THE BANK ASYA LEAGUE

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Just watched the 2nd Division Play-Off Final tonight.

Adana Demirspor  2   Fethiyespor  1

Fantastic entertaining match with everything for the neutral supporter to enjoy.    The only problem is that we Ankaragucu Kankas will not be neutral next season when we have to play Adana Demirspor and teams of their quality in The Bank Asya League !

Both teams played some slick footie tonight and the 2 Adana goals were top drawer.   As I've mentioned a thousand times on this Blog, the Bank Asya League is full of excellent teams and from what I've seen of Adanaspor and Adana Demirspor, to name just two, last season, Ankaragucu will have their work cut-out even if the team is strengthened !

Another point worthy of note is that the Ataturk Stadium in Denizli was bursting at the seams.   Amazing crowd for a 2nd Division Match, even if it was the play-off final.

Well played and well done Adana Demirspor.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

UEFA Suspends Beşiktaş For One Season

Beşiktaş is not allowed to play in next season's Europa League. UEFA has suspended Besiktas from European competitions for one year and fined them 200,000 euros ($250,700) due to financial problems, Turkish media reported on Wednesday.

The shares of Beşiktaş immediately fell by 9.9 percent, although the news has not been officially confirmed yet.

Beşiktaş finished fourth in the Turkish Süper Lig this season, and thus placed itself for the Europa League play-offs.

Augustine Ahinful returns to Ankara !

Former Ankaragucu Augustine Ahinful has returned to Ankara this week for a holiday and will visit the Ankaragucu training facilities. Augustine is a favourite with the Ankaragucu tribunes and scored 44 goals from 103 appearances in an Ankaragucu strip.

Many Ankaragucu fans claim the Ghana born striker is the best foreign player ever to play for the club. He had two spells at the club before moving to Trabzonspor and then eventually retiring. What we would give to have a player of his quality at the moment. He formed an excellent partnership with Hakan Keles and Ohene Kennedy his international team mate.

I'm sure the Round Ball in Ankara has many great memories of Augustine Ahinful.

Ankaragucu congress postponed !

For the second time the Presidential elections have been postponed, meaning Ankaragucu will have to wait another three weeks to see what their future holds. The congress was originally scheduled for the 19th of May but also got postponed, the rescheduled date was the 26th of may but tonight news broke that this has also been postponed.

As of yet no reason has been given, but Harun is working on finding out more information. There isn't a club in world football as badly run as Ankaragucu and this is just the latest in a long line of disappointing and baffling decisions.

Rest in peace Muammer Inanc !

16 year old Ankaragucu player Muammer Inanc died last night with a Heart Attack. We at The Round Ball in Ankara would like to send our condolences to his family.

To young for anyone to be taken away. There seems to be a growing number of footballers passing away due to heart problems. Are they been pushed to far ?

Akhisar Belediyespor win promotion to the Super Lig !

Ok so this Blog is dedicated to Ankaragucu and Genclerbirligi, but lets take a moment to discuss the remarkable achievements of a little club who were playing in the Turkish 3rd Tier only 4 years ago. Akhisar Belediyespor won the Bank Aysa leage this season and will make their debut in the Super Lig next season.

Akhisar is more famous for been mentioned in the Bible as opposed to its football club. But the job its chairman  Huseyin Eryuksel and manager Hamza Hamzaoglu have done now mean the club will take on Turkeys biggest clubs next season. The most famous player in their side is Ahmet Cebe the former Denizlispor player. The clubs stadium only holds 2918 Capacity but there are plans to build a new stadium as the club has an ambitious owner who wants the club to grow.

When a club the size and with the potential of Ankaragucu are been replaced in the super lig but a club the size of Akhisar questions must be asked ? Just recently Bucaspor and Orduspor were praised for their future plans and youth development. Turkey is now the 13th Strongest economy in the world and Turkish Football clubs are moving forward. Our club Ankaragucu seem to be still living in the dark days of Corruption, Lies and people who dont give a shit about the club. Only yesterday a General Assembley was held to prepare for next weeks Elections. Only 2 delegates turned up, which just shows how much the rest care.

The 26th of May will be one of the most important days in the history of Ankaragucu, if only we had the ambition and management of clubs like Orduspor and Akhisar then Ankaragucu could be champion of Turkey one day.

Ahmet Gokcek could be set for Ankaragucu return !

Former Ankaragucu preseident Ahmet Gokcek could be set to return to the club ahead of next weeks Presidential Elections. Gokcek and Cemal Aydin have been blamed for the mess at Ankaragucu due to a battle of power between both. The Gokceks say they will return to Ankaragucu as long as Cemal Aydin resigns.

The elections will be held on the 26th of May in what could be the most important day in the clubs history. A strong management can take Ankaragucu back to the Super Lig. However if the club falls into the wrong hands yet again it could kill the club.

