Leaving the Past Behind (Repost)

[flipsix3]

20 March 2008

Yeyyyyyyyyyy!!! Glad to see your back!

Cheers Virtex

[flipsix3]

In the weeks running up to the end of the season he’d had his scouting partnership covering the UK and France, now they had been packed off into continental Europe, but it had left him with a number of leads to follow. Looking to consolidate Pau’s status as a Second Division side he really wanted to bring in a couple of ‘big’ names but he wasn’t sure that he had the pulling power just yet – he wasn’t going to let it stop him from trying though.

-----

What should have been an enjoyable time for a football fan, soaking up the carnival atmosphere of the World Cup, turned into a seemingly endless string of days sat in the office making call after call for Ed. He was having all sorts of problems in trying to attract new talent and it was already starting to get him down.

Whilst he was bogged down in contract negotiations – mostly pointless ones he thought, convinced that the agents in question were just humouring him – Pau’s only representative at the tournament was enjoying a brief time in the spotlight. Ghana were absolute rank outsiders to even progress from the group stages, up against; Sweden, France, and Senegal no-one expected anything from the African nation – but Ed hoped that their status wouldn’t stop Akwasi Nana Asare enjoying the occasion. Ed caught some of the France game, not one in which Asare really shone, but then missed a powerful performance from his fullback in the 2-2 draw with Sweden.

In fact, by the time he’d ground to a halt on negotiations, having signed only two of his second-tier targets, the group stages were all over and the knock-out tournament, the proper tournament in Ed’s mind, was under way.

[flipsix3]

22 March 2005

Wahey, good to see you back with one of my favourite stories, flippers.

22 March 2005

You're back! Fantastic

Thanks chaps

[flipsix3]

The first so-called shock result came when Norway disposed of Spain in a penalty shoot-out that saw three Spaniards missing their kicks, and the following night Ed actually found time to sit and watch as Wales eliminated the USA after an extra time win.

The first game to really get the local population into party mood was the clash between France and Italy, as a spectator event it was hardly dazzling for the neutral, but it was a great example of the slow build-up favoured by the Italians – it wasn’t enough though, and Djibril Cissé’s brace was sufficient to keep the natives from growing restless.

What did set the cat among the pigeons was the following night’s game. After battling out a 2-2 tie in 90 minutes, and a further 1-1 deadlock in extra time, it took a total of seven penalty kicks for Portugal to send the holders back to Brazil.

Each game that Ed watched had him jotting down names and, in the cold light of the next morning, scribbling them out again. He had made an offer to Pauleta’s agent when he heard that the news emerged that PSG were on the verge of releasing the striker, but unsurprisingly Pau was not a club that the star had high on his list targets.

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Before the quarter-finals got under way Ed had to focus his attention, and that of his players, on their first pre-season game. Following their success in the league the management team at Strasbourg had singled Pau out as a good test of their reserve squad, at first Ed had been unsure of how to react to the approach but then he decided that, if nothing else, he might get to see a couple of exciting youngsters in action. It also gave him the opportunity to introduce both his new signings, and the new formation that the players had been growing accustomed to in training.

It was hardly a debut to remember for Gábor Répás, after a nervous opening few minutes the Hungarian defender, signed on a free transfer, conceded a penalty to cancel out Cami’s excellent opener. Ed didn’t see a lot of his other new signing, Christophe Jallet failing to make an impact in his forty-five minute spell, but he was assured that the former Niort wingback would develop well – he decided that it was probably just an off day for the 22-year-old.

After their equaliser from the spot the Strasbourg Reserves looked good, taking the lead, but a raft of second-half substitutions saw Gaël Bonnel get a run out, and the equaliser to make the final score 2-2.

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He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the result, there’d certainly been some impressive talent on display but he would like to think that his experienced squad should have done a little more – that said, they were breaking in a new style of play so he could maybe put it down to that.

After going over his notes a couple of times he settled down at home to watch England’s quarter-final clash with Portugal. England had been given a fairly easy group draw and an early win over Italy had effectively secured their place at the top of it, eventually winning all three games, but after Portugal’s result against Brazil all bets were off.

It may have been down to the fact that Portugal had been forced to play extra-time and penalties against the Brazilians, it may have just been one of those rare occasions when everything comes good for England, whatever the reason it was a storming game and Ed thoroughly enjoyed it. The England defence was at its meanest, Campbell and Woodgate anchoring a back line that gave Portugal only a single sight of Robinson’s goal. By contrast the pairing of Rooney and Owen, fuelled by a fired-up Gareth Barry, tore into the Portuguese defence – the diminutive pair grabbed two each as they swept England into the semi-finals.

[flipsix3]

With the players back in training Ed was given plenty of friendly abuse, the shape of the draw meant that an England versus France final was possible and plenty of his youngsters took great pleasure in explaining to him that it would never happen. As it turned out they were right, and Ed returned the good-natured ribbing when Les Bleus crashed out of the tournament on the end of a 2-0 scoreline to Argentina .

Once England had done their job, battling past an impressive Norway, the realisation sank in that it was going to be a battle of old foes in the final, and Ed decided to open his house to anyone who wanted to join him in watching it, putting out an open invitation.

Around half a dozen of the players made the journey, piling into the club’s minibus driven by his assistant. In all honesty he hadn’t really expected anyone to come, and he took it as a positive sign of the relationship that he was building with his squad. They filed in one by one, each offering their own opinion of just how badly England were going to perform, and at the back of the line a slightly sheepish figure stood smiling.

“I hope you don’t mind” Catherine whispered “I just thought it would be a nice way to pass some time”

“No, of course I don’t come on in” Ed took her jacket, hanging it in the hallway, and showed her into the lounge, where the players were already making themselves at home.

Despite their initial ribbing, it soon became clear that the players had decided to side with their manager and become honorary England fans for the night. He tried not to be too much of a killjoy, laying on a few beers but nothing too much, and the atmosphere was great, almost like in his old playing days when the squad would get together in the Spurs common room. After about half an hour Ed began to wonder if his players might change their allegiance, England were producing nothing at all and the Argentine defence had Owen and Rooney marked out of the game – by the time Cambiasso gave Argentina the lead – with huge deflection off Woodgate - it looked like the game was as good as over, England just couldn’t create a chance and half-time couldn’t come too soon. After the break things weren’t much better, Beckham had a blast from a long free-kick but the range took any venom off the shot, then Rooney finally found a gap only to fire his shot straight at Leo Franco. As only ‘pretend’ England fans the lads took it all quite lightly, throwing in the odd jibe at Ed about the yo-yo form of his nation, and as the last minutes ticked by they grew somewhat less boisterous.

There were forty-six seconds of added time already played when Beckham stood over a late corner, that left a little more than three minutes – Ed was on his feet urging England on, much to the amusement of a couple of the younger players, but they soon joined him as Sol Campbell rose and headed the ball home, levelling the scores.

”Typical bloody England” he laughed “Looks like it’s extra time then, I’d better go and find some food for you lot”

He wandered through to the kitchen, he could hear one or two of them shouting him, teasing probably, as he rummaged through the fridge looking for something suitable, then a roar went up from the next room.

“Yeah yeah, okay, just keep it down, I’ll be there…” he never finished the line, Catherine ran in beaming the biggest smile he’d seen in years

“Come quick, Ed you have to see” she grabbed his arm and dragged him into the lounge where all hell was breaking loose. Everyone was talking at once, pointing at the television.

“Oh very funny” he said “You call me back to show me another replay” On the TV Beckham was taking his run-up in slow motion and swinging the corner in “Yes yes, I get it, this is where Sol Campb…” then the words stopped, the clock showed 93 minutes and 14 seconds, and it wasn’t Campbell climbing to the ball, it was Woodgate. The header was perfect and, like the Argentine players on the screen, Ed stood in stunned silence as it rocketed into the back of the net.

Catherine was still holding onto his arm, he turned to look at her “I missed it?”

”Sorry Ed, we tried to tell you” she said, and then laughed as he grabbed her and started dancing around the room. The players soon joined in and before long the room was full of England chants and a scrum of bodies bouncing up and down as the TV kept showing the two corners over and over again.

[flipsix3]

26 March 2005

Nice to be able to follow this again, no matter how much you force us to suspend our disbelief...

In any case, I'm sure it didn't make up for the disappointment you must have felt, when France did this to England in real life last summer

Hehe, blame the game engine, as in the staory I was actually out of the room at the time but I had been watching the highlights

[flipsix3]

He couldn’t remember what time they’d all left in the end, but he knew it had been late when Naïmi had eventually cajoled them all into the minibus. Every one of them had hugged him as they left, almost as if it was his England side that had lifted the trophy, and Catherine had joined in, holding him tight for a few moments and then planting a kiss on his lips before skipping off leaving him looking shocked. He’d already reached the decision that there was something going on but he kept trying to tell himself that it was just a crush, a harmless bit of affection towards him as the older man. Not that much older he reminded himself.

He grabbed breakfast and then drove down to the club. He’d had another friendly invitation for the pre-season and, on a whim, he decided to fire off one of his own. It was probably a long shot but he decided to give it a go anyway, and then he settled down to check his emails from the scouting staff.

