Sunday, February 24, 2019
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Second Division. 37 teams played here,
divided in two groups – A and B. There was constant and mysterious
shuffling of teams between the two groups for years. No clear logic
could be divined from the movements, though: 13 teams from Group A
were moved to group B after the end of the season – the same
number was shuffled from B to A. Meaning that only team played
consecutively in Group A in 1983-84 and 1984-85, and none in Group B.
Practically, the whole group A was named group B for the next season
and vice-versa. And that every year. The second mystery involved
promotion – the champions of the two groups were directly promoted,
no problem here, but there was also a third team – looks like there
was a play-off between the second-placed teams in the groups. Yet, it
was not direct promotion – there was play-off against the 18th
placed in First Division. For some reason statistics omit results and
explanation of procedure. And there was a third mystery yet, but it
belonged to Group B and will be mentioned in time.
Group A. 19 teams. The group will be
evened in the next season, so 4 teams were going to be relegated .
This depended on relegation and promotion as well – the group of
relegated teams could be bigger or smaller, depending on movements
between first and second division.
FCVB Villefranche finished last with 25
points.
AS Angouleme - 18th with 27
points.
FC La Roche-sur-Yon - 17th
with 28 points. Wait a minute... They were going down or not?
Relegated, yes, but meantime Burg-sous-la-Roche won promotion from
3rd Division. And renamed itself AEPB La Roche-sur-Yon.
Was it some amalgamation with the relegated club? Was there any
relation at all? Was FC La Roche-sur-Yon actually relegated? Go
figure...
AS Libourne - 16th with 29
points. By the rules, they were to be relegated. However, relegation
depended on how many teams were promoted from this group to First
Division and how many teams came here, relegated from top flight.
Unfortunately for AS Libourne, everything went 'ideally' and they
went down.
AS Beziers -15th with 30
points. They had to fret a little, but since the danger passed away –
no larger number of former first division arrived and they were safe.
For the moment anyway.
RDFC Besancon - 14th with 30
points. They had to fret during the season, for it was just a fight
for survival, but at the end everything was fine, they ended at
secure place. Young and unknown yet goalkeeper here: Lama. Almost
sinking to Forth Division in the beginning of his career.
FC Gueugnon - 13th with 30
points. Survived.
CS Cuiseaux-Louhans - 12th
with 31 points.
FC Sete – not many people remembered
by now that Sete was a leading French club years ago. Firm
second-division team was the reality for years: 11th with
32 points.
FC Martigues - 10th with 32
points.
CS Thonon - 9th with 33
points. Hard to believe that Anton Ondrus captained Czechoslovakia in
1976 and Parizon was French national team material... both were old
veterans, good only to keep a modest second division club afloat.
Olympique Ales - 8th with 36
points. If Thonon had Ondrus, Ales countered with Paulo Cesar
Carpeggiani – remember him? One of the few impressive Brazilians at
the 1974 World Cup, a wonderful midfielder. Time is nobody's friend
though – almost forgotten, Carpeggiani played second division
football now.
FC Grenoble - 7th with 37
points and more fading glory: the Hungarians Laszlo Balint and lesser
known, but also used to play for Hungary, Csapo.
AS Cannes - 6th with 40
points. More veterans – Revelli, Rampillon, but also current talent
– apparently, Cannes was tapping on Icelandic talent: Thordarsson.
Well, this was the time to get Icelanders.
La Paillade Montpellier - 5th
with 43 points. Not strong enough to run for promotion.
FC Limoges - 4th with 45
points. Good season – for them. A second division was the maximum
of their abilities and aims, so it was splendid season. With them,
the 'regular' second division teams ended – the rest of the league
was another kind.
Olympique Lyon - 3rd with 47
points. Weird to see them in second division, but these were dark
years for Lyon and even getting Robert Herbin to coach did not help.
The squad was lean and poor quality, not much to be done with it. And
perhaps this was the year proving that Herbin was one-team coach:
yes, he was great in St. Etienne and masterminded its greatest squad
and greatest years, but that was in the 1970s and somehow he lost his
touch in the 1980s – now in second division and not winning.
Rather, on the road to dismissal: Lyon was not contender in the race
for promotion.
OGC Nice - 2nd with 53
points. Also a pale shadow of the leading club they were until
1973-74. There long lasting decay was not ending – the squad was
rather weak. Curbelo and the Swedish international Larsson were not
enough to lift them up. Apparently, they lost the preliminary
play-off for possible promotion and remained in second division.
Olympique Marseille won the
championship – 22 wins, 12 ties, only 2 losses, 92-32 and 56
points. Not very far ahead of Nice, but clearly the strongest team
this season. Suffering in the resent years, yes, but may be on the
way of restoring its glory and leading position in French football?
May be only in the dreams of its supporters – the squad was not
impressive at all. Bracci was too old by now and Olarevic was only a
second-string Yugoslavian player. Naturally, Marseille was happy to
leave purgatory, but real work was needed, if they wanted to play
larger role than struggling to stay in First Division.
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Saturday, February 2, 2019
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