psychonaut Posted September 12, 2012 Author Share Posted September 12, 2012 February 2019 Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ Ligue 1 Our poor January form continued into February. The team wanted to win, but time and time again sloppy defending cost us the 3 points. The only glimmer of hope came with our mauling of RC Lens, but to be honest we have the talent in the squad to beat the likes of Monaco and Troyes too - pity the players didn't turn up on the day. Somehow, results elsewhere mean we hang on to 4th, but for how long? Fixtures Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 March 2019 Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ Ligue 1 Our luck seemed to be on the turn this month, especially with the pleasing win away at Bordeaux. But perhaps overconfidence hit us, as we first went down to rivals Lorient (admittedly a strong team), and then Havre. We were dreadful against Havre, and deserved to lose despite having the better squad. Poor performances this month saw us drop to 5th in the table. Paris St-Germain and our rivals Lorient, have made up good ground, and are closing in on us. Just 3 points in it now. And with the way we are playing at the moment, there is every chance that they'll leapfrog us. Fixtures Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 April 2019 Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ Ligue 1 I very nearly resigned after losing to bottom club Valenciennes, but our 2 wins restored a bit of faith in my team, especially the win against Toulouse. We played exceptionally well, and thoughts of a Europa League slot were beginning to look like turning into a reality. We weren't making it easy for ourselves though. Dropping to 5th, but I felt sure we could hold off PSG and Lorient - if the players could keep their nerve. Fixtures Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 May 2019 Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ Ligue 1 KABOOM! We self-destructed... The matches against Lyon and Lille were always going to be difficult. But after our 1-1 against LOSC, I had high hopes for our next 3 matches. The win against Nice was hard fought, and yet again the defence was caught napping too many times. But the loss against USBCO was totally unacceptable, as was our 5-3 defeat at the hands of St-Etienne. For the second time this season, I issued players with fines for poor performance. Their lack of desire and sloppy play all but ended any hope of taking a Europa League slot, but given some of the horror shows this season they didn't really deserve to be there anyway. The final game of the season was a bit of a let down, but we knew PSG would beat us, and Lorient won their game to snatch the last Europa League slot. The table makes hard reading. So near, yet so far. But when you have the second worst Goals Against tally in the division, what do you expect... Fixtures Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 Hard cheese Psycho. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Wow, quite a collapse! Plenty of goals though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 The goals against is high... A few potential defensive signings and you'll be back up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Oh dear, well should pull through next time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Thanks guys. It was pretty hard to get so close, and come away with nothing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Season Summary Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ Ligue 1 A really good campaign, with many high points, but also a number of low points. Overall the team performed above expectations all season, and should have kept the momentum going and claimed a place in Europe. However it wasn't to be, and we'll just have to regroup and try again next season. Cups Dreadful. Wanted a good run in the French Cup, but when you can't beat a Ligue 2 team... Key Players Top Scorer: 19 - Federico Gómez. Highest Avg Rating: 7.53 (29 apps) - Mehdi Hajji. The Squad There's a lot of depth in the squad, although I will have to look at the defence more closely. They just leak too many goals, and their poor showing was a big part of our poor run in to the end of the season. Looking towards the Board to give me a decent transfer budget next season, although there are a number of very good players coming up through the youth ranks at the moment. I'm keeping a sharp eye on one of our new youth signings - Iban Yanguas. On paper he looks like being a real star of the future. Transfers 2018-19 Transfer Activity Finances The Board offered me a new 2 year contract on £9750 a week, which I signed. They then set budgets for the next season, giving me a £3.32M transfer budget, and a £325k p/w wage budget. Overall, the club is in a good position financially, and posted a profit of £6.1M this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 