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FIFA 06: The Rise of Amiens SC, Issue 6Jun 11 '07 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Did Amiens SC win the Ligue 1 championship in their first season in the topflight? Read to find out! Note: To find out more about FIFA 06 for the PC, please see http://www.epinions.com/content_267262135940 To fill you, the casual reader, in regarding this series of articles, I am writing this to chronicle my adventures in the outstanding sports computer game, FIFA 06. I am currently playing at the highest level, which has proven to be both exciting and frustrating to me, almost with equal measure. The events recorded here are based on in-game events in Manager Mode, in which I play 15 seasons as a manager of one or many clubs. I manage Amiens SC, which is now in Ligue 2 in the real world, but play in Ligue 1 in the game. In this issue, we find Amiens SC with six games remaining in their first season in Ligue 1 of the French topflight. At the end of Week 32, Amiens were at 77 points, level with Lyon, but in second place because of an almost insurmountable goal difference separation of 18 goals. May 28, 2007 Week 35 Week 35 ended with three straight wins for Amiens, the most memorable of which was the 1-0 defeat of Toulouse, thanks to a Hamed Namouchi free kick. For most of the game, Amiens attacked Toulouse's goal repeatedly, while shutting down Toulouse, limiting them to two shots for the entire match. However, Toulouse were resolute in defense, especially goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez, who stopped 11 on-target shots. Yet, in the 83rd minute, from 25 yards out, Namouchi curled a free kick outside the grasp of Douchez and past his near post. Amiens' players then mobbed Namouchi, releasing a match's worth of frustration. The match ended with the same score: 1-0. After Week 35, Amiens SC players discovered that Lyon had played two more games than Amiens, but had lost one and drew one. With three games remaining, all Amiens had to do was win two of the last three games or win one and draw two to outpace Lyon to the Ligue 1 championship. Week 37 With two wins, Amiens ended Week 37 with a 29-5-3 record, totaling 92 points, four points clear of Lyon with one match to go, thus clinching the Ligue 1 championship with a resounding 3-0 defeat of RC Strasbourg. Tears of joy and relief filled the eyes of Amiens' players, who proceeded to celebrate on the Stade de la Meinau pitch. Security officials promptly stepped onto the pitch to escort the visitors from the pitch lest the home fans retaliate with missiles from the stands. "I am so proud of these players," manager Guus Hiddink said. "To be promoted into Ligue 1 and then to win the Ligue 1 championship is no mean feat. This is their win." As a result of their finish in Ligue 1, Amiens SC clinched a berth in Europe's most premier club competition, the UEFA Champions League. The top three teams of Ligue 1 qualify for the Champions League, but Amiens qualify for the group stage directly after their first-place finish. Week 38 In the last game of the season, Amiens drew 1-1 with Marseille, thanks to an Askhan Dejagah strike. However, Matthew Taylor was sent off after an ill-advised sliding tackle on Ribery shortly after the start of the first half, resulting in frantic defending by Amiens despite the relative insignificance of the game. "That red card was rubbish, wasn't it?" Taylor commented after the match. "Marseille were clipping our players for most of the match, but only getting fouls for their actions." (Game Note: FIFA 06's CPU teams defends with a lot of cynical slide tackling, especially from behind on breakaways on-goal. I have been frustrated many times by such defending, which actually favors the defense because free kicks stop the flow of an attack, unlike in real-life where free kicks can create opportunities.) Official club Awards In review of a great first season in Ligue 1's top flight, several club and fanzine awards where handed out: Amiens SC Players' Player of the Year: Lee Miller With 36 goals in all competitions, including UEFA Cup, League Cup, and French Cup action, Miller played the lion's share of minutes at striker for Amiens SC, first persisting past Popovic's injury, and then adapting to his new strike partner, Ashkan Dejagah. Miller approaches football with a workmanlike demeanor, is the first on the training pitch, and the last off the training pitch. "Lee encourages me to work harder," said captain Hamed Namouchi. "He has shown a lot of improvement over the course of this year and I think that he fits in well in Ligue 1 -- the Scottish Premier League obviously prepared him for it." Amiens SC Supporters' Player of the Year: Robert Pressley Pressley is often referred to as the "everyman" defender -- the player to which the common supporter most readily relates. Pressley plays with relentlessness and perseverance, and never allows a mistake to break his concentration. Pressley is also aggressive moving forward and has been known to throw his body in front of any shot. "It literally hurts to play against Press in training," admitted Ashkan Dejagah. "He pushes me to insanity, and that says much about his marking and fundamentals." Amiens SC Young Player of the Year: Manuel Salgado Salgado displayed great maturity and fight for a 20-year-old in his first year in the French top-flight. Playing at right full-back or right-midfielder in the 4-1-2-1-2 formation, or at right wing-back in the 3-5-2 formation, Salgado showed great versatility, tough tackling, and surging runs during Amiens' successful first season in Ligue 1. His interventions against the elite left-sided midfielders of Ligue 1, particularly Lyon's Malouda, and his dogged determination won over the hearts of many Amiens fans. "I hate him," laughed Tobias Linderoth. "He makes football look like a child's game, he has learned it so quickly. I fear for Europe next season!" Amiens Fanzine Awards Goal of the Season: Namouchi, free kick against Toulouse, Week 35 "Taken from the outside of the 18-yard box, Namouchi stepped up with only seven minutes remaining and bulged the onion bag past the Toulouse keeper's near post. A good goal, indeed, but made much more significant not only because it was the difference in a close game, but also because it kept Amiens close to Lyon with three games to go." - Jacques Leroi, fanzine columnist Best Game of the Season: Week 15 against Lyon, 3-2 "A wonderful, wonderful match! Down two-nil, Amiens showed great character to claw back into the match against Ligue 1's reigning champion. Many Amiens supporters wept after the match, with equal measures of relief, elation, and surprise." - Thierry Boulharouz, senior editor Worst Game of the Season: Week 29 against Monaco, 0-1 "Never have I seen a newly-promoted team be so disappointed and angry as when Amiens left the pitch after losing to Ligue 1 mainstay Monaco, one-nil. That was a sign of both the ambition and self-belief of Amiens. They will build on this loss." - Emmanuelle Primeau, fan contributor Best Forward: Ashkan Dejagah "He came on in mid-season, but his contributions cannot be overestimated. Hertha Berlin made a big mistake letting Dejagah go." - Bill Ball, FottieNet correspondent for Ligue 1 and La Liga Best Midfielder: Tobias Linderoth "He runs and runs and runs and runs. Then, when you collapse, he runs and runs and runs around you. All the while, he juggles a ball with one foot and a chainsaw with the other!" - Anders Svensson, former Swedish international Best Defender: Guy Roche "Roche is going to be a great one. He's already a very good one." - Jean-Pierre Lemieux, fanzine columnist Toughest Tackler: Junichi Inamoto "Sugoi ja ne ka?! Dareka ga Inamoto-san ni taish'te yareba, itami wo keiken suru yo. "Awesome, isn't he?! If someone plays against Inamoto, (that person) experiences pain." - Toshihiko Kaneyama, Japanese correspondent Craftiest Ballhandler: Matthew Taylor "At one time, England lacked quality left-sided midfielders and backs. Now, England has four: Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge, Gareth Barry, and Matthew Taylor." - Bill Ball Trickiest Passer: Hamed Namouchi "Through balls should be made illegal. Namouchi abuses defenses with them." - Jacques Leroi Hardest Shot: Josef Popovic "Once Popovic learns how to accurately place those laser beams, Ligue 1 keepers will lose even more sleep." - Jean-Pierre Lemieux  |
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