Le Havre AC is not officially out of the running for French Ligue 1 promotion, but it’s pretty much a done deal.
Bob Bradley’s side defeated Auxerre, 3-1, on the road, but FC Metz also earned three points on Friday. Metz’s 2-1 victory over Tours FC sees them sit three points above Havre AC in the third and final promotion spot on the Ligue 2 table.
Both teams still have one game to play this season, but Metz currently has a six-goal advantage in the goal differential department.
Bradley took over as manager of the French club in November, and was tasked with leading Havre AC to promotion. Le Havre was in fourth place when the former U.S. Men’s National Team head coach took the reins.
Havre AC has not played in Ligue 1 since the 2008-09 season, and the club finished in seventh place with 55 points last campaign.
Here is a look at the top of the Ligue 2 table and the remaining schedules for the clubs in the running for the third and final promotion spot:
Ligue 2 standings
1. Nancy (71 points | 20-6-11 | 55 Goals For | 30 Goals Against)
2. Dijon FCO (67 points | 19-8-10 | 60 Goals For | 36 Goals Against)
3. Metz (65 points | 19-10-8 | 54 Goals For | 38 Goals Against)
4. Le Havre AC (62 points | 18-11-8 | 47 Goals For | 37 Goals Against)
Team schedules
METZ
May 13 – at Lens
LE HAVRE AC
May 13 – vs. FC Bourg-Peronnas
I hope he stays on. I seem to remember reading that Ligue 2 was implementing a 4 team playoff for the third promotion spot next season. Gives Le Havre a better shot.
The way I remember it, the former manager had a slow start out of the gate, got fired at the end of September, a caretaker took over, led them back to 4th, while the Bradley hiring process took place.
That’s exactly what happened, and why they will keep Bradley on. Bradley did well, the interim coaches did well, it was the manager at the beginning of the season that screwed it up.
So it seems laid out that his job was to gain promotion and he didn’t do it. I’m sure he did a fantastic job still leading them to a fourth place finish, but if he does get fired there shouldn’t be controversy to it. Hopefully he gets a full year with a team that got close and seems hungry for Ligue 1
What place were they in when he took over?
4th
Oh.
Firing a manager when the club is fourth, only to finish fourth, definitely sounds different than Bob Bradley leading Le Havre to fourth place.
The way the article sounds is as if if he didn’t get them a top 3 finish, he would be up for termination. He seemed to have held his own in Ligue 2 so hopefully he stays and finishes top 3 next season.
Bradley’s immediate predecessor was not fired. He (the predecessor) managed the team on an interim basis, after the previous coach was fired, and did quite well after HAC’s dismal start to the season. However, he clearly stated he did not want the job long term and preferred to return to his position as technical director as soon as the club could find another manager, hence Bradley’s signing.
I think you are reading too much into the term “tasked”. He was signed to a two year contract, which would lead to believe promotion was a goal not an ultimatum. As the article points out Le Havre aren’t a Ligue 1 regular. They are known much more for selling players from their academy to big clubs than actually using them in their own squad.