FM20 - Travelling slowly on Lorient Express

[Jogo Bonito]

Well, it seems like weeks ago now when I was deciding between Le Havre, RC Lens, Grenoble Foot, SC Bastia or a few others as my new French team to manage

Oh, yes, it WAS weeks ago 

But...

I couldn't quite decide on which of these clubs to take, so I looked again. And again...

Before finally it came clear, like a burst of sunshine...

And I jumped aboard this instead...

 

And this is where the journey begins at FC Lorient

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Jogo Bonito]

So why FC Lorient?

1. Well, the glorious orange home kit should look fabulous in the 3D version of the FM20 match engine
2. Orange used to be sponsors of Ligue 1 (the top flight in France, and where FC Lorient want to return to)
3. Laval in the 3rd tier also wear orange, but are semi-professional. A professional team in Ligue 2 was an easier start given the aims I have
4. Lorient gives me more chance to use puns than Laval, they have reasonable facilities, a decent all-seater stadium, and it's located near the coast in Brittany 
5. It's my career, and I can be somewhat self-indulgent with who I manage 

What are the philosophies and aims?

1. The key tag line here is 'the future is bright, the future is orange' and the reason for this is that I want to have a young, vibrant club that befits the brightness of orange
2. I've taken this job under Create a Club (CAC) mode, which might be controversial to the purists. But this is not done just to ensure a first season promotion, far from it
3. This mode has been chosen to fit my tag line. I want to be building from the bottom up, but as a slow FM player I want to strengthen squads 2 & 3 immediately
4. CAC mode gives me the opportunity to do certain things with the playing squad without wasting a season (for balance, the first team squad in season 1 is made weaker)
5. There's no place for over 30's at this club, no matter how good they are
6. Players under that age when I took over may be allowed to stay beyond 30 (but it's unlikely and their stay won't go beyond the existing contract expiry date)
7. Apart from removing all players over 30, there will be a maximum age for new signings of 23 (this may be relaxed in Ligue 1 for one 'marquee player' at any one time)
8. There's no place for signing loan players at least until (and probably beyond) ascension to Ligue 1
9. Existing loans would be terminated as soon as it is possible, no matter how useful or good they might be
10. There are other restrictions I have put on myself in order to not be overpowered or tick over too easily. Who would be gripped by the tale of A Clockwork Orange?

 

Anything else?

1. Short players don't work for me, I will remove all players with height shown as less than 5’ 5” (preference will be for 5'9" but some younger ones may still grow)
2. All players & staff must be French or from French speaking African nations (any already at the club outside of these parameters are removed)
3. Players signed from French clubs must be from Ligue 2 or lower until Ligue 1 status is attained
4. The foreign player focus is to recruit from Ivory Coast, Cameroon & Senegal where possible 
5. African affiliate clubs have been added (for player recruitment reasons, not for financial benefits)
6. A maximum of one new player can be signed from any French-speaking African country with no affiliate link to this club
7. A maximum wage limit of £7,500 per week will apply until League 1 status is achieved
8. A maximum wage limit of £5,000 per week will apply to all new players signed until Ligue 1 status is achieved
9. None of the three squads can ever have more than 25 players in them (including players out on loan or at the club on loan)
10. I wanted to change the stadium name, the club nickname, and bring back a form of retro badge they used to display in the past

The set-up

• I've got a database of around 111,000 players, with just French leagues loaded

The manager

• Le Grand Fromage is aged 50, and comes from Calvi on the glorious island of Corsica 

Acknowledgements

• I was vaguely aware of an FM19 career at FC Lorient which was blogged about by the excellent @FM_Grasshopper but had no idea that so many of his ideas were similar to mine (the African links, the promotion of Brittany region, fondness of the colour orange, even the mention of Fonsinho)
• All similarities are completely coincidental, but after reading his FM19 blog yesterday I wanted to acknowledge his story there, which was/is a truly terrific read. If I can make my own spell at the club as enjoyable as his (and as enjoyable for anybody following), I will be a happy man indeed!

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Jogo Bonito]

About The Club

Formed in 1926, the club is based in the southern part of Brittany (Bretagne) which is a region of North West France

FC Lorient are a professional club, operating in Ligue 2 (the second tier in France)

There have been the following four logos used at various times in the club's history, the latest one since 2010

For the purpose of this story, the stadium has now been re-named 'Tango Arena' in line with the new club philosophy

The stadium size & location and all other facilities remain as before

But some re-painting of the seats will be required as the club nickname has also been changed from Les Merlus (The Hakes)

The club will now be known as 'Tangos Bretagne' to reflect their colour, bright future, and vibrancy of the region (South Brittany)

And a new logo has been introduced, which is a retro-inspired gem of yesteryear, in order to better represent the strengthened community connection of the club

The history is updated to show the new nickname and the stadium's new sponsorship naming rights deal (no extra funds were received)

The club has allowed the continuation of the old logo on this season's club shirts

The cost of changing that so late in the day were deemed unnecessary and avoidable - basically I couldn't edit it myself on the images 

And finally, before I move on to the squad and staff, here are the affiliate links that are now attached to the club

As mentioned earlier, the strong focus is on Ivory Coast, Senegal and Cameroon

RC Abidjan (Ivory Coast) were chosen purposely over ASEC as I wanted to raid some players from there

Generation Foot (Senegal) and Coton Sport (Cameroon) are likely to be amongst the best talent producers in their respective nations

Additional affiliate clubs from Africa have been set up for sentimental reasons but are unlikely to be supplying a player stream

Raja Casablance, ES Tunis and TP Mazembe are amongst the clubs I watched whilst living & working in Africa

Asante Kotoko used to advertise on TV repeatedly at the time, despite my base being in a country very far from Ghana (I know they aren't French speaking)

Stade Malien are added for other random reasons, and SC Bastia because I have stayed there before and Le Grand Fromage is Corsican

The other two small clubs in France were already affiliates and are reasonably proximate to Lorient

 

Meet The Staff

I've been busy improving the backroom team, the new arrivals are highlighted in blue below

I struggled to find a suitable Assistant Manager, but in the end was very content with the appointment of Eric Blahic who has performed that role at many clubs since 2002

Tchiressoua Guel had two spells at the club as a player, and his son (who was born in Lorient) was already here at the club when I took over

Michel Le Lay was a player at the club from 1978-1998, then here on the staff from 1998-2013, so it's a happy return for him

Other new staff are a big improvement all over, and links have been strengthened with those key African nations now part of the club future

Preference (wherever advantageous) will be to bring back former players, former staff, those born in Lorient, or those with a special love for the club  

The two most important members of staff upon that were already at the club were Regis Le Bris & Christophe Le Roux (both have dual roles & double names too)

And the new members of staff, listed in salary order

Missing on the day of the club photo shoot were Le Lay and new member of staff Fadiga, but they turned up a few days later

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Jogo Bonito]

The Players - Under 19 Squad

It seems appropriate (when taking about bright new futures) to begin with the Under 19 squad first

This group contains six new faces (the ones highlighted in blue)

N'Guessan was plucked from my most productive feeder club RC Abidjan

N'Diaye was 16 when snapped up from Excellence Foot in Senegal, and Toure is a youth international with pedigree in international tournaments already

Trabelsi was taken from Sochaux's youth set up, and Yongwa was snatched from Niort (a club I managed several years ago, before he arrived there) 

Guendouzi (young brother of Matteo) was released by Lorient in the summer, but I took him back as it seemed the right thing to do

The Players - B Team (FC Lorient 2)

Eleven new faces are in this group, again these are the ones highlighted in blue

Sangante (Havre AC) and Abdallah (Troyes) arrived from the youth ranks of fellow Ligue 2 clubs in France

Zabou (Cyril is referred to as Bohui in FM20) arrived from National 3 side Bourges Foot, and he is part of a trend you will learn more about

His arrival comes as a result of being promoted by a source I follow (more on that later), but has already been ruled out for up to six months with a broken leg

There are four more arrivals from the same source that spots lower league French talents for me though

Krasso (SAS Epinal), Caddy (FC Sete 34), Abbas (US Saint-Malo) and Kouassi (Vannes OC) all followed this route in to my fresh new club

Trazie is another recruit from affiliate RC Abidjan, whilst Dawa was taken on the back of endorsements from his actual management company (more of that later too)

Guiagon and Mvoue are a couple of hyped teenagers from Africa that fitted the profile of player I wanted to recruit at FC Lorient with an eye on the future

The Players - Senior Squad

And finally here is a glance at the senior squad, with seven new faces that are again highlighted in blue

New arrivals here begin with Dacosta from Ligue 2 rivals Niort (and only because Mendes is injured for several months prior to my arrival)

Tchamba had been turfed out on loan by Strasbourg so I took him from Stromsgodset in Norway and gave him a new permanent home

Ouattara and Camara are really bright talents coming from our link with RC Abidjan, both have great quality and walk straight in to the first team group with ease

Diakite is another talent who was picked up from ASEC in Ivory Coast, and despite what it says he can play any of the three attacking midfield roles 

Laura returns to Lorient after being sent away in 2015, and he has served a number of modest French clubs since then,with varying degrees of success

The final spot in the squad was a hard one to decide on, but eventually Gueye (23 at the time) got the nod after impressing me in footage of Bourges Foot matches

Six of the players at the club (across the three groups) have the same agent in Ivory Coast, and that connection should continue to be a positive theme

Four original players at the club have been promoted in to the first team squad

Three of these are replacing players of better current ability than them (the other is a goalkeeper who was out on loan and is on a par with my others)

Edited May 27, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Jogo Bonito]

First Team Squad (Team Photo Day)

Goalkeepers - Nardi is first choice, Meslier the young talent, and Cagnon is capable 3rd choice

Right backs - Mendes would have been first choice (but injured until September), Dacosta is very capable to start and may even retain the shirt

Left backs - Le Goff is first choice, captain and joint oldest player at club, Lecoeuche is a solid deputy and can play further forward too

Central defenders - Laporte is first choice and vice captain, Tchamba will be the left sided central defender, Saunier is an experienced back-up, and Kamissoko is 4th choice

Central midfielders - Abergel, Le Fee and Ouattara (attacking midfielder if 4231 is used) will be first picks, whilst Ponceau, Etuin and Wadja are capable rotation options

Right wingers and wide forwards - Camara will be first choice as traditional winger, Diakite will be understudy as inverted winger (and CAM) due to his left foot

Left wingers and wide forwards - Wissa will be first choice as inverted winger or inside forward (and as striker if playing two up front), Mara will be back-up on the flank

Strikers - Hamel is first choice after several good scoring seasons at the club, back-up will come from the returning Laura and new signing Gueye

 

First Team Squad Departures

Sainati - Marveaux - Martins Pereira - Lemoine - Hergault - Fontaine - Delaplace - Cabot - Bozok

Loans were terminated for Lauriente & Kitala (not pictured)

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Jogo Bonito]

Scouting & Recruitment 

The final piece of this introduction will see (I hope) a more detailed explanation about some scouting & recruitment methods I am using within this story. They're possibly not unique, but I certainly don't see other posters talking about them in the same way. I believe these ideas will put a slightly different spin on how to manage a football club in the game, and should ideally make my approach more interesting. Importantly I feel these ideas and methods are reflective of modern day techniques and partnerships within football.

1. Links I have formed with a French lower league talent spotting agency
2. Use of a player management company who in particular promote lesser known young Cameroonian talents
3. A scout based in Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
4. External player analysis tools

My approach to FM is that I don't use scouts in the game. I employ some (for reality) and occasionally I shortlist a recommended player if they make me aware of somebody already on my radar that may become available (listed, contract expiring etc.) and meet my transfer criteria in the future. I don't ever use scout reports as I will trust my own judgement. I also have lots of players floating around in my head, so I usually shortlist those or just go and look myself when I need one. For example, if I need a left-back, I'll go and check some by name - shortlisting those that might be suitable.

I guess I see my approach as being like real life. If I am the manager, my scouts would come to me with suggestions, but ultimately I will learn about the player myself, I will watch him, and I will decide whether to sign them. So how could I compliment these standard (to me) scouting and recruitment ideas in this career with a bit of a modern twist, where perhaps I need or want some extra outside help?

