Oh, brother!!!

Ankaragucu's brother team has captured headlines in Turkey over the last few days, but not because they are currently in third place. During this past weekend's match, some of the Bursa fans acted, well, inhospitably, towards the Diyarbakirspor players and fans implying (with the help of shards of green plastic from the stadium seats) that there was some connection between the PKK (The Kurdistan Workers' Party) and the team.

I am not going to go into the whole political side of this here. If you are interested, there are a couple of Turkish papers in English (links below), and mountains of other information on the internet and in your local library. I will just say that it is unfortunate that it had to be the Bursa fans to act like this. Bursa and Diyarbakir are two of the few cities in Turkey where the the inhabitants really support their home team and not one of the big three Istanbul teams.

I know the death of Abdulkerim Bayraktar (a die-hard Bursa fan whose death occurred while performing his military service in the southeast) in 1993 will never be forgotten, but that is no excuse to lash out against fans at a football match--some so young that they were not even alive when Abdulkerim was killed.

Let's hope that for the rest of the season most of the newsworthy action takes place on the pitch and not in the stands.

To read more about the details of what happened, here are a couple of links.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=brawl-raises-doubts-for-armenia-game-2009-09-27

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-188331-politics-spill-onto-pitch-in-bursa-diyarbakir-clash.html

Note: The above photo was nicked from the CNN.Türk site:

http://www.cnnturk.com/fotogaleri/spor/futbol/2009/09/28/bursaspor.diyarbakirspor/5493.2/index.html#photogal

ANKARAGUCU - A VICTORRRREEEE AT LAST ...... BUT ....

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Yes, at last, something to sing and shout about - a victorrreeeee. But, let's not get too carried away with this result. I would normally be optimistic with our first victory away from home, but then ........ I looked at what's coming up !!!

Gaziantep 1 ANKARAGUCU 3

I'm sorry to say I've no details of the actual match but what was interesting was the team selection. No Vassell (injured ?), no Bebbe (suspended) and no Iglesias (reason unknown). Also, no Vice-Captain El-Yasa (suspended). Thinks .... not a good idea to go to Gaziantep with the three recognised strikers missing !!

Serkan
Koray, Semavi, Ediz and Broggi
Ceyhun, Barbaros, Hurriyet and Metin
Murat Duruer and Frederic

Don't ask me ...... who is Frederic ??? I tried checking him out in Google Search but couldn't find anything. Can anyone else shed some light on him ?

Second half substitutes used were Mehmet Cakir, Emre and Volkan

Da Silva opened the scoring for Antep after 10 minutes but Metin scored the equaliser just before half time.

Metin added a second goal 10 minutes into the 2nd half and Mehmet Cakir scored the third with 10 minutes to go.

If you recall, I had scripted Mehmet Cakir to score last week against his old Club but he was obviously a week late in reading my post on the Blog !!!

OK, so well done Hikmet Bey for playing with a 'reserve strike force' and the three points are most welcome. However, as I mentioned in the opening paragraph, it will not be all plain sailing from here.

Next weekend Ankaragucu 'welcomes' Galatasaray. Of course, the players will be all fired up for that and will get stuck right into CimBom, but we have to bear in mind that Galatasaray are the 'form team' in the league at the moment.

It's World Cup the following weekend and then a visit to Kayseri. OK, we can say .... if we can beat Antep away then we can do the biz in Kayseri ! However, excuse me if I remain cautious about that match !

Notwithstanding Metin's fine contribution last night, I hope we have Vassell and Bebbe back for next weekend's Match of the Day.

All the best from a happier Eski Kanka Jim

Gencler outclass Trabzon but still only manage a draw

Genclerbirligi 2 - 2 Trabzonspor

What a lovely evening. The cold weather that hit us during the bayram has dissapeared and it was a good turnout at the Chopin for Friday night's 2-2 draw with Trabzon.

As for that turnout, German was the second most popular language at the table with Lanky Kanka Jorg, Alpine Kanka Wolgang, his son Christoph and Robbie all babbling away with Ilker, Eskisehir Onur (who was in town for the weekend) and your good correspondent not having a clue what was being said. Strangely enough Flying Dutchman Kanka understood everything, even though he can't speak German... I credit the Efes.

Off to the match and I had to hang around to give Oguz a ticket and so got in five minutes late. Just about to sit down and the first touch of the ball I saw was the final kick that saw Trabzon go one up.

A depressing start and it wasn't long later that Gencler lazily lost the ball and Trabzon launched a great attack to go two ahead. The Trabzon fans were taunting us and quite frankly I could have curled up and fallen asleep. Our play was atrocious. Hardly a single pass was sticking. Balls were being kicked straight at Trabzon players and in defence we were too slow at closing down their forwards. Dreadful really.

Then something happened... we started playing... and playing well. Harbuzi got the first goal at about 30 minutes in thanks to a great pass from Mustafa Pektemek. Us Gencler fans finally had something to sing about (as you can see in the video posted below).

The rest of the half was pretty much all Gencler. A couple of near misses but at half time the general mood amongst the Gencler smokers huddled near the toilets was that we could grab this game.

Second half and both Harbuzi and Pektemek were taken off, with Hursit and Bilal coming on. It was the same replacement strategy that Thomas Doll used in the game against Ankaragucu last week. I have a feeling that Doll isn't happy with the fitness of either of them.

Hursit came on to great applause. The man is fast becoming my favourite player. Not due to any particular genius on his part but because he provides great entertainment. If I had to sum him up I'd say he is absolutely bursting with the confidence of a Maradona and the ability of an Eski Kanka Jim going for the double 20 after 23 beers.

Hursit set up the second goal against Ankaragucu last week and at times last night it looked like he could easily set up one for us once again. Instead we got some laughs out of the man. One nice one was when a ball was played to him in the air, he turned around - probably hoping to make a run - and instead the ball whacked him in the back of the head. Another time was a great header to stop the ball from going out of play. Only hassle was he was over the touch line at the time.

Still it was his confidence that got us the freekick that resulted in our second goal. Anyone else just outside the box would have been looking for someone to pass to... not our Hursit! He decided to go through his markers and was tripped up.

Bilal stood to take the free kick and for a long time Hursit was free at the edge of the box. Luckily someone from Trabzon twigged and ran in to mark him. Otherwise Bilal would have passed to Hursit and then God only knows what laughs may have ensued. Instead Bilal had a shot himself and we drew level.

The last 10 minutes or so was all Gencler but the winning goal just wouldn't come. The biggest chance lost was when Sandro sent a ball wide that really should have been in the back of the net.

Match over and back to Kizilay for more beers with the Alkaralar fans. The general mood... very, very upbeat. In Thomas Doll we might finally have a coach who can do something with the team.

MKE moves to block Gokcek takeover

Poking around on the interwebs today and I came across this article in Taraf Gazetesi concerning the latest goings on at Ankaragucu.

Seems as if the head office of MKE, the Makina Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu, have launched a court case to have the August 30 extraordinary AGM annulled. As you all know it was at that AGM that Ahmet Gokcek became chairman.

From the petition given to the court by MKE:

"Association Chairman Cemal Aydin erased the registration of (number not given) members with MKE links. Four-hundred members were registered for the Cemal Aydin - Melih Gokcek team. The membership requests made by 146 MKE personnel were not accepted, (an action) which is against the regulations."

Who knows what might happen. My guess is that it will go the same way as what happened a few years ago when a court threw out a similiar case brought against Genclerbirligi Chairman Ilhan Cavcav who had stacked an AGM with Galatasaray supporters and made it next to impossible for the opposition to register any members. As an aside I still haven't figured out how to join Genclerbirligi.

So the shambles that is the takeover saga of Ankaragucu carries on. When the company that founded the club back in 1910 is taking you to court, you know you must have lost the track.

Hibees Update

After a gentle reminder from Sir Eski I thought I should give a update on Hibs start to the new SPL season.

After five matches Hibs sit 3rd in the table with 3 wins and 2 defeats.

