Red Star Over France

[Jason the Yank]

Game: FM 14 beta

Nations (all leagues): Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, USA, Uruguay

Database: Large

Starting reputation: Sunday League footballer.

Originally I was considering doing my usual journeyman effort (hence, all the leagues that are loaded), but I made a change of direction to start with a club and see what happens.

We'd discussed here ideas about dethroning PSG, and B.W.G. is taking up the cause of Paris FC. But I had a slightly different idea, one that involves resurrecting a fallen giant of the French game.

Red Star Paris - Championnat National

From Wikipedia; I've bolded and italicized a couple of related points not in the original article

Red Star Football Club, also known simply as Red Star, is a French association football club founded in Paris in 1897. The club currently play in the Championnat National, the third level of French football. Red Star plays its home matches at the Stade Bauer located within the commune. The team is managed in a caretaker role by former Red Star player Vincent Doukantié and captained by Bertrand Abissonono.

Despite the club's current amateur status (FM has them as a semi-pro club), Red Star has a rich history. The club was founded in 1897 under the name Red Star Club Français by French football legend Jules Rimet. Rimet later went on to serve as president of both the French Football Federation and FIFA. The FIFA World Cup trophy is named in his honour. Red Star is one of the founding members of Ligue 1 and have spent 19 seasons in the first division; the club's last stint being in 1974–75. In cup competitions, the club has won five Coupe de France titles (their last one was in 1942), which is tied for fourth-best among clubs.

Red Star have unearthed several talented players during its early existence, most notably Paul Nicolas, who spent nine years at the club. Nicolas later became a catalyst towards the development of professional football in France and was partly responsible for the creation of the Ligue de Football Professionnel. Manager Roger Lemerre started his managerial career with the club before leading France to titles at UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup.

"Red Star" is not a translation; the club's name in French is "Red Star", rather than "Étoile Rouge".[1][2]

So that's my writ. Take Jules Rimet's old club and push them back into the top level of French football.

Facilities

Stadium: Stade Bauer

City: Saint-Ouen

Year Built: 1909

Capacity: 10,000 all-seater

Stadium condition: Average

Roof: No

Surface: Synthetic (New Type - Soft)

Pitch condition: Very Good

Corporate facilities: Basic

Training facilities: Below Average

Youth facilities: Basic

Junior coaching: Adequate

Youth recruitment: Fairly basic

So as you can see, it's going to be a tough slog rebuilding the club. We'll be living on the scraps of bigger French clubs for a while.

The expectations are modest. The media are picking us for 11th, and the board just want a mid-table finish. Not that anybody will notice us: We sold a mere 100 season tickets.

The wage budget is a healthy $41,000/week. Probably way too much for a club of our level, and a lot of that is chewed up by about a half dozen players. Worse, when I arrive we have only one true center back.

I freed up some space by selling M/AM L Alexis Lafon to Crewe Alexandra after the pre-season. He looked like our best player (although that wasn't saying much as we went 0-2-2). Crewe offered $33K up front and $62K over 12 months, but I haggled them to $40K/$70K.

With the newly freed wage space, I went out and signed 31-year-old Gambian center back Mustapha Traore, a lifer of the French lower divisions. But at least now I actually have two center backs, and don't have to shoehorn a defensive midfielder (of which I have several thanks to the previous management) back there.

[Jason the Yank]

[b]League competition[/b]
Season	Club		Nation	League		W	D	L	PTS	FINISH
2013-14	Red Star	FRA	National	9	15	10	42	14th

1- Sacked by Red Star 23 May, 2014, upon completion of the season.

[b]Cup competitions[/b]
Season	Club		Nation	Cup		Result
2013-14	Red Star	FRA	French Cup	9th Round (0-4 loss to Ligue 2 side Lens)

[Jason the Yank]

10 Aug. 2013

FC Bourg-Peronnas 1-2 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

Two goals inside the first 15 minutes sent us on our way, and we rode out a shaky second half. Bourg-Peronnas took 30 shots, but got only 7 of them on target.

16 Aug. 2013

Red Star FC 1-1 Amiens SC (Championnat National)

Second-best most of the game, but went ahead in the 55th when our on-loan striker gently nodded a ball down for our midfielder in the box. Should have run out with all three points, only for Amiens to lash a shot from 20 yards in injury time after kicking lumps out of a couple of my players.

23 Aug. 2013

Vannes OC 1-1 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

Took a defensive mentality into our away trip against the table-toppers, as well as a slight tactical tweak to take advantage of a formational weakness spotted by my scouts. Went up last in the first half off a corner, but the lead lasted only four minutes; Vannes equalizing with a cross-cum-shot.

30 Aug. 2013

Red Star FC 3-1 SR Colmar (Championnat National)

The referee was the focus of attention this evening. Took the lead thanks to a fine half-volley in the penalty area, only to be whistled for a somewhat soft penalty in the 21st minute. But we benefited from an own goal in the 26th minute, and then the whistle went our way in the 28th minute when a Colmar midfielder was sent off for a two-footed tackle. Finally finished off the game in the 85th minute. Early days, but we find ourselves topping the table.

6 Sept. 2013

US Colomiers 2-4 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

Crazy game in which both sides had the lead. Fell behind after 4 minutes due to some shoddy defending, but two goals from our right wing had us up after 23 minutes. We then traded goals, making it 2-3 after a half-hour. The match settled down from there, with our striker (on loan from Bordeaux) bagging his second of the game on 63 minutes.

13 Sept. 2013

Red Star FC 3-1 GFC Ajaccio (Championnat National)

Could have been much different, as Ajaccio hit the post twice in the first 90 seconds. A bit of individual skill from Laborde (the on-loan striker) nosed us in front in the 19th minute, and we took a 2-0 lead into the half. Ajaccio pulled one back 10 minutes after the restart, but we tacked on an insurance goal. We've slipped out of the top spot, but only on alphabetical order.

