Sports Writers Cup

Details of the Ankara Sports Writers Cup have been announced with only two teams taking part this year, Ankaragucu and Genclerbirligi.

Details:
Sunday August 8
KO: 8 pm
at the 19 Mayis
Tickets: 10 tl for Maraton.

I have no idea if the fans will be separated or not.

BELLSHILL KANKA NADEEM REFLECTS

Greetings Kankas and Kankies (from Bodrum).

Our 'oracle' in Glasgow, Nadeem, asked me to put this up on the Blog. It's true enough, he has shown in the past year that he deserves the accolade of 'Kanka of the Year' with his loyalty to Ankaragucu. Look forward to seeing you soon Nadeem. All the best from Jim


Hi Jim,

I thought id write something for the blog seen as that's me officially been an Ankaragucu supporter for one year. You can have a look and see what you think.

Title - One year on Been an Ankaragucu Fan

Its just over a year now that i stumbled across the Round ball in Ankara. I've always been a fan of Turkish football. It goes back to the days when Man United made the trip to what they called the stadium of Hell when they faced Galatasaray in the champions league. The atmosphere was like nothing id ever seen. Then there was Jay Jay Okocha who was one of my heroes when he played for Fenerbahce. I never picked a team to follow until last year. I didn't want to follow one of the Istanbul 3 and be a glory Hunter. So i looked through each team and eventually came to Ankaragucu.

I had a look on youtube and read some articles on them and i liked what i saw, passionate fans and a team which you never know what your going to get with them. I also saw the fans when they met Darius Vassell at the airport and again i was impressed. Then i came across the round ball in Ankara, the first thing i saw wasnt a Turkish Fan, or a Turkish footballer, no it was a Scottish man called Jim on a boat in Bodrum with an Ankaragucu top on. Couldn't believe there was another Scottish Ankaragucu fan. I found out there is another few of us as well with Kirkaldy Kanka one of them. I got in touch with Jim and started posting on the blog, everyone has made me feel part of the Kankas, even the Genclerbirligi fans haha.

The new year i would watch Ankaragucu games online and on Livescore every weekend hoping for an Ankaragucu win, unfortunately they were few and far between as we became draw specialists. The amount of players that came and went was hard to keep up to date with. The team we started the season with against Diyarbakirspor to the one we finished with against Sivaspor was unrecognisable. One of the highlights of the season for me was the 3-0 win against Galatasaray in October. But typical Ankaragucu followed that up with a 3-1 defeat away at Kayserispor.

I decided to book up with my girlfriend Rebecca and come over and see a game. We choose the may game against Fenerbahce at home. Ankara is a great city. Friendly people, a culture where east meets west and most of all Ankaragucu. If someone had told me a year earlier that i would end up at an Ankaragucu Fenerbahce match i wouldn't have believed them, but we got there. The atmosphere and whole day was excellent, yes we lost 3-0 but still it was great to finally meet the Kankas and Gecekondu. The Kankas from both Ankaragucu and Genclerbirligi met up with us and it was a pleasure to meet them all. We would both like to pass on our thank you to all of them and wish you the best.

We will be back over in October to see us play Bursaspor at home, hopefully the Ankaragucu fans will be on good behaviour against Galatasaray the week before to prevent a stadium ban lol.


Nadeem

2010/2011 fixtures announced

The fixtures for the 2010-2011 season have been announced. The first derby is to take place in the 6th week Gençlerbirliği v Ankaragücü (dammit I'll be in Antalya for a wedding then). Week 16 looks interesting too!

1. WEEK (13-16 AUGUST)
Fenerbahçe-Antalyaspor
Kardemir Karabükspor-Manisaspor
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor-Kayserispor
Ankaragücü-Trabzonspor
Bucaspor-Beşiktaş
Gaziantepspor-Kasımpaşa
Eskişehirspor-Gençlerbirliği
Bursaspor-Konyaspor
Sivasspor-Galatasaray

2. WEEK (20-23 AUGUST)
Manisaspor-Ankaragücü
Konyaspor-Eskişehirspor
Gençlerbirliği-Gaziantepspor
Kasımpaşa-Bucaspor
Kayserispor-Kardemir Karabükspor
Trabzonspor-Fenerbahçe
Antalyaspor-Sivasspor
Beşiktaş-İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
Galatasaray-Bursaspor

