[Archived] Uefa Cup First Round Draw

[Jordan]

They only finished tenth in the Greek league last year so are obviously no great shakes.

However neither were that Turkish side we played either and they sent us packing so never count your chickens with Rovers...

Didn't they get to the semis or quarters that year though....so they could not have been that bad.

[FourLaneBlue]

They reached the fourth round so did do well and I think they also knocked out another big side so you are right there.

However I seem to remember us being spectacularly poor against them in the away game. Did Amoruso play? We had enough chances to progress at Ewood too.

[Drakefyre]

Didn't Dino Baggio score against them?

[Billy Castell]

The Italian love God played in Turkey, and was pants. I seem to remember him not closing down any players until they got the ball under their control and had time to think about what they should do.

Where is he now anyway? He must have retired.

[brfc fan]

Why do we have the second leg at home and some of the other british sides don't such as Spurs and Everton?

[Eddie]

Because we were drawn second.

[den]

Could we keep the discussions about travel arrangements HERE please?

[Monsters G-1]

Hello! I am a fan of Larissa FC (the accent goes to the first "a").

In order to know some things about us (if you want of course) i will quote here in summary our club's history and also some fans' videos...

A.E. Larissa F.C. was founded on the 17th of May 1964 after the union of four local teams : Larisaikos, Iraklis, Aris and Toxotis. The vision of this decision was the creation of a strong club in order to represent the city of Larissa in the top divisions of the greek football and the greek club' s name (Athlitiki Enosi Larissas) represents this idea, since it' s translated as Athletic Union of Larissa. It' s colors were decided to be claret and white and as an emblem was used the galloping horse, the symbol of the city due to the tradition since the ancient years.

Nine years later Larissa F.C. qualifies into the first division of the Greek championship, but two year later returns back to 
the second division. The moment of the glorious comeback is the 18th June of 1978 : the club wins Makedonikos by 4-1 in Thessaloniki in front of thousands of supporters and opens a new era, the creation of a team that would bring the so - called football revolution in the 80' s.

The first sign was the participation in the greek cup final in 1982 against Panathinaikos, where Larissa lost by 1-0. Two years later the history was repeated and Larissa lost again by 2-0. The 3rd time in the greek cup Final was the crucial one. Larissa had to face the champion of that season, PAOK Thessaloniki on 22-06-1985 in the Olympic stadium of Athens. The claret boys had taken their black and white opponents were struck by storm and after an incredible performance ended to win the historical game by 4-1. The same year, some months earlier Larissa' s name was spread all over Europe after it' s fantastic performance in the Uefa Cup Winner' s Cup, reaching to the quarterfinals. The club on it' s way to the "8" of the competition beat Siofok and Servette before losing from Dynamo Moscow. Three years later Larissa F.C. marches for the title of the Greek Championship. 

During Mars' 88, a weird story about a foreign player using forbidden medicine is used to take away 4 points from the club. The supporters revolve against this ridiculous scandal and thousands of them close the national road and the railway station : the whole country remains cut in two for more than two day. The prime minister himself orders to change the law about forbidden medicine leaving the cost for the user as it was in the rest of Europe. Larissa ends it' s way to the top of the 1st of May 1988 beating Iraklis in Alkazar stadium by 1-0 : the magnificent goal goal by the captain Giorgos Mitsimponas gives the sign for thousands to celebrate.

The whole story about Larissa' s Championship is an epic myth for the norm of greek football and although some tried to stop it with dark manners, the protection of the supporters brought finally justice. It was the highest peak that Larissa F.C. reached and unfortunatelly after this blossoming, came the decline, year by year until 1996 when the club finally returns to the second division. The team fought even for its existence during the next years, slipping to the third division and having huge financial problems. Before the final curtain, a young ambitious man called Nikos Sotiroulis leads the team back to the second division and sells the club to Costas Piladakis the owner and president of the team since the summer of 2004. Larissa F.C. returned to the top league of the greek football in 2005 and in it' s first season in the first division ended 8th and qualified for the Intertoto cup. The club confirmed the inevitable come back to the elite, on the 5th of May 2007, when repeated the great achievement of 1985, by winning the Greek Cup. In the final match in Volos, the claret boys beat Panthinaikos in front of 10.000 delirious supporters and spread around the message : the queen of thessalian flatland is back and the best is yet to come...

Moments of our History...

(The Championship)

(the last euro-trip... 1988 against Xamax for the Champions' Cup/Champions' League)

And because we'll turn out at Ewood see some vids in order to have an idea of what you are going to "face".

Our firm is named "MONSTERS" and it has been established in 1982. Here you can learn more about our firm ---> http://monsters-larissa.gr/site_eng/

Sorry for my big post, but i believe that it worths to take a look. I'm waiting for your opinions.

We'll be glad to see you at Larissa city on 20th of September.

[Ste B]

OMG - They are bloody Clarets...

hey organized important trips to the whole country and in the legendary period 1987 - 1988 they play the first role in the uprising of the whole city when a weird story is invented to steal 4 points from Larissa F.C. and the first position. The supporters possess the national road and the railway station for almost two days : the whole country remains cut in two until justice reappears and finally A.E. Larissa wins the greek championship.

Whats all that about ?? Sounds like theres a cracking story to be told there.

[Ben-2000]

we'll turn out at Ewood

Welcome 'Monsters G-1'

How many fan's do you expect to come to Ewood? We're lucky if we see 50 fans from an away side in europe normally!

