Trabzon were expected to struggle in the early fixtures of the season because they were very busy in the summer transfer market. That is what happened. They could just record three victories in the first twelve fixtures and found themselves only two points far from the relegation zone. At this point, the board were patient despite the fans’s resignation calls on coach Ersun Yanal. In the late fixtures of 2016, the players started to understand the mentality of the coach and started to do well. Besides that, they had to cope with the crisis of Mehmet Ekici. He wanted to leave the team and join Fenerbahce but he was not given a permission. That is why he was internally banned till the end of the season. During the winter break, they brought two defensive wingers, one attacker plus one offensive winger. The hot prospect Yusuf was also given a big chance in the senior team. For ten fixtures, they offered an amazing performance and collected twenty-six points but then they lost their ryhthm and failed to get a European spot. Especially, the defence line including Durica, Ugur, Mas and Pereira made a great contribution to the second period’s success. The coach managed to build a steady line up in the season’s second period. In fact, it is the natural result of their short squad structure. When they had an absentee, the coach had to use Rodallega as a winger. It is known that the board will continue to work with the coach. They plan to compete for the title in the next season. In order to do that, they need more options in the midfield and the offence line. After they started to use their new stadium, the fans showed more interest in the team. So they will find themselves in a better place, if they become successful in the summer.
