Hootieleece Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 December 2032: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team was able to win two out of the three matches this month. We won the ones we were favored in. We are playing well offensively with purpose to our passing and dominating the middle of the pitch. Mostly due to our Wonderkid Morgan Beauboucher. This is allowing us to sit 6th in the table and have a chance to get a European place if we keep up our winning ways. We will also try and go far in the Coupe de France just to give us another chance at Europe. Schedule Highlights Our first match was the always tough trip to the Parc des Princes in Paris and playing PSG. Our Star Striker couldn't make it at PSG but is doing fine in green! PSG has been underachieving under Arteta, but they have more than enough to beat us badly while missing Mbappe and Doku. We gave them a game, but they had more firepower and won the shootout! The Analysts can show that the match wasn't as close as the scoreline made out. After coming back from the drubbing in Paris.....I was sent the initial report on the Youth Intake. It looks like we have Four possible players for the future. It was also announced who we would take on in the Coupe De France 9th Round. These Rumors by agents and the media are beginning to annoy me..... The First Big Club Interview I haven't sought....this save, and I have no intention of taking them up on it due to the clubs Right Wing Political Leanings. It wasn't "Right" because of those Right-Wing Political leanings of the fans and the racism in Italy in general. As we were getting ready for our next match our backup GK came down with a cold..... That next match was against a team challenging for Europe at home. So was an important match if we were to lay down a marker in the race for Top Six! Our AML-IF-S has created a season worth of assists in half a season, records will be broken! I wanted good effort to show that the loss against PSG was behind us. Gegenpressing>Control Possession Our Striker was the star of the show! 10 goals in 15 matches aren't a bad return considering he scored 14 all of last season. The Media asked How we were doing: We are playing well, and I think we can get Europe after a rough start. The certificate came in for my Continental A License.......just one more and I am eligible for the top of the game. Pretty good for an American ex-School teacher. and my attributes aren't bad either. The last match before the Xmas break was match against the "Orange Crush" of FC Lorient. We were favored and they were out of sorts for form so we should have won easily. Bynoe-Gittens needed one more Assist to set a club record! I like the fact that Xmas and New Years are days off for the boys and me. This player isn't even on our Shortlist of any type! Gameday came and an early goal by Romero gave us the lead and then we had a good defensive outing to make it stick. One of our CB's was named man of the match which underlies our good defensive effort. We controlled the game by dominating the middle of the Pitch and passing with purpose. OM gets a new Boss as the Ligue 1 Coach Carousel continues to spin..... I probably overpaid for the backup player but he and Quaresma are almost Identical, and he will be taking over the starting spot before long. We made a Joker move for another PSG Washout..... He needs to work on his quickness but otherwise a decent player and will start out in ASSE2. Our Wonderkid Central Midfielder won a major award. As the Year ended the Media asked if I was going to bring in some more players to the team. I said no I wasn't expecting to but that might change! I am not planning on selling him even though Oreiro is a good replacement. Since we really don't need the money. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 January 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team continued its winning ways as I decided to rid the team of players complaining about playing time either by transfer or loaning them out. This led the team to play well in the Coupe de France in which the whole team played over two matches as they shook off the rust of the Holidays. This led us into taking on the number one and two teams in Ligue Uber Eats back-to-back. We won the match against AS Monaco at home and drew against Stade de Rennes in Brittany. These leads me to believe we will be in the hunt for Europe at the end of the season and we will also try and win the Coupe de France to assure ourselves of a bid. Since both the Board and I seek to make this team a Force to be reckoned with in Europe. Schedule Highlights The New Year would begin with our 9th Round fixture in the Coupe de France/ We were favored and I expected to play the backups for this one..... The Backups ran riot even though the home team was given an early penalty. It just seemed to fire us up.....and then they went down to ten men, and it was all over. The player that has been in the physio room since August made his debut......and wasn't bad. Tomas Noir who continually complained about playing time even though Bynoe-Gittens is having a career season is finally left the club and returned to Argentina to find playing time. With some of the money from the Noir deal we found a goalkeeper who is decent and willing to be a backup. He is replacing Nahum who wasn't playing well and had attracted Barcelona. Not a bad goalkeeper who agreed to be a Cup Goalkeeper. As a reward for winning our Cup match, we will host our rivals Clermont in the next round and since it is just before the season starts again. I expected to use the starters to put them in their place. Nahum who was demoted from First Choice GK because of poor play is heading to Barcelona to be their Backup. I wasn't going to keep a complainer around...... In other news the team extended the contract of our Backup DM, and he is happy to continue in his backup role, but he will also get some time further forward as well in the future. He is committed to the club! The next match was against Clermont Foot 63 and would be played a Stade Geoffrey Guichard. We were favored and would be playing the Starting XI as a dress rehearsal for the rest of the season. The Board added Transfer Funds, I am not going to use......but I was happy to see their commitment to the team and making us better! We dominated the match for 70 minutes then just shut off and they made it a bit of a nailbiter. Our Striker Romero is showing his quality with a Hat-Trick and PSG got rid of him for $3.6M! Most money ever made from a match at Stade Geoffrey Guichard against our rivals. We dominated the middle of the pitch and attacked their left Flank with great success to setup Romero's Three goals! As a result of the victory against Clermont we had a tougher task in the next round, a streaking Toulouse that is in good form. I decided to send another "grumbler" out on loan and promote a ASSE2 player in his place. After that bit of business, it was time to resume the season with League Leading AS Monaco visiting ST.Etienne. We were underdogs in the game, but I will always back us when we are the home underdog! We planned to press them and dominate the middle of the pitch, but I didn't say anything to the press. It was obvious! We went out to an early 2-0 lead. They then clawed one back, but our plan worked to perfection, and we won the match! We are turning Stade Geoffrey Guichard into a place teams fear to come! The next match and last one of the month was against now Top of the Ligue 1 Uber Eats Stade de Rennes! We were underdogs but were playing well and hoped for the upset. It was an even match between to determined teams. We took the lead but could not hold it after they made some late adjustments and before our counter adjustments were in place. But overall, the draw was the right outcome. As that was the last match of the month the media's attention turned to the closing Transfer Window and if we would do any Business. I said never say never but we would only go in for the right player. I was mostly looking for young bargains and not too many of those were to be found. Deadline Day was expected to be busy..... Rumors had us making major changes to the defense....... And the board continued to show commitment to making this club a big-time brand by finding another Sponsor! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Winning brings support. Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 February 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts It was an up and down month. We played well in the Coupe de France and lost to two relegation threatened teams but ended the month with a victory over a rival in the European Places. I can't know if it is a structural defect in my formation or just that my players aren't good enough defensively even though I am thinking that is is a flaw in the formation even though the Left and right backs were out played in a number of the matches. The OL Derby we should have won and analytics support this so that one will hurt for a while. Luckily, we didn't lose our place in the top six but our road is made more difficult so we will HAVE to probably rely on winning the Coupe de France to make Europe. Schedule Highlights The month began with a match at home versus Toulouse in the Coupe de France. We were favored and since they were near us in the Ligue 1 Table, I played the first Team in an effort to advance. They scored first and we responded early in the second half, and then we were down to ten men. A late Sub Fransisco Malta came on and singlehandedly won it for us in extra time! I inspired the boys at halftime..... Checked off an objective we have made it to the quarterfinals of the Coupe De France with dreams of winning it! With the next match just a few days later and on the road against a relegation side, I rotated the squad. It was a big match and the Wonderkid would make his way into the match from the bench! It was a back-and-forth game with the starters subbing on to both win the match then end with a draw in extra time! Five unbeaten meant we were doing something right......didn't it? The Backup Mezzala who can't hold a candle to Beauboucher wants a raise.....and was complaining.....he will be gone in the summer. With the Marino Drama hanging over the team we were hosting De Ridder's Former Club at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. We were favored and they were a relegation threatened team....what could possibly go wrong? Another match with drama around our wonderkid players! Strasbourg had a plan and it was to abuse our Left and Right backs with their dribbling and pace.....it worked. They then sat back and stopped all our attacks cold at the edge of the box. Our unbeaten streak was over....all we could do is try and start another! Luckily after that tough defeat to Strasbourg we went on the road to take on a minnow in the Coupe de France. I rotated the team for the occasion. This was a match we should be winning! It was a great game by the backups led by Van Doorn's understudy at AMR-IF-A Jeannin just called up from ASSE2 in the last few weeks! He is a little bigger and about as athletic as van Doorn and is a perfect backup for the captain. Brieuc Jeannin AMR-IF-A The match looked like a practice session.....we didn't get the magic number of 500 passes but won easily nonetheless. This is a job I would be interested in but only if all the current players (2024) were not part of the team. The next match on the itinerary was one reason I rested the starters it was the Rhone Derby against OL. OL was relegation threatened, but a proud team. Could we put a nail in their coffin for the fans? I tried to calm the jitters with confidence in the press..... He was focused on the result more than I was....I think! It was a bad day at the office we just couldn't buy a goal with about 3 crossbar hits and we lost to our archrivals! I was furious because I hate losing derbies! In my post-match presser, I said this will motivate us! We weren't that far off from a win and the analytics show it. According to Analytics we should have won that match. Which really irks me! The Backup Mezzala Drama wasn't helping on the pitch that was for sure. We are taking on Valenciennes FC in the Semi-Final of the Coupe de France. Which gives us a good chance of making the Final. PSG needed a Penalty Kick Shootout to beat my old team, Paris FC. The "Leece" Derby would have made for fun match. The final match of the month was another rivalry going back to the 1970's and ASSE's heyday, this time it was OM. We were expected to sellout Stade Geoffrey Guichard. We were favored as the home team in this rivalry match. We played well, but would have lost the day without our captain van Doorn leading the boys from the front with a hattrick! Man of the Match putting on a "Mo Salah" like show for the fans. That is what the supporters deserve wins over rivals....and I want to give them to them! As you can see from the pass map, we dominated their Left back to great effect! In other news, Van Doorn's old understudy is doing well on loan and we will be looking to sell in the summer. Jean-Christophe Aubert League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Even though results on the pitch didn't go all our way support is still strong for my leadership. Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 March 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts Undefeated in all three matches this month is a good return as well as the seven of nine possible points. Those points secured us 5th position in the table. Which if we can keep it up will secure us European Football for next season. That is the goal. We are playing well scoring goals even though we lost our leading goal scorer for most of the month. After the matches were over and the international break came it was time to check on the Youth intake which was weak. I did sign a couple of free agents for next season including a young Romanian DM who had been capped 31 times and was a Free Agent after washing out of Manchester United after 1 appearance! Next season will probably be a step up in competition and it is obvious that we need depth in our roster, and I think these signings do just that. Schedule Highlights The first match of the month of March was another tough trip to the Riviera this time to visit OGC Nice. Nice was favored even though they were behind us in the table. Bookies knew something I didn't.....It was a tough match that we could have lost as neither gave an inch in a physical battle in the midfield. We scored on a Set Piece to tie the match and couldn't break down their defenses for a late score. The biggest problem after the rough and tumble affair was an injury to our starting striker in a training session. We would miss him for at least the next three games only because of the international break at the end of March. The second match of the month was in St. Etienne where we hosted LOSC. We were favored even though we were without our leading scorer. We went out to a 3-0 lead and almost threw it away late as they went Route one and direct. After the match with LOSC, I went back to the negotiating table with Sassuolo for a Backup CB for next season. We probably overpaid, but he is young and French so that works for us. He will become the 4rth CB next season and see action in the cup and against relegation teams if we make Europe. The final match of the month was against Table propping SM Caen. Again, we were favored and would need to do a professional job unlike some of the other relegation threatened teams I played the strongest team available to me. We went down early then roared back to dominate the proceedings for the win 3-1! Our #6 had a great game, getting on the score sheet with a penalty shot. Our AMR-IF-A Van Doorn dominated proceedings. Youth Intake It was a poor intake and I only offered contracts to the top two players. Neither of which I actually envisage making the first team. Mathieu Dumas Fallou Gomis The DOF agreed and only signed Three other players just to make numbers for the U-19's. Highlights Part Deux As I am always on a quest to make the team better I found a Free Agent DM that was 24 years old and had been capped 31 times by his country (Romania). He had been let go by Man U after one appearance.....he is a signing for next season and will he become like Nery Burton a Starter? Another player was found on the Release list of French Clubs..... The hope is that he develops while playing with ASSE2 and sold for a profit. Toulouse's Manager moves to OGC Nice. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 April 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team played well and remained undefeated for the month of April. This included a draw versus PSG that should have been a win if we had gotten average goalkeeping. 14 of 18 points isn't bad and pretty much confirms us as a team with European Football next season. We have a decently tough final three matches and of course the Coupe de France Final versus PSG to look forward to next month. Overall, I am happy with the direction of the club and signed on for three more seasons to hopefully keep the revival going. Schedule Highlights The Month of April would probably decide our European future and it started out with a tough match versus RC Lens at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. Lens was favored, but I believed we had a chance.....I always do until the final whistle! Our Press let us control the game even though they had more possession and we scored of a Set-Piece in the second half in a close match. Our Right Back and Vice-Captain was the Hero this day. Another unbeaten run had us maintaining our position in the table. Since we were doing well and my contract was running out the Board asked me to come to a meeting about a new contract. Since this is one of my favorite clubs the answer was a no brainer yes! I signed a Three-Year Extension and got a 65% Raise without including bonuses for winning Ligue 1 and the Coupe De France! Of course, I was pleased with the new contract it meant stability for me and the club. The next match after the contract signing was the Coupe de France Semi-Final versus L2 side Valenciennes FC. We were favored and I expected to rotate the squad for the match by playing the backups. The worst team in the league is looking for relegation savior...... When we played the Semi-Final the backups came out guns blazing and blasted Valenciennes FC off the pitch. Setting up a climactic Final! This is our chance.....but it will be tough! The team also decided to negotiate after a young midfielder from SM Caen..... He is going to develop in ASSE2 and then be loaned out before moving to the First team. Speaking of Youth players another one poached......SMH! After the big Cup victory, it was time to get back on the road to battle for Europe and this time we traveled to the Cathedral City of Reims. We were favored and I hoped the rest helped our starters for the final dash to the finish! I thought we were playing well and would do so against Reims. Like a bad penny my rival De Zerbi, keeps turning up...... This time he takes over a decent team in 5th place..... We took on Reims but couldn't get going and needed inspiration from Van Doorn to score a tying goal late on. Six Unbeaten we were inching closer to European Football, but just couldn't seal the deal. I had Biskri an Attacking Midfielder playing Striker due to both of the Strikers being unavailable. We did qualify for Europe......Conference league but there is a chance for Europa League and there was a longshot at Champions League. I was upbeat as to where we are now....the best we have been since the "2010's"! We then had a big match against Montpellier to play and help us strive toward a better European place and end their dreams of European Football. We had a plan mark him with our Right Back Quaresma. We won the match with a late goal and Huertas was a non-factor! Best Ever finish since 2023! I lit the fuse and the players took it from there upon themselves to win the game! I had thought we had already accomplished this but whatever...... The next match was the biggest one and a preview of the Coupe De France Final..... The Evil Empire was coming to town and could my ragtag rebels win a victory for Football! I decided to play with a defensive mentality and work the ball into the box while playing for Set Pieces against them. We played well, but were let down by our goaltending.....(rating 6.0) Our BBM was injured.... and our Captain was the Hattrick Hero! Our players were getting a look for the National Team! We were playing well, and I didn't see why we couldn't keep it up! Our Right Wing has been dominant in many of our victories.....even though this wasn't one. In the days after The PSG Match our #1 striker hurt himself getting some PT with ASSE2 as he recovered. The New board was really hustling Sponsorship deals! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead Toulouse FC is the match blocked by the cursor. to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Amazing season mate!What happened to PSG? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 Just now, Sheriff7 said: Amazing season mate!What happened to PSG? The "Arteta" Effect.....almost great but find ways to bottle it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 May 2033: Regular and Post Season "Only Wanna be with you!" Manager's Thoughts The team didn't play particularly well in the last two matches of the Ligue 1 season but came together for a famous victory in the Coupe de France Final a week later. The Team can score but its defense is suspect, and the Board is expecting success with a Top 5 finish in Ligue 1 and Quarter Finals of the Europa League next season. That may be too much for the young players I currently have so I will have to do some scouting and negotiate some transfers to help the squad complete those expectations. Schedule Highlights The month of May started with our Youth Intake ALL Five Players were Scholars! Then came the visits to the Physio room..... Neither were too badly injured but they would miss the next match versus Toulouse which would decide if we made Europa League or the Conference for our troubles. Toulouse was favored even though they were below us in the table. Probably was the New Manager effect. De Zerbi would have them ready for our attack. This guy has been tormenting us every time we play Toulouse..... Van Doorn our Captain has really gotten to playing like Mo Salah in the AMR-IF-A position in our 4-3-3. It was a back-and-forth match, they scored first, and we scored twice in reply and looked good enough to win until the last minutes when they scored two to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.....not our best day. De Zerbi was satisfied with his last minute win..... I didn't want to talk about it.....or the table permutations either....after the devastating loss. After the tough loss in Toulouse we had to go back on the road this time to FC Nantes for the final match of the season. A win would ensure Europa League for us next season and deny Toulouse. We were favored and had a full-strength squad finally.....except for Bettoni (CB) who was suspended. Their Striker was their danger man according to a fan favorite...... FC Nantes is considered our rivals, but I don't know why it must go back to the ASSE Heyday of the 1970's! The match didn't live up to the hype....it was a boring draw between two teams that didn't try to win it! A successful season we have European Football in St. Etienne again. We came in 6th place....allowing Toulouse to get 5th and the Europa League place. League Table 6th place was two better than last season and the best ASSE has ever been according to FM24! I worked hard on keeping morale up all season with Team Bonding Sessions almost weekly. The Game (Board) think we made the Europa League......only way we can do that is win the Coupe de France.....is that an omen? The Board thinks so......so it must be true.....We'll just have to make sure by winning ASSE's First Trophy in almost 50 years! Pre Coupe de France presser talked about the players that weren't playing because of suspension and none were starters. Several of our players started at PSG and were looking forward to beating their former employers..... Of Course PSG was favored and we had a tough assignment ahead of us but I thought we had a chance based on our prior meeting. Both teams were former Champions even though our last trophy was in 1977! When Pele ruled the footballing world! We played defensively and cautiously on the attack and played for Set Pieces the classic underdog strategy and it worked! We scored first and the Mbappe scored a penalty to tie the game. Van Doorn then scored the game winner almost immediately before halftime. Then in the second half we survived a concerted PSG attack and defended for our lives. We WON! We are the Champions of the Coupe de France! The team received enough money to have a big party back in ST. Etienne! I also received plaudits from the supporters for the Coupe de France win! My newest signing even got about 10 minutes of playing time in the final and looked good on the ball. The Board was pleased but not totally...... By winning the Coupe de France we are now in the Europa League! We knocked out the overachievers in the Quarterfinals on our way to the Cup! We sealed Arteta's Fate with the loss in the final...... Season Ending Board Meeting About the same numbers as last season but with that transfer budget I should be able to build up the team. Among the supporters we gained a lot of Social media followers and our core support went down.....we are going to need to keep the good times rolling. We scored more than we conceded, but the margins were razor thin we need to get better on defense next season. We have a strong leadership group and a cohesive team. The Team was hit with a Tax Bill. The Commercial Summary means we can afford the taxes..... I adjusted the scouting budget a bit and will probably take over assigning scouts for the first time this FM. I am looking to scout Africa and other Francophone countries. The Board meeting ended with their vision for the future.... The Board is ambitious a Top 5 finish in Ligue 1 and get to the Quarterfinals of the Europa League! Highlights Five of this seasons' players made the Overall Best XI or Substitutes! This is the best the Team has done in Ligue 1 since they went down in 2023! Our Young Mezzala won an award for most promising player! Our AML-IF-S won the award for most Assists! Quaresma came to me looking for a pay raise or a new challenge and we had lots of coverage at his position so we decided to sell him to Saudi Arabia. League Table Team Stats Player Stats Management Report Monthly Financial Report to be continued: 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikulec Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Great season, congratulations on the cup win! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Congratulations on the coupe de France!! Huge moment, a sign of things come. Restoring a French giant isn’t easy, especially one with demanding fans! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 A dream season. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 15 hours ago, Rikulec said: Great season, congratulations on the cup win! Thanks.....it was a bit lucky and I was white knuckling at the end. 11 hours ago, SixPointer said: Congratulations on the coupe de France!! Huge moment, a sign of things come. Restoring a French giant isn’t easy, especially one with demanding fans! Yes, I am almost sad that we did it......because of the demands of the board and fans. I am really going to have to reinforce the squad in the coming seasons. 2 hours ago, Sheriff7 said: A dream season. A dream season for a team that had sunk very low.......first trophy in 56 years! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 June 2033: Offseason Manager's Thoughts The team is on the verge of great things and needs some upgrade to the players. I decide the problem on defense was my Left and Right backs and found replacements for both either within the team or in a transfer. The team scored quite a few goals, but the Striker Romero only scored 12 and had a habit of disappearing in matches or to the physio table. So I decided we needed a more lethal and hopefully fit goal threat that I spent a club record for as well a spending a club record in total. Only time will tell if the team becomes good enough to reach the boards ambitious goals. Highlights Our Belgian Wonderkid Defender got his first Cap at 19! I love how the media and agents float rumors out about players....that aren't even on our radar. I decided to move on from Rotini mostly because he is small (5'5" Tall) and loses out on a lot of headers and his other position midfield is a bit congested. So I found this slightly taller Man U washout available for a free.....I had wanted a 6 footer but none in our price range at Left Back. AS Monaco's Coach won the award for winning the league.....my name was on the list. I am going to continue to look for bargains for the most part.......even though I will splurge if I think a player, is a real upgrade. We bought an 18-Year-old Midfielder to develop. A member of ASSE2 that was out on loan this season had himself a good tournament as a French U-20. Not a bad player but a few years of development from the first team. Another youth player poached this time by our rival! Troyes and Valenciennes are joining Ligue 1 Uber Eats. We didn't gain any position because we didn't play in European competition, but at least we didn't lose any either. Even though I said I wasn't going to spend big I ended up doing so.....for a Striker. Our Current Striker Romero scored 12 but often was marked out of the match. I am hoping this more physical player will assert himself and score a few headers as well. Oops I went on a spending spree....... Godoy better score some goals! I believe he will have an impact and allow us to accomplish our goals of a top 5 finish and a deep Europa League run. We were overlooked as the Story of the Season.....because of Toulouse! Our AML-IF-S Bynoe-Gittens was the top assist man with 15! and the Nery Burton MCR-BBM-S had 9! Romero was one of the signings of the season and he is already being replaced. The board is showing ambition by allowing us to have the infrastructure of a top club. The TV money doesn't even pay for Godoy's Transfer Fee......how different things are in just a year,,,,,,,, Another player not on our radar but closer to the profile we look for....... How are we supposed to build the best Youth System in the country if we continually have players poached? The biggest News in Ligue 1 was the new PSG Boss. A Former Man United and RB Leipzig man was taking charge will this make them dominant again? The first of what would become many pay raises this offseason started here...... As Coupe de France Champions we take on AS Monaco the League Champions at the end of the Preseason! Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 July 2033: Preseason Manager's Thoughts Since I was bringing in quite a few new players I decided to play a few more friendlies against weaker teams for the most part. The team also toured the United States and visited Florida in July......a steam bath would have been better. The biggest problem was the fact that we had a good season and to keep player harmony I had to give out a lot of pay raises in new contracts. Meaning Payroll went from $59M to $93M. We have to make Europe in the league and make a deep run in the Europa League just to break even and stay well away from the administration that is about to take over Olympique Marseille. This adds to the pressure for a team of young players who haven't totally gelled and are Seaon Preview picked Fourth in Ligue 1 Uber Eats. We did show our mettle by beating in penalties AS Monaco for the Trophee des Champions on a sweltering night in Dakar. The season is going to be an exciting one as we bring "Heavy Metal" Football to the top in France! Schedule Highlights The offseason of pay raises for our players continued unabated.....Fringe Player RB Chambon will see some time with the First team this season even though he is 3rd option. So I gave him a new contract. As you can tell by his valuation somebody thinks he's good and teams are always trying to loan him so we'll keep him home learning the ASSE way. Jeanin is the Backup AMR-IF-A and deserved his raise with his play down the stretch last season. Malpon is the future at DM-DLP-D even though he will be loaned out this season. The Board is Ambitious and after my spending spree I agree with them...... First Time I have ever seen this screen, but it looks like one of our rivals is headed for administration. The Captain is now the highest paid player on the team.....so hopefully he stays! I am now finally starting my Continental Pro License.......after I have that any job is technically open to me! Youth Poached.......this is a disgrace! Our Wonderkid Defender got a pay raise. Bynoe-Gittens got a reward for his play last season. The backup Striker goes down during a friendly...... In other News Unai Emery takes charge at Man United leaving Borussia Dortmund! Another player gets injured in a friendly.....they are a necessary evil! With the Preseason coming to an end, we headed to Dakar in Senegal for Trophee des Champions match versus AS Monaco. AS Monaco was favored but I thought we had a good chance......with our improvements! I kept the presser neutral...... The team made a fantastic comeback to tie it and then win in penalties after going down to ten men in the '84th minute! The Captain led from the front with two goals......very Mo Salah like. Sour grapes from a coach whose team by analytics was lucky to be in penalties! All the players who played got winners medals, a nice gesture. I have gone from being a no one to a someone in American Soccer! Even though my work has only been good overseas in France and Wales. Season Preview We are considered one of the better teams in the Division.....the pressure is on for a Europa League Spot. Our Backup Striker was in the list last season, but his replacement didn't make it. No one from ASSE on this list either. Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 August 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The month of August went about as well as it possibly could have. We won all of our matches and even used a rotated squad on occassion which went well and proved to me that our backups are good enough to compete in this league. Which will be important as the season goes on and we are fighting on multiple fronts. Since the Board is looking for deep runs in Europe and the Coupe de France and a Top 5 Finish in Ligue 1 Uber Eats. Seems like we will be "Under Pressure" this season. The media doesn't know what to make of us. Favored in every match so far but they were aking me about the relegation battle and ASSE in the same question. Just utter nonsense! I will stick to the gengenpress and the 4-3-3 since it has worked so far and see how it does in Europe. Schedule Highlights I was excited for the beginning of the season, and it would start about a week after our Trophee des Champions victory. The New season would start at Stade Geoffrey Guichard against newly promoted Valenciennes whom we played in the Coupe de France Semi-Finals. We were favored but would have to do a professional job of sending them home unhappy. The Board reminded of their expectations which were high. Top 5 in the League and Quarterfinals at least of both the Coupe de France and the Europa League. The Pressure is on....... I had been asked who I thought would win Ligue 1 Uber Eats and I responded with the obvious answer PSG! This was their managers answer. Opening Day finally came and we had to win a thriller! Valenciennes played us tough, but they couldn't stop van Doorn our Captain from striking twice and winning the match in the closing moments! Our Captain was the man of the match! After the match during the presser I was asked about our chances.....and I laid down a bit of a marker. I said we would be in the battle for the title! Van Doorn got love for his recent play going back to last season! A few days later the team traveled to coal country and took on Lille. I rotated the team and the backups got to play it wasn't the best but having 3 matches in 8 days made it imperative. Young Brieuc Jeannin followed in the captain's footsteps and won the match as his understudy. Man of the Match! Former ASSE Manager and current LOSC Manager just wants to move on..... During the presser, TWO MATCHES into the SEASON, Both Wins by the way I was asked about ASSE's chances in the relegation battle! The next match would see the starters take on Strasbourg on the road. We were favored as a top-rated team, but we would need to be at our best to win. Support isn't really growing...... We dominated Strasbourg with our Central Midfield that did all the scoring. Even though our midfield did the scoring it was a defender that was named man of the match! After the win in Alsace, we headed home for a match against rivals Olympique Marseille. We were favored as the home team. It was a tough match and we only won because of an own goal! The OM manager marked van Doorn out of the match, but we won anyway. I didn't play any mind games...... We got some money just to show up for the Europa League! We were given a tough set of fixtures that as the 147th team in world can't not field the strongest team. Even though I will rotate due to our League priority. Yes, the Board wants Quarterfinals, but it is more important to be in the tournament again next season. The last match of the month was against archrival OL in Lyon! I wanted a well refereed match..... The starters kept the game even and Biskri was an impact sub for us that won the match in Extra Time! Impact Sub turned Man of the Match! I thought he played well and said so afterwards. With the Month Ending it became Transfer Deadline Day! and I meant it except for a possible loan out or two. It was expected to be a busy day. These were the rumors swirling around ASSE even though we weren't looking to make a move at all. ASSE Transfers These are the ones from last transfer season on the team this season. Eight of ten of these players are with the First Team. League Table Player Awards Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Great start mate! I can't wish you good luck against Olympiakos though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 2 hours ago, Sheriff7 said: Great start mate! I can't wish you good luck against Olympiakos though... I think your avatar gives away your opinion on the matter. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 September 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team hit a bit of a skid this month and it showed that our defense and midfield had been papering over the fact that our Strikers are not scoring. We lost two close matches to start the month and won two defensive battles thanks to our defenders and goalkeeping. The Draw probably should have been a win but that is how the ball bounces sometimes. I have to figure out how to free the strikers to be the attacking force I am paying them to be otherwise we will have a hard time remaining in the top five in Ligue 1 Uber Eats never mind making the Quarterfinals of the Europa League! Schedule Highlights The first of the five matches in 18 days in September was a visit from Montpellier. We were riding high and expected to win as the Home team. Another Ligue 1 Uber Eats Manager has been replaced. We didn't play well and lost a nail biter because we were ineffective going forward. And it doesn't help that one of my Strikers has lost his confidence..... I was furious with the team for all the wasted chances.....and the fact the Strikers were invisible! The next match was against Braga in the Europa League and would bring back an old friend...... I rotated the squad for the match looking for a spark after the lackluster performance against Montpellier. We lost again.....at least this time we scored, but it was the midfield again not the strikers.......and we gave one late in stoppage time. More anger from me...... After the two losses we needed to get our act together....we were playing a tough team OGC Nice next on the road. We were underdogs and I was looking for a better performance. The Starters played better defense and we scored on a Corner kick, but this was another match of failure from the Strikers. The Belgian Wonderkid deserved his plaudits! I even complimented his performance publicly! Our starting Right back would miss the next match...... We had another match in the Europa League this time Brondy IF to worry about..... The match was to be held on my Birthday.......I was still expecting a tough match. We lost our Captain and Talisman for the rest of the month. and his understudy will missed the match with Brondy as well. The match was anti-climactic and ended 1-1 between two evenly matched sides..... But I got my Birthday Gift anyway a Striker finally scored! Since the backups played against Brondby IF it would be the Starters to meet FC Nantes three days later at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. It was expected to be a sellout since it was a rivalry match. ASSE was favored and I hoped the team's Strikers would score in the league. I just worry about how we press and score...... We won another close one and again it was the Midfield bailing us out since the Strikers were still invisible..... I was asked why my teams play the Gengenpress and try to dominate possession....this is what I know works! This is the current setup with a dissapearing Striker up top......the team is also rotated in the screenshot. We are tied for Third in producing French National Team players! I would like to get to number 1 before I leave if possible...... DE Ridder had a good international Break! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Our overall performance this season isn't bad. Our defense has been much better mostly due to goalkeeping! Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 October 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts You wouldn't expect a manager of a team that won 4 out of 5 matches and was sitting third in the League to be upset about his teams play. The team has gelled well and is cohesive and that shows on the defensive side of the ball. The problem: Strikers are not scoring.....last season strikers scored, and we couldn't defend. Same TI's and Roles and we can defend and can't score. The loss was to a team that Sean Dyche would be proud of, it plays the 4-4-2 and Bully ball and is a title contender. That match showed how far we have to go to really contend for the title and on all fronts. Schedule Highlights The first match of the month was a tough match against RC Lens. It was a home match and we were favored.....this wasn't the time to let the fans down! The match was a tale of two halves! First half we could do no wrong and went out to a 2-0 lead.....came out after half and hung on for dear life! There was joy and rapture....as another Striker Scored.....now just need to do it on the regular.....or is that asking too much? I was hoping for a goal bonanza from the strikers......since they are supposed to be the main scorers! After the match with RC Lens we went on the road to FC Lorient who were propping up the table. I played a rotated squad and expected to win the match. The half-Rotated squad won another one the new ASSE way with defense and one shot from the midfield. We won and I was happy to give the supporters bragging rights! Then we had to get ready for a Europa League Match against ST. Gallen....mindful of the boards expectations I played a Full Strength squad in this match. We were expected to walk over the opposition, but the match still needed to be played. It was dominating European Night for us....even with a missed penalty! Their goalie made 10 saves! We outclassed them and even a stellar performance by their goalie couldn't keep them from losing badly! I saluted the performance of their goalie in the match we dominated! Another list that if everything goes well ASSE will be on the top of or near in the next few years. 13 players developed for Ligue 1 isn't bad, but it should be more. The team had just a few days before taking on Toulouse FC.... ASSE was favored over Robert De Zerbi's Club.....but we would need to do a professional job. I wanted to give my team confidence as we were playing at home. We beat Toulouse easily jumping out to a 3-0 lead with a half-rotated team. We gave one up late.... the only thing wrong is the lack of scoring from the strikers. The Defensive effort was spearheaded by our Wonderkid Defender De Ridder. The next match was a big one the last one of the month against perennial Title Contenders Stade de Rennes. It also meant a milestone for me personally. I was hoping that everyone would forget about it...and worry about how we would beat Rennes! The match was on the road in Brittany and I had a bad feeling about this match...... I tried to convince myself and my team that we were up for it. Second versus Third for who was going to challenge PSG this year for the title! Rennes setup in a 4-4-2 and beat us at our own game. Playing Bully Ball. They are a team that looks like a Sean Dyche Team but if they were title contenders. The only thing good that I could take away from the beating was that a Striker scored! In other world news the best Youth Setups were ranked.....It is ASSE's goal to get on that list! and while we were losing the board was busy drumming up money to help defray the costs of the team! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Our defense is still stout even after the blowout loss to Stade de Rennes! Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report The Board getting that sponsorship really helped the finances. Now we just have to meet their expectations! Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 November 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The Team played very well this month again only losing once in a close match versus AS Monaco. The Team is defensively solid and that is what allows us to dominate games. In Europe teams felt the firepower that is often missing in Ligue 1 mostly because teams play more defensively against us in the league and that stifles our counterattacking scoring system and why we score so often with the midfield. So far, we seem to have a winning formula so we will keep doing it. We have made it to Second place in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, but PSG is on a tear and unless something changes will be uncatchable. With our wins in Europa League we have gotten ourselves in contention for a first round bye which would be nice. Schedule Highlights The Busy month of November began with a much-anticipated trip to Greece to play Olympiakos in Athens. We were favored but I was skeptical thinking it was ASSE diehards gaming the online polls. It was utter domination...... We played well but we lost the Captain for another spell on the sidelines...... Our Mo Salah was out for the rest of the month probably..... The Assist King Bynoe-Gittens was back in business. At least we have plenty of coverage within the team. We returned from Greece with a tough test against AS Monaco at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. AS Monaco was struggling a bit and in 10th place, but are always a dangerous opponent. I was upbeat and thought we had a chance in the upcoming match. Their Star player torched us with two soft penalties early on and we made a comeback but it wasn't enough. I was disappointed in the soft penalties that led to us being down 2-0 7 minutes into the match! The New Gens are taking over...... After the loss to AS Monaco and thinking about our needs in Europe I rotated the Squad against Bordeaux. A rotated squad got the win because of a huge match from our Backup GK! It shows that we have the depth to rotate our players and still expect success. After the victory against Bordeaux, I decided on playing a full-strength Squad versus Ljubljana in the Europa League. That led to the most devastating win ever in ASSE History and Europa League History! 9-1! I think that when a team from a playable league plays one from a not playable league results like this are common. Nery Burton our BBM had a great day. During the Match we were purposeful with our passing.....only making 402 passes in a match which we took 29 shots. After the match in Croatia, we returned to France, and I led a rotated squad into the match with Bordeaux/ We won 1-0. In other League news, just after we played them Bordeaux got a new manager. We will see how he does..... The Final match of the month was against relegation threatened Troyes. We were favored and I would play a full-strength side against them. Our BBM got some love in the press. We needed to do a professional job. PSG hasn't lost to a French Team since May 2033. The last French team they lost to was us in the Coupe de France Final and they lost in Ligue1 3 weeks before that to AS Monaco. PSG's new manager is doing what Arteta couldn't at least domestically. We dominated Troyes, but we hit the woodwork so many times and their goalie made so many saves I thought all was lost when the Striker Godoy scored in the 82nd Minute! Bauer our Left Back had a good match but I want it more often! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 December 2033: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team played relatively well except for the match against PSG. The most promising thing in our play is the fact that the Strikers are getting involved and scoring. If we can keep this up our objective of Europa League from Ligue 1 play is well within our sights. We will probably have a bit of a clear out in the January window to allow us to get rid of the busts and make room for the players in ASSE2 that show promise. Overall, I can't be unhappy with 3rd place in Ligue 1 and having secured a place in the Knockout Round of the Europa League. As far as my career is concerned it will take a top tier team for me to move from ASSE and hopefully that won't come until after I win a Ligue 1 Uber Eats Title. Schedule Highlights At the beginning of December there was a Board meeting, and I was asked if the Wage Budget should be increased. Of course, I said yes. We are now up there near the Big Boys in wages so we must be successful with the board objectives. No Pressure! Valenciennes replaced their coach with a Bundesliga failure..... The first match of the month saw us travel to Reims for a match against Stade de Reims. We were favored and I expected victory with a full-strength squad.... and I backed it by saying so in the press conference. We dominated the match but just couldn't put them away......they scored first, and we had to scramble to get the draw but at least we did. After the match we found out who we would start our title defense against.... We were given a tough match to be held on New Year's Day, at least we would be at home. After the increase in the payroll, it was only right that I reward Burton for his fine play. The next match was a home match in the Europa League versus Club Brugge. We were expected to win..... I was asked why I sign so many young players.....because I am building for the future where we dominate! I also re-signed and extended the backup left winger. We then went into the match with high hopes of victory. We went down to 10 men and still dominated the proceedings....and won a decisive victory 3-0! Even though we won I was disappointed in the Red Card! Gladbach offered an interview, but I am happy at ASSE, for me to leave it would have to be a top club. With Hertha Berlin and Liverpool being my two favorites. It wasn't a Top Club so here I stay..... The Next match was against the Galactic Ovelords of Ligue 1 who have re ascended their throne with a vengeance: PSG. We were playing well and I did fear overconfidence after a 3-0 demolition of a team with only 10 men. For the match with PSG I went with what worked against them in the Coupe de France: Play Defensive Mentality, Work the ball into the box and play for set pieces. Would it work again? We fought hard but the gulf in quality told......only Godoy showed up to play! Godoy our new striker is finally beginning to score..... I needed to stroke an ego...... Now as the January Transfer window approaches rumors are starting about our "Heart and Soul" the Captain Van Doorn! The last match of the month would see us take on Valenciennes FC and their new manager. I like the Winter Break....so I can get away from Football for a few days for Christmas even though I host a Team Bonding party December 24th and have the team attend Church on the 25th! I was given access to more transfer funds, and I looked into another young player of two to be brought to the team. The Valenciennes match was dominated by a half-rotated team giving some of the more regular players an early Christmas present! The Backup Right Back made a case for more playing time. As a response to the rumors about his leaving I said that we wanted to keep him as our leader for years to come! In the meantime, our Rival Olympique Lyonnais is changing managers..... The support of the fan favorite wasn't enough to save the man's job....it was dread vote of confidence from ownership! Strasbourg hired this guy to stabilize them in Ligue 1 Uber Eats. This is one of the players I am looking at bringing into the team to help with defensive depth. Player just gets out of the Physio room and then immediately heads back in! SMH! The player that I decided to spend some of the transfer funds on was another CM. (This is a Joker Transfer) Not quite a wonderkid but close! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead To be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikulec Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 PSG with 18 wins from 18 games, wow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 1 hour ago, Rikulec said: PSG with 18 wins from 18 games, wow. Yeah, PSG had been underperforming under Arteta. The new Manager has them playing to potential. They haven't lost in Ligue 1 since Early May and last loss to a French Team was to us in the Coupe de France. We are playing at better than 2 points/match, which is usually good enough to win a league and if not get Champions League place. If PSG keeps it up we are all playing for second place...... In our next match against them I think we played it too safe..