Looks like Guus will have to look for a goalkeeper with half a brain cell as he would have more intelligence than Volkan. Once again he effectively cost Turkey the match against the USA with his idiot attempt to reach the ball before Donovan. Zan had it covered so why come for a ball you have absolutely no chance of reaching.
Otherwise a good performance in a game that could have gone either way. Glad Mehmet Topal is moving to Valencas as he was rubbish when he came on.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Time to draw breath
So after a frantic finish to the season which saw CimBom sign off with two 2-1 defeats at home to Antalya and away at Gencler it was refreshing to see Bursaspor win the SuperLig. Actually it was mostly refreshing because it stopped FB from winning the League and the incorrect stadium announcement just made it better.
This was on reflection a poor end to a season that had started so well, with 7 unbeaten matches. The trio of Baros, Keita and Kewell tearing defenses apart and almost scoring for fun, but then things started to go awry, Baros and Kewell got injured, the team seemed tired and began to struggle to score and even more importantly the defense had a soft center to it. After the winter break the overall performance of the team continued on its slow descent to mediocrity, although hopes were briefly raised as Baros got back on the pitch and Kewell made a couple of cameo appearances. The winter recruits did ok except for Jo who was a waste of space, dos Santos looked like he might have a future but depends on cost. Lucas Neill was probably the best of the signings and lets hope he hangs around after the World Cup.
So now we are into the silly season, Mehmet Topal has already been sold and three players brought in. I would assume that Leo Franco will also be let go as he was generally poor during the season.
And finally I hope the board realize that the ego has got to go, Arda has turned into a spoilt, indulged prima donna with his theatrics becoming more important than his play. He was generally poor this season and really needs to work on his fitness, speed and technique and he may one day become a good player but for now he should be sent away to Italy or England for a spell to improve him as a player.
This was on reflection a poor end to a season that had started so well, with 7 unbeaten matches. The trio of Baros, Keita and Kewell tearing defenses apart and almost scoring for fun, but then things started to go awry, Baros and Kewell got injured, the team seemed tired and began to struggle to score and even more importantly the defense had a soft center to it. After the winter break the overall performance of the team continued on its slow descent to mediocrity, although hopes were briefly raised as Baros got back on the pitch and Kewell made a couple of cameo appearances. The winter recruits did ok except for Jo who was a waste of space, dos Santos looked like he might have a future but depends on cost. Lucas Neill was probably the best of the signings and lets hope he hangs around after the World Cup.
So now we are into the silly season, Mehmet Topal has already been sold and three players brought in. I would assume that Leo Franco will also be let go as he was generally poor during the season.
And finally I hope the board realize that the ego has got to go, Arda has turned into a spoilt, indulged prima donna with his theatrics becoming more important than his play. He was generally poor this season and really needs to work on his fitness, speed and technique and he may one day become a good player but for now he should be sent away to Italy or England for a spell to improve him as a player.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Season wind down
A fairly boring 1-0 win yesterday at the white elephant stadium where the GS supporters comfortably outnumbered everyone connected with IBB. I actually nodded off during the second half for five minutes but I dont think I missed much. Baros once again demonstrated why we have missed him and it was good to see Kewell finally back on a pitch and playing even if it was only for five minutes. Thats about it really, Baros scored, few near misses for both sides.
Bursa and the horse thieves won as well so its all the same at the top of the SuperLig.
Bursa and the horse thieves won as well so its all the same at the top of the SuperLig.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Split Personality
I have to say that I was not exactly sure which result I wanted today. With the horse thieves winning yesterday against Kasimpasa, no surprise there really with the Erdogan connection at work, I mean no-one seriously expected the fat whinger to leave anything to chance did they??????
A win for GS and whilst that would improve our chances it would virtually hand the championship to you know who and we don't want that to happen so a draw was in some ways the best result as the points are now 67,66 and 61 with BJK on 58. Bursa are guaranteed 3 out of the remaining 9 points as they "play" Ankara and finish with kayseri and BJK at home. The others finish Eskisheir at home, Ankargucu away and Trabzon at home. As long as GS win their remaining games we are at least guaranteed Europa League for the new stadium next season.
