FIFA.COM: Sivasspor slaying giants

Turkish Super League first half league leaders voice of a new bread in Turkish football(soccer) Sivasspor,got a attention from Fifa.com too...

This is very good and dandy for Sivasspor and the whole city of Sivas. They are the representatives of Anatolian teams know.....this is good part!...

The bad part is, watching Sivasspor coach Bulent Uygun and the President of the club, going from one TV to another TV station to talk about their success is a Little too early, in my opinion!...

I remember well last year when Turkish media pumped Vestel Manisaspor and Kayseri Erciyesspor coach Bulet Korkmaz very well.....

All that positive good time charlie news,turned in to sour one,this season.....

I just hope this does not happened to Bulent Uygun and Sivasspor in the second half of the season.

Here is the article by Fifa.com.....
Sivasspor slaying giants

At the halfway mark in the 2007-8 campaign, the Turkish top flight standings have a distinctly unfamiliar look to them. After 17 matches, the Istanbul-based big three of Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas are cast in the unlikely role of pursuers behind surprise front-runners Sivasspor. A mere three points cover the sides from top spot down to Besiktas in fourth, but what coach Bulent Uygun and his men have achieved so far still rates as one of the biggest shocks in European league football this term.

The Anatolia-based club first won a place in the second division in 2000-2001, appearing as fringe candidates in the promotion battle for a number of seasons after that. The second division championship and a prized berth in the Turkcell Super Lig finally arrived two-and-a-half years ago in summer 2005.

Sivasspor finished a highly respectable eighth in their debut top flight season, advancing a place to seventh the following year, but this term's form under greenhorn coach Uygun is still a revelation. The Anatolian upstarts currently represent the crème de la crème in Turkish club football with 37 points and the best goal difference in the section, leaving the highly-fancied Istanbul giants scrambling to keep pace.

Goal-getters Mohamed Kurtulus and Mehmet Yildiz have emerged as the star players this term for the club founded as recently as 1967. Thirty-three year-old midfielder Kurtulus has eight goals to his name, with his team-mate contributing a further seven. Sivasspor's miserly 13 goals against is the second-best record in the league, this despite the absence of influential Australian international keeper Michael Petkovic with injury since late October.

Unity and team spirit appear the key to the surprise leaders' success. They have already visited all three of their chief pursuers in Istanbul, losing to Fenerbahce and Galatasaray but coming away from Besiktas with all three points, and have otherwise displayed a consistency their rivals are struggling to match.

On the right track
With all three Istanbul clubs still to visit the compact 18,500 capacity Sivas 4 Eylul Stadi in the second half of term, 36-year-old coach Uygun's optimistic vision for 2008 is easy to understand. "Given our limited resources and small budget, my players have done a great job so far, and I believe they can keep it up in the second half of the season too," the former Turkey international and Fenerbahce striker comments.

International experience from overseas is another feature of Uygun's regular line-up. At the still-tender age of 23, Guinea starlet Mamaduo Diallo offers a commanding defensive presence, although he will miss his club's early matches in the second half of the campaign as he will be away on CAF Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2008 duty. Up front, Israel international Pini Felix Balili is now in his third season at the club and has chalked up two goals in 14 matches, although his real value to the team is as a provider.

After becoming the first Anatolian side for 14 years to top the standings at the midpoint in the campaign, Uygun and his men now face a true test of their credentials as they seek to prove the achievement is no flash in the pan, nor merely a product of their rivals' inconsistency. The remainder of the Turkcell Super Lig programme promises excitement galore and potentially the first champions from outside Istanbul since Trabzonspor's title triumph back in 1984, fully 24 years ago.

Sivasspor will sign with Tunisian defender Karim Saidi

Leader of Turkish Turkcell Super League Sivasspor agreed in principle with Dutch team Feyenoord's Tunisian defender Karim Saidi. Saidi, 24, is soon expected to sign a contract with Sivasspor, sources said. Sivasspor plans to sign another foreign player, sources added.

Karim Saidi born 1983 is a Tunisian football player currently playing for Feyenoord Rotterdam. He is a regular in the Tunisian national team.

SHORT ..SHORT.....TRANSFER NEWS FROM TURKCELL SUPER LEAGUE.........
*GENCLERBIRLIGI AGREE WITH CHILEAN GOALKEEPER
Turkcell Super League team Genclerbirligi agreed on terms with Chilean goalkeeper Nicolas Miroslav Peric.

*BURSASPOR TO SIGN PERUVIAN STRIKER ZUNIGA.........
Turkish Turkcell Super League team Bursaspor said they agreed in principle with Peruvian striker Ysrael Zuniga Yares.

* The former Genclerbirligi player Nick Carle has completed his move to high-flying English Championship club Bristol City.

NEWEST GALATASARAY PLAYER ...EMRE GUNGOR

Newest Galatasaray player Emre Güngör, the 23 years old defense player transferred from Ankaragucu in the mid-term, transfer season.
He gave his first interview to Galatasaray TV last week and during the interview he said "“I am excited. I have been accepted to a big community. I know that my responsibilities are heavier now. I hope I will be worthy of this important community. I will do the best I can not to frustrate the ones that have trusted me. I have played a lot of matches in Ali Sami Yen Stadium. In Ali Sami Yen the supporters have a profound effect on the player. Hopefully with our supporters backing us we will achieve many victories altogether.”

FENERBAHCE DRAW ARSENAL IN LONDON!...

Arsenal were forced to share the spoils with Fenerbahce after the goalless draw in UEFA Champions League action on Wednesday night in London. The Gunners will be disappointed with the result but they still sit on top of the Group G table.

Volkan Demirel was the hero in goal for Fenerbahce. The Fenerbahce was constantly under pressure from the Gunner attack but withstood the onslaught to deny Arsene Wenger’s men. The pressure was most constant in the first half when Fenerbahçe failed to test the Arsenal Number 1 at the opposite end.

Fenerbahce made some attacking looks in the second half and finally forced Arsenal youngster goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański in goal to make some saves but by the mid point of the second half were content to defend with 11 and take a point.

Arsenal remain on top of the table thanks to Porto’s win over Dynamo Kiev while Fenerbahce have fallen further behind and occupy the table cellar on 2 points.

TURKISH FOOTBALL LOST A DEAR FRIEND....GUNDUZ TEKIN ONAY DIED....

He was the master teacher of the Turkish Football...He served many years under Turkish Football Federation as a teacher and consultant. He died of cancer at age 65.

Turkish Football fans, players will miss him dearly......

TFF president Haluk Ulusoy said: "I am deeply saddened after the death of my close friend, colleague, and an unforgettable figure in Turkish football, Gündüz Tekin Onay. We've lost a man who served Turkish football at every level. Onay always brought new ideas – we could even call him a football philosopher."

We all will miss him.

AHMET TURGUT
www.turkishsoccer.com/ Editor

GOALS SCORE BY MIDFIELDERS IN EURO LEAGUES

According to recent article by FIFA.COM , the trend from last season is still going strong..... while the goal scorers are not scoring attacking midfielders are doing their job for them.

And what's funny, in this list, we see two Turkish born soccer players names!..

From Turkcell Super League Gokdeniz Karadeniz and from Switzerland Super League Hakan Yakan, who has 13 goals so far....

Here is the article by FIFA.com..........

Midfielders make a difference(FIFA.com) Friday 4 January 2008

Goals win games and it is, principally, a striker's duty to score them. However, the benefit of having prolific players adrift of the frontline has become evermore apparent in recent years. This was certainly the case in title battles across Europe last season.