Hibs 2-1 St Mirren
Falkirk 1-3 Hibs
Hibs 0-1 Celtic
Hamilton 2-0 Hibs
Hibs 3-0 St Johnstone

The defeat to Hamilton was a big disappointment, definately Hibs worst show so far.

Some late transfers boosted the squad for this season, Anthony Stokes from Sunderland and Liam Millar released by QPR have brought a bit of quality to the Hibees teamsheet. Liam Millar left Celtic to join Man Utd about four years ago so has plenty talent.

At a time when even Rangers along with most SPL teams are trying to offload players to reduce debt, Hibs are able to spend banked cash. For the last few years Hibs have kept tight control of wages, this along with player sales over the years have made Hibs nearly debt free despite building a new training accademy.

Time will tell if these new players will give Hibs the edge in winning Europa League football slot in the SPL.

Stokes scored his first goals at the weekend against St Johnstone and has another chance tomorrow night when the Saints come back to Easter Road for a cup match. Another 3-0 result would be good but I will settle for just getting through to the next round.

Hopefully I will be posting plenty reports of Hibs victories this season. Rumour has it a VIP from Ankara may be visiting this season, maybe even manage a picture.

Cheers

ANKARAGUCU - YET ANOTHER CRISIS !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Not content with dealing with the recent crisis in the Boardroom, Ankaragucu has created another one on the pitch. Despite all their possession and efforts to play football last night, the players failed to deliver and the 'natives are becoming restless' !

ANKARAGUCU 1 Genclerbirligi 2

The lone Ankaragucu kanka (ie .... Moi) met up with a host of Gencler kankas in The Chopin last night. Oz Kanka Chris and his merry men (and lady) were in fine fettle, and why not considering Gencler's impressive record in derby matches over the past few years.

Roger from Eskisehir was welcomed into the fold, regular kankas Spine Kanka Steve and French Kankie Hande and also some latecomers Oguz and his son and Ilker.

We then dispersed our different ways to the Stadium where I was greeted by Yankee Kanka.

As usual the Stadium was almost full of Ankaragucu supporters in full voice. The less said about the number of Gencler supporters in the away end the better !!

The match got underway with the usual end to end stuff with the players feeling each other out and Ankaragucu surprised me with their standard of footie and their passing which was a big improvement on recent performances. The team is beginning to take on a familiar pattern -

Serkan
Cihan, El-Yasa, Ediz and Broggi
Mehmet Cakir, Ceyhun, Hurriyet and Barbaros
Vassell and Iglesias

Semavi, Ufuk and Emre came on as 2nd half substitutes.

I'm not sure what the position is with our two South Africans, especially the impressive Sosibo, or Henderson. They haven't featured recently, but after last night's result, perhaps they will soon !

With the match just settling down after 10 minutes play, disaster struck for Ankaragucu with a well taken Gencler corner. There appeared to be a ricochet off a defender or the post and the loose ball was dispatched easily by Pektemek. Here we go again I thought .... another mountain to climb !

However, all credit to Ankaragucu, they took control of the match from this point right up to half time with some sustained pressure on the Gencler goal. Vassell was winning nothing in the air and was well marked out of the match by the impressive Gencler back four, especially Radeljic.

Cihan playing at right full back was causing all sorts of problems with his attacking runs and it was from one of those that the equaliser came on the half hour mark. From a great run down the right wing, the ball was swung over and met by Barbaros to score a well deserved equaliser.

Up the volume in expectation of a 2nd goal before half time ! I lost count of how many chances were missed by Iglesias and Ceyhun, and the teams went in at half time all square.

I had a text message from Oz Kanka at half time which just about summed up the first half ......... quote .. you deserve to be ahead .... unquote. My response was .... yes, true, but .... Meaning that the round leather thingie must be put between the sticks and into the net !!!

The 2nd half was more even with Gencler coming more into the match and Ankaragucu beginning to huff and puff. So, it was no surprise when the winner came 10 minutes from the end and a great goal it was too.

Hursit who had replaced Harbuzi half way through the 2nd half was the creator and he was causing the Ankaragucu defence all sorts of problems with his dangerous runs down the left. It was from one of those runs when he turned Semavi inside out and put in an inviting cut-back for Kahe to pick his place in the corner with Serkan well beaten.

