1. This thread arises from questions raised in the AFCON 2021/22 thread by Werner Pichler and MH. In response to my observation that I had been watching Galatasaray v Trabzonspor instead of an AFCON game, these posters asked questions about Galatasaray and Turkish football more generally.
2. Whilst I answered WernerrCOs question on the AFCON thread, Binder Dundat quite rightly pointed out that Turkish league talk was off topic in the AFCON thread. IrCOm very grateful to Binder for this observation and want to take this opportunity to say how fortunate we are to have a poster with such high standards and principles such as Binder on rss.
3. In order to keep discussions on topic, IrCOve started this separate thread.
4. I will now deal with the respective questions in turn.
5. Werner asked: rCLIncidentally, whatrCys GalarCys historically worst ever season finish?rCY
6. So as to keep discussion on topic I repeat my response below:
"Depends how you look at it.
6th place in the 1917/18 Istanbul Football League was a last place finish, albeit in a league with no relegation.
In 1981/82 Galatasaray finished 11th out of 17 in the Turkish First Division (top tier).
The worst finish since the old First Division was rebranded the Super League was 8th out of 18 in 2010/11.
What you're getting at is after 23 of 38 rounds we're currently 15th out of 20. Two places and three points above the relegation zone.
The only saving grace is the mid-table positions have quite a few teams with similar points and we could win a couple and get back into the top half of the table.
We actually played quite well today but a defensive error for the second goal (defensive midfielder Taylan receives ball from keeper to lay it off for a "team mate" who turned out to be Trabzonspor striker Visca who was more than happy to receive the ball and put it past our keeper) cost us dear."
7. For his part, MH asked two questions. Firstly, rCLWhy are Trabzonspor so strong this year ?rCY
8. My honest answer is I havenrCOt watched enough Trabzonspor matches this season to answer that question authoritatively. However, when I have watched them they looked a decent enough side with good team cohesion. They have players who can find the back of the net such as Andreas Cornelius (11 goals), Anastasios Bakasetas (8 goals) and Anthony Nwakaeme (6 goals). Judging from some of the body language on pitch they seem to be a team who play for one another, which goes a long way. I donrCOt know whether theyrCOre good enough to make an impact on the Champions League or even whether theyrCOre simply being made to look better than they are because the rCLbig threerCY are under performing, but for now theyrCOre where they need to be.
9. MHrCOs second question was rCLwhen is the last time all three big Istanbul teams have all struggled simultaneously as they are doing now (best of the 4 currently fifth)?
10. I have looked back at the records for every Turkish season dating back to the first Turkish professional league season in 1958/59 (Turkish First Division) and the simple answer to MHrCOs question is rCLneverrCY. The same applies to the forerunner of the Turkish First Division, the rCLMilli KumerCY referred to in English sources as the rCLTurkish National DivisionrCY, which ran between in 1937 and 1950. The answer to MHrCOs question remains the same rCo rCLneverrCY. That is to say there has never been a season of Turkish top tier football where at least one of the rCLbig threerCY Istanbul clubs, that is Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce, havenrCOt finished in the top three.
11. There have been some seasons where only one of the rCLbig threerCY have finished in the top three. 1969/70 was such a season. The top 5 places that season were, in order, Fenerbahce, Eskisehirspor, Altay, Mersin Idman Yurdu and Goztepe. Galatasaray and Besiktas finished 8th and 9th respectively. 1979/80 was another example of this, the top 5 places going to (in order) Trabzonspor, Fenerbahce, Zonguldakspor, Bursaspor and Caykur Rizespor. Galatasaray finished 9th and Besiktas 11th.
12. Whilst the 2021/22 season has another 15 match days remaining, should the league finish as it currently stands, it will be the history making in that it will be the first time a rCLbig threerCY team hasnrCOt finished in the top three. The current top 5 are (in order): Trabzonspor, Konyaspor, Alanyaspor, Adana Demirspor and Fenerbahce.
13. That said, Fenerbahce are only a point adrift of third place and Besiktas only two and personally IrCOd expect that come the end of the season at least one of the two to find enough form to conform to history and get into the top three. For their part Galatasaray are 11 points adrift of third and are in fact closer to relegation, being only three points above the last relegation spot.
14. Nothing else occurs but I hope this has addressed the questions posed in an on topic manner.
RM
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On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 11:42:25 PM UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:

7. For his part, MH asked two questions. Firstly, rCLWhy are Trabzonspor so strong this year ?rCY

8. My honest answer is I havenrCOt watched enough Trabzonspor matches this season to answer that question authoritatively. However, when I have watched them they looked a decent enough side with good team
cohesion. They have players who can find the back of the net such as Andreas Cornelius (11 goals), Anastasios Bakasetas (8 goals) and Anthony Nwakaeme (6 goals). Judging from some of the body language on
pitch they seem to be a team who play for one another, which goes a long way. I donrCOt know whether theyrCOre good enough to make an impact on the Champions League or even whether theyrCOre simply being made to
look better than they are because the rCLbig threerCY are under performing, but for now theyrCOre where they need to be.

At age 34 this would be Marek Ham+i|!k's first ever league title. Harry Kane should take heart.

9. MHrCOs second question was rCLwhen is the last time all three big Istanbul teams have all struggled simultaneously as they are doing now (best of the 4 currently fifth)?

10. I have looked back at the records for every Turkish season dating back to the first Turkish professional league season in 1958/59 (Turkish First Division) and the simple answer to MHrCOs question is rCLneverrCY. The
same applies to the forerunner of the Turkish First Division, the rCLMilli KumerCY referred to in English sources as the rCLTurkish National DivisionrCY, which ran between in 1937 and 1950. The answer to MHrCOs question
remains the same rCo rCLneverrCY. That is to say there has never been a season of Turkish top tier football where at least one of the rCLbig threerCY Istanbul clubs, that is Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce, havenrCOt finished
in the top three.

The writing's been on the wall. As I've mentioned once before, the 2020/21 season was the first time since 1995/96 that neither Galatasaray
nor Fenerbah|oe nor Be+fikta+f reached a European group stage.
This year it's Galatasaray of all teams that's doing really quite well in Europe. Be+fikta+f went out with six losses out of six in the CL.

11. There have been some seasons where only one of the rCLbig threerCY have finished in the top three. 1969/70 was such a season. The top 5 places that season were, in order, Fenerbahce, Eskisehirspor, Altay, Mersin
Idman Yurdu and Goztepe. Galatasaray and Besiktas finished 8th and 9th respectively. 1979/80 was another example of this, the top 5 places going to (in order) Trabzonspor, Fenerbahce, Zonguldakspor, Bursaspor
and Caykur Rizespor. Galatasaray finished 9th and Besiktas 11th.

12. Whilst the 2021/22 season has another 15 match days remaining, should the league finish as it currently stands, it will be the history making in that it will be the first time a rCLbig threerCY team hasnrCOt finished in the
top three. The current top 5 are (in order): Trabzonspor, Konyaspor, Alanyaspor, Adana Demirspor and Fenerbahce.

13. That said, Fenerbahce are only a point adrift of third place and Besiktas only two and personally IrCOd expect that come the end of the season at least one of the two to find enough form to conform to history and
get into the top three. For their part Galatasaray are 11 points adrift of third and are in fact closer to relegation, being only three points above the last relegation spot.

It appears clear to me that the 'Big 3' need to change something. Their 'classical' model of buying star players slightly past their
prime doesn't seem to cut it anymore, while the state of the economy doesn't allow them to buy the quality they used to get.
And also, these days real quality gets siphoned away towards the top 4 leagues faster than ever.
I see that 7 out of the top 10 goalscorers in the S|+per Lig are above 30. Just comparing that with leagues above Turkey in the UEFA ranking
- for Switzerland, Belgium, Ukraine, Serbia, Scotland, Austria and the Netherlands that number lies between 1 and 3. Only the Russian Premier
League is similar in that regard, and they currently struggle just as much as Turkey.

14. Nothing else occurs but I hope this has addressed the questions posed in an on topic manner.

The committee thanks you.
Ciao,
Werner

RM

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On Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 12:05:54 AM UTC, Werner Pichler wrote:
The writing's been on the wall. As I've mentioned once before, the 2020/21 season was the first time since 1995/96 that neither Galatasaray
nor Fenerbah|oe nor Be+fikta+f reached a European group stage.

Well yes, but then Trabzon, Konya and Alanya have hardly set European club football on fire but seem to be doing well enough this season.

It appears clear to me that the 'Big 3' need to change something. Their 'classical' model of buying star players slightly past their
prime doesn't seem to cut it anymore, while the state of the economy doesn't allow them to buy the quality they used to get.
And also, these days real quality gets siphoned away towards the top 4 leagues faster than ever.

Yeah, definitely agree here - unless something dramatic changes financially the days of buying a Hagi, Drogba or Sneijder are over for Galatasaray. That said, looking at their recent transfers I think they recognise this - Alexandru Cic|old-au (24), Olimpiu Moru+can (22), Mostafa Mohamed (24), Victor Nelsson (23) and Kerem Akt|+rko-flu (23 now but 21 when signed) are all promising young players who are playing an active part in the first team. The signings do seem to be getting younger, but of course the downside to that is young players take longer to get up to speed.
As well as the teams from the "big four" leagues, a threat to Turkish clubs retaining talent are wealthy Middle Eastern clubs. In the last few seasons Galatasaray sold probably it's two best strikers Baf|-timbi Gomis and Garry Rodrigues to Al Hilal and Al-Ittihad for offers that they just couldn't refuse.
RM
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On Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 4:15:17 p.m. UTC-5, Real Mardin wrote:

On Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 12:05:54 AM UTC, Werner Pichler wrote:
The writing's been on the wall. As I've mentioned once before, the 2020/21 season was the first time since 1995/96 that neither Galatasaray
nor Fenerbah|oe nor Be+fikta+f reached a European group stage.

Well yes, but then Trabzon, Konya and Alanya have hardly set European club football on fire but seem to be doing well enough this season.

It appears clear to me that the 'Big 3' need to change something. Their 'classical' model of buying star players slightly past their
prime doesn't seem to cut it anymore, while the state of the economy doesn't allow them to buy the quality they used to get.
And also, these days real quality gets siphoned away towards the top 4 leagues faster than ever.

Yeah, definitely agree here - unless something dramatic changes financially the days of buying a Hagi, Drogba or Sneijder are over for Galatasaray. That said, looking at their recent transfers I think they recognise this - Alexandru Cic|old-au (24), Olimpiu Moru+can (22), Mostafa Mohamed (24), Victor Nelsson (23) and Kerem Akt|+rko-flu (23 now but 21 when signed) are all promising young players who are playing an active part in the first team. The signings do seem to be getting younger, but of course the downside to that is young players take longer to get up to speed.

As well as the teams from the "big four" leagues, a threat to Turkish clubs retaining talent are wealthy Middle Eastern clubs. In the last few seasons Galatasaray sold probably it's two best strikers Baf|-timbi Gomis and Garry Rodrigues to Al Hilal and Al-Ittihad for offers that they just couldn't refuse.

RM

Hey cmon, Besiktas did it by buying bargain rae Kanadians. I can buy a Kanadian for like 100 bucks nowadays
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Today saw a clash between the teams in first and second place, Trabzonspor and Konyaspor. Trabzon survived a late fightback from Konya to win 2-1, both Trabzon goals coming from Edin Visca, who's now scored four goals in his last three matches.
Despite the close scoreline Trabzon were the better team for most of the game, with Konya only really springing into life in the last 15 minutes or so. The win sees Trabzon go 12 points clear of Konya with 13 match days remaining, although Konya have a game in hand. That said, on today's evidence it's difficult to make a case for Konya being able to do enough to catch up.
Tomorrow 3rd placed Adana Demirspor play 7th placed Besiktas, with only three points seperating the two. Should Besiktas win, the two teams, along with Istanbul Basaksehir, Alanyaspor and Fenerbahce will be tied on points for third place. So very much a match with ramifications as to whether we'll see a historic result of no "big three" teams in the top three.
Galatasaray drew 1-1 with Kayserispor and are in 13th place, four points and three places above the relegation zone and 11 points behind the last European spot (Europa Conference League qualifying round spot) in 4th place.
RM
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On Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 10:27:57 PM UTC, Real Mardin wrote:
Tomorrow 3rd placed Adana Demirspor play 7th placed Besiktas

