Jose Holebas

[Don Giovanni]

He scored a fantastic goal today and he registered two assists against Brighton on the opening matchday. He's in stunning form.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqiZWTTEBzk

[Reaper]

Massive loss to the NT imo. Hugely damaging that Skibbe chose not to champion him. Especially when you see how many goals Staf and Tzavellas leak. Holebas for me is not the best at defending, but far better than Skibbe's current two charges..

[Amorgos]

Just a small number of Skibbes great moves...

[Dean97]

We need him back! Is there are way we can contact EPO and try persuade them to bring Holebas back because he plays at the highest level in world footbal and is doing very well considering he is 33.

My mistake, is there a way to persuade Holebas.

[Amorgos]

I’ll get you a number for EPO re :p

[Greekfreak]

We need him back! Is there are way we can contact EPO and try persuade them to bring Holebas back because he plays at the highest level in world footbal and is doing very well considering he is 33.

My mistake, is there a way to persuade Holebas.

Maybe if Tzavellas gives Holebas some of the polaroids he has of Skibbe blowing a donkey.

[Reaper]

We need him back! Is there are way we can contact EPO and try persuade them to bring Holebas back because he plays at the highest level in world footbal and is doing very well considering he is 33.

My mistake, is there a way to persuade Holebas.

EPO/Skibbe don't like Holebas - there is nothing you can do. They are backing Stafylidis/Tzavellas - even if they have their arms in slings a la Vryzas. This is not about football - it is about power and politics. Also the media helped out - Greek media never liked Holebas - however Tzavellas and Stafylidis - you would think they were Roberto Carlos and Dani Alves by the way the Greek media describe their performances for the NT.

Skibbe has lost more games in charge of the Greek NT than he is won. Any other human would have been fired - especially after his failure last season. However EPO loves him as does the Greek media.

[Dean97]

Well if that's the case then what are we expecting to accomplish by playing Tzavellas and Tziolis? Bakasetas is not good enough in my opinion. I can easily name 3 replacements for them.

This corruption/power and politics will kill this team. I don't what sort of connection Tziolis and Tzavellas have with the EPO but if they were smart enough they should retire. Just like Amanatidis did. Although he was a good player.

For left back Tsimikas is promising and so Is Koutris. Lykogiannis hasn't been given a chance and Giannoulis is not ready yet. Stafylidis is out injured. Holebas hands down is better than all of them. Excluding Holebas we have 5 players to pick for LB when everyone is healthy. Yet Tzavellas is ranked above them all.

I can't seem to fathom how EPO or Skibbe would do this and sabotage this team. It's like they dont care about results and only care about a pay cheque. What has the world come to.

[Greekfreak]

Holebas registered two assists tonight against Spurs. The guy is on fire.

[Don Giovanni]

He has the most assists in the EPL out of any player so far this season (4 total). His team have won all their games so far. He also scored a spectacular goal, although he admitted he was actually attempting a cross, not an effort on goal. In any case, his passing/crossing ability is dangerous, intended or not, and he always looks capable of beating his man when he's on the ball (or at least he puts real pressure on his opponent). He's without a doubt the most in-form Greek player around and arguably our best player at the moment.

His falling out with Skibbe is in my view a real black eye on the Greek NT. It was right to drop Holebas after what happened with the Faroes game. The fact he was able to play for Roma but not Greece suggested he wasn't doing everything he could for the NT. But Holebas should have been given a proper chance back into the team, but Skibbe showed favoritism towards Tzavellas.

We saw this under Rehhagel. Georgatos, similarly to Holebas, had been blacklisted under Rehhagel. Had he been available, Greece may have stood a better chance of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. We might have had the creativity so desperately needed after the void left by Tsartas who at 35, and riding the bench in the German second division, could not continue with Greece. Likewise Stoltidis, who had in that time scored a great header against Liverpool from a set-piece (a favored Greek tactic due to our lack of creativity) and had won high praise from Rivaldo as the best Greek player he played alongside. Machlas, Dabizas and Zikos are among others Rehhagel wrongly ignored. And I don't think Greece would have won against Kazakhstan in the away match had Liberopoulos not been recalled.

Now here we are and I think it's reasonable to question if we'll beat Estonia. I really do think the likelihood of a 0-0 draw is in the cards because Tzavellas and Torosidis aren't the wing-backs Greece needs. If Estonia sit deep and defend, it will be hard for Greece. They have two very experienced CBs with over 200 caps between them.

[Amorgos]

Funny enough, last time we played them we won 2-0 but it was Estonia doing the running at us after Tachtsidis & Maniatis lost the midfield. Our two goals came off set pieces

[Greekfreak]

He has the most assists in the EPL out of any player so far this season (4 total). His team have won all their games so far. He also scored a spectacular goal, although he admitted he was actually attempting a cross, not an effort on goal. In any case, his passing/crossing ability is dangerous, intended or not, and he always looks capable of beating his man when he's on the ball (or at least he puts real pressure on his opponent). He's without a doubt the most in-form Greek player around and arguably our best player at the moment.

His falling out with Skibbe is in my view a real black eye on the Greek NT. It was right to drop Holebas after what happened with the Faroes game. The fact he was able to play for Roma but not Greece suggested he wasn't doing everything he could for the NT. But Holebas should have been given a proper chance back into the team, but Skibbe showed favoritism towards Tzavellas.

We saw this under Rehhagel. Georgatos, similarly to Holebas, had been blacklisted under Rehhagel. Had he been available, Greece may have stood a better chance of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. We might have had the creativity so desperately needed after the void left by Tsartas who at 35, and riding the bench in the German second division, could not continue with Greece. Likewise Stoltidis, who had in that time scored a great header against Liverpool from a set-piece (a favored Greek tactic due to our lack of creativity) and had won high praise from Rivaldo as the best Greek player he played alongside. Machlas, Dabizas and Zikos are among others Rehhagel wrongly ignored. And I don't think Greece would have won against Kazakhstan in the away match had Liberopoulos not been recalled.

Now here we are and I think it's reasonable to question if we'll beat Estonia. I really do think the likelihood of a 0-0 draw is in the cards because Tzavellas and Torosidis aren't the wing-backs Greece needs. If Estonia sit deep and defend, it will be hard for Greece. They have two very experienced CBs with over 200 caps between them.

Georgatos at that point was early 30s and on his way out. Besides, he and Tsiartas played entirely different roles. Nevertheless, I agreed with what Rehaggel did in the beginning, because with players such as Georgatos, you sometimes have to make an example of so you don't get the typical clique bullshit or prima donna attitude from players from different teams. I liked that about him that he made sure the coach was the manager and had a defined style of play. Tsiartas still had a role to play, but Otto's style of man-marking and pressing fast when possession is ceded by the other team was not something he could play in unless somebody else was doing the running for him.

Like too many coaches, misplaced faith in players that didn't have it anymore, wrong tactics with the players he kept, and inadequate replacements for those who departed all contributed to his downfall.

Skibbe similarly should have been allowed to just leave or been shitcanned outright but the EPO has clearly shown not to give a flying fuck about international football, preferring to shine the one trophy they actually did win. But telling a coach we're cutting your salary and him accepting shows two things: he has no balls, and certainly no options, and they have no faith in his ability, nor did they have any other takers. Especially after two shitty campaigns.

I think also the word is out about the EPO and how much of a headache it must be to work for those cunts. If he wasn't already coaching Besiktas, one of my top picks would have been Senol Gunes, but a Turkish coach? Never. Winning isn't a priority anymore.

[Don Giovanni]

You make some fair points, but Senol Gunes would never go for coaching Greece even if we had wanted him. Personally, and I think I speak for most Greeks, it would be undesirable to have a Turk coach the NT. There's no way that would work out and any such move would be politically motivated rather than motivated for sporting reasons, something in the era of Erdogan and in era of a weakened Greece is completely unthinkable. If we were speaking of a Turkish coach who was half-Greek, has a proven record at a respectable level, has secular beliefs, has rejected Erdogan's Turkey and Gulen's movement, then it might be a different story. Otherwise, no chance in hell a Turk coaches Greece.

I think with Skibbe we are definitely getting what we are paying for. It's just very disappointing that he continues to call-up Tziolis. Just like Chalkias didn't deserve to be Greece's number one, Tziolis has no place on this team. There is no merit in his inclusion. And Tzavellas was so poor in the loss to Croatia. He played the bad back pass to Karnezis. He got his marking all wrong on the second goal. He was easily beaten in the air, time and again because he's too short. He and Stafyllidis were totally beat on the left for the third. Truth be told, Skibbe's tactics and Tzavellas was what cost Greece the tie. Once Greece was done 3-1, never mind 4-1, the tie was over. Between him, Tziolis, Maniatis, Stafylidis, and Karnezis, he was easily the worst performer on the day. An unforgivable performance and testament to the fact he doesn't belong on this level representing Greece. At a mid-table club in Greece or the Middle East is where these two belong at best.

Skibbe really should have been let go. He should not have been signed to a new contract. Had we had a better coach, our chances of qualifying against Croatia would have been more realistic. But I don't think we can afford the kind of coach needed to get that sort of job done. I think the next best thing is a coach along the lines of Dellas in tandem with another former player.

[Amorgos]

Another yellow on the weekend... this guy gets a yellow every game!! lol

[Reaper]

Watford in the FA Cup final.. Xolebas a massive part of that.

To think the Greek media still pines over Stafylidis..