It has become a tradition. After each significant away victory, Gym supporters meet at the entrance of Charles-Ehrmann. This Monday, at 2:15 AM, there were about fifty of them.
You can say what you want, but this fresh air surrounding the Gym is invigorating. These chants, these shouts, these scenes of communion are uplifting. The utterly foolish incidents from last season seem distant, even though they should not be forgotten.
A song in honor of the phenomenon Ben Arfa, a Koziello surrounded and congratulated is much better than blows on a training field. For that, Gym supporters, Populaire Sud or not, deserve thanks. The players feel it (see the interview with Maxime le Marchand published Sunday morning) and express this well-being.
After some inquiry, the meeting time was set around 2 AM. But on the club’s official Facebook page and some forums, some messages hinted at several meeting points to cheer the players: the airport, the pier, and then the famous entrance of Charles-Ehrmann.
Eventually, everyone got the message for a gathering similar to previous ones: Charles-Ehrmann. From 1 AM, one hour before the arrival of the players’ bus and staff, about fifty supporters were gathered near the handball hall and the stadium. On the agenda, a comprehensive match debrief, re-watching the four goals of the red and blacks, and analyzing the performance of the hero Hatem Ben Arfa, but also Yoan Cardinale for his official debut. For others, it was a small football game right in the middle of the intersection.
At 2:15 AM sharp, the OGC Nice bus made its appearance and headed directly to the training center, 500 meters away. No smoke bombs, just a few shouts to thank the Gym and Hatem Ben Arfa, far from the exceptional welcome after the victories in Bastia and Saint-Etienne. Some grumbled about a long wait for nothing, but when the bus stopped, the understandably tired players were available for a few photos and autographs on shirts. It’s 2:30 AM when everyone gets into their cars to head home for a well-deserved good night’s sleep.
Stay tuned for the next feat, if we can still use the term ‘feat’ when analyzing the top-level performances of Claude Puel’s men.
Photo credit and more information at www.ogcnice.com
