MykinesFC

Playing today vs. Napoli

It is clearer now based on the various reports from the last few weeks that he was in NYC since August rehabbing and getting treatment for a back injury. One Greek report mentioned a specific hospital. During this time he was also training with the Cosmos and seems to have made a good impression on the team's management. According to the Greek sports websites he was in Thessaloniki last weekend. That much is fairly certain. The rest is speculation. I would be surprised if he ended up anywhere in January. The rumor mill would have been going strong by now if he was healthy enough to play. We'll see.

Wow I'm not sure that my fluffy post about Sami's goals in an admittedly 'nothing special league' needed a response. The implications however are far reaching! Negri had 2 very good seasons with Perugia getting them promoted to Serie A, he then had a brief spectacular run in the SPL followed by a string of injuries. He reportedly had a poor work ethic (and long hair and a beard). Therefore all of Sami's accomplishments were a waste - Q.E.D. Virgil van Dijk played for Celtic. He sometimes defends poorly. He now pays in the EPL. It's so clear to me now! Nothing Sami accomplished had any value. I'm now doubting that the EPL Is a good league. Machlas scored some soft goals in the Netherlands. It's so clear to me now! How could I not see it before? No more fanboy posts from me.

Another long compilation of Celtic goals http://youtu.be/9x7jCt8tBOo I think even the biggest cynic among us would admit there is some fantastic stuff here, even if the Scottish league is nothing special. All kinds of ways to find the net and some real skill on display. And as a Greek it does makes me proud to see all the praise coming from the xenoi.

According to Tuttomercato there was indeed interest from Frosinone but the two sides could not agree on wages. Fronsinone offering 500,000 Euros and Samaras wanting 1.2 million. http://m.pamesports.gr/352214/gi-ayto-den-ekleise-o-samaras-sth-frozinone?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter Perhaps he has other options on the table, but for someone who has played so little in the last year I'm not sure why he would pass on any offer. Aside from Barcelona :-) who else would want him?

Interesting about Frosinone. Hopefully if it works out I'll take it all back about him being washed up at 30. :-) Come back Sami, your mazy runs up the left side that usually end up going nowhere are better than all the side passing and no running we now have on the NT. At least you are willing to take on defenders and sometimes those runs end up in a killer through ball that sets up a chance. Now some Twitter talk about Barcelona interest. All nonsense of course but what a difference a day makes.

I haven't seen the shirt incident, but if it was as described I think he just quit the team in disgust. It's a loss for us - he has been one of our better players when he played. Reaper is right - this will be overblown and will overshadow the bad decision making of the EPO and the lack of respect for the shirt the the rest of the team has shown by its play on the field.

^^^ that would be nice. I used to be one of the people who thought he got a tough time around here, but as an earlier poster correctly noted the lack of application has caught up with him. He's certainly had some career high points (how many and how important is a matter of 60 odd pages of discussion here) but an elite athlete shouldn't be failing a medical for a Serie A club at the age of 30. A five minute search on Instagram shows a guy who seems to be hanging out in NYC posing for pictures at events with the Omogenia - not a guy who is training his ass off to get fit.

I think this story is over, great potential, no hard work etc we get it, it's done. Not sure why we are still making cute quips about someone who is likely done at anything to do with top level soccer. Since this is now a past tense story here is a clip of his 13(!) European goals for Celtic. I was surprised that many are target man goals - something we didn't see much of in the NT. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=99eJFr_PETQ

^^^^ indeed let's not kid ourselves, Saudi is Greek level.With nicer stadiums perhaps. I hope he does well and gets back to a league that is better than Greek level.

Am I correct in understanding that if he doesn't find a team by the 11th then he has to wait until January to sign with a European club? Are non-European clubs able to sign free agents any time?

^^^^ Indeed. His uninspired play and injury in the last 12 months seems to have spooked any team that would otherwise have had an interest in his services. It's a shame to be in this state at 30. It would be nice if he worked hard for the next few months to get fit for the January window (like Ninis did). It's never been clear what the nature of his injury is/was or whether the lack of fitness is due to a Mykonos work ethic. If he was fit, I think he could do a lot in the SuperLeague.

Huge Berbatov fan here. As a total neutral when it comes to the Greek leagues (I'm more of an Ethniki fan), this moves makes me want to root for PAOK. (Although my Salpi kit wearing 7 yr old claims he will never forgive them!)

So much for Samaras... Oddly the Birmingham Mail (the local paper that covers the West Midlands teams including West Brom) listed Sami yesterday as having departed for AEK: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rondon-arrives-mulumbu-departs-full-9517342

Now I know how the Samaras thread got to 60 pages..... Interesting and insightful stuff on the NT from both 'sides' of this discussion, that perhaps will have a bigger readership if it was in the NT thread. As for our boy Sammy.......<crickets> ......hopefully he's in New York for rehab or something and not to retire a Cosmos player playing to 3000 people.

I figure if Nikitas (who seems to have the best news gathering methods here) hasn't heard anything, then that 7/11 is looking as likely as anything else!

Just after the Sampdoria deal went sour the Greek press mentioned other vague offers (MLS, Russia, Savvidis' continued interest at PAOK.) It's been silent for a few days now. The failed medical seems to have cooled whatever interest there may have been. Right now I think he'd be fortunate if anyone in Europe took a chance on him as he clearly won't be able to contribute right away.

I really want this topic to get past this page for reasons which are obvious and pictoral . Any news on potential clubs? I'm hoping on PAOK then everyone's Salpi/Sammy love/hate can be focussed on one club.

^^ I meant 2010. Although the result wasn't extraordinary: qualifying, scoring and winning a game at that level were a big deal after the disappointment of 2008.

I'm a bit irrational when it comes to Salpi and Sammy and I think many are. To me they represent the surprise resurgence of the Greek NT so it's hard for me to dismiss them in their decline. After the great let-downs of the 2005 Confederations Cup and the 2008 Euro, I was resigned to the fact that as glorious and deserved 2004 was, we would never come close to that again. WC 2010 and Euro 2012 gave us all pride in the NT again and proved that we were capable on the big stage. The symbol of that to me was not just the solid defense but Sammy and Salpi running their asses off and trying to make something happen. Objectively they may not have been the most important players to our success then, but they are who I think of when I think of the NT's resurgence. It's a bit tough to move on :-)

Excellent! With Andreas Samaris already established there this could be good. Hopefully Samaris and Mitroglou can bring their Benfica form to the NT!

Yup, failed again. http://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/calciomercato/samaras-its-no-from-sampdoria/ What a farce! Reports mention the possibility of the MLS but the team mentioned is the comparatively less glamorous NASL's NY Cosmos who play in New Jersey. A complete joke. Good luck to him. Still a fan, but he needs better people to prevent this kind of humiliating situation.

i guess what I find odd is not whether he is fit or injured or not. What is odd is why would the professionals who manage his career put him in this position (very publicly failing a medical) that at his age could destroy future prospects. it's a side of the game we dont see, but I get the feeling that many of the Greek players we follow regularly get bad advice/management.

Hey for a team that can't seem to score, an assist sounds great! :-o The Samp story is odd. Now a second set of medical tests have been scheduled for Wednesday. It's now been reported so widely that Samaras is not fit. If Sampdoria dont want him, it may be tough for any other club to take him seriously. I just assumed by the time things progress to the medical that the tests are a formality. Perhaps Wednesday's tests will have a result that allows both sides to save face.