Strasbourg on cusp of European final despite rollercoaster season under BlueCo

[p]The team coached by Englishman [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/o-neil-gary/4rSZHs2M/"]Gary O'Neil[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/rayo-vallecano-8bcjFy6O/strasbourg-nP6UzIU1/?mid=UZVXduGO"]host Rayo Vallecano at their Stade de la Meinau on Thursday[/a] in the second leg of their Conference League semi-final, looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first meeting.[/p][p]Neither team has made it to the last four of a European competition before, and the winner will progress to the final in the German city of Leipzig on May 27th against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/crystal-palace/AovF1Mia/"]Crystal Palace[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/shakhtar/4ENWX2OA/"]Shakhtar Donetsk[/a].[/p][p]Not so long ago, the prospect of lifting a European trophy would have felt like a pipe dream for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/strasbourg/nP6UzIU1/"]Strasbourg[/a] fans.[/p][p]The club from a city which sits on France's border with Germany and is the seat of the European Parliament, have been French champions just once, in 1979.[/p][p]Before this campaign, their best run in Europe came in 1980, when they lost to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ajax/8UOvIwnb/"]Ajax[/a] in the European Cup quarter-finals, although there was a memorable win against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] in the UEFA Cup in 1997.[/p][p]But the involvement of BlueCo in all of this is a point of tension for Strasbourg's supporters.[/p][embed guid="f3b73ae0-a324-4765-874b-82e9d2b21a71" url="https://x.com/RCSA_English/status/2051769905989492963" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"We needed someone to accompany us to get to this step,"[/b] the club's president Marc Keller, an ex-Strasbourg player, told RMC radio after the team beat German side [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mainz/EuakNmc1/"]Mainz[/a] in the last round.[/p][p]He pointed out that Strasbourg were languishing in the regional, amateur fourth and fifth tiers of French football 15 years ago, after running into financial difficulties and going into liquidation.[/p][p]They returned to Ligue 1 in 2017 after almost a decade away, and had managed to establish themselves again in the top flight.[/p][p]However, Strasbourg hardly looked like becoming competitors in Europe before BlueCo took over in June 2023, a year after buying [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea[/a].[/p][p][b]"We were conscious that we had gone as far as we could with our existing model,"[/b] insisted Keller.[/p][h2]Silent protests[/h2][p]Significant money has since been invested in new players, and Strasbourg qualified for this edition of the Conference League after an exciting last campaign under English coach Liam Rosenior.[/p][p]Some talented players have come to Strasbourg from Chelsea, albeit mostly on loan, but what fans have noticed above all is something else: if a player or coach does really well in Alsace, the chances are they will soon be off to Stamford Bridge.[/p][p]In September, Dutch striker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/emegha-emanuel/by8Xcffd/"]Emmanuel Emegha[/a], Strasbourg's captain, announced he would join Chelsea next season, upsetting many fans.[/p][p]In January, Chelsea decided to poach Rosenior, whose own comments did little to calm the anger among supporters.[/p][embed guid="e7a39804-349e-4bdd-9dd4-473fd2f5755b" url="https://x.com/RCSA_English/status/2051691509146140849" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"I hope the fans are proud in a way that somebody who's worked here has been identified to be the manager of a Champions League-winning club and current club world champions,"[/b] he suggested.[/p][p]He was replaced by O'Neil, under whom Strasbourg have already lost in the French Cup semi-finals.[/p][p][b]"Thursday's game is the biggest in the club's history. We will need the same support and energy that we got against Mainz,"[/b] said O'Neil.[/p][p]The problem is that the club's most vociferous supporters have, since last season, chosen to express their displeasure at the ownership by staging a silent protest in the first 15 minutes of matches.[/p][p]What is happening at Strasbourg is "what the future could look like for the vast majority of clubs," said Ultra Boys 90, a leading supporters group, in an open letter earlier this year.[/p][p][b]"They will be relegated to the role of feeder teams, without their own resources, with no soul and no link to where they come from."[/b][/p][p]The silent protest is expected to take place as usual on Thursday, even if Ultra Boys 90 are calling on fans to gather ahead of kick-off to welcome the team bus to the ground.[/p][p]The stadium has been recently renovated, with a huge new main stand having increased capacity to around 32,000.[/p][p]It is almost always sold out now, but many of the fans who fill it are unhappy, or at least conflicted, about the direction in which the club is heading.[/p][p]Even if they might be heading for a European final, with the chance of lifting a trophy won last season by none other than Chelsea.[/p]