With Ceyhun and Cihan off, Ankaragucu lost their shape and struggled in the last 10 minutes to contain the now rampant Gencler.

A classic story of missed chances but nice football doesn't win matches and the record books will show that Gencler took 3 points and Ankaragucu took .... nothing !

As I mentioned at the beginning, the natives are becoming restless and at the end of the match their wrath was directed towards the coach Hikmet Karaman and Serkan.

Serkan may have played his last match for Ankaragucu because I saw him spitting on the ground towards the tribunes in Maraton. This is unacceptable behaviour from a professional football player, irrespective of the fans anger, and I am surprised and disappointed that he took this action.

So, another crisis is looming. Played 6 and won none. What next ? A case of wait and see but I'm wondering if it is time to try and lure Ersun Yanal away from the TV Company who he is with and bring him back into the fold. Am I dreaming again ??

All the best from a despairing Eski Kanka Jim

No more trips to hell

Showed up last night for a darts captains' meeting and Flying Dutchman Kanka broke to me the news that Ankaraspor had been relegated. Celebratory drinks all round!

This morning I actually read the report from the Professional Disciplinary Board and, as has been discussed at length on this blog - especially in the comments sections - it was decided that Ankaraspor and Ankaragucu were controlled by the same legal entity and therefore Ankaraspor were immediately relegated. I'm not sure of the exact reason why it was Ankaraspor and not Ankaragucu were relegated but maybe someone can help me out on this.

In addition Ankaragucu chairman Ahmet Gokcek has been banned from attending matches for six months and the rest of the Ankaragucu board banned for three months. The chairman of Ankaraspor has also been banned from attending matches for six months.

It isn't exactly clear yet what this means for promotion/relegation this season with some suggestions that three teams will still go done (meaning four will come up from the Bank Asya Lig), or that only two teams will go down (and only three come up).

As expected, Melih Gokcek has been spitting chips saying he will appeal all the way the Universal Sports Court, or whatever it is called. Good to see our mayor is concentrating on the important issues the city needs addressed.

In the meantime, time to look up the spelling of that German word which describes the state of maliciously enjoying the misfortune of others ... ah yes... schadenfreude

Who says politics and sport should never mix?

I was away for this and so have cut and pasted an article written by Ozgur Korkmaz, a Gencler fan who is the sports editor of the Hurriyet Daily News and who went to the match along with a few other Gencler fans to show their solidarity. Sounds like great fun. This is just an excerpt, for the whole piece - click here

Adana Demirspor, a team in Turkey’s third division, hosted Italian Serie A club A.S. Livorno Calcio on Friday night. A lower-division team playing at home against an Italian club was a story in itself, but what happened from there was beyond the imagination of even the most optimistic true football enthusiasts in this country.

Photograph from AA

Spectators entering Adana’s 5 Ocak Stadium were welcomed by “Bella Ciao” on the loudspeakers, a song sung by the leftist anti-fascist resistance movement in Italy. A huge banner hanging on the fences surrounding the pitch read “Hasta Siempre,” or “Always,” around an image of legendary Cuban revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Another banner bore a picture of Turkish poet and communist Nazım Hikmet along with his famous verse, “To live! Like a tree, alone and free; like a forest in brotherhood.” People waved red flags, some with the photo of Deniz Gezmiş, a prominent Marxist-Leninist activist and one of the founders of the Turkish revolutionary movement of the late 1960s. Gezmiş was hanged in 1972.

For a match in Turkey, the atmosphere was absurd. But it was no coincidence. The teams on the pitch were Livorno Calcio, world-renown for its supporters’ firm communist stance, and Adana Demirspor, founded by railway workers in the city and the closest thing Turkish football has to a workers’ team.

