Ben Old (AS Saint-Étienne | France)

On one hand better Old in Ligue 1 than in the A-league but with a team like this I can't imagine Old feels very lucky 

hope ASSE is either able to get their act together or a bigger club sees his skills and buys him since at this rate he's about to immediately get sent to Ligue 2

The fact that the team is where they're at is likely why he was signed as a starter rather than to go out on loan. At least he's showcasing himself and doing well.

Ryan

The fact that the team is where they're at is likely why he was signed as a starter rather than to go out on loan. At least he's showcasing himself and doing well.

Pay is probably okay! And getting an OE. It’s all part of being a pro footballer I guess. 

No one expected him to be getting as many minutes as he is already... so he is already ahead of the curve.

Add to the fact his match ratings are consistently at the higher end of his team shows he deserves the minutes.

Even if his team gets relegated he will be a stronger player for it.

MetalLegNZ

No one expected him to be getting as many minutes as he is already... so he is already ahead of the curve.

Add to the fact his match ratings are consistently at the higher end of his team shows he deserves the minutes.

Even if his team gets relegated he will be a stronger player for it.

Yeah and quite often the best players on relegated teams get poached by other teams in the league, especially as they have to start thinking about reducing their wage bills in the lower leagues - so his performances are probably putting him in the shop window to other teams in the league in case AS Saint Ettiene do get relegated

100% agrée. Ben has done well. He is generally thought to be one of the few positives for Saint Étienne this season. It’s not easy to shine when your team is consistently on the back foot. If he continues the trajectory he is on now he will be OK. In the brief time he has been playing he has shown he has the attributes to be successful Ligue 1 player. 
Saint Étienne was recently  bought by a very wealthy Canadian businessman. I expect he  will splash the cash in the winter transfer market. If they can get some experienced defenders they should be ok to stay up. There are at least three other Ligue 1 clubs who are currently as bad as them.

St Etienne (17th) travel to Nantes (5th)

Saint Étienne got a draw against Nantes 2-2. Ben started as a right wing. Apparently played ok. Got rated 5/10 by Lequipe magazine 

Got 78 mins (2-2). 

Excellent turnaround by Saint Étienne after last weekend's 8-0 shellacking by Nice, who are actually lower on the table than Nantes. Go figure

Saint Étienne were 2-0 down away at 49 mins, so some good fight to come back and get the draw.

Interesting comments by the Saint Étienne coach after the match. He said he was looking for a big improvement in the players mentality after the 0-8 thrashing. He then went on to say how it was encouraging to see a young boy like Old step up and show strength of character and this was an example that he hopes the whole squad follows.
Quite unusual for a coach to pick out one player like that but he obviously sees something positive in Ben.

From Niche Cache.

Ben Old returned to the starting eleven for Saint-Etienne this week just like most people expected following the disaster that was their 8-0 defeat last week against Nice. Thankfully, there was a positive response from ASSE who rallied back from being two goals down away to Nantes to leave with a 2-2 draw. Ibrahim Sissoko scored both goals, the first on 57’ and the second from the penalty spot on 67’. Their defence was as rubbish as it has been all season but they were able to withstand enough pressure to get a few things going themselves.

Old was used as a right winger in the front three for this match (he’s alternated between wing and attacking midfield) and one of the most pivotal moments of the game came right before ASSE’s first goal when Nantes were way on top and searching for a third. Old managed to scramble back and deflect a goal-bound shot onto the post to prevent the damage from getting any worse. He was then involved in the short-corner routine that set up his team’s first away goal of the season, before a defensive elbow led to a VAR penalty and there ya go, Saint-Etienne walked away with a point after all. Old got 78 minutes. The Greens are still second-to-last but one win would send them surging several spots upwards.

St Etienne (17th/2nd last) host Auxerre (12th)

Saint Étienne won for thé second time this season beating Auxerre 3-1 in front of a huge noisy home crowd. I managed to catch this game live. The star was the SE left wing Davitcavilli .?? who scored the three goals but Ben Old on the right wing was also outstanding. Easily his best game since arriving in France.
Auxerre played five across the back but the two SE wingers tormented them with their skill and pace. Ben had two shots on goal in the first ten minutes, both blocked. He was continually skinning his opposite. His best chance to score came in the fortieth minute when he got clear again and his low shot was brilliantly saved by the diving keeper. Then  his marker had had enough and chopped Ben down after he he gone passed…..earning himself a yellow card.
In the second half Ben was again quickly into the action. He broke clear twice and put in excellent crosses into the box but both times his teammates both went back post. He then put his striker through on goal but he shot wide. He was subbed off after 70 minutes to a huge ovation from the home crowd.
Sometimes when you watch a young player and you say….”yes, this guy has what it takes to be successful at this level” today was that day for Ben. French tv post match review had a long highlights reel of Bens game. All the commentators were enthusiastic and complimented his skills.
As for SE they were much better organized and much more aggressive in the duels and covering. Their defense still is a major worry though.
Great entertaining game to watch.

Man, Ben was so good in this game. Awesome summary, agree with everything you said. 

That assist he should have had was particularly guilty - Ben’s beautiful dinked ball broke the defense and put Sissoko in acres of space, but he placed it a metre wide

Great to hear. Thanks guys!

Just finished watching the first half and was guna come here and gush, but you’re already doing it. 

He was strong, fast, but also tricky. I liked when he was chasing his first through ball the defender tried to go shoulder to shoulder and push him off the ball, but it was Ben who did that the other way. 

There’s a couple of small points. one point he gave the ball away up high and let them counter. And he had shots blocked or saved, but I think he’s got to keep working on his finishing. 

He was so good that after 35 minutes they couldn’t stop him so they started fouling him. 

The only thing to note is that this is one of the teams lower on the table. Good news is after the win there a whole bunch more teams that are lower on the table! 

Great entertaining watch. Flying the kiwi flag and getting us noticed. 

The French sports daily gave Old a 7/10 match rating and runner up man of the match behind the guy who scored the three goals 8/10.
He still has a margin of progress in a few aspects of his game I.e linking with his team mates and shooting but he is well on track.

I thought he would take at least half a season to adapt to the jump from A-League to Ligue 1 but he has done it in a handful of games. Obviously the coaching he had at the Nix was of a decent standard to slot into Ligue 1. So big kudos to the Nix coaches. One thing I have noticed is that Ben has bulked up considerably since since he arrived in France. I’m sure it’s not all due to his new croissant diet. But he now has the physique to do well in physical duels. Maybe he could send his training program back to the Nix HQ

Maybe his side should come and pick up a couple more NIX players to bolster their squad foe decent coin.

Rufer would go well IMO.

Possibly a little greedy with his first shot when a lay off looke a better option, but outside that he looked great in the highlights package. A couple near crosses off his right, great pace and control. 

His defender clearly hung off him a bit, worried about being skinned.

RR

🎥 Ben Old vs. Auxerrepic.twitter.com/PwyuJwnyFl

— La Mise Au Vert (@LaMiseAuVert_) October 6, 2024

Great little highlights package. As our man in France, Austin alludes he's oh so quickly shown he belongs at this level. 

Nice that St Etienne have shown some steal the last few games, after that 8-0 drubbing.

When Old went to France I initially thought there’s no way he’s good enough for Ligue 1 and best case scenario is a few minutes at the end here and there or a loan to a worse league. Very happy to be wrong.

Must be fun playing with free licence to dribble like that. Good to see he’s playing a style that suits his game 

Saint Étienne are now 13th place in Ligue 1. It’s very much a two tier league with a huge gulf in quality between the top and bottom half of the competition. With their dodgy defense SE will be in big big trouble against the big guns, PSG, Monaco, Marseille etc. But they should be very competitive to avoid relegation.
I was listening to a radio football broadcast this morning and they were discussing Old and how he was the “buy” of the season. By far the cheapest recruit at Saint Étienne, he is currently rated their best player this season by L’équipe  magazine.
The Phoenix came up in the discussion and one of the journalists noted that this little club from the bottom of the Pacific had just sold players to the EPL, Ligue 1 and MLS. The panel agreed that it was probably a good region to recruit for cash strapped French clubs.

In 12 months maybe it's a pseudo interview in Le français

🛫 From Auckland to le Forez ! 🛬

Des nouvelles de Ben par Batu. L'interview. 🎤💬 pic.twitter.com/7K56YJTDZa

— AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) October 17, 2024

ℹ️ Touché lors de la séance effectuée ce vendredi matin au Centre sportif Robert-Herbin, Ben Old est forfait pour la réception de Lens (ce samedi, 19h).

L'international néo-zélandais passera des examens complémentaires en début de semaine prochaine.

— AS Saint-Étienne (@ASSEofficiel) October 18, 2024

Well, Shark!

Injured during the session carried out this Friday morning at the Robert-Herbin Sports Center, Ben Old is out of the reception of Lens (this Saturday, 7 p.m.). 

The New Zealand international will undergo further tests early next week.

Hopefully nothing serious or season limiting/ending. But when you see the wording "undergo further tests" it rarely ever comes out as good news does it?

In the video clip he's still outside with the training group... otherwise why have an interview llike that in the pouring rain?

Hopefully minor.

MetalLegNZ

In the video clip he's still outside with the training group... otherwise why have an interview llike that in the pouring rain?

Hopefully minor.

Think it would have happened after that to be honest, but obviously hard to tell.

Hopefully it's nothing major given he's equipped himself pretty well in a new environment to start the season. 

I hope this injury had nothing to do with the international travel schedule that Ben has just done. 30 plus hours of flying plus a game in the tropics plus another game in NZ plus another 30 hours of travel. Plus it’s now cold in Saint Étienne.Multiple time zones, multiple climates.
I actually thought he would be on the bench because of his traveling. Hopefully it’s just a minor problem.

austin111

I hope this injury had nothing to do with the international travel schedule that Ben has just done. 30 plus hours of flying plus a game in the tropics plus another game in NZ plus another 30 hours of travel. Plus it’s now cold in Saint Étienne.Multiple time zones, multiple climates.
I actually thought he would be on the bench because of his traveling. Hopefully it’s just a minor problem.

Maybe it is that but they don’t want to say being rested after coming back from international duty? 

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/10/19/france/ligue-1/association-sportive-de-saint-etienne-loire/racing-club-de-lens/4372815/

No Old as St Etienne (13th) lose 0-2 to Lens (6th)

Yeah, it's not looking good is it.

En pleine forme Ben Old..#ASSE pic.twitter.com/ht6RwtWWor

— La Gachette 🔫 (@LaGachetteBam) October 20, 2024

Oi Oi EdgecumbeFaaark

The correct phrase is ASSE

Oi Oi EdgecumbeFaaark

I know it's not the greatest picture, but to me that left knee looks veeeerry swollen. 😭

YoungHeartHM

Oi Oi EdgecumbeFaaark

I know it's not the greatest picture, but to me that left knee looks veeeerry swollen. 😭

Shouldn't be talking about this, but my limited medical understanding is that's why knee scans are usually done a few days after an injury - to allow the swelling to subside. Fingers crossed for Old.

coochiee

YoungHeartHM

Oi Oi EdgecumbeFaaark

I know it's not the greatest picture, but to me that left knee looks veeeerry swollen. 😭

Shouldn't be talking about this, but my limited medical understanding is that's way knee scans are usually done a few days after an injury - to allow the swelling to subside. Fingers crossed for Old.

Usually that brace indicates ACL 

The latest from a Saint-Etienne fans website. (translated from French)

This was overnight NZT.

YoungHeartHM

The latest from a Saint-Etienne fans website. (translated from French)

This was overnight NZT.

Screenshot_2024-10-23-09-14-17-47_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b12.jpg 300.27 KB

IMG_20241023_091518.jpg 274.56 KB

That sucks. Rojas and Singh both had their early careers after big moves cut short with bad injuries, Ben has the same potential as those two had at his age - I wish him all the best.