corinthiano

February 2072 We finally hit form in Ligue 1 as we win all 3 tough matches this month. In the Champions League an excellent win against Hearts of Oak gives us a glimmer of hope of qualifying for the Quarter Finals. Milestones Next Fixtures We face the dreaded re-match with ASEC Mimosas this month and hope it doesnt get in the way of our race to finish in second place. In the Champions League we will have to get something at ES Tunis to have a realistic chance of qualifying, which will be a tough ask.

January 2072 Still not playing great and dropped points again before the mid-season break. Transfers In Out Some significant movement in the mid-season break. A few unsettled back-up players left and James Yohane also asked to leave once interest from Saudi Arabia came, before eventually singing for a Peruvian side. Close to $300k was made on those transfers so Kojo splashed the cash on Abel Tchinto who was supposed to be an eventual Abdalas replacement but will step in for Yohane already. Him and Joseph Mohammed will be challenging for a First XI spot. Most expensive signing Kojo has made, but Abel is talented and judging by his value post move a good deal was made. Was surplus to requirement at his previous club so they were willing to let him go on a free, should be able to do a good job as BPD for us. Next Fixtures We start our month with a crucial game in the race for 2nd place before we have to juggle Champions League along Ligue 1.

December 2071 It is safe to say we will not be winning the title this season...losing to SO Armée was terrible but then we had a chance to equal ASEC Mimosas when we hosted them and were leading 3-2 until haldway through the second half, but the collapsed to lose heavily against them again... CAF Champions League Tough group once more, with our current form I dont think we will get out of it. Next Fixtures We need to pick up our form to secure 2nd place.

November 2071 What an underwhelming and disappointing start to the season. After going behind late in the first half where we played terribly we did well to turn the game around in the early part of the second half, but were then sloppy in letting RC Abidjan back in. At least we beat AS Tanda in what could have been a game we dropped points. Next Fixtures The first clash against ASEC Mimosas, 3 points would be vital here.

2071/72 Season Preview Our odds have shortened and we now have 6 players in the Media XI, this is the best position we have been in to beat ASEC Mimosas. Transfers In Out It looks like we changed things up a lot but we essentially just shuffled back-up options and went on a search for better full backs, where we are a little overloaded now...the biggest story was a non-transfer though as ASEC Mimosas went hard in their pursuit for Hicham Abdalas, bidding up to $1.8M on the player. That is a lot of money, but with PSG, Benfica, Porto and Besiktas all interested I would rather sell him abroad when the time comes. He still has 3 years left on his contract and hasnt made much noise, but that will certainly change when Europe calls. For the First XI we only have a 3 new full backs that will compete for two positions, none of them that exciting to be honest: Assistant XI This is now a team that has played together for a while and has really gelled well together, if we keep the core of the team we should do well. Initial Fixtures We host RC Abidjan before a tricky tie at AS Tanda.

September/October 2071 We got kind draws in the qualifying rounds of the Champions league in opposition from Gabon and Congo and made light work of getting to the Group Stages, which will be crucial financially. ASEC Mimosas did not make it to the Group Stages this year which will be an interesting dynamic as they will in theory be fresher for league games.

2070/71 West African Review CAF Champions League We have 8 teams again at this stage with less rare appearances from the bigger leagues such as Cosmos, AFE and Enugu Rangers IFC. Despite 5 teams making it to the Quarter Final we have no West African representation in the final, with ES Tunis beating Al-Ahly to claim their 12th title. CAF Confederation Cup Better performance than last year with 5 sides making this stage and 4 of them getting through to the Quarter Final. Three West Africans make it to the Semi Final but none of them win the title as Pyramids beats Kano Pillars and Stade Malien to claim their 3rd trophy. West African League Rankings Shift at the top again as Nigeria now has the top league in the continent and Ghana's Premier League moves down to 3rd in Africa. League Champions Quite a few upsets this year as we have first time champions in Niger and Cape Verde, as well as AS OTR breaking up the ASC Kara and ASKO dominance in Togo. Former Champions MC Breweries: Back to back relegations as they will be in an unplayable league next season. Kamboi Eagles: Another season spent in the unplayable leagues. Nô Pintcha da Brava: Disappointingly only 3rd in Liga Brava and knocked out in the Semi-Final of the Taça Brava. AFC Nhacra: Move up a place in comparison to last season as they finish 5th, but are knocked out early in the cup again. Ayéma FC: Becoming regulars in the Championship Group again and finish 8th this year. CNEPS Excellence: Managed to wrestle back the Ligue 1 title from Génération Foot after 5 years and got to the Champions League Semi-Final. No success in the domestic cups though as the best performance was a final appearances in the League Cup. Banjul Utd: Dropped down a little to 3rd this season. ASN NIGELEC: Spent their season in an unplayable league. Unisport: Qualified for the Championship Group this year but were awful, finishing bottom with no win to their name and 5 points from 10 games. CFFEB: Dropped off in the league as they only finished in 6th. Lost in the last 16 of the Coupe du Faso and just missed out on the Confederation Cup Group Stage as they lost to Cape Town City in the Second Round. Flamme Olympique: Terrible defence of their title as they finish 8th and elected underperformers of the season in the Champions League as they lose to Kenya's Tusker FC in the Preliminary Round. Avenir AC: Go one place higher and finish second in Ligue 1, qualifying for the Champions League. Do not manage to defend their Coupe du Mali title though as they are knocked out in the first round.

2070/71 Season Review Over the last 3 seasons the points gap to ASEC Mimosas went from 0, to 2 to 6 points, but in fact this season was probably the closest we got to the title as we essentially played a final at their place in the last game. I do feel the team progressed a lot this year and the Champions League campaign was absolutely superb to actually make this a very decent season. Squad by Appearances Even though we had more games this season we actually used less players as we had a bit more of an established side and trimmed squad, down roughly 10 players year on year. Awards Coffi Ouorou wins Player of the Season and Aristide Ouattara is Top Goalscorer for the second successive season but surprisingly neither makes it into the Team of the Season, which is very light from a Cosmos perspective with only Kasambala making the Team. Top Performers Aristide can be so frustrating, he misses an incredible amount of chances and has terrible patches of form, but we miss him every time I decide to drop him and then goes on to score an incredible amount of goals for us. The rock at the center of what has been a very solid defence this year. I was excited about him and he has not failed to deliver with a goal contribution per game. Trying desperately to get his release clause removed from his contract because at $525k I can see it being activated sooner rather than later. Player of the season for a reason, continues to be a huge creative force for us. Finances This is why getting to the Champions League Group Stage is so important, we made a cool $1M this year and are almost in the black again. Progress Still not the year we beat ASEC Mimosas as they win their 30th consecutive title...we need to keep our best players and either have a perfect year or hope they have a blip to be able to win Ligue 1.

May 2071 We won the three games leading up to the title decider against ASEC Mimosas, including two emphatic results. We even had the title in our hands for a couple of minutes when Coffi Ouorou slotted in the first minute of the game, but ASEC Mimosas pegged us back two minutes later and turned the score around halfway through the first half. We chased the game in the second half but collapsed once they scored their third halway through the second half. Tough to take, but the team is certainly on the up and we pushed ASEC Mimosas all the way again.

April 2071 In Ligue 1 the home draw with RC Abidjan means ASEC Mimosas have extended their lead again. That result was frustrating as we had a penalty when 1-0 in the second half, missed it and then let two goals in the next 10 minutes. We did manage to get back level but we should have really won that game. In the Champions League we beat TP Mazembe away to not only get through to the Quarter Final but also top our group. This saw Kojo go up against CNEPS Excellence again, who were just more clinical over the two ties. An excellent campaign from Cosmos though and the prize money helps a lot, with $875k earned for reaching this stage alone. Next Fixtures It is still all in our hands in Ligue 1, if we win all remaining 4 games we will be champions. The big if there is that the last game is at ASEC Mimosas.

This will be fun

March 2071 A brilliant month all around as we have a 100% record in Ligue 1 to keep the pressure on ASEC Mimosas whilst pulling a couple of upsets in the Champions League, with the thumping of TP Mazembe meaning we can lose 4-0 at their place in the last game and still qualify for the Quarter-Final. Next Fixtures We look to maintain the pressure on ASEC Mimosas and confirm our place in the Quarter Final of the Champions League. If we do there is likely to be a couple additional fixtures in the month.

February 2071 Great month as we go 100% in Ligue 1 which included some tricky matches and reduced the gap to ASEC Mimosas to 1 point. In the Champions League we have been surprisingly competitive, only narrowly losing to Enyimba Aba despite them dominating the game and taking 4 points off of Sundowns. At home we were probably lucky to get a point but we played better than then in South Africa and fully deserved the 3 points. Next Fixtures Some tough games in Ligue 1 again this month and in the Champions League we could still be with a chance of qualifying to the Quarter Finals if we have a bit of luck in both of our home games.

