Paotrella

Whilst our defence failed, our strikers too let us down. They had a couple of chances which they needed to take. In Europe you don't get 10 chances in order to score 1. On the other hand, Brugge had 2 chances in 5 minutes and took them both. There lies the difference. If we went 1 nil up early in the 2nd half the game would have been played entirely differently. Lets not kid ourselves, they were always favourite and for good reason. We still need to solve our finance issues so stop whingeing about transfers.

Belgian curse continues. This team still has alot of maturing ahead.

Good result, keeping them scoreless until half time. First 10 mins in 2nd half now are critical, keep them scoreless again and they will start to get forward more.

Pame Panatha!!

Mystery surrounds the death of alleged ?Noor-1? heroin cartel chief His death in the Korydallos prison occurred a few days before the conclusion of the major investigationTuesday, July 21, 2015 A Turkish man who was believed to be the leader of the ?Noor-1? heroin cartel, which was busted about a year ago, has died under mysterious circumstances in Korydallos prison, a few days before the conclusion of the investigation. The man, who suffered from mobility problems from birth, had been arrested during the first phase of investigations in Athens and is believed to have had a leading role in the transportation of heroin from the Persian Gulf and money laundering in Greece. He also appears to have been in contact with other Turkish nationals residing in Belgium. According to reports the Turkish man had recently been transferred from the fifth wing in Korydallos to the prison infirmary, citing a serious health problem. Sources suggest that he may not have actually suffered from any serious medical problem and intended to get in contact with another Turkish prisoner in the infirmary. Authorities are currently trying to discover what the purpose of their meeting was. Two tons of heroin were found to have been transferred via the ?Noor-1, which traveled from Dubai and to Elefsina. About 40 people are facing serious charges, with a number of suspects claiming that they have been threatened and the victims of extortion.

Forget about the Greek justice system and EPO and just assess what is happening with Noor 1 for a moment. A s%$#! load of heroin lost to the authorities, serious money being burnt, supply lines being exposed, people linked to the drugs are showing up dead. Some heavy hitters in the underworld have been burnt and they are not relying on the Greek legal system for justice. No one walks away from this scenario problem free.

Well, what can I say! I am still trying to digest what happened in this game. Poor defence, a disappointing debut by Sanchez, Wemmer and Pranjic struggling, plus poor tactics by Anastasiou. On the other hand, a great Ninis for a half, Pranjic having a great second half along with a clean sheet for a whole half with 10 men. How does one predict the second leg? If we repeat the second half in Belgium, the tie is ours. If we experiment with our lineup and a 4-2-2-2 we will struggle again. Its anyone's guess what Anastasiou will do though. What we do know is that having Ninis, Berg and Karelis in our final third will guarantee to create some problems for their defence knowing that they will need a goal.

Ok, alot of pessimists in this thread before the game...... here is my prediction: Brugge come out all guns blazing and we look very rusty early on. They score a goal within the first 20 minutes yet we manage to steal a goal before half time through Karelis. Second half, again they come at us and score for a 2-1 lead. We then push hard and equalize through Koutroubis off a set piece (yes, I did say Koutroubis). Then with 5 minutes left in the match it is the man of the moment, Berg, who scores a sublime goal and sends Leoforos into meltdown. Second leg, team has bonded more and pumped for win. We come out defensive and playing a tight match. Brugge getting desperate yet against the play Ninis plays a through ball for Berg to steal a 1-0 win. Panatha mou se agapo!

^^^ Sanchez had his own tail in Ibiza.... and he is bringing her to Athens. Dont forget that Gordon wasn't quick either, our defense should not be any worse in terms of speed.

The friendly result against Udinese and the defence deficiencies is the best outcome leading into the Brugge match. It has highlighted what most people suspect, the defensive line needs more time to gel together, especially where Wemmer, Sanchez and Pranjic are all playing in new roles. It is now up to Anastasiou to play the right formation to cover our defensive shortcomings, a 4-3-2-1 may have to be considered. Put Koutroubi in front of the defenders with Zeca and Lagos in front of him. Then Lod and Ajagun can cover the front half with Berg up front. Play down the flanks with the full backs. The key is to conceded no goals in the first leg, a nil all result will be a positive. Our back 4 alone will not be able to keep a clean sheet.

