The Niçois travel to Lens on Saturday, as part of the sixth day of the championship. Franck Haise, on the Aiglons bench since this summer, will return to his former club which he had taken into another dimension. A work praised Friday on RMC by Jérôme Rothen who thinks that the French technician will also leave his mark in Nice.
It’s a somewhat unusual trip that awaits Franck Haise. Saturday at 5 p.m., the Niçois will face Lens at Bollaert and the French technician, who arrived on the Riviera bench this summer, will therefore find his former team that he coached for four years. Under his orders, the Sang et Or who were coming out of five seasons in Ligue 2 entered a new dimension. They finished seventh in Ligue 1 twice (2021 and 2022) then achieved the feat of qualifying for the Champions League after an astonishing 2022-2023 season finishing in second place in the championship. Last season, the RCL again finished seventh and validated a place in the Europa Conference League play-offs, before seeing the European adventure come to an abrupt end.
Under contract for two more years with the Artésiens, Franck Haise has nevertheless decided to leave. “If he felt that it was the end of a cycle and that he had to move on, then he made the most of (what he could do). Lens, where he got it back and where he took him, I say bravo”, commented Jérôme Rothen in “Rothen s’igne”, Friday on RMC.
“In Nice, there was an immediate impact on Franck Haise”
If the Lensois president would have “liked him to stay”, the two parties seem to have left on good terms. So, what reception will the Bollaert stadium reserve for the French technician? “Franck Haise, for me, it’s good to give him a standing ovation tomorrow because he deserves it,” said Jérôme Rothen, who thinks he “is going to do well in Nice.”
Despite the defeat (2-0) in Marseille, which he even considers “a little unfair” and the draw (1-1) for their entry into the Europa League against Real Sociedad, a match that they “must win every day”, the consultant is enthusiastic about his arrival on the Gym bench. “We were talking about Roberto De Zerbi, Luis Enrique, these coaches who put their stamp on the team quite quickly. I find that in Nice, there was an immediate impact on Franck Haise. For two years, three games is more than consistent.”
If he admits to having feared that the French technician would arrive in a project which would not suit him and would not allow him to “have fun”, Jérôme Rothen can ultimately only bow to the work (already) accomplished. And predicts good things for the Aiglons, currently seventh in the championship. “When I see what Franck Haise has put in place since he arrived, I think that this team will continue to gain momentum and be one of the very nice surprises of this year.”
LP with Rothen ignites
