Speaking to the press for the first time since his sacking by ESTAC Troyes on 8th November, Bruno Irles reflected on his time at the Aubois club, and regrets the lack of support he received, relative to that afforded to his replacement Patrick Kisnorbo.
Irles kept Troyes in Ligue 1 during the 2021/22 season, a first for the club in 16 years. However, he was sacked by the club in November amidst a difficult run of form. Despite being 13th in Ligue 1, the club were on a six-game winless streak, which included four draws. At the time, Troyes had the fifth-best attack in Ligue 1. Within this context, the hierarchy at the club made the change, bringing in Kisnorbo from Melbourne City, an internal recruitment of sorts with both teams part of the City Group.
In an interview with L’Équipe, Irles said he was “angry and sad” to lose his job, describing it as “a waste.” He also received that during the meeting, ultimately his final one with the hierarchy at the club, he didn’t expect to be fired.
He was replaced by Kisnorbo, who has won just one of 20 Ligue 1 matches. The club are 19th in Ligue 1 and have been officially relegated. Under Irles, Troyes had 14 points in 14 matches, the club has earned just eight points since. Asked if he believed he could have kept Troyes up, Irles replied, “I can’t really say. We were on the right path, but I think that it would have been difficult for me to do worse.”
Irles added that he was “jealous” of the communication around Kisnorbo’s arrival. “The context (his arrival at Troyes) wasn’t favourable. I arrived alone. I would have liked to have benefitted from that (the communication) upon my arrival. It was harmful to me, notably amongst the fanbase,” he said.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
