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.

Bah humbug......

Its not that I dont like Christmas or the New Year, or should I say the Holiday Season as its referred to here in the You Ess of Ay but I am glad that it is almost over. The pressure to spend way too much money, buy useless crap for your family and generally over indulge is relentless. I am glad that Thanksgiving is so close to Christmas tat the pressure is not as intense as say in the UK.

Anyway looking back on 2007 I think that over all Galatasaray have under and then over and then under performed. The feeling that they gave up at the end of last season still refuses to go away but some good and relataively cheap buys i the summer seemed to have got the tam back on track, leading the Super Lig until the very last weekedn when a draw to the Oftas team put us third. Having made such a good start it was disappointing to allow the other teams to catch us up in November and December as the team struggled to maintain consistency. I hope the injured players soon get fit and back in the team so we can get off to a better start and then maintain that form for the rest of the season.

It will be interesting to see who stays and who arrives during the transfer window as we need a couple of midfield players, a defender and a creative attacker to hep Arda etc.

Good to see that work has, finally, started on Aslantepe so we will soon have by far the best stadium in Turkey, no Migros here......

Looking forward in hope to the New Year...

Off with the Tas....

Bloody awful, thats all I can say and if Gulay was posting she would undoubtedly say the same but as she is a tad depressed at the moment about the GS meltdown that has enabled various second rate and substandard teams to claw their sorry asses to the top two places
...actually she has had flu and is not feeling too good hence I am posting on Christmas Eve...

Actually though the last couple of GS matches have completely underwhelmed us...where is the swagger, the fire of the first 10 or 12 matches of the season...I guess injuries might be one reason and fielding a relatively young and inexperienced team but there seems to have been a collective failure of will....and where was Umit Karan on Sunday.....

Still when you consider the money wasted on the Asian side of the Bosphorus to try to ensure success for the so called peoples team. Well the superior types really don't care about the blue collar oiks and once Aslantepe is completed with its decent communications, no Migros in the basement for us, chaps..direct Metro link, good car parking....not a market place in Kadikoy, I mean why are they so proud of that very badly situated stadium anyway....does not even have a sliding roof.....peasants.....

In other news Man Yoo continue to chew at L'Arse's heals in the EPL while Chavski continue to be a fading force with lucky results, and as for the Scousers, f*** em, .....at least there is plenty of footie on the tube this next couple of days, of course here in the Yoo Ess of Ehhh Boxing Day is not a holiday, heathens.... so I had to take a days vacation to have a proper Christmas (had to work a half day today as well, my goodness.) but that will be brightened by a full day of footie...excellent.

Anyway as 2007 peters out all I can say is the Duvel is excellent, the weather fresh, and that football is the stuff of life.....as Bill Shankly once said,

"Football is not about life or death.......its more important"

And on that note from Gulay, Leana and I

Feliz Nevidad, Iyi Bayramlar, Mutlu Yillar,

and

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.....

The Husband.

Aspirin anyone

So after the bore draw with Austria Vienna, a game so lacking in action I could find nothing to blog about....we have been drawn with Bayer Leverkuesen in the next round of the UEFA Cup. All I can say is that we had better start playing like we were at the start of the season or else its thank you and good night...lets hope for a start that Lincoln and Linderoth are back. I really don't want to spend 90 minutes hearing how poor Turkish soccer is!!! from the match commentators.

Sunday sees CimBom head to the frozen wastes of the capital to take on the Genlirbirlgi first team or G Oftas. Three point is a must as it has all got very tight at the top of the Lig and it would be good to go in at the winter break on top....

Mixed fortune

The weekend started off good enough with Galatasaray struggling to a 2-0 win over Sivas and going back to the top of the Lig. It was a struggle though. The changing point was probably Balili going off although it still took a long time for CimBom to capitalize. Still no Linderoth, Lincoln or Ayhan and Hasan Sas suspended so the team again had a youthful look to it. The win took GS back to the top of the Lig whatever happened the rest of the weekend albeit with a reduced points advantage.

