Cause Tramps Like Us, Baby, We Were Born To Rennes

[danmcconnell1]

       

October 2026

A very good month in the league began with a thrilling 4-3 win at home to Lyon. Savio gave us an early lead, however the visitors roared back and found themselves 3-1 up at the break. A crazy 6 minute spell between minute 59 and 65 saw us score 3 goals, Omari with a header from a corner before Ernest Nuamah scored a couple of screamers with each foot to give us the lead in a pulsating few minutes. We held on for what was a really important win not only in terms of the result but for morale again. Also, since signing Ernest Nuamah back in January 2025, he's appeared against his former club Lyon 5 times and scored 4 goals, he loves playing against his former club. Another win soon followed, this time on the road at struggling Montpellier. We beat them 4-2 thanks to goals from Savio and Nuamah again before Greenwood and Yamal both scored late off the bench. Our struggles in the Champions League continued however with a 3-2 defeat at home to Leverkusen. Omari with another goal got us level at 1-1 but the visitors took control and went 3-1 up before a Kalimuendo goal made for an interesting final period, we couldn't find an equaliser though. We ended the month well again in Ligue 1 though, winning 4-0 in the Breton derby against neighbours Brest. Kalimuendo with a brace, Savio and Yamal again with the goals there.

We remain in 5th despite a good month, the defeats earlier in the season are really starting to show now though, however a win in our next game on the 1st November against Lille could see us move up to as far as 2nd if other results go our way.

We're clinging onto a play off spot in the Champions League after 3 matches played with just 3 points, we sit in 23rd at the moment.

While Ramos won Ligue 1 Player of the Month with a brilliant 7 goals in 4 matches, Savio finished 2nd for the award with 3 goals and 4 assists while Nuamah took 3rd spot with 3 goals and assists.

6 matches await us in November in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League as we begin with a trip to Lille before the visit of Antwerp in the Champions League. Then comes newly promoted Lorient at home before a trip to RC Lens. We then travel to Glasgow to take on Celtic in the Champions League before welcoming Monaco to Roazhan Park at the end of the month.

Edited Tuesday at 22:32 by danmcconnell1

[danmcconnell1]

       

November 2026

November began with a convincing and comfortable 2-0 win away at Lille with Braunoder scoring his 1st goal for the club late on, then Kroupi made sure of the points. We then took on Antwerp and taught them a lesson in the Champions League winning 6-0 at home, Nuamah, Kroupi again, Kalimuendo, Savio with a brace and Bourigeaud rounding off a thumping win. Then came the first of three consecutive defeats though, starting with the 2-1 home defeat to Lorient, a really disappointing result. Greenwood equalised for us early in the 2nd half however we barely lay a glove on them after that and ended up conceding midway through the 2nd half which was enough for the visitors to take all 3 points home with them. Another defeat came on the road next away at RC Lens, losing 2-0 there. Then came another really disappointing result, losing 3-0 away at Celtic in the Champions League. We were really poor in Glasgow. However, despite those disappointing results, we responded brilliantly against 2nd place at the time Monaco at home, beating them 3-1. We fell behind early but Greenwood equalised before the half hour mark, then Yamal gave us the lead just 5 minutes later. Renan Lodi scored his 1st goal for the club too to ensure the 3 points midway through the 2nd half.

Despite only taking 6 points from a possible 12 this month, we have moved up into 4th. PSG are on a mission again though and are already 12 points clear of us, 9 clear of 2nd place Monaco too. There's still a long way to go though.

It was a month of contrasts in the Champions League after the huge win over Antwerp then undoing all of that good work by losing at Celtic. We do remain in top 24 though, currently placed 21st, which would be good enough for a play off spot in the new year. We take on Liverpool at home next before trips to Spurs and Brondby in the new year, so we still have a lot of work to do against difficult English opposition in particular before we confirm a top 24 spot.

Just the 4 matches before the winter break in December. We begin with a trip to Marseille before the visit of Liverpool in the Champions League. We then welcome Strasbourg a few days later before travelling south again to Nice in our final match before Christmas.

[danmcconnell1]

The media have completely misinterpreted my comments here. Now, I did say to them I was open to discussions with Spurs, I feel that it would be a move I would relish, despite the good work I've done here with Rennes. However I definitely didn't say Spurs are a 'fantastic side' or that 'I could do a very good job' there. 

I'm open to moving on from Rennes and feel like Spurs would be a step up, but I'm not desperate as this media post suggests.

[danmcconnell1]

Again, more media hyperbole. I didn't rule myself out, however this is exaggerated.

[Hootieleece]

Too bad Kasper Schmeichel didn't have a day like yesterday against you. Would have helped immensely in Europe.

 

[danmcconnell1]

7 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

Too bad Kasper Schmeichel didn't have a day like yesterday against you. Would have helped immensely in Europe.

 

Absolutely, could do with him in the sticks for his former club Nice too which I've just played...

[danmcconnell1]

       

December 2026

A highly frustrating month domestically saw us draw all 3 Ligue 1 matches, beginning with a 1-1 draw away at Marseille, which wasn't a bad result in all honesty. Renan Lodi scored late to earn a point. We then recorded a huge win over Liverpool in the Champions League back at Roazhan Park. Alexis Mac Allister scored a 1st half hat-rick for the Reds as they went in at half time 3-2 up, Nuamah and Kroupi with our 1st half goals. Arnaud Kalimuendo scored a 2nd half brace to win the game for us though in what was a huge result in our fight to reach the knockout stages. Next up was Strasbourg at home in another disappointing result. Arnaud Kalimuendo equalised for us midway through the 1st half but neither side could find the decisive breakthrough. The month and year ended with another 1-1 draw on the road against a fellow European qualification rival in OGC Nice, Bourigeaud scoring yet another equaliser for us as we recorded a third 1-1 draw in a row. 

We remain in 4th half way through the Ligue 1 season, however we're already a huge 18 points behind champions PSG, I don't foresee a title challenge coming this year.

That important win over Liverpool sees us in with a great chance of making the knockout play off round in February. We sit in 19th on 9 points with 2 games left, one of which is against Brondby which I expect to win, so even if we lose to Spurs, 12 points 'should' be enough to see us qualify.

Youngster Lamine Yamal has won the prestigious Golden Boy award after 9 goals and 16 assists in 29 league appearances for us in the last year. He's been very good for us and settled into the team really well since joining from Barcelona last January.

Another coveted award was won by Junior Kroupi as he win's Ligue 1's Revelation of the Year award after 7 goals in 28 appearances for both us and Reims in the last year. Another richly deserved award for Junior who's going from strength to strength with us this season.

We return from the winter break with a trip to US Lusitanos Saint-Maur in the 9th round of the Coupe de France before the trip to Spurs in the Champions League a couple of weeks later. Then it's PSG away in Ligue 1, always a tough one before another away trip in the Champions League, this time to Denmark to take on Brondby in our final League Phase match. I'm banking on us winning there to all but secure a playoff spot. Our only home match of the month is against struggling Troyes at the end of January.

[Hootieleece]

You might want to play a friendly between the cup match and the Tottenham match unless the next round of the Coupe de France is during that time.

[danmcconnell1]

2 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

You might want to play a friendly between the cup match and the Tottenham match unless the next round of the Coupe de France is during that time.

Yep, we had the next round, so no need for a friendly  

[danmcconnell1]

       

January 2027

All in all, it's been a disappointing start to the new year. We faced 5 away matches in a row to begin the new year, beginning in the Coupe de France away to US Lusitanos Saint-Maur as we thrashed them, as expected, 6-0 with goals coming from Doyle, Harwood-Bellis with a brace, Greenwood, Bourigeaud and Yamal which set up a 10th round tie away at Monaco. Unfortunately we couldn't progress there and lost 3-1, Belocian scoring our only goal. We then went on to lose away at Spurs in the Champions League 1-0 before losing again, 4-0 this time away at PSG at the Parc des Princes. It's looking likely they're going to walk to the league title again now. Another disappointing result followed with a goalless draw in Denmark against Brondby IF, however it was enough to secure a play off spot. We got back to winning ways at the end of the month against struggling Troyes, Braunoder and Bourigeaud with the 2nd half goals.

Despite the disappointing month, we did pick up 3 points from just 6 available, so remain in 4th with 14 matches to play. We're now 19 points behind PSG though.

We scraped through by the skin of our teeth the play off round, finishing 23rd in the League Phase. A huge surprise was that PSG finished outside of the play off places so will play no further part in Europe's elite competition this season, a real blow to the French coefficient this year.

The draw for the play off round is certainly not as kind as it could have been as we take on Arsenal next month with the 1st leg at home, the 2nd leg at The Emirates.

There was outgoing business done this month with Caleb Okoli joining Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia for £12m. He'd grown frustrated with his first team football, or lack of it, so we felt it best to move him on. Jenslor Kiese joined Lorient for £150k while Matusiwa left for VTSC in Portugal in a loan deal worth £205k, it could be made permanent for £3m. Yoan Akwa joined Montpellier for £275k while youngster Axel Kei said he wanted to leave the club, he joined Reims for £190k. The final departure saw Renan Lodi join PSV in a deal eventually worth £12.25m

After struggling for cover in CM this season, we felt the need to bring in extra reinforcements. Enter Ryan Gravenberch, our new £20m signing from Liverpool. The Dutchman's career hasn't really took off as many thought it would following moves from Ajax to Bayern and then Liverpool, I hope he can find a home in Rennes and become an important player for us.

February is a busy month starting with a trip to Le Havre before we take on Arsenal in the Champions League Play Off 1st leg at Roazhan Park. We welcome Metz back in Ligue 1 next before travelling to London for the 2nd leg of the Play Off. Then comes a trip to Reims before we end the month with the Breton derby at home to Nantes.