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Francis Gillot

From Alfawiki
Francis Gillot
Born (1960-02-09) February 9, 1960 (age 66)
Maubeuge, France
Occupation(s)Football player (defender), football manager
Years active1978–1996 (player), 1996–2017 (manager)
Known forPlaying for Valenciennes, Lens; managing Lens, Sochaux, Bordeaux, AJ Auxerre

Francis Gillot (; born 9 February 1960) is a former professional footballer turned manager, most recently in charge of the Ligue 2 club AJ Auxerre.

Primarily playing as a defender, Gillot is best remembered for his spells at Valenciennes and Lens, with shorter periods at Strasbourg and Mulhouse before ending his playing days at Montauban. Following his retirement from playing, he moved into coaching, initially working with youth teams and as an assistant manager, before earning his first head coaching role at Lens. Subsequently, he managed Sochaux and secured the 2012–13 Coupe de France title while leading Bordeaux.

Playing career

Originating from Maubeuge, France, Gillot started his football journey in the youth ranks of local side Villiers-Siré-Nicole before advancing to the academy of Valenciennes FC. He made his senior debut for Valenciennes during the 1978–79 season, establishing himself as a regular defender until the club’s relegation at the conclusion of the 1981–82 French Division 1 season.

He subsequently moved to top-flight outfit RC Lens, where he gained experience in European competitions early in his tenure. During the 1988–89 season, Gillot spent time on loan at RC Strasbourg. Upon returning to Lens, he remained with the team through their relegation and contributed to their promotion back to Ligue 1 following the 1990–91 French Division 2 campaign. Approaching the end of his playing career, he had a brief period with second-division side FC Mulhouse before concluding his career at lower league club FC Montauban.

Managerial career

After hanging up his boots, Gillot embarked on a coaching career starting in 1996 with the U15 squad at FC Sochaux. He progressed to managing the U19 team and served as assistant under head coaches Philippe Anziani and Jean Fernandez. In 2003, he took on an assistant coaching role abroad at UAE club Al Ain FC alongside Bruno Metsu, before returning to France as assistant to Joël Müller at RC Lens.

Following Müller's resignation in January 2005, Gillot was promoted to head coach of Lens, guiding them to a seventh-place finish that season. His inaugural full campaign resulted in a fourth-place league standing, earning qualification for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup. Despite supporters’ hopes for Champions League qualification, Lens finished fifth in the subsequent season, narrowly missing out on the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League. Gillot stepped down as manager in May 2007 but remained involved with the club as a scout.

In January 2008, he took over management of struggling Sochaux and successfully steered them away from relegation that season. After maintaining their top-flight status again, he secured a two-year contract extension. The 2010–11 Ligue 1 season marked a notable upswing with Sochaux finishing fifth and qualifying for the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. Although nominated for French coach of the year honors, Gillot announced his departure and resigned in June 2011.

Shortly thereafter, Gillot signed a two-year deal with Bordeaux. In his first season in charge, he led Bordeaux to fifth place in Ligue 1 and reached the Europa League round of 16 before elimination by Benfica. The pinnacle of his tenure was winning the 2012–13 Coupe de France final against Evian Thonon Gaillard F.C., which earned him a contract extension for two more years. However, league performances declined and following elimination during the group phase of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, Gillot announced his exit after a 1–1 draw against Olympique de Marseille in May 2014.

On 1 June 2017, Gillot was appointed head coach of AJ Auxerre, but he was relieved of his duties on 9 December 2017.

Career statistics

Appearances and goals broken down by club, season, and competition
Season Club League Cup Competitions European Matches Overall
Division Appearances Goals Appearances Goals Appearances Goals Appearances Goals
Valenciennes 1978–79 French Division 1 4 0 0 0 - - 4 0
1979–80 16 0 2 0 – – 18 0
1980-81 22 2 1 0 – – 23 2
1981-82 35 2 7 1 – – 42 3
1982–83 Ligue 2 16 2 0 0 – – 16 2
Aggregate total 93 6 10 1 0 0 103 7
Lens 1982–83 French Division 1 6 0 1 0 – – 7 0
1983–84 19 1 5 0 4 0 28 1
1984–85 29 3 5 2 – – 34 5
1985–86 36 2 5 0 – – 41 2
1986–87 32 3 7 0 2 0 41 3
1987–88 36 1 6 0 – – 42 1
Aggregate total 158 10 29 2 6 0 193 12
Strasbourg 1988–89 French Division 1 20 2 3 0 – – 23 2
Lens 1989–90 French Division 2 27 0 1 0 – – 28 0
1990–91 27 3 6 0 – 33 3
1991–92 French Division 1 29 2 2 0 31 2
1992-93 French Division 1 5 0 0 0 5 0
Aggregate total 88 5 9 0 0 0 97 5
FC Mulhouse 1992-93 French Division 2 French Division 2 5 0 1 0 6 0
Montauban FCTG 1993-94 French football league system#Midi-Pyrénées Division Honneur 0 0 - - 0 0
1994-95 Championnat de France amateur 2#National_3_Group_G 1 0 - - 1 0
1995-96 1 0 - - 1 0
Aggregate total 2 0 0 0 2 0
Career grand total 364 23 54 3 6 0 424 26

Managerial record

Club Start Date End Date Games Managed Wins Draws Losses Winning Percentage
RC Lens 24 January 2005 28 May 2007 130 55 42 33 42.3%
FC Sochaux 2 January 2008 5 June 2011 148 52 35 61 35.1%
FC Girondins de Bordeaux 6 June 2011 23 May 2014 148 56 50 42 37.8%
Shanghai Greenland Shenhua F.C. 4 December 2014 29 November 2015 37 16 8 13 43.2%
AJ Auxerre 1 June 2017 9 December 2017 19 5 5 9 26.3%
482 !184 !140 !158 !38.17%


Playing Career

Montauban

Coaching Career

Lens

Bordeaux

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