Holiday Cheer

I love Christmas!!

Well not the commercial travesty that passes for Christmas in the US and most of Europe but for the over the top schedule that gives 4 English Premier League matches in 10 days. Especially when here in the US thanks to Fox Soccer Channel and Setanta Broadband the Husband and I were able to watch 6 matches in all.

These were :

Stoke v Man Utd
Chavski v Baggies
Liverpool v Bolton
Man City v Hull
Arsenal v Aston Villa
West Ham v Portsmouth

So that was Boxing Day sorted with a similar assortment planned for tomorrow Sunday. Perfect.

No boring Turkish SuperLig to get me frustrated and annoyed just pure theater from what is probably the best League in the World.

Eagles stuffed and trussed

The second Istanbul of the Derby was a feisty affair with the Lions of Galatasaray devouring the Besiktas Black Eagles.

6 goals and a red card tell the story of the game that Galatasary won 4-2 with a hattrick from Milan Baros and a rare toe poke from Servet as CimBom ran out 4-2 winners over the third Istanbul team who on current form may be in relegation trouble. Or perhaps not as 3 of the bottom five places in SuperLig are being occupied by teams from the second city.

So sitting here in New Jersey as the snow fell (again) giving 12 inches for the weekend and watching a match played in raw weather in Istanbul I felt sorry for the fans standing on the terraces but then again you can never forget the real atmosphere of being at the games. At least we now can watch the matches over the Internet but on the TV rather than the computer screen thanks to a new set top box received in the recent past. Much better even if the feed does sometimes freeze.

So back to the match which after the romps up the TEM over the last couple of weekends promised to be a real game. Well it was feisty alright with tackles flying in and bodies crashing to the turf with regularity. Once again Arda showed his immaturity and also lack of pace for a winger with his inability to beat people for pure pace and then every time he gets tackled dropping down to the turf and screaming for a foul. Thankfully Baris Ozbeck and Mehmet Topal are back and playing well in the midfield which is helping the team as they were important last season and are showing how much they have been missed whilst injured. Once Emre Gungor is back and fit we will have a much more solid look about us.

Lincoln had an excellent game and I just hope he will still be around at the restart of the Lig and the Board are not tempted to sell him. The pass for Baros second goal was superb and his all around play was excellent.

As for the sending off, well players have to learn not to make the gesture about yellow cards as the referees in Turkey are penalizing players who do this every time and its not the first time a player has ended up with a red as a result this season.

The penalties, well the first one and the second was clear. Having said that anyone who watched the FB Konya game will understand that referees are having a hard time this seasons with the outrageous decision to give FB a gaol when it was clearly a deliberate handball that should have been a card. Lets face it in the normal run of things Onder Turaci would have had a yellow and if that had been in his own penalty area a red, however when FB play Konya it seems that a handball goal is de-rigeur, remember Anelka anyone a couple of years ago. It was a disgraceful and shocking decision especially as the ref had already awarded Konya a free kick and changed his mind on the word of the assistant who could see nothing whereas the ref was directly behind the situation.

Why bother

3 more points from the Second City. I mean why do they bother with 4 teams when they would struggle to provide 2 full teams??

What can I say

And you wonder why its called the second city.

0-3 thats why.

A routine romp up the TEM, with three points returning, as they should to Istanbul.

Three excellent goals in 5 minutes when CimBom decided to actually play instead of train and that was that.

Looks like the second city could be down to 2 reps next season, Hacetepe and Ankaraspor?

Comedy Capers

Well the statistics will show a 3-1 win for CimBom and the fact that 2 players from Hacetepe were sent off. What the statistics and record books will not show was the general poor spectacle that the SuperLig is this season. Of course I am happy that Galatasaray won to narrow the gap to Trabzon to only 4 points and I am happy that Baros scored a hat-trick. What I am not so happy about is the general lack of quality on display in the matches I watch and the rather erratic, to say the least, standard of refereeing we have seen over the last few weeks in various matches.

I watched the Manchester derby on Sunday morning which was full of speed, skill, passion and non stop action played on a superb pitch. The day before I watched a poor match where the losing team was actually the better team but the match was decided by a very poor decision by the referee in the first half when Cisse was sent off after a dive from an opposition player. Plus the match was played on a truly awful pitch. Todays match also was affected by referee decisions, some good some bad. The second yellow for Tozo was deserved for asking for a card, Lincoln got one of those the other week as well which ended up with him being red carded, the first card much less deserved.

The standard of football is poor, the referees erratic, pitches sub standard, lighting bad and in general you can see the supporters are also in agreement as there are lots of empty seats in the stadiums this season.

This despite the fact that Sivas maintain their form of last season, Ankaraspor and Kayserispor continue to ask questions of the bigger teams and Trabzon are on top which should be seen as examples of healthy competition but when its obvious that you are playing 14 men in Istanbul its no surprise that people stop watching as the results are almost foregone conclusions.

I am looking forward to the winter break so I don't have to watch the matches for a while, maybe my enthusiasm will come back because right now there is not much there.

Lugano is a cheat

Well no surprise there.

I just want to throw up watching the one sided referee performance in the FB BJK match. Somehow a deliberate trip by Lugano is not a red card when Nobre is clean through however when you blow on one of the precious budgies its a second yellow hence red.

When are we gouing to see a competent performance froem a man in blue this season in Kadikoy...oh the answer is never.

Even more rubbish

Terrible, and 0-0.

Instantly forgettable

Galatasaray and IBB served up 90 minutes of dross today but at least Cim Bom won 2-0 with goals from Kewell and Lincoln.

That was about it.

Same old story

So after a good run of results with only the Eskisheir blip we went into todays Derby match with confidence high as FB had been rather inconsistent. Of course I had forgotten the most important rule in Turkish soccer which is that FB are not allowed to lose at home to Galatasaray.

This means that the referee was the most important player and once again the referee showed where his allegiance was. How can a direct free kick that goes directly into the goal be disallwed for obstruction???????? I mean what makes it more obvious is when Devid wrestles Umit to the floor from a corner nothing is given and 7 yellow cards to three including one for Arda who was yellow carded because he wanted to take a quick corner which he is entiltled to do but the assistant referee stopped him to make sure FB could organize themselves.

Blatant bias like this is killing games and this total favouritsm at Kadikoy makes you wonder just how much is being spent on referees this season.

Can anyone tell me how Selcuk avoided being sent off as he made probably 6 tackles each worthy of a yellow card, of course when Lincoln complained he got the yellow rather than Selcuk for the late high tackle. 5 minutes later he finally got the yellow for underseeing Lincoln as that was simply too blatant for the referee to miss.

I guess the knives will be out for Skibbe but really GS played as well as they could despiet the refereeing and continous fouling from FB which went unpunished by the referee.

Its matches like this that make me wonder why I follow the SuperLig with the appaling quality of the referring etc. I watched the ManUtd Arsenal game yesterday and there was a single dodgy decision that affected the outomce of the game unlike today where the referee assured FB of the victory.

Little bit better

First of all today was about getting three points following Besiktas loss and TS winning. That was achieved. Does style matter, well yes but as I think it was Bill Shankly said if you want entertainment go to the circus. So today was a win and three points although the entertainment was rather low.

The team was reinforced with Lincoln back in midfield and we had more of a goal threat throughout the game because he was back in the team. Still the central defence pairing of Servet and Emre Asik makes me nervous and the central defensive midfield went missing too often for my liking. Ayhan was quite anonymous this week whihc was good but sometimes it let Antep get way too far forward.

The goals were well taken with Arda's a masterpiece of long ball football, Bolton would have been proud of that one.

