2018-2019 season of the Stade Malherbe Caen

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The 2018-2019 season of the Stade Malherbe de Caen, a French football club, saw the club evolve in Ligue 1. This is Norman club season at this level.

Malherbe comes out again of a chaotic season with a hold again won on the last day against Paris Saint-Germain. Behind the scenes, the club is decimated. The supervisory board pushed Jean-François Fortin out. Coach Patrice Garande leaves the club. The staff, the director of the training centre, most educators and one third of the professional staff are at the end of the contract. Gilles Sergent, the new president of the Executive Board, must rebuild everything.

The season is extremely painful from end to end. Malherbe does not find a game identity and the offensive animation is almost non-existent (29 goals in total). Despite the reinforcement of Rolland Courbis to support Mercadal at the end of February and a jump in early spring, the Caennais finished the championship with only 33 points. As ten years ago, Malherbe ended with a tragic relegation following a home defeat against Bordeaux, which was on a series of six consecutive defeats. Caen finished 19 and returned to League 2 after five years in the elite.

Background

Pre-season

New Coach and Staff
For the first time in sixteen years, Malherbe no longer has a coach. On , at the presentation of the project "2018-2023", the new president of the CMS Gilles Sergent explained the profile sought: "an experienced coach, respecting the values of the club, speaking English, who will have the will to work with the training". Many names circulate. Hubert Fournier is long preferred, and contacts are engaged. But the technician is under contract to the FFF as the national technical director, and Noël Le Graët is blocking negotiations. The , Sergeant announces that the discussions are definitely broken.

Leaders meet a total of six coaches, including Olivier Pantaloni, Willy Sagnol and Franck Passi. On the , the choice is formalized: the technician of the Paris FC Fabien Mercadal becomes the new coach of the Stade Malherbe. President Gilles Sergent particularly emphasises his qualities as a charisma, leader of men and the ascental dynamics of his career. Mercadal is indeed out of an excellent season with the Paris FC in Ligue 2. Originally a candidate for the National downhill, the club battles for the accession to Ligue 1 and ends up in an unexpected place.

On the , the new full staff is formalized. Michel Audrain, passing through Rennes, Lyon and Lorient, became the new assistant coach. Christophe Manouvrier, former physical preparer of OM, replaces Jean-Marc Branger, who nevertheless remains at the club to take over the new "pole of performance". Finally, Corsican Hervé Sekli becomes the new coach of the guards in place of Frédéric Peter