Besiktas smash us

Besiktas 4 - 1 Genclerbirligi

I was the sole Gencler fan at the Red Lion tonight. A dozen or so Turks were playing pool or gossiping away but I was there with my scarf on and making sure that someone in Ankara gave a damn about tonight's match.

Starting up it wasn't all that bad. We were playing attacking football. At the same time though the best chance in the beginning fell to Besiktas but our keeper Serdar came out and managed to somehow stop a lobbed shot at goal.

Gencler were on the attack and then the barman told me that the others at the bar wanted music, not footaball commentary. This was 8:22 pm. I had already during the day got the go ahead that the match would be on and then they threaten me with the typical middle-of-the-road so-called rock/pop 1980s music that has sent me mad at every RLC night since... er the 1980s.

If it is one thing you can rely upon at the RLC. The music shall not be innovative, or even slightly hip for that matter.

Having got rid of that annoying disturbance, Besiktas then pissed me off even further with a lovely worked out goal.

Thomas Doll, in his Michelin suit yet again, was not a happy fellow. Neither was I.

I was still laughing though as by this time Kahe was playing with a tea cosy on his head. In about the 10th he went down and apparently ripped his eyebrow.

So half-time and Besiktas were ahead... although morally we were about evens.

Spine came and joined me at the break and things at the beginning of the second half were looking good. We were attacking, we seemed to be defending well and best of all, "we looked up for it".

NOt long into the second half and Hursut (not Hursit - not even the TV people today called him Hursit), took a ball from the left, turned around and struck with his left foot. The ball flew past Rusta. 1-1.

That was the 51st minute. We had chances after that but none were converted. In the meantime Besiktas scored three more... lucky bastards. I really don' want to describe how they happened.