Super Sunday came and went in England with two games of high intensity if not too much technical skill but played at 200kph, although playing at that speed and intensity takes a lot of skill as well. Exciting to watch with Man Utd and Arsenal demonstrating why the championship will probably be between them this year.

Of course Genc had to spoil the mood by losing at home but you cant have everything I guess!

How sad...

What next, the Cross of St George (a Turkish knight apparently) and the flag of England to be considered offensive to Muslims as well??????? I think this over-excited FB supporter should calm down and re-read his history books..See in the Telegraph

Inter Milan football strip 'offends Muslims'

By Megan Levy
Last Updated: 2:23am GMT 13/12/2007

A football strip worn by Italian team Inter Milan is at the centre of a legal row after a lawyer claimed it offended "Muslim sensibilities".

Inter Milan jersey
The 'offensive' Inter Milan strip

Players wore the new strip – a white shirt with large red cross on it – in a Champions League match last month against Turkish team Fenerbahçe to celebrate the club’s centenary.

But a Turkish lawyer, Baris Kaska, took exception to the "Crusader-style" cross which he said symbolised "Western racist superiority over Islam".

He claimed the offending shirt reminded Turks of an emblem of the Christian order of the Knights Templar.

Mr Kaska, who specialises in European law, has lodged a complaint in a local court against the club.

He is seeking damages, and is appealing to Uefa to annul the match, which Inter Milan won 3-0.

Mr Kaska told the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia: "That cross only brings one thing to mind - the symbol of the Templar Knights.

"It made me think immediately of the bloody days of the past. While I was watching the game I felt profound grief in my soul."
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He said the court had contacted both Uefa and Fifa to convey his demand that Inter Milan should be "heavily fined for displaying an offensive symbol".

Inter Milan officials are reportedly "astounded" at the controversy.

They have pointed out that a red cross on a white background was the symbol of the city of Milan, and that many Italian football clubs have incorporated the cross on their shirts.

Charity to the poor

Its that time of year again, you know when poor disadvantaged people need help and charity to get them through the holiday season. Obviously Feldkampf and his players were in a generous giving mood and fielded what is definitely not the first team, no Lincoln, Linderoth, Hasan Sas or Ayhan. Lost of young players in the team with Umit and Hakan on the bench.

First half was relatively even except for Songs very generous decision to play Semih onside when all he had to do was step up and it would have been offside, or maybe not as we shall see later. The worrying thing from CimBom's point of view was that they were not creating too many clear cut chances and testing one of the weakest goalkeepers in Turkey. However FB's defense has obviously been absorbing more and more South American influence as the cynicism with which any GS attack was ended with a foul to break up rhythm was noticeable.

So the second half. It would of course not be an Istanbul derby hosted in Kadikoy without some controversy regarding the referee, have you ever noticed this only happens in Kadikoy though and rarely on the historical and culture rich side of the Bosphorus. There was no foul on Semih, Ugur won the ball but somehow this becomes a free kick from which the ball pinballs its way in to the net. Now contracts that decision with the inexplicable decision to award only a corner when Lugano made no effort to take the ball and simply cleared Nonda's legs from beneath him in the penalty area. One of the clearest penalties you will ever see, unless of course you are the referee when FB are at home to Galatasaray. Contrast that with the penalties FB regularly get when Alex gets breathed on and you will understand all GS fans frustration. Comparing the penalty Ronalda got for Man Utd earlier in the day with the non-penalty here really makes me wonder sometimes about the need for video referring being added.Would it have changed the eventual result, may be not as GS did not deserve to win, not enough chances made, but I guess we will never know.

Deivid should really know better as well, his reaction making it clear that he knew he had head butted a GS player, maybe he was provoked but retaliation will always be more severely punished. The only surprise was that Alex had not been penalized for a similar incident a few minutes earlier when he clearly kicked out at Ugur when he refused to play the ball out just because some FB player was feigning injury on the pitch. The unwritten law has been set aside, as long as the ref does not stop play the players don't have to.

