What happened to the Turkish football update?

[Tony M]

Like the title says.

Does anyone know what happened? The guy's name was Bura, I believe. He was doing a Turkish football update on Fridays, but it seems to have vanished.

I really liked it.

I love talking about the EPL, but I'm very eager to also learn about football in places other than the UK.

[WoodyinCU]

Bura doesn't do it every Friday. He keeps a running Turkish Football Thread on the WSD forums too...I could ask him to join up here and do the same if you want, though I'm sure he'd post that stuff in the Europe section, not the WSD section.

[Tony M]

Well, I'm happy to know he hasn't been dropped by WSD. I went to the board over there looking for his Turkish football thread and didn't see it. Maybe I just overlooked it.

[ThespecialoneJM]

They need a Portuguese football correspondent.

[WoodyinCU]

Well, I'm happy to know he hasn't been dropped by WSD. I went to the board over there looking for his Turkish football thread and didn't see it. Maybe I just overlooked it.

It's here (http://z9.invisionfree.com/WSW/index.php?showtopic=11391).

Bura also does stuff with the BBC's World Football Phone-in, and is starting to do interviews (http://z9.invisionfree.com/WSW/index.php?showtopic=11679) with young turkish players.

[Tony M]

Excellent! Football is the world's game and I really enjoy it when WSD moves away from the EPL and the Champions League and MLS and focuses a bit on Spain, Germany, Turkey, etc.

Now if only they had someone do a weekly update on African football at the club level...

[TheRealSpecialOne]

Bura is no Vickipedia, that's for sure. I tune out when he starts talking because his knowledge isn't that deep. When Cohen and Kenny know more about Turkish football than he does half the time you know he's bad. And when half of the answers to their questions is "I don't know", it says a lot.

The other day they needed a guest and called Bura. He "needed more time" according to Kenny. The guy is awful. If they want to cover Turkey, they need someone who actually knows the league and can live up to the standard of other guests without using wikipedia to find his information.

I am no fan of La Liga or the Bundesliga, but Hunter and Johannes are both pure class. They need someone for Portugal, Turkey, Russia, Australia, and Japan like them, not like Bura.

[WoodyinCU]

Bura isn't a journalist, he's studying to be one. Holding him up to the likes of Vickery and Hunter when he's only like 20 years old is pretty harse. He's also been able to get interviews with some of the Turkish players too, broadening his knowledge and experience. With WSD and with World Football Phonein, he's an up and coming, not a finished product.

Kenny and Steven have admitted they don't know squat about Turkish football :D

[TheRealSpecialOne]

Harsh? Perhaps. Accurate? IMHO, yes.

Age doesn't matter to me. Knowledge does. This guy was brought in to educate people on Turkish football, and to better inform people who already know about Turkish football. He has failed miserably.

The kid is a fan. Not even an extremely informed fan, just a fan. Steven and Kenny have admitted they know very little about Turkish football outside of seeing the Champion's League entries a few times a season. For them to ask basic and simple questions to become better informed and the reply to often be "I don't know", it says a lot.

There are plenty of fans of the A-League or MLS who aren't trying to become journos who call into the show and have a better knowledge of the leagues than Bura has of Turkish football. Why not make them correspondents? Because they are fans. Fans run and drive the show often times, but they aren't meant to enlighten the public on a league they know little about.

Maybe when he learns his craft a bit more he can give it another go, but until then it's painful listening to him. (Just my ever so humble opinion) ;)

[WoodyinCU]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree there. I like Bura, his laid back style is enjoyable tho unpolished, and he knows quite a bit more about Turkish football than I do. Of course, my cat knows more about Turkish Football than I do, so that last might not be the best statement...I am willing to listen to him grow as a journalist tho, and I have contact with him outside the show so I might be more tolerant of a less professional persona, partially because I know he's working on that. I enjoy the grassroots parts of the show. Afterall, everyone remember the early years of WSD? *shudder*

:D

[SeventhRowScreamer]

Harsh? Perhaps. Accurate? IMHO, yes.

Age doesn't matter to me. Knowledge does. This guy was brought in to educate people on Turkish football, and to better inform people who already know about Turkish football. He has failed miserably.

The kid is a fan. Not even an extremely informed fan, just a fan. Steven and Kenny have admitted they know very little about Turkish football outside of seeing the Champion's League entries a few times a season. For them to ask basic and simple questions to become better informed and the reply to often be "I don't know", it says a lot.

There are plenty of fans of the A-League or MLS who aren't trying to become journos who call into the show and have a better knowledge of the leagues than Bura has of Turkish football. Why not make them correspondents? Because they are fans. Fans run and drive the show often times, but they aren't meant to enlighten the public on a league they know little about.

Maybe when he learns his craft a bit more he can give it another go, but until then it's painful listening to him. (Just my ever so humble opinion) ;)
he is hard to listen to but it's harder to fast forward my ipod to the next feature so I'll have to witness Bura maturing:)

[TheRealSpecialOne]

Luckily I missed the Geber years. I stumbled upon the show a few months before Steven and Howard had their blow up.

I understand what you mean with the personal contact thing. I hated Steven with a passion and wasn't too fondof Kenny either, especially after Howard was shown the door, but Kenny has taken the time for me (as he has many fans) and I couldn't listen to the show without him. I started a small football website and Kenny e-mailed me all butt hurt that I didn't invite him to it. He heard about it through another member. He has taken the time to visit my site regularly and get to know the members. (He can tell you what dental work I have had done and exactly what it cost.) The man is total class. (Even when he slags off Fergie or sends me pictures of Phil Neville.) He has shared a few stories with us about Cohen and I must say my stance on Steven has softened a great deal.

