Here is some assored comments from the FFF men:

“Domenech’s record is not that bad as coach,” he said. “It is not catastrophic. He qualified us two straight times for a major competition,” the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008.

“I did not want emotion and passion to get the better of reason,” Escalettes said.

Escalettes said the council members voted 18-0 in favor of keeping Domenech, with one abstention. However, he suggested that Domenech may stand down if France does not get a good start to its 2010 qualifying campaign.

“He is the first to be self-critical,” Escalettes said. “Everyone is fully aware that the French team must evolve. We will see where things are in mid-October. But we have not asked him to sign a contract. It is a moral contract.”

He also insisted that Domenech must improve his current communication strategy, criticizing the coach for remarks that were “sometimes like pouring vinegar on a wound.”

“That has to change to reconcile him with the French fans,” the federation president said.

“No more France-Romania’s,” Escalettes said, urging Les Bleus to start playing attractive football again.

French football league president Frederic Thiriez said the fans were let down at last month’s tournament.

“We apologize to the fans of the French team, but the failure was collective and everyone must take their part of the blame,” Thiriez said. “I back the decision taken by the president. When you are in trouble the only answer is solidarity.”

He only has one mission now, to concentrate on what happens on the field,” Escalettes said. “Now the communication has to be focused on the French team, not personal viewpoints. … In my opinion this communication was sometimes disastrous, aggressive and lacking clarity. He has a few years of experience behind him, and it’s up to him to show he can bounce back from this failure.”

Domenech was publicly backed by captain Patrick Vieira, defender Willy Sagnol and several other players.

“That carried some weight,” Escalettes said “If it was just Vieira and Sagnol, that would have been worrying but that there was (Franck) Ribery, (Karim) Benzema, and (Hatem) Ben Arfa proves something.”

He baffles many with numerous things he does in the job. But what matters at the end of the day is he has a good repor with many of his players, except the ones he banishes like Trezeguet. And if the senior players like him, and some of the bright young stars do too, then its an obvious decision. I dont like it, but its the easy call. Your thoughts?

So while most leagues are awash with transfer rumors and some big name deals in the works that turn into transfer sagas that span the entire summer, France remains pretty quite. With Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, and Marseille quietly going about their work with some solid but not spectacular deals, it was to be another off-season of EPL-dominated transfer news. And for some reason, Jean Michel Auluas and Pape Diouf both were quite up til recently, with no public harranging. But then Hatem Ben Arfa came into the limelight.

Ben Arfa had an overly dramatic falling out with Karim Benzema, Alain Perrin and it seems like the entire Lyon organization around the end of February. He was benched for the rest of the season and proceded to pout instead of winning his place back, and the trust of his teammates. When the season was over, he did his best Nicholas Anelka impression during the title celebrations. And now he has demanded a move away to Marseille, which Jean Michel Auluas was happy to do if it was another Ligue 1 club in order to ’strenghten’ Ligue 1. But dealings between Marseille and Lyon are never clear cut.

After a pretty low 11 million euro bid was accepted, something appeared seriously wrong with Ben Arfa and Lyon, even if his nemesis Alain Perrin was fired in place of ego-soother Claude Puel. Auluas rushed the deal only to find a snag in a personal detail, Ben Arfa being allowed to keep 1.5 million of the transfer fee, which Auluas clearly did not want to give to the “brat”. He also wanted a guarentee of 20% of the future transfer fee.

Of course Pape Diouf didnt have a clue as to what was going on between Hatem and Lyon, so he announced the deal, albeight prematurely for Lyon’s liking. They threw down an ultimatum, yadda yadda yadda, Ben Arfa showed up to train with Marseille while Claude Puel said he expected him in Lyon to train. Well now the LFP has recognized the transfer as legitimate, and Ben Arfa gets to keep his bag of cash and live the dream in Marseille. Here is the kicker though.

When the negotiations were stalled, it was not really due to the clause for Ben Arfa keeping a sum of money, because Auluas would have built that into the price of the player. It was because Real Madrid (yes, the team I dearly love and blog for) came in with a secret bid to pick up a player on the cheap. It was also rumored that because Real bid, Barca would too. But from what I have heard, Schuster was not to excited to deal with a tempremental brat with barely any experience but still a big head. The same could be said for Guardiola, who like Schuster, is very focused on building a team spirit more then collected some talented individuals.

So Auluas was trying to broker a better deal with Real, which appears to be the true reason he tried to stall the Ben Arfa deal. But now he is left with a realativly small sum of money for one of the best prospects to come out of France in some time. And the only possible transfer saga of the summer ended in a little more than a week. Oh well, theres always next summer.

