Ellada2004
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Posts posted by Ellada2004
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On 12/6/2025 at 10:54 AM, J1078 said:
This campaign was a complete failure. This was one of the most manageable groups we’ve had in years, yet we were eliminated after the third match. Jovanovich needs to go. Aside from introducing a few young players, what has he actually accomplished? We haven’t qualified for a major tournament in what feels like a lifetime. No one should get a free pass or another chance after results like this.
Agreed, he did bring in some young talent but he stuck with Kourbelis? Why? It was the easiest World Cup draw since we had Bosnia and Slovakia in 2014 WCUP qualifiers but Santos led us to a top finish but we lost out on goal difference. Bosnia was a better side compared to this Denmark and certainly better than Scotland. Poyet failed in the Euro playoff which rightfully cost him his job but he managed to get Greece to the final matchday in a group with FRANCE and HOLLAND! This was an epic failure and we should have been in the playoffs at the very least! Jovanovich and his associates should walk! Enough!!
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On 11/19/2025 at 12:01 PM, PaokCT said:
I truly believe Jovanovic will not be continuing for our Euro qualifying campaign. I do believe, however, that EPO realize how great this generation can be, and won't spoil the next hire. They will spend $ to get a quality coach. While it is still too early to tell who will get let go after the WC I can put some of my nominees in no order :
Lucescu - Would Rasvan leave PAOK to coach a NT like his father?
Thiago Motta - Linked in the press, but supposedly wants to be a club coach
Ange Postecoglou - I doubt this would happen due to his recent problems with Marinakis
Southgate - Would this be a homerun hire?
What names would you be interested in?Is Jovanovich leaving? Ange would be my choice of your list, looking back EPO should have hired him back when they hired JVS. I have said I would like a big name manager such as a Klopp or Mancini no nonsense managers that know what it takes to succeed. Over the last few years we have seen EPO hire Skibbe, Anastastiadis, JVS, Poyet and Jovanovich an average group though I thought Jovanovich would get us to the world cup if not at least the playoff round. EPO needs to spend money to make money, bring in a high quality manager who has won a Champions league or Europa league at club level or a Euro at NT level like a Mancini.
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On 11/23/2025 at 4:31 PM, Dean97 said:
I totally agree. We need a proper coach with a solid resume. Can’t have coaches of the likes of Skibbe, JVS, Anastasiadis etc that haven’t done anything in there club coaching careers…
Ivan was ok for the most part but totally bottled it in these important qualifiers. Results need to speak for themselves and he didn’t produce that for us. Total shame. We have a talented generation coming through. We need a coach who has done things in European football that is in the range of the EPO budget. We still need to address the midfield situation. Bakasetas has done good for us and has given us goals but he isn’t the player to lead this team to a tournament. Everyone knows why. Kourbelis and Mantalos I don’t even know why they are still here… Also we need to start addressing our defence aswell.
We should be looking at younger players continuously and should be hiring a coach that has managed at high levels around Europe. I knew there was a certain ceiling with Ivan but was hoping it wouldn’t be the case.
Time for a new coach. Time to get rid of Kourbelis, Mantalos Bakasetas etc. Time for the new generation to come in and make things happen with a coach that will enhance their abilities and take them to a major tournament. The talent is there for it.
Great points Dean, I said that EPO should just go all in for Klopp or a coach of that standard someone who has won a champions league or major international trophy like a Mancini for example. It will cost $ but the ROI will be greater if coach gets Greece back to the Euros. If we do not land a big name no nonsense coach I feel it will be hard to qualify for Euros as we will most likely have a tough draw given our ranking. Jovanovich did an incredible job initially in NL winning in England were hardly anyone wins competitive matches. We should have topped that group if not for giving up 3 goals in the reverse fixture and Greece would have had a playoff spot now. Greece were handed a dream draw getting Denmark from all the pot 1 juggernauts and Scotland who we have outclassed in NL. Still Jovanovich whom I like as a manager completely messed up our chances in that home match vs Denmark. Had we at least got a draw there it would have given us momentum going into the crucial October matches but he screwed up big time with the starting lineup and his subs at HT were baffling taking of Karetsas when we where chasing a goal?
After this match we know what happened as the team had huge meltdowns in Scotland and Denmark. I agree with you about our defense but why did Jovanovich not fix this after the Denmark match. Koulerakis was one of our worst players. Hopefully we get our defending back to what we are use to giving up 12 goals against!
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On 11/19/2025 at 4:26 AM, Dean97 said:
I am so thankful for Ivan calling up and playing our most talented young guys but at the same time stuck with the failed older generation that haven’t gotten the team to any tournaments the past 10 years. On top of that his coaching also failed this team.
The failure in qualifying and this team he put out in this game told me everything I needed to know. He has to leave. Thank you but it’s time to move on. We should’ve topped the group in my opinion. Also thank you to players like Bakasetas, Masouras, Siopis, Mantalos and Kourbelis but you’re no longer needed in this team. Let’s start over with a coach that will help this new young generation and let’s finally get work.
I agree with you that he did bring in the youth but he did not utilize them well. Why is Kourbelis starting? He was the worst player on the pitch at home vs Denmark dribbling around our box and cost us a goal. He was not in game shape coming from the Saudi league and Jovanovich starts him in a match of this magnitude! Bakasetas, Masouras, Manatalos, Kourbelis and Siopis cant be part of the team going forward. I thank them for their efforts for the NT but during their tenure Greece have qualified for ZERO major tournaments. Mantalos who first appeared at Euro 2016 qualifier vs Romania under Ranieri has failed to get us to a World Cup or Euro and he has only had a few great matches that I can recall like the NL match a few years ago vs Kosovo. Its time for a fresh start! This last campaign was a major failure that none of us saw coming.
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What an absolute disgraceful way to end this miserable campaign. Why did Jovanovich start Mantalos and Masouras as another member here posted did they win us a Euro and deserve a big send off? Karetsas can never be left out of the starting lineup when available end of story! Jovanovich as much as I like and respect him has to just leave the job it was a shambles of a campaign, not qualifying directly from this group and an average but very lucky Scotland team is in the World Cup that just says it all. Finishing with 7pts and being eliminated with two matchdays remaining is a total disgrace!
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19 minutes ago, kolokotronis99tripoli said:
This has to be a prank
what a fing joke! 0-0 at HT. Jovanovich starting Mantalos and Masouras he ruined our world cup dream!
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1 minute ago, Brklyngrk said:
Can't watch the game, how are we playing?
one clear chance missed by Masouras
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WHAT the F*** is with this lineup!! Scotland winning what a blown campaign!!!
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22 hours ago, paokarag4 said:
Bakasetas is hanging around for another qualifying campaign, you better believe that. He wasn't initially called up for these games but called up as a replacement once Konstantelias was injured, that doesn't scream to me well planned out goodbye testimonial.
I maintain Bakasetas has a role to play(off the bench), and to a lesser extent Kourbelis and even lesser extent Masouras. The team's defensive issues can't possibly be laid to blame at Bakasetas' feet. We created a bucket load of chances, as you mention in an attacking sense we have really turned the corner.
Defensively we have massive issues. Individual errors which need to be rectified by the players themselves but also our structure and system doesn't seem to provide adequate protection.
Jovanovic needs to sort it out and ASAP. You can't be going 3-0 up with 30 minutes to play and the match turns into a rodeo. We must get better at seeing out matches and playing out time to get the result. Otherwise no matter how beautiful we play or how many goals we score, qualifying for a major tournament will remain a pipe dream.
Great points, yes I can see Bakasetas sticking around through to the Euro 2028 qualifiers unless we bring in a top tier coach who will call the shots 100% with regards to player selections. I always said Jovanovich is a good manager and I like him personally but he made to many errors that cost us like starting Kourbelis in the match in Athens vs Denmark. Its not all Kourbelis fault but he had barely played at club level in the Saudi league. That match started our downturn and Greece could not bounce back. Jovanovich did not learn from his mistake and started him again at Scotland in the key match of qualifying to keep our chance at a playoff spot and we lost. Even yesterday why did he start him again and Bakesetas in a match that we could experiment and see some younger players? His subs were not helpful and his in game management was questionable especially when Greece went up 3 goals and then Scotland started to take the match to us as our midfield players were exhausted. I heard Jovanovich may leave on his own? I think for the NT to make a major tournament we need a top tier manager who has won trophies at the International or Champions League for example someone like an Ancelotti or a Klopp.
Greece are now going to miss yet another tournament and we are seeing the likes of Albania, Wales, Ireland, North Ireland, Scotland, Norway and even the frigin Skops qualifying for the Euros or World Cup its completely unacceptable especially this cycle given all this talent we have at our disposal! I still cant believe how Jovanovich managed to F*** up this opportunity being placed in a group with Denmark, Scotland and Belarus and we were knocked out of contention with two matches left as well. Unacceptable!
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Greece got the win. Electric attacking play that we have not ever seen before from the Ethniki. Karetsas will be one of the worlds great footballers for years to come. Our defending is a total disgrace I cant recall us giving up these many goals in a campaign. Greece we F***ed ourselves with stupid personal and tactical decisions over this campaign. First place could have been ours. Denmark was a dream draw from pot 1 as I have said here many times and we saw that today as they tied Belarus at home. We pissed away those two matches with the Danes along with the match at Scotland where Greece should have got a draw if not for our defensive lapses. Totally sucks that we failed to make a third World Cup in a row.
