retired_mellnet

Except it doesn't I think Flippers is great so :p </BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm the one that annoys PM7. My two CMS awards and a MAO, which I earned on not a single decent story.

Actually flippers, your return had me thinking of starting a new story, but then I realized Faramir and BobBev have written everything in East and the West, and done it much better than I could. So I've relegated myself to the position of ocassional poster.

Nice to see you back,

mao

Mike..

Thanks again guys, and Mao - just because they've written everything doesn't mean you can't do it just as well in your own inimitable style, pull yer finger out!!


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With non-league opposition playing host in the French Cup he’d said previously that he would give the youngsters a run out, and he stood by the decision - for the travelling fans there were few familiar faces in the starting line-up. That said, there weren’t many travelling fans. Forbach sat in a little kink on the French-German border just a matter of miles from the German city of Saarbrücken – a place Ed had visited with his school many years before – as journeys went it was a long one, almost on the opposite side of the country from Pau, and it meant an overnight stay for the young squad.

Having had to travel so far it had been difficult for Ed to maintain much of an air of ‘mystery’ among the squad, but with a few senior players travelling he expected one or two pleasantly surprised faces when he pinned up the team-sheet for the game. Griffouliere would get only his second start of the season between the posts, whilst the defence of; Bikoyoi, Ba, and Karim Tafer would be joined by the experience of Labat with Di Bartolomeo retaining the ‘anchor man’ spot. Bindi was given the playmaker role, but would be supported by the unfamiliar faces of Marc-Antoine Correia and Jarkko Vesapuisto, and the front pairing of Tchami and Bonnel gave the latter his second appearance in a starting line-up.

The strike partnership actually helped solve a problem for Ed, both Séga and Bakayoko had run up enough bookings for a suspension but the Cup tie meant that they wouldn’t be missed too much. There was plenty of experience on the bench too, in case things went pear shaped, but he didn’t expect them to. In fact he was full of confidence and when a local paper asked, he made it clear that he was looking for a convincing win.

A bright start should have settled the nerves for Pau, Tchami’s early goal just seemed to be the catalyst for the hosts though and they put a surprising amount of pressure on and kept their heads to test Griffouliere several times. When Tchami eventually broke through for a second Ed thought it might be time to breathe more easily, but this time the comeback was harder, faster, and actually produced a goal to cut the margin back to one. Tchami was enjoying himself though, and his hat-trick was bagged in the 39th minute – the third goal in eight minutes.

Although they’d showed some threat Ed was finally confident that the home side’s resistance was ready to be broken, at half time he just asked for more of the same from his team – when Forbach quickly reduced the margin again he started to think that he might have underestimated their hosts. He made three changes at once and ordered his side to go for the throat. What had looked like a stroll was suddenly threatening to become a slog through heavy ground, it was ‘heart in mouth’ time as Labat finally scrambled the ball away after a bout of goalmouth pinball, but the non-league side were not going to lie down and play dead. When Jeannot Sagna spotted Griffouliere off his line he fired in a shot from a good forty-five yards and Ed watched in despair as his young keeper back-pedalled helplessly, seeing the ball fly over his head and into the net. By now Ed was getting the horrible feeling that the local press would be making him eat his words in the morning, but his subs combined to come to the rescue, Cami’s corner finding Jallet’s head, and the ball finding the net.

When the whistle finally came there was a collective sigh of relief and plenty of praise, from his youngsters, for their opponents. On the face of it the result should have been more emphatic but there was little that he could really find fault with, although Griffouliere might have to wait a while for this third start of the season.

Mike..

After his Cup hat-trick Tchami was always going to retain his spot in the line-up for the trip to Grenoble and so it was Séga who watched from the bench at kick-off. An opener from Cami was cancelled out but his side looked strong and got to the break with the majority of possession and chances. After the break the balance shifted though, even after Bakayoko scored, and Ed was happy to escape with a draw and the chance to look forward to their first home game in four.

-----

When he arrived home from the Grenoble trip he’d found a message on his answerphone. It was Catherine, and she had news for him – apparently everything was ready for him to move in the winter break. He was stunned, how she’d turned everything around so efficiently was beyond him but all that was left was for him to sign the appropriate papers – apparently the estate agents already had someone interested in his house too, although that was unlikely to resolve itself until the new year.

The next morning he stopped off on his way to the club and picked up a little something for Catherine, a thank you for the work she’d put in. He hoped that she wouldn’t consider it inappropriate, he’d never been a ‘flowers and chocolates’ man so he’d gone for something a little more lasting – a silver wristwatch. Her reaction eased any concerns he might have had, she put it on immediately and twisted her arm, looking at it from every angle she could with a bright smile. He found himself looking at her, not for the first time, and when she looked up he could see that she knew it. He coughed nervously, and mumbled his excuses as he fumbled at his office door.

Mike..

As games go they could have had an easier one to see out the year, Gueugnon were sitting atop the table and their high-scoring strike partnership were on something of a roll. Although Pau took an early lead, with Cami going it alone to bury the ball, Ed knew that their visitors weren’t in first place for no reason – a good portion of their success was down to the form of Joseph Job and it was the former Boro man who levelled it just after the break. If Ed had learned one thing though, it was that his side had the capacity to win any game when they were playing well, and their form was good at the moment – Bakayoko restored their lead before Séga came off the bench and netted a third, aided by a sizeable deflection.

Defeat cost Gueugnon their top place, victory lifted Ed’s side into sixth – at least until the three or four Boxing Day games were played - but he had no time to bask in the moment, he had a house to move.

-----

He didn’t expect to have a great deal of stuff to move, his taste was very much in the minimalist and with the Gomis’ moving into what was, effectively, their second home they hadn’t stripped the house bare. He was somewhat surprised to find that he ended up with two van loads of stuff, and by the time that he got the second one unloaded it was getting pretty late. One of his coaches, Albert Souviraa, had helped him move but with the clock ticking it’s way towards midnight, and towards Christmas Eve, he insisted on dropping him off – he was a family man and it wasn’t right that he be out until the early hours at this time of year. Quite why the Gomis’ had decided to move at Christmas was beyond him anyway, but he wasn’t going to complain at the good fortune that had come his way.

He pulled into the car park of the club and locked the van up, Monsieur Le Coadou had let him use it – it belonged to his business, and he had said that he would collect it in the morning. Ed stood in the cold night air and listened to the sounds of partying, the area was popular with winter holiday makers, especially skiers, and with Christmas just around the corner there was a buzz around the town. He stretched and looked at his watch, it was 11.50 and he really ought to get some sleep – his arms were throbbing, but if he went up to the house to sleep then he would only have to go back up north in the morning to grab the last bits and pieces. He took another deep breath of the chilly air, tasting the sharp edge of snow, and got into his car.

-----

It was getting on for 2am by the time he got back to the house, the weather wasn’t ideal for driving and he’d stopped off a couple of times when he’d felt his eyelids dropping. Now he was back he actually felt a little more awake though, he let himself in and grabbed a box from beside the door. A quick sweep of the ground floor produced little, only a few bits of paperwork out of his desk drawer, and he made his way up to the bedroom. He was pretty sure he’d got everything but he gave it one last look over before calling it a night, the drawers and cupboards had all been emptied but he had a habit of shoving stuff away into little corners rather than finding a proper place for it, he climbed onto the chair in the corner and looked on top of the wardrobes – there was something back there, a shoebox by the look of it. The box looked familiar and he didn’t want to open it, he knew why he’d hidden it away and as he sat on the edge of the bed he felt something turn over in his gut. He tossed it into the larger box and climbed into bed.

Mike..

He woke up late by his standards, it was showing nearly 9am on his watch, and he decided to get moving. The place was pretty much ready to be sold, if and when the prospective purchasers decided to put in their bid, he just bundled up the bedclothes and shoved them into the boot of the car. He went in one last time, having a quick look around to make absolutely sure he’d forgotten nothing, and came out with the box full of the final bits and pieces. Locking the door he stood for a moment and recalled the feelings when he and Sonja had first turned into the driveway. She’d been so excited, like a kid at Christm…

Stop it, stop it right now. You’re moving and it’s about time you dropped all that **** and started over, now get in the car and go. He knew the voice was right, he turned around and loaded up the car.

-----

It was early evening by the time he’d got most of the sorting out done. People say that moving is very stressful and that’s why he liked to keep things to a minimum, Catherine had insisted on coming over to help and they’d spent three or four hours sorting out the furniture before grabbing some lunch, and then another couple unpacking boxes and finding new homes for stuff.

Most of the rubbish he’d generated – empty boxes and the like – were stacked out back on the porch, there was just one left. He’d made one room into a study of sorts, and taken all the paperwork in there, when he came back into the lounge Catherine was sat on the edge of the sofa looking at the orange shoebox.

“What’s this Ed?” she asked, as she started to lift the lid.

He darted across the room and grabbed it, making her jump “I’m sorry, it’s nothing really – just some old stuff that I never got around to throwing out” It was a lie, and probably a bad one from the look in her eyes.

