After a couple of days trying to decide where to manage for this challenge I have finally decided to start in the French league due to its competitiveness. After avoiding starting at any of the big teams (PSG, Monaco,OM, Lyon, Lille) I looked at clubs that already had a director of football at the club as this would mean they could immediately take direct control of the club. The first club that stood out were Stade Rennais who with a decent squad and good facilities are the perfect team to try this kind of challenge with.
Stade Rennais hold the honour of remaining in the top division in France since 1932 which was the inaugural season in France. They have produced some top talent in recent years with Sylvain Wiltord, Yann M?Vila and Yoann Gourcuff along with others as well. Due to this successful youth production they have some of the best facilities in France which will be vital in future years when I need new players coming through into the team.
For once it was a quick pre-season as I had no need to search the market for any players as I have left that entirely in the hands of the director of football. Before looking at any signings I first looked at the current squad I had. The squad is a decent looking squad but for me it looks a bit thin with only 6 defenders and only 1 of them being a right back we need some cover in that position and I’m hoping my director can deliver that otherwise it could be a long and disappointing season when injuries come around.
A good looking keeper who could command the goal for years to come. He does however only have 1 year left on his contract which could be a big problem but I'm hoping that the director can sort that out and get him down for a number of years.
The experienced head in midfield who I am hoping will be able to sit in front of the midfield and keep the ball ticking over in a possession tactic but will also be able to put in a tackle when we are defending. He may need some help in there as he is no 30 but I still feel he can do a job for the club for a couple of years.
A good looking wide man who could potentially have the quality to open up defenders. He is fast can dribble and has technique which are all vital in his position.
In a quick pre-season the director only made one signing and he was a youngster.
A good looking young defender but at only 5'10 he will be pushed out to play at lb over time instead of sitting at the back.
I was hoping for another defender and preferably one that could also cover at rb but the director must feel that 1 rb is enough. We will be looking to rely on youngsters coming through if we get too many injuries and there are a couple of players down there that could come into the first team in the future.
Stade Rennais 1 (Alessandrini 27) Stade De Reims 0
A good start to the season in a game we dominated and probably should have got more goals. Good performances from Alessandrini and M’Bengue who dominated the left wing and caused problems for the opposition throughout the entire game.
Another good performance by the team who were quick at the start and then sat on the ball and kept possession to stop them from creating any chances or dominating possession against us. We ended up having over 60% possession which was thanks to the great performances from Danze and Pajot.
Evian 0 Stade Rennais 0
A bore draw where no one really stood out as no team could dominate the game. We had a couple of half chances but on loan striker Romero could not finish any of team.
Stade Rennais 2 (Alessandrini 15, 60) Lille 1 (Roux 30)
Our first real challenge of the season and we come through it with the three points and a great performance to go with it. We seem to be able to dominate possession with over 60% possession in every game so far this season. We just need to start using this possession to create a few more clear cut chances for the front line.
A great month where we only dropped 2 points and finish the month in 3rd position behind only PSG and OM. My target for this season was to get a top half finish and to maybe push for a Europa League position at the end but if we can keep these kind of performances up there is no reason we can’t go even further and push for a top 4 finish.
An incredible month for Alessandrini where he has got 4 goals in 4 with and average rating of 7.68. The fact that he also won the leagues player of the month shows just how good a month he has had.
An incredible second half performance which almost made up for the poor first half performance. The defence seems a little off the pace and whats worse it that now Costil has picked up an injury and won’t be back for a month or 2 so I need them to be as strong as ever. Alessandrini keeps on performing from the lw which is a huge bonus.
A great performance from the atticking players in this game especially Ntep who was able to grab 2 goals from the right wing. He is taking full advantage of Pitroipa’s injury and it will be hard to drop Ntep if he keeps performing like this.
Montpellier 0 Stade Rennais 1 (Ntep 75)
Another man of the match performance from Ntep. Not only did he get the winning goal but was a constant threat down the wing and always gives the team a lot of width when its needed.
This game was over before the half hour mark as we were clinical in front of goal finishing all of our chances and making sure the game was over before Nantes knew what had hit them. Ntep once again with a great performance getting another goal and always being involved in the build up to chances.
Another impressive month where we have been able to keep up the pace on the top 2 slowly build a gap on the teams below us. While I still think that qualifying for the Europa league will be a success for us the longer this run can go on for the more hope I have in that we can even push for the top 4.
A poor performance all round where no one was able to take responsibility for the team. The injuries are starting to take their toll on the team as it’s impossible to rotate and players are starting to get a little tired.
An incredible start to the game with 3 goals in 13 minutes and after this we were slowly able to take control of the game and play it at our own tempo. A stand out performance from M’Bengue as he was up and down the wing the entire game always providing a wide option to the midfield.
Toulouse 3 (Ben Basat 45+1, 53 Trejo 57) Stade Rennais 0
Quite simply we were annihilated here. We were missing more than 5 players due to injuries and suspensions and it showed as we were unable to dictate the game which led to them catching us out constantly and it could have easily been 5 or 6 to them. Coupe de la Ligue 3rd round Stade Rennais 2 (Oliveira 28, 101) Dijon 1 (Kone 90+1)
A good performance from what was essentially my b side. I tried to rest as many players as I could to try and save their legs for the league but even then I was still forced to play some first team players, that’s how thin the squad is at the moment with the injuries we have.
A poor in truth with only 3 points taken from a possible 9 and it took extra time for us to beat a team that a division below us. Hopefully next month will be more successful. Player of the Month
From what has been a pretty dismal month, M'Bengue has been the only shining light. Always willing to put in his fair shift he must cover every blade of grass on the left wing.
He looks as though he could be a good player for us in the coming years. At 22 years old he has his best years ahead and he has all the attributes right now to be a starting player in the midfield. At 6'3 he could provide so power in the midfield although he does possess the technical and mental stats to fit into our possession style of football.
