Who next, Ronaldo?
If anyone was doubting the gap in resources and power between the top club in Greece and…well…anyone else, the issue has been put to rest in the last week with news that Olympiakos appear set to tie up a deal to bring over Juventus centre-back Olof Mellberg for around 3 million euro, after confirming that Matt Derbyshire 
would be making his stay permanent for the same amount and the suggestion that the same fate awaits on-loan Liverpool man Sebastian Leto.
The fact that a club such as Olympiakos can supposedly convince Mellberg to shun a return to the lucrative English Premier League - where European football awaits with Aston Villa - is a sign of their pulling power relative to other Greek clubs.
Only Panathinaikos have anything approaching the same recruiting abilities and financial strength, though even they have so far struggled to match their fierce rivals (the capture of the functional Orlando Engelaar hardly compares to Olympiakos’ spending).
The Piraeus giants build for Champions League; the likes of PAOK, AEK Athens and Aris build for the Super League and therein lies the difference.
Next year will likely be another where Olympiakos win the Greek title with minimal effort, despite the fact that they will be managed by the inexperienced Temuri Ketsbia (who, as if to emphasize the point, has been brought in with the sole objective of bringing success in the UEFA Champions League as he had done with unfancied Cypriot Anorthosis Famagusta last season).
Mellberg and Derbyshire probably won’t be the last of the captures bankrolled by cashed-up owner Sokratis Kokkalis, who appears ever-willing to make the financial sacrifices in search of European glory (for which the return is potentially great).
With Panathinaikos still some way behind - though admittedly, slowly returning to the same level as their rivals - it appears as though the port city club are set to win their 13th championship in 14 years as those outside the top-two scrap for Europa League spots and a possible Champions League berth (given the current plight of AEK Athens, the term ‘Top Three’ hardly applies).
One positive of course is the return of Aris and PAOK to their prestigious former selves, offering some semblance of resistance in the north that has traditionally been one of the few genuine challenges to Athenian dominance.
But theirs is a mere footnote to a period of Greece’s domestic history that has been utterly dominated and monopolized by Olympiakos and that appears set to continue with another summer spending spree that dwarfs any other in Greece.
Who next, Ronaldo?
Play-Off Race Hots Up
By: Chris Paraskevas |
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The race for UEFA Champions League football in Greece is extremely tight after Round 2 of the Greek Super League playoffs, with one point separating Panathinaikos, PAOK and AEK Athens.
On Wednesday evening, Panathinaikos played out a dramatic 1-1 draw with Athenian rivals AEK, whilst PAOK managed a [...]
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Karagounis’ Brilliance devestates PAOK
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
In cooperation with Greeksoccer.com
By: Georgios Kioussis
A sumptuous Giorgos Karagounis strike three minutes from time lifted Panathinaikos over PAOK on Matchday 1 of the Greek Super League Playoffs, Sunday evening at Toumba Stadium. As the match seemed destined for a goalless draw, the midfield maestro capped off [...]
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Greek Super League Play-offs Preview: Larissa
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
In cooperation with Goal.com
The last of the quartet to qualify, Larissa will be hoping to leave their mark on the Super League play-offs and earn a spot in the UEFA Champions League.
A slim 1-0 win over Levadeiakos on the last day of the season was the final [...]
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Greek Super League Play-offs Preview: PAOK
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
In cooperation with Goal.com
It was a renaissance season for PAOK, but success in the play-offs is still desired as Thessaloniki’s only representative aims to bring the UEFA Champions League back to Northern Greece next season.
A busy summer transfer period paid off for PAOK; the Thessaloniki giants [...]
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Greek Cup Final: AEK Athens - Olympiacos CFP (Trailer)
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
While many are awaiting Sunday’s El Classico at the Santiago Bernabeu, the OAKA Spyros Louis Stadium in Athens will host an intense encounter between AEK Athens FC and Olympiacos CFP. Both sides have survived each challenge in the Greek Cup thus far, but will go to head-to-head in the Greek capital for the right to [...]
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European Hopefuls aim for Playoff Success
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
The Greek Super League season came to a close on Sunday, but four sides still have plenty of work to do as the Super League playoffs take center stage with Greece’s four runners up set to jostle for European spots…
Tumer Metin’s first half strike against Levadeiakos gave [...]
