of being on the receiving end of it for so many years. Rodrigo: Can't really comment as he has had very little game time. He doesn't appear to be at the level of Matos but it's really hard to say. Maybe if he gets a run of games he will prove me wrong. I think we are all right defensively especially if Varela can get some form. At RB and LB I believe if either Matos or Giannoulis are injured Vierinha can cover those positions. Not sure if Rodrigo is a long term replacement for Matos. I am not sure if he is at the level we need. Midfielders Esiti: Disappointing. Has not turned out to be the player I expected. I pictured him as a Canas but much more physical. He has lost his place in the team and I wonder if Ferreria doesn't want him in the team. WIth Mauricio recovering from injury and the rise of Misic he is last in the pecking order, which is surprising as I pictured him partnering Mauricio this season as first choice in the midfield. Augusto : Average. Seems to play all right without being exceptional in any particular way. On the plus side he is still very young at 22. It's not like he's been terrible, but at the same time he's not taking games by the scruff of the neck the way Misic has. Mauricio : Average. Seems to be finally getting close to match fitness. He is along with Misic is our best midfielder. Hopefully he gets to the form of last season. Misic : Excellent. Surprise packet #3. MVP so far this season. From being 6th choice behind Wernbloom, Mauricio, Oliveira, Shakhov, Canas to 1st choice. I commend him. With a return of 5 goals and 6 assists that says it all. Not only that but it's the way he's done it. He often forces the game when we need a spark. I expect him to lead the midfield with hopefully a full fit Mauricio in the second half of the season. Pelkas : Average. He hasn't been poor but he hasn't improved considerably either. Maybe this is his ceiling. I'm ok with that and I'm happy to have him as a rotation player but I'm not sure if he's happy to do that. If he wants to take the number 10 position and make it his he needs to do more. I just don't think he has it in him to do it week to week. Biseswar : Average. First things first, I love this guy. His lackadaisical style, his technique, he is a pleasure to watch. I will miss him when he leaves us. But he hasn't been playing at a consistent enough level. I think rotation actually suits him and he's been getting too many starts this season. I expect and am hoping we get more from him. El Kaddouri : Average. It's funny to think that Misic is a midfielder and has 5 goals and 6 assists and El Khaddouri is an "attacking" midfielder and has 0 goals and 0 assists. As discussed in other threads he has quality but he's definitely not someone you can rely on week to week. Still, having him on the bench and on rotation is a nice option. I think we are all right for midfielders. Much of this is due to luck as no one expected the rise of Misic. We have enough quality to see us out for this season. Forwards Stoch : Very disappointing. He's had flashes of brilliance but overall he's been poor. Considering the hype it's all been for nought. It's a surprise considering how good a season he had at his previous team. Voted most likely to leave the club during the winter break. Lambrou : Very disappointing. Harsh assessment considering he's gotten no playing time. I just hope he sticks it out and bides his time until he gets his chance. I just want to see if the kid has "got it" because it seems like he has something to offer. Jaba : Disappointing. Has not played anywhere near the same level as last season. Vierinha : Average. Hasn't been at his best but that's to be expected. He's slowly getting match fitness. Still, his presence alone on the pitch works wonders. He is our talisman. Limnios : Good. Surprise packet #4. Has improved considerably over last season. He is scoring more often. It's like something has "clicked". Still has more to do and can sometimes have quiet games but overall I'm very happy with his progress. Let's not forget he's only 21. Swiderski : Very good. His job is to score goals and he's delivered. Very happy with his game overall. He has that "Prijovic" like quality of being able to score easy goals unlike say Akpom who has to work like a mad man to score. It's always good to have a striker like this in your team. Akpom : Disappointing. A harsh assessment I agree, but I really thought he'd be our main striker this season. I think Ferreria has worked out he's not a "natural" striker. He does so many other good things on and off the ball but he doesn't have the easy goal in him. Still, he has his positives and in derbies where it's going to be tough with lots of running I'd play him over Swiderski every time. I think we are all right for attackers. We have enough quality to see us out for this season. Transfers I have to agree with Ferreira. I see no reason to bring in any transfers unless a player is sold. There is no obvious position that needs to be filled and there is more than enough quality and depth to see out the season.

I get what you’re saying @paokarag4 about El Khaddouri. He has great technique and balance as well as decision making. He doesn’t sell the ball cheaply. All signs of a quality player. Still I wouldn’t be fussed if he left even if I prefer he stays. I think what kills him (and I see this with lots of players) is he can’t lock a position down. He doesn’t have the run to be a 6 or an 8 and he doesn’t quite have the dribble and cross to be a winger. He doesn’t score enough to play up front consistently. Regardless, I still think he’s a great option to have and can turn a game, I just don’t think he’s a lock for a starting position every game. I don’t think he really wants to in Greece and he seems to lose interest in playing week in week out. It’s like he’s bored with most games ... which I can understand ... and really only switches on for the bigger contests. Ideally, we find a similar quality player that is more motivated and is a bit more hungry but that’s easier said than done.

Merry Christmas manges.

It’s as you say @DunfermlineAthleticPAOK it’s another 10 rounds for teams finishing 1st to 6th with points being added on. All in all about the best way you could do play offs. They had some bizarre system a few years back which will hopefully never be repeated.

How did Soares look ? He's had little game time and has always had that feeling of being a rushed transfer.

Literally. Each time they come out with a press release about referees which is just about every game, it makes me smile. I will look fondly on this period of my life.