Just some random odds and ends for you to read as you bide your time waiting for Lyon’s Champions League clash with Liverpool.

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<— Sid’s Serious Captain-y Face.

If you’re wondering why the captain’s armband showed up on Cris last Saturday, despite Sidney Govou also being on the pitch, it’s because our dear (former?) captain was seen drunk in public only two nights before the derby. He was at the Grand Prix de tennis de Lyon (part of the ATP World Tour, for you tennis junkies) with Remy Vercoutre, Florent Laville, and Sylvain Wiltord, another ex-Lyon bad boy. Sadly, pictures of a wasted Govou have yet to circulate on the internet (damn French media – in England they have no scruples about this sort of thing), but video tapes have made their way to Claude Puel’s desk.

Puel wasn’t very happy and took away Govou’s armband, though no word yet on whether this is a permanent change. Puel was pragmatic enough to realize that captain or not, Govou was needed on the pitch, which is why he was in the starting XI against St. Etienne. For Puel, it seems the matter is closed, but Jean-Mimi naturally had more to say. While he did say that Govou is willing to make amends, Aulas also called his leadership abilities into question and said that he’d consider Govou’s punishment carefully. Aulas met with him on Sunday to discuss the situation with him.

I guess this probably seems like an overreaction from Lyon, but given Govou’s hard partying history – and don’t forget that he was arrested for drunk driving less than a year ago – it’s no surprise that the club is so concerned.

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Just for lulz.

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I was going to write about the latest blow to French football’s eternal quest for equality on the global markets, but since Xavier of the Lens Offside has already done such an excellent job in telling us why getting rid of the DIC is really bad news for Ligue 1, I figure, why reinvent the wheel?

Aulas is desperately sounding the alarm. According to him, this change will mean that Lyon lose an extra €6m a year. It doesn’t seem like a lot, at least on the surface, but keep in mind that France already has really strict rules on club finances. Aulas fears that he may not be able to offer extensions to Sidney Govou, Francois Clerc, and other players nearing the ends of their contracts.

Also, here is a great interview (in English!) of Jean-mimi on UEFA.com.

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Kader Keita is the latest ex-OL player to accuse the club of mistreating him. Honestly, all these disgruntled former players make Lyon sound like an abusive ex-husband. Should I be more disturbed?

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I have so much love for these two. Bafe and Lisandro are this, but without the ~dramah~.

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The two latest recruits at Lyon are Norwegian pair Christine Colombo Nilsen and Isabell Hervolsen Both women left Kolbotn for OL Féminines, though their transfer fee remains undisclosed. They were signed just in time for them to be eligible for the club’s CL match against Fortuna Hjørring. Along with Arsenal and Bayern Munich, Lyon are one of three clubs that are still represented in both the men’s and women’s UEFA Champions League. Let’s hope that one of them actually win the damn trophy this time.

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The spot for a third blogger on the Lyon Offside still remains open. John and I post when we can, but I know many of you would prefer more frequent updates. If you think you can post at least once a week, have decent grammar, and are such a diehard fan that you want to share your love of OL with the rest of the world, please read this post.

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Phrase of the day week month: “The unstoppable groin-pocalypse going on at Lyon….What in the name of Cleber’s crotch is going on here?” Found on Dirty Tackle.

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Most of the major roadblocks in the development of OL Land have been removed, as 74% of the population of Greater Lyon are in favor of the new stadium. The biggest obstacle has had to do with the construction of more public transportation to the Decines area, or more accurately, the funding of that new transportation. Right now, there is one dinky tram line that goes out there, which is not enough to support the amount of people expected to utilize public transportation to get to the games (which is estimated at 65%). Some citizens don’t want the city to take on the added burden of these costs (OL wouldn’t be paying for it as it’s the city’s expense), though others argue that the area has long been in need of new train lines regardless, and that the increased revenue to the businesses in the area would make up for the expenses.

In any case, Aulas expects the final plans to be approved this spring, and that applications for the building permits will be completed by fall next year. The expected date of the new stadium is December 8th, 2013.

Lyon have also launched a new website that will keep everyone up to date with the latest news and pictures of the stadium. The site is chock full of interesting stuff, like details about the stadium’s eco-friendly design, the transportation and traffic surveys, a map showing all the sites of interest, and information on how the stadium will be funded (€450m from OL and its private partners and an additional €180m from public funds for transportation purposes).

The architectural firm chosen by Aulas is Populous (formerly HOK Architecture). They have a lot of impressive projects to their name, so we can expect good things from them.

And of course, the photos. I don’t think I’ve posted these pictures before. If you want to see the other pics I’ve posted of the new stadium, just click of the “OL Land/New Stadium” category on the right.

(click to enlarge)

The sites are in French (unless otherwise stated), but on days when I don’t feel like using my brain to translate the text myself, a handy extension (I use Mozilla instead of IE) google-translates everything into English with a single click. Believe me, that makes life so much easier.

Lyon News:

Official Site – Both in French and English.
L’Equipe – France’s only publication dedicated just to sports.
Football365 – News, and they also liveblog Lyon games.
Foot Mercato – The latest transfer gossip of all major leagues.
Skysports News (in English) – A more reliable site with pertinent Lyon news.
Lyon Capitale – Dedicated to the city of Lyon, with a lot of great interviews and OL articles.
France Football – Great source of information, gossip, and interviews. Thanks to Joffrey for the link.

Lyon Fansites/Forums:

Espace-OL.com – Your source for everything OL. Pictures, graphics, news, history, etc.
Fierdetrelyonnais.com – Another great OL fansite with tons of multimedia.
Official Lyon Forums – Best place to interact with other OL fans…if you know French.
Forum OL – Another popular French OL forum.
Lyon at BigSoccer (in English) – English soccer forums with a small but loyal group of Lyon posters.

Lyon Blogs

Blog Olympique Lyonnais – One of my favorite OL blogs. Great articles and analysis of all things Lyon.
Olympique et Lyonnais – Probably the most popular Lyon blog out there, with up to date information and commentary. I highly recommend it!
French Football at The Offside (in English) – Sam covers all of Ligue 1, including Lyon.
French World Cup Blog (in English) – Laurie deals with the French NT, which includes several OL players.
femmesdefootballeurs – If you have a sick fascination with WAGs (OL included!), this blog is for you.

Lyon Media – Games, clips, etc

Live-foot – The best place to find streams to live games on the internet. Cost: $0. Thanks to Evilo for the link.
MyP2P (in English) – Links to streams on game day. They often have links to OL games. Cost: $0. Note: you need some kind of p2p software installed. It’s not always reliable, and different methods work for different people. I sometimes use Sopcast while others prefer TVants or PPstream.
Live streams on Soccers.fr – Another place to look for internet links. Cost: $0
Setanta Broadband (in English) – It’s reliable, and they broadcast two or three Ligue 1 games per week. They also have archived games, as well as CL and Euro2008 matches. My preferred method for watching Lyon in the states. Cost: $12 per month.
UEFA Video (in English) – For Champions League coverage. You get access to all CL games, past and present, as well as interviews and game previews. Very reliable. Cost: $4 per month.
OL Web TV – Lyon’s official videos. A premium subscription at their website will grant you access to all their media footage, including game highlights, interviews, bonus clips, etc. Cost: €5 per month.
VideoSport (in English) – This site hosts qualifiers for Euro 2008 if you want to see OL players in action for their NTs. Cost: €2.

Am I missing anything? Feel free to post other links, and I’ll add them to this list.