retired_manragh

Clermont

It’s pretty cosy here compared to a few of the other clubs that occupy this division, we have a pretty good stadium and facilities and every thing is pretty professional. I know all the coaching staff here as I was part of it as well and it’s the only thing that hasn’t changed in the two months I’ve been away!

95% of the players that were here last season have been moved on or left and new players brought in, which means I know hardly any of them, they only one I really do is our veteran goal keeper Olivier Enjolras, he’s the obvious choice for the number one honours this season, apart from that there’s not to many I know at first glance.

Talking with assistant Jean-Noël Cabezas he thought we had little hope of meeting the boards expectations with what he seen and I was off a similar opinion so some wheeling and dealin over the month of July seen us bring in a few decent sorts to bolster the stocks.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Youssef Chida StrFreeHakim Chatouani CMFreeAbdullah Aslan CM12k NAC BredaJan-Paul HoekstraCM16k NAC BredaCharles-André Doudin Str18k Neuchâtel Xamax</pre>

A lot of players left mostly the under 18’s or reserves players that I could get rid off, without costing the club a crap load of money, we did make one transfer though and that was to WLKRAS’s Cannes Samuel Darchy was the player to go for £7k.

The first few weeks just dragged on but it happens when you’re trying to do so much in a short amount of time but when the friendly games finally did come it was well received by all of our staff that’s for sure.

First up was our game against Vannes and it was pretty easy going truth be told we looked a well oiled machine, while they just looked crap! But it is just a friendly after all. New signings Chida and Chatouani both played real well and scored which was pleasing Chatouani even picked up the man of the match award.

Our second game was against a former player here at Clermont, Ian Amaroq had played here a few years ago and now he was in charge of Nimes, the game didn’t go to well for us backing up after only a days rest and then playing in 35 degree heat didn’t bode well and we went down 1-0, without putting up much of fight.

Game 3 seen us dominate Paris Est in normal time but we were unable to score and so it went to penalties, it was almost a farcical finish as the sides found it very hard to get it on target and when they did it was at the keeper, Paris won the shoot-out 2-1
Game 4 seen us travel to SC Berre and new signing Doudin had a hattrick in 56 minutes as we crushed the minnow in ruthless style, our captain Charles Diers also scored in the game which finished at 4-0, a decent pre-season for the team and were hoping to see things get better as the team gels together that bit more.

The friendly games raced along which was good and now we have the season proper to look forward too, the first month of football sees us take on Martiques - away ; Nimes - home ; Louhans-Cuiseaux - away ; Yzeure - home and Vannes -away

retired_w0lfpack1

Nîmes Olympique - preseason

The first week of July is always a time of signings and new arrivals, and we had a random assortment join the side before our pre-season tournament, the newly formed MMONGS Cup.

We'd lacked a true scoring threat last year, our leading scorer netting just 12 goals, so that was the first area to address. My big name signing was striker Zéphirin Zoko, 28, who looks like he belongs in the Ligue 2, not down at the Championnat - he's scored internationally! For the Côte d'Ivorie, but still. A season-long loan for 21-year-old Benjamin Psaume, of Toulouse, valued at £1.3M, and we had an instant upgrade at the position, and I felt we had a strike force capable of banging 'em in with the best of the Championnat National.

I was excited to secure the services of Jean-Marie Stéphanopoli, 33, who was a significant improvement over our previous fullbacks, while the fans were looking forward to seeing former Nîmes defender Johnny Ecker, 33, back in blue. Midfielder Sylvain Deplace, 34, would provide some cover, while Michaël Di Giacomo, 20, looked like a Reserve at best. Fullback Benjamin Boisseau, 20, who has no professional experience, rounded out the week's signings...

And then it was off to Paris:

"Listen lads, I expect you to make it to the Final. No faltering at the first hurdle, now, these Paris Est lot are no Paris Saint-Germain - they just got promoted. They're relegation candidates, so lets not let them have a sniff."
I'd been confident before kickoff.

The stifling Paris heat must have been going to my head.

"NO!! What was that? You idiot!"

New man Johnny Ecker had grabbed ahold of Jéoboam's shirt, and it was a quick penalty. Romain Ouéhi converted, and it took me just 1:13 into my first match in charge to go 0-1 down.