[Jordan]

Could we keep the discussions about travel arrangements HERE please?

Den - Why do we have two topics on the game. Its getting confusing.

[Paul]

Den - Why do we have two topics on the game. Its getting confusing.

I think this is your answer Jordan, personally I prefer it.

Well, normally those trying to sort our travel to european games gets lost on the pre-match build up posts, so I thought it was time to separate the two a start a thread just for the travelling aspects of our European escapades.

So, 12pm today, we'll know which of these it could be

NK Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb

FK Mlada Boleslav of the Czech Republic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mlad%C3%A1_Boleslav

Lokomotiv Sofia of Bulgaria - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia

Larissa of Greece - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larissa

Hammarby from Sweden - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm

[LARISSAFC]

Hi everyone,

my prediction is that about 1,500 Monsters will travel to Blackburn.

What about you? How many fans do you expect to travel to Greece?

Just have in mind that the game may take place in the city of Volos (http://www.stadia.gr/panthessaliko/panthessaliko-gr.html) if UEFA don't give the green light about our stadium's capacity to host an UEFA game (the desicion is expected this Tuesday).

Feel free to ask any question about accomodation or anything else and I'll try to help.

Take care

[frosty]

1,500 fans will be great in Blackburn LarissaFC, will you be going?

[Jordan]

Hi everyone,

my prediction is that about 1,500 Monsters will travel to Blackburn.

What about you? How many fans do you expect to travel to Greece?

Just have in mind that the game may take place in the city of Volos (http://www.stadia.gr/panthessaliko/panthessaliko-gr.html) if UEFA don't give the green light about our stadium's capacity to host an UEFA game (the desicion is expected this Tuesday).

Feel free to ask any question about accomodation or anything else and I'll try to help.

Take care

I imagine that Blackburn will take about 200 fans to Greece. As mentioned earier in the topic.....it is hard to get to from the UK.

I would like to think that the game will be played at Larissa's ground however that stadium does look very nice. Surely a ground which hold 14,000 fans is suitable for a 1st round UEFA cup tie.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Welcome to the Larissa fans.....welcome to the greatest town club in the UK!

We hope you have put those fires out by the 20th!

[Monsters G-1]

I agree with LARISSAFC. I also believe that about 1.500 of us are going to come there. Some of us may travel with bus(es). It'll be a great experience if we decide to do that thing.

Of course it is going to be an expensive trip, but... who cares? 8)

Wherever AEL goes, we are there!

As i saw you liked the vids that i've posted before. So get some more mates. :wink:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoXzM-H60tY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkut_sHMQ-o

@ Ste b: My friend, here in Greece, there's a "system" that wants Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, AEK and PAOK (especially the two first mentioned) to win the titles So, you can understand what had been going to happen. But we achieved to (Please don't use that word again)* this whole system and we like doing or at least trying to do this all the time.

* = Sorry, but i believe that is the most suitable word for what i exactly want to mean.

@ Simon: Mate we hope too... It was a disaster...

[LARISSAFC]

I would like to think that the game will be played at Larissa's ground however that stadium does look very nice. Surely a ground which hold 14,000 fans is suitable for a 1st round UEFA cup tie.

It's not a matter of the stadium capacity. It's the lack of facilities such as Media room, stands for handicaped persons and ladies rooms(!!!) that makes UEFA sceptical.

@ frosty: I'm definitely coming mate!!!!

[SuperStella]

Hi Larissa FC

How long will it take to get from Athens to Larissa / Volos?

Thanks

[roversmum]

Why the (!!!) for the ladies rooms?

You will see a lot of us at Ewood. Rovers is a family club and encourages people of all ages.

Unfortunately Mr Roversmum and I won't be able to make the trip to Larissa (probably just as well if there are no disabled facilities) but I hope some of our ladies will.

[LARISSAFC]

Hi Larissa FC

How long will it take to get from Athens to Larissa / Volos?

Thanks

It's about 3.5 hours by the fast train (called Intercity) to Larissa or 4 hours by the regular train. Then another half an hour to Volos.

Why the (!!!) for the ladies rooms?

Because I am embarassed that in 2007 my team doesn't have a stadium with proper ladies rooms.

[SuperStella]

Thanks,

Any idea on the kick off time?

[roversmum]

Apologies, LarissaFC. I took it to mean that you didn't encourage ladies!

Wish I could come anyway, never been to Greece and always wanted to go there. What's the weather likely to be like for our match? It was wet and cold yesterday, it rains rather a lot round here! Will some of your lady fans be coming to Ewood do you think?

[LARISSAFC]

Thanks,

Any idea on the kick off time?

It's not settled yet. I'll let you know when it's announced.

Apologies, LarissaFC. I took it to mean that you didn't encourage ladies!

Wish I could come anyway, never been to Greece and always wanted to go there. What's the weather likely to be like for our match? It was wet and cold yesterday, it rains rather a lot round here! Will some of your lady fans be coming to Ewood do you think?

No problem roversmum. I usually use (!!!) to express surprise. Maybe it's wrong.

The weather forecasts talk about sunny weather for Semptember and October but you can't be sure. I don't think many ladies will come. Unfortunately only about 5% of our fans are ladies. Our administration makes efforts to change that by issuing cheaper tickets for ladies and plans to build a new stadium by 2009 to attract families

[SuperStella]

Cheers, cant wait for this trip!

Hope more details announced soon