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Old 08-21-2017, 05:07 AM   #1
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
A Fairy Tale of French Roses: FM16

So I was hunting around and I found some deeper level mods for FM16 - specifically Portugal (9 levels) and France (9 levels) - to go with my English 23 levels mod. I've installed both those mods and the English 23, but am only running England and France to try and give my computer a break.


RC Doue - listed in-game as Doue-la-Fontaine
The rose capital of France, Doue-la-Fontaine is a small town consisting of around 8,000 people. In July, the Festival of Roses, where over 800 varieties make themselves known. The town is also the site of what was the oldest keep in France (around 900 AD), but no longer exists. Its zoo is also quite well known, because it's built into the actual surrounding natural environment, rather than a concrete jungle of its own.

The club plays in the tiniest stadium ever - just 500 seats. They start off with just one player - the incredible Stephane Boucher, who is also 41 years old.

Seriously, just look at this dude:



RC Doue plays in the Promotion d'Honneur Atlantique Group E, which is in the 9th and lowest possible level of soccer in this mod (It's too bad RC Fontainebleau is in the regional divisions and not selectable - RC Grasse, which was going to be my original pick, is at the 6th level, and I want to start at the bottom).

Want to know the league rules? Here you go:



We don't need no stinking work permits here. And although there's only 2 non-EU players allowed, there is a metric ton of nations considered as EU under French rules.

What are the Contonou nations? Basically an agreement that... oh, just read the damn Wikipedia page:

Cotonou Agreement - Wikipedia

What that means in practical terms is we have free access to most of the world except the Americas and continental Asia. Once you get up the ranks, the non-EU maximum goes up to 3, and in the case of Ligue 2, you can have 4.

What I'm not entirely sure about is if, after gaining French nationality (5 years continuous if I remember right), I can free up another non-EU slot. Something to watch as we go through this.

Oh, and I can't leave unless either A) I'm fired or B) RC Grasse opens up and I'm at least at their level. That means no other switching teams and no rage quitting.

So, weird transfer windows, and an interesting access to countries (Thanks, European imperialism!). France will definitely be different than the traditional English, and perhaps even Abe Sargent's Spanish forays.

Cheapest ticket price ever - For a whole $1, you can buy a ticket. Season tickets are $8, and 25 people are willing to get that absolute steal of a deal. Yep, we're in the bottom of the barrel here, folks. There's a whopping $74 in the bank.

But at least the club owns this tiny stadium of ours and the youth facilities are Basic, rather than Poor. Also worth noting - Amateur teams are throughout the CFA and lower, though CFA 2 (Level 5) is when you start seeing semipro teams pop up.

So we'll see how this goes.

Expectations
- Top half league finish
- First round of French Cup
- Round of 32 for Coupe Atlantique (There's several Atlantique leagues at this level)

Joy of joys, I don't speak French. So my first order of business will be trying to find players who can speak English to help facilitate my transition here.

Promotion Odds
Vendee Herbiers 3: 1-10
Everyone else is at 5000-1

No English speaking guys available. Great. My Chief Scout (7 JPA/10 JPP) has a grand total of 2 guys on his list, so I offer them, and every 21 and under player available. There's so few of them, I don't even bother scouting. We may be heading into friendly season with grey guys - just fair warning. Actually, we will. Transfer window doesn't open until July 1st, even down here.

I'm made a big fat liar when guys start signing for us and joining right away. Maybe it's free agents that can sign any time? Maybe not - some are able to join right away - others have to delay until July 1st. Huh.

Tried to bring Flo Gislette back home from England. Canvey Island turned around and gave him $3.5k to stay. Okay.

Stephane Boucher wants a transfer to a bigger club. I mean, I can't blame the guy. He's 41 years old and deserves to be getting the best opportunity possibile. So I reluctantly grant it.

I stretch my signings out to 23 year olds, and we're going to have a truckload of central midfielders. 3 CM formation is a distinct possibility, though I'm going to train at least a couple of these guys in other positions.

We're forced to sign some old dudes to fill slots because that is literally all who will come play for us.

First season preview goes to us:



More on those guys once my assman stops fanboying over every player in here.

vs US Merral Cosse Vivien (Friendly)
G: Anthony Pallares
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
DM: Khadime (Can't play there yet, but training it)
M: Julien Carment/Stephane Boucher/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Horeau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

17 - Boucher heads up to Friedmann for the pass to Carment in the box. Two defenders on him, and Bernardo is all alone. Tap pass, and there's the score. 1-0

27 - The backline will once again cause issues, I see. 1-1

45 - Troare kicks back to Boucher for the short pass to Friedmann. Feed into box, and there's Bernardo with his second score before half. 2-1

I switch the FBs around at half to see if that helps them not suck.

72 - Friedmann lays it out into space on the right wing for Horeau, who shows why I'm training him at MR by making a beautiful cross that hits Bernardo for his hat trick!!! 3-1


7.8 for Luidgi Horeau, 8.2 for Aliou Traore, 9.0 for Julien Carment, 8.7 for Jean Friedmann, and 9.5 for PotM Mickael Bernardo

July 1st comes, and Stephane Boucher heads 3 flights up, while we bring in a bunch of dudes. Next time, we'll look at what my 8 JPA/7 JPP assman thinks of the squad, and how we're going to put things together for the season.
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Old 08-22-2017, 01:13 AM   #2
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004


As you can see, our strength is clearly up the middle. Our only non-French player at the moment is Mickael Bernardo, who is Portuguese, and our star player. He'll get the cherished #16, and everyone else is automatically assigned their number, which ends up ranging from 1 to 17.

But here's what's interesting - not all our French dudes are from France. Anthony Pallares played in Singapore in 2011, Victor Francoz played college ball in the US, speaks basic English (yay!), and played 10 games for Vanarama North side Oxford City a couple years ago. Erwin Abdellaoui played in Canada a couple years ago, Clement Benhaddouche was actually born in Hong Kong and played for First Division side Kitchee for a few years. He's fluent in Cantonese as well as French.

I install a 4-4-1-1 formation as our primary. First time in a long time I haven't used a DM. Victor Francoz and Khadime are appointed Captain and Vice-Captain. Hugo Delmaire played for the same club as Abdellaoui and speaks good English (double yay!), Nicolas speaks fluent Portuguese after playing a lot of seasons with Tocha.

Julien Carment played in Gibraltar a couple years ago and speaks basic English, Luidgi Horeau trained in Scotland and is fluent in English (triple yay!), Khadime trained in Portugal and speaks fluent Portuguese, and claims ancestral lineage from Senegal, Thomas Souvemanien spent a couple years in England and speaks basic English, Aliou Traore played in England and Vanuatu, a small Pacific Island nation. Jean Friedmann bounced around Macau for a few years, and speaks basic Portuguese.

Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali trained at FC Nantes here in France, but had a lengthy career in Spain and is fluent in Arabic and good at Spanish, and Mickael Bernardo, despite being Portuguese, was trained at a French club and only spent one year in his ancestral homeland before returning to France - he was actually born in Orleans, so he's really Portuguese-French.

Wow. Really international outfit we have here, with French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Arabic all in the language pot.

vs Chatellerault Portugais (Friendly)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Nicolas/Hugo Delmaire/Clement Benhaddouche
M: Sam Pishvaie/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

3 - Bernardo has it just outside the box, but he wings out to Hoareau instead. Cross to Pishvaie, and the goal is easy. 1-0

4 - That's two goals now, one by Pishvaie and one by Bernardo, that have been called back due to offsides.

27 - Hoareau on the corner to Nicolas for the easy kick in. And yes, I've forgotten to select my set piece takers again 2-0

31 - Delmaire is going to have to take the blame for that one 2-1

At half, I switch to my other formation so Khadime can get more DM experience and the sucking Delmaire can go out out. Souvemanien jogs in at MC

49 - Hoareau moves back inside, Pishvaie shifts to MR, Carment comes in at ML, and Bernardo is awful right now, so Ibrahim-Ouali jumps on as the lone striker.

Luidgi Hoareau carried us on his back with a 9.0 PotM performance, further validating my expectation that he'll make a great MR for this level.

Transfer In - MRL/AMRL Luigi Bellanger (19) - Hot Prospect
Add Italian to our stable of languages with this French-Italian kid who was born in Paris, but trained in Italy and speaks both languages fluently. 11 Technique and Work Rate, and he hits the trifecta of my wingers with 16 Flair, 11 Acceleration, and 10 Pace. He'll work at becoming a natural left winger and will take over the starting spot there. Registered with #18. The fans are absolutely going crazy with his potential, though my staff is far less hyperbolic.

vs US Trets (French Cup Extra Preliminary Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Nicolas/Hugo Delmaire/Clement Benhaddouche
M: Luigi Bellanger/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

This is a team that's on our level, who play in the Mediterranean B league (no I'm not going to spell out the French name). We're massively favored to beat them, as we probably should be.

46 - Francoz kicks it long, and the opponents miss the header. Hoareau is there first, dribbles into the box, and cracks a long diagonal in the net!!! 1-0

At halftime, I switch to our 3-5-1-1 DM, with Khadime moving to DM and Souvemanien at MC, because Nicolas has been making a crap ton of errors all game.

82 - Bernardo has the ball and goes into the box, where he slips it to the open Traore. The shot's blocked and our central midfielder is decimated by the defender. That just frees up Bernardo to run to the open ball and put in the rebound! 2-0

Hugo Delmaire and Jean Friedmann post 7.5s, but it's Luidgi Hoareau who continues to sparkle in his unfamiliar position with an 8.3 PotM.

182 people showed up to watch that fine game, including our 25 season ticket holders. We got $269 for the win, which is whatever, but I'll take the money. The opposing manager is salty as hell about the loss, arguing that they should have been able to beat us, and we're not as good as we think we are.

Yeah, okay, dude. Scoreboard.
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Old 08-22-2017, 10:13 AM   #3
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
@ SC Saint-Cannat (French Cup First Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
M: Luigi Bellanger/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

We aren't expected to be able to beat this Mediterranean A side. But that's fine - by the way, we made $1.8k profit last month.

6 - Benhaddouche throws in to Bellanger for a kick back to Khadime. The intended high ball finds the net instead of a forward! 1-0]

At halftime, Ibrahim-Ouali goes in for the injured Friedmann, and I make a couple tactical tweaks.

54 - Pishvaie goes on for tired Bellanger

62 - This moves starts with a throw-in from Benhaddouche to Pishvaie and ends with the same pass, our left winger lateraling to Khadime for the feed to Ibrahim-Ouali in the box, and there's the debut score! 2-0

64 - Can't stop those 25 yard free kick goals 2-1

Massive upset keyed by Khadime's 8.8 PotM night. I'll also point out that Luidgi Hoareau has two orange ticks already in his spot after starting with one red one.

Nice little writeup on Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali's return to France after leaving Nantes in 2005. Our prize money more than doubles for the upset victory - $804 going into the coffers.

I schedule a friendly against FC Tours' third team and I don't think I need to say anything about it because we know this club by now. In fact, I finally figure out how to let my assman handle friendlies. We blow a 1-0 lead and fall 1-3, but people keep showing up for the games, and that's all I really care about - that and getting our guys match fit.

@ US Cluny (French Cup Second Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
M: Luigi Bellanger/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

We're playing with house money at this point, so it's all good, whatever happens. 3 orange ticks for Luidgi Hoareau now - Khadime still doesn't have even the faintest grasp of DM, however.

6 - Precision pass by Khadime to Benhaddouche on the wing. Cross to Hoareau and the header's blocked. But our blossoming star winger barges in and kicks in the rebound! 1-0

16 - Abdellaoui throws in to Friedmann and gets the ball back, then sends a booming cross to unmarked Bellanger for the French-Italian's first ever Doue goal!!! 2-0

69 - We switch to the 3-5-1-1 DM with Ibrahim-Ouali coming in as AMC and Souvamanien in at CM, the tired Nicolas taking a break.

85 - Benhaddouche throws in to Ibrahim-Ouali, and after a wild bit, he controls it for the cross. Defender misses the header, and Hoareau punishes them by high kicking in his second goal of the game 3-0

Everyone on the backline netted a 7.0 or higher, but it's PotM Luidgi Horareau's 9.3 PotM game and Luigi Bellanger's 8.7 that really has everyone talking, as we continue to stun everyone with our run, and collect double the first round money at $1.6k. That's two higher level scalps we've taken in as many games.

vs Bretignolles-sur-Mer (Coupe Atlantique Second Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
M: Luigi Bellanger/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

That's not a kind draw - getting a higher level club in the second round. At least we're playing host.

4 - It's a longball for Horareau and he tracks it down and runs into the box. Center to Bernardo, and our French-Portuguese striker slams the short shot in! 1-0

53 - Ibrahim-Ouali in for Friedmann

A couple heart-stopping moments down the winding minutes of the game, but we come out winners on Clement Benhaddouche's 7.5 and yet another PotM award for Luidgi Hoareau with an 8.0. Damn, I'm feeling like a genius for recognizing his MR potential right about now.

So we'll make the 32e de Finale as the board wanted. Smaller cup, so obviously no prize money here.

The transfer window closes in a week, but we still can't find players who will even remotely consider coming here. So our little band of 17 will just have to keep on keeping on.

Up next, more French Cup action, as we see how far we can take this Cinderella run.
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Old 08-23-2017, 04:56 AM   #4
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
vs AS Castelnaut Est. (French Cup Third Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
M: Luigi Bellanger/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

A very favorable draw for once - at home against a team that's also on the 9th level. That said, it'd be foolish to overlook a club that's on a Cinderella run of their own.

34 - Abdellaoui makes an important takeaway and passes it to Friedmann. On to Hoareau (4 ticks now) for a booming forward ball that finds the injured yet still playing Bernardo. The goal is easy! 1-0

65 - Ibrahim-Ouali on for Bernardo; Carment for Bellenger

84 - Benhaddouche charges at a free kick, gets it, and passes to Hoareau. A short dribble down the middle of the pitch, and there's a long ball into space that Ibrahmi-Ouali gets to, runs into the box, and fires in what looks the clinching goal!!! 2-0

7.6 for Erwin Abdellaoui, 7.9 for Khadime, 7.2 supersub game for Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali, and of course, yet another PotM award for Luidgi Hoareau and his 9.0.

$2.67k in prize money wired to our bank account, and the $5k and change prize money powers us to a record for me $6.2k profit for the month. The transfer and registration window deadline pass without any further moves. Despite our incredible French Cup run, we're still having trouble finding people who will consider moving to Doue.

The Joker transfer window then opens up, allowing us to poach a single player from another French club. But like I said, can't get anyone else to play here, so it's a moot point. Besides, the next registration window isn't until January.

@ Vendee Herbiers (3)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
M: Luigi Bellanger/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

It's a sellout crowd here against the team that's supposed to destroy everyone. We're heavy underdogs, so we'll just try to do the best we can.

28 - Traore steals the ball, gives to Friedmann, gets it back, and then kicks back to Khadime. A rocket ball drops in front of Bernardo's run, and he beats the keeper on the 1v1!!! 1-0

46 - JFC. Giving up a goal seconds before half is just dumb. 1-1

We change to the 3-5-1-1 DM at half, Khadime dropping into that role, and Souvemaninen at CM.

48 - Goal kick by Francoz finds Friedmann for the wing out to Hoareau. Cross to Bellanger, but the header clangs off the crossbar. Luckily, our Italian-French is able to dart right and dump in his own rebound! 2-1

83 - Pishvaie goes in for Hoareau, who is one of many of our guys racking up the yellows in the second half as we protect our lead.

85 - Traore to Friedmann and there's a ton of space there in the right-middle. He plays it into the box for Bernardo to pick up and slam home his second goal!!! 3-1

7.7 for Hadime, 8.0 for Luigi Bellanger, 7.1 for Thomas Souvemanien in a surprise showing off the bench, and matching 9.0s for Jean Friedmann and Mickael Bernardo, our Portuguese-French striker taking PotM honors in this massive, massive upset.

By the way - it's 4 points for a win, 2 points for a draw, and 1 point for a loss in this league. Fundamentally the same as the 3-1-0 setup in England - just different numbers.

That's 6 wins in a row, smashing the modern day club record. We'll miss Nicolas next game, however, due to yellow cards accumulation. But we've got a few more players interested in us now, as word spread of our astounding success. Too bad there's a goalie and two strikers as primary - positions we don't have a huge need for. There's a 21 year old central midfielder we can't scout who is interested, however. We get him to sign, but he can't come through until January's transfer window.

Unfortunately, I screwed up and forgot to restructure Sam Pishvaie's contract as a backup, so he's mad at me.

vs VdS La Vierrie - St Aubin (11th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
DM: Khadime
M: Luigi Bellanger/Thomas Souvemanien/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

6 - Fierce interception and blast by Benhaddouche to just ahead of Bernardo. Our striker dribbles into the box, muscles past the defender, and takes advantage of the napping rest of the backline to cross to a flying Bellanger for the score. 1-0

7 - Abdellaoui throws in to Hoareau, and the moonshot is in space ahead of Bernardo. This time, our French-Portuguese goes into the box and fires the gorgeous shot in himself! 2-0

22 - Takeaway by Souvemanien is great. Kicking it right at the opponent to allow a countermove is horrible. 2-1

32 - Injured Friedmann passes up to Bernardo, who sees the defense walling him off and wings out to Bellanger. The center back has him rising above the defense and smashing in the header! 3-1

52 - Souvemanien redeemed himself with this steal, which starts a counter attack topping off in his passing to Friedmann for the feed in the box to Bernardo, there's the hat trick despite our striker getting upset at half time when I told the team not to let their performance drop!!! 4-1

60 - It's been a stellar day for Friedmann, but I don't want that rib to get broken while his energy's low, so I send in Ibrahim-Ouali

Everyone who played all 90 except our keeper had a 7.1 or better. The 8+ guys: Luidgi Hoareau (8.7), Thomas Souvemanien (8.1 and a nice snapback after his initial error), Luigi Bellanger (8.9), and of course the 9.6 for PotM Mickael Bernardo.

Unfortunately, we have a very short turnaround for our next French Cup match, so the magic may finally run out there.
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Old 09-06-2017, 12:44 PM   #5
gi
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Berkley, MI
Just started this and subscribed. Looking forward to the next update.
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Old 09-06-2017, 02:08 PM   #6
Brian Swartz
Grizzled Veteran
 
Join Date: May 2006
You should do a dynasty that doesn't actually discuss the journey of your team, but merely chronicles the process of you starting new FM dynasties and your hangs up with them, causing you to quit and then start a new FM dynasty a few days/weeks/months later. A dynasty about your aborted dynasties, if you will.

Last edited by Brian Swartz : 09-06-2017 at 02:09 PM.
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Old 10-08-2017, 09:01 PM   #7
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Quote:
Originally Posted by gi View Post
Just started this and subscribed. Looking forward to the next update.

Thanks. Got behind on this due to CK2 and starting business, but will crack back into it now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan Swartz
You should do a dynasty that doesn't actually discuss the journey of your team, but merely chronicles the process of you starting new FM dynasties and your hangs up with them, causing you to quit and then start a new FM dynasty a few days/weeks/months later. A dynasty about your aborted dynasties, if you will.

Dynastyception!

@ A.S. Bouffere (4th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Erwin Abdellaoui
DM: Khadime
M: Sam Pishvaie/Luidgi Hoareau/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali
S: Sebastien Obei-Obengo/Mickael Bernardo

So I somehow missed we have a league game before the Cup match. Fatigue issues and injury to Jean Friedmann mean we have our third formation setup this year, so we'll probably finally snap our winning streak here. Hopefully the start will help appease Pishvaie, who is salty about his lack of starts.

25 - Bellanger centers to Hoareau, now in his more comfortable MC spot. Feed just inside the box to Obei-Obengo, who cracks the long shot for his first Roses goal!!! 1-0

45 - Abdellaoui sends it down to Bellanger for the pass into box space. My man Hoareaubeats everyone to the punch and drills in the just before half goal! 2-0

67 - Khadime races to catch a clearance and first touch high ball it back in the box to Bernardo. Our French-Portuguese striker gets the ball stripped away, but he backtracks for the fierce fire shot!!! 3-0

78 - Hoareau wants to be subbed out, so Traore takes his place.

All full-time starters except the keeper had 7.2 or higher with Khadime (8.2), Luigi Bellanger (8.1), PotM Luidgi Hoareau (9.0 and PotM), and Mickael Bernardo (8.2) breaking the 8+ barrier.

We make a striker signing for January 1st who we know nothing about, but it's about getting bodies in here for now. He demanded a Key Player contract, so I'm hoping he's a good one.

@ A.S. Blotzheim (French Cup Fourth Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
M: Julien Carment/Thomas Souvemanien/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Can't play, but training)
AM: Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali
S: Mickael Bernardo

We're not expect to win this match against a higher level team, especially since Ibrahim-Ouali is only at 86%.

17 - Ibrahim-Ouali kicks back to Abdellaoui for the booming high cross that Carment knocks down with a header into open space on the right side of the six yard box. No surprise that Hoareau is there first to put it away! 1-0

21 - How the fuck do you own goal that, Delmaire?! You weren't pressured at all! 1-1

32 - Bad coverage of a free kick there. 1-2

51 - Disaster!!! Hoareau is out with injury!! Bellanger takes his place, but I'm feeling sick right now. We switch to our 3-5-1-1 DM, attacking to try and get a goal, and Khadime at DM, replacing tired and shit performing Nicolas

75 - Abdellaoui races a wingout and laterals in the box to Bellanger. Short, near-post pass to Bernardo, and we get the equalizer amidst screams of offsides. 2-2

96 - Khadime to Souvemanien to Carment, who passes into the box ahead of Bernardo for the go-ahead score!!!! 3-2

106 - Blast of a goal kick to Ibrahim-Ouali for the nod-on to Carment. Pass to Bernardo in the box, but a sliding tackle sends the ball flying. Fortunately, our French-Italian Bellanger pulls his best Hoareau impersonation, charging down the loose ball to hammer in the insurance!!!! 4-2

120 - That was a sheer exhaustion allowed goal, as normally Francoz stops those shots. 4-3

Heroic comeback, and we were especially on fire in extra time after I passionately riled the boys up. 8.6 for Julien Carment, 8.3 off the bench by Luigi Bellanger, and of course, 8.8 PotM for Mickael Bernardo, as we pull off the stunning victory.

That's $5.35k in the bank for that victory. The bad news - we lose Luidgi Hoareau, our biggest star, for likely 2 months. Devastating loss for sure - though that does mean Sam Pishvaie will get his wish for more PT, and I can hopefully renegotiate his contract to more acceptable terms.
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Old 10-09-2017, 03:00 AM   #8
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
We sign a 25 year old striker on a rotation deal who will come in on January 1st, giving us considerable depth up front once the window hits.

Transfer In - DR/WBR/AMR Nicolas de Fuisseaux (32)
Somehow we got this guy right away on a rotation deal, though he wanted a Key Player spot. My coaching staff absolutely loves the veteran, who played for a CFA2 outfit over a decade ago. 11 Technique, 14 Teamwork and Work Rate, and absolutely studly physicals for someone that old. I'll have him put work in at MR, and Erwin Abdellaoui will shift to DL.

vs E.S. Layon (6th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Nicolas/Hugo Delmaire/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
M: Sam Pishvaie/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

19 - Can't do much about those 25 yard strikes. 0-1

35 - That shit we can, though. 0-2

41 - Bernardo takes the throw-in and kicks back to Khadime for a gorgeous diagonal shot! Absolute shit today has been de Fuisseaux, so he's yanked for Benhaddouche and a fullback switch. 1-2

42 - That shit looked offsides to me. 1-3

57 - Ibrahim-Ouali subs in for tired Friedmann

59 - Benhaddouche crosses to Bellanger, but it's kicked away. Khadime comes in, and a defender blocks his shot. But our single name guy hammers in his second goal on a rebound shot, doing everything he can to keep us alive in this one. 2-3

92 - We've had close chance after close chance after close chance, but we don't get the late equalizer until a corner kick results in their defender giving up an own goal. 3-3

We should have been able to win that one, but considering how ass our backline was in the first half and how bad they were overall throughout the game, I'll take the draw.

@ Somloiryzernay C.P. Foot (2nd)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Erwin Abdellaoui
M: Julien Carment/Thomas Souvemanien/Aliou Traore/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

Tiredness issues mean we're fielding a less than ideal lineup in our most important league match of the early season, including giving Abdellaoui his first start at what I think can be a really great position for him in DM.

4 - de Fuisseaux throws in to Abdellaoui for the pass up to Souvemanien on the box border. Feed inside to Bernardo, who takes a second, sets his shot, and powers in the early score. 1-0

32 - Fucking 30 yard strike bullshit. 1-1

54 - Pishvaie replaces the disappointing Carment

62 - Ibrahim-Ouali jumps in for Friedmann, who is tiring and getting steadily worse as the game progresses.

We were incredibly unlucky in this one - even the announcers said we completely outclassed these dudes, but just couldn't seal the deal - pretty much the same story as last game, where chance after chance went unfulfilled.

$4.96k profit last month, and I'm completely Untouchable with how hot we've been. Luigi Bellanger is getting media love, too, as he's had a very tough ask replacing the brilliant Luidgi Hoareau. We've not played nearly as well without him, even though we've yet to lose a game.

French Cup Fifth Round match is on tap, and it's going to be difficult to continue our magical run.
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Old 10-11-2017, 05:57 AM   #9
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
vs ES Notre Dame-D'oe (French Cup Fifth Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Hugo Delmaire/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Nicolas
M: Julien Carment/Khadime/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Sebastien Obei-Obengo/Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali

Not everyone has ideal energy at the moment, and we're going without our top striker and midfielder. Nicolas is also the latest player to get his crack at DM despite 1 red bar.

62 - Abdellaoui slides in for Benhaddouche and Bernardo's rest day ends because Obei-Obengo is pure trash right now.

68 - Abdellaoui makes me look smart, intercepting a free kick and launching a counter attack that finishes with Friedmann giving it to Ibrahim-Ouali for the open field dribble into the box, and stunning diagonal strike that finds the corner of the net!!! 1-0

74 - Well that didn't go so well. 1-1

80 - Nicolas and Delmaire double-team a guy in the box to take possession, the former shooting a rainbow to Ibrahim-Ouali. Dribble into the box, and a fiery solo strike sings home!!! 2-1

All full-time starters minus our keeper had a 7.0 or higher, with the stalwarts Nicolas at 8.0, Jean Friedmann at 8.3, and naturally Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali's PotM 9.0 game.

The dream goes on, and we collect a cool $10.71k for the win. That's our 12th game in a row unbeaten, setting a modern day Roses record.

vs Intrepide Angers F Reserves (4th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Erwin Abdellaoui
DM: Khadime
M: Sam Pishvaie/Thomas Souvemanien/Aliou Traore/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

21 - Traore slightly leads Ibrahim-Ouali for the first touch pass to Bernardo in the box and bang, bang, it's in. 1-0

27 - Bad backpass by Bernardo, but he recovers with a sliding tackle right to Bellanger. Back to Bernardo, who dribbles in and doubles his goal tally. 2-0

58 - Perfect spot on the corner by Traore finds Nicolas and his mid-range kick results in his first Roses goal!!!!! 3-0

69 - Welp there goes the shutout. 3-1

74 - Souvemanien is dinged up, so we switch to the 3-1-3-1-2 DM formation, with Obei-Obengo getting a garbage time appearance. Abdellaoui moves to DL because Benhaddouche stunk it up this half, and de Fuisseaux comes on at DR.

79 - Ibrahim-Ouali with the short lateral to Bellanger, and the long ball connects with Bernardo. Dribble into the box, and there's the hat trick to salt this one away!!!! 4-1

All full-time starters were 7.0 or higher, with the 8+ guys Luigi Bellanger (9.0), Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali (8.2), and PotM Mickael Bernardo (9.5).

On the bad side, we lose Thomas Souvemanien for a couple weeks. While he's only a reserve, that's going to limit the formations we can use for a bit.

