FM13 - Like Icarus to the Sun, the rise and (hopefully) rise of Jozef Prochazka

[b101]

The Massive Coaching clearout of 2019

Given that I'm looking to put such a huge emphasis on Youth products here, it made a lot of sense to finally look at what we had in terms of staffing. Really, I should have done this earlier, but playing staff were my greater focus. In the end, I'm not sure it makes that big of a difference - if a player gets enough playing time and has the potential, they will probably develop pretty well, but it'll be interesting to see how paying greater attention to detail in this area of the game pays off (or doesn't!). I actually ended up getting rid of all of my coaches and replacing them with an entirely new staff. The main attributes I focus on for coaches are Level of Discipline and Motivation (as well as Working with Youngsters for the Youth coaches), and to a lesser extent Determination. Then, obviously, I try to work out the jigsaw puzzle and decide who I need in to focus on Attacking etc. So, here's our new crop:

First Team Coaches:

Goalkeeping Coaches

Fitness Coaches

Under 19 Coaches

So, annoyingly there's a lot of South American coaches here. This wasn't by design - although it may result in a few more Brazilian/Argentinian regens popping up in our Youth Intakes - but simply the fact that they are so much cheaper to employ. A comparable Italian coach would want on average £5000 per week more, and that disparity rockets up even further to a £10000 increase when you go for the Youth Coaches. For the First Team coaches, the main attributes are the Motivation and Level of Discipline, as these have a huge effect on the Star Ratings for Level of Coaching. Adaptability and Determination are a plus, but for me, nowhere near as important as those two and the Technical skills. I'm very happy with Eduardo, Papa (who rejoins me from Lokeren) and Rossato, but Padula's Determination and Adaptability aren't great - still, we'll see how he goes.

The two Fitness coaches we signed both have a rating of 4.5*, as do the Goalkeeping Coaches so no worries there! These specialised coaches can also work with both First Team and Youth Team players, so they are a huge bonus, especially with someone like Orlandoni who is great with the younger players. And so we come neatly onto the Youth Team coaches, who are much trickier both to find and to hire. Here, I watered down my filters a little, lowering the three key stats (Motivation, Discipline and Working with Youngsters) to 13/14 to see who we could get. Consequently, the lowest star rating for any Youth Coaching attribute is 3.5*, which isn't too bad really. Ideally, with coaching courses, which I will push these guys to go on, these will move up to 4* and I'll be happy.

Reserves Manager

Under 19s Manager

-

These two are slightly more demanding roles. In managing the Reserves, Gurchenkov is still going to have to work with a lot of the younger players I'm trying to blood, so that attribute is a must. Additionally, he still needs the Motivation and Discipline skills that I require from all of my coaches. His Determination will help in getting the best from the younger players and hopefully that can be passed on to the players themselves. The final two areas that he offers are a decent level of Judging Potential and Current Ability (he has to know who he should choose to give regular games and who will never make it!) and a good level of tactical coaching. He will be coaching Tactics to all of our players across the three squads and he should do it well.

As for Emerson Avila, his Working with Youngsters stat is an absolute must, and at 20 he will be an excellent mentor to these younger players. Above what the coaches require though, his Man Management skills are sorely needed, and, like Gurchenkov, he will have to be able to work out who has potential and who doesn't. I'm very pleased with both of these appointments.

Assistant Manager

My outgoing AssMan, Jean-Marie de Zerbi, really wasn't very good. He couldn't tell a Michael Ricketts from a Cristiano Ronaldo if he tried, probably fell over on the training ground and had all the man management skills of Roy Keane on a bad day. In short, it's entirely my failing that I didn't get rid of him immediately. Thankfully though, we've been able to grab Benevan on a fraction of the wages. It's worth noting here that his role for me is purely administrative and scouting in nature. He's an adequate Attacking coach, but we have Papa and Eduardo for that. The main thing he needs to be able to do is judge who is good and who isn't as it's his overall star ratings that I will rely on. Equally, he must be a good Man Manager and motivator, and although I won't pay a huge deal of attention, his tactical knowledge is sound. All in all, a very solid appointment.

As things stand, our facilities are top class, and the Youth Facilities are being improved further as we speak. With any luck, the board should be adding an additional feeder club in the near future which might mean that we get a few more good regens. Hopefully that gives a bit of insight into my planning for the near and more distant future.

[b101]

It wouldn´t have been. You won it fair and square.

Thanks, we were better than Porto in the end and definitely deserved it. It'll be a huge ask to retain the trophy though and my target is to reach the Semi-Final.

[b101]

August 2019 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

Domestically, a flawless month with an outstanding victory over Nice opening the season. Two goals in the last ten made this slightly more comfortable, but it was generally an excellent performance. We followed this with a decent 3-1 win over Le Havre, although it was annoying to gift them a simple goal, and a hard-fought 2-1 victory in Monaco. The down side was our terrible performance in the Super Cup against Man Utd, in which we were thoroughly dominated for at least half the game. We need to be performing better against the bigger teams, and our counter-attacking tactic just isn't working in these games as we get overrun in midfield. Food for thought certainly. Still, in the league, it's very much 'as you were'.

Europe:

Our Champions League group has been drawn, and this is why it's great to be first seeds. Spurs should be our closest challengers for the top spot, but I would hope that we can nick that ahead of them. Having faced Barcelona in our last two CL group stages, it's great to see the English 4th placed side as our biggest challenge.

Man of the Month:

It may be overly simplistic, but when he doesn't play, we lose. Another outstanding month for Marília, and he was sorely missed against United.

[b101]

September 2019 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

This was a much tougher month than it initially looked on paper. A very early Marília strike was enough to earn all three points in Toulouse, although we could and should have added to our Goal Difference here. We then rested a number of first teamers for the game against newly-promoted Nimes, with a sole Júnior strike again proving enough. The better news in this game was that PSG had blinked first, losing 2-1 in Montpellier. So, what do we do? We go and put in a woeful performance in Lyon, only waking up with 70 minutes on the clock - our 1-0 loss totally deserved. The few tweaks I had made to our tactic are starting to work, and we look much more systematic in our approach, but just can't finish the chances we create. Happily we scored three without reply against Marseille... well, at least until Aiche dropped the ball at their striker's feet in the 85th minute. And even better news, Lyon carried on their excellent form against the big sides by beating PSG on their own patch. Hello, daylight!

Europe:

Well, it's often good to get the hardest match out of the way first. We twice came from behind and with Marília out suspended (hasn't that one red card gone on for ages?), this is a very creditable result.

