Samsunspor President Yüksel Yıldırım stated that they want to finish the Super League in the best place this season and said, “We want to make Samsunspor run from success to success for many years. We aim to be the team that plays for the championship in Turkey after 2-3 years.”
Stating that they established a club in Samsunspor, not a team, and that they achieved success in this way, Samsunspor President Yüksel Yıldırım said, “I have been stating for years that I am establishing a club in Samsunspor, not a team. People cannot distinguish between a club and a team. We believe that this success is a coincidence throughout Turkey.” “We are showing that it is not the case. We want to be an Anatolian team that can challenge the so-called big 4 teams and lead Anatolia,” he said.
‘THE VISIBLE VILLAGE DOES NOT REQUEST GUIDES, WHERE WE ARE IS SHOWS OUR SUCCESS’
Making a statement to DHA about Samsunspor’s first season performance in the Super League, Yüksel Yıldırım said, “The village does not seem to want a guide, so where we are shows that we have had a successful season. We cannot make transfers in this half due to our 2-term transfer ban. Our goal was to stay in the league first. Then we said top 10, but when we entered the full squad camp, we saw that things were different. We had a very good camp period in the summer and got the fruits of it. Even though we started the league with a defeat against Beşiktaş, our team showed a good light. Then we played better, we continued with away wins and suddenly we found ourselves at the top. With the motivation of this situation, we want to continue this success with both the football player and our technical team. In football, 1 match is 2 matches, but after 17 weeks, we are in the 3rd place in the league. If you finish at the top of the league, it is a success. It is not how you start the league but how you finish it that matters. Clubs that finish at the top of the league in the first half can later struggle to avoid relegation. Last year, Kayserispor and Adana Demirspor finished 4th and 5th in the league, but later struggled for relegation. We do not want to experience such a situation. That’s why the team is working seriously. The team and our coach are very motivated. Now the league starts again. We will play a Black Sea derby with Trabzonspor. “We want to make an important start and get 3 points,” he said.
‘IT WOULD BE TOO EARLY TO SAY ANYTHING YET’
Stating that success should not disrupt their concentration, Yüksel Yıldırım said, “The transfer period starts on January 13 and Samsunspor’s transfer board will be closed. We will see what the teams that will force us to the top 4 or 5 will do. The clubs are in economic difficulties and some teams cannot pay the salaries. Some things will start to become clear in the second half of the league, around the end of March and the beginning of April. But since the league ends towards the end of May, it would be premature to say anything yet. Galatasaray is 8 points ahead of the league. Fenerbahçe can play well in the second half and be a candidate for the championship. People are trying to be decisive by looking at the current situation. The league is not even half over yet, but it looks like Adana Demirspor and Hatayspor will be relegated. However, the other two teams are also experiencing economic difficulties. It is not clear what will happen. That is why there are some teams in the lower ranks who are trying to avoid relegation. I think that 2 of the 4 teams in this situation will only be determined in April. If a team from the top 4 wins the cup, then the team in 5th place has the opportunity to go to Europe. This will be a great chance for Samsunspor. Beşiktaş has elected its new president and will bring in a new coach. Trabzonspor will also be interested in the transfer. Now they will compete to be in the top 5 and 4. On the other hand, there are also Göztepe and Eyüpspor. “We think there will be a fight, but we, as Samsunspor, need to look after ourselves,” he said.
‘IT IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I HAVE A STRESS-FREE SEASON LIKE THIS.’
Stating that not engaging in transfer work and focusing only on the team motivated them even more, Yıldırım said, “It seems bad, but we are having a very comfortable season. There is no transfer problem. There is no pressure from the fans. This is the first time in my life that I am having such a stress-free season. Our only hope is that there will be fewer injuries and card penalties.” Every club is complaining about the referees. Sometimes the referees do not know what they are doing. If there is no injury, we will definitely be in the top 10 as Samsunspor. If we are in good shape, we can be ranked in the top 5. Maybe we will try to go to Europe, but it would not be right to say that now. We are a club with goals. As a club, we are managed very professionally. Fuat Çapa speaks 5 languages and is our sports director. He gets along very well, he knows football in Turkey and he helps our coach a lot in this regard. We have a very good medical team, including doctors, masseurs and athletic performance. Samsunspor’s Thomas Reis came with only 2 assistants. All the other team are assistants of the club. There aren’t many clubs that operate this way. Our scout and analysis team is very good. We have become a complete club. We want to make Samsunspor run from success to success for many years. “We aim to be the team that plays for the championship in Turkey in 2-3 years,” he said.