World Cup warm-up

One of the great things about writing about Ankara football in general is that we have no competition.

We get facts wrong, we blow trivialities into world war proportions and pretend not to have been looking when the referee fails to see a blatent foul committed by one of our players. With no one else in the world watching we get away with it.

Unfortunately that won't quite be the case for the World Cup. At the same time though, lack of any knowledge hasn't stopped us before and it certainly won't in the future.

Obviously we won't be doing daily reports on all the matches, perhaps some insights, comments on stupid refereeing decisions and I'm toying with the idea of creating a "dive of the tournament award".

All this is a long-winded way to introduce a feature we'll be running during the World Cup - a poll on something or other World Cup-related. I'll let the poll run for a little bit and then do some sort of post wrapping it up with the results.

The first poll is of course dear to my heart. Please leave any comments for this poll under this post.

NORWICH CITY'S SEASON

Greetings Kankas. I had an email from Misir Kanka Karl in Cairo about his beloved Norwich City.......commonly referred to as Naaaaaaaaaaarich Shitty by yours truly !

Having started the season as one of the favourites for promotion they flattered to deceive during the season and ended up in 9th position and 13 points behind the play-off zone for the Premiership.

Here is what Misir Kanka said.........

`Sold Ashton for 6 and a half million, and had a great second half of the season without him!
(shame really ... I thought he was great! Good on him too for how he did in the FA Cup Final, even if he did only get a loser's medal)
Finished just outside the play-offs (so below Preston ... oops!) - but a long way further from relegation troubles than our mutual Turkish favourite!

Love to all.

K`

Better luck next season for the Ingallish Canaries. We will be watching their progress. Hope it is not too long before you make a return visit to Ankara to see your 2nd favourite team......... ANKARAGUCU !!!

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Greek gods they're not

My life is saved by Eurosport every now and then and today was one of those times.

It was Australia versus Greece at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a mid-week friendly that was essentially a meaningless match, but that didn't stop a crowd of 95,103 from showing up. The largest crowd ever for an international football match in Australia.

I was working away when I noticed a message from the Genclerbirligi fans forum Alkaralar saying the match was on the telly. Brilliant.

Even more brilliant was the way Australia were playing. Especially in the first half (before the billions of substitutions that are allowed in friendlies) Australia were all over the Greeks.

Passes were fast and fluid. We won everything in the midfield and I don't think the Greeks got a single shot on goal in the first half.

Of course the goal in the 16th minute came from our old Genclerbirligi midfielder Josip Skoko, and it was a doozy.

From a corner Marco Bresciano sent the ball to the back post (just as Sir Eski Kanka has been saying Ankaragucu ought to do all season). Lucus Neil won it and then Mile Sterjovski headed it back to Skoko who from around 20 yards out hit with his left foot into the top left hand corner. The keeper was rooted to the spot.

We should also have been given a penalty later in the first half but it seems impossible to give away a penalty if the man fouled is Mark Viduka (shades of 'Boro-Seville?)

As I said the second half was a bit of a joke what with all the substitutions but still I reckon Australia had a damn good game.

As for the Greeks, they were crap, and the very sizable Greek contingent in the stands were quiet for the whole match.

Just what we needed with a semi-difficult group in the World Cup. I'm certainly looking forward to it. Brazil may be too classy for us, but Croatia and Japan... I'm optimistic.

Photocaption: Skoko celebrates after scoring. Photo nicked from the Sydney Morning Herald.

EDIT: You can check out Skoko's brilliant goal by clicking on this link

Football without allegiances

There is something great about watching matches in which you don't really care who the winner is... you end up enjoying the football.

It was a small Kanka crowd for tonight's play-off match between Sakaryaspor and Altay to see who would be the last team to be promoted to the top flight, just Sir Eski Kanka and myself made it.

Sitting in Chopin and enjoying a beer it did make me wonder why don't we make football a summer sport.

The waiters at the bar obviously know us by now and paid out on Ankaragucu (they clearly haven't figured out my allegiances). A few Efes' in the delightful warmth that is spring in Ankara and then off to the stadium.

Knowing just how important this match was the police weren't taking any precautions. In addition to the body search they even checked inside my newspaper to make sure I hadn't hidden a rechargeable battery. I'd say there were about twice as many cops as is usual for a match in Ankara (and that means a bloody lot of cops).

