It felt very surreal that today had finally arrived. Waking up from a surprisingly good sleep, my first impulse was to leap up excitedly but the closeness of the ceiling put paid to that. Instead it was a wriggle and a roll to eventually stage-dive on top of the others. Match days can affect people in different ways.
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| Thanks to Adrian's visit to Burger King we had an eagle to show us the way! |
Finally arriving in Lens, we were early enough to park for free at the Stadium car park. As welcoming as the sight of road signs for Lens and eventually Bollaert itself were, there was a feeling of trepidation in the car. Getting out of the car there was a distinct absence of anyone about. Even though it was three hours to kick-off, there would usually have been more fans around. There was a definite feeling of malaise about the club that was hardly surprising given the current run of form. In the eight seasons I had been supporting Lens, this was a new low! |
| Brits, Brits and more Brits! |
We were due to get our tickets from Chez Muriel so we stayed there and were delighted to meet some fellow Brits from Wigan who had followed Lens since leading them to the European Championship on football manager. Who says the technological age was bad for football? They had apparently been waiting ages for the chance to visit the team they had followed avidly on Bet 365. Another pair who had suffered at the hands of the idiots at the LFP and their fiddling with football fixtures for their own. and TV's, purposes.
We learned that there was a big meeting taking place, organised by the major supporters' groups, outside of Emotionfoot so Chez Muriel was also quiet, although it did mean we didn't have to wait long to get served and drinks were delivered to our table! Arnauld arrived to update us on the supporters' meeting and he was pleased to say that they confirmed their commitment to non-violent demonstrations adding that the mood was upbeat despite the number of season tickets being down on the previous year. Surely the fact that we were here, and that I had come to support the lads on my birthday would act in our favour...not clutching at straws there!
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| Traditional 'wall' group photo. |
For the first time in a long time, there was no extra lineup or extra search for me after stepping through the turnstile. The CRS were just not interested. Bigger fish to fry? This was in spite of wearing both my Union Jack Northern Lensois flag and Lens-coloured dreadlocks. Alex and Adrian were very disappointed, maintaining I still looked extremely dodgy! I had tried!
The Marek was baking hot and it was a real effort to keep my dreads on as the sweat poured down. When Adrian began to worry about the effect of the sun on his skin, I donated my cap to the "Save AJ's complexion" fund and the hair was returned to my pocket. There was extra cooling provided by the flags that surrounded us. We had emerged in the middle of the ultras so needless to say we sang our hearts out as the flags whipped about our faces. We were handed A4 sheets of paper with instructions on how to fold a paper aeroplane and as the seats around us filled up and we realised that this was to be phase 2 of the ultras' protests. But would there be a phase 3 and 4? All Lens had to do to brighten the mood was score...and manage to win.
Phase 2 resulted in the near wing and touchline being covered with paper aeroplanes soon after the game had kicked off. An extremely bored-looking steward then set about blowing them away using a leaf-blowing machine: surely picking them would have been easier?
In the ninth minute, the golden moment arrived. I missed Bostock's slide-rule pass but was just able to see Superkev Fortune side-foot the ball into the Brest net. The fans in the rows of seats in front of us surged over the flimsy seats to crush up at the front leaving our row the first row still populated: we hadn't been the only ones worried about breaking limbs on the tilting man-traps that we were balanced upon. After that, Brest were allowed to clamber back into the match as the Lens team preferred to defend their lead: a tactic that infuriated the fans about Casanova's team. We currently had the worst defence in Ligue 2 so relying on them to keep out the distinctly average attack of Brest was asking a lot. I had just uttered the immortal words: "If we can just keep them out until half-time..." when Brest scored.
For the third time in the game, Brest players were allowed free headers in the six yard box and sure enough, the ball looped over the stretching Vachoux. The immediate reaction from the Lens team was worrying. Heads dropped and the flowing football that had been evident last year was non-existent.
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| Not happy |
At half-time we gave back the season tickets we had used and decided to stand nearer the Delacourt so we could see a bit more of the game. This proved a wise move as things went from bad to worse. First a long range effort bounced off crossbar then Lens keeper Vachoux's back to put Brest ahead then a similarly stunning volley meant the team was losing 3-1 and Casanova's job as coach was virtually over. the Marek took matters into their own hands. First flags were launched onto the touchlines as the last ten years of frustration seemed to boil up. Next supporters streamed onto the pitch from the rows we had vacated. Some fans joined them from the Delacourt but they seemed more intent on taking selfies in the goalmouth as the fans headed for the players' entrance. The club seemed to have had an inkling that something like this might happen and the stewards immediately formed a barrier to protect the players who were all forced to seek refuge in the tunnel.
Even though the fans had invaded the pitch, none of the players were harmed and once the stewards began pushing them back the fans returned to the stands. This meant that there was a chance the LFP could be lenient: we could be thankful for small mercies!
Once calm had been restored and the pitch had been cleared of supporters and stewards there were announcements over the tannoy. I wasn't sure what they were saying but heard the word "fini". Alex and I debated whether it meant the game would finish or not. Whatever else had been said, it didn't please the ultras and the middle section of the Marek began to empty.
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| The empty middle section of the Marek post-ultras walkout. |
2-3!
However there was to be no happy ending for any of us as Superkev was denied his hat-trick by a fantastic save. The defence's misgivings were soon demonstrated once again. Brest put the game to rest with a cross that evaded each of the Lens defenders and was volleyed home by a single Brest attacker. 4-2. Another exodus began. Casa was on his way.
We headed to La Loco after the match but once again, the mood was subdued. Lens were second bottom, Tours the only team keeping them off the bottom with an inferior goal difference.
As good as it was to see everyone again at La Loco, we were quite pleased to escape the melancholy that had descended upon the town. We headed for Tourcoing, just outside Lille, which we had booked with the understanding that we could use it as a base to see Mouscron play Gent that evening. However, the Belgian football league had decided to move that game after we had booked the hotel. Another governing body to add to our hitlist!
In an eerily silent Tourcoing, we were directed to the only open bar in the town which was run by an elderly lady in a cocktail dress. The clientele were definitely of the older variety apart from a young couple who spent a lot of time arguing outside. Without a doubt this had been the most disappointing of my visits to the region. The fans and the club were down and the immediate future didn't look good. Casanova was indeed relieved of command but instead of walking, he would quietly sit out the rest of his contract. Eric Sikora, Captain Siko, was called upon to take over. The rumours that the club were negotiating with ex-Saint Etienne boss Christophe Galtier were way off the mark as he would have been extremely expensive and beyond the club's means. Not what the near 25 000 fans wanted to hear. How had the fifth-best supported team in France come to this?
The raised expectations after the Solferino take-over had probably contributed to this latest sense of dissatisfaction so what would they do to right the boat? The looming transfer window deadline could answer this. Me? I would be back in April, hoping for better...no... praying for better!
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| You thought British tarmac-ers were lazy! |
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| It was a pleasure meeting representatives of the KSO93 who thought we were mad for coming over. By Sunday morning we totally agreed with them. |
