Monday, September 30, 2019

ANKARAGUCU DIG DEEP IN THE FIRST ANKARA DERBY FOR SEVEN YEARS !




Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

The Ankara Derby was a long time returning after relegations to the Championship and 2nd League for Ankaragucu and Championship League for Genclerbirligi.   Let’s hope both teams can improve on their poor start to this season and retain this important fixture for next season.

ANKARAGUCU       2              GENCLERBIRLIGI         1

Ankaragucu Team – Korcan, Kitsiou, Pazdan, Kulusic, Pinto, Sedat, Faty, Moke, Hasan, Ilhan and Orgill

Ankaragucu Substitutes – Mehmet, Yalcin and Aydin

Genclerbirligi Team – Ertac, Ahmet Ramos, Toure, Polomot, Candeas, Berat, Fabricio Sessegnon, Ayite and Sio

Genclerbirligi Substitutes – Rahmetullah, Nadir and Stancu

The kankas watched the match in The Alerta Bar – Battle Damaged Kanka Damon, Flying Dutchman Kanka Carlo, with guest kankas, Haluk and Atagun.

Gencler dominated the opening exchanges and were a constant threat and quicker on the ball with Ankaragucu looking a bit sluggish.

The match was only 5 minutes old when Gencler was almost gifted a goal from an uncharacteristic and misdirected backpass by Pazdan which took Korcan by surprise, but he was quick to react and divert the ball away with his foot.

However, Gencler should have scored 2 minutes later when there was panic in the Ankaragucu defence but the Gencler striker with the goal at his mercy somehow contrived to hook the ball over the bar.

From that near miss, Ankaragucu broke away on the right and with Orgill bearing in on goal, he blasted the ball just over in what would have been a classic goal.

Gencler was still looking the likelier team but Korcan denied them on 15 minutes with a great save.

Ankaragucu did have a chance on the 24th minute when they had a free kick just outside the box, but in the absence of Canderos through injury, Ilhan took it and sent it into ‘the wall’.

Gencler continued to threaten and Korcan pulled off another great save on the half hour mark when he tipped a goal bound shot over the bar.   2 minutes later it was Pazdan to the rescue when he headed clear off the goal-line with Korcan beaten.

Almost half time and Gencler spurned another chance when their striker was put through in the box, but he took his eye off the ball momentarily and Korcan saved the day again.

There was just time before the whistle for Gencler to miss the chance of the half when they carved open the Ankaragucu defence with a sweeping move on the left, but the striker’s shot was weak as he dragged the ball and Korcan was quick to gather it.

So, the half time whistle came as a relief and Ankaragucu could consider themselves fortunate to go in all square !

Ankaragucu resumed with more purpose in the 2nd half after an obvious scathing mouthful from Coach, Metin Diyadin, who incidentally was shown a Red Card near the end of the 1st half for presumably saying something ‘naughty’ to the 4th official !

5 minutes in and Ilhan had a good opportunity when he received an excellent pass in a good position in the box, but he scuffed his shot wide.  At this point there was lots of mutterings of discontent with Ilhan’s performance, but that was to change later !!!

5 minutes later came one of the most comical goals I’ve ever seen.   It was Gencler’s turn to have a ‘panic moment’ in the box with Ankaragucu having TWO attempts to score from close range but one saved by a defender and the other by Ertac.   The ball broke to Candeas standing on the line and his attempted clearance was hit high into the top of the net and in.   Smiles and laughter all round, and of course, the customary high 5s.   A goal is a goal, and Ankaragucu was buzzing.

3 minutes later it was almost 2 when Orgill was put through on the right, but with a defender in attendance he was unable to compose himself and his snap-shot was saved.

9 minutes later came the goal of the match but not without initial controversy.  Ankaragucu attacked down the right and Hasan made a superb reverse pass to a colleague who crossed the ball into the danger area where Ilhan was lurking.   Ertac parried the initial shot and Ilhan pounced on the rebound to score.   However, the linesman’s flag was up for offside after the ball was crossed from the right and the goal was disallowed.     BUT, before play resumed the referee received information in his earphone and he indicated a consultation with the VAR.    The goal was rightly awarded, as we could clearly see from the replay, and Ilhan continued with his goal celebration !!!

A game of two halves ?!   Lady Luck decided to smile on Ankaragucu at last !

