Bülent Uygun
Encyclopedia
Bülent Uygun is a former Turkish
professional footballer, and current Süper Lig club Eskişehirspor
's manager. He played as an attacking midfielder after starting his career as a striker, and was the captain of Fenerbahçe. His nickname is The Soldier due to his strict rules during his management time. His rules where if you can't make love you can't play.
at youth level, and went on to sign professionally for Kocaelispor
in 1989. After four years, he then moved to Istanbul
, playing three years with Turkish giants Fenerbahçe, scoring 39 goals in 107 matches. During the 1993–94 season he was Fenerbahçe's top scorer with 22 goals. He then moved back to his former club Kocaelispor
in 1996. He has short spells with other clubs including Trabzonspor
, Anadolu Üsküdar 1908
and Sivasspor
. He was famous for celebrating his goals by giving a soldier's salute. He was capped 16 times for the Turkey Under-21
squad and 11 times for Turkey
, scoring only twice for the senior squad. He also played 3 times for the National Olympic Team.
in 2006, with the club having just completed their first ever season in the top flight, after promotion from Turkey’s second tier in May 2005. The club, based in Central Anatolia
, have a small stadium with a capacity of just 18,000 people. At the age of 35, this was Bülent's first ever managerial role, having retired from playing professional football two years earlier.
In 2006–07, Bülent’s first season in charge, he led them to a shock 7th place finish, finishing on 48 points. He also led Sivas to the group stage of the Turkish Domestic Cup, also known as the Fortis Cup.
The 2007–08, season saw Sivas lead the table until January 2008, having amassed a fantastic home record. The first half of the season saw them play 10 home games, winning all 10, scoring 20 goals and conceding only three. British Press had picked up on this ‘surprise team’ with many wondering if they will be able to break the stronghold of the dominant ‘Istanbul Big Three’, Galatasaray
, Fenerbahçe S.K. and Beşiktaş
, and become only the sixth club to win the league. However, the second half of the season saw them drop points and they finished in a ‘disappointing’ 4th place, with 73 points. Through their league position, the qualified for the 2nd Round of the, now defunct, UEFA Intertoto Cup
; the first time in the clubs history that they participated in a European Competition. They progressed to third round but missed the chance to play in the UEFA Cup
, after losing to eventual Intertoto Cup winners Braga of Portugal
. Uygun was named Turkcell Super League
manager of the season in May 2008 at the age of 36.
The Sivas Fairytale continued to grow in the 2008–09 season when they led at the top of the table for the majority of the season. It was thought that Sivasspor would be the first team in 25 years to win the league, outside of the 'Istanbul Big Three', when Trabzonspor
won at the end of the 1983–84 season. However, late April 2009 saw Beşiktaş
overtake them to the top spot, and eventually they had to settle for second place, coming in 5 points behind Beşiktaş
. They qualified for the Champions League
entering the third round as the best-placed path for non-champions, and were drawn against Anderlecht
of Belgium
. Uygun relishes the fact that minnows Sivasspor, with a budget of just $12 million, will be playing in the Champions League this coming season.
Sivasspor’s continued success in the 2008–09 season, has seen UEFA
study the team, along with José Mourinho
and experts from Holland and Brazil
analyzing the team and also Uygun’s methods.
After having lost seven players from their first 11 during the summer 2009 transfer window, Sivasspor began the pre-season slowly. While away at their Holland training camp, they lost three of their five pre-season friendly's managing only one win and a draw.
For the first time in Sivas's 42 year history, the 2009–10 season saw Sivasspor
take part in the Champions League
and the Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup
. They were drawn in the third round against Anderlecht
, and on their debut match on 29 July 2009, lost 5–0 away to the Belgian
side. However, the second leg saw Sivas's first Champions League win after the Turkish side won 3–1 at home, and gave Bulent Uygun his first competitive win for the 09–10 season, although they lost 6–3 on aggregate and did not progress to the next stage.
