flipsix3

Cheers Binny, not so sure about the Wigan comparison though, I've seen pictures of Pau and there might be a slight difference


The enthusiasm at the club had become noticeable, Ed arrived at the ground on Tuesday morning and did a quick walk around to say hello to anybody who might be around this early. Once he’d tracked down a fresh croissant he settled into his office chair and skimmed through the sports pages of the local paper – whilst his verbal French was far from good, given the time to pick over the pages of the newspaper he could generally piece together a rough idea of an article.

He was feeling pretty good about things this morning, it was probably something to do with the league table - Pau were the only side with a 100% record, three wins from three games and the best goal difference in the league. Of course it was early days yet, and a defeat tomorrow night could change things dramatically, but the simple fact that his team had started the season so well meant that he had a little slack before he needed to start worrying.

Of course it was a long coach trip to Romorantin-Lanthenay, a town siginificantly nearer to the Channel than to the shadows of the Pyrenees in which Pau sat, and an overnight stay when they got there would give his doubts plenty of time to settle in.

Before they set out Ed had a chance to see his Reserves, under the guidance of his assistant - Brahim Naïmi, rack up a 2-0 win over the Roye second-string – he made a mental note to keep an eye on the impressive Nicolas Sartolou. The 23-year-old striker had never really broken into the first team but he was definitely a prospect and could come into contention if the small-scale injury crisis worsened

Wag

I've just sat down and read this through. Got to say I like your style

flipsix3

Cheers Wag



Whilst crisis might have been a strong word to use the situation did indeed worsen, Gael Bonnel scored Pau’s goal in the 1-1 draw at Romorantin, 20 minutes before he had to be withdrawn with a twisted knee. Anicet Adjamossi followed after the break, and with their hosts levelling the score Ed found himself out of subs with over 30 minutes still to play.

It was easily the most nerve-wracking game so far – Romorantin sensed the points were up for grabs and threw men forward but Leglib and the defence kept their opposition at a safe distance and battled out the draw to maintain Pau’s unbeaten record.

By now the results were almost secondary to Ed, he was losing a player a match and the squad depth was struggling. Both Bonnel and Adjamossi would be out for just a week but that was enough to mean that the weekend clash would see five senior players unavailable.

-----

If the injuries bothered the team it didn’t seem to show at the weekend, Valenciennes the Stade du Hameau and the 1800 strong crowd saw Pau back at their devastating best – Bédani opened his account for the season from the spot, and in the second half Millereau and Testas both added their own to the tally as another impressive home win was secured.

There was just one thing concerning Ed by now, with most of his pre-season nerves well and truly calmed he was puzzling over the lack of ability that he had to cover for the absent Aernoudt. He had gone through three or four different players on the left of the central midfield trio and none, it seemed, had been able to turn in a half decent performance even with Pau in truly dominant form.

The morning after the game he sat down with his coaching team to discuss the situation – it wasn’t that anyone played horrendously, but the youngsters involved all seemed to struggle to make their mark on the game*. Ed felt sure that, given time, his players would grow in ability but the momentum that Pau were building was something he wanted to maintain – with Aernoudt ruled out for most of the season he decided to turn to the transfer market and look for a ‘big name’ loan to try and complete what looked to be an otherwise strong midfield.

Despite several hours worth of phone calls between Ed, the club scout, and assorted Second Division sides, he was unable to secure anyone’s services for the season. The trips to and from Wasquehal were long drawn out affairs, from the south-west corner of the country all the way up into the northern tip on the border with Belgium. It was a long way to travel for a 0-0 draw, and an even longer journey when almost the entire time was spent in fruitless negotiations.

By the time the coach dropped him off at home, late on the Thursday afternoon, Ed had been away for nearly 48 hours and he had a headache. All he wanted was a cold beer and a hot bath. There was only one more game to go in August and his side were in rude health, in the league if not in the flesh, Valence had slipped past them again but they were firmly in the top places and making the pre-season doubters look rather silly so far. Smiling despite the headache, Ed slid down into the hot bathwater and allowed himself to doze.

-----

*Writer’s Note: I’ve read, somewhere on the FM forum, that there was a known issue with the demo with players “out of position” getting poor ratings – this may have something to do with it.

BobBev

Flip - there is an "out of position" bug but I think that it will be fixed in the patch. May I just add that it's a real pleasure to see you back in action - quality through and through :thup:

HD

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>(from a sports editor of a national newspaper) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Probably Jim f*cking Traynor...


Story looks nice and shiny mate. Shininess is plus bon.

