Galtier looking to lift St Etienne

December 19, 2009

New St Etienne coach Christophe Galtier has warned that his side will be looking for a confidence booster to lift their sagging campaign against Marseille on Saturday.

Alain Perrin’s former assistant takes over a side in freefall as they struggle in the relegation zone with just 15 points from 17 games and two games left before the winter break in the French first division.

The club are far from the glory days of the 1960s and 1970s when they were one of the powerhouses of French football – winning the last of their ten league titles way back in 1981.

But former Marseille player Galtier insisted the “pressure and great expectations” on his shoulders would prove a motivator as his team take on second-placed Marseille just days after Perrin’s sacking.

“I’m capable of reversing the slump,” boasted Galtier of a side still reeling from the 3-0 loss at Paris Saint-Germain which cost Perrin his job.

“The group’s confidence is in freefall. The most important thing is to get confidence back into a team hit by poor results.”

But with a long injury list, Galtier will be hard pressed to do better than his predecessor, although he can count on defender Yohan Benalouane, back from suspension, to bolster Guirane N?Daw.

In-form Marseille claimed their third successive win midweek with a 2-1 victory over Lorient to move up to second, six points behind leaders Bordeaux.

And Marseille coach Didier Deschamps admitted his primary concern was the freezing conditions forecast for St Etienne on Saturday.

“The number one worry is the physical shape of the players because the risk of injury is high,” said Deschamps. “To play matches in these conditions is more about balance than football.”

Bordeaux look to consolidate their position before the winter break as they host Lorient after their 1-0 win over Montpellier on Wednesday.

Coach Laurent Blanc knows his side were lucky to come away with a win from Montpellier after their success at Lyon the previous week.

“We weren’t good because the match against Lyon left its mark. Certain players hadn’t recovered and weren’t at a technically high level.”

But Blanc is happy with his side’s first half of the season.

“I’d be happy to have a second half of the season like the first,” said Blanc. “We’ve done almost half the work. We have to prepare ourselves because we mustn’t think that it’s going to happen by itself. Nothing is given, we have to go after it.”

Nevertheless Blanc isn’t underestimating his rivals.

“Christian Gourcuff has a well organised team,” said Blanc of his Lorient counterpart. “With few resources they produce beautiful football and players worthy of the highest level.”

Montpellier, sitting third seven points off the place, host 13th-placed Nancy as Valenciennes take on Lens and midtable rivals Rennes and Paris St Germain slug it out in Brittany.

Tailenders Grenoble host Nice as second-from-bottom Boulogne travel to Sochaux.

On Sunday, Lyon vist Monaco as Lille look to get back into the top four against Le Mans and Auxerre host Toulouse.

Saturday (1800GMT unless stated)

Bordeaux v Lorient, Boulogne v Sochaux, Grenoble v Nice, Montpellier v Nancy, Rennes v PSG, Valenciennes v Lens, St Etienne v Marseille (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless stated)

Auxerre v Toulouse, Lille v Le Mans, Monaco v Lyon (2000GMT)

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Alain Perrin, auxerre, Bordeaux, Boulogne, Brittany, Christian Gourcuff, Christophe Galtier, confidence booster, Daw, french football, Germain, glory days, great expectations, Grenoble, laurent blanc, league titles, Lille, Lorient, Lyon, Mans, Marseille, midweek, Monaco, Montpellier, Nancy, PARIS, powerhouses, relegation zone, Rennes, six points, st etienne, Toulouse, winter break

Gunners told to up their Chamakh bid

August 4, 2009

Ligue 1 Champions Bordeaux’s club president Jean-Louis Triaud has asked for an improved bid from English giants Arsenal FC, after their initial bid of £5.95m was rejected by the les Girondins.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who is a known admirer of the Moroccon international, sees the 25-year-old as a replacement following Emmanuel Adebayor’s move to Manchester City.

With rivals Sunderland having failed in their attempt to sign Chamakh, Arsenal have now seen their bid turned down by Bordeaux.