Having been eliminated at the third round, Sivas were drawn to face UEFA Cup
holders Shakhtar Donetsk
in the Europa League play-off's, however they lost both legs and were thus eliminated from all European competitions.
Sivas' poor start to the season saw them second from bottom of the Turkish Süper Lig with just one points from seven games. Their first victory of the season came on matchday 8 against Antalyaspor
, in a 1–0 home win. However, shortly after this match on 4 October 2009, Uygun announced he was stepping down as manager, believing he had taken the club as far as he could.
, whom he worked under while playing for Fenerbahçe S.K.. In a recent interview, in June 2009, Uygun is quoted as saying:
The computer program he devised called "TürBülent", is a training system sees players alternate between performance-enhancing fitness binges and prolonged rests, the idea being that form-sapping fatigue can be meticulously scheduled against breaks in the fixture calendar.
He is known to be very strict with his players, and has previously spoken of banning his players from drinking alcohol and partying at nightclubs. He credits some of Sivasspor
's success down to this.
-Fenerbahçe.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
professional footballer, and current Süper Lig club Eskişehirspor
Eskisehirspor
Eskişehirspor is a football club in Eskişehir, Turkey. Also known as Kırmızı Şimşekler or The Star of Anatolia. The club was founded in 1965 and started a football revolution in Anatolia. Eskişehirspor started a long term stay in the first league in Turkey when they were founded. This term lasted...
's manager. He played as an attacking midfielder after starting his career as a striker, and was the captain of Fenerbahçe. His nickname is The Soldier due to his strict rules during his management time. His rules where if you can't make love you can't play.
Playing career
He began his career with SakaryasporSakaryaspor
Sakaryaspor is a Turkish football club, formed in 1965 after the merger Yıldırımspor, Idmanyurdu, Güneşspor and Ada Gençlik....
at youth level, and went on to sign professionally for Kocaelispor
Kocaelispor
Kocaelispor, is the football team of İzmit, Turkey. They were founded in 1966 and played in the Turkish football league between 1980–1988 and 1992–2003. The best result for them was the 4th position in 1992–93 season...
in 1989. After four years, he then moved to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, playing three years with Turkish giants Fenerbahçe, scoring 39 goals in 107 matches. During the 1993–94 season he was Fenerbahçe's top scorer with 22 goals. He then moved back to his former club Kocaelispor
Kocaelispor
Kocaelispor, is the football team of İzmit, Turkey. They were founded in 1966 and played in the Turkish football league between 1980–1988 and 1992–2003. The best result for them was the 4th position in 1992–93 season...
in 1996. He has short spells with other clubs including Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...
, Anadolu Üsküdar 1908
Anadolu Üsküdar 1908
Üsküdar Anadolu SK was founded by Mehmed Bürhaneddin and Dr. Hüdai in 1908. Üsküdar Anadolu SK is a Turkish football club in Üsküdar, a district on the Asian side of İstanbul. Their team colours are green and white. They are groundsharing with Beylerbeyi SK at the Beylerbeyi 75. Yıl Stadı...
and Sivasspor
Sivasspor
Sivasspor is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas, Turkey formed in the year 1967. They play in the Turkish Süper Lig. Their manager is currently Riza Calimbay. They finished 15th in the 2010–11 Süper Lig. Their current captain is Hayrettin Yerlikaya....
. He was famous for celebrating his goals by giving a soldier's salute. He was capped 16 times for the Turkey Under-21
Turkey national under-21 football team
Turkey's national Under-21 football team , also known as Turkey Under-21s or Turkey U-21s, is the Under-21 years of age team of the Turkey national football team.-History:...
squad and 11 times for Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
, scoring only twice for the senior squad. He also played 3 times for the National Olympic Team.
Sivasspor (2006–2009)
Bülent took the job as manager of SivassporSivasspor
Sivasspor is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas, Turkey formed in the year 1967. They play in the Turkish Süper Lig. Their manager is currently Riza Calimbay. They finished 15th in the 2010–11 Süper Lig. Their current captain is Hayrettin Yerlikaya....
in 2006, with the club having just completed their first ever season in the top flight, after promotion from Turkey’s second tier in May 2005. The club, based in Central Anatolia
Central Anatolia Region
The Central Anatolia Region is one of Turkey's seven census-defined geographical regions.- Provinces :Total population: 12,105,975* Aksaray Province* Ankara Province* Çankırı Province* Eskişehir Province* Karaman Province* Kayseri Province...
, have a small stadium with a capacity of just 18,000 people. At the age of 35, this was Bülent's first ever managerial role, having retired from playing professional football two years earlier.
- 2006-07 Season
In 2006–07, Bülent’s first season in charge, he led them to a shock 7th place finish, finishing on 48 points. He also led Sivas to the group stage of the Turkish Domestic Cup, also known as the Fortis Cup.
- 2007-08 Season
The 2007–08, season saw Sivas lead the table until January 2008, having amassed a fantastic home record. The first half of the season saw them play 10 home games, winning all 10, scoring 20 goals and conceding only three. British Press had picked up on this ‘surprise team’ with many wondering if they will be able to break the stronghold of the dominant ‘Istanbul Big Three’, Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
, Fenerbahçe S.K. and Beşiktaş
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
, and become only the sixth club to win the league. However, the second half of the season saw them drop points and they finished in a ‘disappointing’ 4th place, with 73 points. Through their league position, the qualified for the 2nd Round of the, now defunct, UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
; the first time in the clubs history that they participated in a European Competition. They progressed to third round but missed the chance to play in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, after losing to eventual Intertoto Cup winners Braga of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Uygun was named Turkcell Super League
Turkcell Super League
The Süper Lig is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system. It is one of the top leagues in the UEFA confederation and the winner of the competition automatically qualifies for the UEFA Champions League...
manager of the season in May 2008 at the age of 36.
- 2008-09 Season
The Sivas Fairytale continued to grow in the 2008–09 season when they led at the top of the table for the majority of the season. It was thought that Sivasspor would be the first team in 25 years to win the league, outside of the 'Istanbul Big Three', when Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...
won at the end of the 1983–84 season. However, late April 2009 saw Beşiktaş
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
overtake them to the top spot, and eventually they had to settle for second place, coming in 5 points behind Beşiktaş
Besiktas J.K.
Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...
. They qualified for the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
entering the third round as the best-placed path for non-champions, and were drawn against Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Uygun relishes the fact that minnows Sivasspor, with a budget of just $12 million, will be playing in the Champions League this coming season.
Sivasspor’s continued success in the 2008–09 season, has seen UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
study the team, along with José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
and experts from Holland and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
analyzing the team and also Uygun’s methods.
- 2009-10 Season
After having lost seven players from their first 11 during the summer 2009 transfer window, Sivasspor began the pre-season slowly. While away at their Holland training camp, they lost three of their five pre-season friendly's managing only one win and a draw.
For the first time in Sivas's 42 year history, the 2009–10 season saw Sivasspor
Sivasspor
Sivasspor is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas, Turkey formed in the year 1967. They play in the Turkish Süper Lig. Their manager is currently Riza Calimbay. They finished 15th in the 2010–11 Süper Lig. Their current captain is Hayrettin Yerlikaya....
take part in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and the Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. They were drawn in the third round against Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
, and on their debut match on 29 July 2009, lost 5–0 away to the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
side. However, the second leg saw Sivas's first Champions League win after the Turkish side won 3–1 at home, and gave Bulent Uygun his first competitive win for the 09–10 season, although they lost 6–3 on aggregate and did not progress to the next stage.
Having been eliminated at the third round, Sivas were drawn to face UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
holders Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. Shakhtar has appeared in several European competitions and currently is often a participant of the UEFA Champions League. The club became the first Ukrainian club to win the UEFA Cup in 2009, the last year...
in the Europa League play-off's, however they lost both legs and were thus eliminated from all European competitions.
