Mike..

Hehe, blame the game engine, as in the staory I was actually out of the room at the time but I had been watching the highlights

He couldn’t remember what time they’d all left in the end, but he knew it had been late when Naïmi had eventually cajoled them all into the minibus. Every one of them had hugged him as they left, almost as if it was his England side that had lifted the trophy, and Catherine had joined in, holding him tight for a few moments and then planting a kiss on his lips before skipping off leaving him looking shocked. He’d already reached the decision that there was something going on but he kept trying to tell himself that it was just a crush, a harmless bit of affection towards him as the older man. Not that much older he reminded himself.

He grabbed breakfast and then drove down to the club. He’d had another friendly invitation for the pre-season and, on a whim, he decided to fire off one of his own. It was probably a long shot but he decided to give it a go anyway, and then he settled down to check his emails from the scouting staff.

He was trying to focus on the reports but his mind kept going back to last night’s game, and to the feeling of sheer elation when the second goal went in, and to Cathe… Stop it!. He didn’t want to think about that, it was nothing serious, just his secretary being a little flirtatious. He was still trying not to think about it when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

……

“Yes that’s right”

It was a journalist from L’Equipe. After briefly discussing the previous night’s game the conversation turned to the season ahead. Do you think you’ll need to build the squad to survive he wanted to know. Ed thought about it for a moment, they’d stayed up comfortably last season but that might have been due to their good start which, in turn, was probably fuelled by adrenaline from their promotion. On the other hand they had experience now, they knew what they were up against, and he thought that counted just as much.

“Not at all, in fact I don’t think relegation will even be on our minds”

……

“Really, I think we’ll be in mid-table again by the time everything falls into place”

……

“Not at all, thank you for the call”

He hung up the phone and went back to his laptop.

“You’re joking right?”

Looking up he saw Brahim Naïmi standing in the doorway

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear, you really think we’ll stay up with the squad how it is?”

“Yes, I think we can do it”

“If we don’t strengthen in every department we’ll be straight down. Every team in the league has been signing new faces, players from the top flight”

“I know Brahim, but what can I do if no-one will come here?” he looked at his assistant, waiting for an answer

“I’m sorry. I’ll back you up of course, and the lads will certainly give you their best, I’m just telling you what I think. Anyway, have you got five minutes to go over the team for next week?”

“Sure, let’s take a look at it” Ed knew it was no use taking it out on Naïmi, he was just voicing his concerns.

retired_embartl

feck off Argentina :cool:

Methinks Catherine's had a bit of a dry patch tbh

Good luck getting some players :thup:

Mike..

cheers Bri


The first pre-season game proper was on the road to GFCO Ajaccio, old rivals from their National Division days, but Ed was already focussed on the home friendly that he’d arranged.

Séga and Bonnel both got on the scoresheet in a decent showing, and a clean sheet for Valverde could only be a good thing. The only negative was an injury to Tchami, his sprained ankle likely to rule him out of the first two games of the season.

After he’d returned home Ed had got straight on the phone to his father. He’d not been particularly hopeful when he’d sent a friendly invitation to Huddersfield, but they’d accepted and he wanted Dad to come over and see the game. It took some doing, he knew his mother wouldn’t come – she wasn’t big on travelling (although he was surprised that she would pass up the chance to come and nose around the house) – but his father eventually conceded. Ed set about sorting out a flight, and making the other necessary arrangements.

He’d hoped to be able to field a stronger squad for the Huddersfield game as, having been unable to get much done in terms of signings, he’d resorted to the loan market again. True, he had told the press that he thought they could survive with what they had, and he did believe that, but he wanted to do more than just survive of course. Unfortunately it was getting to that time of the summer where the in-demand players were weighing up numerous offers and, as such, nothing was resolved in time.

Mike..

His father had arrived the previous afternoon and Ed had picked him up from the airport himself, leaving Naïmi to handle training. They’d spent the evening at the house discussing the World Cup, life at home, Huddersfield’s chances in the coming season, and just about anything else.

The next morning, as they set off for Pau, one of his father’s gems was unveiled

“I expect they’ll all be doing their hair about now will they?”

To Ed’s father a French footballer meant David Ginola or Robert Pires, he was quite surprised when they arrived at the ground and was greeted by a bunch of players who were, for the most part, a world away from the sartorial elegance of the more flamboyant stars.

-----

Once the game got under way, with his father proudly waving a Huddersfield scarf (much to the amusement of all at the ground), Ed was pleased to be cheering his side on after the opening goal – Bindi crashing a drive against the bar and Bonnel following it up well. The game was an interesting one, ebbing and flowing, after Pau’s opener the Terriers kept their hosts firmly on the back foot for ten minutes, then Ed’s team would do the same at the other end.

Secretly he was quite glad when Pawel Abbot knocked in a late equaliser for Huddersfield, his main aim had been to see how his side would cope with a different style of play – the more physical English game – and they’d acquitted themselves well, the goal gave Dad something to cheer. That said, Nic Sartolou almost spoiled it when his long range effort smacked off the post in the ninety-first minute.

What Ed had really been looking forward to came after the game, the Terriers’ staff had arranged to stay overnight in Pau before leaving the next day, Ed had taken Peter Jackson to one side and had a quiet word. When they got in the car his father had assumed that they were heading home, and the look on his face when they turned up at the hotel, to join the English side for dinner, was a picture.

Mike..

