It has been more than four years since he set foot in the Toulon sports hall. Thierry Vincent is preparing to return to where he experienced some of the finest emotions of his coaching career.
This time, the native of Dax, in love with the Var, will not fight Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. alongside the Rebelles with whom he was champion of France in 2010 and double winner of the Coupe de France in 2011 and 2012, but on the bench of Celles-sur-Belle.
Village of Deux-Sèvres – with less than 4,000 inhabitants – D2F champion and promoted to LFH last year in its first season.
The ex-coach of Toulon / Saint-Cyr (2009-2017) evokes his wonderful and painful memories and projects himself on this important meeting for the two teams in the fight to maintain.
What effect does it give you to find the sports palace against Toulon on Wednesday evening?
It will make me happy to find friends and less happy to see “not friends” again. (to laugh). Former players and supporters told me they would come. I’m getting a lot of messages right now before this game and it touches me. My years in Toulon/Saint-Cyr, especially with the titles but above all the human adventure that we created, were wonderful. In short, it is no longer the same club.
However, the most beautiful period in the history of the club is linked to your presence on the bench. Do you have a memorable memory or anecdote to share?
The sports hall was full on several occasions when we played in the Champions League or during the final stages of the French championship. Today, it rings hollow. We had managed to put the cities of Toulon and Saint-Cyr on the map of French women’s handball. In a department stamped rugby and football. Even if it lasted as long as it lasted. Unfortunately, everything that had been built with Jeanne-Marie de Torres [ancienne co-présidente du Toulon/Saint-Cyr Var handball décédée en février 2020, NDLR] was quickly destroyed.
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You were dismissed from your post in 2017, a few years before his death. Does the end of your adventure with the club always have a bitter taste?
My best friend is a soccer coach. He always told me: “Until you’ve been fired once in your career, you’re not considered a good coach.” The day it happened, I called him and told him: “That’s it, I’m a very good coach (to laugh).” More seriously, what stuck with me – now I’ve moved on – is that this decision was made for false reasons. At the time, we were in the first part of the table, we had played less than ten days and we were going to move to the last… It was done quickly and, above all, by people who don’t understand anything about handball . And, unfortunately, these are still at the club. Afterwards, I am not the first nor the last to be dismissed from a project. It could happen. But I do not forget the famous phrase that was thrown at me: “We now want to win titles.” I had answered: “You have won three, it is not tomorrow that you will win others.” It hadn’t really pleased… With four years of hindsight, these people prove to me that they don’t do handball any good.
“People are more important than structures”
Since July 2021, the club has a new identity and another structure [Toulon et Saint-Cyr ne sont plus liés. Le club se nomme le Toulon Métropole Var handball (TMV) et a choisi le modèle de Société anonyme sportive professionnelle (SASP) afin de se structurer davantage]. How do you view these changes?
I think it can be very beneficial. But, again, in our sport, the most important thing is not the structures. It is the people who direct them, lead them and animate them. You can put the structures you want, the money you want, the means you want… If you’re led by incompetents, it won’t work. The transition to SASP can be very interesting for the development of a club. Afterwards, in view of that, is Toulon growing or will it grow? It’s not for me to judge. I am not a categorical nostalgic. To know where to go, you always have to remember its history. But evolution necessarily involves changes.
“With a budget of 1.9 million euros, you can’t be in this place”
After the departure of Maire-Paule Gnabouyou last year, there are no longer any players left from the club’s golden age. Is this one of the reasons for the TMV’s difficulties in the rankings?
Like some others, I am very close to Marie-Paule. And I know why she left for Nice, for a very small financial delta when she wanted to stay… In short, here again you have to remember where you come from. I find it inconceivable that girls like Alex Bettacchini, Marie-Paule, Laura Gaudefroy… cannot be part of the club. Either way. After my departure, there was still no photo frame with the French champion team seven years earlier. In any rugby club in France, you have photos with teams that have won titles, even in the fourth round… I have dozens of stories like that. There is no history in this club.
What is missing in Toulon to return to the front in the scene?
When you have a budget of 1.9 million euros, the sixth of LFH [fin juin, le TMV avait annoncé détenir le 8e budget de LFH et en visant, par conséquent, “une 8e place a minima, en ne s’interdisant pas de regarder plus haut”, NDLR], it is not possible that you drag yourself to this place [12e sur 14]. But hey, that’s not my problem.
With Celles-sur-Belle, your return to a bench started again with a D2F title, synonymous with going up to LFH…
I found a club that looks like the one I had found in Toulon. That is to say relatively family, with values. There are a lot of volunteers, players who participate, common meals… A real club life. The girls are aware of this and they invest in this small town. Afterwards, we find ourselves confronted with the problems that all graduates encounter. You’re only playing to avoid last place. On the other hand, we have by far the smallest budget, with around 300,000 euros less than the penultimate one.
At the end of October, you had won the first leg 20-19, in a fierce match. What type of encounter do you expect?
It’s a match that Toulon cannot lose. It makes sense and I would say the same if I was in Toulon. But, on our side, we obviously want to win (to laugh). The stake of the match will also depend on the number of cases of Covid-19 in the two formations. With the teams in full, it can be tight, committed. This confrontation has real value in accounting terms. If Toulon beats us, they will extricate themselves from the doldrums. In my opinion, with Fleury and Plan-de-Cuques, we are four for a single descent. If we win, we put ourselves back in the fight even more.
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