Seysoccer recently had the privilege of conducting an exclusive interview with Michael Delpech, the Club Secretary of Saint Michel United and former Team Manager of the Seychelles national team. The interview was so extensive that have split it into two parts for your convenience.
In the first part, we delve into the current season and the journey of Saint Michel United. Stay tuned as the second part, focusing on Delpech’s experiences with the national team and his thoughts on the current setup, will follow soon.
Seysoccer: Tell us about St. Michel United’s season so far in the 1st Round?
Michael Delpech: It is not the 1st round that we were anticipating. We started very slow and now we are getting better. Training facilities were not helping as well. We are only six points behind the leaders and looking forward to our last game in the 1st round against Defense Force FC and are aiming for a win to finish with 13 points and be closer with the leaders.
Seysoccer: How important was it to end the year with a win over Anse Reunion?
Michael Delpech: All wins are very important for the club especially over Anse Reunion. If I am not mistaken St. Michel United haven’t lost to Anse Reunion in the last 9 to 10 years… So it was very important to keep that record and the win helps us to move closer to the leaders.
Seysoccer: Having sadly lost Coach Nigel Moustache last year, your team has a new head coach and technical panel. How have they adapted and what challenges have they faced so far this season?
Michael Delpech: Sadly we have lost Coach Nigel and also a long serving member and our youth representative Michel Savy. May their souls rest in Peace. Definitely it’s a big loss as Coach Nigel had a big vision for the club and even brought me back in from retirement. Our Head Coach Dereck Agathine, assisted by Coach Henny Dufrene and Coach Alex Nibourette and our goalkeeper Coach Nelson Sopha were working with Coach Nigel before he passed away so they have to continue with the vision and mission. As for Dereck Barbe, he is sharing some of his experience as he was also an ex-player for the club. It is a bit difficult as they were ex-players of the club and are still young coaches that want to excel. Sometimes the players do not want to listen but the situation is getting better going into the 2nd round. The level of discipline is still very high.
Seysoccer: As the Club Secretary are you pleased with the outcome of the players who were transferred in this season? Have they met your expectations?
Michael Delpech: We signed only 2 local players late last season in Dwaine William and Ian Bonne. They have adapted very well and both are top players for the club. All the St. Michel United players are top players for the club without exception. I personally appreciate all of them. Philemon Soloniaina was the last player to arrive from Madagascar and he is still finding it hard to adapt. With Philemon we will monitor the situation and action will be taken accordingly. We lost our number 1 goalkeeper Alvin Michel in an incident that happened while playing against Cote D’or early in the season and hopefully we will get him back before the season ends.
Seysoccer: With the transfer window approaching, can we expect any changes or new signings for St. Michel United? Are there areas of the team that you are looking forward to strengthening?
Michael Delpech: During the last transfer window we tried to sign 2 players but due some personal issues they had with their Club the transfers fell through. They are still on our radar and hopefully we will get them at the beginning of next season. I will not mention any names now. In this window there is a big possibility that there will be 3 players coming in and maybe some going out as well.
Seysoccer: What do you believe St. Michel United needs to accomplish by the end of the season for you to consider it a successful year for the club and yourself?
Michael Delpech: I think everything is possible in football. Today St. Michel United is only 6 points behind the leaders with 11 matches left. We are still in the SFF Cup. We have very talented and top players that can win both competitions and finish as double champions. That will be considered a successful year for the Club. We need to invest in young players starting next season and that also will be top on the agenda. As for myself I have won all the local titles on numerous occasions with St. Michel United. In total 17 trophies in 11 years and I would like to thank all the past and current members for the encouragement they gave me along the way. Without them it would have been difficult. Especially Brian Uranie, Ralph Jean-Louis, Roddy Victor, Michel Savy, Bernard Toulon, and Andrew Jean-Louis to name a few. And especially the current St. Michel United management. So winning the double this year will be the icing on the cake.
Seysoccer: Throughout the season Seysoccer has received inquiries about Yannick Manoo’s limited playing time for St. Michel United. Can you shed some light on this matter?
Michael Delpech: Yannick was the captain of the club at the beginning of the season. He was removed as captain for disciplinary reasons. He stopped training for a while but now he is back and playing when called upon. He is still a top player and he trains regularly. Yannick is still an important player for the club.
Seysoccer: El Hadary is currently one of the most exciting names in Seychelles Football. Could you share how St. Michel United discovered and signed him?
Michael Delpech: El Hadary is the son of Clovis who himself was an exceptionally good ex-player for St Michel United. It was Clovis that asked the Club for El Hadary to join. It took the club 4 months to complete his signing as FIFA required a lot of documentation with him being a minor of only 16 years old at the time.
Seysoccer: Is there a possibility that he can be the 1st player to be directly transferred from Seychelles Football to a European league.
Michael Delpech: We will do whatever possible to make that happen.
Seysoccer: What message would you like to send to the passionate fans of St. Michel United?
Michael Delpech: I would like to thank them for their support during the last 30 years. In sports, all over the world, clubs will have their ups and downs. We are trying our best and for sure we will be back as strong as before. Stay focused and keep supporting us. Thank you!
Stay tuned as the second part of the interview, focusing on Delpech’s experiences with the national team and his thoughts on the current setup, which will follow soon!
