FM13 - Like Icarus to the Sun, the rise and (hopefully) rise of Jozef Prochazka

[b101]

September 2020 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

After a tough month last time out, this was certainly easier on paper, with the exception of the game in Marseilles. However, we steamrollered all three in the end. Valenciennes looked every bit a newly-promoted side up against the league champions, and our quality shone through - it could have easily been six or seven. Against Marseille too, we started well, but just couldn't quite kill them off. A late Rémy strike gave them a consolation, but that was all they had. Finally, we put Nice to the sword on the Cote d'Azur, with a superb cameo from Sebastian Rashwan stealing the show. PSG have also started strongly, but as always, we're right there with them.

European fixtures:

Two great performances, two great results. Porto were always going to be our main challengers in this group and it was awesome to see us destroy them in the second half. We were poor in the first 45 minutes, going into the break 1-0 down, but a change of formation to a more controlling 4-2-3-1 completely threw them, and our four goals in no way flattered us.

Man of the Month:

Yeah, so it wasn't long before Marília got in on the act this season. As you can see, he's flying at the minute and can be simply unstoppable when he wants.

[b101]

October 2020 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

There's one result that stands out here, and no, it's not a mistake. We really did lose 1-0 to 19th placed Lorient, and I'm not quite sure how... The Toulouse match was another comfortable win, with Roman Buzek scoring his first for the club. The young Czech is getting quite a few starts at the moment and has been playing well, so this was well deserved. Then came the blip. I rested a number of players, but we should still have won - we just didn't turn up. Fair play to Lorient, they raised their game, but poor from us. We bounced back by waving two of our Ligue 1 rivals off from the Stade de la Route de Lorient after absolute pastings. Monaco had no idea what hit them after twenty minutes, whereas Lyon were dominated by a side consisting of 9 players under the age of 21. Finally, we visited Saint Etienne, again coming away with maximum points. The good news is that whilst we were faltering in Lorient, PSG also dropped points to Saint Etienne, so we're only 1 point further behind. Could be worse, eh?

European fixtures:

An almightly performance in Grozny meant that the long journey was worthwhile, with Júnior and Ngoyi running wild in Russia. They scored with their two shots on target, but that is a scoreline to show Europe that we mean business. Again.

Not sure why the Lyon game is on here. Still, not a bad result by any means.

Man of the Month:

The goals haven't stopped *touch wood* for Júnior this season, and he's had another great month. I'm struggling slightly to get him nailed down for the next five seasons, but I'm sure we can sort it out once I get more money in the summer.

[b101]

November 2020 - Stade Rennais

Europe's most boring league... gets interesting?

Ok, so you know I'm not a great fan of the Real-Barca one-two... so imagine my jaw drop when I randomly checked in on Spain to see this:

Go Betis!

Fixtures:

Aside from the Cup exit to Valenciennes, this was a perfect month: we didn't concede, smashed a number of teams out of the park, and scored for fun. You pretty much know the score for the most of the fixtures - we dominated and scored a couple, with no real problems. The interesting games were Bordeaux, in which we were unstoppable, with centre mid Elsinga the hero thanks to a superb hat-trick, although Júnior and Marília did alright too! I rested players again for the Valenciennes match, and we should have won after taking the lead early into the second half. However, a poor mistake from Wegner and a debatable penalty (then again, we've had a few go our way) later and we were out, with the dream of retaining every single title on offer out of the question. Hey ho. I'm not too bothered really, this is an annoying competition and it just gives us a few less games. Equally, PSG continued to drop points this month, putting us back on top with games in hand ahead of our trip to the World Club Cup.

European fixtures:

Two shadow sides beat these two sides with something to spare, meaning that we just need a draw (or a 2 goal loss) with Porto to top the group. Not bad at all.

Man of the Month:

Yeah, he just keeps getting better...

[b101]

Finally, there's one other bit of news to mull over:

Thoughts?

[rlipscombe]

that's a tough call to make.... If it was me having had your career to date i would take it i think. You've achieved all you can with Rennes pretty much and it is a chance to manage one of world football's greats. Looking at the Spanish table it's not like they're flying and you have a good budget to come back and pick up one or two of your stars....

take it for me.

[Animosama]

Take it. You can take them back to greatness. Become a legend.

[cerud]

Just catching on the career; job well done so far I'd probably take it as well, but it sounds as though you don't really care for Real Madrid. You may not end up liking it.

[EvilDave]

Another good start to the season, if you do stay it's going to be hard to topple you from here.

Regarding the Real job, I'd be inclined to go for it. Prochazka must be the most wanted manager in world football at the minute after two CL wins with Rennes, and the Madrid job has always tried to attract that kind of candidate. Add in the money involved and I think there'd be very few managers who aren't tempted to try and restore them, especially at it would be a challenge at first and not just a stroll. It won't be a long-term project unless you want it to be, but it would open pretty much every door you could want opening in the future...

[b101]

Interesting responses, and it was a really tough call. I decided not to go for it in the end as I want to see this Rennes side through at least one more season and push the youngsters we have on even further. I may come to regret it, but weighing everything up, even with that budget, it would have cost an awful lot more to make the squad they have anywhere near the Rennes squad I currently enjoy.

Thanks for the responses though

[b101]

December 2020 - Stade Rennais

Domestic Fixtures and Club World Cup:

With three simple games at home, the rotation policy continued, without the poor performance that marred November. Again, Troyes were dominated and this was another match that could have ended six to nothing. As for Reims and Le Mans, they posed no problems either. It was also great to see Pablo Morin notch his first goal for the club. We then travelled to South Korea for the Club World Cup and put four past Japanese side Okayama in the semi. As is normally the case, we faced the South American side in the final, and Corinthians were a tough prospect. They took the lead early on with a 30 yard sighter, but we had a chance to hit straight back when Cortellini was fouled in the area. Uncharacteristically, Marília smashed the penalty wide of the upright and the score remained 1-0. In the second half, we pulled off my new favourite tactical change, reverting to the 4-2-3-1 shape that destroyed Porto. This paid almost immediate dividends, with Ngoyi threading Nakai through - the Japanese international smashing the ball in at the near post. We continued to press and there was only going to be one winner - with Ngoyi sealing the victory in the 91st minute thanks to a great run and cross from Marília, meaning that we retained the Club World Cup!

European fixtures:

Just the one fixture and it was fairly irrelevant with both sides already through to the Knockout stages. We took a 3-1 lead, with a number of youth players getting valuable game time. Although we conceded twice in the closing stages, a point is all that was required. The Knockout stages look as follows:

Our game is the one I was hoping for, with Jozef making a return to Prague to face Sparta. In an amazing effort, Lille topped their group, beating off Chelsea, Atletico and Inter, with their reward a tough trip to Palermo. PSG and Monaco also successfully navigated their groups, although PSG have the only realistic prospect.

Man of the Month:

This could go to Marília again, but Elsinga has been every bit as good in a tougher role to score well. He's really upped his game this year as he slots into the side, and has added a number of goals to his bag of tricks.

[JackJCFC]

Glad to see you stay in France. Title race looks close at the moment, very easy draw in Europe!

[cerud]

Like the choice to remain in France too

[rlipscombe]

a little surprised to see you turn down Madrid but i have to commend you for your reasons in doing so. Make Rennes the greatest European side ever!

[AK22]

What a brilliant year and a half you've had! Very dominant

Glad you've stayed in France; would be good to see you repeat last season's success.

[deltablue]

Great decision, you have a great side that it would be hard to leave.

[b101]

January 2021 - Stade Rennais

Transfer Activity:

A little bit of action this month regarding transfers, with the major money spent on German RB Engel. He's not amazing, but the inflated fee is pretty much down to the fact that there's nobody good for that position out there. Sod's law probably means that I'll now get a class RB through the academy... (here's hoping!) Like I say, he could be better, but I think Wegner's reached a cap and I may try to sell in the Summer if the interest is there. In other news, I rejected a £28m bid from United for Nakai, a £26m bid from Chelsea for Raphael Lucas, and a £35m bid from United for Elsinga! Big money, I know, but I'd struggle to replace them for that money and I really want us to push on as a club. As for outgoings, José Bacoul left for Lokeren for a fee close to £5m, which is great business for a player who was average at best for us. Additionally, striker Bardi joins Caen on loan for the remainder of the season.

Domestic Fixtures:

With the Champions League taking a back seat, this was the month to make our mark on the league. On the face of it, this is nowhere near as impressive as what we are capable of, but when you consider the opposition, and the fact that our only real keeper Aiche is on international duty all month (seriously Africa?), we actually haven't done that badly. Lyon were always going to be tough opponents, and took the lead through a neat finish from their class centre-forward. We battered them, and finally got the equaliser through Raphael Lucas with a huge header from a corner. This became a bit of a theme, as we then went on to do everything but score against Montpellier, who found the net with their only shot - with Rashwan's late equaliser sparing our blushes. We were actually poor in both Coupe matches, but won them both with reserve team players. These sandwiched the big match in Paris, and again, we went 1-0 down to a Coates header from a corner. Thankfully Rashwan equalised with a great volley, but we just couldn't find that second goal. We then smashed Reims and eased past Marseille to close out the month. The one match I haven't yet mentioned is the Valenciennes game. This was almost the most frustrating game I had ever played, with us hitting the bar/post FIVE times, spurning six clear chances, and they scored from their one shot. With 5 left to play though, Marília turned the match on its head, cracking in a neat volley before converting his penalty after being fouled at the death. All of those games mean that we end the month top with a game in hand. Go us!

