Montpellier Herault Heroes

[bambam.cam]

Starting a story with Montpellier Herault, a team that plies their trade in Ligue 1.



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Some Background Info:
Founded fairly recently in 1974, never topped the french football pyramid as of yet.... Best was a third place finish in 1988.
The club is worth 21m pounds, with no debt.... a good start....

The squad: The squad is very well balanced, lots of youth and not many older players. There are also no poor positions that NEED new players, and all the positions are covered.

Key Players: Oliveir Giroud: Absolute beast, only 24 and a pivotal striker. Could be the difference between qualifying for Europe or not XD
Younes Belhanda: This kid looks stunning. Only 21, great on the ball, picks a good pass, this guys will be key on the right wing.
Karim Ait Fana: Another Morroccan, also young (22), and a left winger. Great technical and dribbling capabilities.
Joris Marveuax: Older brother of Newcastle winger Sylvain, but central midfielder is where Joris is at. Good tackling, strong and good creatively, Joris could rack uo the assists to put us up the table.
Mapou Yanga Mbiwa: A strong, versatile and importantly young CB who looks really promising.
Geoffery Jourdren: A fabulous goalkeeper, and hes only 25. Capped at French youth level. Great reflexes.A one club man, been at the club since 2002, and I dont intend to change that. ^^)

Transfers:

Wage budget: 250k per week, currently paying 251k per week.
Transfer Budget: 0. Loans and free transfers look the way forward.

Players In: Levan Kenia: A brilliant footballer, great at dribbling and passing. Will be key for the whole season. Didnt have to pay an up front loan fee either!
Imanol Agirretxe: Needed a backup striker, and this guy is more than capable. Provides good cover for Olivier Giroud.
Davide Timmermans: Really young Belgian striker, only 17, but looks promising.
Plus others.
Players Out: Gregory Lacombe: Older deadwood, lingering in the reserves, and on a high wage. Sent away for 500k to Bari.
Geoffery Dernis: Old Attacking Mid, not needed. Got 1m pounds for him, so pretty happy.

Will post early season results month by month. Thanks for reading.
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[TheBeardOfZeus]

A good team to pick!

Tip man, keep Benjamin Stambouli, put him in your main squad and use as a back-up CB, he becomes top quality.

 

[bambam.cam]

haha beat you too it! I already put him in the main squad, didnt know he had high potential. He'll probably play cup matchs and sometimes off the bench

 

[bambam.cam]

1st Month of Matches: August 2011
Fixtures: v AJ Auxerre (h) (W) (Ligue 1)
v Lille LOSC (a) (D) (Ligue 1)
v Stade Rennais (h) (W) (Ligue 1)
v Lyon (a) (L) (Ligue 1)
v Evian (h) (W) (French Cup)

Key: v TEAM (home/away/mutual) (predicted result) (cup/league/europe)

Montpellier Trump Auxerre in Season Opener
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Montpellier have comprehensively beaten a lousy AJ Auxerre side 4-1 in each sides' 1st game of the year. Montpellier got off to a great start with young loanee Levan Kenia scored a brilliant individual goal after a good run from the halfway line in the 6th minute. Olivier Giroud then scored a header from Kenia's corner to double the advantage on 23 minutes. Moroccan winger Karim Ait Fana then scored a long range curling goal 5 minutes after. Montpellier added a forth midfielder Romain Piteu scored a blasted effort from the edge of the box. After halftime Montpellier wasted several chances through Olivier Giroud and Younes Belhanda to add to the misery for Auxerre. Controversy on 54 minutes when Cameroonian left-back Henri Bedimo was sent off for what seemed to be a perfect tackle on the halfway line. Auxerre pulled one back late through Dieylani Fall on the 85th minute.

