Official Olympiakos thread

So what is the status wit Mitroglou? I remember seeing his incredible goal vs. Sheriff Tiraspol where he did that nice dribble that beat 2 defenders and the keeper with a cheeky move!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-QOu_Bv_KI"]YouTube- Sheriff - Olympiakos 0-2[/ame]

How old is he? He has incredible potential! Is he getting called up to the mens national team side yet?

 

iraklis held in hard till the end..great for winning

 

Olympiakos in talks with Blackburn's Formica

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Mauro Formica could be on his way out of Blackburn Rovers Football Club this week.

The Argentine forward only joined the Lancashire club in the summer, and he has already clocked up 25 appearances in all competitions during his debut season.

However, Formica is believed to be struggling to adapt to life in England, and it is thought he is already looking to seal a transfer whilst the window is open.

And according to reports in Greece, the midfielder is in advanced talks with Olympiakos, who hope to secure his signature during the coming days.

 

Olympiakos has dominated Greek soccer. This club has done a lot which I have appreciated over the years. The signing of Geovanni and Rivaldo are the most notable of which. I once supported this club for a time, but came to be dismayed by the corruption of it's thieving owner. This was a few years before Kokkalis was at the helm, although I have no illusions about him either (to speak too kindly of him, he's a liaison for the Russian/Soviet government). Savvidis, the now PAOK owner, is much the same. Mind you, Greece is so corrupt I wouldn't know where to begin in sorting out the good from the bad. Psomiadis, Kokkalis, and Vardinoyannis... they'd all be rotting away in prison if the law of land wasn't enforced by equally corrupt rule makers. Interestingly, Psomiadis was only exposed for the crook that he is once one of his papers reported a shady government deal. Beos--who was arrested (only to be freed) as one of the ring leaders behind the match fixing scandal, which itself was exposed only to distract the public as answers were being sought from the political corruption that had rocked the country to financial ruin--has only served time in prison when he made claims of match fixing years before. If you had any trouble following me, let me repeat. He only served in prison when he exposed the corruption, but when he became part of the corruption, he got away with it. The red and whites may have dominated Greek soccer in the most superficial of sense this past decade or so, but nothing has dominated nor soured Greece, let alone our soccer, more than corrupt men.

 

One of the big challenges I see facing Olympiakos: integrating youth into the first team. It's something they've struggled with for a long time. The club has too often sought the signature of disfavored foreigners in place of up and coming Greek talents. The trend has only gotten more disappointing; the foreigners are no longer big name players like Karembeu or Rivaldo... but total has beens like Maresca, Rommedahl, Kazim Kazim, and, soon, Malouda (the same Malouda who has since being playing alongside 21 year olds for Chelsea's reserves and who went for a walk on the park as Xabi Alonso gave Spain an easy quarter-final win at Euro 2012). Is it any wonder then why Greece fielded only one Olympiakos player at Euro 2004 (in only one match at that, a losing effort against Russia and who nearly cost Greece the tournament as well).

To make matters worse, their academy does produce and nab talented players in Greece. Among them was Kyriakos Papadopoulos, who only two months after leaving the club, made his Champions League debut against Benfica, a match where he made life impossible for the likes of David Luiz and where he had earned himself a MOTM distinction. Why he only made 20 paltry starts during his time at Olympiakos is beyond the rational of any reasoned person.

Sadly, there's not a single youth product that has risen through the club ranks over the years and had then gone on to make himself a distinguished figure at the club. Why is it that AEK has Sokratis, and yet Olympiakos can't say the same of Kyriakos? Why is it that Panathinaikos had Ninis, and yet Olympiakos can't say the same of Fetfatzidis? Even Karagounis and Basinas, two of the most decorated Greek players to ever play, were PAO youth products.

Even Greece's most successful clubs in Europe succeeded by having a largely Greek contigent. That applies to Olympiakos, too, during the one and only time they qualified among Europe's best eight, which they did with a team sheet that read of Homeric epicness and the rare Yugoslav.

