ANKARAGUCU WAVE ‘BYE-BYE’ TO THE TURKISH CUP HOLDERS !!!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

A truly outstanding performance by Ankaragucu last night as they tore up the form book and sent The Turkish Cup holders tumbling out of The Turkish Cup Competition.   Ankaragucu now go into the hat for the semi-final draw which will probably be made later this week.

 

Should we be dreaming of a long overdue Cup Final at this stage   ?      Perhaps not, with Ankaragucu still in a precarious league position.     However, if Ankaragucu play like the did last night for the remainder of the season then they can be optimistic of retaining Super League status   !!

 

Ankaragucu came out of the traps like a greyhound from the off and never stopped taking the match to Fener throughout.    It was an amazing transformation from recent league performances and one which Coach Emre and the payers can be proud of.   Every player played their part and they are to be congratulated on their finest performance of the season.

 

ANKARAGUCU            3                        Fenerbahce               0

 

Team – Ertac, Kitsiou, Radakovic, Mert, Mujakic, Tolga, Ali Kaan, Morutan, Riccardo, Tasos and Ali Sowe

 

Substitutes – Atakan, Pedrinho, Macheda, Bassogog and Rodrigues

 

Fener had only one serious attempt on goal in the 8^th minute of the 1^st half and it took a great save by Ertac to save a shot heading for the top left.

 

Ankaragucu broke fast out of defence a minute later and were rewarded with the opening goal when Morutan sent a looping shot into the top left which took a slight deflection off a Fener player.

 

Play was end to end as Fener searched for the equaliser, but it was Ankaragucu who went further ahead on the half hour mark with a super individual goal by ‘on fire’ Tasos.    He collected the ball in his own half and drove forward in a diagonal direction from left to right, avoiding attempted tackles, and just outside the box sent his shot inside the left post.

 

An unbelievable result going in at half time 2-0 up, but I was ever mindful of what happened in Kayseri last weekend   !!

 

Fener searched for a way back as the 2^nd half unfolded, but in all honesty Ertac wasn’t seriously tested as Ankaragucu continued to attack seeking to put the match to bed   !

 

15 minutes into the 2^nd half and Ankaragucu almost found the 3^rd goal.    A weak back pass in the Fener defence was pounced on by Morutan.    He rounded the goalkeeper, but defenders had recovered to clear his shot and the rebound was also saved from an Ali Sowe attempt.

 

However, the 3^rd goal did come 10 minutes later when Mert headed powerfully in from a free kick, but after a VAR check it was ruled out for offside.

 

With only 4 minutes to go Ankaragucu found the 3^rd goal again with some nice work from Macheda on the left, almost on the goal line, he sent a perfect cut-back into the centre for Rodrigues to stroke the ball in.       The flag was up again for offside, but this time the VAR check confirmed the goal   !

 

So, as I said earlier, a great team performance which augurs well for the future and that should begin on Saturday against Istanbulspor in what is most definitely a MUST WIN match   !!!

 

Well done Ankaragucu    !!!

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI SCORE A GOAL !!!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Gencler finally score a goal   !

 

They had to wait until the last minute of the match yesterday to score their first goal in 5 matches, and at the same time .........steal a point   !

 

I was unable to watch the match due to ‘domestic duties’ but what seemed to be a fairly even match suddenly exploded in Gencler’s favour when 2 Manisa players were shown RED cards in the latter stages of the match.

 

Manisa, as the draw specialists of the league with 10 (Gencler have 9) will no doubt have been gutted to concede an equaliser at the death, but Gencler can at least stay with the mid-table pack who are all vying for play-off places.

 

Eyupspor, at the top of the league, and Goztepe in 2^nd seem to be ‘home and dry’ with Gencler 16 points behind Goztepe.

 

Manisa                1                     GENCLERBIRLIGI                 1

 

Team – Ertugrul, Ozgur, M. Cagiran, Babacan, Nzaba, Jimmy Durmaz, Oguzhan, Ensar, R. B. Cagiran, Amilton and M. Yatabare

 

Substitutes – James Siliki, Kayode, Yasin, Bostan and Gaetan

 

Gurbulak scored a penalty for Manisa in the 53^rd minute, and as I said before, Ensar of Gencler grabbed the equaliser in 90 plus 7.

 

Next Monday may well be a defining moment in the season for Gencler when they host relegation threatened Sanliurfa.     However, Urfa is still within range of mid-table so they won’t be coming to Ankara just to make up the numbers   !!

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU – THE FAINT SOUND OF ALARM BELLS !!!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

A disappointing ending yesterday to a match in which Ankaragucu lost in the 2^nd half.

 

I was foolish enough to dream of 3 valuable points going in at half time 2-0 ahead and then expecting Ankaragucu to thrust the sword in at the beginning of the 2^nd half to silence the home support.

 

However, all credit to Kayseri for their blistering 2^nd half performance to leave Ankaragucu with zero points and in real danger now of being involved in the relegation dog-fight towards the end of the season

 

Is that alarm bells I can hear   ???!!!

 

Kayserispor            3                         ANKARAGUCU            2

 

Team – Bahadir, Mujakic, Mert, Radakovic, Atakan, Pedrinho, Tolga, Tasos, Efkan, Bassogog and Ali Sowe

 

Substitutes – Morutan, Renaldo, Ali Kaan, Kazimcan and Bajic

 

I have to confess to almost nodding-off as half time approached with neither goalkeeper tested during a boring 1^st half.     Then ............. on the stroke of half time, Bassogog made a fast break on the right, cut into the box and shot inside the left post.      But, the lineman’s flag was up for offside   !!!

 

A VAR check was made and the goal given   !!

 

4 minutes later into time added on and it was 2.      Excellent play by Tasos on the left to cut into the box leaving a defender in his wake.     The perfect cut-back was made for the unmarked Efkan in the centre who made no mistake.

 

An unbelievable ending to the 1^st half.

 

Unfortunately, Ankaragucu rarely threatened in the 2^nd half (2 attempts) as Kayseri came out with greater purpose and it only took them 7 minutes to pull a goal back.

 

Gokhan brushed aside 3 attempted tackles as he drove into the box and slipped the ball forward to Nazon who made no mistake.

 

10 minutes later and the equaliser arrived as Ankaragucu became pinned back in their own half.

 

A cross came in from the right and a fierce shot was made which Bahadir could only parry.   Unfortunately, the ball fell conveniently for the unmarked Julian who shot into the high centre of the goal.     A VAR check was made and the goal given.

 

It looked as though Ankaragucu had ‘rescued’ a point as the match headed into time added on, but then Kayseri pulled the trigger   !

 

A cross came in from the right into a crowded 6 yard box and Carlos was first to it to bullet a header inside the left post.     A real sickening blow for Ankaragucu, but their fragile defence was exposed yet again   !!!

 

Ankaragucu can dispel some of the anxiety next Saturday 2 March when they will be at home to bottom club Istanbulspor who have been cut adrift 17 points behind Ankaragucu.

 

It will be unthinkable if Ankaragucu don’t collect all 3 points, but Istanbulspor have nothing to lose and will no doubt make life as difficult as possible for Ankaragucu   !

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI STILL FIRING BLANKS !!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Today’s match was played at The Aktepe Stadium in Kecioren due to the poor condition of the Eryaman Stadium.

 

Due to ‘domestic duties’ I was unable to watch the whole match, but managed to see the last 20 minutes.

 

Gencler is still stuck in mid-table below the play-off positions and will need to start picking up points soon otherwise they will lose their impetus to challenge for promotion as we enter a crucial stage of the season.   They have now gone 4 matches without scoring a goal   !!!

 

GENCLERBIRLIGI             0                  Bandirmaspor              1

 

Team – Ertugrul, Nzaba, Babacan, M. Cagiran, Oguzhan, Jimmy Durmaz, Amilton, R. B. Cagiran, Akabueze, Bostan and M. Yatabare

 

Substitutes – James Siliki, Kayode, Ozgur, Gaetan and Ortan

 

The only goal of the match was scored just before the half time whistle and was caused by Jimmy Durmaz dithering near the centre circle and losing possession.    Mimaroglu drove forward and unleashed at shot on the 18 yard line which took a cruel deflection off a defender and in it went   !

 

Gencler had 2 chances to score just before the full time whistle.     The first was a goal bound header well saved, and then Gaetan used his knee to send the ball past the post when a header might have achieved more success.

 

Gencler will be in action again on Sunday 25 February when they travel to mid-table Manisa, the current draw specialists in the league.     A close encounter is therefore on the cards.

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU – DEFICIENCIES EXPOSED !!!

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

There was no doubting Ankaragucu’s efforts last night, but the gulf in class was obvious and Galatasaray’s fitness levels superior which meant that they won most of the 50-50 balls and dictated the pace of the match.

 

The match was effectively over at half time after the 1^st half onslaught by Galatasaray   !

 

The pace of the match in the 2^nd half gradually dropped as Galatasaray slowed the match down and were able to keep the lion’s share of possession in the latter stages to wind the clock down.   Unfortunately, Ankaragucu couldn’t take advantage with only one shot on target in the 2^nd half which didn’t trouble Muslera !

 

Playing out from the back is normally a sensible tactic to build attacks, but Ankaragucu was continually caught out by the speed of the Galatasaray players closing them down and the ball having to be returned to Bahadir   !!!       The subsequent long ball clearances were swallowed up by the Galatasaray defenders for the most part.     Frustration all round for Ankaragucu’s attacking aspirations   !!

 

ANKARAGUCU              0                       Galatasaray                 3

 

Team – Bahadir, Kitsiou, Radakovic, Mujakic, Kazimcan, Ali Kaan, Pedrinho, Efkan, Renaldo, Ali Sowe and Riccardo

 

Substitutes – Tolga, Mert, Tasos, Morutan and Bassogog

 

There was only one moment in the 1^st half when the home support were on their feet celebrating and that was in the 10^th minute when Ali Sowe scored what everyone thought was a great goal.     However, sadly it was correctly ruled out for offside   !

 

Thereafter it was all one way traffic towards Bahadir   !

 

2 minutes later, and from a corner on the left, the ball was sent to the back post for Demirbay to head in off the underside of the bar.

 

One minute later and it was 2.      Some fast inter-passing from outside the box and surging into the box, and from a cut-back on the right, Sanchez scored inside the left post.

 

On the half hour mark and it was Bahadir to the rescue with a great save as the ball was heading inside the right post.       From the resulting corner he made a point blank save from a header inside the 6 yard box.

 

Approaching half time and from an Ankaragucu mistake in the Galatasaray half of the field, the fast break was on as the Ankaragucu defence was caught out.     The shot was on, but before connecting, Kazimcan brought down the attacker and the referee pointed to the spot.     Icardi made it look easy with a ferocious shot down the centre.

 

It was mostly one way traffic again in the 2^nd half although it was apparent that Galatasaray had gradually slowed the pace of the match down as the 2^nd half unfolded.

 

Bahadir was the busiest player and he was mostly responsible for halting the addition of further goals.

 

In the 65^th minute he made a great save from a shot on the right heading inside the left post.

 

One minute later Icardi scored but it was disallowed due to Kitsiou being fouled in the build-up.

 

10 minutes later, and from a long range Galatasaray shot, the ball hit the bar.   The rebound was then saved by Bahadir.

 

Almost on the final whistle and Zaha almost made it 4 when he beat 3 Ankaragucu defenders in the box, but his final goal bound shot was deflected by Mert for a corner.

 

Ankaragucu is now involved in a dog fight to avoid relegation.     With Istanbulspor looking already doomed, there are only 7 points separating the whole of the bottom half of the league, so it goes without saying, that every point from now until the end of the season is crucial.

 

Starting next Saturday in Kayseri when Ankaragucu have a ‘6 Pointer’ against a team on the same points score as Ankaragucu.      Dare I say ...........a MUST win match   ??!!

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLER FAIL THE ACID TEST !!

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Gencler missed a golden opportunity last night to make a statement of intent in their bid for promotion.   Sitting in 9^th position in the league they are still not out of the play-off picture, but they will need to make a move soon to pick-up points otherwise they will be dragged down into mid-table oblivion.

 

True enough, they were up against the league leaders, but Eyup were off the pace in the 2^nd half and Gencler failed to take advantage of it.

 

There are more mountains looming for Gencler, and as I have said here many times over the years, there are no ‘easy’ matches in The Championship League.

 

Eyupspor              1                         GENCLERBIRLIGI               0

 

Team – Ertugrul, Yasin, Nzaba, Babacan, Oguzhan, Kemaloglu, Jimmy Durmaz, Wu, M. Yatabare, Kayode and Amilton

 

Substitutes – Bostan, R. B. Cagiran, Oltan and Elias Durmaz

 

Gencler made a bright start making the Eyup goalkeeper make 2 good saves in the first 10 minutes before fading as the 1^st half wore on.

 

Eyup gradually upped the pace and were rewarded in the 20^th minute with a well constructed goal.     From a throw-in on the right, the ball was then chipped over a defender for the Eyup attacker to collect.    Almost at the goal line, he looked up and sent in a perfect cut-back for Bruno to fire in.

 

From that point, Eyup always looked the likelier team to add another goal, but their final efforts on goal were not on target.

 

The pace of the match slowed considerably in the 2^nd half by both teams, and going into the last 10 minutes Eyup seemed happy to keep possession to run the match down.

 

Gencler took advantage of this tactic and threatened to equalise twice, but the Eyup goalkeeper was in fine form to deny the equaliser.

 

Taking everything into account, it’s clear to see why Eyup are top of the league and 7 points clear of 2^nd top Goztepe   !!

 

Next up for Gencler is a home match against Bandirma next Monday, who are also in the play-off area, so yet another chance for Gencler to move into a stronger league position.

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU – WEAVING PATTERNS !!!

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

Ankaragucu has become masters of weaving pretty patterns as an indirect method of attempting to score goals, and today was no exception as they registered ONE shot on target.   Even that one was easily saved  !!

 

Even a penalty claim near the end of the match doesn’t disguise their failings and I reluctantly conceded that Konya deserved all 3 points, even allowing for the fact that their goal arose from an Ankaragucu error in midfield.

 

Konyaspor              1                         ANKARAGUCU             0

 

Team -   Bahadir, Kazimcan, Mujakic, Radakovic, Kitsiou, Pedrinho, Tolga, Ali Kaan, Renaldo, Ali Sowe and Moroutan

 

Substitutes – Alexis, Saponara, Tasos, Mert and Bajic

 

Only 6 minutes of the match had elapsed when Ali Sowe had a great chance to put Ankaragucu ahead when he received an astute pass.      He drove into the box but his control of the ball was lost at a vital moment which allowed a defender to sweep up.

 

Moments later his long range goal bound shot was easily saved.

 

Konya came more into the match and in the 20^th minute it took a saving tackle by Kazimcan to prevent a certain goal.

 

However, that goal came 17 minutes later from unforgivable dithering in midfield which gifted the ball to Konya.     An attacker went flying down the left wing almost to the goal line and made a perfect cut-back for Prip to send the ball inside the right post between Bahadir and 3 defenders.

 

Almost on the half time whistle and Pedrinho was put through on goal but his shot was past the post.

 

Sadly, there was nothing worth mentioning about the 2^nd half    !!!         Well, except for the possible penalty for Ankaragucu well into time added on at the end.   

 

There appeared to be a Konya handball which the referee didn’t react to as he waved play on.   The VAR officials then spoke to him for a good few minutes before he restarted play and refused the penalty claim.    It is worth noting that he didn’t bother to view the incident himself on the VAR screen   !!!

 

While this was happening Coach Emre received a RED card for comments made to the referee or the 4^th official   !!!

 

In the final analysis, Ankaragucu received what they probably deserved, ie, nothing   !!!

 

Ankaragucu remain stuck in 11^th position and only 3 points above the relegation zone   !!!

 

It never rains but it pours ............next up is a home match against league leaders Galatasaray next Sunday 18 February   !!!

 

As always, watch this space for the outcome.

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI – MINI-SUMMARY – FEBRUARY 2024

 

 

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

 

In my absence from Turkey, Gencler has struggled to maintain momentum in their quest to move up the league.

 

On 4 February, they drew another blank with a 0-0 draw against Corum which still leaves them 6 points adrift of the Play-Off  Zone.   However, there is still time to rectify the situation, but they have a mountain to climb on Monday when they travel to league leaders Eyupspor.

 

Realistically the automatic promotion slots seem to be beyond them, but at least qualifying for the play-offs seems to be the target........ and attainable.

 

On 8 February, Gencler played host to Super League Trabzonspor in the Last 16 Round of The Turkish Cup and were unluckily eliminated.

 

With Gencler 1-0 up, and into the 90 plus 6 minute mark of the match, it looked like curtains for Trabzon when they grabbed an unlikely equaliser on the full time whistle.

 

Extra time beckoned and Trabzon found the winning goal in the 1^st period to send Gencler crashing out of the Cup.    

 

To be honest, I was hoping for an Ankaragucu v Gencler quarter final, but Ankaragucu will learn their opponents on Monday when the draw is made.

 

In the meantime, and on the upside, Gencler can now focus their efforts on league business !!

 

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu 0-0 Sivasspor

 

Ankaragucu are in serious need of some quality attacking additions to the team before the transfer window shuts next week. That was 90 minutes of some of the worst football from both sides that you will watch and both goalkeepers having very little to do. 

Team - Bahadir, Kitsiou, Uros, Mujakic, Hanousek, Tolga, Pedrinho, Ali Kaan, Cephas, Morutan, Ali Sowe

Subs - Dogukan, Saponara, Bajic, Tasos, Atakan, Cem, Sirac, Macheda, Mett, Hyrullah

It took until injury time in the first half for either goalkeeper to make a save when Bahadir held onto a weak effort from the edge of the box.

Ankaragucu controlled most of the match but offered nothing in attack. Cephas and Hanousek on the left hand side kept passing the ball backwards and had no end product on the occasions they had an opportunity to create. 

Morutan frustrated for most of the game and i think he would be more effective in the number 10 position playing off the main striker. Ali Sowe also had an off match but we also need to consider the lack of service he has and spends most of the match chasing balls. 

For Sivas Appindangoye in defence had a very good game and Manaj up front was always looking to make things happen, but similar to Ankaragucu lacked quality throughout the team. 

Ricardo Saponara came on for Ankaragucu and had a nice debut showing his quality on the ball. He is another player though who looks physically short of fitness and lacks any pace. But i do think he will be a good addition to the team when he builds his fitness. 

The closest any team came to scoring was Sivasspor but again Bahadir made a big save to keep the scores level and another draw for Ankaragucu. 

Next up is the cup match against Erzincanspor on Tuesday at Eryaman and hopefully the crowd being in attendance will spur the team onto victory and into the next round! 

Fenerbahce 2-1 Ankaragucu

 

Jim and Damon are on their travels in beautiful Scotland so just a quick update on the game from last weekend. 

Ankaragucu lost 2-1 at Fenerbahce after taking the lead, and had to thank Bahadir for keeping the score down with another excellent performance in the Ankaragucu goal. 

Tolga Cigerci gave Ankaragucu the lead after Cephas was brought down in the penalty box by Livakovic. 

The lead didnt last long though and 2 goals from Cengiz Under both in which Mujakic could have done better saw Fenerbahce take all 3 points as they fight it out with Galatasaray for the title. 

Ankaragucu now go into the last few days of the transfer window looking to strengthen the squad if they are to avoid relegation. Ricardo Sapponara has signed a 1.5 year deal from Hellas Verona. The 32 year old former Italian international was a quality player in his prime. Lets just hope this isnt another Jese or Cerci. 

Ertac Ozbir is also set to sign from Adana Demirspor. The 34 year old goalkeeper will replace Rafa Gikewicz who has left the club on a free transfer. A good signing for Ankaragucu as it frees up a foreign space and Ertac is a quality goalkeeper.