August 29th 2025 Lens v Brest
In the end, Lens had finished the 24-25 season five points behind Strasbourg, who qualified for the Europa Conference. Lens hadn't exactly set Europe alight the previous season so, as Pierre kept saying, we were concentrating on the Cup this season. Fat chance there, we all thought.
The big guns had gone... Medina to Marseille, initially on a year's loan and El Aynaoui to Roma (€23.5million). Matthew Ryan's brief stay in Northern France was also over as he departed for Levante. I was pleased to see M'Bala N'Zola depart back to Fiorentina. A forward who had never lived up to any expectations we may have had, there were also rumours of him unsettling the rest of the squad. Also on the way out was the nice haired Koyalipou. A player who had popped in with a four goals in 15 starts (including a surprise winner at Lyon), I had hoped that he might stay and become my new favourite with his dreadlocks but it was not to be. Also on his way, was forward Martin Satriano. Transferred for €5million euros from Inter Milan, he seemed to have spent the whole year on the sidelines, injured. In fact his last five years had been spent at five clubs. Only 24 years old, he was too young to be called a journeyman but was doing a very good impression of it. He appeared in seven games for Lens and scored in none of them.
Seko Fofana's ex-foil, Samed went straight from an unsuccessful loan spell at Sunderland to see if reuniting with Franck Haise at Nice revived his fortunes. Andy Diouf, who had struggled to make an impact, left for Inter Milan for an incredible €20million, in my opinion, so hopefully the club's coffer's were looking a bit healthier.
Will Still's rumoured departure to Southampton was quickly completed as he left to be closer to his wife, Sky Sports' Emma Saunders, who was battling encephalitis. I never felt he looked totally comfortable at Lens but had done a decent job during a difficult time.
I didn't know much about the new guy coming in but Pierre Sage sounded like a great French name to have. Sage translating into English as 'wise' also could be a plus point. The 46-year old had been at Lyon for a year, leading them to the Europa League, as runners-up in the french FA Cup but then getting sacked after a a poor run of form the following January. A Lyon fan I talked to, in a car rental, whilst on holiday said he liked him, so that was good enough for me.
Of the players who arrived, I knew very little about any of them. Robin Risser arrived for €3million from Strasbourg. On loan to Ligue 2 outfit, Red Star, the previous year, he had also appeared for France's Under 21s; a player with potential? Also arriving was defender Samson Baidoo from RB Salzburg, another goalkeeper, Regis Gurtner from Amiens, defenders Matthieu Udol(Metz €3.5m) and Saud Abdulhamid (Roma - 2.5m), midfielder Mamadou Sangaré (SK Rapid - €8m) and forward Odsonne Edouard (Crystal Palace - €3.7m).
I had no idea about any of them, just as I had the previous transfer window, which hadn't beena great success. Now most of the players signed were leaving for pastures new. The one exception was Malang Sarr. A defender, who had played for Porto, Chelsea and Monaco briefly, he had taken time to settle and despite a few crucial errors had grown in confidence towards the end of the year. Could he be the rock the team needed?
One transfer in the middle of August did raise the temperature a touch, if only people knew who he was. After a successful 3 seasons at Udinese, winger Florian Thauvin was on his way to Lens in a €6m deal. Signing the 32-year-old was certainly a gamble but if it came off, it could be a master stroke. The world cup winner in 2018, had drifted out of the limelight and hadn't appeared for France since 2021... there was interest among the fans but many were keeping their cards close to their chests on this one.
With talk being dominated by the lack of a TV deal and the fact that Ligue 1 was being transmitted via a subscription service handled solely by the LFP, clubs were being told not to count on any tv money when handing in their financial predictions for the year to those nice people at the DNCG. Yes Lens' finances might be in a healthier state, but did we have a competent team? The jury was out on that one too.
A relatively calm and tranquil trip South was broken up only by a man, talking loudly into his phone for his whole journey, suddenly falling asleep and snoring loudly before waking up just as we reached Peterborough. Obviously his stop, he bolted up then raced off just as the doors were about to close. His close call with karma made at least half the carriage smile.
At St Pancras, my obsession with JB continued but this time, when the lady I'd asked to take my photo took it, she hadn't noticed that her son was in the photo, trying to look like he wasn't in it but very definitely in it. With his hands firmly planted on knees stance, he looked straight at the camera as if to say to his mum: what is the man doing and what am I supposed to do? And...can we go get some food?After thanking them both for their patience, I set about editing my latest attempt at 'humour'. After promising to take JB with me on numerous occasions, he was finally going to get away.
