retired_tonytranbg79

Season Overview

Jazz had been busy during the summer, he knew he had to invest in the defence. He certainly had done that, whether he had invested wisely only time would tell. With a transfer budget of £1.5m Jazz couldn’t do an awful lot, saying that however, that £1.5m was all the club really had. The wage budget hadn’t risen that was still locked at £50k a week. As he did after signing Tall he thought he needed to be cleaver in the markets. He couldn’t afford to bankrupt the club so he needed to get players in who wanted to play for the wages he offered, and not ridiculous ones their agents wanted. By mid August amongst the pre season friendlies Jazz had managed to sign enough players to make him comfortable.


Alan O'Brien: Free transfer, left winger, promising young talent who will mainly be backup for Tyson

Lee Norton: Free Transfer, centre back, backup mainly probibly will only get one season at the club

Tommy Williams: Free Transfer, pretty good left back but will only serve as backup

Graeme Gillian: £22k from Stevenage promising young central midfielder

Hasney Aljofree: £575k from Sunderland good left back who can also play centrally and in midfield if necessary. Good crosser and pace will be first team regular.

Darren Holloway: £200k from Coventry, good right back who can play centrally, will be first team regular.

Paul Robinson: £250k from Millwall, very good centre back excellent tackling and heading, let down by lack of marking ability. Will most likely be rotated throughout the season

Kim Odelius: £22k from Brommapojkarna, young full back, one for the future

Peter Karlsson: £24k from Norrkoping, backup keeper

Chinedum Onuoha: £95k from Man C, another young promising central defender.

Luke Steele: Loan from Man U, young but talented keeper who will take the number 1 shirt

Steven Davis: Loan from Aston Villa, a half decent young player who can play anywhere accross the middle, ideal person to have on the bench.

Jazz was very pleased, especially with the defensive signings. Also the loan signing of Luke Steele seemed promising he would become the mainstay between the sticks and as Man U were willing to sell him, if he did well Jazz would like to sign him full time. He felt like the team was coming together and the defensive signings will be decisive. The midfield and the strike force are good enough for this level Jazz thought and so did little to change them except get some cover.

The pre-season was indifferent, although they went undefeated they drew all but one win. With these teams being non league clubs it wasn’t brilliant in the way of results or performances. Their first match at home to Norwich however, was a different story, Reading played some good football and were actually unlucky not to come away with more than a 1-0 victory. After a great 4-0 win away to Nottingham Forest Jazz and his team had the strangest encounter. They were drawn away to Stevenage in the second round of the League Cup, where they were held to a 1-1 draw by a hard working Stevenage team. Then in extra time Jazz thought he was back managing a pub side, by the end of the game Reading had lost 6-1. After this match they went on a 19 game unbeaten run which stretched into January when they lost away to Southend. They then went on a 10 game unbeaten run in which they won an amazing 9 goal thriller with the leaders Tottenham, with David Connolly getting a 90th minute winner. They were knocked out of the FA Cup 5th round by Cheltenham. By the end of the season Jazz O’Neil and Reading had done what nobody expected them to do, they were promoted as runners up into the Premier league. Nobody could believe it, the goal was to not be relegated, not to gain promotion. Once again Jazz had done better than expected of him, however this season unlike last he wasn’t disappointed.

He had almost proved himself to be a good manager, successive promotions and he was now back in the premiership. This will also allow the club to develop, the money they will get for television rights. Jazz had put a request in to the board to develop the training facilities. Hopefully he will get a decent transfer and wage budget to spend next season. It was now that the team as a whole would need looking at. Dave Kitson having scored 37 and 18 assists will certainly start and Jazz was actually about to phone John McDermott the Man U manager about making Luke Steele’s stay permanent. Darren Holloway had done well but Jazz didn’t think that he was upto the premiership, Aljofree on the other hand certainly would be. It was the midfield that Jazz felt needed the major overhaul. After the match the buzz around the city felt as if Reading had won the league and cup double, everyone was so excited about being in the premiership. For Jazz however it was time to book his holiday.

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End of season achievements: Chelsea win EPL, Wolves, Cardiff, Crystal Palace are relegated to ED1, Tottenham promoted (champions) to EPL with Reading as Runners up and Fulham winning playoffs, Reading Under 19s win their league. Arsenal win League and FA cup they also won the Champions Cup.

