Valenciennes

[sockeye]

Those Captain Tsubasa kits are tidy. What a classic.

[ChristopheVAFC]

11 minutes ago, sockeye said:

Those Captain Tsubasa kits are tidy. What a classic.

Honestly, these jerseys are really good, and they've been talked about in several national and international media outlets.

I hope Hummel has some stock planned, haha!

[Convict Colony]

To be fair the saints home and away kits have got lots of love over here as well from what I can see. Maybe it's something sports republic can do right 😂

[ChristopheVAFC]

15 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

To be fair the saints home and away kits have got lots of love over here as well from what I can see. Maybe it's something sports republic can do right 😂

Personally, I really liked your 2024/2025 home jersey, and this year's was pretty good too.

The one from two years ago, on the other hand, I wasn't a big fan, depending on taste and color, haha!

[SuperSAINT]

Any news on this @ChristopheVAFC?
 

Edited 1 August, 2025 by SuperSAINT

[ChristopheVAFC]

14 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

Any news on this @ChristopheVAFC?
 

Hello friends, hello SuperSAINT!

This week, Rento trained with the first team, but for now, he will be with the reserve team for the start of the season. I strongly believe that he will join the first team in a few weeks.

He watched yesterday's friendly match between our reserve team and Southampton's U23s from the sidelines, but after that, I didn't see him anymore; he must have left with the first team.

 

Edited 2 August, 2025 by ChristopheVAFC
Other

[Fabrice29]

1 hour ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

Hello friends, hello SuperSAINT!

This week, Rento trained with the first team, but for now, he will be with the reserve team for the start of the season. I strongly believe that he will join the first team in a few weeks.

He watched yesterday's friendly match between our reserve team and Southampton's U23s from the sidelines, but after that, I didn't see him anymore; he must have left with the first team.

In any case, he is very nice and agreed to take a photo with me yesterday.

 

How did the friendly go?

[ChristopheVAFC]

1 hour ago, Fabrice29 said:

How did the friendly go?

In the friendly match between Valenciennes B and Southampton U23, the Saints won 1-0.

It was an enjoyable and somewhat competitive match, very interesting overall, with a solid Saints team that played well and realistically.

Valenciennes tried a lot of things but without success. In my opinion, it was a good match overall.

[Convict Colony]

Am looking forward to the march reports when does your season start Christopher ?

[Danwulfe]

I need to get the shirt, it's quite nice indeed.

Anyone in France able to get it? I can't find it

 

Found it!

https://boutique.va-fc.com/collections/exterieur-25-26

Edited 2 August, 2025 by Danwulfe

[ChristopheVAFC]

1 hour ago, Convict Colony said:

Am looking forward to the march reports when does your season start Christopher ?

The championship resumes this Friday, with Valenciennes travelling to La Berrichonne de Châteauroux.

This is the first time Valenciennes has travelled for the first day of the championship in over five years.

As was the case last year, the matches will be broadcast free of charge on the ‘Championnat National de Football’ YouTube channel.

As I did last year, I will share the link to the match on your favourite forum.

PS: Congratulations on your 10,000th post on the forum, my friend!

[ChristopheVAFC]

55 minutes ago, Danwulfe said:

I need to get the shirt, it's quite nice indeed.

Anyone in France able to get it? I can't find it

 

Found it!

https://boutique.va-fc.com/collections/exterieur-25-26

Hi Danwulfe!

Currently, both jerseys (away and goalkeeper) are out of stock (victims of their own success).

Hummel is restocking, and the player jersey (white) should be available again shortly. The goalkeeper jersey will take longer (I would say September).

The official physical store is currently closed for holidays, so I'll try to go there after it reopens and find out about delivery times and whether they ship orders to England.

[Convict Colony]

hahahahahaa i didnt even notice it was the 10,000 post, never notice these things, the only ones that matter are 3pts on Fri and Saturdays for us both this season.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

9 hours ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

The championship resumes this Friday, with Valenciennes travelling to La Berrichonne de Châteauroux.

This is the first time Valenciennes has travelled for the first day of the championship in over five years.

As was the case last year, the matches will be broadcast free of charge on the ‘Championnat National de Football’ YouTube channel.

As I did last year, I will share the link to the match on your favourite forum.

PS: Congratulations on your 10,000th post on the forum, my friend!

Loved the links last season Christophe. Thanks for keeping it going.

[Matthew Le God]

 

[ChristopheVAFC]

https://www.va-fc.com/articles/29490

Japanese player Rento Takaoka joins VAFC's reserve team on loan!

He is the first Japanese player to wear the VAFC colours! Eighteen-year-old striker Rento Takaoka will play for the Hainaut club's reserve team this season. On loan from Southampton's training centre, where he arrived last March from Japanese club Nissho Gakuen, this centre forward is a promising young talent from the Land of the Rising Sun.

