Great stuff mate, amazing how much your determination has risen!!
 
Great stuff mate, amazing how much your determination has risen!!

I was lucky enough to get tutored by Andre Ayew twice (at least I think it was him. It wouldn't show me who was actually my tutor but now he is a favoured personnel). I'm just hoping it will help raise the other stats to a decent level so I can go somewhere and get some games next.
 
I was lucky enough to get tutored by Andre Ayew twice (at least I think it was him. It wouldn't show me who was actually my tutor but now he is a favoured personnel). I'm just hoping it will help raise the other stats to a decent level so I can go somewhere and get some games next.

Ayew would be a great tutor, I would not be upset if he joined Liverpool irl this July
 
Season 6 - End of Season Summary


Well that's it. My time at OM is almost certainly done. In retrospect I should never have re-signed with the club. I was used and abused this season. Rushed into the first team when I had only just started jogging on an ankle I had rolled in training I re-aggravated the injury in my only first team appearance of the season and then suffered injury after injury.
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Its a shame I am going to leave the club in such acrimonious circumstances. In January after explaining, rather rationally I felt, my position to Gourvennec I found myself transfer listed and the contract offer withdrawn. I only ended up playing 16 reserve games thanks to injury and other younger players being preferred over me.
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I leave OM a significantly better player than when I joined. I still feel if I had been utilised correctly by Gourvennec once he took over I would be worthy of a first team spot but now I know I will have to join a club smaller in stature to OM to make a name for myself.
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I haven't been really happy with my agent Fotheringham for a while now. He had really pushed me to re-sign with OM when I was sure if he had done his job properly there would have been other offers made. He's been almost invisible since and as soon as January passed he was my best friend again when he realised I would be signing a new contract. Well I will be, but he wont be seeing a cent of it.
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Since I've been handling negotiations myself I have become aware of interest from 2 clubs. Sochaux and Bastia, both of Ligue 2. I feel I would fit in at either but would prefer a move back to Scotland or England to be honest. In first team new Gourvennec guided the team to another 3rd placed finished and was rewarded with a new contract. If there was any doubt left concerning me rejoining that news made it clear that I would be leaving.
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Year 7 goals;
- Play, anywhere!!!
 
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Year 7 - Early Days Update


In the end it was only French teams that were really showing keen interest in me. To be honest I quite love the country I just would have preferred a move to a league where I could have increased my profile back home in Australia and pushed for inclusion in the national team. At the end of the day I am only 22. I have signed a two year deal so it is now up to me to prove I can play.
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Bastia finished mid table in Ligue 2 last season and they will be hoping to push back up for promotion. In Ligue 2 though only the first 3 teams are automatically promoted, no playoff so we will need to hit the ground running.
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The gaffer Olivier Dall'Oglio has indicated he wants to use me up front. To date I have mostly been used as a left winger or midfielder so I am pleased to be given to opportunity to play striker as I feel it suits my skillset best.
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At the end of the day my decision came down to Bastia, St Etienne and Sochaux. Sochaux is essentially on the boarder of Switzerland. St Etienne is up on the Massif Central and Bastia is on the coast on the island of Corsica. Wasn't a really hard decision for a boy from Oz.
 
Nice transfer, hope you can really develop now and get some good playing time.
 
Year 7 – End of Season Summary


My oh my! What a difference a year can make. Bastia has been the best thing to ever happen to my career. I enjoy the city I enjoy the island and I am enjoying my football. In my first game of the season I scored my first competitive league goal since my Peterhead days!!
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It took me a little while to get up to speed fitness wise. Also early on I was asked to play a lot of left midfield which I did but always felt I would be better up front. Come March Dall’Ogrio started me in a run of games up front and I had the best stretch of my career, picking up the man of the match against Le Poire after scoring a double and receiving the player of the month award when I averaged over a goal a game for the month.
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A poor stretch to start April ended up costing Dall’Oglio his job. Jeremy Morel, from Paris FC, would be the one to take over. He also struggled to get the team playing cohesively and I was again mainly utilised in left midfield. SC Bastia ended up finishing in 13th​ spot. I can help but think if I’d been used as a striker more we would have done much better but I am just happy to be playing again!
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I ended up playing in 31 games this season, the most in a very long time, scoring 7 goals and laying on 4 assists.
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I don’t know if I’ve improved all that much as a player but at my age I don’t think I am going to see any significant improvements. Probably the biggest change I felt stemmed from getting some game time up front and being presented with chances in live games –this has led to me feeling much more composed when I get a chance and I am snatching at them less.
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Lastly. My mother always said good things come to those who wait. Well I’ve had to be plenty patient in my career so far and in late May took a call that only a year ago I couldn’t have even dreamed about. Graham Arnold rang to tell me I was in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Japan and also the friendly against Liechtenstein.
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I ended up being an unused substitute for the Japan game but got my first taste of International action in the Liechtenstein game and even managed to score the opener on 14 minutes! Mum and Dad flew in to Vaduz, the Liechtenstein capital, and were there to see me take my international bow. What! A! Night! Now the challenge is to stay in the side.
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Congrats mate, first goal for Oz! Seem to be coming along nicely. Heres hoping you can keep banging them in for club & country!
 
Congrats mate, first goal for Oz! Seem to be coming along nicely. Heres hoping you can keep banging them in for club & country!

Thanks Mate! Hopefully CJ will be doing likewise for FC Oss soon!
 
Good to see you finally start playing some serious games and getting into the national team is always great :)
 
Good to see you finally start playing some serious games and getting into the national team is always great :)

Thanks mate - Till now I've been trying to distance myself from the story in an emotional sense (mainly because it was actually getting depressing!!) but I was pretty stoked when I saw it. A few fist pumps may or may not have been had.
 
You dropped a league in France and played, while getting a call-up while I dropped a league in Scotland and can't get a game!!

Well done, looking good.
 
Year 8 – End of Season Summary


The highs and lows. Last season I had been playing cracking football under Dall’Ogrio however after a period which wasn’t even that bad he was given the sack and Morel brought in for the final month. In the offseason Morel seemed determined to push me out signing players to compete with me left right and centre. As such, I began the season firmly a bit part player. It was ridiculous though, whenever I played we did well and whenever I didn’t we lost. Oh and thanks for putting pay to any national team ambitions I had this season Morel!! Below par performances?? I was barely getting a game!

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Even better when I went in to see him and tell him exactly what I thought of the situation he decided to sulk and play me even less. We quickly reached an impasse with the new deal.

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Word quickly got out that I wasn’t happy and the fans sided with me.

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Bastia ended up finishing 10th. No offence but I have no idea what the Board at Bastia were thinking. What they saw in Morel I will never know. They got exactly what they deserved when the worm ran for greener pastures at Stade Malherbe Caen and left us in the lurch.

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They appointed Hubert Fournier in his place and his first order of business was to arrive at my door, he didn’t even go to the club offices first, and ask me to reconsider signing elsewhere. I told him my terms and said if he didn’t have it drawn up by the end of the day I was signing with Atromitos of the Greek Superleague. I had a copy back within the hour.

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I only made 19 appearances this season thanks to Morel’s meddling. I made sure the new contract stipulated I be a first team regular. I feel I can contribute a great deal at this level and for the national team provided I am playing regularly.

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Year 9 - End of Season Summary


Really pleased on a personal level with the year I’ve had. I managed to play a significant number of games and came through with key performances and goals down the stretch of Bastia’s relegation dogfight.

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I feel that I’ve improved slightly over the course of the year. I feel that my dribbling ability now stacks up to just about anyone’s except the top echelon of players. I was even asked to start tutoring the young left winger Aurier from our reserves side.

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Also I managed to earn myself another 3 nation team caps (even if they were all from the bench) this season. It would have been even more but for a broken wrist suffered in late November.

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All in all I played 30 games this season and scored 8 goals whilst providing 9 assists. I also picked up 4 man of the match awards. We might have found it tough as a team this season and it ended up costing Fournier his job but on a personal level I thoroughly enjoyed this season. I am enjoying my time in Bastia, it’s a beautiful city too and that helps!

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Season 10 goals,
- Keep doing my thing. This is fun.
 
Year 10 - End of Season Summary


This season was a long one. With the constant gnawing of media speculation concerning my status due to me being one of the higher earners in this time of financial trouble for the club it is a surprise I played well at all this season. But play well I did and was able to contribute to the club’s highest finish since I joined as they ended the season in 8th​.

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I ended up playing 33 games starting them all. I had another good season statistically finishing the season with 8 goals and 3 assists. I wouldn’t have minded getting a few more goals this season as I had my chances playing up front for the majority of the season.

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As the season wore on the club came to me offering a new deal. The problem was that the club is facing quite large financial problems. I wasn’t keen to take a pay cut and the prospect of the club not being in a position to surround me with the talent needed to take this club back to Ligue 1 and as such I have decided not to stay with the club and I will be looking for a new challenge.

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I feel my game is still solid. I have at least 6 to 7 years to play at a good level. As such I need to make sure the next few contracts are good ones financially. My last contract at Bastia was for 6,000 pounds a week which was very good money and has afforded me the opportunity to set myself up pretty well financially as I now own properties in Australia, Scotland, France and England.

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Year 11 goals,
- Find a new club, sign contract, profit.
 
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Looking forward to see which club you sign for. Hopefully a top division club will snap you up and you can start racking up the international appearances!
 
Looking forward to see which club you sign for. Hopefully a top division club will snap you up and you can start racking up the international appearances!

I'm hoping it is someone decent also!!!
 
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