GENCLERBIRLIGI PROVE A POINT !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

After an abysmal start to their return to the Super League, Gencler appear to have turned the corner and have slowly, but surely, moved out of the relegation zone with some hard fought matches, and ability to grind out results.

Last week Gencler dug deep with a win in time-added-on and last night they repeated the feat to secure a valuable point against a strong Malatya team who are riding high in the League in addition to being the top scorers in the League.

GENCLERBIRLIGI      3               Malatya         3

‘Old Boy’ from last season’s Ankaragucu team, Bifouma, put Malatya ahead just before half time before Sio equalised just after the break.

The ever reliable Stancu put Gencler ahead with 15 minutes to go and Gencler could have been forgiven for assuming that they had won all 3 points at that stage.

However, as I said, Malatya is a strong outfit and they hit back with two goals by Robin in the last 5 minutes of the match, and that should have been it, done and dusted.

Then, in time-added-on, Gencler again pulled a rabbit out of the hat with another equaliser by Rahmetullah to give Gencler a well deserved point.

There can be no doubting Gencler’s credentials now, and with this never-say-die spirit, they will be in fine fettle to approach next Friday’s match in Kadikoy with confidence.

Fener.....spit.....bahce is currently in 4^th position in the league, but with a visit tonight to improving Goztepe, they can’t be sure of 3 points.

Gencler meanwhile moved up the table to 11^th position and will probably be eying their normal historic league position of 8^th before the end of the season.

As always, keep watching this space as the outcome unfolds.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI - NEVER SAY DIE !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Gencler moved out of the relegation zone last night after a stirring fight-back to claim all 3 points.

Kasimpasa       1             GENCLERBIRLIGI        2

Team – Ertac, Erdem, Ramos, Toure, Polomat, Halil, Berat, Fabricio, Sessegnon, Nadir and Stancu

Substitutes – Diallo, Seuntjens and Ayite

Kasimpasa opened the scoring 10 minutes into the 2^nd half and looked like wrapping it up with only 10 minutes of the match remaining.   However, these days Gencler appear to have turned-the-corner and are not for quitting.

Stancu put Gencler back into the match with the equaliser in the 80^th minute and then converted a penalty with 2 minutes remaining to seal a great come-back win for Gencler.

Next Friday night Gencler will host Malatya which will be a real test of Gencler’s credentials.   Malatya has only lost 3 matches so far this season and will therefore be a tough nut to crack.

3 points for Gencler would send a clear message of intent to the teams in the league and one point would still be considered as a satisfactory result.

Watch this space for the outcome.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

TOM AND JERRY !!!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

What the ....... ?     Tom and Jerry ???

Well, that’s the recommended headline from Maniac Kanka Harun as we exited the Stadium halfway through the 2^nd half !     And ...... no prizes for guessing which team was Tom and which was Jerry !!

ANKARAGUCU         0                Trabzonspor         3

Team – Korcan, Kitsou, Yalcin, Pazdan, Pinto, Sedat, Faty, Canteros, Aydin, Ilhan and Orgill

Substitutes – Alihan, Moke and Cebrail

Harun, Kenan and I arrived early at the Stadium and after lunch in the swish Metro Shopping Mall, entered the Stadium where we met-up with Posh Kanka Ahmet.

A healthy crowd of about 13,000 turned-up which is pretty impressive considering Ankaragucu’s lowly position in the League and far distance out of the city.

It didn’t take long for Trabzon to exploit this Ankaragucu team.   Only 5 minutes had elapsed before Trabzon pounced on an Ankaragucu cock-up to open the scoring.   A long speculative ball was played to Aydin on the left which was too high for him to control.   So, instead of allowing the ball to go out of play, he headed the ball back to Kitsou who couldn’t reach his header and the ball was pounced on by the impressive Sorloth who scampered down the left wing with Kitsou unable to catch him.   Heading for the left post I expected a cut-back, but he shot across Korcan and inside the right post for an opportunist goal.

Ankaragucu was doing their best to put some pressure on the Trabzon defence but Orgill was having little joy on his own up front with Ilhan a passenger again.  

However, they did have a chance to equalise on the 17^th minute mark when they won a free kick just outside the box on the right.    Canteros sent in an excellent flighted ball which hit the bar in the top right corner and bounced onto the goalkeeper’s head and out for a corner.   That was Ankaragucu’s last shot on target !

Trabzon was in control of the match and with their superior speed were causing all sorts of problems for the Ankaragucu defence.   On the half hour mark they almost went further ahead on two occasions but timely tackles and blocks prevented further damage.

Shortly after that, the referee called VAR into action over a suspected elbowing incident perpetrated by Faty, but fortunately the referee produced yellow instead of red (for now !!!).

Approaching half time and Korcan was called on to make a double save from goal scoring attempts.     Just time for Faty to receive another yellow for a tackle from behind and leave his team mates with an uphill task in the 2^nd half !

Then on the half time whistle Trabzon conspired to miss an open goal after tearing the Ankaragucu defence apart.  

Unfortunately there was no relief at the half time whistle with optimism in very short supply in the knowledge that it would be 11 against 10 in the 2^nd half.

One thing which was abundantly clear and that was the lessons Trabzon gave to Ankaragucu in the art of passing and team work in making yourself available for the return pass.   Also, the front players of Trabzon were like whippets and gave the Ankaragucu defence no respite !

Trabzon resumed where they left off  and had Ankaragucu on the back foot from the off, and it only took 3 minutes for Trabzon to kill the match off.   A flowing move on the right, the pass to Yusuf, who cut inside and fired in a great shot to the bottom right with Korcan scrambling across but too late to reach it.

10 minutes later and it was all over.   Another fast break on the right and the cross was sent over to the back post where Nwakaeme collected and fired in a bullet.

We had seen enough and expected more goals to follow with Trabzon in total command.   However, their foot came off the gas and they were content to see the match out in the knowledge that they would be sitting on top of the league.

On this form they look genuine champion contenders and I challenge anyone to doubt it.

As for Ankaragucu, the future is bleak, and Harun and I make no apologies for leaving the match after the 3^rd goal went in.

There is little sign or hope of the transfer ban being lifted and all we supporters can hope for is damage limitation.

Ankaragucu remain 2^nd bottom of the league but could be bottom today if Kayseri cause an upset and beat Sivas.

Next Saturday Ankaragucu travel to Alanya with little or no hope of bringing any points back to Ankara.

Doom and gloom beckons !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU OUT OF THEIR DEPTH AND SINKING !!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu sank deeper into the relegation zone last night in Istan......spit.....bul and now prop-up the league in 2^nd bottom position and only 2 points from the bottom.

For the most part, they were given a footie lesson last night by a slick and speedy Basaksehir team which made the Ankaragucu defence work overtime.   The scoreline tends to flatter Ankaragucu and Basaksehir should have put the match to bed long before Ankaragucu’s consolation goal.

Basaksehir            2               ANKARAGUCU          1

Team – Korcan, Kitsiou, Kulusic, Pazdan, Mehmet, Faty, Sedat, Aydin, Moke, Ilhan and Orgill

Substitutes – Yalcin, Canteros and Cebrail

I watched the match in The Alerta Bar with my friend Halil and a few other Ankaragucu supporters on a laptop which Halil had kindly fixed-up to find a stream.   The effin Beshiktrash match being on at the same time prevented us watching on the big screen to pander to the many Ankara BJK ‘supporters’   !!!

The first goal arrived after only 10 minutes and it was fashioned down the right where most of Basaksehir’s dangerous moves originated.   Mehmet in particular had a howler of a match and couldn’t cope with the speed of the Basaksehir right winger.   However, in this case it was Ilhan who didn’t mark the loose attacker from a throw-in on the right.   He therefore had all the time in the world to cross perfectly for Crivelli to stroke the ball in.

It was mostly one way traffic as Basaksehir looked to kill the match off and by some miracle they couldn’t find the killer touch thanks to some resolute defending by Ankaragucu.

Ankaragucu did have a few incursions into the Basaksehir half with Faty and Ilhan scorning chances.   Also, Orgill tried an audacious bicycle-kick shot which was well off target.

Only one down at half time was amazing, but I still felt an avalanche was imminent.

Basaksehir started the 2^nd half in all-out attack mode and it took a great saving tackle from Yalcin 2 minutes in to steal the ball off an attacker’s foot as he was about to score.

2 minutes later and it was Korcan to the rescue as he saved a goal bound shot just inside the post.

3 minutes later and it was Mehmet who almost gifted Basaksehir a goal when he was caught dithering on the ball, but the danger was cleared before any damage occurred.

15 minutes to go and the 2^nd goal unsurprisingly arrived but again it was fashioned down the right with an express breakaway with Mehmet and others left for dead.   The precision cross was delivered to the inrushing Crivelli who finished clinically.

The 3^rd goal was prevented by Pazdan who intercepted a dangerous cross from the left and cleared the danger.

Then with 3 minutes remaining Ankaragucu scored against the run of play, Aydin sent in an excellent cross from the right to Ilhan at the far post and I thought at the time that Ilhan made contact with a glancing header.   However, it seems that contact wasn’t made and the ball drifted into the top left.   The goalkeeper should have saved it, but I think he was distracted by Ilhan’s presence  ?!

Anyway, the goal obviously inspired Ankaragucu to search for the equaliser .......... better late than never I suppose   !!!

Ilhan and Orgill had efforts past the post and over the bar before the final whistle and Ankaragucu returned to Ankara empty handed.

I have to say that Ankaragucu played some really nice footie IN THEIR OWN HALF, but for the most part, when they ventured into Basaksehir’s half their passing and penetration was woeful.

Thankfully there will be an International Break next weekend to give the Coach more time to prepare for the visit of Trabzon on 23 November.   Trabzon is in fine form at the moment and sit comfortably in 3^rd top position in  the league.

However, as we have seen, the Ankaragucu players never throw in the towel, even when staring defeat in the face.   This will be a real test of their character and a match which I intend to attend at The Eryaman Stadium.

Bring it on  !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI BACK ON TRACK ........FOR NOW !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Gencler won the big ‘Six Pointer’ by a narrow margin on Saturday afternoon to relieve a little of the pressure on their precarious position in the relegation zone.

There have been too many false dawns for Gencler this season, but I think it’s safe to say that there is a small ray of light at the end of the tunnel ?!     Having won their first home match of the season is a step in the right direction.

GENCLERBIRLIGI         2                  Kayserispor           1

Team – Ertac, Erdem, Toure, Flavio, Halil, Nadir, Candeias, Berat, Sessegnon, Stancu and Sio

Substitutes – Ahmet, Biano and Rahmetullah

Sio opened the scoring at the quarter hour mark in the first half and then Kayseri thought they had won a point when Emre equalised with 15 minutes to go to the final whistle.

However, the ever reliable Stancu put the match to bed with the winner 10 minutes from the end to put some icing on the cake.

So, Gencler change places with Ankaragucu to move to 3^rd bottom of the league and that’s how it will stay if Ankaragucu draw or lose to Basaksehir tonight.

It’s the International Break next weekend, so Gencler will resume their struggles on Sunday 24 November away to Kasimpasa who are languishing in 12^th place in the league.   Another difficult match to call and a close encounter is guaranteed.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU SERIOUSLY ON THE SLIDE !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Ankaragucu sank deeper into the relegation mire last night in Ankara !    After a poor 1^st half they fought back with a more spirited display in the 2^nd half to equalise with 20 minutes of the match remaining, and to be honest, that was about as much as I expected and was reasonably happy to settle for one point.

However, as we all know too well, football can be cruel and Gazi punished Ankaragucu with the winner with the last action of the match.   Some might say it was robbery, but it was a well taken goal and the Ankaragucu defence should question their ability to defend free kicks properly to protect Korcan.

ANKARAGUCU        1          Gazisehir           2

Team – Korcan, Pazdan, Kulusic, Pinto, Kitsiou, Faty, Moke Canteros, Aydin, Ilhan and Orgill

Substitutes – Cebrail and Hasan

Haluk and I watched the match in The Alerta Bar and were the only Ankaragucu supporters present.

With both teams sizing each other up, it took until the 12^th minute for the first serious attempt on goal.   Orgill should have opened the scoring when a perfect cross came in from the left, and with a free header unchallenged, he headed over.

Ankaragucu had two more chances a few minutes later but both attempts were wasted with poor shots which were easily saved.

On the half hour mark came a real catastrophe for Ankaragucu when Gazi was awarded a penalty in controversial circumstances.   Pazdan and a Gazi attacker chased the ball to the goal line on the right.   The Gazi attacker was just outside the box and Pazdan was a few inches inside the box when the attacker whipped a cross into the centre.   However, Pazdan’s arm was in the way and the ball hit his arm which was up at about shoulder level and the ball went out of play.   The referee had no alternative but to award the penalty which was a cruel decision because it was obvious that Pazdan had not used his arm intentionally, and it was not actually in the danger zone.   However, the rules are clear on this subject and the penalty was despatched by Twumasi even though Korcan got a hand to the ball and almost saved it.

Gazi heads were up and they were looking much sharper and faster.    Ankaragucu, on the other hand, was guilty of giving the ball away cheaply and inviting Gazi to attack them.

So, the half time whistle was a relief with no more damage done and all to play for in the 2^nd half.

Gazi started the 2^nd half on the front foot and for the most part were parked inside the Ankaragucu half with Ankaragucu having difficulty passing the ball out of their own half.   They were again guilty of gifting the ball to Gazi and most of their crosses were being swallowed up by Gazi players.  

However, there was at least one perfect cross in the 66^th minute which was sent in from the right to the back post where Ilhan was lurking unmarked to head-in for the equaliser.

The goal snapped Ankaragucu out of their lethargy and they pressed forward searching for an unlikely winner.   Orgill and Moke had two goal bound efforts well saved by the goalkeeper.

It was heading for a share of the spoils on 90 plus 3 until Ilhan gave away a needless free kick on the right near the touch line, and God only knows what he was thinking about !     The ball was floated in and Djilobodji had a close range free header with the Ankaragucu defence stationary and Korcan helpless.

What a balls-up, especially for Ilhan, the hero turned villain !!

It isn’t difficult to figure out where Ankaragucu will be at this time next week.   Sitting 3^rd bottom of the league, only 2 points ahead of Gencler and Kayseri, they travel to fast improving Basaksehir on Sunday.   Also, with the bottom two playing each other on Saturday, Ankaragucu could well be 2^nd bottom before they even kick-off in Istan.....spit.....bul !!

Dark days are looming in more ways than one !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI RESTORE AN ELEMENT OF PRIDE !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Genclerbirligi travelled to Konya yesterday and rescued a point with the last kick of the ball in the cauldron of Konya Stadium where winning points is never easy.

Konyaspor         1               GENCLERBIRLIGI          1

Team – Ertac, Erdem, Toure, Ramos, Polomat, Ayite, Berat, Candeias, Sessegnon, Stancu and Sio

Substitutes – Yasin and Nadir

Miya opened the scoring in the 1^st half for Konya and it looked done and dusted as the match entered time-added-on.   However, lady luck smiled on Gencler at last and Yasin (who had only entered the fray with 5 minutes of the match remaining) knocked in the equaliser on the 90 plus 3 minute mark.

Every point is valuable when you are in the relegation zone, but this point still leaves Gencler 2^nd bottom of the league and still living on a prayer.

Next Saturday is a big ‘6 Pointer’ with Gencler hosting bottom club Kayseri.   No need to say that this is a golden opportunity for Gencler to return to winning ways.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim