The Diplomats - a French Journey

[leckuno]

Club Information


Year Founded: 1905

Stadium: Stade Abbé-Deschamps

Capacity: 18,541

Rivals: Dijon FCO (Bourguignon Derby), Troyes AC and Stade Auxerrois

Training Facilities: Excellent

Youth Facilities: Excellent

Media Predication: 8th

So why have I picked A.J Auxerre

First of all I wanted a good challenge and this will be as we look to first get Auxerre back to where they belong in the European spots in Ligue 1. After that we will then start the task of building a team that is able to compete with the money house that is PSG which is going to be a huge task and I think it might be easier to win the Champions League that winning Ligue 1 against them, Monaco and Lyon, never mind the rest of them.

I've always had a soft spot for the team as I use to go them back in the Champ Man days and why wouldn't you. The team has produced the likes of Eric Cantona, Phillipe Mexes, Bacary Sanga, Bruno Martini, Abou Diaby and Djibril Cisse. If we can produce anybody half as good as Cantona then I'll be happy.

I also have ambitions of matching Guy Roux who was in charge at the club for 40 years and was the reason that the club have the youth academy that it does. The man is truly a club legend and I can only hope to do half as well as him​

 

[leckuno]

The Squad

We actually have a pretty strong squad for this level with where we're expected to finish but it is more aimed at playing with defensive midfielders which I'm not looking to do so there will be changes.

Transfers Out

We bring in a total of £900,000 through player sales and freed up a good chunk of wages as well. We receive 100% of the transfer fees as well and will be looking to redistribute some of the transfer budget to wages as well to help Strengthen the first team. Everybody that left was going to be a bit part player or just wasn't going to suit my formation at all so I didn't see the point on keeping them.

Transfers In

First through the door was Andrea Bertolacci on a free transfer and will go straight into the midfield to run the game. He brings with him a wealth of experience from Serie A and the international stage.

Next in was Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa again on a free transfer. The central defender will again walk straight into the first team and will help mentor younger players with his experience from Ligue 1, Serie A and the Premier League.

Next is another midfielder in Nuno Valente who is an extremely versatile player who can play in 3 different positions and has experience playing in the Liga Nos. He will again go into the starting XI in midfield.

The final season was once one of the hottest young players in football and he has been on the books at Barcelona, AC Milan and Hamburg. I had to sign him for nostalgia reasons along with what he can bring to the team. Alen Halilovic is still only 24 and will be a key player for us over the next couple of seasons and its a great free transfer.

Tactic

I'm going to go with a 4-2-3-1 now that I've got the players who will let me play a more attacking and possession based game which will hopefully bring the fans in as it will be attractive football.

Friendlies

It was a pretty solid pre-season and we even got a win over a Ligue 1 team as well. Its something we'll look to build on over the season as well but the squad is coming together nicely for the start of the season.

Club Vision

The board have set out their vision for me and they expect us to get promoted over the next 2 seasons so hopefully we can stick to that.

Expectations

So we are expected to reach the playoffs this season and it will certainly be possible now with our new signings. The media predict us to finish 8th so the playoffs will step above that as we need to finish between 3rd and 5th for that. We are also expected to reach the 10th round of the cup as well. Hopefully we can get a cup run as who doesn't love a cup run

Lets Get this Season Started

​

 

[Skywalk3r83]

Good luck! Read your Groningen save today and loved it. Going to follow this story.

One question: do you add player instructions with your tactic? And do you use OI?

 

[leckuno]

The Beginning

A.J Auxerre v Sochaux-Montbeliard

What a start for 2 of our new boys as they get debut goals to show how important their going to be for the season ahead and how much of a difference they make.

AS Nancy v A.J Auxerre

Halilovic makes his debut here after missing the first game and run the game from start to finish and caps it all off with a goal and an assist. Some players you just don't lose it and he's been unlucky after making such a big move at a young age.

A.J Auxerre v Rodez

A third solid win in a row with the only disappointment being that none of the new signings got on the score sheet as we're 3 from 3.

SM Caen v A.J Auxerre

One of the tougher games we'd face this season as Caen are still a good team but we're just too much for them as Halilovic puts in another man of the match performance.

A.J Auxerre v Le Havre AC

We pushed Halilovic to the RW in this game and Sakhi came in just behind the striker and fitted straight in and got a lovely brace. It was a nervy final half hour though as Le Harve pushed for the equalizer

League

A perfect start to the campaign but we are one of 3 teams to have won the opening 5 games and I'm sure its going to be close for the top 5 come the end of the season.

October

This should hopefully be a nice easy month for us as we look to keep up our run in the league​

 

[leckuno]

Good luck! Read your Groningen save today and loved it. Going to follow this story.

One question: do you add player instructions with your tactic? And do you use OI?

Thanks for the support and glad you liked the Groningen save.

I don't use any player instructions. I just set the team up to perform well with the out of the box tacitc

 

[Skywalk3r83]

Thanks for the support and glad you liked the Groningen save.

I don't use any player instructions. I just set the team up to perform well with the out of the box tacitc

Thanks for the reply. I’m going to use one of them too. What about training? Assistant or do you set it up yourself?

 

[leckuno]

Thanks for the reply. I’m going to use one of them too. What about training? Assistant or do you set it up yourself?

Been quite lazy and left it to my assistant but might take a look at doing it myself later on in the save

 

[leckuno]

October

Transfers In

Well with the transfer window slamming shut we rushed into the market to sign two players on deadline day.

The first is another player who like Halilovic was once a sought after wonderkid years ago as we sign John Guidetti from Alaves for a bargain £375,000. The seasoned striker will become our starting striker as he brings a wealth of experience from playing in England, Scotland, Holland, Spain, Germany and of course his time playing for Sweden as well.

Our final transfer was a loan from PSG as we signed Thimothee Pembele to bring some youth into our defence and hopefully he gets some game time.

Grenoble Foot 38 v A.J. Auxerre

This was a hard fought game and was tougher than it should of been. The result probably flattered us and we should of lost.

A.J. Auxerre v FC Chambly-Thelle

We love a player scoring on his debut and John Guidetti kept that record going as we bounce back with a win.

Paris FC v A.J. Auxerre

Your right that is Hugo Lloris's brother that's scored the first goal for us today. Its the first time I've heard of him having a brother who players football as well.

A.J. Auxerre v Valenciennes FC

We record our biggest win of the season and we see two of our new signings getting on the scoresheet as well.

LB Chateauroux v A.J. Auxerre

We keep our third clean sheet in a row which shows how well our defence is doing and its the old guard that get the goals as well.

League

Well this wasn't expected but we have a nice 2 point cushion at the top of the table.

November

Its a nice short month which brings with it 2 huge games against two of the teams that were relegated last season.​

 

[leckuno]

November

Transfer News

I was looking to see if there was still anybody available as a free transfer and I came across Yohan Cabaye who will come in and provide an extra bit of cover in the middle of the park. We love the experienced players even if its only for a season and then getting him on the coaching staff.

A.J. Auxerre v Aimens SC

The first of two tough games and we get an excellent win to show what we can do in this league and deserve to be where we are in the league

Toulouse FC v A.J. Auxerre

Well this was always going to be a tough game and we walk away with our first defeat but sadly Toulouse were just the much better team.

A.J. Auxerre v Pau FC

We bounce back straight away with a good win but Pau are a team that shouldn't be getting anywhere near us and they never even managed to get a shot against us.

League

We open up a 5 point lead at the top of the table. We need to start looking towards next season now.

December

We see the cup kick off next month before we finish it with another two tough games against former Ligue 1 competition.

Board Updates

The board has been kind enough to increase our junior coaching and youth recruitment which is something I'm really going to push over the coming seasons

 

[leckuno]

December

Chamois Niortais v A.J. Auxerre

A disappointing result here as we struggled to take our chances after the first goal and it cost us 2 points.

USL Dunkerque v A.J. Auxerre

A much better performance that we can be proud of. Our new signings have certainly been paying off with getting plenty of goals.

Coupe de France 8th Round
US Creteil-Lusitanos v A.J. Auxerre

The joy of the cup and it was much tougher than it should of been for us playing a lower league team but we manage just to sneak through after a very tough game but we progress and thats all that matters.

A.J. Auxerre v Troyes AC

One of the big games of the season and we make light work of Troyes as we run out well deserved winners and edge closer to promotion.

AE Guingamp v A.J. Auxerre

There are a lot of good teams in this division that have been relegated from Ligue 1 over the last few seasons and then haven't been able to get promoted making it a bit more difficult for us but we just continue to swat them aside.

League

We have a nice 9 point lead so surely we must get promoted come the end of the season or else I won't be happy.

January

We're back with the cup before 5 league games and of course the transfer window.

Youth Preview

If correct then we're laughing with a golden generation but as always we'll see what the intake actually brings later.
​

 

[Klippybo]

Always pondered about going with Auxerre. Some astute signings you have made.

As for golden generation - I have had that a few times and it never blows me away in truth.

 

[leckuno]

Always pondered about going with Auxerre. Some astute signings you have made.

As for golden generation - I have had that a few times and it never blows me away in truth.

yeah I've had it a few time as well so will take it again with a pinch of salt but surely one of these days its got to come true

 

[leckuno]

January

Transfers Out

We had a fair few players leave the club this month to help cut down the wage bill and cut the large squad. Gauthier Hein joined Sandhausen for £120,000, Alexandre Coeff and Mickael Le Bihan went to Las Palmas for a combined fee of £250,000. Finally We let go of John Guidetti after just a couple of months as he threw his toys out the pram complaining that the midfield wasn't strong enough so he went to Columbus Crew for £850,000 so we made a decent profit off him.

Transfer In

We arranged pre-contracts with 2 players from Spain who we decided to take up the option of buy now. We welcome Genaro a central midfielder and Fran Gomez a right winger to the club on permanent deals for a total of £70,000.

After selling a couple of strikers we needed to look to the loan market to bring in reinforcements.

First in was Folarin Balogun from Arsenal

Next we also brought in Pietro Pellegri from Chelsea as well for another option to make sure we have plenty

Coupe de France 9th Round
LB Chateauroux v A.J. Auxerre

A much better performance this time in the cup as we continue our run after a strong showing in the 2nd half.

A.J. Auxerre v AC Ajaccio

We got off to a flying start and managed to build on it just over half hour later but then took our foot off the gas in the 2nd half.

Clermont Foot v A.J. Auxerre

A disappointing result here but we did do well to pull it back from 2-0 down at half time to walk away with a point.

Coupe de France 10th Round
A.J. Auxerre v Stade Rennais

What a game. Again at half time we were 2-0 down and I only expected it to get worse in the 2nd half but we get back into the game and hold off through extra time and force the game to penalties where we sadly lost by one but the team can be very proud of themselves to have pushed Rennais all the way.

A.J. Auxerre v AS Nancy

Yet another poor performance where we are only able to walk away with a point.

Rodez AF v A.J. Auxerre

We finally get back to winning ways. We were never really worried by Rodez as we always new we were the better team and always had the goal cushion once we went ahead.

A.J. Auxerre v SM Caen

Another high scoring game that we come out on top from. Its always good going into games knowing that we can outscore anybody.

League

Our lead has now been cut to 7 points but there is still a lot more football to be played.

February

A lot of winnable games this month for us to try and grow our lead at the top of the table.​

 

[leckuno]

February

Le Havre AC v A.J. Auxerre

We start the month off with a good win. Valente has been key for us in the middle of the park since he joined in the summer.

A.J. Auxerre v Grenoble Foot 38

A poor result as we just couldn't take our chances in the game.

FC Chambly-Thelle v A.J. Auxerre

A horrible draw against the team sitting 2nd bottom of the league. We should of done a lot better in this game.

A.J. Auxerre v Paris FC

We bounce back with a big win against Paris FC. If only it was the other Paris team but our time will come to face them.

Valenciennes v A.J. Auxerre

We round off the month with another good win.

League

We've extended our lead at the top of the table to 8 points now but we also have a 15 point lead over 3rd so promotion should be ours. Again Valente gets on the score sheet along with Halilovic

March

Who cares about the games next month as its youth intake month!!!​

 

[leckuno]

March

Youth Intake

The best bit of the whole season and we were promised a golden generation in our youth preview and by god I think they might have delivered as we have a number players who look like might make it one day.