Man of the Month:

Whilst Marília's heroics against Valenciennes almost get him this back, Rashwan has been even more impressive this month, grabbing a number of useful goals

[b101]

February 2021 - Stade Rennais

Domestic Fixtures:

We opened with a great victory in Montpellier before a shadow squad and the returning Júnior sent Nice home with their tails between their legs. We then edged past Nantes in the derby, featuring a first Rennes goal for Johann Salaun. Then came the frustrations from the last month, with us battering Toulouse, creating an absurd thirteen half chances, but failing to score. Elsinga finally grabbed an equaliser, steering home after a strong run from midfield. We finished the month by progressing again in the Coupe de France and smashing Lorient to leave us three points clear. It's certainly not as easy as last year, but I think we're through the worst of it! I have to say though, it's good to see Lyon back up there, and there really is a divide between the 'top five' and the rest in terms of quality right now.

Champions League

As professional a job as you could wish to see - this one's over. Ref, ring the bell.

Man of the Month:

Just gets better... and better... and better...

[b101]

Glad to see you stay in France. Title race looks close at the moment, very easy draw in Europe!

Like the choice to remain in France too

a little surprised to see you turn down Madrid but i have to commend you for your reasons in doing so. Make Rennes the greatest European side ever!

What a brilliant year and a half you've had! Very dominant . Glad you've stayed in France; would be good to see you repeat last season's success.

Great decision, you have a great side that it would be hard to leave.

Thanks all, I would like to manage in Spain at some point, but it just wouldn't be as fun doing it with Madrid at the moment. They need to spend a lot of money and their aims are the same as ours at the moment, making it a bit of a pointless move in my eyes. Hopefully the Rennes board can keep up with me!

[Animosama]

Why did you stop posting the preferred moves for the player of the month ? I Like this idea:(

[b101]

Why did you stop posting the preferred moves for the player of the month ? I Like this idea:(

As do I - just so happens that all of the recent ones have had theirs posted before I think.

[b101]

Stade Rennais - Youth Intake 2021

And yet the Assistant is wrong - Ambrosino isn't even the best player in this intake! Altogether there's four players who are worthy of a mention, and one who's very exciting! Whilst we don't have any 5* or even 4* players as we did last year, it's worth remembering that our stars are dropping generally as our first teamers reach their potential (Ngoyi for example is now just a 2.5* player).

Fausto Vicente - AML/ST, 3.5* PA

With the number of quality strikers we have available, I may have to start playing 4-4-2 soon. After the exciting Tanguy coming through last season, Vicente is this year's main addition. His base stats (Physical aside) are much better than Tanguy's, and if his pace were higher, he'd probably start for most of the Ligue 1 teams in the bottom half. Immediately tutored by Marília.

Reynald Payet - AMC, 3* PA

Ok, so the last position we needed to strengthen was probably AMC, having already got Marília, Cortellini, Brossard, Rashwan and Fortina who can play there. Having said that, Payet is a decent addition, although his finishing is too low for my liking, and boasts some decent mental stats. Just needs a major improvement in Passing and Finishing really.

Teddy Baradat - DMC - 3* PA

14 year old Teddy looks class, doesn't he? Already has some very laudable stats in the right areas, and although he has absolutely nothing going forward, he should be able to do a good job at the back. Will learn from Walber as soon as he turns 23.

Gianguglielmo Ambrosino - GK - 2.5* PA

Finally Aiche gets someone to tutor! Ambrosino is ok and should be a very good backup keeper, but I can't see him ever toppling Djamel for the number one spot.

All in all, it's a pretty good intake, and Fausto Vicente alone makes it worthwhile. I can also see Baradat making it into the first team squad and Ambrosino will probably be a back up keeper, but Payet might just need too much work on those key areas.

[deltablue]

No wonder I never stood a chance last night with Marilia in such form.

[b101]

Haha yeah he's near unstoppable when he wants to be

[cerud]

Wow! I would definitely take Teddy off your hands for my squad

[b101]

March 2021 - Stade Rennais

Domestic Fixtures:

You remember that thing where we play well, miss loads of chances, then they score? See the Monaco game for the latest example. We improved against Saint Etienne, although all three goals did come from corners. We never really get that many from set plays, but like buses, they all came at once - Sosnitskiy had never scored for us before that match! I finished with a strong side away in Metz and we didn't disappoint, smashing them 3-0.

Champions League

The first match was as expected, although I do feel for Sparta being on the end of a 9-0 drubbing over the two legs. We were paired with Barca, and promptly tore them apart. They aren't as good as they used to be, but they still have Messi, Rodrigo, Fabregas and an incredible regen striker, so to put this much daylight between us is great - and it probably should have been more. Then again, we're a different side away from home...

