International Weekend

Greece with Switzerland needing just one point to qualify for the World Cup and England playing a friendly with Slovenia the a big match at Wembley with Croatia.
Who will play in attack for Greece? Do you think they can get the draw?

No they won't
Eventhough Otto had made me stop judging his choice about Charisteas,i can t understand why he keeps instisting on him.Epsecially when Sammy is going so well this year.Anyway,i think that the game was lost by the silly red card that this idiot De Bleckere showed to Vyntra...But nothing has finished.The swiss are able to loose in Latvia,as they lost by Luxemburg...Or maybe it was the gambling then?
If the swiss have done something like that,the clocks should stop working...

Although Otto's Greece are painful to watch, they were not bad at all yesterday, despite their usual black holes within the team (Charisteas, above all). They were better than, or at least equal to the Swiss, even after losing a man. I'm wondering if losing Vyntra is really a loss to any team, but still playing with a man down for more than 45' finally told. I'm all against easy conspiracy theories, but the dismissal sucked. Diego's "Hand of God", for instance, was far more difficult to call without a replay. And de Bleekere has served well the Swiss in the past...
Now the Swiss will only lose first place if they self-destruct: Latvia (A), Luxembourg(A), Israel(H) = 6-9 points. Then again, on the basis of their performance against us, nothing's for sure.
We play Moldova(A), Luxembourg(H) and Latvia(H). We may get 9, but Latvia will be a tough task, if they're still in the game until then (if they grant us our wish and they beat the Swiss, they will be). Luxembourg at home is a good opportunity to get ahead in goal difference.

I watched quite a bit of Argentina v. Brazil. It is amazing that the Argentines have run out of world-class defenders in recent years... Brazil are ruthless. Top-class.

Antfuk i had the same opnion about Vyntra,since i read somebodys column wondering if it is just luck that all the trainers that passed from the rabbit team have been trusting Vyntra.And then Otto seems to believe him as well,maybe they know something more...
But dont forget,Vyntra was a part of Chrisafis case...Remember the mess?

I DONT FORGET,I DONT FORGIVE...

well, dear matador, I'm pretty sure that "International Weekends" and "Vyntra" should not be allowed to come near each other at all! As for your article, you mean the rumours about who he sleeps with? Well, we do know who he f****: all the teams he plays for!

"King" Otto does no scouting himself (Simon, this might sound atrocious, I doubt any other international coach functions like this, but it's the sad truth for us). He leaves that to the "big" teams, so he calls players as soon as they're signed by OSFP, PAO, AEK, or any Bundesliga club, and doesn't really know if there are better players in our league. We don't have too many good right backs anyway. Besides, Seitaridis is out of form, and Torosidis is injured.

Still, Vyntra is the worst joke in our football. I've never seen such a poor football intelligence in a top Greek club player... He's ruined Panathinaikos so often, and, as for last night, he shouldn't get a red, but will anyone remind him that he could and should have avoided the first yellow? It's always easier to blame someone else, especially when this someone else deserves it!! But then you don't improve... Patsatzoglou would fare infinitely better at right back.

So, yes, the only way we make sense of the Vyntra mystery is that he's God's punishment to Panathinaikos for the Chrysafis case! But is it our national team's fault?

I get the impression that because of 2004 Otto is fireproof at times within the Greek media and public.
One thing is for sure Greece are a much better team with him than without.
I really hope he can see the team into the finals, especially if it means Greece hammer Scotland and know them out in the play-offs!!

Well, before Otto we used to say that we needed someone to organise our decent but individualistic players into a good team, but we couldn't have figured out how over-organised we would become under Otto!!
2004 not only made Otto fireproof, but it has totally ruined conversation in general. In Greece you can argue for the weirdest outcome in all fields of life, and, instead of producing the slightest evidence, simply say "why not? After all Greece won the Euro..."

simonofi wrote:I get the impression that because of 2004 Otto is fireproof at times within the Greek media and public.
One thing is for sure Greece are a much better team with him than without.
I really hope he can see the team into the finals, especially if it means Greece hammer Scotland and know them out in the play-offs!!

I think that the swiss are so suiciders(do i spell it right? )that they are able to loose in Latvia.Plus Otto is so fucking luky.That doesnt bother us at all,of course.
p.s.There is no Scotish national team.They just knock the trees down...

I never expected this to happen...

...but tonight I celebrated our opponents' goal that might well deprive our national team from a place in the World Cup!

Then again, the fact that I now feel infinitely lighter and deliberated can only mean one thing:

that I love football more than I love my national team, and I'm thankful to the Moldovans for giving me the opportunity to clear and sort out my priorities!

Down with cynicism, opportunism, defensiveness and Charisteas! I'm keeping the team spirit, I'm savouring the memories of 2004, but I've honestly had enough. The World Cup will be better off without them. This team is an ageing one-trick pony, in constant fear of all that is beautiful about the game we love... For a long time, I've supported them against my impulses, but I consider my 'national duty' more than fulfilled!

I guess if the system works you can accept what goes with it.
Bilic tried to make all sorts of nasty comments about Capello's England but in the end even if it was "unEnglish" 5-1 felt just fine

Lucky you, it's heady days for England! Who would predict that a Capello team would be transformed into a goal machine!
On the downside, I cannot possibly imagine the amount of pressure on the England players by the media. In England this is really unique, out-of-this-world. As long as you have abandoned Sven's disgraceful tactics (McLaren's barely qualified as 'tactics'), I wish you the best.

PS. It's about time we turned our attention to CLUB football now!

Everything on all news and main TV channels this morning is we CAN win the World Cup.
I see you know this Country very well.
Hope will turn to expectation between now and the Tournament starting and the players will be under immense pressure.

Here comes the season friend!
I only hope I can find an on line link to watch the game!