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Old 06-22-2014, 09:33 PM   #1
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Foussball: FC Victoria Rosport (FM 13)

I was about a season and a half into my career with an English club, Wantage Town FC, when I decided I wasn't enjoying it as much anymore. I learned that if you make your managerial alter ego an English football icon and turn him loose in an amateur league, it's fairly easy to put together a juggernaut without really knowing what you are doing.

At the same time, the World Cup has me even more captivated by "the beautiful game" than I was before. So I decided to set Wantage Town aside and begin a new managerial career. I'm doing a few things differently this time around.

I found a very cool edited database that allows me to manage in the tiny nation of Luxembourg, and that's where this tale will be set.

There are two leagues in this Luxembourgish football universe: the National Division and the Promotion Division. Each division has 14 clubs, and there are amateur and semi-professional clubs at both levels. I chose FC Victoria Rosport, an amateur club in the Promotion Division.

Rosport is a beautiful little town in far eastern Luxembourg, on the Sauer River, which is Luxembourg's border with Germany. FC Victoria Rosport (usually called simply Rosport) was founded in 1928. We play our home matches at Victoriarena, right beside the Sauer.


Our grounds. Those are our guys in the red strip.
Photo by Christopher Voitus.


I couldn't resist the temptation to make myself a Luxembourg international. (How often do you get that opportunity? ) Earning 45 caps for Luxembourg hardly qualifies me as a football legend, however.

I have two "house rules" in place this time around:
  • No stockpiling players. An amateur club has, in effect, no budget limitations. It can "sign" as many amateur players as it can attract. I'll avoid that temptation and keep Rosport's squad list at a realistic size.
  • I won't raid the other clubs in the Promotion Division. However, if a division rival signs a player away from us, I will feel very free to reciprocate. And if I can attract a player from a National Division club with the prospects of first team football, that's another matter.

I'm about a month into the 2012-13 season, so I'll be back soon to introduce you to the club and report on our pre-season frendlies.

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Old 06-22-2014, 10:56 PM   #2
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Rosport doesn't have a nickname, in the sense that Arsenal are known as the Gunners and Liverpool as the Reds. I might have to come up with something for them.

So, I suppose I have to say "Let's meet the Rosport players" instead.

GOALKEEPERS
The regular keeper will be Jeff Oster (23 y/o), who ought to be a good one in our league. Jeff made three appearances for our nation at the U21 level. He is off to a great start; he played in four friendlies without conceding a goal. Jeff is also our captain.

His backup, Grégory Baumert (17) isn't ready for prime time yet. I've had our scout look at a few goalkeepers who might be better able to step in when Jeff needs a break, but I haven't signed one yet.


DEFENDERS
Christophe Scholer (22) came to us on a free transfer from Dudelange of the National Division (ND), and he'll start at left back. Scholer is currently on the roster for Luxembourg, and he was capped 13 times as a U21. He's backed up by Olivier Lickes (24), who can play anywhere along the back line.

Our center backs will be Grégory Molitor (32) and Tim Heinz (28). Between them, they've earned 18 Luxembourg caps, 12 by Molitor. Laurent Pellegrino (39), whom I signed for his leadership and his ability to play sweeper, and hulking Yannick Loose (27) are in reserve.

At right back, Billy Bernard (21) comes to us from Fola Esch (ND). He failed to break through there, despite making 8 apperances for Luxembourg U21. His understudy is Steve Bettmer (27), whose best attribute is his leadership; he's our vice-captain.


MIDFIELDERS
How Andy Rakic (31) got to Luxembourg from Canberra, Australia is beyond me, but I'm glad he's here. He's also played in Croatia and Germany, he speaks English, German, and Letzburgesch, and he's very strong technically. Since he was in the club when I took it over, Andy is an exception to my "only Luxembourgers" rule. He will start on the left side, with Bruno Rossi, who's currently injured, behind him.

Alphonse Leweck (30) has 54 Luxembourg caps and four goals in international play. A long-time star for FC Eztella Ettelbruck, he left there for National Division rival Jeunesse Esch last season. I persuaded him to come to Rosport (I'm guessing we were Luxembourg teammates at some point), and he will be a fixture for us in the middle of the park. He can play AMC when I switch to the 4-4-2 diamond.

Leweck's partner will sometimes be veteran Thorsten Wittek (35), a very good deep-lying playmaker. When I want a greater defensive presence, I can go with Marc Binsfeld (25), recently signed from Käerjéng. Binsfield is a natural DMC, so he'll see lots of time in the 4-4-2 diamond.

On the right side resides our star, Carlos Ferreira (31). After 257 games with Eztella Ettelbruck, he came to Rosport last season. He was born in Portugal, but he's appeared 19 times for Luxembourg. Carlos lacks the pace he had as a younger player, but that's all he lacks, and he'll be an ever-present for us.


STRIKERS
Our best two forwards, Anton Bozic (26) and Alex Pott (23), are pretty much the same player: best as advanced forwards, fast, creative. Alex is a better finisher, and Anton is a little better in the air.

Ideally, I'd like to have a big, strong target man to add to the mix. Young Claude Codello (18), fits that description best, but he's still too raw. I might try to sign a grousse Mann, to use as my third striker, if I can find one.

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 06-23-2014 at 12:51 AM.
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Old 06-23-2014, 12:10 AM   #3
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
10 August 2012

We're in the middle of a long break before the Promotion Division season begins. It's a good time to look back at how our pre-season friendlies turned out.

11 July: Rosport 0-0 Eztella Ettelbruck
We were pleased to come away with a draw against a National Division club in our first run-out of the season. Jeff Oster was solid between the posts, and center back Alex Paulos, our captain, was everywhere the attackers seemed to go.

If you don't recognize Paulos, it's because he wasn't around long. Two days after this match, National Division club Pétange signed him away from us. That's when I signed Laurent Pellegrino.

14 July: Rosport 1-4 Racing FC
Racing FC is probably the biggest club in Luxembourg, so it was really no surprise when they ran us off our own pitch. We actually scored first, through reserves midfielder Théo Zanon, and we held Racing scoreless for almost an hour before they began to strafe hapless keeper Grégory Baumert.

18 July: Rosport 4-1 Pétange
This one felt good. Not only did we beat a National Division side, but we got a bit of revenge for their signing of our captain, Alex Paulos. Anton Bozic scored first for us, and then Alex Pott took over. He completed his hat trick when Paulos gave away a penalty and he put the spot kick in the net.

Carlos Ferreira made his first appearance of the season, after straining a thigh muscle in training. He played 25 minutes and set up Pott's second goal.

25 July: Rosport 2-0 Boevange
Boevange are a smaller club from central Luxembourg. We scored twice in the first four minutes, through Pott and Alphonse Leweck, and from there we closed the door. Oster, still in top form, kept another clean sheet.

The worst news we've had in a while came yesterday, when Grégory Molitor broke his wrist in training. He'll be out for about two months, which will probably mean he misses our first five or six league contests.
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Old 06-23-2014, 10:23 PM   #4
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
24 August 2012

Good news: I found a solid backup goalkeeper and a third striker with skills that will complement those of Alex Pott and Anton Bozic.

The keeper is veteran Kevin Hartert (32 y/o), who’s spent most of his career tending goal for Avenir Beggen, a lower-level club. CS Grevenmacher, an amateur club in the National Division, signed him last year, but he made only three appearances for them and was ready for a change of scenery. Jeff Oster is still our number one, but Kevin is good enough to be more than an emergency replacement.

The striker is Laurent Schiltz (30), who will be familiar to Rosport supporters. He started his career at Victoriarena in ’03, making 87 appearances and scoring 28 times. From there, he moved to CS Grevenmacher and then to Swift Hesperange, both in the National Division, where he found goals harder to come by. Schiltz is best as a deep-lying forward, so he should work well as a number 10, paired with either Pott or Bozic.

Once Hartert and Schiltz came on board, I sent Grégory Baumert and Claude Codello down to the reserves, and transfer listed three other guys I’ve decided I don’t need any longer.

Billy Bernard was called up for international duty on the 14th, when the Luxembourg U21s lost 1-3 to South Korea. Billy started and played 87 minutes, finishing with a 6.9 rating.

Bad news: Another injury to one of our defenders. This time it’s Olivier Lickes, who will be sidelined for 2-3 weeks with a thigh strain.