In other news Serol Demirhan has signed for Eskisehirspor and Besiktas are hoping to sign Ishak Dogan. The Istanbul side are also looking at signing Yasin Oztekin from Genclerbirligi. Both young players had excellent seasons for their clubs and are attracting interest from Turkish Super Lig sides.

I am now home from Antalya, we had a great time and I made sure i spread the word of Ankaragucu while I was there. But its back to work and ill be keeping the blog updated with all the latest transfer news as it comes in.

THE MICKEY MOUSE CUP

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Notwithstanding that Ankaragucu and Gencler are well and truly out of this Cup Competition, there remain one thing to say before we draw a line under it and hope that it never reappears in the future !

Last night, Gaziantepspor beat Orduspor in the Final 3-1.

There was some irony in that ex-Ankaragucu Captain, Sapara, scored one of the Antep goals !

The Turkish season has now been 'put to bed' for the time being.    However, I'm sure there will be lots of things to report during the summer months with behind the scenes 'wheeling and dealing' !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

NOW THE BOOT IS ON THE OTHER FOOT

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

I recall a scenario a few years ago when Ankaragucu was a force in the Super League in the good olde days of  Augustine, Keles, Kutlu, Kennedy, Yilmaz, Niyazi, etc ........... when my class was disrupted one Saturday by a cavalcade of cars driving down Ataturk Bulvari with their horns blaring.    It lasted for about 20 minutes or more and I had to abandon the class to the cafeteria.

It was Elazigspor supporters celebrating winning the play-offs for the Super League at the 19 Mayis Stadium.    Unfortunately, they didn't last long in the Super League and were relegated back down into the Bank Asya League where they have remained ........ that is .............. until now.

With Ankaragucu going 'south' into the Bank Asya League, Elazig is coming 'north' back into the Super League, and good luck to them I say.   They will be joined by the winners of the Bank Asya League, Akhisar BBS.   The 3rd spot will be played out between Rize, Kasimpasa, Konya and Adana.

It will be tough going for unheralded and unknown Akhisar, but hey, didn't Bursa win the league 2 seasons ago ?!   So, isn't anything possible in footie ??!!    The burning question though is ............ will Ankaragucu have something to celebrate this time next year ??!!    

Answers on a post card !!!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU BOWS OUT OF 'THE MICKEY MOUSE CUP'

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

With the end of the group stage of the Mickey Mouse Cup, the Ankaragucu Youth Team can now take a well deserved summer break.

This afternoon in Samsun ..........

Samsunspor   0    Ankaragucu    0

Orduspor topped the group going 6 matches undefeated.   Ankaragucu finished above Samsun in 3rd position.

Despite winning in Antalya today, Gencler also bowed-out in 3rd place with Gaziantepspor the winners of their group.

We don't know at this stage what shape the Ankaragucu team will take next season - lots of water will flow under the bridge before we know.   However, one thing that is clear - if Ankaragucu has to play their Youth Team in the Bank Asya League next season then they are going to have their work cut out.

As I've said before, it's a tough league and there will be no mercy shown to the Ankaragucu Youth Team if they are destined to continue to represent Ankaragucu.

The young lads did well to see this catastrophic season out and they deserve praise for their efforts.

Let's wait and see what transpires during the summer and .....  if any miracles occur to lift the gloom.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Abdullah Keseroglu terminates contract !

Ankaragucu midfielder Abdullah Keseroglu is the latest player to leave the club due to unpaid wages. Keseroglu is owed 100,000 Euros by the club and is back home in Germany receiving treatment for a hamstring injury picked up against Besiktas.

The German born Turk joined the club two years ago from VFL Osnabruck and was loaned out to Bugasspor. It wasn't until this season that Keseroglu broke into the first team due to players leaving the club. Only Abdullah Keseroglu, Mehmet Cogum and Aydin Toscali stayed with the club when everyone else left so for that reason i would like to thank Abdullah on behalf of the Round ball in Ankara for his loyalty.

Good luck with the rest of your career !

Ankaragucu succumb, but not without a fight

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

I arrived at the Stadium direct from school only 5 minutes before KO and found the Ruzgarli Ticket Box closed, so I used my initiative and use my Season Ticket !

I entered an eerie empty stadium again, and what do you expect from an effin 3pm KO on a Monday !!! There was barely 200 in Gecikondu and only about 50 in the whole length of
Maraton !

Ankaragucu 1 Karabukspor 5

Ankaragucu was straight into attack and almost scored in the 7th minute when a goalbound header from a corner was well saved.

Ankaragucu was continuing to attack and they really should have scored on the 13th minute mark when a shot came in but just wide. But, 4 minutes later I was up on my feet when a screamer was fired in with the goalkeeper beaten, but the ball came off the post and out.

Karabuk attacked from the clearance and the young Ankaragucu goalkeeper (didn't get his name) made a good save.

20 minutes in and from another Ankaragucu corner swung over to the back post the left winger (I think it was Hasan) shot over when it looked easier to score. He was at it again 4 minutes later when he jinked his way past a few defenders but his final shot was well saved.

Then, against the run of play, the No58 of Karabuk (looked like the senior citizen of the team, a bit stocky and balding !) burst through the middle, held off the challenge and shot into the corner to open the scoring. 10 minutes later it was No2 when a Karabuk attacker burst through at speed in a similar move and fired passed the helpless keeper. I have to say there was a suspicion of hand-ball for the 2nd goal, but the referee obviously didn't agree with the Ankaragucu defenders or me.

So, Ankaragucu went in at the interval 2 down but could feel aggrieved at the situation after all the chances that were spurned.

Similar to last week's match, it was a different story in the 2nd half with Karabuk enjoying the lion's share of possession and taking advantage of Ankaragucu's defensive frailties.

It only took Karabuk 8 minutes to extend their lead and it was a messy goal. From a Karabuk corner the ball landed in the area with the players playing ping-pong only for one of the Karabuk
player's to make contact and tap it in.

Ankaragucu had a good chance to cut the deficit on 60 minutes, when from good work from Sinan on the right, he decided to shoot when a cut-back was the pass for the incoming attackers. His shot
was well aimed, but well saved by the goalkeeper.

5 minutes later it was 4 when the goalkeeper cleared the ball to the half way line. The Ankaragucu defender slipped as he was about to head clear and the Karabuk attacker had all the time in the world to home-in on goal with a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He committed him, drew him out and slid the ball into the empty goal.

Ankaragucu was tiring now and No5 arrived when Karabuk attackers played a one-two with each other and fired in. This was the signal for Karabuk to play possession and run the game down.

However, there was still time for Ankaragucu to score the Goal of the Match with a few minutes of the match remaining. A cross was swung over and Sinan sent in a bullet of a header which rebounded off the bar. Fortunately, the ball rebounded back to him and he took great delight in sending it in for a great goal.

Let me not take anything away from Karabuk. They were clinical in their finishing and gave Ankaragucu a torrid time in the 2nd half.

Having seen most of the Mickey Mouse Cup matches, I can honestly say that the Ankaragucu Youth Team showed lots of potential for their future. The standard of footie in the 1st half last week against Ordu and today against Karabuk was really encouraging and if they hadn't been so unlucky in front of goal it could so easily have been another story. Hakan Kutlu must be aware of this, and will no doubt be working on it in pre-season training.

So, they travel to Samsun on Sunday for their last match in the Mickey Mouse Cup, and with nothing to lose for both teams it will surely be a high scoring match. I doubt if it will be on TV, but if it is, I will let you know by telephone on Sunday morning.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Barnsy?

You looking for someone to watch the Euro Championships with? You might want to post such a question under this post.

Youth the way forward in Ankara !

http://www.turkish-football.com/news_read.php?id=2841

The above article is a fantastic piece on Genclerbirligi and there youth policy. You really have to admire Ilhan Cavcav and what he has done for the club. A club with a tiny fanbase who year after year produce talent and survive in the Super Lig. Some have had a go at Cavcav of late for selling his top players and showing a lack of ambition, but for me the man has done a wonderful job for Gencler.

Ankaragucu this season have had to rely on there youth players due to the financial problems the clubs have faced this season. All the first team players left apart from Aydin Toscali and Mehmet Cogum. The club have been relegated to the Bank Aysa first division for next season after there worst season in the clubs history.

Its not all doom and gloom though, Ankaragucu under 11 and 12s became champions of there league this season, and the A2 team sit top of there league to. The young players of the first team are also showing signs of improvement. 17 Year old Gokhan Akkan made his debut in goal this season and Bayram Olgun the clubs first team goalkeeper at only 22 looks like he could go on and be a future Turkish International.

Ishak Dogan and Bilal Gulden have represented Turkey under 21s this season and Ishak in particular looks to have a very bright future ahead of him. Hasan Ayaroglu (top picture) and Sinan Kurumus (bottom picture) are two 17 year old strikers who have scored their first goals for the club in recent weeks also look like talented players.

The upcoming congress in a couple of weeks could be one of the biggest in the history of Ankaragucu, the fans will be hoping for some good news and someone who will come in and get the club back up and running. Ankaragucu cant afford to loose any more of there players or they could face relegation next season.

The future is bright within the Ankara academies, even if the problems mount off field.

ANKARAGUCU DROWN IN THE BLACK SEA !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu received another 'spanking' from Ordu on the Black Sea coast today.

Orduspor 2 Ankaragucu 1

Mehmet Tasci gave away an own-goal early on in the 1st half, and that man, Bruno (again) made it 2 just before half time.

Ankaragucu restored some respectability to the score line by scoring through Sinan in the 2nd half.

Ordu is now unbeaten in 4 matches in The Mickey Mouse Cup and with 12 points are clearly favourites to win this group. Ankaragucu has 3 points.

Next up is -

Saturday 5 May - Gencler v Antep
Monday 7 May - Ankaragucu v Karabuk

KO times unkown at the moment.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim