SixPointer Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Inconsistency is one of the most frustrating things ever. I think if you’re playing really bad it’s easy to look at what’s wrong and fix it. When your inconsistent, tactically and visually your seeing a lot of good things that you like so it’s harder to change things as you don’t want to lose the good stuff. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 2 hours ago, SixPointer said: Inconsistency is one of the most frustrating things ever. Absolutely! We have players who are great one week, poor the next... never know what to change (if anything!) It's doing my head in 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 24 minutes ago, warlock said: Absolutely! We have players who are great one week, poor the next... never know what to change (if anything!) It's doing my head in I feel your pain my man 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 I often use the phrase "consistently, inconsistent" - does that about sum it up, @warlock 8 hours ago, SixPointer said: Inconsistency is one of the most frustrating things ever. I think if you’re playing really bad it’s easy to look at what’s wrong and fix it. When your inconsistent, tactically and visually your seeing a lot of good things that you like so it’s harder to change things as you don’t want to lose the good stuff. @SixPointer makes a good point. Frustratingly, it's easier to identify what needs changing with a bad run of form than it is with an inconsistent one. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 @Stuniverse @SixPointer Thanks for the support - and words of wisdom. I go through this process on every save... go into a promoted season expecting to struggle, then we do well, then we start to struggle and I get annoyed. The fact is, while we have some very good talents in the squad, most of the players aren't good enough for L1. I knew this in the summer but because the board expectations are low and money was tight, I figured we could make do. We're doing better than we should be, so the real problem is my expectations Anyway, I'm experimenting with a switch back to the 1-2 shape in central midfield. The 2-1 shape is great defensively, but I think it costs us too much going forward. It could work if we had someone capable of playing volante or regista to give us that creativity or penetration but the DMs we have are all natural BWMs. A 4231 is also difficult because we don't have much in the way of AMCs. We'll see how it goes. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 3 hours ago, warlock said: @Stuniverse @SixPointer Thanks for the support - and words of wisdom. I go through this process on every save... go into a promoted season expecting to struggle, then we do well, then we start to struggle and I get annoyed. The fact is, while we have some very good talents in the squad, most of the players aren't good enough for L1. I knew this in the summer but because the board expectations are low and money was tight, I figured we could make do. We're doing better than we should be, so the real problem is my expectations Anyway, I'm experimenting with a switch back to the 1-2 shape in central midfield. The 2-1 shape is great defensively, but I think it costs us too much going forward. It could work if we had someone capable of playing volante or regista to give us that creativity or penetration but the DMs we have are all natural BWMs. A 4231 is also difficult because we don't have much in the way of AMCs. We'll see how it goes. Sounds like you have an idea what is tactically limiting you which is always a good start point to tweak 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 November 2024 - More ups than downs? After a rather gloomy update last time, there may be some cause for optimism. I've made the midfield switch from the 2-1 shape to a 1-2 as discussed. With just three matches in October there wasn't much basis for an assessment of the new tactic - our results were the very definition of inconsistent: What I can say is that the win against Rennes was expected (they are not the force they were until recently); the draw at home to Troyes was hugely disappointing; and the spanking away at PSG was entirely to be expected. November, however, was rather better: Yes, we lost away at Monaco but we expected nothing else, but the wins against Lyon and Strasbourg were not only better results but better performances. They also saw a return to sparkling form for Vipotnik and Davitashvili, long may it continue. In the spirit of optimism, it's worth noting that the four games we've lost this season have come against the four best teams in the league - Lens, Marseille, Monaco and PSG - and all away from home: Not everything in the garden is rosy, though. I've had to deal with a succession of demands for new contracts, from RB Michelin, DM Lacoux, and CM Sissokho. All wanted to triple or quadruple their current wage, all wanted guarantees about playing time I wasn't prepared to give, and all were left disappointed. Even worse, the unhappiness has spread to some of their team-mates, although it is a long way from a dressing room rebellion. So far. Lacoux and Sissokho are now transfer listed and playing in the B team, but I'd like to keep Michelin. Since we need to sign at least one backup CM, any new deal for him will depend on how much cash we have available in January. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 (edited) Maybe I see your issue, top scorer on four after 14 games. Suggests it's not the player who leads the line, more the pieces around him. Either that or play Strasbourg every game as that went well I remember Michelin from many years ago in France. Hasn't turned in to the Michelin star that his early games suggested, but pleased to see he is still a decent option. Edited January 3 by Jogo Bonito 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said: not the player who leads the line, more the pieces around him Agreed - it's taken a bit of time to arrange the pieces but I think we're making progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 December 2025 - The halfway point With the reduction in L1 to 18 clubs, life is pretty easy - we've had no months of 5 games, and two months of just 3 games. December has been one of our busier months with four games crammed into two weeks... so we can all have a three-week break for Christmas and New Year. And January has just two games all month, including our entry into the Couple de France. Meanwhile, the tactical changes we've made recently continue to bear fruit: Lille are another big club suffering a tough season and are mired in a relegation battle. The win was not a surprise then, and we were more comfortable than the scoreline suggests with only a late, late consolation goal allowing the home side to save face: We dominated Montpellier at home, and the draw away at Reims was a good result against a team who are just above us in the table (on goal difference). The match was notable as, at long last, Chris Bedia bagged his first goal. But we saved the best until last as we extracted a measure of revenge on Lens for our opening day defeat: I expected a tougher game against a side who have been Top 3 all season but they seemed happy to hand us an early Christmas present. We also added another two names to the scorers as LB Quintilla grabbed his first of the season, and young AML Marvin De Lima glossed our performance with his first senior goal. The coaches rate him as one of our best prospects and I've been giving him minutes off the bench whenever possible. If he makes good on his potential he'll be a star for us: As noted, this brings us to the halfway point of the season: PSG, to no-one's surprise, are running away with it. But we sit just 1pt off second place and with an encouraging 7pt cushion in the European qualification spots. We have no European ambitions at this stage - the money would be very welcome, but the additional pressure on a squad of limited resources would be difficult, if not disastrous. We're only expected to avoid relegation, although I have a sense that the board might be moving the goalposts: They "only expect the team to end up qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League". Well, that's big of them! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 It’s going very well @warlock with lots of green on the traffic lights - very well done - but are your Board moving the goal posts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 2 hours ago, Stuniverse said: are your Board moving the goal posts? Not officially, but I'm expecting some degree of "disappointment" if we don't qualify for some kind of European competition 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 6 hours ago, warlock said: Not officially Phew! That’s a relief 👍 6 hours ago, warlock said: but I'm expecting some degree of "disappointment" if we don't qualify for some kind of European competition That’s Boards for you 😂⚽️🤣 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) Apologies, @warlock - I got carried away (didn't check which thread I was on) and posted updates on my save on here. Not sure if a moderator can delete this post please? Edited January 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) Apologies, @warlock - I got carried away (didn't check which thread I was on) and posted updates on my save on here. Not sure if a moderator can delete this post please? Edited January 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) Apologies, @warlock - I got carried away (didn't check which thread I was on) and posted updates on my save on here. Not sure if a moderator can delete this post please? Edited January 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) Apologies, @warlock - I got carried away (didn't check which thread I was on) and posted updates on my save on here. Not sure if a moderator can delete this post please? Edited January 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) Apologies, @warlock - I got carried away (didn't check which thread I was on) and posted updates on my save on here. Not sure if a moderator can delete this post please? Edited January 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) Apologies, @warlock - I got carried away (didn't check which thread I was on) and posted updates on my save on here. Not sure if a moderator can delete this post please? Edited January 4 by Stuniverse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 1 hour ago, Stuniverse said: posted updates on my save on here I did wonder about the flurry of notifications when I logged on this morning. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 04/01/2024 at 00:27, warlock said: December 2025 - The halfway point With the reduction in L1 to 18 clubs, life is pretty easy - we've had no months of 5 games, and two months of just 3 games. December has been one of our busier months with four games crammed into two weeks... so we can all have a three-week break for Christmas and New Year. And January has just two games all month, including our entry into the Couple de France. Meanwhile, the tactical changes we've made recently continue to bear fruit: Lille are another big club suffering a tough season and are mired in a relegation battle. The win was not a surprise then, and we were more comfortable than the scoreline suggests with only a late, late consolation goal allowing the home side to save face: We dominated Montpellier at home, and the draw away at Reims was a good result against a team who are just above us in the table (on goal difference). The match was notable as, at long last, Chris Bedia bagged his first goal. But we saved the best until last as we extracted a measure of revenge on Lens for our opening day defeat: I expected a tougher game against a side who have been Top 3 all season but they seemed happy to hand us an early Christmas present. We also added another two names to the scorers as LB Quintilla grabbed his first of the season, and young AML Marvin De Lima glossed our performance with his first senior goal. The coaches rate him as one of our best prospects and I've been giving him minutes off the bench whenever possible. If he makes good on his potential he'll be a star for us: As noted, this brings us to the halfway point of the season: PSG, to no-one's surprise, are running away with it. But we sit just 1pt off second place and with an encouraging 7pt cushion in the European qualification spots. We have no European ambitions at this stage - the money would be very welcome, but the additional pressure on a squad of limited resources would be difficult, if not disastrous. We're only expected to avoid relegation, although I have a sense that the board might be moving the goalposts: They "only expect the team to end up qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League". Well, that's big of them! Love it when a tactical tweak turns things around. Nothing more satisfying in life (don’t tell my wife I said that) 🤣 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 1 hour ago, SixPointer said: don’t tell my wife Your secret is safe here! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 February 2025 - Keeping calm, carrying on The January transfer window turned out to be something of a non-event. We had two players - Lacoux and Sissokho - whose contracts were expiring in June and refused to renew on sensible money, so both were transfer-listed in the hope of raising some cash. In the event, both players were courted for free transfers at the end of their current deals and no other interest materialised. So both agreed free moves, Lacoux to Wolves and Sissohko to Eintracht Frankfurt. But as the deals were confirmed, I made 'buy them now' offers to both clubs and both agreed, so we raised £250k each, poor value but better than nothing. With the wages saved, I was then able to offer RB Michelin a new deal that he was happy to accept. Although I really wanted a new CM, we couldn't find anyone that we could afford so that wishlist item remains for the summer. We did buy one player, though: 20-year-old Gustavo Varela was on an expiring deal with Benfica's B-team so we were able to pick him up for £120k in compensation. Physically, he looks like the real deal and while his other attributes need some improving, I'm confident he'll turn out to be a good player for us in a year or two. While the window proceeded we engaged in some minimal football with just one league game and two cup games this month. The draw at home to Lorient was a disappointment - after taking what looked like a comfortable lead thanks to an early Vipotnik brace, we didn't turn up after the interval and allowed the visitors two goals from 3 shots on target. Harsh words were spoken. We recovered to see off Nantes in the league and then - after they took the tie to penalties - beat them again in the shootout to book a cup quarter-final against Nice. The win against Metz was routine, but we produced another shocker against Brest: They were hovering just above the relegation zone and after we twice came from behind I was hoping they'd settle for the draw. But they didn't, and they deserved the win. I expected nothing from Marseille but we, at least, escaped without being completely embarrassed, before finishing the month with an excellent win against Nice to reserve our place in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France.. We seem to have settled into a run of form where we can attack or defend but not both in the same game. Strikers Vipotnik and Bedia continue to put in cameo performances but the star of the attack this year has been Gaetan Weissbeck. Playing as either the attacking CM or AMR on support he now has 8 goals and 3 assists from 15 starts. The dropped points against Brest and Marseille see us drop down to 6th but very much in the hunt for the European places: We'll have a good chance to pick up points in March with games against 3 of the bottom 4 in Paris FC, Troyes and Rennes. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Only two points a drift of fourth. Does that still get you a UCL spot? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 14 hours ago, SixPointer said: Does that still get you a UCL spot? I think so, but fifth might do it depending on who wins the Couple de France. I haven't really looked into it - far beyond my expectations for this season 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 March 2025 - We march on At the end of the last update I said we had the chance to pick up some points as we played three of the bottom four this month. I may have neglected to mention that PSG were waiting for our fourth fixture. So how did we do? An excellent month, not least because we took a point off PSG for the first time. Paris FC, Rennes and Troyes are all in and around the relegation places so I would have been disappointed had we lost any of these games, although the manner of the victories was pleasing with us scoring 9 and conceding just one. But there has to be a fly in the ointment and it's the continuing failure of our strikers to find the net - Davitashvili and Mollejo are AMR and AML, respectively. Diaz and De Amorim are CMs, Varane a DM and Ekomie, Marcelin and Godart all defenders. I have to be happy that we're getting goals from all positions - and we're still the 6th best scorers in the league, combined with the 4th meanest defence - but I still want more from the frontmen. As good as the draw against PSG was, it could have been better: We took the lead midway through the first half. After the interval PSG threw everything at us but we held firm until the final minute of added time. They won a corner, Donnarumma came up as well, and after we failed to clear our lines Tomiyasu managed to squeeze a shot home through a crowded penalty area. Heartbreaker! Unfortunately, taking 10pts from the month didn't improve our position as much as it might have as our Top 5 rivals continued to perform equally well: It will be difficult to move up in April, too, with games against Monaco and Strasbourg. But we open the month with a Couple de France semi-final against Lorient, and with PSG already out of the competition, we'll face either Monaco or Lens in the final. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 @SixPointer Just checked the league rules and European qualification is definitely on the cards. The Top 3 sides go straight into the Champions League group phase, with 4th place joining the qualification path. Fifth and 6th go straight into the Europa League, with 7th earning the qualification phase of the Europa Conference League. And the winner of the Coupe de France qualifies for the Europa League, but it isn't clear what happens if a club qualifies through the league and the cup. Scary prospects Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 1 hour ago, warlock said: @SixPointer Just checked the league rules and European qualification is definitely on the cards. The Top 3 sides go straight into the Champions League group phase, with 4th place joining the qualification path. Fifth and 6th go straight into the Europa League, with 7th earning the qualification phase of the Europa Conference League. And the winner of the Coupe de France qualifies for the Europa League, but it isn't clear what happens if a club qualifies through the league and the cup. Scary prospects After last month your right in the hunt. Since the tweak in tactics this have went from strength to strength. Champions league isn’t to far out your grasp! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carambau Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Great month! Keep the momentum going 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 April 2025 - We're going on a European tour As we close in on the end of the season, the stakes were high, the pressure was higher. And, at times, it looked as though we'd crumble. In the end, we did about enough. We started the month in good shape with a convincing win against Lorient in the Coupe de France semi-final. Two converted corners from our improving CB Marcelin bookended the match and sent us through to the final where we'll play Monaco. In the league, we dropped valuable points against a Lyon side who have disappointed all season, resolutely stuck in the bottom half of the table. But under new manager Vicenzo Italiano - recently of Fiorentina - they are rapidly improving and demonstrated as much against us. The 2-1 result looks close but in reality we were under the cosh for most of the game and they were good value for their victory. In our next game it was a similar story as Monaco came at us from the first whistle and, despite taking the lead, we were fortunate to escape with a point. On the road at Strasbourg we were rather better and were on top for much of the match but we couldn't find a breakthrough until late in the second half when DM Varane - playing as a BTB - popped up with a winner. And to close the month, we entertained another of the sides who are struggling this season and secured a more convincing victory against Lille with two goals from our wingers, and another brace from central midfield. Which led to this: But, as the email noted, we can still do better - we have a good chance of securing a Europa League spot - both through the league and the cup final - and an outside chance of making it to the Champions League: A Top Four finish will clinch a Champions League spot and we're just 2pts behind Monaco with three games to play. Wherever we end up, it's been a fantastic season of over-performance with a media prediction of top half and the board only looking for us to avoid relegation. Here's how we measure against the top teams for salary spend: The boys have done good! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Epic season so far 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 May 2025 - end of season 2 At the end of April we confirmed a European spot in the Conference League but there was still room for improvement with a Europa Cup place up for grabs. Curiously, we managed to move up while dropping back. With three games remaining we had the chance to move ahead of Monaco. With two games remaining, that chance had gone. A disappointing loss at mid-table Montpellier while Monaco were winning meant the best we could do was hold on to fifth place. Against Reims - who were sitting in 7th - we did all the things we couldn't do against Montpellier, including scoring freely, which meant we needed only a draw against Nice in the last game of the season. But Nice themselves were battling for a Champions League place and, with home advantage, they did more than enough to claim the third spot in the league. Unfortunately, Lens also won their last game of the season to leapfrog us into 5th. Ultimately, it didn't matter much - both 5th and 6th places earn a Europa League place, with 7th place going into the Conference League. It probably cost us some league prize money but I was happy enough with the £8m we received. How we finished: Which left the small matter of the Coupe de France final, against Monaco. Off the back of the Nice defeat I had no expectations of this one - Monaco had been pretty solid for weeks, while our form had been up and down. And for the regulation 90 minutes they battered us, but poor finishing meant we went into extra-time at 0-0. Spoiler alert: A stirring victory for the underdogs: With 10 minutes remaining before a penalty shootout, Minamino gave Monaco the lead and they thought it was all over. I decided on one last throw of the dice and went attacking... and it paid off as we scored twice in two minutes. First, we worked a corner to Weissbeck on the edge of the area, he squared it to Livolant, who fired a rocket into the bottom corner of the net. Then young AML De Lima sent a high, looping cross into the box, the Monaco 'keeper came for it but fumbled it, and Livolant was on hand to bag the winner. As victories go, it wasn't pretty but it was exciting. And so we claim our first silverware of the save. Next up, season review and preparations for the transfer window - and European football. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich ruzzian Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Congratz with the silverware. You now play Europa League without the qualification rounds if i am correct? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 18 minutes ago, rich ruzzian said: You now play Europa League without the qualification rounds if i am correct? I believe so. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 What a win over Monaco And what a season!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 (edited) May 2025 - Season review Either the in-game review failed to trigger or - more likely - I just clicked past it without noticing. So here's my thoughts... Overall it was an excellent season, massively over-performing in the league, qualifying for Europe, and picking up the first silverware with a Coupe de France victory. What made that success the more surprising is that player performances were very inconsistent. On the bright side, we were solid in defence and found goals from all over the pitch. Against that, only five players finished the season with average ratings of 7.0 or more: CM Pedro Diaz - 7.11 GK Rafa Strazcek - 7.10 CM Gaetan Weissbeck - 7.03 DC Harrison Marcelin - 7.02 DM August Erlingmark - 7.00 As for spreading around the goals, with the exception of GK Strazcek only RB Marcelin failed to score. Top scorers were: Leading creators: Very much a matter of team performance over individuals. Of the individuals, arguably our most valuable player was Weissbeck. He's something of a Swiss army knife - good in central and attacking midfield, and he was responsible for 17 goals. My coaches keep telling me he's not good enough! Vipotnik improved as the season went on, but 12 goals from 30 starts was a disappointment and a massive decline from season 1. The coaches still rate him as a good L1 player, but I want more from him next year. Strazcek put in a great season between the sticks and continues to improve, rising from 2.5* to 3.5* current ability. He finished the season with 13 clean sheets, just 3 behind PSG's Donnarumma. The biggest worry is Jeremy Livolant who, as shown above, is "concerned" about