Man of the Month:

In a month when our strikers struggled for goals (where have you been Paupol?!), our decent record has been built on our defensive rock - Raphael Lucas has been outstanding whilst all around him (mainly Derouiche) lost their heads. A very good month for the defender.

[b101]

October 2019 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

A perfect month in Ligue 1 comes just at the right time, with PSG still dropping points all over the shop. We hammered three of the sides this month, with an abject refereeing display and two absurd penalties making the Metz score look close. As you can see from the Troyes game, we were able to rest a number of players, and actually ripped them apart with 10 men after Michaud was sent off 10 minutes before half time (for a deliberate handball in their area... go figure). Finally, another superb performance saw us navigate a potentially tricky tie with Toulouse in the Coupe de Ligue.

Europe:

Two excellent performances in Europe put us close to qualification already. Spurs also won their two matches so I guess it's a two-horse race, much as predicted. Interesting how Ngoyi performs in Europe but has been pretty abject at home...

Man of the Month:

Almost back to his best. Paupol has finally got a few goals this month after I had a chat with him telling him he wasn't doing well enough. His all-round play is pretty good, and he does the job I want, but until now had lost that golden touch in front of goal. Here's hoping this is him back for good.

[B.W.G]

Excellent start to the season

[b101]

Excellent start to the season

I'm more happy that PSG's start has been every bit as bad as mine has good

[b101]

November 2019 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

Our excellent start continued with a win at home to Bordeaux before two of the most frustrating games I have played in a long time. We battered Nantes from start to finish, doing everything but score, and they won it in the 91st minute with a cross from their LB floating straight in. To cap it off, I'm pretty certain there was a foul on Aiche by their striker. Still, we dusted ourselves off and went to PSG. Again, we had the most of the play, before Derouiche stepped up too far and Hernandez exploited the space, going round Aiche to score. Final match stats: PSG, 5 shots, 1 on target, 1 clear cut chance. Rennes, 15 shots, 7 on target, 3 clear cut chances, 5 half chances... Infuriating. We didn't have much time to recover (a bit of a theme this month), and went straight into the Coupe de Ligue match upon our return from the Champions League, and we eased through even with our major names rested. Then, bliss. Two great wins to close out the month, smashing both Lens and Saint Etienne with a huge range of different scorers. Although Lille are right on our tail, PSG are stuttering big time. Isn't it beautiful?

Europe:

We're on the brink of winning the group after these two matches, and they haven't done our goal difference any harm whatsoever! Time for the youngsters to step up in the final match against BATE!

Man of the Month:

Guess who? The jewel in our crown just gets better and better, and the Ligue 1 defenders just can't work out how to pick him up.

[deltablue]

I like how Buzek looks.

[Animosama]

What are facilities and stadium like now ?

Any chance of an upgrade ?

[AcidBurn]

Looking decent in the league, I know how the PSG game must have felt, do they still spend loads of money?

[b101]

December 2019 - Stade Rennais

Job offers:

Rejected out of hand. The Cartagena offer was far more attractive, and I have lots left to do in France.

Fixtures:

Just the two league matches this month, with the World Club Cup taking 'priority'. We managed another two victories without conceding, and Eduardo Anderson scored another Goal of the Season contender against Le Mans before Marília finished them off. Another excellent performance followed in Sochaux, with Marília grabbing another brace, and Júnior adding the extras. The Club World Cup was really just an opportunity to blood some more youngsters, with Rashwan, Cortellini, Morin, Michaud and Duhamel all getting valuable game time. Sure, both games were close, but we walked out Champions - and that's all that matters.

Europe:

Well this was surprisingly easy! A number of youth products played their part, none more so than Cortellini, with an excellent display. More on him later.

First Knockout Round Draw:

Other than the obvious, it's pretty much the tie I would have wanted. Great to see Lokeren through and I would have loved a reunion, but they'll do well to get anything out of Juventus. The other great news is that all three French sides make it through, with Monaco relegating Real to third spot in their group! They'll probably go out to Chelsea now, but PSG should progress against Schalke.

Man of the Month:

With injury to Ngoyi and average form from Michaud, Cortellini's path to the first team suddenly became a lot easier - and boy, did he take his opportunity! Aside from an excellent performance against BATE, he also played extremely well against Sochaux and looks like an excellent prospect. Also, check out those PPMs!

[b101]

I like how Buzek looks.

Cheers, I like him a lot too - partly because he's Czech! I'm taking a bit of a scatter gun approach with the centre-backs, but I think he's a pretty safe bet.

What are facilities and stadium like now? Any chance of an upgrade ?

Facilities are up at the bottom of post #252 - although it's easy to miss, I do tend to waffle . They're excellent, and the latest update to our Youth facilities is about to be completed. As for the stadium, it seats 31,000, but with us being about £10m in the red, I doubt we'll be getting a new one any time soon. I always tend to focus on players first then go for the stadium later on when I can make profits by selling the youth products.

Looking decent in the league, I know how the PSG game must have felt, do they still spend loads of money?

Yeah, I know you've had a fair few tough games as well over in your save. They do spend quite a bit, but Ancelotti is terrible with transfers. They seem to go through phases of buying for certain positions. A year ago, they went for strikers and found Hernandez was the best. So, this January, Guerra (who they bought for £18m a year ago) and Ongenda (who is just amazing) are both going to leave due to getting no games.

This year, it's centre mids - they currently have (take a deep breath): Lucas Leiva, Yann M'Vila, Pastore, Moutinho, Nir Biton, Enzo Reale, Neeskens Kebano, Joao Moutinho, Moritz Leitner, Lucas Moura, Rafinha, Nainggolan and Diskerud. So what do they do? Go and buy Fellaini. Go figure...

My aim therefore, is to try to buy Ongenda

[b101]

PSG keep doing it, they've gone and signed Verratti as well. I'm looking forward to seeing their formation.

[Animosama]

I like your man of the month idea and that you have added their preferred moves. If there is anything else you could add to it please do. Any chance of your teaching him try killer balls often since he has to both create chances and score as a one striker. Also do you think it would be a good idea to added their weak foot ability

[b101]

I like your man of the month idea and that you have added their preferred moves. If there is anything else you could add to it please do. Any chance of your teaching him try killer balls often since he has to both create chances and score as a one striker. Also do you think it would be a good idea to added their weak foot ability

Thanks for the suggestion and will make it a regular feature . To be honest, PPMs aren't something I'm particularly good at as I tend to worry whether I'll make a player worse by changing the way they play, but it's probably something I should work on. I will have a look at Cortellini over the next ten games he plays and see what I think - how many key passes he's making etc. Weak foot ability is generally on the Overall screen, and I don't pay much attention beyond looking at Either, Right or Right only - it's tough to read between the lines. Again, a good suggestion though and it's not something I've paid too much attention to recently... means I probably should!