Should ease some of the pressure on Skibbe although the idiots who are never satsified with anything except for getting Terim back etc. will now be complaining about how the team played rather than the result. I like watching exciting football which is why I watch the English Premier League, probably the most excotomg football there is when the top teams play, not quite as exciting when the others play but interesting nonetheless. Before the GS match I watched the Bolton Man City game and there was one major difference in the way the game was played. Was it exciting, not really, but the players worked so hard, with Kevin Davies acting as the lone striker and defending from the front closing down the opposition defenders and when he lost the ball chasing back. Arda on the other hand could be seen wandering back to his own half or just standing watching when he lost the ball. That attitude has to change and I for one do not think this team is as fit as last year under Feldkampf. But really the GS game was so slow after theBolton Man City match!

The worst part of the game was the injury to Kewell which may hurt the team with the UEFA cup match and the Derby coming up.

Anyway, three points in the bag and three points behind TS at the top so all in all its not too bad.


On a side note Eskisehir proved that the win over GS was not a one off as they held FB at home to a 2-2 draw and should probably have won the match if the linesman had real eyes instead of his yellow and blue glasses on.

Dear oh dear

Not sure where to start today after that travesty of a football match.

When you play a team that is so limited that their basic means of stopping you is to kick the crap out of your skilful players and hope that the referee is generous enough to not issue yellow cards then its really hard to accept losing to such a team.

Its even harder to accept a result like this when two of the opposition teams goals were offside, one marginally and one so clearly it was unbelievable that it was not given. The third Eskisehir goal was so clearly offside as to be not funny but then with Firat Aydinus totally inept performace as a referee today I think anything went unless it was in favor of CimBom.

Having said that Galatasaray did not play particularly well today or at least some individuals and there were too many mistakes. Emre Asik had a horrible match and was directly repsonsible for goals 1 and 4, Meira seemed to find it difficult to control the ball, Kewell drifted out of the game early and de Sanctis had perhaps his worst game since joining, Arda spent most of his time on the ground thanks to the referee's generosity.

The sooner that Emre Gungor recovers from injury the better so he can replace Emre Asik in defence as the combination of Servet and Emre A is too slow and clumsy.

I am sure that the knives will be out for Skibbe after this but really what could he do, there is no answer to incompetent referees and with the injury list he has there were no real alternatives to bring in compunded with Lincoln also missing as a result of overfussy referees.

Easy really

So much for the table toppers. I cant believe that Trabzon have been sweeping all before them so far in the SuperLig as they were far from impressive today despite a more than helpful referee.

Galatasaray 3-0 Trabzonspor

After a quiet opening CimBom gradually started to dictate the play with Ayhan finally managing to control the ball and not give it away. The first goal by Arda came somewhat against the run of play but was a superb goal from the sideline, not sure whether it was a cross or not but who cares it went in. The second had a touch of fortune about it as Arda miskicked after a scramble in the penalty area and the ball went in off Servet's hand. However the Trabzon players hardly complained and as his arm was at his side it was not ruled handball.

So to the second half where Galatasaray toyed with Trabzon. After 60 minutes Kewell and Baros combined to open the Trabzon defence like a can opener and in slipped Lincoln to score a relatively easy goal, 2 minutes later he was off but it really did not disrupt the flow of the match.

The referee decided to even things up by booking Lincoln for a handball in the second half just after he had scored which was his second so he had to take the long walk. Rather a harsh yellow when you consider what else was going on in the game.

A few minutes later and Tolga rugby tackles Sabri in the penalty area, clear penalty but somehow the referee and linesman decided the ball was already out of play, replays clearly showing it was not but should have been a penalty and a red card. Add in a totally incorrect offside decision against Aydin Yilmaz and well really, this would have been a massacre.

So the pretenders disposed of relatively easily which should ease some of the pressure on Skibbe and help shut up the idiots who want to see Terim back as coach. After the first 20 minutes Galatsary dominated the match playing a high and fast pressing game with quick interpassing and a relatively sound defence.

Lets hope this kick starts a good run, Eskisehirspor away next weekend so that should pose not too big a problem, but given they beat Bursapsor this weekend it may be harder than we thought especially as we have the small matter of playing Olympiakos in the UEFA Cup on 23rd October, still at least we are at home so no travel involved.

Crunch Time

Well its been an interesting couple of weeks. We had the undignified sight of the Turkish National Team struggling to beat Bosnia and then drawing to that powerhouse of football, Estonia. There are probably more people live in Kasimpasa than Estonia and we cannot produce a team that can beat them? So that was 2 points dropped. It seems we have a good first eleven but strength in depth, forget it. I guess teams like Brazilbahce don't help and it feels like almost every Turkish club has a couple of south Americans or balkan players and still the clubs want to be allowed more foreigners. Way to go.

Turkey get elected to the UN security council, achieving some kind of recognition on the International stage even as the Istanbul Stock Exchange continues its merry slide.

In CimBom land the management of the club decide that after 2 draws 3 wins and a loss that this is not good enough and decide to get rid of the assistant coaches leaving Skibbe all alone. In other rumours it is thought that the Imperator may return. Well I sincelrely hope not.

Yes Fatih Terim was good when we won the UEFA Cup in 2000 but his more recent spell in charge 2002-2004 after Lucescu was unceremoniously dumped was not exactly a success 2nd and 6th for those who cannot remember and it took Gerets and then Feldkamp to get the squad and team sorted out. So you could say I am not in the bring back Terim camp.

Other strange goings n the SuperLig yesterday included a relegation threatened canaries escaping from Kocaeli with a win thanks to the referee not awarding a single free kick to Kocaeli in the second half despite clear fouls, see the run up to the second goal and then playing additional time until they scored. Having beaten CimBom last time out second placed Bursa then promptly lost at home to Eskisehir!!!

And today we have Trabzon at home, a match that ins the last few seasons would have been a relatively comfortable three points. If the team plays we should win but lets see.

UEFA Cup

So the draw was made for the UEFA Cup today:

Galatasaray
Hertha Berlin
Olympiacos
Metalist Kharkiv
Benfica.

Could be worse, but could not be much better. Personally I think the UEFA Cup is going to be hard for anyone to win this season with the likes of Villa, Ajax, AC Milan lying in wait.

Injuries out of control

At the moment it seems like a lot of teams are suffering from lots of injuries. For example Galatasary had officially 13 players injured before the Bursaspor match on Sunday. These were:

1. Emre Gungor
2. Ugur Ucar
3. Tobias Linderoth
4. Aydin Yilmaz
5. Baris Ozbek
6. Hasan Sas
7. Mehmet Topal
8. Harry Kewell
9. Sabri Sarioglu
10. Arda Turan
11. Serkan Calik
12. Umit Karan
13. Orkun Usak

Now of those Emre Gungor and Serkan Calik are long term injuries, Ugur has been out for a while, Linderoth seems to be permanently injured and Orkun Usak is a goalkeeper so is he really missed as Aykut and De Sanctis are not injured.

Funnily enough Arda and Sabri played on Sunday but neither of them looked as sharp as normal.

If you look at other teams around Europe you will see similar stories at some clubs and no injuries at others. Are these level of injuries only to be found at clubs with a lot of international players who thanks to Blatters insatiable greed and complete disregard for player fitness has the FIFA and UEFA treadmill at full throttle these days. Are the injuries a result of poor conditioning, poor nutrition, just bad luck or is it beacuse of the demands of the modern game, its speed and physicality.

Are Turkish teams less professional than other teams, I mean even at Euro 2008 they seemed incapable of rehabilitating players quickly unlike other countries.

For example Bolton Wanderes, not excatly a rich club, have conditioning coach, a nutrisionist, force players to undergo ice baths after matches to speed recovery and are able to recover players very quickly it seems. Do Galatasaray I wonder have similar facilities or even care about them?

There are bad days and then !!!!!

After ensuring their place in the group stages of the UEFA Cup, in fact as Turkeys only repsresentative with a chance of winning anything in Europe this season, Galatasaray came back down to earth with a bump with an away match to the third place team of Bursaspor.

Well to say it was a bad day at the office would be a kind. It was poor, the team looked half a metre slower than Bursa all over the pitch and the defensive midfled of eeerm and urmm was totally non-existent. I think the midfled was supposed to be Ayhan, Hakan Balta and Lincoln but as they were nowhere to be seen half the match and especially when both goals were scored that it was hard to tell. The defence was poor but with the zero protection they recieved its no wonder. Baros seemed isolated up front and there was no real support for him. As I said poor all around.

I have to say that I am glad its an International weekend coming up. Gives the team a chance to regroup and maybe get some of the injured players back up and running.

Of course whilst I feel bad we lost at least it was away against a team higher in the LIg than us....so I was immensley cheered by what happened in Kadikoy later, 1-4 against Kayserispor at home, half empty stadium to start with and an almost empty one at the end. No real supporters there, no team spirit and probably soon no manager, decade of dominance you really have to laugh.

Another 4 goals

So for the third match Galatasaray scored 4 goals. Interestingly in the three SuperLig matches CimBom have won they have all been by 4-1, the others were draws. This now puts us in third spot on 11 points with a goal difference of +9, one point behind Bursaspor who we play away next week so that should be a tasty match.

A good solid all round performance showing the benefits of sensible recruiting instead of blindly wasting money on over priced Latins and Spaniards. Baros and Kewell continue to have a sort of Indian Summer as they score goals almost for fun. Baros first goal, a 30yard screamer was as good a goal as you will see this season. Perhaps the only bad part of todays performance was the defending for Konyas goal, which was non-existent as the team stood and watched.

The scoreline could have been more than 4 with Lincoln, Kewell, Baros and Hasan all having good opportunities later on to add. The domination was such that Servet and Meira were playing as extra forwards towards the end leaving the defence in the safe and responsible hands of Hasan!!!!! Not exacty sure about his credentials as a right back but at least he has not made any huge mistakes since his inclusion in that position.

Nice to see some of the younger players also getting a run out as Erdem and Yaser Yildiz got a few minutes late on and also had a chance to score.

Lets hope that this good form continues into the Uefa Cup second leg this week where we are at home to Bellinzona with a 4-3 advantage from the first leg.

Chance to move up

So tomorrow we have Konyaspor, the bread eaters at home.

Quite a few injured players including Linderoth and Umit Karan as well as Sabri so I guess Hasan will continue at right back.

We really need to get a win tomorrow given that Trabzon are going like an express train at the top and FB have only won 2 games. I guess Aziz may need to adjust his ten year domination plan....

The Husband is happier today after Man Utd managed a win, albeit with some assistance from Rob Styles. Mind you after the Chavski game where Mike Riley seemed to be on a one man mission to book everyone in red it was nice to get a present from the ref today.

Wonder how long before the canaryites turn on Aziz, wont be long now I am sure.

Not too bad

In weather more appropriate for ducks, CimBom finally clicked as a team with an emphatic 4-1 win at Kocaelispor.

However I must admit that for the first 20 minutes and especially after Kocaeli took the lead we did not look like a side that is the defending champions, especially with Hasan Sas playing at right back. I assume that Sabri was injured and that there was no-one else but that seems a bit desparate to me.

I must admit that the goal that got us back into the match on another day could have been a free kick to the goalkeeper even tough in reality there was virtually no contact with Serdar by Nonda. Anyway from the resultant open play Baros made it look easy.

After that GS played much better and finally began to find each other on the pitch opening up kocaelspor relatively easily, with good goals from Baros, Nonda and Kewell to round things out.

Seems like the last couple of games the players are working out a system that works for them even if the so-called Derwall system it is not. Not sure how much Skibbe is having to do with it all or whether the payers have simply decided to play a certain way but they have scored 8 goals in the last 2 games, although the 4 they conceeded is a worry.

So its second position in the League, 2 points behind Trabzon althoug if Besiktas win later today they will retake second spot.

Swiss Cheese

So we almost slipped on the banana skin that is Bellinzona.

a 4-3 win away though gives us a good away goal advantage but really this should have been easier although I must admit I have no idea how the players were as I could not get a streaming internet connection for the game as ShowTV died just before the game started as usual.

Nice to Kewell and Baros amongst the goals, Kewell has scored a couple already but I think these were the first Baros has scored since his arrival.

However the most important goal was from Lincoln in the 95th minute. Having been 3-2 ahead after they had a man sent off we really should have killed them off but still an away won even so late is still an away win whihc is always good in European competion.

Elsewhere Besiktas won 1-0 at home and Kayeserispor lost 2-1 to PSG at home.

So roll on Sunday and an awauy game at rock bottom Kocaelispor, that had better be three points unless Skibbe really does want to leave.

Late

Have been rather busy recently and only just got around to posting about he weekends fiasco. Despite scoring foist and playing Antalya at home CimBom were very flat after scoring the first goal and whilst defeat was never a realistic option the draw was probably fair.

Often the weekend after Internationals is a good time to play teams like GS who have many players on overseas duty. Anyway next weekend there is no excuse.

Anyway the best thing about the weekend was Hacettepe winning and Besiktas and Trabzon drawing which keeps things tight at the top.

Flat as a pancake

Well after the Armenia game this should have been a formality with 3 more points in the bag. But what do we get:

Arrogant coach
Arrogant canaries
Arrogant CimBom

Result is a draw 1-1 against Belgium, I mean realy Anderlecht are nothing these days even if Serhat Akin is still there. Is he????

Piss poor performance on a lot of levels, and why do we play at the supermarket stadium, I mean its better than Olympic but only just, I mean you alienate 50% of the fan base unless they need something from Migros.

Road Win

So Turkey came away with a 2-0 road win against Armenia and England managed a 2-0 win against Andorra, keeping myself and the Husband happy. I have a feeling that Fatih Terim will be the happier of the two managers though.

Having said that playing teams like Andorra can cause problems as you play against 11 defenders, Turkey have also struggled against such teams and let us not forget that its not that long ago that Turkey were considered in the same breath as Andorra and Lichtenstein. Remember the 8-0 battering handed out by England. It seems that the so called bigger countries have developed not much recently whereas the smaller countries have improved a lot.

Turkey played quite well and it seemed like it was only a question of time before they scored and if the first goal was a bit scrappy the second was an excellent example of strikers anticipation.

Anyway a win is win and Turkey need to concentrate on getting ready for the next match against Belgium who overcam Estonia 3-2 at home. Once again though the TFF shoot themselves in the foot by insisting to play the game at the Olympic stadium thereby hadning an advantage to the opposition by reducing the impact of the crowd. Why are these people in charge of Turkish football???

Down to earth

After the ease of the opening day victory it was back to earth with a bump yesterday in Kayseri. For those with a short memory Kayserispor were probably the surprise package of last season finishing a creditable 5th behing the Istanbul 3 and Sivas.

This season it was a 0-0 draw, and last season it was 1-1 so history pretty much repeated itself.

Strange team selection from Skibbe for this match, no Nonda or Lincoln for example. Still Umit was back and Baros got some playing time. De Sanctis in goal seemed an able keeper so that is good that we have a couple of good keepers with him and Aykut.

Overall the match was a bit disappointing with GS struggling to make chances and when they had chances to covert them. I think a win would have been a more acurate reflection of the balance of play but we will take a draw. I am just hoping that Kayseri prove as stubborn opposition to other teams this season so we see this as a point gained rather than two lost.

Anyway the season is still young for CimBom. However it looks like being a long, long season for the second city teams, 4 matches and 1 point is not good........

Consolation...maybe

So after being dumped out of the Chimps League Galatasaray get the consolation of a place in the UEFA Cup, the only European tournament won by a Turkish Club in 2000 when Galatasaray beat Arsenal.

And in the first round we have been dawn against Bellinzona FC a team from the Swiss League. Now before we get carried away by this a quick check on Wikipedia reveals that as Bellinzona is in the Italian speaking area of Switzerland they are a feeded club for AS Roma so we can expect there to be a few good players there looking to make a name for themselves.

