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Ozturk - I'll remember the good times


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Siphiwe Tshabalala

Why is there about 4 different adverts blasting out at once on that garbage site?

 

Can someone post the interview on here, if possible. 

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August Landmesser

Interesting stuff - can't imagine Robbie ever being 'irate' but I suppose it must happen. Odd that he was singled out as he was clearly not quite match fit in that game.

Alim was a good servant for the club and I wish him all the best

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http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hearts/alim-ozturk-i-ll-remember-the-good-times-at-hearts-1-4336122

Really good read.

Says his Hearts career when all tits up after the cup game at St J, Robbie going more mad than usual and singled him out for the rollicking.

Robbie's hearts career went tits up at the last cup game to be played prior to that one.

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Thought Police

I wonder if they just decided Souttar was the guy and he should learn beside Rossi. Still, not the best way to treat a guy who'd done so well for us.

 

I'love admit though that I wasn't instilled with confidence when he played for the past 6 months.

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Interesting read. Does appear he has been "isolated". Strange, as I am sure as a young captain and consistent performer we would I imagine have been able to get a fee for him?

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Rudolf's Mate

There's no disputing the stats with him in the team however I personally thought the guy was prone to mistakes. He had issues reading anything in the air and was bad for letting balls bounce rather than just attacking the fecking thing. That said I don't see as many games as others plus on reading his comments it does seem strange. We talk about players being loyal to the club etc however if you shit on players (I'm not saying this has happened here) then we can't complain when others won't sign and run their contracts down. I appreciate it's a business at the end of the day however it can't be a one-way street. 

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Bring Back Paulo Sergio

Robbie's hearts career went tits up at the last cup game to be played prior to that one.

Aye, to the idiot support who think beating Hibs is more important than anthing else. That's Hibs mentality that has become ever more present in recent years.

 

Yes beating Hibs is important and the blame lies with Robbie for the performance at Easter Road but if you wanted him sacked for that refer to the first sentence of my post.

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The Real Maroonblood

Robbie's hearts career went tits up at the last cup game to be played prior to that one.

That'll be the one that people still get their knickers in a twist.

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Bring Back Paulo Sergio

There's no disputing the stats with him in the team however I personally thought the guy was prone to mistakes. He had issues reading anything in the air and was bad for letting balls bounce rather than just attacking the fecking thing. That said I don't see as many games as others plus on reading his comments it does seem strange. We talk about players being loyal to the club etc however if you shit on players (I'm not saying this has happened here) then we can't complain when others won't sign and run their contracts down. I appreciate it's a business at the end of the day however it can't be a one-way street.

He might have caused a goal here and there but we conceded far less which compensates for the former. He was still young and would have got better at Hearts. A sad loss imo.

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We_are_the_Hearts

Interesting stuff - can't imagine Robbie ever being 'irate' but I suppose it must happen. Odd that he was singled out as he was clearly not quite match fit in that game.

 

Alim was a good servant for the club and I wish him all the best

You don't need to be fit to judge long balls and crosses and put in a challenge. The one where he let it bounce was criminal. All the best to him but reading that article it is for the best as he clearly feels a victim and can't see where he needed to improve.

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Quite like the big fella despite his limitations as a player. I wish him well!

 

I will say more generally that Robbie's stated remit to develop and improve both players brought in and those already at the club went largely unfulfilled in my opinion. And not just in the case of Alim. Let's hope the new coaching team can do better.

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siegementality

That'll be the one that people still get their knickers in a twist.

2-0 up and Ozturk had to go off after 50 minutes. Maybe Neilson blamed him for that too. Still we got another "moneyspinner" out of it.

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Good player, and apparently a good lad. The type I would prefer we keep, but that's life.

 

Good luck Alim.

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August Landmesser

You don't need to be fit to judge long balls and crosses and put in a challenge. The one where he let it bounce was criminal. All the best to him but reading that article it is for the best as he clearly feels a victim and can't see where he needed to improve.