Our first Promotion Division fixture is coming up, at home against FC Norden 02. The betting line has us as the favorites, but not by much. It should be a close match. I’ll send the boys out in a 4-4-2. Here’s the lineup:

GK: Oster
D: Scholer, Heinz, Loose, Bernard
M: Rakic, Leweck, Wittek, Ferreira
ST: Pott, Schiltz
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Old 06-23-2014, 11:35 PM   #5
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
25 August 2013

Rosport 2-0 FF Norden 02

We treated a crowd of 230 to a season-opening victory, thanks to two very unusual goals.

I'm still trying to figure out what happened with the first one. Laurent Schiltz didn't strike the ball well--he might have hit it with his knee, not his boot-- and it skipped in front of the Norden goal on three or four bounces. As their keeper, Mike Thunus, came out to grab it, he slipped and fell, the ball rolling beneath him before he hit the ground. The ball then ticked the post and hopped into the goal.

On the second one, Billy Bernard took a throw-in from Andy Rakic on one bounce and, from at least 35 yards away and at an angle, drove it toward the goal. Several feet in front of his goal line Thumus froze, captivated by the ball's flight, before seeming to realize it was about to go into the net if he didn't do something about it. Only then did he leap up to stop it, and it sailed over his fingertips for a goal.

They don't ask how, they ask how many.

Bernard was Man of the Match, and our whole back line played well.

On the other hand, Alex Pott kept cranking long shots, none of which went on goal. I finally pulled him and his 5.5 rating on 66 minutes. I've never read a comment as sassy as the one Pott received on the game report:

"The striker's wayward shooting was not only frustrating for his team's supporters but very tiresome for me because I had to endure this horrid display of finishing."

And, more bad news concerning injuries. Alphonse Leweck will be shelved for 2-3 weeks while he recovers from a strained neck.

By the way, the full name of our opponent's club is FF Norden 02 Weiswampach-Hupperdange. Weiswampach and Hupperdange are towns in the northern tip of Luxembourg, so the name makes sense.
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Old 06-23-2014, 11:59 PM   #6
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
1 September 2012

Today was the last day of the transfer window for Luxembourg. I wasn't planning on making any moves, but I did join in on the Deadline Day media coverage. I think it's a lot of fun.

About noon, my plans for the day changed. US Mondorf (short for Union Sportive Mondorf-les-Bains) signed midfielder Fabio Bersens away from us. I can't say I blame Fabio for making the move. He was stuck behind Carlos Ferreira, and he probably wouldn't have gotten much playing time with us. He'll probably play more regularly with Mondorf.

With Bersens no longer on the club, I decided to shop for a midfielder. On Fola Esch's roster, I spotted Christophe Pazos (22 y/o), who can play both M(C) and M(R). His attributes looked good, and he's young, so I decided to offer him a contract. Pazos didn't seem very interested in leaving Fola to play for us, but I took a shot. After all, it's Deadline Day.

A little after 21:00, we learned that Pazos was on his way to Rosport. I told him we'd use him in a squad rotation system, but to be honest, he'll probably play more often than that. He's very sound technically for a player his age, and our staff think he's as good as Alphonse Leweck. (This assessment should probably be tempered by the fact that my staff is not very good at evaluating talent.)

So, welcome to Rosport, Mr. Pazos.
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Old 06-24-2014, 01:31 PM   #7
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
1 September 2013

Rumelange 0-3 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Scholer, Heinz, Loose, Bernard
M: Rakic, Binsfeld, Pazos, Ferreira
ST: Bozic, Schiltz

Our first match away from Victoriarena was a success, with Laurent Schiltz completing a hat trick within 15 minutes of kickoff. His goals came precisely on five-minute intervals (5, 10, 15).

Schiltz' first goal was set up by a beautiful feed from Carlos Ferreira, who found his teammate in a lethal position just outside the six-yard box. The second was the result of a pretty sequence of passes that began when Billy Bernard intercepted and led Marc Binsfeld with a nice diagonal ball. Anton Bozic lured the keeper out, and his pass to Schiltz left him with a finish a schoolboy could execute with ease.

Ferreira laid on Laurent's third goal, too. He and Pazos seem to have some chemistry together; this time, Carlos moved into the middle of the pitch with the ball as Christophe angled behind him to the right for a pass. Pazos gave it back, and from there Ferreira spotted Schiltz with some room to operate on the left side of the goal. The supporters had mentioned that we weren't playing very attractive football. I hope they see the footage of today's goals.

Naturally, Schiltz (9.6!) was Man of the Match, but Ferreira (8.2), Yannick Loose (8.6) and Jeff Oster (8.5) were all outstanding.

Memo to players: PLEASE STOP GETTING HURT!! This time it was Binsfeld, who twisted his ankle-badly--and will be out for 6-8 weeks. So, just as Alphonse Leweck is about to return, Binsfeld will take his place on the injury list.

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 06-24-2014 at 01:31 PM.
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Old 06-24-2014, 02:46 PM   #8
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
As we travel to play the different clubs of the Promotion League, I'll include a photo that will give you a view of the towns and cities where we play. Unless otherwise indicated, the photos come from Wikimedia Commons.

Rumelange is a small city of about 4800 people, but it's still six times the size of Rosport. It's in southwestern Luxembourg, on the French border. Rumelange was once a mining town, but the last iron mine in the area closed in the 1970s.

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Old 06-24-2014, 04:01 PM   #9
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
5 September 2012

Now that I've started to settle in at Rosport, I've had time to formulate some goals for my managerial career (and for this dynasty story, of course).
  • My managerial alter ego is Luxembourgish, through and through. For the foreseeable future, I plan on spending my career in football right here in Luxembourg. (Right now Luxembourg is, in fact, the only playable nation in my game.)
  • First, I'd like to help Rosport win promotion to the National Division. Once there, the natural goal is to win and to gain the club a spot in European football.
  • Rosport have never won the national knockout competition, the Luxembourg Cup. As young boys, all Luxembourgish footballers dreamt of lifting the Cup, and I want to bring it to Rosport.
  • I want to manage the Luxembourg national team. I almost gave myself the job at the beginning of the game, but now I'm glad I didn't. I think it would be more fun to earn it.

I would love one day to look back at a career in management that spans two or three decades, with satisfying victories at the club and national level. Maybe I'll one day be the Sir Matt Busby or the Sir Alex Ferguson of Luxembourg, with an Order of the Oak Cross, perhaps.
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Old 06-24-2014, 04:55 PM   #10
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
8 September 2012

Rosport 5-1 Alliance Äischdall

The combined impacts of injuries and international responsibilities left me with a different lineup, especially in the back. Billy Bernard and Christophe Pazos are away with the Luxembourg U21s, and we're short on midfielders. So we'll go to a 5-3-2 tonight.

How cool is it to get to play with a libero?? Laurent Pellegrino can play there, so he'll assume our Franz Beckenbauer role.

GK: Oster
L: Pellegrino
D: Scholer, Heinz, Loose, Bettmer
M: Rakic, Wittek, Ferreira
ST: Bozic, Schiltz

Another quick start, and this time the goals kept coming against a club that is still looking for its first win.

Schiltz located an unmarked Andy Rakic for our first goal. Anton Bozic calmly scooted between their centre backs and knocked in a pass from Schiltz for the second. Wittek put Schiltz through for the third, and Laurent completed his brace off another inch-perfect pass from Carlos Ferreira.

After the half, we conceded our first goal of the league season, and it was a very impressive one--a nice header from their captain, Kim Thomé. Ferreira answered back with his first Rosport goal, a laser shot from 22 yards that went in off the keeper's hand on 76 minutes.

Alphonse Leweck came on as a substitute at 70', his first appearance since returning to training after his neck injury.

And--maybe the best of all--nobody got hurt!

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 06-24-2014 at 04:55 PM.
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Old 06-24-2014, 05:25 PM   #11
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
9 September

I am never going to allow a first team player to play in a reserve match. Never.again.

Olivier Lickes, who's just getting back from an injury, and Almin Babacic, a utility defender who needed match fitness, both got hurt in today's reserve game!

Lickes complained of a dead leg after a rough challenge, and he's not hurt badly. He'll be back in about a week. Babacic banged his elbow hard, and he might miss three weeks.

