“It’s a real disappointment”

Haut-Marnais Jérôme Monier wants Dijon FCO to rediscover the values ​​that the Dijonnais lacked this season. – –

Arrived in November as assistant to David Linarès, Langrois Jérôme Monier and Dijon FCO staff failed to avoid relegation to Ligue 2. The fault above all to the lack of professionalism of the players, as explained by Haut-Marnais , confirmed in his post, and now anxious to look ahead.

The Haute-Marne newspaper: How do you explain this catastrophic season?
Jérôme Monier: “The president (Olivier Delcourt) spoke at length. There were twelve departures and thirteen arrivals. Recruitment was late and unsatisfactory. In addition, the club has lost key players, both in terms of quality, but also of influence on the group, this is the case of Amalfitano, Tavarès or Gomis. The players did not give satisfaction in terms of state of mind and performance. It must also be said that it was a group with very little experience in Ligue 1. But it is clear that the state of mind was deplorable. “

JHM: Didn’t the spring break in January, during the match in Lorient and the defeat (3-2) in added time, when you were leading 2-1?
J. M. : “There was still time. We were only at the end of January. In fact, the concern has mainly been on the offensive level. We had a big deficit, with the weakest stroke. The good results were obtained on a good defensive basis, but it remained very fragile. After Lorient, we played “big” ones, which is not easy. The second turning point is our defeat against Nîmes at home. We still had the opportunity to get out of it. But this meeting reflects our season. We have the opportunity to score, we don’t and they do it on their first chance. ”

JHM: Personally, how do you cope with this relegation?
J. M. : “When I arrived at the end of November, I knew it took a miracle to keep going, because nobody did it with only three points after ten days. But I came full of hopes and ambitions. I thought we were going to fight to the end. I was ready for the dams. It is a real disappointment. Two months from the end, the descent is recorded. Obviously, there were gaps. Attitudes and behaviors are explanations for this descent. “

JHM: The state of mind failed. Is this also how you feel?
J. M. : ” Yes. The president (Olivier Delcourt) said it well. We are the 13th professional club in terms of budget, and Dijon has only five years in Ligue 1. Each time, the maintenance has been in difficulty. The state of mind is the basis, it is essential in Dijon. There was not this professionalism, this cohesion that a club like Dijon needs to hope to maintain. “

JHM: François Rebsamen, the mayor of Dijon, in an interview, said that Dijon no longer had this club spirit. Is that also your opinion?
J. M. : “In a group, there may be gaps, but when there is no cohesion, surpassing oneself, professionalism, it’s impossible to compete in Ligue 1! “

JHM: He also said there were too many mercenaries. Can we prove him wrong when we see the little investment of many players who did not seem really concerned by the situation of the club?
J. M. : ” One can not deny it. It’s done. You have to plan quickly. In the professional world, we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves. “

JHM: At the break, you said that sustaining it would be through results at home, but you only won once for six draws and twelve losses. Isn’t it amazing?
J. M. : “Our home run has been a nightmare. In the past, in Dijon, maintenance went through meetings at home. This season, we have never managed to gain the upper hand over our opponents. We only scored eight goals… We must not hide behind the absence of the public. “

“Return to the values ​​and DNA of the club”

JHM: Fans, lately, have shown their anger. Do you understand them?
J. M. : “Of course and I have no problem with that. I am even amazed that it happened so late. Now, perhaps we should have provoked a discussion with the players and the staff. People know that Dijon fight regularly for maintenance, but they did not appreciate the attitude of the players and this created frustration and anger which they were not able to express in the stands. “

JHM: Is this the worst season of your coaching career?
J. M. : “Clearly. Even as a player. I have never known such a series of defeats (twelve) and such statistics. It marks. We tried a lot of levers, but it was not validated by results and it is difficult. We gave everything we could. We searched. There have been a lot of exchanges among the staff. “

JHM: You’ve been confirmed as assistant coach, it’s a nice sign of confidence from the president despite the poor results, isn’t it?
J. M. : “Clearly. Things, when you look at the results of the second half of the season, could have turned out differently. It is a beautiful mark of confidence. “

JHM: How to get Dijon back on track?
J. M. : “We have to come back to the values ​​and the DNA of the club: the state of mind. Departures will be numerous. There will be a renewal of a large part of the workforce. There will be players who are not impacted by the descent, with a positive state of mind and who know Ligue 2. We must quickly get back into the bath of this Ligue 2 and quickly regain cohesion. “

JHM: A word about your first recruit, the ex-Auxerrois Mickaël Le Bihan?
J. M. : “He’s a boy we’ve been following for some time. He has a good frame of mind and he is extremely positive. Vis-à-vis others, his arrival is a strong signal on Dijon’s project in Ligue 2. This shows the club’s ambitions. “

JHM: What are the other recruitment priorities?
J. M. : “Obviously, the recruits depend on the departures. But there are important elements in Ligue 2. You need an experienced backbone. There needs to be a good mix between young people and experienced players. We will leave with a fairly small group, namely sixteen players, with four to six young people. For young people, it’s easier to play in Ligue 2 than in Ligue 1. ”

JHM: The holidays are going to be good, right?
J. M. : ” Yes ! You have to cut, it’s important psychologically. But you have to be able to show resilience and quickly plan for the future. We have already worked on the recovery schedule. I have a great, great desire to come back. There will be another dynamic, in particular with our new training center which will make it possible to optimize the performance of the players. Football is our fuel! “
Interview by Yves Tainturier

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Posted on 05-27-2021 at 11:00 a.m.