1/4 of the Season: 85.7%?

“This season I wanted that 100% start in the Premier League, could we finally, finally get it? Also, we have a SuperCup game against Ulisses. I want the treble.”

Premier League

“No. We couldn’t get 100%. Only 85.7%, which means we only won 6 out of 7. I would have preferred to at least draw against Ulisses but our defence was poor in that game! Anyways, there’s always next season.”

The League Table

(I know I have it after 8 games when it should be 7, therefore there is a spoiler: we won our next game...)



“1st place. Great.”

SuperCup

“We battered them 4-0 on a night to remember, our first step towards the treble! A memorable performance by Viulen Ayvazyan, who just cannot stop scoring!”

Player Of The ¼

Viulen Ayvazyan

Games: 8
Goals: 9
Assists: 0
Avg Rating: 8.01

“This player won’t stop, he is a monster. He is still only 22, but my goodness, this player... he is something that has never happened to Armenia. He has already earned his 3rd cap for Armenia now, I am very happy for him. A true brave heart, who is a man of his word!” -Hamoudi Fayad

2/4 of the Season: Same Sh*t, Different Month

“This quarter, we had the same schedule as the last one. The only difference being: we have an Independence Cup match instead of a SuperCup match.”

Premier League

“We defeat Impuls Dilijan 4-1 for the 2nd time in a row, then we win the next 3 games before losing 4-2 to Shirak in a game full of bad defending. Also, a remarkable 3-0 win against Ulisses in where Ayvazyan got a hat-trick and 2 wins against Gandzasar and Mika to top it all off.”

“A BEAUTIFUL goal by Marcos against Shirak, the only good point in that loss:
(Watch in 1080p HD for better quality)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIlZTZe6Kwo

League Table:


“Still 1st place, on course for the Double and hopefully the treble soon.”



Second Round

“We were drawn against First League Outfit Ararat Yerevan who were relegated last season. An easy game.”



“5-0. Done and Dusted.”

Player of the 2/4

Viulen Ayvazyan

Games: 7
Goals: 8
Assists: 5
Avg Rating: 7.1

“No words to say. Fully deserved.” -Hamoudi Fayad

Mid-Season Update

Club Ranking

“An improvement from last year, very good!”

CoEfficient Ranking

“We went up from 24th to 22nd, and retained our continental places, which is a good thing!”

Competition Ranking

“An improvement in reputation AND ranking, all good news!”

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3/4 of the Season

“We have the Independence Cup Quarter Final and another 7 games in the Premier League, also, we have the Champions League Second Qualifying Round Draw.”

Premier League

“4 wins and 3 draws, i didn’t really care about the draws, as the league table shows this:”



“1st place, and by 11 points, I doubt we will slip up with 7 games left. If we win the next 3 or 4 games, we win the league I think so.”



Quarter Final

“We were drawn against our Youth Team, Pyunik-2. That’s a very easy game, I think I’ll have a day off and leave it to my assistant.”



“Well, that didn’t turn out as good as I thought it would be. It was supposed to be a cricket scoreline, not a scrappy 3-2 win. Nevertheless, a win's a win, so onto the next round.”

Player of the Month

Mamuka Kobakhidze

Games: 6
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Avg Rating: 7.72
Tackles: 14/17 Won
Headers: 27/30 Headers Won

“The first player to win it after Viulen Ayvazyan won it 6 times in a row, Viulen Ayvazyan scored some goals this month but Mamuka has been rock solid at the back, only conceding 7 goals in 8 games.” -Hamoudi Fayad

Champions Second Qualifying Round Draw

“After Differdange of Luxembourg, Bangor City of Wales, and Buducnost of Montenegro won their respective games in the Champions First Qualifying Round, they were drawn along with 31 other teams to complete the Champions Second Qualifying Round Draw.”

“The biggest teams to be drawn in this are: FC Basel (Switzerland), Dinamo (Croatia), BATE (Belarus), Rangers (Scotland), Rosenborg (Norway) and Pyunik Yerevan (Armenia).”

The Draw

“FC Inter Turku (Finland) vs. FK Ekranas (Lithuania)”
”Pyunik Yerevan (Armenia) vs. Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia)”

…

“So we were drawn against Dinamo Tbilisi for the 2nd year in a row, we are favourites again, a great draw for us!”

News Round-Up

“Since it is mid-season in Armenia, we have had the Summer Transfer Window, which is equivalent to the Winter Window in England, Spain, etc.”