Peacemaker7

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ctreg2:
Peacemaker - I'd have a quiet word with Miles if I were you! Might stop you embarrassing yourself.

It's a cracking story though.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Im not embarrased.

I dont see the need for you to make a big deal of your job, as if your occupation gives you more weight to your opinion. It doesnt. And I dont need to have quiet word with anyone.

Now, let the man get on with writing

flipsix3

Bob: Yeah I've read a bit more about the 'out of position' bug since I wrote that part, players are doing OK of course but the rating they get massacres their morale so I thought I'd twist the truth to benefit the story

HD: Cheers mate

PM: Don't worry, I'm enjoyng it, was just about to order popcorn

flipsix3

“Can you believe the cheek of that guy?!” Ed slammed the phone down and turned to his assistant.

“Who was it?”

“Guy bloody David from Créteil. I’ve spent most of this week talking to him, I’ve made offers to loan three of his midfield reserves, not one of them has played more than 30 minutes football for the seniors, and not one of them would he let me talk to about loan deals”

“Ah I see, that’s annoying I guess”

“That? Oh no I’ve already got used to that, what’s annoying… infuriating even… is that now he comes to me wanting to buy Jacques”

“Jacques? Jacques Leglib?”

“That’s right, our first choice keeper, not missed a game, conceded only twice in seven matches… that Jacques Leglib, and he offers me a defender in exchange”

The conversation had really wound Ed up, did this Guy David bloke really think that they were going to hand over one of their prize assets? Ed was so consumed with disbelief that most of the game passed him by. This was probably no bad thing, Cherbourg made no secret of their intentions to flood the midfield and stifle any creativity that Pau might have shown – of course with Cami out through suspension, and Bédani dropping back to cover for the absent Di Bartolomeo – out for a few days with a bruised head earned from a training ground clash – that creativity was already somewhat diminished and the game produced a goalless draw with both sides grinding out no more than a couple of chances.

flipsix3

AUGUST 2004 SUMMARY

Pau 3 (Millereau 2, 21, Cami 87)
Raon-l’Etape 0
Man of the Match: Ba (Pau)
News: Matthieu Aernoudt (Pau) broken leg (8 months)

Roye 0
Pau 2 (Millereau 76, Kangu 80)
Man of the Match: Leglib (Pau)

Pau 3 (Bonnel 9, Millereau 31, Testas 90+)
Valence 1 (Lacen 21)
Man of the Match: Cami (Pau)
News: Laurent Bédani (Pau) missed penalty (saved)

Romorantin 1 (Hadjérès 55)
Pau 1 (Bonnel 15)
Man of the Match: Kangu (Pau)

Pau 3 (Bédani pen 40, Millereau 70, Testas 82)
Valenciennes 0
Man of the Match: Cami (Pau)

Wasquehal 0
Pau 0
Man of the Match: Ba (Pau)

Pau 0
Cherbourg 0
Man of the Match: Hubert Castets (Cherbourg)

flipsix3

Ed was sitting in his office enjoying a quiet moment when the phone rang, he’d been miles away – reliving the finer moments of the opening month’s performances – and the shrill tone brought him back to the present with a start. He realised, as he picked up the handset, that he must have drifted off completely.

“Hello"

……

"Sorry, who is this?"

……

"No, I’m sorry, I don’t want any…..wait a minute, don’t I know you?"

……

"Oh I think I do, and that’s a terrible French accent, how are ya Gazza? Still flabby and farting? he laughed as the former Spurs midfielder responded in suitably colourful language"

"What? Yeah it’s going really well mate, bit of a tough start to the season but I think it’s coming together now. What about you? Any plans for another comeback? You don’t fancy a player-coach role do you? I’ve got a spot open"

……

"Boston? Well I guess you can do a job there, just call me when they sack you, alright? both men laughed at this, and then went on exchanging casual gossip for a few minutes.

Anyway it’s been good to hear from you mate, and I wasn’t joking – if you end up at a loose end, you call OK?"

……

"What? Erm… no, no we’re not, we split up a few months back."

……

"I don’t know really, I mean she left a note but that was it, I haven’t spoke to her. No offence mate, but it’s really not something I want to talk about right now."

……

"Sure thing, you too Paul. Hope it goes well for you in Boston, speak to you soon OK?"

……

"Cheers mate, bye"

Well that was it then, the news wouldn’t stay quiet for long with Gazza knowing about it, not that it really bothered him – there were much more important things on his mind right now, Pau’s next two games would be against the current 3rd and 4th placed teams and he had two of his defensive first choices away on international duties.