The match finished 1-1 but make no mistake, Besiktas got away with one. Adana Demirspor had lots of attacking play and two goals ruled out on VAR decisions. The first I thought was particularly harsh - Mario Balotelli, despite having two markers in front of him managed to place a low shot from the edge of the area into the bottom left corner of the net. The goal was ruled out for an alleged foul in the build up (not by Balotelli), I'm not convinced myself, others may disagree but it was certainly the sort of goal that would have stood pre VAR. The second VAR decision cancelled out what would have been a 97th minute goal from defender Samet, who had already headed in a very well deserved 92nd minute equaliser, due to Adana Demispor players in offside positions adjudged to have interfered with the goal keeper's line of sight. I found that decision a bit more understandable but also certainly open to debate.
Interesting team Adana Demirspor. Founded by railway workers, have never finished higher than sixth in the top tier and in fact have been in the second and third divisions since their relegation in 1994/95, but are now back in the top tier managed by Vincenzo Montella and with a squad featuring players like Balotelli, Gokhan Inler, Matias Vargas and even former Nottingham Forest striker Britt Assombalonga.
So with 13 match days remaining the top 6 is:
1st Trabzonspor 60pts
2nd Konyaspor 48pts
3rd Adana Demirspor 41pts
4th Istanbul Basaksehir 40pts GD + 11
5th Alanyaspor 40pts GD + 8
6th Fenerbahce 40pts GD + 8
RM
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On Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 12:14:32 AM UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:

On Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 10:27:57 PM UTC, Real Mardin wrote:

Tomorrow 3rd placed Adana Demirspor play 7th placed Besiktas

The match finished 1-1 but make no mistake, Besiktas got away with one. Adana Demirspor had lots of attacking play and two goals ruled out on VAR decisions. The first I thought was particularly harsh - Mario Balotelli, despite having two markers in front of him managed to place a low shot from the edge of the area into the bottom left corner of the net. The goal was ruled out for an alleged foul in the build up (not by Balotelli), I'm not convinced myself, others may disagree but it was certainly the sort of goal that would have stood pre VAR. The second VAR decision cancelled out what would have been a 97th minute goal from defender Samet, who had already headed in a very well deserved 92nd minute equaliser, due to Adana Demispor players in offside positions adjudged to have interfered with the goal keeper's line of sight. I found that decision a bit more understandable but also certainly open to debate.

Interesting team Adana Demirspor. Founded by railway workers, have never finished higher than sixth in the top tier and in fact have been in the second and third divisions since their relegation in 1994/95, but are now back in the top tier managed by Vincenzo Montella and with a squad featuring players like Balotelli, Gokhan Inler, Matias Vargas and even former Nottingham Forest striker Britt Assombalonga.

I had no idea -#nler was even still playing, he's 37.
Other 30+ players in the squad are Youn|-s Belhanda, Benjamin Stambouli (both formerly of Schalke), Lo|>c R|-my (so that's where he ended up), Birkir Bjarnason (probably best known for his stint at Basel).
Ciao,
Werner

So with 13 match days remaining the top 6 is:

1st Trabzonspor 60pts
2nd Konyaspor 48pts
3rd Adana Demirspor 41pts
4th Istanbul Basaksehir 40pts GD + 11
5th Alanyaspor 40pts GD + 8
6th Fenerbahce 40pts GD + 8

RM

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In a match with huge ramifications for the "Big Three" being in the "Top Three", Fenerbahce beat Alanyaspor 5-2 away today.

This means the league table, with nine rounds to go, is as follows:


1st Trabzonspor 70pts
2nd Konyaspor 55pts
3rd Fenerbahce 50pts
4th Basaksehir 47pts (one game in hand)
5th Alanyaspor 46pts


So Fenerbahce's win ensures that for the first time in quite a few weeks, the "Big Three" are represented in the "Top Three".

