Hellas Football

 Why Kostas Mitroglou is not the worst January Transfer in Premier League history By Stephen Kountourou It was ten years ago, midway through the 2013/14 season. Greek international striker Kostas Mitroglou had the world at his feet. He was top scorer of the Greek Super League, was helping Olympiakos steer towards another Greek Super League title, had become the first Greek to score a hattrick in the Champions League, had helped Thrylos qualify for the round of 16 & had scored vital goals in the World Cup playoffs to help guide Greece to Brazil 2014.  Naturally, there were plenty of suitors for the 25-year-old, and as they say, when the Premier League comes calling you cannot say no. So in January 2014 ‘Mitrgoal’, as he was affectionately called by Olympiakos supporters, signed for Fulham for 15 million Euros, a record transfer fee for the West London side. Fast forward to the end of the season. Fulham had been relegated to the Championship after an abysmal campaign and Mit...

 Interview with Demethryus By Nikolas Fil I had the absolute pleasure and honour of talking to Athens Kallithea’s Brazilian forward Demethryus, asking him about his journey in Greece so far, the Brazilian National team, his best-ever teammate and his love for football. How did you catch the football bug and say that this is what you want to do professionally? Did you have an idol growing up? "This dream was born in my heart when I was a child, I started at futsal schools in my city and stood out, we won a championship in France and then the doors of football opened for me, I love what I do and today I owe everything I am to my grandfather.  He was my great supporter and unfortunately last year in the middle of the season he passed away, but if I’m here today it was because of the strength he gave me since I started and also my uncle who took me to many games when I was a child and was starting! He’s a player I’ve always admired and I still watch videos of Ronaldinho Gaúcho." ...

The Best Wing Choices By Christian Leggas  So far in Gus Poyet's tenure as coach, the left and right wings have been heavily rotated. With March fast approaching, here are the selection-musts Poyet has to make to give us the best chance to first qualify for and then to do some damage at Euro 2024. Starters: Giorgos Masouras-Right Wing: He might have occasions where his end product can let him down, converting a chance or delivering the perfect final ball, but he's a hard worker both ways and has an eye for goal. He's number two on the goals scored chart amongst our regular players. Selecting this guy is a no-brainer. Christos Tzolis-Left Wing: We've survived okay without him since 2021, but it's time for him to be re-integrated into the senior squad. With six goals in seven caps with the under-21s in the space of almost two years, not to mention his brilliant form with Fortuna Düsseldorf. He has earned his return to the senior team and a starting position on the lef...

 Interview with Kosta Aleksic By Nikolas Fil I had the opportunity to talk to Panserraikos forward Kosta Aleksic about his move to Panserraikos, Pablo Garcia, the Serbian National team and his goals for the season. I want to thank Aleksic for this opportunity and I wish him all the best for the future. First of all, You are playing for the first time in the Greek Superleague last season (you played) in Superleague 2 with Iraklis, how was it for you going from the second division to the first division? "To be honest, it was better than I expected. I believe in myself and I know my qualities, but the facilities are better, players are faster, and stronger, until now I have shown to myself that I can fight with them, so I'm happy." You have played for the Serbian national team two times both in friendly games, do you have as a goal to return to the Serbian national team and be part of a great team with players like Vlahovic, Kostic Milenkovic etc? "Yes, I have two games...

Does The Greek Super League Presidency System Work? By Stephen Kountorou Every major league in world football has a council, board, or members associations comprising club representatives, who govern the league democratically. The Greek Super League is no exception, with all 14 club members allowed to vote on all matters, with a majority vote deciding whether a motion is passed.  The caveat for some is that, unlike other top domestic leagues, the president of the Super League is an individual chosen from one of the member clubs, rather than someone who is impartial and has no association or previous association with a single club. But does this work for the Greek top flight or could a different system prove more effective? Who Has Been President? Starting with the current president, OFI vice president and CEO, Minas Lysandrou, was voted in for a second term as president by a majority. He succeeded Olympiakos owner and president Evangelos Marinakis who had stepped down as president ...

 The Importance of Being Ange By Stephen Kountourou It was the 26th of March 2023. Antonio Conte had left Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent and, with the club and supporters uncertain of who would be the Italian manager's long-term successor.  Speaking to my dad, a long-time Spurs fan, who was rather bemused with his team's performances and the lack of direction of the club, the first manager that I told him could be a good fit, was Ange Postecoglou.  The Greek-Australian manager was in the middle of a historical treble-winning season with Celtic. Despite my dad's scepticism, I insisted that Ange could be the man to bring an attractive attacking style of football that Lillywhite's fans had been crying out for since the departure of Mauricio Pochetino, which would in turn improve the fortunes of a club that was in decline. Lo and behold, Three months later, on the 9th of June Ange was announced as the new manager of Spurs, becoming the first Austral...