3. WEEK (27-30 AUGUST)
Sivasspor-Bursaspor
Ankaragücü-Kayserispor
Bucaspor-Gençlerbirliği
Fenerbahçe-Manisaspor
Kardemir Karabükspor-Beşiktaş
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor-Kasımpaşa
Eskişehirspor-Galatasaray
Antalyaspor-Trabzonspor
Gaziantepspor-Konyaspor

4. WEEK (10-13 SEPTEMBER)
Kasımpaşa-Kardemir Karabükspor
Kayserispor-Fenerbahçe
Bursaspor-Eskişehirspor
Gençlerbirliği-İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
Beşiktaş-Ankaragücü
Manisaspor-Antalyaspor
Trabzonspor-Sivasspor
Konyaspor-Bucaspor
Galatasaray-Gaziantepspor

5. WEEK (17-20 SEPTEMBER)
Fenerbahçe-Beşiktaş
Trabzonspor-Manisaspor
Antalyaspor-Kayserispor
Sivasspor-Eskişehirspor
Ankaragücü-Kasımpaşa
Kardemir Karabükspor-Gençlerbirliği
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor-Konyaspor
Bucaspor-Galatasaray
Gaziantepspor-Bursaspor

6. WEEK (24-27 SEPTEMBER)
Kayserispor-Trabzonspor
Manisaspor-Sivasspor
Galatasaray-İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
Gençlerbirliği-Ankaragücü
Kasımpaşa-Fenerbahçe
Beşiktaş-Antalyaspor
Eskişehirspor-Gaziantepspor
Bursaspor-Bucaspor
Konyaspor-Kardemir Karabükspor

7. WEEK (1-4 OCTOBER)
Fenerbahçe-Gençlerbirliği
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor-Bursaspor
Manisaspor-Kayserispor
Ankaragücü-Konyaspor
Kardemir Karabükspor-Galatasaray
Bucaspor-Eskişehirspor
Trabzonspor-Beşiktaş
Antalyaspor-Kasımpaşa
Sivasspor-Gaziantepspor

8. WEEK (15-18 OCTOBER )
Galatasaray-Ankaragücü
Kasımpaşa-Trabzonspor
Bursaspor-Kardemir Karabükspor
Gençlerbirliği-Antalyaspor
Beşiktaş-Manisaspor
Kayserispor-Sivasspor
Gaziantepspor-Bucaspor
Eskişehirspor-İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
Konyaspor-Fenerbahçe

9. WEEK (22-25 OCTOBER)
Kardemir Karabükspor-Eskişehirspor
Kayserispor-Beşiktaş
Antalyaspor-Konyaspor
Fenerbahçe-Galatasaray
Ankaragücü-Bursaspor
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor-Gaziantepspor
Manisaspor-Kasımpaşa
Trabzonspor-Gençlerbirliği
Sivasspor-Bucaspor

10. WEEK (29 OCTOBER-1 NOVEMBER)
Eskişehirspor-Ankaragücü
Konyaspor-Trabzonspor
Galatasaray-Antalyaspor
Gençlerbirliği-Manisaspor
Kasımpaşa-Kayserispor
Beşiktaş-Sivasspor
Bucaspor-İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
Gaziantepspor-Kardemir Karabükspor
Bursaspor-Fenerbahçe

11. WEEK (5-8 NOVEMBER)
Kayserispor-Gençlerbirliği
Manisaspor-Konyaspor
Sivasspor-İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
Fenerbahçe-Eskişehirspor
Ankaragücü-Gaziantepspor
Kardemir Karabükspor-Bucaspor
Beşiktaş-Kasımpaşa
Trabzonspor-Galatasaray
Antalyaspor-Bursaspor

12. WEEK (12-15 NOVEMBER)
Bucaspor-Ankaragücü
Eskişehirspor-Antalyaspor
Konyaspor-Kayserispor
Galatasaray-Manisaspor
Gençlerbirliği-Beşiktaş
Kasımpaşa-Sivasspor
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor-Kardemir Karabükspor
Gaziantepspor-Fenerbahçe
Bursaspor-Trabzonspor

13. WEEK (19-22 NOVEMBER)
Fenerbahçe-Bucaspor
Manisaspor-Bursaspor
Trabzonspor-Eskişehirspor
Ankaragücü-İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
Kasımpaşa-Gençlerbirliği
Beşiktaş-Konyaspor
Kayserispor-Galatasaray
Antalyaspor-Gaziantepspor
Sivasspor-Kardemir Karabükspor

