While One of the Best coaches in the world Sir Alex Ferguson,speaks very highly about Turkish Intenational Player Tugay Kerimoglu, Turkish National Team coach Mr. Fatih Terim,does not invite him to National Team,when he is the "talk of the town" in England.
Before the Man U v Blackburn match on Sunday, Sir Alex Ferguson,talked about Blackburn team and Tugay Kerimoglu.
The United boss said:"He respects Blackburn's veteran Turkish midfielder Tugay.
He said: “The fact that they’re giving Tugay [who is 37] another contract is fantastic.
“I can understand exactly why they’re doing that because he’s still one of the best passers of the ball in the country.”
He also said: “I think they can. What they’ve shown at the moment is that no one turns them over.
“They’ve drawn with Arsenal and Liverpool at home and even going away they’re a handful.”
Manchester United beat Blackburn 2-0 ,on Sunday.
Manchester United, is on first place front of Arsenal.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
TURKISH NATIONAL TEAM SQUAD SELECTED!..
Turkish coach Fatih Terim has named 24-man squad for UEFA Euro 2008 Group C qualifiers against Norway and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Turkey are third in Group C, two points behind Norway, who they face in Oslo on November 17th.
Turkey will conclude the qualification campaign in Istanbul to Bosnia-Herzegovina four days later.
Turkey squad Goalkeepers: Volkan Demiel (Fenerbahce), Rustu Recber (Besiktas), Serkan Kirintili (Ankaragucu).
Defenders: Servet Cetin (Galatasaray), Hakan Balta (Galatasaray), Sedat Bayrak (Sivasspor), Hayrettin Yerlikaya (Sivasspor), Emre Asik (Ankaraspor), Ibrahim Kas (Besiktas), Hamit Altintop (FC Bayern Munchen), Gokhan Gonul (Fenerbahce), Deniz Baris (Fenerbahce).
Midfielders: Arda Turan (Galatasaray), Mehmet Aurelio (Fenerbahce), Gokdeniz Karadeniz (Trabzonspor), Emre Belozoglu (Newcastle United FC), Mehmet Topuz (Kayserispor), Yildiray Basturk (VfB Stuttgart).
Forwards: Mehmet Yildiz (Sivasspor), Semih Senturk (Fenerbahce), Nihat Kahveci (Villarreal CF), Tuncay Sanli (Middlesbrough FC), Fatih Tekke (FC Zenit St. Petersburg), Serhat Akin (RSC Anderlecht).
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Turks are driving the most online traffic for Champions League Matches!..
I always wondered how many people watched the Champions League matches on line from UEFA.com and ESPN360.com.
Well, my wondering ended!...In Washington Times newspaper ,there was an article done by Tim Lemke about this topic!
According to his article,Turks lead the online traffic for Champions League matches. Here is the Article..
European Champions League
I'm not an enormous soccer fan, but I have to admit a certain delight in following the Champions League, a hugely popular and remarkably intense tournament featuring the best teams from Europe. With many matches taking place this week, I pondered writing a story about the growing number of games available live on the Internet at places like ESPN360 and UEFA.com. I was operating on the theory that the availability of more matches online might actually pique the interest of casual American fans, who are less likely to pay big bucks for a special soccer television package like Setanta Sports or Fox Soccer Channel.
But, my reporting uncovered a lot of mixed information on the subject.
It's clear there is a market for streaming of live matches here in America. ESPN360 reported 3 million streams of the World Cup in 2006 and 500,000 streams for Champions League games earlier this spring. And for the 2007-08 Champions League tournament, ESPN360 will show three times as many games, so the number of streams should top 1 million.
"It's certainly growing," said John Zehr, ESPN's senior vice president of digital media production, of the popularity of Champions League games. "There are pockets of the country where European soccer has a pretty big following."
The network appears to be using the Champions League as highlighted programming as it seeks broader distribution of its new version of its video player, launched in September. (Currently, about 17 million people have access to the service and that will grow to 20 million by 2008, officials said.)
It's still unclear, though, who is tuning in to these online broadcasts. Zehr admitted the Champions League is "long tail" programming, meaning that it's highly appealing to a niche audience. He pointed out that die-hard Champions League fans who would prefer to watch games on big-screen televisions often can't in America because the games are played at 2:30 p.m. ET, smack dab in the middle of the workday. For those fans, a good online broadcast is the next best thing.
UEFA officials said they are specifically targeting the American audience for their online broadcasts at UEFA.com, because the sport can't get more popular in Europe.