And Triaud rates Chamakh as highly as Bafetimbi Gomis, who recently joined Lyon from St Etienne, although the player is entering the final year of his current contract.

He told RMC: “We said we would facilitate his transfer to a big club.

“But if Gomis is worth €15million (£12.7million), Marouane is worth at least as much.

“Arsenal made an offer of €7million on Monday. Since then I have not had any contact with them. It is up to them to decide.”

Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: admirer, arsenal boss arsene wenger, arsenal fc, Arsene, Bordeaux, club president, emmanuel adebayor, giants, gomis, gunners, Jean Louis, les girondins, Lyon, manchester city, rivals, st etienne, Sunderland

Lyon swoop for bitter rivals´ star striker Gomis

July 29, 2009

Seven-times French champions Lyon signed French international striker Bafetimbi Gomis from historically bitter rivals St Etienne in a 15 million euro deal on Wednesday, the buying club announced.

The 23-year-old, scorer of ten goals last season which almost saw St Etienne relegated, signed a five-year contract, club official Bernard Lacombe told AFP.

“Everything has been finalised, it is a great thing. He will be a focal point for the attack which is important – ‘Bafe’ is a really exciting player,” Lacombe added.

The athletic centre-forward, scorer of two goals in his six appearances for France and part of their disappointing Euro 2008 finals squad which went out in the first round, will go some way to replacing fellow French international Karim Benzema, who was sold to Real Madrid for 35million euros.

Earlier on Wednesday Lyon gave up long-running efforts to recruit striker Loic Remy from Nice, citing disagreements about the valuation of the player.

Gomis joins other new signings Argentinian striker Lisandro Lopez and defender Aly Cissokho (both from FC Porto) and Michel Bastos from Lille in a 72 million euro recruitment campaign.

LYON, France (AFP)

Tags: aly, bafe, bastos, bernard lacombe, bitter rivals, disagreements, euro 2008, euro deal, fc porto, France, french international, gomis, Karim Benzema, Lille, loic, Lyon, lyon france, MADRID, Michel Bastos, Nice, PORTO, real madrid, recruitment campaign, scorer, seven times, st etienne, star striker

18/07/09: Transfer Rumors

July 18, 2009

‘Liverpool will intensify their efforts to sign Valencia striker David Villa.’ – The Times

‘Portsmouth striker Peter Couch will decide over the weekend whether to join Sunderland or Fulham as both clubs have bid £12m for the England international.’ – Daily Star

‘Pompey may also allow full-back Sylvain Distin leave the club, with Aston Villa poised to bid about £3m.’ – The Independent

‘Liverpool could get Dutch International Wesley Sneijder, if Alonso transfer to Real Madrid does take place.’ – L’Equippe

‘Meanwhile, Liverpool FC Steven Gerrard has said that he does not see Xabi Alonso at Liverpool next season ‘ – Marca

‘Manchester City’s hopes of completing a deal for Emmanuel Adebayor are in the balance as the Arsenal striker is keen on a move to Chelsea.’ – The Times

‘FC Dynamo Kyiv’s Pape Diakhate is one transfer target Bordeaux have not given up, according to the player’ – L’Equippe

‘Arsenal want Blaise Matuidi and could soon make an offer to St-Etienne, who could ask for 10M to 12M Euros.’ – Le Parisien

‘Manchester City are set to make an improved offer for Everton defender Joleon Lescott after having a £15m bid rejected.’ – The Times

‘Everton would be considering West Ham’s Matthew Upson as a replacement for Lescott, should he leave Goodison Park.’ – The Times

‘Hull are ready to offer Newcastle £3m over three years to sign midfielder Joey Barton.’ – The Sun

‘Sunderland have made an enquiry about Tottenham defender Alan Hutton.’ – The Times

‘And Spurs could sell another defender, Pascal Chimbonda, to Blackburn.’ -The Times

‘AS Nancy Lorraine are in contact with Bordeaux for a possible swoop of it’s three players Ayité Floyd, Sheikh Diabaté and Florian Marange’ – L’Equippe

