Kocaeli Birlikspor 1-1 Ankaragucu match preview!

Another positive result for Ankaragucu as they bring a share of the points back to the capital after a 1-1 draw at Kocaeli Birlikspor. Unfortunately for Ankaragucu a point isn't good enough as they fight for an outside chance of the playoffs.

Team - Gokhan Akkan, Metin Aydin, Gurkan Alver, Aytac Oden, Mehmet Tasci, Muhammed Gonulacar, Orhan Evci, Hasan Kaya, Gokhan Erdogan, Hasan Ayaroglu, Teoman Erkan

Subs - Turgut Kirveli, Ali Sinan Gayla, Emir Ozbey, Levent Kale, Ramazan Adiguzel, Metin Ilhan, Volkan Geyik

Its difficult to work out exactly where Ankaragucu would be if Aykan Atik was the manager from the start of the season. I haven't been able to watch many games this season due to the lack of TV coverage in Lig 2. The results however have been a big improvement since he took charge. The Duzyurt match aside, we have been difficult to score against, and have also started to find the net.

The problem for Ankaragucu this season has been scoring goals and also to many matches drawn. Levent Kale has suffered with fitness and doesn't have the service of Emre Tasdemir, Mehmet Cakir or Mehmet Erdem to create chances for him this season.

A new partnership has emerged in Teoman Erkan and Hasan Ayaroglu. The big forward Teoman is hard working and has some nice link up play, where as Hasan is the little magician who creates chances for others as well as chipping in with goals himself.

Ankaragucu started in a positive fashion today, taking only 12 minutes to open the scoring and it was through Teoman Erkan with his 3rd goal of the season. Kocaeli are a difficult side to beat, and they found the equaliser on the 39th minute through Engin Akturk as both sides went in 1-1 at half time.

It would stay that way until the end, although both sides had a man sent off, Ustun Bilgi for the home side for his second booking, and Aytac Oden for Ankaragucu also for a second booking.

Next Sunday Ankaragucu travel to rivals Goztepe in what will be the toughest game since Aykan Atik took over as coach. Its time to stop thinking of the playoffs for Ankaragucu and just keep working away and improving as they have been since the winter break. Ankaragucu doesn't have the squad that are able to succeed in the playoffs even if we got there.

We need to start building for next season, the problem with that is off field matters. Will we have a summer of positive news, or will it be the same old rubbish where we lose more players and cant bring anyone in due to the transfer ban?

Ankaragucu vs Kocaeli Birlikspor match preview!

Ankaragucu travel to Kocaeli this weekend hoping to continue their good form and make it 3 wins on the trot. A win against the home side could give Ankaragucu an outside chance of making the playoffs. Kocaeli also have the playoffs in their sight as only 2 points separate them and Sariyer.

Kocaeli have been on decent form themselves of late but were dealt a blow last weekend with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sariyer. They also have good experience throughout their side such as Cafercan Aksu, Ustun Bilgi and Adnan Gungor.

Ankaragucu on the other hand have one of the youngest sides in Turkey but have been showing good progress under manager Aykan Atik. A good 3-0 win over Pazarspor last weekend keeps the confidence levels high with Hasan Ayaroglu, Teoman Erkan and Hasan Kaya forging a good partnership up front which has been lacking all season.

Hasan Ayaroglu has been the key player for Ankaragucu this season. With the departures of Emre Tasdemir, Mehmet Cakir, Mehmet Erdem and Volkan Yilmaz it left a huge void in the Ankaragucu attack. Hasan has helped fill some of that with some excellent displays. If he keeps up this form then its only a matter of time before he is snapped up by a Super Lig or Lig 1 side.

In other news away from the pitch, it has been confirmed today that Melih Gokcek and Osmanlispor have failed to pay Ankaragucu the 750,000 TL they owe for Umut Nayir as well as the 2 Million Lira Gokcek promised to help the club.

It further confirms that Gokcek isn't a man of his word, can never be trusted and will do everything in his power to try and destroy Ankaragucu.

If any of the residents kankas could help Tony with instructions on how he can sign up to Passolig to attend Genclerbirligi matches can they let me know.

Nadeem

Bang head on wall

Everything was going swimmingly and then Genclerbirligi shipped three goals in the last 10 minutes. Pathetic.