If the quality of the foreigners coming in are players like Mareca and Malouda, with the odd hidden gem, and if young Greek players are only able to find refuge for their ambitious careers abroad, then Olympiakos will have to seriously rethink their policy.

 

I come to pay homage to the temple of the Holy Nery.

I bow and kiss the floor of this holy site.


Amen

 

Castillo is a shadow now. He reminded me so much of Pele, such a shame.

 

Here's a German news article (link) regarding Olympiakos' new found relationship with eastern German side Hansa Rostock. The article discusses how Hansa, a team who only recently were relegated to Germany's third division, will provide first team experience to youth players from OSFP and how that relationship will benefit both teams.

Thanks to Google translate, I was able to pick out an insightful commentary on Greek soccer--it's quoted below in original German. It explains the challenges facing Greek teams trying to develop youth players. Uwe Vester, the sporting director at Hansa, said the problem had to due with the lack of opportunity given to youth players. He highlights the lack of second teams and cites Sotiris Ninis as an example, although Ninis is still an exception to what most players face. Vester essentially says young players in general end up sitting on the bench before continuously moving onto smaller teams, never properly developing to the professional standards demanded of them specifically because they were never given the proper chance to grow as players.

When players like Fetfatzidis get 15 minutes in the Champions League, scoring a goal that saves the team's European aspirations in that little time, and when players like Kyriakos Papadopoulos have a paltry 20 starts, only to go separate ways and be dubbed a Champions League MOTM two months later, then we can begin to understand why this is the case. Youths can never match the professional standards demand of them with the push of a button, they need time to develop and a coach must be willing to support that development. It's a point Bojan Krkic recently made when he was officially announced as an Ajax loan signing. He actually said playing at Roma and Milan was a mistake because he never saw consistent time on the field and that he should have made the move to Ajax sooner.

Anyways, here's the quote from the article linked above that caught my attention:​

The move will certainly be beneficial considering how the likes of Toni Kroos were products of Hansa Rostock.

 

The signings of Saviola and Weiss spells the end for Djebbour and Abdoun, probably Olympiakos' most important players in last season's campaign, and both newcomers represent upgrades. I think Olympiakos will win the title again this season.

 

greetings from the roma forum

My friends and i are planning to attend the Sat Aug 24 home game vs Atrimotos. Does anyone know where I can buy tickets? Thankk you!

 

You have three options.

1. Phone
You can call between 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays (local Athens time).
Tel: 2104800920 (you'll need to add the exit and country codes if calling long distance, e.g., 011-30 if calling from the US).

2. Online
https://buy.tickethour.com/olympiacos/showProduct.html (it's in Greek, however).
Click the hypelink that reads "Εισιτήρια."

3. At the stadium
Between the same hours and days for the option by phone.

 

i looked at the website but they only have season tickets avail. no single match tickets

if i call them, do they speak English?

 

As it turns out, there is an English section for the online method. I just saw the English section icon (a miniature British flag) at the top right corner.

The tickets for the game against Atromitos on the 24th will be made available this upcoming Tuesday on the 20th. I wished I mentioned that earlier, my humble apologies.

They will speak pidgin English at the very least. It's worth a try.

If you plan on going back to Greece again to watch a game, I strongly suggest attending Olympiakos v PAOK at the Toumba on March 15th (it might be difficult getting tickets). That should be one hell of a game, especially if they are neck and neck in the standings.

 

thank you for the advice, i will look out for it

 

Olympiakos registered a comeback win over the weekend. Saviola with the winner. A little slow off the starting gates, but I have no doubt they'll take the title this season.

 

i was at the match with 3 of my mates

the fan atmosphere was very intimidating. we loved it. it was our first greek football match

i hope to watch more olympiakos matches here on

 

Hi lads, just heard Contreras is linked with a move from Olympiakos to Melbourne victory. Anyone confirm anything here?

 

Any news on Pulido? Why he hasn't played?