In 2 weeks time I'll be living in Valenciennes for a year as part of my university course. So I guess i'll be adopting them as my french team for the year.

If I remember rightly they've finished quite steadily the last few seasons or so. Definitely gonna try to make the effort and see them as often as I can.

2 wins, 2 draws and a loss so far, so not doing badly. Just seen they're at home to table toppers Marseille 2 days after I arrive there, would love to get to that match!

Sat 15/09/12
Troyes 1 - 1 Lille
Saint-Étienne 0 - 1 Sochaux
Evian TG 3 - 0 Bastia
Nice 4 - 2 Brest
Valenciennes 0 - 0 Bordeaux

I guess you know Tom that a certain Joey Barton is now on loan at Marseille?
He won't be able to play as he is still serving his ban but if you see him you could give him a special wave or two.

Sun 16/09/12
Rennes 1 - 2 Lorient
Olympique Lyonnais 2 - 0 Ajaccio
Nancy 0 - 1 Olympique Mars…

Top scorers

Player Team
Z. Ibrahimovic PSG 5
A. Traoré Lorient 4
P. Aubameyang Saint-Étienne 3
C. Barbosa Evian TG 3
W. Ben Yedder Toulouse 3
Michel Bastos Olympique Lyonnais 3
A. Gignac Olympique Marseille 3
B. Gomis Olympique Lyonnais 3

Table

1 Olympique Mars… 5 5 0 0 8 1 +7 15 W W W W W
2 Olympique Lyonnais 5 4 1 0 11 4 +7 13 W W D W W
3 Lorient 5 3 2 0 11 6 +5 11 W W D W D
...............................................................................
4 PSG 5 2 3 0 6 3 +3 9 W W D D D
..............................................................................
5 Bordeaux 5 2 3 0 5 3 +2 9 D D D W W
6 Valenciennes 5 2 2 1 6 3 +3 8 D L W D W
7 Toulouse 5 2 2 1 5 5 +0 8 L D W W D
8 Reims 5 2 1 2 6 5 +1 7 W D W L L
9 Saint-Étienne 5 2 0 3 9 5 +4 6 L W W L L
10 Nice 5 1 3 1 7 6 +1 6 W D D D L
11 Lille 5 1 3 1 7 7 +0 6 D L D D W
12 Bastia 5 2 0 3 7 12 -5 6 L L L W W
13 Brest 5 2 0 3 5 10 -5 6 L W L W L
14 Ajaccio 5 2 1 2 3 5 -2 5 L W L D W
15 Evian TG 5 1 1 3 6 7 -1 4 W L D L L
16 Montpellier 5 1 1 3 6 8 -2 4 L W L L D
17 Nancy 5 1 1 3 2 6 -4 4 L L L D W
.................................................................
18 Rennes 5 1 0 4 5 9 -4 3 L L W L L
19 Sochaux 5 1 0 4 4 9 -5 3 W L L L L
20 Troyes 5 0 2 3 5 10 -5 2 D L D L L

Marseille's great start to the season continues with 5 wins now from their 5 matches played.

yep, well aware he's over there now. I'll be sure to have a chat with him if I see him about that day. Doubt the french are too clued up on his antics just yet, so I'm not sure if he's getting the media attention there like he does back in England.

Fri 21/09/12
Montpellier 19 : 45 Saint-Étienne

Sat 22/09/12
Bastia 16 : 00 PSG
Lorient 19 : 00 Nice
Sochaux 19 : 00 Troyes
Brest 19 : 00 Valenciennes
Reims 19 : 00 Nancy
Toulouse 19 : 00 Rennes

Sun 23/09/12
Bordeaux 13 : 00 Ajaccio
Olympique Mars… 16 : 00 Evian TG
Lille 20 : 00 Olympique Lyonnais

League leaders Marseille are at home on Sunday looking for their 6th win in a row against Evian.

Any comments or predictions?

Fri 21/09/12
Montpellier 1 - 1 Saint-Étienne

Sat 22/09/12
Bastia 0 - 4 PSG
Lorient 1 - 1 Nice
Sochaux 3 - 1 Troyes
Brest 2 - 1 Valenciennes
Reims 2 - 0 Nancy
Toulouse 2 - 2 Rennes

PSG are finally starting to look like they mean business!

Sun 23/09/12
Bordeaux 2 - 2 Ajaccio
Olympique Mars… 1 - 0 Evian TG
Lille 1 - 1 Olympique Lyonnais

OM made it 6 wins in a row with a hard fought victory against Evian.

