Nikos Alefantos

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Nikos Alefantos (Greek: Νίκος Αλέφαντος), (born January 3, 1939 in Athens) is a Greek football coach. He is well-known in Greece as a cult figure, due to his temperamental style, frequent use of harsh language and controversial views on coaching. He is also known for his very short stays as coach of various Greek football clubs, especially his stay at Fostiras in 2002, for just three hours (yet the record shortest tenure is probably 10 minutes by Leroy Rosenior at Torquay United on 17 May 2007^[1]).

In 1956 he started his career as a player, and in the early 1970s he moved on to become a coach. As a player, at first he played for Asteras Exarchion, and then for PAO Rouf, Olympiacos Piraeus, Olympiacos Chalkida, Panelefsiniakos and Vyzas Megaron.

His first team as a coach was PAO Rouf, which he failed to promote to the Greek First Division. Later in the '70s he would twice win a promotion to the First Division as coach of PAS Giannena and Pierikos. Alefantos' only silverware is the Cypriot Cup which he won when he was manager of APOEL.

He is known for his love for Olympiacos, and his excellent relationship with Olympiakos' president Sokratis Kokkalis, despite the fact that he is the only Olympiacos coach in the last 13 years to finish a season without winning either the Championship or the Cup. He is known for blaiming referee Giorgos Douros as being responsible, claiming he favoured Panathinaikos (the eventual winners), in a crucial derby.^{[citation needed]}

To his defense, former Olympiacos striker Nery Castillo stated in August 2007 that "Alefantos was the best coach I had while playing for Olympiacos".<^{[citation needed]}

He's also famous because of some interviews. A notable one took place in the summer of 2008. After Greece was defeated by Russia in Euro 2008, he verbally attacked Angelos Charisteas, saying that he should retire immediately from his international duties, "because he has no honor as a player".

His famous quotes include: "Ta panta ola (everything all)", "To'na, t'allo, xero ego (this, the other, i know)", "mathe balitsa agori mou (learn football my boy)", "Den ta leo kala? Den ta exigo kala? (Don't i speak good? Don't i explain them good?)", "kremasma sto Syntagma (hanging at Syntagma square)", the last one concerning homosexuals, who Alefantos notoriously despises and even hates.

His coaching career in the past three decades (time spent in each team):

[edit] Teams played

• 1956-1958: Atromitos Piraeus
• 1958-1959: Olympiacos
• 1959-1963: Panegialios
• 1963-1965: Olympiakos Chalkidas
• 1965-1969: Vyzas

[edit] Teams managed

• 1969-1970: Asteras Exarchion, promoted to Beta Ethniki
• 1970-1973: PAO Rouf
• 1973-1974: PAS Giannina, promoted to Alpha Ethniki
• 1974-1976: Pierikos, promoted to Alpha Ethniki in his first season
• 1976-1977: OFI Crete
• 1982-1983: Doxa Dramas [1 season], only one home loss
• 1983-1984: Olympiacos (3 months)
• 1984-1985: Panionios (7 months), Greek military national team (6 months)
• 1985-1986: Iraklis (5 months)
• 1986-1987: AEK (4 months)
• 1987-1988: Iraklis (3 months)
• 1988-1989: PAOK (3 months)
• 1989-1990: Doxa Dramas (7 months), Apollon Kalamarias (12 days)
• 1990-1991: AE Larissa (1 month), Ionikos (2 months)
• 1992-1993: Ionikos (2 months)
• 1993-1994: Kalamata (25 days), Xanthi (9 days), Olympiacos [rest of the season]
• 1994-1995: Olympiacos (8 months)
• 1995-1996: Panionios (2 months), relegated
• 1996-1997: APOEL (Cypriot Cup winner), Apollon Kalamarias (2 months), Lykoi (13 days), Ethnikos Piraeus (15 days)
• 1998-1999: Proodeftiki FC (9 months)
• 1999-2000: Panachaiki (2 months)
• 2000-2001: Panargeiakos (40 days)
• 2001-2002: Ethnikos Asteras (5 months)
• 2002: Fostiras (3 hours)
• 2004: Olympiacos (3 months)

