retired_loubou

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dr_dR3:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bjorn:

Excellent <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Little? lol.

Btw: I'm also from Belgium. Bridges 'till I die. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well I meant "little" by quality.

And enjoy the read

retired_loubou

February, the Champions Cup month...

Sunday 1st February:

The board is still delighted with my performances and the fans are delighted with the progress the club has been making under my management.

Then it was time for the Goal of the Month:
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">1) Thijs for Genk vs. Anderlecht2) Wuytens for Cercle Brugge vs. Heusden-Zolder3) Van Hoeylandt for Lokeren vs. Anderlecht </pre>

Then I saw my manager profile:
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Ability to handle pressure 8 sameAmbition 10 sameLoyalty 9 sameMedia handling 19 sameProfessionalism 12 sameTemperament 11 sameReputation ok same </pre>

There was also one game today which was the last one of the 20th playday. Cercle Brugge kept the three points at home as they humiliated Mouscron with 5 to 1.

Wednesday 4th February:

Today was the day that I could add one player to my Champions Cup squad and replace two if I wanted to. I added Van de Ven and I didn't changed anybody.

Saturday 7th February:

Verlinden returned from injury today and has started with the training since this morning.

Brugge vs Lokeren (H) 20.00
First division game 21
Attendance: 15487
Wet, 9°C

Team line-up (4-4-2): Butina, De Cock, Van der Heyden, Rozehnal, Clement(c), Verheyen, Ceh, Kallstrom, Englebert, Saeternes, Mendoza

De Cock will play on the right back position for this game as Maertens is injured. If you talk about a boring start to the game, you are talking about this game I think. The first thing that happened was in the 29th minute when Saeternes needed to leave the pitch with an injury. Lange came in his place. And that was also the only thing that happened as there weren't any changes in the first half.

Half-time score: 0 - 0

The first real chance came in the 55th minute! Ceh crossed the ball into the area and Mendoza headed it towards goal. It cannoned back of the crossbar and Lange was the first one to the rebound and he gave ujs the lead. It was the only chance of the game can you believe that? Only one chance and luckily a goal to. I will try a different tactic in the next game I think.

MoM: Butina (8)
Final score: Brugge 1 - Lokeren 0

Scorer: Lange
Assist: Mendoza

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Substitution: 30th minute: Saeternes was injured and replaced with Lange. </pre>

And Saeternes is out again. This time he is out for 3 weeks with a damaged knee cartilage.

Other results today were:
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Anderlecht 2 - AA Gent 1Antwerp 1 - La Louvière 1 Charleroi 2 - Mons 2Genk 1 - Germinal Beerschot 2Lierse 0 - Standard 1Mouscron 3 - Heusden-Zolder 1Sint-Truiden 2 - Beveren 1Westerlo 2 - Cercle Brugge 3</pre>

Friday 13th February:

Heusden-Zolder drawed with Westerlo on the 22nd playday. The final score was 2-2.

Saturday 14th February:

Antwerp lost with 0-1 against Mouscron. Germinal Beerschot won at La Louvière with 0-1. Lokeren were humiliated at home as Genk trashed them with 0-4. Mons-Lierse ended in a 2-0 win for the away team and Standard defeated Sint-Truiden with 2-0.

Sunday 15th February:

Cercle Brugge won their game against Charleroi thanks to Arijs who scored the only goal of the game. Beveren lost their home game with 0-2 against Anderlecht. And we also had a game to play today:

Brugge vs. AA Gent (A) 20.00
First division game 22
Attendance: 7884
Wet, 9°C

Team line-up (4-4-2): Butina, Maertens, Van der Heyden, De Cock, Clement(c), Verheyen, Ceh, Kallstrom, Englebert, Lange, Mendoza

I started the game with my first team as except on Saeternes as he is injured and replaced by Lange. The first chance of the game was in the 15th minute but AA Gent's corner was saved by Butina. Two minutes later Ribus is one-on-one with Butina but he couldn't finish the chance. In the 31st minute Lange played a long ball to Mendoza. Our current topscorer added another one as he rounded the keeper and then putted the ball against the back of the net. He did it in two times tough as Herpoel saved his first attempt. From that moment Gent pulled back and we less space to create chances.

