Kyriakos Dourekas - Director of Football

[GreeksBearingGifts]

Randall in his Q&A spoke with the warmest of words for Koulis, explaining his role and making clear what I've been telling you from day one, that he plays no part at all in football decisions, insisting on the amazing relationship he has with Hughton, etc.

Of course, one would expect Randall to say kind words about everyone at the club, but the warmth of his comments seemed very genuine (the contrast with what he says for Modesto is clear).

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

Added to the Board of Directors.

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

Kryiakos Dourekas added to board of directors.

Over to GBG to explain the connection.

I have absolutely no idea what his role has been at Forest. Over here, as I've said many times, he never had anything to do with decisions in the football department. He was the guy to go to whenever any practical problem off the pitch had to be solved, from minor ones, such as which dentist to go to, to major ones, such as being in charge of facilities, booking hotels for preseason, arranging away matches, etc.

What does his stepping up mean? I suspect nothing, other than the fact that he remains a man having the unwavering confidence of the owner, and thus probably considered useful to be on the board now that Vrentzos is out of the picture.

 

[Otis Redding]

I have absolutely no idea what his role has been at Forest. Over here, as I've said many times, he never had anything to do with decisions in the football department. He was the guy to go to whenever any practical problem off the pitch had to be solved, from minor ones, such as which dentist to go to, to major ones, such as being in charge of facilities, booking hotels for preseason, arranging away matches, etc.

What does his stepping up mean? I suspect nothing, other than the fact that he remains a man having the unwavering confidence of the owner, and thus probably considered useful to be on the board now that Vrentzos is out of the picture.

The impression I get is that his official title is quite misleading in that he has a similar liason-type-role at the CG. As you imply, his elevation to the NFFC board is probably a reflection of EM's trust in him.

 

[BryanRoy22]

Well if he's proven himself in his time here and shown that those higher up trust in his work ethic and values, full credit to him.

When things are going well, you want to give confidence to those who give you confidence.

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

https://twitter.com/NatJacksonsport/status/1506737810019131394?t=Gv6cz4je1ReleFgzG3pdFg&s=19

 

[Erik]

Part of an executive management team that is starting to get things very right.

Good on him.

 

[Notcher]

Part of an executive management team that is starting to get things very right.

Good on him.

He seems very intsrumental in dealing with the improvement to training facilities, academy, the recruitment teams and player liaison.

If he has been able to lift some of the load from Dane, Coops, Gaz Braz and Coops whilst helping players settle quickly whilst making improvements in key areas then I can see why he's been popular with all the key stakeholders and been rewarded with a promotion, even if just in title and renumeration.

I had thought just how quickly players seemed to settle here and quite a few have commented as much.

On the face of it, another good move from the hierarchy as they ensure all the key components of the Jigsaw are locked firmly into place off the pitch.

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[valspoodle]

Have to agree with these sentiments. The current ethos around the club is good; this guy appears to be instrumental in this and he's a popular figure so there is no reason to see this as anything other than a good move.

Also, as he's a confidant of EM, it shows that the boss is continuing to keep a close eye on things and is determined to have the club in the best possible shape.

After all, a well-run club reflects well on the owner.

 

[congo_red_49]

Competent, well-performing execs seem to be something we’ve struggled to come by over the years. Every fan seems to think they’re easy to find though.

 

[Strummer]

Remember the likes of Wray, Scholar and (for f***’s sake) Mark Arthur?

The current lot are night and day different.

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

A long piece on Forest and Cooper in the Greek press (mostly with information from the British press, I suspect), but including also an interview of Koulis Dourekas: https://www.gazzetta.gr/specials/2231348/forest

Nothing really newsworthy: praise for Marinakis and Marinakis junior; praise for Cooper (he is greatly appreciated both by the fans and by the club's leadership, he deserved to get a new contract, let's not forget it was his first season in the Premier and he's a manager who continues to evolve and will prove even more successful in the future for the club); the bulk of the roster for next season is already here, and the players will only get better; EM's goal is success, a team competitive in the Premier and European competitions.

 

[Rzar]

Shame we don't get to hear more from him, dodgy translation aside some encouraging stuff in there. Here's the full translations:

Who do you think is Nottingham's best signing?

"It is a fact that Nottingham acquired many good players in order to be able to meet the demands of the Premier League. But I believe that the best 'transfer' was the faith of everyone, from the owner Vangelis Marinakis to the youngest fan for the survival of the team in the top league of the planet"!

How did the club decide to spend £190m in one season? Wasn't that a huge risk?

"Mr. Marinakis does not hesitate to invest in football for the purpose of the progress of his teams, but also of the sport. That is why he is in this area, and obviously every transfer involves a risk, but without it you cannot stand out, nor can you move forward... And his son Miltiadis, who also loves football and has been very actively involved in Nottingham, he is on that path and I have a feeling that things will happen that will satisfy the fans of our team."

Was the decision to stay Cooper, despite the bad results, a catalyst for salvation?

"Clearly Cooper's stay on the bench helped. There is undivided appreciation for him from both the leadership and the fans of the team, as with him at the helm everyone's dream came true, for Nottingham to return to the great salons of English football. He is a coach who is developing, he knows the club well and for that he achieved another goal. And let's not forget that he was given the opportunity to work in the Premier League for the first time and it was a great experience for him. He earned it with his sword as he was the one who led the team back to the top flight and now he will be more ready to deliver even more."

Excellent players like Gibbs White, Danilo, Avonigi came. Can Nottingham 'build' on them?

