Fenerbahce SK - The Quest For European Glory

[-Xenon-]

Ok guys, first attempt at a story so bear with me!

"And if you would just like to sign here" said chairman Aziz Yildirim motioning to a solitary dotted line in a sea of ineligble Turkish words. As I put put pen to paper, hundreds of cameras exploded into life illuminating the conference room with a dazzling array of light. The past two days were a complete blur, Until now I had been a lowly scout for mid-table Premiership outfit Fulham, scouting Eastern Europe for young talent. I had arrived in Istanbul with my trip almost complete relishing the chance to get back home. However, after watching Fenerbahce's U20's trounce their local oppenents at the Sukru Saracoglu stadium I was approached by none other than the chairman Aziz Yildirim. I was whisked to one the presumably many offices in the complex, here I was told that eccentric German coach Christoph Daum had resigned with immediate effect. Yildirim then went on to say that they had been in contact with my colleagues back in England who had told him that my knowledge in spotting young talent is surpassed by few. They also informed the chairman that I had a talent for tactics and in motivating players. "So", Yildirim drawled in his thick Turk accent, "it appears I may have an oppurtunity for you"

So here I was, holding the gaudy home strip up in front of hundreds of photographers with the chairman patting me on the back enthusiastically. "And now our new manager would like to take some questions" growled Yildirim. I sat down wishing I knew what to say to the oncoming questions. "What are your ambitions for the club"? said a voice in the midst of the media frenzy. "Well I'll be looking to establish a good reputation in Europe and see if we can't go on and win a major trophy, i'd also like to bring in some quality players to help us acheive that. Pens and pencils were audible as reporters hurriedly wrote down everything. "Who is the most impressive player in your squad"? said a familiar accent, it was a BBC reporter clearly bemused at the whole turn of events. "Well I haven't met them yet but I know about Nicolas Anelka's talent but I'd have to say Sanli Tuncay is one we would to keep because he is incredibly talented". After just two questions I was hurried out and taken to a 5 star Istanbul hotel, I stumbled into the suite and collapsed on the bed and slept as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Fenerbahce SK were founded over a century ago in the province of Kadikoy in Istanbul. It was originally founded in secret as not to conflict with the strict Ottoman rule at the time, who forbade football amongst youngsters who idolized the English players pioneering the game. The club has won 14 Turkish titles and has had a whole host of managers including two Scotsmen and two Englishmen during the thirties and forties. From its legal entrance into the Turkish league in 1908 Fenrbahce have enjoyed a lot of success and hope to do so in the future.

The next morning I drove to meet the team.........

More coming........

[-Xenon-]

Ok guys, first attempt at a story so bear with me!

"And if you would just like to sign here" said chairman Aziz Yildirim motioning to a solitary dotted line in a sea of ineligble Turkish words. As I put put pen to paper, hundreds of cameras exploded into life illuminating the conference room with a dazzling array of light. The past two days were a complete blur, Until now I had been a lowly scout for mid-table Premiership outfit Fulham, scouting Eastern Europe for young talent. I had arrived in Istanbul with my trip almost complete relishing the chance to get back home. However, after watching Fenerbahce's U20's trounce their local oppenents at the Sukru Saracoglu stadium I was approached by none other than the chairman Aziz Yildirim. I was whisked to one the presumably many offices in the complex, here I was told that eccentric German coach Christoph Daum had resigned with immediate effect. Yildirim then went on to say that they had been in contact with my colleagues back in England who had told him that my knowledge in spotting young talent is surpassed by few. They also informed the chairman that I had a talent for tactics and in motivating players. "So", Yildirim drawled in his thick Turk accent, "it appears I may have an oppurtunity for you"

So here I was, holding the gaudy home strip up in front of hundreds of photographers with the chairman patting me on the back enthusiastically. "And now our new manager would like to take some questions" growled Yildirim. I sat down wishing I knew what to say to the oncoming questions. "What are your ambitions for the club"? said a voice in the midst of the media frenzy. "Well I'll be looking to establish a good reputation in Europe and see if we can't go on and win a major trophy, i'd also like to bring in some quality players to help us acheive that. Pens and pencils were audible as reporters hurriedly wrote down everything. "Who is the most impressive player in your squad"? said a familiar accent, it was a BBC reporter clearly bemused at the whole turn of events. "Well I haven't met them yet but I know about Nicolas Anelka's talent but I'd have to say Sanli Tuncay is one we would to keep because he is incredibly talented". After just two questions I was hurried out and taken to a 5 star Istanbul hotel, I stumbled into the suite and collapsed on the bed and slept as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Fenerbahce SK were founded over a century ago in the province of Kadikoy in Istanbul. It was originally founded in secret as not to conflict with the strict Ottoman rule at the time, who forbade football amongst youngsters who idolized the English players pioneering the game. The club has won 14 Turkish titles and has had a whole host of managers including two Scotsmen and two Englishmen during the thirties and forties. From its legal entrance into the Turkish league in 1908 Fenrbahce have enjoyed a lot of success and hope to do so in the future.

The next morning I drove to meet the team.........

More coming........

[-Xenon-]

After meeting the team I was more than impressed:

Goalkeepers

Biler Recep GK 23- Useful backup keeper, has 3 U21 caps.

Demirel Volkan GK 22- Again Useful backup, wanted by several mid-table clubs.

Recber Rustu GK 31- Outstanding keeper, on loan from Barcelona. First choice for the season.

Defenders

Umit Ozat SW 27- Brilliant sweeper, great in the air with bags of experience

Turaci Onder DRC 22- Good prospect with great composure

Baris Deniz DLC 27- Plenty of international experience, excellent work rate

Fabio Luciano DC 29- Good header of the ball, very gifted in all areas

Cetin Servet DC 23- Determination and bravery are his strongest points

Fabiano D/DML 25- Pace with the abillity to cross, great left foot

Midfielders

Balci Serkan DMRC 20- Solid midfielder, strong in the tackle

Sahin Selcuk DMLC 23- Influential, master of the long shot

Erdogdu Mahmut Hanefi ML 21- Not a contender for the first team

Aurelio MC 26- Natural leader with bags of talent

Hacioglu Murat AML 25- Talented but unlikely to force Alex out

Aslan Kemal AMLC 22- Bright international future, backup for Alex

Alex AMLC 26- goalscorer, international experience, superb creativity

Mehmet Yozgatli AM 25- Backup for the likes of Tuncay

Sanli Tuncay AMC 22- Technically gifted with great first touch

Strikers

Akin Serhat FRC 23- Good team player

Marcio Nobre SC 23- Influential striker, good in the air

Nicolas Anelka FC 25- Experience, pace and good finishing

Pierre van Hooijdonk FC 34- Bags of experience, great at free kicks and superb in the air

[-Xenon-]

After meeting the team I was more than impressed:

Goalkeepers

Biler Recep GK 23- Useful backup keeper, has 3 U21 caps.

Demirel Volkan GK 22- Again Useful backup, wanted by several mid-table clubs.

Recber Rustu GK 31- Outstanding keeper, on loan from Barcelona. First choice for the season.

