All Aboard! - The Managerial Rollercoaster

[JamesScott2908]

Been a brilliant read mate, Look forward to the new story and will certainl be following!

 

[space]

Just had read the whole story, fantastic read. Keep it up!

 

[xJamieWilliams]

Bring this back mate, it was a great story!

 

[Werrett]

Juventus Lift the Super-Cup
​

---

Serie A Champions Juventus today lifted the Italian Super-Cup after beating fierce rivals Torino 1-0 at the Olimpico Stadium. The League and Cup Winners, Juventus were thoroughly put to the test in this game, and despite their dominance they struggled to break down their Turin rivals. Spanish Winger Balde Keita grabbed the only goal of the game after 66 minutes when he picked up the ball on the left-wing before cutting inside and curling the ball into the bottom left hand corner. A super finish from the former Chelsea man and another trophy to add to Paul Clement's collection, all 3 having come against Torino.

I can't fault the boys today, they put in a great shift..Plenty of possession, control and fluidity about our play. I have to give credit to Torino, they played well defensively and made it difficult for us..But we got the goal and that's the important thing.

​

 

[Werrett]

Napoli hold Juventus as Clement Rushed to Hospital​

---

Horrific Scenes today from the Juventus Stadium as English Manager Paul Clement was taken off the field on a stretcher following a collapse on the sidelines during his team's Serie A opener against Napoli earlier this afternoon. Clement, 38, was seen to have been holding his knees and looking "Short of breath" shortly before falling to the ground in the 92nd minute of the match, only seconds away from the final whistle. The stadium fell silent as paramedics swarmed around the Englishman before moving him onto a stretcher to be carried down the tunnel. As the manager was carried away cheers roared around the stadium from both sets of fans, a great coming together by the previously hostile crowd.

The referee decided to end the game during the aftermath of the incident, a 1-1 result being the final score..Goals coming from Kenneth de Jager and Carlos Tevez respectively.

Paul Clement has been manager of Juventus for 14 months since taking over the Bianconeri last August. He has since gone on to win three trophies with the Italian giants, the last of which came only a week ago against Torino in the Super-Cup.

There is now set to be a lot of speculation as to whether Clement will be able to return from this incident, no word has come from the Turin Hospital yet but it is believed to be a heart related problem, something that could possibly cut short Clement's managerial career.

Disbelief and shock was on the face of everybody inside the stadium..Nobody expected this to happen..A statement from Juventus is set to be made in the next couple of days to shine light on the situation.

​

 

[Werrett]

Clement Steps Down Following Sideline Collapse

---

A statement has today been released by Juventus regarding the departure of Paul Clement as Manager of the Club. Following his collapse 4 days ago, Clement has decided that his health and physical state will prevent him from being able to manager Juventus. The news doesn't come as a shock to anybody with the Manager's health being prioritised over the Footballing World. However, the departure of Clement will leave tears on the face of Juventus fans following the bonding that has happened between manager and club over the past 15 months, where Clement has seen his side win three trophies, each coming against Torino (League, Cup & Super-Cup).

It is believed that Paul Clement is hoping to make a return to management within the next 12 months, the intended destination is still unknown to all but the ambition of the Englishman is being praised by many throughout the World of Football.

Clement himself took to the media today to comment on the incident:

It is with great sadness that I will be stepping down from my role as Manager of Juventus Football Club, following my collapse a few nights ago it is important that I focus on my mental and physical state over the next few months, something that makes management very difficult for me as of now. I would like to thank this great club for all of their support, hope and confidence in me during my time at the club. The bond between me and this club will never be broken, maybe one day I'll return. As for my future, health pending I will be making a return to management or coaching once I am back to 100%, until then it's about recovery."

Here's a look at Paul Clement's managerial career in numbers so far:

Clement began his managerial career at Newcastle where he led the team for 4 seasons, during his time there he reached 4 finals with the Magpies, but failed to bring home any silverware. He did however get the club back into the Champions League before moving to Tottenham Hotspur for the 2018/19 season, a job that was cut short due to incidents that occurred behind closed doors. The Englishman then moved to Italy where he won three trophies with Juventus before resigning due to medical advice.

Clement boasts a 58% win percentage during his time as a manager having won 175 of his 300 matches, many will hope to see these numbers rise in coming years.