Drawing Games

INFO

Gençlerbirliği	2 -	2	Eskisehirspor
	Competition Date Game week Kick-off Half-time Full-time Venue	Süper Lig 13 September 2009 5 21:00 1 - 2 2 - 2 Ankara Ondokuz Mayis Stadyumu

GOALS

Kahe 21' Kahe 59'

1 - 0 1 - 1 1 - 2 2 - 2

23' D. Kaya 45' U. Karan

With Oz Kanka off to Greece to make his mark in International cricket with the Turkish cricket team, I was left in charge of doling out the season tickets at the Chopin bar prior to the match. At around six o'clock I made my way to Sakarya from Çayyolu passing through Eskisehir. I noticed the Eskisehirspor fans by the side of the road, getting ready to travel to the 19 Mayis Stadium under the watchful eye of the Ankara police. They were in high spirits judged by the cheers and signing and in passing I thought to myself that they were quite the rowdy bunch, not knowing then that I was going to be proven right about this just a few hours later. I was to meet with Sinan from Istanbul at the Chopin bar but unfortunately his meeting in Ankara ran late and he had sent me an e-mail saying he would go directly to the stadium. Unfortunately Sinan, I only saw your e-mail when I returned home after the match; sorry to have missed you.

Arriving at the Chopin bar I was met by Lanky Kanka Jörg and Minnas Kanka Uwe. After beers, Raki and having discussed the Dutch league, German league, the postponed match of Ankaraspor and European football we left at 8.30 to the stadium. Arriving at the stadium with 15 minutes to spare to get into the grounds both Jörg and Uwe headed for the protocol section and I found myself for the first time going to the match without another single kanka joining me. Well that was until half-time when I finally found Dan the Man in the stands. For the last few home matches I have found the security has loosened considerably since being carried out by a private security company. I first had to show my season ticket until I was at the turnstile giving access to the stands; noting it is was manned by one person only. Inside there was no frisking but just a gentle sweep with a metal detector and I got in just before the national Anthem. If anything I found the security a bit lax and I guess this was demonstrated by the flare incident after Eskisehirspor's first goal.

After a minute of silence for flood victims the match got underway with the Eskisehirspor supporters being as loud as ever. My eye was drawn to Orhan who continuously sought depth with his passes creating danger in the Eskisehirspor defence and leading to El Saka's first yellow card in the twelfth minute. At the 21st minute mark Kahe gets the ball from Burhan at the edge of the box and bounces it into Orhan who again plays it deep to Burhan who meanwhile made the goal line passing it back to Kahe who shoots from the turn… GOOOAAL! Great shot in by Kahe! But our one-goal-up was only short lived when Kaya makes the equaliser only two minutes later. The events followed each other in such quick succession that I was not able to see the goal. Looking at the television highlights it was quite a cannonball that left Serdar without a chance. The Eskisehirspor fans burst into celebrations with one of them igniting a flare. In my opinion the police then over-reacted trying to find the culprit thereby making the emotions of the Eskisehirspor fans "flare" up which resulted in chairs being thrown. How can one bring a flare into the stadium? Was I right in saying earlier that a gentle sweep with a metal detector is too lax in terms of security? I let you be the judge of that. Ten minutes later Kahe leads the attack where we have two attackers against two defenders, he passes it wide but unfortunately it is ruled off-side. In the extra time of the first half Karan scores the second goal for Eskisehirspor.

During half time about six to seven Ankaragücü fans run amok in the marathon section and the police escort them out of the stadium. Cue… this is when Dan the Man shows up and we get ready to watch the second half together.

In the 47th minute Eskisehirspor is dangerously close to getting a third goal in what is a big scrum in front of Serdar's goal but he makes a very good safe. Ten minutes later Burhan get the ball outside the box and sets up a one-two with Kahe who gets fouled by El Saka. Second yellow card and El Saka gets send to the showers. The free kick awarded is taken by Kahe and taking a deflection gets us our second goal, making the score level. It is from this point onwards Dan and I discuss that the Gençlerbirliği coach Thomas Doll, well at least in my eyes, is making a tactical error. With 30 minutes on the clock we play against a team with ten man yet we keep four defenders at the back throughout the remainder of the match. Why? The moment your opponent comes down to ten man you need to re-evaluate the team, see what changes the other coach makes in his team and adapt yours. We whole heartedly should have pressed on for that third goal. An opportunity missed I think. The longer it takes to get the extra goal the more the opponent starts believing in the draw.

