Not too late for Terim to listen
"Yes! We did it!" was probably the most self-explanatory headline on the eve of Turkey's "glorious" victory against a "dreaded" Kosovo side which has only one point to its tally in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers so far.
Unfortunately, however, Turkish football has sunken to a low where people would cherish victories even against teams which mostly function as a "goal-difference booster" in the qualifiers.
This is not in any way meant to undermine the Kosovo team, rather it is the harsh reality of Turkish football and the media.
Likewise, after beating Kosovo, the national team coach, who could only manage two points in the first three games against Croatia, Ukraine and Iceland, started grilling everyone who had criticized him.
However, we have every right to criticize this attitude and so does everyone who cares about the future of Turkish football.
To begin with, the absurdities of this game had started long before the first whistle and still continue today. Turkey's Coach Fatih Terim, who had excommunicated a group of important players including Arda Turan, Burak Yılmaz and Selçuk İnan without no clear reason or justification, suddenly changed his mind and recalled them ahead of the match against Kosovo. Why were these players excommunicated in the first place?
We know little to nothing on the issue, except Terim's accusations of "treason," and if that was the case per se why these players were allowed to re-join the national squad?
Fatih Terim had always said that it was a very hard decision for him to make, but, sadly however, this sadly shows how easy it has become for people to accuse others with delicate cases like treason, whereas the case is thus they were not doing their job properly.
Even though Turkey won match, Kosovo have won the hearts of almost everyone who watched the game. While the hosts played a very controlled game in the first half, Kosovo played a brave game posing occasional dangers in front of the goal and almost earned themselves an opener just before the halftime. They might not have a high quality squad, but at least they displayed enough nerve to prove they can reach goals, which many thought as impossible.
From Turkey's point of view, the tragicomic situation was prolonged after Fatih Terim took out one of his best men, Oğuzhan Özyakup and looked to rising star Yunus Mallı for some miracle. He, however, made some real difference if not miracle.
The first goal may have gone down as Burak Yılmaz's but it was Yunus Mallı who's wonderful dribbling skills had actually created the opening and saved Terim some further blushes.
The media is right to praise Mallı's skills, but if the national team's and Terim's experience with another rising star, Emre Mor, has shown us anything, that is the fact that a team's offense cannot rely on one players' feet only.
Ultimately, the entire crisis with Turan and other players and Terim's fervent demeanor against reasonable criticisms only distracted Turkish people from his failure as a coach.
Nevertheless, the mainstream media who more or less have the same primordial football philosophy with Terim will now struggle to share the same spot after one more thing in our recent history shows us that you cannot surpass the will of the people and Terim and his friends in the media better start listening before it is too late.
Unfortunately, however, Turkish football has sunken to a low where people would cherish victories even against teams which mostly function as a "goal-difference booster" in the qualifiers.
This is not in any way meant to undermine the Kosovo team, rather it is the harsh reality of Turkish football and the media.
Likewise, after beating Kosovo, the national team coach, who could only manage two points in the first three games against Croatia, Ukraine and Iceland, started grilling everyone who had criticized him.
However, we have every right to criticize this attitude and so does everyone who cares about the future of Turkish football.
To begin with, the absurdities of this game had started long before the first whistle and still continue today. Turkey's Coach Fatih Terim, who had excommunicated a group of important players including Arda Turan, Burak Yılmaz and Selçuk İnan without no clear reason or justification, suddenly changed his mind and recalled them ahead of the match against Kosovo. Why were these players excommunicated in the first place?
We know little to nothing on the issue, except Terim's accusations of "treason," and if that was the case per se why these players were allowed to re-join the national squad?
Fatih Terim had always said that it was a very hard decision for him to make, but, sadly however, this sadly shows how easy it has become for people to accuse others with delicate cases like treason, whereas the case is thus they were not doing their job properly.
Even though Turkey won match, Kosovo have won the hearts of almost everyone who watched the game. While the hosts played a very controlled game in the first half, Kosovo played a brave game posing occasional dangers in front of the goal and almost earned themselves an opener just before the halftime. They might not have a high quality squad, but at least they displayed enough nerve to prove they can reach goals, which many thought as impossible.
From Turkey's point of view, the tragicomic situation was prolonged after Fatih Terim took out one of his best men, Oğuzhan Özyakup and looked to rising star Yunus Mallı for some miracle. He, however, made some real difference if not miracle.
The first goal may have gone down as Burak Yılmaz's but it was Yunus Mallı who's wonderful dribbling skills had actually created the opening and saved Terim some further blushes.
The media is right to praise Mallı's skills, but if the national team's and Terim's experience with another rising star, Emre Mor, has shown us anything, that is the fact that a team's offense cannot rely on one players' feet only.
Ultimately, the entire crisis with Turan and other players and Terim's fervent demeanor against reasonable criticisms only distracted Turkish people from his failure as a coach.
Nevertheless, the mainstream media who more or less have the same primordial football philosophy with Terim will now struggle to share the same spot after one more thing in our recent history shows us that you cannot surpass the will of the people and Terim and his friends in the media better start listening before it is too late.