Pickard: Club Brugge — Season 2 (July to October)

Hey Guys! A mad and torturous weekend stopped me from posting sooner but, don’t worry my next instalment of my Club Brugge Story is here! (woop woop). I will bring you all the action from the first four months of the season, so lets go…

July

The first match of July would be a very tricky one for us, Genk in the Belgian Super Cup. A lot of you realised that Genk have become the side I just cannot beat in the Belgian League and I was hoping that the chance of winning some more silverware was enough incentive for the team…was it???

NO…yet again the team failed to beat Genk. In a very tight game it was a early second half goal that gave them the victory.

The next match for us was a trip to Finland in the Champions League Qualifiers. I was a tad worried as they’d destroyed Irish side Linfield in the previous round, 7-0 over the two legs. With a full strength side we dominated from the start and raced to a 3 goal lead within the first 23 minutes. Shame we couldn’t add to the 3-0 lead in the second half but I was more than happy with the performance.

We travelled back to Belgium full of confidence for the next match and we had to be…it was Genk, first game of the Pro League. Could we get the win? Could we finally beat Genk? Could we get revenge for the Belgian Cup and Super Cup defeats…

Oh yes! Get in!! a Carl Hoefkens header and a 87th minute winner from Cani gave us our first victory against Genk in more than 5 matches.

August

August started with us playing host to FC Honka, after a sound victory away it was time to rest a few players in light of our next Pro League match…Anderlecht. This didn’t seem to unbalance the team and a goal in either half gave us a 2-0 win, 5-0 on aggregate, which set up a final qualifying match with Anorthosi Famagusta of Cyprus.

With the team rested, we were ready for our next match in the Pro League…Anderlecht. Both sides were pretty much full strength (Jonathan was the only injury for us) for this battle and it was us that drew first blood with goal from Lerato Chabangu 7 minutes in. Anderlecht pressed but we managed to hang on until half-time. With some encouraging words to the team I sent them back out and 35 seconds later Chabangu put us 2-0 up. The mighty Romelu Lukaku made it 2-1 on 62 minutes, making it a very tense final 30 minutes, but with nearly the last kick of the game Katlego Mphela ensured the victory with a near post tap in from a corner…we’d over come Anderlecht yet again.

Our next match was against Westerlo, with one eye on the mid-week Champions League match, I changed a couple of players but, it didn’t cause upset as we raced into a lead after 6 minutes, the goal from Levan Mchedlidze. However, this was definitely a game of two halves. Diogo Rincon (a player who I was offered before he joined Westerlo) decided to show me what I was missing, he hammered in two second half goals, the second in the 89 minute gave Westerlo 3 well deserved points and our first defeat in the League.

We need to bounce back quickly from that defeat and Anorthosi Famagusta was a great match in which to do so…well that’s what I thought…they had other ideas. I underestimated them and I was shock when after 10 minutes they were 2-0 to the good. I was gutted…all our hard work last season looked to worthless as it looked like we were crashing out of the Champions League without even get through the qualifiers. What happened next was amazing, Lerato Chabangu and Erik Lamela scored two before half-time to put us firmly back in the tie…I could live with going back to Belgium with two away goals, but it didn’t stop there, Katlego Mphela scored in the scored half to give us a 3-2 lead. I was quickly brought back to earth as Okkas got his hat-trick and made it 3-3. The match finished 3-3.

After the heroics of the Champions League match we travelled to KV Kortrijk searching for 3 points, we got them but didn’t expect Lerato Chabangu to bag a hat-trick lol. I’m so glad the board didn’t sell him.

The second league of the Champions League qualifier was next up, we were forced to make a few changes due to fatigue and I was slightly worried due to the fact I’d underestimated them a week ago. But Anorthosi didn’t look like scoring and resorted to kicking my players rather then looking for away goals and were reduced to 10 men just after the 30 minute mark. Anorthosi then scored an own goal to give us the match…we’d qualified…I couldn’t see them scoring 2 goals with 10 men and they didn’t. we were given just over 6m for qualifying for the knockouts of the Champions League.

All the excitement of qualifying soon stopped as we were slapped in the face a few day later at the Group Stage Draw…

WOW! Arsenal, Roma and Mallorca…hmmm this could be tough.

The last game of August was against Standard Liege, struggling for form early on, I was keen to keep this going and the team put in a special performance with goals from Lerato Chabangu and an 88th game killer from Dorge Kouemaha.

September

September started with a trip on Lokeren, where we found ourselves 1-0 down at half-time. With some wise words I sent the team back out and Hao Junmin scored within 5 minutes of the restarted and with 2 minutes of normal time left, Lerato Chabangu sealed the win and 3 points.

We then travelled to Mallorca for our first Champions League Group Stage match. Having looked at this very difficult group we could probably just scrap 3rd place and that would send us into the Euro Cup Knockouts but, it was a long shot and 20 minutes into the match that idea faded as we were 2-0 down. Lerato Chabangu gave us a little hope in a match we never looked like winning, he made it 2-1 but that was the final score.

We travelled back to Belgium to play AA Gent, changes needed to be made in a match we needed to be at full strength and it showed as AA Gent won the match in the 90th minute.

Next up was the Brugge Derby, form and team strength go out of the window in these type of match and this certainly happened in this one. Cercle Brugge went in at half-time and I was starting to get annoyed at my teams lacklustre performances, so I gave them a drilling at half-time and it looked to have work as we stormed into a 2-1 lead within 10 minutes of the restart, goals from Thanduyise Khuboni and Maxime Lestienne. But Cercle Brugge had the last laugh and equalised with 5 minutes to go to seal a share of the points. 2-2 the score.

Annoyed with a couple of peoples performances, I had a revamp and gave Erik Lamela (back from injury0 and Danny Koevermans a chance against Zulte Waregem and they took the chance well as they and Hao Junmin scored in an impressive 3-0 win.

Last game of September was the hardest of them all. We were hosts to Arsenal in the Champions League, with all hopes of qualifying for the Euro Cup gone after just one match, I told the lads the pressure was off and sent them out to face probably the toughest side we’ve played against to date. I was stunned when Lerato Chabangu scored to give us the lead on 7 minutes, a lead we held until 30 minutes. With the score 1-1 at the break, I again told the team that the pressure was off but this time it didn’t bring a goal us…2 more to Arsenal in fact and we lost the match 3-1. In all honesty looking back at the stats it could have been a cricket score for Arsenal, so it was a great and valiant effort from the players.

October

We needed to bounce back from the Arsenal defeat and our next league match against Lierse was the prefect match in which to do so. Lierse we’re struggling near the foot of the table and it didn’t take us long to bounce back, two goals from Carl Koefkens and Luciano Nieto just before half-time gave us a nice 2-0 lead going into the break and Hoa Junmin scored minutes after the restart to make it 3-1. Lierse did get a goal back, but 4 minutes from time Lerato Chabangu popped up and make it 4-1. Great performance.

Geminal Beerschot were next up and again we lead 2-0 at the break, Carl Hoefkens and Lerato Chabangu with the goals. Hoa Junmin sealed the game 4 minutes from time with a wonderful free kick and another 3 points.

We then travelled to Italy for our third Champions League Group Stage match against AS Roma. I set the team up defensively expecting a very tough game and tough it was. AS Roma dominated from the word go and I was surprised when we went in at half-time at 0-0. The second half was much the same, chance after chance went begging for the home side and I begin to feel we could get something from the match perhaps? No was the answer, Roma were give a very soft penalty and with it Boldizsar Bodor was given his marching order for a second bookable offence and David Pizzaro converted the penalty to give them the 1-0 win.

Charleroi were next us in the league for us, I wanted a result from this after the Roma match and within 7 minutes we were 2-0 to the good, an own goal and Luciano Nieto thunder bolt gave us a 2-0 scoreline. Charleroi managed to get themselves back in the match and it was 2-1 at half-time. Charleroi drew level on the 61 minute but Nabil Dirar scored 5 minutes later and we held on for the 3 points, 3-2 final score.

It was Belgian Cup action after Charleroi and we had drawn Eupen. We started very well and Dorge Kouemaha scored in the 4th minutes, which we held until the 45+1 minute when Jonathan decided to slice the ball into his own net. We came out all guns blazing in the second half and Eric made it 2-1. We wasted many good chances to add to our talley until the last 3 minutes of normal time saw Maxime Lestienne make it 3-1 and we were through to the 7th Round and tie with STVV awaited us.

Our final match of October and this update was against the team we’d drawn in the Belgian Cup STVV. We were looking for all 3 points…the match kicked off and it was 2-0 before I knew it…but not to us, to STVV. We started to press and press STVV and the score at half-time was 3-2 to us, I could believe what I’d seen in the first half., two goals from Lerato Chabangu and an own goal had put us back in the driving seat. We and Chabangu carried this on in the second half but not before STVV made it 3-3. Chabangu got his 3rd and then Cani made it 5-3. Chabangu wasn’t happy with 3 and he got his 4th goal 3 minutes from time. Final score 6-3.

League Table

So after all those matches I bet your thinking…where are you in the league! Well…

1st…get on! 10 wins from 13, I couldn’t ask for more, brilliant effort from the team. Wait a minute…where we Anderlecht??? 6th…WOW!!! That’s horrible.

So that’s it for this update…sorry it been so long and it is so long, but I wanted to fill you’s in as much as possible. Next post will be sooner that this one and will show you how we got on in the run up to the New Year.

Thanks for reading and comments welcome :)

Martin.