Nine years later Larissa F.C. qualifies into the first division of the Greek championship, but
two year later returns back to
the second division. The moment of the glorious comeback is the 18th June of 1978 : the club wins Makedonikos by 4-1 in Thessaloniki in front of thousands of supporters and opens a new era, the creation of a team that would bring the so - called football revolution in the 80' s.

The first sign was the participation in the greek cup final in 1982 against Panathinaikos, where Larissa lost by 1-0. Two years later the history was repeated and Larissa lost again by 2-0. The 3rd time in the greek cup Final was the crucial one. Larissa had to face the champion of that season, PAOK Thessaloniki on 22-06-1985 in the Olympic stadium of Athens. The claret boys had taken their black and white opponents were struck by storm and after an incredible performance ended to win the historical game by 4-1. The same year, some months earlier Larissa' s name was spread all over Europe after it' s fantastic performance in the Uefa Cup Winner' s Cup, reaching to the quarterfinals. The club on it' s way to the "8" of the competition beat Siofok and Servette before losing from Dynamo Moscow. Three years later Larissa F.C. marches for the title of the Greek Championship.

During Mars' 88, a weird story about a foreign player using forbidden medicine is used to take away 4 points from the club. The supporters revolve against this ridiculous scandal and thousands of them close the national road and the railway station : the whole country remains cut in two for more than two day. The prime minister himself orders to change the law about forbidden medicine leaving the cost for the user as it was in the rest of Europe. Larissa ends it' s way to the top of the 1st of May 1988 beating Iraklis in Alkazar stadium by 1-0 : the magnificent goal goal by the captain Giorgos Mitsimponas gives the sign for thousands to celebrate.

The whole story about Larissa' s Championship is an epic myth for the norm of greek football and although some tried to stop it with dark manners, the protection of the supporters brought finally justice. It was the highest peak that Larissa F.C. reached and unfortunatelly after this blossoming, came the decline, year by year until 1996 when the club finally returns to the second division. The team fought even for its existence during the next years, slipping to the third division and having huge financial problems. Before the final curtain, a young ambitious man called Nikos Sotiroulis leads the team back to the second division and sells the club to Costas Piladakis the owner and president of the team since the summer of 2004. Larissa F.C. returned to the top league of the greek football in 2005 and in it' s first season in the first division ended 8th and qualified for the Intertoto cup. The club confirmed the inevitable come back to the elite, on the 5th of May 2007, when repeated the great achievement of 1985, by winning the Greek Cup. In the final match in Volos, the claret boys beat Panthinaikos in front of 10.000 delirious supporters and spread around the message : the queen of thessalian flatland is back and the best is yet to come...

 

THE END OF A CIRCLE

One important circle is already completed in the recent history of A.E. Larissa. A new era begins with the end of this season : coach George Donis has left the team listening to the sinners of AEK Athens, but he has already been  replaced by Marinos Ouzounidis, also a young and ambitious coach, completely suitable to AEL leader's philosophy Kostas Piladakis.

There will also be important changes to the persons of the team as more than 10 players will leave the team.

A.E.L. finally ended on the 6th position for this season and it was only one goal less against Panionios that has left the team out of the play off games and the possibility to fight for a position in the UEFA Cup.

The preparation of the team will begin on the 7th of July in Larissa and then they will continue in Karpenisi fo about 15 days. The third part of it will take place in a country of central Europe or in northern Italy - soon to be announced. Meanwhile the full season tickets are already for sale with the owners of the former season to be first in line to choose gate and seat. Our supporters club will start renewals and accepting new members probably during the last week of June, as we have to wait for the goverment to vote the new law for violence in football and possibly new changes in the rules for the supporters club.

MONSTERS : TWO ERAS FOR ONE CLUB

On the 31st on Mars in the year 1982 almost 5.000 supporters were moving to Alkazar stadium to watch the game A.E. Larissa - Diagoras Rhodes for the greek cup and were they surprised the writings on the walls of the stadium. It was the first public declaration for the creation of the "Monsters" supporters club... "Monsters" were in fact created from the deep will of an active team of young supporters to turn Alkazar stadium into a real home for Larissa F.C. During this game almost 30 supporters took their place at the Gate "D" and later known as the legendary "Gate 1".

That primitive nucleus of the "Monsters", was in fact a company of young ex "Ierolohites" (the first in fact supporters club in teams history with a name translated as "members of the holy company"), who disagreed with the conception of "Ierolohites" about helping the team and wanted to follow the modern expressions of supporting. A few days after that first presence the company spent a whole night with dictionary trying to pick up the suitable name and finally the inspiration came from a cartoon tv series!... They also start painting the supporters club' s flags. Among the others they paint the characteristic flag with the sign of victory that became a symbol for many years at the "Gate 1".

The first strong presence with many more members is exactly 10 days after the first time, on the 11th of April when A.E. Larissa plays against AEK Athens. From that moment on, "Monsters" will start to grow stronger and stronger day by day : the first purpose for the club then was to exist with no official papers and offices in a weird freedom and an always opened door for all the young people who wanted to help the team of their city. The meetings, the sharing of the tickets and the organization of the trips for games away, everything was taking place on the walkway beside the Court Building, right after the city' s central square.

A characteristic custom for the members was the gathering each Sunday before the game at the central square and the march to Alkazar Stadium. Monsters followed the constant ascension of Larissa F.C. and somehow became necessary part of it. They organized important trips to the whole country and in the legendary period 1987 - 1988 they play the first role in the uprising of the whole city when a weird story is invented to steal 4 points from Larissa F.C. and the first position. The supporters possess the national road and the railway station for almost two days : the whole country remains cut in two until justice reappears and finally A.E. Larissa wins the greek championship.

The team' s decay and relegating to the second division brought also a deep crisis for the supporters club. During the period 1997 - 1998 many members of the Monsters Club along with younger supporters decided to create a new modern club with an official and synchronized way of action in order to lead the team back to the glorious days. The important meeting took place on the 13th of November 1997 in "Champion' s Club" and the final decision was that the new club should keep the historical name "Monsters". This was in fact the beginning of the second era for the supporters club, completely different comparing to it' s past.

Monsters today keep their own offices, their own site, official products and fight hard to create the new generations of team' s supporters. They have been through fire and feel proud to watch Larissa F.C. growing stronger again day by day. Winning the greek cup on the 5th of May 2007 was a fair ending for the supporters club constant fighting in the last 10 years...