Sochaux's considerable off-field turmoil has handicapped them for some time, and they were never able to put together a sustained push for promotion in 2017-18.
Les Lionceaux ended the campaign in a deeply disappointing 10th place, meaning they will have to prepare now for a fifth consecutive season in Ligue 2. Nevertheless, this was as well as they have done since being relegated from the top flight in 2014.
Sochaux remained in with a chance of a play-off place until three games from the end, after which they limped to the line, losing their final three games. However, promotion had never really been a realistic possibility for a team who were never in the top five after the end of August.
The appointment of the German Peter Zeidler as coach never really worked out, with the formerly Peugeot-owned club suffering some awful defeats, including home hammerings from Chateauroux (1-5) and AC Ajaccio (1-6). They had one of the worst defences in the division, conceding 62 goals.
High points included away wins at Clermont and Nimes, while they hammered Ligue 1 Amiens 6-0 in the Coupe de France, before eventually losing 4-1 at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.
However, Sochaux's season was overshadowed by uncertainty over their financial situation. Towards the end of the campaign, the club's Chinese owners announced that they would be giving over running of the club to the Spanish group that runs La Liga side Alaves.
It will be without Zeidler that they go on from here - he left, and has taken charge of St Gallen in Switzerland. It will also be without a host of players who are moving on, including Florian Martin, their star creator who missed the last few months of the season with a knee injury. Aldo Kalulu did well on loan from Lyon, the little striker scoring 11 league goals.