1. I've formed a link (unofficially) with a French lower league talent spotting agency. It's a real agency, and I use their service to make me aware of players who might have the potential to step up a level or two in the game. These are young players at lower level clubs, that would be off the radar for the manager of even a Ligue 2 club in France. They are mostly French players, but some will be African (or origins of) and already playing in France. I've used this agency to add five players being promoted by them to my B Team from the start of my reign. They're not wonder kids, and they wouldn't come up in player searches or agent recommendations, but they would all be signed for peanuts and low wages, and all have one thing in common. They've been scouted by this agency, they've impressed them, and they're keen to step up the ladder. This method of linking with an agency like this is, I believe, how a real life club would operate if they're not looking to splash the cash but do want to give opportunities to young local talents off the radar of other clubs at the same level or above. This source gave me five players, with a sixth added as a result of being a team-mate of one). Now that item 1 has been explained, the other three points will probably become easy to understand
2. I've formed a link (unofficially) with a sports management company who have a range of young players on their books, with a particular focus on players from Cameroon. These players are generally based in Africa or play at lower levels in Europe (e.g. Lithuania). Of course, I will only consider the African players that fit my transfer policy as outlined earlier (maximum age 23, French or French-speaking African countries). I don't have to worry about whether any of these are at Ligue 1 clubs though. They're not at that level (yet), and many of them probably never will be, but I have signed one player already from this source. It may not work out (he is only in my B Team for now), but that's what talent spotting is all about - risk & reward
3. When setting up my African affiliate clubs, it was because of a desire to recruit well from Ivory Coast, Senegal and Cameroon. My choice in Ivory Coast, RC Abidjan, is not renowned as being the most prolific supplier of talent (that would be ASEC), but they're a club I have been following there for a while (a hidden secret). They deliver excellent social media output, and whilst making a crucial early signing of one of the hot properties there, I checked out some of the other talented young players at the club. I was immediately drawn to the fact that promising young players there were also being rated effectively by FM. I moved to sign a good number of these other players as they fitted my needs perfectly, and in a virtual way could help each other settle in. I also cottoned on to the fact that these players (and others I had already checked out and signed from the continent) had the same agent in game. So I decided that this Ivory Coast agent could become another partnership, and I have formed a link (unofficially) with him too. It's the way modern football works (think Wolves with Jorge Mendes for an extreme example), and although this guy is not a 'super agent' he will certainly be my preferred destination if I need to find somebody not currently on my radar 
4. I use external player analysis tools on all signings I make, and have been doing this in FM for years. I read news articles about them, I check their career stats on a handful of websites as it takes in to account the current season (after data locks etc.) and helps identify players 'improving'. And most importantly, I watch videos of all of these players (often many videos). I don't just blindly take a website recommendation, and I certainly wouldn't act just because I've seen a name written somewhere. Seeing a variety of media videos will assist my decision making - even if I know about the player before. Seeing with my own eyes allows me to make my own judgements (just like a real manager would do) and if I like what I see, I will sign them. In fact, I can also say that videos of one player I was scouting and signed from the first link above, also put me on to another player in the same team, and then led me to more and more scouting videos, which resulted in me signing him for the first team squad (so it's expanding on the original source, and making it work smart for me)

Of course, in all of the above categories, there are issues to overcome when using these methods. Being largely unknown players, sometimes I like what I see but their FM attributes just don't make signing them worthwhile. I wish it wasn't the case, but I understand why that can happen (and I try to assist in getting their status adjusted for future years). Some potential signings have lost out of a move because of these vagaries, but c'est la vie, as they say

I did think long and hard about naming the companies in links 1 and 2 above, or linking some videos from links 1-3 also. But in the real world, a football manager would not share his exclusive networks, just as a journalist should not reveal his sources. I decided therefore not to do that (especially as the first two are real life companies), but I hope my twist on scouting and recruitment makes for an interesting read. Please feel free to add your thoughts and comments at any time in the thread.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[OlivierL]

Good luck ! not my favourite team anymore after they took my assistent and unbeaten run away

Visted their stadium last summer when we were on holiday at Lorient and was about to play with them as 'Brittany only' policy.

I sneaked in their stadium and the concierge saw me walking in the corridors and then gave me a tour I even saw their trophy and players home

[Jogo Bonito]

1 minute ago, OlivierL said:

Good luck ! not my favourite team anymore after they took my assistent and unbeaten run away

Visted their stadium last summer when we were on holiday at Lorient and was about to play with them as 'Brittany only' policy.

I sneaked in their stadium and the concierge saw me walking in the corridors and then gave me a tour I even saw their trophy and players home

Great story, what a friendly club too. Sorry they're better (in one match) and a bigger attraction than FC Paris in your game 

[Hootieleece]

Good luck. May your team become the Orange Menace.

