ANKARAGUCU ESCAPE FROM IZMIR PROVINCE WITH ONE POINT !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Kaleci Kanka Tansu and I met-up at The Anasson Bar and we both breathed a sigh of relief at the final whistle.   What a difference a week makes after last Monday’s demolition of Kasimpasa.   However, all credit to Akhisar who belied their league position and took the game to Ankaragucu throughout.   Ankaragucu can consider themselves lucky to escape with a point, and at this stage of the season, every point becomes valuable !

Akhisar    0               ANKARAGUCU     0

Team – Altay, Kulusic, Pazdan, Moke, Sedat, Djedje, Kitsou, Canteros, Sacko, Boyd and Orgill

Substitutes used – Mehmet Sak, Ilhan and Aydin

The first chance of the match fell to Ankaragucu in the 7^th minute when Sedat nicked the ball off an Akhisar player and sent in an inviting cross which was missed by everyone !

Djedje was obviously targeted as the dangerman by Akhisar and he withstood some hefty challenges and tackles.  

A quarter of the match gone and Altay was forced to save four times from dangerous attacks.

In between, Boyd was unlucky to see his well taken free kick sail inches past the post with the goalkeeper well beaten.

Then 5 minutes before the break, Djedje received his first yellow for a seemingly innocuous tackle which the referee perhaps thought was Djedje taking revenge in retribution for the attention he had received from Akhisar !!      Shortly after that, Orgill received a yellow for  a high and dangerous tackle.

At the half time whistle Ankaragucu had conceded 17 free kicks to Akhisar’s 4 – at least the referee earned his bread today !!      So, going in at half time all square was fortunate thanks mainly to Altay’s heroics !

The 2^nd half was only 5 minutes old when Djedje received his marching orders.   He went in on a tackle with his boot up and can have no complaints.   Having received a yellow in the 1^st half, he has to be aware of the consequences of further misconduct, so disappointing for a player of his experience !

It was mostly all Akhisar from this point in the match with only sporadic breakaways by Ankaragucu.   Half way through the 2^nd half and Altay came to the rescue on numerous occasions to save goalbound shots.   Without question ........... the Man of the Match !

Just before the final whistle and Ilhan Parlak scored for Ankaragucu and went running off to the Ankaragucu supporters in the corner to celebrate.    BUT ......... the Akhisar players protested vigorously and the referee decided to look at the TV replay which quite rightly showed that Ilhan had controlled the ball with his arm before shooting !

Shortly after, Moke had a great chance to score but shot into the side netting.

90 plus 2 and another let-off for Ankaragucu when Pazdan was alleged to have hand-balled in the Ankaragucu box so the referee again consulted the TV replay.   I said ball-to-hand which was the correct decision and no penalty was given.    More sighs of relief !!

So, on reflection, a disappointing result for Ankaragucu, but if we take in the red card and the attacking attitude shown by Akhisar, we can be reasonably happy to have at least not lost all 3 points !

Next weekend is the home match against Erzurum, but not sure which day or KO time yet.   I will put it here in the comments section when known.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI – THE FIGHT RESUMES !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Genclerbirligi is not for quitting !     Last night they travelled to 2^nd bottom of the league  Elazig and returned to Ankara with all 3 points to keep the Championship League race alive.

It was not a convincing win by any means, but the 3 points was all that mattered last night !

Elazig      1                     GENCLERBIRLIGI      2

So, Gencler move back into 2^nd top spot in the League, at least until tomorrow when arch rivals Osman....spit.....lispor is at home to bottom club Karabuk.    I expect them to rack up a cricket score and move back into 2^nd top on goal difference.

Umraniye in 4^th place is at home today to Balikesir so looking to Balikesir to take some points off Umraniye to stop their surge up the league.

I will put news of those matches in the comments section of this post.

Exciting times in this League as we enter the home stretch and head for the winning post !!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Akhisar vs Ankaragucu match preview!

The positive vibes are back at the club after months of disappointment and chaos. Being and Ankaragucu fan, you become accustomed to the highs and lows, but there looks to be a spring in the step of all the players and the fans are as always doing their bit and creating a fantastic atmosphere at both home and away games and demonstrating why they are considered some of the best and most loyal fans in Turkey.

Saturday afternoons match is another relegation encounter as Ankaragucu travel to bottom of the table Akhisar. After a hugely successful campaign last season avoiding relegation and winning the Turkish Cup, Akhisar have struggled with the demands of playing in the Europa League and the Super Lig. They have also failed to strengthen the team and they now face a massive task of avoiding relegation.

