2023/2024 Conference League Knockout Round PO

[seso]

Carlos Carvalhal is the former manager of Olympiacos.

The interim Oly manager is Sotiris Silaidopoulos.

[Lorric]

Carlos Carvalhal is the former manager of Olympiacos.

The interim Oly manager is Sotiris Silaidopoulos.

Another one bites the dust! And another one gone, and another one gone! Another one bites the dust!

[Greyn]

Carlos Carvalhal is the former manager of Olympiacos.

The interim Oly manager is Sotiris Silaidopoulos.

Maybe Jacek Gmoch would be interested to get the job and return to Olympiacos after 35 years?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrEPBq ... l=Kashanka

[Firnen]

Interesting question. @Firnen ?

Ferencvaros is the favourite of tie easily right now.

Olympiacos fired Diego Martinez in December citing as a reason the 0/3 wins in Greek derbies (including a 2-4 home loss to PAOK which was 0-4 after 80') and the 5-0 loss to Freiburg as main reasons.

Owner Marinakis turned to his old-and-new buddy agent Jorge Mendes (who brought him coach Nuno in Nottingham Forest and was the intermediary for the sale of Rio Ave to Marinakis) for a new coach and changes to save the season.

So he brought Carlos Carvalhal in, a coach who has changed 21 clubs in 25 years. He also got rid of 6 players and brought in 8, all of them Portuguese or from the Portuguese League (more details for the transfers in the Greek football page). This is the textbook panic response for Marinakis: fire the coach, get rid of players, bring new ones.

Carvalhal not only failed to change anything for the better, but he did even worse: in 3 matches to Panathinaikos he won...0, with a loss in the league and an elimination after penalties in the Cup, and also dropped points to 2 minnows in December.

Marinakis fired him today, alongsde the Portuguese technical director Alves.

You have to understand that Olympiacos is a club used to winning and only winning in Greece, and being the dominant force financially, in the field and off it. Like Real Madrid in a league without Barcelona. So being 4th, unable to win derbies and projecting an image of weakness is casus belli for the fans: someone needs to pay and be the target. Marinakis with his constant blame deflection, is trying to redirect the responsibilities to other people than himself to gain time, while rolling the dice with constant changes and hoping he will be lucky. Olympiacos doesnt build and doesnt do planning, they brute force their way with money and force - it was always like this.

Well, it isn't working this time as you can see.

The matches in Greece were without fans for the last 2 months and the match against Ferencvaroswill be the 1st one with the fans back, and the fans are furious. You can bet that if Ferencvaros takes the lead, there will be constant booing towards the Olympiacos players from the enraged fans and if the score is something like 1-3, there is a 50-50 chance that they storm in to attack their own players.

[wannabeontop]

Oh my gosh. I hope the storm-in won't take place, at least not in a European match.

[seso]

@Lorric @Greyn
Yes, it has been like that for years and years!
The new coach is supposed to be Basque José Luis Mendilibar. It will be his first coaching job outside Spain.

[emortal]

Maybe Jacek Gmoch would be interested to get the job and return to Olympiacos after 35 years?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrEPBq ... l=Kashanka

He could even remember the old times.

When he was visiting the owner in his jail cell to plan the transfers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Koskotas

[Greyn]

Ernest Muci is leaving Legia for Besiktas for 10 million euros, following Bartosz Ślisz who already joined Atlanta United for 3.5 million euros. Legia spent 0 euro for new signings this winter. At the same time I did read a few articles on a website dedicated to Legia fans about Molde signing a few talented players who are supposed to be strengthening for the 1st team.

Seems like new stadiums did not help Polish clubs too much to change this neverending trend to weaken the team right before important matches. It is not only about KO matches vs Molde, but Legia is currently 9 points behind domestic league leaders - Śląsk Wrocław. Making good deals is a good thing, but it is really tough to find quality replacements if a 1 million euros transfer fee is huge for every Polish club and spending 2 million euros for a new player is unthinkable.

I have no idea how Legia is going to fight for the championship title since the club president declared that it is still possible to win the league this season. Legia already was not good enough last autumn to successfully compete in Europe and in the domestic league and now it will be even harder.

[Greyn]

Maybe Jacek Gmoch would be interested to get the job and return to Olympiacos after 35 years?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrEPBq ... l=Kashanka

He could even remember the old times.

When he was visiting the owner in his jail cell to plan the transfers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Koskotas

All these (criminal) stories related with Greek football never stop amaze me. Some Greek film director should make a film about all of them. We have such a film about match-fixing in the 80's in Poland, its name is "Piłkarski poker" (eng. "Soccer Poker"). I guess Greek version would be much longer and with many more interesting stories included.

[emortal]

He could even remember the old times.

When he was visiting the owner in his jail cell to plan the transfers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Koskotas

All these (criminal) stories related with Greek football never stop amaze me. Some Greek film director should make a film about all of them. We have such a film about match-fixing in the 80's in Poland, its name is "Piłkarski poker" (eng. "Soccer Poker"). I guess Greek version would be much longer and with many more interesting stories included.

When you hear the story by Jacek "the jaws" Gmoch himself in his (heavily accented) Greek it's epic

I'm laughing on my own just remembering the interview, I don't think this can be topped by any actor.

My dream is such a movie by Guy Ritchie.

A few years ago some genius advertiser created a series of tv ads for a mobile phone company based on the archetype of the Greek football president/owner. The result is amazing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFhiqdC_N1U

[emortal]

I have no idea how Legia is going to fight for the championship title since the club president declared that it is still possible to win the league this season. Legia already was not good enough last autumn to successfully compete in Europe and in the domestic league and now it will be even harder.

They signed a youngster (Minas Vasiliadis) from the PAOK youth academy

No idea where they scouted him.

[Greyn]

I have no idea how Legia is going to fight for the championship title since the club president declared that it is still possible to win the league this season. Legia already was not good enough last autumn to successfully compete in Europe and in the domestic league and now it will be even harder.

They signed a youngster (Minas Vasiliadis) from the PAOK youth academy

No idea where they scouted him.

Just another addition to the Legia II team with some (very little) hope he will become the member of the 1st team some day. Typical for Polish clubs where scouting is lame or does not exist at all. Too early to cross him out definitely, but I don't remember a single case that a foreign player joined Legia II team and then was promoted to the 1st team as a starter and Legia would earn some decent amount of money for transferring him out.

[rpo.castro]

Carlos Carvalhal is the former manager of Olympiacos.

The interim Oly manager is Sotiris Silaidopoulos.

3 sports directors this season and we are still in february!
Olympiacos just looks like Pana some years ago when they failed to qualify to europe.

[Firnen]

Carlos Carvalhal is the former manager of Olympiacos.

The interim Oly manager is Sotiris Silaidopoulos.

3 sports directors this season and we are still in february!
Olympiacos just looks like Pana some years ago when they failed to qualify to europe.

Sotiris Silaidopoulos is actually the 1st person to be interim manager of both Panathinaikos and Olympiacos.

[emortal]

3 sports directors this season and we are still in february!
Olympiacos just looks like Pana some years ago when they failed to qualify to europe.

There are no parallels there.

Even during the worst times (2016-9, when they came close to relegation) Panathinaikos hired coaches long term.

Ouzounidis, Donis, even Poyatos was hired with a long-term plan in mind.

Olympiakos just announced a new coach (Medilibar) with a 4-month contract !