It Didn’t Come Home. Again.

For years I’ve watched Turkey national football team break our hearts over and over again. There were quite good squads too, but they just couldn’t become a team effective enough to make a lasting impression. Nowadays I don’t even know a single player’s name in the team. Didn’t even know Montella was the manager. Whoever he is.

And the reason for that is simple: The Turkish Premier League became so bloated, so fake, so glamour-hungry that it became repulsive. The players weren’t interested in playing a good game, and the teams were more interested in money than success. The fans became so fanatical that they started to set things on fire.

The game wasn’t a game anymore. It certainly wasn’t fun, either.

So, my interest in the game faded over time. Then, my interest in Galatasaray. Then, the national team. The game, the teams, the players, none represented the beautiful football I believed in.

The Cradle Of Football

After coming into the UK, I thought of supporting a team and going to the games. Went to one Arsenal game, didn’t really felt like I belonged there. I used to follow Chelsea when I was in Turkey, and they were my team in Championship Manager 03/04. For some reason, I didn’t feel the pull to go to their games. No one’s games. After years of exposure to the bad football, I lost the interest in it entirely.

However, seeing England play very tactically and solidly especially against both Netherlands and Spain, something sparked in me. The loss, even though unpleasant, it was a feeling I welcomed back.

Seeing Ipswich Town, another team I chose many times in CM03/04, in Premier League table further stoked the flames.

I don’t think I’ll start going to the games regularly but I certainly think about watching occasional Chelsea and Ipswich games on the telly or at the local pubs. I may even buy a kit when they launched new season kits, and wear it to the games.

I would especially love to see Ipswich Town play in Portman Road with my own eyes.