The night was very short for the Auxerrois; for the staff, the players, the supporters… and Lucien Denis. In Geoffroy-Guichard, the correspondent of France Bleu Bourgogne lived a great moment in the life of the Icaunais club. This Monday, when he returned from Forez, he still seemed on his cloud.
Lucien, AJA returns to Ligue 1, ten years after leaving it. How did you experience this crazy evening in Saint-Etienne?
It was… (he struggles with his words) incredible. We had a great party with the staff, the players, the public. We stayed in the stadium for a long time, blocked by the stewards, who prevented the whole delegation from leaving. Calm had to return around the stadium to allow everyone to leave Geoffroy-Guichard. We first had to recover from the tear gas that was launched when the lawn was invaded. At midnight, as the Auxerre car park was still full, the players and the staff came to celebrate with the supporters; it danced, sang. I’ve been following the club for a while. I had never known such osmosis, such a beautiful communion between the different strata of the club.
Did you experience this moment as a journalist? Or as a fan of Auxerre, the city where you still live?
Especially as a club lover. I have experienced so much with AJA. And I am close today to Jean-Marc Furlan. We have come so far this season. I lived the 6-0 defeat in Toulouse, the moments of doubt. We believed in it but it seemed complicated. Finally, Jean-Marc (Furlan) was able to create a dynamic within the club. Last season, he had set his conditions: it was either him or Graille. Either Graille stayed and left him, or Graille left and continued his mission.
We imagined, from the outside, that the coach and the president got along well…
At first yes. But Francis Graille, then, no longer went in his direction. An example, Jean-Marc Furlan had asked for a defender at the winter break. Two days later, Graille announced to him that he had signed Souprayen. “But I don’t want Souprayen,” reacted Furlan, annoyed. He knew what he needed to move up to Ligue 1. He chose characterful, mature players. He went to look for Hein, Bernard, Autret, Charbonnier, who knew how to make the difference in important moments. The more the weeks passed, the more the team grew in power, was united. This solidarity, we did not see it before.
You feel enthusiastic.
Adventures, with the AJA, I knew some. I experienced the first move up to Division 1, the Champions League, the Cup-Championship double, the European epics… but this atmosphere, in Auxerre, I had never experienced. This year, we made 3800 spectators against Niort. Against Amiens, on the last day of the championship, we were 18,000 in the stadium. Abbé-Deschamps was sold out three times in 15 days, with the matches against Sochaux then Saint-Etienne! We feel that something is happening. Jean-Marc created this dynamic. I am convinced that this will launch next season in Ligue 1. We will move into another world. Our adversaries will no longer be QRM, Niort or Grenoble… But Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Monaco.
The AJA, since the departure of Guy Roux, was looking for a guide. Did she find it with Furlan?
In a different style, perhaps. Between the Moldovan, Gillot, Correa, he is the only one who really fits the image of the club. He took the institution into account, respected it while molding a group in his image.
And after ? Because tomorrow is being prepared today…
That’s the big question. Jean-Marc, in Troyes, always rode with a team of limited means. What will be the workforce of the AJA next year? Will boys like Hein and Jubal, who will be in demand, stay in Auxerre? Zhou, the owner, said he would put 100 million on the table when we went up to Ligue 1. Will he keep his word? It is the second fortune of China, he has proven in recent months all his attachment to the club. There are a lot of great things to do in this club. If it is well run, if we don’t do anything stupid, with Baptiste Malherbe, the general manager, Jean-Marc Furlan, the coach, we can ensure continuity.
The construction site will still be important, right?
Oh yes, it’s a big job. Baptiste Malherbe confirmed it; they had a few players in sight for… Ligue 2. They haven’t worked on Ligue 1 yet. We mustn’t be mistaken. And get stronger. It would take at least two recruits per line, plus a guard to accompany Donovan Léon. Baptiste Malherbe assured that he will do everything to extend Jean-Marc Furlan, who is coming to the end of his contract. But Jean-Marc will be solicited. Won’t he want to come back home and take over the Girondins?
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