Gencler go down in who cares match

Genclerbirligi 0 - 2 Antalyaspor

Little to play for Saturday night as both Gencler and Antalya have no chance of being relegated and neither any chance of making it high enough for a place in Europe next season.


I guess it was for this reason that Little Oz Kanka and myself were the only Kankas to show up at the Beer Bus. Luckily for us a bunch of Alkaralar showed up and so we all enjoyed a few Efes in the lovely spring weather. Moved off to discover that all the roads were closed because Ankara Mayor had put on a massive bread and circuses act in downtown Kizilay as a way to bribe voters celebrate Chrildren's Day.

So we caught the metro to near the ground and got in just after kick-off.

Gencler were clearly the better team and if luck had fallen differently we could have had a couple before the break. With nothing at stake the atmosphere was fun even if Gencler weren't scoring. Second half and Antalya picked up a bit. Then towards the end Antalya scored. I have no idea what happened as I was opening a yogurt for Little Oz Kanka at the time. All I can remember is Arda behind us saying somthing like "Aman, dikkat" and then it was goal.

The second and final goal was scored when Gencler were trying to get the equaliser. Can't really blame anyone there.

So that was that. No real hassles.

ANKARAGUCU - HONOURS EVEN IN DENIZLI

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Denizlispor 0 ANKARAGUCU 0

Well, I suppose it could have been worse ?! Some critics were anticipating a Denizli revival and an end of season fight-back to avoid relegation. However, as we have witnessed, it is not easy to dislodge the Ankaragucu defence these days !

Since the departure of Mr Lentil, and the regular inclusion of Geremi in the Ankaragucu defence, it has become a stingy defence and not as leaky as it was in the first half of the season.

I should also mention Aerial Broggi who has always been a model of consistency when he has been given the opportunity of a regular place in the team. Attacking full backs are like gold-dust and it must be hoped that Ankaragucu will build next season's team around the likes of Geremi, Broggi and Captain Hurriyet.

There are also other reasons to be optimistic if the management can keep most of the squad and settle contracts quickly before the summer break.

Again there were no surprises from Lemerre in his line-up yesterday -

Serkan
Geremi, Koray, Jan and Broggi
Hurriyet, Kagan, Rothen and Sapara
Mehmet and Vittek

2nd half substitutes used - Adem, Murat and Ilhan

Vassell has returned to the UK for further treatment on his ankle. I wonder if we will see him in an Ankaragucu line-up again ??!!

Ankaragucu is now 10 points ahead of 3rd bottom club Diyabakir with 3 matches left, so the fight is now on between Diyabakir, Sivas and Manisa as to who is going down with Ankaraspor and Denizli.

Next weekend Ankaragucu take on Trabzon at the 19 Mayis Stadium in what could probably be labelled a dress rehearsal in tactics for the Fener match the following weekend.

In the meantime, all eyes will be on tonight's MUST WIN match for Bursa at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Oz bumbles through theTurkish Football Weekly podcast

Ever wondered what I sound like? No, I didn't think so. But you can check out some of my thoughts as I was interviewed the other night on the Turkish Football Weekly. Ata and Bugra are your hosts and I'm on at about 1 hour in. I know that all of you want to listen to the full podcast but for those who need to get off to the pub quickly you can fast forward.

Plans are afoot to get Sir Eski Kanka on there as well.

ANKARA AWAITS THE VIP ARRIVAL OF BELLSHILL KANKA NADEEM

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

As most of you know, Nadeem and his girlfriend Rebecca are coming to Ankara from Glasgow to see the Ankaragucu v Fenerbahce match on weekend of 8/9 May.

They will arrive in Ankara late evening 6 May and depart early on 11 May.

If you check out the posts for February, you will see a photo of Nadeem resplendent in his Ankaragucu top when I met him in Renfrewshire one afternoon !

Nadeem is a Glasgow Rangers fan, but we won't hold that against him, because he has become a regular contributor to the Blog for about a year and can now clearly have the 'distinction' of being called an Ankaragucu Fanatik !