He was trying to focus on the reports but his mind kept going back to last night’s game, and to the feeling of sheer elation when the second goal went in, and to Cathe… Stop it!. He didn’t want to think about that, it was nothing serious, just his secretary being a little flirtatious. He was still trying not to think about it when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

……

“Yes that’s right”

It was a journalist from L’Equipe. After briefly discussing the previous night’s game the conversation turned to the season ahead. Do you think you’ll need to build the squad to survive he wanted to know. Ed thought about it for a moment, they’d stayed up comfortably last season but that might have been due to their good start which, in turn, was probably fuelled by adrenaline from their promotion. On the other hand they had experience now, they knew what they were up against, and he thought that counted just as much.

“Not at all, in fact I don’t think relegation will even be on our minds”

……

“Really, I think we’ll be in mid-table again by the time everything falls into place”

……

“Not at all, thank you for the call”

He hung up the phone and went back to his laptop.

“You’re joking right?”

Looking up he saw Brahim Naïmi standing in the doorway

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear, you really think we’ll stay up with the squad how it is?”

“Yes, I think we can do it”

“If we don’t strengthen in every department we’ll be straight down. Every team in the league has been signing new faces, players from the top flight”

“I know Brahim, but what can I do if no-one will come here?” he looked at his assistant, waiting for an answer

“I’m sorry. I’ll back you up of course, and the lads will certainly give you their best, I’m just telling you what I think. Anyway, have you got five minutes to go over the team for next week?”

“Sure, let’s take a look at it” Ed knew it was no use taking it out on Naïmi, he was just voicing his concerns.

[flipsix3]

29 March 2005

feck off Argentina

Methinks Catherine's had a bit of a dry patch tbh

Good luck getting some player

cheers Bri

[flipsix3]

The first pre-season game proper was on the road to GFCO Ajaccio, old rivals from their National Division days, but Ed was already focussed on the home friendly that he’d arranged.

Séga and Bonnel both got on the scoresheet in a decent showing, and a clean sheet for Valverde could only be a good thing. The only negative was an injury to Tchami, his sprained ankle likely to rule him out of the first two games of the season.

After he’d returned home Ed had got straight on the phone to his father. He’d not been particularly hopeful when he’d sent a friendly invitation to Huddersfield, but they’d accepted and he wanted Dad to come over and see the game. It took some doing, he knew his mother wouldn’t come – she wasn’t big on travelling (although he was surprised that she would pass up the chance to come and nose around the house) – but his father eventually conceded. Ed set about sorting out a flight, and making the other necessary arrangements.

He’d hoped to be able to field a stronger squad for the Huddersfield game as, having been unable to get much done in terms of signings, he’d resorted to the loan market again. True, he had told the press that he thought they could survive with what they had, and he did believe that, but he wanted to do more than just survive of course. Unfortunately it was getting to that time of the summer where the in-demand players were weighing up numerous offers and, as such, nothing was resolved in time.

[flipsix3]

His father had arrived the previous afternoon and Ed had picked him up from the airport himself, leaving Naïmi to handle training. They’d spent the evening at the house discussing the World Cup, life at home, Huddersfield’s chances in the coming season, and just about anything else.

The next morning, as they set off for Pau, one of his father’s gems was unveiled

“I expect they’ll all be doing their hair about now will they?”

To Ed’s father a French footballer meant David Ginola or Robert Pires, he was quite surprised when they arrived at the ground and was greeted by a bunch of players who were, for the most part, a world away from the sartorial elegance of the more flamboyant stars.

-----

Once the game got under way, with his father proudly waving a Huddersfield scarf (much to the amusement of all at the ground), Ed was pleased to be cheering his side on after the opening goal – Bindi crashing a drive against the bar and Bonnel following it up well. The game was an interesting one, ebbing and flowing, after Pau’s opener the Terriers kept their hosts firmly on the back foot for ten minutes, then Ed’s team would do the same at the other end.

Secretly he was quite glad when Pawel Abbot knocked in a late equaliser for Huddersfield, his main aim had been to see how his side would cope with a different style of play – the more physical English game – and they’d acquitted themselves well, the goal gave Dad something to cheer. That said, Nic Sartolou almost spoiled it when his long range effort smacked off the post in the ninety-first minute.

What Ed had really been looking forward to came after the game, the Terriers’ staff had arranged to stay overnight in Pau before leaving the next day, Ed had taken Peter Jackson to one side and had a quiet word. When they got in the car his father had assumed that they were heading home, and the look on his face when they turned up at the hotel, to join the English side for dinner, was a picture.

[flipsix3]

With the World Cup, and the fun of bringing his father over for the Huddersfield game, any real concerns about the early season had kind of taken a back seat for a while, but they were back now. Whilst the squad had generally adapted well to his new wingback formation, a couple of players had not; Labat was struggling with the more advanced role but he showed that he was digging deep in an attempt to settle to it, strangely the new man that he’d brought in for backup also seemed to be ill at ease. This surprised him, he’d been assured by his scouts that Jallet was a wingback through and through but he didn’t look like he relished the role – Ed put it down to a settling in period.

His further forays into the transfer market had been totally fruitless so far, half a dozen loan prospects, having had their clubs agree to proposals, all turned their noses up at lowly Pau, and the last hopes he’d had for permanent signings were fading fast. Whilst others in the league were snapping up household names like Dugarry, and Job, Ed was struggling to get hold of anybody at all. It probably didn’t help that, despite the contracts in place for the playing staff, they were still tagged as a semi-professional outfit – quite how they were still referred to in such terms by the press was beyond him, and it was certainly not something that was doing them any favours. One agent, in fact, clearly struggled to stifle laughter when Ed met with him to discuss the possibility of signing his client – were they that much of a joke? Had he been that blind?

[flipsix3]

07 April 2005

Top work Flip. If Ed gets the Tottenham (or Huddersfield for that matter) jobs, make sure he takes his "back room staff" (Catherine) with him!

That would be the plan, but only time will tell...

[flipsix3]

By the time the season opened Ed had managed no further additions to the roster and he found himself, in quiet moments, beginning to doubt Pau’s chances himself. He knew he had to fight those feelings, or hide them at least, an air of confidence was the most important thing he could bring to the table during the opening few weeks. On the morning of the first game, however, he finally got a boost – having all but given up on his efforts he was greeted by the news that Ibrahima Bakayoko had accepted his offer of a contract.

Ed was delighted, whilst he may never have been a world class player Bakayoko certainly had the game to become the key man up front. He didn’t come cheap of course, in fact the Ivory Coast striker would be earning nearly £3,500 per week, but having left Osasuna on a free it at least meant that the transfer kitty was untouched. With his signing coming so late Bakoyoko was unavailable for the opening game at Niort, a defeat in which they did create a good number of chances but, without Tchami available, failed to capitalise on them.

The new boy pulled on a Pau shirt for the first time in the home game against Nice and he wasted no time in introducing himself to the home fans, racing onto Cami’s flick-on to net the opener and his first for the club. Sadly that goal proved to be the only danger that Pau presented and the visitors came back to take the win.

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At the start of the 2005/06 campaign they’d got off to an excellent start, one which Ed accepted had gone a long way to aiding their cause in the long run. After two games now they were showing signs of struggling in adapting to the new formation. Ed knew that he ought to give it time to settle in, but nothing he did seemed to be working - he decided to give his side the best chance and revert to their more familiar approach to try and halt the slide before it could begin. He was big enough to admit that changing their tried and tested formula had been a gamble, and that it had not paid off, now he needed the players that they could make the ‘old ways’ a success.

(Writer’s Note: OK the out of position bug just got silly, D/R DM/R and M/R all rate under 4 in the wingback position! I was happy to try and play around it before, but this is plain silly)

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Bakayoko was having an immediate impact on the side, if not on the goals-scoring front then at least in showing his colleagues how to take the game to their opponents. His pace and trickery caused Grenoble all sorts of problems – and a cheeky turn earned an early penalty which he promptly blasted straight at the keeper. Ed could forgive him that though, every where he looked the striker was vying for the ball, dropping back to help the defence, then setting off on a run into space once they had the ball back. How he didn’t add to his debut goal was a mystery, but with the team looking more comfortable with their familiar shape Ed was convinced that it was just a matter of time.

[flipsix3]

08 April 2005

Good ol' Bakayoko. Just when it looks like no-one will join, you go to one of the tried and tested heroes of yester-year. Maybe Andri Sigporsson will sign as his strike partner?

08 April 2005

Bakayoko

Absolute anti-legend at the Vélodrome, where he displayed a supernatural ability to miss the unmissable...

Hope he can find the net for you. This is just a game, after all

When his name got thrown up by my scouts I just knew you'd all be pleased

[flipsix3]

Three games without a win soon became six and, by now, Ed was beginning to wonder what they’d done wrong to earn such a cold shoulder from lady luck. The trip to Gueugnon produced another strong showing, with Tchami and Bakoyoko linking up well. Their hosts took the points thanks, for the most part, to two flashes of devastating skill from Joseph-Desire Job – but for the former Boro man’s creativity they would have given Ed little to worry about. The same could not be said at the other end of the pitch, time and again Tchami and Bakayoko got into dangerous positions only to see their final touches miss the target narrowly, or draw a save from the home keeper.

