After 44 years at the club, he wanted to leave AJ Auxerre at the top, “Rather before the decline than after”. The day after the coronation of AJA in the French Cup in 2005, Guy Roux had closed one of the most glorious chapters in French football. During these four decades, this amateur player will have passed the Burgundian club from the CFA to the D1, with a title of champion of France, four French cups and several European epics.
The Alsatian nevertheless has trouble cutting the cord and continues for several months to gravitate to the club, which his successor, Jaques Sabrina, lives very badly. Two years later, Guy Roux dresses. Not in Auxerre, but in Lens. Also in discussions with Bordeaux and Monaco, the technician lets himself be convinced by Gervais Martel. Not without his appointment becoming a state affair. As a result of his great age, the LFP regulation prohibiting a coach from exercising beyond 65 years.
If the adventure begins on a good note thanks to the qualification of blood and gold for the UEFA Cup thanks to a great victory over Odessa in Intertoto, the start of the season of RC Lens turns into a nightmare with a defeat against Bordeaux (1-0) at the opening, a draw against PSG (1-1), then a new draw against Valenciennes (0-0) and a defeat in Strasbourg (2-1). After only four championship matches, Guy Roux decides to abdicate and announces his departure.
“I went backwards”
In addition to the insufficient quality of the workforce, the former Auxerrois justifies this departure by “Difficulties of adaptation to the northern environment”his age and his concerns of health. Replaced by Jean-Pierre Papin then Daniel Leclercq, the local icon, Guy Roux sees the RCL descend in Ligue 2 at the end of the season, believing that it has a tiny part of responsibility in this failure with regard to the four small directed matches and the sharing of wrongs with the leaders and the players.
These difficulties did not surprise the interested party. “I went backwards”he told Europe 1 ten years later, adding: ” It did not work, they could not completely keep the wonderful workforce they had (the previous season). Gervais (Martel, the president) said to me: 'I would like you to finish third and that we beat Lille twice'. I say to him: 'Beat Lille twice is possible, but I can't finish third'. I did not have a team to do this result. »»
However, Guy Roux is not bitter. “” I do not regret (the choice of Lens), I regret not having made them happy, he assured. Apart from the Auxerrois that I always cherish, these are the most friendly people I have ever known. They drew tears from me. I left along the corons, they were in the garden to applaud me every evening. The disappointment is I who gave it by not taking them where I wanted to take them. »»
However, Guy Roux is not bitter. “” I do not regret (the choice of Lens), I regret not having made them happy, he assured. Apart from the Auxerrois that I always cherish, these are the most friendly people I have ever known. They drew tears from me. I left along the corons, they were in the garden to applaud me every evening. The disappointment is I who gave it by not taking them where I wanted to take them. »»