The end of the match and there is five minutes extra time. Eskisehirspor is stalling for time with one of their players feigning an injury; they play the ball over the side-line. Gençlerbirliği taking the throw-in and not returning the ball to Eskisehirspor sets off a row between the players of both teams. Again chairs fly in the away section. Kocabey, Kaya and Burhan all get the yellow card for misconduct. The referee doesn't add extra time for the delaying tactics of Eskisehirspor and the match ends in yet another draw. I agree with Dan that we should have pressed on earlier the moment Eskisehirspor went down one man. A win was on the cards but it was not to be. Is Gençlerbirliği back to drawing games again?

ANTALYA WELCOMES TOURISTS ....... BUT, NOT ANKARAGUCU !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

More trials and tribulations for Ankaragucu last night in Antalya. Not an auspicious start to the season .....yet again ...... and after so many personnel changes, the team now has a moutain to climb with matches coming up against Gencler, Antep and in-form team Galatasaray.

Antalyaspor 1 ANKARAGUCU 0

My dear wife and I arrived in Antalya last Saturday afternoon with vertical raining pouring out of the sky and that's the way it stayed most of the day. However, using my renowned initiative for such eventualities, I found an excellent 'watering hole' near the Stadium called 'Doy Doy'. Fici Efes mmmm yummy !

The weather cleared up on Sunday and after doing the usual touristic things to please (you know who !)I was all set for the match.

There was only one gate for Ankaragucu supporters which meant I was right in there with the Gecikondu, Anti-X and Genc Gucu boys. Hundreds of them in the area behind the goal - what a turnout. I met Nehri from the old Lacivert and a few other familiar faces.

We also had 5 policemen beside us, so I thought, oh well, no smoking for the next 2 hours which was not really a problem. However, when everyone around me started 'lighting up' the policemen didn't even bat an eyelid ! It is becoming quite clear to me that the no smoking ban is in name only !

The team had an unfamilier look about it with Ceyhun still suspended and Santos long-term injured -

Serkan
El-Yasa, Risp, Ediz and Broggi
Semavi, Murat Duruer, Hurriyet, Barbaros and Mehmet Cakir
Vassell

I have to say that it was not one of Ankaragucu's best performances with Antalya taking the initiative from the start and playing some fast attacking footie. Ankaragucu was always on the back foot and I don't recall Omer having to make one serious save in the entire match !

Semavi and Hurriyet were busy in midfield but 'lone ranger' Vassell was being well marked and no doubt frustrated at the lack of scoring opportunities. I have to ask the question which I posed so many times last season ............ why only one recognised striker ?? I could perhaps understand that tactic if we were playing CimBom in Istanbul, but ........... we were not !!

Also, I still can't understand why Hikmet Bey is using Murat Duruer in his starting line up ! He had a shocker of a match and it was no surprise therefore when he was replaced by Bebbe 5 minutes before half time. OK says I .... now we will see more attacking options with Bebbe supporting Vassell up front. Wrong !!!

Bloody Hell ...... 5 minutes after coming on and just before the half time whistle, Bebbe was going for an early bath !! Shock all round and none of us could understand the reason. Actually I thought that it was Semavi who had been carded in all the confusion.

I now know the real story 'straight from the horse's mouth' ! Well, you know me, I'm not usually a 'name dropper' but I spoke to Bebbe in the Departure Lounge of Antalya Airport this morning (the team were on the same aircraft as us !) and he admitted kicking one of their player's. Totally out of character I told him and he just smiled. Obviously perpetrated in the heat of the moment - the referee no doubt saw some malicious intent !

Anyway, we had a brief chat before boarding and I gave him our Blog addrress for him, Vassell and Henderson to check us out. It was a pleasure to talk with Bebbe and he is a real gentleman. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to chat to the other team members and ..... grrrrrrr ...... I didn't have my camera to capture that 'kodak moment' !!

