VAFC is fulfilling SR's farming club strategy; Joachim Kayi Sanda was the first, leaving to SFC 6 months ago; now Souleymane Basse is heading to Gotzepe.

https://le11hdf-fr.translate.goog/vafc-mercato-souleymane-basse-sur-le-depart/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp 

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

On 11/06/2025 at 07:41, BarberSaint said:

 

 

Aren't your balls round, or something?

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

17 hours ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

Above all, I think that SR wants to do well in football, but unfortunately, they're making one bad choice after another and disappointing people.

 Thank you Captain Obvious ! having an epiphany eh?😀

5 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Isn't going from Sporting Director of a club to Head of UK Scouting a demotion? 

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

11 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

One thing you must do, is check that you get your VA squad back at the end of the trip, and they're not switched for our PL dumplings. 🙂

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.

2 hours ago, Tommy Mulgrew said:

It’s not like you to be optimistic, FredVAFC.  😉
 

 

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.

18 hours ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

Monday's press review:

VAFC : Vincent Hognon dans le flou, un chantier à tous les étages à Valenciennes - La Voix du Nord

the end of the sporting policy focused on exotic, data-driven recruitment, which has yielded no positive results since June 2023. 

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.

8 hours ago, Convict Colony said:

Great idea Fred, @Holmes_and_Watson is officially hired as soon as I get the role although since we are frenchifying the club you will have to change your name to inspector clouseau.

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

7 hours ago, TheAlehouseBrawlers said:

We get 4x the fans inside St Mary's than Valenciennes get at home games but they're showing far more resolve and passion than you see over here. Lucky for their directors they've had a decent season compared to us!

English stadiums are full of pussies these days.

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 ?

7 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

A slow start to the second half.

Those gaps at full back came into it again. A nice cut in and shot at an angle lobbed over the VA keeper for Nancy's third.

VA offered nothing in response. On around 62, a better chip into the middle would have had 2 Nancy players lined up to make it 4.

10 mins later, it was 4. VA's defence slow in tracking back, slow to close down and slow to put in any block. VA keeper once again a frustrated figure.

VA got a third around 80, with a nice turn and shot in the middle.

Other than a shot across the face of goal towards a well marked player at the back post,that was it.

VA didn't create enough to get close to compensating for conceding so many. It did look as though there were some fringe players coming on, without names on their shirts.

Far from a classic game. Not too many good moves or passages of players. Yet 7 goals and more VAcdisapointment.

7 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

Nice write up. Thanks for these.

 

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.

3 hours ago, Convict Colony said:

This is the thing i dont get really.

The ROI on investment giving you a good transfer budget for the league you are in will pay off next season, it is critical Valencienne be giving a large budget (say 5-7.5m as a guess) to sign players and give them wages better than they can get in Ligue 2 etc.

5-7m is hardly anything to SR given the money theyve wasted on players and the club is an asset so it they want to appreciate it they need to invest properly in the squad.

When we were in league 1 we were the real madrid of the league it was awesome, buying the best players in the league and players from the leauge above (fonte) who came for the wages we could offer along with potential.

 

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 ?

6 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

I guess Ben is heading our way now that he has officially failed and been broken.

#thesouthamptonway

enjoy!

7 hours ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

 

From now on, after Ben's official departure, we won't be able to say it's his fault haha.

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.  

19 hours ago, Convict Colony said:

Sometimes these things are too easy to predict, maybe i should be in charge.

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.

3 hours ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

https://www.va-fc.com/articles/28320

Thank you for the work Ben, and now it's time for next season's projects.

"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 ?

5 minutes ago, Tommy Mulgrew said:

I see that the VAFC team consists of only nine players.  Perhaps that explains your recent relegations and lacklustre results.  I am amazed that no one has realised that and done something about it.  😉
 

 

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

4 hours ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

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.

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

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.

When I arrived, four players knocked on my door to tell me they wanted to leave, which is difficult to accept.

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 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/

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.

Dirk Gerkens, new president of VAFC: "The goal was to move up to Ligue 1, not to go down to National"

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

1 minute ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

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!

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.

22 minutes ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

According to their information?

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

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/

Quote

" 

VAFC towards a large-scale austerity cure

Enzo PailotMay 4, 2025

Daniel Derajinski/Icon Sport

Boasting the largest budget in the National League, VAFC is nevertheless preparing to embark on a second consecutive season in the division. This is bad news on both the sporting and economic fronts, and will force the Hainaut club to make budget cuts in almost every area.

VAFC faces the reality of the National

With a budget of €14 million according to the media Sportune , VAFC had – and by quite a distance – the biggest budget in the National during this 2024-2025 season. A rather logical status given the club's infrastructure, its longevity of nearly two decades in Ligue 2 and Ligue 1 and the recent acquisition by Sport Republic . However, VA has not lived up to its rank on the pitch, while Nancy (€5M budget), Le Mans (€5M) and Boulogne (€3M) will share the tickets for promotion to Ligue 2 with two to five times less means.

The National being a real basket of crabs , with logistical expenses (notably on travel) similar to Ligue 2 for much lower income (€4.5M of TV rights on which a cross was drawn), a second consecutive season at this level will inevitably force the VAFC to resize its project to rationalize its costs .

Staff, training, payroll…

Thus, according to our information, the technical staff could be the first target of the Valenciennes austerity cure, especially since the understanding is not cordial between the men placed by Sport Republic and the close guard of Vincent Hognon, while the latter has seduced internally by his seriousness and his frankness. Considerable for a National club, with in particular a coach pushes set pieces and two physical trainers or even two video analysts, this could be greatly impacted, just like the training center .

A true emblem of the Hainaut club, still very well represented in the youth selections despite generations being a little less promising these days, its operating cost is today estimated at 3.2 million euros per year . A heavy burden, especially since the valuation of young shoots is much less strong in National than in Ligue 2, without counting the many talents who have left freely in recent months (Manga Foe Ondoa, Ismaël Bouneb, Aymen Sadi). And the performances of the reserve, with a relegation to Regional 1, does not help matters.

All this also leads to a clean-up of the wage bill , already disproportionate last season in Ligue 2 (9th) and which has not been shaken up in large widths despite the relegation to National. Two thirds of the Valenciennes workforce are at the end of their contracts this summer , and the extensions should be counted drop by drop. All with the objective of displaying a healthier lifestyle for the National, as Dijon or Nancy have had to force themselves to do in recent years. And with the need for Sport Republic, despite everything, to put its hand in the pot to allow VAFC to live up to its ambitions, which remain to return to Ligue 2 as quickly as possible.

1 hour ago, Dr. Kucho said:

I would like to know why Kraft was removed/resigned whilst Ankerson is still around. What did Kraft do (or didn’t do) that he had to leave? 

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.