N2: the dream beginnings of Laurent David at Les Herbiers
Unemployed for a year, Laurent David returned to Les Herbiers last summer. His team is third in N2 and will receive Reims (L1) on Saturday in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France.
N2. Herbaria
The draw for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France could have given a nice nod to Laurent David (51), coach of Les Herbiers since this summer, former player of Brest Armorique then Stade Brestois and Plabennec, coach from the Brest reserve from 2014 to 2021. But Brest will receive Lens, “Plab” will be opposed to Grenoble and its Vendée formation, which fell from Guingamp in the 8th round, will welcome Reims, eleventh in Ligue 1. It may only be gone discount and possible reunion in eighth would undoubtedly have even more flavor.
In the meantime, third in their N2 group, the Herbiers went to win last weekend 2-0 on the lawn of leader Goal FC, in the Lyon suburbs. An accession to National is possible and Les Herbiers continue this season their beautiful history with the Coupe de France. For a rebound, Laurent David could not really dream of better. “Six months ago, I did not think that because there were only six players left when I took the team and it was necessary to recruit 14, plus two goalkeepers, he concedes, hired until 2024 , plus an optional year in the event of a rise. It was a construction site for two months, the friendlies were weak and there were a lot of concerns here”.
“He’s the man I was looking for”
Laurent David, his staff and his players have lifted them. “He’s the man I was looking for, testifies Dominique Vincendeau for his first season as president. He is passionate, like me, faithful, he has human values. I discover it every day. I felt that he was starting from zero but I was not mistaken”. “I thank him for having trusted me in a club like the Herbiers because I had never trained in previous N2, summarizes the Briochin by birth. It comforts me because deep down I knew I could do it but I had to be given that chance. I had no doubts but I hope so much to have this. The president told me that he had felt a feeling in our interviews, that my attacking game project had seduced him. They also wanted someone with that trainer’s soul because there were budget and salary restrictions, which led us to sign a little younger players. It was his first coaching choice, and he was ballsy.”
“It’s more difficult, but I like it”
Unemployed for a year, the 2021-2022 season after being fired from Stade Brestois, Laurent David had gone through different feelings before finding a club. “When I felt that I was not staying in Brest, I had taken a big hit, rewound the person concerned. The first six months had been difficult, I missed the field, I had gone from an intense life to a daily life in slow motion”.
At Les Herbiers, Laurent David coaches a team “which trains every morning, it’s almost semi-pro. I like that, it’s different from what I knew in Brest, it’s another facet of the coaching profession, explains the Breton. It’s more difficult, more complicated, but here I work and I live for results, I manage a group of players who are between 18 and 31 years old. I feel great in a club that has joined my project. I live things to the fullest. I had a year of unemployment and I don’t project myself above all”.