How many people do you know who would fly from Scotland to Turkey just to see Ankaragucu play in a 'live' match ? Answers not necessary !

The Kankas thought it would be a good idea to Meet n' Greet them before the match, so we have decided to do that on Friday 7 May.

Maniac Kanka Harun has negotiated a special deal at an excellent venue as follows -

Where – The Beyzade Restaurant on Esat Caddesi in Kavaklidere.

When – 7 May. From 8.30pm till about midnight.

Food – Mezze/Kebabs/Salad/Dessert/Snacks

Drink – Unlimited local drinks …....... (yummy Efes ??!!)

Music – Live (Turkish)

Dress – Smart casual but ….......... no footie tops !!!

Price – TL65 per person

This is a very popular venue, so Harun must give numbers for our reservation by 30 April. Therefore, please email Oz Kanka Chris or I before that date to let us know if you are attending, and if so, how many.

Let's give them a typical Kanka welcome !

Look forward to hearing from you all.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU - RELEGATION IS NOT NOW ON THE AGENDA !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

As I reported briefly last night, Ankaragucu banished the cloud of relegation yesterday with an excellent display of footie for the purists.

ANKARAGUCU 3 Eskisehirspor 1

As Connect Kanka said to me after the match - 'where would Ankaragucu be today if we had started the season playing like this' ? Good question !

It was an early KO yesterday and I met up with Maniac Kanka Harun in the Beer Bus Bar for 'morning coffee' ! ('that word' .... Efes .... will feature later in this post !!). We were joined soon after by Connect Kanka Steve and Phillie Kanka Jamie.

We then met Onur (a student at Ege University) and Jay Jay (a student at Bath University in Ingallind). Jay Jay drove us in style to the Stadium in his 'go fast' Megane and I would say that his driving skills are equal to, if not better than, Button and Hamilton !! Jay Jay made an immediate impact as a friend for life. Why ? Because he refuses to support an Ingallish team and supports Cardiff City yesssssss !!!

At the Stadium we met up with Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Kaleci Kanka Tansu and Rip Off Kanka Erman. There was a carnival atmosphere with five Ankaragucu tribunes in full voice (SIX if you include the kankas !!) and zero Ess-Ess supporters ! In place of the Eskisehir punters we had a giant Ankaragucu replica shirt which reached from the top of the seating part to the bottom - an amazing sight !

There were no surprises in the Ankaragucu line-up with Vassell absent with a serious ankle injury which has ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

Serkan
Geremi, Koray, Rajnoch, Broggi
Kagan, Hurriyet, Sapara, Rothen
Vittek and Mehmet

2nd half substitutes used - Adem, Murat and Cihan

The match got underway with Ankaragucu going immediately into attack mode, and it didn't take long for the first goal to come (5 minutes). A great high ball out of the midfield to Vittek who had made a run on the blind side of the Eskisehir defence. Ivesa saw the danger and rushed out to intercept, but Vittek was first to the ball which he headed over Ivesa into the empty goal. Fantastic goal and Fantastic start. Up the volume !

Ten minutes later and again it was Vittek, who this time turned provider. Beating his man down the left inside channel, he wrong footed a second defender and struck the ball across goal eluding Ivesa. 'Goal' we all shouted as we leapt to our feet, but the ball struck the far post and rebounded into play for Sapara, following up, to slide it home for number two. Good support play from him !

This was more like the Ankaragucu we saw a few weeks ago in the Besiktas match. Eskisehir was chasing around in search of the ball with Ankaragucu playing possession controlled footie. A joy to behold !

Number Three arrived on the half hour mark courtesay of some generous refereeing from Mr Ozkan. Vittek was 'brought down' in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. His decision of course, but I thought it was a 'soft penalty'. Nevertheless, we must be thankful for small mercies and Geremi made no mistake with his powerful spot kick.

Into the 2nd half and Ankaragucu didn't exactly step off the gas as it would appear from the scoreline. It was a case of some sloppy finishing from numerous chances created. The main offender was Vittek, but we can forgive him after his 1st half performance. Not only for his involvement in the 3 goals, but for his channelling back into defence at times and defending Eskisehir corners. A really great performance from him !