20 Sept. 2013

RC Strasbourg Alsace 4-1 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

An abysmal performance in which we were played off the park and down 3-0 at halftime. At least managed to get a consolation goal in injury time. Fortunately, results around us went in our favor, so we're only 1 point off the top and still in second place.

27 Sept. 2013

Red Star FC 2-2 Paris FC (Championnat National)

Had to fight back to rescue a point after going down 2-0 inside of 15 minutes thanks to shoddy defense and an own goal (not at the same time). Our two goals came late in the first half off of corners. Things got a bit nervy in the second half, especially after one of my midfielders was forced off through injury after I'd burned all three substitutions.

[b]Championnat National (through 8 of 34 rounds)[/b]
1. Amiens		18
2. Frejus-Saint Raphael	16
3. RED STAR FC		15 (+4, 17 GF)
--------------------------
4. Vannes OC		15 (+4, 16 GF)
5. GFC Ajaccio		14
6. RC Strasbourg Alsace	13 (+3, 13 GF)
7. Luzenac Ariege Pyren.13 (+3, 9 GF)
8. SR Colmar		13 (+4, 15 GF)
9. USBCO		12 (+3)
10.Orleans Loiret	12 (-1)
11.Vendee Lucon		10
12.Paris FC		9 (-1, 17 GF)
13.ES Uzes Pont du Gard	9 (-1, 10 GF)
14.US Dunkerque		8 (-3)
--------------------------
15.US Colomiers		8 (-6)
16.Le Poire-sur-Vie VF	7
17.FC Bourg-Peronnas	6
18.USJA Carquefou	1

Manager's Thoughts

A much better start than I could have hoped for, especially given that we've played 4 of the 5 other top-6 sides. If we can rack up some points against the middle- and lower-table sides remaining in the first half of the season, we might have cause for optimism.

I'm not getting ahead of myself though. We still have weaknesses that need to be addressed (like getting myself a backup center back), and our playmaking midfielder will be out 3 to 4 weeks due to his injury in the Paris FC match. Frejus Saint-Raphael is in that time period, but we also get an apparently woeful USJA Carquefou (0-1-7, 7 GF, 25 GA) up next.

[GazTheDoood]

I have a soft spot for Red Star after managing them on a previous version, good luck man.

[ProddingAHoneyBadger]

Best of luck with Red Star, already seem to be in a good position, I'll be following as whenever I think of Red Star I think of the cheap alcopop

[B.W.G]

I wish you luck at Red Star,also good to see you've made a good start to the season

[withnail316]

Best of luck at Red Star. One of those clubs I've always meant to manage, yet never quite got round to it...

[pearcey_90]

Intersting club. Good luck

Still amazes me how far Strasbourg have fallen.

[Jason the Yank]

Best of luck at Red Star. One of those clubs I've always meant to manage, yet never quite got round to it...

Same here.

But now I've got round to it.

[deltablue]

Looking pretty good so far.

[AK22]

For some reason I had expected to see you in the relegation zone... But you've made a really good start considering your modest infrastructure. Well done!

[sc91]

Strong start to the league, never knew about Red Star, was an interesting read on Wiki.

[Jason the Yank]

29 Sept. 2013

Starting goalkeeper breaks down in training with a hip injury. We'll send him to a specialist, but it still means he'll be out for about 3 months.

4 Oct. 2013

Luzenac AriegePyrenees 3-2 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

This game probably turned on one missed opportunity. The scouting report said Luzenac were good at heading, but one of the slowest teams in the division. So I opted for a quicker center forward. It seemed to have worked as he set up a goal in the 15th minute to give us the lead. But he had to depart with a damaged elbow soon after, so I brought our Bordeaux forward off the bench. He received a ball in the penalty area with a wide open net about 8 or 9 yards in front of him, but was too slow getting the shot away and the goalkeeper made the save. It should have been 2-0, but it wasn't, and that seemed to unnerve our players, especially our 19-year-old Cameroonian goalkeeper, making his first appearance. Well, he was unnerved. Our captain and center back was complacent or uninterested in the match. We were punished by two headers before halftime, and conceded a third 6 minutes from time. We did manage to pull one back, but that was it.

11 Oct. 2013

Red Star FC 3-1 USJA Carquefou (Championnat National)

A match against the bottom side came just in time. Dominated the first half but didn't score until the 43rd minute. And then we conceded an equalizer shortly before halftime. But switching in the 60th minute from the deep 4-4-2 to a 4-1-2-2-1 to counter USJA's 4-2-3-1 proceeded to erase their advantage in midfield numbers, and we proceeded to take the lead through a textbook counterattack in the 79th minute, with our South Korean winger finishing off his hat-trick in injury time.

14 Oct. 2013

Drawn against CFA 2 side AS Pierrots Vauban in the 6th round of the Coupe de France.

17 Oct. 2013

Recent signing Mustapha Traore gets his first cap with Gambia at the age of 31.

18 Oct. 2013

Red Star FC 0-2 EFC Frejus Saint-Raphael (Championnat National)

From the bottom side to the second-placed side in the table. The difference was obvious as we conceded just 3 minutes into the match and we were chasing the game from then on. Most notably, it's the first match this season in which we failed to score.

24 Oct. 2013

USBCO 3-1 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

Another game against a club higher in the table, with the match being moved up to accommodate the French Cup. Took a defensive mentality coming in, but it didn't work as we were down 2-0 after 42 minutes. We pulled one back just before halftime and it looked like we might make a game of it, but our right back was torched on 54 minutes. USBCO's keeper made a couple of key saves; it's evident how much we're missing our starting goalkeeper at the moment.

