retired_tonytranbg79

your not wrong there, shame is big al is pretty much finished, imo we need sum one to replace him now and rotate them until he hangs his boots up next summer

retired_confal2

Diary entry (source: David Le Spliff's personal diary) -entry dated 26th October 2003.

As the season progresses, it's becoming increasingly clear to everyone at the club that we have what it takes to compete at a higher level, and that barring long-term injuries to our best players, there is no reason to think we cannot win this year's National. And with the top three all promoted to the Ligue 2, I don' see how we could fail to achieve that...

But perhaps I am overly confident -three months ago I was convinced I wasn't up to the job, but this morning at the 'team brunch' we always have on the morning after a game, there were smiles all round and a lot of shoulder-clapping. Charly Loubet and I insisted on the fact that Wasquehal were lying 16th in the National, and that beating them at La Bocca was no heroic exploit, but it's our fifth win in a row and the lads are now fantasizing about a giant-beating run in one of the cups.

Suleiman Mohammed has come back into the team after his treatment for a recurrent groin injury -which he is now hopefully rid of. Laurent Mohellebi, our versatile supersub in the defensive positions, deputized very competently and I'm very glad we were able to sign the young man permanently. I have a feeling Monaco, from whom we'd initially loaned him, will come to rue their dismissal of the young man's ability.

I suppose the only cloud in this perfect sky is my concern for Toledo Róbson. I went several times to the hotel where he'd been found unconscious, but got nothing out of the staff, even when I offered a little financial encouragement. Capitaine Bertuzzi found out about this and was less than happy, warning me about the perils of an amateur doing a job fit only for professionals. He also grudgingly kept his promise to keep us up to speed with the investigation.

- "So far we're hitting a brick wall; the toxicology report revealed nothing. There weren't any marks to suggest anything was done to him, he's even got less insect bites than your average Cannois."

- "Does this mean you found nothing at all then?" I asked, a little impatiently.

- "Nothing gets past you son, eh?" he retorted sarcastically. "Keep an eye on the lad at your end, and you needn't worry -we'll be doing the same at ours."

- "That's very reassuring, Capitaine."

- "Cheer up, monsieur Le Spliff, the lad played a blinder again in your last game, didn't he? Whatever happened to him, it hasn't affected his game."

- "I suppose not...but he's just a kid, and a very nice one too, and I happen to take my responsibilities seriously."

- "No doubt. We all do. Don't torture yourself over this, and keep those victories coming."

- "That's really up to the players. But we're doing our best. Keep coming to the terraces, and bring some people with you -our attendances are shameful for a town this size."

- "Oh, we'll be there, like we always are with the lads from the gendarmerie, but you must remember that Cannes is not much like any other town. You'll get used to that."

- "Let's hope so. Thanks for calling anyway."

- "Always a pleasure to converse with you, monsieur. Goodbye."

- "Goodbye."


And so onward into November, which we hope will hold more of the same for us. Our next game is away to Angoulême, who are fifth and were amongst the pre-season favourites. My main aim is to maintain our unbeaten record, for as long as we can, and build up a handy points buffer between us and the teams lying below third place.

In the shorter term, my plans mostly include a six-pack of Leffe and a number of football shows, which Christian has kindly recorded for me as he owns a satellite dish. After all, it's Sunday...

retired_confal2

Game reports and team news (source: 'Bocca Vera!' fanzine, November issues).


1st November 2003, Stade Lebon (att. 4452).

Angoulême 0
AS Cannes 4

Goals: Mohammed (13, 0-1), Mutiu (17, 0-2), El Kadouri (56, 0-3), Toledo (63, 0-4).

Notes: Vargas sent off on 77 mins. Shots: Angoulême 1(1), AS Cannes 16(8).

[i]A walk in the park for Cannes, who were expecting much stiffer opposition from a team lying fifth in the league. The visitors controlled the game from beginning to end with sharp, short passing moves. Angoulême's flanks were repeatedly pierced by Moustaïd and El Kadouri, while the home team seemed incapable of anything other than throwing long balls forward, a tactic easily coped with by Cannes' defence. Young Nigerian Suleiman Mohammed confirms his return to form with an excellent performance, cropping up all over the middle of the park to win the ball back and distribute. Winger Moustaïd just edged him out for man-of-the-match, though, his mazy runs a constant source of panic on the left side of Angoulême's defence.


8th November 2003, La Bocca (att. 2647).

AS Cannes 3
Stade Reims 0

Goals: Toledo (34, 1-0; 42, 2-0; 46, 3-0).

Notes: Dika sent off on 92 mins. Shots: AS Cannes 22(12), Stade Reims 2(0).