15 minutes to go and still time for another comical goal, but Korcan wasn’t smiling.    A Gencler shot from just outside the box was covered by Korcan, but the ball took a wicked deflection off an Ankaragucu defender to wrong foot Korcan.   The ball was on its way in, but it hit Korcan’s diving body and onto the post and squeezed in with Korcan helpless on the ground against the post.

The goal was a game changer and Gencler pressed forward for the equaliser with Ankaragucu holding on and relying on breakaways to relieve the pressure.

Orgill and Mehmet had chances to make the game safe but missed good opportunities.

The Ankaragucu defence was resolute and held firm for the 5 minutes of time added on to record their 2nd win of the season.

Consequently, Ankaragucu moved out of the relegation zone and up to 11th position, but still remain only 3 points ahead of Beshiktrash who replaced them in the bottom 3.   Gencler remain rooted to the bottom and are still looking for their first win of the season.

My Man of the Match goes to Korcan, especially for his heroics in the 1st half.   Flying Dutchman Kanka Carlo disagreed and gave the vote to ................. Eeeeeeeelhaaaaaannn, but don’t worry, it was said ‘tongue in cheek’ !!!

So to next week, and Ankaragucu travel to Sivas (riding high in 5th place) on Sunday KO 2pm.   I’ll be watching it in The Alerta Bar.

Gencler has another mountain to climb at home to Galata....spit.....saray on Saturday which is never an easy one for any team.   Can they surprise us all and find that 1st win of the season ?

As always, watch this space for the reports of both matches.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Ankaragucu vs Genclerbirligi - Ankara Derby!



Its 6 years since the last competitive match took place between Ankaragucu and city neighbors Genclerbirligi. It was back in 2012 when Genclerbirligi won 1-0 thanks to a Hursit Meric goal in the season where Ankaragucu were relegated to Lig 1 and played with the youth team.

There are so many similarities between that Ankaragucu team and this seasons team. Both had a transfer ban in place, a couple of experienced players and the rest of the squad filled with youth players. The current Ankaragucu team do have more quality but face a similar impossible task of staying in the Super Lig.

The Ankara derby isnt like other derbies in Turkey or across world football where there is an intense rivalry, hatred for each others team and clashes between both sets of fans. Instead, there is a mutual respect between both sets of fans who share the same location for their training facilities separated by a large fence and its common for players and managers to have played with both sides.

Mustafa Kaplan who is current manager of Genclerbirligi is very well respected by the Ankaragucu support and helped keep them in the Super Lig last season before making the move to their neighbors in the summer.

Aydin Karabulut and Ante Kulusic who both play for Ankaragucu have also spent periods in their career with Genclerbirlig. Kulusic in particular was a fans favorite at the club and will be looking to put one over his former team.

That said, despite the Ankara derby not being the most intense derby, there will still be a great atmosphere at the game as Ankaragucu fans are unique in that they create an atmosphere in every game unlike a lot of clubs who only turn up for the bigger games.

After a spirited performance last weekend at Fenerbahce where Ankaragucu were disappointed to have come away with nothing in a 2-1 defeat, the performance would have given them confidence going into the game against Genclerbirligi.

Unfortunately for Ankaragucu, they have been dealt more bad news this week with Cebrail Karayel ruled out with a broken foot, Tito Canteros out for 2 weeks with an injury in training and Moke also out after picking up an injury in training. Kitsiou will come back into the team for Cebrail but both Canteros and Moke are big blows for the team who now only have 38 year old Sedat and Ricardo Faty as recognised midfielders.

The game would have been difficult enough for Ankaragucu had everyone being fit, but losing key players like Canteros and Moke will make it huge task for the club against Gencler who are rooted to the bottom of the table.

Although Gencler are bottom of the Super Lig, they still have enough quality in their team to put a run together and came away with a good 1-1 draw against Top of the table Alanyaspor last weekend. Experienced midfielders Stephane Sessagnon and Daniel Candeias will be key to a positive outcome for Gencler on Sunday. Candeias is a wide player who works tirelessly for the team and has the quality to deliver for the likes of Sio, Ayite and Seuntjens in attack. Sessagnon despite being 35 years old is still an excellent player and the Ankaragucu defence will need to be at their best to contain him.

