EvilDave

Playing exclusively in our opponents’ half proved easier against some sides than others. Against the sides who found themselves joining us in the fight for survival - Lorient, Grenoble, Bastia and their ilk - we dominated games, especially at home. The Corsicans in particular left the Alps with their tails between their legs, Roger the conductor as our orchestral manoeuvres on the park thrilled the audience, the 4-0 final score a fair reflection of our brilliance. But against the top sides, those concerned with European qualification rather than simple survival, that was trickier. Perennial champions PSG swatted us aside with their legion of international stars, while Monaco put us to the sword with a 4-1 win in the principality. We put up more of a fight against Lille but succumbed to late goals in a 3-0 home defeat, and somehow escaped our home tie with Nice with a point, Kone’s curling effort at the death clinching a 2-2 draw. At the midway point of the season, as players and fans alike put their footballing fascination briefly to one side for the Christmas celebrations, we found ourselves in 15th place in Ligue 1. Midtable sat tantalisingly above us, while we retained just a four point gap to the relegation playoff berth, a further two points ahead of surprise strugglers Toulouse in the final automatic spot. Our aggressive defending ensured we had conceded a full 12 goals more than anybody else in the league, but our entertainment-first philosophy also placed us as the fourth-highest scorers behind only PSG, Monaco and Lens. If we were to change our style, focus more on defence and pack our own box, the constant flow of goals conceded would undoubtedly dry up. But to do so would blunt our significant attacking threat, compromise our values, and remove our advantage over the sides beneath us. Besides which, we were having far too much fun to change things now. Instead we looked to add quality to the defence, loaning in Liverpool squad player Anders Holm to act as our inverting right back, and paying a nominal fee to take over the contract of Juventus’ centre back Fabrice Dutoit six months early. We were briefly scared by rumours of interest from Spain in our new talisman Roger, but no bids were received and we proceeded into the second half of the campaign with our key men still with us. In our first game of the second half of the season, we travelled to Marseille determined to hold our own. Larousse opened the scoring with a glancing near-post header, the hosts equalised shortly after the interval, and we were giving as good as we got. With five minutes to go, Benoit Pinault found himself in space to the left side of the penalty area, and he bent a cool finish into the top corner to secure an unlikely victory. There was still time for the hosts to pick up a petulant red card, and for their supporters to attack our team coach on the way out of the Stade Velodrome, but we had our win. A famous win. We suffered a slight upset as second tier Bordeaux bundled our second string out of the cup, but in the league we continued to provide the highlights. Lille were beaten 3-1, Reims stole the points from us with a late penalty, and against Rennes we shared a thriller. With Vincent-Roux injured it was left to Larousse to prove his former employers wrong, and he delivered with a well-taken brace to add to Roger’s 30 yard free kick. Unfortunately our defensive game was not at its best, and we shipped a third equaliser of the match in second half stoppage time to split the points. Still, we were doing better than expected. There was still time for a run of one point across five games to sound the alarm bells in the media, but we were not worried. We were still scoring, still threatening, still entertaining - we were simply not getting the bounce of the ball. In the sixth game, at home to Montpellier, Vincent-Roux and Peltier each grabbed a goal in the first five minutes, and a penalty from Roger made it three before the break. At the final whistle we had doubled our tally, confirmed our clean sheet, and put an emphatic stop to our slide. Safety was almost secured, and in some style. Our big win was followed by defeat in Lyon, but the following week we brushed Saint-Étienne aside with a 2-0 win away from home, and the three points mathematically confirmed our place in Ligue 1 for the following season. The final handful of games we enjoyed with absolutely no pressure whatsoever, picking up around half the points available and blooding a few of our more promising youngsters in the process. Roger netted one of the goals of the season with a ridiculous 35 yard lob from near the right touchline against Strasbourg in a 2-2 draw, and we concluded the campaign in a comfortable 14th place - boasting the third-best attack in France and, by just four goals, the worst defence. Rousseaux was thrilled with our survival, and we began to plot for the coming year. We were having fun.

