retired_confal2

It's been a nice week, not having to scroll down for ages to post a new instalment... Thanks again to those who thought the story deserved to be put in the spotlight a little while, I hope one of the new Challenge stories features tomorrow, as there's lots of good stuff going on there...You can just feel all that pent-up Tolkienesque energy waiting to be unleashed...

GAME REPORTS (Source: Football365.fr - National updates section)


6th September 2003, La Bocca (att. 2541).
AS Cannes 7, FC Tours 0.

4. Zoko sends in a corner from the left side, and near the penalty spot Diawara rises higher than his marker, hitting a firm header into the top right-hand corner. 1-0.

10. Low, powerful strike by Zoko from 25 yards, parried by the keeper into Magallanes' path. The Uruguayan sidefoots it in calmly. 2-0.

19. Mutiu wins a header which sends El Kadouri down the left wing on his own. Great cross to the penalty spot, Toledo's header finds the opposite corner of the goal. 3-0.

27. Toledo is pushed over in the box as he is about to shoot. Magallanes converts the penalty. 4-0.

36. Torres Mestre plays El Kadouri through into the box from the left, and the first-time cutback finds Toledo running onto the ball. He smashes his second into the net past the helpless keeper. 5-0.

59. Diawara finds Toledo near the right by-line, who cuts into the box and beats two players before sending a superb strike into the top left-hand corner for his hat-trick. 6-0.

76. Mutiu strides clear down the left and cuts back inside to shoot. The keeper parries it but Mutiu gets a second chance which he puts away with aplomb. 7-0.

A dazzling performance from Brazilian Toledo Robson, who got a standing ovation when he had to leave the pitch -sadly- after being hacked down one too many times. Cannes' sixth win in as many league games sees them extend their lead at the top to five points.


13th September 2003, Stade Francis le Blé (att. 3688).
Brest 1, AS Cannes 1.

10. Moustaïd skips past two players down the right wing and crosses for Zoko, whose header crashes against the post. Magallanes is on hand to score a simple tap-in off the rebound. 0-1.

65. David's shot from the left side of the box is boxed away by Filimonov, but Bogaczyk is ideally placed to head the ball straight into the goal. 1-1.

A tense, bad-tempered game with five yellow cards distributed, and only five shots at goal for either side. A draw was a fair reflection of proceedings, a game made difficult by the poor conditions and Cannes' newfound status as the scourge of National defences. Louhans-Cuiseaux take second place and close the gap to three points at the top of the table.

retired_confal2

Game reports and team news (Source: ‘Bocca Vera’ fanzine, issues #943, 944 and 945)


2Oth September 2003.
AS Cannes v. Bourg-Péronnas, La Bocca (att. 2762).

As in each of their home games in the National so far, Cannes dominated the play from beginning to end, imposing their rhythm on the opposition and alternating unpredictably between short, sharp passing and long balls into the spaces behind the defence. On this occasion, however, they were not able to kill the game early on, and in the end the visitors snatched an unlikely draw from the jaws of defeat, despite having only three shots on goal in the entire game. A very disappointing result for Cannes, given their twenty-one efforts on Bourg-Péronnas’ goal, defended admirably –and credit is due- by man-of-the-match Pansier.

Eighteen minutes into the game a free-kick was rolled on for Magallanes, whose strike from twenty yards was deflected past his own keeper by Teillet, but six minutes from the end of normal time Teillet made amends by playing a great through-ball for Lavand, who slipped past Vargas and beautifully lobbed the onrushing Filimonov. One-all was the final score despite a very tense last few minutes for the visitors, and in particular for goalkeeper Pansier, who made three outstanding saves to deny Cannes a late winner.

To make matters worse, Suleiman Mohammed strained his groin yet again, and it was announced later he will be spending four weeks in rehabilitation to properly treat the recurrent injury. Laurent Mohrellebi is expected to stand in for him in the anchor role over the next month or so.

AS Cannes 1, Bourg-Péronnas 1.
Goals: Magallanes (1-0, 18), Lavand (1-1, 84).

Team: Filimonov (c) – Diawara, Vargas, Dika, Torres Mestre – Mohammed – Moustaïd, Magallanes, El Kadouri – Inkango (sub 65), Mutiu.
Subs: Zoko (on 65). Not used: Padovani, Tournut, Mohellebi, Dembelé.


