retired_reichenbach

congrats on SOTW, a very interesting read indeed :thup:

BarryLFC

Goes to show what a bit of PR can do

retired_confal2

Thank you very much for all the support. The CMS/FMS forum set-up is a brilliant idea and it's been a lot of fun since I joined in March. I'm definitely hooked...

By the way, Terk, does this mean the ban on Marseille supporters at CMS meet-ups might be lifted?...

retired_confal2

Game report and team news (Source: 'Bocca Vera' fanzine, issue #937 - 1st-8th Aug. 2003).


Sat. 2nd August 2003.

Stade des Costières, Nîmes (attendance: 3727).

Nîmes Olympique 0
AS Cannes 2

Goals: Mohammed 83 (0-1), Diawara 90 (0-2).

The first half-hour was almost entirely to Cannes' advantage, but Nîmes' goalkeeper Duchesne was on hand every time, making four good saves before his team created their first chance, a wayward strike from Verschave which flew over the bar. It was the home team's only shot at goal of the first half, but right after the break Verschave almost opened the score, Dika's desperate tackle somehow getting the ball away. With 25 minutes to go Cannes brought on Magallanes and Zoko, to replace Emanuelson and Mutiu respectively, but it was Nîmes who pushed hardest for the next fifteen minutes or so, with Cohade, Mangione and Boulebda all denied by Filimonov. This offensive spree opened up a lot of space in midfield, and Cannes grabbed the opener when in the 84th minute Mohammed rose near the penalty spot, meeting Zoko's free-kick with a firm header which Duchesne saw far too late to do anything about. Nîmes' tactical scheme seemed to go to pieces then, and they found themselves almost completely incapable of regaining possession as Cannes switched play easily from side to side, playing keep-ball and pulling their opponents further and further out of position. Just as the game was entering injury time, a corner from the right by Zoko found Diawara at the near post, and the right-back's header cannoned through the keeper's outstretched arms to make certain Cannes' victory.

This was a solid performance by the team from the Côte d'Azur, who did however ride their luck, as Nîmes had several clear-cut chances to go ahead in the second half. But Cannes remained very attentive at the back throughout the game, and man-of-the-match Djibril Diawara reigned supreme over his right flank, very efficient both in going forward and in breaking down opponents' moves. Filimonov, Vargas and Mohammed all made excellent débuts, and as a whole the team seemed to work well together -certainly better than might have been expected from a team in which not a single starting player was at the club last season...Nîmes probably deserved at least a point from the game, but they struggled to cope with El Kadouri and Moustaïd's runs down the wings, and never really looked like taking the upper hand in the midfield battle.

An encouraging start for the new manager and his eclectic squad, this away win, but it would be foolish to get carried away -there is a lot of room for improvement in the way the players cover their respective areas, and a couple of injuries to crucial players could seriously undermine the strength of the team as a whole.



Thu. 7th August 2003.

Laurent Mohellebi, already on loan at the club, is signed on a permanent transfer from Monaco for an initial 50.000 £. An additional 50.000 £ will be paid after he has played ten games for the club.

retired_bbcarr

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by OMDave:

By the way, Terk, does this mean the ban on Marseille supporters at CMS meet-ups might be lifted?... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

i may have to reconsider my position and change from a blanket to a selective ban :p

congratulations on the story of the week, btw :thup:

retired_confal2

Cheers Terk, that's the spirit...and thank you...


Game reports and team news (Source: Football 365.fr – National updates section)


9.8.2003, Stade de la Bocca (att. 3727).
AS Cannes 8, Sannois Saint-Gratien 0.

21. El Kadouri streaks down the left flank and crosses to the near post. Mohammed controls it and chips to the penalty spot, where Toledo is waiting unmarked. Easy finish for the Brazilian. 1-0.

24. El Kadouri is tripped in the box, and Moustaïd easily converts the penalty. 2-0.

27. A missed clearance falls to Torres Mestre in the box, and he sidefoots it from ten yards in the top right-hand corner. 3-0.

38. Mohammed is pushed by a defender as a corner comes in from the left. Moustaïd puts away the penalty. 4-0.

39. Mutiu is brought down in the area. Moustaïs sends the keeper the wrong way yet again. Hat-trick of penalties! 5-0.

52. Toledo runs fifty yards with the ball and is felled from behind as he enters the box. Moustaïd steps up, but this time his penalty crashes against the post.