Another masterly display by Cannes, a clear demonstration of superior technique and tactical intelligence. Reims simply did not have the quality to cope, and mostly concerned themselves with letting in as few as possible. But Brazilian sensation Toledo Róbson, the day's hero, found the net three times and confirmed his position of best goalscorer in the National, with his tally now reaching 17 in 13 games played. This victory puts Cannes six points clear at the top, with an impressive 41 points out of a possible 45, and yet to be defeated in any competition this season.


13th November 2003.

Youssef Moustaïd strains his back in training and will be out for a week. Toledo will temporarily move out to the right wing, and Zoko will come into the first eleven in a striker's role alongside Mutiu.

The draw for the Seventh Round of the French Cup was made, with Cannes playing amateur side Evry at La Bocca on 22nd November 2003.


15th November 2003, Parc Municipal des Sports (att. 6351).

Dijon 0
AS Cannes 4

Goals: Mohammed (23, 0-1), Tournut (30, 0-2), Zoko (47, 0-3), Mutiu (54, 0-4).

Shots: Dijon 3(1), AS Cannes 25(13).

Playing away from home with an unusual pairing in central defence, with Charvet and Tournut replacing Vargas and Dika -both suspended after being sent off in successive games-, Cannes lost none of their usual serenity and control. Toledo put in another excellent display, this time on the right wing, and Suleiman Mohammed ran the midfield with his usual efficiency. Manager Le Spliff will be particularly pleased with how well the players who are not regulars fitted into the team's pattern, and Cannes will be looking to widen the gap at the top over the next few weeks.


17th November 2003.

Djibril Diawara damages his shoulder in training and will be out for two weeks. Laurent Charvet will see more first-team action, and young Thibault Courtel joins the group as cover for the right-back spot, after putting in some decent performances with the reserves.


22nd November 2003, La Bocca (att. 3393). (French Cup Seventh Round)

AS Cannes (Nat.) 2
Evry (Amateur) 0

Goals: Toledo (26, 1-0), Magallanes (77, 2-0).

Shots: AS Cannes 17(8), Evry 0(0).

Despite lacklustre finishing, Cannes progress to the next round with no difficulty, their opponents incapable of creating a single chance against a team that contained few of its usual first-choice players. Dembelé made a good impression on the right of the Cannes midfield, with Toledo running the show up front and Vargas impeccable at the back.

retired_bbcarr

this remains an excellent read, dave :thup:

retired_tonytranbg79

couldn't agree more

retired_confal2

Thanks a lot guys, much appreciated. I'm finding it difficult to post regularly, and over the next few weeks it's going to get worse before it gets any better...I have a feeling this is going to be a very long story, but I'm determined to stick by it as long as the storyline makes some sort of sense...


Game reports and team news (continued from above).


25th November 2003.

Julien Tournut suffered a groin strain during the day's training sessions, and will be unavailable for three weeks. With Djibril Diawara also out through injury, cover is now short in defensive positions.


26th November 2003, La Bocca (att. 2557).

AS Cannes 2
Raon-l'Etape 1

Goals: Demangeon (16, 0-1), Toledo (39, 1-1; 69, 2-1).

Notes: Magallanes misses penalty, 90. Shots: AS Cannes 19(9), Raon-l'Etape 2(1).

A much more one-sided game than the result suggests. Cannes found themselves in the unfamiliar position of being led at La Bocca, through a freak goal from fully fifty yards, a direct free-kick which left Filimonov stranded at the edge of his box. Not often does one see such incredible goals at this level, and Demangeon seemed stunned by the result of his own audacity. Toledo was yet again voted man-of-the-match, and in the end his two goals proved more than enough to earn the three points. A narrow win, perhaps, but nothing to worry about in the overall performance, and Louhans-Cuiseaux are now trailing the leaders by nine points.


29th November 2003, Stade du Hameau (att. 6932).

Pau 1
AS Cannes 3

Goals: Zoko (8, 0-1), Toledo (13, 0-2), Mohammed (20, 0-3), Demirdjian (71, 1-3).

Shots: Pau 4(2), AS Cannes 9(6).

Diawara returned from injury to take his place at right-back, in a team which once again featured several players who hadn't seen much first-team action so far. Padovani was a little disappointing in goal, but Courtel, Emanuelson and Viltard had a decent game in midfield, and Zoko added another goal to his tally. Pau offered little resistance, and twenty minutes into the game the visitors were three-up, suggesting another humiliating scoreline was on the cards for Cannes' opponents, but in the end the 3-1 scoreline was quite a fair reflection of the game, which the Mediterraneans dominated throughout without really creating that many chances, and in particular once they had a three-goal advantage.

On the same day, AS Cannes were drawn to play amateur team Montélimar away from home, in the Eighth Round of the French Cup. The fixture is scheduled to be played on 13th December 2003 at the Stade Alexandre Tropenas.

retired_tonytranbg79

Damn you Dave and your from thingy...such a shame I don't know french...merde

Please do stick with the story it has hooked me into it and am sincerley enjoying it :thup:

retired_hekelemalia

me too!

retired_confal2

Nice to know there's still some interest in the story. Thanks guys. Mine is intact, by the way, it's just going to be very, very slow...

Tyrone, 'Les divins chauves ont encore frappé' = 'the divine baldies have struck again'...and 'merde' is a good start, keep it up

retired_confal2

meant to include the last post in the one i'm writing now, but once again i pressed 'post now' with undue haste...


Press feature (source: 'Le Petit Rapporteur', interview dated 3rd December 2003).


Over the last decade, our town has seen its image significantly tarnished in the eye of the informed public, to the point where one could wonder whether there was anything good left to say about Cannes.

This newspaper has decried and exposed many of the factors responsible for this: the rise in popularity of the Front National * in the area; the emergence of several new and powerful criminal organisations, whose ultra-violent rivalry often spills over onto the streets; the artificial, haphazard growth of 'industry parks' and 'executive residency areas' to accomodate the stinking rich and their cronies -jetsetters, executives, crime bosses, politicians and all kinds of other parasites and leeches.

We have not, however, mentioned another important way in which our town has lost face in recent years -namely our very own football club, l'Association Sportive de Cannes, which has sunk to the depths of the National when, a little over a decade ago, players like Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira wore the youth team's jersey.

The situation seems to be improving slightly at La Bocca, with Cannes leading the National by eleven points, and still unbeaten in any competition so far this season. Led by a young manager who believes in short, sharp passing and a brand of attacking football which makes full use of the width of the pitch, the team seems well on the way to promotion already, with the top three going up to join the ranks of the Ligue 2.

In this issue's interview feature we offer our readers a departure from the usual current affairs and critical analysis, as we converse with AS Cannes manager David Le Spliff:

Le Petit Rapporteur: First of all, welcome and thank you for agreeing to this interview.

David Le Spliff: My pleasure. I've learnt a lot about this town by reading your paper, and I tend to agree with the views of your regular contributors. Besides, someone promised me a crate of Leffe Radieuse.

LPR: That'll be the editor. But let's move on to football now; throughout October and November, Cannes have consolidated their position at the top of the National. How would you assess the team's chances of obtaining promotion this year?

DLS: I'd say the chances are very good. With all due respect to our opponents, at the club we feel that the quality of the squad is such that we are perfectly capable of competing at a higher level. There's a long way to go this season, but we haven't yet played a team who were able to put us on the back foot, and it's unlikely we will unless we meet a club from a higher division in the French Cup. Then again, in football you never know...

LPR: Well at least you've learnt to speak in clichés, like any self-respecting football manager. How difficult have you found it to adapt to a professional setting?

DLS: Don't be such a smart alec. To answer your question, I remember being very apprehensive the first couple of weeks, but once things really got under way I just didn't have time to wonder whether I was going to do a good job of it or not. But I receive excellent advice from the coaches, and everyone at the club has been very patient with me, including the players.

LPR: What, if any, would you say are the team's weaknesses?

DLS: We create an awful number of chances, but sometimes the last ball and the finishing are far too casual. There's a tendency in the team to over-confidence in our ability to outplay opponents, which has on occasion translated into an inability to kill the game when we should have.

LPR: What is your impression so far of the club and of its supporters?

DLS: I suppose this is some sort of trick question...If I didn't believe the club has the potential to make significant progress, there wouldn't be much point in trying, would there? As for the supporters, I've been getting to know them quite well, which isn't too difficult as there aren't that many of them at our games.

LPR: Indeed. Are you hoping that success on the pitch will bring back the crowds to La Bocca?

DLS: Crowds? The stadium can hold around twelve thousand, so that would depend on your definition of a 'crowd'. Obviously I hope we can generate greater interest in the team, and improve the attendance at home games. It's one of the principal ways through which we pay the players' salaries -or didn't you realize that?

LPR: Actually I did, but I'm just reading through my list of questions here. We don't usually discuss any sports in our paper.

DLS: Never mind...Are there many more questions in that vein on your list, or can I collect my crate of Leffe and go home for some well-deserved rest?

LPR: Well...I suppose for once we can have a shorter interview than usual. Thanks again for coming, and good luck in your next game -ah...

DLS: At La Bocca against Libourne Saint-Seurin, yes. Saturday 6th December, at eight PM -bring a friend, or several.


*The 'Front National' is a far-right political party, and a nest of corrupt crypto-fascists, several of whom have been involved in scams designed to divert money from municipalities or regional institutions into their own pockets, often in collusion with local crime bosses and/or 'investment banks'