The arrival of this U20 international also strengthens the ties between Southampton and Valenciennes, two clubs that belong to the Sport Republic group.

More broadly, this loan also marks a historic first: Rento is the first Japanese player to wear the VAFC colours. This is a nice coincidence, as the region has had strong ties with Japan since the Toyota factory was established in Onnaing in 2001. This cultural and economic rapprochement between Japan and the Valenciennes region is now finding a new echo on the football pitch.

Andy Goldie, Director of Group Talent Strategy at Southampton. "Rento's arrival on loan at Valenciennes is an important step in our strategy to develop young players. Rento is a young talent we recruited in Japan. He is a Japanese international who played in the U17 World Cup last year. Valenciennes is a very good environment to help him progress this season. "

Simon Raux, director of the VAFC training centre. ‘Rento's arrival is truly symbolic in terms of the Sport Republic group and the sharing of resources between clubs. Last year, Joachim Kayi Sanda left for Southampton, and this year, Rento has been loaned to VAFC. It's an enriching experience for all the players and everyone involved.’

 

[Turkish]

Signing a Japanese player and wearing red surely means Valenciennes are going to be massive in the far east moving forward, that’s not evening including the Honda factory news 

Great move SR 👏👏👏👏👏

[disconnect]

Hope this works out better than Daouda Traore who seems to have gone missing. 

[Saint86]

I am struggling. Why have Saints used club funds to sign this player only to loan him to Valenciennes reserves? Is something being lost in translation here, because if he isn't even good enough for the Valenciennes first team, why has he been signed in the first place - shows no ambition from the group and seems like we're wasting money on players of limited value/potential?

Edited 6 August, 2025 by Saint86

[Matthew Le God]

1 hour ago, Saint86 said:

I am struggling. Why have Saints used club funds to sign this player only to loan him to Valenciennes reserves? Is something being lost in translation here, because if he isn't even good enough for the Valenciennes first team, why has he been signed in the first place - shows no ambition from the group and seems like we're wasting money on players of limited value/potential?

He was signed for a nominal amount from a high school. It is not a burden on our finances. He has very high potential based on reports from the FM Japanese head researcher.

[Matthew Le God]

The loan was announced as Takaota being with the Valenciennes reserve team. But he is with the Valenciennes 1st team for their opening game of the season.

 

 

[maysie]

On 06/08/2025 at 14:07, Matthew Le God said:

He was signed for a nominal amount from a high school. It is not a burden on our finances. He has very high potential based on reports from the FM Japanese head researcher.

And if there is someone I trust beyond all doubt, it’s the FM Japanese head researcher.

[ChristopheVAFC]

Good evening, friends, I hope you are all well!

Tomorrow is the eve of Valenciennes' first league match, with an away game at La Berrichone de Chateauroux

The coach's squad was announced a few minutes ago, and Rento Takaoka will be playing!

I hope he gets some playing time tomorrow!

I'm sharing the YouTube link for the match in advance because I'm going to the game too!

 

Have a great evening, everyone!

Allez VA!

[ChristopheVAFC]

7 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

The loan was announced as Takaota being with the Valenciennes reserve team. But he is with the Valenciennes 1st team for their opening game of the season.

 

 

As for Valenciennes' reserve team, the championship resumes on 24/08/2025.

I'm not surprised that Rento is in the squad for tomorrow.

I wish him every success!

[SuperSAINT]

1 minute ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

As for Valenciennes' reserve team, the championship resumes on 24/08/2025.

I'm not surprised that Rento is in the squad for tomorrow.

I wish him every success!

What’s the mood / feeling like among the fans, Christophe?  More positive?

[ChristopheVAFC]

8 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

What’s the mood / feeling like among the fans, Christophe?  More positive?

From what I can tell you, we are generally satisfied with the recruitment carried out by Mathieu Frison and Yoann Godin, as well as the appointment of coach Stéphane Moulin.

 

The recruitment process has been very consistent and interesting. The key word is ‘caution’ and not getting too carried away at this stage. We are confident, but at the same time, we are not getting overexcited. In my opinion, the hardest part will be getting the team to perform well on the pitch. I think that if the team enjoys themselves on the pitch, we will enjoy ourselves in the stands.

 

We feel more reassured compared to last season. We know that Valenciennes is one of the favourites to be promoted to Ligue 2 at the end of the season, but we remain sincerely reasonable and will take each match as it comes.

[ChristopheVAFC]

National : Valenciennes s’avance avec une grosse pancarte dans le dos - La Voix du Nord

Quote

National: Valenciennes moves forward with a big sign on its back

Alongside historic clubs such as Caen, Sochaux and Dijon, Valenciennes is clearly one of the favourites in the 2025-2026 National season. Thirteen new players arrived this summer, but five will be missing this Friday for the first match in Châteauroux.

