« We will keep between 6 and 9 players to have a solid foundation in the next group “says Vicard…
« We will keep between 6 and 9 players to have a solid foundation in the next group “says Vicard. Who would have, according to our information, sent a message to Billou to announce his intention to keep him.
It would have been too sad, and too hard mentally, to play maintenance in N2.
Bourgoin-Jallieu (6th) in full qualification race, Albi (3rd) preparing for the final phase and Suresnes (11th) who will absolutely want to win for his last at home… Do you still believe in a first victory this season with three such difficult days to end?
Matthew Billou. Here, against Bourgoin (Sunday) then Albi (April 29), or in Suresnes (15), it is absolutely necessary to win at least once. We will not think and we will throw ourselves into battle. We will make very big matches so as not to take, again, an incalculable number of tries. In content, over the last three games (38-22 defeats in Nice on April 1, 3-7 against Narbonne on March 26, 26-7 in Hyères on the 12th), we managed to cope.
How do you explain this failed season?
We did not meet the requirements of the hen, which requires working very quickly in the hard. We had a very difficult start to the calendar, where we lost matches by a few points, against Valence (20-23), Bourg (26-27) then Rennes (14-13). We released a lot of energy on these meetings and behind, we didn’t have enough to win those that could have gotten us back in. It’s been this hellish cycle all season.
Also because the workforce was too short due to a completely failed recruitment, as recognized by the co-presidents and the staff…
On the front line, we had improbable scenarios with the serious injury of Mika (Hygonnet), a pillar who no longer comes to training (Aliko Kaikatsishvili), another party during the season (Giorgi Zakashvili)… We suffered .
This is your fourth season. As a locker room manager, how do you feel?
Last with no wins and only defeats, it’s super hard to live with… It hurts my heart for my club and my city. Especially since not so long ago (in 2019-20), we were at the top of the Federal 1 basket. At the time, we ended Albi’s invincibility at home , who had not lost in his stadium for about three years. But we also played against Trélissac, Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, Langon… So, when we found ourselves the following season in National (the year of its creation by the FFR) to have to face 50% of clubs coming out of the Pro D2, it was brutal! We still held on for two seasons, including the previous one, fighting like dogs to save our skins on the last day. It should not be forgotten.
Today, the club is in debt of several hundred thousand euros…
We tried to ignore the extra-sporting so as not to be polluted. There is a core of good guys in the group and that’s what kept him from exploding. We don’t give up and we prove that we have pride.
What do you think of the arrival of Jean-Charles Vicard as president of USC and no longer of UCS, Cognac and Saint-Jean-d’Angély separating at the end of the season?
It is important for many Cognaçais to rediscover this identity. The arrival of Jean-Charles Vicard will breathe new life into the club and the city, so I welcome him with open arms. Especially since he has set the goal of playing the final phase of N2 next year. It would have been too sad, and too hard mentally, to play maintenance in this division.
Did you meet him to discuss your future?
No, we will discuss in the coming weeks. But I still want to defend my city and even more after such a complicated season. I’m in the boat and I will stay there at least until we navigate in somewhat calmer waters. I want to get back to winning ways at the Sports Park, the taste for post-matches and partying with everyone until late.
You are not from here, but we feel your strong attachment to the territory.
I come from a small village in Corrèze, between Brive and Clermont. But here, I found a family and sporting balance. I’m peaceful here, my daughter is being baptized here, I bought my house here, there’s nature nearby, I can go paddleboarding on the Charente in the summer… (smile) I also have a link strong with the club environment and teammates like Giorgi Sharashidze and Thomas Toevalu. They’re great guys, so much so that our kids are growing up together. It would be nice to keep the core of the group. It would make it possible to have a solid foundation in the next locker room.
