On the eve of the resumption of training, Paris FC has formalized the arrival of Thierry Laurey, as we announced on June 11.
The former Strasbourg coach (57) has signed a two-year contract (plus one year in the event of a climb) and will be accompanied by his assistant Fabien Lefevre.
He met this Sunday during a meeting with the rest of the staff, Romain Peyrusqué (2nd assistant), Mickaël Boully (goalkeeper coach) and Jeannot Akakpo (physical trainer) who was already there this season.
Is it a bit of a surprise to see you at Paris FC in L2?
THIERRY LAUREY.
Yes and no. In L1, I think some presidents did not want to work with me. I could have found a project abroad but I had to wait. But you know, I'm 57 and I don't pretend to say that I absolutely had to find a job in L1. I am not disappointed or frustrated to find myself in L2. When I look at myself in the mirror in the morning, I don't necessarily dream of coaching a Top 4 or Top 6 club in L1. Me, I am above all a man of project, who likes to make progress and to climb the ranks at a club. I spent three and a half years at Gazélec Ajaccio, five years in Strasbourg. I like to build. Helping to grow Paris FC and participate in an adventure that can be intoxicating, that suits me very well. I spent most of my coaching career in L2, it's a championship that I appreciate.
You have also said that "the L2 is the L1 without the circus around" ...
It's exactly that. I find myself more in the spirit of Ligue 2. I share the words of Jean-Marc Furlan who had declared that he preferred to play the leading roles, to set up a project in L2 than to suffer in L1. For a coach or a player, everything around the pitch in Ligue 1 can have the effect of a distorting mirror. There is a media ubiquity that can sometimes be exaggerated. You need so much content that you forget the substance and the technical aspect. In some shows, we just talk for the sake of talking. I know the sometimes caricatural image that the press wanted to give me. It's the game… But what matters to me is the terrain. I'm not looking for light, what I like is having fun on a daily basis with my staff and my group, having a common vision.
What conclusions do you draw from your five seasons in Strasbourg?
I am proud of the work done and of my record in Strasbourg.
This last season has been tiring but we managed to straighten the team and save ourselves.
It is a great satisfaction.
In Strasbourg, there was an extraordinary popular enthusiasm.
I had 5 wonderful seasons.
In terms of enthusiasm, moving from Meinau to Charléty, it will change you ...
I know where I'm going.
That does not bother me.
I know how to adapt.
I know the Charléty stadium, the public is a bit far from the field.
But if there are results, it will come.
What attracted me to Paris was this whole project.
I had great encounters with President Pierre Ferracci who really knows where he wants to take his club or sports director Frédéric Hébert.
The training center is beautiful.
There is everything to work well and be ambitious.
For 2-3 years, Paris FC has gained credibility.
Paris FC finished 5th this season.
The goal will necessarily be to do better?
I would first like to salute the work of René Girard.
Finishing 5th is already a good performance.
I have already experienced two climbs in L1 with Gazélec and Strasbourg.
I know very well that going up to L1 cannot be ordered and cannot be done with a simple wave of a magic wand.
You have to build a coherent project and move your group forward.
We need the planets to be properly aligned.
That's why I don't put any pressure.
I prefer to talk about a project over 2 or 3 years.
I expect the season to be very difficult and perhaps finishing 5th will be good already.
Have you been able to start assessing the current workforce?
Yes, we have already watched a lot of games from last season. There is a group in place, which will of course have to be improved, but there is already talent. I will take the time to meet everyone before going on an internship at Île de Ré on June 27. I validated certain choices for recruitment. Among the players at the end of their contract, our wish is already to keep Vincent Demarconnay as goalkeeper. There are also a lot of young people in the workforce and that's one side that I appreciate as well. I started my coaching career as a trainer in Montpellier, Fabien (Lefevre) my assistant, too. In Strasbourg, I have launched a lot of young people in recent years like Fofana and Simakian. I look forward to discovering and advancing the treasures of the Paris region.