So we have a chance for redemption after the dismal showing in the Champs League. Lets hope the team relaize this and take their chance.

Next up Kayserispor who we beat already this season.

In other news I see FB's referee buying has already started. They could only beat IBB after 2 players had been sent off, surprised, I'm not.

Crap

Enough said

Not sure to be honest

Milan Baros has apparently signed a 3 year contract with CimBom. He is not, and never will be despite how successful he may be, one of my favorite players. He falls over much too easily for my liking and should therefore really have joined the other lot........

Last season was a bit of a mixed bag for him with half a season at Portsmouth and the other half warming the bench at O Lyonnais.

Still it potentially adds more speed to an already quick forward line that includes Kewell and Arda so it could be an interesting season...

Lets just hope the team plays better in Bucharest tomorrow than in Istanbul two weeks ago. At least it looks like Skibbe may have an almost full squad to choose from altthough Kewell was sporting a large bandage on his left knee. Mind you a good 30 minutes may be the best we can hope from him in matches this season, whihc if they are as effectove as in the first leg may be good enough but on the other hand lets hoipe the rest of the team pick up the tone and beat Bucharest properly.

Roosters roasted and chili budgies

So we're off and the hunt for the SuperLig championship started in style today with lots of games and excellent quality streaming feed from Dodgyturk.

First off Galatasary, defending champions, were at home to the roosters of Denizli. Game got off to a good start with CimBom bossing things without really creating very much. Then in crept Harry Kewell to knock home his first SuperLig goal with ease. That should have been the start of domination from Galatasary but oddly it seemed to encourage Denizli who started to attack and finally scored a somewhat dodgy goal, still not sure if the goal scorer was onside. The second half started with CimBom looking rather flat, creating no real chances and then Denizli decided to make it easy for us by getting a man sent off and having to play the last 40 minutes with only 10 men. But GS did not make the keeper work for a long time, the ball retention was good but the final ball seemed lacking and no-one wanted to have a go except from long range.

Anyway finally we got the goals with Hakan, Baris and Lincoln knocking in 3 more goals to seal a 4-1 win and ensure we start the season top of the league.

Of the new signings Meira had a solid game at centre back with Servet and seems like a good replacement for Song. Kewell did his usula by drifting in and out of the game with some excellent play and then disappearing for 10 minutes at a time, still at least he did not get injured.

Meanwhile over in Antep budgies were getting made into chili kebabs......

Silverware

It may only be the Turkish Super Cup but at least Galatasaray started the season with a victory over the powerhouse of Kayserispor.

Nonda made it 3 in 2 games and Kewell scored on what I think was hos competitive debut, so all in all not too bad. Lets hope this is where the team kicks off from especially with the Chimps League return game coming up.

Obvioulsy its going to be hard to win the 18th League title bnut here in NJ both the supported teams are aiming for that, Man Utd as well as CimBom are aimining for no. 18 in case you wondered.

Meanwhile the stadium and team rebuilding goes on so by next season not only will we have the best team but also by far the best stadium in Turkey, no Migros in the stands for CimBom for example.....

Not the best start

So I finally found some time to make a post.

New manager, some new players but no different result in the Chimps League. I mean Steau Bucharest were a good team but have not been for a long time and Galatasaray should really have done better than the 2-2 draw. Having said that we could have won the game with the 2nd half performance its just that the first half was poor. I could only watch the game on delay as I could not find it live anywhere!

As for the new players its a bit difficult to say anything about them after just one meaningful game. Anyway lets hope the team play like the second half next week to make sure we are in the group stages of the ChimpsLeague, if not the campaign is not off to a very good start!

Vacation over

So after 2 weeks away from the computer the vacation is over and its back to work and blogging again. In my absence it seems that Galatasaray have gone on a shopping spree and Harry Kewell is injured again, well no surprise there.....

Anyway I have to catch upon what has happened, what is true and what is rumor although one for sure is that we have been drawn against Steau Bucharest in the Chimps League qualifying round which gives us a reasonable chance of progressing as they are not quite the force they were the last time we met them...

Dog days of summer

So EURO 2008 is over, the season has not started, the phony war is on with transfer rumors by the bucketful but no real substance and so what to do.......I have no idea. I could watch baseball but that would be less than interesting.

MLS is on and watchable these days, not brilliant but then Samsun versus Adana hardly gets the pulse racing either and I have to say the technical level is high even of the oppressive summer heat here slows things down.

Galatasaray are in Germany and won the first preparataion match against Holmberg 2-0. Good to see that Linderoth was in action again after almost a season out.

Still no movement on Lucas Neill but thats not exactly a disappointment. If Servet and Emre can get fit and play as well as they did at EURO 2008 then the defence is sorted.

New goalkeeper would be a benefit and a 25 goal a season striker but thats maybe wishful thinking.....

Roll on the new season

Well the final was not so good but the team that had the shots and chances won the game. Can you believe that Germany did not have a shot on target in 90 minutes!!!! It was such a pity that Turkey was stripped of its best players thanks to the Italian/Croatian ref. I have to say though that he proved that his incompetence was not restricted to only booking Turks, he was almost as bad on the final hading out yellow cards for imaginary elbows and failing to book send of Michael Ballack for continuous fouling, makes you wonder if Ballack was Turkish whether he would have stayed on the pitch because he made tackles way worse than what Arda and Tuncay got booked for. Anyway, its past but it still leaves s lightly bitter taste.

On to the new season now. With a new younger manager, we will leave the geriatrics to Kadikoy for now, a couple of Turkish recruits already and possibly Harry Kewell, not my favorite player I have to say, this may be one of slight optimisim. I can see GS providing they replace Hakan and can keep Linderoth and Lincoln free of injury easily defending their title this season and also possibly getting out of the group stages in Champions League. With Song leaving for Trabzon though we do need a new defender to partner Servet although Emre Gungor looked good at Euro 08. Of course both are injured!!!

Team is having a good clear out with Okan Buruk, Carrusca and Bouzid on the way out as well as a large number of younger fringe players.

Anyway lets see what happens in the next couple of weeks but I am cautiously optimistic.

Reality bites

It was a great roller coaster ride of emotions while it lasted but now its back to life and back to reality after Germany beat Turkey 3-2 in the final minute of the Semi finals in Basel.

Of course we could not see what happened as the International feed kept getting blacked out after lightning in Vienna. I know you cannot control the weather but how about Plan B?? This meant we missed the last 5 minutes after Lahm scored.

In some ways this defeat hurts more than it should, I mean we were lucky to get this far right but then we basically were the best team on the pitch and should really have won. I know many reporters are mentioning the clear penalty Germany should have had, for contact outside the box, but not many are mentioning the rather blatant shirt pull a couple of minutes later on the Turkish player which I guess was not given in order to even things up. But still and all Turkey did enough to win and wipe the smile of Bolloks face.

I still think its a pity that the Croatian/Italian ref just happened to book three of the more important players in the Croatia game meaning that we were really playing with the reserve team. Just goes to show how motivation and the right technical ability can do. Of course Mehmet Topal was partly to blame for two of Germany's goals but then he is a midfielder not a central defender.

At least we put up a good show which with the squad I though was going to be impossible but I am glad to have been proven wrong and I can say that we have been involved in some of the most exciting matches of what has been so far, and with the exclusion of the Spain/Italy snooze fest an exceptional tournament.

New Manager at last

So whilst all the attention is focused on the Euro 2008 and Turkey's incredible performances Galatasaray have named their coaching team for the season.

Michael Skibbe formerly of Bayer Leverksusen will be the coach and he will be assisted by former CimBom favorite Umit Davala.

Interesting choices for sure and lest see how the playing staff will change. He is probably concerned that the performances of Arda, Hakan Balta etc. have other clubs counting the dollars.

Speaking of the Turkish National Team do they have any idea of the emotional roller coaster they are making us ride and each game it happens later and later.

I mean I am happy we are in the semi finals and that Germany will probably underestimate us which should be in our favor but the agony of the matches is getting too much to handle.

Medical ward

so 17 players fit or available, no defence, no chance you might think lets see

Nervy

After a couple of weeks silence I thought its time for a post.

So today is destiny day for the Turkish team at Euro 2008. Lets just hope Terim sticks with his best 11 which would be the team that started the Switzerland match rather than the team that started aganst Portugal. I mean really Kazim is not nternational class whereas Arda is. And why bring the top scorer in Turkey if you are not going to use him except for 45 mins in the first 80. May as well have taken Hakan..

Anyway lest see what happens, personally if Volkan plays as he did against Switzerland then we have a chance but if he plays like he did against Portugal, forget it.

So roll on the match.

Second hand news

So it looks like the Kadikoy mob have decided that items previously owned, used and found wanting by Galatasaray should be their major signings.

Thats the big news?

I thought they would be announcing the purchase of more over the hill washed up South Americans to waste their money on and finish second again.

But I was wrong, oh well theres plenty of time for that to happen.

As for CimBom not too much news on summer signings at the moment but I am sure they must be working on some and as for the manager search I guess we have to wait for the will he wont he of Mourinho at Inter Milan and then the rest of the managerial merry go round to stop and see who we end up with.

Personally I think we should get Big Sam in, well it might get the team fit if nothing else!!!

England 2- 0 USA

So anything the Husbands lot can do we can also do.....with a 2-0 hammering of mighty .....Finland. Whilst the majority of the English Press declared themselves no more than satisfied with a solid performance against allegedly inferior opposition we find the Turkish media lauding the Imperator etc...

Finland have a couple of world class players, Jasskalainen, Hyppia and Litmarnen spring to mind but as opponents for a EURO2008 finalist one should expect a slightly more comprehensive victory.

Once again Semih and Kazim prove that they are not really international class and thats not GS talking its reality. If Basturk is sent home then Kazim is not international class.....

And over in Toulon the next generation were embarrased with a 4-0 loss against Ivory Coast....

oh life is good.

The hills are barely alive

So after a crushing victory over Slov someone Turkey followed that up with a resounding 3-2 loss to Uruguay that powerhouse of South American football.

Just when you thought it could not got any worse as well.

I hope Fatih Terim has some form of plan because so far there appears to be a complete lack of one. Oh and if Volkan is an International Goalkeeper then there is hope for almost anyone, he is useless.

We have the makings of a good team but not with Kazim on the pitch. Obviously Nihat has to play but where is the target man to allow Nihat and Arda to run on to the ball, oh yes we don't have one because the only forwards taken are small and like to play running at the defence rather than holding the ball up so we have no tactical options, absolute genius to do that.

Wonder what the excuse will be for the next embarrassment against Finland.

Wind of change......

With apologies to the Scorpions a wind of change blew through the Luznikhi stadium this afternoon or night depending where you are and probably ended Chavski as we know them.....oh dear.
I watched the match with the Husband who was remarkably restrained except for the occasional abuse directed at the Chavski players especially fat Frank.

It was an intriguing game with two very different tactical approaches on show which was won by the manager who believes in youth and flair rather than raw power, although if Man Utd want to dominate for the next couple of years they need an enforcer or is that going to be Anderson.

Anyway penalties are an absolute killer and the relief when John Terry hit the post was immense. On balance I think the best team overall won but then I would say that, however the Chavski goal was rather lucky so I think the result was fair overall.

Oh and Turkey beat Slovakia 1-0 in a warm up match for Euro 2008...impressive eh.

Oh dear, oh dear

It appears that Fatih Terim is mad after all......earlier this evening I was teasing the Husband as England will not be at Euro 2008 and then about an hour later I found him crying with laughter in front of the computer which was open at the page that showed the Turkish Team for 2008.....and after I read it I could understand why he reacted.....what is this squad....

Emre Asik ffs??????????????????????????????? cannot get a game at GS and still in the Turkish squad!!!!!!

I mean why not ask Alpay to play?????

Who is going to score the goals, not Semih, who has regularly been found wantnig at International level and definitely not the others, what happened to Fatih Tekke, Umit Karan and Mehmet Yilmaz???

And for goalkeeper, an idiot, a has been and who??

Its such a shame that one of the best players this season in the Superlig Baris Ozbek holds a German passport, otherwise he should be in the squad as he has been a standout player for GS this season. And why is Ayhan in the squad, he cannot operate at the next level....

I hope I am wrong but I feel we will be home early...

Champions Again

So Galatasaray wrapped up their 17th Championship with a fairly routine win against some team from Ankara.

I must admit that although I am happy we won the SuperLig the feeling was not the same as a couple of years ago when it went to the last game of the season. I guess this was because the hard work had been done with the victories against FB and Sivas in the previous two games. This meant all we had to do was not lose and as GS have only conceded 23 goals in the SuperLig this season, which is the lowest of all teams, meant that unless the defence had a complete meltdown (not impossible remember Leverkeusen) then the one point we needed was fairly safe.

A goal each from Hakan and Hakan Balta was enough to seal the points and start the celebrations.

Speaking of which what on earth was the management thinking bring a live lion to the stadium. Totally unnecessary and cruel...really. This annoyed me so I am still not able to really enjoy the victory and the championship because of this.

Still its a good achievement when you consider that the expensive imports brought in to provide the edge hardly figured except for Nonda. Lincoln missed half the season and Linderoth was also injured. One of the best payers was Baris, a snip at $1m, lets face it who needs washed Brazilians costing millions of dollars. Add to that a temporary coach for the last third of the season and its a remarkable achievement..!!

Touching distance

Thank goodness that is over....the stress is too much at times. For a neutral that was probably a good match to watch, 8 goals, end to end attacking but as a fan it was horrible...

I am not sure whether the defending was poor or the attacking was of such a high grade but I must admit the ComBom defense looked at its most vulnerable this season, big holes, uncertainty and occasional panic certainly contributed to the scoreline and nerves in this observer at least. I would imagine a central defender should be on the shopping list for the summer and a new right back if Sabri leaves for Italy, although there are one or two defenders in the squad so maybe thats not a top priority.

As for Sabri, after some awful performances earlier in the season the last couple of games he is back to something like his best which is as an attacking full back. If he does go to Italy he will fit right in though with his attitude and ease with which he goes to ground.

Some good goals from both sides although there were also a couple of dodgy ones, the second Sivas goal may have crossed the line but there should have been a fee kick to GS earlier in the action. Hakan was offside for goal 5 but I am not sure how much real difference that made, except to the average. Arda claimed a hat-trick with some well taken goals but I think the best was Ayhans from 30 yards out.

Why on earth the team did not play like this against Kasimpasa I do not know because if they had we would now be Champions!!

Anyway all to play for next week at home to Genc Oftas where as long as we do not lose we will be Champions irrespective of what the Kadikoy mob do. Heres hoping Trabzon do the business although I have a feeling neither Sivas or BJK can finish second even if they level on points due to their worse goal average.

We are within touching distance, despite no coach and what is basically a home grown team......

Three points in the bag

Another home game and another three points is added to the total for the season. The win puts CimBom clear at the top of SuperLig with 73 points followed by a couple of teams on 70 points which includes our main challenger now for the title, Sivas.

All in all today was a good performance with no real concerns and in fact we should have won by a bigger margin that the 1-0 as Umit Karan hit the post and there were a couple of other positions where we should have scored but only a desire to score a perfect goal and some desperate defending by kept the score at 1-0. Aykut had a relatively uneventful day in goal as the defense and the defensive midfield played extremely well in denying space and time. Mehmet Topal and Ayhan played extremely well and never stopped running with Ayhan in particular linking the defense to attack very well. Baris was another that caught the eye, what a bargain that boy has been. Using Nonda and Umit in attack was also a good tactic as both are comfortable playing with their back to goaldand screening the ball allowing others to run on. It was noticeable after Hakan came on from Nonda that we lost that outlet and I have to say that as great a player as Hakan has been its time to stop, he looked slow and heavy footed today.

Of course the goal was a result of a defensive mix up and it was such a shame that it happened to those two particular players, oh dear my heart bleeds especially after the Fortis Cup Match at Ali Sami Yen....

So our fate is now in our own hands, 4 more points from 2 matches and we will be the champions irrespective of what any other team does. The hardest game is the away match to Sivas where Umit will be missing, lets hope Lincoln is back to add some experience in the middle of the pitch as well as an attacking threat, lets also hope Sivas will roll over the same way they did just after the winter break, although I cannot see that right now.

Come on Genclirbirligi

Another three points

For once there were some supporters in the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul although I am not sure just how many were IBB supporters. Anyway those that were there saw a relatively straightforward 3-0 win by CimBom.

The win and the three goals scored keeps everything the same except for total points. A lot of people are saying next weekends match will be the decider but I have a feeling that whilst the winner of that match will have an advantage they will not necessarily have a decisive advantage, cast your mind back 2 years when the title went to the last match and the conveniently delayed match in Denizli, not that the gamesmanship there helped. It does mean that the prospect of team without a permanent coach, mostly Turkish squad etc. has a distinct chance of still winning the league and lets not forget that Sivas are still hanging in there.

Back to the match Galatasaray never seemed to be threatened. Even when the score was only 1-0, albeit from an own goal, there was no real goal threat from IBB and once Necati went off that vanished almost completely. The two later goals were of significant benefit as it leaves the advantage at only 1 goal difference. Again the team was all Turkish except for Lincoln, even IBB had more foreigners in the squad than Galatasaray.

So back to the Champions League this week with the semi finals and the possibility of an all English final if Man Utd get past Barcelona.....I bet the Moscow police are looking forward to that!

The Shearer of the Bosphorus??

Alan Shearer who was one of the top strikers in the English Premier League caused immense damage to a team he claimed to love with his selfish quest to become the clubs top scorer. Before he retired he had seen off at least one manager, Ruud Gullit, who had put him on the bench for a game against local rivals Sunderland. After retirement he continues to cause problems, every time the team do not win, which is often, the fans call for him to take over and while he has done little to suggest he wants to he also refuses to end the speculation and so undermines managers.

My view is that Hakan Sukur is doing the same at Galatasaray. I really hope the management show him the door and ask him not to come back, of he wants today, when he has coaching experience gained the hard way and preferably well away from Galatasaray. They did that to Bulent and should do the same to Hakan to clear his influence from the club. You cannot afford to hold onto nostalgia for too long.

Getting closer

I have to say that I did not expect such a favorable result in such a manner from the second city today but what a game.

For once the Mafia fell to a very late injury time goal and had the worst of the referring decisions and the faces of the players was joyous to behold.

What does that mean. Well it means that Galatasary go back second but on goal difference or average, but that is only one difference. There are now four games left in the season with a hard finish for Galatasaray, we have IBB away, hopefully Necati cannot play, FB at home, Sivas away and end with G Oftas at Ali Sami Yen. Still no one said it would be easy......

Top....for a day?

Another game and another three points, Galatasary finally woke up in time to finish off the season. Its going to be hard to win the championship especially as we play Mafia at home and Sivas away but as long as the team keeps grinding out 1-0 wins then we will be okay, in fact 4 wins and we are champions.

Again a totally Turkish team took to the pitch to start the match with only Nonda coming on to replace Umit. Only Lincoln was suspended so where was Song I wonder? Okan Buruk started his second match in succession which I must admit I find strange as he is pretty much finished. But what the hell it was a win.

Team played okay if not spectacular and there were no real scares. It would be better for the nerves though is we could get a couple of goals ahead instead of just the one as the defence does sometimes make me nervous.

No real referee issues today unlike last week apparently. So the spotlight falls tomorrow on Ankara where mafia meets mafia junior, now thats going to be an interesting referee influencing session.

Call that a pitch......

You can always tell when you move away from the big city and travel out into the backward parts of the country because the pitch on which soccer is played starts to resemble a cabbage patch rather than a lawn. Obviously the good people of the second city have been feeding their cows in the stadium because that pitch was nothing short of a disgrace and not fit for SuperLig, which is probably ok because with this weekends results the two teams that play there are heading down the Lig again.

So despite Galatasaray management shooting themselves in the foot by parting ways with Fedkampf just before the weekend games the team managed to get a win which keeps us only 2 points behind Brazilbahce. Whatever you think of Feldkampf he has achieved good results with a limited squad and budget. Despite losing Linderoth and Lincoln to long term injuries and Song to the African Nations Cup and having to use a team mainly based on young Turkish players to be only 2 points behind the Kadikoy money bag means he has done well. He has made the team fitter and faster and even though Hakan is now doing his best Alan Shearer impersonation, that s hangng around long after his sell by date the team has improved and I think we can look forward to the next couple of seasons. Of course the 5-1 loss to Leverkeusen was poor but these things happen, look at Newcastle this season against as well as AS Roma last season and Besiktas Liverpool.

Anyway I though the game today was agricultural to say the least playing on that cabbage patch and skill was at a minimum. The goal from Lincoln was a good one though probably the best piece of skill in the game. Still thats three more points and with Besiktas beating Sivas and CimBom still to host Brazilbahce things are still tight.

More rubbish

Dear oh dear,

And there I was thinking that the inconsistent and frustrating side of Galatasaray had been removed by Herr Feldkampf and what happens, a 0-0 draw at home with Gaziantep. And with the Mafia winning this leaves us two points off the pace and with a worse goal average.

The team has struggled for consistency since the winter break and once again is having a hard time scoring goals and dropping 4 points against the likes of Kasimpasa and Antep does not exactly fill me with confidence for the rest of the season. Its hard enough without constantly being penalized by the TFF, 6 home matches so far this season without fans, 1 day between Konya and Leverkeusen, horrible referring decisions in favor of Mafia etc.

And where have the players gone? Linderoth is injured but where is Nonda, Barusso, Hasan Sas?
Why is Sabri playing again?

Come on guys sort things out, lets face it we have a perfect chance for a morale boosting win next week against Genclirlirgi so lets not blow it as I am sure whoever Mafia are playing the brown envelopes are already changing hands for another easy match.

All gifts gratefully recieved

So after the dross of Wednesday losing to the provincials it was time to get the wheels back on the wagon against Denizlispor. Did we get all the wheels back, well I am not sure but at least we won the game 2-1 thanks to a mistake by the Denizli goalkeeper in the 88th minute when his attempted catch bounced onto Servet's head and into the net. Otherwise there was not much to get excited about. An average performance as CimBom went back to an all Turkish line up for the first time in a few matches.

Unfortunately Sabri was playing but at least he managed not to do anything too stupid today. Although it was not a vintage performance it was good to see the team keep trying and finally get that bit of luck.

So second in the league on goal difference as the top four all changed positions with Besiktas losing and Sivas winning. Should be an interesting end to the season especially as Besiktas are playing the other lot next weekend at Iononu....wonder if the referee will even things up from earlier in the season.

3 more points

At this stage in the season three points is three points and Galatasaray went about obtaining them in an efficient manner. Having said that life may have been a bit more difficult if the referee had sent off Aykut and given Ankaraspor the penalty they deserved in the first few minutes of the game. Otherwise CimBom were efficient and pretty much controlled the match sending Ankaraspor closer to the relegation places.

The only down side of the recent results is that the goal difference is shrinking especially with the Kadikoy mob winning 4-1 for the 3rd week in a row.....what is wrong with the teams they are playing? This week it was Konyapor who made life very difficult for CimBom a couple of weeks ago capitulate....makes you wonder....

