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Giorgos Samaras ‒ (retired)


slick13

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Am I hating or speaking the truth? We all had a big discussion about whether Celtic wanted him or not. He's warming the bench and they've just bought another striker, knocking him further down the pecking order. He has a chance to move to a respectable Ligue 1 club and instead he prefers to stay at Celtic to collect a bigger pay cheque. Sorry, he deserves to be criticised. The lazy bum can't get into a team no better than Aris but still the dominant team in a ridiculously poor league and he's too lazy to make an impact. He also shows no ambition in leaving the club. His own fans are booing him. Club legends are ridiculing him, yet i'm the bad guy for laughing that he CHOOSES to sit on the bench?

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Am I hating or speaking the truth? We all had a big discussion about whether Celtic wanted him or not. He's warming the bench and they've just bought another striker, knocking him further down the pecking order. He has a chance to move to a respectable Ligue 1 club and instead he prefers to stay at Celtic to collect a bigger pay cheque. Sorry, he deserves to be criticised. The lazy bum can't get into a team no better than Aris but still the dominant team in a ridiculously poor league and he's too lazy to make an impact. He also shows no ambition in leaving the club. His own fans are booing him. Club legends are ridiculing him, yet i'm the bad guy for laughing that he CHOOSES to sit on the bench?

What you posted is fair enough.

I think for anyone to criticise you on your views they are blind to the truth.

Samaras is going to go down as a wasted talent.

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  • 2 weeks later...

What you posted is fair enough.

I think for anyone to criticise you on your views they are blind to the truth.

Samaras is going to go down as a wasted talent.

It's getting worse for him. He should leave and try and rebuild his career. I know he's not keen on Greece or Cyprus so maybe he should go back to Holland, Belgium or Portugal? That sort of level, because at the moment he's becoming a hate figure among his own fans.

The latest incident came as Frank McGarvey, a former Celtic player, branded Samaras a disgrace:

'"This is a game for players who'll roll up their sleeves and get stuck in and Samaras definitely isn't one of those guys: he's in a comfort zone at Parkhead," said McGarvey.

"For Neil's own sake and for the sake of the club, then, he has to drop Samaras. Managers sometimes have a blind spot with certain players and that must be the case here but by continually selecting a player who doesn't score he's only putting unnecessary pressure on himself and the team.

"Scoring every 13 league games isn't good enough for any club in the world, never mind Celtic - it's disgraceful. That isn't a good enough record for a midfield player, never mind a striker. Good strikers should be looking to score in every second game, although you could probably get away with one every three if the team was doing well."

McGarvey added: "He isn't going to change and I don't see any room for improvement there. As soon as I heard the team for Sunday's game at Ibrox I was pessimistic about the outcome because it effectively meant that Gary Hooper was playing up front on his own.

"Nothing really surprises me in football any more but I must admit that I was amazed when the club gave Samaras a new three-year deal.

"Perhaps the most annoying thing about him is that he has good skills. He's strong and he's quick and he's not bad in the air so there's no reason why he shouldn't be scoring a lot more than he does.

"I don't even think that dropping him is a hard decision for Neil Lennon - it should be an easy one. Celtic supporters would rather not have him in the team."'

http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Frank-M...cord.6839301.jp

Before someone jumps up and says "hater", let me assure you, I take no pleasure in this but everything I've ever said about Samaras is being repeated here. He has skills, but is ineffective because he simply doesn't try. You have to understand that mine is not a unique position re: samaras. Pretty much everyone shares this view of him in the UK. If 10 staunch Celtic fans came on these boards tomorrow and you couldn't see any of our screenames you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between us.