2018-19 Ups & Downs FRANCE LIGUE 1 Winners: Olympique Lyonnais Relegated: USBCO, AC Arles-Avignon, Valenciennes FC LIGUE 2 Winners: Montpellier Hérault SC. Promoted: SC Bastia, Stade Malherbe Caen NATIONAL Winners: GF 38. Promoted: Vanned OC, AJ Auxerre Relegated: Clermont Foot 63, FC Mulhouse, ES Viry Foot, Hyéres FC. FRENCH CUP Montpellier 2-0 FC Lorient. COUPE DE LA LIGUE Montpellier p1-1 Olympique Lyonnais. ENGLAND PREMIER LEAGUE Winners: Chelsea. ECC Q: Tottenham (2nd), Arsenal (3rd), Manchester United (4th). Europa Lg Q: West Bromwich Albion (FA Cup runners up), Aston Villa (5th), Stoke City (League Cup winners). Relegated: Watford, Charlton Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday. NPOWER CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: Stoke City. Promoted: West Ham United, Sheffield United. Relegated: Barnsley, Portsmouth, Yeovil Town NPOWER LEAGUE 1 Winners: Nottingham Forest. Promoted: Middlesbrough, Shrewsbury Town. Relegated: Leyton Orient, Hereford United, Carlisle United, Tranmere Rovers. NPOWER LEAGUE 2 Winners: Lincoln City. Promoted: Luton Town, Bristol Rovers, AFC Wimbledon. Relegated: Oldham Athletic, MK Dons. BLUE SQUARE BET PREMIER Winners: Accrington Stanley. Promoted: Chester City. Relegated: Darlington, Stockport County, Port Vale, Hayes & Yeading United. BLUE SQUARE BET NORTH Winners: FC United. Promoted: Corby. Relegated: Vauxhall, Altrincham, Chorley. BLUE SQUARE BET SOUTH Winners: Northampton Town. Promoted: Eastbourne Boro. Relegated: Cambridge City, Bishop's Stortford, Wealdstone. FA CUP Tottenham 4-0 West Bromwich Albion. LEAGUE CUP Stoke City 3-1 Liverpool JPT Leyton Orient 0-1 Crewe Alexandra FA Trophy Lewes 2-1 Forest Green Rovers CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Tottenham 0-1 Olympique Lyonnais @ Gazprom-Arena, St Petersburg Att: 69501. EUROPA LEAGUE Barcelona 1-0 Manchester City @ Stade Roi Badouin, Brussels. Att: 50000. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 Preseason 2019-20 Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ After the disappointing end to last season, I was determined to get the players firing on all cylinders this season. One thing that needed to be addressed was defence, which I bolstered with the signing of Gideon Uzoma from Rapid Bucharest for £2.5M, and Steve Broomfield from West Ham for £2.6M. Broomfield had impressed me during his two loan spells at Yeovil Town, so when the opportunity to land him came around, I was in like a shot. A number of players left during the summer, most notably Luca Hamelin, our young striker, who was off to Manchester United. I would have preferred to hang onto him, but he wanted away, and the club chairman closed the deal on my behalf, believing it would be "beneficial to the club". How exactly, I'm not sure. I also brought in Berkant Ozkan from Galatasary, a good midfielder, and did a great deal bringing in Bologna keeper Paolo Baiocco for £90k. We were all set for the preseason, and it went very well indeed. Our strikers seemed to be on form, and the back line were holding tight. Surely the sign of a good season to come? I told the Board that I believe the team can qualify for the Europa League this season - let's hope I haven't aimed too high... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 August 2019 Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ Ligue 1 Fixtures Not exactly the best of starts, with the defence getting back into their old routine. We were destroyed by Troyes in the first half, and never looked like creating any chances, until the last 10 minutes of the game. 7 points out of 15 - could do better. Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 September 2019 Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ Ligue 1 Fixtures A much better performance from the team this season, perhaps spurred on by the arrival of former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, who I picked up on a free transfer. He had an immediate impact, knocking in 2 goals against Nice on his debut. However, he only scored one more against Montpellier, and then the goals dried up. Hopefully normal service will resume. Table Coupe De La Ligue Not good. Out at the first hurdle... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 October 2019 Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ Ligue 1 Fixtures A poor, poor month. The stuffing seems to have been knocked out of the team, and their performances on the field have become terrible. The first cruel blow was being mauled by our rivals Lorient. I was determined to pick up team moral with a meeting, but the players didn't respond well. Off the pitch, there were murmurings about my future at the club, and my job was in the balance going into the match against AS Nancy. We lost an early goal, and when I turned to look at the Chairman he was holding my contract up as if he was about to tear it to pieces. Fortunately, the squad turned things around, and we came away with the win. Losing to LOSC was a hard defeat to take, given that we were 2-0 up at half time. I wanted to ensure that didn't herald the start of another bad run, and called a team meeting, but no one turned up. It seems as though my squad are turning against me. Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 November 2019 Stade Rennais F.C. ~French Ligue 1~ Ligue 1 Fixtures The rot continues. The only brief glimmer of hope came with the win against Monaco. But losing to Stade Malherbe was unforgivable. The team played extremely poorly. The players no longer respond to my team talks. Their morale seems high, but they are just not listening to anything I say. I think they are trying to get me the sack. Things are looking bleak indeed. 10th in the table is way below the Board's expectations, and my job is extremely insecure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 17, 2012 Author Share Posted September 17, 2012 December 2019 December 1st: A loss too far. A 1-0 defeat at the hands of AS St-Etienne sealed my fate... Just for a laugh, I submitted a job application to Stade Rennais. Unsurprisingly, they didn't proceed with it. There are a few jobs on offer, and I've applied for the manager vacancies at Middlesbrough, Derby, York, Bolton, Inverness CT, CR Brasil and Gremio Barueri (Brazil). But who will come in with the best contract? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Tough adjustment to the league, but seems to be a bit of a harsh sacking given that you're still in the middle of the table. What were you expect to finish in? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted September 17, 2012 Share Posted September 17, 2012 Stoke do the double (sort of) The best thing about France is leaving it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 So Bolton, York, Middlesbrough and Derby all offered me contracts, and after looking at wage and transfer budgets I decided to sign a 3 year contract on £1.4k p/w as manager of: Middlesbrough ~npower Championship~ Club Details Year Founded: 1876 Nickname: Boro Status: Professional Reputation: National Finances: Okay Fierce Rivals: Newcastle United, Sunderland. Other Rivals: Leeds, Chelsea. Stadium Details Name: The Riverside Stadium Location: Middlesbrough Capacity: 34992 all-seater Year Built: 1995 Condition: Very Poor Undersoil Heating: Yes Roof: No Surface: Grass Facilities Corporate: Good Training: Top Youth: Excellent Junior Coaching: Good Youth Recruitment: Above average youth recruitment Finances at the club aren't in the best shape. But despite that, the Chairman has given me £300k as a transfer budget. We are currently £4k p/w over the £100k p/w wage budget, so I shall have to address that - or else move some players on. The club haven't been in the Premier League since 2008/09 season, and have spent the last 2 seasons in League 1. As a result, the squad isn't the best, and we won't be pulling up any trees. I'm expected to avoid relegation, and finish around 17th... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 December 2019 Middlesbrough ~npower Championship~ League Fixtures Not exacty the easiest of starts. Once again, a leaky defence causes me concern, but it may just be down to low morale, and the team getting used to my tactics. Bristol City and Leicester were always going to cause us problems, but I'll take encouragement from our 2 wins this month. Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 January 2020 Middlesbrough ~npower Championship~ League Fixtures Not a great deal to cheer about. We should have been a lot better against Derby, and we totally collapsed against Peterborough. We had gone in 1-0 up on the Posh at half time. The win against overachieving Bournemouth was a welcome bit of relief from the fans miserable January. Too many dropped points, and we drop 1 place in the table Table FA Cup A dreadful performance against our fierce rivals. The fans are not impressed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 February 2020 Middlesbrough ~npower Championship~ League Fixtures A bit of a congested month, but there seems to be signs of improvement from the squad. The win against Cardiff was especially pleasing, mainly because their manager had said I would be dreaming if I believed we could beat his side. Well, we did it - a hard fought game, but we did it. Slightly disappointing against Wigan - once again we threw away our lead, and found ourselves beaten in injury time. 8 points out of 18, quite a good return. Although the press have the knives out at the end of the month, believing I will be sacked on the back of one more bad result. Fortunately, the Board doesn't share their view. Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 March 2020 Middlesbrough ~npower Championship~ League Fixtures A tough 3 games to start off this month. The Sunderland result was very disappointing - we just didn't show up, and the fans were left fuming at another defeat by our fierce rivals. We played well against Watford, but sadly shipped a late goal, which is what also happened in the Charlton match. However, the draw with Brighton seems to have given the squad some belief back - and a good win at The City Ground is encouraging. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 April/May 2020 Middlesbrough ~npower Championship~ League Fixtures Finally, the lads found a patch of good form. 5 wins from 7 in our closing fixtures helped to cement our position in the Championship. Beating Bristol City was especially pleasing, although their fans will be distraught that we put a big dent in their chances of automatic promotion. A fine run in to the end of the season, with lovely flowing football. Now, if the team can carry that through to next season, then we might have an even better finish than we did this year. However, our final position is above expectations, and the Board seem happy enough. Table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 Season Summary 2019/20 Middlesbrough ~npower Championship~ League A satisfactory campaign, with a good finish. It almost went wrong though, with not much going right for us too often this season. However, we got enough points on the board to see us safe. Cups Absolutely awful. The Squad Quite a large squad. I wasn't altogether happy with the quality of the players though, but didn't have the money available to bring in new signings and so it was a case of making do with what I had. The main thing was to get belief and confidence back into the players. However there were times when it looked like everything would crash down around our ears. The squad had setbacks, but picked themselves up, albeit slowly sometimes. Next season, I'll be looking to rebuild the squad. A handful of players are leaving or retiring, which will free up some wage money. I'll be aiming to bring in free transfers rather than loans, I think. Also keeping an eye on three of our youth players, who look like they could end up as first team regulars in a couple of years time. Key Players Top Scorer: 20 - Cristian Montano The club's top scorer for the second season running. Signed from Leicester City on a free in 2017. Highest Avg Rating: 7.07 (46 apps) - Mario Papa Finances Finished the season with almost £2M in the bank, thanks mainly to prize money. We'll need to get good crowds in next season, or I can see us finishing up in the red. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 2019/20 Ups & Downs PREMIER DIVISION Winners: Tottenham Hotspur. ECC Q: Arsenal (2nd), Chelsea (3rd), Manchester United (4th). Europa Lg Q: Manchester City (FA Cup runners up), Liverpool (6th), West Ham United (7th). Relegated: Fulham, Huddersfield Town, Sheffield United. NPOWER CHAMPIONSHIP Winners: Ipswich Town. Promoted: Leicester City, Sunderland. Relegated: Birmingham City, Doncaster Rovers, Bolton Wanderers. NPOWER LEAGUE 1 Winners: Preston North End. Promoted: Portsmouth, Luton Town. Relegated: Lincoln City, Bury, Crystal Palace, Millwall. NPOWER LEAGUE 2 Winners: Macclesfield Town. Promoted: Scunthorpe United, Notts County, Kidderminster Harriers. Relegated: Morecambe, York City. BSB PREMIER Winners: Lewes. Promoted: Sutton United. Relegated: Kettering, Eastbourne Boro, Aldershot, Torquay United. BS NORTH Winners: Lowestoft Town. Promoted: Tamworth. Relegated: Boston United, Droylsden, Nuneaton. BS SOUTH Winners: Truro. Promoted: Eastleigh. Relegated: Harrow, St Albans, Hendon. FA CUP: Manchester City 2 Chelsea 3 League Cup: Arsenal 2 Blackburen Rovers 0 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Olympique Lyonnais 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs win 3-1 on pens) @ Stade Velodrome, Marseille. Att: 67000. EUROPA LEAGUE A.C. Milan 1-0 Olympique de Marseille @ Villa Park, Birmingham. Att: 42640. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychonaut Posted September 20, 2012 Author Share Posted September 20, 2012 EURO 2020 Hosts: Belgium GROUP STAGE Group A Q: Belgium, Russia, Bosnia & Herz. Out: Turkey. Group B Q: Holland, Israel, Sweden. Out: Germany. Group C Q: Ukraine, England. Out: Switzerland, Croatia. Group D Q: Italy, Scotland. Out: Greece, Georgia. Group E Q: France, Wales, Czech Republic. Out: Denmark. Group F Q: Portugal, Romania, Spain. Out: Serbia. SECOND ROUND Belgium 2-0 Israel France 2-1 Romania Holland 2-1 Bosnia & Herz Portugal 1-0 Sweden Wales 0-1 Russia Czech Republic 1-2e Ukraine Italy 1-1p Spain England 3-0 Scotland QUARTER FINAL France 2-2p Belgium Portugal 5-1 Holland Ukraine 3-0 Russia Spain 0-1 England SEMI FINAL Belgium 0-1 England Portugal 2-3 Ukraine THE FINAL England 3-1 Ukraine @ Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels. Att: 50000 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.