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Last Chance to shine for Super League’s bottom trio
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
They may be destined for a drop to the Beta Ethniki, but the likes of OFI Crete, Panserraikos, and Thrasyvoulos Fylis return to the Super League limelight on the final day of the season. All three face their statistical counterparts, as the Super League schedule makes way [...]
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‘God of War’ praying for Larissa blunder
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
Aris heads into their final league fixture of the season with high hopes of qualifying for the Greek Super League playoffs, but their chances of partaking in the quadruplet that battles for Greece’s four remaining European spots after champions Olympiacos appear to be dim.
That’s because Larissa holds [...]
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Ferrera steps down at Panthrakikos, joins Panionios
By: Peter Katsiris | Add Comments
Panthrakikos announced the end of their cooperation with manager Emilio Ferrera earlier this week and shortly after his dismissal, the Belgian bench boss was made Panionios’ manager for the upcoming season.
Panthrakikos revealed their decision was a result of Ferrera’s request to resign due to personal reasons regarding [...]
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Team News
It's Going To Be A Long Season
First off, some well-directed hatred toward Kostas Katsouranis (replace the 'a' with a 'un' and you'd get the drift of the general feeling of ill-will of AEK fans toward the traitor) for electing to return to Greece - with Panathinaikos.
OK so we could see it come for quite some time, ...
Jul 01, 2009 | Read this article...
Why AEK Athens And Ilie Iordache Are Better Than Cristiano Ronaldo
Another pathetic attempt to snare traffic in the AEK blog I know, though I was only seconds ago punished by the football Gods (who clearly favour CR7/CR9/CRNikePet) at the moment by causing me to accidentally hit the "Home" Tab as I was just about to finish this entry, thus erasing ...
Jun 17, 2009 | Read this article...
Why AEK Athens Is More Important Than Cristiano Ronaldo
It would be interesting to actually find out from Daryl whether the above headline attracted more than the usual hard-core element of this blog following - for all of you who were trapped into coming to this site for the first time by the name of the Portuguese 'Peacock' as ...
Jun 15, 2009 | Read this article...
Melissanidis Rejects AEK: Where Will Our Saviour Come From?
A bad week got a whole lost worse with the announcement from Oil tycoon Dimitris Melissanidis - supposed saviour of a financially troubled club - that he would not be taking a majority share in AEK Athens.
The former president of the club served to distance himself from rumours that have ...
Jun 04, 2009 | Read this article...
No Champions League, No Greek Cup, No Bajevic? AEK Athens Can't Work Like This.
It was in the post-match reflections of AEK Athens manager Dusan Bajevic that the greatest insight into AEK Athens' current plight can be made.
The Serbian tactician spoke of the fact that the club cannot continue in its current vein and that he would not be staying if changes are not ...
Jun 01, 2009 | Read this article...
A Huge Week
What a huge week it has been and could be, with the birth of a legend and hopefully the berth of a new era at AEK.
Perhaps the latter claim is a little bit premature given our current financial plight and the shambles that was this season but should Dusan Bajevic ...
May 30, 2009 | Read this article...
No Place For Romance
If someone had asked me to choose between Champions League football next season and a Greek Cup, the more romantic side of me would have chosen the latter.
But, given the nature of the modern game, romance arguably has little value for a club that simply needs the money.
In any case, ...
May 23, 2009 | Read this article...
There's Potential Here
Without the services of Sotiris Kyrgiakos, AEK Athens produced one of their most impressive performances of the season to score what must be considered an upset 1-0 win against PAOK at Toumba.
Ignoring the fact that Fernando Santos' men haven't won a derby clash against any of the Big Three (AEK, ...
May 18, 2009 | Read this article...
Fiesta Celebrations honour Olympiacos’ finest
Pyrotechnics, a commemorative football match, and a championship celebration occupied the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium on Saturday night, as Olympiacos celebrated yet another domestic double with their loyal supporters.
In what is somewhat of a tradition in Piraeus nowadays, Olympiacos looked back on another golden season domestically as the club was presented ...
May 12, 2009 | Read this article...
Jaouad Zairi joins Olympiacos
After several weeks of speculation, Olympiacos confirmed their second signing of the summer transfer period with the presentation of Jaouad Zairi on Tuesday (May 5). The Moroccan joins the club on a free transfer from Super League side Asteras Tripolis after penning a two-year deal.
A successful season with Asteras Tripolis ...
May 07, 2009 | Read this article...
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