fm20 It's been too Lens: Titi's flash in the pan to glory

[smp20]

The teams are out, matched up 4-1-2-3

[smp20]

1-0 Italy, 19 mins

[smp20]

2-0 23 mins. Damn!

[smp20]

We've got one back, 1-2, 70 mins. Come on boys dig deep!!!

[smp20]

92nd minute, this was the chance....

[smp20]

[smp20]

Awards

 

Overview

Cameroon Stats

[smp20]

No thank you

[kingjericho]

Great campaign, too bad about the final

[smp20]

25 minutes ago, kingjericho said:

Great campaign, too bad about the final

Gutted to lose the final - cheers!

[smp20]

We've splashed the cash on Franck Koua from Celta Vigo. It's a huge amount of money which I hope he will live up to! Celta signed him from Tanda for 450k, so he's one who slipped through the net.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Well done getting Cameroon to the World Cup Finals.

I am surprised you aint gone for Amang and bought him to Lens.

[smp20]

48 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Well done getting Cameroon to the World Cup Finals.

I am surprised you aint gone for Amang and bought him to Lens.

Cheers - He rejected me a couple of years ago and now he would only be a squad player for us. Though it is tempting!

[smp20]

Get in, we beat PSG

[Hootieleece]

Success after almost Success...Is this getting boring yet...?LOL

Congratulations on getting Cameroon to the World Cup Final.

RC Lens is poised on the precipice of dominating Ligue 1. Beating PSG is an important step to doing so. Just don't lose winnable games to relegation fodder, because you know that PSG won't! (Due to the sheer individual player talent vs average relegation team players)

[kidthekid]

On 10/05/2020 at 17:58, smp20 said:

I have never, ever had this before. Bréhima Diakité has just had his second off-field event affect his attitude. First it was his ambition, now its his determination 

The first was his SO getting pregnant, and the second was the birth of his child 

Gotta narrative bro

[karanhsingh]

1 hour ago, kidthekid said:

The first was his SO getting pregnant, and the second was the birth of his child 

Gotta narrative bro

Hahaha well said 

I have never seen this though in all my years of FM 

[kidthekid]

Now that I've caught up (which explains my last post). Fantastic work.

Unlucky not to win the world cup but if that makes you prolong this save, then your loss is our gain. 

Also, how fitting that two former PSG players scored against PSG.

[Sheriff7]

Amazing campaign in WC!Congrats!Your players  (Cameroon) look unbeatable on the air!

[smp20]

11 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Success after almost Success...Is this getting boring yet...?LOL

Congratulations on getting Cameroon to the World Cup Final.

RC Lens is poised on the precipice of dominating Ligue 1. Beating PSG is an important step to doing so. Just don't lose winnable games to relegation fodder, because you know that PSG won't! (Due to the sheer individual player talent vs average relegation team players)

Not yet  - cheers! We will hate to see about PSG 

3 hours ago, kidthekid said:

The first was his SO getting pregnant, and the second was the birth of his child 

Gotta narrative bro

That sounds like more of a distraction to me...

1 hour ago, karanhsingh said:

Hahaha well said 

I have never seen this though in all my years of FM 

I've never seen it happen twice to the same player, that's for sure 

48 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

Now that I've caught up (which explains my last post). Fantastic work.

Unlucky not to win the world cup but if that makes you prolong this save, then your loss is our gain. 

Also, how fitting that two former PSG players scored against PSG.

Thanks  - I feel I owe it to Africa to win the World Cup with an African side. Well spotted with the ex-PSG players, I had forgotten Aurier was there (he scored in both nets mind...)

6 minutes ago, Sheriff7 said:

Amazing campaign in WC!Congrats!Your players  (Cameroon) look unbeatable on the air!

Thanks, we nearly did it! Yeah we had a great aerial side 

[smp20]

January - February 2023 Update

Results

We've kept up great form in the league, the only disappointment being a home 0-0 with Nice. PSG got their own back in the cup, but the jokes on them as they just lost in the Semi's on pens to Nantes . A 1-0 win in Naples gives us a great chance of getting through to the CL Quarter-final.

League Table

We are comfortably top of the table, for now, with an 11 point lead over PSG (at least 5 points even if they won both their games in hand). Since we beat them PSG's 100% record has been smashed to smithereens, losing to Lille, Brest and even drawing at home to bottom placed Nancy - Sarri Out!

