GREECE - S. Korea

[HellasHab]

Everything about this game is the fault of Otto. He sets the tactics (negative) and he decides the players and their positions.

How can he not put Ninis on after witnessing the first half display.

I have not even seen him get off his backside and shout at the players or anything.

Teams reflect their manager

The above post pretty much sums up my feelings about this team and the idiot in charge. WTF were EPO thinking re-signing this clown, he can't coach himself out of a paper bag- a one trick pony is all the stupid Germano is and now his bag of tricks is empty. You had a bunch of floaters out there, running around like chickens with there head cut off who couldn't even string together two passes- Disgraceful!! :tdown:

Can he be relieved and have Fyssas come down for the final 2 games.

I second this notion, this is the only way to salvage something from this tournament and the only way these clowns will leave with some of their dignity intact. Unfortunately EPO doesn't have the b@lls to do it! We need someone who can formulate a strategy and get these guys working together as a team AND someone who will put the right players on the field (not just his favourites) and use players to their full potential. As has been pointed out in this thread, it appears several players are not playing in their regular positions or the positions where they would be most effective- why?! :blink:

Seeing as how the odds of advancing are pretty much nil, I say go full tilt and field a lineup full of youngsters and leave the vets on the bench. Based on today's performance, you have nothing to lose and maybe they will surprise and play better then the starting 11 from today's match.

[OriginalAEK]

It's a real shame what happened today. But why are we all surprised at the lack of understanding among the coaching staff (mainly Otto)? His decisions have been sub par. The best Otto can do is let the players decide the line up. I didn't see a lack of passion with some players. It would be a shame if Karagounis, Katsoranis, Vytra, Charisteas and Seitaridis all played again. Wholesale changes need to be made. Otto needs to get his head out of his German ass and realize that this isn't Euro 04. WE ARE 6 YEARS ON! I hope we show some passion and at least score. Unfortunatly after watching Nigeria and Argentina today, our world cup is over.

[OFI-mtl]

Tsiartas hitting Dellas with a laserbeam vs the Czechs is more of a GREEK MYTH now than anything...with every second Otto imposes his will on our Etthniki...we are going backwards by leaps and bounds.

Players ripping each other on the pitch,shoulder and faces slumped to the floor. This morning our team did not even attempt to face adversity head on...they lowered their collective heads and took it on the chin.

Yeah the last 20 we had the proverbial chances...my ass ,we cannot string any sort of attack this game was beyond embarrassing...more so than in 94.

In 94 we were playing Argentina the bully of the group...here today Otto had..since those balls in the bowls were picked to prepare for South Korea...tell the boys we will take those 3 points and set a tempo for ourselves. I am still waiting for the Otto quote to come " what do you expect we are not brazil."

I believe this group of so called leaders Karagounis,Charisteas,Katsouranis (they all sheared the band ) should all be ridiculed and picked apart by Greek Radio Tv and Paper. Put there pictures up and then put pictures of Zagorakis,Dellas,and Kapsis. The 23 and coaching staff should be ashamed of their performance....like they took the kudos in 04 step up like the magakia they are and take the heat....unless they want to play next game. From what I see of this gang of tsoliades their tails are already between their foustaneles.

Put in the kids and let them spill blood on the pitch..that is defeat I can enjoy :gr:

[Clover22]

I'm really sick of this pathetic sh it; you're in the WORLD CUP and representing your country. WAKE UP and send the @@@@ HOME!

[Genome]

I'm really sick of this pathetic sh it; you're in the WORLD CUP and representing your country. WAKE UP and send the Nazi HOME!

Ela re file clover, siga ... oxi kai nazi ... :nono:

But I do agree with you ... I'll be forever grateful for 2004, but that does not give him the right to continuously keep f***ing up our team, reputation, youth etc ...

