Paok FC Head Coach (Alessio Lisci)

[pash]

Another rejection, coming in the same order in which the rumors started. Interesting. I don't think we usually see this.

https://inpaok.com/861935/edose-neo-akyro-o-loutseskou/

[pash]

COMIN' IN HAWT:

https://inpaok.com/862076/kineitai-epithetika-gia-loutseskou-i-al-chilal/

Then:

https://inpaok.com/862073/i-al-chilal-thelei-ton-loutseskou-kai-prosferei-mythiko-symvolaio/

 

Why would he move if he's getting paid the same amount? I'd think he'd take a pay cut to go to a better league, but I don't see a ton of appeal here, apart from maybe his past association with the kingdom.

[pash]

Most sites seem to still be saying Lucescu will stay, but it seems there was a link building with Albert Riera, who coaches in Slovenia. I don't know much about the guy apart from generally remembering that he played for Liverpool, but I'm guessing the genesis of these links is that he was with Olympiakos for a while (and so presumably knows Greece).

https://www.sdna.gr/podosfairo/1312922_ti-anaferoyn-sti-slobenia-o-paok-i-tselie-kai-tilefonima-gia-ton-riera

[pash]

And now today plenty of articles saying Lucescu had a fiery disagreement with Savvidis in their meeting. Guess we will have a full summer of "will-they, won't-they" coming up.

Taison and Schwab's futures rely on this outcome!

[Blackhawk]

And none of these articles contain any actual information on what is going on. It's all speculation and guesses and that's what makes the PAOK World turn around every Summer.

[pash]

Yeah. These are the same sources that reported a week ago that this same meeting was very good and they came to an agreement on what next steps were, and Lucescu provided his asks for new players. This is quite the about-face, if true. Like if you "knew" that had happened, why would you now claim something completely different happened? Ohhh yeah the clicks. Forgot about those.

[Blackhawk]

I was listening to some of the "sources" on radio today, and they are now claiming that the first meeting went very well and they were in agreement on the plans for next season. Apparently the big shouting match happened last Thursday during the second meeting, where Lucescu was criticized by Savvidis concerning the dismal results of last season. They claim that Lucescu was offended and all talks were frozen and the team is in a waiting mode until the coaching issue is resolved. At the end the same "sources" predict that Lucescu's fate is 50/50, so at the end they can claim that either way they predicted the outcome.

[paokarag4]

Looks like Lucescu will remain and preparations for the next season will swing into action. I hope the whole club is united and in agreement on this, the last thing we want is at the first hurdle for the board, Lucescu and Savvidis to spiral and we are left without a manager in the early part of the season. 

I think it is the right move, although I am a self-confessed Lucescu lover. If the board and higher ups (Savvidis' boys) have moved past whatever has happened then I think he is the best manager who gives a shot of competing for the title next season and having a decent run in Europe. 

Now for the love of God unlike last summer, bring the man the players he wants and don't deals fall over for the sake of saving $100-200k!

Edited May 26, 2025 by paokarag4

[pash]

Lucescu's willingness to torpedo his entire season because he doesn't get a few average-quality players he has a crush on will be studied for decades.

[pash]

Mircea Lucescu has passesd:

 

[Dutch Eagle]

11 minutes ago, pash said:

Mircea Lucescu has passesd:

 

What a legend.

And it is just beyond comprehension he coached the Romania national team on March 26th.

R.I.P.

[paokarag4]

Looks like Lucescu's time with us is coming to an end, has been mooted for almost a month now. 

I think the writing has been on the wall for awhile. The Cup final loss was hard to stomach and the implosion against Panathinaikos which cost us place in Champions League qualifying no doubt sealed his fate. 

Although it's ending, he still leaves as PAOK's most successful coach ever and no doubt our most decorated. I have little doubt that he will return one day down the road, to steady the ship! 

Thanks for everything Razvan, you made us champions and returned us to the summit of Greek football!

 

https://www.sport24.gr/football/paok-xekatharizei-oristika-to-thema-loutseskou-ola-deixnoun-diazigio-me-ton-roumano-texniko/

 

[PaokCT]

BYE

[Blackhawk]

I think this was the right move, but poorly executed. The coaching situation should have been resolved right after the game with Panathinaikos. This leads me to believe that they really had no concrete plan after the season ended. Once again we are scrambling get things together at the last possible moment. I am really curious if we will have a coach next Monday, when the training season starts.

