AEK 0-0 PAOK

Not a great result, but definitely one we can settle for.

We started off excellently, controlling the game completely, and within the first ten minutes we had two excellent chances to score (one hit the crossbar), but the rain was really coming down and less than twenty minutes into the match the pitch was flooded. Not sure if the pitch just couldn’t take it, or if the rain really was that bad, but I remember some days when I used to go to the stadium (one game against Larissa comes to mind) when the pitch would flood to the point where the ball just wouldn’t roll. Seemed like that was the case on saturday. It was quite unfortunate really since, as I mentioned, we started off quite well and had the conditions been better, I think we could have kept it up.

It was nice to see 20,000 supporters in the stands, despite the rain.

Overall it was a pretty good weekend for us aside from our game as well. Aris beat PAO today, which means we are now even with PAO in the standings (26 points), and its still only 5 points which separate us from a play off spot, something which is quite possible.

Highlights from our game available at the bottom of this link

Aris 1-1 AEK

Could’ve been worse! We managed to grab a point after Petrogol scored the equalizer late in extra time (there were about six minutes extra time I believe, a fair time considering there were four red cards given) and now, believe it or not, we’re actually third from last! Still not out of the relegation zone, but we’re slooooooooowly making our way up. All thanks to Petropoulos! (He really is starting to look like the next Libe)

I heard there were some pretty poor calls made by Kakos (surprising? Not at all if you ask me)… I’m really disappointed to see this guy still officiating high level games…

AEK-Kavala Live

Been a while since I posted, but Ive finally finished my exams so I have some time and follow a game from start to finish. Can’t find any TV links right now, looks like radio is all I got, but it’ll do.

So, there have been a few games since my last post. Unfortunately we lost 1-0 to Panthrakikos in the league, I was expecting a better result than that, and it would’ve really helped us in terms of getting out of the relegation zone. Our next league game was a 1-1 draw in Athens against Atromitos, and thankfully we managed to at least get a point. With the first half of the season over, we’re tied with Kerkyra for last place, but its still far from over. Only five points separate us and us and 10th place, so with a bit of luck we can definitely finish the season well above relegation.

We’ve also had a cup game played since my last point, a 0-0 draw against Kavala. Right as I speak the second leg is taking place, this time in Athens. Still 0-0, though were only 20 minutes or so in. Sounds like we’ve had a couple decent chances so hopefully we can get past this (won’t really matter much though, we play Oly next if we advance… and they got pushed a fair bit in their cup game yesterday so I doubt things will be different if we face them).

We’ve also made a couple signings this past week (surprisingly). We managed to get Pavlos Mitropoulos on loan (I believe?) from Panetolikos, as well as Petropoulos from PAO (not gonna lie, Im quite excited about this singing). I can’t comment much on the Mitropoulos move, but Im quite happy about signing Petrogol until 2014. He’s a good player, someone who can definitely add quite a bit to our attack. It would be interesting to see him up front with Pavlis.

GAME UPDATE: Sounds like Kavala just missed a pretty good chance.

EDIT: Managed to find a link for the match. Not working so well for me but I guess its better than nothing.

Veroia 0-4 AEK!

Beautiful isn’t it? Like my father told me today, before this game we only scored 4 goals all season, now we just scored 4 in one game. Away. With some great goals. And some great support from our supporters that traveled north. Just like the good old days!

For once I wasnt working during the match. Didnt manage to catch a live stream but I did hear some radio commentary at times, and it sounded like we definitely had some chances for a couple more goals.

You can catch some highlights, including the goals, at this link.

Great stuff, and I really must say I’ve been very impressed by Linen so far. To be able to bounce back after a 4-0 loss and win 4-0, the first time AEK has scored 4 goals away since last year? Not an easy thing to do with AEK in this league. And I can’t imagine what Linen could do with some solid financial backing and a few good signings.

We’re still at the bottom of the table, but we only need three points to get out of the relegation zone, and like I mentioned last week, its fairly smooth sailing from now on. Hopefully with some momentum from the win we can start getting some more results like today.

PAOK 1-0 AEK

I certainly wasn’t expecting us to get our first win of the season in Toumba, but a 1-0 loss still isn’t too bad (considering our current situation… young players, first derby for the team, new coach). I didn’t get to watch or follow the match, but I heard that we played a pretty tight game defensively and managed to hold PAOK back for much of the match. We also apparently weren’t treated too well by the ref, but what else is new…

We’re still last in the league (painful isn’t it?) but we can still definitely turn things around. Not so sure we can make the playoffs, but hopefully we’ll be able to stay safely away from relegation. Our next match is against Platanias and though I know little about this club and have yet to see them play, and though they are a new team to the league, they’re doing quite well. But hopefully we’ll get our first win?

Lienen it is

So, after about a week of waiting, we finally got our new coach a couple days ago. And while I wasn’t too excited when I first heard his name mentioned as a possibility, Ive since started feeling a little more comfortable about it. And, considering how bad our situation is, I guess we really should be grateful that anyone was still willing to step in.

 

Sure, we could’ve gotten a better coach… isn’t that almost always the case? But at least Lienen does have plenty of experience as a manager, and he knows the Greek league. He knows what to expect, he’s experienced it all a few times now. Now we just have to wait and see if he can turn things around. Though, really, only part of the blame can be put on the manager when we have a team as inexperienced as the one we have now. Really, the fact that our manager has more superleague experience than most of our players is a pretty frightening fact.

Hmmm…

Hhmmmmmmmmmm…

Hm…

So. Not sure who has been following things with AEK lately… not even sure who still follows this blog anymore considering its been so long since I posted (and for that I apologize, but I just never felt I had much to offer).

But things arent going too well. Things are terrible, really…

AEK, one of the most historic clubs from Greece (THE most historic in my opinion, but Im certainly bound to be a little biased), is at the bottom of the tables, with two points. Two points from six games (so that is two out of a total of eighteen possible points). We’re even lower in the standings than teams like Panthrakikos, Levadeiakos, and Veroia (AND Platanias, a team that just joined the league this year, yet are currently in fourth place with eleven points).

Now, Im sure everyone expected us to have a tough time this season, I know I certainly did. And I accepted it, accepted it as something that needed to be done. But I never expected us to have this hard a time. And we shouldn’t. We’re AEK. There was a time when this club was able to come from being down 2-0 against Madrid, in their own stadium, and even the score at 2-2. There was a time when this team was able to beat teams like Rangers away. There was a time we could beat teams like AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Porto at home, in front of some of the most impressive atmospheres ever created by European supporters. Sure, these wins weren’t that common, but there was still a time when AEK could go up against teams like these and know that, if they played the best they could, they’d always stand a chance.

Yet now, we face teams like Kavala, Panionios, and Ofi,hoping and praying for a win? Is that really what AEK has become? Is that what people have LET AEK become? Even supporters of Greek football in general, or supporters of our rivals, should not accept what has happened to AEK. Take away a strong AEK and its like taking away a strong Liverpool from England, or a strong Inter from Italy, or a strong Marseille from France. Greece NEEDS AEK.

I didn’t start this post with the intention of ranting. I didn’t have any sort of a plan when I started this post, I just felt the need to post something, to show that I’m still here. This team has changed since I first started posting on this blog. We went from pretty-much-winning-championships in 2008, to where were are now, four years later, in 2012. Things with AEK have changed, and not in a good way unfortunately. Everythings changed, really. I’ve changed, the situation in Greece has changed.

But regardless of what has happened to AEK, regardless of what will happen, AEK will always mean the same thing to me. AEK represents so much, to so many people. It represents our history, its a link to a past many of us never actually experienced. A past we could only read about, or hear about from our ancestors.

Yet again Ive taken this post in a certain direction, though I dont know if its really the direction I want to take this post.

Part of me wants to make those responsible for what has happened to AEK feel guilty. But really, I know they’ll never read this. And many live such busy lives, with their companies and ships, to ever care. Yet some probably do care, and I cant say I blame those who stuck with the team for a few years, continued some financial support even though they saw nothing in it for them.

I think its best I end the post here, before I continue on for too much longer. I apologize to everyone who read this expecting something worth while. A match report, or something along those lines. But really, I just felt like expressing how I felt. Because I know Im not the only one out there who feels this way. One thing I’d like to say though is, to everyone who supports AEK, though there might be little we can do in terms of financially supporting the club, we must never forget what AEK means. We can never become supporters who are there only when the club is winning, or when times are good. AEK wasn’t created to celebrate how great life is. AEK was created as a very real reminder of what people left behind, their homes, their lives, families, children, loved ones. AEK was a reminder of the hardships people had to go through and experience. And a reminder of the hardships people have to face everyday, people forced from their homes everyday because of war and conflict, because of natural disasters. Supporting AEK is supporting more than just a club, even if some people don’t see it that way. And I hope that if you support AEK, you’ll always remember that. And I hope the people and the government that have let this club down remember that as well.

