The stadium may have been renamed and had a lick of paint but there’s been very little fresh about the performances Rennes have been putting in this season. Yet another tame, limp and disappointing defeat at home, this time to Ligue 2 Bourg en Bresse in the Coupe de France, resulted in club President Rene Ruello finally putting under-pressure coach Philippe Montanier out of his misery as he was removed from his post Wednesday morning.

The cup loss, which actually came as little surprise to most fans, only fast-tracked a decision that was arguably on the cards ever since former Montpellier coach Rolland Courbis was brought in as a “Presidential Advisor”. As soon as that appointment was made, the pressure instantly went up another level on Montanier. Courbis has seen it and done it all as far as experience goes and there were plenty who questioned if there was perhaps an ulterior motive to his appointment.

Courbis himself at his unveiling sought to nip those suggestions in the bud by claiming “I will do as much as I can to help Philippe without exceeding my duties, which would weaken his authority”. It seems therefore that the plan was for Courbis to use his wealth of experience to try and help get more out of an underperforming Rennes side. Courbis confirmed he would have no say in team selection and would simply advise Montanier on a confidential one to one basis where he saw fit. Whether Courbis honestly anticipated such a swift return to management – it was only in December he left Montpellier to “rest” – will remain a mystery. It was interesting to note that following his appointment as coach, Courbis expressed surprise but stated “the chance of me becoming coach in the near future was a possibility but as quickly as this? No I hadn’t thought that for a second”.

The win away at bottom side Troyes was simply Montanier’s stay of execution as the loss to Bourg proved the final straw for Ruello. For the fans, the final straw had long since gone with many having grown tired and frustrated at Montanier’s tactics. It was after the Coupe de la Ligue loss to Toulouse that around 50 fans stayed behind after the game to let their feelings be known to Montanier as he left the stadium surround by security. Ruello is no fool: he will have seen this, heard the chants of “Montanier demission” from the stands and acknowledged that there has been something terminally wrong with the side this season in front of their home fans.

It is that dreadful home form that proved Montanier’s biggest downfall this season. Only Troyes have a worse home record than Rennes, as les Rouges et Noirs have recorded only two wins at Roazhon Park with both of those coming back in August. Time and time again Rennes have performed woefully at home. Meek defeats to Nice in the league along with the cup losses, coupled with disappointing draws with Troyes, Lorient and Lille have gone a long way to highlight the problems Rennes and Montanier have faced. There’s some truth that their away form has been what’s kept Montanier in the job for so long as only PSG and Monaco possess better records on the road.

Looking back on his time with Rennes and it really has been the home form that has proved the biggest struggle. In 48 games at home in Ligue 1, Rennes have only won 15. Whilst the fans can be raucous, it’s not one the league’s most intimidating or negative of atmospheres like the Velodrome has been at times this season – one of the reasons for Marseille’s own poor home form. It’s difficult to find a reason why Britanny has been such an unhappy hunting ground for Rennes.

Montainer certainly didn’t help himself. Almost every transfer window there seemed a mass inflow and outflow of players. Whilst some of these signings have proven shrewd and very effective, namely the likes of Sylvain Armand and Paul-Georges Ntep, there have been many more players who were either brought in as panic – almost clueless – signings (see Habib Habibou and Emir Lenjani), or were never given a chance – Sanjin Prcic and Christian Bruls two notable examples.

Along with a squad that changed so dramatically every few months, his tactics and deployment of players often left many wondering if Montanier actually knew what he was doing. Curious formations, players in unfamiliar positions and an over-reliance on defensive strategies really undermined a squad that, on the whole, contained a huge amount of talent. Just looking at this season, we’ve seen Mehdi Zeffane used as a left winger, Steven Moreira on the right wing and starting XIs containing up to eight defensive players. Not a good recipe for success.

Injuries this season have taken their toll: Ludovic Baal, Edson Mexer, Pedro Mendes, Paul-Georges Ntep and Benoit Costil have all had fairly lengthy spells on the sidelines. This can only be used as an excuse up to a certain point however, as due to the volume of players brought in, there is plenty of depth in the squad.

As Montanier leaves Rennes, there are some positives that can be looked back on. The transfer of Ntep was very much quite a coup and he will go on to earn the club big money when he moves on. Whilst a number of academy products have not been given a decent chance in the first team – the likes of Cedric Hountondji, Wesley Said and Adrien Hunou have been sent out on loan the last few seasons – Montanier, this campaign has brought through some really talented youngsters. Nicolas Janvier, Joris Gnagnon, Sebastien Salles Lamonge and the hugely talented Ousmane Dembele have all tasted first team action this season.

At times this season Montanier has looked defeated, weary and plain fed up so perhaps his dismissal is a blessing in disguise for him. He joined Rennes after a hugely successful time with Real Sociedad in Spain and before that he had done well with Boulogne and Valenciennes. There is a hope therefore that his time at Rennes won’t damage his long term reputation. He may want to take some time off, relax, enjoy the release of pressure and come back to a new job in the summer.

So what does Courbis need to do to be a success? Well first off he needs to look at the leaky defence that has so often been Rennes’ demise this season, especially at home. Courbis said “I do not see myself revolutionising anything….but I have noted a huge lack of defensive stability”. He seems eager to get the balance correct after Rennes have been criticised for being too defensive this season. With regard to the attack, Courbis went on to add “the offensive potential of Rennes is something the whole of France knows”. It is hard to argue there as with Ntep, Dembele, Kamil Grosicki, Jeremie Boga, Pedro Henrique, Giovanni Sio, Juan Quintero and Yoann Gourcuff, there is pace, skill, vision and finishing ability that would be the envy of many Ligue 1 sides. Ultimately he needs to decide what his best XI is and stick with it, something that Montanier, even after two and a half years in charge, seemed unable to do.

Now whether Courbis is the long-term solution for Rennes is another question. It seems he has been given until the summer at the very least with some sources suggesting he will then be offered a two year contract. If he can turn Rennes’ fortunes around, and there is every reason they could finish in the top five at least if they do, then that makes perfect sense. Ruello, as a canny businessman, may already be thinking of alternative options. His plan may be to keep Courbis on until the summer and then assess who is free then. With Guingamp struggling this season, there are a number of Rennes fans who would love to see the return of former player Jocelyn Gourvennec. For the time being though that remains pure speculation.

We’ll leave the final word to Courbis who summed up the feeling of many fans at the moment: “will I find solutions that Philippe did not? I honestly do not know”.