‘Aston Villa have made Leeds a ‘take it or leave it’ offer of £4m plus add-ons for midfielder Fabian Delph.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Tottenham are also ready to join the bidding for Delph.’ – Daily Express

‘Meanwhile, Spurs have been given until the start of next week to agree a fee with Real Madrid for striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar.’ – Daily Express

‘Stoke midfielder Seyi Olifinjana is in talks to join French club Monaco.’ – Daily Star

‘Lorik Cana could be in the Bundesliga next year with Werder Bremen and Hamburg both keeping an eye for the player. Shakhtar Donetsk and Fenerbahce are also interested.’ – Le Parisien.

‘Wigan are hopeful of signing Espanyol centre-back Roman Golobart on a free transfer.’ – The Sun

‘Portsmouth boss Paul Hart is giving a trial to Zimbabwe left-back Onismor Bhasera.’ – Daily Star

‘Wolves are optimistic they can beat Celtic and Wigan to the signature of Hamilton midfielder James McCarthy.’ – Daily Star.

By: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: Alan Hutton, Alonso, aston villa, blaise matuidi, Bordeaux, Bremen, Bundesliga, CHELSEA, daily express, daily mirror, DAVID VILLA, dutch international, dynamo kyiv, emmanuel adebayor, England, england international, English Premier League, Eredivisie, Fabian Delph, florian marange, Floyd, fulham, Goodison Park, Hamburg, Hamilton, james mccarthy, Jan Huntelaar, joey barton, l equippe, LA Liga, le parisien, LEEDS, LigaBwin, Ligue 1, Liverpool, liverpool fc, M Euros, MADRID, manchester city, matthew upson, Monaco, Nancy, nancy lorraine, NEWCASTLE, Pascal Chimbonda, paul hart, Peter Couch, Portsmouth, real madrid, Serie A, st etienne, Steven Gerrard, Sunderland, target, Valencia, Wesley Sneijder, west ham, xabi alonso, Zimbabwe

Friday’s Transfer Rumors

July 10, 2009

‘Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has met with John Terry and believes the defender is happy to stay at Stamford Bridge despite talk of a £30m offer from Manchester City. The Blues plan to make Terry their best-paid player.’ – The Sun

‘City are increasingly confident of tempting Terry to Eastlands despite Chelsea’s offer of a new contract which would make the 28-year-old England captain their highest-paid player.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Meanwhile, City have given Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o 24 hours to sign for them or miss out on becoming the best-paid player in English football.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Barcelona have stepped up their pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas after club president Joan Laporta claimed signing the £40m-rated Spaniard is high on their agenda this summer.’ – The Sun

‘Fabregas is at the centre of a potential bidding war between Barcelona and Real Madrid.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has attempted to quell speculation over the futures of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano by insisting both players “owe Liverpool a lot”.’ – The Sun

‘Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has made a club record £12m bid for Darren Bent.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira has no intention of joining Birmingham.’ – The Sun

‘Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill is facing a battle to keep John Carew as Tottenham prepare a £5m bid for the striker.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Everton are preparing a new £4m bid for Sheffield United right-back Kyle Naughton, who is also attracting interest from Aston Villa.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Stoke are willing pay a club-record £6m for Rennes midfielder Stephane Mbia.’ – The Sun

‘Stoke boss Tony Pulis will offer the French club £10m to beat off competition from Everton and Marseille for Cameroon international Mbia.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Manchester City midfielder Gelson Fernandes is joining St Etienne in a £2m deal.’ – Daily Mail

‘Wigan manager Roberto Martinez looks set to beat off competition from Hull for the signing of Swansea striker Jason Scotland.’ – The Sun

‘Blackburn want £3m for Fulham target Keith Andrews – more than double what they paid MK Dons for the midfielder’s services. – Daily Mirror

‘Sheffield Wednesday striker Marcus Tudgay has pleaded with the Owls to let him talk to newly promoted Premier League side Burnley.’ – The Sun