Half-time score: 0 - 1

In the 53rd minute AA Gent had a corner and it was Theunis who headed in the equaliser. Machethe was the one who swung the corner in. I told my boys to play a little bit more attacking as I was hoping to score more then once. In the 66th minute Kallstrom played a great ball for Mendoza but he couldn't score his second goal of the game. In the 83rd minute Hempte fired in a great free-kick but Butina saved it with his fingertips. Three minutes later Gent are awarded a free-kick for a little foul by Van der Heyden. Mudingayi stepped up but the penalty was saved by our goallie but he couldn't do anything about the rebound effort of Mudingayi.

MoM: Herpoel (9)
Final score: AA Gent 2 - Brugge 2

Scorer: Mendoza

And so we didn't took profit of Sint-Truiden's loss yesterday. We still have two points lead.

retired_loubou

Friday 20th February:

The 23rd playday got underway today as Anderlecht, the home team, won their game against their visitors, Standard, with 2-0.

Saturday 21st February:

Brugge vs. Beveren (H) 20.00
First division game 23
Attendance: 14872
Dry, 11°C

Team line-up (4-4-2): Butina, Maertens, Van der Heyden, De Cock, Clement(c), Verheyen, Ceh, Kallstrom, Englebert, Lange, Mendoza

We had the first chance of the game in the 10th minute when Van der Heyden knocked the ball down the line for Mendoza. He jumped higher then Stepanovs and won the ball in the air. He headed it towards goal but it went wide. Eleven minutes later Beveren had their first chance of the game with a freekick just outside the area. Geerinckx dispatched it towards goal and left Butina stranded when the ball hitted the back of the net. In the 39th minute Mendoza had another chance as he smashed the ball towards the top corner but it went just over.

Half-time score: 0 - 1

The second half was just underway when Mendoza’s goal was ruled out for offside. In the 57th minute Lange tried to head the ball past Copa but the Beveren goallie was placed very well. Twenty minutes later Sanogo tried the same thing on the other side of the pitch but Butina saved it also. In the 82nd minute Boka doubled Beveren’s lead as he headed the ball past Butina. Five minutes later we were totally humiliated as Persoons scored their third goal of the game.

MoM: Copa (8)
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Substitution: 74th minute: Englebert was replaced by Stoica. Smolders came on to replace Lange. </pre>

Charleroi won their home game against Heusden-Zolder with a convincing 3-0. Cercle Brugge lost in and against Lierse with 3-1. Mouscron won with 2-1 against La Louvière. We lost our first position to Sint-Truiden as they won with 2-1 against Mons and the last game today was a 2-2 draw between Westerlo and Antwerp.

Sunday 22nd February:

The last two games of the 23rd playday were played today as Genk lost at home against AA Gent with 0-1 and Germinal Beerschot won with 2-0 against Lokeren.

The days past on and before I knew it I had to play in the Champions Cup.

Wednesday 25th February:

Brugge vs. Lazio (H) 19.45
Champions Cup second round first leg
Dry, 10°C

Stefaan Lambrechts: Welcome to our studio in Vilvoorde after two months without Champions Cup football. Tonight Frank Raes will bring you a live reportage, as always, from Brugge vs. Lazio. Brugge are currently in a “little crisis” as in their last seven games they failed to score more then once and they lost four of those seven games. They are also in second position for the first time this season. Now let’s go to Frank Raes.

