The league was still in doubt on the final day with three teams theoretically in with a shout though only Sivasspor had a realistic chance of overhauling Besiktas. Besiktas played away to relegation-threatened Denizlispor and won a potentially tricky game rather comfortably despite conceding a late goal to make it 2-1. Sivas had a difficult match away to Galatasaray who needed a win to guarantee a berth in the Europa League next year. A win for Sivas and a loss for Besiktas would have meant a spectacular title celebration in small Sivas but the exact opposite occurred as Sivas lost in an entertaining game. In fact, the top six all stayed in the same places as Fenerbahce beat Trabzonspor with a last-second goal to condemn the Black Sea side to third (a win by Trabzon would have seen them into the Champions League) and retain Fenerbahce’s advantage in fourth place over rivals Galatasaray due to goal difference. Bursaspor in sixth place were denied extracurricular activities in the upcoming season despite being the best side (in terms of points) in the last 15 games.

Add the scrum at the bottom for the last relegation spot and you have a fascinating end to the season. Konyaspor went down despite finishing level on points with Genclerbirligi and Denizlispor and having a better goal difference. But the deciding a three-way tie requires looking at the matches among those teams and unfortunately for the city of the whirling dervishes they had poor results against the wrong teams this season. Konyaspor joins Hacettepespor and Kocaelispor, both of whom had known their destiny for several weeks, in the Bank Asya 1. Lig next year. Diyarbakirspor will join the Super Lig to give south-eastern Turkey some representation. Manisaspor (champions of the 1.Lig) and Kasimpasaspor accompany them.

As for Besiktas, it’s no secret why they won. They simply had the best manager. I personally thought it was a poor and classless move to bring in Mustafa Denizli early in the season to replace Ertugrul Saglam (who later masterminded Bursaspor’s incredible late-season push). The early results showed little change in fortune but a terrific 2009 earned Besiktas the league and allowed Denizli to add an incredible accomplishment to his CV: he has now managed Besiktas, Fenerbahce AND Galatasaray to titles in his career. He brought in a couple of new players in the transfer period and began to mold his own squad. Fabian Ernst was perhaps the key to the equation as the German, sacked at Schalke, had a great half-season and lent solidity to the spine of the team. And honestly, though Besiktas never played that well, they earned the results and that’s how they won the title.

Interestingly, Besiktas played poorly against the rest of the top five. Seven points (and one win) in eight games is a terrible return and if you add sixth-placed Bursa they earned only nine points in ten games. It’s difficult to read into this but I think it shows a relative lack of quality in the squad (as evidenced by their inability to win against other good teams) as well as a terrific coaching job (as evidenced by the fact the team were motivated to play hard and beat the ‘small’ clubs). One and half years removed from a humiliating 8-0 loss to Liverpool (although they had beaten them 2-1 the week before) Besiktas will need a facelift to compete in the Champions League next year. Denizli has already demanded a raise and the power to enact that facelift and surely Besiktas will fare better with him in charge than anyone else at the moment.

If the league were the top five teams

Joining them in the Champions League (at least in the qualifying stages) will be tenacious Sivasspor. While it may be difficult to swallow the lack of a title this year, it was still a tremendous season. The team seemed on the verge of imploding when manager Bulent Uygun did everything but physically attack a referee at the end of a game about ten weeks back. In the finest tradition of Turkish football, he followed it up with a scathing and unwarranted rant during the post-game interviews and every pundit thought that his team would lose the plot just as their manager had. But Sivas kept grinding out results and the Champions League is their reward. Imagine the excitement if they actually make the group stages. Even if they get drawn against the fourth place team of one of the top leagues, it is not beyond their reach. Sivas are virutally unbeatable at home (13 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss this year) and few teams would relish a trip to the foothills of Anatolia.

Trabzon, Fener and Galatasaray will have to content themselves with the bloated experiment known as the Europa League. It’s no secret why Trabzon failed to reach greater heights. Zero wins against the top five teams and a truly pathetic five points from eight games. Ersun Yanal has been shown the door and it’s difficult to see them improving next year despite some exciting talent in the Brazilian Alanzinho and youngster Baris Memis. Still, like Sivas, third place cannot be seen as too great a disappointment for such a thin squad and they were close to the top for much of the season.

Meanwhile, Luis Aragones has been shown the door at Fenerbahce. He achieved the exact opposite results as Mustafa Denizli. A single loss (at Sivas) led to 17 points in eight games against the top five including a double over Besiktas. However, awful results against the rest of the league and a loss to that same Besiktas team in the Cup final saw him meet his doom. Dani Guiza, tipped by many as the most disappointing player of the season, hit late-season form which may see him leave Fenerbahce for the right price. Aragones is not the first high-profile manager too last a single season in Turkey and he won’t be the last. The board have brought back Christoph Daum, architect of recent Fener success, in an attempt to right the ship.