As for todays match its a pity Bünyamin Gezer was not the referee for the Kadikoy derbi given what he gave out yellow and red cards for today. Lets face it Lugano would not survive in a league where the referees are not bought for your teams matches and he would definitely have seen red due to his octopus antics in the box. The red cards for Neill and Zapo were ridiculous goiven what normally is allowed to happen in the SuperLig at corners. For a 0-0 draw this was a good game though with lots of attack and why of why has Aykut not been in goal all season a couple of superb saves today. On balance I think GS had the better chances but the 0-0 was probably a fair result with the whole team except for Jo having good games. Baros looked sharp and on another day could have had a couple and I hope the Board do not let him leave in the summer.
A win for GS and whilst that would improve our chances it would virtually hand the championship to you know who and we don't want that to happen so a draw was in some ways the best result as the points are now 67,66 and 61 with BJK on 58. Bursa are guaranteed 3 out of the remaining 9 points as they "play" Ankara and finish with kayseri and BJK at home. The others finish Eskisheir at home, Ankargucu away and Trabzon at home. As long as GS win their remaining games we are at least guaranteed Europa League for the new stadium next season.
As for todays match its a pity Bünyamin Gezer was not the referee for the Kadikoy derbi given what he gave out yellow and red cards for today. Lets face it Lugano would not survive in a league where the referees are not bought for your teams matches and he would definitely have seen red due to his octopus antics in the box. The red cards for Neill and Zapo were ridiculous goiven what normally is allowed to happen in the SuperLig at corners. For a 0-0 draw this was a good game though with lots of attack and why of why has Aykut not been in goal all season a couple of superb saves today. On balance I think GS had the better chances but the 0-0 was probably a fair result with the whole team except for Jo having good games. Baros looked sharp and on another day could have had a couple and I hope the Board do not let him leave in the summer.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Getting tense
So GS went to Manisa, picked up a Vestel and three points and back to Istanbul.
Overall an acceptable performance although again as against Diyarbakir we seemed to switch off at about the 65/70 minute mark and gave the opposition some hope. I cant really blame Mehmet Topal as the ball hit him and went in but even so Manisa sensed an opportunity and went for it. Of course if we had converted one of the many chances that were easier to score than miss we would have been out of sight but at least we won and picked up the three points.
One way or another the top of the SuperLig will show some changes, at least from a points and played perspective as unless BJK beat FB by at least 7 goals there will be no position changes. A draw would be good as it would spread the teams out although a BJK win may actually be better for CimBom than a draw as it would put FB within one point.
I watched the Bursa match on Friday and although they won they were not excatly convincing and with having to play GS and BJK there may be a few twists and turns yet although out of the 12 points remaining they could win they already have three as they play Ankaraspor!
Overall an acceptable performance although again as against Diyarbakir we seemed to switch off at about the 65/70 minute mark and gave the opposition some hope. I cant really blame Mehmet Topal as the ball hit him and went in but even so Manisa sensed an opportunity and went for it. Of course if we had converted one of the many chances that were easier to score than miss we would have been out of sight but at least we won and picked up the three points.
One way or another the top of the SuperLig will show some changes, at least from a points and played perspective as unless BJK beat FB by at least 7 goals there will be no position changes. A draw would be good as it would spread the teams out although a BJK win may actually be better for CimBom than a draw as it would put FB within one point.
I watched the Bursa match on Friday and although they won they were not excatly convincing and with having to play GS and BJK there may be a few twists and turns yet although out of the 12 points remaining they could win they already have three as they play Ankaraspor!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Better
It would be easy to say that if Baros had been fit all season that we would not be in third position in the SuperLig. It might be true but it might not be, all I know is that he has been missed as his hat-trick against an admittedly poor Diyarbakir showed. When he plays the team has a focal point, a real centre forward who is available and working for the team. The other players we tried up there this season are not really out and out goal machines like Baros, in fact at times we looked like we had no leadership in the forward line when he was not playing. So like I said it would be easy to make the assumption that if he had been fit we sould be leading the Lig.