Istanbul Basaksehir Futbol Klubu 3 - 1 Genclerbirligi

You couldn't say we were in tip-top shape. The rugby of the day before, or should I say the refreshments that we consumed whilst watching the rugby... and then continued to consume well after the rugby, had pretty much destroyed Spine and I. We ain't as young as we used to be.

Genclerbirligi for much of the first half were exactly the same. Meh.

Second half and a piece of individual brilliance from El Kabir put us ahead. El Kabir was on the goal line with the ball about to go out when he performed a "Rabona" which was sent perfectly onto the head of Tosic who simply put it in.



It looked like this would be enough. But at the end we went to sleep completely. Three bloody goals in the last 10 minutes. Most of the crowd at the Sudem walked out in disgust. I don't think we sold it. I just think we were rubbish.

Speaking of rubbish, referee Cuneyt Cakir had an absolutely terrible performance. There was a clear red card not given and then later a clear handball in the box. No penalty given. If either of the decisions had been given I reckon the result could have been completely different.

ANKARAGUCU PUT THEIR SEASON BACK ON TRACK !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Golly, Gosh and OMG, two wins in a row for Ankaragucu – whatever next ?!   I have an idea ....... let’s make it THREE and then we can start dreaming of a Play-Off place again !

It was a pleasant sunny Spring day yesterday when the kankas met-up at the Stadium.   Apple Kanka Erman, Battle Damaged Kanka Damon and Fellaini Kanka Ahmet.   We were also joined by freiends Suha and Barnsley Nigel who is visiting Ankara.

I was early arriving, so I had my customary Cay in the Sports Cafe and watched some entertaining amateur matches on the side pitches.   Very impressed with DSIspor who were 1-0 up against Vurtkurspor approaching half time when I had to leave that match.   Their No11 scored a cracking goal which Messi would have been proud of.   He collected the ball midway into Vurtkur’s area, ghosted past 3 defenders and let fly into the bottom corner with the goalkeeper nowhere.    I hope Ankaragucu scouts were watching !!

Back to the main event and ..............

ANKARAGUCU   3       Pazarspor    0

As usual, Gecikondu and Maraton were full but a poor attendance in the Kapalis.   There was an impressive 100 in the away end, but unsurprisingly, we didn’t hear a squeak out of them throughout the whole match !

It only took 5 minutes for the Stadium to errupt and for Ankaragucu to open the scoring.   A fairly innocuous back-pass to the Pazar goalkeeper and he miskicked the ball straight to Hasan Kaya who held off a weak challenge from a defender and cooly slotted in.   What a start !

3 minutes later it was almost 2 when Gokhan made a nice run down the left and shot to the near post.   However, all credit to the goalkeeper for getting down to turn the ball out for a corner.

There was a Bursapor chorus on 16 minutes from all the tribunes as Ankaragucu continued to attack the nervous Pazar defence.

6 minutes later the 2^nd goal arrived after a great run down the right by Hasan Ayaroglu.   Almost on the goal line, he made the classic cut-back and Teoman was in the right spot at the right time to tap-in for an easy goal.

Two down but Pazar didn’t drop their heads and there were two scares for Ankaragucu before the half time whistle.   Two breakaways, the first saved by Volkan’s timely tackle as the shot was about to be struck, the 2^nd brought out a great save from Gokhan.

The 2^nd half got underway with Pazar still searching for a way back into the match and they were unlucky 10 minutes in when a goalbound shot hit the post and rebounded to safety with Gokhan beaten.

3 minutes later and Teoman should have done better when he was put clean through from a long ball, but he delayed his shot and the ball was cleared to safety by a tracking back defender.

Even two up, and with Ankaragucu having the lion’s share of possession, the match was still in the balance with Pazar still searching for a way back into the match.

However, it was over as a contest 10 minutes from the end when Ankaragucu made it safe with goal No3.   A cross came in from the right which was met by the in-rushing Hasan Ayaroglu who side-footed the ball in under the dispairing dive of the goalkeeper.

2 minutes later, Levent (who had replaced Teoman), missed a sitter when all he had to do was tap-in when the cross came in from the left.    Unfortunately, all he managed to do was hit ‘fresh air’ and the ball went out for a goal kick.

So, a great team effort with everyone playing their part.   However, I should mention that Fellaini Kanka and I earmarked Aytac as our Man of the Match.   He did everything right at the heart of the defence with his tackling and distribution.   He is becoming Mr Reliable !

Back to The New Sedir we went to celebrate the victorrrreeeeee, and ........ Maniac Kanka Harun’s birthday with his beautiful and charming lady, Hatice.

The burning question now is .............. can Ankaragucu maintain this momentum next week in Koceli and put pressure on the teams all fighting for a Play-Off place ?    Watch this space for the answer !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

ANKARAGUCU ENJOY PAZAR AGAINST PAZAR !!

Greeting Kankas and Kankies.

For our 'foreign' readers, Pazar is the Turkish word for Sunday, and in Turkey, especially in the Black Sea Region, there are lots of towns named after the days of the week !

It was another 3 points for Ankaragucu today in the Ankara Spring sunshine against the team from Rize.

ANKARAGUCU   3      Pazarspor    0

It was back to The Yeni Sedir Pub after the match to celebrate Maniac Kanka Harun's birthday and that's the reason I am unable to make a report of the match tonight !!!

Suffice to say it was well won by Ankaragucu and a fully deserved victorrrrreeeee.

Match report coming up tomorra.    In the meantime, let's have another ..... hic hic .... hic ..... Efes and sing the birthday song to Harun AGAIN !!!!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Tepecikspor 1-2 Ankaragucu match report!

Ankaragucu bounced back from their embarrassing 5-2 defeat at Duzyurt on Sunday with a good 2-1 win at relegation rivals Tepecikspor. The win now gives Ankaragucu 9 points breathing space from the drop zone with another of those relegation candidates Pazarspor coming up at home this coming weekend.

Team - Gokhan Akkan, Orhan Evci, Gurkan Alver, Aytac Oden, Mehmet Tasci, Muhammed Gonulacar, Harun Aydin, Gokhan Erdogan, Hasan Ayaroglu, Hasan Kaya, Teoman Erkan

Subs - Turgut Kirveli, Ali Sinan, Ramazan Adiguzel, Emir Ozbey, Levent Kale, Mahsum Kara, Volkan Geyik

The home side got off to a good start when they took the lead after 13 minutes through Adem Celik. It looked like it was going to be one of those days for Ankaragucu that we have so often seen in the last few years.

However they showed the fighting spirit that has been evident since Aykan Atik took charge of the side. Goals from Jim's favourite player and an injury time winner from super sub Emir Ozbey gave Ankaragucu the 3 points to bring back to the capital.

Emir Ozbey scoring his first professional goal for the club will be hoping its the start of many more to come. Volkan has been saying on here for a while now that he is a talented player, it would be great to see him join Teoman up front as Levent isn't producing the goods.

This weekend Ankaragucu take on Pazarspor at home and we will be looking for another big turn out from the fans. Jim will advise the meeting arrangements in the coming days.

Gencler cement eighth position!

It was perhaps not the best match in the world but for us Gencler fans at a packed Sudem pub it was brilliant. The only sad thing is that we weren't at the stadium to see such a great victory. Thanks Passolig.

Genclerbirligi 2 - 1 Fenerbahce

I was at the red Lion Club midweek when someone asked me when the match was on. I pulled out my phone but the TFF website still hasn't entered the 21st century and so I wasn't able to figure it out. I jumped onto google and the first page that popped up said it was on sunday at 6pm.

All alone at the Sudem pub on Sunday at 6pm and it dawned on me that I must have been looking at an English website.

Two hours and a few beer later and kick-off.

We started with the same team as we have in the last few weeks with the new fan favourite El Kabir up front. Stancu must still be injured.

And.... we weren't too bad. Fenerbahce had more of the ball, and always looked dangerous, but we were doing some nice things in midfield. It was a bit frustrating though. Just as last week we just weren't converting good positions into shots.

Until, Guido forced a brilliant save from Fener's goalkeeper.

Could we get a breakthrough. Of course we could. Just check out the video attached to the tweet below. Pure class.

Petrovic'in golü: https://t.co/wKIy0GtaYn
— Alkaralar (@Alkaralar) March 15, 2015

Fenerbahce stepped things up and there was great frustration at the pub when they equalised. Except from three old blokes who celebrated in a rather mute way.

A few minutes from the end and Gosso, who had come on as a substitution sent a long cross in. I'm not sure what the Fener defender was doing, but he basically let it go through to an unmarked El Kabir who must have been surprised to see that Volkan was completely out of position. Simple header. In. Goal. Mayhem.

Simply amazing. What a victory.

I can't believe it

Well, well, well. That was one hell of an amazing victory. I'm over the moon. More, more, more tomorrow.

Genclerbirligi 2 - 1 Fenerbahce

Duzyurtspor 5-2 Ankaragucu!

This will be short and sweet! Ankaragucu were thrashed 5-2 at lowly Duzyurtspor in what can only be described as the most embarrassing result in the clubs 105 year history. The result now drags Ankaragucu back into a relegation battle and they will need to bounce back on Wednesday against relegation rivals Tepecikspor.

Team - Gokhan Akkan, Gokhan Erdogan, Aytac Oden, Volkan Geyik, Mehmet Tasci, Harun Aydin, Muhammed Gonulacar, Hasan Ayaroglu, Hasan Kaya, Levent Kale, Teoman Erkan

Subs - Turgut Kirvelli, Batuhan Gulcan, Ali Sinan, Metin Ilhan, Emir Ozbey, Mushum Kara, Ramazan Adiguzel

It all started so well as Ankaragucu took the lead through Hasan Ayaroglu after only 5 minutes. However goals from Suat Mutlu (2) and Gokhan Erdol (3) put Duzyurt 5-1 up before Hasan Kaya scored in injury time to make it 5-2.

There was more bad news for Ankaragucu as Gokhan Akkan went off injured when the game was tied at 1-1.

Another game has past by where Levent Kale and Yeoman Erkan have failed to hit the back of the net. Its time to dump the two of them onto the bench and bring in Emir Ozbey and Ramadan Adiuguzel.

The coach will be hoping his Ankaragucu players can bounce back with a win at Tepecik on Wednesday, failure to do so will see Ankaragucu have a fight for survival on their hands.

Ankaragücü 1 - 1 Diyarbakırspor

Ankaragücü fans were always going to give Diyarbakırspor fans(1) a hard time. Our ranks include a fair number of nationalists, who lead the chanting of "Şehit ölmez, vatan bölünmez" ("A martyr cannot die, the nation cannot be divided") after the national anthem is sung every game. It is also a footballing tradition in Turkey to wind up every team based on the perceived characteristics of the region it came from. As outsiders, we couldn't tell whether the pointed jibes at our opponents from this Kurdish-majority city breached the subtle distinction into racism. I suspect it would have been best to ask the away fans themselves, were they not so eager to escape after the match.

Eski's pre-kick-off photo: Cider, Battle Damaged and Ahmet Kanka also in attendance

Nevertheless, the two sets of fans have no bad history, and there seemed to be more angst on the pitch than off. Ankaragücü's extreme offensive tactics of the past few months met with a stone wall in the form of Diyarbakır's extreme defensive tactics.

In the first half, the away team played with classic table football tactics - winning every contested ball, scooting it around and then waiting for Ankaragücü to open up enough of a gap in the midfield and defence to go straight through to a one-on-one with the keeper. Fortunately for our squad, though Diyarbakır may have been technically stronger, faster and better at dribbling and passing, they sent almost every single ball into row Z as soon as they saw the whites of Gökhan's eyes. All but one, sadly. In the 16th minute, a lone Diyarbakır player managed a beautiful run straight through the Ankaragücü attack, midfield and defence, and placed a perfect ball into the far corner of the net from the left-hand side.

In the second half of the match, Diyarbakır switched their tactics to put most of their team standing in the box simply deflecting endless Ankaragücü corners. I doubt they troubled our goalkeeper a single time in the entire half. Their unwillingness to move from a solid defensive position meant lots of opportunities for Ankaragücü - maybe twenty or more shots on goal, of which just one sneaked in. In the 89th minute, Aytaç met a corner kick with a strong shot that sailed into the roof of the net.(2)

Ankaragücü will probably be pleased to have got one back and surprised to have been allowed so many attempts. Not only were we up against a strong Diyarbakır team, but a lot of the regular players were out of position, and so we didn't look as good as we have done in previous weeks.


1. Who tend to prefer calling their club Amedspor after the alternate Kurdish name for the city, from the Assyrian Amida, though this usage has been officially rejected by the Turkish Football Federation.
2. I am reliably informed that this is what happened: around fifteen seconds before, the Maraton tribune suddenly started running around and there was talk of a stabbing attempt, so I missed the goal.

A spring in my step

Who would have thought that a match against the Suat Altin XI would get me out of my mid-season non-match going depression. Not going to matches has killed me this year. Passolig have destroyed the atmosphere at all but a few of the biggest games. Still, nothing like a big win!

Suat Altin Insaat Kayseri Erciyesspor 2 - 4 Genclerbirligi

I was the only one of the kankas on time at the Sudem pub on what was a glorious sunny day. The first half hour of the match was tear-pullingly frustrating. We had a majority of possession, we were showing some class but then every single time we looked good we would lose it without ever getting off a shot, let alone forcing the goalkeeper to make a save.

It isn't often that just 25 minutes into the match and the crowd at the pub screaming in desperation for Genclerbirligi to have a shot. That usually doesn't happen until the 75th-minute mark.

Finally Cider Kanka John and a few minutes later Spine strolled in. Goal number 1. Then a couple of minutes later, goal number 2.

Peep, peep and half-time and well. Frustration gone.

Second half and Insaat started to put on a bit of pressure. Actually a lot of that pressure was brought on by our own poor defending.

Then came some really silly stuff as El Kabir and a Kayseri player fouled each other a few times. The Kayseri player then put his face in El Kabir's in a move that was more Toy Town Noses than Glasgow Kiss. The Kayseri player got a straight red. Then Guido got involved for some stupid reason and was a given a yellow.

Two-nil down and missing a player Kayseri were in all sorts of trouble and then they scored.

It never looked scary for us though as we were now playing great football, with some excellent passes and good one-two moves. It was no surprise that Mervan and then Landel put two more goals in.      

Then we had one for the conspiracy theorists (ie Spine). Kayseri had a free kick. Brilliantly taken, the ball went over the wall and to Ramazan's right. He dived but then at the last second he pulled his arm away. "Fix!" was the cry. I don't think so. I just think he had no chance of getting to it.

All up I was very happy. El Kabir, Hleb, Landel all came in at the winter break and they are starting to gel. Our defence is still pretty scary though. Next we are up against Fenerbahce. My prediction Genclerbirligi 1 - 2 Fenerbahce (both Fener's goals to penalties scored by the midget).

As we often do after a pleasant afternoon's football, us three kankas then went off to an art gallery. To SaltUlus to be exact where there was a display of various media installations concerning Dinamo Mesken, a team from Bursa that was closed down after the 1980 coup and whose players were jailed and tortured. Worth a visit if you are into politics and football (as are all Round Ball in Ankara readers).

Dinamo Mesken is on a Salt Ulus until March 14. Entrance is free.
   

THE KANKA GROUP – A BRIEF REFLECTION

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Its sometimes a good thing to reflect on the brief history of The Kanka Group and how it has managed to survive despite the comings and goings (mostly goings) of its members.

The history of Ankaragucu is 105 years old, but The Kanka Group is only 16 years old.    That The Kanka Group has survived for so long never fails to amaze me since it was founded by foreigners in Ankara, although that has never been a pre-requisite of membership.   We have always welcomed Turkish footie fanatics to the group and that is still the case.   Long may that continue !

The early and heady days of The Kanka Group may be a dim memory for some, but in those days the Ankaragucu team was a team which was heading in the right direction, especially when Ersun Yanal was the Coach.

One of the most memorable matches I attended at this time was the Play-Off between the two losing Cup Semi-Finalists (Ankaragucu and Sakaryaspor) to decide which of them would represent Turkey in the UEFA Cup the following season.   The match was held in the Izmir Ataturk Stadium and I made the journey there by overnight train – an unforgetable journey of 14 hours !    It was a midweek evening KO and only a quarter of the Stadium was used, but as you would expect, it was full of Ankaragucu supporters with only a handful of Sakarya supporters.

In one of the best performances I have ever seen from an Ankaragucu team, they triumphed 5-0 and I ended up in Kirbris Sokak in downtown Izmir to celebrate with a load of Ankaragucu supporters who I had never met before !

The following season, Ankaragucu eliminated an Iceland team in the 1^st Round and then drew Atletico Madrid in the 2^nd Round.   Unfortunately, Ankaragucu conceded 3 late goals in the 1^st Leg in Madrid, but pride was restored in Ankara in the 2^nd Leg which Ankaragucu won 1-0.   This match was definitely the best performance I have ever seen from an Ankaragucu team, and but for some resolute defending by Atletico, it could have been another glory night for Ankaragucu.

The names of the players in that era just roll off the tongue ..... Zalad, Kutlu, Yilmaz, Niyazi, Augustine, Kennedy and Keles to name but a few !

In those days The Kanka Group met in the Sahil Restaurant/Pub in Genclik Park and these pre and post match meetings there were another factor in the popularity of the group and how it grew in numbers.

It was also due to Maniac Kanka Harun introducing us to the Bilkent Connection which swelled our numbers even further in those days.    Thanks to Kircaldy Kanka Martin Maguire, and later, Mountaineering Kanka Robbie Peters, the group had lots of recruits from the foreign Bilkent teachers.

I won’t go into the demise of Ankaragucu which is well documented in the Blog from the time Chairman Cemal Aydin was ousted and the Gokceks arrival.   Suffice to say that it has been a downhill journey for the Club ever since Ahment Gokcek’s tenure as Chairman.

I can probably pinpoint the beginning of that downfall with the last piece of silverware won by Ankaragucu on 14 August 2011 at The Saray Sports complex when Ankaragucu beat Mersin in the final of the TRT Cup.    That summer the financial irregularites became known and the ‘leaves began to fall off the tree’ !!!

Another defining moment for The Kanka Group was the reconsturction of Genclik Park and the closure of our meeting place, The Sahil.    We then moved to The Chopin Bar in Kizilay which has remained as our favoured meeting place to this day.

The Kanka Group may be a shadow of its former self in terms of numbers, but it is still famous in the Stadium and well know to the other tribunes.

As I’ve always said .............. you can take Ankaragucu out of the Super League and PTT League, but ............. you can’t take Ankaragucu out of the Kankas.    That is sometimes referred to as .............. LOYALTY !

I should also mention Oz Kanka Chris, who as the Blog Webmaster, was responsible for the idea of starting the Blog 10 years ago to report on Ankaragucu and Genclerbirligi matches and news.    The fact that Google puts our Blog first in searches in English on Ankara footie related subjects speaks volumes.

Bellshill Kanka Nadeem’s contribution to the Blog should also be mentioned.   His regular reports have further enhanced the standing of the Blog and has been responbsible for footie fanatics coming to Ankara in finding a source of contact.

These are currently difficult days for the Ankaragucu Kankas as Ankaragucu endeavour to extricate themselves from their present financial plight.   However, we remain commited to supporting the team and we will coninue to report on matches and news on this Blog for as long as it takes.

Haydi Ankaragucu, and .............. long live The Kanka Group !

All the best from a nostalgic Eski Kanka Jim

Current Ankaragücü Squad

The Ankaragücü squad has changed drastically in the past season or two, and to my knowledge there are still no good resources out there on the current squad. So, as a service to the kankas I've been doing my research and here are my findings.

If I've made any mistakes please correct me in the comments. Almost all pictures stolen from the Ankaragucu.org.tr official site. Bold indicates forename usually used (as far as I can tell).

Gökhan Akkan

Number 23

Goalkeeper

İhsan Turgut Kirveli

Number 24

Goalkeeper

Cihan Bal

Number 13

Goalkeeper

Kaan Ateş

Number 96

Goalkeeper

Altay Bayındır

Number 1

Goalkeeper

Volkan Geyik

Number 5

Centre Back

Gürkan Alver

Number 25

Centre Back

Onur Atasayar

Number 3

Left Back

Mehmet Taşcı

Number 13

Left Back

Metin İlhan

Number 22

Left Back

Burak Keskin

Number 66

Left Back

Aytaç Öden

Number 33

Right Back

Orhan Evci

Number 71

Right Back

Metin Aydın

Number 2

Right Back

Bayram Can Alyurt

Number Pending

Right Back

Harun Aydın

Number 14

Holding Midfielder

Muhammed Gönülaçar

Number 72

Holding Midfielder

Kaan Gürbüz Aksoy

Number 19

Centre Midfielder

Batuhan Gülcan

Number 67

Centre Midfielder

Hasan Ayaroğlu

Number 95

Attacking Midfielder

Gökhan Erdoğan

Number 16

Left Winger

Masum Kara

Number 7

Left Winger

Ramazan Adıgüzel

Number 55

Left Winger

Ali Sinan Gayla

Number 17

Right Winger

Levent Kale

Number 77

Forward

Teoman Safa Erkan

Number 9

Forward

Emir Özbay

Number 99

Forward

Hasan Kaya

Number 28

Forward

Ankaragucu vs Diyarbakir BB match preview!

Sundays match between Ankaragucu vs Diyarbakir is very much a match of two teams on form since the winter break. Both teams were just outside the relegation zone but have eased their worries for the time being after some impressive performances. Unfortunately for Ankaragucu the visitors have been the more impressive of the two.

Diyarbakir's poor form coincided with the trouble on the Turkish Border with ISIS meaning they couldn't play their games at home. Since the return to their home ground and things settling down a bit, they have been in impressive form and find themselves just outside the playoffs.

Funnily enough, since the rearranged game with Ankaragucu in 5th January which Diyarbakir won 3-2, they have went on and 11 match unbeaten run in the league and cup. Two of those results included a fantastic 2-0 win at Galatasaray and a 1-0 home win against Eskisehirspor. Another good win at the weekend saw them win comfortably 4-0 at home to Pazarspor.

The Ankaragucu board have announced ticket prices of between 4TL - 7TL which will please the fans and they will hope for another big turnout from the tribunes for the match. Since the elections the Ankaragucu fans have turned up in their numbers which has lifted the players on the park and they will be hoping for the same on Sunday.

We saw how important Hasan Ayaroglu is to the team on Sunday in the 1-1 draw with Polatli as Ankaragucu failed to create chances and put in a poor performance overall. The team will be hoping he returns to action at the weekend and maybe their will be a place in the starting line up for Emir Ozbey.

Emir had a fantastic pre season for the club scoring in most of the games he played. He was then dropped from the first team just as the season started after a falling out with Mustafa Kaplan who wasn't happy with his attitude. He has been given other chance under Aykan Atik and could be a vital player between now and the rest of the season.

Jim will have the meeting arrangements and anyone who wants to join him and the rest of the contacts either get in touch with us on here or the official Facebook page.

Bugsaşspor 1 - 1 Ankaragücü

The Kanka Group at their first "away" fixture this season

Two days ago a cryptic message on the Ankaragücü Twitter feed said "See you this Sunday in OSTİM" (Ankara's light industrial area). We weren't due to have a home match, and no-one could ever remember hearing of there being a stadium there. A little more research and we discovered it's the home stadium of OSTİMspor and Bugsaşspor (formerly Polatlı Bugsaşapor, formerly EGOspor, the team of Ankara public transport employees) - and indeed, Bugsaşspor turned out to be our hosts among the warehouses of OSTİM.

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OSTİM - were it not Sunday we could have got some metalwork done

The stadium seemed pleasant enough, should you not have to use the bathroom or fire exits or sit down anywhere at any time, and the pitch well-kept, but at 10TL (£2.58) the tickets were on the expensive side for this league. With thousands of Ankaragücü fans paying up, Bugsaşspor may be able to pay for a well-needed clean up.

So: the football. 

The first half looked like a disaster for Ankaragücü. "Couldn't put two passes together" was one opinion heard. The truth was that the team were overexcited and kept making mistakes in the midfield: poor passes, poor tackles, poor long balls, a few overwrought attempts to pass the ball all the way down the pitch from head to head. The team appeared to be missing Hasan, our midfield general: the passing game had stopped, meaning no nice balls out wide and in place of order, chaos.

"Take but degree away, untune that string, and, hark, what discord follows!" - Shakespeare, on a similar match near Çanakkale.

Thankfully, Bugsaşspor's attack, whilst agile and fast, was not capable of putting a shot anywhere near target.

The second half began with a rogue goal from Bugsaşspor. The team had run past Ankaragücü's defence dozens of times in the first half, yet took their only goal by accident with a weak header while all the defenders were in the box. The Bugsaşspor fans, oddly, didn't really respond to this.

Bugsaş are another very physical team, and Ankaragücü were giving as good as they got as well. Unfortunately, the referee was hard-pressed to keep up with the pace with which players fell to the floor and started to give decisions only roughly related to the state of play. That's the generous version. A vocal segment of the Ankaragücü fans expressed the opinion that he was in the pay of Melih Gökçek as part of his scheme to relegate the club. Of course, the referee could also have had a traumatic childhood incident in which he was beaten up for being a Beşiktaş fan, but the fact that he also occasionally made mistakes in favour of Ankaragücü seemed to weigh on the side of his innocence.

Much of the rest of the second half was taken up by players taking turns to fall over near the halfway line and free kicks being awarded, only to go nowhere. Neither team looked brilliant, to say the least. But then, out of the blue in the 85th minute, the midfield opened up and Harun skipped around the Bugsaş defence on the left hand side, placing a perfectly-weighted pass over to Orhan on the right, who beat the remaining defenders and put the ball in the net for a 1 - 1 finish.