With the World Cup, and the fun of bringing his father over for the Huddersfield game, any real concerns about the early season had kind of taken a back seat for a while, but they were back now. Whilst the squad had generally adapted well to his new wingback formation, a couple of players had not; Labat was struggling with the more advanced role but he showed that he was digging deep in an attempt to settle to it, strangely the new man that he’d brought in for backup also seemed to be ill at ease. This surprised him, he’d been assured by his scouts that Jallet was a wingback through and through but he didn’t look like he relished the role – Ed put it down to a settling in period.

His further forays into the transfer market had been totally fruitless so far, half a dozen loan prospects, having had their clubs agree to proposals, all turned their noses up at lowly Pau, and the last hopes he’d had for permanent signings were fading fast. Whilst others in the league were snapping up household names like Dugarry, and Job, Ed was struggling to get hold of anybody at all. It probably didn’t help that, despite the contracts in place for the playing staff, they were still tagged as a semi-professional outfit – quite how they were still referred to in such terms by the press was beyond him, and it was certainly not something that was doing them any favours. One agent, in fact, clearly struggled to stifle laughter when Ed met with him to discuss the possibility of signing his client – were they that much of a joke? Had he been that blind?

retired_ashlia80

Top work Flip. If Ed gets the Tottenham (or Huddersfield for that matter) jobs, make sure he takes his "back room staff" (Catherine) with him!

Mike..

That would be the plan, but only time will tell...



By the time the season opened Ed had managed no further additions to the roster and he found himself, in quiet moments, beginning to doubt Pau’s chances himself. He knew he had to fight those feelings, or hide them at least, an air of confidence was the most important thing he could bring to the table during the opening few weeks. On the morning of the first game, however, he finally got a boost – having all but given up on his efforts he was greeted by the news that Ibrahima Bakayoko had accepted his offer of a contract.

Ed was delighted, whilst he may never have been a world class player Bakayoko certainly had the game to become the key man up front. He didn’t come cheap of course, in fact the Ivory Coast striker would be earning nearly £3,500 per week, but having left Osasuna on a free it at least meant that the transfer kitty was untouched. With his signing coming so late Bakoyoko was unavailable for the opening game at Niort, a defeat in which they did create a good number of chances but, without Tchami available, failed to capitalise on them.

The new boy pulled on a Pau shirt for the first time in the home game against Nice and he wasted no time in introducing himself to the home fans, racing onto Cami’s flick-on to net the opener and his first for the club. Sadly that goal proved to be the only danger that Pau presented and the visitors came back to take the win.

-----

At the start of the 2005/06 campaign they’d got off to an excellent start, one which Ed accepted had gone a long way to aiding their cause in the long run. After two games now they were showing signs of struggling in adapting to the new formation. Ed knew that he ought to give it time to settle in, but nothing he did seemed to be working - he decided to give his side the best chance and revert to their more familiar approach to try and halt the slide before it could begin. He was big enough to admit that changing their tried and tested formula had been a gamble, and that it had not paid off, now he needed the players that they could make the ‘old ways’ a success.

(Writer’s Note: OK the out of position bug just got silly, D/R DM/R and M/R all rate under 4 in the wingback position! I was happy to try and play around it before, but this is plain silly)

-----

Bakayoko was having an immediate impact on the side, if not on the goals-scoring front then at least in showing his colleagues how to take the game to their opponents. His pace and trickery caused Grenoble all sorts of problems – and a cheeky turn earned an early penalty which he promptly blasted straight at the keeper. Ed could forgive him that though, every where he looked the striker was vying for the ball, dropping back to help the defence, then setting off on a run into space once they had the ball back. How he didn’t add to his debut goal was a mystery, but with the team looking more comfortable with their familiar shape Ed was convinced that it was just a matter of time.

retired_emsta12

Good ol' Bakayoko. Just when it looks like no-one will join, you go to one of the tried and tested heroes of yester-year. Maybe Andri Sigporsson will sign as his strike partner?

retired_confal2

Bakayoko

Absolute anti-legend at the Vélodrome, where he displayed a supernatural ability to miss the unmissable...

Hope he can find the net for you. This is just a game, after all

Mike..

When his name got thrown up by my scouts I just knew you'd all be pleased

Three games without a win soon became six and, by now, Ed was beginning to wonder what they’d done wrong to earn such a cold shoulder from lady luck. The trip to Gueugnon produced another strong showing, with Tchami and Bakoyoko linking up well. Their hosts took the points thanks, for the most part, to two flashes of devastating skill from Joseph-Desire Job – but for the former Boro man’s creativity they would have given Ed little to worry about. The same could not be said at the other end of the pitch, time and again Tchami and Bakayoko got into dangerous positions only to see their final touches miss the target narrowly, or draw a save from the home keeper.

When Bastia came to Pau it was even worse, they failed to show any real threat at all and a bewildered home crowd watched as the visitors were bailed out by the woodwork three times in fifteen second-half minutes.

When the month was rounded off in defeat at Brest, despite his side netting three times in the first half, even Ed began to accept that they might be in trouble. He was trying to retain his air of confidence, and his genuine optimism, but he’d seen it in football before – a team playing along at a comfortable level and suddenly ‘bang’ – it all falls apart. The history of the game was full of it, he’d witnessed it first hand as a Steve Bruce era Huddersfield had been pushing for promotion to the Premiership and, in a handful of seasons, found themselves almost at the foot of the league ladder. The difference was that he wasn’t suffering having been forced to sell off players, or make massive savings, he had the same squad - with extras - playing in the same league.