He sat on the sofa for a moment deciding whether or not to open the box, he knew what was in there – all the little odds and sods that meant something, the little notes and cards that Sonja had sent him, a few photographs, and of course that note. He’d made a statement in deciding to move, a decision that this was a ‘clean and final break’ and he intended to make it just that, he took it upstairs and opened the hatch to the attic. He made sure that the box was held shut, a couple of elastic bands saw to that, and threw it into a corner of the dark space.

When he came back down Catherine had curled her feet up onto the sofa and was watching the fire burning away, one of the things that had really grabbed him about the house was the real fireplace – his parent’s had had one when he was a kid and it had always fascinated him.

“Well that’s all done I think, thanks – you’ve been a star”

She smiled but didn’t lift her head to look in his direction “That’s okay, I’m always happy to help, you’ve pretty much worn me out though”

“You’re worn out?” he laughed “You should’ve tried loading and unloading all this cráp yesterday. Anyway I’ll make us a drink, you just sit down for a bit, I think we deserve a rest”

He went into the kitchen and looked around, trying to get used to the new layout. After a while he came back in with coffee and sat down on the sofa next to her. She took her cup and put it on the table beside her

“It’s nice here, I like it, not a bad find if I do say so myself”

“Yes, I owe you one, that much I admit” he leaned across and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Now I think I’ll just have ten minutes sit down before I do anything else, I’m dead on my feet.”

Mike..

He hadn’t intended to fall asleep, just to sit and relax for a few minutes, but he’d gone out like a light. When he woke something felt out of place and it took him a moment to realise what it was, for a moment he thought he was dreaming – another of those tricks his mind played on him where Sonja was snuggled up against him, but it wasn’t Sonja and he wasn’t dreaming. While he’d slept Catherine had shifted on the sofa and was dozing next to him, her arm across his chest. He tried to get up without disturbing her but as soon as he moved she muttered something and her eyes opened.

“mmm, what’s the time Ed?”

He looked at his watch and was surprised to see that he’d slept for a good four or five hours

“Erm, it’s just gone midnight”

“Really? Oh I suppose I ought to be getting home then” she replied, trying to stifle a yawn. Sitting up she rubbed her eyes and then smiled “Hey, you know what that means don’t you? Merry Christmas!” and then she leaned across and kissed him, staying close after she had ”I’ve got to go, I’m sorry, but I’ll come over later if you like…?” she whispered.

Ed detected something in the wording of the question, for months he’d picked up on little signals, a turn of phrase or a look, but he’d ignored them. No, that wasn’t right, he hadn’t just ignored them, part of him had – but part of him had not wanted to believe them. Now there was no room left for ambiguity, he knew that she was serious, it was whether he wanted to accept that or push her away.

“Yeah, that would be nice” he responded, returning her kiss. A smile spread, lighting up her eyes, and she hugged him hard

“See you later then”

Before he could fully wake himself, and get up to show her out, she was gone.

What are you playing at Ed. She’s just a kid His inner voice was on his case again, but he’d realised by now that this was the voice of that part of him that was always afraid, afraid to move house, afraid to admit that Sonja was gone, afraid to accept that he was doing a good job at Pau. It was the voice of his self-doubt and it wasn’t always right.

Yes she was younger than him, but so what? She was twenty-seven, maybe twenty-eight, that made a difference of eight or nine years, not a big deal in the slightest. Besides, it wasn’t like he was about to propose marriage to the girl, just two adults enjoying eachother’s company.

-----

She had come back later on Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, in fact by the time things got back into the old routine at the club there could be little doubt that they were an item, although they made a conscious decision to keep their relationship separate from work. Catherine went out with friends on the night, whilst Ed showed his face at the club’s event arranged by Le Coadou.

Mike..

A couple of days later he was sat in his office when his laptop chimed to announce the arrival of a new email, at first he took it for a wind-up but a phone call soon put him straight. In their annual New Year review the French FA had named him as the Division Two Manager of the Year. It was a strange award as far as he was concerned, based not on a season, but on performances for a twelve month period, but he was pleased to have been recognised and even more impressed when they reeled off the statistics to show that, in 2006, they’d lost just eleven of thirty-nine league games – this in a competition where they were being perpetually tagged as rank outsiders for survival.

Before the league could resume though, there was a French Cup game lined up and despite his earlier decision to use the Cup for squad rotation, he thought that non-league opposition would be the ideal way to ease back into competitive action after the holidays. Two first half goals from Tchami, and a matching second half brace from Testas, saw Albi swept aside without so much as a shot on goal.

Off the pitch things were maybe not going quite so well, although Ed was sure that he could get where he wanted to be. He’d entered into talks with a few of his key men to extend contracts, Tchami had soon signed up but Bindi was playing tough as was Kangu. The defender was, truth be told, not a key feature of the starting line-up but he was well liked and if Ed could re-sign him on a more realistic promise of a squad player then he would love to do so. Testas and Bikoyoi had both put pen to paper, accepting that they were bit-part players for now, but it was Bindi that Ed really wanted sorting.

The first league opponents of the new year were Bastia, one of the teams based on the island of Corsica, but any worries Ed may have had about the winter ferry crossing were dismissed with Cami and Bakayoko providing the goals in a tight game. The first league action of the new term and the first win, it was the ideal way to get set up for the run in to the end of the season. On the downside – there always has to be a downside doesn’t there? he thought to himself – Julien Labat took a knock and would be out for a few days, although probably only enough to miss a game or two.

Mike..

The last thing that he needed, while preparing for a televised game, was the distraction of a transfer bid, especially one that had come out of the blue. Bertrand Tchami was the target, the bid a paltry £35,000 from Troyes. Ed could understand why, a proven striker would be most welcome with a return of sixteen goals in twenty-three games, but the bid was insulting and though they could handle the loss of Tchami, he certainly didn’t want to see one of his players slipping into the National in a few months time.

The visit of Brest produced the proverbial game of two halves or, more accurately, of three thirds. The pundits were predicting a draw as the teams lined up, but just after the half-hour mark that was looking most unlikely – after applying consistent pressure Pau broke through with two in a minute, first Tchami running unmarked into the box to shoot across the keeper, then Bakayoko getting onto Cami’s flick to embarrass the defence a second time.

The first turning point came when the referee dismissed Gábor Répás, deciding that the shove in the back that he gave his man while jumping for a long pass constituted a professional foul. With Répás gone Brest turned up the pressure and there were anxious moments for Ed, either side of half time, when Valverde found his area under siege. Whilst it may have turned the pressure on, the makeshift pairing of Leyti and Di Bartolomeo commanded the area and the latter made at least three top-class tackles that could easily have resulted in penalties if mistimed.

Having withstood the onslaught and battled through to the hour mark, Ed made changes and gave Tchami a rest for Séga, ten minutes later the striker – who had taken so long to open his account in the previous season – made it eight for this campaign with a delicious lob that killed the game off as a competition. A record home crowd of over ten thousand watched their side at it’s flowing best.

The win lifted Pau into the promotion spots, at least for the time being, and the media were all over them for instant reaction after the game. Le Coadou revelled in his chance to steal the limelight – which was fine by Ed – going on at length about how they were confounding the experts once again, but there was one question that would not go away. It was general knowledge by now that Djamel Bindi was yet to sign a new deal, with a magnificent performance in the game, and a number of teams apparently showing interest, Ed was asked what the prospects were of holding onto the midfielder. His response was short and defensive, but cleverly open ended.

“If they want him they better have deep pockets” he didn’t need to add 'or patience' – the question simply served to redouble his determination to hammer out a contract extension.

Mike..

“OK thanks for the tip Philippe, I’ll see if I can arrange anything” he held down the cut-off for a second or two then hit the button with Catherine’s extension pre-saved.

“Hi you, can you let the guys know that I’ll be out for the day, I’ve just had a call from an old friend, I’m going to check out some young talent” then, as an afterthought, he added “nothing for you to get jealous about of course” he smiled as he heard her laughing on her end of the phone “I’ll be back late tonight, if you’re free maybe we can grab dinner”

He quickly checked his emails, nothing important except the FA dismissing his appeal on Répás’ suspension, and made for the car park. It had been a while since he’d spoken to Philippe Goubet, in fact he’d probably only rung him once since signing Valverde on his tip - a move he owed a thank you for, he reminded himself – but the Bordeaux scout had possibly come up trumps again. Ed had called him up to see how feelings were around the club, sitting in fourteenth place was bound to have an impact on the players who would expect much better. Goubet hadn’t talked a great deal about their situation, but what he had done was confirm what his own scouts had suggested to him, Bordeaux were about to offload a batch of youngsters and it might be worth Ed having a look at them training before they word got out.

It was a long drive, he was surprised how quickly he’d adapted to living so close to the ground, but he arrived in plenty of time to see the youth team going through it’s paces. It wasn’t an easy call to make, on the one hand Ed knew that he was struggling to sign established players, on the other he was wary of young cast-offs, but there were a couple of lads who he thought had promise and he had a quiet word with them – offering trials at Pau.

Mike..

Well waddaya know? Someone managed to restore those lost files...

Thanks guys, whoever it was.

So we're back into 2007 again, I hope everyone can keep up with the timeline after I started reposting - I know I'm confused!!