Defenders

Umit Ozat SW 27- Brilliant sweeper, great in the air with bags of experience

Turaci Onder DRC 22- Good prospect with great composure

Baris Deniz DLC 27- Plenty of international experience, excellent work rate

Fabio Luciano DC 29- Good header of the ball, very gifted in all areas

Cetin Servet DC 23- Determination and bravery are his strongest points

Fabiano D/DML 25- Pace with the abillity to cross, great left foot

Midfielders

Balci Serkan DMRC 20- Solid midfielder, strong in the tackle

Sahin Selcuk DMLC 23- Influential, master of the long shot

Erdogdu Mahmut Hanefi ML 21- Not a contender for the first team

Aurelio MC 26- Natural leader with bags of talent

Hacioglu Murat AML 25- Talented but unlikely to force Alex out

Aslan Kemal AMLC 22- Bright international future, backup for Alex

Alex AMLC 26- goalscorer, international experience, superb creativity

Mehmet Yozgatli AM 25- Backup for the likes of Tuncay

Sanli Tuncay AMC 22- Technically gifted with great first touch

Strikers

Akin Serhat FRC 23- Good team player

Marcio Nobre SC 23- Influential striker, good in the air

Nicolas Anelka FC 25- Experience, pace and good finishing

Pierre van Hooijdonk FC 34- Bags of experience, great at free kicks and superb in the air

[Tyrone the Magazine]

Good start keep it up

[-Xenon-]

After seeing the huge potential within the squad I knew that being successfull in Europe wasn't the impossible task many think it would be. A 7 million pound transfer budget was a lot more than I had hoped for. With the chairman demanding big name players and with Pierre van Hooijdonk nearing to retirement I immediately contacted Athletic Paranaense and submitted a 3.5 million pound bid for highly rated youngster Dagoberto. However the next day i learned that Dortmund had upped the ante by bidding 5.25 million. Not wanting to lose the player i bid 5.5 million immediately which was accepted much to my relief. With the limit on foreign player set at 6 i decided to place Marcio Nobre on the transfer list to not only free up some spaces but also to raise extra funds given Dagoberto's impending transfer. But first I had my first game in charge to sort out.

Friendly

Wisla vs. Fenerbahce

Line-up: Rustu, Fabiano, Ozat, Luciano, Onder, Alex, Tuncay, Aurelio, Serkan, Anelka, van Hooijdonk

We travelled to Poland in reasonably bad shape, not many of the players were match fit and there was not a lot I could do having been only at the club 3 days. The weather in Krakow was awful, downpours of snow and icy winds. It was impossible for the players to acclimatize properly. The first 45 minutes were pretty open, neither team creating much until Rogowski bundled the ball over the line on 46 minutes. The second half was as un-eventful as the first with Alex coming the closest to scoring. Not the best start but it gives the players some match practise.

Final Score: Wisla 1-0 Fenerbahce

[-Xenon-]

Cheers Tyrone

Next was a trip to the Stade Jules Ladoumegue to play obscure French outfit Romarantin. I kept the line-up and tactics as before, a simple 4-4-2.

Friendly

Romarantin vs. Fenerbahce

Line-up: Rustu, Fabiano, Ozat, Luciano, Onder, Alex, Tuncay, Aurelio, Serkan, Anelka, van Hooijdonk

The conditions in France were much better suited to the players than in Poland. We dominated early on with Alex netting a sweet free kick and the slotting home after a push on Anelka from the spot. By the 25th minute we were 3-0 up, Anelka rounding the keeper for a great solo goal. Alex could of had his hat-trick before the half hour mark, hitting the upright after a superb volley. It was soon four as van Hooijdonk headed from close range. Romarantin had their say before the break with Pierre Michel scoring in bizarre fashion. Then Alex was sent off for a rash tackle, He assured me there will be no problem with his temprement afterwards and I hope he's right. The second half passed with a cool finish for Anelka's second and an injury to Fabio Luciano the only major incidents. An encouraging performance despite the gulf in class.

Final Score: Romarantin 1-5 Fenerbahce

[-Xenon-]

Our mini tour of France concluded with a 0-0 draw at Besancon and a 2-0 win at Cannes. Next was my first home game and the final friendly of pre-season. We faced worthy opponents in the form of Club Brugge who like us were trying to establish themselves in Europe by playing Champions League football. It was a pretty modest turnout at the stadium, the dull thud of the ball being kicked reverberated around the stands. This would be a hard game with Fabio Luciano out for a month with knee damage.

