Cup-Final: PAOK - OFI (25.04.26, 20:30 EEST)

[Dutch Eagle]

100 years and we have nothing......

[Blackhawk]

What a disaster if a season.

[Blackhawk]

Big changes need to happen at the club.

[Blackhawk]

Congratulatins to OFI. Well deserved.

[Blackhawk]

I think it's time for Lucescu to go. Thank you for your services, but it's time for a fresh start.

[Dutch Eagle]

And with this bad result and season we need to start in freaking Q2 of EL in case we manage to keep above Panathinaïkos. Otherwise it is Q2 of CoL. 

[PaokCT]

25 minutes ago, Blackhawk said:

I think it's time for Lucescu to go. Thank you for your services, but it's time for a fresh start.

I said it 2 years ago

[Bananas]

Congratulations to OFI.  It is refreshing to see a team other than the big 4 win the cup (even though I say it with a sad heart).  And good luck to them in Europe.

As for us, it's all gone off the rails since our EL campaign ended.  Injuries, lack of form.  The team just isn't clicking and has dropped multiple gears.  It's a shame not only because of the 100 years but also because a couple of months ago when the team was doing well, I really believed we were the best team in the league when at our best.  I really thought after our EL campaign ended that the players would have time to refresh and would be firing for the play offs.  Alas, not to be.

The club has to now sit back and work out what's gone wrong.

[paokarag4]

13 hours ago, PaokCT said:

I said it 2 years ago

After we won the league? Your hatred of the man has no limits. 

Season has been a failure unfortunately, and Lucescescu made mistakes with regard to the starting 11. Our midfield (Meite and Ozdoev) were non-existent defensively, OFI consistently got between our lines and were able to turn and face their attacking goal. Taison has always been a liability defensively, OFI attacked our left side with that knowledge and constantly had 2 v 1s on that side of the pitch. 

If OFI had played out the game instead of going into that hideous "game management" I genuinely believe they would've won 1-3. Instead they turned it into a grudge match and that fired our boys up enough to equalise. 

The penalty is unlucky, the corner should never have been conceded and then Chatisids' inexperience sees him leave his arm dangling. Regardless we didn't deserve to win the Cup and if we had it would have been a case of us stealing it rather than winning it. 

Questions and pressure will be mounted on Lucescu and so it should be, this season which had so much promise just 2 months ago has fizzled out in the most disappointing fashion. That is something for the board and Savvidis to discuss in the summer, for now we have to attack the last 4 games. I am more worried about holding off Panathinaikos and sewing up 3rd spot than I am thinking about catching Olympiacos and coming 2nd. 

The anti-Savvidis crew is now out in force too following the result. It is going to be a rough week for everyone involved with the club. I do not envy any of them. 

 

Edited yesterday at 10:47 AM by paokarag4

[Dutch Eagle]

I think (after some sleepless hours) our 3rd spot is safe.

Panathinaïkos won't be a threat as AEX plays them twice the next matchdays and the chanoumises can not afford to lose points in their quest for the title.

I don't see us take #2 either though. 

[PaokCT]

7 hours ago, paokarag4 said:

After we won the league? Your hatred of the man has no limits. 

Season has been a failure unfortunately, and Lucescescu made mistakes with regard to the starting 11. Our midfield (Meite and Ozdoev) were non-existent defensively, OFI consistently got between our lines and were able to turn and face their attacking goal. Taison has always been a liability defensively, OFI attacked our left side with that knowledge and constantly had 2 v 1s on that side of the pitch. 

If OFI had played out the game instead of going into that hideous "game management" I genuinely believe they would've won 1-3. Instead they turned it into a grudge match and that fired our boys up enough to equalise. 

The penalty is unlucky, the corner should never have been conceded and then Chatisids' inexperience sees him leave his arm dangling. Regardless we didn't deserve to win the Cup and if we had it would have been a case of us stealing it rather than winning it. 

Questions and pressure will be mounted on Lucescu and so it should be, this season which had so much promise just 2 months ago has fizzled out in the most disappointing fashion. That is something for the board and Savvidis to discuss in the summer, for now we have to attack the last 4 games. I am more worried about holding off Panathinaikos and sewing up 3rd spot than I am thinking about catching Olympiacos and coming 2nd. 

The anti-Savvidis crew is now out in force too following the result. It is going to be a rough week for everyone involved with the club. I do not envy any of them. 

 

When we won the league, the whole Greek league was down. Now look at what’s happened as other teams continue to grow and we stagnate with our 35 year olds and horrible style of play. We have underachieved big time not just this year but last 2 seasons. We went for it this year by spending big on Sanchez, Zafeiris, keeping Delias and got taken to the woodshed. Put away the results, how many games can you say we actually looked good. The one game vs Oly I can remember. But so many wins / ties we had we played ugly soccer. I am over the Lucescu experience. Thank you but we need a refresher 

[Bananas]

Stats can be misleading when you don't have enough data, but over a season stats don't lie.  We haven't had a problem scoring goals.  We have a problem conceding.  If I can see it, that should be obvious to the team (you'd think).  Hopefully we strengthen the backline and DM positions.  A lot of of our early season success was on the back of solid games by Meite but you can't rely on one player being fit and in form all the time.

Work also needs to be done up front.  Zivkovic being out has been a problem.  His usual replacement Despotov hasn't worked out (injuries and form).  Now there is the question of Giakoumakis.  Keep?  Look for someone else?  Again the same question of relying on one player to be fit and in form all season.  Jeremejeff is not a striker to rely on - he's a throw him off the bench if you need a goal kind of player.

[paokarag4]

3 hours ago, PaokCT said:

When we won the league, the whole Greek league was down. Now look at what’s happened as other teams continue to grow and we stagnate with our 35 year olds and horrible style of play. We have underachieved big time not just this year but last 2 seasons. We went for it this year by spending big on Sanchez, Zafeiris, keeping Delias and got taken to the woodshed. Put away the results, how many games can you say we actually looked good. The one game vs Oly I can remember. But so many wins / ties we had we played ugly soccer. I am over the Lucescu experience. Thank you but we need a refresher 

Really? Up until Feburary, we were absolutely playing the best and most attractive football in the league. Then injuries took hold and we have fallen apart since.

Strongly disagree with that point as I do with saying the league was "down" in 2024. Olympiacos won a European title that season. We only just pipped AEK to win the title. Saying it was down is simply untrue and inidcates you either drink too much (likely) or are just desperate to justify your point (less likely but still plausible.)  

Not wanting Lucescu is fair enough, it is okay to not like him for whatever reason, but claiming we played ugly football all season is not true. We were lauded across the league for playing attractive football, we scored brilliant goals, were top of the table and were drawing comparisons to the great team of the 70's. 

Let me finish by saying, I don't think Lucescu should be guaranteed to coach next season. There clearly needs to be a review and assessment conducted. The jungle drums are rumbling and pressure mounting more than ever from fans and media alike. There comes a point when it is better to just shake hands and move on.