Who the hell are Bursaspor, I hear you ask. They’re the club that could be top of the Turkish League by the end of this weekend, that’s who. They currently lie in 2nd place, only one point behind leaders Galatasaray, but with a game in hand. So, where has this team come from and why have they got the big guns worried?
The club was founded in 1963 in Bursa, a city south of Istanbul with a population of almost 2 million people. This is a big place with a well-supported, albeit relatively unsuccessful football team. Their most notable accomplishment was a Turkish Football Cup win in 1986. Although Bursaspor played in the Turkish Superlig between 1967 and 2004, they were relegated to the second level of the Turkish League in 2004. They gained promotion back into the Turkish Superlig in 2006.
Fast forward to July, 2007 and upcoming young Turkish manager Ertuğrul Sağlam has just become the manager of Turkish giants Beşiktaş. Although the black eagles had given another rising star of the Turkish coaching scene, Rıza Çalımbay, a chance in 2005, the club had been employing a policy of brining in big name foreigners on big money zalariez, including the likes of Jean Tigana, Vicente Del Bosque, Mircea Lucescu, Christoph Daum, Karl-Heinz Feldkamp and John Toshack. Sağlam guided them to a respectable third place finish in the League in the 2007-2008 season, finishing on the same number of points as second placed Fenerbahçe with 73 points, six behind champions Galatasaray. Although Beşiktaş had a good season domestically, they made football history when the team lost 8 – 0 away to Liverpool in the Champions League in November, 2007. The following season Beşiktaş won four of their first six games and drew the other two. However, he resigned in October, 2008.
The Diyarbakirspor – Bursaspor match is suspended. Can you guess why?
In January 2009 he was appointed Bursaspor manager, signing a three year contract, after two previous managers had both resigned earlier that season due to poor results. His first game in charge was a Turkish Cup game against Fenerbahçe, which Fener won 2-0. His first League game was a 2-0 win at home to the incredibly named Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor. Sağlam’s Bursaspor were on a roll, going unbeaten in the League until March when they lost 2-1 away at Galatasaray. Of the 18 League games that Sağlam was in charge, Bursaspor only lost twice until the end of the season. They picked up 36 points (at an average of over 2 per game), while also recording a 2-1 victory over Fenerbahçe and a draw with Beşiktaş. The end of the 2008-2009 season saw Bursaspor finish in a respectable sixth position, missing out on a European spot by just three points.
Fenerbahçe humiliated at home
This season began even more successfully and by December, the midpoint of the season, the club were sitting on top of the Süper Lig table. The first half of the season has seen a 1-0 home victory against Istanbul giants Galatasaray, and also a 2-3 win away at Beşiktaş. By late 2009, Sağlam had even been linked with the vacant Turkey managerial position after Fatih Terim’s resignation, but he refused to comment on the speculation. Guus Hiddink eventually took up the position. The latter part of the season has seen a 6-0 win over midtable Istanbul B.B., the largest win in the league this season, and also a 2-3 away win against Fenerbahçe after winning from two goals down. They are well positioned to break the big Istanbul monopoly.
great article, nice one.