Football Season Guide

It is all change at French football's oldest club, with Le Havre opting to bring in a new face in the dugout after their latest failed attempt to win promotion. They are preparing for their 11th successive season in Ligue 2 in the Normandy port city, and Paul Le Guen has been appointed to replace Oswald Tanchot in the dugout. The former Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain coach has been well travelled in the decade since he last coached in his homeland and was most recently in charge at Bursaspor in Turkey. Now 55, he takes on a role as "sporting manager", which in French parlance means he will be a manager in the traditional British style rather than simply serving as coach. Le Guen is therefore in charge of transfers as well as coaching the team, but he has a rebuilding job on his hands with a side who finished just outside the play-off places last season. Imposing centre-back Denys Bain and creator supreme Zinedine Ferhat have both left, stepping up to Ligue 1 with Brest and Nimes respectively. Promising defender Harold Moukoudi has also finally moved on to Saint-Etienne after being frozen out in the second half of last season over his refusal to sign a new contract. Mathieu Gorgelin has arrived from Lyon after years as second choice goalkeeper there, while stalwart duo Jean-Pascal Fontaine and Alexandre Bonnet remain. But they will surely require more than that to compete for promotion at the Stade Oceane. An ambitious bid to lure Samir Nasri to the club failed, and Le Guen will be busy scouting for signings for some time yet. "I still need four or five players to reinforce the squad but I am satisfied at how things are shaping up," said Le Guen last week.