Kayserispor jump to top in Turkey
December 7, 2009
Kayserispor are the surprising new leaders in the Turkish Super Lig, following a 3-0 win over Bursaspor on Sunday.
After Fenerbahce’s 2-1 defeat at Eskisehirspor a day earlier, several clubs had a chance to jump into first place.
Galatasaray were the principal candidates to do so but were held to a 1-1 draw by Istanbul BB in a city derby. A goal from Harry Kewell in the 56th minute seemed to be enough for Galatasaray to secure the points, but Hasan Durtuluk silenced the home crowd with a 90th-minute equaliser.
Bursaspor were next in line to threaten Fenerbahce’s lead, but instead lost 3-0 to Kayserispor who now occupy the top spot based on goal record.
Omer Sismanoglu put the home side ahead after nine minutes, and goals from Ariza Makukula in the 32nd and 55th minute gave Kayserispor a comfortable win.
Kayserispor, Fenerbahce and Besiktas all have 31 points from 15 games, but Kayserispor’s goal record is the better of the three.
Tags: bb, besiktas, bursaspor, fenerbahce, galatasaray, harry kewell, hasan, Hasan Durtuluk, home crowd, Istanbul, kayserispor, makukula, new leaders, Omer Sismanoglu, principal candidates, TurkeyRelated posts
Gibson double sees United into League Cup semis
December 2, 2009
Darron Gibson scored both goals as holders Manchester United defeated Tottenham 2-0 to book their place in the semi-finals of the League Cup at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
The Republic of Ireland midfielder found the net with two stunning long-range finishes as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side coasted into the last four without hitch.
Ferguson had come under fire last week after watching a relatively young side surrender the club’s long unbeaten home record in the Champions League as Besiktas triumphed 1-0 at Old Trafford.
But 22-year-old Gibson showed there is decent young talent at United.
Tottenham were disappointing and never looked like causing an upset as their hopes of making it to a third successive final sank without trace.
Despite failing their Champions League test against Besiktas six days earlier, the Turks ending United’s 23-match unbeaten home record in Europe, Ferguson once again put his faith in his young players as the hosts looked to take a giant stride towards winning the cup for a fourth time.
Five of the 11 that started were aged 22 or under including Belgian defender Ritchie de Laet, who was starting his first game of the campaign, while the highly-promising France under-21 winger Gabriel Obertan and striker Danny Welbeck also featured.
Yet it was another young talent who broke the deadlock in the 16th minute in what was a re-run of last season’s final, which United won on penalties.
Gibson still had an awful lot to do after being teed-up by Anderson just outside the area.
But he dispatched a crisp effort which beat Heurelho Gomes for pace and power as Gibson scored the fourth goal of his fledgling United career.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, whose team are third in the Premier League table, claimed before the tie he is more focused on qualifying for the Champions League than winning a trophy.
But despite leaving England’s Peter Crouch on the bench, Tottenham still fielded a strong side – Aaron Lennon, Robbie Keane, Wilson Palacios and Jermain Defoe all on duty.
Defoe has been in awesome form this season, 15 goals already to his name after scoring five in his side’s recent nine-goal trouncing of Wigan.
But the England international will hope Fabio Capello, his national coach, did not witness his shocking 21st minute miss.
That served as a wake up call for the hosts as Gibson lifted the lull with another stunning long-range finish, curling the ball past Gomes seven minutes before half-time.
Redknapp reacted by hauling off midfielder Palacios and replacing him at the start of the second half with Tom Huddlestone.
Although Huddlestone’s introduction failed to spark a comeback, the visitors at least looked lively for the first time.
United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak justified his inclusion ahead of England’s Ben Foster with a fine stop to deny David Bentley following good work from Gareth Bale.
MANCHESTER, England (AFP)
Tags: Aaron Lennon, alex ferguson, Anderson, ben foster, besiktas, darron gibson, David Bentley, de laet, deadlock, England, Europe, fabio capello, Ferguson, first game, Gabriel Obertan, giant stride, Harry Redknapp, Manchester, manchester united, old trafford, peter crouch, premier league, republic of ireland, Ritchie De Laet, Robbie Keane, semi finals, sir alex ferguson, strong side, tom huddlestone, Wilson, wilson palacios, wingerRelated posts
Ferguson annoyed at ref as United´s home run ends
November 26, 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson claimed his side were denied a ’stonewall’ penalty by French referee Stephane Lannoy after Manchester United’s long unbeaten home record in Europe was ended by Besiktas.
Ferguson was annoyed that Lannoy waved away strong appeals after substitute Patrice Evra was fouled by Ibrahim Kas in the closing stages of Besiktas’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
The United manager, who has found himself in trouble domestically for criticising match officials this season, is running out of patience after claiming it was the second successive game in Europe that United have been denied a penalty.
