Lame Duck Lemerre Staying Till June 30th (unless we find someone else before then)

February 14th, 2008 | by: Rami |

Forgive me if my reporting of the Roger Lemerre situation has been confusing. One second he’s staying, the next he’s out, and now he’s back (kind of). While most of the blame rests on the contradictory bits of news regarding the subject, perhaps I should have held off until we got official word. Anyhow, my apologies.

There’s been lots of talk in recent days about what was going on behind the scenes at these FTF meetings and there has finally been official word from the members of the federation that Lemerre’s contract, which expires June 30th 2008, will not be renewed. I’m not exactly breathing a sigh or relief because this was somewhat expected.

Given that this information was relayed at an official press conference attended by the top dogs of Tunisian football, we can safely say that this is believable info. Furthermore, Mr. Jalel Tekaya, president of the Federal Commision of Competitions and the Federal Commision of Football (damn thats a long title), says that “if we find a new coach before June 30th, Roger Lemerre and his staff will leave.” Ok, good to know.

So there it is, Lemerre will be in the awkward situation of being a coach with an axe over his head. Kind of like a lame duck presidency. You know, when a president enters the last few months of his term and decides that he suddenly wants to fix everything wrong with the world because there’s no time to do it and no one will blame him for failing. Maybe that’s pushing it but you get what I’m saying. I don’t think Lemerre will try to sabotage our team or anything but it’s gonna be weird to play under the guy knowing that he’s got one foot out the door. The Cote d’Ivoire game is official as far as I know (it’s on the FIFA website) and he could very still be in place when it happens…

At first I was kind of wondering why we would even keep him for this limited time but I think the contractual situation had something to do with it. Plus I think the FTF is thinking, let’s get our moneys worth if we’re gonna pay him anyways. No use in paying for a vacation right? It’s not a perfect situation but I understand it nevertheless. The press conference also announced a panel which would start our coaching search but a lot of people are saying that they won’t be discussing much since they’re just waiting on Bertrand Marchand’s Etoile contract to expire this summer.

That’s some serendipitous timing huh? I think the guy is the ideal candidate. I like his demeanor and watching him on TV you can tell that he’s not annoyed to be talking to inquisitive reporters. He gives his answers and even smiles and laughs. That’s not why we’d pick him of course but it would go a long way towards healing the wounds left behind by a coach who doesn’t understand the concept of public relations. Plus going for a person that was just voted best French coach for 2007 a few months ago isn’t the worst idea in the world.

It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds. I’m just glad we’re getting some kind of clarity at long last.

Saber Ben Frej Introduced at Le Mans

Here are some pictures and excerpts from the press conference. Also pictures of the training. I’m happy he hasn’t lost the smile despite being far from home. I’m very excited for him. It’s weird seeing him with Esperance colors though! Click on the Thumbnails to see the full size pics. If you want more check here and here.

Henri Legarda: “These are players that fit our strategy for the club. They represent both the future of the club. Saber Ben Frej, as previously Antonio Geder, is the need Rudi Garcia who wanted men of experience . True to what we do at Muc 72 for years, Khaled Adenon is a bet on the future. He is an international and can bring something this season”

Rudi Garcia: “We have already seen in training Khaled and our impressions were the same as those that we had in the past or CAN. He is a rigorous defender with qualities of aggression in the right direction of the term. He loves the duels and also can play in several positions. Saber Ben Frej is an experienced player who is able to bring a lot to his team offensively. It has been proven at the top level whether in club or in selection. Both players returned to the staff this season and will ardently defend their luck. place I at the same level as the players of the workforce today. ”

Saber Ben Frej: “Let me now thank the President Legarda and Rudi Garcia who gave me their trust. It’s superb for me to move ahead in France and at a team like Le Mans. Already I feel at ease in the club. Roger Lemerre advised me to come here and he told me all the good about MUC 72. He congratulated me and wished me luck for this challenge. He may come one day to see me in Le Mans! ”

Présentation officielle de Saber Ben Frej
Uploaded by sam13007

Chikhaoui in Bild

These Germans are breathing hot and heavy over our rising star. Let’s hope he gives them a show today. The article doesn’t tell us more than we already know but it’s nice to just hear all sorts of scouts and commentators drooling over his technical skills. Not sure why they had to put something about how he’s a practicing Muslim underneath his picture… I guess they saw the video about him during Ramadan on youtube. Not that big a deal just a strange choice for a picture commentary. Anyhow, go Yassine!

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http://www.nextsoccerstar.com nextsoccerstar.com

I never quite knew what to make of Lemerre going to Tunisia. By rights he should have done very well, but does he have the hunger? You probably need a younger, more ambitious man.
http://tunisia.worldcupblog.org/ Rami

He did great with us at first and employed a counter attacking strategy that saw us win our first continental title in 2004 but I think you’re right, we just need more ambition. Someone who can inspire the players and make them believe they can beat anyone. Sadly his tactical choices of late just left a lot of people wondering. I give him thanks for what he’s done and just hope that our next coach can move us in the right direction. We have a great generation of youngsters who can take us very far.
TUNISIYA

I agree with you guys, he started really good in coaching at the beginning but we need someone who could offer better moral support and enthusiasm for the team. I have question do you know when are they going to announce the new coach?
http://tunisia.worldcupblog.org/ Rami

Apparently it could happen at any time but for now Lemerre remains in place. There’s no timetable set but clearly the date we’re aiming for is hopefully before June 30th when Lemerre’s contract expires. The messed up thing is that world cup qualifying starts before that date. We have like 4 matches or something before that.

Our primary group isn’t hard (I think it’s Burundi, Seychelles, and Burkina Faso) but I wish we had someone in place before that so that he could put his stamp on the team during these matches. The second round of qualifying will not be a walk in the park. Remember how we scraped through against Morocco last time? I don’t want that to happen again.

It’s really not clear what will happen but as Jalel Tekaya said, if we find someone before that date we will sign them. Thing is, if we’re waiting on Marchand like I think we are, that’s not gonna happen. Lemerre is a professional though and he will coach the team to the best of his abilities during our qualifiers if he’s still around. It’s not ideal but thats what happens when you don’t take timing into account when you create a contract…
Rachid

Coaching is really not rocket science! This approach of doing things by the FTF is really quite sickening! Why not get rid of the guy now? The mere sight of him at the sidelines bothers me. The entire Tunisian population want him out. If he had any shame, he’d have left long ago! Why is there such a huge lack of transparency? It seems to me they went to Ghana with no real goal set, so when we were kicked out at the 1/8 finals, nobody could tell if that was good or bad. I feel sorry our players have to put up with this tyranny. Enough is enough!!!
http://egypt.worldcupblog.org tamim

is chickaoui going to hamburg??????
http://tunisia.worldcupblog.org/ Rami

They’re interested but a lot of teams are too Tamim. He had a pretty bad game yesterday though so I don’t know how much that impressed them! He’s definitely not going anywhere until this summer though, The Zurich president said that. I’m going to talk about it in my next blog entry. Not a big deal as one game doesn’t make or break your reputation but I have to say I was disappointed for him because I wanted him to do well on the european stage. Germans are convinced his next stop is their country. Only time will tell…
http://egypt.worldcupblog.org tamim

i am asking because i am confused.if they buy him, what will they do with mohamed zidan???.best of luck for him.
http://tunisia.worldcupblog.org/ Rami

Oh I understand Tamim, haha. Thinking about your boy huh? I don’t blame you but no worries man. I think they could fit both of them in a team. Chikhaoui likes to play behind the attackers and invent. He was misused in the African cup. He has the ability to play striker but I honestly don’t believe it’s his position and he’s stated his preference for the attacking midfield position. From what I could tell Zidan is a center forward right? He could spearhead the attack while Chikhaoui came up to support…
http://tunisia.worldcupblog.org/ Rami

Oh btw, Rachid, forgot to answer you. It’s fine man, I read in La Presse today that Lemerre is ready to bounce whenenver we get someone to replace him. He’s gonna get his money one way or another so it doesn’t matter to him I think… Still though, I see why you’re worried about the FTF given it’s recent track record and hiring principles. I think they don’t want to rush into a new contract and make the same mistakes they did last time around so they’re going to study this issue at the correct pace. Maybe they realize they’ve been messing up. That’s a start I think.

If they’re waiting on Marchand though it doesn’t make much sense to fire Lemerre now while we’re still preparing. He did good work in Tunisia besides the mistakes we all know about. There were things behind the scenes like setting up the youth academy in Borj Sedria that lead to our U17 team doing so well in South Korea this summer. He was one of the people that inspired that based on Clairefontaine in France. As much as we love to hate him, he does actually take his work seriously. I understand your frustration nevertheless. We’re all going to get our wish for a new coach. It’s just a matter of time.
http://www.worldcupblog.org/daily-dose/daily-dose-21508.html Daily Dose 2.15.08 – World Cup Blog – African Cup of Nations 2008

[...] Roger Lemerre is a lam duck (Tunisia Blog) [...]
Marco

Wow Rami ! That’s some solid work!

Kudos

Allez Tunisie !
http://tunisia.worldcupblog.org/ Rami

Thanks Marco! Your kudos are much appreciated
http://tunisia.worldcupblog.org/group-h/the-height-of-absurdity-bild-implies-chikhaoui-could-be-a-radical-muslim.html The Height of Absurdity: BILD Implies Chikhaoui Could be a Radical Muslim – Tunisia – African Cup of Nations 2008 – World Cup 2010

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