Superleague Expands To 18 Clubs

[Irlandos]

Next year's Superleague will be contested by 18 teams!

Only two teams will be relegated this year while four will be promoted from the B' division which this year has 21 teams!

From Sport24 (in Greek)

[Lazarus]

Greek football federation announced Friday a restructuring of the top leagues starting next season with the Super League expanding from 16 to 18 teams. Read more...

 

Every couple of years or so, the Greek league keeps switching things - reshuffling and spinning thing around. Probably so everbody stays perpetually confused.

I don't think it's going to make much of a difference in terms of quality football.

 

And honestly, I don't understand why they keep switching things around every couple of years.

[athinaios]

I generally think 18 teams are better, but this doesn't mean the league will improve. It's a sham and it's been one for decades. Why can't they copy from the US leagues where the governing bodies, mistakes and everything, aren't dominated by 1-2 teams in the league. There is professionalism, standards, stability, and a more attractive product.

 

As for the number of the teams, England has 20, 3 cups, Euro play, national team, etc, and their players can cope. As I said in another thread, in the last 15 years only 1 team (Oly) and occasionally another (usually PAO) competed for the domestic title.  This show how bad things are.

[Kanadezos]

The only negative thing about 18 teams is that for National team players, they would get really tired. Playing the domestic league, Cup, Champion League/Europa and of course for the Ethniki would get the players a bit more tired and with a better chance of injury.

 

England plays way too many games in their season. I mean they play even during holidays. This is why I believe they never can perform well for their national team. Players are not robots they need to rest too.

 

As a fan, 34 games would be better I suppose. But if they do this, will they still have the playoffs for teams in position 2 thru 5? Then they will play another 6 games on top of that all the way thru June, so that is 40 games! I don't like that and I think its quite ridiculous!

 

Just have a baraz 2 knock out games, for example, #2 plays #5 and winner meets #3 vs. #4 winner and thats it.

[Polikastano]

In another thread somebody mentioned they are going back to 16 teams next year???

 

Is this true ?    I hope not , why cant they just leave it at 18.    These guys cant make up their mind

[Dikefale11]

16 teams would be better. Greece does not posses the teams, finances or stadiums to be able to hold a league with 18/20 teams. You will get 12/16 good/decent teams and then the following 4/8 teams will be garbage with poor teams and cornfield stadiums thus providing easy points for the 12/16 good/decent teams.

 

In an ideal world we would have 14 teams with no play-offs but this is Greece  :D

[pash]

Agreed. We have too many village teams. Not a challenge, and it serves to tire out players all the more. It also doesn't help that we have this awful playoff system in place, which tacks on even more at the end.

 

Also does not help that destitute players from shitball teams are more likely to be...financially persuaded to undertake certain actions.

 

16 sounds right, wouldn't complain too much about 14.

[Lamiara ole]

I am a firm believer that they should be 18 teams in the SL.

Major factor should be the size(population/market) of the city that would participate in it!

 

Major cities like: Patra, Larissa, Volos, Lamia, Kalamata, Serres, Kavala should be in the SL!

These cities have the market base and the population to sustain a SL team!

 

Having teams from major cities around Greece should be PRIORITY #1!

Teams that attract 300-500 fans or even 1,000 should not be allowed in the SL!

There has to be a series of factors that would qualify a team to participate in the SL.

[pash]

 

^^Are you guys kidding me....Real professionals train year round in today's world...There's no such thing as to many games.

 

Don't be ridiculous. Fatigue is a real thing, whether you want to admit it or not. It takes no more than watching for six months to see the effect playing has on players. Unfortunately, there's only one team in Greece that can afford to have such depth that this problem is mitigated.

[RED SHERIFF]

I am a firm believer that they should be 18 teams in the SL.

Major factor should be the size(population/market) of the city that would participate in it!

 

Major cities like: Patra, Larissa, Volos, Lamia, Kalamata, Serres, Kavala should be in the SL!

These cities have the market base and the population to sustain a SL team!

 

Having teams from major cities around Greece should be PRIORITY #1!

Teams that attract 300-500 fans or even 1,000 should not be allowed in the SL!

There has to be a series of factors that would qualify a team to participate in the SL.

 

 

 

we cant compromise promotion/relegation on merit...

 

that will back fire in the long term...

 

16 teams...30 rounds is the right number for Greece...

 

remember the cup now has a mini league component  (and two legs in the latter stages)...so we have enough matches in the season...

[Dikefale11]

We need more competitive games....12 teams playing each other 4 times and guaranteeing a Derby match every week.

A derby match every week will take away from the specialty of playing a derby. Just like the play-offs do, come the last "derby" in the play-off there wont be a derby feel to it as the teams have played each other like 4 times already this season.

 

14-16 teams is perfect.

[Lamiara ole]

Edited May 15, 2015 by Lamiara ole

[Original 21]

I'm very surprised about Iraklis and Larissa not getting a lisence. It's time to enforce the license rules, AEK Apollon and Lamia should be promoted and whoever doesn't have a license in super league should be dropped ASAP.

[RED SHERIFF]

Iraklis issue is that 3 years have not passed since the takeover of that Pontian club...apparently it is a prerequisite for SL licence...AEL would be some similar clause...As they were 'wound up; less than 3 years ago??

[Original 21]

That's a rule for Europe not the super league I think.

[RED SHERIFF]

last I read re Iraklis that was what was stated.......However Iraklis will more then likely gain promotion and probably play under the same conditions as PAS and Panionios do...limitations to signings of players over the age of 24 etc...then from their second year in GSL gain unrestricted licence.

[Original 21]

If that were the case then AEK would have the same problem tho because of the bankruptcy, that's why there was uncertainty over us getting a license for Europe. Idk maybe you're right. I still think that Pas giannina and Panionios have been in the super league for the past 4 years with NO license at all, time to drop them to G ethniki.

[Blackhawk]

The 3-year rule does not apply to Superleague/Football League. It appears that AE Pontion Iraklis has not paid off some of his past players. That's probably why they did not get the license. They can appeal, and I expect them to get the license after the appeal.

[Lamiara ole]

Only Hraklis and AO Chania got the license after the appeal!

The rest did not and that is a significant development.

[Blackhawk]

The problem is the teams that don't get a license can still play in Superleague/Football League and collect TV money on top of that. The only punishment is that they are not allowed to make certain player transfers. For example Panionios has been turning in a blank license application for the past 3 years and they are still in the Superleague.

[Lamiara ole]

^ Ola ta parartimata tou gayrou etsi einai!

[Irakleio97]

The Superleague for 2016 is already over. No-one spends any money apart from Gavros  :tdown:

[Akritis_1944]

Asteras' signings so far are better than Gavros by most measures.

[Akritis_1944]

Expensive yes. Asteras has done very well recruiting this pre-season though.

[Irakleio97]

Asteras transfers are ok but not at the same level. Giannou is a nice player, I like him but Giannoulis is a ex-gavros. This post above me is correct, Gavros have a good squad already to win in Greece and have got better because they spend money.
It makes me sad because there is no competition - Panathinaikos president just talks and talks through his newspapers and doesn't spend money, PAOK president doesn't spend money and so they lose to team from Croatia, AEK president is just kleftis (what is the word in english please?).

 

So who is going to win the football - Gavros who spend ?10 million or all others who spend zero?

 

Sorry for my english, I join here to practise and learn during the summer before i go to beach.