Auspicious.

Last year, that might have been a problem, but luckily, we had a bit of attacking firepower this year, and in the 21st minute new signing Benjamin Boisseau's long ball started a footrace. Benjamin Psaume beat his strike partner Zoko to it, his man having stopped to look for the offsides call, and Zéphirin being held up by the fact that he had a fistful of Parisian kit. Psaume slotted home, and it was 1-1.

We took a 2-1 lead into halftime when Zéphirin Zoko pressured Fabien Valeri into an improbable own goal from tight angle. "I couldn't have scored that if I'd been trying to!", I laughed as we headed to the break; it was only the sheer unexpectedness of it that caught the 'keeper by surprise.

Paris made all eleven subs at the intermission; we followed suit on the hour. Frankly, after that the standard of play was quite .. awkward. Still, when backup goalkeeper Sébastien Gimenez's long ball bounced past Kola Adams, veteran goalpoacher Stéphane Beyrac was there to pounce, and it was a 3-1 lead with 22 minutes to play.

Paris came up with an instant reply, Victor Mendy left shamelessly unmarked as he strolled straight into the box from the centre circle. Anybody could have scored with that kind of space, and I was regretting hanging up my boots already. "I could still have marked him!" I shouted.

That had made it 3-2, but the defense tightened up thereafter, and Paris didn't get another sniff - we were on to the Semi-Finals.

Nîmes Olympique 3, Paris FC 2

To my delight, I found that we would face my former side, Clermont, and close friend Matt Panpardus. The match was scheduled for the very next day; at least his lot would be as tired as we were.

"Listen, lads," goalkeeper Cédric Duchesne said seconds before kickoff. "He won't say as much, but Amaroq really wants to beat these guys. Let's do it for him."

They did just that. Zéphirin Zoko was already living up to the hype; his wicked shot was parried by Clermont's long-time veteran goalkeeper Olivier Enjolras outside the six. Benjamin Psaume, to the left of the six, rolled a low shot in for a certain goal.. but Zoko stole it from him, cheekily tapping it across the line just before it went in of its own. 7 minutes in, and up 1-0.

I shouted for some tight defending, and was very proud to see just that: we shut Clermont down for the remaining 83 minutes, allowing just two shots, period, both of which Duchesne dismissed with nonchalant ease. The fans - the match being held in Paris - were contemptuous, demanding more adventurous play and eventually hurling epithets at both sides in seemingly equal measure.

But a win's a win, and a win over my former side, whom we'll face in the second match of the regular season, was especially sweet.

It was good to see Panpardus and Enjolras again, and we shook hands warmly after the match, though I'll confess there was nobody else I recognized in the red and white.

Nîmes Olympique 1, Clermont 0

For "coming through the hard way", having faced two sides, we got to play the Final in the cozy confines of our very own Stade des Costières, an 18,000 all-seater which held just 1,500 for the tie against AS Cannes.

Unfortunately, home field advantage didn't take us very far; we were clearly outmanned by the visitors. They were unlucky not to go into the break ahead, and it was only solid defending we had to thank for it, having gotten not so much as a sniff of goal. The absence of Zéphirin Zoko, who had been ruled out 2-4 weeks with groin strain in the prematch, and defender Hervé Alicarte, with a back strain, was really limiting our effectiveness. Ex-Guingamp fullback Steeve Joseph-Reinette, whose addition had finally solved my biggest pre-season problem (No decent fullbacks!) was playing well, and I tried to encourage the lads at halftime.

Habibou Traoré's pass to Samuel Darchy shortly before the hour didn't look too dangerous; Darchy had his back to goal and Johnny Ecker in close attendance, but his quick turn, and perfect first-time pass for Anthony Braizat made something out of nothing. Braizat got his shoulder in front of Christophe Dussart, and one-timed it past Cédric Duchesne. It was an absolutely brilliant move, and Cannes led 0-1.

Thirty minutes of increasingly desperate attack generated just a few half-chances. The final whistle, and we'd had our own "Defend and nab a goal" trick pulled against us. Hoist by our own petard! Cannes were the MMONG Cup champions, and deservedly so.

All I could do was tip my hat to WLKRAS, and shake his hand after. "Well done, sir, well done!" Cannes should be tipped to promote after that campaign.

Nîmes Olympique 0, AS Cannes 1

"Another one?"

I'd had three staff members poached already - our only scout, a coach (hired by Lille to be a scout), and our only physio. It was getting ridiculous, and the measley compensation was hardly worth the trouble it would be to find half-decent replacements, especially considering the aggressive expansion of staff going on throughout the other sides in the Championnat. First priority was finding an assistant, I suspected.

It was still a problem on the 27th, ten days prior to the kickoff of the season, when we played host to lower-league Blagnac in our final fitness tuneup.

We got off to a fine start, when veteran Stéphane Beyrac took from Psaume, and lit off on a mazy run through the lower-division defense. He uncorked a sparkling goal from 25 metres, a real joy to watch, bringing the paltry crowd to their feet. Forty-three seconds into the match, and it was 1-0!

Blagnac obviously decided that the only way they were going to be able to hold with us was to come in with hard tackling, and midfielder Paul Maisonneuve was stretchered off in the 24th minute. Ten minutes later, right winger Karim Dahou joined him, and I was livid: "Knock it off you lot! It's a friendly!" My lads were shying out of tackles a bit, rightly worried for their careers, and it stayed 1-0 through halftime.

In the 58th minute, Ulrick Chavas, our second right winger - and in fact the man I plan to start in the regular season - was forced off injured as well. It was somewhat ironic, then, that it was our third right winger of the day, William Stanger, who made the second goal, cutting neatly past his man. He fed low to Benjamin Psaume in the box, and the Toulouse striker finished with a low ten-yard shot to the near post for 2-0.

Pre-season injuries are a manager's nightmare, and we took our fourth of the day in the 77th minute, when young right back Benjamin Boisseau went down. From the scream he let out as he went down, you just knew it was bad, and I was off the touchline arguing for a red card at least. We didn't have a physio, and neither did the visitors, so it fell to me to help the lad to the nearest hospital; it was grim, truly.

I missed the last goal, a 25-yard free kick by the cultured Sylvain Deplace, which made the final 3-0.

Nîmes Olympique 3, Blagnac 0

What a costly victory! Poor Boisseau had suffered a torn hamstring, and would be out 3-4 months, while Maissoneuve, a starting midfielder, had suffered a groin strain and looked like missing the first 2-4 weeks of the season.

That wouldn't do; it was a tough start to the season we had ahead of us.

We would open against fellow promotion candidates Angers, then travel to my former club Clermont who had given us a tough fight on neutral ground. That would be followed by Cannes, who beat us in pre-season, at the Stade des Costières. The fourth match was worst of all, away Laval, who had been relegated below Ligue 2 for the first time in their history last year, and were the favourites to win it all.

Without Zoko.

Great.

BarryLFC

Paris in the Springtime

For all my past troubles, I considered myself grounded in reality. The truth was, Paris Est, or Paris FC as they are officially known, were not a good team. That said, they were the reigning CFA Group D Champions, having amassed 99 points to top a league including reserve teams from PSG, Rennes, and parent club Guingamp, a 19-8-7 record ensuring first place.

The controversy of Group C was avoided. There, the game between Yzeure and Orleáns was scheduled for March 4, at 6pm. On Mar 3 the city council came to the decision that the stadium of Yzeure should be closed. This announcement, however, occurred after noon, meaning it was too late for the football authorities to postpone the match. On March 4, the referee and Orléans showed up for the match and took to the field. Yzeure did not appear and the ref accordingly awarded the match 3-0 to Orléans. Yzeure lodged a protest, but were unsuccessful, despite various appeals.

The story did not end there. With the league finished and Rodez Aveyron promoted, one point ahead of Yzure, the French Football Federation bizarrely opted to reschedule the match! A victoy for Yzure would earn them promotion and the title, robbing Rodez Aveyron of what was rightfully theirs. On June 3, Orleáns did not turn up for the game in protest against the rescheduling. The federation deducted Orleáns four points, awarded a 3-0 win to Yzure and granted them the title and promotion. Had this script been written by any of my friends I would have ignored it as drug-induced and preposterous. But it happened.

Also promoted were Martigues and Beauvais, whilst Bayonne, Croix de Savoie, Moulins and Gazeléc Ajaccio FCO were relegated. It was a heartbreaking finale for all of the relegated clubs, save Gazeléc Ajaccio FCO. A win for any of the three on the final matchday would have seen them safe, but it wasn't to be, Bayonne going down 1-0 at a Cherbourg side they would have leapfrogged with a win, Croix de Savoie and Moulins drawing with each other, relegating both. Sickener.

At the othe end of the table, Niort, Tours and Libourne Saint-Seurin were promoted, Cannes missing out despite a late surge. Niort were champions with 70 points, whilst Tours and Libourne Saint-Seurin finished with 65 and 64 respectively, setting an early target for any promotion hopefuls in the coming season. Relegating from Ligue 2, and beginning their 2 year window in which they may remain fully Professional in the Championnat National, were Clermont Foot, Stade Lavallois and FC Sète 34.

The final Championnat National table for 2005/06 looked like this:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Championnat NationalFinal Table: Pts P W D L F-A 1.Niort 70 38 20 10 8 57-36 Promoted 2.Tours 65 38 18 11 9 49-35 Promoted 3.Libourne Saint-Seurin 64 38 17 13 8 46-29 Promoted ----------------------------------------------------- 4.Cannes 62 38 17 11 10 48-41 5.Nimes Olympique 58 38 16 10 12 50-39 6.Boulogne 58 38 16 10 12 48-41 7.Toulon 57 38 15 12 11 35-32 8.Raon L'Etape 50 38 11 17 10 42-37 9.Entente SSG 50 38 11 17 10 39-3410.Romorantin 50 38 13 11 14 39-4611.Angers 49 38 12 13 13 42-3512.Vannes 49 38 11 16 11 44-4513.Louhans Cuiseaux 48 38 14 6 18 42-5114.Cherbourg 46 38 9 19 10 34-3915.Pau 45 38 10 15 13 34-3816.Chatellerault 42 38 10 12 16 37-47----------------------------------------------17.Bayonne 41 38 10 11 17 34-41 Relegated18.Croix de Savoie 41 38 8 17 13 28-40 Relegated19.Moulins 41 38 11 8 19 44-61 Relegated20.Gazeléc Ajaccio FCO 29 38 6 11 21 27-52 Relegated</pre>

On that basis, I knew we were slightly under the radar, so to speak. Frankly, we were expected to struggle and probably relegate, all else being equal. Paris, though, is a multicultural society, a powerful draw to people from all walks of life. There were international footballers here, admittedly for Gabon, Cameroon, Haiti and other non-powerful football nations, but internationals none the less. There was Pius N'Diefi, best known for scoring the only goal in the game where Marc-Vivien Foé died, there were others, also, such as Jean-Dimmt Jeoboam of Haiti, but the depth was weak, and there were matters to address.

My first signing was widely ridiculed locally, but even at 45 and with 98 caps behind him, there was pace in the legs of my veteran right back. And he'd be a backup, so who could he hurt, really? Ten years ago I was in Ayr when Gordon Dalziel paraded a plethora of French footballers, and two of those were keen to join me in Paris, David Castilla, a goalkeeper, and Willy Mainge, a defender-cum-midfielder. The latter had apparently improved since last we met. Completing my raid of Burns Country was Jerome Vareille, a current Ayr player, who came 'home', as it were for just four thousand pounds. Loan signings made up the bulk of my additional movement, and I felt the 22 man squad I'd built was big enough and strong enough to handle itself in this league.

Nimes were coming off the back of a strong season, in which they pushed for promotion, but came up empty. It was early in pre-season, and nobody was fit enough to give of their best, but a 3-2 defeat, despite eleven half time substitutions, was not disgraceful, and was secured for the visitors only by virtue of an own goal so ludicrous you wouldn't believe me were I to describe it. That defeat meant we'd face Vannes the next day. After finishing 12th, the most average of an average bunch in mid-table, it was likely that they would be looking to push on towards the top half this year. They scored early, but we roared back to win 3-1. It was resounding, but given the time of year and fitness levels involved, it would be foolish to read much in to it.