[Jogo Bonito]

Merci beaucoup 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Awesome post as always. I will really enjoy seeing how you do. You have a few players I have signed for Metz so will be good to see how you do with them.

[Jogo Bonito]

23 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Awesome post as always. I will really enjoy seeing how you do. You have a few players I have signed for Metz so will be good to see how you do with them.

Thanks mate. Which players do you have (or have had) at Metz?

[Ronaldo Beckham]

12 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks mate. Which players do you have (or have had) at Metz?

Parfait Guiagon, Steve Mvoue,  Ousmane Diakite are the 3 I can see in my squad. There is probably others as you know I have a massive squad lol.

[Jogo Bonito]

You do indeed have a lot of players! The first two, I would have expected. The third, not so much. Did you ever sign Fonsinho, the brother of Gervinho?

[Ronaldo Beckham]

15 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

You do indeed have a lot of players! The first two, I would have expected. The third, not so much. Did you ever sign Fonsinho, the brother of Gervinho?

No, I didn't know Gervinho had a brother unless this is a joke lol.

Guigon has been really good for me this season, getting the winning goal in the Cup final.

I hope they do well for you buddy but I reckon they will as you know the players better then I do so you probably know how to get the best out of them.

[Jogo Bonito]

No joke. My scouts recommended him immediately, although I haven't heard anything about him for several years (good enough to sign on a free transfer, but I didn't do it).

Time will tell, the difference is probably that these guys will be important even in my first season. So they'll need to be game ready immediately. Good that Guiagon did that for you.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

No joke. My scouts recommended him immediately, although I haven't heard anything about him for several years (good enough to sign on a free transfer, but I didn't do it).

Time will tell, the difference is probably that these guys will be important even in my first season. So they'll need to be game ready immediately. Good that Guiagon did that for you.

Oh ok lol, I thought you were joking, I hope they do well for you and I am looking forward to your regular updates in here and on the French thread as well.

[Jogo Bonito]

31 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Oh ok lol, I thought you were joking, I hope they do well for you and I am looking forward to your regular updates in here and on the French thread as well.

Thanks mate. I've almost finished the opening stuff now, There is just a bit more to insert (not today) about the scouting agency, player management company and players agent that have already been heavily involved in this project (and hopefully will continue to be, when I need them). I hope it's an enjoyable read. 

[karanhsingh]

Great introduction! Squad is looking pretty solid as well.

Chelsea bought Le Fee for 6 million in my save and he seems to have developed well. As has Ponceau. 

BTW I was just scouting a player called Joris Chotard from Montpellier, and it turns out he is born in a place called Orange in France. Maybe worth checking out given the theme of this save 

[Jogo Bonito]

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Great introduction! Squad is looking pretty solid as well.

Chelsea bought Le Fee for 6 million in my save and he seems to have developed well. As has Ponceau. 

BTW I was just scouting a player called Joris Chotard from Montpellier, and it turns out he is born in a place called Orange in France. Maybe worth checking out given the theme of this save 

Thanks for the appreciation. I'll get the final bits finished off soon, hopefully. 

The squad looks 'competitive' although as a balancing act for improving the quality of the young players at the club, I have deliberately made the first team squad weaker for the first season by removing Cabot, Bozok, Lemoine, Fontaine, Marveaux etc.

I'll definitely check out players from Orange, something I knew nothing about. Thanks for the tip!

Ah, according to my search, there are only four people under 23 from Orange. I will monitor Chotard as I'm not allowed to sign from Ligue 1 until I get there. The other one I will keep an eye on is Francois, a mediocre young winger at Sochaux (2nd Team) , 

Never mind, the future's bright anyway...

Edited May 26, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[warlock]

11 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

The squad looks 'competitive'

A good start . Following... 

[Jogo Bonito]

Just now, warlock said:

A good start . Following... 

Thanks very much. Nice to see you back, and I hope you're doing well 

[warlock]

You too, buddy. I'm fine - struggled to find an interest in FM lately - and I may be the only person who has had less time to play since the lockdown started, thanks to the family being at home and demanding communal mealtimes, shared movie nights, collaborative jigsaws and other distractions!

[Jogo Bonito]

10 minutes ago, warlock said:

You too, buddy. I'm fine - struggled to find an interest in FM lately - and I may be the only person who has had less time to play since the lockdown started, thanks to the family being at home and demanding communal mealtimes, shared movie nights, collaborative jigsaws and other distractions!

I can understand that. I'm working from home, and haven't played a single fixture today yet! I'll try and get a few games in this evening, and I just need to finish the intro part about my approach to scouting & partnerships etc. It's a bit complicated to explain well in the thread, even though it's clear in my head.

I hope you'll enjoy the thread, and good luck with your valuable family time 

[AddicksFan]

Good stuff @Jogo Bonito

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, AddicksFan said:

Good stuff @Jogo Bonito

Thanks very much, almost at the point where I can start churning through games I hope. I need to start catching everyone else up 

[Jogo Bonito]

On 26/05/2020 at 11:31, karanhsingh said:

Chelsea bought Le Fee for 6 million in my save and he seems to have developed well. As has Ponceau. 

Nice to know. But I'm not sure Le Fee of £6 million would be big enough for me. Ponceau looks to have good potential, and clearly rates himself as he moaned when I originally put him in the B Team (hence his promotion to the main squad). Abergal has started off the best of the lot though.

[karanhsingh]

On 26/05/2020 at 16:09, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks for the appreciation. I'll get the final bits finished off soon, hopefully. 

The squad looks 'competitive' although as a balancing act for improving the quality of the young players at the club, I have deliberately made the first team squad weaker for the first season by removing Cabot, Bozok, Lemoine, Fontaine, Marveaux etc.

I'll definitely check out players from Orange, something I knew nothing about. Thanks for the tip!

Ah, according to my search, there are only four people under 23 from Orange. I will monitor Chotard as I'm not allowed to sign from Ligue 1 until I get there. The other one I will keep an eye on is Francois, a mediocre young winger at Sochaux (2nd Team) , 

Never mind, the future's bright anyway...

Ah didn't realize! Still was quite interesting to see a place called Orange  I didn't realize you had lost some players as well.

12 hours ago, warlock said:

You too, buddy. I'm fine - struggled to find an interest in FM lately - and I may be the only person who has had less time to play since the lockdown started, thanks to the family being at home and demanding communal mealtimes, shared movie nights, collaborative jigsaws and other distractions!

I am finding the same but luckily my industry has a lot less work so that is giving me some game time!

41 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks very much, almost at the point where I can start churning through games I hope. I need to start catching everyone else up 

You have a lot of catching up to do 

[karanhsingh]

Just now, Jogo Bonito said:

Nice to know. But I'm not sure Le Fee of £6 million would be big enough for me. Ponceau looks to have good potential, and clearly rates himself as he moaned when I originally put him in the B Team (hence his promotion to the main squad). Abergal has started off the best of the lot though.

 FYI he is now valued at 17 million already so I would hold onto him as far as possible!

[Jogo Bonito]

11 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

 FYI he is now valued at 17 million already so I would hold onto him as far as possible!

£17 million is more like Le Fee, but yes I have no plans to sell him.

Yes, I didn't use CAC mode to get promoted right away, Removing some better first team players was a balancing act to weaken the first team as I had added the desired younger players from Africa and lower levels in France. My intro is probably way too long, I wouldn't expect many to have read it all 

Catching up might be somewhat optimistic, but let's see 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Hootieleece]

As for Orange, France it is in South East France.  I think it is in Provence.

The Dutch Rulers of  the House of Orange ancestors came from there.

[Jogo Bonito]

42 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

As for Orange, France it is in South East France.  I think it is in Provence.

The Dutch Rulers of  the House of Orange ancestors came from there.

I believe it's in that area (only because I checked after his post). North of Montpellier, go up the A9 through Nimes, and it's close to Avignon.

I had no idea about the Dutch part though, interesting stuff 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Jogo Bonito]

Right, I've now re-worded some of the original introduction, improving it and expanding the depth of content. And in post five I've now explained my approach to scouting and recruitment, which might be an interesting read to anybody who cares about my approach. I can now crack on with games, and will post an on-pitch update as soon as I can. 

Thanks for reading, following or adding any comments.

[Hootieleece]

You really are a French Football junkie! Your scouting is intense.