All in all a reasonable performance from the Carling Cup team. IF thats the best FB could do against our second team then I would much rather be in the position Galatasaray are in than FB I have to say.

Anticipation

Big weekend coming up with the derby match over in Asia against some team called FB. Its also the Basketball derby as well where the caffeine addicts take on the biscuit boys of kadikoy.....

So it could well be a bad weekend for me or a good one. I have to say though that I am not optimistic. The last few seasons apart from the Turkish Cup triumph in 2005 at 5-1 we have struggled to beat the blue collar team from the poorer side of the water.....as was said about those who settled in what was chalcedon.... why???????? when you have the golden horn to live near??

SO is this me getting my excuses in early, hell yes but also being realistic. Normally these games are hyped up and the match itself is not that good, remember when CimBom had four player sent off a couple of seasons ago??? Mind you I also remember last year when Mondragon was deafened and blinded by a flare thrown by a so-called supporter and then in the return match the players were weaving between seats etc....

I am sure Firat Aydinus will have things under control,can we not put in a last request for Rob Styles though....Alex would definitely be red carded in that case...

UEFA cup results did not go our way. We could win the last match and still not qualify, losing at home was not a good idea.....however the Husband was born in Bolton and his Mum still lives theer so he is feeling happy but worried tonight. Fancy that they beat Red Star in Belgrade with their B team, the first English Club to do that and now the destiny is out of their hands despite not losing a game and even drawing with FC Hollywood.

Heres hoping.......

Good and bad

So this week has seen the good and the bad side of CimBom.

The good side was the 3-0 win over Panionis which means we still have a chance of qualifying for the next round of the UEFA cup.

The bad was the first half performance today against the Municipality team. Horrible does not even come close.

Slightly better was the second half performance and at least we managed a point with Umit as he has done very often scoring right at the death. I have to say that if this was last season we would have lost tis match and it seems like GS have the determination back again. Also good was Hasan's red card as this means he will miss the FB match next weekend and as he a shadow of the player he used to be that is a good thing, he has become a liability, always walking the line to a red card.

Looks like Turkey may wit a bit of luck have three teams in the next stages of the European competitions. With the changes to the qualification criteria this is probably a good thing as the Lig will get more points.

Well with Sivas losing this keeps GS top but now only 4 points to the Kadikoy mob and its the big derby next weekend in Kadikoy. With Galatasaray's recent history against FB I am not overly optimistic I have to say but football is a funny game, look at Bolton's game against Liverpool today, Liverpool won 4-0 thanks to an offside goal, a very generous penalty one good goal and one lucky one, if Anelka had not missed an open goal at 1-0 then the result may have been very different.

Game of two halves thats what football is......

Road win

Excellent result today up on the Black Sea for Galatasaray.

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

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

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

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

Northern Lights

Better late than never I guess.

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

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

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

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

Household tips

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

Firstly here are my tips for dinner:

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

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

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

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

So tune in next week for more household tips,

My oh my...

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

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

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

A good day at the office

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

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

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

Pickled.......

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

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

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

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

One wheel off the wagon

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

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

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

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

Denizli 1-2 Galatasaray

So back to winning ways after 2 draws and a loss in Europe. Took some help from what I can only say was a completely incompetent referee today who was at least consistently incompetent.

Two penalties awarded in the game which were both dodgy although I think the push on Umit Karan at least happened before the ball arrived unlike the Denizli penalty when the player had already headed the ball and there was a coming together. Still both penalties were well taken.

I would say that a GS win was deserved with 30 shots compared to 7.

Bit of a strange team out today though, no Ayhan, Lincoln, Hakan Sukur, Sabri who were all injured and no Linderoth who appeared to be missing but I am not sure why.

Anyway a win is a win and that puts us back top of the league with Sivas losing and Besiktas only drawing.

So lets hope the winning habit is back again

What is going on

So after Besiktas showed the way CimBom returned to the form of last season with a 2-1 away loss at Bordeaux. When I say last season I mean where we got a lead and then failed to build on it as has happened in the last three games as we have not won any of them.

