Recep Uçar, coach of Ümraniyespor, one of the new teams of Spor Toto Super League, made special statements to Mehmet Cem Çakır and Soner Sancak from aspor.com.tr. While Uçar used important expressions on many issues, he made important statements regarding his meeting with Abdullah Avcı and the transfer of Beşiktaş’s Kartal Kayra Yılmaz. Here is that interview…
CEM: After 1.5 years of consistent work, Ümraniyespor got into the Super League. What was the process like?
Recep Uçar: My adventure with Ümraniyespor started on 25 October 2020, the 8th week of last year. The team was in 15th place and had 5 points. There were offers from other teams as well. It is very difficult to say no when an offer comes from a team where I was born, raised and captained in all age groups. Even though the team was not in very good shape, I said yes to this offer and my coaching adventure began.
We narrowly missed the play-offs last year, but we started this season by maintaining the bone roster. With 3 weeks before the end of the league, we became Ümraniyespor for the first time in its history, which guaranteed to qualify for the Super League.
I would like to thank our President, my family, my friends, the management, and everyone who contributed.
CEM: Last season, Ümraniyespor was the league’s top scorer. How did you achieve this?
RU: Now in football, I think every second of every ball in your foot is valuable. My goal was a more mature Ümraniyespor who knew what he was doing better. I think we have covered a certain distance on this road as well. Our next goals will be the same.
CEM: How many people from last season’s squad will continue?
RU: Our 12-13 players continue. There are also players that we are in contact with. In terms of budget, this season’s Super League 17-18. We’ll be almost there. We have a limited budget. Therefore, we turn to players who are suitable for our budget scale.
I think Geraldo could not show his full potential in Ankaragücü. We think he can do more different things in our game plan. That’s why we added him to our roster. I prefer moving forwards more.
We do not have a top 10 player in the goals and assists kingdom. These stats are split over the entire team. Many players broke career records in Ümraniyespor this season. I think the game we play has an effect on this.
CEM: You can also keep the player waiting on the bench motivated. How do you achieve this?
RU: We have been in contact with Napoleoni since Başakşehir. He was a player who would have taken more time if he had not suffered serious injuries. However, he contributed a lot during his playing time. All my players are very valuable. And it is very important to make the players feel valued. When the player understands this, even if the starting 11 does not start, he is not unhappy and tries to give his best on the field.
SONER: Who is your favorite player of the game among the international coaches?
RU: We coaches try to follow many of the top leagues to further our own development. During my assistant coaching periods, I had the opportunity to play in high-level matches. (Champions League, UEFA Europa League) Every coach has a certain game in mind. Or, by watching certain teachers, he tries to set up his own plays from certain parts of the plays they play. Are we influenced from time to time by Guardiola when attacking, by Klopp and Nagelsmann when defending, yes. These are all valuable trainers.
CEM: In the Turkish League, mostly anchor players are preferred in the midfield. You evaluate more active players in that position. There is an example of Kartal Kayra. Will we see Kartal again in Ümraniyespor next season?
RU: I was on the side of the field in the first game where Kartal Kayra played professionally in Beşiktaş. As of January of last year, we added it to our staff, especially willingly. It took a good while. Ümit started to take a steady time in the National Team as well. He is a player that I am satisfied with his performance and quality. We are in constant communication with him. We have a request for him. I do not know how the process in Beşiktaş will go, but we will have an initiative regarding Kartal Kayra.
CEM: Will you have any loan player requests over the big 4?
RU: We should not only look at the big 4s. We will have initiatives for players whose cost is more affordable, who cannot find the necessary time in their own team, but whose quality we believe in.
SONER: 8 Istanbul teams will play in the Super League this season, and this is highly criticized. What is the fault of these 8 Istanbul teams and Ümraniyespor? To become a champion and go to the Super League?
RU: Ümraniyespor has no sin. Even if it’s 10, not 8, if the teams deserve it, they go to the Super League. Has anyone in England made a criticism that ‘There are 7-8 London teams in the Premier League’? As a sports fan, of course, teams from big cities in our country (Bursa, Kocaeli, Eskişehir, Samsun, etc.) show up and compete in this league, which can make the league more enjoyable. If they are relegated due to their managerial and sporting mistakes and if more planned and more organized teams come to the league, everyone should respect and applaud this. Hopefully, Ümraniyespor will add joy to the Super League.
CEM: Did you have a meeting with Abdullah Avcı after the championship?
RU: In the Balıkesir match, we had the possibility of becoming the champion, and Trabzonspor had the possibility of being the champion in the Antalyaspor match. One day before the match, I called Abdullah and congratulated him. I said, ‘You will be the champion tomorrow, there are many people who call and we may not be able to talk in that rush’ and I congratulated him the day before. One day later, we became champions and Abdullah Avcı called me in the evening of that night and congratulated me. We went with Trabzonspor simultaneously in many ways.