27th September 2003.
Beauvais v. AS Cannes, Stade Pierre Brisson (att. 4568).

Lying in tenth spot in the table, Beauvais played host to the National’s leaders, hoping to bring about their first defeat of the season in the league. But although the game was evenly-matched for the first twenty minutes, with chances being created by both sides, Cannes went ahead after 21 minutes when Diawara was pushed in the back as he jumped to meet Moustaïd’s corner. The same Moustaïd, Cannes’ ‘Mr. Penalty’, sidefooted the spot-kick out of the keeper’s reach to make it one-nil to the visitors. Eight minutes later Cannes doubled their lead when Toledo’s glancing header from nine yards out found the net. Cannes looked increasingly in control, and went in at half-time with a solid two-goal advantage.

Four minutes into the second-half the game was decided once and for all, a knock-down by Mutiu finding Magallanes, who sent Toledo clean through to slot it in neatly with a low shot to the keeper’s right. Beauvais pushed a little harder, but any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Touré injured himself on 69 minutes, at a time when Beauvais had already used their three substitutions. They hung on grimly with ten men, and to their credit managed to prevent the scoreline from getting any heavier, which would have been very unfair on them.

There was no question that Cannes were the better team, though, and Toledo’s performance earned him a fair amount of praise in the national press. At the top of the table, a single point separates Cannes from their closest challengers, Louhans-Cuiseaux. Three teams are tied for third with a five-point deficit on the Mediterraneans: Valenciennes, Angoulême and Brest.

Beauvais 0, AS Cannes 3.
Goals: Moustaïd (0-1, 21), Toledo (0-2, 29; 0-3, 49).

Team: Filimonov (c) – Diawara, Vargas, Dika, Torres Mestre – Mohellebi – Moustaïd, Magallanes, El Kadouri – Toledo, Mutiu.
Subs (none used): Padovani, Tournut, Emanuelson, Dembelé, Zoko.


4th October 2003.
AS Cannes v. Valenciennes, La Bocca (att. 2531).

This was as one-sided a game as any of Cannes’ more spectacular wins, and left the onlooker wondering how Valenciennes had contrived to drag themselves up to third in the National prior to this fixture. Aleksandr Filimonov had only one save to make in the entire ninety minutes, whereas his team-mates created the usual glut of chances they seem able to produce when playing a home fixture.

Cannes were obviously intent on dispensing with the customary observation round, and had a couple of chances before Magallanes grabbed a lucky opener after ten minutes of play. Mohellebi had released Moustaïd down the right, and the winger’s cross was met by Magallanes’ forehead near the penalty spot, seemingly straight at the keeper, but the latter fumbled the save and the ball trickled in cruelly. Six minutes later another blow was struck as Magallanes was rashly brought down in the box. Moustaïd stepped up and blasted the penalty into the top right-hand corner. Five minutes from half-time Moustaïd curled a beautiful free-kick into the same top corner, from twenty-five yards or so. Valenciennes were well and truly broken by then, as was obvious two minutes later when a poor pass was intercepted by El Kadouri, who took it down the left touchline and played a superb whipped ball into the path of Toledo, who easily beat the keeper from ten yards. Four-up at half-time, it looked like another thrashing, but the score did not change any further despite the sustained pressure imposed by the home team.

Moustaïd was the best player on the field with his two goals and one assist, with Diawara and Magallanes also putting in excellent performances. With Louhans-Cuiseaux only managing a draw away to Raon-l’Etape, Cannes are now three points clear at the top after ten games in the National. Aleksandr Filimonov was called up to join the Russian national squad on the same day, and was visibly delighted with the news, which a group of fans celebrated by unrolling a large Russian flag just before the game, a gesture the keeper acknowledged by running over to their corner and performing an elaborate courtly bow.

AS Cannes 4, Valenciennes 0.
Goals: Magallanes (1-0, 10), Moustaïd (2-0, pen 16; 3-0, 40), Toledo (4-0, 42).

Team: Filimonov (c) – Diawara, Vargas, Dika (sub 55), Torres Mestre – Mohellebi – Moustaïd, Magallanes, El Kadouri (sub 55) – Toledo, Mutiu.
Subs: Tournut (on 55), Zoko (on 55). Not used: Padovani, Emanuelson, Dembelé.

retired_trisha myette

Good job brother! :thup: KUTGW look forward to following this story

retired_gopanthers15

Is this story dead or is omdave just bust trying to track down c*ntlina?

retired_gopanthers15

*busy

retired_confal2

Thanks Alex. The story isn't dead exactly, SI, but I've been away from home for a fortnight and won't be back for another week, hence the long pause.