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Returning to the club after his holiday Jazz had to remind himself they were now in the premiership, he couldn’t wait to play Newcastle. There were a few exits from the club over the summer. Stuart Hill, Joe Gamble, Greg Shields and Michael Foley-Sheridan had all left for free. Despite Jazz’s hopes he only got the same transfer budget as the past two seasons £1.5m, Jazz couldn’t believe it considering the club now had ten times what they had last season. Saying that the board had agreed to improve the training facilities and now the club could start producing real gems. The board had also tripled the wage budget giving Jazz some room to renew contracts. Now Reading were in the premiership the players and the future incoming players wanted bigger wages. Jazz had secured the contracts for these players:

Luke Steele: £75k from Man U made his stay at the club permanent

David Romo: £150k from Le Harve a right sided winger with an immense cross, likely a rotation player

Lee Canoville: £1.1m from Rotherham a great right full back with a great tackle and is quick, a definite first team player

Davide Carteri: Free from Modena a central midfielder with fantastic technique and bags of creativity, another rotation player

Pontus Farnerud: Free from Alavés a defensive central midfielder backup player

Sunday Oliseh: Free from Newcastle great central midfielder who will be a first team regular

Shirt sales increase with signing of Oliseh, and the fans welcomed the signing at the official unveiling. Oliseh said he wants to repay their enthusiasm by his performances on the pitch this got a cheer from the crowd at the unveiling. At the start of August the bookmakers gave Reading 1000-1 odds to win the title. Jazz put a tenner on it although he knew there was no chance. Chelsea win community shield on penalty’s after a 2-2 draw with Arsenal. Jazz couldn’t have asked for a harder start to the season away at Arsenal.

retired_tonytranbg79

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Arsenal | | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 6 | +24 | 33 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Man Utd | | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 7 | +14 | 28 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Reading | | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 23 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Chelsea | | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 12 | +11 | 21 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Everton | | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 19 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Newcastle | | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 18 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Southampton | | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 18 | -1 | 16 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Tottenham | | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 16 | -5 | 16 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Birmingham | | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 15 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Millwall | | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 15 | -1 | 14 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Aston Villa | | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 18 | -1 | 13 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Liverpool | | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 19 | -3 | 13 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Man City | | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 16 | -3 | 13 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Derby | | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 12 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Leicester | | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 12 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Rotherham | | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 27 | -10 | 10 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Leeds | | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 19 | -8 | 9 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Fulham | | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 7 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Blackburn | | 11 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 20 | -13 | 7 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Middlesbrough | | 11 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 25 | -19 | 2 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</pre>
Jazz was astounded never in his wildest dreams could he believe this. Especially with the start to the season they had. They lost away to Arsenal on the opening day of the season, then drew at home to Southampton and then away to Millwall. They then continued their unbeaten run for 8 more games, all of which they won. That came to an end away to Tottenham where a 90th minute Freddy Kanoute goal ended Readings unbeaten run. However, Jazz was more than a little miffed that his team had lost away to third division Gillingham in the League Cup. It's a funny old game Jazz thout as he walked onto the training field.

retired_tonytranbg79

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Arsenal | | 24 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 60 | 14 | +46 | 65 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Newcastle | | 25 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 56 | 21 | +35 | 53 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Man Utd | | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 50 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Reading | | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 42 | 31 | +11 | 41 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Chelsea | | 25 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 42 | 27 | +15 | 40 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Birmingham | | 24 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 33 | 24 | +9 | 39 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Tottenham | | 26 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 29 | 38 | -9 | 39 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Liverpool | | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 35 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Everton | | 26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 30 | 48 | -18 | 35 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Aston Villa | | 26 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 35 | 36 | -1 | 33 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Southampton | | 25 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 33 | 35 | -2 | 33 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Millwall | | 25 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 32 | 37 | -5 | 29 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Leeds | | 25 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 31 | 38 | -7 | 29 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Fulham | | 25 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 27 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Derby | | 25 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 31 | 44 | -13 | 26 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Rotherham | | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 39 | 56 | -17 | 26 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Man City | | 25 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 33 | 44 | -11 | 25 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Leicester | | 25 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 28 | 39 | -11 | 25 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Blackburn | | 25 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 22 | 43 | -21 | 23 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Middlesbrough | | 24 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 21 | 42 | -21 | 20 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|</pre>