“That’s two games in a row we’ve been denied a stonewall penalty in Europe,” said Ferguson.
“It’s not in the spirit of the game, but what can you do? “If you can’t give these kicks then the game is in trouble.”
Asked whether he still stood by his view, which he aired earlier this season, that the standard of refereeing in Europe is better than in England, he replied: “I’m not going into that. No comment.”
Ferguson refused to criticise his young players afterwards as a United side made up of youth and experience suffered an unexpected setback which leaves them with work to do to secure top spot in Group B.
They must avoid defeat in their final game in Germany against Wolfsburg on December 8, but Ferguson refused to divulge what sort of side he will field for that fixture.
England striker Wayne Rooney was given a rare night off against Besiktas while the likes of Michael Owen, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher started on the bench.
The tactic backfired as Besiktas’s experience proved enough to secure a victory that will give United’s Champions League rivals encouragement.
Yet Ferguson declined to lay the blame at the feet of his youngsters. Danny Welbeck, who turns 19 on Thursday, started his first Champions League game for the club alongside 19-year-old Federico Macheda in attack.
“You need a bit of composute in the last third, but the young players were a bit anxious. It’s understandable,” added Ferguson.
“It’s not the biggest fault in the world.
“You have to be fair in terms of assessing the players we’re playing in these games at the moment.
“The fact we play them tells you how much we value them. The one thing we can give them is experience.”
Ferguson also refused to criticise keeper Ben Foster. The England international was beaten by a long-range effort by Rodrigo Tello which took a deflection.
“It was proably going a foot to his right hand side. It was a wicked deflection,” said Ferguson.
“I think he would have (saved it if it had not taken a deflection).”
Besiktas coach Mustafa Denizli saluted his players for an historic victory for Turkish football.
“To come to Manchester United and play at Old Trafford, we know it’s very difficult to win games here,” said Denizli.
“We’re obviously very pleased with the result. The whole world knows what a big team United is.
“The players did their duties and everyone did the job that was asked of them.”
MANCHESTER, England (AFP)
Tags: B. They, ben foster, besiktas, Danny Welbeck, darren fletcher, Denizli, England, Europe, federico macheda, final game, Germany, Ibrahim Kas, league game, league rivals, Manchester, manchester united, Michael Carrick, michael owen, old trafford, owen michael, patrice evra, paul scholes, rare night, refereeing, sir alex ferguson, spirit of the game, wayne rooney, welbeckRelated posts
Ferguson to test youngsters against Besiktas
November 25, 2009
Despite Manchester United’s determination to hold on to their top spot in Group B of the Champions League, Sir Alex Ferguson will use the match against Besiktas to test his young players. The likes of Darron Gibson, Gabriel Obertan, Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck will form an unfamiliar United line-up as Fergie gives many of his established stars a night off.
United already booked a spot in the knockout stages, but still battles with VfL Wolfsburg for the first place in the group. However, Ferguson will not send his strongest team on to the pitch against Besiktas. “I’ll be making changes. Not a lot, but enough to freshen things up,” Ferguson said. “Gibson will definitely play, and I’m thinking about giving Obertan a start to see how well he does. We can use the likes of Welbeck. He will definitely play, and Macheda probably. They are the ones who need to challenge.
“They’ve reached a point, and it happens in football, when a footballer has the ability to be a top player and you recognise that. You have to give them the challenge. If you don’t, they lose the scent. But this club has been good at recognising that over the years.
“When Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes came through, we thought they were certainties. We had to give them a chance – and we did. That’s the nature of football. A young player turns the corner and then ends up taking someone’s job.”
Man United is three points ahead of runner-up Wolfsburg while Besiktas are at the bottom of the group with just one point out of their four previous matches.
Paul Haring
Tags: alex ferguson, besiktas, butt, champions league, darron gibson, federico macheda, footballer, Gabriel Obertan, job, knockout stages, man united, manchester united, match, paul scholes, pitch, recognising, sir alex ferguson, welbeck, Wolfsburg, youngstersRelated posts
Turkey: Six in a row for Besiktas
November 8, 2009
Defending champions Besiktas are getting closer to the top of the Turkish league. At Trabzonspor, the Istanbul outfit earned their sixth Super Lig win in a row.
German Fabian Ernst put Besiktas ahead after 49 minutes at Trabzon’s Hüseyin Avni Aker stadium, and substitute Bobo made it 0-2 in the dying minutes.
Besiktas are now in third place, at seven points from leaders Fenerbahce.
Fenerbahce won’t play this weekend as their scheduled match with relegated Ankaraspor was turned into an automatic 3-0 win. This is the case with all of Ankaraspor’s remaining matches this season.
Jonathan Roorda
Tags: ankaraspor, avni aker, besiktas, bobo, fabian ernst, fenerbahce, Istanbul, jonathan, match, seven points, trabzon, trabzonspor, Turkey, turkish leagueRelated posts
Carrick: We can cover for Wayne
October 18, 2009
Michael Carrick is confident Manchester United can maintain their progress towards a Champions League knock-out berth even if Wayne Rooney fails to make Wednesday’s trip to Moscow.
With two wins under their belt already, the Red Devils have no need to take any risks with their talisman, especially as Sir Alex Ferguson must plot to beat Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.
So, if there is any doubt at all over Rooney’s recovery from a calf injury sustained on England duty in the Ukraine, he will remain in Manchester where he can be with wife Coleen, who is due to give birth to the couple’s first child.
Although Carrick accepts it would be a blow to be without his international team-mate, he does feel there is sufficient strength in depth among the Old Trafford ranks not to get too depressed.
“It is a blow,” he said.
“You want your best players fit and available as much as possible.
“But we have the squad. Everyone is here to perform when others are missing. That is the whole point and I am sure we will be fine.”
However, having observed Rooney at close quarters with both club and country this term, Carrick feels the 23-year-old has risen to the challenge of replacing the influence of departed superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Wayne has been flying this season,” said Carrick.
“His performances have been excellent and has already scored plenty of goals.
“But it has not changed him. He is just the same as he has always been.
“He is desperate to play well, not just for himself, but also the team. I have seen him play in various positions over the last few years and he adapts as well as everyone.
“There is more responsibility on his shoulders now but he has responded in a positive way. Hopefully that continues and he keeps doing it for a long time.”
Certainly Rooney has made an impact in Europe, where that opening day win over Besiktas in Istanbul put United in the Group B driving seat.
Their performance against Wolfsburg at Old Trafford a fortnight later may not have matched that standard, but it was still enough to account for the German champions. That win leaves United requiring only four more points to reach the 10 which Ferguson traditionally sets as the qualification benchmark.
Top spot and a favourable last 16 draw are the targets Carrick will be setting once the first goal is achieved, with United looking to atone for that miserable final appearance in Rome last May.
A fourth successive semi-final appearance is possible, which would be a remarkable feat, particularly for Carrick, whose £18.6million arrival from Tottenham in 2006 coincided with the upsurge in fortunes at Old Trafford that has also brought a hat-trick of Premier League titles.
“It looks like I timed it just right,” said Carrick, ignoring completely the thought he could have been the catalyst rather than the fortunate beneficiary.
“I have had three great seasons here.
“To win the league titles like we have – and then to get a fourth would be amazing. And we definitely want to do something about that Champions League defeat as well.
“It just makes me more determined than ever.”
Abhimanyu Rajput
Tags: alex ferguson, besiktas, calf injury, close quarters, Coleen, driving seat, England, Europe, fortnight, Istanbul, knock out, Liverpool, Manchester, manchester united, Michael Carrick, Moscow, old trafford, opening day, premier league, red devils, ROME, ronaldo, sir alex ferguson, talisman, team mate, trip to moscow, ukraine, Wayne, wayne rooneyRelated posts
Besiktas crash to defeat by Kayserispor
September 20, 2009
Defending Turkish champions Besiktas dropped another three points on Saturday, crashing to a painful 0-1 defeat by Kayserispor.
Besiktas had earned only two points from their previous three games and again failed to convince in their home game with Kayserispor.
The only goal of the match came nine minutes after half time, and was scored by Portuguese attacker Ariza Makukula, in favor of the away side.
Besiktas are in 11th place after six games, nine points behind joint-leaders Galarasaray and Fenerbahce who both play on Sunday.
Jonathan Roorda
Tags: attacker, besiktas, border, crash, fenerbahce, Galarasaray, home game, Jonathan Roorda, makukula, match, place, portuguese, roorda, six games, span, Sunday, three gamesRelated posts
Ferguson dreaming of another Barca final showdown
September 14, 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson is already dreaming of another Champions League final showdown with Barcelona as Manchester United prepare to return to the European stage at Besiktas on Tuesday.
It is four months since Ferguson’s team lost their grip on the Champions League trophy after losing to Barca in the final of Europe’s elite club competition.
United, the 2008 winners, were comprehensively out-played as Pep Guardiola’s side, displaying all the nimble footwork and mesmerising movement that has become their trademark, cruised to a 2-0 victory in Rome.
But Ferguson is driven by a burning desire to see United match the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Ajax, who have all won more than the Old Trafford outfit’s three European Cups.
On the eve of United’s opening Champions League fixture in Turkey, Ferguson revealed he knows exactly what went wrong against Barca after spending some of his close-season holiday studying a DVD of the match.