Thank you both for your kind words, I hope you continue to enjoy! --- Rousseaux was happy to open his chequebook for our Ligue 1 debut - as he accurately surmised, it was well worth gambling on survival. If we stayed up, the club would be well set to establish itself in the top tier. If we went down, particularly in style, we’d recoup plenty in transfer fees anyway. So we made our moves. As ever, the priority was to entertain. In some countries, it is possible for a player to forge an entire career out of being a relegation battler, and not even necessarily a successful one - merely the reputation of dogged determination, rugged aggression and a tough tackle was enough to make a respectable living. I had no interest in these players. I wanted footballers, technicians, craftsmen. I wanted dansers for my troupe. Thankfully, armed with Rousseaux’s euros and our top tier reputation, I was able to secure the signatures I wanted. Michel Jasseron swapped Paris for Annecy to bolster our defence, and Benoit Pinault was snapped up from Nice to finally replace Darboe in midfield, our long-serving Gambian continuing his career in Frankfurt. Shadow striker Michele Fabbrini came in from Genoa at the end of his contract, and we upgraded in goal as Swiss international Ludovic Allaire chose us over Burnley’s bench. But the two men that got our fans most excited were at the other end of the field. Arriving to challenge Vincent-Roux’s position as chief goalscorer was former Rennes man Justin Larousse, who chose to run down his deal at a club where he had scored more than 50 top flight goals. My main man, and accounting for the bulk of our summer spending, was new record signing Roger. He cost an initial €8m from Gremio, and I believed he would be worth every last cent. At his best in the classic number 10 role but capable of showcasing his talents anywhere in the attacking third, the 20-year-old had all the hallmarks of a textbook samba star. Fleet of foot, quick of thought and eager to try a trick or two, he played the game with a smile on his face and magic in his feet. The lazy pundit would compare him to a young Ronaldinho, but our Roger was very much his own man. Not to mention a little more professionally-minded than the one-time Barcelona man. His signing captured the imaginations of a fanbase who were already thrilled by our rise through the leagues, especially when he scored twice and set up two more in his debut, a friendly against Swiss side Le Mont. We ran out 7-1 winners against our cross-border opponents, but Roger ran the show - his first was a sumptuous free kick from 25 yards, his second a delightful chip over the onrushing goalkeeper, and the second of his assists was a 30-yard pass through the eye of a needle for Vincent-Roux to finish. The opposition had not been the strongest, but his 60 minute masterclass made him the talk of the town. I only hoped the clause allowing him to join clubs in European competition would not be triggered too soon. That game against Le Mont was also notable for being the first showing of our new formation, which I hoped would retain all of our creativity while giving our defence a chance against Ligue 1 opposition. We moved from three to four at the back, our right back inverting into midfield in possession while his counterpart on the left bombed forward as an auxiliary winger. We returned to a one-man defensive screen in midfield, the idea being that he would be helped by the extra man in defence. And behind a lone, roaming striker would be four attacking midfielders - two wingers who would threaten on the inside and out, and two interchanging central players, likely Roger and Kone to begin with Fabbrini waiting in the wings, who would take turns acting as primary creator and secondary striker. When it went wrong, we’d be on the end of some serious thrashings. But in full flow it produced beautiful football and that, after all, was our priority. In our opening game of the season, one of the kinder introductions at home to Troyes, we saw both. Vincent-Roux netted with our first attack of the game, but twice before the break we were caught out upfield and punished by the visitors. They saw a third ruled out for offside after the break, and after relentless pressure we finally earned our point - Roger cushioning a drilled pass between two defenders and into the path of substitute Fabbrini, who slotted calmly under the goalkeeper on his competitive debut. Going forward, our highlights were among the finest in the league. If we could just keep the ball away from our own goal, we would be fine.

With our squad expanded and improved over the summer - teenager winger Jerome Peltier promoted from the academy, promising centre back Antoine Darche brought in for free from Lille and attacking playmaker Mamadou Kone snapped up from Spanish side Elche - we began the new season in typically unpredictable fashion. A home defeat by relegated Angers on the first weekend was followed up by a 6-3 victory in Boulogne, 2-2 draw at Grenoble and a 4-0 thumping of Caen back on home soil. With Kone hitting the ground running and Vincent-Roux continuing his excellent form, we were a force to be reckoned with in the early weeks. Two weeks before Christmas, we hosted Troyes in a game which would live long in the memory, special even by our own high standards. Within five minutes we had gifted our visitors the opening goals, yet led 3-1 at the break after a spectacular spell of passing football. However, with a quarter of an hour remaining we were locked at 3-3, with Troyes looking the more likely side to find the winner. But we are not a side that pays much attention to the odds. Beginning with our goalkeeper, we put together a move totalling 38 passes in which every single one of our players touched the ball at least once, most of them twice. Striding forward from defence, Coulibaly found himself on the edge of the Troyes penalty area, calmly finding Darboe in space behind him. He found Peltier with his first touch, the teenager rolled it into the path of Castillo, and his flick found Vincent-Roux double-marked inside the arc of the box. His first touch brought the ball under control, his second lofted it over a defender with the outside of his foot, and racing onto it to lash home the volley was Peltier bursting in from the wing. There was still time for Vincent-Roux to grab his second of the game and seal a 5-3 victory, to the delight of the enraptured crowd in the Parc des Sports. The explosion of elation at the final whistle was exactly why we play the way we do - it was perfect. Nobody would remember how many we conceded when we scored goals like that. But the wonderful thing about those moments of magic, about passages of play which feel as if they have been granted by the footballing gods themselves, is that they breed confidence. For every flick that finds its target, every spin that baffles a defender, every shot that curls perfectly into the top corner, there is an intangible boost to both player and team. They become emboldened, convinced of their abilities, more likely to commit to a similar attempt in future. And as we become better versed in the sublime, so the results improve. It is a virtuous circle, and it is wonderful to behold. After losing a four-goal thriller on penalties to Marseille in the Coupe de France, a 3-1 revenge win over Angers lifted us to 6th in the table. An injury to Peltier forced us to shuffle our attacking deck, but even so the points continued to roll in, and at the end of February we sat in 7th place. A month later, we handed Dijon a 3-2 defeat and moved into 5th, the final place in the promotion play-offs. We would lose just once more - a heavy 4-0 defeat at Valenciennes - and finished in 4th place, giving us a spot on the start line of the play-off gauntlet. 4th (Annecy) would host 5th (Caen) at home for the right to travel to 3rd (Ajaccio), with the winner then going home and away against the third-bottom side in Ligue 1 (Clermont) for a place in the top flight. We had beaten Caen at home by four unanswered goals in the regular season, and given our late season form had been made favourites to go through. So of course it took just three minutes before Samson Levroy was picking the ball out of our net, our Martiniquais keeper beaten from the edge of the area. Undeterred, Vincent-Roux fired us level before the interval, and then rattled in a second five minutes after the break. Caen battled back hard and tied things up just after the hour mark, but we continued to push forward and were eventually rewarded, Kone’s corner crashed in by Coulibaly for the winning goal. We had cleared the first hurdle, and we were off to Corsica. There we encountered a hostile welcome from the stands, but little resistance on the pitch. A red card inside half an hour gave us a numerical advantage we took full advantage of, playing the space and toying with our rivals as we ran out 3-0 winners. That meant spirits were high as an out-of-sorts Clermont arrived in Annecy for the first leg of the play-off final, but the visitors had other ideas. Despite their poor season they had undoubted quality, and they utilised it to stifle our attack for the full 90 minutes, barely threatening our goal but grinding us down to a 0-0 draw, the rarest scoreline of all in these parts. It meant we needed to win at the Stade Gabriel Montpied against a home side determined not to concede. Les Lanciers were not living up to their attacking moniker, and while they held almost no threat of their own, the closer we inched towards a penalty shootout the more their confidence grew and our frustration built - another goalless draw meant extra time, and we were close to our future being determined by a lottery. But in a clash of such contrasting styles, it was only fitting that Clermont’s anti-football tactics proved to be decisive. Within four minutes left of the 120, Argentine forward Alejandro Villa fired in a shot from the corner of the crowded penalty area which ricocheted off the thigh of one Clermont defender, bounced off the shin of another, and rolled slowly into the bottom corner of the net with the goalkeeper completely wrong-footed. Had they not insisted on defending so deep, Villa’s effort would most likely have sailed wide. As it was, it secured Annecy’s first ever season in the French top flight.

