After a score-less draw in Athens on Saturday, Greece secured their spot in next summer’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa on the final day of qualifying. A sweet pass from Giorgos Samaras found Salpingidis with plenty of space as he slipped past the Ukrainian defense and released a grounded effort past Andriy Pyatov, which flirted with the right post before catching the corner of the goal.

It wasn’t just Salpingidis or Samaras that contributed to the Greek victory. No, Greece isn’t a team that revolves around one player’s performances. It’s a team that plays and wins like a team. Therefore, the performance of Alexandros Tzorvas in the Greek goal should be duly noted. The Panathinaikos ‘keeper was sensational as he turned away Oleksandr Aliyev, and Andiry Shevchenko on numerous occasions.

Furthermore, the Greek defense, despite late injuries to Vasilis Pliatsikas and Vaggelis Moras after substitutions ran dry for Otto Rehhagel, gave a performance that resembled the magical run from EURO 2004.

Giorgos Karagounis has truly evolved into the team leader, and seems fit to play the same role that Thodoris Zagorakis feature in as captain of the EURO 2004-winning Greek squad, while Kostas Katsouranis’ move back to Greece is paying off on his international career.

In attack, the golden-boy Angelos Charisteas was a surprise starter for me as I expected Theofanis Gekas to partner up with Samaras, but he did his country proud with another blue-collar performance. Samaras, however, as my friend put it “looked like a real Spartan out there.” Granted the Celtic striker is actually from Crete, he managed to earn a second hometown with a commanding performance in the Greek attack as he looked untouchable at times when dribbling through a handful of Ukrainian defenders.

So thanks to a moment of brilliance and a lot of hard work, or what can be classified as a near replica of a 1-0 win over Turkey that clinched a berth at EURO 2008, Greece are heading back to the World Cup for the first time in nearly sixteen years and for just the second time in their history.

Their maiden-appearance at USA ’94 saw Greece finish the group-stage with a winless record as Argentina, Bulgaria, and Nigeria claimed wins to leave the Greeks at the foot of the table and on the first charter back to Athens.

It might be that sort of legacy that allows for fans of the game not pledging to the Blue-and-White to conspire against Greek football, with remarks such as “I hate to say it, but the loser here isn’t Ukraine, but SA 2010 if Greece qualify. 90 mins of naptime,” or “Greece are through, by the by. So 31 watchable teams at SA2010 at most.”

As you can see there is a lot of hate towards Greek football, just because the Ethniki doesn’t employ talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. But on a night where France’s Thierry Henry showed talent comparable with compatriot and NBA star Tony Parker to provide an assist for William Gallas and mastermind an undeserved defeat of the Irish in Paris, Greece isn’t the side that is undeserving of their World Cup berth.

In fact, teams like France and Portugal displayed anything but “watchable” football as their play-off detour suggests – particularly Titi with his criminal activity against the Irish.

So to all the anti-Greeks out there, I tell you to “F*** OFF, and have a good day!” To the rest of the lot, “See you in South Africa!”

Beating Latvia and Luxembourg on the final two matchdays of preliminary play in Europe was not enough to book a direct ticket to South Africa, despite a 0-0 draw for the Swiss against Israel.

So play-offs is the route we must take, a slight detour from the once thought direct passage to South Africa. Last Friday’s release of the October FIFA World Rankings confirmed Greece’s spot as one of the four seeded teams in Monday’s draw in Zurich.

We were joined by France, Portugal, and Russia as the four seeded teams, while Ukraine, the Republic of Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia were placed in the unseeded pot.

Although it is obviously a great benefit to have been a seeded team in the draw – eg. we avoid Russia, France, Portugal (we kick their ass every time) – the way the draw results worked out it still seems like Greece is an unseeded team. Not because Ukraine is our opponent, but the fact that some bullshit manoeuvre by FIFA sees Greece host the first match on 14 November, and play visitor in the second leg four days later.

Like seriously, what kind of bullshit move is that? We were ranked as a seeded team, so in my opinion, and traditionally UEFA’s as well, we should have home advantage on the second matchday. That’s what they use for the UEFA Champions League, it was used for the UEFA Cup, and it will be used again for the UEFA Europa League. So why the fuck does it not apply for international competitions? Beats the fuck out of me.

Anyway, I’m not going to complain too much about that. I have the utmost confidence in the national team to beat a really solid Ukraine team. In all fairness to Ukraine, but from the most objective perspective I can take, Greece is the more complete team in this tie – despite the whole Shevchenko factor (who, might I add, is NOT the only Ukrainian player I know).

