Thank You and Goodbye Mustafa Kaplan !

Mustafa Kaplan today left the club due to mutual consent after a meeting with President Mehmet Yiginer. Both parties agreed it would be best of Kaplan moved on although no reasons were given. Kaplan said "After discussions with Mr Yiginer we mutually agreed that i would move on, Ankaragucu is my home and although i was coach at the clubs worst period we won many admirers. I hope Ankaragucu in 3-4 years can return to the Super Lig".

After replacing Yilmaz Ozlem last season as coach, Kaplan won over the fans and players with his style of football and passion from the touch line. He won the respect of the players and it will be a key factor as to weather the remaining players will now stay at the club. Im sure Mr Kaplan wont be out of work for too long as he already caught the eye of Super Lig teams.

As to who will replace Kaplan, there are two names being mentioned. Former Ankaragucu player and coach Hayati Soldas and former Boluspor coach Serhat Guller. We will keep you updated as soon as we have more news. The club will also hand trials to 750 young footballers born between 1996-2000 over the coming weeks. With the current transfer ban still not lifted the club will push on and look at bringing through young players.

In the mean time we at The Round Ball in Ankara would like to thank Mustafa Kaplan for all his hard work and commitment and hopefully one day in better circumstances we will see him back as coach.

Antalyaspor in treble Ankaragucu swoop !

According to reports from various media sources Antalyaspor have made a triple swoop for Ankaragucu trio Enes Kubat, Bayram Olgun and Timur Ozgoz. Its believed that Enes has agreed a move whilst Bayram has an offer but no decision has been made.

Timur is also believed to have a contract offer but again no decision has been made. Enes who is 19 years old has been on the first team fringes for the last two season. He broke into the team half way through this season scoring 2 goals. The youngster impressed with his pace and work rate.

More news to follow....

Bayram Olgun has offers on the table !

Twenty Three years old is considered young for most clubs, but for Ankaragucu Bayram Olgun is considered one of the clubs experienced players. Having played for the club for 8 years and having also come through the youth academy, Bayram claimed today that he has offers from many clubs.

The former Turkish U21 international said that he has remained loyal to the club despite not being paid and will sit down with the management team to discuss his future. After a disappointing campaign this season where Bayram lost his position in the team to Gokhan Akkan he might see his future elsewhere.

More to follow.....

Melih Gokcek looking to create a new Ankaragucu ?

It should have been the start of something big in 2009 when Ahmet Gokcek became Ankaragucu president, along with his Father and Mayor of Ankara Melih Gokcek they promised to make Ankaragucu champions of Turkey. The Ankaragucu tribunes were divided in their support of the Gokceks. Some believed he was trouble after having previous bad experiences with the club, and many supported him mainly due to his wealth. Cemal Aydin paved the way for the Gokceks to take over and in the beginning they made a good start.

The club moved to one of the worlds greatest training complexes in the outskirts of Ankara, quality players such as Geremi, Jerome Rothen, Robert Vittek, Stanislav Sestak and Marek Sapara were brought in. In came former French national team manager Roger Lemerre who would be successful in steering the club clear of relegation. Darius Vassell even commented that things were more professional when the Gokceks came in.

There was no doubting the Gokceks power and influence on the team, they claimed they spent £35 Million on building a new team for Ankaragucu. The fans were happy and the club were slowly starting to take notice. Wins against Istanbul giants Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and against rivals Eskisehirspor started to get the attention of the media who began to talk about a possible challenge from the Ankara club.

The fairly tale didn't last long, as Cemal Aydin had a sudden change of heart and reported the Gokceks to the Turkish courts and TFA claiming an illegal takeover. The Gokceks were also found guilty of having interests in two Turkish Super Lig teams as Melih was chairman of Ankaraspor. The later were punished and expelled from all Turkish competitions (nearly 2 years later they won a court case for their reinstatement back in Turkish football which will go ahead this coming season). The courts also ordered the Gokceks to leave Ankaragucu after their takeover was made null and void.

More embarrassment was brought upon the club when strikers Gustav Bebbe and Darius Vassell were kicked out the Crown Plaza Hotel due to the club not paying the bills. When the Gokceks left Cemal Aydin stopped funding the club, meaning players and staff weren't paid. As the months went by players terminated their contracts due to unpaid wages. These the same players that the club paid big money only a few months before. The club received no money for the players leaving but were left will all the outstanding payments for the transfer fees agreed to their former clubs.

Their was unrest between fan groups as Anti X stopped going to the games and support the Gokceks, while the Gecekondu who supported Cemal Aydin remained loyal. The club saw so many new presidents come and go, some reported to have taken money from the club. Supporter behaviour became a problem as the club were faced with so many stadium bans due to crowd trouble.