When Bastia came to Pau it was even worse, they failed to show any real threat at all and a bewildered home crowd watched as the visitors were bailed out by the woodwork three times in fifteen second-half minutes.

When the month was rounded off in defeat at Brest, despite his side netting three times in the first half, even Ed began to accept that they might be in trouble. He was trying to retain his air of confidence, and his genuine optimism, but he’d seen it in football before – a team playing along at a comfortable level and suddenly ‘bang’ – it all falls apart. The history of the game was full of it, he’d witnessed it first hand as a Steve Bruce era Huddersfield had been pushing for promotion to the Premiership and, in a handful of seasons, found themselves almost at the foot of the league ladder. The difference was that he wasn’t suffering having been forced to sell off players, or make massive savings, he had the same squad - with extras - playing in the same league.

[flipsix3]

AUGUST 2006 SUMMARY

Niort 2 (Jacuzzi 26, Féret 59)

Pau 0

Man of the Match: Ott (Niort) [GK]

Pau 1 (Bakayoko 20)

Nice 2 (Ljuboja 30, Rubén 71)

Man of the Match: Bigné (Nice) [AM RC]

Pau 0

Grenoble 0

Man of the Match: Grandel (Grenoble) [GK]

News: Bakayoko (Pau) missed pen 29 (saved)

Gueugnon 2 (N’Diaye 6, Ettori 22)

Pau 0

Man of the Match: Benvegnu (Gueugnon) [GK]

Pau 0

Bastia 0

Man of the Match: Penneteau (Bastia) [GK]

Brest 5 (Auriac 1, Dissa 28, Minoungou 55, Baldé 80, Kouassi 90+)

Pau 3 (Di Bartolomeo 15, Tchami 30, Bakayoko 34)

Man of the Match: Kouassi (Brest) [D RC]

[flipsix3]

12 April 2005

Wow flip this is unbelivable i read it all but i wish i hadn't now because im really pushed for homework time i also wondered if i could borow some of this story to show some mates

Hehe thanks Baros, feel free to show to anyone you like

[flipsix3]

The main thing helping Ed to retain his faith was the sheer class of Bakayoko, whilst he tried not to harp on about the striker he was on a different level to the rest of the squad, with the possible exception of Cami. There had been flashes from others, Bindi occasionally put in a sparkling performance, and Testas had begun his career promisingly but rapidly faded – but his team was basically workmanlike, even Tchami was more Shearer than Ronaldo. Bakayoko, on the other hand, was a trick-a-minute player and the fans could sense the same thing as Ed, his big breakthrough was just around the corner.

Thankfully they were proved right as Pau finally got off the mark at home to Istres, but not before Ed felt himself ageing prematurely. Some good pressure had seen Bindi fouled in the box, with Bédani reclaiming his mantle of penalty taker to open the scoring, and then a strong run from Bakayoko doubled their lead. At last Ed had the feeling that things were taking a turn for the better, at last they were up against a keeper who wasn’t Clark Kent in disguise. Had they not allowed Istres to pull one back before the break it would probably have been a fairly comfortable win but, on recent performances, Ed knew that his team didn’t like to give him an easy ride and he spent the rest of the game gnawing on his fingernails as the visitors looked for an equaliser. Injury time was the worst, four minutes were scheduled but it felt more like forty as both sides had chances, both hit woodwork, and Valverde had to pull of a miraculous save with literally seconds remaining.

Whether or not he was not sporting a few extra grey hairs Ed didn’t really care, they had a win under their belts and at the next training session there was a marked improvement in the general mood. In the days leading up to the Istres game there had been a number of long faces in the camp, with some players looking like they were going through the motions – now the smiles were quickly returning though, and if they could just string a couple of wins together…… Ed tried to hold on to that thought.

When five players were called up for international duties his hopes took a dive, with Tchami and Bakayoko among the names he would be looking at a big dent on their chances, but then the FA came to the rescue. Seemingly five was the magic number, with their game put back a few days he would still have to juggle a little – it was highly unlikely that the internationals would be up to a full game so soon after their trips – but he would at least have the option.

Sure enough the win seemed to work wonders and when the return to form of Cami, who had not enjoyed the best of starts to the campaign, was factored in it was all smiles on the road at Valence. An audacious flick over the keeper got the playmaker on the scoresheet and, despite their hosts drawing level, the pressure was almost one-way. Cami finally restored their lead late in the game, a goal that everyone had known was coming, and after a challenge born of frustration saw the home side lose a man, Bakayoko nipped in at the death to make it an emphatic 3-1 win on the road.

[flipsix3]

19 April 2005

The (probable) inflated wages of Bakayoko begin to pay off!! Still, you seem to be leaking more than a few. What does the league table look like at this early stage?

Keep it up, this is just about the only joy I get while writing up my dissertation!!

Yep, Baka is looking a quality signing, unfortunately this was still played pre the first patch so now league tables, although there is a mention of league position somewhere in this update...

[flipsix3]

Ed sat on the terrace of a little hotel looking out over the foothills that marked the start of the Pyrenees, it had been a long day what with training and then extended phone calls dealing with contract negotiations, he’d decided to stay in town rather than drive home tonight. Sedan had arrived in town earlier in the afternoon, having made the long trek from the north east corner of the country, almost in Luxembourg in fact, and he would be looking from a strong showing from his side tomorrow.

Things had been going well, they’d extended their run of victories to three with a win at home to Le Havre, Laurent Bédani scoring not only from the spot but also a rare goal from open play. With Bakayoko grabbing a late equaliser at Laval, fully deserved for their dominance in the game, Pau had climbed to fourteenth in the league and joined the mid-table scrum. The early nerves that had accompanied their awful start to the season were starting to settle.

There was further cause for positive thoughts too, it seemed that finally people were starting to take them at least a little seriously. Maybe not the press, maybe not top-class players, but Ed was having some success in the transfer market. Jarkko Vesapuisto, a 17-year-old midfielder from Finland, had been recommended by his scouts and accepted a free transfer into the Reserve setup and when the winter break arrived they would also be joined by Moses Reed. Reed, an 18-year-old Swede playing at IFK Kumla, looked a decent prospect – an old fashioned half-back with an eye for a strong tackle. Both youngsters had made positive noises about Pau when finalising their deals, of course Pau would be a step up for both of them but it was still nice to hear.

-----

Whilst Pau might have been operating with the threat of Bakayoko up front, it was Séga who delighted Ed, lashing home a long range free-kick fifteen minutes into the first half. In fact with Tchami out it was the Senegal striker that showed more of a threat on the day as Bakayoko played the supplier role, for half an hour they kept Sedan pretty quiet but Ed was conscious that the visitors had one of the most dangerous men in the league playing for them. Sure enough, shortly after the break, it was Aliadière who ran onto a through-ball and left the Pau defence flat footed as he levelled the scores.

Late pressure from the home side saw Cami go close twice, and Testas come off the bench to force a fine save from the Sedan keeper, but they had to settle for a draw in the end, and a point that actually lifted them into thirteenth spot.

[flipsix3]

22 April 2005

absolutely loving this story Flip-its a major inspiration for my own

Cheers Mamba, and best of luck with your own odyssey

[flipsix3]

“Two weeks, you’re sure about that Marcel?”

“Absolutely, two weeks minimum” the look in the physio’s eyes was clear enough, he knew exactly what the loss of Cami would mean to Ed but he was adamant that there was no risking a quick return to action.

Thankfully they had the depth to cover for injuries now, as long as it didn’t get silly, but Cami was such a vital part of the Pau engine room that he would always be missed. He hadn’t enjoyed the greatest of starts to the season but as far as Ed was concerned he was most certainly back to his best now. It would be down to Djamel Bindi to take over in the creator role in midfield, he’d deputised well in the past and the manager was confident that he could stand up to the job again – especially against weak opposition.

The last game of the month was away at Troyes and Ed hoped that their hosts would continue to suffer the terrible run of form that had left them with just one win in the campaign so far. It certainly looked to be heading that was when Bakayoko slammed home the opener inside five minutes but Ed knew better than to make predictions so early into a game, he maintained an external air of caution but he was in little doubt of which way the game was heading when Tchami doubled their lead moments later – the game was already looking like a whitewash. Bindi was revelling in his new-found freedom, to the point where Ed began to consider giving him the more creative role even after Cami made his recovery – early in the second half the Chad midfielder spotted Bakayoko’s run and lobbed a superb pass that dropped over the striker’s shoulder and was volleyed home with his first touch. At the other end Troyes were starting to show some threat but an inspired Valverde was only found wanting once and, whilst they couldn’t muster a fourth, he saw his side cruise to an emphatic win.

[flipsix3]

SEPTEMBER 2006 SUMMARY

Pau 2 (Bédani pen 15, Bakayoko 36)

Istres 1 (Shirko 43)

Man of the Match: Théophile (Istres) [AM/F LC]

Valence 1 (Adjaoud 50)

Pau 3 (Cami 32, 81, Bakayoko 87)

Man of the Match: Cami (Pau) [MC]

News: Leclerq (Valence) sent off 83

Pau 2 (Bédani pen 49, 60)

Le Havre 1 (Ben Idir 83)

Man of the Match: Bédani (Pau) [DM C]

Laval 1 (Joël Tchami 73)

Pau 1 (Bakayoko 88)

Man of the Match: Cami (Pau) [MC]

Pau 1 (Séga 15)

Sedan 1 (Aliadière 50)

Man of the Match: Gardan (Pau) [D/DM LC]

Troyes 1 (Florentin 78)

Pau 3 (Bakayoko 4, 60, Tchami 7)

Man of the Match: Valverde (Pau) [GK]

At the time of writing, still waiting on the patch so I can start posting tables

[flipsix3]

22 April 2005

Glad to see that you've started to turn things round. Hope you can make a surge for League 1 this season as well

27 April 2005

Classy writing Flippers, and good form by the team as well.

Thanks chaps, and apologies all round as my posting has been rather erratic of late - I'll try and do better

[flipsix3]

This was the last thing he needed, Ed returned to the bench having just given a quick word of encouragement to his team. Already hit by absence, then by forced substitutions, those left in the centre circle to prepare for the penalty shoot-out were about fit to drop…

-----

The month had started with a tight win – but a win all the same – at home to Dijon that had further improved their league position. They’d got off the mark quickly, Asare and Cami exchanging passes before the fullback whipped in a vicious swinging cross that Bindi controlled with his first touch and buried with his second. Although the visitors had drawn level before five minutes had been played, Pau continued to pressure and had by far the better of possession – eventually rewarded when Kangu headed in a Cami corner late in the second half.

For the Cup tie Ed would have preferred to rest a few first-teamers but the draw had given them Division Two opposition, and a training ground injury to Tchami restricted his options. Grenoble were their hosts and both sides had looked cagey for much of the match – Bakayoko showed his familiar flair and threat but with time running out it was Kioyo who had given the home side a break with a fine header from Ahmed Said’s cross.

Ed was short on options, with no substitute forwards available and two changes already made, he decided to let the lads play out time and was rewarded when Séga – now the sole striker - dug out the ball from under his feet and smashed home the equaliser in stoppage time. Extra time was not what he needed, another league game was scheduled in a couple of days, but they had to play it and he had advised a cautious approach. It seemed that his opposite number had done the same and neither side created any real threat – the only moment of import coming when Cami went down after a strong midfield challenge and had to be replaced. Valverde also took a knock, but indicated that he was okay to continue – not that it would have made much difference if he hadn’t.

-----

…so with 120 minutes of football played, and two of his recognised penalty takers out of the match, Ed watched the remaining Pau players decide their order amongst themselves.

Bédani, the regular taker, stepped up first and crashed the ball into the bottom corner and when Valverde gambled, standing his ground to save Ousmane Traoré’s ‘down the middle’ spot kick, it was advantage Pau.

Séga netted his penalty, as did Malm for Grenoble, and Di Bartolomeo for Ed’s side. Julien François stepped up for the home side, knowing that the pressure was on, and promptly skied his shot over the bar. All that was left was for Kangu to tuck away his kick and progress was secured – at the expense of tired legs, a booking-induced suspension for Bédani, and an injured playmaker.

[flipsix3]

With Cami out for ten days Ed once again asked Bindi to take the creative role in the centre of the midfield trio, Le Mans were their hosts and had been showing good form, a win would be another huge boost but probably too much to ask for. Tchami was still out, and when Bakayoko clashed heads early in the game – resulting in him being brought off - it didn’t bode well for Pau.

What followed was one of those games – not good for the managers, or the dedicated fans, great for the neutral. Any concerns Ed had about the front line were soon dismissed as Séga launched a long pass into the path of Testas – the 21-year-old raced onto the ball and slid it across the keeper into the far corner. Twelve minutes later Bindi lashed home a free-kick, a quick response saw Le Mans pull one back and then Bindi restored the two goal margin inside sixty seconds… for a whole seven minutes. With 42 minutes on the clock there were five goals on the board and three times as many chances saved or missed.

After the break things calmed down a little but if Ed had hoped for an easy ride he was disappointed, although the number of chances reduced they were all going to the home side and Valverde had to be on top of his game. He was just beginning to dare to think that the points were in the bag when a Le Mans corner saw a scuffle in the box and, the next thing he knew, Monsieur Ruffray was pointing at the spot. Two minutes on the clock and Ed saw the maximum points slipping away, until Valverde dived at full stretch and parried the ball out to Kangu.

Another two places gained but the pay-off was Bakayoko’s fractured cheekbone that would rule him out for three weeks at least. Leyti was added to the injury list a couple of days later and Ed found himself wondering if, once again, they were going to find their season marred with injuries and suspensions (he had Bédani suspended and seven players on the verge of joining him) – not a problem for most teams, but most certainly for a small scale squad like Pau.

[flipsix3]

It was only natural he supposed, in fact he was surprised that it had taken so long for such a situation to arise. After Wednesday morning’s training session Ed had pulled Khalifa Ba to one side – the defender had looked less than enthusiastic during the 5-a-sides and it was obvious that something was on his mind. He hadn’t been entirely surprised to find out what that had been, when he’d finally signed full-time papers with the club Ed had made it clear that he was a key part of the defence – now, some way down the road, he was seeing less action and he’d wanted clarification on his position.

To Ed the youngster still had a lot to offer, the problem was that more recent arrivals offered more. All he had been able to do was promise to give Ba as much match time as possible, and not stand in his way should the player decide that he needed to explore other avenues. He would have to bide his time a little though, with the table toppers in town there was no question of Ed playing anything less than his strongest available line-up.

Ajaccio were yet to taste defeat in the league, fifteen games with eleven wins and four draws, in fact they hadn’t even conceded a goal in the league competition for two months – after less than a quarter of an hour that record was on the way out as Séga bagged Pau’s opener in what turned out to be an amazing game for the home fans. Cami’s deep corner did the damage, with the Senegalese striker rising to head back across the keeper, and though the scores were level by the break, the second half was a whole different story. A clever ball from Testas put Bindi in to restore the lead shortly after the restart, and Di Bartolomeo added a third from the penalty spot minutes later. True to his word, Ed gave Ba the nod to take to the pitch as first Kangu, and then Séga, found the net to kill the game off. In the space of ninety minutes Ed had watched his team put more goals past Ajaccio than the rest of the league had done in the preceding fifteen games.

Naturally things were on a high after the demolition of the league leaders and while a number of managers were subjected to the early season merry-go-round, including Jacques Santini’s dismissal at St Etienne, Ed took his side to Lorient for a televised game. The previous season had seen two defeats at the hands of their hosts, and the TV pundits were backing Lorient all the way.

Tchami was back in action, although Bakayoko was still on the treatment table, and Ed was looking for the established man to take the game to their hosts but it was Séga who got in on the act and extended his scoring streak – a run that Ed had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity. After the problems that he’d had in getting settled last season, and the emergence of Bakayoko, Ed had started to question Séga’s worth to the team but here he was making it four for the season. Lorient responded well, creating a great spectacle for the cameras as Boutruche levelled before their constant threat – Suffo – put them in front.

Before the break Kangu fired home from the edge of the area, putting Pau back into contention again, and shortly after half-time Séga showed exactly why Ed maintained confidence in him, hitting Lorient on the break to put his side in front once again. Certainly it would be a game that the TV audiences would be revelling in, but the longer it went on the worse it felt to Ed. Suffo was on fire, running at the defence time and again, and predictably it was Cameroonian who popped up in stoppage time to rescue his side’s pride with a last gasp equaliser.

With Lorient on the fixture list in the imminent Cup game, Ed found himself praying to unknown gods for Suffo to lose suffer a loss of form, an injury, lost boots, anything!

[flipsix3]

OCTOBER 2006 SUMMARY

Pau 2 (Bindi 2, Kangu 75)

Dijon 1 (Heitzmann 5)

Man of the Match: Benon (Dijon) [DC]

Grenoble 1 (Kioyo 72)

Pau 1 (Séga 90)

French Cup

Man of the Match: Mawéné (Grenoble) [D RC]

News: Pau win penalty shoot-out 4-1

Le Mans 2 (Buengo 34, Foxe 42)

Pau 3 (Testas 14, Bindi 26, 35)

Man of the Match: Valverde (Pau) [GK]

News: Fanchone (Le Mans) missed penalty 88 (saved)

Pau 5 (Séga 12, 90+, Bindi 49, Di Bartolomeo pen 53, Kangu 69)

Ajaccio 1 (Deranja pen 43)

Man of the Match: Bindi (Pau) [MC]

Lorient 3 (Boutruche 24, Suffo 32, 90+)

Pau 3 (Séga 11, 58, Kangu 35)

Man of the Match: Morel (Lorient) [AM/F LC]

[flipsix3]

04 May 2005

5-1? Maybe promotion's on the cards? How many teams go up? Is it automatic or playoffs? Could I ask any more questions?

I can confirm that there are three automatic promotion spots and no play-offs.