 

[smp20]

Rubbish intake, only 3 players that we are able to sign and they're crap.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

7 minutes ago, smp20 said:

Rubbish intake, only 3 players that we are able to sign and they're crap.

I don't know if its possible but have you tried getting an African team as a feeder club?

[smp20]

1 hour ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I don't know if its possible but have you tried getting an African team as a feeder club?

I've got ASEC Mimosas and Vita Club as affiliates for youngsters but not seeing much coming through from them yet

[Ronaldo Beckham]

3 minutes ago, smp20 said:

I've got ASEC Mimosas and Vita Club as affiliates for youngsters but not seeing much coming through from them yet

Oh that is a shame, I assumed having them as an affiliate you would rob some of their best youngsters.

[smp20]

March - April 2023 Update

Results

Our unbeaten season came to an end at the hands of Bordeaux, smashing us 3-0. We got past Napoli and beat Liverpool at home, but were knocked out in the quarter-finals at Anfield. I'm pleased with the 0-0 away at PSG!

League Table

Unless we find a way to really mess it up, we should win the league. 10 points clear of a 'struggling' PSG side, with just 5 games left. Squeaky bum time!

Our youth team established itself as the best in Europe, thumping everyone in their way. The future is very bright

[karanhsingh]

Title in 4 years vs PSG would be pretty incredible. Good going 

 

[smp20]

We did it - and in style . There is no better way to win the title than in front of the loyal 'Sang et Or' home fans against our bitter rivals Lille. They could barely get in our half and didn't even have a shot on target, while we peppered their goal and could have won by a lot more than just 2-0.

[smp20]

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Title in 4 years vs PSG would be pretty incredible. Good going 

 

Yes very much ahead of schedule, cheers!

[smp20]

Edited May 15, 2020 by smp20

[kingjericho]

Great season, congrats.

P.S.: Sang et Or is an excellent nickname

[smp20]

1 hour ago, kingjericho said:

Great season, congrats.

P.S.: Sang et Or is an excellent nickname

Cheers! I agree, Blood and Gold is a great nickname

[smp20]

Lens Transfers July 2023

We've allowed a few players to move on for decent fees. Wissa had become 2nd choice and we have youngster coming through more or less at his level so it made sense to let him go. Castelletto is just not up to the standard even as 4th choice centre back. I was reluctant to let Doucoure go as he's a home grown player, but with a certain player returning to the club (you'll see next) he just wasn't going to get enough game time. Aurier is the only first team starter to leave. He's been whinging about a new contract for months and we massively fell out when he wanted stupid wages. Got rid.

Three very good signings. Wague replaces Aurier, Ndombele finally joins on a permanent transfer as we can afford to match his Spurs wage and we welcome back Sergilio Balde for £26m (we got £9m from the sell on). Sergilio is now a wonderkid and I'm delighted to be able to bring him back. With Mory Traore and Brehima Diakite first choice, that really was a 'golden generation'.

[kingjericho]

Why did you sell Balde in the first place?

[Jogo Bonito]

Unlucky in the WC Final with Cameroon, but a fantastic run to get that far!

Congrats on the Ligue 1 title, a marvellous achievement! 

I did warn you not to rely solely on Silas. Great returns from him in seriousness 

9 hours ago, smp20 said:

I've got ASEC Mimosas and Vita Club as affiliates for youngsters but not seeing much coming through from them yet

You probably didn't have much choice in it, but you might actually have the wrong African clubs for extracting the best new talent. They're both good reputation sides within the continent for sure, and my comment is based more on current status of clubs rather than what the game might do a few years in.

I did the French football thread in the GPTG for a couple of FM versions, and reading your great FMCU is tempting me to head back to France again after a break of two years. I will caveat that by saying I spend as much time researching a club and squad as most people spend on playing one or two seasons, but thanks for the inspiration of your great updates. The second caveat is that I have two good games on the go already, and might also get inspired to manage a club in Germany due to lenient foreign player limits and the imminent return of live football on TV this weekend!

Good luck for next season with Lens, assuming you're still continuing.

[smp20]

13 hours ago, kingjericho said:

Why did you sell Balde in the first place?