“Welcome and good evening to all of those who are sitting at home watching this game. I’m sitting here in my studio in the Jan Breydelstadion and outside there are 29945 people for this game. The stadion isn’t filled to the top as there are 30 places left.. Let’s have a look at the line-ups from both teams. Starting with Brugge we have Butina in goal, on the right side of defence we have Maertens since the departure of Simons and on the left side we have Van der Heyden. Between them are De Cock and Clement. The four midfielders today are, from right to left, Verheyen, Kallstrom, Englebert and Ceh and the two most attacking players for Brugge are Lange and Mendoza. So they are playing with a 4-4-2. Lazio are also starting with a 4-4-2 with in goal Peruzzi and in front of him front right to left Oddo, Stam, Mihajlovic and Zauri. In midfield we have Fiore, Liverani, Albertini and César. Inzaghi and Claudio Lopez are the two strikers tonight.”

“Helmut Fleischer is the referee tonight and he gets the game underway now.
Five minutes have passed and nothing really happened. Stam has the ball and plays a long ball. Inzaghi picks it up. He advances on Butina!! A hard shot but a good save. Lazio had the first real chance of the game. And certainly not the last one. Three minutes have gone since that last chance and Ceh has the ball outside the pitch fo a throw in. he throws it in the area but Fiore clears it. The referee is pointing at the spot! Brugge are awarded a penalty and it seems that Albertini pushed Mendoza in the area. Ceh is the player who steps up to take the penalty kick…It’s in Brugge take the lead.”

“So far we have sixteen minutes of football and Van der Heyden has the ball in the back of the defence. He clears the ball and Mendoza is able to pick it up. He dribbles past Oddo and now he plays a wonderful ball towards Lange. He shoots it high and hard towards the topcorner!! It’s in, Brugge have taken a 2-0 lead after seventeen minutes of football. What a nice goal.”

“Now we are in the 21st minute and Fiore has the ball on the left wing. He centres the ball. Inzaghi picks it up and shows some good control on the ball. He strikes the ball with fury!! And it’s in, Butina couldn’t get to it and Lazio are back in the game. Four minutes after Brugge’s 2-0 they score the 2-1. It’s an exciting game for the fans.”

“The game tempo has dropped a bit as we are in the 37th minute and we didn’t saw another nice chance of both teams. Inzaghi has the ball for Lazio, he runs to the byline and he crosses the ball to the near post. Fiore is there!! Oh that’s just over. They were very close from the equaliser here and Brugge shouldn’t be pulling back. It was the last chance of the first half ad so I give the word back to you Stefaan and I’d like to welcome you back in 15 minutes for the second half of Brugge – Lazio. The half-time score here is 2-1.

retired_loubou

Stefaan Lambrechts: So Brugge are leading. It’s a big surprise bu we can’t say it’s tottaly undeserved as they started very well in the first half. They pulled back a little but that’s normal as they can’t put pressure on lazio for the whole 45 minutes. The other games were also tonight and we are going to have a quick view at the half-time results. Arsenal - Inter are currently drawing with 0-0. In Juventus vs. Real Sociedad the half-time score is 1-1. Chelsea are leading with 2-0 at half-time vs. Dortmund as Mutu and Bridge scored a goal each. Half-time score in Ajax - Anderlecht is 0-0. that’s also the same score as in Dynamo Kiev vs. FC Bayern. Shevchenko putted Milan on a 1-0 lead vs. Real Madrid and in the last game between Newcastle and Man Utd the half-time score is currently 1-1. Now let’s get back to Brugge – Lazio.

“Welcome back people all the players just arrived on the pitch and as far as I can see there aren’t any changes made so let’s get the game underway.
Six minutes have passed and Claudio Lopez has the ball. Oh he tries a long range effort and Butina saved it without problem.”

“The second half is really boring at the moment. We are in the 68th minute and so far we have just seen one chance from Lazio. Now César has the ball and look and see what space he gets. He can just walk into the area!! He shoots but it went just wide. If Brugge want to pogress or want to win at least then they should be playing better then this.”

“And now we are in the 83rd minute. Brugge are still leading but they haven’t done anything good in the second half,. Not that Lazio is playing ggreat but they created at least some chances. Van der Heyden has the ball now and plays it to Ceh. He crosses the ball into the area and Lange tries to head it in but Peruzzi saves it with ease.
And there it is… The final whistle. Brugge won this game although they didn’t play great. The man of the match was Butina as he prevented Lazio from scoring more then once. I give the word back to Stefaan and I will see you guy’s back in two weeks for the return in Lazio.”