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11 minutes ago, PaokCT said:
lol kourbelis and bakasetas starting
Ya bro I just heard this on radio! Argggghh
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I so so love the Ethniki but this really sucks to watch this match today after what happened in the last international window. We are playing our second last qualifier vs Scotland and Greece are already eliminated! A team we should have disposed of and had second place for ourselves. This is the most disappointing campaign since the 2016 Euros. I don't want to see Kourbelis, Bakasetas and Mantalos again on the pitch for the NT. Megali Dropi!
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Greece fall eight spots to #48.
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On 10/16/2025 at 9:59 AM, J1078 said:
Jovanović Should not get a free pass as he had a dream draw and had the team on a huge high coming into these qualifiers, only to be eliminated by game 4 was a massive failure and because of that he should not be automatically renewed you can't reward guys for failure. He didn't adjust after the disaster against Denmark in Greece, they went on to allow 9 goals against in there next 3 games after they beat Belarus. I'm not saying he should or shouldn't be fired, but he needs to be held accountable as the coach and not automatically get a free pass.
I do give the Coach credit for having the balls to call up the young players that we all have been screaming about for years and maybe they need some more time to adjust on the big stage. There's no question the team is talented but right now it's an awkward mix with guys like Bakasaetas, Mantolas, kourbelis which should not play for this team again.
it's almost like the script has flipped and we've become better offensively and worse defensively and they need to do something to find a good balance of both. The mistakes made on the field that lead to goals were terrible a lot of stupid plays.
The nations league might actually help the team prepare better by playing much better teams but right now this one is going to sting for a while until at least until the world cup is over.
Great points, I have said I liked the hiring of Jovanovich a lot as I had a feeling he would incorporate the younger players into the squad. The major problem with him is that he stuck with Kourbelis and others who have no business being on the team. Kourbelis hardly had any playing time in the Saudi league and he automatically starts him vs Denmark? He was so poor that match and the Danes just exploited us. Why did he mess with the winning lineup when we destroyed Scotland 3-0 in NL? If he has the right lineup in that match Greece beat Scotland comfortably and we are still in the running for 2nd place. Too not be in the playoffs is a major failure and to be eliminated with two match days left is a total disaster! Your right our attacking play is great but defensively we were exposed and gave up 9 goals in the last 3 matches something that you would never see from the NT of old.
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On 10/13/2025 at 9:20 PM, Dean97 said:
Everything you said is correct. What’s so annoying is when they start hyping up for the World Cup next year and then you realise that Greece won’t be part of it again. 10 years straight and he we haven’t qualified. If they keep the same old guard like Bakasetas, Kourbelis etc then things will be the same like you said.
We literally have to clear these old players out. What’s the point of having them?
These new young guys that have come in have made Greece look like an real attacking force. Our team was even younger against Scotland in the nations league and that’s been our best result and performance in like 5 years.
Its a disaster! Here in Canada gonna have to listen to all the build up without our beloved Ethniki. A lot of these minnow footballing nations with no history will be here, including Canada and USA lol... I was so looking forward to going to the matches in Toronto if we were playing there or NYC. Just so ANNOYED! This is our longest tournament drought equaling the Euro 1980 to World Cup 1994. I have a feeling it will be longer. I really do not have much confidence in seeing us make Euro 2028 especially after Greece got this draw. We managed to f up the greatest draw possible getting Denmark the weakest pot 1 team and Scotland from pot 2 and we made a total mess of it. Qualification done after match day 4? Even Poyet got us to the playoff in the Euros and we finished a respectable 3rd behind giants France and Holland and competed until the very last match day. This is very similar to the Euro 2016 qualification debacle that was intitally over seen by Ranieri that tool. Now Greece are playing in A league of the NL its going to be tough to say the least to get a back up ticket for the Euro 2028 playoffs.
Just PISSED!!
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21 hours ago, HellasLEAF said:
We are trying to get to the World Cup with guys like Bakasetas, Masouras, Kourbelis, Rota, Ioannidis (not sure what the appeal is with this player, he sucks) over two important matches. They have failed in a previous attempt and have failed again. I respect their efforts and bringing the team to new ranking and Nations League but it's time to move on.
Neither keeper is showing satiability. This can worry a backline. Kouleirakis is very good but not a big presence CB in the backline, our big CB Mavropanos starts at West Ham. He's good but not world class. You can see how we concede on set piece. Both wing backs are being changed each match and are decent but again not exactly world class.
The most worrying thing is there is no true CM in the team. They go to Bakasetas but he is clearly limited and fading and they don't trust Delias and he is not exactly an imposing figure or top class.
This World Cup run has exposed just how far away we are some exciting young talent aside.
