retired_laney2400

2006-2007
The bonus of European competition, via the UEFA Cup, meant that I could attract players more easily, but it would not be the big names that some of my rivals could get. Full back Ocal Ahmet arrived from floundering Trabzonspor whilst winger Aydin Cetin and midfielder Parlatan Ersan were signed from Denizlispor. Perhaps the biggest coups were signing the young Argentinian defender Gabriel Oyola, on a free from Parma, and the red hot striking prospect Murat Harun from under the noses of the big clubs. Harun was too young for regular first team football but was definitely one for the future. Striker Ahmed Cebe was another signing and he made an immediate impact scoring two debut goals during the season opener against Manisaspor.

Our second competitive game of the season was a UEFA Cup Qualifying game against Latvian side FK Ventspils. Cebe continued his form by heading home from Ocal Ahmet’s cross. 2 minutes into the second half Cebe was pushed over in the opposition penalty area and the new boy converted his own spot kick. Our Latvian opponents offered little threat throughout the match until Oleg Kazmins scored a crucial away goal for Ventspils, heading home from a free kick after some sloppy marking. After being so comfortable throughout the match I was disappointed to be taking such a precarious result to the away leg.

A win and a draw in the next two league games along with the return of some key players led us nicely into our trip to Latvia. The extra team strength made the game a lot easier than it could have been. Hossoy Engin ran virtually unchallenged from just inside our half before firing in an unstoppable 25 yard screamer. Ibrahima Yattara then headed in Dasdan Bulent’s pinpoint cross to make it 2-0. A missed penalty compounded Ventspils misery and we went forward into the UEFA Cup proper with a comfortable aggregate win. Our European adventure looked like it would be short lived when we were paired with Atletico Madrid.

Our next four league games gave us two wins and two draws, scoring 7 goals without reply. This led us to second in the league and we could have had three wins had it not been for an Alpay inspired Fenerbahce who managed to hold out for one of the draws.

We travelled to Madrid just looking to enjoy the experience and to give a good account of ourselves. Even that looked like an impossible dream as just 7 minutes in we found ourselves 2-0 down. Fernando Torres scored twice in the space of two minutes. The first was a tidy finish after picking up a loose ball and the second a fine volley which gave the finish that Kiki Musampa’s fine run and cross deserved. Ahmed Cebe pulled a goal back after a fantastic counter attack. Yattara picked up the ball from an Atletico corner, skipped past two challenges and played a great ball down the channel to Bakayoko. He sucked in the only defender before laying an inviting ball off to Cebe who cracked in the away goal. 2-1 after only 12 minutes! Things quietened down but Atletico were much the better side. Torres got his hat trick after finding some space on the edge of the box and firing home from 20 yards, giving Robert Enke no chance. Going 3-1 up did not help the home side and they started to play poorly. The pace of Yattara, Bakayoko and Cebe started to find gaps and we grabbed a foothold in the game. The final half hour was all us and we were rewarded in the 94th minute when Bastik Cihan headed home from a corner. We had lost 3-2 but it felt like a victory and we were all in a buoyant mood on the plane journey home.

Our momentum continued with an away win at Genclerbirligi and a home victory against Karsiyaka, which took us to the top of the table. Atletico arrived in Eskisehir without the injured Torres which gave me even more hope. In a close game of very few chances we produced perhaps the greatest result in the club’s history. After 1 minute and 16 seconds we had the lead in the tie for the first time. Bastik Cihan headed home from Ersan’s corner. He repeated the feat after 25 minutes in near identical fashion. In the second half Atletico threw bodies forward but failed to create any decent chances. Cebe returned the favour from the first leg as he played in Bakayoko in on a 2 on 1 situation and the Ivorian drove an effort into the top corner giving Andres Palop no chance.

A victory against champions Bursapor and a home win against Samsunspor finished off a fantastic October and was the perfect birthday gift. Less than three weeks later I would be in charge of a different club which I wouldn’t have believed for all the world.

November started with an away victory in the league at Caykur Rizespor. Bologna were the next visitors to the Ataturk in the UEFA Cup. Their side contained Peruzzi, Giannichedda, Rossini, Vampeta, Locatelli and Christian Amoroso but we still managed to completely out play them. Oyola scored his first for the club after only 13 minutes heading home a corner. Cebe scored his 15th of the season on 23 minutes with a good finish from a tight angle. Bakayoko scored two minutes later with a shot that Peruzzi should have dealt with and Cebe’s curling free kick on 75 minutes gave us an unimaginable 4-0 lead. Vampeta scored a consolation goal in the last few minutes but with a good performance in Italy we would be through to the next round.

On Sunday 12th November I took charge of my final Eskisehirspor game. We travelled to Istanbul to take on Galatasaray. Before the match there had been praise from the press about our run in both the league and Europe. Eser Ozaltindere had been receiving different coverage. He had been in charge of Galatasaray for a year and had not moved the club forward. They were third in the league and not playing in Europe which was not good enough for either the fans or the board. The game was fairly tight but we were suffering from tiredness after our exertions three days earlier. Tackles were missed, passes went astray and shots were wayward. The deadlock was broken by the home side when Aydin Musa volleyed home a long free kick from defence. Haspolatli Cihan scored from the spot in the last minute after Bastik Cihan had brought down Ali Gunes. We were still top but our unbeaten record had gone seemingly without much of a fight.

During the post match press interviews I was asked about Ozaltindere’s position and if I would be interested in the Gala job. I said that a big club would always be an attractive proposition but for now I was happy where I was. In traditional press style this was turned around and the Sunday evening headlines read that I had declared interest in the job. The following day Ozaltindere was sacked. During the press conference announcing his departure and claiming that Gala did not have a replacement lined up, I was discussing a contract for his old job. I spoke with my employer, Celikoglu, and he said he would not stand in my way and that the things I had done for the club would not be forgotten. A job in Istanbul would also mean more time with my wife, who was spending most of her days there with work. On Tuesday 14th I officially started work with Galatasaray.

retired_vikkylj

This a very nice story. Well summarised and hopefully to be continued.

retired_laney2400

Thank you very much. Still got quite a bit to do and should go up to around 2012-13. Will probably stop there as the regens take over and I am not a big fan of them.

retired_laney2400

GALATASARAY

2006-2007
Sorting things out and moving to Turkey's largest city properly would have to wait for a while, most probably until Christmas. I was able to avoid a long hotel stay as we had bought a flat in Istanbul 6 months previously, which my wife used whilst working.

I knew I would be under pressure to perform from the off. Club chairman in Turkey are impatient at best. The men in charge of the three big clubs were probably more so than others and Canaydin, the Gala chairman was certainly not a man who had any qualms about firing seemingly incompetent staff. I was the fifth manager in less than three and a half seasons and results were expected instantly. No European competition meant league success was compulsory. A cup win for previous managers had not saved them from the chop so to repeat my success of last year would be an unlikely saviour.

The playing squad was very strong with Colombian Faryd Mondragon as first choice custodian. Cesar Prates joined Turkish internationals Ak Orhan, Hakan Unsal and Penbe Ergun amongst others in defence. Midfield and attack contained the likes of Haspolatli Cihan, Hasan Sas, Buruk Okan, Umit Karan, Sen Fatih, Aydin Musa and Arslan Volkan.

I decided that I would start with an open mind and all the players and staff were to be given a clean slate, though the fact we were nearly two months from the start of the transfer window did help influence my thoughts. I organised a full team meeting for Wednesday morning in which I informed every one of my thoughts and ideals and I outlined how I liked things. After the playing staff had left I had some extra time with the coaching staff, in which I told them that I wanted to introduce the same training regimes and team tactics, that I had used at Eskisehir and that we needed to get started as soon as possible.

The next few days flew by and before I knew it was Sunday and my first game in charge. We headed up to the coastal town of Rize to play the side I had beaten comfortably two weeks previously, with my former employers. Former Turkish international Buruk Okan and youngster Sarioglu Sabri were brought in from the cold, for their first starts of the season and both played well in a difficult game. Hasan Sas’ 20th minute opener was cancelled out by Rubiel Quintana. Sas then followed up Umit Karan’s saved penalty to put us ahead with his second of the game and the season. Parity was restored with just quarter of an hour remaining as Uz Muharrem curled home a wonderful free kick. 4 minutes from time substitute Sen Fatih got on the end of Usta Suat’s long ball and drilled passed a helpless Inan Kerem, to give me the perfect start.

Besiktas, at the Inonu, were our next league opponents in a week in which we also started our cup campaign. We were unlucky to come away with only a point with Ilhan Mansiz equalising in the last minute, to cancel out Umit Karan’s 24th minute strike.

3 successive wins took us into the winter break topping the table and I was pleased with what I had seen so far. The only area I was not happy with was central defence. Ak Orhan was fantastic but whoever had been his partner had struggled and usually allowed opposition chances. Once capped Turkish international Polat Mehmet was a defender who had always impressed me. He was not the quickest around but was an imposing figure in the tackle and in the air. Coupled with Orhan’s lightning pace and other defensive qualities, I would have what seemed the perfect partnership. His release fee of €3.5M was over his market value but definitely good business. Defensive midfielder Ugur Inceman became my second signing for €1.5M, from Trabzonspor, and right back Fatih Sonkaya arrived, from Dutch club Roda, as much needed cover for Cesar Prates. The opportunity to sign Russian forward Vladimir Beschastnykh, on a free from Dortmund, proved too difficult to resist and he signed an 18 month contract on deadline day. Though 4 signings may have seemed a little extravagant, I now had a squad that would not only be strong in domestic football, but would also hopefully be able to impact in Europe when the chance came.

The players were starting to adapt to my playing system and the new players added both solidity and creativity. We remained unbeaten for the rest of the season and ran out comfortable league champions. Along the way we put in fine performances to win against Besiktas, Bursaspor and Samsunspor amongst others. My former club were runners up in the league and it did give me some thoughts of what might have been if I had stayed.

I was very emotional on my first return to the Eskisehir Ataturk, for a league game in late April. The home fans gave me a fantastic reception and it felt good to be back there. To be honest I was happier with the resulting 0-0 draw than I would have been with a win. To have disappointed fans that I had given so much joy to in the past would have been somewhat saddening for me.

My first few months in charge had far exceeded my initial expectations. After finishing 7th, 3rd and 9th over the last three seasons Galatasaray were now back on top and would be competing in the Champions League next season.