I'm not going to say much about the match, except that it was brilliant.

Sakaryaspor started out strongly but Altay soon seemed to be in control. Jim disagreed with me but I reckon Sakarya were damn lucky to go ahead when ex-Gencler man M'Bayo scored for Sakarya in the 16th minute.

It was at this stage that the Sakarya fans went mad, singing and yelling and letting off flares (a fact that disproves my earlier statement that the police were extra thorough tonight).

Considering the match was being played in Ankara on a week day, I was very impressed with the size of the crowd. Not only the size of the crowd impressed us but also the passion. This was true local side pride, for both Sakarya and the slightly less-well supported Altay.

Back to the match and it was a ding dong affair. Neither side had a very good defence and strikers were being left unmarked all the time.

Altay could possibly have scored three goals before they finally got one in. No names in this report as I don't have a clue who the players were but their goal went something like: player from an angle whacks it at goal.... ball bounces off side post... falls to bald-looking player who hits it from an angle... goalkeeper parries... shananigans about two metres out and finally the ball ends up in the net.

It was great stuff. The goalkeeper then went off to complain to the ref, Selcuk Derili, (who by the way not only had a very good game... rare that you will ever hear me say that... but is also a friend of Sir Eski Kanka... even rarer), but Dereli would have nothing of it and instead gave the Sakarya goalkeeper a yellow card for being a whinger.

1-1 and the Altay fans were waving balloons. Never seen that at a Turkish football match before.
Before long however, Sakaryaspor were back. Not sure who scored but it was a great shot, against the run of play.

Between this goal and half-time we had a number of shots on goal and some damn fine saves, by both goalkeepers, and Eski Kanka and myself had a nice little discussion about the stupid rule (make that law) that gives goalkeepers so much bloody protection.

A great match it was but then the No. 3 for Altay proved to me just how bad the cheating is in Turkey.

The bloke went down after being slightly nudged. The ref did not give a foul, thank God, but our man stayed on the floor writing in agony as if he had been shot for at least two minutes. He was eventually stretched off only to come back on a minute later. Needless to say, his injury was so bad that he ended up playing the rest of the match.

Second half and the Sakarya procession started.

Few details from now on but let me say that Marcel M'Bayo had a stand out game. M'bayo was a true whippet tonight. Every time he got the ball it looked like something was going to happen. He didn't score again but bloody hell did he look good.

M'Bayo's performance reminded Sir Eski Kanka of the time when he and Youla for Genclerbirligi had ripped apart Ankaragucu 5-0 (at half-time).... Ahhh, how I wished I had seen that one.

But back to the match, Sakaryaspor No. 9 scored twice (both very nice goals) and the game was out of reach. 4-1 with 23 minutes left.

The final whistle blew and the stands erupted with joy. The players came around throwing shirts into the crowd and even I, a neutral at this game, had to feel happy at the great acheivement Sakarya had made.

Of course the police then buggered up whatever good feelings we had by refusing to let us out of the stadium for 25 minutes.

So Sakaryaspor into the Super Lig next season. Well done.

It was then off to the Knight and Flight for another beer and to watch game of darts, but that story is for another blog.

THE PLAY OFFS IN ANKARA

Greetings Kankas and some news about the play-offs taking place in Ankara this weekend. There are 4 teams fighting it out (literally) for one of them to join Bursa and Antalya in the Super League next season.

Last night Altay of Izmir beat Ordu 1-0 and it must have been one 'elluva match with the Referee showing 4 red cards. The 2nd semi final is tonight between Sakarya and Istanbulspor, and I'm sure most of us will be supporting Sakarya (well I will for one, being a real ANTI-ISTANBUL boy !!).

So, if Sakarya win tonight, I will be going to the final on Wednesday night in the 19 Mayis Stadium. Anyone care to join me ???

One of my student's is a Sakarya fanatik and I may also meet up with him. He has visited our blog and is also ANTI-ISTANBUL teams !!

Look forward to hearing from you all and seeing what should be a good match to watch.

All the best from Eski Kanka Jim

Of Nobs and Drogs

I've noticed that Gulay's favourite Brazillian, Marciel Nobre (or Nobhead as Gulay likes to call him) has left Fenerbahce and gone and signed for crosstown rivals Besiktas.

Normally I wouldn't bother to comment on such a transfer but Fener will no doubt be in a bit of trouble next year not so much with the loss of Nobre's scoring abilities but with the more important question of how on earth will Fener milk penalties with one of the world's best divers no longer in the blue and yellow.

I was reading a football e-mail from the Guardian today and the answer to Fenerbahce's problems leapt off the page (if e-mails had pages).

Didier Drogba, wants to leave Chelski and move to a country where his talents are truely appreciated and the papers don't use the word "cheat" in any sentence that contains his name. Clearly, that country is Turkey.

A little of what the e-mail said:

If you're a Chelsea striker who's fed up with being labelled a cheat, there are a couple of ways you can deal with the problem - ask for a transfer in the hope of skipping the country or stop cheating. And as the latter course of action is the more grown-up of the two options, it's no surprise that Didier Drogba has ignored it and declared that he's had enough and wants away...

(He) is using what he sees as appalling slurs on his character as a get-out clause. Preferably to a club who'll appreciate the more subtle skills that made him so sought-after as a Marseille player.

Clearly, this is a man Fenerbahce have to sign up quicksmart. This blog will naturally take a small cut of the transfer fee. Brown paper bag, small notes only.

RECOLLECTIONS FROM THE PAST - CYPRUS

Greetings Kankas. As most of you know, I was a Class 1 Footie Referee in a previous lifetime. After a serious right foot injury while playing an RAF match in 1972, I took up the whistle to stay in footie. I refereed in the Berkshire League, Rothmans Hellenic League, the old Southern League and the Premier Leagues Youth Teams league until a posting to Cyprus interrupted my progress further.

The year was 1977 and the league was the (Greek) Cyprus League Division 1. Cyprus TV were entering the 20th Century `at last` and had decided to screen `LIVE` footie to their footie fanatik population.

Previously, Cyprus TV showed editted highlights of matches which was fine, but to have `LIVE` footie was something which was a `long time coming` to Cyprus. It was decided that the first `historic` match would be the local Nicosia derby between Omonia (the Real Madrid of Nicosia) and Apoel (the Atletico Madrid of Nicosia). The problem was..........
who was going to officiate the match ??!!

In those days, match rigging and inducements were rife (has anything changed I wonder ??!!) and so it was decided that the referees would be British (they trusted our integrity !!!). There were only four British Class 1 Referees appointed to the league and usually we officiated at `difficult` or `possible controversial` matches. So, it turned out that yours truly was apointed as a Linesman for this match, and in all honesty I suppose it was the highlight of my refereeing career.

All of Cyprus (and all of our friends at the Air Base) were tuned-in for this one, which was, as I said before, a technical leap forward for Cyprus TV.

Pre-match nerves were obvious in the Referees Changing Room. The referee (an English RAF colleague) was literally shitting himself and the smell in that room was unbearable !!! I was outside in the tunnel escaping from the `aroma` and also soaking up the atmosphere ! The Stadium was full to its 30,000 capacity, but unlike modern stadiums, the crowd was almost on the pitch with only a high wire fence to protect the players and...... ME !!

I honestly can't remember the final score - was it really important anyway ??!! I do, however, remember missiles (plastic variety) coming down in my direction, and seething hostility through the wire mess from supporters when I gave a `wrong` decision !! Apart from the pre-match nerves and the sheer awe inspiring nature of the match, it was an experience which will live with me forever.

Not only for the historic moment, but to have been part of the progress of Cyprus footie. You only have to check out the statistics and you can see for yourself how far they have progressed since those days.

For example, remember the UEFA Cup this season when the Black Sea `Storm` of Trabzon took on Anorthosis in the UEFA Cup ?? I remember refereeing Anorthosis a few times when they were the `new boys` from Larnaca and just happy to be in the 1st Division. Trabzon now understand that footie is progressing in most European countries, even Cyprus !!!

Also, remember a few years back when Panathanaikos reached the European Cup Final and everyone said.... Pana...who ??? Maybe Omonia in the future ??? Who knows ???

As for the `backbone` of every team...........the supporters. I still think that ANKARAGUCU supporters are the best in the world !!!

All the best from Historic... oooops.... no.... I mean.... Eski Kanka Jim