There are many Ukrainians which pose a threat, and Greece has encountered this threat in recent qualifying campaigns – notably during their bid to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Greece tied Ukraine in the first fixture in Kiev, before slipping to defeat in Piraeus – thanks to that schmuck Basinas.

The draw in Ukraine, the more admirable of the results leads me back to some vintage Greek videos. The clip below is Greece’s strike from ex-footballers Vassilis Tsiartas, who AEK Athens FC fans know as their clutch free-kick taker.

That right there is a GOLARA my friends.

Author’s Note: It’s obvious after yesterday’s post by offside.com and worldcupblog.org blogger Chris on the main page that Greece is not taken seriously on this website, and that’s fine by me – Greeks will take the underdog ranking any day.

FIFA or UEFA rankings for us mean absolutely nothing. They’re never accurate so when Greece is ranked highly all you’ll hear – from a general standpoint – is a “meh”. We only care about being ranked above our bitter rivals/thorns in our side “nations” – eg. Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM (the parentheses around nation refers directly to the last named chunk of land we in Greece refer to as Skopia) Note: Lack of political correctness…awesome

Greece though have retained an incredibly frustrating ability though to turn the most promising of situations into a nightmare, somehow contriving to allow Moldova to sneak a late equalizer against them in Chisinau, following disastrous back-to-back losses against an extremely ordinary Switzerland.

Even with ten men in Basel the Greeks largely outplayed their opponents, though credit must go to Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men for recovering from what should have been a decisive home loss to minnows Luxembourg and beating Greece in Athens.

That match – and not the respective red card and last-gasp catastrophes in Switzerland and Moldova – will be considered the turning point of Greece’s qualifying campaign if they look back upon it without having booked a place in South Africa.

Questions will be asked of Otto Rehhagel’s tactics over the past week, though in truth there is no deficiency in his system as a whole, where he simply works with the resources he has.

His odd decision to replace Ioannis Amanatidis with the oft-indifferent Theofanis Gekas in Basel might have seemed innocuous at the time but it has changed the balance of this group; immediately upon his entry into the game he lost the ball, leading to Switzerland’s goal.

These are the fine margins upon which teams qualify for World Cups and on this occasion, Rehhagel totally misjudged the situation – inexcusable for such an experienced manager who knows his squad inside out.

For now though, six points must be the one and only objective from two winnable home games against Latvia and Luxembourg, which will decide whether Greece at least secure a chance for themselves at a first World Cup appearance since 1994 with a play-off.

From facing Luxembourg and Moldova they might now need to earn their passage with clashes against the likes of France or Portugal – and they only have themselves to blame.

Unfortunately, with just three matches left, what once looked so promising now looks barely achievable. Having been jipped for a 2-0 loss to the Swiss on Saturday, Greece face Moldova in Chisinau today (Wednesday), and anything but a win could potentially see Greece miss out on a trip to the World Cup, again.

Trailing Switzerland by three points for that automatic qualification spot, the hope for top spot is not completely lost; in fact, if Latvia can do Greece a favour and beat the Swiss today, that result alongside a Greek win would catapult the 2004 European Champions back to the summit of Group 2 – only this time the Latvians and Swiss would join Greece for a here-way tie for first.

But Moldova has never been an easy place to play for the Greeks, even in Athens Otto Rehhagel’s men have struggled to get a result. Bar their recent meeting with the Moldovans at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece has just managed slim 1-0 and 2-1 wins against the minnows of the group – Nikos Liberopoulos netting a dramatic winner in the dying seconds, twice.

So if Greek fans are a bit worried this evening, they have reason to be. Expected to come through, Greece are tipped to take the first step to recovery at the Zumbru Stadium, but for a country that hasn’t qualified for a World Cup since USA ‘94, a play-off spot berth is like walking down a dark alley.

Thankfully their guiding light has been declared fit to play tonight, Giorgos Karagounis is expected to the line-up after missing the weekend fixture in Basel – news certainly welcomed with open arms by Greek fans everywhere.

After opening up their campaign with a win on Friday over F.Y.R.O.M, England failed to grab another set of three points in Greece, as Nikos Nioplias men kept their grip on first place intact by extending their ubeatean record after three matches — a streak that includes prior wins over F.Y.R.O.M and Lithuania.

An early goal from Daniel Sturridge got England on their way, but Greece levelled before the half through starlet Sotiris Ninis.

