EaglesandSpiders

Isn't there some kind of player eligibility rule for postponed league games, just like cup games?

For the others following this thread, I double-checked the teams with the Turkish flag on their crest. Turns out there are many others out there (even fucking Bursaspor have it) , but as I said, the history bit and how Beşiktaş came to have it in its crest is true. Doesn't change the fact that I have been burned by some random Scottish guy who watched football in Turkey for a year or so hahahaha

Well f**k me sideways... I've never been so wrong in my life. The bit of history (the international match between Turkey and Greece) I told is true but this is what I call a true burn my friend. Well-played and touché! I'm giving you eternal bragging rights and the right to tell what has happened here to everyone you meet in the future. I truly deserve that. And you my friend deserve a pint (or two) on me. Just name the time and the place!

This

Ah mate here it goes: Again with this comparison, I can see where @DiegoDiegois coming from, basically the "youse got nae fans" argument, but I don't think that's fair. Başakşehir is the most recent and hopefully permanent name and "identity" of Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor (translation: Istanbul Municipality Sporting Club), a club that was established by the municipality of Istanbul to give local youths a chance to play football as is the duty of any local government or city council. But a few years after its establishment, it began spending public money to buy and pay players and compete in professional leagues. That was obviously unacceptable and the club was dissolved and reestablished under new administration for its professional status, adopting the name Başakşehir (a district on the European side of Istanbul). The match that was arranged to celebrate this and their new stadium saw Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and his buddies don the Başakşehir jersey and play in what was possibly the most cringe match in the history of Turkish football: Since then, any businessman who wanted favours from the government has "donated" large sums of money to Başakşehir's coffers, making them the most hated team in İstanbul, possibly even surpassing Kasımpaşa. It's not fair to equate Başakşehir with Queen's Park because Queen's Park is the oldest club in Scotland, whereas Başakşehir didn't even exist 10 years ago. The fact that Queen's Park have "nae fans" is honestly Glasgow's fault. Queen's Park (and Thistle for that matter) have been there for ages and if the overwhelming majority of football fans in Glasgow have chosen instead to side with either one of the Old Firm uglies and their sectarian competition, well... they themselves are to blame. When I first arrived here 9 years ago as a Beşiktaş fan, I wanted to support a local team that I can watch at the weekends without breaking the bank and without getting into the Old Firm fraud. I had two options: Thistle or this amateur club called Queen's Park in the south side. Queen's Park played in black & white so I said OK, end of discussion hahaha It was only after I made this decision based purely on the colours that I realised that Queen's Park is in fact... well... Beşiktaş. 1) Queen's Park is the oldest club in Scottish football and Beşiktaş is the oldest one in Turkish football. 2) Both teams have got their nicknames from their playing styles in their early days. QP's passing game earned them the nickname the Spiders and Beşiktaş relied heavily on using their wingers down both flanks, like an eagle spreading its wings = The Black Eagles. 3) QP and Beşiktaş have similar mottos too. The Queen's Park motto Ludere Causa Ludendi, "play for the sake of playing" has embodied their amateur status and spirit for over a hundred years. Beşiktaş embraces the motto "Şerefinle oyna, hakkınla kazan" (play with honour, deserve to win, but also a pun on the words Şeref and Hakkı as Şeref bey and Hakkı "the Godfather" Yeten were legendary names in the club's history, the former is one of the founders, the latter is a legendary captain and chairman) and have a proud tradition of maintaining an amateur "college team" spirit in their first team. 4) Now comes the weird and uncanny bit: in the very first international match between Scotland and England, the entire Scotland team was made up of Queen's Park players. After that match, Queen's Park gave its blue colours to the Scottish National team and went on to play in the black & white hoops we know today. In a friendly match between Turkey and Greece in the 1950s the entire Turkish team was made up of Beşiktaş players. Beşiktaş used to play in red, black, and white those days but gave away the red. To honour the club, Beşiktaş was given the right and the privilege to carry the Turkish flag in its crest instead. The only team in Turkey to enjoy that honour to this day. So for me, with its colours, its history, and legacy, Queen's Park is the Beşiktaş of Glasgow. It's definitely not Başakşehir.

That's exactly who I have in mind, mate. And please don't try to explain the difference between a criminal and civil court conviction to me.

What a beautiful Sunday! So that's how it feels

I scoured the annals of Turkish football league but couldn't find an equivalent team that signed a convicted rapist, mate. Sorry! Edit: Oh hang on! I've just remembered and so I have been presented with an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone here. Başakşehir did sign Robinho (yes, that Robinho) after he was convicted of rape and was running away from Brazilian & Italian authorities. So here you go! I've found an equivalent for Clyde FC and refuted @DiegoDiego's comparison

So here's what I think. I'm gonna start with the ones I agree, although I'm not entirely sure we're basing our comparisons on the same criteria. 1) Ankaragücü & Gençlerbirliği = Hearts & Hibs Fair enough. Both teams from the capital, completely outclassed by Istanbul teams, with no particular success on the field, casually dropping down and coming back up, but mostly First tier regulars. Ankaragücü fans are one of the worst (their chairman punched a referee after a game, which made the evening news even here). Gençlerbirliği fans are fewer in numbers but more political (leftist). There is a long-standing feud between Beşiktaş and Ankaragücü fans, originating from the last match of the 1992-93 season when Galatasaray beat them 8-0 away and stole the title from us by goal difference. Many still believe that the game was fixed. So yeah f**k Ankaragücü. 2) Aberdeen= Trabzon I think this is also spot on. Both teams have strong local support and have won league titles, breaking the monopoly of the Istanbul/Glasgow teams from time to time. 3) Airdrie = Bursaspor I can see where you're coming from with this one and as a Beşiktaş & Queen's Park fan, I completely agree. Racist p***ks the both of them. Thankfully, Bursaspor have recently fucked themselves into oblivion and are competing in the 4th tier. They barely avoided complete financial collapse this season. So yeah, f**k Bursaspor, too. Now, you being a Thistle fan, I can totally understand why you sympathise with Kasımpaşa as being the small underdog Istanbul district team with a history of strong and loyal local support and I respect that. I'm also happy that you enjoyed watching matches in the You-Know-Who stadium but they are owned by a corrupt businessman who is in bed with You-Know-Who himself and as I said before, I hate the b*****ds simply because of that connection. Now, as for the colourful sisters Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray... Honestly, I don't disagree with your criteria & comparison but we need to address the huge sectarian elephant in the room here. The rivalry between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray has never been fuelled by the poison that fuels the Old Firm in Scottish football. Galatasaray IS the most successful football team in the history of Turkish football if you go by the amount of silverware they keep in their museum but Fenerbahçe is a better sports club, always competing at the highest level in all branches. Their basketball team is a final four regular in Euro league, their volleyball teams are probably among the best in the world, and they constantly train and sponsor star athletes in other amateur sports, something which I have always envied as a Beşiktaş fan. Galatasaray don't have that, either. There is also almost nothing that separates their fans politically or culturally, apart from the fact that Galatasaray has a more aristocratic history and background due their historical connection to Lycee De Galatasaray, a highly elite school founded by the French Government in the late Ottoman Era. Other than that the only thing that separates the two is the beautiful Bosphorus I can't comment on Falkirk=Eskişehirspor but again I think I can see where you're coming from. Both teams, despite their strong and respectable fan base have suffered severe economic hardship and are competing in divisions that they don't deserve to be in. I think they also have the same colours. I'm going to write a separate post on Başakşehir= Queen's Park, and your experience with & observations on Beşiktaş fans. Let me know what you think so far

Fantastic result today. Couple more signings this week and the Pars will be shitting themselves. Back in business baby!

Spong on the bench . Well at least we can't complain we lack quality on the bench this time Man, I hope we get a decent result today.

I'm moving this discussion to your league comparison post before @Spider Ricothreatens to delete this thread again

Interesting list but before I give you my two pennies worth, let me start by asking why Beşiktaş didn't make this list.

Top marks if you're in a bit of a good old trolling mate The b*****ds got us 3-1 last weekend just before we signed Santos as manager. Kasımpaşa is the district of Istanbul where the president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan grew up in and because of his open support, they are possibly the most hated team in the Turkish Super League.

Queen's Park and Beşiktaş both signing new managers on the same day after having a shite season so far I hope both my teams can improve fast.

That's like the worst excuse I have heard. Utterly shameful! How can we expect to attract talent (men & women) when we don't offer them, and the fans who want to watch them perform, a decent place to play in? Unbelievable!

Yes please!

Is that Keith cursing the linesman?

I really hope McKenna signs for Man Utd not just because of the potential money involved but also because of the message it sends to other young talents out there: Come and join Queen's Park. We'll offer you a chance to play & gain experience in a very hard, competition, develop your talents, and in two year's time, you'll be signed by an English Premier League team.

If you guys want the Saints fans to leave this thread, I'm happy to start another on the use of pejorative language on Internet forums. That should do the trick.

I knew Man Utd are desperate to sign a goalkeeper after sending Onana to AFCON (their second goalkeeper, Altay Bayındır, is a dud) but I didn't know they were that desperate

Aye I think you're right and he'll miss the Raith game. Btw, he may also be injured as he was absolutely spent and limping in the last minutes of the Pars game. Unless we sign a proper fit striker in the next couple of days, I have no idea who's gonna play up front.

Those attending the AGM next week, can you please ask if the women's team can keep playing at Lesser and if so, can season tickets for the men's team be valid for those matches as well?

Massive results in Dundee Utd & Raith games today. The Championship is delivering once again. I hope we can stay up.