Ankaragucu are the home side on Sunday so will be hoping for a good turn out from the fans. The problem at the moment is a lot of fans are boycotting until Yiginer resigns but hopefully they can put their differences aside for the weekend and help cheer the team on to a positive outcome.

Monday, September 23, 2019

GENCLERBIRLIGI SALVAGE A POINT, BUT STAY ROOTED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LEAGUE !




Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Gencler hosted league leaders Alanya yesterday and were able to stay undefeated for the 2nd week in a row.    However, with Kayseri and Kasimpasa picking up points, Gencler move to the bottom of the league and one point behind Kayseri.

GENCLERBIRLIGI       1            Alanyaspor        1

Team – Ertac, Ahmet, Flavio, Toure, Polomat, Baiano, Dialo, Candeias, Sessegnon, Stancu and Sio

Substitutes – Seuntjens, Berat and Ayite

Gencler opened the scoring with a Stancu penalty just before half time and Alanya equalised half way through the 2nd half with a goal by Ceyhun.

So, a creditable draw by Gencler considering that those 2 points were the first points dropped by Alanya this season.

Now all eyes are focused on next Sunday’s Ankara Derby with both teams anxious for a win for various reasons.  

Gencler is still without a win this season and will be looking to rectify that against an unsettled Ankaragucu team still struggling to cope with the transfer ban still in place.

Ankaragucu has lost their last two matches, however, they showed great fighting spirit last Saturday in Kadikoy and only lost by the odd goal due to two basic mistakes.   If they play like that on Sunday then Gencler will have a problem on their hands.

It promises to be a close encounter as derbies usually are, and the report will be up here on Monday.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Fenerbahce 2-1 Ankaragücü match report!



Ankaragücü put up a spirited performance in Istanbul and were unlucky to come away empty handed thanks to some awful refereeing decisions in the 2-1 defeat at Fenerbahce. 

Team - Korcan, Cebrail, Kulusic, Pazdan, Pinto, Moke, Sedat, Faty, Canteros, Ilhan, Orgill

Subs- Furkan, Mahmut, Alihan, Zaur, Aydin, Hasan, Mehmet, Ahmet, Yalcin, Oguzhan

Ankaragücü made two changes with Cebrail replacing the suspended Kitsiou and Faty coming in for Aydin as Metin Diyadin looked for a more solid line up in midfield. 

The team started the match brightly as they looked to press high up he pitch and put the Fenerbahce defence under pressure and take advantage of their lack of pace. 

Deniz had the first chance of the match for Fenerbahce on the 2nd minute but he shot well wide. At the other end Dever Orgill won the ball off Zanka before shooting from 25 yards but former Ankaragücü Goalkeeper Altay Bayindir saved easily.

Ten minutes later Ankaragücü won the ball in the middle of the park and Sedat played a through ball for Orgill who used his speed to get past Zanka before brilliantly finishing past Altay to make it 1-0 Ankaragücü and send the travelling support wild. A great start for the team and thouraghly deserved.

Then came the first of many controversial refereeing decisions when Ozan Tufan sliced his shot well wide of the post the referee somehow pointed for a corner much to the dismay of Michal Pazdan and even Ozan looked surprised. From the resulting corner Korcan made a big mistake as he tried to punch the ball and missed, the ball fell to Zanka who placed the ball high into the net to make it 1-1.

The referee continued to make some strange decisions when Cebrail was fouled but the linesman gave the foul against him, and when Orgill won the ball in the middle of the park and was through on goal but referee pulled it back for a free kick to Fenerbahce. Replays showed he got both wrong. And then there was the decision when Ozan practically stopped the ball from going out of play with his hand right in front of the linesman who allowed him to play on. It’s decisions like these that make you wonder is the standard that bad in Turkey, or is there something more sinister going on.

Max Kruse and Vedat Muriqi were showing their quality and causing Ankaragücü problems and Kruse had a couple of good chances but saw both his efforts to just past the post. 

Half Time

Fenerbahce started the 2nd half well and Muriqi  was again causing problems as he played in a great ball for Tolga who somehow fired over from 5 yards. A minute later Ozan played in Kruse who saw his shot brilliantly saved by Korcan.

At the other end substitute Hasan Kaya put in a great ball for Ilhan who only had the keeper to beat but he headed the ball high and wide and again was a passenger for the full match. 