"Our live online market is indeed in the USA and South America," said Andy Pattison, production manager for UEFA.com. "This does reflect the increased interest in soccer but also the saturation of the Champions League within Europe."
But Pattison also said the online games have been most popular in places where only the top games are available on television. (Turkish ex-pats are driving the most online traffic at the moment, he said, because UEFA.com is one of the few places fans can see games of top Turkish clubs Fenerbahçe and Besiktas.)
So is that the audience for online soccer? Die-hard fans who are stuck at the office and Turkish people who can't otherwise see their team's games?
I interviewed a number of European soccer fans who live in the U.S., and most said that they prefer to pay for a special satellite package or go to a bar to watch international soccer, if possible.
"The online games really don't impact us, because anyone who wants to get our games can get them on television," said Jim O'Donnell, president of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the North American Federation of Celtic Supporters Clubs. "I'm sure there are some football fans without an allegiance who might watch online, but I can't say what kind of effort they'd make."
Mike Kavanagh, president of Arsenal America, a club for American fans of Arsenal FC, said he knows a number of fans who were once uninterested in soccer but became huge supporters after watching online broadcasts of the World Cup last year.
"There were guys who couldn't have cared less about soccer, but they had ESPN360, and now they're into international football, which is fantastic," he said.
- Tim Lemke
http://video1.washingtontimes.com/sportsbiz/2007/11/european_champions_league.html
Well, my wondering ended!...In Washington Times newspaper ,there was an article done by Tim Lemke about this topic!
According to his article,Turks lead the online traffic for Champions League matches. Here is the Article..
European Champions League
I'm not an enormous soccer fan, but I have to admit a certain delight in following the Champions League, a hugely popular and remarkably intense tournament featuring the best teams from Europe. With many matches taking place this week, I pondered writing a story about the growing number of games available live on the Internet at places like ESPN360 and UEFA.com. I was operating on the theory that the availability of more matches online might actually pique the interest of casual American fans, who are less likely to pay big bucks for a special soccer television package like Setanta Sports or Fox Soccer Channel.
But, my reporting uncovered a lot of mixed information on the subject.
It's clear there is a market for streaming of live matches here in America. ESPN360 reported 3 million streams of the World Cup in 2006 and 500,000 streams for Champions League games earlier this spring. And for the 2007-08 Champions League tournament, ESPN360 will show three times as many games, so the number of streams should top 1 million.
"It's certainly growing," said John Zehr, ESPN's senior vice president of digital media production, of the popularity of Champions League games. "There are pockets of the country where European soccer has a pretty big following."
The network appears to be using the Champions League as highlighted programming as it seeks broader distribution of its new version of its video player, launched in September. (Currently, about 17 million people have access to the service and that will grow to 20 million by 2008, officials said.)
It's still unclear, though, who is tuning in to these online broadcasts. Zehr admitted the Champions League is "long tail" programming, meaning that it's highly appealing to a niche audience. He pointed out that die-hard Champions League fans who would prefer to watch games on big-screen televisions often can't in America because the games are played at 2:30 p.m. ET, smack dab in the middle of the workday. For those fans, a good online broadcast is the next best thing.
UEFA officials said they are specifically targeting the American audience for their online broadcasts at UEFA.com, because the sport can't get more popular in Europe.
"Our live online market is indeed in the USA and South America," said Andy Pattison, production manager for UEFA.com. "This does reflect the increased interest in soccer but also the saturation of the Champions League within Europe."
But Pattison also said the online games have been most popular in places where only the top games are available on television. (Turkish ex-pats are driving the most online traffic at the moment, he said, because UEFA.com is one of the few places fans can see games of top Turkish clubs Fenerbahçe and Besiktas.)
So is that the audience for online soccer? Die-hard fans who are stuck at the office and Turkish people who can't otherwise see their team's games?
I interviewed a number of European soccer fans who live in the U.S., and most said that they prefer to pay for a special satellite package or go to a bar to watch international soccer, if possible.
"The online games really don't impact us, because anyone who wants to get our games can get them on television," said Jim O'Donnell, president of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the North American Federation of Celtic Supporters Clubs. "I'm sure there are some football fans without an allegiance who might watch online, but I can't say what kind of effort they'd make."
Mike Kavanagh, president of Arsenal America, a club for American fans of Arsenal FC, said he knows a number of fans who were once uninterested in soccer but became huge supporters after watching online broadcasts of the World Cup last year.
"There were guys who couldn't have cared less about soccer, but they had ESPN360, and now they're into international football, which is fantastic," he said.
- Tim Lemke
http://video1.washingtontimes.com/sportsbiz/2007/11/european_champions_league.html
Fenerbahce in strong position
Fenerbahce beat PSV Eindhoven 2-0 in their Champions League Group G match on Wednesday to put the Turkish team in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
Fenerbahce took the lead after 28 minutes through an own goal by PSV defender Dirk Marcellis who deflected a shot from Kazim Kazim into the Eindhoven net.
Two minutes later Kazim's strike partner Semih Senturk doubled their lead, driving a shot beneath goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes after being put through by Brazilian playmaker Alex.
The result left Fenerbahce second in the group on eight points, one point behind Inter Milan who beat CSKA Moscow 4-2. PSV remained third on four points while the Russian side are bottom with just one point and have been eliminated.
'This was a big game and every player fought well and I congratulate them,' said Fenerbahce's Brazilian coach Zico. 'We tried to exert pressure on them throughout and the team got the result they deserved.'
'The victory today was very important in terms of qualifying. Our goal is clearly to be the top team so the remaining two games are just as important,' he said.
Alex, orchestrating the Turkish side's attacks, nearly added a third goal after 34 minutes when he tried to lob the PSV goalkeeper but the ball just cleared the bar.
The home side eased up in the second half but still occasionally looked dangerous in front of goal.
After 55 minutes, Kazim fired in another shot from the right, forcing a good save from Gomes who gathered the ball after Mehmet Aurelio, another of Fenerbahce's Brazilian contingent, failed to latch on to the rebound.
Gomes again came to his side's rescue after 68 minutes, diving to save a shot from Senturk.
'We lost the ball a lot and of course Fenerbahce played well,' said PSV caretaker coach Jan Wouters, who stepped into the role after Ronald Koeman left for Valencia this month.
'Unfortunately, we made mistakes and that is why we lost.'
PSK exerted a flurry of pressure in the final stages as they tried to make up the deficit but most of their efforts were waywward while Fenerbahce's Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel easily gathered the few efforts on target.
Source:ESPN
Fenerbahce took the lead after 28 minutes through an own goal by PSV defender Dirk Marcellis who deflected a shot from Kazim Kazim into the Eindhoven net.
Two minutes later Kazim's strike partner Semih Senturk doubled their lead, driving a shot beneath goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes after being put through by Brazilian playmaker Alex.
The result left Fenerbahce second in the group on eight points, one point behind Inter Milan who beat CSKA Moscow 4-2. PSV remained third on four points while the Russian side are bottom with just one point and have been eliminated.
'This was a big game and every player fought well and I congratulate them,' said Fenerbahce's Brazilian coach Zico. 'We tried to exert pressure on them throughout and the team got the result they deserved.'
'The victory today was very important in terms of qualifying. Our goal is clearly to be the top team so the remaining two games are just as important,' he said.
Alex, orchestrating the Turkish side's attacks, nearly added a third goal after 34 minutes when he tried to lob the PSV goalkeeper but the ball just cleared the bar.
The home side eased up in the second half but still occasionally looked dangerous in front of goal.
After 55 minutes, Kazim fired in another shot from the right, forcing a good save from Gomes who gathered the ball after Mehmet Aurelio, another of Fenerbahce's Brazilian contingent, failed to latch on to the rebound.
Gomes again came to his side's rescue after 68 minutes, diving to save a shot from Senturk.
'We lost the ball a lot and of course Fenerbahce played well,' said PSV caretaker coach Jan Wouters, who stepped into the role after Ronald Koeman left for Valencia this month.
'Unfortunately, we made mistakes and that is why we lost.'
PSK exerted a flurry of pressure in the final stages as they tried to make up the deficit but most of their efforts were waywward while Fenerbahce's Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel easily gathered the few efforts on target.
Source:ESPN
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
DISASTER FOR BESIKTAS IN LIVERPOOL! .8-0
I TOLD YOU SO! ....here is what I wrote after Fenerbahce match......
Looking at both of the teams last night, before the big games in the Champions League , both teams defense and goal keepers looked really bad!..... Let me say it again, Big teams need a good goal keepers!....Did you see Hakan Arikan ,yesterday on second goal!.... he dropped the ball, on a cross and Semih scored the second goal....give me a brake!.....this was another factor, why Besiktas lost yesterday, besides the referee Ismet Arzuman. Fenerbahce did not deserve to win the match yesterday......
Striker Lisandro Lopez scored a late header to give Porto a 2-1 win over Olympique Marseille to move atop of the UEFA Champions League Group A while Liverpool recorded an 8-0 win over Besiktas on Tuesday.
Israel international Yossi Benayoun scored a hat-trick for Liverpool, winners of the Champions League in 2005 and runners-up last season.
Liverpool, who failed to win any of their opening three games, could not afford to drop more points against the Turkish club, who beat them 2-1 in Istanbul last month.
Peter Crouch and Benayoun scored in the first half to pave the way for a torrent of goals after the break.
Benayoun added two more, with other goals from captain Steven Gerrard, substitute Ryan Babel with two, and Crouch his second.
Besiktas have only won once away from home in 10 Champions League fixtures.
Crouch opened the scoring after 19 minutes. However, it was Benayoun who was the star of the show. He opened his tally in the 32nd minute by volleying in a cross from Voronin, and scored twice in three minutes to register his first hat-trick for Liverpool.
Gerrard then blasted home the fifth before Babel came off the bench to help himself to two goals in three minutes.
Looking at both of the teams last night, before the big games in the Champions League , both teams defense and goal keepers looked really bad!..... Let me say it again, Big teams need a good goal keepers!....Did you see Hakan Arikan ,yesterday on second goal!.... he dropped the ball, on a cross and Semih scored the second goal....give me a brake!.....this was another factor, why Besiktas lost yesterday, besides the referee Ismet Arzuman. Fenerbahce did not deserve to win the match yesterday......
Striker Lisandro Lopez scored a late header to give Porto a 2-1 win over Olympique Marseille to move atop of the UEFA Champions League Group A while Liverpool recorded an 8-0 win over Besiktas on Tuesday.
Israel international Yossi Benayoun scored a hat-trick for Liverpool, winners of the Champions League in 2005 and runners-up last season.
Liverpool, who failed to win any of their opening three games, could not afford to drop more points against the Turkish club, who beat them 2-1 in Istanbul last month.
Peter Crouch and Benayoun scored in the first half to pave the way for a torrent of goals after the break.
Benayoun added two more, with other goals from captain Steven Gerrard, substitute Ryan Babel with two, and Crouch his second.
Besiktas have only won once away from home in 10 Champions League fixtures.
Crouch opened the scoring after 19 minutes. However, it was Benayoun who was the star of the show. He opened his tally in the 32nd minute by volleying in a cross from Voronin, and scored twice in three minutes to register his first hat-trick for Liverpool.
Gerrard then blasted home the fifth before Babel came off the bench to help himself to two goals in three minutes.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Delgado: We can sink Reds
Besiktas midfielder Matias Delgado insists he will not be 'surprised' if his side defeat Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
Besiktas travel to Anfield having beaten Liverpool 2-1 in Istanbul a fortnight ago to leave Rafa Benitez's side struggling for European progression.
Delgado is adamant Liverpool's current squad lacks the capabilities of previous years, which saw the club appear in two Champions League finals in three years, and believes he and his team-mates can gun down the Reds.
"Besiktas is prepared for a battle at Anfield,"
In Istanbul we deserved the victory and played a sensational match. On Tuesday a point would be positive, but we desire a victory.
"For me, it would not be a surprise if we triumph at Anfield. This Liverpool side is vulnerable and not the super team of previous seasons.
"Now they suffer many problems in defence and concede many goals in matches.
"The pressure is on them and this is positive for us. The tie is nearly goodbye to the former champions and there is a big chance for us to exploit that.
"Before the match in Turkey no one believed in Besiktas. Now the circumstances have changed and Liverpool are nervous at Anfield.
"A victory at Anfield in the Champions League is something I would remember for the rest of my life and I want to experience it."
Monday, November 5, 2007
IT IS DO OR DIE MATCH FOR LIVERPOOL AND BESIKTAS
Besiktas coach Ertugrul Saglam sees Peter Crouch as the biggest danger to his side's hopes of progress in the Champions League.
Saglam, who returns to the touchline after being banned from the dugout for the Turks' 2-1 win over Liverpool in Istanbul last month, fears Crouch can exploit the visitors weakened defence at Anfield.
Reds boss Rafael Benitez has given no indication whether Crouch will be allowed a rare outing in his starting line-up, but Saglam expects the England striker to be plunged into tomorrow's Group A game.
Besiktas are without key central defender Gokhan Zan, who is out for a month with torn tendons in his right foot.
Gokhan was outstanding in the first match, and only under pressure when Crouch came on as a late substitute.
Now Saglam says: "Crouch is an important player for Liverpool. His height gives him an advantage over virtually every defender.
"We do not have Gokhan for this match, and maybe for our next Champions League game. I am aware of the advantage that will give Liverpool and Crouch.