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 January 2034: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts We played decently but a loss and draw to our rivals had us giving up points that were necessary for a Champion's League place and any chance of catching PSG for the title. The six matches tested the depth of the squad since I had to rotate to avoid tiredness and injuries. The team was able to bring in another wonderkid to build for the future and was able to offload a few fringe players either on loan or as transfers. We will continue to play and pursue our objectives which I think we are capable of achieving with the present team. Schedule Highlights The month of January started with Coupe De France match against Toulouse FC and the opening of the Transfer Window. The Match against Toulouse was tougher than I was hoping for but being the home team during the holidays helps. The Transfer window opened, and we look to offload some of our fringe players on loan or permanently and bring in another young prodigy. We started slow, but our full-strength squad made short work of Toulouse's defense scoring four in reply. Former Wonderkid Beauboucher led the line on that day being named man of the match. Our Joker Transfer Window Spend was a little over the top...... In the next round of the Coupe de France, we get a minnow. The match had us favored and I would play a rotated squad to keep the score respectable. Our Backups scored two early and settled into an afternoon of shooting and passing practice. Our backup Striker showed he could find the net against overmatched opposition. As a reward we will play a Ligue 2 Team in the next round..... I am expecting another tight match with a half-rotated squad..... After the Coupe de France match, we had a trip to Spain in the Europa League This match was a toss-up and, in an attempt, to get a Knockout Round Bye, I decided to field a Full-Strength Squad. We just couldn't find our way past their keeper, and we had two penalties overturned by VAR! Our rival got themselves a new manager just in time for the Rhone Derby! But first we had to beat OM in Marseille...... It would be a tough match and the home team was favored..... OM are competitive rivals from when ASSE ruled Ligue 1. We got beat by another penalty.....in an otherwise even match. Highlights of our loss were broadcast across France that night. After the loss to OM, I went back to the transfer market for another player this time a Central defender..... Probably overpaid but he has loads of potential. We then had a match with Dun Streda from Slovakia to wrap up the Europa League Group Phase. A rotated Squad took care of business. The Captain came on as a super-sub after an injury to win the match for us! We are taking the Europa League one match at a time....instead of dreaming about winning it at this stage! We qualified in 9th place..... The last match of the month was against our greatest rival OL in the Rhone Derby We were the home team and favored, but would need to do a professional job! OL played us tough and came away with a draw. I was unhappy with lost points! We are still in 3rd place but not as comfortable anymore..... With the end of the Transfer Window coming there were rumors of more transfers from ASSE.....all lies! I declined to be involved since our dealings were done. We brought in one player and tried to offload a few fringe players and backups. And the board made up for all of our spending....with another sponsorship deal! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 19 Author Share Posted January 19 February 2034: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts Other than the Cup debacle against Sochaux we played well winning all of our matches in Ligue 1 Uber Eats. That has allowed us to claim Third place in the League and even though the Title is probably not in the offing qualifying for Europe still is a battle and I would like to do better than qualifying for Europa League if possible and our 3rd place allows us to do just that. We do have a difficult month coming up with FIVE Matches in FOURTEEN DAYS! Including playing Toulouse FC, Three times in Ten days in both Ligue 1 and the Europa League. We can do it. It will take all my skill at rotating the squad to make sure we get the best results, but these are steps to reviving "Les Verts" and making them a Top club. Schedule Highlights The Month of February began with a Coupe de France match. I played the tired Starters because I wanted to make sure we made it to the Quarterfinals. That ended up being a mistake.....we played badly and our play only improved when I made 5 Substitutions in the early moments of the second half. We lost in a penalty shoot-out despite Proietti's heroic and subsequent penalty failure! Proietti was the man of the match for both good and ill. After the Coupe de France disappointment we had to take on struggling Montpellier. We were road favorites, so I half rotated the team to get some non-tired bodies in the team. Since I was wary of another loss. The team bounced back in emphatic fashion against the relegation candidates. Malta in for a resting Bynoe-Gittens showed a gift for goals that the former doesn't have...... After the Montpellier victory we headed home and had to host OGC Nice at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. This was a match for the full-strength side.....and I was hoping to prove the favorites label. We are unbeaten against OGC Nice, and I wanted to instill some confidence in the team going into the match. We played well and generally controlled the back-and-forth match and got the much-needed win. After the match we found out who we would play in the knockout round of the Europa League. We would play Toulouse FC, and this would set up a situation of playing them 3 times within 10 days in March! The next match was considered a big rivalry match. Our trip to FC Nantes. Nantes was favored but I thought we had a chance...... We won the game on a Set-Piece Corner late in the match! The last match of the month would be a milestone, but I was more worried about winning the match and keep up the momentum of winning to have us poised for Champion's League Slot! LOSC would be the visiting team and were the underdogs. Our Joker Transfer might play against his old club. The Ligue 1 Uber Eats Coaching Carousel continues with Relegation threatened FC Lorient hiring a new manager. We dominated Lille all over the pitch and the scoreline proved it! Our Left Back was man of the match with a highlight reel assist on an early cross. During the Press Conference I was asked about my particular playstyle....... The media call it Leece-Ball when it is practically a carbon copy of Klopp's "Heavy Metal Football" with Liverpool! I want to play this kind of soccer and get results! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 A bad "exit" from the cup but it is normal with so many games in your schedule. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 19 Author Share Posted January 19 5 hours ago, Sheriff7 said: A bad "exit" from the cup but it is normal with so many games in your schedule. Thanks for the support, but the games don't become less in March even with the International Break. That is the problem of playing on Multiple Fronts. The Team's starting XI is good enough to have a chance to win every game, but they really can't play twice a week. The Backups are good but don't really get enough playing time to improve on their potential when they are young players except for the ones I bring on as subs. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 It's very difficult to rotate your team and take the results you want,especially at this level. I use rest in my saves even if my players won't train at all (when i have more than one game in a week). In past versions of fm (5-6 years ago) rotation + good results was easier I believe. Anyway if it makes fm more realistic I am OK with this. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 I agree with sheriff. I think more than ever fitness is a huge factor this edition of fm 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 19 Author Share Posted January 19 46 minutes ago, Sheriff7 said: It's very difficult to rotate your team and take the results you want,especially at this level. I use rest in my saves even if my players won't train at all (when i have more than one game in a week). In past versions of fm (5-6 years ago) rotation + good results was easier I believe. Anyway if it makes fm more realistic I am OK with this. 39 minutes ago, SixPointer said: I agree with sheriff. I think more than ever fitness is a huge factor this edition of fm I agree with both of you about rest and fitness. I try to rotate my team as much as possible. My Starters get about 35 Starts a season in a multiple front campaign. In the same season the Backups get about 10-15 Starts, all barring injuries. I use rest whenever the physio tells me about "jaded" players. I also liberally use the recovery session after every match and match practice. I try not to play players more than twice a week except Goalkeepers. If I was a midtable mediocre team the splits between Starters and Backups Starts would be closer to 50/50. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 March 2034 Manager's Thoughts The length of the season and the expectations are catching up with this team. We laid an egg against RC Lens, but we were able to dispatch Toulouse FC Three times in a row in 10 days. The other match saw the Backups NOT lose to FC Lorient in a match where we threw away points just to give the starters a rest. The team is becoming more relevant with each game. We should be able to fulfill all of the Board expectations except the Coupe de France this season and I am determined to do as well as possible in the Europa League even if it means a 5th place finish in Ligue 1. (Which would give us Europa League again) Next Month (April) will be another busy month with plenty of matches and rotation will we be able to keep up with the pace and expectations of a big team with our relatively young roster that is the question. If I look back on the past season so far don't count us out of anything yet! Schedule Highlights The first match of March was a top 5 matchup against our bogey team RC Lens. Both teams were in good form and Lens was favored because they were at home..... Pellegrini is playing well but had just asked for a new contract and I refused, and he wouldn't wait till the end of the season..... I would have El Ainin as the DLP-D as I continued to look for the best midfield three..... For all the hype the match was a bore......we didn't show up every starter was under 6.5 rating. I subbed out the Goalkeeper at Halftime with a 5.5 Rating! I don't know what happened mentally to the team. I slammed the team after the match and I hoped they took notice! The Ligue 1 Coaching carousel continues to go round! After the Grim outing in Lens, we headed to Toulouse to play a Europa League match and the first of 3 matches against them in 14 days! Europa League was coming to town..... It was considered an even draw but I still gave us the edge. Having a Second Leg at home is great if you can get a win or draw in the first! We won a rather open match.....but continued our winning ways over Toulouse FC. Godoy is beginning to score goals for fun. He seems to have finally settled. My rival De Zerbi didn't have much to say after the loss. After the match with Toulouse, I rotated the team, and the Backups would take on Relegation threatened FC Lorient. Since making the Quarterfinals of the Europa League were an actionable objective from the board. It was a bore draw, and the backups were out played, and we were actually lucky to escape with a draw. Europa Leage was coming to town! We were favored because of the first match and the fact we were now at home. We were focused on getting a result in the Europa League First. The next match in the league would take care of itself! Relegation Threatened Troyes has a new manager...... Match Day came and we were able to continue our winning ways: We Dominated the match and it was a late goal as we were ready to celebrate that kept us from the clean sheet. I always enjoy when the captain leads from the front! And I said so in the press! We made the most money from any one match in our history! By reaching the Quarterfinals we checked off a board objective! In the Quarterfinals we will take on Hibernian from Scotland! Even though we had Europa League to still deal with and the celebrations to go along with it. We still had one more match this month....another match with Toulouse FC! We headed to Bordeaux for a final clash this season and were favored. We just know how to beat Toulouse! The AML-IF-S was the star of the Match both scoring and creating! After that match the players went on International Break and that allowed me to check in on the Youth Intake. Only one player has a chance of making the first team..... Our Backup AML-IF-S got injured while training during the International Break and would miss the next month of matches. The Youth Intakes of the World were scoured, and the best of the best were listed. We had the #32 Wonderkid in our First team as a backup to Beauboucher a former wonderkid himself! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Looking good for champions league football next year 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 21 Author Share Posted January 21 13 hours ago, SixPointer said: Looking good for champions league football next year I hope but we have a tough month ahead of us with nine matches. 