pash

As an Inter fan...I would be very depressed if we bring that poor man into our team. Perhaps it was some encouragement from his buddy Lucas.

Both good points. Wouldn't mind seeing Koulouris and Mistikidis starting in that case, for a 4-2-3-1.

You posting this brought it up to 9th place. You're good luck.

I think Salpi should be, at best, a sub (but it sounds like Tudor does not agree). My guess is one of Mistakidis or Koulouris. Mistakidis is a second striker and winger (so essentially, he's Pereyra) who has been training since the beginning and has been doing well, while Koulouris is a CF who only just rejoined the team. Personally, I'd pick Mistakidis and use Koulouris as a possible sub.

True. A clean slate is needed from all sides. Rotten to the core.

So it sounds like they're talking about a 4-4-2 as in the below. I think the only thing I can say about it, is at least it doesn't have Tzavellas in the lineup. --Olsen-- --Kitsiou--Vitor--Costa--Rat-- --Tziolis--Kace-- --Pelkas-- --Mak-- --Lucas--Salpi--

Essien out for two months. Well, that lasted long.

I have no doubt believing that. Sorry to hear about you dealing with this bullshit, of course. The one and only time I've made it to the store at Toumba (in 2011), gave me the same wishy-washy impression. The more things change, the more things stay the same. I'll have to look into that hotel, though ;)

Nationalize Benfica

Thanks fearless leader, hope you're enjoying yourself. Today was one of the most miserably humid (and hot!) days I've seen in years. 95 degrees with 75% humidity? No, thanks. I know people prefer Kitsiou to Skondras, but I think in a 4-person defense, Skondras is still the better option. Thing is, if Lucas plays, then he's also a better option than Kitsiou. Below would be my picks, in that case: --Olsen-- --Skondras--Vitor--Costa--Rat-- --Noboa--Kace-- --Lucas--Pelkas--Mak-- --Mistikidis-- If we're going back to the 2 DMs, at least Noboa should be able to play there with Kace. Would still give the start to Pelkas over Charisis, as I think it would be a shame to not see him start.

Also, I am absolutely loving Paolo Artico in this video:

Just tweeted by the team - the guy who will probably end up in charge of PAOK, watching the Euro U19 final.

Updated, thank you! That is an *incredible* name.

Would think Dpaps is still better than a second division Turkish side, but more power to him for signing. Hope he gets a good pay day out of the deal. Sounds like Pereyra should get loaned down to a third division club.

Our problems in the back have remained for three seasons so far, but surely the TD will try to remedy this. Of that group, it's not just Kace who has experience at this point - Mak, Lucas, and Kitsiou are all old hands by now, and Pelkas at least got a few dozen appearances last year. I think for once, we might actually have some depth in the midfield - apart from DM, where Kace is literally the only option we have that isn't horribly out of shape or just plain bad.

Let me know if any of the above info is wrong and I will update. Unsurprisingly, I am a poor replacement for Blackhawk. First thing's first - who's going to play? I'm assuming we'll again see the 3-CB defense, and with Lucas possibly in contention, we might see a 3-5-2 as in the below: --Olsen-- --Vitor--Costa--Poungouras-- --Kace-- --Kitsiou--Pelkas--Charisis--Mak-- --Lucas--Mistikidis-- Not so sure about that third CB, since the only trio that Tudor has consistently played includes Vitor/Costa/Tzavellas. But frankly, Tzavellas has to go (and I hope Arnesen and Tudor have figured that out by now). I also don't think we need two DMs (especially with how poor Tziolis is), and frankly we have nothing to lose at this point - we need goals, damn it, and lots of them.

vs MATCHUP: NK Lokomotiva Zagreb - P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki COMPETITION: Europa League - Qualifying Round 2 - Leg 2 DATE: 23-July-2015 TIME: 20:00 GR (19:00CET, 13:00 EST) CITY/STADIUM: Thessaloniki - Toumba (28,703) REFEREES: Carlos Miguel Taborda Xistra TELEVISION: Novas Sport 2 (Greece), Arena Sport 1 (Croatia, Sebia, FYROM, Bosnia)

Lucas paid his fine and has begun training again. Pereyra still has not.

Looks like his brother has just passed away...

With the same players as last year, it doesn't seem like it's just a formation problem.

Nah, he's 100% right. Your goal is to add snark, I see nothing of value that is posted by you. I do get that you think your posts serve a vital purpose, though - otherwise, why would you keep posting the same thing in each sub forum, in an endless circle?

If they park the bus, we'll have to be especially wary of their counters. As usual, that's where we keep screwing up. I would hate to see us play with such an overly defensive lineup again. There are a lot of questions. Will Noboa be available/ready? Will Tudor psych himself out? Will players be put in logical positions (Kitsiou)? If we're playing with three at the back, then we need to stop letting Tzavellas in there. Put Papagiannopoulos in there, at least he has the speed to cover more ground.

If we can overcome it like we did last year, I will be *much* more hopeful about the season to come. A shame Klaus won't be around for this.

Even if we get that Icelandic guy (who I'm sure is terribly out of form)...we lack strikers. My guess is that we'll have Koulouris available by then, since the youth ethniki just got creamed. I think Mistikidis might be a good surprise for this season, assuming they don't use them like they do Pozoglou (which is to say, not at all).

First thoughts: Pelkas, Mistakidis, Kace - good Mak - frustrating - unlucky, or just sloppy? Salpi - same as Mak Maduro, Tziolis, Tzavellas, Martens, Lucas, and Pereyra - get rid of them all tonight