Reading were still defying all the odds. After their defeat at Tottenham they decided to bounce back in style, they thrashed Blackburn 6-0. However, there would be a six game run without a win, a run which saw them pick up one point from a possible 18. This saw them drop to eighth and after changing the team slightly Jazz reverted back to what he considered to be his strongest 11. It was this 11 who were to get Reading out of this rut and on the straight and narrow again. Their task however seemed impossible, they had to face Arsenal, the team which had just won the inter-continental championship. Arsenal were unbeaten all season in the league and had only dropped two points. Strange it was then that it was to be Reading who stopped their unbeaten run with an inspired Luke Steele. Jazz's men would go on to have an inconsistant period in the league where they never found a form of any sort. During this period would be a game etched into the minds of Reading and Southampton fans alike. A free flowing game of football which was a delight to watch even if the defending was non existant. Like the famous Liverpool v Newcastle match this was one which would be long lived. David Connolloy had put Reading ahead on nine minutes and scored the only goal of a thrilling first half with chances going begging for both sides. Tyson then put the visitors 2-0 up near the hour mark. James Beattie then pulled one back for the home side in the 70th minute, as Southampton mounted on the pressure. Beattie then struck again nine minutes later to equalise,at this point there seemed only one winner. That seemed to be the case when Fredy William Thompson struck on the stroke of the 86th minute to send the home fans into a state of exstacy. Then an inspired triple substitution by the Reading boss saw Dean Morgan, Davide Carteri and David Romo thrown on with instructions for the team to bomb forward. A Morgan shot was parried by the keeper and Kitson slotted the rebound in in the 88th minute to equalise for Reading. Then two minutes later in the last minutes of the game a Kitson brace gave the striker a two minute hat-trick and Reading a victory to an excellent match. Jazz guided Reading to the 5th round of the FA Cup where they face an away trip to Stockport. After beating Macclesfield and Crystal Palace 6-0 and 5-1 respectively Jazz felt his love affair with the FA Cup was moving on a level. Since winning the competition with Newcasle almost 3 years ago Jazz had lost in the first and fifth round with Reading. With Reading having a brilliant season so far Jazz thought it was time to take them up another step. He was now a sought after manager, teams had started to notice him. Since his promotion into the first division Jazz had been receiving job offers from mediocre clubs and clubs going downhill. Since the minor miracle that has seen Reading elevated into 4th spot in the premiership some of the bigger clubs were coming in for him. Villa and Rangers to name but two, but most significantly Celtic who lead the Scottish premier by 16 points. That was very tempting for Jazz, but he vowed to stick with Reading until they had won a trophy other than runners up and playoff winners.

retired_tonytranbg79

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Arsenal | | 38 | 30 | 5 | 3 | 91 | 26 | +65 | 95 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Newcastle | | 38 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 86 | 30 | +56 | 90 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Man Utd | | 38 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 80 | 42 | +38 | 75 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Chelsea | | 38 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 65 | 33 | +32 | 68 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Birmingham | | 38 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 53 | 44 | +9 | 60 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Tottenham | | 38 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 48 | 52 | -4 | 57 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Everton | | 38 | 16 | 4 | 18 | 55 | 66 | -11 | 52 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Reading | | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 56 | 54 | +2 | 51 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Liverpool | | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 51 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Southampton | | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 51 | 54 | -3 | 51 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Derby | | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 52 | 62 | -10 | 47 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Millwall | | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 49 | 65 | -16 | 47 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Aston Villa | | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 48 | 61 | -13 | 45 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Leeds | | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 57 | 56 | +1 | 44 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Fulham | | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 46 | 51 | -5 | 41 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Blackburn | | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 38 | 65 | -27 | 39 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Man City | | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 43 | 65 | -22 | 38 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | R | Leicester | | 38 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 42 | 61 | -19 | 34 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | R | Rotherham | | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 49 | 80 | -31 | 33 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | R | Middlesbrough | | 38 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 36 | 79 | -43 | 26 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|</pre>

Reading had finished where Jazz had dreamed they would before the season started. A top half finish in the first season up was the best of dreams Jazz had. However, considering where they had been for large parts of the season he couldn’t help being a little deflated. Fluctuating between 4th and 7th for the most part of the season Jazz secretly hoped they may get into Europe. Once again they had proven critics wrong and bettered board and supporter expectation. Since being 4th in February they had fallen by the wayside and started dropping points where before they would keep them. Jazz had however been right about the FA Cup. After beating Stockport 4-0 in the 5th round Reading had been drawn away to Bournemouth and the Fitness First Stadium, this time however Reading were in the premiership and Bournemouth the third division. Saying this Bournemouth had knocked Chelsea out on penalties in the previous round. However, Reading brushed them aside 4-0 where the romance of the FA Cup took its toll, they were drawn against Newcastle in the semi-final. Jazz had dreamed of meeting them in the final but this will be good enough. This match would be the next one after Jazz had returned to St James’ Park. Although he was warmly greeted by the Geordies Newcastle took no mercy and completely out played Reading. They did the same again in the semi-final of the FA Cup. The final match of the season for Reading saw them away to Chelsea who in the end ran out a comfortable 2-0 winners. Leaving Reading finishing the season in 8th place, everybody of the club were over the moon Reading had finished above Liverpool, Leeds and other big teams. Jazz was now thinking where he could take the club next or if he would receive a job offer to good to refuse.