Friendly

Fenerbahce vs. Club Brugge

Line-up: Rustu, Onder, Deniz, Fabiano, Ozat, Serkan, Tuncay, Alex, Aurelio, Anelka, van Hooijdonk

The game was fairly mediocre from start to finish, possesion was slightly dominated by us but we couldn't breach the resolute defence until former Nottingham Forest man Pierre van Hooijdonk popped up on 74 minutes to cooly slot home a well placed volley to give us the win.

Final Score: Fenerbahce 1-0 Club Brugge

A pleasing result for us, the friendlies have given the lads good match practice and upped their fitness its also shown me what tactics suit the team best. Now for the league season!

[-Xenon-]

With the league season approaching the transfer of Dagoberto has been put on hold while a buyer is found for Marcio Nobre. The bookies had mad us 2-1 to win the league behind joint favourites Besiktas and Galatasaray on 7-4. Our first league encounter was a tricky trip to the Ataturk Stadium to face Rizespor, whose manager had previously declared my slim chance of winning the championship. After Galatasaray's suprising 2-0 defeat at Trabzonspor I wanted us to get off to the best start possible.

C. Rizespor vs. Fenerbahce

All of the major action in the game came in the last 30 minutes, Anelka volleying home on 63 minutes. We had controlled possesion throughout and Rizespor never had a shot on goal in the entire 90 minutes. Anelka added a second from short range and then was denied his hat-trick, Kursat beating him to the ball and putting it past his own keeper

Final Score: C. Rizespor 0-3 Fenerbahce

A brilliant start to the league season, i hope we can keep it up throughout the season especially in the big games againt Galatasaray and Besiktas

[-Xenon-]

With the draw for the champions league tantalisingly close I first had to concentrate on another difficult game. We were at home to Sakaryaspor, who had taken the early lead in the championship with a 4-1 win. The attendance at the Saracoglu was dissapointing, just over 22,00 people turned up to watch the game, just over half the capacity.

Fenerbahce vs. Sakaryaspor

Pierre van Hooijdonk was the star of the first half, hitting the post and buzzing around the box energetically. Unfortunately this didn't pay off and we couldn't find a breakthrough before half time. A minute after the break however, Aurelio drove a shot home from thirty yards breaking the deadlock. We continued our dominant performance thoughout the second half with van Hooijdonk converting an Alex cross and then late on Aurelio scored a carbon copy of his first to give us a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Final Score: Fenerbahce 3-0 Sakaryaspor

[-Xenon-]

Next came the biggest game of my short career. We faced a tough trip to the Ali Sami Yen to play Galatasaray. Galatasaray hadn't enjoyed the best of starts, losing their opening two matches but they have a lot of home grown talent as well as experienced foreigners who are quite capable of winning the league. Fabio Luciano was still nursing a knee injury so Baris Deniz continued in the centre of defence.

Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahce

The first Istanbul derby of the season was every bit as competetive, brutal and exciting as everyone had expected. The first half an hour of the game was tense, with neither side commiting too many men forward incase they were hit on the break. The breakthrough came on 41 minutes when van Hooijdonk was tripped on the edge of the area. Alex lined the free kick up only to dummy it left to leave Umit Ozat to drive the ball home from 20 yards. The game was made safe on 72 minutes when van Hooijdonk headed past the starnded Mondragon to make it 2-0.

Final Score: Galatasaray 0-2 Fenerbahce

A fantastic win for us, that moves us up to first putting pressure on Besiktas to repeat the result. As for Galatasary, three defeats in three games puts them down to 17th but there is plenty of time left for them to turn it around.

[-Xenon-]

Nyon, Champions League Group Stage Draw

I felt a buzz of excitment as I sat amongst all the dignitaries and representatives patiently waiting for the draw. I wanted to get one of the elite teams and two other beatable teams. There was good news and bad news:

Group C

Inter

Liverpool

Lyon

Fenerbahce

A really tough group! Im hoping we can maybe beat Liverpool and Lyon at home but it looks bleak even for a UEFA cup place

[-Xenon-]

After the exciting news from Nyon we were brought back down to earth with a visit to the Saracoglu from Ankaragucu. Fabio Luciano was nearing full fitness but i wanted him match fit for the game against Lyon so he was rested.

Fenerbahce vs. Ankaragucu

This game was dissapointing due to the fact that both teams were extremely lethargic in possesion and passing, with hardly any shots on goal. The fans were starting to get restless when Pierre van Hooijdonk tapped in from Alex's cross those two combining yet again. That was the only high point of a game that lacked any excitement. On a sour note Aurelio picked up an injury and was stretchered off while Tuncay picked up a small knock.

Final Score: Fenerbahce 1-0 Ankaragucu

[-Xenon-]

Next we faced a trip to Trabzon to play fellow title contenders Trabzonspor. Like Galatasary they had had a bad start to the campaign. Unlike Galatasaray however, they were starting to turn it around and were in buoyant mood upon our arrival. Fabio Luciano who had recieved a call up to the Brazil national team made his return for this match. Trabzonspor were worthy oppenants and had missed out on the Champions League because of a narrow defeat to Juventus in the qualifiers.

Trabzonspor vs. Fenerbahce

By far the most exciting game of the season so far. Within 10 minutes Serkan glanced a header past the keeper to give us 1-0 lead, this left me feeling really optomistic. However things would take a turn for the worse after a Gokdeniz (a player I had been tracking all pre-season) cross failed to be claimed by Rustu. As a resulted Hasan fired into a empty net, our first breach all season. Things were to get worse as Cafercan slotted the ball past Rustu to make it 2-1. The game settled down for much of the second half until Pierre van Hooijdonk sent a terrific curling 20 yard shot thundering past the keeper to grab a late equaliser on 88 minutes. I was hoping we would go on to get the three points but the complete opposite happened. Augustine who had been playing brilliantly all game fired home what should be goal of the month past Rustu on 92 minutes to give them the win.

Final Score: Trabzonspor 3-2 Fenerbahce

A disappointing result and not the best build up to a champions league clash but we are still on top and will look to bounce back.

[-Xenon-]

The stage was set for a big night in Istanbul, the crowd was the largest i'd seen at the Saracoglu all season with not a ticket to spare a complete sell-out. Lyon were in great shape with Juninho a major threat. We'd also have to watch Wiltord.

Fenerbahce vs. Lyon

We dominated from the word go and it was no surprise when Akin Serhat who had attracted interest from Barcelona and Milan scored inside 10 mins rewarding my faith in the 23 year old. I began to enter a dream-like state when number two went, Pierre van Hooijdonk converting from close range. I was a little surprised that my midfielders and defenders were taking Juninho, Essien and Malouda compltely out of the game leaving no service for Wiltord. The final whistle went and I knew it should have been 3 or 4, but all in all it was everything I could of hoped for and more.

Final Score: Fenerbahce 2-0 Lyon

This has given the team belief for the rest of the competition.

[-Xenon-]

However it wasn't all good news the following morning.........

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

The Times

Wednesday 15th September

Two die in French embassy bomb horror

Two hours after Fenerbahce's now famous win over Lyon, the French embassy in Istanbul was targeted by terrorists who planted a bomb inside the compound. Officials are reporting that 2 people are dead and another 13 injured, the two dead are thought to be Turkish citizens while 6 of the injured are French nationals. It remains to be seen whether this attack is by Islamic seperatists or by Fenerbahce supporters. It comes just 3 days after the anniversary of the atrocities of September 11th, which supports the theory that Al Qaeda or one of its offshoots carried out the attacks. However the fact that it came just two hours after Lyon's defeat in Istanbul makes it seem much more likely that Fenerbahce fans carried out the attack. This begs the question: What if Fenerbahce had lost? French and Turkish police have launched immediate enquiries as well as UEFA, who plan to bring Fenerbahce to book over the incident. Expulsion from the tournament or deduction of points are the likely punishments if they are found guilty of any offence. Chairman Aziz Yildirim has vehemently denied any knowledge of the incident and has issued a statement claiming that blame has to fall on the Istanbul police service not the football club who have condemned the bombing sending condolences to the victim's families. As the investigations go on through this morning, rookie manager Sam Cox declined any comment.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It was like waking up from a nightmare, I refused to believe that a few fans were responsible and I also refused to accept that the actions of others would get in the way of my objective of European glory. I sent my personal condolences to the families. I can't imagine what they must be going through, I remember a similiar thing happening in the EURO qualifiers when England beat Turkey a bomb hit the British embassy but now was worse. Two people were dead and we were supposed to be responsible or at least our fans. Tomorrow we begin to compile our case to UEFA, to try and convey our innocence.

