Ankaragucu sign Tolga Cigerci!

 

Omer Erdogan this afternoon announce his first signing as Ankaragucu manager with Tolga Cigerci signing a 2 year deal with the club. The experienced midfielder signs a 2 year deal from Basaksehir and Erdogan said that he insisted at his first meeting the club sign the 30 year old. 

Tolga is a player i have always liked since his days with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. He is technically very good and has 3 caps for the Turkish national team. He could be a very important signing for the club and with his experience of Turkish football it will also benefit the club. 

We wish Tolga all the best at Ankaragucu! 

Ankaragücü appointment Omer Erdogan as new manager!

 

Ankaragücü this afternoon appointed Omer Erdogan as new manager on a 1+1 year contract. The club moved swiftly for their number 1 target after Mustafa Dalci handed his resignation in after Saturdays 4-1 defeat at Karagumruk.

Erdogan is a popular choice with the Ankaragücü fans who see him as a modern thinking coach who had his former side Hatayspor playing some of the most exciting football in Turkey. It is believed the club have agreed to allow Erdogan to sign some of his own players over the next week before the transfer deadline day.

I remember Erdogan from his time as a player at Bursaspor and when I met Ally McCoist he spoke very highly of him when Rangers were facing Bursa in Europe.

The appointment of Erdogan was met with positive reaction by the fans, but the decision to still have Emre Yildiz at the club and in the photos when he was paraded have been met with anger and backlash. The fans have made their feelings known that they won’t rest until he is gone!

GENCLERBIRLIGI’s GENEROSITY EXTENDED TO ‘NEW BOYS’ !!!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Gencler started the match as obvious favourites against newly promoted Pendik and deservedly went in ahead at half time.

 

Pendik was not for lying down, and although they played the ball around in the 1^st half, they came unstuck in the final 3^rd.

 

However, it was a different scenario in the 2^nd half as Pendik grew in confidence  !

 

GENCLERBIRLIGI           1                    Pendikspor               2

 

Team – Adiyaman, Muhammed, Metehan, Mert, Musa, Hrechyshkin, Aksel, Baris, Serdarcan, Ahmet and Ilker

 

Substitutes – Sahindere, Altiparmak and Kagan

 

The first real action of the match in the 10^th minute saw Muhammed stretchered off with what looked like a broken bone in the leg.    Hopefully it’s not as serious as it looked.

 

Gencler was dictating the pace of the match and  10 minutes later they opened the scoring with a fast attack on the right.    A cut-back was made to the far post and the unmarked Ahmet stroked the ball inside the left post for a well constructed goal.

 

Gencler was well worth their half time lead, but Pendik refused to be ‘lambs to the slaughter’, and although they continued to attack, they were having difficulty penetrating in the final 3^rd.

 

Pendik came out a different team in the 2^nd half and almost snatched the equaliser 8 minutes in when a goal bound shot was turned round the post by Adiyaman for a corner.

 

From the resulting corner, the referee pointed to the spot when he noticed a Pendik player sent sprawling to the turf in a blatant push.     Adrien stepped up and sent in a fierce shot to the left which Adiyaman almost managed to save.

 

4 minutes later and Pendik snatched the lead with the goal of the match.    A break down the left and impressive persistence shown by the Pendik attacker to beat a tackle on the goal line and cross to the far post where Leandro was able to rise above the defenders and power a header in.

 

Gencler searched for the equaliser, but Pendik’s tails were up and they held out easily for a famous win.

 

What next for Gencler   ?       They will lick their wounds and prepare for a visit to Izmir on Friday to take on relegated Goztepe from last season.

 

Goztepe and Gencler are presently in mid-table, so another battle is anticipated with the winner moving into the top 4 positions.

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Mustafa Dalci resigns as Ankaragücü manager!

 

Mustafa Dalci resigned from his position as head coach of Ankaragücü straight after the clubs dismal 4-1 defeat at Faith Karagumruk. The news comes as no surprise to Ankaragücü fans who predicted this exact scenario even before the season started.

Dalci resigned from his role as Ankaragücü head coach 2 seasons ago as the club lay bottom of the Super Lig. Incredibly Faruk Koca brought him back when the club were relegated to Lig 1 for a 2nd spell. Despite coming 2nd in Lig 1, the Ankaragücü support still couldn’t get behind Dalci due to his awful style of football and lack of giving any opportunities to our talented academy players.

He also had a fall out with last year’s captain Erdem Ozgenc who is one of the most professional players in Turkish football. Erdem and some of our young players made their feelings know on social media after hearing the news.

Ankaragücü met with Omer Erdogan today who has reportedly already turned the club down as Ankaragücü couldn’t promise him 6 new signings he wanted before the deadline and to get rid of numerous players who signed in the summer.

Dalci was never the big problem for Ankaragücü. Everyone knows he is the puppet of former agent and current Sporting Director Emre Yildiz. He has an interest on players coming into the club for his own gain, using his agent friends and brother who sell their players. A big conflict of interest. Faruk Koca has failed miserably since coming to the club on the football side. If he doesn’t sack Yildiz now then he will lose the majority of the Ankaragücü support!

ANKARAGUCU CAUGHT COLD !!

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Ankaragucu was 2 – 0 down after only 8 minutes last night in Istanbul and was blown away by a slick and tactically superior Fatih Karagumruk team.

 

Ankaragucu never fully recovered from the initial onslaught and spent the most part of the 1^st half with their backs to the wall and implementing battle damage limitation   !!

 

Ankaragucu’s old failings from the last few seasons re-appeared when they tried to keep possession in their own half going from side to side and back to Bahadir.    When they did venture into Fatih’s half the attack generally fizzled out with hesitation in the final 3^rd with players running out of ideas   !!      Having said that, their penetration improved in the 2^nd half with the introduction of Ariyibi and Ali Kaan, but by then it was too late to stage an unlikely come-back.

 

Fatih Karagumruk          4                          ANKARAGUCU         1

 

Team – Bahadir, Marlon, Nihad, Sinan, Oguz, Rodrigues, Pedrinho,l Giorgi, Federico, Zahid and Jese

 

Substitutes – Abdullah, Anastasios, Ariyibi, Diack and Ali Kaan

 

The match was only 3 minutes old when a free kick was awarded to Fatih on the left.    The ball was crossed into a crowded box and lashed in by Duran.    There were protests by the Ankaragucu defenders which prompted the referee to consult VAR and then the goal was given.

 

5 minutes later and Fatih was 2-0 up when they were awarded another free kick in almost the identical spot.    The cross was swung over to the near post and was met by the impressive Borini who angled his header into the top right corner with Bahadir clawing air   !

 

Ankaragucu did have 2 chances to pull a goal back but firstly Frederico missed a sitter when a cross came in from the right and all he had to do was side-foot the ball in, but somehow he contrived to miss the ball and it was cleared.     Near the half time whistle Oguz sent in an inviting cross but the goalkeeper anticipated it and saved before it reached the Ankaragucu attackers.

 

Apart from those 2 half chances, Ankaragucu was overwhelmed in the 1^st half.    Fatih was on the front foot and causing all sorts of problems for Ankaragucu’s suspect defence.

 

The 2^nd half was only 2 minutes old when Ankaragucu was caught cold again   !     It was probably goal of the match with a sweeping attack down the left, the ball played into Jimmy Durmaz in the centre and an astute flicked pass by him to the right.    The classic cut-back and Borini was ideally positioned to stroke the ball in.

 

5 minutes later and we were dreaming that Ankaragucu could stage a fight-back when Baniya scored an own goal for Ankaragucu   !!     A cross came in from the right and Baniya was obviously trying to hoof the ball out for a corner but the ball ended up in the roof of the net.

 

The fight-back didn't materialise but 15 minutes from the end Ariyibi almost scored when he drove forward and into the box.    His shot was heading inside the right post but the goalkeeper made a great save and turned the ball around the post for a corner.

 

5 minutes later and it was ‘match over’ when a shot hit Sinan’s arm and the referee pointed to the spot.   Diagne sent his fierce shot to the left with Bahadir diving the other way.

 

Into time added on and it was almost 5 when there was panic situation in the Ankaragucu box but in the end the ball was cleared .

 

The Ankaragucu Coach, Mustafa Dalci, unsurprisingly resigned after the match which throws the responsibility onto the backroom staff to prepare the team for their next match at home to Besiktas next Sunday.     Besiktas is undefeated in the league so far and will no doubt be coming to Ankara with all guns blazing and hoping to heap more misery on Ankaragucu.

 

Today, Ankaragucu is propping-up the league alongside Kasimpasa and a long winter of discontent backons   !!!

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI PICK-UP 3 EASY POINTS !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

It was a strong team performance by Gencler last night in Bolu and a well deserved victory.    However, it has to be said that Bolu look like a work in progress and did very little to threaten Gencler’s dominance of the match.

 

Boluspor         1                 GENCLERBIRLIGI         2

 

Team – Adiyaman, Mert, Metehan, Gokhan, Musa, Hrechyshkin, Serdarcan, Muhammed, Aksel, Baris and Ilker

 

Substitutes – Ahmet and Altiparmak

 

There were no new faces in the Gencler line-up, which as I said last week, is probably due to financial reasons at the Club.    However, it is still impressive that they manage to play as a team after so many ups and downs last season.

 

Gencler was straight into attack from the whistle and went ahead after only 10 minutes with and excellent solo goal by Ilker.   The ball was passed to him near the half way line and he surged forward, brushed off a feeble challenge and sent a powerful shot inside the left post.

 

The match swung further Gencler’s way in the 27^th minute when Kayamba received a straight RED card after the referee consulted the VAR.    The action occurred near the half way line when an innocuous high ball was challenged by Kayamba and Metehan.   As they both went for the ball, Kayamba put his elbow into Metehan’s face in what can only be described as an intentional violent act.   The referee obviously missed it from his angle and was advised by the linesman of the action.    Kayamba quite rightly went for an early bath   !!!

 

Gencler deservedly went in ahead at half time after showing more purpose and attacking flair than Bolu.    Even before the red card, Bolu was struggling to put passes together and didn’t trouble Adiyaman.

 

Gencler started the 2^nd half in similar fashion to the 1^st half in all out attack and almost increased their lead 7 minutes in when Baris sent a lobbed shot on goal which rebounded off the bar and was cleared.

 

However, 5 minutes later it duly arrived when Musa received a perfect pass on the left from Aksel, controlled the ball and shot powerfully inside the left post.

 

7 minutes later and Bolu put their 1^st shot on target when Balde’s goal bound shot was well saved by Adiyaman.

 

10 minutes later and Gokhan of Bolu had a long range effort which hit the outside of the post and went out of play.

 

10 minutes to go and with Gencler still in control of the match Gokhan of Gencler was shown a 2^nd yellow and a RED card for stupidly retaliating after a foul on another Gencler player.

 

Into time added on and Gencler’s defensive frailties from last season re-surfaced when 3 defenders surrounded Balde in the box but he still managed to control the ball and slot it in for a consolation goal.

 

Gencler will face much stiffer tasks than this in the weeks ahead and the fact that they almost let Bolu off the hook will be something that The Coach will be working on this week.

 

Gencler will be at home on Sunday 28^th October against new boys to The Championship, Pendikspor.     Another opportunity for Gencler to move into the top half of the league.

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Gaziantep 1-0 Ankaragücü- Match Report!

 

The only positive and player who came away with pass marks for Ankaragücü was Bahadir who made multiple saves which tells you everything you need to know about tonight’s performance.

Team - Bahadir, Oguz, Nihad, Atakan, Marlon, Abdullah, Pedrinho, Zahid, Tasos, Beridze, Macheda

Subs - Nurullah, Firatcan, Sinan, Yasin, Diack, Ali Kaan, Sahverdi, Ayiribi, Jesé, Ali Sowe

Mustafa Dalci went with the same team as last week that drew 0-0 at home against Konyaspor. It was clear in the early stages of the match Gaziantep we’re going to press Ankaragücü making sure Pedrinho and Zahid got no time on the ball.

Abdullah was the biggest problem in midfield as the speed of the game was too much for him. His fitness and lack of speed have been a problem I have mentioned most of last season.

The first chance of the game came in the 6th minute when Zahid and Beridze linked up to set up Pedrinho who shot with the outside of his foot from outside the box but the ball went inches wide. 

Five minutes later Furkan dragged his shot wide at the other end after good play from the main man Maxim.

A few minutes later Gaziantep should have taken the lead but Maxim hit the side netting after Markovic cut the ball back. Maxim went even closer next as his free kick went inches wide of the post.

On the 35th minute Bahadir made a great save from a Marko header and it would be the first of many from the Ankaragücü keeper.

Two minutes later former Ankaragücü defender Kitsiou went close but Bahadir made a good save to keep the score level at half time.

Half Time 0-0

Within minutes of the restart Gaziantep we’re in front. We spoke about how vulnerable Ankaragücü look at set pieces and it showed again. Maxim crossed the ball for Ertugrul who rose above 2 Ankaragücü defenders to head past Bahadir and make it 1-0.

They almost doubled their lead as Figueiredo was put through on goal but dragged his shot wide of the post. He had another chance 8 minutes later but Bahadir made another good save.

Bahadir was called into action again on the 71st minute when Macheda gave the ball away cheaply. The ball was sent into the box for Figueiredo but again he was denied by the Ankaragücü keeper.

Stelios Kitsiou had the ball in the net but it was ruled out for offside after the referee checked with VAR to the relief of Ankaragücü.

Bahadir made another double save with minutes to go and if it wasn’t for his performance Gaziantep would have won comfortably.

Jesé had a chance at the end for Ankaragücü but his shot was poor and went wide after a cut back from Ali Sowe.

A poor overall performance from Ankaragücü and the concerns we spoke of in defence and attack are evident. Atakan and Nihad look like bombscare and Oguz at right back looks like Lig 1 standard.

In attack Tasos has been very poor in both games in terms of shooting, crossing and passing. All basics in which is needed for a winger. Beridze needs time but again not impressed with early showings. Macheda and Ali Sowe look like they could play for months and not score but a lot of that is not their fault as they are having to do most of their work outside the box.

Next up is Faith Karagumruk next Sunday in Istanbul!

GENCLERBIRLIGI ......... AND IT’S .......AS YOU WERE !!!

 

 

Greeting Kankas and Kankies.

 

Just a few names missing from last season’s team and it seems as though Gencler has been stuck in a time-warp   !!

 

Lots of rumours about financial problems which may account for no new faces, but the one bright spot is that they managed to hold onto key player, Baris.

 

GENCLERBIRLIGI        3                 Altinordu           3

 

Team – Adiyaman, Muhammed, Gokhan, Metehan, Musa, Serdarcan, Hrechyshkin, Baris, Akel, Ahmet and Ilker

 

Substitutes – Altiparmak and Mert

 

It was an amazing first match of the season last night with a classic match of 2 halves.     The 1^st half was a roller coaster of action end to end.

 

It exploded into life in the 6^th minute when Gokhan accidentally had a handball decision against him when the ball struck his upper arm when he had his back to play.    There were loud protests from the Altinordu players and the referee consulted VAR.    The law is quite clear on this and so a penalty was awarded.    Altinordu Captain, Ahmet, stepped up and sent in a fierce shot to the upper right to open the scoring.

 

5 minutes later Gencler equalised when a fast break started on the right.    The ball was sent forward to Baris who carried it into the box and sent his angled shot across the goalkeeper and inside the left post.     

 

5 minutes later and Altinordu was back in front after an exquisite piece of skill from Ahmet.  He was put through, noticed Adiyaman off his line and sent an accurate lob over him for a classic striker’s goal.

 

12 minutes later and the 2^nd equaliser arrived and it was Baris who was the architect.    In a similar position to his 1^st goal, he sent in a fierce shot which the goalkeeper could only parry and there was Ilker lurking to pick up the scraps and head in unchallenged.

 

10 minutes later and a little piece of comedy which you don’t often see in a footie match.    Just outside the Altinordu penalty box two players challenged for the ball and appeared to have a head collision.     The ball had been deflected into the box where an Altinordu defender plucked the ball out of the air and into his hands, obviously anticipating that the referee would stop play.     However, the referee hadn’t blown his whistle and he pointed to the spot for a penalty   !!!       Gokhan stepped up to take the penalty and sent it straight at the goalkeeper who had not problem gathering.      Justice was seen to be done   !!!

 

3 minutes to the half time whistle and what I think was a speculative cross from the left touchline by Aksel went soaring over the goalkeeper and into the top right corner of the goal to put Gencler ahead.     Of course, Aksel may claim to have meant to put it there, but ....... I have my doubts   !!!

 

2 minutes later came the Altinordu equaliser when Safa went on a mazy run and from just outside the box on the right sent a curved shot with the outside of his boot inside the left post for goal of the match.     Amazing skill   !!

 

Time for the players (and me) to catch their breath after a fast and furious 1^st half.      Was there more to come   ?        Errrrrrrmmmm ......... No   !!!

 

Understandably the pace of the 2^nd half was much slower and in all honesty, even though the players sought the winner, it was a ‘damp squib’ after the excitement of the 1^st half.

 

So, as we know, the season in The Championship is a long haul and Gencler will have more severe tests in the months ahead.

 

Next up is a visit to Bolu on Friday night.     Bolu had an impressive 1-0 win away in Manisa at the weekend, so this will be another test for Gencler, especially their fragile defence.

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Gaziantep vs Ankaragucu - Match Preview!

 

Ankaragucu travel to Hatay this weekend as they take on Gaziantep on Sunday night which will be another tough game. The game was moved to Hatay due to the condition of the pitch in Gaziantep.

On Monday night Ankaragucu got their league campaign underway with a good performance and 0-0 draw at home against Konyaspor who are further on in terms of fitness due to their participation in the Europa League. Although happy with the share of the points, Ankaragucu could very easily have taken all 3 if they had taken the chances that came their way. 

The team will likely be the same that started against Konya with Bahadir in goal who kept a clean sheet. In defence Atakan will partner Nihad while Oguz and Marlon take the wing back positions. The main concern from the defence was the lack of height at set pieces. Sinan could be an option but his lack of pace will likely see him on the bench. 

The midfield trio of Abdullah, Zahid and Pedrinho all impressed and will likely start with Tasos and Beridze on the wings. The later 2 were guilty of missing chances and will be hoping to take any that come their way at the weekend. 

Up front Macheda linked play well but never looked like scoring at any point. While Ali Sowe still looks a fair bit behind in his fitness so will likely see the Italian start. 

Mustafa Dalci said its too early for Jese to start games due to his fitness levels and a knock he took in pre season. Once he is up to speed we should see him starting more games. 

Gaziantep will be tough opposition and the key man will be the brilliant Alexandru Maxim who scored 15 goals from midfield in his first season and 15 in his second season. He also provided 7 assists last season too. Technically excellent who is also a danger from set pieces. He has already opened his campaign with a goal last week in the 1-1 draw against Sivasspor. 

Gaziantep won both games the last time the sides met in Super Lig 2 seasons ago with a 2-0 win at home and a 1-0 win in Ankara. Ankaragucu will be hoping for an improvement on those results but will need an even bigger performance than last weeks to take anything back to the capital. 

Former Ankaragucu duo Stelios Kitsiou and Torgeir Borven will be amongst the squad for Gaziantep, while Oguz Ceylan will be up against his former employers with a point to prove. 

In other news, Atakan Dama was selected to go and play for the Turkey U19 National team. We wish him all the best. 

ANKARAGUCU DESERVEDLY SHARE THE SPOILS !!

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Ankaragucu avoided defeat last night on their return to The Super League against last season’s surprise package, Konyaspor, who finished 3^rd top of the league.

 

However, it could so easily have been all 3 points instead of one had they taken their genuine chances, especially in the 1^st half.

 

Ankaragucu’s build up play was impressive at times and this bodes well for the future.

 

Pedrinho and Zahid in midfield were immense and should be the first names on the team sheet in the upcoming matches.    Also, Abdullah, given the captain’s armband, responded to the challenge and put in a good shift in defence and in supporting midfield.    Another player who impressed was Marlon who was solid at the back.

 

Taking everything into consideration, we can be optimistic that there is more to come from this team who made it clear last night that they are not in The Super League to just make up the numbers.    The future looks bright  !!

 

With the kick-off at the outrageous time of 9.45pm, the kankas met-up in The Bira Park Bar in the upstairs ‘Kanka Suite’   !!

 

ANKARAGUCU         0                     Konyaspor         0

 

Team – Bahadir, Oguz, Atakan, Mujakic, Marlon, Abdullah, Pedrinho, Zahid, Tasos, Beridze and Macheda

 

Substitutes – Jese, Ali Sowe, Ariyibi, Ali Kaan and Diack

 

Ankaragucu will rue their missed chances in the 1^st half, especially the one in the 9^th minute when Zahid pounced on a Konya defensive cock-up to feed the ball to the unmarked Tasos who had a clear opening inside the box but screwed his shot wide of the right post.

 

9 minutes later and Marlon had another half chance but his goal bound shot was saved just inside the left post.

 

Approaching half time and some really excellent build-up play by Ankaragucu resulted in yet another good save from the goalkeeper just inside the right post.

 

Konya came out for the 2^nd half all fired up and had 2 good chances to score within the opening 7 minutes but on both occasions the striker’s headers went just past the post.

 

Ankaragucu continued to look the likelier team to open the scoring and their persistence almost paid off with Ali Kaan and Ali Sowe having opportunities, but the Konya goalkeeper was having a good match and the clock ran down to the final whistle.

 

It is worth noting that although Ankaragucu and Konya had about equal possession during the match, Konya didn’t put one shot on target which should be a pleasing statistic for the Ankaragucu defence   !!

 

Next Sunday 14^th August, Ankaragucu will be away at Gaziantep at the sensible KO time of 7.15pm   !

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu vs Konyaspor - Match Preview!

 

The long await for the Super Lig campaign is almost over as Ankaragucu host Konyaspor at Eryaman on Monday night. Just over 10,000 tickets have been sold already with it looking like we are heading for close to a sell out. Konyaspor have almost sold their allocation of tickets too with the return of away fans at Turkish football matches. 

Ankaragucu couldn't have picked a tougher start to the season with Konyaspor already looking impressive in their opening 2 European games against Bate Borisov. They are back in action tonight against Vaduz which will give the players another 90 minutes under their belt. 

The match fitness of the two sides will be a factor on this match, but Konyaspor also have a lot of quality in attack. I watched both of their matches with Bate and the likes of Robert Muric, Zymer Bytyqi, Ahmar Rahmanovic, and Amer Hadziahmetovic all impressing along with former Ankaragucu duo Konrad Mikhalik and Endri Cekici. The have a lot of speed in their side and technical ability and under Ilhan Palut play good football. 

Muric and Bytqqi in particular like to get into the box when they are on the attack and both Oguz and Marlon will have to have a big night if Ankaragucu are to take anything from the game. 

Ankaragucu won 3-0 last week in the TSYD Cup against Genclerbirligi but will need a big improvement in performance and effort for Monday nights game. Mustafa Dalci has a big decision to make who plays in Goal and who will play at centre back. 

It will be a choice between Bahadir and Nurullah for the place in Goal, while Sinan, Atakan and Nihad will all be available for those 2 centre back positions. 

In midfield Lamine Diack should take the defensive midfield role after impressing last week but it wouldnt surprise me if Dalci decided to go with Abdullah. Pedrinho and Zahid should play in those more creative midfield positions and will both be key players. 

Beridze and Tasos will likely play on the wings while Jese continues to improve on his fitness levels and we hopefully will see Federico Macheda play in the striker role as he looked a lot more impressive than Ali Sowe. 

Konyaspor finished 3rd last season but have only lost 1 key player in Abdulkerim who signed for Galatasaray in a £2.5 million deal. Of course they also sadly lost their captain Ahmet Calik who died in a car crash mid way through last season. Its great credit to them that they have managed to still move from strength to strength and look like their team will be even stronger this season with the signings of the likes of Robert Muric and Muhammet Demir. 

The last time the two sides met 2 years ago they drew 1-1 in Konya with Badji the goalscorer. And prior to that it was a 4-3 win in Ankara the same season with Saba, Borven, Paintsil and Emre Gural all on the score sheet. 

Its a big task for Ankaragucu but with the home support behind them and if the team keep their shape and cut of the space for Konyaspor we can take something from the game. Its vital that Ankaragucu dont allow Konya to get in behind and allow them to use their pace. For that reason i hope we see new signing Nihad make his debut as he is very quick.

Im going for a 1-1 draw which is optimistic but its the start of the season and hopefully we can have a positive outcome. 

Ankaragucu sign Nihad Mujakic!

 

Ankaragucu have been searching the whole summer for a centre back and finally got their man as the club agreed a 500K Euro deal with FK Sarajevo for 24 year old Nihad Mujakic. The Bosnian was announced last night and has already trained with his new team mates. 

The move is a bit of a gamble for Ankaragucu who spoke of signing a Central Defender of quality from one of the top leagues. Instead they have signed a player who has played under 50 games in last 3 seasons and spent most of his time in the Bosnian league with Sarajevo and a failed move to Belgian side Kortrijk. 

That said, on the positive side he does look like he has a lot of speed which is important in the Super Lig and also good on the ball. The main questions will be can he defend? How does he read the game? And whats his positional sense like? I guess we will need to wait and see. 

Nihad has singed a 4 year deal with the club and we wish him all the success with Ankaragucu!