I enjoy watching soccer and FM is helping me understand the game better.

I try to use my scouts and the player search feature under scouting page in game and try to stay away from everyone's favorite wonderkids. I even ask my in DoF for transfer reccomendations. 

That got me Subasic as a goalie in Clermont.

[Jogo Bonito]

My scouting in FM is intense, this time I have taken it a couple of steps further with links 1 and 2. But that's why you've played almost two seasons and I've just completed pre-season and the first month of the regular season 

It's good to have different approaches, yours is working and will probably work better than mine (but mine suits me). I'm a nut 

[Hootieleece]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

My scouting in FM is intense, this time I have taken it a couple of steps further with links 1 and 2. But that's why you've played almost two seasons and I've just completed pre-season and the first month of the regular season 

It's good to have different approaches, yours is working and will probably work better than mine (but mine suits me). I'm a nut 

Quarantine is what is really helping me play fast. It has become my job.  Posting the results to this forum breaks up the monotony a bit and invests me more in my save.

[Jogo Bonito]

It's serving a great purpose for so many people in quarantine, good to hear it's helping you.

I am working from home so don't open FM until late in the evening, for example now will be my first game of the day

 

[karanhsingh]

6 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Quarantine is what is really helping me play fast. It has become my job.  Posting the results to this forum breaks up the monotony a bit and invests me more in my save.

Absolutely agree. I've also recently switched to key highlights and stopped doing press myself. That's helped massively I think. Maybe I'll switch back to extended when my team is better and we are actually competing with PSG but for now this suffices 

[Jogo Bonito]

 

Pre-Season

Things went very well as we faced a mixture of Ligue 1 and lower level clubs and came away with five wins, one draw and no losses

Goals seemed to be flowing nicely, the defence looked tight, and general play was good 

The tactic started as a flat 433, with a little tweak to 4231 as we progressed, in order to get Ouattara further forward in the AMC role

Regular Season 19/20

The season opener couldn't have been any better, any 3-0 win on the road has to be classed as a great result and AS Nancy were truly outclassed

The first game at the newly-named Tango Arena was tougher, a hard-earned 1-1 draw with Havre AC being all we could manage

Two more wins in cup and league followed, and we were looking in a very good place - free-scoring and playing attractive football

But momentum is always hard to keep up, and the goals started to become harder to come by

However, a remarkable run of nine games without conceding ensured that the points total kept on growing

Progress was also being made in the cup too, all good to see

This run saw some narrow 1-0 wins, and a couple of 0-0 games which helped remind us we were good but not in a league of our own

The streak of clean-sheets ended in late October, but a 4-2 cup win at top flight Toulouse could hardly be classed as disappointing

The truth is, we were 3-0 up inside 34 minutes and cruising, a majestic performance considering it was on their turf 

They fought back with goals after 77 and 81 minutes to give us a real scare, but we grabbed a 4th in stoppage time to seal the win

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this run of form would see us clear in the league already

But Auxerre are matching us stride for stride (and that's good to see)

There are plenty of capable teams in Ligue 2, so we will have to be at our best most times to gain the results and points

Here is a brief summary of where we stand at present, heading in to November

Anything else?

We were disappointed to lose a good scout as Stephane Pedron was poached by Lille on 11th August

We made a big effort to retain him at FC Lorient, but it wasn't meant to be

He was replaced with ex-Senegal international Khalilou Fadiga, who gave us much needed knowledge of his home country

All in all, it has been a fine start to life at FC Lorient, and now we need to keep performing and pushing this club on

The atmosphere of the fans is captured by having this ringing in my ears every time we step on to the pitch

(Click sample this album, they're not great lyrically but it certainly delivers the passion of the fans)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MQERALA/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

It's also important to say that the form of the overhauled B-Team and Under 19 side has been incredibly good

The talent in those groups is looking to burst through, and many of them already deserve to earn promotions in to the main squad

They'll need to be patient, but the tag line is definitely being met so far

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Hootieleece]

Great Start. Fadiga is my Chief Scout! My original chief Scout was poached....and Fadiga was the best applicant when I advertised.

[karanhsingh]

Excellent start! And I think we all have Fadiga lol. He actually is coach + scout for me. 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Great start Jogo, I like that you have different players scoring instead of just one standout goalscorer.