It was worrying that despite making chances and even taking the lead that we failed to close the game out. Most of the team played okay but they are going to have to raise the level again soon and start taking charge of teams again. We were once again on the wrong end of referees inconsistent decisions with no yellow cards issued despite a panalty award. Arda spent most of the game on the grass and we did not really get the decisions. Having said that I think that part of the problem is that when Turkish teams get in Europe and especially the big 4 that they are very bad at referee managament. This is probably because back in urkey they are so used to getting the decisions without asking but in Europe its "Who are you??? from the referee. I guess the TFF needs to start by making sure the same rules are applied to all teams rather than the benefit always going to the big 4. So thats an impossible dream then.

So what is going on in Turkish football, coaches being sacked when players object to being disciplined, probably because the players are Turkish and the coach foreign? Why do we have this persecution attitude, why can we not learn and why can we not take criticism. When a coach accuses players of being lazy, Ankaragucu, and the chairman sacks the coach then one can only assume that the nasty spectres of racism, xenophobia and "This is Turkey, you dont understand" comes into play.

The other issue it raises is that so many owners and charmaen seem to think they know better than the coach they hire. Maybe you are a successful businessman but thaht does not mean you know anything about football, look what happened at Chavski. Chairmen should supply the money, pay the players, provide eye candy as escorts and otherwise keep the hell out of things they absolutely know nothing about......look at the EPL, the successfull clubs have chairmen who keep out of football issues....Man U, Arsenal, L'pool etc,

Anyway time to go and feed Zeynep.

Soulless and goalless

Husband here today, Gulay is busy with motherhood things....

Today's snorefest was the last home game to be played without crowd I think. I hope so because it kills the event. Mind you I think it would have taken direct application of electricity to the reproductive areas to enliven this match. What an awful performance against a team who are bottom of the league and have yet to win a game. SO thats two draws on the run, away at Kayseri was acceptable at home to Ankaraspor definitely not.

So if Sivas win tomorrow and just why on earth games are being played in the middle of the afternoon on a Monday then they will go top. Should only be temporary but more importantly the Kadikoy mob have obviously got their referee reimbursement scheme up and running again to make sure that they don't get too far behind. Still the gap is 6 points which is still healthy but shrinking.

The first UEFA Cup match is also this week so that was not a particularly good start to the week. CimBom never looked like scoring today.

Just go...........

You know who I mean.

Embarrasing, awful performance in Istanbul. Why was Arda on the bench, why was the bookies mate playing, why is Gokhan Unal in the Turkey team.....just go, just go please and do us all a favor

Yeeeeessssssss!!!!!!!

I what I felt after the match.......I am talking about the English victory over the French in Paris in the Rugby World Cup fo course not the garbage that was served upin Moldova. That feeling was more like...bblllllaaaarrrgggghhhhhhh as you vomit in the toilet. What an inept, embarrassing and appalling performance. About the only good thing was that we did not lose and are now 1 point ahead of Norway having played the same games.

But really the performance was awful. Emre seemed to think he was playing blue with the number of passes he made that went straight to Moldovan players, Gokhan Unal was very poor, Servet not much better. Tuncay and Arda were average. Thank goodness for Umit Karan who showed more bravery and determination to score the equalizer than the other forwards showed through the entire game.

If we play like this on Wednesday then we will not be going to Euro 2008. Fatih Terim should watch the tapes of England in the Rugby to see how to have a plan, stick to it, play with passion and win even when playing ugly.......

UEAF and EURO

I have been a bit late in posting recently what with baby duties but I thought I would just ad my thoughts on the UEFA Draw and also the team and our chances for the EURO 2008 qualifiers against Moldova and Greece.

First UEFA Cup.

After disposing of FC Sion in emphatic fashion and celebrating by drawing with Kayseri we had the what I think is good fortune to get the following group for the "group" stages.

Austria Wien, Panionios, Helsinborg and Girodins Bordeaux.

Not too hard but certainly not easy either. I remember a couple of seasons ago when we played Bordeaux in the Chimps League and lost but its a new team now wit a new manager in Laurent Blanc and they are average so far. Helsingborg is of course Henrik LArssons team so he could still be a threat and the others I dont know much about but any match with the Greeks or Austrians should be fruity!! Could be worse we could have got Bayern Munich or similar..role on October 25 and our first game away in France.


As for the Turkish team I just hope we find a way to win. Fatih Terim is definitely losing the plot.

And as for Dida, 2 game ban plus Emmy would seem reasonable...

Hangover

In truth not a good performance today but at least we did not lose. A 1-1 away at Kayseri not much to shout about I have to say. Like I say the team seemed a bit flat today, possibly a hangover from the UEFA Cup heroics on Thursday.

Not much to say really. GS are still top thanks to Sivas only drawing at Ankargucu. Bit of a break now for the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Lets hope all players get back uninjured and we can pick up the pace in the next game and get back to winning ways.

Simple progress

Excellent performance from Galatasaray on Thursday with a 5-1 victory over FC Sion whihc sees us into the next round of the UEFA CUp. This was a chalk and cheese performance coapred to the first leg match. The team were positive and solid and played with imagination and a certain amount of flair. Of course the opposition was not the stringest but they showed in the first game what they could do so it was a good performance.

Umit Karan is playing well this season, I guess with Necati gone he can get an extended run in the team.

Next up is Kayserispor who have had a reasonable start but if we play like the last couple of games there should be another 3 points in the bag.

The Ultimate Insult

So today was a mixed day.

On the one hand Abdullah Gul stated that Turkey may revisit the Insulting Turkishness Law.

On the other I found out that according to the assholes that currently have been elected to run Turkey that I am a member of a "vulnerable group that requires special protection".

So after all the recent gains in Turkey and at least a vague recognition that women should have equal rights to men that I now find myslef classed as nobetter than a dog or cat and that I am somehow in need of protection. Well Mr Erdogan I have a message for you.

FUCK OFF AND DIE.

And to all the other asshole Turkish muslim macho men who are probably thinking that great, now I can beat the bitch, have affairs, father kids with other women and generally treat her like the piece of shit possesion that my fuckwit Imam and PM says she is gives me immunity from any reprisals.

I tell you this is enough to make me want to renounce my citizenship as I really do not want to be a member of a country that wants to make me legally a second class member of society who a big brave man can protect. I am a human being with equal rights and responsibilities, not a possession. What century do Erdogan and all the crap muslims in the AK party think they are living in, the 7th?

And then whats next?

Divorce according to Sharia Law?
Bans on alcohol?
Mandatory female circumsicoson?
Criminilization of adultery and pre-marital sex?

Where will it end, where will the intolerance, bigotry and islamification end and when will the PM and President be arraigned for abandoning Turkeys secularity.....

Train keeps rolling

Another match and another victory for CimBom. A harder fought victory for sure but another three points safely in the bag and the gaps to the pretenders are maintained and grow, 5 to BJK and 7 to the others.

Again tow of the new players showed their worth with Balta and Nonda scoring. All this was achieved without Hakan Sukur and Lincoln even in the squad due to some indiscretions at training during the week.

Whilst Feldkampf might look like your favorite grandfather he obviously has a tough streak as he does not appear afraid to discipline players who most would probably assume would be first on the team sheet.

One more game and we will finally get some supporters back in the ground. Normally I would welcome that as the crowd at Ali Sami Yen can be like a 12th man but at the moment with the home form I am not sure!! The crowd could pout pressure on the players and they may not be as effective or we get the 12th man back and really start putting pressure on the visiting teams. AT least we have an excuse for empty seats whereas after all the shouting the Kadikoy mob have many empty seats despite selling so many season tickets, maybe whats on offer is not so appealing.

I do think though that the TFF have to find an alternative punishment as to have one of the top games played in an empty stadium send a very poor message to the sponsors, fans and tv!

The gap grows

With one of the best goals this season Umit Karan settled Galatsaray's nerves and put the bad taste away after Thursday's match.

On the face of it a 1-0 win over Kasimpasa at the Olympic Stadium is not that impressive but of the penalty had been missed and some of the other chances been converted it would have been a comfortable win rather. However 3 points is three points and the clean sheet also extends out average to +13 and the lead over Sivaspor to 1 point, BJK 2 and the "Future o0f Turkish Soccer" 7 points. Now I am not naive enough to believe that this will be the situation at the end of the season as I am sure that Aziz and his mates will be having a word with the referees and I am fairly sure that Sivas will do a Manisa, although it wold be good if the do not but 7 points so early is a significant gap as is the average.

So next week is the first meaningful Istanbul derby with GS at home in an empty stadium to Besiktas. This should give a good indication of where the Championship will be going this season I think although it will probably be a draw...

Over in the EPL Man Yoo showed Chavski for what they are, overhyped and overpaid hackers. Maybe Obi's sending off was harsh but Joe Cole should have gone for the horrible tackle on Ronaldo and maybe Saha's penalty was soft but the Joe Cole tackle on Evra on the first half was so clearly a penalty that the arrogant one's cannot really have a complaint.

False dawn

Bloody awful performance on Thursday night. To lose away from home is not too big a disgrace in Europe but to lose to FC Sion in Sitzerland is poor, very poor. At least we got two away goals which gives us some hope for the second leg but really.........

Obvious case of not being prepared and underestimating the opposition.

Anyway back to SuperLig on Sunday and a newIstanbul derby to play against Kasimpasa out at the Olympic stadium. This should be like a home game as I am guessing that there will be a few CimBom supporters there for the game. Lets hope the team forgets about Thursday and gets on with the business.

As you can guess I can hardly get a sensible word out of the Husband this week as his team play a Mourinho less Chavski on Sunday......could be bad could be good, lets see.

Dog the bounty hunter

I will digress from football for a moment.

I am sure that most of you have read the story about some modern age enlightened Imam has set a bounty on the head of a Swedish Cartoonist for some rather insulting cartoons. I am not going to get into the whole debate about free speech and respect for other people that was discussed at length when the Danes published their cartoons.

What I do want to say and I guess I need to be careful or some bigot surfing the net thanks to technology, capital, research and development all provided from the infidel nations of the west will probably take offence and decide to come looking for me.

I undertsnad people being upset, and I understand people taking revenge in certain ways but does this kind of action help? Why do people think that others draw such cartoons or have such ideas and pictures in their heads regarding Islam. I would like to believe that the majority of educated people around the world of whatever religion or ethnicity probably consider the cartoons a step too far as is setting a bounty and inciting murder in the name of religion.

Naive? maybe.


What is truly scary to me though is the increasing intolerance of other viewpoints. With increased access to information via the internet it seems that a large number of people simply use it to peddle their own brand of bigotry. This narrow nationalism and desire to be a Croat, Welsh, Turk and rule your own country or vegetable patch etc. is a recent phenomenon and goes against 2000 years of European history. Its a shame that the polyglot, multi ethnic society that lived around the Mediterranean for 2 to 3000 years (no doubt some helenophile will try to prove this was Greek) has been swept away in wars and self determination.

For what? So that some Imam in Iraq can condemn a man to death in Sweden? Is that progress.

Top of the league

After the dissapointment of last weeks draw it was good to see Galatasaray get back in the groove with a comprehensive thrashing of Konyaspor. Granted it became easier after the Konya player was sent off but it was good to see a clinical closing of the game after that. Often a team with 10 men will play better so it was good to see a more ruthless CimBom than we have seen the last couple of seasons.

Galatasaray 6 - 0 Konyaspor.

It is also good to see that the new players are fitting in well. It was also good to see Carusca back in action and having a good game as well. Nonda looks like a good buy as well with 2 goals on his debut and Hakan Balta also seemed to fit in well even if it was ony for 10 minutes. The most impressive player for me though was Baris a virtual unknown at the start of the season but a very good find, young, hungry and cheap. Whether this form will last the whole season is a question but as long as it last then good.

This was a slightly reshaped team than recently with more foreign starters but that's also good as it shows that the squad is well balanced and not reliant on any particular player.