27 Oct. 2013

AS Pierrots Vauban 4-5 Red Star FC (Coupe de France, 6th round)

Opted for a mostly reserve side against the lower leaguers, and it looked like no contest. We were up 2-0 inside of 20 minutes, 5-0 up at halftime, with forward Kevin Lefaix scoring a hat-trick. I told the players they were playing very well, and they apparently decided that meant they didn't have to work any more. We were probably fortunate not to be pulled all the way back to level terms.

30 Oct. 2013

Drawn against AS Saint-Priest in the Coupe de France 7th round.

[b]Championnat National (through 12 of 34 rounds)[/b]
1. Amiens SC		24 (+11)
2. USBCO		24 (+10)
3. EFC Frejus Saint-Ra.	24 (+9)
--------------------------
4. GFC Ajaccio		20
5. Vendee Lucon		19 (+1, 18 GF)
6. Luzenac Ariege Pyre.	19 (+3, 16 GF)
7. RED STAR FC		18
8. Vannes OC		17 (0, 18 GF)
9. RC Strasbourg Alsace	17 (+3, 20 GF)
10.Orleans Loriet Foot.	17 (-4, 10 GF)
11.Le Poire-sur Vie	16
12.SR Colmar		15 (+2, 16 GF)
13.US Dunkerque		15 (-4, 17 GF)
14.ES Uzes Pont du Gard	14
--------------------------
15.FC Bourg-Peronnas	12
16.Paris FC		11
17.US Colomiers		8
18.USJA Carquefou	2

Manager's thoughts

So a mixed bag this month. Beat a team we should have beaten, struggled against 2 sides above us in the table, and lost a game we really should have gotten at least a point out of.

It's a bit more of the same in November, as we have matches against Uzes Pont du Gard (14th), vendee Lucon (5th), Dunkerque (13th) and Orleans (10th). We really could use wins against Pont du Gard and Dunkerque (both at home), and getting something against Orleans.

We're into the 7th round of the cup, but this won't require matches to be moved, so that will be a help for us.

We're still looking for reinforcements, but being close to the wage budget (although not right up against it) means we'll have to be choosy about any new players. The priority remains finding a third center back at least for cover.

[Jason the Yank]

1 Nov. 2013

Red Star FC 3-1 ES Uzes Pont du Gard (Championnat National)

Looked like this might be another game of missed opportunties when my right wing was too slow pulling the trigger on an open net, allowing the goalkeeper to scramble over and make the save. It looked even worse when my central midfielder was harshly credited with an own goal (he was trying to clear a ball off the line but couldn't get it over the bar). We leveled the match 6 minutes later though when our Bordeaux forward beat the goalkeeper to a 50-50 ball. This time though we caught a break, with a Pont du Gard player being sent off in the 49th minute for a professional foul. But we continued to make heavy weather of things even with the man advantage, until the 74th minute when the right wing atoned for his earlier miss by scoring off the underside of the bar from a quality counterattack. We put the game away in stoppage time when our anchorman DM picked up a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area and got it just under the bar.

8 Nov. 2013

Vendee Lucon 2-2 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

A pretty even match that was on the telly. We just edged the first half and took the lead on 40 minutes when our Korean left wing went on a mazy run and scored. But we were undone by dropping off the Vendee center forward for a 2-minute brace early in the second half. We pushed for an equalizer and got it on 80 minutes when our Bordeaux forward nipped in to intercept a ball headed back toward the Vendee keeper. He got his foot between the defender and the ball just enough to bulge the auld onion bag.

17 Nov. 2013

AS Saint-Priest 1-4 Red Star FC (Coupe de France, 7th round)

I opted to make 3 changes ahead of this game with the CFA 2 side, but otherwise fielded a lineup mostly of my regular starters. With our opponents playing 5 at the back, I was content just to play keepaway. We finally took the lead in the 40th minute and were up 3-0 late in the 75th minute when Saint-Priest scored from a corner. But we re-established our 3-goal advantage just a minute later to book our place in the 8th round.

20 Nov. 2013

Drawn against Ligue 2 side FC Metz (currently in the promotion places) in the Coupe de France 8th round.

22 Nov. 2013

Red Star FC 0-0 US Dunkerque (Championnat National)

A pretty even match, so a draw was probably a fair result. We really could have used all 3 points though. Amazingly, this is our first clean sheet of the season.

25 Nov. 2013

Sign experienced centerback Sylvain Monsoreau on a free transfer worth $1300/week plus bonuses through the 2014-15 season. He has Ligue 1 experience, but is unlikely to improve. Still, this gives me the extra centerback I've been wanting.

29 Nov. 2013

Orleans Loiret Football 1-1 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

Fell behind after 20 minutes due to some lax defending, but we were back on level terms 5 minutes later. That was it though.

[b]Championnat National (through 16 of 34 rounds)[/b]
1. EFC Frejus Saint-Raphael	34
2. USBCO			31
3. GFC Ajaccio			30
----------------------------------
4. Amiens SC Football		27
5. Vendee Lucon			26 (+3, 24 GF)
6. RC Strasbourg Alsace		26 (+4, 29 GF)
7. Le Poire-sur-Vie VF		26 (+6, 20 GF)
8. Vannes OC			24 (+2, 26 GF)
9. Orleans Loiret Football	24 (-3, 15 GF)
10.Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees	24 (+5, 22 GF)
11.RED STAR FC			24 (+3, 29 GF)
12.US Dunkerque			20
13.Paris FC			17 (-5, 29 GF)
14.FC Bourg-Peronnas		17 (-3, 25 GF)
----------------------------------
15.SR COlmar			16
16.US Colomiers			15
17.ES Uzes Pont du Gard		14
18.USJA Carquefou		2

Manager's thoughts

If it's possible to be disappointed with a month in which you go unbeaten, this is it, as we pick up only 6 points from 12. Still, the league is very close, and one win theoretically could propel us from 11th to 4th.

And to be fair, the media picked us for 11th, so we're exactly what they thought we were.

