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General Football & Sports / Scott Carson in Turkey
« on: March 11, 2012, 11:55:02 AM »
Interesting read. Seems to be doing rather well and progressing. You tend to forget he is only 26, which for a Goalkeeper is young.
http://www.turkish-football.com/news_read.php?id=2598
Scott Carson, along with David Beckham and Joe Cole represent a small band of English players applying their craft outside of the British Isles. Carson surprised many last summer when he decided to pack up bags and join Bursaspor. Unlike most Brits heading to Turkey he wasn't just going for the sun, sea and sand, the England international had his sights set on rebuilding his career and making it back into a three lions shirt. Carson has firmly established himself as one of the leagues most impressive goalkeepers and without a shadow of a doubt has been one of this seasons best transfers.
Carson started his professional football career at Leeds, having risen through the clubs youth academy. After a successful two seasons Scott made his first departure, leaving for Liverpool FC in 2005 on a 4 year contract. The young keeper then went onto become a footballing nomad, going onto play at three additional clubs in as many seasons on successive loan moves. Carson having only played 4 games for Liverpool, went onto have a brief stint at Sheffield Wednesday before impressing at Charlton Athletic then Aston Villa. He broke into the England national team in 2007 however, his mistake in a crucial Euro 2008 qualification game against Croatia resulted in him being dropped. Carson then went onto join West Bromwich Albion for £3,25 million in 2008 and just when it looked like he had settled in he packed up his bags once again but this time it was different, he was about to join the exclusive club of Englishmen to play abroad.
The move to Bursaspor may have had some of you thinking, Bursa..who? football lovers in England are pretty familiar with the likes of Galatasaray, Be?ikta? and Fenerbahçe but Bursaspor is hardly a household name. The £2 million move which was completed in the summer of 2011 shocked many but let it be known, Bursaspor are one of the most rapidly developing teams in Turkey. Bursa with its 2.6 million population is Turkey's 4th largest city, situated in the Marmara region, just an hours travelling distance from Istanbul. Don't expect a Marmaris, Oludeniz or Antalya, Bursa couldn't be more different than Turkey's sun swept Mediterranean riviera which most of us are more familiar with. In fact Bursa is in many respects is more similar to what Carson was used to back home. Bursa is commonly known as 'Ye?il Bursa' (Green Bursa), due to the parks, gardens and lush green forests surrounding the area. Its no wonder that in an interview with 'SporX' shortly after making the move he was quoted as saying, "Upon arriving here I toured the city and really liked the place. It really is beautiful here, to be honest I'm very happy here and feel like Bursa is my home from home."
Bursaspor marked a new dawn in Turkish football when they became the first team outside of the traditional big 4 (Galatasaray, Be?ikta? and Fenerbahçe & Trabzonspor) to win the League in the 2009- 2010 season. The Green Crocodiles have invested heavily in a grassroots approach to developing their club. Recently appointed Turkish national team manger Abdullah Avci has been full of praise for the way the club is run and highlighted them as a role model for other up and coming teams. Bursaspor have poured money into setting up a state of the art youth academy and palatial training grounds. The Green Crocs are also in the middle of constructing a stunning 45,000 seater stadium. They are also managed by one of the countries most promising young managers, the 42 year old Ertu?rul Sa?lam who has held his position since 2009, a rarity in Turkey.
Carson is currently in great form and has gone from strength to strength since his shaky start. He raised a few question marks when he had a breakdown in communication with his defense which led to a soft goal and a defeat at the hands of rivals Be?ikta?. However, its no surprise the language barrier was an issue early on considering the two centre halves in front of him don't speak English. Carson decided that something had to be done about this, so he took matters into this own hands and decided to learn Turkish, in a recent interview with the BBC he said, "I'm not speaking fluent Turkish yet but I'm trying to speak the words I need in games, I know 'offside' and 'man-on' but it's not the easiest thing to shout when you are used to the English one-word phrases". His actions won the respect and admiration of Bursaspor's fanatical fans, who go by the name of 'Teksas' (Texas), a name which according to popular footballing folklore was given during a match between Zonguldak and Bursaspor in 1974, Bursaspor supporter groups travelled in convoys of buses to the city. Bursaspor lost the game and their supporters subsequently stormed the field. Police officers later reported to the media that when the supporters arrived in their convoys it looked like a scene from a wild west film, the name stuck ever since.
Carson has gone onto become a strong contender along with Galatasaray's Fernando Muslera for goalkeeper of the season, he has kept 13 clean sheets already the joint highest in the league and only conceded 27 goals, only 6 more than Muslera, giving him the second best record in Turkey. Carson has done a fantastic job in overcoming the language barrier and now commands his defense with confidence. Carson has improved his ability to deal with aerial balls, he is an excellent shot stopper and has made key saves in one on one situations. Another progression in his game has been the speed and accuracy in which he distributes the ball after making a save. Carson has in many ways been Bursaspor's player of the season and one of the their best transfers. He was there when the team needed him most during an 8 match span starting from 30.10.2011 in which his team only managed 2 goals. The team attacking wise was pretty much non-existent, they couldn't buy a goal, it got to the stage where it was cringing to watch them squander chance after chance. Luckily, Carson was there to rescue the team from Crocodile tears, the England international kept 5 clean sheets during this period and was by far their most important player. Fortunately, his team signed Sebastian Pinto, an impressive Chilean striker during the winter transfer window and have really pulled their socks up. The Green Crocs are now up to 8th in the league on the back of a 4 game winning run and just 7 points off a lucrative 1st-4th playoff spot. Even if making the top 4 is a little far fetched this season, finishing in the 5th-8th spot playoffs will be seen as an achievement considering the bulk of this team was only put together this season.
Carson suffice to say has done himself proud, he has settled into life at Bursa well and is picking up the local lingo. Carson's goal is to make it back into the England national team and his brilliant recent performances earned him a recent call up to the England national team squad in an international against Sweden on 15th November 2011. Carson has a wealth of experience across England and now in Turkey as well, its quite a feat considering he's only 26, still an adolescent in goalkeeping years. Carson is rapidly building up his reputation at Bursaspor and if he can maintain his present form he could find himself featuring more in the England squad.
http://www.turkish-football.com/news_read.php?id=2598
Scott Carson, along with David Beckham and Joe Cole represent a small band of English players applying their craft outside of the British Isles. Carson surprised many last summer when he decided to pack up bags and join Bursaspor. Unlike most Brits heading to Turkey he wasn't just going for the sun, sea and sand, the England international had his sights set on rebuilding his career and making it back into a three lions shirt. Carson has firmly established himself as one of the leagues most impressive goalkeepers and without a shadow of a doubt has been one of this seasons best transfers.
Carson started his professional football career at Leeds, having risen through the clubs youth academy. After a successful two seasons Scott made his first departure, leaving for Liverpool FC in 2005 on a 4 year contract. The young keeper then went onto become a footballing nomad, going onto play at three additional clubs in as many seasons on successive loan moves. Carson having only played 4 games for Liverpool, went onto have a brief stint at Sheffield Wednesday before impressing at Charlton Athletic then Aston Villa. He broke into the England national team in 2007 however, his mistake in a crucial Euro 2008 qualification game against Croatia resulted in him being dropped. Carson then went onto join West Bromwich Albion for £3,25 million in 2008 and just when it looked like he had settled in he packed up his bags once again but this time it was different, he was about to join the exclusive club of Englishmen to play abroad.
The move to Bursaspor may have had some of you thinking, Bursa..who? football lovers in England are pretty familiar with the likes of Galatasaray, Be?ikta? and Fenerbahçe but Bursaspor is hardly a household name. The £2 million move which was completed in the summer of 2011 shocked many but let it be known, Bursaspor are one of the most rapidly developing teams in Turkey. Bursa with its 2.6 million population is Turkey's 4th largest city, situated in the Marmara region, just an hours travelling distance from Istanbul. Don't expect a Marmaris, Oludeniz or Antalya, Bursa couldn't be more different than Turkey's sun swept Mediterranean riviera which most of us are more familiar with. In fact Bursa is in many respects is more similar to what Carson was used to back home. Bursa is commonly known as 'Ye?il Bursa' (Green Bursa), due to the parks, gardens and lush green forests surrounding the area. Its no wonder that in an interview with 'SporX' shortly after making the move he was quoted as saying, "Upon arriving here I toured the city and really liked the place. It really is beautiful here, to be honest I'm very happy here and feel like Bursa is my home from home."
Bursaspor marked a new dawn in Turkish football when they became the first team outside of the traditional big 4 (Galatasaray, Be?ikta? and Fenerbahçe & Trabzonspor) to win the League in the 2009- 2010 season. The Green Crocodiles have invested heavily in a grassroots approach to developing their club. Recently appointed Turkish national team manger Abdullah Avci has been full of praise for the way the club is run and highlighted them as a role model for other up and coming teams. Bursaspor have poured money into setting up a state of the art youth academy and palatial training grounds. The Green Crocs are also in the middle of constructing a stunning 45,000 seater stadium. They are also managed by one of the countries most promising young managers, the 42 year old Ertu?rul Sa?lam who has held his position since 2009, a rarity in Turkey.
Carson is currently in great form and has gone from strength to strength since his shaky start. He raised a few question marks when he had a breakdown in communication with his defense which led to a soft goal and a defeat at the hands of rivals Be?ikta?. However, its no surprise the language barrier was an issue early on considering the two centre halves in front of him don't speak English. Carson decided that something had to be done about this, so he took matters into this own hands and decided to learn Turkish, in a recent interview with the BBC he said, "I'm not speaking fluent Turkish yet but I'm trying to speak the words I need in games, I know 'offside' and 'man-on' but it's not the easiest thing to shout when you are used to the English one-word phrases". His actions won the respect and admiration of Bursaspor's fanatical fans, who go by the name of 'Teksas' (Texas), a name which according to popular footballing folklore was given during a match between Zonguldak and Bursaspor in 1974, Bursaspor supporter groups travelled in convoys of buses to the city. Bursaspor lost the game and their supporters subsequently stormed the field. Police officers later reported to the media that when the supporters arrived in their convoys it looked like a scene from a wild west film, the name stuck ever since.
Carson has gone onto become a strong contender along with Galatasaray's Fernando Muslera for goalkeeper of the season, he has kept 13 clean sheets already the joint highest in the league and only conceded 27 goals, only 6 more than Muslera, giving him the second best record in Turkey. Carson has done a fantastic job in overcoming the language barrier and now commands his defense with confidence. Carson has improved his ability to deal with aerial balls, he is an excellent shot stopper and has made key saves in one on one situations. Another progression in his game has been the speed and accuracy in which he distributes the ball after making a save. Carson has in many ways been Bursaspor's player of the season and one of the their best transfers. He was there when the team needed him most during an 8 match span starting from 30.10.2011 in which his team only managed 2 goals. The team attacking wise was pretty much non-existent, they couldn't buy a goal, it got to the stage where it was cringing to watch them squander chance after chance. Luckily, Carson was there to rescue the team from Crocodile tears, the England international kept 5 clean sheets during this period and was by far their most important player. Fortunately, his team signed Sebastian Pinto, an impressive Chilean striker during the winter transfer window and have really pulled their socks up. The Green Crocs are now up to 8th in the league on the back of a 4 game winning run and just 7 points off a lucrative 1st-4th playoff spot. Even if making the top 4 is a little far fetched this season, finishing in the 5th-8th spot playoffs will be seen as an achievement considering the bulk of this team was only put together this season.
Carson suffice to say has done himself proud, he has settled into life at Bursa well and is picking up the local lingo. Carson's goal is to make it back into the England national team and his brilliant recent performances earned him a recent call up to the England national team squad in an international against Sweden on 15th November 2011. Carson has a wealth of experience across England and now in Turkey as well, its quite a feat considering he's only 26, still an adolescent in goalkeeping years. Carson is rapidly building up his reputation at Bursaspor and if he can maintain his present form he could find himself featuring more in the England squad.