Above is just a brief summary of what has went on in the last couple of years. You could write a 200 page book and not cover everything that has went on. Where we are today is what is really important. Mehmet Yiginer a friend of Melih Gokcek is now president of the club. Many question are being asked and the coming weeks are so important as the club fights for its near 104 year survival.

There are reports that Melih Gokcek wants to create a new Ankaragucu, this has been reported for the last 12 months. His club Ankaraspor will return to either the Super Lig or PTT Lig next season. It is reported that he wants to change the name of Ankaraspor to Ankaragucu A.S. It is believed half of the support including Anti X will follow the new created team. This team will just be Ankaraspor with all their history only with a changed name, how any self confessing Ankaragucu supporter can follow them is beyond belief.

The other half of the fans want to remain with MKE Ankaragucu no matter what league they are in and that is where my loyalties and any other Ankaragucu fan should remain. Only this week it was revealed that the new stadium of Ankara will be built on the outskirts of Ankara much to the disgust of Ankaragucu and Genclerbirligi management and supporters. They wanted to remain in the Genclik Park area where the current 19 Mayis Stadium is located.

According to sources, Ankara sports minister Suat Kilic and the Ankara football clubs wanted to remain in the current location but Mayor of Ankara Melih Gokcek ordered the stadium to be built at old Eskisehir road. Why ?? He wants to knock down the 19 Mayis stadium and build on the land which he has wanted for a long time. Questions need to be asked, what has the motives been in the last couple of years for the Gokceks ? He has destroyed a 104 year old institution and community, he has also done the same with 2 other clubs in the past.

The only way the Gokceks can find any support from the hardcore Ankaragucu fans is to help the current MKE Ankaragucu and keep its history. Anything else is unacceptable. One thing is for sure, you cant trust a Gokcek.

Adana Demirspor sign Mert Erdogan !

Ankaragucu captain Mert Erdogan today agreed a 2 year contract with Adana Demirspor according to reports from Ankaragucu facebook page. The 24 year old will move on a free transfer due to his contract expiring. Mert came through the Ankaragucu youth academy and has been a first team regular the last 2 seasons. Adana Demirspor lost in the play offs to Manisaspor and will be looking for another promotion challenge this coming season.

With Bilal Gulden having already left, Mert is the second confirmed departure of the summer, with Enes Kubat, Kaan Kanak and Timur all set to leave in the coming days. In other news Atilla Suslu has resigned from the club and will make an announcement over the reasons in the next couple of days.

President Mehmet Yiginer today confirmed the club need to find 12 Million Turkish Lira to lift the current transfer ban, but 2 Million Lira will lift the ban temporarily. More to follow.....

Transfer ban will not be lifted at Ankaragucu !

According to reports tonight, Mehmet Yiginer has confirmed the club will not look to lift the transfer ban and will continue the struggle with the young players. In the next coming days there will be resignations of board members as well as a host of players leaving.

Two players certain to leave are Kaan Kanak who is in talks with Bursaspor and Enes Kubat who is in talks with Antalyaspor. Their will be another congress held in June with Hikmet Hancioglu talking about running for president.

In other news Suat Kilic today confirmed the new stadium of Ankara will hold 41,000 people, at this moment in time it remains to be seen if Ankaragucu will be still around when it opens.

More set to leave Ankaragucu !

With Bilal Gulden having already left the club for Kayserispor, more players and staff were today the subject of moves to Super Lig clubs. Ankaragucu coach Mustafa Kaplan is believed to have held talks with Elazigspor after the resignation of Yilmaz Vural. After impressing at Ankaragucu this season Kaplan has won many admirers with Genclerbirligi also linked before they made a move for Metin Dyadin.

Antalyaspor who lost out on Bilal to Kayserispor are also believed to be trying to negotiate with Enes Kubat. The young forward impressed in the handful of games he played last season and will certainly want to play at a higher level.

Kaan kanak, Serkan Sirin, Mehmet Tasci, Orhan Evci and Mert Erdogan could all leave on free transfers due to non payment of wages, while Bayram Olgun, Enes Kubat, Timur Ozguz and Gokhan Erdogan have 9 days left on their contracts.

Things look very bad for Ankaragucu with the club still owing money for the transfers of Drago Gabric and Stefan Senekey. Mehmet Yiginer and Melih Gokcek have been discussing the future of the club of late and many fans believe they will try and create a new Ankaragucu with some of the fans following them.

Ankaragucu today also gave handed professional contracts to 8 youth team players as they plan on dealing with a number of outgoing players. Congratulations to the following !