[plato-ny]

WC 2010 = Euro 2008 = Confederations Cup 2005 = WC 1994 = Euro 1980

Except for Euro 2004, Greece will once again be a whipping boy for other teams in their division. Otto's tactics have been good enough to qualify for tournaments (Euro 2004, Euro 2008, WC 2010, the last 2 being easy qualification) but, since Euro 2004, those tactics havent done squat in tournaments.

Otto has EPO under his thumb, and so long as he wants to coach, EPO will not let him go because they feel that if they do, then Greece wont qualify for any tournament for a long time because they know that Greece is not producing players and that defensive tactics are the only possible way to compete.

As for EPO, they are content with qualifying than in actually performing in a tournament and dont care that others are laughing at Greece.

[Clover22]

Well...as you can see Iam quite angry and disgusted over this. Someone started a thread at greeksoccer stating that the starting line up and subs are so bad, so ridiculous, that its actually suspicious. And I have to say he's not the only one who's said that. There's certainly corruption in Greece so who knows, anything is possible but I think they really should investigate! I mean, why would they keep renewing his contract year after year?

The best thing the team can do now is to take matters into their own hands: YES, tell Otto to get on the next plane back to Germany and piss off once and for all. NOW. The team would seriously function better without him, and they would have a chance against Nigeria next Thursday!

[HOLLYWOOD]

One commentator in Australia summed it up in regards to Greece’s performance:

“I can understand and accept Greece’s tactics of playing defensive football against superior teams such as your Brazil, Argentina & England for example but I cannot understand playing the same tactic against a team you should really put at least 2 goals passed them; its mind boggling”

“What makes it even worse is that Otto the coach hasn’t given the order to start attacking after they went 1-0 down; it’s almost as if the team doesn’t have a Plan B and you can really see it in there performance they looked lost out there every time they got the ball (they didn’t know what to do with it)

“The big difference between south Korea and Greece tonight was that South Korea went out to win the match where as Greece went out not to lose the match”

:tdown: :tdown: :tdown:

[Clover22]

There ARE fans out there in S. Africa; they can be pro-active and do something instead of going out, getting drunk and complaining like a bunch of stupid idiots. ORGANIZE and go to their hotel, AS SHOLES!

[Dava-G]

I think Otto made mistakes today, tho I am partially OK with the strategy he was trying to use with Koreans...

My beef is with the players themselves. Poor performance... Need I say, p*ssies!!! No ball control, no desire, not even trying!!!

Karagounis - was he even in the game?

Katsouranis - other than telling people what do on the pitch, what did he do?

Those are out "leaders" and they horrible.

I am waiting for the players to say that they are "tired" after the long season and have no energy left for the WC.

For those that say that Otto has not prepared these guys mentally play, I say that its a load of BS!!! As a player, if you NEED a coach to psycologically prepare you to represent your country in the WC, then you should not be a footballer. period.

I have no problem if Greece loses every game in the WC. I have no problem if we never score at the WC. I have no problem if we play with poor tactics. But I want the players to BUST THEIR COLLECTIVE ASSES and show their country that THEY WANT to win!

I saw so very little today that my stomach was upset for the rest of the day.

Lazy POS!!!

[warzycha]

Hello everyone

With a feeling of optimism I got up and watched the game feeling that Korea were a good team but we had the goods to pick at least a draw or a win.

There were a number of issues. This was the game that Greece had to win...full stop. For me it was like waking up from a nightmare in seeing 1994 and the children were doing exactly the same.

To me where we lost the game was not in attack or defense..we had nothing in the middle of the two. The defence did not know whether they were coming or going as ther was nothing in between.

The tactics I thought were poor. Lets start with Tsorvas. He needed to take that ball but he was standing on the line like a defender who could not use his hands. But he did make some other fine stops. The right/left backs should be Vintra and Spiropoulos. We needed penetration down the flanks. I thought the best Korean player was their right back Duri who made massive in roads into attack.

The central defenders need to be Kirgiakos and Papastathopoulos. I think the reason why Katsouranis was ineffective was he was not given a clear role. Once sweeper then main central midfielder. To me we kept Karagounis on the left but he needed to be central to dictate the play. The strikers, if you are going to play Haristeas he is not a right bac or winger. He needs to be in the middle with his height. Gekas played well in last 20 minutes.

