FredVaFC59100

I'd give Matthew Le God a Devil's advocate award, nobody beats him.

No, it's because of our metric system...

Thank you Captain Obvious ! having an epiphany eh?😀

Well, VAFC is just SFC's farm team, so it is a promotion I say.

Please do the switch! Add some soy sauce, and it will be the best meal ever! Far better that the crap we got served at our stadium all season long.

Not really, just accepting the sad reality that my team will forever be a sidekick club casted in the shadow of the alpha team. I've come to term with the reality of today's football business model getting me more and more longing for the good old days of pre-Bosman ruling as time goes by.

Frisson is a very smart person, He is going to move up the ladder quickly and end up in SFC headquarter within 2 years. It would work out very well with Will Still me think.

ya think ? 2 years in, a complete U-turn already and one new coach every 6 months ? Do SR know what the hell they are doing ? The American people want to know.

If you have an open position for Blamer in Chief then I am open to it.

What do you attribute that to ? What I don't understand reading some other threads on this forum is youngsters from Southampton turning to other clubs instead of SFC w/ people blaming the shitshow on the pitch as a reason. Would have been unheard of 20 years ago ?

Hell yeah! awesome write-up; better than what we get on the club official website ! I do hope that @Convict Colony hires you as chief reporter for the club when he gets in charge of the business.

We were sold a project where all would be centralized in SR headquarter for scouting, player analysis and all the good stuffs for efficiency and a more scientific approach to recruitment. B Chorley explained all that in his interview from April 2024. Now that this has failed, we are doing a 180 degree turn around to the old way, with frenchyfying the club, local scouting and sporting director; It remains to be seen how Spors is going to glue everything together for a cohesive approach for SR long term. Why does Rasmus still have a job ?

enjoy!

Correct, considering that all transfers were free players and on loan w/o buyout options, it indicates that he didn't have much money to play with. His replacement won't be able to perform miracles unless SR finally decides to break the bank.

When you do get in charge then hire ChristopheVAFC as head of propaganda PR, he almost gets me convinced that SR know what they are doing.

"The work" ? what did he do but mess things up even more ! I guess the article from le 11 haut de France was sourced and not dubious after all eh ?

It is all explained in Rasmus' books: If it is not broken, brake it, and do more with less players on the pitch.

Just because it interferes with your narrative and love-life with SR does not mean you have to be dismissive of this website and show contempt for the journalists; Just face the facts.I didn't hear you complaining when they reported favorably on Ben Chorley last year: https://le11hdf-fr.translate.goog/ben-chorley-vafc-la-saison-prochaine-nous-serons-de-retour-en-ligue-2/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp Ben Chorley (VAFC): “Next season we will be back in League 2” The Editorial TeamApril 13, 2024 Anthony Dibon/Icon Sport In a lengthy interview with the club, VAFC sporting director Ben Chorley took stock of the season. He took the opportunity to reflect on what went wrong, the infrastructure, recruitment and the future of VA. The reasons for a catastrophic season "There are many reasons for our relegation. We have to be honest, and from my point of view, mistakes were made. I think we took over a club we didn't really know. I've been involved in takeovers before, and until you're in the buildings, you don't really know what's under the floor, as they say. There are a lot of things to sort out, whether it's with the team, discipline, positions, or the people in the different departments. I would say, especially in terms of the organization and the commercial side, it was pretty empty; there weren't enough jobs. We had to rebuild a football club from the very first weeks." Remarkable infrastructure development “A lot of things happened that we're still dealing with today. We put this infrastructure in place by changing things at the training center. As you may have seen, we've started work on the football pitches. These are not excuses, they are simply facts. For the past three and a half months, we haven't been able to train on our pitches, which is very, very difficult. We've had a lot of injuries during that time. This is because we trained on a pitch that was neglected. We've improved the gym and nutrition. The players eat breakfast and lunch, which means we can have more control over their fitness, how they sleep, and how they move, which is a sign of professionalism. Professionalism, dedication, and discipline are the three most important things to be a footballer." A delicate context from summer 2023 “When I arrived, four players knocked on my door to tell me they wanted to leave, which is difficult to accept. It's something that surprises you but you have to deal with it. In January, we had to deal with two or three of these players. It put a spanner in the works. We took over an unhappy team. Looking at the league tables in recent years, it's a club that isn't used to winning. We want to change that. So we signed players who are used to winning leagues. It didn't work out for some of them, and we have to take responsibility for that.” Daniel Derajinski/Icon Sport Unsuitable recruitment for Ligue 2? “We have international players. Valenciennes has never had five or six internationals. These are players who will prove themselves. At no point did we think it would be easy. We never underestimated the league. I think we have experienced players like Jean Louchet, Sacha Bansé, Andrew Jung, and Anthony Knockaert. Some players have played at a higher level than Ligue 2. I don't think a lack of experience in Ligue 2 should be an excuse. We've brought in players; some have been successful, others not. But there are also real successes like Joachim Kayi Sanda, Souleymane Basse, Manga Foe Ondoa, and Tanguy Lienard. The young players who have arrived in the first team are successes and will be part of the team next year.” An innovative recruitment methodology “When we arrived, there was a scouting structure, but no real structure, planning, or platform to observe players or connect with them. So we created a scouting team headed by Mathieu Frison. He has a fantastic background as a scout (at LOSC, editor's note) and many contacts. He's young, very, very eager to succeed, and travels a lot in France. His knowledge is unrivaled. There are two other scouts: one in Belgium, one in the Netherlands. And at Sport Republic, we have a multitude of scouts and recruitment analysts who work closely with me and at the clubs. We couldn't sign players like Mathias Oyewusi or Flamarion if we didn't watch hundreds and hundreds of matches a week and had scouts working 24 hours a day with video and data.” We don't just want to recruit players at the end of their contracts in the National or Ligue 2. We find good players that way. But we want will, character, the desire to do well. I think that's what we're getting in our recruitment right now. The coach is always consulted about our recruitment. That's always the case. He gives his opinion and can say no, without any problem, if he has too many doubts about his inclusion in the project or in the locker room. We never sign a contract that everyone hasn't approved of. That's very important." Sport Republic, a new mentality “We spoke from experience, we can put our methodology and infrastructure in place for next season. Work on the pitches began in April, we have dedicated nutrition chefs. All of this wasn't in place when we arrived. We must be professional in creating an environment conducive to winning. This is a long-term project with a fantastic stadium, a fantastic training center. And now we want to build a fantastic team. The administrative work being done is also fantastic. We are trying to improve every individual and every area of the club, step by step. But it takes time. 18 players left this summer, 18 more arrived. Again, it takes time to build camaraderie and trust. The fans don't want to hear that. But next season, we will be back in Ligue 2. That must be our goal.” Ben Chorley, between warm welcome and sacrifices “I’ve lived here for nine months. I think I’ve eaten in every restaurant in town (smiles). I really like the city, I’ve made some great friends, especially with the restaurant owners because I eat alone (smiles). People have been very kind, they help me with French, and I’m accepted. You have to make sacrifices. I’m away from my family, my wife, my two children, and it’s football. This weekend, I’m missing my son’s birthday (smiles). It’s not ideal, but I have to dedicate myself to VAFC to make it a success.” The real start of the adventure planned for this summer? “I want players who understand what Ligue 2 and the National are all about. I want to be able to see the Valenciennes spirit in this team: hard work, never giving up, desire, strength. We will have to show this to the fans and owners next season, that they can see our DNA in our performances. Namely, strength, discipline, and the desire to do well. We will never give up. As soon as the referee blows the whistle to start the match, we will have to fight. We have to.” Source: VAFC