“Nottingham have brought in and invested in talented players, so yes, they now have the core to build on to be even better next season. And keep in mind that all these new players have now adapted to the team and next year are expected to be even better."

Do you think that the team after the stress of the return will be even stronger next season?

"We all believe this, we want through organization and hard work to attempt, on a stable basis, steps of progress. Nottingham is not a 'short-lived' club, but our aim is to establish itself at a high level and to be able to make its fans who support it so passionately proud'!

What is the team's long-term goal?

"The dream of Vangelis Marinakis is for the team to return to the titles and get to play in European competitions again. That he can have a leading role both in England and in Europe, since don't forget that he carries the heavy legacy of what he has impressively achieved in the era of Brian Clough"!

Along with Chelsea, you were the teams that caused a sensation in the transfer market. The Blues failed, are you happy with the result?

"We have every reason to be happy, but in football, as in life, you cannot rest on the successes of yesterday, but you must prepare those of tomorrow. To move forward, you cannot look back, because football, especially at this level, is demanding and asks you to constantly improve in order to present new things."

The revenue is huge for a Premier club. Is UEFA's intention to impose a cap on the amount a club can spend per season on transfers considered correct?

"I think that UEFA's concern lies in the fact that in the past there have been teams that have spent large sums of money and gone bankrupt, being locked in a situation that does not suit their history. There should be a logic in all of this, but the conditions must also be ensured, so that unfair competition does not arise in any version"!

 

[Timothy Pope]

EM's goal is success, a team competitive in the Premier and European competitions.

This statement worries me. Certain ‘fans’ won’t take the context of this and assume that EM wants that success this season and use that as their excuse to want a change of manager.

 

[Rzar]

Only a Forest fan could somebody read that statement and be worried by it.

 

[Timothy Pope]

Only a Forest fan could somebody read that statement and be worried by it.

But you know what I mean..

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

Shame we don't get to hear more from him

He almost never gives interviews. He has always had a backroom mentality.

 

[marshal99]

Remember the likes of Wray, Scholar and (for f***’s sake) Mark Arthur?

The current lot are night and day different.

marthur is just the shield to take all the criticism for our insipid then owner, the man behind the curtain.

 

[Alf-engelos Mindminackers]

A long piece on Forest and Cooper in the Greek press (mostly with information from the British press, I suspect), but including also an interview of Koulis Dourekas: https://www.gazzetta.gr/specials/2231348/forest

Nothing really newsworthy: praise for Marinakis and Marinakis junior; praise for Cooper (he is greatly appreciated both by the fans and by the club's leadership, he deserved to get a new contract, let's not forget it was his first season in the Premier and he's a manager who continues to evolve and will prove even more successful in the future for the club); the bulk of the roster for next season is already here, and the players will only get better; EM's goal is success, a team competitive in the Premier and European competitions.

If we stay up again this year (which I very much fancy us to, especially considering the lack of financial clout which the newly promoted teams are likely to have), then I'll be buzzing, as to me that'll be us back as an established Premier club again.

From there we can easily keep building sensibly but ambitiously, and with EM the sky really is the limit.

 

[Master Yates]

Shame we don't get to hear more from him, dodgy translation aside some encouraging stuff in there. Here's the full translations:

Damn straight Cooper earned his shot at PL football with his own sword.

What a great phrase/mistranslation


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[Alf-engelos Mindminackers]

Damn straight Cooper earned his shot at PL football with his own sword.

What a great phrase/mistranslation


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@Strummer, we need the :hey: emoji back mate!

 

[Redemption]

@Strummer, we need the :hey: emoji back mate!

We did find the :hey: emoji back on the thread of emojions.

https://forestforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/frantic-the-great-emoji-revival.51166/page-2#post-3762460

 

[Redemption]

@Alf-engelos Mindminackers

View attachment 22924

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

He gave his first ever, one-hour (!) interview for a Greek sports site. The overwhelming majority of questions were about Olympiacos, Greek football, and his personal past. I didn't know the beginning of his relationship with Olympiacos: in the 70s and 80s he worked at his father's coffee shop next to our stadium, where the players and the owner were hanging out. He was then hired as a swimming and waterpolo coach, then as a computer expert for the finance department, and then moved up the ladder at the football department. He says he was surprised that EM kept him on the club when he took over.

He had little of interest to say about Forest. He made clear what I've told you from day one, that he has nothing to do with recruitment and major football decisions. His role is supervising football operations. He insisted a lot that football needs to trust young people, be it players, analysts, or administrators. He candidly talked about his struggle with cancer, now successfully dealt with: he had a 30% chance to survive.

 

[Barry]

He gave his first ever, one-hour (!) interview for a Greek sports site. The overwhelming majority of questions were about Olympiacos, Greek football, and his personal past. I didn't know the beginning of his relationship with Olympiacos: in the 70s and 80s he worked at his father's coffee shop next to our stadium, where the players and the owner were hanging out. He was then hired as a swimming and waterpolo coach, then as a computer expert for the finance department, and then moved up the ladder at the football department. He says he was surprised that EM kept him on the club when he took over.

He had little of interest to say about Forest. He made clear what I've told you from day one, that he has nothing to do with recruitment and major football decisions. His role is supervising football operations. He insisted a lot that football needs to trust young people, be it players, analysts, or administrators. He candidly talked about his struggle with cancer, now successfully dealt with: he had a 30% chance to survive.

Any hint of your man selling up?

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