birkirkarafc.com talks with Thomas Paris

by Ayrton Galea - 30th August 2010

It was time to interview another Birkirkara FC player, and this time it was the turn of Thomas Paris to give us his views.

Thomas was first seen playing in the senior team under the guidance of Mr. Stephen Azzopardi in the beginning of 2004 when on January 2 he made his debut with the club against Pieta Hotspurs. Thomas is considered to be a fighting defender and he makes it difficult for any striker to go past him. Although during the last season he was not always in the first eleven, he was always there to give his maximum effort whether on the bench or in the field.

Thomas first gives his views about the Carlsberg Tournament where our team placed 2nd to Hibernians. For Thomas this was a satisfying tournament and his comments were, "I think we had a satisfactory tournament overall. Our performances especially in the first two matches against Qormi and Marsaxlokk showed that we are in good physical shape and that we are tactically very well prepared. On Monday we had a very encouraging start, particularly when one keeps in mind that we had 5 or 6 Under 19 players starting with the first eleven. In this match our youngsters proved their potential and with the introduction of Shaun, Paul and Trevor in the second half we could have easily grabbed the 3 points. Against Marsaxlokk we had practically all the players available and that enabled the coach to field our best formation. A very positive note was the introduction of Terence Vella which seems to be a great acquisition for Birkirkara this year. The team on Wednesday played excellent football, particularly in the second half. Unfortunately, on the last day of the tournament we failed to match our opponents' (Hibernians) aggressiveness and tactical discipline. Unfortunately we had a number of players missing, which made things even worse. Probably most of our players were also a bit tired for this game. But, all in all I think we had a positive tournament. It was a good test both physically and tactically.

Then, he shares his views about the upcoming premier league, and although he is aware that this season will not be easy, his words were encouraging and give hope for all the supporters. "Statistics reveal that in most cases, a team which is successful one year ends up facing a very difficult season in the next. A typical example is the Hibernians team. We all know that this year will be even more difficult than last season; however, we are preparing ourselves very well so as to avoid any sort of disappointment. I think we have the players and the right attitude to put up a challenge for all major honours. A proof of this was the Super Cup final. Our team spirit is the key to success and I'm more than convinced that this year we will be up for it again!"

Finally, Thomas made it clear and official about his future, so ending all speculations on whom he shall be playing for in the coming season. "I am a Birkirkara player and will remain so until my contract expires. I am aware of Floriana's interest and am quite satisfied to say the truth. However after several discussions between Coach Paul Zammit, the committee and I, we agreed that I should play for Birkirkara this season. It wasn't a hard decision to say the truth. I am strongly attached to this team and I am willing to give my 100% again this year. I love this club and I want to win more cups here!"

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