The Ballad of Charlie McGhee – 2nd Stanza

kolas79 said:
How many games left until the curtain drops for the league ? Is it possible to chase a place in the table which will lead to Europa league ?
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Not quite unfortunately. Only 4 games to go which means we'd need a miracle to make Europe.
 
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May 2019 – Finishing Strong…



After a forgettable April May started off well with young gun Nice academy product Malang Sarr signing on for an additional 3 years. With Emerson playing so well Sarr has struggled a little bit to get as much game time as both he and Charlie would have liked but the home grown fullback will be immensely important to hold onto – particularly if Nice were to qualify for Europe next season as is Charlie’s goal.


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The first game of May against Ajaccio started in much the same vein as Nice’s recent matches against Montpellier and Rennes with Nice simply seeming off the pace. When Ajaccio took the lead after 14 minutes Charlie had seen enough – he let the boys know it too! To the player’s credit they responded immediately. 2 minutes later and Alper Potuk had them level. At halftime McGhee replaced the ineffectual Modeste with Gabriel Torje and he turned out to be the spark the fired Nice to victory. First he rolled his marker 30 yards from goal before placing a perfectly weighted through ball to Adryan to give Nice the lead and then later he sent a sumptuous cross in that Andone gleefully accepted to seal all three points.


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Up next Nice travelled to (still) high flying Stade de Reims who are confounding the critics, holding on to 4th spot even at this late stage of the season. Nice though weren’t too worried about their opponents and just after the half hour mark had built themselves a 2 goal lead thanks to Emerson and Potuk. Central midfield has probably been Nice’s weakest part since Charlie’s arrival but Potuk’s recent performances have given McGhee the belief that he could still form part of any squad moving forward. Stade de Reims grabbed a goal back just after the restart through Peyretti to make things a little tense but in reality Nice were always in control here.


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Nice’s penultimate game of the season saw them take on Lille at the Allianz RIveria. Lille were battling to avoid relegation so Nice knew they would be tough here. Charlie was without both his first choice strikers for this one with Modeste away on French under 19 duty and And one recovering from a knock he had picked up in training midweek. As such Rasmus Falk, more of a winger by trade, was drafted in as a striker and got himself on the end of an Emerson cross to put Nice ahead early. Unfortunately from that point he somewhat proved why it is likely he will be on his way out at the end of the season missing a litany of gilt-edged chances. Those misses proved to be costly as Lille, fighting for their Ligue 1 survival and seemingly down and out after going a man down after Zuculini’s 67th minute dismissal dragged themselves off the canvas to rescue a point thanks to Berner’s 85th minute strike. A point that could prove crucial come the end of the season for Lille but one in reality they had no business getting.


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Modeste and Andone returned for the final match of season 18/19 and did it show! Modeste got himself a double but Andone was the star scoring one himself and setting up 2 of the Nice goals en route to a 4-2 win. A nice way to end the season.

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So that was it then for the league. In the end the point Lille earned at Nice proved to be the difference between them staying up and going down as they survived based on goal difference! Also Marseille was the other French team to qualify for the Europa League after Monaco secured victory in the French Cup.


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A decent season overall for Nice that saw them finish in-line with preseason expectations but, given where they were situated when Charlie took over, he still felt this season was one of personal triumph for him.


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At the Nice end of season awards dinner Emerson ran away with the player of the year voting. The emergence of young player of the year Bissafe Dotte has meant that Brazillian central defender Alex Alves is somewhat surplus to requirements. In France teams are allowed a maximum of 4 non EU players so in Charlie’s eye this means anyone taking up a non-EU spot should be one of the class players in the squad. If a non-EU player is ‘just making up the numbers’ then Charlie has resolved to move them on. In addition to Alves this will likely mean that fellow Brazillian Roni will be on his way out this offseason also.


