A letter from Darius Vassell

This e-mail from former Ankaragucu player Darius Vassell just arrived via the "contact us" button on the right-hand side of the blog.

Hi Guys, im reading your blog and also nadeems ankaragucu website to keep track of the clubs progress. Im saddened for what i hear and hope things improve drastically... Ankaragucu supporters have shown so much support and patience with me during my affiliation with the club, i cant understand the whole situation but i do wish the club and its fanbase a full recovery not just for myself but for the thousands of fans that invest so much and receive so little.. Happy new year!!

You can see Vassell's blog here.

Happy New Year to you too Darius, and to the tens of other people who read the blog.

Gencler wow us again

Wow,wow, wow. Genclerbirligi end the first half of the season in fifth spot. FIFTH SPOT! I was so unconfident at the beginning of the season I would have been happy with fifth last spot. Goals from Yasin, Herve Tum (2) and Ermin Zec near the end had everyone at the Red Lion Club jumping up and down. This was great stuff.

I have to go Christmas shopping with Mrs. Oz Kanka now so I'll finish this report later on. Let me just leave you with the magic score from last night.

Genclerbirligi 4 - 0 Istanbul BBS

There is only one person to blame for why I wasn't at the match... Sir Eski Kanka! He had asked last week if we could play our darts match last night. I didn't realise that the Gencler match would be on at the same time. Oh well.

It was just Little Oz Kanka and myself at the Red Lion Club for the kick-off, slowly but surely though the club started to fill up as news of Gencler's exploits spread throughout the capital.

It was all looking okay at the beginning and then the magic started. Yasin took the ball down the left. Starting from about the half way line he cut back in somewhere near the box and got past a couple of defenders before shooting from outside the box. The Istanbul keeper dived to his right but the shot was just too good. 1-0 up and seven minutes gone.

Even though Istanbul had more of the possession for the whole match they only looked like scoring once or twice. Another great effort from the backs and keeper Ramazan.

As Gencler went on the attack again and again the second came in the 24th minute when Azo sent a ball in to Soner in the box. There was no shot on so Soner did his Whirling Dervish impression and then half shot from an angle. The keeper dived but missed and the ball was probably going to miss when Herve Tum's outstretched leg sent it in. 2-0. Looking good.

Almost half-time and Tum gets his second in what can only be described as weird circumstances. Soner passed it to the edge of the box... The keeper comes out but Azofeifa just manages to get a touch on it to keep it going. Tum was being marked but got off a shot from a fairly acute angle, the keeper was missing and an Istanbul player had too much momentum and was unable to intercept the ball as it slowly rolled over the line. Wow.

Second half and well... I don't think Gencler cared any more. We made a few changes to give some of our fringe players a bit of a run around but the performance was nothing like that in the first half.

Hursut gets past his man. Photo by Sabrican Sarak via the Alkaralar website

The fourth goal came via one of those fringe players, Ermin Zec, who scored after being fed wonderfully by Oktay.

All up this was a great performance and we go into the Christmas break with great hope that we can grab a European spot by the end of the season.

Happy Christmas all from a very happy Oz Kanka.

ANKARAGUCU - FLATLINING ?!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Is it too late to resuscitate the sleeping giant of Ankara ? After last night's 'performance' I now believe that the line will be flat at the end of the season, ............ unless ........... the UEFA transfer ban is lifted ! It is glaringly obvious that the present team is dead on its feet !

Kayserispor 3 Ankaragucu 0

Team - same as last match.

Kaleci Kanka Tansu and I watched the match in the Red Lion Club and it only took 4 minutes for Kayseri to prise open the Ankaragucu defence.

A fairly innocuous shot from outside the box came in, which under normal circumstances, would have been dealt with easily by Ozden, but the attacker in front of him got a touch with his head and Ozden could only parry the ball which was heading over the line until Turgut palmed it out to Triosi who calmly accepted the 'present' and tapped in. If Triosi hadn't scored, there would no doubt have been a straight red card, but Mr Ozkahya was obviously feeling generous and gave Turgut a yellow !

20 minutes in and No2 arrived courtesy of a 'comedy show' by the Ankaragucu defence. The ball was crossed into the Ankaragucu penalty box and a defender (who ?) had a swipe at it and blasted it straight into another defender (who ?). The ball then took a ricochet off him to Triosi who again had the simplest of tap-ins ........ thinking to himself ........... who's a lucky boy then ??!!

10 minutes later another comedy of errors when a Kayseri breakaway put Sefa through, but he was covered by an Ankaragucu defender (who ?) and just as he was about to tackle, he fell, leaving Sefa tearing away on his own to shoot past a helpless Ozden.

At this point, I'm shaking my head in disbelief at the ineptitude of Ankaragucu and 'biting my tongue' to control my normal stream of profanity - there were ladies sitting near me !!

True enough, Ankaragucu was playing some nice tip-tap footie in midfield, but approaching half time I still hadn't seen the Kayseri goalkeeper' face (Navarro) farless witnessed him making a save !

Atilla and Umut came on for the 2nd half to replace the ineffective Keles and Turgut and Atilla almost scored from the kick off, but the angle of his shot was tight and he found the side netting.

It was on the 70th minute mark that I uttered these words for the first time at an Ankaragucu match. I turned to Tansu and said, 'I'm bored with this match' ! He nodded in agreement !

10 minutes to go and Ankaragucu's only real chance in the match came when Ediz sent in a bullet of a header from a corner, but Navarro made a great save. Near the end, Hurriyet tried his luck, but to no avail. Incidentally, Hurriyet's yellow card means he will miss the next match !

So, halfway through the season and Ankaragucu is still propping the rest up. 8 points behind 4th bottom Antep who are at home to Bursa tonight. It's looking grim and I honestly don't know how Ankaragucu will be able to avoid flatlining !

Winter Break ? What Winter Break ? The next round of league matches are on Wednesday 4 January -

Mersin v Ankaragucu and Gencler v Samsun

I'll give the KO details nearer the time.

In the meantime, A Happy New Year to all our readers !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu vs Kayserispor Match Preview !

The final match of the first half of Season 2011/12 games are upon us and we take a look at Kayserispor vs Ankaragucu.

Ankaragucu go into the game knowing they need to take the three points as they fight for survival. Saturdays match against Gaziantepspor should have seen Ankaragucu take three points, but there finishing let them down and instead had to settle for a sole point.

Kayserispor have hit a bit of form of late after a poor start to the season. Manager Shota Arveladze has a young squad of players and will be hoping to bounce back from there 1-0 defeat at Eskisehirspor.

The key players for Kayseri are Gokhan Unal who is the clubs leading scorer with 6 goals and Nordim Amrabat who has arguably been the best player in the Turkish Super Lig this season. The playmaker is a target of Galatasaray who hope to sign him in January.

Last season the sides drew 1-1 in Ankara, Serdar Kesimel gave the visitors the lead, but Mehmet Cakir gave Ankaragucu a share of the points with a second half goal. In the return game Kayseri won 2-1, Murat Duruer gave Ankaragucu the lead but two late goals from Ermin Kujovic and Marcelo Zalayeta won the game for Kayseri.

Ankaragucu key players will be Hurriyet Gucer , Serdar Ozkan and Turgut Dogan Sahin who is also a target for Galatasaray. Ankaragucu are capable of the win but can they finish there chances?

Time to dream of Europe?

My head is starting to get a bit giddy. Just one match before the end of the first-half of the season and Genclerbirligi are in sixth place. Not only that but we are playing good football that is fun to watch, even when we lose or grind out a 0-0 draw. Considering that at the beginning of the season I put Gencler down as one of the teams most likely to go down... this is amazing stuff.

Manisa 0 - 1 Genclerbirligi

Having been told to stay at home on Sunday I had to rely on my trusty little radio to follow today's match. Unfortunately my one-year-old nephew loved the radio too and played havoc with the reception for the full 90 minutes.

That's my excuse in early. From the first half I understood that neither side was great but that we really should have gone ahead except that Herve Tum again missed in a one-on-one situation with the Manisa keeper. Oh dear, that man makes me groan at times.

He made up for it though in the second half when he scored a header from an Azofeifa corner. That's becoming a bit of a habit for Gencler. Tum misses a sitter and then gets a header a bit later on.

I can't be totally sure but it sounded like we had a few great opportunities towards the end but all were blown. Manisa also fought like hell but Ramazan had another great match in goal.

Er... that's it really.

A few matches ago, I think it was after we beat Besiktas, Sir Eski Kanka predicted a European spot for Gencler. I laughed at the time... but maybe he was onto something.

ANKARAGUCU - WELCOME TO THE 'REAL' WORLD HAKAN KUTLU !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

'Prodigal Son' Hakan Kutlu returned to Ankaragucu in a different time zone to what he was familiar with ! Gone are the glory days of the Ankaragucu days of yore when they took on the might of Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Cup in the early 2000s. This is 2011 and he faces an uphill struggle to keep his beloved Ankaragucu in the top tier !

Ziya Dogan took the poisoned chalice and now it is in the hands of Hakan Bey, and who can envy him his task after yesterday's performance ?! He would probably be reflecting at the end of yesterday's match that the team he played in would have won 8-0 with the likes of Kennedy, Augustine, Hakan Keles, Niyazi et al. However, that's how many genuine chances Ankaragucu passed up yesterday and a result that may come back to haunt them at the end of the season !

Ankaragucu 0 Gaziantepspor 0

Huso Kanka, Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Cider Kanka John and I met up in The Stadium and we were initially entertained by the boisterous Antep fans before Gecikondu decided to join in the singing and drown them out.

