ChristopheVAFC
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Posts posted by ChristopheVAFC
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Orléans - VAFC: the refreshment room ravaged by fire, the match definitively stopped
A surreal scene unfolded on Friday evening at the Stade de la Source in Orléans, where the refreshment bar caught fire just before the start of the second half of the match between USO and Valenciennes. The stadium had to be evacuated and the match stopped. And it will not be resumed.
Flames began to emerge from the roof of the refreshment room behind one of the goals at the Source stadium in Orléans. Then thick smoke began to fill the stadium, which was eventually evacuated. Orléans and Valenciennes were about to resume the match, which was to be the start of the second half. At the end of the first forty-five minutes, the two teams were level at 1-1, Nick Venema (25th) having replied to Fahid El Khoumisti's early opener from the penalty spot (3rd).
All the stands were evacuated and the match had to be abandoned. It will not resume and there will be no replay this weekend. The French federation must now decide on a new date.
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Match definitively called off for today following a fire in the stadium refreshment room.
No further information, but I'll keep you informed.
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10 minutes ago, Nolan said:
What was the big pause in play at 26 minutes @ChristopheVAFC?
In the 25th minute, a Valenciennes supporter unfortunately fell as he passed on the left-hand side of the stands... Jean Louchet, our goalkeeper, asked the emergency services to intervene, which meant that the match had to be stopped for almost 10 minutes.
The Valenciennes supporter was taken to Orléans hospital for further tests, but the news is that he is fine.
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It's completely crazy what's happening tonight, 40 minutes after Valenciennes' equaliser, a supporter falls on the side of the stand, as in the photo below.
At half-time, in the refreshment room, a chip fire breaks out behind the goals...
It's just incredible what's happening tonight...
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1 hour ago, Convict Colony said:
I read somewhere that sports republic gets its 3 clubs coaching teams together quite regularly so they can share idea's etc so one would assume they would like all clubs playing a similar way across the group and within each teams hierarchy.
If we have 3 clubs playing the same way across all age groups then players can move quickly across clubs without the infamous "learning" phase.
From what I hear, SR centralises the performances of all the players from the three clubs, and the data is analysed and compared internally.
I know that they work hard and do their best to get the three teams into the best possible shape.
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1 hour ago, Convict Colony said:
this has agent involvement written all over it.
He's 18, will play every game and at a club that looks like it is about to start an upwards curve to ligue 1 over the coming years.
Ok I will go back to another thread now I am caught up
There are the interests of the club and SR, and there are also the interests of the player and his agent...
It's always a shame to see conflicts between the two parties, but hey... That's today's football business, you might say...
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1 hour ago, Convict Colony said:
thanks christophe, subscribed to it so i can catch up on the games if i miss them.
We look forward to seeing you! You can watch Valenciennes' last game against Aubagne in full:
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1 hour ago, sfc4prem said:
Surely we should be loaning out a few players to Valenciennes, not just Gotzepe...?
I think there will be loans, probably this winter or next summer.
SR's first year at VAFC laid the foundations for the project, and this year it will already be simpler and more coherent.
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7 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:
On ne voit pas assez clairement son nom, mais le numéro 59 semble indiquer qu'il pourrait être un excellent défenseur central.
They are: Manga Foe Ondoa:
But his situation with us is complicated at the moment...
QuotePress article dated 28 June:
Former Ligue 2 player Manga Foé Ondoa turns down a professional contract with VAFC and quits the first team
It's the story of yet another mess being made in Le Hainaut, where Valenciennes have resumed training after being relegated from Ligue 2 to the national side. Although VAFC were counting on Manga Foé Ondoa, one of the surprise packages of the 2023-2024 season, which has been so complicated in the league, according to Ahmed Kantari in La Voix du Nord, the 18-year-old midfielder has turned down offers to sign a professional contract with his parent club. As a result, the coach has decided not to call him up and to leave him available to the reserve team, as the player born in 2005 still has a one-year trainee contract.
His coach thinks very highly of his midfielder but cannot envisage a player who refuses to make a commitment, clearly wanting to go elsewhere, in his squad for much longer: ‘For many weeks, many months even, we've been asking him to continue with us. He hasn't said yes, so it's because he doesn't want to be with the pros [...]. Maybe playing in the French national team isn't the stuff of dreams for Messi or Ronaldo, but playing there for a full season can be part of a young player's development. It remains to be seen how the situation will evolve, because if a Ligue 2 club (see above) offers Valenciennes a severance package, the Nordic outfit are unlikely to be able to refuse.
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Match day for my team as they travel to Orléans for the first time. The aim is to continue building momentum.
Watch the match on FFFTV and Youtube:
Allez VA! ❤️🤍
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On 17/08/2024 at 10:14, Bad Wolf said:
Great news - Hopefully they can be promoted this season. I like that we have this little network. I know a lot of tradionalists probably aren't that keen but it has it's perks.
I wish us all the best and, why not, a return to Ligue 2. Of course, there's a championship to play for first.
I also love these exchanges with you. Before the takeover, I had never exchanged so much with you, our British neighbours, and I even came to see you, something I probably wouldn't have done without the takeover by Sport Republic.
Timeshare isn't always popular but I think there are some advantages.
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8 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:
Have you kept any players that have surprise you, Christophe?
From my point of view.
Jean Louchet: Very good match
Joachim Kayi Sanda: Reassuring, good match
Jordan Poha: Correct
Bakaye Dibassy (cpl.): Good but can still do better
Lucas Buades: Experience, good match
Remy Boissier: Good player, never gave up
Julien Masson: a level below yesterday, did the best he could
Biany Mpata Lama: interesting
Jovinho Flamarion: decent
Mathias Oyewusi: also correct
Nick Venema: very good and scored a goal-------------------
(Moursou, 76th): no opinion
(Woudenberg, 90th + 2): came on at the end of the match
(Boutoutatou, 76th): disappointing, lost a few hot balls
(Lilepo, 85th): also disappointing
(Antoine, 76th): no opinion
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3 hours ago, chiknsmack said:
My first time watching Valenciennes and early on one player stood out. Of course it was the only one I'd heard of, Kayi Sanda. He handled his individual duties with some obvious class and was telling people what to do like he was running the show, which is impressive for a 17yo.
Poha also stood out (not just for the obvious reason; he defended really well too) and the keeper did well when called upon. I thought Buades and Venema also played well, and if someone teaches Oyewusi how the offside law works he could be alright too.
The left side is a bit of a concern; the defending was average and the better attacking plays - bar the goal - came down the right. They could've done a better job of seeing out the game too, with more focus on ball retention and maybe going to the corner flag in injury time. But you can never be too upset with a win and a clean sheet.
Glad to read that you watched the game. By the way, all the matches and the whole season are available for free on YouTube.
There were some good things and some not-so-good things in this first match of the season, it's the run-in as they say, the time for the players to get their bearings...
Joachim Kayi Sanda is a very intelligent player with a lot of potential, and the club is doing everything it can to convince him to sign his first professional contract, and I think you can see why today.
Jordan Poha has been pretty interesting too, I think. And what can I say about our goalkeeper Jean Louchet, who was voted man of the match yesterday by a long way. He kept us in the game and kept the clean sheet.
All in all, I'm not too disappointed, even if we do need to do more to reassure ourselves in defence and be able to score more up front.
A bit more work, a bit more new blood (recruits), and I think we'll have a good season.
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9 hours ago, Convict Colony said:
Awesome a win and cleansheet 👍
It wasn't easy yesterday, though, and we gave ourselves a bit of a scare, but the main thing is there, and the 3 points will do us good and get the season off to the best possible start, I hope.
Thanks for your message, my friend.
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Back from the stadium just now. A short but precious victory against a tough opponent.
It's been tough right from the start of the league, but I think that's a good thing, as it gives us a chance to get into shape.
It was great to be able to celebrate a league win in the stands, and now we need to keep it up for the next few games.
Go VA!
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The league resumes this evening for VA, who host Aubagne FC (promoted from the 4th division) at the Stade du Hainaut.
All they need is a win to get the season off to a good start.
Watch the match for free on YouTube:
Kick-off 7.30pm French time.
Allez VA! 🔴⚪
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10 minutes ago, kitch said:
That's a top-tier sponsor! Better than what we've been saddled with...
It's true that not everyone can have such a sponsor on their shirt.
TOYOTA has a factory not far from Valenciennes (a few kilometres away), and in the past, between 2004 and 2014, it was our main sponsor.
TOYOTA is one of the main employers in the area.
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26 minutes ago, spyinthesky said:
Christophe,
What sort of attendances are to be expected in the 3rd Division?
Will your home crowds be bigger than most?
What's the latest on Girondins?This year, the club has decided to close the upper part of the stadium, so instead of a total of 25,172 seats, only 9,000 will be open. At the start of the season, I think we'll have around 5,000 people in the stadium, and then, in the event of a good season, the club will be able to modulate the capacity according to need and attendance.
I think we'll be in the top 5.
Estimed for me: Sochaux: 10k / Nancy: 7k / Valenciennes: 5k
Then the other clubs below 3k I think.