As bad a season as Fener had, Galatasaray had it worse. It’s confusing how this squad squandered so much talent – even with its many injuries. There was a distinct lack of concentration under both Michael Skibbe and his eventual replacement Bulent Korkmaz. At no time during the season did the team put together the type of display expected of their squad. The high point of the season was a last-minute victory against Bordeaux (who were without Gourcuff) in the UEFA Cup but the only reason they needed a last-minute performance was because they squandered a 3-1 lead at home. A 4-1 defeat away to Fenerbahce and a 5-2 loss at home to mighty Kocaelispor were only two of the many lowlights. Next season should see them stronger although there may be concerns if Arda Turan, Servet Cetin and Mehmet Topal decide to try their hand in other European leagues. Frank Rijkaard has been brought in to lend some profile and hopefully some management nous but the construction of their new stadium is taking place at exactly the wrong economic time.

And so a fascinating Turkish domestic season had drawn to a close. The national team disappointed after a magical run in Euro 2008 and the clubs disappointed even more on the European stage. Still, the league this year had an additional sparkle with the type of deep competition that few leagues see in the modern age. Fifteen years ago, Turkish football had the quality of provincial kickabouts but since then the national team has reached the semifinals of two major tournaments, Galatasaray has won the UEFA Cup and Fenerbahce has reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League. While disappointing on face level, seasons like this show deep promise for the future. More clubs are developing more quality and it is sooner than later that Turkish clubs will be consistent and lasting impact in international competition.

The popular story around town is the demise of Fenerbahce. Their form has been woeful since the winter break. Two home draws against Trabzonspor and Gaziantepspor (in both they were lucky to rescue a point) have been followed by a pathetic display away to Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor. That’s three games in Istanbul, two points and one goal. Ridvan Dilmen wrote in his column this is physically and tactically the worst Fenerbahce he has seen in years. Erman Toroglu – rightly – raked Luis Aragones over the coals for his tactics. His insistence on a five-man midfield with Emre and Alex paired with a holding midfielder has stunted the offense which looks more like Stoke City than the slick machine run by Zico last year. Kazim and Semih, two young, dynamic and hungry players have been marginalized, Guiza is cutting a forlorn figure and new signing Gokhan Emreciksen hasn’t had a sniff of the field yet. On Sunday they failed to score a single goal against a team that played unjustly with ten men for nearly 70 minutes and had let in six against Eskisehirspor the week before. Much like his countryman in Liverpool, Aragones is on a strange power trip that is killing his team. Surely it is a matter of weeks before he is shown the door.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray high command is convinced there is a conspiracy against them this year. On the weekend, they drew 1-1 against Kayserispor, tough competition despite their lukewarm form this year. Lincoln, just back from the treatment table, didn’t last half an hour before seeing two yellow cards. Galatasaray was incensed but the calls were soft but defensible. The first was given for simulation that video evidence proved to be a correct decision and the second for impeding a free kick in the middle of the field. Why are footballers so stupid? Kayserispor finally equalized an earlier Shabandi Nonda strike when Morgan di Sanctis dived away from a shot coming straight at him. The post-match was marked by Arda sobbing uncontrollably and Galatasaray expressing disappointment at the Turkish Federation with a public message and an application for a match replay. That did well to deflect attention from Michael Skibbe’s decision to draft center midfielder Mehmet Topal in at left-back with a perfectly fit Volkan Yaman available and a Tobias Linderoth sighting in the second half. Galatasaray has stuttered but Nonda is rounding into fine form and Harry Kewell will be returning from sick leave soon. Four points is not a mountain to climb for such a talented squad.

Because Fenerbahce has no chance of winning the title with this form so by process of elimination the TFF favoritism against Galatasaray can only be advantageous for Besiktas, right? Except that they too lodged a complaint against the referees not so long ago. Seriously, these clubs need to stop their pathetic whining and realize all their troubles arise either from the management or the players. Besiktas have been plagued by seasons of inconsistency under the iron fist of Yildirim Demiroren. This season has been no different as the stupid decision to sack Ertugrul Saglam and install big name Mustafa Denizli has borne no fruit. Still, despite only two goals and a goalless draw away to Konyaspor this week, they have earned seven points out of the last nine. That’s a decent haul and, who knows, maybe they’re still in the title hunt. While there isn’t a single name on that squad recognizable outside of Turkey, there is still enough talent to make an unlikely run despite the best efforts of an overmatched management and over-rated manager.

Meanwhile, Sivasspor and Trabzonspor continue to wrestle at the top and as each week passes it looks more feasible that one of them could break the Istanbul grip on the Turkish title. Sivas have been in imperious form. They came out of the winter break by dismantling a ten-man Galatasaray at home, knocking the same team out of the Turkish Cup on penalties and beat Kocaelispor 2-0 on the weekend. All without captain Mehmet Yildiz. Pini Balili has been in awesome form and new forward Yannick Kamanan, signed for all of a quarter million dollars, adds yet another attacking dimension to the team. Trabzon too are in good form. After the winter break, they should have won a rocking goalless draw in Istanbul against Fenerbahce by three or four. They have followed up that game with two wins on the trot against Ankaraspor (away, 2-0) and Ankaragucu (home, 2-1). Gokhan Unal and Umut Bulut are criminally wasteful but with Ibrahim Yattara they form a fearful attacking triad that creates enough chances that they will eventually score. It’s Anatolia rising and that’s a welcome trend for neutral observers sick of the antics of the Istanbul clubs.