Edited by Euro2004
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he's been linked with french, spanish and italian teams recently so the italian and french teams concerned must think he's good enough for that level. if he's so bad one wonders how he's managed to get 48 caps for greece

basinas was a lazy cumbersome sort of player but never got this level of criticism

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he's been linked with french, spanish and italian teams recently so the italian and french teams concerned must think he's good enough for that level. if he's so bad one wonders how he's managed to get 48 caps for greece

basinas was a lazy cumbersome sort of player but never got this level of criticism

Basinas most certainly was NOT lazy! At the end of his career he couldn't run as much, but in his PAO, Mallorca, and Euro 2004 days he ran the soles down off his shoes. As for Samaras I can't believe you're still even defending him. When we first started discussing his ability it was a question of opinion, now the argument is clearly settled. Greece NT fans don't like him, Celtic fans hate him, every manager he has ever had has dropped him, etc.

http://partner-ad.photobucket.com/albums/c...SPL_18_9_11.mp4

Watch Celtic's goals against Rangers in one of the most hatred-filled derbies in world football. Go to 1.40 mins and 2.45 mins and watch Samaras' reaction to the goals. For the first he's near the penalty spot, for the 2nd he's on the edge of the area. He's either too lazy to even celebrate or completely passion-less. Either way it's unacceptable and it reflects his work-rate and performances in games. This is no longer a matter of opinion mate, he's a flop by anyone's standards

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basinas was lazy, he had the appearance of a man that didn't care if his side had won or lost, the games i saw him at mallorca he looked lethargic as though he didn't want the ball, for AEK he couldn't care less, at portsmouth he only had a couple of decent games against lower league sides in the cup and at arles he was pretty much sacked, i never really saw much of him at PAO so i can't comment on the early stages of his career. so like samaras he was also dropped by every manager he played for.

if sammy is so shite why is he always picked for greece?? after all we have salpi vellios gekas mitroglou athanasiadis kapetanos lyberopoulos and even haristeas.

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He was at Mallorca for 2 years, the first year he was voted Mallorca's foreign player of the year or was 2nd in the voting, something like that. His second year his energy levels dropped. At Pompey he was finished, that's like judging Ronaldinho now. In his first year at Mallorca, his entire career at PAO and with Greece up until 2005/06 he was worked very hard and always wanted the ball. You might not have seen much of him at PAO but surely you remember his performances against Arsenal and Fenerbahce where he ran the show? He dominated the likes of Vieira, which is when Harry Redknapp became a huge fan.

Samaras plays for Greece out of necessity. We play 3 up front, none of the strikers you mention can play on the left. Personally I'd give Koutsianikoulis a shot, and I know Irlandos agrees with me, but he had problems with Santos when at PAOK and he wasn't used there so I doubt he'll ever get a real shot with the national team. If Holembas keeps playing the way he did yesterday at left midfield I'd even try him there. Either way, a lack of depth doesn't mean that Samaras is a good player

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my feelings are kind of right in the middle of both of yours. i dont think samaras is a bad player, i actually think he is quite skilled, probably one of the most naturally skilled on the NT. he has other problems that need to be addressed...i think the problems really all relate to his current club situation...

his stay at celtic has been over for quite some time now...no one really wants him there or have really wanted him there since the start...he has always gotten ALOT of slack despite coming to the club at 22-23 with the need for support and development, which both have been stagnent these last couple of years...i remember his first year at celtic and even younger he worked hard..fought for the ball, seemed more focused on the clubs success, he has really fallen out with the club and has developed poor habits and a very poor attitude...in my eyes, his cons are things that can be taught and changed, his pros are thing that cannot be taught..he is lazy and uninspired and doesnt care about his clubs success and has developed these habits and brought them to his national team form as well...he isnt focused, and has no drive or passion...i think these are habits he has created though, that can potentially be broken..

he needs to change clubs and to have a manager that will kick at his ass and get him working for the team...he needs a fresh start at a competitive club..i believe he could play for a mid to upper level team in both italy and france, he has the skill, he just needs to work on his WORK ETHIC. he is 26 now, which is a good age, he is getting to the point tho, where he needs to begin to hit his peak, i think the ONLY way it may possibly happen is if he leaves celtic, even then it may be difficult...he needs a mental electroshock.

basinas was quite lazy at times during his career...on and off during his seasons at pao and after his first season with mallorca basically to the end of his career...he also often played that role on the team...in that position a player may look "lazy" but may be extremely important to the team...pirlo for instance, or even gilberto silva in a different capacity..you rarely see pirlo hustling for the ball, but he is a key resource in every team...i think thats why basina got alot of crap from pao fans, and it wasnt balanced out by natural skill (like pirlo) bc he didnt really have that much of it...i believe he was another player wrongly slated by pao fans, but at times, yes, he definitely was lazy...

