What great timing!

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Sports News - April 06, 2010

World Cup winner Laurent Blanc will quit as Bordeaux coach and replace Raymond Domenech as manager of France after this summer’s World Cup.
The 44-year-old former Manchester United defender guided Bordeaux to the 2009 League and Cup Double but his side ended this season without a trophy.
The French federation is expected to officially confirm Blanc as Domenech’s successor on Thursday.
Blanc was part of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Bordeaux said in a statement: “Girondins Bordeaux have been informed by Laurent Blanc that he wanted to answer favourably to the French federation (FFF)’s solicitation to become the France coach.

Blanc proved he was able to be in charge at club level. But coaching a national team is a different job.
Raymond Domenech
“Girondins Bordeaux expect to hear from the FFF on the question of the compensation linked to the release of their coach.”
Blanc had a successful career as a centre-back at Barcelona, Marseille and Inter Milan.
But, after success as a manager with Bordeaux in 2009, his side finished sixth in the league this season and were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by fellow French side Lyon.
Domenech has long bore the brunt of fans’ frustrations following a disappointing Euro 2008 campaign where France picked up only one point and finished bottom of their group.
But the Frenchman said he had not been told whether he would be replaced by Blanc after the World Cup in South Africa.
“I’m not the one who decides on this,” said Domenech.
“Blanc proved he was able to be in charge at club level. But coaching a national team is a different job.
“He will have to be ready immediately because the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign starts in September.” (BBC Sport)

Now either this is ridiculously bad timing or a touch of genius on behalf of the FFF. Raymond Domenech is not universally liked in France, in fact you could say is universally disliked, but to line up a replacement for the French national coach just a few weeks before the World Cup starts is bizarre to the say the least.

There is no doubting Laurent Blanc has been a great success at Bordeaux and that he is more than able to take over from the current coach its just odd to appoint someone to take a job at such inopportune time. Imagine if you will that you work for a leading company and then days before a big event/meeting you publicly hand his job to someone else in a months time. This could either have the impact of making the current boss very angry and therefore perhaps effect his running of the company or perhaps it helps motivate that boss to try even harder to make that big event/meeting even more of a success. Which will be France’s fate?

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