As I looked at my reserve roster, I realized I don't have as many players as some of the other Promotion Division clubs. I guess I've done a good job of limiting my roster size, haven't I? I think I might try to sign a few young guys with the goal of developing them into the Rosport stars of the future. If I can't find them, I'll bring in a few journeymen who can fill out the reserves.

Today I got word of a very different kind of deal, however.

When I was looking to sign a striker a few weeks ago, I located a big, strong Congolese-Luxembourgish dude named Roland Saboga, playing for an amateur club called Wormeldange. His attributes jumped off the screen at me, so I decided to offer him. He wasn't interested, so I didn't think about him again.

The other day, a news item about him appeared in my inbox. For the heck of it, I decided to see if he might be interested in coming to play for us in January. Today I got his answer: yes.

Roland Saboga is a Mann. At age 34, his physical attributes are all in double digits, which is not the norm in the Luxembourg Promotion Division. He's not quite as impressive technically, but if he were, he'd be making a lot of money playing football somewhere. I'm looking forward to having him in the club.

To obey the spirit of my house rule, I'll need to let one of my strikers go on 1 January, when Roland arrives in town. And, to be fair, it shouldn't be a space-filler from the reserves; it should be Alex Pott, Anton Bozic, or Laurent Schiltz. After two matches, the people of Rosport are ready to put a statue of Schiltz in the town square, so it's safe to say he's got the early lead for one of the two spots.

Or, with the luck we've had lately, all the strikers will injure themselves........
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Old 06-24-2014, 11:52 PM   #12
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
15 September 2012

Swift Hesperange 1-0 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Scholer, Heinz, Loose, Bernard
M: Rakic, Pazos, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Bozic, Schiltz

We traveled to Hesperange and played a sloppy, unremarkable game against a side who is good enough to make us pay for it. We conceded an early goal, a nice strike by a talented midfielder named Pit Hilbert, and couldn't equalize.

Our best chance came right before the half, when Christophe Pazos's penalty kick was turned back by the Swift goalkeeper, Marc Pliemling.

Yannick Loose (8.0) earned Man of the Match in a losing effort. He played a solid game all night, and he saved us a goal by heading a shot off the line at the hour mark.

Our loss dropped us to third, behind Mamer, who are unbeaten, and Rumelange, whom we're behind on goal differential despite beating them 3-0.


Here are the ruins of a castle outside Hesperange that was probably built in the early 1200s. We seemed to think it was built in front of Swift's goal tonight.

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 06-25-2014 at 01:05 AM.
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Old 06-25-2014, 01:51 PM   #13
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
22 September 2012

US Sandweiler 0-4 Rosport

GK: Hartert
D: Scholer, Heinz, Loose, Bernard
M: Rakic, Pazos, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Bozic, Schiltz

We got our mojo back at Sandweiler, looking much more like the side who turned out against Alliance Äischdall than the one who traveled to Hesperange last week. Our free-flowing passing game returned, and with it came the goals.

Schiltz got it started with a well-placed strike off a nice pass from Leweck. Bozic had a brace, featuring the best goal of his Rosport career to date. He directed a beautiful long ball from Bernard into the top left corner of the net with a powerful header. Pazos, who was still fuming about the missed penalty last week, redeemed himself by firing in a direct free kick that beat the keeper high to the right side.

Bozic (9.1) was chosen Man of the Match, but it could have easily gone to Bernard (8.9), who laid on both of Anton's goals with precise long passes from the right wing. Leweck (8.8) and Loose (8.7) also had terrific evenings.

Kevin Hartert made his first appearance in goal tonight and kept a clean sheet. I hadn't wanted to sit Jeff Oster down while his streak of goal-less matches was still intact, but I wanted to give Hartert and opportunity--and he made good.


The Luxembourg American Memorial and Cemetery is located very close to the town of Sandweiler. About 5,000 Americans who died in the Battle of the Bulge are interred there, and the grave of General George S. Patton lies between the flagpoles. Patton commanded American troops at the Battle of the Bulge. He wasn't killed there--he died soon after the war ended--but he requested to be "buried with his men."
There is also a German military cemetery nearby, where almost 11,000 are buried.

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 06-25-2014 at 06:32 PM.
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Old 06-25-2014, 06:27 PM   #14
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
29 September 2012

Rosport 5-1 US Hostert

GK: Oster
D: Scholer, Heinz, Loose, Bernard
M: Rakic, Pazos, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Bozic, Schiltz

I like the easy rhythm of the Luxembourgish football season. We play a match each Saturday night, a schedule that's possible because the Promotion Division schedule is only 26 matches long. There's usually a reserves match on Sunday, so anyone who plays in either match is almost always ready to play the next weekend. As a result, our lineup is becoming more and more stable, match to match.

Five different players scored for us tonight, starting with our leading goal-getter. Schiltz scored at the end of a nice run, splitting Hostert's center backs. Bozic played Ferreira ahead for our second goal.

Hostert pulled one back, but within a minute Edgar Serrão tripped Andy Rakic in the area and drew a penalty. Pazos stepped to the spot and ripped it past the keeper to put us up 3-1.

Tom Heinz' half-volley from Ferreira's corner increased the lead, and after Hostert center back Mark Kintziger drew a second yellow card and was sent off, an easy goal from Leweck closed out the scoring. Leweck, who was in on the action all night long both offensively and defensively, earned Man of the Match (9.1)

The scariest moment of the night came at the hour mark, when Ferreira had to leave the game with an injury. Fortunately he wasn't hurt badly enough to appear on the next day's physio report. For once, we dodged the injury bug.

Our victory, paired with Mondercange's 1-0 victory over Mamer (on a goal at 90') put us tops. Both clubs have 15 points, but our +16 goal differential is three better than Mamer's.

Rosport, Mamer, and Rumelange look like the best clubs in the Promotion Division at this point in the season. The top two clubs at the finish win promotion, and the third place finisher can move up through a Promotion Playoff game against the third bottom club in the National Division.

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 06-25-2014 at 06:31 PM.
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Old 06-25-2014, 09:00 PM   #15
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
4 October 2012

The board is pleased with my management so far. The club lost €4940 last month, but since we're an amateur club, player expenditures aren't part of that equation. Most of the players I've brought in have done well, and the supporters seem happy with the results on the pitch.

Laurent Schiltz's recent form has generated some speculation in the media about his possible selection to the national team. He wasn't included in the team that will face Azerbaijan and Northern Ireland in World Cup qualifying matches this month, but if he keeps playing like he has been, he'll be tough to overlook for long.

Billy Bernard and Christophe Pazos will both be with the U21 team when it plays Australia U21 on 11 October.

Today, both Olivier Lickes and Alex Pott stopped by to talk to me about playing time. It's been tough to get either of them into the first team; Lickes was hurt, and it's been tough to take either Anton Bozic or Laurent Schiltz off the pitch. Olivier, in particular, wants to stay, so I told them I'll make an effort to get them some game action soon.

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 06-25-2014 at 09:10 PM.
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Old 06-25-2014, 10:19 PM   #16
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
6 October 2012

Rosport 0-1 US Mondorf

GK: Oster
D: Lickes, Molitor, Loose, Bernard
M: Rakic, Wittek, Pazos, Ferreira
ST: Pott, Schiltz

You don't win football matches by maintaining possession of the ball, generating shots on goal, creating clear chances, or earning corner kicks. You win football matches by scoring goals. Tonight, Mondorf scored a goal, and we did not.

I couldn't be unhappy with the players. Honestly, it should have been an 0-0 draw. On 70 minutes, Mondorf took a corner, and there was some contact in the box. There's always some contact in the box on a corner kick. This time, the referee, a chap named Luc Reuter, awarded a penalty to Mondorf, alleging that Yannick Loose had fouled a Mondorf player. To his credit, Cédric Pleimling stepped up and converted.

I've looked at the footage five or six times, and I agree with what Billy Bernard said in an interview--I haven't seen the penalty yet. I held my tongue in my own post-match presser; I'm a first-year manager and for now, I'll tread lightly with the FA.

Olivier Lickes, Grégory Molitor, and Alex Pott all started for us tonight. Their presence in the lineup didn't cost us the result. All three of them were, at one point or another, projected to start for us, and they can all play. You'll see them in the lineup again.