Other scores:

Hacettepespor 2-2 Eskisehirspor, Genclerbirligi 1-2 Bursaspor, Antalyaspor 2-1 Denizlispor, Gaziantepspor 2-0 Ankaraspor

Some thirty years ago, Trabzonspor shuffled the chairs at the top of the Turkish league deck by winning five of six titles between 1975 and 1981. The Big Three became the Big Four and has remained as such even though the last of Trabzon’s six total titles came in 1984. Success has been fleeting since then; rather, it has been nearly non-existent. Just four Turkish Cup triumphs (which is still four more than Fenerbahce have managed in the same period) represent the sum total of Trabzon’s success in the past couple decades. They’ve also finished second only four times – the last three to Fenerbahce. But as the only club outside of Istanbul to win the championship, expectations remain high every year. Will they be met this year?

With an efficient 1-0 win away to Genclerbirligi, Trabzon have stretched their lead to four points after 11 rounds. They’ve taken only one out of six possible so far from Istanbul clubs but they probably don’t care too much. I’ve begun to wonder if they can actually win the title without beating any of the Istanbul teams. The win in Ankara gives them eight wins and a draw against Anatolian clubs, which is far better than what the Istanbul teams have managed. They don’t have European football to think about (and haven’t had it for a while) and could potentially win the title by taking care of the minnows. While everyone has been bantering about the problems of the Big Three, Trabzonspor have quietly built their lead in a businesslike fashion.

But could they actually win the title? My crystal ball says no. Though their top eleven or twelve players are solid, they have a thin squad beyond them. If misfortune visits in the form of injuries or a stretch of bad form, it’s difficult to see them accumulating victories the way they have so far this season. Still, they have an excellent manager in Ersun Yanal. Brought in October of last year to replace Ziya Dogan, he led the team to a disappointing sixth place. A good manager, though, requires time to build his team and impose his will on the club culture. It seems that patience (yes, this counts as patience for the management of a big Turkish club) is beginning to bear fruit. Perhaps the championship is out of reach but, barring catastrophe, Avni Aker stadium will host European matches next year.

Yanal has been an integral part of the recent surge in Anatolian quality. He transformed Genclerbirligi into a top-half team that challenged for the title late into the year in 2003, had a magical run in the UEFA Cup in 2004 and finished runners-up in the Turkish Cup both years. After Turkey failed to qualify for Euro 2004 following a humiliating defeat to Latvia in a play-off, Yanal replaced Senol Gunes as national team manager. He was doing decently until he was sacrificed when Fatih Terim decided he wanted the job. It was a shameful move by the Turkish Football Federation and achieved nothing as Fatih Hoca lost another playoff, this time against Switzerland and in utter ignominy. In any case, Yanal found himself at Vestel Manisaspor (named after a maker of household appliances) and again made them contenders until late in the season. He left after an on-field incident and now has a chance at a big club.

The next two fixtures will test Trabzon and should give us a better idea of the legitimacy of their title challenge. Having beaten Ankaraspor in the first week of the season, they now face the other two strong Anatolian sides – Sivasspor at home and Kayserispor away. If they come out of those games with a maximum six points, the only barrier standing in the way of a comfortable winter break lead will be a trip to Kadikoy against Fenerbahce.

Fenerbahce, meanwhile, headlined the match of the week as they entertained then-second-place Ankaraspor and dispatched them comfortably. Many pundits agreed that Fenerbahce played their best game of the season and I agree. Against Ankaraspor they were confident and mostly dominant, despite Alex missing out again and Semih leaving early through injury. Ankaraspor acquitted themselves well, though, and looked a team for whom a top five finish is not out of the question. They had a clear penalty denied them early in the game which obviously would have changed the course of the match. Young gun Ozer Hurmaci, though, picked up an unjust yellow card – he was booked for diving when he was fouled – which will see him suspended for the match next week against Galatasaray.

Galatasaray recovered from the horrible defeat to Fenerbahce last week by easily beating Gaziantepspor at home. Harry Kewell continued tapping into the rich vein of form with another goal – again via a header – and Lincoln ended it late with a move of remarkable skill. Arda left the game early and was hospitalized with a heart issue but all reports indicate that it was a false alarm. The home tie against Ankaraspor next week should provide a stiffer test. They now sit in fifth place, six points behind leaders Trabzon and only two behind second-placed Besiktas, whose game against Bursaspor drew the most ink from the pundits.

Bursaspor decided to bar Besiktas brass and Besiktas supporters from attending the game. You see, according to Bursaspor, a few years back Besiktas purposefully lost a game to Caykur Rizespor (who have since returned to their rightful place in the lower leagues) and thus condemned Bursa to relegation. I was in Turkey at the time and remember Bursa supporters tearing their stadium apart and throwing seats on to the pitch. There was a lot of speculation about the Besiktas game though nothing was ever proven. There could have easily been some shady dealings going on but it’s just as likely a team with it all to play for beat a team with nothing to play for. So, as revenge, Bursaspor closed their doors to anyone with anything to do with Besiktas. Probably for the better as Besiktas supporters were spared from seeing their team underperform again with a dour goalless draw, one of three such dour draws on a dour Sunday. Still, they remain in second place – the only Istanbul club in the top four.

The game itself pulsated because of its importance and entertained despite few chances. A packed Sukru Saracioglu stadium provided the atmosphere that buoyed Fenerbahce, who were missing talismanic captain Alex. Silence ensued as Lincoln scored in the second minute to cap off a pretty move for Galatasaray but Fenerbahce then capitalized on a number of defensive errors by their opponents. Selcuk Sahin, picked by many pundits as player of the match, drifted in unmarked to head in off a corner to equalize after eight minutes. Selcuk seemed to have a bright future while among the youth ranks at Fenerbahce but has failed to realize his perceived potential. He was never deemed quality enough at his position and players like Stephen Appiah, Mehmet Aurelio and Claudio Maldonado have kept him out of a regular starting eleven spot. But he is Fenerbahce through and through and wore his ass-kicking boots for the derby.

Lincoln scored again minutes later but his free kick went in untouched after the referee had indicated it was indirect. Volkan tried his best to act the fool as he flew to save when a mere butterflies touch of his fingertips would have allowed the goal to stand. To be fair, Volkan was solid the rest of the game but he was lucky his typical moment of lunacy went unpunished. Instead, it was to be Galatasaray’s center-back pairing that will spend the next few days basking in deserved shame. Emre Asik scored Fener’s second by hooking the ball cleverly into his own net. In the second half, Servet Cetin ended his side’s threat by allowing Diego Lugano to waltz in unmarked behind him to nod home a rebound off a retro free kick from Roberto Carlos. By the time Deivid capped off an impressive night with a stunning individual effort in stoppage time, both sides knew how the game would end.

Perhaps in terms of quality, in terms of possession, in terms of intent, Galatasaray deserved a point. Unfortunately, Fener forgived them not their mistakes and that was the difference at the end. While Fenerbahce executed a solid game plan, too many players underperformed for Galatasaray. Fener’s strategy was to play a controlled, possession game, looking for chances more on counterattack rather than the attacking waves that have burned their own defense too often this year. Meanwhile, Michael Skibbe employed the same formation that beat Benfica in Portugal, putting Umit Karan alone at top with Milan Baros on the wing. Baros suffered. His only contribution was a yellow for a disgraceful hand ball and was duly removed at half time. Umit Karan was also terrible: he still hasn’t put a ball in an opponent’s goal this year in league play.

Really, the only player who was worth his salt for Galatasaray was Ayhan. The press lavished praise on him, partly because he was excellent, partly because there was no one else to praise on his team. He really is an inspirational figure but he collects yellow cards like a hobby. Some in the press tried to blame the Galatasaray performance on fatigue, because they had one fewer day of rest after the European action during the week. Allow me to be partisan here: if they hadn’t crashed out of the Champion’s League qualifying stages, they wouldn’t have that problem.

One of the press hacks – I can’t remember who – made a great point that Fenerbahce might have benefited from the absence of Alex. Alex has been the best player in the Turkish league for several years now but I have always felt his relative immobility has been a detriment against quality opposition – namely European opposition. In many ways, it is the same type of problem that confronts teams with Juan Roman Riquelme, although he and Alex are not quite the same type of player. Without him, the team is more fluid, more mobile and more active. Now that he is getting on in age, Fenerbahce must look to replace him soon and Emre is not the answer. Speaking of Emre, he made a relatively low-key appearance against his old team. He did have a moment of brilliance as a delightful pass from the outside of his foot set up a goal on a platter for Dani Guiza, who opted for the fu fu option and sent the ball in to the night sky. It’s hard to shake the feeling that Guiza is a guy who tries hard but needs ten chances to score a goal.

Meanwhile, Trabzonspor continue their reign at the top after a nervy win at home against Hacettepespor. Trabzon may end up losing many points to the Istanbul teams this year but if they keep getting maximum rewards against Anatolian sides, an unlikely title may be in their grasp. Hot on their heels, though, are Ankaraspor. Not Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, or Besiktas. Ankaraspor. Two late goals against Eskisehirspor saw them remain a single point behind the leaders from the Black Sea coast. With games against Fenerbahce and Galatasaray in the next two fixtures, we’ll see if the capital club are for real.