Although CimBom won 4-1 on Sunday the overall performance was still moderate and Rijkaards constant adjustments of the team probably dont help. Since the winter break he seems unsure of his best defence and tried another version on Sunday comprising Hakan Balta, Sabri, Neill and Caner. Personally I would go for Hakan, Neill, Emre Gungor and Sabri with Caner playing in front of Hakan, but hey what do I know. These changes are not helping the team to consolidate a style or become totoally familiar with each other.
Anyway a win is a win and we moved ahead of Besiktas on goal difference and are now 5 points behind Bursa who have still to play both Besiktas and ourselves so I would not make any assumptions about the title until the last game especially as Besiktas and FB have to play each other this weekend.
Although CimBom won 4-1 on Sunday the overall performance was still moderate and Rijkaards constant adjustments of the team probably dont help. Since the winter break he seems unsure of his best defence and tried another version on Sunday comprising Hakan Balta, Sabri, Neill and Caner. Personally I would go for Hakan, Neill, Emre Gungor and Sabri with Caner playing in front of Hakan, but hey what do I know. These changes are not helping the team to consolidate a style or become totoally familiar with each other.
Anyway a win is a win and we moved ahead of Besiktas on goal difference and are now 5 points behind Bursa who have still to play both Besiktas and ourselves so I would not make any assumptions about the title until the last game especially as Besiktas and FB have to play each other this weekend.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Oh well
So this last couple of weeks has been disappointing for both the Husband and myself.
CimBom's loss of heart in Sivas despite scoring first and having other chances was disappointing although a draw is a draw. The last couple of matches the only player who really seems to want to win has been Lucas Neill, the others seemed somewhat apathetic. This result plus the loss to the cheats and the laz have seen us drop to fourth and in danger of not qualifiying for Europe next season. Of course we can say we have not been helped by injuries to Kewell and Baros but the quality of the bargain bin replacements has not really been there although dos Santos appears to be regaining his form.
Of course our exist from Europe and the loss to the cheats could have been prevented if we had competent referees, the handball and psycho Lugano incidents.
Anyway the match this weekend should be a chance to pick up 3 point against Diyarbakir. We also still have to play Bursa at home so if we can get the attitude sorted out there could still be some surprises at the top of SuperLig. Looking at the run in for the top 4 other than Bursa GS have a relatively easier end of seaon then FB, BJK or Bursa. Especially as the last game is Bursa vs BJK and BJK and FB still have to play each other.
Its interesting how the so called media experts consider Rijkaard should go but I have to ask it is that easy why are you sitting on your fat ass on a chair in a TV studio and not managing a team.
CimBom's loss of heart in Sivas despite scoring first and having other chances was disappointing although a draw is a draw. The last couple of matches the only player who really seems to want to win has been Lucas Neill, the others seemed somewhat apathetic. This result plus the loss to the cheats and the laz have seen us drop to fourth and in danger of not qualifiying for Europe next season. Of course we can say we have not been helped by injuries to Kewell and Baros but the quality of the bargain bin replacements has not really been there although dos Santos appears to be regaining his form.
Of course our exist from Europe and the loss to the cheats could have been prevented if we had competent referees, the handball and psycho Lugano incidents.
Anyway the match this weekend should be a chance to pick up 3 point against Diyarbakir. We also still have to play Bursa at home so if we can get the attitude sorted out there could still be some surprises at the top of SuperLig. Looking at the run in for the top 4 other than Bursa GS have a relatively easier end of seaon then FB, BJK or Bursa. Especially as the last game is Bursa vs BJK and BJK and FB still have to play each other.
Its interesting how the so called media experts consider Rijkaard should go but I have to ask it is that easy why are you sitting on your fat ass on a chair in a TV studio and not managing a team.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Why?
Why is Volkan Demirel allowed to play football?
Why is Lugano not sent off in every game?
I seriously hate all things blue and yellow right now and Cuneyt Cakir as well. This was not a game we deserved to lose and had we had some luck we would have won the game at least 2-0 based on the two penalties we should have been awarded but were not. Both events were on Giovanni and whilst the first one, the push in the corner was questionable, although if it was Alex it would have been given, the second in the third minute of injury time was a clear absolute penalty when Lugano grabbed his shirt and pulled him down. This was not Cakir's only bias against GS, I lost count of the number of time he would play advantage, realize GS were in a good position and then stop play to make them take the free kick giving FB chance to organize their defense. And why was Arda brought on, he achieved absolutely nothing.
Having said that it was a very poor pice of goalkeeping taht allowed FB to score. Cant see Franco being around next season.
So with three losses out of the last 4 matches I think we can kiss the championship good bye, after the start we had this season is turning out to be a big disappointment, of course the injury list has not helped but we should not be in fourth right now. I guess if Kewell and Baros had been fit we would not be, we would probably be looking down from the top of the Lig. The replacement players have not really performed, especially Elano and Jo.
Why is Lugano not sent off in every game?
I seriously hate all things blue and yellow right now and Cuneyt Cakir as well. This was not a game we deserved to lose and had we had some luck we would have won the game at least 2-0 based on the two penalties we should have been awarded but were not. Both events were on Giovanni and whilst the first one, the push in the corner was questionable, although if it was Alex it would have been given, the second in the third minute of injury time was a clear absolute penalty when Lugano grabbed his shirt and pulled him down. This was not Cakir's only bias against GS, I lost count of the number of time he would play advantage, realize GS were in a good position and then stop play to make them take the free kick giving FB chance to organize their defense. And why was Arda brought on, he achieved absolutely nothing.
Having said that it was a very poor pice of goalkeeping taht allowed FB to score. Cant see Franco being around next season.
So with three losses out of the last 4 matches I think we can kiss the championship good bye, after the start we had this season is turning out to be a big disappointment, of course the injury list has not helped but we should not be in fourth right now. I guess if Kewell and Baros had been fit we would not be, we would probably be looking down from the top of the Lig. The replacement players have not really performed, especially Elano and Jo.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Typical
Just when you thought GS were getting into gear for the next Super Lig title along came Eskisehir and Trabzon where we only take 3 points from 9 and suddenly Bursaspor have opened up a 5 point gap and this weekend its the Istanbul derby which now has become a must win. Bursa meet IBB who have done a good job of spoiling the big teams parties this year.
But really GS should be home and dry by now with the quality in the squad. I guess the big problem has been the injuries especially to Baros and Kewell who were both scoring freely and carving other teams up. Both are now almost back for the run in so we should improve but right now the title is Bursa's to lose although we do have to play them before the end of the season.
But really GS should be home and dry by now with the quality in the squad. I guess the big problem has been the injuries especially to Baros and Kewell who were both scoring freely and carving other teams up. Both are now almost back for the run in so we should improve but right now the title is Bursa's to lose although we do have to play them before the end of the season.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
3 goals 3 points
As a training exercise for the run in, today was useful if not conclusive. Frankly this was a one sided match so it would be difficult to draw any useful conclusions, however it was good to see Baros get 20 minutes at the end of the match and get a goal on his restart.
Myself and the Husband watched the match at a Turkish restaurant in New York and due to the horrible weather and traffic we have been having we missed the first ten minutes so I cannot report much about Jo's first goal. I did however see the second and third goals of which Keita's was probably the better but Baros the most welcome. With Baros back and Kewell close to return it looks like we will be at or close to full strength for the rest of the season. All this and no Arda or Hakan Balta in the starting squad.
As I said a good competent performance from the team that condemns one of the second city teams to a nervous season close as they attempt to miss the drop into oblivion.
Myself and the Husband watched the match at a Turkish restaurant in New York and due to the horrible weather and traffic we have been having we missed the first ten minutes so I cannot report much about Jo's first goal. I did however see the second and third goals of which Keita's was probably the better but Baros the most welcome. With Baros back and Kewell close to return it looks like we will be at or close to full strength for the rest of the season. All this and no Arda or Hakan Balta in the starting squad.
As I said a good competent performance from the team that condemns one of the second city teams to a nervous season close as they attempt to miss the drop into oblivion.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Breathing space
All in all it was a good weekend. The Husband excavated the cars after 38inches of snow fell between Thursday and Saturday so we could actually get out and buy beer. Then Citeh beat Chavski 4-2 with 2 of the Kings Road cheaters red carded. Man Utd then won the Carling Cup and after FB lost to IBB with that fine upstanding player Alex getting a straight red card it was the turn of CimBom to see if they could, for once take advantage of the situation. The answer was a resounding yes with a 4-1 victory putting GS on top with a 5 point advantage over Brazilbahce and a 4 point lead over Bursa. However before we get too carried away we have Eskisehir next week a team that over the last couple of seasons we have not done too well against away.
Good all round performance to day and dos Santos should have had a hat-trick if it was not for Sahin in goal. Anyway he continued to play well and set up Keita for a string of chances as well. I have to say that Keita's first goal is a contender for goal of the season, what a stunning volley that was.
So as I said a good weekend.
Good all round performance to day and dos Santos should have had a hat-trick if it was not for Sahin in goal. Anyway he continued to play well and set up Keita for a string of chances as well. I have to say that Keita's first goal is a contender for goal of the season, what a stunning volley that was.
So as I said a good weekend.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Robbed, again
Let me see we are playing a Spanish team so we get an Italian ref who books 4 CimBom players and sends one off as well as missing a quite blatant handball that should have been a penalty.
While GS did not play that well the one eyed referee display was another shocker from so called UEFA's best, a theme that seems pervasive this season. Anyone who saw the Champions League this week and last week may also have been perplexed by some of the decisions. For example the non penalty and non red card not awarded to Chelsea against Inter when Samuel clearly took down Kalou. If these guys, and I include the Norwegian Overbro in this as he also had a shocker last week are the best then it seems like its the team who cheats and cons the referee best who will win matches. I wacth the English Premier League a lot and there from corners ther is pushing and shoving but nothing that approaches the outright dragging down we saw in the GS BJK game or the physical assault handed out to Drogba by Mourinhos team of cheats, posers and divers. Obvioulsy there are either different laws or different levels of interpretation.
Whatever these controversies are soiling the game, lets face it you don't mind losing if you are outplayed but when its the ref that hands victory over it is far far worse. And yes I know that GS have recoeved favorable calls in the SuperLig but still it is not right.
While GS did not play that well the one eyed referee display was another shocker from so called UEFA's best, a theme that seems pervasive this season. Anyone who saw the Champions League this week and last week may also have been perplexed by some of the decisions. For example the non penalty and non red card not awarded to Chelsea against Inter when Samuel clearly took down Kalou. If these guys, and I include the Norwegian Overbro in this as he also had a shocker last week are the best then it seems like its the team who cheats and cons the referee best who will win matches. I wacth the English Premier League a lot and there from corners ther is pushing and shoving but nothing that approaches the outright dragging down we saw in the GS BJK game or the physical assault handed out to Drogba by Mourinhos team of cheats, posers and divers. Obvioulsy there are either different laws or different levels of interpretation.
Whatever these controversies are soiling the game, lets face it you don't mind losing if you are outplayed but when its the ref that hands victory over it is far far worse. And yes I know that GS have recoeved favorable calls in the SuperLig but still it is not right.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Green - my new favorite color
Bursa, the birthplace of Turkey and the home of my second favorite team.......for now!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Frustrating
Although it was good to see Jo back in action a 1-1 draw at Besiktas feels like 2 points lost rather than 1 gained. Given the injury situation at the club it was no surprise that Rijkaard started with a 4-6-0 formation. The problem was that whilst this made it difficult for Besiktas to break us down it meant that whenever the ball was played out of defence there was no real attacking threat from CimBom. I lost count of how many times Keita, Caner or Arda would receive the ball, look around and have to wait for support.
It was a surprisingly frustrating match though and one that CimBom should really have won having got their noses ahead. They probably should have been 2-0 up by then though after the very clear foul by Toraman on Topal in the penalty area. Again the frustration was apparent when dos Santos was penalized for an inoccuous tackle and Besiktas got lucky from the free kick when the clear out of Franco was not penalized and then the ball deflected in off Mehmet Topal.
Otherwise the team played quite well, Emre and Lucas Neil were solid at the back, Elano got through a large amount of work in midfield and the one poor player was probably Keita who struggeld with possession and control during the match.
It was a surprisingly frustrating match though and one that CimBom should really have won having got their noses ahead. They probably should have been 2-0 up by then though after the very clear foul by Toraman on Topal in the penalty area. Again the frustration was apparent when dos Santos was penalized for an inoccuous tackle and Besiktas got lucky from the free kick when the clear out of Franco was not penalized and then the ball deflected in off Mehmet Topal.
Otherwise the team played quite well, Emre and Lucas Neil were solid at the back, Elano got through a large amount of work in midfield and the one poor player was probably Keita who struggeld with possession and control during the match.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Good enough
A 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid was a reasonable result in light of the injuries affecting the squad. Overall the team performance was quite good especially the second half with Elano having an influential match.
Lets hope we get a striker or two fit before tomorrows match away at Besiktas which on current form should be at least a draw but we need a win.
Lets hope we get a striker or two fit before tomorrows match away at Besiktas which on current form should be at least a draw but we need a win.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Return to the top
Brushing aside the pathetic dispaly against Antalya where Necati, of course, scored twice to knowck CimBom out on away goals it was nice to return to he summit of the SuperLig even thoiugh we did not play. The three points gained as a result of the Ankara fiasco leaving us top after the Kadioky MOb could only draw with Manisa.
I watched that game and again I was struck by the whining, diving, cheating nature of Brazilbahce, NOT. Alex is a disgrace and Emre should after a dive worthy of the summer olympics high diving competition should have had at least a yellow card. Of course this being FB Isaac was shown a yellow card and therefore a red as it was his second yellow after the full time whistle as he had the nerve to inquire of the referee why the deliberate and very clear handball in the build up to FB's second goal was not spotted by the referee, and was actually waved away. Actually we all know the answer to that, its why Maraton is lacking a journalist and why referees in Turkey get richer by the week. Seriously, 7 minutes of injury time, no yellow for Emre's pathetic attempt to win a penalty, foul after foul going unpunished and the handball was just the icing on the cake.
I am sure there are FB supporters who are embarrassed and ashamed about the theatrics on the pitch but they are few and far between as the desperate attempts by a coke head and someone who thinks money makes a pig important, it doesn't just makes a rich pig, seem to be justified as they attempt to win the Lig title.
As for CimBom here's hoping the physios have been doing their job and can get a couple of strikers fit for next weekend.
I watched that game and again I was struck by the whining, diving, cheating nature of Brazilbahce, NOT. Alex is a disgrace and Emre should after a dive worthy of the summer olympics high diving competition should have had at least a yellow card. Of course this being FB Isaac was shown a yellow card and therefore a red as it was his second yellow after the full time whistle as he had the nerve to inquire of the referee why the deliberate and very clear handball in the build up to FB's second goal was not spotted by the referee, and was actually waved away. Actually we all know the answer to that, its why Maraton is lacking a journalist and why referees in Turkey get richer by the week. Seriously, 7 minutes of injury time, no yellow for Emre's pathetic attempt to win a penalty, foul after foul going unpunished and the handball was just the icing on the cake.
I am sure there are FB supporters who are embarrassed and ashamed about the theatrics on the pitch but they are few and far between as the desperate attempts by a coke head and someone who thinks money makes a pig important, it doesn't just makes a rich pig, seem to be justified as they attempt to win the Lig title.
As for CimBom here's hoping the physios have been doing their job and can get a couple of strikers fit for next weekend.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Level pegging
Kayseri away was always going to be a hard match and it was made even harder because all of the strikers were injured. So all in all a 0-0 draw was a good result, even though we perhaps should have taken advantage of the fact that Kayseri had a man sent off in the 60th minute. Keita looked tired as if he was still adjusting to playing in the cold after the Africa Cup of Nations but all in all a satsifactory result which kept Kayseri 4 points behind us.
Next week is Ankaraspor which means three points and a rest for the team which is perhaps fortunate as it will give the medical squad time to get the various damaged players back to health so maybe Servet, Hakan Balta, Kewell and Jo will be available in two weeks time. IN between we have the second leg of the Cup match and we need to overturn a 1-2 deficit against Antalya which even with the shortage of players should be achievable.