Because you are in the midwest (even though you are an Arsenal fan) and seem to be a gentlemen, I will give Bura a few more chances and hold off skipping ahead in the podcast when he starts to talk. I hope he grows before our eyes (or ears) and some day we will be able to say we remember him when.

[WoodyinCU]

I'm not a gentleman, just so close to Canada I'm afraid to be rude :D

If you end up liking Bura's stuff, cool. If not, cool too. I was just pointing out that it's hard to hold everyone to the standards of a Vickery or a Hunter, especially when everyone is in different point in their "careers".

One thing is certain, it's a quality group of lads. Steven, Kenny, Nick, Adam, Rafa, Matt, etc..all very quality people. No, I don't always agree, and sometime we have arguements, but at the core they are good people. In fact, of all the guests I have contact with due to the show, I can't think of anyone who isn't genuinely approachable and helpful. The hardest are actually the MLS coaches, as often times you have to go through press agents, etc. But some have even bypassed those to keep in touch personally.

Despite all the rivalries and dislike between supporters, on the individual levels I've found that football/soccer people are really top notch people.

[TheRealSpecialOne]

I agree with that completely.

I think especially in this country the football community is like a little family. Everyone helps each other out and wants football to advance here. We may fight, but in the end we are there when the chips are down and willing to fight to the end for the common cause.

[Tony M]

Harsh? Perhaps. Accurate? IMHO, yes.

Age doesn't matter to me. Knowledge does. This guy was brought in to educate people on Turkish football, and to better inform people who already know about Turkish football. He has failed miserably...

The kid is a fan. Not even an extremely informed fan, just a fan...

...Maybe when he learns his craft a bit more he can give it another go, but until then it's painful listening to him. (Just my ever so humble opinion) ;)

Fair enough, but I do enjoy listening to him.

But let's be honest: Steven and Kenny themselves are not perfect. I love their show and would not want to be without it. But I stopped listening to horrible US sports talk shows like Mike and Mike and Jim Rome and the atrocious station (WKNR) here in Cleveland, Ohio, because I got tired of radio hosts who use lots of words to say nothing, invite people to call in and then cut them off after 5 seconds, and try to become comedic 'personalities' instead of talking about sports.

Sometimes, Steven and Kenny run their show the same way as the people I've stopped listening to. I have to say this even though I really like them both.

Earlier this week I was listening to a podcast from either last Friday, Monday or Tuesday. Some young guy called and was speaking very intelligently about La Liga; obviously he was Spanish. They cut him off to go to a break and then came back from the break and talked to each other about music or something trivial. I wished they would have carried the kid over and continued their conversation with him.

Steven has the irritating tendency to constantly talk over and interrupt Kenny, when Kenny often has very insightful things to say. Steven also has the irritating tendency to interrupt people and then spend precious seconds stammering and fumbling to make a very minor point. Sometimes it sounds like he's arguing just for the sake of arguing.

Sometimes, the co-host has intelligent and interesting things to say, and should be allowed to say them. Sometimes, football talk show callers have intelligent and interesting things to say. Sometimes, I wish Steven and Kenny would let them say those things.

[TheRealSpecialOne]

No doubt. I have told the good Mr Hassan countless times that I think he and Cohen are clueless as to what they are talking about, as well as asking him to cut Cohen off when he is rambling and interject with facts once in awhile. He claims the reason they often have no clue what is going on is because they can't keep up with everything, and people can call in about anything they like. So many times he and Cohen are reading e-mails or doing other things and they don't multi-task well, especially on most subjects which they aren't experts on. Even when it comes to the EPL or SPL they are nothing more than fans.

That is why I have loved them bringing in Vickery, Brassell, Hunter, Berendt, Wheelock, etc. It's nice to have people more immersed in it than Cohen or Kenny who can give a better perspective.

Cohen can aggravate just about anyone, and often times he and Kenny say things so false I cringe, but it's not easy being on air for 2 hours a day 5 days a week while also having a life. I wish they were better informed but I'll take what we can get knowing it is better than what else is out there.

[TheRealSpecialOne]

The Turkish update returned this week and I must say, I'm glad I didn't skip through that part of the pod. He's still miles away from being pure class, but Bura gave us his best performance yet.

[KyleP]

I do like Bura, I knew of him before he was on WSD, as he's been a regular caller on the World Football Phone-in for a while now, and seems to know what he's talking about. However, I'm not sure there is really any need for a Turish football correspondent, I mean is anyone really that interested? Yes, it's great to get a feel for other footballing cultures and further your knowledge of the game but surely they could go for a more appealing league than the Turkish one. Also, whenever he's on it just kind of feels like he's only there to fill some time because Steven and Kenny couldn't find any other guests to come on the show.
Having said that though, he was pretty good this week... maybe I'm just being a bit harsh.

[WoodyinCU]

WSD made the decision a few years ago to add correspondents for leagues around the world because they realized that, since the USA is full of people who can trace their lineage to other countries, there is interest in most other leagues. It may not be huge interest, but if they have someone who can be both knowledgeable and interesting on air, they'll give them some time. Obviously the pros get weekly/biweekly slots, but WSD wants to be open for football fans from all areas.

There was more interest in Turkey (at least in the USA) in the 80's and 90's, things are a bit slack right now, but by gaining familiarity with the players that interest will probably grow again.

[TheRealSpecialOne]

Success breeds interest. Turkish teams doing well in the Champions League and Europa Cup can increase interest abroad. 2008 Euro success didin't hurt Turkey any and in many ways paved the way for Bura.

People like winners. Especially when its a style they aren't used to.