[flipsix3]

Ed was due into the office early, the first Monday of the month was always review day with the boss, but his usually reliable Audi had broken down half way to Pau. Standing by the side of the road he dialled up on his mobile and got his secretary

“Good morning Catherine, can you let monsieur Le Coadou know I’ll be in as soon as possible”

……

“No, nothing important, just my car broke down, I’ve got someone on the way to sort it”

……

“Yeah, I know, but I just like it up there”

……

“Well maybe you’re right, maybe I’ll look into it sometime, but I just don’t have that time at the moment”

……

“No, don’t be silly, there’s no need to do…”

……

“I’ll think about it when the winter break comes, or maybe in the summer. Okay I’ll see you later”

She was right of course, seventy-odd miles wasn’t a long commute but it would make sense to move nearer to the club now that he was in charge. It wasn’t the first time he’d considered the idea but a part of him didn’t want to think about leaving the villa, he thought that it was the same part of him that didn’t want to admit that Sonja wasn’t coming back. Catherine had offered to look into available property but he didn’t want to get into the hassle of it while the season was in full flow – he would think about it later, it would be good for him, but it wasn’t a priority at the moment.

-----

Eventually he got into the office, a couple of hours late. The chairman was in fine mood, understandably with the team putting together a two month unbeaten run that had lifted them into seventh place. With three games coming up against struggling opposition they were in a great position to push for a high placing for the run up to the break.

[flipsix3]

For the Angers game Ed found himself with a dilemma, but a pleasant one. The squad was fully fit again, that meant Bakayoko back in action, and two weeks ago his pairing with Tchami would have been a dead certainty but now Séga’s form was worthy of his inclusion. He weighed the pros and cons for quite some time and decided, in the end, on a compromise – Bakayoko would start on the bench and join whoever looked better after the break – that would give the starting pair a chance to fight it out for the second spot going forward, a fact that he made them both fully aware of.

A few months ago he would have been surprised when Séga put in the stronger performance, but not now. Admittedly Tchami was only recently back from injury himself, he’d worked hard and shown that he was up for the challenge, it was just that his strike partner obviously wanted it more and proved the point with a goal. Once Bakayoko came on the old spark was immediately evident, however hard his other strikers worked Ed couldn’t deny that the man from the Ivory Coast just oozed class and never stopped running – his own hard work won him a penalty that he converted late on and, despite a quick response from Angers, the win was in the bag and Pau’s unbeaten run was up to eleven games.

It was the stuff of dreams, after the struggling start to the season Ed had really expected a nightmare but once they’d got their confidence back his team had shown exactly the sort of form that had saved them from an immediate return to the National League last May. True to his word he let the strikers know that it would be Séga and Bakayoko starting the next game.

-----

As it turned out the decision was taken away from Ed anyway, Tchami pulled up in training a few days before the Cup tie with Lorient and, on the advice of the Physio staff, was sent to a specialist to take a look at his back problems. With Tchami out of the loop again Testas returned to the bench.

Lorient had become, in Ed’s mind at least, something of a bogey team. It was probably just the sight of Patrick Suffo that did it, waltzing through the defence like they were statues, and there was a sense of resignation when the striker’s early cross found a free man to head the visitors into the lead. What did surprise him was how physically Lorient had decided to play the game, from the off there were elbows flying and strong tackles going in, and the referee clearly had little choice but to dismiss Gragnic for two calculated fouls late in the first half. Despite the man over Pau struggled to make their mark though, Testas came on for a poor Séga and hardly got into the game – reduced to long shots, whilst Bakayoko forced a couple of late saves out of the keeper.

It was another French Cup disappointment in the end, with Lorient maintaining their undefeated record against Ed’s side, but he refused to be downbeat about it – realistically their efforts had to be focussed on the league.

[flipsix3]

Frédéric Robin was in Africa, once again Ed had decided to check out the quality of the youngsters in the continent with a view to the future strengthening of the squad – he also had it in mind that he would be trying to change the shape of the starting line-up again in the summer – making another attempt to add width to the midfield. The recommendations were fewer this time, something that he hoped was down to the fact that the scouts now knew that they were shopping for a team aiming at top-half quality.

One name that had passed muster was that of São Toméan midfielder, José Guillherme Cabral. The 20-year-old had come for a two week trial and ended up signing papers at the end of it, in training Ed had been particularly struck with how the winger never seemed to stop running, and that was something that he valued highly. There would be no place in the first team this season, not unless things got out of hand, but the youngster would certainly have his chances in the future.

After the player had signed his contract Jacques Le Coadou had pulled Ed to one side

“Another free signing? You don’t want to dip into the transfer budget you’ve accumulated?”

“To be honest Jacques, I’ve tried, but no-one with a current contract wants to come here. Anyway, it must make the books look good?”

“It certainly does, I’ve been checking them and I’m amazed, do you know that in your time here you’ve spent less than three hundred thousand Euros, that's under half a million pounds I reckon?”

That had surprised him, he was sure that there were more money signings than that, yet when he tried to think of any he simply couldn’t – with the exception of Valverde he had hardly touched the bank balance at all. Still, if he could keep generating these sort of results on a similar strategy he’d be more than happy.

Whilst Pau’s form was good there were plenty of teams that weren’t doing so well, probably most notable was the relative failure of Monaco who, under the guidance of Jean Tigana, were sitting in eighth place in the top flight. After a string of defeats Tigana was shown on TV arriving at work through a cordon of protestors, his job was apparently on the line and, for the first time, Ed idly wondered whether it would be worth his while to apply, should the manager be shown the door. It wasn’t a thought he dwelt on for long though, reminding himself that he had not even finished three seasons in a management role yet.

[flipsix3]

13 May 2005

hehehe-tempted aren't ya-will be interesting to see what you do if they offer it ya......

25 May 2005

we miss flippers

01 June 2005

Where'd he go?!

20 August 2005

This story is well worth a bump -- very creative, and hoping the author will take it up again.

Originally Posted 19 October 2005

Christ, people keep reading this for months after you vanish!?

Well I heard a rumour about FM2K6 that got me thinking, then I looked into my folders and found this save game and around 190 pages of unposted story so I thought I'd maybe show my face.

Not guaranteeing that I'll get beyond what I had written back in April, maybe I'll start playing again, maybe just post this as far as what I've got.

I have my own reasons, for starters there's a character in here based on someone I had something of a "crush" on - then things actually happened, but haven't worked out great, so keeping her in here might be painful - and writing her out would mean starting over - but hell, I'll see where it goes - maybe posting (and reading) this stuff will get me back into playing...

[flipsix3]

So... can we all remember the story so far? Maybe time to skip back and review so I'll take it steady for the first few updates

After a strong performance produced a marginal defeat at Guingamp Ed decided to swap things around a bit for their first entrance into the French Cup – thanks to a draw which saw them facing National League opposition. He wasn’t confident enough to go for a totally youth oriented line-up but the defence was largely second string and he hoped that they would stand up to the test.

Beauvais looked to be in all sorts of trouble, if his scouts had done their homework correctly. Struggling to retain their league status, they were also in the grip of an injury battle with three of their key players out. Truth be told the defence was rarely troubled after Beauvais’ opener – once they’d gone behind it seemed that Bakayoko felt personally wronged and he set about putting things back the way they should be. Having set up Séga for the opener, and then run at the home defence over and over, he finally settled matters with a fabulous brace late in the game – the first a 20 yard drive into the top corner, the second a delightful little chip as the keeper came to close him down.

The draw for the next round gave them a trip to non-league opposition and Ed made a commitment to give his youngsters a proper run out for that one. In the meantime he went back to his strongest line-up for the visit of Nancy, 19th place in the table and really struggling. For Ed the main concern was discipline, going into the game he was up to eight players – from his usual sixteen man squad – who were one booking away from suspension.

Nancy hadn’t managed a win in four league games, and had taken a real beating in their last game, but had then bounced back with a big victory over non-league Cup opponents. Ed wasn’t sure exactly how they’d react, whether the Cup game would give them the confidence to lift their league form, or whether they’d slip back into struggling mode. After ten minutes or so he thought he knew, Bakayoko and Tchami had both gone close before Leyti slotted the opener – the visitors had yet to get into Pau’s third of the pitch and Ed sensed an opportunity for a big win.

He’d given Bertand Tchami the start, despite his earlier decision that Séga was the best partner for Bakayoko. Just back from his latest injury, Tchami looked determined to reclaim the place full-time and his breakaway goal had the Pau faithful on their feet as he sprinted through the back line and fired home from the edge of the area. There was no sign of a let-up for Nancy, by the break Valverde had still to make a save, even when Séga came on at half-time the assault continued Leyti eventually making it 3-0 with a confident header from Bindi’s corner.

The win kept Pau firmly in the top half of the table, with some fans even daring to suggest that promotion was not an impossibility, whilst Nancy sank even further into trouble at the other end of the league. Le Coadou, of course, was delighted and Ed could foresee a pleasant time over the winter break.

[flipsix3]

NOVEMBER 2006 SUMMARY

Pau 2 (Séga 27, Bakayoko pen 78)

Angers 1 (Legendre 82)

Man of the Match: Répás (Pau) [sw/D C]

Pau 0

Lorient 1 (Ouattara 12)

French Cup

Man of the Match: Le Crom (Lorient) [GK]

News: Gragnic (Lorient) sent off 45

Guingamp 2 (Tchomogo 26, 51)

Pau 1 (Cami 42)

Man of the Match: Cami (Pau) [MC]

News: Bardon (Guingamp) sent off 63

Beauvais 1 (Bouden 41)

Pau 2 (Séga 43, Bakayoko 79, 89)

French Cup

Man of the Match: Bakayoko (Pau) [sC]

Pau 3 (Leyti 12, 86, Tchami 33)

Nancy 0

Man of the Match: Leyti (Pau) [D/DM C]

[flipsix3]

After such a long absence, it was good to see how missed I was.... or not

Supaplaya

Welcome back

Terk

\o/ flippers \o/

Peacemaker7

You're dead

Tyrone the Mag

Not anymore, back from the dead it would seem. Keep going flippers

omni_paul

Huzzah! \o\ \o/ /o/

uskopite

Brilliant Flipsix3 -- Glad you took this up again

I'm dead!?! Why didn't someone tell me? it explains an awful lot... especially the hell I've been going through on the relationship front

Peacemaker7

Oh well, I'm glad you're not really dead. Relationships suck, copy Raptor and make one up.

Tyrone the Mag

Good to see you back, hope everything turns out ok for you.

bartley_m

Flippers!

Simply Perfect

YAY!

You're all too kind... apart from that wee moody Scot

[flipsix3]

“Ed, I’ve got something to show you?” Catherine came into the office with his mail for the day

“Okay, what is it?”

“No, I mean I need to show you. If you’re free later today I can show you but it’s out of town”

-----

After she’d spent most of the day pestering him Ed had finally given in, the players had finished training in the early afternoon and, once he’d got his paperwork out of the way, he’d agreed to take a look at whatever it was that was so important.

She’d told him to drive out of town toward the mountains for a few minutes, once they got closer she started to give specific directions until he’d pulled into the driveway of a beautiful house perched right among the bigger foothills – looking up at the full glory of the Pyrenees.

“This place looks kind of familiar” he said as they climbed out of the car “have I been here before?”

“Erm… kind of” Catherine mumbled, dragging him by the hand “See that house over there?” she pointed at a similar building perhaps three hundred yards away “That’s my parent’s house, you remember – you erm… stayed there after the party?”

“Catherine, what’s this all about?”

“Well you said you thought it might be a good idea to move…”

“Wait a minute, I said I’d thought about it, nothing more, I’m not ready to actually do anything about it. Anyway, this place isn’t up for sale”

“No it’s not, but it will be next week unless you don’t want it to be”

She explained that the owners, friends of her family, were about to put the property on the market as they were moving East to enjoy the warmer climes of the south coast and the villa that they owned, overlooking the Mediterranean. It was a fantastic looking house, the view of the mountains to the rear was spectacular, and back over his shoulder he could see Pau – the late afternoon sunlight glittering off the river as it wound it’s way down to Lourdes.

After a look around the outside Catherine urged him to follow her as she ran up the steps to the door and knocked, after a couple of minutes a couple came to the door, both in their fifties at his best guess.

“Ahh, Catherine, how are you my girl?”

“I’m fine monsieur Gomis, this is the man I was telling you about”

Gomis looked Ed up and down and smiled

“Come in, please”

They went inside, the décor was pleasant enough – though not quite to Ed’s taste – and the couple made him feel very welcome. He discussed their plans with them, and what they intended to do with the property.

There was some hesitancy on his part, he knew that it was that part of him that didn’t want to move on, didn’t want to leave the past behind, but he knew that this was the perfect opportunity to do just that. He argued with himself for a while, as Catherine chatted to the owners, and eventually decided to bite the bullet. If you don’t do it now you probably never will, he told himself.

It was difficult to say anything certain, he’d been caught a little cold on this, but he promised the Gomis’ that he’d look into things as soon as possible, and asked them to hold off for a day or two before putting the property on the open market. Certainly the finances shouldn’t be a problem, in fact he could probably sell the villa at Mont-de-Marsan and make a profit on the whole thing, but that would have to wait for a few days.

“You see, I told you it would be worth it didn’t I?” Catherine looked at him enquiringly as they walked back to the car “So you are going to consider it aren’t you?”

“Yes, you did, and yes I am, but I’m not certain yet it’s a big thing, moving house, I’ll have to think about it”

“What’s to think about? It’s perfect, I know it, and you’ll buy it”

She’s right, he told himself, you know she is, why not just admit it?. He knew the voice, and knew that it was right – he’d already made his mind up that it was time to bite the bullet, and for what he’d just seen the chances of coming across anything better, at such a good price, were pretty much zero… or less.

”Like I said, maybe” he smiled

“Okay, whatever you say” she winked “I’ll see you tomorrow, I think I can manage the walk” she said and, giving him a wave, she turned on her heel and jogged down the road toward her parent’s house.

Ed sat in the car, the engine running, and watched her go. She really was a lovely girl, a little too much of the child about her at times but that was part of her charm, it was reminiscent of Sonja in their early days togeth…

Stop it Ed! Don’t start thinking of her like that! his voice said, the problem was – if he was honest – it was probably just a little too late to be suggesting caution on that matter.

[flipsix3]

21 October 2005

Welcome back, both for your writing and because it annoys PM7.

Cheers Spav

[flipsix3]

The following days were a little chaotic, he’d managed to go and see the bank and agree to a potential arrangement to find the money for the house. He’d just missed the ‘megabucks’ era as a player but he did have some reasonable savings tucked away and it wouldn’t be too big a strain on the finances – once he could sell the villa it would actually leave him in a pretty good position.

Once he’d finally admitted to Catherine that he was going to offer to buy the house, which had been greeted with a huge smile and a long hug, she’d been fantastic – she made it her task to liaise with both the bank, and her parent’s neighbours, and she set about getting the villa onto the market.

It was certainly a relief, the ‘day to day’ elements of moving were not something he could cope with at the moment, he had games to oversee and, recognising that things were going to get even more hectic, he cancelled his plans to go home during the break. His mother had been upset of course, at least until he explained the reasons why, but she came around to his way of thinking in the end.

Although most of the load had been taking off his shoulders he still felt somewhat distracted as he watched his side throw away a two goal lead at Nice, coming under pressure at the end and getting away with a draw. His mind hadn’t been one hundred percent focussed, although he could argue that it was the player’s lack of concentration that let them down, and he made a point of paying special attention to the squad in the run up to the Cup tie.

[flipsix3]

21 October 2005

Spent various parts of the last couple of days reading back through this from post one to catch myself up. An excellent tale, here's hoping that all goes well with the second half of the season (dare we even hope of a promotion push) and that Ed's crush on Catherine doesn't become debilitating

21 October 2005

Originally posted by Spav:

Welcome back, both for your writing and because it annoys PM7.

Except it doesn't I think Flippers is great so

22 October 2005

I'm the one that annoys PM7. My two CMS awards and a MAO, which I earned on not a single decent story.

Actually flippers, your return had me thinking of starting a new story, but then I realized Faramir and BobBev have written everything in East and the West, and done it much better than I could. So I've relegated myself to the position of ocassional poster.

Nice to see you back,

mao

Thanks again guys, and Mao - just because they've written everything doesn't mean you can't do it just as well in your own inimitable style, pull yer finger out!!

[flipsix3]

With non-league opposition playing host in the French Cup he’d said previously that he would give the youngsters a run out, and he stood by the decision - for the travelling fans there were few familiar faces in the starting line-up. That said, there weren’t many travelling fans. Forbach sat in a little kink on the French-German border just a matter of miles from the German city of Saarbrücken – a place Ed had visited with his school many years before – as journeys went it was a long one, almost on the opposite side of the country from Pau, and it meant an overnight stay for the young squad.

Having had to travel so far it had been difficult for Ed to maintain much of an air of ‘mystery’ among the squad, but with a few senior players travelling he expected one or two pleasantly surprised faces when he pinned up the team-sheet for the game. Griffouliere would get only his second start of the season between the posts, whilst the defence of; Bikoyoi, Ba, and Karim Tafer would be joined by the experience of Labat with Di Bartolomeo retaining the ‘anchor man’ spot. Bindi was given the playmaker role, but would be supported by the unfamiliar faces of Marc-Antoine Correia and Jarkko Vesapuisto, and the front pairing of Tchami and Bonnel gave the latter his second appearance in a starting line-up.

The strike partnership actually helped solve a problem for Ed, both Séga and Bakayoko had run up enough bookings for a suspension but the Cup tie meant that they wouldn’t be missed too much. There was plenty of experience on the bench too, in case things went pear shaped, but he didn’t expect them to. In fact he was full of confidence and when a local paper asked, he made it clear that he was looking for a convincing win.

A bright start should have settled the nerves for Pau, Tchami’s early goal just seemed to be the catalyst for the hosts though and they put a surprising amount of pressure on and kept their heads to test Griffouliere several times. When Tchami eventually broke through for a second Ed thought it might be time to breathe more easily, but this time the comeback was harder, faster, and actually produced a goal to cut the margin back to one. Tchami was enjoying himself though, and his hat-trick was bagged in the 39th minute – the third goal in eight minutes.

