Fear of ’Yanal curse’ strikes back as Trabzonspor slumps
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Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 09, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - With only one win in four games, Trabzonspor does not look as sharp as it was earlier this season. It may be a simple slump, but Trabzon fears that it is the curse of coach Yanal, who suffered disappointing periods after successful streaks in previous stints with other clubs
It is either "the curse of Yanal" or a simple slump in form, but there is no Kolbastı fun at Trabzonspor these days.
About a month ago, Trabzonspor was enjoying being the team to start the best way to the new year. A goalless draw at Fenerbahçe, after which the home team was happy not to be unbeaten, Trabzonspor beat Ankaraspor and Ankaragücü respectively. The attacking mentality and hardworking spirit combined with players’ Kolbastı performances made Trabzonspor look like it was definitely heading for the league title. The players gathered at the center of the pitch after wins to perform the traditional local dance of Kolbastı, proving that everything was alright within the team.
However, Trabzonspor did not have the chance to show how fun it can have recently. After a point at Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor suffered a shock defeat against lowly Denizlispor, which was its first defeat at home. An upset at another relegation-battler could be prevented with Umut Bulut’s late goal against Antalyaspor, but the team slumped to a defeat again, this time against Konyaspor.
It was a dismal result, not only the first time in the last three seasons that Trabzonspor lost back-to-back games at home, but also raised questions whether the team started a long free-falling period, after a good run, which is labeled as "the curse of Yanal" in Turkish football.
Coach Ersun Yanal led his sides to the top spots in his previous stints at Gençlerbirliği and Vestel Manisaspor, but both teams suffered long periods of chutes. As Yanal similarly managed to drive Trabzonspor through successful periods, it is a question of wonder if this is just a simple slump or the curse is at work again.
If this "start fast, and then lose pace" is solely a result of Yanal’s coaching mentality, Trabzonspor fans can only hope that their fate is more like Gençlerbirliği’s than Manisaspor’s.
Past experiences
Despite a slump in mid-season form, Yanal’s Gençlerbirliği managed to recover and chase the title and finish the league in a club-record third position during the 2002-2003 season. However, things were not that smooth at Vestel Manisaspor, who was at the top spot in the eighth week of the 2005-2006 season, but could not win for the following three months. Yanal resigned in the last 10 weeks, and Manisaspor barely avoided relegation.
Now, Yanal needs to manage a crisis, or at least troubled times at Trabzonspor. The Turkish boss says there is no need to be pessimistic.
"The whole problem was that we could not pass the ball from the goal line," said Yanal. "This is football. We could not score and things look pessimistic right now. If the ball crossed the line, we could have been talking something else."
Yanal said his players are not the ones to blame for that.
"I can’t speak negative much about my players’ will to win, or anything they did but that one last shot to make the score," he said.
Yanal said the mistakes would not be tolerated in the late periods of the league, and said his team would bounce back.
"We won the Antalyaspor game after the loss to Denizlispor," he said. "That will happen again."
Trabzonspor will play against one of the title contenders next week, when it welcomes Galatasaray.
Galatasaray beat Bursaspor 2-1 in the opening game of the weekend Friday, while Beşiktaş downed hapless Hacettepe 3-2 on Saturday. Beşiktaş, which is yet to be beaten in 2009, rose to the second spot, thanks to a better goal difference over Trabzonspor.
About a month ago, Trabzonspor was enjoying being the team to start the best way to the new year. A goalless draw at Fenerbahçe, after which the home team was happy not to be unbeaten, Trabzonspor beat Ankaraspor and Ankaragücü respectively. The attacking mentality and hardworking spirit combined with players’ Kolbastı performances made Trabzonspor look like it was definitely heading for the league title. The players gathered at the center of the pitch after wins to perform the traditional local dance of Kolbastı, proving that everything was alright within the team.
However, Trabzonspor did not have the chance to show how fun it can have recently. After a point at Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor suffered a shock defeat against lowly Denizlispor, which was its first defeat at home. An upset at another relegation-battler could be prevented with Umut Bulut’s late goal against Antalyaspor, but the team slumped to a defeat again, this time against Konyaspor.
It was a dismal result, not only the first time in the last three seasons that Trabzonspor lost back-to-back games at home, but also raised questions whether the team started a long free-falling period, after a good run, which is labeled as "the curse of Yanal" in Turkish football.
Coach Ersun Yanal led his sides to the top spots in his previous stints at Gençlerbirliği and Vestel Manisaspor, but both teams suffered long periods of chutes. As Yanal similarly managed to drive Trabzonspor through successful periods, it is a question of wonder if this is just a simple slump or the curse is at work again.
If this "start fast, and then lose pace" is solely a result of Yanal’s coaching mentality, Trabzonspor fans can only hope that their fate is more like Gençlerbirliği’s than Manisaspor’s.
Past experiences
Despite a slump in mid-season form, Yanal’s Gençlerbirliği managed to recover and chase the title and finish the league in a club-record third position during the 2002-2003 season. However, things were not that smooth at Vestel Manisaspor, who was at the top spot in the eighth week of the 2005-2006 season, but could not win for the following three months. Yanal resigned in the last 10 weeks, and Manisaspor barely avoided relegation.
Now, Yanal needs to manage a crisis, or at least troubled times at Trabzonspor. The Turkish boss says there is no need to be pessimistic.
"The whole problem was that we could not pass the ball from the goal line," said Yanal. "This is football. We could not score and things look pessimistic right now. If the ball crossed the line, we could have been talking something else."
Yanal said his players are not the ones to blame for that.
"I can’t speak negative much about my players’ will to win, or anything they did but that one last shot to make the score," he said.
Yanal said the mistakes would not be tolerated in the late periods of the league, and said his team would bounce back.
"We won the Antalyaspor game after the loss to Denizlispor," he said. "That will happen again."
Trabzonspor will play against one of the title contenders next week, when it welcomes Galatasaray.
Galatasaray beat Bursaspor 2-1 in the opening game of the weekend Friday, while Beşiktaş downed hapless Hacettepe 3-2 on Saturday. Beşiktaş, which is yet to be beaten in 2009, rose to the second spot, thanks to a better goal difference over Trabzonspor.