It’s so sad to see what’s happening to Saint Etienne. I noticed they were beaten 2-0 at home by Rodez AF last night which means they’re bottom of Ligue 2. Has anyone got any idea what’s wrong? Is it significant financial wrong-doings which has lead them to this or is there more to it? Tried Googling but could only find French articles.
But of course. Saint-Etienne are owned by 2 gentlemen who put the club in high esteem but a bit too high for a reasonable businessman. The strategy for the past 20 years is to operate at a loss and make a profit with a big sale (lately, that was the case of Wesley Fofana). However, to do this you need youth talent (and there is) and competition for young uns is scarce (Lyon being properly managed doesn't help) so Saint-Etienne find it difficult to sale and so have to sell their best players hence weakening global squad depth & strength. Money isn't being invested & the fans turned against the owners but stupidly throwing flares onto the pitch when they lost their relegation play-off vs Auxerre at Geoffroy-Guichard. I sincerely doubt Les Verts will be relegated to N1 but you never know. They seem to play like a confident side but defeats are piling up. One to watch.
Cheers for that. Always interests me when you see former big European sides struggling. I remember the carnage of the Auxerre game. That was crazy to watch.
I recently viewed the 6-episode French TV series Les Sauvages (The Savages). It was primarily about politics, the influence of immigrants, and so forth. But one of the big events of the series was the behind-the-scenes politics surrounding the big footie match pitting Paris St Germain at St Etienne. Well, at least the French produced that series before last season’s ignominious relegation.
Yeah, glad you brought that up. I only just finished watching that week’s Ligue 1 highlights today. And sure, PSG played without Messi and Neymar, but their other guns were present. Lens attacked with gusto on those goals. Somehow I still doubt they’ll keep up with Paris, but we can at least say that “Lens are the new Lille” (?)
Not real familiar with the lad you mentioned. But once I get to these highlights I will enjoy Andy Delort coming off the bench to score against his old mates. Always liked to watch Delort. (Guess you could say he’s a Nice Player…ouch…OK I will go sit in the corner now…yeah that’s the ticket… )
Is this true? Paris Saint-Germain will leave the Parc des Princes, their home ground since the club's formation in 1970, after the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, announced the city will not sale the stadium to the club. PSG, who have already invested €85 million ($92.17m) in the last few years to improve the facilities and increase the capacity, are ready to commit another €500m into refurbishment and a bigger extension to allow the club to keep growing and competing with other top European clubs. The two parties had been negotiating a deal for the sale of the Parc des Princes without finding an agreement. Now, she has closed a potential deal. "We have a very clear position. The Parc des Princes is not for sale, and it will not be sold. This is a firm and definitive position. It is an exceptional heritage for Parisians," she told Le Parisien newspaper on Saturday. A PSG spokesperson told ESPN: "It is surprising and disappointing to hear that the mayor of Paris is taking a position which, effectively, will force PSG, our fans and communities away from the Parc des Princes; while also -- quite remarkably -- adding tens of millions of Euros to the taxpayer burden to maintain the structure of the building, which is now 50 years old and in need of renovation." However, Hidalgo, who has been unpopular in the opinion polls since her re-election in 2020, still wants to work with PSG to modernise the stadium. But the club are reluctant to invest large amounts of money on the Parc des Princes if they don't own the stadium. "It is regrettable that the Mayor is now suddenly foreclosing -- definitively -- the sale discussions we've been having for a long time, with the club now sadly forced to advance alternative options for our home, which is not the outcome the Cclub or our fans were hoping for," the club added. PSG to leave Parc des Princes amid mayor row
Hidalgo's an idiot who's political career has seriously nosedived. I don't blame for taking a stance on the ownership of the ground but I think we all know how this is going to end. The city of Paris have bigger fish to fry than fight over the ownership of a ground that is so west that it's basically Boulogne (to all fans, the ground's is in Boulogne but legally it is in the very posh 16th arrondissement of Paris) so I reckon the Qatar will put pressure on someone more powerful and tell Hidalgo to sell. The price, now, this will be interesting. Don't see why QSI couldn't own the facilities tbh. They invested so much and now want bigger matchday revenue (especially regarding the VIPs). If they can add 10k they have my blessing.
@Philip The Frog do you reckon 6th tier club Strasbourg koenigshoffen could pull off an upset this weekend ? Knocked out Clermont Foot in the last round and Angers are on a 9 game losing streak Only asking because they’re 13/1 double chance, 26/1 to win and 15/1 to qualify for the next round
It does look on but I'm a closet Angers fan actually. Reckon they turned a corner after firing Baticle, things were on the up alas they lost to Clermont at home to let doubt creep back in again. My gut feeling is that Angers will treat this seriously and win it. Any win is good for a team that is rock bottom.
It seems that FIGC and Mancini are in touch with Cherki and his family. He happens to have italian citizen and they are trying to understand if he is interested. I don't think so, I think he will go for France if he's as strong as they say (almost nobody know him here), but who knows.
Never saw him play, but even if he’s good it’s difficult to play for France right now, with all the players you have