With JB in my hand, and any small boys edited out of the photo, it was time to head for the Eurostar.
Through customs, there was a distinct absence of repetitive instructions being relayed so all was quite calm. There were no Scotsmen or School trips so I was able to find a seat quite easily. It was all very chilled. Sitting down, I was forced to listen to an extremely posh lady on the phone next to me agonising over whether to keep her London flat or move to her one in South Africa. What a dilemma! Some people have it tough!
On my other side a lady was sketching the people sitting opposite. It was while I was admiring her work that a slightly beefy fart wafted from over her direction. My interest in her creations suddenly dissipated... I noticed that an elderly person was standing next to my so decided to give my seat up. This was definitely a day for great conversations as I was next treated to another person recalling how their dad had been a radio operator for Monty in North Africa during the second world war.
A sudden exodus of not one but two sets of Paris-bound passenger eased the pressure on the seating and I was able to sit down again next a Belgian lady. "Watch my toes!" she urged me before yawning in a theatrically over-the-top kind of way. I resisted the temptation to ask what they did. As we waited, she repeated this phrase to everyone who came anywhere near her. It really was a strange group today.
Rescued by the arrival of my Eurostar, I tried to close my eyes for a bit. I woke up to an ongoing game of I Spy. A young lad was telling his sister he could spy a poo, but he wasn't going to tell her what type it was. Kids are great! Lille station couldn't come quick enough, I decided.
I was pleased to see that the ongoing tragedy in Gaza was not being ignored as two women waved flags and passed out leaflets on the genocide that was taking place. The phrase "two wrongs don't make a right" always springs to mind when I think about the conflict. The Isreali response to the events of the 7th October was certainly way over the top but when the government I had voted for was continuing to sell British-made weapons to kill so many civilians, men, women and children, that showed how unfair the situation had become. Fifa had compounded things by banning Russia from competitions for invading Ukraine but doing nothing to stop the Isreali national team and clubs competing. Hypocrits does not go far enough in my opinion.
Pierre arrived to rescue me from my downward spiral! It was beer-o-clock: the match was only 3 hours away. Continuing the theme of dogs in a French bar, it was a real cracker who came to look after us as we joined Yannick and Rudolph. Part-wolf-part-dog, (s)he was a fine addition to the bar and seemed quite content just to lie there next to our table, A gentle reminder for us to make sure we settled the bill before leaving?
David joined us soon after with his 10-year-old son, who was totally at home with the lads' footie banter. Nothing was mentioned about paté knives, trains, handcuffs or English police so maybe that was a part of David's past he kept hidden from his family. What happened in England stayed in England. His son regularly joined in with chat though: I was well impressed! I am pretty sure the 10-year-old me wouldn't have been able to sit still for five minutes, never mind an hour or so... in fact the 56-year-old me was getting restless after an hour so he'd definitely earned his Scouts' badge for politeness and decorum.
The chat centred around Thauvin... what impact would he have: if any? The French international had been substitute in the 0-1 opening day defeat at home to Lyon and looked tidy when he had come on for the last 23 minutes and when starting against Le Havre. But could he last the whole game? Robin Risser on the other hand, had made a good start in goal. The young French international had come up with some extremely impressive saves in both the opening two games and been instrumental in securing all three points in a 2-1 win in Le Havre.
In these days of e-tickets, there was no need to meet Jean-Marie, or anyone else for that matter, outside the ground so I was able to head straight with the others into the stadium. It was obvious that a lot had been done to improve the stadium... from named fronts on all the bars and friteries to the jazzily coloured prison-style turnstiles: red and yellow of course.
Maybe it is the fact that I am looking older and not so manic (medication is a great thing) but my last few entries into Le Stade have been pretty simple... no searches or salivating dogs. Murals galore adorned the once-bare concrete walls ... although I'm not sure JB was that impressed.
I think he'd spotted the latest craze in Lens for helicopter hats... had a child had got themselves stuck on the ceiling ?
The jury was still out when Brest took the lead, Risser beaten by a neat move. Despite Lens pushing for an equaliser, the Brest defence held firm. Memories of previous visits when I had witnessed Brest upset the applecart returned with a vengeance. We had Risser to thank for keeping the score to 1-0. Young striker Ryan Fofana missed a great chance to equalise after the excellent old-boy Adrien Thomasson slipped the ball into his path.
We decided to head to the Delacourt End of the Marek for the second half and on the way we were treated to the sight of new self-service beer machines. There was great demand for them... were the Lens fans trying to drown their sorrows? Probably not at the strength of those beers.
This team under Pierre Sage was still finding out what it wanted to be and how it wanted to play and although I didn't want to be optimistic (it's not in my nature) I had hope that something would happen in the second half. From the Capos to the fans there was a more hopeful ambience. There wasn't the same forced urgency to lift the team from the last couple of years. Passion, yes, drive yes, but I just had the feeling there was a growing confidence being nurtured.
A piece of craziness followed in the second half as Brest keeper Radoslaw Majecki decided to take out Fofana. He was sent off with a straight red for his above-waist high tackle. After a nervous wait, VAR decided the contact was inside the penalty area. It gave Thauvin the chance to guide the ball under replacement keeper, Gregoire Coudet's body. Playing against 10 men proved to be to the home team's liking although Coudet was determined to have his say. The substitute was performing miracles to keep Brest level but could do nothing after a blocked Mamadou Sangaré strike; sub Morgan Guilavogui volleying home. The icing on the cake was provided by Thomassen, who slid the ball into the far corner of the net from loanee Saud Abdulhamid's cross. Maybe the incoming players were going to make a difference, after all?
His shirt from1990 was having a new lease of life; something that the modern world of football doesn't want to encourage? Will the replica kits of today still be in a good state thirty years from now? He is the future of the game and shows what a great future football in Lens can have. We need more like him. Just like the families that dominate the women's game because it is cheaper, they must not be priced out of the game. There will still be plenty of fans wanting to buy the latest shirt but variety is the spice of life. Not everyone needs to be the same.
It was great to see the return of the Marek clapping , with players and fans enjoying celebrating together. After all, a shot ratio of 30 against 9 is a great reason to be positive. The beginning of a Lens family feeling was returning!
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Evidence of the club trying to entice the fans to stay at the ground after the match was to be found as we walked past the disco block, handily placed above a friterie. A small group of fans were enjoying the disco beats while the rest took their seats in the usefully covered tables...
The fears of the bars in the surrounding town is that fans will stay at these new venues and not venture away from the ground. In Newcastle, the club have built a 'social hub', in conjunction with one of their sponsors, out of shipping containers. featuring a stage, seating and tables, multiple bars and street food vendors under a retractable roof so it can be used all year round. Bars and restaurants in the city centre have also complained about this new complex, called The Stack, claiming that it was taking away their trade. You wonder what is the solution to clubs trying to bring in more revenue. Most fans live outside of city centres so why not encourage them to get to the ground early, stay a little later? Not all fans will want to hang around the ground and have their favourite spots to go so will they all suddenly stop wandering into the towns and cities?
For me the big problem is when clubs replace season ticket holders for people visiting on an occasional basis... dare I say encourage football tourism? I'm a fine one to say anything about tourists but I have enjoyed the Lens that exists beyond the club... not the one presented by the club, for better and worse. I have discovered the real people who have welcomed me into their hearts and homes therefore I hope that the towns and cities will find more innovative ways to attract customers, new and old. For me there is nothing better than the personal touch that little bars and restaurants can provide. There is no doubt that an entertainment complex based around the football club will be a big draw on match days. However, clubs will need to be sensitive to the towns that surround them and feed them. Time will tell whether that is the case.
For me, a trip to Lens wouldn't be the same without a visit to Chez Muriel and that's just where we were headed. There was no doubt that Lens was changing as we passed the silent rows of apartments under construction. Featureless, concrete blocks? I wouldn't dare to venture an opinion.
The next day, was definitely a one for community as we travelled to Frévent, a small town to the west of Arras. We were heading to the sporting complex there to see veteran Lens players' team take on the might of the town. The whole town seemed to have come out to mark the occasion as they looked to raise money for the local teams.
Had the region been donated a set of shipping continers? Lens had used theirs to create new friteries and disco locations around the ground... and Lille? I had absolutely no idea. I'm sure it must have meant something to the artist but was lost on me. Finally able to check into my usual spot in Lille, by the time I woke up, it was dark outside and my only thought was for food. I was glad to see that my mate at Pronto Pizza was still doing well, he seemed to be very busy tonight. Unfortunately, I had already had eaten so I returned back to my hotel for scrolling and sleeping before the early start home the next day.
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