The club announced in close season that they were expanding the stadium by approximately 12000 seats, from 24000aprox to 36000aprox. This was welcomed by everybody, more fans could see the games, revenue from gate receipts would be up and a better atmosphere. Again avoid relegation was the target for the new season, and yet again a measly £1.7m transfer budget. Jazz understood the club needed to be secure financially but he was frustrated with the lack of support from the board. If last season turned out to be lucky Reading may find themselves back in division one if Jazz can’t find the right players. There was to be an exit of players in the summer, players who’s contract wouldn’t be renewed. These included Andy Hughes, James Harper, Graham Stack, Ivar Ingimarsson and Peter Champman. Jazz had lined up future signings though both Darren Ambrose from Newcastle and David Bentley from Arsenal would be joining him at Reading. Ambrose would be the 5th player to have joined him at Reading after working with him at Newcastle.

Jazz put some of the clubs good fortunes down to his lucky charm, he wasn’t usually a superstitious guy but he felt the ring had bought him luck. Not in the love life department though, Ocean had left him towards the end of the season. She said he cared more for the football than he did her, which wasn’t true, she had returned to the North-East. Also Dave had gone missing, well he had left and said he would get in touch but as yet he hadn’t. So once again it was just Jazz and Lee the odd couple.

Arsenal win EPL; League Cup; FA Cup and Champions Cup. Leicester, Rotherham and Middlesbrough are relegated and replaced by Wolves (champions EFD), Coventry and Preston.

retired_tonytranbg79

Jazz's Office - 12/07/08

His first thought as he walked into his office this morning was that the previous season could be a fluke, simply the players were on a high and played out of their skins to stay in the prem. He was looking through the squad assesment and frankly the players he had weren't good enough, apart from one or two. If he wanted to keep progressing at the club the whole squad needed a new look, but he was frustrated with the lack of funds, he had gotten onto some contacts he had and was waiting for some answers. Not so long ago Jazz had received a letter from the FA which had surprised him, because Reading had finished 8th it meant they would be entered into the third round of the inter-toto cup. This means if Jazz was able to win the competition Reading would be in the UEFA Cup, Reading in Europe, he couldn't believe it. He really did now need a much better team if they were going to hold their own, he also realised he needed a better backroom staff. Brian McDermott's and Kevin Dillon's contracts hadn't been renewed so that was the last of the bad coaches out of the door, it was to be a very busy summer for Jazz and the club with a new look team and a new look staff to find on a £1.7m budget Jazz knew he was in for a tough time. With the first of the inter-toto matches on the 19th Jazz didn't have much time.

Jazz's Office - 27/07/08

Jazz had just finished agreeing his latest transfer in what had been a very busy two weeks. Steven Pressley and Kasey Keller had joined the club as physios, the two had just finished their playing careers and both had good refrences for being physios so Jazz decided to give them their break in the backroom side of things. Craig Miller and David Weir had also joined Jazz's backroom staff as his latest coaches, he now felt he had a good team behind him all he needed was one to do the business on the pitch. Darren Ambrose and David Bentley had already joined up with the squad and a few days before the first match of the inter-toto Adrian Bastia had joined from Aston Villa.Two players were also loaned in before the match, Gianluca Curci a keeper from Deportivo and Leon Best a striker from Southampton. Leaking goals was a big problem last season and was what let them down, its not just the players Jazz thought to himself, I need a new formation. So with his coaches he came up with a new formation, a variation on the 3-4-2-1 formation. Keeping the two central midfielders deep, sitting just in front of the back three, and the wingers bombing up the wings, and a player in the hole behind the front two.The team flew out to Russia to play Krylja Sovetov for the first leg, which Reading ran out 2-0 winners. The return leg saw the Russian side reverse the score and send it into penelties, after a thrilling shoot out Reading managed to come out the victors. Between the two legs Jazz had aranged the transfers of Christian Panucci, Juan Jose Rojas, Mikael Forsell, Alou Diarra and Elpys Jose Espinal. These players were all joining Reading on a free after their contracts are up, Panucci was also going to take up a small coaching role

Jazz's Office - 13/08/08

After wining the first leg of the final 3-0 against 1860 Munich Jazz went into the home dressing room to congratulate his players, they had almost secured a place in the UEFA Cup. They had already knocked out Standard Liege of Belgium in the semi-final and his new players had joined him at the club, all he had to do now is get them ready for saturday.