Deniz and Tolga had chances to give Fenerbahce the lead but again we’re off target as Ankaragücü were holding on. But then came the 2nd goal, as Moke gave the ball away in midfield Max Kruse burst into the box before setting up Muriqi who made no mistake at the back post as he made it 2-1 Fenerbahce.

Deniz had another long range effort saved by Korcan before Ankaragücü had a 5 minute spell of waves of attack on the Fenerbahce goal. Dever Orgill was put through on goal by Pazdan and just as he looked to level the match Ozan Tufan somehow got back to block his shot with a brilliant last ditch challenge. A minute later Canteros saw his shot from just outside the box brilliantly saved by Altay.

From the resulting corner Sedat watched his shot go inches wide of the post and it looked like it wouldn’t be Ankaragücü night. Fenerbahce had 1 last chance as Tolga saw his shot saved by Korcan in injury time.

Ankaragücü will be disappointed that they come away empty handed but they can hold their heads high with the performance they put in considering everything that is going on at the club. Next up is the Ankara derby with Genclerbirligi next weekend!

Friday, September 20, 2019

Fenerbahce vs Ankaragücü match preview!




Ankaragücü face a mountain of a task tomorrow night as they travel to Istanbul for the match against Fenerbahce looking to restore a bit of pride after last weeks disastrous display. Unfortunately for Ankaragücü there isn’t much more that Metin Diyadin can do in terms of changing the personel as the team don’t have any other options apart from youth players.

Throwing youngsters into the team for an away match against Fenerbahce wouldn’t be ideal at the best of times, never mind as part of a team who are low in confidence and struggling for large periods of matches. That said, I’m a big believer in giving youth a chance as they can bring enthusiasm to the team and give everyone lose around them a lift.

The back 4 of Kitsiou, Kulusic, Pazdan and Pinto have all played a huge part in the teams decent start to the season considering everything that has went on. But as predicted even they looked dead on their feet last week.

Sedat Agcay is 37 years old and it’s hard to criticise him as he has given his all for the team any time he plays. But he has started every game, and bringing in fresh legs such as Ender Aygoren might be a better option alongside Moke and Canteros in the middle of the park.

Aydin Karabulut was booed throughout the game last week with Yeni Malatyaspor after another disappointing performance. Personally I thought it was harsh as he did work hard but just lacked any quality. Ilhan Parlak falls under the same bracket. Sixteen year old Berke Gurbuz is one of the most talented youngsters in the youth team and there are calls from the fans for his inclusion in the team.

Metin Diyadin claimed this morning that some of the players aren’t in a good frame of mind and won’t be included in the team tomorrow. Hardly surprising when you don’t pay the players or staff and also lie to them. This is the responsibility of Mehmet Yiginer and the management team.

Fenerbahce aren’t as strong as they were in previous years and come off one of the worst seasons in the clubs history. They do look in better shape than last season and have made a couple of good signings in Ferdi Karioglu, Max Kruse and the brilliant Kosovan and former Rizespor striker Vedat Muriqi.

They currently sit 3rd in the league 5 points behind leaders Alanyaspor and manager Ersun Yanal will be hoping for no slip ups against his former team.

Former Ankaragücü keeper Altay Bayindir has had a good start to his Fenerbahce career apart from his performance last week in their 3-1 defeat at Alanyaspor. He will be hoping to bounce back from that game with a clean sheet against his former team.

Last season Ankaragücü won the head to head between the two sides with a 3-1 win in Kadikoy and a 1-1 draw in Ankara.

If Ankaragücü are to take anything from tomorrow nights game they will need another defensiveness masterclass and some good luck which never seems to be on the teams side. We can only live in hope.



Tuesday, September 17, 2019

GENCLERBIRLIGI WIN THEIR FIRST POINT OF THE SEASON !




Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Surprise, Surprise !!    Gencler did the impossible last Sunday night and snatched an unlikely point to quell the Black Sea Storm in what looked like a ‘home banker’ pre-match.

Trabzonspor       2              GENCLERBIRLIGI         2

Team – Ertac, Ahmet, Toure, Flavio, Polomat, Berat, Baiano, Sessegnon, Candeias, Stancu and Sio.

Substitutes – Seuntjens, Diallo and Ayite

It must have felt like déjà vu to Gencler and their long suffering supporters when Novak put Trabzon ahead after 17 minutes play.