The caution displayed in his speech (‘Two years to get back into Ligue 2’) did not fool many people. With its large budget, the arrival of Stéphane Moulin on the bench and some major signings, Valenciennes is moving forward into its second season in National, after a disappointing 2024-2025 campaign, with a big target on its back as the favourite.

‘It's good that people believe in us, but we're not the only ones who want to get out of this league,’ retorts the coach, who has experienced Ligue 1 with Angers but knows that in National, the hierarchy is less clearly established. ‘We don't see ourselves as favourites, but as contenders (for the top spots), which is not the same thing.’

Takaoka in the squad

Don't miss the kick-off this Friday evening in Châteauroux, which was rescheduled in mid-July to replace Martigues at short notice. Unfortunately for VA, they will be missing five key players in Indre, all of whom are potential starters: Landre and Belloumou are not ready, Courtet and Abu are injured, and Appuah is suspended.

With Oyewusi set to leave, the solution up front may come from the youth team, notably 18-year-old Japanese player Takaoka, on loan from Southampton to the reserves, but already making waves.

CHÂTEAUROUX - VALENCIENNES, this Friday evening at 7:30 p.m., live on the FFF's YouTube channel and on BFM Grand Lille.

 

[chiknsmack]

@ChristopheVAFC what's happening with Basse and Oyewusi?

[ChristopheVAFC]

3 hours ago, chiknsmack said:

@ChristopheVAFC what's happening with Basse and Oyewusi?

Both players are set to leave and will probably depart the club before the end of the transfer window.

 

Matthias Oyewuzi has wanted to leave since January 2025. The club has received offers, but they have not been satisfactory. I don't think he will leave until he receives an offer of at least €1 million.

 

As for Souleymane Basse, after a successful season, it seems that offers have also been received by the club, but I don't know any more than that. Like Matthias, there is little chance that he will stay with us in the near future.

[Weston Super Saint]

11 hours ago, maysie said:

And if there is someone I trust beyond all doubt, it’s the FM Japanese head researcher.

After all, why get a real job as a football scout if you are 'that' talented when you can play computer games all day.

[ChristopheVAFC]

Hello from Châteauroux 🙂

Good match everyone 🙂

[Nolan]

Rento Takaoka on the bench for this one.

https://www.youtube.com/live/6sLdAfvFtmA?si=gFo-cNJb1cZd2Wh6

Edited 8 August, 2025 by Nolan

[Holmes_and_Watson]

I tuned in on 25mins, with the clock still going, only to find someone had stolen the players!

... Drinks break. 🙂

[Nolan]

@ChristopheVAFCshould be able to see himself here ..

 

[ChristopheVAFC]

7 minutes ago, Nolan said:

@ChristopheVAFCshould be able to see himself here ..

 

Exactly my friend 😅

 

[ChristopheVAFC]

No goals at the break.

Resumption match, we say 😅

[Convict Colony]

ignore

Edited 8 August, 2025 by Convict Colony

[Convict Colony]

Having said that all these fences ruin the view 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

1 minute ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

No goals at the break.

Resumption match, we say 😅

Good way of describing it.

I saw a leisurely 20 minutes, with neither 'keeper troubled.

LBC having marginally the better of it. They had a header that needed to be cleared. They also had a dangerous free kick. It went off the wall and the follow up is now part of the French Space Program.

VA had a shot from distance and a looping long range effort that the 'keeper had covered and put over.

VA offside quite a bit. They were too busy sulking about one of them as LBC launched an attack.

Hopefully VA decide to turn up a bit more for the second 45.

[ChristopheVAFC]

2 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

Cela dit, toutes ces clôtures gâchent la vue 

Exactly, good visibility tonight 😁

[Convict Colony]

beautiful evening though, enjoy mon amis.

Come on guys we need a goal, as Holmes said lets crank up the intensity, go hard for the first 10mins and see where that takes them.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

4 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

Having said that all these fences ruin the view 

They are installed in all French grounds, as every one of their forums has a pantalon. 🙂

[Convict Colony]

Bro that joke went past me 😆

[Convict Colony]

Bit sick of the french under 21 highlights i currently have on youtube

Ok we back to the game

Edited 8 August, 2025 by Convict Colony

[Convict Colony]

ok guys gotta leave now, bonne chance

[Suhari]

Controversial for some, but I'm saying it: I like the multi-club model.

It's like having a friendly cousin to have a good chat too. I want VAFC to do well.

[SuperSAINT]

3 minutes ago, Suhari said:

Controversial for some, but I'm saying it: I like the multi-club model.

It's like having a friendly cousin to have a good chat too. I want VAFC to do well.

Ditto.

[ChristopheVAFC]

5 minutes ago, Suhari said:

Controversial for some, but I'm saying it: I like the multi-club model.

It's like having a friendly cousin to have a good chat too. I want VAFC to do well.

It's a pleasure to talk to you every day, my friends!

[ChristopheVAFC]

Rento makes first official appearance for VAFC 😍😍

[Matthew Le God]