As far as Girondins de Bordeaux are concerned, their situation is almost desperate. Yesterday, they went before the commission and were unsuccessful. They have been demoted to the 4th division (National 2).
The directors of the National 1 championship are not taking anyone in Bordeaux's place, so the championship will be played with 17 teams instead of 18 for the time being. But we're not immune to last-minute changes.
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58 minutes ago, FredVaFC59100 said:
Really ? who are the ultimate money makers in both SR and City Group? Which team would SR decide to withdraw if both Saints and VAFC were to participate in the same European competition? What will a very promising VAFC's young player career path be ?
I don't want to be sloppy second, and if the shoe was on the other foot Saints fans would feel the same I believe.
In multi-ownership management, there are always sporting differences between clubs, with Southampton in the Premier League ahead of us, then our friends from Goztepe in the Turkish D1, then Valenciennes.
All multi-club managers are faced with the question of which clubs to choose if 2 teams from SR were to play each other in the European Cup. And it's true that it can't be an easy choice.
Now, I think that every project takes time to become concrete, sometimes 1 year, sometimes 3 years or 5 years maybe...
In reality, I don't think that SR makes any difference between our 3 teams, and I continue to maintain my confidence in the rebuilding of my club.
Everyone has their own point of view on the matter. Personally, I'll believe in it for as long as it takes, and I'm convinced that we'll have better days very soon.
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Press article from my team today, folks, enjoy your reading.
QuoteAhmed Kantari on his return to action: "It's an anomaly that VA are in the National".
After a season that saw them relegated to the National, VA are back in action, kicking off their league campaign on Friday against Aubagne with the aim of returning to Ligue 2 without delay. Ahmed Kantari expects his players to show resilience and humility.
How would you sum up your preparations?
"It's been a long preparation. That's what we wanted, we've worked hard physically. We had some very early arrivals (Papa Camara, Carnéjy Antoine, Rémy Boissier, as early as June) and others later on, so we found ourselves in a bit of no-man's-land between the two, which didn't allow us to work well tactically. In our system, pistons are important and we've had two of them arrive this week (Lucas Buades and Byani Mpata Lama last Wednesday)..."
You mentioned the importance of the pistons. Is your idea for this season to play 3-5-2?
"We ended up like that last season, which was interesting. I think we have the players with the qualities to play with three at the back, we also have strikers who are more comfortable when we play with two up front and number 10s like Flamarion and Aymen (Boutoutaou) who are very interesting between the lines. The idea is always to put the players in the best position to express themselves. We start from a base, but that didn't stop us from playing 4-3-3 at Lokeren (on 3 August), against whom we won 1-0. You have to know how to adapt, it all depends on the players you have available.
The main thing you were missing was a replacement for Allan Linguet, and you've been struggling to find one.
"It's been complicated in that position. We'd made good progress on a number of leads, and we'd even reached an agreement with a player who was due to join us at the start of the summer transfer window, but who ended up not being available. That embarrassed us and we had to start all over again. We fought hard to get Lucas (Buades) because it wasn't easy. We had a good feeling about him and then the club made an effort to find common ground with Rodez. We sensed that the player was keen to join the Valenciennes project. I think the arrival of someone like him, who was starting out as a regular in Ligue 2, is a strong sign. The same goes for Bakaye Dibassy, who has played in Ligue 1, and Rémy Boissier.
What does it show?
"It shows that Valenciennes isn't exactly a club like the others, that it's attractive. It's an anomaly today that this club is in the National. It's up to us to work hard to rectify this anomaly.
"We need a few reinforcements to improve this team. Then, yes, we'll be able to talk about goals.
What will be your objective for the season?"The aim will obviously be to get back up as quickly as possible. Now, it's not enough just to say that. We're going to have sixteen or seventeen opponents (depending on whether Bordeaux play in the National or not) who will also have ambitions. We'll be discovering it for the first time, so there's bound to be a period of adjustment. We're not 100% ready yet, so we can't expect everything to be perfect straight away. There have been quite a few changes. But I'm convinced that with the players we have, we'll be able to have a great season.
Have the directors set you a target?
"No. They just want to win games. Once again, it's obvious that the club wants to get back into Ligue 2. But no one has said to me: 'You'll be back up there in a year's time, whatever happens'. We need a few reinforcements to improve this team. Then, yes, we'll be able to talk about an objective.
What reinforcements are you expecting?
"We don't have much room for manoeuvre with our centre-backs. We currently have four (for three positions) with Joachim (Kayi Sanda), Jordan (Poha), Lucas (Woudenberg) and Bakaye (Dibassy). On the left, we've recruited little Mpata Lama to complement Souleymane Basse, so we're fully occupied. On the right, we also need to support Lucas Buades because one season is a long time (1). And in midfield, we've lost David Kruse (transferred to IFK Göteborg in Sweden).
Where do you stand with Manga Foe Ondoa?
"I really like the player. Now we're embarking on a difficult mission. If someone doesn't want to commit to the club (by signing as a professional), how do you expect him to give 100% on the pitch? There's no such thing. The ball is in his court. The others (players) move on and I have a group balance to find. Today, I'm not even asking myself the question: he's a trainee pro, so he's in the reserves, with the players of his category, of his generation. He's simply not in my mind.
You mentioned the need to make a commitment. What qualities does a league like the National require?
"A lot of resilience.
What does that mean?
"Resilience means being able to endure things, to get back into the fight after difficult moments, to be able to play in contexts that you're not used to. Being somewhere between the pro world and the amateur world... It's not easy for a professional player who's only played in Ligue 2 or Ligue 1 to have that kind of mental stamina. It's a league in which anyone can beat anyone, a league in which you have to be very humble. To have that resilience and humility, you can't take yourself for what you're not and you have to want to be where you are, otherwise you can't be fully invested."
1. Young Tanguy Liénard, who was included in the squad after suffering a knee injury at the start of the preparations, will be out for several weeks.
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VAFC 2024-2025
Departures
Linguet (?), Cuffaut (?), Sabanovic (Angers, rp), Bansé (Standard Liège, BEL, rp), Knockaert (stoppage), Doucouré (Lorient, rp), Jung (OFI Crete, GRE).Arrivals
P. Camara (Jura Dolois), Antoine (Feirense, POR), Boissier (Dunkerque), Dibassy (no club), Buades (Rodez), Mpata Lama (Bordeaux B).Squad
GoalkeepersPapa Camara, Jean Louchet, Calvin Obin.
Defenders
Souleymane Basse, Lucas Buades, Bakaye Dibassy, Joachim Kayi Sanda, Mamadou Kebbeh, Tanguy Liénard, Byani Mpata Lama, Jordan Poha, Lucas Woudenberg.
Midfield
Rémy Boissier, Aymen Boutoutaou, Jules Collet, Ilyès Hamache, Julien Masson, Jean-Éric Moursou.
Forwards
Carnéjy Antoine, Jovinho Flamarion, Kylian Kouakou, Makabi Lilepo, Mathias Oyewusi, Nick Venema.
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Valenciennes will be the team to beat for all the other clubs in the league.
According to the various predictions on the different networks, a lot of people see us at the top of the table.
Our objective is clear: to stay in the 3rd division for as short a time as possible and climb straight back up to Ligue 2.
I wish us as many victories as possible (I wish the same for you, my friends from Southampton and our brothers from Goztepe).
I hope we'll all be celebrating together next summer during the probable pre-season tournament between the 3 clubs
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3 hours ago, FredVaFC59100 said:
ouais, être propriétaire de plusieurs clubs, c'est nul quand vous n'êtes qu'un tremplin vers une équipe EPL au sommet de la pyramide.
D'après ce que j'ai pu lire, l'une des raisons de leur chute de la première à la troisième division en seulement deux ans, était la stratégie de City Group qui les empêchait d'enrôler des joueurs de plus de 21 ans. Ils ont eu beaucoup de chance de remonter en deuxième division le mois dernier, grâce à la relégation forcée de Bordeaux en quatrième division.
SR's management of our 3 clubs is not at all the same as City Group's management...
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Yesterday was the last friendly match before the league resumes next Friday.
We played Troyes, who had initially been relegated to the French National League but were promoted to Ligue 2 instead of Bordeaux. It was a rather interesting game, as we were 2-0 up and came back to 2-2.
Not everything is perfect, but there are positive signs.
Let's get on with the new season!
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Hello folks.
Yesterday, at fan day, the 2nd VAFC shirt designed by Hummel was presented.
It's a classic white shirt with a swan, the emblem of Valenciennes.
What do you think, friends?
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Valenciennes
in The Saints
Posted
It's incredible what happened last night...
In sporting terms, we got off to a very poor start with a penalty conceded in the 3rd minute for an avoidable foul by Julien Masson, then a fairly even match with a slight advantage for Valenciennes who pushed for an equaliser and succeeded thanks to Nick Venema.
The aim before half-time was to hold on for a draw or score a second goal, but in the end that was not to be. And then there was the incident in the refreshment room at half-time, which led to the match being stopped for good.