Ajax were 13 minutes away from recapturing the Dutch Eredivisie crown on goals scored, in no small part due to Wesley Sneijder's 18 strikes, until engine room stalwart Phillip Cocu netted to keep the trophy in PSV Eindhoven's possession. Attacking midfielder Alex top-scored in Turkey to thrust Fenerbahce to Super League glory, Juninho Pernambucano hit double figures for the fourth time in five campaigns to help Lyon make it six French Ligue 1 golds in a row, and Cristiano Ronaldo finished as the leading marksman for English Premier League winners Manchester United, repeating Frank Lampard's feat for 2005/06 champions Chelsea.

This trend has been continued this term, with a crop of non-strikers spearheading their sides' title challenges. With the season at its halfway point, FIFA.com takes a look at the goal-scoring exploits of these players.

Duo keep pressure on Bayern
Bayern Munich spent heavily last summer to replenish their frontline, and both 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ adidas Golden Shoe winner Miroslav Klose and Italian world champion Luca Toni have lived up to expectations in front of goal thus far. However, the pair are currently tied at the front of the 2007/08 Bundesliga scoring charts with a pair of attacking midfielders.

Diego's nine strikes have propelled Werder Bremen level on points with the Bavarian title favourites, while the return of Dutch maestro Rafael van der Vaart, who found the net consistently during his five-year spell with Ajax, has lifted SV Hamburg to within four points of the pace. The duo remain consistent providers of assists, but it is their ability to shoot from long range that has most caught the eye of late.

Hakan Yakan, meanwhile, is the outright leading marksman in the Switzerland. The inventive No10 has been on target 13 times for Young Boys, who remain in contention for the Super League prize.

Gala winners provide the goals
The English Premier League scoring charts may be monopolised by forwards, but it presently topped by a winger. Not that is any great surprise to see Cristiano Ronaldo's name at the summit, given that he finished as the 17-goal, third-highest marksman in the competition last season - and the only non-striker in the top ten. Possessing power, accuracy and an uncanny capacity to swerve the ball, the Portuguese sensation has 13 goals to his name this term, including a number of match-winning efforts that have helped Manchester United keep pace with Arsenal in the battle for honours.

Lionel Messi, who beat Ronaldo to second place behind Kaka at the FIFA World Player Gala 2007, has also been sporting his shooting boots this campaign. Indeed, only two players boast higher tallies than the Argentine wide player in the race for the Pichichi award. Whether or not his supply can inspire Barcelona to La Liga ecstasy remains to be seen, but with leaders Real Madrid benefiting from goals from midfield too, it will be no easy task.

As for Kaka, the most prolific player in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League, he is the leading marksman for AC Milan, who nonetheless appear to be out of the title picture after a winner from Inter Milan midfielder Esteban Cambiasso condemned them to a 2-1 defeat last time out. Atalanta are also out of the running but Cristiano Doni, an eternal scorer in their black-and-blue jersey, is level with the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year on seven goals. Dundee United's Barry Robson, Gokdeniz Karadeniz of Trabzonspor and Vaslui's Marko Ljubinkovic are also among the leading scorers in Scotland, Turkey and Romania respectively.

While it would take a minor miracle for one of the aforementioned trio to pocket a title-winners' medal in 2008, a number of champions across Europe will be indebted to goals from midfield at the season's end.

ALPAY OZALAN NOW TURKISH SOLDIER!

One time bad boy and Turkish National Soccer Teams famous defender Alpay Ozalan came to Turkiye(Turkey) to do his soldier Duties in Burdur.

He will be in Millitary uniform only for 21 days though!..

Former Besiktas and Aston Villa player now days playing in Germany's second division team FC Köln.His contract will finish at the end of the 2007/2008 season.
We might see Alpay in the MLS next year!..Alpay has stated that his next move will be to the Major League Soccer in the United States.



Alpay made a name for himself by clashing with England captain David Beckham during the Euro 2004 qualifier in Istanbul. Beckham missed a penalty in the first half, and Alpay confronted him as soon as he missed. He yelled at the England captain, "God is big. Even if you took the penalty 100 times, you would've missed 100 times." Then at half-time, Alpay poked a finger at Beckham's face which instigated a brawl between the Turks and the English.