William Prunier

Last updated

William Prunier
Personal information
Full name William Prunier
Date of birth (1967-08-14) 14 August 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth Montreuil, France
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Thonon Evian (manager)
Youth career
Auxerre
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1984–1993 Auxerre 221 (21)
1993–1994 Marseille 35 (4)
1994–1996 Bordeaux 37 (0)
1995–1996 → Manchester United (trial) 2 (0)
1996 → Copenhagen (loan) 11 (0)
1996–1997 Montpellier 27 (0)
1997–1998 Napoli 3 (0)
1998 Hearts 0 (0)
1998–1999 Kortrijk 14 (3)
1999–2004 Toulouse 142 (5)
2004 Al-Siliya
Total492(33)
International career
1992 France 1 (0)
Managerial career
2007–2008 Cannes (assistant)
2010–2011 Cugnaux
2011–2014 Colomiers
2014 GS Consolat
2017–2018 Toulon
2018–2020 Canet Roussillon
2021–2022 Le Mans (assistant)
2022–2023 Bourges
2024– Thonon Evian
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Prunier (born 14 August 1967) is a French football coach and former player who is the manager of Thonon Evian.

Contents

As a player, Prunier was a centre-back and spent most of his career in France, primarily with Auxerre where he spent nine years, but also played for clubs in England, Denmark, Scotland, Italy, Belgium and Qatar, where he finished his career. He also represented France, gaining his only cap in 1992.

Playing career

Born in Montreuil, Prunier was a product of a famous Auxerre youth team that also included Eric Cantona, Basile Boli, Pascal Vahirua and Daniel Dutuel, all under the tutelage of Guy Roux. After spending many years at Auxerre, he was signed by UEFA Champions League holders Marseille in 1993. Marseille were relegated to Division 2 the following season due to match-fixing and financial irregularities, and Prunier moved on to Bordeaux, where he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1995 playing alongside Zinedine Zidane. [1] He also earned one cap for France in August 1992, a 2–0 loss to Brazil. [2]

In the 1995–96 season, Prunier had a fleeting and forgettable spell at Manchester United. Having bought out his contract with Bordeaux, he joined the Old Trafford club on a trial basis where he was reunited with Cantona. At the time, the manager Alex Ferguson had been looking for a continental-style defender with good passing skills. However, his arrival coincided with an injury crisis that saw the three first-choice centre-backs Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister and David May all unavailable. Prunier was hastily drafted into the first team, even though Ferguson had originally intended to use him in reserve team matches only during his trial.

Prunier made his Manchester United debut against Queens Park Rangers on 30 December 1995 partnering Gary Neville in defence. [3] He generally impressed in the match and assisted a goal for Andy Cole as well as hitting a powerful shot against the bar. His second game against Tottenham Hotspur on 1 January 1996, however, was a disaster for him and the club. With Peter Schmeichel injured during the game and Denis Irwin unavailable, he was part of a makeshift defence that conceded four goals in a humiliating loss. Prunier has ever since been made something of a scapegoat for the defeat, culminating in his being voted the sixth worst Manchester United footballer of all time. [4] Despite the defeat, Ferguson offered him an extended trial, but Prunier declined and decided he would look elsewhere. [5]

After leaving Manchester United, Prunier moved on to Copenhagen in Denmark and also had spells at Napoli in Italy and Kortrijk in Belgium before returning to France with Toulouse where he won the Ligue 2 title in 2003. After a brief spell in the United Arab Emirates, he retired from football in 2004 and became a coach at Cannes. On 4 February 2007, he appeared on Sky Sports, giving an intro and his point of view on the 4–1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in 1996.

Managerial career

Prunier was named head coach of Cugnaux in 2010, followed by spells with Colomiers, Consolat, Toulon and Canet Roussillon. In June 2021, he was appointed assistant coach to manager Cris at Le Mans. [6] The duo left the team in May 2022.

On 29 October 2022, Prunier was appointed manager of Championnat National 2 side Bourges. [7]

Honours

Bordeaux

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Cantona</span> French actor and footballer (born 1966)

Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former professional footballer. A large, physically strong, hard-working and tenacious player, Cantona combined technical skill and creativity with power and goalscoring ability. Invariably utilised as a deep-lying forward, he was also capable of playing as a centre-forward, as an out-and-out striker, as an attacking midfielder, or as a central midfielder. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didier Deschamps</span> French football player and manager (born 1968)

Didier Claude Deschamps is a French professional football manager and former player who has been managing the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, England and Spain, namely Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia, as well as Nantes and Bordeaux. Nicknamed "the water-carrier", Deschamps was an intelligent and hard-working defensive midfielder who excelled at winning back possession and subsequently starting attacking plays, and also stood out for his leadership throughout his career. As a French international, he was capped on 103 occasions and took part at three UEFA European Football Championships and one FIFA World Cup, captaining his nation to victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AJ Auxerre</span> Football club based in Auxerre, France

Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, commonly known as AJ Auxerre or by the abbreviation AJA, is a French professional football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club plays in Ligue 1, the top division of French football, since the 2024–25 season after securing promotion from Ligue 2 as winners of the 2023–24 season. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, on the banks of the Yonne River. The team is managed by Christophe Pélissier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steed Malbranque</span> French footballer (born 1980)

Steed Claude Malbranque is a former professional footballer. Born in Belgium, he represented France at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurent Blanc</span> French football manager and former player (born 1965)

Laurent Robert Blanc is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and currently head coach Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad. He has the nickname Le Président, which was given to him following his stint at Marseille in tribute to his leadership skills.

The 1995–96 FA Premier League was the fourth season of the competition, since its formation in 1992. Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the FA Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs, Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers, were promoted instead of the usual three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ginola</span> French footballer (born 1967)

David Ginola-Ceze is a French former professional footballer who has also worked as an actor, model and football pundit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montpellier HSC</span> Football club in Montpellier, France

Montpellier Hérault Sport Club, commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC, is a French professional football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitanie. The original club was founded in 1919, while the current incarnation was founded through a merger in 1974. Montpellier currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football and plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city. The first team is managed by Jean-Louis Gasset and captained by Téji Savanier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teemu Tainio</span> Finnish footballer and manager (born 1979)

Teemu Mikael Tainio is a Finnish football coach and former player. He is the head coach of Tallinna Kalev and an assistant coach of the Finland national football team.

The 1995–96 season was the 116th season of competitive football in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauricio Pochettino</span> Argentine football manager (born 1972)

Mauricio Roberto Pochettino Trossero is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the United States men's national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Roux</span> French football player and manager (born 1938)

Guy Marcel Roux is a French former football player and manager known for being in charge of AJ Auxerre for more than 40 years and for leading the team to national and worldwide prominence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samir Nasri</span> French footballer (born 1987)

Samir Nasri is a French former professional footballer. He primarily played as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he had also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri was known for his dribbling, ball control and passing ability. His playing style, ability and cultural background drew comparisons to former French player Zinedine Zidane.

Francis Gillot is a football manager and former player who most recently managed Ligue 2 team AJ Auxerre.

Daniel Maurice Dutuel is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathieu Valbuena</span> French footballer (born 1984)

Mathieu Valbuena is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Greek Super League club Athens Kallithea. He occasionally plays as a winger and is known for his pace, technical ability, and tenacious style of play. He is described by his former coach at Libourne Saint-Seurin, Didier Tholot, as "an explosive player who is capable of quickly taking two opponents out of the game to create space, above all due to his dribbling skills." Due to his small stature, Valbuena is nicknamed le petit vélo, which translates to "the little bike".

The 1995–96 season was Manchester United's fourth season in the Premier League, and their 21st consecutive season in the top division of English football. United finished the season by becoming the first English team to win the Double twice. Their triumph was made all the more remarkable by the fact that Alex Ferguson had sold experienced players Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis before the start of the season, and not made any major signings. Instead, he had drafted in young players like Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil.

Gérald Edmond Louis Baticle is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current coach of the France national under-21 football team.

During the 1995–96 season, Tottenham Hotspur participated in the FA Premier League.

Tanguy Ndombele Alvaro is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nice.

References

  1. ↑ "Bordeaux-Karlsruhe 1995". uefa.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  2. ↑ Histoire de l'AJ Auxerre, William PRUNIER
  3. ↑ Nixon, Alan (1 January 1996). "Prunier offers United a missing cutting edge". The Independent. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  4. ↑ Hamilton, Fiona (4 July 2007). "The 50 worst footballers". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Nixon, Alan (3 January 1996). "Prunier quits United". The Independent. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "National. William Prunier nommé adjoint de Cris au Mans FC !" (in French). footamateur.fr. 9 June 2021.
  7. ↑ William Prunier nouvel entraîneur du Bourges Foot 18 : « C’est la survie du club qui est en jeu », leberry.fr, 29 October 2022
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.