After pin-pointing the problem areas, the United manager is convinced his team would be able to get revenge if they meet the Spanish club in this season’s final in Madrid.
“I would love the chance to redress the situation with Barcelona. Absolutely. I would love another final with them,” Ferguson said.
“You don’t like losing finals of European games. It was the first one I have lost so it was really disappointing for everyone.
“We’re now quite clear about where it went wrong and that’s always helpful. There were valid reasons and so we were able to move on.
“I wouldn’t go into the reasons for the defeat but I did take the DVDs with me on holiday and watched the game again.
“We went through everything too, with my backroom staff. The whole build-up. Everything. Was it the right hotel? Was the training right? So we are quite clear about where we are now with that defeat.
“It’s not a problem. What went wrong against Barcelona can be put right.”
United will be confident of advancing towards another clash with Barca after being drawn in a relatively undaunting group containing Besiktas, CSKA Moscow and Wolfsburg.
A trip to Turkey is often been a hostile and painful experience for United after their infamous European Cup exit to Galatasaray in 1994 and a defeat at Fenerbahce in 2004.
Ferguson acknowledges the passion of the Turkish fans but expects United to rise to the occasion.
“There’s a lot to be admired in that, their fanaticism,” Ferguson added. “You expect that. The stadium is full at 12 o’clock on the day. It’s amazing how they make that noise but you just have to deal with it.
“The Champions League is the priority. It’s a great tournament, with all the best players and teams.”
Besiktas goalkeeper Rustu Recber has no doubts that his club’s supporters will provide a volatile atmosphere at the Inonu Stadium.
“The level of hostility at the Inonu is unique. United have been to Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, but the Besiktas fans are in a league of their own,” Rustu told the Daily Mirror.
“They are the noisiest, the most passionate, and they stay with the team for 90 minutes.
“The noise is incredible. It will be a new experience even for those United players who think they have seen everything. Our fans can really make it hell.”
ISTANBUL (AFP)
Tags: alex ferguson, Barcelona, Bayern, bayern munich, besiktas, burning desire, champions league trophy, club competition, Europe, european games, european stage, final showdown, footwork, Istanbul, league fixture, Liverpool, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, Moscow, old trafford, pep guardiola, problem areas, ROME, sir alex ferguson, spanish club, WolfsburgRelated posts
Fergie faces up to gruelling Euro trips
August 28, 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United’s gruelling Champions League trips to Turkish champions Besiktas and Russia’s CSKA Moscow make their group a tough proposition.
United were pitted against Besiktas, CSKA Moscow and German champions Wolfsburg in Thursday’s draw for the group stages of Europe’s elite club competition.
Besiktas won the Turkish title for the first time in six years last season, while CSKA are Russian’s league and cup holders.
While none of those teams have United’s experience in the Champions League, the 2009 runners-up won’t be looking forward to two long journeys and the prospect of having to returning to domestic league action while still drained from the flight home.
“These are difficult ties, especially the trips to Russia and Turkey,” Ferguson told United’s website.
“CSKA have developed strongly in the last few years and games in Turkey are always difficult.”
United, who were beaten 2-0 by Barcelona in last year’s final, avoided a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo, who left Old Trafford Real Madrid in a world record 80 million pounds transfer in June.
But Ferguson won’t underestimate any of the teams in United’s group, with Wolfsburg, who won the German title for the first time last season, a particular concern for the Premier League champions.
“We also know the quality that we’re up against with Wolfsburg, with what they achieved in the Bundesliga last season,” Ferguson added.
MANCHESTER, England (AFP)
Tags: alex ferguson, alex ferguson believes manchester united, Barcelona, besiktas, champions league, club competition, England, Europe, fergie, Ferguson, flight home, german champions, german title, gruelling, journeys, MADRID, Manchester, manchester england, Moscow, premier league, real madrid, ronaldo, russia, sir alex ferguson, Turkey, world recordRelated posts
Istanbul hold Besiktas in Turkish opener
August 8, 2009
Besiktas could have wished for a better start of their title-defending campaign, as the Turkish champions were held to a 1-1 draw in the season opener at Istanbul BB.
The away side did have the honor of scoring the opening goal of the season, as it was German Michael Fink to beat the opposing goalkeeper after 29 minutes.
But the local rivals didn’t need long to react, as Ibrahim Akin equalised just two minutes later.
Bestikas couldn’t manage a winner and are likely to get stuck somewhere in mid-table after the opening round of games.
Jonathan Roorda
Tags: bb, besiktas, Bestikas, games, German, Goalkeeper, Ibrahim Akin, Istanbul, jonathan, michael fink, mid table, rivals, season opener, span, two minutesRelated posts
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