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Emerson’s quality efforts this season weren’t only recognized at Nice’s awards evening. At the Ligue 1 end of season awards the left back was voted into the team of the season – a fantastic achievement. In truth though he, whilst better than Sarr at this point of their careers, has been drawing glances from a number of Europe’s elite sides. If an offer were to come in in excess of his current 12.5 million pound value then Charlie would likely accept with a quality replacement waiting in the wings.


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Good stuff mate. Look forward to your first full season with Nice.
 
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June 2019 – No rest for the wicked



Whilst almost everyone else was off enjoying their summer holidays McGhee was still slogging away. Australia had now been scheduled to begin their World Cup Qualification campaign against Tajikistan and thus wouldn’t be playing in the Confederations Cup. Unfortunately it appeared that the Socceroos would be would without their midfield talisman Luongo after he picked up a hamstring injury.


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Despite this the Aussies cruised in their first game on home soil under McGhee’s stewardship. Adam Taggart scored a hatrick but really could have had ten as it was all one way traffic at the Sydney Football Stadium. Australia’s next games aren’t until September now but they’ve started off their campaign on a good note and will have put some fear into the other teams in their pool with this performance.


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Charlie then returned to Nice as they announced their financial results for the year. Whilst they announced their largest ever profit of 9.25 million this was predominately built on player sales – something Charlie will be looking to change moving forward as Nice will need to begin holding onto their best talent if they ever want to challenge for the title.


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Towards the end of the month Charlie then began the ‘wheeling and dealing’ phase of the offseason. McGhee first had to deal with a couple of ‘spare parts’, who really don’t fit the style Charlie has developed as his own. As such, Gabriel Torje and Rasmus Falk, who would both be better served in a team that utilizes wingers, were moved on for 4.2 million and 1.3 million pounds respectively. Staying on the ‘outs’ side backup goalkeeper Agazzi signed a pre-contract deal with Zutlte and Alves followed him to Belgium, signing in a deal that netted Nice 2 million pounds.


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To being replacing them Charlie then began searching for quality. Very early on in his search though it became apparent that anyone who was really going to improve his squad markedly was not within his price range. Undeterred by this set back, Charlie then began to scheme. If he couldn’t bring in established players with quality he would build with his young squad. As such his focus then settled on younger players who, to begin with, would be squad players, but over time are expected to be quality LIgue 1 players. The first of these was Amine Kheche who, with Nantes relegated and looking to shift wages, joined on a cut price deal that will see him provide cover both in defensive


and central midfield. The second addition was a player recommended to Charlie by his scout observing the French U/19 league in Moustapha Sylla who will replace Belgium bound Agazzi.


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The other thing Charlie quickly realised was that Nice had some real talent out on loan last season. 2 of those – Abah and Moullin – will be drafted into the 1st team squad for next season and a number of other will be given a chance over preseason to stake their claim. Towards the end of preseason Charlie will then look to fill any gaps he still sees in the squad.


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The emergence of Dotti, Modeste’s development into probably the premiere young striker in France, along with material contributions in the first team from other young players in Sarr, Hassen and central defender Maxime Borges hasn’t happened by accident. The youth pipeline Nice now has is attributable to them having one of the best Head of Youth Development’s around so Charlie quickly moved to tie Adbel Bouhazama to a long term deal. After giving the staff time to impress Charlie will now though look to improve the quality of training wherever possible.


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Good Lord that Abah's hair! Doubt he's had a haircut in his entire life!

Great end to the season and some clever work in the market, looking forward to seeing these young players blossom under Charlie's leadership - much like that blossoming hair!
 
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July 2019 – And so it starts again…



As preseason kicked off in earnest McGhee was excited by the potential in his young squad but cognisant that this year would still likely be some tough sledding as they endevour to work their way up the table. Realisticly qualifying for European football and some good cups runs would represent an excellent season. To build them up for the season Charlie decided to really test his lads in pre-season, scheduling friendlies against huge European opposition including Dortmund, Atletico, Barcelona and capping it off with a true ‘Ligue 1’ test – an away friendly at rivals Marseille.