1 Olympique Mars… 6 6 0 0 9 1 +8 18 W W W W W
2 Olympique Lyonnais 6 4 2 0 12 5 +7 14 D W W D W
3 PSG 6 3 3 0 10 3 +7 12 W W W D D
................................................................................
4 Lorient 6 3 3 0 12 7 +5 12 D W W D W
...............................................................................
5 Reims 6 3 1 2 8 5 +3 10 W W D W L
6 Bordeaux 6 2 4 0 7 5 +2 10 D D D D W
7 Toulouse 6 2 3 1 7 7 +0 9 D L D W W
8 Brest 6 3 0 3 7 11 -4 9 W L W L W
9 Valenciennes 6 2 2 2 7 5 +2 8 L D L W D
10 Saint-Étienne 6 2 1 3 10 6 +4 7 D L W W L
11 Nice 6 1 4 1 8 7 +1 7 D W D D D
12 Lille 6 1 4 1 8 8 +0 7 D D L D D
13 Ajaccio 6 2 2 2 5 7 -2 6 D L W L D
14 Sochaux 6 2 0 4 7 10 -3 6 W W L L L
15 Bastia 6 2 0 4 7 16 -9 6 L L L L W
16 Montpellier 6 1 2 3 7 9 -2 5 D L W L L
17 Evian TG 6 1 1 4 6 8 -2 4 L W L D L
.......................................................................
18 Rennes 6 1 1 4 7 11 -4 4 D L L W L
19 Nancy 6 1 1 4 2 8 -6 4 L L L L D
20 Troyes 6 0 2 4 6 13 -7 2 L D L D L

Top scorers

Player Team
Z. Ibrahimovic PSG 7
P. Aubameyang Saint-Étienne 4
W. Ben Yedder Toulouse 4
A. Traoré Lorient 4

Any comments on the Ligue 1 season so far? - who do you think will win the title?

Fri 28/09/12
Rennes 19 : 45 Lille

Sat 29/09/12
PSG 16 : 30 Sochaux
Ajaccio 19 : 00 Brest
Nancy 19 : 00 Montpellier
Troyes 19 : 00 Toulouse
Evian TG 19 : 00 Lorient
Nice 19 : 00 Bastia

Sun 30/09/12
Valenciennes 13 : 00 Olympique Mars…
Saint-Étienne 16 : 00 Reims
Olympique Lyonnais 20 : 00 Bordeaux

Can OM make it 7 wins in a row away at Valenciennes?

Fri 28/09/12
Rennes 2 - 0 Lille

Sat 29/09/12
PSG 2 - 0 Sochaux
Ajaccio 1 - 0 Brest
Nancy 0 - 2 Montpellier
Troyes 0 - 2 Toulouse
Evian TG 1 - 1 Lorient
Nice 2 - 2 Bastia

Sun 30/09/12
Valenciennes 4 - 1 Olympique Mars…
Saint-Étienne 0 - 0 Reims
Olympique Lyonnais 0 - 2 Bordeaux

1 Olympique Mars… 7 6 0 1 10 5 +5 18 L W W W W
2 PSG 7 4 3 0 12 3 +9 15 W W W W D
3 Olympique Lyonnais 7 4 2 1 12 7 +5 14 L D W W D
................................................................................
4 Lorient 7 3 4 0 13 8 +5 13 D D W W D
...............................................................................
5 Bordeaux 7 3 4 0 9 5 +4 13 W D D D D
6 Toulouse 7 3 3 1 9 7 +2 12 W D L D W
7 Valenciennes 7 3 2 2 11 6 +5 11 W L D L W
8 Reims 7 3 2 2 8 5 +3 11 D W W D W
9 Ajaccio 7 3 2 2 6 7 -1 9 W D L W L
10 Brest 7 3 0 4 7 12 -5 9 L W L W L
11 Saint-Étienne 7 2 2 3 10 6 +4 8 D D L W W
12 Nice 7 1 5 1 10 9 +1 8 D D W D D
13 Montpellier 7 2 2 3 9 9 +0 8 W D L W L
14 Rennes 7 2 1 4 9 11 -2 7 W D L L W
15 Lille 7 1 4 2 8 10 -2 7 L D D L D
16 Bastia 7 2 1 4 9 18 -9 7 D L L L L
17 Sochaux 7 2 0 5 7 12 -5 6 L W W L L
......................................................................
18 Evian TG 7 1 2 4 7 9 -2 5 D L W L D
19 Nancy 7 1 1 5 2 10 -8 4 L L L L L
20 Troyes 7 0 2 5 6 15 -9 2 L L D L D

OM's winning run has come to an end with a 4-1 defeat away at Valenciennes!

Lyon also lost for the first time this season 2-0 at home to Bordeaux who are still unbeaten.

PSG are looking stronger every week and won their 4th match in a row 2-0 at home against Sochaux.

Any comments?

Fri 05/10/12
Saint-Étienne 19 : 45 Nancy

Sat 06/10/12
Montpellier 16 : 00 Evian TG
Sochaux 19 : 00 Rennes
Lille 19 : 00 Ajaccio
Bastia 19 : 00 Troyes
Reims 19 : 00 Nice
Toulouse 19 : 00 Valenciennes

Sun 07/10/12
Brest 13 : 00 Bordeaux
Lorient 16 : 00 Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Mars… 20 : 00 PSG

This weekend in Ligue 1 we have the biggest fixture in French football with OM taking on PSG!

Last week Marseille lost for the first time this season while Paris have slowly been improving under Ancelotti.

Any comments or predictions?

Fri 05/10/12
Saint-Étienne 4 - 0 Nancy

Sat 06/10/12
Montpellier 2 - 3 Evian TG
Sochaux 0 - 1 Rennes
Lille 2 - 0 Ajaccio
Bastia 3 - 2 Troyes
Reims 3 - 1 Nice
Toulouse 2 - 2 Valenciennes

Sun 07/10/12
Brest 1 - 1 Bordeaux
Lorient 1 - 1 Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Mars… 2 - 2 PSG

1 Olympique Mars… 8 6 1 1 12 7 +5 19 D L W W W
2 PSG 8 4 4 0 14 5 +9 16 D W W W W
3 Olympique Lyonnais 8 4 3 1 13 8 +5 15 D L D W W
...............................................................................
4 Lorient 8 3 5 0 14 9 +5 14 D D D W W
................................................................................
5 Reims 8 4 2 2 11 6 +5 14 W D W W D
6 Bordeaux 8 3 5 0 10 6 +4 14 D W D D D
7 Toulouse 8 3 4 1 11 9 +2 13 D W D L D
8 Valenciennes 8 3 3 2 13 8 +5 12 D W L D L
9 Saint-Étienne 8 3 2 3 14 6 +8 11 W D D L W
10 Lille 8 2 4 2 10 10 +0 10 W L D D L
11 Rennes 8 3 1 4 10 11 -1 10 W W D L L
12 Brest 8 3 1 4 8 13 -5 10 D L W L W
13 Bastia 8 3 1 4 12 20 -8 10 W D L L L
14 Ajaccio 8 3 2 3 6 9 -3 9 L W D L W
15 Montpellier 8 2 2 4 11 12 -1 8 L W D L W
16 Nice 8 1 5 2 11 12 -1 8 L D D W D
17 Evian TG 8 2 2 4 10 11 -1 8 W D L W L
................................................................................
18 Sochaux 8 2 0 6 7 13 -6 6 L L W W L
19 Nancy 8 1 1 6 2 14 -12 4 L L L L L
20 Troyes 8 0 2 6 8 18 -10 2 L L L D L

The biggest fixture in French football ended in a 2-2 draw between Marseille and PSG.

Gignac put OM 1-0 ahead then Ibra scored twice for PSG but Gignac found the net again to make it 2-2.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the top scorer with 9 goals as we go into the international break.

Do you support a French club? - If so which team do you follow and how are they doing at the moment?

Fri 19/10/12
Bordeaux 19 : 45 Lille

Sat 20/10/12
PSG 16 : 00 Reims
Nancy 19 : 00 Sochaux
Evian TG 19 : 00 Toulouse
Nice 19 : 00 Saint-Étienne
Rennes 19 : 00 Montpellier
Valenciennes 19 : 00 Lorient

Sun 21/10/12
Ajaccio 13 : 00 Bastia
Olympique Lyonnais 16 : 00 Brest
Troyes 20 : 00 Olympique Mars…

I support Lyon, who have many problems of realism, with a vintager Gomis. But, Malbranque was unbelievably good and the return of Gourcuff and Bastos will help the club.

Fri 19/10/12
Bordeaux 1 - 1 Lille

Sat 20/10/12
PSG 1 - 0 Reims
Nancy 1 - 1 Sochaux
Evian TG 0 - 4 Toulouse
Nice 1 - 1 Saint-Étienne
Rennes 2 - 1 Montpellier
Valenciennes 6 - 1 Lorient

PSG went top of Ligue 1 on Saturday after their 1-0 home win against Reims.

Marseille will return to 1st place with a draw away at Troyes but will be favourites to win all 3 points.