[Jogo Bonito]

4 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Great Start. Fadiga is my Chief Scout! My original chief Scout was poached....and Fadiga was the best applicant when I advertised.

Thanks, that's pretty much identical for me (the best Senegal option that I knew and could find)

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Excellent start! And I think we all have Fadiga lol. He actually is coach + scout for me. 

Thanks very much. Yes, I think he is a popular pick

2 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Great start Jogo, I like that you have different players scoring instead of just one standout goalscorer.

Thanks again. Yes, I guess it's good - but I wouldn't mind having Diallo (and might at some point in the future)

[Ronaldo Beckham]

27 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks, that's pretty much identical for me (the best Senegal option that I knew and could find)

Thanks very much. Yes, I think he is a popular pick

Thanks again. Yes, I guess it's good - but I wouldn't mind having Diallo (and might at some point in the future)

Diallo would look good in the lovely Orange kit of Lorient. I hope you get him or would be better is getting your version of him that you found.

[Jogo Bonito]

Indeed he would look like a player in that kit. We'll see what happens (he may be too old for my transfer policy).

[Jogo Bonito]

Season 19/20

The last two months (November and December) have seen us maintain our unbeaten league run with five wins and two draws from seven Ligue 2 fixtures

The last game of the year could be a pivotal moment as we triumphed 3-2 at previous leaders Auxerre, who were 2nd and just a point behind ahead of the game 

Form in the two Cup comepetitions has always been excellent, with two routine wins over lower league opposition in the French Cup

In the Coupe de la Ligue however, a fine 1-0 home win over Lille was a great result and sees us take on AS Saint Etienne in the Quarter Final during January

The goals are still being shared out, which is both good and bad at the same time

It's good to have options in the squad, but hard to know if we have selected the right players on any given occasion

Anything else?

As the goals were hard to come by a while back, we made a change from 4231 to 4312 after the RC Lens game on 11th November

This switch was in order to get two strikers on the pitch, but it wasn't an easy decision as we have some good wide forward players unable to get regular pitch time now

However, unless we go for broke with 424 it seems the way to go at least in the short term

A new club record has been earned apparently, as we are now 24 games unbeaten this season

There have been no more staff departures, but we have added a couple more to our backroom team

Is the future bright and orange?

In a nutshell, yes it is. Both of the other squads have been relentless, chalking up some crushing victories along the way

Ivorian central midfield trio Thomas Trazie, Parfait Guiagon and  Moussa Guel have all excelled for the 2nd Team

Striker Junior Burban (Cameroon)  has scored 11 goals in 12 appearances as the side sit comfortably at the top of the table 

Meanwhile, in the Under 19 squad, 17 year old striker Djibril Toure (Mali) has scored 17 goals in 12 (2) appearances and is the best of a very good bunch at this stage 

Edited May 30, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[AddicksFan]

Good stuff, disappointing not to see Sochaux in the top half 

[Jogo Bonito]

24 minutes ago, AddicksFan said:

Good stuff, disappointing not to see Sochaux in the top half 

Cheers, they're 12th on 21 points.

Clermont are 10th with 25 points and Paris FC are 19th with 13 points 

Havre AC are also unbeaten with a 9-9-0 record, having conceded only 7. As we shipped a couple against Auxerre, the joint best defence with Havre AC comes via RC Lens who have played 18 games, scoring 14 and conceding just 7. Boring or what?!?

Edited May 30, 2020 by Jogo Bonito

[Ronaldo Beckham]

26 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Cheers, they're 12th on 21 points.

Clermont are 10th with 25 points and Paris FC are 19th with 13 points 

Havre AC are also unbeaten with a 9-9-0 record, having conceded only 7. As we shipped a couple against Auxerre, the joint best defence with Havre AC comes via RC Lens who have played 18 games, scoring 14 and conceding just 7. Boring or what?!?

Where are FC Metz lol.

Nice to see you doing so well and I like hearing you post players I have never heard of before.

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Where are FC Metz lol.

Nice to see you doing so well and I like hearing you post players I have never heard of before.

Cheers. In that current first X1, only Tchamba and Ouattara (and Laura, who was a previous FC Lorient player I brought back) were not in the original squad.

Metz are 20th (bottom) in Ligue 1 with 14 points from 19 games.