Pre-Season

“Welcome to the Armenia Soccer, where we welcome you with “Pre-Season”. Where all the transfers, friendlies, and other news happen. The Armenian Football does not stop rising in the rankings, this is all with the help of Pyunik Yerevan who have reached the Knockout Round of the Champions League to face Juventus. We will start off with them, our treble winners.

Friendly Matches

“First of all, their friendlies. They were confirmed on their website as follows:

Pre-Season Friendly Announcement:

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Pyunik Yerevan are happy to announce the pre-season schedule for the season:
6/1: Igdir Universitesi Spor
11/1: Shirak Gyumri
15/1: Yerevan United
20/1: Prometey Yerevan
25/1: Igdirspor
3/2: Kilikia Yerevan

“The Results were as follows:”

vs. Igdir Universitesi Spor (H)

5-0
Omoh Ojabu x2
Ildar Zainutdinov
Mkrtii
Edgar Mkrtchyan

vs. Shirak Gyumri (H)

3-1
Gagi
Ghuka
Andrey Pavlov

vs. Yerevan United (H)

5-2
Christopher Watson
Ildar Zainutdinov x3
Omoh Ojabu

vs. Prometey Yerevan (H)

5-0
Ildar Zainutdinov
Artak Voskanyan
Valter Poghosyan
Omoh Ojabu
Mkrtii

vs. Igdirspor (H)

4-2
Gael Andonian
Mkrtii
Viulen Ayvazyan
William Garcia

vs. Kilikia Yerevan (H)

3-0
Mkrtii x3

“6 out of 6 wins, they have been doing very well with Ildar Zainutdinov and Omoh Ojabu shining.”

Transfers

“We have a few reports on Pyunik’s transfer budget before we go into the transfer dealings:

The Yerevan Football Gazette:

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“The board of Pyunik Yerevan have reportedly given Hamoudi a transfer budget of 5 million pounds.”

Armfootbal.com:

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“Hamoudi Fayad has been given 4.5 million pounds to spend by the board of Pyunik Yerevan, according to reports.”

The Armenian Football Post:

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“Reports claim that Pyunik Yerevan have 4.75 million of transfer budget for this season. Wage budget reported to be around 75,000 a week.”

“Anyways, with that money they have spent none until now! Let’s look at their dealings:

Out

13 players Released
Vardan Abrahamyan and Arsen Mkrtchyan to Impuls Dilijan - Loan
Garnik Adloyan to Gandzasar Kapan - 65k
Karen Muradyan to Ararat Yerevan - 12k
Total: 77k

In




“They signed 4 players, who seem to be very good, without spending a dime - barring the loan fees. Uche Ossai was a target for 3 years, and Fayad did very well to snap him up on a free, just after he rejected a new deal from the Wolves. Marin Tomsic joins again on loan, but only for 4 months with a buyout fee of 160k, although there are rumours that his contract is ending and he could be snapped up on a free. Ivan Pavlov was sent on loan to gain experience, while Carlos Lopez joins on a free with lots of potential.”

KASEREKA PLEDGES LOYALTY TO AS VITA, AGENT CLAIMS HE WOULD BE TEMPTED BY PYUNIK OFFER

“Thierry Kasereka, 24, valued at 750k, pledged loyalty to his club AS Vita just this week, but his agent claims that he would be tempted by an offer from Pyunik. AS Vita would accept an offer of around 1 million, but could rise it up to 1.5. It all started when Hamoudi Fayad claimed his interest in a press conference:

‘Thierry is a wonderful player, with Mamuka Kobakhidze on his way out soon, it will definitely make space for him. If, under one circumstance, that Mamuka doesnt leave, then we are still interested and would love him to join our club. He will join Uche Ossai, Omoh Ojabu and Soga Suleiman as our African group at Pyunik. We welcome you with open arms.’

“Thierry Kasereka said that he is loyal to his club, but an offer from Pyunik would tempt him. Will we see a new signing in the next week?”

Injury Table

Ildar Zainutdinov, Hovhannes Hambardzumyan, Viulen Ayvazyan and Alexandr Bazanov are all injured and will miss the start of the season. They will all miss the Juventus game, but only Hovhannes Hambardzumyan is confirmed for the 2nd leg. Will Pyunik suffer from their injuries?”

KASEREKA SEALS MOVE AS PYUNIK START OFF WELL

”Thierry Kasereka has joined Pyunik Yerevan for 1.2 million pounds. He has signed on a 4-year deal, which means he will remain at the club until 2023. He claimed he was delighted to be part of the project along with World-Class Manager Hamoudi Fayad, the players, and the rest of the Pyunik faithful.”