I didn't have a choice unfortunately, the board accepted the offer

12 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Unlucky in the WC Final with Cameroon, but a fantastic run to get that far!

Congrats on the Ligue 1 title, a marvellous achievement! 

I did warn you not to rely solely on Silas. Great returns from him in seriousness 

You probably didn't have much choice in it, but you might actually have the wrong African clubs for extracting the best new talent. They're both good reputation sides within the continent for sure, and my comment is based more on current status of clubs rather than what the game might do a few years in.

I did the French football thread in the GPTG for a couple of FM versions, and reading your great FMCU is tempting me to head back to France again after a break of two years. I will caveat that by saying I spend as much time researching a club and squad as most people spend on playing one or two seasons, but thanks for the inspiration of your great updates. The second caveat is that I have two good games on the go already, and might also get inspired to manage a club in Germany due to lenient foreign player limits and the imminent return of live football on TV this weekend!

Good luck for next season with Lens, assuming you're still continuing.

Thanks @Joga Bonito - Silas was decent. He's not world class, but just fits the style perfectly.

Who do you think would be the best clubs from (francophone) Africa to get as affiliate clubs? I tried to get TP Mazembe instead of AS Vita but the board was having none of it.

I'm delighted to have inspired you to come back to France  (fingers crossed) - what clubs are you interested in?

I am definitely continuing. I'm expecting a reaction from PSG and we still have the Club World Cup and the Coupe de France to aim for. As well as the AFCON and World Cup. I'm in the middle of the AFCON with Cameroon at the moment, update to come soon

[smp20]

Cameroon: African Cup of Nations 2023 Update

Squad

A very familiar looking squad as there is just one change from the 23 men that were World Cup runners up. Lucien Agoume, on loan at Cagliari from Inter, comes in for Pierre Kunde. The more observant will remember his short loan to Lens during the last AFCON.

Results

Our preparations for the tournament didn't start well as we were thumped by Senegal. 1-0s against two Guinea's build a solid defensive backbone for the tournament in which we are yet to concede after winning all our group games.

2nd Round

A good draw for us which sees us stronger on paper. Ivory Coast are hosts and favourites for the tournament, smashing their group with 6-2(South Africa), 4-0(Algeria) and 3-0(Kenya) wins.

[smp20]

[smp20]

Never seen such a dominant display, yet with just 40% possession 

[smp20]

We should not underestimate Angola, they are a decent side. In qualifying they beat Tunisia 6-1 and 4-0 and they knocked out Algeria last game.

[Jogo Bonito]

Silas has certainly done the job for you.

You're right, TP Mazembe probably would have been an excellent pick. When I was living in Africa they had an emerging Samatta amongst their squad and were certainly one of (if not) the wealthiest of all the clubs on the continent and better quality than most too. Maybe after your success the board might reconsider? AS Vita aren't a bad alternative though. In Senegal, perhaps ASPIRE might be an option as they are basically an academy with a fair bit of funding globally. The top half a dozen sides there are all worth looking in to. Coton Sport in Cameroon, and Stade Malien (Mali) are probably the pick of other countries outside of Ivory Coast. ASEC probably have the highest rating in your game although there is a team  in Ivory Coast that I personally prefer more (current squad, not for newgens). I don't think you would get much quality outside these bigger nations (Gabon or Togo may create one-off gems but not regularly).

If I was starting in France now it would probably be somebody like Lille, Rennes or Metz. But more likely I would head lower down the pyramid. In Ligue 2, it would be RC Lens (stadium size, great kits, fine history), Le Havre (awesome stadium design, history of producing great youth talent in the past), Grenoble Foot (stadium size and location), Le Mans (stadium), Lorient (kit colour) or AC Ajaccio (fond memories of Corsica). National clubs would be Laval (kit colours, stadium size), Gazelec Ajaccio (Corsica link, one of the few pro sides) or most likely Quevilly-Rouen (pro side, decent kits, little great history and reasonable stadium to build a modest club up). Last night I also loaded up an extended French database as there are so many choices lower down, but SC Bastia would probably be the pick for me (stadium size, fallen giant, Corsica link).

You're going well in AFCON - good luck with that and for continuing your fine work with RC Lens.

[smp20]

13 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Silas has certainly done the job for you.

