Bananas

Yeah Natkho said that and our fans lapped it up. As always time will tell. Maybe Olympiacos is making a ridiculous offer ? Even so, we can match their wages these days. It’s not like how it was even 4 years ago. And it’s not like Olympiacos are guaranteed CL football or some other carrot. Interesting times. Having said that, is he the same player he was ? I have no idea.

Tradionally with teams like Spartak we lose not because they outplay us, but because of a moment or two of brilliance because they have one or two quality players. I think the gap now has narrowed. We have some quality also. Not that I expect to win over the two legs. But, I wouldn’t be so surprised if we did. Other than at left back, we don’t have any glaring weaknesses. Not sure if Lucescu will play it safe and stick with Crespo or if he’ll try something left field. Either way, I’m interested to see how this game plays out just to see how far the team has come under Lucescu. Whatever happens, we’ve achieved our main goal (qualification to EL Group Stages) which I’m ECSTATIC about. Everything else is just a bonus.

Natkho to Olympiacos ?! Now that would be interesting.

That’s his uncle. Can’t you see the peponi resemblance ?

Ha ha ha. I hope you’re right. i don’t know how to read this situation. I mean, maybe Wernbloom is being honest and just saying he needs a few days to think it over. That’s fair enough ... if true. I suppose our problem, as fans, is we’ve been burnt in the past in these situations where the player uses our offer to get a better offer. If that happens, it happens. What more can the club do ? For once I feel the club has really tried their best to get him and that’s all I want and expect. Having said that, I think he’d be a SUPER signing. He’d be the first “tough” guy we’ve had in the midfield since Garcia.

How good is Spartak ? Give me some odds people. I finally got around to watching the Basel match 2nd leg and I thought, overall, we were solid. Basel had stints where they were fluid in the midfield but they didn’t really create any serious clear cut chances. They are not the Basel of 18 months ago. But to our credit we gave them 5 over 2 games. And I think if we played them again, we’d beat them again. It’s this sort of game where a player like Wernbloom can really make a big difference.

Absolutely man. The CL has the made gap between the haves and the have nots, so vast that it’s ruined the game. Fine, have prize money but the amounts are just f###king ridiculous. I wish it was like the old days where you could only have 3 foriegn players in the team also. Well maybe not so few as 3 but I don’t want it like how it is now either. Maybe if I write a letter to Platini he’ll listen to me ?

I raise your disagree and doubly disagree with your sir! Ha ha ha, on a serious note you’re being a bit brutal on Lazaro. He was hands down, I mean by a fair margin, the best player in the GSL last year. I’ll accept that his age could mean maybe he should not be considered for the NT. But right now, he’s most definitely good enough. I don’t know what happened to him since he returned from Serie A, but it’s like something clicked in his brain and he finally “gets” the game.

3D printers making tomatoes and kalamata olives. My garden will be obsolete and I can put my feet up. 3D printers powered by perpetual motion machines. They exist, it’s been covered up.

Given the choices we have, for me, my pick for the box to box player it would be Mantalos. He is tougher than he appears and has the smarts to force his way into a game. Having said that all this talk of systems and positions can be misleading. If we’re playing Belgium we’re playing 8 or 9 behind the ball and we need at least 3 in the middle most of the time. No box to box here, it’s more box to centre circle. The other thing is this this talk of replace this player with that player as if they are interchangeable. Fortounis, Pelkas, Mantalos are all different players. In and around the box Pelkas is dangerous. He’s good for a game where Greece will generally attack. Ask him to be a tradional number 10 and he can’t do it. It’s just not in him. Likewise a game where we’re generally defending I think Lazaros becomes much more useful. He loves the space and running at defenders. End of the day unless you have a super team like a Belgium you need players and a manager that can adapt because you can’t play the same against Iceland as against Belgium. I don’t know who the best are for each game/situation (because I don’t study the players full time) but some of Skibbes picks leave me scratching my head. At the very least select fit players that can run and hustle for 90 minutes (see Iceland in this WC) and you give yourself a fighting chance. When your team consists of unfit and lazy players what’s chance do you have ? Toro, Tziolis, Samaris, Taxi, Fourtounis (yes he needs to hustle a lot more), Mitro ... good lord it’s like we’re sending out pensioners. The only player I’ve seen in recent times that didn’t pull their fair share in terms of running but they can get away with it was Pirlo. But hey, he’s Pirlo, he can do what he wants ha ha.

