Bartzokas, the interviews and the absolute distortion

Back then, following the post-game press conference was a staple of sports journalism. It’s still like that between us. In fact, in the age of uninhibited snobbery and social media cannibalism, it is all the more reason to form an opinion or – if the trainers do not mince words – to resolve any questions that arise from a person’s development to match.

In fact, the style and manner of each coach is important, as is of course the attitude he maintains either in good times or (mainly) in bad times. Last Friday, after Valencia’s win in the SEF, I was back in the press room. Giorgos Bartzokas never hides and, among other things, answers every question that is asked of him, even when he is upset, like tonight after the defeat and especially the very poor performance of Olympiakos.

The coach of the “Red-Whites” did not deny the very poor image of his team, did not hide behind excuses and criticized the rotation in the second quarter and took responsibility for any mistakes made.

He answered all the questions, including those from Alexander Somoglou, about the permission he had given Alec Peters before the Jamball so that the American could be at his wife’s side, since the birth of their daughter finally coincided with the Olympiakos game against Valencia.

Neither the journalist wanted to deceive anyone, nor did Bartzokas want to say anything other than the obvious. He couldn’t deny Peters the inalienable right to be by his wife’s side, as he had twice before, this year with Goss, last year with Kanan.

His humorous acknowledgment of the rather unprecedented event (for the three births) was seen alongside an aversion to insider conversations by those who didn’t even bother to watch the interview (or simply read the statements). , which – if we’re not mistaken – was about the performance with Valencia and not about the birth of Madison Peters, as an absolute highlight! Perhaps this sentence of his and his disappointment at defeat gave support to those who wanted to discover things that didn’t exist…

The interview, of coursecontinued with two or three more questions about the game, Olympiakos’ problems with injuries and returns, the upcoming week in which the team couldn’t even complete a training session, etc. None of the journalists present left the impression that Bartzokas left peaks not only for Peters, but also for the other two births that happened to his players during his tenure at Olympiakos.

How a “topic suddenly appeared out of nowhere” is evidence that modern “journalism” combined with social media and various trolls doing their own work can very easily distort reality, write what they want, and can lead everyone astray. ‘

In a way, the immediate reaction of KAE Olympiacos, who wanted to protect their coach who suddenly appeared with all the deprived Alphas in his company, is also justified: disobedient, unrepentant and accountable.

This was preceded by a post on social networks by team manager Christos Buffet, who underlined the obvious about how Olympiacos values ​​the health and human life of the members of the red and white KAE. After the difficult adventure he experienced in 2022, he knows better than anyone the true word-for-word meaning of this particular phrase.

There is no stronger feeling…

In this case, I can think of several “don’ts”.

There would be no reason for this reference if the Olympiacos coach’s words were not interpreted completely differently.

In the Match article I pointed out: “No question. Olympiakos had to give Peters a break because his wife’s pregnancy was difficult and the American wanted to be at their helm. Any professional would do the same and do anything to stay away from work and support his wife. end of the story“.

This was broadly the conclusion of Bartzokas’s position on the question posed to him.

There is no greater feeling than the birth of our children. Of course, those of us who are lucky enough to have experienced it up close can’t imagine it… Peters is playing basketball while his wife is about to give birth. No normal person would go to work and leave her alone in the maternity hospital, especially abroad where the Olympiacos player and his wife live.

It is also inconceivable that Bartzokas would refuse permission or feel uncomfortable at the end of the day due to Peters’ normal and given absence. After all, he himself had created these conditions with his attitude in similar situations in the past.

Despite not being used to it, Olympiacos decided to intervene publicly to highlight the relationship he has with the team’s coach. A relationship based on mutual trust, work and of course results on the field. The “Red and Whites” with Bartzokas at the helm were once again at the top at home and abroad. Above all, as can be clearly seen, the atmosphere within the team is excellent, which is also a credit to the coach.

Obviously no one is above criticism, let alone infallible. But it’s one thing to judge a coach’s decisions or tactics, and another to put in his mouth hints he didn’t make and tips he never left behind. There is a very big difference…