Montpellier two from two after unexpected Lille win

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Montpellier came out on top against Lille in another fiery affair from the South French side, 3-1 the final score. Pivotal striker Olivier Giroud scored a placed shot after good work from Belhanda on the right wing. Giroud doubled his tally with penalty after a clear slide tackle from Sow. Another Red Card for Montpellier when Yanga Mbiwa was sent off for pulling back Hazard when the Belgian was in on goal. Polish striker Ireneusz Jelen scored a tap in from 2 yards after a low cross was let through by Nenad Dzodic in the 79th minute. With Lille piling on the pressure, Montpellier incisively broke away, with Kenia playing in Imanol Agirrexte for a one-on-one, and the Spanish striker made no mistake, completing the scoring for Pope's side on 87 minutes. It was his 1st goal for Montpellier since joining them on loan from Real Sociedad for a measly loan fee of 190k.

Lucky own-goal hands wasteful Montpellier 3rd win

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Stade Rennais were lucky not to have more goals scored against them in their match against Ligue 1 pace-setters Montpellier. Whilst Montpellier dominated possession, Rennais sat back and watched, with the wasteful Giroud not scoring, and was subbed at half-time. His replacement, John Utaka, was forceful in his running, and eventually forced an own-goal, via a deflection from his strike from close range. That was the only goal of the game, because key players, took a lot of shots from outside the box. Young Rennais 'keeper Benoit Costil was outstanding and kept Rennais in the game, until a late own-goal won the game for Montpellier.

Montpellier show-up Lyon in toothless performance from home side


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Excellent defending and being clinical on the break-away has handed Cam Pope's side a surprise win against possibly the best squad in Ligue 1. Giroud scored his 2nd penalty in 3 games and his 5th in 4 games with a placed penalty in the 12th minute. Lyon threatened throughout, but wasted several good opportunities to score. With Montpellier leading at the break, Pope told his boys to keep their cool, and show up the recent power force in Ligue 1. It seemed to work, when Giroud scored a great header in the 65th minute after a magnifiqué cross from Ait Fana. Belhanda added a 3rd goal 2 minutes later with a thumping goal from the right-hand side of the box. Young poacher Yannis Tafer pulled one back for Lyon late on in the 77th minute, but it wasn’t enough to stop Montpellier to a receiving 4th straight win. Montpellier won 3-1 with 40% possession and 5 shots on target... Lyon had 15 shots with 2 on target.

Montpellier nick past Evian in hard-fought encounter

Montpellier have progressed to the 4th round of the French Cup, beating a defiant Evian side led by ex-Liverpool failure Christian Poulson, who was sent off for getting 2 yellow cards. Montpellier had a number of efforts towards goal, but young Dutch striker Abdul Karim Syllam, in his first game of the season, couldn’t open his account and was substituted after 60 minutes. Utaka replaced the Dutch striker, and this change worked, when 2 minutes later, skillful Moroccan Younes Belhanda scored a terrific volley. And that’s the way it stayed, with the 2nd-string Montpellier side bringing home the goods for a 5th win of the season.

And thats how August went, September will be up soon, thanks for reading.

 

[bambam.cam]

2nd Month at the Helm: September 2011
Fixtures: v OGC Nice (w) (H) (Ligue 1)
v Stade Brestois (w) (A) (Ligue 1)
v AC Ajaccio (w) (A) (Ligue 1)
v PSG (l) (H) (Ligue 1)

3/4 wouldn't have been bad, and what anyone would have expecting from our side.

Níce too nice as Montpollier demolish the Away Team

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Montpollier smashed a horrendous Nice side 4-0 in Montpollier to continue a 100% record in all comps so far. Olivier Giroud scored his 3rd penalty of the year, and his goal was quickly followed by a header from pint-sized superstar Levan Kenia. Pope encouraged his side to press forward at half-time, and his motivation words paid off, with Kenia scoring another header 4 minutes after the restart. Serbian CB Dragtunovic, a last minute free transfer as cover for the injured Dzodic, nodded home a 4th on 79 minutes, from Levan Kenia's corner.


Montpollier dominate Brestois in low-scoring affair

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A youthful looking Montpollier side ran out 1-0 winners in Brestois, with Giroud scoring again, this time a header from close range. Brestois were carved open several times, but Montpollier's inefficiency in front of goal kept the game close for the whole 90 minutes.


Ajaccio Effort not enough as Montpollier run continues...

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Montpollier extended its 8-game winning run with a 3-0 win against Ajaccio, with John Utaka putting in a MOTM performance in his first start of the season. A goal and an assist from the Nigerian help Montpollier win for the 7th time in the Ligue 1 season. Giroud scored another key goal, a volley of Belhanda's cross, to open the soring yet again for the away side. Utaka generated his first assist of the season, laying on a tap-in for Ait Fana. Utaka soon got on the scoresheet himself 2 minutes.

PSG will be up soon.
Thanks.

 

[itsBilly]

Some nice wins there man. Good job.
A good read aswell

 

[bambam.cam]

Cheers mate

Surprise Packet Montpollier down big spenders PSG to go 6 points clear

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Ligue 1 surprise packet Montpollier, have beaten PSG in a thrilling game, in which all the games came late. An even contest, both sets of players enjoyed long periods of possession, hoping to break the other down. With both teams tiring, Belhanda turned on the after-burners down the right wing, and put in a marvelous low cross, where star-man Oliveir Giroud slid in to score for the 4th consecutive game. 5 minutes later, on 75 minutes, John Utaka suffered a dislocated hip, taking him out of the game and out for the next 3 months. On 81 minutes, former Lorient striker Kevin Gameiro headed home to level the score for the away side. Late on, 87 minutes down, LB El Kaoutari crossed, met by the chest on Ait Fana who controlled the ball past Sakho and slid the ball into the bottom-left corner. Pope was ecstatic with his team's performance, with a club which has only spent 250k on new players....


Cheers for reading.

 

[Crayth]

Quality start, your ripping them apart! Keep it up!

 

[bambam.cam]

Cheers mate. Got a 5 match month coming up, including Boaerdeux and Lille so hopefully i can continue this run

 

[bambam.cam]

3rd Month in charge: September 2011
Fixtures: v Bordeaux (a) (D) (Ligue 1)
v Dijon (h) (W) (Ligue 1)
v Stade Caen (a) (W) (Ligue 1)
v Lille (a) (L) (French Cup)
v Nancy (h) (W) (Ligue 1)

A tough month to look at, some very competitive games coming up. Its going to be hard without Utaka and co, sidelined due to injury.

Bordeaux beaten at home by masterful Montpellier

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Bordeaux's problems continued as they were beaten 2-1 on their own turf by a side marred by injury and bans. Montpellier, with 4 key first-team players out, started off badly and conceded through a Maurice-Belay goal just after the restart. Pope's boys pushed on and got a goal through Younes Belhanda's wonder-strike on 70. Giroud won the game for Montpellier in the 90th minute with a header from the edge of the 6-yard box, to extend Montpellier's winning run.

Montpellier Make Mustard of Dijon Defence

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Montpellier ran out 4-1 winners at home to Dijon. Dijon scored first in the 2nd minute of the match. Pope's boys rallied, and got a deserved equaliser in the 26th minute through Younes Belhanda header. Pope had to inspire his boys at half-time, and this paid off, in the 70th minute, Ait Fana scored a great goal, cutting in from the left, and dancing around the Dijon defenders before shooting to put Montpellier in the lead. Giroud joined the party 4 minutes later with a tap-in laid on by Levan Kenia. Ait Fana got his brace in the 89th minute to round-up a great day for Montpellier supporters with a header at the back post.

Caen stop Montpellier's winning run with 1-1 stalemate

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Stade Caen have stopped Montpellier's winning run with a late goal. Caen scored in the 82nd minute to cancel out Giroud's opener, which came in the 59th minute. In a truly unspectacular effort from Caen, and Montpellier's inefficiency in front of goal proved their demise.


Montpellier nick late win at Lille to dump Ligue 1 champions out of the cup

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Montpellier captain Mapou Yanga Mbiwa led from the back as Montpellier beat champions Lille at Lille. Both teams had a number of teams, and Lille was made to pay with a late goal from the captain, who recently signed a new contract to keep him at the club until 2016. Montpellier and Lille could have scored if it hadn’t been for some amazing late goalkeeping heroics.

Montpellier to Fancy for Nancy

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Montpellier scored a great win at home to Nancy, and it was a great day all round for the South-French side. Imanol Agirretxe scored a goal on his first start for Montpellier, after some classy work from Belhanda on the right-wing. A late Salif Sane own goal doubled the advantage after Levan Kenia's corner was nodded home by the Senegalese defender. Lorenzo Ebicillo had his goal ruled out late on, after coming on as a late sub in his first outing for the club.


A great month, and we sit atop the Ligue 1 table.

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Thank you all.

 

[bambam.cam]

Month Number 4: November 2011
Fixtures: v St Etienne (a) (D) (Ligue 1)
v Marseille (h) (D) (Ligue 1)
v Souchaux-Montbe (a) (W) (Ligue 1)


A tough month, with 2 top sides competing against the league leaders, heres how it panned out:


Giroud brace sinks Saint-Etteine

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Olivier Giroud put in a MOTM performance against St. Etienne to keep Montpellier above Toulouse in Ligue 1. His goals, either side of half time, came at the ends of each half. His first, scored in the 44th minute, was a result of a great cross by Ait Fana, which was headed home by the 24 year-old. The second came in stoppage time, 90+4 minutes in, and was a result of a good knockdown by Agirretxe; it was the first time the 2 big front-men had been on the pitch together.

Montpellier punish 10-man Marseille in derby

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Montpellier punished a surprisingly lack-luster Marseille side 1-0 after a superb late strike by Levan Kenia, the Georgian's 4th goal for Montpellier since joining from Schalke. The only goal of the game came late, 81st minute to be precise, and punished Marseille for their rough tactics, which got Souleymane Diawarra sent off in the first half.

Montpellier emerge undefeated after 3 months with win over Souchaex

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A Younes Belhanda brace a Mobido Maiga own goal sent Montpellier fans into raptures as their team ran out 3-0 winners in Souchaex. Belhanda broke the deadlock late in the first half, and scored a wonder-strike to double the advantage. Miaga's late own goal sealed a comfortable afternoon for Pope's boys.

December up soon, promise! Thanks for reading

 

[Split]

great start man, just like me ( yeah i'm playing Montpellier too )
i use Tackiller tactit, and with it i beat auxerre 6-1, lile 9-0 and lyon 5-1, after that finaly comes realistic results
i didn't sell or buy no one.. giroud and sylla kill them all!!!

 

[San Adam]

great story

 

[bambam.cam]

cheers guys
MASSIVE UPDATE!

December Fixtures: v FC Lorient (h) (W) (Ligue 1)
v Valencienes (a) (W) (Ligue 1)
v Toulouse (h) (D) (Ligue 1)
v Evian (a) (W) (Ligue 1)

Lorient crushed as Montpollier extend run

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Lorient were beaten by a determined Montpollier side 3-1 in Montpollier, as the South French side extended their lead over Toulouse to 10 points. Imanol kicked the scoring off in his 4th start, scoring in the 15th minute. Dragonivic scored a penalty midway through the second-half. Joel Campbell pulled one back, but Giroud scored another penalty late in stoppage time to make the game safe.

Valencienes beaten at home by clinical Montpollier

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Valencienes suffered defeat against a clinical Montpollier side featuring a few youngsters. Loanee Dutch winger Ebicillio scored his first goal for the club with a deflected drive from the edge of the box. Ait Fana scored his 7th of the season to double the lead. Morrocan LB El Kaoutari scored his first of the season in the 80th minute. Lilian Bochet got one back deep into stoppage time but it meant nothing as Montpollier strolled to victory.

Toulouse loses to Montpollier away

Montpollier kept a clean sheet at home and scored 2 great goals to widen the gap in Ligue 1. Chilean Marco Estrada scored a typical long range drive to open the scoring 11 minutes in. Ait Fana scored again to double the lead. Toulouse had Ettiene Capoue sent off 10 minutes after the restart, meaning a comeback was unlikely.

Great Giroud scores 2

Giroud returned to the starting line up after a injury layoff to score 2 goals in a match which was reasonably even. Evian played well but werent taking chances, and Giroud made them pay with a great header a minute before the break. He had his second soon after the restart with a penalty, and thats the way it stayed, a good 2 goals at Evian to secure yet another win for Montpollier.

Friendly matches: v Fenerbahce (won 3-1)
v Sporting CP (won 2-1)
v Estac Troyes (won 1-0)
v Stade Lavallois (drew 1-1)
v Karlsruhe (won 4-0)

UNDEFEATED YEAR!!!!!!!!! Starting to like this team!
January; Cup Month + more friendly games

v Aviron (won 3-1 in Aviron, scorers: Kenia x3) (French Cup 9th round)
v AC Havre (won 3-0 at home, scorers: Ait Fana and Younes Belhanda x2) (Coupe de la Ligue Quarters)
v Lyon (h) (L) (Ligue 1)
v Auxerre (won 2-0, scorers: Dzodic and Olivier Giroud) (French Cup 10th round)
v OGC Nice (a) (D) (Ligue 1)

Montpollier lose at home

Montpollier lost to Lyon in a tight game, evenly played throughout. Giroud was wasteful in his shooting and it cost us dear, losing for the first time this season. Michel Bastos was the games only scorer.

Nice cant break Montpollier curse.

Nice lost again to Montpollier in a tight game in Nice. A quick goal from main man Olivier Giroud decided the contest; the goal came in the second minute to shock the home fans.

1 Friendly played in January: v CSKA Moskow (3-1 win)

January ins and outs: Turkish overpaid failuire joined Sociedad for 925k
Old LB Cyril Jeanchamp joined Pescara for 90k
Jonathon Tinhan joined Brescia on loan
Joris Marveaux joined Besiktas for 3m, very happy with that!
John Utaka joined Real Sporting to get games

Portuguese RB Tony joined on loan as cover for Bocala

some good business!

Thanks for reading, March and February up soon!

 

[pecka2]

Nice work buddy you are tearing it up! Keep it going and hopefully you can finish the season strong!

 

[TheBeardOfZeus]

Great story so far mate!

I know who the Turkish Failure is I always sell him, he always fails!

Why the sale of Marveaux? Has he not played well during the season? And great form in the league mate, potential champions!

 

[jamin p]

Good to see another Montpellier story on the go. Interesting that Giroud is so prolific for you, i personally can't get him to score. I sit 2nd in my save, around the same point as you with 44pts from 19 games however i have had Koita and Sylla bagging goals for me with 15 in 22 and 10 in 17 respectively.

Keep fighting the good fight!

 

[bambam.cam]

Marveaux was sold purely to get money, i felt that 3m in cash straight up was a good deal and felt i had adequate support in Estrada and Saidi, plus with Stambouli coming through the ranks it was an easy decision.

 

[TheBeardOfZeus]

Marveaux was sold purely to get money, i felt that 3m in cash straight up was a good deal and felt i had adequate support in Estrada and Saidi, plus with Stambouli coming through the ranks it was an easy decision.

Good point. Are you re-investing the money to get another CM in?

 

[bambam.cam]

Yeh that was the plan BeardofZeus

sorry for not updating guys, been a bit backed up with exams and stuff, but feb and march should be up by tommorrow!
Sorry again for the delay!