‘Coventry left-back Danny Fox is being chased by Celtic, West Brom, Reading and Nottingham Forest.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Barnsley could beat Norwich to sign out-of-favour Crystal Palace striker Alan Lee.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Bolton manager Gary Megson is planning to secure defender Gary Cahill on a new long-term contract before the start of the new season amid interest from Arsenal.’ – Daily Mirror

‘Plymouth manager Paul Sturrock is poised to smash the club’s transfer record with a £1m bid for Ipswich striker Danny Haynes.’ – Daily Star

‘Reading boss Brendan Rodgers is planning to raid former club Chelsea with a double loan swoop for defenders Ryan Bertrand and Jack Cork.’ – Daily Star

By: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: Alan Lee, aston villa, Barcelona, Brendan Rodgers, captain patrick, captain Patrick Vieira, carlo ancelotti, CHELSEA, CITY, crystal palace, daily mail, daily mirror, Danny Haynes, Darren Bent, English Premier League, everton, fabregas, fulham, gelson fernandes, Jack Cork, Jason Scotland, Javier Mascherano, joan laporta, John Carew, Keith Andrews, LA Liga, Ligue 1, manchester city, Marcus Tudgay, Marseille, martin o neill, mbia, Norwich, patrick vieira, Paul Sturrock, Plymouth, rafael benitez, roberto martinez, samuel eto o, Serie A, sheffield united, st etienne, Steve Bruce, Sunderland, tony pulis, xabi alonso

Zokora set to sign for Sevilla

July 8, 2009

Premier League side Tottenham Hostpur and Primera Liga side Sevilla have agreed on a fee for the sale of Didier Zokora to Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.

A statement on Spurs’ website confirmed the departure of the 28-year-old Ivorian, after three years at White Hart Lane:”We have reached agreement for the transfer of Didier Zokora to Sevilla.”

“The Ivory Coast international joined us from St Etienne in July 2006 and went on to make 134 appearances for the club, including being part of the League Cup-winning side of 2008.”

“We thank Didier for his contribution and wish him every success for the future.”

And the Andalusian club also confirmed on their website that Zokora had signed a four-year deal at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, which includes a 30million euro release clause.

Sevilla’s sporting director Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo has revealed Zokora’s desire to join them was crucial in sealing the deal.

“Every Sevillista should be happy,” he said on www.sevillafc.es.

“We have to thank the president and the board for the effort they made in this signing.”

“Zokora was our main objective for this season.

“We managed to close the deal not without significant effort. We hope it will prove worth the pain. We think the player deserves it.”

“As soon as he knew about Sevilla’s interest, he only gave signs of dedication and gratitude. This is important in these cases because it gives you leeway in the negotiation.”

“We are all really happy today.”

He added: “He’s a player who works a lot, who runs a lot, physically he’s a wonder who covers a lot of the pitch, he’s very versatile..”.

“He is what we needed to complete the excellent midfield that we already have.”

By: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: andalusian, dedication, English Premier League, gratitude, Hart Lane, ivorian, Ivory Coast, LA Liga, leeway, main objective, midfield, negotiation, premier league, rajput, ramon rodriguez, Ramon Sanchez, SEVILLA, sevillafc, spurs, st etienne, verdejo, white hart lane, winning side, Zokora

PSG, Marseille closed-door bans remain

June 26, 2009

PARIS (AFP) – Paris St Germain and Marseille will play one of their next matches in an empty stadium, the French Football Federation said on Friday.

The measure, previously imposed on a suspended basis, is being enforced to penalise the two French first division teams for the repeated use of flares and smoke bombs by fans, FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes said.

“The offence has been committed again, so the suspension is liable to be set aside,” he said, while conceding that other legal procedures still need to be heard.

The Paris club became the subject of the original order, upgraded from a fine, by a FFF tribunal following St Etienne’s visit to the Parc des Princes in the French capital on February 14.

