BarryLFC

Paris Est

Any momentum we were carrying was reigned in by the brutal set of fixtures we faced. Cannes were perhaps lucky to beat us 2-0, their second "goal" clearly having entered the goal through the side netting, but we never really looked like scoring. It was all a little different at leaders Laval. After falling 2-0 behind and looking a little lifeless, Piun N'Dieft brought new life to the party, netting before half time and Jerome Vareille equalised midway through the second half as we looked to take control.

A bad penalty decision set us back, but the kick was saved. We poured downfield looking to strike a killer blow on the counter attack, but the sucker punch was waiting for us there. Laval lofted the ball back downfield, before lashing home a 30 yard strike from which we never recovered. Minutes later it was 4-2, and though Pius N'Diefi scored a wondergoal with 20 minutes left, there was to be no second comeback.

Next on the agenda were Sannois SG and we never had a hope, going down 2-0 without so much as a whimper. Toulon, then, sitting fourth, would not have expected much resistance when we paid them a visit. Even less so when we were reduced to ten men after twenty minutes, and absolutely not when we trailed 2-0 at half time. How wrong they were. After a sneaky tactical shift, the momentum swung.

We had already pulled one goal back when, with fifteen minutes to play, Pius N'Diefi was scythed down on his way to a certain equaliser. The red card came out and once the penalty was dispatched it was 2-2 and 10-a-side. Jimmy Hamme then put us into an improbable 3-2 lead before Capurro, my Ecuador international, belied his 45 years to commit an act of gross stupidity and receive his own marching orders. 9 v 10 it ended, but there were no more goals and we had broken out of the slump.

Martigues offered no resistance a week later, despite their lofty league position, and though we only had Jerome Vareille's goal to show for it, it was three more points in the bank. Nimes were 2-0 up at half time when I made the same shift as had defeated Toulon. This time it brought only one more goal, but it was enough to convince me that this was the setup to start with at home to Louhans-Cuiseaux.

Despite their poor results they had a decent side, so to win 2-1 was special. Vareille and N'Diefi had it 2-0 at the break, and though a goal was lost thereafter there was only one more scare and the points were comfortably won. Rock bottom Yzeure were next up and though they were only in the division on duious grounds, they retained some dangerous players and we had to be wary.

A direct free kick had the home team ahead in the early stages, but Pius N'Diefi's header made it 1-1 midway through the first half. It was important that we not concede again, but passing up chances is always going to come back to haunt you, N'Diefi spurning a great opportunity on the half hour. That said, when Vareille picked him out with a great far post cross early in the second half he made no mistake and we were in front at last. Jimmy Hamme hit the post on the hour, before Pius completed his hat-trick moments later. André-Joel Eboué Eboué made a couple of good saves, but was helpess when, with 20 minutes to play, Moké Diarra, on loan from Gueugnon, scored his second of the game. 20 frenetic minutes follwed, Yzeure had two equalisers harshly called back for offside, before Modeste saw a free kick deflected narrowly wide at the other end. The best chance fell to the home side with seconds on the clock, but with the goal gaping the woeful striker blazed high and wide, sealing all three points for my boys, and a vital win it was. The disputed goals panel later credited N'Diefi's third as an own goal by Sylvain Maupas, Yzeure's captain and by far their best contracted player.

Vannes were not enjoying the best run of form, but were a tough nut to crack, battling many an opponent to a standstill. We were no different, going down 2-0 without putting up much of a fight.

Boulogne-sur-Mer have had a solid season, but after losing at home to Vannes it was now essential to take something from the trip. Wearing our stylish yellow 3rd kit we came out with an attacking mentality, only to lose the ultimate in counter attacking goals, a long punt turned in first time from 15 yards out. With the goal, Boulogne grew in confidence, adding a second on the half hour and generally taking the mickey with their passing game. Their arrogance caught up to them though as their keeper gave the ball straight to N'Diefi for 2-1, only for two more goals to follow, one for each side, making it 3-2 at the break.

A pair of halftime switches saw new impetus in our side for the second period, but it was snatched away cruelly by a fourth and then a fifth Boulogne goal. Vareille notched our third with fifteen minutes left, but there was never any realistic prospect of a comeback, with Boulogne controlling play throughout. The game ended 5-3 and the next four matches became must-wins with moderate opponents lined up for each.

shannon2007

Vannes Olympique Club de Merde

As we left August in a dismal 19th place, it seemed things could no get much worse. They did.

A 3-1 home defeat from Toulon was simply not acceptable and keeping our heads above water was starting to look like an impossible task even this early in the season.

As we went to then table topping Martigues - still not yet suffering too much from Bobbev's mismanagement - it was time to batten down the hatches and prepare for a tough relegation battle. And to be fair, it worked as the players battled hard and came away with an excellent nil all draw.

Nimes up next at home, with AWOL Amaroq being, well AWOL really. Nimes still a tough nut to crack and after 18 minutes a penalty for us. Jean Sebastien Goma nets it, and five minutes later last ditch deadling signing Malick Bolivard makes it two. A hugely improved performance, rounded off by a second penalty in the dying seconds, Christophe le Roux this time netting and quite possibly our best result of the season so far.

Louhans Cuiseaux are fellow relegation strugglers so if we could go to their place and win it would be a stupendous boost. In the end we didn't, but Jean Marie Eveno and Bolivard again bagged us a 2-2 draw which at the end of the day was not a disaster. A dissapointing goalless draw at home to Yzeure was a bit of a disaster if truth be told, but at least we had gone four games unbeaten.

Away to high flying Beauvais, we went four nil down on forty nine minutes and it was looking dire. Somehow though the players responded after the introduction of legendary Scottish striker Jason Young, who pulled a goal back on 71 minutes. Ten minutes later Arnaud Marchand made it two, and with three minutes left Beauvais hearts were in mouths as Eveno gave us a third. The incredible come back was not to be, but the second half was nothing short of magical.

A 5-0 drubbing at Boulogne Sur Merde though saw slipping back into the danger zone, before two vital relegation battles ensued. Eveno and Marchand were both on target in a hard fought, but so much need 2-1 home win over Raon-L'etape before a tough trip to face fellow battlers Paris FC. Eveno was the hero with goals on 27 and 82 minutes in an otherwise fairly even game and even though the first goal was quite possibly offside, we need all the breaks we can get.

We entered into November with a decent enough goalless draw at home to Sete and one match to go until the halfway stage of the season, we sit in a much more comfortable looking 14th place - but still only two points clear of that nasty looking relegation zone.

retired_hern1001

September – Cannes

The new month started with the happy news that we’d made a £26,000 profit over the past month. The board were also still pleased with my performances so far. And I daresay that our performance in the opening game of September made them even happier. Raon-L’Etape had some early chances, but once we got in the game, we grabbed them by the throat and slowly squeezed the life out of them. Darchy and Angulo had the best chances before a double salvo just before halftime delivered the death blow. The first came from an own goal by Deplanche, under pressure from Braizat and Darchy. The second was a lightning paced counter which saw Angulo slot home from just inside the area. Our opponents never recovered from that and we saw the second half out fairly comfortably, although we did need a crucial intervention from Cérielo to keep a clean sheet ten minutes from time.

Up next was HD’s Paris FC, a game that was rescheduled due to international call ups for both sides. We got off to a flying start when Darchy scored a close range header after just five minutes. Paris never recovered from that shock and awe start, but it wasn’t until the 82nd minute that the result was made safe by a bizarre own goal. A cross from the left seemed to be put out for a corner by Paris defender Valeri, but somehow it ended up in the back of the net.

Cérielo picked up his third yellow card of the season and a suspension in that game, but he was still available to play against Sète. It didn’t matter much as we sank without a trace and lost two-nil. Their first goal could only be described as a ‘Sunday shot’ flying into the back of the net without warning, while our defence was at fault for the second, playing it across goal and losing possession. We mounted a bit of a comeback in the second half, but substitute Verdier had left his shooting boots back in the dressing room and spurned numerous chances as we slumped to defeat.

Cérielo served his suspension against Pau, who were without their manager Terk who was rumoured to be in rehab. Miraculously, I had managed to stay off the booze for a while and it was probably good that Terk wasn’t here, if the drinking session before our pre-season meetings were anything to go on. It was a fairly even match, which was not good news for us as Pau lingered at the bottom end of the table. We got the chances, but failed to put them away and when Darchy hit the post twenty minutes from time, it looked like it just wasn’t our day. Enter Foued Kadir. On as a left winger, the substitute picked up the ball in his own half, five minutes from the end. He set off on a weaving run, making his way through the Pau defenders who were well up the field before blasting a 30-yard strike into the top corner.

Romorantin were next in line and we managed to do away with them as well. They had the best chance early with a free kick hitting the bar, but it was Angulo who opened the score for us, converting a cross from the right. In the second half, our free kick specialist Lassina Diabaté made it 2-0 by scoring a free kick from a difficult angle.

We ended the month on a low note though, with a 1-0 loss to Chatellerault, despite being 1-6 favourites. We hardly created anything, Mostovoy’s first half shot hitting the bar the only real chance we had. Just before the hour, Regnier turned Chatellerault’s second half dominance on the scoreboard and truth to be told, they deserved it on the basis of their second half.

The loss left us in sixth at the end of the month, close enough to promotion places not to be ruled out of the race.

retired_manragh

Clermont

I feel my time at Clermont is coming to an end, with what started as a pretty good relationship it has now become ‘strained’ at best, the club is losing money with it’s unbelievable high wages, which incredulously has been labelled my fault for some reason but when I explain that when the squad was restructured by the former manager he had an opportunity then to keep with the confines of a decent budget, but oh no he had to bulk up the squad with players that we didn’t need and as such our budget was 4 times that of most the semi pro clubs.

We are now presently half a million pounds in debt and its only been 3 months since I’ve taken, couple that with our erratic form over the past 2 months (which is my fault) and you can see why things are not all that rosy. At home we are rock solid, and until 2 games ago we were undefeated at home now our record is 7 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss , the top side Laval ended our home dominance. The worrying part is our away form, which after 9 games is basically the reverse of our home form and it stands at 1 win, 1 draw and 7 losses and its plain to see why we currently sit in 10th place.

The board and fans expect promotion, the media and betting agencies think around 5th, while the coaching staff and myself think around midtable, what a definite is though if we don’t pick up the away form while remaining consistent at home Clermont will be looking for their 3rd head coach this year.

retired_manragh

With it being very early in November, we are only one game off the half way point in the season and the standing look like this:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Laval | | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 37 | 19 | +18 | 37 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Sannois SG | | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 29 | 18 | +11 | 33 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Boulogne-sur-Mer | | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 29 | 19 | +10 | 33 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Toulon | | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 32 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | CANNES |WLKRAS | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 32 | 26 | +6 | 30 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Angers | | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 15 | +11 | 30 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | MARTIGUES |BOBBEV | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 30 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Sète | | 18 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 23 | 16 | +7 | 29 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Romorantin | | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 25 | -5 | 27 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | CLERMONT |PAN | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 26 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | NIMES |AMAROQ | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 29 | 25 | +4 | 26 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Beauvais | | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 23 | -1 | 25 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Cherbourg | | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 25 | 23 | +2 | 24 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | VANNES |PM7 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 28 | -7 | 20 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | PARIS EST |HD | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 28 | 36 | -8 | 20 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Raon-l'Etape | | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 18 | -5 | 19 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Louhans-Cuiseaux | | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 22 | 33 | -11 | 18 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Châtellerault | | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 23 | 38 | -15 | 18 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | PAU |TERK | 18 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 25 | -15 | 12 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Yzeure | | 18 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 35 | -19 | 11 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_amyslack

Martigues

Henri-Claude Ferblantier was not a happy man. Having been left in charge of team affairs by his manager, J-P Vichyssoise, he had guided them to second place with five wins from eight matches. And now the idle waster was back, wandering in as though he had never been away and trying to take credit for the hard work of his Assistant. Who did he think he was with his jaunty beret and stripy shirt – it would be a string of onions round his neck and accordion music at half time next! It was Henri-Claude who had masterminded wins over Clermont, Sannois, Toulon, Beauvais and Louhans-Cuiseaux. Henri-Claude who had ensured that a 2-0 defeat at Nimes was their only reverse in 8 matches. Henri-Claude who had put together the training schedules, plotted the tactics, built the team spirit. And now J-P had decided to waltz back in as though he had never been absent all summer and missed the first month of the season. With his pencil thin moustache and stinky Gauloise cigarettes and his tête up his own derrière!