Now communications skills I could care less about, as some of my favorite coaches are notorious for not speaking to the press in anything other then cliches. But Domenech refused interviews for not only himself but all his players during the tournament, and was seen pulling Willy Sagnol away from an interview at one point as to keep the shrowd of mystic and astrological secrecy over the French camp. It may have been a smart ploy to shield the squad form outside pressure after being labeled tournament favorites, but it didnt work, and made the France team look ridiculous.

Improving the organization could mean the shuffling of coaches, or just a new approach to assessing players and in how, or more importantly, who he selects. And of course Raymond will need to change the makeup of the team, with the veterans he stuck with until they led him to failure already retiring or looking unlikely to make it to the next World Cup (looking at you Pat). An injection of more young Ligue stars, a change in the formation and tactics and an overall better vibe for the team will be needed if they are to make it to the next World Cup. The talents of Nasri, Benzema, Sagna, Ben Arfa, Briand, Clichy, Diaby, Bodmer and Lloris must be given oppurtunities in the team and more turnover will be needed to establish a core group.

What are your thoughts on the supposive idea to keep Domenech on as the France coach?

Considering he is a vastly experienced u-21 player, with 22 caps, and he played so well in Ligue 1 and 2 for the past three seasons, many had tiped him to move to Arsenal, with there being widespread reports he had even had a pre-contract agreement in place. But he has joined Laurent Blanc at Bordeaux, where he will get to play with u-21 France team mates Gourcuff and Gabriel Obertan in their Champions League adventure.

With another important signing, the scope is on Marseille now, who are looking to conclude the signings of Kim from Nancy and Baki Kone from Nice to improve their attack, although they look certain to loos Samir Nasri to Arsenal and Djibril Cisse to some bottom feeder Premier League team. On a side note, Le Mans continue to dismantle, this time selling Romaric to Sevilla for around 6 million euros. Whether a few more players will move over to Lille and ex-coach Rudi Garcia still remains to be seen.

The transfer market is beginning to pick up pace in France, and I cant wait to see what the next round of activity will be!

And the likely successor will be Mr. Deschamps, who has been out of football since resigning from Juventus. All bets are off as to what Deschamps will do with the France squad, so it should be interesting. Lizarazu wants former teammater Deschamps, while Desailly seems to favor Jean Tigana, so let the postering and back-room dealing begin! Lizarazu said “Deschamps seems to be the ideal coach.” “He has the experience of the highest level, he has experience with the French team, and has experience as coach of Juventus and Monaco.”

Desailly thinks former France midfielder Jean Tigana would also be a good choice to replace Domenech.

“You have to start with a new generation,” Desailly said. “I believe (Deschamps) looks like he is one of the best coaches for France. He has the experience, and Tigana also could make himself available.”

We also saw the immediate retirement announcements from leading caps holder Lillian Thuram, 36, who now has 142 caps. And Claude Makelele, 35, with 71 caps also retired. These two were pillars of the France team for some time now, with Thuram having started the 98 World Cup Final while Makelele was widely regarded as the best player in his position for most of his career.
They will both be missed and their services were greatly appreciated for their country. Also rumored to be retiring is Greg Coupet, who started his first international tournament, and had a bad one. He is leaing Lyon this offseason for an adventure abroad and he has expressed a willingness to retire in order to prolong his club career.

This could also have been the last major tournament for old Arsenal pals Theirry Henry and Patrick Viera, although Pat didnt play a game. Although their age dictates the 2010 WC is not out of their reach, their club forms have been poor this past season and a break from international football must surely be on their minds. Their is also the question of whether players like Eric Abidal, Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Willy Sagnol should have went to the tournament after poor league form this past year. And their status with the new coach will surely be up in the air.

We also saw a great failing of the young talent that we all believe, including Domenech, has so much potential. Karim Benzema looked out of sorts with Anelka and Henry as partners, while Bafa Gomis still looks a little wet under the ears. Samir Nasri got precious little time to impress, while Lassana Diarra, Steve Mandana and Francois Clerc didnt see any action. With a squad that needs to replace a few important players and starts World Cup qualification very soon, the hope is that things are sorted out soon that the team can begin preparing for the next World Cup with a unified plan.

First off, as Sam pointed out, Gourcuff has returned to France, with Laurent Blanc’s Bordeaux. You would be a liar if you said this wasnt a great move, as Gourcuff has loads of potential that went to waste on the Milan bench this past year. Bordeaux need a few astute signings at the back, one of which looks to be off-an-on Manchester United player Mickeal Silvestre. A deal is reportedly very close which means that Bordeuax has added a very experienced utility player to the backline that will come in hand in the CL.

There is also very serious rumors of Yoan Gouffran moving to Bordeaux. This it to seems more the prospect of playing the Champions League then making a step up in his career, since it was always stated Arsenal were very interested in him. Gouffran would obviously add quality to the team, but it begs the question, where do all the pieces fit into the puzzle? Alejandro Alonso usually plays were Gouffran would, and he switches flanks with Wendel alot, so I guess theres more depth in the wide areas which also boasts Jussie and Juan Pablo Francia (no word is he is still MIA).