Elvis Manu is the danger man in attack for Akhisar but the flamboyant forward has again struggled with consistency and his decision making in the final third. Manu is a the type of player that will beat 3-4 players but then put his shot wide of the target. That said, on his game he can be a fantastic player and will need to be watched.

Since their 3-0 win over Fenerbahce at home, Akhisar have went 8 games without a win in the Super Lig and if they are to have any chance of survival, then Saturdays match is a must win for them.

Ankaragucu will need to avoid being complacent and build on their fantastic 3-0 win over Kasimpasa on Monday night. The new players have all settled in very well and hit the ground running which now gives the team hope that they can stay in the Super Lig.

Its still early days, but Pazdan, Boyd, Kitsiou, Moke, Boyd, Sacko, Orgill all look like they will be important players for the club. Oscar Scarione and Hector Canteros still need to work on their fitness before they can be considered regulars.

Brice Dja Djedje again showed why he is the teams most important player with another excellent performance on Monday night. His drive, work rate and leadership added to his fantastic ball retention brings others into the game who feed off his energy.

Mustafa Kaplan has taken a bit of stick since coming back to the club as manager, but he played a big part in Monday nights victory with his tactical awareness bringing off Scarione for Moulin when Kasimpasa were dominating the game. That move changed the game and from there on Ankaragucu were the better side.

Lets hope Ankaragucu can make it 2 wins in a row, but it wont be an easy match against another side fighting for survival.

ANKARAGUCU REDISCOVER THEIR PREDATORY INSTINCTS !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

What a difference a week makes !    The ‘new’ Ankaragucu surprised us all last night with 3 well taken goals against a very good Kasimpasa team, and in the process, moved out of the bottom 3 places in the league.

ANKARAGUCU     3             Kasimpasa    0

Team – Altay, Pazdan, Kulusic, Pinto, Kitsiou, Moke, Djedje, Scarione, Boyd, Sacko and Orgill.

Substitutes used – Sedat, Moulin and Ilhan

Maniac Kanka Harun and I met up in The Anasson Bar and we played ‘spot the Turk’ game when the teams were announced !    Our young goalkeeper, Altay, was named Captain probably because he was the only Turk in the team and he was the link between the players and the referee !     However, that will look good on his CV !!

It was looking ominous for Ankaragucu in the first 30 minutes of the match with Kasimpasa dominating proceedings and spraying the ball around at will.    Ankaragucu was rocking and I sensed that it was only a matter of time until they opened the scoring and swamped Ankaragucu.

Altay made some crucial saves during this period and the defence had their backs against the wall.    Kasimpasa was breaking fast and finding spare men in open space.

Then came what proved to be a master decision by our Coach when he replaced Scorione with Moulin and suddenly the midfield started to fire up.

In the 32^nd minute Kitsiou was put through with a telling pass, but with only the goalkeeper to beat, his shot went just over the bar.    One minute later, from a similar move, Pazdan put Orgill through.    He dragged the ball around the goalkeeper’s frantic dive, and angled his shot in for the opening goal against the run of play.     However, we were not complaining !!

The match was more evenly contested now with Ankaragucu taking the game to Kasimpasa, but it took a saving header from Kitsiou to prevent a goal on the half time whistle.

So, Ankaragucu went in at half time one up rather fortuitously !

The 2^nd half was barely 30 seconds old when goal No2 came !    Sako received a pass straight from the kick-off, he turned,  looked up, and from about 30 yards out fired in a shot to the top right with the goalkeeper clawing air !     An unbelievable way to re-start a match and perhaps one for the Guinness Book of Records ??!!

5 minutes in and Pinto went off injured (looked like he pulled a hamstring) and was replaced by Sedat.

Kasimpasa was far from finished as they continued to attack and look for a way back into the match.   Their No9 headed just over when he should have done better.   Kitsiou made a saving tackle from a dangerous breakaway, and Kasimpasa’s Ilhan shot just past the post.

15 minutes to go and Boyd almost made it 3, but his fierce shot was just over the bar.    5 minutes later and the action was at the other end when Altay made two crucial saves to deny Kasimpasa.

The icing on the cake arrived 4 minutes before the end and it was a classic goal straight out of the football manual and training ground.   A fast break on the left was cut back almost at the goal-line to the unmarked Ilhan Parlak who side-footed the ball inside the near post with the goalkeeper static.    Who can blame Ilhan for ‘milking the moment’ as he ended his goal drought by saluting the fans behind the goal !!

Into time added on and a great block from Boyd inside the box to prevent a consolation goal for Kasimpasa.