Marseille were also ordered to play a match behind closed doors, subject to conditions, following various smoke bomb incidents, in particular during a fixture against Lorient on November 15 last year.

In a separate decision, Marseille and PSG were additionally sanctioned by the FFF for various disciplinary incidents during the course of the season.

After appealing to the the French Sports and Olympic Council to help conciliate in the matter, the two clubs may now have recourse to a civil court the make a judgement in the case.

Tags: civil court, closed doors, fff, flares, French, french capital, french football federation, french sports, Germain, jean pierre, Ligue 1, Lorient, Marseille, offence, olympic council, parc des princes, PARIS, paris club, paris st germain, play one, psg, recourse, smoke bomb, smoke bombs, st etienne

UEFA boss outraged by excessive Ronaldo fee

June 12, 2009

PARIS (AFP) – European football supremo Michel Platini expressed shock Thursday as Real Madrid’s world record bid for Cristiano Ronaldo followed hot on the heels of the blockbuster Kaka move.

“These excessive transfers are happening almost every day,” said the Frenchman, who as president of UEFA has vowed to clean up the financial side of the game and create a level economic playing field.

“These transfers are a serious challenge to the idea of fairplay and the concept of financial balance in our competitions,” said Platini, who as one of the World’s top players was lured to Juventus of Italy from French side St Etienne back in 1982.

Platini, who went on to win the European Player of the Year award in 1983, 1984 and 1985 explained that UEFA was planning action to put an end to football’s excesses.

“UEFA is working hard with clubs to set up a new set of rules as soon as is possible to clean up the system and give it a more solid, more transparent base,” Platini told AFP.

“That is our top priority today.”

Platini’s comments come after Real Madrid bid 94 million euros (130 million dollars) for Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo Thursday, days after they paid AC Milan 65 million euros for the Brazilian midfielder Kaka.

Tags: ac milan, blockbuster, cristiano ronaldo, excesses, fairplay, financial balance, french side, frenchman, hot on the heels, Italy, juventus, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, michel platini, midfielder, Milan, million dollars, real madrid, ronaldo, Ronaldo Thursday, st etienne, striker, top priority, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, world record

Booing France “a form of racism” – Domenech

June 4, 2009

PARIS (AFP) – France coach Raymond Domenech on Thursday said the jeering of his players during their 1-0 friendly defeat to Nigeria on Tuesday was “a form of racism”.

The 1998 World Cup winners were whistled at throughout by a less than appreciative St Etienne crowd, who reserved most of their ire for players from local rivals Lyon.

“It’s a form of racism, whistling at players because they don’t belong to your club,” said Domenech, himself a former Lyon player, whose side take on Euro 2008 semi-finalists Turkey in another friendly in Lyon on Friday.

“I’ll never stomach it, like I’ll never stomach the other forms of racism.

“The other (whistles) are understandable (due to the defeat), but the whistles when (Lyon players) Karim Benzema and Sidney Govou came on I will never accept. It’s absurd and it always will be.”

Benzema, 21, has endured a disappointing season, having seen his club side fail to win the French title for the first time since 2001 and struggling to nail down a starting place in the French first XI.

Domenech revealed that, although Benzema had shrugged off the incident, he had clearly been unsettled by it.

“Karim was affected,” the French coach said. “At 20 or 21 it’s not always obvious. He pretended not to be, he said the opposite, but it’s clear to see, he reacted in a different way.

“I felt that he was really affected. You can be prepared for anything, but when it happens it’s never as you expect.”

France’s unconvincing start to their World Cup qualifying campaign means they are currently two points behind leaders Serbia in European group seven with five games remaining, and Domenech believes the only way to get the fans back onside is to produce some better performances on the pitch.

“It’s up to us to have the attitude and the performances to make sure people don’t have to react,” he said.

“The players always want to react, to play well, to perform.

“They were a bit shocked (against Nigeria) and we cannot play in the same way again. I hope they have learned their lesson. If we make the same mistakes twice, it’s a concern.”

France’s World Cup qualifying campaign resumes on August 12 with a trip to perennial whipping boys the Faroe Islands, followed by a home encounter with second-bottom Romania on September 5.

Tags: crowd, european group, faroe islands, five games, forms of racism, France, france coach, french coach, french title, Karim, Karim Benzema, Ligue 1, Lyon, nigeria, PARIS, pitch, raymond domenech, rivals, Romania, semi finalists, sidney govou, st etienne, Turkey, whistles, World Cup, world cup winners

Joy as Bordeaux end 10-year French title wait

May 30, 2009

PARIS (AFP) – Bordeaux clinched their first French league championship title in 10 years after winning 1-0 at Caen on a dramatic final day of the season on Saturday.

Former Caen striker Yoan Gouffran scored in the early stages of the second half to earn Laurent Blanc’s side a record 11th consecutive league win and secure a second trophy to go alongside the League Cup they won in April.

The result sparked scenes of wild celebration both in the stadium and at Bordeaux’s Esplanade des Quinconces, where 50,000 fans had gathered to watch the match on a big screen, while defeat condemned Caen to relegation.

Second-placed Marseille knew that only defeat for Bordeaux would allow them to snatch the title and they won 4-0 at home to Rennes.

Senegal striker Mamadou Niang netted a brace, while Ivorian Bakari Kone scored once and also saw a long-range shot hit the post and rebound into the net off Rennes goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez.

Caen will be joined in Ligue 2 next season by Nantes, who went down despite a 2-1 victory over Auxerre, but 10-time French champions St Etienne spared themselves from the drop by thrashing Valenciennes 4-0.

Sochaux and Le Mans joined Les Verts in preserving their top-flight status, Sochaux winning 1-0 at Grenoble thanks to a first-half goal by Mevlut Erding and Le Mans drawing 1-1 at Lorient.

Hundreds of Nantes fans streamed out of their Stade de la Beaujoire ground in protest at their plight before kick-off, returning after 15 minutes having missed Ivan Klasnic’s 12th-minute opener.

Jeremy Berthod finished adroitly from close range in the opening stages of the second half to bring the visitors level before Mamadou Bagayoko struck to earn Nantes an ultimately futile victory.

St Etienne took the lead in fine fashion at home to Valenciennes when Araujo Ilan slid in to thump home a volley from Kevin Mirallas’s right-wing cross and they made sure of victory thanks to Bafetimbi Gomis, who scored twice in the second period before laying on a goal for Mirallas.

Lyon, their record-breaking seven-year stint as French champions having come to an end, had already secured third place and a berth in the qualifying rounds of next season’s Champions League prior to their 0-0 draw at Toulouse.

Lyon centre-back John Mensah saw red after two first-half bookings, the second for a rash sliding challenge on Ligue 1 top scorer Andre-Pierre Gignac, making it easier for the home side to collect the point that guaranteed fourth place and entry into next season’s Europa League.

Lille will also compete in the re-branded UEFA Cup after a 3-2 victory at home to Nancy, who fought back to equalise after going 2-0 down, but Paris St-Germain’s dreams of European football melted away in a disappointing goalless draw at home to Monaco.

In the night’s other game, already-relegated Le Havre drew 0-0 at Nice.

Bordeaux took to the field at the Stade Michel-d’Ornano, where they had failed to win in nine previous attempts, with only suspended full-back Mathieu Chalme and injured midfielder Abdou Traore unavailable.

Gouffran spurned an early chance to settle Bordeaux’s nerves when he fired straight at Vincent Plante in the Caen goal after haring onto a through ball from Jussie.

Visiting goalkeeper Ulrich Rame then clawed a near-post effort by Steve Savidan off his goal-line as Caen threated to poop the title party, before Brazilian midfielder Fernando saw a prodded attempt parried by Plante at the other end.

Gouffran registered the title-winning goal four minutes after half-time, heading home Benoit Tremoulinas’s cross from the edge of the six-yard box, with Rame denying Sambou Yatabare late on to safeguard Bordeaux’s moment in the sun.