Man of the Month:

Elsinga had another fantastic month and it's good to see he's gotten over his whinge about wanting to leave. His polygon looks unlike any I've seen on FM before, but he's a truly class act and a great all-rounder - a perfect CM.

[cerud]

Great player for a 23 year old. Still a couple years of solid development too!

[b101]

Wow! I would definitely take Teddy off your hands for my squad . [Elsinga] Great player for a 23 year old. Still a couple years of solid development too!

Thanks on both counts! I like the look of Teddy too, should be a decent DM even if he'll probably never top the player Walber has become. As for Elsinga, he's just class - still can't believe I got him so cheaply from PSV. With any luck, he'll keep pushing on and we can get a few more 20s in those mental stats.

[b101]

April 2021 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

Unlike last season, the league is still very much up for grabs, with ourselves, PSG and Lyon all having a decent chance. As a result, this month was just what we needed: three hard-fought wins out of three. We eased past Lille, who only grabbed a consolation late on, before destroying Bordeaux at their place - it's this time each year that Sebastian Rashwan comes into his own as he just tears weaker sides apart. We then motored past Caen in the Coupe de France quarter final - we play Troyes in the semi, and came from behind to take all three points against Sochaux. I fielded a weaker side here due to our CL commitments, and it looked to have backfired when we went into half time 1-0 down. A master substitution (Júnior and Russ on) paid off, with each of them grabbing a goal in our comeback. Admittedly, it's not that great a move to bring £55m's worth of talent off the bench, but it worked nonetheless!

European fixtures:

April is always the big month for the Champions League, and we finished the job off superbly against Barcelona, securing my first ever win in the Nou Camp. They took the lead when our defence decided to allow Cesc to stroll 20 yards into the area and shoot, but we held out nicely. From a cleared corner, the ball was looped back in and Sosnitskiy slammed home a diving header to make the tie safe, before Marília made it a night to remember with a 5 yard tap in!

As you can see, Monaco and Lille ended up falling to Man City and Palermo respectively, but they both exited here; most impressive was PSG's win over Man City, the second time they've ended City's hopes in two years

Semi Final

We faced a Bayern team who are fairly weak in all honesty and I was surprised they got past Man Utd. We matched up favourably against them - for example, Martinez (pace 8) vs Marília in CM, and their RB (pace 8, marking 14) against Júnior. 4-0 was a good reflection of our dominance in the first leg, and we could have had more. In the second leg, we were thoroughly professional and a 2-0 win was deserved, meaning we make our third Champions League Final in three years... but who will we face?

Although PSG lost 3-1 at home, a 4-1 win in the Bernabeu (!) in the first leg saw them through to a repeat of last year's final. I'd far rather face Real as my results against PSG aren't amazing, but it's great for Ligue 1!

Man of the Month:

Just as he did this time last year, Ngata wins the Player of the Month award with some outstanding performances, contributing a number of assists with his surging runs from left-back. Probably the second best LB in the world (just - Man Utd's guy is a touch better), but a class performer.

[deltablue]

You're still heavy favourites for another title.

[cerud]

A French Champions League final! Wonder if that's ever happened before?

[b101]

It has, in August 2020!

[b101]

May 2021 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

Well, that screenshot will tell you all you need to know. With the league providing us little breathing space, most of the first team played all the away games, whilst I tended to rotate for the home matches. We started with a double header against Troyes, and they were no real match for us, with Cortellini filling his boots. Roman Buzek then stood up to be counted against Le Mans grabbing a superb hat-trick - one from a corner, one from a free-kick and one from a penalty. The title was finally secured at rivals Nantes thanks to superb performances from our main players. In the final match, we had an opportunity to overhaul PSG's long-standing points record of 97 points. Needless to say, we nearly bottled it. An entire reserve team played, and we fell behind midway through the first half. After a rocket, I sent on Rashwan, who struck from a pull-back. Then, in a wonderful moment, Tongo Doumbia, whose contract is set to expire in two weeks, rose highest to head home from a corner with the very last kick of the game. Awesome.

Man of the Month:

Ngoyi really picked up his game this month when it counted and is rightly considered a club legend. The double against Sochaux was crucial to our title win and he has been instrumental for us this season.

[b101]

2020/2021 - Coupe de France Final

Stade Rennais' run to the final

Marseilles' run to the final

We had a very easy route in this to be honest and even coming up against Marseille was a good result. They are very much a fallen giant in France and shouldn't pose too many problems.

With 3 minutes gone, Russ goes on a run past their left back and slips the ball through for Ngoyi, but he can only strike straight at the keeper. We are clearly looking to press home an early advantage, with Marília running half the length of the pitch four minutes later to force a good save from Mandanda. Another Ngoyi shot follows and then silence... nothing happened for the remainder of the first half until Russ breaks down the right hand side again, cutting back to Júnior... but their defender gets a heroic block in to force the corner. Hmm...

In the second half, we again started confidently, with Elsinga heading just over from an early corner, whilst Júnior continued to terrorise their RB, forcing a yellow card. Hard as we were trying though, they were sitting very deep and we couldn't really create much. On 62 minutes though, everything changed. Júnior picked the ball up on the halfway line and as usual, turned and ran at the defender. The RB stuck out his leg and quickly found himself walking back down the tunnel. We made two changes, with Nakai on for Russ and Cortellini in for Ngoyi, who looked leggy. With 10 minutes to go, the switch paid off, with Nakai picking the ball up 20 yards out in front of about 9 Marseille players. One swift dummy later, and he was into the box, before cutting back and slotting into the corner. A class goal to make it 1-0 Rennes. Marseille were just playing deeper and deeper now, and when Sosnitskiy forced home a corner, nobody was surprised. 2-0 Rennes!.

One more to go...

[b101]

2020/2021 - UEFA Champions League Final

Stade Rennais' run to the final

PSG's run to the final

Odds: Rennes: 2-1 (Fav), PSG 3-1

Yet again, PSG have beaten off some quality opponents to reach this final, taking out both Real and Man City. They have tended to grind out results somewhat, and their semi final with Real was extraordinarily tight. On the other hand, we have destroyed everyone in our path in Europe. Whilst our home form has shown the occasional blip, you won't find any of that here - the solitary draw achieved with a reserve side against recent finalists Porto. What has impressed me most though, is the fact that we conceded just one goal in the knockout matches against Sparta, Barca and Bayern - hardly poor teams! Then again, we haven't always found PSG easy prey...

I told Ancelotti before the match that we'd be controlling things from the outside and the team are doing their best to make that happen, with Sosnitskiy nodding just over from an early corner. Then came the first in a mini-battle between Júnior and Sirigu after 20 minutes, the PSG keeper producing an astounding save to tip the Brazilian's free-kick onto the post. 2 minutes later and we hit the woodwork again, with Elsinga diverting a deep freekick onto the top of the bar. Then, with 8 minutes until the break, the deadlock is finally broken. Another excellent delivery from Júnior is nodded past Sirigu by Russ, but hits the post! It bounces straight back to the Austrian though, who can hardly miss from 2 yards out. 1-0 Rennes! Half-time: Rennes 1-0 PSG

8 minutes after half time, and we again look to build from the back, with Walber feeding the ball out to Engel. One pass later, and it's with the little maestro Marília, who slides a perfect through-ball the wrong side of the defender to put Ngoyi free ten yards out, and Paupol gives the move the finish it deserves. Classy football that. 2-0 Rennes! We again come close twice from set pieces, with Lucas nodding wide at the far post and Júnior producing yet another good save from Sirigu. PSG have yet to have a shot, let alone anything on target! On 79 minutes, the inevitable happens. Another corner to us is flicked goalwards by Sosnitskiy and Ngoyi beats the keeper to it. 3-0 Rennes!. Finally, with 4 minutes to play, the icing on the cake. A goal kick from Aiche is nodded down by Ngoyi to Rashwan. The German beats a man before passing back to Ngoyi who returns the favour from Marília earlier, sliding a pass through for the Brazilian. Marília gives the game the end it deserves by slotting home calmly into the bottom corner. 4-0 Rennes! The final whistle went, and Rennes were Champions of Europe for the third time in a row!

[rlipscombe]

the Rennes machine keeps rolling on...

[b101]

Finally, one of the best... and worst pieces of news I've received:

The unimaginative stadium names really hack me off and I'm tempted to sort it out with FMRTE when it does arrive in two years time. Interestingly, our chairman is also looking to sell. Would be interesting to get a tycoon if possible. Not that I'm being greedy...

[b101]

the Rennes machine keeps rolling on...

indeed! Although I did drop one trophy this year...

[Animosama]

Don't change the name just bear it. The next new stadium is usually the one named after you, I think. I don't know how the game will deal with the change after you edit it with the fmrte

[b101]

Stade Rennais - End of Season 2020/21 Mop-Up

Let's get the awards out of the way first shall we?

