France Bleu Saint-Étienne Loire: 48 hours after this sadly historic match for ASSE, how do you feel?
Patrick Guillou: After only four days of Ligue 2, it is already a feeling of resignation that dominates. The anger has been gone for several weeks already. The situation of ASSE is becoming insignificant. Regardless of the coaches, there is a real problem of quality and mentality among the players. I don’t want to say that the frustration gives way to a kind of “I don’t care”, but what is certain is that there is not even anger anymore. When there is no longer this feeling of anger, it is worse than anything. Complete disinterest. At the start of the season, we needed to identify with a new team, except that it does not display our values or our virtues. Apart from fifteen encouraging minutes in Quevilly-Rouen, the content is insignificant. We had known “manita” in the derbies against Lyon, now they are humiliations against our opponents in Ligue 2. We are hitting rock bottom.
This reconstruction project in Ligue 2 will take time, will be far from simple, but above all patience is needed, this is the message delivered before the Le Havre match by Jérôme Alonzo on France Bleu Saint-Étienne Loire. Patience, can we still have it?
Jérôme is master of his words, but we have been patient for years. Logically, this patience gave way to impatience. In my opinion, the problem is taken upside down. Of course we have to give Laurent Batlles and his staff time to put things back in place, give rookies time to adapt, give players who have experienced relegation time to put their heads back together. place, but we’ve already been patient enough and we can legitimately vent our anger.
Jean-François Soucasse must take the floor to explain clearly what is happening. We’re sending the trainer to hell. patrick guillou
What message do you want to convey today to the management of ASSE?
At some point, when you have a new coach freshly arrived, you have to protect him in the media so that he can concentrate on building his team. Some fights led by Laurent Batlles should not be his. In my opinion, it is exposed too much. The role of image, the role with the public should be held today by Jean-François Soucasse, the executive president. The latter must take the floor to clearly explain what is happening. It’s just obvious compared to the practices of the big clubs. Same for Loïc Perrin, the sports director. This would protect Laurent Batlles so that he can work calmly. Intermediate layers must step up to defend the ASSE institution. And I’m not even talking about the two co-shareholders who, too, do not hold their rank. There is a huge void at ASSE that no one wants or can fill, for political, strategic or other reasons that are difficult to identify. The consequence today is that we are sending the coach to the breaker.
What do you think are the grounds for hope?
I sincerely think that the thinking heads, that the leaders do not understand what is incubating at the public level. I feel like we’re ignoring all of that. We play with the passion and patience of the supporters. We throw the coin in the air hoping that it will fall back to common sense. Nothing is structured at the top of the club. In my opinion, we have only had the first signs of everything that could happen with the supporters. The management does not seem to have realized what is likely to happen in the coming months. The prize list, the history, the legend, the supporters of ASSE will not be enough to provide the essentials. It’s a real appeal to reason, a real cry for help that I launch to the leaders. Let them make the necessary choices. Three coaches tried to relaunch a dynamic, it did not work. We called in a symbolic player in the direction, it does not work. We called on a former player to be executive chairman, it doesn’t work. Let them ask themselves the right questions and provide the appropriate answers. It is absolutely necessary to break this negative spiral. I am not defeatist, be careful, but it is absolutely necessary to react, as of now.