David Bentley: Free from Arsenal. Young England starlet will feature predominantly in Jazz's plans. Will most likely play in the whole behind the strikers.

Darren Ambrose: Free from Newcastle. Talented right winger will take over Hughes'/Romo's duties on the right.

Adrian Bastia: £1m from Aston Villa. Aggressive; hard working; brave; fast; strong; and can run arround all day are only a few ways to describe this very talented Argentinian central midfielder. Will partner Oliseh in the midfield, both will sit just in front of the back three.

Christian Panucci: Free from Roma. The well capped Italian defender now aged 35 will probably only have this season left in him, but his experience will be well needed.

Juan Jose Rojas: Free from Real Madrid. Young Spanish under 21 player with bags of potential who will be mainly backup/rotation player.

Mikael Forssell: Free from Real Zaragoza. Finnish striker with abundant ability will partner Kitson up front.

Alou Diarra: Free from Perugia: Another fast hard working brave player, who will play mostly in defence but can also cover for Oliseh or Bastia if necessarry.

Elpys Jose Espinal: Free from Atalanta. Very talented winger who can dribble through a whole squad and tackle with the all but the very best defenders, will make Tyson a backup player.

Gianluca Curci: Loan from Deportivo. Very good keeper who will be first choice unless Jazz's judgement turns out to be wrong

Leon Best: Loan from Southampton. Another young pacey English striker, who will provide excellent cover.

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This had been a very surreal and hard season for Jazz, not just on the pitch but off it also. After ensuring that Reading had made it into the UEFA Cup after beating 1860 Munich 5-0 on aggregate, Jazz had made a poor start to the domestic league. He put this down to his new tactic and reverted to a 4-4-2 diamond formation, however their poor form continued. They were knocked out of the League Cup by Stevenage but surprisingly they still went strong in the UEFA Cup. Picking up the odd win here and the odd draw there saw them in 12th place by Christmas. This actually surprised Jazz, the amount of talent at the club on paper should put them about 6th.

Off the pitch things seemed to get worse Jazz finally got it out of Lee that the ring he gave Jazz wasn’t his. To top it the ring belonged to an American gangster and was quite valuable. He only got this information out of Lee after being done over by two of the gangster’s men on New Years Eve. The men also warned him not to cross paths with them again or next time there will be no salvation at the end of the pain. This led to Jazz having an almighty argument with Lee in which he said some really harsh stuff that he wished he hadn’t. Lee left and went back to Newcastle leaving Jazz on his own, no girlfriend, no mates and the pressure of the job was getting to him.

Reading managed to get through the next couple of rounds of the FA Cup and picking up a couple of wins, and thrashings along the way. Miraculously they were progressing through the UEFA Cup with relative ease. This would normally surprise Jazz, but now doubly so, since the argument Jazz had been sinking lower and lower. He turned to the bottle and started turning up to training sessions even games hung over or even drunk. So with him in the state he was he was surprised how the team were faring, he thought to himself may be it’s the fact im doing so well in the competition that I still have my job.

As it happens the team were knocked out in the semis on away goals to Dinamo Kiev. The FA Cup had stopped long ago and league wins were sporadic. Jazz found himself getting sick of Reading, lack of any real support apart from words by the chairman. There was no people left to keep him here and the team were crap except in the UEFA Cup. As it happens they finished 13th in the league as Arsenal again won the league and Champions Cup. Blackburn won the FA Cup and Newcastle won the League Cup. The job no longer interested Jazz and handed in his resignation. His official statement to the fans was that he felt he had taken the team as far as he could. What was he going to do now no friends and no job…