CEM: Based on your close relationship with Abdullah Avcı, will you have an initiative for young players from Trabzonspor?
RU: Of course it can. Just like Faruk Can last year. There may be other players this year. It’s not easy to say anything before these things are over.
SONER: Let’s say Abdullah Avcı went to train a team abroad and asked, ‘Recep, I need you, I want you as my assistant’. What would your answer be to this?
RU: We spent 12-13 years together with Abdullah Avcı. Our relationship will continue. I would be happy to be in a place where Abdullah Avcı is. I went on the path of being a coach myself. Since we are talking about something unreal right now, it is not easy to say anything, but then we will see how things develop. This season’s process is very important for me in terms of my own career.
CEM: What will be the importance of the audience in the Super League for you? Will you have such a problem in this stadium and will you play the Super League matches here?
RU: The audience is always the spice of the business. Football essential. When the process that started with 200-300 spectators for us ended with 2 thousand 3 thousand, even this makes us happy. My aim in Ümraniyespor is to ensure that the young population in Ümraniye district takes care of the team. To increase the level of belonging of the fans. It is my greatest desire for them to support the team of the neighborhood they live in.
Ümraniyespor should play their matches in Ümraniye. Our administration and our mayor continue to work on this issue. The floor of the field will be changed, the stands will be arranged, and the lighting will be done. At least that’s the plan I’ve been told.
CEM: Is there a number in your transfer list that you say ‘I will get this many players’?
RU: Of course there is. I’m in favor of teams with limited budgets not having too many players in their squads. A lesser but better quality staff is enough for me. I can’t say a specific number, but I am a coach who thinks it is not right to work with too many players. In my opinion, every player on the roster should feel valued. The only way to do this is to take time. I don’t want to add any player that I can’t give time to the squad.
CEM: What do you think about the foreign rule?
RU: This needs to be explained very clearly. We are trying to form a staff, but neither the broadcast tender nor the foreign rule has been determined. Currently, as Ümraniyespor, we are on the ball. Let’s make some things clear, we think we should make the transfers accordingly. We have focused more on domestic player transfers.
This is one of the biggest problems of our country. The planning changes every year. We can’t for many years. Currently, there is a TFF whose president is unknown. Some teams have already opened the season. We are trying to make some decisions in such uncertainty.
I don’t find foreign restrictions very right in top leagues. It should be a reward rather than a restriction. For example: Clubs can be rewarded financially for each minute played by players aged 18-23. In this case, it both encourages the teams and young players find more time. Instead of having to play forcibly, you give a chance to the one who deserves it.
CEM: Are there any players that you think would take this to very different levels if I had this player?
RU: Naming isn’t exactly right, but a player needs to play to improve. I think that every player can develop in line with a certain plan. The more young people we touch, the better.
SONER: One of the biggest problems in our country’s football is stability and patience. Teams that are new to the Super League either part ways with the coach immediately or show patience for a maximum of 3-5 matches. How did you establish this trust between you and the management?
RU: I have a contract for one more year, but as a result of our discussions with the management, they stated that they want to continue with me, and we are still continuing. It wouldn’t be right for me to say anything about the duration.
As Turkish people, we are very fast-paced. We want everything right away. When a foreign player arrives, we expect him to show his full potential immediately the next day. There is an example of visca. When we took Edin Visca to Başakşehir, he was 19 years old, it took a little time at first, but now we see the level he has reached. This requires patience and stability.
For example, there is an example of Hakan Keleş. Maybe Giresunspor could not get the desired results in the first 7 weeks. However, the management stood behind Hakan Keleş. The management of Giresunspor should be congratulated. They continued and it became a Giresunspor that currently maintains its presence in the league.
CEM: What is Ümraniyespor’s goal in the Super League this season?
RU: I’ve been a realistic and rational person all my life. We were planning to finish the league in the top 6 with the right reinforcements and maintaining the skeleton, but things went even better than we planned and we finished the league in the top 2 places. We also managed to qualify for the Super League. I think it is not right for us to set an unattainable goal for Ümraniyespor. The goal of Ümraniyespor, which will appear in the Super League for the first time in its history, is to stay in the Super League. If we can achieve this in the first year, I think we can achieve our goals.
CEM: In which match did you make me believe that you will be the ‘champion’ last season?
RU: We had bad results for a while, and then we got a little stressed out. The difference in points with the team behind us suddenly decreased to 2. Afterwards, Bandırmaspor had a snag and we won our matches in a row in that process. When we went to Bolu away, Bandırmaspor lost points one day before us and we defeated Boluspor and widened the difference in points. I can say that the Boluspor match is a breaking moment for us.