retired_amyslack

Martigues

It had been a long and hard two months for J-P Vichyssoise and he was in desperate need of a long holiday. Having very thoughtfully allowed his Assistant Henri-Claude Ferblantier take charge of the team in the early part of the season to build up his experience the Martigues manager had taken back the reins in early September, their win at bottom of the table Yzeure taking the side to the top of the league. But then things started to go a little awry – a goalless draw at home to struggling Vannes wasn’t great and a 1-0 defeat at Boulogne-sur-Mer was worse. A 1-0 win at home to Raon-l’Etape steadied the ship but then, weakened by a series of injuries to key players, they went on a run of four straight defeats. The sequence included a dire 1-0 loss at Pau, a team that was without their drink-sodden manager and had lost at least six matches in a row! Thankfully their form picked up again and they beat Châtellerault 1-0 at the end of October and then Cherbourg 2-1 in early November. It had not been an easy time for J-P and with winter approaching he was feeling totally exhausted and in need of a break. So the decision was made – he would hand control back to Ferblantier for a few weeks whilst he went off and recharged his batteries. Football would be far from his mind – he would eat, drink and relax and take the time to perhaps learn a new skill. Eagerly he leapt into his car, and pausing only long enough to purchase a brand new accordion at the local music store, he drove off into the pale winter sunshine.

retired_hern1001

October – Cannes

We sported a hefty £67,000 profit over the past month, which obviously left the board in good spirits. Also our performances so far, if a bit inconsistent had been good enough to leave them pleased about my reign up to now.

Back on the footballing front, we were up against Cherbourg next, in a game that had us marked 2-5 favourites. We did everything we could to live up to that tag. Just eleven minutes in, Diabaté continued his rich vein for scoring form with another goal from a free kick. Fourteen minutes later, Samuel Darchy doubled the margin with header that went in off a defender and left the goalkeeper wrong footed. There were further chances for Connell, Mostovoy who both missed the target and Darchy who found the goalkeeper in his way this time. Our man in goal Benhamou had only one anxious moment in the first half, but he pulled off an excellent double save to keep his net clean. We eased up a bit in the second half, but continued to create the best chances, with Angulo and Kadir going close before Venn Touré turned in Braizat’s cross from the right to decide the final score at 3-0.

A set of difficult game were about to follow, first against Angers and after that, Panpardus’ Clermont. We dominated against Angers, but it was our opponents who opened the score after 28 minutes. Darchy, Touré and Mostovoy had already missed some good chances at that point and we continued to waste away opportunities, until Darchy finally found the back of the net in the 55th. We were delivered a big blow not long thereafter though when loanee Igor Angulo had to be carried off on a stretcher with a torn hamstring. We were staggering after that and Angers could’ve delivered the knock-out punch on 70 minutes when they were awarded a penalty after Diabaté’s foul. Our Algerian goaltender Benhamou however gambled correctly and managed to beat the ball away and avert the danger. All in all, I guess 1-1 was a decent enough result.

Alexandr Mostovoy joined Angulo on the sidelines against Clermont, but his absence was due to suspension (3 yellow cards) rather than injury. Kadir and Badaoui were their replacements. The game itself evolved into a bit of a carnival with plenty of chances at either end. Just eight minutes in, Samuel Darchy had the ball in the net against his former club, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Two minutes later, the goal fell at the other end when Benhamou, last weeks hero, turned to villain, flapping at a cross, leaving an easy chance for Diers to score. We gave an instant reply though, once again via that man Diabaté and a free kick. It quietened down after that, until the first minute of injury time when Chatouani scored a well placed shot to put Clermont back in front. The second half saw a lot of pressure from our side and it was rewarded with two goals. Touré scored with a powerful shot, before Darchy was fouled in the area and Braizat converted the resulting penalty. It was not to be however. A poor clearance by Cérielo put Chida in on goal and he made no mistake. The spoils were shared then at the end and the result did neither team much good.

The final game of the month saw us take on Beauvais and this was an even more incredulous affair. At the end of it, nine goals were on the scoreboard, yet the victory margin was only one goal. The first half went our way, with goals from Touré and a double from Diabaté (one of them another free kick). Dreadful defending let Beauvais in for a well taken counter goal, but by half time, we looked fully in control. But as you may well be aware, looks can be deceiving and it certainly was the case here. Shortly after half time, Beauvais got another one back, reducing the margin to one. They wanted more and started throwing people forward in an attempt to get it, but only succeeded in being sucker punched by Kevaughn Connell’s goal. But there was an instant reply from Fabien to make it 4-3 and then 4-4 with ten minutes left on the clock, Fabien completing his hattrick. Finally though, it was veteran midfielder Alexandr Mostovoy who restored our lead with a shot from close range and seal a dramatic victory.