Sun 21/10/12
Ajaccio 0 - 0 Bastia
Olympique Lyonnais 1 - 0 Brest
Troyes 1 - 0 Olympique Mars

1 PSG 9 5 4 0 15 5 +10 19 W D W W W
2 Olympique Mars… 9 6 1 2 12 8 +4 19 L D L W W
3 Olympique Lyonnais 9 5 3 1 14 8 +6 18 W D L D W
.................................................................................
4 Toulouse 9 4 4 1 15 9 +6 16 W D W D L
.................................................................................
5 Valenciennes 9 4 3 2 19 9 +10 15 W D W L D
6 Bordeaux 9 3 6 0 11 7 +4 15 D D W D D
7 Reims 9 4 2 3 11 7 +4 14 L W D W W
8 Lorient 9 3 5 1 15 15 +0 14 L D D D W
9 Rennes 9 4 1 4 12 12 +0 13 W W W D L
10 Saint-Étienne 9 3 3 3 15 7 +8 12 D W D D L
11 Lille 9 2 5 2 11 11 +0 11 D W L D D
12 Bastia 9 3 2 4 12 20 -8 11 D W D L L
13 Ajaccio 9 3 3 3 6 9 -3 10 D L W D L
14 Brest 9 3 1 5 8 14 -6 10 L D L W L
15 Nice 9 1 6 2 12 13 -1 9 D L D D W
16 Montpellier 9 2 2 5 12 14 -2 8 L L W D L
17 Evian TG 9 2 2 5 10 15 -5 8 L W D L W
..........................................................................
18 Sochaux 9 2 1 6 8 14 -6 7 D L L W W
19 Troyes 9 1 2 6 9 18 -9 5 W L L L D
20 Nancy 9 1 2 6 3 15 -12 5 D L L L L

Marseille surprisingly lost 1-0 away at Troyes so PSG are now top of the French league.

Gignac injured for two months, hard for Marseille...

Fri 26/10/12
Saint-Étienne 19 : 45 Rennes

Sat 27/10/12
Lille 16 : 00 Valenciennes
Nancy 19 : 00 PSG
Sochaux 19 : 00 Evian TG
Montpellier 19 : 00 Nice
Reims 19 : 00 Troyes
Toulouse 19 : 00 Brest

Sun 28/10/12
Lorient 13 : 00 Ajaccio
Bastia 16 : 00 Bordeaux
Olympique Mars… 20 : 00 Olympique Lyonnais

The big match in France this weekend is on Sunday when OM play against Lyon.

Any comments or predictions?

Fri 26/10/12
Saint-Étienne 2 - 0 Rennes

Sat 27/10/12
Lille 2 - 1 Valenciennes
Nancy 0 - 1 PSG
Sochaux PSTP Evian TG
Montpellier 3 - 1 Nice
Reims 1 - 1 Troyes
Toulouse 3 - 1 Brest

Sun 28/10/12
Lorient 4 - 4 Ajaccio
Bastia 3 - 1 Bordeaux
Olympique Mars… PSTP Olympique Lyonnais


1 PSG 10 6 4 0 16 5 +11 22 W W D W W
2 Toulouse 10 5 4 1 18 10 +8 19 W W D W D
3 Olympique Mars… 9 6 1 2 12 8 +4 19 L D L W W
..................................................................................
4 Olympique Lyonnais 9 5 3 1 14 8 +6 18 W D L D W
...................................................................................
5 Saint-Étienne 10 4 3 3 17 7 +10 15 W D W D D
6 Valenciennes 10 4 3 3 20 11 +9 15 L W D W L
7 Reims 10 4 3 3 12 8 +4 15 D L W D W
8 Bordeaux 10 3 6 1 12 10 +2 15 L D D W D
9 Lorient 10 3 6 1 19 19 +0 15 D L D D D
10 Lille 10 3 5 2 13 12 +1 14 W D W L D
11 Bastia 10 4 2 4 15 21 -6 14 W D W D L
12 Rennes 10 4 1 5 12 14 -2 13 L W W W D
13 Montpellier 10 3 2 5 15 15 +0 11 W L L W D
14 Ajaccio 10 3 4 3 10 13 -3 11 D D L W D
15 Brest 10 3 1 6 9 17 -8 10 L L D L W
16 Nice 10 1 6 3 13 16 -3 9 L D L D D
17 Evian TG 9 2 2 5 10 15 -5 8 L W D L W
............................................................................
18 Sochaux 9 2 1 6 8 14 -6 7 D L L W W
19 Troyes 10 1 3 6 10 19 -9 6 D W L L L
20 Nancy 10 1 2 7 3 16 -13 5 L D L L L

PSG have a 3 point lead at the top of the table after their 1-0 win at Nancy.
The match at Sochaux was called off due to snow which is unusual for this time of year.
Marseille against Lyon was also postponed because of high winds being dangerous to supporters.
Any comments?

Fri
02/11/12
Brest 2-0 Lorient

Sat
03/11/12
PSG 1-2 St Ettiene
Troyes v Montpellier
Evian v Liille
Nice v Nancy
Rennes v Reims
Valenciennes v Sochaux

Sun
04/11/12
Ajaccio v OM
Lyon v Bastia
Bordeaux v Toulouse