13 hours ago, SixPointer said: Looking good for champions league football next year Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 21 Author Share Posted January 21 April 2034: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts April was a busy month with a lot of big matches some of which I was forced to play the backups. What I learned is that the backups are good enough to beat relegation threatened teams but not much else. Unfortunately, as well we lost some of our depth to bad injuries. We lost to Feyenoord in the Semi-Final first leg but that was mostly due to what has become a thing every goalie seems to have his match of his career against us. All we can do is finish out the season as best we can and hope for the best which SHOULD be another invite to the Europa League, which was the season's objective from the board. Schedule Highlights Our very busy April began with a match against Rennes. We were the home team and Rennes was favored and because it was 2nd vs. 3rd place teams. I played my strongest possible side barring injuries. This player was signed from the castoffs to the ASSE2 Team. Rennes was a tough match in which neither side willing gave up anything....but Rennes GK was the difference in the match making 8 saves. The next match just a few days later took us to Scotland for the Europa League. We were able to beat Hibernian's 4-4-2 after practicing against Stade de Rennes much tougher version. The captain led the charge! And he was held out for special acknowledgement. We then returned to France to play AS Monaco. It was another big match but I had to rest the starters and I played the backups...... The Backups obviously weren't ready for prime time! We even had two men sent off with red cards! The AS Monaco coach gloated after the demolition...... Our Captain is on the shortlist for Europa League Player of the season! After the big loss to AS Monaco the starters were to get back in against Hibernian at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. We won the first meeting and if we just don't lose, we have a good chance of making the Semi-Final! Sem de Ridder our Wonderkid Defender is shortlisted for Young player of the Year! Hibernian had learned a thing or two about our team and we theirs and neither team could take advantage of the other. We had the ball and the shots but just couldn't get a goal! another GK on top form denies us! This time with 11 saves! We received a nice bag of cash for winning the Quarterfinal of the Europa League. And we will play Feyenoord in the Semi-Finals! After the midweek matchup I rotated the team again for the matchup with 16th place Bordeaux. We were favored and I hope the Backups would play better than their last outing. We were unbeaten in 5 against them and to give the backups some confidence.....I said we could continue in the same fashion. The match was drab bore of a match with neither team really threatening to score.....I was really disappointed in the backups. Even though the Bordeaux GK made 5 saves out our seven shots! The next match saw us travel to Troyes and in this match the starters would play. We are still fighting for Champions League Qualification! We will have some kind of European Football next season. I'm not sure if this is a bug or not, but we shall see at the end of the season. We haven't assured ourselves of Europa League Yet! In the end a half-rotated squad took it to Troyes and made them think that next season would be spent in Ligue2. Romero the hero of a few seasons ago was the hero once again....with his chance to shine. We were now headed to the Netherlands for a big match! We had problems putting shots on target and didn't play the best defense either against Feyenoord and we lost the first leg of the Semi-Final. After the loss in the Netherlands we came home to play Stade de Reims. We weren't playing well but the starters were tired and so I rotated the squad again. We lose the backup Left Back until the start of next season! The Backups played a superb match and dominated at home. We lose another backup until next season! I'm still not sure about this....... The backup DM was forced into a more advanced role in midfield and thrived! I was pleased with the players performance and he was also named player of the week! PSG reclaimed the Ligue 1 Uber Eats title losing only TWO matches this season! The Board really is trying to keep us in the black as the costs are beginning to soar as we are playing in the higher levels of Football. These were the Six players that were added to the U-19's. League Table Monthly Analysis Report Even with the 5-1 loss to AS Monaco our defensive numbers are very good. Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 23 Author Share Posted January 23 May 2034: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team played well winning three out of four matches in the month of May. It started out with dominant win over Feyenoord at home and then a dismal loss to PSG at home that proved we have a long way to go to challenge them for the title. But the team took the lesson to heart and dominated Strasbourg and then played well defensively for an unlikely victory over the favorites Tottenham for the Europa League Title. The revival is in full swing if a little early.....next season we will be in Champion's League as we search for the necessarry players to beat PSG and win Ligue 1 Uber Eats and finish our return to Topflight Football. Schedule Highlights The beginning of May saw us play the return leg of the Europa Semi-Final at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. After a narrow first leg loss we still had a chance.... We still had room for supporters and hoped for a sellout! We were slight favorites being the home team in the match.....that meant we had a chance! The captain was hyped up before the match by a former player in the media! If we won this match we would travel to Warsaw for the Final. The opposing manager tried to make us complacent ahead of the match.... It didn't work we played like champions! with a convincing 4-0 victory which we dominated. The captain led the line once again from the AMR-IF-A position (The Mo Salah Role) As a reward for our win we would then head to Warsaw...... and take on the favorites Tottenham in the Final. The media further explained about Van Doorn's performance in the Europa League! After the excitement midweek we were brought back down to earth by the thought of playing PSG. The Champs would look to put a damper on our celebrations, and we wanted to show we actually were a contender for the Ligue 1 Title. We were the home team and a bit tired from our midweek match, but I thought we had a chance...... Mbappe will always be a threat until he retires......just look at those totals at age 35! We went out thinking we had the match won and PSG quickly disabused us of that notion scoring three goals in the first half and then playing defense for the rest of the match, basically playing with us. Humiliating! After the loss to PSG, we had one more match to play in the Ligue 1 Season and I was trying to make sure we got the bad taste of defeat out of our mouths before our trip to Warsaw. PSG did in the second half after they went up three goals! Paris FC hasn't fared well since I left...... The last match was versus RC Strasbourg at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. The backups started and the starters finished a demolition of our final opponent before the Europa League Final! The Strasbourg manager knew his team was already on vacation....... So, we definitely had a Europa League place unless we won the Europa League! We came in 5th place one better than last season and right where the preseason predictions placed us! The Board was happy with the progress and gave us encouragement before the trip to Warsaw. This is the Tottenham starting XI, Alex Scott is the most dangerous player pulling the strings in midfield. Off to Poland on a Forlorn Hope! Pundits and fans thought we had a chance...... Our First Europa Cup Final......and hopefully not the last! \ Prematch Nerves got to me and I was worried. The match played out relatively even though they had more of the ball they couldn't penetrate our defense....the subs I made after half were to win it before extra time and penalties. It worked! French Super Cup and Europa League Double! League Table to be continued: 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Congratulations for EL trophy mate ! Another amazing season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 14 hours ago, Sheriff7 said: Congratulations for EL trophy mate ! Another amazing season! It was a bit lucky, but I will take it. It shows the progress we have made in 2.5 seasons. Our group in mostly young so if I can keep them together, we have a chance to beat PSG or others to win the Ligue 1 Title. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 May 2034: Post Season "Basking in the Glory" Highlights The cash kept coming in and help defray the costs of the party that lasted for three days...... But most importantly our win means we will be playing in Champions League! We won but weren't the biggest overachievers..... In the days after the victory and the party I was asked how we ended up here.....determination and a bit of luck! Van Doorn our captain led the team to glory and was rewarded with a magnificent personal achievement. Two players in the squad of the season versus Six for Tottenham showed the odds we overcame. Post Season Board Meeting The Board set the budget at $104M/Payroll and $125M Transfer. I am expected to adjust the budget somewhat, but I expect to make a big-ticket Transfer for next season to help the team. I think that $125M/Payroll and $100M/Transfer is a better balance. Especially with the team achieving the Champions League. The Demographics of our fans are changing and we are less family friendly I'm not sure that is a good thing long term. The Season Analysis of our play was good overall, but we need to do better defensively. Since the team is young it is good that it is so cohesive. That is thanks to my insistence on weekly team bonding sessions after big matches. The Board put together a decent set of objectives that we should be able to meet except the Best Youth System in the Country. We also need a top 3 finish so the pressure is still on! and shortly after the meeting I was told I had failed at this objective and then I made a bunch of proposals to fix it and found resistance from the board. I am still determined to get ASSE back to the top of Football, no matter what the board thinks! Season Review Decent Season we reached our Preseason ranking of 5th! We won the Europa League! Can't do better than that! The Coupe de Fance Campaign disappointment spurred us to do better in the Europa League! We won the Trophee des Champions as Coupe de France holder. The Finances were really helped by the Europa League run that has led to top level Sponsorships for the team! It was a pretty good season for our Starting XI, most played well and somewhere around a 7.00 rating. Team Awards and records were made and broken. Fans Player of the Season Young Player of the Season Goalkeeper of the Season He gets recognition for breaking the club shutout record! Highlights Part Deux The Coupe de France goes to our rival RC Lens. The Commercial summary heading into next season looks pretty good. I made the scouting budget bigger as I am going to expand scouting in Africa which is a traditional ASSE hotbed of players. Pellegrini and Romero got new deals that reflected how the club has moved up in the world! After Failing the Youth System objective I put a series of proposals to the board to rectify the situation. The Board wants us to buy more ready made players...... But they accepted better recruitment and Junior Coaching so that is a step in the right direction! Arsenal wins the Conference League! 5th place is the best the team has achieved since 2023! Management Report Monthly Financial Report to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeper#1 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Congrats on lifting the Europa League Trophy! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 1 hour ago, keeper#1 said: Congrats on lifting the Europa League Trophy! Thanks. I sort of went into it hoping not to get a hiding and we played well. We are about a year or so ahead of schedule. This next season will show if we really have it in us to challenge for the Ligue1 Uber Eats Title. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikulec Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Nice and steady progress being made, congrats on the Europa League win! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 58 minutes ago, Rikulec said: Nice and steady progress being made, congrats on the Europa League win! Thanks for the encouragement. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 26 Author Share Posted January 26 June 2034: Offseason Highlights To no one's surprise the PSG Manager won Manager of the Year.....at least I made the Shortlist! The Saudi Sharks are circling for our players...... Bauer is a player I would like to keep. He doesn't fit my physical profile, but his "soccer sense" and flair are second to none. I really don't want to break the bank mostly because I don't see any player in our price range ($60-80M) that are really better than what we already have. Including this guy who wasn't even on our radar.....since that isn't the position we are looking to upgrade. We did sign this possible wonderkid to ASSE2. and also with this player..... This was the position I wanted to upgrade, and this player isn't much better than what we already have, but he has a less playmaking profile and more of a destroyer. He will be retrained as a Box-to-Box Midfielder for depth purposes making Nery Burton expendable. Only Two Teams were promoted. We are now in the Top 100! Other French Teams (looking at you PSG) are not pulling their weight in European Competitions! We are top Ten in France, now to make our French reputation equal to our Ligue 1 Uber Eats ranking is the project! The Chairman called a Board Meeting to ask if I wanted improved Youth Facilities that they denied just a month ago......what changed? I am happy but I asked and was denied this very improvement a month ago! Maybe the TV Money coming in made the bank balance big enough...... We will have an early test against PSG that might make or break our season! Our Wonderkid Central Midfielder is staying for now.....joint highest paid at the club! (Van Doorn has the Highest paid Clause) We will take on the storied Champions of Europe in the UEFA Supercup! I decided to change the Assman....to one that follows the gegenpressing 4-3-3 tactical philosophy. Our Scheduled Training Camp in California was canceled so we could play this match...... We will take on the South American Champions.....I hope to crush them because I had to cancel my trip to Disneyland! Management Report No one's tired of me yet....neither am I tired even though that day is coming. Monthly Financial Report to be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 July 2034: Preseason "Summer Camp with Trucks Tour" Manager's Thoughts We played a variety of teams during the preseason and in all played pretty well. When we played teams of our level or below, we won. When we played an Elite Level team (Arsenal and Liverpool) we lost and it wasn't even close. I am not sure how we will be able to close the gap with the Elite teams because of Budgetary issues. We have doubled the the payroll of the team these last two seasons to just keep what we have. The Transfer Fund sound well-funded with $82M, but that doesn't buy a truly game changing player any more based on the transfer worth of our own and other players. For such a player one would need a minimum of $120M. This puts us in a quandary we are a good team but how to become great? Schedule Highlights The Preseason schedule was a mix of easy teams and tough teams to get us ready for the Champions League matches we will be facing this season. The Board also reminded me of their expectations for the coming season as we got ready for the Saliba Testimonial versus Arsenal. The Toughest expectation is going to be qualify for Champions League thru the League which means a Top Four Finish. It is possible and we are preseason pick to be fourth but with the Champions League thrown in it will make for a difficult campaign especially as we play PSG early in the season. The Board backs us decently with Payroll and Transfer Funds, but neither is enough to attract a real game changing talent. ASSE has a bunch of "good players" who work well as a team none are really a singular talent even though we have some former wonderkids. I was able to get my Continental Pro License so now I can apply for Top Jobs! There are only Two jobs I would chase.... Hertha, which is similar to ASSE and Liverpool since that is my Dream Job. Any other top jobs would have to seek me out and provide an offer I couldn't refuse...... The Arsenal match just proved the gulf between ASSE and Arsenal....they are a team of great singular talents who can easily overcome a team of "good " players whose system allows them to punch above their weight. A few weeks of easy wins against Affiliated Football clubs led to the Euro/SA Club Challenge. We won the match due to our commitment to the press and teamwork that kept them on the back foot most of the match. A first Trophy of the season and it is nice to be mentioned among the past winners as well.....it means we are becoming a Top Team. It will look good in the Display case at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. We sold off a former starter because his replacement Bauer was better and made a decent profit from it. We are still under constraints of not spending more money than we make and now the Payroll is double what it was just Two seasons ago! We played Liverpool as the Month ended after returning with a trophy in hand, but we were shown that we had a way to go before we were in their class. Unfortunately, we will now be without one of our most important players to start the season! As the month was ending I was offered a job in International Coaching: I turned it down mostly because I wasn't finished at ASSE yet.......I would like to win Ligue 1 before I leave, and I will only leave for the "Right" Job. Since I think I only have about 1-2 jobs left before I retire. I am currently 62 years old! I am retiring at 70 no matter what! Season Preview We are expected to be Fourth which is a good position considering we didn't make any big moves in the offseason. That will also get us the UCL Qualification the Board wants. No one from ASSE on the list but that is understandable since we take a more team approach to scoring. Only players from the Top 2 teams are on the list. Player of the Preseason Even though he is the backup at the Striker position he has made his case to included in playing more often. Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 August 2034: Regular Season "Rough Start" Manager's Thoughts A combination of injuries to important players and tough schedule led to a Four Match losing streak that led to some supporters calling for me to be fired. The team is basically the same as last season and playing the same system for the third season in a row, but I never expected it to get this bad. The losses to Real Madrid and PSG can be excused, we played well and just lost to better teams with better players. The losses to Reims and Toulouse can't be excused even if I played the backups against them because the defense was just awful with them pinging passes to setup scoring chances like they were Barcelona or Manchester City under Pep. The bad start means that any thoughts of cup runs and Champions League are put on hold since the most important expectation is a top four finish in Ligue 1 Uber Eats and we already have a lot of points lost. So the rest of the season I will make the League my priority unless I want to find another job. Schedule Highlights As August began an interesting opening for me opened up in managing, but it was the wrong time to leave ASSE for another basically lateral move to the Bundesliga. I had a season to prepare for and would have a tough start and it would need all of my attention. The Penultimate Preseason friendly went to script. We shipped out our 3rd string Striker after he complained about playing time and $10M is fair return on a free transfer. The Final Preseason Friendly couldn't have gone better against Schalke04. We seemed ready for the season and since we had to play Real Madrid midweek after the start of our season followed by PSG. I decided to let the Backups start the season against Stade de Reims. We were favorites to win and I expected the Backups to do a professional job and at least not lose. The Board reminded me of the expectations yet again......the League is most important. The match against Stade de Reims came and it was a bad day at the office.....they were really up for it and we had no answers. It was a terrible thumping but if we could play well against Real Madrid and PSG this match would quickly be forgotten. The Fans and board were shocked at the defeat...... Highlights of the match at 11pm across France. Were in Relegation places after one match,,,,,not the start I envisaged. They gave us our own back.....and had 7 yellow cards in the match and injured several of our players. It definitely affected the way our players played. After the shock loss against Reims we were taking on a Footballing World Giant: Real Madrid in Estonia! We played well considering it was Real Madrid we were playing and only lost by one goal that was worldly. But of concern was the loss of our Captain and Talisman Van Doorn for the rest of the month! We will have a hard time filling the void...... We were expected to have close to sellout for the PSG match at Stade Geoffrey Guichard. PSG was favored but we would do our best to upset the apple cart! Kylian Mbappe is still leading the line at 35! Good News from the Marketing Department we now have 50% of the seats in our stadium as season ticketholders! Another match where we played PSG tough, but they were let off the hook by a late penalty.....at 90'+7! The PSG Manager was pleased with the win.....while I wasn't exactly thrilled with the referee and his time keeping! The Ligue 1Uber Eats Managerial carousel continues to spin with the old manager leaving for Ireland National Team. The next match was against Toulouse FC and my old rival Roberto de Zerbi. I desperately wanted to win this one, but again it was not to be..... There was a lot of prematch hype for what was squib of a match that we lost 2-0! That meant we had one last chance this month to win a competitive match this month.....against Bordeaux. At least it would be at home, and we were still favored in the match. We were still with many injuries..... and two days before the match the Starting LCB hurts himself and will miss the match! Three of the five players on the list to miss the match are starters! and the worst part is that we have the 2nd best physio department in the League! We played well like we had against Real Madrid and PSG but this time came out victors! The win was much needed and would make the end of the month break that much sweeter. We didn't quite reach the magical number of 500 passes. The Day after our first victory of the season we found out who we would play in the Champions League. If we make the knockout round, it will be a miracle! At least we are being paid for our humiliation! We checked another box in the objectives list! As the Deadline came and after the losses I gave some thought to adding to the team at the deadline, but couldn't quite decide on a target that was much better than our starters. League Table Any Dreams of actually competing in Champions League must go out the window and I must put all my effort into the League. Monthly Analysis Report The Defense has been terrible this month. Player of the Month Management Report The win against Bordeaux at the end of the month steadied the ship. Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 September 2034: Regular Season "Ups and Downs" Manager's Thoughts It was a decent month. We played well in the League and not so well in the Champions League. That was due to my focus on the Ligue1 and playing the backups in Champions league. We also got some help in that 3 of our four league opponents were relegation fodder, but we did beat OGC Nice in a close match to close out the month. We are scoring well but the defense especially the goalkeeping is a concern. We have only one shutout. Last Season we set a team record with 17! We will continue with the league focus so we can return to champions league next season that is the plan. Now to see if it survives contact with the enemy. Schedule Highlights The Team only added a few players and as the Transfer Window has ended: 2034/35 was mostly players leaving. The moves for the players added were at the end of the 2033/34 Window. Out of those players come 5 players in to the first team. (1 Starter and 4 backups/possible future starters) Ezio Bauer is the best player so far and is the starting Left Back. After the window closed it was time to get on with playing matches. Bastia a relegation favorite and newly promoted team was about to learn about Ligue 1 Uber Eats as I would play the Starters. I was trying to instill confidence in my team after the bad month on the pitch! We pressed them hard and dominated the match like we were expected to, but they scored against the run of play and that was concerning and would be a problem the rest of the month. Bynoe-Gittens did his job with two assists and a goal! The team returned home from Corsica to take on Racing Club Strasbourg at the Stade Geoffrey Guichard. We were favorites and again I would play the Starters since we had to make up lost points and position in the table. and they suffered our wrath.....but they did score two in another match we dominated as expected. It was a master class in scoring everything worked counter attacks, breaking down a bus, Set Pieces you name it we scored! Bynoe-Gittens had another great game. Highlights across France that night.....we were back! Bynoe-Gittens was player of the week. The next match even though it was in Champions League would see me rest the starters and play the backups. If the Starters weren't tired, I'd say we had a good chance of winning. We took the lead with our press of their backline, then they stopped playing out of the back and scored on two long balls over our press. We should have stopped the second goal which was an own goal. The Following players were named to the Young Player watchlist for the Champion's League. After the disappointing loss to Cadiz, we then had to play relegation threatened SM Caen that had just gotten a new manager. The Starters would play against the relegation team because the league was now our focus. We escaped Normandie after almost getting ambushed in the Hedgerows! The Defense shined in this one......and he was also named player of the week! After the trip to Normandie the team headed to Rotterdam to replay the Europa League Semi-Final Rematch. I almost decided to play the starters but too many players needed rest after the Caen match. The match was considered even by the fans but since I was playing a rotated XI we were on the outside looking in. We took an early lead and slowly folded as they controlled the game and created chances. The opposing manager was happy to beat our backups! But we lost one of our impact subs. We would finish the month with a match against OGC Nice, who was in third place and wouldn't be pushovers like the other league matches this month. We would play a full strength Starting XI for the important match. The media tried to create a "War of Words" to Hype the match but neither of us fell into the trap. We won a close hard-fought match. The opposing coach was bitter after the match...... We had played well led by our captain. Valdes had some things to say about our style and the press asked why we play this way....... It was a good day at the office and especially on their Left Flank. I was happy to see that ASSE was home academy for two French National Team Players. Hopefully we can find a few more in the coming years. Another terrible injury, this time in training. At Least two weeks of his convalescence is on the international break, and he won't miss too many matches. League Table Monthly Analysis Report The Attacking polygon looks good if skewed because of the Strasbourg match. The team defense one still needs some work. Our OpponentXG is horrible. Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 October 2034: Regular Season "Bookend Wins" Manager's Thoughts We have played pretty well this season in the league and have consolidated ourselves into fifth place. This is mostly due to our Striker Godoy and his league leading 11 goals in nine matches. We are continuing to beat up the lesser teams of the table, but our test versus AS Monaco showed that we still have a way to go to really challenge for a Champions League place. Our play in the Champions League all season has been disappointing even if I haven't been playing the strongest squads, we are yet to win in the competition. This without us playing the strongest teams in our schedule. The focus on the League will remain but I am hoping to win one match in the Champions League for the sake of pride. Schedule Highlights The first half of the month saw an international break with just training and ASSE2 matches for the remainder of the team. The biggest news of that time was the fact that we re-signed our Striker to an extension, and he will now be leading the line for years to come! The Captain got a raise as well and both are now the highest paid players on the team. The First match of the month came soon after and it would be a visit from rival FC Nantes. We were favored as the home team and because I was focusing on the League, we would play the strongest team available. Sen De Ridder was runner up for the FIFA Best U21 Player of the Year. Quite an accomplishment for a defensive player. As you can see, he has quite an attribute spread and is a quite effective CD-C. Then time came for the match against FC Nantes: We played well led by the newly extended Godoy! Godoy led the line with a hat trick to celebrate his new contract! I was happy with his performance, and he was even named Player of the Week! After the match with FC Nantes, we had a big match with League Leading AS Monaco, one of our bogey teams. The trips to the principality are always rough and this time seemed no different. We played well on the road and were beat by a better team in spite of Beauboucher's heroics in front of goal. Beauboucher was the best player on the pitch and was named player of the week. After the loss to AS Monaco, we had a trip to Basel in the Champions League and would try to win with a half -rotated team since some of my stars were concerned about playing time. It looked like an even matchup and with a half-rotated squad I was confident of victory. We went out to an early lead and just before half I pulled my stars from the field......the second half they became another team and it became the Aaron Akale show with Longballs to him over the to of our press. It was a disheartening loss in that it was probably our last chance to get a win in Champions League this season with Arsenal Barcelona, and Napoli left on our schedule. We returned home to Stade Geoffrey Guichard to host Valenciennes FC. We were still big favorites as the home team. I was looking for a bounceback win! The Valenciennes FC Manager was less than enthusiastic about our style of Football. But in the end, we showed his team who was boss! Led by our Striker Godoy and another Hat-trick! Of course, I was pleased with Godoy's performance! Player of the Week yet again! And he earned a bonus for 10 League Goals! All the usual suspects have great youth systems. One day I want ASSE on the list. League Table Fifth place in the league and Godoy leading the goals race we are on track in the league. Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 3 Author Share Posted February 3 November 2034: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts We lost more than we won, but it also showed that when we are on, we are close to unbeatable with our starting XI. The problem is that our starting XI can't play every match when a team plays more than a match a week. The team also has made it back to 5th place in the Ligue 1 table so our focus on the league has paid off. Other teams are interested in my services, but it would take an offer I can't refuse from a much bigger team for me to move from ASSE. I know I only have a few years of managing left and I want to be some place I want to be and right now that is ASSE. The Board has made the team everything I could want from the Budget and Facilities point of view now we just have to finish the job and win the Ligue1 Title in the next couple of seasons. Schedule Highlights The first match of the month saw the team travel to Montpellier for a match we were favored in. We would need to do a professional job. In true FM Style our Talisman goes down before an important stretch of matches! We then lost the match because we were without our leading scorer. We were impotent in the attack against their "Parked Bus" and they scored on a counter against the run of play. This summed up the fans and my feelings after the match..... and afterwards we had to play Napoli in the Champions League! We went into the match with a rotated squad and no real hope of winning, but I wanted an appearance of a fight. We were pinned back and picked apart, but at least the backups got good minutes of experience. After the match with Napoli, we returned home to take on Title Contenders Stade de Rennes at Stade Geoffrey Guichard in St. Etienne. We were surprisingly picked as favorites over the perennial contenders. New Gens rule the roost now, with all the usual suspects having a top ten player. After the back-to-back tough losses, I wanted to instill confidence in the side before the big match. and of course, another big injury before an important match...... It ended up being a goal fest and we came up on top to shock the world! Our BBM led the team with a Hat Trick! The team is now in 5th place, the focus on the league is working. Player of the week from the Midfield! Seven points in five matches and an 8.00 rating! The wonderkid is living up to his promise. Now he just needs to get into the French National Team. Record Breaking even if it wasn't the best defensive effort. We really tried to play more direct leading to more scoring. Five Players in the Team of the Week! After the big win the team continued working toward success with the renovation of the Youth Facilities. The facilities are now State of the Art as are the First Team Facilities. Time will tell if we again become a "Football Player Factory"! An Enquiry into my services. I declined without hesitation. I am only looking for "better" jobs than ASSE. Where I have everything, I could want except true success..... and I told the press just that. After a week of improvements at the club and Intrigue off the pitch we now had to take on our rivals Olympique Marseille. I was hoping for a repeat of the Rennes Match and so were the bookies..... We won yet again led by our captain. OM Manager looking for excuses...... When the captain, who plays the Mo Salah role, is on his game we are tough to beat. Another Player of the Week! After the match with OM, Arsenal came to town, I decided to play a half-rotated squad to give us a chance in front of the home fans. We were only considered equals to Arsenal because we were the home team. I was planning on resting players since our focus wasn't on Champions League. The half-rotated squad gave Arsenal a match and if I had played all the starters we might have won, but I was happy with the effort. Show us the money! DE Zerbi left Toulouse and was replaced by this guy! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Player of the Month Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 4 Author Share Posted February 4 December 2034: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts The team played better during this month led by the return of Striker Juan Godoy to the lineup with six goals. He is also leading Ligue 1 with 14 goals through 17 matches. When the team is whole and playing like this, we can beat anyone. the problem though is that we can score with anyone, but the real problem is our defense and goal keeping we just can't keep goals out. That has led to us being in third place in Ligue 1 due to our focus on the league, but we have yet to have a draw this season. We win big or lose close with no in between! Schedule Highlights The month of December began with a rivalry clash with Olympique Lyonnais. Stade Geoffrey Guichard was expected to be sold out! Even though we weren't in the best form were favorites to win the match. The match of the Weekend! We took it to them and pressed them hard in another midfield display of offensive prowess. and the captain pulled the strings setting up the goals! The players rose to the occasion! Highlights that night and temporarily in third place in Ligue 1. Van Doorn having a great stretch of performances! After the big win versus our rivals, we had to travel to Coal Country and take on LOSC. We are thinking of getting a new right back and this player is good enough to be an upgrade at the position. We went out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, but were denied the clean sheet by a late LOSC Goal. Bynoe-Gittens doing his thing setting up goals! Yes, we are looking at Jordi Hollander, but others are on our radar as well. No decisions have been made yet. A VAR decision that went our way with "No Penalty"! Going into the Champions League match looking to salvage some pride we played a half-rotated squad. We won what will be our only match of this Champions League cycle with Barcelona and Real Madrid left to play. It was a good win led by our Talisman in front to goal! The Big man scored Two to give us the lead before he was rested. We then found out who we would play in the Coupe de France. A decent get the legs back match after Christmas Break! The Last match of the Year and first half of the Season was against RC Lens for Third place going into the Christmas Break. We were favored on our home ground, but RC Lens is a tough outfit we played all of our starters for this one. The media tried to stir up a War of Words but neither manager would fall for it before the important match! We won the tight match and wouldn't have without Juan Godoy our Striker! Leading the line and the Ligue 1 in goals! Rumors are that someone wants me to move due to my success at ASSE.....haven't been approached yet! Godoy has had a good spell of performances. I intend to stay at ASSE unless a truly top job opens up. I am enjoying myself so far.....and if I do move it will only be for the "Last" Job. Ligue 1 Uber Eats Coach Carousel continues to spin...... Sevilla actually offered the interview to my surprise but I turned them down anyway. Our new DM-DLP-D is the best rookie in Ligue 1. Decent Stats and getting better by the day. Two of our Loanees are lighting up Ligue 2 as well. A backup CB is announcing his intention to leave.....who cares! The Ligue 2 Player of the Month is on the right track! League Table Monthly Analysis Report Management Report Monthly Financial Report Looking Ahead to be continued: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hootieleece Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 January 2035: Regular Season Manager's Thoughts It was a terrible month in which we forgot how to play any defense and lost all of our matches to lower ranked teams except for Barcelona. I also thought that I had lost the locker room and after a dreadful loss to Bordeaux in which we were favorites. I decided to resign and take some time away from Football. I may return if the right job pops up and since I still have a few years before I retire at 70. (I am 63) Highlights The new year meant more injuries and important players on the Injured List. We were now missing our #1 GK and one of our two starting Centerbacks. The Coupe de France had us playing Ligue2 Competition and I was happy to play a half-rotated squad for the match since we were favored. We had played well before the break, and I thought that we would resume with a good tune-up before playing League and Champions League matches again. We went up 2-0 and were ready to cruise to victory when the wheels came off.....Omar Le Guen late of ASSE scored and then Lepetre got a red card for a two footed challenge and after that if an ASSE player looked at an Orleans player sideways it was a yellow card! So we scored late to go ahead but then gave up a tying goal that sent it to penalties.......oh the lottery. Yes, we lost in the 9th Round when we had a decent chance of lifting the trophy. It really wasn't the players fault for the loss.....it was more the referee's! Look at that ref rating and ALL seven cards were against ASSE! We then lost our starting DM just before League play starts....... Marseille hired Sevilla ex manager who I could have replaced! We then had a match against Stade de Reims who were sitting in 14th in the table....a perfect way to get back on track. We would play the strongest team available minus injuries and should have been able to win it. We have officially forgotten how to play defense at all........Balls over the top and terrible goalkeeping had us fighting from behind before the whistle even began the match! and to make matters worse the captain would miss the next 1-2 matches. I slammed the team after the loss to Reims....which was unexpected to say the least! and we made their Right winger look like Messi! De Ridder got a pay raise for good service. An Academy product with loads of talent but Low-Self belief was not to be retained by the club and was signed by Atalanta out of all the suitors. After the two bad losses this month so far, we had to travel to Barcelona for the Champions League. We played with a half-rotated squad and played well all things considered but it wasn't enough..... That meant our month of woe continued..... We then had to travel to Bordeaux for a Ligue 1 match. We would play the strongest team available and look to turn around these results! I had a good record against the Bordeaux Boss, but I wanted the players to get the glory for their part in our success against them. More bad defense and terrible goalkeeping the players even seemed to lack belief......unacceptable! Bordeaux Boss was all smiles afterwards....... The fans and board don't like the loss any more than I did, but I was beginning to believe that I lost the locker room. I resigned after the embarrassing loss...and with my belief that I had lost the locker room made my tenure untenable. The Staff thought I was doing ok with no less than 9 members leaving with me..... I thought it was time to leave my words weren't hitting the way they used to......you can only hair dryer a player or players so many times before they ignore it. It was time to leave..... I am still up for jobs......we'll see.....I might go back to teaching History! to be continued or not as the case maybe! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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