Besiktas are only a further point behind after coming back from two goals down against bottom side Kocaelispor to win 5-2. Despite making a coaching change by bringing in Mustafa Denizli a few weeks back, who lost more points in his first three games than Ertugrul Saglam had in six previous, Besiktas are looking solid enough for now. The week, though, belonged to Fenerbahce, who may have actually turned their season around and saved Aragones’s job. Wait, didn’t I say that two weeks ago?

Last season ended on a sour note. On one hand, Fener were fancying themselves a dormant European giant, the type of Turkish force not seen in Europe since Galatasaray were regularly humbling clubs like AC Milan at the turn of the century. Their form had seen them defeat Inter, PSV, Sevilla and Chelsea at home though a London defensive barrier built on Russian riches was too much to breach at the end. However, what should have been treated as a great year at a great club was ultimately deemed a disappointment as archrivals Galatasaray won the Turkish league. Out went Zico and in came Aragones.

Fenerbahce have done this before. Indeed, so have all of the big three. Managers are discarded so easily in Turkey that it is any wonder they come in the first place despite the riches waved at them. And these aren’t no-name guys we’re talking about. At Fenerbahce alone, Guus Hiddink, Joachim Low and Carlos Alberto Parreira were sacked after a year or so in charge. At Besiktas, Vincente del Bosque, fresh off a La Liga title with Real Madrid, didn’t even last that long. If managers don’t stay, then strategies and squads continually change. Even a seven-year old could tell you clubs cannot sustain a decent stretch of success when you play musical chairs with technical directors. Unfortunately, upper management in Turkey rarely exceed said seven-year-old in footballing knowledge.

At Fener, Aziz Yildirim and his cronies have built a financial power that many clubs across Europe would admire. Taking advantage of a huge fan base, they have marketed the club brand to earn millions and provide Fenerbahce with vast resources that other teams in Turkey cannot come close to matching. Of course, like any megalamoniac money-soaked leadership, they have invested in expensive players who run a few circles around the pitch then sprint to the bank to cash their paycheck: Ariel Ortega, Nicholas Anelka, Mateja Kezman, for example. As a consequence, the youth ranks have suffered. Semih made it through unscathed but Selcuk and Can look like they’ll be plying their trade at a Black Sea club within a few years. The most promising youth has been brought in from other teams – Ilhan Parlak from Kayserispor, Gurhan Gursoy from Adanaspor, Yasin Cakmak from Rizespor and Ugur Boral from Genclerbirligi. Meanwhile, Galatasaray seem to churn out young Turkish talent like eggs from a hen.

Aziz Yildirm has been around for a decade and he has overseen considerable domestic success as well as that magical European run last year. Not all the blame lies with him although most level-headed Fener fans would point their fingers first in his direction. Growing pains under a new manager, a couple of key injuries, untimely dips in form and the loss of a great holding midfielder in Mehmet Aurelio have also taken their toll. There is no continuity, no trademark flowing football and the defense is more prone to errors than ever. But even with all those problems, how bad is the situation really at Fenerbahce?

Eight matches into the year, they sit a long ways down the table on twelve points. That seems like a paltry sum but the season is young. Like Bayern Munchen and Milan, reports of a giant’s demise might have sounded a little too early. Those two teams are now back on track and now Fenerbahce look to be as well. Those twelve points, while a seemingly pathetic amount, are only six points off the lead and two behind Galatasaray, whose own problems have been under-reported. While the Champion’s League campaign is effectively over and even a third-place ticket into the UEFA Cup may be out of reach, the Turkish league is a different story.

Fenerbahce have been poor away from home, winning only once in four attempts. Twice – against Hacettepespor and Sivasspor – they scored first only to succumb at the final whistle. Two weeks ago against bottom club Kocaelispor they had to come back from a goal down to take the lead… only to concede an equalizer. Only a goal in deep stoppage time spared their further blushes. Perhaps this week, Fener have turned around their season with a convincing 5-2 thumping of pretenders Bursaspor. The quality may still be missing but the victory was comfortable despite two late Bursa strikes. Still, that was a home game and the true litmus test lies ahead with fixtures against Eskisehirspor away and then the Galatasaray derby at home.

Speaking of those two teams, Galatasaray lost in Eskisehir, a disappointing result after a resounding victory against Trabzon last week. Eskisehirspor put in a great display in front of their home fans to gain a famous victory. Souleymane Youla scored a wonderful goal to open the match, netted the winner in stoppage time and set up his mate for the icing goal in a 4-2 victory. Unfortunately, Eskisehirspor’s performance was overshadowed by some disgraceful actions by protesting Galatasaray players (even worse than the disgraceful actions of Fenerbahce players protesting a missed penalty call – at least their protest was at halftime). The Galatasaray players had no problem with Milan Baros using his arm to help him settle a ball for a goal but lost the plot when a goal was scored on them. Eskisehirspor fired in a free kick with several players in an offside position and the ball caromed into the goal. It was striker Umit Karan’s first goal of the season. Unfortunately, he plays for Galatasaray. The referee was completely correct but the Galatasaray players, led by Umit Karan himself, held up play for over five minutes before the referee booked five of them. Galatasaray now sit in sixth place with 14 points and have woefully underperformed for a team loaded with talent.

Besiktas hung onto first place after rescuing a goal apiece draw with Sivasspor in Istanbul. Sivas probably won’t replicate their amazing run from last year but they’re near the summit again, having won four points in two games against Istanbul giants. Trabzonspor, fresh off a 3-0 spanking by Galatasaray, missed a great chance to go top when they drew against Gaziantepspor. Meanwhile, Ankaraspor have won five of six, including good victories against Sivasspor and Kayserispor, to move into third. They are two points behind Besiktas but games against Bursa, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray in the next four may bring them back to reality. Meanwhile, at the bottom, Kocaelispor and Antalyaspor’s woes continue as they’ve combined for zero wins and three points out of a possible 48. I’d mark them for the drop already but in the two games I’ve seen them play they’ve seemed pretty decent. Like I said earlier, the season is still young.

The campaign started well enough with a pedestrian victory over Armenia across the border. The real story of the match was Abdullah Gul’s visit and the BBC making a big deal about some virtually nonexistent ultranationalist protests (what’s news if it didn’t lie a little bit). The next time out, we drew a goal apiece at home to Belgium. I didn’t watch the entire game but I did see Belgium’s goal and it was as much a case of shambolic defending as anything else. By the way, Wesley Sonck – who scored the goal – is bundling them in at a fantastic pace for club and country, especially with his noggin. This was a game that Turkiye should have won at home but I wasn’t not too worried as their away form is pretty decent. Not to mention that there were more injuries than during that magical Euro run.

Then this past week, Turkiye struggled mightily. I watched the Bosnia game and I have to admit I held little hope of a victory when the Herzegovinians went ahead in the first half (I expected a draw). It was another case of horrible defending on a set piece. But this time Volkan threw in some horrible goalkeeping so that the defence didn’t get all the blame. But, seriously… about that defense. The largest problem in the Turkish squad is at center back. Servet, for all his ability, is prone to disastrous lapses in concentration. And he’s our best center back. We need some no non-sense defenders who can keep mistakes to a minimum. We don’t have any. In any case, a strong second half effort saw a deserved win but it was too difficult. Mevlut scored the decider and he’s a player that I have mixed feelings about. He scores a lot for French bottom club Sochaux but has yet to shine internationally. Still, I like him as an impact substitute when the first-choice strikers are back.

Which brings me to the major problem in the Turkish squad right now (I’ll skip over the goalless draw away to Estonia, which was pathetic): injuries. The top two players are missing – Nihat and Hamit Altintop. Two important players in Tuncay and Semih were also hurt. We could also include Emre, who is, unfortunately, the captain, but he shouldn’t even be in the team on form. Throw in injuries to utility guys like Mehmet Topal and Gokhan Gonul and you have to wonder if there’s some biblical curse on Turkish footballers. Perhaps the AKP can pray a little harder at the next party convention and get the big guy back on our side. Anyway, these injuries have led to two important problems.

Let’s start with strikers. It was strange seeing Mevlut and seventeen-year-old Batuhan Karadeniz (who doesn’t even start for his club, Besiktas) begin the game against Bosnia. Other choices for striker, like Semih, Tuncay and Umit Karan were hurt; Halil Altintop didn’t start; and Gokhan Unal, Sinan Kaloglu, Hasan Kabze and Fatih Tekke were not chosen. Still, strikers are relatively replaceable on the international level and Turkiye have plenty of midfielders who can help pick up the goal-scoring slack. Nevertheless, I’ll be delighted when Nihat returns and even more so if Fatih Terim decides to pair him with Semih from the start.

The second major problem is the missing Hamit Altintop. He’s not the type of player that will turn heads but he makes a team so much better. (Bayern Munchen have been missing him as well. I expect their troubles start to subside when he and Ribery are fully fit.) He was the best player on the team during the Euros. He brings the type of delivery and on-the-ball presence which is essential for a young team. When he returns, the team will be much better so I’m not too worried about current form. The next games are in several months so that’s plenty of time to recuperate form whatever injury he’s suffering.

Another major problem, aside from injuries, is the lack of a central playmaker, the type of attacking midfielder who strikes fear into the opposing defense and rips them apart. The yirtici, if you will. We have two good, young, speedy wingers in Kazim and Arda (with guys like Aydin waiting to break into the team) but there needs to be someone in the middle. Arda is obviously the special player in the team but I’m not sure he’s cut out for the central position – he’s better at wreaking havoc while switching flanks. With Yildiray and Tumer of advanced age (the former won’t play again for Fatih Terim anyway) we have a huge gap at playmaker. Gokdeniz is a wonderful player and plays regularly for Rubin Kazan but I’ve never seen him as a top eleven guy for the national team. He’s another one of those impact substitutes. So, what’s the solution? Convince Mesut Ozil to play for us instead of for the Germans. Whatever it takes, just get him to wear the red and white.

In mid-week, Turkiye entertained Belgium, with Bosnia their major contenders for second place (Spain is overwhelming favorite for first), in Istanbul. Victory was expected but a draw was the result. Mehmet Aurelio and Hakan Balta were also missing for this match but Turkiye have enough experience overcoming depleted squad depth so there is little respite in such excuses. I was not able to watch the entire match but by all accounts Belgium were on top early and deserved their goal, despite it being the result of awful marking. Turkiye should have leveled by half-time but failed to do so. The inexplicable withdrawal of Colin Kazim-Richards for Mehmet Topuz highlighted a frustrating second half though a penalty by Emre earned the points. Emre, by the way, has no business being in the squad at the moment, let alone being captain.

In domestic play, the big match of the weekend was Trabzonspor entertaining Besiktas along the Black Sea coast in a clash of the early season leaders. I was able to watch the entire match but I soon realized that was no special privelege. The game was horrible and both sides seemed content with a nil-nil draw. Beskitas showed flashes that could see them win the title but barely threatened to score. Edouard Cisse and Delgado, at times, were influential but Serdar Kurtulus and Under-21 international Aydin Karabulut were below-par. Trabzon did not have Yattara available and big off-season signing Gokhan Unal seemed reluctant to run or pass, which bodes ill for the future.

The other big teams also faired poorly. Fenerbahce lost at Hacettepe (recently known as Genclerbirligi OFTAS) 2-1. Hacettepe looked decent but Fener never should have lost the game. They went ahead with a brilliant goal but two awful mistakes by young defender Can Arat, whose potential seemed so great at one time but looks to be ruined just like many other young prospects at Fenerbahce, turned the tide. At times, Fener seem to play with eight attackers as the full-backs push far up the field and leave the two centre backs to deal with counter-attacks. A strange sequence at the end saw Hacettepe awarded a penalty, which was missed. But the aftermath saw Fenerbahce goalkeeper Volkan dismissed for what seemed to be complaint. Roberto Carlos should have been the one to see red but probably escaped by virtue of the name on his shirt. Things are looking dire early in the season for Fenerbahce but hopefully a Champions League match with Porto in mid-week will provide respite rather than further trouble.

Galatasaray were able to earn only a draw against Antalyaspor, who, honestly, are not good. The stage seemed set for an old-fashioned romp when Nonda finished a nice move early in the game. But Antalya struck against the run of play thanks to poor marking (by the very same fools who allowed the Belgians an open header in the national game). The game was pretty poor until the last fifteen minutes when Galatasaray pressed hard for a goal and came up short. Antalya actually had the best two chances in the second half with clear break-aways but they’ll be happy with the draw. For Galatasaray, Arda failed to influence the game though Kewell looked good and so did Aydin, another young prospect with loads of potential. Milan Baros came on in the second half and came close a number of times. Lincoln also made a cameo though his contribution was contriving to get opposite goalkeeper Omer sent off – after full time! A strange decision by the referee considering that Omer was doing nothing as Gala supporters threw abuse and other flotasam at him and Lincoln pushed him to the ground. Ah well, such things are not out of the ordinary in Turkiye.

In other news, Sivasspor beat Bursaspor to go top with Beskitas and Trabzonspor. Gaziantepspor joined them on points after drawing at home with bottom club Ankaragucu in a match with four red cards – all in the last five minutes. There are still over thirty games to play but the start by Sivas shows their performance last season was no fluke and if Gaziantep can cause problems – along with Kayserispor – that will make the league even more interesting. Stay tuned for another update at the end of the month.

A quick overview of Turkish football and the last season is in order. There are three big clubs in Turkiye and they are all based in Istanbul. Perhaps the best known in Europe, by virtue of an excellent side around the turn of the century, is Galatasaray and their yellow-and-red striped kits. Perhaps the best supported and certainly the richest is Fenerbahçe with their yellow-and-blue striped kits. The two have won the same number of league titles. The third team in popularity but not so far behind in success is the black-and-white striped Beşiktaş. Among the Anatolian sides, Trabzonspor is the biggest club and Kayserispor has had a good run of recent success. Last season, Galatasaray won the title with a closer-than-it-looks six-point cushion. Fener, Beşiktaş and surprise package Sivasspor all finished level on points but a complicated tie-breaking system saw the first in the Champion’s League, the second in the UEFA Cup and the last cursing their luck. Kayserispor booked their ticket to the UEFA Cup by winning the Turkish Cup.