Clermont were two leagues and a world of professionalism ahead of Paris FC a year ago. Now, though, both sides are in the same league, and a trip there saw a solid performance from much fitter players, drawing 0-0 and taking the victory on penalties, 2-1 after four efforts from the home side were repelled or failed to find the target. A casual game against Scottish Junior outfit Clydebank concluded the friendlies, and despite going scoreless through a first half in which we dominated, six goals in 22 second half minutes saw us run out comfortable 5-1 winners.

I could be wrong, but we might just surprise a few teams this year.

retired_w0lfpack1

Nîmes Olympique

Pre-season was complete, and it was time to start looking forward to the regular season.

I may not have been as active in pre-season as some of the other sides, but we'd started with a stronger squad, and I was fully expecting to be in the promotion battle - we'd come off the worst of it last year, placing fifth, but with a few key additions, I thought we should have what it takes. We have a nice blend of experienced backbone and young guns.

Nîmes Olympique 2006/07 squad:

Goal:

GK Cédric Duchesne, 30, France: The clear starter our last two seasons, Cédric is a real rock at the back, and a friend from my playing days.

GK Sébastian Giminez, 32, France: A backup at best; hope I don't need him!

Defense:

DC Hervé Alicarte, 31, France, 5 caps: Quality, scored 5 headed goals last season, all on corners. First name on the teamsheet in defense.

DC Christophe Dussart, 30, France: A former teammate at Clermont, who came over on my recommendation last year. A hulking defender whose pace prevents him from playing at a higher level, he scored 4 goals last year.

DC Johnny Ecker, 33, France: A solid backup, experienced, who won't let you down. He's not quite a starter, but his versatility makes him worth a regular place on the subs bench.

DL Jean-Marie Stéphanopoli, 33, France: My departure left a big gap at fullback, which Stéphanopoli will try to fille. He can play both sides, and is a significant improvement over the rest of the lot.

DL Jérémie Roumegous, 21, France: A decent youngster, but not spectacular. Solid substitute.

DR Steeve Joseph-Reinette, 22, France: Not too much to write home about, determined, almost passable, but right back is going to be our weakness.

DR Benjamin Boisseau, 20, France: No professional experience, but looks reasonable, especially if he can improve a bit with training.

Midfield:

MC Jean-Christophe Rouvière, 31, France: This hard-working midfield engine is one of only four full-time players on the squad. He's excellent, the heart of our midfield.

MC Sylvain Deplace, 34, France: He's older than I am, and none to impressive, though he does show some flair and a hint of skill distributing the ball. A stop-gap measure at best.

MC Cédrik Horjak, 27, France: A determined midfielder whose stamina is his brightest asset. Enjoys banging 'em in from long range. He hasn't been too effective at that, though - its his fourth year with the squad, and he has just 4 goals to show for it so far

MC Paul Maisonneuve, 19, France: Reasonably talented, can win some in the air. I promoted him from the Reserves, where he spent last year

MC Michaël Di Giacomo, 20, France: No professional experience, Reserve/backup at best

Wingers:

AMR Karim Dahou, 24, Morocco: Diminutive winger, better all around than Chavas, so he'll probably start. His long throws into the box should provide an alternative threat.

AMR Ulrick Chavas, 25, France: A speedy threat on the right, who can also hit some long throws.

AMR William Stanger, 20, France: Can play striker or right wing, which may find him a place on the bench, or he may wind up at the Reserve level

AML Allan Petitjean, 31, France: Definitely the starter, did an awesome job last year, no questions here. He's well rounded, and likes to have a go from range.

AML Erwan Quintin, 22, France: No comparison to Petitjean, but like the right wingers he can make some dangerous long throws in addition to the usual crossing threats.

AML/DL Nicolas Rabuel, 28, France: At the start of camp, Raubel was our best left back, but he's weak defensively and better getting forward. I'll probably use him as an attacking wingback or left wing, and his flexibility and experience will probably see him on the substitutes bench regularly.

Strikers:

FC Zéphirin Zoko, 28, Ivory Coast, 20 caps, 7 goals: Our big summer signing, whose injury will unfortunately keep him out for the first month or so. He's a full-timer, far and away our best player under contract: strong, quick, and equally dangerous both in the air or at feet. He belongs in a higher division, and I hope we can earn the promotion he deserves!

FC Benjamin Psaume, 21, France: His strike partner will be the £1.3M youngster in on loan from Toulouse. Blinding pace, excellent first touch, and a talent for placing his shots - Psaume ought to rack up the goals this season.

FC Stéphane Beyrac, 31, France: The third option at striker is a slower, more cultured player, probably the most polished forward on the squad. He loves the quick-turn-and-fire move, and adds the ability to strike from range; he scored 8 goals in each the last two seasons.

FC Michaël Colloredo, 25, France: Netted 12 goals last season as a regular starter, but doesn't look like he's going to remain in the lineup this year, pushed out by his betters. Still, between injury and rotation, I expect he'll get a chance to add to that tally this year.

I was happy with the squad, aside from right back.. but those first four games would be a real test for my ambitions!

retired_manragh

Its great to get the season underway but our first game didn’t go as hoped, we lost away to Martiques 1-0, we should of grabbed a draw but a lack of accuracy in front of goal hurt us, centre back Marveaux grabbed man of the match in the game.

We was confident of beating Amaroq’s team Nimes at home and that was the statement I gave to the press, Amaroq responded with something like their team was confident as well and not to try the mind games, but it didn’t matter we did our talking on the pitch which justified my statement, goals to Doudin (32), Armand (43) set us up 2-0 at the break and despite a fairly boring second half left winger and man of the match Lesoimier grabbed a third which seen the game end 3-0 in our favour, great first up home game.

Our first away win seen out captain Diers get named man of the match in our 3-1 win over Louhans-Cuiseaux by virtue of the fact that he scored 2 fantastic goals, it’s a real confidence boost going into to the League cup preliminary round and hope fully we can squeak a win over our League 2 opponents.

The cup games seen us play Libourne and it was a very difficult game for us as Enjolras and Chaussidière were hurt and had to be subbed at half time, 5 minute after the restart we were 5 down and up against it, when Doudin came off with an achilles injury we were in real strife so we went all out attack and it paid off as Chida grabbed an equaliser in the 81st minute. With no further scores in normal time or extra time it went down to a nerve racking shootout. It came down to the last two penalties for us Monolo ‘has’ Gas fired his home to give us a chance with the 5th penalty and when their player missed the winner it went to sudden death. Well as you all know there’s a bit of Ponge after Gas and he made no mistake as he scored his which was the winning goal as it turned out and we moved into the first round of the cup.

Our away game against Vannes seen a narrow loss to Pm7’s men, they did dominate the game to be fair, but we pressured them a lot in the last 30 and should of really equalised, still I cant complain too much, we didn’t deserve a point and we didn’t get it. We lost influential midfielder Hakim Chatouani in the game to a nasty broken cheekbone which wasn’t ideal.

A 3-2 loss to Ajaccio in the League Cup first round was an honourable loss, we were down 2-0 early but a brave fight back from the lads seen it go to extra time, unfortunately for us we were buggered by trying to get back in the game and Ajaccio grabbed the winner in the second half of injury time from which their was no comeback this time.

Another away game in the league seen the team once again lose, this time it was too Raon-l’Etape, the loss meant we slipped down an incredible 19th place, this wasn’t the start we had imagined, in fairness though we had only played 1 home game out of the 5 games.

Finally a bit of the pressure relieved with a 2-0 win over cellar dwellers Yzeure the win moved us up to 11th in the league and we had a spare game over almost everyone, a win in that game would see us move to 5th, which was minimum expectations for this year really.

The club was in deep financial troubles, the wage budget and payments for that matter were an incredulous £45k which was triple if not quadruple of most the other clubs in this division, I had dropped the wages by a bit when we got here, but there was no way I could slice off at least half, this was one of the reason the board required promotion again!. The cup had landed us £85k in winnings just for qualifying couple that with the gate and we were still down over £100k for the month, things were not going to be pretty I think.

Another home game for the start of September and we took on Paris Est who had beaten us in a shoot-out earlier in the year when the scores were deadlocked in a game we dominated, basically the same result again we had 20 shots with 9 on target 52% of the possession but couldn’t do any better than the end result which was 1-1, we really let this game slip away and now we sat in 12th place although we did have a game to spare home game in hand

shannon2007

Vannes

*censored*

retired_hern1001

August

The start of the season was fast approaching and the bookmakers were being kept busy with setting the odds for promotion. We came up as pre-season favourites with odds of 5-4. Public expectation was on and I reinforced that by stating that I was confident of getting promoted in my first press conference of the season and indeed my career. In the same conference, I also responded to claims by the Toulon manager, who was keen to put a early dent in our bid. I told the assembled press that we looked forward to beating them. It was an accident waiting to happen.

We lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with 3 midfielders making forward runs to support our attack. In goal we had Cyril Carrat, wearing the captain’s armband. In front of him, the backline was formed by Patrice Carteron, Anthony Scaramozzino, Michaël Cérielo and Anthony Losilla. In midfield, Marino Promes and Igor Angulo would surge forward on the wings, while Alexandr Mostovoy was the attacking central midfielder. It was up to Venn Touré to hold the fort defensively. Up front it was Nicolas Verdier partnered with Samuel Darchy.

Toulon had the early pressure and it only took them ten minutes to convert their good play into a goal. Colinet scored from close range after a cross from their right flank. Seventeen minutes later, it was again our leftback Scaramozzino who was at fault for a goal. His poor backpass was cut out by Gueï who had no trouble putting it in the back of the net. The only danger from our end came from on-loan winger Angulo and it was he who got us back in the game with a 45th minute goal, converting from Darchy’s nod-on.

The second half had barely started when Scaramozzino’s horror afternoon was completed with his second yellow card. We managed to cling on for a couple of minutes, until substitute Traoré, on for Mostovov, lost his temper and slammed his head into his opponent. A straight red, with a likely lengthy ban to follow and we were down to nine man. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out we were never going to come back from that. Shots kept raining down on goalkeeper Carrat, but Toulon striker Gueï managed to get two more past him to complete his hattrick and a humiliating defeat for Cannes. It was enough to drive a regular guy to the drink, never mind someone like me…

Traore ended up with a six game ban in total and I gave him a two week’s wages fine to boot. He displayed some common sense when he readily accepted he deserved it and said he’d try to keep a better control of his temper.

It wasn’t long until our next game came around against Martigues. Changes were in order after our abject performance in the first game. Diabaté came in for Cérielo, Braizat for Promes while Bah replaced the suspended Scaramozzino. We did much better this time around with a variety of chances, Darchy creating all sorts of havoc up front, while Diabaté’s set pieces were equally dangerous. The second half was much of the same, dominating in terms of possession and chances, but no goals. 0-0 the final score.

The next game was a crucial one, against Olympique Nimes. We’d beaten them in the pre-season, but this was a whole different ball game of course. Still not satisfied with the starting XI, I brought in Benhamou for Carrat in goal, while Connell replaced Verdier up front. The first half was an exhibit to football that had everything. But most importantly, goals. There were two each way and both times, Nimes had taken the lead only for us to peg them back. Diabaté equalised the first time, while Carteron was on target the second. For all the goals, the goalkeepers were under suspicion at least and it set up a great prospect for the second half. For the first time in the match, we grabbed the lead, Braizat scoring from another Diabaté free kick. Amaroq’s side really came at us after that, but we managed to hang on by the skin of our teeth to claim a narrow 3-2 win.

That finally got us in gear and we followed up with a 3-0 win over Louhans-Cuisaux, who ended the game with ten men. Diabaté and Darchy got goals in the first half while Venn Touré topped it off with a 25-yard screamer in the second.

Just as I thought we were doing well, bottom side Yzeure, having scored just 3 goals to date doubled their tally against us in a 3-1 loss. Braizat got our goal, pouncing on a defensive mistake, but there were plenty more at our end and the underdogs took full advantage to claim the win.

Up next was PM7’s Vannes. Here we got off to a flying start with four chances in the first fifteen minutes, the highlight of those Samuel Darchy’s effort that beat the Vannes keeper, but ended up hitting the post. Despite our dominance in play, our first goal came from a counter attack. A quick move down the right and Darchy found Kevaugh Connell who had the goal at his mercy. Just four minutes later, it was Darchy himself who doubled the margin with a placed shot. Darchy, clearly revelling in his new role as club captain was also involved in the third and fourth goal. For the third, he set up left winger Angulo to score and the fourth goal came from a Diabaté free kick after Darchy was fouled. Vannes defender Es Sabri was sent off for that foul and Vannes never looked like recovering as they headed into the dressing room shell shocked. We created plenty more chances in the second half and if our finishing had been better, we could’ve ended up with six or seven goals. Instead, Vannes got a late consolation goal from a 25-yard free kick. Still, 4-1 was certainly a good result.

One more game remained in the month, against Boulogne-sur-Mer. The first half was a drab affair where Boulogne perhaps had the better of the play though not by much. Just before the hour, Connell put us 1-0 up. Once more though, our inconsistency came to the fore and we conceded two goals in ten minutes to give Boulogne a win that would take them top of the table while Cannes slumped down to eight.

August was ended with the signing of defender/defensive midfielder Stephane Martin from Nice for the sum of £16,000.

shannon2007

Reported.

BarryLFC

Paris Est

I am not naïve. I am and was well aware that trusting in my assistant to make the team work whilst I took a stress-induced leave of absence could leave my grip on employment a little more tenuous than had I worked though, but needs must.

To be fair he was unlucky to lose the opener 2-0 at home to Beauvais, who were dominated throughout, but some weeks later he'd sneak a 1-0 over Angers, despite being on the back foot, so it's all swings and roundabouts. Sète held us to a 1-1 draw in the second game of the season, before consecutive 3-1 defeats, at home to Pau (reduced to 10 men after 49 minutes with the score 0-0) and at Romorantin, each of our three goals coming in the last minute of play.

At that stage, one point from 12, we were struggling, but a 6-2 win over Châtellerault followed, and though we lost 2-1 at a powerful-looking Cherbourg, we bounced back to win against Angers and hold Clermont to a 1-1 draw at their park. This despite a mounting injury crisis and my assistant's penchent for the sub goalie and Jean-Dimmy Jéoeboam, with fifteen starts between them, whilst my preferred choices had not seen the field for even a minute.

It seems my arrival could not have come at a better time. Eight points from eight games is about five to eight less than I had anticipated, so it would be a true test of my mettle were we to bounce back against the top three games and two other sides with a lot of talent over the next five games. A crucial period.

retired_bbcarr

Pau FC

Relegation battle? Yep, I was spot on with that one. Our first game of the league campaign took us to Boulogne-sur-Mer and we would have to face them without one of our only talented players, Dia. Our lack of ability showed as Damien Perrinelle and a Mourad N’Zif own goal put the home side clear in front. Aristouy pulled one back, but Jean-Arnoud Loseille’s headed put us two behind once more. Aristouy again pulled us to within one in the second half, but we never looked likely to bag an equaliser.

Our first home game, in front of just under 2,000 people, was against Raon-l’Etape and was one of the dullest games imaginable. Neither side could really fashion much of a clear chance, though Raon were the better side throughout. It was our first point on the board though, and you can’t turn your nose up at that.

After our pre-season spat, I was looking forward to taking on HD’s Paris Est side. To be honest, the best I was hoping for was another goalless draw, but when Fabien Valeri was sent off just after half time, we pounced on the opportunity, Dia scoring twice before the hour mark. Aboubacar Tandia added a third before Pius N’Diefi grabbed Paris a consolation but the three points were ours.

The good form we had found in the Paris match was carried into our home game against Beauvais. Dia suffered a groin strain in the second half and had to be helped off, but despite that we still should have won this game easily. Unfortunately, our strikers appeared to think that the goal was several feet taller than it actually was, and for the second time a goalless draw was the best we could do.

Our next opponents were Romorantin and given that they had already beaten Vannes – who had beaten us in pre-season – I wasn’t particularly confident. That lack of confidence was well founded as we were two down inside the half hour. That was as bad as it got, thankfully, and from somewhere we found the spirit to fight back, Aristouy netting before half time and Tandia with eleven minutes of the match left to bag us a point and keep us out of the relegation zone.

I spent an enjoyable night after the Romorantin match with a whisky bottle and a local woman, though the board didn’t look too kindly on it and landed me with a suspension, leaving my assistant Brahim Naimi in charge.