FC Sochaux-Montbeliard: A French Revolution

When the news came last year that FC Sochaux-Montbeliard were to be 'administratively relegated', it was a crushing blow to one of French footballs founding clubs.

The club was formed in 1928 by the Peugeot family. The car manufacturing company of the same name had a factory in Sochaux, and director Jean-Pierre Peugeot wanted to create a football club for the workforce.

Peugeot was among the first to really push for professionalisation, and were even known to pay players when it was forbidden to do so. It was their recruitment of French internationals and players from abroad that precipitated their early growth and led to their merger with neighbouring Montbeliard. Their early ambition paid off, with the club winning the title in 1935 & 1938.

Their only other successes came relatively recently, winning the Coupe de la Ligue (2004) and the Coupe de France (2007). But for fans of the club this already seems like a long time ago.

In 2015 the club is sold by Peugeot to Hong Kong company Ledus. With financial difficulties mounting, Nenking Group step in and invest the money needed to save the club from demotion to the third tier before officially taking ownership of the club in April 2020.

In 2023, the club are demoted to the third tier by DNGG (French footballs financial regulators). Citing the situation in the Chinese property market, the club say their owners were unable to secure the financial guarantees required to cover the projected deficit. With the clubs future cast into doubt, former club president Jean-Claude Plessis (pictured above) steps in to save the club, buying them from Nenking Group.

And that brings us to the Summer of 2023, and untested French coach Remy Barbier is appointed to begin the revival of FCSM.

Concept, Competence, Capital

In 'Wings of Change' by Karan Tejwani, Ralf Rangnick talks a lot about what he calls 'The 3 C's'. Concept, Competence, Capital. You can also read a little about it in an interview he does with The Coaches Voice.

“EVEN ON A BAD DAY, YOU CAN STILL RECOGNISE THE KIND OF FOOTBALL THAT THE TEAM WANTS TO PLAY”

What he is essentially saying is that any plan, done well, is a good plan. But you need a plan. He talks about the clear sense of identity at the Red Bull Group, and how this started with a vision of his style of football and that all club decisions were taken with this in mind. Coaches were brought in to coach the style Rangnick implemented, scouts were appointed to recruit talented young players who suited that style and success followed.

RB Salzburg have won the last 10 League titles and are top of the League as they seek an 11th. Their recruitment success include the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Dominik Szobozlai & Naby Keita. Not bad.

Intensity

I've recently been reading 'Intensity' by Pep Lijnders, and the book has helped when thinking about the style of play I want to implement in France. The kind of high-energy football based on hard-work and togetherness feels like a good fit for FCSM, a club formed for the working class local community.

The key to Liverpool's style is their counter-pressing, so that will be something we need to implement and get right quickly. What also comes across in the book is how important training is to Lijnders in giving the players the appropriate tactical understanding, and to hone the skills of the players to help achieve the desired style. "Training is our transfer" he says. "Training is our GPS - it guides us".

"People can recognise us when we play. Even if we wore different shirts they would still know and feel it's a Liverpool FC performance"

He also speaks about how Liverpool have such a clear style of play in a very similar way to Rangnick, which highlights the importance of identity to them both.

Les Lionceaux

FCSM is known for their academy in France, and played a key role in the development of the likes of Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Lucien Agoume (Inter Milan), Maxence Lacroix (Wolfsburg) and Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan).

Given their nickname translates to 'The Lion Cubs' it makes sense to tie this into the identity of the club. Lion cubs are born with their eyes closed and no teeth, but are quick developers, are naturally playful and watch how the adult lions hunt so they can learn how it's done.

Lions move carefully into position when approaching their prey, and keep the final charge to a relatively short distance. They also hunt co-operatively when taking down large or difficult prey. I like the idea of incorporating these qualities as part of our 'identity'.

So we have our concept. A high energy pressing game based on hard-work, togetherness and resilience in line with the clubs working class roots. Youth development is also a key component of our identity. We give young players chances early, and give them senior figures they can learn from.

Every decision will be made with these key principles in mind.