Sivas' poor start to the season saw them second from bottom of the Turkish Süper Lig with just one points from seven games. Their first victory of the season came on matchday 8 against Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor, known as Medical Park Antalyaspor for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Antalya. The club colours are red and white and they play their home matches at Mardan Sports Complex...
, in a 1–0 home win. However, shortly after this match on 4 October 2009, Uygun announced he was stepping down as manager, believing he had taken the club as far as he could.
Management Style
Bülent has stated that his managerial influence has come from Brazilian 1994 World Cup manager Carlos Alberto ParreiraCarlos Alberto Parreira
Carlos Alberto Gomes Parreira is a Brazilian former football manager. He managed Brazil to championships at the 1994 World Cup, the 2004 Copa América, and the 2005 Confederations Cup...
, whom he worked under while playing for Fenerbahçe S.K.. In a recent interview, in June 2009, Uygun is quoted as saying:
“My father was a wrestling coach. He told me that my career as a soccer player would end in 15 years. He advised me to think like a coach at all times. So when I was a player, I always looked at the game with the eyes of a coach. I took the good bits from ParreiraCarlos Alberto ParreiraCarlos Alberto Gomes Parreira is a Brazilian former football manager. He managed Brazil to championships at the 1994 World Cup, the 2004 Copa América, and the 2005 Confederations Cup...
, OsieckHolger OsieckHolger Osieck is a German football coach and current coach of the Australian national association football team. Prior to the Australian role, he most recently managed J.League club Urawa Red Diamonds, where he won the 2007 AFC Champions League. He served as an assistant coach of West Germany...
, Fatih TerimFatih TerimFatih Terim, Commendatore OSSI, is a Turkish football former player and manager. Terim was born in Adana, Turkey to Nuriye and Talat Terim. His father, Talat, is a Turkish Cypriot who emigrated to Turkey....
and all of the other coaches with whom I had worked. I viewed every training session as an experiment. After I quit playing, I watched more than 100 matches in Europe. I attended the training courses and read the best books about it. And I developed my own system, which I call "TürBülent"”
The computer program he devised called "TürBülent", is a training system sees players alternate between performance-enhancing fitness binges and prolonged rests, the idea being that form-sapping fatigue can be meticulously scheduled against breaks in the fixture calendar.
He is known to be very strict with his players, and has previously spoken of banning his players from drinking alcohol and partying at nightclubs. He credits some of Sivasspor
Sivasspor
Sivasspor is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas, Turkey formed in the year 1967. They play in the Turkish Süper Lig. Their manager is currently Riza Calimbay. They finished 15th in the 2010–11 Süper Lig. Their current captain is Hayrettin Yerlikaya....
's success down to this.
Match-Fixing Scandal
On 8th July 2011 he was arrested because of match-fixing in Süper Lig game EskişehirsporEskisehirspor
Eskişehirspor is a football club in Eskişehir, Turkey. Also known as Kırmızı Şimşekler or The Star of Anatolia. The club was founded in 1965 and started a football revolution in Anatolia. Eskişehirspor started a long term stay in the first league in Turkey when they were founded. This term lasted...
-Fenerbahçe.
Managerial statistics
As of 22 May 2011| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Sivasspor Sivasspor Sivasspor is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas, Turkey formed in the year 1967. They play in the Turkish Süper Lig. Their manager is currently Riza Calimbay. They finished 15th in the 2010–11 Süper Lig. Their current captain is Hayrettin Yerlikaya.... |
 |
2006 | 2009 |
|||||
| Bucaspor Bucaspor Bucaspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Izmir. Formed in 1928, Bucaspor are nicknamed Fırtına . The club colours are yellow and navy.... |
|
2010 | 2010 |
|||||
| Eskişehirspor Eskisehirspor Eskişehirspor is a football club in Eskişehir, Turkey. Also known as Kırmızı Şimşekler or The Star of Anatolia. The club was founded in 1965 and started a football revolution in Anatolia. Eskişehirspor started a long term stay in the first league in Turkey when they were founded. This term lasted... |
|
2010 | 2011 |
|||||
| Total |
||||||||