The Lyon president gave an update after his team’s new defeat and the behavior of the fans.
Jean-Michel Aulas (president of OL, after the defeat against Strasbourg) : «It’s a feeling of waste… We arrived at the stadium and, on the bus, we were again attacked by fans who had to remain non-violent. And this while there were acts of violence before the match. And I regret it… We had seen the group of supporters with John (Textor, owner of OL) and it went very well. The match is what it is but it’s probably one of the best since the start of the season, obviously without success… But when we have 28 shots, only eight on target, but it’s a match in which we found our dynamism, all of the most basic functions to move up the rankings. Unfortunately, we made mistakes in the first half.
Now the reactions of the fan kops… They can have an opinion on the players, it’s the fan game. But when they attack leaders who are exemplary, they attack me. They have to stop. We have two leaders (Vincent Ponsot and Bruno Cheyrou, editor’s note) who work day and night at the club for us, for them, for everyone. I cannot accept this style of expression without reality with what happened and with the work done. We have, it’s true, a club that is suffering at the moment but with incredible infrastructure, a high quality coach, with services that work. We worked for two days with John to give ourselves the means to restart the mechanics. But each time we try to take initiatives, we must not find ourselves faced with very mean supporters compared to people who are beyond reproach.
The club will recover, I take responsibility for it.
Jean Michel Aulas
I would like everyone to realize that the club will recover, I take responsibility for it. We saw with John, and we will work again tonight before he leaves very early tomorrow (Sunday) morning for the United States on a number of quick initiatives, in particular during the transfer window. But we have to have the supporters with us. The players will certainly take positions on what was said, but above all, leave Vincent Ponsot and Bruno Cheyrou alone, who are exemplary. And I’m the first to be able to judge them since I hired them. It is particularly unfair. Of course, the result is not there but frankly, there was intensity, speed, everything we have asked of the team for a while, we have 28 shots, 77% possession, it was a day without as far as the result is concerned, but we must not tarnish what is a flagrant lack of success with attitudes that are not worthy of a big club like OL.»
(comments collected in the mixed zone)