Thanks Sizeman, it's an interesting league for sure - especially when you choose to take a more 'relaxed' approach to defending! Thanks for reading, glad to have you aboard! -- Once again there was a churn in the squad over the summer ahead of our second tier campaign, with some of our stars in demand and my scouts eagerly eyeing those who could add to the tapestry of chaos we were determined to weave. Abou Coulibaly was our most expensive and important signing, a titan of a defender with a delightful left foot, while Kevin Vincent-Roux came with the intention of taking one of our striking spots. We would barely register on the transfer radar given some of the moves taking place, but we were pleased with our business. But if we were hoping to stroll into a higher division and swashbuckle our way through, we were sorely disappointed. Valenciennes handed us a 4-1 home defeat on opening night and after half a dozen games we found ourselves firmly in the relegation zone and threatening records for goals conceded. We would not abandon our plans, but had to adapt them - the six became a cinq as we withdrew a central striker to allow us to field Darboe and Castillo together, and their combination of defensive steel and passing silk at least stemmed the tide. Our first win came in Concarneau, and was rapidly followed by a 5-2 thrashing of Sedan at home. A 3-3 draw at high-flying Saint-Étienne was the shot in the arm we needed, and as we built towards the midpoint of the season we gradually fought our way out of the drop zone. Vincent-Roux netted four goals in a single game against Rodez, and once more we were being flagged as the team to watch. In January, as the newspapers began to preview the second half of the campaign, one particular journalist gave my Annecy the best write-up I could possibly have hoped for. I doubt they did so on purpose, or knew how much I would enjoy their imagery, but I kept their paragraph pinned to my office wall: Annecy currently sit 15th, but are equally as likely to launch a push for promotion as they are to completely collapse to the foot of the table. They score and concede without ever sacrificing their style, and their games simply cannot be predicted. Most teams hope for home to be a fortress, but the Parc des Sports is far too penetrable for that label. Nor is it a theatre or a stage, for that would imply detailed planning and choreography. No, their alpine home is more akin to a child’s playground - a canvas for imagination, chaos, and unbridled joy. There is never a dull moment in Annecy. Guingamp and Amiens were dispatched with some style as we briefly threatened to punch our way into the top half, but a rare blank at Ajaccio and heavy defeat to title-chasing Lorient kept us firmly in no man’s land, comfortably safe from the drop but with little prospect of pushing higher. But our philosophy meant we never had nothing to play for - we played for fun, for enjoyment, for the gasp in the throat of the young fan at their first game. Vincent-Roux topped the Ligue 2 scoring charts as we netted 93 goals over the course of the season, while at the other end we conceded the exact same number. On a purely statistical level, we were a wholly neutral team, practically pointless. Nobody who watched us would countenance such a claim. That summer we were in a strong enough financial position to ward off bidders for our stars, the most coveted of course being top scorer Vincent-Roux. The man himself understood that our system and vision allowed him to score so many, and that he would be stifled in a more rigid, conventional set-up. Moreover, he was enjoying himself in Annecy. Sometimes, there are things a man values more than cold, hard cash - Kevin had found one such thing in our artistry, and was not about to let it go for a pay rise. Similarly, I had no hesitation in swatting aside offers of interviews for teams ostensibly bigger than Annecy. Top flight Nantes and Rennes both expressed an interest in my services, as did English side Watford. But all three were focused from the first word on results and outcomes, goals and targets. I listened with disappointment to their pitches, and quickly surmised that I would not be a good fit. As long as Rousseaux was happy to let me be the custodian of his playground, I was happy to stay.

Thank you sherm, great to have you along for the ride! -- Tactically, I am widely regarded as a ‘maverick.’ All that means, of course, is that they are unable to easily define my style, or put my team in a box that says 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or similar. This is something I am proud of - after all, most of the game’s great managers and coaches have been equally derided at various points for their disregard of the orthodox and willingness to invent. Without experimentation, how does anyone hope to grow? My philosophy is a simple one - keep the ball, move it quickly, use the space. I am a proponent of deploying more attackers than is usual, and of expecting my players to occupy multiple positions over the course of a match. It is not the Dutch Total Football, but it is related - beautiful possession, the ball doing the work, as few touches as possible. The modern game is too reliant on strength, pace and power. In my mind, technique is king. Of course, in the French third tier there are few players capable of playing a system straight away, and precious little money with which to sign them. But to sacrifice my principles from the outset would be unthinkable, and so my squad took shape. Luis Silva, a playmaker from Portugal, signed to be our right back. Our most gifted central defender stepped into midfield. When our striker dropped deep for the ball, he would have at least three, maybe six runners going past him. We caused chaos, beautiful chaos. I place little value on statistics, but some from the first season told a good story. We topped the Championnat’s tables for possession, passes and shots, not to mention goals scored and conceded - and by no small margin. In our 34 matches, we scored 86 times and conceded 72, fans of my dansers witnessing an average of just under five goals per game. We were France’s great entertainers, a dash of joyous colour in a sea of grey conservatism. Our focus on attack meant we finished just 7th, far from the promotion battle, but already Rousseaux’s stadium was beginning to fill. That summer, with our reputation as entertainers preceding us, it was apparent we were a more attractive prospect for potential recruits. We welcomed our first South Americans - a playmaking striker and lightning winger - while upgrading our goalkeeper with a free signing all the way from the Caribbean. Unfortunately, while our forwards performed admirably and broke even the previous year’s goalscoring record, key injuries at the other end of the pitch meant that we surpassed 80 goals conceded, dropping two spots to 9th position. However, Rousseaux was happy with the approach I was taking, and not only handed me a new contract, but announced additional investment in the club’s youth system. As long as I had his faith, I would not compromise on style. In fact, as we embarked on my third season in the Annecy dugout, I evolved it further. Rather than starting with a conventional back four, two deeper midfielders and an interchangeable front four, I committed further. We would now play three defenders, the middle man given licence to push forward and carry the ball, while the other two were to drift wider and provide cover on the flanks. Ahead of them was the man who made the change possible - Gambian starlet Lamin Darboe, whose reading of the game and speed across the ground made him a one-man defensive screen. Then my six de résistance - two wingers inverting and switching sides at will, and four men centrally who moved between the 9 and 10 positions freely, charged with creating, scoring and providing those magic moments I so craved. On paper it was madness and indeed in practice it proved to be at times - after conceding 13 goals in our first three games, our fans would have been forgiven for having their doubts. But then, at home to Villefranche, everything clicked. Five of my six found the target, and we ran out 6-2 winners. Our next few results looked like something out of a video game rather than a professional league - 5-0, 7-3, 4-2, 6-4 - but on each occasion we came out on top, and the confidence and belief began to flow. We travelled to table-topping Orléans, returned with four goals and a rare clean sheet, and we had well and truly found our form. When you witness your vision coming to life before your eyes, it is a wonderful feeling. Some people take joy in a football team working as a well-oiled machine, with each player making pre-prepared movements and resetting when possession is lost. In my eyes, there is no wonder in such a style. My Annecy thrived in a whirlwind of unpredictability, leaving opponents unable to tell where the next thrust would come from. We ran not just rings around them but triangles, rhomboids and hexagons, and they could not keep us at bay. By Christmas we were eight points clear. Such success at a lower level will always attract the attention of those with greater resources looking for a quick fix, and so two of our front six found themselves snapped up by sides fighting for their Ligue 1 lives. However, Rousseaux allowed me the luxury of a transfer budget, and for the first time we had real money to play with. Jerome Robinet came in as a replacement on the wing, a couple of loan signings provided depth, and Hector Castillo provided much-needed competition for the overworked Darboe. Despite our losses, we emerged stronger. And so it proved, as we finished the season 11 points clear of Bastia atop the pile to earn a coveted place in Ligue 2. We broke past a century of league goals, averaging more than three per game, while improving our defensive record despite committing fewer men to the task. I turned down the offer of a job from Sochaux to prepare Annecy for the second tier, and was looking forward to displaying our footballing artistry at a higher level.

I never was a results person. Football, for me, was always about entertainment, about happiness, about creating little moments of joy and magic that would be recalled years into the future. Everyone remembers the best goal they scored on the playground, however meaningless. Nobody recalls the details of the goalless draw that clinched a title. Of course, most people subscribe to the same belief in theory, but the reality is often very different. You only have to watch most games between elite teams to realise that the fear of losing is a form of paralysis, and so the finest players in the world play well within their capabilities, encouraged by their coaches to keep it safe and avoid embarrassment. Conversely, it is not difficult to recall the carnival atmosphere of the final day of a season with the outcome already secure. Eager youngsters are paraded with reckless abandon, goals are scored and conceded in abundance, and joy is evident in the stands. They are the moments to savour, the memories seared in the minds of young fans. These are the moments I wanted my teams to create in every game, not just once or twice a year. But of course, to play in such a way is to take risks, and there is too much money in football for owners and chairmen to be happy for their employers to gamble it on anything other than guaranteed success. Perhaps my flamboyant playing style was destined to make life difficult as a manager, perhaps I was naïve in expecting to be measured by anything other than results, perhaps I was simply unfortunate. However, after three jobs in five years left me without a club after spells in Portugal, Israel and Greece, I was unsure of where my next move would be. But a respectable playing career and a little charisma can open plenty of doors, and so it was that I found myself invited to interview for the manager’s job at FC Annecy, a side floating around the midtable spots in France’s third tier Championnat National. As soon as I stepped off the train from Paris, I knew it was going to work. It was love at first sight. Annecy lies in the foothills of the Alps, an hour or so west of Chamonix and the Mont Blanc massif, on the northern tip of Lac D’Annecy, and less than 40km from the Swiss city of Geneva. Classically French and perfectly Alpine, the ‘Venice of Alps’ could not have been a more perfect home. I successfully convinced Michel Rousseaux of that same truth, and the job was mine. Crucially for me, he was less concerned with the club’s finishing position than with getting fans back into the Parc des Sports. Supporters had been deserting the team, seeking their thrills somewhere other than a third tier team playing less than inspiring football. Success would undoubtedly bring the crowds back, but so would style - and my ‘cavalier’ approach to the sport was Rousseaux’s latest attempt to get the townsfolk talking. That was seven years ago now, and months ago I decided that this season will be my last in this Alpine paradise. I could stay here forever and be quite happy, choreographing my dansers rouges against the glorious mountain backdrop and enjoying the acclaim their performances bring. But I do not want to become too comfortable - there are other colours and other canvases, and after rejecting the idea out of hand on numerous occasions, now is the time to move on. And this, dear friend, is the story of how we got here.

Sorry I couldn't be around last night, but thank you Mark for making this happen and for all your work on the forums - it's a brilliant corner of the internet and I'm really grateful you keep it going! Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you too for anointing me Writer of the Year. It's an honour to be recognised by a great group of writers and all-round excellent people. Here's to another successful year for FMS!

I'm away this weekend so unlikely to be around (although may try and sneak in a visit!), but I'm a big fan of Wrexham and Sancho suggestions. Looking forward to catching up on what I' sure will be a great show!

Sent and claimed - as sherm has said, some very tough decisions to be made there! Great to see these up and running Mark, thanks again for all you do for us.

Sent and claimed, thanks Mark for getting this going!

A typically rubbish performance from me in this one, although I feel being sacked by Verona on the back of Roma, Milan and Juventus one after the other is a bit harsh! Some trigger-happy chairmen out there in Italy, I don't see this lasting as long as some of the past editions...

Grimsby in the top flight is a stroke of FM genius, let alone getting there alongside Crewe and Torquay. Free fish and chips for life for all involved! This is a brilliant read as ever, Chris, and I don't see it being long before you make it up as well. Sort that Fulham defence out and it looks like you've got the makings of a promotion campaign ready to go!

From theasiangame.net Asian Cup: Winners and Losers After Emirati Ecstacy The 2027 Asian Cup is now over, the showpiece final providing excitement until the final moments of the competition as Ali Saleh’s late strike gave the United Arab Emirates their first continental triumph with a 2-1 victory over previous champions South Korea. The UAE’s win was a surprise, not only for those present in Melbourne but for regular watchers of the Asian game, with Abdullah Al-Shehhi’s side not usually considered among the continent’s primary forces. But beyond the immediate headlines and aftermath of the Emirati win, we’ve taken a moment to reflect on the tournament as a whole to pass our verdict on Australia 2027. Starting with… The hosts Ever since Australia joined the AFC in 2006, they have been seen as a safe pair of hands when it comes to hosting tournaments. It only took nine years before they were given hosting rights for the 2015 Asian Cup, and only 12 more before their second turn in charge. Geographically, there may be some question marks over whether an Australian presence in Asia is really fair, but there is no doubt they put on an excellent show. The Australians were almost defiant in their selection of stadiums for the games, bringing out the big guns - the MCG, Stadium Australia, Adelaide Oval - and daring fans to stay away, rather than attempting to compromise by utilising smaller grounds. There were undoubtedly matches when the offer on the field did not match the splendour of the surroundings, but even with empty seats in the stands the tournament never felt lacking compared to some editions elsewhere on the continent. Things ran smoothly, there were no controversies or complaints - from a fan, footballer and AFC perspective, it is hard to fault the Aussies as hosts. The winners We’re not just talking about the champions here, although the UAE definitely qualify as one of the sides to have come out of the competition with more credit than they went in with. Joining them here are some of their West Asian compatriots - Iraq after a surprise run to the final four, Saudi Arabia after turning round a tournament that appeared in crisis to reach the quarters, and a Syria side who reached the knockout rounds against all odds. All can be pleased with their performances. As can the hosts, who could have ended up in the final had their semi against the Koreans gone the other way, an Uzbek team who looked very good until coming across the eventual runners-up, and North Korea, who were surprise qualifiers from their group and took Iraq to extra time in the last 16. The losers It would be cruel to place South Korea here despite failing to live up to their favourites tag, so we won’t. Instead the biggest two disappointments of the competitions were China, who were beaten by Uzbekistan in the opener and then blown away by the hosts without threatening in the last 16, and 2019 champions Qatar - who won just one of their three group games and then got aside by the Uzbeks in the knockout round. Not exactly the performance of would-be contenders. Hopes for the future We’re focusing here on those teams for whom this competition probably came one cycle too soon, but who we would expect to be back with a bang in four years’ time - the ones to watch, as it were. There are two teams we’re keeping an eye on, and the first is Uzbekistan. It’s almost a running joke that the Central Asians are a dark horse for every tournament, but this time they looked very good until running into the South Koreans in the quarters. With a relatively young squad, another few years of experience will do them the world of good. Alongside them are Thailand, who have been on the up for a number of years now and were unfortunate to find Saudi Arabia in top form in their last 16 clash. Some of those players will be gone by 2031, but there’s a good crop coming through and they’ll be primed for a stronger push next time. Thanks for the memories This is the section in which we bid farewell to some of our AFC heroes who have called time on their international career. We wave a fond farewell to the likes of Takuma Asano of Japan, Iraq’s Mustafa Nadhim, and Yasser Al-Shahrani of Saudi Arabia. But the main man is of course Iran’s Sardar Azmoun, who has carried the hopes of his nation for many a year. Team Melli’s talisman could not lead his nation to a fairytale ending, but his ailing body still put up a great fight for his nation. After 117 appearances and 78 goals for his country, we say thank you and goodbye to a titan of the Asian game. The ones that stay with you Finally, a chance to look back and recall those moments that will find their way onto future highlight reels, YouTube compilations and promotional clips. Not necessarily from the big games, but we don’t rule those out. We came up with four: First up, Ali Awana’s free kick in the final. It’s not often you see such a clean, pure strike of a dead ball, and you’ll be seeing this one over and over again. The fact that it was in the final, for the underdogs - it’s too good to leave out. Second, a tie between Azmoun’s 93rd-minute winner for Iran against Jordan in the last 16 - his second of the game and his last ever international goal - and Mat Ryan saving Shogo Aoki’s penalty in the quarter final. Two pivotal moments in crucial games that we haven’t seen the last of. And finally, our choice for the moment of the tournament goes to Mohanad Ali’s quarter final hat-trick for Iraq against the Saudis, with goals two and three coming in the 89th and 92nd minutes to turn the tie around. It stunned the favourite, continued a fairytale run, and was unexpected coming from a man in his first start of the competition. It doesn’t get much better than that. And that, as they say, is that. Congratulations once again to the United Arab Emirates on their Asian Cup trophy, Australia on hosting a fine tournament, and Sardar Azmoun on a marvellous international career. We’re already looking forward to India in four years’ time. --- That's all for this story - a surprise winner at the end of a long and entertaining tournament. Thank you for joining me on the journey, and hopefully see you soon in another one!

Thanks for the kind words sherm, glad you've enjoyed it so far! -- From BBC Sport Emirates Stun South Korea to Lift Asian Cup United Arab Emirates 2-1 South Korea An 86th-minute winner from Ali Saleh secured a first Asian Cup title for the United Arab Emirates, shocking defending champions South Korea at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. Saleh snuck beyond the Korean defence to latch on to Mohamed Al-Nahyan’s pass and net the winning goal, just minutes after Lee Kang-In had equalised for the holders following a poorly cleared corner. UAE midfielder Ali Awana had given the underdogs the lead in the first half with a superb free kick, curling the ball into the top corner from 25 yards out. The final whistle sparked jubilation for the victorious players and staff, with manager Abdullah Al-Shehhi hoisted into the air during the celebrations. The 47-year-old becomes the first man to lift a trophy for his nation in just their second Asian Cup final, this triumph coming more than 30 years after they were beaten by Saudi Arabia in the 1996 final. South Korea enjoyed more possession than their opponents, but were unable to find their way past an organised and disciplined Emirati defence, registering just four shots on target over the course of the 90 minutes. The UAE started the game more cautiously, but led at the interval thanks to Awana’s textbook free kick. After Korean captain Kim Min-Jae brought down Abdullah Ramadan with a clumsy challenge, Awana bent his strike beyond the dive of Song Bum-Keun to give his side the advantage. The second half saw the three-time champions apply more pressure and play a more direct style of football, which was rewarded when Napoli midfielder Lee pounced on a loose ball from a corner to level the scores with 10 minutes to play. But their hopes of a late turnaround were quickly dashed when a late counter-attack saw Al-Nahyan’s ball work its way to Saleh, who finished clinically beyond Song to earn his country’s first major international honours. United Arab Emirates captain Khalifa Al-Hammadi: “It’s a dream, a dream come true. To lift this trophy with my brothers, to win for my people, it’s an amazing feeling. We knew we would have to fight hard, we knew it would be difficult, but we have a great spirit and we kept fighting. We are so proud right now, it is incredible.” South Korea manager Hwang Sun-Hong: “Of course we are very disappointed, but we have to congratulate the opponents - they played a good match, a great tournament, and now they have the trophy. Today we were not brave enough to win, we made some mistakes at key moments, and they took advantage. We are very disappointed, but we will come back stronger.”

“Great ball from Lee between the defenders, finds Hwang cutting in off the left. He’s got space behind the defence now, Al-Shamsi comes to meet him… Just wide! Hwang tried to lift it over the goalkeeper and it drops just wide of the near post, big chance for South Korea there.” “It was, but all credit to the goalkeeper for sensing the danger. He came over quickly, didn’t go to ground too soon, and by the time Hwang took the shot the angle was too tight for him. Good goalkeeping.” “The Koreans have got in behind on a couple of occasions in this second half but haven’t managed to find the finishing touch, 65 minutes gone and still 1-0 to the UAE.” “They’ve definitely been a bit more direct and that’s brought chances, but not just at this end. Saleh and the substitute Al-Nahyan have both gone close at the other end, it’s becoming a more open game.” … “Corner now for the Koreans, and it’ll be Song to take. Gives the signal, then delivers an outswinger into the box.” “Headed up but not really away there, this could cause problems here.” “Al-Shamsi decides to stay on his line, Hwang gets a head on it but it’s blocked, oh it’s fallen to Lee! The champions are level!” “The UAE will be wondering how they’ve conceded there. It’s a simple corner but the header goes up rather than out, nobody really knows what to do when the ball drops back down and in the scramble it’s popped out for Lee to fire home.” “It’s a simple finish from the midfielder, right on the edge of the six yard box, but some serious questions to be asked of the defending.” “You need someone to take responsibility for the situation. Sometimes that’s the goalkeeper, but I don’t think he did anything wrong - you can’t go charging through that many players unless you’re very confident, because if you don’t get a good punch you’re in no man’s land. As soon as the ball hits the ground they’re in trouble, and Lee can’t believe his luck.” “Just 11 minutes of normal time remaining, and it’s now South Korea 1, United Arab Emirates 1. If it stays like this of course, we’ve still got extra time and potentially penalties still to come. What a finish we have on our hands here.” … “Still one apiece here at the MCG, just five minutes to go between South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. It’s the defending champions on the ball now, goalscorer Lee goes back to Kim in defence, and he switches it quickly left to Hwang Hee-Chan on the halfway line. “He finds Oh further forward, back to Hwang In-Beom in midfield, this is a good move from the South Koreans and he’s got runners if he can pick them out.” “That’s an awful ball, and there could be a break on here.” “Al-Bloushi brings it away down the Emirati left, breaking into Korean territory, it’s four on four here all of a sudden. Gives it to Awana inside, he’s got Al-Nahyan to his right.” “Awana is wide open if he can find the reverse ball.” “Drives the pass back to Awana, but it’s not accurate enough… Saleh! 2-1! Ali Saleh might just have won the Asian Cup for his country!” “He’s the only one moving, the only one switched on. The ball was intended for Awana but he’s gambled on it and it’s paid off.” “Al-Nahyan meant that for Awana and it just went past him, but Ali Saleh continued his run behind the Korean defence, no question of offside, and it’s a simple finish from 10 yards out. No chance for Song in goal, and the UAE lead again with four minutes left to play.” “Hwang Sun-Hong is furious on the sideline, his defenders practically stopped once the pass missed its target, nobody went with Saleh and he was under no pressure whatsoever. He did well to keep his composure, but you can’t fall asleep like that with so much on the line.” “He’s got his work cut out for him now, that’s for sure - if his side are to retain their title, they’ll have to do it the hard way. 86 minutes played here in Melbourne, and it’s South Korea 1, United Arab Emirates 2.”