I've now come to terms with the defeat, but then again Collina's globulous eyes would make a fine trophy on the mantelpiece... ...Anyway, here's something I wrote on a train somewhere between Béziers and Carcassonne...


Diary entry (Source: David Le Spliff's personal diary) -dated 1st October 2003.

Gave myself the afternoon off today, after a rough night in which I learnt that our star player is probably subject to some serious mental disorders. I'm getting a very uneasy feeling about what happened, which has nothing to do with adverse publicity, or having a potential lunatic at the heart of the squad we've been building. But the more I think about it, the less clearly I understand...

Around eleven last night, just as I was beginning to drift off in front of some dubious Eurosport feature on the box, the phone rang. When the guy at the other end of the line introduced himself as 'Gendarme Bertuzzi', the sweat on my forehead turned to ice, and I thought: "that's it, I've been ratted on by some guy who knows I have a taste for weed, here ends my carreer as a football manager".

But then he said one of my players was held at the Saint-Paul gendarmerie, that he was in a bad way and that he'd given my name when asked who should be called. I said I'd be right over, called Christian Lopez and he picked me up by the stadium before we rushed over to find out what the hell was going on. In the car we tried to guess who the player was, and Christian leant towards Garba Lawal: "he's been seen hanging around some real dives in town, and he's got a mean temper on him. I wouldn't be surprised...". To me that seemed a little harsh, but I was forced to admit I knew very little about most of the players beyond what they showed at training. The more I thought about it, the more Lawal seemed to fit the part.

But at the gendarmerie we were in for a shock. The guy at the front desk, a middle-aged, barrel-shaped Jospin lookalike, led us to the holding cells, where we beheld in a heap the last player we would have expected to find here, Toledo Róbson, so soft-spoken and meek around the other players, a young man who seemed not to have changed much from the child he must have been, born to a couple of poor farmers in a remote corner of rural Brazil.

At this point a senior investigator appeared, a short, dark man thin to the point where it suggested illness, flanked by a younger, taller gendarme who otherwise displayed a remarkable resemblance to his probable superior's chiselled, angular features. The older of the two held out his hand.

- "Capitaine Grégoire Bertuzzi, I'm in charge here at Saint-Paul. This is my brother, Sous-Lieutenant Stéphane Bertuzzi, who is leading the investigation and who called you earlier." We all shook hands, and were then led to the captain's office while a gendarme attempted to revive Toledo.

- "What happened?" I asked as soon as we were seated. Capitaine Bertuzzi raised an eyebrow, looked at his brother, then sighed and placed both hands on the desk in front of them, crossing the fingers in a pose clearly intended to suggest patience.

- "Monsieur Le Spliff, before we get down to the sorry business at hand, I'd like to say that my brother and I, as well as most of the gendarmes here in Cannes, are lifelong fans of the club. And we're all delighted by the way the team has been playing this year. We understand that some of these young men are a little...high-spirited, shall we say? Over the years we've seen a lot of this kind of thing, and I'd like to reassure you that the press need not know about it."

- "That's very kind, capitaine, and of course we'd like to avoid this getting out..." I looked over to Christian, who obviously agreed.

- "Then it's settled" Bertuzzi said, glancing at a sheet of typewritten paper next to his left elbow. "And now to the senhor Robson; he was found fourty minutes ago in a room at the...Bristol hotel, passed out and reeking of alcohol. The hotel rang to report a disturbance in one of the rooms, the other clients all stated they heard screams and furniture being destroyed, but when our lads got there he was on his own, in a pool of his own vomit, in the middle of a wrecked room. The recpetionist didn't see anyone going up with him, and no-one seems certain whether there was one or several voices heard. In any case the TV was thrown out the window, the closets ripped apart and one of the beds broken in two." He paused to observe our reactions.

"You seem surprised. Would you say this is out of character for him?"

- "Completely" I replied. "He wouldn't hurt a fly, and as far as I know he never drinks."

- "I see. We are still waiting for the toxicology report, in any case, but we found no marks on him, of beating or otherwise."

- "'Or otherwise'?"

- "Needles and such."

- "Oh."

And so it was in a depressed mood that Christian and I took Toledo back, after the Bertuzzi brothers had assured us they'd be in touch if anything new came up. The doctor who'd examined him was still there, and he told us to let the player rest a day or two. He was barely conscious in the car on the way back, and Christian and I decided not to ask him any questions until he was properly rested. Also, since we felt we couldn't leave him on his own, and given that my place was so small, Christian said he'd bring him back to his house, that it might do the lad good to spend a little time in a family environment. Given the situation, I wasn't going to disagree with that...

Christian dropped me off, leaving me with a host of unanswered questions, which only got worse once I was upstairs and toking away. Thankfully I was so tired by then that I fell asleep on my couch, fully clothed, and even made it late to training the next morning as I'd forgotten to set the alarm-clock. But none of the other players seemed to think anything amiss, and as far as anyone but myself, Christian and the Bertuzzi brothers know (or at least, so I hope), Toledo is in bed with a bad cold and will be back in time for our next game.

As for me, I am more than ever determined to find some way of getting Oncle Bébert to explain a few things, without having to break my word and ask him outright. I am also trying to work out how to ask Toledo what happened, because his well-being is as important to the team's continued success as is my tactical scheme, and I can't kid myself into thinking otherwise without seriously compromising our push for promotion...

Still -qui vivra, verra...

retired_tonytranbg79

can't believe i haven't seen this till now, caught up with it all. Excellent stuff, you are a fine writer Dave. I only wish Newcastle were as good at football

retired_confal2

That's very kind, Tyrone. 'Scribbler' would be more accurate Few people have time to follow more than a handful of stories -I certainly don't, unfortunately...On the evidence of the game at the Vélodrome, I'd agree that the Toons need to improve dramatically if they really intend to challenge for the Premiership -any truth in the rumours about Newcastle wanting Mido? We'd be happy to let him go for a reasonable fee, as he's a bit of a trouble-maker and has a hugely inflated ego...Just remember: the truly great clubs never die...


Diary entry (source: David Le Spliff's personal diary) -dated 2nd October 2003.

Went over to Christian's house this evening, and arrived amidst the usual friendly chaos. Hi wife Marie is a sculptress, and not much of a housekeeper it seems, though with four kids in the house it must be a nightmare to try and maintain some semblance of order.

Christian was expecting me, and after exchanging greetings with the tribe I followed him out into the garden. He handed me a glass of pastis.

- "Santé".

- "SlaoÃ*nte".

- "He'll be down in a few minutes. He slept most of the day...I didn't ask him anything yet." I got the distinct impression he wanted me to do it, and fair enough, it was part of my job.

I sipped at my drink and looked out towards the Mediterranean, a couple of miles away but clearly visible from the hillock upon which the house was built.

- "Fine spot you found yourself here."

- "It is. We bought the house from a couple of American pensioners who were moving to Tuscany."

- "Right."

Christian grinned at this, even though I had taken care to keep a neutral tone.

- "Cheer up David, and relax. Isn't my family entitled to a pleasant home? I've never conned anyone, let alone cashed in on the sweat and blood of others."

- "All of us, in this country, have and still do, like it or not. You don't have to run a sweatshop to be an exploiter -it's much more indirect than that, much more diffuse, much more...de-personalised. That's what makes it all so abject."

Christian gave me a weary smile, and suddenly I felt ashamed of myself, standing here in his garden sipping his pastis, lecturing him on the ethical absurdities of a de-regulated worldwide economy. I was about to apologize when Toledo appeared, looking even more shepish than usual. I resolved there and then to opt for a relatively soft approach, and get him to realize that what concerned us above all was his well-being.

He told us he felt fine, but that he couldn't remember anything about the previous evening, only that he'd gone to the bar at the Ambassadeur after training, to have one of those fresh fuit shakes they serve there. He remembered entering the hotel, ordering the shake and sitting in his usual corner, near the potted hydrangeas that remind him of his mother's garden in the barrio. The waiter had brought him the shake, he'd begun to read 'O Bola', and after that -nothing. Nothing at all. He'd awoken at the gendarmerie, and then only after copious amounts of water had been splashed onto his face. In between there was a black hole of about four hours.

The lad seems completely sincere to me -either that or he deserves an Oscar more than any Hollywood icon ever did. He also seems very worried, and Christian and I reassured him as best we could. I didn't mention anything about the Bertuzzi brothers and their investigation -it hardly seemed the appropriate time to do it, and besides we have an important home game coming up on Saturday against Valenciennes. Only a few months in the job, and I'm already behaving as cynically as the worst of them...

- "Do you feel up to coming to training tomorrow?" I asked him.

- "Of course!"

- "OK then. I'll see both of you tomorrow morning. Thanks for the pastis, Christian, make sure the lad gets plenty of sleep tonight."

- "He will. But aren't you staying for dinner? There's plenty to go round, and Marie is cooking rabbit stew."

- "That sounds great, but I've got a few things to sort out at home tonight."

And indeed I did...

retired_tonytranbg79

can't say i've heard anything about Mido, but if he's a trouble maker he should fit right in!

retired_confal2

Don't see Alan Shearer putting up with his kind of crap though -a good punch-up on the cards there, if he signs...

Game reports and team news (source: Football365.fr -National updates section).


11th October 2003, La Bocca (att. 2624).
AS Cannes 3, GFCO Ajaccio 0.

6. Moustaïd sends in a free-kick from the right, which finds Diawara unmarked in the box. His powerful volley beats the stranded keeper. 1-0.

26. Toledo runs into the box and is fouled as he is about to square it back from the byline. Moustaïd converts, though the keeper gets a touch. 2-0.

36. El Kadouri's cross finds Moustaïd, whose header is parried. The ball falls to Mutiu, who smashes it in from a difficult angle. 3-0.

Cannes were never troubled during the game, which they controlled from beginning to end. Ajaccio couldn't produce a single effort on goal, and looked like the bottom-of-the-table club they are. Moustaïd was man-of-the-match with his goal and two assists, with Diawara and Mutiu also putting in excellent performances capped by a goal each.


15th September 2003.

Suleiman Mohammed returns from physiotherapy after recurrent groin problems. The Nigerian resumes normal training, though not expected to feature in the next game.


18th October 2003, Stade Jules Ladoumègue (att. 1690).
Romorantin 0, AS Cannes 5.

9. Magallanes finds Mutiu down the left flank, where he drifted to evade his marker. He takes the ball into the box and shoots hard and low from fifteen yards. 0-1.

15. A corner from the right by Moustaïd is met by Mohellebi's header near the penalty spot. 0-2.

19. Charvet's long ball is knocked down by Mutiu into Toledo's path. The Brazilian beats two men but is forced to the right, however he sends in a pinpoint cross to Mutiu, who is left with a simple tap-in. 0-3.

31. Well-struck free-kick by Moustaïd from 25 yards out. The keeper parries but Magallanes pounces and scores on the rebound. 0-4.

67. Toledo streaks down the right on a fifty-yard run, cuts inside after beating two men and sends in a cross for Mutiu, whose diving header sails into the net. 0-5.

Romorantin's vulnerability down the flanks left them very exposed, particularly so in the first half, and good finishing by Cannes decided the outcome early on in the game. With this win Cannes retain the lead in the National, still followed closely by Louhans-Cuiseaux (3 pts away), though eight points clear of the rest of the pack.


25th October 2003, La Bocca (att. 2568).
AS Cannes 4, Wasquehal 1.

4. Dika plays a free-kick quickly for El Kadouri, who passes to Mutiu on the left of the penalty area. His cross finds Toledo by the penalty spot, and the latter meets it with a firm header. 1-0.

15. Toledo is played through by Magallanes, and blasts the ball into the top right-hand corner. 2-0.

17. Le Bris breaks down the left and plays Darchy into the box with space to spare. The curling strike is beyond Filimonov's reach. 2-1.

22. Moustaïd corner from the left. Toledo heads in from five yards out. 3-1.

26. Mutiu is brought down in the box, and Moustaïd cooly slots it into the top right-hand corner. 4-1.

A game which began at a frenetic pace, with all five goals scored inside of the first half-hour of play. The vast amounts of space in the backs of the Wasquehal centre-back were well exploited by Cannes' forwards. But then Wasquehal, 16th in the table, were never really expected to put up much of a fight, and despite a well-taken goal they displayed little or no intention to threaten Filimonov's goal.