Nice arrangement for Rohr and Roy
Friday, April 4, 2003
Article summary
Coach Gernot Rohr and influential midfield player Eric Roy have both signed extended deals with OGC Nice.
Article body
'Solid structure'
The 49-year-old Rohr should now stay in charge at the club until 2007 as Nice embark upon a campaign to bring the glory days back to one of the sleeping giants of French football. "I'll try to turn Nice into a big club with a solid structure and plenty of loyal supporters," said Rohr.
Building for the future
"We also need a youth academy, like they have at [FC Girondins de] Bordeaux. There is room for another side on the French Riviera between declining AS Cannes and struggling AS Monaco." If the German remains at the club until the end of his contract, it looks likely that he will be in charge of the club when they move to their soon-to-be-built new stadium, which will replace the ageing Stade du Ray.
Major success
Rohr has already achieved major successes in France, reaching the final of the 1996 UEFA Cup with Bordeaux only to lose out to FC Bayern München. This season, his Nice side were the surprise early leaders of Le Championnat. Newly promoted, they quickly climbed to the top of the table, and stayed there between the fourth and 23rd rounds of the season, though they have since slumped to eighth position.
Roy battles on
Rohr will also be able to count on the experienced Roy for next season, after the 35-year-old agreed to spend another year with his hometown club. Roy has played in 29 of Nice's 31 Le Championnat matches this season, and remains a fine competitor.
Off to England
Having started his career with Nice in 1990, he moved on to SC Toulon for the 1992/93 season, before spending three seasons with Olympique Lyonnais. He then moved to English side Sunderland AFC for two seasons, returning to France in 2001 to represent ES Troyes Aube-Champagne.
Coaching role
Roy played for Spanish side Rayo Vallecano during the 2001/02 season before returning to the club where he started his career as they made their return to the French top flight. He is expected to be offered a coaching role at the club when his new contract expires.
Golden age
Four-times French champions in the 1950s, Nice's last major honour came in 1997 when they lifted the French Cup. They travel to joint league leaders AS Monaco FC for their match this weekend.