[b101]

January 2020 - Stade Rennais

Transfer Window News:

Lots of good news for followers of my career, with two of my first purchases back in Belgium kickstarting their careers after poor first moves away from Daknam. Liverpool barely played Vukusic and he chose to leave for Newcastle, which is probably a pretty decent option. Really hoping it works out for him after how good he was in Belgium, and he deserved better. As for Guerra, he was seduced by the lights and money of Paris, and didn't really feature at all for them. I'm not convinced that Chelsea is the best place for him, but hopefully he will break into their first team - they have an army of creative midfielders so he could do well.

Amidst all of this, our Youth Facilities have been upgraded just in time for the new intake in a few months' time. We also had one player leaving the club, with Milan Koutnik departing for Roma for a fee of £6.5m. I always second-guess myself when their value is immediately more than I sell them for, but I think we did well to get as much as we did - he's certainly no Júnior (see later screenie)!

Fixtures:

The screenshot says it all. We've now won every game for the second successive month, and whilst there were a few twitchy moments, we generally deserved it. With our fixture list now seriously piling up, it's time for a number of the youth prospects to shine, and it's great to see players like Rashwan and Bardi get their names on the scoresheet. New boy Buzek has also featured quite a lot, as have fellow defenders Morin and Salaun - there's a lot of rotation going on! I made the domestic cups a focus this year, and it was good to see off Lille (fairly comfortably in the end) to reach the final in April. Otherwise, everything was straightforward until the last two games. We fell behind in both, but battled back really well with Júnior completing our comeback in both matches. Maximum points and a potential 11 point lead. All is going well!

Man of the Month:

With his two late goals in the crucial fixtures against Montpellier and Monaco, as well as his earlier good form, Júnior wins this by a mile. He's now being tutored by Marília, which should push his mentals up to an even better level, and is making that Inside Forward role his own. His PPMs are pretty good for this, although I might consider adding 'Places Shots' to improve his chance conversion rate and make the most of the 'Curls Ball' PPM. Thoughts, as always, are welcome!

[b101]

February 2020 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

Judging from the screenshot, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this had been a straightforward month. However, over the course of these 8 fixtures (including the Cagliari game), we have lost Ngata, Marília, Eduardo Anderson, Júnior, Lienard and Russ to injury. With any luck, they should be back for a potential Champions League Quarter Final, but it's not helped my nerves! You wouldn't have seen it coming though, as we rampaged past Toulouse, Nimes and Lyon with a small breather for Troyes in the Cup. Marseille, however, proved the stumbling block, with the southern side resorting to petulant tactics, injuring Marília and Júnior in one fell swoop. Thankfully, we had enough in the tank to beat Metz comfortably, before squeezing past Lille undeservedly, with a 30 yard Rashwan freekick keeping our winning streak alive and well in the League and a 15 point chasm between us and PSG.

European fixtures:

Our winning streak came to an end in gutting fashion over in Sicily, with Tongo Doumbia gifting the opposition a goal by attempting a headed pass back to the keeper from 40 yards. Needless to say, they gratefully slotted it home. Nagai secured a vital away goal, but we badly missed our various injured players. Sadly, the other French sides didn't have as good a time as us:

Man of the Month:

Possibly a slightly odd choice, but with the numerous injuries we've sustained recently, the youngsters had to step up, and none more impressively than Sebastian Rashwan. He's currently slotted in for Júnior on the left wing, but I have no idea really where he'll end up - his Finishing and Teamwork need a lot of work to be an Inside Forward, and I have better options for the Advanced Playmaker role. A bit of a conundrum really...

[deltablue]

Looking like a dominating season at home and a potentially good European run. You have an excellent team that it would be a pleasure to face if you want to do the FMCU championships.

[Animosama]

Junior has good pace , off ball and decent drbbling n strength. I think he could have run with ball through centre and move into channels.

Sebastian looks like he is going to develop into a good playmaker. Try killer balls often,dictate tempo and come deep for ball.

Are you still using the same tactic if so mind providing me with another screenshot ?

[b101]

Unfortunately his teamwork works against him as a playmaker. Killer Balls often I agree with totally, but not sure about dictates tempo as I like my team to move the ball around quickly without it remaining too long with one player - and if there were one player, it'd be Marília.

I still use the same tactic, yes - just two minor differences: I swapped Marília to the right CM position as I'm interested as to whether he'll link up with Júnior and Nakai better if he's in that area of the field. At the moment, I'm still unconvinced, but I'll keep it to the end of the season and then decide. Also, Ngata as now a WB (A) as well as Wegner. This wouldn't be his best role based on attributes, but we're so much better than most others in the league that it makes sense to bombard down the flanks.

Stay tuned, I have a very exciting update coming...

[b101]

A picture speaks a thousand words they say...

[b101]

Stade Rennais - Youth Intake 2020

Given the outstanding level of our facilities, Youth Intake Day is finally something to really look forward to each year. Long gone are the pitiful Chilean youngsters of Curico Unido, or the average Belgians from Daknam, we are producing some of the best players in the world. However, there are two things that you hopefully noticed in the screenshot in the above post. Firstly, the obvious: we have a potential world-beater in Max Tanguy, who looks seriously good. Second, and potentially even more exciting though, we have a mini-me in the guise of Tomas Prochazka! I've never had a son before on a CM/FM and, as if I needed anything else to tie me to Rennes, this might just ensure I stay here a while longer.

All in all, there are five players who are decent prospects or better.

Max Tanguy - ST, 5* PA

Potentially one of the best strikers in the world, and those attributes are pretty tasty too. Physically, he is an absolute beast of a 14 year old and must surely be tearing up playgrounds everywhere! Granted, his technical skills aren't the best, but these are often the easiest to raise, and he has plenty of time ahead of him. Amazingly, he's come through already having a National reputation, something I've never seen before (is this rare?) and already has a Professional personality, which is pleasing. The aim will be simple. Get him tutored by Ngoyi ASAP, then Júnior, then Marília. In the meantime, we'll work on his Pace first, as always, before chucking him straight on a Poacher schedule for a season or so. After that, I'll switch him between the DLF/AP/IF schedules to tweak the rest of his attributes. Basically though, he is now my golden child.

Tomas Prochazka - 4* PA

Well, one of the golden children that is! Just as I said that we possibly had too many CBs, we get another who I can't possibly ignore in this year's youth intake. As a striker himself, doubtless Jozef made Tomas play defence in the back garden over in Prague when he was young... Obviously this isn't the exact position I'd have chosen, but he has decent potential and good attributes. His technical stats are okay, with no really low attributes anywhere important. His mental attributes look excellent for such a young age and the physicals are decent enough too. Just need to get that determination up and then we'll start working on everything else. This does mean that I now have a few big decisions to make: Salaun and Buzek are both developing nicely, and there is also Kunz waiting in the wings behind the current two of Lucas and Derouiche. And that's without even mentioning that Wegner probably should be a CB. Decisions, decisions...

Ourdy Mbala - 4* PA

More proof that we've really struck gold with this intake. To put into perspective, 4* PA is equal with Ngata, Elsinga, Russ and Eduardo Anderson - so Mbala clearly has a lot of room to grow yet. That being said, there needs to be a bit of work on his mental and technical attributes, with the usual suspects (creativity, concentration, teamwork, work rate) much lower than I would like. After a bit of tutoring though, I'm confident he can develop into a speedy right winger. It's a bit early to say where he might figure, but I think backup/rotation would probably be the limit unless he develops in a truly spectacular fashion.

Bayu Cadou and Esteban Pierre - 3* PA

We desperately needed someone good in either full-back slot, and it's good to see the final two decent prospects are both right backs. Both of them look like they have a lot of room to grow, with Pierre only on 3 silver stars at the moment and some decent starting attributes. Cadu is certainly the more defensive of the two, but my preference would certainly be Esteban at this point in time.

[Astrix]

Great to hear about the son!

He looks bloody good as well!

Absolutely dominating performance in the league. Big Props

[Animosama]

I hope your son is treated just like the other players and not any biases. Are you fining players for red cards, suspensions and under performing. If u didn't know by doing this you can increase some of there attributes if they agree to the punishments. You can do they for first, reserve teams and youth teams. It very helpful for youth players to punish them for bad performances and red cards since it helps to build up they mental attributes quicker. You also have to watch their personalities for some players with high controversy will react badly to the fines.

[b101]

March 2020 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

Our injuries were bound to cause a slight dip in performance levels eventually, and we dropped two points at Troyes in an even encounter with the league's surprise package. It says a lot about how PSG have fallen this season that this match barely registered on my radar - we've pretty much wrapped up the league and they have been woeful. A header from Elsinga set us on our way before M'Vila ensured that the Parisiens got their fourth red card in the last three matches against us! Nakai wrapped up the points with a nice run and finish late on. Things were tighter against Bordeaux, and they pegged back our early lead. Júnior came on with ten minutes to go for his 100th appearance for the club and won the game for us at the death, jinking inside his fullback to smash home. The final match was a bit of a procession against Montpellier, taking us through to the Cup semi-final. Still going strong.

European fixtures:

We produced the desired performance at home, going 3-0 up with little problem thanks to a neat double from Elsinga and an Ngoyi strike. They grabbed a consolation late on, but this was comfortable in the end.

Great to see PSG buck the trend of all group winners going through by dislodging Schalke. Lokeren did themselves proud against Juventus, but it was ultimately a bridge too far.

Quarter Final Draw

Man of the Month:

In a month where we rotated a lot to try to rest players for our attack on all fronts, Elsinga has played particularly well and his double against Cagliari was crucial to our Champions League hopes. He's my automatic choice in the central midfield slot alongside Marília (when he's fit), and chips in with a fair few goals as well as doing the defensive work. Has been a really good signing.

[b101]

April 2020 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

The league title was secured in the first game of the month, an outstanding achievement given how many other trophies we are chasing this year! We continued to rotate in the league, with Rashwan again profiting by grabbing two excellent goals in the Lens game. We then somehow contrived to lose to Saint Etienne, with the visitors scoring twice from set pieces and once from a horror backpass from Renan. Finally, a very young side plus Ngoyi put Le Mans to the sword in the final game of the month. To be honest, my only priority remaining in the league this season is to get our youngsters some game time. I could go all out and try to win every game in an attempt to get a points record, but I don't think it's beneficial at this stage in my career. Additionally, we played the Coupe de Ligue Final this month (more on that later), and also won in the Coupe de France semi final against Monaco, with goals from Marília (only to get injured again!) and a double from Júnior.

European fixtures:

Our fixture congestion continued this month, with our Quarter Final tie against Bayern first up. A thoroughly professional performance in the first leg gave us a nice advantage going to Munich, with an early strike from Júnior followed by a Dieter Russ run and finish from midfield just before half time. In the Olympic Stadium, we didn't do much, but then neither did Bayern. They scored through Thomas Muller on 24 minutes, but we weren't ever really troubled. A total of two shots on target in the whole game demonstrates how successfully we killed this game.

An excellent performance in Turin sees PSG through as well, whilst Man City surprisingly ousted Barcelona with a great draw in the Nou Camp. Chelsea are the final team to make up the last four after smashing Porto in London.

Semi Final

Originally didn't include these, forgetting that the Semis had also come in April. We eased our way past Chelsea in the end with a masterful home performance paving the way for an easy passage to the final. Once Ngoyi grabbed the away goal in London we knew it was all done and dusted, and even though they won on the night, it was a well-managed game. But who will we face?

As you can see, PSG did a huge number on City in the first leg and Javier Hernandez proved to be the tormentor in chief. I can attest to the fact that he's a nightmare to play against, and it'll be a tough prospect to shut him down in the final.

Man of the Month:

Ngata played really well this month and deservedly gets his first ever Man of the Month award. He doubled his goal tally for the season this month and put in a number of excellent performances, in spite of being dead on his feet. Hasn't got any PPMs, but doesn't really need any!

[b101]

What an awesome comment

[b101]

May 2020 - Stade Rennais

League Fixtures:

With everything sewn up, this was just a chance for the youngsters to get some game time and avoid any major injuries before the various finals. Suffice to say results were therefore a bit poor. Any other month and I'd be furious with this, but it's not too bad from a developmental perspective. League done.

