Chris James (Kotkan Työväen Palloilijat)

I guess that explains why the Nix aren't interested....

I do recall a few All Whites (or maybe Nix players) making some slightly scathing comments about Ricki after he left, but nothing near as direct as that.

I guess I'm not saying THIS specifically is why we haven't signed James, more that this could be an example of why

True, but it's easier to get away with it when you're good enough to be wanted by multiple clubs at a decent level

He found a club finally. Called club sportif sedan Ardennes. Good on him.

Looks to be 4th tier.

weird. They were relegated from Ligue 2 in the 2012/13, but went straight down two divisions to Championnat de France II for the 2013/14 season. Then came second. And have been promoted to Championnat de France.

Must have been financial issues, as one of the other teams relegated that year has been dissolved. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mans_FC who had a pretty good stadium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMArena

Been there, was pretty decent.

Anyway its good to see that he's landed a gig again in a place where he has the potential to be seen by clubs at a higher level.  I wish him all the best.

Chris James @Chris26James   2h

Delighted to sign for such a cultured French club @_CSSA for 2014/15 Season. Already feels like home!

#TeamCSSA #France #Promotion

 I like their wild boar emblem:                                               

Their league includes the reserve sides of some of France's biggest clubs including PSG, Lens and Lille:

15/07/2014: The CSSA (Sedan) has been assigned to group A CFA

. Meeting last week, the Competitions Committee of the FFF announced Tuesday assignments clubs in each of the 4 groups CFA. Thus, the CSSA is found nestled in the group A, "North - Île de France", with the following opponents . AC Amiens, Arras, Beauvais, Calais, Cross, Dieppe, Entente SSG, Ivry, Lens B, Lille B, Mantes, Paris SG B, Quevilly, Romorantin Roye and Noyon

Season fixture list August 16 - May 23:

http://www.allezsedan.com/article5751_Le_programme...

Division Map:

Official website:

http://translate.google.co.nz/translate?hl=en&sl=f...

Official Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Club-Sportif-Sedan-...

Supporters' website:

http://www.allezsedan.com/

Chris played in the annual pre-season charity game in honour of a Sedan player who died of leukemia last weekend in a 5-0 win over an Ardennes regional selection.

Next friendly this weekend: Sedan - Paris FC, samedi 26 juillet à 19h à Laon.

Impressive modern stadium opened in 2000 and seats 23,000:

thats a shame, le mans produced some quality players.

Yes, were relegated three divisions from Ligue 2 to the Championnat de France Amateur 2 (the fifth tier of French football) instead of the standard relegation to the next league down, the Championnat de France National (third tier) as a penalty for financial insolvency and non-payment of  social security levies:

http://frenchfootballweekly.com/2013/07/17/french-...

17/7/13

"Sedan, relegated from Ligue 2 to National at the end of last season [2012 - 2013], appealed against a further administrative relegation to CFA, which was due to be heard by the FFF on Monday, 15th July. However, with a potential backer apparently pulling out at the last minute, they had to pull their appeal – rumoured Saudi interest, in the end, came to nothing. They could now face bankruptcy – their next crunch meeting is a tribunal hearing on Thursday for non-payment of charges due to URSSAF (eg the equivalent of national insurance and other similar amounts) – which could mean a further drop down the pyramid. In May, their U19 team faced off against Bordeaux in the final of the Coupe Gambardella at the Stade de France; they lost, but could now be the core of the senior team."

French league pyramid:

The top five tiers of French football are: Ligues 1 and 2, Championnat National, CFA and CFA 2

Chris James will be playing in the fourth tier, the Championnat de France Amateur (CFA)

Only the top three tiers are national competitions, the fourth and fifth tiers are regionally based.

And only Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 are fully professional:

"Full professionalism in French football ends mid-way down the third tier (National), so being knocked down further has a massive effect on a club’s ability to retain players, let alone strengthen a squad. In addition, CFA is organised regionally, and only group winners get promotion; thus, relegated sides can easily get stuck at that level."

Can he truly get an All Whites call up playing at this level?

Good point james dean. Id say hes done no wrong since returning so yes but new coach might think otherwise

when you don't have a club you get judged by your last club, so we still saw him as a decent level player who couldn't find a gig. But now....hmmm, let's hope its temporary

He needs a better agent. How do you go from the Finish first division to French 4th division . 

How do you go from scoring two goals against Mexico in world cup playoff matches to the French 4th division.

a bit like Rangers in Scotland then.....if they can pull out of the hard times this might become an interesting opportunity in a couple of years.....it might not be that crazy in the long run, right now he'll have to deliver pizzas just to make ends meet!

What 2ndbest said

Having said that though, is there anything wrong with being a 'lifestyle footballer'?

I wonder how some of these guys make a living playing amateur football in a foreign country must be bloody expensive.

i think the reality is that most of our better footballers are still only a 5/10 player on a world scale.  desperately scraping for a pro gig is just a bitter reality of where we sit in the scheme of things

From what I understand, semi-pro teams are considered 'amateur'. It is possible that he is training full-time and getting decent wages, but the club itself is considered semi-pro at most.

That is what is happening from new reports on Sedan I've read online.

They are clawing their way back from insolvency (much like the Phoenix after Serepisos went bust) and new owners have taken over.

"Last season they had a budget of € 1.5 million for  CFA2 (fifth tier), which made CSSA an atypical fifth tier club."

They had a young squad good enough to finish second in their fifth division group last year and gain promotion to the fourth tier.

Despite that, they're currently signing new players left right and centre  - about twelve so far pre-season.

So their budget must have been increased somewhat from last season.

Most of these new signings are not amateurs by any stretch - e.g. they've just signed Cameroonian Albert Baning who has mostly played for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs in France (PSG, Strasbourg, Grenoble and Metz) and most recently FC Metz (last season's Ligue 2 champions) and Slavia Sofia.

His market value is 200,000 Euros but he has had injuries and Sedan got him on a free. Was once bought for one million euros by PSG from FC Arau in Switzerland.

Played for Cameroons at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 

Former Bastia (Ligue 2) midfielder Jean-Jacques Rocchi has signed.

Goalie Willy Maeyens aged 25 was signed from Auxerre last August where he spent his whole career until then (quite a big club).

You get a lot more details on Sedan on the French Wikipedia - translated here:

http://translate.google.co.nz/translate?hl=en&sl=f...

At the beginning of the 2013 -14 season, the club can not even count on a full team for the first match. Resumption of CS Sedan Ardennes accelerates legally and sports-wise with brothers Gilles and Marc Dubois. Marc Dubois replaces Pascal Urano as president to open a new chapter in the history of the Ardennes club. Thus, Aug. 8, 2013, the Commercial Court put into liquidation the CSSA, forcing the French Football Federation to downgrade (CFA2) and consider the takeover offer of € 2.5 million from the Dubois brothers. On 12 August 2013, the Tribunal de Commerce Sedan confirms redemption, Marc Dubois thus becoming the new leader of CSSA with his brother Gilles as Deputy Chairman. He also confirmed a budget of € 1.5 million for the upcoming season in CFA2, which makes CSSA an atypical fifth tier club.

Temporarily in charge of the club physiotherapist Teddy Pilgrim, the first team is finally given to Algerian Farid Fouzari, player at the club during the 1980s and the late 1990s, but as long as assistant coach.

During the winter transfer window the club manages to recruit Albert Baning (20 matches L1, L2 36 games) once on loan at the club in 2007-2008, and Kevin Goba (39 matches national) from the USL Dunkirk.

The April 26, 2014 when the club is fighting for first place in the group, receiving the league leader Iris Cross Football is an opportunity for the CSSA to establish the fourth best attendance in the history of CFA2 ( 8327 spectators ) behind the Strasbourg records of the 2011-2012 season.

On 24 May 2014, is the Stade Auguste Delaune that Sedan gets and celebrates its rise CFA

Chris is the second Oceania player to play or Sedan in recent years. New Caledonia international Wesley Lautoa (now at  Loriens in Ligue 1) played for Sedan from 2010 to 2012 in Ligue 2.

Interesting article on the home page about Chris.

Would love to have seen him back in NZ- and he's been more than decent for the AWs, and you would think would be quite a reasonable player at A-league level. Yet when you look at our midfield now you can see why he didn't fit Merrick's criteria- over 25 and possibly not the quickest. 

Would those who were interested in signing him before still want him signed in the current situation or to replace one already signed player?

I would rather see him ahead of Bonevacia and then us using our final import spot on a striker. Not that I think we recruited badly by any means. Merrick knows what he is doing but James could still have been useful.

I like the defence mid covers fullbacks and centre back player...utility player with technique should free us up a bit...or hopefullly give us depth so we don't go tits up at the first sign of injury.

Khrishna is our import striker?? If we could sign another striker it would be instead of him for mine...Anyway off topic now- congrats to James for getting a club. Hope he can kick on and have a few good years ahead, maybe further up the food chain in France.

after reading that article, maybe we did make an offer but he just didnt want to play in NZ

Could have done.

As has been pointed out before. 

When it comes to James the Phoenix staff and players all know James very well and will know exactly what issues have hindered him making it further than bouncing around lower leagues in Europe.  The fact that we have not signed him, or not been seen to approach him speaks volumes for the feedback from those that know him.

He played NSWPL a few seasons back and at no stage was he linked with an Aus club.

Hope he is massive for Sedan though.

care to elaborate news?

What link would the Phoenix staff have with him, Russell Gray?