xeraphine - Comments

Fantastic format--very well organized as others have said! Great start to the season too, will be following this

Nice to see you keep your job despite the new owners! The finances should be all figured now, yeah?

2014/15 Second Half - Part 2

Mattersburg, with nothing to play for, came in to frustrate us, and we just could not find a way through in front of nearly 15,000 home fans. Mattersburg, the team we'd beaten 3-1 at home earlier in the season. It was heart-breaking stuff, too, as SV Grodig lost their last match. In the end, a simple win would have seen us through to the Bundesliga! Absolutely gutted.

2014/15 Second Half - Part 1

My first youth intake produced just one player of note: Philipp Siegl, a speedy, tricky winger from the Alps. He'll be one to stash away while we challenge for promotion.


Speaking of which, that challenge has gone fantastically, as we went unbeaten in the month of April and through most of May. Defense led the way, as we conceded just four goals (!) in that ten-match run. Markus Blutsch, the teenage midfielder, is starting to come into his own, scoring in three straight matches playing as the midfield runner.

Unfortunately, SV Grodig had an equally incredible run, and we went into the last match-day with the league, and promotion, still within reach.

Winter 2014 Transfers


Lars Gulpen, out of contract from Dutch side Fortuna Sittard, is the star man in this window. Young, technical, and a silky passer, Gulpen is a tremendous capture for us. Stefan Lainer is a solid Austrian right-back to give us some flexibility with the foreign players rule.


Al Badri played well in the first half of the season, but the offered price were too good to give up, especially considering his high wages.

Pacoca looks incredible for your level! If you can hold onto him he'll take you straight up the leagues

So unlucky!!! Wow, conceding at 120+1 is just heart-wrenching.

Thanks, Sam! Will be tough but I'm looking forward to the challenge.


Thanks, Dan! Looking forward to taking this opening form into the second half of the season.

2014/15 First Half


Top of the league at the winter break! Led by Daniel Kogler's 8 goals and the league's best defense, we overcame a inconsistency to post a solid start to life in the second tier.

Summer 2014 Transfers


Key players in:

• Christoph Martschinko: The 20-year-old left-back is the first man in, coming from relegated SV Grodig for a hefty fee. A pacy, strong tackler, Martschinko will hold down the left-back spot for the foreseeable future.
• Toni Kolehmainen: Versatile and technically strong, the Finn will play a huge role as the controlling player in midfield. He's on high wages, but was out of contract, so he's a tidy signing.
• Sedin Torlak: I needed a leader in the back, and the big Bosnian was available for free. Strong and dominant in the air, I want Torlak to take charge of the defense.

Game Details:

• I followed all of the guidelines of the challenge to create the game: Sunday League reputation, only Austria loaded, and holidayed to June 2014 to pick up one of the promoted clubs to Austria's second tier
• As always, my philosophy is to buy smart, buy young, and play quick, direct football

After holidaying to June 2014, I took over the only promoted team: Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub, better known as LASK Linz. A club with some success in the 1960's, LASK suffered two successive relegations and found itself in the third tier in 2012. With a 20,000 seat stadium in the beautiful northern Austrian city of Linz, the club have a decent financial advantage over its rivals in the Erste Liga second tier.

Club Background:


Season Expectations:
We've got quite a bit of room to spend, and the defense will be target area number one


Initial Squad:
The team is particularly weak in defense, with the left and central defenders both lacking in quality. Markus Blutsch is the hot prospect at 19 (although already quite the player!), while attacking midfielder Faisal Al Badri is the star man. The Erste Liga's foreign-players restriction will be tough to deal with, though: each match-day squad is only allowed three foreigners.


Tactics:
I've gone with two striker-less formations to start, with a three-man defense variety when playing against two opposition strikers. The aim is to use quick passing and runners from deep to break through the opposition lines. We'll be playing mostly with a Counter Mentality and a Very Fluid strategy, while pressing high and looking for opportunities to break in the opposition half.

Great drama in the semis! Should be through to League 1 on previous results and goal-scoring form...

You'll have another go next season, don't worry. How are the finances now?

Best of luck in the playoffs! A successive promotion would be a huge achievement

Interesting start so far--always difficult to take charge of B sides with less control over personnel

Nice job again, with a fantastic GD. Looks like you're actually unlucky not to get automatic promotion

Phenomenal work with Liverpool! YNWA indeed... I've had some trouble with the club in FM14, and it's great to see someone do so well

Congrats on promotion again! Wonderful job so far!

Wow, brilliant first season!! You could be top of the league the way this is going. Andy Jordan looks a player in the Andy Carroll mold--get him some crossing wingers and he'll be knocking them in for years!

Holy cow, that David Fitzgerald might be a name we see for a while...

Great job getting promoted! Playoffs looked quite tight and exciting

Just caught up on this story today! Great progress, man--lots of exciting young players on your books. Hopefully you get your promotion to the league!

I actually play something very similar, but in a 4-1-2-3-0 with lower/higher tempo (depending on the game), and an SS in the AMC band instead of an AF up top. It ends up playing like a 4-4-2 diamond or a 4-3-3 (depending on individual instructions), but the style is very similar to yours. Short passes, through-balls, possession domination, defensive solidarity, pressing (I use "stay on feet" to keep the ball in front)...

I took some of the individual instructions from your tactic, though, and that helped a lot! After 7 league matches with Liverpool: 5W-2D-0L, 10 GF, 1 GA. Top of the league.

Thanks for the tips!!

III: Hungry in Hungary (part 1)

++June 2015
Hello, Szekesfehervar. Do I know how to pronounce that? No. Do I know how to speak Hungarian? No. Does it matter? Apparently not. Hungarian giants Videoton FC Fehervar, winners of the OTP Bank Liga two of the last five years, have just finished a disappointing 3rd and sacked their manager. After being delighted with my promise of direct, attacking football, they agreed to offer me a two-year deal to take over the hot-seat and steer Videoton back to the top of the Hungarian first division. Wait, what? They want me to win the league? Lucky, lucky me.

With a decent transfer budget in hand, I immediately set to work addressing some obvious needs. On-loan Hungarian U21 striker Soma Novothny joined permanently from Napoli for just $78K, while talented attacking playmaker Cristobal joined from 2nd division Spanish side Alaves for $1.5 million. On the flip side, I let go of a high-earning striker for pennies, and let another five contracts expire to re-balance the books.

++July 2015
With a decently reputable club and a bit of financial firepower backing me up, I got to work in the transfer market, shifting five players out of the club while bringing in two: Romeu, a veteran defensive midfielder from Portugal for $150K, and Lucas, a huge Brazilian central defender from fellow Hungarian side Diosgyori for $725K. Then I got the bombshell. A phone call from La Liga side Zaragoza asking for my best player, Croatian striker/LF Andrej Kramaric. They offered $3M. I countered with $8M. They responded with $4.5M. I countered with $6.5M. They responded with a check. I countered with maniacal laughter. 6.5 million dollars! I was rolling in it so deep that I couldn’t even breathe anymore!

On the field, we made our way through the first three Europa League qualifying rounds in style, defeating Andorran amateur side Santa Coloma 22-4 on aggregate, Croatian side NK Lokomotiva 3-1 on aggregate, and Romanian side Astra Giurgiu 2-1 on aggregate. We also snuck in a season-opening home win in the league to top off an unbeaten start to life in Hungary.

++August 2015
With my millions on hand, I turned around and brought in some unheralded talents unearthed by my scouting team that had previously been beyond our reach: 16-year-old Portuguese wingback Luis Rodrigues and his blazing pace and twinkle-toed dribbling from Sporting CP for $1.7M. 17-year-old Polish striker Bartosz Podhorodecki and his incredible pace, intelligence, and finishing from Legia for $1.2M. 18-year-old Almere City youth product Duje Caleta-Car and his strong aerial presence for $1M. I essentially flipped one star striker for three incredibly talented youngsters with enormous potential. I call that good business, Daniel Levy style.

That may have been too much distraction for my inexperience, as we crashed out of the Europa League in the playoffs to Steaua Bucharest on a soul-wrenching 86th minute penalty at home in the second leg. On the bright side, we remained unbeaten in the league, sitting comfortably at the top of the league with six wins in seven.

++September 2015
For the first time in my (short) managerial career, I had my team playing some beautiful football. I tweaked my lopsided 4-4-2 a bit, pushing one of the defensive midfielders into central midfield, and pushing the attacking midfielder closer to goal. At the top end, striker Soma Novothny (11 goals in 11 games) and ST/LF Bartosz Podhorodecki wreaked absolute havoc on opposing defences, while attacking playmaker Cristobal was the link between defence to attack, feeding our speedsters up front. We pressed high up the field without the ball, and broke forward with pace and directness with the ball. Playing entirely on the transition, we never really dominated possession, but managed slick and furious passing moves to hammer the opposition into submission. By the end of the month, we had only two draws marring our 11-game unbeaten run. I finally had a team that could play the beautiful game in a beautiful way.

++October 2015
I made one tweak to my shape: pushing my right midfielder up to create more of a 4-3-3. Now I’ve got front 3 of an in-cutting left forward, a mobile center forward, and a traditional right winger. Both the wide men are expected to track and harass the opposing fullbacks. My middle three is a compact unit of an attacking playmaker, a static central midfielder, and a holding half back, who drops between the center backs in possession. My fullbacks are free to move forward, while my center backs spread a bit. The mentality is still to move the ball from back to front as quickly as possible, and so my middle four (the deepest midfielders and the two central defenders) are looking to spread play to the front three as soon as possession is won. We remained unbeaten in October, conceding only two league goals through the month.

++November 2015
Well that’ll teach me to be cocky. A team full of reserve players managed to lose 1-2 at home in the first leg of the Hungarian Cup round of 16. We did qualify easily for the knockout stages of the League Cup, but our first loss of the domestic season really did sting. I just can’t take anything for granted in football!

++December 2015
An 83rd minute goal by Bartosz Podhorodecki in the return leg put us through to the quarterfinals on away goals, as we just squeaked by. With the winter break underway in the league, we only had that one match in December before taking a break until mid-February. I turned my attention to finding new players, specifically a new attacking right-back. Dani Alves, anyone?

++January 2016
I got my right-back, and for free to boot. Adriano Lara joined from Atletico Paranaense on a free transfer. The 28-year-old right-back isn’t the quickest, but he’s got decent ball skills and an engine that never stop pumping. I added a reserve central defender to boost the numbers and went on a well-deserved holiday, 6 points clear at the top of the league.

++February 2016
With only cup matches to play, we breezed through to the next round in both Cup competitions. Rollin’.

++March 2016
Apparently, when Soma Novothny stops scoring, the team stops scoring. A nervy 4-3 win away to Bekescsaba (rescued by 84th and 93rd minute strikes) was followed by two goalless draws in the league and a 0-3 loss by the reserves at home in the League Cup quarterfinals. A 1-0 win in the return leg was not even close to enough as we were unceremoniously tossed from the competition. I called the players into a private meeting to discuss our misfiring in March, where they pleasantly informed me that I was over-reacting. I replied that 1 goal in four matches was not acceptable. They responded with blank stares and shaking heads. I guess it never pays to be harsh on players.

++April 2016
League champions. My first trophy, ever. Even if we won by a landslide with five games to spare, I still can’t help but feel extremely proud. Champions. I’m going to put that on my business card: champion.

++May 2016
Who the heck decided to call World Cup players up before the end of May? I lost several key players, including lead (and often only) goal-scorer Soma Novothny days before the Hungarian Cup final. Unsurprisingly, we couldn't get the ball into the back of the net despite 55% possession and 15 shots (7 on target), against a team that finished 11th in the league. Unbelievable.

I guess I can’t really complain, making it to the Cup final while losing only one match in the league and winning it by a clear 13 points. But I just can’t help but feel like the double was well within reach.

Looks a strong team (by the ratings at least!). That Highdale fellow is adding some strong leadership to the squad. Good luck with the season!

II: Growing Pains

++May/June 2014
I let 10 contracts expire, including star man Charles Dissels, who was asking for about three times my own wages. In response, I signed two players for free—my first dip into the transfer market: a backup striker and a solid Indonesian midfielder to replace Dissels. Meetings with the scouting team were beginning to get a tad dull, though, as all of my targets were shot down as too expensive. Who knew that Neymar was actually out of reach?

++July 2014
A signed a few more players: Pim Francke, my new starting right-back, came in for $185K (or approximately twice as much money as I’ve ever seen before, and Duje Caleta-Car, my new spindly central defender, for $62K. Getting through the pre-season with my basic Dutch was entertaining, not less because of all of the American jokes I was getting from the players. A friendly win at home over Italian side Pescara was the highlight of the month, while getting three wins over five friendly matches was certainly a good omen. Maybe I actually do know what I’m doing…

++August 2014
Maybe not. A 0-1 loss away to VVV was followed by a 1-4 drubbing at home to Willem. A brave 4-2 win away to RKC was brief respite before we were chased out of the stadium after a 0-5 disaster at home to Volendam. Five matches in August left us with 2 wins and 3 losses. The only bright spot was new boy Anibal Capela (Portuguese central defender, $40.5K), who put on a series of excellent performances in his new colors. Another awkward conversation was had with the chairman, who set the expectation for the season: If I couldn’t get us to mid-table by the new year, I was out. Oh, pressure, how I did not miss you.

++September 2014
September got underway with a formation shift from my initial 4-3-3 to a lopsided 4-4-2 diamond. With a midfield consisting of two DMs, a RM, and an AMC, we managed to squeak out three straight draws, with the latter two being late 81st minute rescues. We then hosted first division Vitesse in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,000 in the 2nd round of the Dutch Cup. We outshot and outpassed a side that included Niko Kranjcar and Christian Atsu to the tune of a 3-1 victory. What jubilation. What pride.

++October 2014
I’m loving this lopsided 4-4-2 shape, especially in attack. With a base of two DMs in midfield, we can press our fullbacks forward to join our lone striker and inside LF. The combination between the two forwards confuses the opposition defense, which opens up space for the onrushing attacking midfielder and right winger. October opened with us extending our league unbeaten run to 7 games and a high of 9th place, before an 80th minute goal conceded away to Eindhoven broke the streak. A 3rd round victory away to FC Den Bosch moved us one round further in the Dutch Cup, while our 4-4-5 record in the league put us comfortably in mid-table.

++November 2014
Two wins followed by a loss and a draw continued our uneven form. The defense was solid, only conceding two goals in the four matches, but the attack was sputtering. The back-up winger I picked up back in June started making noises about wanting game-time. I told him that he was a backup, and, by definition, he wouldn’t play as long as the starters were healthy and playing well. He didn’t see the logic in that, and ran off in a spat, presumably to go tell all these nasty things about me to the media. Unsurprisingly, no one in my two-journalist press conference crowd cared enough to ask about it. Figures.

++December 2014
I got the best gift ever a week before Christmas with a brilliant 85th minute strike from distance to give us a 1-0 win over Eredivisie side NAC Breda in the 4th round of the cup. Again, the sold out home crowd inspired the boys to a clean sheet and a spot in the Quarterfinals (!!) against Utrecht in January. And no, no one asked about Mr. Diva Winger. I’m not even sure if he showed up at training the last few weeks…

++January 2015
We entered 2015 in 10th place in the league, and by the end of January, we were 6th. Yes, you read that right: we were better than 14 other teams in the division. Remember that 1-4 home loss to Willem in the second game of the season? How about 0-0 in the return fixture. How about that 0-5 home loss to Volendam? You’re looking at a brave 2-2 draw in the return fixture that really should have been a victory. Oh, and we took Utrecht to extra time in front of 24,000 stunned fans in Utrecht. We would end up shipping 3 goals in extra time, but the performance levels were still inspirational.

++February 2015
We didn’t change the squad at all in January, thinking that our squad was strong enough for our level of ambition. Then February came, and the injuries. Our only win in the month was a thriller over Sparta that only came because of a 90th minute goal. The rest of the matches were just miserable, ending the month with a 0-1 loss to Eindhoven in which we only managed 4 shots on target.

++March 2015
Well, one of the dangers of playing a 19-year-old as a holding midfielder is that you’re going to concede. And concede we did, letting in a whopping thirteen goals in five matches. We ended the month with two nervy wins that put us up to 8th place at the end of the month, but things were slipping. The guys are barely showing up to training, and I’m getting all sorts of complaints that players are unhappy with the heavy workload. We could have been pushing for promotion, but instead, I’ve got a bunch of crybabies who can’t stand a bit of hard work. Time for a tactical switch to a more conservative approach.

++April 2015
So that didn’t work. After such a promising stretch in the winter, we scored exactly zero goals in our first three April matches, including an embarrassing 0-2 defeat to last-placed Jong Ajax. 12th place is probably a bit better than I would have expected coming into this season, but ending with 8 losses in our last 10 matches is extremely disappointing. I told the players as such in our end-of-season meeting, but, as the crybabies they are, they took it poorly, calling me “over-ambitious and unrealistic.” Idiots.

++May 2015
My contract is due to run out at the end of June and the board had yet to reach out to me about a renewal, so I began looking for a new job. Of course, the moment word gets out that I’m in the job market, the chairman places an angry phone call with me. I have my suspicions about which of the two journalists in Almere leaked the news, but I’m definitely ticked that the board is angry with me. What was I supposed to do, wait until the end of June to begin scrambling for a new job?

The job application process again consisted of far more rejections than invitations, but with more than a year of experience under my belt, I did get some nibbles. A couple of Swedish clubs, including giants AIK, and a few Hungarian clubs, including giants Videoton, offered me the chance to meet with them. It certainly looks like I’ll be grazing new pastures in 2015-16 after just 14 months in Almere.

I: Rough Start

++July/August 2013
A year of blood, sweat, and procrastination later, I headed to Europe with my Pro License in hand, ready to conquer the upper echelons of European football. And it started with a bang. And by bang, I mean the sound of my mail chute as the postman dropped off dozens upon dozens of rejection letters. Even Cheltenham Town, a club that has never even tasted the top half of League one, thought it fit to laugh my application away. It was going to be a long year.

++September/October 2013
I’m getting desperate. After focusing my search (read: begging) over the summer to just English-speaking nations, I expanded to the rest of Europe. I started taking Spanish, Italian, and French lessons to begin preparing, but it didn’t get me anywhere. Frankly I’m not even sure what Pescara thought when they received my letter. Do they even read English out there?

++November/December 2013
I got an interview! Porto B invited me to Portugal to chat about the open position as their reserve team manager. Porto was a gorgeous and welcoming city. Perhaps too welcoming. My hangover-induced demand for improved youth facilities was met with a swift boot back on a jet to London. They said something in Portuguese as I left the facility, but, of course, Portuguese was not one of the languages I studied. My guess is that it was something along the lines of ‘what a gigantic waste of time.’ Back to the grind I go.

++January/February 2014
I’m running out of money. Who knew London would be such an expensive place? I took up a job at the local grocery store to put some food on the table, which is a helpful job for daydreaming about my future Champions League glory.

++March 2014
I GOT A JOB! Apparently speaking Dutch is not a requirement for a head coaching position in the Jupiler League, and Almere City, sitting in 12th place (out of 20) was kind enough to take a chance on an unknown American. Luckily, the captain, a friendly 26-year-old defender named Cees Toet, spoke a bit of English, which was enough to get me acquainted with the club. A couple of the players looked completely baffled with me, which led to a shaky start to my career as a manager. A busy six-game stretch in March started my managerial record with no wins, two draws, four losses, and a -6 goal differential. It also led to an awkward conversation with the chairman about whether I actually knew how to coach a football team.

++April 2014
I finally won a match in April, as the Ajax kids came into Almere in front of a small crowd, only to be humiliated 4-0 by the rising tide of Almere City. Two goals from winger Fabian Serrarens put us out of sight by half-time, and we coasted. I was on a high for about a week, before crashing back to reality as we lost the next three games by a combined scoreline of 0-4. Heading into my first off-season as a football head coach, my record to date was 1 win, 2 draws, and 7 losses. Oh boy. At the very least, I was learning some Dutch.

He heard the pop before he felt the pain shoot up his leg. It only hurt for a second before turning into a chilling numbness that covered his body. His next few hours was a series of blurred images: hushed faces and stretchers, dark corridors and bright lights, pale lab coats and hard clipboards, flashing sirens and onrushing traffic. His next week was a furnace to ice, as the life he thought he knew melted away. A compound leg fracture. Surgery. A career, over.

He'd been a promising young amateur in the USL Pro; some even speculated he could one day play in the MLS. Those dreams were now the steam wafting through the air as the furnace continued to burn. Next came the drugs, the alcohol, the women. Sin was the only way he knew to cope.

He cleaned up though, with her help. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back on his feet. He got back into soccer, devouring game the only way he could. He studied his heroes: Guardiola, Huddink, Mourinho. He coached high school, university, amateurs.

This is the story of an American with a burning desire to rise to the top, of a man with little to his name but knowledge and beliefs. The die has been cast.

History

1. Almere City (2014 - 2016)
2. Videoton (2016 - Present)

Season 2: 2014/15 Ligue 2

Story of the season: 6th place finish
A remarkable end-of-season surge saw us push on in a packed mid-table to finish 6th, a mere seven points from promotion. With a focus on defense and ball retention, we proved difficult to beat, with 12 draws and a positive goal differential highlights of that focus. Once again, we failed to achieve any sort of cup success, with both cup runs ending at the turn of the year. Still, a sixth place finish was beyond our greatest expectations, and the revival of RC Strasbourg looks well and truly on.



Star of the season: Ludovic Golliard - Our captain and rock in the back, 32-year-old Golliard was one of the main contributors to our successful first year return to Ligue 2. He ended the year with a 7.34 average rating and a team-high six man-of-the-match performances in the league.

Honorable mentions: Anthony Sichi (29-year-old attacking midfielder, 5 goals, 8 assists, 7.29 rating), Abdoulaye Coulibaly (24-year-old defensive midfielder, 7.27 rating), Gauthier Pinaud (27-year-old winger, 4 goals, 9 assists, 7.24 rating), Julien Perrin (30-year-old striker, 10 goals, 4 assists, 7.25 rating)

Existing Youth
Several of the existing youth at the club have begun to break into the first team as the club's youth strategy takes shape.