But there is also the problem that Blanc loves the 5 man midfield, which means 1 of Chamakh, Cavenaghi and Bellion fight it out for the lone spot up front? And then there is Gabriel Obertan, the sensationally talented forward, right winger that has the ability to dribble past an entire team. And we wont even talk about teen phenom Henri Saivet, who made his competitive debut at the end of this season and who is out of this world. Couple that with the emergence of Pierre Ducasse as a solid central midfielder to partner Alou Diarra and the presence of Fernando and you have alot of options to work with. Although it may not be a CL winning side, its definately a Ligue 1 contender. 1 or 2 more defensive signings to help Planus, Jurietti and the gang and they will be in business.

Lyon, seeing that Bordeuax fought tooth and nail with them this year, have looked to strenghten all over as well. As Inara had pointed out, there is little discontent in the Lyon camp this offseason, with no players asking out as of yet. Benzema and Ben Arfa are constant targets for big clubs, while Patty Muller has walked away, with Grenoble very interested in him. Inara also points out the Reviellere and Kallstrom are keeping their options open and Fred is as usual a mystery.

And Sidney Govou will once again play his leaving/staying dance, although this time Atletico Madrid are seriously interested in him. And of course club stalwart Gregory Coupet is on his way out looking for one last challenge abroad before he retires. Hats off the Greg, who will start his first major international tournament this summer, its been a long time coming. I suppose the biggest exit hanging in the balance is the fairly unpopular Alain Perrin, who despite winning the teams first domestic double, looks set for the exit. Jean Micheal Aulas has a whole host of high profile names on his list, and Perrin does not stack up to any of them so my guess its lights out.

As for who is coming in, it was confirmed back in January that Ederson would sign, and he is being accompanied by best friends forever Hugo Lloris. The Nice stopper signed on the dotted line this past week, and is tremendously excited to have signed for the 7 time champs. Aulas has given Nice the ability to have first refusal on hot prospect Loic Remy, who had a great half season on loan at relegated Lens. There is also rumors of Stefan Lichsteiner and Jean II Makoun both coming from Lille to Lyon, with a 15 million euro price for Makoun often touted, as Lyon continues to mine Ligue 1 gold.

Marseille have had a rather quiet market, letting a few players go, including Krupoviesa, Oruma and Kanga Akale. They also look set to loose the eternally moody Djibril Cisse to the EPL, while Samir Nasri gets closer to Arsenal every day. Modeste MBami wants out as well, also for the EPL and it looks as though Marseille will honor that request. Jacques Faty and Gael Givet may be on the chopping block, while Cedric Carasso, Ziani and Zenden all with futures in doubt. Marseille is protecting its assests pretty well though, with prized posessions Lorik Cana and Taye Taiwo obvious targets for big clubs but Marseille has shielded them well.

As for incoming players, Vitorio Hilton has already signed, with Ronald Zubar rumored to be heading the other way on loan. Brazilian forward Kim is excited to join Marseille, except no deal had been discussed with Nancy yet, so that remains to be seen. Diakhate would like to come back from the cold of the Ukraine, with Mamadou Niang luring his country men in, while Hatem Ben Arfa continues to be linked, although unsubstantiated, to Marseille.

They also have been going on a recruiting drive in Tunisia, with Emine Arbati, a central defender, and Soufiane Alloudi, a central midfielder, also likely to join from Arab clubs. Ait Ben Iidir, Le Harve’s creative spark, has also been in talks with Marseille, and this looks like it will happen sooner rather then later, as Marseille takes on an even more North African flavor. Although many of Marseilles signings are of qualtiy, it seems they may be a bit back to the title chasing crowd, although I am sure a 3rd place finish is in the cards.

AS Nancy have very little to do with the transfer market, with only Kim being involved with Marseille and Zenit St. Petersburg. Lille has also been muddling along, doing some quite business while the big boys compete for names. They have signed Emil Lyng, a 19 year old Sweedish striker from AGH Arus, while they interested in no name players Sofiane Feghouli, Yves Desmarets and Abdelmajid Oulmers, all midfielders. Tony Sylva looks set to leave, to either Renns or Nice, and Ludovic Butelle is the likely replacement. Rio Mavuba also will return to Vilarreal, although no one believes he will stay there, so his next destination is unknown. Jean II Makoun may move to Lyon, although he has interest in the EPL, while Lille will start the season without their up-and-coming star Kevin Mirallas who is on Olympic duty with Belgium. Patrick Kluiverts future also remains a doubt.

