PAOK deservedly won the match against Olympiakos at Karaiskaki on Sunday evening, thoroughly outplaying their opponent who could only manage two long range shots at goal for the entirety of the match. Olympiakos players were reduced to a Greg Louganis diving exhibition every time they entered their opponents penalty area with the expectation that a penalty would be awarded. ( Diogo is an absolute disgrace, the sooner Chelsea pay 20 million Euro to take him to Stanford Bridge,or is it 30 million, the better for Greek football)

Had luck been on PAOK's side, it could have easily been a comprehensive 3 goal victory, never mind. Excluding the twenty minute period at the start of the second half, this was PAOK's most complete performance under Santos, dominating and negating the opposition who never looked like scoring.

The whole team was exceptional , however special mention should be made of the following players.

Pablo Garcia - commanding presence, composed , a midfield general , holding the opposition off the ball with ease, his first half performance was a football exhibition we rarely see in Greek football. Furthermore he didn't allow the opposition to get under his skin as he did on a number of occasions last year.

Victor Vitolo - a machine, running, pressuring for the full 90 minutes.

Vladan Ivits - much maligned player not to everyone's liking , looked dangerous every time he was anywhere near the ball, exquisite pass to set up Edinho for the goal. His best performance in a PAOK shirt.

Adelhinho Vierinha - always an offensive threat , keeping the opposition defenders on the back foot with his skill and pace.

Edinho - for possessing a strikers instinct for goal. (enough said)

Pablo Contreras - absolute class, security at the back,that good that he is only noticed when missing.

Stelios Malezas - much improved player, in tandem with Contreras never threatened , deserves a call up to the national team.

Kostas Halkias - Had little to do , but for the first time in his career has reached a level of performance that inspires confidence in his team mates and supporters, has eliminated the gaffes that were once prevalent in his game, at PAOK he has become a complete goalkeeper, his contract was rightly extended and he should be Otto's number 1 for South Africa.

The ease of the victory was achieved despite referee Daloukas playing 65-35 in Olympiakos favour for the first 70 minutes of the match , only in the last 20 minutes did he play the teams 50-50 , a period coincidently that resulted in PAOK hitting the woodwork twice, while Olympiakos was unable to keep possession in midfield without innocuous fouls being called in their favour. What an outrage it must be for Olympiakos fans not to be favoured by the referee 90 - 10 as has always been the case during the Kokalistan era. Indeed it was, their supporters are so accustomed to being pushed that every time the ball entered PAOK's penalty box whether from a free kick , a cross, even a headered clearance from one of our players they would rise as one trying to intimidate the ref in to seeing a phantom penalty. (Kokalistan in all its glory, the sad thing is they are so used to it, that when it doesn't materialise they actually believe that the referee has screwed them.)

Let's highlight a few incidents to demonstrate the obvious.

1. Olympiakos only chance of the first half came from a non existent free kick given just outside PAOK's penalty area , fortunately Halkias was aware and made a sharp save.

2. Very soft yellow card given to Contreras, non existent yellow to Vitolo, both given early in the game to soften PAOK's defensive performance.

3. Consistently giving non existent and soft fouls in Olympiakos favour from the 25th to the 45th minute of the first half in the midfield, thereby stopping PAOK's control and domination, gifting possession to Olympiakos.

4. Constant hacking by Avraam Papadopoulos and Raul Bravo on PAOK's most dangerous offensive players for the duration of the match conveniently ignored.

5. Straight red not given to Raul Bravo for his two legged studs up lunge on Vierinha , referee has full sight of the incident, linesman is less than five metres away.

6. Push by Melberg on Ivits while he is heading for goal in the penalty area is ignored.

The point being emphasised, is not that PAOK was butchered by the referee, rather, that had they been committed by players wearing a black and white shirt , rest assured they would have been penalised to the harshest degree. PAOK would have had three defenders on yellow cards by the 30th minute , the Bravo challenge would have been a straight red, (as it should have been) and a soft penalty would have been awarded in the Ivitc incident. (correctly ruled not to be a penalty)

And there you have it, Presto! 11 Championships in 12 years. To be fair, in 3 of those 11 championships, they did have the best team but even there, they received a push when it was needed to keep their closest rivals at bay.