Then Sunday I watched the FB match against Diyarbakir. What a bunch of whining, complaining, cheats was on show.....obviously Aziz will be upset as despite the referees best efforts to let FB win due to continuous free kicks awarded for phantom fouls it did not work and in fact almost backfired as a 1-1 draw was the result which means the Kadikoy mob are still one point ahead.
Next week is Ankaraspor which means three points and a rest for the team which is perhaps fortunate as it will give the medical squad time to get the various damaged players back to health so maybe Servet, Hakan Balta, Kewell and Jo will be available in two weeks time. IN between we have the second leg of the Cup match and we need to overturn a 1-2 deficit against Antalya which even with the shortage of players should be achievable.
Then Sunday I watched the FB match against Diyarbakir. What a bunch of whining, complaining, cheats was on show.....obviously Aziz will be upset as despite the referees best efforts to let FB win due to continuous free kicks awarded for phantom fouls it did not work and in fact almost backfired as a 1-1 draw was the result which means the Kadikoy mob are still one point ahead.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Poor result
First Baros gets injured, then Kewell gets injured and now Jo is injured.........what is this some form of curse???? Probably just bad luck but still its frustrating. Of course with Nonda gone we are now somewhat short of strikers although Keita will be available this weekend after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Having dispatched Denizli at the weekend 2-1 with goals from Arda and Jo the team was brought down to earth with a bump losing 2-1 to Antalya in the Cup with our old friend Necati scoring the second Antalya goal. It would be expected that we will win the return leg on the 10th but it means we will probably have to field a slightly stronger side than expected with the risk of injuries that brings.
Its still too early to say whether the new signings will turn out to be a success or not but I have a feeling that Rijkaard will be shuffling the pieces in midfield quite frequently as we seem to have an abundance of players for that area. Santos was hardly played at Spurs so its a bit difficult to assess him. The one player that does need to get a grip this half of the season is Elano, he has played some very good matches but has also disappeared in others. He needs to find some consistency and if he does a midfield of Arda, Elano, Keita and Sarp would be quite an effective one with the forwards taken from Kewell, Jo, Santos and Baros. In defence it looks like Neill, Servet, Hakan Balta and Ugur or Sabri when fit which has a solid look to it.
Overall it looks like the Superlig may be developing into a two horse race although Bursa are still lurking 4 points behind with a game in hand. Besiktas had a major dip in form and the other top 4 team from last season, Sivas will be lucky to survive this season with their current form. However iven that Ankaraspor are relegated and Denizli's horrible form it is going to be a fight for that third spot with Ankargucu, Kasimpasa, Manisa and Diyarbakir in the mix with Sivas.
Having dispatched Denizli at the weekend 2-1 with goals from Arda and Jo the team was brought down to earth with a bump losing 2-1 to Antalya in the Cup with our old friend Necati scoring the second Antalya goal. It would be expected that we will win the return leg on the 10th but it means we will probably have to field a slightly stronger side than expected with the risk of injuries that brings.
Its still too early to say whether the new signings will turn out to be a success or not but I have a feeling that Rijkaard will be shuffling the pieces in midfield quite frequently as we seem to have an abundance of players for that area. Santos was hardly played at Spurs so its a bit difficult to assess him. The one player that does need to get a grip this half of the season is Elano, he has played some very good matches but has also disappeared in others. He needs to find some consistency and if he does a midfield of Arda, Elano, Keita and Sarp would be quite an effective one with the forwards taken from Kewell, Jo, Santos and Baros. In defence it looks like Neill, Servet, Hakan Balta and Ugur or Sabri when fit which has a solid look to it.
Overall it looks like the Superlig may be developing into a two horse race although Bursa are still lurking 4 points behind with a game in hand. Besiktas had a major dip in form and the other top 4 team from last season, Sivas will be lucky to survive this season with their current form. However iven that Ankaraspor are relegated and Denizli's horrible form it is going to be a fight for that third spot with Ankargucu, Kasimpasa, Manisa and Diyarbakir in the mix with Sivas.
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