ANKARAGUCU BROUGHT BACK DOWN TO EARTH BY GROUP FAVOURITES

Greetings Kankas and Kankies. Isn't it amazing how things can change so quickly in footie ? 9 months ago it was Ankaragucu giving Ordu a footie lesson in the TRT Cup, but yesterday the boot was on the other foot (excuse the pun !!). Ankaragucu was given a lesson in clinical finishing and can have no complaints about the final score.

ANKARAGUCU 0 Orduspor 3

 Team - Bayram, Orhan, Volkan, Umit, Ishak, Bilal, Veli, Serkan, Mert, Hasan and Gokhan. Substitutes -

Teoman, Oguzhan and Metin Battle Damaged Kanka Damon and I met up in the Stadium and it was another case of who was absent rather than who was present - an eerie empty stadium again.

The 200+ Gecikondu Boys kept the singing going during the match and at one stage they had another one of their love-ins with the 100+ Ordu fans in the away end. Ankaragucu played reasonably well in the first half and could easily have gone in 4-0 up, but for some poor finishing and two great saves from Fevzi. It wasn't all Ankaragucu though and Bayram was called into action a few times to keep Ankaragucu in the match. 

Obviously, the Ordu Coach said some choice words to his team at the interval because they came out a different team. They were stroking the ball around and making Ankaragucu chase the game. Then 10 minutes in and the normally reliable Bayram made a shocking error of judgement. An Ordu corner was swung over into a crowded penalty box. Bayram came out of his area and punched the ball straight to Javito lurking about 30 yards out and he first timed it in with Bayram stranded and no defender on the goal line !

It was constant pressure from Ordu now who were buzzing and going for the jugular. Then on the 58 minute mark following a spell of Ordu sustained attacking there were 2 corners. Bayram saved a header from the first one which he managed to tip over the bar. However, from the 2nd corner, Bayram came for the ball, missed it, and with no defender on the goal line (again !), Garcia had the simplest of headers in for No2. 

With 15 minutes to go, Ordu was cruising, and at that point I decided to go to the toilet - I said to Damon that Ankaragucu always score when I'm there !! Unfortunately, the goal went in at the other end when, after some bad defending, the impressive Bruno easily beat Bayram to wrap things up. Ordu ran the clock down and the match petered out. So, Ankaragucu more or less kissed goodbye to what slim hopes they might have had to progress further in The Mickey Mouse Cup.

 The remaining matches could be an opportunity for Hakan Kutlu to experiment with some more Youth Team players. I think the next round of matches will be played midweek as follows - Wednesday 2 May - Gencler v Kayseri Thursday 3 May - Ordu v Ankaragucu However, I'll confirm this in the comments section with KO times when I'm sure. PS ..... Sorry about the paragraph thingie - the new blog is supposed to be an improvement, but ..... it's not !!! All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

LET'S NOT GET CARRIED AWAY !!!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies. Let's not get carried away with the euphoria of The Mickey Mouse Cup !!! However, let's enjoy what little remains of the season and be optimistic .... well .... a little anyway !!! Karabuk drew with Samsun today, so what better incentive for the Ankaragucu 'Youth Team' to go out there tomorrow and shake the group up with a win against Ordu ?!! If it happens, and it's a big 'if', then the group is blown wide open ! Watch this space on Monday for the answer !!! All the best from 'ever the optimist' Eski Kanka Jim

Cemal Aydin trying to sell Ishak Dogan !

Melih Gokcek today claimed on his twitter that Cemal Aydin is trying to sell Ishak Dogan in the same way he did with Turgut Dogan Sahin and Atilla Aybars Garhan. Ankaragucu received 600k for Atilla Aybars, and the money has been used to pay the players wages. This means Ishak Dogan cant terminate his contract due to unpaid wages. Ishak has been offered to both Trabzonspor and Bursaspor. In other news, Hakan Kutlu thanked Illyas Sumer for his work as Ankaragucu president. The players have been paid for the last two months and Kutlu is thankful that during these tough times, that President Sumer has stood shoulder to shoulder with him. 17 Year old striker Hasan Ayaroglu described his goal against Samsunspor as the best moment of his life and one he will never forget. The youngster has been with the club for 10 years and will start against Orduspor at the weekend.

Hakan Kutlu meets with Presdent Tayip Erdogan !

Hakan Kutlu met with the President of Turkey today to discuss the current situation and financial problems at Ankaragucu. The meeting took place at the Sheraton Hotel and lasted for about 15 Minutes. As yet we don't have any details of what was said. There was also other big news today which could see Ankaragucu handed a lifeline. Talks are on going for a 22 team Turkish Super Lig next season which would see the three teams from Bank Aysa promoted and joined by Ankaraspor. The good news for us would be that Ankaragucu along with Samsunspor and Manisaspor would remain in the Super Lig. More to come on this story later.

Ankaragucu players come to the end of their contract !

Ankaragucu are set to loose more players as Aydin Toscali, Muhammed Turkmen, Serol Demirhan, Veli Torun, Mehmet Cogum and Mert Erdogan all come to the end of their contracts at the end of the season. Atilla Aybars Garhan left this week to sign for Karabukspor and it looks like the others could join him in seeing their future elsewhere. Ankaragucu will be hoping the congress on the 20th of May will see someone come in and pay the 7 Million to lift the current transfer ban. At this rate there wont be any players left. In other news Orhan Evci was taken to hospital after suffering a pollen allergic reaction during the game with Samsunspor at the weekend. Best wishes to him and we at the Round Ball in Ankara wish him a speedy recovery. Young Ishak Dogan has also been called up to the Turkish Under 21 squad and the youngster said he has no regrets about choosing Turkey over Germany.

Gencler defeat Antalya

Sir Eski Kanka has suggested that I should inform you that Gencler won a match the other night. Indeed they did.

Genclerbirligi 3 - 2 Antalyaspor

ANKARAGUCU CLIMBS A 'REAL' MOUNTAIN

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Don't ask me the last time Ankaragucu won a match - my memory is fading, but ...........
Ankaragucu climbed a 'real' mountain yesterday in their 'Mickey Mouse Cup' match and did the
sparse crowd proud with an outstanding performance of true grit mixed with a fair amount of skill.

Unfortunately, I was the only Kanka there to see it and celebrate later in The Chopin !

Ankaragucu 1 - 0 Samsun

Team -

Bayram, Orhan, Volkan, Umit, Mehmet, Veli, Bilal, Serkan, Mert, Hasan and Sinan

Substitutes - Kaan, Oguzhan and Enes

I mentioned the sparce crowd .... well, when I arrived at the Ruzgarli Entrance I was thinking .....
errrmmm .... is the match today or tomorrow ? There were no supporters milling around and
nobody at the 'white box' except a lonely 'wee man'. So I watched Keciorengucu win their match in
the 'mini-stadium' and entered the eerie 19 Mayis Stadium 5 minutes before KO. I could have done
a head-count in Maraton and there was only about 200 in Gecikondu. I had a feeling of deja vu of
the last time I was at a Gencler match !!

Into the match then, and both teams were playing full-on attack and I had just written that
Ankaragucu was playing some nice footie in the 7th minute when they put together the best move
of the match. The ball was brought out of defence in a sweeping move and Serkan took it up and
scurried down the right wing at speed. He looked up and crossed an inch perfect cross to the left
wing where the diminutive Hasan was lurking. He collected the ball and struck a screamer into the
right corner of the goal with Atilla well beaten. A classic goal reminiscent of .... dare I say it .......
Barca !!

Samsun was not lying-down and came back into the match with some dangerous moves of their
own. However, Ankaragucu's 'secret weapon', Bayram was in no mood to give them an equaliser !

After 15 minutes Bayram pulled off a double save of the highest quality when he saved well with
the Samsun attacker one-on-one with Bayram. The rebound fell to the Samsun player and again
Bayram smothered it to save the day.

15 minutes later he pulled off another great save when he save instinctively on the goal line to
prevent a certain goal.

Half time arrived and both teams looked evenly matched. Ankaragucu was surprising me with
their close passing and running off the ball and could easily have increased their lead but for some
wayward shooting in the final quarter.

It was mostly all Ankaragucu in the 2nd half and they can feel a little unlucky not to have made it 2.

Just after the re-start in an Ankaragucu attack there was a cross and a great header from Sinan
which hit the post and went out.

Nearing the end it was all Ankaragucu pressure and with 10 minutes to go a great shot flew just
over the bar. One minute later Hasan brought out an outstanding save from Atilla who tipped over
a goal-bound shot.

So, a great win for the 'boys'. Sinan and Hasan look good prospects and since Mert took the
captain's armband he has been a power in the midfield, and at times he reminded me of Sapara's
leadership qualities last season.

I might have to reappraise my opinion of Ankaragucu's ability of surviving in the Bank Asya
League after this performance. However, playing against the likes of Es-Es, Sivas.... and dare I
say it .... Gencler .... in this competition may be beyond them !

Next up is a home match against Orduspor I believe, but I'll post details when I have them.

PS ..... The Hurriyet newspaper said this morning that it was 17 matches since Ankaragucu won a
match.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Atilla Aybars Garhan signs for Karabukspor !

Ankaragucu striker Atilla Aybars Garhan has signed for Karabukspor on a 4 year contract. The youngster was the clubs top scorer this season with 5 goals in 28 games. The player was a product of the Ankaragucu youth team and the transfer fee mentioned in the press today was 600k. Atilla will join up with Ex Ankaragucu players, Ilhan Parlak, Guven Varol, Kagan, Ugur Ucar and Ergin Keles and will be hoping next season is a more successful season than the one just past. There was some good news today as Ankaragucu won 1-0 at home to Samsunspor. We look forward to Jim's report as he was going to the game.

THE SPOR TOTO CUP

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

The Spor Toto Cup (renamed The Mickey Mouse Cup by Eski Kanka !) continues this weekend and will be with us till about the end of May.

For the Gencler Kankas who are interested (are there any ?), Gencler will be at home to Antalyaspor on Friday night 20 April KO 7pm.

Next day, Ankaragucu will at home to Samsunspor KO 12 noon.

I have a business appointment on Saturday so I'll be unable to go, but I probably will attend the next match on Sunday 29 April when Ankaragucu will be at home against Orduspor.

I know most of you are not interested in this competition, nevertheless, I'll try and keep you posted with the scores as and when.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Interest grows in Ishak Dogan and Atilla Aybars !

Reports today from the Hurriyet claimed that Besiktas, Bursaspor, Gaziantepspor and Kayserispor are all interested in signing Ishak Dogan. The youngster signed for Ankaragucu two years ago from Arminia Bielefeld. Mesut Bakkal used him sparingly last season at left back and left midfield. It was Hakan Kutlu who gave him his chance this season and the young defender has taken his chance and has impressed with his performances.

Ishak is out of contract at the end of the season, and looks set to take advantage of a free transfer due to unpaid wages. It will be another blow to Hakan Kutlu who has already lost so many first team players for the same reason. Karabukspor have been impressed with Atilla Garhan Aybars who scored against them on two occasions this season. He could join the likes of Kagan, Ugur, Ergin, Illhan and Guven Varol at the club.

Other players who are set to leave the club are Aydin Toscali and Muhammed Turkmen. Aydin chose to stay with the club through the hard times when everyone else left, but there will be offers for him to stay in the Turkish Super Lig with other clubs. Muhammed has been told to stay away from the squad due to protesting about unpaid wages, he has even been fined for his protests. Bilal Gulden, Bayram Olgun and Veli Torun have also been linked with moves away.

Cemal Aydin and Melih Gokcek at war !

Picture taken from HaberTurk


Melih Gokcek this week stated that he wants to come back to Ankaragucu as president, but only if Cemal Aydin and his men resign. Gokcek claims he is saddened what has happened to Ankaragucu and blames Cemal Aydin for what has happened.

As expected Cemal Aydin has hit back and is blaming The Gokceks for the financial mess at Ankaragucu and debts which reach £50 Million. So who do we believe ? Do any of them have it in them to save Ankaragucu ?

For me I don't trust any of them, I think the Gokceks have put Ankaragucu more into debt, but they look like they are the only ones who can also get us out of this mess. Who else can come in and save us ? Turkish Football forbids any foreign ownership. Cemal on the other hand, hasn't got the money to get Ankaragucu out of this mess, but would rather see the club die than hand it over to The Gokceks.

It really is one big mess, the next congress will take place next month so it will be another interesting wait to see who will run for the elections. Will Cemal step down ? will the gokceks run for elections ?

ANKARAGUCU CLIMBS A MOUNTAIN !!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu performed miracles today in the Mickey Mouse Cup ....... ooops sorry ..... I meant to say The Spor Toto Cup.

Did they win I hear you ask ? No, but they did score ......... even if it was a penalty ! So ......... miracles DO happen !

Karabuk 3 Ankaragucu 1

All tongue-in-cheek reporting I'm afraid - I just can't work-up any enthusiasm for this competition. However, on the other hand, and as I said in my previous post, it is a good run-out for the 'Youth Team' who will probably have to play in the very competative Bank Asya League next season.

As Bellshill Kanka Nadeem said, what hope is there when you play a 17 year old 'boy' in goal against a decent Karabuk team ?!

I hate having to end on a sour note, so let me turn upbeat and mention Hibs winning their Scottish Cup semi-final today (Nadeem mentioned it in his previous post). Here's hoping that Hibs can bring the Cup back to the Capital next month yessssss !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

New Ankaragucu book !

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3126709

Greetings Kankas, I have now completed the Ankaragucu book i have been working on and it is now available to purchase from the above link. You just click on it and it will give you a preview and along the bottom there is a buy now option.

The book was made to remind us of the good times in the clubs history, my computer was full of Ankaragucu photos, so i thought it would be a good idea to make one. The book is for sale at £19 and that is the website who publishes the books price, i don't make anything from it. It is available in softback, and hardback, although the hardback is a few pounds more expensive.

Hope you enjoy it and spread the word. In other news, well done to Hibs on progressing to the Scottish Cup final, im sure Jim will be in a good mood. And Ankaragucu lost 3-1 to Karabukspor. Ill let Jim report on that.

JUST WHEN WE THOUGHT THE SEASON WAS OVER .....

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Surprise, surprise ....... another competition has been dreamed-up to further embarrass an already beleaguered Ankaragucu !

The Spor Toto Cup has been introduced to run alongside the play-offs for the Chimps Cup and the Europa Cup.

There are two groups in this 'Mickey Mouse' Cup -

A. Karabuk, Ordu, Samsun and Ankaragucu
B. Antalya, Gaziantep, Kayseri and Gencler

Well, looking at it another way, it gives Ankaragucu 3 matches to prepare for the harsh realities of life in the Bank Asya League, or 6 if it is home and away (not sure about that yet).

This Cup kicks-off this weekend -

Saturday 3pm - Karabuk v Ankaragucu
Sunday 1.30pm - Samsun v Ordu
Sunday 1.30pm - Gaziantep v Gencler
Monday 7pm - Antalya v Kayseri

I doubt very much if these matches will be on TV, but I'll have a looksee tomorrow and let you know. Also, no details yet on further fixtures, but I'll let you know here when known.

Please excuse my lack of enthusiasm !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

And that's that

It certainly wasn't the end Genclerbirligi wanted. Things were looking so good just a few months ago with hopes high that we could finish in the top four. In the end though it was a dissapointing loss away to Istanbul BBS that saw Gencler finish in 9th position.

Istanbul BBS 1 - 0 Genclerbirligi

The maths were in our favour. A win or a draw and we would be in the play-offs. A loss meant we could still make it as long as a at least one other team in the race lost. They didn't and we got knocked out.

It was a pleasant enough evening at the Beer Bus. A few of the crowd of the earlier Ankaragucu match joined us as did a number of fans from the Alkaralar group.

We were there quite early and as a result there isn't actually all that much I remember of the match. Well, we had some shots, not particularly good ones. Oh yes, and Istanbul scored a very nice goal.

And that's that. The season ends in a whimper. Pretty depressing for Ankara football fans all over.

THE KANKAS TURN-OUT IN STRENGTH TO BID FAREWELL TO ANKARAGUCU

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

The largest turn-out of kankas of the season were in the Stadium yesterday to bid farewell to Ankaragucu as they exitted the Super League and were officially relegated to The Bank Asya League.

In attendance were Oz Kanka Chris, Little Oz Kanka Mathew, Maniac Kanka Harun (his mummy gave him permission to attend a match at last !!!), Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Kaleci Kanka Tansu, Flying Dutchman Kanka Carlo, Cider Kanka John, No Name Kanka Simon and yours truly. We also had two guests from Down-Under, Michael and Jordy hail from near Melbourne, and are on a cycling holiday in Turkey.

Kayseri showed no mercy to Ankaragucu as they gave a footie lesson in the art of possession and clinical finishing.

Ankaragucu 0 Kayserispor 5

Team - Bayram, Veli, Volkan, Umit, Ishak, Serkan, Bilal, Mert, Gokhan, Kaan and Atilla.

Substitutes - Cagayan, Oguzhan and Orhan

Gecikondu was full as usual with only a small group in Maraton, and Gecikondu kept us entertained throughout the match with their singing. There was also a lady assistant referee on the main stand line who entertained us, but in a professional sense, she did a good job.

It only took Kayseri 13 minutes to open the scoring when Kujovic knocked in a rebound shot which came off the post.

Ankaragucu was making the odd foray into the Kayseri half and on 17 minutes brought out a good save from Gokhan in the Kayseri goal.

Kayseri should have made it 2 a minute later when a one-on-one with Bayram was saved but the rebound was goalbound until a goal line clearance saved the day. A few minutes later it was almost 2 when a great header hit the bar with Bayram beaten.

However, the 2nd goal duly arrived on 34 minutes when Kujovic again scored. I didn't actually see it because I was writing in my notes that Gecikondu was chanting for President Obama to resign !! Don't ask me how they arrived at that piece of nonsense !!!

No 3 arrived a few minutes later when the cut-back arrived in the box for Troisi to tap in for an easy goal.

Ankaragucu almost made the break through just before half time when a rocket just outside the box when just past the post and Kaan brought out a great save from Gokhan.

Kayseri continued to dominate in the 2nd half and it took my Man of the Match, Diego, who had come on for the 2nd half as a substitute, till the 69 minute to make it 4. It was pure class and fashioned by himself as he cut in from the left and let fly with an unstoppable shot.

Atilla should have done better when a mistake in the Kayseri defence allowed him a half chance, but the delayed his shot and Gokhan was able to deflect the ball for a corner.

10 minutes to go and that man Diego again made it 5. He was allowed to waltz past about 5 defenders and score the goal of the match.

With time running out, Gecikondu called Maraton over to the dividing fence for a 'sing-in'. Unbelievable !

Then at the final whistle they called for the players to do a lap of honour which they duly obliged and threw their shirts into the crowd.

So, Ankaragucu bow out, but the players can be proud of their efforts and hold their heads high.

As to what the future holds for Ankaragucu, we will have to see what unfolds during the summer months. As I've said before, this team will not be able to make a quick return to the Super League. The Bank Aysa League is full of strong teams and it will be no picnic for Ankaragucu.

Watch this space for further.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu say farewell to the Turkish Super Lig

Ankaragucu say farewell to the Turkish Super Lig this weekend as they play there final league game at home to Kayserispor on Saturday.

The question is, how long will it take Ankaragucu to return if ever ? In the previous three times Ankaragucu have been relegated they have bounced back twice at the first attempt. This time it will take a miracle for Ankaragucu to return first time, the club look set for another relegation battle next season.

The young side will take to the pitch on Saturday hoping they can get that first win in 17 attempts since they took on Mersin back in January. Kayserispor have had a poor season themselves and will be disappointed that they haven't finished in the European Places. Although Manager Shota Arveladze is building a young side for the future and will be hoping to push on next season.

The last time the two sides met Kayserispor won 3-0 thanks to goals from John Troisi (2) and Sefa Yilmaz. They will be hoping to finish there season with a win and have some very good players in Sefa Yilmaz, John Troisi, Christian Riveros and the talented Nordin Amrabat.

Ankaragucu will welcome back Ishak Dogan from suspension and will look to give the Tribunes something to smile about in what can only be described as the worst season in the clubs history.

Ankaragucu say farewell to the Turkish Super Lig

Ankaragucu say farewell to the Turkish Super Lig this weekend as they play there final league game at home to Kayserispor on Saturday.

The question is, how long will it take Ankaragucu to return if ever ? In the previous three times Ankaragucu have been relegated they have bounced back twice at the first attempt. This time it will take a miracle for Ankaragucu to return first time, the club look set for another relegation battle next season.

The young side will take to the pitch on Saturday hoping they can get that first win in 17 attempts since they took on Mersin back in January. Kayserispor have had a poor season themselves and will be disappointed that they haven't finished in the European Places. Although Manager Shota Arveladze is building a young side for the future and will be hoping to push on next season.

The last time the two sides met Kayserispor won 3-0 thanks to goals from John Troisi (2) and Sefa Yilmaz. They will be hoping to finish there season with a win and have some very good players in Sefa Yilmaz, John Troisi, Christian Riveros and the talented Nordin Amrabat.

Ankaragucu will welcome back Ishak Dogan from suspension and will look to give the Tribunes something to smile about in what can only be described as the worst season in the clubs history.

How the payoff system works

Spine wrote this in a comment. Thought we ought to promote it to here.

Sorry, that should be playoff, of course. Don't know what came over me.

Anyway, the the long and short of it for us is this: It's going to be a real job for Gencler to win a European place this year.

Here's the scam (sorry, plan) the Federation has come up with: At the end of the season the top four teams form the “Super Final Championship Group” (hereafter Top Group) and the second four teams form the “Super Final Europe League Group” (hereafter Second Group).

(I am reminded here of “super secret double probation” from Animal House for some reason.)

The two groups play each other home and away for six weeks of matches. They each begin the payoff league with HALF the points they won in the main league (halves rounded up). I guess this makes it competitive even if one team is streets ahead at the end of the main season. There's a complex set of rules outlined here for what happens if teams end the payoffs on equal points.

Anyway, at the end of this springtime jamboree of champagne football and additional television revenue, European places are allocated as follows:

- First Place in the Top Group goes directly to the Champions League and is declared Champion of that season in Turkey (even if they finished fourth, I guess)

- Second-placed goes to Champions League pre-qualification

- Third joins the winner of the Turkish Cup in the UEFA Europa League, or whatever it's called now.

And....

- Fourth plays the winner of the Second Group for a place in UEFA Europa. This will be a single game and it's set for May 20.

So for the four Second Group teams, there's an awful lot of football to be played for a pretty slim chance of Europe.

Any errors here mine.

Yours, Spine