[-Xenon-]

Off the pitch incidents aside we had to concentrate on our football. Our next opponents were mid-table Kayserispor who had a good defensive record and were notoriously hard to break down.

Fenerbahce vs. Kayserispor

Things started brightly with Alex scoring on 10 mins, for the rest of the game Kayserispor had a fair amount of possesion and created some decent chances but we were always on top with Tuncay and Alex on top form. However, Rustu's concentration lapsed and he was adjudged to have pushed Uluzoy Fazli who promptly converted the spot-kick to equalise with just nine minutes left. Pierre van Hooijdonk came close to grabbing a winner but this poor result saw us slip to third.

Final Score: Fenerbahce 1-1 Kayserispor

[-Xenon-]

In Nyon, we were completely cleared of any wrongdoing and we left positive about the future. The whole turn of events has obviously had a detrimental effect on the players and our performances show this. I wasn't sure they were ready but there was not a lot I could when Gencerbirligi turned up for a top of the table clash. Alex was suspended and Kaslan took his place.

Fenerbahce vs. Gencerbirligi

The match was over in a flash, neither team working hard enough for the three points, Pierre van Hooijdonk shattering the crossbar late on was the closest either team came.

Final Score: Fenerbahce 0-0 Gencerbirligi

We move above Besiktas into 2nd on goal difference but they have a game in hand so I would expect to move back down to 3rd soon.

[-Xenon-]

btw guys some feedback would be nice.......

[-Xenon-]

Dagoberto ended up signing for Dortmund which is a real shame. However we are in adavanced talks with Trabzonspor over their skilful winger Gokdeniz, who I'm hoping will join us in January. After a disapointing run of form in the league it was time for Champions League action again. This time it was a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. I was hoping for a draw..........

Liverpool vs. Fenerbahce

We gave a good account of ourselves but Liverpool were just too strong and when Xabi Alonso fired home on 8 minutes, I wasn't disapointed because I knew it had been coming. They wouldn't score again until late in the game but before that Alex had our best chance, hitting the bar. Cisse headed home with 10 minutes to spare to give them the win.

Final Score: Liverpool 2-0 Fenerbahce

A scraped result against Inter could make this group interesting

[Guest]

Very good, keep going..

I managed FB for 3 seosons. Some Tips for the players and team.

4-4-2 is not performing good with FB. I used 4-3-1-2, or 3-4-1-2. But if CL and away; 4-1-3-2 runs good.

Put Serhat as Rigth winger,

Best position for Yozgatli ise AMC, backup for Alex. Use Kemal on MC (Left of the circle)

You will not be able to sell Luciano on second seoson

Dagoberto has signed for Dormund, this is normal because famous players are not coming to TR (unfortunately).

You can use Tuncay as striker, better than Dagoberto.

Or instead of Dagoberto sign with Azar Karadas (Very good pair with Nobre). Also you can try to sign with Maxi Lopez on January (he is coming but will ve unsettled) , you can offer termination to PvH on January. He will accept. But on the other hand you have Anelka too. I think this squad do not need any more striker.

