spurzgrrl

The return of Senseless Ilium! Back because I enjoyed writing it, and I wasn’t nearly done, but was interrupted by the arrival of 03/04. Not being able to bring the game over, I really didn’t feel like messing with the database as much as I would have had to to use it in the new game, and I wanted to play the new game, so I left it for a while.

That said, I’m satisfied that I now understand the game sufficiently to be able to wander back to older versions for some fun, and so I bethought me of Senseless Ilium, and, well, here we are.

For those who don’t remember, or didn’t read it the first go-round, and want to know what I’m on about, the first part is here.

As we return, it is January 18, 2003, and Apollon remain on top of the Greek National B Division. The Heroes of Greece hold all the statistics leads – goals, assists, ratings, the works. Orpheus has conceded but three goals in league play, while Perseus and Theseus are level with 22 atop the goal standings (after 19 games!). Five Apollon players lead the assists list, led by Odysseus’ 12. The entire starting eleven are the top eleven in the ratings lists.

We face our co-tenants Panionios in the quarter-final of the Greek Cup to come, having just disposed of Olympiakos.

The competition is not intended, yet, to be the focus. Clearly, the Heroes are deeply outclassing the B Division, as expected, and will probably impress in the A Division enough to enter Europe. That’s the aim – taking the Heroes to glory across Europe and the world, and hopefully taking the Greek national team along for the ride.

Your narrator, as before, is the gaffer – Homer, ably assisted by his young friend Babis, the 16-year-old Greek modern who has been named GM of the club.

HD

excellenty

spurzgrrl

January 26, 2003: National League B, Panaigialios v Apollon

A Nubian threw a scare into us very early in this game, Rasch of Ghana smashing a hard shot at Orpheus less than thirty seconds after the referee’s whistle. Though it slipped past Orpheus, alertly Jason turned it upfield. Only a few moments later, Odysseus raced after a ball which had been bumped upfield by Daedalus, and with his casual grace, drew the keeper well out of position before rolling the ball easily in. As so often, the agility of the opposition keeper was holding us firmly from the goal, and it took a piece of Odysseus’ magical accuracy to beat him – the big man’s shot finding the net near the end of the game. Not to be dismissed, the little Nubian once again raced away from the kickoff, and this time found the corner against Orpheus. With the win, we edged our lead to ten points atop the Division. The plan well in hand, I thought.

Panaigialios 1-2 Apollon

Odysseus (15,16) 8m, 76m

Raptor

Good to see this back (and yourself for that matter ). BTW, if you want to, I can up and re-open the old thread so that you can carry on in there. Your call

spurzgrrl

Nah, this is fine, thanks. I've got most of the first one put into a Word file I keep locally, so I can refer to it easily enough, and anyone else shouldn't need to refer back too often...

BobBev

Sheeee's Baaack!!! :thup:

Educated Hick

Good to see you back SG!

spurzgrrl

February 2, 2003: National League B, Apollon v Kalamata

Finally, the return of our only real rivals for the championship. In September, early in the return, they had beaten us for the first time, 1-0 on a goal by Christos Kalatzis. Young Kalatzis now toiled in our reserve team, and without him, the Kalamatoi were considerably less able to oppose us. Theseus used his head in the most direct way two minutes in, from Odysseus’ corner, and was matched two minutes later by Perseus with a very similar goal. Defender Jason fought through heavy marking in the white-area to crash a third corner in on the twenty-minute time. Perseus added a fourth late in the second half, as Kalamata tired, and Daedalus was awarded the laurels for his influential play.

Apollon 4-0 Kalamata

Theseus (34) 2m; Perseus (27, 28) 4m, 73m; Jason (5) 21m

spurzgrrl

February 5, 2003: News Report

ATHENS – Five of the so-called “Returned Heroes of Greece” have been named in the latest international squad by Otto Rehhagel for next week’s trip to Kiev for the friendly against Ukraine. Defenders Ajax, Agamemnon and Jason join Odysseus and Theseus in making their – ahem – “debut” for Greece. Skeptics continue to insist that the so-called Heroes are merely users of an as-yet undetectable supersteroid, and that the whole will be exposed as such before much longer. Whatever the source, their team, Apollon Smyrnis, have won their last seventeen games in all competitions, conceding only two goals against seventy-nine for in that time. Time will tell, as the five are expected to be given every chance in training to earn starting spots.

spurzgrrl

February 5, 2003: Greek Cup Quarter-Final First Leg: Panionios v Apollon

An away game, but a home game, as we both held the Rizopouli Stadium as our home. Our neighbours were struggling in the A Division, in fourteenth place, but we knew they would play us hard. The stadium was a complete sell-out, and the local neighbourhoods were almost silent, with all the attention on the game.

A tough game it was to be, too, as Panionios went with an early burst of attacks towards our net, stretching Orpheus out more than once to keep them out of his goal. Class began to tell, though, and by the half, we were once more in control. Though no goals were scored, it was clearly just a matter of the passage of time. Starting the second half, it was Perseus, in the end, who broke the stalemate with a quick response to a ball bouncing wildly in the white-area. Ten more minutes passed before Theseus helped Perseus make it 2-0 Apollon, drawing the keeper nearly to the edge of the white area before rolling softly into the path of rushing Perseus.

The game ended in this way, with our two-goal lead intact, but the win was costly. Pyrrhus would have understood the bitterness; a broken ankle would put bright Daedalus out of the fray for many months. We would face Panionios here again in four weeks. Meantime, there were international debuts to come, and a league championship to secure.

Panionios 0-2 Apollon

Perseus (29, 30) 55m, 68m