14. WEEK (26-29 NOVEMBER)
Kardemir Karabükspor-Ankaragücü
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor-Fenerbahçe
Konyaspor-Kasımpaşa
Galatasaray-Beşiktaş
Gençlerbirliği-Sivasspor
Bucaspor-Antalyaspor
Gaziantepspor-Trabzonspor
Eskişehirspor-Manisaspor
Bursaspor-Kayserispor

15. WEEK (3-6 DECEMBER)
Fenerbahçe-Kardemir Karabükspor
Beşiktaş-Bursaspor
Trabzonspor-Bucaspor
Ankaragücü-Sivasspor
Kasımpaşa-Galatasaray
Kayserispor-Eskişehirspor
Manisapor-Gaziantepspor
Antalyaspor-İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
Konyaspor-Gençlerbirliği

16. WEEK (10-13 DECEMBER)
İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor-Trabzonspor
Eskişehirspor-Beşiktaş
Sivasspor-Konyaspor
Galatasaray-Gençlerbirliği
Ankaragücü-Fenerbahçe
Kardemir Karabükspor-Antalyaspor
Bucaspor-Manisaspor
Gaziantepspor-Kayserispor
Bursaspor-Kasımpaşa

17. WEEK (17-19 DECEMBER)
Fenerbahçe-Sivasspor
Kayserispor-Bucaspor
Antalyaspor-Ankaragücü
Gençlerbirliği-Bursaspor
Kasımpaşa-Eskişehirspor
Beşiktaş-Gaziantepspor
Manisaspor-İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor
Trabzonspor-Kardemir Karabükspor
Konyaspor-Galatasaray

A GOOD DEAL FROM DIGITURK TV

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Our 'oracle' in Glasgow comes up trumps again !

As Bellshill Kanka Nadeem mentioned a few days ago, there will be live coverage of ALL Super League matches this season. They will be shown on Digiturk TV.

I have discussed it with Maniac Kanka Harun today and he confirms that it is correct and that it will only cost TL20 per month. However, for existing Digiturk TV users it will be TL13 per month. Rip Off Kanka Erman works for Digiturk TV and he also confirms this.

For those kankas who are interested in signing up for this deal, please visit Harun after 22 July and he, together with Erman, will put the wheels in motion.

Incidentally, Harun's Shop, Hazal Spor, has moved from its previous position (Shop No 32) to the Menekse Sokak entrance (Shop No 25).

This is great news which will allow us to watch Ankaragucu and Genclerbirligi away matches LIVE. Progess in Turkey ...... at last !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

THE BEGINNING OF A NEW KANKA ERA

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.





After the sad departure of Connect and Phillie Kankas, happy days are here again.

Kaleci Kanka Tansu and his wife have brought two more kankas into the world. I had a chat with Ruzgar Kanka last night when he was sitting on my lap and he has agreed to become an Ankaragucu kanka ........

this despite the efforts of Oz Kanka, Mini Oz Kanka and Spine last week to try and encourage him to support Genclerbirligi !! ........








Brat Kankie Laura was in on the act too ..........




We are not sure about Ruzgar's sister, Nehir, but are confident that she too will follow in her brother's footsteps and support Ankaragucu !!! I will be speaking to her soon !

On behalf of all the kankas, congratulations to Tansu and Zeynep on the birth of their two beautiful babies.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ARE DREAMS DANGEROUS ?

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

I have a dream ! Who said that ??? I forgetted !!!

Well, anyway, I was sitting on my balcony tonight (drinking luvvlie yummy Efes !) thinking about the league season about to get underway and my first thought was that John Hughes, Manager of Hibs, is still with the Club for a 2nd season having steered the Club to the Europa Cup. After all, as all Hibs supporters know, it is our God given right to be in Yooro Footie !!!

John Hughes is a Leith Boy and a lifelong Hibs supporter, but he did strut his best stuff as a player for Celtic before he joined Hibs as a player. So, it got me to thinking ........... if he is more successful with Hibs this season, will he be lured to 'bigger clubs' in Scotland or Ingallind ? Or, will he remain faithful to his home-town team ? Dare I mention, Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsne Wenger as examples of long-term loyalty ??

I am not naive enough to think that loyalty pays the bills, but would it be foolish to dream that he might stay with Hibs for a lengthy period of time to put his ideas into fruition for the Club he always supported ?

Which brings me to Ankaragucu ..........

Before a ball has even been kicked in 'anger', I am hearing lottsa negative comments from Ankaragucu supporters about our new coach Umit Ozat. OK, he never played for the Club or even supported the Club, but the fact remains that we have to give him the support he deserves and 'dream' that he can bring success to the Club.

However, if he does, then there is always the lure of bigger bucks in Istanbul !

Will he, and the majority of the Ankaragucu fans, show some loyalty to this great Club in their Centenery Year ? Let's dream about it ......... for now !!

So, putting dreams aside for the moment, we all know that it comes down to bucks and fame, eg, when Tony Mowbray left Hibs to Manage West Bromwich Albion he saw it as a career move 'upwards'. He then joined Celtic and that turned out to be a catastrophe with his eventual dismissal. So, where is his career now ??!!

Hopefully, for Hibs supporters, John Hughes will not fall into the same trap ........ at least until he achieves some sort of success for Hibs which Tony Mowbray didn't !

What's in Unit Ozat's mind right now ? Avoid relagation ? Challenge for Yooro Footie ? Make Ankaragucu supporters happy in their Centenery Year ? Impress Fenerbahce with his coaching ability ? We shall see soon enough !!!

For now ....... let's dream a little ....... shall we ??!!

All the best from The Dreamer ........ Eski Kanka Jim

THE END OF ANOTHER KANKA ERA

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

...... and verily it came to pass last night that there was a torrent of tears shed and gnashing of teeth, as Connect Kanka Steve and Phillie Kanka Jamie bade farewell to their beloved Ankaragucu and Buyuk Baskent !!

A multitude of kankas met to pay homage to the departing kankas ........ well, there were a few anyway !

Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Kaleci Kanka Tansu, Flying Dutchman Kanka Carlo, Brat Kankie Laura and I assembled at The Pakistan Restaurant for curry dinner and then moved on to the Knight and Flight for 'refreshments'.

It was an enjoyable evening, tinged with sadness, but all eras come to an end eventually.

Steve and Jamie have been loyal Ankaragucu kankas and their presence will be sorely missed in Maraton and on our 'away day excursions'.

Jamie is off to China and Steve returns to his home town in Connecticut. However, they have promised to return at some point in the future on a visit to see Ankaragucu.

Their contribution to the Kanka Group has been immense, and they will certainly be a difficult act to follow from future kankas coming out of the Bilkent fraternity.

My lasting memory of Steve will always be his aborted attempt to smuggle a plastic seat out of The Eskisehirspor Stadium past police cordons last season !!

I will not forget Jamie either, especially every time I pass a kokorec stall. I still marvel at his ability to eat that 'stuff' and in such impressive quantities !!

On behalf of all the kankas and kankies, I wish you both continued success in your careers and look forward to your regular contributions to the Blog from afar.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

World Cup Finals

I can get 3 tickets for the World Cup finals! Netherlands v Spain, but they cost 100 Euros each. For 250 you get all three. Only serious responses please.


Click image

Divine Canaries out-winged by Orange

FLYING DUTCHMAN KANKA - Top o' the Morning to Ye! And what a good morning it is indeed, after a historic win by "LARANJA MECÂNICA" over the "DIVINE CANARIES."

With respect to the teams of Uruguay and Ghana but the "real" semi-final has been played! On average 7 million Dutchmen watched the Netherlands v Brazil in front of their television at home. During the game the number of viewers climbed to 8.2 million in the final seconds of the match.

8.2 million plus eight. Eight "token Dutchmen" came and joined me at the Crossroads pub to watch the match last afternoon/evening. Their names: Bill, Jim, Chris (extra points for the orange shirt), Matthew, Annie, Dan, Glauber and Mark. After having sworn them in as true 'Orange men' and having taught them the first verse of the Dutch national anthem we were ready for the match. ;-)

Not a blow-by-blow match report by me but rather a photo of a moment that occurred in the first half and, apart from the goals naturally, has stuck in my mind. We see a bad-tempered Robinho protesting against Mark van Bommel. The Dutch captain does not flinch and for me illustrates the calmness and resolve this current Dutch squad has during this World Cup campaign – Holland currently 24 games unbeaten.

I'd like to finish with an audio clip (geluidsfragment) of a well-known Dutch radio commentator. I remember for the last 20 years, if not longer, everyone in the Netherlands turning off the sound of their television sets during a Holland match and instead turning on the radio to listen to Jack van Gelder. The fragment is of the second goal by Wesley Sneijder (2-1) of which Sneijder, 26, said:

"This was my first header here, I don't think it will happen again, but it was great. The ball slipped on my bald head and went into the net, a great feeling."


† I have included a transcript of the audio clip in the comments.

