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Originally posted by flipsix3: Cheers Terk, I was going to try and pace the re-posting but what the hell, I'll get it all done in the next 2-3 days as I have so much more unposted to follow - as for the first season, didn't you hear? We won the Champions League
:eek:
wow! champions league? i'll make sure to tune in for that one
I think it comes just after we win the English FA Cup
The players had left for home, as had most of the staff, and Ed sat alone in the reception area of the club considering the day’s work. At the start of the season a 0-0 draw against the third placed team would have been considered a great success, especially playing away from home – maybe it was a measure of their growing confidence that he felt disappointed, not so much in the scoreline as in the inability to carve out chances.
Sète, though inconsistent of late, were certainly a high-scoring team and they had shown why. It had taken Pau until after half time to create a worthwhile effort from their makeshift midfield – by then Sète were into double figures, but just couldn’t find a way past the excellent Leglib. Nobody had played particularly poorly, he could find no real criticism, but after the results that they had strung together earlier in the campaign he couldn’t help but feel that three goalless games was something of a disappointment for the fans.
He also felt that he ought to be doing more, finding ways to make better use of what he had, but the fact remained that he had a small squad, so small that with the two or three players unavailable for whatever reason, he was basically trying to find the best sixteen-man line-up from a total of seventeen men. Until the transfer window opened there wasn’t a great deal he could do
...and even then, only if you can get anyone he reminded himself.
Anyway it was time to head home, it was a big day tomorrow, the first Cup draw and he wanted to be in early to try looking at the squad once more, with a clear head. He also had a new member of the backroom staff arriving.
The Cup draw gave Pau an away tie at non-league Calais, no bad thing as far as Ed was concerned. He could get some inside information because he had just signed a second Scout in Serge Lesnard – more good news.
Of course, as a pessimist, he knew that there would be a payoff and two days later it came, Elhadji Ba straining knee ligaments in training and ruling him out until after the winter break. Once again, on the eve of having a full squad to choose from, that choice had been ripped away from him. The fans responded well, telling the local press that it wasn’t the end of the world, that they were still enjoying following a team playing well above their station, to Ed it was yet another ‘bloody typical’ setback.
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As seemed to be happening regularly, just when things really started to dip Ed suddenly got a lift, Pau fought out an end-to-end battle with their hosts at Libourne St-Seurin. After going behind early on Ed watched with growing pleasure as his side started to turn the screw, first levelling, then going ahead on the stroke of half time with a wicked free-kick from Di Bartolomeo.
Tchami added a second in the dying minutes, and once again the Pau rollercoaster seemed ready to climb. The press had started to take notice – despite the spell of stalemates Pau were now on an unbeaten run of ten games and the media were beginning to ask when the dream would finally start to fade.
Winter was well and truly drawing in, even in the south of France, but you would never have known it from the impromptu celebrations that had taken over the streets of Pau. The sun was setting, the Pyrenees veiled in shadow to the south, and a chill wind was blowing in from the north – none of that seemed to worry the locals who took to the streets in their shirt-sleeves, around 2,500 of them had been at the Stade du Hameau earlier in the day to witness the 6-0 demolition of Roye.
To Ed the picture wasn’t quite so clear cut of course, Roye’s defeat left them at the bottom of the table – only five points from 20 games and a goal difference of -44, hardly indicative of the level of skill that his side faced week in and week out. That said, even he could appreciate the morale boost that the win would undoubtedly give to the lads.
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The win, and the way that it had lifted the Pau support, made Ed’s decision easier regarding the French Cup tie. With the problems in squad depth he’d been planning on blooding some youngsters but, if things in the league had not been as good, he probably would have reconsidered – hoping for a big win to boost confidence.
The Roye win had done that job however, so among the starting line-up that had made the trip to Calais were Karim Tafer, Marc-Antoine Correia, Sartolou and a couple of other youngsters who had yet to see first team action. It was the first team regulars who secured the win though, albeit that it needed extra time to settle the game.
Sensing their chance against a few of the Pau youngsters Calais had started fast and won a penalty off Bédani, but the midfielder made up for it six minutes later by tucking away his own spot kick before the game had descended into a midfield slog.
Running low on time Ed decided to bring a couple of seniors back in as Calais had Ekongolo sent off from defence. It eventually did the job – although not until late in extra time - when Bonnel headed home Cami’s cross to finally break the deadlock seconds from the seemingly inevitable shoot-out.
Originally posted by omni_paul:
Flip, this is my all time favourite FMS, so very glad to see it still around, but (forgive my ignorance), what happened to the old thread??
There was a glitch with a board cleanup.
It made me sad that this story was gone.
But now it returns and I am happy. It's an excellent story.
and cheers guys, always nice to have people along, and especially honored when this is the third time this has been posted (second time in it's FM2005 guise)
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