Record Sport's Scott Burns is on the Black Sea coast in Trabzon, where the presence of Mohamed Salah is never far away, but he has been surprised by how the city's football culture revolves around the collective rather than the Egyptian superstar.
Salah's Arrival and the City's Reaction
Salah has been Trabzonspor's marquee summer signing, with eyebrows raised when he swapped Anfield for Trabzon. It is a major coup for the club based on the shore of the Black Sea. Burns expected to walk into Salah-mania, similar to how Cristiano Ronaldo is lorded in Portugal, but it has been nothing like it.
While Salah is Trabzonspor's kingpin, the focus is very much on the team. The regular calls to prayer are heard, and the Turks' football faith is just as strong. At the start of the week, Trabzonspor beat Besiktas, and jubilant fans took to the streets to let off flares and celebrate in their masses.
Club and City Unity
The local club means everything to the people, especially when they can upset one of the established Istanbul giants. There is a real unity between the football club and the city, witnessed by the 500 or so Jambos who have been in and around the city. The streets have kerbs painted in trademark sky blue and claret, more akin to Burnley, yet the avenues are packed and buzzing with people, in sharp contrast to many Scottish city centres.
Massive Trabzonspor murals adorn walls, and club shops are splattered across the city centre. The only evidence of Salah was advertising above a local mobile phone shop and countless counterfeit shirts at bazaar entrances. The club shops also have an official 'Salah 10' range, as they look to maximise his signing on and off the pitch.
Manager and Player Perspectives
Trabzonspor head coach Thomas Reis insisted it is all about the team rather than individuals, having the quality of Salah and Fabinho helps. He admitted: "I have a really good team, a really good team spirit and that helps a lot. We have experience, we have young players who accept decisions and accept that we are always talking about Mo Salah and maybe Fabinho. These are guys who are really important but the team is good, maybe there is more media for other players but they can learn and hopefully we can keep going on and having success. It is not about me, the team plays on the pitch and after the game they have to celebrate if they win. We have games every three days so you can't enjoy it so much but I hope we enjoy another good performance tomorrow and we will all be happy."
Trabzonspor right-back Wagner Pina waxed lyrically about playing behind Salah, saying: "Playing whenever on the pitch with Salah is good but behind is better because you can have more contact with him than with other players. I need to keep enjoying this and doing the things I have been doing. He shows us so many things, like how to be a good professional on and off the pitch. He tells us the most important thing is to be confident in what you do and don't be afraid, just be confident in the game you play."
Hearts' Challenge
The big thing for Hearts is trying to spring a Conference League shock. This will be a test of character for the squad, especially after their weekend dismantling at Celtic. Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken is confident his team can rise to the occasion and the might of Mo. The Belgian claimed: "For sure, it has to be a team effort. You cannot only focus on Salah because he is not the only one with quality, they will have 11 quality players on the pitch. Yes, Salah is a world class player. We will try and do something to nullify him, so he won't stick out easily. At the same time we need to believe in what we are doing. We have done it in the past in games where we have shown a real team effort in tough environments and that will be necessary again tomorrow."
Hearts youngster James Wilson admitted Salah is one of the players he looks up to, having seen him first-hand destroy his English favourites, Manchester United, 7-0 three years ago. The Scotland international said: "I've grown up watching some of these players and it's an exciting opportunity to play against them. I am a Manchester United fan. I went down for a Manchester United versus Liverpool game. It was the 7-0 game. I don't remember if any of them were there, but I'm looking forward to this occasion. It's going to be amazing."
It would be even more amazing if Hearts could put on a performance and get a result against all odds, which is what all those in maroon and white rather than maroon and light blue will be hoping and praying for.