Our loss drops us to second, a point behind Mamer, who drew 0-0 with Una Strassen. Rumelange is on 15 points too, after beating US Sandweiler 2-0. Our next fixture: away to Mamer.

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 06-25-2014 at 10:21 PM.
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Old 06-25-2014, 10:33 PM   #17
BYU 14
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Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: The scorched Desert
Tough break after you were just getting the offense pumped up
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Old 06-26-2014, 08:52 PM   #18
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Quote:
Originally Posted by BYU 14 View Post
Tough break after you were just getting the offense pumped up

I'm not sure how well the computer-managed teams "scout" my club, but it seemed like Mondorf had a pretty good match strategy against us. They pulled their back line deeper than I've seen my opponents doing previously, and my guys couldn't seem to get many real scoring chances. I'll have to think about some things I can do when my opponent parks the bus like Mondorf did.
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Old 06-27-2014, 02:30 PM   #19
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
13 October 2012

Mamer 0-3 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Scholes, Loose, Heinz, Bernard
M: Rakic, Wittek, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Bozic, Schiltz

It's hard to imagine how a side like Mondorf could frustrate us so completely, only to have us turn around the next week and control a match against a much better Mamer club. It took us 41 minutes to put one in, but after we did, we were off and running again. Then again, as you'll read in a minute, Mondorf might be tougher than any of us thought.

Both clubs were missing a player due to international commitments. In Mamer's case, the player was Naby Twimumu, a full Congo international who stands with Laurent Schiltz at the top of the list of the league's most lethal strikers so far this season. Not having to face Twimumu made our job much, much easier; we played without Christophe Pazos, who was exhausted after a U21 match, and we got about 50 very good minutes out of Billy Bernard.

Anton Bozic slotted home a nice pass from Andy Razic for our first goal, and Bernard set up Schiltz for the second. The third came via penalty, when Dan Di Carlo cut Alphonse Leweck's feet out from under him and Carlos Ferreira stepped to the spot and beat the keeper.

Only 90 people came out to watch the match, which was a shame, considering it was a battle for the top of the table. For now, the spot is ours. Mamer fell to third, because Rumelange drew with the new tough kid on the block, US Mondorf.


Mamer's town hall is a castle, built in 1830 on a site where a castle was first built almost a century earlier.

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Old 06-27-2014, 03:13 PM   #20
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
24 October 2012

There was a break in the Promotion Division schedule this week, probably to accommodate the first round matches in the Luxembourg Cup. Rosport, along with several other Promotion Division clubs, drew a bye. So did all the National Division clubs.

That gave me a chance to take a closer look at the Luxembourg football structure. I mentioned that there's a mixture of semi-professional and amateur clubs at both levels. Here's how it breaks down. Each team's place in the table is shown.

National Division
Amateur: Dudelange (1), Petange (2), Racing FC (3), Differdange (4), Fola Esch (6), Kaerjeng (9), Progres (10), Grevenmacher (11), Eztella Etterbruck (12), Wiltz (14).
Semi-Pro: Jeunesse Esch (5), RC Hamm Benfica (7), Union 05 (8), Jeunesse Canach (13).

Promotion Division
Amateur: Rosport (1), Rumelange (2), Mamer (3), Diekirch (4), Swift Hesperange (7), US Hostert (8), US Mondorf (9), Monderkange (10), US Sandweiler (11), FF Norden 02 (12), Erpeldange (13), Alliance Aischdahll (14).
Semi-Pro: Uma Strassen (5), Oberkorn (6).

Apparently, being able to pay your players doesn't give your club a competitive advantage in either division, although it's twice as common to find a semi-pro side in the National Division. Some of the semi-pro clubs have miserable financial situations, too. If I recall correctly, two of them are currently in administration.
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Old 06-28-2014, 06:41 PM   #21
Greyfriars Bobby
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27 October 2012

Oberkorn 0-1 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Scholer, Loose, Heinz, Bernard
DM: Pazos
M: Rakic, Ferreira
AM: Leweck
ST: Bozic, Schiltz

We came back from the two-week break and decided to try something different. I like mixing things up with a 4-4-2 diamond sometimes, so I tried it out against Oberkorn.

I'm not surprised we didn't concede against them. When I looked at their scouting report, I discovered they had two teenaged center backs playing forward. Their regular striker, Luc Fellerich, was tired from Oberkorn's Luxembourg Cup match on Wednesday.

We maintained possession well, but we couldn't generate good scoring chances for the first hour or so. On 65 minutes, I switched back to our normal 4-4-2, and on 72' I brought Alex Pott in for Bozic. Alex thanked me for the opportunity in a very meaningful way--with a 30-yard laser shot that beat the Oberkorn keeper and gave us the victory.

Poor Christophe Pazos failed to convert from the penalty spot in the first half. I think I'm going to give him a break from PK duties for a while.

Another injury scare: Andy Rakic had to come off at 68 minutes, but it wasn't bad enough to warrant a post-match physio report.

Yannick Loose was Man of the Match again (8.1). He's been the best of a very solid group of defenders so far this season.

Mamer won and Dudelange drew, so they traded places in the table. We're on 21 points, Mamer has 19, and Dudelange 17.
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Old 06-29-2014, 12:10 PM   #22
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3 November 2012

Rosport 4-1 Erpeldange

GK: Hartert
D: Lickes, Babacic, Heinz, Bernard
M: Rakic, Pazos, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Pott, Schiltz

We went back to our customary 4-4-2 against 13th place Erpeldange, and gave starts to several of our backups in order to keep them fresh. Anton Babacic made his first appearance of the season tonight. He had been working back to match fitness on the reserves after getting hurt in preseason training. He, and the other reserves, all played well.

After his late match-winner against Oberkorn, I gave Alex Pott another start, and within five minutes, he had scored two goals. I started with an Attacking strategy, as I often do at Victoriarena, and after the second goal I directed them to dial it back to Standard. Before they could execute the change, Andy Rakic scored a third goal.

Laurent Schiltz scored our fourth goal, not long after halftime. It was Laurent's 10th of the season and his 38th goal for Rosport, which set a new club record (according to the game). I'm glad Laurent got his landmark goal at home, so the supporters could give him the recognition he deserves.

Pott (8.8) was Man of the Match, with Carlos Ferreira at 8.5. When Carlos plays well, our team plays well, and our style is fluid and fun to watch.

My job security was upgraded to Very Stable--the first time I've ever earned that status.
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Old 06-29-2014, 01:21 PM   #23
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Join Date: Sep 2013
7 November 2012

It looks like our goalkeeper, Jeff Oster, might earn his first full cap when Luxembourg travels to Estonia on the 14th. I'm delighted for him; he deserves it, based on his form for us this season. Jeff was capped three times at the U21 level.

Marc Pliemling, whom we faced with Swift Hesperange, and Eztella Esperange's Philippe Hahm are the other keepers on the roster.

Billy Bernard, who is a regular with the national U21s, will play for them away at Croatia on the 13th.

They'll both probably miss our next league fixture on the 17th. So will left back Christophe Scholer, who twisted his ankle in training and will be out of action for 6-8 weeks.

We will play a second round match in the Luxembourg Cup on 25 November, away to Una Strassen. We'll know them well by then, because we play them at Victoriarena on the 21st.

Edit: I had things backwards. The Promotion Division match is on the 21st, the Cup tie on the 25th.

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Old 06-29-2014, 07:33 PM   #24
Greyfriars Bobby
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17 November 2012
Rosport 2-1 Mondercange

GK: Hartert
D: Lickes, Loose, Heinz, Bernard
M: Rakic, Pazos, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Pott, Schiltz

Mondercange took an early lead when Yannick Loose made a rare mistake. First, Yannick made a fine play, stepping in front of a pretty cross from their best player, winger Jonathan Proietti. Then, he lost the ball onto the boot of striker Yves Heiderscheid, who simply had to knock it past a sprawling Kevin Hartert for a goal.

Carlos Ferreira laid on an easy goal for Alex Pott right after the break, and Pott returned the favor for Ferreira ten minutes later. Andy Rakic gave me props after the match for my halftime team talk, the first such recognition I've ever had from a player.

