Une Histoire Francais - Stade Rennais/France

samillyroy

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Bienvenue!

Hi and welcome to my story, which will be set in France and sees me attempt to replicate my feats in previous versions of FM in which I qualified and progressed through the Champions League with Stade Rennais, whilst firmly focusing on making the most of their youth academy too.

On top of that, I will be the coach of the French Under-21s and will hopefully try and work my way in to one day becoming manager of the French national team, with hopefully many of my own youth products in the side!

I'll begin with some transfer news and my first Under-21 side and then hopefully provide monthly or every second month updates.

Allez les Rouges!

View attachment 370569


Record:
SeasonLigue 1Coupe de FranceCoupe de la LigueEurope
110thWINNERSRunners-Upn/a
23rd9th RoundQuarter-FinalEL Quarter-Final


Trophy Cabinet:
View attachment 369758
2013/2014

 
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Looks nice mate, will follow this story as I myself are managing Stade Rennais. It's not easy though. :)
 
haha nice, that's rare! yeah I do them every year because I have a connection with the club and I love using their youth players. have been successful with them in the past so hopefully I can keep that going whilst making a story ;) good luck with yours too, may have to check it out!
 
Pre-Season 2013-2014

So, season 1 of my journey in France starts with a long and difficult pre-season, playing some top European teams and a couple of minnows. During that time, we also brought in a couple of players to boost a small squad, but with no wages available and just 4m to spend, I had to be fairly frugal.
View attachment 370487View attachment 370486
El Ahmadi is not necessarily a starter in the side but with such a shortage of central midfielders in the squad, it was crucial to get in someone cheap to make up the numbers. Farkas is a young, talented full back who will play for the reserves, and hopefully provide back-up for captain Romain Danze.


OppositionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
SV SchwechatFriendly3-0
CostilDanzeKana-Biyik (1)ArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenFeretPitroipaAlessandriniOliveiraToivonen (1), Ntep (1)
Stoke CityFriendly2-0CostilDanzeKana-Biyik (1)ArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenFeretPitroipaAlessandrini (1)Toivonen
Bayer LeverkusenFriendly1-0CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandEmersonMakounKonradsenFeretPitroipa (1)NtepOliveira
SC NapoliFriendly1-3CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BenguePajotMakounPitroipaFeretAlessandrini (1)Toivonen
Pro PatriaFriendly5-0CostilDanzeKana-Biyik (1)ArmandEmersonMakounKonradsenFeretPitroipa (1)NtepToivonen (1)Oliveira (2)
MalagaFriendly2-2CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandEmersonMakounKonradsenEl AhmadiPitroipaAlessandriniOliveiraNtep (1)


Overall, that was a very impressive pre-season which makes me pretty optimistic about the coming season. We have good strikers, some talented young players who should make some real progress and importantly a classy goalkeeper. Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik has proven how important a player he is for us with his goals and his combination with Sylvain Armand. I have also been highly impressed with the pace and quality of our wingers and I'll be looking to utilise them.

- - - - -

View attachment 370481
French Under-21's
Meanwhile, for the national team, we started our European Under-21 Championships with a match against the Republic of Ireland at home. Here's the 23-man squad that I selected for that game:

GK: Areola (PSG), Leon (Auxerre), Diallo (Stade Rennais)
DF: Umtiti (Lyon), Kurzawa (Monaco), Helan (Sheffield Wednesday), Zouma (Chelsea), Rose (Valenciennes), Laporte (Athletic), Yago (Toulouse)
MF: Kondogbia (Monaco), Imbula (Marseille), Ngando (Stade Rennais), Thauvin (Marseille), Ntep (Stade Rennais), Lemine (Marseille), Abdullah (Lorient), Allee (Stade Rennais)
ST: Thievy (Espanyol), Bayeback (PSG), Jean (Troyes), Sanogo (Arsenal), Maupay (Nice)

This is not a bad side, certainly one capable of dealing with the threat of Ireland but we were missing a number of players who would normally be in the squad through injury and suspension. Pogba and Varane were called up to the first team.


European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
France Under-21sView attachment 37046340View attachment 370461Ireland Under-21s
Jean (3, 27, 75)
Laporte (21)

View attachment 370447
I was really looking forward to this game, and I used it to put a few experiments to the test. We started with a 5-3-2 formation and finished with a 4-3-3, and in both situations we looked dangerous albeit in different ways. Corentin Jean started up top with Sanogo and along with Thauvin they created a lethal trio that was cutting the Irish defence apart time and again. It's certainly something I'll look to work on as we progress. A great start to the campaign.

Man of the Match: Corentin Jean (Troyes)
View attachment 370449
This kid is a star in the making, and he reminds me a little of Michael Owen. If we can get the best out of him then this U-21 team can really go far.

 
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August-October

It's been a challenging start to life at Rennes, as we suffered a 5 game streak without a win and generally really struggled to score goals. We finished September 9th in the league though which isn't bad. We just have to start putting a few more wins together now and climb up the table.


OppositionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
Stade ReimsL12:1
CostilDanzeKana-Biyik ArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenFeretPitroipaAlessandriniToivonen (2)
OGC Nice L11:2CostilFarkasKana-Biyik ArmandM'BengueMakounEl AhmadiFeretPitroipaAlessandrini Toivonen (1)
Evian TGL11:2CostilFarkasKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenAlessandriniPitroipa Toivonen (1)Oliveira
LilleL10:2CostilDanzeKana-BiyikM'BengueEmersonMakounEl AhmadiPajotAlessandriniNtepToivonen
LyonL10:2CostilDanzeKana-Biyik M'BengueArmandEmersonMakounPajotFeretOliveiraToivonen
AjaccioL10:0CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounPajotEl AhmadiFeretAlessandriniOliveira
MontpellierL12:1CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounPajotEl AhmadiFeretAlessandriniOliveira (2)
NantesL13:0CostilDanzeKana-Biyik (1)ArmandEmersonMakounPajotKonradsen (1)FeretAlessandriniOliveiraNtep (1)


It's an altogether shaky start, but I'm pleased with the strides we made towards the end of September. During that run of losses, we weren't playing especially badly, we just couldn't finish chances when we came our way and then conceded sloppy goals, a number from set pieces.

My man of the moment is Julien Feret, who has played in a number of different positions in the last few games and has excelled out on the right wing, bringing in 4 assists in the last two games.
View attachment 370321



- - - - - - -


View attachment 370345
French Under-21s

Things are coming along nicely within the French Under-21s. We have a talented group of lads (including arguably three of the best young defenders around in Umtiti, Laporte and Zouma) and we are starting to get some momentum going in the qualifying. I am genuinely looking forward to the European Championships in 2015. My 23 man squad for the latest international break was as follows:

GK: Areola (PSG), Leon (Auxerre), Diallo (Stade Rennais)
DF: Umtiti (Lyon), Digne (PSG), Helan (Sheffield Wednesday), Falette (Brest), Rose (Valenciennes), Laporte (Athletic), Yago (Toulouse)
MF: Kondogbia (Monaco), Imbula (Marseille), Ngando (Stade Rennais), Thauvin (Marseille), Ntep (Stade Rennais), Lemine (Marseille), Abdullah (Lorient), Allee (Stade Rennais)
ST: Thievy (Espanyol), Bayeback (PSG), Jean (Troyes), Sanogo (Arsenal), Benzia (Manchester United


Injury halted call-ups for Zouma and Kurzawa, two potentially key players for us going forward. That said, I still felt we had a strong squad going into the games against Armenia and Japan.


European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
Armenia Under-21sView attachment 37031502View attachment 370314France Under-21s





Thauvin (18)
Sanogo (22)
View attachment 370311
Not too difficult a game as we saw off a plucky Armenian side. It might have been a few more but for their goalkeeper (and some wasteful finishing), but on the whole, considering our injuries, this was another solid display as we looked to solidify our position at the top of the table.

Under-21s International
France Under-21sView attachment 37031401View attachment 370313Japan Under-21s





Digne o.g. (7)

View attachment 370312
We went for a different approach this match, moving to three in the midfield and bringing in a couple of wingers to see what sort of damage we could do. The outcome was a defeat, but it's not really clear how that came about. An early goal put us on the back foot but we quickly took control of the game and dominated, creating chance after chance. We hit the woodwork 4 times and Japan's goalkeeper won man of the match which tells the real story. A lot of players saw game time and overall it was a useful exercise.


 
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Maybe a bit late for this now but I found Rennais playing at their best with a wingerless tactic. It's something with the ME that favors a centered midfield with 2 attacker up front.

Anyways, hope you get it sorted mate. I'm sure you'll start winning some games in the next months :) I'm also curious to see your youth intakes in march, as some of them will be pretty decent and maybe word class talent who knows. Make sure you post a SS :)
 
oh okay, well I sometimes play with the 5-3-2 im using for the France team but it didn't work either for me yet. And for some reason the game started me immediately with some regens, I already have one player who looks like he could be bound for the very top! I'll post in the next update ;)
 
Nice! This would actually make an amazing YouTube Series!!
Keep it up!
 
October - November
View attachment 370065
We go into the final few games before the winter break in a decent 9th position. I had been hoping to push for Europe this campaign but with no money to adjust my squad, I think a top half finish would be a good achievement and we have to try and go as far as we can in the two domestic cups. Here are the results from the last month and a half:

OppositionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
GuingampL12:2
CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueEl Ahmadi (1)PajotKonradsenFeret (1)PitroipaOliveira
ValenciennesL10:0CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounEl AhmadiFeretNtepAlessandriniOliveira
ToulouseL13:0CostilDanze (1)Kana-BiyikBoyeEmersonMakounPajotKonradsenFeretAlessandrini (1)Oliveira (1)
ChateaurouxCdL2:0CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandEmersonMakounPajotEl AhmediFeret (2)NtepToivonen
MarseilleL12:4CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandEmersonMakounPajotKonradsenFeret (1)NtepOliveira (1)
BastiaL13:0CostilDanzeKana-Biyik (1)BoyeM'BengueMakounPajotKonradsenFeret (1)AlessandriniOliveiraNtep (1)

Almost an unbeaten run, had we not collapsed against first placed Marseille. We led 2-1 with half an hour to go but conceded sloppy set piece goals to gift the league leaders the victory. that was the only real scar on an otherwise brilliant month, combining defensive solidity with some real quality on the break. Here's the league table:
View attachment 370071

- - - - - -

View attachment 370059
France U-21's

Our qualification campaign is going well and we welcome Paul Pogba into the side for the next two matches. I am impressed with the shape that we are starting to build and we developed nicely over these two matches:


European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
Andorra Under-21sView attachment 37029703View attachment 370064France Under-21s





Sanogo (71)
Ntep (77)
Eysseric (79)

View attachment 370070
In the end, the minimum that I could of expected. I can't be too happy that it took well over an hour to break the deadlock but that can happen sometimes and after that we scored a few very nice goals - a special mention to our Rennes lad Ntep who got on the scoresheet.