Istanbul Basaksehir play Antalyaspor tomorrow and Besiktas (8th) play Galatasaray (14th). A Besiktas win would see them go top 5, possibly top 4 depending on the Basaksehir result.

RM
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On Sunday, March 13, 2022 at 11:05:14 PM UTC, Real Mardin wrote:

In a match with huge ramifications for the "Big Three" being in the "Top Three", Fenerbahce beat Alanyaspor 5-2 away today.

This means the league table, with nine rounds to go, is as follows:

1st Trabzonspor 70pts
2nd Konyaspor 55pts
3rd Fenerbahce 50pts
4th Basaksehir 47pts (one game in hand)
5th Alanyaspor 46pts

So Fenerbahce's win ensures that for the first time in quite a few weeks, the "Big Three" are represented in the "Top Three".

Istanbul Basaksehir play Antalyaspor tomorrow and Besiktas (8th) play Galatasaray (14th). A Besiktas win would see them go top 5, possibly top 4 depending on the Basaksehir result.

RM

Basaksehir lost 1-0 at home to Antalyaspor and Besiktas lost 2-1 away to Galatasaray, hence the top 5 remains unchanged.
In the derby Besiktas missed a number of chances in particular early on and late on and Galatasaray's Barcelona B loanee keeper Inaki Pena made one memorable save in particular, although he also softly let a low shot from Ridvan Yilmaz through his legs for the "honour goal" (as consolation goals were once referred to in Turkey). Both Galatasaray goals came from winger Kerem Akturkoglu, who looks an exciting prospect and is now up to 8 league goals this season. Despite riding their luck at times in defence, this was at times about as good a performance from Galatasaray as we've seen all season, who are now in terms of points as close to the European spots as they are the relegation places.
RM
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Selected Matchday 30 results:

Caykur Rizespor 3 - Trabzonspor 2

Goztepe 0 - Alanyaspor 2

Adana Demirspor 2 - Istanbul Basksehir 1

Fenerbahce 2 - Konyaspor 1


Standings:

1st Trabzonspor 70pts
2nd Konyaspor 55pts
3rd Fenerbahce 53pts
4th Alanyaspor 49pts
5th Adana Demirspor 48pts

So Konya blow a chance to close the gap on Trabzon and in the process allow Fener within touching distance of dislodging them for second place and a place in the Champions League qualifiers. 8 more rounds to play.

Oh sorry, yeah, this thread was supposed to also monitor the "big three". Besiktas drew 1-1 with Hatayspor and are 8th with 46 points. Galatasaray lost 3-1 away to Gaziantepspor and are in 15th place, 9 points clear of the relegation zone.


RM
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On Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 10:12:46 PM UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:

Selected Matchday 30 results:

Caykur Rizespor 3 - Trabzonspor 2

Goztepe 0 - Alanyaspor 2

Adana Demirspor 2 - Istanbul Basksehir 1

Fenerbahce 2 - Konyaspor 1

Standings:
1st Trabzonspor 70pts
2nd Konyaspor 55pts
3rd Fenerbahce 53pts
4th Alanyaspor 49pts
5th Adana Demirspor 48pts

So Konya blow a chance to close the gap on Trabzon and in the process allow Fener within touching distance of dislodging them for second place and a place in
the Champions League qualifiers. 8 more rounds to play.

Trouble brewing at Fener? |uzil and Tufan booted from the squad for unspecified off-the-field reasons...
Ciao,
Werner
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On Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 12:35:16 PM UTC, Werner Pichler wrote:

On Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 10:12:46 PM UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:

Selected Matchday 30 results:

Caykur Rizespor 3 - Trabzonspor 2

Goztepe 0 - Alanyaspor 2

Adana Demirspor 2 - Istanbul Basksehir 1

Fenerbahce 2 - Konyaspor 1

Standings:
1st Trabzonspor 70pts
2nd Konyaspor 55pts
3rd Fenerbahce 53pts
4th Alanyaspor 49pts
5th Adana Demirspor 48pts

So Konya blow a chance to close the gap on Trabzon and in the process allow Fener within touching distance of dislodging them for second place and a place in
the Champions League qualifiers. 8 more rounds to play.