This would be huge. So let it be written ...

Skibbe/Tsanas seem to just pick players based on the jumper they’re wearing. Watch Fetfa getting call ups soon. Not that he doesn’t deserve it, but if you’re going to call him up now then you should’ve called him up earlier. Likewise Samaris who hasn’t played a proper game in 3 years and shouldn’t be anywhere near the NT (my opinion) but because he “plays” for Benfica he gets call ups. Tziolis is just a mystery. Good boy but hasn’t been at the level required for years now. The truth is our midfield is in a sad state. Samaris, Taxi, Tziolis sorry guys they are not NT quality. If I was an opposition manager and that’s your midfield, I’d be rubbing my hands together. That midfield is about as scary as a mouse. The only half decent midfielders we have are Zeca and Kourbelis. That’s it. Yes they aren’t technical but they run and fight and don’t need to have their hands held. They are just work horses nothing else. As for the forwards, that’s another story again. Yes Mitroglou is striking fear into the hearts of opposition defences ha ha. Sad to say but I miss the days of Samaras who could actually control the ball and have just a little composure.

So I guess this kid is meant to be the backup for Prijo ? Hard to say before we see him play. Raptopoulos summed up Prijo perfectly. He said that Prijo can play like a “pethameno” but he’ll still manage to score goals. And that everyone, is what a real striker is. I will cry if/when Prijo gets sold. Anyhow, it’ll be interesting to see what other signings are made. There is still the question of left back. We need a backup for Vieirinha. I know there are those who want to see Vieirinha played on the wing (and I’m happy to see Lucescu try it out) but I honestly think Vieirinha is more effective where he is now. He can see the whole pitch in front oh him and can pick and choose to time his runs. With your back to goal it’s a completely different game. There is the question of a midfielder although Canas seems to be doing his best to try and kill that off. Hoping he has a good season. He was quite flat last season. As for wingers I have no idea what’s going on. Mak and Campos are gone and Henrique too. That’s three big names there and we have Jaba and Warda as replacements. When you say it like that they don’t sound too crash hot but we’ll see. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve ended up with egg on my face.

I don’t think you can compare the two. Arnesen said from the beginning that he wanted to bring in young players that were relatively cheap that could be developed and sold for profit. Whether this was his idea or a directive from the club I don’t know. Michel never said anything like that. Instead he went straight for relatively experienced players and also offered considerably larger wages to attract these players. Ideally I’d love to have had both of them at the club in some capacity.

lol

Ha ha. A re ausgreek I would love to have you as manager of the NT just to hear your motivational speeches to the players.

Olsen! Wow! Who would’ve thunk it. I can only assume the WC makes clubs go stupid. To be fair Olsen isn’t that bad a keeper. I just think he cracked under pressure at PAOK. But at the same time Roma paying 12 million is just ridiculous. But hey, I’m not complaining. Cut that cheque for 2.4 million clams.

Probably for the best. At his peak Konstantinidis is a good player but he’ll never be a Matos. For Aris he is a very good signing. The question as always is his injury issues. If he was going to make it at PAOK he would’ve done it by now. Better he plays at a club where he is a starter and getting regular game time. Good luck to him I say.

If we can win and at the same time Basel don’t score an away goal I think we’ll get through. Those away goals ... they’re a killer. Basel’s form has been pretty awful. Ours hasn’t been great but not as bad as Basel’s. This is a good opportunity to get some exposure in Europe and to secure EL Group Stage. As to our best 11 I have no idea. Everyone’s form and fitness is still all over the place. Hopefully Lucescu has some idea!

Ha ha, this always makes me laugh.

Ha ha ha priceless. ?

Good manager. Very unlucky he was there in the pre Savvidis era. Bad luck for the club as well.

Yeah man. We need more BOSTON.

Just curious. Is Alanyaspor paying a transfer fee for Campos ?

Koulouris ? Is that a misprint ? Not sure whether to laugh or cry.