December begins with a trip to Metz where our cup run likely comes to an end against the Ligue 2 side. We follow that up with a home match against Le Poire-sur-vie to end the first half of the season, before a trip to Amiens to end things before the winter break.

Our right back Mickael Cerielo has made a fuss about wanting to go to a bigger club. He is our best right back, but he is 29 years old and his contract expires at the end of the season anyway, so I doubt I could hold onto him. (although that didn't stop Paris FC's manager from chiming in about the possibility of letting Cerielo go. Hey, don't worry about my side. Worry about your own relegation-threatened side.)

[Jason the Yank]

7 Dec. 2013

FC Metz 2-3 Red Star FC (Coupe de France, 8th round)

SHOCK THE WORLD! Well okay, it's only a Ligue 2 side, but still we've pulled off a giant-killing. Opted for a very rigid/defensive mentality, but we went ahead after 3 minutes. Then it was 2-0 when Gaetan Laborde (the forward on loan from Bordeaux) seized on a mistake. Metz pulled one back just before halftime, and I figured the roof was about to cave in. But instead, Laborde made 3-1 in the second half when he seized on a bad backpass. Metz made it interesting again in the 79th minute when they pulled it back to 3-2, but we were able to ride out the remaining time for the cup upset.

9 Dec. 2013

Drawn against Ligue 2 side RC Lens (sitting 5th) in Coupe de France, 9th round

13 Dec. 2013

Red Star FC 0-3 Le Poire-sur-Vie VF (Championnat National)

Apparently we were suffering a cup hangover, because we couldn't string together two passes. Wantaway right back Mickael Cerielo put in a mediocre performance with Mons' manager in the stands scouting him. I gave the team the hairdryer treatment after the game.

20 Dec. 2013

Amiens SC Football 0-2 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

I decided to mix things up and go with the deep 4-4-2 (the two central midfielders are positioned as DMs). The twin forwards came through with goals in the 20th and 26th minutes, and we played boring defensive-minded football in the second half. But it sends us into the winter break on a positive note.

[b]Championnat National (through 18 of 34 rounds)[/b]
1. EFC Frejus Saint-Raphael	37
2. GFC Ajaccio			34
3. USBCO			31
----------------------------------
4. RC Strasbourg Alsace		30 (+6, 33 GF)
5. Orleans Loiret Football	30 (-1, 20 GF)
6. Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees	30 (+8, 27 GF)
7. Le Poire sur-Vie VF		29
8. Vannes OC			28
9. RED STAR FC			27 (+2, 31 GF)
10.Amiens SC Football		27 (+1, 25 GF)
11.Vendee Lucon			26
12.US Dunkerque			24
13.Paris FC			21
14.FC Bourge-Peronnas		20
----------------------------------
15.ES Uzes Pont du Gard		18
16.SR COlmar			16
17.US COlomiers			15
18.USJA Carquefou		5

Manager's thoughts

Okay, that's a bit more like it. Well, the 0-3 defeat stung, but I was glad to see us show some bouncebackability against Amiens, who have been going in reverse recently.

We won't be getting much of a winter break though, as we'll return in two weeks to take on Lens a few days after the new year. That's a home match, so hopefully we'll get a few more punters through the turnstyles, which would ease a little of the financial pressures (we're losing about $200K a month, even as a semi-pro club)

Then it's back to the league, where we have a good opportunity to make up some ground with matches against Vannes (home) and two relegation-threatened sides SR Colmar (away) and US Colomiers (home)

And of course there will be the winter transfer window. I don't forsee much action for us, given that we're up against the wage budget with the signing of Sylvain Monsoreau, but I'll check out the loan market just in case.

[Jason the Yank]

25 Dec. 2013

Apparently the French broadcasters are interested to see if we can pull off another upset, as our Coupe de France match against Lens is rescheduled to a day later for live TV coverage. We'll get about $16,000 for this.

5 Jan. 2014

Red Star FC 0-4 RC Lens (Coupe de France, 9th round

Nope, no fairy tale run. Lens displayed their intent to not be the next upset victim by coming out in a 4-2-4. They were 0-3 up at halftime (one of them an unfortunate own goal from our anchorman El Hadji Dieye, who was otherwise our best player), and emphasized the gulf in class by adding the fourth in the 88th minute.

Hmmmm....it appears I'm now about $500/week over the wage budget. I'm thinking this is due to the agent fee I had to pay to sign our new centerback, as there was a news item about it coming out of the transfer budget, except we had hardly any transfer budget to begin with.

17 Jan. 2014

Red Star FC 1-1 Vannes OC (Championnat National)

So time to dust ourselves off and get back to league action. Vannes came at us hard in the first 10 minutes, but we wrested control of the match and went up midway through the first half off a free kick that was headed in by Gaetan Laborde. But Vannes equalized midway through the second half thanks to some good control of the ball in tight space. We also hit the post twice, and Vannes had a goal waved offside.

24 Jan. 2014

SR Colmar 1-0 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

Unfriggingbelievable. Huffed and puffed only to lose on a calamitous error by our goalkeeper to a side that hadn't won in 11 matches. Any hopes of a shock promotion are starting to recede now, as we're 7 points off the pace.

31 Jan. 2014

Red Star FC 4-2 US Colomiers (Championnat National)

That's more like it! I went back to the deep 4-4-2 and decided to attempt to retain possession and control the game despite a hard rain coming down onto our plastic pitch. It paid off though, as we were much more incisive in the final third. A first-half hat-trick from Laborde carrying us through to the victory.

1 Feb. 2014

No activity at all in the transfer window for us (and the French winter transfer window rules are that you can't buy anyone from a club in the same or a lower division). There was a nibble for our wantaway right back from a Ligue 2 club, but they couldn't get enough funds together to make it happen.

