Only three games remain for Stabæk in the 2015 Tippeligaen season, and U.S. head coach Bob Bradley has a decision to make with a French club reportedly interested in signing him.
According to French outlet France Football, Le Havre AC majority shareholder and current president Vincent Volpe is in “advanced negotiation” with Bradley to appoint him head coach of the Ligue 2 side.
Bradley currently has Stabæk sitting in second in the Tippeligaen table, but it only is one point ahead of third-place Strømsgodset IF. A UEFA Europa qualification spot is up for grabs as the season winds down for Bradley and his club.
In October, Stabæk chief executive Lars Hjorth said he and the team would not stand in Bradley’s way if he decided to take a job in England, as Bradley was linked with a move to Sunderland. Bradley has also been reported to have met with Molde FK owners in September, but Stabæk sporting director Inge André Olsen said then that he hopes if Bradley does decide to move on, it’s to coach a team overseas.
Le Havre currently has an interim manager, Christophe Revault, and Jean-Luc Vasseur has also been listed as an option to become the next manager at Le Havre should Bradley not accept.
Le Havre currently sits 12th out of 20 teams in the second tier of French soccer with 14 points after 11 games.
What do you think of this development? Think Bradley should move from Norway’s top division to Ligue 2? Where should he coach next year if not?
Share your thoughts below.
The French will love me!
Vive le Box Midfield!
I will bring Ricardo Clark with me!
And unstylish sweatsuits!
Vive le Bob!
He should hold out for the Aston Villa job.
You say that as if he has a choice.
When Bob took the Staebek job the club had just been promoted.
They were never a big time club and when Bob took the job their board expressed their surprise that such a good manager would be willing to come to there for so little money:.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2014/05/22/american-exports-bob-bradley-messiah-inspiring-delirious-devotion-high-flying
After all he could have made much more money with Vancouver.
But, at least for now, MLS is “been there done that” for BB.
His long stated ambition is to manage a top European club. He is also 57 so time is not on his side. Staebek is not a top club and most likely never be. It is a great club but simply does not have the financial clout. They understood that from day one and have always been very supportive of Bob’s quest. My understanding is that Bob is revered there.
Le Havre is not a big club either but it is bigger and more visible than Staebek and doing well there after his great work in Norway will draw even more positive attention in a way that tearing it up with the Whitecaps never would have.
I don’t know what Bob’s definition of a “top club” is but if he can get Le Havre promoted to Lige 1 they would be the highest level club that an American has managed in Europe.
I’d really rather see him at Villa in a few weeks. He’s exactly what the club needs.
With Aston Villa the fish stinks from the head on down.
It’s a f++ked up club.
Bob might take a job there if he was offered it but unless they operate a lot differently from what I’ve seen over the years, well if Bob wants a real challenge he’d have one there.
If he gets an BPL job the he should take over Chelsea after they fire Mourinho..
He could bring in Bornstein and Rico Clark to shore up their back line.and then Mikey and Jozy to take over for Cesc and Costa and Lichaj to replace Ivanovic..
This is why I don’t really comment on this site anymore.
Clap on, clap off.
Fire KLINSMAN!!!!!
Just keeping the Egyptian NT going was a great accomplishment, but he got them about as far as the usually get. And if you want to talk minnows his qualifying group was weak even by Africa standards. Finally, the Africa squads that did qualify were all better than Egypt.
There’s a reason for that.
It’s always about the players.
Gee, I thought all we needed to do was get a good coach and then we’d win the World cup.
ussf should probably ask for their $3M/year back.
First I think Bob knows best where interest in his services is. He would know better than SBI posters who is truly interested and what is rumor.
2nd Stabaek would be entered in the lower rounds of EL and would still have to win several rounds to qualify for group stage and since the group stages are primarily during the Norwegian off season advancement would be doubly tough. Bob enjoys a challenge but he’s not dumb.
This site is hilarious.
So many folks used to live in France
Or so many folks come out of the woodwork to say they were Roma fans when suddenly Bradley joins them or when Dempsed joined Spurs
Its startling
So far, only Concorde and myself lived in France (I lived in France & Germany).
A lot of people used to live in France.
A lot of people still do and some are even Americans.
I agree this site is very odd and funny.
the guy coached two national teams, one to the knockout rounds of the WC and a minnow to 2nd place at the club level, and the best he can do is a mid table Ligue 2 team?
I get the argument that if everything breaks perfectly he could steer the team to Ligue 1 and back into a top league coaching gig, but why is that a given? He could just as well go down to Ligue 3 and be canned and never heard from again…until reappearing in MLS
I don’t think he seeks out unrewarding, low upside positions on purpose. I doubt BB would turn down a PL or La Liga or Ligue 1 gig just to take on a tougher challenge, but clearly there is an anti-American bias at the coaching rank, if not at the playing rank…No one would give him a shot in a top league?
I lived in France for 18 years. Yes, Le Havre has some history and a good academy, but so do most of the clubs in France. It seems like a step down, so there must be other motivations under the surface. And yeah, as beautiful as Norway seems to be (never been there), Le Havre is in Normandy and smack between Paris and London. If he does well, I’d say it’s easier to get noticed by EPL and Ligue 1 teams.
^This. I used to live in Frane. Le Havre have a solid history and a great academy system
Coaching a national team and coaching in a league are very different things. It’s bigger than the difference between coaching college (‘Murican) football and coaching in the NFL.
Success in one level is no guarantee of success in another.
Think of how US basketball is coached, obviously they are different beasts, but it’s not even a full time job. A national team is more like coaching or managing a part time All-Star team.
…unless the national league of the country you’re coaching for gets suspended due to sectarian violence and your stuck coaching a large portion of your team full time, having to set up closed door friendlies for them just to keep them match sharp.
Ironic, isn’t it, that he won every game but one and that loss to Ghana in Ghana was by too big a margin to overcome. I thought it was a terrible injustice that he lost the Egyptian job. I don’t think they are doing nearly as well since he left.
Yeah. They got a crappy draw and somehow had to play Ghana. So ridiculous. They deserved to be in that WC. They djd
If you’re the owner of an EPL club and you’re under an extreme amount of pressure to not get relegated, do you hire a proven commodity with experience in the league and knowledge of its players, culture, tactics, opposing managers, etc.? Or do you hire someone who has no experience with the game at that level from a country that only started playing the sport recently and has never produced a manager that has made it to the top echelon?
Lower-tier EPL teams tend to be extremely cautious and hiring an unknown like Bob is a risk. It could pay off, but the upside (a slightly hire position in the table) is not nearly as large as the downside (the huge financial losses from relegation). Bob will likely have to manage in Ligue 1 before he makes the jump to the EPL.
The top EPL teams will often hire managers from other top leagues. The lower level EPL teams, however, seem to often recycle the same English managers over and over again, a kind of coaching musical chairs. So, it’s no surprise that a team like Sunderland hires Big Sam instead of BB.
Loew of Germany had a team he coached get relegated from 2 Bundesliga down to division 3. Because a later gig was at a team that went into receivership, he was out of a job when Klinsmann hired him to be an assistant with the German team. Sometimes you need to get lucky and it’s not what obstacles you run into, but how you can overcome them when you do. Bradley is resilient, he’ll do okay wherever he goes and whatever happens.
It’s funny how everyone calls Low the genius behind Germany’s transformation in the 00’s from a national team in decline to what would become one of the best of all time. Not only was he a nobody when Klinsmann hired him as his assistant, in three successive tournaments with better squads he was unable to do any better that the team had in ’06. Whatever the case, maybe Jurgen isn’t a complete id!ot when it comes to implementing a vision and picking players and coaches.
After reading that umpteen times I went and read his bio on Wikipedia. It wasn’t all that distinguished. Also, so many here claim Klinsmann has no idea what he is doing yet before he was the German coach he was going to coaching clinics (Which is where he first met Loew several years before) and even after he was appointed USMNT coach he was going all over to coaching clinics. Before he was appointed to the US team he worked with Bruce Arena for a couple of seasons with the Galaxy. He must be a terrible student, not learning anything, or else he isn’t quite so uninformed as so many seem to think.
not sure what your point is, exactly. education doesn’t preclude someone from making bad decisions. mostly, it just ensures that their bad decisions are more injurious.
You have to stop using Anti-American as an excuse. Most employers for high level jobs (more so in sports/business) tend to shy away from not taking the proven candidates. THAT is the bigger issue. You find it in major sports in the US and you find it in Europe.
Coaching some African/Concacaf/Asian national teams is not considered as a great proving ground. They really to different types of jobs and coaching a club is arguably much harder. How many African national team coaches or Asian National team coaches ended up coaching in the Top 5 leagues without previous coaching or playing experience at that club level? Almost none. How many coaches are in a TOP 5 league straight from Norway without prior experience in a some capacity?
Stabæk has struggled in recent years, but they’re not exactly a minnow. Still, I get your point — they are not among the big clubs in Norway, and steering them to near the top of the table so soon after promotion is impressive. Perhaps BB sees a similar opportunity at Le Havre — they have not been in Ligue 1 for a while, but they are not terrible. They have spent the last several years around the middle of the Ligue 2 table. It would not take a miracle to get them promoted, just some steady improvement. BB can afford to spend a couple of years there, if his ultimate goal is to make it to a top-five league. He’s only 56.
blokhin,
“but clearly there is an anti-American bias at the coaching rank,”
Why do you think that? Do you think Bob is the only guy ever to manage a team into the knockout rounds of the World Cup and not get a call to manage a “top club”?
National team jobs are very different from club jobs. Bob’s WC gig with the US doesn’t hurt but that is not all that big a deal to soccer people in Europe.
They were probably more impressed with his work in Egypt and his revival of a small, poor club in Norway.
The USMNT job is not a big deal outside the US.
Does thus mean suddenly we will have a few Americans moving to Ligue 2?
Go for it Bob. Sign
Seattle might have an opening on Monday. They have money.
mls has already volunteered to pay the transfer fee for seattle.
HAHA
Whata so funny
Good questions and points raised so far but I have not seen anyone touch on the big decider – money. Legacies and trophies are nice and all but money is just as nice. Chances are he’s gonna get paid more and a bigger budget to work with at this “mid table” Ligue 2 side.
and he may just want to experience living in France.
I can certainly think of worse places. And the food, wine,art, beautiful countryside, it has a lot going for it. I didn’t use to be a Francophile and had little interest, but as I have learned more about the country and its people, I would really like to spend time there myself.
Pretty sure if he wanted money he’d be in MLS, didn’t some club offer him big time cash at one point. Obviously he wants money, but I think he also wants to break through the managerial ranks and probably sees this as a better chance to do that. I prefer this move over a move to a bigger Norweigan club.
Was it Vancouver that wanted him? He was getting 400 K coaching the NT. Maybe he could get that in MLS but im sure he will def be getting that in Ligue 2. Maybe close to a million if this club has some $$$$ to throw around
I don’t think Bob operates like that. Now don’t get me wrong I think Bob will and should demand the most salary he can get, but I think the challenge is more important to him. (He already has made great money).
And if he wants to make the most money possibly, he needs to figure out the fastest route to one of the big five European leagues. This is probably it, even if it pays less than Stabaek.
The question to me is
Will a Ligue 2 midtable club worth more than guiding his small Norwegian club to the Europa league
I guess it would be a start. Perhaps a few seasons in Ligue 2 is better than several years in Norway. Does he take a chance now or does he wait patiently in Norway trying to create a legacy?
Bradley likes challenges. Getting a club from promoted to Ligue 1 would be a huge challenge – but a realistic one – with a great reward, that being recognition by the sports media in France.
This is an ideal coaching position for someone qualified like BB. Access to a great academy, a tactical league (unlike England’s lower divisions for example) the chance to coach a team into a top 5 league, and yet if it doesn’t work out any sort of failure will probably slip under the radar.
How many Ligue 1 managers were hired from Scandinavian clubs? How many were hired from Ligue 2 clubs?
The goal is coaching in one of the top five leagues of Europe, and this is one step closer.
Aren’t I correct in saying Le Havre has a very good an respectable Academy and they’ve always leaned towards given younger players a chance?? Bob has done pretty well in his Stabaek gig mixing youth and vets so if that’s the case that could be the drawn and appeal to Le havre.
Yes you are. Le Havre is a soccer hotbed in France. Many great players have come throughout the academy there, most recently Paul Pogba.
I think to have a chance to coach in Ligue 1 has to be tempting, if he can do with this team what he has done in Norway he can be in Ligue 1 in two years which is certainly a much bigger gig. There is not much left for him to prove in Norway. Would be great to get a bigger job, but seems like he knows the demand for his services.
Not much left do in Norway other then win the championship which he hasn’t.
Not true he has Stabaek in position for Europa league next year. That is certainly better than ligue 2. I don’t understand him going anywhere other than a top division better than Norway
$$$ (And really… who can blame him?)
Certainly Staekbaek won’t have a prayer in Europa, not a deep enough squad, surely Bradley knows this
wood chip zip,
I like to think Bob Bradley actually knows what he is doing.
Look at how far he has gotten without any help from SBI posters.
Yes, it is amazing that anyone could be successful in soccer without our advice. A number of posters here claim all sorts of impressive resumes; I wonder how many are actually 12 year old boys in their basement
How do you know? Bob probably reads the posts here for their brilliant insights. These posters certainly know more about tactics, locker room dynamics, and the players’ abilities than our current manager. If given the chance at the helm, a lot of them could take us farther in the World Cup than Klinsmann did, at least to the quarterfinals. They definitely know more about soccer than he does.
This is a good example of delusion.
I think your sarcasm detector is broken.
I see a lot of posts so ridiculous that you think they must be sarcastic. Unfortunately, too often they aren’t. I don’t remember enough of your posts to know where you came down. Sorry about that.
Taking a low budget small time club to the Europa league is more impressive than winning a title with a big time team
+1.
If things work out then Bob will have already done that.
Who said Le Havre is a “big time team”?
None of the teams discussed in this article are “big time” unless we have a really different definition of “big time” than most people.
Was talking about rumors of taking over the “big time” team in Norway, forget the name. Just saying it’s more impressive to overachieve with a small club to me than win with a bigger one.
Big question, I guess – Is ligue 2 considered a step up in the coaching world from where he is?
He certainly thinks so
Even if it’s not, it’s probably a big picture move. It’s the idea that he could take this club into a promotion Ligue 1,which would definitely be a step up.
I don’t think Bob cares about a bigger league. He is more of a bigger challenge guy. (which can mean moving to a bigger league)
Playing in the Europa League would be better, but they don’t have a very deep squad and a likely result would be crashing out early and not improving on their position in the league the previous season…a title challenge for such a small club is really difficult and so Bob’s stock may never be higher while he’s in Norway (he’s not moving to a bigger club there).
Ligue 2 might not be considered a step up but it’s a much closer path to Ligue 1 than the Tippeligaen is. I doubt many Ligue 1 clubs hire managers from the Scandinavian leagues, but they look to Ligue 2 managers all of the time. The goal is obviously for Bob to manage in one of the top five leagues and this is one step closer.
I’m sure Norway has some beautiful country with all the fjords, but i think I’d rather live in France and Le Havre is a port city and probably pretty cosmopolitan. So, even if it is only a lateral move professionally, it is a step up from a living stand point I would think.
I think Le Havre is the Detroit of France. Apologies to Le Havre if I’m wrong about that. In any event, this would still be a step up. At a minimum, if he does a good job, Ligue 1 clubs will have him in mind.
You’re right. Le Havre isn’t exactly the most glamorous place to live. If I had to pick between the two, I would pick Norway.
Le Havre is not so much run down as completely rebuilt – following near total destruction in WWII – so it lacks the charm of some nearby villages, but it’s reconstruction was an important one by one of France’s great architects.
yes! Im sure BB is over there on vacation to see the sights soit would be great!
I agree with the people saying he likes a challenge. Maybe his wife wants France.
And maybe this is all tactics and what he wants is either more money from Molde, the Sunderland gig, or something else not public yet.
This French idea is probably good enough he could take it and make something of it, yet mediocre enough to use them as leverage without worrying he’s burned some prime opportunity.