his lack of game time. In one of my first updates in the thread I mentioned how frustrating he is, great one match, poor or worse for the next two or three. He'll probably be a Bordeaux legend for those extra-time goals that won us the cup, and he's one of the most influential players in the squad, but if someone comes in with a decent bid I wouldn't fight it. Looking ahead to the transfer window, we need the CM I wasn't able to find in January, plus another as Daniyo Ignatenko's contract is about to expire and he doesn't merit a renewal. RB Yann Barbet was my first signing as a good prospect but he's 23 and hasn't developed well, so has been transfer-listed and is wanted by Ipswich, among others. There's also a concern about team captain and our best DC Stian Rode Gregersen. His form dropped off in the second half of the season, but he's demanding a new contract that would double his wages from £16k a week (Vipotnik is our highest-paid player on £19k a week). That's out of the question and I told him so; we'll see if anyone is willing to take him off our hands. That's a minimum of three new players, and four if Gregersen leaves. Which leads us to the bad news: That's a minimal increase in wages - we're currently spending £340k - and I already had more than £3m in available transfer budget. Rather miserly, I thought, and I'm not sure I can strengthen the squad with that money. We're also facing at least half-a-season of European football and could do with at least a couple of extra bodies for cover and rotation. Some of our youngsters might be getting be getting a lot of opportunities this coming year. Edited January 10 by warlock 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Congratulations, @warlock on winning the Coupe de France and qualifying for Europe. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 Recognition: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 No spoilers, but it's been a horrible summer. And it will almost certainly be a horrible season. As you were 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 6 hours ago, warlock said: No spoilers, but it's been a horrible summer. And it will almost certainly be a horrible season. As you were D'oh! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 August 2025 - shopping in the bargain basement We went into the transfer window needing several players but with just £6m for transfers and little surplus in the wage budget. So it was less than helpful when a procession of players arrived in my office looking for big pay rises. Some were easy to reject but there were key players I wanted to keep happy. So DM Varane and AML Mollejo were awarded new contracts, requiring some shuffling of money from transfers to wages. One player I wanted to keep happy was midfielder Weissbeck who was probably our best player last season. But he wanted guaranteed playing time I wasn't prepared to give him, and wages that were frankly ridiculous. Unfortunately, he also rejected two transfer moves and has been exiled to the B team. As for transfer targets, they fell into three categories: 1. Players we couldn't afford. 2. Players we could afford who weren't swayed by Europa League football and refused to consider us. 3. Players we could afford to buy but couldn't afford to pay. In the end, the sum of our business was this: Hjerto-Dahl is the one I'm really happy with: He looks great now and should get better. We don't know how good he is because he suffered a calf strain before the first match of the season hasn't made an appearance yet. Nuno Felix is one for the future. Zanotti is an RB to replace the departed Yann Godart; Mitchut joins from PSG to replace Ignyatenko who left when his contract expired. Tzolis was brought in as emergency cover when Davitashvili suffered a sports hernia that will keep him for two months and we had no cover. Faye comes in as backup to Barbet at LCB because I wanted a left-footer there and Barbet is the only one we have. As squads go, the best that can be said for it is that we have the required numbers. It certainly isn't stronger than last year, and I'd say it's somewhat weaker as some players are declining, either through age or half-arsedness. The board want a top-half finish in the league; the media predict we'll finish in the bottom half in 11th spot. Early signs suggest the media might be right: Ignoring the PSG result, the Reims win and the Monaco defeat were to be expected, but losing to Brest and Rennes - both likely to be fighting relegation this season - was worrying. Could be a long season... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
priority76 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 This just got spicy🔥 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 10 hours ago, priority76 said: This just got spicy🔥 Didn't it, just Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuniverse Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 (edited) 15 hours ago, warlock said: One player I wanted to keep happy was midfielder Weissbeck who was probably our best player last season. But he wanted guaranteed playing time I wasn't prepared to give him, and wages that were frankly ridiculous. Unfortunately, he also rejected two transfer moves and has been exiled to the B team. Poor, Weissbeck. 15 hours ago, warlock said: Hjerto-Dahl is the one I'm really happy with He does look a very good player. 15 hours ago, warlock said: He looks great now and should get better. We don't know how good he is because he suffered a calf strain before the first match of the season hasn't made an appearance yet. D'oh! 15 hours ago, warlock said: The board want a top-half finish in the league; the media predict we'll finish in the bottom half in 11th spot. Early signs suggest the media might be right: Ignoring the PSG result, the Reims win and the Monaco defeat were to be expected, but losing to Brest and Rennes - both likely to be fighting relegation this season - was worrying. Could be a long season... Double D'oh! and Ouch! Good luck 🍀⚽️🤞 something tells me you may need it, @warlock Edited January 12 by Stuniverse 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfieLucas Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Going great with Bordeaux so far. Certainly overachieved in your first season back in Ligue 1, but i'm sure results will pick up. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Huge success already! Great to see the club being rejuvenated. How’s the tactical plan looking? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 December 2025 - I might be done Based on the transfer budget, and the early results, I knew this was going to be a tough season. I underestimated how bad we were going to be: After a disappointing August I made a number of tactical changes, basically playing a much more conservative system with a priority on possession and controlling the game. And against Montpellier it worked like a dream, and even in our Europa League debut it wasn't bad as we twice gave up the lead. But the rest of the month was disappointing, to say the least. September was another mixed month, good results against Genk in Europe and against Lorient in the league, but losing to Clermont was poor. The eagle-eyed will probably notice one of our problems - virtually all our goals are coming from midfield and Vipotnik is having another poor season. And things didn't get any better: The win against Le Havre was good, but not a great surprise; the rest of the month was abysmal. We expected to lose against PSG but to give up 5 goals was way worse than expected. After enduring a series of months where we recorded only a single win, December was even worse when we couldn't find a win at all: At the halfway point of the season our leading scorers are AMR Mollejo and B2B Diaz with 6 goals apiece - Vipotnik has 3 from 22 starts in all competitions. So it was both laughable and sickening when he led a pre-Christmas rebellion complaining about our poor performances. Even worse, I had no opportunity to point out he was one of the biggest problems. There's also a lot of unrest in the squad because of my treatment of striker Chris Bedia. A year after he signed for us, he has made 24 appearances and scored one goal, no assists, average rating 6.5. Most of the squad want me to give him more game time. Beyond the playing staff, I also have major issues with the board. Going into the season I had no expectations of Premier League budgets, but to get an increase of just £2.5m in transfer, and £10k a week in wages, was a kick in the teeth after securing European football and winning the Coupe de France. From the beginning of my time here I've been pushing for an increase in our medical staff - we have just one sports scientist - but they've rejected it every time. I've asked for an increase in scouting budget so we can scout in Africa - rejected. Improvements to training facilities, junior coaching and junior recruitment - all rejected. Last year we made a £20m profit; so far this season we've made another £20m, so there is money in the club but the board seem afraid to invest. Going in to the save, the goals were to secure promotion to L1, get back into Europe, and win a trophy. All accomplished. Tl;dr - I'm feeling unloved, unappreciated and underwhelmed . Thoughts are continually turning to what must surely be a more enjoyable save. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 5 hours ago, warlock said: Tl;dr - I'm feeling unloved, unappreciated and underwhelmed . Thoughts are continually turning to what must surely be a more enjoyable save. If you’re not enjoying it bud I would move on, we all get like that with saves. When the love for it is gone it’s hard to regain a real interest. In the end we all want to play the game for enjoyment, so be selfish don’t feel like you need to keep the story going for readers. Everyone will jump on to your next save anyway and like you said you’ve done what you set out to do. The only other suggestion would be leaving and finding a new club within the save. I never ever used to journeyman now I love it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
warlock Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 5 hours ago, SixPointer said: If you’re not enjoying it bud I would move on Cheers mate I've never done a journeyman save... will give it some thought. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Wow, what is going on?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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