Racing Club de Lens was inspired by England.
Following the (surprise) departure of Florent Ghisolfi - the architect of the Lensois sports project - at OGC Nice, the Sang et Or carried out a major reorganization on Thursday: former head of the recruitment unit, Grégory Thill was given the reins of technical management but above all, Franck Haise, until then coach, was promoted to “general manager”, a position widespread across the Channel.
This (also) rapid and bold reaction obviously aims to secure "
the technical and sporting framework
", exactly as the club's players have requested, according to the revelations published by
L'Équipe
this Friday.
To discover
Calendar and results Ligue 1
League 1 standings
Now placed at the center of the Lensois project
It is also an opportunity for artesian training to launch a new dynamic.
Better, to enter a new era to continue its development.
"
This new course of sports governance has been operated in a structured way, with the sincere support of everyone and meets the objective of allowing the club to consolidate its performance and strengthen its ambition for the coming seasons
", explained Arnaud Pouille. , the general manager of Lens.
And with this “English-style” restructuring, Franck Haise is now placed at the center of the Sang et Or project. The 51-year-old technician, who has also extended his contract until June 2027, must “
register in the transmission and the long-term vision without this interfering with his missions as main coach
“, according to the terms used by the artesian direction.
Read alsoLigue 1: restructuring at RC Lens with Franck Haise in the lead
A new difficult role but which is not totally foreign to him, in the sense that his prerogatives were not until then strictly limited to the field.
“
For a while, he went beyond just coaching, a job that already has a lot of responsibility.
We had a lot of discussions with Florent Ghisolfi
,
on recruitment, the workforce
, he said to journalists.
There was already a form of transversality in my work
.”
Stripes in (very) little time
If the appointment of the former coach of the reserve team to the post of general manager is surprising, because it generates a complete reorganization of the club, the fact that the Lensois leaders decide to rely more on his skills appears natural.
Because in the space of two and a half years, the former Stade Lavallois player has largely demonstrated them.
Arrived on the bench of Racing Club de Lens at the end of February 2020, replacing Philippe Montanier, he contributed to the rise in Ligue 1 by obtaining two successes, just before the end of the Ligue 2 championship dictated by the pandemic of the Covid-19.
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Above all, for the return of the Sang et Or to the French elite, he created a sensation by snatching an astonishing seventh place, at the gates of Europe, while deploying a game of intensity and spectacle.
Same thing last season, with another seventh position in the standings and fun matches to watch.
Since the start of the new fiscal year, it seems that his team - undefeated until their loss against LOSC last Sunday (1-0) - has passed a milestone, despite the departure of Jonathan Clauss, who left for Olympique de Marseille during the off-season.
Currently, she is in a remarkable fourth place.
And she could well temporarily climb on the podium if she wins, at home, this Saturday evening (9 p.m.) against Montpellier HSC.
Finish in the top three places
is undoubtedly the ambition of the Sang et Or in the long term.
With Franck Haise at their head, it is a goal that seems clearly achievable.
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