Turgut Kirveli  19 year old (Goalkeeper)
Harun Aydin 19 year old (Midfielder)
Habil Kilinc 20 year old (Striker)
Mustafa Fehmi Arslan 20 year old  (Midfielder)
Dogukan Ozmen 19 year old (Defender)
Samil Yagci 19 year old (Defender)
Bahadir Can 19 year old (Defender)
Utku Aygun 20 year old (Midfielder)

Bilal Gulden signs for Kayserispor !

Ankaragucu youngster Bilal Gulden has today agreed a 4 year deal with Turkish Super Lig side Kayserispor. Bilal was expected to sign for Antalyaspor but Kayseri have come in at the last minute to snatch the 20 year old from under their noses. Bilal was out of contract but the club will receive a small amount of compensation due to him being under the age of 21.

The German born midfielder caught the eye of Super Lig teams after a string of excellent performances in the second half of the season. Kayserispor are known for giving young players a chance and it is a good move for Bilal who will look to hold his own against some of the best players in the Turkish Super Lig.

The Round Ball in Ankara would like to wish Bilal all the best with his move to Kayserispor and thank him for all his efforts at Ankaragucu.

Ankaragucu end of season team report !

Another turbulent season for Ankaragucu as they were relegated to the Turkish Lig 2 making it two successive relegations. The new management team lead by Mehmet Yiginer failed to lift the transfer ban meaning the club had to rely on the youth team again. The club started the season with Yilmaz Ozlem as Manager but his spell at the club didn't last long as he was soon replaced with Mustafa Kaplan.

Ankaragucu were favourites from the start of the season for relegation, but credit to the young players who kept the clubs hopes alive right up until the second last week of the season. We take a look now at the players ratings as to how their season went.

Bayram Olgun - 6/10 One of the clubs more experience players, will be disappointed with how his season went. Struggled with injury and made to many costly errors. Was dropped as number 1 and replaced with 18 year old Gokhan Akkan. Out of contract and may see his future lie elsewhere.

Gokhan Akkan - 8/10 What a fantastic season for the youngster who now finds himself as the clubs first choice Goalkeeper. Has also been called up to Turkish youth international side. Excellent shot stopper who has a big future ahead of him. Needs to work on dealing with crosses into the box, but overall an exciting career ahead for the youngster.

Metin Aydin - 5/10 Big things were expected from Metin after representing Turkey at youth international level. Was unable to break into the team until the last couple of weeks of the season. Reports are that he isn't physical enough to play at the top level.

Emre Tasdemir - 5/10 Another youngster tipped for a bright future. Signed a pro contract in the second half of the season. Super Lig sides Galatasaray, Bursaspor and Trabzonspor have all been linked with a move for the youngster. Didnt get much game time but certain to be a started and key player in the coming season.

Volkan Geyik - 7/10 - Has improved as the months went by after a shaky start to his Ankaragucu career. After the departure of Umit kurt he became the clubs number 1 choice at centre back. Still has a lot to work on in his game like concentration but still young and learning.

Gurkan Alver - 7/10 - Broke into the team and named captain in the second half of the season. After some horror showings, Gurkan grew in confidence and became an important player for the club with his leadership skills at the back. Sometimes played in midfield his best position seems to be at the back though.

Mehmet Tasci - 6/10 Struggled in the beginning at the back and also with his distribution. Much improved second half of the season and was very consistent. He will look to build on this going into next season.

Orhan Evci - 5/10 Came good at the end of the season, but gave away to many goals in the first half of the season with some disciplinary problems as well. Still unsure of his best position, played mostly at right back but questions over his defensive ability.

Aytac Oden - 6/10 Mr consistent of the Ankaragucu side. Looked like the weak link when he first came into the side, but improved and never let the side down. Never excellent, never poor, just a consistent performer.

Bilal Gulden - 8/10 struggled in the first few months of the season. Most improved player who drove the side on from midfield with his power and fitness. Good technically as well. Out of contract and in talks with Antalyaspor and kayserispor at the moment.

Kaan Kanak - 7/10 Arguably the most gifted player in the Ankaragucu squad. Technically excellent with a fantastic left foot. Scored some good goals and always a danger at free kicks. Needs to improve his fitness levels, if he can do that then he can play at the top level.

Mert Erdogan - 7/10 - Had an up and down season. The clubs best player in the first half of the season, but fell out of favour after being sent off in the match at Manisaspor and had disciplinary issues. No doubting his talent and Ankaragucu are a better side when he plays.

Gokhan Erdogan - 6.5/10 Decent season for Gokhan but he struggled with consistency. Scored some important goals and causes problems for teams with his pace. Too many games where he went unnoticed.

Enes Kubat - 5/10 Looks another good prospect and caused problems for opponents but missed to many games due to injury and suspension.

Bilal Gundogdu - 4/10 Only made a couple of substitute appearances late on in games.

Artun Kutukcu - 4/10 Like Gundogdu only made a couple of substitute appearances.