John Weiss (YP01a) - (11 league appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist, 7.08 average rating) The speedy striker had a romp through the cup (5 goals in 4 matches) and I gave him some runs in the first team, but he did not light the world on fire. Still growing, and should continue to improve.
Vauvenargues Kehl (YP01b) - (35 league appearances, 37 conceded, 13 clean sheets) The young keeper was first-choice in the back and put through match-winning performances, allowing just 1.06 goals a match on average.
Sidy Faty (YP01d) - (20 league appearances, 6 goals, 7.11 average rating) The young winger was a revelation, using his tremendous pace and dribbling ability to terrorize the opposition. His six goals were all well-taken, and he should prove a huge cog on that right wing. Gauthier Pinaud is the star man there and still young, but Faty should be pushing for his spot soon.
John Dietrich (YP02a) - (3 league appearances, 7.10 rating) Did well, but still very young.
Christ Masudi (YP02b) - (16 league appearances, 7.14 rating) Was a startling spark at the left-midfield spot for a 16-year-old. Will be the starter next season.
Serge Ouattara (YP02c) - (8 league appearances, 7.04 rating) As a defender, the boy needs more time and experience.

Youth Intake
Armand Riviere (YP03a) - At just 15, this fleet-footed striker will challenge Perrin and Ledy for their starting spot now. He's got flair and a natural nose for goal, and should only improve. A model professional, Riviere is not just one for the future, but one for right now. Keep your eye on this kid, because he could be a Strasbourg legend before he hits 20.
Charles Le Goff (YP03b) - This very young playmaker has flair but lacks the pace and vision to make a true impact today. With Sichi, the club's main man at the attacking midfield spot, getting no younger, Le Goff's development will need to be rapid if he's to slot in there in coming years.

Season goals

• Avoid relegation from Ligue 2 ACHIEVED
• Upgrade training facilities ACHIEVED
• Introduce several youth players to the first team ACHIEVED

Goals for 2015/2016

• Consolidate top-half position in Ligue 2
• Upgrade youth or training facilities
• Introduce several youth players to the first team

Transfer history

Season 1: 2013/14 Championnat National

Story of the season: 3rd place finish, promotion
Predicted to finish mid-table in 9th place by the media, the team matched those expectations for the first half of the season, before a late-season surge took us to a clean promotion in 3rd place. We went unbeaten between January 31 and May 9, with 7 clean sheets over those 12 matches. It was a very good season with a solid group of part-timers that grew into our relentless possession strategy over the course of the year. We suffered an early cup loss, although with our priority being promotion, it was not a tough loss to handle.


Star of the season: David Ledy - Our star 26-year-old striker scored 14 goals and assisted 9 in the league to lead us to promotion. Playing either as a withdrawn striker or as a second striker, Ledy rarely had a bad game the entire season.

Honorable mentions: Julien Perrin (28-year-old striker, 13 league goals), Abdoulaye Coulibaly (23-year-old DM, 5 league assists), Ludovic Golliard (31-year-old defender, 7.28 average rating, played every match)

Existing Youth
Among the existing youth at the club, there are four players that have first-team potential:

John Weiss (YP01a) - A decently-sized striker with pace. He's very raw at 15, but his determination and ambition should see him improve in the years to come.
Badara Diedhiou (YP01b) - I'm not sure what position he will play, but he's another raw forward with pace.
Vauvenargues Kehl (YP01c) - Already very good, this 20-year-old Ivorian is a starter from day one and should only get better.
Sidy Faty (YP01d) - A pacy, tricky winger, the unfortunately-named Faty looks to have the tools to terrorize opponents in future years.

Youth Intake
Our first youth intake in this new era has produced three candidates with first-team potential:

John Dietrich (YP02a) - An already incredibly intelligent player at just 15, needs to add some strength and continue improving his defensive abilities.
Christ Masudi (YP02b) - Another mature player beyond his years, Masudi will eventually take over the left-midfield role as a solid defensive presence, but also offering flair in attack.
Serge Ouattara (YP02c) - And the third unbelievably poised young man, this central defender has height and a workhorse attitude. A few years of defensive experience should provide him with more tools to succeed.

Goals for 2014/15

• Avoid relegation from Ligue 2
• Upgrade training facilities
• Introduce several youth players to the first team

Transfer history