It was a familiar line-up apart from the recent 'leaves which fell off the tree', ie, Weeksie and Tisdell (the last 2 foreigners of the team) !

Ozden
Kagan, Aydin, Ediz and Ishak
Guven, Hurriyet and Murat
Serdar and Turgut
Keles

Substitutes used - Umut and Atilla

It was pretty much a non event until the 20th minute when Murat was put through, but instead of opening the scoring, he shot past the post. Sound familiar ?

10 minutes later, and with Ankaragucu enjoying the lion's share of possession, it was Turgut's turn to pass up a chance when he shot tamely at Karcemarskas when a goal was the easier option !

5 minutes before the interval and Ozden still hadn't been called upon to make a save when he might easily have been caught out when the impressive Olcan's shot went just past the post with Ozden struggling to cover it.

It was more or less one way traffic in the 2nd half towards the Antep goal, and Turgut should have opened the scoring within one minute of the resumption when he was put through, and instead of blasting the ball into the goal, he flicked it past the post.

5 minutes later that man again Turgut was put through with an excellent pass from Murat and he screwed the ball past the post when it was too easy to find the back of the net. Cue ....... kankas look at each other in astonishment !!!

5 minutes later Ankaragucu almost paid the price of carelessness when Antep's No9 was presented with an open goal on a rare attack, but he somehow got himself in a tangle of feet and ball which gave the defence that split second to clear.

Into the 60th minute and some really fine footwork from Turgut allowed himself to make space for his angled shot which came back off the bar with the goalkeeper beaten.

At this point Hakan Kutlu made a strange decision to substitute Turgut for Umut. Whaaaaat the f.....k I was shouting ?! He was the only player who looked capable of breaking the deadlock and Guven (who had a shocking match) stayed on much to my disgust !

5 minutes to go and it was all Ankaragucu pouring forward desperately seeking the winner. Serdar sent over an inviting cross which Atilla met well, but it was saved the the keeper.

Ankaragucu left holes in the back and were almost punished when a saving tackle from Hurriyet spared the blushes with the clock ticking down to the 90th minute.

There was still time for Ankaragucu to pull the rabbit out of the hat, but Murat had the miss of the match when he found himself in front of goal with only the keeper to beat, but guess what ................. he missed !!!

The final chance fell to Guven when he headed over from a free kick.

So, 5 points lost against a very poor Antep team. Hakan Bey, you have to impress on the players that the round leather thingie must go between the sticks and not past or over !!!!

Man of the Match goes to Ishak who had a great match and completely bamboozled the Antep defence with his surging runs upfield from defence. If I was Hakan Bey, I would put him in midfield alongside Hurriyet as an attacking midfielder !

Now for the last match in this half of the season away to Kayseri on Wednesday KO 6pm. Not sure where we are watching that one with the Fener match KO at the same time. Probably in The Red Lion Club, but watch this space.

It goes without saying that the result of the match in Kayseri will speak volumes about Ankaragucu's chances of mounting a challenge in the 2nd half of the season.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Genclerbirligi finally win away from home

Hooray! Mid-December and Gencler finally win an away match. Not against some middling team but against Trabzon. All good stuff except for the KO time.

I ranted last week and I'm ranting again today. Last night's mid-week match kicked off at 5:45 pm. Is it any wonder that the stadium just outside Trabzon was empty?

Trabzonspor 1 - 2 Genclerbirligi

I was volunteered to become the bar manager at the Red Lion Club so last night I headed down there to do some work and to watch bits and pieces of the Trabzon-Gencler match. The sound was down but the club certainly knew it when we scored.

Things didn't start off so brilliantly with Trabzon in complete control, especially in the midfield, but somehow or other we managed to score first.

Before that there was a clear handball from a Trabzonspor player. Of course, neither the referee nor the linesman saw it.

But anyway, it was enigmatic Hursut who was the hero for this one. As we have seen so often, he had the ball down the right wing near the touch line, and a defender in front of him blocking any chance for a cross. He takes the ball slightly to the left (with his left foot mind you), defender goes with him, and then flicks it through the defender, follows it up and sends in a perfect cross to an unmarked Soner who headed it home.

Lovely stuff and Trabzon upped the ante but thanks to some great defending, especially from Aykut, and with some luck we managed to hold out till half time. Possession at this stage was something like 65 percent to 35 percent in Trabzon's favour.

Second half and Trabzon kept on coming but Gencler stretched the lead when Herve Tum sent a great ball to Yasin who shot from outside the box and perfectly placed it in the bottom left-hand of the goal. Much shouting and celebrations.

Trabzon upped it again but ultimately it was the referee who had to gift it to them when he gave a penalty for handball.

It was no handball. It was obvious from the very start and the TV replays made it even more obvious. Aykut even took his jersey off to show the welt mark where the ball had hit him. Yellow card for Aykut and Trabzon scored.

Then it was about half-an-hour of defending. Attack after attack from Trabzon, at least two shots hit the post, desperate defence, keeper Ramazan making saves left, right and centre, scary scary stuff but finally the whistle blew.

An away win against Trabzon. I'd say that we were very lucky, but at the same time we took our chances and Trabzon didn't. Got to put it in the back of the net boys.

Ankaragucu vs Gaziantepspor Match Preview !

This Saturday Ankaragucu host Gaziantepspor at the 19 Mayis Stadium in Ankara.

Hakan Kutlu will take control of his first game in a relegation 6 pointer against struggling Gaziantepspor. Kutlu spent 28 years with Ankaragucu as a player and coach and Saturdays game will be the biggest game in his career. Win and Ankaragucu still have a chance of staying up, loose and it could be all but over.

Gaziantepspor won both games last season, the first game in Ankara finished 2-0 to Gaziantepspor thanks to two late goals from Olcan Adin and Ivan Popov. In the return game Gaziatepspor also won, this time 3-2 at home. Two goals from Cenk Tosun and another from Olcan Adin with Jan Rajnoch and Ozgur Cek scoring for Ankaragucu.

This season Gaziantepspor have struggled to reach the heights of last season and find themselves in a relegation battle. Things were so different last season with Gaziantepspor clinching a Europa League place after finishing 4th in the Turkish Super Lig. The season didn't start so well after been knocked out of Europa by Legia Warsaw and struggling to find the net in the Turkish Super Lig. Only three wins to date, one of them been a 4-2 win at Galatasaray, there key players from last season Cenk Tosun, Ismael Sosa and Ivan Popov haven't performed to the same level as last season.

Gaziantep lost 1-0 at home to Eskisehirspor last week, but had there chances to get something from the game. If Ankaragucu are to win the game, they will need to stop Olcan Adin as he has been the one bright spark this season for Gaziantep.

Ankaragucu have looked good going forward of late until last Sunday against Antalyaspor which proved to be Ziya Dogans last game in charge of the club. Hakan Kutlu will welcome back Turgut Dogan Sahin to the side and will be hoping he along with Serdar Ozkan and Ergin Keles can fire Ankaragucu to victory. If Ankaragucu are to win the game then Hurriyet Gucer will be the key player to drive the team on.

Another tough game, lets hope the players and fans can give Hakan Kutlu a much needed win in his first game in charge.

Lay lay lay lay lay Hakan Kutlu !!

ANKARAGUCU - ANOTHER LEAF FALLS OFF THE TREE !!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

I had to change my headline after receiving a text message this afternoon that Ziya Dogan has resigned from the Club (and who can blame him ?!). No doubt we will hear more about that from you all in the comments section, but for now ............... back to yesterday's match.

With the halfway point of the season rapidly approaching, Ankaragucu are doing themselves no favours by slipping further behind in the relegation zone. It is now at the critical point with the crucial relegation fixture against Antep scheduled for next Saturday. If Antep win it I think we can start looking out our map for places such as Tavsanli, Giresun and Gungoren !!

Ankaragucu had a golden opportunity to put some points on the board yesterday, but in the end, ended up with nothing. There were 3 chances for Ankaragucu to take the lead in the opening quarter of the match, but from that point onwards it was all downhill for Ankaragucu.

Antalyaspor 1 Ankaragucu 0

Team -

Ozden
Kagan, Aydin, Ishak and Mehmet
Weeks, Hurriyet and Gokhan
Serdar and Murat
Keles

Substitutes used - Guven, Muhammed and Atilla

Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Cider Kanka John, Simon and I met up at The Chopin to watch the match but we were not 'happy bunnies' at the end.

Ankaragucu looked not too bad in the opening period and it was 15 minutes before Ozden was called upon to make a save. At this point, Antalya came into the match and took control. Their passing and running off the ball was impressive and they always seemed to be a split second into the tackle before Ankaragucu. Why it took so long for Antalya to open the scoring was really down to 3 glaring misses by Necati, which on any other day would have gone in.

As I said, Ankaragucu had only 3 chances in the match. The 1st came in the 2nd minute when (I think it was Keles) was put through but for some reason he delayed his shot and was dispossessed. Shortly after, Serdar had 2 good chances. The 1st was deflected by a defender and the 2nd went just past the post.

From that point, it was all Antalya and but for some heroics from Ozden and some howlers from Necati, it could have been a rout.

Ozden saved from Tita, who was a constant menace to the Ankaragucu defence throughout. Ishak made a timely tackle as Tita was lining up to shoot, and then just before the break, the unmarked Necati missed a sitter in front of goal when he 'skyed' the ball over with the goal at his mercy.

The 2nd half was mostly one way traffic towards Ozden with the Ankaragucu defence all over the place and hacking the ball anywhere when Antalya came calling on Ozden !

