Ankaragucu 1-0 Nigde match report!

Its not often all the results go our way when it comes to Ankaragucu. Today was that day though as Ankaragucu fought out a hard earned 1-0 win at Nigde, while leaders Gumushanespor lost 1-0 at home against Hatayspor.

Team - Korcan Celikay, Sercan Balci, Cenk Kaplan, Sezgin Coskun, Mehmet Tasci, Ferhat Culcuoglu, Muhammad Gonulacar, Orhan Gulle, Omer Bozan, Erhan Senturk, Muharrem Ozan

Subs - Emre Koyuncu, Alihan Kubalas, Emre Kara, Enes Kubat, Kenan Özer, Harun Aydin, Emre Sahin

Ismet Tasdemir made a number of surprising changes after last weekends disastrous 1-1 draw with Tokatspor. In came Cenk Kaplan and Mehmet Tasci to defence, while Muhammed Gonulacar, Erhan Senturk and Orhan came into midfield.

As mentioned midweek, Ankaragucu fans were again banned from travelling, for none other reason than Nigde municipality didn't want us there. Another example of the shabby treatment towards our fans.

There was a cracking atmosphere at the game with the Nigde fans urging there team on and hoping to cause an upset. There wasn't much action in the opening 15 minutes with Nigde working tirelessly closing the Ankaragucu players down at every opportunity.

The first chance of the match came on 16th minute after nice build up play form Ankaragucu but the shot on goal went well wide.

Ankaragucu nearly took the lead from and Erhan Senturk cross into the box which almost when straight in but for a good save from Muzaffer in the Nigde goal.

A few minutes later the opening goal came. Erhan Senturk had a great chance but his shot was deflected behind for a corner. From the resulting corner Muharrem Ozan powerful headed the ball into the top corner to make it 1-0.

Nigde had a couple of half chances before half time, the first from Ibrahim Alan who shot wide, and then an overhead kick into the side netting.

Half Time - Nigde 0-1 Ankaragucu

Again there weren't much efforts on goal from either side at the start of second half with both teams keeping it tight at the back.

Nigde were gifted an opportunity by a mix up in the Ankaragucu on 74th minute but Korcan made an excellent save in the Ankaragucu goal. Ten minutes later Erhan Senturk had a glorious chance for Ankaragucu to finish the game off but he somehow shot straight at Muzaffer who tipped the ball behind for a corner.

Into injury time and Nigde had another great chance, this time they hit the crossbar and the ball went over.

Full Time

Nigde 0-1 Ankaragucu

In the other match, Gumushanespor lost 1-0 with Hatayspor and now lead on just head to head difference with both sides level on points. Gumushanespor are away to Tuzlaspor on Wednesday for their game in hand.

A good day all around for Ankaragucu, let's hope there are many more!

Ankaragucu vs Nigde Belediyespor match preview!

For the first time in his Ankaragucu career Ismet Tasdemir could face losing his job if the team don't take all 3 points from Nigde at the weekend. Ankaragucu have only won 2 of their last 7 games which ultimately isn't anywhere near good enough if you want to win the title.

Despite dominating last weekends match with Tokatspor, Ankaragucu dropped points at home with after a disappointing 1-1 draw. Gumushanespor are now 3 points ahead with a game in hand. There won't be a better chance of winning promotion than this season as there aren't any stand out sides. Gumushanespor are only top because we have dropped so many points when it mattered and Menemen have had a start stop campaign in 3rd.

The problems for Ankaragucu this season lie in attack. To many games the team have dominated play and created more chances but failed to finish teams off. Only one player can hold their head up high and be satisfied with their performances of our attacking players and that's Omer Bozan. The other players such as Erhan Senturk, Emre Sahin, Muharrem Ozan, Enes Kubat and Kenan Özer need to up their performances and start finding the net.

Nigde are on a 6 match unbeaten run and find themselves in the playoff places sitting in 5th place. They have a very good defensive record and will be difficult to break down, where as they have struggled like Ankaragucu of late in attack.

Gumushanespor also have a tough match at the weekend, they are at home against Hatayspor who are in 4th place. That game will be played behind closed doors due to the 5 match stadium ban for crowd trouble.

It will be interesting to see who delivers and who slips up at the weekend, let's hope it's a positive outcome for Ankaragucu while Hatayspor take 3 points home from Gumushane.

Back on track?

Some 800 delegates showed up to the Genclerbirligi general meeting on Saturday that saw the late Ilhan Cavcav's son Murat elected as chairman of the club. On Sunday, the vast majority of those delegates stayed at home.

Genclerbirligi 2 - 0 Konyaspor

Genclerbirligi have been on a pretty bad run recently and the pressure was piling high on coach Umit Ozat. So a 2-0 win is pretty good. Pressure isn't off though as the team still looks very weak with some big holes.

Having said that it was great to see Gencler start off attacking. Rantie had one good shot blocked by a defender but unfortunately that was about all he did all match before he was subbed towards the end. Serkan at the back was solid and Palitsevic put in some great last ditch blocks.

Aydin down the wing was active as ever and got the assist for the second goal.

The goals. Serdar is the man! Freekick in the centre about four metres outside the box. Serdar shot it straight, over the wall and then the ball curved like hell to the left and Konya's keeper (former Ankaragucu keeper Serkan) was completely fooled.

Second goal came from Aydin chipping the ball onto Serdar's head a foot out from the goal, the ball then bounced onto the crossbar and either came off the keeper and in, or was already in and then hit the keeper. Replays suggest Serdar was about 20 cm offside.

Two-nil up and I guess you can't blame them too much for not controlling the rest of the match but it was disturbing that we crumbled and it was just chance and some rubbish finishing from Konya that saw us win by two.

There is still a lot of work to do.

Ankaragücü 1-1 Tokatspor!

There has been a real buzz around the club this week with the unbelievable show of support from the Ankara community. The club sold 33,000 tickets for today's match against Tokatspor despite there being a stadium ban.

I can't think of any other times the city has come together t support the club in the 8 years I have been following the club. Today was the perfect opportunity for the Ankaragucu team to thank the fans for their support and put on a performance that merited their loyalty. Instead, we were served the usual turgid, woeful pish that has been on show since the return from the winter break.

Team - Korcan Celikay, Sercan Balci, Alihan Kubalas, Sezgin Coskun, Hursit Tasci, Ferhat Culcuoglu, Harun Aydin, Omer Bozan, Emre Sahin, Kenan Özer, Muharrem Ozan

Subs - Emre Koyuncu, Cenk Kaplan, Emre Kara, Mohammed Gonulacar, Erhan Senturk, Enes Kubat,  Orhan Gulle

Ankaragucu sitting 2nd in the league against 2nd bottom Tokatspor before the start of play. The team started in the usual slow and turgid build up play with no final ball or urgency.

The first chance of the game came for Ankaragucu on 14 minutes. A nice cross into the box from Sercan found Muharrem who headed over when he should have done better.

Ankaragucu couldn't get any shots on goal and soon found themselves 1-0 down. Tokatspor were awarded a penalty on the 33rd minute and Ferhat Dumas stepped up calmly and stroked the ball past Korcan.

The only shot on goal Ankaragucu had in the first half fell to Kenan Özer. Another nice ball into the box from Sercan which Kenan volleyed but Atacan made a double save to keep Tokat in front.

Half Time - Ankaragucu 0-1 Tokatspor

Into the second half and there was more urgency from Ankaragucu but again the quality in attack was poor, the final ball and shooting was woeful for a team challenging for the title.

The biggest culprit for missing chances was Muharrem Ozan, he headed a couple of efforts over the bar, one was cleared off the line and nother saved from Atacan. Omer Bozan went close from distance but again Atacan made another good save.

Ankaragucu finally got on level terms in the 90th minute. The referee awarded a penalty which was the correct decision and up stepped Erhan Senturk to fire the ball into the roof of the net to tie the scoring at 1-1.

There was still time for 1 last chance for Ankaragucu, a cross to the back post found an unmarked Ankaragucu player but he headed his effort wide of the post.

Full Time - Ankaragucu 1-1 Tokatspor

Gumushanespor are up against bottom of the league Kayseri Erciyesspor tomorrow and will go 3 points clear with a game in hand. Ismet Tasdemir now finds himself under pressure with some Ankaragucu fans calling for his resignation.

Ankaragucu fans incredible show of support!

People often ask me, why does a guy who lives in a Scotland who has no Turkish family support a shite team in the Turkish 3rd division? Today I give them another example why. Quite simply it's the fans, the club has the most loyal and passionate fans in Turkey despite years of heartbreak and turmoil which see the club lying in the lower leagues.

This week, the club were handed a two match stadium ban due to the crowd trouble in Gumushane last weekend. The Ankaragucu fans led by board member Tuna Yilmaz started a campaign to sell the tickets for tomorrow's match despite the stadium ban with no one allowed to enter. This would allow the club to still make money and not lose out on any gate receipts.

The 19 Mayis Stadium holds 20,000 people, there were expected to be a big crowd for tomorrow's match. What happened next no one could have expected. If the club sold 3,000 - 5,000 tickets for a match that no one was allowed to attend it would have been impressive.

Instead, as of 1 hour ago, the club have sold 30,000 tickets for the match. There has been an incredible show of support from local businesses in Ankara, politicians, fans and even former players such as Hakan Kutlu, Orhan Evci and Adem Saglam.

If there is any justice in football, Ankaragucu will in the next couple of years find themselves back in with the big boys in the Turkish Super Lig.

Long may this unity continue and the city of Ankara getting behind its oldest and most followed club!

Ankaragucu vs Tokatspor - The Giant has awoken!

Last weekends eventful match at Gumushanespor could finally be the event that has lead the City of Ankara to get behind Ankaragucu. Over the years Ankaragucu have fell down the divisions, been ripped apart due to politics, and individuals who we shall not name who cared more about their ego than one of Turkeys oldest and most dear clubs.

The match in Gumushanespor was a disappointment due to the fact the team lost 2-1 against their title rivals despite the fact we dominated the match. That disappointment turned to anger as the referee and linesmen gave so many strange decisions that it has lead to accusations of match fixing. The Ankaragucu team and fans were subject to coming under attack from Gumushanespor fans. But the breaking point was when the finance minister from Gumushane walked round the park on the 55th minute surrounded 50 men including bodyguards.

Ankaragucu fans, politicians and even former referees have stated they have never in all the years seen this happening in football. Why was he walking round the park? To put pressure on the referee and match officials? It certainly looked that way.

The good old TFF have today handed Ankaragucu a 2 match stadium ban, while Gumushanespor have been handed a 5 match stadium ban.

Again, Ankaragucu will be hurt financially as the match with Tokatspor was heading for a 20,000 sell out crowd. Amazingly the Ankaragucu management team have started a campaign which has been backed by local businesses to still sell tickets for the match allowing the club to make the money they would have if the ban wasn't in place.

This week has saw politicians including Aylin Nazliaka, former referees and even the clubs ex presidents Cengiz Topal, Celal Aydin and Bent Ahlat all claiming they will be there to support Ankaragucu putting their differences in the past to the side.

It remains to be seen whether this support will dwindle away or if it really is the turning point where the giant of Ankara has finally been awoken and has the support of the city.

Ankaragucu will welcome back Serkan Balci and Alihan Kubalas from suspension at the weekend which will be a huge boost to the club. Although Tokatspor are sitting 2nd from bottom they have shown in the past few months they are capable of an upset. They have won against Menemen, Eyupspor, Sariyer and Kastamonuspor all good sides.

Omer Bozan will again be the key player for Ankaragucu and although he didn't have his best game last weekend he scored an absolute screamer from 30 yards which is a goal of the season contender. The team will be looking for more from the likes of Erhan Senturk, Emre Sahin and Muharrem Ozan. They need to create more in attack and take some of the pressure off Omer.

The match will be shown live on Baskent TV due to the stadium ban which allows the fans to see the team in action. Nothing but a win will be acceptable in the fight for the title!

Gumushanespor 2-1 Ankaragücü match report!

Another big match for Ankaragucu, and another defeat to go with it. At the start of the week I said that Ankaragucu need to start winning the must win matches against the teams we are challenging for the title. We have now played 3 games against the leading teams and lost them all.

Team - Korcan Celikay, Mohammed Gonulacar, Cenk Kaplan, Sezgin Coskun, Emre Kara, Harun Aydin, Ferhat Culcuoglu, Emre Sahin, Omer Bozan, Erhan Senturk, Muharrem Ozan

Subs - Emre Koyuncu, Mehmet Tasci, Hursit Tasci, Cagatay Ceken, Orhan Gulle, Kenan Özer, Enes Kubat

I'm must add, today's refereeing and linesman performance was one of the worst I've seen in years, that bad that there are questions marks as to whether it was deliberate and Mehmet Yiginer certain didn't hold back at the end of the game.

The pitch at Gumushane was an utter disgrace, there was no grass left and it just looked like dry mud. There was a fantastic atmosphere at the sold out stadium but that unfortunately turned ugly as reports from the Ankaragucu camp claim the home supporters attacked the Ankaragucu fans and management before and during the game.

Ankaragucu started the match pretty positively and looked to take the game to Gumushanespor. It was difficult for both sides though due to the state of the pitch. The first chance of the game came in the 12th minute as Emre Sahin shot from 25 yards but Hasan comfortably saved his effort.

A minute later Gumushanespor took the lead. The impressive Adem Sultan shot from distance took a wicked deflection past the helpless Korcan who had no chance to make it 1-0.

Ankaragucu looked to get straight back into the game and an excellent cross from the right was swung into the box but the ball somehow evaded everyone and Gumush breathed a sigh of relief.

Then came the contraversial 2nd goal. Cenk Kaplan brought down the Gumushanespor left winger inside the box and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. There were no replays but on first view it looked like the correct decision. The Ankaragucu players protested the decision and understandably so as the referee was making some strange decisions prior. Up stepped Ali Ozgun from the spot to make it 2-0.

Ankaragucu at this stage looked the better side but two fortunate goals from Gumushanespor made it an uphill struggle. Ankaragucu had a couple of half chances but their final ball was letting them down.

Then came what can only be described as the goal of the season. From about 35 yards Omer Bolzano unleashed a rocket into the top corner. It was a stunning goal from an excellent player and as Jim said earlier where would we be without him?

Half Time 2-1

The second half was an utter disappointment from Ankaragucu. They created 2-3 half chances with Muharrem blasting a couple over the bar, and then both Erhan and Harun messing up through balls that would have saw one on one chances with the keeper.

The match was stopped for 15 minutes at the end due to crowd trouble.Mehmet Yiginer slammed Gumushanespor at the end of the match saying when they came to Ankara we showed them friendly hospitality, but when we come here we have been attacked and that referee performance was a fix.

A disappointing day again for Ankaragucu. Gumushanespor are now 2 points ahead with a game in hand and are playing bottom of the league Kayseri Erciyesspor next week. While we are at home against Tokatspor.

Alkaralar call for Ozat to resign

The Genclerbirligi fan group Alkaralar on Saturday evening came out with an open call on Genclerbirligi coach Umit Ozat to resign.

In an open letter published by the fan group following Gencler's 3-0 away loss to Alanyaspor, Alkaralar laid the blame on Ozat for having failed to stop the club selling the club's best players Ahmet Calik and Irfan Khaveci. The letter was also very critical of how Ozat let Ante Kulusic go, pointing out that Ante had been an excellent fullback for Gencler for a number of years.

Just as a bit of background let me add in here that since the mid-Winter break Gencler have sold or given away a whole heap of players and brought in a busload of unknowns. The result has been that we seem to have a team of rank amateurs.

The open letter goes on at great length attacking Ozat for his previous failure to properly "acknowledge" Gencler for it's role in nurturing him as a player in the early 2000s. It also attacks him for laying the blame for Gencler's recent string of bad results on the players... and not himself presumably.

Ozat was never a big hit amongst the liberal/left Gencler fans. He has previously been on the record denigrating women's involvement in football and comes across as the sort of macho Turk that has blighted the image of this country for years.

The reason I say that is because the Alkaralar letter moves on from Ozat's failures at the moment to attack him for past actions. Basically, the letter says that Ozat isn't the sort of person we want as coach. The letter points out that Ozat came through the Gencler system and when he went on to Fenerbahce he ignored his roots. An old lover rejected?

It is the last line of the letter that is the most vicious. Fan clubs have time and again called on coaches to resign. But this one says that you do not belong, you are not welcome and basically... Fuck Off.

Here are the last three lines from Alkaralar's open letter.

Ozat! Get out from behind the football players you are hiding behind and take responsibility!   

Before you do any more harm please resign immediately and let us at least applaud you just one time for something you have done.

You are unworthy of (being compared) to any Gençlerbirliği coach since 1923. Please resign as soon as possible! 

EDIT: It should probably be pointed out that us Gencler Kankas sit with the Alkaralar crowd during home matches.

Gencler smashed up by Alanya

We were shit. I cannot see anything but a relegation fight ahead of us.

Alanyaspor 3 - 0 Genclerbirligi

Er... that's it.

EDIT: A little postscript. Flying Dutchman Kanka Carlo came up to me this evening and had just three words for me. "That was shit". Sounds familiar?

Ankaragucu vs Gumushanespor match preview!

Make no mistake, this weekends match at Gumushanespor is one of the biggest games in the last 4 years for Ankaragucu since they dropped down the leagues. The leagues two top sides come head to head and the match will be live on Cay TV.

Some early team news and Ankaragucu will have to do without the suspended Alihan Kubalas and Serkan Balci. It's expected that Cagatay Ceken or Muhammed Gonulacar will replace Serkan at right back, while Cenk Kaplan should replace Alihan.

Ankaragucu are 1 point ahead at the top with Gumushanespor having a game in hand. A win for Ankaragucu would give the team a huge morale boost going into the last few months of the season, while a defeat would be a huge boost for Gumushanespor.

The last time the two sides met Gumushanespor won comfortably 3-1 in Ankara which was viewed as an upset as they had a poor start to the season while Ankaragucu were sitting top. A lot has changed since then and Gumushanespor have been top for most of the season with Ankaragucu and Menemen both on their tail.

The Gumushane Sehir Stade has become something of a fortress this season as they are undefeated at home. Sundays match will be a huge test for Ankaragucu and they need to win these big matches. Over the last couple of seasons Ankaragucu have struggled to win the must win games and they will need to be at their best if they are to take anything from this game.

Ali Ozgun is the man to watch for Gumushanespor as the German born striker has 12 goals in 19 games. Ankaragucu will be looking for the likes of Erhan Senturk, Muharrem Ozan and Enes Kubat to provide the spark up top while the likes of Ferhat Culcuoglu and Harun Aydin do the dirty work in midfield.

Let's hope it's good news come Sunday afternoon and the team are celebrating extending their lead at the top to 5 points .

ANKARAGUCU REGAIN TOP SPOT IN THE LEAGUE

Greetings kankas and kankies.

With Gumushane involved in a Cup Match today it was an opportunity for Ankaragucu to return to the top of the league and they duly did, but not without some nervous moments in the 2^nd half.    As Scouse Kanka Marcus said at the end of the match ............. ‘Ankaragucu flattered to deceive’ !   In fairness though, Ankaragucu took their chances well and we shouldn’t be too critical.

ANKARAGUCU    3       Inegolspor   0

The kankas met up at the Sports Cafe and in the Stadium – Maniac Kanka Harun, Posh Kanka Ahmet, Scouse Kanka Marcus and Battle Damaged Kanka Damon.   An impressive crowd today with Gecikondu and Maraton full.   There were about 30 ‘silent’ fans in the away end !

Ankaragucu opened the scoring in the 6^th minute, but it was ruled out for offside or an infringement, but I didn’t see it and would be interested to know what the problem was..

Inegol almost opened the scoring 4 minutes later when an attacker hit the bar with his header.

Three more chances fell to Ankaragucu before the goal finally arrived.   Muharrem’s header was saved and Omer firstly shot straight at the goalkeeper and then hit the bar from a free kick.

Two minutes before half time and ‘new boy’ Emre Kara made the break through.   He won the ball in the penalty area and showing great determination rode three tackles before firing in under the goalkeeper’s diving body.   An all round excellent performance from Emre today and definitely our Man of the Match !

Just before the half time whistle Muhammed had a chance when he received a pin point pass from Omer but he skied the ball over.

Inegol came out for the 2^nd half and pushed Ankaragucu back into defensive mode, but the Ankaragucu defence held firm with goalkeeper Korcan in dominate form.

It took until 10 minutes before the end for Ankaragucu to have their first shot on target in the 2^nd half but it was saved.

It was all Inegol pressure in the last 10 minutes with them desperately seeking the equaliser and it almost arrived in the 89^th minute when a goal bound free kick just outside the box was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Korcan.

With Inegol pressing forward it allowed Ankaragucu to breakaway and substitute Kenan was put through with a defence splitting pass.   He held his nerve, rounded the goalkeeper and stroked the ball in the settle our nerves !

Then, into time added on, another breakaway with Enes on a one-to-one with the goalkeeper and he coolly shot to the right beyond the goalkeeper’s outstretched arm to put a gloss on the scoreline !

So, 3 goals and 3 points, but Ankaragucu must not allow Gumushane next weekend the space they gave to Inegol today in the 2^nd half.    Gumushane still have a one point advantage over Ankaragucu if they win their game in hand, so returning from the Black Sea next week with 3 points is vital.

As always, watch this  space for the outcome.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu vs Inegolspor match preview!

Ankargucu have a chance to move top of the league this weekend with a win over Inegolspor at home. A big crowd is expected to gather at the 19 Mayis Stadium after the teams impressive win at Karsiyaka last weekend.

Gumushanespor are in Cup action this weekend as they take on Akhisar BB which means Ankargucu will have played 1 more game. This makes our match a must win game as a defeat or draw would see Gumush top with a game in hand. A win would put the pressure back onto Gumushanespor with it all to play for.

We expect the team to be much the same as last weekend and the performance levels to be matched as well. Karsiyaka is a tough place to go, but Ankaragucu put in a performance of a Championship winning team. They were solid at the back and created chances at the other end. This type of performance has been missing since the return from the winter break.

Kenan Ozer and Korcan Celikay made their debuts last week and are expected to feature again this weekend. There was much anger when Onur Atasayer left the club for 900K to Bursaspor. However that deal now looks a good piece of business from the Ankaragucu management. Onur was out of contract at the end of the season so could have left for nothing. It also allowed us to bring in new signings including Emre Kara who has filled in at left back nicely.

The Kanka group will again be in attendance so for anyone who wants to join them please get in touch with Jim for details.

Ankaragucu transfer roundup!

Firstly, the Ankaragucu Scottish contingent met in Glasgow this week with myself, Jim and his cousin having a good catch up and talking all things Ankaragucu and Rangers. Jim has pledged his loyalty to the blue half of Glasgow and removed all Green and Grey clothing that was off limits.

Ankaragucu closed out last nights transfer deadline with 4 players leaving and unfortunately none arriving. The club had agreed to sign Kayserispor youngster Mert Ozyildrim on loan until the rest of the season but failed to complete the move due to payments that are owed to Sedat Bayrak.

Sedat was released from the club last season and is owed just over 200,000 Lira despite having only played 9 games. The club tried but failed to come to a compensation package with the defender demanding the whole amount.

The club agreed to mutual terminations of contract for Murat Yilmaz who has signed for Amedspor, Emrah Tuncel who signed for Manisaspor. Both Onur Bayramoglu and Mustafa Ozturk completed moves to Pendikspor.

Its concerning that 3 of those players who were signed in the summer have been released already due to failing to break into the team.