On the plus side, that's our 6th straight unbeaten game, setting a modern day PDH Atlantique Group E record.

vs Stade Olonne-sur-Mer (Coupe Atlantique 32e de Finale
G: Anthony Pallares
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Hugo Delmaire/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Erwin Abdellaoui
M: Julien Carment/Khadime/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Sebastien Obei-Obengo/Mickael Bernardo

Pallares has incredible upside even though he's poorer than Victor Francoz right now by a significant margin. To that end, I'll give the kid his debut in this garbage cup and all the starts if/when we clinch the league title. Trying to go with as B squad a lineup as possible here, because it's the league that matters.

26 - The ref has screwed us over consistently this game - yellow carding when it's not warranted, calling offsides when our guys are onside, and this bullshit when the dude was way offsides, but he lets it pass. 0-1

48 - Abdellaoui moves to DR, Ibrahim-Ouali for Bernardo to replace a couple of awful performers, even though we've been horridly unlucky to be behind. Nicolas steps in at DM.

66 - Benhaddouche to Carment to Obei-Obengo. The ball's played forward for Khadime to run in the box and smash in the equalizer 1-1

69 - Abdellaou laterals to Khadime for the send to Carment in the half-circle. Pass into box finds Ibrahim-Ouali, and fuck the ref for the bullshit he's been plying with us all game. 2-1

92 - Neat figure four pass by Obei-Obengo out to Carment for the easy lay-in to Ibrahim-Ouali, and a brilliant second half outing locks up the win. 3-1

We got angry in the second 45 minutes, and bar the keeper and Clement Benhaddouche, all other full-time starters and both reserves were 7.2 or better. 8.0 for Luigi Bellanger, 8.6 for Khadime, PotM 8.7 for Jean Friedmann, and a matching 8.7 for Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali, who I think got robbed of top honors.

Khadime reveals afterwards that it was my halftime talk about how damned unlucky we were that fired us up.

Clement Benhaddouche is going to sit out the next match due to yellow cards accumulation.
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Old 10-12-2017, 06:00 PM   #10
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
@ Cheffois-St Maurice EF (7th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Nicolas/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Khadime
M: Sam Pishvaie/Aliou Traore/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo/Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali

A fair number of guys under 90% for this one, but it simply can't be helped, unfortunately. I have a feeling this is where our streak finally comes crashing down.

6 - Friedmann sprays it to Pishvaie on the left side of the box. Our angry winger's shot is deflected, and Ibrahim-Ouali is there for the rebound, but he's drilled by the defense. Happily, Bernardo darts forward for his 16th goal of the season. 1-0

19 - Defensive error by Abdellaoui there 1-1

33 - Bernardo with the short pass to Friedmann, who plays a gorgeous 35 yard wingout to Bellanger. Our French-Italian centers to Traore for his first ever Roses goal!!!! 2-1

38 - Nicolas is shadowed in the middle of the pitch, so he sends it right to Abdellaoui for the dribble forward and pass ahead of Pishvaie. The cross finds Traore, who executes a brilliant sliding tackle score! 3-1

92 - Pishvaie crosses to Bellanger for the cross right back to Bernardo and the walk-in goal seconds before the whistle blows. 4-1

Literally everyone had 7.0 or better in this no subs game. 8.1 for Luigi Bellanger, 9.2 for PotM Aliou Traore, 8.0 for Jean Friedmann and 8.8 for Mickael Bernardo. We really raised our play in the second half, despite the fewer goals in the last 45.

Sam Pishvaie is now content, so we quickly move to ink him to a backup contract deal before he changes his mind.

Transfer In - DC Guillaume Riboulet (39) (From La Fleche)
An ancient dude, but he's still got game - 11 Heading and Marking, 14 Aggression, 11 Concentration and Positioning, 14 Teamwork, and 15 Fitness. He had a 23 year career with his old club, and he finally moves on because though my staff is split on whether he's our second or third best DC, he's going to slot in as a starter there, freeing up Nicolas to play DM exclusively while he trains it.

vs AS Cozes (French Cup Sixth Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Guillaume Riboulet/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Nicolas
M: Sam Pishvaie/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali
S: Mickael Bernardo

These guys are five levels above us, so getting a win here is a tall order, especially since we're still playing with a number of sub 90% guys. On the bright side, Nicolas has jumped to 4 bars in the Anchorman slot and is now Competent as a DM.

44 - We've been outplaying them all game long, but their keeper is phenomenal, and a frustrating lapse puts us behind just before half. 0-1

56 - Abdellaoui subs in for Benhaddouche; Ibrahim-Ouali moves up to striker, and Friedmann's rest day is no longer a thing.

72 - Bellanger centers to Friedmann for the feed to Ibrahim-Ouali, and help from the goal frame equalizes! 1-1

84 - Devastating result as Khadime, who has been our best player this game, goes off injured. We switch to our 3-1-3-1-2 DM, with Obei-Obengo jogging on as the second striker.

88 - Traore cracks the corner and it's ground cleared, but Carment fights through the crowd to hit the mid-range shot, and it goes in for his first Roses goal at the most vital moment possible!!!! 2-1

What a miraculous comeback and huge upset win!!! PotM is Aliou Traore with an 8.4, Julien Carment with an 8.3, Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali with a 7.6, and a monster 8.3 off the bench by Jean Friedmann!!!

We lose Khadime for a around a month, which will hurt considerably, but we take in another $16.07k in prize money! Nicolas de Fuisseaux will miss our next match due to yellows accumulation, which is an absurdly low 3 in French football.

vs RS Ardelay (11th)
G: Anthony Pallares
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
DM: Nicolas
M: Julien Carment/Thomas Souvemanien/Aliou Traore/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali
S: Sebastien Obei-Obengo

French Cup match is in a few days, so I'm putting as many backup guys as possible against one the league's worst teams - especially since we have 4 points clear on 2nd place (remember 4 points a win, 2 points a draw, 1 point a loss in French leagues).

70 - Pishvaie for Carment; Bernardo for Obei-Obengo

79 - Souvemanien to Ibrahim-Ouali to Bernardo who charges ahead of the defender in the box to defy the takeaway. Our Portuguese-French striker slips a short pass up and right to wide open Bellanger, and there's the late goal! 1-0

Everyone still in at the end of the game had 6.9 or higher, but it was a nerves-filled game, with Hugo Delmaire's 7.6 the high mark for PotM. Kind of feels like we got away with one here to keep our streak alive. Delmaire will miss the next match with yellows accumulation.

Next up, more French Cup action in what I think is going to be an impossible game to win on Halloween night.
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Old 10-12-2017, 08:51 PM   #11
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
vs US Gravelines (French Cup Seventh Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Guillaume Riboulet/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Nicolas
M: Sam Pishvaie/Aliou Traore/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo/Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali

So, not only are these guys 5 levels higher, they're in 1st place and could very well end up in CFA2 next season. So no one is giving us a shot in this one.

We're clearly outclassed and it shows on the pitch, but at halftime, it's still 0-0. Abdellaoui moves up to DM and Benhaddouche slots in at DL.

55 - Bellanger is out for Hoareau, who will see his first action back even though he's tired.

58 - Bernardo plays to Ibrahim-Ouali in the box, but the tackle strips it away. Bernardo picks it back up, re-sends it to Ibrahim-Ouali, and there's the goal!!!! 1-0

60 - They answer immediately. Damn damn damn!!! 1-1

We should have lost in regulation, but manage to force extra time.

97 - Danger burn of last sub, Carment in for exhausted Pishvaie

114 - They finally broke us on the corner kick 1-2

118 - Ibrahim-Ouali gathers the longball, dribbles left, and splits a pass between two defenders to Friedmann. The shot's fired between two defenders and finds the net for his first Roses goal!!!!! 2-2

And we're going to penalties!!!

They're up first... make. 0-1

Ibrahim-Ouali is first for us... score! 1-1

Second shot.... Francoz blocks it!!!!!!!! 1-1

Bernardo up next... and he fakes out the keeper to put us ahead!!!! 2-1

Third up... and it's just past Francoz's fingertips. 2-2

Traore takes our third... and places it perfectly in the corner!!! 3-2

Just no stopping that fourth shot. 3-3

My man Hoareau jogs his tired ass on... and he punches it in!!! 4-3

Fifth shot is completely faked out 4-4

And so it's all up to de Fuisseaux, who has been a rock at DR since I picked him up.... and he slots it just right of he keeper!!!! 5-4

MASSIVE UPSET ALERT!!! HOLY SHIT!!! HOLY SHIT!!!!!

No PotM award, but Jean Friedmann netted a 7.7, and my boy Luidgi Hoareau had a heroic 7.1 off the bench.

$21.42k drops in the bank and that's an 18 game unbeaten streak. We're one of just 237 teams left in the draw - an amazing feat for a club of our stature and tiny stadium.

The board is over the moon with my leadership, and we have just over $66k in cash. Put that in context, that's about 5-6 seasons' worth in my other dynasties with amateur sides. Almost $59k of that has come in the form of prize money - meaning we'd still be a healthy $7k and change even without that, and we're just starting November.

I'm just going to take a break and savor the beauty of the biggest win in RC Doue history.
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Old 10-13-2017, 05:53 PM   #12
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
vs LSG Les Brouzils (8th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Hugo Delmaire/Erwin Abdellaoui
DM: Nicolas
M: Julien Carment/Thomas Souvemanien/Aliou Traore/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali
S: Sebastien Obei-Obengo

Same as last time - as many backups as possible for the league game shortly before the French Cup contest, even though that's looking even more unlikely than our last miracle win. One exception: Anthony Pellares is now 1.5* to Francoz 2* by my scout, and I think it's time we start making the switch to our upside keeper, starting with the next, allegedly unwinnable game.

24 - Souvemanien passes to Bellanger, but the ball's kicked away before it gets there. Traore is right there to short it back to Bellanger and our Italian-French scores with a tidy effort 1-0

28 - Benhaddouche plays it long to Pishvaie in the box. First touch cross to Bellanger, who sends a first touch cross right back to Pishvaie, and the keeper is horribly out of position for our former complainer's first ever RC Doue goal! 2-0

30 - Abdellaoui throws in to Bellanger and they trade passes until the latter's delivery to Traore. Pass to Pishvaie, and there's his second goal, as our onslaught continues. 3-0

47 - Benhaddouche throws in to Ibrahim-Ouali and gets it back. Long high ball turns into a fluke goal for his own first Roses score! 4-0

62 - Pure laziness and caught napping there. 4-1

Everyone with a 7.0 or better, and a barrel full of 8+ showings: Luigi Bellanger (9.1), b]Aliou Traore[/b] (8.7), PotM Sam Pishvaie (9.2), and Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali (8.4)

vs Borgo FC (French Cup Eighth Round)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Nicolas/Guillaume Riboulet/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
M: Julien Carment/Khadime/Luidgi Hoareau/Luigi Bellanger
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

So I thought a lot about this, and decided to return to the 4-4-1-1 setup we used early in the year, which the game still lists as my favored formation, even though we've been mixing in the two different DM formations a lot. It's what we're most comfortable with, and it's the best fit for all our roles.

Why does this matter? Because Borgo FC is a CFA 2 team near the top of their division, and they're a semipro club to boot. This is also precipitated by the fact they run a flat 4-5-1 setup.

43 - We just couldn't clear out this corner kick. Damn. 0-1

Changing to the 3-5-1-1 DM for the second half, with Khadime dropping to DM and Souvemanien coming in as a CM.

58 - Pishvaie for Carment

70 - And here comes... 0-2

73 - ...the deluge 0-3

No shame in this loss - we weren't expected to compete, and we still pocket $12.85k as a bonus for getting this far. It's our first loss in 20 games - a stunning run that's better than anything any of my teams have accomplished, I think?

A fairy tale indeed, for a club like us from this small town to get to the 8th round of the French Cup. We now have just shy of $80k in cash - absolutely amazing.

@ Saint-Nazare AF (Coupe Atlantique Seizime de Finale)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Clement Benhaddouche/Nicolas/Guillaume Riboulet/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
M: Luigi Bellanger/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

Erwin Abdellaoui is out for this one due to yellow cards accumulation. These guys are five levels above us and the expectation is, we'll get clobbered, even though they're a mid-tier team at that level, and not like the squad we upset in the seventh round of the French Cup.

28 - Bad job by de Fuisseaux, bleh. 0-1

36 - Asymmetrical formation, as de Fuisseaux is ousted for Delmaire

53 - Friedmann lays off to Traore for the moonshot downfield to Bernardo. Our Portuguese-French striker has been meh today, but he dribbles, picks out his spot just outside the half-circle, and rifles in the long range bomb!!! Holy shit!!! 1-1

78 - Souvemanien goes in for tired Khadime and CM switch takes place

And we manage to force extra time!

107 - Danger move by putting Pishvaie in at ML and burning last sub. Bellanger is just too tired.

110 - Blown defense by Souvemanien on that one. 1-2

Hard loss to take. We played extremely well overall - just a couple dudes with lapses at the wrong time cost us.

Despite our two straight defeats against superior teams, I'm mentioned as a leading candidate for the US Changeenne post in CFA 2. Not at all interested. Unless it's Grasse, I'm staying with the Roses. And Grasse isn't open, so yeah.

Now we focus on league play the rest of the season - I'm going back to my original plan of Victor Francoz in the nets until we either are set, or Anthony Pallares is equal to him in the eyes of my staff.
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Old 10-14-2017, 05:35 AM   #13
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Note: Dynasty will be on hiatus until the 24th due to my being out of town with no desktop, and I really don't feel like running it on my tablet.
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Old 10-25-2017, 08:35 PM   #14
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
@ FCPB L'Hermenault (5th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Nicolas/Guillaume Riboulet/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
M: Luigi Bellanger/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

44 - We've been knocking on the door all game, but it isn't until Traore high balls out right to de Fuisseaux for a first touch pop shot into the box that the goalie comes out to get it, and Bernardo makes him pay for his aggression. 1-0

57 - Second half has been mostly them, so Bellanger switches to MR, Pishvaie comes in at ML, and Delmaire goes on for Nicolas

66 - de Fuisseaux grabs a clearance and short passes to Friedmann for the play on to charging Khadime. I think he's going to the box himself, but he instead slips it forward to Bernardo for our Portuguese-French striker's 20th goal of the year! 2-0

7.0s blah blah. Nicolas de Fuisseaux grabbed an 8.0, Khadime an 8.5, and PotM 8.8 for Mickael Bernardo. A rare mediocre game for Luidgi Hoareau, incidentally.

December 1st brings a ton more players who have interest in us, including some who'd be major talent upgrades on paper. Of the guys we go for, 2 stay their old team, and 4 sign for the January 1st transfer window.

@ C.B. Angers (6th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Nicolas/Guillaume Riboulet/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
M: Luigi Bellanger/Khadime/Aliou Traore/Luidgi Hoareau (Now half-full bars)
AM: Jean Friedmann
S: Mickael Bernardo

3 - Friedmann short passes to de Fuisseaux for the perfectly cross to Bellanger, and there's the early score. 1-0

6 - Khadime with the first touch straightline to Bellanger in the box. Defense goes after our Italian-French winger, and he lays off to Bernardo for the open goal. 2-0

12 - Khadime dribbles past two defenders and slips a pass by two more for Hoareau, who heads into the box and hits a beautiful hooking diagonal shot for his first goal since his injury layoff!!! 3-0

Usual all-7 or better with Nicolas de Fuisseaux (8.8), Luidgi Hoareau (8.5), Khadime (9.0), and PotM Luigi Bellanger (9.1) taking all the highest honors.

Halfway through the season, we have an 8 point lead, which in French terms translates to 2 wins.

10 day mid-season vacation break follows.

Transfer In - ML Jeremie Jeanne (29)
11 Work Rate, 14 Teamwork, 13 Flair, and a metric buttload of double digit physical attributes. Horrible in the air, but that doesn't matter so much. Pure talent upgrade that allows us to shift Luigi Bellanger to the right inside and slot Luidgi Hoareau to his natural position of CM. Our team just got even better.

We lose Khadime for 6-7 weeks to an ankle injury suffered in a friendly. Great.

Hang on to your hats folks, because we have 7 players flying in this transfer window. We'll cover them all, and a squad overview next time.
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Old 10-25-2017, 09:17 PM   #15
Brian Swartz
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Join Date: May 2006
It's baaack!
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Old 10-27-2017, 01:22 AM   #16
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Swartz View Post
It's baaack!

Yes, yes it is.

Transfer In - MLC Francois Rio (22) (From Avenir de Theix)
Only had 2 appearances this year, and is a Ligue 1 product. 11 First Touch, 12 Technique, 13 Flair, 14 Teamwork, 11 Vision, 11 Work Rate, 12 Acceleration, 10 Pace. This kid is absolutely amazing, and he'll probably get his first crack at MC due to the Khadime injury.

Transfer In - ST Richard Aoudia (25) (From Logan Lightning FC)
Flies back home from Australia. 10 Dribbling, 10 Finishing, 10 Heading, 10 Composure, 10 Off The Ball, 13 Work Rate, and great Physical attributes for this level. He's not going to displace Mickael Bernardo, but he'll be our #2 striker and will start when we go to 2 striker formations. I think he's better than what my staff thinks.

Transfer In - DR/DM Karl Sorin (19) (From Intrepide Angers)
Callup from a non-playable league where he averaged 7.06 as the team's star player. 13 Tackling, 11 Decisions, 12 Positioning, and an amazing 13 Acceleration and Pace. Equally fantastic as a DM and DR, he'll occupy the DM spot because of how good Nicolas de Fuisseaux has been for us - it also means our best formation is no longer the 4-4-1-1 setup. Really stoked about this kid, who has DSR level ability.

Transfer In - DC Jordane Orain (23) (From La Vitreene FC)
3 appearances with a higher level club, where he acquitted himself well. 10 Marking, 10 Tackling, 14 Jumping Reach, 12 Strength. Amazing kid who can push us to a 3 defender backline, which means either the 3-5-1 DM or the 3-1-3-1-2 DM setup.

Transfer In - MC Michel (21)
Not too enthused by this kid. There's some upside here, but he's our 5th best MC currently and can only play one position. He's not awful, however - just a few steps below everyone else here.

Transfer In - ST Marvin Masso (26)
Pure trash. Only here to give us another body at striker.

Transfer In - DL/ML Killian Rault (22) (From US Saint-Philbert)
Nonplayable league pickup who was actually not great there, but I suspect they weren't using him properly. 10 Marking, 10 Positioning, 12 Teamwork, and exceptional Physical attributes. I think he's good enough to be a multi-position player all along the backline and the midfield.

5* Players
DL Killian Rault (22)
DC Jordane Orain (23)
DR/DM Karl Sorin (19)

Highest Ranked Original Rose
ST Mickael Bernardo (22) - 3/4
DC Nicolas (24) - 2.5/3.5

Just to illustrate how much we've improved our squad as a result of these pickups. For our talent level to be fairly equal throughout the squad, we need a GK, AMC, and MR. There's some more dudes who are intrigued by us, so we're checking them out.

There's also something resembling a Reserves team now, and I rework some of the contracts so guys are used to reduced PT. We lost $530 last month but that was to be expected, given our lack of games.

Oh, and that 3* rating for Mickael Bernardo? That's a direct result of an Ability increase.

We're also now in a position where we can focus on acquiring guys who are under 30 for the foreseeable future. That's not to say I won't rule out another greybeard, but the core of our squad is much younger after The Seven's arrival.

Transfer In - AMC/MC/ST Maxime Batel (28)
10 Technique, 10 Work Rate and strong all-around Physical attributes. He's slightly better than Jean Friedmann, who is 30, so he'll get his shot to replace him. Don't be surprised if Friedmann wins his job back, however.

Transfer In - ST Emilien Fransquet (22) (From Carnac F.C.) (Belgian)
Our first player with no French ties other than having played for a higher level French club. Only appeared in one game, but the fanbase is pissed the club didn't make him feel more appreciated, and it's easy to see why:



This kid is a damn stud, and I think he'll be an excellent AMC for us, which I'll start training him in. We'll use the 2 striker formation until we clinch, then switch to a 1 striker setup and get him games at AMC. I haven't been this hyped for a pickup in a very, very long time.

vs Vendee Herbiers 3 (2nd)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Maxime Batel
S: Emelien Fransquet/Mickael Bernardo

That's 7 new starters out of 11 in a vital match. Perhaps not the best move, but we have the cushion to be able to afford it.

24 - Rault throws in to de Fuisseaux and gets it back. High cross to Jeanne, who thunders a header down the opposite side of the box. Hoareau is unmarked as he charges in and hits the diagonal! 1-0

38 - Bernardo short lateral to Rio and on to Fransquet for the gorgeous pin-point pass into the box. Batel has the defense beat and is just *barely* onsides for the open shot and debut goal!!! 2-0

58 - Defensive lapse there 2-1

62 - Abdellaoui comes on at DR, Aouida replacing Fransquet

We should have won by way more, but like 5 shots cracked off the woodwork. Solid all the way around, with Luidigi Hoareau and Maxime Batel sharing top honors at 7.6, Batel's game-winner PotM nod. Also a 7.2 for Erwin Abdellaoui off the bench, as his fresh legs on the right side bailed us out of quite a few late game situations.

The oddsmakers actually had this one marked down as a draw just before game tipoff, so everyone is thrilled with our victory over the prohibitive preseason promotion favorite. That gives us an 11 point cushion - almost 3 full games - and puts a sizable dent in their hopes of a second half run.

Transfer In - AMC/ST Robin Lemonnier (18)
Ligue 2 graduate with 11 Technique, 10 Decisions, 11 Flair, 14 Teamwork, 11 Work Rate, and just two Physical attributes below 11. Now we suddenly don't have to wait for Emelien Fransquet to train as an AMC - we've got our young replacement and immediate upgrade right here. Can't believe he was just sitting out on the street. Maxime Batel shifts down to a vital 3 position sub.

@ VdS La Verie-St Aubin (12th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Emelien Fransquet/Mickael Bernardo

13 - Jeanne highballs it to Fransquet in the box, and with two defenders blanketing the Belgian, he lays off to Bernardo, who has his man beat. Easy score, and that's two assists in as many games for our new star striker. He had a 7.3 debut before being subbed out, and the fans are in love with him already. 1-0

50 - Rio swings a free kick into the box, and Orain rises above to power in his first Roses goal on the header!!! Much needed insurance goal, as we frankly should have been tied going into the break. Abdellaoui takes over for de Fuisseaux, Rio switches to ML, and Batel comes in at MC, replacing our two worst players this match. 2-0

52 - Injury to Fransquet. It's barely playable through, but damn.

62 - Ugh. Sorin picks up his second yellow card. You're named after a damned Planeswalker! You're not supposed to get sent off!

92 - Held them off as long as we could, but in the end, it wasn't enough to preserve the shutout. 2-1

Ugly win, as we were bailed out by Jordane Orain's 8.1 PotM outing. He singlehandedly saved us time and time again on a day when we were kind of sluggish all around.

Emilien Fransquet is out a couple weeks, so will probably miss our next game. Karl Sorin will definitely miss it, as will Mickael Bernardo due to yellows accumulation. All of which means a single striker formation next game and probably a switch back to the 4-4-1-1

Transfer In - DM/MC/AMC Ibrahime Sylla (23) (From US Granville) (Guinean)
10 First Touch, 13 Teamwork, 11 Work Rate, 10 Balance, and an eye-popping 17 Natural Fitness! He's not a great player and was merely average as a part of US Granville's reserve team, but he's still a versatile young dude and our second best DM. He counts as EU because of the Cantou rule, and is our lone deadline pickup before the new Joker window starts.

Our January profit was $78 due to only two games, one of which was a home game. We also finally sign a coach, who has the hilarious name of Denis Denis, and dramatically upgrades our fitness coaching while significantly improving our attacking coaching.

Just before our first game, Erwin Abdellaoui gets a hernia that will knock him out of commission for 7-8 weeks. Given that, I'm tempted to have de Fuisseaux come off the bench (he got replaced both of the last two games anyway), having Sorin at DR after his suspension, and giving Sylla an extended look at DM.
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Old 10-27-2017, 02:31 PM   #17
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Join Date: Sep 2004
vs AS Bouffere (10th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau/Luigi Bellanger
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Emelien Fransquet

12 - Hoareau passes forward to Bellanger, our French-Italian splitting two defenders in sending the ball to Fransquet in the box. The Belgian dribbles twice and cracks a searing midrange into the net for his first Roses goal!!! 1-0

56 - Aoudia for Fransquet; Batel for Lemonnier

58 - Great defensive work leads to a play to Batel, who launches an absolute stunner of a ball down the middle of the pitch to Aoudia. Stride into the box, and bam! There's his own first Roses goal! 2-0

Only Victor Francoz, Robin Lemonnier, and Killian Rault had less than a 7 tonight of those who played. Shoutout to Francois Rio's PotM winning 8.4, and Richard Aoudia with 8.1 off the bench. Luigi Bellanger was the other one to break 7.5, with a 7.7.

@ ES Layon (7th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Mickael Bernardo/Emilien Fransquet

4- Gorgeous sliding tackle by Rault sends the ball to Jeanne for the dribble and booming high cross past the outstretched arms of the keeper. Hoareau taps it in with ease. 1-0

8 - Sylla to Rio to Lemonnier. Wall of defenders, so he lays off to Fransquet just inside the box, and the Belgian blasts a ground strike with precision, hitting the corner of the net! For those keeping track, that's assist, assist, goal, goal in his first four games with us. Star, indeed, just as I predicted. 2-0

18 - Rault's long, high free kick sees leaping Lemonnier knock the header in past the keeper for his first RC Doue-le Fontaine goal, and our opponents are completely flustered in the face of our unstoppable force. 3-0

19 - Rio intercepts a pass and blasts it down into box space for Fransquet to pick up and power in his second goal. We're just destroying these dudes! 4-0

26 - Hoareau gets a knock, but he can play through it.

58 - Lemonnier is getting pressure from a defender, so he sprays out on to the left wing for Jeanne's pickup. Cross pitch aerial and Fransquet is there to knock in a hat trick header!!! It's been all them this second half until now. 5-0

82 - Eh, whatever. 5-1

89 - Probably should have done some subbing. 5-2

So the last 10 minutes, we got sloppy, and what was a sterling all around game ended up with everyone 7+, an 8.9 for Robin Lemonnier and of course, 9.5 PotM for Emilien Fransquet.

We'll likely be without Luidgi Hoareau for our next game, and he's starting to get tabbed with a reputation for being injury-prone.

Nicolas is now good to go as a DM, which is nice, considering he's third in line. Needs to stick to an Anchorman role, however, as he has almost no DLP skills. Also our #2 DC.

We lost $770 last month, and are paying $1.8k for my assman's coaching course. So we're not going to crack $80,000 in the bank for the year, but that's okay. Even at say, $70,000, we'd still be worlds above what my English amateur clubs traditionally achieve, thanks to the French Cup cash.
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Old 10-27-2017, 10:53 PM   #18
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Join Date: Sep 2004
The youth pulls yielded no one worth signing, and the YC team got smashed by the U-18 squad by a score of 5-2.

vs Somloiryzernay CP Foot (4th)
G: Victor Francoz
D: Killian Rault/Hugo Delmaire/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Khadime/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Richard Aoudia/Mickael Bernardo

A bunch of tired guys from the game against the Youth Candidates translates into this lineup.

50 - They outplayed us in the early game, and should have scored, but then we switched to a Counter mentality and settled into meh back and forth. Finally, Lemonnier lays off to Hoareau, who slow dribbles down the right flank until a cross. Aoudia has a chance for a header, but doesn't go up. Instead, the ball falls to Jeanne for the determined goal! Lemonnier, despite the assist to assist, has been trash, so he's out for Batel, and I might make that switch for next starting lineup. 1-0

67 - Two guys on him and the dude still scores. Ugh. Batel up to replace Bernardo, and Friedmann comes in at AMC. 1-1

Ibrahime Sylla's slapped with yellows accumulation and will miss the next match.

