Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story [R]

Re: Eddie Johnson III: Fulham or bust.

Except for all the riots, its great!

 

Re: Eddie Johnson III: Fulham or bust.

Or worse, his inner Kartes... lets hope for an inner Klopas.

I kind of like the ring of "innerklopas."


When she dumped me, she really dealt a blow to my innerklopas.

When he sat down he broke my innerklopas.

That car just doesn't have enough innerklopas.

 

Re: Eddie Johnson III: Fulham or bust.

Sebastian Abreu has already agreed to cancel his contract so it's all good.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Nice and there is an option to buy. Come on EJ!!!

I hope he is available to play on the 5th.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Hey guys!

I am an ARIS Salonica fan, writing from Thessaloniki, Greece.

Following the signing of American Eddie Johnson, I decided to browse around the net to find extra data about this player.

I found this forum and I must admit it's very useful up to me up to now.

I think I am gonna be a regular poster in this thread/forum, since my team did not only complete the loan of Johnson, but has has almost reached an agreement with SL Benfica for the loan of Freddy Adu. Perhaps the final agreement will be announced within the next few days.

For your information, I thought it would be useful to inform you on several stuff concering my team.

ARIS is a greek word for Mars, the ancient Greek God of War and was established in 1914. It is followed by the most hardcore fan base in Greece and one of the most famous all around Europe. It's considered to be among the top 4 clubs in Greece and numbers 3 Greek League Championships and 1 Greek Cup.

Thessaloniki is the second biggest city in Greece and the biggest one in the Northern part of the country. It is located next to the sea and its symbols are the White Tower and the statue of Alexander the Great. Of course, ARIS, as well, is one of the most known trademarks of the city...

Here are some characteristic videos of ARIS fans and their unique passion/dedication to the team:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQovHKmRflE"]YouTube- Aris Salonika - H polh tou Theou[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zENjAZK78oE"]YouTube- Aris Salonika - This is ARIS[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbJZ8T0tsrI"]YouTube- Aris Salonica - Boca Juniors ? The Ring of FIRE[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piPrkoQFVqo"]YouTube- ARIS - BOCA 05/08/2009 - KLEANTHIS VIKELIDIS team entrance! ??????? ??????!!![/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25LjsLAoR7Q"]YouTube- Aris Hooligans!!(party sto Tzami)[/ame]


If you want to know anything particular about ARIS Salonica, let me know and I will be more than happy to help you!

Greetings from Greece! Happy New Year 2010!

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Thank you and welcome to the forum. Any input you can give us during the loan would be fantastic.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Welcome! Here at Yanks Abroad we always encourage contributions from YA club supporters--especially those who speak the local language. Great to have you around.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Welcome to Big Soccer!

I have a question. Is there a limit to the number of foreign players (i.e. non-EU internationals) that Greek teams can use in a game? I see there are three non-EU nationals right now at Aris (Leandro Gracian, Nacho Garcia, and Campora).

We've had an American at Aris recently, in Peter Philipakos. He was a legend on Big Soccer, as everybody thought he might become a US international. But he never went anywhere. If I remember correctly, he ripped up his Aris shirt after a bad game.............and never played for them again.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Two things. 1) Oh my ********ing God those videos are insane. 2) Say hi to my boy Juan Dixon on the basketball side.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

So is it Thessalonika, like the new testament one?


Because if it is, then that;s pretty cool.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

First of all, thank you all for the warm welcome you provided me with!

So, I am starting the answers...

It is true that our attacking line faces some problems, especially when it comes to the last pass/cross/shot. We can easily reach the opponent's area (better than any other team in Greece, as every Greek fan admits), but it seems we cannot cooperate efficiently inside it. The main reason is the lack of the necessary off-ball movement to confuse the opponent's defenders.

Now, concerning the formation...

Since 2006, the main ARIS' formation had been the 4-2-3-1, with 2 defensive midfielders, 2 wingers, a shadow striker and a forward. All coaches (Argentinian Hoyos, Spanish Hernandez and Brazilian ex-world class star Mazinho) employed this formation. However, when Cuper came 2 months ago, he instantly changed the formation to his favourite 4-4-2. I must admit we had some trouble encorporating the players into the new system, but in the last victorious game against Olympiacos, the players showed that they can function very well, using this style. I guess the biggest problem of Cuper was to let his players know of their new roles on the field (constant pressure, narrow lines etc)

The European Regulation allows a team to use up to 5 NON-EU players. There is no other specific regulation about the other players; they can be Spanish, French, Greek, German, English...

ARIS now has 5 non-EU players, the 3 that you mentioned (Argentinian Javier Campora, Bolivian international Nacho Garcia, Argentinian ex-Boca Jrs Leandro Gracian), Brazilian ex-Santos right-back Darci Dolce Neto and Uruguyan international Sebastian Abreu.

Abreu decided to leave the club, so he created a free non-EU spot, which will be covered by Eddie Johnson. If Freddy Adu completes the transfer, we will have to release another non-EU player (possibly Leandro Gracian who hasn't satisfied us with his performance) or try to issue an Italian passport for Neto (we tried to do it last summer, but we didn't manage to, due to bureaucracy).

As for Philippakos, you remember well. He ripped his shirt after a bad result in the 2005-2006 period and that was not accepted by our fans, who consider the shirt and the emblem of the team as holy symbols. He came as a potential star, but didn't manage to impress with his performance. Since then, I haven't heard a single thing about him... Does anybody know where he is?

Glad to hear that you liked the videos!
If you search the youtube, you will find much much more! And believe me, it's worth it!

Juan Dixon was released 4 days ago...
He had a big fight with our coach and asked to leave the club. That was a true shock for us, because he was our best player.

That's right!
The city's name in Greek is Thessaloniki, but there are many other variants: Thessaloniki, Thessalonica, Salonica, Saloniki, Salonico etc

We were very happy to see our team sign Johnson! We have watched him with the US National team and we hope he develops his talent here much more than he did in England, where the level of competition is higher than the greek league.

We already uploaded a welcome video for Eddie Johnson in YouTube:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z-pnTkHWm4"]YouTube- O Eddie Johnson ston Ari[/ame]

As for the potential signing of Freddy Adu, the hype around his name is even more intense. We are all aware of his talent and especially his prospect, since he is only 20. We have watched him in Benfica and US National team and of course, we remember the period when he was scouted by top clubs, such as Manchester United and Inter. If he finally comes, it will be an incredible signing, which will help us strengthen our attacking line.

The only bad thing in both cases is the fact that we land them in Thessaloniki as loan until the summer. In case they satisfy with their performance and we decide to submit an offer, we will have to spend a lot of money, much more than we can afford, at this present moment.

But I guess, until summer, we have plenty of time...

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

thanks a lot for the info.

Adu wouldn't cost anyone much money to buy, its just that he carries a big wage, and after his time at Beleneses, he might be willing to take a pay cut.

Johnson is a tough nut to crack. he will work his tail off every day, and is a fan favorite because of it wherever he goes, but in games, he just disappears. It's not for a lack of effort, but he just goes away. Granted, if you get him in the right position, he will knock some teeth out with his speed, but sometimes, that can be wishful thinking.

Adu's case is simple, if you play a more finesse game, you'll be more than fine. And if you have any other ways to enforce a curfew, they'd best be used on him.

Greek footy has always been a mystery to me, as the Euro 04 tournament showed, they are definately a country to be reckoned with.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

I'm excited to watch Eddie in Greece. I've never really watched Greek football so it should be interesting to watch.

Is there a good chance that Eddie could play on Tuesday?

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Eddie will arrive in Thessaloniki tomorrow, so I can't see him in the starting 11 for Tuesday. He might come in as a subtitute. It is more possible to make his debut on 10/01 at home against Iraklis, which is also a local derby.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

First - welcome.

Second - Hate to say it, but if you're hoping that EJ or Adu will be your saviour in this area...you're fcked.

I imagine both Benfica and Fulham would do backflips if all you did was agree to take their salaries off of their books. Particularly Benfica. Hell....they might pay YOU.

Freddy's problem is that he is still an incomplete player tactically and he's spent the last 2 years on loan with teams that have zero incentive to actually teach him. I fear another loan may go the same route. The kid really needs to get into a situation where he wears the uniform of the team that owns him. These last two seasons have been an absolute waste for him.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Same here. I'll search doubly hard to find a good stream if Adu and Johnson actually get on the field at the same time.

We've seen Beasley regain form when he finally got healthy, Edu should be getting healthy again, Hejduk fought back into the squad, etc. BigSoccer posters really love to count out players and kick them when they're down. It would be fitting for both Freddy and Eddie to go to a team like Aris and succeed, and fight for a spot in South Africa.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Eddie is ready.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

I think that if freddy can get the ball in or near the box, he is fine-- with the us at least, he doesnt fit in with how the team gets the ball there, from a supporting striker position-- see the gold cup.

whatever happens, it will certainly be interesting.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

I think Diablo was referring to off-the-ball movement, which is certainly not Adu's strongsuit.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

Just got enough energy and concentration to read the long response.

Please feel free to add insight into our gameday threads as well. Whether it is after the matches (if you attend them in person) or afterward, domestic opinion is always valued.

Off the ball runs has never been either of their strong suits, but they have improved recently. Johnson moreso than Adu (despite the beliefs of American fans). One thing with Johnson, is that he has shown an increased propensity for finishing when giving the chance, he just never gets that chance. Finishing has never been a problem of Adu's either.

I will add this, please support Johnson and Adu as much as possible. Both are immeasurably better players when they feel confident and embraced. Johnson experienced his best stretch in England when the Cardiff fans treated him so well.

Weird.

Well I that is great to see and is already following what I posted above.

Adu can definitely help Aris in attacking, but other reasons have kept him off the field for 18 months now. We cannot definitively say what they are, but it is weird. Whether is a lack of tactical knowledge or not a good enough work rate, we really don't know, but it is likely that Freddy will continue his bad stretch with Aris.

You better snatch them up before the World Cup then.

Seriously, if either one of them plays well at Aris, they're very likely to be on the US roster for the World Cup. Then of course if they do well in South Africa . . .


btw, get ready for American negativity. I know that won't affect them at Aris nor you as a fan, but it will get annoying on this board. American fans feel so much hatred towards both guys because they never became the superstar players that they have long hoped for. Both showed great promise as youngsters and just never reached that extra level. And with Adu only being 20, it makes those feelings that much more absurd.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

FWIW, Greek teams, as a rule, do not play like their national team under Rehhagel.

They're generally very skilled, very technical but not necessarily athletic, as is often the case in a smaller country.

Their top players,tend to end up in the higher paying leagues (Samaras at ManCity and then Celtic, Gekas at Leverkusen, Karagounis at Inter and then Benfica, et al) but the top local clubs like Olympiakos and Panathinaikos pay pretty darn well.

PS. Hector Cuper is known as a "defense first" coach. At one point, he was considered one of the top managers in the game (at Valencia and at Inter) but, since then, his star has been greatly diminished.

 

Re: Eureka! I'm a Grown Aris Man: The Eddie Johnson Story

I certainly dont disagre--- I am however hoping that his weakness in that area will be mitigated in the final quarter of the field- as opposed to the middle of the field. I hold a pretty subdued opinion of adu, but I do hope he does well for himself here. It SEEMS to be a quality coach who desires him specifically, so who knows.