Angers, the escape of old talents

The information has come pouring out in recent days, as if to underline a runaway and a change of pace in the Angevin trajectory that had been so calm and stable until then: first the departures of Thomas Mangani and Ismaël Traoré, then an interview with another historical executive, Romain Thomas, to clarify that he was leaving alone. And, finally, the first revelations of a sale of the club to a US investment fund, pending formalization that will record the change of era. A year after the departure of its emblematic coach Stéphane Moulin -and his squad-, the SCO of Angers is thus preparing to experience its eighth consecutive season in the elite of French football without most of the strong men who settled there: the trainer. , sporting director Olivier Pickeu, president Saïd Chabane, and above all three wardrobe executives, who can still potentially be followed by two other former employees, Pierrick Capelle and Vincent Manceau, whose negotiations for a contract extension have not yet been concluded. Too tight timing presented as the main reason by Romain Thomas in the columns of West of France to justify your desire elsewhere: “What you have to understand is that we have a life, a family, people who ask us questions every day. February March April May…”

Laurent Viaud: “There is a real risk of losing identity and dynamics”

Laurent Viaud is another “ex” SCO, responsible for the U17s at the training center for a decade before leaving to manage the U19s at the Stade Rennes last summer. For him, trained and launched as a professional player in Angers, the announced departure of the Mangani-Traoré-Thomas trio is already a revolution: “These are the representatives of the prosperous period of the SCO, the symbol of a success, sporting and human. » In principle, you can understand that “The players are not eternal, that at some point the physical dimension reaches them, or that the need to ensure renewal is fundamental” . However, he believes the transition would have benefited from being more seamless. “Between the departure of Stéphane Moulin and his staff last summer, and that of at least three historical executives at the same time, that is a lot, there is a real risk of losing identity and dynamism. » Because, according to Laurent Viaud, these players were not just athletes, but also guarantors of a state of mind. “Simple, humble, irreproachable men, especially in their attitude towards the youngest and the boys from the quarry. »

The hardest is yet to come for Gérald Baticle

Today, the former Rennes and Monaco midfielder assures that he has ” evil ” when he reads the words of Romain Thomas about the reasons for his departure. “Preserving the spirit of a club is important, and sportingly, when we see the seasons of these players or what Hilton and Dante have done at other clubs, we can imagine that there were other solutions. » It remains to be seen if the great Rotation in the last generation of the Coupe de France 2017 has a link with the early sale of the club. “Potential future buyers may want to create a structure and a team in their image, this often happens in the business world, but it is risky. » Above all, when we look at what exists in other parts of the football world, “At Lyon or at big foreign clubs, we try to give old-timers a good start, even to find them a role in the club after their career, it is a way of preserving an identity and a continuity of values. » Last summer, the enthronement of Gérald Baticle in place of the historic Stéphane Moulin seemed like a great risk of breaking the good dynamics of the club since 2014-2015. Now it seems like a mere formality compared to next season.

By Nicholas Jucha
Comments by Laurent Viaud compiled by NJ, those by Romain Thomas taken from an interview for Ouest France