The biggest question for Lille is who will be there coach next season. Lyon appear interested in Claude Puel, but Lille’s chairman does not want him to leave. Julien at the Lille Offside does not think a coaching change is a bad idea, and he offers Ellie Baup as the next Les Dogues manager in cause Puel was to leave. With a new stadium in the works, Lille is at a vital point in its clubs history.

PSG will begin their rebuilding process with the signing of Marko Basa from Le Mans and Guill Horau from Le Harve, while Lorient were able to Bouchard to a new contract and look to complete the signing of young prospect Kevin Gamiero, who was top scorer of the Toulon Tournament two years ago. Le Mans have lost De Melo to Parma, Matsui to St Etienne, Le Tallec to Liverpool and look set to loose Yebda as well, and they have only brought in two players from Bevereen so far. Rumor has it Matheiu Coutaduer wants out as well as Le Mans looks like an early relegation canidate along with Grenoble.

The other Ligue 1 teams has so far been getting their loaned players back and working on deals, but nothing major has come up from the other half of Ligue 1. So what do you think about the early deals so far?

Day 1 is on 9 August. Nantes jump back onto the scene and take on Auxerre to begin. Bordeaux look to go for Lyon’s throat (indirectly) as they battle Caen at home. Let’s remember that les Malherbistes spanked them 5-0 last season. Le Havre also have an interesting test to start their first Ligue 1 season in a few years as they’ve drawn Nice at home. Lorient hosting Le Mans might be the yawner of the bunch. Lyon go for the figure eight and must start by dealing with Toulouse, who’ve been known to give them troubles in the past. Monaco will welcome PSG in a battle of recent underachievers. Nancy is hosting Lille in what should be a fantastic match between finishers 4 and 5 of last season, respectively. Rennes has been dealt the tricky task of playing host to Marseille (It seems these two play each other early in the season. All the time.). Grenoble are traveling to Sochaux to get their underdog season off on the right foot. And last but not least, Saint-Étienne goes north to do battle with Valenciennes.

In Day 2, PSG is hosting Bordeaux, a matchup that usually produces kick-ass matches with lots of goals.
Day 3 will spark some interest as Steve Mandanda and maybe someone else return to their former club, Le Havre, this time wearing the sky blue and white of OM.
Day 4 is presenting us with no less then le derby du Rhône, with Saint-Étienne hosting the first leg of the battle against Lyon.
Day 8 has Caen visiting Marseille to avenge their 6-1 pwning last season, as Lyon go up to Rennes, where they’ve been known to stumble once or twice before.
Day 9 will see another fiery derby take place, this time between Bordeaux and Toulouse at Chaban-Delmas.

However it’s on Day 10 that shit goes down: Le Classico’s first half is being played out in the south with Marseille taking on PSG.
Day 14 looks just as good, with 1-2 finishers Lyon and Bordeaux going at it at Gerland.
Day 15 will be interesting as well, with a repeat of the Coupe de France final being played between PSG and Lyon in the nation’s capital.
Day 19 has Nancy heading to Marseille with one thing in mind: avenging the last fixture of last season.

And that’s the long and short of it. No, I’m not going to talk about days 20-38. You get the idea. The entire schedule can be consulted here.

What matches are you stoked for?

Where were you two seasons ago when he announced he was leaving Stade Rennais for AC Milan? It doesn’t really matter where you were, but unless you’re a rossoneri fan, you probably emmitted a loud-ass groan. I know I did. After having a great season and solidifying his reputation as one of Ligue 1’s promising youngsters, he just goes and fucks off to Milan, where obviously he’s not going to play.

Well, turns out he had a decent first season with Milan in 2006-2007, making 21 appearances and gaining respect of his staff and the tough-to-crack Italian media. Unfortunately, he just didn’t cut it this season for Milan, participating in 15 Serie A matches and scoring a single goal. Not enough to see them through to the Champions League, as things would have it (ha! ha!).

However, all that is now behind him, at least for the 2008-2009 season, where he’ll be donning the navy blue shirt of Bordeaux alongside Wendel, who agreed to a new deal, and probably Yoan Gouffran.

According to a load of people on the interweb, this loan would probably include a buyout option at the end of the loan period. As Ligue 1 fans, we can only hope! For the time being though, Gourcuff, son of Lorient manager Christian Gourcuff, will be stepping in to fill the void left by the departure of Johan Micoud in the midfield. But despite Micoud’s experience, we may be looking at a younger, quicker, sharper alternative.

Sounds like a good deal for the league, and ipso facto, a good deal for me.

And yes, I’m back. Again.

From now through the start of Euros, the France National Team page over at World Cup Blog will be running daily polls about issues affecting the team. Current topic? Given that Eric Abidal is almost certainly the first choice at leftback, who should his backup be? Clichy, Evra, Escude, or…?

Please stop by every day to vote and offer up your thoughts.

Allez les Bleus!