Teams of the Year:

Ligue 1:

Champions League:

---

To me, the two screenshots above show just how good our team was, and our attempt to retain every single trophy fell just once, against Valenciennes in the Coupe de la Ligue. Infuriatingly, Valenciennes would finish bottom in the league, but we just didn't show up. However, overall this was actually a much better season than last year - we dominated teams in the Champions League, and our away form against the bigger sides is proof that our young lads are stepping up to the mark. I was delighted too to see us thrash PSG in the final. It wasn't easy overtaking them in the league, but they are well and truly second best now, and I intend to keep it that way. With this in mind, the aim now this Summer is quality. We have a lot of good young players, and I will be cashing in on a few who are near their potential and aren't world-beaters. There is just one aim left now, and that is to make this team outstanding in every position. We have the front 5 covered, and Sosnitskiy and Ngata also fall into that category, which means I need a RB, another CB and possibly another GK. Aiche is very good, but there are better guys out there. I think I may have just the one more year at Rennes... then again, how long have I been saying that for?

Rankings

European Reputation - League Coefficients - Club Coefficients - French clubs' rankings

We are still just behind PSG overall, but that is due to change next year with a 20 point swing regardless of what both of us achieve. In general though, France is doing well and we have overtaken Germany, moving up to fourth in the League reps - we will also push past Italy next year unless their clubs dramatically improve. We saw a small-ish boost to reputation, and many of our players now have that lovely boost to value that winning the Champions League provides

Former player watch:

In a moment of nostalgia, I started looking at where my old Lokeren players had gone, and I was stunned as to how good some of them had become. Seriously, Lokeren could have been European champions if they'd kept this lot!

Boris Vukusic - Newcastle - had a solid season rebuilding his reputation, but wasn't quite as prolific as he would have liked. Good to see him playing again.

Rodrigo Guerra - Man Utd - has just moved again after another season with little football. Not sure he'll get all that he'd like at United either...

Xuxa - Monaco - had a great season but is transfer listed by request. I'm tempted, but I don't think he's quite the level I'd like.

Bonaventure Diallo - Real Madrid - had an average season as Real continue to remain in transition.

Ahmed Ugochukwu - Lokeren - still there and still playing well. A great servant.

Simon Franks - Arsenal - remember that annoying, whingy Canadian left winger I had at Lokeren? Turns out he was pretty good and has just moved from QPR to Arsenal for £18m!

Wim Claus - Sunderland - moved there for £4m a few seasons back and has just lifted the Europa League.

Franca - Liverpool - Had a great season but has transfer-listed himself due to no European football. You have to wonder why it took him so long to work it out

Pavel Jelinek - Sporting - Erm, how good is he?! Moved for £16m a few seasons back and looks like the perfect holding mid. Really wish I'd gone for him now.

Gonzalo Villegas - Chelsea - Never really got firing as he would have liked in Belgium but has settled in quickly at Chelsea after a £22m move. Class.

Ewerton - Corinthians - The last signing I made before leaving, Ewerton looks a decent player. Now back in his native Brazil after an £8m move.

Nehuen Miguel - Barcelona - I still don't think he's *that* good, but Barcelona and the press love him, making him their new Messi after a £30m move from Sporting. Good luck to him!

---

The top competitions in the world to date:

Czech Republic:

2020/21: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Banik Ostrava, 3rd: Slovan Liberec

2019/20: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2018/9: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Banik, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2017/8: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2016/7: 1st: Slovan Liberec, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2015/6: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2014/5: 1st: Mlada Boleslav, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Sparta Prague

2013/4: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2012/3: 1st: Mlada Boleslav, 2nd: Sparta Prague, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

England:

2020/21: 1st: Chelsea, 2nd: Man Utd, 3rd: Man City, 4th: Arsenal

2019/20: 1st: Man Utd, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Spurs, 4th: Chelsea

2018/9: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Arsenal, 3rd: Chelsea, 4th: Spurs

2017/8: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Arsenal, 3rd: Chelsea, 4th: Spurs

2016/7: 1st: Sunderland, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Chelsea

2015/6: 1st: Spurs, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Liverpool, 4th: Man Utd

2014/5: 1st: Chelsea, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Arsenal

2013/4: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Chelsea, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Sunderland

2012/3: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Man Utd, 3rd: Spurs, 4th: Liverpool

France:

2020/21: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Lyon, 4th: Monaco

2019/20: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Lille, 4th: Monaco

2018/9: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Monaco, 4th: Lyon

2017/8: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Rennes, 3rd: Lille, 4th: Bordeaux

2016/7: 1st: Lyon, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Rennes, 4th: Monaco

2015/6: 1st: Monaco, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: PSG, 4th: Bordeaux

2014/5: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: Bordeaux, 4th: Montpellier

2013/4: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: Monaco, 4th: Marseille

2012/3: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: Marseille, 4th: Valenciennes

Germany:

2020/21: 1st: Dortmund, 2nd: Wolfsburg, 3rd: Bayern, 4th: Nurnberg

2019/20: 1st: Schalke, 2nd: Bayern, 3rd: Stuttgart, 4th: Dortmund

2018/9: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Schalke, 4th: Leverkusen

2017/8: 1st: Wolfsburg, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Bayern, 4th: Werder

2016/7: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Frankfurt, 3rd: Dortmund, 4th: Stuttgart

2015/6: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Leverkusen, 4th: Schalke

2014/5: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Schalke, 4th: Wolfsburg

2013/4: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Hannover, 4th: Gladbach

2012/3: 1st: Schalke, 2nd: Wolfsburg, 3rd: Dortmund, 4th: Gladbach

Italy:

2020/21: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Roma, 3rd: Palermo, 4th: Napoli

2019/20: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Lazio

2018/9: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Palermo, 3rd: Cagliari, 4th: Roma

2017/8: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Lazio

2016/7: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Milan

2015/6: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Roma, 3rd: Palermo, 4th: Napoli

2014/5: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Palermo, 3rd: Milan, 4th: Inter

2013/4: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Milan, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Napoli

2012/3: 1st: Milan, 2nd: Inter, 3rd: Juventus, 4th: Napoli

Spain: - still no champion from outside the big two, but good work Betis!

2020/21: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Betis, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Real

2019/20: 1st: Real, 2nd: Atlético, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Barca

2018/9: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Mallorca

2017/8: 1st: Real, 2nd: Barca, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Athletic

2016/7: 1st: Real, 2nd: Barca, 3rd: Sevilla, 4th: Atletico

2015/6: 1st: Real, 2nd: Barca, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Valencia

2014/5: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Levante

2013/4: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Sevilla

2012/3: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Sevilla, 4th: Atletico

Champions League:

2020/21: Winners: Rennes, Runners-up: PSG (Olympiastadion, Berlin)

2019/20: Winners: Rennes, Runners-up: PSG (OAKA Spyros Luis, Athens)

2018/9: Winners: Rennes, Runners-up: Porto (Stade de France)

2017/8: Winners: Juventus, Runners-up: Real Madrid (La Cartujá, Sevilla)

2016/7: Winners: Spurs, Runners-up: Atlético Madrid (San Siro)

2015/6: Winners: Manchester United, Runners-up: Bayern Munich (Ataturk Olympic, Istanbul)

2014/5: Winners: Manchester City, Runners-up: Barcelona (Millennium Stadium)

2013/4: Winners: Barcelona, Runners-up: Manchester City (Estadio de la Luz, Lisbon)

2012/3: Winners: Barcelona, Runners-up: Manchester United (Wembley)

Europa League:

2019/20: Winners: Sunderland, Runners-up: Tottenham (Stadium of Light, England) - AWESOME!

2018/9: Winners: Manchester United, Runners-up: Sevilla (Stadion Slaski, Chorzow)

2017/8: Winners: Chelsea, Runners-up: Palermo (Friends Arena, Stockholm)

2016/7: Winners: Chelsea, Runners-up: Werder Bremen (Parc des Princes)

2015/6: Winners: Montpellier, Runners-up: Schalke (Estadio do Dragao)

2014/5: Winners: Sporting Lisbon, Runners-up: Schalke (Vicente Calderon)

2013/4: Winners: Lyon, Runners-up: Leverkusen (Juventus Stadium, Turin)

2012/3: Winners: Chelsea, Runners-up: Porto (Amsterdam ArenA)

Former Club Watch:

[u][color=#CC0000]Curicó Unido (managed 2012/13)[/color][/u]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Year  | Pos  | League    |  Notes                                        |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2013  | 4th  | Primera   | Promoted through playoffs                     |
| 2014  | 13th | Primera   |                                               |
| 2015  | 6th  | Primera   |                                               |
| 2016  | 18th | Primera   |                                               |
| 2017  | 1st  | Primera B | Promoted as Champions                         |
| 2018  | 18th | Primera   | Relegated                                     |
| 2019  | 1st  | Primera B  |                                              |
| 2020  | 4th  | Primera B  |                                              |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Bottled it and didn't make it straight back up. Gutting.

[u][color=#FFCC00]Lokeren (managed Jan 2014/17)[/color][/u]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Year    | Pos  | League    |  Notes                                      |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2013/4  | 10th | Jupiler Pro |                                           |
| 2014/5  | 5th  | Jupiler Pro |                                           |
| 2015/6  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners                               |
| 2016/7  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro |                                           |
| 2017/8  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners                               |
| 2018/9  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners, Europa QF                    |
| 2019/20 | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners, CL 1st Knockout              |
| 2020/21 | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners                               |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Ditto last year - they have sold so many players that there must be a load of money in their transfer kitty - they just need to spend it!

[rlipscombe]

awesome review there mate. shows just how well you've done with Rennes and the players you have had...

Keep up the good work.

[b101]

Stade Rennais - Pre-Season 2021/22

So, as promised, there was a bit of an overhaul at the Stade de la Route de Lorient this summer, with a number of players leaving the club. We are comfortably the best side in Europe at this present time, but I felt there were still a few areas that we could improve and a few players who we could cash in on. See what you think.

Players Out:

The first three to leave were undoubtedly fringe players. I've been wanting to get rid of Derouiche for a while now as he doesn't cut it as a first team player. His inability to mark players or concentrate properly led to the signing of Sosnitskiy and I now need to blood the youngsters, with Buzek in particular pushing for a regular slot. He joins Newcastle for £14.25m. The ridiculous thing that stands out from the next signing is the wages Monaco are willing to pay. Granted, Lienard is a decent player, but I jumped at the chance to make £13m for selling a third choice DM. Finally, Albano Bardi, who we signed for £700k two seasons back, joins Lokeren for over ten times the price, netting us a nice £7.5m profit! He's a great poacher and should tear the Jupiler League apart, but he's not quite fast enough or creative enough for what I'm looking for.

Then came the three who left for Manchester. Eduardo Anderson is a good player, but he's not up to the level of Russ at right wing, or Marília at AMC. £23.5m for him is a decent sale - I could have held out for more, but they were the only bidders and I needed the money. Then came the silly signing. Kazuma Nakai has been decent, but is a clear second best to Russ in our side. He occasionally played very well, but was far less consistent than I would have liked. Finally, I got a bit of stick from the fans for selling keeper Aiche for £20m to United. He's very good, but I've found better .

N.B. Daniel Wegner is also on the verge of joining Bayern for £18m. Screen to follow.

Players In:

Egidio Beccaria - GK - £25m (AC Milan)

So, this is the reason why Aiche was sold. I had been keeping an eye on Beccaria for a while, and with AC finishing in 11th spot, I pounced. He's pretty much perfect for what I need from my keeper and has fewer eccentric tendencies than Aiche did. Looks like a younger version of Buffon. That's one position I don't need to strengthen for a while then!

Denis Muric - D/WBR - £1.3m (Zeljeznicar)

Denis joins as another addition in my search for a good right wing back. Whilst Engel had a good first season, I want someone who will be world class in that position, and I don't think he'll reach that category. Muric however, boasts a number of good stats already and should fly once we improve that Determination.

Steven Girardet - M/AMC - £17.5m (RC Lens)

Quite an expensive transfer this one, but with Doumbia (free), Eduardo, and Lienard leaving over the summer, we were a little light in the centre of the park. Girardet therefore, should provide decent backup for Elsinga and/or Marília. With any luck, he can fire in some rockets from distance too!

Danny Glyn Owen - M/AMR - £34m (Liverpool)

And here's the reason why I didn't mind Nakai going! Owen is an exceptional talent who was disgruntled at Liverpool's perpetual failure to qualify for Europe. Consequently, a couple of bids went in and I'd actually bid £40m for him before noticing he'd put in a transfer request and Liverpool were looking for £34m. Lucky us! Should give Russ excellent competition for that RW slot.

Mirko Genovese - ST - £18m (AS Roma)

I know, £18m for a 19 year old... However, my scouts have had Genovese at 4.5* potential for the last two years, which is the highest rating I've seen on anyone in that time, and his spread of attributes is excellent for what I ask my strikers to do. The fans are delighted at the bargain signing, which shows just how much they know! Still, he should prove to be an excellent acquisition in years to come.

[Animosama]

No youth players to promote ?

[JackJCFC]

Bought in some incredible talent theere. No doubt you'll continue your sucess. No plans to leave soon?

[b101]

No youth players to promote ?

Well, Rashwan will get a bit more game time, and Brossard is back from loan. Morin is also looking incredible at the moment and Buzek will be pushing for a first team place. Will put some screens up later, but they are getting there :

Bought in some incredible talent theere. No doubt you'll continue your sucess. No plans to leave soon?

I've been thinking about it, and admittedly I'm not having the same level of fun I had at the start with Rennes. Then again, it's good to see the young lads push on through. I'll re-evaluate it at the end of the season but it depends if a fun job comes up really. I want something that would really grab my attention - a favoured club or just something that's interesting. If that makes sense

[b101]

Then again, this could make life a bit more interesting!

[rlipscombe]

that would make things even more intersting.....

[b101]

Sadly it fell through within a week with the consortium citing the "drawn out negotiations". Sounds like a board I may not have wanted!

[cerud]

Would have been nice to have that extra tycoon cash.

[deltablue]

Girardet and Owen look fantastic. Pity seeing Nakai leave though, I remember that fantastic solo goal he scored against me.

[AK22]

What a brilliant season! PSG certainly pushed you all the way, though; 92 points, and still finished second