Road win

Excellent result today up on the Black Sea for Galatasaray.

A 1-0 win away in Trabzon is nothing to be ashamed of especially after the indifferent form of late. This puts us back on top level on points with Sivas but with a better average making us top. Following are the other Istanbul team on 25 points with Sekiztash on 24. I have to say that six points is a useful gap at this stage of the season although things can change very suddenly in this League.

Galatasaray played reasonably well and made lots of chances during the game. The only surprise was that the only goal was scored so late in the match by Serkan Celik. I think the shot was helped by a slight deflection but who cares, it was a goal and three points. Last season CimBom would probably have drawn or last that game so its good to see that there is more steel in the backbone of the team. Feldkamp seems to have got them more determined not to lose, which is a good start and all this with some modest additions to the squad. One of the stand out players has been Baris who came from Germany for a small fee and was unknown really.

Bit of a tough draw for the World Cup qualifying, Spain Belgium, Bosnia, Estonia and Armenia. Should be between Spain and Turkey I would hope although Belgium may cause some problems. Also makes me wonder how the Turkish team will get on in Armenia? Only one team qualifies directly with the best placed second teams in a play off for the European teams.

Good result on Wednesday saw Turkey through to the Euro 2008 finals. Guess Fatih Terim feels justified now. I still think he should be replaced before the finals because at the very least he will embarrass us in form of the media with his arrogant attitude. Also not sure he is the best coach for such a tournament as it is completely different to qualifying. We also need a better coach for the World Cup qualifying. Still at least we are in Euro 2008 unlike England, the Husband was not a happy man this week......

Northern Lights

Better late than never I guess.

With the Husband traveling and Zeynep teething getting to the computer has been problematic to say the least.

So the Imperator decides he has nothing to say to those who have criticized him. What a moron. I am so glad that GS got rid of that guy when they did. The team he picked, no better than the one that lost in Istanbul to Greece but maybe they realized their reputations were on the line and performed. Still not sure why Yusuf was picked but what the hell.

So tomorrow is the big day for both Turkey and Ingerlland. Its Thanksgiving evening here in the US so lets hope that the Turkey is not stuffed and that Croats learn the lessons of history and do not mess with another Empire!!!!

Oh and Nathan, I got the mail, thanks and good luck with the new venture, hope your fellow Kadikoyistas appreciate what you are doing..

Household tips

After a recent comment from some juvenile over at Fenerbahce Worldwide which is in my opinion the best of the English Language Turkish football blogs in terms of posting, layout, coverage, seriousness etc. the only pity is the content but hey not everything can be perfect. Lets face it worthy as Oz Kanak and his mates are Nathan is in a league of his own...I was advised to stick to things that we of the fairer sex are good at, you know cooking, sewing making babies etc.

Firstly here are my tips for dinner:

Eagles in a stew: First take 11 black eagles and place them in a garden near the sea. Add some canaries and 3 headless chickens for flavoring. Bring to a boil and just before serving remove the canaries and the chickens leaving the Eagles to stew in their own juices for a week or two. Can also be served with 8 portions of lob scouse for added piquancy.

Canary pie: Similar to humble pie but served with a large slice of cold comfort and pastirma on the side. Mix all the ingredients, throw the mixture to a floured surface and pat with your hand. Place in oven and when you see red you know its all over and time to reach for the indigestion tablets.

Pickled herrings: Should be served pickled and raw and washed down with akavit. For added flavour you could mix in lob scouse, a splash or two of bordeaux and some dutch cheese. Choke.

Second city pies: Add all the ingredients to a large dish, mix well place in oven and burn to a crisp. Serve cold and tasteless.

So tune in next week for more household tips,

My oh my...

Now according to various FB supporters, "we woz robbed" against Kayseri, bad referee calls etc. etc.

What a difference a week makes....last weekend the advice from the same people to Besiktas supporters was be a man, take it on the chin, these things even out over a season........obviously they forgot their own advice as its now the ref was biased, he made wrong calls etc. etc..

The red card for Edu was not a problem. At normal speed it looked like handball so off he went....the Kayseri goal was a bit weird but hey these things even themselves out...

A good day at the office

Although Genclirbirligi could not be described as top class opposition at the moment this was still a good test for Galatasaray although in reality the result could never be in doubt.

ComBom were in a charitable mood though and decided that to make this into some form of competetive match that they should handicap themselves by giving Genc a one goal start. A horrible deflection giving Genc some promise, but gthis was not to last too long. Having looked somewhat lacklustre in the last few matches this was GS back at their best and chasing second city players all over the pitch, harldy letting them out of their own half and making sure they never had any comfortable time on the ball. And so the match rolled on and as was to be expected Galatasaray levelled and hen stretched out to a 2-1 win by half time with goals from Mehmet Topal and Serkan. More of the same was on offer in the second half with Lincoln adding the third goal before GS warmed down for the rest of the match. This did allow a fishy ending with Tuna scoring in the 93rd minute but really it was over long before then as a contest.

This result puts CimBom back on top on goal difference from Sivas who beat Sekiztas in Istanbul today. I have a feeling that Genc are in for a long hard winter....

Pickled.......

One of the delicacies in Sweden is pickled herring, raw fish in vinegar....this leaves a sour tase in your mouth which has to be washed away with akavit or snaps.......rather like the result of this evenings match between Galatasaray and Helsingborg which ended 2-3.

CimBom started the season like a train winning all the matches and generally destroying teams but recent results have not been so good although that has coincided with an upswing in the Kadikoy mobs performance (are they related?????). However the last few matches have been poor, drawing and losing with only one win and now a loss at home to a small town Swedish team. I have a feeling that the team underestimated the opposition. However given that one Henrik Larsson plays for them and is the top scorer in the UEFA cup that was a mistake and makes it even worse.

If this slide continues I think we may have a new coach in January despite such a good start. I must say that the constant changing of the team is not helping and neither is Lincolns drop in form. Hakan and Umit have also stopped scoring and we are relying on Nonda too much.....come on guys get a grip or we will be finishing second again, or worse.....

For those of you who are wondering Helsingborg is a small town in Sweden that is opposite Helsingor or Elsinore in Denmark, which is where Hamlet was from and it would fit in Levent.....how emabarrasing to lose to such a team, almost as bad as Besiktas.....

One wheel off the wagon

Not a very good result today especially in view of events elsewhere.

A 1-1 draw away with Gaziantep is, on the face of it an okay result and keeps us top of the League but this was hard going. The free flowing football of early in the season seems to have gone and we are having problems scoring goals like last season. The constant rotation of players does not help either although I know there are a lot of injuries but a bit more stability may help the team.

Looks like the TFF and the referees are already conspiring to make life difficult for teams who dont play in blue and yellow, witness the decision at the end of yesterdays Besiktas game. Still Galatasaray will simply plug on and try to win the League by fair means.

I hope Feldkamp gets the team sorted out as its the UEFA Cup very soon.