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 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 Cup but then getting sacked after 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 been a great success. Now most of the players signed in the previous season 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 because everyone 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 spoilt 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 at 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 me so decided to give up my seat. This was definitely a day for overhearing great conversations as I was 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 passengers eased the pressure on the seating and I was able to sit down again next to 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 and were they worth watching. 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.
Outside Lens station, 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 Israeli national team and clubs competing. ‘Hypocrites’ 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. 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 the 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 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?
Yet again I was amazed by David's son was making the most of being in The Marek. Complete with his inherited "Shoppi" inherited vintage shirt, he and his young friend looked so comfortable hanging on the fences, joining in the chants, twirling his scarf. He was living every tackle, shot and save as much as we were: if not more. Terrace scenes like these are not common in England any more but here, he had no intention of jumping onto the pitch or causing any trouble. He just wanted to support his team. In the same way children had done in the 1980s, lining the fences waiting for that final whistle to celebrate the victory.
‘His’ shirt from 1990 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 such 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, they must not be put off or 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!
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 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 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.
The score was irrelevant, although I think the veterans had the edge. A number of younger Frémont players made things interesting but the likes of Eric Sikora had too much game awareness. Pierre, Yannick and I had to leave before the end of the game as we were invited to a birthday barbecue nearby.
Although we started outside, the coats were quickly brought out followed by a move indoors for food and 'entertainment'. This basically consisted of music from the 90s (mostly English Britpop) blaring out while the host demanded that we all danced to this "Great English music". I was in my element. Every time someone sat down he would drag them up to 'dance'. I would need time to recover from this one.
Nice and warm... it is the end of August!
Getting back to Pierre's early next morning, I was looking forward to a lie in, but it had been a pleasure to have taken another step in cementing Ch'ti - Geordie relations.
The final day was a recovery day. Pierre dropped me off in Lille centre so I wandered around until I could check into my hotel. Needless to say, Lille had a new set of art exhibitions...
Had the region been donated a set of shipping containers? Lens had used theirs to create new friteries and disco spots around the ground... but 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 eaten so I returned back to my hotel for some scrolling and sleeping before the early start home the next day.
May 2026: Lens v Nantes
The joie-de-vivre was continuing. Lens were second only to QSG and apart from the odd blip (losing 3-0 in Lille), were the veritable dream to support. Exciting football was combined with great moments of skill, mostly from Thauvin, and from top to bottom, from president to players, everyone was singing from the same hymn sheet. Transfer deadline day had seen the unexpected arrival of another former Newcastle United player: St Maximin.
One of my favourite players from recent times, a real character: dazzling at times, invisible in others. He had been playing in Mexico for Club America, but things hadn't worked out for him. When his family were subjected to racist abuse, he decided to leave South America and come 'home'. Maxi had been a bit of a nomad since leaving Newcastle, where he'd stayed for four years, until he was offered a megabucks salary in Saudi Arabia. He lasted one season there before moving to Fenerbahce and his short stay at Club America. Needless to say, the Mexicans were not best pleased with Maxi. A good amount of abuse followed him to Lens: not that that bothered us. How long before we were all wearing headbands and growing braids? Well, me at least.
The LFP had annoyed many in the Lens area and beyond when they decided to ease the pressure on QSG as they marched towards another Champions' League final. This time, the big showdown against Paris would now take place midweek, in between tonight's game and Lens' trip to Lyon. There was unrest amongst a good number of French footie fans; who didn't support Paris SG's mollycoddling by the Ligue 1 committee. Maybe there should have been a bigger outcry when Strasbourg, in the Europa Conference, weren't extended the same privilege. I'm sure there was a protest somewhere in France about it, but that must have passed me by.
I had more important things to think about, like getting a Coupe Nationale ticket. Pierre was bouncing around with excitement. Troyes had been dispatched 4-2 before the huge task of having to beat Lyon at the Groupama stadium. As the big quarter-final clash approached, the all-conquering Lyonnais had a slight wobble, losing in Strasbourg (3-1) then at Marseille (2-1). Only QSG and Toulouse had come away with victories at Lyon's home stadium, and that included the Europa League as well as Ligue 1.