Stefaan Lambrechts: Thanks for the reportage Frank. So Brugge won the first leg as the second half didn’t have much to offer. It’s a nice achievement but I don’t think it will be enough to progress. We will know that in two weeks. Here are the other results of this evening.
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Arsenal 0 - Inter 0 Juventus 1 - Real Sociedad 1 Chelsea 3 - Dortmund 0 Ajax 2 - Anderlecht 0 Dynamo Kiev 0 - FC Bayern 0 AC Milan 2 - Real Madrid 0 Newcastle 3 - Man Utd 1 </pre>

I would like to welcome you back in two weeks for the return leg of the Champions Cup second round. I wish you a good evening further and let’s say it once more Brugge 2 - Lazio 1

shannon2007

Gonna be a nail-biting second leg methinks

retired_loubou

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Peacemaker7:
Gonna be a nail-biting second leg methinks <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah will then we are with two who are thinking this

Thanks for your support from the start of the story

retired_loubou

Friday 27th February:

The 24th playday got underway with AA Gent losing at home against a great playing Germinal Beerschot with 1-2. Because of this win they toke their unbeaten record to an amazing ten games and they are currently in 3rd position. Lierse won in and against Heusden-Zolder with 0-1.

Saturday 28th February:

Today there were another four games to be finished as Anwerp and Charleroi drawed 0-0, Beveren - Genk ended one all, La Louvière crunched Lokeren with 4-1 and Mouscron defeated Westerlo with 2-0.

Sunday 29th February:

Today our arch rivals did us a great pleasure as Cercle Brugge won with 2-0 against Sint-Truiden. So if we win our game then we can retake our first position. Mons lost at home against Anderlecht with 0-1. Because of this win they are in 4th position currently.

Also today was the English League Cup Final between Everton and Man City. It was the last one who won the cup after a a hard fought 1-2 win over “the Toffees”.

Brugge vs. Standard (H) 20.00
First division game 24
Attendance: 23610
Wet, 9°C

Team line-up (4-3-1-2): Butina, Maertens, Van der Heyden, De Cock, Clement(c), Verheyen, Ceh, Kallstrom, Englebert, Lange, Mendoza

I decided to use a new tactic in the competition because of our latest bad results. The same players are used the only difference there is, is that the three midfielders are playing central and we have an attacking midfielder which is filled in by Kallstrom. The game started slowly with both teams havind a litlle chance but Mumlek for Standard and Mendoza for us both missed it. In the 31st minute Mendoza plays the ball to Lange, who was unmarked, and he volleys it into the top right corner. Two minutes later Mpenza tried to score the equaliser but Butina saved it nicely.

Half-time score: 0 - 1

Three minutes into the second half Mendoza intercepted a pass from Houtekier. He continued his run untill he reached the area before he fired his shot over the goal. In the 57th minute Mumlek tried a shot from distance but it stranded into the sidenetting. In the 74th minute Verheyen heads on Butina’s goalkick. Lange picked up his pass but his finishing was poor and so it stayed 0-1. A minute later Englebert played a long ball to Mendoza. He headed it on towards Lange, who got rid off his marker, and he finished it off in style as he curled the ball past Carini.

MoM: Lange (9)
Final score: Standard 2 – Brugge 0

Scorer: Lange (2)
Assists: Mendoza (2)
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Substitutions: 90th minute: I made a double substitution as both Lange and Mendoza came off after a great game and they were replaced by Van de Ven and Smolders </pre>

It was a great game and I was very pleased to score more then once in the league. Because of this win we are on the first position again.

March, the return of the Champions Cup second round.

Monday 1st March:

The board and fans were still delighted with the way I was performing as a manager.

