Golden Soft Sombrero Moment with Tansel Baser

Baser on Turkish footy, sports psychology based around the spilling of sheep’s blood and life in general…

Diegos: "Tranquil Albert Park Lake and the Bob Jane Stadium is a world away from the throbbing, seething, pulsating cauldron of Turkish footy. 

How have you adjusted to life in Turkey and would you recommend it as an ideal stepping-stone for a young Aussie kid who is trying to crack it in Europe?"

Baser: "I think it is a great stepping stone. I always wanted to make a career out of the game and I've come to a league that is well known worldwide.

Teams like Galatasaray and Fenebache are big clubs and well known.

The idea, if I'm fortunate, is to establish myself in Turkey and then move on to a bigger club on the continent."

Diegos: "A tradition in Turkey with some clubs is to slaughter a sheep on the ground before the game and smear the blood on the forehead of the players to inspire them to great feats. 

Have you been smeared with sheep's blood yet, and after a poor performance has the crowd ever considered substituting the sheep with the coach to guarantee victory?"

Baser:   " You wouldn't believe that that actually happened three weeks ago. They get the blood and wipe it on your forehead as a sign of luck and good fortune.

I personally prefer to keep away from those types of initiations. The sight of anyone's blood, in particular sheep's blood, makes me squirm.

They went through the ritual just prior to the team boarding a flight that was going to take us to the big derby against Fenebache." 

Diegos: " There’s something about slaughtering a sheep on the tarmac of a Turkish airport that doesn't conjure great confidence in the club’s pre-match preparation?"

Baser:   " Yeh, it's a little different to what Angie Postecoglou used to do at South Melbourne that's for sure."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1999

Baser on the nightlife and the local girls…

Diegos: "Although regarded as a fully fledged bonza Aussie, you are also a product of Turkish descent. 

Has speaking the language made things easier on the pitch and does the Aussie twang to your Turkish, make you more attractive to the local girls?"

Baser: "I've got no trouble with the accent but I can't say too much about the local girls.

My coach is English so I don't have any problems following instructions on the pitch. I've actually, at times, acted as an interpreter for the coach and some of the players. "

Diegos: "The South Melbourne boys are renowned not only for their exploits on the field of play, but also on the dance floors of all the best night clubs in Melbourne. 

You especially have been known to enjoy a pelvic thrust under the revolving silver ball at times. 

What is the nightlife like in Turkey and has Kylie Minogue hit number one in the Turkish disco charts yet?"

Baser: " There are no nightclubs out here. I just go to cafes in my spare time.

We live a professional life and don't get the opportunity to enjoy any such nightlife. Unfortunately, we can't do anything on the scale of what we used to get up to with the boys at South Melbourne.

As far as Kylie Minogue is concerned she has to take a back seat to the Turkish belly dancers."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1999

Baser on Turkish derbies…

Diegos: "Liverpool v. Everton, Inter Milan v. A.C. Milan, and Rangers v. Celtic are regarded as some of the biggest most intense football derbies in the world. 

Which club is Trabzonspor's big rival and have you tasted the intensity of a Turkish derby yet?"

Baser: " Our biggest rival is Fenebache. We played them recently and lost 1-0.

The crowd was unbelievable. There were 40,000 people just screaming their heads off. You couldn't hear yourself think out on the ground. The atmosphere was electric.

We play another big rival, Galatasaray in a couple of weeks at home, so that should be huge." 

Soft Sombrero Moment 1999

Baser on gun-totting Turkish fans…

Diegos: "It's well documented that fanatical Turkish football supporters often celebrate their team's win by firing live rounds of ammunition into the air. 

As a player, does that make you nervous and what is it like to have duck season 12 months a year?"

Baser:   " Yep you’re right. This is another trait common to Turkish soccer.

It's unbelievable at times over here. Two or three years ago Trabzonspor lost the championship in the last round of the regular season and the supporters of the winning team were celebrating by shooting bullets into the air. Unfortunately a few stray bullets injured some people.

So as you can see they do take their soccer pretty seriously. I guess you can say that it's a kind of duck season all year round."

Soft Sombrero Moment 1999