Kankalar Group - The Multinational Ankaragucu fan group!

The Kankalar Group has been up and running for almost 15 years and is made up of both Turkish and Foreign internationals including America. Australia, UK, Holland, Romania, and many other nationalities who follow either Ankaragucu or Genclerbirligi.

Over the last couple of years, the Kanka Group has been gaining more media attention due to Social Media and last weekend our Ankaragucu Kankas Jim, Damon, Murat and Miguel were interviewed by Anayurt.

You can see the full article here Anayurt article with the Kankas

Ankaragucu half season review!

After a gruelling season last term where Ankaragucu held off a tough challenge from Gumushanespor to win the Lig 2 title, most Ankaragucu fans would have accepted the team avoiding relegation this season in Lig 1 with hopes of making the playoffs at a push.

Instead, the team are sitting top of the Lig at the winter break and expectations have changed to automatic promotion, with the playoffs being a minimum although most would be disappointed if the team doesn’t now go on and win automatic promotion back to the Super Lig where the club belongs.

İsmail Kartal is the man responsible for guiding Ankaragucu to the top of Lig 1 and has won the respect and admiration from the Ankaragucu support with his hard work and forward thinking ideas that have galvanised a squad of players flung together at the last minute in the summer after the club managers to lift the transfer ban only days before the transfer window closed.

Things haven’t always been positive for Ismail Kartal during his Ankaragucu tenure. He replaced Ismet Tasdemir in the summer who guided the club to the Lig 2 title last season, but the Ankaragucu board decided they wanted to go in a different direction with the appointment of Kartal much to the surprise of the Ankaragucu support. Failed spells at Fenerbahce and Gaziantepspor had saw the 56 year olds reputation in tatters, but he was determined to succee at Ankaragucu and installed a strict military style training camp at the club.

Ankaragucu signed 22 new players in the summer with only Korcan Celikay, Alihan Kubalas, Kenan Özer, and Enes Kubat remaining from last seasons championship winning squad. Fans favourites such as Omer Bozan, Cenk Kaplan, Muhammed Gonulacar, Muharrem Ozan, Serkan Balci and Harun Aydin were all let go and replaced with free transfers and loan signings as the club completely overhauled the squad. Concerns amongst the fans had already started to set in with many questioning the need for so many changes. The club had dismantled the squad that won a title and also parted ways with the manager.

İsmail Kartal faced a tough task of working with a squad of free transfers and loan signings, all players who had been released by their previous clubs, contracts had expired or were available for loan. Most of these players didn’t have a full pre season, while trying to get 22 new players to integrate and gel would be a difficult task for any manager. In pre season the team struggled to score goals and looked void of any ideas going forward.

In the days leading up to the closure of the transfer window, Ankaragucu pullled off a major coup in completing the loan signings of Umut Nayir and Tonia Tisdell on loan from Osmanlispor. Umut Nayir a former Ankaragucu player had the previous season played a huge part in helping Goztepe to promotion to the Super Lig.

The club also added the likes of Erdem Ozgenc from Bursaspor, Mehmet Sak from Yeni Malatyaspor, Gencer Cansev and Sedat Acgay from Basaksehir, Arif Morkaya and Yusuf Abdioglu from Altinordu, Abdulkadir Kayali and Ilhan Parlak from Gaziantepspor and Anton Putsila  also joined late on from Gaziantepspor. A host of other players would also join the club as it became a whose who of new players in the opening couple of games.

İsmail Kartal got off to the worst possible start with 2 draws and 2 defeats in his opening 4 games. Draws with Erzerumspor at home and Altinordu away weren’t the worst of results especially as it was the teams first couple of games together against pretty decent sides. The 2-0 defeat at Elazigspor was blamed on new signing Lanre Kehinde who was sent off early in the game for a shocking head but letting all his team mates down and fans how had travelled to the game. The next week Ankaragucu lost 2-1 at home against Balikesirspor after leading 1-0 and that’s when the first chants of İsmail istifa rung around the 19 Mayis Stadium.

Social media was awash with Ankaragücü fans looking for the board to sack İsmail Kartal and bring back Ismet Tasdemir. The fans complained that İsmail had dismantled a good side letting the likes of Muhammed Gonulacar, Cenk Kaplan and Omer Bozan go and replaced them with old players such as Sercan Kaya and Sedat Agcay who were failing to live up to expectations.

The new Ankaragucu manager was under pressure early on in his Ankaragucu career but the management team stood strong and backed their man. Their loyalty would be rewarded as İsmail and Ankaragucu were about to go on a remarkable run that would take them from bottom of the table to the top.

The turning point was the match at leaders Caykur Rizespor. It was top against bottom with most predicting an easy home win for Rizespor. Ilhan Parlak had also come in for a lot of criticism from the Ankaragucu support due to his poor for in the first 4 games. İsmail Kartal like the board had done with him, stood by his man and it paid off as Ilhan scored a double in a fantastic 4-1 win which set the benchmark for the rest of the season for Ankaragucu.

After the jubilation of winning at Rizespor, the team were knocked out of the cup by Afyon Afjetspor which again raised questions of İsmail Kartal and his ability to be Ankaragucu manager.

Ankaragucu would win 9 and draw 2 of their next 11 matches including stunning wins at rivals Eskisehirspor, Giresunspor and a home win against Umraniyespor who were 2nd in the table at that point. The 3-1 victory at Eskisehirspor was a particularly pleasing result against a rival team and one which saw İsmail Kartal win the hearts of the Ankaragucu fans.

After a stuttering start, this Ankaragucu team were playing like a team who had played together for years. İsmail Kartal has installed a well organised, hard working ethic which also includes flair and skill when needed, with everyone knowing their role in the team.

Korcan Celikay in goals has proved to be a great signing for the club. He signed on loan last January and was instrumental in helping Ankaragucu winning the Lig 2 title. The club moved to make his signing permanent in the summer and again he has become a key player for the club.

Erdem Ozgenc at right back had a huge task of replacing fans favourite Serkan Balci, 6 months in and Balci is a distant memory. Erdem has had an excellent first half season creating 7 goals and has been a constant threat with his runs down the right hand side. And excellent crosser of the ball, Erdem has also been fantastic defensively and is the complete wing back.

Gencer Cansev like Umut Nayir helped Goztepe win promotion to the Super Lig and has formed an excellent partnership with Alihan Kubalas at the back. Both players are excellent in the air and Alihan has earned the nickname Rambo for his physical presence and all out commitment which see him as a fans favourite.

In midfield, Arif Morkaya and Sedat Agcay do all the dirty work winning the ball, breaking up play, closing the opposition down which allows Anton Putsila to get forward creating chances for the forwards. Kenan Özer has again shown his worth and that he is capable of playing at this level with some excellent performances and consistency which is so often missing in wingers.

Umut Nayir and Ilhan Parlak have formed an excellent partnership up front with both scoring 6 goals, Umut having played 12 games and Ilhan 16. They have both delivered in the big games and have been excellent additions to the team.

Ankaragucu saw their undefeated run come to and end at Adana Demirspor at the weekend, but the team will be delighted they go into the break 2 points clear at the top. Tonia Tisdell, Nduka Ozokwu and Mbamba Kibong will all be available having missed the first half due to injury. While the club will also look to lift the transfer ban. We await the 2nd half in anticipation of Ankaragucu making it 2 titles in a row and a place back at the top with Turkeys elite!

I see nothing

In my post Christmas stupor I completely missed tonight's cup match. So, no report. Just a quick mention that Skuletic apparently scored another great from distance goal.

Genclerbirligi 1 - 0 Bursa

That's that.

Phew! Gencler get away with a point

I think three of this lot were here for the later match.

For those with little time. Bursa should have won this 5-1... at least

Bursa 1 - 1 Genclerbirligi

Raining with a bit of snow on the walk down to the Alerta where a few of the Ankaragucu Kankas were also gathering for their slightly later kick off.

Nice and warm inside and Kick off and ... boy... Gencler were being smashed.

At one point bursa had 70 percent of possession but somehow or other they couldn't score. Throughout the match there was all sorts of heroics by Hopf and our defenders and how on earth Bursa didn't score was a mystery to all.

Instead it was Skuletic who put Gencler ahead in the 70th with a wonderful team effort that involved heaps of great short passes. Amazing really.

As if they hadn't been trying before Bursa put their collective foot down even harder and managed to score after Murat Duruer fell over. Ankaragucu Kankas Damon and Jim were not surprised.

Last few minutes and lots of hearts in mouths as Bursa attacked and attacked. But no goal.

So we were happy. Happy Christmas everyone.
 

Adana Demirspor 2-1 Ankaragücü match report!

Ankaragucu were brought back to earth with a bang this afternoon after a disappointing 2-1 defeat at lowly Adana Demirspor. The result leaves Ankaragucu top of the league 3 points ahead of Rizespor, although Umraniyespor can go 2 behind with a win at Samsunspor tomorrow.

Team - Korcan, Erdem, Gencer, Alihan, Ferhat, Arif, Sedat, Putsila, Kenan, Ilhan, Umut Nayir

Subs - Altay, Cheikhou, Kehinde, Enes, Yusuf, Mahmut, Mehmet, Mert, Szukala

So no surprises in the starting line up as İsmail Kartal goes with the same team that has been very consistent and no real injury worries.

Ankaragucu got off to th perfect start taking the lead after only 6 minutes. Erdem played in a brilliant ball to the box from a free kick and Alihan rose above everyone to bullet a header into the top corner to make it 1-0. The 800 or so Ankaragucu fans who made the trip were delighted and surely the team would push on for a comfortable win?

Nope, instead it was Adana Demirspor with a spirited performance and cheered on by the home crowd who took control of the game. Robert Tambe the dangerman had their first real effort from outside the box but the ball went inches wide of the post.

The equaliser came on the 72nd minute after a stunning ball into th box from Isciler and Lalawele rose above Ferhat to volley past Korcan making it 1-1. I’ve said for weeks our weakness is the left back position and Ferhat again showed he isn’t good enough defensively to play there.

There was still plenty of time for a winning goal but unfortunately this time not for Ankaragucu. The only team who looked like they would go on and win the game was the home side. And it came in the final minute of the game.

A penalty was awarded when Tambe was pushed in the box, Adana had put the ball in the net but the referee pointed to the spot. Up stepped Batuhan calmly slot the ball into the back of the net and send Korcan the wrong way.

So a disappointing day for Ankaragucu but let’s look at the positives, if we were told we would be sitting top of the table going into the January break we would all have jumped from the rooftops in delight.

The club no has the opportunity to strengthen the squad in January and the additions of Tisdell, Mbamba and Nuduka will do that, plus whoever else comes in.

We would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas when it comes and to enjoy the festive break from all the Kankas.

Ankaragucu vs Adana Demirspor match preview!

The last game of the first half of the season is almost upon us as Ankaragucu travel to Adana on Saturday afternoon knowing no matter what the result they will go into the break as league leaders. It’s true what they say, time flys by when your having fun! Who would have believed that Ankaragücü would be sitting top of the table after the start we had to the campaign where fans were asking for the dismissal of manager İsmail Kartal and questioning the quality of player coming in.

Fast forward 4 months and Ankaragucu have won 9 and drawn 2 of their last 11 games while İsmail Kartal has become something of a fans favourte and deservedly so. It’s no luck with Kartal, he is a very hard working and forward thinking coach who seems to have learned from some of the mistakes he had at Gaziantepspor and Fenerbahce and has implemented his methods which have formed a hard working. Solid team who have a winning mentality.

It’s taken the likes of Sedat Agcay, Ilhan Parlak, Erdem Ozgenc, Arif Morkaya time to settle in but they are now all fully fit and showing why Kartal brought them to the club with all playing vital roles. Sedat and Arif do all the dirty work which allows the brilliant Putsila to work his magic further up the pitch creating for the likes of Umut and Ilhan.

Ankaragucu are expected to keep with the same team that beat Manisaspor 3-0 at the weekend which was another good performance despite a poor start to the game. The left back position is the main area of concern going into the transfer window and I would like to think İsmail Kartal will address the situation if the club finds a way to lift the transfer ban.

The good news for th club is that Tonia Tisdell is back in full training and will be available for selection along with Kibong Mbamba and Nduka Ozokwu after the break.

Adana Demirspor are one of the leagues best supported clubs with a great following but unfortunately the fans are dropping in their numbers in protest against the way the club has been run and performances on the pitch. They haven’t won in their last 9 games and are only 1 place outside of the relegation zone.

They do have 23 year old Cameroonian striker Robert Ndip Tambe who has had a good season so far with 7 goals in 10 games and he will again be the key player along with former Genclerbirligi forward Atabay Cicek.

Title rivals Umraniyespor host Samsunspor at the weekend while Rizespor have a tough match against Gazisehir. Ankaragucu will be in a good position with a win at the weekend and the players can enjoy a well earned break.

In other news, Ankaragucu last week completed the signing of 19 year old Liberian youngster Jerryson Faithboy Wullie who joined fellow countrymen Tonia Tisdell and Moses Cooper at the club. Both Cooper and Wullie will play for ththe U19 squad.

ANKARAGUCU POWER THEIR WAY 5 POINTS CLEAR AT THE TOP OF THE LEAGUE !

Greeting Kankas.

ANKARAGUCU     3         Manisaspor     0

The kankas met-up in Sag Kapali in the Stadium, Maniac Kanka Harun, Nurer Kanka, Posh Kanka Ahmet and Cider Kanka John.    A great turn-out in all the tribunes and we were all in fits of laughter when Gecikondu decided to serenade the 100 Manisa supporters with this song ......... you’re going down, you’re going down, nah nah nah nah nah, you’re going down (or words to that effect !!).   (They are currently 2^nd bottom of the league).  This was in revenge for Manisa supporters singing this as Ankaragucu went down a few seasons ago.    Ankaragucu supportrers have long memories !!!

Then Club Chairman, Mehmet Yigner, came out of Protokol with his entourage for a walk down to Gecikondu and proceeded to go in there and mix with the Gecikondu boyz for the first half.   Amazing !     We hope to be able to put a video of this up soon in this position.

Also time for the tribunes to call-out popular olde boy, Fatih Tekke, the present Manisa Coach, for a round of applause.   As I said, Ankaragucu supporters have long memories !

Club Captain, Sedat brought Ankaragucu out in their new all singing/all dancing strips – Turquoise and Black – very stylish !

The new slogan for Ankaragucu and a must-have scarf for all supporters -  Mustaf Kemal Ataturk's Army !!!!    btw, nice looking chick on securtiy duty behind Harun !!!!

Umut was back in the starting line-up with Kehinde dropping to the bench, and although he couldn’t get his name on the score sheet, he worked his bottom off up front leading the line.

It took 10 in for the first goal chance when Ilhan almost got on the end of a Kenan cross.   Then, 4 minutes later at the other end it was a Manisa effort which was headed just past by Meye.

Cometh the 16^th minute – cometh the Bursa song !!

Into the 20^th minute and an uncharacteristic sloppy pass by Erdem resulted in a foul and a Manisa free kick just outside the box.   Korcan to the rescue with a great save from Sevgi’s goal bound effort.

Perhaps that was the wake-up call which Ankaragucu needed and from this point it was all-out Ankaragucu attack.

In the 28^th minute Umut almost connected with a cross from the right, but it was inches too high and the ball flew off the top of his head and out.   Two minutes later Kenan skied the ball over, then Umut headed over, and Kenan had another effort saved.

However, the pressure finally reaped reward 5 minutes before the half time whistle when Erdem flighted a corner to the back post for Ilhan to head in.

Putsila had an outstanding match in midfield – he just oozes class – and he almost made it 2 before the whistle with a great shot on the turn but it was well saved.

Ankaragucu started the 2^nd half as they had ended the 1^st, ie, in full-on attacking mode, and it only took 3 minutes for the 2^nd goal to arrive.   It resulted from a mix-up in the Manisa defence which allowed the ball to be sent from inside the box on the right to the unmarked Ilhan lurking on the left and he made no mistake with a screamer of a shot with the goalkeeper static.

The match then entered a scrappy period with lots of niggling fouls.   Also, perhaps Ankaragucu took their feet off the gas thinking that the match was won ?!   However, Manisa had other ideas and they began to put the Ankaragucu defence under pressure with breakaways and they always looked likely to score, and if I’m honest, they were unlucky not to do so, but for some poor finishing.

Putsila and Kenan had a great passing movement but Kenan’s final shot was well saved.   Shortly after, Kenan left the field to well deserved loud applause and was replaced by Doka.

With 15 minutes to go, and with Ankaragucu still 2-0 up came the customary Mexican Wave, however, that was short-lived when Manisa silenced the fans with 2 efforts within 2 minutes.   Firstly a sloppy back-pass was intercepted, but the attacker’s effort was saved by Korcan.   Secondly, another Manisa attacker had a clear sight of goal with only Korcan to beat but he unbelievably skied it over from close range.

That was probably another wake-up call which gave Ankaragucu the impetus to go into attack-mode again, and Doka almost cored the 3^rd as we headed into time added on.   He and Dieng combined well, however, his goal bound shot was well saved.

Then deep into time added on came the nail into Manisa’s coffin !   Captain Courageous Sedat received a pass on the left and he took the ball into the box with defenders backing off expecting a cross.   However, he let fly with an angled shot which crept in at the right post and off he ran to Gecikondu to celebrate !

A perfect way to end a match !!

So, it was off to The Bira Park to celebrate and meet-up with a new kanka, Miguel, from Portugal.   Hopefully he will organise his Passolig ticket soon and join us in the 2^nd half of the season.   We were also joined by another new kanka, Gecikondu Hooligan Kanka Murat !!

Next Saturday is the last match before the Winter Break when Ankaragucu travel to Adana to play Demirspor.   Win, lose or draw, Ankaragucu sit on top of the league at the half way point which is a great achievement and all credit to the Coach and players for showing the consistency necessary to maintain top spot in this difficult and competitive league.

Watch this space for the venue for watching the match next Saturday KO 3.30pm.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Another useless draw for Genclerbirligi

Keyifsiz bir 90 dakika. Golsüz bir maç. Yavrunu da al git Özat.

— KaraKızıl G.Birliği (@fckarakizil) December 16, 2017

There is no talking about football in today's report... Well, not that much.

What I hope to give is a feel for what the atmosphere was at the match.

Genclerbirligi 0 - 0 Kasimpasa

SOME BACKGROUND

As we reported in last week's blog, Genclerbirligi Coach Umit Ozat verbally attacked Gencler fan Mehmet Soylu on the transfer bus at Antalya Airport after last week's 1-1 draw with Antalya. This itself has a bit of history as Mehmet Soylu, a long term Gencler fan, has launched court proceedings against Ozat for "insulting" him on social media.

A BIT MORE BACKGROUND

Just after arriving in Ankara, Soylu spilt the beans onto the Alkaralar Whatsapp channel. Basically, Mehmet Soylu was confronted by Umit Ozat on the transfer bus from the terminal to the plane. Ozat was swearing away, allegedly, and complaining about the criminal complaint that Soylu had made about Ozat. All well and good.

STILL ON LAST WEEK'S TRANSFER BUS

We will never know for sure what sorts of insults Umit Ozat aimed at Mehmet Soylu (but I can make a bloody good guess). The really annoying thing is that the whole confrontation was being recorded by Mehmet's 15 year-old son Omer. What Ozat was saying must have been explosive because the next thing that happened was that Zeki Yavru, Genclerbirligi's midfielder/back, grabbed Omer's phone and deleted the recording.

NOT QUITE AT THE MATCH YET

All of above reporting about Umit Ozat may seem very petty but this stuff only scratches the surface of why the Gencler fans can't stand him. This is a man whom has said that women have no right to discuss football. This is a man who has said just a couple of weeks ago that he wouldn't criticise an old club "even if it was a Jewish club".

I don't know how many people will really be interested in this but it is important to point out that seven Divan Kurulu members resigned last night. As far as I understand the Divan Kurulu is a sort of honourary advisory board. Those who resigned on Friday night were Turgay Demirer, Ozan Güler, Nevzat Akçaoğlu, M.Akşit Özkural, Necdet Özkazancı, Tanıl Bora and Doğan Akpınar. In a very extensive statement they said that they were resigning not just for the club administration not advising them of goings on at the club but for Umit Ozat specifically attacking fans of the club.

To resign from something you love is one hell of a statement.

One of those who resigned was Tanıl Bora. Bora was the author of the definitive history of Genclerbirligi, a book that I proudly have in my library - "Ankara Ruzgarı".

A respected political journalist, Bora also writes the odd article about football... including one about us from many years ago.

ARE WE AT THE MATCH YET?

As I was walking down from the Ruzgarli gate I heard what was by far the largest chant I had ever heard before a match. "Zeki istifa, Zeki istifa." It was loud! What on earth did Zeki Yavru think of it I have no idea.

I got inside a few minutes in and Zeki, (61) got the ball... "boo...." went the crowd. Zeki got it again, "boo," went the crowd. We got a corner. Looked like Zeki was going to tale it.... "boo". Every single time Zeki got the ball the Genclerbirligi fans "boo"ed him. I have never seen us Gencler fans attack one of our own players for so long.

It went on... we didn't play all that well. I think we had one decent shot in the first half.... we had a couple of better chances in the second.

In the second half the fans stopped barracking Zeki Yavru and so it was just a touch ironic that he wasn't that bad in the first half but hardly touched the ball in the second.

We had the odd chance but nothing amazing. Same for Kasimpasa.

Then Zeki was replaced late in the match to amazingly loud boos from the crowd. "Zeki istifa", was the chant. Closely followed by "Ozat istifa". I have never seen anything like it.

There is nothing much to say about the football.

Genclerbirligi fail

errr... I'm in the middle of writing one long piece about everything. I may be some time. I'm almost ready to press send. No I'm not. I want to expand on everything.

Genclerbirligi are shooting themselves in the head... More soon.

Genclerbirligi 0 - Kasimpasa 0

Ankaragucu vs Manisaspor match preview!

Ankaragucu are back at home on Sunday afternoon as they host Manisaspor at the 19 Mayis Stadium in Ankara although there will be a partial ban in the Gecekondu section due to swearing in previous matches. Another great idea from TFF, let’s ban fans from stadiums for swearing, let’s fine clubs who are already struggling financially??? They really are clueless.

Before we look at this weekends match, a big well done to the Ankaragucu management as they have set the Manisaspor fans tickets at 1 Turkish Lira. This is in response to Manisaspor charging Ankaragucu fans 50 Turkish Lira when they met in Manisa 2 years ago. A lot of clubs would have given them a taste of their own medicine, but the Ankaragucu management have shown a touch of class and sent out a message that football fans should be treated with respect.

Ankaragucu and Manisaspor are having contrasting seasons, with Ankaragucu high flying at the top of the table, while Manisa are 2nd from bottom and face an uphill battle to stay in the league. Ankaragucu drew 2-2 at Gazisehir last week and will be looking to get back to winning ways on Sunday.  Manisaspor lost 2-1 at home against Altinordu at the weekend and followed that up with a respectable 1-1 draw against Besiktas midweek. It’s worth noting that Besiktas won the first leg 9-0.

Gencer Cansev and Sedat Agcay both missed out last weekend and it’s no coincidence that Ankaragucu dropped their first points in 9 games. Sedat in particular was a big miss in the middle of the Park especially when his replacement Abdulkadir Kayali went off injured.

One of the areas of concern for Ankaragucu is the left back position. Both Mehmet Sak and Ferhat Kiraz have struggled defensively and it must be an area the club address in the January transfer window. With only 2 games remaining before the winter break, Ankaragucu will be able to call on Tonia Tisdell, Mbamba Kibong and Nduka Ozokwu who were all out with injury and unregistered for the first half of the season. Tonia in particular will be a key player.

Those injuries to Tonia and Nduka have allowe Kenan Özer to cement his place in the starting line up and he hasn’t disappointed with some excellent performances and again will be a key player at the weekend.

It’s expected that Umut Nayir will return to the starting line up now that he is fit in place for Lanre Kehinde who has failed to impress in his last 2 outings. Anton Putsila is the stand out player in the Ankaragucu team in terms of ability, he just needs to find that consistency as he tends to have spells in games where he isn’t involved.

Manisaspor although struggling at the foot of the table still have a couple of players in Slavko Perovic and Axel Meye who are capable of hurting teams if not given the respect they deserve. I’m sure İsmail Kartal as particular as he is will have earmarked Perovic as the key man.

In other news, New Ankara Mayor has stated that the new Ankara stadium will be ready for the start of next season. If it is, then it will be the quickest built Stadium in history imo.

Sunk in the last minute

This was a six-pointer and Gencler managed to give it away in the last few minutes. A disappointing end to a fairly disappointing match.

Antalyaspor 1 - 1 Genclerbirligi

Just a few fans down at the Alerta on Sunday afternoon... probably as many as made the trip down to Antalya. The pre-match talk in the pub was that this was one for the taking with Antalya being rubbish at the moment and their coach had quit on the night before the match.

The general views seemed correct once the game got underway. The only thing was that Gencler were just as bad as the home side. First half finished 0-0 with bugger all chances for either side.

Second half though and we started to attack and it paid off when Elvis Manu broke free and made a short cross to Jailton who knocked it in. Nice goal.

At about 85 minutes I had to leave and it wasn't until I was in the bus on my way home when I saw a whole heap of messages on whatsap. We had clearly conceded.

Then late last night another stream of messages. This time from Mehmet Soylu, the Gencler fan who has filed a criminal complaint against Umit Ozat for insulting him on Instagram. According to Soylu, Ozat confronted him in the bus on the way to the plane at Antalya airport. Ozat was swearing away at him.

Soylu's 15 year-old son was recording the incident when his phone was taken out out of his hand by fullback Zeki Yavru and the recording deleted.     

The arguments continued on the plane and the cabin crew were forced to intervene.

Oh dear, oh dear.

Onto next week and our last home game of the first half of the season. It is also the last match on our season tickets... There has been no announcement on where we will be playing for the second half of the season.

Gazisehir 2-2 Ankaragucu match report!

Ankaragucu had to settle for a share of the points today at Gazisehir after a spirited comeback from 2-0 down. The team now extends its unbeaten record to 11 games with 9 wins and 2 draws. Ankaragucu remain top of the league after Umraniyespor drew 2-2 at home with Balikesirspor in the early kick off.

Team - Korcan, Erdem, Alihan, Lukasz, Ferhat, Abdulkadir, Arif, Putsila, Ilhan, Kenan, Kehinde

Subs - Altay, Yusuf, Mahmut, Dieng, Mert, Mehmet, Doka, Enes, Umut Nayir

İsmail Kartal was forced into some changes with Gencer and Sedat both missing out, while Korcan returned to the starting line up. Umut Nayir had to make do with a place on the bench as he returns from injury.

Ankaragucu started the match well with some nice passing and almost took the lead after 4 minutes. A lovely move involving Kenan and Putsila who set up Ilhan Parlak, he then chipped Stachowiak in the Gazisehir goal but the ball was cleared off the line. A great chance and Ilhan should have done better. Four minutes later Erdem saw his free kick turned round the post by Stachowiak.

From then on, it was all Gazisehir who looked pretty impressive especially Del Valle who was causing all sorts of problems for the Ankaragucu defence. Their first chance came for Pierre Webo but for an outstanding block by Abdulkadir who unfortunately injured himself in the proceedings and was replaced with Mehmet Sak.

Pierre Webo although coming to the later part of his career, showed his class at times in the match and almost gave Gazisehir the lead with a curling shotthat went inches wide after skipping easily past Alihan.

In the next 10 minutes Gazisehir would have another 4 chances. First through Gokhan whose shot was easily saved from Korcan, then Reis saw his shot deflected just wide of the post with Korcan beaten and then Gokhan and Del Valle saw their efforts go over.

Gazisehir saw a penalty appeal turned away in what looked like a decent shout but BeIN never showed the replay so difficult to tell. A minute later they would get their penalty though after Mehmet got tangled with the Gazisehir player in the box. Up stepped Pierre Webo to make it 1-0.

Ankaragucu had a chance just before the break after a great cross into the box for Kenan who saw his header brilliantly saved by Stachowiak.

Halt Time - Gazisehir 1-0 Ankaragucu

It only took 5 minutes for Gazisehir to double their lead. This time though the impressive Gokhan Alsan as he beat a couple of players before firing his shot which was deflected past Korcan to make it  2-0.

İsmail Kartal brought Doka on for Mehmet to try and salvage something from the game. Ankaragucu started to come into the game and Putsila was driving the side forward with some of his mazy runs. He went close on the 65th minute beating his man beautifully before shooting from just outside the box but Stachowiak made another good save.

A minute later Ankaragucu were awarded a penalty after Arif Morkaya was brought down inside the area. Up stepped Ilhan to fire the ball past Stachowiak to make it 2-1. The travelling Ankaragucu fans could sense the team could get something from the game.

Pierre Webo and Gokhan both had chances for Gazisehir before Ankaragucu got the equaliser. This time Erdem put in a low cross into the box which was deflected into the back of the net to make it 2-2.

Ankaragucu pushed forward as they looked for the winner and Doka went close after he was set up by Putsila but Stachowiak made a good save. Substitute Cheikhou Dieng set up Kenan in the last minute but he was his shot go high and wide.

Full Time ended 2-2 in which is a good result for Ankaragucu considering they were 2-0 down. The team again showed great team spirit and why you should never write them off. Next Sunday the team host Manisaspor in Ankara and as usual we will have all the news and views midweek.

Yonetim Istifa

Well... That was bloody amazing. Some great football, some great goals and some great laughs

Genclerbirligi 4 - 0 Sivasspor

What a beautiful December day. A little bit chilly but bright sunshine, wispy white clouds - all up perfect conditions for a game of footy. Kanka-wise, just Bernard and me in the stands but the lovely weather got quite a few fans out of the woodwork.

Just like last week the fan groups tied their banners upside down in protest at the club hiring Umit Ozat as coach and they organised a five minute silence from the fans... Then on five minutes they started the chants for Ozat and the management to resign.

It was all going along as usual with no real penetrating footy from either team when  on the 12th minute Skuletic scored a screamer. The last time the ball touched the ground before it was in the back of the net was when it was launched forward by N'diaye from before the halfway line to Dialo (I think) who headed the ball forwards in a flat trajectory, then Skuletic managed to tap into into the air with his toe, he then knocked it up a touch with his knee and then took the shot 30 yards out. Nothing but net. Do check out the video in the tweet below, it is brilliant.

What A Goal ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/yKnnRaWiMv

— ODTÜLÜ GENÇLER (@ODTULUGENCLERR) December 3, 2017

Once the cheers had died down a bit.... the entire Maraton resumed "Yonetim Istifa"

The rest of the half was more than ordinary from Gencler and if there was any justice in the world Sivas should have at least got an equaliser... or even to have gone into the lead. We were playing awfully and without purpose.

Second half though and Ozat took off Khallili and moved Zeki into his normal back position, away from the wing where he had been rubbish for most of the first half. It was an inspired change and Gencler stepped up.

Diallo made hard work of what should have been a simple goal ... but still it went in. Up went the cheers and then up went the whole of Maraton again... `Yonetim Istifa`.

Then Elvis Manu decided that he was going to score. With excellent passing opportunities he decided to go it alone and somehow managed to score. If this was an Under 12s match the coach would have taken off the player for extreme selfishness and showboating. For us though it was just a laugh. 3-0 and the fans shouted out once more "Yonetim Istifa".

Again take a look at the goal in the tweet below.

What A Goal Again ⚽️🚀 pic.twitter.com/PfL8qEzAo3

— ODTÜLÜ GENÇLER (@ODTULUGENCLERR) December 3, 2017

Sivas had there chances in the second half with Hopf having to make one brilliant save a couple of easy ones... the post also save us at one stage... but the post had saved Sivas as well with Jailton playing some great breakaway stuff.

Elvis scored again towards the end and well it was a party mood at the 19 Mayis.

The final whistle couldn't come quick enough for Sivas and up went our cheers. Then we all sang out in unison.

"Yonetim Istifa."

En güzel galibiyet taraftar ile kutlanılandır 🔴⚫️ @kirmizikara pic.twitter.com/fmQ0oyC8WK

— ODTÜLÜ GENÇLER (@ODTULUGENCLERR) December 3, 2017

EDIT: The club has issued a statement saying they were "surprised and upset" by the fans jeers and they are completely behind coach Umit Ozat...

EDIT 2: At the press conference after the match Ozat talked about the criticism he received for his statements last week that accused Ankaragucu fans of wearing Gencler jerseys and swearing at him. At the presser he said that he would never criticise a former club of his "even if it was a Jewish club"

EDIT 3: On Monday evening the club issued a statement in Ozat's name saying that he was sorry to Jewish people. 

ANKARAGUCU MAKE IT TO THE TOP OF THE LEAGUE !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu move 2 points clear at the top of the league after a great 2^nd half performance to snuff out the challenge of Umraniye.

ANKARAGUCU   2                        Umraniye    1

Unusually for December, it was a perfect day in Ankara with blue skies and sunshine.    The kankas met-up at the Stadium - Horseman Kanka Osman, Nurer Kanka and Kaleci Kanka Tansu.   A great turn-out in all the tribunes, except of course, the away end, where I counted 8 and about 10,000 stewards and police !!!

A photo from last night when we both predicted an Ankaragucu win, after devouring quite a few 'refreshments' !!!

With Umut injured, there was a place for Kehinde in the starting line-up, but in the final analysis I don’t think he did enough to displace Umut when he if fit again.   However, having said that, he put in a good shift and perhaps he needs a few games under his belt to get up to speed.

Umraniye took control of the match from the off and their No30 looked dangerous with some speedy runs down the left wing.   From one of them in the 12^th minute, he crossed the ball but fortunately the striker’s shot was weak and easily saved by Korcan.

Kehinde had a chance 2 minutes later in Ankaragucu’s first real attack, but his shot was weak and easily saved.

Then 5 minutes later Umraniye went ahead when a great cross from the right was met by the No30 whose angled header was enough to beat Korcan.

It was still mostly all Umraniye, but Ankaragucu did have two more chances before the half time whistle.   Firstly, Kenan crossed to Pulsila who’s volley was well saved, and secondly from a free kick on the right, Gencer’s bullet header was inches past the post.

So, to half time and I confess saying to Osman that I couldn’t see where the Ankaragucu goals were coming from in the 2^nd half.    I should have remembered my favourite expression ........ a game of two halves !!!

Ankaragucu came out for the 2^nd half all fired up and attacked Umraniye from the kick-off.   Only 2 minutes in and the equaliser came.   It was caused by a defensive cock-up with Kehinde distraction causing a defender to score an own-goal.   We’ll take it !!!

Ankaragucu continued to attack and 10 minutes later came the winning goal from man of the match Kenan who gave the Umraniye defence a torrid time during the match.   However, it was another cock-up from the Umraniye defence which allowed Pulsila to nick the ball from a weak pass.   Off he scampered and played a cut-back for Kenan to tap-in.    Up the volume and the Mexican Wave began !

Erdem also had a fine match and he saved a certain goal 8 minutes later with a timely interception when an attacker was about to shoot.   

With 20 minutes left it was almost the equaliser when the No30 was put through with only Korcan to beat, but his bullet of a shot went narrowly past the post.   Sighs of relief all round !

Ilhan came on for the final 15 minutes with Doka going off to loud applause for his midfield efforts.

Into the final 5 minutes and Umraniye laid siege to the Ankaragucu goalmouth with wave after wave of attacks, but the Ankaragucu defence withstood the pressure and were happy to hoof the ball anywhere out of the danger zone to run the clock down.

So, to the final whistle and a hard fought 2^nd half display from Ankaragucu and it’s fair to say that the victory was well deserved after their 2^nd half showing.

Next Saturday Ankaragucu is away to Gaziantepspor with a 3.30pm KO.    We will watch it either in The Yeni Sedir or Kara Simit.    Watch this space for details nearer the time.

Well done Ankaragucu !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim 

Ankaragucu vs Umraniyespor match preview!

Another huge match in the PTT Lig this weekend as the top two meet at the 19 Mayis Stadium in Ankara. Ankaragucu host leaders Umraniyespor in what will be another tough match as the team look to make it 9 games without defeat.

Ankaragucu won 1-0 at Giresunspor last weekend in what was a hard fought match but again Ankaragucu showed resilience and survived first half pressure from Giresun to go in level at half time. A stronger second half performance was rewarded when Lanre Kehinde was the hero again from the bench scoring th winning goal.

Umraniyespor who are also on an 8 match unbeaten run won 2-0 at home against Altinordu at the weekend and it was another match with a clean sheet. They have only conceded 7 goals in their 13 league matches this season and will provide Ankaragücü’s biggest test of the season.

Erdem Ozgenc and Alihan Kubalas should both be back for Ankaragucu, while we await the news on Ilhan Parlak as he fights a race against the clock to be fit. İsmail Kartal will need to decide if he wants to keep faith with young Altay Bayindir in goal or bring back Korcan Celikay who is also fit again after injury. Lanre Kehinde impressed again and must be in contention for a starting place in the team. He is a real handful for defenders and will have done himself no harm with the winning goal last week.

Umraniyespor are a well organised outfit and will be coming to Ankara looking for all 3 points. They have some talented players in Ibrahim Akdag, Dimitar Rangelov, Jean Armel Drole and Emircan Altintas who are having good starts to the season. Akdag is top scorer with 7 goals, Rangelov is a big physical presence up front and Drole is on loan from Antalyaspor and has a bright future ahead of him.

This is a match that could go any way, Umraniyespor are the leaders and have been outstanding at the back while still having talent in attack that can finish off games. Ankaragucu on the other hand have won every one of their big tests this season at Rizespor, Eskisehirspor and Giresunspor. At times they have rode their luck, but the hard work and team spirit has saw them through some tough matches. As mentioned in the match report some of the unsung hero’s are Sedat Acgay and Arif Morkaya who do all the dirty work covering every blade of grass while allowing the attacking players to go forward and create chances. They will be vital again in this match and we will be hoping for another 3 points. A draw wouldn’t be the worst result in the world but Ankaragucu must take something from the game.

As usual the Kanka Group will be in their usual place in th stadium and anyone wanting to join the group is more than welcome to come along.

Giresunspor 0-1 Ankaragucu match report!

Ankaragucu return to the capital with all 3 points after a fantastic 1-0 win at Giresunspor despite having to make 4 changes to the team. Erdem Ozgenc, Alihan Kubalas, Ilhan Parlak were all out due to injury and suspension, while Korcan still isn’t fit enough to start.

Team - Altay, Yusuf, Lukasz, Gencer, Mehmet, Arif, Sedat, Putsila, Ferhat, Kenan, Umut

Subs - Korcan, Enes, Cheikhou, Kehinde, Mahmut, Aydeniz, Doka, Abdulkadir

There was a first League start for Lukasz Szukala who is on loan from Osmanlispor and the big Pole didn’t put a foot wrong alongside Gencer at the heart of the Ankaragucu defence. İsmail Kartal decided to go with Ferhat Kiraz out on the left wing in place of the injured Kehinde with Mehmet Sak coming back in at left back.

It took only 30 seconds for Ankaragucu to nearly take the lead, a long ball found its way to Umut who set up Kenan whose shot from 25 yards went inches wide of the post.

Umut Nayir has the only other real chance for Ankaragucu in the first half after a great cross into the box, but the big striker headed wide.

Giresunspor had the better of the first half but couldn’t get any real shots on goal, and when they managed to create anything young Altay Bayindir made a couple of comfortable saves. Dimitriadis had the best chance for Giresunspor but his shot from the edge of the box went inches over.

Into the second half and midway through Ankaragucu brought on Kehinde for Umut and the big Nigerian made an instant impact. Firstly he knocked down a long ball for Kenan who was through on goal but his shot was well saved by the keeper.

With just under 10 minutes remaining Ankaragucu broke the deadlock. A corner into the box was nodded home by Kehinde who pulled his baby’s dummy out from his sock putting it in his mouth and celebrated with the fans who were absolutely delighted.

Ankaragucu would hang on to their 1-0 lead and secured the 3 points which takes them 2 points clear at the top with Umraniyespor playing tomorrow. A brilliant win for Ankaragucu and again credit must go to the full team but again Sedat Acgay and Arif Morkaya were the unsung hero’s covering every blade of grass.

Next Saturday see the top two face each other at the 19 Mayis Stadium in Ankara, as Ankaragucu host Umraniyespor. Promises to be another cracker.

The march towards relegation continues

Sir Eski: "There are more stewards than Osmanli fans"

Osmanlispor 2 - 0 Genclerbirligi

Spine, Sir Eski and myself made it down to the Red Lion to watch another woeful display from Gencler. I'm not even going to bother with an analysis of the match except to say that it was only fitting that one of the players we sold off at the beginning of the season, Serdar Guler, looked like he could have defeated us all on his own. He scored both goals.

All up around 12 Osmanli fans showed up. I ended up winning a beer off a bloke at the bar who insisted that there must have been a match ban on spectators.

Nope... the real reason is now that Melih Gokcek has resigned as mayor of Ankara there is no one to offer free chicken kebabs and 50 tl to municipal workers to show up.

And so the matched kicked off with zero atmosphere... except...

After Mesut Bakkal was sacked/resigned last week the club mysteriously signed Umit Ozat, the very same coach who we got rid of just a couple of months ago for having been a complete failure. After being sacked Ozat posted a picture on social media of him shaking friends with his "old friend" Sedat Peker, a convicted organised crime boss with some fairly extreme right-wing views, i.e. exactly the kind of person Genclerbirligi fans do not like very much.

So, the 50 or so Gencler fans who went off to the Osmanli stadium in the middle of nowhere on a cold Friday night ended up tying their banners upside down in protest. Within seconds of kick off they where shouting for Ozat to resign.

İSTİFA!

Osmanlıspor 2-0 Gençlerbirliği pic.twitter.com/nGF8WTG7ih

— ODTÜLÜ GENÇLER (@ODTULUGENCLERR) November 24, 2017

In a press conference afterwards Umit Ozat said it was wrong for the fans to swear at him and to be calling for his resignation just 5 minutes after taking over at the club. We had the sound off at the Red Lion so I can't confirm if the fans were swearing but there is certainly no doubt they were calling on him to resign. Ozat then bizarrely said that those at the match calling for the management to resign included Ankaragucu fans wearing Gencler shirts.

Ankaragucu on Saturday put out a statement condemning what they described as Ozat's "ugly behaivour" and then went on to give Ozat some information concerning the relationship between the two clubs ie... that they are actually friends.

The fact the Ozat had complained about fans swearing at him made news that came out on Saturday even funnier.

Klasspor reported that long-time fan, former junior player and current member of Genclerbirligi, Mehmet Soylu, had made an official complaint and a judicial investigation has been launched into Ozat swearing at him on social media a couple of months ago.

"You bastard. You come to the training facilities and you write here like a useless, stupid person," Ozat told Soylu via Instagram. (By the way, the "useless, stupid person" bit of the quote may not be exact... the Turkish word was sunepe... quite difficult to get the meaning across in a simple translation) 

It was just general sort of swearing but as we know words like "bastard" are a lot more forceful in Turkish than in English. Ozat has been asked to "help police in their investigations"* and has since deleted his Instagram account where the conversation took place.

What next for Genclerbirligi? Who knows. One thing that is certain is the club's management will be hoping that the new stadium to replace the 19 Mayis gets underway as scheduled during the winter break. That way Genclerbirligi will be forced to play the second half of the stadium a million miles away. With no fans at matches the calls for "Yonetim Istifa" will be silenced... at least in the stands.

Paraşütsüz düşüyoruz.

— KaraKızıl G.Birliği (@fckarakizil) November 24, 2017

* perhaps not the exact Turkish judicial procedure.

Ankaragucu vs Giresunspor match preview!

It’s 2nd vs 3rd on Saturday afternoon as Ankaragucu travel to Giresunspor looking to make it 8 matches unbeaten after another win at the weekend against Denizlispor. Although the Ankaragucu management, players and fans will be delighted with the 2-1 win, the team will need to up their performance against a very good Giresunspor side.

The hosts drew 3-3 at Altinordu last weekend and have only lost 1 game all season. They have some good players in Boubacar Dialiba and Mehmet Akyuz who will be the dangermen, although they have quality in all areas of the pitch. Giresun showed real character coming back from 2-0 down against Altinordu to share the points and will have a good crowd behind them at the weekend. Ankaragucu sold out their allocation for the match and will also have the support behind them.

Last weekends 2-1 win over Denizlispor was as Jim said in the report a game of 2 halfs. Denizli had the edge in the first half, while Ankaragucu dominated in the second. One of the areas in the team that is a real concern is the left back position. Mehmet Sak has proved his value and quality going forward, while Ferhat Kiraz is capable going forward too. Both players struggle defensively though and Giresun will look to take advantage with quality wide players such as Sinan and Dialiba.

Ankaragucu have shown their quality in attack in the last 7 games with Umut Nayir being the focal point in attack. He leads the team in scoring with 6 goals, but it’s also his link up play and teamwork that are instrumental in the teams title bid. Ilhan Parlak came off last week with and injury and could miss out, with either Doka or Kehinde set to fill in. Kehinde looked lively again and is a real handful for defenders and deserves a place in the starting line up. Kenan Özer continues to impress and will also start the game.

The match will kick off at 15:30 Turkish time and will be shown live on BeIN Sports. The Kanka Group will again be watching the match somewhere in Ankara and Jim will post details of where and when to meet. Let’s hope for another 3 points for Ankaragucu and Umraniyespor to drop points which would see Ankaragucu move top!

It can't get worse can it? Oh...

Genclerbirligi 1 - 2 Kayserispor

Genclerbirligi 1 - 2 Kayserispor

It wasn't the best day to go to the football. Wet and cold and grey. That wouldn't have stopped me in the past though and so it shows just how depressed some of us Gencler fans are at the moment that I didn't even bother heading down to the stadium which must be the first time I've missed a home league match without a decent excuse for quite a few seasons.

I listened to part of it on the radio, in between the pazar shopping, and from what I could tell we started off okay but Kayserispor were playing the long game.

With their first shot of the match they went ahead in the 28th and then we came back a few minutes later.

I missed their second goal but it can probably be summed up in the following tweet from one of the Alkaralar supporters.

Futbol tarihinin en aptalca barajini kurarak golü yedik.

— Erdem Ceydilek (@erdemceydilek) November 19, 2017

And that was that.

Little surprise that it was announced a few hours later that Gencler coach Mesut Bakkal had resigned.

Last place in the league. What a mess.

ANKARAGUCU ULTIMATELY SNUFF OUT THE DENIZLI HOROS FIRST HALF ONSLAUGHT !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

This is a first !     No, not the first time I’ve seen Ankaragucu beat Denizli, but the first time I’ve been at the stadium gate when the National Anthem was playing !

I left my school at 5pm, boarded the train at 5.15 and made it to the Stadium 30 Kms away in time for the KO thanks to the efficiency of the Ankara Metro system.

There I met up with all the kankas – Maniac Kanka Harun, Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Posh Kanka Ahmet, Kaleci Kanka Tansu, Horseman Kanka Osman and Nurer Kanka.   Gecikondu and Kapali were full and Maraton almost full and the atmosphere was fantastic (as usual).    There were about 100 Horos in the away end, but we didn’t hear a sound from them apart from the opening goal !

Dare I use the olde cliché ........... ‘a game of two halves’ ?   Yes, I must, because it was !

It was mostly all Denizli in the first half with the Ankaragucu defence and midfield given the run-around.   However, Denizli’s firepower and Korcan restricted them to only one goal.   Ultimately, it was a happy ending with Ankaragucu showing more determination and skill in the 2^nd half to send us all home ‘happy bunnies’.

ANKARAGUCU    2          Denizlispor     1

From the opening minutes of the match it was plain for all to see that Denizli were not here to defend.   They were spreading the ball around and giving Ankaragucu few chances to exert pressure on the solid Denizli defence.

It was little surprise therefore when Denizli made the breakthrough on the 25 minutes mark with a textbook goal.   From a throw-in on the left, the Denizli winger left everyone in his wake and crossed an inch perfect ball to the far post where it was met with an equally perfect header across Korcan and in at the near post.

Things were looking ominous at this stage and Ankaragucu had to withstand intense Denizli pressure, but thankfully the defence held firm as the half time whistle beckoned.

However, Ankaragucu’s only two serious efforts on goal in the first half then gave us hope.   Firstly, Pursila headed just past the post from an excellent cross from Kenan.

Then in time added on, Ankaragucu won a corner on the right.   Erdem swung it in and there was Alihan perfectly positioned to power in a superb header for the equaliser.

Phew !    What a let-off and happy faces all round with expectation still high.   The other downside of the first half was Ilhan limping off injured after 15 minutes to be replaced by Doka.   Let’s hope it’s not a serious injury.

Ankaragucu came out for the 2^nd half with all cylinders firing and laid siege to the Denizli goal.   This was more like the Ankaragucu we have been accustomed to of late, and it was no surprise when the winner arrived in the 72^nd minute.   A corner on the right was met by Umut who’s glancing angled header deceived the goalkeeper and we were all dancing and singing again in anticipation of 3 points.

Kehinde replaced Arif on 67 minutes and he almost scored a 3^rd when he went on a mazy run, but as he was about to shoot it looked like he was brought down by the goalkeeper, but the referee had other ideas and gave him a yellow card for diving !   I think the referee got that one wrong, but fortunately it didn’t affect the final score !

Into extra time and the 3^rd goal almost arrived again.   A neat head flick by Kehinde into Kenan’s path, but his final shot was weak and saved.

Sighs of relief all round at the final whistle as the players did their customary misket dance and then a lap of honour.   A misket performance by the kankas also drew applause from Sag Kapali supporters !

It was back to The Bira Park to celebrate and discuss next Saturday’s vital match away to 2^nd top of the league, Giresun.   

Today, top of the league Umraniye are away at Erzurum and the final score is 0-0    Another confidence boost for Ankaragucu as if one was needed !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu vs Denizlispor match preview!

Ankaragucu return to league action on Friday night after the International break as they host Denizlispor at the 19 Mayis Stadium in Ankara. The team will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to 7 games and keep up the pressure on Umraniyespor and Giresunspor.

Off the field President Erdogan spoke of his hopes to see Ankaragucu in the Super Lig and how important the club are to Turkish football. Melih Gokcek has also been replaced as mayor of Ankara with Dr Tuna who is the brother of Ankaragucu board member Tuna Yilmaz. Hopefully he can help influence the cities new mayor to show more support for the club than his predecessor.

Ankaragucu will go into the match without Mehmet Sak who is suspended which should mean a return to the starting line up for Ferhat Kiraz. Korcan Celikay will likely start in goal as he has regained training after a niggling injury. Tonia Tisdell returned to training this week and was joined by Mbamba Kibong. Both players will be back in contention for a place in the squad in January.

İsmail Kartal seems to have found his starting 11 which he has kept faith with and the results have reflected than on the pitch. The key to a winning team is consistency and this is something the team have worked on and İsmail Kartal is rightly starting to receive the praise and plaudits he deserves.

The last match against Eskisehirspor is the first and only time in the 8 years that I have supported Ankaragucu where I can remember a match that we came away with a convincing win despite the opposition having double the amount of chances and more possession. Again that shows the character in the team, that they can grind out wins even when not performing at their best.

Denizlispor sit just one place outside the relegation zone but have saw and improvement in their performances over the last month. Wins over Adana Demirspor and Altinordu have given them hope that they can stay up this season, relegation to Lig 2 would be catastrophic for the cash strapped club. The Denizli fans have boycotted their games this season which is disappointing as they have a fairly loyal fan base in general. Ziya Alkurt and Andre Moritz will be key if Denizli are to take anything from the game on Friday night and will be the players the Ankaragucu team need to stop.

Their should be a fairly decent Ankaragucu crowd their to cheer the team on, the club have sold over 14,000 Passolig cards and with it being a Friday night there should be a crowd of in the region of 10,000 at the game. Anyone wanting to join the Kankas going to the match please get in touch with Jim for full details.

Eskisehirspor 1-3 Ankaragucu match report!

How many times can you say Ankaragucu rode their luck and came away with 3 points? Not very many would be the answer from most Ankaragucu fans who have had to endure more lows than highs over the last 6 years. Fortunately luck was on our side today with a hard fought 3-1 victory at rivals Eskisehirspor as the team now makes it 6 games without defeat.

Team - Korcan, Erdem, Gencer, Alihan, Mehmet, Sedat, Arif, Putsila, Kenan, Ilhan, Umut

Subs - Altay, Yusuf, Lukasz, Cheikhou, Kehinde, Abdulkadir, Mahmut, Enes

Just as the game started, the Eskisehirspor fans changed in protest against the ban on Ankaragucu fans saying it’s their right to travel to the game. Even though there is no love lost between the two clubs, their is still a mutual respect.

There was a great atmosphere at the Yeni Eskisehir stadium as the home fans cheered their team on and it seemed to have a positive effect on the players as Eskisehirspor dominated the early stages of the match.

Only two minutes in and Erkan Zengin saw his headed effort brilliantly saved from Korcan from close range. A minute later and Korcan dropped the ball in the box, the ball found its way to Hasan Acar who fired well over.

The Ankaragucu defence were all over the place and on the 11th minute Eskisehirspor should have taken the lead. The ball found its way to the unmarked Ofoedu but Korcan made a great save to keep the score at 0-0. Erkan Zengin was causing the Ankaragucu defence problems and he cut inside Erdem but saw his shot go wide.

It took until the 17th minute for Ankaragucu to create their first chance of the game. A good ball into the box for Ilhan but the forwards header was well saved from Kayacan. Five minutes later Anton Putsila shot from distance but was easily saved.

Two minutes before half time Erkan had a chance at the back post but his volley was deflected behind for a corner.

Just as it looked like Ankaragucu were heading into half time lucky to be on level terms, Putsila put Kenan through on goal with a brilliant pass and the little winger kept his calm before slotting the ball into the back of the net. 1-0 Ankaragucu.

Half Time

Altay Bayindir came on at half time for Korcan who was struggling the full game with a leg injury. It was Eskisehirspor who came out looking for the equaliser as Hurriyet saw his shot deflected just over by his own player on the 50th minute.

Three minutes later and Ofoedu missed the chance of the game, he was left at the back post with the simple task of putting the ball into the net but couldn’t even hit the target with only the keeper to beat.

Erdem Ozgenc beat two players before firing straight at the keeper when he should have squared the ball to his teammates in the box. A couple of minutes later and a mistake from Mehmet Sak gifted the ball to Ofoedu who saw his shot well saved from Altay.

A minute later and brilliant play from Kenan who crossed the ball for Umut who misshit his shot but Ilhan was on hand to put the ball into the back of the net. 2-0. Eskisehirspor at this stage must have wondered how they found themselves 2 goals down.

Eskişehirspor continued to push forward and Bruno Mezenga almost got lucky as Altay scrambled his headed effort away.

Altay Bayindir has a big future ahead of him and he showed why with an excellent save from a thunderous Hasan Ayaroglu effort from 25 yards. At the other end Kenan put Umut through on goal but Kayacan made a good save to keep Eskisehirspor in the game.

With time also set up Hasan Acar pulled a goal back for Eskisehirspor in injury time. It gave the subdued home support a bit of a lift, but minutes later Arif broke free down the right hand side and squared for Umut Nayir who put the ball into the back of the net with a brilliant finish. 3-1 Ankaragucu.

An excellent win for Ankaragucu with Anton Putsila and Kenan instrumental while Alihan put in another commanding performance at the back. Mehmet Sak will need to improve his defensive side of the game and their is still room for improvement for Ankaragucu. That said 3rd in the league and only 3 points behind leaders Umraniyespor is a fantastic achievement so far from the team.

Eskisehirspor need to pick themselves up and take the positives from the game. They are better than what they are showing but forwards Bruno Mezenga and Ofoedu need to finish their chances and they need to be better at the back.

Next up is a home tie next Friday night with Denizlispor, we will have the preview here on the blog midweek.