Heineken Red Star FC: Open the Footballing World - Season 3 Midpoint - Ligue 2

Following HRSFC's promotion from the French National into Ligue 2, the board were ecstatic. Not only did we gain automatic promotion, we won the league! This, however, did not cloud manager FM Peels' judgement when looking at expectations for the club rejoining Ligue 2. Being a realist, and wanting to relay that mindset to the team, we set our expectations to a mid-table finish this season, and the board agreed.

Before we jump right into the first half of the season, let's get to the player updates. Moving up a division, we cleared away a small amount of deadwood, but more-so needed aimed to add quality into our first team.

TRANSFERS OUT/IN

OUT

Charley Fomen had been with the club since the appointment of FM Peels, yet had minimally featured. When looking at his attributes, he looked like a project that would in no way pan out. Unfortunately, we were unable to sell him on, but with him leaving on a free, we freed up some much needed wage budget.

Yoel Armougom is a bit of a spoiler in this section. The left-back was brought in to replace the aforementioned Fomen upon his departure, as you will see in the IN section below. Once he was brought in, it was decided that he needed more regular first team footy in order to develop, and we still had other viable options at the club.

IN

Lyes Houri was brought in to fill the void of Coulibaly's loan running out. Having no true Roaming Playmaker, and very few creative central midfielders, FM Peels saw potential in Lyes and made a run for him. Luckily, with his contract winding down and wanting to leave, we got him for a steal of a price, especially for the production we have seen from the young midfielder.

Madou Bamba is a newgen that admittedly, my scouts found for me. Primarily brought in to be a young backup to Sane..Bamba quickly took over the role of our lone striker. Showing his youth when it comes to consistency, Bamba has still been able to stake a claim as our striker for the foreseeable future.

Yoel Armougom, as said above, was brought in to ultimately backup Sy in the left-back department. Only after bringing him in did FM Peels decide to retrain Teuma to be our backup left-back. Because of this, Armougom was sent out on loan in order to grow.

Keaton Parks becomes the first fellow countryman of FM Peels to join his side. The American comes in to add depth to our midfield, as he can play anywhere in the midfield 3. Being 6'4" is also a huge bonus to a rather small side like ours. Midway through the season and we have seen him out for a short-time through injury, the 22 year old is a rotation player that will eventually move into a first team role.

Nassim Mahiddine was signed on a free, to provide a prospect for the future in our midfield. Still yet to make his debut, he has plied his trade with the reserves. Definitely one for the future.

Jason M'bock was a very similar acquisition to Nassim. Available on a free, and being a natural LW IF, he was too good to pass up. Most recently playing for AS Monaco, M'bock looks to be a bright prospect. We were 1 of 98 clubs interested in the player!

FIXTURES

We started the season on fire. And then realized that this would, in no way, be a walk in the park. After 5 straight victories, our luck caught up with us and we were delivered a brutal 2-7-1 record over our next 10.

As a result, we are currently sitting in 14th as we head into 2020. With a goal of 6th-10th, we have a few things to do to right the ship.

Most notable inclusion on this list is Madou Bamba being our leading goalscorer..with only 6 goals. Kokir has not yet found his shooting boots in Ligue 2.

Much like last year, the tactic has seen some changes. Looking ahead, our weaknesses are currently our RW, which we are tryning to grow Camara into, our GK position, and both FB's. Much improvement in those areas will be needed to finish this season, as well as next year.

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