However, even allowing for their poor start to the season, we know that Gencler is not a team of quitters, and Stancu silenced the home support with the equaliser on the half time whistle.

The 2nd half was only 12 minutes old when Trabzon was awarded a penalty which Sorloth converted and that was it, or so everyone thought.

Then, with only 5 minutes of the match left the equaliser came from Sessegnon and Gencler was back in business with a point in the league table ........... at last !

Next up for Gencler is a home match against high flying Alanya on Sunday, but as we all know, there are no ‘easy’ matches in the Super League, as Fener.....spit.....bahce discovered last night when Alanya preserved their 100% start to the league.   They sit 4 points clear at the top of the league and so Gencler need to up-the-ante to take anything from this one.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Monday, September 16, 2019

ANKARAGUCU’S BUBBLE HAS BURST !!




Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

If I am to be honest, I would have settled for another backs against the wall 0-0 yesterday.   However, it was not to be, and as Nadeem and I have said a few times recently, it was inevitable that our defence would be breached eventually against a strong team.   So, Malatya did the biz and fully deserved all 3 points.

ANKARAGUCU      0         Yeni Malatyaspor       4

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

Substitutes – Mehmet, Faty and Cebrail

I was on my own watching the match in The Alerta Bar and unfortunately Battle Damaged Kanka Damon couldn’t make it due to the loss of his wife’s aunt who passed away recently.   We all send our condolences to him and his wife.

There was little action to speak of for the first 25 minutes apart from a good chance which Malatya scorned.   The classic cut-back from the left and the ball skied over.

All that changed in the 26th minute when from a Malatya attack on the left, the ball was crossed into the danger area and Pazdan, Pinto and Korcan all went for the same ball in a panic and collided with each other.   The Malatya player with them was fortunate to feed off the mess and he nodded down to the unmarked Jahovic who had plenty time to pick his spot and send the ball into the unguarded goal.

A few minutes later and Kulusic was given the first of a few yellow cards for Ankaragucu, but the free kick from the resultant foul was saved by Korcan.

3 minutes later and the 2nd goal arrived after some intricate football from Malatya as they performed a neat one-two in the box for ‘old boy’ Bifouma to stroke the ball in with the Ankaragucu defence helpless.

It took until the 37th minute for Ankaragucu to threaten but it was a weak effort by Ilhan and easily saved.

The 3rd goal arrived 3 minutes before the break and it was probably the goal of the match and one modelled on Messi at his best.   Guilherme picked up the ball on the right just outside the box and with 2 defenders about to challenge him, he shifted the ball to his left foot and sent a screamer into the top left with Korcan well beaten.

Just time for Kitsiou to receive a yellow for a cynical tackle before the whistle.

A professional display from Malatya and Ankaragucu could have no complaints.   Malatya was in complete control of the match after their first goal and Ankaragucu was restricted to defending, passing the ball around in midfield and commiting countless fouls.

Situation normal after the resumption with Ankaragucu finding it difficult to move out of their own half.   There was no penetration and they were continually being dispossessed and presenting Malatya with the initiative to attack.

Malatya’s left winger was causing all sorts of problems and he almost set-up the 4th in the 68th minute when he flew down the left wing leaving the Ankaragucu defence in his wake.   He slipped the ball to a team mate in the box but his shot hit the post and was cleared.

15 minutes from the end and Kitsiou showed his frustration with a high and dangerous tackle which the referee decided was another yellow and therefore ............ RED.

5 minutes later and it was No4.   A shot on the right just outside the box and Korcan spread himself to save, but could only palm the ball out to the incoming and unmarked Donald who had the easiest of tasks to tap-in.

Malatya could have scored a further two in the dying minutes, but an attacker missed a simple header and Korcan made a great save one-on-one with an attacker.

The burning question now is ................... when will Ankaragucu score a goal ?    With an away match against Fener....spit....bahce next Saturday, it could be a long wait, so let’s not hold our breath !!

Does it feel as though I am being blaze about our current predicament ?    Yes, I admit it, but with management still unable to solve the transfer ban, there is little hope on the horizon.    So, Ankaragucu’s slide down the table will continue.    Currently 12th and only 3 points off the relegation zone !

One last comment ............. Aaaaaaargh !!!!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Ankaragucu vs Yeni Malatyaspor match preview!



Metin Diyadin will take charge of his first competitive Ankaragucu game on Sunday afternoon, after he was appointed the teams new Manager last week. The former Giresunspor, Goztepe and Genclerbirligi manager has an impossible task as he takes over a club in who has big problems both on and off the pitch.

Ankaragucu are undefeated in their first 3 Super Lig matches having won 1 and drawn their other 2 games. The basis of those results have been a solid defence and Goalkeeper and an excellent work rate from everyone on the team. That can only last for so long though, with the team constantly under pressure for the majority of each game, the players will be playing with heavy legs with each match that passes.

This weekends opponents are Yeni Malatyaspor who due to their Europa League run are further ahead of everyone else in Turkey in terms of match fitness and games played. That being said they have had a mixed start to the season with 1 win against Basaksehir and 2 defeats against Trabzonspor and Alanyaspor.

In attack they have a lot of pace in former Ankaragucu winger Thievy Bifouma, Gokhan Tore and Moryke Fofana. They also have Adis Jahovic who has proved himself as one of the best finishers in Turkey over the years. Pulling the strings in midfield is Guilherme who is a very talented player and playmaker.

Cause or concern for Malatyaspor manager Sergen Yalcin will be his defence that has played a big part in their defeat at Partazan in Europe and in the Super Lig especially last week at Alanyaspor where they were 3-0 down.

Dever Orgill and Michal Pazdan were both away on International duty with Jamaica and Poland this week. Orgill scored 2 goals in a 4-0 win over Guyana, while Pazdan started in Polands 2-0 defeat at Slovenia.

Ankaragucu lost 3-0 against Ukranian Premier League side Desna in a friendly at the clubs Bestepe training facility. I watched the game for 10 minutes and turned it off it was that bad. Ilhan Parlak passed the ball out of play after only 2 minutes and the whole team just lacked any quality.

Lets hope for another solid performance at home on Sunday, its going to be another massive uphill task but never write off the underdog!

Wednesday, September 04, 2019

Ankaragucu news update!




Mehmet Yiginer failed to lift the transfer ban before Monday nights transfer deadline, much to the anger of the Ankaragucu support who have been lied to and let down again. When Murat Agcabag was running for the Presidential elections at the club earlier this summer, Mehmet promised that he would lift the ban and bring in 7-8 new players.

Instead, Ankaragucu are the only club in the Super Lig who haven't signed any players and have a transfer ban in place. Adama Traore and Kevin Bemanga along with all the players the club had agreed deals with in principle, have been let down, and again its damaging for the reputation and image of the club.

Ankaragucu have now registered Oscar Scarione and Mahmut Akan who were both with the club last season and will join up with the rest of the squad. Neither of them will have any impact on the team or are of the required standard.

To make things worse, Mehmet Yiginer has now appointed Metin Diyadin as manager, another Turkish coach who has bounced from club to club and doesnt have a great reputation in the game. His last spell was with Giresunspor last season.

Unfortunately we have no good news to report!

Monday, September 02, 2019

GENCLERBIRLIGI LOSE THE PLOT AGAIN !




Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

After last week’s ‘red mist’ in Gaziantep, Gencler spurned the opportunity to win their first points of the season last night by throwing away a 1-0 lead in the last 10 minutes of the match.

GENCLERBIRLIGI         1             Basaksehir       2

Team – Diallo, Erdem, Flavio, Fabricio, Halil, Sio, Sessegnon, Toure, Berat, Candeias and Stancu

Substitutes – Yasin, Soner and Rahmetullah

This match was a ‘6 pointer’ with both teams propping up the league on zero points, so when Sio opened the scoring on the half hour mark it should have been the signal to kill the match off with a 2nd goal.

However, as we have seen during the last few seasons, Basaksehir is not a team to take lightly, even allowing for the fact that their best two players have since moved on to pastures new.

Goals from Demba Ba and Visca in the last 10 minutes consigned Gencler to the bottom of the league on zero points after 3 matches in.

It doesn’t get any easier in this league with an away match next up after the International Break against Trabzonspor !

Interestingly, at the other end of the table, Alanya lead the way with a 100% winning record and are 2 points clear of the chasing pack.   How long will they stay there I wonder ??!!

Gencler need to start winning points and ......................sooooooon !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim