Almost a year ago to the day Fatih Terim picked up his telephone and issued the sort of tirade the Turks have come to expect.
A panel on a Turkish football show, Telegol, had been debating the Galatasaray manager’s recent behaviour, assisted by some claims from the Orduspor chairman, Nedim Turkmen, that Terim had unsettled one of his players shortly before their sides met.
Turkmen, a phone-in guest, perhaps did not expect one of the most charismatic and volatile managers in football to be watching. But Terim was watching. And he started dialling.
Boss: Fatih Terim took charge of a Galatasaray training session at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday
More than 20 minutes later the man known in Turkey both as ‘The Emperor’ and ‘The Godfather’ stopped talking. Turkmen, rather meekly, climbed down.
It’s just one of the anecdotes that explain the personality of one of Turkish football’s most successful figures; a tale that illustrates why Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final between Galatasaray and Real Madrid in Spain will not so much be about the Special One as the Special Two.
Terim’s persona is like his football – he is not afraid to attack.
His record is impressive. In three spells at Galatasaray he has won five league titles, the Turkish Cup twice, and the UEFA Cup. He also led Turkey to the semi-finals of Euro 2008, and won more than 60 per cent of his games in charge of AC Milan before a messy split in 2001.
Showboat: Terim shows his skills during the training session
Comedian: Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba shares a joke with his team-mates
Control: Drogba trains as Emmanuel Eboure (right) looks on
His tactics are based on relentless aggression – he is one of the few Champions League managers who regularly fields two strikers – but it’s the 59-year-old’s character that is largely responsible for the cult status he has in Turkey.
‘As a manager he is perhaps a bit like Sir Alex Ferguson,’ said Çetin Cem Yılmaz, the sports editor for the Hurriyet Daily News, a national broadsheet in Turkey. ‘He has total control of the club.
‘He is like a father figure to the players; a strong disciplinarian but also extremely protective of his players and club. The fans adore him – he has so much passion.’
The Emperor: Galatasaray coach Terim addresses the media on Tuesday before the Champions League tie
Special One: Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid side saw off Manchester United in the last round
One clip on YouTube shows his final team talk before Galatasaray played Arsenal in the 2000 UEFA Cup final. The speech, spoken in Turkish, is calm to begin with but quickly escalates: ‘This is our big game, this game is the final. But whatever the result today, even if you lose you will always be champions in my heart. That will never change.’
He then shouts ‘May God help us’, and his players can be seen screaming and hugging their manager before going out and ultimately winning on penalties.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2303154/Real-Madrid-v-Galatasaray--Champions-League-Fatih-The-Emperor-Terim-ensure-tie-isnt-dull.html#ixzz2POhkcvm4
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