Okay, I think Im done. I know I’ve said it before, but Im really sorry I haven’t been able to get any match reports up. The games are always on when I have to work, and I haven’t even found the time to watch a full match yet this entire season. But I think I’m gonna make an effort to post on here a little more often from now on.

This is it!

After our 2-0* win against PAOK earlier in the week (it feels like ages since we beat them), its come down to a match-up between PAO and AEK to  decide who will be Greece’s second team to attempt to make their mark in the Champions League. Thanks to Chelsea’s win against Bayern in the final today, whichever team goes on to win the playoffs will be placed in the stronger group for qualifying matches and will play against lower seeded teams (definitely good news!).

I really think we have a chance of getting the win tomorrow, though it will not be easy (it never is really). PAO will want this just as much as us, and their supporters will be there. Not sure what to expect for this one, but Im sure we’ll be going all out, its do or die now, nothing but a win will be good enough and we have nothing to lose. PAO, on the other hand, might very well be playing for the draw (we’ve seen them do this in the past), so lets see what happens.

*Libe and Leo were our goal scorers for the match. This was Libe’s last home game for us, sadly, and Dellas’ as well.

Two legendary players for AEK (and Greece). Respected the shirt, always gave the most they could, rarely, if ever, caused any trouble. Players that AEK and Greek football will miss. Players that we dont see as often these days, yet players that our league so desperately needs.

And as much as I love Dellas, I will miss Libe more than I’ll ever miss another AEK player. He’s been with AEK through the good and bad times, never complained, always accepted lower wages, always gave all he had to offer on the pitch. Even at 36 years old this season, he was still scoring goals (and some beautiful ones indeed). Its not often that you find a player who is so respected by AEK and PAO fans, and I certainly wont be surprised to see a standing ovation by the PAO supporters tomorrow. And I also wont be surprised to see Libe score a goal or two tomorrow as well!

AEK 3-2 Atromitos

LIBE! What else can I say? The guy is a legend, 36 and still scoring goals (beautiful ones too).

Didnt watch the match. I heard the first half wasnt our greatest but things picked up later on. Not sure how specific players played but we scored some nice goals today and grabbed some critical points.

PAOK beat Panathinaikos today which puts us one point behind first with three games left. Can we finish top? Too early to tell but its definitely possible. Away to Atromitos could be tricky, but with PAOK at home and a very mediocre Panathinaikos away, there is definitely plenty of potential for us to pick up points.

 

 

Levadeiakos 0-2 AEK

Ah Levadeiakos… one of those teams, along with Panionios, Volou, and Xanthi, that I just love seeing AEK beat.

Couldnt watch the game because I had to work, but hey, we got the three points. Highlights from what Ive heard/seen: Sialmas’ goalara, good keeping by Konstantopoulos, and a well reffed match (aside from the unnecessary to Sialmas).

Highlights here.

Too bad Sialmas couldn’t have been in form against Doxa as well (to be fair, he played a great game, but just could not find the target), but I still cant get over his goal. Pure class on every level. Got out of a tight position on the sidelines, nice run, confidence, great shot, everything that makes a classic goal. Hopefully he keeps scoring from now on… he’s done everything right this season aside from actually scoring, so maybe this game will help with that.

Apparently our defense wasn’t all that great but from what Ive heard, Konstantopoulos made up for it which is great to hear. Again, hopefully he can keep it up. Unlike with Sialmas, I have not been impressed AT ALL from what Ive seen from him so far this season, but he has time to turn it around. Lets face it, we’re stuck with him afterall and we wont be seeing anyone better for quite a while.

Four points so far in 2012. Too bad we couldn’t have the six like we should have, but it sounds like the last game was definitely an improvement, so lets hope things continue to improve like they were before Christmas.

And by the way, for those who didnt see gtmanleg’s comment, Oly tied 0-0 with Doxa Drama today as well… beautiful stuff.