The triumph of the victory in Karaiskaki is not in the three points gained, but in the fact that our superiority was so great that not even the referee could help them. Let's see what they have in store for us in the play off's, a system unheard of in every other European country, including Holland where it originated, but favoured in Greece because one way or another it guarantees Olympiakos and Panathinaikos a shot at qualification in to the group stages of the Champions League , even if they finish third or fourth. Kakos and his friends will ensure that orders are followed to the letter and the right team wins the play off's. Our only chance is to so thoroughly outplay the opposition as we did at Karaiskaki. Truth be told, if Kakos is refereeing we need to play even better, particularly after the accusations from Olympiakos that he crucified them against Kavala last week. What they mean by "crucify" is that he literally did not win the match for them. (That club and and the mentality of its supporters are a cancer on Greek football)

Conclusion

Great performance and victory by the team, the most satisfying part was not the result but the fact we played like PAOK, not a small team with a defeatist mentality, hoping for the best. However let's not get carried away, our judgement on PAOK's improvement is reserved until after the play off's.

We beat a team that is finished, a team that depends on 90 - 10 treatment from the referees, a team that cant impose itself even with a 65 -35 push in their favour, let alone 50 - 50. True to form as always , the day after the game instead of focusing on the fact that their overpaid players have been exposed for the mediocre players they are without the referees complicit approval to ignore every football rule book, they were complaining that PAOK's goal should not have been allowed because it was preceded by a foul from Edinho on Melberg , furthemore Natolo was denied a penalty. The rest of Greece was obviously watching a different game, while these guys were watching ERT and repeating what the puppets on that station were trying to pass on to the public.(Kokalistan - Media handbook - Rule No1 - What you have just witnessed did not occur because we said so and we refuse to show any replays to the contrary , see our commentators said so. So there.) Is it any wonder their supporters are the lowest common denominator in Greek society. I rest my case, and light up a Marlboro. Send in the clowns.( By the way does Athlitiki Kyriaki always begin its program with a second division match, they did this Sunday)


What this victory showed above all, is that long term planning, patience and the belief Zagorakis and Bryzas have shown in Santos work is starting to reap results, it demonstrates that having high calibre people with football knowledge in administration is the antidote to competing with teams that have 10 to 15 times your budget.

Finally, it's a reward for the stability and professionalism that the administration headed by Zagorakis and Bryzas has demonstrated in supporting a coach whose work has been doubted and criticised by a large group of supporters, ( rightly or wrongly)overcome crises , and resignations. THE MESSAGE TO ALL OUR RIVALS IS CLEAR , WERE HERE TO STAY.

PAOK PANO APO OLA

Portuguese journalists have referred to PAOK's new acquisition Cristiano Moraes as a highly talented and skillful player. If these assessments turn out to be correct, PAOK will have acquired a right wing version of Vierinha. Not that the Brazilian is right footed, but he plays on the right and can also play in more attacking, or peripheral positions in away games where the team has a more conservative formation.

The acquisition of Cristiano highlights another benefit for PAOK. Sergio Conceisao, in virtually his first move as technical director, has shown that he will be a worthy replacement to Zisis Vryzas. His name is respected in Portugal, and it appears he has an eye for talent and exceptional negotiating skills. If Cristiano is as good a player as has been described, the 150,000 Euro spent on his acquisition is minuscule compared to what the team will gain with his presence, and any potential future resale.

PAOK will line up in the away game against Kavala with no changes to its defence, but without the suspended Zlatan Mouslimovits. Garcia and Vitolo will play in midfield, with Papazoglou in front of them and Sorlen and Vierinha on the flanks. Missing from the game will be the injured Filomeno and Fotakis.

Deal with Christiano
PAOK is close to reaching an agreement with 25 year old attacking midfielder Christiano of Paso Ferreira. The Brazilian will be acquired on a transfer in the next few days. He was born on the 28th of September 1983, and can also play on the wing. He has played 66 matches for Paso Ferreira, scoring 15 goals.

Awards Presented to Sponsors
An awards ceremony was held on Wednesday at the Noesis function centre in Thessaloniki to honour PAOK's 39 sponsors. The function was attended by the team, Fernando Santos, the training staff, general manager Sergio Conceisao, and Zisis Vryzas, who amongst other things said "PAE PAOK is not just a company. There is an emotional factor that makes it special. We thank you very much for your support. We have worked for 2.5 years for the progress of the club and will continue to do so."

For his part, board member Ilias Violidis said "We took over a problematic PAE and have managed to achieve a profit each of the two years, in relation to ticket sales, when we took charge the average attendance was 8,061, in our first year this increased to 17,178. This year we have 20,000 season ticket holders."