We will look at the top 3 though who look to be 5 star potential

Tresor Makengo

He looks like he could be a decent midfielder but has a lot of work to do on his strength. I'll be retraining him as an AMC. He also has French as a 2nd nationality as well which is good.

Wilfrid Wurtz

Another young midfielder who we will be retraining to get him more use to playing as a CM rather than a DM since it wouldn't fit my tactics.

Fabrice Yoka

A great goalkeeper who isn't too far off a first team level from comparing him to our current goalkeepers. Again he also has French as a second nationality.

A.J. Auxerre v LB Chateauroux

Sitting near the bottom of the table we took advantage of them as Balogun scored an excellent Hat-trick but the stand out moment was getting two goals in the 3 minutes of added time in the first half.

Amiens SC v A.J. Auxerre

We conceded 2 goals in 2 minutes and I thought that was going to be the fightback on as there was still half an hour to play but we managed to get our heads back in the game and hold on for the 3 points.

A.J. Auxerre v Toulouse FC

We get revenge for our only defeat of the season with a big win that means if we win our next game then we are promoted to Ligue 1.

Pau FC v A.J. Auxerre

We are really made to work in this game as who would want it to be easy and its substitute Pellegri who gets the goal that confirms our promotion to Ligue 1. Pellegri will be getting a lot more game time now as Balogun got injured for 3 months in this game.

League

We are gaurteed promotion to ligue 1 now and we just need to keep going to make sure we finish top.

Budgets

Not a bad budget for promotion and trying to stay up but we are going to have to try and find some bargains as there are a good few positions we need to strengthen for next season.

The Run In

7 games and we just need to make sure we do enough to win the title.​

 

[leckuno]

The Run In

As the league is as good as over then I thought I would do just a quick overview of the final 7 games as we finish the season with just the one defeat. We have a run of three disappointing draws but we still ran out big winners in the league and can now start building towards next season.

League

Youth upgrades

The board have agreed to upgrade the youth coaching to take us up to excellent academy coaching

They have also agreed to take us up a level for the youth recruitment as well to help us bring in the next Cantona.

Next Season

Well we are going to have to make big changes at the club for next season as we look to build a team that will be able to avoid relegation. We will need some new defenders, wingers and strikers next season to strengthen the team

​

 

[leckuno]

Season 2

Well the summer has come and we needed to build a team possible of avoiding a relegation dog fight and in all honesty I'm not sure that we've done enough. We've been beaten to a lot of main targets so had to then find other players. Whats annoying is that when we've missed out they have gone to teams that don't play in the top league or gone to a team that they won't get near the starting XI.

So far we have made 7 singings for the first team.

Christopher Rocchia

We bring him in on a free from Marseille, he looks like he can be a reliable backup LB for us if needed and keeps up the French quota.

Adama Diakhaby

Not the best player in the world but again keeps the number of French players in the team up and can provide cover down both wings while still being able to develop as well. It also made sense since he arrives on a free as well

Bradley Dack

A bit of a strange signing as I'd actually forgotten he's take up a non-eu slot in the team but will do for a season or two as he will go into the starting XI as our new AMC. He arrives on yet another free transfer.

Mamadou Doucoure

The first free transfer I'm properly proud of as we managed to beat a number of teams to sign him. At only 23 he looks like he could have a bright future at the club if given the game time to help him reach his potential

Andrea Cistana

The first transfer fee we spent this season as Cistana joins from Brescia for £1,000,000. A solid CB who at 24 has plenty of time on his hands and can play in our defence for years to come.

Dominik Greif

We desperatly needed a new keeper with enough quality for ligue 1 and I'm hoping we've found one as we spent another £1,000,000 to bring Greif in from Slovan Bratislava.

Jese

I've got to admit this was a bit of a panic buy as we needed another striker desperately as we needed competition for Pellegri who we retained on loan from Chelsea and we were really struggling to attract anybody. He once had something in him that saw him Play for Real Madrid and PSG so hopefully we can reignite him and get the best out of him.


Overall though with transfers we could still do with some more players in and will be working towards that but I don't want to have to buy players just because we need to. I want players that will actually improve us in the long term.

Transfer Out

We see 6 players leave for a total of £2,400,000

We brought in some ok fees but they were never going to play for us in Ligue 1 and it meant we got them off the wage bill so they weren't just hanging around for a pay check.


Season Expectations

I really hope we can avoid relegation as it will be a big step in the growth of the club. In the cup we will be in the hands of the draw so fingers crossed.

As you can see we still have plenty of money to spend as well along with some wages after us increasing it from the transfer pot.

August

Nothing like a baptism of fire with us starting our campaign against our biggest rivals. The rest of the games seem ok though with nothing to really to worry about as we have a chance of picking up some points.

​

 

[leckuno]

August

Dijon FCO v A.J. Auxerre

Our first game of the season is the Bourguignon Derby and it looked like Bradly Dack's debut goal was going to give us a massive win but we conceded late on to still get a reasonable point which we/re not disappointed with

EA Guingamp v A.J. Auxerre

Our fellow promoted team and we got off to an unbelievable start thanks to Genaro in the 2nd minute but after that nobody could take their chances and the game was pretty mundane.

A.J. Auxerre v AS Saint-Etienne

A much better game as we were never really troubled throughout the game and its a big win in our books and gives us the belief we might be alright.

Stade Brestois 29 v A.J. Auxerre

We're brought crashing back down to earth with a defeat against a team I really thought we could get something against but it brings a solid month to an end.

Transfers In

We had a very busy deadline day as we panicked/swooped into the transfer and loan market to try and get a team we feel a bit more comfortable with staying up with.

Danny Loader

We needed a bit more depth down the left so we found Danny Loader transfer listed by Porto for £300,000 so snapped him up

Filipe Soares

We sign Soares from Moreirense for £2,700,000. He was transfer listed so we snapped him up to bring him in to add some creativity in the middle of the park.

Slobodan Tedic

Worried by our two strikers I decided to bring Tedic in on loan from Man City and I think I will out him in the starting XI and see how he gets on.

Arthur Zagre

I wanted somebody else in keep the French numbers up so we signed Zagre on loan from Monaco. He's young and with his contract expiring at the end of the season it will hopefully put us in poll position to sign him if he doesn't renew.

League

A steady start to the season which gives us confidence going forward and we just got to hope we don't get a run of defeats

September

Some big games this month so hopefully we don't embarrass ourselves too much​

 

[leckuno]

September

A.J. Auxerre v OGC Nice

What a win. After falling behind early I expected us to lose but 2 late goals get us a huge win. The key player here was Danny Loader getting a debut goal.

FC Nantes v A.J. Auxerre

Brought back down to earth here bit we still played well and we're going to have to expect a few bumps in the road this season and it will be our ability to bounce back that we look to.

A.J. Auxerre v Reims

And bounce back we did as Tedic opens his account in the third game which is actually the first goals scored by a striker for us so far this season.

AS Monaco v A.J. Auxerre

I think its safe to say nobody expected this result as we hammer Monaco. Loader has quickly shown himself as a key player since joining on deadline day. I'm already eyeing up a hefty profit off our £300,000 investment.

League

Lets get the season ended now as we sit in the final European place. We're performing well above expectations so lets see how far we can go.

October

A bit of a horrendous month ahead as we have to face PSG and Lyon away from home.​

 

[leckuno]

October

A.J. Auxerre v RC Lens

We make it 3 runs in a row. Halilovic has been a huge player for us since joining. I never expected him to be so important when signing him on a free but we may cash in on him soon.

PSG v A.J. Auxerre

Even though we lost I'm actually pretty happy to only lose 1-0

A.J. Auxerre v Montpellier HSC

We bounce back with an important win. We are still struggling with goals from our strikers but at least the midfield is scoring.

Lyon v A.J. Auxerre

What an opening 6 minutes. Its a shame the rest of the game was a bit **** but again we didn't lose as badly as I thought.

League

We still sit in 6th spot but we have a couple of teams hot on our heals.

November

Its going to be a tough month with big games against Lille and Marseille

Board Updates

The board has been kind enough to increase our junior coaching and youth recruitment again which can only help us going forward