Halfway through the 2nd half and again Necati missed 2 easy chances. The 1st when he shot direct at Ozden when it would have been easier to angle his shot. The 2nd was a good headed effort but Ozden, who was off-balance and wrong-footed, managed to stick a foot out and deflect his goal bound header for a corner. A few minutes later, Tandogan sent his header just past the post.

With 10 minutes to go, I was wondering if the Ankaragucu defence could withstand the final onslaught, and the answer was .............. NO !

Yet another Antalya attack down the right wing and the cutback came in to the unmarked Zitouni who made no mistake with Ozden helpless. A real sickner after a backs-to-the-wall performance by the Ankaragucu defence, but in all honesty it was no more than Antalya deserved.

Antalya was streets ahead of Ankaragucu in all departments and there can be no complaints with them taking all 3 points.

So to next Saturday and the nerve ends will be jangling when Antep come calling. In previous seasons we would expect to pick up 3 easy points from this match, but not anymore. The boot is on the other foot now !

It will probably be an afternoon KO again but I'll post it in the comments section as usual when I have confirmation.

If Ankaragucu doesn't take the 3 points from this match, the burning question is ................ where do they go from here ? With a visit to Kayseri the following week, it is probably not the fixture a bottom of the league team would care to choose !!

All doom and gloom in this part of Ankara !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

What is with these early KO times? Gencler defeat Ordu

What is it with the TFF and the extreme times for starting a football match. I simply can't remember the last time Gencler had a 3pm KO. I'd barely gotten out of bed this morning before heading off for Kizilay.

Genclerbirligi 3 - 1 Orduspor

It was just Little Oz Kanka and myself down at the Beer Bus, before midday! Kofte and ayran for the little one and usual for me and then we layered up and headed off to a pretty much empty stadium.

I'd say there were about 150 Ordu supporters and a couple of thousand Gencler fans.

Anyway, peep peep and the match was underway and pretty soon I was wishing I'd stayed in bed. It was crap. Absolute rubbish from both teams. And with that I end my report of the first half.

Second half and everything changed, at first for the worse, as Ordu sent a great ball through to a player in space at the back who sounded sent it past Ramazan in goal.

After having watched 11 goats dressed in black and red doing bugger all in the first half, hopes weren't high that we could get back in it. But the goal finally woke Gencler up and we started to play some good attacking football.

In the main it was good work from the backs and midfield who were spotting Yasin or Hursut down the wings. Chances were being created and it was in the 50th minute or so when Mehmet Sedef got a ball through to Yasin who timed his shot to perfection, sending it with power over the keeper's outstretched hand and then watching it dip down under the post. 1-1 and this match had come alive.

We were now getting shots on goal, and a few not far off and it was looking increasingly like we would get a winner, we just needed someone up front to shoot properly. At this stage the chant from the crowd was for Ermin Zec to come on. As fate would have it, the man whom he would have replaced, Herve Tum, managed to get his head onto a ball sent in by Azofeifa. 2-1 and the call for Ermin Zec was suspended quick smart.

Hearts in mouths a few times as Ramazan made a few mistakes only to be saved by some good clearance stuff from Aykut and Klusic and the minutes were ticking down. Yasin was taken off as extra time started and Zec finally came on to the roar of the crowd.

A counter attack and Zec dribbled a bit to set himself up for a shot. It smashed straight into a defender and went flying into the air. I started clapping to acknowledge the good play and then the ball came back down and somehow found its way into the net. I've never seen Zec so happy.

A good win, even if the first half was more painful than a root canal... and I can tell you from recent experience, that ain't much fun.

Ankaragucu vs Antalyaspor Match Preview !

We look ahead to this Sundays relegation clash between Ankaragucu and Antalyaspor.
Ankaragucu travel to Antalyaspor on Sunday afternoon in another important game. Antalyaspor are just outside the relegation zone themselves, but are very difficult to beat at home. Only Mersin have won in Antalya this season.

Ankaragucu drew 0-0 with Bursaspor last night, and will hope to follow that up with the three points in Antalya. With only three games remaining until the January transfer window opens, its important Ankaragucu don't loose any more ground on there relegation rivals.

One positive from the game against Bursa, was the first clean sheet of the season for Ozden Ongun in Goal, the defence will hope to build on that and hope the strikers can take there chances in the game. Ankaragucu have taken one point from there last three games, however it could have been so different if they had taken there early chance in every game.

Antalyaspor go into the game on the back of a 1-0 defeat at Eskisehirspor and will be hoping to get back to winning ways themselves. They have some good players in Necati Ates, Ugur Inceman and ex Ankaragucu Striker Tita Gokcek. Tita signed for Ankaragucu in the summer but returned to Antalyaspor due to the financial problems haven not played a single game.

Last season when the two sides met they drew 2-2 in Antalya with both Michael Zewlakow and Marek Sapara on the score sheet. In the return game in Ankara it was Antalyaspor who won 3-2. They were 3-0 up before a late comeback from Ankaragucu in the second half, goals from Jan Rajnoch and Roman Bednar weren't enough to see Ankaragucu take anything from the game.

This is a huge game in which Ankaragucu are capable of winning, they need to show the same commitment they have in the last few games and with a bit of luck and better finishing then the three points are possible.

AN ANKARAGUCU AND BURSASPOR LOVE-IN !!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Lots of sceptical looks between the kankas last night as the two 'brother teams' managed to conjour up a no score draw. Surprisingly, there were 2 or 3 yellow cards, but nothing malicious, well ........ apart from the giant black guy up front (name ?) who obviously wasn't informed of the 'love-in' before the kick off !

Apart from 4 genuine goal chances for Ankaragucu and a great save from Ozden, the 'love-in' singing between the Ankaragucu fans and Bursa fans was the only real highlight of the match !

Ankaragucu 0 Bursaspor 0

Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Cider Kanka John and I met up at The Chopin and welcomed back one of the original kankas from 2000 (?), Richard Carlson, who was introduced to our group by Kirkaldy Kanka Martyn. We also welcomed Phil Crabb from Oxford who was attending his first Ankaragucu match. Phil is going to be a regular visitor to Ankara and we expect to see him again and hopefully he will be a regular contributor to the Blog with his vast footie knowledge.

A pretty good turnout for a midweek match on a cold winter's night, with the Bursa end almost full and singing 'love songs' to the Ankaragucu tribunes throughout the match which were all reciprocated.

There was only one genuine scoring effort in a boring first half when, after some good work from Serdar down the left, the cross came in and Keles shot wide when he really should have done better.

Ankaragucu came out for the 2nd half showing more determination and adventure and they almost opened the scoring from the kick off when Turgut fired in a goal bound shot which Carson did well to get down for and tip the ball round the post for a corner. One minute later, Keles had another goal bound shot well saved by Carson.

Bursa's only serious effort on goal in the entire match came on 55 minutes when Ozden did extremely well to tip a goal bound rocket over the bar for a corner.

Ankaragucu continued to press forward and always looked the likelier team to score in the 2nd half. Another case of almost arrived in the 60th minute when Turgut beat 2 defenders down the left with some tricky footwork, but a 3rd defender blocked his shot.

5 minutes later another opportunity came and went when Serdar sent over an inviting cross for Keles, but just as he was about to make contact with his head, a defender's head got in the way !

The last action of the match saw Aydin sending in a screamer from just outside the penalty box which went just over the bar.

I should also mention that Sestak came on as a substitute for the 2nd half and was 'boo-ed' every time he touched the ball. So............ if you make a friend of Gecikondu and Anti-X they will be your friend for life, BUT ..... !!!!

We could argue that it was 2 points lost rather than 1 point gained, but at this stage of the season, any crumbs are gratefully received and snapped-up !

So, despite the fact that '2 more leaves have fallen off the tree' (Ozgur and Ugur), there were some encouraging signs last night that all is not yet lost.

Hurriyet continues to be the driving force in midfield as Captain Courageous, and we must all hope that he is not going to be 'another leaf'. Turgut, Serdar and Keles were full of running last night and seem to have developed a better understanding of what their roles are. Atilla came on late as a substitute and could press the others for a place up front.

However, the area of concern is in defence and that is a situation which Ziya Bey has to resolve within his limited resources.

Back to The Chopin we went to meet up with Maniac Kanka Harun who watched the 2nd half on TV.

Next up is the away match in Antalya on Sunday KO 1pm. Watching in The Chopin.

Yet another MUST WIN match ..... (how many times have I said that this season ???!!!).

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

FIXTURES THIS WEEK

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Further to my comments two posts ago concerning fixtures, I have more information.

Like I said, Ankaragucu take on Bursa on Thursday at home KO 6pm. Meeting in The Chopin and going to the Stadium at about 5pm. As Nadeem said in the previous post, this match takes on huge proportions for Ankaragucu as the gap between bottom and 4th bottom grows even wider !

On Sunday 11 December, both Ankara teams are in action.

Antalya v Ankaragucu - KO 1pm (watching in The Chopin)

Gencler v Ordu - KO 1pm (meeting in The Beer Bus Bar)

Also, as I said before, Gencler play Trabzon away on Wednesday night 14 December. There is a difference in KO times between The Hurriyet and TRT. Oz Kanka will clarify nearer the time.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu vs Bursaspor Match Preview !

Not good news im afraid fellow Kankas, just when we think things cant get any worse, then this.

Ankaragucu welcome our brothers from Bursa on Thursday night to the 19 Mayis stadium in the Turkish Super Lig Fixture.
Sami Altinyuva today confirmed Ugur Ucar has left the club after he decided to terminate his contract due to unpaid wages. Ugur along with Ozgur Cek and Tonia Tisdell went to the Turkish FA and have won the right to terminate there contracts.

Ozgur will play the next two matches before leaving the club unless they can come up with the money. Altinyuva said he is hoping to keep Tonia and the player wants to stay. Tonia has fractured a bone in his foot and will be out injured for the next three months.