Good Lucks

(

[-Xenon-]

Thanks for the advice! Dagoberto was on the verge joining us, he had accepted a contract. 4-4-2 wasn't working that well but since the last update I have been using a 3-4-3 formation which has worked well.

[Guest]

Excellent stuff

[Brian of Nazareth]

don't worry about feedback - it will come and I was about to comment on the sad news of that terrible bombing but good luck fighting for the title - picking up some form would help . I think you can grab 3rd at least in that group btw. God luck.

[-Xenon-]

Pitiful attempt at at a sub plot, Every now and then im gonna drop one in. The weird thing was that after I wrote it the team's form went from excellent to really disapointing which tied in really nicely with the sub plot, purely unintentional! Damaging to the league campaign though! Its really tight for qualification in CL and you'll see why in the next update

[-Xenon-]

It had been over a month since the sad events in Istanbul that almost destroyed our season. In that month we have failed to win any games and while I have tried to shield the players from the off the pitch incidents its had a negative effect on their play. Despite this the signs in training were good and I was beginning to see the team that beat Lyon again. We next faced strugglers Diyarbakirspor.

Diyarbakirspor vs. Fenerbahce

Back on top but for how long?

The game started brilliantly with Anelka bundling the ball over the line to make it 1-0. The rest of the game wedominated but failed to take our chances.

Final Score: Diyarbakirspor 0-1 Fenerbahce

[-Xenon-]

After finally grabbing a win and comfortably keeping in touch with Besiktas and Genclerbirligi above us, we next faced injury crippled Istansbulspor, the weakest of the four Istanbul based teams. We were without Luciano but Cetin Servet has been doing a sound job when we have needed to cover for him.

Istanbulspor vs. Fenerbahce

The opposition never challenged us in this professional performance from my side. We had the game wrapped up by half time with Anelka, van Hooijdonk and Tuncay (who netted for the first time this season) all found the net early on. The only incident of the second half was Ramadan Ragab being sent off for a proffesional foul on Tuncay.

Final Score: Istanbulspor 0-3 Fenerbahce

This result re-affirms our title credentials.

[-Xenon-]

Security was tight as we welcomed Inter to the Saracoglu, with armed police and military on standby. We knew this was a crucial game and we knew that a win would do wonders for our qualification hopes. However I was realistic and instructed the players to go for the draw which they had the potential to do. Adriano was the the danger man, or so I thought.

Fenerbahce vs. Inter

I thought we played well enough for most of the first half, retaining possesion and making Inter work. Adriano, who I had singled out to be a danger man in fact had a nothing game and it was Obafemi Martins who stole the show with two fantastic strikes either side of half time.

Final Score: Fenerbahce 0-2 Inter

It wasn't as bad as we expected when we heard the news from Lyon. lyon had beaten Liverpool leaving Group C looking like this:

Pts

Inter 9

Fenerbahce 3

Lyon 3

Liverpool 3

Inter take the driving seat but second place is anyones right now.

[-Xenon-]

The camp was buzzing because of our European situation, we just needed not to make too much of fools of ourselves in the San Siro and me might have a shot at the UEFA cup. Meanwhile we were enjoying a U-turn in our league form and our next challenge was at home to Konyaspor.

Fenerbahce vs. Konyaspor

We weren't expecting a major challenge and we didn't get it, despite the pre-match heckling from the Konyaspor manager. Nicolas Anelka netted either side of half time to give us a comfortable victory.

Final Score: Fenerbahce 2-0 Konyaspor

Pressure is on Genclerbirligi to keep winning if they want to stay top

[-Xenon-]

Next was a tricky trip to potential top 5 team Denizlispor.

Denizlispor vs. Fenerbahce

This was the first game I experimented using a 3-4-3 with Akin Serhat joinig Anelka and van Hooijdonk up front. To say the least it worked! 5-0 up at half time and we were cruising against a decent team. I poured on substitutions to keep Alex and Tuncay fit and comfortably sat out the rest of the game.

Final Score: Denizlispor 0-5 Fenerbahce

[-Xenon-]

The San Siro was every bit as spectacular, colourful, loud and awe-inspiring as I had dreamt. The Inter fans were out in force against our measly 1000 travelling fans sat in the upper tier. We were full of confidence after thrashing Denizlispor in our last game. Despite all the team confidence and the expectancy of the fans it would be a night to forget.

Inter vs. Fenerbahce

In fact we had a dream start, Anelka latching onto a forward ball and audaciously lobbing the ball over the stranded Toldo. That goal however would to be our downfall. The Inter players were almost offended that we had dared to take the lead in their own back yard and within 7 minutes of the initial re-start we were 3-1 down, Martins and Recoba punishing our slack defence. From then on we would constantly be on the back foot, leaking goals everywhere. Martins went on to get four, Stankovic and Adriano got two each plus Recoba's wonder strike.

Final Score: Inter 9-1 Fenerbahce

[RSFC]

I have found that in European Competitions, Inter are way overrated. I played them a few times and never left San Siro without a 5 or 6 goal deficit. Seems like every shot they fire somehow curls in.

So keep going think of that result as a glitch.

[Tyrone the Magazine]

Keep it up

[-Xenon-]

Sorry guys updates might start slowing down now that im back at school after easter and I dont have as much free time. Im hanging in there even though that 9-1 defeat, Tuncay wanting out of the club and not being able to sign Fred because none of my foreign players will leave got me down. But the finances are good so next season should be interesting but on with this one first, there is a league and cup double to win! Oh and I'm working on images of league tables, signings etc. None of the picture servers show them in a big enough size!

Next was a trip to the capital Ankara, to face mid table Ankaraspor who gave us a hostile reception. The team was at full full strength and while our future in Europe dwindled away, we needed to maintain our league as Genclerbirligi are yet to be beaten and have 3 games in hand due to UEFA cup commitments meaning we had to press home the psychological advantage and extend the lead at the top.

Ankaraspor vs. Fenerbahce

The game had a really cagey start and Ankaraspor were eager to impress the home fans. They got their reward on 37 minutes as Kartel Huseyin scored from the rebound of his first shot. However we were quick to respond with Tuncay scoring a tidy goal on 42 minutes. The second half was completely different from the first. We dominated and I was overcome with relief when van Hooijdonk and Anelka scored to give us the 3 points.

Final Score: Ankaraspor 1-3 Fenerbahce

We are now 4 points clear at the top but with Genclerbirligi having 3 games in hand that could change soon.

[-Xenon-]

We were at full strength for our next home game.

Fenerbahce vs. Akcaabat Sebatspor

This was a fairly tight game that both sides struggled to take control of. Tuncay is picking up some decent form and he managed to score the only goal of the games on 8 minutes.

Final Score: Fenerbahce 1-0 Akcaabat Sebatspor

So that leaves us top for another week but Genclerbirligi still have the advantage.

[Guest]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RSFC:

I have found that in European Competitions, Inter are way overrated. I played them a few times and never left San Siro without a 5 or 6 goal deficit. Seems like every shot they fire somehow curls in.

So keep going think of that result as a glitch. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You should play very defensive with major teams . ie. 4D-2DMC-3MC-1SC or 3d-2dmc-3mc-1amc-1sc. MCs shold have much tackling and very often through ball. Another important thing is play with slow tempo and short passing. Strategy is if you can't win, do not loose (away matchs). I always win to Inter with this kind of tactic ans strategy.

[RSFC]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">You should play very defensive with major teams . ie. 4D-2DMC-3MC-1SC or 3d-2dmc-3mc-1amc-1sc. MCs shold have much tackling and very often through ball. Another important thing is play with slow tempo and short passing. Strategy is if you can't win, do not loose (away matchs). I always win to Inter with this kind of tactic ans strategy </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Cool, thanks for help man.

[Guest]

This story is real fun to read

It inspires me to think about my first turkish league challenge!