“We have signed Igor Kharin, William Garcia, and Christopher Watson all on free transfers, they were mentioned before as we signed them on pre-contracts. Our last acquisition was Olexandr Goncharenko on loan from parent club Zenit St. Petersburg. Also, we activated the buyout fee of 0 to buy Osmar Josue Carcamo. Ivan Yagan left the club to Shirak Gyumri after only playing for 20 minutes for Pyunik, then having a fallout with the manager.”

“Finally, Dinamo Tbilisi’s manager and I have a very strong relationship, and he has enquired about Mamuka Kobakhidze for a fee of around 650,000 Pounds. Will this be the last few months of Kobakhidze’s time at Pyunik?”

Mkhitaryan Speaks About Fayad, Haroyan Secures Barclays Premier League Move

“Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 28, who is the vice-captain of Liverpool - Note: I downloaded the update before he moved to Dortmund, and Liverpool bought him on this save - has spoken out about Pyunik Yerevan Manager Hamoudi Fayad, who seems to have a growing reputation of late.”

“Mkhitaryan previously played for Pyunik in his teenage years, before securing a move to Metalurg Donetsk years later. The full statement from Henrikh was written in a transcript by reporters earlier today:

R - ‘So, Henrikh, is there anything you have to say about the rise of your former club, Pyunik Yerevan?’

HM - ‘Yes, actually I do. He hasn’t been getting a lot of credit recently because Armenian Leagues do not have the best reputation, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t watching closely to his work. Hamoudi Fayad has developed Pyunik into playing the finest football in Armenia, and I back them to do well in Europe and hopefully reach the Group Stages of the Champions League. I was in Armenia a few weeks back, on holiday, and we met and had lunch together. Hamoudi loves it there and he said he will never leave Pyunik, unless under these 2 circumstances: he gets sacked, or he achieves everything with them. Now he told me something, but I will not reveal it until the day it happens to avoid any dramatic changes now. Trust me, Armenia will have BIG changes over the next few years, I promise.’



“In other news, former star Pyunik defender Varazdat Haroyan has secured a move to Barclays Premier League club Hull City for a fee of 2.5 million pounds. The player has moved on to much bigger things now and Fayad said he was very happy for the player. Varazdat Haroyan has also praised the Pyunik Manager because he was the one who gave him the chance to play for a Barclays Premier League club today.”

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“Finally, Europe. We retained our continental places, so we qualified for the Champions Second Qualifying Round. Our best - and Armenia’s best - was reaching the Champions Play-Off Round, where we lost to Scottish Champions Celtic. Will we go one step further, or have the same fate as last season?”



First Leg, Home - 19.7.2017



“A great 3-1 win, they scored an away goal again but that won’t mean anything. We will score at least one there.”

Second Leg, Away - 26.7.2017



“Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, our new signing at the start of the season, who was the Armenian Top Scorer last season, has not scored for us at all. Last week, I talked to him and told him he will not feature in the first team anymore if he doesn’t perform, and he has got 2 goals in the league and 2 today, immediate impact. A 2-2 draw, on to the next round we go. We are drawn against:


Slavia Praha of Czech Republic

“They are considered favourites but I am confident we can get a good scoreline at home and then defend the lead at their place.”

First Leg, Home - 2.8.2017



“Another two goals by Double H (Hovhannes Hovhannisyan ) as we take a 2-1 lead, they got a late away goal, but for some reason I always seem to defend the lead even with an away goal for the opposition.”

Second Leg, Away - 9.8.2017


“A beautiful 3-2 away win with goals from Double H, our star player Ayvazyan, and our wantaway captain Artak Yedigaryan. Now we reach the Play-off Round, I really do hope that we get an easy team, I can’t imagine how much our coEfficient and financial rewards would rise if we reach the UCL Group Stages.”

The Draw

10 teams that are left from the previous rounds are drawn, let us begin:

Steaua (Romania) ... vs. … IA (Iceland)
FC Kobenhavn (Denmark) … vs. … BATE Borisov (Belarus)
Dinamo (Croatia) … vs. … SK Rapid Wien (Austria)
Olympiacos (Greece) … vs. … Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
Basel (Switzerland) … vs. … Pyunik Yerevan (Armenia)

“So we were drawn against Basel. Honestly there is no ‘big team’ here, like Celtic or somebody else, but Basel or Kobenhavn would be the best teams here. We play them away first, an away goal is key for us to win.”



First Leg, Home - 23.8.2017



“We lost 3-1, but we got an away goal. We also dominated possession from time to time, so I think with 14,000 fans at home, we can do it!”

“Although, you will have to wait for the result... stay tuned ”

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Welcoming Basel at the Vazgen Sargsyan, Yerevan

“Arguably, the biggest game ever for Pyunik Yerevan. They have the chance to go to the Group Stages of the Champions League for the first time, their best ever chance to get there. The financial rewards that they will gain, the CoEfficient points that will help Armenia, the reputation that they will gain, as the first club from Armenia in history to reach there. Defeating Swiss Champions Basel would finish off the icing on a beautiful cake. I, Hamoudi Fayad, am the current manager of Pyunik Yerevan. I have put my heart in for every single game at this club. I have developed this club into one of the revelations of the Qualifying Rounds in Europe, reaching the UEL Group Stages a handful of times in the past few seasons, although never progressing, a 3rd place finish being their best. If we don’t win this game, we will go to the UEFA Europa League Group Stages again. I think we can do it, I will focus, I want to do it, and we can do it. Hopefully, we will do it. The biggest game for every single player at this club today, let us take that step. This step can define our future, let’s do it lads!”

19:45 AMT, The Pre-Match Rituals Begin

“Around 15,000 people are here to watch us today, so let us make them proud. Our biggest ever game, come on lads. “yekek’ dardznel P’yunik yerkrpagunery hpart!” (Let us make the Pyunik fans proud!)”

The Line-Up:

Garik Krbashyan
----------------------
Reynaldo Mejia
Gael Andonian
Mamuka Kobakhidze
Hovhannes Hambardzumyan
--------------------------------------
Marcos Pinheiro Pizzelli
Alexey Kharitonov
-------------------------------
Ildar Zainutdinov
Valter Poghosyan
------------------------
Viulen Ayvazyan
Mkrtich ‘Mkrtii’ Nalbandyan

“Remember lads, play the ball through the ground, avoid crossing the ball at all times, they are very good up in the air.”

The Match

“From minute 1, I knew we could do it. I stood, looking at my papers, telling my assistant Artashes to keep getting me info on the team. I wanted this so badly. I really did. I hope my boys can do me proud. A few minutes passed, as I told my boys to look for the pass rather than the cross, H Hambardzumyan took a corner, Gael Andonian looked like he was going to head it but it was cleared out. Bummer... a few seconds passed, I hear a whistle. Was it from the crowd? No, it was a penalty! I jumped up, ecstatic, waiting for Mkrtii to take the penalty. He stepped up, and scored. Clean finish, typical, 1-0 for us. I screamed at the boys to get another one, we needed this. The weather was cold, I was wearing a suit with a jacket, it was dry, but around 18 Degrees Celsius, cold enough for me.”

“As we moved on, around 20 minutes later, I wasn’t focusing, something happened between Ildar and a Basel defender. We were awarded a penalty, “that’s how I like it”, I whispered to myself. We could make this 2-0, and lead on away goals... Come on Mkrtii... YES! 2-0! A legend for us can do this for us single-handedly.”

“5 minutes passed and somehow I was sweating, I took my jacket off, then that second a small deflection led to us conceding. Bullshit, 2-1, they got an away goal. Why does this have to happen. “Come on boys, back to basics. Go for goal!”, I yelled.”

“The First half was over. A 2-1 lead, I assured the boys that they were doing good, and just that they need that goal.”

“The Second Half started, we can do it.”

“We hit the hour mark... what is going on now, the game went from edge-of-your-chair to boring. Come on boys...”

“There are 3 minutes left guys, we need a counter-attack from this free-kick, mark him! No! It’s over. 2-2. They’ve gone through, we haven’t.”

“Game Over, I walk around the pitch, clapping the Pyunik fans, and congratulating Basel’s manager, they deserved it. He’s a really nice chap, Murat Yakin... that name... where did it come up... Ah! Hakan Yakin, the Swiss-Turkish footballer. I remember watching him at the Euro’s in 2008, so inspirational, and now I have met his brother. A final round of applause by the Pyunik fans, as we now travel to Nyon, Switzerland to the UEFA Headquarters, to see our fate in the Europa League Group Stages. We should’ve just stayed in Basel, no need for a flight now.”

UEFA Headquarters, Nyon, Switzerland

“We were in the 4th seed, waiting for our name to come up. Schalke, Tottenham, Liverpool and At.Madrid are the biggest teams to have been drawn already. Now the 4th seeds:

... Group A - Metalist Kharkiv
… Group D - SK Sturm Graz
… Group F - Pyunik Yerevan...

The Group?

Pyunik Yerevan along with... Club Brugge (3rd in the Pro League last season)
St-Etienne (3rd in the Ligue 1 last season)
and... Tottenham, again. (6th in the BPL last season)



“A very tough group. Points from Brugge are the best we can hope for, but there is always luck in the pot.”

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