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Pao: The Best Greek Team In 2014


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Who could have imagined it before the season began and even in the first round of the league.

 

This case also demonstrates that with the proper internal culture, good fan support, and most importantly cultivating young talent that really wants to give 100% is the best recipe for success. At least in countries like Greece.

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Not bad for a year's worth of games, but I would take PAOK as the best for 2014 with Panathinaikos a close second, with a very strong finish.

Let's not forget that they (PAOK) played decimated against you (key players unjustifiably penalized for previous game against Olympiakos) at the Greek cup final. And on top of that they started the Super League playoffs having a deficit in points.

 

But I agree 100% with your second sentence, that "cultivating young talent that really wants to give 100% is the best recipe for success. At least in countries like Greece."

 

Good luck to your team at next fall's Champions League tournament.

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  • 1 month later...

I still think PAO was the better team.  They got the most points. I'm not saying the first round shouldn't count, but if only the second round counted, PAO would have taken the title. This also shows how the team performed in the agregate, against all the other league teams, plus the cup competition. Against PAOK, I saw PAO as having better quality, much better.

 

One correction: PAO was the best team in the second half of the season (2013-14), not in all 2014, since half of the year is still to unfold.

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  • 9 months later...

PAO has been a very frustrating team to support. This season 2014-2015, PAO has more points than anyone else against the top 6 (or top 5, 4, 3) teams in the league. But, it has dropped many points against the bottom 5 or 6.

 

This is a problem, a huge problem. If you want to be a champion, you must beat the lesser teams. I read a study somewhere that in other leagues, Italy, Spain, England, Germany, etc, those teams at the top do not drop many points against teams at the bottom of the standings!

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When PAO dominates possession-wise these small teams yet somehow amasses more fouls and bookings, one doesn't have to look for too many reasons why the team drops points.. Especially when these same small teams essentially play friendlies vs the reds.. I'm pretty sure that no big team gets more bookings vs a smaller team while dominating play in any other league in Europe..

One thing that would help in this situation is a deeper squad. This would keep players well rested through rotation. Now if only PAO had more money..

Edited by Giourkas
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I agree about the lesser teams not trying hard against the reds, but seriously, I've seen too many PAO games against lesser teams where we dropped points and the reality was: we sucked! Sorry, but when you play against a team about to fall a division and you can't dominate the game, there's no excuse. Of course you may drop a point here and there because the refs aren't playing you fairly, but many of those games we lost or tied were unwatchable, for me at least. Horrible effort by the greens.

 

When PAO goes to the playoffs for 2nd place, wins--which shows that against the top finishers PAO plays well. I guess when it matters, they concentrate and give it all. But a championship is a long road. Consistency matters.

 

I've heard this from many sources: many teams don't try hard against gavroi because they believe that either the ref won't be fair or that gavroi (at least in the many years in the past) they would show up to play a serious game. And, yes, because of all the money gavroi could have had a much better squad than the lesser teams.   On the other hand, PAO was considered fair game by the lesser teams, that they could grab points with relatively little effort due to PAO's inconsistency.

 

This is a problem that the team has to find a solution to. What needs to happen is--at least for home games--that when a mid to low level team shows up in Leoforos they know the result of a game before even the game stars! B)

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I understand what you are trying to say athinaios, but at the same time, one has to acknowledge the fact that the reds and their wealth influence the league more than the average (casual) fan may think. When the gavroi buy 15 talents a year only to immediately send them on loan to the bottom half of the teams in the top flight, one can see how it all becomes a game of "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours". By giving these cash strapped teams free players, the reds help keep these teams alive in the top division. In return these teams play a more lenient game vs the reds. Many times, the loaned out talent doesn't even start vs OFSP. When it comes to game vs us, these very same players not only start, but "kill themselves" to get a goal to impress Oly's top brass.

Teams that don't play ball, usually fall out of favour and find themselves getting relegated. Why is the number of player loans within the same division limited in every other league in Europe? food for thought right?

 

Same goes for the refs. They are part of a system geared to favour one outcome. Guys that were taken off the board by Hugh Dallas a few months ago for "incompetence" where quickly reinstated when the former got sacked/resined (after his assistant's house got firebombed no less). Two of these criminals reffed in our last two losses. Did we play a weak game last game? Certainly, everyone has bad games. But the one before was a travesty when it comes to officiating.

 

Ultimately, PAO needs a strong owner ($$$)  that will protect the team both on (deeper squad) and off the field (shady aspects). We saw what happened in 2010 when Pateras won the double. Melissanidis will bring a stronger AEK back up next year and we should see a much more competitive league..

Edited by Giourkas
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