The Rosport changing room is full of happy players. Jeff Oster is very grateful to Luxembourg manager Luc Heinz for giving him his first chance at international football this week. With Oster between the posts, Luxembourg drew with Estonia away--a very nice result.

We have a quick turn-around this week, with a Cup match and a league fixture, both with Una Strassen. I'm thinking I'll play the strongest possible side in the Cup match, since I know our board and supporters want us to advance at least one more round. We're four points clear in the Promotion Division right now, so I'll play some backups on the 21st and let the big dogs rest a little longer.

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Old 06-29-2014, 08:32 PM   #25
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
21 November 2012
Rosport 0-0 Una Strassen

GK: Hartert
D: Pellegrini, Molitor, Bernard, Bettmer
M: Russo, Binsfeld, Wittek, Babacic
ST: Bozic, Schiltz

If a few of the names in that lineup look unfamiliar, I brought a few guys up from the reserves for today's match. Most of our regulars' fitness levels were in the high 80s-low 90s following the Mondercange match, so if they'd played tonight, there's no way they would be ready for the Cup match in four days.

The supporters are upset that I fielded a "weakened side" at home, but I've noticed they are notoriously fickle and flat-out whiny sometimes. They haven't forgiven me for the departure of Alex Paulos back in the summer, even though the man who replaced him, Yannick Loose, is the best center back in the Promotion Division. Meanwhile Paulos, who at 35 is seven years older than Loose, plays as often with Petange's reserves as he does with the first team.

Anyway, we could have won this one with some better luck. Bruno Russo hit the crossbar with a howitzer blast, and Anton Bozic hit the left post while their keeper was floundering around on the right side of the box. Almin Babacic might have been right when he claimed he'd been fouled in the area on 60 minutes. And Laurent Pellegrini nearly got lucky with a cross that barely missed going into the goal. If one of those breaks had gone our way, it might well have been worth a result and three points.

Swift Hesperange is moving up the table, and their 3-0 win over Oberkorn brought them into second, three points behind us.

But, perhaps best of all, most of our regulars will be rested for the rematch with Una Strassen on Sunday.

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 06-30-2014 at 11:26 AM.
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Old 06-30-2014, 11:21 AM   #26
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
25 November 2012
Luxembourg Cup, Second Round
Una Strassen 1-4 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Lickes, Loose, Heinz, Bernard
M: Rakic, Pazos, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Pott, Schiltz

Much, much more like it, with Laurent Schiltz providing a hat trick. The first, on 5', came through a beautiful combination of quick, sharp passes, Heinz-Leweck-Pott-Schiltz-goal. Three minutes later, Una Strassen center back Nesnad da Mota made a howler of an error, fluffing a pass across the area that never reached its intended destination because Schiltz happily pounced on it and drilled it past the keeper.

Una Strassen pulled one back before Schiltz struck again, keeping himself onside while Andy Rakic threaded a pass to him and coolly applying the finish.

The fourth goal came late, and it was a lot of fun. I brought young striker Claude Codello up from the reserves, and he came on for Pott. Soon after he took the pitch, Schiltz led him with a beautiful ball. Claude swerved left to gain some space, accelerated past a defender, shot, and scored. It was his first goal at the senior level and, if the skill he showed is any indication, it won't be his last. He's found the goal 11 times in 13 appearances for our U20s and reserves.

Schiltz, for his scoring and passing, rated 9.7 and was an easy choice for Man of the Match.

The Third Round won't be played until April. We're drawn away to Wiltz, last year's Promotion Division champion who are currently holding up the National Division table.

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Old 06-30-2014, 12:29 PM   #27
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Join Date: Sep 2013
2 December 2012

We have a nice break before we travel to Diekirch on the 8th. In the meantime, I investigated something that had caught my attention a few times.

Rosport are often described in the match write-ups as an experienced side, and I've noticed that our players' average age is often older than our opponents when I've looked at the pre-match comparisons. So I decided to take a closer look at that.

We are more of a veteran club than most of our Promotion Division opponents. The oldest players in our regular first XI are Carlos Ferreira and Andy Rakic, who are both 32. Laurent Schiltz and Alphonse Leweck are 30, Tim Heinz and Yannick Loose are 28, and Anton Bozic is 24.

We don't have a teenager in our first XI, and most of our opponents do. Our youngest regular is Billy Bernard, who is 21.

The Promotion Division teams who have been more successful so far this season tend to be those with more guys in their late 20s and early 30s. National Division clubs have more experienced players, too. Hopefully I've set up a club that will earn promotion and stay up for a while.

To add a little more youth to our club, I offered contracts to two of the "greyed-out" youth players on our U20 roster. Reinaldo Da Luz and Theo Backes are both 16. Da Luz is primarily a center back and Backes a central midfielder, but between them, they can cover every possible outfield spot except striker. I wish they were faster, but I envision them turning into valuable, versatile backups as they develop.
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Old 07-01-2014, 10:55 AM   #28
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
8 December 2012
Diekirch 0-0 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Lickes, Loose, Heinz, Bernard
M: Rakic, Pazos, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Bozic, Codello

This was the kind of match you might expect on a muddy, slushy pitch on a chilly day in December. Neither team generated a good scoring chance, and there were only two shots put on goal the entire evening--both by our side.

Young Boys Diekirch isn't a bad side; they've been in the top half of the table all year, and they're fresh off a 2-0 upset of Rumelange. I'd have liked a result here, but I'll take the point--and a healthy club--and head back home.

I gave Claude Codello a chance to start tonight, a reward for his form in the Cup match last month. He was solid, but unspectacular--like almost everyone else on the pitch.


Here's a street in Diekirch's Old Town.
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Old 07-01-2014, 11:34 AM   #29
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
15 December 2012

FF Norden 1-4 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Pellegrino, Loose, Heinz, Bernard
M: Rakic, Pazos, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Bozic, Schiltz

We rediscovered our offensive mojo in our last match before a month-long holiday break. The temperature dropped to freezing and there was something icy falling throughout the match, but we managed to play a much smoother, much more free-flowing game tonight.

Laurent Schiltz converted a precise short feed from Anton Bozic at 11', and Norden quickly equalized through Jean Fernandes. Bozic set up the second goal, too, when he intercepted a pass, spotted Schiltz, and hit him with a cross that Laurent converted with one touch.

Bozic got a goal of his own after the half and after he left, his replacement, Alex Pott, closed out the scoring. Schiltz (8.8) got Man of the Match, but I'd have picked Bozic instead.

There is a break in the Promotion Division programme until mid-January, but that doesn't mean things will be slow. Luxembourg has a January transfer window, and we already have one player on the way, Roland Saboga. I confess; I enjoy finding and signing players, so I'm thinking I'll be somewhat active in the market (if you can call it that when there's no money involved).

Happy holidays from FC Victoria Rosport.

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Old 07-02-2014, 07:58 PM   #30
bbgunn
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Osaka, Japan via Honolulu, Hawaii via Birmingham, Alabama
Great read, GB. I especially love the little pictures that give us a sense of being in Luxembourg!
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Old 07-03-2014, 02:46 PM   #31
Greyfriars Bobby
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bbgunn View Post
Great read, GB. I especially love the little pictures that give us a sense of being in Luxembourg!

Thanks, bbgunn. There are several exceptionally good Football Manager stories on the forum right now, and I was trying to come up with something different and fun.

I've decided I need to visit Luxembourg one day. It looks like a beautiful country.


You reminded me--I'd forgotten to post the picture of Weiswampach, where FF Norden 02 plays.

Thanks again for following along and, especially, for commenting.

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Old 07-03-2014, 04:07 PM   #32
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Join Date: Sep 2013
1 January 2013

As the January transfer window opens, there are some new faces around FC Victoria Rosport. These players agreed to come to Rosport this fall, and as of today they are officially on board.

You already met Roland Saboga, the powerful Congolese-Luxembourger striker. Roland is 34, and he's had a few problems with injuries lately. However, when he is healthy, his strength, his composure, and his ability in the air make him a powerful presence.

