Silent Knight, Holy Knight

[Faramir]

6.5.04

All England Champions Cup Final, All Italian UEFA Cup

In a strange twist, both the Champions Cup and the UEFA Cup will be fought over by foes from the same countries. The Champions Cup Final will feature Manchester United (who knocked out Milan) and Chelsea (who edged out Inter). The UEFA Cup will feature Lazio (who defeated PAO) and Roma (who dumped Valencia).

***

8.5.04

Sannois (5) Noisy-le-Sec (0)

Sannois- Y.Banelli 24,46 F.Mocka 60 M.Mavua 68 B.Maurice 90

Noisy-le-Sec- None

MOM- Benoit Maurice, Sannois

I must humbly apologize for our poor performance in the latest match. Our trip to Sannois was a golden chance to clinch the Championship- as they were 18th place coming into the match. Instead, we still managed to clinch the Championship due to Angouleme's 3-1 defeat at Pau, but it was a hollow celebration as the players and staff were just as embarrassed at our play in the defeat. There will be no excuses made- but clearly we missed the tandem of Daniel Prodan (out for the season now with injury) and Ange Ouefio (suspended for this match due to yellow card accumulation). Kwami Hodouto and Khoudir Ait-Mesghat both played abysmally bad in our backline. Dejan Nemec was not his normal self in this match either as they managed 5 goals in 8 shots. We did virtually nothing right all match- as our offense consisted mostly of missed passes and chuffing it back to our end to try and catch up with Sannois' counterattacks. Rest assured we will give a better performance in our final match of the year as we host Cherbourg.

[millwallrules]

great work mate,you make short posts interesting which many others struggle with

[Faramir]

Thanks MW- I don't think anyone really wants to read long posts by me

***

22.5.04

Noisy-le-Sec (1) Cherbourg (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- C.Lannoy 45

Cherbourg- J.Deplanche 90

MOM- Yoann Gambillon, Cherbourg

We finished with a better effort in front of our fans, but still allowed Cherbourg to convert a corner in second half injury time to finish with a 1-1 draw. Up to the point they had scored, it had been a very good match for us. A good pass from Gautier Demarez had sent Christophe Lannoy in free on Thomas Kokkinis and he had drilled a shot through his hands to give us the lead in first half extra time. We couldn't build on that lead in the second half due to stingy play from the Cherbourg defense as they kept us from getting close-in shots. Our coverage failed on the corner that led to the equalizer as Jerome Deplanche deflected the corner from Yoann Gambillon past Dejan Nemec. I will travel to you to discuss what we must do this summer.

French National (Final)

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Noisy-le-Sec C 76 pts (+25)

2- Angouleme P 74 pts (+25)

3- Nimes P 67 pts (+26)

4- Brest 67 pts (+22)

5- Wasquehal 64 pts (+14)

</pre>

[millwallrules]

good luck in french division two next year

[Spav]

A fine season reported in a brilliant fashion. Congratulations on the title, Faramir.

[Faramir]

MW- Thanks

Spav- Thanks

***

Noisy-le-Sec 2003-4 Selected Stats

Dejan Nemac, 15 apps 7.07

Jeremy Guy, 18 apps 6.42

Pierrick Noel, 34 apps 7.71 17 gls 7 asts 8 MOM

Christophe Lannoy, 25 apps 7.12 14 gls 7 asts 3 MOM

Jadilson, 28 apps 6.66 12 gls 5 asts 2 MOM

Micha Djorkaeff, 25 apps 7.20 8 asts 1 MOM

Kennedy, 21 apps 7.29 3 gls 5 asts 1 MOM

Jean-Michel Capoue, 15 apps 7.31 1 gl 4 asts 1 MOM

Malik Benachour, 24 apps 7.33 3 gls 1 ast 2 MOM

Patrice Ouerdi, 24 apps 7.17 2 gls 4 asts 3 MOM

Alain Richard N'Koulou, 13 apps 7.08 8 gls 4 asts 2 MOM

Olivier Dos Santos, 20 apps 7.05 5 asts

Gautier Demarez, 14 apps 7.07 1 gl 1 ast

Gregory Nicot, 10 apps 6.80 1 ast

Frejus Sika-Sika, 7 apps 6.14 2 gls

Jean-Phillipe Javary, 8 apps 6.50

Daniel Prodan, 24 apps 7.46 1 ast 2 MOM

Ange Ouefio, 34 apps 7.03 1 gl

Kendal Ucar, 29 apps 6.72 2 asts

Mohamed Djouadi, 31 apps 7.03 6 asts

Brahim Bennai, 9 apps 6.89

Patrice Grillon, 8 apps 6.38

Kwami Hodouto, 17 apps 6.12 1 ast

Khoudir Ait-Mesghat, 13 apps 6.00

[Faramir]

29.5.04

I beg to report that we have accomplished the changeover in the Coaching staff with minimal distractions. Currently, the players are on holiday, but when they report back- the new staff that we have selected will be in place. As agreed, those are:

Paul Quetin- Assistant Manager

David Ringot- Coach

Franck Renou- Coach

Benjamin Degryse- Physio

I have also hired two additional scouts-

Loic Desire

Stephane Courbais

All those staff whose contracts were expiring were made aware that they would receive small severance packages and letters of reference for future employment.

[Faramir]

The message was indecphirable to anyone not knowing both the code key and the calendar on which the key rested.

Arnaud dos Addis glanced slowly around, making sure that no one had taken any particular notice of him. He read quickly.