During his career, Paul has managed to win three club trophies while also winning Premier League Manager of the Year while at Newcastle United. He has also pocketed 4 runners-up medals during his time in England.

The Footballing World now sits in wait as many hope for the return of the English Manager during the coming months.

​

 

[Werrett]

7 Months Later - Paul Clement Returns to Management

---

Former Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus manager Paul Clement has today made a return to Football management by accepting a role to takeover Ligue 2 side Olympique Marseille. Clement (39) was the victim of a horrific collapse back in August when he suffered a cardiac arrest on the sidelines during Juventus' 1-1 draw with Napoli. However, having stepped down as Manager of the Bianconeri the English has now spent 7 months in recovery, a recovery that was cut short when he was approached by the French side.

I've been feeling better since the turn of the new year, I've missed Football and the opportunity to step back into the game was something I couldn't pass up. Marseille are a massive club and a club I had a lot of respect for during my coaching days at PSG. They've been under a lot of pressure lately financially and have since slipped into the second tier of French Football. It's a great challenge, one I couldn't pass up.

Marseille themselves took to the press to express their delight at the hiring of Paul Clement.

It's a great moment for us...Paul is a very talented manager and has shown his worth during his time at Newcastle and Juventus. He's had a long recovery since his accident but having told us of his intent to step back into the game, we certainly feel he is the man to lead us forwards. This club is massive, we can't afford to be in the lower leagues any longer.

​

 

[Werrett]

The Return...

Olympique de Marseille - 2020/21

---

Founded in 1899, Olympique de Marseille are a French Football team who have a vast history. L'OM have won the French title 9 times while winning the Coupe de France 10 times, to this date they are the only French team to have won the Champions League, a victory that came back in 1993, as well as finishing runners up to Red Star Belgrade only two years prior to their success.

During the same year Marseille were relegated due to the aftermath of a bribery scandal, this resulted in them losing their domestic title win although they were allowed to keep their Champions League. A long 16 year barren run then kept the club from tasting title success until their 2010 Ligue 1 triumph under Didier Deschamps.

Marseille currently play their home Football at the Stade Vélodrome, a 67,000 capacity stadium located in the southern part of the city, Marseille have played here since 1937. The Stade Vélodrome is known for it's lively atmosphere with the huge fan-base of L'OM helping the club to average the highest attendance in the history of French Football.

Marseille currently share a fierce rivalry with Paris-Saint-German, a derby that is known as Le Classique, this rivalry is known for being massive off the pitch, as well as on it. Other rivalries include the Sud Derby against OGC Nice as well as minor rivalries matches against teams such as Lyon, Monaco and Montpellier.​

---

Back into the Virtual World...

Olympique Marseille have had a terrible time since the start of this save with L'OM yo-yo'ing between 4th and 7th before being relegated during the 2019/20 campaign. The reason behind the relegation lies solely on Poor Financial Management, as well as poor performances throughout the season.

Having arrived at the club I was instantly made aware of the clubs current financial state with a wage debt of £198,000 per week, we were losing a Million a month solely on wages! Other losses include the loss of Merchandising and TV money as well as the lack of investment since relegation. Getting the club back into Ligue 1 has to be a priority.

In regards of transfers this season the club has brought in 3 free agents with a lot of outgoing transfers, including the likes of Efe Ambrose, Steve Mandanda and Milan Badelj. A sign of what's to come over the coming years...

In terms of the squad, Marseille have a lot of potential superstars having promoted players from their academy, however the club has managed to keep hold of some of its big names including the likes of Carlos Fierro, Dmitri Payet, Stefan Strandberg and Andy Najar. These players will be looking to leave the club should we not return to the top tier, with their high wages also having negative implications on the club.

Currently sitting in 4th, Marseille have every chance of getting promoted at the first time of asking. Although the 5 point gap is looking quite menacing with only 10 games to go..Slip ups now are extremely costly with Marseille having just lost their previous two games.

Here's how French Football has been since the start of the save, Marseille have only won a single trophy during this time, which came in 2017!

Ligue 1

In terms of the top tier of French Football the PSG/Monaco dominance has been outstanding since Bordeaux's shock win back in 2015. Monaco have won two titles while PSG have currently won three.

French Cup

Mixed bag in the cup, Monaco and PSG have only won the competition once each which may show where their priorities lie in terms of Europe and the League, but a trophy's a trophy and the small teams are certainly playing to win!

Coupé de la Ligue

Similar story in the Coupé de la Ligue, PSG have won it twice with Lens, Lorient and Marseille having won it on other occasions, not the most prominent competition, but one I'd like to win in the future!

It's gonna be a tough job as I look to make Marseille a dominant team again, especially with the PSG/Monaco dominance.. But I knew what I was stepping into when I took the job, I do love a challenge!​

 

[Werrett]

Getting to Grips...

Olympique de Marseille - 2020/21

---

Tactics

The team at my disposal for this final stretch of the season isn't very good..There are a few big names but the squad itself is very shallow and lacks strength in depth. For the purpose of this I have decided to create some attacking formations as I feel our ability to score goals will be more influential in gaining promotion than our ability to stay tight at the back.

The first formation is a simple 4-2-3-1, this formation allows us to incorporate an attacking style of play while getting all players involved in the build up play. The gap between midfield and defence could cause problems however this tactic has been developed purely for the games where we expect to score 4 or 5 goals.

For the alternative formation I've gone with more controlling 4-5-1..I believe this formation will allow us to build up play from the back in a more patient manner while allowing us to attack our opposition in the wide areas. I'm a big fan of the 4-5-1 this year and fully believe in my players ability to utilise this philosophy of play.

---

The End of Season Run-In

Here's a look at our final 10 games of the season, plenty of winnable games but having not played in France for a long time, I'm not sure how we'll fair in these matches. Hopefully we can secure the points necessary to put us back into the top flight. The games against Metz and Auxerre are particularly important due to their 2nd and 3rd placing in the table.

​

 

[xJamieWilliams]

YES!

 

[Werrett]

Olympique de Marseille - End of Season Update
​

---

Having joined Marseille with 10 games to play there was plenty to play for as we looked to return to the top flight of Football at the first time of asking. A 5 point gap distanced us from the automatic promotion spots but with the strike-force at our disposal I was confident.

We managed to pick up 21/30 points from our final 10, with defeats coming against Metz, Bastia and Caen. You can see in our goals scored that we opted for the attacking approach as opposed to keeping other teams out, maybe this was a bit of a foolish idea as we slipped to defeat late in all 3 of our matches...And these points would prove to be costly.

We ended up finishing 3rd, promotion was secured! However, those late losses to Metz and Bastia ended up costing us the title but I'm pleased we were able to return to Ligue 1. The real work starts now!

Carlos Fierro ended up finishing as top goalscorer, this was to be expected but Yoann Court was fantastic with the 31 year old bagging 22 goals and 12 assists, this led to him winning the Ligue 2 player of the year award. I'm delighted to have him at the club!​

---

Gradually Moving into 2021/22...

As the season approached we still had a wage debt of £200,000 per week, a debt that was losing the club a lot of money so this was definitely a priority of mine..Getting the club back in the black.

A few players left the club, most of which were youngsters but Payet, Lamier and Foulquier were all on high wages meaning their departure benefited the club greatly. I was upset to see Maxime Lopez leave the club, especially for such a cheap price but due to his release clause there was little I could do.. Here's a look at how good he is.

He had the potential to be a fantastic player for us in coming years, but due to the debt of the club I was unable to offer him a contract that met his criteria, but I wish the best of luck to him in his career!

Following these outgoing transfers we now have a positive wage budget, although the transfer budget still remains at £0. The projections for future seasons now look promising with a £25m budget being the predicted transfer kitty for the end of next season. This means staying in the league has to be a priority now!

---

Here's a look at how we'll kick off with our pre-season and start of Ligue 1 campaign, before then there's a lot of work to be done in the window with very little finance. I'll be sure to keep you all updated on how the pre-season goes. The media have predicted us a 9th placed finish for this season, but that seems unrealistic..I'm much more content with staying up!
​

 

[xJamieWilliams]

Got a link to this skin man? I prefer the lighter ones!

 

[Werrett]

Got a link to this skin man? I prefer the lighter ones!

Here you go: http://www.fmscout.com/a-official-fm15-light-skin.html

 

[Munt]

Loved every bit of the story so far, hopefully you can lead Marseille back to glory.

 

[xJamieWilliams]

Nice to see this has reached 100,000 views, even if it is dead.

It deserved that much!