With Saboga on board, as well as Schiltz, Bozic, and Pott, I didn't need to bring in another forward (even though I almost always play wth two STCs). However, when our scout spotted Jeremy Laroche, a natural trequartista who hadn't been with a club since his release from Jeunesse Esch in 2011, I decided to offer him a gig. Jeremy agreed to come on board last month, and he's been turning out for our reserves while we waited for the opportunity to register him. In three reserve matches, he's scored three goals. Laroche is a native of France who became eligible for Luxembourg this fall. He's as technically proficient as Laurent Schiltz, with a tiny bit less pace and a crowd-pleasing style. I wish he were younger (he just turned 32), but he should still have what it takes to help us win.

We added three very exciting younger players to our squad, all of whom play in the middle of the park. All three had been struggling to find playing time with National Division clubs, so they were eager to come to Rosport and compete for regular first team action.

Kevin Maiget (age 21) plays beside Billy Bernard on the Luxembourg U21 back line. He is a smaller, younger version of Tim Heinz, a rugged, reliable center back.

Thomas Battaglia (20) is a DMC who was being shuffled all over the middle of the pitch by Grevenmacher. I might use a 4-4-2 Diamond more often now that I have a natural anchor man; Battaglia is fast, tough, and strong, and he makes good decisions with the ball.

Laurent Jans (also 20) was gathering dust in Fola Esch's reserves. He's more than good enough to help us, with 11 U21 caps to his credit. Jans' game is in the mold of Christophe Pazos, and they are exactly the same height (5'10") and weight (167). He can play AMC, when we go to the 4-4-2 Diamond.

We've lost three players, too. Steve Bettmer, a right back who covered for Bernard when he was on international duty, signed with US Sandweiler. Steve was our vice captain, so I appointed Yannick Loose to take his place.

Armindo Fonseca, a center back, is off to join Mamer, and Nuno Reis, a midfielder, has left us for Erpeldange.
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Old 07-03-2014, 04:41 PM   #33
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
19 January 2013

Rosport 1-0 Rumelange

GK: Oster
D: Lickes, Loose, Maiget, Bernard
M: Rakic, Jans, Pazos, Ferreira
ST: Laroche, Schiltz

The supporters got to see three of the new men in the first XI today, and a fourth, Thomas Battaglia, came on as a sub. It wasn't a great day for football, with temperatures just above freezing and some drizzle, but a good crowd of 250 came out to watch us gut out a victory against a tough Rumelange side.

Two of the newcomers played instrumental roles in the match's only goal. Kevin Maiget played a "delicious 50-yard ball" ahead for Jeremy Laroche, who crossed the ball from the right side to his striker partner, Laurent Schiltz. Rumelange's keeper, the talented Charly Schinker, got a glove on it, but Carlos Ferreira swooped in, controlled the ball, and nudged it past Schinker for the goal.

Otherwise, it was a defensive battle, with our back four and Jeff Oster being just a bit better than their back four and Schinker. That's doing some work, since Rumelange have a pair I've dubbed the Bash Brothers. Marcin and Mateusz Siebert hail from Poland, and they are both as hard-nosed as they sound. Marcin is also Rumelange's U20 coach, and he's a good one.

Between us, I wouldn't mind having the Bash Brothers on our side.

Next week, it's a battle between #1 and #2 in the table, as Swift Hesperange come to Victoriarena. We are currently four points clear, so we can't lose our lead, but they can close to within a point of us with a victory.
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Old 07-04-2014, 10:16 PM   #34
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
24 January 2013

With the transfer window closing in a week, I made what I believe will be our last move of the season. There seems to be a general shortage of decent wide midfielders in Luxembourg. I really like our starters, Andy Rakic and Carlos Ferreira, but behind them, we're really lacking. Both Rakic and Ferreira are 32, and they're both beginning to show the first signs of slowing down.

Racing FC had a young left winger named Jonathan Rodrigues (age 22) who wanted a chance to play more often. He'd been in only 4 games all season. I was honest with him about his role if he came to Rosport: he'd be Rakic's apprentice, at least for now. He was willing to become a backup for a club playing as well as Rosport is right now, so we welcome him to the club.

Rodrigues is eligible for both Luxembourg and Brazil, although he was born in Luxembourg City. He is a very good passer with a nice first touch, and he has some leadership qualities that might fit him for a captain's armband one day.

I also learned that there are two National Division clubs flirting with Alex Pott. Progres, who are one point clear of the drop zone, seems to want him pretty badly. Fola Esch, who are in the middle of the table, aren't as interested, but I could see Alex going there before I could see him heading to Progres. We'll have to wait and see what happens over the next few days.
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Old 07-04-2014, 10:48 PM   #35
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
26 January 2013

Rosport 1-0 Swift Hesperange

GK: Oster
D: Lickes, Loose, Maiget, Bernard
M: Rakic, Battaglia, Pazos, Ferreira
ST: Schiltz, Saboga

This one lived up to the hype surrounding a match between the #1 and #2 teams in the division.

I had a feeling it would be low-scoring. Swift Hesperange has a Luxembourg international goalkeeper, Marc Pleimling; we have his backup, Jeff Oster. Their right back, Armando Tavares, has the best match rating in the Promotion Division. Our center back, Yannick Loose, has the third best (Laurent Schiltz is at #2). Swift Hesperange is solid across the back four, and so are we.

Fortunately, we were the ones to break the impasse. On 85 minutes, Andy Rakic crossed the ball to Carlos Ferreira, who one-touched it to Laurent Schiltz, just outside the six-yard box.

Normally, you'd think Schiltz, whose 12 league goals lead the Promotion Division, would shoot. So did Azzouz Benlaouira, who closed down on him quickly. Schiltz calmly dropped the ball back to a wide-open Alphonse Leweck, who'd come on for Christophe Pazos. Leweck struck it hard just inside the right post, off Pleimling's fingertips.

Benlaouira, who didn't put a foot wrong all night, was Man of the Match (8.7). He didn't make a mistake on the game-winning goal; Schiltz just made an amazing play. He happens to be second in the league in assists, too--that was his seventh of the season.

Our biggest crowd of the season--271--left happy. Our three points puts us seven clear of Swift Hesperange, with 12 matches to play.
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Old 07-05-2014, 08:52 PM   #36
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
9 February 2013

Alliance Aischdall 1-6 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Scholer, Loose, Maiget, Bernard
DMC: Battaglia
M: Rodrigues, Ferreira
AMC: Leweck
ST: Saboga, Laroche

I gave the 4-4-2 Diamond a spin away to Alliance Aischdall, and either (1) we caught them completely off guard or (2) we're simply a more talented side. Since they entered the match with a 3-3-10 record (to our 12-2-2), I think it's more the latter than the former.

We had four goals by the 16' mark, two by Carlos Ferreira. Jeremy Laroche also scored twice, and Roland Saboga and Alphonse Leweck found the net once each. Ferreira (9.5) was Man of the Match, with Laroche (9.5), Leweck (9.4) and Saboga (9.0) also rating exceptionally high. Kevin Maiget, who intercepted 14 passes, finished at 8.8.

Oddly enough, we had only one clear chance, but managed to score six times. We didn't dominate the match statistically as much as one might think, given the scoreline, but we put the ball in the back of the net, and that's how the score is determined.

Alex Pott ended up staying with Rosport, but almost as soon as the transfer window closed, he injured his elbow in a fall in training and will be out of action for about a month.


Alliance Aischdall plays near the town of Eischen, on the Luxembourg-Belgium border.

Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 07-05-2014 at 09:07 PM.
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Old 07-05-2014, 09:11 PM   #37
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
I have a question for some of you long-time Football Manager players.

I am considering whether or not I want to add any other countries' leagues to my game for next season. I've thought about Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, the nearest countries to Luxembourg.

How would adding those countries affect the game, from the perspective of a manager in Luxembourg? Would players from those countries possibly show an interest in playing there? Or, would it simply slow the game down and clog my inbox with news items from those countries?

Any advice you could give would be appreciated greatly. Thanks in advance.
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Old 07-06-2014, 01:14 PM   #38
Greyfriars Bobby
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26 February 2013

US Hostert 0-3 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Lickes, Heinz, Maiget, Bernard
M: Russo, Jans, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Laroche, Schiltz

We were scheduled to be away to Hostert on Sunday, the 17th, but snow left their pitch soggy and unplayable. We got another week off, but that means we're facing a Wednesday-Saturday turnaround this week.

The first half was sloppy, and I let the players know how disappointed I was. That got them a little fired up, and they played a much more inspired second half.

