Nice Premium: OGC is going through a tough period. What do you think about the current situation of the club?
Patrick Allemand: The situation is very worrying for all fans of the Gym. The recruitment has not really been a success, but the players are talented, since, save for one or two elements, we have the same starting team that had a remarkable season last year. A locker room player like Sammy Traoré is perhaps missing this season, it somewhat feels like there is no leader anymore. And above all, there was a lack of success from the beginning of the season, and doubt has gradually set in everyone’s minds. We see that the players are playing with the “handbrake” on and all the strokes of fate are against us. When you see that in Nantes Moussilou hits the post and then we concede a goal on the counterattack, at the 92nd minute, these are telltale signs. Fortunately, things can change very quickly in football and with the victory at 3 points no one is doomed to relegation as early as January. The great result snatched in Lyon could be the long-awaited catalyst.
NP: In your opinion, what could be the solution to avoid a crisis and relegation to Ligue 2?
PA: I don’t know, but OGC Nice is a SASP and the shareholders are decision-makers. What I do know is that Maurice Cohen has been doing a tremendous job since 2002. He brought the club back from the dead, stabilized it both sportively and financially, and restored credibility to OGC Nice in the national bodies, which was no small feat given the past. For this, he deserves to continue his work as decided by the board of directors.
NP: How do you see the future of the red and black house?
PA: Today it is difficult to be optimistic, but we must keep hope. Sportively, the club has the means to stay up. But there needs to be a sacred union behind the coach and the players. The supporters have a major role to play. They are the ones who can tip the scale in home games and restore confidence to the players. When the players and supporters are in harmony, it becomes very difficult to take points at the Ray. For the rest, I simply hope that the club will not fall back into the errors of the past and that it will retain a certain stability.
NP: Finally, do you have any idea of the maladies affecting the club this year when last year the future seemed calm, and especially the remedies to it?
PA: It’s difficult to comment when you’re not living day-to-day within the club. But the “false start” from President Cohen shows that there are dissensions in the executive team, which is never good. Sportively, the diagnosis seems fairly simple: the team is experiencing a crisis of confidence, and the newcomers on whom much was counted have not adapted. Yet, confidence is a major element in football. Look at the French national team, shaky and imprecise in the first round of the World Cup, then indestructible after beating Togo. Maybe Olympique Lyonnais will be the Togo for the Eaglets!
