ChristopheVAFC

https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1586813/article/2025-05-18/rc-lens-will-still-annonce-son-depart His partner Emma Saunders, a journalist with Sky Sports, was admitted to hospital in March with infectious encephalitis and put into a coma. She was present at Bollaert on Saturday evening. Signed for three seasons last summer, the Belgian-British coach has decided to return home to stay with his partner in England. "I've been in France for four years now and I've had some really intense times. There are a lot of reasons for this choice, but above all this one (editor's note: his wife's state of health). I should point out that I haven't signed anything anywhere yet. There is interest. There always has been.

https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1586465/article/2025-05-16/national-valenciennes-large-vainqueur-aubagne-dans-un-dernier-sursaut-d-orgueil

https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1586043/article/2025-05-15/vafc-le-chantier-est-partout-vincent-hognon-evoque-la-saison-et-son-avenir

Hello friends, I hope you're well! Last game of the season tonight for Valenciennes, who travel to Aubagne (not far from Marseille). Nothing to expect from this match, it's holiday time tonight for the players and the start of work on next season for the club. I'll share with you a press article about the coach, who says he's not sure he'll be on the bench next year... Tonight's match kicks off at 7.30pm French time as usual. The match link: Allez VA !

Valenciennes fans had a number of messages to get across in the stands yesterday: ‘SR: Our club finally deserves to relive great emotions: make the right choices’. ‘In National as in Ligue 2: Football is Saturday’. ‘Gerkens: It's time to get rid of some incompetents’. ‘SR: Don't spoil the good administrative work with bad sporting choices’. ‘Chorley: Game Over ‘Chorley: The door is wide open for you’. ‘Tonight: Knock-Out Nancy’. ‘25/26: 0 excuses: 1 objective: League 2’ ‘Next season: Compulsory promotion’.

Press review again: https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1584005/article/2025-05-09/battu-par-nancy-va-mesure-encore-l-ecart-qui-l-separe-des-meilleurs

press review: https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1584007/article/2025-05-09/la-saison-prochaine-montee-obligatoire-valenciennes-l-amour-se-mele-l-impatience

It's the right time for me, I think, to test players who haven't had much of a chance during the season. In any case, we need to start working now for the future.

It's the last home match of the season for Valenciennes, who host Nancy (recent champions and about to move up to Ligue 2). No sporting stakes other than preparing for next season haha. Kick-off 7.30pm French time and the match can be followed via the link below: Allez VA!

It was one of the objectives following our descent into the 3ᵉ division last year to have fewer players under contract (35 players before / 26 this year). No limits imposed here in France, but I think having a smaller squad allows us to work better and for all the players to be involved in the season too. We had the biggest budget in the league and that doesn't make any difference in my opinion. We have a bigger budget because we have the infrastructure and the way we operate (stadium, training centre, for example), which some clubs in our division don't have (e.g. Aubagne or Paris 13). Once again, SR realised a little too late that the current system wasn't working and needs to change the way it works for next season, and indeed the idea is to put people who speak fluent French in key positions, which Ben wasn't doing. It's going to be a busy summer for SR haha

As for Ben's successor, I think there will be one: - Yoann GODIN (CEO) - Dirk GERKENS (Chairman) and maybe some members of Sport Republic: - Dragan SOLAK - Rasmus ANKERSEN The appointment will be made a few days after the end of the season, in my opinion.

The sporting aspect remains the most difficult to build in a football club and even if we make the best choices, we're not sure that it will work afterwards...

Ben's departure was no surprise either, given the sporting results achieved since sport republic arrived at Valenciennes. Ben is a friend and I wish him all the best for the future. I also wish his future successor every success and hope we have a better season next year. From now on, after Ben's official departure, we won't be able to say it's his fault haha.

press review: https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1583450/article/2025-05-08/vafc-c-est-termine-entre-ben-chorley-et-valenciennes

https://www.va-fc.com/articles/28320 Thank you for the work Ben, and now it's time for next season's projects.

I still think, and will continue to think, that this medium is far from reliable, unlike other reputable media in this field.

I get the impression that a lot of people think that Ben Chorley is to blame for everything at the club: ‘seats are too expensive’ Ben's fault ‘Mathieu Michel concedes a goal’ Ben's fault ‘Mathias Oyewuzi doesn't score’ Ben's fault ‘It's raining in Valenciennes’ also Ben's fault... I'm willing to accept that he's partly to blame for the team's lack of sporting success, but he's not the only one responsible for everything.

I'd also like to point out that the journalists from ‘Le 11 Valenciennois’, who have been very quiet in their editorial line throughout the season, published 2 articles this week that were highly critical of the club and sport républic. Personally, I consider that this media resembles a press people or a tabloid whose sources are more than dubious.

At what price did he manage (painfully, I remind you) to keep us in business for years? - to sell players at a loss (example: Upamecano) - giving the DNCG false papers to avoid going down - providing poor working conditions for the club's employees - cheating various shareholders (Partouche) - alienating virtually all the institutions - leaving the club with a colossal debt - losing all the time in industrial tribunal proceedings Without SR's takeover, we wouldn't be in N1 today, but in N3 since last season... As far as our friends from Saint's are concerned, I don't think there's any reason why the Premier League is the toughest league in the world. In fact, the 3 promoted teams went straight back down! All I'm asking is that SR be given as much time as EZ had to prove himself at VAFC, i.e. 10 years. In my opinion, equal management means equal time.

My only interest, yesterday, today and tomorrow, is Valenciennes, its club and its institution. I've noticed that journalists have been quick to demolish Sport Republic since they took control nearly 2 years ago, whereas before Eddy Zdziech they didn't even dare to publish a single negative press article in 10 years!

According to their information? Journalists really do manage to get information that even SR doesn't have! It's really amazing! 🤪🤪

Many thanks to you, my friend!

Hello friends, The day after the match, 1-1 draw. I didn't get to watch the match because I'm in charge of the club's women's team, so yesterday was a match in the same vein as the end of the season. I now call it a ‘pre-season match’ or ‘friendly match’ haha. Can't wait for the holidays! Have a good weekend!

Does anyone have the full article please? https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/25133795.southampton-fc-appoint-assistant-technical-director-key-staff/ Thank

Hello friends. Today is match day for Valenciennes, who travel to Paris to take on Paris 13 Atletico. No objective other than to finish the season as well as possible. There are 3 games left before the end of the season: - Paris 13 (away) - Nancy (home) - Aubagne (away) It's already a bit of a holiday for the players and, like you, we can't wait for the season to come to an end so we can look ahead to next season. We've got a big job on our hands this summer, with potentially 18 of the 26 players who will not be retained in the squad. Stay tuned! Kick-off at 7.30pm and match to follow via the following link: Have a great day! Allez Valenciennes!