Hostert really weren't that bad most of the time. They made two crucial errors that cost them two goals. On a corner, they pulled everyone so far forward that, when Kevin Maiget won the header and knocked it back toward their goal, there was nobody to mark Laurent Schiltz. When Laurent gets to go one-on-one with a goalkeeper, my money's on Laurent. He chipped it in from almost 30 yards. The goal was his 50th in his league career.

On another goal, their center backs were hopelessly out of position and allowed Jeremy Laroche lots of room. I'm discovering what a deadly finisher Laroche is, too; he has three goals in four appearances.

Andy Rakic was a little wonky, so he sat this one out. So did Yannick Loose, because I wanted Tim Heinz to get some game action.

This is great weather for winter sports, but not for football.
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Old 07-06-2014, 01:56 PM   #39
JonInMiddleGA
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Originally Posted by Greyfriars Bobby View Post
Or, would it simply slow the game down and clog my inbox with news items from those countries?

Unless the option was removed (which I can't imagine), you can choose to turn notifications on/off from different leagues, of different types, etc. In FM 12 it's in your mailbox under the option to "Manage Subscriptions", I strongly suspect something similar is available in FM 13.
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Old 07-06-2014, 02:03 PM   #40
Greyfriars Bobby
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Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA View Post
Unless the option was removed (which I can't imagine), you can choose to turn notifications on/off from different leagues, of different types, etc. In FM 12 it's in your mailbox under the option to "Manage Subscriptions", I strongly suspect something similar is available in FM 13.

Thanks, Jon. I checked, and the same option is offered in FM 13.

With that knowledge, I think I'll add a few neighboring nations to my game universe for 2013-2014. I don't see myself leaving Luxembourg, but it would be fun to have a little more fully developed game world.
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Old 07-06-2014, 02:20 PM   #41
Greyfriars Bobby
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2 March 2013

Rosport 3-0 US Sandweiler

GK: Oster
D: Scholer, Loose, Maiget, Bernard
DMC: Battaglia
M: Rakic, Ferreira
AMC: Pazos
ST: Laroche, Schiltz

Let's see. The team at the bottom of the table is away to the league leader. Their striker, who's among the league leaders with 10 goals, is injured.

Do you think they might park the bus...no, a fleet of buses? That's precisely what Sandweiler did, and for 38 minutes it worked very well. Then, Andy Rakic launched a rocket off his right foot that hit their keeper's arm and went in. Schiltz added a brace in the second half.

Jeremy Laroche put Schiltz through with a beautiful lead pass for the second goal. Laurent got some space, and when he does, put it in the scorebook.

There's been some media speculation concerning Schiltz as a possible choice for Luxembourg. No player in the nation has scored more goals this season, but he's being passed over in favor of forwards who are playing in other countries. I'd love to see Laurent get a cap.
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Old 07-06-2014, 10:42 PM   #42
Greyfriars Bobby
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9 March 2013

US Mondorf 3-4 Rosport

GK: Hartert
D: Pellegrino, Heinz, Maiget, Bernard
M: Rakic, Jans, Pazos, Ferreira
ST: Schiltz, Saboga

This one was exciting for the supporters, and nerve-racking for the managers.

We started off wonderfully, with Roland Saboga powering in a header off a perfectly-placed cross from Laurent Jans in the game's second minute. Former Rosporter Fabio Bertens equalized on 31', the first league goal of his career.

We regained the lead when Kevin Maiget headed home a Carlos Ferreira corner, and went up by two on 58', when Saboga got space in the box and nudged in a short pass from Laurent Schiltz.

I give Mondorf a lot of credit for battling back into the match. First Eric Pleimling, and then Cesar Luis put shots behind poor Kevin Hartert. The board and supporters had been clamoring to see him play, and he had a awful time of things tonight. Now, with the score level, I had to bring Kevin off and send in Jeff Oster.

Eight minutes before full time, Mondorf nearly pulled ahead, but Maiget beat Luis to a loose ball on the doorstep, keeping him from knocking it past Oster long enough for the keeper to get his gloves on it. Maiget played it ahead to Saboga, who chipped a pass up to Schiltz. Naturally, he drew the Mondorf defense, and that freed up Alphonse Leweck. Laurent found him, Leweck finished neatly from 10 yards, and we had what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

Saboga, with his two goals and his dominant play in the air, was Man of the Match (8.8). For the first time since we lost to FC Racing in a preseason friendly, we allowed at least three goals in a match, but this time we managed to score four ourselves.


Mondorf-les-Bains is a spa town, and Luxembourg's only casino is located here. I'm guessing a few of the Rosport players might have been here for purposes other than football matches.
Photo from tripadvisor.com
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Old 07-06-2014, 11:05 PM   #43
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
16 March 2013

Poor Alex Pott can't catch a break. He just resumed training after hurting his elbow last month, and today we learned he strained his groin. We think he'll be out six or seven weeks, which basically ends his season.

Laurent Jans will play for Luxembourg U21 against Montenegro on 22 March and against Andorra on 26 March. He'll miss our next fixture, home against Mamer on the 23rd.

Kevin Maiget and Christophe Pazos have both turned 22, so they won't be joining Laurent on international duty. Billy Bernard, who is still 21, hasn't played for Luxembourg since November.

No Rosport players have been called up for the World Cup Qualifying match against Russia on the 26th. Laurent Schiltz, Jeff Oster, and Jeremy Laroche were all supposedly being considered, but none of them were chosen.
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Old 07-06-2014, 11:57 PM   #44
Greyfriars Bobby
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19 March 2013

Our match with Mamer was rescheduled for 3 April, due to the fact that several players from both clubs will be on international duty.

Today I watched a friendly between our U20 team and our Youth Trialists. The U20s won, 2-1, but that's what I would expect from them in a match against a side made up largely of 14-year-old boys.

A few of the kids looked pretty good. Their captain, Yves Bettmer, scored their goal in fine fashion. A center back named Yves Joubert is already 6'1" and 171 pounds at 14, and he's a hard worker with well-developed skills. I've already signed him to a youth contract.

The Trialists will be with us until the end of April, and I'm sure I'll end up signing a few more of them before then.
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Old 07-07-2014, 03:36 PM   #45
Greyfriars Bobby
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30 March 2013

Erpeldange 4-2 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Scholer, Loose, Molitor, Maric
M: Rodrigues, Wittek, Battaglia, Backes
ST: Schiltz, Codello

We lost away to Erpeldange tonight. They entered the match in 12th place, in one of the relegation playoff positions. Tonight, they were opportunistic and tenacious, capitalizing on the chances they had to score goals.

They have two very good forwards, Kevin Marx and Marc Heuertz. Marx gave them a lead on 12', and Claude Codello equalized two minutes later. We pulled ahead on a great finish by Thomas Battaglia, but Heuertz replied to draw Erpeldange even at the half.

That's how the scoreline looked when referee Romain Bellini decided to insert himself into the contest in a dramatic fashion. On 73', he awarded a penalty to Erpeldange on a tough challenge by Kevin Maiget in the area. The call was horrendous, and Bellini found himself surrounded by almost everyone at the grounds wearing a Rosport kit. On the touchline, I was beyond livid.

They converted to take the lead; again, Erpeldange were great at seizing the opportunities they had whenever one came around. We conceded a very late goal, when Heuertz took a through ball from Marx and caught us too far forward. The goal was Heuertz' 17th of the season, so he is a legitimate danger man. Marx leads the league in assists.

I didn't ream out the players in my post-match team talk. Instead, I urged them to put this one behind them, and they reacted universally well. We maintained possession 58% of the time, outshot them 14-10, and completed 78% of our passes. The guys played too well for me to rant and rave at them.

I did, however, have a few things to say about the officiating. At that point, I could care less what the FA said. Bellini missed the call, and badly. The fact that nobody from the FA responded to me at all tells me they think Bellini screwed up, too.

Then, I learned that the supporters' spokesman called me out for "fielding a weakened side." Waaahh, waaaahhh, waaahh. Let's see...we have another fixture in four days, against Mamer, the fourth place club. Andy Rakic was struggling with a bad thigh muscle he hurt in training. Carlos Ferreira was jaded and needed a rest. Laurent Jans is on international duty.