Things were progressing along nicely until the Dortmund match. Paul Baysse is really one that McGhee could least afford to lose to injury for any extended time but went down in some pain during the Dortmund match. Follow up scans would reveal torn knee ligaments but not the deaded ACL thankfully and he will miss the first couple of months of the season.


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As preseason worn on Charlie, without the availability of first choice strikers Andone and Modeste, began to realize his backup options either weren’t up to it, or a year or two away. As such, he entered the market for some backup help up front. The permanent player he settled on was Moussa Diallo from Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Capped at under 19 level, the youngster (who is actually older than Modeste!) will serve as decent cover.


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Even with Diallo’s signature secured McGhee was struggling to shake his concern that if one of his main strikers suffered an injury that kept them out for any length of time it would be almost fatal to their chances of qualifying for Europe but if the worst happened and both went down?! Well, that would be disastrous so Charlie, with the knowledge that he has one or two 17 years olds who could be good enough down the track, secured the season long loan of Blanchet from Arsenal. It’s a win win for both sides. Charlie gets the injury insurance he desires and Blanchet will see more first team action at a high level than is likely to occur at Arsenal.


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Albert Rafetraniana is an odd sort of footballer. At first glance his lack of technical skill really limit how effective he can be at Ligue 1 level but since Charlie’s appointment the Madagascar international has been one of the first 11 selected each week thanks to his amazing workrate in the defensive midfield position so Charlie was worried when Albert went down with shin splints towards the end of preseason. If Charlie’s honest with himself than defensive midfield is a position they could really strengthen in but there’s no reason Rafetraniana can’t be an important squad player for years to come and Charlie really respects a player like him who you know will give you 110% each game.

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In the end preseason results were fairly mixed for Nice. The Dortmund victory was well deserved and despite losing they had given a really good account of themselves at the Nou Camp. Also they had actually lead 3 nil in the Marseille match before McGhee made a raft of changes allowing the home side to storm back. Time will tell though if the punishing difficulty will have been a good thing of if McGhee should have taken things easier!!


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You 've picked some tough matches there my friend ! Hope they do not mess with your team 's morale ! Good luck for the new season !
 
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August 2019 – And now for something completely different…



‘The **** just happened?’ McGhee thought to himself as he strode off the Matmut Atlantique field. He’d just watched Bordeaux have a man sent off in the 8th minute and then saw his side have almost 70% of the ball and outshoot Bordeaux 23 to 5 but get beaten 3-1. In all his 30 plus years of football he’d never seen anything like, and who knows? He may never again…


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Things were slightly better for Nice in their second game of the season although again McGhee felt they should have come away with more. Santamaria had put them ahead just before the break but Fin Bartels has equalized to earn Montpellier a point.


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In probably then the most even match of the first 3 games Nice had played in Ligue 1 of course they would run out 3-1 winners themselves! Right?? Whilst Nice probably were the better side they’d enjoyed their fair share of luck today for a change.


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Following the Guingamp match McGhee had a meeting with Nice Chairman Jean-Pierre Rivere. This is the 2nd JP McGhee had been fortunate enough to deal with in football after his Newcastle assistant JP de Marigny, maybe it’s a French thing… Anyway this meeting went well and the Nice board has agreed that the training facilities should be improved. McGhee had requested this to ensure that they capitalize as much as possible on the glut of potential they have coming through the ranks.


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What a stupid game! Despite being every bit their opponents equal Nice had contrived to turn a one nil lead into a 3-1 deficit with only minutes to play. With McGhee literally tearing his hair out and screaming obscenities from the sideline he boys decided with 2 minutes to go they could play again, scoring 2 in the dying stages and rescuing a point! Inconceivable.


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Perhaps that testing preseason that saw them high on exposure to quality opposition but low on morale hadn’t been the best idea then. It’s not been a disastrous start by any means but McGhee feels there has been a lot of points left on the table already!


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September 2019 – Righting the Ship…



Metz had surprised everyone last season, finishing the year in 6th, so McGhee knew that they would be tough here, especially given Nice’s less than desirable start in the league. They started poorly here too, going behind after only 3 minutes but quickly got on the front foot and were ahead at the break thanks to finishes from both starting strikers. McGhee sent his team out eager to attack from the break but they were caught early on the counter when Renda broke through. Nice then dominated proceedings but couldn’t find the winner and had to settle for a point. In fairness if you had offered a point prior to the match Charlie would probably have taken it but after seeing how the game unfolded this felt like points dropped…


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McGhee left Nice after the Metz match to join the Socceroos for the International break. Their first match saw them take on Kuwait in a World Cup Qualifier and they easily dispatched them.


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Probably the best thing to come out of this match was seeing Josh Brillante score his first international goal. Charlie’s not sure why, but thinks the world of the youngster, and will include him as first choice in any Socceroos squad he is in charge of.


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To round off the international break the Aussies then travelled to the 60,000 seat Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi to take on India. It was a packed house that saw Australia completely dominate the game – even if that dominance wasn’t fully reflected in the scoreline. The Aussies are now virtually assured of their progression to the 3rd round of Asian World Cup Qualifying where things are expected to get considerably harder.


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At the airport awaiting his flight back to Nice Charlie got a phone call from Arsenal manager Jurgen Klopp. Good friends, the german was simply calling to ask a favour that Arsenal loanee Blanchet see more game time. Charlie agreed, having shown a preference thus far for in-house option Diallo as his striking option on the bench, understanding that if he were in Klopp’s shoes he would be feeling the same way. The young striker didn’t disappoint either when given his chance towards the end of the Ajaccio match – rounding off the victory by scoring the 3rd and final goal and proving to McGhee that he is deserving of more game time.


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Following the Ajaccio match an alert from one of his iPhone apps directed his attention to an ESPNFC.com article that showed the Socceroos had climbed the world rankings and were now considered the 32nd best national team – not a bad spot for the boys from down under. In truth it will be generations before the Aussies are ever likely pressing for a consistent top 10 ranking but they’ve come a long way as a nation recently and Charlie’s goal to get them in the top 20 if possible.


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Charlie had just seen his side beaten, and rather handily, as he took the podium at the press conference following his side’s loss to Lyon but the journalists couldn’t understand why he was smiling. “look,” he said calmly, “it’s a measure of how far Nice has come that a team with the pedigree of Lyon, at home mind you, decide to try and sit and play on the counter. Now it worked, but the fact that they were too scared to play their normal game in front of their own fans tells me that the big boys are started to get scared of little ol’ Le Gym!”


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Charlie had realised that confidence was lower than desirable at Nice. His tough preseason had seen the side start season 19/20 on a bit of a downer and they hadn’t broken out of that slump. Standing in the sheds after seeing his side concede a terrible equalizer to a side who had no business taking a point from the Allianz Riviera McGhee decided that a ‘buddy buddy’ approach might be best here. He’s got a young side and perhaps they just need a little love.


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That had been his focus all week in the leadup to their match against Bastia over in Corsica. It seemed to work too as he side played with might more freedom in the early stages and skipped out to a two goal lead on the hour mark thanks to an Adryan brace. When Dongou dragged one back for the hosts with around 15 minutes to play McGhee took steps to shut up shop and although from that point Bastia had most of the ball they were limited to shots from range that never really threatened. A good 3 points that hopefully indicate Nice are turning a corner!


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With form all over the place it is unsurprising to see that Nice finished September smack bang in mid table. The good part is that they are still within touching distance of the Euro spot, they just need to find some consistency! Having said all that they are in a much better place than they were twelve months ago just before Charlie arrived!!!


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Not so steady performances so far. It is still early in the season though and you can fight back. Heavy loss from Lyonnais Bordeaux but unfortunately for you they look on fire (judging from the league table) right now.
 
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October 2019 – Onwards and Upwards…



Trying to get their season back on track Nice welcomed Marseille to the Allianz Riviera for the first game of October. Before kickoff Charlie wasn’t sure if the derby nature of the match would be a help or a hindrance to his squad. Marseille were sitting pretty in 2nd spot coming into this one but this game was all about Nice – and Jacques Modeste in particular. Perhaps the only criticism that could be levelled at the French U21 striker last season was that he didn’t convert enough of his good chances into goal – that wasn’t the case here as he bagged himself a hat-trick en route to a 3-1 victory for Nice.


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McGhee then had to take off for another International break then, this time to Australia where his Socceroos were scheduled to take on Bangladesh. It was the Taggart and Leckie show today as the Aussies won convincingly 5 nil.


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Returning to Nice after the whirlwind trip home Charlie got the bad news that Andone had picked up an ankle injury that would see him miss around a month. Good thing Charlie possessed the foresight earlier to bring in the backup strikers. Arsenal loanee Maurice Blanchet will likely be handed the starting position whilst And one recovers.


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Without Andone Nice struggled a little in their next match against Lille to convert their chances. Goals to Modeste and Potuk saw them past Lille though whilst Guillaume scored for the host to keep things interesting.

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Desperate to keep their run going Nice then welcomed Stade de Reims to town. Their opponents had perhaps been the surprise packet of last season but this year they were struggling in 20th spot. Keen to keep the pressure on them then McGhee sent his side out to attack but the scoreline really doesn’t reflect how close this game was. Goals to new boys Diallo and Blanchet in the last 5 minutes perhaps glossing over a below average performance from Nice here.


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The final match of October was the Coupe de la Ligue 3rd rnd match against La Berrichonne. McGhee saw this as an ideal opportunity to get some of his younger, fringe squad player minutes and sent out a side with an average age of 20.45 years. Unfortunately they couldn’t get the job done La Berrichonne taught them a lesson. Still, it was a good learning experience for the youngsters and Charlie will use a very similar side in the French Cup later in the year.


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Overcoming their disappointing cup exit wasn’t hard for McGhee when he reviewed the table at the end of October. 2nd place! Marseille and Lyon will in all likelihood jump Nice once they’ve played their catch up matches but this is still a fantastic place to be on the ladder with almost a third of the season gone.

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November 2019 – Cruisin…



To start November Charlie received an email that confirmed what he was already feeling about the Youth setup at Nice. They were the 2nd highest producers of players in Ligue 1 – ahead of clubs like Lyon and PSG.


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Their first match of the month was against FC Lorient. Despite the shots stats seeming to point to an even game this was anything but. Nice were 3 up at half time and most of Lorient’s shots came in the last 15 minutes when the game was well and truly already won.


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Next up for McGhee’s men was trip to Dijon where again Nice were too hot to handle. Blanchet again making the most of his time in the run on squad scoring the winner just after 16 minutes.


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Nice then had a game to forget against Lens in the league. Their wastefulness in front of goal costing them dearly as Lens scored two late goals to steal 3 points here.


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International duty then beckoned for Charlie and he lead his squad at in Tajikistan next. The romped home 7 zip with Taggart in particular playing well. Youngster Mario Duncan also impressed in his late cameo grabbing his first goal for the National team. At only 19 he is still somewhat raw but Charlie hopes to spur on his development by including him with the Socceroos whenever possible.


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Next then the Aussies travelled to Bangladesh. Playing in conditions more suitable for beach soccer the Aussies struggled to adapt and could only secure a point – whilst this match was effectively irrelevant in the scheme of things Charlie was very, very disappointed with the performance today.


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“WHAT A RESULT!!!!” Charlie was ecstatic after the match having just watched Nice dispatch PSG 2 nil upon his return. Not only that but they had outplayed the reigning Ligue 1 champions. Late goals to Rafetraniania and Modeste sealed the win but in truth they could have won by even more as Seri failed to take advantage of a 44 minute penalty.


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Next up for Nice was Evian. Le Gym skipped out to a 2 goal lead just after the half hour but saw one pegged back before the break when Tejeda scored for Evian. This made Charlie’s half time team talk a little easier in fact as he asked his team to ensure that no complacency crept in and the scored 2 after the restart to secure a 4 -1 win.


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Jacques Modeste has continued his development as a footballer this season – blossoming into Nice’s best striker and he saw his recent good form rewarded with the player of the month award for November. Unfortunately, a hamstring complaint picked up in the Evian match will see him miss some time…


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The table is a bit all over the place as a number of team have catchup matches to play but coming into December Nice have established themselves in the top 4. Marseille and Lyon can both overtake Nice should they win they matches in hand though.


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December 2019 – It’s the most wonderful time of the year…



Ahh December – the months that really signals the start of why Charlie loves working in Nice and not Peterhead!!! Unfortunately as the weather began to cool right off seemingly so did Nice – only managing a one all draw with desperate AC Ajaccio. Nice really should have won easily here but credit to the home team and fought their way to a draw.


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Wonderful!!! An early Christmas present for Charlie then in the second match of December as Nice took on local rivals Monaco at the Allianz Riviera. After the previous match’s draw Nice were 3rd taking on the league leaders but boy did Nice come to play today!! Alper Potuk in particular was full of industry and saw a couple of his lung bursting runs from deep paid and he made no mistake with his finishes. Quality result and unsurprisingly given what was at stake and the fact it was a local derby this also saw Nice break the attendance record at the Allianz Riviera.


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After the Monaco match the agent for Bissafi Dotte approached McGhee about a new contract for his client. Usually McGhee is quick to tell them to take a hike but Dotte has really earned this with his performances of late so McGhee was happy to oblige.


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What a rollercoaster of emotions!! At half time Nice seemed like they were cruising to another 3 points but then Montpellier came out after the restart like a team possessed! Nice seemed to have weathered the storm until 3 minutes from time when Berigaud prodded home. Dejected, Charlie urged his troops forward for one last charge and incredibly Diallo got himself on the end of a cross and headed home off the underside of the crossbar!!


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A difficult test to end December then as Nice took on St Etienne. Filip Krovinovic was the difference today as he was more clinical in front of goal than anything Nice could muster...

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Charlie's goal this season was always European qualification but to be sitting 2nd at Christmas has McGhee delighted! Time to kick on and see if they can have a sneaky peak then at top spot!!

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Still doing very well my friend hang in there and it will champions league for Charlie next season !!!
 
kolas79 said:
Still doing very well my friend hang in there and it will champions league for Charlie next season !!!
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Cheers mate! I'll be happy with any European qualification at this stage.


Meehar said:
Great work so far!
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Thanks mate! Not planning on making any moves in Jan so just rolling with the squad I have. Here's hoping there's enough in it to stay up there.
 
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Jan 2020 – New year blues…



What a crazy month for Nice. First they started with a French Cup tie against Clermont Foot. McGhee played a very young squad again and, like in the previous cup tie, they didn’t really cover themselves in glory. McGhee would like to start using them more but can’t really afford to if this is the quality he is going to get.

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Back to the League then and back to the first choice 11. With Andone still out Blanchet got the start and bagged himself a hatrick in a game he will long remember. Nice were far too good for Guingamp running out easy 4-1 winners.


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McGhee was forlorn was but not furious – with a team as young as his you simply have to expect days like today. There looked to be no doubt with 3 minutes remaining that his Nice side would coast to an easy 2 goal win. Then, in the space of 2 minutes, Metz were level and snagged themselves a point they had no business taking away from the Allianz Riviera.

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In the previous match Metz had scored 2 goals on only 4 shots and today was worse – if that is even possible!!! Ajaccio had 2 – only 2 shots entire ****** game and managed to somehow walk away with all three points! The Nice finishing simply has to get better as they can’t even blame the quality of their chances – they had 5 clear cut chances to 0 in this one….


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2 exercises in frustration then to end January but thankfully at this stage they haven’t cost Nice too much and they still sit 2nd. Although, with PSG and Marseille waiting to pounce just behind them, any future such transgressions will undoubtedly cost them spots on the ladder.


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Feb 2020 – Holding on…



As the transfer window was about to slam shut Charlie finally decided to do some deals. Roni has been listed basically since McGhee took over and has been using a foreign spot despite not really being good enough for the first 11. As such when Palmeiras made a bid Charlie jumped all over it.

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During the first couple of days in Feb whilst Charlie was looking at potential moves he also had a game against Lyon to navigate. His young chargers really came up big here against a traditional powerhouse and a team that is right up there with them in the league – huge result.


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Defensive midfield has long been a position that Charlie felt could be improved. The issue was that any player who would be markedly better than the current options was out of Nice’s price range. Enter Yoan Caron. The young Frenchman who was plying his trade with Auxerre in Ligue 2 represents someone who is as good as anything Charlie currently has at his disposal but possesses the potential to be one of the best DM’s in the league. The deal represents Nice’s largest ever transfer so the pressure will be on for him to contribute over the next few seasons!


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Unfortunately an administrative bungle left McGhee furious when the paperwork wasn’t lodged with the relevant authorities in time for Charlie to name Caron in his squad for the remainder of the season!! Despite this McGhee still feels that this will be a sale he looks back on as a bargain over time. (Have no idea what happened here, deal was concluded on deadline day but couldn’t add him to the squad… FML)


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In the lead up to their 2nd game of February McGhee got some bad news when Hassen injured himself in training. Young backup Mustafa Sylla will be given the chance whilst Hassen is out but he hasn’t really covered himself in glory in any of the time he’s been given so far this season – thankfully Hassen isn’t out too long.

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Up next Nice took on Zinedene Zidane and his Stade Brestois side. With things locked up at 1 all just after the break McGhee took the opportunity to replace Adryan with Human Tariq after Adryan had been quite ineffectual in the AMC spot. The change worked to great effect as the diminutive Iraqi seized his chance with both hands, scoring a brace and firing Nice to victory. Adryan has been performing below expectations for a number of weeks now so Charlie has resolved to give Tariq the starting spot for the next few games at least. Unfortunately in this match Modeste turned an ankle and this will see him miss almost a month at a crucial point in the season – with And one still out youngsters Blanchet and Diallo will be asked to lead the line and hold Nice’s European dreams together – and with Modeste’s goal meaning he has now broken the all time Nice record for goals in a season (with a full 3 months to go no less) this will be no easy feat.

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Up next Nice hosted SC Bastia. With his backup strikers playing Nice struggled to finish a number of gilt-edged chances and it was left to Adryan, who was brought on for Diallo as a Deep Lying Forward towards the end of the match to seal the victory – a good way to respond to being benched.


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Blanchet and Diallo turned things around in the next match though as both got on the scoresheet at the Stade Velodrome in the derby against local rivals Marseille. When Yohan Cabaye picked up a straight red just on half time things looks to be going all Nice’s way. Unfortunately the dismissal only seemed to serve to spur Marseille on and Nice had no answers for Wilfried Bony’s power and pace as he willed Marseille to a draw.


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Charlie then got word of this season youth intake. Whilst this year there doesn’t appear to be any stars in the making there is one or two players who could turn out to be decent professionals at the Ligue 1 level.


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The final match of the shortest month of the year saw Nice play Lille. Albert Refetraniaina, who will probably be the player who’s playing time is most affected by the arrival of Yoan Caron, did nothing to endear himself to Charlie here picking up 2 yellows in a minute right before the break. Despite this setback Nice never gave up and completely dominated still, with the winner coming off the boot of Alper Potuk. The Turkish international is earning rave reviews for his current performances and is valued at around 16 million pounds. Should a bid come in for him this offseason it will prove very difficult to turn down – particularly with a number of Nice youngsters performing very well out on loan this season.


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Another very good month then for McGhee’s men. Still nominally sitting second there’ll be really no excuse if they fail to finish in the top 4 from here.


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You are having a fantastic season so far mate! Will be awesome to be playing European football next season (barring a catastrophic disaster).

Shame you couldn't register Caron, he looks a beast at just 19! Hopefully it wont impact your season.
 
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