57. Moustaïd cuts back a corner from the right. Torres Mestre controls, then sends a fabulous thirty-yard strike into the roof of the net. 6-0.

62. Torres Mestre plays a superb ball into the box for Mutiu, unmarked six yards out and to the left of goal. He beats the keeper from a narrow angle. 7-0.

88. A crude challenge on Mutiu in the box sees Cannes obtain another penalty, their fifth. Moustaïd scores with an emphatic strike down the middle, making it four out of five for this incredible game. 8-0.


For their first home game of the season in the National, Cannes astounded observers with the fluency of their passing game, which ripped the opposition’s defensive scheme to shreds, and induced what can only be described as sheer panic amongst Sannois SG’s flat back four. The home team capitalized on this again and again, with man-of-the-match Moustaïd scoring an unheard-of four penalties in a ninety-minute encounter. He will probably not be rueing the one he did not convert, kept out by the woodwork. The only somber note was Magallanes’ twisted knee, which kept him out of the following game, away to Sète. Cannes’ second victory in as many games saw them go top, by virtue of their excellent goal difference, alongside Brest and Angoulême who also stood with six points.



16.8.2003, Stade Louis Michel (att. 4034).
FC Sète 1, AS Cannes 3.

10. Colloredo, from a good position on the left, finds Douillet in the box. The flick-on to the far post reaches Fidani, who is completely unmarked and easily beats Filimonov. 1-0.

25. El Kadouri wins the ball back and sends Mutiu down the left flank. The Nigerian’s first-time cross finds Toledo unmarked by the penalty spot. Powerful header through the keeper’s arms. 1-1.

43. Corner sent in by Moustaïd from the right. Diawara times his jump better than the keeper at the near post, and nods it into the top right-hand corner. 1-2.

72. El Kadouri beats two players and surges into the box, but he is bowled over without ceremony and earns his team a penalty. Moustaïd’s effort is parried by the keeper, but he coolly slots home the rebound on the follow-up. 1-3.


Cannes confirmed their resplendent form with a well-deserved away win over a weak Sète eleven. The home team’s early goal was little more than a false alarm, and turned out to be one of the very few opportunities they created. Cannes’ midfield controlled possession throughout, despite the absence of playmaker Magallanes, ably deputized by young Urby Emanuelson, a seventeen-year-old Dutchman –or rather, boy, though the elegance and maturity of his play belied his youth. Brazilian Toledo was the best player on the pitch, taunting opponents with mesmerizing runs and a casual disregard for the laws of physics. Cannes strengthened their position at the top, with Brest now the only other side to have collected all nine points from the first three games.

On the next day (Sunday 17th August) it was announced that Julien Tournut (D L/C, 21, French) will join Cannes on loan for the rest of the season. Tournut is under contract at Nancy, where he was languishing in the reserves, and will provide additional cover for the centre-back and/or left-back positions.

retired_confal2

Diary entry (Source: David Le Spliff’s personal diary) –dated 20th August 2003.


Quiet night in, mostly spent sprawled on the couch in the little flat I’m now renting. It’s basic but it’s five minutes’ walk from La Bocca and the neighbours are laid-back –Big Mike took me to this ‘residential park’ just outside Cannes, purpose-built for executives, showbiz people and mafia types. It vaguely reminded me of the shopping mall in Romero’s classic zombie film, with all the extra little perks that come with luxury standing –a private security firm patrolling the gated complex, video-surveillance everywhere, and sprawling villas that would have had a Roman senator tear his toga to shreds in envy…

I think Michel was disappointed when I said ‘thanks, but no thanks’, but we had a talk afterwards about my views on money and luxury, which left him a little perplexed but reassured that I wasn’t snubbing his attempt to help out. He came to the flat once; wrinkled his nose at the plain stone walls, nodded sagely and eventually said: “I see what you meant by ‘keeping things simple’. Well, come along then, I’ll buy you dinner at the Espadon…” . And as this was a couple of days after the win at Nîmes, I was no longer as apprehensive when it came to being out and about in town. Some people were even beginning to smile at me, or pat me on the back, and at the Espadon they insisted on bringing out a bottle of excellent Saint-Estèphe to celebrate our victory. I wasn’t all that comfortable with the attention, and suspected Big Mike of having manipulated me in what felt like a bizarre advertisement stunt for the restaurant, but I kept my mouth shut and smiled, and even ended up spending a very pleasant evening. Which just goes to show…

On the pitch, things couldn’t have started better, not in my wildest pre-season flight of fancy…The first game was the tightest, and I got a heavy dose of the irrepressible waves of anxiety that assail a manager during an important game, the impossible blending of ecstasy and rage in a ninety-minute whirlwind of pure stress…What impressed me the most was the way the players reacted after the game; everyone was well-aware we were fortunate in taking away three points, and on the way back many were already discussing how best to improve the side’s tactical coherence. All that week we trained hard, and had two long video sessions to analyse our first game ‘play-by-play’, as our Transatlantic friends would say. This seemed to go down well with both the staff and the players, and I made a mental note to send out for videos of our next opponents too.

Whether this had anything to do with the extent of our victory against Sannois SG, I have no idea, but again it was the perfect start, and I think it’s a very big step in winning the fans over. The praise came from all sides, and I worried that some players might become a little lax in their attitude towards training. I needn’t have bothered about it though, and although Sète proved marginally better than the abysmal Sannois SG, we over-ran them easily on their own turf and people are beginning to take notice. Frankly, I would have been happy to simply remain within comfortable reach of the lead, to let the team get used to each other and find their respective feet gradually. Instead we’re sitting on top –and no complaints there, it’s just that expectations are bound to grow accordingly, and we’d have a much more average side if a few important players happened to injure themselves, as Federico (Magallanes) did against Sannois SG…

Next we’ll face Louhans-Cuiseaux at La Bocca –they’re fourth and Christian Lopez told me they’d be tougher to beat than Nîmes, though home advantage does make us favourites to win. Bébert phoned me to say he’d turn up to watch the game, and that we could have dinner that night as he’d be in town. I wasn’t going to turn down a chance to try and find out what had been going on behind my back, but I have no idea how I’ll be able to get him to tell me anything, and I did promise not to ask any questions, which places me in something of a bind…tactics and bloody strategy all the way…oh well…skin up, hale in, conk out…

retired_confal2

Game reports and team news (Source: ‘Bocca Vera’ fanzine, issues #938 and 939)


23rd August 2003.
AS Cannes v. Louhans-Cuiseaux (La Bocca, att. 2526)

Despite the fair weather and ideal playing conditions, La Bocca was four-fifths empty for Cannes’ second home league game of the season. The first half-hour was completely dominated by the local team, and as early as the eighth minute the scoring was opened by Suleiman Mohammed, a fabulous strike into the top left-hand corner from a good twenty-five yards, after Torres Mestre had slipped the ball inside and taken in two markers with his fake run. Toledo came close to adding to their lead several times, but opposing keeper Cédric Klein and his defenders dealt well with the constant threat, and on their first foray forward, Louhans-Cuiseaux equalized through a penalty by Liotte ten minutes before the break, rightly given for a blatant shove on Erceau by El Kadouri. Cannes pushed hard to regain the lead before half-time, and won a dangerous free-kick twenty yards from goal in the last moments of the first half, slightly to the left of goal. Mutiu stepped up and powered a great strike into the top right-hand corner, well out of Klein’s reach.

Five minutes after the restart Moustaïd came off worse in a clash with De Neef and had to be stretchered off, Zoko replacing him and taking position up front whilst Toledo moved out to the right wing. Cannes pressed on, sensing another goal would almost certainly win them the game, but Zoko and Magallanes missed easy opportunities, whilst Louhans-Cuiseaux managed to create a couple of good chances that might have earned them a little-deserved point. But the score line did not alter, and whilst the result suggested a closer game than had actually taken place, the home team’s victory was somewhat dampened by Moustaïd’s injury, which will keep him away from the pitch for at least two weeks because of damaged knee cartilage. On a more positive note, Mutiu’s capable display earned him man-of-the-match, and Toledo, Mohammed and Dika all put in performances confirming their excellent early-season form.