Olympiacos CFP prospect Konstantinos Mitroglou really should have won Greece the game, but both times the 21-year-old failed to net.

While the result should have been a win, but still a draw is okay I guess, the more impressive entity of the game was the exciting tempo of play displayed by the Greeks. Previously playing against lesser opposition, Greece’s first test against a reputable team in the U-21 scene saw the likes of Ninis, Mitroglou, Vasilis Koutsianikoulis, Ilini Dimoutsos really shine.

You can see a full match report here.

Yes, the manager of the Greek National Team is raw with his comments, and a recent featured article of FIFA.com exposed Rehhagel’s greatest, and most unique, moments behind the microphone. I’ll warn you now; some phrases are classics, while some will leave you scratching your head. I’m sure you all can tell the difference.

“Everyone’s free to say what I want.”
Rehhagel on his attitude to criticism

“Verbals haven’t won a game yet.”
Rehhagel on pre-match jibes issued by an opposing coach

“I told the lads: don’t be too afraid if Thierry Henry appears in your dreams at night.”
Rehhagel ahead of a quarter-final meeting with France at UEFA EURO 2004

“I want to know the aftershave used by every player in Europe.”
Rehhagel on getting his players to stick to their men

“Saving easy shots is easy. Saving difficult shots is always difficult.”
Rehhagel on goalkeeping

“Some you lose, and some are won by your opponents.”
Rehhagel after a bitter defeat

“If you finish first, you’re in the right. So I’m in the right. You can speak to me again when I finish fifth.”
Rehhagel to a reporter unconvinced by success

“We play our best football when there’s no opposition.”
Rehhagel asked how he would return a team to winning ways

“The truth is out there on the field.”
Rehhagel answering criticism of his defensive tactics

“Football is like maths, two plus two makes four. If you reckon two plus two makes five, you lose.”
Rehhagel attempting to explain football

“If I lose a couple of matches, the people who were throwing flowers at me suddenly throw the pots as well.”
Rehhagel asked what would happen if a losing streak continued

“In the past, they all did as they pleased. Now, they all do what they can.”
Rehhagel on the secret of his success with Greece

“I started thinking about the Swedes back in 1958, when Pele scored his first goal.”
Rehhagel on opening day opponents Sweden at UEFA EURO 2008

“I need players who are better with the ball than with a microphone.”
Rehhagel on media interest in his players

See the full article at fifa.com

A second-half penalty from Giorgos Samaras gave Greece a slim 2-1 win over Israel in Heraklion, after the visitors had equalized through Elyaniv Barda.

Greece assured they kept level with Switzerland with an edgy win in Crete, but the margin of error was far too slim as a goal from the spot was all that separated both sides at the final whistle.

Dimitrios Salpigidis gave Greece the lead after thrity-two minutes, but a spirited Israel fought back to level the score ahead of the hour mark. Their resistance was not enough to keep Greece from their first win in three competitive matches, as a crafty Greek offense regained the lead through their Celtic striker.

First Half

With such high stakes on the table in Crete, the match got off to a nervy start – similar to the introduction in the Israel five days earlier.

Again it was Israel who started out on the right foot as Dror Kashtan’s men looked to make the most of their early possession. They pushed through the Greek defense with Benaram Kayal leading the charge and aiming for team-mate Omer Golan with a cross. A quick Kostas Chalkias, however, leaped off his line to foil the effort and assure there weren’t any early surprises in Crete.

Greece forged its first attack through Angelos Charisteas, as the man charged with scoring Greece’s most important goal in his nation’s history sped down the flank; only after an outlet pass from strike partner Theofanis Gekas allowed the Bayer Leverkusen striker to indulge in some space. Charisteas’ effort, however, was not as intuitive as a sharp Israel defense recovered in time to block the chance, and leave ‘keeper Dudu Aouate untested.

Although both sides got off to an energetic start through the first fifteen minutes, a rather congested quarter-of-an-hour ensued. Israel’s defense was the main ingredient in the match’s dry spell ahead of the half-hour mark.

But if there was going to be a breakthrough ahead of the interval, Greece’s confident attack was the likely route. A well orchestrated corner was poorly cleared by the Israel defense as Dimitrios Salpigidis pounced on the loose ball; and with a driven effort, the Panathinaikos striker beat Aouate to send Greece ahead on thirty-three minutes.

Boosted by their breakthrough, Greece continued to pepper the Israeli end with continuous raids. While their attacking line was now confident in their approach, the Greek lead was to be just one ahead of half-time.

Second Half

In a challenge similar to Saturday’s second-half agenda, Israel again faced an up-hill battle to at least secure a point in Greece. Yossi Benayoun was introduced ahead of the second frame as a quiet Ben Sahar was extracted by manager Kashtan.

Despite the addition of the highly-touted Liverpool midfielder, Greece still mustered a convincing venture into Israel’s end. A creative stroll by Giorgos Karagounis resulted in Charisteas finding Gekas with a pin-point cross, but the on-loan Portsmouth striker directed his free-header wide.

Israel’s push for a comeback resumed soon after the latest Greek miss, and this time they were rewarded. A bit of sloppy defending inside the Greek box resulted in a loose ball falling for Elyaniv Barda, who fired a hard shot on goal which whizzed past a confused Chalkias.

Deflated by the equalizer, Greece was forced to start from square one. Knowing their hopes of reaching the finals in South Africa would look dim with a draw, Rehhagel’s troops pursued yet another tally.

There hopes were restored in full effect when Vasilis Torosidis sacrificed his body to earn a penalty for Greece. A recently substituted Giorgos Samaras stepped up to take the decisive penalty, and the Celtic striker showed great composure as he restored the Greek lead on sixty-seven minutes.

With Israel now against the ropes, it was expected of the visitors to seek plenty of possession in an attempt to level the score. Greece’s determined defense assured that was not in the immediate future as the Israeli midfield was perplexed by a sturdy Greek back-line.

Furthermore, Samaras had a chance to bag a late brace, just ten minutes after giving Greece their second lead of the game. The lanky striker was in position to make the most of Giourkas Seitaridis’ cross, but poor judgement from Samaras saw his effort smash into the crowd of Israeli defenders.

Greece had another chance to assure three points went to the home side, but a breakaway for Kostas Katsouranis was foiled by an alert Aouate. Nonetheless, Greece held on to collect three points to stretch their total to thirteen points, and increase their lead over Israel to four points.

Four days after being held to a 1-1 draw in Tel-Aviv, Greece hosts Israel in the second half a double-date when both sides rekindle their challenge for top spot on Wednesday.

The Greeks’ hopes of qualifying for just their second World Cup Finals are still intact, but Saturday night’s draw with Group 2 rivals Israel took its toll on their lead at the group’s summit – which now flimsily stands on goal differential over Switzerland.

Israel, meanwhile, are still one point back of the joint group leaders with nine points to their name; but a win in Greece on Wednesday would be a big boost for Dror Kashtan’s men, whose captain, Yossi Benayoun, faces another race to fitness.

Cretan Cruise

The game might not be a cruise in the Cyclades, but Greece will be hoping the island-like surroundings of the Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion allow Otto Rehhagel’s men to set sail in Crete.

The last time the former European Champions hosted opposition on the southernmost Greek island was during qualification for last summer’s European Championships. A sturdy Greece stood tall against Hungary and Moldova; paving the way to top spot in the group.

If their place atop the group standings this term is to hold firm for yet another matchday, a full three points will be required of the Galanoleuki. While the feat may be strenuous, Saturday’s performance showed Greece has the right tonic to collect maximum points on Wednesday.

The only flaw, however, was several miscommunications in a potent attack that has long-expired its boiling point.

Shine like a “Sahar”

The road to South Africa from an Israeli standpoint is highlighted by Jewish history, as Israel look to return to the promise land after a forty-year wait. Their desired destination doesn’t require a refresher in history, but they’ll have to improve on their performance from the weekend.

Their hopes traditionally stemmed through Benayoun, but another Israeli prodigy has made his way into the limelight. Ben Sahar showed scintillating skill on the weekend, as his pace and ability left the Greek defense flat-footed on many occasions.

On the contrary, their home record doesn’t hold much to be admired; so a trip to Greece, with the dire need to grab full points a priority, could revitalize Israel.

The crowd on hand at the Ramat Gan Stadium jeered their squad during the interval; a reaction not forgotten by the Israel squad. An equally pressured atmosphere, this time with the Greeks under the microscope, could allow Israel to recapture their zest and squeak ahead of their hosts.