"The purpose may not yet be revealed, but I agree you need knowledge of the goal. The goal is to reach Scotland, but to do so must be accomplished through the club's success. If you can guide the club to face one of the Scottish Clubs in European competition- then may our purpose be known- and with God's Will- achieved. Go with God Arnaud.- PC"

[Faramir]

9.6.04

I am pleased to report that we have found the centreback that we desperately needed- to pair with Daniel Prodan. We were able to sign on free transfer Assane N'Diaye from Shakhtar. N'Diaye will be considered a foreign player unfortunately, but he is very large, strong in the air, and certain to be a physical presence that we will need as we move up to Division 2 play.

***

14.6.04

We completed the free transfer purchase of forward Thibault Blachon from Metz. Blachon is a 21 yr old SC who should help us with our depth at forward.

***

19.6.04

I am pleased to announce that we received our television fees for Division 2 today. The amount of 2.1 Million finally puts us firmly in the black financially. The Board continues to believe we have much too high a weekly wage (the current wage is just over 12K a week and they maintain they should only be budgeting 8,750 a week). They are allowing a transfer fund of 325K. Per your previous instructions, I will continue to strive to be frugal with our purchases and the club.

[Faramir]

24.6.04

We were able to sell unhappy midfielder Jean-Phillipe Javary today. Avion paid a small initial outlay with the remainder of the 30K due over a 12 month span. It was very worthwhile to remove his wages from our books as Javary, though talented, never appeared comfortable with the style of play here.

***

27.6.04

We completed two transfer purchases today. The costlier one was the 30K purchase of midfielder Mouithys from Bordeaux. Mouithys is a 20 yr old Congolese/French midfielder who was highly rated by both scouts we had looking at him. The smaller purchase was 1K for 28 yr old DC Loic Le Pape from Paris FC. Le Pape has explosive pace and is a solid enough tackler to provide good cover behind our centre defense.

***

30.6.04

I am pleased to tell you that by good grace we were able to suprise visiting Dinamo Kiev with a 2-0 win over them at Salvador Allende. Both goals came from Jerome Four in the last few minutes of play. Emmanual Souloy flicked the first one on to him and then made a good pass to set him up for his 2nd goal. I admit I was surprised when they indicated they would like to play a friendly while in France, but it turned out to be a very good experience for the club.

[Faramir]

1.7.04

We were able to convince Jean-Pascal Yao to join us on Bosman from Nimes. Yao adds another solid, veteran centre defensive presence to our club. Because of this addition, may I make the suggestion that we should quietly see if we can transfer Daniel Prodan? My reasoning is thus- Prodan is very highly compensated and tilts our expected weekly wage from the Board well over their budget. He was a solid defender, but I am confident we can replace him with Yao for less wages with little loss of effectiveness. Prodan also will draw interest in the transfer market and despite our influx of television money, we can use every little bit more we can gain. I await your decision on this matter.

***

6.7.04

Per your approval, I was able to offer and sell Daniel Prodan to Dinamo Bucharest for 85K. Prodan seemed very pleased to be returning home, but was very upset with my handling of the matter. I prefer not to offer players to clubs without actually transfer listing them, but I felt that was the most prudent course in Daniel's case- and it paid off in a quick sale.

[Faramir]

7.7.04

It was another surprising result for us as we were able to easily handle Division 1 Lille 4-1 in our friendly today. To be fair, I believe this was their first friendly and they didn't seem able to cope with the pace of play that we brought forth today.

***

10.7.04

Our friendly with Besancon went very well as we showed good movement offensively in the 6-2 win at Salvador Allende. Christophe Lannoy contributed three goals and looked ready to begin the season.

***

12.7.04

Although we do not allow or condone wagering, I offer the odds posted to give you some perspective on the daunting task before our club this season:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Division 2 Odds 2004-5

Saint-Ettiene 5-4

Le Havre 7-4

Niort 5-2

Nice 6-1

Lorient 10-1

Angers 14-1

Noisy-le-Sec 200-1

</pre>

[Faramir]

14.7.04

Training injuries continue to accumulate. Christophe Lannoy strained knee ligaments and will be out a couple weeks. Gregory Nicot suffered a calf strain and will miss at least 3 weeks and won't be ready for the start of the season.

***

14.7.04

Our trip to Corsica was a success as we defeated Gazelec 3-0 in our friendly. Dejen Nemec earned MOM honours for keeping the home side off the scoreboard.

***

15.7.04

We have three substantial additions- all for very modest transfer costs and weekly wages. Daniel Huss is a 24 yr old Luxembourg SC who has extensive National experience. We purchased him from Gravenmacher for 24K and he will be in our forward rotation. Luis Dias is a 21 yr old Portugese AM/FRL that we were able to purchase from Uniao Lamas for 16K. Dias will significantly add to the depth on our wings. We also added Alexandre Douchez for 18K from Wasquehal. Douchez is a 21 yr old DL that will help provide cover behind Mohamed Djouadi at leftback.

[Faramir]

18.7.04

We accomplished another win in our friendlies as we defeated a non-descript Boulogne-sur-Mer side 3-0 at Salvador Allende. The win was a bit costly injury wise as Frejus Sika-Sika tore knee ligaments and after surgery will miss the next 4 months.

***

21.7.04

More injury problems as we lost Pierreck Noel for the next three weeks due to a severly strained calf. The addition of Luis Dias looms larger with the injuries we are experiencing.