Ankaragucu go into the game, having found a bit of form of late, the last two results a 3-2 loss at Eskisehirspor and 4-2 defeat at Fenerbahce have given the players and fans a little heart in the relegation battle. If Ankaragucu can take our chances and tighten up in defence then a victory over our brothers from Bursa is possible.

Bursaspor have only won one of there last eight games, and lost 1-0 at home to Eskisehirspor at the weekend. Manager Ertugal Saglaam is under pressure as the team struggle without the likes of Volkan Sen and Sercan Yildirm. Former Ankaragucu players Adem Kocak and Stanislav Sestak will be in the squad and hoping for a happy return to Ankara.

Sestak and Kocak were two of Ankaragucu's most important players, Kocak protected the defence and kept hold of the ball in midfield. Sestak was top scorer for Ankaragucu. Both players have yet to find there top form at Bursa, and the Ankaragucu Tribunes will be hoping it stays that way on Thursday.

Last season, Bursaspor won 5-1 in Ankara, after Sestak gave Ankaragucu an early lead. Bursa scored with nearly every attack as the Ankaragucu defence failed to cope with the speed of Sercan and Volkan Sen. Ibrahim Ozturk and Omer Erdogan caused a lot of problems from set pieces as well. The return game in Bursa was a 0-0 draw, a fair results for both sides and one which both sets of fans were happy with.

You can see more on the Bursankara relationship here http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/ankaragucu/news/ankaragucu-and-bursaspor-broth-442945.html

Bursaspor have some good players who should be performing to a higher standard. Ozan Ipek, Turgay Bahadir, Ibrahim Bangoura and Prince Tagoe have all yet to reach there best form. Young French Under 21 International Alfred N'Dyie has come in and looked a very good young player. Strong and athletic in the middle of the park and a player who will give captain Hurriyet a tough game.

Both teams need the points, but Ankaragucu cant afford to fall further behind other teams in the relegation battle. A win against Bursaspor followed by a tough game at relegation rivals Antalyaspor on Sunday makes this a huge week for Ankaragucu.

Hopefully the team can put problems off the field to one side and take the three points. Bastir Ankaragucu !

Gencler are finally defeated at home

It had to happen some day and Saturday was it as Genclerbirligi lost at home for the first time this season. If only we had a half-decent away record we would be pushing for a top place.

Genclerbirligi 0 - 1 Galatasaray

Flying Dutchman, Spine, Robin and myself started the day at the Beer Bus where the conversation drifted into, according to Flying Dutchman Kanka, the decline and fall of the Dutch civilization... according to Spine the conversation was about evolution of languages.

We possibly talked a bit about football as well but then it was time to pay up and get moving.

A good crowd at the 19 Mayis. The Galatasaray fans filled their area and spilled over into ours resulting in some handbags in the second half.

Galatasaray got off to the better start as Gencler tried out their radically positive 8-1-1 formation. It was all a bit frustrating as we had managed to get free a number of times but the midfielders refused to move up quickly. Our defence again was good with Galatasaray managing just a single shot for the first half.

Half-time and I was fairly happy. We had a few chances, Herve Tum really should have had us 1-0 up when he chested down a ball three metres out, swivelled, and failed to make any contact with the ball he had trapped so well. Much shaking of heads there.

But all up we were playing okay and probably had just shaved it over Cim Bom.

Second half and it was much the same. Azofeifa had a quiet match, as did Hursut. The second half and Galatasaray upped the tempo and managed to get a few shots on, with Ramazan needing to actually make some saves.

Then the killer when in the 70-something minute Eboue found himself in a perfect position and he gave it an almighty whoof and the Galatasaray fans went wild. It was at this point that the tension in the stands rose as various Galatasraray fans started getting pissed off with us. They were in our section for God's sake. If it was any other set of fans those Cim Bom supporters would've been legging it quick smart. One of the Gencler amigos calmed things down and we got back to concentrating on the match.

Gencler tried hard but they just couldn't manage to pull off an equaliser. Back to Kizilay and whilst it was disappointing to have lost I'm still fairly happy. In the past month we have played the top three Istanbul teams and have managed a win, a draw and a loss. Before the season I would have taken a single draw.

ANKARAGUCU - WEAKNESSES CLINICALLY EXPOSED

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu's deficiences were cruelly exposed last night when they received a salutory lesson on the art of finishing. Fener's strikers produced 4 goals of high quality, and despite Ankaragucu's never-say-die spirit, they had no answer.

Ankaragucu's defensive frailties re-surfaced and I doubt that even with the inclusion of Ediz it would have made a difference to the eventual scoreline.

Fenerbahce 4 Ankaragucu 2

Team -

Ozden
Guven, Aydin, Ishak and Ozgur
Weeks, Hurriyet and Murat
Serdar and Turgut
Atilla

Substitutes used - Tonia and Keles

A crowd of us met up at The Chopin. Maniac Kanka Harun, Battle damaged Kanka Damon and No Name Yet Kanka Simon. We were later joined by the Gencler Kankas returning from the Stadium, Oz Kanka Chris, Flying Dutchman Kanka Carlo and Spine.

Fener came out of the traps like a whippet and had Ankaragucu panic defending and backs against the wall. However, it was Ankaragucu who almost opened the scoring when Turgut was put through with only Volkan to beat, but he shot wide (a similar situation to Murat's abomination in the 2nd minute last week !).

The breakthrough came at the other end in the 16th minute when a cross came in from the left to Stoch who was hovering around unmarked just outside the penalty area. He let fly with a bullet which went in like a rocket just under the bar with Ozden having no chance.

Fener was in complete control now and thanks to Ozden making some great saves, the scoreline remained the same until just before half time. Then, against the run of play, an Ankaragucu breakaway on the left and a great ball to split the Fener defence and there was Eski's favourite player, Murat, coming in on the blind side to slide in the equaliser.

Was a miracle about to happen ? No ! The Ankaragucu players were split seconds behind Fener in their tackles and movement which is probably why they had only 39% possession during the match ! They even allowed Fener to tip-tap the ball around at will in their own penalty area. A recipe for disaster which thankfully didn't happen.

Into the 2nd half then and Ankaragucu came out in attacking mode and went for it. They had 2 or 3 chances to score in the first 10 minutes until Fener seized the initiative and scored their 2nd which was a replica of the first goal.

A cross from the left to the unmarked Baroni lurking just outside the penalty box and he let fly with a screamer which Ozden had no chance of saving.

5 minutes later and it was 3. A delightful piece of football from Fener when Stoch latched on to a cute backheel and he let fly with another screamer with Ozden motionless and unable to react.

That was it I thought, but all credit to Ankaragucu for continuing to beaver away and they clawed themselves back into the match with 10 minutes to go with an excellent goal, when Ozgur sent over a great cross for Keles to head in despite the attention of 2 defenders.

With only 5 minutes to go, Hurriyet almost found the equaliser, but his shot went past the post.

2 minutes later and Fener wrapped it up when the unmarked Dia headed in at the far post from an inviting cross.

The large Ankaragucu contingent in The Chopin still found the spirit to break into song at the end of the match. Now, that's loyalty for you !

So, with Ankaragucu sliding further into the relegation quagmire, Thursday night's match at home against Bursa takes on even greater significance. Can Ankaragucu claw themselves out of this shit before the winter break ??

Not sure of the KO time yet, but as usual, I'll put it up in the comments section of this post.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu vs Fenerbahce Match Preview !

Ankaragucu travel to Istanbul on Saturday where it will be top against bottom.
The question again will be what Ankaragucu side will turn up, will it be the one who were so poor in the first half against Eskisehirspor, or the second half team which were so unlucky not to win the game ?

Fenerbahce have been on excellent form this season, although the last couple of weeks haven't been at there best. Last season Ankaragucu won 4-2 in the cup at home, and also won 2-1 at home in the league. Fenerbahce won 6-0 in Istanbul in a game Ankaragucu will want to forget. The game was one of many at the centre of match fixing allegations.

The home side have so many talented players such as Emre Belzoglu, Miroslav Stoch and the Brilliant Brazilian Alex to name a few. If Ankaragucu are to take anything from the game then they will need to stop Alex as everything goes through him. They also have a strong defence with Joseph Yobo and Goalkeeper Volkan the experience at the back.

Ankaragucu have to go into the game and show the same determination and attacking play that they showed in the second half at the weekend. Turgut Dogan and Ergin Keles may come into the starting line up after impressive performances when they came on. There can be no repeat of the school boy mistakes that we have seen so often and the reason Ankaragucu find themselves at the bottom of the table. Tonia Tisdell looks set to miss the match due to injury and will be a big loss.

Fenerbahce have only scored 4 goals in there last 5 games so this may be the best time to meet them. Or maybe its wishful thinking that Ankaragucu who only have one win to day can take anything from Fenerbahce who are top of the league. Anything can happen in football.

Good news is the Gecekondu and Anti X will be in Istanbul to cheer the team on.

ANKARAGUCU - 'ALMOST' MEANS ..... NOT QUITE !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Despite Nadeem's brief summary in the comments section of the previous post, I will attempt to put some 'meat on the bones' ! Yes, he was spot-on with his summary of the 1st half - to put it quite simply ......... it was a disaster and an error strewn catalogue of mistakes which could have been so much more damaging than going in at half time only 0-2 down. Thank God Ozden is in fine form these days !

However, it was 'almost' a great start by Ankaragucu in the 2nd minute of the match when a great ball was passed to the unmarked Murat who had the goal at his mercy, but shot tamely past. That was to be Ankaragucu's last serious effort of the 1st half.

Eskisehir 3 Ankaragucu 2

Team -

Ozden
Guven, Ediz, Aydin and Ozgur
Weeksie, Umut Hurriyet, Kagan and Murat
Atilla

Substitutes used - Turgut, Keles and Muhammet

Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Maniac Kanka Harun and I met up in The Chopin where there was about 20 other fanatics watching the match.

Ankaragucu was all at 'sixes and sevens' in the 1st half with only Atilla showing any inclination to attack.

Eskisehir was waltzing through the Ankaragucu defence at will and it was only a matter of time before their attacking bore fruit and it was an excellent goal which did the damage.

On the half hour mark, the defence got into a muddle and lost possession (again), the breakaway on the left wing was on and the cross was inch perfect for Kamara to outjump the Ankaragucu defender (couldn't see which one) and send a bullet of a header into the top right corner.

That man Kamara (who had an excellent match) again was responsible for the 2nd goal just before half time when he was allowed to carry the ball into the Ankaragucu penalty area without a tackle coming in, but his powerful shot rebounded off the post, hit Ozgur and went in. It is debatable whether Ozgur could have avoided the ball, which as I said, was travelling at a fast rate of knots. I think we have to give him the benefit of the doubt and sympathise with him !

Ziya Bey had obviously been as unimpressed as us with the 1st half 'performance' and sent on Turgut and Keles for Guven and Umut at the start of the 2nd half, and the tactic 'almost' paid off.

10 minutes in and that man Murat (again) had another golden opportunity to change the course of the match, but he missed a 'sitter' and blew it. Turgut went on a great run down the left wing beating one defender after another, crossed the ball in to the unmarked Murat who should have tapped-in, but he screwed the ball wide. Unforgivable to miss an open goal ..... arrrrgh !

It was becoming an end-to-end match now with Ankaragucu coming more into the match, but Eskisehir was still looking dangerous and having most of the possession. But, Ankaragucu had chances all spurned when Atilla headed over after good work from Hurriyet and Turgut. Also, Hurriyet and Keles had shots saved by Ivesa.

However, the break-through came in the 72nd minute when I decided to go to the toilet. Damon and Harun were obviously thinking that this is the time to score when Eski goes to see his beloved 'Fatmagul' in the toilet ! OK, so it was a lucky ricochet which gave Atilla the chance to guide the ball into the empty goal, but it certainly cheered us up.

2 minutes later we were all up on our feet high-fiving and singing when Keles guided the ball in for the equaliser with a delicate glancing header. Ivesa 'almost' reached it, but not quite !

5 minutes later and it should have been the winner. Another surging run down the left by Turgut and a pass to Atilla, who caught the 'Murat Disease' and screwed the ball wide when it should have been buried.

So, OK, a great fight-back to win a point. We could accept that, but ..........

Into time added-on and a deflected shot from an Eskisehir attacker hit the bar and rebounded off for a corner. With Turgut defending on the 18 yard line, the ball came to him from the corner kick and he somehow managed to mis-kick his clearnace to an Eskisehir attacker and ....... GOAL !

What a sickener which left us all stunned and speechless !

Having 'almost' won the match, we 'almost' had a point, and to lose like that was a bitter pill to swallow.

Ankaragucu now face the prospect of a visit to Kadikoy next Saturday for what is sure to be a testing time for the shaky Ankaragucu defence. The burning question is .... will Ziya Bey start with a defensive formation, or will he 'bite the bullet' and repeat his 2nd half tactics from yesterday's match ? The clock is ticking !

btw, Gencler are also in action on Saturday at home to Galatasaray. So I guess that will be the late afternoon KO and the Fener v Ankaragucu the evening KO. I'll put it in the comments section as usual when known.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU SNATCH A DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF A GREAT VICTOREEEE !!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Yessssssssssss. Two nil down at half time after an abysmal display of 'football' in the first half and Ankaragucu came back from the dead to ................ lose ................. in the end ............

Eskisehir 3 Ankaragucu 2

Eski Kanka's 'fav' player .......... Murat Duruer ........... knows the reason, but .......... the report will be up tomorra. I'm still too upset ...... and ...... under the affluence of incohol to make a report !!

All the best from back down in the dumps ....... Eski Kanka Jim

Genclerbirligi grab a point off league leaders Fenerbahce

Genclerbirligi 0 - 0 Fenerbahce

Just a quick note to say we managed to get a point last night against Fenerbahce and we were unlucky not to grab the win. I'll be back later for a full report. In the meantime I'm off to a wedding and then the Barbarians v Australia rugby match at the RLC.

Jan Rajnoch and Stefan Senecky Contracts Terminated !

Both players have had there contracts terminated today by the club and are now free to talk to other clubs.

Stefan Senecky a Slovakian International had two spells with the club, first two seasons ago when he signed from Ankaraspor before moving to Slavia Prague. Senecky then returned to the club last season, but hasn't been able to hold down the number 1 spot due to injury and poor form. The player hasn't been paid for the last ten weeks and has decided to terminate his contract. Senecky said his farewells to his former team mates today.

Jan Rajnoch signed for the club from Mlada Boleslav and became a fans favourite for his committed performances. He played in many different positions but mostly at the centre of defence. He was one of the few players who stayed at the club through the financial mess, but returned to the Czech Republic last month due to get treatment on an injury. Reports from Czech Republic said the player wouldn't return to Ankaragucu and this was confirmed today when the player termintated his contract. Rajnoch will now have discussions with Trabzonspor about a possible move that will see him join Robert Vittek and Marek Sapara.

Good luck to both of them, especially Rajnoch who served us well, and im sure he will keep the bench warm with Sapara at Trabzon if he moves.

Ankaragucu vs Eskisehirspor Match Preview !

This weekends match will see Ankaragucu travel to Eskisehirspor as we try and make it two wins in a row. Reports today seem to suggest there will be no travelling fans for this match due to trouble between the two sets of fans in the past.

Eskishirspor have had a dissapointing start to the season, and find themselves in 12th Position. Consistency has been a problem, with wins of late at home to Genclerbirligi and away to Karabukspor, and defeats at home to Manisaspor and away to Fenerbahce. Last weeks match at Fenerbahce saw them play a big part of the game with ten men, they were unlucky not to take a point after Volkan pulled off a fantastic save from Dede late on.

Last season saw both meetings end in a draw, The first game ended 0-0 in Eskisehir and the return game in Ankara finished 2-2 with Fatih Tekke and Serdar Ozkan (pictured above) with the goals.

Ankaragucu grabbed there first win of the season at the weekend with a 2-1 win at home to Karabukspor as we saw in Jim's Report. Young Atilla Garhan and Tonia Tisdell with the goals. Young Atilla has come in and done a good job, and we look a lot better with Tonia out wide and Atilla through the middle. Hopefully Serdar Ozkan will be back for the game to. Two other youngsters made an appearance at the weekend in Umit Sozen and Ishak Dogan who both showed some nice touches. Its good to see the youngsters get some playing time this season.

Eskisehirspor have some good players in there side, and our defence will need to be at there best with the likes of Diomansy Kamara, Mehmet Yildiz and Batuhan Karedeniz up front, and Rodrigo Tello and Veysal Sari dangerous coming forward from midfield. They only need a couple of wins on the bounce and they are back in the chase for a champions league place. Kris Boyd who couldn't stop scoring in Scotland and England cant even get in there squad, which shows how capable there attack is.

Again I will refrain from making a prediction, as it brought us a win last week. A draw would be nice as Dublin Neil said on the Karabuk match report but i think we can go and get the three points if we defend well and take our chances.

Sivas v Genclerbirligi: Live radio blogging

Perhaps Live Radio Blogging is one of the more useless ways of filling up the internet. The threat is clear! But it gives me something to do on a Sunday afternoon.

Sivasspor v Genclerbirligi

Preview: Gencler and Sivas are on the same number of points. It is probably very cold in Sivas. er... that's it. I'll be back here at 1pm Turkish time for the kick-off. As always you can contact the live radio blog and even get your thoughts printed during the match! That's something you could tell the kids. Contact me through twitter @Ankaraozkanka or through the "Contact Us" button on the righthand side of the page. Back soon.

1:00 pm We are sharing the radio broadcast with Antalya v Isnabul BBS. By the way the former chairman of Istanbul BBS was arrested taken into custody yesterday in connection to the match rigging investigation.

1:08 And off they go to Sivas. Gencler freekick just outside the box. Five in the wall... Cem Can takes it and out for a corner. A shot or two but no result.

1:09 Gencler seem to be on the attack. The commentator is attempting to tell us who is playing but Gencler keep on interrupting with attacks. He finally gets the team in. Pretty much the same as usual as far as I can tell.

1:13 Gencler today: Ramazan, Aykut, Ante, Mehmet Sedef, Harbuzi, Yasin, Hurşut, Soner, Özgür, Cem Can, Tum. (I actually nicked that off the @Genclerbirligi twitter feed.)

1:17 In fact @Genclerbirligi seem to be tweeting the match. Probably from the telly and therefore probably 100 times more informative than this rubbish. Latest report from their twitter feed, no mention of this on the radio, Sivas have already been given two yellow cards.

1:22 Commentator says there have been no real goal opportunities but that Gencler have been trying harder. Mmmm.

1:26 First proper shot of the match goes to Sivas. Ramazan controls in easily.

1:28 Istanbul BBS have gone one up away to Antalya.

1:29 and now Sivas go one-nil up. From a corner it seems like. Sivasspor 1 - 0 Genclerbirligi

1:38 Oh yummy. Hamsi and salad have been delivered to my desk. Thanks Mrs. Oz Kanka. No news from the match.

1:42 They finally cross back to Sivas and then straight back to Antalya where Antalya have equalised.

1:43 Half-time and it seems like Sivas are the better team. Got to take the commentators word for that.

Half-time scores: Sivasspor 1 - 0 Genclerbirligi, Antalyaspor 1 - 1 Istanbul BBS

2:02 Second half and Sivas have already had a shot, just out. This is not looking great. Sivas have another go from a corner but defence clears. And another Sivas attack. Freekick to Sivas... Cleared by defence. Oh get on with it Gencler.

2:08 Harbuzi off, Mununga on. Let's see.

2:20 We are back to Sivas. Seems like we missed a good chance with Yasin hitting the defence, then hitting them again. And just now Herve Tum has a shot saved. This is sounding a bit better.

2:22 Azofeifa brought on, not sure who went off.

2:23 Herve Tum scores with a header! That was a very important goal. Can we get a winner? Sivasspor 1 - 1 Genclerbirligi

2:29 Like-for-like substitution here. Well, only if you look at the bald heads. Hursut off for Erdal.

2:40 Sivas get close, Mehmet Sedef clears... oh. it was offside.

2:42 Gencler start to slow the game down. A couple of minutes left.

2:43 Sivas with a free kick... Ball goes in, defence clears. Erdal goes through. no shot in the end. Nail-biting stuff now.

2:47 Peep, peep. Gencler grab only their second away point of the season. "Better than a loss," says Little Oz Kanka. Afternoon all. Sivasspor 1 - 1 Genclerbirligi

And in the other match: Antalyaspor 2 - 1 Istanbul BBS

ANKARAGUCU - OFF THE MARK AT LAST !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu churned out their first league win in 11 attempts yesterday to belatedly kick-start their season.

Ankaragucu 2 Karabuk 1

Despite their league position, Karabuk are no mugs, so it was a vital win in what was effectively a 'Six Pointer'.

Due to the early KO, we all met up inside The Stadium. Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Simon (no kanka name yet) and Husso Kanka. All things considered, it was an amazing turnout by Gecikondu and Maraton with both tribunes full and Gecikondu in fine voice pre-match and during the match. The away end was well represented with about 500 Karabukers and they even had the audacity to try and outsing Gecikondu !

On the Fashion Front, Damon was resplendent in his new black Italian boots which unfortunately didn't have any silver buckles. Oh well, at least he contrasted the black boots with his luvvlie white Ankaragucu scarf which drew lots of admiring glances from the supporters around us !!!

Back to footie and the team -

Ozden
Guven, Ediz, Aydin and Ozgur
Weeksie, Hurriyet, Umut and Murat
Tonia and Atilla

Substitutes used - Turgut, Ishak and Muhammed

Into the match then with both teams feeling each other out and then with only 7 minutes on the clock, the break through. An excellent solo effort from Atilla who received a through ball. He held off 2 defenders with his pace and tucked his shot low and hard into the corner for the opening goal.

30 minutes in and it was end to end stuff, although it's fair to say that Karabuk was enjoying most of the possession. Some panic defending from Ankaragucu, but Ozden dealt capably with everything that came his way.

At the other end, Atilla was The Lone Ranger with Tonia and Murat doing their best to support him, with the ocassional forages up front from Ozgur who is really developing into an excellent attacking full back. Tomic in the Karabuk goal also had an easy time and dealt with all the high balls being pumped in with Atilla being crowded out by the tall Karabuk defenders.

Into the 2nd half and Ankaragucu pressed forward from the whistle looking to kill the game off. Only 10 minutes in and we were all up cheering when Tonia scored a great headed 'goal'. Unfortunately, the Linesman had his flag up for offside ..... arrrrrgh !

Still Ankaragucu continued to attack and one minute later Atilla blasted over from about 3 yards out when a tap-in was all that was required.

Halfway through the 2nd half and Karabuk was coming back into the match more, but I have to praise the Ankaragucu defence for their performance yesterday. Ediz in particular was commanding in central defence, and I should also mention the role of Captain Hurriyet who played like a terrier and was a dynamo in midfield.

Then disaster struck on the 70th minute mark. The Effin Referee, Mr Muftuoglu, who had a shocker of a match, awarded a penalty to Karabuk for what we think was a handball by Guven. We didn't see it, but perhaps Nadeem can confirm one way or another. 'Olde boy' Ilhan stepped up and despatched a perfect spot-kick.

Mmmmmm ..... just as I was thinking another draw was on the cards, Tonia produced a piece of sheer magic to score from the tightest of angles to send us wild again.

The last 5 minutes of the match was sheer purgatory with Karabuk on all out attack searching for the equaliser, but the Ankaragucu defence stood their ground and the match ended in the Karabuk half with Ankaragucu attacking !

So, will this be the turning point in Ankaragucu's season when we look back and say ..... 'we avoided relegation after the Karabuk match' ? Best not to speculate yet, but to see how the team reacts next Sunday away in Eskisehir. Another win would really have the pulses racing !

Back we went to the Chopin to celebrate where we were joined by Maniac Kanka Harun and Cider Kanka John. Also have to mention a great quote from Simon during the 'Efes Haze' ...... he said ...... 'I have an intuitive warmth for Ankaragucu'. Nice one Simon !

Watching next Sunday's match in The Chopin and it will probably be an afternoon KO. I'll put the KO time up here in the comments section when known.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU - AAAAT ..... LAAAASSST !!!!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Weeeeeeeeee did it aaaaatt lasssssssst yessssssssss !!!

Ankaragucu 2 Karabuk 1

We were celebrating long into the afternoon and evening in The Chopin and now ........... I'm celebrating more at home yessssssssssssss !

This, despite having a woeful referee, but the bottom line is ...............

firrrrrst leeeeeg victorrrrreeeee of the season yessssssssssssss !!!

Report tomorrra when I'm sobirrrrrr.

All the best from ..... up in the clouds and full of optimism ..... Eski Kanka Jim

Police called in at Ankaragucu AGM

The following is a shortened version of Klasspor's live blog of today's Ankaragucu Extraordinary General Meeting. Hats off to Klasspor as this is sort of thing the internet was invented for.

A surprise development... It has been learnt that Ankaragucu's former spokesman Sami Altinel Atinyuva is a candidate for chairman.

There is a lot of people and a lot of security.

Ankaragucu Chairman Cengiz Topal Yildirim and the board members have arrived.

Erdal Sanli and Kemal Unsal, who had both pulled out of the running for the chairmanship, have arrived.

Former chairman Osman Kolsuz has arrived. Cemil Aydin has yet to arrive.

Cemil Aydin's daughter has arrived.

(I told you this was good - Oz Kanka)

Kemal Unsal is chairman of the meeting.

Director Ahmet Sari reads out the accounts.

Ankaragucu has debts of 94 million lira.

Supporters protesting.

...

An Auditing Commission report is presented.

(A bit of shouting - Oz Kanka)

Cengiz Topel Yildirim talks

"When we left the club two years ago there were no debts. There was no ban of licences. At most there were debts of 1.5 million lira.

We want the full audit of (Gokcek's) term.

(The meeting goes on, various procedural stuff and whatnot)

Cengiz Topel Yildirim wishes the new management well.

SUPPORTERS ATTACK THE PODIUM

THERE IS A SERIOUS INCIDENT HERE

POLICE INTERVENE

RIOT POLICE ARE IN THE HALL

AS THE CANDIDATE LIST WAS BEING READ SUPPORTERS ATTACKED

"THIEVES OUT" IS STILL BEING SHOUTED..

The candidates list: Sidar Tunca - Sami Altınyuva - Fatih yurdemi, - Sait Demirci - Mehmet Aybek - Hüseyin Acar - Nilay Ermiş - Mehmet Ural - Cem Memikoğlu - Sait Özcan - Süleyman Yiğiter - Ramazan Başdoğan - Necmi Bilgin - İsmet Ölmez - Ahmet Telek - Tercan Yüce - Adnan Alimoğlulları - Hülya Kalaycıoğlu - Özgür İncesu

Riot police have left

Yildirim is trying to calm down his supporters.

He sits down with the supporters. The meeting gets back under way.

Voting on the one candidate list starts.

Sami Altinyuva makes his speech. "With my 18 friends we will work to take Ankaragucu to a great place. It doesn't matter who is chairman.

130 votes were cast.

And that my dear friends was the whole sorry tale.

Ankaragucu vs Karabukspor Match Preview !

This weekend will see the 19 Mayis host Ankaragucu vs Karabukspor in a match that is a must win for both sides. Ankaragucu are yet to win a game this season, and Karabukspor haven't won in there last three matches.

Ankaragucu will go into the game with a bit of confidence gained from there performance two weeks ago at Samsunspor. A 2-2 draw was a disappointment in the end when we deserved to take all three points.

Karabukspor lost at home to Eskisehirspor 2-1 who themselves were also on a poor run of form. The main players in the Karabuk side are Romanian midfielder Florian Cernat and Luton Shelton there Jamaican Striker. Ex Ankaragucu players Bilal Kisa and Muhammet Hanifi are also part of the squad.

With both sides struggling in the relegation zone, they will be both hoping to take three points and kick start there seasons. Ankaragucu need to win the game to keep the gap between them and the teams just outside the drop at a minimum. Cengiz Topal has already said the team in January will be a completely different side as we will add to the squad.

Ankaragucu will hold a Press Conference on Wednesday and then the elections will be held on the 18th of November, so an interesting week ahead. In transfer news, Trabzonspor have added Ozgur Cek and Ugur Ucar to there wanted list in January, and Bursaspor are interested in Hurriyet Gucer. Hopefully we will keep the mentioned players and add to the squad instead.

Its also unknown weather Jan Rajnoch will return to the team at the weekend or if he will remain back home in the Czech Republic. The starting line up will be interesting to see if Ziya Dogan will go with Atilla Garhan up front after his goal last week. I think the boy deserves his chance and it will allow Tonia and Serdar to play in the side areas to support him.

Tough match again, the last time we had a good performance at Trabzon, it was followed up by a poor one at home to Orduspor, so im not going to predict a score this week. Good Luck Ankaragucu and lets get that first win under our belts !!

EYEIRRRRRLINNNDD !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

True enough, this is an Ankara football website, but ............. hey ........ wait a minute ...... don't we have some Eyeirrrrish Kankas, ie, Paddy Kanka Paul and Dublin Kanka Neil ?!

So, apart from Genclerbirligi's result against Beshiktrash last week, we haven't had much to cheer about so far this season. Therefore ........ let's put our hands together and give the Irish a cheer for 'almost' qualifying for Yooro 2012. I'm sure it's going to be a done deal in Dublin in the return leg and great to see those boys in green there.

After all, would we, or could we, support Ingallind ???? Nay nay nivvvvirrrrrr !!!!

Well done Ireland. Along with Paddy Kanka and Dublin Kanka, we will support you there next summer.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Classic Ankaragucu goal

I'm still high after last weekend's Gencler victory over Besiktas. As you all know it included an extremely funny own goal by the Besiktas defender Egeman. I've just discovered an even better goal against Besiktas, this one by Ankaragucu from way back in the 80s.

Gencler sacrifice an eagle*

I'm still bouncing off walls the day after one of Gencler's best wins in recent years. How great it was to silence the Besiktas fans. To come back from two-nil down at half-time to win by two clear goals. Amazing stuff.

Genclerbirligi 4 - 2 Besiktas

What a lovely autumn day in Ankara for the first day of the bayram. Normally we don't get football on during bayrams but I guess the late start to the season meant they had to cram it in. It did feel a bit like having a match on Christmas Day but I have a feeling that for many fans in the crowd it was a great excuse to get away from the relatives. Not for me of course. I'm a family-type of man.

Down at the Beer Bus Little Oz Kanka and myself were joined by Spine, Oguz, Sir Eski, Flying Dutchman and two newcomers from Sweden, Robin and John. The new guys were kicking themselves that they hadn't bought 100 tl season tickets earlier in the year as tickets for last night were 56 lira. Oh well, they were about to get their money's worth.

We left Flying Dutchman and Sir Eski in the pub, Maniac Kanka Harun joined them a bit later, and got in with a few minutes before kick-off. A decent crowd, by Gencler standards, and the Besiktas lot filled their section behind the goals.

As usual we were outsung from the off. Outplayed on the field as well as Besiktas went one up after just three minutes. The defence was again to blame as Mehmet Sedef failed to keep on his man. It was soft and deflating. To be scored against so early is just depressing.

Maniac and Little Oz Kanka after the match

The team didn't seem to depressed though as they played some decent footy with Yasin getting a good shot from distance on target. There were a couple of other scrambles in the goal mouth that with a bit of luck would have seen us draw level but in the end it was Besiktas who got lucky with Genclerbirligi old boy Mustafa Pektemek pouncing on a loose ball to make it 0-2.

I then managed to lose a 1 lira bet with my son as we won a free kick just outside the box. I bet that Azofeifa would take it and Aykut would head it in. I almost won but Aykut sent it wide.

Oguz and Spine with John and Oz Kanka in the background

Half time and the general consensus was that we weren't playing too badly. Just a slight problem with the score and some rubbish referee decisions. Oh well, been there a million times before.

Text from Flying Dutchman comes in: Possession stat: "51 percent versus 49 percent. But as Sir Eski says 'possession doesn't win matches. Goals do!' We are not playing bad in my opinion. Mind you the first goal was a blatant mistake in defence. Spelled with a 'c' ;-)"

True, true. Gencler coach Fuat Capa obviously kept spirits up during the half-time break as we came out again in a positive manner.

Besiktas should have killed the match early in the second half when Pektemek found himself one-on-one with Ramazan but failed to get his shot on target.

And then the fun began.

About the 54th minute and Herve Tum (who had a pretty good game compared to recent weeks) short passes to Azofeifa. Azo takes a shot which deflected off a defender and Tum from a tight angle sends it in. The fightback begins

Just a couple of minutes later Yasin goes down the wing and sends a lovely cross right onto the head of Hursut (my man of the match) who had the Besiktas keeper diving to no avail. 2-2 and this was looking good.

John, Robin, Oz Kanka and Little Oz Kanka after the fourth had gone in.

And then the best goal I've seen all season. Our keeper Ramazan whacks the ball way to hard and all the Besiktas defender Egeman had to do was tap it back to his own keeper. Problem was the keeper had come out. He desperately tried to stretch out to get it but had to watch as the ball, as if in slow motion, crossed the line.

We were singing and dancing in the stands but there was still 10 minutes left. Besiktas had a go but it was right at the death when we sealed it. Hursut put a ball in to Erdal who somehow or other managed to swing around and get a shot off. An amazingly difficult goal.

Back at the Beer Bus to celebrate

Peep, peep. What a match. To come back from two-nil down and really embarass Besiktas. Back to the Beer Bus for a celebratory beer and high-fives all round. That was simply brilliant stuff last night. Iyi Bayramlar all! Hopefully I'll put up some more photos soon.

* Headline thanks to Maniac Kanka Harun.

Wow, wow,wow,wow,wow

I've been watching Genclerbirligi for a few years now and I'd have to say this was one of the best wins we have had. It was up there with defeating Blackburn Rovers. It was up there with defeating Valencia, it was even up there with beating Ankaragucu. More.... much, much more tomorrow when I sober up a bit. For now though let me just print out the score. Oh, how I'm loving this.

Genclerbirligi 4 - 2 Besiktas

ANKARAGUCU ...... NEVER SAY DIE !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu snatched a point from the jaws of defeat last night in Samsun, when to all intents and purposes, they should have been dead and buried. Another two schoolboy errors in defence put Ankaragucu on the back foot, but to their credit they never let their heads fall. We will need to see more of this before the end of the season !

Samsun 2 Ankaragucu 2

Five of us turned-up at the Red Lion Club to watch the match. Flying Dutchman Kanka Carlo, Cider Kanka John and his friend Alex from Frankfurt-in-Main and my friend Onur (whisper it quietly ..... he supports Fener !).

Team -

Ozden
Kagan, Ediz, Aydin and Ozgur
Weeks, Hurriyet and Guven
Serdar and Turgut
Tonia

Substitutes used - Atilla, Umut and Murat

Carlo was just paying for his beer and getting ready to settle down to watch match but he missed the first goal which arrived with only seconds on the clock. In the first attack of the match, the ball was put through to Zenke, but Aydin was covering the move and was about to tackle him when he stumbled and fell. Zenke was then clean through and fired in a shot which Ozden managged to get an arm to, but in it went to stun us all.

Play swung from end to end and then in the 14th minute Ankaragucu should have equalised, when from a great cross ball from Tonia, Turgut contrived to miss an open goal when all the ball needed was a touch. Again, 5 minutes later, Serdar was put through with only Ahmet in goal to beat, but instead of having a go, he passed the ball to the unmarked Tonia on the right but his feeble effort went past the post.

Then just before the half time whistle the killer blow was struck. Ahmet rolled the ball out to a defender and he carried the ball unchallenged to the halfway line, looked up, saw a gaping hole in the Ankaragucu defence, and threaded a great pass through about 5 defenders to the unmarked Murat who latched on to the ball, brought it forward, and lashed in a powerful shot with Ozden well beaten.

With Samsun sensing blood and Ankaragucu wobbling, the half time whistle arrived as a relief !

Ankaragucu came out for the 2nd half with the bit between their teeth and pressed forward relentlessly for a breakthrough. They were playing some neat footie in the Three Quarters area of the field, but with only Tonia up front, the attacks kept breaking down. Tonia (my Man of the Match) was everywhere and it was his inspiration and non-stop running which probably turned the match. He almost made the breakthrough on the 60 minute mark when he fired in a goal-bound shot but Ahmet saved well.

With 15 minutes to go, I decided to go outside for a siggy, more in frustration than anything else, and that's when the match was turned on its head. I saw the goal through the window and what a great goal it was. Captain Hurriyet latched on to a pass just outside the penalty area and sent a great shot into the top right hand corner with Ahmet helpless.

Oh well, I thought, that's it. We had a small crumb of comfort for all our endeavours. Then, just as I was about to extinguish my siggy the equaliser arrived.

Atilla received the ball just inside the penalty box, and with 2 defenders bearing down on him, he swivelled, wrong footing them, and sent a peach of a shot into the bottom right hand corner with Ahmet again helpless.

Jumping up and down with joy, high fives, and singing ...... Aaakaaarrraaaagooojoooo. I was back in the Club, but ............. maybe I should have stayed outside ??!!

True enough, it's only one point, but is could so easily have been zero points.

I have to say ....... if only. If only what you might ask ? With this fighting spirit ........ if only we had 2 strikers up front, what a difference it would have made to our season. The fact is .... we don't .... so it's still going to be an uphill struggle, however, all credit to the team for their efforts last night.

If the team show the same fighting qualities in 2 weeks time at home to Karabuk (Saturday 19 November) then we might be celebrating a first win of the season. Never say never, and, never say die !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Crap Monday night football

I really don't like Monday night games. It seems so wrong and it was clear that many other Gencler fans felt the same as there were only a dozen or so at the Beer Bus on Monday night. Those who didn't make didn't miss much.

