Can the once proud team make it out of the 1st League? Here is their schedule: http://www.servettefc.ch/sitev4/pages/home.php?idp=8 Code: [u] Day Date Match Home Away Time [/u] Sunday 02-10-2005 1L Servette Martigny 16:00 Sunday 09-10-2005 1L UGS Servette 00:00 Sunday 16-10-2005 1L Servette Guin 16:00 Sunday 23-10-2005 1L Malley Servette 00:00 Sunday 30-10-2005 1L Servette Naters 16:00 Sunday 06-11-2005 1L Grand-Lancy Servette 00:00 Sunday 13-11-2005 1L Servette Etoile Carouge 16:00 Sunday 20-11-2005 1L Servette Bex 16:00 Sunday 27-11-2005 1L Chênois Servette 00:00 Sunday 05-03-2006 1L Servette Echallens 16:00 Sunday 12-03-2006 1L Fribourg Servette 00:00 Sunday 19-03-2006 1L Servette Stade Nyonnais 16:00 Sunday 26-03-2006 1L Servette Serrières 00:00 Sunday 02-04-2006 1L Servette Signal Bernex 16:00 Wednesday 05-04-2006 1L Servette Bulle 19:30 Sunday 09-04-2006 1L Martigny Servette 00:00 Sunday 23-04-2006 1L Servette UGS 16:00 Sunday 30-04-2006 1L Guin Servette 00:00 Sunday 07-05-2006 1L Servette Malley 16:00 Sunday 10-05-2006 1L Naters Servette 00:00 Sunday 14-05-2006 1L Servette Grand-Lancy 16:00 Saturday 20-05-2006 1L Etoile Carouge Servette 00:00 A few friendlies against Signal Bernex (x3), and one against Grand Lancy before the season begins on 26 July against Croix-de-Savoie. It will be interesting to see how Servette plays. They have a young team: http://www.servettefc.ch/sitev4/pages/home.php?idp=7 It will also be interesting to see how the city of Geneve supports them. Will they show up for matches against non SL teams? (Not that the team was well supported under Roger.) I think the matches against Etoile Carouge, UGS, Bernex and CS Chenois, these Geneve Derbys, should be really intesting. Close matches against Stade Nyonnais should be fun also.
I was thinking about starting the same thread. With Lausanne out of the nether regions of amateur football Servette is now the last big club who needs to overcome its dark days in oblivion. I believe they acquired three or four Meyrin players in the offseason. Will that be enough next to veterans Cravero and Londono? With its stadium SFC simply must return to the Super League...
I just checked the servette site there are very few players born in the 1970s. Boully Mickaël a keeper, Aleksandar Bratic the defender, Patrick Girod, Oscar Londono, Youssef Wissam, Alban Noriega and Philippe Cravero. Noriega, Wissam, and Girod are all late 1970s. A quick question about teh 1st League. Do these guys get paid? Or are Londono, Cravero and Bratic all playing for free? I think Servette can do it.
I'm sure 1. Liga players get paid some money (especially in Servette's case.) How much I can not tell you.
by the way, does anybody know what happened to Nordstern? I believe they were a Basel club who were in the old (old) first division back in the early 80s?
Servette - Signal-Bernex 1-1 (0-1) Servette outplayed Bernex but gave up an early goal. Esteban scored in the 58' to level the match. The match report stated that Tréand, Chedly, Esteban all distinguished themselves. The next match is against Croix-de-Savoie on 26 July. It should be interesting to see if any new faces arrive.
Criox de Savoie is a new National team in France, just over the Swiss/French border near, Annamasse. They have an interesting story. In June 2003 two clubs, FC Gaillard and FC Ville-la-Grand joined together. Last season they were promoted from CFA to National. I think they are becoming more popular than US Annamasse, not that this is too difficult to do. http://www.croixdesavoie.com/mambo/ This should be a decent last match before the season begins. Croix de Savoie will also be getting ready for their season.
Servette has announced two more friendlies against fellow 1st League teams UGS and CS Chenois both of Geneva. Servette will UGS at the Balexert Sports Center tuseday 12th July at19h30, then CS Chênois on friday the 15 of July, also at Balexert at 19h30. Both matches are free.
Servette - UGS : 0 - 1 (0-0) According to the write-up Servette and UGS both played very poorly. SFC was missing a few key players, but it appears it was a very lackluster affair. At the half, Ouattara and Hochstrasser. Ouattara has not yet been signed and has been playing very well in the friendlies. UGS had three dangerous possetions and scored "They had a beatutiful goal by Omeragic." There were about 200 people at the match. http://www.servettefc.ch/sitev4/pages/home.php?idp=22&ida=659
Servette has had their two matches with Serrières switched. This means that Servette will have four consecutive matches away in September. The affected dates are : September 11 - now at Serrières March 26 - now home vs Serrières Also additions to the schedule: 23 July 2005 : Echallens - Servette 17h at Echallens 26 July 2005 : Croix-de-Savoie - Servette at 19h15 at Amphion-les-Bains 29 July 2005 : Etoile Carouge - Servette at 19h30 Location to be Determined. All these matches are free. Swisscom Cup (Swiss Cup) 3 Aug 2005 : Stade Nyonnais - Servette at Nyon.
