Eliasson next season

[JackofromSanJavier]

Champions league footy next season for Niclas. AEK have won the Greek super league by 5 points,, despite having been 10 points behind Panathinaikos around Christmas. Having spent many a good time with the Gate 21 crew back in my Athens days, I'm well chuffed for him, the team and the fans. Not city related, I know but will be an opportunity to have a glance at one of our old boys in the Champions league though. 

[Northern Red]

14 minutes ago, JackofromSanJavier said:

Champions league footy next season for Niclas. AEK have won the Greek super league by 5 points,, despite having been 10 points behind Panathinaikos around Christmas. Having spent many a good time with the Gate 21 crew back in my Athens days, I'm well chuffed for him, the team and the fans. Not city related, I know but will be an opportunity to have a glance at one of our old boys in the Champions league though. 

Do you know if that gets them straight into the group stage, or do they have to go through a qualifier?

[Nongazeuse]

I was hoping he was coming back to us - really good player and never worked out why we let him go.

[Silvio Dante]

1 minute ago, Nongazeuse said:

I was hoping he was coming back to us - really good player and never worked out why we let him go.

Because his positional awareness was awful and never showed any signs of progression. Could cross a good ball, but very little outside of that - people bring up his tackle stats but that’s because he was in the wrong place to start with and had to make the tackle. 
 

He left us for a relegated Ligue 1 side, and has subsequently gone to Greece, where the standard is below that of the Championship.

I’m confident if you asked Nige he wouldn’t have him back here - he’s genuinely not that good in the round despite a very good natural attribute. It’s probably why he hasn’t kicked on into the Sweden squad. 

[Nongazeuse]

But he was quite young and in a foreign country - he was a bloody sight better than Massengo turned out to become. 

[petehinton]

Holden played him CM in a 3, never forget

[Super]

Conway would love him in the team.

[Davefevs]

1 minute ago, petehinton said:

Holden played him CM in a 3, never forget

Played him as a no8. If you’re playing 3142 without wingers, you have to play somewhere else. Seem to recall him setting up a couple against Cheltenham in a PSF

[REDOXO]

3 minutes ago, Nongazeuse said:

But he was quite young and in a foreign country - he was a bloody sight better than Massengo turned out to become. 

Ooooh a bit of controversy! 
 

Talking with QPR fans, who all asked about Massengo, they could not fathom how the kid was not a superstar already. My point was Massengo was doing the same little drag backs and dummies at 18 as he was at 21 and didn’t develop as a team player . 
 

I agree with you Eliasson was a better player and provided more, his goal and assist stats will support that!

Elliasson here was one of the many toys LJ threw out of his pram! 
 

I have no idea how good or bad the Greek league is, but I’m glad for the lad he has an opportunity to play on the big stage. 

[hinsleburg]

13 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Because his positional awareness was awful and never showed any signs of progression. Could cross a good ball, but very little outside of that - people bring up his tackle stats but that’s because he was in the wrong place to start with and had to make the tackle. 
 

He left us for a relegated Ligue 1 side, and has subsequently gone to Greece, where the standard is below that of the Championship.

I’m confident if you asked Nige he wouldn’t have him back here - he’s genuinely not that good in the round despite a very good natural attribute. It’s probably why he hasn’t kicked on into the Sweden squad. 

I believe he also only had 1 year left on his contract and wasn't going to sign a new one so was actually a sensible decision from the club!

Always felt he was a player who we missed when he wasn't playing, but then didn't consistently deliver enough when he did!

[maxjak]

IMHO Elliason was an excellent footballer who was poorly utilised.....he would have been a success here .....if he had been managed correctly.   Anyhow he is going to be playing Champions League football, which is a million miles from where we operate...........so good luck to him, I wish him well

Edited May 15, 2023 by maxjak

[Charlie BCFC]

Problem is Holden started with a system that didn’t make the most of him. Made sense to cash in at the time, which is why it was frustrating that the system was quickly scrapped

[JackofromSanJavier]

3 minutes ago, REDOXO said:

Ooooh a bit of controversy! 
 