We were bleh overall tonight, and Batel stunk. That snaps our win streak at 6 games. But we're still with at least 12 points up on 2nd, no matter what happens with their game in hand - or a 3 game cushion. There's 6 games left in our season, and mathematically we can finish no worse than 7th of 12 teams.

I scout all the non-French youth pulls and quite a number of the youth goalies, because there's suddenly a lot of kids who watched our French Cup run and really want to look at being a Rose.

Transfer In - GK Mickael Nicolo (38) (From Amicale de Luce)
Stole him from another PDH side - the league that plays in the central Loire Valley. 13 Aerial Reach, 10 Kicking, 11 Reflexes, 12 Throwing, and our best keeper by like a trillion. Obviously I eventually want to find someone to replace him, but he's a good stopgap for a year or two.

Khadime gets a slight bump in current ability, which is cool. Now a leading player for this side.

@ Intepride F Angers Reserves (3rd)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas de Fuisseaux
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Mickael Bernardo/Emilien Fransquet

20 - Orain jacks one downfield to Fransquet in the box. Two defenders drape him and they poke the ball away. Two of our guys run for the loose ball, but Bernardo is there first to slam it in. 1-0

40 - Sorin intercepts a pass and first touch longs it to Bernardo. Our Portuguese-French striker dribbles into the box, and hits the groundball in. 2-0

47 - A defender's in Bernardo's face, so he wings out and up to Jeanne. Exquisite center into the box, and Fransquet puts away his 5th goal for us this year. 3-0

70 - Two guys on Bernardo, so he shifts the ball into the box, where Jeanne cracks a hopeful diagonal that goes home. Orain is exhausted, so Abdellaoui jogs on. 4-0

80 - Rio wants a break, so in goes Batel

83 - Batel delivers to Lemonnier for the breathtaking ball into box space. Bernardo out-runs everyone to kick in his hat trick and 25th goal of the season!!! 5-0



Absolute obliteration! Erwin Abdellaoui acquitted himself well at DC with a 7.0 as well, not shown here.

We whiff on most of our youth pull targets, but do manage to snag one of them who will come over in the summer. The guy we most wanted did leave his original team - just not for us. We also pick up a veteran DR who will allow us to put Karl Sorin exclusively at DM in our ideal lineup.

We bled $2.78k last month because of all the scouting we did. No one cares, because the good times are rolling.

vs Cheffois St Maurice EF (10th)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Mickael Bernardo/Emilien Fransquet

12 - Fransquet is hammered in the box and Bernardo converts the PK with ease. 1-0

31 - Bernardo runs down a high ball into the box, but his shot's blocked. He tries for the rebound, but he slips. Fortunately, Fransquet is right behind him and sprays the shot in the lower left corner of the net. 2-0

74 - Stellar interception by Hoareau, followed by a booming long ball to completely alone Fransquet on the right flank. The Belgian dribbles to the touchline, then perfectly places the center for Bernardo to pop it in. 3-0

Everyone but the keeper had a 7.2 or higher, headlined by Emilien Fransquet (8.2) and PotM Mickael Bernardo's 9.0.

With 4 games left, we've locked up a no worse than 2nd place finish. And honestly, it's all over but the math for the championship. We only need 3 points, and that's literally 3 losses - unless the math is still based on English?

LOL. Every youth candidate is listed as 0.5* potential and my assman is pushing me to sign a bunch. Um, no.

Nicolas de Fuisseaux has decreased ability, and so he's going to be a one season wonder for us. We ink another young guy for the summer, one who might well challenge Mickael Bernardo for a starting spot next year.
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Old 10-29-2017, 11:40 PM   #19
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
@ R.S. Ardelay (6th)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Mickael Bernardo/Emilien Fransquet

7 - They're running 3 AMCs, and I like running Counter when they're that heavy up front. Orain retrieves the ball after an opponent free kick, and an attack ensues, capping in Fransquet playing a gorgeous ball ahead of Bernardo. He dribbles into the box and hooks a shot over the head of the keeper into the net. 1-0

47 - Bellanger goes on for Hoareau, as the guy I converted into a MR star has been playing like ass and is complacent today.

[b[55[/b] - Fransquet is pressured by three defenders, so he outlets to Rio for the short pass to Lemonnier. Our young AMC pokes it into box space, where Belgian Fransquet has shaken off his oppressors. Beautiful shot, and there's our insurance. 2-0

7.7 for Jordane Orain, 7.8 each for Francois Rio and Robin Lemonnier, 7.6 for Mickael Bernardo, and a beautiful 8.8 PotM performance by Emilien Fransquet.

And with that victory, we officially secure the title with 3 games to go!!!

Even the board admitted their shock that we've put together this absolute dream of a season - remember, we were tabbed to finish 5th, and Vendee Herbiers 3 was supposed to run away with the title, with no one else coming close. Instead, it's us who have pulled off that feat.

We're going to keep going with our main lineup, because I want the unbeaten season.

Lost $35 last month because of scouting costs.

vs FCPB L'Hermenault (8th)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Mickael Bernardo/Emilien Fransquet

21 - Rault throws into Sorin and gets it back. The high center comes, and Bernardo rises above like five defenders to smash in a header off the post 1-0

22 - Sorin intercepts a pass and longballs it to Fransquet. The defense strips the ball, but doesn't control it, and our Belgian wins the foot race. Into the box, and a ground roller into the corner of the net. 2-0

55 - Rio moves to ML and Batel comes on at MC, whileAbdellaoui takes over for tired Orain at DC.

60 - Fransquet is spiked from behind in the box, and Bernardo blows the PK.

63 - Stunning long pass into space by Fransquet for Bernardo to pick up and fire a fierce amends for his screwing up the PK, nabbing his 30th goal of the year in the process. 3-0

8.3 for Killian Rault, 8.6 for Mickael Bernardo, and a second straight PotM award for Emilien Fransquet at 9.0.

Emilien Fransquet finally gets press love, joining Luigi Bellanger, Luidgi Hoareau, and Mickael Bernardo as Roses who have smelled sweet to the media this year.

FC La Chapelle-des-Marais stuns everyone by winning the Coupe Atlantique in penalties over Orvault Sports Football.

@ LSG Les Brouzils (3rd)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Mickael Bernardo/Emilien Fransquet

8 - Hoareau recovers his own cleared corner and sends it back in the box to Orain. Our star DC's shot clangs off the post, but he stays with it and sinks his own rebound! 1-0

16 - Pro tip to opponents: If you're going to sliding tackle the ball away, don't send it back to your own goal, and don't put it in a spot where Bernardo can burn everyone and bury the easy shot. 2-0

40 - Our shutout streak finally comes to an end. Boo. 2-1

51 - Rio shifts to ML and Batel is MC; Aoudia replaces Fransquet and striker switch. I'm pretty much done with Jeanne at ML - he's been bleh the last several games.

We were decent, I guess, but Jordane Orain's PotM winning 8.4 outing was the only authentic highlight. Felt like we were awfully sluggish out there today. Karl Sorin will miss our last game due to yellows.

Just for the hell of it, I took the Portugal U23 job after they made the Olympics. Our squad is complete trash that I called up, but what can you do?

vs C.B. Angers (12th)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Erwin Abdellaoui
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Mickael Bernardo/Emilien Fransquet

These guys are desperate to beat us to try and stay up. Our goal is to make sure that doesn't happen.

43 - This is the worst we've played all year, but Rault slams in a 25 yard free kick for his first ever Roses goal! 1-0

48 - I yank Bernardo and Rio for Aoudia and Batel respectively because they're dragging ass out there. Good thing I forgot to make the lineup change I was going to.

67 - Lots of traffic around Fransquet, so he lays off to Lemonnier. The shot cracks off the post, and just as Hoareau is about to get the rebound, the defender drills him. Ball's loose, and our Belgian Fransquet fights through the crowd to sink the soft insurance score in. 2-0

90 - Batel has tons of space and plays it forward to Fransquet with two defenders zooming in on my favorite player. GORGEOUS BEHIND THE BACK PASS INTO THE BOX where not even Aoudia can fuck up the easy walk-in for his second goal of the year! 3-0

Everyone still in the game had 7.1 or better as we turned it on in the last 30 minutes after a dreary first hour. 8.5 for Killian Rault and 9.0 for PotM Emilien Fransquet.

What a fairy tale season, indeed.





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Old 11-01-2017, 05:24 PM   #20
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004


Significant gap between midseason acquisitions Jordane Orain, Killian Rault, Karl Sorin, and everyone else. I still quite like Nicolas, even though his backup spot got taken by Edwin Abdellaoui's three position versatility.

Mickael Nico is already starting his decline phase and has at most one more year left. Victor Francoz isn't the worst backup to have, but Anthony Pallares' alleged potential looks to have been a mirage. I'd really like to get a young prospect in here to groom.



Khadime, Luidgi Hoareau, and Luigi Bellanger were all massive overachievers this season. Khadime may find his way back in the starting lineup next year - I wasn't impressed with Jeremie Jeanne and want to try Francois Rio out on the left wing. While we could probably use some more authentic talent on MR, we can continue riding the overachievers if need be.

Karl Sorin will get to move to DM full-time next year (barring injuries of course), so I'm excited to see what he does there, though I really liked what I saw out of Ibrahime Sylla after the deadline pickup. Nicolas may beat him out for the backup DM spot next year, however.



Remember how much I raved about Emilien Fransquet when we got him? 9 goals, 9 assists, 4 PotM in 10 matches shows I was right to be ecstatic about how he'd play for us. Mickael Bernardo banged in goals, and Robin Lemonnier received a lot of fan love. 22/23/19 - that's a young trio we can build around for a while if they don't get stolen. We're really deep at striker overall.

Khadime wins Fans Player of the Year with 36%, followed by Luidgi Hoareau (27%), and Luigi Bellanger (26%).

I decide I don't want to fuck around with international management, and resign the Portugal U23s position.

We have to pay $30k in taxes based on our $90.9k profit last season, which is pretty much bullshit.

Ibrahime Sylla is now officially a French citizen, and Julien Carment retires as a 19 Attacking coach!!! I really want to sign him, but don't want to change my staff. It takes me hours (read: 4 exchanges) before I finally come up with the argument that allows me to bring in another coach.



In addition to being an Attacking coaching god, our former left midfielder also has scouting knowledge of Gibraltar - another reason I wanted to bring him on the staff. He's also better at coaching Fitness than anyone else. End result, we now have 2* in everything but the GK spots after assignments are reshuffled.

Nicolas de Fuisseaux also retires, but I've no interest in hiring him. Mickael Nicolo retires from professional soccer, but still suits up as semipro.

As a result of our promotion, we don't play in the Coupe Atlantique until the Second Round.

We're one of three teams with 1:10 promotion odds in the Division Regionale Honneur Atlantique Group C division and are projected to finish 3rd in the 10 team league - which sucks, because 1st and 2nd earn promotion spots. 9th and 10th relegate.

Transfer In - DC/R Samuel Asama (16) (From US Bazouges)
Born in Ghana, but a French national. Low-level prospect with 18 Bravery, 15 Determination, 17 Teamwork, 13 Work Rate, and 12 Jumping Reach. Will start off in the reserves and see if he pans out to a rotational player.

Transfer In - DR/C Nicolas Gentilleau (32) (From Intepride Angers)
10 Marking, 13 Tackling, 11 Anticipation, 15 Teamwork, 12 Heading, 12 Jumping Reach, 14 Strength. Starred for a club at this level the last several years, so getting him was a real coup. Inordinately better as a DR, so he'll play there for us exclusively. Something about defenders named Nicolas we keep getting.

Transfer In - ST Cyrille Allard (16) (From Elan de Gorges)
On paper, he should be better than Mickael Bernardo even right now, but he needs to refine his Advanced Forward skills. 13 Finishing, 11 First Touch, 14 Heading, 11 Anticipation, 16 Flair, and great physical attributes - except for Acceleration, Agility, and Stamina. I see a future star in him, though it may not come this season. Exciting pickup, even though he was terrible his debut with a regional division club.

Transfer In - GK Guillamue Noel (16) (From Limoges Football Club)
Very raw prospect, but he could end up better than Mickael Nicolo. 10 Command of Area, 11 Handling, 10 Decisions. Because of his notable upside and 5* silver rating, I'll make him the #2 goalie behind Nicolo. Could end up taking over at some point this year.

Nicolas Gentilleau and Francois Rio are named Captain and Vice-Captain for the season. Khadime is pissed, but most people either don't care, or are happy about the arrangement.

Transfer In - DCLR Alex Petro (24) (From Vannes OC)
Say goodbye to Erwin Abdellaoui as our 3 position backline reserve. 11 Marking, 12 Decisions, 10 Composure, 15 Teamwork, 11 Work Rate, 12 Acceleration, 12 Pace. Really needs to work on his Crossing, but he's got great upside by my assman's lights.

The board wants a top half finish in the league, a return to the Eighth Round of the French Cup (Yeah, okay), and a Quarterfinal appearance in the Coupe Atlantique. I think they're nuts for wanting another deep French Cup run, but the rest of this is certainly doable, and I think we'll be in the league title conversation.
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Old 11-02-2017, 02:56 AM   #21
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
We sell 25 season tickets, matching last year's total.

Code:
Season Ticket Sales: Unchanged Bank Balance: $84,723 Reputation: Oscure All basic or poor stuff Stadium capacity: 500 Media Prediction: 8th, not 3rd originally as I thought My reputation: 5%, and somehow I have 80% knowledge of Portugal - no idea how that occurred

Teams are sniffing around my reserves of all players, which is kind of interesting. The preseason profile cites Emilien Fransquet and Jordane Orain as our two most critical players. That's an assessment I think is spot on.

Transfer Out - DLR Clement Benhaddouche (20) (To Association Sportive de la Maine)
He was a decent player for us in the early going last year, but by the end of the season was an afterthought. Good situation for him, going back down to the PDH level, where he can be a starter for a recently promoted team.

Speaking of Jordane Orain, he gets a bump in in ability to 4.5*, whereas Robin Lemonnier is dinged in potential.

vs ESOF Vendee Roche-Sur-Yon (Coupe Atlantique Second Round)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Khadime/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Emilien Fransquet

We're getting very close to the point where we'll go with the prospect at GK. Mickael Nicolo drops further still. Killian Rault keeps complaining about training, so he may get jettisoned before too long.

10 - A questionable PK in our favor sees Fransquet convert with ease for our first official score of the season. 1-0

15 - Hoareau's skip cross pass finds Rio completely alone in the box. At first, I think it's a shanked shot, but it's actually a cross to a zooming Fransquet, and our Belgian superstar striker sizzles the score home! 2-0

23 - That looked offsides to me. 2-1

30 - Lemonnier literally dribbles circles around the defense en route to just outside the half circle, whereupon he cracks a long range grounder that rolls in! Holy shit! 3-1

46 - Amazing positioning by Khadime to intercept a corner kick (He's starting because Jeremie Jeanne is serving a yellows suspension, BTW). He longs it to Allard, our 16 year old newest striker booming it down the left flank ahead of Rio. Run into the box, and cross to Fransquet, who has everyone beat by like 9,000 steps, and there's the first half hat trick!!!!!!!!!! 4-1

57 - Sorin intercepts a clearance and first touch wing out to Rio. Center to Fransquet, and there's goal #4 for my favorite player on the whole team. 5-1

Everyone had at least a 7.1 or better, and after Mickael Nicolo's 7.1, the next lowest was a 7.3. Sheer dominance. Our 8+ guys were Francois Rio (8.9), Robin Lemonnier (9.0), and PotM Emilien Fransquet (9.6).

The rout is even more impressive because we beat a DSR team that finished 5th in their league last season, so these guys were no pushovers by any means.

Khadime's #7 jersey may be the best selling one after last season, but Emilien Fransquet's #38 should shoot up the charts. The kid's been absolutely incredible - consistently dominant on a level I've never seen.
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Old 11-02-2017, 07:38 AM   #22
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Transfer In - MR Nicolas Tchoumi - 29
As great as Luidgi Hoareau has been, an upgrade on the right wing was always a possibility. Enter Tchoumi of the 10 Crossing, 14 Teamwork, 10 Work Rate, 10 Acceleration, and 12 Pace. He'll allow us to shift Hoareau back inside and is the type of small deadline pickup who will pay off significant dividends.

$2.32k loss first month, $1.98k this past month. We're just not getting the matches in we need to in order to make money.

@ Flocellire Chamon Sevre
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau/Nicolas Tchoumi
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Emilien Fransquet

2 - Hoareau to Allard for the split defenders pass to Fransquet in the box. He's hammered, but there's no PK whistle. The ball rolls to the net, and Tchoumi darts forward to pocket the debut goal!!! 1-0

29 - Nicolo's agility is in the tank, so no wonder he couldn't stop that 30 yarder. 1-1

60 - Bernardo for Fransquet; Petro for Orain, but before that happens, Hoareau gets his own cleared corner and sends it back in, with Orain powering the go-ahead header in! 2-1

62 - Allard's shot.. blocked by the defender. Lemonnier is right there and hits it... pushed away by the keeper. Fresh legs Bernardo surges and snipes in the third attempt! 3-1

Everyone except Killian Rault on the field had a 7.0 or better at game's end, but except for Luidgi Hoareau's 7.7 and Nicolas Tchoumi's 7.6, no one stood out as such. A match we didn't play nearly as well as I think we could have, but a win is a win is a win.

vs USLD Chapelle Basse Mer (7th)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau/Nicolas Tchoumi
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Emilien Fransquet

7 - Brilliant interception by Rio on the throw-in, and he plays off to Hoareau before running down the left flank to catch the return high ball. He races into the box, and crosses to Fransquet, the Belgian banging in the header. 1-0

11 - Rio tracks down a pass and circles around before crossing to Tchoumi. Quick, short dumpoff to Fransquet sees the shot deflected, but he sinks his own rebound after a crossing pattern with Tchoumi for his second goal!!! 2-0

21 - Hoareau to Lemonnier to Fransquet, and he drops a pass off into box space, where Tchoumi runs forward to pop in his second goal in as many games. He does a cartwheel in celebration, and I'm just sitting here like WTF is going on with this sudden explosion of right wing scoring. 3-0

29 - Another intercepted throw-in, and here's Tchoumi at the end, running through the defense like they're not there. Pass into the box, and Fransquet strikes a sizzling diagonal for his hat trick in under 30 minutes!!!! 4-0

38 - First defensive lapse we've had all game. 4-1

65 - Nicolas on for tired Sorin; Rio in at CM, and Bellanger pulls off his jersey to come in at ML.

75 - Lemonnier plays out to Bellanger, and our Italian-French winger's shot cracks off the post. The ball's sitting there, and as the opposing keeper is getting up, Allard races up and walks in his first ever Roses goal! Sure, it's a cheap way to get it, but the kid's been playing great even without scoring, and has been unlucky with a couple shots. 5-1

84 - Nicolas lateral to Rio for the pass into the box to Fransquet, and that's 8 goals for the season already for our Belgian stud striker. 6-1



Absolutely beauty. Luigi Bellanger had a 7.1 off the bench as well, by the way.
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Old 11-03-2017, 02:50 AM   #23
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
@ US Mouilleronnaise (2nd)
G: Guilleaume Noel
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Nicolas/Alex Petro
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Thomas Souvemanien/Khadime/Luigi Bellanger
AMC: Maxime Batel
S: Mickael Bernardo

Yes, this is a critical early season matchup. So why am I putting in a B squad lineup that's a throwback to last year? Because A) it's only been 3 days since our last game, and B) we've a French Cup game in another 3 days. So I'm willing to gamble in order to try and get that trophy cash.

17 - Long range shot. It happens. 0-1

32 - WTF?! 0-2

55 - Khadime slides down to DM, Michel gets his debut at MC. Pishvaie replaces Jeanne at ML

65 - Awesome. Souvemanien is forced out with injury, so Batel moves to MC and Aoudia is the new AMC.

And so we suffer our first league loss in this universe. Here's the thing, though. We didn't play badly. We just got beat by a couple fluke long range balls and couldn't get our own luck on the other end.

Thomas Souvemanien is out 2-3 months. Eh, whatevs.

We sign a MR upgrade to go through on December 30th the next day. He was supposed to be our Joker transfer, but the club screwed us over by cutting him before the signing went through. Fuck you, certain club in the CFA.

@ Cote Des Blancs (French Cup Fourth Round)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau/Nicolas Tchoumi
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Emilien Fransquet

13 - Lemonnier's pass to Allard is a little long, and the defense intercepts. Allard steals it right back and feeds to Fransquet prior to running the box. The Belgian delivers to the teenager in open box space, and the conversion is easy 1-0

14 - On the ensuing kickoff, they send it back to the defense, and Allard rushes in to nip it. He shake and bakes a dribble down the pitch, then plays into the box ahead of Fransquet, and our powerhouse striker duo continues to get it done 2-0

31 - Nicolo sends the booming goal kick to Tchoumi on the right flank. He cuts inside, then short laterals to Lemonnier for the first touch out to Rio. Dribble into the box, and what was intended to be a cross to flying Allard instead accidentally bounces off the post and in for his first Roses goal!!! 3-0

47 - Rault rockets a free kick into the box from the left flank, and Fransquet steps forward, rises up, and smashes the header in. 4-0

60 - Petro for Orain; Bellanger for Rio as we sit a couple tired guys.

86 - Sorin dribbles uncontested down the middle of the pitch, and his pop ball evades the head of the defender, bouncing into the box. Fransquet is there to get his track, and 11th goal of the year!!!! 5-0

Every starter who went box to wire had 7.1 or better, with the second lowest.. oh hell, I'll just post the box score. Both subs had a 6.9, but the game was already over then.



$5.35k in the bank, which ensures we've got a healthy profit for the season so far, despite our initial setbacks per month.

vs Olympique Saumur FC Reserves (3rd)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau/Nicolas Tchoumi
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Emilien Fransquet

This is our very first sellout game in this universe. All 500 seats are expected to have butts in them. We're in 4th place at the moment, so a victory here is absolutely critical. Note: The 2nd place team has one more game played than both of us, so this is the makeup.

20 - Oh, fuck! It's a playable injury, but Fransquet is hurt!

46 - Fransquet runs down the long ball on the right flank outside the box and holds up play. Then he crosses, and Allard knocks in the header just before the halftime whistle.1-0

62 - Gentilleau moves inside to DC, with Petro taking over at DR, and Bernardo replaces Fransquet up front.

81 - Stellar takeaway by Sorin to save a goal. He backfoots the lateral to Gentilleau, who hammers the fuck out of the ball downfield, where Bernardo's fresh legs juke the defender. Our Portuguese-French striker dribbles down the left flank and parks outside the box. Two defenders converge, and he kicks it back and in to the box, where a charging Lemonnier blows the insurance goal right past the outcoming keeper!! 2-0

89 - Tchoumi catches the wingout and his pass into the box forces Allard to backtrack to snag it. Short forward pass to Rio, and it's another goal in the closing minutes!!! 3-0

We were meh most of the game, and it's the last 10 minutes that turned this into everyone with 7.0 or higher. Luidgi Hoareau (7.7), Francois Rio (7.9), Cyrille Allard (8.4), and PotM Robin Lemonnier (8.5) carried us in this crucial victory - even though only two guys paid attention to what I said in the post game talk.

The win puts us back in a tie for 1st place, with GD giving us the tiebreaker.

Emilien Fransquet is out 9-12 days, meaning he'll miss at least our next match. Could have been a lot worse, but it's still terribly disappointing to see our Belgian superstar sit.
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Old 11-04-2017, 03:23 AM   #24
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
vs Chemille Melay Olympique (9th)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau/Nicolas Tchoumi
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Mickael Bernardo

5 - I stupidly forgot to check the energy levels so we have some guys starting below 90%. Grr. Anyway, Hoareau shorts it to Sorin for the continued lateral progression to Lemonnier. Layoff to Bernardo, and there's the score. 1-0

20 - And off goes Tchoumi with injury. Bellanger in

We should be up by like 4 at half, but we keep blowing easy shots. At the break, Bellanger moves to ML, Hoareau shifts to MR, and Sylla comes on as the MC.

50 - Now it's Bellanger that goes off injured, so we switch to a narrow formation with 3 central midfielders, bringing in Hoareau, dropping Lemonnier down, and bringing Aoudia in as AMC, burning our last sub with 40 minutes to go. Bullshit is bullshit.

64 - Bernardo plays to Aoudia, who drifts right before banging the ground pass in front of Allard. Our teen sensation dashes into the box and slams home the insurance goal amongst screams of offsides that are totally fake news 2-0

72 - Horrible defending on the corner kick by Orain. Not used to seeing those lapses from him. 2-1

We grind out the win, and only Jordane Orain has less than 7 of the guys left on the field as the whistle blew. Luidgi Hoareau's 7.5 was PotM, which goes to show what a gritty fight this was.

It gets worse: 1) [b]Luigi Bellanger[/b is out 2 months; 2) Nicholas Tchoumi is gone for a month; and 3) I miscalculated when the next match was - 3 days from now, and of course it's a French Cup game. Oh, and 4) Nicolas Gentilleau picks up a one match ban due to yellows. ...Mickael Nicolo loses another half-star in ability. FML.

Now if only the two midfielders I've signed didn't have to wait until January to come through. *sigh*.

@ Essor Melda (French Cup Fifth Round)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Erwin Abdellaoui/Nicolas/Alex Petro
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Francois Rio/Khadime/Jeremie Jeanne
AMC: Maxime Batel
S: Richard Aoudia/Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali

...Yeah. I'll be stunned if we pull off an upset here.

2 - Rio is flattened in the box, and I suddenly remember none of our set PK takers are in. No problem for Ibrahim-Ouali though, in his first action this season. 1-0

34 - When you allow them three straight shots on the same possession, you're going to let one in 1-1

38 - The defense is clustered around Sylla on the left side, so he lays off to Batel. Too late, the opponents shift gears, the pass already on to Jeanne for the perfectly placed shot in the upper corner of the net! 2-1

42 - Playable injury to Nicolas. Bleh.

At half, Khadime drops to DM and a tired Hoareau steps in at

52 - Khadime out to Jeanne on the right wing. He centers to Batel, whose shot is deflected, but Ibrahim-Ouali stealth sneaks in and fires in the rebound for his second score! 3-1

56 - I'm going to hit the gamble button, sending Delmaire out for Nicolas and Pishvaie for Rio

57 - Not 10 seconds into the game, Delmaire gets hit with a PK, and they convert. FML. 3-2

73 - Hoareau has been his usual legendary self in this one, covering up for other people's fuckups. He gets the ball here, laying out to Jeanne for the fire shot down the flank ahead of Ibrahim-Ouali. The center to Aoudia and he rises above two defenders to smash in the insurance! Richard has been shit all game prior to this (6.3), but greater needs kept him in. 4-2

Everyone in the starting lineup except Nicolas had a 7 or better, whether they were subbed for or went full time. PotM is Maxime Batel with an unsung 9.0, Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali with an out of nowhere 8.7, and Jeremie Jeanne pulling out a 7.9 as the third star and continuing our tradition of uncomfortable right wingers playing way above expectations.

$10.71k for that victory, putting us a lousy $201 shy of $100k. Boo.
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Old 11-04-2017, 09:50 PM   #25
Greyfriars Bobby
College Prospect
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
It looks like you're off to quite a start here, Izulde. Here's hoping the Roses keep smelling sweet.

Your thread inspired me to try something different. Lately, I've been managing in England almost exclusively. I decided to try the German lower leagues this time. So, thank you for the inspiration.
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Old 11-09-2017, 02:58 AM   #26
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greyfriars Bobby View Post
It looks like you're off to quite a start here, Izulde. Here's hoping the Roses keep smelling sweet.

Your thread inspired me to try something different. Lately, I've been managing in England almost exclusively. I decided to try the German lower leagues this time. So, thank you for the inspiration.

Thanks. And yeah, England gets a bit rinse, repeat after a while, so I really wanted to try something off the beaten path. France is proving a great choice so far - just hope I can keep this run going.

@ Nort-sur-Erdre AC (7th)
G: Guillaume Noel
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau/Jeremie Jeanne
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Mickael Bernardo

Third straight game on short rest, so I want to give Noel another crack at starting with our top lineup (not counting injuries/fatigue).

18 - Forceful interception of a clearance by Sorin, who dribbles down the right flank before sending into the box. Allard smashes in a long-range header that has everyone freaking out. 1-0

27 - Jeanne continues his stellar play at MR, blasting one down the pitch ahead of Bernardo. Straight line dribble, and our 30+ goals striker last season hits a bomb from just outside the box that burns the net with its savage fire. 2-0

57 - Tired backline coughs this one up. Gentilleau moves in to DC and Petro at DR. Hoareau goes the other way, sliding out to MR and Batel coming in as MC. 2-1

69 - Well, shit. Sorin sent off with a double yellow. That's going to hurt.

75 - Allard plays it out to Rio for the dribble to the box line. Then, all of a sudden, he launches a high cross that connects with completely forgotten about Hoareau, who walks in the insurance for his first score of the season!!! Wow!!! Holy crap, somebody screwed up their defensive assignment there! 3-1

80 - They've had a lot of clean looks, especially since Rault has been shit the whole second look, and convert one here. I decide to go dangerous, moving Petro to DL and going asymmetrical, putting Sylla in as DM. That leaves a hole on the right side, but it's the left side they've been killing us from. 3-2

90 - Ugh!! Right at the very end! 3-3

Down a man or no, giving up two goals in 20 minutes against this weak a team - there's no excuse for that. Wide open door for us to lose 1st place now.

@ ES Boulazac (Coupe de Atlantique 32e de Finale)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Francois Rio/Khadime/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Emilien Fransquet

Another half-star drop for Mickael Nicolo, now at 1.5 stars. I'm not comfortable enough with Guillaume Noel yet to give him the full-time gig, however.

32 - Khadime to Lemonnier for the box feed to Allard, and the kick is good. We should be up by far more than this, but our finishing has been mostly trash. 1-0

42 - Defense steals the ball from Hoareau in the box on the touchline. Our first star player takes it right back and kicks back to Fransquet. The shot is blocked by a defender, and the ball rolls right towards two other defenders. But there's a gap, and Fransquet takes advantage to dart in and pop the rebound. 2-0

55 - Jeanne jogs on for Rio; Gentilleau shifts to DC with Petro at DR

82 - Gentilleau saved a certain goal there.

85 - What the fuck is it with my DMs all of a sudden get double yellows?! Sylla is next in the taking a bath category. Khadime drops to DM, because I don't give a shit if we open up space in the middle of the park with a two goal lead.

Lots of low 7s, with the only 7.5+ guys Luidgi Hoareau (7.5) and PotM Robin Lemonnier, who would have had even higher than an 8.3 if he didn't take so many stupid long range shots. Jeremie Jeanne posted a 7.0 off the bench.

Ibrahime Sylla and Killian Rault are both sitting out next game due to disciplinary stuff.

We sign a couple more central midfielders, meaning we're going to be overloaded at the position come the transfer deadline. Oh, and a third one who for some reason was able to sign right away?!

Transfer in - MC Gaelig Vieren (28)
12 First Touch and Marking, 10 Off The Ball, 15 Teamwork and Work Rate, and just 2 Physical attributes below 10! He played at this level last season for CFA 2 side FC Challans's reserves team, and was an excellent player (6.91 average rating). He shoots to the top of our MC depth chart, but that will change once all the other guys come in. Not a candidate to train any other positions.

vs Entente UGA Ardziv (French Cup Sixth Round)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Alex Petro/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Gaelig Vieren/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Emilien Fransquet

These guys are three levels ahead of us, and the betting favors them heavily, even if the experts are picking us. So... not sure what to think.

27 - Fransquet got nicked up a few minutes ago again, but it's a playable injury. He takes in a long ball into the box here, and is immediately double-teamed. Bad thing to do when we have flying teenager Allard racing in unchecked for the ensuing layoff and easy score. 1-0

64 - I'm tired of watching Lemonnier play like shit, so he's yanked for Batel. Also playing badly is Gentilleau, who sits in favor of Abdellaoui and a FB switch.

Solid all-around team performance, headlined by Luidgi Hoareau's 8.3 PotM showing, 8.1 from Cyrille Allard, an impressive 7.9 debut by Gaelig Vieren, and 7.7 from oft-injured this year Emilien Fransquet.

Horrible news. We lose Emilien Fransquet for 3-4 weeks! Crushing blow. Also out is Karl Sorin for yellows accumulation.

$16.07k in the bank for the win. The postgame press conference largely centers on Luidgi Hoareau and the growing speculation that some semipro club out there is going to offer him a fat contract to come play for them.

@ AS St Hilaire Vihiers (11th)
G: Guillaume Noel
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Richard Aoudia/Mickael Bernardo

We dropped to 2nd after the game in hand was played. Short turnaround, so it's time to see if Noel can finally get a league win in the nets.

19 - Aoudia wings out to Jeanne on the left wing for the cross, and Hoareau rises to hammer the diagonal header into the opposite corner of the net. 1-0

25 - Sigh. Nicolo would have stopped that shot. It's increasingly clear Noel will never be the answer 1-1

38 - How the FUCK do you blow that sitter, Bernardo?!

I read the team the riot act at halftime.

51 - Petro comes in for Orain, who is wiped.

56 - Bernardo continues to be a giant bag of suck, so off he goes for Allard

"He'll kick himself for missing that."

"He'll kick himself for missing that."

"He'll kick himself for missing that."

Fucking unreal.

And the third place team has a game in hand that can knock us out of the promotion spots.

Transfer In - GK Flo Gislette (21)
He finally comes back home from England. The fans are excited about him, but my coaching staff is like eh, no. He's also whining about the team training workload, so this wasn't a pickup worth it IMO. Still, I had to try.

vs Vieillevigne/Planche (6th)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Khadime/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Mickael Bernardo

Lot of guys tired from the U18 match a few days ago, so I'm not feeling too good about this one overall.

3 - Khadime to Bernardo to Lemonnier straight line, and our young AMC's curve shot just barely hooks into the net 1-0

51 - Tchoumi is tired, but he'll get his first game action back anyway because of how bad Hoareau has been. Also tired Aoudia slots in for equally shitty Allard

67 - Our poor keeping situation is really coming home to roost 1-1

92 - Beautiful blast by Bernardo downfield just ahead of Aoudia. Two defenders are on him, but he laterals to wide open Lemonnier for his second goal of the game!!!! 2-1

A tie would have been a shame, because we played strongly overall, even given just two highlight players: Jordane Orain with 7.5, and PotM Robin Lemonnier with 9.0.

The win temporarily puts into 1st place, but 2nd place now has a game in hand, 3rd place has 2 matches of catch up.

Transfer In - DM/MC Jocelyn Kola (22) (French-Central African)
Ligue 2 product, and I'm just going to leave this screenshot here:


I get the same tingly superstar feeling from him that I did from Emilien Fransquet, and I believe young Mr. Kola (born in France to CA parents and declared for his ancestral homeland) has the ability to play literally everywhere on the pitch - except GK of course. I'll start him off getting DR and MR up to Accomplished speed, then commence having him learn new positions.
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Last edited by Izulde : 11-09-2017 at 02:58 AM.
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Old 11-10-2017, 01:51 AM   #27
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Transfer In - GK Theo Guerin (19)
BAM!!!! 10 Handling, 11 Kicking, 11 Reflexes, 11 Decisions, and 15 Agility!!!!! I'm geeking out right now over this kid. We were *very* lucky he was just sitting out there on the street, rather than still with CFA side Vendee Fontenay Football, where he was a youth pull. 6.42 as the full-time starter for the B side 3 flights up, but the drop down should help. At 3.5*/4 by the initial scouting, the teenager could well be a long-term fixture in goal. Ironically, "His strongest attribute is shot stopping" and "His shot stopping could do with some additional work". Uh, okay.

vs Grand-Quevilly FC (French Cup Seventh Round)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Killian Rault/Nicolas/Karl Sorin
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Francois Rio/Gaelig Vieren/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Cyrille Allard/Richard Aoudia

These guys are three levels up, but they don't scare me very much. Oddsmakers think this is going to be a cakewalk, and so do the experts. They're almost certain to drop down by the end of the year.

In the tunnel before the game, a reporter asks why Jordane Orain is out. Tiredness, duh. Then the fucker actually asks why Nicolas. Um, because he's our second best DC?

31 - They've outplayed us most of the first half in terms of creating chances, but Allard runs down a gorgeous ball on the left flank and makes like he's crossing to Aoudia. What he's actually doing is centering to Lemonnier for our suddenly AMC's header into the net. 1-0

36 - Sorin throws into Hoareau, who laughs at the defenders crowding him and moonshots it down the right flank to racing Lemonnier. Center to Allard, a half-step ahead of the defense for the return favor score. 2-0

55 - Lemonnier is tiring and just picked up a yellow, so Batel takes his place. Rault slides up to ML for I think the first time with us, and Petro slips in at DL.

[]b76[/b] - Vieren shags the longball ahead of Allard in the box. Two defenders on him, and our youngest player jukes the right most guy, cracking a shot I think is high, but the mid-range blast stays down and in!!! 3-0

78 - Rault throws into Sorin on the right sideline. The ball back is into space, and Rault has it on the far right flank. Center cross, and Allard hits the hat-trick short shot like it's nothing for his 10th goal of the season!!! 4-0

83 - Rault with the free kick outside the box, and he wedges it into Hoareau for the half-ass kick in traffic. Help from the post, and the pile-on continues. 5-0



Absolute brilliance. By the way, don't let Richard Auodia's 7.1 rating fool you - he was 6.2 for much of the game, and finding a better third striker is on my wishlist. He's been a disappointment overall since he's been here - bar a few clutch moments, and Mickael Bernardo hasn't looked the same at all since losing his starting job to Cyrille Allard at the beginning of the season.

$21.42k in the bank as we officially meet expectations and clinch a return to at least where we were last season. That raises our monthly profit for the end of October to $44.67k, but my job security has dropped from Untouchable to Very Secure because of our potential falling out of the promotion spots once games are made up.

Transfer In - ST Ibrahima Kouyate (22) (Guinean)
One of the few guys not born in France, he looks great technically - 11 Dribbling, 12 Finishing, 12 First Touch, 12 Heading. Also has 12 Composure, 11 Decisions, 15 Determination, 11 Off the Ball, Teamwork, and Work Rate, 11 Balance, and 12 Pace. Just skilled all around and 3.5/4*. Instantly our second best striker behind Emilien Fransquet, which I didn't anticipate when I signed up.

Transfer In - ST Elias Uzamukundu (25) (Rwandan)
He's not blessed with the eye-popping technical ability of our other strikers, but his mental game is godly - 10 Anticipation, 12 Concentration, 13 Decisions, 14 Determination, 11 Flair, 16 Teamwork, 15 Work Rate. Add in 12 Acceleration, 10 Pace, and 11 Stamina, and you have the perfect Defensive Forward. He rates just a hair above Kouyate, and all of a sudden, our #3 and #4 strikers form a powerhouse duo up front all by themselves. Oh, and he's a current player for Rwanda's national team, with 4 goals in 16 caps - the first signing to presently be on a national side.

vs Geneston A.S. Sud Loire Reserves (4th)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Karl Sorin
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Francois Rio/Gaelig Vieren/Nicolas Tchoumi
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Emilien Fransquet/Ibrahima Kouyate

5 - Sorin uses his speed to beat his opponent in the race to the ball and pops it up to Tchoumi for the header into the box. Kouyate uses his own head to knock the ball down before him, then dribbles forth and lofts a diagonal into the net for the debut goal!!! 1-0

8 - Kouyate has three defenders surrounding him, so he kicks back to Vieren for the dribble and pass forward to Rio just outside the box. The first touch shot sizzles home, and we're on fire as our two midfielders hug. 2-0

24 - Sloppy defense by Sorin leaves a man wide open. 2-1

51 - Petro replaces ineffectual Sorin; Fransquet gets his first action as Shadow Striker, replacing equally bad Lemonnier, and Allard comes in at striker. Our Rwandan guy is out on international duty.

60 - Lucky offsides call there to take back a goal.

62 - On the ensuing goal kick, Guerin blasts it down the right side to Tchoumi, who pushes off to the sideline and powers the high shot into the box in front of Allard. The teenager is just barely onsides, beating the defense for the easy insurance score. 3-1

68 - Kola is knocked, but can finish the game.

[b]79[/b - Allard has two defenders on him, but he trails left outside the box to distance, then hits a short one to Tchoumi for the first touch give into the box, whereupon Kouyate slams in his second goal of the game. 4-1

86 - Guerin should have been able to stop that long bomb 4-2

Overall, strong outing from the squad, though it looked a bit touch and go there. The 8+ guys are Gaelig Vieren (8.0), Francois Rio (8.7), and a debut PotM by Ibrahima Kouyate (8.8)! Props to Cyrille Allard for his 7.2 off the bench.

Jocelyn Kola is out a month, which is dispiriting. But we got the critical win for upper half positioning by taking this game.

Transfer In - AMC/ST Giovanni Michel (22)
We keep finding guys on the street who blow most of our current players out of the water. Enter 4* Michel, who was great as a rotational starter for CFA club AGL Drapeau Fougeres last year. 10 Finishing, 11 First Touch, 11 Passing, 10 Technique, 11 Composure, 13 Determination, 15 Teamwork, 11 Vision, 12 Work Rate, and 12 Acceleration, Agility, and Pace. Finally, inconsistent Robin Lemonnier, who I've never liked as much as everyone else does, gets moved to a reserve role.

Transfer In - AMC/MC Madibidi Mayala (29) (Congolese)
The veteran is even better than Michel overall by our scouts - 10 First Touch, 12 Technique, 12 Composure, 13 Decisions, 10 Off The Ball, 11 Flair, Vision and Work Rate, 13 Acceleration, 11 Agility, 13 Pace, and 12 Stamina. I could see him as a MR guy, too, if he's willing to learn a new position at this stage of his career.

vs Saint-Sebastien/Loire (French Cup Eighth Round)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Alex Petro/Nicolas/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahim Sylla
M: Killlian Rault/Madibidi Mayala/Luidigi Hoareau
AMC: Giovanni Michel
S: Cyrille Allard/Ibrahima Kouyate

We beat these guys last season in a cup game at some point - don't remember which one - and we're way stronger than they are now, even though we're both playing on the same level. I'll be ticked if we don't advance here, even with having to juggle stuff for energy reasons.

The press questions my decision to sit tired Fransquet. Go fuck yourselves.

5 - Beautiful high rise knock down header by Michel over to two defenders to Kouyate for the pass into the box. Ball sits there, and Allard runs past everyone to nip in the goal. 1-0

23 - Rault makes the defense chase him as he runs to the left, opening up space for the toss back to Michel. The younger of the two AMCs strides forward and blasts in a 20 yarder from just out the half-circle for his debut score! 2-0

28 - Another game, another injury - this time to Allard. Good thing we brought in a pair of exceptional strikers.

62 - Michel moves up to AF, taking out tired, injured Allard, who blew an easy shot. Lemonnier takes over as the SS. Meanwhile, Jeanne jogs on for tired Rio.

88 - Guerin literally dropped the ball, and three of their dudes rushed in, with no defenders helping. 2-1

We also proceeded to shank three very easy shots down the stretch, and I'm tempted to tell them off for slacking off in the second half, but don't. 7.5 for Killian Rault, 7.6 for Luidgi Hoareau, and 8.2 PotM debut for Giovanni Michel as we played solidly all around, but really should have blown them off the pitch.

Cyrille Allard is out a month as I feared. $26.78k in the bank for the win, which is nice at least. Alex Petro, who has been a surprisingly valuable backline rotational player this year, will miss the next match due to yellows.

We signed another dude, but I'll save that for next post. Massive upgrade at our weakest position, but lower wattage than the deluge of dudes we've brought in.
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Old 11-14-2017, 08:52 PM   #28
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Transfer In - MR/AMR Thibault Rambaud (19)
12 Crossing and First Touch, 11 Technique, 13 Teamwork, 11 Work Rate, 12 Acceleration and Pace, with the lowest physical Attribute 8, and just 2 Physicals below 10. 3*/3*, but blows Nicolas Tchoumi and Luidgi Hoareau out of the water at MR. 7.21 for a reserve team at the lowest level last season.

We're now 3* everywhere in the starting lineup except for ML, where Francois Rio is 2*, and MC, where Jocelyn Kola and Gaelig Vieren are both 2.5*. Needless to say, we have an excellent squad right now. Our top player is still 4.5* Emilien Fransquet.

@ US Autonome Pouance (Coupe Atlantique Seizeme de Finale)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahim Sylla
M: Francois Rio/Madibidi Mayala/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Giovanni Michel
S: Emilien Fransquet/Elias Uzamukunda

3 - Guerin blasts the ball down the middle of the pitch to Fransquet in the box. Facing heavy pressure, he sends it out to the right flank for Rambaud's pick. Cross back into the box has an open shot for Mayala, but it's deflected. He tracks back, muscling past a defender to slot in his first Roses score! 1-0

24 - We've had two goals called back for offsides. Rambaud plays to Michel and into Fransquet in the box. Shot's deflected. Uzamukunda fires, a defender throws himself in front of that one. Charging is Mayala to drill in his second goal, a power diagonal. 2-0

56 - Fransquet centers it to Michel just outside the box, and he's immediately dispossessed. Mayala is there to play it into the box, and Uzamukunda, who has been playing with a 6.5 and whom I yelled at in the half, surges into space to strike the debut score! 3-0

59 - Nicolas goes in for tired Orain, Sorin slides up to DM, and Abdellaoui takes over at DR, resting tired Sylla.

72 - Great interception by Uzamukunda and cross to Rio. On to Fransquet who delivers it back out to Rio on the flank. Ball's stripped away, but Rio tracks down the loose possession and crosses far post to Rambaud. Keeper was focused on the left, so it's an open net right side debut goal for our new, young right winger! 4-0



More football majesty out there. We could have very easily won by 7 or 8 goals - that's how badly we obliterated them.

@ Vendee Fotenay Football 3 (6th)
G: Mickael Nicolo
D: Alex Petro/Nicolas/Nicolas Gentilleau
DM: Ibrahim Sylla
M: Jeremie Jeanne/Gaelig Vieren/Nicolas Tchoumi
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Ibrahima Kouyate/Elias Uzamukunda

So this right here is what our mostly B lineup looks like now. Powerful stuff indeed.

26 - We're getting badly outplayed here until a long ball finds Jeanne on the left wing. He centers to Uzamukunda, and the pressure from our Rwandan international striker causes the defender to get flustered and own goal. 1-0

32 - Tchoumi got robbed there. The ball broke the plane.

41 - Kouyate runs down a long ball and dribbles to the touch line, whereupon he kicks back to Jeanne in the box. Short high ball, and Uzamukunda smashes the header over the top of both the defender and the keeper! 2-0

46 - Vieren to Lemonnier and the ground pass rolls into the penalty box, where flying Uzamukunda drills in the fire-touched diagonal for his second score just before half. 3-0

48 - Kouyate wings it out left to Jeanne, and on the cross, an absolutely jaw-dropping sliding tackle goal by Uzamukunda shows his international worthiness and a hat trick!!! Funny thing is, before the last 5 minutes of the first half, I was going to yell at the team for not playing up to standards, but they turned it on in the closing minutes, and go on fire in the opening of the second 45. 4-0

77 - Amazing drifting left move by Nicolas to intercept a pass, and he boots it to Jeanne. Dribble down the left flank, and his intended moonshot into space turns into a fluke goal, as our mostly B lineup runs riot after a slow start. 5-0

90 - Should have lost the shutout there. Thanks, post!



The announcers gave us props for our second half elevation, as our B siders did pretty much whatever the fuck they wanted. Robin Lemonnier will miss the next match due to yellows and I don't even care.

Transfer In - DM Aissa Laidouni (20) (Tunisian)
Born in France, he came from Ligue 2 club Angers SCO and posted a 7.00 rating in CFA 2 with their reserve team last year. 13 Passing, 12 Tackling, 11 Technique, 10 Composure, 12 Vision, 10 Teamwork, 14 Work Rate, not a single Mental attribute less than 8, and solid all around Physical attributes. At 4.5*, this Tunisian-French kid with 5 U20 Tunisian caps is immediately one of our top two best players. Some work's been put in at having him learn DC and MC, and I'm going to flesh that out until he can play all 3. An absolute steal of a signing - one I'm thrilled to get.

Transfer In - DC Thomas Parada (20) (Serbian)
Repeat above info for Laidouni, only Ligue 2 club is Stade Lavallois. 6.83 as a starter for reserve CFA team. Born to a Serbian and a Portuguese, but of the three nations he's eligible for, he declared for Serbia, with 5 U21 caps. 13 Heading, 10 Marking, stellar Mental Attributes across the board, 15 Jumping, 14 Strength. I think he's even better than the 4* my staff gives him, and he could easily slot in as a DL once trained there.

vs FC Limonest Saint-Didier (French Cup Ninth Round)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Killian Rault/Thomas Parada/Karl Sorin
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Francois Rio/Madibidi Mayala/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Giovanni Michel
S: Emilien Fransquet/Ibrahima Kouyate

Rough draw here - they're the #1 team in the league two flights up and have a good shot at joining the CFA 2 next year. I didn't hold out much hope in the pre-match press conference of us escaping here, and the oddsmakers are betting heavy against us.

26 - We're outclassed here. 0-1

28 - Like, completely 0-2

51 - Sigh. Petro for Parada; Bernardo for Fransquet, even though this one's over already. 0-3

82 - Our defense has gotten the shit kicked out of it all night long 0-4

90 - As a crowning insult, Petro gives up a PK, Guerin blocks it, and they put away the rebound. 0-5

An absolute embarrassment, and I shredded the team in the locker room. Karl Sorin misses the next match with yellows. $14.46k for getting this far, and we have a long midseason break off to sit and think about what we did wrong.

Truth be told, we have a long way to go before getting to that level. Even our best players are merely good DSR quality. So while I fully expect to stampede over everyone else in the league and promote up, we'll probably be staying at DSR for at least a couple seasons.

$43.3k profit, and I'm back down to Very Secure. Our bank balance shows a little over $175k. We're the only team to have played 10 league games - everyone else is at 9. But no matter what happens with the makeups, we're a lock to still be in 1st place.

Transfer In - DR/WBR Oscar Olou (29) (Beninese)
11 Tackling, 12 Anticipation, 14 Teamwork, and not a single Physical attribute below 8, and just two below 11. 16 caps for Benin to boot, where he was born and trained. Long-time CFA player, who now drops several levels down, where he's a 4.5* guy. Huge get, and another big upgrade. Would like to see him be willing to fully complete MR and DM training too, if he's willing.

Transfer In - AMC/MC Thibault Candia (20)
He may only be only 5'3, but he's an excellent all-around midfielder. No true standout attributes, bar the 17 Natural Fitness and 13 Teamwork/Acceleration, but no real weaknesses either. Yet another AMC improvement - our third one this season. Former Ligue 1 prospect and 4*.

After the games in hand are played, we're a point up on 2nd, 4 points ahead of 3rd.

I'm actually not looking forward to the transfer window opening up. It'll put us at 50 registered players, maybe more, and we've made such major overhauls, that I'm likely going from excited about them to meh, whatever.
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Old 11-16-2017, 01:59 PM   #29
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Transfer In - MC/AMC/DM Enzo Lauzier (22)
Biggest talking point - he has 4* potential (2.5* now). 11 First Touch, 12 Passing, 10 Decisions, 10 Determination, 12 Work Rate, and every Physical attribute 7 or higher. Has 13 Leadership, too, so we could be looking at a future team captain if he develops. He'll concentrate exclusively at training MC, and become our starter there.

Transfer In - MC/DM Mathieu Billaud (29)
Won't play a minute for us unless there's numerous injuries.

Transfer In - MC/ML/DL Thomas Gerbault (19)
Interesting prospect who needs more training on his two left side positions. 13 First Touch, 10 Long Shots, 12 Marking, 10 Passing and Penalty Kicks, 14 Technique, 10 Composure, 14 Decisions, 13 Determination, 10 Flair and Off the Ball, 17! Teamwork, 14 Work Rate, 10 Stamina. Poor physically compared to a lot of guys, which puts a limit on his ceiling, but definitely someone who can work his way into the rotation.

Transfer In - MR/AMR Djibril Sagna (29) (Senegalese)
Our #2 MR on paper, but I just don't like him, looking at him.

Transfer Out - ST Marvin Masso (To US Saint-Philbert)
The 27 year old never played a game for us, so going back down to PH is the right career move for him.

vs Flocelliere Chamon Sevre (7th)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Killian Rault/Thomas Parada/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Francois Rio/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Thibault Candia
S: Emilien Fransquet/Elias Uzamukunda

63 - Kouyata for Fransquet; Kola for Laidouni in what has been an absolute shitfest.

Played well enough to win in the second half - just couldn't break through. Bad luck.

@ Orvault Sports Football (Coupe Atlantique Eighth Final)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Killian Rault/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Francois Rio/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Giovanni Michel
S: Emilien Fransquet/Elias Uzamukunda

12 - Holy shit, these guys are fast! They're outplaying us every which way, and break through here. 0-1

22 - Rambaud delivers the ball to Uzamukunda just before getting wrecked. Our Rwandan international beautifully rips a center cross between two defenders, and Fransquet walks it in. 1-1

28 - Can't compete with their speed. 1-2

46 - Hat trick given up before halftime 1-3

51 - Petro on for Olou, and we throw out a 2-5-1-2 2 DM setup, with Kola coming in as a Halfback and no DCs

54 - Fransquet passes to Uzamukunda in the box, where two defenders tag team to wipe him out. Fortunately, our Belgian was racing forward and slams the long strike to pull us back within in 1. 2-3

63 - And there goes our hopes. 2-4

65 - Or maybe not! Petro laterals to Kola for the box feed to Fransquet, and our Belgian gets his own hat trick!!! 3-4

67 - MOtherfucker$@!%@#$%!$%!%!@%$! 3-5

78 - Beacause why the fuck not?! 3-6

79 - kdfasldfjasldfhasoghaoghasdoghasg 3-7

81 - You're fucking kidding me, right? 3-8



Better yet? We drop to 2nd in the league. I'm not sure what the hell is going on with us these last couple games.
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Old 11-17-2017, 02:28 AM   #30
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Transfer Out - ST Emilien Fransquet - To Limoges Football Club - Backup
My heart just shattered. Our Belgian star can't resist the lure of playing for a CFA 2 team in a reduced role. They're a good club - 3rd in their division, but this is absolutely crushing a blow.

Robin Lemonnier is out 2 months with ligament injuries. Swell.

@ USLD Chapelle Basse Mer (4th)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Killian Rault/Thomas Parada/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Francois Rio/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Thibault Candia
S: Ibrahima Kouyate/Elias Uzamukunda

The pre-game presser keyed me in to a star striker on the other team who would immediately be our new best up front. We made him an offer to join us and made him Public Enemy #1 in our instructions.

13 - Laidouni soft laterals to Candia for the pass into the box, just ahead of Uzamukunda, and he blasts it in to hopefully snap the snide of these last three games. 1-0

27 - Candia takes the ball in the box and fires. Keeper drops the ball and it's just sitting there. Three defenders and playable injured Kouyate scramble for it, including the latter's slide tackle. Ball slow dribbles right, when running Rambaud snipes the walk-in score. 2-0

30 - Lauzier to Candia to Uzamukunda, but the ball's tackled away before the shot. Rambaud is there again and spears the mid-range with power for his second goal in 3 minutes, his third overall as a Rose. 3-0

35 - Rault fell asleep on that free kick. 3-1

50 - Petro replaces the aggravating Rault and Allard gets back in for the first time in a while for Kouyate

75 - Once again we fail on defense, though this time open field play. 3-2

80 - Trying out that 2-5-1-2 with 2 DM formations again, Kola coming as Halfback and Parada out.

We were carried by Aissa Laidouni (7.6), and 9.0 guys [b]Thibault Rambaud (PotM) and Thibault Candia. It was a narrow thing, but we pull back into 1st by a point and are now 7 points clear of 3rd as the other two teams in the Top 3 were forced to come from behind to salvage a draw.

Transfer In - ST Aymen Taider (Tunisian) (17) - From USLD Chapelle Basse Mer
The very day after we beat him, he joins with us. Mentally tough kid with 10 Dribbling, 11 First Touch, 15 Heading, 10 Anticipation, 15 Composure, 10 Decisions, 19 Determination!, 15 Teamwork, 10 Work Rate, 13 Acceleration, 11 Pace, Strength, and Flair. 2 U20 caps and goals for Tunisia already. 7 goals and 4 assists in the league this season, 2 of those dishes coming against us. Also had a goal, an assist, and a 8.4 rating in his lone Coupe Atlantique game. Loves our style of play. Doesn't have eye-popping Finishing, and is best suited to Defensive Forward, but we'll train him on his Advanced Forward skills. Oh, and with 9 Corners and 11 Free Kicks, he's our best guy in both those areas.

Transfer In - ML/AML Sebastien Le Neun (29) (From SC Malesherbes)
Had a sparkling 7.86 French Cup run over 7 games. 11 Technique, 14 Teamwork, 12 Work Rate, and strong all-around Physical attributes. A stopgap measure, sure, but I've been pretty disappointed with Francois Rio the last few games, and wanted to bring someone in to push him.

Transfer Out - MC/DM Khadime (24) - To FC Flers (Backup)
Took a higher level club's offer to be a Backup. The Fans Player of the Year our first season, he saw some starts early this campaign before quickly being superseded by a whole lot of guys. This one doesn't tear me up at all.

vs US Mouilleronnaise (3rd)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Thomas Gerbault/Thomas Parada/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Francois Rio/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Thibault Candia
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

These guys beat us at their place, so I really, really want a win here. Getting it is revenge and goes a long way to securing promotion. Killian Rault got hurt in training the day before the game and is out 3-4 weeks, so I decided to give Thomas Gerbault his debut with us to see how he does there. Aymen Taider gets Khadime's old #7, because I'm leaving Emilien Fransquet's #38 open.

17 - Absolute shit keeping by Guerin on that one. 0-1

29 - Lauzier slams the ball far left where Rio is all alone on the wing. Dribble once and the cross finds a flying Rambaud to power the goal in. 1-1

33 - Phenomenal job by Taider drawing the penalty when he's all alone in the box with five guys crowding him. Uzamukunda completely fakes the keeper out of his shorts and fires in the PK. 2-1

35 - Olou throws in to Rambaud and the return pass almost goes out of bounds at the touchline, but he gets there *just* in time, and crosses far side, where sneaky Rio has run sideways through the defense in great anticipation, making the score an easy open netter. 3-1

57 - Uzamukunda runs down a loose ball on the right side of the box and crosses over to Rio. Shot is deflected, but he gets the dribble back. Defense realizes too late he has it, and by the time the guy backtracks, Rio is already dumping it in the net. Guess he got fired up by our Le Neun signing. We try out the 2-5-1-2 with 2 DMs setup, Kola replacing Parada, and Petro subs in for Gerbault, as we try to keep the backline fresh. 4-1

58 - Petro throws the ball in, and when it gets to Candia, he fires a long ball at midfield. Ball bounces into the box, and defender faceplants trying to ream Uzamukunda. A second defender tries to race back, but our Rwandan National Team striker is already slotting it in by the time he gets there. 5-1

73 - Olou throws in to Lauzier and gets it back for the first touch cross intended for Taider. But our new teenage sensation doesn't go for the ball, because he reads the crazy bounce correctly as it laughably slow rolls into the corner of the net for Olou's first ever Roses goal! 6-1



Emphatic win to show that we're determined not to be here next year. That's two straight victories in the post-Emilien Fransquet era, and I'm starting to really consider running that crazy 2-5-1-2 with 2 DMs formation as one of our trained setups. It's allowed us to close out both the last two contests - one of which we were in danger of letting slip away, the other of which we added two more scores after that.
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Old 11-18-2017, 11:20 PM   #31
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
@ Olympique Saumur Reserves FC (2nd)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Thomas Gerbault/Thomas Parada/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Francois Rio/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Thibault Candia
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

With a 10 point lead on 3rd place, this critical matchup is really about positioning for 1st and 2nd in the league - these guys have 7 points on 3rd with 7 games to play, including this one. I fully expect both of us to be the ones going up, but I'd still like to get the victory here anyway so we don't lose our top place.

30 - We've been screwed by so many questionable offsides calls that have taken at least two goals back. This one is one you just can't stop. 0-1

40 - Lauzier lays it ahead for Rambaud's run into the box and the ensuing cross has Taider heading in his first ever Roses goal! 1-1

46 - Lauzier again, playing it up to Taider just out the box. He draws the defense on to him before sending in to Uzamukunda. The Rwandan dribbles right to shake off a defender, and slots in the go-ahead goal just before halftime! 2-1

62 - Switch to the 2-5-1-2 with 2 DM formation, Kola replacing Parada. We also have Sylla getting his first crack at AMC for us, swapping in for Candia

79 - Rambaud dribbles down the right flank all the way into the box before crossing ground side to Rio for the open net insurance goal. Major props to Olou, BTW - he's been making stop after stop all game long at DR. 3-1

Thibault Rambaud racks up a 9.0 PotM outing, Francois Rio and Elias Uzamukunda get matching 7.7s, and Aymen Taider has his second strong game as a Rose with a 7.8.

The win not only gives us a 6 point edge on 2nd place, but it mathematically clinches that even with a total collapse, we won't be going down to PH.

Orvault Sports smashed their Coupe Atlantique Quarterfinal opponents 4-0. That speed is just impossible to keep up with - they're one of the quickest teams I can ever recall going up against, and I hope they win the whole damn thing.

Our youth pulls are pure trash again, so not signing anyone.

Transfer In - ML/AML Andrew Sanogo (24) (From FC Guichen)
Fan favorite and a star player for the club a level above us. 11 Dribbling, 10 First Touch, 10 Passing, absolutely brilliant in his Mental attributes, and just 2 Physical attributes less than 10, none lower than 8. His crossing is meh, because he's an AML by trade, but his overall talent is so much better than the other two guys, I have to give him a shot at starting.

vs Nort-sur-Erdre AC (9th)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Thomas Gerbault/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

19 - We've been hammering at them all game long, but our finishing has been ass. Olou pops a high ball to Rambaud, who cracks a boomer to the box. Taider rushes forward to get it, but he can't reach in time because the ball is rolling to the net on a fluke goal! 1-0

21 - Orain makes a stunning charge to intercept a ball and passes ahead to Uzamukunda. Two defenders are walling him off, so he sneaks a pass into box space, where running Rambaud slams a shot so hard, it bounces off the keeper's right hand and into the net. 2-0

24 - Mayala short passes to Uzamukunda, who has to juke a defender, but the guy is still on him. Mayala rushes up behind Uzamukunda to set a freaking basketball pick on a soccer pitch, and our Rwandan laughingly hits the sensational mid-range. 3-0

28 - Sheer laziness on the backline's part there 3-1

40 - Gerbault throws in to Taider for the center to Mayala's head and the immediate smash forward into open box. Uzamukunda is there first and fires in his second goal of the game, 10th of the season. 4-1

57 - Allard on for Taider; Candia for Lauzier to get out our sub-7 dudes.

Everyone except the subs had 7.0 or higher, with Oscar Olou (7.9), Thibault Rambaud (9.1), Mabidi Mayala (9.0), and Elias Uzamukunda (9.2 and PotM) the most impressive guys.

A sports hernia knocks Enzo Lauzier out for a month and a half, but we're so deep with roughly equal level talent at MC that I'm not worried about it.

Transfer In - GK Thibaut Dreano (24)
The constant upgrades to our roster have made Theo Guerin one of the weak links in our starting lineup. Usher in Dreano, who inexplicably has yet to play a game in this universe. 16 Aerial Reach, 10 Handling, 13 Reflexes, 10 Positioning, and we can finally kick Mickael Nicolo's ancient ass to the reserves, with young Guerin as a capable backup.

vs AS St Hilaire Vihiers (10th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Thibault Candia/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

Frankly, Gerbault has earned the right to keep starting over Killian Rault, who is maddeningly inconsistent and underachieves relative to his actual talent. Aymen Taider and Thomas Parada got called up by the Tunisian U20 and Serbian U21 squads respectively, but can still play this match for us. Orain gets the start, though, because Parada has been pretty inconsistent in his own right.

20 - Mayala passes right to Rambaud, and the delivery into the box sees Sanogo drill the mid-range shot for his first RC Doue Roses goal! 1-0

25 - Olou gets the outlet pass back to him and he sends it in to the box, where Taider, whose throw-in and exchange of passes with Laidouni started this sequence, shoots. It's deflected, but our Tunisian young star striker hangs about the area, drifting to the right spot to kick in the rebound. 2-0

29 - Um, we didn't need that sliding tackle own goal gift, but thanks anyway. 3-0

39 - What the fuck is Orain doing on the right wing?! His cross is laughably bad, and a defender knocks it down with a header. Too bad it's right at the feet of Taider for a surprising tap to Sanogo for his second goal of the game. 4-0

59 - Candia delivers a cross pitch ground screamer to Sanogo in the box. His shot's pushed away and the ball rolls right side for runner Rambaud to ream in the rebound 5-0



We're now very close to clinching promotion after that thorough ass whipping we gave.

Thomas Parada put up a 6.9 in Serbia's 3-1 U21 win over Belarus, whereas Aymen Taider, probably still tired from our match, only had a 6.3 in Tunisia's 0-0 U20 draw with Paraguay.
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Old 11-19-2017, 05:47 PM   #32
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Orvault Sports blanks their semifinal opponents 3-0 and will head to the Coupe Atlantique championship against Olympique Saumur's senior team.

@ Chemille Melay Olympique (11th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Thibault Candia/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

Before the game, I talked a lot of shit about the opposing manager, which pissed him off. I'm like, come on, bro - you really think you're going to have a shot at beating us when we've destroyed all the bottom-feeder teams lately?

2 - Sanogo cuts in from the left flank, and at the pass forward, Taider surprises me by slipping behind Mayala to take the ball. Shrewd move, because the ensuing pass to Mayala in the box makes an easy score. 1-0

33 - Rambaud dribbles out to the sideline before blasting the ball down into the box. Taider takes it, dribbles, shoots, and scores. 2-0

41 - Beautiful battle victory by Laidouni segues to give to Rambaud on the right. Straight line pass to Uzamukunda for a short run and straight line pass to Mayala for the jog just inside the box and slamming home the mid-range shot. 3-0

45 - Two guys are harrassing Uzamukunda just outside the box, so he outlets to Rambaud for the stride and center to Taider for the easy just before half goal. 4-0

64 - A throw in to Taider starts this sequence deep in their half, which caps off with Candia kicking back to Gerbault for the booming high ball cross to Mayala. It's pouring rain here, and the keeper slips, making our Congolese veteran's hat-trick goal easy!!!! 5-0

78 - Rambaud centers to Mayala just outside the box, then runs in to catch the return pass on the far right of the penalty box, at the touchline. Cross to Sanogo, and the high kick spirals in. The crowd started leaving this miserable game for them about 5 minutes ago. 6-0

80 - A bit of laziness by Olou there ruins the shutout. 6-1



Before that late goal, Thibaut Dreano was at 7.4 and Oscar Olou was over 8. IOW, this is the single greatest performance I've ever seen from one of my teams in FM, I think.

And we've officially won our second promotion in as many seasons, heading up to DSR!!!!



Yep. All they were thinking was top half finish, which made sense given our roster at the time. But I scouted heavily throughout the season, constantly turning over our roster, to continually upgrade our players.

But I'm not going to be happy until I've secured the title. We're 9 points ahead right now, so with 3 games left, we're in the driver's seat.

Aissa Laidouni will miss our next game due to yellows.

@ Vieillievigne/Planche ASF (7th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Thibault Candia/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

15 - Kola passes to Taider, who instantly has three defenders surrounding him. Outlet back to Candia, whose box feed to Mayala and the ensuing goal was probably offsides, but we'll take it. 1-0

24 - Candia to Uzamukunda, and the pass into box space is there for Mayala to run ahead and slot in his 5th goal in 2 games. Guess I should have been playing him more often. 2-0

52 - Rambaud is the luckiest dude ever with those fluke goals 3-0

Everyone except Aymen Taider (6.7 late in match after blowing easy shot) had a 7.2 or higher, with the 8+ guys Thibault Rambaud (8.3), Thibault Candia (9.0), and PotM Mabidi Mayala (9.3).

We officially clinch the league title with 2 matches left to play!!!!
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Old 11-21-2017, 11:35 PM   #33
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Join Date: Sep 2004
vs Vendee Fotenay Football 3 (5th)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Thomas Gerbault/Thomas Parada/Karl Sorin
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Aymen Taider

Putting in mostly the guys with upside for the last two games to try and help improve their development, as well as the all-teen striker duo.

6 - Gerbault throw in to Sanogo and gets it back for the first touch center to Mayala. Our Congolese hot streaker circles around and fires in the mid-range shot! 1-0

21 - That fuckup was all Parada. 1-1

58 - 2-5-1-2 with 2 DM, Laidouni as second DM and Kouyate taking over for Taider

73 - Allard draws the PK on the throw-in and Kouyate converts easily 2-1

87 - Sorin picks up the slow rolling clearance and his high cross turns into a fluke goal for what I think is his first Roses score! 3-1

Solid all around performance, with the highlights a 7.8 for Jocelyn Kola and 7.9 for Mabidi Mayala. PotM was their striker who scored their lone goal.

@ Geneston AS Sud-Loire Reserves (8th)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Thomas Gerbault/Thomas Parada/Karl Sorin
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Aymen Taider

11 - Sorin throws into Taider for the cross to Sanogo. Shot looks good, but it blocked. Happily, Allard is right there to pot in the rebound. 1-0

25 - A diagonal left series of passes - Kola to Lauzier to Sanogo for the pass into box space. Mayala drifts left to outpace the defender and scores for the umpteenth time in as many games. 2-0

28 - Mayala playoffs to Rambaud, and the delivery to Lauzier launches a sizzling long shot that strikes the nets for his first ever Roses score! 3-0

32 - Gerbault laughs at their high up players in stroking a long ball all the way down the left flank. Allard runs there first, executing a pristine cross to Taider for the easy goal. 4-0

38 - Just not going to stop those. 4-1

47 - Just before half, Sanogo gets the ball in the box and has two defenders draping him. Layoff to Allard for the dribble for setup, and the shot sings true. 5-1

76 - Exquisite cross by Rambaud to Sanogo to pile on the misery. 6-1

79 - Mayala ahead to Taider for the short lateral to Rambaud. Pass into the box finds Allard for the hat trick shot right by a defender! 7-1

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Old 11-25-2017, 01:47 AM   #34
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So that 7-1 win? It set a new club and league record for biggest margin of victory. It was also the league's highest scoring game in this universe.







Biggest shock for me is seeing all the 8+ guys, none of whom my staff thinks is that stupendous. Biggest disappointment has to be Thomas Parada - a big, heaping Serbian bust.

Olympique Saumur upset Orvault Sports 4-1 in the Coupe Atlantique final, and their Reserves will be joining us in promoting up.

FC Lorient shocks everyone by upsetting Olympique Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain FC in consecutive matches to take the French Cup. They finished 16th this year, 13th last season in Ligue 1 play. Well done for them. It's their first French Cup since 2002.



Another stellar season for us, as we obliterated the league and pocketed $10.71k for finishing 1st.

Thomas Parada continues to get Serbia love, earning another U21 callup, whilst Oscar Olou is summoned by Benin's national side. Aymen Taider gets a call from Tunisia's U20 team, and my status at the end of the year goes back up to Untouchable.

Two different journalists call me about a job I have zero interest in.

A bunch of our old guys retire and nobody cares.

We get a marginal improvement in kit sponsorship money.

Next season sees us in the Division Superiere Regionale Atlantique Group B league - an 11 team division where the winner promotes and the bottom 3 teams all relegate.

Needless to say this is going to be tough, and our first true test.
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Old 11-26-2017, 06:21 PM   #35
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
And yet, we're 1-10 co-favorites to win, along with U.F. Saint Herblain and Vendee Lucon Reserves. Clocking in at 1-5 are Olympique Saumur FC Reserves and USSA Vertou Reserves, so it must be a weak year in the group.

I'm not anticipating the sort of radical overhauls we had last season - it's a pretty solid group we have here.

Guillaume Riboulet of the smattering of appearances for us takes the hot seat at division foe ASI Murs-Erigne. That will add some interesting drama to our matches. They were 4th two years ago and just missed out on the promotion last season, finishing 2nd, so he'll be under pressure to deliver in his first post-playing coaching gig.

2022 World Cup moves to Canada after complaints about scheduling in Qatar. ...Scheduling. Uh huh.

Andrew Sanogo and Thomas Gerbault are appointed the new Captain and Vice-Captain this year. Enzo Lauzier is upset at being passed over, and Nicolas Gentilleau pitches a fit about being replaced, but most people are happy - including Sanogo, who is delighted at the unexpected honor.

Killian Rault whines about the team training workload, and he lost his starting job last year despite being more talented, so I simply let him go. Not worth the headache.

Aissa Laidouni increases in ability to possibly be a next level guy now.

Transfer In - ST Theo Martin (21)
12 Dribbling, 13 Finishing, First Touch, and Heading, 12 Composure and Off the Ball, 15 Flair, 16 Teamwork, 13 Work Rate, 11 Acceleration. Dude's technical and mental skills are off the damn chain, but his physical attributes leave a lot to be desired - especially his lack of speed. Intriguing prospect, nonetheless. Played *very* well in the league above ours two years ago. I'm downplaying this signing to the press - he's got a lot of people ahead of him.

Expectations
The Board wants the following:
1) Near the top of the league
2) Ninth Round of French Cup
3) Final Game of Coupe Alantique

Two out of three isn't bad, but that last is unreasonable as hell.

We sell 27 season tickets, a slight uptick over the 25 from last season.

[code]
Season Ticket Sales: 27 (+2)
Bank Balance: $187,023 (+$102,300)
Estimated Value: $210k (forgot to track in prior seasons)
Average Ticket Price: $5
Average Season Ticket Price: $38
Reputation: Oscure
All basic or poor stuff
Stadium capacity: 500
Media Prediction: 3rd
My Reputation: 10% (+5)[code]

Favored Personnel
Thibault Rambaud
Emilien Fransquet
Francois Rio
Izulde Jestor (Yay)
Khadime

Favored Manager
Cyrille Allard

Favored Club
Francois Rio

Transfer Out - MC Michel (23) - FC Tours 2 - $15k
I'm not sure what's douchier - this dude I knew in grad school who was a total pretentious ass who I have many reasons to hate and who just got married - or FC Tours 2 for shelling out $15k to a guy who couldn't even crack our rotation beyond a random start last year. Good riddance to rubbish.

Gulliaume Noel wants #1, so Victor Francoz receives #54 and Noel gets #1. Aymen Taider wants #9, which is unassigned after retirements, etc, so he gets that jersey. Otherewise, numbers stay the same as last year.

vs Intrepide Angers F.
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Thibault Candia/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Ibrahima Kouyate/Elias Uzamukunda

9 - Nice interception by Sanogo, who passes it to Mayala. He dribbles down the middle of the pitch until he meets a wall of defenders. Wing out right side to Rambaud after the opponent misjudges the header. Dribble and cross, and Kouyate, starting for International duty Aymen Taider, puts it past the out of position keeper. 1-0

27 - Orain keeps on overachieving, making an amazing clearance here to Mayala. Booming kick down the left flank finds Kouyate, who dribbles, cuts into the box, and taps the pass for flying Mayala's run and a fierce goal, picking right up from where he left off last year! 2-0

52 - Laidouni moves up to MC and we switch to a 2-5-1-2 with 2 DMs, Kola as the DLP; Sylla as an Anchorman.

84 - Laidouni centers to a wide open Mayala, and by the defense closes in, he slips the ball into the box to unmarked Uzamukunda for the blast in of a late goal. Our former Rwandan international, who has never been called up while playing for us, was denied a goal due to a very late offsides call earlier in the game. 3-0

Only Thibault Candia (6.6) and Ibrahime Sylla (6.9) were less than a 7.1 tonight, with the 8+ guys PotM Mabidi Mayala (9.0), Thibault Rambaud and Elias Uzamukunda (8.6), and Ibrahima Kouyate (8.7).

@ US Beaufort-en-Vallee (8th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Thomas Parada/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

5 - Mayala takes the short pass and sends it into the box for the just onsides Uzamukunda, and our Rwandan veteran striker connects with ease. 1-0

9 - Mayala and Sanogo keep exchanging passes, the last Sanogo dribbling down the left flank until two defenders gang up on. He cracks a high aerial cross, whereupon Uzamukunda out-jumps three defenders and the keeper to smash in his second goal off the bar! 2-0

28 - Taider blasts a long ball into space ahead of Rambaud for the pick and run. The goalie commits wholly to the right side, making it a simple cross and kick in for Sanogo into the empty net left side. 3-0

46 - Lauzier centers to Mayala for the open box feed to Taider, and there's the piling on just before the half-time whistle! 4-0

52 - Kola replaces Laidouni, and it's the 2-5-1-2 with 2 DM setup, Sylla as the Anchorman.

60 - That's the first goal allowed this season, and the first score surrounded by our unorthodox formation since we started playing it last season to close out games. 4-1

Everyone except Ibrahime Sylla (6.9) had a 7.0 or better, the 8+ belonging to Mabidi Mayala (9.0 PotM), 8.9 Andrew Sanogo, and 8.7 Elias Uzamukunda.

We've picked up right where we left off from last season, and are showing no signs of slowing down. I'm amazed at how Mayala continues to be so incredible at 30 years old. He and Thomas Gerbault are classic examples of guys who were given opportunities thanks to injuries and/or meh play of others, and just ran away with it.
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Old 11-27-2017, 06:58 PM   #36
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
vs U.F. Saint Herblain (6th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Thomas Parada/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

15 - Taider's free kick swings to Sanogo in the box. Cross to Uzamukunda, as the Rwandan has everyone beat, and simple score. 1-0

28 - Gerbault throws in the box to Taider for the smash header back to Sanogo. Pass back in to Mayala who traps and controls. Three defenders bang into each other, opening a space for a sneak goal. 2-0

48 - Laidouni to Mayala into box space straight line, with Uzamukunda netting goal #5 in just the third game of the year after the pickup and fire shot. 3-0

63 - You know the 2-5-1-2 with 2 DM drill by now.

72 - Rambaud was too tired to stop their best player, the ML, from executing a perfect cross for a walk-in goal 3-1

Not our best game, but Mabidi Mayala (8.5) and PotM Elias Uzamukunda (8.8) carried us on the day, with strong support from Enzo Lauzier (7.5) and Andrew Sanogo (7.6).

There's two unbeaten teams after 3 games: us and Olympique Saumur Reserves - or the two that were playing a level below last season. Like I said, it's a down year for this league. That's our 12th straight win, setting a record.

vs Vendee Lucon Reserves (10th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Thomas Parada/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

11 - Mayala's shot is blocked by two defenders, but then Lauzier absolutely hammers a 30 yard rebound strike that sings its way into the nets. 1-0

27 - Mayala to Uzamukunda for the box feed to Rambaud and the shot goes home. Defender lapsed in his duty, letting our right winger break free of him. 2-0

28 - Brilliant interception and blast down the pitch to Uzamukunda by Olou. He laterals to Laidouni for the pass to Lauzier and on to Rambaud in the box. Center is to a wide open Mayala and an easy goal. Before the game, it was expected to be a pretty close match. Not even close. 3-0

42 - Rambaud gathers in the pass and drives right through a defender into the box. I think the cross is too wide, but Sanogo drills in the short diagonal as the keeper is too slow to come back to that side. 4-0

46 - We left their best player open, and the striker makes us pay with a 20 yard surgical strike just before half. 4-1

47 - Beautiful ball by Uzamukunda on the counter to Taider. By the time the defense runs back, the pass is already to Mayala in the box, and our Congolese AMC is not going to lose a 1 on 1 battle. 5-1

57 - Lauzier wings out to Rambaud, who gets it just before the touchline. Short cross to Uzamukunda, and our Rwandan just keeps dropping goals like bombs. 6-1



F-I-R-E FIRE!

@ USSA Vertou Reserves (6th)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Alex Petro/Jordane Orain/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Francois Rio/Thibault Candia/Jocelyn Kola
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Theo Martin/Ibrahima Kouyate

Short turnaround + French Cup game in 3 days = B lineup here, with a shot at some C list players making it into the game as reserves.

36 - Rainbow long ball ahead of Martin on the left flank. He gets it, then executes a perfect center for a practical walk-in goal by Kouyate after the Guinean striker blew an easy shot earlier. 1-0

47 - A scrum of bodies in the opposing penalty box as shot after after shot after shot is blocked. Finally, Candia sinks an umpteenth rebound after a rejection of a Kouyate shot, netting his first ever Roses goal!!! 2-0

57 - Candia wings the corner into the box and Orain smashes a header in. 3-0

63 - Guerin rips a goal kick all the way downfield into the box, and Lemonnier beats the keeper as our second half fire storm continues. 4-0

69 - Petro throws in to Martin, and two defenders just let the center roll right by them en route to Kouyate jamming in his second goal. 5-0

79 - Kouyate draws the PK in the box and hammers the hat trick past a slow reflexes keeper!!! 6-0



You know you're deep AF when even your B team smashes people's faces in.
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Old 11-28-2017, 05:44 PM   #37
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
@ FCO Firminy-Insersport (French Cup Fifth Round)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Thomas Parada/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

Total cakewalk match here against a PH team.

4 - We're awarded a PK and Gerbault, named to take penalties at the start of the season, easily converts for his first ever RC Doue-la-Fontaine goal! 1-0

17 - Team captain Sanogo pops a long ball ahead of Taider in the box. Our Tunisian U20 regular laughs in the face of two defenders, crossing to Uzamukunda for an open net header score. 2-0

23 - Rambaud dribbles a bit down the right side before lasering a delivery into the box. They're playing a tired defender against Taider, so of course it's a missed interception and an idle kick in. 3-0

29 - Mayala plays it ahead into box space and Rambaud first touch crosses upon arriving to the ball. Sanogo scores no problem. 4-0

38 - They've been playing their butts off and finally convert one here. Truth be told, it could just as easily be 4-3 right now. They just have no one who can finish properly. 4-1

Michel comes on for Mayala at the half.

48 - Uzamukunda facing a double-team in the box, so he kicks back to Michel just outside the half-circle. Two steps, and our sub takes advantage of Mayala's poor first half play with a sizzling 20 yard strike! 5-1

88 - Interception of a clearance by Sanogo and give to Taider for first touch to Uzamukunda ....only he's wiped out just as the ball comes. No problem, as Taider smashed the slow roller into the net past the tired, hapless goalie. 6-1



8.1 for Giovanni Michel off the bench, and Mabidi Mayala has earned himself a game off for his poor performance.

$11.2k for the win, which gives us a $1.24k profit for the month. Ouch. We're bleeding money from Other - which is $9.99k, or in one month, over half of what we spent in that category for all of last season. My guess is we're spending money like flounders on stuff due to our rapidly rising reputation.

@ FC Montaigu (5th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Thibault Candia
S: Theo Martin/Elias Uzamukunda

51 - We've had hard luck with near misses, but have overall been trash. Kouyate for Uzamukunda; Kola to MR and Sylla in at DM.

72 - Sylla picks up a tackled away ball and puts it up to Martin. Perfect center to Sanogo and we *finally* break free. 1-0

We were bailed out by Andrew Sanogo's 8.3 PotM and Theo Martin's 7.8 in a bad for us game overall.

Theo Martin is pissed that I rode the team at the full-time talk. Our ensuing conversation doesn't go well either, so I ask Andrew Sanogo to handle it. Honestly, I'm tempted just to cut his ass.

I do, after a news story breaks and he's looking for a new club. That means we have the exact same roster as the end of last season, which I'm cool with.

vs US Bequots Lucqouis (Coupe de Atlantique 32e de Finale)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Thomas Gerbault/Aissa Laidouni/Oscar Olou
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Francois Rio/Mabidi Mayla/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Giovanni Michel
S: Ibrahima Kouyate/Elias Uzamukunda

6 - Sylla with the smooth interception and layout to Rambaud, our right winger racing down the flank before a high cross that Kouyate heads in for his 5th goal of the year. 1-0

39 - Our finishing has stunk overall. Rambaud short passes to Uzamukunda for the dribble and defenders draw. Center long ball finds Kouyate for the open net score. 2-0

44 - Kouyate's cross runs too long for Uzamukunda to do anything with, so he taps it to Rambaud. Two defenders close in, so he crosses backwards to Rio, whose header gets post help in falling in. 3-0

53 - Petro for Gerbault; Sorin for Sylla

70 - I've wanted a new backup DL for a while now, as Petro's lack of skill ruins the shutout 3-1

Thibault Rambaud is like Overachieving God - 9.0 and PotM, 8.6 for Francois Rio, and 7.7 for Mabidi Mayala. Oh, and 8.8 for Ibrahima Kouyate.

Slight bump for Thibault Candia, but TBH, Mabidi Mayala and Enzo Lauzier respectively have him beat in production.

We may have a slate of players coming in soon that will shake things up.
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Old 11-29-2017, 04:09 AM   #38
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
vs Olympique Saumur Reserves (2nd)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Jocelyn Kola
AMC: Thibault Candia
S: Cyrille Allard/Elias Uzamukunda

Less than perfect lineup because we've had so many back to back matches, but I'm confident this crew can knock the pants off our fellow promoters who are tearing up this league.

6 - Ouch! Uzamukunda draws the PK, but Gerbault's shot is blocked. Our Rwandan striker also had bad luck on an earlier header.

11 - Uzamukunda runs down a long ball and crosses to Allard, but he's crowded it out in the box, so he taps it forward for surging Lauzier to drill it in. 1-0

48 - WTF did you come out, Dreano?! 1-1

50 - Petro on for Gerbault; Lemonnier for Uzamukunda

52 - Kola takes the pass and shorts it to Lemonnier in the box. Dribble move and the mid-range diagonal cracks in! I'm pretty sure it's his first game playing striker for us, too. 2-1

78 - We're going to gamble and give Orain a break by putting in Sorin at DC

80 - That one was on Olou not getting back fast enough 2-2

86 - Candia smashes a header down after a long pass, dropping it at the feet of Allard for the feed to Lemonnier just outside the box, and his miracle long strike finds its way home!!!! 3-2

Absolutely amazing supersub showing by Robin Lemonnier with his 8..6 PotM off the bench. 8.0 for Cyrille Allard as those two carried us to the critically important victory for early position atop the table. With the continued struggles of Thomas Candia, Lemonnier will move to a bench role.

Here we are in late 2017, and the press *still* talks about the French Cup upset of US Gravelines in our first season. That really was a signature win. That's 18 wins in a row, continuing to set a new universe team record.

We sign a couple guys who will go through in the December transfer window, but manage to snag a third who is able to join immediately.

Transfer In - DC Sekou Traore (20) (Malian)
11 Heading, 13 Marking, 13 Tackling, 12 Determination, 11 Jumping Reach, 10 Strength. Also an excellent Passer (11) with the usual Teamwork/Work Rate. He'll immediately start work on MC training. 4* potential player who will challenge Thomas Parada for the starting role. Played great for Ligue 1 FC Nantes' reserve team in the CFA.

@ US Chauvigny (French Cup Sixth Round)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Thomas Parada/Karl Sorin
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Francois Rio/Mabidi Mayala/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Ibrahima Kouyate/Elias Uzamukunda

9 - Laidouni taps it to Mayala for the forward pass to Kouyate. Short ahead to Uzamukunda in the half-circle, and the fire strike goes in with authority! 1-0

50 - Double yellow for one of their guys!!!

53 - One of their other dudes goes off with injury.

54 - Uzamukunda sprays up and out to Rambaud right wing, and the ensuing cross sees Lemonnier smash in the header goal. 2-0

61 - How the fuck do you allow a goal at this stage?! 2-1

67 - Laidouni drops to DC, Sorin moves to DM, and Olou's day off ends. Gerbault moves up to ML and Petro jogs on. But that's only after Uzamukunda passes to Rambaud for the zig-zag jog right to pull the defense out of position, thereby crossing to tired Rio for the clutch insurance score 3-1

71 - Long build up on the right side until Olou's last pass exchange with Sorin leads to a long ball ahead of Rambaud's untouched run. On the cross, one of the defenders leaves his mark to try and intercept, but fails, leaving it easy for Kouyate to bang a header in off the upper bar. 4-1

75 - Kouyate chases down the long ball and centers to Uzamukunda for 1 on 1, and you all know how that's going to go. 5-1



We turned on the afterburners after I switched to Defensive following the surrendered shorthand goal. $16.8k for the victory.

vs EF Reims Saint-Anne (French Cup Seventh Round)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Parada/Sekou Traore/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

Very unkind draw, getting a CFA 2 team this early. Parada has been working at DL, so I'm going to gamble with trying him there, even though he's not quite ready. With that swapout, we only have 4 players in the lineup born to French parents, and...

Frontline Starters Not Born In France
Oscar Olou - Ouidah, Benin
Sekou Traore - Bamako, Mali* (5 U20 caps BTW)
Mabidi Mayala - Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo*
Elias Uzamukunda - Kigali, Rwanda*

* - Denotes capital city of country

So four African-born starters. Thomas Parada was born in Paris, Aymen Taider in the city where we stole him from his club. Aissa Laidouni is unknown.

39 - This has been a white-knuckle match all game long. Both keepers are playing fantastically. Taider taps it short to Mayala for the beautiful box lay-in. Uzamukunda is there first and blasts the go-ahead goal in!!! 1-0

48 - Gerbault comes on for Parada, Laidouni downshifts to DC and Kola comes in as the DM

61 - Why the fuck did you come out, Dreano?! JHFRC 1-1

100 - Kouyate is on for Taider, and both teams have spent their subs by now.

So, to wit - we blew two easy shots at the end of regulation, and in the first half of extra time, we had two goals called off due to offsides. Frustrating as fuck thus far.

106 - Gerbault has been trash, but he makes a vital takeaway here to launch a counter attack. On the other end, Uzamukunda's shot is blocked, but Lauzier gets it back outside the half-circle. Give to Mayala in the box, and a mishandle by the keeper causes a lucky ball bounce in! 2-1

Aissa Laidouni was a God damn hero after sliding down, finishing with a 7.6. Enzo Lauzier had an 8.7, Jocelyn Kola a 7.1 off the bench, but our PotM was Mabidi Mayala with a dazzling 9.1.

For the first time ever, I'm stopped in the tunnel after the game, the reporter raving about our eking out that extra time victory, which banks us $22.4k.

Two French Cup wins in the same month translates to a $41.6k profit, which puts us clearly in the black for the year. Our attendance has actually gone down from last season - success breeds complacency I guess. We averaged 182 last year, and are sitting at 172 presently.

Aymen Taider decreases in ability But he still has CFA potential.

vs Breitgnolles-sur-Mer (10th)
G: Theo Guerin
D: Alex Petro/Jordane Orain/Karl Sorin
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Francois Rio/Thibault Candia/Luidgi Hoareau
AMC: Giovanni Michel
S: Cyrille Allard/Robin Lemonnier

We're going C list on this one - it's a weak opponent and we have our next French Cup match shortly after this. I want all my A and B guys as rested as possible. Pretty cool to see our original star Hoareau get a start again, no?

4 - Michel drops a pass to Candia, the ball rolling right before he finally catches it. Cross back to Michel for an easy goal. 1-0

29 - Michel sprays left to Rio and he turns on the afterburners to the touchline, whereupon he centers to Lemonnier for the walk-in score. 2-0

68 - Michel has two defenders on him, so he passes to Allard in the box... only the teenager is wiped out by the defender on the arrival. Stupid keeper comes out, so Rio puts away the rolling ball like it's nothing. 3-0

Everyone except Theo Guerin and Cyrille Allard had 7.0 or better. It was a shit night for Allard - 6.6. Our 8+ stars were PotM Thibault Candia (8.9), Francois Rio (8.6), and Giovanni Michel (8.0). Even our C list guys are better than the trash that floats in this down year for the league.

@ US Vimy (French Cup Eighth Round)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Gerbault/Sekou Traore/Jocelyn Kola
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Ibrahima Kouyate/Elias Uzamukunda

Aymen Taider and Thomas Parada are still out on international duty, and Oscar Olou sustained a heel injury that's keeping him sidelined for a couple weeks.

44 seconds - The fuck?! 0-1

8 - ?! THE HELL IS GOING ON?! 0-2

11 - Mayala to Uzamukunda, who totally boxes out the defender en route to a pass to Rambaud. Dribble in the box, and there's the firm answer. 1-2

24 - Uzamukunda goes off with injury, and Allard gets the call. Nasty game so far - two players sent off via injury

28 - Traore literally gave that shit away. Fuck nozzle. 1-3

54 - Lemonnier swaps out for Kouyate but both strikers are playing like worthless shitbags, as is our backline.

55 - And there's the fucking awful give away pass by Lemonnier. 1-4

72 - Mayala's 30 yard beauty is way too little, way too late. 2-4

You can bet I ripped into the guys in the locker room at the end of the game. There's zero excuse - zero - for the type of shitfuckery I saw out there to destroy our winning streak. $13.44k for the loss, but I don't fucking care. Ugh. We should have crushed these guys.

Topping the whole thing off, Elias Uzamukunda, our leading scorer with 10 goals, is out 2 fucking months.
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Old 12-01-2017, 12:40 AM   #39
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
vs AS de la Maine (Coupe Atlantique 16e de Finale)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Parada/Sekou Traore/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Ibrahima Kouyate

Matthieu Billard was cut after pitching a hissy fit. PH squad, so this should be a cakewalk.

14 - Rambaud takes the pass from Allard and races down the right flank, whereupon he crosses to unguarded Mayala for the open kick-in. 1-0

33 - Allard wings out to Sanogo and the intended cross ends up a fluke goal. BTW, our old friend Clement Benhaddouche is still with this club after joining them last year, and is in the starting lineup for the other side. 2-0

40 - That was some of the worst defending I've ever seen 2-1

41 - On the ensuing kickoff, Rambaud runs down the right flank and crosses to where Allard has snuck past three defenders for the ambush score, ending a too lengthy drought for the teenager. 3-1

52 - Kola replaces Olou, and Taider gets his first game action in a while by subbing for Kouyate

68 - Sanogo tracks down the go ahead pass and centers to Mayala for the smashed in mid-range header. 4-1

Stellar all around showing, with the 8+ honorees: Thibault Rambaud (9.0), Enzo Lauzier (8.2), Andrew Sanogo (8.8), Mabidi Mayala (9.1 and PotM), and Cyrille Allard (8.7). Clement Benhaddouche was just a 6.3. Sanogo will miss the next match due to yellows.

FML!!!!! We get Orvault Sports again

@ ASI Murs-Erigne (9th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Thomas Parada/Sekou Traore/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Francois Rio/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Ibrahima Kouyate

9 - Taider has a free kick just outside the box, and he swing crosses it for Laidouni to bang in his first ever Roses goal!!! 1-0

10 - Taider with another free kick, and he taps the lateral to Laidouni for the pass up to Rio. Box feed finds a questionably onsides Mayala, who converts easily. 2-0

23 - Lauzier crosses to Rio for the run and counter cross, which Rambaud rams in. 3-0

30 - Gruesome thing to witness, watching Mayala go down in the open field. That's the first time I've physically witnessed it. He comes off, and Sylla steps in for him. Taider muscles past the defense to get a drop ball and he lays off to Rio for the dribble and score 4-0

Everyone except Ibrahime Sylla (6.7) had a 7.2 or higher. 8+ list: Aissa Laidouni (8.9), Thibault Rambaud (8.3), and PotM Francois Rio (9.2). Horrifically sprained ankle for Mabidi Mayala that will keep him out two months. He was our second leading scorer with 9 goals, too. That's two of our best guys out with injury and a ton of offense gone.

$12.12k profit last month, and I'm back down to Very Secure. I mean, not that I should really worry about my job security. The fans absolutely adore me.

Transfer In - DL/WBL Lamine Fall (23) (Cameroonian) (From SC Beaucoze)
This dude has been a god at the next level and still has upside to go. Like 7.45 is his lowest in three seasons bouncing around the Ligue Atlantique. 14 Marking, 11 Tackling, 12 Anticipation, 15 Teamwork, 13 Acceleration, 11 Stamina. I honestly think he's best suited as someone playing in the middle of the pitch, however, judging from his other ratings, and he could be a DC/DM/MC/AMC type if he's willing to train enough.

@ E.S. Vigneux-de-Bretagne (5th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Lamine Fall/Thomas Parada/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Thibault Candia
S: Aymen Taider/Ibrahima Kouyate

9 - Olou got completely abused on that free kick. Rare to see us not be the first to score. 0-1

21 - PK drawn in the box, and Kouyate's thunder strike would have bowled over the keeper even if he'd been in the proper place, rather than guessing left. 1-1

52 - Kola replaces Olou, Allard in for Kouyate and striker switch

73 - Lauzier drills it long for Rambaud to run down and cross. Sanogo is wide open, and he hammers in the go-ahead goal on a game where we've been playing like absolute shit. 2-1

86 - Lauzier's little loft to Sanogo segues into box feed. Allard just stands there looking dumb, but Candia has the presence of mind to move forward and pop in the insurance goal 3-1

Andrew Sanogo is PotM with an 8.5, and Thibault Candia gets an 8.2. Our third star was Enzo Lauzier with a 7.5. The team's confused and annoyed when I tell them we played like ass. Whatever, guys. You were shit out there.

Halfway through the season, we're in 1st place, still undefeated, with the full 40 points. Olympique Saumur Reserves is 7 points back at 33, and the third place team has 29 points.

I'm beginning to hate Orvault Sports. They just stole a striker upgrade from me.

Two previously nabbed players join us finally, but I'll report on them later. We lost out on the striker and on a much younger DR upgrade who got a $22.5k deal from a semipro club.
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Old 12-01-2017, 01:39 PM   #40
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Transfer In - DC Gjoko Zajkov (22) (Macedonian)
3 international caps to his credit thus far, and he's played in Macedonia, Belgium, and France. From Skopje, which is the capital, so I'm thinking the database isn't too varied on the cities of origin - but maybe that's just for guys who move on Amateur contracts? Anyway, 10 Heading, 12 Marking, 11 Tackling, 10 Aggression, Bravery, and Concentration, 12 Decisions, and quality physical attributes. Unlike the rest of the guys on the roster, he's going to be a pure DC. It's a crowded DC situation, with him, Thomas Parada, and Sekou Traore all roughly equal in ability and upside.

Transfer In - DL/WBL Madigoundo Diakite (23) (Malian)
Pretty good at the CFA 2 level, and was capped for the U23s. No senior team callups, however, for the guy with 12 Marking and Tackling, 15 Teamwork, and every Physical Attribute bar Stamina (8) at 11 or Higher. This dude is a damned Adonis, and will become a starter from the jump.

Transfer Out - AMC/MCR Thibault Candia (21) (To FC Bressuire)
Can't fault him for packing his bags - it's a non-contract move up to a semipro club, and he was fighting a very crowded AMC situation here. Good player, but one who got eclipsed by Mabidi Mayala.

vs US-Beaufort-en-Valle (7th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Sekou Traore/Thomas Parada
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Ibrahima Kouyate/Aymen Taider

First time we've moved away from the 3-1-3-2 DM setup in forever. But I want to get all our great defenders in the starting lineup while Aissa Laidouni is suspended for this game. I'm gambling by starting the completely new to DR Parada there. But fuck it. We've a massive cushion.

28 - Traore fucked that up, and has continued to disappoint overall 0-1

At half, we switch back to our old formation, with Parada moving to DC, Kola in at DR, and Sylla as DM.

61 - Lauzier picks up a clearance and pops it ahead of Rambaud. Short cross, and Taider's head knocks in the equalizer amidst screams of offsides, which are total BS 1-1

There goes our perfect season. That was on me for getting experimental, I suppose. Sekou Traore is officially finished as a starter for us. We still should have won it easily, but they bottled us up in the second half.

vs Orvault Sports Football (Coupe Atlantique Eighth Final)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Aissa Laidouni
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Robin Lemonnier
S: Ibrahima Kouyate/Elias Uzamukunda

I hate these assholes. They're 1st in the Ligue Atlantique BTW.

39 - FUCK YOU, POST!!!! 0-1

42 - Laidouni strips the ball and delivers to Rambaud for the pass into the right side of the box. Uzamukunda picks up the go-ahead and fires in an authoritative diagonal equalizer!! So damned glad to have him back. 1-1

46 - Opening kickoff, Rambaud gets it on the right wing after a pass from Lauzier. Dribble and cross, but Sanogo is absolutely crushed before the ball gets there. No worries, as Mayala, the biggest overachiever ever, runs in and slams his own back from injury goal!!! 2-1

51 - Diakite slides up to ML, because he's been as bad as Sanogo at DL. Fall comes on, and Taider replaces injured, terrible Kouyate

59 - Lauzier delivers to Taider for the lateral flip to Uzamukunda just outside the box. Our Rwandan sends it into the box, where Mayala pounces and scores the insurance goal with ease!!! 3-1

72 - Olou saved a certain goal with a runback and tackle, and Fall grabbed the loose ball to end the threat.

Everyone on the field at the end of the game except for Madigoundo Diakite (6.7) had a 7.0 or better, and our stars were PotM Mabidi Mayala (9.0), Elias Uzamukunda (8.6), and Thibault Rambaud (7.6).

We've slain the dragon!!!!
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Old 12-02-2017, 02:20 AM   #41
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Transfer Out - DL/ML/MC Thomas Gerbault (20) (To FC Dreux)
I really liked him after he won the starting DL job last season, but he got pushed aside by superior talent and saw his chance to move a league up to a first place team that allows him to likely get into the CFA next year.

Transfer Out - DM/DC Aissa Laidouni (21) (Tunisian) - To Limoges FC - $17.5k
...FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!! This kid was the rock of my defense, but he just couldn't resist that CFA 2 semipro money. Devastating blow, as while I like Jocelyn Kola and Ibrahime Sylla, they're not even close to the level of Laidouni.

Transfer Out - MC/AMC/ST Maxime Batel (30) - To Avoine OCC
Was a pretty good player for us in the first season, and got a few spot starts in Year 2, but soon enough found himself ousted. Weirdly enough, he gets a Key Player Amateur deal from a team a flight higher.

Transfer Out - DC Thomas Parada (21) (Serbian) - To Angouleme CFC - $17.5k
This one would have hurt if we didn't bolster our backline with pickups in transfers this year. As is, it damages our depth considerably, but I never liked the fact that he was so slow, and he didn't win the starting spot outright until this season, having been outplayed by Jordane Orain last year. The CFA 2's raid of my talent continues.

@ Intrepide Angers F. (6th)
G: Guillaume Noel
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Enzo Lauzier/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

Obviously I forgot to note in last match Mayala started and not Lemonnier. That happens sometimes with copy/paste. Sorry about that! Anyway, Gjoko Zajkov takes over as the vice-captain following Thomas Gerbault's departure, and with Thomas Parada also gone, the Macedonian's place as our starter is secure.

Why is Guillaume Noel starting? Because Theo Guerin damaged his Achilles earlier in the year and is still out another 3-4 months, and Thibaut Dreano is still recovering from a bad cold.

18 - Not only do we draw a PK, but their guy is sent off with a red card! Veteran Mayala steps up and drills the goal in. 1-0

32 - Taider is being heavily pressured as he dribbles outside the box, so he passes to Rambaud in it, and the diagonal drops in easy as anything. 2-0

44 - Rambaud's cross is far too long, and Taider gets it with two defenders chasing him. A third defender is supposed to be shadowing Sanogo, but he isn't, and Taider kicks it back to our team captain for the just before half goal. 3-0

45 - Mayala flares it out to Rambaud on the right side of the box, and Sanogo continues to embarrass the defense by kicking in a second goal in under a minute after the cross. 4-0

65 - Lauzier lays it out to Sanogo, who shakes the defender on him for a feed into the box, and Uzamukunda slams in the mid-range shot. Absolutely amazing game by our team captain tonight. 5-0



We took full advantage of that red card and absolutely crushed them with our third string keeper pitching a shutout. Two other managers were personally in attendance to watch Aymen Taider play, so I fear he's the next to be raided.

Transfer In - MC/DM Mathieu Coquin (20) (Guadeloupean) - From TVEC Les Sables-d'Olonne
Finally we go the other way, stealing a talented young player from the higher league. 13 First Touch, 13 Passing, 11 Tackling, 12 Determination, 14 Teamwork and Work Rate, 10 Stamina. Future team captain with 16 Leadership, and his 10 Finishing says he's the heir apparent to Mabidi Mayala as our Shadow Striker once we train him as an AMC. 8 caps and 2 goals for the Guadeloupe national senior team, and I'm also loving his 13 Acceleration and Pace. He takes over as our starting MC (sorry Enzo Lauzier). Born is Les Abymes commune of Guadelope, adding to our truly international flair.

Transfer In - GK Maxime Pattier (21)
11 Command of Area, 13 Handling, 11 One on Ones, 10 Throwing, 11 Anticipation, 13 Decisions, 11 Positioning, 14 Agility. Another massive upgrade in talent. He's only had 2 starts in this universe, both at CFA 2 level, where he acquitted himself well. He'll finally get his opportunity to shine with us.

Karl Sorin, who has developed enough to where he should be starting at DM, strains his back and is out 4-6 weeks. More time for Jocelyn Kola to force me to keep him starting a la Mabidi Mayala at AMC last season.

@ UF Saint Herblain (8th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

Fun fact: We're playing on Deadline Day, which is pretty cool. Never had that happen before. Mathieu Coquin gets the prestigious #7 shirt previously worn by Khadime and Aymen Taider.

24 - Taider powers the corner perfectly at Coquin's feet for the debut goal!! Holy crap! Immediate impact!!! 1-0

37 - Kola dribbles back and forth before lateral to Coquin. Absolutely GORGEOUS pass into the box, leading Uzamukunda to bang the short-range score. I may have found a new favorite player. 2-0

43 - Amazing interception and clearance by Diakite to Coquin, who dribbles down the middle of the pitch before cracking a 30 yard pass to Taider. He dribbles downfield, drawing the defense, then taps a short kickback to Sanogo for the run, shoot, and score. 3-0

69 - Fierce move by Coquin to strip the ball away and jack a long ball ahead of Taider, who is all alone. Our Tunisian former superstar races downfield, into the box, and slams in just his 5th goal of the year! The commentators are going absolutely bonkers, talking about Coquin's otherworldly debut. 4-0

74 - You're not going to stop those 25 yard bombs. Of course, if Kola hadn't just stood there after tackling the ball away, this may not have happened. 4-1

7.0 or better across the better, with the stars Mathieu Coquin with the finest debut I've ever seen from a player in drawing a 9.2 and PotM. We've had other PotM debuts, but nothing so epic as that. 9.0 for Aymen Taider, too, after what has been a surprisingly quiet year for him.

Maxime Pattier goes down with a training injury that will keep him out of action a month. Not cool.

vs USSA Vertou Reserves
G: Guillaume Noel
D: Lamine Fall/Jordane Orain/Erwin Abdellaoui
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Francois Rio/Enzo Lauzier/Luidgi Hoareau
AM: Giovanni Michel
S: Cyrille Allard/Ibrahima Kouyate

I'm perfectly willing to throw this game. We have a 7 point cushion with as many games to go, and there's a Coupe Atlantique match four days from now.

19 - Awful keeping by Noel there 0-1

I rip into the team at half, because even given our defense, there is absolutely zero reason our offense should be stuttering this badly.

49 - Taider goes in for Kouyate; Diakite for Fall. Didn't want to have to use starters, but I want to salvage something out of this.

Absolutely pathetic.

vs Reze FC (Coupe Atlantique Quarterfinal)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

Another team higher up, but I feel like they're definitely beatable.

2 - Taider dribbles, and with three defenders converging on him, he passes into the box for Sanogo's diagonal blast and the early lead, our team captain's 10th goal of the season! 1-0

10 - *Very* lucky offsides call negates a goal for them.

13 - Textbook teamwork by Zajkov and Diakite to get us out of a jam, and upon the counter, Sanogo runs down a flareout, then centers for Uzamukunda's stunning sliding tackle that shoots the ball through the legs of the defender and into the net!!! 2-0

17 - Olou passes to Uzamukunda in the box for the handoff to Rambaud. Short cross to the other side of the penalty box, and Sanogo smashes in the diagonal header!!! Wow, and we're playing defensively! 3-0

37 - Kola grabs the clearance just outside the box, and I'm thinking he's going to lose it, so heavily is he being guarded. But then Diakite runs up and takes the outlet pass, then jams a ball into the box. Taider has to trap it a bit, but then he sneaks the shot past the unsuspecting keeper!!! 4-0

41 - Sanogo intended his pass to hit Mayala, but it skips past and Taider gets it on the touchline. He crosses opposite side, but the keeper was so committed to watching our Tunisian striker, he can't get back fast enough to defend racing Rambaud's walk-in 5th goal of the year. 5-0

79 - Meh. Way too little, way too late. 5-1

91 - Mayala wings out to Diakite, who crosses the ball to the opposite side. There's a small lapse in the defense, and that's all Rambaud needs to slam in the exclamation point. 6-1



Total and complete curbstomping, as we take out our frustrations on FC Reze.
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Old 12-02-2017, 04:36 PM   #42
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Transfer In - DR Ronan Touzet (20) (From TA Rennes)
Has been mediocre at higher levels, but he's a young kid with potential who can get some time behind Oscar Olou. 11 Marking, 13 Tackling, 10 Positioning, 16 Teamwork, 13 Acceleration, and has the skillset to eventually learn to play DC/DM, and maybe MC.

Youth Pulls
Someday I'll sign a player who has come through our system. Today is not that day. U18s win 5-2.

@ Vendee Lucon Reserves (10th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

14 - Olou passes to Coquin, then takes the backpass for a hammering long ball that finds Taider in the box. It's a mid-range shot that spears home! 1-0

49 - Taider takes the pass just inside the box, and two defenders close in. He lays off to Sanogo and those two defenders rush to switch the double-team... which leaves Taider open for the return pass and his second goal of the game. 2-0

53 - Allard for Uzamukunda and striker switch; Touzet in at DC, which he's presently training.

56 - Gorgeous longball by Kola down the right flank. Rambaud races to the touchline and centers, where all alone Allard fires in just his second score of the season 3-0

78 - Magnificent interception by Kola, and he jackhammers it down the middle of the pitch for Taider, who is all by himself as he runs into the box and laughably beats the keeper for his hat trick!!!! 4-0



Additionally, Cyrille Allard had a 7.2 off the bench. Oscar Olou and Andrew Sanogo will both miss the next game due to yellow card accumulation.

Maxime Pattier gets hurt AGAIN and is out 5-6 weeks. Aymen Taider is called up to play for the Tunisia U20s.

@ Olympique Saumur Reserves FC (2nd)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Ronan Touzet
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Madigoundo Diakite/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Elias Uzamukunda

Critical match here. While we've a 6 point edge with 5 games to go, a victory here goes a long way to locking up the title and promotion.

13 - That one's on Kola for a badly missed interception. 0-1

25 - Mayala hits the corner to Zajkov, and though I think the kick would have gone in anyway, a defender parked at the near post accidentally own goals it. 1-1

27 - Immediate answer on a cannon shot. That's it for Kola, as he's been awful all game. Sylla comes in. 1-2

52 - Kouyate comes on for Uzamukunda

82 - Fall to Sylla to Coquin laterals left to inside. Then comes the pass into the box, where Kouyate's slow roller somehow finds the net to equalize late. 2-2

Hard luck draw, as by the end of the game we'd certainly played well enough to win. But we preserve our 6 point lead, and we're 12 points ahead of 3rd place with 4 games left, so this is a battle between the two teams who promoted together.

We've signed a DR player to come over in June, and he's notched two PotM awards since we officially inked him. I'm excited, because I think he's already good enough to challenge Oscar Olou for the starting spot.

Aymen Taider officially gains French citizenship, yay!

@ TVEC Les-Sables d'Olonne (Coupe Atlantique Semifinal)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

They may only be a league up and a mid-tier team, but they're heavily favored. Emilien Fransquet, who has 23 appearances, including 22 starts, averaging 6.81, stopped by to praise Mabidi Mayala, drawing comparisons to Khadime. Big game for Mathieu Coquin here, playing against his old side with an opportunity to show they made a huge mistake in letting him walk.

10 - Generous home cooking has led to free kick after free kick for them, and they finally get one through after Zajkov completely blows coverage 0-1

20 - Stunning longball by Uzamukunda sees Taider beat the defense by a half-step, and the 1 on 1 = equalizer. 1-1

51 - Traore goes in for Zajkov, Coquin moves up to AMC, and Sylla swaps in at MC

68 - I'm going to gamble with burning my last sub, putting Rio in for Sanogo

69 - Coquin to Uzamukunda. Shot is blocked and the defense gets it, but a brilliant sliding tackle by Coquin gets the ball to Rio, who passes it back to Uzamukunda in the box, and there's his 15th goal of the year as we go ahead!!! 2-1

82 - We're pushed back and back and back, until Olou passes it to Coquin for the rainbow down the right flank to Rambaud. He crosses, and Taider's header is rejected by a masterful dive from the keeper. Unfortunately for him, he can't stop Taider from powering in the short-range rebound!!!! 3-1

91 - When you don't sufficiently clear a corner, shit like this happens. Fortunately, all we have to do is run out the clock. 3-2

And we do!!! What a massive, massive upset!!! Aymen Taider is PotM with a 9.0, but Mathieu Coquin did indeed make them pay, with an 8.2. Elias Uzamukunda posted an 8.0, and Francois Rio's game-winning assist earned him a 7.1 off the bench.

Thibault Rambaud will miss the next game due to yellows, which fortunately isn't the Coupe Atlantique championship game. Hard luck in the Final draw - not only do we get the team a league above rather than the one a league below, but we're going to have to play on the road again.
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Old 12-02-2017, 10:36 PM   #43
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Join Date: Sep 2004
vs FC Montaigu (4th)
G: Thibaut Dreano
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Jocelyn Kola
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Aymen Taider/Elias Uzamukunda

A win here guarantees we'll finish no worse than second, having locked up at least third place in our draw last league game. I want to give Karl Sorin a crack at the DM job, because I'm not wholly sold on Jocelyn Kola and Ibrahime Sylla there.

7 - Kola and Mayala tag-team for a takeaway deep in our half, with the former shooting a pass down to Uzamukunda for a long ball to Taider. 1 on 1 against the keeper, and there's our Tunisian's 12th goal of the year. He's been on fire lately. 1-0

24 - Masterful interception by Uzamukunda and the sequence caps with Diakite (who runs for the overlap like no other FB we've ever had), lateraling to Mayala for a perfect box space feed. Kola is there first, and he scores his first ever Roses goal!!! 2-0

31 - Taider lofts the corner and Diakite smashes the header into the box for Zajkov to score his own first Doue-la-Fontaine goal!!! 3-0

53 - Kouyate goes in for Uzamukunda, who has been awful outside of his assist

82 - Eh, it's only one goal, though I'm not happy about the breakdown on corner kick defense. 3-1

Mabidi Mayala was his usual brilliant self at 9.0 and PotM. 8.0 for Mathieu Coquin, and Aymen Taider was our third star at 7.7.

We sign a striker upgrade for the offseason who will push Elias Uzamukunda to a backup role.

There's a month-long break before our next game, and we've been bleeding money for a while now, thanks to a lack of cup cash and home games. We'll still finish with a profit this year, but it's going to be much lower than last season due to the costs of being a higher reputation club. Especially since attendance is down for some unfathomable reason.

Great news as Olympique Saumur Reserves only gets a draw in their makeup game, meaning with 3 games left, we have an 8 point lead. So one more win, and the title is ours.

Two huge upsets in the French Cup semifinals ensure we'll have a new champion for the third time in as many years.

vs ASI Murs-Erigne (10th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Jocelyn Kola
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Elias Uzamukunda

Aymen Taider is off on international duty again. Now let's hope Maxime Pattier can actually stay healthy long enough to make the Coupe Atlantique championship.

4 - Mayala launches the free kick into the box, and Uzamukunda beats everyone for the score. I screwed up by forgetting to put Rambaud in at MR. 1-0

13 - Kola is spiked in the box, and Mayala has no problem converting the PK. 2-0

19 - Allard is in the box and flares out to Sanogo for the cross. Mayala's header bounces off the top of the goal, but Sanogo is right there to sink the rebound. 3-0

34 - Coquin has nabbed clearance after clearance this first half, and he gets another here, winging out to Kola for the cross to Allard. Shot's blocked. Uzamukunda goes for the rebound... blocked. Ball rolls back, and Mayala fires in our third shot attempt. 4-0

41 - I mean... not that we needed it, but thanks for the own goal. 5-0



What is it about Mabidi Mayala that makes him so special, continuing to laugh in the face of age?



Yeah I can't explain it. There's just something about his constellation of attributes that makes him insanely brilliant, and he's not even an ideal Shadow Striker, which makes it even crazier.

By the way, here's a look at our setup, and it's the roles, etc we've been running ever since we switched full-time to the 3-1-3-1-2 DM:



I've come, through my various FM plays, to love having attacking wingers. It creates a very pretty aesthetic. I also almost always have a DM in my tactical setup, because I feel like it cuts down on the number of long range shots that punish us - as well as providing a natural linkage between the defense and the midfield. The DLP is new to me, though, in that spot, and I've never used a Shadow Striker this extensively before. I also normally use 2 strikers, though have used 1 striker formations before. I've never gotten a 3 striker formation to work, and refuse to use the insanity of 0 striker formations.

A big departure from my usual setup is that we're only running 3 defenders. I almost always use 4. And yet, this has been my favorite formation ever in all my years playing FM. It yields phenomenal results and it's a lot of fun to watch play out.

Huh. We didn't clinch the title yet. Oh well.

vs E.S. Vigneux-de-Bretagne (6th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Sekou Traore/Ronan Touzet
DM: Ibrahime Sylla
M: Francois Rio/Luidgi Hoareau/Jocelyn Kola
AMC: Giovanni Michel
S: Ibrahima Kouyate/Robin Lemonnier

B/C lineup because the Coupe Atlantique Final is in a few days. Aymen Taider has increased ability to CFA 2 level, whereas Oscar Olou is starting his decline.

In the prematch runup, this happened:



Fuck you, dude. Eat my ass. We'll destroy your shitlord team.

53 - Touzet slides over to DC and Sorin comes in at DR, while Taider jogs on to replace Kouyate. Incidentally, we have *two* new strikers coming in this summer, which will spell the end of Kouyate's career with us.

66 - I think Taider would have scored anyway, but Kola rings in the fluke cross goal 1-0

This was a medicore win, keyed by Jocelyn Kola's 7.9 PotM and Giovanni Michel's 7.6. Aymen Taider had a 7.0 off the bench, and Luidgi Hoareau showed he's still got it in getting a 7.1.

But the ugly victory doesn't matter, because we're the league champions, winning our third straight promotion!!!!!!!!!



Suck it, fuckstick. There's a reason why you've been the interim manager at 3 different jobs, couldn't win anything, and have been trash as the manager of this squad, with 0 wins.

@ AC Chapelain Foot (Coupe Atlantique Final)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Elias Uzamukunda

This right here is our Super Bowl. It just sucks that Aymen Taider is away on international duty, which makes this a much tighter match.

7 - Mayala wings out to Sanogo on the sideline, and he launches the ball into the stratosphere. The defender beats Rambaud on the header, but Allard backtracks and outmuscles the defender to head it in the first score!!! Wonderful work by the teenager whose potential I've always loved!!! 1-0

12 - Diakite throws in to Sanogo for the cross into space. Uzamukunda shows the defense his cleats and heads in the goal with help from the bar!!! 2-0

13 - Critical tackle by Rambaud in our box, and Coquin gets the ball out to Uzamukunda to start a lengthy sequence that ends with Uzamukunda centering to Mayala outside the other box. Gorgeous pass into it ahead of Rambaud who crosses... and Allard has the pants beat off the defense for his second score!!! 3-0

51 - Sorin replaces tired Kola

66 - Seeing a drop in play from Coquin in the second half, so Sylla slides in for him.

70 - Zajkov gives up a goal because he's exhausted. 3-1

75 - Sorin drops to DC, Sylla to DM, and Rio takes over at MC

18 year old Cyrille Allard stepped up on his biggest stage, winning Player of the Match in the Coupe Atlantique Final with two goals and an 8.8 rating. Elias Uzamukunda posted a 7.5, and Thibault Rambaud was our third best at 7.4

This trophy is far more sweeter than the ones in the English 23 level mod. This one spans several levels, and winning it demonstrates that we're Ligue Atlantique quality. The $5.42k in prize money is fucking nothing, but I don't care.



EA Guingamp wins the French Cup - a stunning result for a lower tier Ligue 1 side (14th this season, . OTOH it's their third French Cup, having also won in 2009 and 2014. Interesting history - they were founded as an amateur club in 1912, and didn't get to the CFA until 1976, and they promoted straight into Ligue 2 the next season. They turned professional in 1984 and also won the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup. They promoted to Ligue 1 in 1995, 2000, and 2013. More importantly for our purposes, their commune is just 7,220 citizens and they play in an 18,000 seat stadium. An example of the heights we can hope to aspire to.

Cyrille Allard decreases in ability, which is disappointing, but makes sense. On the other hand, Andrew Sanogo increases in ability, and though I'm often sorely tempted to look for upgrades at the winger spots, for now, he and Thibault Rambaud will stay where they are. Also worth noting: Sanogo is now a natural at ML. Remember, that wasn't a position he played originally.

@ Bretignolles-sur-mer (10th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Ronan Touzet
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Andrew Sanogo/Jocelyn Kola/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mathieu Coquin
S: Cyrille Allard/Ibrahima Kouyate

Does anybody care about this game? No. But we're throwing in as many guys as have upside for this final match as possible. Madigoundo Diakite is out on yellows accumulation, or Andrew Sanogo would also be sitting.

Oh, by the way, Ibrahime Sylla is now 0.5/0.5*, so he'll be dropped from the rotation upon promotion. Aymen Taider is also off on international duty.

2 - Touzet plays up to Rambaud, and on the center, Allard is wrecked. Kouyate is there to sink his 10th goal of the year, inconsistent bastard that he is. 1-0

19 - And this is why Sorin lost his starting job in the first place. Hit with a red card.

26 - Yeah. 1-1

50 - Kouyate passes to Coquin, who makes a gorgeous delivery into the box for Allard to pick up, run, and fire in the shorthanded goal with. Late in the first half, I shifted Kola down to DM and left the midfield open due to complaints about gap. Looks like it's paying off. 2-1

54 - Coquin has two defenders draping him, so he passes to Kouyate in the box. The defense immediately tackles the ball away, but then passively watch it roll. Coquin surges forward and makes them pay, netting his second goal of the season. 3-1

8.7 and PotM for Mathieu Coquin in his first game at AMC, 7.9 for Jocelyn Kola, and 7.4 for Cyrille Allard, as everyone had 7.0 or better despite being shorthanded most of the game. Talk about an embarrassing defeat for a team that yeah sure was already being relegated, but still.

Season review/screenshots next time.
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Old 12-03-2017, 06:56 AM   #44
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Join Date: Sep 2004


Our scoring load was evenly distributed, as you'll see in the tallies, so this isn't surprising at all. No question we absolutely dominated the league this year, and only Olympique Saumur Reserves' equally tough to beat squad kept it close. Yay for what was a down season overall, as I predicted in preseason.



Because the two Thomases - Gerbault and Parada - left town, only Oscar Olou stood out on the appearances list. But there's another reason - Year 1 was about getting to play for us who could. Season 2 was massive turnover after turnover. This season? Rebuilding/bolstering the backline and defense overall. And of course, Aissa Laidouni is elsewhere.



Mathieu Coquin already looks absolutely indispensable, and I'd say the same is true of Aymen Taider, even though it took most of the season before he finally heated up. I can't explain Thibault Rambaud - he's even bigger an overachiever than Mabidi Mayala and Andrew Sanogo. What a godly assist total - 22 in 23 appearances! That's virtually an assist per game!

Mabidi Mayala's 8.7 rating in 11 appearances isn't enough to crack the leaderboard (probably an appearances minimum), but it destroys the league's old 8.28 rating record.



Only shock here is that Elias Uzamukunda didn't finish third in the voting for Player of the Year.



A couple oddities here - Luidgi Hoareau and Robin Lemonnier can't play those positions - but other than that, Season 3 is when we've finally wiped out most of the Season 1 guys, though Victor Francoz, Hoareau, Nicolas, and Luigi Bellanger continue to hang on in the starting lineup.

I scout a bunch of guys who are friends with dudes on the team. Unsurprisingly, none of them want to join at the moment. The only guy who loves me is Cyrille Allard, and the only one who loves playing for the Roses is Francois Rio

Oh, I forgot to mention - we got $13.39k for winning the league, and we finish that month with a $19.33k profit as a result of taking the league and the Coupe Atlantique.

We made $82k in profit last year - down from Year 2, but that's expected because of our abysmal attendance numbers, which we'll get to when review time comes along.

Our reputation skyrocketed, as we leap to 2nd place in our old league. That means more expenses next year, as we have to keep up with our growing acclaim.

Preseason is a real jerkface to us. Francois Rio and Madigoundo Diakite go down with 2-3 month injuries.

Transfer Out - MC Aliou Traore (27) - To ES La Rochelle
Key player in our first season, but very quickly washed out. He hung around the last two years, though, waiting for a chance that never came. Oddly enough, he jumps to a team on this level in another region, where he's a First Team player. Weird.

Transfer In - ST Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo (20) (Congolese) - From TA Rennes
I started listing his ratings, but fuck it - you have to see it to believe it:


He's been a 7.0+ player even at the CFA 2 level, so this kid is straight up legit, and our best set piece guy on a number of things. I'm in love with him already.

Transfer In - ST Tsihoarana Rabetsimialona (21) (Malagasy) - From Orvault Sports
Great feeling to rob those bastards of a dude. 11 senior caps for Madagascar. 13 Dribbling, Finishing, and Heading, 12 First Touch, 13 Decisions, 15 Flair, 13 Off the Ball, 16 Teamwork, 11 Work Rate, 13 Acceleration, 11 Pace. What holds him back, and will make him our third striker, is that he lacks the complete package brilliance of Ndongo and Aymen Taider. But that's 3 young African internationally capped kids we have as stars up front, to say nothing of Elias Uzamukunda our 4th representation.

Transfer In - DR/MR/WBR Damien Boisvilliers (24) (Reunionese) - From USON Mondeville
A god for a Ligue de-Basse-Normandie squad the last two years. 13 Tackling, 10 Concentration, 12 Acceleration, and just one physical attribute below 10, and even that's 8. Right now he'll be a primary right side backup to our starters. Oh, and 8 caps for his national side.

Ligue Atlantique Promotion Odds
Vendee Herbiers Reserves: Even
RC Doue-la-Fontaine: Even
TVEC Les-Sables-d'Olonne: 7-4
Saint-Nazaire AF: 7-4
FC La Chapelle-de Marais: 5-2
Plouzane AC: 5-1

When I had lunch with cartman yesterday, I told him we probably wouldn't be challenged until CFA 2 and semipro clubs come into play. Judging by these odds, those words were prophetic. The Ligue Atlantique is a 12 team league, so 22 games. Bottom two relegate and the champion promotes.

Transfer Out - ST Richard Aoudia (27) - To AS Le Mans Villaret
He wasn't a bad player, but even with us the first and second seasons, he was no more than a role player. Off he goes to a DSR squad, which is still higher than I think he should be playing.

Transfer Out - DR Nicolas Gentilleau (34) - To JA Isle
Was great the first season with us - in Year 2 - but quickly got supplanted as part of the roster churn. One time team captain who somehow manages to jump ship to another region on this level.

...I literally just said, "Wait, what?"



...Yeah. Granted, they just relegated to the Championship for the second team in this universe, but the Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck quotient is strong in this one.

Mathieu Coquin is named team captain for the season, Gjoko Zajkov retaining his vice-captain spot. BTW, our Macedonian has improved in ability - now considered a leading Ligue Atlantique player. Coquin feels pressured by the announcement, but most of the team is happy with it. Andrew Sanogo is okay with losing his captaincy, which is a huge sigh of relief.

Transfer Out - GK Thibaut Dreano (26) - To Vendee Fontenay Football - $13.75k
Disappointing to lose our reliable backup keeper who was a real force in the net for most of last season. Critical player given Maxime Pattier's injury frequency, but the money was too good. Now we'll have to hit the market to find a new #2.

Transfer Out - ST Aymen Taider (18) (Tunisian) - To West Brom - $110k!!!!
I've never before in all my amateur careers had a player leave with a six figure salary. It kills me to lose the kid I raided from a team the day after we beat them, but he would have to be certifiable to turn down this kind of cash, even though it means a move across the Channel. His value skyrockets to $48k after he signs this Hot Prospect deal. Good thing I went in heavily on strikers this summer. It's only through the end of the season, so the kid's not set for life or anything - but he's making in 1 season what I've made in 5 years of adjunct teaching. FML.

Competition Expectations
Win Ligue Atlantique
Win Coupe Atlantique
Reach 9th Round of French Cup

I mean... all of this is definitely doable, but shit just got a lot harder with those defections.
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Old 12-03-2017, 09:59 PM   #45
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
England gets to the World Cup Final, but they lose 0-2 to Lionel Messi and Argentina.

Code:
Season Ticket Sales: 45 (+18) Bank Balance: $248,172 (+$61,149) Estimated Value: $275k (+$65k) Average Ticket Price: $8 (+$3) Average Season Ticket Price: $65 (+$27) Reputation: Oscure All basic or poor stuff Stadium capacity: 500 Average attendance: 152 (-30 and 1 less than our first year) Media Prediction: 2nd My Reputation: 15% (+5)

Our crashing attendance stunted our profits last season, along with the increased expenses. But this year, our team value and season ticket sales skyrocketed. Put another way: Last year we made $1.026k in season ticket sales. This year, it's $2.925k, or almost 3x as much! Granted, it's still a tiny amount, but with 45 season ticket holders, that alone is almost 1/3rd of our entire attendance last year, so we should see a significant bump in gate receipts.

Transfer Out - GK Theo Guerin (21) - To Tours FC 2 - $17.5k
That's our second and third string keepers both snapped up. We're in deep shit right now if Maxime Pattier lives up to his injury history. We definitely have to hit on one of the guys we're targeting.

Transfer In - GK Romain Cagnon (21)
Like this free agent with 11 Aerial Reach, 12 Communication, 11 Handling, 11 One on Ones, 10 Reflexes, 12 Positioning, and a wow factor 15 Agility! To say nothing of overall stellar physical attributes - tons of 13s and 14 Strength to boot. He's almost as good as Maxime Pattier, so we're in excellent hands again in our keeper position (no pun intended).



We've officially hit the big time, guys! That's the very first time in any of my amateur dynasties that I've received word we're going to be on TV! That $22k certainly doesn't hurt either.

Transfer In - MC/AMC Zian Maki (25) - From TVEC Les Sables-d'Olonne
These guys must really hate me. First I steal one of their star youth prospects and now I grab a guy who was a consistent starter for them the last three years. Although TVEC's fans are happy to see him go, it's thievery from one of our league rivals. 13 First Touch, 13 Technique, 10 Aggression, 10 Composure, 10 Decisions, 13 Determination, 12 Pace and Stamina. A little slow off the mark, but he can play two positions, unlike Giovanni Michel, with potential to learn to play ML as well.

Transfer Out - DC Sekou Traore (21) (Malian) - To Vendee Fontenay Football - $15k
The fans may be sad to see a second raid, but I'm not. Most frustrating DC ever in terms of production to talent level. So that's him and Thomas Parada both gone, leaving Gjoko Zajkov as the last man standing among three comparatively equal DCs. It also means Jordane Orain will have a chance to add to his appearances resume. He joins Thibaut Dreano and Killian Rault as former RC Doue-la-Fontaine players suiting up for Vendee Fontenay Football, which dropped to CFA 2 this season. The club certainly has a love for what we're doing here - not only have they signed three of our players, they were rumored to be heavily interested in luring me to the manager's job. Fontenay-le-Comte is about an hour and a half from Doue-la-Fontaine, and has double the population of our little town.

[u]International Roundup[/b]
Mathieu Coquin (Guadelope) - 7.1 in a 3-1 win over Anguilla; 8.8 in 4-1 win over Bonaire; 7.3 in 2-1 win over St. Maarten
Tsihoarana Rabetsimiolana (Madagascar) - 6.9 in 2-1 win over Mauritus
Damien Boisvilliers (Reunion) - 8.0 in 2-1 win over Libya

Mathieu Coquin's strong performances helped key Guadelope to a flawless group victory in the Preliminary round of the Caribbean Championship, advancing them to the First Round of group play in the competition. They've drawn Antigua & Barbados, Dominican Republic, and Grenada in their group.

A nasty bug has cropped up where Romain Cagnon isn't showing up in the senior team, so I can't register him. I should probably save and restart but that would make too much sense.

Transfer Out - ST Baptiste Ibrahim-Ouali (34) - To Who Cares?
Capable backup season 1, dirt after that.

Caribbean Championship First Round
Mathieu Coquin - 6.9 in 0-0 draw with Grenada; 8.7 in 4-1 win over Antigua & Barbados; 9.0 in 3-0 win over Dominican Republic

Rough outing in the first game, but scorching victories in the final two games advances Gaudelope to Second Round group play, where their group consists of Grenada again, Curacao, and Martinique.

Interestingly enough, there's quite a few members of the Guadelopean national team who are playing in the Ligue Atlantique this season. Pretty cool if you ask me. At one point TVEC Les Sables-d'Olonne had two of them.

Transfer Out - AMC Giovanni Michel (24) - To Sable FC - $15k
Had a few good games for us, but was too inconsistent and eventually lost the starting spot to Mabidi Mayala. Not sorry to see him leave.

Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo is hurt shortly before our first match and is out 5-6 weeks. FML!

Cool bit here:



Hopefully it's granted.

vs Vendee Herbier Reserves
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Tsihoarana Rabetsimialona/Elias Uzamukunda

11 - Mayala blasts it right side for Rambaud to run and cross, Sanogo making the difficult diagonal shot. Things just don't change, it seems. 1-0

12 - Textbook interception by Kola and flare out left to Sanogo. A bouncing center evades the keeper, making it easy for Uzamukunda to put it away. 2-0

54 - Maki jogs on for Mayala, who has been putrid, and Sylla jumps in to replace Kola

Not a pretty win at all. Andrew Sanogo's 8.5 PotM single-handedly carried us in a victory over the team our oddsmakers consider our biggest competition for the title.

Guess I should see if saving and restarting fixes that bug with our backup keeper. We're in for a world of hurt if something happens to Maxime Pattier. Or I could look for another backup.
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Old 12-04-2017, 03:59 AM   #46
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Restart didn't fix the error, so it's find a new backup at the transfer deadline.

Transfer In - MC Juvrel Loumingou (23) (Congolese)
I'm chortling because we beat out Orvault Sports to get him. 12 First Touch, 11 Marking, 12 Passing, 10 Determination, 15 Teamwork, 12 Work Ethic. 12/12/13 Accel/Pace/Flair with 11 Finishing. I don't know why no one's trained him in other positions, because this kid could play a lot of different spots. I think we'll start him in the other midfield spots, then AMC. Maybe even ST. As of right now, he's our #2 central midfielder, so will rotate in when Mathieu Coquin is off on international duty.

Transfer In - GK Hugo Foucher (28) (From Ploermel FC)
How fucking stupid. I just discovered what the so-called bug was... for some reason Goalkeepers were unchecked. Anyway, he now becomes my third string keeper, so I'm not going to bother with his ratings. He's been trash at this level anyway, so hopefully we don't have to call on him.

I really want to find a good multi-position player to be a backup or a fantastic DM so I can get Ibrahime Sylla out of our rotation.

Here's another new one on me:



My longtime assman swears this kid is super raw but has CFA2 potential. I'm intrigued enough, especially by that 14 Finishing, to put in for him. It'll eat my Joker window move, but that's okay.

Guadelope gets their asses kicked 1-4 by Ecaudor, with Mathieu Coquin putting in a 6.8 performance. Just a friendly, however. Gjoko Zajkov and T. Rabetsimialona were both awful in their respective team's losses.

Issam Zerhouni does sign, and will come on board in January.

Oscar Olou finally gets in for Benin again, with a 6.9 in a 3-2 friendly win. Mathieu Coquin snags a 9.0 in Guadelope's friendly win, and Damien Boisvilliers has a 6.9 in a friendly loss.

vs ES Segre (8th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Juvrel Loumingou/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Tsihoarana Rabetsimialona/Elias Uzamukunda

Mathieu Coquin needs a rest, so he'll sit out completely today.

51 - We had *3* shots clang off the post in the first half. So frustrating. Here, Uzamukunda is being hammered by two defenders, so he kicks back to Loumingou. Forward to Mayala, and the feed into the box is there for Uzamukunda. 3 defenders are on him, but no one goes for the tackle, and he makes them pay by scoring. Coming off is tired, yellow-carded Kola for Sylla because I'll never trust Sorin again. 1-0

53 - Allard goes in for Rabetsimialona, who has been awful

Despite the narrow victory, it was a solid all around game. Mabidi Mayala reminds us he's still amazing with an 8.9 PotM outing, and Juvrel Loumingou puts up an impressive 7.8 debut. Speaking of which, I think Natural Fitness plays a role in longevity of success - Mayala is 13, Loumingou 6, FWIW.

@ Le Poire-sur-Vie VF Reserves (12th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Madigoundo Diakite/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Zian Maki
S: Tsihoarana Rabetsimialona/Elias Uzamukunda

One thing I forgot to mention - we had 4 more games added to the TV schedule, so in total, we should pull in $44k just in television money. Dollar dollar bills y'all! ...Or euros.

17 - Rabetsimialona gets a clearance and passes it to Maki, who puts it just enough ahead that Uzamukunda powers in his 50th career league goal and continues his assault on Mickael Bernardo's RC Doue career goals total. 1-0

23 - We got caught napping on that cross 1-1

25 - Coquin cracks the free kick into box space, and Rambaud breaks free to sink in the score. 2-1

29 - Olou makes a great interception of a clearance, and the ball gets to Coquin. Pass to Uzamukunda, who has four defenders around him. No problem, as he centers to isolated Maki for his first ever Roses goal!!! 3-1

37 - That was the most bullshit oops goal ever. 3-2

48 - Rabetsimialona sits for Allard, and is in danger of losing his starting spot.

49 - Superb tackle by Rambaud, and great heads up play by Uzamukunda to run back and get the loose ball. He hammers it downfield. Defense is there first and passes back to the keeper - only it's so lazily done, Maki zooms in to drill his second goal of the game! 4-2

55 - Sylla goes in for Kola at DM, but we really, really need a backup DC worth his salt

73 - Maki with the short to Rambaud just outside the middle of the box. Defense misses a header, and Rambaud drills a beautiful leading pass to the left side of the box that Uzamukunda gets to and puts away, ending any hopes of a comeback. 5-2

77 - Smelled that one coming a mile away 5-3

Been a long time since we've given up 3 goals in a match - let alone a league one. But our offense came through in a big way - specifically Thibault Rambaud (8.7), Mathieu Coquin (9.0), Elias Uzamukunda (9.1), and in my beautifully played off hunch, Zian Maki with a 9.1 and PotM.

It's a big enough win that we push into 1st place on GD ahead of Saint-Nazaire AF, who has also won their first three league games - all by a single goal. Little bit of luck involved there.

Our combined 8 goals broke the old 7 league game record set back in 2015, when Saint-Nazaire AF hammered some poor team 7-0. It's another short turnaround for our next match, so we're going to have to keep juggling the lineup.
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Old 12-07-2017, 06:03 PM   #47
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Join Date: Sep 2004
@ TVEC Les Sables-d'Olonne (4th)
G: Romain Cagnon
D: Lamine Fall/Jordane Orain/Damien Boisvilliers
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Juvrel Loumingou/Oscar Olou
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Tsihoarana Rabetsimialona

As much as I wanted Mathieu Coquin and Zian Maki to face their former team, it just didn't make sense energywise, so instead we trot out this lineup with a lot of #2 options.

We switch to a 3-4-1-2 at half, Rambaud ending his day off by coming in at MR, Maki coming in as an MC with Kola heading out. Olou got injured and Kola is exhausted, as is Orain, but we're lacking in options.

81 - Fucking long range strikes. 0-1

84 - Fall throws in to Allard. Ball is tackled away, but he gets it back and ground crosses. Keeper's dive misses, and Rabetsimialona *finally* gets his first goal for us on the open-netter. 1-1

Hard luck draw, as we got our shit together enough to win. But that's how it is sometimes. Andrew Sanogo will miss the next match with a yellow card. The draw drops us to 3rd place.

Transfer Out - MC Thomas Souvemanien (25) - To EB Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire
Capable backup our first season, but quickly got overrun by better players, particularly after we dropped down to one MC in our primary formation. Goes down to the DHR level, which is far more appropriate for his talent.

@ USJA Carquefou Reserves (11th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Madigoundo Diakite/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo/Elias Uzamukunda

41 - Something got fucked up and it's doing it in 2D classic mode rather than 3D. Anyway, Coquin plays it out to Rambaud for the center to Mayala outside the box. Feed to Ndongo in the box, and there's the debut goal! 1-0

47 - Olou catches a clearance and longs it to Ndongo in the box. He's drilled and there's the PK! Uzamukunda converts with ease. 2-0

At half, injured Diakite is replaced by Rio

59 - Coquin subs in for tired yellowed Kola at DM, and Maki slides in as MC

64 - Maki dribbles horizontally towards the left side of the pitch, then gives to Ndongo. He passes to Mayala in the half circle, and a stride later, our time defying AMC sinks his first goal of the year. 3-0

75 - Maki shorts it to Mayala for the gorgeous rainbow just ahead of Ndongo. Dribble into the box, and the diagonal for his second goal is in. 4-0



I'm not sure what Oscar Olou's problem is, but wow, what a debut by Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo! Even better, Saint-Nazaire AF got a draw, so we're back in 1st on GD.

On the bad news, Madigoundo Diakite is out 4-5 weeks with a back injury.

I checked a couple things to see if they'll fix the issue I have with suddenly not being able to run 3D.

We sign a star young AMC, young backup DC,and star young DL to come in January.

vs Plouzane AC (7th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Juvrel Loumingou/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo/Elias Uzamukunda

49 - Allard goes in for Uzamukunda and striker switch

62 - [b]Rio/b] goes in for Sanogo. I hate this 2D mode.

64 - Olou throws into Rambaud and gets it back. Perfect center to Rio and he strikes home his first goal of the year! 1-0

73 - Rambaud centers to Mayala for the box pass to Ndongo. Four defenders get there too late, as the insurance score sinks in 2-0

It's the kind of game where Mabidi Mayala's 7.9 is good enough for PotM. Juvrel Loumingou was our second best at 7.6, and Francois Rio had a huge 7.3 sub showing.

And this is where I'm going to stop for a while. Might need to get a new computer - this one is like 5 years old, and the graphics card (integrated) may finally be quitting on me.
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Old 12-09-2017, 11:55 PM   #48
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
So my old computer, which also started stuttering and sputtering speedwise last night, was 2* for 3D capability, and dropped to 0* after 5 years of loyal, hardworking service as a budget desktop. The computer I got on sale last night? FM 16 reports it has 4* 3D capability - double my old one. Really looking forward to it.

Interesting situation here:



I'm going to be nice about it, because Cyrille Allard isn't quite ready, and Tsihoarana Rabetsimialona has been trash. I love the stupidity of his agent asking for a new deal right after he had a horrible game. As it turns out, he's only asking for a Rotation deal, which I have no problems offering.

Mathieu Coquin posts a 7.1 in a 3-0 demolishing of Grenada in the opening match of the second round Caribbean Championship group play, whilst Damien Boisvilliers has a 6.9 in Reunion's 0-0 friendly draw with Tanzania.

It's Guadeloupe, Grenada, Curacao, in Group C, fighting it out for the top two spots to advance to the third round.

A couple days later, Damien Boisvilliers with a 7.0 in another friendly win. Tsihoarana Rabetsimialona is a late substitution in Madagascar's friendly win over Burundi. Gjoko Zajkov is terrible as a sub in an 0-3 loss to Ireland, whilst Guadelope suffers a 2-3 stunning loss at the hands of Curacao, our hero Mathieu Coquin with a 6.7. Curacao has clinched getting out, whilst Grenada is eliminated from the tournament. That makes the game against Martinique the decider in who joins Curacao.

Three more matches picked for television, which will net another $16,000. Man, I love playing at this level.

@ E.S. Layon (Coupe de Atlantique 32e de Finale)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Andrew Sanogo/Zian Maki/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo/Elias Uzamukunda

International callups, injuries, suspension, exhaustion, make for these shuffles.

14 - Stunning charge down the middle of the pitch by Olou to intercept and blast a long ball to Nodongo. He dribbles, then kicks a lateral to Uzamukunda. The ball goes past the back of our new contract hopeful's foot, but he runs to get it. Keeper for some reason is out of the net, and Uzamukunda slots the ball in 1-0

24 - Orain takes away a lazy pass in their half, and the move caps off with Uzamukunda playing to Ndongo for the further ball to Sanogo. He cuts into the box, draw the keeper, and our left winger's cross to Rambaud ends in a thunderous goal. A little too much mustard on that shot, but the ball stayed down. 2-0

35 - God damn it!!! I missed his first two brilliant performances because of stupid 2D Classic mode, and now Ndongo picks up yet another game-ending injury! > Allard takes his place.

46 - Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ! Olou with the two footed spike draws a red right as the second half starts. Orain goes off for the night, with Touzet taking over at DR. Sorin's role is changed to pure DM.

62 - Mayala shoots the rainbow to the right side, where Rambaud dribbles and cracks a high center ball. Uzamukunda rises up and smashes it just under the bar with his head. Awesome shorthanded goal. 3-0

72 - Sanogo dumps it off right to Mayala. There's a defender in our ageless AMC's face, but he sees a wide open hole in the defense, lasering a cross to the right for running Rambaud to rock another score. 4-0



Absolute shorthanded dominance as we blitzed the fuck out of another Ligue Atlantique team, who plays in another pod, and say fuck you to the draw that screwed us this early.

Mathieu Coquin's 6.9 game wasn't impressive, but Guadelope did what they needed to in beating Martinique 2-1 to advanced to the third round of the Caribbean Championship.

In the third round, there's four teams in two groups, and here's how it breaks down:

Winner goes to the Final. Second place team goes to the Third Place playoff. Third place team goes to the Fifth Place Playoff and qualifies for the Gold Cup Playoffs (over the second place team?! Weird). Fourth place team gets nothing.

So it's Guadeloupe, Barbados, French Guiana, and Haiti in Group A. In 2016, Guadeloupe made it to this stage and finished fourth in the group. In 2010, they were runners-up, and have taken third three times: 1989, 1994, and 2008.

Oh, and Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo is out 2 weeks with the injury. Bleh.

Gjoko Zakov gets 22 minutes of sub action for 1-1 draw with Estonia.

@ CS Volvic (French Cup Sixth Round)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Damien Boisvilliers
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Zian Maki/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Elias Uzamukunda

Harsh matchup this early, drawing a road game against a team that's 2nd in Ligue d'Auvergne.

7 - Mayala passes it forward to Sanogo for the short center to Allard. Mid-range shot is deflected, but Sanogo jumps in to sink the rebound. 1-0

33 - Mayala dribbles down the middle of the pitch and plays it into the box. It goes too long, but Uzamukunda runs the ball down to the touchline and shows off amazing shot skills in slotting behind the back of the keeper! 2-0

61 - Touzet comes in for tiring Zakjov, and Rabetsimialona is going to get a shot to spell Allard

70 - Kola spins the ball off to Maki for the pass to Rabetsimialona just outside the box. Two defenders in his area, so he first touch feeds it to Mayala inside, and there's the thunder strike. 3-0

89 - Jaw-droppingly gorgeous free kick by Rabetsimialona, perfectly curved to drop into the net. He's really making his case to be our third striker again here. 4-0



It's been a long time since I've seen a goalie dominate a game like that. Maxime Pattier made amazing stop after stop, and it was a treat to watch.

$16.8k for the victory.

@ Saint-Nazaire AF (2nd)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Andrew Sanogo/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Tsihorana Rabetsimialona/Elias Uzamukunda

Huge early season match, and after his performance last time out, I'm giving our Malagasy striker another chance in the starting lineup.

11 - Coquin uses his skill to dribble past the defender and slide a pass to Sanogo that evades the guy on our left wing. The ensuing dribble and cross sees overachieving Uzamukunda smash a header in. 1-0

44 - And there goes Sanogo off with injury. Rio steps on in relief.

57 - Allard in for Rabetsimialona

68 - Coquin is sitting on the upper left corner outside the box, facing a double team. He kicks it back to Fall, who jacks a long ball into the box, where Uzamukunda has been left unmarked. That's a 1v1 we win almost every time. 2-0

8.8 and PotM for Elias Uzamukunda, 8.0 for Mathieu Coquin, and 7.6 for Lamine Fall as our top 3 stars, though the defense was strong in general, and Andrew Sanogo had a 7.5 before being knocked out.

...Shit. Andrew Sanogo is out 2 months, and oh btw, his agent wants a better deal.

Good News: Maxime Pattier is now a good CFA2 level goalie, and we'll look to lock him down as soon as we go semipro.

Bad News: Mabidi Mayala's decline is finally starting at 31. Good thing we've an upgrade coming in early January.

$23.94k profit for the month and stuck on Very Secure. Worth noting: Our profit is already almost that of last season, buoyed in large part by the over $28k in TV revenue we've gotten thus far.

@ US Meru-sandricourt (French Cup Seventh Round)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Damien Boisvilliers
DM: Jocelyn Kola
M: Madigoundo Diakite/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo/Elias Uzamukunda

I've made the executive decision to go with the kid with next level upside in Damien Boisvilliers. As brilliant as Oscar Olou has been overall, Boisvilliers has been rightfully complaining about lack of PT, and it's time he got his shot.

34 - Uzamukunda lays off to Rambaud and runs down the return lead pass, dribbling in the box, and firing it in. Man, I love our Rwandan striker, who now has 11 goals on the season, and I'm pretty sure has taken the Roses career scoring lead. 1-0

52 - Rabetsimialona for Ndongo, who has been dreadful, and Touzet for disappointing Zajkov

54 - Suck a gonorrhea-ridden dick, ref! Uzamukunda was onsides!

64 - Fabulous rundown of a bad pass by Uzamukunda for the booted ball all the way down the pitch to Rabetsimialona. Two defenders are squeezing him, so he wings right to Rambaud. Dribble and cross, and there's Diakite for his first ever Roses goal!!!! 2-0

75 - The fuck kind of shitlord backpass attempt was that, Boisvilliers?! Ugh. 2-1

80 - Coquin passes up to Uzamukunda, who has a wall of defenders on him. Drop off to open Rambaud for the run, set, shoot, and score, the defense way too late to catch up. 3-1

88 - Kola to Mayala, and the feed into the box is perfectly placed for Rambaud to destroy the keeper 1 on 1. 4-1

Trash performance by our strikers not named Elias Uzamukunda (8.9), but everyone else had a 7 or better. The 8+ guys other than our overachieving 27 year old - PotM Thibault Rambaud (9.6 and an overachiever in his own right), Madigoundo Diakite (8.2 in his first game back from injury), and Mabidi Mayala (8.4). But really, it wasn't until the last 15 minutes that we got our heads out of our asses and started playing like we should against such an inferior opponent.

We get fucked by our Eighth Round draw, so it'll probably be another exit there, making it Ninth Round/Ninth Round/Eighth Round/Eight Round for our four years. $22.4k for the win btw

Then this happens:



My reaction to this news:



Okay, assholes. Let's see what you're bitching about.



..Two people? Just two people? And why the FUCK is Cyrille Allard here?! Hey, boo, you're supposed to <3 me!

"Some of the players think you're responsible for the lack of squad harmony, and want to know what you're prepared to do about it."

...The hell is this shit?! OUR MORALE IS THROUGH THE ROOF, AND YOU'RE GIVING ME SHIT ABOUT SQUAD HARMONY?!

So I politely tell them the players need to get their own shit together. Both guys are happy about that response. If he wasn't so good, I'd cut Madigoundo Diakite's complaining ass. He's the real culprit.

Heartbreaking 0-1 loss for Guadeloupe to Haiti, Mathieu Coquin managing just a 6.8.

Oh, nice.



Transfer In - MC/DM Franklin Wadja (23) (Cameroonian)
Immediately becomes our #2 MC for when Mathieu Coquin goes off for international play. He's got a really interesting skill set that I'll just share:



I think I'll give him a shot at starting at DM. That way Jocelyn Kola can be our godly bench player (DM/MC/MR/DR btw, and currently working on ML). Born in Douala, Cameroon, the country's largest city.

@ Reze FC (7th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Damien Boisvilliers
DM: Franklin Wadja
M: Madigoundo Diakite/Juvrel Loumingou/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo/Elias Uzamukunda

We smashed their faces in 6-1 in the Coupe Atlantique Quarterfinals last year, and I'd love a repeat performance. By the way, of the starting lineup here, only Maxime Pattier and Thibault Rambaud are wholly French. Very international 11 here, heavily flavored with African presence, either by direct birth or ancestry.

33 - Fucking Boisvilliers fucking the defending on that corner kick. 0-1

47 - Eat my ass, Boisvilliers! Now he gives up a fucking PK they convert just before half! :angry: 0-2

49 - Mayala blows a wide open shot, so he becomes the second player subbed. Maki in for him, joining Kola, who made Boisvilliers hit the early showers after the worst I've ever seen in a long time 5.0 halftime showing.

54 - JFC! Wadja with a debut own goal 0-3

71 - Uzamukunda gets the ball outside the box from Rambaud and it's a perfect delivery to Maki, but far too little, far too late. 1-3

89 - Just noticed they have someone playing named Obama. Oh, and they score again. Thanks, Obama. 1-4

So, Magioundo Diakite not only whines, but he's one of many players who shit the bed in this one. Fuck it. I cut him. No fucking insubordination will be tolerated on my watch.

Miraculously, we still hold onto first place despite that embarrassing fuckery.

Mathieu Coquin is borderline CFA 2 now, while Karl Sorin downgrades to decent for this level. Neither thing surprises me.
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Old 12-10-2017, 03:39 AM   #49
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
6.8 performance for Mathieu Coquin in a 1-3 loss to French Guiana. They finish 2nd in the group and will be playing in the third place playoff game. If they win, they make it to the Gold Cup. Also a 6.8 for Tsihorana Rabetsimialona, and a 7.8 for Damien Boisvilliers in friendly games.

7.1 for Damien Boisvilliers in a friendly, but the real story here is Guadeloupe getting revenge on Curacao 2-0 in the Third Place game, Mathieu Coquin absolutely stellar with a 7.5.

Djibril Sagna bitches to the media about lack of PT, so I cut him.

@ FCSR Hagueau (French Cup Eighth Round)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Franklin Wadja
M: Jocelyn Kola/Juvrel Loumingou/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo/Elias Uzamukunda

So not only are we on the road, but we're facing a CFA 2 team. Oh, and everyone is pissed that I cut Diakite, so morale is in the tank. Fucking great. And they're right to be angry - we're seriously in trouble at ML with his dismissal.

13 - Mayala with the pass to Uzamukunda. Perfect pass into the box and I'm half out of my seat already, but the keeper comes out and pushes away Rambaud's shot. The ball rolls back, and Uzamukunda slams in the rebound!!!! Holy shit! 1-0

55 - Maki comes in at MC, Olou shifts to DM, and Touzet takes over at DR, swapping out two tired guys.

I'm gentle with them to try and build morale back up, but it was the kind of game where Lamine Fall's 7.4 is PotM. He's quietly become an effective force at DL, taking advantage of injuries and his playing time. Ugly win, but definitely an upset we can be glad about.

$28k more in the bank, and we can't buy a home game in the French Cup this year. Very frustrating.

Gaelig Vieren and Sam Pishvaie are next to get pink slips after complaining to the media.

@ SC Beaucoze (Coupe Atlantique 16e de Finale)
G: Romain Cagnon
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Franklin Wadja
M: Jocelyn Kola/Zian Maki/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Tsihorana Rabetsimialona

We play these dudes again in three days, and the league is far more important than this shitty ass cup, so I'm going to go with a pretty B level lineup here.

2 - Wow, such bullshit. HE WAS FUCKING OFFSIDES! 0-1

51 - Both strikers replaced, by Kouyate and Lemonnier

86 - WTF is going with this team?! 0-2

Absolutely pathetic.

There's more! Lamine Fall is out next game with yellows. Oscar Olou drops in ability.

vs SC Beaucoze (8th)
G: Maxime Pattier
DC: Jordane Orain/Gjoko Zakjov/Ronan Touzet
DM: Karl Sorin
M: Francois Rio/Mathieu Coquin/Damien Boisvilliers
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo/Elias Uzamukunda

This is what happens when you bend your team over by cutting a position critical malcontent. You come up with a new formation and hope for the best.

13 - Sorin to Coquin to Ndongo and the pass into the box is just ahead of Uzamukunda to send it in. We'd be absolutely lost without his magic. 1-0

49 - Orain is having an awful game, and he heads off. Sorin and Coquin drop down one level, and Loumingou steps in at MC. Mayala is looking overmatched recently, and he sits for Maki - sadly, it might be a long-term thing.

67 - Ndongo hurt badly enough that I burn my last sub on bringing Allard in.

83 - ....ANOTHER FUCKING BULLSHIT OFFSIDES GOAL ALLOWED?! FUCK THESE ASSHOLES!!!! 1-1

Fucking DUMB! We're now in 2nd place, behind by a single fucking point. If this wasn't a new keyboard, I'd be smashing the fucking thing right about now. Fuck you, too, Theo Martin for being a whiny fucking little bitch and beating in a Cup game, then drawing us at home. How many fucking refs do these fuckwits suck off anyway?

So that's 4-5 weeks off for Exauce Ngassaki Ndongo who is allergic to scoring in 3D, apparently.

@ AS Pagny-sur-Moselle (French Cup Ninth Round)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Jordane Orain/Oscar Olou
DM: Franklin Wadja
M: Jocelyn Kola/Juvrel Loumingou/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Cyrille Allard/Elias Uzamukunda

So before our morale took a nose dive, I'd say this was a winnable match despite the bullshit draw. But now? Yeah... cool to get this far, but we won't advance.

11 - Olou to Rambaud to Mayala. Our Congolese AMC who is only still starting because of how terrible Maki was in relief last game, dribbles into the box before centering to dependable stalwart Uzamukunda for the score. 1-0

24 - Loumingou flares it high and right to Rambaud's for the knock on header falling into box space. Uzamukunda beats everyone to sink his second goal. 2-0

42 - Rambaud plays off to Mayala, and the ensuing high ball cross to Kola's head is counter moved to Uzamukunda. The shot goes through the defenders and in the first half hat trick!!!!!! 3-0

48 - Pattier should have stopped that short-range header 3-1

54 - Touzet replaces tired Orain, and still struggling Allard is pulled for Rabetsimialona

77 - I swear to fucking Artemis if we piss away a 3 goal lead... Fall has been a disaster this game. 3-2

9.4 for Elias Uzamukunda as the obvious PotM, though props also to Thibault Rambaud's 7.5, as we overcome our inability to find a reliable striker not from Rwanda and Lamine Fall's 6.3 meltdown.

$33.6k for that important win, advancing us the furthest in the French Cup in my four years. ...Shit. Jocelyn Kola is out with yellows, meaning our next match will feature Francois Rio at ML, even though the guy is clearly overmatched.

...ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! ANOTHER FUCKING AWAY MATCH?! WHO DO WE HAVE TO BLOW TO GET A HOME GAME IN CUP PLAY?!

Concentrate on the good things Izulde... we're playing in the 64e de Finale of the god damn French Cup and that victory restored the morale of the starters.

Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue motherfucking ocean.
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Old 12-10-2017, 09:20 PM   #50
Izulde
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Join Date: Sep 2004
vs FC La Chapelle-des-Marais (3rd)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Franklin Wadja
MC: Juvrel Loumingou/Zian Maki/Mathieu Coquin
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Elias Uzamukunda/Cyrille Allard

Unrolling out a new formation, with some role switches in this 3-1-3-1-2 DM Narrow setup. Big game here, as we look to adjust to all the suspensions, injuries, and general tiredness from a reserves match a few games ago.

38 - Bad defending by Fall there 0-1

53 - Sylla comes in as MC, Maki and Coquin each shifting left as tired Loumingou takes a breather. Striker switch as Rabetsimialona comes in for Allard

61 - Wadja to Coquin to Mayala, and there's the textbook feed to Rabetsimialona in the box for the equalizer. 1-1

90 - Double yellow for Fall after he protests Wadja giving up a PK, and sure the fuckers convert the PK 1-2

We fall to 4th place, and we really need to get our shit together if we want to get out of here this season. Gjoko Zajkov will miss the next match because yellows, in addition to Lamine Fall out due to red card.

Cyrille Allard has improved to be able to adequately play at this level, so that's something.

@ ES Viry-Chatillon (French Cup 64e de Finale)
G: Maxime Pattier
2DC/DR: Jordane Orain/Ronan Touzet/Oscar Olou
DM: Franklin Wadja
M: Jocelyn Kola/Mathieu Coquin/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mabidi Mayala
S: Tsihorana Rabetsimialona/Cyrille Allard

Since this is a lost match anyway, I want to try experimenting with something.

12 - Their colors are green and gold, and a dude name Favre just scored on us. Neat or something. 0-1

25 - Rambaud laterals to Coquin for the give to Mayala outside the box. Three defenders rush in for a gang tackle, and our wily veteran plays it into box space. Allard runs it down and finally scores his first damn goal of the year! 1-1

48 - Nice while it lasted, I guess. 1-2

54 - Sorin for Touzet; Uzamukunda for Rabetsimialona

87 - And there's the clincher, with Orain own goaling. 1-3

We were pretty competitive overall, so this isn't a bad loss by any means. We got further than anyone expected, and pocket another $19.04k for our pleasing run.

Our quest for an AMC/MC bench upgrade misses when FC La Chapelle-des Marais steals him, and they also grab a DC bench upgrade we were after, too. FML.

Transfer In - DC Fernand Mayembo (22)
Played for Chamois Niortais FC's reserve team at this level for a number of years and did well after getting cut by La Berrichone. 12 Heading, 12 Marking, 11 Tackling, 12 Bravery, 12 Positioning, and just one Physical attribute below 10, and even that is 7 (Balance). Works his ass off, too. Not good enough to boot Gjoko Zajkov from the starting lineup, but I see DL potential in him.

Transfer In - ST Ambroise Gboho (24)
I'm fucking STOKED to get this kid. 12 Dribbling, 10 Finishing, 12 First Touch, 12 Heading, 13 Composure, 11 Flair, 13 Off the Ball, 11 Work Rate, 13 Acceleration, 13 Balance, and 14 Pace. Stade Rennais FC 2 at the CFA/CFA2 level used him a fair bit over the years there, and he did fairly well. Immediately steps in as a starter we sorely needed.

Transfer In - MC Najib Gandi (24) (Algerian)
Say hello to the newest Soccer God of our roster:



So, so excited to see what this kid does. He's CFA2 level quality right now and "can improve a lot in the future". It means I'm shifting Mathieu Coquin up to AMC and turning him into that exclusively, and Franklin Wadja will stay permanently affixed to DM.

@ AC Chaplain Foot (4th)
G: Maxime Pattier
D: Lamine Fall/Gjoko Zajkov/Oscar Olou
DM: Franklin Wadja
M: Andrew Sanogo/Najib Gandi/Thibault Rambaud
AMC: Mathieu Coquin
S: Ambroise Gboho/Tshiorana Rabetsimialona

Even if we win here, we're still going to be 2 points behind Saint-Nazaire AF at the midpoint of the season, but at least we'll be in striking distance to hopefully make a run in the second half.

47 - Coquin has been shit, but just before half, he makes a brilliant charging takeaway deep in their half, and plays a gorgeous longball that Rabetsimialona gets to and spears a distance strike!!! 1-0

Real 46 - That's Sanogo getting pulled for Kola. Horrible all game and a yellow on top of it? No.

63 - Uzamukunda on for Gboho, who has been bad, and striker switch.

68 - Rambaud runs down the right flank and executes a cross that I think is going far, but it's actually near, and Rabetsimialona snakes in for his 5th goal of the season. He started off slow this year, but failures by other players, and my increasing sense that Uzamukunda is becoming overmatched, let to another chance. Paying off beautifully here. 2-0

86 - Olou just took out two people on the right flank by himself, and got the ball out of there! That's why you're still starting over Boisvilliers, old man.

87 - Coquin sprays it beautifully out to Rabetsimialona on the right. Single dribble and center to Uzamukunda. Shot's pushed away, but our career goals leader sinks his own rebound! 3-0

All the full-time starters were 7.4 or better except Maxime Pattier (6.9), and both subs were 7.0 or higher. The 8+ dudes: PotM Gojko Zajkov (8.8), Mathieu Coquin (8.1), and Tsihorana Rabetsimialona, who had his best game yet as a Rose, racking up an 8.8. I personally think he should have been PotM but that's just me.

How tight is the table at the halfway point?



Oh, and that thing I have to respond to?

Transfer In - ST Malhory Noc (20) (Guadeloupean) (From TVEC Les Sables-d'Olonne)
Remember when I stole Mathieu Coquin from these guys last season? Well, I did it again, taking yet another Guadeloupean young star player this season. 10 Dribbling, 10 Finishing, 11 First Touch, 13 Heading, 12 Long Shots, 10 Passing, 11 Composure, 13 Off the Ball, 12 Teamwork and Work Rate, 10 Flair/Acceleration/Pace, 11 Balance. Although he doesn't appear to have insane upside, he's instantly our best striker, and has 6 caps for Guadelope's senior team, where he's played with Coquin.

$64.19k profit last month, $52,64k of it which was prize money. The amount of money we have on hand is insane, and we're going to destroy our revenue and profit records by the end of the year, I think.

Hang on to your hats, folks, because we have five or six players coming in, in addition to the five signings we've made since we began our upgrade process with Franklin Wadja.
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