Yvon Pouliquen

Infobox Football biography
playername = Yvon Pouliquen


fullname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1962|10|17
cityofbirth = Morlaix
countryofbirth = France
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height = height|m=1.72
position = Defensive midfielder
currentclub = FC Metz
youthyears = 1977–1982
youthclubs = Stade Brestois
years = 1982–1987
1987–1989
1989–1991
1991–1996
clubs = Stade Brestois
Stade Lavallois
AS Saint-Étienne
RC Strasbourg
caps(goals) = 146 (4)
076 (2)
075 (1)
158 (3)
manageryears = 2000–2001
2002–2004
2004–2005
2006–2007
2008–
managerclubs = RC Strasbourg
FC Lorient
EA Guingamp
Grenoble Foot 38
FC Metz

Yvon Pouliquen, (born October 17, 1962) is a French football manager and former footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder for 14 seasons (all but one in Ligue 1) and made 455 appearances in the French league. He is currently coaching Metz in Ligue 1.

Playing career

Born in Morlaix, Finistère, France, Pouliquen started his playing career aged 15 at Brest. He made his first team debut aged 19, as a half-time substitute against Tours in Ligue 1, and scored within ten minutes of entering the field of play.cite web
url=http://www.bretagne.com/fr/culture/sport/football/portraits/yvon_pouliquen |title=Yvon Pouliquen : Dix années brestoises |author=Daniellou, Eric |work=bretagne.com |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-13] He spent a further five seasons with Brest, two with Laval, and another two with Saint-Étienne before joining Strasbourg, then in Ligue 2. He helped them to promotion to Ligue 1 via the playoffs in his first season at the club, [cite web
url=http://racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1991-1992&tab=matches |title=Saison 1991-1992 |work=racingstub.com (an RC Strasbourg fansite) |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-13] scored the goal against local rivals Metz which put the club into the final of the 1995 Coupe de France, [cite web
url=http://racingstub.com/page.php?page=match&id=240 |title=RCS - Metz 1-0 |work=racingstub.com |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-13] and in his final year as a player helped them qualify via the Intertoto Cup for the UEFA Cup and reach the last 16. [cite web
url=http://racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1995-1996&tab=matches |title=Saison 1995-1996 |work=racingstub.com |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-13] He also captained the club. [cite web
url=http://racingstub.com/page.php?page=joueur&id=91 |title=Yvon Pouliquen fiche joueur |work=racingstub.com |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-13]

Coaching career

At the end of his first team playing career, Pouliquen joined the coaching staff under manager Jacky Duguépéroux at Strasbourg, though he continued to play occasionally for the reserve team. In December 1997 he took over as reserve team coach, a post he held until his appointment as first team manager in November 2000. His tenure lasted only until the end of the 2000–01 season, in which Strasbourg won the Coupe de France but were relegated to Ligue 2.cite web
url=http://racingstub.com/page.php?page=dirigeant&id=57 |title=Yvon Pouliquen fiche dirigeant |work=racingstub.com |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-16]

Pouliquen took over as manager of Lorient in January 2002, leading them to their first final of the Coupe de la Ligue as well as their first major trophy in the 2002 Coupe de France.cite web
url=http://www.fclweb.fr/club/historique/entraineurs.php |title=Les entraîneurs |publisher=FC Lorient |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-16] When he joined, the club were in the relegation positions, and he was unable at any stage to lift them out of the bottom three places, [cite web
url=http://www.lfp.fr/club/resultat.asp?code_evt=D1&no_affil_fff=501913&saison=2001/2002 |title=FC Lorient Bretagne Sud Saison 2001/2002 |publisher=Ligue de Football Professionnel |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-16] so for the second consecutive season he combined the cup win with relegation from the top flight. The following season Lorient made their first ever appearance in European competition, entering at the first round stage of the UEFA Cup 2002–03 only to lose on the away goals rule to Denizlispor. [cite web
url=http://www.fclweb.fr/club/historique/uefa.php |title=Lorient en Coupe de l’UEFA |publisher=FC Lorient |language=French |accessdate=2008-01-16] At the end of the 2002–03 season Lorient narrowly failed to win promotion back to Ligue 1, and Pouliquen was replaced by Christian Gourcuff.

In June 2004 Pouliquen took over as manager of Guingamp, newly relegated to Ligue 2. [cite news
url=http://www.sport.fr/Football/foo/Yvon-Pouliquen-nomme-entraineur-de-Guingamp-36404.shtm |title=Yvon Pouliquen nommé entraîneur de Guingamp |work=sport.fr |language=French |date=2004-06-02 |accessdate=2008-01-16] Though the club had expected immediate promotion, and were disappointed with 7th place in the 2004–05 season, an excellent home record gave the manager a period of grace, but a poor start to the 2005–06 season provoked his dismissal in September 2005. [cite news
url=http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/20050917_193258Dev.html |title=Guingamp - Pouliquen démis |work=L'Équipe |language=French |date=2005-09-17 |accessdate=2008-01-16]

He then had a spell as manager of Grenoble in the 2006–07 season before joining FC Metz in December 2007 with the club bottom of Ligue 1. [cite web
url=http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=641826.html |title=Pouliquen takes on Metz challenge |publisher=UEFA |date=2007-12-25 |accessdate=2008-01-16]

References

External links

*fr icon [http://www.bretagne.com/fr/culture/sport/football/portraits/yvon_pouliquen Article on "bretagne.com"]