Talking with QPR fans, who all asked about Massengo, they could not fathom how the kid was not a superstar already. My point was Massengo was doing the same little drag backs and dummies at 18 as he was at 21 and didn’t develop as a team player . 
 

I agree with you Eliasson was a better player and provided more, his goal and assist stats will support that!

Elliasson here was one of the many toys LJ threw out of his pram! 
 

I have no idea how good or bad the Greek league is, but I’m glad for the lad he has an opportunity to play on the big stage. 

The Greek league wasn't overly taxing when I was AEKs token English idiot in the crowd in the. 90s, probably improved now with the Greek economy having recovered (remember Grexit, anyone?). Maybe at our championship level now. I liked Elisson as a raw youngster who had potential. But if you're looking like not signing a new contract, then it's a 'yassas' from me. Good luck to the bloke though. 

[David Brent]

Another LJ vanity project. Signed without a plan for him in the team.

Talented individual so not surprised he’s had a decent career thus far.

[JackofromSanJavier]

51 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

Do you know if that gets them straight into the group stage, or do they have to go through a qualifier?

I think Panathinaikos came in at the second qualifying round last year, so probably the same for AEK

[Searles]

35 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Because his positional awareness was awful and never showed any signs of progression. Could cross a good ball, but very little outside of that - people bring up his tackle stats but that’s because he was in the wrong place to start with and had to make the tackle. 
 

He left us for a relegated Ligue 1 side, and has subsequently gone to Greece, where the standard is below that of the Championship.

I’m confident if you asked Nige he wouldn’t have him back here - he’s genuinely not that good in the round despite a very good natural attribute. It’s probably why he hasn’t kicked on into the Sweden squad. 

Overly harsh. 

[Silvio Dante]

2 minutes ago, JackofromSanJavier said:

I think Panathinaikos came in at the second qualifying round last year, so probably the same for AEK

Third qualifying. Greece 15th on coefficient but get bumped slightly due to Russia exclusion. Would need to get through two rounds to reach group stage

[ScottishRed]

11 minutes ago, David Brent said:

Another LJ vanity project. Signed without a plan for him in the team.

Talented individual so not surprised he’s had a decent career thus far.

Agreed.

In one of Lee’s infamous ‘ throw a player under the bus episodes’, he stated that he would be a great 7-side player!

[Silvio Dante]

19 minutes ago, maxjak said:

IMHO Elliason was an excellent footballer who was poorly utilised.....he would have been a success here .....if he had been managed correctly.   Anyhow he is going to be playing Champions League football, which is a million miles from where we operate...........so good luck to him, I wish him well

 

2 minutes ago, Searles said:

Overly harsh. 

I’m not sure either post here is correct. If NE was an excellent footballer poorly utilised, then other clubs would have seen that, taken him on, and made him a success at a decent level of football. The Greek league, as noted, is 15th in UEFA standings - it’s below the Championship in relative strength and also below Ligue 1. He’s gone down the ladder to a level where he appears to be doing well and fair play to him (although he’s not guaranteed to be playing champions league any more than Celtic are - Scotland being a higher coefficient incidentally). So I don’t agree he’s a million miles from us in a good way - he’s got a title at a lower level and a chance of playing Champ League, but so do Czech Republic and Norwegian champions who are next to Greece on the UEFA list!

However, if he was a championship footballer (or even a footballer at a level or two below championship), he’d be at a higher level at 27, or around the national team. It can’t be everyone in football not seeing it or using him badly.

Great crosser. Signed via stats IIRC (I believe he was LJs “Knockaert”). But one we were right to sell and who didn’t show a sign of improvement - or most key football intelligence - in his time here and the move down the levels bears that out.

[Simon bristol]

7 minutes ago, ScottishRed said:

Agreed.

In one of Lee’s infamous ‘ throw a player under the bus episodes’, he stated that he would be a great 7-side player!

Lee johnson is such an idiot!

[Red-Robbo]

34 minutes ago, David Brent said:

Another LJ vanity project. Signed without a plan for him in the team.

Talented individual so not surprised he’s had a decent career thus far.

 

Got to agree, DB. 

We didn't really improve his game other than making him a bit more physically robust, and age probably took care of most of that, but I always thought he might've done better elsewhere. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

He wouldn't have fitted into Holden's preferred system and it was the final year of his contract so that was that in respect of the sale. That aside, some of the critique seems harsh.

He clearly had something, 2nd or 3rd highest Championship assist provider in 2019-20 despite being in and out of the team. He had certain flaws in his game too but would havs been better suited to a genuine 4-3-3 IMO. As would a lot of our players of that era.

I maintain that e.g. Brentford would have got more out of him than we did and same could go for a number of other players, because if you look at their tactical set-up in 2019-20 and a number of their players they are of a similar profile to some we had, of a similar background League wise etc.

His goals v QPR and Bolton in 2nd half of 2018-19 were great too.

Edited May 15, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[spudski]

He's played one game all season where he lasted 90 mins. Either subbed every game or came on as a sub. 

No where good enough for the Championship. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

Stats aren't the be all and end all but his final season here, quite good company.

[petehinton]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

Played him as a no8. If you’re playing 3142 without wingers, you have to play somewhere else. Seem to recall him setting up a couple against Cheltenham in a PSF

Or just play the system that suits the players. Him and Co’D as 8s….**** me dead. 
 

Made even worse by rejecting a huge fee for eliasson not too long before then selling him for sweet fa in relative terms.  

[Mr Popodopolous]

2 minutes ago, petehinton said:

Or just play the system that suits the players. Him and Co’D as 8s….**** me dead. 
 

Made even worse by rejecting a huge fee for eliasson not too long before then selling him for sweet fa in relative terms.  

Interesting, a rejected bid- by whom and how much? Dont remember that one.

[Port Said Red]

51 minutes ago, ScottishRed said:

Agreed.

In one of Lee’s infamous ‘ throw a player under the bus episodes’, he stated that he would be a great 7-side player!

As I remember it, the idea that he had only played 5 and 7 aside football was started on here and put to bed by our swedish contingent. If you could point me to the LJ quote I'll be more than happy to accept that's what he said, but I don't think it is.

 

45 minutes ago, Simon bristol said:

Lee johnson is such an idiot!

 

[Henry]

9 minutes ago, petehinton said:

Or just play the system that suits the players. Him and Co’D as 8s….**** me dead. 
 

Made even worse by rejecting a huge fee for eliasson not too long before then selling him for sweet fa in relative terms.  

I’m sure this is the guy you used to gush over on the podcast. Deano’s chinos wasn’t it?

I think he played a handful of games as a 8 under Holden.

Johnson signed wingers but had no idea how to use them. I’m sure he’d only instruct Elliasson high and wide, to pump balls in, but never with Fam. He should have been coached how to come infield and link play, not just from out wide.

[petehinton]

9 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Interesting, a rejected bid- by whom and how much? Dont remember that one.

Will try dig it out but was referenced in the post quite recently 

[petehinton]

2 minutes ago, Henry said:

I’m sure this is the guy you used to gush over on the podcast. Deano’s chinos wasn’t it?

I think he played a handful of games as a 8 under Holden.

Johnson signed wingers but had no idea how to use them. I’m sure he’d only instruct Elliasson high and wide, to pump balls in, but never with Fam. He should have been coached how to come infield and link play, not just from out wide.

The eliasson Fam double sub, or at least some kind of double/triple sub with eliasson in was LJ’s ace card over his last year. Saved his bacon imo. 
 

long live deanos chinos, and the crèche that the club/HPC became in his dying embers!

Edited May 15, 2023 by petehinton