ChristopheVAFC

Hello everyone! Tomorrow is one of the most important matches of your season! Against a Premier League side that’s always a tough opponent. I genuinely believe Southampton have a real chance for several reasons: - 14 matches unbeaten: one of the best runs in England and Europe! - At home: Playing at home, in front of a sold-out crowd of over 32,000 fans, the atmosphere will be incredible! - Arsenal’s absentees: The Gunners currently have a lot of players out, including several regular starters. - Momentum: Tonda Eckert’s players are brimming with confidence, and the goal of a 15th consecutive unbeaten match is firmly in their minds! - The ‘extra’ objective for the club: Even though all eyes are on the end-of-season play-offs, being just two matches away from a cup final is a great incentive to play for. My heart goes out to you, your club and your players, and I’ll be at St Mary’s to cheer on the Saints. I’ll be experiencing this event just like you, and I sincerely hope for a good result tomorrow night! I can’t wait to be there, friends! I'm ready !! #COYR and Allez VA !

Hello everyone, I hope you’re all well on the eve of one of your biggest matches of the season. News from Valenciennes: Following last Friday’s 0-0 home draw against Aubagne (who parked the bus and came away with a point), we’re now heading to the Stade Robert Diochon to face Quevilly Rouen Métropole, who are second from bottom in the league. As for VA, we reckon they need two more wins to officially secure their place in National 1 (in Ligue 3 next year). Facing an opponent who don’t want to be relegated, it won’t be easy, but the Stade Robert Diochon holds fond memories for VA: - Two years ago, the club beat FC Rouen at this very stadium to reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. - Last January, again at the same venue, VA faced FC Rouen in the league; the home side, who were league leaders at the time, were beaten 2-1 by Valenciennes. The bad news: Rento Takaoka has been ruled out with an injury sustained whilst on international duty. We don’t know the extent of his injury, but I hope he’ll be back soon! The match kicks off at 7.30 pm French time and the link to the match is below: I’ll be sharing articles from today’s press with you throughout the day. Allez VA !

End game before few minutes. Non win tonight... 0-0.

Good match everyone ❤️🤍

Many thanks for your feedback, everyone. So I’m spoilt for choice 😅

I quite like Rento; he puts in a lot of effort, isn’t afraid to get stuck in despite his small stature, and never shies away from hard work. In my view, he deserves a bit more playing time. So yes, he isn’t very tall and can’t quite compete with traditional players yet, but he’s very deserving. I’d really like the club to keep him on for next season.

Hello everyone, As you know, I'll have the honor of attending this match, and I have a few questions: - Do you have any good restaurant recommendations? - What's the most popular pub among Southampton supporters? - Do you know if a commemorative scarf for this match will be available for purchase? - Do you have any other places you'd recommend I visit? Thank you, everyone, and I'm really looking forward to it! 😍

National League: Three internationals away, what will Valenciennes line up against Aubagne? The absence of Abi, El Hadary, and Takoaka will necessitate changes to the Valenciennes lineup for their match against Aubagne on Friday (7:30 pm) at the Stade du Hainaut. Since you don't change a winning team, or at least not too much, Pierre Blois has so far distinguished himself with his consistency in player selection. This is especially true in the last three matches, all victories against Caen, Villefranche, and Concarneau, with identical starting elevens. However, the upcoming international window will shake things up. Ylan El Hadary is with the Madagascar national team for two matches against Kyrgyzstan and Equatorial Guinea. Charles Abi will make his international debut for Togo, while Rento Takaoka has also boarded a plane to join the Japanese U19 team. “This will give some players opportunities to be rewarded and also help boost team morale. It was always planned to make changes,” explains Pierre Blois. A first appearance for Ben Osman? The decisive performances of the substitutes last week in Concarneau have given the Valenciennes coach some ideas, and the attacking line is the area most likely to see changes. The young players, for whom opportunities have been greatly expanded since the arrival of Pierre Blois and Rudy Mater, also have a chance to seize. While we await the official sixteen-man squad, midfielder Jules Collet and young Ghanaian striker Ben Osman are among the eighteen players selected. Goalkeepers: Justin Lacombe, Jean Louchet Defenders: Alexandre Coeff, Alexi Koum, Loïck Landre, Sakhalou Niakaté, Bryan Passi Midfielders: Samir Belloumou, Rémy Boissier, Jules Collet, Quentin Daubin, Thibault Maréchal, Mabrouk Rouaï Forwards: Stredair Appuah, Gaëtan Courtet, Kader Diomandé, Alain Ipiélé, Ben Osman

Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing well? News from Valenciennes. After my third consecutive victory last week in Concarneau, we're back home hosting Aubagne at the Stade du Hainaut. For VAFC, it's been a good week overall. Staying up is practically guaranteed; I think we just need two more wins or six more points to finish the job. Interim coach Pierre Blois has indicated he wants to take as many points as possible before the end of the season. For Aubagne: They're facing a struggling team that changed coaches this week, so it's always a tricky match because we don't know what kind of mindset they'll be in when they come to Valenciennes tonight. My prediction still leans towards a Valenciennes victory, as they'll be aiming for their fourth consecutive win (something the club hasn't achieved in several years), perhaps by a score of 2-0 or 3-1. Kick-off is at 7:30 PM French time, and the match link is below: Below, I'm sharing a local press article about tonight's match. Have a great day, everyone. Allez VA ! ⚽

Yes, this is my second visit! I know the city a bit as I stayed for three days last time. I hope I’ll get the chance to have a photo with some of you! I’m already lucky to be able to attend such a great football match!

Friends, I’m delighted to let you know that I’ll be at Saint Mary’s for this match! 😍😍 Can’t wait to be there! 🔴⚪

Congratulation for the new victory today 👌🥰 Again and again ❤️🤍

National League: "Almost two years," three consecutive wins for Valenciennes, a rare feat to be savored Valenciennes secured their third consecutive victory in Concarneau (2-1), achieving a remarkable run that has rarely been achieved in their recent history. Of course, there was the excellent start to last season when VA racked up three straight wins at the Stade du Hainaut. This impressive winning streak was punctuated by a bizarre match in Orléans, which was abandoned mid-season due to a fire at a chip shop. A year earlier, at the very end of their disastrous relegation season to the National League, Valenciennes finished strong, despite being relegated, with four meaningless wins in the spring, even though one of them was awarded by default in Troyes when the anger of ESTAC supporters and the throwing of flares led to the match being abandoned. So, we witnessed a true Valenciennes exception in Concarneau. Three consecutive league victories are clearly not something the club is used to. "It had been almost two years since that last happened," states Pierre Blois, thus taking into account the run from spring 2024. "Beyond that, it almost never happens in Valenciennes. The last time it happened in a typical fashion dates back to the 2022-2023 season, with Nicolas Rabuel at the helm." Is the tide finally turning? Winning three times in a row was, in fact, one of the motivating factors used by the northern coach. "There was that, and the fact of beating Concarneau for the first time in the club's history." The mission has therefore been doubly accomplished and is accompanied by a new feeling at VA: that the tide may finally be turning in the right direction. “This is the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve turned a game around like this,” emphasizes GM Yoann Godin, who took over on November 1, 2023. It was worth celebrating properly by the bench and the players on the field before a long and boisterous collective joy in the locker room. “It’s for all the times we deserved the win and left with one or zero points,” savors Bryan Passi. “But the momentum is good.” Let’s keep it going next week at home.

National League: The comeback started from the bench, Valenciennes are unstoppable! Thanks to Loïck Landre and Stredair Appuah, who came on as substitutes and scored late goals, Valenciennes secured their third consecutive victory in Concarneau (2-1). Things had started rather poorly, but this team is no longer quite the same with Pierre Blois at the helm. Valenciennes' good run, this bright spot of seven points taken in three matches with two consecutive wins, will therefore continue. And what a continuation it is! For the first time this season, Valenciennes have strung together three consecutive victories after the one brought back from Concarneau (2-1), which rewards the Northerners' strength of character, this newfound virtue that had already sparked in Villefranche (3-2), more than a truly great performance. But no matter. We must remember all those points dropped, all those matches lost at the end of the first half of the season, to appreciate even more the upset pulled off by Valenciennes in Brittany. Because that's precisely what it was. Harmless in the first half, then rattled after the break and trailing during a period of sustained pressure from their opponents, Valenciennes were in dire straits and came close to being knocked out at least three times (50th, 63rd, 73rd minutes). And then the substitutes worked their magic, as if by magic, and galvanized everyone for a thrilling and incredibly efficient final ten minutes. Loïck Landre, lurking in the box (82nd minute), and then Stredair Appuah (87th minute), wonderfully set up by Alexi Koum and perfectly placed to finish his shot across goal, turned the game around. Bryan Passi saw it coming. "It was tough for 70 minutes, and then the substitutes really changed the dynamic of the game," praised Pierre Blois, still undefeated at the helm of Valenciennes, whose coaching paid off across the board. "We still have to be humble because Concarneau doesn't deserve what's happening to them." But the Bretons ran into the new Valenciennes, a team that no longer hangs its head, doesn't panic when it's behind, and therefore has that extra bit of soul to pull itself out of the predicament that was looming. Bryan Passi sensed it, urging his teammates not to give up. "There's still time," he told them in the 70th minute. The central defender, still very valuable in the air, couldn't have been more right. The comeback was only just beginning. CONCARNEAU – VALENCIENNES: 1-2 (0-0) Goals: Da Silva (55th minute) for Concarneau, Landre (82nd minute), Appuah (85th minute) Yellow cards: Goujon (30th minute) for Concarneau, Rouai (90th minute) for Valenciennes CONCARNEAU: Viot; Sinquin (Gbele 26th minute), Jannez (captain), Seba; Soukouna (Tell 79th minute), Goujon, Picouleau, Etcheverria; Ntumi, Varvat (Da Silva 45th, Baldoni. Etr: Pascal Laguillier VAFC: Louchet; Niakate (Abi 75th), Passi, Coeff, Koum; Rouai, Maréchal (Landre 75th), Belloumou (cap) (Boissier 15th); El Hadary (Appuah 63rd), Courtet (cap), K. Diomande (Takaoka 63rd). Etr: Pierre Blois

RIP Legend !