Beşiktaş’s veteran player Ibrahim Toraman held a press conference at the Antalya Gloria Serenity Resort Hotel, where the Eagles train for the second half of the season:

“We started the season with super transfers and got fairly good results in the beginning. Then for some reasons, we suddenly fell apart and started losing back-to-back games. Some may think that this team will not live up to expectations, but let us not forget; this is a new team, and in a 3-point system everything is possible. Despite the 14 point difference we currently have with the leader, if we can get a winning streak going for us at the start the second half, we will be right up there with the others. We are not going to give up the title race until the final whistle. Our fans should not get disappointed because there is always tomorrow. The championship teams are not built in one day.
At present, we are battling on three fronts which include a couple of though Europa League fixtures. Our current place in the league table has not diminished our desire to take on the most powerful. There is still a long marathon ahead us, and we are all positive about it. I think, with the new additions to our team, you will all see a much improved Beşiktaş on the pitch in the second part of the season.
Our new teammates Simao Sabrosa, Hugo Almeida and Manuel Fernandes will be a big boost for us. They are proven professionals with a lot of international experience, and we are doing everything to help them adjust to their new team. But to get the maximum out of them, the fans have to be patient like us. Otherwise, we may quickly lose them, something no one wants.
Of course, the presence of so many foreign players may affect some of our Turkish players negatively. We must combine them carefully so no feels left out. The quality of the Turkish players on our squad is no less than the newcomers. Without their effort we go nowhere. If we can come out of this adaptation period successfully, the fans will love our football and how we play. I am anxiously looking forward to our first game.
It seems, in the second half of the season, there is going to be real fight for a starting spot because there two alternate players for each position. Our Manager Bernd Schuster keeps telling us he holds no prejudice against any one and the best player will start.
Everyone has been asking me about our rising young star Muhammed Demirci, who is with us here in Antalya. I don’t think we should dwell on one specific name that much. Yes, he is an extremely talented youngster, but we have other players coming up from our youth teams. They all deserve equal attention. I must nevertheless admit if keeps it up like this, he will be an indispensible player for Beşiktaş in not so distance future.
We have presently three great goalkeepers on our squad and I trust each and every and one of them. They won a lot of games for us this year. Thank God, we have no goalie problems like some other teams this season.”
When queried about his personal relation with the team boss Bernd Schuster, Toroman replied, “Every manager has a different style, an approach he has developed over the years. Mr. Schuster is a fair coach and likes to work hard to get his message across. Contrary to the common belief, he is not as cold as he looks from outside. He spends equal time with each one us and relates to us personally. He loves offensive football and makes sure that we follow his orders in that direction. He pays no attention to criticisms made by the others because he believes in himself. He tries to pass that confidence to us, a virtue we sometimes lack on the pitch.
Toraman ended his words by saying: “There are no easy matches in this league any more because any team can beat anybody on any day. In the past, it was not possible to win against certain teams, but that situation has changed dramatically in today’s football. It makes no difference how many quality players you have on your team. If you don’t battle hard enough out there, you may even lose to the bottom of the table team. Any team which figure out how to use their star players correctly and play like a complete unit have an important advantage over the others.”