Oh yes, back to the footie and that bloody goal after 25 minutes. Shit ! a schoolboy defensive blunder (couldn't see if it was Ediz or Risp) gifted the ball to Neceti (ex-CimBom) and he doesn't miss 'presents' like these. Serkan had no chance.

The 2nd half was a yawn for me. OK, the gallant 10 men didn't stop trying (Semavi in particular) but I honestly couldn't see them scoring, and so it was.

Serkan had his usual reliable match and saved Ankaragucu from further punishment with some goood stops, but what a disappointing result, and with all due respect to Antalya, we should be looking to beat teams like them !

Near the end of the match some of the Ankaragucu supporters in my vicinity began to break the plastic seats and hold them above their heads. I counted at least 20 around me ! And what were the 5 policement near me doing ? Good question ! In two words ..... bugger all !!

So, I was thinking ....... errrrmmmmm ..... what's going to happen to those plastic seats at the final whistle ?? No need to answer that one ! Therefore, I made my way to the exit 5 minutes before the end and gave the Police Officer the usual 'verbal diarrhoea' about being his 'Asker Kardes' (brother soldier) and it worked !! I beat a hasty retreat before all Hell broke out and I scurried away from the Stadium back to my hotel. Sensible decision me thinks ??!!

OK, so we lost, but at least my long-term ambition to visit this Quaint Stadium was achieved. For those of you who haven't been to Antalya, it is situated near the Harbour/Castle with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea. Will I return in the future ? Definitely !

So to next weekend and the Ankara Derby against Gencler. That, of course, pre-supposes that Ahmet Gokcek has resigned as Chairman and the TFF don't pospone any of Ankaragucu's matches ! More on that subject when known.

Providing the match goes ahead, it will be on Saturday 19 September KO 9pm. Meeting as usual in The Chopin from 6.30pm.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

THE ANKARAGUCU and ANKARASPOR PROBLEM

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

The proposed merger between the Clubs which I mentioned a few weeks ago may, or may not, happen at the end of the season - we shall see.

However, the problem facing both Clubs at the moment is that the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) is threatening to relegate both Clubs because of what they perceive as the Gokcek family owning both Clubs and also some of the Ankaraspor shareholders being connected to Ankaragucu.

I.Melih Gokcek is disputing this assertion by saying that HE is the Chairman of Ankaraspor and his son, Ahmet, is Chairman of Ankaragucu. Therefore, Ahmet has no connection with Ankaraspor !

He has also said that the TFF should show proof that there is a convergence of shareholders in both Clubs.

I.M.G. has also cited the example of the connections between Istanbulspor and Adanaspor, Kayserispor and Erciyes, and Genclerbirligi and OFTAS (now Hacettepe) in the past and the fact that the TFF did nothing about those connections. The Chairman of the TFF's defending statement was that he was not Chaiman during those occurrences !!

I.M.G. also stated that if Ankaraspor in relegated, he will take the case to FIFA in protest against the TFF. The Ankaraspor shareholders are also taking legal advice on their situation and have vowed to take it forward through legal circles !

The TFF has told Ankaragucu that they should have a new Board of Directors, but the Club is asking a simple question, ie, ...... why ?

Furthermore, Ankaragucu has posed 5 question to the TFF which require an answer....

1. Which rule did the Club break ?
2. Which article of the regulations is broken ?
3. Where is the evidence that they have done something wrong ?
4. The rule for the length of time for convening a General Meeting is 21 days, but the TFF has only allowed 3 days for the Club to do this. Why ?
5. The rule for the length of time for lodging an appeal is 7 days, but the TFF has only allowed 3 days for the Club to do this. Why ?

So, I say ..... there is a good reason to call this whole affair 'A Dog's Breakfast' !

Lots of threats and sabre rattling flying back and forth which is not conducive to reaching an agreement or a solution to the problem.

I hope this can be resolved 'in country'. Taking our 'dirty washing' to FIFA is not the way, and may, in my opinion, backfire on the TFF.

