News
Media glare troubling Toulon
October 03 2008
Faced with a massive amount of media hype and expectation, Toulon have had a mixed bag in the Top 14 so far - which is normal according to assistant coach Jean-Jacques Crenca, who would like to work without the constant glare of the media spotlight.
A narrow 19-15 lose to Bayonne last weekend left Toulon in eighth place in the Top 14 standings, thirteen points behind leaders Stade Français.
"Of course we're disappointed because we could have worried Bayonne if our scrum was more consistent," Crenca told lesite.
"A win could have given us a boost because we dropped some crucial points at home to Brive and Stade Français, against whom we played well but lost narrowly. Defensively we played well. But we need to improve our scrum."
The club from the South coast have been consistent headline grabbers, even before winning promotion to the Top 14 thanks to their massive budget and high-profile signings, but Crenca feels that some elements of the media have gotten carried away with unrealistic expectations of a newly-promoted club.
"I'm not surprised, it makes me laugh," he said.
"There has been a lot of hype and criticism of Toulon. There could have been the same around other teams but there is a lot less, it's strange. Is it because it's Toulon? We're not going to complain. We're working, we hope to avoid relegation and if we do, we'll do so because the season is long.
"It's the media that are causing all this hype. We've got our feet on the ground. When we spoke of staying up, people laughed at us. Even if we've got a strong squad, there are a lot of new players and combinations still need to be built.
"Of course we're hoping for more than just staying up. But let's be reasonable to start with. It's better to adjust your ambitions for the better than for the worse.
"Everyone needs to calm down. If people take shots at us all season long it's going to be difficult. I've got the impression that we're being watched all the time and not just by the media. We're going to band together, we've got a good squad and everyone seems to be motivated to work."
Apart from the media, the constant presence of ambitious club president Mourad Boudjellal does not make life easy.
"It's true that he has invested a lot of money so we can't hold it against him either," said Tana Umaga's assistant.
"We need to stay calm and show ourselves in sporting terms before anything else. He hasn't been involved in rugby for a long time and he's learning. It will be become easier as we progress."
Crenca admits that rumours in the press about the possible arrival of John Connolly as a new Head Coach were not welcome.
"It was destabilising and makes one think. But it comes with the territory for a coach," he explained.
"Whenever there are any doubts, you hear of the possible arrivals of other coaches. It's part of the job, you need to know to cut yourself off from that kind of thing. We'll keep working until we're told to leave. You can't make a mountain out of a new coach. If a new coach must arrive, he'll arrive. It's simple.
"For the moment, we don't feel like we've got knives to our throats.
"We were able to talk [to Boudjellal]. He told us that it was rubbish. I believe him. Maybe he starts some rumours but sometimes the press also start false rumours. For the moment I belive him. Time will tell."
Toulon are not the only French club to have been active in the transfer market and, without saying as much, Crenca feels that under-performing big spenders like Brive should share the spotlight.
"I don't know why [there is so much hype around Toulon] but we need to fix it," he said.
"Maybe it's because we're in the south-east that there's a lot of noise, it's just my opinion. Other clubs, I don't want to give any names, have done some major recruiting and have big budgets but there's a lot less talk about them, even though they are in a worse position than we are.
"It would be easier to work outside of the media spotlight. It's about selling papers. But you shouldn't do it at any cost and make up stories."