26 June 2005<br />by The Press Association<br /><br />Fatih Terim will be installed as the new coach of the Turkey national team, Turkish Football Association (TFF) president Levent Bicakci confirmed on Sunday evening.<br /><br />Terim, who steered the team to qualification for the UEFA European Championship in 1996 during a three-year spell in charge in the mid-1990s, will replace Ersun Yanal, who was sacked on Wednesday.<br /><br />The 52-year-old, known as 'The Emperor', will sign a five-year contract taking him through to the 2010 World Cup. Bicakci said: "He will work as the head adviser for the national teams until the 2010 World Cup."<br /><br />Terim admitted he had received a number of offers from around Europe, but could not resist the lure of taking over the job of national team coach. "There were offers from Europe as well, but I chose to use my knowledge for Turkey," he said.<br /><br />Terim - who now faces the tough task of trying to gain Turkey qualification for Germany 2006 - has had a long and illustrious career in football.<br /><br />He started out as a player at Adana Demirspor, before spending 11 years with Galatasaray. He won 71 caps for Turkey, 35 of them as captain. He began his coaching career at MKE Ankaragucu before spending a year at Goztepe.<br /><br />He then spent three years with the national team before spells at Galatasaray, Fiorentina and AC Milan.

Well, it turns out that the TFF have finally listened to the people. "The Emperor returns and the journey continues..."<br /><br />I personally am of the opinion that after this appointment the Turkish National Team will get things back on track and that no one will be able to stand in their way!!