Sivasspor: Flying High in Turkey

Gokhan Onal

Sivasspor were the surprising leaders of the Turkish Super Lig after the matchday 9, and still remain 2nd, despite a series of draws in recent weeks. If they win their game in hand, they could rise back to 1st place, knocking Galatasaray off the top spot. Their performances thus far mean it is well-worth taking a closer look at what makes them tick, despite their limited budget and Super Lig experience.

Sivas is located in the center of Turkey, near the capital Ankara, but their team has been far from the center of Turkish football. Sivasspor was founded 38 years ago, and won promotion to play in the Turkish Super Lig just three years ago.

In their first season, 2005/06, their aim was, understandably, only to avoid relegation, and they achieved it comfortably with 43 points (10 wins, 13 draws). In the following season, they failed to start that well, and got only 12 points (3 wins, 3 draws) from the first 12 games under experienced German coach Werner Lorant.

Due to these results, the Sivasspor board decided not to persevere with Lorant, and gave the  coaching position to the team’s Sporting Director, Bulent Uygun. It was Bulent Uygun’s first coaching job and therefore a brave move on the part of the Sivasspor board. The new coach had a successful playing career with Kocaelispor and giants Fenerbahce. Although he was a midfielder, he topped the league’s goalscoring charts in the 1993/94 season at Fenerbahce. His mentor then was another German, Holger Osieck.

Upon Bulent Uygun’s appointment as coach, Sivasspor were facing a nightmare run of games. They were about to play Besiktas, followed by another two giants of the Super Lig, Trabzonspor and Galatasaray. This run of fixtures only made the board’s decision to go with Uygun even more surprising for the club’s fans and the Turkish press. But they did the unexpected; successfully won against Besiktas in Istanbul, and then won against Trabzonspor at home by the same scoreline, 1-0. Although they later lost against Galatasaray 3-1, Bulent Uygun had already gained the players’ confidence, not to mention the admiration of the board, fans and media.

After these results, Sivasspor went on to collect 48 points and finished the season in 7th place, quite a turnaround and well clear of any relegation worries. This season, things are getting even better for the team. They won 7 games out of the first 9 games, and topped the table with 22 points! What a transformation brought about by Uygun.

If we look at Uygun’s team, we can see that they play with more discipline every game. Showing a tactical awareness that serves them well, particularly against the big boys. This has surely come about through Uygun’s association with the two German coaches (Osieck and Lorant) at important points in his career. If there is one thing German coaches instill in their teams, it’s tactical discipline. Although both coaches didn’t pick up any major trophies during their spells in Turkey, the discipline of their teams was of paramount importance to them.

Also being the Sporting Director (known as Manager in Turkey) of Sivasspor gave Bulent Uygun the chance to get to know the players before he took charge. He wasn’t like any other coach who comes from another team or country, he was already a member of the club and that has given him an important advantage. For example, powerful striker Mehmet Yildiz wasn’t playing in Lorant’s team, he was just a substitute, but when Uygun became the coach, he put Yildiz in the starting eleven, and he scored the one and only goal against Besiktas immediately in the first match. Since that day, he has gone on to become one of the most influential strikers in the league, and was called up for the National Team as well.

Apart from Yildiz, Israeli forward Pini Balili is having a good season with the team. He is probably the fastest forward in the whole of Turkey. (He is an ex-athlete, and has the ability to run 100 meters in around 10 seconds) With Yildiz’s power and Balili’s speed, they are certainly one of the best forward duos in the league. Also, Australian goalkeeper Petkovic (ex-Trabzonspor) is amongst the league’s best goalkeepers this year having been in outstanding form. He conceded only 6 goals in the first 9 matches, and this gives Sivasspor the second best defence after Galatasaray (4 goals in 9 matches) in the Super Lig.

Although, Sivasspor have collected many more points than people expected early on this season, we can clearly see that they’ve had a few unlucky games as well where their efforts have not been properly rewarded. They lost 1-0 against Champions Fenerbahce in Istanbul although they did not deserve to lose as they dominated the game. Also, they had a 2-2 draw against Ankaragucu in Ankara in a game in which they were leading 2-0 at half-time. Possibly the most attractive result they have had in this season so far was winning 3-2 against Bursaspor at home coming back from going in at the break losing 0-2.

Despite their successful start to the season, coach Bulent Uygun still insists that they are not playing to win the championship. This may sound strange to some people, but many suspect he may be attempting to decrease the pressure on players who are not used to dealing with it. He also says that they could well sell any player if another team makes them an offer they can’t refuse in January. Certain to be a target given his current revival is Mehmet Yildiz, but it would be a huge blow to Sivasspor if he did indeed depart. That they are not in a strong position to resist rival teams’ approaches is due to their limited budget which means they have to sell players in order to survive, since ticket sales and sponsorship income are not enough for them to sustain a Super Lig side.

Sivasspor’s surprise spell at the top is nothing new for the Turkish football. Last season, Ersun Yanal’s Vestel Manisaspor was at the top of the table in these early weeks, but they finished the campaign in 12th position after tailing off badly. In earlier years, Ankara side Genclerbirligi were forcing the Istanbul giants, but they couldn’t sustain their challenge either. Gaziantepspor are yet another example of a side that was very close to winning the championship until the now infamous Fenerbahce match which they lost 4-3 after leading at half time 3-0, in the 2000/01 season.

These examples are some amongst many, but the truth is the Turkish Super League has only had four championship winning teams in its whole history: The three big Istanbul teams (Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce) and Trabzonspor. Even worse, Trabzonspor lifted its last championship 23 years ago, and they have been facing a whole host of troubles during the last decade. Due to these facts; some people say that when, finally, any other team wins the title, that day is going to be Turkish football’s revolution day. We are looking forward to seeing if Sivasspor is going to be able to do it or not.