Its so frustrating that we have all this talent and its wasted for what to keep playing Kourbelis a guy who plays in the Saudi League and his never really done much for the NT. Also Masouras should not be on the team anymore he cant convert golden chances as we saw in Scotland. Bakasetas cant be a part of the team going forward he has given us some good matches over the last few years but we have better options. Its like the powers that be do not want us to qualify for a major tournament. The most talented roster in a relatively easy group and we are already eliminated with 2 match days remaining! SHAME!! It was a dream draw to get Denmark from pot 1 instead of Portugal and Scotland who are now where near us in talent. Last Euro draw we competed until the last match day in a group with France and Holland were Greece got a draw vs France!! This will go down as one of the biggest disasters ever! Looking around the other groups fing Kosovo, Albania, Skopia are all in a playoff spots at the moment. We may (hopefully not) see these teams at the world cup along with other world beaters like canada, USA, Uzbekistan and might Surinam. What f***ing joke. There needs to be MAJOR changes or the same thing will keep happening!!
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What a disgusting f***ing match! Greece were given a f***ing dream draw and our campaign is toast just pathetic mistakes in the last 3 matches from goal keeper, defenders and midfielders. The coach who I personally like has to resign. His starting lineups and tactics were a disaster. It is unacceptable not for Denmark but for Scotland to have 10pts and Greece 3 points! Greece have the most talent ever in attack for sure but we got way closer to qualifying for the 2018 World Cup (playoffs) with Tziolis and other much less talented players that many of us here criticized at length.
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12 minutes ago, J1078 said:
I would replace Bakestas with Konstantelias and Kourbelis who has no business playing in this game with Mouzakitis.
Thank YOU!!
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1 hour ago, Brklyngrk said:
Looking at the stats of that game, it's pretty even!!
In fact, Belarus has more shots on goal than Scotland!
Scotland are total s%$#!
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Crappy Scotland sneaks out a 2-1 win over Belarus. Watched the game Belarus had a goal overturned for a questionable foul on the buildup on McTominay, at the time it would have made the score 1-1, total BS. For us to lose to a poor Scottish side and after leading the match is unforgiveable.
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On 10/10/2025 at 1:06 AM, Dean97 said:
I don't think we should fully blame the coach. This team is mostly made up of youngsters, and they're the future – and the future looks bright. I really think Kourbelis is the weak link in this team. He's declined a lot, and Masouras is slowly declining as well. We used to have a great defense and a captain with loads of experience at the top level. We're missing those aspects. The coach has a ceiling, but isn't totally to blame. The only thing to blame is the selection of Kourbelis. I'm not singling him out – he's been okay in the past, but nothing more. This is a wake-up call for the Greek league. There needs to be a rule in place regarding the number of foreigners being signed. All teams, except Olympiakos, need to start integrating young Greeks with talent. It would benefit their clubs financially and help the national team in the long run.
I still think we should've started the same team that beat Scotland in the Nations League. Out with the players who are 30 years old, and use the team that beat Scotland as the starting 11 going forward. Then, tinker when things need to be tinkered with. I'm disappointed that this could mean we miss another major tournament. If Scotland somehow miraculously draws against Belarus, there's still a chance – that is, if we win our remaining three games.
Good points I am not putting all the blame on the coach as we have defensive issues in the old days under Rehagel and Santos and with the backs we had Greece would never lose that match. Our defending has been questionable to say the least but we have Kourbelis vs Denmark dribbling near our box and giving away the ball that leads to a goal. Then he gets the start again in Scotland? Why? what has he done for Greece? I remember him giving away a needless penalty in Finland in 2020 European qualifier and that cost us the match. How is he being selected when he plays in the Saudi league? It makes no sense and I am a PAO fan..
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Its still crazy that Greece can actually top the group. We should have won that match vs Scotland and we would have been in a great position to get 2nd place at the very least, total domination and we get nothing from it. Who knows if Jovanovich gets the lineup right and we defend like Greek teams of old then we can win this match. If Greece can win in England they can win here. Our problem is we are giving up way to many silly goals. Scotland had no chances in open play there goals came of set pieces and our defense could not clear our lines. The third goal was a stupid mistake from Tzolakis two in the last two matches. No Tzolakis for this match and no Kourbelis and no Masouras very simple!
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2 minutes ago, HellasLEAF said:
It sounds sad to think it's come to this but if somehow they beat Denmark they still have a chance at 2nd but must run the table and still need a result.
We managed to f up they greatest draw in years! Jovanovich who I really like has managed to mess up the last two matches.
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2 minutes ago, Greekoz said:
That went out the window with the 3-0 loss in Athens to England.
I just heard on sport fm that since England will qualify it goes to the team with the higher FIFA ranking another thing that screws us!
NT Coaches
in Greek National Teams
Posted
Yes in the NL we looked very good winning in England too and keeping clean sheets vs Ireland and Finland. Greece got 15pts in any other group in League B we top it easily, if only we could have lost to England by a 1 nil in Athens we would have a playoff spot now. The Denmark match ruined the team especially with all the defensive and goal keeping blunders.