Sage's boys tore into them and were 2-0 up with Thauvin and loanee Abdallah Sima scoring in a fabulous first-half display. Sage's tactical wizardry outwitted Lyon as Lens dominated play. A Yaremchuk goal for the home side was just reward for Lyon's second-half improvement and there looked to be utter heartbreak for the small collection of Lens fans who'd made the midweek journey when Rémi Himbert scored in the 94th minute to force a penalty shootout. Naturally fearing the worst, there was great consternation in many households when each Lens player perfectly converted their penalties before Lyon's Moussa Niakhaté saw his sudden death penalty saved by the growing legend: Lens' Robin Risser. It was, who else, but Thauvin who stepped up to put Lens into the semi-final.
A triumphant display at Bollaert to the tricky, and often under-rated, Toulouse saw Lens cruise 4-1 into their first Coupe Nationale finale since 1998. The victory signalled a pitch invasion and great celebrations that hadn't been witnessed since that League-winning year. Yannick's son, with his optimistic banner declaring Lens would get to the final, featured pride of place on the celebration photos as players took their turn to celebrate with his flag. If Pierre had been in dreamland before, he had certainly left the planet after this win. For my part, I had already had the discussion with Odessa about "What happens if Lens get to the final..." and that seemed to have gone well. She had seemed quite agreeable to the idea... but then maybe catching her at a moment when she was half asleep and would agree to anything as long as I let her sleep, was the best idea. Of course, she later denied any knowledge of the so-called discussion taking place!
Alex and I had booked this weekend with the expectation that it would take place, as had traditionally happened, on the Saturday. But no! QSG had to mess this weekend up as well! To avoid Paris being tired after their Champions' League Semi-final, ah bless, all fixtures would take place on the Sunday, which we hadn't booked for. Thankfully, because Lens were due to play Paris the following Wednesday, they would play their final home game on Friday night, which we had booked for. Ben from the RC Lens UK division had also decided to join us for the weekend and had to do a bit of rearranging, but as the weekend arrived, we were all organised for the Lens-Nantes game on the Friday.
Early Friday morning, a wife full of cold getting ready for work was furious with me after dreaming about how I'd been telling her how excited I was at seeing my new French girlfriend tonight. Thankfully I was able to reassure her that there was no hot Frenchie waiting for me and that Pierre, Yannick, Alex and Ben had no desires on me whatsoever, which she found surprisingly easy to believe. Next, a wasp flew into the shower room, and there was an incident with a bowl of blueberries and a flying spoonful of corn flakes. Both had to be dealt with before I left the house. However, I eventually caught the usual early-morning Metro to Newcastle and train to Kings Cross. For some reason, my organisational skills had not been what they normally were, and it was a last-minute change of train to replace my Friday trip from Kings Cross to Newcastle with a one beginning at Newcastle and vice versa for the return trip. Thankfully, I was able to find the correct tickets at a reasonable price: someone was smiling upon me.
Alex, on the other hand, was waking up in Lille after taking Thursday off as well. Lucky bugger! The team news was that Sage was resting the likes of Thauvin and Maxi and the midfield would feature a young Andrija Bulatovic partnered with Amadou Haidara, signed from Leipzig on the opening day of January's transfer window. Neither had featured much over the season so today was very much a suck-it-and-see scenario. Edouard was replaced by Sima. There was a starting spot for Saïd. It could either go spectacularly wrong or right.
Eurostar check-in and customs was the usual chaos, especially when a male passenger flew into rage after rage when he was asked to remove one piece of jewellery at a time until the metal scanner would finally let him through. He was in a right grump as he plunged into the only available seat in the Eurostar lounge area. We were soon joined by many Southampton youth footballers, who arrived in particularly unattractive snot-green tracksuits. They were followed by West Ham youth in their more minimalist, but smarter, cream with blue trim and QPR's all-black featureless tracksuits made up the trio. Each group eyed up the other surreptitiously like the scene from Ron Burgundy where the different news teams all converge for a fracas. Thankfully, nothing kicked off. It was Youth Euro Tournament season, obviously.
When the platform number was announced, I shuffled along to board the Eurostar and for the first time ever, I was greeted by a completely empty coach. For that one moment, I was the only one that mattered in that enclosed space. The coach was 100% Lensois. it felt so good; if only for that one brief moment.
Arriving on platform 1 at Lille Flandres station, it was obvious that SNCF was going all out to impress me by bringing a touch of nature to this concrete and steel-dominated structure. I couldn't see evidence of this environmentally-friendly approach on any other part of the station, so I assumed that either it was for the benefit of the denizens of Lens or that it was the only platform with direct sunlight. I preferred the former, naturally.
