AS Monaco: An All Time Low

Hovering over the relegation zone in the second tier of French football, Monaco are a long way from their Champions League final in 2004. In just eight years they have gone from the pinnacle of the European game to relegation fodder. Now the seven times champions of France are in touching distance of third division football.

With French World Cup winner Didier Deschamps at the helm, Monaco surprised the whole of Europe by conquering the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid to reach the final of Europe's maiden competition in 2004. Although the final was somewhat of an anti-climax, with Jose Mourinho's Porto brushing them aside 3-0, Monaco had assembled a strong side, an abundance of self belief and a reputation of being an exciting and clinical team.

Monaco had many big names in the season they flirted with European success, none more so than Fernando Morientes at the point of attack. The Spanish hit man finished top goalscorer in the tournament with 9 goals, one ahead of team mate Dado Prso. The team was captained by fans favourite Ludovic Giuly, who via Barcelona, Roma and PSG is now in his second spell at Monaco as captain and is the only one of Deschamps finalists still playing at 'Le Roux et Blanc'.

Current manager Marco Simone is the eighth manager since Deschamps left. Several mid table finishes followed by a couple of near relegation's, forced chairman Michel Pastor, followed by Jerome De Bontin, into appointing five managers in three years. For a brief spell it seemed like the mass exodus of mangers had worked for Monaco, as they eventually found Guy Lacombe. Lacombe had a good record in French football and built a young talented side that finished a respectable eight position in the 2009-2010 season.

However, it was some what of an over achievement for the young team. Too much pressure was placed on the players to perform. The young prospects realised that Monaco was not the best club to further their development, as the pressure for results mounted. One-by-one Monaco's star players were heading straight for the exit. It was an ever occurring problem for the club. They have always struggled to keep and attract big name players.

By the beginning of 2011 Monaco found themselves in a relegation battle and Lacombe was sacked. Laurent Banide was left with the near impossible task of steering them away from relegation, and subsequently failed. In a dramatic fall from grace, one of French football's most renown clubs were to become a tier two side just seven years after narrowly missing out on European club footballs top accolade.

In December 2011 the club was sold to an investment group led by Billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. The Russian helped stable the finances at Monaco, but performances and results on the pitch have been a stark contrast. With just six wins in twenty eight games Monaco are facing a meteoric demise. Back-to-back relegation's is now on the cards as they sit one place above the relegation zone having played a game more than the teams below them.

I can't help but think that if Marco Simone and Ludovic Giuly can rally the troops at Monaco and keep their side in Ligue 2, then they might be able to rekindle some of the magic that enchanted not only the people of France, but the people of Europe. With the the financial backing of Rybolovlev, their picturesque stadium and their proud history, Monaco will be an attractive destination for any player. This will allow them to rebuild a team capable of promotion and once they return to the promise land who knows what might happen.