Trouble brewing at Fener? |uzil and Tufan booted from the squad for unspecified off-the-field reasons...

Ciao,
Werner

Interesting! Strange time to drop two quality players, just as you're gaining momentum in the race for a Champions League qualifying spot.
No details seem to be available via official sources, the club put out a very matter of fact statement which tells you nothing more than the two players are out of the squad.
I can find one account on a non-official Turkish language site which I'd rather not repeat in case I commit some sort of secondary libel. Although if true I didn't find the reason for dropping them all that controversial myself.
RM
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Selected Matchday 31 results:
Kayserispor 0 - Fenerbahce 4
Galatasaray 2 - Fatih Karagumruk 0
Konyaspor 3- Goztepe 0
Alanyaspor 2 - Caykur Rizespor 1
Trabzonspor 1 - Besiktas 1
Istanbul Basaksehir 1 - Yeni Malatyaspor 0
Trabzon v Besiktas was quite eventful, with Besiktas missing a penalty with Batshuayi hitting the woodwork. Trabzon had 11 minutes earlier taken a fortunate lead when Cornelius hit a shot from inside the area which deflected off a defender and looped over the keeper into the net. If anyone remembers Elvir Bolic's deflected winner for Fenerbahce at Old Trafford which ended Manchester United's 40 year unbeaten home European record, it was sort of a short range version of that. When it looked as if they might have missed their chance Rosier leveled the scores to save a point for Besiktas.
Canadian rss'ers take note: Cyle Larin was sent off for hitting out at an opponent. Siopsis basically wrestled him over the throw in line and Larin, despite initially being the wronged party, did that thing a player should never do - he reacted. The reaction was in all honesty quite a weak looking slap, but of course the other player went down and Larin saw red. Given Besiktas only have an outside chance of finishing in a European spot perhaps there wasn't a lot at stake, but imagine the consequences if Larin gets sent off this way at Qatar 2022. Have the managers of Belgium, Croatia and Morocco already marked him as a player who might retaliate if provoked, I wonder?
Back to the Turkish Super Ligi, the standings with seven rounds left:
1st Trabzonspor 71
2nd Konyaspor 58
3rd Fenerbahce 56
4th Alanyaspor 52
5th Istanbul Basaksehir 50
-----------------------------------------
8th Besiktas 47
----------------------------------------
13th Galatasaray 41
Note the top two qualify for the Champions League qualifiers, places three and four qualify for the Conference League qualifiers.
RM
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Given the size of their lead it was probably inevitable, but now it's official. After a 2-2 draw with Antalyaspor, Trabzonspor are the 2021/22 Turkish Super League Champions.
Trabzon supporters had flown in from beyond Turkey to watch their team lift it's first league title since 1983/84. They were almost left disappointed by an Antalyaspor side who at times played like men possessed and missed a penalty which could have denied them the homecoming championship party they went onto enjoy.
There were surreal scenes when a large number of fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate the championship, but about a minute and a half before the match had actually ended. Both sets of of players vacated the pitch, with the tannoy announcer left to remonstrate with the fans to clear the pitch as the match still had to be completed. Getting the message across and clearing the pitch took far longer than it would have done to play out the remaining injury time. When the final whistle actually came, the fans invaded the pitch to celebrate once more, to the point where you couldn't see a blade of grass for all the bodies. Amazing scenes.
As good as it is to see some variety in the teams lifting the title, those who were hoping for a season without a "big three" side in the top three are likely to be left disappointed. Fenerbahce have had a recent improvement in form which has seen them rise to second place, 8 points clear of fourth placed Istanbul Basaksehir with three games remaining.
RM
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On Monday, April 4, 2022 at 11:06:34 PM UTC+2, Real Mardin wrote:

Selected Matchday 31 results:

Kayserispor 0 - Fenerbahce 4

Galatasaray 2 - Fatih Karagumruk 0

Konyaspor 3- Goztepe 0

Alanyaspor 2 - Caykur Rizespor 1

Trabzonspor 1 - Besiktas 1

Istanbul Basaksehir 1 - Yeni Malatyaspor 0

Trabzon v Besiktas was quite eventful, with Besiktas missing a penalty with Batshuayi hitting the woodwork. Trabzon had 11 minutes earlier taken a fortunate lead when Cornelius hit a shot from inside the area
which deflected off a defender and looped over the keeper into the net. If anyone remembers Elvir Bolic's deflected winner for Fenerbahce at Old Trafford which ended Manchester United's 40 year unbeaten home
European record, it was sort of a short range version of that. When it looked as if they might have missed their chance Rosier leveled the scores to save a point for Besiktas.

Canadian rss'ers take note: Cyle Larin was sent off for hitting out at an opponent. Siopsis basically wrestled him over the throw in line and Larin, despite initially being the wronged party, did that thing a player should
never do - he reacted. The reaction was in all honesty quite a weak looking slap, but of course the other player went down and Larin saw red. Given Besiktas only have an outside chance of finishing in a European
spot

Trabzon lost the cup semifinal yesterday against Kayseri, and now Turkey's fifth European spot will not be assigned through the
league (instead, one of Kayserispor (currently 14th in the league), Sivasspor (12th), or Alanyaspor (5th) will get it), which
realistically has deprived Be+fikta+f of their last remaining chance to qualify for the Europa Conference League.
The last time only one of the Big 3 played in Europe was after the 2010-11 season because champions Fenerbah|oe had been
banned over match-fixing allegations. The last time it happened due to results on the pitch was following the 1982-83 season.
Ciao,
Werner

perhaps there wasn't a lot at stake, but imagine the consequences if Larin gets sent off this way at Qatar 2022. Have the managers of Belgium, Croatia and Morocco already marked him as a player who might retaliate if provoked, I wonder?

Back to the Turkish Super Ligi, the standings with seven rounds left:

1st Trabzonspor 71

2nd Konyaspor 58

3rd Fenerbahce 56

4th Alanyaspor 52

5th Istanbul Basaksehir 50

-----------------------------------------

8th Besiktas 47

----------------------------------------

13th Galatasaray 41

Note the top two qualify for the Champions League qualifiers, places three and four qualify for the Conference League qualifiers.

RM

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On Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 12:52:11 PM UTC+1, Real Mardin wrote:

Given the size of their lead it was probably inevitable, but now it's official. After a 2-2 draw with Antalyaspor, Trabzonspor are the 2021/22 Turkish Super League Champions.

Trabzon supporters had flown in from beyond Turkey to watch their team lift it's first league title since 1983/84. They were almost left disappointed by an Antalyaspor side who at times played like men possessed and missed a penalty which could have denied them the homecoming championship party they went onto enjoy.

There were surreal scenes when a large number of fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate the championship, but about a minute and a half before the match had actually ended. Both sets of of players vacated the pitch, with the tannoy announcer left to remonstrate with the fans to clear the pitch as the match still had to be completed. Getting the message across and clearing the pitch took far longer than it would have done to play out the remaining injury time. When the final whistle actually came, the fans invaded the pitch to celebrate once more, to the point where you couldn't see a blade of grass for all the bodies. Amazing scenes.

As good as it is to see some variety in the teams lifting the title, those who were hoping for a season without a "big three" side in the top three are likely to be left disappointed. Fenerbahce have had a recent improvement in form which has seen them rise to second place, 8 points clear of fourth placed Istanbul Basaksehir with three games remaining.

RM

Very belatedly:
1st Trabzonspor 81pts
2nd Fenerbahce 73 pts
3rd Konyaspor 68pts
4th Istanbul Basaksehir 65pts
5th Alanyaspor 64pts
So those hoping for a top three without the "big three" (which would have made history) were left disappointed.
RM
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

Another possibility that was posed in this thread would be whether this would be Galatasaray's worst finish in the Turkish League.

Sadly, the answer is yes. Galatasaray finished 13th out of 20 teams, which works out worse than the previous worst finish of 11th out 17th, albeit only by about a third of a percentage point. But still worse.

However, I have faith that Okan Buruk can lead the team to better things this season.

RM
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)