Sunday, March 22, 2009

Poor, worse, terrible

The last three matches that is. Against Trabzonspor we probably deserved to win but as usual when we have been winning this season the referee feels the need to send one of our players off to enable the opposition to equalize and so it was against the Laz. Other than that the play was adequate.

Agasint Hamburg as a reult of having no central defenders in the squad after Emres red card and the wonderful decision to sell Meira we had Kewell at centre back and despite being 2-0 up managed to lose 2-3. Mostly a result of the feud between Bulent and Lincoln I believe and als the absolutely stupid decision to play Kewell at CB.

As for todays fiasco against Eskisehir, well allowing a team to score that only had 9 men on the pitch is appalling and the defence should take all the blame. And what on earth was going on by taking off Kewell and replacing him with Mehmet Guven....Only 2 players on the pitch appeared to be trying towards the end and that was de Sanctis and Ayhan. Arda gave up which is unforgiveable really and as for the rest well they never really got started. Given this was a must win match why was Lincoln not playing?

Bulent was a great player but I think we are seeing that he is not and is unliekly ever to be a particularly good coach. Today the team should have been fired up to reduce the gap to the top teams after they all drew or lost and what do we get, an inspid, technically poor and heartless display.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Excellent Management

So Meira has been transferred to Zenit St Petersburg as of today for 6m Euros.

Two days before the match against Hamburg.

Last I read Servet and Emre are injured.

Brilliant just brilliant.

What next Kewell and Lincoln negotiating at half time......sorry guys just got a better offer so I wont be out for the second half......thanks ta-ra,

What happened to the transfer window?

Is this a case of CimBom needing money or is this once again an indication of the absolute zero influence the coaches have over the squad.....

Whatever its definitley not a recipe for success.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The thot plickens

Three wins from three is not a bad start even if the performance against Bursaspor was only adequate. At least the team seems to be getting back into a winning mentality after the poor start to the second half of the season even if they could perform better as individuals and as a team.

Did not see much of the match thanks to an appalling feed from dodgyturk over the Internet. Its amazing that the feed during the match build up is fine, no interruptions, but as soon as the match starts......aaarghhhhh.......buffering, connection dropped, buffering, loading.......

It seems like the second half of the season has been unkind to all the teams at the top of the leahue with the gap between top and 5th now only 3 points after Sivas and Trabzon only drew or lost recently. Still making up that gaop requires Sivas to lose and I have to say it would be better if that happened before the last match iof the season.

Still it makes for more interest in the next few weeks.

Next up for Galatasaray is the UEFA Cup as the only remaining represnetatiove from Turkey in European action. One of these days another team might help obtain points for Turkey to improve representation in Europe but I am not exactly holding my breath on that one due to the sheer incompetence and inbability of any other team to play against teams who cannot be bought and competent, not to say, unbribeable refs. Anyway this will be a tough match away at Hamburg who are currently 5th on 42 points, whihc is actually a similar position to CimBom who are 5th with 43 points. Here's hoping that a large percentage of the 60,000 or so Turks who live in Hamburg make it to the match and turn it into a home game atmosphere against Martin Jol's team.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

And now for something different

Its not often I write about things unrelated to football but sometimes you have to despite Bill Shankly's quote that "football is not a matter of life and death......its more important."

I am not an Amerikan Turk like others in the blogosphere who were born in the US of Turkish heritage, I was born and lived the first thirty yeasr in Istanbul and only moved to the US due to the Husbands job. We have just recieved ou Permanent Residence or Green Card here in the US and I must admit we are thinknbg ahead to becoming US citizens, even though the Husband is of course a former colonial overlord of Amerika even he is thinking of getting a Blue Passport to go with his maroon one.

A few years ago I would hardly have thought about doing such a thing. So why am I. Well its not necessarily because the US is the most perfect country or place to live but it has more to do with what is happening in my home country. The culture of denial and repression of free speech and freedoms that has grown in the last few years is so depressing to watch that I can honestly state that at the moment I would not even want to go back to live in Turkey for the foreseable future. And that from someone who is very touchy, like most of my countrymen and women of criticism about Turkey from non Turks.

The author of Talk Turkey I think summed it up when he posted on the Istanbulian's blog the following list of issues whihc althoiugh rather long reflects the way I feel as well.

The following are not issues I openly deal with non-Turks, at my convenience or at my delight. In fact, I try to keep the conversation short, and find myself covering up most of the time, just so Turkey is not ridiculed!

First and foremost, for what it's worth, good or bad or ugly, Let me know when you can discuss Ataturk openly! without the fear of imprisonment!

Let me know when you end religious persecution!

And I am not talking about just non-Muslims!

Let me know when you deal with the 'Genocide' question!

Let me know when brain washing kids stops!

And let me know when YouTube is back on!

I am tired of having to defend Turkey, when I am asked ridiculous questions that I know the answers to be painful and show the backwardness, but convince my fellow Americans it ain't so... when it is in fact so...

Let me know when you deal with the Kurdish problem!

Let me know when you deal with minority rights, and 'foreigners' in Turkey!

Let me know when you stop blaming others for your problems, instead of yourselves!

Let me know ONE AREA in sports/entertainment/arts/politics/education/science/religion/pop culture where Turkey is a leader or is looked up to! or is a winner! (in a consistent manner/not some isolated exception)

And let me know when some exception does occur, the majority of the people have to find something faulty, or not worthy, with the whole event!

Let me know when you stop sending students to be educated in the fine institutions in the U.S., and beg them to come back!

Let me know when you excel in anything that really matters!

Let me know when you have the creative ability to invent anything, instead of 'copying/pasting' others' successes!

Let me know when the defense industry is more than just importing weaponry and arms from Israel or the U.S.!

Let me know when assembling parts is not called manufacturing anymore!

Let me know when bribes and corruption is not a matter of daily occurrence!

Let me know when Turkey is invited to the EU instead of trying force its way in as if it has lepresy!

Let me know when you deal with the Cyprus problem! Let me know when you admit your soldiers kill civilians too!

Let me know when Turkey's GNP is better than many of the countries it criticizes!

You and the your fellow Turks in Turkey should look in the mirror in your glass house you seem to have built, before you decide to throw stones at the U.S.

You can't be serious if you're comparing U.S. and Turkey?

You can't pick and choose a few bad apples in the U.S. to make your case, when the whole apple batch is rotten in your case!

Gitmo is purposefully not on U.S. territory; but in Turkey, you don't have to leave its borders to be abused by police... to be forced into a confession!

Where you are guilty before proven innocent...!

You make fun of Rush Limbaugh; but you can hardly have your own Rush, or he is sued by the Prime Minister for insulting...

Your major corporations and private industry is all sold out to foreign nations/corporations!

Unlike what Turks think, Turkey is not the center of attention, at least here in the U.S.

Whenever Turkey or anything Turkish is ever mentioned; it is merely worth seconds of air time, but if you read the Turkish papers, you'd think the entire U.S. was holding its breath waiting for the next bit of info out of Turkey!

Turkey doesn't matter!

And is irrelevant!

You make fun of Blagojevich; yet he is impeached. When was the last time Turkey impeached any of its members so corrupt, it would even put Blago to shame!

The TBMM is full of illiterate, immature members, who are out to waste everyone's time and money.

How many times did fists and guns interrupt the sessions in Turkey's legislature?

The evidence is clear that almost every 'leader' Turkey has elected and reelected a few times over have been failures!!!

Yet Turkey still recycles the same old people, except in cases where the military has to intervene!

Turkey is ridiculous! and is ridiculed! And I am sorry but it's a shame! and a sham!

Get ready to own your shortcomings! That's the only way Turks will rise to the occasion!

Not by hiding behind attacking and accusing the U.S.!

So if the U.S. is doing it; then Turkey doing it should not be criticized?

Start by admitting first! and trying to correct yourself and your ways and your stature!

Instead of attacking and criticizing the U.S., as if Turkey was U.S.'s equal!!!

Reform Turkey not because the EU or the U.S. pushes for them, but because it (Turkey) wants to do it for its own reasons!

Why is it that when it serves Turkey's purpose to brag, the Ottoman Empire's successes are widely discussed; but when the history is not favorable, the Turks can't wait to mention out loud they like to distance themselves as far away from the Ottomans, and insist that was the past and Turkey is now the Turkish Republic?

You can't have your cake and eat it too!

You're either proud of your history or you're not!

Turks in Turkey! Wake up and smell the coffee!

And stop being in denial!

Taking cheap shots at the U.S. is not going to improve Turkey's stand in the world... Own up to the responsibilities that it needs to hold itself accountable for!

Lead for once! Instead of always being a follower! and instead of criticizing who you follow!

Educate your people!

Send your daughters to school!

Stop killing hundreds of thousands of people every time an earthquake occurs; when higher magnitude earthquakes result in less deaths in more 'civilized' nations!

Building permits and inspections done by the book, not by how big your wallet is!

Using proper code and the right materials instead of cheap labor, bribed paperwork, and cheap parts... a recipe for disaster!

Teach your people to drive with licenses that are not paid or bribed for!

Teach your people not to drink the entire bar!

Teach your people not to drink and drive on two lane roads at more than 100 mph!

Teach your businesses that customer is the king, not the nuisance!

Teach your people to be honest, trustworthy, and respectful!

Teach your people to read!

Teach your people to learn how to speak intelligently!

Teach your people to practice patience!

Teach your people to respect others, and say 'thank you' or excuse me'!

Teach your people to not rub themselves against women in public buses!

Teach your people not to fire guns into the air at weddings, or any reason to celebrate, killing innocent bystanders!

Teach your people not to stare at every tall blonde who walks by, holding hundreds of cell phone cameras at her, as if she was some sort of a circus animal!

Teach your people sex education!

Teach your people to not hit their women!

Teach your people to learn how to give credit when credit is due!

Teach your people to learn 'etiquette'

I'll stop now... I guess you got the point!

Ne Mutlu Turkum Diyene!

Maybe we should all work toward changing Turkey for the better, instead of comparing our negatives, as if that's an excuse to stand pat!!!

As if... if the U.S. is doing it, so can Turkey too???


And what make me even more depressed is the attitude exhibited here with this knee jerk reaction to commenst such as the above and this totally ridiculous notion of the West whihc implies that the West is some form of lump that cannot accomoodate a multitude of different viewpoints and belief sets whihc of course the East does!! Plus when does someone migrate to the West, a Turk who lives in Amerika to be labelled with such a tag just reinforces what is the above.

I could go on and on with every single point that you have made and find you something much worse in the West, but I think you get the point.

Why not fix your own crap before criticizing others? How about it? :-)

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Another win

So after the excitement of the UEFA Cup it was a trip to the bread eaters in Konya.

And it was a second win out of two for Bulent. Again practically the same team that lost to Kocaeli but this time there was more determination about the team. Again is it new manager bounce or a real improvement. Other results went our way so the top of the Lig closed up again but I have a feeling this year will go to the last couple of weeks and may even be decided on the last day when Galatasaray host Sivas.

Oh yes and ESPN Soccernet remembered there is more to life than English, Italian and Spanish soccer with an articale on Sivas