There was also the Goal of the Month award today:
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">1) Yaya for Beveren vs. Genk.2) De Decker for Germinal Beerschot vs. La Louvière.3) Jbari for Cercle Brugge vs. Mouscron. </pre>

Then the last thing I had to do was looking at my manager profile:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Ability to handle pressure 8 sameAmbition 10 sameLoyalty 9 sameMedia handling 19 sameProfessionalism 12 sameTemperament 12 1 upReputation ok same </pre>

Saeternes also returned from injury today and he started with full training again. Because of his return I decided to use a new system in my striker substitutions. Lange and Mendoza are starting upfront and if ie. Mendoza scores in the next game and lange doesn’t then Lange will be replaced by Saeternes. So actually if the striker doesn’t score they will be replaced. For this system I will use Lange, Mendoza, Saeternes and Van de Ven.

Friday 5th March:

The 25th playday saw Genk vs. Standard as his first fixture. It was the home team who won the game with 2 against 1.

Saturday 6th March:

Brugge vs. Mons (H) 20.00
First division game 25
Attendance: 12611
Dry, 17°C

Team line-up (4-3-1-2): Butina, Maertens, Van der Heyden, De Cock, Clement(c), Verheyen, Ceh, Kallstrom, Englebert, Lange, Mendoza

We had to wait until the 17th minute to see the first chance of the game. Lange played the ball towards Verheyen, who played a wonderful first time pass to Mendoza. He had all the time to control the ball before he fired it in. Six minutes later Mendoza served Lange. He headed the ball past Willockx to give us a two goal lead. In the 31st minute I saw some magnificent team play by my team but Lange’s header was aimed right onto the keeper. It would have been a great goal. In the 40th minute Van der Heyden played a long ball which was headed on to Lange by Mendoza. The Norwegian striker controlled it well and then he scored a low drive to make it 3-0.

Half-time score: 3 - 0

The first chance of Mons came in the 67th minute. Joly crossed the ball into the area but Casto’s header was to weak to bring Butina in danger. The second half was actually pretty boring as the next chance came in the 83rd minute. Gadiaga fired in the freekick but it went over the crossbar. And so the game ended without any chance for us in the second half.

MoM: Lange (8)
Final score: Brugge 3 – Mons 0

Scorers: Mendoza, Lange (2)
Assists: Verheyen, Mendoza (2)

Anderlecht lost at home against Cercle Brugge with 0-2. Charleroi beated Mouscron with 2-0. The team who is in splendid form Germinal Beerschot trashed Beveren with 3-0 while Sint-Truiden lost with 0-1 at home against 18th placed Heusden-Zolder. The last game tonight ended in a 1-0 win for Westerlo against La Louvière.

Sunday 7th March:

The last games were finished today. Lierse won with 4-2 against Antwerp while Lokeren and AA Gent ended one all. Here is a league table after 25 games:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Holders - Club Brugge| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D.| Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Club Brugge | | 25 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 8 | +30 | 57 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Sint-Truiden | | 25 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 16 | +19 | 52 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Germinal Beerschot | | 25 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 27 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 15 | +18 | 48 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Mouscron | | 25 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 21 | +14 | 45 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Anderlecht | | 25 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 21 | +13 | 45 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Genk | | 25 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 19 | +18 | 43 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Standard | | 25 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 14 | +6 | 40 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Westerlo | | 25 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 20 | +12 | 36 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Cercle Brugge | | 25 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 25 | 0 | 34 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th| | Lierse | | 25 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 29 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 24 | +2 | 32 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th| | Charleroi | | 25 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 16 | -2 | 31 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th| | La Louvière | | 25 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 27 | -4 | 28 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th| | AA Gent | | 25 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 20 | -8 | 27 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th| | Lokeren | | 25 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 27 | -13 | 26 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th| | Antwerp | | 25 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 35 | -27 | 24 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th| | Beveren | | 25 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 28 | -23 | 23 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th| | Mons | | 25 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 26 | -27 | 17 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th| | Heusden | | 25 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 32 | -28 | 17 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

[This message was edited by Peacemaker7 on 30 December 2003 at 13:56.]

retired_loubou

Tuesday 9th March:

Today I spent most of my day searching players who were intrested in joining my club. I decided to make an offer on Betis’ Gaston Angel Casas. I send them an email to ask them if they would accept my offer of €1.5M for their unsettled striker. I also mailed Valencia to ask them if €4M is enough for John Carew. I decided that I wanted only one of them so I would see who was intrested to sign for us.

Wednesday 10th March:

Brugge vs. Lazio (A) 19.45
Champions Cup second round second leg (agg 1-2 for Brugge)
Dry, 16°C

Stefaan Lambrechts: Welcome viewers. Tonight the last 8 teams will be decided to play in the Champions Cup Quarter Final. Brugge can progress but it will be very hard. If they can score once then anything is possible but we can expect a fierce Lazio tonight. Let’s go to Frank Raes for a live reportage on the game.

“A very good evening to everyone. I’m sitting here in a nice studio in Olimpico, Rome. And the stadion is filled with 46796 footballfans. Like Stefaan said, Brugge can progress but it will be very hard as Mancini told the press that they wouldn’t lose at home. Let’s have a look at the starting line-ups then. Brugge are playing with their new 4-3-1-2 tactic. Butina is in goal and in defence we have Maertens, De Cock, Clement and Van der Heyden. You should now the midfielders by now. Verheyen, Englebert and Ceh and in front of them we have Kallstrom. Lange and Mendoza are starting upfront. Now let’s have a look at Lazio. Between the sticks we have Peruzzi and the defenders are Oddo, Stam, Mihajlovic and Zauri. The four midfielders are Conceicao, Albertini, Giannichedda and César and in the attack we have Corradi and Inzaghi.”

“The man who will try to run everything well tonight is Steve Bennett and he starts the game right now.
Five minutes have passed and Zauri has the ball. He passes to Inzaghi and he is taking the ball into the box. He drove it towards goal with his right foot!! But Butina saves it nicely. It’s a warning by Lazio.”

“So far we have seen twelve minutes of football and as expected Brugge can’t make a fist. César has the ball on the left wing. He swings it into the area… Inzaghi is there. Will he finish it off? Yes he does. Lazio have taken the lead after 12 minutes of football. Butina can’t be blaimed as Inzaghi’s shot had both class and power.”

“Ten minutes have passed since the goal and still Brugge can’t do anything. César has the ball and he dribbles past De Cock. He still continues with his run. And now he shoots. Oh that was very close the ball skimmed the top of the bar.
So far there are 28 minutes gone and Lazio have a freekick in a dangerous position. Mihajlovic is waiting behind the ball. Brugge’s wall is on the right distance. He shoots. What a magnificent goal by Mihajlovic. You can’t blaim anyone as you know when he steps up it’s dangerous.”

“Five minutes are left before the first half ends and Verheyen has the ball. Could this be their first chance of the game. Mendoza picks up Verheyen’s and he brings the ball forward. He’s into the box now and this should be the 2-1…. But it went over the bar.
And there it is the end of the first half. Lazio are leading and’s it very deserved to say the least. Back to you Stefaan.”

retired_loubou

Stefaan Lambrechts: Well as expected Brugge are blown away. It’s only 2-0 so far but it could be much more. But still we have a chance. If we can bring a nice second half then maybe we could progress. We’ll see. Let’s have a look at the other games this evening. Anderlecht - Ajax is one all at the moment while Chelsea have taken the lead in Dortmund thanks to a Crespo goal. FC Bayern vs. Dynamo Kiev is 0-0 at the moment. Inter and Arsenal have both scored once in the first half and Man Utd and Newcastle have done the same so far. Real Madrid and AC Milan haven’t scored so far and in the last game between Real Sociedad and Juventus the half-time score is 0-1 as Di Vaio converted a penalty in the 11th minute. Let’s return to Rome for the second half of Lazio – Brugge.

“Welcome back everyone. Stefaan you’re right we have still a chance to progress but then the second half should be ten times better then the first 45 minutes. Both teams started with the same 11 players so let’s look what Brugge can do in this half.”

“We are in the 62nd minute now and César has the ball on the left wing. He’s a constant threat this evening and let us hope he doesn’t score. He passes to Oddo, who holds the ball up for a minute before he swings it into the area. César!! Oh his header went inches wide and I think this will be the same 45 minutes like the first ones. Lazio who are looking for more while Brugge can’t do a thing.”

“Fourteen minutes have passed in the second half and Kallstrom has the ball in midfield. He plays it up to Englebert. He tries a distance shot which is sailing over the bar. He should’ve passed to Lange.
Three minutes later and Brugge have the ball again. Maybe it’s possible after all. Verheyen chips the ball into the area. Lange with the volley!! What a save by Peruzzi. He did very well to get his fingertips onto that ball and the fans of Brugge who travelled to here were all jumping as they thought they scored.”

“Four minutes are left before the game ends. Brugge had some little chances as Lazio didn’t attacked anymore. But now they have another freekick in a dangerous position and again it’s Mihajlovic who steps up…. And once again it’s gone in. Another superb freekick by Mihajlovic. And now it’s game over for Brugge as they need to score twice in the last four minutes.
You see I just told you and there it is the final whistle. Brugge are out of the champions league but they shouldn’t be ashamed about their campagne. The man of the match tonight was without a doubt Mihajlovic for his splendid defensive work and for his two amazing goals. I give the word back to you Stefaan and I’ll see you guy’s back next year hopefully. Good night.”

Stefaan Lambrechts: So like everyone expected Brugge are out of the champions league but it isn’t a shame as they did very well this year. Tommorow we will have an interview with Björn Noppe and now I’d like to finish with showing you the teams that progressed to the next round. Good night and see you back next time.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Ajax are progressing despite Anderlecht (5 - 1)Chelsea are progressing despite Dortmund (6 - 0)FC Bayern are progressing despite Dinamo Kiev (2 - 1)Inter are progressing despite Arsenal (3 - 1)Lazio are progressing despite Brugge (4 - 2)Newcastle are progressing despite Man Utd (4 - 2)Milan are progressing despite Real Madrid (2 - 0)Juventus are progressing despute Real Sociedad (3 - 1) </pre>

Lazio 3 - Brugge 0

retired_loubou

A small interview with Björn Noppe!

Reporter: Hello Björn can I ask you some questions about your Champions Cup campagne?

Björn: Sure, fire away.

Reporter: Well how do you feel after this two games with Lazio?

Björn: Well I’m very pleased. We can’t say that we have been blown away. We won our home game and we knew that the game in Lazio would be very tough. I’m very proud about the way we played, surely if you saw that we were in a minor “crisis” before our Lazio game but now we are back on track I think.

Reporter: And how do you feel about the full campagne?

Björn: I’m very pleased with the way we played in the Champions Cup. The one game that will stay in my mind is the 1-1 draw in San Siro against AC Milan, but overall the campagne was a great succes and I hope we can do the same or even better next year.

Reporter: Last question, which player made the biggest impact on you during the campagne?

Björn: You can’t expect that I will say a name. The whole team made a great impression on me and I can only hope that they will impress me even more in the future.

Friday 12th March:

I received an email today from Betis telling me that they accepted my offer and that we can start with negotiating a contract with Casas. He didn’t seem very enthousiastic to join our club but I said him to consider our contract offer.

Also today there was one game planned for the competition as Standard drew level against visitors, Germinal Beerschot, with 1-1.

Saturday 13th March:

I received a phonecall today from Valencia and they told me that they accepted my offer on their striker John Carew. I offered him the most I could to get him to sign for my club as he would be a great addition to the squad.

My assistant manager also gave me the results of today’s games:
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Antwerp 2 - Sint-Truiden 3Beveren 3 - Lokeren 0Heusden-Zolder 2 - Anderlecht 0La Louvière 1 - AA Gent 1Mons 0 - Genk 2Mouscron 1 - Lierse 1Westerlo 0 - Charleroi 2 </pre>

Sunday 14th March:

Brugge vs. Cercle Brugge (A) 15.00
First division game 26
Attendance:
Wet, 8°C

Team line-up (4-4-2): Butina, Maertens, Van der Heyden, De Cock, Clement(c), Verheyen, Ceh, Kallstrom, Englebert, Lange, Mendoza

Arijs had the 1-0 at his feet in the 9th minute but a crucial save by Butina prevented him from scoring. In the 18th minute Snoeckx had a nice chance for Cercle but once again it was Butina who kept his nets clean. In the 28th minute we had our first chance of the game but Mendoza’s header was to weak to bring Begeyn in danger. Nine minutes after that Jbari played the ball to De Meester who gave his team the lead with a vicious shot into the top corner. Just before the end of the first half Mendoza headed the ball to Lange, who used his feet well to turn on the ball, before he brought the scores back level again.

Half-time score: 1 - 1

We had to wait a while in the second half to see the first chance. In the 68th minute Van der Heyden tried a shot from distance but it splashed onto the crossbar. Seven minutes later Verheyen swung the ball in from the right. Mendoza jumped higher then Wuytens and he headed the ball into the back of the net. Cercle Brugge had one last chance in the 87th minute as Jbari was one-on-one with the keeper but his shot went over the bar.

MoM: Mendoza (9)
Final score: Cercle Brugge 1 – Brugge 2

Scorers: Lange, Mendoza
Assists: Mendoza, Verheyen

After the game I was informed that Maertens was banned for one game after picking up three yellow cards.

Monday 15th March:

John Carew’s agent called us to tell us that he isn’t intrested to sign for our club. So I will try my best to sign Casas.

Wednesday 17th March:

Valencia have won the Spanish Cup today as they beated Deportivo with 4-2. Depor could have done better but they missed a lot of chances.

Saturday 20th March:

Brugge vs. Heusden-Zolder (H) 20.00
First division game 27th
Attendance: 9906
Dry, 11°C

Team line-up (4-4-2): Butina, De Cock, Van der Heyden, Rozehnal, Clement(c), Verheyen, Ceh, Kallstrom, Englebert, Lange, Mendoza

I decided to play De Cock on the right wing while Rozehnal would play in central defence. In the 12th minute we got our first goal of the game as Englebert passes to Kallstrom. He entred the area and then he fired the ball in off the post to give us the lead. In the 22nd minute Bruno’s shot stranded on the post before it was cleared by De Cock. Four minutes later Kallstrom swung a corner into the area. Mendoza headed it towards goal but it was fisted away by Bailly. The loose ball was picked up by Verheyen, who was left a simple finish. In the 34th minute Bersnjak pulls one back for Heusden-Zolder.

Half-time score: 2 - 1

In the 57th minute Mendoza had a great chance to score but his header stranded into the hands of the keeper. Bruno had a great chance to bring the score back level again but Butina made sure we still had the lead in the 65th minute. In the 80th minute Mendoza played a one-two with Lange before his shot went inches wide. In the 90th minute Mendoza had another chance to score but once again he missed it.

MoM: Bailly (9)
Final score: Brugge 2 – Heusden-Zolder 1

Scorers: Kallstrom, Verheyen
Assists: Englebert, Mendoza

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Substitution: 60th minute: Englebert was replaced by Stoica </pre>

Van der Heyden will miss the next game as he picked up his third yellow card against Heusden-Zolder.

Anderlecht won with 2-0 against Antwerp. La Louvière lost in and against Charleroi with 2-1 while Genk beated Cercle Brugge with 2-0. Germinal Beerschot continued their nice run with a 3-1 win against Mons and Lierse lost with 0-2 at home against Westerlo. The last game today ended in a 0-0 draw as neither Sint-Truiden or Mouscron could score.

Sunday 21st March:

AA Gent won with the most little difference against Beveren as Zézéto scored the only goal of the game while Lokeren won at home against Standard with 2-1.

Casas called me personnaly to let me know that he agreed with our contract offer and that he would join us on Thursday 1st July 2004.