RC Lens have sacked Dino Toppmöller after just six competitive matches - and nobody saw it coming.

Despite beating PSG in the Trophée des Champions, thrashing Auxerre 5-2 in their first Ligue 1 game, and winning their opening Champions League match, Toppmöller’s reign ended amid reports of tactical concerns, dressing-room doubts and disagreements over the structure of his coaching staff.

Matt Spiro is joined by French football experts Tom Williams and Andy Scott to examine:

• What went wrong behind the scenes
• The conflicting French and German accounts
• Whether Lens were right to act so quickly
• What the decision says about the club’s leadership
• Whether Yannick Cahuzac could be the long-term answer

Subscribe to The French Football Show for two episodes every week: Ligue 1 Review and Le Dossier.

#RCLens #Ligue1 #FrenchFootball

Watch on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheFrenchFootballShow

Who is best equipped to challenge PSG this season: Lille, Rennes or Monaco? Matt Spiro is joined by Jonathan Johnson and Andy Scott to assess Ligue 1’s early leading trio after another compelling weekend of French football.

Rennes earn a statement 1-0 victory over Marseille, Monaco are held by Strasbourg, and Lille continue their impressive start with a 2-0 win over Troyes.

We also discuss PSG’s first victory of the season in Brest – and the deeply emotional scenes as Stade Brestois, and indeed all of French football, paid tribute to the late Eric Roy.

Matches discussed:

• Rennes 1-0 Marseille
• Strasbourg 1-1 Monaco
• Lille 2-0 Troyes
• Brest 0-1 PSG

Subscribe to The French Football Show for two episodes every week, covering all the biggest stories from Ligue 1 and French football.
https://www.youtube.com/@TheFrenchFootballShow

Who exactly is Pierre Sage – and what are Crystal Palace getting with their new French coach?

Pierre Sage’s rise has been extraordinary. After spending years working in youth and amateur football, he was handed the Lyon job with the club bottom of Ligue 1 – and inspired one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent French football.

He followed that with a superb season at Lens, finishing second in Ligue 1 and winning the Coupe de France. Now, Sage has crossed the Channel to take on his biggest challenge yet at Crystal Palace.

Matt Spiro is joined by French football expert Tom Williams and leading Crystal Palace voice Dan Cook (HLTCO) to discuss:

• Who Pierre Sage really is – as a coach and a person
• How he transformed Lyon
• Why his football worked so well at Lens
• His tactics, man-management and relationship with players
• Why Crystal Palace chose him
• His early tactical decisions at Palace
• The Ismaïla Sarr situation and Palace’s transfer window
• Whether Sage and Palace are a natural fit
• And the big question: can Sage become a major success in the Premier League?

🇫🇷 Le Dossier is the FFS deep dive into the biggest stories and personalities in French football.

Subscribe to The French Football Show for two episodes every week: Ligue 1 Review on Mondays and Le Dossier on Thursdays.

Monaco are seven points clear of PSG after just seven games! Matt Spiro is at the Parc des Princes to give us his thoughts on the latest victory for Filipe Luis' table-topping team. Matt is then joined by French football expert Jonathan Johnson to analyse PSG's slow start to the season: should Luis Enrique have signed a new goalkeeper and is their attack better or worse this season?

There's plenty of love for Strasbourg who hit Troyes for SIX, and Andy Scott reports from the Vélodrome after commentating Marseille 2-3 Paris FC. How deep are Marseille's problems and how high can the capital club finish after a very promising summer transfer window?

The FFS is also available on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheFrenchFootballShow

Ligue 1 clubs have generated more than €1.3 billion in player sales this summer – with cash-rich Premier League sides contributing over €800 million of that total.

Matt Spiro is joined by Andy Scott and Tom Williams to analyse the biggest moves from Ligue 1 to England, identify the smartest signings for Premier League clubs and assess what this extraordinary transfer window means for French football.
What happened on Malick Fofana's mad day? Is Bradley Barcola worth the money? Might Ayyoub Bouaddi be a generational talent? And how did Brentford clinch the signing of the excellent Mamadou Sangaré?

Is the influx of money providing a much-needed financial reset for Ligue 1, or will the continued departure of its best young players ultimately leave the league weaker?

Matt Spiro reports from the Stade Louis II after Monaco’s superb 2-0 victory over Marseille sent them to the top of Ligue 1. Young German striker Paris Brunner was the star of the show, scoring twice - including one stunning effort - in an outstanding performance.

Andy Scott joins Matt to review the rest of the weekend’s action, including dramatic scenes in Lille, where PSG scored twice in added time to rescue a 2-2 draw. Lille were left furious after the equaliser arrived in the fifth additional minute - despite only three having been indicated.

Plus, commentator Simon Hill checks in from the Groupama Stadium to give the latest at the end of a difficult week for Lyon.

How did one of France’s biggest and most historic football clubs fall from Ligue 1 to the sixth tier?

Six-time French champions Girondins de Bordeaux have endured a spectacular sporting and financial collapse. After relegation from Ligue 1, the loss of their professional status and two seasons in National 2, Bordeaux have now been excluded from France’s national championships - with their very survival under threat.

Matt Spiro is joined by French football journalist Tom Williams and lifelong Bordeaux supporter and journalist Raphael Jucobin to examine:

🔹 Where the crisis began
🔹 The ownership of GACP / King Street and Gérard Lopez
🔹 The financial gamble that went disastrously wrong
🔹 Bordeaux’s relegations and loss of professional status
🔹 The arrival of Sparta Capital
🔹 Whether the club can survive and rebuild
🔹 What French football must learn from the collapse

Welcome to Le Dossier, our weekly deep dive into the biggest stories in French football.

Subscribe to The French Football Show for two episodes every week: our Ligue 1 Review and Le Dossier.

#Girondins #Bordeaux #FrenchFootball

You can also watch on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheFrenchFootballShow

The French Football Show is back!

Matt Spiro will be hosting two podcasts a week this week - the first, every Monday, is a Ligue 1 based discussion following the weekend's action. The second, every Thursday, will be a deeper dive in the biggest issues in the French game. Make sure you subscribe to avoid missing out on any of this gloriously fun and informative FREE content!

First up, there's already plenty to discuss after an eventful opening round that saw PSG having to move their home fixture on Sunday to Rennes due to the sudden appearance of mushrooms on the Parc des Princes pitch! It was a tough test for Luis Enrique's men who salvaged a point thanks to a second-half fightback inspired by new man Ferran Torres.

Marseille put four past Strasbourg in Bruno Genesio's first game at the helm, while Dino Topmoller also enjoyed a memorable debut in the dugout, steering Lens to a 5-2 triumph over Auxerre. Matt, Jonathan Johnson plus Ligue 1 commentators Jeremy Klayman and Andy Scott bring you everything you need to know from Matchday 01.

You can of course watch the FFS on Youtube as well:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheFrenchFootballShow

France are through to the World Cup semi-finals for a third consecutive time, and it feels like Didier Deschamps' side still haven't really been tested. Spain will be looking to change that on Tuesday night, but Matt Spiro, Baptiste Reynaud and Jonathan Johnson are finding it hard to look beyond Les Bleus for the overall title.

The lads dissect the quarter-final win over Morocco, wonder how many more gears France have to move into, show love to Manu Koné - and address the biggest mystery of all: why can't Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi take a proper penalty ;) ?

Watch on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheFrenchFootballShow

France head into the knockout stages in ominous form after brushing aside Norway 4-1, with Ousmane Dembélé once again stealing the headlines. Matt Spiro, Jonathan Johnson and Baptiste Reynaud analyse another impressive Les Bleus performance, discuss what's making Didier Deschamps' side so formidable, and assess whether anyone can stop them. The guys also look ahead to Tuesday's Round of 32 clash with Sweden, examining the key tactical battles, team news, selection dilemmas and where the Scandinavians might pose a threat. Can France maintain their momentum and take another step towards World Cup glory?

Watch the FFS on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheFrenchFootballShow