Armed attack on Bestepe Tandogan facility !

Two masked gunmen fired two bullets at the Ankaragucu training facility in Tandogan last night. The motive of the attack is unclear at the moment but it is believed that it is in regards to Mehmet Yiginer and his taxi company as opposed to the team itself.

Luckily no one was hurt and one of the men is believed to be in custody. The attack happened late last night on the back of the clubs 3-0 defeat at Caykur Rizespor. Mehmet Yiginer and the board of directors hit out at the attack saying the club are doing everything they can to survive and they don't need this kind of behaviour.

Caykur Rizespor 3-0 Ankaragucu match report !

Caykur Rizespor sealed their promotion to the Turkish Super Lig today as the 3-0 score almost certainly sent Ankaragucu to Lig 2. After a spirited first 45 minutes where Ankaragucu were arguably the better team, the home side stepped up a gear and showed whey they will be returning to the Turkish  top flight.

Team - Gokhan Akkan, Metin, Gurkan, Volkan, Aytac, Gokhan Erdogan, Mert, Bilal, Serkan, Timur, Teoman

Subs - Bayram, Umut, Bilal Gundogan, Emre, Gulcan, Aykildiz

First of all apologies for this weeks match report, the stream by TRT Anadolu was very poor and kept cutting out or buffering.

10 - Shot from outside the box by Floran Cernat, good save from Gokhan who pushes the ball round the post.

13 - Cross into the back post by Bilal met by the head of Timur who watches the ball go inches past the post with Loria beaten. Ankaragucu should be 1-0 up.

15 - Serkan crosses for Gokhan Erdogan who blasts over the bar, so close again Ankaragucu.

29 - Unbelievable save from Gokhan Akkan, cross into the box falls to Sezer who is 3 yards out, he blasts his shot but Gokhan makes himself look big and makes a world class save.

32 - Half chance for Cernat but he drags his shot wide of the post.

38 - Serkan cross into the box, good header from Teoman but excellent save from Loria.

40 - Chance for Rize but the striker heads inches over.

Half Time - Rize 0-0 Ankaragucu

49 - Mert shoots from distance, his shot deflects off Sezer into the path of Timur but he hits the side netting from a tight angle.

50 - Rize fans clash with the police behind the goal, never a dull moment in Turkish football.

55 - Volkan ball over the top sends Timur through on goal, instead of shooting he tries to hold the ball up for Teoman and the defenders get back and block. Timur should have been selfish and taken the shot himself.

58 - Corner for Rize, but Sezer heads just past the post.

66 - Bilal Gulden free kick pushed over the crossbar by David Loria.

68 - Rize should have had a penalty after Gokhan Akkan brought Cernat down in the box.

69 - Another excellent save from Gokhan Akkan this time from Floran Cernat in the box, what a fantastic talent this young lad is.

71 - Penalty awarded for Rize, Gurkan Alver lets his team mates down with a hand ball in the box, stupid decision from Gurkan. up steps Floran Cernat who sends Gokhan the wrong way to make it 1-0 Rize.

76 - Ball falls to Timur in the box but his shot saved comfortably by Loria.

79 - Floran Cernat makes it 2-0 and what a fantastic goal it was, a counter attack by Rize, the ball found its way to the brilliant Romanian who dances past two challenges before a fantastic finish. 2-0

81 - Cenk Ahmet makes it 3-0 with a brilliant finish and the goal sends Rize back into the Turkish Super Lig after a 5 year absence.

83 - Bilal Gundogdu replaces Mert

85 - Eren Albayrak goes past a couple of challenges and puts a great ball into the box but his team mates puts his shot wide.

85 - Emre Tasdemir replaces Serkan Sirin

90 - Timur puts Teoman through on goal but the later shoots straight at David Loria to sum up Ankaragucu's afternoon.

Final Score - Caykur Rizespor 3-0 Ankaragucu

Other results went against Ankaragucu as well, and it now means Ankaragucu have to win their 2 remaining games and hope every other team above them don't pick up a single point. Well done to Rize who are worthy of the Super Lig. The brilliant Floran Cernat and Cenk Ahmet are the two players i singled out and both are too good for the PTT Lig.

Man of the match - Gokhan Akkan.

Ankaragucu missed the boat with Roman Lewandowski !

Reports from the Turkish Media this week claimed Ankaragucu were close to signing Roman Lewandowski when Umit Ozat was manager of the club. The player was then plying his trade with Polish outfit Lech Poznan back in 2010. He then went onto sign for Bundesliga giant Bourussia Dortmund.

Lewandowski has scored 53 goals in 98 games for Dortmund who are one match away from securing their place in the Champions League final. Indeed it was Lewandowski who scored 4 goals in the 4-1 first leg win over Real Madrid in Dortmund.

The contrast between Ankaragucu and Dortmund couldnt be further apart and for Lewandowski his move to Dortmund has saw his value sore to over £40 Million. It would have been nice to see him in the Yellow of Ankaragucu though. Cenk Tosun was another player the club missed out on after having him on trial.

In other news Caykur Rizespor have banned Ankaragucu fans from travelling to the match for tomorrows huge encounter. Also Konyaspor have made the same decision after the events in Ankara the last time both sides met. Added to that the final home game will be played behind closed doors for the match against Denizlispor. Ankaragucu fans will have to wait until next season to see their team play again.

Ankaragucu vs Caykur Rizespor match preview !

Ankaragucu travel to Rize at the weekend in what will be one of the biggest games in the clubs history. Knowing they have to take 3 points to keep up this dramatic fight against relegation but Rizespor will have their own plans as they are battling it out with Kayseri Erciyes to become champions of the PTT Lig. With only 3 games remaining neither team can afford to drop any points at this late stage. Ankaragucu are on a 3 match winning run while Rizespor are unbeaten in their last 6 games.

The home side lost two of their best players in Ousman Jallow and Uche Kalu who both left the club, according to reports both players were released due to injury. PTT rules state you can only have a maximum of 3 foreign players. Uche Kalu has an agreement to return to the club at the end of the season. But still they have the likes of Hossam Hasan, Cenk Alkilic and the brilliant Romanian Floran Cernat who they signed from Karabukspor in the January transfer window. Rize are a well run club and it will be good to see them back in the Super Lig. But hopefully they have an off day like they did last time the two sides met in Ankara where Ankaragucu won 2-1.

Ankaragucu will have to go into the match without Mehmet Tasci and Kaan Kanak who are both injured. Returning to the squad will be Serkan Sirin, Aytac Oden and Gurkan Alver who all missed out last week. The victory over Bolu keeps the dream alive for Ankaragucu. The likes of Timur Ozgoz and Bilal Gulden have led the team onto victory and will be called upon again this weekend.

One young player who we should give special mention to is Gokhan Akkan, since his return to the team Ankaragucu have won all 3 games. At 18 years old the youngster has a big future ahead of him and Bayram will have to be patient if he wants to get back into the team. Indeed Bayram could have played his last game with the club as he is out of contract at the end of the season.

Ankaragucu will take a big traveling support yet again this weekend and the support has been fantastic this season in terms of their backing and loyalty. Im leaving predictions for just now, but lets hope that on Sunday night we are sitting discussing another Ankaragucu victory. The game will kick off at 1400pm and will be shown live on TRT Web TV.

Ankaragucu 1-0 Boluspor - Ten men Ankaragucu keep survival hopes alive !

Match Highlights !


You have to go back to April 2009 for the last time Ankaragucu won 3 games in a row. That year they were in the Turkish Super Lig and won 3-2 at home to Eskisehirspor, 2-1 away at Fenerbahce and 1-0 at home to Ankaraspor. Barbaros Barut was part of that Ankaragucu team and tonight he was on the side of Boluspor as Ankaragucu repeated that feat.

Before the match started Mehmet Yiginer announced Giant Screens will show the game live outside the 19 Mayis Stadium and the Ankaragucu fans turned up in their numbers with flares, flags, scarfs and horns to cheer the team on. You could hear them from outside the stadium encouraging the Women and Children who were inside the stadium.

Ankaragucu faced an uphill task right from kick off with 4 players missing due to injury and suspension. Aytac Oden, Gurkan Alver, Hasan Ayaroglu, Serkan Sirin would all have to watch the game on TV. In came Metin Aydin and Mert Erdogan who both had the chance to impress.

Team - Gokhan, Orhan, Mehmet, Metin, Volkan, Gokhan Erdogan, Mert Erdogan, Bilal, Kaan, Timur, Teoman

Subs - Bayram, Batuhan Gulcan, Batuhan Aykildiz, Emre, Bilal Gundogdu, Umut Nayir

Ankaragucu took to the field with the white strips that have been pretty lucky for the team this season when they have worn it.

4 - Bolu cross into the box which is headed back across goal by Cansev but Gokhan Akkan calmly collects the ball.

5 - A minute later Ali Gulzeldal is so close to giving Bolu the lead but his shot is sent inches past the post with Gokhan beaten.

10 - Great move from Ankaragucu which results in a free kick on the edge of the box. Up steps Kaan whose shot is brilliantly saved by Eser who tips the ball round the post.

12 - Throw in into the box is laid off by Timur for Teoman who shoots high and wide.

13 - Good move from Bolu which finds Iskander unmarked but he drags his shot wide.

34 - Great chance for Ankaragucu, Excellent move involving Timur and Mert who found Teoman in the box with a fantastic pass, but Teoman put his shot wide of the post when it looked easier to score.

35 - Ali Gulzeldal blasts his free kick well over the crossbar.

41 - Kaan shoots from outside the box but Eser makes a good save and holds onto the ball.

44 - Mistake in the box by Metin as he miss hit his clearance, young Gokhan Akkan is alert and manages to clear the ball.

Half Time - Ankaragucu 0-0 Boluspor

56 - Ankaragucu are reduced to 10 men as Kaan is shown the red card for a challenge on Barbaros Barut. Looks a harsh decision but when your studs are shown it leaves you open to danger.

64 - Emre Tasdemir replaces Teoman

65 - Good move from Boluspor but Cihan Yilmaz shoots wide with his shot deflected for a corner.

66 - Cross into the box headed inches wide of the post by Savas.

73 - Excellent move from Gokhan Erdogan and Timur who took on the whole Boluspor midfield and defence but Eser makes a great save from Timur. So unlucky.

76 - Emre breaks into the box and shoots for Bolu but Gokhan makes a good save.

85 - Mert goes close from distance but his shot saved again by Eser.

86 - Counter attack from Boluspor which ends in a fantastic save from Gokhan Akkan, what a future this kid has.

88 - Nice play again from Bilal and Timur, the later has a chance to shoot but instead tries to square the ball for Emre but the ball is cleared behind for a corner.

89 - Ankaragucu 1-0 Boluspor !! Corner from Bilal Gulden met by the head of Gokhan Erdogan and the ball goes past Eser this time into the top corner. The Ankaragucu team go wild in celebrations, fantastic scenes in Ankara.

90 - Final Whistle, Ankaragucu have done it with 10 men against all odds. What a performance.

Another fantastic performance from this young Ankaragucu team. Mustafa Kaplan was on the pitch with the players and coaches at the end of the match celebrating. What a job this man has done and this young team no matter what happens can hold their heads high and know Ankara is proud of them.

Man of the Match - The whole Ankaragucu team :-)

Fenerbahce's rehearsal before Benfica match goes a bit pear shaped

Genclerbirligi's performance last night was fantastic to watch. They played with skill and urgency and desperation in defence. It was all great stuff but also highlighted what could have been. In the last few weeks Gencler have gone ahead early and then played like rubbish. Last night, they went ahead early and kept on pressing. The result: a famous victory.

Genclerbirligi 2 - 0 Fenerbahce

A couple of lovely drinks in the warm sunshine before an amble stroll off to the stadium. Well, it was a bit cold actually and due to weird transport arrangements the amble stroll was more of a rushed flee. Robin and Erasmus Dan were there as was Mark and me and Little Oz and his mate Tanner. Oguz then came and picked us up but instead of coming to the match himself he left his son Onur with us. And why didn't he come in? A little matter of the 100tl tickets might have had something to do with it. His loss.

Tanner, Little Oz, Onur and Big Oz

We also had kindred spirits in other parts of the stadium with everyone pulling all sorts of scams to get tickets to the biggest match of the year for Genclerbirligi. For Fenerbahce it was probably bigger. They needed to win last night to stay in the hunt for the league title. Mathematically they still have a chance, ie they're stuffed.

In the stadium with plenty of time to spare but still we couldn't get our usual spot. It wasn't too bad though. Off we go and boy the Fener fans were loud. A Sunday night kick-off and they still manage to completely fill the Saatli stand, and then some of gecekondu and then some, not that many really, were as always in with us in Maraton.

For them this was going to be a walk in the park. The headlines in some of the paper's and the Lig TV website before the match were "Fener's rehearsal before Benfica match". You can't get much more contemptuous then that.

The Fener fans were loud and we had hardly even had a chant before Azofeifa took a corner, it swung in and bang, Aykut run in, headed it and ... time for us to start shouting and being contemptuous.

Five minutes in and ahead. Wow!

Fenerbahce of course were going to come back. For the next 30 minutes or so it was just wave after wave after wave of attacks. Only thanks to some great work from the backs, Aykut, Ahmet Calik, Cem Can and Tosic as well as some good saves from Ramazan, and I guess some good dollops of lady luck, were we able to keep them out. It would take me forever to describe all the shots and saves and near misses but one in particular stood out. Kuyt smashed it at goal, Ramazan sort of stopped it but it then dribbled under his legs towards the line before he was able to pounce on it, just a few inches away from disaster.

Somehow or other Fener couldn't score and you could sense the frustration rising from not just the Fener fans but from the players as well. ie the perfect time to put the knife in!

Azo on the left gets the ball somewhere near the half-way line; Gencler attackers are running through fast. Azo passes to Tomic on the right who controls the ball near the box, takes just enough time to settle himself and then sends in a perfect cross onto the head of Bjorn. This was brilliant.

So a summary of Gencler's first half
Goal
Defended like hell
Goal

Gencler's goals filmed by one of the fans, or someone. Thanks to Genclerbirligi SK for the video

  Second half and it was all over the place, and I mean that in the best possible way. Fenerbahce of course came at us full on and again our defence was brilliant. This half though the Fener attacks opened up our chances for counter attacking.

There were no goals but it was great football to watch. Left-back Tosic in particular was having a belter of a game. As was Ramazan.
 
The same can't be said for Jimmy Durmaz. He came on for an injured Tomic with about 30 minutes to go and went into the right-wing position. It was exactly when Gencler were making most of their counterattacking moves and Jimmy just wasn't in the groove. His passes were all wrong, open men were being ignored and it was all a bit annoying.

If the scores had been equal or us behind I think the Gencler crowd would have started saying a thing or two but as we were ahead it didn't seem to matter so much. It was thus with great surprise that in the 82nd minute Jimmy was replaced. He wasn't a happy chap, taking off his shirt and going straight to the showers.      

As they watched the league finish for them the Fener fans started the usual abuse and we could only reply by wishing Benfica well on Thursday.

Sunday was one hell of a good night.

Genclerbirligi pull off a big win over Fenerbahce

Genclerbirligi 2 - 0 Fenerbahce

We saw some great football tonight from Genclerbirligi as they destroyed Fenerbahce's chances of winning the league. This wasn't a fluke like our away win over Galatasaray a few weeks ago, this victory was well and truly deserved.

It was good football, great fans, some stupid refereeing (no surprise there) and all up a great night. I'll report on the details tomorrow.

Ankaragucu vs Boluspor match preview !

Ankaragucu host Boluspor in the 19 Mayis stadium on Monday night which will be again be attended by women and children only due to the stadium ban. Ankaragucu go into the game on the back of two successive wins which gives them an outside chance in the battle against relegation. Boluspor themselves haven't given up on a playoff place.


Early team news for the visitors are that former Ankaragucu duo Serdar Kulbilge and Abdulaziz Solmaz are both out, as is Engin Akturk. For Ankaragucu they will have to do without Gurkan Alver who is suspended and it looks like Aytac Oden and Serkan Sirin will be unavailable as well.

The last time both sides met Ankaragucu were the better team in a 1-1 draw in Bolu. Ankaragucu took an early lead through Sinan Kurumus, but the visitors shortly equalised through Ali Guzeldal. Bolu have some good players like Serge Dijehoua who is a powerful striker, Iskander Alin who starred for Istanbul BBS in the Super Lig before being released due to his alleged involvement in match fixing. Ali Guzeldal is their star player and they can also call upon the experienced former Ankaragucu midfielder Barbaros Barut.

A fantastic performance from Ankaragucu last week will give them confidence going into Monday nights match. The team have scored 7 goals in their last two games and are playing with no fear at the moment. Timur Ozgoz was outstanding and when he is on form the team performs better. Again Bilal Gulden will be a key player but the loss of Gurkan Alver will be a blow. Youngsters Umut Nayir, Hasan Ayaroglu and Emre Tasdemir are all chapping at the door for their chance.

If Ankaragucu can take the 3 points it will give them a fantastic chance going into the last 3 games of the season. Mustafa Kaplan has done a great job and was even linked with a move to Genclerbirligi at the end of the season. Kaplan quickly denied that he has had any talks with Ilhan Cavcav about a possible move. There is no doubting that some of the clubs above Ankaragucu will be taking and interest in Kaplan. Lets hope he has a long successful career at Ankaragucu.

Ankaragucu vs Rangers 1973 Nostalji

About 6 months ago i received a message from one of the posters from follow follow asking if i would like a copy of the Rangers vs Ankaragucu programme when both sides met in the Cup Winners Cup at Ibrox in 1973. Just last week i got a message to ask if i could meet the said person to pick the copy up. I met up with Stuart for the first time at Ibrox and was delighted to be given this fantastic gift. Rangers and Ankaragucu have and always will be a big part of my life and for the first time i took the Ankaragucu flag to Ibrox for the game against Clyde as a tribute to both clubs. In this article we will learn of the time when 30,000 Ankaragucu fans gave Rangers a standing ovation in Ankara.

I had a read through the programme at half time and when i went home so i  thought i would share the content with the readers of The Round Ball in Ankara and Follow Follow. The first game was played in Ankara with Rangers winning 2-0.

Ankaragucu Team - Soysal, Mudjin, Aktan, Hotlar, Dilber, Yilmaz, Atacan, Yalcintas, Zafer, Renkilbay, Unal

Rangers - Mcloy, Forsyth, Mathieson, Smith, Jardine, Jackson, Greig, Young, Mclean, Conn, Parlane,

Ziya Taner was coach of Ankaragucu at this point with the famous Jock Wallace manager of Rangers who had won the Cup Winners Cup in 1972.

Ankaragucu were the first Turkish side to play at Ibrox and here is what the programme had to say.

" Rangers welcome Ankaragucu officials and players to Ibrox tonight. The Turkish club were excellent hosts in the first game in Ankara a fortnight ago. They are of course the first Turkish Team to visit Ibrox for a European tie."

" They join the imposing list of clubs from 18 nations who have come to Ibrox since the club first moved into the European scene back in 1956 with a game against Nice from France. Now its the time of the Turks. They come to Glasgow 2-0 down from the first leg and obviously not confident of their prospects. But tonight is another game....another 90 minutes and Rangers realise full and well that it would be foolish to take anything for granted"

" Ankaragucu will be treated with respect but Rangers will be out to add a few more goals to the tally as quickly as possible. Tonight is the clubs 85th European game.

Meet the pride of Ankara, here we take a look at what the Rangers programme had to say about the Ankaragucu team.

" Ankaragucu are the only First Division team in the Turkish Capital now that their two city rivals Skerspor and P.T.T have been relegated to the Second Division. This gives Gucu the support of the entire city for the European games and big league games. The club founded in 1910 is run and financed by a large mechanical and chemical company.They were relegated in 1968 but came bouncing back and have stayed their ever since. Ankaragucu play in Blue and Yellow. "

" Two years ago they won the Turkish Cup final and last season reached the final but lost 4-2 on aggregate against Galatasaray over the two games. Ziya Taner is the Ankaragucu coach who has been with them for three years and is very popular. His assistant is Candan Dumanli who was a player with the club up till three years ago. The Gucu usually finish fourth or fifth in the league. Some of the Ankaragucu players who will be on show tonight are."

Soysal Baskin - He is a 32 year old Goalkeeper and has 2 caps at International level for Turkey. He has been with Ankaragucu for 4 years.

Erman Toroglu - 24 year old full back who has been capped twice for the International team.

Remzi Hotlar - full back has been with the club for 4 years.

Ismail Dilber - Giant sweeper who is a great club man but not played at International level yet

Mujdat Yalman - One of the most experienced men in the side who has over 17 caps in 5 years with the club.

Mehmet Aktan - another internationalist

Zafer Gonculer - been with the club 3 years winning 11 honours

Selcun Yacintas - forward who has been with the Gucu for 12 years and picked up 35 caps making him the teams number 1 internationalist.

Melih Atacan - is just 21 and one of the youngest players with the team but still won six caps.

Ali Osman - one of Turkeys top men, he was bought from Adanaspor in a bid to step up the Gucu goal rate. A big name Internationalist with 14 caps.

Light blues sizzled in the Heat !

Attendance in Ankara - 30,000

" Strike first - thats the classic answer to the problem of tackling virtually an unknown team in conditions which are awkward and demanding. And thats just what Rangers did in the first meeting in Ankara a fortnight ago. The Turks were practically unknown as far as the light blues were concerned with only a report from scout Doug Houston on which to base tactics. There was the knowledge of course that last season Ankaragucu gave Leeds a real fight going out 2-1 on aggregate."

" And the conditions to say the least were testing, a hard rutted pitch, a light ball and blazing heat with the kick off advanced unexpectedly by several hours to the hottest part of the afternoon. But despite all this, plus the absence of key players Derek Johnstone because of injury and Alex McDonald due to suspension the Ibrox side took control from the start."

" Even a first minute tackle which laid low Alfie Conn meant him going off for treatment for several minutes didn't upset the light blues who kept the cool all the way. And it was in a way only justice that Alfie Conn returned to put the Ibrox men in the lead in the 11th minute. Alfie was on spot to ram the ball home from close range after defender Ismail miss kicked a Quentin Young cross."

" The Turks came onto a game for 10 minutes in the second half and it was Peter McCloy in goal who turned on the style aided by skipper John Greig and Colin Jackson who did a great job. Then came the clincher, and a goal which was pure Turkish Delight for Rangers. Wee Tommy McLean picked the ball up deep, moved past a couple of defenders, worked a 1-2 movement with Derek Parlane then beat two more defenders before slamming a left foot shot into the net."

" Even the Partisan Ankaragucu fans were on their feet cheering that one. That brilliant goal deflated Ankaragucu and Rangers weren't troubled after that. The 30,000 capacity crowd was the second highest in Europe that night. Which just proves even in Turkey, Rangers are a big attraction."

What the papers in Scotland said after Rangers win in Ankara !

" Rangers returned to European competition after over a years absence and looked as if they were never away. They had far too much experience, technique and power for the Ankaragucu squad and their trip into the next round is assured." GEORGE AITKEN GLASGOW EVENING CITIZEN.

" In the end they had the exhausted Turks run off their feet, Quinten Young had a superb night in his first European game for Rangers. Smith was cool and coaxing which captain Greig, Forsyth and Mathieson were excellent. But my lasting memory in the Turkish Capital will be the moment of McLeans goal. One that put his name in banner headlines in Turkish Papers." JAMES SANDERSON SCOTTISH EXPRESS.

Rangers went onto win the second leg 4-0 at Ibrox, no disgrace for Ankaragucu who had won new friends and even to this day you can see the Ankaragucu pennant handing on the wall of the Ibrox trophy room.

Ankaragucu 4-2 Samsunspor match report !

Ankaragucu took all 3 points today in a 6 goal thriller at Samsunspor. The victory makes it back to back wins for Ankaragucu for the first time since April 2011 when they won  5-3 at home to Bucaspor and a 4-1 win at Istanbul BBS in the Turkish Super Lig. The win today now gives Ankaragucu an outside chance of staying in the PTT Lig.

Timur Bayram Ozgoz was the hero of the day with a sensational hat trick and 1 assist for substitute Umut Nayir to give the big traveling support a memorable day. The Ankaragucu fans were on their best behaviour today as both sets of fans sang each others songs. Indeed Samsunspor fans even gave the Ankaragucu players a standing ovation as they walked off the field at the end of the match.

Damon mentioned that some Ankaragucu fans were locked outside the stadium as too many fans travelled to the match and their were no more seats available. An incredible show of loyalty again by the Ankaragucu fans. Its just a shame the fans cant show the same support at home due to the stadium ban.

Team - Gokhan, Orhan, Mehmet, Gurkan, Volkan, Aytac, Bilal, Kaan, Serkan, Timur, Teoman

Subs - Cihan, Hasan, Umut Nayir, Ahmet, Emre, Mert, Bilal

2 - It was Ankaragucu who had the first chance of the match, Orhan crossed the ball into the box for Serkan who fired well wide of the post.

6 - With their first attack of the game Samsunspor took the lead, A long ball was flicked on by Roberts for Nikolai Dimitrov who slotted the ball past Gokhan Akkan who had no chance. Mehmet Tasci will be disappointed with his defending for the goal.

8 - Ankaragucu didnt let their heads drop and Serkan saw his shot from inside the box tipped round the post by Soner Sahin.

10 - Ankaragucu were playing good football and a nice move involving Timur, Serkan and Teoman saw Timur blast over the crossbar. Me and Damon at this point were confident Ankaragucu would still win the game.

21 - Ankaragucu were almost back on level terms, a lovely cross from Serkan found its way to Teoman who saw his headed effort saved by Soner from a few yards out.

23 - Abdulkadir laid the ball off to Darryl Roberts who blasted his shot hight and wide.

24 - Kaan shoots from outside the box buy his shot easily held by Soner.

31 - Nice play from Serkan whose shot from just outside the box is tipped round the post by Soner for an Ankaragucu corner.

31 - From the resulting corner Timur rose above the Samsunspor defence and headed the ball into the top corner. 1-1, It was no less than Ankaragucu deserved.

41 - Ankaragucu took the lead and what a goal it was, lovely play from Kaan who played the ball down the right hand side for Orhan, his cross into the box was volleyed into the top corner by Timur Ozgoz who made it 2-1 Ankaragucu. A goal that Barcelona and Messi would have been proud of.

45 - Just before half time Nikolai Dimitrov crossed the ball into the box for Darryl Roberts who headed the ball beyond Gokhan Akkan to make it 2-2. Poor marking by the Ankaragucu defenders.

Half Time - Samsunspor 2-2 Ankaragucu

59 - Nice play from Timur who crossed for Bilal but his shot was blocked by the Samsunspor defence.

67 - Darrly Roberts shoots from 25 yards but his shot is straight at Gokhan Akkan.

72 - Hasan Ayaroglu replaces Mehmet Tasci

80 - Timur Ozgoz scores his hat trick ! Excellent play again from Orhan down the right hand side, his low cross into the box is sent into the back of the net by the brilliant Timur who runs to the Ankaragucu fans to celebrate. 3-2

85 - Excellent save from Gokhan Akkan who tips the ball over the crossbar from a Darrly Roberts header.

87 - Gokhan Akkan saves easily from Fatih Sen free kick

87 - Umut Nayir replaces Teoman

88 - Musa Aydin fires inches wide from about 30 yards out

89 - Ankaragucu seal the three points with another fantastic goal, excellent play from Timur who chips the ball into Umut Nayir who chests the ball down before a lovely volley past Soner Sahin for his first ever Ankaragucu goal. The young striker runs to the Ankaragucu fans and celebrates in style. 4-2

90 - Darry Roberts watches his headed effort go straight into the hands of 18 year old Ankaragucu goalkeeper Gokhan Akkan.

90 - Emre Tasdemir replaces Kaan Kanak

Full Time - Ankaragucu 4-2 Samsunspor

Man of the Match - Timur Bayram Ozgoz

A fantastic performance from Ankaragucu who really look a difference team in the second half of the season. Mustafa Kaplan has done a fantastic job and if he can keep this young team together then next season will be successful no matter what division we are in. The team as a who were excellent today, Orhan Evci had one of his best games, but the man of the match Timur Ozgoz was sensational. Timur works so hard for the team and today he got his reward.

So 6 points from 2 games and Ankaragucu are right back in it. Next up is Boluspor a week on Monday, lets take one game at a time but if we play the way we have the last two games then there is a great chance of making it 3 wins in a row.


Highlights of todays game !

Yet another draw for Genclerbirligi

Six weeks undefeated for Genclerbirligi. Not too bad but four of those were draws - all of which we should have won. In the last three matches we have taken an earlier lead and then sat on it, only to see the opposition come back and score.

Sivasspor 1 - 1 Genclerbirligi

Friday night and head down to the Beer Bus to find out who is in the team this week. Upon entering it was pretty clear that Jimmy Durmaz wasn't going to be playing because he was there in the pub.

Nice fellow Jimmy. His old man is from Mardin and his mother from Lebanon. He was born in Sweden and has played for the national team.

Cengiz, Jimmy and Oz Kanka pre-match. Photo by Ural Nadir

The review of the match is going to be short. Mainly because it was so frustrating at the time and now is frustrating writing about it.

Gencler came out on the attack and was clear withing minutes that we were the better side. The first goal came with 15 minutes on the clock when Azo sent a nice ball to Tosic at the side of the box. Tosic cut it back for Zec who blasted it in.

Cheers at the Beer Bus and it was looking like Gencler were going to extend the lead; a bit different to the last few weeks where we hardly had a shot after taking the lead.

Shots were saved and our players were at least looking like they could score.

Then deep into the second half and I guess they started top think about defending the 1-0 rather than push for a second.

It was clear from the groans of all those at the Beer Bus that this was dangerous. According to Jimmy the problem has been recently that the back four have been playing too far back, (forcing the midfield to retreat as well).

Sivas started to look more and more likely to score. Then disaster. Sivas had the ball outside of the box near the corner and sent in a high cross/shot. It was going to go out but Ramazan jumped high to his left and just got a hand on it deflecting the ball just a touch... onto the post and in. An own goal.

Arrgghhh

So another draw. We should be battling for a European place at the moment, instead we sit firmly in the middle of the table.

   

Ankaragucu vs Samsunspor match preview !

Ankaragucu travel to Samsunspor on Sunday in another match where both teams are fighting for survival. For Samsun there is a bit more light at the end of the tunnel, but the victory for Ankaragucu over Goztepe last week will have given the team some confidence going into the match. Mustafa Kaplan spoke this week saying the team will fight right to the very end to stay in the league.

The game ended 1-1 in Ankara the last time the two sides met with Teoman scoring for Ankaragucu. Samsun have been on decent form the last few months with victories over the likes of Manisaspor and Karsiyaka. However they did suffer a set back last weekend with a defeat at Sanliurfaspor.

Abdulkadir Ozgen will be the player to watch out for with the striker scoring 8 goals in 10 games for Samsunspor. Ankaragucu will have to do without Enes kubat who is out injured for a couple of weeks and Gokhan Erdogan who is suspended. Gokhan Akkan will continue in goal and Mert Erdogan should be available for selection again.

Like the game at home to Goztepe last week, Ankaragucu need to show the same attitude. They need to go into the match and enjoy themselves without any pressure. There is no doubting the talent of some of the young players in the Ankaragucu squad, they just lack the experience. Hasan Ayaroglu impressed when he came on last week and could find himself in the starting line up due to the suspension of Gokhan Erdogan.

The game will be shown live on TRT Web TV on Sunday afternoon at 2pm Turkish Time. Tune into the Blog for all the latest news.

All a bit "meh" from Genclerbirligi

Thanks to internet connection problems, changing internet lines etc. etc. and a general air of "meh", I didn't get around to reporting on last week's 1-1 away draw against Elazigspor. Don't worry though because this week's commentary could easily deal with both matches.

Genclerbirligi 2 - 2 Gaziantepspor

The weather is fantastic in Ankara. It is lovely and warm and bright and all things nice. An early Sunday afternoon in the sun at the Beer Bus... what more can you want from life?

Yes, what you need is Flying Dutchman Kanka Carlo, the Oxford Dictionary definition of a fair weather fan.

And there he was, Carlo in all of his beardy wonderfulness. Good ole' @spinesideburn joined us and despite the fact that it was barely Sunday we got a few beers in.

At the stadium and the general ineptness that is the Genclerbirligi organisation (and quite frankly football organisation in Turkey generally) meant that we didn't get in before the kick-off.

Not the best seats in the world but it didn't take long before we were up and screaming in delight.

Hursut took a freekick on the far side (all television coverage may be from the Protocol side but for me, true football is from the Maraton perspective!!!). It was perfectly weighted and Jimmy came through, headed, and in...... GOAL.

One-nil up after only six minutes or so.

It was a load of shite after that.

"Mmm," ask Flying Dutchman and @Spinesideburn.

This is where the replay from last week kicks in. We go one up and then we do.... nothing! We were still in total control but yet our players couldn't be bothered to do anything. For ages this was the most annoying football ever. Bloody well run you lazy buggers! 1-0 is never going to be enough.

Half time and I wasn't feeling confident. We can take the lead but we have no idea of what to do afterwards. We were still dominating possession but we were so bloody slow. No one was coming forward at any speed. It was absolute crap and Fuat Capa really needs to take a long look in the mirror.

No surprise then when Antep got an equaliser. 1-1.

Magically Genclerbirligi then started playing some proper football. Why couldn't they have played like this after our first goal!

So we get the lead back after Azo had a shot, saved by the keeper, but then the scraps were cleaned up by Bjorn. 2-1.

And then Gencler went back to bloody sitting on their collective arse like some demented, but delighted, clown... or something.... I can't think properly I've had a few drinks. But the difference is that I'm TRYING to think up something, and that is ten times more than what Gencler were doing today!

This was truly embarrassing for us fans as it was as it was obvious Antep were going to come back... not through much skill of their own but due to our absolute refusal to put the game beyond doubt.

And... er... they got it. 2-2

Oh look! Genclerbirligi started playing again. With 15 minutes left on the clock we started attacking again. Our midfielders started moving forward a bit. We had chances. Admittedly there was, for some unknown reason, a reluctance to send the ball right to Serkan, but the fact was that we were attacking. We were looking good! Didn't make it in the end but the following questions must be asked:

Why the fuck weren't we doing this after our first goal?

Why the fuck weren't we doing this after our second goal?

In the end it was all too predictable.

Oh, well. No one can stop us from coming ninth!

Ankaragucu 3--1 Goztepe

Here are the lineups:
Ankaragücü:  Gökhan Akkan, Bilal, Enes, Aytaç, Mehmet Taşçı, Gürkan, Timur, Volkan, Orhan, Kaan, Gökhan

Göztepe: Ferhat, Ramazan, Orhan, Hakan / Fatih, Theo Weeks, Ali Bilgin, Ergin, Şaban.

Again a beautiful sunny day. They are saying 22 degrees. Looks even warmer than that though. Hoping this one goes our way, but after so much disappoint this season, I'm not getting my hopes up. 

22: GoooooooooooooooL!!!!  Ankaragucu 1--0 Goztepe
      Kaan scores in what is a really clumsy looking goal but of course we'll take it. Timur came down the right wing chips it into the box. Kaan tries to head it, misses, but the ball lands behind him and he backheels it into the goal. Hard to tell if it was deliberate or whether he just got lucky. 

25: GoooooooooooooooL!!!! Ankaragucu 2--0 Goztepe
      This time it is Enes' turn. Timur crosses from the right to Enes right in front of the goal.
      Enes isn't able to get control immediately pirouettes and shoots. The two or three
     defenders and the keeper are unable to stop it. 

35: Goztepe free kick from quite a ways out. Enters the box but it is sent over the goal. No real danger.

37: We've been looking good all match. Nice passing, smooth protection of the ball, and solid defense apart from an early slip up that let Engin go one-on-one with Gökhan. Fortunately, he chipped it wide.

39: Nice save by Gökhan

41: Quite the goal mouth melee. We nearly made it 3-0 before Kaan shot over. AG fans on facebook are blaming Kaan for being a ball hog.

42: Dangerous play on the part of Aytaç. The boot to the Goztepe player's face earns Aytaç a yellow. Our second of the match.

45+1: Weeks shoots long range the ball comes off the crossbar and onto the ground right in front of the line. We got really lucky on that one. 

Well that's it for the first half. Ankaragucu 2--0 Goztepe 

Sure would be nice to be there. 

49: Timur nearly puts us three up but shoots just a tad wide. Should have buried that one.

53: We need to be careful. We are starting to get sloppy. Definitely can't afford to give these three points away. 

55: Very sloppy.

59: Goztepe substitution: Tum on for Saban. 

59: Goztepe Gol. Didn't take Tum long. I knew our sloppiness was going to catch up with us. 

                                                   Ankaragucu 2--1 Goztepe 

61: Goztepe nearly equalized. Good defense by the post. 

63: Wonderful opportunity again. Enes and Timur running towards the goal with defenders in their wake. Keeper Ferhat in front of Enes, so he passes to Timur, but he isn't able to get the shot off before the defenders arrive.

70: Goztepe substitution: Kazım on for Ferhat. 


73: Teams looking more evenly matched than they were in the first half. We really need to put another one away as an insurance policy. 

Not good I seem to have lost the stream. Hopefully I can get it back before I miss something important. 

81: Tum gets a yellow for unsportsmanlike behavior. 

82: Timur gets a great opportunity but puts it over. C'mon one more Timur, and you are man of the match with your two assists.

83: Another opporunity but Bilal slips before Gokhan's pass can reach him. 

86: Gokhan handles a Tum shot on goal with little problem. 

88: Girls chanting for the management to resign. Tum looking dangerous.

89: Goooolllllllllllllll. Teoman receives a lovely pass from Hasan Ayaroglu ( who must have come in when the stream was down) while unmarked in front of the Goztepe goal, and does not falter. 

                                              Ankaragucu 3--1 Goztepe

90+: We are looking dominant in the dying minutes of this game. 

And that's it. Three well earned points for Ankaragucu. Girls dancing misket. This is Ankara! :)

Mustafa Kaplan has the team line up and take a bow before the fans. Good stuff. Now the team is dancing in the middle of the pitch. 

Can you guys in Samsun hear the partying going on? If not, don't worry, we are bringing it to you next week. Brace yourselves. 

Ankaragucu vs Goztepe match preview !

Ankaragucu will host Goztepe at the 19 Mayis Stadium in Ankara tomorrow afternoon. The game will be played in front of women and children only due to the stadium ban. After last weeks disappointing result at Tavsanli, the home side will be looking to restore some pride for the rest of the season. The team prepared for the match today at Bestepe training facility and also celebrated Gokhan Erdogans 22nd Birthday.

Goztepe are also involved in the relegation fight but 3 wins in their last 3 games see them lie 1 point clear of the bottom three teams. Their star player is Ali Kucik and they also have 3 former Ankaragucu players in Theo Weeks, Gokhan Emreciksin and Ergin Keles who has scored 4 goals in 8 games. They can also call upon the experienced Herve Tum and Ali Biligin. Portuguese midfielder Paulinho also looks a dangerous player since his move from Cluj in Romania.

Ankaragucu will hope to call upon Mert Erdogan who missed the last game due to illness. Some of the teams key players have not been at their best of late and will be looking to up their game. The remaining games should be about preparing for next season, players such as Gokhan Akkan, Hasan Ayaroglu and Emre Tasdemir should be given their chance. If Ankaragucu can keep the majority of the squad then there is no reason why they cant challenge for the Lig 2 title.

President Yiginer today spoke of his disappointment at the clubs further 3 match ban and 80,000 TL fine due to the crowd trouble in Tavsanli. The club has paid over 2 Million Lira in fines due to the behaviour of the fans. I urge any Ankaragucu fan reading this to please behave and cut this sort of thing out. We understand the frustration and we all support you in your protest against the people who have caused damage to the club. But have a look and tell me what these crowd disturbances have done other than leave the club with more debt ?

Ankaragucu handed further 3 match stadium ban !

The Turkish FA today handed Ankaragucu a further 3 match stadium ban and 80,000 Turkish Lira fine due to the crowd trouble at Tavsanli last weekend. Ankaragucu fans threw smoke bombs which hit Mehmet Tasci (pictured above). Smoke bombs were also thrown at police during and after the match. I spoke to Ankaragucu fans who were at the match and they said they are protesting against the government.

I understand the frustrations of the Ankaragucu fans, but as Jim mentioned previously if they are going to vent their anger then they must take it out on the ones who have hurt Ankaragucu. These stadium bans and fines are only hurting the club who are already crippled with debt. By the time the ban is complete Ankaragucu will have served an 11 match stadium ban. The club will now play their first 2 league games of next season in an empty stadium.

In other news today, President Mehmet Yiginer travelled to South African to discuss outstanding payments with former Ankaragucu player Calvin Sosibo. The South African winger signed for the club in 2009 but only played 2 games for the club. Mehmet Yiginer has been busy the last couple of months negotiating with former players over owed wages.

Gokhan Akkan signs new 3 year contract !

Ankaragucu facebook page today confirmed that 18 year old Gokhan Akkan has signed a new 3 year contract with the club. Gokhan is highly rated and has represented Turkey at youth International level. He started the season for Ankaragucu in goal due to the injury of Bayram Olgun. Many sections of the Ankaragucu support are calling for Gokhan to be recalled into the starting line up in place of Bayram whose form has been poor of late.

Its a huge boost for Ankaragucu with the youngster set to be the clubs first choice goalkeeper for a good few years to come. Bayram is out of contract at the end of the season and is likely to have offers from Super Lig and PTT Lig clubs.

In other news today, Ankaraspor are set to return to the Super Lig next season. They were kicked out of Turkish football 3 years ago due to the Gokceks involvement in both Ankaragucu and Ankaraspor. The club who have Ahmet Gokcek listed as a professional player are set to return after the courts granted their appeal. Its unclear weather there will be 19 or 20 teams in the Turkish Super Lig next season. More to follow....