Mourad Boudjellal : "The team is becoming aware of the situation"

On Tuesday, March 7th, Rugby Club Toulonnais Chairman Mourad Boudjellal reacted after the harsh statements that followed the 15-5 defeat against Brive.
The day after the cancellation of a training session that was to have been opened to the club’s subscribers and partners, Mourad Boudjellal addressed the supporters, the subscribers and the partners of the red and black community.
“First, I would like to apologise to our subscribers and our partners for the cancellation of the training session they should have attended yesterday,” he declared in a video you can WATCH on RCT TV at rctoulon.com. “They will be able to attend a training session next Thursday, at the Stade Mayol, at 11 :30 a.m. I know things are complicated at the moment. Let us face it: for the moment, we are not achieving the goals we had set at the start of the season and we are not used to this. We are going to fight to secure a place in the top six of the Top 14. For a few weeks, we have been lacking in confidence and we have to settle this. I held a meeting with the board and the coaches and I still have total confidence in the staff and the players. We put ourselves into a difficult situation and I’m aware we could finish outside the top six. We are as intent on going to the Orange Vélodrome stadium in Marseille to play the Top 14 semi-final as you are. That’s a fact, so we’ll do our very best to achieve this. I think that the team has become aware of the current situation and, hopefully, the game against Bayonne, next Saturday, will bring the first results of it. I really wish it’s going to happen. We don’t know whether we’ll win a trophy or not this year, but I remain as determined as ever. I do think we can win a trophy this year. Maybe I’m a dreamer, but this is part of the life of a club. We had some wonderful years and this year turns out to be a more difficult one. These things happen, but we’ll still have other wonderful years. I wish that, in the midst of this difficult season, we felt strong support from our supporters. This is capital for the people working at the club. The supporters have to be present either when we win or lose – even if, we have suffered a few defeats recently. In the case of our winning a trophy, they’ll be able to say: ‘I was there when the place in the top six was not secured.’ I assure you the staff and players are most determined and we have to settle the confidence issue. Mike Ford’s game plan has the approbation of the whole team and things are going to improve. It takes longer than usual, but it’s going to improve, I’m sure. I trust you’ll all be at the Stade Mayol on Saturday. We have to win against Bayonne and gather momentum.”