"We will aim to stop him, but that may mean we will have to work in other areas to stop the ball being played into him. Competing against someone with his physique is always difficult."
Saglam is unmoved over whether Fernando Torres will be risked after his adductor strain, saying: "I have no preference as to which of Liverpool's strikers play.
"If it is not Torres, it will be Dirk Kuyt, if not Kuyt then (Andriy) Voronin, or then Crouch. Any of the four are good players. All I know is that Liverpool will not start with all four!"
Saglam believes his side can all but end Liverpool's involvement in the competition.
He said: "We played very well to beat them in Istanbul, we will be aiming to repeat that result.
"We believe we can do that. It will be difficult because we are playing a special club, a special team and in a special stadium. We understand how important Liverpool's crowd is for them.
"But we can handle that pressure. We had practised at the weekend at Fenerbahce where there were 50,000 people against us."
Besiktas are also without Rodrigo Tello (ankle), Marcio Nobre (calf) and Ibrahim Akin (knee) for the match, but have restored Rustu Recber to the side, after the Turkey goalkeeper missed the first game in preference to Hakan Arikan.
Saglam concedes the importance of the match, saying: "This game will decide who qualifies for the next stage. To make sure that it is Besiktas going through, we know we must get a good result, and we are aiming to win.
"We have already shown how to beat Liverpool once. Now we aim to do it again. We know we cannot hope to defend for 90 minutes, it is not possible.
"So we will be hoping to keep the score at 0-0 for a long time, and then they will have to come out and attack us. Liverpool have to win, and when they do that we will be able to hit them on the break.
"Because of the results in their three previous group matches, they are under a lot of pressure, and the longer we are level, the more pressure will mount on them."
Torres return
Spanish striker Fernando Torres gave Liverpool a major boost when he returned to full training on the eve of Tuesday's must-win Champions League clash against Besiktas at Anfield
Saglam, who returns to the touchline after being banned from the dugout for the Turks' 2-1 win over Liverpool in Istanbul last month, fears Crouch can exploit the visitors weakened defence at Anfield.
Reds boss Rafael Benitez has given no indication whether Crouch will be allowed a rare outing in his starting line-up, but Saglam expects the England striker to be plunged into tomorrow's Group A game.
Besiktas are without key central defender Gokhan Zan, who is out for a month with torn tendons in his right foot.
Gokhan was outstanding in the first match, and only under pressure when Crouch came on as a late substitute.
Now Saglam says: "Crouch is an important player for Liverpool. His height gives him an advantage over virtually every defender.
"We do not have Gokhan for this match, and maybe for our next Champions League game. I am aware of the advantage that will give Liverpool and Crouch.
"We will aim to stop him, but that may mean we will have to work in other areas to stop the ball being played into him. Competing against someone with his physique is always difficult."
Saglam is unmoved over whether Fernando Torres will be risked after his adductor strain, saying: "I have no preference as to which of Liverpool's strikers play.
"If it is not Torres, it will be Dirk Kuyt, if not Kuyt then (Andriy) Voronin, or then Crouch. Any of the four are good players. All I know is that Liverpool will not start with all four!"
Saglam believes his side can all but end Liverpool's involvement in the competition.
He said: "We played very well to beat them in Istanbul, we will be aiming to repeat that result.
"We believe we can do that. It will be difficult because we are playing a special club, a special team and in a special stadium. We understand how important Liverpool's crowd is for them.
"But we can handle that pressure. We had practised at the weekend at Fenerbahce where there were 50,000 people against us."
Besiktas are also without Rodrigo Tello (ankle), Marcio Nobre (calf) and Ibrahim Akin (knee) for the match, but have restored Rustu Recber to the side, after the Turkey goalkeeper missed the first game in preference to Hakan Arikan.
Saglam concedes the importance of the match, saying: "This game will decide who qualifies for the next stage. To make sure that it is Besiktas going through, we know we must get a good result, and we are aiming to win.
"We have already shown how to beat Liverpool once. Now we aim to do it again. We know we cannot hope to defend for 90 minutes, it is not possible.
"So we will be hoping to keep the score at 0-0 for a long time, and then they will have to come out and attack us. Liverpool have to win, and when they do that we will be able to hit them on the break.
"Because of the results in their three previous group matches, they are under a lot of pressure, and the longer we are level, the more pressure will mount on them."
Torres return
Spanish striker Fernando Torres gave Liverpool a major boost when he returned to full training on the eve of Tuesday's must-win Champions League clash against Besiktas at Anfield
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