Labinot Harbuzi

Genclerbirligi's Swedish player Labinot Harbuzi has made an impressive start for the team. Team's coach Thomas Doll uses him as an attacking midfielder assisting the team's Brazilian striker Kahe. He looks energetic on the field, especially impressing with his long shots. He is the second Swedish player in the Super League. The other one is Galatasaray's Tobias Linderoth.

Bosnia 1 - Turkey 1

Turkish national team had a disastrous score against Bosnia on an away game and lost its chances (I think) to qualify for World Cup 2010.

The team started well, but couldn't sustain its calmness during the game. As a result, they ended up losing their concentration and tactical discipline.

Panathinaikos:1 Galatasaray:3

Galatasaray beat Panathinaikos 1-3 in an away game. The team generally was lucky. Two crucial mistakes by Pana defenders decided the result. But what was really important was Galatasaray's self-confidence and decisiveness in staying in the game.

The Rijkaard File: Galatasaray's Coach Changes the Course of Events for the Team

Frank Rijkaard has enjoyed an absolutely brilliant start with Galatasaray. The team has NOT lost one single game since he has been appointed. Won all the 6 games in the Super League and qualified to the group stage in UEFA Europa league. Along with his assistant, Johan Neeskens, he has probably created the best coaching staff in club's history.

He applies a similar tactic as of Barcelona. With too many passes and ball possession he tires the opponent and relies on the individual talent of attackers. This has proved quite successful so far.

Here is his ideal squad for the team:

Leo Franco

Sabri Sarioglu,
Gokhan Zan,
Servet Cetin,
Hakan Balta

Ayhan Akman,
Mustafa Sarp

Kader Keita,
Arda Turan,
Harry Kewell

Milan Baros

Besiktas Faces VERY VERY Tough Days...

Besiktas has started this season in a terrible fashion collecting 6 points in 6 games. Additionally, after losing against Galatasaray 3-0 in the league, they lost against Manchester United at a home game by 1-0. Mustafa Denizli, team's coach declared in a press conference that he may resign.

The club has transferred Rodrigo Tabata and Ismail Koybasi from Gaziantepspor and loaned Ibrahim Kas from Getafe.

Here is the game against Manchester United:

Ankaraspor Relegated to a Lower Division

Turkcell Super League team Ankaraspor has been relegated to the lower First Division by the Turkish Football Association. Ankaraspor board agreed a merger with Ankaragucu during the season, which was found dubious by the federation.

Ankaraspor has been an interesting team in Turkish Football. They were indirectly supported by Ankara Municipal and coached by famous German manager Jurgen Rober. Also, prior to the federation's decision, they had sent their best player to Ankaragucu.

This is how Reuters covered the story:

By Daren Butler

ISTANBUL, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Ankaraspor were demoted to the Turkish second division on Tuesday over the club's links to top flight rivals Ankaragucu, which the country's football authorities said were anti-competitive.

A probe was launched last week into the relationship between the two clubs from the country's capital after the son of the city's mayor was appointed chairman of Ankaragucu.

The mayor is honorary chairman of Ankaraspor and the move fuelled speculation about a bid to merge the two clubs. The Turkish Football Federation ordered the process be halted.

"The Professional Football Disciplinary Committee (PFDK) decided to relegate Ankaraspor by one division over its relationship with Ankaragucu... ruling that it was contrary to sporting competitiveness," the PFDK ruling said.

The chairmen of Ankaraspor and Ankaragucu were suspended from their duties for six months. Ankaragucu were not relegated but the club's board members were suspended for three months.

Last weekend's match between Ankaraspor and Kayserispor was postponed because of the investigation.

Ankaraspor and Ankaragucu were 14th and 15th respectively in the Turkish championship before Tuesday's ruling.


Source: http://football.uk.reuters.com/european/news/LF566919.php

Anderlecht 5 - Sivasspor 0

In its fifth match in European Cups, Sivasspor has suffered a disappointing defeat against Anderlecht. With 5 new players in the squad, and the injuries of Mehmet Yildiz and Sezer Badur, Sivasspor has shown signs of extreme lack of discipline and organization. Especially the Australian goalkeeper Petkovic made crucial mistakes and the team failed to produce goal chances.

Team's coach Bulent Uygun said in a post-match interview that he "apologizes" for the defeat and stressed the team's lack of experience in the European arena.


Sivasspor has been playing in the Turkish Superleague for 5 years and it's a success for them to be playing at this level already. Hopefully, they can do better in the UEFA Euro League.


Anderlecht's goals were scored by:
De Sutter 17, 76, Boussoufa 22, Chatelle 32, Frutos 90+ 2

Sivasspor Squad:

* 1 Michael Petkovic
* 4 Sedat Bayrak
* 7 Aydın Musa
* 8 İbrahim Dağaşan
* 11 Erman Kılıç
* 23 Yasin Çakmak
* 28 Ersen Martin
* 44 Pieter Mbemba
* 58 Hayrettin Yerlikaya
* 61 Abdurrahman Dereli
* 77 Onur Tuncer

Substitutes

* 35 Akın Vardar
* 5 Murat Sözgelmez
* 14 Yannick Kamanan
* 18 Cihan Cihan Yılmaz
* 67 Uğur Kavuk
* 80 Akeem Agbetu
* 99 Faruk Bayar

Kobol vs. Galatasaray: 1-1

Galatasaray had a surprising draw today (1-1) against the Kazakh team Kobol in an away game. The lights went off after 40 mins, postponing the game for 12 minutes. It was a qualifier game for the UEFA Europa League. Frank Rijkaard's team consisted of mainly youngsters who won't, probably, be playing in the preferred squad of the team. Galatasaray started with a 4-3-3 formation, with 2 right wingers, and had to switch to 4-1-2-3 as the game progressed. It was Arda Turan and Milan Baros, two substitutes, who changed the game for the team.

Darius Vassel at Ankaragucu!

It is probably the most surprising transfer of the year: Ankaragucu has transferred Manchester City's Darius Vassell on a free transfer. He signed a 2+1 year contract and he will earn 900k Euros per year.

Ankaragucu is an interesting team with a passionate supporter group. They always manage to avoid relegation somehow and this year they will be celebrating their 100th year. Therefore, they are trying to build a strong squad that will fight for a ticktet to one of the European cups. Also, the media reports that Ankaragucu is interested in signing Sol Campbell.


Here is a video of how the fans welcomed him in Ankara airport.

Ankaragücü'nde Muhteşem Karşılama
Uploaded by agbbilisim. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.

Mevlut Erding at PSG

Turkish website sporx.com reports that Sochaux's French-born strikers has signed a contract with Paris Saint Germain. He is a good player, who also plays for the Turkish national team, and and has fame for his flair, pace, and solemn attitude. Good luck to him at PSG, the national team needs him.

A clip of Erding from youtube:

Galatasaray gets the Kazakh Team Tobol in Europa League Qualifying Round

Galatasaray will play against Kobol on July 16 and 23 in the second round of UEFA Europa League qualifiers.

Here is how UEFA.com evaluated the draw:

Tobol may have been handed the toughest draw in the second qualifying round, where they take on Galatasaray, but FK Slavija Sarajevo did not have an easy ride either, drawing last season's UEFA Champions League group stage battlers Aalborg BK. Meanwhile, two of the most famous clubs in central Europe will meet at the same stage, as Romania's FC Steaua Bucureşti take on Újpest FC from neighbouring Hungary.

Pini Felix Balili Joins Antalyaspor!

Turkish media has reported today that Sivasspor's Israeli forward Pini Balili has signed a one-year contract with the Super League team Antalysapor. Balili was a very good player until he had a surgery last year, after which he lost his place in the team's squad. He was famous for his pace and flair, as well as enthusiasm for the team. He is one of the few foreign players in Turkey that can speak the Turkish language well. Good luck to him in Antalya.

Hugo Broos at Trabzonspor

TRABZON (A.A) - 22.06.2009 - Turkey's Turkcell Super League (first division) team Trabzonspor agreed in terms with Belgian coach Hugo Broos, the club announced on Monday.

"Hugo Broos has become our new coach," Trabzonspor said in a statement posted in its website.

