Allez Les Verts

Brilliant! Looking forward to seeing a campaign in France, which has been neglected by many of us. Les Verts have also been on my bucket list for several years, since prior to their relegation, so it's nice to see someone picking up the torch. I'm going to look forward to see this historic club return to greatness and maybe knock PSG off their perch.

Big Restructure Job – Gasquet

Bleua Gasquet, the new ASSE manager, said that there is a big restructuring job to do at the club, and that “the path will be long and hard”.

Gasquet arrives for the Press conference

In his first press conference, Gasquet contrasted the squad with the board’s aims.  “We have 5 players over 30 and another 4 coming up to that age.  We have a lot of players with contracts expiring and it’s not clear at this point how many will adapt to our new playing style.

That means that we have a lot to do to meet the board’s aims for a younger squad.”

When asked whether this means a wholesale clearout, Gasquet said “Too early to say what will happen.  Obviously, we do need to bring in new blood at some point – last season’s finishing position was not what the board had in mind, so we need to do something.

Some of that will come from changing the way we play.  We will be going for more possession and much fitter players, capable of making a fast dash even in the 90th minute, where necessary.”

Regarding the budget, Gasquet had this to say.  “We are not flush with money, and we need to hire new coaches, scouts and so forth.  We will be looking for some free transfers, but not many, and some under-20s future prospects that we can mould to our playing style.”

When asked whether any of the older players will be sold, he said this:”I am not going to name names at this point.  I have a lot of things to look at in the next few weeks, so watch this space.  Anyone committed to the cause and willing to change and work hard, is welcome, unless we get offers we and they cannot refuse.”

Gasquet is clearly a man on a mission and we are in for exciting times at the club.

Squad List Illustrates the size of the task.

The list of players Gasquet has inherited shows very clearly the task he has on his hands.  The list does not include the loanees at this point, as they obviously will not feature longer-term.

The over-30s include Dreyer, Appiah, Monconduit, Tardieu and Charbonnier.  Perhaps only Appiah has a medium-term future in Gasquet’s fast-paced style, bearing in mind his speed over 50 yards, compared to the others.

We can assume that centre-back Briancon (29), as club captain, is probably a ‘hold’ for nowbut Victor Lobry and Ibrahima Wadji (both 28) are journeymen players with little to recommend them, so we could see them move on in due course.

What these players have, however, is experience and, if there is to be an influx of youth, some of that will be vital in the coming season.

Fun to see this squad list. I remember looking at this club, considering playing with them back in early 2022, when they were about to get relegated IRL. And I thought they had a great number of talented players, whom I wanted to build around.

Etienne Green was one. He's still there, I see. Perfect name for someone playing for St.Etienne, who play in green colours and are nicknamed Les Verts.

And then there are Nadé, Moueffek and Rivera, who are still there as well.

But most of the others have left for 'greener' pastures, I see. I had a few written down in a note, including:

Lucas Gourna - now RB Salzburg

Harold Moukoudi - now AEK Athens

Mahdi Camara - now Stade Brest

Arnaud Nordin - now Montpellier

Yvan Neyou - now Leganés

Adil Aouchiche - now Sunderland

Saidou Sow - now Strasbourg

I'm curious if your plans include bringing any of these back? Or at least they could be worth putting on your scouting list.

Friendlies Reveal Big Issues

St-Etienne took part in a European Friendly tournament this summer, and the results clearly show that the Manager has yet to get the squad into some kind of shape.

A good opening win against Frosinone was followed by some seriously big defeats against Verona

and Lecce, as the teams on the field struggled to find any kind of rhythm against ‘better’ sides.

There was a lack of any definable system, as the players seemed to be unaware of what they were meant to be doing, and many of the players visibly tired towards the end of each match.  The conditioning of the players is obviously yet to yield results.

The defeat to Lecce was particularly hard to take, as the Italians effectively won the game in the first 30-odd minutes, waltzing through the defence with ease.  At the other end, the strike force found it difficult to make chances against a typically Italian defence and, when they did get through, most of the time their shots went wide.

“It’s early days,” said Gasquet.  “We are still working out who is who and the training is obviously going to take time to have the desired effects.

“We are sticking to the plan we have.  It will deliver, but may take a while.”

ASSE’s supporters were clearly not happy and derision against the manager drained down from the stands, especially in the Lecce match.  Clearly, the fan base is wondering just what the board have done with this appointment.

First Arrival at ASSE Under the New Regime

Osman Bukhari has arrived at ASSE as Bleua Gasquet’s first signing.

Bukhari (24) joins on a free transfer for 4 years.  He is a right-winger.

When asked about his age, Gasquet said “yes, he may be slightly on the higher side of the board’s directive, but he brings experience, which is what we need at this point.”

Bukhari is expected to start the opening match of the season, against Auxerre.

Bukari signing looks great.Of course he's older than your usual suspects, but honestly, relying completely on youth may not be the most viable strategy, if one wants to fight for promotion. Good find. I believe I've scouted him once or twice, but I don't think I've ever signed him myself.

Difficult start with the Italian friendlies though. Conceding 11 goals across 3 games, that's a rather poor omen.

Dull Start to the Season

In the only competitive match during July, ASSE opened their Ligue 2 account with a draw against Auxerre; admittedly a side expected to challenge for promotion and therefore a tougher opponent that most in this division.

Les Verts had to come from behind twice in a 2-2 stalemate, which revealed that the side remains a work in progress.  It’s clear that many of the first team have yet to fully understand how to implement the way the manager wants to play.  Until the friendlies, they haven’t previously played in the 4-1-3-2 formation that Gasquet seems to be trying at the moment, but whatever the issue, it doesn’t seem to be working.

Coach Influx has Stalled “For the Time Being”

We believe that more player signings are on the way, as the influx of coaches seems to have stopped for the present.  We know that Gasquet has signed coaches for all 4 areas – one each at the moment – but he says that there may be more to come, as he tries to change the way the team plays and also attempts to improve on fitness and skill levels.

Gasquet: Signings "Imminent"

"I'm happy with the coaching setup we have now, bearing in mind the budget."  Said Gasquet.  "I'd like more in due course, but it's clear we need to focus at the moment on securing our transfer targets.

"We have a small number where we are trying to finalise the details.  Hopefully, they'll come to fruition before the next match."

They can't come soon enough.