You're right, TP Mazembe probably would have been an excellent pick. When I was living in Africa they had an emerging Samatta amongst their squad and were certainly one of (if not) the wealthiest of all the clubs on the continent and better quality than most too. Maybe after your success the board might reconsider? AS Vita aren't a bad alternative though. In Senegal, perhaps ASPIRE might be an option as they are basically an academy with a fair bit of funding globally. The top half a dozen sides there are all worth looking in to. Coton Sport in Cameroon, and Stade Malien (Mali) are probably the pick of other countries outside of Ivory Coast. ASEC probably have the highest rating in your game although there is a team  in Ivory Coast that I personally prefer more (current squad, not for newgens). I don't think you would get much quality outside these bigger nations (Gabon or Togo may create one-off gems but not regularly).

If I was starting in France now it would probably be somebody like Lille, Rennes or Metz. But more likely I would head lower down the pyramid. In Ligue 2, it would be RC Lens (stadium size, great kits, fine history), Le Havre (awesome stadium design, history of producing great youth talent in the past), Grenoble Foot (stadium size and location), Le Mans (stadium), Lorient (kit colour) or AC Ajaccio (fond memories of Corsica). National clubs would be Laval (kit colours, stadium size), Gazelec Ajaccio (Corsica link, one of the few pro sides) or most likely Quevilly-Rouen (pro side, decent kits, little great history and reasonable stadium to build a modest club up). Last night I also loaded up an extended French database as there are so many choices lower down, but SC Bastia would probably be the pick for me (stadium size, fallen giant, Corsica link).

You're going well in AFCON - good luck with that and for continuing your fine work with RC Lens.

I will have a look into Coton, Stade Malien and ASPIRE for when I'm able to get another affiliate, thanks and fingers crossed!

Well you've got a lot of clubs to choose from there  - the only other time I've properly managed in France was with Bastia two FMs back with a community thread. Some great choices there!

Thanks, hopefully we can win the AFCON 

[smp20]

As it suggests in the title, it was comfortable. We face a surprise package in the semis, Burkina Faso. Bertrand Traore is in fine form for them so again, we can't underestimate them.

[Jogo Bonito]

18 minutes ago, smp20 said:

I will have a look into Coton, Stade Malien and ASPIRE for when I'm able to get another affiliate, thanks and fingers crossed!

Well you've got a lot of clubs to choose from there  - the only other time I've properly managed in France was with Bastia two FMs back with a community thread. Some great choices there!

Thanks, hopefully we can win the AFCON 

Good luck with affiliates and for AFCON success, that would be cool. 

Yes, so many clubs. I also downloaded an extended German database. As I said, picking a club takes me an eternity!

[smp20]

9 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Good luck with affiliates and for AFCON success, that would be cool. 

Yes, so many clubs. I also downloaded an extended German database. As I said, picking a club takes me an eternity!

Cheers! And yes, picking the club is half the fun 

[smp20]

Agoume has been a fantastic addition to the setup, check out that goal! Onana also refuses to concede. A comfortable 3-0 win and we're into the final against Senegal. I was surprised to find out that Sadio Mane retired at the end of the 2022 World Cup!

[smp20]

Three strikers I see....

[karanhsingh]

Keep up the great work! 

Have come across that formation a few times and I can also tell you from experience that Ismaila Sarr is lethal. 

Meanwhile like @Jogo Bonito you have also inspired me to take up a project I have long been thinking of now that I just completed my sunderland save. I have started with Red Star FC in the national division, with basically the same aim, dislodge PSG or as Fergie would say knock them off their perch 

Already loving it and hopefully this will be my next long term save - I'll probably make a thread about it once I get a season or two in. 

 

[smp20]

2 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Keep up the great work! 

Have come across that formation a few times and I can also tell you from experience that Ismaila Sarr is lethal. 

Meanwhile like @Jogo Bonito you have also inspired me to take up a project I have long been thinking of now that I just completed my sunderland save. I have started with Red Star FC in the national division, with basically the same aim, dislodge PSG or as Fergie would say knock them off their perch 

Already loving it and hopefully this will be my next long term save - I'll probably make a thread about it once I get a season or two in. 

 

Thanks  - great to see another FMer look to take down PSG, best of luck!

[smp20]

Right here we go! (Anguissa and Agoume are the wrong way round, will be switched before KO)