Former French giants 'hit rock bottom' as relegation looms

Fans of former French giants St Etienne would be forgiven for looking furtively at their history books in despair after the second division club's future took a severe knock midweek.

St Etienne, who dominated the domestic championship at the tail end of the 1960s and mid 1970s winning 10 league titles, are now facing life in the third division after Wednesday's 3-0 hammering by Gueugnon.

The 'Greens', as they are affectionately known in France, now sit 18th in the 20-team division - only two years after a brief but much-heralded return to the top flight - and for manager Frederic Antonetti things are looking grim.

"We've hit rock bottom," he said Thursday.

"Now we just have to save what we can, which means our survival in the second division. After that, it would be better to have a mass clear-out," he added.

The feeling at St Etienne on Thursday was so pessimistic that no-one at the club would comment.

With 22 points from 23 games, St Etienne's lot is a far cry from 1976 when they reached the European Cup final at Hampden in Glasgow, only to be beaten.

Considered one of the few truly great footballing sides, the demise of St Etienne will touch many fans of football in France.

For many their style and panache during the 1960s and 70s - during which time French great Michel Platini orchestrated the midfield for two seasons - was a time to be proud of the domestic scene.

Now, with few French teams reaching the latter stages of Europe's top club competitions - the last being Marseille who won the European Cup in 1993 - St Etienne's fate would only serve as a reminder of how the mighty can fall.

Antonetti added: "Gueugnon didn't tactically outplay us, and they weren't any better technically, but they wanted to win more than us.

"I've got ten years as a coach under my belt and I've never lost 3-0 at home. It's a good slap in the face for me."

Days before the visit to First Division contenders Lorient, Anonetti warned: "Everyone' has to look at themselves in the mirror. I'm very disappointed, but not beaten."

The club has never been in the third division but 20 years ago their name was dragged through the mud when the club president Roger Rocher was sent to prison for four years and nine players, including Platini, were hit with fines of upto 50,000 dollars each for taking kickbacks from a slush fund.