[edit] References

Alefantos Biography

v • d • e Olympiacos F.C. – Managers Andrianopoulos (1925–27) · Kopsiva (1927–30) · Kovats (1930–32) · Esser (1932–33) · Kopsiva (1933–34) · Pispaloou (1934–35) · Panopoulos (1935–36) · Kopsiva (1936–37) · Lantz (1937–38) · Esser (1938) · Asderis (1945–47) · Symeonidis (1948–50) · Helmis and Helmis (1950–54) · Symeonidis (1954–55) · Negrepontis (1955) · Helmis and Helmis (1956) · Dragićević (1956–57) · Kemény (1957–58) · Vale (1958–60) · Simonovski (1960–62) · Hadjistavridis (1962) · Helmis (1962–63) · Dolgos (1963–64) · Cserna (1964–65) · Bukovi (1965–67) · Kinley (1967–68) · Spajić (1968–69) · Bebis (1969) · Bobek (1969–70) · Yfantis (1970) · Georgiadis (1970–71) · Darivas (1971) · Petropoulos (1971) · Ashman (1972) · Petropoulos (1972–75) · Buckingham (1975–76) · Darivas (1976) · Shannon (1976–77) · Veselinović (1977–80) · Górski (1980–81) · Senekowitsch (1981) · Panagoulias (1981–83) · Górski (1983) · Höher (1983) · Bebis (1983) · Alefantos (1983–84) · Bebis (1984) · Keßler (1984–85) · Bebis (1985) · Georgiadis (1985–86) · Panagoulias (1986–87) · Grigoriadis (1987) · Libregts (1987–88) · Grigoriadis (1988) · Gmoch (1988–89) · Papamalis (1989) · Gounaris (1989) · Papapostolou (1989) · Komora (1989–90) · Blokhin (1990–93) · Georgiadis (1993) · Filis (1993) · Petrović (1993) · Polychroniou (1993–94) · Alefantos (1994) · Yutsos (1994) · Libregts (1994–95) · Diamantopoulos (1995–96) · Persias (1996) · Bajević (1996–99) · Bigon (1999–00) · Matzourakis (2000) · Lemonis (2000–02) · Kolias (2002) · Katanec (2002–03) · Protasov (2003–04) · Gogić (2004) · Alefantos (2004) · Bajević (2004–05) · Sollied (2005–06) · Lemonis (2006–08) · Segura (2008) · Valverde (2008–09) · Ketsbaia (2009–)

v • d • e APOEL F.C. – Managers Jean (1931–33) · Künsztler (1933–51) · Avraamides (1951–52) · Guttmann (1952–53) · Avraamides (1953–54) · Schwartz (1954–55) · Hanz (1955–56) · Zsengellér (1956–57) · Talianos (1956–58) · Tsigkis (1958–59) · Houmis (1959–61) · Lazarides (1961–62) · Carver (1962–63) · Franklin (1963–64) · Talianos (1964–65) · Zsengellér (1965–66) · Szendrődi (1966–67) · Arhontidis (1967) · Avraamides (1967–69) · Carver (1969–70) · Lazarides (1970–71) · Wood (1971–72) · Markovic (1972–74) · Lazarides (1974–75) · Markovic (1975) · Lazarides (1975–76) · Partakis (1976–77) · Spurgeon (1977–78) · Lazarides (1978–81) · Ferguson (1981–82) · Markovic (1983–85) · Cassidy (1985–89) · Matzourakis (1989–90) · Poklepović (1990–91) · Gmoch (1991–93) · Antoniou (1993–94) · Matzourakis (1994–95) · Bonev (1995–96) · Šapurić (1996) · Gmoch (1996–97) · Alefantos (1997) · Jara (1997–98) · Mouskallis (1998) · Georgiou (1998) · Paraschos (1998–99) · Vuceković (1999) · Michaelides (1999–2000) · Šapurić (2000) · Markou (2000) · Walker (2000–01) · Gerards (2001–02) · Lemonis (2002–03) · Uhrin (2003) · Jovanović (2003–04) · Hadjiloukas (2004) · Lorant (2005) · Constantinou (2005) · Engel (2005–06) · Ouzounidis (2006–08) · Jovanović (2008) ·