It left us in fifth place at the end of the month with plenty of chances to look up still. Progression in the cup though might be difficult with Ligue 2 side Amiens our opponents there.

retired_w0lfpack1

Nîmes Olympique - session 1, part i

"Any questions?"

It was the last press conference before the start of the season, and I was introducing my new staff - Assistant Manager Christophe Liron, our new physio, and three pretty abysmal scouts.

"Its a tough start, do you have any comments on the opening match?"

"We're missing strikers Zéphirin Zoko and Benjamin Psaume, and midfielder Cédrik Horjak, so it'll be a real challenge. I hope the lads are up for it."

"How bad are the new injuries?"

"Luckily, Psaume and Horjak aren't too bad, a strained wrist and a bruised thigh respectively. We'll really miss Zoko, though."

"What are your expectations for the season, Monsieur Amaroq?"

"Well, if my players would stay healthy.." that drew a laugh.. "I think we have the talent to promote."

God. How wrong could I have been?

Championnat National - Match 1, vs Angers.

Angers placed eleventh last season, but they consider themselves a promotion candidate this year, following a strong offseason - and missing both starting strikers was not the way I wanted to start the season.

Luckily, the first half was all us - Rouvière struck the bar, Beyrac came close, Dussart struck it just over. In the 39th minute, it took a great save to deny the cultured Beyrac on his patented turn-move, and then Chavas had a great chance from a twenty-yard free kick... just over.

"You can win this," I told the lads at half-time, but I did have to make one change, with Beyrac limping and off; with three strikers out injured, I tried winger Dahou in attack. The second half started equally well, and the players, the crowd of 4,500, and I all expected victory.

It all went south in the 59th minute, though, as the Algers left wing found some space, and time to send a nice cross. Stéphane Biakolo had a half-step on captain Dussart, and the ball landed perfectly at his feet, for a one-time shot from sixteen yards. Feck! We were down 0-1.

Luckily, Michaël Colloredo was unbowed, and grabbed one back in the 66th minute. Allan Petitjean made the goal from the left side, a fine cross for Colloredo to head home - he was having a great game, having provided much of Beyrac's service in the first half. 1-1, and all to play for!

We pressed forward for the winner, leaving some space at the back, and Algers nearly made us pay. Dussart got in with a great saving tackle, and the 1-1 score was the final.

Nîmes Olympique 1, Angers 1
Colloredo 66; Biakolo 59
MoM: ST Michaël Colloredo

It was a good start to the season - we'd played much better than I expected, and could easily have gotten three points. Still, my confidence was low, especially when I saw that winger Ulrick Chavas had fallen awkwardly in the late going and was out 2-4 weeks with a strained ankle.

Clermont manager Matt Panpardus came out confidently saying "I'm looking forward to beating my friend Amaroq."

"Our confidence is high," I lied, "And we fear no-one."

Championnat National - Match 2, at Clermont.

Clermont, relegated from Ligue 2 last year, gave us a tough fight in pre-season, and at home the weren't going to be an easy opponent. "You can win this, lads," I told them, but I made a real mistake by starting out more attacking that we did in the pre-season encounter. Our defensive approach then limited them to just 2 shots, and perhaps I should have stuck with that.

Thirty minutes go by in relative quiet, but in the 32nd minute, goalkeeper Cédric Duchesne went walkabout. He came outside of the box, chested it down for himself, and then dallied on the ball instead of bringing it back into the area to pick it up. Moronic! Charles-André Doudin took full advantage, and Clermont led 0-1.

That might not have been too bad, but a lucky bounce and a nice flick-on from Benoît Lesoimier for Armand, who got a half-step beyond fullback Steeve Joseph-Reinette, let Clermont go to the break ahead 0-2.

We couldn't get anything going in the second half, despite the introduction of not-yet-fit Zéphirin Zoko on the hour. Without our injured players, we lacked the creativity to make an impression, and Zoko wasn't fit enough to make any impact.

Joseph-Reinette was the victim again in the 75th minute, when left wing Benoît Lesoimier slipped in behind him. Painful coverage, and the Clermont winger wasted no time making it 3-0.

Clermont 3, Nîmes Olympique 0
Doudin 32, Armand 43, Lesoimier 76; - - - -
MoM: Clermont ML Benoît Lesoimier

I hate good sportsmanship.

It was so galling to shake Panpardus's hand after and tell him how well his side had played.

Two matches in, 15th place. Well, we'd known it was going to be a rough stretch of matches to start. Morale was still high, despite my disappointment at them in the changing room.

It wasn't going to get any easier against Cannes, who had beaten us in the pre-season MMONG Cup Final. They'd placed 4th - one spot ahead of us - last year, but surprisingly, they too had yet to win, and were down in 18th at the moment.

Chris de Bruijn was a professional; neither of us felt the need for pre-match trash talk

Championnat National - Match 3, vs Cannes.

Zéphirin Zoko was back in the lineup for the day, a lift to the side, and he got the first chance of the day, well dealt with by the Cannes keeper. Johnny Ecker was playing well in defense, and I honestly thought we got the better of the opening stanza.

When Cristophe Dussart rose at the near post to head home a 24th-minute corner, a classic goal for the big centre-half, I relaxed a bit: a 1-0 lead seemed well deserved.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Cannes grabbed a quick reply through Lassina Diabaté's spectacular free kick, a 25-yard gem that Beckham would have been proud of. Cech might have been able to stop it, but at this level, Duchesne had little chance.

To the delight of the 4,500 faithful at the Stade des Costières de Nîmes, we were back in front at 34 minutes. Michaël Colloredo's great effort sliced open the Cannes defense, and he was unlucky to see his shot saved. He got the assist, however, as veteran midfielder Sylvain Deplace buried the lead to put us ahead 2-1.

This time the lead lasted four minutes, before Patrice Carteron's blast from outside the area made it 2-2. The goalkeeping was, perhaps, leaving a bit to be desired, but full credit to Carteron for a fine strike.

"The fans are behind you," I told the lads at halftime, "Its time we gave them a win!" I also shifted to a diamond midfield.

Unfortunately, in the 49th minute, Cannes capitalized on another free kick. This time Diabaté feigned the shot, and instead crossed for Anthony Braizat, who got a half-step on fullback Jean-Christophe Rouvière. Cannes led, 2-3, and we had work to do.

I brought them back out of the diamond, with increasingly attacking formations over the next twenty minutes. Stéphane Beyrac replaced the tiring Zoko on the hour, and in the 78th minute, the cultured forward's flick set Colloredo in the clear. Streaming in behind the Cannes defense, he looked certain to score.. but NO! Oh so close! But he put it wide!

The last throw of the dice, our final subs to chase the game.. Colloredo's low pass found William Stanger in the box, but he opted to drive a chest-height header, and somehow put it over. Colloredo himself came close again, this time from all of thirty yards, in the 88th minute..

But tiume was running out, and Cannes deserved their victory.

Nîmes 2, Cannes 3
Dussart 24, Deplace 34; Diabaté 26, Careteron 38, Braizat 49
MoM: DC Cristophe Dussart

It was a disappointing loss, doubly so as I had to congratulate Chris de Bruijn on his win, but I had to admit I was pleased with the play of Michaël Colloredo and Man of the Match Cristophe Dussart.

Morale was poor, and the side was some way short of operating as a unit; I decided I needed to make some changes. The first of these was adding a coach, Jean-Pierre Laverny, and converting a number of our players to full-time contracts so that we could work with them more in training.

To that end, goalkeeper Cédric Duchesne, defenders Johnny Ecker and Cristophe Dussart, midfielders Cédric Horjak and Jean-Christophe Rouvière, and strikers Stephane Beyrac and Michaël Colloredo signed renewed contracts.

I also attempted to improve Duchesne's morale by setting up a tutoring link with 15-year-old youth 'keeper Eric Deschène.

Our fourth match would be against Sannois-Saint-Gratien, due to a scheduling change. I'd expected to face Laval, but Sannois were currently fifth, so were little better than Laval, in my opinion.

Worse, we'd have to do without Zéphirin Zoko after the star striker suffered a calf strain, likely to rule him out 2-4 weeks. At least Benjamin Psaume was back in the lineup, if a ways shy of fit yet.

Championnat National - Match 4, vs Sannois-Saint-Gratien.

"You can win this one, lads," I told them. "Michaël, I expect a performance out of you."

In the second minute, Garry Franchi went in with a horror tackle on Sylvain Deplace. Reckless madness, and a deserved red card to Sannois!

They were clearly a hard-tackling side, and right winger Karim Dahou was forced off by the half hour, with William Stanger on in his place.

It was still nil-nil at halftime, but we were dominating the run of play. "They're on ten men. You can win this, lads! Michaël, you can make the difference here."

It wasn't Colloredo, however: in the 53rd minute, Sannois tried to sneak men forward for a throw-in from our corner flag, looking to steal a goal. Johnny Ecker chested it down and uncorked a you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it eighty yard ball. Sannois goalkeeper Yohann Lacroix was half-asleep on his line, clearly not expecting a threat, and didn't realize his danger until too late. None of his defenders could keep up with Benjamin Psaume, who gave us a solid 1-0 lead!!

Cédric Duchesne made another howler in goal, this time misjudging a ball, and coming half out to meet it. It bounced over his head and goalward.. perhaps he was aiming to show Deschène what not to do? Luckily fullback Steeve Joseph-Reinette hustled back to bail him out.

In the final ten minutes, I brought Psaume off for Cédric Horjak, playing a 4-5-1 with a defensive midfielder, and against ten men we comfortably ran out time for our first victory of the season.

Nîmes 1, Sannois SG 0
Psaume 53; - - - -
MoM: MR William Stanger

I thought it a bit of a strange choice that substitute William Stanger was Man of the Match, but so be it.

Opposition manager Michel Audrain let fly a temper tentrum about the red card - personally, I didn't see that he had much to complain about, and he fully deserved his warning from the F.A.

Unfortunately, we were still in the relegation zone, and I determined that we needed to strengthen the squad. Well, to be fair, I'd been working on strengthening the squad since pre-season, and had budget to burn as the transfer deadline approached.

DRC Evan Leduby, 20, France: Free transfer from Tolouse, fit, determined, and aggressive, he should provide depth and flexibility in our back four.

AM L Kevin van Baarlen, 21, Holland: £20,000 from Dordrecht. A brave winger, with good crossing, excellent long throws, and a fair spot of potential, he'll provide real depth on the left.

MC Matijn Kamps, 19, Holland: £16,000 from Emmen. A creative powerhouse with a boatload of potential according to my scouts, I'm very much looking forward to seeing him develop.

Two of my countrymen! I'm excited. But I doubt signing new blood is going to help us gel, but with Toulon due up - a side that placed seventh last year but have just one win this year - I hoped we could build on our win and get on a bit of a roll. They were below even us in the table, but their one win was 4-1 over Cannes.

Championnat National - Match 5, at Sporting Toulon Var

Hervé Alicarte was not fit, but I decided to try starting him at the back, pushing Ecker wide to fullback. Kamps and van Baarlen would make their debut, the double Dutchmen.

Unfortunately, the referee gave the home side a cheap penalty in the 16th minute. It came from a corner kick, and Marc-Eric Gueï took a dive over van Baarlen's leg to earn the spot-kick. Vincent Boulanger lined it up .. but Cédric Duchesne made an incredible stop!

However, we were kept on our back foot through intermission, with no real chances to speak of. I was none too chuffed, however. "Its a solid match, keep defending lads, and we'll see if they tire late."

Unfortunately, it was broken open on another ****-poor call by the referee. This time, there was obvious offsides on the breakaway, and Gueï the cheating b*****d was again the beneficiary. No miracle save this time, we were down 0-1 at 48 minutes.

Benjamin Psaume breathed life into our squad with an electrifying dribble, a thing of magic, and he fed Collorado as he reached the eighteen. Last year's leading scorer saw his shot saved, but the rebound was scored!! Karim Dahou! And we were level 1-1.

It was tight defending now, and for much of the match it looked like the draw was the sure result. Disastrously, Kevin van Baarlen, on his debut, knocked a hideous header back into pace. Gueï capitalized again, this time taking it to the corner for a cross to the unmarked Grégory Noto - and we lost, 1-2.

Toulon 2, Nîmes 1
Gueï 48, Noto 74; Dahou 51
MoM: Toulon DR Amor Kehiha

Disastrous. Heartbreak. New signing and manager alike were pilloried in the press the next day, and can you blame them?

I could feel the season slipping away already.

Next up? Martigues. The league leaders, unbeaten.

A must-win game already?

Ouch.

Championnat National - Match 6, vs Martigues.

We got off to the best of starts in the 13th minute when Hervé Alicarte drove a spectacular free kick from corner of box!! It was awfully ruled on own goal on captain Jerome Erceau, who just got barely got a touch to it at the near post; it grazed off his head but that did just enough to put his keeper off, and we led 1-0.

In the 24th minute, and excellent pass down the right by Sylvain Deplace set Karim Dahou loose. The winger did all the hard work, with a perfect cross that one-hopped into the six for Benjamin Psaume to tap in. 2-0!! Against the leaders!!

Jean-Christophe Rouviere was forced off around the half-hour with a bruised thigh, and I took the opportunity of the substitution to send out instructions to defend and counter.

"Don't let your performance drop, lads," I reminded them at the half. "We need this win and they'll be coming at us!"

We soaked up every ounce of pressure they could mount, and in fact Psaume twice came close to adding a second in the early part of the 2nd half.

Whatever the Martigues manager had said obviously fired them up for fifteen minutes or so, but when they failed to find the goal they needed, it looked more and more like they gave up on the match as time wound down.

Nîmes 2, Martigues 0
Erceau o.g. 13, Psaume 24; - - - -
MoM: ST Benjamin Psaume

A classy Man of the Match performance from Benjamin Psaume, and a solid win over the league leaders! I was over the moon - especially when I saw that we were out of the relegation zone for the first time all season.

Immediately following the match, however, I sent Cédric Horjak to Martigues, a £30,000 deal signed at stadium before the match - but not registered until immediately after the match concluded.

retired_w0lfpack1

Nîmes Olympique - session 1, part ii

I was quite disappointed with our form so far, and I decided to take a risk, shaking things up with some pointed media comments.

"I'm disappointed with the form from Duchesne," I said. "I'd expected more from my veteran goalkeeper."

He dropped by my office the next day, admitted he hadn't played very well, and promised to do better.

With the transfer window slamming shut, I was able to make one last purchase, and it was a big one - £45,000 for Toulouse right winger Anthony Robic, right at or even beyond my budget, spread out over 24 months.

AMR Anthony Robic, 20, France: £45,000 from Toulouse, and an utter bargain for a pacey winger with flair, who can do everything I'm going to ask of him.

He would get his first chance at Laval, a side relegated from Ligue 2 last year, and not just favoured to beat us, but favoured to go straight back up without breaking a sweat. The fact that they're currently in 6th isn't just disappointing for them, its a national emergency.

Championnat National - Match 7, at Laval

They were clearly the better side from the off, as Philippe Billy struck the bar in the third minute, and Sigamary Diarra came close on a breakaway. Only a tremendous save by beleaguered keeper Duchesne kept it 0-0 through halftime.

"The pressure is off, lads, you've nothing to lose here," I told them.

Unfortunately, a 51st minute free kick saw any benefit from my team-talk undone. Laval captain Mickaël Buzaré rose at the near post to head home, and it was 0-1.

New winger Robic made his debut in the 68th minute, as I sent the lads forward in attack, covering my eyes a bit against the inevitable counter.

It came in the 84th minute, on a Cyril Arbaud breakaway. He cleverly cut it back for Abdoulaï Demba - most men would have shot, and Arbaud deserves every plaudit for his unselfishness. Demba scored, and 0-2 was our final margin.

Laval 2, Nîmes 0
Buzaré 51, Demba 84; - - - -
MoM: Laval DR Mickaël Buzaré

Blech.

Seven points.

19th place.

Luckily the table is still tight - three more points and we'd be in the top ten.

And we were finally clear of the rough stretch of matches, with AS Bouvais Oise up next. They were performing better than expectations, in an early 9th place thanks to some matches against lowly opposition.

Championnat National - Match 8, at AS Bouvais Oise

"We can win this, lads," I told them. Privately, I expected us to win, but I didn't think heaping the pressure on would be useful.

Allan Petitijean was forced off injured in the 24th minute, which saw van Baarlen into the lineup for the next several weeks, and it was scoreless at halftime.

Michaël Colloredo nearly broke it open with a mazy dribble early in the second half, but saw his effort saved brilliantly.

When it was still scoreless through the 64th minute, I edged a bit more attacking, with my substitutions and tactics alike.

We just weren't generating chances, until stoppage time, when William Stanger forced another fine save from the Beauvais keeper. Still, it was scoreless in a match we really should have won.

Beauvais 0, Nîmes 0
- - - -; - - - -
MoM: DC Hervé Alicarte

"I'm concerned about my lack of goals," Michaël Colloredo whined to the gathered media.

So am I.

I dumped him for Stéphane Beyrac.