FORM GUIDE

Israel

Oct 11.    Luxembourg 1-3 Israel    (World Cup Qualifier)
Oct 15.    Latvia 1-1 Israel    (World Cup Qualifier)
Nov 19.   Israel 2-2 Ivory Coast   (Friendly)
Feb 11.    Israel 1-0 Hungary    (Friendly)
Mar 28.   Israel 1 -1 Greece      (World Cup Qualifier)

Greece

Oct 11.    Greece 3 – 0 Moldova    (World Cup Qualifier)
Oct 15.    Greece 1 – 2 Switzerland    (World Cup Qualifier)
Nov 19.    Greece 1 – 1 Italy    (Friendly)
Feb 11.    Greece 1 – 1 Denmark    (Friendly)
Mar 28.   Israel 1 -1 Greece      (World Cup Qualifier)

TEAM NEWS

Israel

Pre-match news continues to revolve around the health of Benayoun, but the Liverpool midfielder could again upset his English employers and suit up for his country. Gal Alberman, however, did not travel with the team to Greece and will not take part in the crucial match in Crete.

Probable Starting XI: Dudu Aouate – Klemi Saban, Tal Ben Haim, Dekel Keinan, Dedi Ben Dayan – Ben Sahar, Gil Vermuth, Tamir Cohen, Yossi Benayoun – Omer Golan, Elyaniv Barda.

Greece

Greece’s bill of health continues to sparkle, but precautions have overtaken the fitness of inspirational midfielder Giorgos Karagounis. The Panathinaikos midfielder followed an individual training session on Tuesday, but should be ready for Wednesday night.

Probable Starting XI: Kostas Chalkias – Vasilis Torosidis, Avraam Papadopoulos, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Giourkas Seitaridis – Angelos Basinas, Kostas Katsouranis, Giorgos Karagounis – Theofanis Gekas, Angelos Charisteas, Giorgos Samaras.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Israel

Ben Sahar’s brilliance makes him a spectacle to monitor, as the Chelsea prospect frustrated the Greek defense in Tel-Aviv. The 19-year-old, however, has the ability to make the players around shine. The Greek back-line might be more familiar with what they’re dealing with now, but a dynamic Sahar will likely fight through.

Greece

Theofanis Gekas rose to the occasion on Saturday, while Angelos Charisteas was left perplexed by his lack of effiecency in front of goal. Expect the latter to redeem himself as Greece’s golden boy as the man charged with winning the European Championships for Greece back in 2004 aims to set the record straight in Crete.

PREDICTION

Pressure now lies on the shoulders of Greece as their grip on top spot has been breached, and it will be challenged yet again on Wednesday. Expect Otto Rehhagel’s side to answer their critics with a similar performance from Saturday, but the home crowd should instil more confidence in the Greeks.

Greece 2-0 Israel

Peter Katsiris

Ostracized at Portsmouth, Theofanis Gekas showed his employers at Fratton Park just what they have been missing over the past few weeks with a superb display for his country on Saturday.

Despite his rather comical predicament at the relegation-threatened Premier League club, where he has yet to play a single minute of football since his loan move from Bayer Leverkusen in January, the striker’s public complaints about his situation were a little ill-timed and unprofessional.

The Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv provided a perfect stage for the former Bochum man to channel his frustrations and challenge his employers in the manner that suits him best; scoring goals for Greece.

With 14 goals in 37 games, following the strike that earned Otto Rehhagel’s side a point in Israel on Saturday evening, Gekas continues to defy his position as a reserve for his club side.

Goals have been difficult to come by for Portsmouth this season and Gekas’ reputation as a goal-poacher – he ended up the Bundesliga’s top scorer in his debut season in Germany – could provide at least a short-term solution to the problem, which is the source of the club’s relegation woes.

His lack of game-time has been perplexing, given his record.
Anyone who dares to use the argument that he is merely a scorer of goals, though, were corrected by Gekas’ superb display during his country’s crucial 1-1 draw away against Israel.

Not only was his goal just before half-time a testament to his intelligent movement and natural ability as a finisher from inside the penalty area, but it also complimented a tireless display of running, pressing and selflessness that would not look out of place in a side scrapping for their top-flight survival.

Clearly there can be no question about the fitness and sharpness of the player now, which again makes the requests for reserve team football as a means of proving himself all the more ludicrous – the 28-year-old can do no more to earn respect and a chance from manager Paul Hart.

Karagounis Value

Gekas might have grabbed the all-important goal that keeps Greece at the top of their World Cup qualifying group, but it was the enigmatic figure of Giorgios Karagounis who was again at the heart of everything positive for the former European champions.