[b101]

2018/2019 - Coupe de la Ligue Final

Stade Rennais' run to the final

AS Monaco's run to the final

The first of our finals actually took place in late April, with our win over Lille in January booking our place against Monaco, who'd triumphed over PSG and Lyon in the previous two rounds. They were also a decent side in the league, sitting third at the time, with master tactician André Villas-Boas in charge and striker Lucas Ocampos scoring for fun up top. We were missing a few players: Ngoyi, Marília, Júnior, Russ and Eduardo Anderson, so this was hardly a formality.

Thankfully we took the lead half an hour in, with Cortellini, in for Ngoyi, slotting home after a fine run from Nakai. 1-0 Rennes!. Just before half-time however, Monaco levelled with their left winger darting past Wegner to cross deep and Ocampos met the ball with an excellent header. 1-1!. No changes were made at half time, and 3 minutes into the second half, we re-took the lead from the most unlikely source, with left back Ngata popping up in the box to score after a long throw from the other side of the pitch was knocked down to him. 2-1 Rennes!

With Monaco pushing more and more as the game wore on, we were looking to pinch it on the counter and in the 88th minute, Cortellini broke from halfway, wriggled past a defender and shot for goal, only for their keeper to tip it wide. From the resulting corner though, Raphael Lucas produced a great header at the near post, which fell for Derouiche at the far. 3-1 Rennes! - thank you and good night! One final down, two to go.

[b101]

2018/2019 - Coupe de France Final

Stade Rennais' run to the final

Valenciennes' run to the final

That's right, after a long slog through the various rounds of the Coupe de France, including the ridiculous one whilst everyone's on international duty, we end up facing tycoon side Valenciennes in the final. I'm not sure, but I think the draw for the Coupe de France is seeded, as a Ligue 2 side almost always ends up in the final... and loses. No pressure on us then!

To say this match started well would be an understatement. We forced a corner in the very first highlight, Marília puts the ball in, Ngoyi heads against the bar and it bounced in off the hapless keeper. 1-0 Rennes and we were in the driving seat. However, we struggled to break them down and get a second, and were often just a bit too eager to try to shoot when the simple pass would have been a better option. Just before half time, Valenciennes won a throw deep in our half, which we won back on our own goal line. Everyone bar Doumbia (who had the ball) rushed out of the box, leaving him with no option but to clear it out. Or so I thought... He decided to instead pass it across the 6 yard box to their striker, who gleefully smashed home. 1-1!.

At half time, the players received a real ear-bashing, but nothing seemed to come of it, so we made some subs on the hour mark, with Wegner replaced by Diego Renan and Ngoyi departing for Cortellini. As the subs were getting ready, Eduardo Anderson skipped past their right back and cut the ball back to Walber on the edge of the area. Our holding mid nicked it past their centre back, who caught him with a poorly-timed tackle. Eduardo demanded the penalty, and smashed it hard into the right hand side netting 2-1 Rennes!. All Valenciennes could do now was to attack, playing right into our hands, and with 8 minutes to go Ngata won the ball off their right winger. He passed it forward to Júnior, who did his usual weaving before finding sub striker Cortellini. The young Italian paused, weaved back inside before playing a neat reverse pass to the onrushing Elsinga, who smashed it high into the net. 3-1 Rennes!.

Just the one left, and boy is it a big fixture!

[b101]

2019/2020 - UEFA Champions League Final

Stade Rennais' run to the final

PSG's run to the final

Odds: Rennes: 3-1, PSG 2-1 (Fav)

PSG thoroughly deserve to be here. They finished second to Chelsea in their group by one goal before working their way past some pretty good sides to make it here. As for us, our route was certainly easier than the year before (I don't think it'll ever be tougher than that!), but we'd still disposed of Chelsea and Bayern on our way to Athens. Recently, we've had PSG's number in the league, although they did hand us our second defeat of the season earlier at the Parc des Princes. They chose to pack their midfield as always, and look to play Hernandez in behind. This isn't great as playing a high line is pretty crucial to my set up at the start of matches, so we could decide to drop deeper and aim to draw them on before countering. The thing is, with the talent they have in midfield, that's pretty risky too. In the end, I went with my usual way of thinking, which is to impose our way of playing on them rather than react before we've seen what we can do. Our obvious talents lie with Marília and Júnior, and I'm banking on him getting a few runs at Coates when Corchia heads forward.

Nothing really happened early on in what was quite a cagey affair. PSG tend to fly into tackles a lot, hence the number of red cards they receive against us, and a big tackle from M'Vila set up the game's first chance. Walber was caught in possession by the big Frenchman, who laid it into Leitner. Leitner in turn fed Hernandez who shot instantly, but Aiche pushed the ball away for Ngata to collect. An early warning sign that we couldn't afford to dawdle in possession. We tried our best to keep hold of the ball, but PSG were just squeezing the life out of our central midfield pairing of Elsinga and Marília. That being said, a long run from Nakai forced a corner after 25 minutes. The ball was nicely floated in, but Elsinga could only head over the bar. On 35 minutes, a carbon copy of the same move, just on the other side of the pitch - Marília again delivering a beautiful corner, but Lucas' effort was cleared off the line this time by Dao. We were all over them from set pieces and it was Lucas who rose highest again 5 minutes later, but he couldn't direct his header on target. Half-time: Rennes 0-0 PSG

5 minutes into the second half and it was PSG's turn to threaten from a set piece, with Dao heading over from the far post. Seriously, the 70,000 fans can't be impressed by this so far. Again, our midfield were really struggling, and a look at the stats terrified me. Marília had attempted just 18 passes in 55 minutes, with only 11 succeeding. Consequently, both he and Nakai changed to support roles in an attempt to drop deeper and find a bit more space. This seemed to have the desired effect with the Brazilian dropping deep just 5 minutes later to pick the ball up from Walber. He fed it out to Wegner, who cut inside Alex Sandro, but could only put his shot wide of the near post. On 60 minutes, I geared up to make two substitutions to wrest control of the game, with Russ replacing Nakai and Elsinga coming off for Doumbia. Again, as the subs were warming up, Júnior broke down the left hand side, and with Ngoyi screaming for the ball in space, he elected to go alone, with Coates' tackle putting the ball out off the Brazilian for a throw. They took the throw quickly, back to Sirigu, who for some unknown reason tried to play it short to Coates. Ngoyi pounced on the weak pass and slammed the ball into the goal. 1-0 Rennes!

