So maybe there is some hope. A couple of weeks ago the club looked doomed: wretched on the pitch; rudderless off it; and the game’s managing body preparing an administrative relegation that would surely condemn the club to extinction.
But since then things have moved. A potential new owner has emerged who seems to have resources, business sense and a coherent plan for the club, and at the same time performances on the pitch have improved, with a rousing (if somewhat nervy at times) home win over Dijon being followed by an excellent away draw with Clermont. 2-0 down at half-time, the team could reasonably have been expected to collapse, but an attacking and creative second-half display was crowned with a last-minute equaliser that was thoroughly deserved.
Things are still fragile. The takeover has yet to be confirmed and approved, and the threat of a precautionary relegation is still hanging over the club, but there’s clearly spirit and ambition around the Stade des Alpes and, given the events of the last eighteen months, that’s as much as anyone could hope for.