Typically full of running, both on and off the ball, and willing to show an aggression in the tackle in central midfield – as well shouldering the bulk team’s creative duties – the midfielder’s performance was testament to a world class ability that has seen him shine in the UEFA Champions League for his club side Panathinaikos this season.

Just how and why the 32 year-old decided not to continue his career at a higher level than the Greek Super League is astounding, given his continuing level of performance, though his return home certainly hasn’t affected his effectiveness for the national team.

If Liverpool’s Yossi Benayoun was hyped up as virtually Israel’s only attacking threat in the build-up to the match – a suggestion laid to rest by the performance of Ben Sahar – then Karagounis is certainly Greece’s talisman, and has been since their Euro 2004 triumph.

Without him, the stereotypes about their negative, uninspired brand of football might just be realized – though the presence of youngster Vassilis Koutsianikoulis in Rehhagel’s initial squad and the emergence of Sotiris Ninis at Panathinaikos might be seen as long-term solutions.

Tight Finish

Now first in their group only on goal difference, with Switzerland also on ten points, the Greeks face a nervous second half of their qualifying campaign.

They will, initially, be in the box seat when Israel travel to Crete on Wednesday, where some semblance of home advantage should be returned by a strong crowd at the Pankritio Stadium.

Having moved the national team away from the Giorgios Karaiskakis Stadium following a series of disappointing crowds over the past few months, Rehhagel’s men will need to utilise the support of a partisan crowd against an Israel side who perhaps should have won in Tel Aviv.

The likes of Sahar exposed the Greeks for a traditional lack of pace in defence, the ageing but able Traianos Dellas visibly slowing down and perhaps suffering from a lack of consistently high quality football with Cypriot outfit Anorthosis Famagusta.

The problem will not be solved simply by a return to Greece but perhaps, instead, the promotion of one of either Sokratis Papastathopoulos or Vaggelis Moras to the first-team in the place of the Euro 2004 winner. Both have enjoyed successful seasons in Serie A.

Given Rehhagel’s preference for experience and his faith in his usual squad members though, that move seems unlikely.

However, Greece’s sudden susceptibility in defence might prove problematic during what will be their most important game away against Switzerland in September. This may decide which of the two nations secures first place and the automatic qualification for South Africa 2010.

A solution will need to be found in the intervening months – though Wednesday evening at least provides the perfect platform on which to build.

Under their Greeks Abroad page, I found an article with an excellent overview of Peter Storrie’s recent remarks after the director of the Greek National Team, Takis Fyssas, made a phone call to the director of Portsmouth, Paul Storrie.

Now it’s never a good thing when a player goes public about the on-goings inside a particular football institution, or any sport for that matter. Nevertheless, Theofanis Gekas did just that in the wake of his frustration over the lack of playing time for the Greece international. And he is absolutely right, and don’t think I am just defending my compatriot who is arguably the best striker on the Greek National Team at the moment.

While I was proud of Gekas, the rest of Portsmouth was likely pissed off; including the big cheese himself. We’re not talking Feta Cheese here, but in fact it was Feta Cheese, Fyssas, who apparently made the situation worse when he contacted the big cheese, Storrie.

In an interview with the English press, Storrie was clearly upset that Athens was calling about the lack of playing time on Gekas’ plate. The interview isn’t graphic but it does reveal a bit of anger in the Englishman who is irate at the fact the Greek National Team has the nerve to ring up the English minnows.

‘At the end of the day it is the manager’s choice which player should play.

‘To get the Greek national manager ringing me up and telling me who I should play and who I shouldn’t play I think is absolutely outrageous.

‘You know, you deal with your damn Greek side, don’t start telling us who we should play at Portsmouth Football Club.

‘If I get another call from the Greek damn national manager, he’s going to get a real kick from us because at the end of the day Paul didn’t pick this player to come to the club, Tony (Adams) did.

‘Personally, I back what Paul is doing 150 per cent.’

So as a stubborn Storrie, and an even more bullish Paul Hart continue Gekas’ bench-side misery, there appears to be no end for Gekas’ stint on the sidelines. Furthermore, the Greek contingent on the sidelines has increased to two players in recent weeks with the benching of Angelos Basinas for the past few matches.

So will Gekas ever make an appearance for Portsmouth, let alone a start? Only time will tell, but how sweet would it be if both Gekas and Basinas gave five-star performances in the approaching week when Greece tackles Israel in World Cup Qualifying? I pray they make Storrie, and Hart, eat their words.