We will have to await the outcome of this sorry story, so watch this space and I'll try and keep you informed of developments.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Oz Kanka and Spine on tour in Greece

Just a short post to note that Spine and myself are representing Turkey in a 5-day cricket tournament in Corfu, Greece.

Have fun keeping up to date with our adventures at Turkey on Tour

THE 'NEW' GENCLIK PARK

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

For the benefit of the new Kankas on the Block, let me explain briefly the significance of Genclik Park to the Kanka Group.

The Kanka Group was formed in early 1999, and in those days we used to meet outside the Stadium. However, after a few weeks of standing there in the freezing Ankara winter weather waiting for tailenders, I decided to find a warm place to meet. So, as I was familiar with Genclik Park, I chose The Sahil as our meeting place pre and post matches.

This proved a popular venue in view of its proximity to the Stadium, the standard of food and drink and ambiance, especially in the Spring, Summer and Autumn, situated as it was right next to the Park Lake.

Then 3 years ago the Mayor of Ankara (I.M.G.) closed the park for renovation and other reasons which I won't go into here !

That's when Oz Kanka Chris and I decided to move the meeting place to The Chopin which had easy access for taxis, food n'drink, and efficient and friendly waiters who made us welcome.

So, back to the present, and the 'New' Genclik Park opened on the 30th of August to much fanfare in the local Ankara press, and I believe that Connect Kanka and Phillie Kanka attended the opening ceremoney ?!

I.M.G. was quoted in the press as saying that as far as he was concerned, the restaurants in the Park could sell alcohol if they so wished. I have to confess that I found this hard to believe and put it down to his diplomatic politico talk !

Nevertheless, I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, and so I did a reconnaissance yesterday to see the set-up for myself.

I headed first for where Sahil used to be situated and there are no restaurants on that side at all. The good news is that the tree which used to be in the middle of the Gents Toilet is still there - I.M.G. did promise not to cut down any trees during the renovation and at least he kept his promise on that subject !

Actually, there are no restaurants of cafes on the lakeside anywhere in the park. They are all well set-back from the lakeside.

OK, so the park has an Altin Park look about it - very pretty and all that, but the old ambiance has disappeared. For example, there was only one tea-house cafe open yesterday, and even allowing for the fact that we are in the middle of Ramadan, that was pretty stingy.

The restaurants that I.M.G. mentioned are all on the Luna Park side of the the park and they are all lying there empty ....... for the moment. The waiter in the tea house told me that they would be opening after Ramadan but he was unsure if they would be selling alcohol !

I had a look at the 6 restaurants which are all side-by-side and they look a wee bit too small inside for winter time. So, I came away with some negative vibes about the chances of reverting to our old meeting venue.

Of course, it would be unfair to judge the restaurants until they are up and running, and I will therefore do another reconnoitre after the Ramadan Bayram to ascertain what these restaurants are offering. Normally I am an optimist by nature, but I have a feeling that the restaurants will chicken out and not sell alcohol. Any bets on that ??

In the meantime then, it is ...... as you were ........ and back to the good old Chopin Bar as our regular meeting place.

Watch this space for more details of the 'New' Genclik Park next month.

All the best from 'the intrepid explorer' Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU - THE SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSES

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

The summer transfer window closed yesterday, so that's it until early January when it reopens.

It looks like the 3 trialists I mentioned a few days ago didn't make it. I was hoping that Scott Sealy in particular would be snapped up because he has a good reputation and may well have been a useful addition to the squad.

So, to summarise the summer activity in the transfer market for the new incomers, it looks like this -

Darius Vassell from Man City
Ian Henderson from Luton Town
Suat from Bilefeld
Cihan from Konya
Sosibo and Sanemela from South African Clubs Wits and Arrows
Koray from Kayseri
Murat Yilmaz from Hansa Rostock
Bebbe from Istanbul BBS
Ariel Broggi from Banfield
Diego Padilha from Brazil
Emre Aygun from Sebat
Abdullah Cetin from Antalya

and then come our influx from Ankaraspor

Ediz
Mehmet Cakir
Risp
Hurriyet
Muhammed Hanifi

Looks like there will be plenty of competition for places in the starting line up in the weeks ahead !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim