good luck on your move to Bordeaux, let's bring PSG down
Some good signings there. A shame to see Man depart as I know how good he can be on his day. The pair from Partizan look particularly great deals, especially Pavlovic.
A very busy window indeed, hopefully they can all gel quickly and get you off to a good start
Monaco Win Ensures Tough First Month for McDonald
Despite high hopes from his arrival as Girondins de Bordeaux’s new manager, Conor McDonald has suffered a difficult first month in charge at Matmut Atlantique.
Preseason was relatively positive for McDonald with his new-look team beating the likes of Espanyol and Charleroi before the commencement of the Ligue 1 season.
However, his team have now dropped to 19th in the league after their first four games as they have failed to pick up a win.
The beginning of the McDonald era gave a sense of hope to the Bordeaux fans who have suffered miserably in recent years. Almost 30,000 fans crammed into the stadium for their Ligue 1 opener against Stade de Reims but a Christopher Martins Pereira winner on the stroke of half-time ensured a losing start for the 27-year-old.
The unfortunate start continued against Champions League qualification favourites Lyon defeated Bordeaux 1-0 at the Groupama Stadium thanks to a Jeff Reine-Adelaide strike on the hour mark for the hosts.
With two tough games out of the way, McDonald was expected to get his first three points against newly promoted Strasbourg Alsace who are this season’s main relegation candidates.
Despite getting the club’s first points on the board, McDonald’s team could only muster up a 1-1 draw down to a late Filip Stevanovic equaliser in the 80th minute.
Bordeaux’s second away fixture of August was another difficult game for McDonald following the 1-0 defeat to Lyon earlier, they faced Monaco – one of the teams reckoned with challenging Paris Saint-Germain for the title this year – at Stade Louis II.
Two first-half goals from Exequiel Palacios and Dele Alli put the doubt back into Bordeaux fans’ heads. Despite Danylo Sikan’s attempts at a comeback with a goal just after half-time, Bordeaux were to finish the month with just one point from four games, sitting second from bottom in the league.
With the Garonne Derby against fierce rivals Toulouse up next in September for Conor McDonald, the pressure is already piling on the Englishman to turn things around for himself.
Tango: That's the plan!
Scott: I'm particularly looking forward to seeing the technical ability of Pavlovic!
tedbro20: As the update suggests, it's been a tough one to get right...
A tough start and fairly unknown territory even for McDonald. It'll be interesting to see how the next month or so pans out.
Some great maneuvers in the transfer market, it should be enough for you to "get by" for at least the opening half of the season. That way you can see where you're at in January, in terms of the strength of the league and the strength of your team. Moving abroad is a tricky one! A tough first month, but as long as the team and fans keep faith: Conor will reward them greatly.
August & September Results
Ligue 1 Standings (as of 30th September 2025)
Conor’s Verdict
The likes of Gerson Sousa and Filip Stevanovic have not performed up to the standards that I expected when I brought them in during the transfer window and they both might need time out of the team to gel more in training and become part of the group.
As for tactics, I began the season starting with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Danylo Sikan – who has performed well – up-front. After a few changes to the fluidity and our team mentality, we did pick up some wins in September, though a lot of problems throughout August still remain.
Moving forward, I think a few wins will really lift the spirit of the team, causing them to push on and start and put a run together. However, we cannot wait forever for this run to happen so I will ensure that the lineup changes to fit the opponent and any other changes that can either be instigated by myself or as a suggestion from my assistant manager, Henrik Pedersen, are implemented on a game-by-game basis.
Scott: The results certainly need to pick up from here!
tedbro20: Sure, I'm allowing a little time for adjustment because we did bring in a few new faces in summer.
James: I'll be onto it
There was so much to be done with regards to the squad upon arrival that it was a shame I couldn't blow a lot of money on some very good players.
There's obvious ability in this squad but it looks as though it's going to take time for things to properly gel together. Conor will have to bide his time and hope that his team find their rhythm sooner rather than later.
Luckily still within touching distance of european spots so hopefully the form picks up and Conor is able to start climbing the table
Just caught up with the past few updates, and Bordeaux is a really interesting and big club with a lot of potential. Excited to see what you'll do over the coming years! Not a great start so far, but in the last three matches, you picked up six points, so it's something to build on for sure.
Strasbourg Youngster Signs for Bordeaux
Strasbourg’s Ivorian winger Serge Coulibaly has today signed a five-year contract with Conor McDonald’s Girondins de Bordeaux.
Bordeaux paid an initial fee of €1,600,000 but the transfer may eventually rise to €4,200,000 depending on certain clauses within the deal.
Coulibaly joined Strasbourg Alsace from Gazélec Ajaccio for €6,000 in 2023 and he said that he is looking forward to joining his new teammates in training and working with his new manager.
At just 18 years old, the signing of Coulibaly suggests that he is the type of player that will help McDonald’s long-term vision at Matmut Atlantique.
Coulibaly failed to make any appearances for the Strasbourg first-team but he impressed for their 2nd team in the Championnat National 2 Groupe C.
However, the winger has made 7 caps for the Ivory Coast’s Under-20 national team with one of the clauses within the deal rumoured to be dependent on his senior international caps.
Scott: Absolutely, as Conor said, we're just in need of a run of form to really get going.
tedbro20: It's still very early days so we can look almost anywhere in the league and aim for it, realistic or unrealistic.
Zed: I loved the idea of a middling Ligue 1 team to take over and fortunately the job was there! As you said, there's a decent run of form that could start.
Tango: I'm sure you know that from your experience with Gimnasia
A five-year-deal certainly shows plenty of faith in the young lad. You can see his promise and there's a good chance that Conor will be the man to get the best out of him.
It's been a tough start to life in France for Conor, but the small run you went on towards the end of September will be looked upon brightly. A lot of tansfer movement early on, similar to what happened at Cobh, the team will slowly come to know the tactics and that will only bring positive results. Some good additions and the future is looking bright with Coulibaly's potential clear.
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