Pana97, great idea creating a starting 11 with posters on this board. It has exposed the Greek side of many people within this forum. By creating a new team we automatically have seen arguments, klikes and vendettas, just like the Ethniki. Brilliant! As for myself, thanks for putting me in at CB however I see myself more like Ninis. Good vision and passing, cant be bothered running, slow as hell. I also lose form the moment I am exposed to nightlife, women and booze. And again, just like Ninis, I should be coming off the bench.

Ok, now that we have seen more in the friendlies and with Essien out for a while, here is the likely starting 11 against Brugge; -------------------Steele---------------- --Wemmer---Tavlaridis---Sanchez---Pranjic- -------------------Lagos------------------ -------Zeca------------------Lod---------- ---------Karelis--------------Kaltsas----- ----------------------Berg---------------

Do I rate Pranjic and Petric as top players? No. Can they deliver more? Absolutely. Did they score crucial goals in derbies against the gays? Yes. For that they deserve some respect.

Ajagun always was a squad player. He lacks finesse on the ball, his finishing is atrocious. For big games his ability to press is valuable however we cant expect him to win games off his own boot.

^^^ Agree. Keep your comments coming, makes for interesting discussion.

^^^ Kopse tis m*****es Alafouzo. 2 parts I found interesting: 1. Acknowledging that the club has a serious money backer. 2. Abeid aint coming. Newcastle wants too much, Abeid wants too much. Forget that as a rumour.

Agree. We will be the outsiders against any of them. Naturally Brugge is the weakest on paper but still would be the favourite. We have a poor record against teams from Belgium, eg. Standard Liege. One of the Russian teams may present a small outside chance alongside Ajax. I cant recall which Russian team has lost a few players and have started poorly this season. Either way to progress would be a massive upset. Monaco, forget it.

Always prefer the derby matches to be away first. Much harder playing at Karaiskaki for a title deciding match with only a few games left.

If thats the case I would be seriously pissed off at the club. However.... I recall the Alfaro signing last year, alot of hype and excitement yet the club pulled the transfer because he failed the medical. They were smart enough to do the right thing. Now, I have little doubt that they would have done the same with Essien if the injuries were serious. Does his attitude stink? Maybe. But I am not going to reply on Sport24 or Gazzetta to tell me if he "flying" at training or whether he is in terrible shape. I will let his performances over August/September be the judge of this.

Whilst it is disappointing that Essien is not fit (especially for someone of his fame) it is WAY too premature to call his signing a dud. He has been with us for a couple of weeks only and we havent even had a competitive game yet!! For all we know Wemmer may end up being a dud signing! Relax peoples. Give him time to prove himself, then we can crucify him if he doesn't perform. If his injuries persist, blame the club. The club after all did the medical before he signed. What did they check? His prostate only?

Looks like the media is correctly not reading into the pre season matches. This is no guide to the season ahead. I recall the pre season we visited North America with Nioplias as coach. Achieving great results against teams such as Inter, everyone was saying how we were set for big things. How wrong everyone was.

Sadly, I agree with you. The initial signs aren't promising. The only positive is Anastasiou's track record of turning players around has been fantastic. Ninis is the latest example. Check out his posts and comments when he joined Milan. :whistle:

And amongst all the crisis that has hit Greece, more reports coming out about Marinakis fixing the Veroia match:

Good thread. I have added back up options to each position. ------------------------------ GK: Steele (Kotsolis) --------------------------------------------------- LB: Nano (Xouxoumis) CB: Tavlaridis (30) CB: NEW: Koutroubis RB: Wemmer (Bourbos) -----------------------------DM: Essien (Lagos, Koutroubis) ----------------------------------------- --------------------- CM: Zeca (Lod, Ajagun), CM: Ninis (Pranjic, Donis) ------------------------ ------------FW: Kaltsas (Klonaridis) ST: Berg (Petric) FW: Karelis (Dinas?) ------------------- We can see that our depth is very thin, especially in the CB position. We can see why we want to add Helandar to our squad. Otherwise we definitely need to sign another striker. Berisha came on loan last season and did nothing, no doubt the club will be looking at a similar option. We also have no loaned players at the moment, stay tuned for some last minute loan signings.