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I understand what you're saying re: samaras, but at what point does someone come to the conclusion that, actually he just isn't very good? I mean when he first went to Man City people said "ok he's young, he has a lot to learn". Personally I knew at that point that he might not make it. I wasn't in the group of people that thought he was simply rubbish, and believe me there were many, but I found it unusual that such a young player could be so lazy. I mean if there's one thing that a youngster should have it's hunger! Then Pearce left and Erikssen came in. Erikssen didn't like him so we said "maybe he just needs a mental electroshock". He goes to Celtic, shows some promise, but then goes on a dreadful run. A few people blamed Strachan for dropping him, then Mowberry came in, he dropped him too. Now Lennon, he's dropped him too. Otto dropped him at the major tournaments too. At what point do we draw the line and say he's simply rubbish?

Gentleman the Scottish league is terrible. Celtic got KOd by Sion and Rangers by Maribor. Now I know js1000 will argue that they are on a par with Olympiakos and PAO, personally I don't think they are even close but if they are better than I'm giving them credit for than it actually further adds weight to my argument. This is because that would mean he belongs to a good team in a league that is utterly pathetic. Hearts went out to Tottenham after losing the first leg 5-0, ok fair enough I won't criticise them too much for that because Spurs are a potent attacking team. Dundee Utd though went out to Slask Wroclaw! Slask and Maribor are hardly European power-houses! So if he plays for a strong team in a league that weak and he's still flopping what empirical evidence do we have to say that he'd do well in France or Italy?

I mean you say he could do well in an upper mid team in Serie A. Upper mid in a league of 20 teams is what, 4th-9th spot? Udinese, Lazio, Roma Juve, Palermo, Fiorentina. The strikers we're talking about are Di Natale, Djibril Cisse, Klose, Totti, Osvaldo, Miccoli, Del Piero, Pinilla, Gilardino, Cerci, Vucinic, Matri, Quagliera, Toni, Amauri, Iaquinta, Borriello. Is he anywhere near their class? The last 5 are bench players btw.

Perhaps he could play for a struggling Serie A team, but no higher than that. In England he would be in the Championship.

As for Basinas, i guess a lot depends on one's definition of "lazy". Pirlo is not lazy for me either. Ok he's isn't Scott Parker, but he doesn't just stroll around like Samaras does and neither did Basinas. I also beg to differ about Basinas' ability. His ball distribution was superb! Apart from possibly Tsartas I can't think of a better Greek passer than Basinas over the last 10-15 years, and his positional sense was excellent too. Bear in mind we're talking about a player who was in the PAO teams that reached quarters of both the CL and the UEFA Cup as well as winning Euro 2004. He was one of the best players PAO had in one of the best teams PAO has had in the last 20 years. Samaras on the other hand is unproven at every level so comparing the two is insulting to Basinas

Edited by Euro2004
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Now I know js1000 will argue that they are on a par with Olympiakos and PAO, personally I don't think they are even close

this was the case 2 or 3 years ago but not anymore, the standard in scotland has slipped, if you go back further, to the days of larsson then i'd of said the scottish league was far better, there was more money in scotland in those days and scottish teams attracted top players, thats no longer the case though

