By AJ
Published 53 minutes ago, Updated 4 minutes ago
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A few days after Bernard Laporte’s comments, castigating his predecessors in Montpellier, Philippe Saint-André responded to him this Monday on RMC.
Currently thirteenth in the Top 14 and closer than ever to a play-off at the end of the season, the MHR is in crisis. And this is felt even in the media sphere where the club’s former manager, Philippe Saint-André, responded to an outburst from his successor, Bernard Laporte. He criticized him without naming him last Thursday in the columns of Free Midday.
“It’s not normal for us to be dependent on three, four players, with a very large overall payroll. This team is completely unbalanced, whoever made this team is a crook,” had launched the one who was triple European champion with Toulon.
Philippe Saint-André therefore wanted to respond this Monday in the “Moscato Show” on RMC.“Being called a crook, coming from Bernard Laporte, I take it more as a compliment” replied «PSA» before justifying its past management, “There are 24 internationals in the MHR workforce, including 12 French. There were 26 before, it’s the manager’s choice. Bernard Laporte chose to part ways with Henry Thomas, French champion with us in 2022, Tolu Latu, Australian international who left for La Rochelle, and Paolo Garbisi, whom I recruited at a young age and who, for me, is the one of the best fly-halves in Europe. »
A leadership problem that attracts consensus
He continued, responding about leadership issues faced by his former team“On leadership, I agree with him (Bernard Laporte), there are a few leaders missing in this team but we must not forget that in 2022, when we were champion of France, the captain was Yacouba Camara, who is still in the squad and playing, and the vice -captain was Geoffrey Doumayrou, continued Saint-André. I’m sad, really, about the situation. With Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and Olivier Azam, I trained 70% of this squad for 30 months. We had a comeback, two titles (one in Challenge and one in Top 14), two quarter-finals of the Champions Cup. »
Also read: Top 14: at what time and on which channel to watch Montpellier-Toulouse?
“I know that in this squad there are good guys, very good players, but there is a lack of confidence,” analyzed the former club manager. But I have so much respect for these players, for the employees of the MHR, for the president, the partners, the supporters. I only hope one thing, that they run away. Bernard Laporte took Toulon just after me, he had four titles in a row, he was the best manager in the world, I respect him. There he says it’s my fault. You have to have nuance. »
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