One final comment: Servette has over 700 "abonnement" or season tickets sold at 120 CHF per ticket. This plus a poicy of anyone under 15 years old is free at the home matches should produce a fairly high attendence total for the 1st League. Add to the fact that UGS, Chenois, Grand Lancy, Bernex, and Etoile Carouge are all bus rides away in Geneva. There should be pretty good home attendence figures for a 1st League team.
Servette - CS Chênois 2-2 (1-0) Once again Servette did not have a number of players due to injury. (Cravero, Bratic, Esteban, Vial, Yaghcha, Formenti, Wissam and Gorgone) The match started out with Servette domination despite a missed PK by Alban Noriega. Tréand opened the score with a goal from 35 meters in the 20'. The rest of the first half was controled by Servette. Chenois scored twice in a four minute period in the second half, 48' Besseyre 1-1, 52' Del Rosso 1-2(pk). This was the only let down for Servette (albiet a large one). The equalized in the 78' though Di Berardino off what was called a great build-up. Next match is saturday 23 July at Echallens .
Interesting Q&A with Servette trainer Sébastien Fournier : http://www.servettefc.ch/sitev4/pages/home.php?idp=22&ida=667
Echellans - Servette 1-1 (0-1) Servette draws again in the pre-season matches. Julian Esteban scored for Servette. Servette also has sold 800 season tickets. Very nice. An update on the injury situiation: Bratic: his tendon in his ankle is better and should play against Croix de Savoie. Cravero: Will not play until mid August. Yaghcha: Should be ready to go on monday Wissam: Is ready to go and should play against Carouge on Friday. Formenti: Ready to go for Croix-de-Savoie Vial: Still a few days for him. He had tendinitus.
Croix-de-Savoie 74 - Servette 2-4 (1-2) Victory over newly promoted Croix-de-Savoie of the National Division (3rd Division) in France. Servette cleared a ball of the line in the 1' and after that dominated the match. Goals were scored by: 8' Esteban 0-1 11' Todic 0-2(pén.) 53' Hochstrasser 1-3 60' Ouattara 1-4 Very convincing victory over a decent side. A few notes concerning upcoming matches: The friendly with Etoile Carouge this friday will be at the Stade de la Fontenette at 19h30. This should be a very interesting one. Also the Swsscom Cup mat on wednesday night, 3 Aug is fixed at 19:30 at the Stade de Colovray in Nyon.
Etoile-Carouge - Servette 0-0 The match was halted in the first half beacuse of a huge storm that made conditions unplayable. 7 minutes were added to the second half to make up for the lost time. Due to the condition of the field, as it is possible to imagine, the play was very sloppy and both teams could not do much. But this was the last pre-season match before the Swisscom Cup match with Nyon on wednesday.
A few notes about tomorrows match: This is the first time since the winter break that Sevette plays a match that means something. Last springs 1st League seasons was basically for naught. It should be a very intersting match.
Hello swiss fans, i just wanted to pop into this thread to say that i lived in Geneva for seven years, that Servette has therefore always had a place in my heart, my favorite side after the two i support. I still have many friends and know many people who are diehard Servette supporters, i have watched matches of Servette at both of their stadiums, and it was really upsetting to hear what happened to them around the Christmas break. I just want to offer my full support to them and wish them the best in making a swift recovery back to the division where they truly belong. ALLEZ SERVETTE! And on another note, seeing them play Etoile Carouge is nonetheless a little funny. i have a friend who has been a Carouge fan for around 10 years now and for him this derby was like a dream come true - to finally play Servette and gain a respectable result!
Thanks for the kind words. The match with Etoile was just a friendly, but the two will play at least twice this season. Those should be interesting. In addition, the matches against Grand Lancy, Signel Bernex, and UGS are all inter-city derbys. I imagine most of the teams have waited for the day that they get to play Servette in a real match.
A quick update after my vacation. 1st League Matches: Bex-Servette 2-2 Servette - CS Chenois 3-2 Swisscom Cup Qualfying: ES Malley - Servette 1-3 Goals: 26' Tréand 0-1 48' Pont 0-2 91' Esteban 1-3 Servette had over 1800 people at their home opener against CS Chenois. I am sure that playing a Geneve Derby helped, but that is a great crowd for a 1st league match. Next match is at Echellens this weekend.
Poor loss to Echallens. It was a rather physical match, there were 7 yellow cards given out during the match. The Swisscom Cup match has been scheduled: Sunday 18 September at 15h00 at Stade de Gevenve vs FC Meyrin. This is going to be a very interesting match. Also to avoid confilcting with the Swiss-Israel match, the Servette - Stade Nyonnaise match is moved from 3 Sept to 4 Sept at 1500. Next up for Servette is Fribourg at home on the 28th. Both teams have 4 points after three matches.