Mersin Idmanyurdu 2 - 1 Genclerbirligi

I was a couple of minutes late to the pub and already we were 1-0 down. Not the best way to start the evening. Replays showed that a Mersin player hit the ball and it was going to go out. A defender near the line instinctively kicked it and STRAIGHT TO A MERSIN PLAYER who whacked it in.

Annoying yes, but Gencler looked like they could get back into it. We launched wave upon wave of attacks but almost none of them resulted in an actual shot at goal. There seemed to be too much setting it up for yet one more player and eventually all the fancy work would be wasted. Zec and Oktay in particular were guilty of this. Hursut was having a great day getting past his player almost every time but we still couldn't score.

That last para pretty much sums up the match. That and the fact that the only player who was taking shots, Erdal, couldn't get any of them on target.

Still, we were playing well and then our keeper Ramazan made a terrible mistake. He came out of box to clear a loose, but not very dangerous, ball. Instead of sending it to kingdom come he hit it along the ground straight to a Mersin player who lobbed it into the empty goal from about 35 metres.

And that's it really. Oh yes, Herve Tum got a consolation goal in the last minutes. That goal, by the way, was the first scored by a recognised striker this season. Sort of sums up Gencler's problems really.

Gencler fail to find the net

Mersin 2 - 1 Genclerbiligi

I've been busy as hell since Monday night's match and won't have time to put up a report until some time Wednesday afternoon. Suffice to say it won't be pretty.

Ankaragucu vs Samsunspor Match Preview !

Image above taken from Habervereti

This weekend Ankaragucu and Samsunspor are up first in the Friday night game in Samsun. Both sides met in a pre season friendly where it finished 1-1. A lot has changed since then, especially the Ankaragucu playing staff, but both teams are struggling in the relegation zone.

Ankaragucu come off the back of a poor week where both Manisaspor and Istanbul BBS took three points from us, and in both games the performance could only be described as dreadful. Poor defending, another sending off, conceding penalties and of course not taking our few chances.

Samsunspor are struggling themselves and only have one win in the Super Lig to date. They came up with both Mersin and Orduspor who are both having good starts to there campaign. Indeed there only win to date was the opening game of the season at home to Genclerbirligi where they won 3-2. Unlike Orduspor who are well organised at the back, Samsun have a weak defence and there forward line are off form to. Sound familiar ? This is a game which will be won by the team who wants it most.

The Key players for Samsun will be Ekigho Ehiosun and Simon Zenke who is similar to former Karabukspor striker Emanuele Emunike in that he is quick and powerful. They also have Colombian Playmaker Alvaro Dominguez and Aristode Bance who will be looking to break his run of games without a goal. Last weeks match against Eskisehirspor ended in a 1-0 loss, but they will take comfort from there 0-0 draw at Fenerbahce a few weeks earlier.

Ankaragucu will be without Ugur Ucar through suspension for his red card against Istanbul BBS, and Jan Rajnoch through injury, although reports are saying he wants to leave the club and has travelled back home. Ziya Dogan doesn't have much to work with, but he needs to do better with the squad he has. We have some good players in Tonia Tisdell, Theo Weeks, Serdar Ozkan, Hurriyet Gucer to name a few, but they need to cut out the stupid mistakes or face been punished every week. Will we even see Jarioslav Cerny make an appearance ? Even kids like Umit Kurt and Atilla Garhan seem to be ahead if him in the pecking order.

I cant see us winning any time soon, so im going for a 2-1 win for Samsunspor, nothing of late has given me any reason to think other wise.

Live radio blogging! Ankaragucu v Istanbul BBS

Pre-match: Things aren't looking great for Ankaragucu. One point after eight matches. I just left the Chopin Bar where I shared a couple of beers with Sir Eski Kanka who was not in the best of moods. He is probably now in the stadium. The big news of the day was broken by Bellshill Kanka a few hours ago... Rajnoch may well have already left the club. More news soon. First I'm going to grab a beer and some Chilli Con Carne which I cooked up last night. Back soonish.

Still pre-match: Please send any comments via twitter @ankaraozkanka or via the comments section below. Last week we had a record three comments during the actual match! Three more than ever before.

7:06 pm: Ohhh yum. I love my Chilli Con Carne. Anyway I assume the Ankaragucu match has kicked off, not that we would know it. Oh yes we do know it as they have just crossed to the 19 Mayis.

7:08 pm A coldish night in Ankara. And yes, Bellshill Kanka was right. No Rajnoch.

7:12 pm It seems as if both sides have had a chance but the first goal comes from the other match this evening. Besiktas has gone 1-0 up over Sivas. In matches earlier today: Galatasaray 2-0 Kayserispor and Bursaspor 0-0 Manisa.

7:21 pm Not much news from TRT radio. As always they are concentrating on the Besiktas match. Tha Ankaragucu fans sound like they are in good voice though.

7:23 pm Lucky chance for Ankaragucu as an Istanbul player got through but hit it out when he was almost one-on-one with Gucu's keeper Ozden.

7:27 pm GOAL!!!! Hurriyet scores with a header. Ankaragucu 1 - 0 Istanbulspor A great team effort as the ball went through various players. Could this be Ankaragucu's first win of the season?

7:31 pm Short but sweet message from Sir Eski at the match "Guven up front works".

7:32 pm Gucu's Ugur gets a red card for handball in the box. Penalty to come. Huge boos from the crowd and.............. SAVED. Ozden saves and a huge roar goes up. Ankaragucu are now down to 10 men though. Sir Eski says that the ball was going in if it hadn't been for the hand ball.

7:36 pm Looks like Ankaragucu are going to spend the rest of the match defending the lead as Sir Eski informs us that Guven has come back to cover the now Ugur who is now enjoying an early bath and an Efes.

7:43 pm Oh dear as Istanbul get an equaliser. Istanbul seem to be attacking, as have Ankaragucu but TRT were following the Istanbul match. No idea what happened but the score is now Ankaragucu 1 - 1 Istanbul BBS. This is going to be a long, tough match. The commentator says Istanbul are now all over them.

7:52 pm Half-time in both matches: Ankaragucu 1 - 1 Istanbulspor, Besiktas 1 - 0 Sivasspor. The round ball in Ankara's resident gambling expert Little Oz Kanka Matthew predicts that Istanbulspor will score another goal and win. Get onto those betting sites people and FILL YOUR BOOTS!

8:05 pm Gucu's Kaan goes on for Tisdal as the second half kicks off. Tisdal off? The only recognised striker! This could be a very long 45 minutes.

8:07 pm Oh dear, TRT Radio got the replacement wrong. It wasn't Tisdal off but in fact it was Ergen Keles. How hopeless can these guys be. The commentator said it was because he was confused by the Istanbul BBS substitution, which was the same number. Thing is, Tisdal is black, Keles certainly is not. Surely not too difficult to see that the only black player for Ankaragucu hadn't been replaced.

8:11 pm Some more messages from Sir Eski: "Goal was a typical Ankaragucu defensive mix up. But have to say I saw it coming. It's looking dangerous now." and a few minutes later. "This is the first time Eski has been on his own since 1999, Sad." Indeed. Where are you Ankaragucu kankas?

And one more: "Having problems getting out of our own half"

I think those depressive messages sum it all up. I now have to put Little Oz Kanka to bed. Back soon.

8:17 pm Good news from the other match, Sivas has equalised.

8:18 pm Sir Eski has been joined by Yankee Kanka. Ah now I feel less sorry for the old bugger. Right, now to put Little Oz to bed.

8:27 pm Little Oz is in bed and Sir Eski says Ozden deserves man of the match. A few minutes later the message is short and sweet: "Panic Stations. Man lifeboats!" Says it all really.

8:34 pm In Istanbul, Besiktas have been given a penalty and they score. Besiktas 2 - 1 Sivas

8:36 pm In all the excitement of putting Little Oz to bed I missed Battle Damaged Kanka Damon's message that Istanbul have brought on former Gucu player Metin Akan.

8:43pm "It's grim stuff. Not pretty to watch". I don't need to write anything. Sir Eski is writing this blog via text message.

8:45 pm Goal. Istanbul go on the attack. Ankaragucu try to clear but fail and in a sort of confusion in the box an Istanbul player scores from 10 metres out. It was coming. Ankaragucu 1 - 2 Istanbul BBS

8:48 pm The anger is rising at the 19 Mayis as Sir Eski reports that seats are being ripped up and thrown. @kankanadeem (on twitter, or Bellshill kanka as we know him a bit better) says: "Im starting the campaign to get ziya dogan out, 1 shot on goal even with ten men is pathetic". Somehow I think that particular campaign could get quite a few supporters after this match. By the way, Battle Damaged hasn't purposely not gone to the match, he is ill. And in Istanbul Besiktas have gone up 3-1.

8:52 pm Last seconds in the match, Istanbul are still ahead. And then ... beep, beep, beep. Final result: Ankaragucu 1 - 2 Istanbul BBS. This is Bad, bad, bad stuff for Ankaragucu. Nine played, no wins, one draw. No wonder the seats are flying at the stadium. @kankanadeem writes on twitter, "another defeat due to dreadful defending, sending offs and an inept manager. Get him out now !!!!!" Hard to disagree.

Post match: The pain and the frustration in the messages from the Ankaragucu kankas is quite obvious. Here's Battle Damaged "Well, looks like the Uğur red did not pay off. We can't even fucking manage a single point. So sad." I see Battle Damaged has already commented below and no doubt we shall get a few more some time soon. Sir Eski will probably want to calm down a bit before he jumps on here. Evening all.