A great fighting display by Ankaragucu to play their way back into the match and score 3 excellent goals.    The ‘new’ team were a joy to watch at times and it was difficult to choose our Man of the Match.    However, for his all round efforts, passing and determination we nominated ............. Kitsiou.     More to come from him I think !       I should also mention that I thought Orgill up front is what we have been missing this season.   A physically strong and speedy player who didn’t give the Kasimpasa defence peace !!!

Next Saturday afternoon Ankaragucu travel to play bottom club Akhisar, and if Ankaragucu can replicate this type of performance, we can be optimistic of returning with all 3 points.

Bring it on !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

GENCLERBIRLIGI ON THE SLIDE !

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

Genclerbirligi continue to shoot themselves in the foot with yet another defeat after the winter break.

Yesterday they lost 0-2 to that other team near Ankara called Osman....spit.....lispor in the Eryaman Stadium.

Gencler now drop one place to 3^rd behind Osmanli on goal difference.

Denizlispor still lead the way at the top 2 points ahead of Gencler and Osmanli, but they will be at home against Altinordu today and could move 5 points clear if they win.    I’ll put the result here in the comments section.

Umraniye and Hatay are closing in on Gencler and they both play today and I’ll also put their results here in the comments section later.

Gencler can play their ‘get out of jail card’ next weekend when they travel to 2^nd bottom club Elazig.   However, as I’ve said many times on this Blog, there are no easy games in this league.   Gencler will therefore need to move up a gear and bring all 3 points back to Ankara.  

It is always difficult to end a run of defeats when confidence is low, but it must be done next week otherwise Gencler will be sucked into the chasing pack and the ensuing ‘dog fight’ !

Watch this space as the story unfolds.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Ankaragucu vs Kasimpasa match preview!

Monday nights home match with Kasimpasa is the biggest game of the season so far for Ankaragucu as its must win for the hosts if they are to avoid relegation. Since the return after the winter break Ankaragucu have had a couple of tough games against the likes of Galatasaray and Trabzonspor with more than half a team unavailable for selection.

Ankaragucu can now call upon all of the 12 new signings for selection as well as the return of El Kabir who has apologised to Mehmet Yiginer and his team mates. It looks like Mondays match will come to early for Hector Canteros and Oscar Scarione who are still behind in terms of match fitness.

Although Ankaragucu lost 1-0 to Trabzonspor last weekend, they came away from the match disappointed that they didnt take a share of the points. The team put in a brilliant performance and had it not been for a poor refereeing decision Ankaragucu would have taken at least a point. Stelios, Orgill, Moke and Boyd all impressed on their debuts, while Aydin and Sacko came on and showed promise too.

Kasimpasa had a great first half of the season, but they have only won 1 of their last 6 competitive matches. Mbaye Diagne was suspended for 4 of those games and then signed for Galatasaray which has been a massive blow for the Istanbul side. Diagne the top scorer in the Super Lig was vital to the way Kasimpasa played and is impossible to replace. They still have some good players especially Trezeguet who can score and provide goals and is lightening quick.

With Kasimpasa struggling for form and some signs of improvement at Ankaragucu, we could be in for a bit of an upset on Monday night. The Ankaragucu support turned up in their numbers at the clubs training ground yesterday with flares and smoke bombs in a show of unity and to help raise the spirits. For some of the new players this would have been a new experience for them and it looked like they enjoyed the occasion.

Eryaman stadium is the venue for Monday nights game and the feedback after opening night was very positive. The stadium is perfect for creating an excellent atmosphere with the stands being close to the pitch and it looks like it will be full again on Monday night with a big crowd expected.

GENCLERBIRLIGI .........Oooooops .........TILT !!!

Greetings Kankas and Kankies.

During my absence in Scotland, it has been all downhill for Genclerbirligi.   However, now that I’m back in Buyuk Baskent it will be all the motivation that Gencler needs to ‘turn the corner and reassert themselves as Championship Champions contenders !

Gencler suffered yet another loss in Eskisehir last Saturday going down to Ess-Ess 3-2 which allowed title challengers Denizlispor to leapfrog Gencler and take over top spot in the League.

Denizli could only draw away to Hatay but it was enough to move 2 points clear of Gencler.   However, the vultures are circling with Osmanlispor and Umraniye only 3 and 4 points respectively behind Gencler.

With Ankaragucu languishing in 3^rd bottom place in the Super League, the prospect of an Ankara Derby is back on the menu as Gencler throw away their early season dominance of the Championship.     Of course, it’s not a done-deal, but both Ankaragucu and Gencler need to start putting a run of wins in place to make that Ankara Derby in the Super League and not in the Championship !!!

The acid test for Gencler comes next Saturday when they take on ‘that other team’ from near Ankara called Osman....spit....lispor !

C’mon Gencler, time to get the show back on the road !

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim