Wally with a Brolly

We continue our little Tour de France of Ligue 1 clubs. Second on the list is SC Bastia, Corsica's other troubled club.




I know people harp on about the possibility of there being two Welsh clubs in the Premier League next season if Cardiff go up, but we've had a similar thing in France for ages. OK, in theory, Corsica is French territory, whilst Wales is not England.

Just don't say to the Corsicans that they're French, and you'll understand why it's quite a big deal that both Bastia and Ajaccio are in Ligue 1, with Gazelec, Ajaccio's second club, in Ligue 2.

Another thing I probably shouldn't say is that there aren't that many differences between Bastia and Ajaccio. Both sets of fans hate the 'establishment' and have massive underdog, us-against-the-world attitudes.

But, whilst Ajaccio has always maintained a strong Corsican connection through its players, Bastia has always been a bit more 'open' to the outside world. Foreign players were welcomed as early as the 70s, whilst Ajaccio was 'keeping' its identity intact.

Out of the two clubs, SC Bastia has had the longest and more celebrated history. Founded as early as 1905, Bastia was a mainstay of the top division for a long period of time, even enjoying European success by reaching the final of the 1977-78 UEFA Cup, where they lost to PSV Eindhoven. This was a time when SC Bastia were able to field players such as Johnny Rep. You know how good Johnny Rep was? He'd been 'educated' at Ajax in the early 70s with Cruyff and Neeskens. That's right, Bastia had a member of the team which 'invented' Total Football in its ranks.

Johnny Rep: football legend, ex-Bastia player. As crazy as that sounds.

This near-success at EUropean level was even followed up by a victory in the Coup de France in 1981. Bastia kept defeating the odds and were flying the Corsican flag in the French Championnat. Those were good times to be a Bastia fan.

But the disaster struck. Twice. The first one was the club's relegation to the second echelon of French football in 1986 after 18 years in the top flight. At a time when professionalism and money was really coming into the game, this was a major set back for a club with limited resources already.

Bastia struggled to reach the top again. But, when they thought they were getting there, disaster struck for a second time, and this was a real tragedy. Having reached the semi-finals of the Cup, Bastia were getting ready to welcome an OM side boasting true superstars, at that time a French and European superpower. Such was the enthusiasm for the game that the club built a dodgy stand to its old stadium, with the help and acquiescence of the local authorities. As the stadium started to fill and expectant fans waited for the teams to come onto the pitch, the temporary stand collapsed, crushing many people, killing 18 and injuring 2,300. It was a tragedy which stayed engraved in French fans' minds and set the club back a little further.

1992: The Furiani disaster.

Bastia did come back up in 1994, but since then have alternated relative stability in the top flight for a couple of seasons with yo-yoing. They still managed to produce players such as Michael Essien and Alex Song, so Bastia has often been a springboard for some good, young players going to other more established Ligue 1 club.

Now back in Ligue 1 after winning Ligue 2 last season, Bastia have kept up the ingredients which make a Corsican club a tough competitor: a crazy old stadium, insane fans and a willingness to go gung-ho. This has led to some trouble, as Bastia was forbidden to play at their ground for several games this season due to crowd trouble. You don't stop a Corsican when he's pissed off.

Their fans might act the same way, but Ajaccio and Bastia are still different. Whilst the 'other' Corsicans try to play an organised, disciplined football, Bastia have always played an enterprising, ambitious and unbalanced game. Despite their pitch always being a 'champ de patates'. That's right, a potato field.

With the chronic lack of money and abandonment from authorities, Bastia acts as a positive intermediary in Corsica, even though their fans can go berserk. It hasn't involved itself in the gang wars, and their president is surely more 'clean' that Ajaccio's Alain Orsoni. They are for this reason more liked than their local rivals, and their underdog status, along with sympathy for the Furiani disaster of 1992, has made it a miracle that they're still in Ligue 1.

Stade Armand-Cesari, or Furiani. Where 16,000 bonkers Corsican make their way every week-end to vent their frustration. An intimidating place.

THE MANAGER

Hantz: 'unorthodox' is an understatement

Bastia have always liked fiery characters. For a long while when they managed to stay in Ligue 1 in the mid-90s, they were managed by Frederic Antonetti (now manager of Rennes). An absolutely incendiary character not afraid to voice his opinions. Frederic Hantz is in a similar mould. After having gone through the lower leagues and managed in Ligue 1 previously (Le Mans, Sochaux) with varied levels of success, Hantz found his way to Bastia. His career had gone the same way as the club, at that time languishing in National (3rd tier). Once a promising, innovative manager, he had seemingly lost his way. But his arrival at Bastia was beneficial to all. With a no-nonsense way of managing, even with severely limited resources, Hantz led the club to consecutive promotions. Was he going to change now that he's back in Ligue 1? Absolutely not. Bastia have kept going forward, even though their defensive record is atrocious (51 goals conceded in 27 games). He's also been unafraid to call his players out; he revealed that he had asked his centre-backs whether they were confident after a training session. As none of them replied, or did so with any assertiveness, he dropped them all and played a wing-back and a holding midfielder in central defence instead! That's Frederic Hantz. And this craziness works at Bastia, an insane place. That's why the ride has been so magical. And they're in with a good shout of staying up! Incroyable.

STAR PLAYERS

Not a nationalist on the run from the police. Simply Rothen arriving at Bastia

Jerome Rothen is another one who's found redemption at Bastia. Frozen out at PSG because he was a good scapegoat, Rothen, who had once illuminated Champions' League nights at Monaco (Chelsea fans remember him), found himself without a club for more than a year. And then came Bastia, in Ligue 2. Originally a left midfielder, Rothen converted into a deep lying playmaker, providing the ball-playing impetus for promotion and earning the title of Ligue 2 Player of the Year last season. He has continued in the same vein this season, winning plaudits for his clever use of the ball and set piece delivery. He might not be a spring chicken anymore as a soon to be 35 year old, but he deserves respect for his love of football and ability.

A monument of Ligue 1

As I type this, it really does seem as though redemption is a common theme at Bastia. Mickael Landreau is a monument of Ligue 1 football. Sure, you might only remember him as the guy who flapped at that 30-yard prayer of a shot by McFadden (where is he now?) a few years back, but Landreau has accumulated close to 600 games in Ligue 1. For a title winners Nantes and Lille, and he played for PSG as well. And he's only 33. So the man is good, as his 11 caps attest. But he'd been frozen out at Lille for some reason. After having come to an agreement, Landreau left the LOSC and arrived in Corsica. No wonder they've suddenly become average (better than awful) defensively. A very good goalkeeper.

Thauvin: on his way to Lille. Look out for him.

Florian Thauvin found an escape route in Bastia, and it repaid him greatly. After having to leave Grenoble due to the club's financial troubles and consecutive relegations, Florian landed at Bastia where, after a first decent season, he burst onto the scene in Ligue 1 in his second year. Technical, dynamic, the central midfielder bagged himself a move to Lille, perennial springboard to the Premier League, after catching Arsenal's eye. He'll stay at Bastia until the end of the season, but watch this space.

Khazri: technical, sligthly selfish. A proper winger.

Finally, Wahbi Khazri has finally seemed to fulfill all the promise which pushed so many managers to put their faith in him. Still only 22, but at Bastia since 2009 (over 130 league games already), Wahbi had flattered to deceive, but it seemed he simply waited to get to Ligue 1 to prove his worth. A talented dribbler on both wings, he also is a decent goal threat and, when he is focused on the team, a dangerous creative player. His 4 goals and 5 assists in 21 games (only 15 starts) show his potential. An interesting prospect maturing before our eyes.

REMEMBER HIM?

"F**k you Steve Kean!"

Anthony Modeste. God damn. Remember him? I don't blame you if you don't. Anthony set the world alight at Blackburn last year. That whole sentence jsut sounds wrong. That's because it is. Modeste didn't do anything last year apart from missing the barn door repeatedly and getting sent off. But what did you expect, playing for Steve Kean? 9 games, no goals and a red card. Now at Bastia? 9 goals in 26 games. That's borderline honourable. Damn you Ligue 1!









When West Ham had Zola as manager, they had a crazy assortment of players. Really insane. Ilan was one of those players. And he actually did OK for the Hammers, just like Diamanti (love him). Now back in France at Bastia, he's shown why he's on the wong side of 30. Even though he still has a decent touch, he's looked slow and uninterested, as his 2 goals in 16 games for a relatively free-flowing side show. Not the best investment to be honest.