Greece did not deserve to win after this performance but to me the team lacked creativity and direction.

The whole mentality has to change against Nigeria and the team tactics must be to attack. We have to beat Nigeria now to have any chance and I think this could be a really good game as both teams have lost.

So my team would be

Tsorvas

Patsatzoglou Kirgiakos Papastathopoulos Spiropoulos

Katsouranis

Ninis Salpingidis

Karagounis

Gekas Haristeas/Samaras

[HellasHab]

As for EPO, they are content with qualifying than in actually performing in a tournament and dont care that others are laughing at Greece.

If this is true (and I wouldn't doubt it seeing how rampant corruption is in Greece) then they have just lost my support. Why waste your time cheering for a team that is built to fail?!

Someone started a thread at greeksoccer stating that the starting line up and subs are so bad, so ridiculous, that its actually suspicious. And I have to say he's not the only one who's said that. There's certainly corruption in Greece so who knows, anything is possible but I think they really should investigate!

Right now I will believe just about anything :P I mean come on- who in their right mind would come into a World Cup and field a team like the one we saw today on the pitch- disorganized, confused, no direction and of course some infighting amongst players to top it off.

Its looks like 1994 redux- 3 up, 3 down is what I see which is sad and a disgrace! They don't appear to have any intention of actually competing, which is what happened in '94. They showed up, sucked big time on the field and probably had a good time off the field. At the end of the day, they all get paid so what the heck do they care, its us fans who are getting ripped off by wasting our time cheering for these losers :tdown:

[Olympiakara10]

Malakes oloi - Otto, I should've seen this coming you F***er. I woke up for this anti-futball bullshit...Ante xese mas m#$%!..esei kai o Charisteas, Seirtaridis, Karagounis, Tziolis, Vyntra, Avraam, Kapetanos, Patsa, kai olous tous malakes pou eitheles na valeis simere re kologero!

Hopefully Alefantos comments on this so I can enjoy another laugh. We need an Alefantos-Charisteas rematch.

He was right of course. Especially about Mitroglou!

Greece is not a defensive team. We have good defenders but we have a one-dimensional coach. It worked in 2004 when nobody saw us coming but people know our game already. They know how we play. Our coach cannot make adjustments and it shows now. We have no offensive game plan. Absolutely none. Just long balls all game and hoping for a miracle goal. And the players chosen were pitiful. He's 71 years old. I think he is just in advanced stages of dementia or a one hit wonder coach.

Charisteas, Tziolis, VYNTRA, Avraam Papadopoulos were all garbage. Katsouranis lives off his past name meanwhile my grandma shows more passion for her country than he does. He's a piece of s%$#!. Seirtaridis is useless and doesn't even play for Panathinaikos in Greece. Then the subs were real doozies. Patsatzoglou for Karagounis! Yeah, put in a defender/defensive mid when we're down 1-0 and need some creativity. Not Ninis, but Patsa. Nice. Then Kapetanos was another amazing ###### sub. Some scrub who plays in the Romanian leagues get the opportunity to play.

Listen, I don't think Greece is some amazing team. They're average. but they're style of play is a loser mentality. They go into the game scared and with no confidence in themselves at all. The coach hammers into their heads that they are best off playing that ugly defensive style and hoping for long balls to get through and get a lucky goal. Otto Rehhagel cannot make and has not made any adjustments to the team since Euro 2004. Same old style of play that everyone knows by now. How can we win like this? It's not about losing. I don't care if we lose but play with pride, passion and at least look like we belong on the field. But to play like this? Learning nothing from 2004? Same shitty tactics? Unacceptable. Greek football took 5 steps back since Euro 2004 and it is primarily the coach's fault.

[PAO_OR_DEATH]

im just beyond pissed off here.....

[PAO_OR_DEATH]

ok ok, actually i will say this, please keep an open mind here....

we were given a gift from God, we won euro 2004, we had a great team and good tactics, BUT OTTO has desecrated that gift....any fan knows that greece could feild a competitive team for e08 and wc10, we may not win it but fudge we could actually progress far into the tournaments, we have good players and out youth are doing well.

fans in sa should storm the hotel, OR just simply flare the s%$#! out of the field so greece gets disqualified or fined.....im so mad at epo for continuing this clown's circus, NOW ALL WE WILL DO IS REMEMBER HOW OTTO REHAGEL SCREWED US AND HIS REPUTATION....

i will watch the other games but all i hope for is A GOAL.....just one ###### goal.....(maybe a tzorvas header in the 98' hahahahahahahhahaahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaahah)

[mangas21]

everyone, did anybody really expect that this team as currently composed would make ANY noise? dont confuse subjective hope with objective realism.....ive learned not to expect anything from greek national team....u cant expect a donkeyto win the kentucky derby.....

yes, i was up with the kids, teh facepaint, etc etc....rooting - but please we are sssssssssooooo inept, and its soooo obvious....

i blame otto - he has taken the confidence away form this team and why in the hell he continues to play haristeas/katsourani/seit/and the biggst m#$%! of all avraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmm etcetc is beyond me...he has kyriakos/spiropoulos/nins etc on the bench !!!!!!!!! the whole game !!!!!!!!!

i just dont get it...........he has driven the the team into the goround with his stubborn, unrelenting adherence to a style that everyone figured out a long time ago....

i just don't get it

[thrylos]

I expected Greece to finish second behind Argentina...

I did not expect the lineup that was presented to us.

[Hellene]

http://www.contra.gr/pressroom.html

Greek media sums up situation...

This is serious, its pathetic...the people running and playing for Greece are committing treason...

I for one succumbed to the old, "well if you know better, why arent the coach"

so i shut my mouth and hoped for the best...

no more hiding....

the momeny players such as mitroglou were left out the squad for the old fuks who ran out last night....give me strength....

i saw thay youtube video posted above some weeks ago, he is correct!

no ninis, papastathop or kyrgiakos.....WTF?

enough is enough

[thrylos]

no ninis, papastathop or kyrgiakos.....WTF?

I'm ok with ninis not starting. That is subjective in my opinion. What is fairly objective is that Kyrgiakos and Papastathopoulos should have been in the lineup (or at least most people I spoke to seemed to be clear on that)

Again,

Does anyone know why those 2 were left off?

[Genome]

I say contact whomever you know in South Africa and make them go to the hotel to protest ... Something needs to be done in the next four days or we'll be the shame of the football world once again!

EPO has seriously lost it for keeping on Otto. So what that we qualified!? WE NEED TO QUALIFY AAAAAAAND HAVE A DECENT SHOWING!

Boy are we in for a treat against Nigeria... we already lost every aerial battle vs the South Koreans ...

Alla den mpeirazei ... "tha tous fame olous" ... :tdown:

[Omonoia9]

All my American friends were laughing at me today. My thoughts. Tzorvas is absolutely the right keeper for us. This would've been a lot worse without him. Karagounis didn't play one good ball today. We have to try something else there. BENCH. VYNTRA. NOW! Kyrgiakos should start, and Avraam probably shouldn't be in there either after he missed his coverage on the first South Korean goal. I saw Nigeria today, and they will beat us, too unless we play a lot better. We have changes to make, and if Otto won't make 'em, then EPO should make a change of their own. The manager.

:gr: :gr:

[PAO_OR_DEATH]

good idea bout the protesting, let all yarpie greeks know they can make a difference!!!!!!!

[OriginalAEK]

Malakes oloi - Otto, I should've seen this coming you F***er. I woke up for this anti-futball bullshit...Ante xese mas m#$%!..esei kai o Charisteas, Seirtaridis, Karagounis, Tziolis, Vyntra, Avraam, Kapetanos, Patsa, kai olous tous malakes pou eitheles na valeis simere re kologero!

Hopefully Alefantos comments on this so I can enjoy another laugh. We need an Alefantos-Charisteas rematch.

He was right of course. Especially about Mitroglou!

Greece is not a defensive team. We have good defenders but we have a one-dimensional coach. It worked in 2004 when nobody saw us coming but people know our game already. They know how we play. Our coach cannot make adjustments and it shows now. We have no offensive game plan. Absolutely none. Just long balls all game and hoping for a miracle goal. And the players chosen were pitiful. He's 71 years old. I think he is just in advanced stages of dementia or a one hit wonder coach.

Charisteas, Tziolis, VYNTRA, Avraam Papadopoulos were all garbage. Katsouranis lives off his past name meanwhile my grandma shows more passion for her country than he does. He's a piece of s%$#!. Seirtaridis is useless and doesn't even play for Panathinaikos in Greece. Then the subs were real doozies. Patsatzoglou for Karagounis! Yeah, put in a defender/defensive mid when we're down 1-0 and need some creativity. Not Ninis, but Patsa. Nice. Then Kapetanos was another amazing ###### sub. Some scrub who plays in the Romanian leagues get the opportunity to play.

Listen, I don't think Greece is some amazing team. They're average. but they're style of play is a loser mentality. They go into the game scared and with no confidence in themselves at all. The coach hammers into their heads that they are best off playing that ugly defensive style and hoping for long balls to get through and get a lucky goal. Otto Rehhagel cannot make and has not made any adjustments to the team since Euro 2004. Same old style of play that everyone knows by now. How can we win like this? It's not about losing. I don't care if we lose but play with pride, passion and at least look like we belong on the field. But to play like this? Learning nothing from 2004? Same shitty tactics? Unacceptable. Greek football took 5 steps back since Euro 2004 and it is primarily the coach's fault.

That was brilliant! How right was he about all he said. Great stuff......why can't he be the manager?

[athinaios]

Let's be realistic now. GR has 2 very difficult matches ahead with Nigeria and Argentina. The players won't change (those who are in SA), but the lineup should. Otto's staff should tell him to sit back and enjoy his last 2 games on the team and that they (or the players) should decide the lineup.

Protests and fights ontop of the deserved criticism won't do any good today.... wait after the last game.

This GR teams needs serious work. The best solution for the two remaining games would be to have players IN their right position and maybe 3-5 new faces. Vyntra, for example, could play on the right back with Kyriakos as CB. Bring in Ninis, take out Katsou, Haristea, Samaras (?), Patsa, Kapet, etc, etc..

One thing has been obvious in the last many games: this team plays like a collection of players at a pickup game. It's painful to watch. If you aren't Greek, you wouldn't want to watch this team. Am I wrong?

I watched again much of the game against S.Korea... Painful. This was constant:

1. No support. A GR player has the ball but no where to give it. Freeze the frames and see that most times a GR player has no options. This shows lack of fundamentals and players out of position.

2. Long, high balls. Many even without any target up front. Just kick the ball into the other team's territory. This is amaturish.

3. No good communication among the players. This is basic and one thing the team can easily implement... Don't they speak the same language???!!

4. Players (like Kara, Samaras, etc who have to come too far back to get the ball) can't be productive. Same with Vyntra who is the most pressure-sensitive player and was told to hold the center in the WC opener. Not good.

Otto does not follow GR domestic football. Half of the players he's called to the NT shouldn't be there, while others should.

It's not that GR loses, but how it does. The Euro 2008 was an obvious (for those who want to see) proof that Otto should have been replaced.

The good thing about the next 2 games is that we won't have to be anxious or nervous or even too distraught about the eventual outcome.

[thrylos]

Hey folks,

In terms of protests that would be the worse thing ever. You know it would get ugly. Why don't people contact the MLA's; send in letters; contact the media before protests and fighting and riots kick in?

:nono:

:nono:

:nono:

:nono:

:nono: