The debate spilled over everywhere this weekend, even onto the set of Ligue 1’s SAV. As a guest on the show after matchday 5, our journalist Jonathan Helbling discussed the tense end to the game at Jean-Bouin, Liam Rosenior’s January move to Chelsea, and the reaction of the supporters. The guiding principle: understand the anger of Strasbourg’s fans without excusing the insults.
“A boss with two companies”
For Jonathan Helbling, the resentment in the away section is not explained by the departure itself, but by its destination. “The problem is that he leaves mid-season when Strasbourg are doing well, when Strasbourg are still qualified in the Conference League. It’s the same group, BlueCo, that will take him to put him at Chelsea.” He adds the case of Mamadou Sarr, recalled from his loan by Chelsea after Rosenior’s arrival: “Behind that, it hurts us badly because we no longer have a first-choice centre-back pairing.”
Would a move to another big club have caused as much damage? “No, it wouldn’t have been seen the same way. It would have been understood by the Strasbourg supporters, very clearly. Here, the problem is that you have a boss with two companies, and he’s going to take one from you to go to the other.” Was Rosenior almost obliged to go? “For me, it’s a certainty.”
🔵⚪ “The insults that touch family, the mother, that’s excessive. His reaction? He must control himself”!
— DIRECT RACING (@Direct__Racing) September 21, 2026
Rosenior, Strasbourg and the end of the Jean-Bouin match, on SAV de la Ligue 1 👇#LiveRCS #RCSA pic.twitter.com/02sOywr4f6
“His reaction is human”
On the insults heard at Jean-Bouin, the tone is more nuanced. “The whole match, he gets insulted, and it’s still extremely virulent. You can tease, you can go and taunt, but insults that touch family, the mother, that’s really excessive.” And Rosenior’s response at the final whistle? “He must control himself a bit more, but it’s human. It’s totally human.” An opinion shared by Houssem, another panelist, who understands the supporters’ frustration but not two hours of insults. Others recalled that after leaving the club mid-season, Rosenior could have kept a low profile.
The “lunar” press conference of January
The debate then moved to how Rosenior had announced his departure last winter. Jonathan Helbling remembers an improvised press conference: “He comes, he sits down, he says: go ahead, ask your questions. A press conference like that, it must be prepared, he must have a speech.” On substance, he mainly retained a message he considers disrespectful to the club: the idea that supporters should be proud to see their coach leave for Chelsea.
Communication strategy or clumsiness? The panel was divided. Houssem sees poorly chosen words to say that Racing now attracts big clubs, another panelist a prepared announcement to make the pill easier to swallow. Jonathan Helbling decided between the two: “There are a lot of clumsy moves, but when you announce a press conference, you can’t come out with that after five minutes. It’s not prepared, that’s the problem.”
The panel also discussed Racing’s start to the season, 8th with 7 points before the break, and the defeat at Paris FC: to read here.
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