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Arsenal | | 38 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 90 | 32 | +58 | 88 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Chelsea | | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 76 | 43 | +33 | 71 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Newcastle | | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 62 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Wolves | | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 56 | 40 | +16 | 60 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Coventry | | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 59 | 48 | +11 | 60 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Tottenham | | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 55 | 54 | +1 | 58 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Southampton | | 38 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 50 | 37 | +13 | 57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Birmingham | | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 57 | 48 | +9 | 57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Everton | | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 58 | 52 | +6 | 57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Blackburn | | 38 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 64 | 51 | +13 | 55 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Man City | | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 47 | 57 | -10 | 50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Liverpool | | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 62 | 65 | -3 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Reading | | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 47 | 58 | -11 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Man Utd | | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 53 | 65 | -12 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Leeds | | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 57 | 65 | -8 | 42 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Preston | | 38 | 12 | 5 | 21 | 40 | 59 | -19 | 41 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Derby | | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 48 | 69 | -21 | 40 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | R | Millwall | | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 38 | 63 | -25 | 40 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | R | Aston Villa | | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 45 | 60 | -15 | 38 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | R | Fulham | | 38 | 4 | 9 | 25 | 24 | 73 | -49 | 21 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|</pre>

retired_tonytranbg79

Jazz’s House

He had returned to what he once was, a lazy; messy; smelly coach potato of a drunk. Once again he found himself wading through seas of empty cans; pizza boxes; Chinese and Indian foil cartons. This time it wasn’t on a morning it was 3am, Jazz had really let himself slip. He looked at himself in the mirror and the face staring back at him had three day stubble and a scar from the beating he got on new years. Looking round the room he spied a vodka bottle half empty, but as he put it up to his lips he stopped looked at the bottle and told himself he didn’t want to be like this and poured it all away. Again looking round the room he was appauled and looked at himself in the mirror and vowed to change. He tidied the mess up had a shower and a shave, by the time he had finished he walked back into the now clean room, tidy he thought…what’s the point he told himself he had nothing. A change was what was needed, a new start not just city or job but lifestyle. Just then the mail was shoved through the letter box, with it was a postcard from Dave, saying he had moved to Marseille and if he wanted to join him.

As soon as he had finished reading the postcard he knew that’s what he had to do. He was going to make a new life for himself in France, he was going to sell up and join Dave out there. Jazz did just that, he sold everything apart from clothes and a few essential items, he piled them into what space his new Aston Martin and drove down to South France to start his new life. Arriving a little past midnight Jazz with the help of Dave moved things from the car to the apartment.

Marseille

The next morning Jazz was sitting outside a little café enjoying crossoints while the early morning sun warmed his face. Jazz looked into the cloudless sky and knew he had made the right choice, he knew the new lifestyle was for him. Dave joined him five minutes later accompanied with a British paper, Jazz explained about what had happened and the other two going back to the north-east, Dave assured him that he could stay wit him as long as he wished. In the afternoon Jazz explored the city with Dave and at night they would go and try the local bars. The next few days followed similar patterns. Luckily Jazz knew a fair bit French as it was the only thing he was interested in at school apart from sports, also working with French players allowed him to practise the language and expressions.

Monte Carlo was home to arguably the most famous race in the world, as it was Jazz and Dave decided to go see the F1 Grand Prix. Having saved his earnings this time round Jazz had the idea of getting his own place between Marseille and Monte Carlo. It was a beautiful part of the world and Jazz saw himself settling down here. Then something happened which he hadn’t planned or really wanted, he met a man who wanted him to return to what ultimately drove him here. The man in question was Monsieur Plessis, the chairman of FC Sochaux-Montbeliard a French team who had just been relegated into the French National league. Monsieur Plessis recognised Jazz mainly from when he won the FA Cup but since then had followed his progress as a manager, he asked Jazz to do for Sochauz what he did for Reading. It was football that drove his girlfriend away and played apart from falling out with his best mate. However, it was football that ran through his veins, it was a different culture and style of football. Jazz said he would get in touch with Monsieur Plessis about his offer.

Jazz spent a few days with Dave trying to come up with a decision, he researched the area Montbeliard. It is situated in Eastern France near the Swiss border and is also not to far from the German boarder. Located in the Jura mountains it is a picturesque Germanic town, the kind of place Jazz would love to live.

Sochaux-Montbeliard

The club itself is quite a big team especially for the National league. A modern 20,000 seater stadium called Stade Auguste Bonal and a fairly wealthy club for its level, certainly a team with the makings of champions. After thinking it through Jazz decided he would go to Sochaux and see the area and club for himself. Jazz was given the tour to his surprise there was an immense training facilities and every thought had been put into the detail of the club to make it the best and it certainly should be for the National league. Jazz was told he could expect a transfer budget of £16.75m which blew him away, a National side with that amount of cash could almost buy success. He was also told if he were to become the new manager he would be expected to win the league title. The set up and the area were to good to resist and so Jazz O’Neil became the new FC Sochaux-Montbeliard manager.

retired_tonytranbg79

Sochaux – 25/07/09

Jazz was sitting downstairs in the outside terrace of the hotel restaurant, enjoying eating his breakfast whilst reading the local paper in the glorious surroundings of the Ibis hotel. He was feeling a lot better than he was a few months ago, he was loving it here. This would be the last night he would spend at the hotel as the new house he had bought should be finished being decorated and furnished. He had never really lived the rich lifestyle but he now felt the surroundings he was in allowed him to start doing so. The new house was up in the hills overlooking the city with a breath-taking view, although the house was large enough for a big family Jazz had ideas on how to make it into one massive bachelor pad. It was nice in the city, he would get the odd person asking for his autograph but mostly they just smiled as he walked past.