As for Basinas, i guess a lot depends on one's definition of "lazy". Pirlo is not lazy for me either. Ok he's isn't Scott Parker, but he doesn't just stroll around like Samaras does and neither did Basinas. I also beg to differ about Basinas' ability. His ball distribution was superb! Apart from possibly Tsartas I can't think of a better Greek passer than Basinas over the last 10-15 years, and his positional sense was excellent too. Bear in mind we're talking about a player who was in the PAO teams that reached quarters of both the CL and the UEFA Cup as well as winning Euro 2004. He was one of the best players PAO had in one of the best teams PAO has had in the last 20 years.

i wasn't questioning his ability but his attitude, like i said he had the look of a man that didn't care, i watch a lot of la liga i've seen basinas at the bernebau a couple of times and i followed his career closely from his mallorca days onwards, he looked like he didn't want the ball, as though he wanted to get through the game doing as little as possible and didn't have the orexi to track back, the sad thing is that when he did get involved he was actually quite decent but he simply didn't put the effort in.

Referring to Basinas, Hadzibegic(manager of arles) stated "I do not want such stars. I want players sacrificing themselves for the team, fighting from the very first minute." if he had the desire he'd still be playing(karagounis, dellas and lybe, less ability but more effective) he skived his way through the latter part of his career.

Samaras on the other hand is unproven at every level so comparing the two is insulting to Basinas

samaras has ability, his vision and passing are excellent, i don't know if you saw our friendly with bosnia but ninis had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half when he was miles onside, the long diagonal pass samaras played was simply stunning better than the ones in istanbul and ukraine, i like players that have that vision. samaras simply doesn't score enough but i think he and gekas/mitroglou would work well together for greece. to say he's shite or lacks ability is simply wrong.

the comparison to basinas is a valid one, both appear lethargic and both are effective when they actually get involved.

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There's a difference between having a good through ball and being a good passer. There's a different range of passing. Busquets is a fantastic short range passer. He can play lovely short inter-changing passes. Steven Gerrard on the other hand doesn't have that in his locker, he's a lovely long-range passer though. Fetfatzidis is a lovely short range passer and has a great through ball, but he'd never play a lovely long range, 60 yard, pass to someone's feet, etc.

While Samaras is capable of playing an excellent through-ball (one every few months <_< ) his short range passing is terrible, as was evident yesterday and every time he plays. Every time he gets the ball he tries to run with it, mainly because he has no peripheral vision. When he's required to play quick inter-changing passes he's incapable of it, constantly giving the ball away at key moments when under no pressure

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Celtic fans urged to lay off Giorgios Samaras

GEORGIOS Samaras will remain a key figure in Celtic's first-team squad this season despite the increasing level of criticism towards him from the club's support.

The Greek international's first involvement in Thursday night's 1-1 draw against Udinese in the Europa League at Parkhead, after replacing James Forrest in the 72nd minute, was greeted with howls of derision from the home fans.

It prompted Neil lennon to remonstrate with some of the supporters behind his technical area and the Celtic manager has backed Samaras to emerge successfully from his current difficulties.

"I thought the fans were very quick to turn on him," said Lennon. "He made one bad pass and they turned on him, but the next time he was sprinting down the wing and crossing for Ki Sung Yueng to almost put us 2-0 ahead.

"That's what he can do at times and he just needs to get more consistent with his play. The best thing for him to do is to play through it. We know what attributes he has.

"At times he is inconsistent and at the minute the crowd are on his back and it's difficult to get through that. Sometimes it hurts, but he has to show the character to come back.

"For some people that stuff acts as an extra motivation to do well and silence the critics. It's very rare you go through your career here and don't get criticised. Players, managers, coaches. It's a test of your temperament and character as well, but Sami has not displayed any drop of the head.

"It's not an easy place to be, you just have to keep working at it and I will keep using him when I feel I need to. I felt he came on and stretched the game against Udinese when the teams were tiring. We didn't have a midfielder to bring on to augment the midfield, so we dropped Gary Hooper a little bit deeper and pushed Sami up to keep the Udinese back three on their toes."

http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Celtic-...-lay.6845821.jp

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