Photo by REUTERS

ANKARAGUCU - LATEST

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

The latest on the Vittek saga ....... the rumour is that Bologna is interested in signing him, but Ankaragucu has not yet received an official approach. So, as far as our Coach, Umit Ozat, is concerned, he is expecting him back for training next week along with Sapara, Rajnoch and Zewy the Pole. Theo Weeks has already started training which is good news.

Concerning the 'banishment' of Serkan, Aydin and Ugur, there is no way back for Aydin and Ugur. According to Umit Ozat, they have broken Club Rules (among other things) so they are on their way out. However, Umit Ozat has left the door open for Serkan to show he deserves the Deputy Club Captain Armband, and if Umit sees an improvement in his attitude in the next few weeks then he is willing to forgive him and reinstate him.

I have to say that I support Umit's stance and his show of 'flexing his muscles'. He is showing us all that Lemerre has gone and he is now the 'main man'.

Bellshill Kanka Nadeem is right. Senecky has been recalled from Slavia Prague where he was on loan. He will be the first choice goalkeeper until such time as a permanent decision is taken on Serkan's future.

Abdullah Keseroglu is a 22 year old midfielder who has been playing for Osnabruck in the German 3rd Division. He is undergoing a trial with Ankaragucu and has not been signed-up yet.

Umit is quoted as saying that he is still on the look-out for 3 more players, so there will be further news on the transfer front soon.

Therefore, keep watching this space.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Sydney turns orange with real Holland House

Tens of thousands of football fans follow the World Cup on a giant screen floating in
Darling Harbour in Sydney. PHOTO SYDNEYFIFAFANFEST.COM

FLYING DUTCHMAN KANKA - Sydney together with Paris, Rome, Berlin, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro, is allowed to call itself the official host of the International FIFI Fan Fest.

These cities have been appointed by FIFA to organise this football fest, accessible to the fans free of charge. Four giant screens, of which three floating, show all 64 WC matches in live broadcasts.

The place where all this takes place, is Darling Harbour, one of the best known and most beautiful tourist attractions of Sydney. Superb hotels, numerous restaurants and bars located on the water create a beautiful setting and a good atmosphere.

Due to the time difference with South Africa, most games are broadcast in the middle of the night. Despite this late time, the cold and the rain, most group matches are well attended. The games of the Socceroos drew tens of thousands of football fans to this great and well organized soccer festival.

The atmosphere is good but since the Socceroos did not survive the first round, the Dutch should now take care of a unique World Cup atmosphere. And they will certainly succeed (see video below). For the Dutch living in Sydney, Dutchtown organized a real Holland House. This is a derivative of the famous Heineken House. One of the bars, right next to the floating screens in Darling Harbour has been transformed into a real Dutch cafe.

At the entrance a Dutch "dweilorkest" (small band of three to four members) immediately draws the attention of passing people who look up in surprise and then try to catch a glimpse of all the weird, orange-dressed, Holland supporters. Most Dutchmen do like to party, thus well before the start of the matches of the Dutch team the Holland House is already running full. An 'Orange' wave of Dutch music, bitterballen (Dutch snack), croquettes and of course Dutch beer engulfs you and adds to a fantastic atmosphere.

The first three matches of the Dutch national team and their 'last-16' match were won, so on to the quarter final where they will meet with Brazil today. The present Holland House, with room for 450 fans, has proven too small so that the pub next door will soon be 'overtaken' and will also "turn orange".

ANKARAGUCU - LATEST NEWS

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Further to yesterday's news concerning Vittek, it was reported in The Hurriyet this morning that he was misquoted in the German Press.

Apparently, a senior member of the Ankaragucu Committee phoned Vittek and he disputed that he had said that Turkish football was not for him and he wanted to join a Bundeslig Club.

Either this is true, or ......... he is back-tracking ! As Dublin Neil said in his comments in the previous post ......... he would not want to suffer the wrath of Gecikondu or Anti-X if he didn't find a Club and had to return to Ankaragucu with 'his tail between his legs' !!!

Anyway, we shall know for sure on the 21st of July if he shows up in Holland to join the team for their Summer Camp !

The situation concerning Giovanni and Rothen is still ongoing. Both players have received offers from Ankaragucu and we await their decision in the next day or so.

The picture is clearer concerning Club Captain Hurriyet, Ucar and Guven. There was a photo-call yesterday which was shown in The Hurriyet this morning.

Club Captain Hurriyet has signed for 5 years, Ucar for 4 years and Guven for 3 years.

Watch this space for more.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim