Erol Bulut was on BeIN Sports Turkey and talked about his time as Cardiff City manager.
EROL BULUT:
"I also had some amazing moments with the fans. Their support for me was incredible. We had an outstanding pre-season this year, but the first six weeks didn’t go well for me. Looking back now, four of the teams we faced in those first six weeks are currently in the top six play-off positions.
These were teams that had been relegated from the Premier League or had the potential to be promoted to it. Financially and in terms of quality, they were far ahead of us.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Cardiff City fans once again through this program. They gave me tremendous support during my first year. I also read the messages from those who didn’t want me to leave. Their support was truly incredible.
Ernest Muçi was a transfer I had in mind for Cardiff. When we inquired, his club set the release fee at 4 M euros. Since we didn't have the chance to sign him... I was surprised at the time, as we were told €4m, but he ended up moving to Beşiktaş for €10m.
This happened last winter. Since we had a transfer ban, we couldn't make the move. We didn't have the chance to complete the transfer anyway.
I tried to bring Oğuz Aydın to Cardiff while he was playing for Alanyaspor, but it wasn’t possible. When José Mourinho gave him a chance, he showed what he’s capable of. I think he’s a very talented player, and I believe he’ll contribute to Fenerbahçe for many years.
I had some wonderful days there, despite the challenges. I joined a team that was under a transfer ban, which meant we could only bring in free agents and loan players. But I went there knowing and accepting that risk. I wanted to show that a Turkish coach could succeed in Europe.
Thank God, we took a team that had been at risk of relegation in previous years and moved them up to 12th place. We even got quite close to the play-offs. If we’d won two or three more games, we might have made it to the playoffs. It was a tough period, especially due to the transfer ban stemming from the [Emiliano] Sala situation. When you join a club, you can't complain. None of this is an excuse, and it shouldn't be.
After arriving, I encountered even more challenges. For example, players whose contracts needed renewing didn’t want to extend their contracts. That was a significant problem I had to deal with. However, after our training camp in Portugal, we created an incredible atmosphere of unity and solidarity. When we returned to Cardiff, those three or four players who didn’t want to renew their contracts ended up extending them. We managed to create such a positive environment, and by the end of the season, the team finished in 12th place."
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