I should also mention Ivesa's heroics between the sticks. You will recall he gave a similar performance last November in the 0-0 match we played in Eskisehir ?!

Eskisehir's 2nd half goal was a consolation prezzie from the Linesman - or, maybe he was bored and sleepy with all the action at the other end ?!! I was in line with the build-up to the 'goal' and it was defo offside - not by one player, but THREE !!

As I said earlier, this was a first class performance and the footie quality is there. Lemerre has managed to harness the talent and make them believe in themselves.

Back to the Beer Bus Bar for post match celebrations with Oz Kanka and Mini Oz Kanka and ......... mmmmmm ...... yummy ..... scrummmy ....... Efes ...... Yesssssss !!!

I will be looking for this type of performance in our last 4 matches, especially against Fener when we will not only be playing for our pride, but to assist Bursa in their quest for the League Title.

Ankaragucu will be away in Denizli next Saturday KO 7pm. Denizli look doomed to relegation but I'm sure there will still be lottsa kisses and cuddles for coach Hakan Kutlu !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE 2 WEEKS AGO !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

I'm still a wee bit under the affulence of incohol ......... so this is just to let you know that Ankaragucu is back in business.

A super fantastic display today in the same mould as the Besiktas match two weeks ago but with the added advantage of .... GOALS !!

ANKARAGUCU 3 Eskisehirspor 1

More details tomorra when I'm sober !!!

A great team performance, but special mention for Vittek who ran his heart out and scored the vital 1st goal, and .......... welcome back Broggi !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Live radio blogging: Istanbul BBS v Genclerbirligi

2:55 pm: Been a while since we have had some of the most exciting commentary it is possible to experience. Yep, Live Radio Blogging is back.

Basically, I listen to the radio, try and understand what the hell is going on and then twist that into a very pro-Gencler minute-by-minute report. Kick-off any minute now.

3:01 pm Good to see that Harbuzi is on. Kahe seems to be off. The rest is the same as usual. Peep, peep. And we are off.

3:10 pm First chance falls to Gencler but cleared by the defence. By the way, perhaps I should mention that I'm enjoying this radio report with a yep, you guessed, an Efes!

Since then though they have gone to the Konya-Adana match (in the second division), had a few adverts and now we are back with the Konya match... oh dear.

3:12 pm Oh dear. From a freekick Istanbul have gone ahead. Istanbul BBS 1 - 0 Genclerbirligi

3:23 pm Not a lot happening on the field. Hurşut had a chance but it was snuffed out.

3:29 pm Eureka has a shot from not far out but straight to the keeper. Then Istanbul attack, but another bad shot.

3:32 pm Istanbul have another good short. This one goes for a corner... which goes straight out for a goal kick.

3:37 pm And just as they cross to the Konya match... Mustafa Pektemek scores. That goal was brought to you by the last swig of my Efes. Time for another me thinks. Istanbul BBS 1 - 1 Genclerbirligi

3:41 pm Some Istanbul player got a yellow card. (I've lost my yellow card image).

3:46 pm And that's half-time. Back soon.

4:08 pm A few minutes into the second half and whilst Gencler are attacking they aren't putting the goalkeeper under much pressure.

4:20 pm Both teams have upped the tempo but no results as yet.

4:27 pm The commentator says that Gencler are putting on a good show. Okay, now we have to convert that "good show".

4:30 pm Istanbul almost score. Ball just out. Eureka goes off and I'm not sure who came on.

4:36 pm It was Patiyo who came on and he was THIS close to scoring. But now ....... GGGGGOOOOOOOAAALLLLL. It was Harbuzi. Istanbul BBS 1 - 2 Genclerbirligi

4:38 pm Hurşut has come off and Bilal on. Hurşut seems to have a good game. Well as much as I can tell. Harbuzi's name was hardly mentioned until the goal. Now Istanbul are attacking like hell. Serdar saves us twice in as many seconds.

4:45 pm And that's it. Mustafa Pektemek scores his second goal with just a minute left of extra time. That man deserves an Efes! Istanbul BBS 1 - 3 Genclerbirligi

4:48 pm Pektemek off, Erdem on. In extra time but still we are attacking. This is all good stuff.

4:50 Last seconds... and peep, peep, peep. A good result all round.

Final Result
Istanbul BBS 1 - 3 Genclerbirligi

Can't be bothered... unless there's an Efes in it for me

The "Round ball in Ankara" is surely an Efes PR flak's dream blog. According to a yahoo search, out of 1195 posts, excluding this one, Efes has been mentioned in 104 posts and no doubt in numerous more comments sections. Almost 10 percent.

Having implanted into the brains of our readers that when we say "beer", we mean, "Efes", means that the further 122 posts in which we mention beer (but not the actual word Efes) are also advertising the great beer. All up one in five of our posts are direct advertising for Turkey's biggest amber liquid producer.

Why all this statistics stuff? Got an e-mail today inviting me to take part in an Efes blogging competition.

The basic idea being that you write a post about anything to do with Efes, send them a link and if it is any good you might win an award. No mention if there are any prizes on offer but I'd like to think that a lifetime supply of Efes products would be one of them.

But I can't be bothered writing a post on the issue mainly because we have been giving free publicity to the beer for the last five years. In that time here are a few things we have discovered...

That Efes is appetising

"I found an excellent 'watering hole' near the Stadium called 'Doy Doy'. Fici Efes mmmm yummy !"

I was drinking EFES in an Edinburgh pub 3 months ago..... mmmmmmmm yummy !!!

The Limo was fully stocked with cool yummy EFES, a wide variety of Turkish nuts (real nuts, not the kankas !!), and off we went to The Stadium from Hell... Back to Ankara at about midnight in Yankee Kanka’s limo with more cool EFES from his in-car bar. Mmmmmmmmm Deeeeeeeelishus !!

That Efes will stand by you even when you are sad and lonely

Back to the Chopin Bar where we met Oz Kanka Chris and lots of commiserations and Efes to dull the pain !


the ANKARAGUCU Cup dream came to an end on the Black Sea coast..... says Eski Kanka popping in another anti-depression pill into his glass of luvvlie EFES !!!


Unfortunately every other Kanka had let the sun melt their brains as I was the only one there. Still, I had my Hurriyet newspaper, Tekel 2000 and a couple of Efes to keep me company.


More bad news I'm afraid ! Especially for Battle Damaged Kanka Damon who will no doubt be crying into his Efes tonight !

Holidays would be boring without Efes

I am ready, willing and able. My suitcase is packed with cases of Efes, my swimming kozzy, suntan lotion, Bursa guide book, and I'm ready for take off yessssssssssssssssssss !

Sailing the seas around Bodrum with their Ankaragucu tops on. Great attention getters and we had lottsa freebie Efes when the barman realised they were not Fener tops !!!


Have to dash ..... time for another dip in the pool before my pre-lunch Efes yesssss !!!


.... time to dive back into the Pool and then a quick dip in the sea before Happy Hour and ...... lottsa Efes yesssssssss.

That Efes is a sound investment option

Shares in Anadolu Efes Biracilik Ve Malt Sanayii A.S. were up on Wednesday as news hit the markets that another Australian was headed for Genclerbirligi.


Trade was clearly up for the Chopin as when I arrived Maniac Kanka Harun and Eski Kanka Jim were doing very well in their quest to increase the profits of the Efes bira grubu.


That Efes improves your foreign language skills

Strangely enough Flying Dutchman Kanka understood everything, even though he can't speak German... I credit the Efes.


That Efes brings families together

It was all good father-son bonding stuff, with the added bonus of football and Efes.


Great idea to bring Little Oz Kanka to the match tomorrow. It is about time he was introduced to EFES and LIVE footie !!


That Efes is an essential supply

On the way, Harun stopped off at a bakal for provisions. These consisted of several cans of Turkey’s finest (Efes, of course), a chocolate bar and two medium sized bottles of 10 YTL cognac.

That selling Efes will win you our patronage

It was then that I decided to make Sahil Restaurant/Pub in Genclik Park our meeting place and this proved to be a master stroke for several reasons. Firstly, it was warm and it was also the only Restaurant in the Park which sold EFES draught beer. Their kebabs were not too bad either !


That Efes is good in the morning

We headed into Ataturk Park, near the Stadium, for breakfast, washed down with some luvvlie Efes at 1030 am. A world record for the kankas perhaps ?


That Efes makes the perfect gift

It was therefore with great glee that at about this point I responded to the door bell to find Eski and Mrs. Eski Kanka, bearing eight cans of Efes.


That Efes (in moderation) can be used as a weapon...

I'm tempted to pour some (not all) of my EFES over Brummy Kankie's heid when I see her !


... or as an excuse

Ahhhh yes, Argentina played Elephant Tooth Seaside and not Costa Rica (well spotted Smart Arse Yanky Kanka). I blame the Efes for my mistake as I don't think I've actually been sober since about an hour before kick-off on Friday afternoon.


So there you go. Efes is truly one of the world's most versatile products. Anyway, I'm looking forward to my lifetime supply or Efes. Or perhaps as Gulay once commented:  

Too much Efes I believe has clouded you judgment........

ANKARAGUCU - BACK TO EARTH WITH A BUMP !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

After such a rave report from last week's match against Besiktas, was it too much to ask for more of the same against Kasimpasa ? Yes, I should have known better !!

Kasimpasa 2 ANKARAGUCU 0

Details are sketchy, but it seems that our 'old boy' Murat Erdogan came back to haunt us with a great display in midfield. Hurriyet gave him 8 out of 10 along with three other players in the Kasimpasa ranks.

On the other hand, Vittek was the only Ankaragucu player to score 6. All the others had 5, 4 and 3. Apparently, El-Yasa had a stinker and was reponsible for at least one of the goals and an all round shocking performance.

Kasimpasa's goals came in the 34th minute from Cenk and 60th minute from Sahin.

Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Kaleci Kanka Tansu and I were watching Bursa's failed attempt to put pressure on the Istanbul 3 and the ticker-tape gave us that strange sinking feeling every time they ran the score past.

Ok, nine points ahead of 3rd bottom Diyabakir would seem to be safe, but we Ankaragucu supporters have learned never to take anything for granted !! It is still going to be a tense run-in with 5 matches left.

Next week sees Eskisehir visit Ankaragucu in what has all the hallmarks of a troubled affair with a capital 'T'. Most of the trouble will be between the supporter groups as Ankaragucu supporters prepare to take revenge for the knifing incident in the first half of the season in Eskisehir. You may recall my report of the match on the 23rd of November last year !

The match will be on Sunday 18 April KO 3pm so we will be meeting in the Beer Bus at about 1pm. That's assuming the match will be in the 19 Mayis Stadium. If it's in 'Hell' we will meet at noon.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Lots of love but no goals

It was quite a turnout for the kankas today at the Beer Bus for today's match. I counted 12, including a few who were making their Super League debut. Luckily we had enough season cards to spare and thus weren't forced to join the queues for the 30 tl tickets.

Kizilay itself was swamped with Bursa fans, but surprisingly not as many Ankaragucu fans as I expected. No trouble though with one Bursa fan coming over wanting to take our photograph. He ended up joining us for a drink. Strangely he has a wife and kids in Melbourne but he himself doesn't speak any English. Strange.

Genclerbirligi 0 - 0 Bursaspor

Bursa fans were out in force for the match and the atmosphere certainly didn't make it feel as if Gencler were at home. But before kick-off it was as if we were at Woodstock (minus the drugs, nudity and mud). This was one hell of a love in. We would start chanting something about Bursa, they would reply with something about Gencler. When the players came on we called over the Bursa players and the Bursa fans applauded our wishes for an Anatolian team to win the league.

Once the match got underway though we all reverted to our original allegiances, i.e. shouting at the linesman. It was just two minutes in and the linesman had already missed one handball and possibly the most obvious offside ever - it was from a free kick.

Dan the Man was already starting to voice his regret at having broken his vow not to attend another Turkish league match in his life.

The match started okay for Gencler, some decent attacks and nice passing. Very little real chances though, a couple of lame headers easily saved but that was about it. Our defence was fairly good but at times people weren't paying attention. In the end the best chance of the half came from a defensive mistake of ours but which luckily saw the Bursa attacker shooting across the face of goal.

Half-time and through the scrum to get to the toilets and to have a cigarette. It was at this point that I realised that while the security guards had confiscated my packet of matches they had missed a lighter that I had picked up at the Beer Bus by mistake.

The general consensus. "This Bursa lot don't seem that good".

Second half and Gencler were already playing for a 0-0 draw. They were slow and hopeless. Bursa meanwhile had finally woken up and started to launch attacks left, right and centre. I lost count but I guess our keeper Serdar made about six good/lucky saves. In the end Bursa probably deserved to win.



Match over and for us at least it was back to Woodstock. As we chanted pro-Bursa chants, the Bursa fans started booing us. What the hell was that all about? Were we supposed to have supported them during the game? Was Genclerbirligi supposed to throw the match?

In their anger at us they started singing pro-Ankaragucu chants... which of course annoyed none of us. But at least we got out of the stadium first and while it wasn't the best match of the season it was still a fun day out.

At this stage of the season a point is good enough

Not a lot to report about today's match. The radio coverage was extremely patchy with millions of crosses to other games and so I heard almost no commentary, not to mention the fact that no goals were scored. Still , a point is a point.

Manisaspor 0 - 0 Genclerbirligi

So I just headed off to check out the Anatolia news agency report of the match and besides giving the names of the players it lists an enoröous total of two, yes, just two highlights. Apparently nothing happened in the first half. Then in the second half manisa had a corner that was saved by the keeper. Then deep in extra time Manisa had a shot that went out. That's it.

Afraid I can't add anything else.

ANKARAGUCU - TURNING IT ON AT LAST !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu has suddenly discovered how to play footie for 90 minutes a little late in the season to 'bring home the silverware'. However, better late than never to turn it on !

ANKARAGUCU 0 Besiktas 0

I wouldn't like to say how long it has been since Ankaragucu had the lion's share of possession in a match against Besiktas. Suffice to say that it hasn't been in recent times !

A remarkable performance from Ankaragucu last night which with a little luck and a different referee would certainly have resulted in a victoreeeee.

Ankaragucu had the ball in the net twice, but both 'goals' were quite rightly chalked off for offside. There was also a 'clear cut' penalty turned down by the 'chicken shit referee' when Vassell was tripped and brought down in the box.

It has been a while since Besiktas were given the 'run around', but that was exactly the situation last night when Ankaragucu took the game to Besiktas from the start and had them wobbling for most of the match.

Unusually for Besiktas, there were lots of panic clearances which was obviously encouraging the momentum of Ankaragucu attacks.

It was only in the last 10 minutes of the match when the momentum slowed and Besiktas began to look dangerous. Also, the Ankaragucu goal post came to the rescue from a Bobo shot and saved what would have been a sucker-blow !

Ankaragucu played as a 'team' last night and Lemerre is to be congratulated on the improvement in the team's performance, their overall standard of footie and their motivation. It is to be hoped that Baby Gokcek agrees with me and extends his contract into next season !

Oz Kanka Chris and I watched the match in the Beer Bus. However, comments from the kankas who were in the Stadium on their impressions of the match will no doubt be forthcoming soon !

Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Kaleci Kanka Tansu and Phillie Kanka Jamie joined Oz and I in the Beer Bus for a mini-celebration after the match.

Next weekend Ankaragucu is in Istanbul to play Kasimpasa and another performance like this one will surely bring another 3 points.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Turkish football quiz time

The Guardian last month posted a quiz on Turkish football. I completely missed it, but today our man Spine found it. So, go to this link, take the 10 questions and then in the comments section of this post give us your scores.

As for me, I got 8 out of 10.