I see the Chimps League has thrown the two biggest maybe mafia teams together in the shape of Chavski and Brazilbahce....wonder how long Lugano or Edu lasts against Drogba...I mean he gets sent off twice against CimBom and Drogba is unlike anything they play against in Turkey...

Back on track

That was a much better performance on Saturday. I have to say that after recent results I was a bit worried about playing Kayseri who were sitting in 5th position and only 6 points behind. I guess I should not have worried as Galatasaray put in a competent if not earth shattering performance to win 2-0 with few scares in complete contrast to the dismal performance against Kasimpasa. I see Sabri is back and playing like he has a brain for once although I would prefer if Feldkampf left him out as it upsets the balance of the team with him in as he seems to have a negative mental influence.

So the top of the Lig is very tight with 1 point covering the 4 teams with Sivas hanging in there. I can only hope that the Kadikoy mob will suffer with the Chimps League matches in the next couple of weeks but I guess we will also be tired as we have the Fortis Cup to concern us although as we have been drawn to play Genclirbirligi we could put the reserves out and still win.....

The 5th minute of 7

SO its not just L'Arse who get 7 minutes of additional time and score in the 5th, it seems that BJK also are the grateful receivers of such generosity. How can this happen.

After a blog less week I ma back refreshed and raring to go, or at least I was until today's match when I remembered what a mess CimBom are making at the moment. After beating the mafia its been downhill. SO come on lads get a grip refocus and lest put a few goals past Kayserispor who are only 6 points behind us. Of course the other top teams have matches against the teams occupying good Superlig space like Ankargucu and Vestel Manisa so I can see Galatasaray slipping this weekend as they have been playing crap recently.

On another topic I see Herr Splatter has been making another complete idiot of himself. Life time bans and court action for dangerous tackles....what a laugh. I mean corrupt presidents can survive but mistime a tackle and you lose your career. What a filed day this will give the Eyeties and all the other diving, cheating bastards who will be feigning injury to get top players suspended for long periods and even arrested. Here's an idea, citing like in rugby. If there is a feeling that someone escaped punishment, check the video and irrespective of that the referee did have the power to ban and fine in addition to any mandatory punishment. However the good part would be that the Kadikoy mob would run out of players before the end of a season......

Never mind the bol*****

That right, never mind them, I mean just knee them.

What an idiot is Volkan Demirel the alleged goalkeeper from Kadikoy. There is absolutely no excuse for what he did and all the dribble about how Lincoln insulted his mother, sister, girl friend, auntie, cat, dog etc. etc. are just pathetic excuses from someone who is still in his mind a three year old.

Setting aside the team issue here I am going to comment as a Turkish woman. If Volkan was by a bad chance related to me I would be embarrassed by his display of so-called Turkish manhood. It might surprise you to know that I and many women see nothing heroic, brave or manly about kneeing someone in the testicles in an effort to defend our honour, indeed it sickens me to think that you believe we need such defence. I tell you we are quite capable of defending our own name and honor and do not need hairy arsed men to do that for us. Grow up. No doubt there are also women out there who think what he did was noble and I have the same answer, grow up you dependency freaks.

Anyway back to the game. Galatasaray 2-1 Brazilbahce. 4 red cards, 3 for Brazil and 1 for some unknown reason to Lincoln, maybe for falling over after the kneeing. Anyway this give CimBom the chance for the first silverware of the season if it is the Fortis Cup. In truth I am glad we scored a couple of goals after the dismal performance in the last couple of games.

There was a good quote after the game from some so called manager from the Kadikoy mob."Volkan is not going to be insulted by some Brazilian, he had to defend himself" So what does he do when Zico, R Carlos, Alex etc. call him an idiot ?????? Hilarious

Embarrasingly Inept

I was prepared to give the benefit of the doubt after Thursday's poor performance for a number of reasons. However there is absolutely no excuse for the shambolic performance offered up today. Kasimpasa are crap and doomed as they have no chnace of avoiding relegation and we played worse than crap.

Do the team want to win the Superlig. There will not be too many better opportunities to get a bit of breathing space but no, lets make it difficult and let the Kadikoyzilians believ they can still buy their way to the title.

Serioulsy the players should take a long hard llok at themselves and then donate a weeks salary to a charity of their choice to apologize for such a bloody awful performance.

Bad and better

Well Galatasaray's adventure in the UEFA Cup came to a bad end on Thursday night and no amount of aspirin will kill the pain of the 5-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkeusen. The 0-0 draw the week before had given us a mountain to climb and the wayward finishing in that match being a key factor in the draw. It was pity becasue in the first game we were probably the better team.

In the return match the team never really got started and coceding early was a blow. There have been ocmments around thta relying on young turkish players was a mistake but I do not believe that. Having to play Konya on Monday and then travel to Germany on the Thursdy while no thlping cannot really be used as an exceuse. Sometimes you have games like this where everything the opposition team does ends in a goal and everything you try does not work. I would say it was bad day at the office and thta the younger plyares will benefit from this experience even if it is very depressing. I mean imaging how Man Utd players felt two weeks ago losing at home to Man City but no-one suggests they are not good enough..

Anyway I was cheered up immensley today when the team that is looking to dominate for the next 10 years lost at home to Bursaspor so if we won tomorrow against Kasimpasa who are bottom with only 12 points we will open up a 4 point gap.

Whilst I am glad that Feldkampf has been brave enough to play young Turkish players I am happy that Lincoln is returning from injury as his experience will be helpful during the end of season

Strike one for the Federation

So the game was finally played in Konya today and Galatasaray duly won 1-0 with a goal by Umit Karan and an all round competent performance. Disappointing not to score a couple more goals and I hope the strikers get their eyesight sorted for Thursday against Leverkuesen.

Thats right we have to travel to Germany and take on Leverkeusen with only 2 whole days rest in between matches. Congratulations to the TFF for making sure that the teams representing Turkey in the European games get the best preparation. At least we know who the new President supports. Note that FB played Friday night and play the Chimps League game on Tuesday.

Still a wins a win and it takes us back to the top of the Lig by one point and a better goal average even though we did not spend loads of money on Brazilians. One good thing this season has been the fact that the goals have been shared around, if Hakan (8) does not score Nonda (10) or Umit (9) does and with Arda, Baris and Serkan Calik contributing it has been a healthy haul of goals. In fact CimBom have only failed to score in three Lig Games this season The other thing noticeable is the fact that the team looks much fitter than the last couple of seasons so despite the harshness of Herr Feldkampf's methods it seems to be working. Add to that a single red card to surprise surprise Hasan Sas and its been quite a good season so far. Lets hope they can keep it up.

Snowy Sunday

So the Galatasaray game was postponed due to the weather in Konya today. This means that Galatasaray drop from the top spot in the SuperLig and hands the psychological advantage back to Kadikoy unfortunately as a game in hand is only useful of you win it.

In the real world the fall out from the decision to allow religion to invade Universities continues to rumble on. While I am absolutely not a fan of the AKP, Erdogan and Gul I do not blame them for trying to achieve what Erbakan failed to do a few years ago. Personally I think they will not rest until Turkey is Islamified in terms of its law and culture. The people I blame most for this are Baykal and the intellectual pygmies in the CHP etc. who have failed to provide any form of leadership or counterpoint to the AKP. It seems to me they have been waiting for the Army to intervene and restore them to power if AKP go "too far". Well I am not sure the Army will intervene in this case and I hope they do not but goodness me do we need a credible Political opposition.

I am not exactly holding my breath though for this to happen.

Dohhhh

As Homer Simpson would say "East my shorts". As I would say, WTF? and as Feldkampf is probably saying along with every CimBom fan how did the scroe stay 0-0. Not a wonderful match in Istanbul Wednesday as the snow fell and the aspirin men were in town but we really should have won that game.

Considering the number of goals we have scored recently and the numbre of chances created it was frustrating to say the least. Oh well, I guess we just have to go to Germany and get the job done, I men its not as if Lerkeusen were pvery much better so with a bit of luck and the correct tactics all we need is a goal.

Time flies

Normally the thought of describing a Hakan hat trick even if it was against relegation candidates Vestel Manisa would have me keen to comment and critique etc. Good as it was and refreshing as it is to see CimBom thrashing in the goals left right and centre with an all Turkish team I must admit to a feeling of anger due to events unfolding, or should that be wrapping up in Turkey. I refer to the headscarf issue of course. This issue makes me exceedingly angry and glad that I moved to the US a couple of years ago as I have a hard time with the religious bigorty that is associated with the wearing of such symbols. Anyway enough has been said and written about this topic.

As I mentioned it was the wee ones birthday and my has time flown. Of course she is being brought up correctly in all respects as the picture shows.

Washed, dried and folded

Gentle run out today in Istanbul ended with a 6-3 training day thrashing of a very sorry Vestel Manisaspor.

More later. Guests on the way for Zeyneps 1st birthday.

Lest we forget

This blog is generally about Galatasaray and more generally the beautiful game and how she is practised in Turkey. However tomorrow February 6th is the anniversary of the Munich Air Crash whihc wiped out the 1958 Manchester United Team. Now I know there are many out there who say who cares its only Man Utd but when you check the statistics and look at who was lost it was more than just the death of a club side it also ripped the heart out of the England team and in Duncan Edwards capped 19 times by the age of 22 we lost one of the best English players ever.

Two consecutive league championships, a runners-up place in the 1957 FA Cup final, five back-to-back FA Youth Cups between 1953-57, a place in the 1957 European Cup semi-finals and the same again in 1958.

The average age of the team was 23.

In Ferguson, Manchester United have a manager who carries on the torch Matt Busby started with his Busby Babes, fast, attacking fluent football played by generally young teams. Long may it continue.

In memorium:

Players: Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan.
Journalists: Alf Clarke, Don Davies, George Follows, Tom Jackson, Archie Ledbrooke, Henry Rose, Eric Thompson, Frank Swift.
Also killed: Walter Crickmer (club secretary), Bert Whalley (chief coach), Tom Curry (trainer), Capt Kenneth Rayment (co-pilot), Bela Miklos (travel agent), Willie Satinoff (supporter), Tom Cable (steward)

Blue Books 0 - Galatasaray 0

Those of you who know what a Blue Book is in Turkey will understand exactly what I mean by this title and if you dont....welll

Good game in the Turkish Cup today and a game that in truth CimBom should have won, Serkan Calik and Umit had great chances as did a host of other Turkish players. The South American budgies were left looking very ordinary, Dunga probably had a wasted journey unless to see the future of the Turkish National team play in black. Given the average age and experience this was a much better performance than last time in Kadikoy and if we carry on paying lke this we should have a very successful season.

Anyway back to the Superbowl.....

100% Turkish

I missed this at the weekend but the Galatasaray team that started the stroll past Ankaragucu was 100% Turkish and 8 of the 11 were aged below 24, of course Hakan raised the average age to about 35!! On the bench were 3 players who had never played in SuperLig....

Doubly ironic then that the supporters of Brazilbahce were celebrating the other day due to the TFF's change of foreigner policy so that they can bring in a few more South Americans instead of developing local players .........and still not be top of the Lig.

All too easy

Another trip to Ankara and another 3 points collected putting Galatasaray back at the top of the Lig after a brief flirtation with Sivas.

A reasonable performance today in the frozen wastes of Anatolia with 4 different scorers and Nonda who has been in excellent form recently not even playing.

Not a very difficult match today and it was basically killed off with three goals in seven minutes in the first half when Hakan, Arda and Umit scored. After that it was a non event really with Ankargucu looking as uninterested as their chairman who did not even bother to stay until the end!!! Serkan's late goal was an bonus for the average.

Considering who is missing the team is playing well and is still top despite the list of absentees who for today were:

Injured: Nonda, Ayhan, Linderoth, Lincoln, Hasan Sas, Okan and Hakan Balta,
Suspended: Baris
African Nations Cup: Song

So despite missing those players we are top. Cant help but feel there is something ironic in that. It amazes me that there are some Galatasaray supporters who consider Feldkampf should be got rid of despite this and Lucescu brought back. Okay, do that at the end of the season maybe but not right now, if anything Feldkampf's disciplinarian methods have improved the fitness and strength of the team and with the limited cash available he has blended a good strong team.

Looks like the wheels may be starting to fall of the Sivas wagon, it will be interesting to see how they react next weekend after Saturday's result.

Story about Sivas in the Gruaniad

See the link to the Guardian for a story about how Sivasspor may upset the Istanbul clubs this season. Somehow I cant see it but I still hope they win on Saturday and lets hope for the sake of the SuperlIg that they do not disintegrate like Vestel Manisaspor did last year.

No comments about the new blog template????

Your dinners in the dog....

Had to repeat this here.

Thanks to Murat over at Amerikan Turk and his contacts for this excellent piece..still does not alter the fact that your dinners in the dog though....

Rules of Men
via my friend, Jack Daley (who sometimes comments here with the moniker "nhrider". I've embellished it a bit!

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down. Finally, the guys' side of the story. (I must admit, it's pretty good.) We always hear " the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side.

These are our rules! Please note.. these are all numbered "1 " ON PURPOSE!

1. Men are NOT mind readers, and do not aspire to be, ever.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports: It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1.. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it! (My favorite! -Murat)

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one .

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials...

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle. (My other favorite -Murat)

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine... Really .

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball or golf or soccer or bicycle racing.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape! (Murat takes exception to this one.. Round is FAT)

1. Thank you for reading this.

Feast then famine

It had to happen, after the 5-2 tea session in Rize it was back to earth with a thud against Bursaspor on Sunday.

A 1-0 win against the 14th placed team was not exactly inspiring but at least it was 3 points and a return to the second place in the Lig after Sivas and the others all won.

The most positive element was Nonda scoring again, which makes 13 for the season with 10 in the league and 4 in the three games since the winter break. Thans good ness he is on form as no one else appears to be.

Bit of a short post today, teething issues the last couple of days.......

Five Tea .....

So the SuperLig restarted after its winter break this weekend and it was a good weekend for Galatasaray who enjoyed five tea on the Black Sea Coast.

A modest 5-2 win at Rize stirred the emotions and was a good way to blow the dust of last year and get the New Year underway. A good performance all round although Rize did not exactly pose a big threat even when the equalized in the first half.

Nonda with a hat-trick together with Servet and Arda did the damage and put GS back to the top of the league for a day until Sivas beat Trabzon today to go back to the top. Anyway it looks like this will be a tight race for the Championship this season with the top 4 clubs separated by 4 points only with a large gap down to the 5th team. Personally I think we could just take all the points available for the top 4 against the rest and award it already and then we can take 4 months off and play the last 3 matches against each other when the weather warms up in May.....

Well can anyone seriously suggest there is any excitement left in the Super Lig for the supporters of anyone other than GS, FB, BJK or Sivas??????

Cup football

Bit of a disappointing result on Saturday with a 2-2 draw away at Bursaspor in the Turkish Cup. Still with the cup format we have another chance to progress.

Unlike the FA Cup which is pure knockout and this weekend saw the end of Bolton, Blackburn, Everton from the Premier League beaten by teams form the lower divisions. I guess in some cases the Premier Teams like Bolton are not too bothered as the Cup may distract them fro surviving in the League but still with the talent at their disposal you would think that even the reserve team should beat a lower division team. However the Cup has a way of leveling things out, unlike in Turkey where we have groups and endless matches to get to the final. I assume that is to make sure only the Istanbul clubs get to win the Cup and monopolize the UEFA cup positions.....

Bad news heard recently is that Linderoth is probably out for the rest of the season so its just as well we bought Gungoren from Ankargucu as a replacement. The age of the GS is very young in general so its a bit worrying as the level of experience is low so we could do with a couple of the experienced players back.