“As we are in 2019, technology has improved and in the above picture, we can see the stats of Thierry Kasereka. Scouts all over the world have been tracking these players, having been sent out by the rapidly-rising foundation of “FMScout”. His stats show the he is a leading star for the Armenian Premier League, is he good enough for Europe though?”

Pyunik Transfer History

“Pyunik Yerevan completed their Transfer History for the first part of the season by only spending 1.2 million and receiving 77k, as it was calculated by the employees here at Sky Sports Europe.”

The Start of the League

“The transfer window ended 4 games into the season, therefore we will give the results.”

Pyunik Yerevan



“Pyunik Yerevan started off with 2 fantastic wins, before losing to 10-man Shirak Gyumri 2-0 at home, in an appalling match overall. Although, their scoring spree continued with the 4-0 drubbing of Alashkert.”

…

…

…


“The League Table after 4 games, with Pyunik and Ulisses tied at 1st place. Pyunik could not follow up on their amazing start to the last season, of 27 undefeated games.”

The SuperCup Final

“Pyunik Yerevan defeated Shirak Gyumri, with the 88th minute substitute of Mkrtii showing great class to put Shirak to the sword at the 94th minute, after scoring in the 105th minute. Another trophy win for Pyunik Yerevan under Hamoudi.”

Continental Tournament Watch

“Pyunik Yerevan were battered 3-0 at home by Juventus, leaving Fayad claiming ‘We need a miracle!’ in a recent press conference before leaving unexpectedly. Can Pyunik do the IMPOSSIBLE? To scores 3 goals at the Juventus Stadium?!”

“Finally, we have rumours around the Vazgen Sargsyan Hanrapetakan Stadium that the Chairman’s list of icons, legends, rivals, and other personnel has been revealed. Is Fayad already being named a legend at Pyunik?”

ARTAK YEDIGARYAN: “I’M LEAVING”

“Captain of on-fire team Pyunik Yerevan, Artak Yedigaryan, 28, has confirmed that he wants to leave the club. Artak Yedigaryan has sparked interest from clubs like Southampton, Montpellier, and Genclebirligi. His contract is up this season, and after multiple complaints, Fayad has finally agreed to let him go. Fayad claimed he didn’t want to let him go on a free, so they both agreed to cash in on him. As of today, the 13th of April 2019, Artak has made 244 league appearances for the club, and 320 appearances in total. He has also earned 52 caps for the Armenian National Team. Here, is his speech in full:

Artak Yedigaryan:

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As many of you know, my contract is up at the end of the season. I have decided that I want to leave after 11 years, whether it is on a free, or a transfer. The Armenian League is growing, along with Pyunik, but Hamoudi said it would be years before we reach the level of the Barclays Premier League, therefore we both agreed to cash in on myself. I will give all my thanks to Pyunik, both the former and current chairman, Hamoudi Fayad, former Manager Rafael Nazaryan, and the players here. You guys made me become the player I am, and now hopefully I will be there in England with Henrik Mkhitaryan, Varazdat Haroyan and Karlen Mkrtchyan. This club has changed so much under the management of Hamoudi Fayad, and he is a great man. We had our fights, but he is a fantastic manager. His loyalty to us has been out of this world. I wish Pyunik very good in the future, and hope to come back as a coach one day.

“Who knows where he will end up, but many clubs are in for the midfielder who is currently in his prime. Find out soon on Sky Sports News on what will happen to the future of Artak Yedigaryan.”

March-April: 2019

(I will be doing updates like this, 2 months every update.)

“We had Champions League, a couple of league games and a 2nd round cup game against Mika-2 this month. We had already lost 3-0 to Juventus in the first leg, could we do our best to make the loss look better than it looks like?”

Premier League

“The first game of March was already played against Alashkert as we demolished them 4-0. Anyways, we defeated Ulisses comfortably with Edgar Mkrtchyan scoring (more on him later) and the only downside was our draw against Banants. Although, we scored 2 goals in the last 10 minutes to make it 2-2 which was great.”

Independence Cup

“We won 5-0, an easy game to the next round with many positives, like Ildar Zainutdinov breaking his goal drought to score 2 goals in three minutes. We are drawn to face:


“Ulisses Yerevan, a big team was bound to be eliminated early.”

Champions League

“Could we cause an upset? Or make the most of our loss at Juventus?”



“A 1-0 loss, which was definitely not bad considering we were away from home. We are eliminated with our heads high, and Armenia being very proud of us. We have made HISTORY, from the 1st qualifying round of the Europa League to the knockout stages of the Champions League, what a debut!”

Player to Watch

Edgar Mkrtchyan

“Only 18 years old, and he is a starter. 8 games and one goal this season, this player is amazing already. The teams of scouts from FMScout have analyzed his stats and by god, he is really good. Determined, fast, agile, and he can cross a ball! He is a future star for Armenia, I promise!”

May-June

“In these 2 months we only had the league and cup to worry about... although, there is a GLITCH, that all my players (Except the ones I JUST bought) have had their values gone down to 2.5k or less, and they all want to leave the club. I have managed to keep all of them, but we have MANY transfers and loans out, in the next update.”

Premier League

“Winning all our games which is exactly what I want to see. Mkrtii is a few goals away from breaking the 89 league goal record of Arsen Avetisyan, a Pyunik legend.”

Independence Cup

“A fantastic 4-1 win, away from home. Christopher Watson, showing his ability by scoring 3 and assisting 1. Omoh Ojabu has started to learn some Armenian, and has already got 4 goals in 2 games. Defence is SUPERB. Positives Everywhere. For the semi-final, we were drawn against:


Gandzasar Kapan

Player to Watch

Ivan Pavlov

“This kid, well, what can I say. We loaned him in, only expecting him to play a few games and nothing more. Although, his contributions have been in fact, at the best of his game. From day 1, he scored 2 goals. He’s been giving it his all, and I would be VERY happy to loan him in again!”

Mid-Season, Transfers, etc

“Mid-Season. Where transfers happen, and where league, club and competition rankings are updated. Well, only in Armenia, and a few other countries in Europe. Let us get started with Pyunik Yerevan’s club rankings, and transfers, and also check out how the Armenian League has progressed.”

League Ranking, Reputation and Prize Money

The 46th best competition in Europe.


Prize money has increased by a fair amount.


The Foundation of FMScout have rated the league as 2.5 stars out of 5.


The CoEfficient has risen to 20th place, remember only 9 years ago they were in 50th.

Club Ranking

The club has been gaining a lot of praise lately, and many teams are currently in for their players. They surge up the rankings again.

Transfers

In

“Pyunik signed Chumak on a loan as the right-back comes in as cover for Hovhannes Hambardzumyan.”


“Another right-back signed, although on a free. Does this pave the way out for Hovhannes Hambardzumyan?”

Outs


“Yes, Hovhannes Hambardzumyan leaves along with Mamuka Kobakhidze and Artak Yedigaryan, Yedigaryan will be able to test himself in Germany, one of the hardest leagues in the world. 5 other players leave on loan, as Fayad sets his eyes on signing a back-up goalkeeper, a midfielder and another attacking midfielder. With Ildar Zainutdinov out on loan, will we see a new striker? Or will Fayad stick to his fantastic American in Christopher Watson?”

July-August, Europe

“These 2 months we had a LOT of games. Premier League, Independence Cup, and Europe. Let us start off with the Premier League, then the Independence Cup, and finally; Europe.”

Premier League

“Winning all our games except for two. I really couldn’t care less about those games, only because...



“WE WON THE LEAGUE AGAIN! 7 TIMES IN A ROW! Now, our players will focus on Europe! Oooh! Also, somebody has broke a record.



“Mkrtii has finally eclipsed the 89-league goal mark, at the age of 30! FMScout analyzed him as a decent player for the Premier League, and his stats show that he would be a crap striker. Although, he is having his best season currently!”

Independence Cup

“An amazing 4-3 extra time win over Gandzasar Kapan which takes us to the Final. We have already won the double, and I would be very happy to win this cup again. The team we face in the Final defeated Pyunik-2 (our youth team) in the semi-finals, could we upstage them again?”


Mika Ashtarak

“We play them in the Final for 2 seasons in a row... hopefully we can clinch the treble for the 3rd season in a row.”



“We were placed in the Champions Second Qualifying Round against:


Zestaponi - Georgia

1st Leg - Home

“A fantastic 3-0 win, with our star regen Edgar Mkrtchyan scoring a hat-trick on his European debut! What a player he is already!”

2nd Leg - Away

“A 2-0 win away from home as we go to the 3rd Qualifying Round to face:


Zeljeznicar - Bosnia and Herzegovina

1st Leg - Home

“Edgar Mkrtchyan scoring 2 goals, in his 2nd European game! Now he has 5 goals in 2 games, this player will not stop! A good 2-1 win, I know we will do better at theirs.”

2nd Leg - Away

“A 5-1 demolishing at their stadium, with Mkrtchyan getting another hat-trick! The 2nd top scorer in the Champions League with 8 goals! We go to the Play-Off Round to face:


Valerenga - Norway

“The score of the game will be in the next update, thanks for reading.”

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Mkrtich “Mkrtii” Nalbandyan Breaks Pyunik Goalscoring Record

“Mkrtich Nalbandyan, 30, has finally broken the league goalscoring record - set by Arsen Avetisyan, a Pyunik Legend - of Pyunik Yerevan. A hat-trick against Impuls means he has scored 90 league goals for Pyunik Yerevan, a feat he has achieved during 7 years. Hamoudi Fayad would not stop praising the player, as he has become one of the icons of Pyunik Yerevan.”

“Fayad started off at Pyunik Yerevan with very little to spend. He relied on free transfers, with Mkrtich becoming only his second signing at Pyunik, coming in 2 days after Eduard Kakosyan, now with Ararat. Mkrtich joined on the 23rd of January, in 2012. He claimed he was ecstatic to join Pyunik and be a part of Hamoudi’s project, after being released by Shirak Gyumri. He made 80 league appearances for Shirak Gyumri, scoring only 30 goals. For a striker, that is a bad record, which gave Shirak every reason to release him. Shirak made a big mistake in releasing him as he scored 26 goals in 32 starts for Pyunik in his debut season, and funnily enough, his debut goal was against Shirak in the first game of the season.”

“Somehow, Mkrtich has never made an appearance for Armenia, although he has been called up once... only to never come off the bench.”

Mkrtich’s Career:

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Mkrtich at Shirak - 80 games, 30 goals
Mkrtich at Pyunik - 131 games, 90 goals

“Fayad had a lot to say about Mkrtich in a press conference this week:
‘Mkrtich Nalbandyan, or as I like to call him, Mkrtii. I signed him at first, thinking he was only going to be a back up player. 26 goals later, I decided that he would be the man to lead us into European Glory. Thankfully, it did work out. He scored 23 goals for us in Europe, that is alot considering he has only played around 3 games in Europe in the past 3 seasons. He is 30 now, and he is past his peak. Although, I will keep him at the club and hopefully turn him into a coach in the future. Arkadi Yepremyan should consider giving him a game for Armenia before Mkrtich retires, as it would finish off an amazing career.’

“Mkrtich also had some thanking words for Fayad:
‘I want to thank Hamoudi Fayad for everything that has happened. 90 league goals in 7 seasons is an amazing achievement for me. I will continue to do my best for Pyunik Yerevan, and I will only ever leave if they want to sell me. This club has grown so much along with the Armenian League and I am very proud of our achievements. I can’t wait to watch Pyunik go further in Europe against the big teams. Viulen Ayvazyan is 30 goals away from me, and he is six years younger than me. Imagine that, at 24 I only had 20 goals, but he has 63 goals already. I wish him the best and hopefully, he will break my record. Thank you.’

September

“This month we only had 2 league games, the Play-Off Round of the Champions League and the Group Stage draw of either the Europa League or Champions League, depending on our results. We also have our youth intake this month.”

Premier League

“I didn’t really care about our league results, as we secured the title easily.”



“We faced Valerenga in the Play-Off Round, we have defeated them 1-0 and 7-2 in 2013, 6 years later, what could happen?”

1st Leg - Home

“A nice 1-0 win at home. How would we do away from home?”

2nd Leg - Away

“We won on penalties, as we lost 1-0. We got through and that is all that matters. Now... for the Group Stage Draw. Will we get a harder, or easier group?”

The Draw

“We were drawn with:

- PSG - The French Champions, we have drawn with them and beat them in last year’s Group Stage. I expect to take at least a point or two off them. They have recently signed a new manager, he goes by the name of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

- Borussia Dortmund - 3rd Place in the Bundesliga, I think this time we won’t get 2nd. There is something about Dortmund, and PSG have improved a lot.

- AS Roma - the ‘team you take points off’. Last year it was Anzhi, this year it’s them. We should at least take 3-4 points off of them to get 3rd and enter the Europa League Knockout Round.

Youth Intake

“Is piss poor the word? Shite? What? I don’t even know what to say. Do my coaches know how to train these bloody youngsters! And also, they brought in someone from my rival town in Lebanon, Ahmad Al Ghamdi! I immediately terminated his contract, he was also pure shite!”

New Staff Signing

"Adding more international experience to our backroom, this man joins:

Habib Beye, Former Player of Aston Villa and OM - Defending Coach

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