The Coupe de France is at it again

[Pérou Flaquettes]

Thanks Sam.

Life’s a bitch and then you go down: only 3 days after playing the Coupe de France final vs PSG, Les Herbiers are relegated to National 2 (the semi-pro fourth tier, split into 4 regional groups). The cup heroes only needed 1 point at Béziers to stay up but had a mare and lost 4-1. To think they nearly (well, sort of) qualified for the Europa League…

Scénario catastrophe pour Les Herbiers, relégués en National 2 !

What really screwed up Les Herbiers was the shock result of the evening: the victory (3-2) of struggling Sannois Saint-Gratien at high-flying Grenoble Foot 38 who screwed up big time in front of over 15,000 supporters and will now have to go through the play-offs to get promoted (to Ligue 2).

Incidents there at the Stade des Alpes after the final whistle between the CRS and some GF38 ultras who ripped seats and threw them onto the SSG players & staff and attempted to invade the pitch.

https://twitter.com/bleu_isere/status/995009220100743169

The final League table: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017%E...l#League_table

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Les Herbiers are at it again - into the last 32 this year despite now being tier 4. One of the last 32 ties will be a game between teams from the 5th and 6th tiers; although the 5th tier side (Bastia) are THAT Bastia, former UEFA Cup finallists and only there following forced demotion for bankruptcy.

[Gerontophile]

Cheers Tel. Do one, but not before we pay you some more cash.

https://www.theguardian.com/football...nager-104-days

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

It seems as though Neymar is going to be out for quite some time. The old fifth metatarsal.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The aforementioned Bastia are through to the last 16, along with two tier 4 sides and three from the Championnat National, France's division 3. One of the tier three sides left in is Lyon-Duchere, who've only ever played their more illustrious neighbours once in a cup tie.

[Diable Rouge]

This year's breakthrough club are the regular Réunion champions, JS Saint-Pierroise, who became the first club from the Indian Ocean island to reach the last 32 of the Coupe. Moreover, they are only the second-ever overseas club to accomplish this, the first apparently a club from Kourou, French Guyana (where the Ariane launches occur) in 1989!

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The Coupe de France just keeps writing its own script

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Rouen, most famous as where Joan of Arc found out that tunics are flammable, saw their 3rd tier team knock the holders, Toulouse, out at the weekend to reach the last 16. Another 3rd tier team, Sochaux, will join them there, as will a 4th-tier side from Auvergne and a 5th-tier side, Saint-Priest, from a small town near Lyon. Most of the big hitters also remain - Lyon themselves, PSG, Monaco, Nice, Brest, Lille - but once again it seems jolly good fun for the minnows. As with posts in the past above, I wish the FA Cup took on board some of the things they do in France to maximise the chance of once-in-a-lifetime Cup upsets.

[Jah Womble]

That's tremendous. Here's a link for those who, like myself, may have missed the story.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68051718

Needless to say that the comments section is full of 'Rouen' and 'Toulouse' puns. As indeed it should be.

[HeavyDracula]

Rouen, most famous as where Joan of Arc found out that tunics are flammable, saw their 3rd tier team knock the holders, Toulouse, out at the weekend to reach the last 16. Another 3rd tier team, Sochaux, will join them there, as will a 4th-tier side from Auvergne and a 5th-tier side, Saint-Priest, from a small town near Lyon. Most of the big hitters also remain - Lyon themselves, PSG, Monaco, Nice, Brest, Lille - but once again it seems jolly good fun for the minnows. As with posts in the past above, I wish the FA Cup took on board some of the things they do in France to maximise the chance of once-in-a-lifetime Cup upsets.

The idea that the top division should be made up of a dozen "big" clubs and the ones you remember from your youth obviously crosses borders because I saw that and thought, "huh, aren't Sochaux a top club?"

[Exiled off Main Street]

I watched my French team, Rodez take on Monaco this weekend on Fox Deportes. Rodez going out 3-1 and a Ben Yedder hattrick. I couldn't quite make out the RIP person adorning BenYedder's t-shirt that he displayed while knelt down on the putch after he scored his first. I have followed Ben Yedder's career since I saw him play & score for Toulouse (in August 2012) vs St Etienne when I was on holiday Aveyron. Now as 33yr old he sports a stylish muzzy and a few extra lbs around his rear end...but he still a clinical finisher.

[ursus arctos]

It was Azzedine Meguellatti, the manager who found Ben Yedder playing futsal and gave him his chance in the fourth tier