Serkan Sirin - 6/10 - Talented player who needs to do better, struggles with fitness and to get involved in games. Was demoted to reserve team due to disciplinary issues. Brought back in towards end of the season and played in a more central position.

Oguzhan Bicer - 0/10 Didnt make any appearances.

Hasan Ayaroglu - 6/10 - Talented youngster was tipped to be one of the clubs key players, disappointing season with form and injury. Was a key member of the Turkish International youth side. Big things expected and at 18 years old is still learning. Needs to work on his physical side of his game as no doubting his technique.

Timur Ozgoz - 9/10 Player of the season for the club, works hard, great attitude, 13 goals and 9 assists for a club who finished bottom of the league. Out of contract and has many offers to consider. Ankaragucu will find it tough to replace Timur, lets hope the youth team has a hidden gem.

Teoman Erkan - 5/10 - Scored a couple of important goals, but overall disappointing season with too many missed chances. Could find himself as the clubs first choice striker next season if Timur goes.

Umut Nayir - 5/10 Only scored 1 goal but another youngster who has a bright future. Was the youth sides top scorer and will hope to break into the starting 11 next season.

Ahmet Aykildiz - 0/10 - Didn't break into the team.

Hakan Kutlu eyes move for Oguzhan Bicer !

Former Ankaragucu legend Hakan Kutlu is set to swoop for Ankaragucu youngster Oguzhan Bicer according to reports. Kutlu gave the young midfielder his debut for Ankaragucu last season and is a long time admirer of the 18 year old.

Bicer hasnt made a single appearance for Ankaragucu this season, he did make the bench in the home match against Adanaspor but failed to enter the pitch. A successful graduate of the Ankaragucu youth academy big things are expected from Bicer and it would be a blow if Ankaragucu lost him.

The good news is that he still has a year left on his contract and any move from Mersin would require a transfer fee. Hopefully he will be playing his football in the Yellow and Blue of Ankaragucu next season.

Timur Ozgoz named Round ball in Ankara player of the season 2012/13 !

The Kanka group have spent the last couple of days voting for their player of the season for 2012/13. We are delighted to announce that Timur Ozgoz is the winner of that award. He faced competition from other nominations Gurkan Alver, Mert Erdogan, Kaan Kanak and Gokhan Akkan.

I dont think anyone car argue against the decision to award Timur player of the season. The others mentioned have had good seasons, but Timur has been the most consistent and to score 13 goals with 9 assists for the team who finished bottom of the table is pretty impressive.

Its not only the goals and assists that has caught the eye, Timur's work rate and commitment to the team and his leadership qualities have all added to his overall game. Timur had to wait a couple of years before making his Ankaragucu debut since his move from Tennis Berlin. He had two loan spells, one at Polatli Bugsas and another at German amateur team BFK Viktoria.

It was this season where he made his debut on the opening game of the season at Kayseri Erciyesspor. Timur has also built up a good relationship with the fans as well as donating his bonus money to deprived Kids with disabilities.

We at the Round ball in Ankara would like to congratulate Timur on his award !

Turkish clubs eye moves for Mert Erdogan and Kaan Kanak !

With the season just having ended, Turkish clubs are already cueing up for some of Ankaragucu's best young players. Both Mert Erdogan and Kaan Kanak are out of contract and will now evaluate all offers   as they decide the next step in their career.

Mert who was reinstated as club captain at the weekend after some disciplinary problems is believed to have offers from Sanliurfaspor and Konyaspor. He has had a stop start season but their is no doubting his talent. First 6 months of the season Mert was arguably one of the teams top performers. The second half hasn't went so well with Mustafa Kaplan preferring Serkan Sirin in midfield ahead of him.

Kaan Kanak is without a doubt the most naturally gifted player in the team but question marks remain over his fitness and consistency. A fantastic left foot and excellent technique Kaan has come up with some fantastic goals and assists this season. Bursaspor, Elazigspor and Sivasspor are all believed to be interested in the 22 year old midfielder.

BLACK ARMBANDS FOR ANKARAGUCU ?

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

A resounding 'NO' to that question !!!

It may be an easy matter to switch allegiance in some countries (Turkey ??!!) when things go pear-shaped for a footie team, but Ankaragucu Kankas are made of sterner stuff.

With Ankaragucu's 2nd consecutive relegation into the abyss of the Turkish 2nd Division, I've had lots of jibes from friends and students concerning which team I will support now.   my answer is always the same ....

'You can take Ankaragucu out of the Super League and PTT League, but you can't take Ankaragucu out of here' (points to his heart with passion) !!!