Club's chairman Sadri Sener met with former Club Brugges and Anderlecht coach Broos in Istanbul and sides agreed at the meeting, it said.

Broos, 57, will fly to the northern city of Trabzon on Tuesday to sign the official contract, the statement said.

Broos coached Club Brugge and won two championships in 1992 an 1996. From 2003 to 2005 he coached Anderlecht and later he moved to KRC Genk. He also coached Greek club Panserraikos last year.

Servet Cetin at l'Olympique de Marseille?

The rumor has it that Galatasaray's, Turkish national team's, defender will complete a transfer deal to Olympique Marseille for 7 million euros. He is worth more than that, for sure, because Marseille is transfering a player who is absolutely going to do whatever is necessary to show the best performance for his club. He is a player I respect at Galatasaray, since he is kind of a professional who doesn't miss games for petty excuses. Former Galatasaray Eric Gerets is the person who advised him to Marseille, and, hopefully, he will show the same performance in France.

Luca Toni to Fenerbahce?

If Fenerbahce manages to sign Luca Toni, as it has been reported, it will probably be the most sensational transfer of the season (depending on Galatasaray's signings). I hear that Fenerbahce is offering up to 8 million euros to Bayern Munich, and, to me, it is a good enough figure for a player at that age. If he is signed, Toni will be working with the club's newly appointed German manager Christoph Daum, who will probably adopt a game style that relies on two strikers: Daniel Guiza and Luca Toni.
I don't remember an Italian player in the history of Fenerbahce, so if the deal goes through, it will be an interesting year.

Fale Alarm: Sven Goran Eriksson's transfer toTrabzonspor failed

Trabzonspor has failed to appoint Sven Goran Eriksson as the manager of the club. Their attempt to sign him was is an exciting and surprising decision to me, as Trabsonspor, traditionally, doesn't work with such high profile managers. Trabzon, located in the northern part of the country (by the Black Sea) is a relatively small city and known for their passionate and impatient supporters. Turkish media also reported that the main reason for Eriksson's refusal was due to hie "lady friend"'s reluctance to live in Trabzon.

Thomas Doll at Genclerbirligi!

Turkish Super League club Genclerbirligi has announced that they have appointed German manager Thomas Doll for 09/10 season. The club's president, Ilhan Cavcav, is infamous for his sackings of club's managers and I don't know how long Doll will survive in Ankara club. The team, famous for its B team and youth academy, managed to stay in the league last season after after a long battle. Prior to Doll, the club attempted to appoint Dutch manager Ad De Mos and Laszlo Bölöni, none of whom agreed on the terms.

I wish Doll good luck!

Frank Rijkaard at Galatasaray!

No Bernard Schuster, no Juande Ramos, no Ersun Yanal! Turkish Superleague giants Galatasaray have announced today that they have appointed the former Barca coach Rijkaard. To my knowledge, Rijkaard is the first dutch manager appointed to the duty at Galatasaray. I wish him good luck! Also, the club has announced that Johan Neeskens will be his assistant director.

Australians in Turkey and the Harry Kewell Prize!

In recent years, Turkish Superleague teams have signed numerous players from Australia. Especially, Genclerbirligi (located in the country's capital Ankara) has signed threes Australian youngsters, who have been doing quite well in the league: Bruce Djite (from Adelaide United, James Troisi (Newcastle United), and Mile Jedinak (Central Coast Mariners). Djite and Troisi, I think, will draw the attention of bigger Istanbul teams in the future. Genclerbirligi president Ilhan Cavcav is known for his excellent vision to find young talents all over the world and sell them with good transfer figures. I think he hit the jackpot again.

In addition to this, of course, there is Harry Kewell of Galatasaray. The Genclerbirligi website states that all the three above-mentioned players have been shortlisted to win the award which will be announced June 11.

Tuncay to Liverpool?

Trukish media has reported today that the Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez is interested in signing Tuncay Sanli from M'Boro. Tuncay has played particularly well this season at Boro, who was relegated to the First Division, and I think he can be a good boost to the Liverpool bench. I can envision him being at least as effective as Yosi Benayoun under the Liverpool jersey.