Hellas Football

An Optimistic Take on Giannis Alafouzos’ Presidency By Antonios Theodosis   Since 2012 many Panathinaikos fans, myself included, have been eager to see Panathinaikos get back to where the club used to be. To build a team that could attract names to the club and make some noise in Europe like in years past. It is no secret that the last eight years or so have not been the absolute best both domestically and in Europe however.   Many fans have criticized club president Giannis Alafouzos for the lackluster performances and have aggressively voiced their frustrations with the president often demanding he step down and sell the team. I will be honest, over the years I have had my fair share of criticism of Giannis Alfouzos, but recently I have had a change of heart. For the mistakes he has made, Alafouzos has also made some positive contributions to the club. For example, when he took over as president in 2012 the club was over thirty million euros in debt, and today that debt is a...

Play Offs R8 and Play Outs R6 Preview By Greg Gavalas As the Super League starts to draw to a conclusion this week’s round of games see’s very meaning full games in the Play Outs, with just two rounds left now, the battle is well and truly on between Xanthi, Panetolikos and Panionios, as all three clubs battle it out to avoid last place which is the automatic drop to Super League 2. In the Play Offs, AEK will be looking for a win over Panathinaikos in the Athenian derby to secure the runner up position as PAOK travels to Piraeus to take on highflying Olympiakos. Play Offs OFI vs Aris The quiet battle for 5th will play out in Crete as OFI goes looking for their first win in the play offs. With Aris living off a limited squad since the FIFA transfer ban the last fortnight has been very difficult for the club and the Play Offs heavy schedule could not have come at a worse time. On the other hand OFI has finally improved after a tough start to the series but the better performances could s...

Olympiakos, Onwards and Upwards By Stephen Kountourou, Well, it's finally happened. After 3 years of hurt, which I of course understand is not actually that long of a wait by football standards, Olympiakos are champions of Greece once more. Even if PAOK lost points reinstated by the Court of Arbitration of Sports on the 6th of July, Thrylos cannot be caught mathematically for the rest of the season. But despite fans of the Piraeus side, myself included, celebrating our monumental 45th league title, there is still a lot to look forward to for the remainder of the season from our newly crowned champions. With all that being said, I will be taking a look in this blog, at what is still to play for in this stop start season. With records, cups and European titles still up for grabs it's going to be a very exciting summer for Olympiakos supporters.  Undefeated Domestically  Now, this one is not essential for me personally but it would be the cherry on top of this, already successful...

Some Changes are Needed   By Christian Leggas, Greece's most critical stage of matches to date under John van't Schip is now just under two months away, and it is nothing short of vital that van't Schip gets his squad selection right.   There's going to be at least one forced change from his last squad that was picked for the final two matches of our UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, with left-back Leonardo Koutris currently recovering from the dreaded Anterior Crucial Ligament injury. And as much as I'd hate to tinker with a winning formula, I think there is a need for more changes to this next squad.   Firstly, I'm picking Konstantinos Mavropanos in place of Kostas Stafylidis, why? Because of consistent playing time and form domestically. Ever since his move to FC Nurnburg is January, Mavropanos has excelled in the heart of their defense and has rumored to have attracted interest from the now-promoted VFB Stuttgart, not to mention that his eye-catching perfo...

Playoffs and Playouts Round 6 Preview By Greg Gavalas With Olympiakos claiming the title after their run of wins and the rest all stumbling over each other, it’s really down to who will finish second and claim the second Champions League spot between AEK and PAOK but the big battle is who will avoid relegation as Panionios’s run of wins has made it a three horse race with just 1 point separating the Nea Smirniotes, Xanthi and Panetolikos. Play Offs OFI vs PAOK PAOK will draw first blood this round in their battle with AEK for second place, the Dikefalo Tou Vorra travels to Crete to take on an improved OFI team. A week can make a big difference in football and since the last preview OFI have shown a much better face in their 0-0 home draw with Panathinaikos last week and in their 2-1 away loss to Olympiakos midweek. PAOK on the other hand had a comfortable 2-0 win over a depleted Aris last week but was rather poor at home to AEK and went down 2-0 in a crucial match that gives the Atheni...

Panathinaikos Rumor Roundup:  By: Antonios Theodosis It’s that time of year, despite the unusual circumstances, where rumors are being thrown around left and right. Players are rumored to be joining the club while others have played their last game already and have moved on. With the club moving in a new direction lots of fans are excited, myself included. One of the hottest rumors so far this summer has been the return of fan favorite Lucas Villafanez. Several Greek news outlets had reported on Villafanez’s potential return early last month with claims that the Argentinian was looking for a way to break free from his contract with Mexican side Morelia. Most recent reports have claimed that a return on a free transfer does not seem likely as there is economic discrepancy over the amount Morelia want for Villafanez’s release. It is understood that should the Argentine return, it would be on loan for the season to come. Although it would be ideal for Villafanez to return on a free tr...

The Resurrection of Taxiarchis Fountas We have witnessed quite an interesting 2019/2020 football season, majorly due to the coronavirus outbreak which had forced some leagues in Europe to cancel their competitions, such as the Netherlands  Eredivisie  where Vangelis Pavlidis and Orestis Kioumourtzoglou were performing fantastic ally well  for Willem II and Heracles Almelo respectively. But not Austria, and luckily for one has continued his phenomenal season scoring goals after the Austrian Bundesliga resumed  in early June. His name is Taxiarchis Fountas,  resurrected and full of confidence with a return to the Ethniki Omada looming  for the inform attacker.  Believe it or not, it is now his ninth professional season and soon turning 25 in September. Flashback to the 2011/2012 Super League season where a 16 year old Fountas emerged onto the scene. He was the youngest debutant in the history of AEK and the season after he became the youngest ever goal s...