Although they’d showed some threat Ed was finally confident that the home side’s resistance was ready to be broken, at half time he just asked for more of the same from his team – when Forbach quickly reduced the margin again he started to think that he might have underestimated their hosts. He made three changes at once and ordered his side to go for the throat. What had looked like a stroll was suddenly threatening to become a slog through heavy ground, it was ‘heart in mouth’ time as Labat finally scrambled the ball away after a bout of goalmouth pinball, but the non-league side were not going to lie down and play dead. When Jeannot Sagna spotted Griffouliere off his line he fired in a shot from a good forty-five yards and Ed watched in despair as his young keeper back-pedalled helplessly, seeing the ball fly over his head and into the net. By now Ed was getting the horrible feeling that the local press would be making him eat his words in the morning, but his subs combined to come to the rescue, Cami’s corner finding Jallet’s head, and the ball finding the net.

When the whistle finally came there was a collective sigh of relief and plenty of praise, from his youngsters, for their opponents. On the face of it the result should have been more emphatic but there was little that he could really find fault with, although Griffouliere might have to wait a while for this third start of the season.

[flipsix3]

After his Cup hat-trick Tchami was always going to retain his spot in the line-up for the trip to Grenoble and so it was Séga who watched from the bench at kick-off. An opener from Cami was cancelled out but his side looked strong and got to the break with the majority of possession and chances. After the break the balance shifted though, even after Bakayoko scored, and Ed was happy to escape with a draw and the chance to look forward to their first home game in four.

-----

When he arrived home from the Grenoble trip he’d found a message on his answerphone. It was Catherine, and she had news for him – apparently everything was ready for him to move in the winter break. He was stunned, how she’d turned everything around so efficiently was beyond him but all that was left was for him to sign the appropriate papers – apparently the estate agents already had someone interested in his house too, although that was unlikely to resolve itself until the new year.

The next morning he stopped off on his way to the club and picked up a little something for Catherine, a thank you for the work she’d put in. He hoped that she wouldn’t consider it inappropriate, he’d never been a ‘flowers and chocolates’ man so he’d gone for something a little more lasting – a silver wristwatch. Her reaction eased any concerns he might have had, she put it on immediately and twisted her arm, looking at it from every angle she could with a bright smile. He found himself looking at her, not for the first time, and when she looked up he could see that she knew it. He coughed nervously, and mumbled his excuses as he fumbled at his office door.

[flipsix3]

As games go they could have had an easier one to see out the year, Gueugnon were sitting atop the table and their high-scoring strike partnership were on something of a roll. Although Pau took an early lead, with Cami going it alone to bury the ball, Ed knew that their visitors weren’t in first place for no reason – a good portion of their success was down to the form of Joseph Job and it was the former Boro man who levelled it just after the break. If Ed had learned one thing though, it was that his side had the capacity to win any game when they were playing well, and their form was good at the moment – Bakayoko restored their lead before Séga came off the bench and netted a third, aided by a sizeable deflection.

Defeat cost Gueugnon their top place, victory lifted Ed’s side into sixth – at least until the three or four Boxing Day games were played - but he had no time to bask in the moment, he had a house to move.

-----

He didn’t expect to have a great deal of stuff to move, his taste was very much in the minimalist and with the Gomis’ moving into what was, effectively, their second home they hadn’t stripped the house bare. He was somewhat surprised to find that he ended up with two van loads of stuff, and by the time that he got the second one unloaded it was getting pretty late. One of his coaches, Albert Souviraa, had helped him move but with the clock ticking it’s way towards midnight, and towards Christmas Eve, he insisted on dropping him off – he was a family man and it wasn’t right that he be out until the early hours at this time of year. Quite why the Gomis’ had decided to move at Christmas was beyond him anyway, but he wasn’t going to complain at the good fortune that had come his way.

He pulled into the car park of the club and locked the van up, Monsieur Le Coadou had let him use it – it belonged to his business, and he had said that he would collect it in the morning. Ed stood in the cold night air and listened to the sounds of partying, the area was popular with winter holiday makers, especially skiers, and with Christmas just around the corner there was a buzz around the town. He stretched and looked at his watch, it was 11.50 and he really ought to get some sleep – his arms were throbbing, but if he went up to the house to sleep then he would only have to go back up north in the morning to grab the last bits and pieces. He took another deep breath of the chilly air, tasting the sharp edge of snow, and got into his car.

-----

It was getting on for 2am by the time he got back to the house, the weather wasn’t ideal for driving and he’d stopped off a couple of times when he’d felt his eyelids dropping. Now he was back he actually felt a little more awake though, he let himself in and grabbed a box from beside the door. A quick sweep of the ground floor produced little, only a few bits of paperwork out of his desk drawer, and he made his way up to the bedroom. He was pretty sure he’d got everything but he gave it one last look over before calling it a night, the drawers and cupboards had all been emptied but he had a habit of shoving stuff away into little corners rather than finding a proper place for it, he climbed onto the chair in the corner and looked on top of the wardrobes – there was something back there, a shoebox by the look of it. The box looked familiar and he didn’t want to open it, he knew why he’d hidden it away and as he sat on the edge of the bed he felt something turn over in his gut. He tossed it into the larger box and climbed into bed.

[flipsix3]

He woke up late by his standards, it was showing nearly 9am on his watch, and he decided to get moving. The place was pretty much ready to be sold, if and when the prospective purchasers decided to put in their bid, he just bundled up the bedclothes and shoved them into the boot of the car. He went in one last time, having a quick look around to make absolutely sure he’d forgotten nothing, and came out with the box full of the final bits and pieces. Locking the door he stood for a moment and recalled the feelings when he and Sonja had first turned into the driveway. She’d been so excited, like a kid at Christm…

Stop it, stop it right now. You’re moving and it’s about time you dropped all that **** and started over, now get in the car and go. He knew the voice was right, he turned around and loaded up the car.

-----

It was early evening by the time he’d got most of the sorting out done. People say that moving is very stressful and that’s why he liked to keep things to a minimum, Catherine had insisted on coming over to help and they’d spent three or four hours sorting out the furniture before grabbing some lunch, and then another couple unpacking boxes and finding new homes for stuff.

Most of the rubbish he’d generated – empty boxes and the like – were stacked out back on the porch, there was just one left. He’d made one room into a study of sorts, and taken all the paperwork in there, when he came back into the lounge Catherine was sat on the edge of the sofa looking at the orange shoebox.

“What’s this Ed?” she asked, as she started to lift the lid.

He darted across the room and grabbed it, making her jump “I’m sorry, it’s nothing really – just some old stuff that I never got around to throwing out” It was a lie, and probably a bad one from the look in her eyes.

He sat on the sofa for a moment deciding whether or not to open the box, he knew what was in there – all the little odds and sods that meant something, the little notes and cards that Sonja had sent him, a few photographs, and of course that note. He’d made a statement in deciding to move, a decision that this was a ‘clean and final break’ and he intended to make it just that, he took it upstairs and opened the hatch to the attic. He made sure that the box was held shut, a couple of elastic bands saw to that, and threw it into a corner of the dark space.

When he came back down Catherine had curled her feet up onto the sofa and was watching the fire burning away, one of the things that had really grabbed him about the house was the real fireplace – his parent’s had had one when he was a kid and it had always fascinated him.

“Well that’s all done I think, thanks – you’ve been a star”

She smiled but didn’t lift her head to look in his direction “That’s okay, I’m always happy to help, you’ve pretty much worn me out though”

“You’re worn out?” he laughed “You should’ve tried loading and unloading all this cráp yesterday. Anyway I’ll make us a drink, you just sit down for a bit, I think we deserve a rest”

He went into the kitchen and looked around, trying to get used to the new layout. After a while he came back in with coffee and sat down on the sofa next to her. She took her cup and put it on the table beside her

“It’s nice here, I like it, not a bad find if I do say so myself”

“Yes, I owe you one, that much I admit” he leaned across and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Now I think I’ll just have ten minutes sit down before I do anything else, I’m dead on my feet.”

[flipsix3]

He hadn’t intended to fall asleep, just to sit and relax for a few minutes, but he’d gone out like a light. When he woke something felt out of place and it took him a moment to realise what it was, for a moment he thought he was dreaming – another of those tricks his mind played on him where Sonja was snuggled up against him, but it wasn’t Sonja and he wasn’t dreaming. While he’d slept Catherine had shifted on the sofa and was dozing next to him, her arm across his chest. He tried to get up without disturbing her but as soon as he moved she muttered something and her eyes opened.

“mmm, what’s the time Ed?”

He looked at his watch and was surprised to see that he’d slept for a good four or five hours

“Erm, it’s just gone midnight”

“Really? Oh I suppose I ought to be getting home then” she replied, trying to stifle a yawn. Sitting up she rubbed her eyes and then smiled “Hey, you know what that means don’t you? Merry Christmas!” and then she leaned across and kissed him, staying close after she had ”I’ve got to go, I’m sorry, but I’ll come over later if you like…?” she whispered.

Ed detected something in the wording of the question, for months he’d picked up on little signals, a turn of phrase or a look, but he’d ignored them. No, that wasn’t right, he hadn’t just ignored them, part of him had – but part of him had not wanted to believe them. Now there was no room left for ambiguity, he knew that she was serious, it was whether he wanted to accept that or push her away.

“Yeah, that would be nice” he responded, returning her kiss. A smile spread, lighting up her eyes, and she hugged him hard

“See you later then”

Before he could fully wake himself, and get up to show her out, she was gone.