[b]Championnat National (through 21 of 34 rounds)[/b]
1. EFC Frejus Saint-Raphael	41
2. GFC Ajaccio			40
3. USBCO			37 (+13, 36 GF)
----------------------------------
4. RC Strasbourg Alsace		37 (+10, 40 GF)
5. Le Poire-sure-Vie VF		36
6. Orleans Loiret Football	33 (-1, 22 GF)
7. Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees	33 (+7, 31 GF)
8. Amiens SC Football		33 (+8, 35 GF)
9. Vendee Lucon			32
10.RED STAR FC			31
11.Vannes OC			29
12.Paris FC			25 (-6, 27 GF)
13.US Dunkerque			25 (-6, 32 GF)
14.ES Uzes Pont du Gard		24
----------------------------------
15.FC Bourg-Peronnes		23
16.SR Colmar			19
17.US Colomiers			18
18.USJA Carquefou		8

Manager's thoughts

A much of muchness. 1-1-1 in the league following our thumping in the cup. Losing to Colmar stings, as they were on a terrible run of form and we really should have got 3 points out of that (which would have put us on 34, just outside the promotion places).

It's only going to get more difficult in February, as we have away matches against GFC Ajaccio (2nd) and Paris FC (12th; that one is scheduled for the telly), and home matches with RC Strasbourg Alsace (4th) and Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees (7th). I would love to get one over on Paris.

The finances are in bad shape, as we're $367,000 in the red and projected to lose $1.18M over the course of the season. Player wages are the biggest problem, as we're running about $166,000 a month on that. Somehow our starting goalkeeper is on $7,000 per week, and our right wing is on $6,500 per week. As part-timers. Our deep-lying playmaker is on $5,250/week, and our captain and centerback is on $4,200/week. Again, these are part-time deals. All of those deals, except the captain's, expire at the end of the season though. As much as I'd like to have those players, as they are pretty good (especially Geoffrey Tulasne, the right wing), we just can't afford those kinds of wages when we're only averaging 1572 in match attendance.

[GazTheDoood]

Mid table form if I've ever seen it! Good luck pushing on in a difficult upcoming month. Reckon you can solve the financial issues?

[pearcey_90]

Hopefully you can strike a consistent bit of form to get nearer the top 3 just incase they start to pull away

[Jason the Yank]

Mid table form if I've ever seen it! Good luck pushing on in a difficult upcoming month. Reckon you can solve the financial issues?

Not anytime soon. The transfer window has shut, so there won't be any player sales (even though the board is starting to push for them). Best I can do is to let the big contracts expire and retool with new players on smaller wages. On the bright side, our 19-year-old Cameroonian goalkeeper has performed better than his nervous first few games (he had to play in the Colmiers match when our number 1 was struck down with food poisoning)

Hopefully you can strike a consistent bit of form to get nearer the top 3 just incase they start to pull away

Our defending is the biggest obstacle to that.

[Jason the Yank]

7 Feb. 2014

GFC Ajaccio 3-0 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

First game with the updated beta

On the back foot the whole game as we couldn't string 2 passes together. Our young Cameroonian goalkeeper was under fire all game and frankly this could have been 5- or 6-0. Almost as bad, Gaetan Laborde suffered a twisted ankle and will be out 5 weeks.

14 Feb. 2014

Red Star FC 1-1 RC Strasbourg Alsace (Championnat National)

A pretty even match, so a draw was probably a fair result. Although our backup forward Kevin Lefaix will now be out 8 to 10 days with a bruised rib.

21 Feb. 2014

Paris FC 1-1 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

OUr central defender Mustapha Traore scored at both ends of the pitch, heading in a poorly headed clearance to give us the lead. He was later credited with an own goal for touching a ball in whilst trying to clear it off the line. Bit harsh that.

28 Feb. 2014

Red Star FC 1-1 Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees (Championnat National)

Luzenac took the lead late in the first half, but we pegged them back almost immediately when Mohammad N'Zif (playing for our South Korean winger in a manager's decision) pretty much walked a free kick into the box. Luzenac were all over us in the second half, aided by our shocking attempts at "passing", but we managed to escape with a third consecutive 1-1 draw.

[b]Championnat National (through 25 of 34 rounds)[/b]
1. EFC Frejus Saint-Raphael	51
2. GFC Ajaccio			50
3. Orleans Loiret Football	43
----------------------------------
4. RC Strasbourg Alsace		42
5. USBCO			41
6. Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees	40
7. Amiens SC Football		37 (+8)
8. Le Poire-sur-Vie VF		37 (+4)
9. RED STAR FC			34 (0)
10.Vannes OC			34 (-1)
11.US DUnkerque			33
12.Vendee Lucon			32
13.ES Uzes Pont du Gard		30 (0)
14.FC Bourge-Peronnas		30 (-2)
----------------------------------
15.Paris FC			29
16.SR Colmar			26
17.US COlomiers			24
18.USJA Carquefou		9

Manager's thoughts

Well first month played with the updated beta and the difficulty seems to have been turned up. We were pretty much dominated by GFC Ajaccio and Luzenac, and couldn't find a winner against Paris FC or Strasbourg.

At 9 points adrift with just 27 left on the table, I'd say we're not getting promoted. And 5 points clear of relegation is a bit too close for my comfort. There is an opportunity to put points on the board in March though, as we get USJA Carquefou (18th, away) and ES Uzes Pont du Gard (13th, away) sandwiched around Frejus Saint-Raphael (1st, away) and USBCO (5th, home).

We're still bleeding money, so the high earners like vincent Plante (goalkeeper) and Geoffrey Tulasne (right wing) will likely be allowed to leave when their contracts expire after the season. We've lost almost $500,000 this season now, and are still projected to lose $1.3M and be about $2.76M in the red.

The three-year projection makes for especially grim reading. We're projected to be $9.17M in the red if nothing changes.

[Jason the Yank]

7 March 2014

USJA Carquefou 5-5 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

You're ****ing having a laugh. Against the dregs of the division, we go back and forth: Down 1-0, up 2-1, down 3-2, up 5-3. And we contrive to blow it, thanks to sloppy defending and abysmal passing. Hey, my teammate is only 4 yards away from me, I'll drill this at pace at him. Hey, I can lay this off to the fullback 7 yards away; nah, I'll send it straight into 3 opposition players in the penalty area.

8 March 2014

Youth candidates presented. There's about a half-dozen rated at 2-1/2 stars, but that's the best we've got.

14 March 2014

EFC Frejus Saint-Raphael 3-1 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

Pretty much as expected. A glimmer of hope in the second half when Lee Yong-Jae pulled one back for us, but EFC needed only 3 minutes to restore their two-goal lead.

16 March 2014

Board pumps in $275,000 to help with running costs.

21 March 2014

Red Star FC 2-2 USBCO (Championnat National)

I really thought we'd stopped the rot here. We fell behind after 4 minutes, but leveled through an own goal then took the lead early in the second half. But we were pulled back to level terms in the 69th minute because of, yet again, some abysmal defending. We're now winless in our last 7 and we've been sucked into the relegation fight as we're just 2 points clear of the drop.

28 March 2014

ES Uzes Pont du Gard 1-0 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

We're in huge trouble now.

The board demands a meeting after the match. My job is now hanging by a thread. They want to know why the team is doing so poorly. I want to blame it on the updated match engine, but that option isn't available. They're willing to give me more time, but they expect us to pick up 10 points from the next 5 matches.

29 March 2014

FC Bourg-Peronnas beats GFC Ajaccio to drop us into the relegation zone.

[b]Championnat National (through 29 of 34 rounds)[/b]
1. EFC Frejus Saint-Raphael	57
2. GFC Ajaccio			56
3. Orleans Loiret Football	47 (+3, 33 GF)
----------------------------------
4. Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees	47 (+9, 51 GF)
5. Amiens SC Football		47 (+14, 49 GF)
6. RC Strasbourg Alsace		46
7. USBCO			42
8. Le Poire-sur-Vie VF		41 (+4, 36 GF)
9. Vannes OC			41 (+1, 40 GF)
10.Vendee Lucon			39 
11.FC Bourg-Peronnas		37 (-2, 46 GF)
12.ES Uzes Pont du Gard		37 (+2, 47 GF)
13.US Dunkerque			37 (-5, 38 GF)
14.Paris FC			36 (-2, 49 GF)
----------------------------------
15.RED STAR FC			36 (-3, 47 GF)
16.US Colomiers			31
17.SR Colmar			29
R. USJA Carquefou		14

Manager's thoughts

So the wheels have well and truly fallen off, and I'm convinced it's not a coincidence this happened after the updated beta. We can't hold onto the ball, we can't make simple passes, we can't do much of anything right.

About the only good thing is the table is so tight that one game could send us from 15th to 10th. Problem is, we've already played are "winnable" games like Colomiers, Colmar and USJA.

I have 5 games left to save my job. The run-in looks like:

11 April v. Vendee Lucon (10th)

18 April at US Dunkerque (13th)

2 May v. Orleans Loiret Football (3rd)

9 May at Le Poire-sur-Vie VF (8th)

23 May v. FC Bourg-Peronnas (11th)

So it could be a lot tougher. But with us on an 8-match winless run, obviously every match has been a struggle for us.

[withnail316]

Ouch. Best of luck for the run in.

[Jason the Yank]

5 matches to save my job...

10 April 2014

Former Red Star manager Philippe Troussier says I deserve the support of the players, board and fans, and that the club should remain patient with me. Thanks, boss!

Low turnout projected for the upcoming match...

11 April, 2014

Red Star FC 1-1 Vendee Lucon (Championnat National)

Fell behind in the 8th thanks to yet again leaving an opposing forward unmarked in the penalty area. As the minutes ticked by, I figured time was up for me. But midfielder Florian Makhedjouf tucked away a goalmouth scramble in the 4th minute of stoppage time to salvage a draw. With Paris FC losing at home to Le Poire-sur-Vie VF, the draw at least pulled us out of the relegation zone.

(somewhat annoyingly though, when I went to the tactics screen to change from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1, one of the positions disappeared! I'd call that a major bug.)

17 April, 2014

Apparently I'm down to 1 game to save my job. Worldsoccer.com declare that a bad result against Dunkerque could seal my fate.

18 April, 2014

US Dunkerque 1-1 Red Star Fc (Championnat National)

Dominated the first half but couldn't get anything on the scoresheet. Then Dunkerque took the lead in the 75th minute and I figured I was done for. But Mohammad N'Zif equalized in the 85th minute to rescue another draw. But it's not 10 matches without a win; our last win was the final day of January.

19 April, 2014

Paris FC win at Bourg-Perronas to drop us back into the relegation zone.

[b]Championnat National (through 31 of 34 rounds)[/b]
1. GFC Ajaccio			59 (+23, 70 GF)
2. EFC Frejus Saint-Raphael	59 (+19, 47 GF)
3. Orleans Loiret Football	53
----------------------------------
4. Amiens SC Football		50
5. Le Poire-sur-vie VF		47 (+6, 39 GF)
6. Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees	47 (+6, 51 GF)
7. RC Strasbourg Alsace		46
8. USBCO			45
9. Vannces OC			44
10.ES Uzes Pont du Gard		41
11.Vendee Lucon			40 (-11, 41 GF)
12.FC Bourg-Peronnas		40 (-2, 48 GF)
13.Paris FC			39 (-2, 51 GF)
14.US Dunkerque			39 (-5, 39 GF)
----------------------------------
15.RED STAR FC			38 (-3, 49 GF)
16.US Colomiers			34
17.SR Colmar			33
R. USJA Carquefou		15

Manager's thoughts

10 games without a win now, a time span that incorporates the beta update. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

[deltablue]

Tough downturn in form

[Jason the Yank]

2 May, 2014

Red Star FC 2-0 Orleans Loiret Football (Championnat National)

Wouldn't you know it? The toughest match on paper for the run-in, and we win it. Finally we got the rub of the green in the 37th minute, as an Orleans defender contested a header on a corner of ours, only for it to float past his own goalkeeper's outstretched hands. Four minutes later, PELANTY! The first one we've been awarded all season. And it's from that same Orleans' defender. We keep the advantage the rest of the game and although there are a few nervy moments, we finally break our winless run.

[b]The relegation fight (2 matches remaining)[/b]
10. Vendee Lucon    43
11. RED STAR FC        41 (-1)
12. ES Uzes Pont du G.    41 (+2)
13. FC Bourg-Peronnas    40
14. Paris FC        39 (-3)
--------------------------
15. US Dunkerque    39 (-7)
16. US Colomiers    34 (-26)
17. SR Colmar        34 (-11)

9 May, 2014

Le Poire-sur-Vie VF 0-0 Red Star FC (Championnat National)

I lined up in a new 4-1-4-1 based on our scouting reports. We tested the Poire-sur-Vie defense a few times, but otherwise I was content to take a bore draw, even after a Poire-sur-Vie player was sent off in the 74th minute for a second yellow.

[b]The relegation fight (1 match remaining)[/b]
12. RED STAR FC        42 (-1)
13. Paris FC        42 (-2)
14. FC Bourg-Peronnas    40
--------------------------
15. US Dunkerque    39
R.  SR Colmar        35
R.  US Colomiers    34

23 May, 2014

Red Star FC 1-3 FC Bourg-Peronnas (Championnat National)

So we go into this match knowing a draw will keep us safe. Nah, let's leave our fate in other clubs' hands. Fell behind in the 7th minute, but drew level in the 16th thanks to another PELANTY! Fall behind again in the 25th minute. At halftime I switched from the deep 4-4-2 to the 4-5-1 to counter Bourg-Peronnas' midfield advantage (they were in a 4-2-3-1). We had a few opportunities, but couldn't breach their goal. They added a third on 74 minutes as we were unable to clear the ball from our penalty area.

Fortunately, Dunkerque lost.

But that was no consolation though. The Red Star board was waiting for me after the match, and having collected only 6 points from the last 5 games, they sacked me.

[b]Championnat National - FINAL[/b]
1. EFC Frejus Saint-Raphael    66
2. GFC Ajaccio            63
3. Amiens SC Football        59
----------------------------------
4. Orleans Loiret Football    57
5. RC Strasbourg Alsace        53
6. Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees    53
7. Le Poire-sur-Vie VF        52
8. USBCO            49
9. Vendee Lucon            47
10.ES Uzes Pont du Gard        44
11.Vannes OC            44
12.Paris FC            43
13.FC Bourg-Peronnas        43
14.RED STAR FC            42
----------------------------------
15.US Dunkerque            39
16.SR Colmar            36
17.US Colomiers            34
18.USJA Carquefou        19

Manager's thoughts

So escaping relegation wasn't good enough for the board, and really I can't blame them. We were 1-8-4 to end the season. 11 points from 39 is relegation form in any league. I really can't explain what happened. All I know is things turned bad right after the beta was updated.

Having said that, the finances at Red Star are a mess now, with the club now listed as "insecure." Well, yeah, you could say that.

This wasn't planned as a journeyman career, but it's just become that.

[Jason the Yank]

[b]League competition[/b]
Season	Club		Nation	League		W	D	L	PTS	FINISH
2013-14	Red Star	FRA	National	9	15	10	42	14th

1- Sacked by Red Star 23 May, 2014.

[b]Cup competitions[/b]
Season	Club		Nation	Cup		Result
2013-14	Red Star	FRA	French Cup	9th Round (0-4 loss to Ligue 2 side Lens)

[london boy]

Sorry to read about the sacking. I took over there too, albeit very briefly because I didn't think the players were there too suit my kind of tactic. It seems that the plan we both had to re-establish the club may well be too ambitious given the lack of resources.

[withnail316]

Unlucky - I'm sure you'll make them regret their hasty decision soon enough though.

[Jason the Yank]

Unlucky - I'm sure you'll make them regret their hasty decision soon enough though.

I cheekily got myself an interview with Paris FC.

They turned me down though because I said I wanted a bigger wage budget than the $19K/week they were offering.

[ashton321]

Gutted mate. Any ideas where next ?

[pearcey_90]

Gutted for the sacking

Going to stay in France or move elsewhere?

[B.W.G]

Gutted about the sacking

[GazTheDoood]

Hard lines with the sacking mate!

[Jason the Yank]

Gutted mate. Any ideas where next ?

Gutted for the sacking

Going to stay in France or move elsewhere?

No ideas yet. I applied with Toledo in Spain, but didn't get an interview. Did get an interview with Paris FC but they didn't like that I wanted a bigger wage budget. (Can't fault them for that, as their finances are "insecure" as well.

Gutted about the sacking

Hard lines with the sacking mate!

Aye. It could just be that I'm a crap manager, but I'm still choosing to blame the beta update.

[deltablue]

Tough way to end at Red Star

[sc91]

Ouch, unfortunate sacking, any plans on where to continue at?

[abulezz]

Any updates on where you're headed?

[Jason the Yank]

Nothing yet.

I've had interviews with Barnet, Lusitania Acores, FC Cape Town and Strasbourg Alsace. Lusitania offered me the job but I turned it down (not sure there's much room to grow a club in the Azores). The other 3 decided to go with someone else.

I'm into late October now and other jobs are starting to come open, but I've also set India, Norway, Sweden and Finland to become active (will be right around the new year) in case I haven't landed a job before then.

[AK22]

Oh dear! You were looking so comfortable in the middle of the table too.

Better luck with your next club.

[Jason the Yank]

So I have a job offer from Jia League side Chongqing FC. They just finished their season one place above relegation, their finances are insecure, and their training/youth setup is awful (well, "basic").

I asked to delay a week to see if anything more interesting cropped up, but nothing did.

Means I'd be going to a full-time club, but Chinese clubs don't have a high reputation so I'm assuming I wouldn't have too many problems with players "finding it difficult to motivate themselves to play for a manager of your standing." But I'm still debating whether to take it.

[deltablue]

Well, it's hardly the most attractive opportunity in the world, but not sure you can be that picky right now.

[GazTheDoood]

Might be worth it just to get managing again mate.

[SRL88]

What's happened Yank?

[pearcey_90]

Got to take it surely?

[Jason the Yank]

I didn't take it.

But Christmas came a couple days early as I was offered the job at BK Olympic in the Swedish Second Division - South Gotaland. One-year deal with the semi-pro club based in a residential district of Malmo. The board want a respectable league position and agreed to my request for a slightly bigger wage budget, totaling $6250/week.

I have some unfinished business here. I managed BK Olympic for about 18 months on FM11 before resigning with them in relegation danger. And of course in FM13 my contract with Helsingsborg was not renewed when I couldn't drag them toward the top.

Anyway, the finances here are "okay", and although the facilities aren't good (Below Average training facilities, Poor youth facilities, Adequate junior coaching and Fairly Basic youth recruitment) they do have an agreement with First Division Elite side Landskrona that pays about $14,500 a year, plus a pre-season friendly, plus they'll send us loan players.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Not the best start in Paris there Jason.

[deltablue]

Watch out for the chefs

[Jason the Yank]

BK Olympic - Season Preview- 2014

Board Expectations:

Second Division - South Gotaland: Respectable league position

Media Expectation: 7th

Bookies: 12-1

My Expectations:

Second Division - South Gotaland: I'm going in without a good sense of how the club stacks up against the competition, so I'll be happy with mid-table obscurity.

Budgets:

Transfer: $1,190

Wage: $6,189/week (currently spending $4,686)

Balance: -$1,209

Pre-season

Not much to say. Three wins against nearby lower-league opposition. We did look good though, and the boys seem to be taking pretty quickly to the possession-based 4-2-3-1 I want to play. That's how I want to play the game, and I decided against it at Red Star, deciding being in a lower division meant I should go for a basic counterattack. Well that ended with me getting sacked, so screw it. We'll play what I really want to play.

Brought in damn near a whole new side on trials, but will end up signing only 4 of them. A couple of the ones I really wanted to tie to the club permanently were asking for more money than I could afford though. Some of the lads who will be staying though agreed to non-contracts, so that will ease a bit of pressure on the wage bill.

[Jason the Yank]

16 April, 2015

BK Olympic 1-3 Hogaborg (Second Division - South Gotaland)

Well so much for a possession-based game. We held the ball for just 41% of the match. Our 18-year-old right back Kevin Jensen was far too agressive, allowing Hogaborg's Simon Alm to surge past him and grab a first-half brace. We weren't helped by losing our left wing to injury on just 20 minutes, but his replacement pulled one back for us in the second half. Conceded the third late on when we were chasing the equalizer.

21 April, 2015

Announce season ticket sales of 74. They've "soared" from last season's ... 67.

23 April, 2015

IFK Hassleholm 2-2 BK Olympic (Second Division - South Gotaland)

With my left wing out with a twisted knee, I opted for a 4-1-4-1 on our first away match, along with two other changes in the back. Instead we were on the back foot early until our left midfielder Lucas Malmqvist scored on the counterattack. We had some other chances but had to go into halftime up 1-0. Hassleholm made two changes at halftime and ... our players seemed to have an attack of the stupids. A terribly bad decision allowed Hassleholm to steal possession off a throw-in and break in on goal in the 55th minute. Three minutes later they took the lead through a good bit of skill on the ball by their other forward. But Malmqvist saved the day for us in the 88th minute when he recovered his own rebound in the 6-yard box. Our first point of the season.

30 April, 2015

Hollviken 1-0 BK Olympic (Second Division - South Gotaland)

Another away match, and this one against the team that has raced out to the top of the table. I decided to stick with the 4-1-4-1 that got us the away draw. We were never really in this, and needed our goalkeeper to bail us out a few times, but a defensive lapse in the 29th minute is what kept us from at least grabbing a draw.

[b]Swedish Second Division - South Gotaland (through 3 of 22 rounds)[/b]
1. Halmia	9 (+5)
-----------------
2. Hollviken	9 (+4)
3. Eskilsminne	7
4. Klagshamn	6
5. Hassleholm	5
6. Ljungby	4
7. Torns IF	3 (0)
8. Hogaborg	3 (-2)
9. FK Karlskrona3 (-3)
-----------------
10.BK OLYMPIC	1 (-3)
-----------------
11.Nike		1 (-5)
12.Haga		0

Manager's thoughts

So not the start I thought we were capable of, as our pre-season matches apparently gave a false impression of how sharp we were. Still, we showed character being able to rescue an away draw, and losing only by one goal to Hollviken.

It's a tough start to the league for us, with 2 of our first 3 matches away, and that becomes 3 of 4 with the next match against Torns IF. Then it's home against the new table-toppers Halmia, followed by a home match against Nike that could turn out to be an early relegation six-pointer. We close the month away to Eskilsminne. So that'll be top 3 in our first 7 matches (assuming the table stays the same)

[withnail316]

A rough looking start there, but hopefully you'll improve as the season goes on. Am I right in thinking your season is only 22 games long?