European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
France Under-21sView attachment 37006440View attachment 370296Sweden Under-21s
Benzia (24)
Jean (52, 67)
Eysseric (76)






View attachment 370291
A performance that really cements our credentials. We have such a strong defence and we break with energy and purpose. Having Pogba and Kondogbia in the midfield makes us almost unplayable at this level so if I can keep them going into the tournament then we have a good chance at some success. Eysseric came in instead of Thauvin who was dissapointing against Andorra, and he really impressed, laying up a goal and scoring a great one himself. Also, still no goals conceded in our group.

1. France U-21
2. Republic of Ireland U-21
3. Sweden U-21
4. Armenia U-21
5. Andorra U-21
 
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Loving the U-21's national team. Might give it a try myself but with Italy. Might try and create the classical Italian defence and take the main team job if I can. I bet you're happy though. You get to play Pogba, Kondogbia, Zouma and Digne in the U-21's! :D

Also your formation for France looks interesting and it seems to be getting you some clean sheets. Any chance of getting a little taste of what it looks like in game?
 
thanks! yeah though it would be a nice idea and I really enjoy national team management these days so thought I'd combine the two.. yeah france always have incredibly talented young players so there's lots of expectation on me to get some success!

yeah it's working nicely so far, it's a formation I use often in the lower leagues but I've adapted it for this team. I have the central defender as a ball player, with the other two kind of sweeping around him - they are more athletic and do the more proactive defending. we then have marauding full backs, two sitting midfielders (one playmaker, one ball winner), and then the attacking trio, who kind of interchange and make sure we still have some kind of width. I'm interested to see it develop when we actually reach the tournament proper!
 
November - Winter Break
View attachment 369946
We reach the winter-break just in the top half of Ligue 1, but just. We slowed down towards the end of December as the size of our squad and it's limitations really began to show. I will be looking to address some weak points in the January transfer window, as well as maybe moving a couple of unhappy players on. Here are the results:

OppositionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
BordeauxL12:1
CostilDanzeKana-BiyikBoyeM'BengueMakounEl AhmadiKonradsenFeretPitroipaOliveira (1)Toivonen (1)
MonacoL11:2CostilDanzeKana-BiyikBoyeM'BengueEl AhmadiKonradsenToivonenFeretNtepOliveira
Saint-EtienneL11:0CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandEmersonMakounEl AhmadiKonradsenFeretNtep (1)Oliveira
LorientL11:6CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenEl AhmediFeret Ntep OliveiraToivonen (1)
PSGL11:2CostilBoyeM'BengueArmandFarkasEmersonMakounPajotFeretToivonenOliveira (1)
MontpellierCdL4:3CostilFarkasKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounPajotEl AhmadiFeretNtep (1)OliveiraToivonen (1), Konradsen (1)
SochauxL11:1CostilDanzeKana-BiyikBoyeM'BengueMakounKonradsen (1)El AhmadiFeretPitroipaOliveira


Some really unfortunate results in there, we were unlucky to lose against Monaco who had just 4 shots and won in the 93rd minute, whilst Sochaux also had just one shot in the 1:1 draw at the end of the month. Most dissapointing of course was the laughable 6:1 loss against rivals Lorient. It was an inexplicable display of apalling defending, red cards and injuries that resulted in one of our worst ever defeats. I was pleased we bounced back with a good performance against PSG and victory in the Coupe de la Ligue but we are way off where I want to take this team..

In the next update, I will hopefully be able to post about some new signings because the team is certainly short at the moment. Pitroipa looks close to leaving the club whilst Toivonen is being touted by Southampton. If we can get some decent money in for them then I have some good replacements lined up.
View attachment 369945

- - - - - - - -

View attachment 369954
French Under 21s

We qualified for the Play-Offs of the Under-21s European Qualification with two good victories this month and I am looking forward to next year indeed. We have some top players and a really good system going.

European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
Ireland Under-21sView attachment 36995003View attachment 612141France Under-21s




Rose (38)
Sanogo (78)
Eysseric (89)

View attachment 369953
The fact that Ireland were our closest contenders for top spot says all that needs to be said about the competition in this group. 7-0 over both games, we cruised to victory again here with some wonderful football.


European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
France Under-21sView attachment 36994820View attachment 369952Armenia Under-21s
Falette (16)
Sanogo (45)




Yaya is emerging as a very important player for us with his goals and all round attacking play. He bullied the Armenia defence today and scored his fourth goal under my stewardship and could have had more. I hope he keeps this up and gets some game time at club level too ahead of the tournament.

​Qualified for 2015 European Under-21s Championship Play-Offs
 
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January-February
View attachment 369920
We're into the beginning of February, and we have qualified for the final of the Coupe de la Ligue! A wonderful achievement which shows the quality we do have despite our inconsistency in the league. Seeing off PSG was fantastic but we then had to put on a dogged display to see off the threat of Sochaux. We will now face Nice in the final at the Stade de France. It would be the first major title for Rennes since winning the Coupe de France in 1971.

Off the field, we saw a fair bit of action in the transfer window. First of all, Jonathan Pitroipa moved to Udinese for £5m- a good move when you consider the wages we remove from our roster (£30k), the fact that he had just 1 year to go on his contract and his poor performances this season. Despite that, the fans were dissapointed to see him go.
View attachment 369919
So in order to appease those demanding fans, I made a couple of transfers of my own. Joining us on loan from Olympique Lyon until the end of the season is club icon Jimmy Briand. Jimmy rose through the ranks, winning the Gambardella in 2008 with the youth team and is a welcome addition to our attacking positions.
View attachment 369918
We then made a move for South Korean centre-back Kim Young-Gwon from Guangzhou Evergrande. At just £1.8m this signing was a steal and I'm hopeful he will go on to cement his place in the side. His previous manager Marcello Lippi claims he is possibly the biggest talent in Asia so with that huge recommendation under his belt, I am delighted to welcome him to the club.
View attachment 369917

Looking to the summer, we also made a number of signings. Benoit Costil signed a contract with Lyon after failing to agree terms with us, leaving us needing a new goalkeeper. We moved quickly for the cheap and talented Guillermo Ochoa from Ajaccio, and also signed young Sebastian Bruzzese from Zulte Waregem for back-up. We then exercised the £525k release clause of winger Kasper Kusk. The Danish winger is both footed and can play in a lot of positions and should fill Pitroipa's departure nicely.
View attachment 369916View attachment 369915View attachment 369914

We will be looking to make further purchases, but I am pleased with the movements we are making in building a team for next season. Here are the results from the last month and a bit:

OppositionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
CherbourgFC4:1
CostilDanzeKana-BiyikBoyeM'BengueArmandDoucourePajotFeret (1)AlessandriniOliveira (3)
OGC NiceL11:1CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounPajotKonradsenFeretAlessandriniOliveira (1)
PSGCdL1:0CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenPajotFeretAlessandrini (1)Oliveira
Evian TGL10:2CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandEmersonMakounPajotEl AhmediFeretAlessandriniOliveira
AjaccioFC4:1CostilFarkasKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenFeretBriand (1)AlessandriniOliveira (3)
LilleL11:0CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounPajotEl AhmadiBriandFeretOliveira (1)
LyonL11:2N'DiayeDanzeKana-BiyikArmandEmersonMakounKonradsen (1)FeretBriandAlessandriniOliveira
SochauxCdL2:1N'DiayeDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BenguePajotKonradsenDoucoureFeret (1)Alessandrini (1)Oliveira


Story of our season really - poor league performances and good cup performances. The number of games is clearly taking it's toll, especially with key injuries now to Benoit Costil (2 months), Ntep (who's been out since December) and El Ahmadi (1 month). That said, it's great to have Doucoure back in the side. The 20 year old is one of our best young prospects and hopefully he'll get some decent game time between now and the end of the season so we can see where he is at in his development.

View attachment 369913

 
February-March
View attachment 369832


We're moving along nicely now and I'm hopeful we can at least claim a top half finish. That along with some silverware would be a very successful first season. On top of reaching a Coupe de la Ligue final, we also saw off Lyon in February to make the Quarter-Finals of the French Cup, our objective at the start of the season. So far, everything is going to plan.

Interestingly as well, we got our youth candidates this month. Here are the highlights:
View attachment 369841View attachment 369840View attachment 369839

All three of these players are massive talents, and I have a lot of hope for them. They are of course many years from the first team but with the right time invested in them, we could have some top class players on our hands. Here are the results from this month:

OppositionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
AjaccioL10:0
EpassyDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenPajotBriandAlessandriniOliveira
LyonFC1:0N'DiayeDanzeKana-BiyikYoung GwonEmersonMakounPajotDoucoureFeretNtepToivonen
MontpellierL12:2N'DiayeDanzeKana-BiyikArmand (1)M'BengueMakounPajotKonradsenBriandAlessandrini (1)Oliveira
NantesL12:0N'DiayeDanzeYoung GwonArmand (1)EmersonMakounDoucourePajotFeretAlessandriniOliveira
GuingampL10:3N'DiayeFarkasYoung GwonArmandM'BengueMakounDoucourePajotBriandAlessandriniOliveira
ValenciennesL12:1N'DiayeDanzeKana-BiyikYoung GwonM'BengueMakounKonradsenDoucoureFeretAlessandriniOliveiraToivonen (2)


Not an awful month, barring that dissapointing display against Guingamp. We are certainly making strides in the right direction and I have been delighted by the emergence of young Doucoure, who appears to be a real talent. Young Gwon made his first start this season in February and already looks to be a real talent. Here's the league table:
View attachment 369833


- - - - - - - -
View attachment 369838
French Under-21s

No competitive fixtures for us until next September, but this month we faced Finland's Under-21s in a friendly match. I was able to bring in a few new faces and get a look at emerging talents. Here's my slightly changed squad:

GK: Areola (PSG), Leon (Auxerre), Diallo (Rennes)
DF: Rose (Valenciennes), Yago (Toulouse), Coeff (Granada), Umtiti (Lyon), Zouma (Chelsea), Kurzawa (Monaco), Digne (PSG)
MF: Lemina (Anderlecht), Doucoure (Rennes), Kondogbia (Monaco), Imbula (Marseille), Allee (Rennes), Ngando (Rennes), Mama (Marseille), Thauvin (Marseille), Ntep (Rennes)
ST: Niang (AC Milan), Sanogo (Arsenal), Benzia (Manchester United), Thievy (Espanyol)

Although I am of course the manager, no bias went into this team selection so I am delighted that we were the largest representatives for France at this level. I am hopeful that all of those players selected have a future in Stade Rennais' first team. But, to the game itself.

European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
France Under-21sView attachment 36983751View attachment 369836Finland Under-21s
Sanogo (14)
Mama (54)
Umtiti (59)
Ntep (81)
Niang (90)




Brechtel (61)

View attachment 369835
Special mention to Mama (pictured below). The Marseille product is just 17 years old, has already made his debut for Marseille's first team and is the fastest developing player in the French roster. A fantastic talent and he ran this show after I decided to start him ahead of the more experienced Thauvin. Scored one and set up two before I substituted him, and he is certainly giving me something to think about ahead of our next competitive internationals. That's if Deschamps doesn't take him straight into the first team!
In general though, we played some really nice football and deserved to win that comfortably. Finland scored with their only shot on target but we still haven't conceded a competitive goal!
View attachment 369834
Fousséiny Mama - Marseille
17 years old
 
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March-April
View attachment 369790
A good month and a half has passed and we remain where we are in the table but just one step away from another major final - the Coupe de France. A gritty victory against Toulouse in the semi-final sees us travel to league leaders Saint-Etienne for a place at the Stade de France in May.

Importantly for me, I also signed a new 2 year contract at the club, seeing me through til the end of the 2015/2016 season and hopefully there will be many more contracts to come. Here are the results heading into the home run.

positionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
ToulouseL11:1
N'DiayeDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenPajotFeretAlessandriniToivonenOliveira (1)
MarseilleL10:0N'DiayeDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenPajotFeretAlessandriniOliveira
ToulouseFC2:0CostilDanzeYoung GwonArmandM'BengueMakounPajotDocuoureBriand (1)AlessandriniOliveiraToivonen (1)
BastiaL12:0CostilFarkasYoung GwonKana-BiyikM'BengueMakounPajotKonradsenBriandAlessandrini (1)Toivonen (1)
BordeauxL10:4CostilFarkasKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounKonradsenPajotFeretAlessandriniOliveira
MonacoL12:1CostilAtahKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounPajotDoucoureBriandAlessandriniToivonen (1)Feret (1)
Our inconsistency in the league has been a bug bear all season and we suffered another shock heavy defeat against 6th placed Bordeaux. It was a really poor performance all round and a number of heavy fines were handed out post match and it seemed to wake the players up as we came from behind to beat a dissapointing Monaco side featuring the likes of James Rodriguez and Falcao. Special mention for that match has to go to debutant ***** Atah who at just 17 years old performed brilliantly to shackle Rodriguez.
View attachment 369792
In just 3 games time we travel to the Stade de France for the Coupe de la Ligue final against Nice whilst before that we face St Etienne in the Coupe de France. It's a pivotal moment in the season, and time to see whether this team has the metal required to be a champion.
View attachment 369791



 
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April-End of Season
View attachment 369434
The season is over and in my first campaign as Rennes manager we visited the Stade de France twice, and finishing with our third ever Coupe de France, a first since 1971! Having seen off Saint-Etienne in the semi-final, we demolished Bastia in the final to secure a long-awaited piece of silverware. That also qualifies us for the Europa League next season which is a great thing to be able to offer new signings.
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Champions 2013/2014

On top of that, we finished the season in great form and made it into the top half. We were predicted to finish 9th so to finish still in the top half and claim silverware is not a bad achievement. I should also quickly mention the dissapointing loss in the Coupe de la Ligue. Having made it to the final I expected to be able to at least match Nice but a red card to M'Bengue after half an hour put is in a precarious position and young striker Neal Maupay headed home a corner to see off our threat. That said we weren't really expected to make the final so it was still a good achievement on reflection. Here are the results from the end of the season:

positionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
Saint-EtienneFC1:0
CostilKana BiyikArmandYoung GwonDanzeM'BengueMakounKonradsenFeretToivonen (1)Oliveira
Saint-EtienneL12:2CostilAtahYoung Gwon (1)BoyeEmersonEl AhmadiDoucoureFeret (1)BriandNtepRomero
NiceCdL0:2CostilDanzeKana-BiyikArmandM'BengueMakounPajotKonradsenFeretAlessandriniToivonen
LorientL12:1CostilFarkasYoung GwonKana-BiyikArmandMakounPajotDoucoureFeretAlessandrini (1)Oliveira (1)
PSGL11:0CostilKana-BiyikYoung GwonBoyeDanzeEmersonMakounPajotRomeroSaidNtepFeret (1)
BastiaFC3:0CostilDanzeKana-BiyikYoung GwonArmandMakounPajotFeret (1)BriandAlessandrini (1)Oliveira (1)
SochauxL12:0CostilDanzeKana-BiyikYoung GwonArmandMakounKonradsenFeretBriand (1)AlessandriniOliveira (1)
Stade ReimsL10:2CostilDanzeKana-BiyikYoung GwonArmandMakounDoucoureFeretBriandAlessandriniOliveira


Four wins on the bounce towards the end of the season meant we looked to be pushing maybe even into 8th position but we stumbled in the last game and end up tenth. Meanwhile Marseille were crowned champions for the 10th time. PSG finished a dissapointing third but still qualify for the Champions League whilst surprise package Saint-Etienne take the 2nd spot. They were a tough team to beat all season and were unlucky to miss out on the league - possibly down to that defeat against us back in March!
View attachment 369446
So there it is, a 10th placed finish. I hope to improve on that next campaign and try and push deeper into the top half of the league. Of course that will be difficult with balancing the Europa League so we will have to make sure we strengthen intelligently in the transfer window. Post season review and World Cup preview to follow!

 
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Post-Season Review and World Cup Preview
View attachment 368937
The close of a successful season, and now we look back at what went right and what went wrong this campaign. We also take a look ahead to the World Cup and which of our players will be representing their countries on the biggest stage.

First of all, we did exceptionally well to make two cup finals and not suffer too badly in the league. 10th is a modest finish but it's certainly nothing to be ashamed of. It also gives us something to improve upon next campaign. On top of that, I'm looking for a good showing in Europe and the more games means that maybe we'll see a bit more game time for some of our prospects that have been out on loan (we'll take a closer look at them soon).

My most improved players this season were: Romain Alessandrini, Paul-Georges Ntep, Nelson Oliveira, ***** Atah and Wesley Said. Romain and Nelson put in a lot of good performances this season though at their ages there is still plenty to come. We are currently working on a permanent deal for Nelson though we are also aware of other options should he prove too costly. As for Paul-Georges, ***** and Wesley, these are some of our brightest prospects and their development leaves us with a dilemma as to where we send them in the next campaign.

Here are the winners of the other competitions:

UEFA Champions League Winners 2013/2014: FC Bayern Muenchen (Germany)
Europa League Winners 2013/2014: Sevilla (Spain)
_________

Barclays Premier League Winners 2013/2014: Tottenham Hotspur
Ligue 1 Winners 2013/2014: Olympique de Marseille
1. Bundesliga Winners 2013/2014: FC Bayern Muenchen

A couple of what could be considered shocks in France and England but no surprises as Bayern Munich dominate the European game once more thanks to Pep Guardiola.

On to the world cup in Brazil and we have a grand total of 5 Rennes representatives in their countries 23 man-squads. They are Jean Il Makoun and Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik of Cameroon, Karim El Ahmadi of Morroco, Kim Young Gwon of South Korea and Guillermo Ochoa
of Mexico. We will follow their progress with interest and hopefully they all do their teams proud.

View attachment 368938
Sadly we have no representatives for the French national team which while it is not a surprise, I would like to see that change by the time the next major competition comes around - the EURO 2016 here in France. That is one of our primary objectives for the next two seasons.

Finally, my initial budgets have been set and we have a little bit of cash to spend - though mostly I will have to sell in order to buy which is often the case at Rennes.

Transfer Budget: £6.25m
Wage Surplus: +£20k p/w

That's something I can definitely work with. Here's to next campaign and the build up to the European Under-21 Championships next summer!
 
Summer 2014 - September
View attachment 368471
Much has changed in the last months, with Italy lifting the World Cup and a number of players leaving and joining us. We also finish our qualifying group for the Under-21s with matches against Sweden U21's and Andorra's U21s.

The World Cup was as entertaining as ever, with hosts Brazil knocked out by Germany at the Quarter-Final stage, having knocked Deschamps' France out in the Second Round. The surprise package was clearly Canada who not only defied expectation by qualifying and then making it through the group stages, they then inexplicably beat the holders Spain 4-0, only to lose to semi-finalists Colombia. Sadly, none of our representatives' teams even made it out of the Group Stages.
View attachment 368473

On to transfers now. Having already acquired the services of Ochoa, Kusk and Bruzzese, we made our first mark in the summer window with the £5.75m signing of Portuguese international Nelson Oliveira. Oliveira scored 18 goals in just over 30 appearances last season and it seemed silly to shy away from our purchase option. And on just £20k a week, it looks a good deal. Here are the rest of the transfers:
View attachment 368463
Stade Rennais is a club that relies on transfers for it's money, so therefore we had to work very cleverly in the market. Going out was striker Ola Toivonen (£10m), defensive rock Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik (£7m), Cheik M'Bengue (£3.1m) and Kamil Grosicki (£1.6m). Ola's bid was too good to turn down, especially as he was our second choice, whilst Kana-Biyik had just a year remaining and wanted to move to a bigger club.
So we had to look carefully at our shortlisted players and decide which could provide the best value for money, and also be able to push forward with our ambitious objectives for this season. N'Zonzi is a proven Premier League midfielder and is a steal at just over £1m. Mareque is a brilliant left-back to provide competition for Emerson and Mathias Jorgensen is our replacement for Kana-Biyik. He is talented and at 24 he has already clocked up well over 100 senior appearances across Denmark and Holland. Overall I am pleased with our deals.
Joining the first team from the reserves/U-19's are ***** Atah (17), Abdoulaye Sane (21), Axel Ngando (21) and Wesley Said (19). I'm hoping with more games in Europe to play now, they can get plenty of game time. Here are the results of the last month:

OppositionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
MarseilleFT0:3
DialloDanzeJorgensenYoung GwonMarequeN'ZonziPajotMakounAlessandriniKuskOliveira
OGC NiceL11:2DialloDanzeJorgensenKappelhoffMarequeN'ZonziPajotFeretAlessandriniKuskOliveira (1)
LensL13:0DialloDanzeJorgensenYoung GwonMarequeN'ZonziPajotMakounAlessandrini (2)Kusk (1)Oliveira
Stade ReimsL10:2DialloDanzeJorgensenYoung GwonMarequeMakounPajotFeretAlessandriniKuskOliveira
CaenL13:2DialloDanzeJorgensen (1)Young GwonMarequeN'ZonziPajotMakounAlessandrini (1)KuskOliveira (1)
LyonL10:0N'DiayeDanzeJorgensenKappelhoffMarequeN'ZonziPajotMakounAlessandriniKuskSane


Overall, apart from the Marseille game in the French Trophy, we were brilliant all month. We played some excellent football and dominated some matches but we looked slightly impotent at times in front of goal. Lyon were blown aside (16 shots to 3), but we couldn't find a way past our ex-keeper Benoit Costil. There are good signs for the future if we keep this up. We sit 9th after 5 matches:


- - - - - - -
View attachment 612154
French Under-21s

It's been a while since the group met up but we were determined to end the Qualification campaign in style. Up to this point we had a 100% record and had not conceded a single goal. A couple of injuries depleted the squad slightly but it was still a strong 23:

GK: Areola (PSG), Diallo (Rennes), Samba (Marseille)
DF: Zouma (Chelsea), Umtiti (Lyon), Kurzawa (Monaco), Coeff (Udinese), Falette (Lorient), Rose (Valenciennes), Mendy (Ajaccio)
MF: Thauvin (Marseille), Kondogbia (Monaco), Imbula (Marseille), Ntep (Rennes), Doucoure (Rennes), Allee (Rennes), Ngando (Rennes), Mulumbu (Lorient)
ST: Benzia (Manchester United), Jean (Troyes), Sanogo (Arsenal), Niang (AC Milan), Martial (Monaco)


European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
Sweden Under-21sView attachment 36842801View attachment 368430France Under-21s





Benzia (64)


View attachment 368437
The Swedes were determined to put in a better performance than that which they turned up with in the first match but we still managed to see them off thanks to the impressive Benzia, who came on as a substitute at half-time. A good display.


European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
France Under-21sView attachment 36843050View attachment 368425Andorra Under-21s
Falette (42)
Benzia (45)
Sanogo (46)
Almeida o.g. (64)
Niang (73)






View attachment 368435
We cruised to victory as expected with Monaco striker Martial claiming the man of the match for three brilliant assists. A lot of players are putting their names in the hat for the tournament proper.

So that's it for the qualification round! We finish top of the group with maximum points, 0 goals conceded and 24 goals scored. We are certainly contenders for the tournament in the Czech Republic. The next matches will be the play-off against Scotland U-21s in October.
 
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September - October
View attachment 368110
Our first games in the Europa League this month and also that decisive play-off against Scotland U-21s. On top of that we had to keep our form going in the league and not let our participation in Europe lead to a drop in form. To do that, we needed to use our full squad. Here are the results:

OppositionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
ValenciennesL10:0
OchoaKappelhoffJorgensenArmandMarequeN'ZonziDoucoureMakounAlessandriniKuskOliveira
Austria WienEL2:0OchoaAtahJorgensenArmandMarequeMakounKonradsenNgandoNtepFeretSaid (2)
PSGL11:2OchoaDanzeJorgensenKappelhoffArmandN'ZonziPajotMakounAlessandriniFeretOliveiraNtep (1)
Saint-EtienneL11:0OchoaDanzeJorgensenKappelhoffMarequeMakounPajotNgandoAlessandriniNtepOliveira (1)
LilleL11:1OchoaDanzeJorgensenKappelhoffMarequeN'ZonziPajotNgandoAlessandriniNtepOliveiraSaid (1)
Werder BremenEL2:2OchoaJorgensenKappelhoffArmandDanzeMarequeMakounPajotFeretSaid (1)Oliveira
LorientL12:2OchoaDanzeJorgensenKappelhoffArmandN'ZonziPajotNgando (1)AlessandriniNtepSaid (1)
MarseilleL13:2OchoaDanzeJorgensenYoung GwonMarequeN'ZonziDoucoureNgandoAlessandriniNtep (2)Oliveira (1)

A great month for us really, just the one defeat against the potential champions PSG. Apart from that, we beat last year's second placed team Saint-Etienne, the reigning Champions Marseille and are unbeaten after 2 games in the Europa League. We appear to have a good strength in depth and that bodes well for the future.
My player of the month requires a little mention here because despite asking me formally for a loan move to another club, we kept him here as our third striker and he has paid us back with 4 excellent and important goals. The kid has a real future ahead of him. Ngando also deserves a mention after starting a couple of games and being the main hand in our comeback from 2-0 down against Lorient - setting up one after scoring the first himself.
View attachment 368118
Here is the league table, and we sit 9th still after 11 games. Too many draws that need to be turned into wins but we are going in the right direction.
View attachment 368117

- - - - - - -

France Under-21s
View attachment 368111
The play-offs! Two legs against Scotland were ahead of us. The Scottish have some good young players, especially in midfield with McCabe and Armstrong and Stevie May up front who is a bit of a handful. We weren't expecting much of a barrier on our way to the finals though...
European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Play-Off 1st Leg
France Under-21sView attachment 36811300View attachment 368112Scotland Under-21s






Not sure what went on here as we really struggled to break down the Scottish back-line. They didnt really have a chance going forward with our powerful three centre-backs but we were just clueless going forward. Fortunately we had another game to give them a beating.

European Under-21s Championship Qualification, Group B
Scotland Under-21sView attachment 36811202View attachment 368113France Under-21s





Benzia (110, 114)

Wow. I was getting worried to be honest by the end of that game. No different to the first game even though by the end I had just the three defenders and essentially 7 forwards. Eventually we got the break as Kurzawa swung an excellent ball behind the Scottish backline and Benzia was alive to slam home. He then doubled to send us into the final tournament. The draw will be in December!


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October - November
View attachment 367876
A short month or so of football ends with two international friendlies in preperation for next summer's U-21 Euro Championships in the Czech Republic. We continue our way forward in the league and the Europa League with Rennes and a couple of our players are now stating their claims for that 23 man squad. Here are the results:

OppositionCompScoreGK234567891011Subs
Sporting LisbonEL1:0
OchoaJorgensenKappelhoffYoung GwonDanzeArmand (1)MakounPajotNgandoSaidOliveira
BordeauxL11:0OchoaAtahJorgensenKappelhoffMarequeN'ZonziPajotMakounNtepFeret (1)Oliveira
GuingampL10:2OchoaDanzeJorgensenKappelhoffMarequeMakounPajotNgandoAlessandriniNtepOliveira
Sporting LisbonEL0:1OchoaAtahJorgensenYoung GwonMarequeN'ZonziDoucoureMakounNtepFeretSane
SochauxL12:1OchoaDanzeJorgensenKappelhoffArmandMakounPajotNgandoAlessandrini (2)FeretOliveira

We beat Sporting Lisbon away from home, only to lose in the home leg but we currently sit top of the Group on goal difference. I think we can get wins at home to Bremen and against Wien so hopefully that is still in our hands. In the league we got big wins against Bordeaux and Sochaux (where we came from a goal down), but were unlucky to lose against Guingamp. They bagged two early sucker punches and despite some good attacking play we were thwarted by an in-form goalkeeper. Here's the table:
View attachment 367875
7th is a great position to be in at this stage in the season, especially with our participation in the Europa League taken into account. With Cup matches now to come, we will really be tested. I may look to bring in some class on loan if there is any available during the January transfer window.

- - - - - - - -
View attachment 367880
French Under-21s

We await the draw in December for the Finals, and in preperation for that we have two fixtures against European opposition. Before we turn to those performances, here are the other 7 teams that will be joining us in the Czech Republic for that tournament:

France
View attachment 367898
England
View attachment 367897
Belarus
View attachment 367896
Germany
View attachment 367895
Spain
View attachment 367894
Austria
View attachment 367893
Holland
View attachment 367892
Czech Republic
View attachment 367890

We are certainly one of the favourites for that tournament, but without having played any major teams up until now in qualifying or in friendlies, I was very much looking forward to our fixture against Holland to see where we were really at.

Under-21 International Friendly
France Under-21sView attachment 36787951View attachment 367878Slovakia Under-21s
Niang (19)
Benzia (35)
Doucoure (39)
Maupay (58)
Allee (65)




Kolak (61)
View attachment 367882
A good performance, albeit against second rate opponents. I wanted to see how my 4-3-3 would work if we were trying to force the issue (especially after the dissapointing displays of the 5-3-2 against Scotland), and it worked to absolute perfection. I began with Benzia as our main striker with Niang and Martial playing off him and we cut Slovakia apart time and again. I made a number of changes but another pleasing thing was two of my Rennes players getting on the scoresheet (Allee and Doucoure).

Under-21 International Friendly
Holland Under-21sView attachment 36787712View attachment 367879France Under-21s
Van Steensel (88)



Maupay (66, 78)
Yago s/o (79)
View attachment 367881
The scoreline doesn't really tell the story but I'm delighted that we won. Maupay was excellent in the second half and has really staked his claim for a spot in that 23 man squad but most importantly we controlled this game even after a red card with ten minutes to go. Our centre backs were key again as they broke up attacks and let our creative forward players do the rest. This bodes well for the summer.


 
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