The side that turned out for Rosport tonight contained a Luxembourg international in goal, and two more at center back. The left back had 12 youth caps to his credit. One striker has 15 goals this season, and his partner, Claude Codello, has scored 17 times for our reserves and U21 sides. Don't you think Codello deserves a chance to see what he can do with the first team?

I gave a 16-year-old, Theo Backes, the start at right wing, because he is the best possible replacement I have for Carlos Ferreira right now. Theo finished the match with a 6.8 rating, the best among our midfielders.

In other words, that's one hell of a side for the Promotion Division. And it represents a club that is still three points clear at the top of the table, and 11 points safe in the promotion battle. That ought to be good enough for you, Whiny Supporter Spokesman.

Still, we're not pulling any punches against Mamer on Wednesday night. It's on, boys.
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Old 07-07-2014, 07:05 PM   #46
Greyfriars Bobby
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3 April 2013

Rosport 3-0 Mamer

GK: Oster
D: Lickes, Loose, Maiget, Bernard
M: Rakic, Jans, Leweck, Ferreira
ST: Schiltz, Laroche

Before 268 appreciative supporters at Victoriarena, we secured promotion to the Luxembourg National Division for next season with our 3-0 victory over Mamer.

Mamer brought a side that was much stronger than the one we faced at their grounds. Naby Twimumu, their striker, was available, and they signed a talented youngster from Dudelange named Kevin Grisius during the January transfer window.

The match was scoreless until 34 minutes, when Andy Rakic headed a cross from Carlos Ferreira into the path of a streaking Laurent Schiltz, who put it past the Mamer keeper. Four minutes later, Ferreira brought in a goal kick from Jeff Oster and knocked it ahead for Jeremy Laroche to drive home.

The third goal was Ferreira-to-Laroche again, one of the cleanest, crispest goals we've had all season.

Oster's clean sheet was his 11th of the season.

Laroche's two goals got the pundits back on his bandwagon about a Luxembourg selection, and Schiltz's goal brought him within two of the league's scoring lead, but the hero of the hour was Carlos Ferreira, who richly deserved the Man of the Match selection. His skill with the ball was instrumental in all three of our goals; we simply aren't the same team without him on the pitch.

Next, we travel to Wiltz for a Luxembourg Cup tie, and then there are four more Promotion Division fixtures remaining.
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Old 07-07-2014, 09:32 PM   #47
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
9 April 2013

When we move up to the National Division next season, we'll be leaving a member of our backroom staff behind.

My former assistant manager, Kevin Bianchini, just accepted the job as manager of Erpeldange. Yes, that Erpeldange. We won't face each other unless it's a friendly or a Cup match, so it's safe for me to wish him well.

I got another surprising piece of news today. Remember Steve Bettmer, our former vice captain? He signed with Oberkorn in January, and now he's decided to hang up his boots and become their manager. Steve has some solid coaching attributes, too.

Guess who we play on 13 April?

Oberkorn, of course.

In the meantime, we're preparing for our Luxembourg Cup match with Wiltz, and I'm looking for a new assistant manager.
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Old 07-07-2014, 10:37 PM   #48
Greyfriars Bobby
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11 April 2013
Luxembourg Cup, Third Round


Wiltz 0-4 Rosport

GK: Oster
D: Lickes, Loose, Maiget, Bernard
M: Rakic, Jans, Pazos, Ferreira
ST: Schiltz, Bozic

Wiltz won the Promotion Division title last year, and in their first year back up in the top league, they're fighting to avoid relegation. Still, they looked to be a very tough opponent for us, and for a half that's exactly what they were. Once we put that first goal in, however, they seemed to lose their mojo, and we ended up winning very comfortably.

Laurent Schiltz got the first one, which gave him 20 goals in all competitions this year. Carlos Ferreira, who is best known for laying on goals for his teammates, got a brace today--and within five minutes. Our final goal was slotted home by Anton Bozic, who came to me this week asking for more first team football. I gave him an opportunity today, and he thanked me with a goal.

Wiltz is clearly a better side than most we've faced this year. Their keeper, Dorian Delcour, made saves on the kinds of shots I'm used to seeing go in against Promotion Division keepers. Their best forward, Amadou Toure, forced Jeff Oster to make a beautiful save of his own.

We are the last remaining Promotion Division club in the Luxembourg Cup. We've been drawn at home against RC Hamm Benfica on 1 May.
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Old 07-08-2014, 11:34 AM   #49
Greyfriars Bobby
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Join Date: Sep 2013
13 April 2013

This morning I received a message that made me smile. The assistant manager candidate I'd offered a job has decided to accept.

Pit Theis is familiar to Luxembourger football fans. He played goal for several clubs for nine seasons, and made 13 appearances for Fola Esch this year. At age 34, he decided to hang up his boots this spring and begin the next phase of his football career.

He was a good keeper--I scouted him and almost offered him a contract--but he'll help us even more as a staff member. His attributes are better, across the board, than Kevin Bianchini's were. Pit is, naturally, especially good at training keepers; he's so good at this that, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking he'll one day leave Rosport to coach goalkeepers with a big club somewhere. For now, however, he's with us, and I'm glad to have him.

I noticed there are a number of unemployed scouts who are better than our guy. What's more, now that we've had some success, they are willing to talk to us about a job.

Our scout (3/3 for evaluating talent/potential) might want to update his resume. He frustrated me when he spent three months looking for talent in Luxembourg and found only one player: Naby Twimumu, whom I already knew well. I instructed him to tell me about any TWO-star or better talent he found, so it's not like I only wanted information about superstars.
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Old 07-08-2014, 12:06 PM   #50
Greyfriars Bobby
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13 April 2013

Rosport 1-3 Oberkorn

GK: Oster
D: Scholer, Battaglia, Maiget, Bernard
M: Rakic, Jans, Binsfeld, Ferreira
ST: Laroche, Schiltz

We welcomed Oberkorn's new boss, Steve Bettmer, back to Victoriarena with a nice round of applause, and then we delivered the result the media had predicted. We had a rough week in training, and there are a few guys who were too banged up to play. Tim Heinz is hurt the worst. He wrenched his knee pretty hard, and he's still about two weeks away from being ready. Alphonse Leweck (jammed toe) and Yannick Loose (strained neck) could play if this were a must-win match. It's not, so they watched this one in their tracksuits.

Pit Theis is a big fan of Thomas Battaglia, and I'm becoming one, too. He can play three positions in the middle of the park, and he's only 20. Tonight he filled in for Loose and was our team's best defender.

Oberkorn's goal was the weirdest one we've conceded all year. Jeff Oster found himself on an island, a high-bouncing ball coming at him while he maneuvered at the edge of the area. Had he been a step farther back, I'm sure he would have grabbed it with his hands. Instead, he tried to head it to Battaglia. Jeff Oster isn't very good at heading a football. His attempt went straight to their winger, Rui, who chipped it neatly over Jeff's head into the wide-open net. The goal brought Oberkorn level, 1-1.

Fortunately, we have guys like Jeremy Laroche on our side. Jeremy took a cross from Carlos Ferreira on the half-volley and deposited it into the net with his left foot. 2-1, Rosport.

On 80 minutes, Oberkorn had a free kick, and Laurent Schiltz headed it back toward the Oberkorn goal. Marc Binsfeld got to the ball first, and Laroche turned and sprinted ahead. Marc got Jeremy the ball, and the crowd roared as he bore down on the goal. Laroche decided to strike from 15 yards away, and the keeper never had a chance.

Our first goal was notable, too. Andy Rakic came off with an injury early in the match, and Jonathan Rodrigues entered the fray. He discovered how cool it is to be on the receiving end of one of Carlos Ferreira's passes, and Jonathan delivered his first-ever goal in a Rosport shirt. Rakic will be out for about three weeks with a knee injury, so you'll see more of JR for the rest of the season.

This weekend's results cleared up the promotion/relegation picture. We're up, and Swift Hesperange have clinched a spot in the Promotion Playoff, at the very least. Mamer are also in the running for the Playoff, which (I think) matches our 3rd place club with the 12th place club in the National Division.

Alliance Aischdall and US Sandweiler will be dropped, and Oberkorn and FF Norden 02 are currently slated for the Relegation Playoff.

I can tell you right now that next week, away to Mondercange, I'm playing the kids. I don't want anybody else to get hurt with our Cup quarter-final approaching.
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