***

22.7.04

Our status as a Semi-Professional club remains a problem. Not only are we limited wage wise, but as such we are less attractive for even the talented younger players who otherwise might be interested in a chance to play. We can't do anything about that except play well enough to convince our reluctant board that we should be a full professional side.

***

24.7.04

We didn't defend well in the air and allowed Paris FC to come back for a dramatic equalizer with only moments left in our friendly at their pitch. It wasn't a completely wasted effort as we did show some good play prior to yielding the goal that evened the match at 2-2.

[Faramir]

31.7.04

We closed out our friendlies with an unsatisfactory performance in losing to Reims 2-1 at Salavador Allende. We held the halftime lead, but let Mickael Devos strike for two goals in a three minute span to provide the margin of the loss. Hopefully we have the 'bad' match out of our system now.

***

5.8.04

I made another purchase, this time landing transfer listed Mounir Alkhatib. The cost was 28K up front and 55K over 6 months for the 21 yr old French AM/FL. Alkhatib should bring an attacking presence to the wing, once he is fully healed up from his slight leg injury.

[Faramir]

7.8.04

Noisy-le-Sec (5) Ajaccio (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- Jadilson 17 L.Dias 23,44 C.Lannoy 29,56

Ajaccio- None

MOM- Jadilson, Noisy-le-Sec

I am pleased to report that we opened our Division 2 season with a stunning 5-0 rout of visiting Ajaccio. Jadilson took full advantage of Hakim Saci being out with a minor injury as he made a strong case for remaining in the starting lineup paired with Christophe Lannoy. Jadilson scored our first goal when he deflected a sharp cross from Luis Dias past Florian Lucchini. Luis Dias had a terrfic debut- filling in for injured Pierreck Noel- as he scored twice in the first half. The first came when he slammed home his own rebound after Lucchini brilliantly parried his initial blast. His second came with a long pass into space that he ran down and then drilled a shot inside the far left post. Christophe Lannoy added two goals as well, and also hit the outside of the post twice in a match where he used his explosive pace to great distinction. It was a fine way to start the season, but now the challenge will be to bring the club back to earth for their first road match.

[Faramir]

9.8.04

I added another young winger on transfer purchase. We purchased Antonio N'Sangu (Congo/French) from Strasbourg for 18K. N'Sangu is another AMR with explosive pace, although he isn't technically polished at present. We are well above the budgeted wage, but the only way I can see to get the club better under our current circumstances (Semi-professional, obscure reputation) is to keep trying to add talented youngsters who might offer some significant contributions with experience.

***

12.8.04

Mickael Devos made such a good impression on both me and our scouts that I offered Reims 18K to purchase him. I was a bit surprised when they actually accepted the offer. Devos is quick and one of the better young French forwards I had seen to this point- so it was a pleasure to add him to our mix. On the less acceptable side, Hakim Saci was caught by the paparazzi in an unwholesome situation. I feel we have little choice but to transfer list him and see if we can find him a new home. He has won himself no friends on the club with his incessant complaining and his ambitious nature to return to a major club was all to clear. I will keep you informed of my efforts to relocate Saci.

[Spav]

I hope that your 5-0 opening win is a pointer for things to come in the new season.

[Faramir]

Spav- me too, me too

***

14.8.04

Creteil (0) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Creteil- None

Noisy-le-Sec- L.Dias 82

MOM- Luis Dias, Noisy-le-Sec

A superb individual effort by Luis Dias earned him both the only goal of the match and the MOM honours as we edged Creteil 1-0 in a very close match. Mohamed Djouadi started the play with a free kick from just inside our end of the pitch. He launched the kick all the way across the pitch and found Dias just over midfield in the Creteil end. Dias took the ball around the first defender and then raced down the left side as they failed to challenge him. When Olivier Frappoli finally came out to force the play, Dias took the ball around him also and then blasted a low shot past Thomas Levaux for the match winner. His goal will certainly be on our highlight reel of this season's accomplishments.

[Faramir]

15.8.04

We received some good news on the injury front as Pierreck Noel was cleared to begin full training again. It will take some time to get him back to match fitness, but it is good to have him back out practicing with the club again- instead of in the training rehab area.

***

21.8.04

Noisy-le-Sec (0) Valence (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- None

Valence- None

MOM- Eric Allibert, Valence

I was pleased with our effort against Valence as we set ourselves up with some excellent scoring chances. Unfortunately, Eric Allibert was at the other end of those good chances and made some terrific saves on Christophe Lannoy, Luis Dias and Malik Benachour to keep the match scoreless. We controlled the play in most of the match and outshot them 11-2, but weren't able to solve Allibert in being forced to settle for the 0-0 draw.

[Faramir]

24.8.04

Another major injury for us as Loic Le Pape injured his knee ligaments and will miss the next three months after I sent him to fixed up.

***

28.8.04

Gueugnon (0) Noisy-le-Sec (0)

Gueugnon- None

Noisy-le-Sec- None

MOM- Jean-Pascal Yao, Noisy-le-Sec

This time the draw was a moral victory for us. We had to withstand a very attacking Gueugnon- who were cheered on by their raucous crowd. We had little luck earning many attacking chances as we leaned on our backline and Dejen Nemec to earn a point out of the match. The injuries keep coming too- Daniel Huss will now miss the next two months with a seperated shoulder. We are still struggling to find the right balance on the pitch and I was disappointed in Malik Benachour today as he consistently avoided passing to instead try to dribble past the defense- and lost the ball on the dribble most times.

[Faramir]

30.8.04

We did make one pre-transfer deadline purchase. Grenoble offered us 26 yr old DMC Assou for the paltry sum of 4K. Assou is a very solid DMC, and something we had been searching for with little success. We needed someone in the midfield to work at breaking up opponents' attacks and he appears very well suited for that role.

***

31.8.04

The plague of injuries continued today as Pierreck Noel broke a couple ribs in an accident in practice. He will be lost to us for a month. The spate of injuries is completely wrecking our offensive cohesion in this early portion of the season and I am just hoping we can gel quickly despite the problems.

***

4.9.04

Noisy-le-Sec (3) Lorient (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- C.Lannoy 21 M.Devos 31 H.Saci 85

Lorient- A.Lesecure 25-P

MOM- Mouithys, Noisy-le-Sec

We finally managed to get some scoring again as we played a fine, determined match in seeing off Lorient 3-1. Mouithys keyed our first goal with a terrific pass that setup Christophe Lannoy to wheel and drive a shot past Fabien Audard. They equalized when Assou was called for pushing Serge-Alain Liri in the area and Arnaud Lesecure easily converted the penalty kick past Jeremy Guy. Mounir Alkhatib rifled a centering pass that Richard Martini slightly deflected and that was enough to throw Yohan Bouzin off and he missed the header on the ball. Mickael Devos was alert and first to the ball as he scored his 1st goal for us past Audard. Guy was called on for several key saves in the second half to keep the lead until we clinched the match when Olivier Dos Santos made a wonderful touch pass into space. Hakim Saci, on for Devos, showed he really wants to contribute by his effort in running down the ball and then making a dip move before moving past a diving Audard and firing it into the now open net. It was a good win for the club and we worked hard to earn it.

[Faramir]

14.9.04

I must report another severe injury. We will lose Olivier Dos Santos for the next three months due to surgery to repair a torn groin. Our depth will be severly taxed for that time as we don't have much more depth in the midfield.

***

15.9.04

Angouleme (1) Noisy-le-Sec (2)

Angouleme- H.Milazzo 69

Noisy-le-Sec- M.Benachour 12 C.Lannoy 89

MOM- Malik Benachour, Noisy-le-Sec

It was a very pleasing win as we rallied after they had equalized the match at 1-1 midway through the second half. Malik Benachour showed his desire and effort in scoring the goal that gave us the lead. Mounir Alkhatib sent a pass ahead to Christophe Lannoy, but Raphael Camacho won out on the header and sent it toward Herve Milazzo. Milazzo missed the ball though and as it rolled past, Benachour pushed it ahead. Benachour and Anthony Puymirail battled for the ball but Benachour got his foot in an instant quicker and knocked the ball into the net to give us the lead with his 1st goal of the season. They hadn't shown a lot of offense in the first half, but Angouleme seemed to revive at halftime and started pressuring us in the second half. Puymirail and Milazzo made up for their earlier error when Puymirail flicked on a corner from Alban Gaborit and Milazzo sent a sharp shot past Dejen Nemec to even the match. The win turned out to be a gift as Jessy Savidan, who played terribly for them, sent a long pass back for Puymirail. Christophe Lannoy had been lurking and got his foot on the ball to push it into the left side of the area. Lannoy was able to react much quicker than Puymirail and then made a good shot inside the near left post past Stephane Lucas for the match winner in the 2-1 win.

[Faramir]

17.9.04

More injuries to report as Assane N'Diaye will miss at least a couple weeks with a thigh strain and reserve midfielder Elfathe Mehigueni will be out three weeks due to a groin pull. Reserve forward Jerome Four suffered a severely broken leg and will miss the remainder of the season. Four has indicated that he may well consider retirement due to this severe injury.

***

18.9.04

Niort (0) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Niort- None

Noisy-le-Sec- C.Lannoy 65

MOM- Dejan Nemec, Noisy-le-Sec

This was a match we had no business winning, but because we managed to make one chance count and kept them off the scoreboard we were able to win out 1-0 on the road. We were outplayed in the match, and really wasted a few chances in the first half when Hakim Saci refused to give the ball up to strike partner Christophe Lannoy- even though Lannoy was unmarked in front of the net. Saci then missed over the net in taking the shots. The lone goal came when Ange Ouefio sent a ball down the right side that Antonio N'Sangu ran down. N'Sangu sent a well placed cross that Lannoy used exquisite timing in deflecting past Christophe Marichez inside the right post. Following that goal, we relied heavily on Dejan Nemec to keep us in the lead. Nemec made good saves on Ousmane Bangoura, Fabrice Jau and Stephane Biakolo to keep the clean sheet and earn MOM honours in the 1-0 win.

[Faramir]

20.9.04

Gregory Nicot broke his cheekbone and will miss a couple weeks. The injury tally for this season has been alarming, yet there are no specific factors that I can blame them on.

***

25.9.04

Noisy-le-Sec (3) Le Havre (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- Assou 18-P C.Lannoy 19 L.Dias 45

Le Havre- J.Lesage 49

MOM- Mounir Alkhatib, Noisy-le-Sec

This match was a tale of two halves. We played a superb first half and took full advantage of Le Havre's problems. Assou converted the penalty kick after they fouled him in the air on a corner for our first goal. Less than 2 minutes later, Jadilson made a terrific lofted pass down the right that Christophe Lannoy was able to run down and then take around Idris Carlos Kameni for his 5th goal of the season. Luis Dias made it 3-0 at halftime when he smashed a curving 30 yard free kick past Kameni. The second half saw us turn into the stumbling squad as Le Havre moved the ball with authority throughout the half. Fortunately, we had Dejan Nemec in net and he stymied them with several good saves. Jean-Michel Lesage did get the best of him in a one-on-one when youngster Benoit Haamby, making his debut because of injure to N'Diaye and yellow card suspenion of Jean-Pascal Yao, couldn't keep pace with him for a loose ball down the right side. After the goal, Nemec resumed his fine play and stopped two other certain goals with fingertip saves that helped us to finish out the 3-1 win.

[Spav]

Still unbeaten so far this season if I have read correctly, Faramir. Well done and I hope that I don't jinx your efforts by pointing this out.

[OMDave]

Trying to catch up with what I've missed over the last couple of months or so. Glad to see you developed your idea into a full-fledged story, Mike. Looking forward to seeing where this is going.

And congratulations on your accession to Ligue 2. Direct promotion was quite a feat, given the 100/1 odds, and it looks like you're set to cause a stir at this level as well. Keep it up

[Faramir]

Spav- jinx, jink

Dave- glad to see you back around again

***

27.9.04

Injuries continue to vex us. Now winger Micha Djorkaeff will miss three weeks for treatment of leg problems. We are very short of midfielders and may be forced to use some of our fullbacks in winger roles if necessary.

***

28.9.04

Noisy-le-Sec (0) Gueugnon (1) League Cup Preliminary Round

Noisy-le-Sec- None

Gueugnon- T.Maoulida

MOM- Nadir Belhadj, Gueugnon

We gave a spirited effort against visiting Gueugnon, but we didn't show the quality of play we needed to as they broomed us from the League Cup competition 1-0. Toifilou Maoulida scored the first goal by driving past young Manuel de Jesus Makiadi and firing it in underneath a diving Jeremy Guy for what would be the lone goal of the match. Both sides were generating chances as neither backline was showing very well in the match. Richard Trivino was a rock in their net as he made excellent stops on Thibault Blachon and Hakim Saci in our best chances in the second half. Their midfield did a good job of tackling as they robbed us off our offensive flow when we tried to rally late in the second half.

[Faramir]

2.10.04

Sedan (1) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Sedan- Moukiri 77

Noisy-le-Sec- M.Alkhatib 71

MOM- Alexandre Douchez, Noisy-le-Sec

I am sorry to report that we wasted an opportunity to earn a win when we allowed Sedan to fightback for a 1-1 draw. We had problems with our forwards in the match as Jadilson came out with a slight injury (and poor play) at halftime. His sub, Mickael Devos, went out with an injury in the second half and I was forced to move Mounir Alkhatib to a forward position. Surprisingly, that paid off when Christophe Lannoy found him parked in front of the net unmarked and he scored into the right side of the net past Patrick Regnault to give us the lead with his 1st goal for us midway through the second half. They equalized when Amadou Makhtar N'Diaye made a nice chip pass past Jean-Pascal Yao and Moukiri slipped away from Ange Ouefio's marking long enough to smash a rising shot past Dejan Nemec to make it 1-1. Neither club really came close to gaining another goal as both clubs appeared to be very tired from the effort of playing in the wind and rainy conditions. The match cost us another injury as Yao will miss three weeks thanks to a dislocated jaw he suffered at the very end of the match.

[Faramir]

5.10.04

Finally, some relief in the injury picture as Pierreck Noel and Assane N'Diaye approach match fitness again. It can't happen too soon, we just were running out of healthy bodies to put on the pitch.

***

9.10.04

Noisy-le-Sec (1) Le Mans (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- P.Noel 20

Le Mans- F.D'Amico 57

MOM- Ludovic Butelle, Le Mans

Pierreck Noel made a dramatic return to the lineup by scoring, but we played sloppy defense in the second half and allowed them to gain a 1-1 draw. The goal by Noel was a trademark one as Kennedy picked him out with a good pass and he used his quick acceleration to move past the defender before rocketing a shot past Ludovic Butelle into the far left side of the net. Christophe Lannoy had a superb chance to increase the lead just before halftime, but Butelle got enough of his shot that it trickled inches wide of the right post. Le Mans equalized when Kendal Ucar got caught up the pitch for the third time in the second half. A cross allowed Fernando D'Amico to deflect the ball past Dejan Nemec for the equalizer. They came close to taking the lead when botched coverage allowed Bartosz Karwan to blast away from inside the area- but he hit the post squarely and Nemec covered the bounce back. We managed one more good late chance but Butelle tipped Mounir Alkhatib's shot over the bar.

[Faramir]

16.10.04

Nice (1) Noisy-le-Sec (0)

Nice- Everson 82

Noisy-le-Sec- None

MOM- Sammy Traore, Nice

We haven't managed to do much offensively the last few matches and this was the match where it caught up to us and equaled a loss. We did not defend well on a throw-in and that allowed Everson to fire a shot past an off balance Dejan Nemec for the only goal of the match. There were moments where we passed the ball well, but it was few and far between as we were very ineffective inside their area. This was our first loss this season, which at the least is a better start than I expected in moving to Division 2 play. The problem we have is scoring up front as Hakim Saci isn't doing well and only Lannoy is scoring goals. This may be remedied as Daniel Huss is almost back to match fitness, but it remains my biggest concern at this point.

[Spav]

Sorry about my jinxing, Faramir.

Future comments will be restricted to the KUTGW variety.

[Faramir]

Spav- LOL, nah, no problem at all (we were due to fall anyways...)

***

23.10.04

Noisy-le-Sec (3) Troyes (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- C.Lannoy 31,66 Mouithys 90

Troyes- None

MOM- Christophe Lannoy, Noisy-le-Sec

Our scoring slump is ended- Praise be on High. Christophe Lannoy continues to demonstrate his snipers ability whenever he is around the net. His ability to be in the right place found him right where the ball went when Johan Gallon deflected a through ball from Malik Benachour and he teed up a shot and blasted cleanly past Rodolphe Roche from the edge of the six yard box. The remainder of the first half was very rough, with several yellow cards handed out to both sides. It was still a close match in the second half when Frederic Danjou earned a redcard for a brutal tackle from behind. We put the match out of reach of short-handed Troyes when Lannoy drilled a 25 yard free kick past a hobbled Roche. We could have made it 3 after we received a penalty kick when Lannoy was taken down in the area, but Mickael Devos saw his kick saved by Roche. We did finally make it a 3-0 final moments later when Manuel de Jesus Makiadi sent a through ball that found Mouithys in free. Mouithys whistled a rising shot over Roche's shoulder into the left side of the net for his 1st goal for us.

[Faramir]

30.10.04

Nimes (0) Noisy-le-Sec (3)

Nimes- None

Noisy-le-Sec- M.Djorkaeff 12 M.Makiadi 17 M.Devos 66

MOM- Ange Ouefio, Noisy-le-Sec

It was a very pleasing performance on the road as we upset Nimes 3-0 thanks to the efforts of our unheralded players. Micha Djorkaeff got us started when he executed a brilliant, curving 20 yard free kick that keeper Cedric Duchesne had no chance at as it tucked inside the left post for his 1st goal at Noisy. Several minutes later youngster Manuel de Jesus Makiadi showed exceptional timing in deflecting a Mouithys corner past Duchesne to make it 2-0. Makiadi also figured in the clinching goal as he showed excellent vision in heading a long centering pass back down the pitch. Mickael Devos then ran with the ball and when Duchesne tried to slide out and smother it he chipped it past him in capping off the 3-0 win. Jeremy Guy played well in net to earn the clean sheet.

[Faramir]

6.11.04

Noisy-le-Sec (2) Amiens (1)

Noisy-le-Sec- J.Yao 35 H.Saci 36

Amiens- T.Buengo 56

MOM- Kennedy, Noisy-le-Sec

We managed to hold on for a very close win over visiting Amiens after going out to a 2-0 lead in the first half. Our execution in the match was very good and we had many good chances. We scored both our goals in a two-minute span in the first half. The first came from Jean-Pascal Yao as he made a beautiful volley on an indirect free kick from Luis Dias- it was his 1st goal for us. Only moments later Hakim Saci showed perfect timing in deflecting a centering pass from Kennedy past Cyrille Merville. They kept us off the board the rest of the way as Merville played well. They managed to give themselves hope their sprung their lightning fast forward Titi Buengo and Assane N'Diaye couldn't keep pace with him. Buengo made a nice move and slipped his shot past Dejan Nemec while he was off balance. A golden chance to clinch the game fell by the wayside when Thibault ? missed a one-on-one with Merville. Nemec was called on for one last good save on Buengo to keep us ahead for the 2-1 win.

[Faramir]

I am sorry to report another major injury. I was forced to send Kwame Hodouto to surgery after he tore his hamstring. Kwame had actually been playing well in a support role this season, but we will be without him for the next 4 months.

***

13.11.04

Saint-Etiene (1) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Saint-Etiene- A.Olufade 21

Noisy-le-Sec- M.Benachour 7

MOM- Assane N'Diaye, Noisy-le-Sec

I would like to report that our club showed both the ability and the desire to battle the top squad in Division 2 on their turf on even terms. Though we only managed a 1-1 draw, it could easily have been a win in our column- though to be fair to their side they also had chances to put the match into the win column. We scored early in the first half when Pierreck Noel beat Schumann Bah on the dribble and crossed smartly to Malik Benachour who headed the ball into the right side of the net past Jeremie Janot. We failed to support Dejan Nemec well enough as they were able to equalize after Adekanmi Olufade was able to drive past two defenders and then knock home his own rebound after Nemec stopped the initial shot. The draw was a fair result as both sides had the good chances to win, but kind posts (Christophe Lannoy fired a shot past Janot off the post in the late stages) and good work from Janot and Nemec ensured the 1-1 result.

[Faramir]

20.11.04

Noisy-le-Sec (1) Angers (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- Mouithys 76

Angers- None

MOM- Mouithys, Noisy-le-Sec

We fully deserved to win this match by a greater margin, but Sebastien Chabbert performed well in their net and it took great effort to earn us the lone goal that gave us the 1-0 win. The first half wasn't crisply played by either side, but we started dominating the match from the whistle to begin the second half. Chabbert made one of the best saves I have seen this season when he was able to make a reaction save and push a thundering half-volley from Christophe Lannoy over the net. We scored when Jean-Michel Capoue, after a nice pass back from Lannoy, laid the ball off beautifully and Mouithys took full advantage by scorching a low shot past Chabbert. Dejan Nemec wasn't sorely tested in the match as they only managed 3 shots and earned another clean sheets for his consistent effort.

[Faramir]

27.11.04

Red Star 93 (2) Noisy-le-Sec (1) French Cup 7th round

Red Star- G.Durand 36 J.Guichard 73

Noisy-le-Sec A.N'Sangu 84

MOM- Jonathan Foulon, Red Star 93

Our patchwork lineup for this match looked very disorganized at times. That was at least a portion of our problem in our 2-1 French Cup loss to Red Star. Jeremy Guy was none too steady in net today and Gerard Durand scored an unlikely looking header to give them the first half lead. They went ahead 2-0 when Jean-Pierre Guichard was put away free and easily fired his shot past Guy. Though we managed twice the number of chances of the home side, we didn't quite get the quality of chances. The one we actually converted upon was Antonio N'Sangu running down a pass to the right and slotting it past Jonathan Foulon for his 1st goal at Noisy-le-Sec. We fell short of completing the rally and they broomed us out of the French Cup on the basis of the 2-1 win.

[Faramir]

1.12.04

Istres (2) Noisy-le-Sec (0)

Istres- F.Chaussidiere 3 N.Turai 86

Noisy-le-Sec- None

MOM- Franck Chaussidiere, Istres

It was disappointing to see a solid performance on our part reflected by a 2-0 loss in the scorecard. Dejan Nemec didn't help our cause when he mishandled Franck Chaussidiere's long 30 yard shot into the net to give them a 1-0 lead in the opening moments. We didn't threaten too much in the first half, but did control the ball a fair bit. We finally started generating better chances in the second half. Frejus Sika-Sika,just back from injury, had two excellent one-on-one chances against Laurent Weber, but missed inches wide on one and saw Weber make a terrfic parry of the other shot. They clinched the match in the late stages when Mohamed Djouadi failed to either mark his man or clear away the rebound as Nabio Turai drove home his own rebound to clinch the match for the home side.

[Faramir]

4.12.04

Noisy-le-Sec (0) Chateauroux (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- None

Chateauroux- None

MOM- Ange Ouefio, Noisy-le-Sec

We have scored three goals in our last five matches and the lack of offensive punch is showing in the results. Still, we continue to play solid defense and Dejan Nemec earned another clean sheet for his steady play. We had the best chances in the match as Christophe Lannoy and Frejus Sika-Sika both had wonderful opportunities- but both also missed the net with their shots. We are not working together as well as we had earlier in the season offensively and that will hurt us unless we can correct the mistakes.

I have to accept a large portion of the blame for our offensive struggles. My selections for forwards have not paid off well in terms of results for payment. Hakim Saci has an excellent set of skills, but appears to be a poor finisher around the net. Daniel Huss has a good record of being a scorer, but has done virtually nothing in our lineup when I have played him. Frejus Sika-Sika is one I still have hope for and also Mickael Devos, but so far they haven't contributed much. With Pierreck Noel back in full health, and Luis Dias and Mounir Alkhatib available for the wings, I am going to put Noel back into the forwards role in hopes that this will help balance out the club.

[Simply Perfect]

After such a promising start, results seem to be going slightly against you.

Must ask, in all your stories you seem to gain a lot of success with small clubs, particularly in England, but even have had success in San Marino. What style of play or tactics do you use? Do you have any favoured training routines?

[Faramir]

Simply P- Well, you have to remember that I came to FMS from LLM forum, basically I have always played small sides. I enjoy the challenge of raising small sides all the way up- and that has been true since I started playing way back to CM2. Leyton Orient is my fave club for that reason- I didn't know anything about English football when I started and just wound up with them because I liked the name.

Tactically, I tend to find a formation that I like and stick with it. For the most part these are 'normal' formations with a few tweaks added (CM2-3 it was a 442 and later 4132, CM4 a 442, CM 5 has mostly been a 442 Diamond). I didn't use the 'Diablo' approach. Training-wise I have to admit that I love the new approach in FM 2006- because I *hate* setting up training regimens My training regimens in CM4 (and also in CM 5) were heavily based on Lyssiens work- because I didn't want to devote the time to fully tackle that aspect of the game- I just like to play...

***

11.12.04

Nancy (0) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Nancy- None

Noisy-le-Sec- P.Noel 55

MOM- Pierreck Noel, Noisy-le-Sec

Another fine defensive effort and just enough offense allowed us to edge Nancy 1-0 in our trip to face them. The only goal came when Christophe Lannoy ran down a ball in the left corner and lofted a centering pass. Pierreck Noel outleaped two defenders to flick the ball past Olivier Sorlin into the left side of the net. Both clubs had good chances during the match, but Sorlin and Dejan Nemec kept the chances from impacting the scoreline. Our defensive effort continues to yield good results as the teamwork shown by our players has helped nullify many clubs' superior physical talents and technical skills.

***

I am most pleased to report to you that our last close win over Nancy, coupled with Saint-Etiene's 1-0 loss has allowed us to move into the top spot in Division 2 based on our goal differential.

Midseason France Division 2

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Noisy-le-Sec 39 points (+18)

2- Saint-Etiene 39 points (+14)

3- Istres 34 points (+11)

4- Nimes 33 points (+15)

5- Le Havre 32 points (0)

6- Nancy 31 points (-7)

</pre>

[Faramir]

22.12.04

Noisy-le-Sec (2) Creteil (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- A.Ouefio 36 P.Noel 48

Creteil- None

MOM- Ange Ouefio, Noisy-le-Sec

It seemed like it might be a troubling match after Pierreck Noel missed converting a penalty kick in the early moments of the first half. Creteil was applying a physical presence to every tackle as they apparently hoped to intimidate us, but that did not work as our club never faltered. We took the lead when Ange Ouefio deflected a corner from Micha Djorkaeff past Christian Impome to give us the lead at halftime. Early in the second half, Noel showed his burst of speed as he beat Impome to a pass from Assou and slipped it past him as he tried to smother the ball. With the 2-0 lead we played conservatively the remainder of the match and blunted their attempts to rally as Dejan Nemec chalked up another clean sheet.

[Faramir]

29.12.04

Valence (3) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Valence- K.Kemas 17 J.Albin 75,90

Noisy-le-Sec- C.Lannoy 48

MOM- Juan Albin, Valence

We paid the price for playing an uninspired match defensively as Valence took advantage of miscommunication to score a pair of late goals to defeat us 3-1. They scored the only goal of the first half when Khaled Kemas pushed in a rebound after Dejan Nemec parried a header on a corner. We evened the match early in the second half via the same route when Christophe Lannoy sent a rebound back into the net after Luis Dias strong header was pushed away. Young Uruguayan Juan Albin took advantage of a mistimed header and when no one went for the ball- he did- and then rocketed a 30 yard blast past Nemec. Albin scored his 2nd of the match in extra time when he slipped past Assane N'Diaye's tackle and drilled a low shot past Nemec to finish out their 3-1 win.

[Faramir]

1.1.05

Despite several ongoing negotiations, the only transfer purchase that we have been able to complete was to bolster our central defense with the addition of Romain Sartre. Sartre is a very strong 22 year old DC that was languishing on the Lyon reserves. The transfer purchase cost us 18K. I am still on the lookout for another midfielder and forward- if I can find one that fits within our budget. I do want to find another keeper to pair with Dejan Nemec in net as Jeremy Guy has been terribly inconsistent.

***

Our status as a Semi-Professional club and our awful training facilities is certainly impeding us adding players. I have talked to several player's agents, but in all cases I have found they wish exorbitant amounts in wages for the players. We simply can't afford to do that. I will continue searching for players that might help us for more modest wages and will proceed with the expectation that we will have to do our best with those players already here.

[Faramir]

15.1.05

Noisy-le-Sec (0) Gueugnon (0)

Noisy-le-Sec- None

Gueugnon- None

MOM- Richard Trivino, Gueugnon

Though we outplayed our opponents, we weren't able to score against them and were forced to accept a scoreless draw. It appeared we had finally grabbed the lead when Hakim Saci, who had seen Trivino make two terrific first half saves against him, scored midway through the second half on a good long pass from Assou. Unfortunately, Pierreck Noel was ruled offside on the play and the goal was waved off. We put forth a good defensive effort, but we need to be more efficient offensively if we want to win this type of close match.

[Faramir]

22.1.05

Lorient (2) Noisy-le-Sec (1)

Lorient- Y.Gourcuff 12 S.Liri 19

Noisy-le-Sec- M.Devos 55-P

MOM- Pape Diop, Lorient

The match might look close, but I was very disappointed with our play today. We just couldn't make a good pass to get us out and into space against Lorient. Assane N'Diaye gave them a penalty kick when he was called for holding in the area and although Dejan Nemec saved Yohan Gourcuff's penalty, he couldn't stop Gourcuff when he fired the rebound past him. Their second goal was directly the result of miscommunication on the backline and not working hard enough. Both Ange Ouefio and Jean-Pascal Yao had chances to stop the play dead, but neither went after the ball soon enough and it wound up with Serge-Alain Liri firing a shot inside the right post after a good pass. Mickael Devos provided our only highlight when he fired in a penalty after Malik Benachour was held by Karim Azizou in the area. Christophe Lannoy had bad luck for the match, as hit both posts- one in each half. We didn't play well enough to earn a better result- as we only completed 55% of our passes, a horrible number for how our offense needs to work.

[Spav]

Perhaps an appearance by me is now required in this thread. A reverse-jinx may kick in and bring the team back to good form. KUTGW Faramir.

[Faramir]

Thanks Spav I will take all the luck I can get in this one

***

25.1.05

I was able to find another keeper to work with Dejan Nemec. We managed to convince Ghislain Chauray to come back home to Noisy-le-Sec from Dunkerque. The transfer cost was a nominal amount of 22K. Chauray brings us a proven keeper to spell Nemec down the stretch. I was also able to purchase promising young Mathieu Flamini from Marseille for 10K. Flamini brings us a solid defensive presence in the central midfield, something we needed more off and he will help provide Assou with an occasional rest. We also managed to land the forward I had been hoping to get- Julien Viale- from Lyon. Viale looks to be the missing piece, the powerful forward, that we have needed all season. He cost us 55K to purchase from them, and that may well be a bargain if he plays as well as I think he will.

[Faramir]

2.2.05

Noisy-le-Sec (2) Angouleme (2)

Noisy-le-Sec- P.Noel 14 H.Saci 75

Angouleme- M.Maurice 68 L.Anton 83

MOM- Mickael Maurice, Angouleme

I am sorry to report that we failed to win another match that we should have won. We were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw when twice we allowed them to come back and equalize. The first half lead was ours thanks to a cross from Luis Dias that Pierrick Noel sent home on a rebound past Stephane Lucas after he had parried Noel's header. They struck back to make it 1-1 in the second half when our backline left Ghislain Chauray at the mercy of Mickael Maurice when they left unmarked at the edge of the six yard box and Anthony Puymirail picked him out with a good pass. We jumped in front again when Mohamed Djouadi made a good pass that Hakim Saci was able to half-volley past Lucas. We tried to survive their rally attempt, but they equalized when Jean-Pascal Yao completely missed a ball while trying to kick and clear it- and Leeroy Anton slipped it past Chauray to ruin his otherwise splendid reappearance in a Noisy-le-Sec kit.