Orkun, Uğur Uçar, Song, Servet, Volkan Yaman, Barış Özbek, Linderoth, Carrusca, Lincoln, Hakan Şükür, Nonda

Subs:
Aykut, Ismael Bouzid, Hakan Balta, Okan Buruk, Ayhan, Hasan Şaş, Ümit Karan

Difficult to really say who was the best player as all the team played well, even Hasan Sas. What is good though is that with the Besiktas and the others drawing this means the points gao is 2 and 5 respectively. I know its early in the season but there is a difference in attitude and performance as well which makes me feel at least optimistic for the rest.

Only 2 more games and then the ridiculous stadium ban is finished and supporteres will be let back in to bring atmosphere back to the matches. Whilst I do not codone what happened at the end of last season is the best way to advertsise Turkish football for people to see 2 of the biggest teasms playing in empty stadiums??

Probably ok

So 4 points from 6. Not too bad and with the other results puts Turkey third in the group level on points with Norway but with a game in hand.

Whilst 4 points form 6 with an away game an a home game would normally be okay in this case it is not given that the away game was Malta. When was the last time they got a result against a team of the same standard as Turkey. O me it shows that with Terim we will not won anything as he cannot get the team motivated to face one of the weaker teams in Europe.

As for the Hungary game the 3-0 scoreline was perhaps generous but as far as I am concerned a dove is a yellow card and anyone who has watched the EPL this season should expect cards for players who simulate (cheat) so I have no sympathy whatsoever for Gera.

Back to the real business this weekend, Sumday and Galatasaray take on Konyaspor in an empty stadium.....should be a comfortable 3 points I think but lets see....

National Pride

Well the Husband is having a good weekend already. With Argentina beating the French in the Rugby World Cup last night. Apparantely this was not supposed to happen but as an Ingallishman any loss the French suffer is particularly sweet for him.

Back to the round ball. This weekend sees the Euro 2008 Qualification action crank up again and whilst England take on Israel the real action will be in Valetta where Turkey takes on Malta. Did you know that the Island of Malta recieved the George Cross from the Brits after WWII for heroic defence against the Germans. Lets just hope they are not in the same mood tonight.

Fatih Terim has picked a few players though like Emre who are hardly playing or their club sides at the moment so I really hope he gets the formation correct or we could be embarrased again. Still all in all its a good squad but as I say he has to get the right team blend. Three points are a must for today and from the Hungary game. Fortutaley that game is in Turkey unfortunately its at the Olynmoic stadium so our big advantage the crowd has been neutralized. I really do wonder what planet the TFF are from. The game should be in Kadikoy, if Ali Sami Yen is out of order (probably for UEFA games) with 55,000 next to the pitch and a cauldron of noise rather than in the empty echoing wastes of the Olympic stadium.

Oh well, here's hoping

Not quite good enough

With the opportunity to get 5 points ahead of the "Future of Turkish Soccer", Galatasaray could only manage a draw against the washing machine men of Manisa. Having said that the Manisa equalizer was a bit fortunate as it got a huge deflection on the way in or Aykut would have saved it. Oh well. Otherwise the team played and well and apart from, some eccentric referring it was a good game with just the wrong result. Although Lincoln and Linderoth and the other established [players did well it is the performance of the younger players that I am more tan happy with. Once again I think Feldkamp is doing a good job by releasing the less hungry ones and bringing in the young players and preparing GS for the future rather than buying 34 year old has beens who appears to want a retirement home!!!

Still top of the league after 4 games and only 2 points lost is not too bad.

Not quite sure where Nonda is going to fit into the team. Having said that with the release of Hasan Kabze and Necati I guess we need a spare striker and he is quite good having played for Roma and Blackburn last season.

In the UEFA Cup our next opponents are FC Sion who we should be able to get past but lets see.

Another good weekend for the second city saw three points from three matches and two of those in a derby match. The only useful result was of course the Oftas result, glad to see there is one team up there who want to afect the outcome of the Super LIg....