January 2071 Another disappointing result this month as we lose to ES Bafing. We did have 5 players that already left for the Africa Cup of Nations but we should have done better in that game. After the mid-season break we have looked a lot better though and even comfortably beat ASEC Mimosas to give us a glimmer of hope in the title race. Transfers In Out Most of the incoming signings are opportunistic other than Peter Origi, who comes in to provide additional options in central defence with Bonga Van Wyk leaving. On the outgoing front most of the departures are fringe players, Sikirou Abokpa was playing quite a bit, but with Nkoa and Abdalas coming in and him unhappy at playing less it made sense to let him go for some money. When an 18 year old that is attracting interest from Ajax, Benfica and Salzburg becomes available on a free you cant really say no, really excited about this signing and he has already shown his quality in his first couple of games. I have been getting frustrated with the amount of chances Ouattara and Codjo are missing, so when Wydad Casablanca released Mohamed I made a move for him. Next Fixtures The next three games are also re-arranged fixtures due to the Champions League and we have a couple of tough ones there before we start our continental campaign, for which I dont have high hopes.

December 2070 I dont know how to feel about this month. We played 3rd-6th all in this month and got two solid wins at AFAD Djékanou and Séwé FC, but let AS Tanda equalize with the last kick of the game and saw a red card hinder our chances to beat Africa Sports at home. The draw at home to OFC Adiaké was unacceptable though. We are misifiring up front, especially Aristide Ouattara, which concerns me and might lead me to address it in the mid-season transfer window if a decent striker becomes available. CAF Champions League Draw That is one tough draw which includes the reigning champions, will be happy to just pick up a few points. Next Fixtures We play a couple of lower placed sides before the mid-season break and come back from it early to play the games re-arranged due to the Champions League, which will include a crucial game against ASEC Mimosas.

November 2070 Couldnt have wished for a better start! Next Fixtures Now the challenge really begins, some tough away games this month.

2070/71 Season Preview Predicted 2nd again with better odds and we now have two players in the Media XI. We should be finishing 2nd at a minimum and challenge ASEC Mimosas again. We do have Champions League football to contend with during the campaign this season though but the squad should have enough depth to handle that. Transfers In Out Significantly less incoming activity this year as I was happy with our midfield and forward players, who are all young and improving. I was able to keep hold of all of our star players and surprisingly the board didnt go over my head even when some of the offers were north of $600k for Ouorou. This meant I was finally able to reduce our squad size which was bloated since I joined. The three players we signed will all be challenging for a first team place. I am still trying to sign a left back before the transfer window shuts in a few days time but am losing hope as we dont have many affordable options. Another year, another goalkeeper - not great for continuity but I couldnt say no when this guy showed up as an option on a free. He was a pre-arranged transfer as we signed him on a Bosman. Comes into central defence to replace Constant Koné who retired. Another free signing, will challenge Carl George on the right side of defence. Assistant XI I dont know why the Assistant keeps thinking Ourou should play in centre mid when his best position is in AP and I wouldnt drop Ouattara up front, but the rest of his suggested XI I agree with. Initial Fixtures Hoping to start with two wins, although FC San Pédro have been somewhat of a bogey team for us.

September/October 2070 It is third time lucky for Kojo as he is finally able to guide Cosmos to a continental group stage. It wasnt easy though as penalties were needed in the Preliminary Round against Al-Nassr after two terrible games. Against Highlanders there games were also close, but here Cosmos were more clinical and scored when it mattered to take control of the tie. The Group Stage draw is in January, with ASEC Mimosas also in it.

2069/70 West African Review CAF Champions League 8 teams make it to this stage for the second year in a row, but impressively 6 of them make it into the Quarter Final. The West African dominance continues as all 4 Semi Finalists are from the region. In the final Nigeria confirm their recent stance as best league in the continent through Enyimba Aba winning their 4th title by beating Hearts of Oak of Ghana in the final. CAF Confederation Cup Really light performance here with only three sides making it these far, with unusual guests SONACAOS and Kwara Utd making it past to the knockouts. The fairytale continued as Kwara Utd beat some strong North African opposition to win their first ever trophy, and they havent even won a national title in Nigeria yet! West African League Rankings Surprisingly after having teams win both African titles Nigeria's top flight lost 1st place to Ghana, who jumped two places. Elsewhere Togo jumps ahead of Guinea. League Champions More of the dominating teams winning, with one interesting exception being Nigeria, where Kano Pillars have not won for three seasons and Enyimba Aba seem to be entering a period of domination. Former Champions MC Breweries: Second season syndrome in the top flight as they only pick up 9 points from 22 games and finish dead last, being relegated in the process. Kamboi Eagles: Another season spent in the unplayable leagues. Nô Pintcha da Brava: Win the Liga Brava for a third time running but are knocked out in the Group Stage of the Cape Verdean Competition. The Taça Brava still eludes them as they finish runners-up. AFC Nhacra: Drop off into 6th and are knocked out early in the cup. Ayéma FC: Make the Championship Group again but this time only finish 9th. CNEPS Excellence: Had a better season but still went largely frustrated as they finished second to Génération Foot and were knocked out in the Semi Final of the Champions Legue. Did win the Coupe du Senegal though. Banjul Utd: Finished far off the title, but were best of the rest in 2nd. ASN NIGELEC: Were promoted back to a playable league, finished last though and are back in the unplayable league again. Unisport: Had another shocked and failed to qualify for the Championship Group. CFFEB: A strong season but not strong enough for CF Rahimo as they finish runners-up to them both in the league and in the cup. Flamme Olympique: Great season as they win their first Ligue 1 since the Kojo era. Avenir AC: Great comeback season as they finish 3rd and win their maiden Coupe du Mali.

2069/70 Season Review On the face of it little progress this season as we finish with the same amount of points in Ligue 1 and failed to make the Group Stages in Africa again. I do howver feel like the squad is getting better, so with less changes to be made for next season we may well have set up a nice platform for the club to perform well. Squad by Appearances We had a less established first team this year, with only 5 players appeating in over 80% of our matches. This was particularly true in midfield where we rotated the Mezzala and BBM quite often. Awards Aristide Ouattara wins Top Goalscorer and PLayer of the Year despite missing almost 6 weeks injured. Abokpa and Koné join him in the Team of the Season. Top Performers Really stepped up with Kutateladze leaving, scoring one goal a game. I have him tied up for another couple of seasons but can see big clubs going in for him and hope he does not become unsettled. The only player to start all of our games, improved massively this year and provided an amazing 28 goal contributions in 32 appearances. Stepped in well in the DLF role and made sure we kept scoring when Aristide Ouattara was injured. Finances $500k loss this year despite over $600k in player sales, I dont know how this gets better especially with a new stadium being built. Hoping the president sorts this out, especially considering he raised the wage budget significantly again. Progress Very little progress this season but we are firmly the second best side in Ivory Coast now, just need ASEC Mimosas to have a bad season...

Big news coming out at the end of the season. Not sure how the president intends to fund this but it is certainly needed with our current stadium only holding 1,800.

May 2070 We didnt beat ASEC Mimosas or win all of our other games, so the title went to ASEC Mimosas with one game to go and we finished a comfortable second. Milestones

April 2070 It was another almost perfect month, only this time we let OFC Adiaké score twice in second half stoppage time to throw away the win...ASEC Mimosas did however lose their last game to give us a glimmer of hope with 5 points difference and us hosting them next month. Next Fixtures We will need to beat ASEC Mimosas, win all of our other games and hope they drop points in another game to win the title, which sounds very unlikely...

March 2070 It was almost a perfect month until Séwé FC scored an equalizer in the 85th minute, that could see our gap to ASEC Mimosas stretch to 6 points if they win their game in hand. I think we have too much work to catch them, but are in a strong position for Champions League qualification. Next Fixtures We play AS Tanda first thing in the month in a clash crucial to Champions League qualification, before a run against lower placed teams we need to capitalize on.

February 2070 On the face of it a draw against ASEC Mimosas at their place is a great result, but considering they went down a man late in the first half it feels like a missed opportunity. We then followed that up with a definite missed opportunity as we missed so many chances against 9-men FC San Pédro for 30 minutes...at least we resumed good form at Sol FC. Transfers In I missed signing him before the squad registration closed, but considering he was wanted by West Africas top clubs such as Enyimba Aba and Génération Foot I was glad to have him sit around until next season. Next Fixtures Some tough games against this month as we go to AFAD Djékanou and Séwé FC, as well as hosting Africa Sports. All games crucial in the race for continental football.