We immediately started to calm things down and look to move the ball about, but from a rare counter, PSG threatened again - Alex Sandro leaving Wegner on his backside but from his cross Leitner could only head into Aiche's arms. With twenty minutes to play, they threatened again, forcing another corner. From this one, Coates rose highest, heading beyond Aiche, but not the woodwork, the ball bouncing onto the line and Derouiche was perfectly placed to smash it clear! Marília was starting to come into the game more now, and we countered again through the diminutive Brazilian, who spread the ball out to Ngata. The full back worked a neat one two with Júnior before laying it through to Doumbia, who shot wide from 20 yards. With five left to play, I stepped off further, marking their central midfielders tightly. This worked a treat, with Coates pumping a hopeful ball long to Ngata, who cut past Leitner and again laid it off to Doumbia. Tongo stepped inside and played a cute through ball to Júnior who was left one-on-one with Sirigu, but could only hit his shot straight at the keeper. As we entered injury time, Corchia broke past Ngata and made it into the area, only for Doumbia to smash him out of play with a huge slide tackle. From the resultant corner, the ball was cleared downfield and Sandro's clearing header only found Ngoyi. Paupol looked up and played a neat through ball to send Nakai clear. As the crowd held their breath, he dinked it over the keeper, but over the bar as well. The final whistle went, and Rennes were Champions of Europe again!

[Animosama]

The quadruple the board must agree do all of your request now.

Can you show me the current european co-efficient after your ECL win ?

What is your club ranking after the our champions league win ?

[rlipscombe]

Not a bad season!!! Awesome work...

[b101]

The quadruple the board must agree do all of your request now.

Haha, yeah you'd like to think so, but our finances still aren't amazing. Co-efficients and rankings etc to come in the end of season round-up - probably later tonight.

Not a bad season!!! Awesome work...

Cheers! To be honest, we were helped by the fact that other teams fell over each other in a rush to gift us the league title. I didn't pick my strongest team once for a league fixture from February, not even for the PSG game, which really helped keep people fresh for other competitions.

[EvilDave]

Incredible season and remarkable work to turn Rennes into a European powerhouse in such a short period of time, well done! With back-to-back CLs in the bag and France dominated, are Jozef's feet starting to itch or is he keen to watch his son grow with the club? Intrigued to see how you play it from here, great stuff.

[b101]

Incredible season and remarkable work to turn Rennes into a European powerhouse in such a short period of time, well done! With back-to-back CLs in the bag and France dominated, are Jozef's feet starting to itch or is he keen to watch his son grow with the club? Intrigued to see how you play it from here, great stuff.

To be honest, I do tend to struggle for motivation once I win everything, but I think it'll be tougher to retain this year. I'll move in the near future, but it'd be great to bring through some of the youngsters and watch kids like Tanguy and Prochazka develop. I don't think a move is too far away though, 2 seasons at most perhaps...

[b101]

July 2020 - Argentina

News from Buenos Aires today, as Jozef Prochazka announced that he is stepping down from management of Argentina with immediate effect.

Managed to lose the screenshot, but you get the gist - I really wasn't enjoying managing Argentina and the team is definitely ageing. There's not a lot of good youngsters coming through and it would take a monumental effort to topple Brazil, who have loads... Besides, I have work to do yet in France!

[B.W.G]

Congrats on winning the quad,an excellent achievement

[JackJCFC]

Incredible work in France, must be pretty satisfying to beat PSG in the CL final too .

Your youth intake have also been crazily good

[b101]

Stade Rennais - End of Season 2019/20 Mop-Up

This was pretty much a flawless season, bar the occasional one goal loss. We won every trophy going, including the league at a canter. We were functional rather than breathtaking in the Champions League, but got the job done in the end against a very strong PSG side, which should help the French co-efficients no end. My main aim at the start of the season was the domestic treble, and to add Europe's major competition was a huge bonus. In terms of the future, the aim will be consolidation, whilst continuing to bring the youngsters through as these guys have helped us immensely this season. I'll have a full player progression update later as well as a bit more squad analysis. There are still a few areas I think we can strengthen, and hopefully these will prove fairly straightforward.

Which leads me on nicely to our first signing of the summer. Welcome, Alexandr Sosnitsky:

Arsenal contrived to finish 9th in the Premiership meaning that their world class centre back pairing wanted out, with the other half (Guillermo Alvariza) joining Man City for a cool £46m. Given that we shelled out half of that (£23.5m) on the Belorussian, who is pretty much as good, I think we've done rather well! He should also prove a great tutor and adds a bit more experience to a very young side.

Rankings

European Reputation - League Coefficients - Club Coefficients - French clubs' rankings

In spite of beating them to every trophy going, we haven't quite managed to work our way above PSG in the reputation stakes, but there's little difference remaining. What is impressive is seeing us above Chelsea though, who haven't won anything in quite a while now (yay!). Thanks to our excellent progress in the last two seasons, we are also on the verge of overtaking Germany in the coefficients, although Italy have one very good year that puts them above us for a little while yet. This doesn't really change anything really. As for the club coefficients, 19th place is a remarkable leap, with us moving up 49 places this year alone after a similar jump last year. Once those first two years disappear off the radar we should be flying high. Finally, there's some serious progress being made by other clubs in Ligue 1, with Lyon making the Europa League semis and Évian reaching the second knockout round, whilst Monaco also made the first knockout round in the Champions League.

In other news:

I really hope this works well for him. Vukusic went there and spent 3 years on the bench before a move to Newcastle which has re-invigorated him. Given that Man City, Madrid and Arsenal were also chasing Franca, I hope he's made sure he'll get first team football.

---

The top competitions in the world to date:

Czech Republic:

2019-20: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2018-9: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Banik, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2017/8: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2016/7: 1st: Slovan Liberec, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Mlada Boleslav

2015/6: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2014/5: 1st: Mlada Boleslav, 2nd: Viktoria Plzen, 3rd: Sparta Prague

2013/4: 1st: Sparta Prague, 2nd: Mlada Boleslav, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

2012/3: 1st: Mlada Boleslav, 2nd: Sparta Prague, 3rd: Viktoria Plzen

England:

2019-20: 1st: Man Utd, 2nd: Man City, 3rd Spurs, 4th: Chelsea

2018-9: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Arsenal, 3rd: Chelsea, 4th: Spurs

2017/8: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Arsenal, 3rd: Chelsea, 4th: Spurs

2016/7: 1st: Sunderland, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Chelsea

2015/6: 1st: Spurs, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Liverpool, 4th: Man Utd

2014/5: 1st: Chelsea, 2nd: Man City, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Arsenal

2013/4: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Chelsea, 3rd: Man Utd, 4th: Sunderland

2012/3: 1st: Man City, 2nd: Man Utd, 3rd: Spurs, 4th: Liverpool

France:

2019-20: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Lille, 4th: Monaco

2018-9: 1st: Rennes, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Monaco, 4th: Lyon

2017/8: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Rennes, 3rd: Lille, 4th: Bordeaux

2016/7: 1st: Lyon, 2nd: PSG, 3rd: Rennes, 4th: Monaco

2015/6: 1st: Monaco, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: PSG, 4th: Bordeaux

2014/5: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: Bordeaux, 4th: Montpellier

2013/4: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: Monaco, 4th: Marseille

2012/3: 1st: PSG, 2nd: Lyon, 3rd: Marseille, 4th: Valenciennes

Germany:

2019-20: 1st: Schalke, 2nd: Bayern, 3rd: Stuttgart, 4th: Dortmund

2018-9: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Schalke, 4th: Leverkusen

2017/8: 1st: Wolfsburg, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Bayern, 4th: Werder

2016/7: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Frankfurt, 3rd: Dortmund, 4th: Stuttgart

2015/6: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Leverkusen, 4th: Schalke

2014/5: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Schalke, 4th: Wolfsburg

2013/4: 1st: Bayern, 2nd: Dortmund, 3rd: Hannover, 4th: Gladbach

2012/3: 1st: Schalke, 2nd: Wolfsburg, 3rd: Dortmund, 4th: Gladbach

Italy:

2019-20: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Lazio

2018-9: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Palermo, 3rd: Cagliari, 4th: Roma

2017/8: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Lazio

2016/7: 1st: Palermo, 2nd: Juventus, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Milan

2015/6: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Roma, 3rd: Palermo, 4th: Napoli

2014/5: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Palermo, 3rd: Milan, 4th: Inter

2013/4: 1st: Juventus, 2nd: Milan, 3rd: Inter, 4th: Napoli

2012/3: 1st: Milan, 2nd: Inter, 3rd: Juventus, 4th: Napoli

Spain: - erm... what?

2019-20: 1st: Real, 2nd: Atlético, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Barca

2018-9: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Mallorca

2017/8: 1st: Real, 2nd: Barca, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Athletic

2016/7: 1st: Real, 2nd: Barca, 3rd: Sevilla, 4th: Atletico

2015/6: 1st: Real, 2nd: Barca, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Valencia

2014/5: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Atletico, 4th: Levante

2013/4: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Valencia, 4th: Sevilla

2012/3: 1st: Barca, 2nd: Real, 3rd: Sevilla, 4th: Atletico

Champions League:

2019-20: Winners: Rennes, Runners-up: PSG (OAKA Spyros Luis, Athens)

2018-9: Winners: Rennes, Runners-up: Porto (Stade de France)

2017/8: Winners: Juventus, Runners-up: Real Madrid (La Cartujá, Sevilla)

2016/7: Winners: Spurs, Runners-up: Atlético Madrid (San Siro)

2015/6: Winners: Manchester United, Runners-up: Bayern Munich (Ataturk Olympic, Istanbul)

2014/5: Winners: Manchester City, Runners-up: Barcelona (Millennium Stadium)

2013/4: Winners: Barcelona, Runners-up: Manchester City (Estadio de la Luz, Lisbon)

2012/3: Winners: Barcelona, Runners-up: Manchester United (Wembley)

Europa League:

2019-20: Winners: Manchester United, Runners-up: Real Madrid (Olympiastadion, Helsinki)

2018-9: Winners: Manchester United, Runners-up: Sevilla (Stadion Slaski, Chorzow)

2017/8: Winners: Chelsea, Runners-up: Palermo (Friends Arena, Stockholm)

2016/7: Winners: Chelsea, Runners-up: Werder Bremen (Parc des Princes)

2015/6: Winners: Montpellier, Runners-up: Schalke (Estadio do Dragao)

2014/5: Winners: Sporting Lisbon, Runners-up: Schalke (Vicente Calderon)

2013/4: Winners: Lyon, Runners-up: Leverkusen (Juventus Stadium, Turin)

2012/3: Winners: Chelsea, Runners-up: Porto (Amsterdam ArenA)

Former Club Watch:

[u][color=#CC0000]Curicó Unido (managed 2012/13)[/color][/u]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Year  | Pos  | League    |  Notes                                        |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2013  | 4th  | Primera   | Promoted through playoffs                     |
| 2014  | 13th | Primera   |                                               |
| 2015  | 6th  | Primera   |                                               |
| 2016  | 18th | Primera   |                                               |
| 2017  | 1st  | Primera B | Promoted as Champions                         |
| 2018  | 18th | Primera   | Relegated                                     |
| 2019  | 1st  | Primera B  |                                              |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

The Primera B is still underway, so with any luck they can bounce straight back

[u][color=#FFCC00]Lokeren (managed Jan 2014/17)[/color][/u]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Year    | Pos  | League    |  Notes                                      |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2013/4  | 10th | Jupiler Pro |                                           |
| 2014/5  | 5th  | Jupiler Pro |                                           |
| 2015/6  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners                               |
| 2016/7  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro |                                           |
| 2017/8  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners                               |
| 2018/9  | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners, Europa QF                    |
| 2019/20 | 1st  | Jupiler Pro | Cup Winners, CL 1st Knockout              |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Another excellent year for them, although they badly need to reinvest some of that transfer money. They've now made around £110m profit on players I signed for them, with the AI a much better negotiator than I am, but they need new blood soon.

[b101]

Congrats on winning the quad,an excellent achievement

Cheers, I'm convinced it only happened because France was so easy though!

Incredible work in France, must be pretty satisfying to beat PSG in the CL final too .

Your youth intake have also been crazily good

Tell me about it, although as you'll see shortly, the star ratings are dropping like stones with our increased reputation, so they aren't all as good as previously thought . Not complaining too much though! As for the CL final, we were pretty poor really and it was only when I realised how badly Marília was playing that we were able to turn it around. Never made that switch to AM (s) and W (s), so I'm glad it paid off!

[b101]

Stade Rennais - Pre-Season 2020/21 Squad Analysis

Whilst it has the lofty title of Squad Analysis, this is basically a good excuse to look through the youngsters we've developed over the last few seasons and decide whether they're any good or not. This year saw loads of them step into the first team at one point or another, and one of our matches (against Lens) was played with only one player (Ngoyi) over the age of 18! With any luck, this conveyor belt of talent will continue, and we'll be able to keep developing as a club. I'll post a few of our best talents towards the end, as the likes of Marília and Ngoyi haven't really developed much. This top ten is purely based on the last twelve months, rather than overall, and based on how well they've developed in that time.

Rennes' Top Ten - Youth Prospects

10. Gianluigi Fortina

He spent the year on loan at Getafe and didn't exactly set the world alight. That being said, he clearly got something out of it, with a number of his stats rocketing. I still don't think he's a great attacking mid, and will probably get this year to impress me before I sell him.

9. Jimmy Brossard

Jimmy was also out on loan this season, playing for Cagliari who made it through to face Rennes in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Jimmy scored four of their goals in the group stages, as well as another five in the league, although he didn't make any assists, which is a bit of a concern for an attacking midfielder. His creativity, teamwork and composure will probably need a lot of reinforcement, and he'll be tutored by Marília next season to push those up.

8. Albano Bardi

A great season for the youngster, and although he didn't get many games due to Cortellini's exceptional form, he continues to progress really well. He's getting quicker all the time, and the only stat I remain slightly worried by is his Dribbling. Other than that, he'd be an outstanding poacher for a number of midtable sides, and I plan to give him a season out on loan this year to get some vital experience.

7. Maarten Elsinga

Maarten was one of our big signings last summer, and whilst he initially struggled to adapt to the CM (s) role, he fast made it his own. His average rating was a huge 7.47 across all competitions, scoring 13 goals in 43 games. Mentally, he's improved hugely as well, and should really shine alongside Marília next season when they get a decent stint together as a pair.

6. Pablo Morin

Pablo filled in for Walber this year when the Brazilian was recovering from the Champions League ties, and he did a very good job, averaging just under 7. Not bad for a 17 year old! His determination dropped as he was tutored by Derouiche, but everything else is improving. He'll be a DM for us, but that creativity and composure need to really fly up if he's to play the role as well as I'd like.

5. Walber

Speaking of Walber, our midfield titan has also pushed on hugely this year, with his stats racing into the higher numbers. Not much to say other than look at the pictures!

4. Dieter Russ

Our other major transfer of the summer may not have played as big a part as Elsinga, but some of his goals were absolutely crucial to our successes. Again, a number of his attributes have flown up and I expect even better next season with a proper run in the team. However, he faces stiff competition at Right Wing from...

3. Kazuma Nakai

Our little Japanese engine just kept improving this year, providing two of the assists for Dieter Russ against Chelsea in the CL semi, as well as scoring a few crucial goals in the title chase early on in the season. He's now being chased by a number of the world's top teams, and it's easy to see why. Has developed phenomenally well this year.

2. Sebastian Rashwan

As you can tell from his value, he had an immense season, and really enjoyed his break in the first team, grabbing 7 goals in the process. Whilst his attributes aren't all that better at first glance, he's improved a few vital stats, namely his Flair and Passing, which make him a much greater danger. I think we'll continue to push him as an Inside Left in the near future and see how he does there, as Brossard remains slightly ahead of him in the Advanced Playmaker slot.

1. Alfredo Cortellini

The biggest compliment you can pay Alfredo is that he outshone Ngoyi for much this season, scoring 14 goals (compared to Paupol's 22) from the bench as well as in weaker sides. He's a very different prospect - a livewire who jinks around defenders and loves to run at them, whereas Ngoyi gives us a much more physical dimension. His attributes have also rocketed this year as a result, especially those mental stats, which are beginning to look exceptional. Very excited to see what he does next year.

---

The other player who has hugely pushed on this year was this lad, but seeing as he was already a class act, I didn't feel he needed to be in the list above:

Additionally, there's a few who were uninspiring. Bruno Michaud may well leave the club this summer, whilst Salaun looked nervy in his few games at CB when Lucas was available. The other one I'd like to leave this year is Derouiche, who has again done very little to inspire confidence. Finally, Daniel Wegner, a staple of the team at RB, may also leave as I think he may have reached his potential (irrespective of what our coaches believe). We need money from somewhere, and if we can get upward of £20m for him then I'd take it very seriously.

[deltablue]

Well done on everything, especially the CL again.

[JackJCFC]

I wouldnt pay any attention to star rating decreases. Just compare them to the players you have of a similar rating rather than stars. Certainly looks like you've got some great players anyway.

[shnen]

?!?!?!

[b101]

Haha, FM always reuses the same regen names and nationalities. I've had a class Nicolas Audren (ST) come through Lyon on my last two saves now. Amusing that he even looks similar though.

[b101]

August 2020 - Stade Rennais

Fixtures:

We had a really tough draw for this month's fixtures, with PSG and Lyon first up whilst Évian are no slouches either. We sneaked past Évian thanks to a solitary Ngoyi goal before facing a decent Lyon side at the Stade de Gerland. They took the lead through their classy striker Audren before Júnior levelled things up. After a poor first half, Ngoyi took things into his own hands, scoring a superb solo goal before laying on the last for Marília. Against PSG, we weren't really at our best. Júnior gave us an early lead with a sweet volley, but they equalised through Hernandez five minutes before half time (sound familiar?). We had chances to win it, but couldn't quite take them, hitting the bar through Ngoyi instead. Thanks to their superb start, PSG sit top of the tree after 3 games, but as always, there's a long way to go.

European fixtures:

The solitary fixture was our showpiece match with Man Utd, a repeat of last year's fixture - can't be often that happens! This time around, we were much better defensively and secured a 1-0 win through a late Ngoyi header.

Man of the Month:

With four goals in the opening five games of the season, Ngoyi has hit the ground running this season. He could perhaps still be doing more, but this is much better than the way he began last year!

[b101]

This Year's Champions League draw:

Our group is very do-able, but there are a lot of banana skins. Terek is a long trip that I'd rather have avoided, and in Porto we'll be up against the finalists of two seasons ago (when they lost to us on penalties). Stuttgart have a decent squad, but not one that we should be overly troubled by. As for the other three teams of interest: PSG, Lille and Lokeren, they've all had interesting draws as well.

Hard to see Lille getting much out of their draw and Lokeren will be pushed to the limit too. PSG should be ok though.

[b101]

Almost forgot that Monaco made it through as well, and they've already opened their account with a great 1-0 home win over Bayern.