THE George Bardzokas gave a new big interview for him Olympic and his journey to the team, noting that he had seriously thought of leaving the position of coach in Piraeus.
Speaking to the First Issue newspaper, George Bardzokas also referred to his relationship with the players in the team, clarifying that he is not trying to become their friend and with some cannot accept each other. In addition, he commented on the appearance of Olympiacos on Euroleague Final 4, his first term in the team, but also on the Piraeus differences with Barcelona.
Excerpt from Barzoka’s interview
For the difference between Barcelona and Olympiacos: “Every club is unique. Barcelona is also a very political club, in essence the flag of Catalonia. Many managers in Barcelona are former ministers. It is essentially a political club with 100,000 members who vote for the administration. It’s more than just a club, this “mes que un club” that the Catalans say. It is a difficult club, however, because where politics is involved, many other things are involved. To give you an example: When the administration comes out every four years from elections, where two factions go down to get the presidency, it means that there is an opposition within the team itself. Half, let’s say, are happy when Barcelona wins, but there are many who do not enjoy it, because they want to take power. What I am telling you is a simplistic view of things, but it is essentially so. “
If the difference with Olympiacos is huge: «No, Olympiacos is a huge club in Europe right now. In basketball, Barcelona is essentially FC Barcelona, that is, a Barcelona -Barcelona Football -so it is mentioned, it also writes on the signal. He is a club, a president. Olympiacos is a club with another management in football and another in basketball. Barcelona is always a football club. In basketball Olympiacos has nothing to envy from any European teama”.
As to whether Olympiacos went to Abu Dhabi’s Final-Four with arrogance: “Under no circumstances. We had a twenty-day preparation before the Final-Four, where we were counting seven injured. While we went in essence complete, we were completely out of shape and out of good situation, because seven players injections, we didn’t do training. We went completely decimated. We are not only arrogant. We knew that it was a year when expectations were huge -because we were first in the regular season all year, we all considered us the big favorite, but we knew we had to be overrun to win, because we were not in good shape at that time.
The Final -Four never allows you to be arrogant, because everything is judged on one night, where opponents are always very capable -they are the four best teams in Europe. And often the pressure you have as a favorite pays you more than going as an underdog. This worked in essence – beyond the ability of our opponents, Monaco – we thought it was a year where we could get Euroleague. But you know, no matter how much money you give, no matter how good you do, no one guarantees that you will eventually get it. It is not only easy to convince fanatics. “
For his first term in Olympiacos: “In my first term at Olympiacos, although we took the Euroleague, I left after a defeat with Panathinaikos. In essence, I left because when we returned to the SEF there were 500 people who had wild moods against us. Nothing extreme happened. Against me and against the whole team. But as a coach I resigned for this reason. Because I thought that Olympiacos could not be separated and Olympiacos’ friends themselves against the team. In my second term I am treated in a completely different way. Because I made a route abroad, because in five and a half years I am now we have got nine titles, we have gone to four Final-Four, we have broken a lot of record in the team’s history. And because I am also a child of Olympiacos, I am somehow treated as a man of their own. But of course this is always very fragile. Because families are divided here, brothers arguing. It is very fragile because it has to do with whether the team continues to win. “
For the role of coach: “There are five sides (including players and partners) to manage. The one and most important are the owners of the team, the presidents who put too much money in the team, are emotionally tied, but are not paid -they are already paid. It is a human relationship, which passes a lot up and down when you lose, when they are sad. And there must be great honesty. The other side you have to manage is the media. It is mandatory to make statements before the race, during the race, after the race. And the other side is the fans. How you will treat the fans, how respect you will show them. And I’m not talking about the time you get on the court, applaud you and applaud them too. I’m talking about every day where they can meet you anywhere. You must not be arrogant, if they are noble and ask for a photo or exchange a conversation you have to do that too. I don’t know if it seems a little too exaggerated what I’m saying, but I assure you that I can’t go out. Especially with the popularity of basketball right now. I read that 2.5 million viewers were watching the finals with Panathinaikos. The numbers recorded by state television were reminiscent of other times. “
Whether there are Panathinaikos fans who congratulate him and on social media: “Social media right now, where everyone inexpensive and unsigned can at best criticize and worse to find you, cursed for it and I don’t have social media -they are slowly shaping a public opinion, I will give you an example. When we lost to the Final -Four this year and we were back, there was a great deal of social media criticism for me -from what they were carrying, to a leveling point. That I don’t do for Olympiacos, I have to leave. Then we lost to Panathinaikos in the first game at the OAKA. So, in the first game in the SEF after these two defeats, I was shocked, because when I came in I thought he had a goal in Karaiskakis. It was such a burst of support, completely opposed to what was said. “
If he thought of leaving after defeat on Final-Four and OAKA: “Yes, of course. And the previous time I left Olympiacos I decided to leave because I felt I was going to break the logical series into a sports team. Everyone must be a punch, united. If the challenge begins … yes (to a question about whether it’s ready wherever it is to leave), I don’t bind so much with places. I’m not tied to a house. Let’s say, I don’t care to go to see my father or my current home again if I go to another. Not even with cities, no countries, nor with cultures. But I am bonding with people. My childhood friendships are important to me. Or my childhood ideas. Olympiacos is an idea for me, it’s important. It is the team I support from a child and for me, at the age I am now, is much more important than something else. Leaving him will be very psyched for me. No matter if I have to do it for the good and my own and Olympiacos. But leaving him is not easy for me. However, I was ready to do it. I said I had to give myself time, even after the championship we got and finished in the best way. Even now I have to think about it. “
As to whether he is still thinking about leaving or that the circle of: “No, it’s an internal process. I thought that when this year was over I had to do an internal search, give a week, ten days to myself, to make an assessment of the situation. How are things for me, emotionally, family, professional? Do I have to continue to be in this environment? I think every person does, for every job, isn’t it? “
About what makes him get angry: “I have some ideas in mind what basketball means. When this comes to war, unlike what I see, I don’t have much patience. Especially when the pulses are high. When it is at 60, which is my normal, I have a lot of patience, I think, I understand things. When my pulses are 180, I don’t have. And as the team’s doctor has told me, who is a wise man, “you are bothering you that the self -evident is being shot.”
For their relationship with players: “First of all I never want to be a friend with the players. I can’t be a friend because the relationship we have. Also, age anymore, I can’t hang out with someone who is much smaller, nor do I want to. Nevertheless, there are relationships with players of huge appreciation and respect together. And there are also relationships with players who were extreme. That is, they did not accept me and within me I had a great patience to accept them, but I did not accept them too. This has to do with people’s chemistry, we don’t hang out with everyone, we don’t all fit. The mental illness of wanting to like all me has been through me for a long time. So I have accepted that I cannot have chemistry with all people and be able to have a common purpose together. “
For the deepest desire of: “I don’t know. I’ve got into a wave and I don’t know where it goes, that’s the truth. If you were asking me when I was starting to do this job, if I would imagine what we have accomplished -because I have received eleven titles with Olympiacos, I am the longest in the team’s history and the most polynomial coach, with the most titles -I would not tell you. But I don’t know where the wave will lead me. I may stop doing this job tomorrow, I can continue for years at Olympiacos, they may not want me anymore. In life I have learned, since my childhood, that you can get nothing for granted. “