Updated 28th October COUPE DE FRANCE (6th round) COUPE GAMBARDELLA: Narrow victory for Red Star against Le Chesnay - fourteen goals to one in favour of Red Star.
Updated 27th October CUP DRAW. Yesterday evenings' draw for the sixth round came up with the unlikely tie of Red Star versus Red Star. The " other " Red Star is in fact the Red Star Club of Montreuil, an amateur club which plays in the DSR, a local Paris league. The match will be played at Montreuil, date TBA.
Updated 24th October ECHOS. Red Star rested three key players for the cup tie: Valéri, Akiana et Pizzo. The absence of the team captain came as no surprise, since his return to the club a rest period was deemed necessary to recover from a spot of tendinitis. Fabien spoke exclusively to this site : "Not to take anthing away from todays' opponents, if we can't get away without leaving out one or two key players, then we don't deserve to be in the National. ". As for the forthcoming trip to Evry, Valéri said "We have to win this one to get three points and to get ourselves into the top positions in the league table". Updated 22nd October SOUDANI " LE MACC LAD ". According to the Macclesfield Town FC website, Faride SOUDANI has been loaned for a period of three months to the Cheshire club, currently in the English Division Three. see : www.mtfc.co.uk Updated 21st October COUPE DE FRANCE : VILLEPINTE - RED STAR 93. Saturday 23rd October, 3PM CET Often in the cup, the " big boys " crack under the pressure and it is the minnows who triumph. Red Star are no exception to this, as can be seen in the post-War statistics :
Updated 18th October AUDONIENS ABROAD. Here is the latest news concerning three ex-Red Star players currently plying their trade in England. Updated 15th October. IBRAHIM THIAM. Tomorrow evening at Marville, Red Star will have to be on their guard against Pau, who currently are on a run of four straight defeats. For the game, which is of top priority for Red Star (now just one point separates them from the first relegation berth), Pierre Repellini could bring in latest recruit from Spanish club Malaga, Ibrahim Thiam. Updated 14th October ECHOS. Present Tuesday evening at Colombes was Laurent Roussey, ex-international, former Red Star centre-forwards, currently coach at Rouen in the CFA. Updated 13th October REFLECTIONS ON LAST NIGHT'S MATCH. (Written by Gérard Valck). A touch of sadness to see the stadium at Colombes in a " minimalist " format, with a huge tract of nothingness laid out in front of the spectator. Despite the sparseness of the ground, at least it has a decent scoreboard, electronic, no less, and moreover with an electronic clock. Wouldn't it be nice to have on at Marville ? Updated 11 October LEAGUE CUP RED STARS' GOAL ON FRIDAY... Updated 8th October RED STAR 93 - SAINT-ETIENNE, a four-season deal. Updated 7th October RENDEZ-VOUS AT COLOMBES, 12TH OCTOBER.
Red Star of Montreuil take on Red Star 93 in the next round of the French Cup at the Stade des Grands Pêchers at Montreuil (east Paris). In the last round, Red Star Montreuil eliminated another club from the Seine-Saint Denis region, Dugny (1-0). The club, which plays in the DSR has no link with the Club Athlétique de Montreuil (CAM) who during the 1960's played in the French Amateur Championship.
Several ex-Red Star players started out with the CAM such as Dalla Cieca and Besnard. Today, the CAM is more famous for athletics, but its most famous " old boy " is Michel Jazy, World Record holder and silver medallist in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Medal for Camille Oponga. Before the kick off, Camille received from the Deputy Mayor of the Town of Villepinte a medal. The first honour for the days' captain, awarded to him because he started out at Villepinte.
Troch. The ceremonial kick-off was performed by Denis Troch, a familiar face to Red Star supporters. Former goalkeeper at the club, he has gone on to coach Level and Le Havre, as well as being assistant to Arthur Jorge with Matra Racing and Paris St. Germain.
BRAS IN THE WARS AGAIN. Jean-Claude Bras, club president was invoved in yet another scare. This time he fell out of a first-floor window whilst helping a friend move house. His four-metres free-fall resulted in a fractured pelvis, and must now rest for a minimum of four months.
Complexe sportif : SCHWENDI-SCHONEBURG
Chemin de Vaujours, avenue de Lattre de Tassigny at Villepinte
Ground close to Motorway A104 at 20km from Paris
By RER B, station is Villepinte or Sevran-Beaudottes, then about 2km walk.
BEWARE OF CUP SHOCKS
Three clubs have twice eliminated Red Star: Caen, Maubeuge et Guingamp. On four occasions Red Star have been eliminated at the first hurdle: 1957, 1975, 1988, 1993 et 1996. Seine Saint-Denis' top club have been warned, even if Villepinte are only eigth in the " championnat de promotion d'honneur. " A real derby match in store at the stade Georges Pollet, complexe sportif Schwendi-Schoneburg on Saturday 23rd October, kick-off 3pm CET.
Jean-Yves de BLASIIS - club : Norwich City (D1). 7 matches, inc. 2 League Cup. 0 goals
Kwami HODOUTO - club : Huddersfield Town (D1). 2 matches inc. 1 League Cup. 0 goals.
Laurent DJAFFO - club : Stockport County (D1). 11 matches inc 2 league cup. 5 goals, 2 bookings.
TRICKY TRIP FOR THE RESERVES. Red Stars' second XI are in for a difficult weekend with a trip to Marly, in the north of France. Currently top of the league, Marly have a five points advantage over the proteges of Patrice Lecornu.
SIRUFO. The return of Anthony Sirufo won't be for a few more weeks, as he still has problems with his right achilles tendon.
FORET. Jean-Philippe Forêt, who started the season as the regular 'keeper with Red Star has joined Chasseley, a club in the DH at Lyon.
REPELLINI. Pierre Repellini was quoted as saying on Tuesday in Le Parisien : " Beating Racing will be meaningless if we lose the six following matches ". OK, now that we've just lost at Colombes, let's have the six wins, please, Pierre.
The refreshement facilities at Colombes is a throwback to the olden days, with the walls plastered with old photographs recording past glories. Here to, the Red Star must react, as this ambience is far removed from the spiritless cold desert that is Marville. One wish for the return game - to see the likes of Simonyi, Aston at the game.
For the shortest away trip of the season, the players travelled from their hotel to the ground in their own cars.
COUPE DE FRANCE. The fifth round draw has paired Red Star with local rivals Villepinte. The club plays in the championship "promotion d'honneur ", which is just one division above the Red Star third XI. The match takes place at Villepinte, on Sunday 24th October. Last weekend, in the fourth round, Villepinte beat Stade de l'Est (district) by two goals to nil. According to a Red Star supporter who was at the match last night, Villepinte have one or two useful players, and Red Star have to be at their best to avoid a humiliating cup exit.
We're heading up north for a nice warm and friendly reception from those lovely Lille supporters in the league cup. Hoper we stuff 'em out of sight. (JWH)
Comments by G. ValckDespite an indifferent match, one has to admit that the winning goal was well made. Looking bakc at the forty-five odd seconds leading up the goal, Diawara played a key role at the start. In midfield, pressure on a PFC midfielder results in the ball going backwards. Fellahi picks up the ball, presses, and a defender hoofs the ball out into the middle of the pitch, some forty metres from Paris' goal. Two blues go for the ball as well as Pizzo and Doukantie. Pizzo comes up with the ball and passes to Saci. Saci plays a quick one-two with Fellahi and bombs off down the wing, skips one tackle then whips in a far-post cross. The goalie Alaoui flaps at the ball, between a defender and Akiana, but loses it (no foul) only for Vincent Doukantie, following up perfectly scores with his right foot.
A deserved goal, Red Star having produced the best chances.
Translated from an article of G. Valck, interpretation JWH using a bit of " Shearer-Speak ". Sorry
The two clubs concluded yesterday a deal for four season (marketing as well as sporting). The marketing side will involve tht ISL group. The aim of the deal is to define the details of the transfer arrangments between the two clubs. In short, Saint-Etienne will have first choice when it comes to products of the Red Star youth policy. In return, Saint-Etienne agree to plough 3,5 MF each year into the Red Star youth academy. This, according to Jean-Claude Bras, will keep " the kids close to their families, with a stronger training set-up, but also to give them ambition. The deal is for four years, but it is built to last ". The objective of the Red Star directors is to be back in D1 in 2003. Stop laughing.
TONIGHT. Jean-Luc Girard & Pierre Repellini have selected the following probable line-up for tonights' match against Paris FC at Stade Marville :
BRANGER, CLÉMENT, OPONGA, VALÉRI, SENAYA, DIAWARA, MAMOUN, FELLAHI, PIZZO, SACI, AKIANA, DURAND, DOUKANTIE, MILTON.
UNDER 17'S. Sunday 10th October, at 3PM CET, Ile des Vannes, Saint-Ouen, Red Star 93 (5th) - Saint-Leu (12th), in the under 17's championship.
A short away trip is in store from Seine Saint-Denis to Hauts de Seine, but a tricky one nevertheless.
Stade Yves du Manoir, 12, rue François Faber 92700 Colombes (tel. +33 1 47 86 19 61). Capacity 8 000 in one huge stand along one side. Nothing else remains of the once-superb stadium. To get there - A86 exit Colombes - Europ, and by public transport take the SNCF from St Lazare direction Argenteuil to the station " le Stade Colombes " then it's a ten minute walk through an awful area. Otherwise the bus 166 (Porte de Clignancourt through to the terminus (Stade de Colombes), passing by the Stade Municipal de Saint-Ouen.
The Racing Club de Paris is ambitious, and looks to the Stade de France as a possible new home. A famous club with a long history, having previously played at the old Parc des Princes, then the new Parc des Princes for a short period at the end of the 1980's.
A multi-sports club, the football section hit the big time in 1936, winning a league and cup double with a line-up containing Hiden, Diagne, Jordan, Delfour and Veinante among others. Five-times cup winners, in 1936, 1939, 1940, 1945 and 1949, the last occasion featuring Vignal (the " flying goalie "), Grizzetti, Leduc, Quenolle and Waast. Lille were on the receiving end of a 5-2 thumping.
The following year the cup holders lost 2-0 to Reims in front of a pre-Stade de France record crowd of 61 772.
Then followed a slide in 1963-64 before a rebirth under the name Matra Racing at the end of the 1980's, and the likes of Fernandez, Bossis, Olmeta and Madjer. Also ex-Racing stars are: Cisowski, Ujlaki, Marche, Sénac, Jean-Jacques Marcel, Taillandier, Bollini, Heutte, Varini, Van Sam, Grillet, Tokpa, Lelong, Lagadec, under the auspices of legendary coach Pierre Pibarot. Todays' heros are Lafon, Saxemard, Lipka, Billac, Van Kets along with coach Jean-Marie Lawniczak, in charge since 1993 after also being boss from 1975 to 1990.