Spirited Turkey in Terim's image

Turkey coach Fatih Terim believes that his passion and unwavering faith in the ability of his charges is the reason why they have overcome adversity to reach the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2008™. "I think this team reflects my character," he says to euro2008.com. "We have a mixture of belief, desire, technique, tactics and bravery. Maybe we don't have players who are known across the world in our team, but we have players who show both intelligence and heart. It is very important for me – a player has to sweat for the shirt."

Emotional
As probably the most outwardly emotional coach in Turkish football, Terim displays the same degree of commitment himself during  matches. "I am taking at least two or three shirts to the matches," said the 54-year-old. "Essentially I want to watch the game relaxed but sometimes you have to make some interventions. I really concentrate on our games - that's why I always end up with my shirt soaking. And don't forget, the area between the bench and the touchline was so long at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion."

Last-minute goals
However, the former Galatasaray AS player and coach can keep a clear head on the touchline. That trait was vital as Turkey sought a miraculous injury-time strike against Croatia in the last eight. "The game starts and ends with the referee's whistle," said Terim, who also held the reins at Italian clubs AC Milan and ACF Fiorentina. "Sometimes you get a goal in the first minutes and sometimes you score in the last few minutes. But always, last-minute goals are the ones that get spoken about. Most of our players were lying down after Croatia's goal. But I told Arda Turan to get the ball out of the net, and I told our defenders to go and play up front even though there was only a minute left. You see, it can happen."

Hardship overcome
Before the tournament began, Terim said his team were in Austria and Switzerland to remind people about them. Now, he believes they have gone a step further. "Nobody will forget us," he said. All that despite the fact he thinks Turkey are the unluckiest team at the tournament given the suspension and injury problems they have encountered. And he is adamant that their performances are just the beginning for this new generation of players. "This team is capable and I am sure that they can do it again with new players coming in for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2012™," he added.

'Serious opponent'
A semi-final meeting with Germany at St. Jakob-Park in Basel on Wednesday provides Turkey with their most "serious" threat yet. "They are a very serious opponent," said Terim. "This is the most important game for us in European Championship history. But Germany are used to playing in this kind of tournament. We have lots of problems whereas they have none. But you have to be sure that our players will not say that's enough for us. Whether we win or lose, we will try to do our best. We are not afraid of them but we have respect."