You'll notice I wrote 'match fit'. He was physically fit in that match, but his head wasn't quite in the game yet.

 

Meh, it happens.

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We_are_the_Hearts

You'll notice I wrote 'match fit'. He was physically fit in that match, but his head wasn't quite in the game yet.

 

Meh, it happens.

It does but for me over a period he wasn't aggressive enough, not attacking balls on the front foot and basically not improving.

He did miss Gomis though who was always an out ball for him when in possession. Will be remembered for that goal and playing his part in the Championship record season though

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Was a great player for us when we needed it most (getting out the Championship) and he continued that the following season. Shame it sort of derailed for him in the end, but I think he struggled to be fully fit (physically and mentally) during ramadan given the EL qualifiers were in the middle of it.

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2-0 up and Ozturk had to go off after 50 minutes. Maybe Neilson blamed him for that too. Still we got another "moneyspinner" out of it.

Some people need to see a therapist about that game....all the best to Alim.

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Strange one. For all the posters who hate him he was no worse than Rossi. I like rossi but ozturk better with his feet. Made mistakes but does does our whole back line. Odd treatment of him. Maybe he just priced us out a new deal and we didn't want to offer him as much as he wanted. Best of luck to him. That goal....genius

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When you're as bad as Ozturk was in the air it was always destined to end this way.

 

Letting the ball bounce is something usually eliminated in early schoolboy football

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Always two sides to a story.... Ozturk's version.... highlighting the lack of management experience of RN. No need for that approach. With a different approach maybe Ozturk could have been made a better player. You shouldn't go from club captain to a nobody overnight.

 

I always thought the idea of bringing in players like Ozturk was to develop them and then sell them on as better players.... not much development going on.

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maroonnicky63

Interesting read.

Will go into the history books for that goal.

 

Wish him all the best

Ozturk scored ?? NEVER no one has mentioned anything about a goal from him

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Why is there about 4 different adverts blasting out at once on that garbage site?

 

Can someone post the interview on here, if possible. 

gets on my tits, too. when posters don't paste the story

 

Alim Ozturk has signed off from Hearts with a bank of happy memories, a heavy heart and a feeling of bewilderment over his remarkable fall from grace. The towering centre-back brought to an end two-and--half years at Tynecastle when he signed for Turkish second division promotion hopefuls Boluspor on an 18-month contract last weekend. The departure of the Netherlands-born Turk came as little surprise to anyone given his rapid demise from key man and captain to persona non grata under former head coach Robbie Neilson in the early months of this season. Ozturk has joined Boluspor on an 18-month deal Despite the acrimonious ending to his time at Hearts, Ozturk is able to head to his new club with a positive impression of a stint in Scotland which will be best remembered by supporters for his 40-yard wonder strike in a 1-1 draw away to Hibs in October 2014. ?My first two years were excellent,? he told the Evening News. ?I had a really good time. I enjoyed Edinburgh and I enjoyed Hearts for two years, and the fans were amazing to me. In my first year, I won the Championship. In the second year, we finished third and I was the captain of the club. That was something special for me, to be captain of a big club like Hearts. It was a really, really proud moment for me. ?I had some great moments at Hearts, and it started with that goal at Easter Road. It was the best goal of my career. I scored a few other goals from distance, but that was the one ? last minute, derby game ... Everything at Hearts was going really, really good.? Ozturk had been one of the first names on the team sheet in his first two seasons at Hearts, playing with a sense of leadership that belied the fact he was still in his early 20s and in a foreign land. He made the Scottish Premiership?s team of the year last term after playing his part in a string of clean sheets. With his peak years still ahead of him and obvious potential to continue flourishing, he was viewed as one of Hearts? most sellable assets, but the three-year contract he signed upon arrival from Trabzonspor in June 2014 was due for expiry this summer. Ozturk, 24, is adamant he was willing to sign a new deal and remains confused by the spectacular manner in which things unravelled for him since the start of this season. ?Both sides wanted to sign a contract,? he said. ?I wanted to sign and Hearts wanted to sign me. Robbie Neilson told me I was one of his key players and he said ?I want to keep you for one more year then, if you want to move after that, we will let you go?. They wanted to extend my contract by at least one year, and I was happy with that. We started to talk about everything at the end of last season. I said I wanted to focus on the last few games of the season first, but I told them I would definitely stay so they didn?t need to worry. ?When I came back in pre-season, we were still talking about extensions. The first offer they made, I did not feel it was good enough for what I had done for the club in two years. But then we spoke about what I wanted and what the club could do, and we reached an agreement. After that, I don?t know what happened. They didn?t tell me. I still have so many questions in my head.? Ozturk claims the first hint he got that things were about to go haywire for him came in the wake of the Betfred Cup defeat away to St Johnstone in early August. After being suspended for the Premiership opener at home to Celtic, Ozturk was restored to the side for the midweek trip to Perth. Hearts were leading 2-1 and looked all set to progress before a dramatic collapse in the last 15 minutes allowed Saints to claim a 3-2 victory. Neilson was more irate than after any other match in his reign, with Ozturk bearing the brunt in the dressing-room. In what will go down as one of Scottish football?s most mysterious episodes of 2016, the former Cambuur defender never captained the side again and started only two more matches. ?At St Andrews in pre-season, me and the gaffer spoke and we had big goals we wanted to achieve,? he said. ?I felt I could help the team do that. I played in the Europa League games and everything was fine. It was only after the St Johnstone game that I realised things were not right. ?Looking back, I think they were waiting for a reason to get me out the team. I don?t think it?s possible for someone who has had two really good seasons and been the club captain to go out of the team the way I did after one bad game. In my mind, they knew already they didn?t want to keep me, and that was the game. After the game, the gaffer was not happy with me. He was just shouting at me. I still don?t understand why he did that after the game. It was strange. I didn?t say anything back to him, I didn?t give any reaction. It?s impossible that they can say I did anything wrong [in terms of Ozturk?s conduct]. I didn?t do stupid things with Robbie or anybody. ?The day after the game, I was told I will not be captain any more. That made me really angry because it was a strange decision. That was a sign that my time at Hearts was coming to an end.? Ozturk, who has no problem with current head coach Ian Cathro, claims he is perplexed about why he wasn?t given the chance to sign a contract after he thought he had reached agreement with the club in the summer, and is irked at the manner in which he was banished from the side. ?Some people think I didn?t want to sign, but that was not the case,? he insisted. ?I was happy there and I wanted to stay at least another year [after this season] because I enjoyed my football there and my first two seasons were the best time of my career. ?I?m sad about the way it ended. I didn?t deserve what happened to me at the end. I was always good to everybody. I tried to stay positive, but I?m still asking questions about how it ended. ?I don?t feel they were honest with me about the situation. I still don?t know what happened ? they didn?t tell me. Maybe they were scared to tell me that they had changed their mind about keeping me. If they told me why it happened, I would accept it, but what they have done to me, I think it lacked respect. I still genuinely don?t know what happened after two great years. ?Look at how many clean sheets we had when I was in the team last season. It?s a strange situation. Even after what happened, I started again against Dundee [in October] and we won 2-0 but then I was on the bench again the next week. That was strange because we hadn?t been keeping clean sheets for a few games before that. I can?t understand that situation ? it?s impossible. I spoke to the management but what I was told was a bit strange. ?My relationship with Robbie broke down towards the end. It was hard going into training but I am a professional and I always gave 100 per cent. It was difficult, though, because I knew that no matter how good I trained, I wouldn?t play at the weekend. That?s not a nice feeling. I was able to cope because whenever we had a few days off I could fly back to Holland and speak with my family. When I spoke to my brothers and sisters, it would give me new energy. My religion [islam] also helped me because I was able to keep in my mind that everything happens for a reason. That helped me stay patient. I?m still disappointed at the way things went, though ? I didn?t deserve this.? As disappointed as he was to lose the captaincy, Ozturk insisted his successor in the role, Perry Kitchen, had his full support. ?My relationship with all the guys was really good,? he said. ?Perry was the captain after me and there was no problem at all between us. I don?t need the armband to be a leader. Even the season before, when I wasn?t captain, I always tried to help the younger guys. That was the same even after I lost the captaincy. I wish the guys all the best. My problem was not with them. I hope they all do really well and have good careers.? Eager to get his stalled career back on track as he bids to realise his dream of playing for the Turkish national team, Ozturk jumped at the chance to sign for Boluspor ? based in northern Turkey, between Istanbul and Ankara ? when it arose last week. ?I was not sure I was definitely leaving Hearts until a few days ago,? he said. ?I knew there was a possibility but this felt like a good option for me. Turkey for me feels good. Turkish people are really warm, so I?m happy to go back. It will be harder to get into the national team from the second division but I have this goal in my head. I will have to show my qualities again and hopefully go up to the first division with my new team, which will help me. I had a few possibilities to stay in Britain, but nothing serious.? Having played a prominent role in Hearts? rise from the Championship to the upper echelons of the Premiership, Ozturk insists he won?t allow the way it ended to overshadow a predominantly enjoyable time at Tynecastle. ?When I remember Hearts, I will always remember my first two years,? he said. ?Hearts will always be in my heart. I will never forget the good times. I was really happy at Hearts. It was a special period in my life. The only bad thing was the way it went in the last five months ? that was not right. I have no problems with Edinburgh, the fans or Hearts. It was really, really good. If I get the opportunity, I will be back to watch a game.?

 

Read more at: http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hearts/alim-ozturk-i-ll-remember-the-good-times-at-hearts-1-4336122

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Always two sides to a story.... Ozturk's version.... highlighting the lack of management experience of RN. No need for that approach. With a different approach maybe Ozturk could have been made a better player. You shouldn't go from club captain to a nobody overnight.

 

I always thought the idea of bringing in players like Ozturk was to develop them and then sell them on as better players.... not much development going on.

Exactly my thoughts. Over 30 players brought to club and only 1 been sold for any money. Strategy isn't working.

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Robbie's hearts career went tits up at the last cup game to be played prior to that one.

 

A game which (to put it mildly) took a turn for the worse when Alim went off injured.

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August Landmesser

It does but for me over a period he wasn't aggressive enough, not attacking balls on the front foot and basically not improving.

He did miss Gomis though who was always an out ball for him when in possession. Will be remembered for that goal and playing his part in the Championship record season though

It's a shame he's left now, for all his talk in the interview of 'looking after the young players', Alim would really have benefitted from a wily old head like Hughes alongside him.

 

Ah well, c'est la vie

 

 

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August Landmesser

A game which (to put it mildly) took a turn for the worse when Alim went off injured.

A fact which is conveniently overlooked by a few folk on here

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Gimme an H...

When you're as bad as Ozturk was in the air it was always destined to end this way.

 

Letting the ball bounce is something usually eliminated in early schoolboy football

 

Agreed, but that is not exclusive to Ozturk.

 

We let the ball drop far too often when defending long balls, Rossi and Souttar (I like those two as a pair at CH but...) are both guilty of it. The only defender who attacks the ball in the air properly is Paterson.

 

Don't know if its something they were told to do in training to try and limit freekicks in dangerous positions, as a lot of strikers in Scotland get easy freekicks by backing in and simulating that they have been fouled from behind.

 

I've noticed it far too often now, never known Hearts centre halves to do it before now.

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A game which (to put it mildly) took a turn for the worse when Alim went off injured.

Except that wasn't the last cup game to be played before the St. J LC game.

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I'm also slightly concerned about seemingly wanting a strategy that develops players for selling - yet rarely are we seeming to get money in.

 

I'm not naiive enough to think there are no political wranglings at our club, or that we sometimes will do things in the wrong way. I feel sorry for Alim as I'd like to trust this account, and if true it seems he's not been treated in the best way. I know there are two sides to all stories, but for someone who seemed to love Hearts and wasn't as bad as some make out - it's a shame to end this way.

 

All the best to him.

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Rudolf's Mate

He might have caused a goal here and there but we conceded far less which compensates for the former. He was still young and would have got better at Hearts. A sad loss imo.

It's a very good point however once teams realise your weaknesses it's problematic. Not being able to head a ball isn't great for a defender however get something on it. Whatever you do don't let it bounce!

 

Wilson was another guilty of this.

 

I really liked the guy and would have been equally happy for him to have stayed. Him going hopefully means that we believe we can do better.

 

Despite my comments I do think we could have got more out of him.

 

Goes with best wishes.

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Neilson proper lost it in his last 12 months. Poor way to treat Ozturk.

Tbh, he wasn't the only one treated poorly. Throughout his tenure players who did well for the club were discarded at a moments notice the second we thought we had someone better lined up. Gomis, Eckersley, Keatings, Alexander, Ozturk, Pallardo, Juanma etc, the success can't be argued with but it's a fairly ruthless way to treat people and it's a bit of a cheek to expect the likes of Patterson to sign an extension to benefit the club knowing if we'd signed a 'better' RB during during the first season he'd likely have went the way of Holt and McHattie.

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Bring Back Paulo Sergio

Neilson shot himself in the foot by turning on Ozturk. That's where we started to digress as we just couldn?t find a back 4 that worked. He brought a calmness and gave us leadership at the back.

 

I found it strange how Cathro never gave him a chance. I wonder if the contract situation annoyed Levein and he wanted him out the door.

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It's a very good point however once teams realise your weaknesses it's problematic. Not being able to head a ball isn't great for a defender however get something on it. Whatever you do don't let it bounce!

 

.

Somebody should have told the lads that prior to kick off at Ibrox.

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Neilson shot himself in the foot by turning on Ozturk. That's where we started to digress as we just couldn?t find a back 4 that worked. He brought a calmness and gave us leadership at the back.

I found it strange how Cathro never gave him a chance. I wonder if the contract situation annoyed Levein and he wanted him out the door.

This, in many ways his calmness and ability on the ball made him ideal for the role Nowak has been played in and probably less risky given he'd atleast already played at this level. Was surprised he was overlooked or else as you say it was already clear he'd be gone.

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Rudolf's Mate

Somebody should have told the lads that prior to kick off at Ibrox.

It's already been said. You're told at an early age never (if you can get something on it) let the ball bounce.
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Except that wasn't the last cup game to be played before the St. J LC game.

 

If you ever write a pub quiz in the distant future, I can see you doing a question or two related to that particular cup tie ;) 

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Pretty damming on Neilson's man management skills. 

 

I did always like Ozturk and wish him all the best in Turkey.

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We are not a better team without him, in fact we are probably a worse team, the way we've gone about our business with players in the last couple of years is bizarre to say the very least, a worrying trend.

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If you ever write a pub quiz in the distant future, I can see you doing a question or two related to that particular cup tie ;)

Honestly, mate, it doesn't bother me. :)

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Bring Back Paulo Sergio

It's a very good point however once teams realise your weaknesses it's problematic. Not being able to head a ball isn't great for a defender however get something on it. Whatever you do don't let it bounce!

 

Wilson was another guilty of this.

 

I really liked the guy and would have been equally happy for him to have stayed. Him going hopefully means that we believe we can do better.

 

Despite my comments I do think we could have got more out of him.

 

Goes with best wishes.

Everyone has a schoolboy error in them. It was our job to develop him and we failed. It's bizarre considering we have a top class defender as our DOF and a manager that was higher regarded for his defensive abilities.

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We_are_the_Hearts

Everyone has a schoolboy error in them. It was our job to develop him and we failed. It's bizarre considering we have a top class defender as our DOF and a manager that was higher regarded for his defensive abilities.

You can't make somebody brave and aggressive though, it has to come from within. We got away with it in the Championship.

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