Heineken Red Star FC: Open the Footballing World - Season 1 Wrap-Up

END OF SEASON NOTES

First. I need to give it up to Ljung. What a revelation the man has been. Before his signing on 10/24/2017, the team were 5-4-1 in the league, and sitting midtable. Following his appointment, the team quickly rallied around what I can only attribute to our improved training environment. Highlight of the season for sure = ending on a 12 match unbeaten run! While the run was highly rewarding, if I am honest I think we could have performed much better. Of the 12, only 4 were wins. The highlight in those wins were of course that 3 of them were clean sheets.

This first season saw HRSFC take on many different tactics, and tiny changes and iterations of them as well. I think I have finally come across what I want to work towards as the final tactic for this side moving forward. Of course, all this means is that moving forward, the tactic will fold, and we will head back to the drawing board..

The above tactic, cleverly named my IF SS IF, is what I envision as a minimalist 4-1-2-3. The only variances that I am happy to compromise with are the two CB's and their duties, depending on who is playing in any match. If I had one criticism of the tactic, it would be that we did not create enough goals towards the end of the season. With our new signing Kokir coming in and hopefully slotting into the AML IF role, we will hopefully be looking to bring in some more firepower down the middle.

Ideally, I am looking for a player who is comfortable to play in the AMC SS role, and have some targets in mind. As the tactic progresses, as well as the caliber of players available to the club, I can see the AMC SS role perhaps transforming into a Striker as a F9.

After being relegated from Ligue 2 the previous season, we had a tough ask in our first season at the helm. With big name players around the club, the aim was automatic promotion. The problem was: upon inheriting the club, we also inherit the financial turmoil it was currently in. Due to this, star-man Mhirsi had to sold before Christmas in order to balance the books. The sale took its toll on the squad, threatening to even cause strife in the locker room.

Through the ups and downs of the season, the team finished 7th in the league. On paper, this sounds awful. But looking closer, the difference between 3rd and 7th were a total of 5 points. Turn a few of our results around, and we are fighting for promotion in the playoffs.

All-in-all, the season was simply okay. Yes, we are still manager. Yes, we finished below expectations. But, we also got the club to a much more stable position as we aim for longevity.

2018 TEASER

Check back soon for more from HRSFC and Head Coach FM Peels. To follow along with the save more regularly, follow @RattledCrossbar over on Twitter for steady updates!

-FM Peels