As he strode into one of the local cafes he noticed that Michel Troin his assistant was already at a table. Jazz ordered a coffee and made his way to the table, situated at the back out of the way. Michel was very much like Jazz, same age same height and the same passion for the beautiful game. Jazz warmed to Michel he wasn’t just a colleague but a friend, a nice man with time for people he helped Jazz find the house and settle into the area. The fact Jazz could speak fluent French surprised everyone at the club and some other people he spoke to, it make everything much more simple.

J: “how are you my friend?”

M: “very good thank you, and your house is it finished yet?”

J: “just about, fingers crossed it should be ready for me to move in tomorrow”

M: “good good, I have brought the player evaluations for you as you asked, also I took the liberty of bringing Denis’ (head physio) report on them for you”

J: “great thank you Michel, shall we go through them and try and see what roles they will be playing”


Goalkeepers

Mathieu Moreau: The main man between the sticks with good handling ability and communication, bit weak on crosses and one on ones.

Gilles Moizini: Young keeper with potential brought in on a free but will serve as backup for the reserve spot.

Teddy Richert: A sturdy reserve keeper, will be more than adequate should Moreau be injured or suspended


Defenders

Fabien Laurenti: Good defender who prefers centre back but can also act as a sweeper or right back if needed. Most likely staying on the subs bench.

Omar Daf: Talented full back who can play on both sides but prefers right. His experience will come in handy and will likely play an active role in the team

Souleymane Diawara: Very good centre back will be first team player and Michel reckons will feature heavily in the drive for success.

David Di Tommasio: Left full back who is quick and tenacious and will be a first team player.

Sylvain Monsoreau: One of our star players great centre back who is far to good for this level.

Antonio D’Amico: Michel reckons that the young centre back will be a class act for the club. Great tackle and lightening pace and a wicked cross.

Jacques Lopes: Promising centre back who could also have a great future ahead of him.


Midfielders

Christophe Lamaitre: Young central midfielder with bags of talent and yet another who will develop into a quality player

Quinton Fortune: Signed from Aston Villa on a free, left winger who is fairly fast and has a good cross. First team status most likely all season.

Adel Chedli: Tunisian born midfielder who can play anywhere across the middle. With a good cross and tackle and enough pace a player who will be on the bench without the quality to hold down a first team spot.

Jeremy Mathieu: Another of our star players, gifted central midfielder who will play every game injury and suspension permitting. Plenty of flair will make him good to watch.

Wilson Oruma: Another midfielder who can play anywhere across the middle. Not as talented though and will only be a squad member with little chance of any sort of a run in the team.

David Romo: Bought from Reading for £725k, Romo will be meeting back up with Jazz and will once again be involved with the rotation system.

Olivier Sorlin: Signed from Niort for £55k the talented right winger will be first choice winger.

Yohan Gourcuff: Talented central midfielder who will also operate in the rotation system.

Danny Guthrie: Loaned from Dunfermline the central midfielder is one Michel thinks we should sign, with the work rate and creativity of the lad he may prove to be a sound investment.


Strikers

Pierre-Alain Frau: Very talented striker who is the star and playboy of the team. First on the teamsheet.

Victor Ruiz: Capped at schoolboy level, Michel thinks we should give the lad a fair share of games to aid his learning and experience.

Jeremy Menez: Strike partner for Frau, can finish off a move like the best strikers in the game.

Stephane Traore: Talented striker with pace and a spot on pass will be given some games and be pushing for Menez’s spot. However, Denis has pointed out that Traore seems to be prone to injury.


J: “well I think we have established the roles, and I have a clear idea of who will start certainly the first dew games”

M: “what formation are you thinking of using”

J: “I tried some different tactics last year and they didn’t come off, I think I’ll revert back to normal 4-4-2. Short neat passing and mostly attacking mentality”

M: “that sounds good, we certainly have the players to carry that out. In this league an attacking style should prove lucrative for us”

J: “I couldn’t agree more, shall we go to the training ground”

M: “yes”

Jazz settled the bill and they walked back to his car and they drove to the training ground. He knew only the 4-4-2 would work and with the players the team has got winning the league should be no trouble. Apart from the new arrivals mentioned in the squad outline Jazz had bought two new young strikers recommended by his scouts. Both Gregory Collet and Ludovic Ferrand were brought in on frees. He had also expanded his backroom staff, Rui Faria was a very talented Portuguese coach who will work with the youngsters. Paul Teather, Andy Mintram, Chris Uwins and Simon Clifford have been added to the scouting team. Finally S.Jones and R.Rolleson have been added to aid Denis in the physio room. With plenty finance behind him and a supportive board and supporters and the new improved backroom staff and the great bunch of players Jazz believed he could take them to the Champions Cup. What the board and fans wanted was to win the league and the bookies put them as 6-4 second favourites to achieve it. Everybody at the club expected the team to walk it. Jazz was really looking forward to the first game against Clermont. He had started all over again and he knew he had made the right choice and was loving it.

retired_tonytranbg79

Monday 2/11/09, Jazz’s House

The sweet fetor of freshly cut grass wafted into the kitchen where Jazz finaly got a chance to sit and read Le Monde. The air was crisp and clean up in the mountains, but with it came a freshness of cool air, The Montbeliard area got quite cool in November, never the less Jazz still enjoyed the smell of the mountains in his kitchen. He was reading an article in Le Monde about his side. The sports writer was being very complimentary about the teams recent performances and how Jazz had got them playing good football. Jazz had decided to give his players this Monday morning off as a reward for playing well, however both he and the players knew they would be working doubly hard this afternoon to make up for the rest.

Just as he was pouring himself a second cup of coffee he heard the crunching of gravel. As he looked out of the window he could see Michel’s car making its way up the drive. When Michel got out of the car he saw Jazz at the door greeting him with open arms.

J: “welcome to my humble abode”

M: “merci, the team is looking good no?”

J: “oui, yes the victory over Poitiers keeps our unbeaten run to 9 league games”

M: “indeed and the victory over Troyes in the cup will only serve to boost their confidence. You are doing a fine job my friend”

J: “we…are doing a fine job, I could not have done it without you or the others. But tell me why are you here”

M: “do I need a reason to visit a colleague…a friend?”

J: “of course not where are my manners…coffee”

M: “please…the whole place seems different now…since you’ve arrieved”

J: “oh what do you mean”

M: “it wasn’t so long ago this club were in Europe and the first league but since then the club was on a slippery slope to oblivion. Then somehow the club landed you, a man with champions league experience, the man who won the FA Cup. The man who guided a lowly struggling team to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. You my friend were a coup for this club a benchmark for managers to come I can feel it.”

J: “please stop I am not a coup I have little experience, I was fortunate to inherit a good capable squad at Newcastle and I was lucky at Reading that was all.”

M: “nonsense, look at what you have achieved here in mere months. You have turned the team around given them confidence, we have progressed further in the league cup so far than the past two seasons, we are heading in the right direction”

J: “the players are all very capable of better things and higher leagues as are you and the staff, I have done nothing except add a new face or two to mine. Don’t be counting your chickens too early Michel, we have Saint-Etienne in the next round, they are 4th in the first league. We also have to play Dunkerque and Le Rouche-sur-Yon in the league before then and they are pushing us hard”

M: “yes but they players believe they can beat anybody and that is down to you, now come its time to work your magic at the training ground”


<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Sochaux | | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 7 | +22 | 35 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Dunkerque | | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 7 | +15 | 31 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | La Roche-sur-Yon | | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 7 | +14 | 30 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Paris FC | | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 16 | +6 | 24 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Tours | | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 28 | 19 | +9 | 23 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Istres | | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 21 | +3 | 22 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Pau | | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 21 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Valenciennes | | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 21 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Poitiers | | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 18 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Brest | | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 25 | -5 | 18 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Toulon | | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 19 | -5 | 17 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Noisy-le-Sec | | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 21 | -6 | 17 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Amiens | | 14 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 16 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Rouen | | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 22 | -4 | 16 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Ajaccio | | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 15 | -2 | 16 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Pacy | | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 24 | 22 | +2 | 15 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Clermont | | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 19 | 23 | -4 | 14 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | RC Paris | | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 30 | -20 | 12 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Saint-Brieuc | | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 15 | 35 | -20 | 11 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Valence | | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 25 | -12 | 9 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|</pre>