The start of the season has greeted Fener and Galatasaray with mixed fortunes. Let’s begin with the defending champions because I’m such an unbiased reviewer. A busy transfer season saw the arrival of Fernando Meira – an excellent buy at five million euros – and some reserve goalkeeper on loan. Ill-advised expenditures include the purchases of Australian Harry Kewell, a regular on the injured list , and Czech dwarf striker Milan Baros, sure to disappoint yet another club after everyone thought he was so great in a few games about five years ago. Other than the new arrivals, the team’s core is made up of young Turkish stars who participated in the Euro tournament with great aplomb and the mercurial Brazilian Lincoln. I read in unrelated context today that mercurial usually means piss-poor and that isn’t too far from the truth as regards Lincoln. Once a great player, he is now a whining sourpuss who might give you five good minutes in a game.

The season began well for Galatasaray with a victory in the Turkish Super Cup over Kayserispor but soon began to fall apart with a pathetic display in the Champions League quarterfinals. It took an extraordinary effort simply to level the tie against Romanian runners-up Steaua Bucharest in their home game. Nothing doing in the second leg and now Galatasaray must miss the Champions League group stages yet again. Their start to the league campaign has been a little better with four points in the first two matches, including a difficult draw away to Kayserispor. Harry Kewell has been knocking in goals which is encouraging except for the fact that he’ll get hurt soon.

Fenerbahçe also welcomed a number of high-profile signings. Luis Aragones, fresh off leading Spain to the Euro title, takes over the manager hot-seat after Zico was unceremoniously dumped. He brought last year’s La Liga top scorer Daniel Guiza with him, hopefully filling the need for a striker that can cause damage in Europe. Holding midfielder Mehmet Aurelio went to Spain and left a hole that was rumored at one point to be filled by Xabi Alonso or Marcos Senna but has instead lured unknown quanitity Josico to Istanbul. Emre Belözoğlu – after an interesting experience in England, where he shined for a season then endured charges of racism and endless injuries – arrives as an odd signing but one that fills the back pages. Burak Yılmaz, a pacy winger, will hope to revive his career on the right flank.

Fenerbahçe had to plow through two qualifying rounds to make the Champions League group stages and plow they did, although the final round against Partizan Belgrade was a closer shave than comfort dictates. A group with Arsenal, Porto and Dynamo Kiev is difficult but fans except nothing less than another march to the quarterfinals. They are the only Turkish representative this year, which is disappointing for Turkish football and a huge stain on Galatasaray’s season already. The league campaign has been poor thus far for Fener, with a loss away to Gaziantepspor and an indifferent win against Istanbulspor with the goals coming after two red cards for the bad guys. Aragones will need a better performance from his team to see his side win the title and for him to keep his job.

Beşiktaş have played third fiddle for several seasons but the gods may favor them with a revival. Last season, they seemed to be out of the picture but finished strong and ended level on points with Fener. Their Champions League campaign last year bore the ugly scar of a 8-0 pounding by Liverpool but even with that unsightly abomination they had a good chance of making it to the knock-out stages. The offseason didn’t bring any big-name arrivals but did see a strange bust-up between the two Ibrahims. Ibrahim Üzülmez and Ibrahim Toraman, two iconic defenders at the club, had a fight over, if I remember correctly, sandals. For some time they were on the for sale list but now they’re back after supposedly making peace. Despite a lack of big names, Beşiktaş have a strong squad and a surplus of solid, albeit not outstanding, footballers, many of them foreigners – Tello, Delgado, Bobo, Holosko, Cisse, etc. Two wins out of two to begin the season – albeit against inferior quality in Antalyaspor and Konyaspor – mean the Black Eagles top the table and portend happier endings this year.

Joining Beşiktaş at the top is Trabzonspor, who have been wallowing in mid-table misery for the past few seasons. The Black Sea club is the only Turkish club outside of the three big Istanbul teams to have won the league title but the last one was 25 years ago. Expectations are always high, however, and this year the burgundy-and-blue team have as good a shot as they have had in some time. The arrival of proven goalscorer Gökhan Ünal from Kayserispor was a major transfer coup and their starting eleven is strong enough to challenge for the title. Unfortunately, too much depends on the mentally unstable playmaker Ibrahim Yattara and the squad depth may not last over the course of thirty-some matches.

Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor are the only clubs with a reasonable chance of winning the title but plenty of Anatolian teams should push them and make life difficult. Gaziantepspor, always a tough opponent, have already tripped up Fener and also have a perfect record after two matches. Kayserispor will finish in that fourth or fifth spot as usual and take a few scalps along the way. Sivasspor may not repeat the success of last year but a more-or-less unchanged squad will not be easily beaten. Quality is harder to find in the lower half of the league but that can be said of just about any league in Europe. More disappointing is the lack of teams from eastern Turkiye. The Istanbul clubs will be happy about that – it’s a long haul to the east – but sadly deprives a large portion of the country of live top-flight football. In any case, my tears should dry quickly as this should be a cracker of a season. Who’ll win the title? Well, most pundits will side, as usual, with Fener or Galatasaray. My dad says watch out for Trabzon and I say watch out for Beşiktaş – which happens to be my dad’s team, a strange choice indeed. But at the end of the day, my blood runs blue and yellow: Fenerbahçe will lift their record eighteenth title.