Tuncay Interview with Stoke's ESPN Correspondent

http://blogs.soccernet.com/stokecity/archives/2011/09/exclusive_tuncay_interview_1.php

Selling Tuncay was one of the most controversial moves of Pulis’ Stoke career, in a side crying out for a bit of flair and creativity there was a lot of supporter unrest following the mercurial Turk’s sale. Even now, Tunny’s name is often brought up as we struggle to replace him and the spark he brought to the side.

Tuncay doesn’t often talk to the press so I was particularly happy that he chose a Stoke fan to speak to for this exclusive interview where he talks about his time in the Potteries and his return to the Premier League.

JW – Welcome back to England! How does it feel to be back in the Premier League?
TS – Thanks very much, not only it is great to be back in the Premier League, but it’s also great to be back in England too. I spent three and a half years of my life and career here and I’ve always said that England feels like a second home to me now . I love the lifestyle here and have adapted to the culture, weather, food and more so I am really happy to be back.
JW – It wasn’t as long a stay at Stoke as many of us had hoped it would be, why do you think the move didn’t really work out?
TS – You’re right, it did not last as long as many of us had hoped it would be, including myself. In my case, I truly believe that I gave 110% to the club every time I was given a chance to play for Stoke City, however in football things don't always go according to plan and this is something I think we all need to accept, handle it professionally and move on, just like other issues we face in our lives, and that's what I did.
JW – Pulis plays a very rigid system, and you didn’t have the free role you have enjoyed at previous clubs, like Gudjohnsen did you find it hard to adapt?
TS – It's not that - Pulis is a coach who knows that it is a very difficult task to stay in the Premier League and progress does not happen overnight, hence he sticks with what he believes is best for the club and fans so people need to accept this and respect his choices and I have no problem with that.
Having said that, if you look at German or Italian teams they have been playing very rigid and disciplined systems for years and years but they always manage to accommodate flair in certain positions which brings them success at international level. I think it is really important to combine both, get a team of players who work really hard, follow the coach’s instructions and also integrate a creative player into the team, in some games you just need this additional spark and quality to win you a game to take your team from good to better.
JW – Many of the fans of this club want to see an evolution of the way we play in order to progress, from a player’s perspective do you feel the club are making any progress in this area?
TS - It is obvious that club is making huge progress. The FA Cup Final last season, Europa League this season and Pulis is happy to spend a little bit more money on the players he likes too. However, whether there will be an evolution of the way Stoke play, it is not a question for me to answer because only Tony Pulis and his staff know what the future plans are and the players he wants to bring in.

JW – You played in a number of roles for us; can you once and for all clarify your preferred position?
TS – Arsene Wenger once asked me the same question years ago and I wasn’t able to answer then either and it was the same throughout my career. I even played in goal for the national team against the Czech Republic in Euro 2008 for the last three or four minutes of the game after our keeper Volkan was sent off
Joking aside, my preferred position is attacking midfielder/second striker with a licence to roam. This gives me a cutting edge advantage in the opponent's box where I can score goals and it also allows me to track back to help the defence. Having said that, the most important thing for me is to play and help the team win. As long as I can contribute to the team's success on a regular basis, where I play doesn’t really matter.
JW – Most fans will point to the Fulham game as your best performance in a Stoke shirt (despite you having to go off injured) Which was your favourite game?
TS - I think the Fulham game was great but I also had a good performance against my current club Bolton Wanderers last season that coincided with my birthday. Also, despite starting on the bench I enjoyed the games against Man City and United where I directly contributed to the score sheet, this was good for me too.
JW – You built up an amazing rapport with the Stoke fans, how do they compare to fans from your previous clubs, especially the fanatical Turks?
TS – The feeling is mutual and I am looking forward to seeing a Stoke game live from the stands if there is an opportunity, I still have many friends there and the fans were always behind me no matter what shouting my name and I think there is a reason for that.
In addition, I have said many times that I love to play for a team that belongs to a whole city. You really feel that you are part of the community, you feel like you are playing for everyone you meet in the city, from a restaurant owner to your postman. One team, one goal - that was the case for Boro, Stoke and now Bolton which is really great for me. However, It is really difficult to compare Turkish fans to English fans, each group have certain qualities which you can not compare. We are more fanatical and much more organised with pre-match shows and really intimidating the opponent before kick-off. Though English fans are amazing and keep the momentum going putting additional pressure on the opponent during the game which you need when you things get tough at home.
JW – I know you were closely following our cup run especially having been involved including scoring a vital leveller against Cardiff – you must have been happy to play a part in the team making history?
TS – Yeah, I was happy to see Stoke to go all the way through. Mind you that this is something I always said since I joined the club, I believe that the FA Cup is a great tournament where every team has an equal chance to win it or at least to go to Wembley for semis. The League Cup is also equally important, that creates a chance for all teams to win some silverware and play in Europe next season - look at Birmingham too.

It is the same this year too. When I scored against Macclesfield on my Bolton debut, I said to everyone that we have as much chance as everyone else to go all the way to Wembley and I have no reason to believe otherwise why we (Bolton) can't repeat last year's successful FA Cup run but go all the way this time.
JW – Despite losing in the final, we have an exciting European adventure ahead of us, Is Europe ready for Stoke City?
TS - How could they be ready for Rory Delap's long missiles before they actually face it on the pitch, nothing prepares you for this, especially with the addition of Crouch It will be difficult for teams to analyse Stoke City at the beginning which I think will give Tony Pulis an additional advantage, plus not all the teams are ready to face the physical test they will get at Britannia.
JW - What about our Europa League draw, what can you tell us about Besiktas SK?
TS – Well, you will find out what I meant about fanatical support in the previous question when you visit Istanbul, if you do not believe me ask any other English fan who travelled to Istanbul for a European game and they will tell you all about it.
The group is not easy and each team has an equal chance to go through. Besiktas is a team who have so many big names in their side and they can cause trouble to any team in Europe on their day, so Istanbul will be a very hard test for Stoke City, and I hope to see the game at the Britannia if my schedule allows and meet my friends who play for both clubs.
JW – Finally, your future, do you think you will try and move back to England permanently at the end of your loan at Bolton or will there be a romantic return to Turkey?
TS – So far I am really happy at Bolton, the boys in the squad have been brilliant, the gaffer's positive and attacking football philosophy is great. Without thinking too much about the future, my only aim is to play at my best for Bolton, show them they made a good decision to bring me back to the Premier League and contribute to the successful season I like to think we will have.

 

Joking aside, my preferred position is attacking midfielder/second striker with a licence to roam. This gives me a cutting edge advantage in the opponent's box where I can score goals and it also allows me to track back to help the defence. Having said that, the most important thing for me is to play and help the team win. As long as I can contribute to the team's success on a regular basis, where I play doesn’t really matter
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Sgt Very interesting reading that interview with Tuncay My only problem is that this might start another debate over should we/should we or T.P. never have let Tuncay leave so easily.
I thought he handled the questions very well.

What caught my eye was the above comment I've copied from that. Interesting to see "Where he" liked to play and note the words.. attacking midfielder.
JUST the player I personally think we need right now. But, as Tunc's himself said.
We all move on in life, so we should.

Nice one Tunny, hope you do well for Bolton Wanderers, just sad for me that you didn't have the chance to play more games for Stoke City.

 

Thanks again Sgt - cracking article!! Tunny comes across as a great guy!
Not the least bit egotistical. Like Potts I will not raise the lid on the old argument, albeit I wish he was stll here with us!

God know how you find the time to find all these articles Sgt - but thanks again for sharing

 

Either Newsnow or in the case of this one, off Twitter. I follow Stoke's ESPN Correspondent on there and he regularly does articles and this was the latest one.