Since the arrival of their new coach Rıza Çalımbay, Trabzonspor have undergone a drastic change in terms of gameplay and results. From the depths of the Turkish Super League, they climbed to the fifth spot with only a five-point margin between them and fourth-placed Beşiktaş. Nevertheless, this sudden improvement in their performance came with a price. Their new coach has sought much humbler goals and simpler means than his predecessor Ersun Yanal, who was very ambitious to make his team play very organized and collectively. Right now, Trabzon has become just another Anatolian side which poses a constant threat in counterattacks but fail to deliver the game which can carry them to the top.

This Sunday my theory was proven again and Trabzonspor played one of the dullest games against Fenerbahçe, who also did not put anything creative on the table. Both teams put a great amount of physical work and they were exhausted at the end of the game, but there was hardly any mental exhaustion by trying to find ways to open the game or predict the pattern of the opponent. It seemed that both Rıza Çalımbay and Aykut Kocaman were satisfied with the result and they did not do anything to change the course of the game. However, a miracle happened and Trabzonspor took the lead by the individual effort of Abdülkadir Ömür. The young talent of Trabzonspor sent a great ball into the penalty box and the only thing left for striker Burak Yılmaz was to touch the ball. Strangely, this goal did not help change the course of the game either, and the game continued as if it was still a goalless draw.

Although they were one goal behind, Fenerbahçe coach Aykut Kocaman did not risk his defensive line by pushing them forward. Thus, despite their lead, Trabzonspor could not find the counterattacking possibilities they were hoping for. When the equalizer for Fenerbahçe came from a corner kick, it was nothing but another miracle which brought justice to this unpleasant game.

We have talked about Fenerbahçe and Aykut Kocaman in this column before, and I am still in the same position regarding their performance. But Trabzonspor is a different case since they changed their paradigm almost 180 degrees in the middle of the season. It is now clear that Rıza Çalımbay will not risk the short-term gains for making Trabzonspor a title contender in the future, or to create a challenging game which is beyond the Turkish Super League.

Thus, all Trabzonspor fans should ask themselves if this is the vision they want their team to adopt. What made Trabzon different from all other Anatolian clubs was the fact that they resisted the Istanbul giants and became one of the biggest clubs in Turkey. The city deserves a more daring and fearless Trabzonspor to write more history.