Paul LE GUEN

In June 1998, François Pinault acquired Stade Rennais FC, and Paul Le Guen became First Team Manager. Helped by Jean-Michel Moutier in terms of recruitment, the Breton Manager brought in Revault, Arribagé, Sommeil, Cissé, Bardon and especially Nonda. The season turned out to be a major surprise, with a highly efficient team who flirted with the top of the table right to the end of the season, finishing 5th. In 1999/2000, the Intertoto Cup campaign was notable for the clash with Juventus. But this time the recruitment was less success, with the failure of Malicki, Bassila, Gava and Diouf to live up to expectations. Angry at the 13th placed finish, Pinault injected a massive amount in the close season of 2000. The South Americans Lucas, Turdo, Fabiano, Vander and Cesar were all flops, and suffered under the rigorous style of play of their manager. Stade Rennais stagnated in mid-table until a late fightback, including a notable 6-1 thrashing of local rivals Guingamp. This led to an unexpected qualification for the Intertoto and a 6th placed finish, but it wasn’t enough to save the duo of Le Guen and Colleu, who would go on to lead Lyon to great things two years later.