After our Ankaragucu Kankas Meeting last Saturday, it was clear that we will never give-up on our team.   Of course, there is another argument that if Ankaragucu goes out of existence then what to do ?   Well, that is a scenario which I don't see happening.   Call that blinkered thinking if you will, but I believe that there are too many people in Ankara who will not allow that to happen.

As I write this, we don't know that is going to happen during the summer months with some vital issues still unresolved, eg, the Club debts, the retention of Mustafa Kaplan, the players who will re-sign, the venue of our matches in the 2nd league, and the crunch question ......... who will be at the helm as Chairman to lead the Club ?

There is also another issue of fan behaviour to address.   I'm sure that the TFF will not tolerate any more crowd stupidity, and if Gecikondu and the others don't wake-up to this, then there will be more stadium bans next season which will have all the other teams in the league smirking and fancying their chances to make a name for themselves with the scalp of the once great Ankaragucu.

Next season we kankas fully intend to be there at all the home matches, and selected away matches in close proximity to Ankara, and we will continue to do our best to report them on this Blog.

In the meantime, we await further developments on the way forward from the Ankaragucu management on the direction Ankaragucu will take.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

10 Ankaragucu players come to the end of their contract !

With todays match at Konyaspor being the last game of the season, for many Ankaragucu players it will have been their last game. No fewer than 10 players are out of contract, and the Ankaragucu management team have said they plan to talk to the players over the next couple of weeks.

The 10 players who according to the Turkish Football Federation website are out of contract are - Alican Yatarkalkmaz, Bayram Olgun, Bilal Gulden, Enes Kubat, Gokhan Akkan, Gokhan Erdogan, Koray Kantemir, Mert Erdogan, Timur Ozgoz and Mehmet Cogum.

Its also been reported that Gokhan Akkan is close to signing a new deal with the club, but the fans will also be hoping that we can keep Mert and Gokhan Erdogan along with Enes Kubat. With Bilal already agreeing a move to Antalyaspor and Timur set to leave the club cant afford to lose to many players.

The next could of weeks will certainly be interesting with Mehmet Yiginer and his men having a lot of work to do.

Ankaragucu 0-1 Konyaspor match report !

Todays match in Konya was all about pride for Ankaragucu whilst the hosts were playing for a place in the playoffs. At the end of 90 minutes both teams succeeded in their targets. Ankaragucu battled away and had 2 excellent chances to take the lead but as all to often this season missed them both. The referee also sent off Teoman and awarded Konyaspor a penalty both of which were the correct decision. However Emre Tasdemir was the victim of the same kind of tackle that Serkan Sirin and Bilal Gulden were sent off for last week, but the referee chose to yellow card the Konya player instead.

Team - Gokhan, Metin, Mehmet, Volkan, Aytac, Gokhan Erdogan, Mert Erdogan, Gurkan, Kaan, Emre, Teoman

Subs - Bayram, Gulcan, Artun, Eren, Ilhan, Omer

4 - Erdal shot from edge of the box deflected inches wide for a Konya corner.

14 - Cross to the back post, brilliantly controlled by Erdal who then shoots but a good save from Gokhan Akkan who tips the ball over.

30 - Kaan shoots from the edge of the box but his shot goes well wide.

37 - Omer breaks into the box before firing a low cross across the face of goal but Gokhan gets a hand to it to prevent an easy tap in.

45 - Erdal free kick headed well over by Selim.

Half Time - Konyaspor 0-0 Ankaragucu

47 - Excellent move from Ankaragucu, Aytac plays a low cross into the box for Kaan who takes a nice touch, goes past his man before firing wide of the post. A great chance which Kaan should have scored.

53 - Ali crosses for Sjoerd Ars but the dutchman is inches away from getting on the end of his pass.

56 - Murat shot from 25 yards well saved from Gokhan Akkan.

57 - Kaan gives the ball away to Recep who goes past 2 Ankaragucu defenders before unleashing a fierce shot which was saved from Gokhan Akkan.

58 - Another low cross into the box by Konya which takes a deflection and another excellent save from Gokhan.

62 - Mert plays a nice touch and go with Kaan and is played through on goal, but the Konya defender gets back to block the shot.

65 - Aytac replaced with Artun

67 - Nice play from Gokhan Erdogan who goes past his man in the box before cutting the ball back for Kaan, but the later blasts high and wide.

73 - Artun shot deflected into the path of Teoman who is free in the box, but he can only shoot over the crossbar from.

79 - Cross into the box, the ball finds its way to Erdal whose shot is cleared off the line by Teomans hand. Referee points to the spot and sends off Teoman.

80 - Up steps Erdal to make it 1-0 Konyaspor from the penalty spot. The Konya fans go wild and have made some atmosphere at todays game.

89 - Eren comes on for his debut to replace Emre

90 - Mistake from Gokhan Akkan as he dwindles on an attempted clearance, ball finds it way to Ars who tries to lob Gokhan, but his shot goes over.