What are you playing at Ed. She’s just a kid His inner voice was on his case again, but he’d realised by now that this was the voice of that part of him that was always afraid, afraid to move house, afraid to admit that Sonja was gone, afraid to accept that he was doing a good job at Pau. It was the voice of his self-doubt and it wasn’t always right.

Yes she was younger than him, but so what? She was twenty-seven, maybe twenty-eight, that made a difference of eight or nine years, not a big deal in the slightest. Besides, it wasn’t like he was about to propose marriage to the girl, just two adults enjoying eachother’s company.

-----

She had come back later on Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, in fact by the time things got back into the old routine at the club there could be little doubt that they were an item, although they made a conscious decision to keep their relationship separate from work. Catherine went out with friends on the night, whilst Ed showed his face at the club’s event arranged by Le Coadou.

[flipsix3]

A couple of days later he was sat in his office when his laptop chimed to announce the arrival of a new email, at first he took it for a wind-up but a phone call soon put him straight. In their annual New Year review the French FA had named him as the Division Two Manager of the Year. It was a strange award as far as he was concerned, based not on a season, but on performances for a twelve month period, but he was pleased to have been recognised and even more impressed when they reeled off the statistics to show that, in 2006, they’d lost just eleven of thirty-nine league games – this in a competition where they were being perpetually tagged as rank outsiders for survival.

Before the league could resume though, there was a French Cup game lined up and despite his earlier decision to use the Cup for squad rotation, he thought that non-league opposition would be the ideal way to ease back into competitive action after the holidays. Two first half goals from Tchami, and a matching second half brace from Testas, saw Albi swept aside without so much as a shot on goal.

Off the pitch things were maybe not going quite so well, although Ed was sure that he could get where he wanted to be. He’d entered into talks with a few of his key men to extend contracts, Tchami had soon signed up but Bindi was playing tough as was Kangu. The defender was, truth be told, not a key feature of the starting line-up but he was well liked and if Ed could re-sign him on a more realistic promise of a squad player then he would love to do so. Testas and Bikoyoi had both put pen to paper, accepting that they were bit-part players for now, but it was Bindi that Ed really wanted sorting.

The first league opponents of the new year were Bastia, one of the teams based on the island of Corsica, but any worries Ed may have had about the winter ferry crossing were dismissed with Cami and Bakayoko providing the goals in a tight game. The first league action of the new term and the first win, it was the ideal way to get set up for the run in to the end of the season. On the downside – there always has to be a downside doesn’t there? he thought to himself – Julien Labat took a knock and would be out for a few days, although probably only enough to miss a game or two.

[flipsix3]

The last thing that he needed, while preparing for a televised game, was the distraction of a transfer bid, especially one that had come out of the blue. Bertrand Tchami was the target, the bid a paltry £35,000 from Troyes. Ed could understand why, a proven striker would be most welcome with a return of sixteen goals in twenty-three games, but the bid was insulting and though they could handle the loss of Tchami, he certainly didn’t want to see one of his players slipping into the National in a few months time.

The visit of Brest produced the proverbial game of two halves or, more accurately, of three thirds. The pundits were predicting a draw as the teams lined up, but just after the half-hour mark that was looking most unlikely – after applying consistent pressure Pau broke through with two in a minute, first Tchami running unmarked into the box to shoot across the keeper, then Bakayoko getting onto Cami’s flick to embarrass the defence a second time.

The first turning point came when the referee dismissed Gábor Répás, deciding that the shove in the back that he gave his man while jumping for a long pass constituted a professional foul. With Répás gone Brest turned up the pressure and there were anxious moments for Ed, either side of half time, when Valverde found his area under siege. Whilst it may have turned the pressure on, the makeshift pairing of Leyti and Di Bartolomeo commanded the area and the latter made at least three top-class tackles that could easily have resulted in penalties if mistimed.

Having withstood the onslaught and battled through to the hour mark, Ed made changes and gave Tchami a rest for Séga, ten minutes later the striker – who had taken so long to open his account in the previous season – made it eight for this campaign with a delicious lob that killed the game off as a competition. A record home crowd of over ten thousand watched their side at it’s flowing best.

The win lifted Pau into the promotion spots, at least for the time being, and the media were all over them for instant reaction after the game. Le Coadou revelled in his chance to steal the limelight – which was fine by Ed – going on at length about how they were confounding the experts once again, but there was one question that would not go away. It was general knowledge by now that Djamel Bindi was yet to sign a new deal, with a magnificent performance in the game, and a number of teams apparently showing interest, Ed was asked what the prospects were of holding onto the midfielder. His response was short and defensive, but cleverly open ended.

“If they want him they better have deep pockets” he didn’t need to add 'or patience' – the question simply served to redouble his determination to hammer out a contract extension.

[flipsix3]

“OK thanks for the tip Philippe, I’ll see if I can arrange anything” he held down the cut-off for a second or two then hit the button with Catherine’s extension pre-saved.

“Hi you, can you let the guys know that I’ll be out for the day, I’ve just had a call from an old friend, I’m going to check out some young talent” then, as an afterthought, he added “nothing for you to get jealous about of course” he smiled as he heard her laughing on her end of the phone “I’ll be back late tonight, if you’re free maybe we can grab dinner”

He quickly checked his emails, nothing important except the FA dismissing his appeal on Répás’ suspension, and made for the car park. It had been a while since he’d spoken to Philippe Goubet, in fact he’d probably only rung him once since signing Valverde on his tip - a move he owed a thank you for, he reminded himself – but the Bordeaux scout had possibly come up trumps again. Ed had called him up to see how feelings were around the club, sitting in fourteenth place was bound to have an impact on the players who would expect much better. Goubet hadn’t talked a great deal about their situation, but what he had done was confirm what his own scouts had suggested to him, Bordeaux were about to offload a batch of youngsters and it might be worth Ed having a look at them training before they word got out.

It was a long drive, he was surprised how quickly he’d adapted to living so close to the ground, but he arrived in plenty of time to see the youth team going through it’s paces. It wasn’t an easy call to make, on the one hand Ed knew that he was struggling to sign established players, on the other he was wary of young cast-offs, but there were a couple of lads who he thought had promise and he had a quiet word with them – offering trials at Pau.

[flipsix3]

PAU BOSS WANTS BORDEAUX JOB

He should have been on his guard of course, with his team overachieving he was now a ‘face’ in the French game and when he was casually asked by a passer-by if he’d be interested in the job at Bordeaux he’d responded that of course he would. The next morning the headlines were in the nationals. The article, worth only a couple of column inches, dismissed his actual chances of taking the hot seat but suggested that his comments would increase the pressure on the under-fire Michel Pavon.

The switchboard at the local radio station was jammed with calls begging him to have a change of heart, and there was no shortage of callers to the club too. Ed had to apologise to Le Coadou for the fact that he’d been caught off guard by the press, if not for his actual comment on the matter – he knew that the Bordeaux job would be one he’d struggle to resist if it ever came his way, and he knew from previous discussions with the chairman that he wouldn’t be brought to task over that desire.

Ed spent a couple of days trying to stay out of the direct gaze of the local media, urging them to focus on the performance of the team rather than his own situation. The away win at Istres did no harm in that respect, Bakayoko’s early solo run and goal was one of few chances for Pau but he took it well and now the press had a second place berth in the table to get worked up about.

Bordeaux, meanwhile, managed a score draw on the road at struggling Amiens, hardly a result worthy of the five-time champions but it might be enough to take the heat of Pavon for a week or two and, in turn, allow the memory of Ed’s unwitting comment to start to fade. Of course the fact that he was about to lay off two of his coaches might make forgetfulness a rare commodity on the part of the local papers.

-----

It wasn’t something he was looking forward to, but he’d decided that he was establishing himself as the boss after two and a half years, so he’d sat down with Brahim Naïmi and discussed the coaching staff. So far he’d had no real complaints but the fact was that they were distinctly ‘small club’ coaches and he wanted to start preparing for future with some higher quality staff. He’d placed an appropriate advert and a handful of hopefuls had thrown their hats into the ring, including one or two surprising applications from overseas.

It was time to do the deed, thankfully the outgoing men took it well, accepting their pay-offs and leaving without a fuss. Now it was just a case of getting the new faces settled in and working with the players. Whilst a local French hopeful, Alex Faivre, would help with the first team his main responsibility would be the youngsters – the head coach for the seniors would be the former Cambridge United manager, John Beck. Ed was particularly surprised when he’d heard that Beck had applied, but he obviously craved a bigger stage than his Histon post was offering. It would be nice to have another Englishman around and he was hoping that the older man’s determination would help push his players that little bit further.

[flipsix3]

JANUARY 2007 SUMMARY

Pau 4 (Tchami 20, 45, Testas 58, 81)

Albi 0

French Cup

Man of the Match: Bindi (Pau) [MC]

Bastia 1 (Toty 85)

Pau 2 (Cami 50, Bakayoko 65)

Man of the Match: Cami (Pau) [MC]

Pau 3 (Tchami 31, Bakayoko 32, Séga 70)

Brest 0

Man of the Match: Cami (Pau) [MC]

News; Repas (Pau) sent off 42

Istres 0

Pau 1 (Bakayoko 14)

Man of the Match: Leyti (Pau) [D/DM C]

Was waiting on the patch still when this was written, so I still can’t start posting tables at this stage.