Special fans make it a Turkish delight

WELL, I’ve returned from Istanbul safe and sound and have had all pre-conceived views of the city and its people blown away. It has to be one of my favourite trips of recent times for a whole host of reasons.

The city itself is fabulous — the architecture is beautiful, the people friendly and fun, the culture interesting and the kind of football experience that makes you fall in love with the game all over again.

Taking a ferry across the Bosphorous is certainly a wonderful way to travel to a game. Contrary to much of what we had heard, the Turks were helpful and courteous and went out of their way to escort us to the ground. They are obsessed with football and it was so refreshing to speak to them as many had not had their vision tainted by the biased English press. They spoke passionately and knowledgeably about not only our league but of all the top leagues of the world. It was like a breath of fresh air.