90 - Another chance for Kaan as he breaks into the box, but he gets his shot all wrong as he fires well wide.

Full Time - Konyaspor 1-0 Ankaragucu

Man of the Match - Gokhan Akkan


So Konyaspor earn themselves a place in the playoffs and will be joined by Bucaspor, Manisaspor and 1461 Trabzon. At this moment it is unknown weather 1461 will be allowed to play in the playoffs as they are the B team of Trabzonspor and unless they break that contract cant play in the same league.

Ankaragucu will now go into the Turkish Lig 2 along with 2 from Kartalspor, Goztepe and Tavsanli. It is 0-0 with 20 minutes to go between Tavsanli and Goztepe. The next few weeks will be very important as to who will remain at the club. Today we saw how difficult it will be without Timur as we failed to have a single shot on goal.

Teoman and Kaan will be disappointed with their performance today and it will be important for the club that they lift the transfer ban and sign a striker. We would like to thank the young players for all their efforts this season.

Genclerbirligi waiting for the summer holidays

I have no idea what happened in this match. Seems as if Gencler are coasting as the season comes to an end.

Besiktas 3 - 0 Genclerbirligi

There was an interesting letter sent out by the Besiktas club just a few days before Saturday night's match. It started with this line:

We thank Genclerbirligi Sports Club for the gesture of handing over the away section to Besiktas fans. 

How very nice of Genclerbirligi Chairman Ilhan Cavcav to have handed over the away section. Gencler have been rather successful this season in using social media to increase supporter numbers and loyalty, but it seems on this occasion they didn't bother to check the fan sites to see that many fans had been making plans for weeks to be in Istanbul for the match.

All those plans were destroyed.

Thanks very much for the lovely gesture Cavcav.

This was annoying for many but more annoying for most was the news that Fuat Capa won't be coach next season. Seems as if they couldn't agree to terms. Yet again, one of the only clubs with millions in the bank decides to let someone go because the chairman hates spending money.

My predicition for next season, another ninth place.

Bilal Gulden reaches agreement with Antalyaspor !

According to reports in the Turkish media, Ankaragucu midfielder Bilal Gulden has reached an agreement with Super Lig side Antalyaspor. The 20 year old German born midfielder along with Timur Ozgoz have been the best players for Ankaragucu this season. After an inconsistent start to the season, Bilal has impressed with his performances this season. I actually recommended him to the head scout at Rangers.

Bilal came to Ankaragucu from Ankaraspor nearly 4 years ago and broke into the first team last season. He has scored some important goals for the club and any money he receives he sends back to his sick Mother in Germany. His move to Antalyaspor will bring in regular money and more stability and he will be able to look after his Mother.

A big future lies ahead for Bilal, his physical presence, stamina and technique are all key attributes that will stand him in good shape in the Turkish Super Lig. His contract comes to an end at the end of the month but due to him being under 21 Ankaragucu are set to receive up to 350k Turkish Lira.

We at the Round ball in Ankara would like to thank Bilal for all his hard work and wish him all the best in his move to Antalyaspor !

Timur Ozgoz in popular demand !

One of the few success stories of this season for Ankaragucu, has been the performances of German born forward Timur Ozgoz. With 13 goals and 9 assists the hard working forward has caught the eye of clubs from both Germany and Turkey. Its believed Kayseri Erciyesspor, Manisaspor, Istanbul BBS, FC Bochum, FC Paderborn, Goztepe and Antalyaspor are all amongst the admirers.

I spoke to Timur today and he will head home to Berlin for a holiday at the end of the current season to visit family. Its unlikley that he will sign for a German club with his preference to stay in Turkey. He said he will also stay in touch with Ankaragucu as he has not decided what he is going to do.

It seems like a long time ago that Timur scored on his debut at Kayseri Erciyesspor, he has went on to become a fans favourite with his hard working attitude on and off the pitch. A few months ago when he was given his win bonus, he donated it all to kids with special needs. Timur is very popular with his team mates and has even wore the captains armband this season.

Timur is at an age where he needs to be playing at the highest level possible and I'm sure every Ankaragucu fan will wish him all the best no matter where he plays. It would be great to see Timur wear the Ankaragucu jersey next season from a selfish point of view, but if he has offers from the Super Lig it will be difficult for Ankaragucu to keep hold of him.

Mustafa Kaplan also paid tribute to Timur today speaking about his skill, goals and overall knowledge of the game. We will keep you updated with any future developments !

Ankaragucu vs Konyaspor match preview !

Ankaragucu travel to Konya this weekend for the final game of the season as they take on a Konyaspor side who are looking to make the playoffs. Ankaragucu were relegated last weekend in a disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to Denizlispor in a match that saw four players sent off for the side from the Turkish capital.

We all know what happened the last time these two sides met in Ankara, violence erupted in the stands of the 19 Mayis stadium in Ankara as fans of Ankaragucu entered the park, smashed up seats and tried to attack the visiting Konyaspor fans. The club were handed an 8 match stadium ban, with a further 3 matches due to trouble at an away match in Tavsanli.

Konyaspor officials made the decision to ban Ankaragucu fans from traveling to Konya, a smart decision as their has been a lot of tension between both sets of fans in the last couple of years. Its disappointing that this young Ankaragucu side has had to play so many games this season without the backing of their own fans due to crowd trouble.

Ankaragucu will have to do without, Timur Ozgoz, Bilal Gulden, Serkan Sirin and Bilal Gundogdu through suspension, so their may be outings for youngsters Emre Tasdemir, Batuhan Gulcan and Batuhan Aykildiz. This should be a game that the youngsters should go out and enjoy themselves without being under pressure. Its also a chance for some of the players to say farewell to the club with a host of them being out of contract at the end of the season.

Konyaspor have been on an excellent run of late with only 1 defeat in last 8 games and that was last week against Sanliurfaspor. It will be a huge ask for this Ankaragucu side to take anything from the game especially when they are missing start striker Timur, but it would be nice to see Ankaragucu putting a stop to Konyaspor's playoff chances.

The game will take place at 1530 Turkish Time and will again be shown live on TRT Anadolu , tune in and cheer on Sari Lacivert as this will be your last chance to see them play for at least 1 year !

Ankaragucu 0-3 Denizlispor match report ! Ankaragucu relegated !

Picture taken from TRT

Its difficult to criticise this young Ankaragucu team who have carried the weight of all the clubs problems admirably on their shoulders all season. They have put up a good fight in the battle against relegation and took it right up until the second last game of the season. Unfortunately the clubs fate was sealed today as Samsunspor won at Gaziantep and Tavsanli won at home to Kartalspor. Ankaragucu will be playing in LIG 2 next season.

Events in Ankara today showed lack of discipline as Ankaragucu ended the match with 7 men due to sending offs for Serkan Sirin, Timur Ozgoz, Bilal Gulden and Bilal Gundogdu. Its easy to blame the referee but looking at the replays he got the first two decisions correct, Bilal Gulden was unfortunate and Gundogdu was sent off for what looked like foul language.

Ankaragucu fell apart and it would also be easy to have a go at the players, you have to however remember this young team have experienced more lows in 2 years that most players experience in their whole career. Their frustrations were clear to see today after the sending off of Serkan Sirin. With the club already serving and 11 match stadium ban due to crowd trouble, Ankaragucu need to find discipline on and off the field if they ever want to return to the good times.

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

Subs - Bayram, Metin, Emre, Bilal Gundogdu, Gulcan, Mert

6 - Good cross into the box from Kaan, Gokhan Erdogan volleys straight at Sahmali, good chance for Ankaragucu.

10 - Nice play from Timur who almost plays in Gokhan but Sahmali smothers the ball at his feet.

21 - Excellent cross into the box for Ustun who powers his header past Gokhan Akkan to give Denizli the lead. 1-0.

23 - Another cross into the box from Suleyman for Ustun but Gokhan Akkan makes a good save.

32 - Ismail Obodasi is too quick for Mehmet, he drives past him before crossing into the box for Ustun who fires over the crossbar.

33 - Weak effort from Bilal from distance which goes by the post.

35 - Quick corner from Kann who plays a one two before firing his shot on goal from a tight angle but easily saved from Sahmali.

40 - Excellent cross into the box for Timur who watches Sahmali make a good save from his headed effort.

42 - Serkan Sirin sent off, Ankaragucu midfielder goes in for a 50/50 challenge on the half way line but leaves his studs high and catches his opponent, referee has no hesitations and shows Serkan the red card.

44 - Mert replaces Teoman

45 - Timur Ozgoz sent off, Timur trying to win the ball but his opponent is obstructing Timur from getting the ball as he tries to usher the ball over the touch line, Timur kicks out in frustration and ends up with a red card.

Half Time - Ankaragucu 0-1 Denizlispor

50 - Ismail runs forward with the ball before laying the ball off to Suleyman who fires over.

60 - Denizli in a 3 against 1 counter attack, the ball finds its way to Ustun but somehow the Ankaragucu defence get back to block the shot for a corner kick.

61 - Bilal red carded as Ankaragucu reduced to 8 men, Bilal goes in for a 50/50 but catches his opponent, was a yellow card but the referee again reaching for the red.

67 - Quick corner from Denizli, ball finds its way to Ismail but Gokhan makes the save.

69 - Ustun lays the ball off for Umut Kaya who fires the ball into the top corner to make it 2-0 Denizlispor.

72 - Bilal Gundogdu replaces Kaan Kanak

75 - Emre on for the disappointed Mert

78 - Lovely effort from Yusuf Emre from the edge of the box as he tries to chip Gokhan Akkan but the ball goes inches over.

81 - 30 Yard free kick from Hasan brilliantly saved from Gokhan Akkan.

84 - Bilal Gundogdu sent off for his second bookable offence as Ankaragucu now down to 7 men.

85 - Arif picks up a loose pass from Aytac before going past Mehmet and blasting the ball past Gokhan to make it 3-0.

85-90 - Denizli take their foot off the gas and allow Ankaragucu to play out the remaining 5 minutes just passing the ball across their defence.

Full Time - Ankaragucu 0-3 Denizlispor.

Ankaragucu will need to start preparing for next season, Mehmet Yiginer needs to speak to the players who are out of contract and try and keep as many players as possible. It is likely many players have played their last game for the club. Whoever goes The Round Ball in Ankara would like to thank them for their efforts.

SON DAKIKA: Genclerbirligi guarantee mid-table finish! Fans yawn!

Little Oz, Tom and Charlie bang out a tune.

This was going to be my last home match of the season as I will be away for the final match against Bursa, and so I was hoping to witness something like we experienced a couple of weeks ago. Gencler were, however, a shadow of the team that beat Fener 2-0.

That's it. Genclerbirligi have officially finished the season without being relegated, and without gaining a spot in Europe. Mission accomplished.

And one other thing. News just in that Bjorn is to stay at Genclerbirligi for another season. Great news.

Genclerbirligi 0 - 0 Kasimpasa

For early May it is pretty hot here in Ankara. No complaints from us though as we sat outside for pre-match kofte and drinks.

Met the fellow parishioners at the stadium, the priest blew his whistle and Gencler decided to play with the enthusiasm of bunch of blokes attending the 6am service after a bachelor's party the night before (apologies to Stefan for nicking the joke and then stretching it to death).

Stefan and Ertank 

Having said that we were better than Kasimpasa, Zec had hit the crossbar on one occasion and on another we had the ball in the back of the net only for a foul to have been called. I didn't see and neither did most of the crowd, so I can't say whether it was the right or wrong decision.

0-0 at half time but I was still pretty sure we would win it.

In the second half we attacked again but so often it was just useless with sloppy passes, wrong moves and too bloody slow. Our best chance came towards the end when Bjorn failed to connect properly to a ball going across him. It was the sort of thing Bjorn hits in his sleep. Us in the crowd could only slump in frustration.

And thus it ended.

It wasn't just my last match of the season it was also the last match for Thijs and his son Charlie who are returning to Holland after a stint here at the Dutch Embassy. They have been stalwart fans since they arrived a few years ago and all us Gencler fans will miss them. Good luck chaps!

Farewell Thijs

Ankaragucu vs Denizlispor match preview !

With only 2 matches remaining Ankaragucu host fellow relegation strugglers Denizlispor in what is a must win match for both clubs. Ankaragucu need to take 6 points from their opening 2 games and hope that none of the clubs above them pick up any points. I spoke with Denizlispor striker Bajram Fetai today who said his side are coming for the 3 points. I know Bajram from his time at Rangers and he is a player our team will need to watch out for.

The City of Ankara can be proud of the fight the young Ankaragucu team have put up especially in the second half of the season under coach Mustafa Kaplan. Its all ifs and buts, however if Mustafa Kaplan was in charge from the opening game of the season who knows where the club would have finished, but i would be confident it would be in the top half of the PTT Lig.

Ankaragucu hope to be able to recall Orhan Evci and Mehmet Tasci who were both missed last week due to injury and suspension. Its important that Ankaragucu take their chances in this match as last week they paid the price of too many missed chances against a strong Caykur Rizespor side. A victory for Denizli could see them safe and they have some good players like Fetai mentioned above and also Ibrahim Obadasi who is on loan from Bursaspor.

Young Gokhan Akkan was outstanding last week for Ankaragucu and didn't deserve to be on the losing side, the team will yet again call upon the 18 year old who has a bright future ahead of him. For many Ankaragucu players such as Bayram Olgun, Gokhan Erdogan, Mert Erdogan, Timur Ozgoz, and Bilal Gulden to name a few it could be their last game at the 19 Mayis stadium as their contract is up.

President Mehmet Yiginer has another big job on his hand this summer, he needs to keep the majority of this young side together and find a way of lifting the transfer ban. If he cant achieve this it could be another painful season for Ankaragucu. The game kicks off at 1530 Turkish time and as usual will be played behind closed doors with women and children only allowed due to the clubs stadium ban.