Ben is going bye bye... https://le11hdf.fr/vafc-ben-chorley-plus-quune-question-de-temps/ VAFC: Ben Chorley, just a matter of time? Enzo PailotMay 5, 2025 Dave Winter/FEP/Icon Sport Accompanied by a disappointing record, to say the least, and threatened by the desire to "Frenchify" all levels of the club, Ben Chorley's time at VAFC is numbered. The English sporting director, gradually pushed towards the exit, even appears less and less present and involved in daily life, while the question of his replacement is on the table. Ben Chorley arriving in the next few weeks, or even days? After going through three coaches since his arrival (Jorge Maciel, Ahmed Kantari, Vincent Hognon) without finding a miracle solution, Sport Republic is preparing to change its target. Highly criticized by Valencia fans, to the point of being the target of several banners at the Hainaut stadium in recent months, Ben Chorley is on an ejection seat at the end of the season. According to our information, the fate of the 42-year-old sporting director is even being decided behind the scenes. The official announcement should come at the end of the season, shortly after the final matchday of the National. It must be said that the Englishman has few arguments to convince the new management led by Dirk Gerkens , who immediately announced his desire to "Frenchify" the club from the locker room to the offices, to maintain his confidence. For two years, the man who built the squad that finished bottom of Ligue 2 last season, then the one who was unable to get back there despite the biggest budget in National , has had a series of failures. Of the forty recruits, it is difficult to find real long-term satisfaction beyond Jean Louchet . Dave Winter/FEP/Icon Sport And if the sale of Joachim Kayi Sanda to Southampton, facilitated between clubs in the Sport Republic galaxy, was able to highlight the Valenciennes team and replenish the coffers, the management of the cases of Aymen Sadi (free to Angers), Ismaël Bouneb (free to Le Havre) and especially Manga Foe Ondoa , who punished VAFC for the incessant pressure from its sporting director by signing freely to Estoril Praia (Portugal), as reported by La Voix du Nord , does nothing to improve the case of Ben Chorley, who has been under threat for many weeks as revealed at the end of last year . A transition already underway at VAFC The latter, gradually sidelined and certainly aware of the impending sentence, is becoming increasingly discreet. The VAFC board, according to our information, is already working on his replacement, with the desire to get its hands on a French profile in order to strengthen the new French-speaking cycle and turn the page on " foreign and arrogant certainties and attitudes ," reports a source close to the club. The possibility of appointing a former club coach was even considered for a time, before being ruled out according to the latest reports. Time is already running out for VAFC, just a few weeks before a summer transfer window full of turmoil : fewer than a dozen players are under contract beyond this summer, knowing that not all of them will want to sign up for a second season in the National, and that a host of new recruits are therefore expected. In other words, the summer promises to be a busy one for Hainaut. But without Ben Chorley, apparently. A surprise to no one. Enzo PAILOT with Romain PECHON

Did Eddy Zdziech manage to maintain both A and B teams in their respective leagues during his entire tenure while SR is a consistent train wreck on both fronts ? Saints' relegation to Championship in 2023 and again this year, combined with one of the most disastrous run in PL history, clearly demonstrates that VAFC situation isn't just a fluke but an endemic problem with SR.

How would you know...unless you have vested interest in SR. You keep on reminding me of Matthew Le God more and more as time goes by.

When the $h!t hits the fan, everyone gets it...or should I say, la merde? https://le11hdf.fr/le-vafc-vers-une-cure-dausterite-a-grande-echelle/

Is it just because SFC went down w/ VA FC doing poorly and Gotzepe was still afloat ?

all of that is just wishful thinking; the root of the problem is Dragan Solak. He got into business with 2 con artists; I put zero trust in someone that has such poor judgement at this level of responsibility . The sooner SR get the f out; the better. Spring of 2026 will bring the same convoluted excuses from the same fellows as to why the club failed to win promotion to Ligue 2. Maybe they should consider turning to Jesus instead to fill the void inside.

Yeah ? -with players on loan and has-been free transfers from obscure leagues just like last year ? -with Siga Diarra, a very talented scout, jumping ship after 11 years at the club ? Who found good players with literally no money ? Who brought in GrBic during the 2023 winter transfer window to save our ass from relegation...until SR took over and finally relegated us to National ? It will keep on going for the worse as long as SR remains in charge, in fact we were more competitive under the previous tenure with Eddy Zdziech, the tables ranking don't lie. SR took us to 3rd league and managed to get the B-Team relegated twice. Quite an achievement for "experts in football", in just 2 years none the less.