Former player of AS Saint-Étienne (1991), then supervisor at the Forez club, Thierry Laurey was on the short list for succession to Laurent Batlles. Close to Roland Romeyer, he was, however, much less so to other Saint-Etienne leaders who vetoed the idea of seeing him take his place on the Green bench.
Recruited to succeed Grégory Poirier, who left to join the other promoted to Ligue 2 BKT: Red Star FC, Thierry Laurey had a disastrous first part of the season. Two wins, three draws and eleven defeats, Martigues is dead last with only nine points and already seems condemned to a return to National 1 or lower. Because in his defense, the technician had to face a particularly complicated context. Promoted to Ligue 2 BKT, FC Martigues does not have a stadium that meets standards. The Francis Turcan stadium should be able to host second division matches at the beginning of 2025. In the meantime, the FCM first played at the Vélodrome stadium in an oversized and far too expensive stadium. Facing major financial difficulties, Martigues decided to relocate its home matches to the Jean Laville stadium in Gueugnon, 450 kilometers away!
Pierre Wantiezpresident of FC Martigues spoke briefly on the club’s official website about the choice to suspend Thierry Laurey from his coaching duties: “It is a decision that I fully accept, which is part of the ongoing reflection on the functioning of the professional group, in the interest of FC Martigues. We will take stock of the situation with Thierry Laurey, before final decision.”
