Bourg negotiated what had promised to be a difficult second season in Ligue 2 with comparative ease. The little Rhone side were never in danger of being sucked into the relegation battle after a strong start to the campaign and, while they might have lost some of their momentum, they were always picking up a steady enough stream of points to ensure there were no major concerns. The omens at the start of the season were ominous as they lost Wilfried Louisy-Daniel due to an injury that would prevent him from playing at all. The striker had been his club’s main summer addition, but they had enough offensive qualities in their ranks to ensure his absence was not too keenly felt. Lakdar Boussaha enjoyed an excellent campaign that would have been even better had he not picked up an injury early in the new year, while January addition Yannis Merdji showed that he has the potential to grow into a useful player at this standard. There were some disappointments in the midfield, however. Julien Berthomier had been expected to build upon his excellent debut season at this standard but showed only flashes of his excellence at this standard, while the defence, never the strongest suit of Herve Della Maggiore’s side was again rather unconvincing. It was an area that was persistently hit by injury and selection problems and, therefore, never had the opportunity to settle. Goalkeeper Julien Fabre once again impressed. For a club the size of Bourg, survival is always the goal in Ligue 2, and that will again be their target next season. First and foremost they will want to maintain as many of their best players as possible, while their scouts will be trying to supplement them as effectively as possible. This season has been a success, despite the team apparently happy to clock off and go on holiday mentally, leading to a poor end to the campaign, and another broadly like it would be warmly welcomed.
