Turkey 2005-2006 Preview:

Ankaragucu:
They will start with a worse coach compared with last season. Team strength is almost the same. I expect them to finish the league below the mid table but safe from relegation.

Ankaraspor:
Same coach. Better team. Better experience. They already have their confidence from last year as they did great in their first season in the super league. They had very strategic additions to each position. Signed Ersen Martin from Denizli, he will be a great couple with pacey Jaba. Murat Erdogan as defensive midfielder from Malatya, Hurriyet was doing ok in that position but Murat is far better with his technical capacity and solidity. Ahmet yildirim arrived from besiktas and probably will play in defense or midfield and he is also a good addition. I expect them to finish the league right behind the big teams.

Besiktas:
Defender Ronaldo and Striker Carew left the club. They had good additions at defence and forward. Ailton and youla are in as forwards, they signed some dynamic defenders. Now they have a better team than last season. Besiktas will run a lot this season, their team is pacey and dynamic. They are one of the title challengers but i doubt that they will get it. 2nd or 3rd spot.

Denizlispor:
Denizli are with same coach and almost the same team. They lost 2 important players timucin and ersen. Signed yusuf and huseyin in exchange. They lost same strength after all and they will surely be a boring team again this season, with a boring play. Still they have the solidity and experience to finish the league just above the midtable.

Diyarbakirspor:
They signed out and in a lot of players. In he end i see a weakened squad and a worse coach now. The team and the supporters started losing their concentration in the super league last season. They might relegate from the division depending on the newly promoted teams performances. But i really dont expect anything from them.

Fenerbahce:
Titleholders. Only signed Appiah from Juventus and made some other minor transfers. They have a solid team. Solid coach. Solid supporters. They will have no problems in local games for sure. They are too strong with ones like Anelka, Nobre, Alex, Appiah, Rustu, Tuncay and many others. I think they will get the title once again..

Galatasaray:
Gerets as their new coach. They lost Ribery. But signed Altan from Konya. Also signed Sasa Ilic. They almost have the same potential this season. Their success is highly dependent on Gerets performance. They will probably be in 3rd spot maybe even on 4th.

Gaziantepspor:
They lost some players but signed in many many of new ones. They have a new coach and i know little about him. Maybe only 1-2 of the new signings might add something to the team. They have selfish players who will probably destroy the harmony in the team this season. That already started last season and will continue. Gaziantep should finish around midtable and probably just over it.

Genclerbirligi:
They still have the good ziya dogan. But i was really surprised with his transfer strategy, they sold out very good names from the club. Signed many new players. Looks like he is trying to build up a new team, actually he is good at this but this process will surely take some time. We will see how it will go. In my eyes they deserve a spot somewhere between 7-8th.

Erciyesspor:
Newly promoted team. Very close relations with Kayserispor. These two teams have the same website!! They did some good transfers. They signed several defenders, midfielders, forwards and keepers from super league. But the problem is i dont like their coach. And an early change might take them to safer places in the league. They have a good team but i think they will not be able to pass the midtable in this very first season i the super league of theirs.

Kayserispor:
Were safe from relegation last year. But now they are weaker. And “the city Kayseri” seem to make more investment on the other team Erciyesspor. So i expect Kayserispro to lsoe some popularity. At the moment they dont have serious forwards, they have a mediocre defense and midfield. Only a good keeper, Dimitar Ivanov will not save the team. Relegation candidates.

Konyaspor:
Finally a good team. They have been working a lot to form the ideal team and i think now they are in very good position. They ahev a good coach, aykut kocaman. They have made serious additions to defense, midfield and forward. They now have everything they need to succeed. A bright season is ahead. They will have good times above the table with Ankaraspor just below the big teams.

Malatyaspor:
They now have a better forward line but a worse midfield. Defense is still solid. Gk is the same and ok. I have some doubts over their coach, feyyaz ucar. We will see how he will do. At the moment Malatya a place between 9-11th spots.

Rizespor:
They have weakened squad and a far worse coach now. Nothing special in my eyes. They used to have a big home ground advantage but it also seems to fade away lately. They will finish below the midtable, close to the relegation, and if they are lucky enough they might survive it but its not granted for sure..

Sivasspor:
They are also newcomers. The signed some good players. Gk and midfield is now safe. Defense is shaky, and not much info about their forwards. Their biggest advantage is their supporters. And they will love their new coach, Werner Lorant, old fenerbahce coach.. It might sound crazy but it is said that 1,5+ million people live in istanbul who were born in Sivas.. And they want to play their games in Istanbul because the city Sivas has less population.. The decision is not made yet if i am not mistaken but they will play the first game in istanbul as they have some problems with their own stadium. They might relegate or survive, time will show..

Samsunspor:
They have almost the same strength although they have changes some players and their coach. Nothing special, another midtable team..

Vestel Manisa:
Newcomers. They havent made the necessary transfers in my opinion as they rely on their old players form the 2nd division pretty much. They might be right. It is really hard to make an estimation on the team yet. They are a relegation candidate for me but have the chances so survive.. Time will show again..

Trabzonspor:
In good mood. Same good coach, same good players. Changed their gk. Some minor additions to the team. They are a very talented team and they will surely finish between 2-4th positions. I like their style. Great legs, pacey, attacking..

Predicted Table: team between the lines can switch places.

1 Fenerbahce
-----------------------
2 Besiktas
3 Galatasaray
4 Trabzonspor
-----------------------
5 Ankaraspor
6 Konyaspor
7 Genclerbirligi
8 Denizlispor
-----------------------
9 Gaziantepspor
10 Samsunspor
11 Malatyaspor
-----------------------
12 Ankaragucu
13 Erciyesspor
-----------------------
14 Rizespor
15 Diyarbakirspor
16 Sivasspor
17 Kayserispor
18 Vestel Manisa
-----------------------


All for now.
Orpenk
Orpenk@fcbet.com