[pash]

I'm not really upset about Lucescu leaving; the thing with his style is that he seems best at coming in, making a few targeted transfers, and then crushing the league until the wheels fall off. Like our Austrian friend says, he will be back at some point to win another title.

I am wondering if the shakeup throughout the administration was decided upon very late as well - perhaps an impetuous move by Savvidis after he finished stewing on our bad results. Whatever.

Here are some rumored replacements:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZmvbvWsPVA/

(manager profiles for each below)

https://www.transfermarkt.com/marino-pusic/profil/trainer/28942

https://www.transfermarkt.com/luis-castro/profil/trainer/69945

https://www.transfermarkt.com/benat-san-jose/profil/trainer/28835

 

[PAOKSYD]

Ivan has been milking PAOK for some years now. 

 

Razvan & Pourlotiopoulos are or were the onky good things we had.. now razvan is gone wtf 

[paokarag4]

It's worth noting that Lucescu is the only manager under Savvidis to see out a complete 2nd season. There are only 2 other managers who survived the sack in their first season, those 2 being Abel Ferreira and Ivic. Ivic left in the off-season after his first full season in charge and Ferreira lasted until October of his 2nd season. 

The point I'm making is that Lucescu has been the only one to be able to navigate a seemingly volatile Savvidis and his management (sons etc.) 

I will continue to bemoan the fact that the club was so slow in making this decision, we have lost so much time. It remains to be seen if the club has a replacement lined up and ready to go. If they don't, and my feeling is that they don't then we can just add it to the list of incompetencies that management has provided us over the last 2 years since the title winning season. 

Again I am not anti this decision, I am anti how long it has taken to arrive at this decision. 

Edited Tuesday at 12:52 PM by paokarag4

[Blackhawk]

Looks like we are very close to announcing Marino Pušić as the replacement for Razvan Lucescu in the coaching position.

[Blackhawk]

Alessio Lisci is the new coach of PAOK.

[pash]

Lisci, fearless leader!

https://www.transfermarkt.com/alessio-lisci/profil/trainer/87289

Seems to like the 5-3-2. This would, funny enough, probably suit Chalov.

[PaokCT]

72 wins, 71 losses

Team doesn’t score many goals , last time they scored 2+ was March. 
 

5-3-2 means no spot for Delias, Zivkovic. 

[pash]

Delias is gone anyway.

I'm reading that he switches the formation up a bit more than the 5-3-2 on transfermarkt implies. So who knows.

[paokarag4]

Doesn't fill me with a whole lot of confidence, as of yet he hasn't really achieved anything outstanding. Feels like we have scrambled to get someone in as preseason starts in 2 days.

These are the sort of managers though that are willing to come to Greece, unless you really break the bank to sign a manager with European pedigree. 

I hope he goes well and is a success, but the fact that he is seemingly a 2nd choice (all the noise around Pusic clearly we were interested) means once we have a poor run of results and the fans start getting restless, I don't know how long management will be willing to back him in for. 

I am a fan of hiring a younger manager though. I just hope he is ready, because Greek football is a world away from Spanish football. 

[Dutch Eagle]

Don't know him at all. Must give him the benefit of the doubt.

[pash]

I'm definitely going to give him a chance. As our Viennese friend says up above, you only get a few types of managers coming to Greece. This one might end up in the Ferreira mold (but hopefully without getting fired after a meh run).

I will say, his record is not amazing - but it seems that he was hired to keep teams from getting relegated and he apparently succeeded. The questions for me, are:

1. can he cope with playing more games, assuming we make it to Europe and go deep in the cup (which we should)
2. can he cope with the third world nature of Greece
3. can he handle the pressure of not just trying to stay in a league, but win

Two of his prior teams are, on paper, at least as "valuable" as ours. He isn't some second division flunky who has never had some quality to work with. But the mentality and expectations will be much higher. If he does well here, it will open up doors for him in the future.

Also - I was not too pumped about the Pusic rumor, I must say. His record was not exactly fantastic even though he coached arguably the best team in that league, and I was afraid Savvidis would go for another stubborn older dude instead of someone with energy and new ideas.

 

As far as the transfers are concerned...show me a team that is all set before the first training session. The market closes in like two months. They're hiring professionals. Calm down!