AS Cannes 2, Louhans-Cuiseaux 1.
Goals: Mohammed (8, 1-0), Liotte (pen 35, 1-1), Mutiu (45, 2-1).

Team: Filimonov – Diawara (sub 51), Vargas, Dika, Torres Mestre – Mohammed, Moustaïd (sub 51), Magallanes, El Kadouri – Toledo, Mutiu.
Subs: Mohellebi (on 51), Zoko (on 51). Not used: Padovani, Tournut, Dembelé.

Brest were held to a draw away to Bourg-Péronnas, which means Cannes are now the only team with a hundred-percent victory record, and two points clear at the top after four games.


27th August 2003.

Suleiman Mohammed will be out for two weeks after he strained his groin in one of the day’s training sessions.

Thibault Courtel (DM R/C, 19, French) signs from Marseille for an initial 35.000 £. The fee will reach 50.000 £ when he has played 20 games for AS Cannes. A pacy young full-back providing extra cover down the right flank, and the potential to break into the first team much quicker than would have been possible at Marseille.


28th August 2003.

Michel Salerno announces that four players have been released on free transfers by the club. Manu Nogueira, David Bettoni, Wilfried Bertrand and Youssef Moughfire were all on their last year of contract, and languishing in the reserves with “…little hope of ever seeing their names on a game sheet…” , according to Salerno.


29th August 2003.

In Monaco, Porto beat AC Milan on penalties after the Super Cup game ended in a 1-1 draw.


30th August 2003.
AS Cherbourg Football v. AS Cannes (Stade Maurice Postaire, att. 5158)

A wet, chilly day in Normandy did not prevent a great game of football, though for once things got off to a slow start, both teams finding it difficult to string more than a couple of passes together, resorting to long balls and individual flashes of inspiration. With half-an-hour gone, Dika’s long cross-ball found Toledo unmarked along the right touch-line, and the Brazilian played a lovely outside-foot pass into the path of Zoko’s well-timed run. The Ivorian’s header found the target from eight yards out. The teams returned to the dressing-rooms with Cannes one-up, a just reflection of the dominance of their midfield, which had asserted itself more and more forcefully as the game progressed.

Five minutes after the break Cannes doubled their lead, when Inkango cut back a corner from the right to Magallanes, unmarked on the edge of the box. The Uruguayan’s shot was deflected into the Cherbourg goal by a late attempt at a block, and suddenly Cherbourg seemed to realize that they too needed to score, altering their shape to a more attacking scheme and rewarded for their efforts when on the hour mark Usaï struck a magnificent free-kick, finding the top right-hand corner from twenty-five yards or so. On 65 minutes a great through-ball by Therry put Di Gegorio on orbit, and his excellent finish curled past the onrushing Filimonov to bring the teams level. With a quarter of an hour left, El Kadouri surged down the left and played a great ball over the Cherbourg centre-backs. Toledo raced on, checked the flag had stayed down and coolly adjusted the goalkeeper. Six minutes on Cannes made sure of the win when Mutiu drifted out left and sent in a great cross to pick out Toledo near the penalty spot. The Brazilian nodded in his second unopposed, causing the entire Cannes bench to erupt in anticipated celebration. Cherbourg did grab one back in injury time, Mazurier breaking free of his marker and lobbing Filimonov expertly as he came out to narrow the angles. But it was too little, too late, and though a draw would not have been an unfair result, Cannes took all three points yet again, with Federico Magallanes the best player on the park, and excellent performances from Toledo and Zoko whose adventurous runs played a large part in laying low the Cherbourg defence.

Cherbourg 3, Cannes 4.
Goals: Zoko (30, 0-1), Magallanes (50, 0-2), Usaï (60, 1-2), Di Gregorio (65, 2-2), Toledo (75, 2-3; 81, 2-4), Mazurier (90+3, 3-4).

Team: Filimonov – Diawara, Vargas, Dika, Torres Mestre – Mohellebi (sub 66), Toledo, Magallanes, El Kadouri – Zoko (sub 45), Mutiu.
Subs: Inkango (on 45, sub 53), Dembelé (on 53), Tournut (on 66). Not used: Padovani, Emanuelson.

retired_jkat116

Great story, and a belated congrats on getting Story of the Week :thup:.

Much deserved, KUTGW, I'll be reading

retired_confal2

Thanks canto, much appreciated coming from a previous incumbent...

Diary entry (Source: David Le Spliff’s personal diary) – dated 1st September 2003.


Just back from a quick gnocchi alla marinara, round the corner at Marco’s. Always does the trick nicely after a long day, along with a cheap but very fine little red from the Arezzo, a drop of Marco’s homemade grappa and the best double espresso this side of the Alps. Christian Lopez came into my office after training, suggesting we have a chat over a meal, so I abandoned the notes I’d been jotting down and clutched gratefully at the prospect of an early night in after a good plate of pasta.

Mostly we discussed features of the last couple of games, and in particular the various possible partnerships between centre-backs, because despite the excellent results we were letting in quite a few goals, and it was an obvious area to focus on for improvement. Vargas and Dika have done well, and in Charvet and Tournut we know we have a useful mixture of experience and youth in the cover provided, but we’re too vulnerable in the air and it could have cost us points in games we had thoroughly dominated. Christian’s become one of my two strong allies at the club, along with Big Mike –to be fair, I should add Bernadette, who never lacks a kind word, but she has little or no contact with most of the players, and that’s where I need support the most aside from relations with the fans. Attendances are still disappointing, given the extent of our success, but I’m well aware this is something which will take time, and it gives me an opportunity to get to know some of the supporters as people –there’s a bunch that often turn up to watch training, and I ended up scoring some excellent home-grown from one of them, a fifty-two-year-old baker looking for ways to alleviate his boredom since he passed on the family business to his eldest daughter.

Anyway, we seem to see eye-to-eye on most things with Christian, which I take as an encouraging sign, and it no longer feels as though every game could be the one to justify the sack, as though I’m just a pawn in an elaborate chess game being played out way over my head. Not that dinner and drinks with Bébert a week ago reassured me in that respect…

It struck me as a little strange that the first thing he asked me about the club was how our Brazilian gem, Toledo Robson, was doing. When I told him he’d played a big part in most of our wins, he just nodded faintly, smiling to himself and clearly giving me the impression I’d missed a few episodes of that particular show…It annoyed me, too, because he’d insisted I should ask no questions and yet couldn’t help suggesting he was the recipient of a deep and hidden knowledge, too convoluted for me to fathom. But as usual I let it go, resolving nonetheless to store the allusion away for ulterior examination.

Other than that Bébert was very pleasant, embarrassing even when he began to praise my tactical ability, refusing any suggestion the players may actually have played the bigger part in our performances. In fact, he was a little too eager to heap all the credit upon me, and again I was so mystified as to his motives that I hardly gave it a second thought on the moment, other than to keep my ego in check and keep smiling. I hated having to do that with my own uncle, but I’ve now reached a point where I would do almost anything to be allowed to continue this incredible experience, and I just know there are things going on around the club, big things –the kind that attract both the sheep and the sharks, and in this little microcosm there’s plenty of both…

On a lighter note, one of the journos from the local ‘radical’ paper dubbed me the ‘local personality of the week’, with half-page caricature and all, and listed a number of facts about me that I doubted anyone knew, most of them quite embarrassing or deprecatory without really crossing the line of character assassination…The players gave me hell the next day, few of them able to stay serious more than five minutes at a stretch. In the end I took the afternoon off, leaving Christian in charge with instructions to ‘deal with the little kiddies because I have some grown-up things to attend to’…Not too mature a reaction, true, but there’s one thing I want to avoid at all costs with the players and staff, and that’s losing my temper. I gave the hack a call, suggesting we discuss his ‘work’ over a few pints that evening, and to my astonishment he agreed without hesitation. He was already there when I got to the pub, a fair approximation of the smug, conceited geek I had imagined –little round glasses and all…I sat down determined to make sure he’d never so much as mention my name in print again, but then he turned to the barkeep and ordered two pints of Leffe Radieuse. By the end of the evening I had a new, much-needed friend in this ghastly town, and had taken out a lifelong subscription to ‘Le Petit Rapporteur’…Weird the way things turn out sometimes…