Through Aline Chatel
Published on 20 May 21 at 6:30 p.m.
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When it comes to accelerated learning, it’s hard to do better! Assistant to the U17 Nationals last season when he returned to the Stade Malherbe Caen, Cedric Hengbart had replaced Nicolas Seube in the staff of the reserve team this season. In March 2021, he took a step further when Fabrice Vandeputte, whom he was assisting, was appointed coach of the professional team, replacing Pascal Dupraz. The former right-back has learned a lot in the space of two months …
Sport in Caen: Cédric, you were surely far from suspecting that you would experience such a season …
Cedric Hengbart: In June 2020, I was offered to be an assistant to the reserve team. I was happy because I was entering the senior world. It was my main desire. On June 22, I had the chance to resume with the professionals. Fabrice (Vandeputte) and I gave a helping hand for almost a month, oscillating between the Pro 1 group and the Pro 2 group. This part had already been enriching for me. After that, there was the end of the championships, which created a big void, and my appointment as assistant to the pros. I learned it on a Tuesday evening, almost at the same time as everyone else.
How did it go ?
Fabrice (Vandeputte) called me just after his meeting with the president and just before the announcement was made. Fabrice just told me: “Pascal was fired, we will resume tomorrow morning”. Behind, the president called me after everything was settled.
You didn’t have your say in fact!
(Smile) No, but I was following Fabrice. He knew I was behind him no matter what. When he was offered the job, he immediately said he was coming with Manu (Lepresle) and me. I was super happy even if the circumstances were sad because I greatly appreciated the staff there was before. But when we are given a mission, the goal is to immerse ourselves in it 100%.
“With Fabrice, everything was clear”
The duo that you form with Fabrice had obtained good results in N2 before the end of the championship …
We get on very well. It’s never easy because I went after Nico (Seube) as assistant, who had a rise in National 2 with the team. We had to get to know each other. Everything was simple, everything was clear. Fabrice involved me a lot. When you’re an assistant, you can sometimes have the impression of being of no use. It’s the opposite with Fabrice.
–Going to the pros, with the pressure of poor results, that changed everything?
Yes, it was different. Fabrice had a lot more pressure, his reactions were a little different. I had to make the link between him and the players. I also had to reassure him so that he wouldn’t doubt, even if he certainly didn’t doubt. The relationship with the players is different too. There are large print, you have to explain a little more, you have to look a little further than with young people. I learned a lot more in two months than the rest of the time because it’s fast-paced. When something goes wrong, among the pros, we know it right away. Among young people, they hide it because they are a little afraid of coaches.
What was your watchword when you took charge of the team?
The watchword was to keep it simple, above all not to change, especially not to take yourself for others. We arrived for a mission that was not easy in a complicated context. The players appreciated the previous staff. We had to change, but not too much. We tried to bring our touch, our personalities. We haven’t revolutionized anything with Fabrice. We always tried to be consistent with what we had decided at the start, even if it’s hard when we don’t have results. The players immediately bought into our way of working. It was fun.
“We recalled simple things”
Fabrice Vandeputte said when he arrived that we had to put simple things back in place. Benjamin Jeannot mentioned, in West France, the lack of clarity on the tactical level with Pascal Dupraz. Did we have to find solutions to this?
We went into a little more detail. I’m not going to criticize what happened before, because there were some very good things. We realized that in certain situations, there were players who did not know what to do. We have almost returned to training. Normally, these players should know these things. But maybe due to doubt or fear of doing wrong, they failed to apply it with the previous coach. We recalled simple things. Sometimes it feels good.
Human management has not been easy this season. Was your role central as an assistant?
I made progress in two months. At first, I stayed as I was with the young people. I didn’t explain much. I made a few small mistakes, which we discussed with the president. At the end, I was much closer to the players than at the beginning. It allowed me, perhaps, to operate certain levers. At first, maybe I was too much on the coach’s side. In the end, I found my place in between. I was the intermediary, the one who held hands with the players and the coach. I tried to make the connection, talk to those who weren’t playing, etc. On the last match, it’s just luck, but I told Nico Gioacchini and Benj ‘Jeannot: “I hope you have thought about your celebration because it is you who will win the match”. I hadn’t taken too many risks by taking two (smile). There is one of the two who scored, so much the better.
–“I’m having fun here”
Do players need constant reassurance?
Yes, it is even more important for those who do not gamble. Maybe that’s where I didn’t perform well enough at the start. The players who play, it’s easy. They have their heads in the game. What does not play, they do not understand. I have noticed that a player has difficulty in self-criticism. This is a problem today. I have seen young people disappointed not to be in the group or to be on the bench. We must explain to them that it is a chance to be there already. You have to stop seeing the bad side of things all the time.
You told us last year that you found it hard to imagine yourself as a head coach. Did this stint with the pros change your vision?
No, it stays a little the same. I have a nice character, but you often have to deal with conflicts when you are a coach. I understood that the pair had to be complementary. Fabrice (Vandeputte) has a slightly stronger character than me. We complement each other well. If one day I am the main coach, I will take an assistant who has a strong character and who will go to the conflict for me. Otherwise, it won’t work.
You are at the end of your contract …
I resigned for two years.
Satisfied with being part of the continuity?
Yes, I’m having a blast here. I’m proud of what happened on Saturday night. We can always say that the season was bad, it’s a fact, but when the big day arrives, we no longer talk about the season. We’re talking about the moment. It was a difficult moment. I saw a whole people mobilized for the club. I think it united everyone and reinforced the identity of Stade Malherbe. I am proud to have participated and to be able to pass on what I have learned.
To conclude, the most obvious and complicated question: why has it not worked this season?
Indeed, it is hard to explain. It happens a lot in the minds. If we analyze the matches, there was a lot of success at the start of the season. It allowed us to stay up there when the quality of play offered was poor. I remember that the coach asked the players to keep this defensive strength that had accompanied the first victories. Maybe the players wanted to attack a little more, at the risk of being less strong defensively, and we started to take goals. There were individual poor performances too, from players who were expected a lot more given their past. And then, it was complicated for the players to go from a climb goal to a maintenance goal. Critics also had to be accepted. But it gives them a great experience. Young people, in particular, will grow up.
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