I ignored the fact that both the palm tree and the Acer tree had been redesigned by the pigeons, but it was great to see they had made that effort: the SNCF and the pigeons!
Finally, I was on the final leg to Lens. The carriage was filling up with Lens fans. Like a secret society, disguises were discarded and "Allez Lens" exchanged. Once on the train, we were no longer on enemy soil so colours were proudly unveiled and furtive glances replaced by smiles and chat. The warm and fuzzy feeling grew as the train pulled out.
Enjoying the sight of Lille disappearing behind us, I was drawn to the grasses bordering the train tracks, swaying in the train's wake but never daring to encroach on the track for fear of being crushed by wheels or thrashed by carriages. They reminded me of the Lens fans waiting on the touchlines at the semi-final, ready to charge onto the pitch to celebrate reaching the Stade de France and the Coupe Nationale final. I closed my eyes once again, fans streaming across my blurring vision. As I drifted off again, I was wrapped up in the joy of that unbelievable night. Yannick's son and his banner, Pierre's home-made Coupe, in true Blue Peter style: cardboard and tin foil from the kitchen. Old school for the old guys (and their kids).
La Loco was a sight for sore eyes, and so was Alex getting in the Ch'tis.
A national holiday in France, Victory in Europe Day, the Lens fans looked to have made the most of the opportunity, and La Loco was packed. Nevertheless, two Ch'tis and a couple of Merguez Americains later, we were ready for anything. The sun beat down on 'our little town' to add to the building carnival atmosphere.
Outside the town hall, we met up with Ben, amongst the fans who were gathering for a 'final' march to the stadium. There was quite a throng around all sorts of stalls set up by the Ultras to occupy the growing masses before the procession began.
Rue d'Emile Basly was even more packed as we made our way to Chez Muriel for potentially the last time. A buyer had been found, and Muriel was retiring from the bar she had visited as a seven-year-old with her dad, drinking Lemonade, before owning the bar for 47 happy years. Thankfully, the bar would still keep going under the ownership of another Lens fan, originally from Portugal: José. Regulars were excited about the plans he had for the bar, but for now, it was still all about Muriel.
During the usual 'melee' to get into the Marek, Alex and I lost Pierre and the gang, so we took our places at the Trannin end; unchaperoned. The atmosphere had picked up a few notches since our last visit, as it really should have done, considering the performances the sold-out crowds had witnessed and the position of the team in the league. Oddly, there was no sign of Jérémie and his gang either. We were on our own. Although there was some great one-touch approach play on the pitch, there was a distinct lack of goal-scoring opportunities. Bulatovic and Haidara looked reasonably confident in the midfield, so hopefully, it was just a case of them bedding in.
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Into the second half, we decided to stand at the front of the Marek at the Delacourt end, to avoid the flags obscuring our view of the far goal. As the game continued, we were treated to a fine example of an apprenticeship at work. At the front of the Marek, with his top off and chest out, scarf wrapped around his neck and baseball cap on backwards. He mirrored, exactly, every action the Capos did and his knowledge of every chant was precise. He urged the others above him (because he was small and also looking up at the terracing) with such fervour, there was no doubting what his chosen leisure time activity would be in adulthood. He was certainly putting everything into his role.
On the pitch, the team turned it up a gear. Nantes, needing to win to stand any chance of staying in Ligue 1, found it hard to match the extra gear Lens had found for themselves. A disallowed 'offside' effort from Wesley Saïd was the first warning. This was followed by Abdallah Sima, signed at the start of the season from Brighton (after many loan spells around the UK and also Angers and Brest), who controlled the ball, bore down on goal before sublimely slotting past Anthony Lopes, ex-Lyon stalwart goalie. Our friend went wild, as did we, even though he'd not seen a thing (too devoted to his duty). Then Mr VAR stepped in to disallow it because the ball had brushed against his arm, which was against his chest. Fury erupted from Mini-Capo. Outraged!
On came Mezian Soares, the son of Lens coach and former player Walid Mesloub. Bulatovic bustled his way into the box, laid the ball off to the substitute, who slid the ball past the veteran Lopes and into the far corner. First few seconds of his debut, first touches and first goal. Not bad.
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