The Miraculous Rise Of Union Saint-Gilloise
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- čas přidán 8. 01. 2022
- One hundred years ago, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise were the most successful team in Belgian football, but for the last 50 years, they have been all but forgotten, falling as far as the third and fourth tiers.
But since being acquired by Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom in 2018, Union have made a stunning return to stardom, having been promoted last season and now topping the Jupiler Pro League table ahead of the likes of Club Brugge, Standard Liege, and their old rivals Anderlecht.
So in this documentary, HITC Sevens takes a deep dive into the history of Union SG, how they have been able to turn things around so miraculously, and their relation to the Premier League team with whom they share an owner. - Sport
Nice to see legendary clubs rising from the grounds
Used to fill their stadium and 11 titles...
For all the groundhoppers out here: highly recommend to visit their stadium before they build the new one! It breathes football ⚽
2024 there should be a new one sadly and if they make European Football they have to play in Koning Boudewijn Stadion
@@parovozrufclm worse than roi Baudouin, we're playing at the king power in Leuven if we qualify for next season
@@ryan3068 worse? i honestly think that's a good thing , appart from the bigger distance from brusses its the better choice imo , im not saying they dont have a lot of fans but i personally would rather have a full king power stadium then only filling the baudouin for about 40% , i think the king power in leuven would create a way better atmosphere then the national stadium
We have one of the best atmosphere here and we never stop chanting
@@rodeduivel1000
Same for me, that running track ruins everything
Even me , as a club Brugge fan won't even be mad if they pull of a Kaiserslautern or Nottingham forest , Anderlecht fans shouldn't be mad either , always fun to watch a "smaller" team get the title , its been since 1997 that a non big 6 team took the title here , even tho the season is still long , they absolutely deserve the title
No they gonna Pull an Lille
Ik hoop dat nu een beetje met fc Volendam, ze staan nu boven aan in de 2de divisie in Nederland. Ik heb altijd een klein zwak gehad voor dat team omdat het een verrassend uniek clubje is
Take that with a grain of salt though, they are a rival club😅
They 100% deserve it, I've been an Anderlecht fan since I moved to Brussels in 2009 and started going to Union games in 2016 also because some of my friends supported them, so seeing their explosive rise since then (even though I've also had to watch my own club's stagnation in that period) has been amazing, and their performances last season were some of the highlights of times spent in lockdown for me. It is weird thinking about my second team competing with the team I support for titles/Europe, but Union fans, especially those who have followed the club through their worst moments deserve everything they're getting to experience now
@@EireannachSaBruseil Indeed mate. I secretly wanted them to get promoted so we'd have a local rival again in the top flight. There hasn't been one since I've started following Belgian football, and that's almost as long as you have
Incredibly detailed yet masterfully explained as always Alfie
I'm from Brussels. He nailed it;
Yeah, he explained it like he follows them for years.
His Public school education is a big advantage compared to the failed government schools.
Leicester number 2
That statistic of Union potentially being the first newly promoted club to win the top flight of a top 20 league since the 90s is absolutely unreal
Not that incredible did it with Blackburn on fifa.
@@jacksonconstable8331 sarcasm?
@@berzerkisnotaqt1250 I'll answer for him, Yes. Lol
@@jbo4547 ok thank god
@@berzerkisnotaqt1250 lol i mean if you mention FiFA or FootballManager then it hassss to he sarcastic lol.
I was waiting for this one for quite some time, basically a career mode save what this team is achieving
So happy to see this today!
I actually did a Football manager save with them last year and they are doing better IRL than I did in the save
Im gonna start on for them on fifa😁🤣
I am extremely so happy to see a real giant in Belgian football Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to be boucing back extremely so strongly from the debacle of more than 50 years outside of the first division and through the real smart takeover to slowly transform to where it should be financially,good friends!!!Of course,Union Saint-Gilloise are one of my favourite Belgian clubs and I fully hope that they would win the league title this season and qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season,good friends!!!LONG LIVE ROYALE UNION-SAINT GILLOISE!!!🇧🇪
It's great to see Belgium's oldest club Royal Antwerp also back in the top division and very competitive after many years of mismanagement. Hopefully Antwerp and Union SG both finish in the top 2 this season.
Last of 8 of the europa league
Allezz Union 💛💙
As a Portsmouth fan, I’ve been following Union since they signed Burgess and I’m delighted he’s doing so well with them. He’s a legend at Pompey and no one deserves it more than him, and I can’t wait to watch him in the champions league
I wish we kept him, but it's great to see how well he's doing now
I'm with you on that one play up Pompey
that's only if they win the league though, I'm rooting for them as well but it's all but guaranteed especially with the play off system at the end of the season (top 4 teams get their points halved and play eachother another 2 times to decide who wins the title)
second place puts them in CL play offs so they could still make it from there as well but overall I think it's going to be insanely competitive this year with Antwerp, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Gent, Union, Mechelen, Charleroi and potentially even Kortrijk all competing for 4 spots
He is absolutly incredible, not sure how we will do if he leaves this summer
As a belgian i can say that he was one of the best defenders in the JPl this season
And last season also in the second division
Tony Bloom is the best club owner in the world. Top clubs may have the best players, the most trophies, the highest prestige, but they can only wish they had an owner this good
As a Brighton fan of 30 years , I still have to pinch myself
As a Brighton fan it’s great to see our owner taking interest in a club in Europe. He’s an incredible owner for Brighton and USG and it’s great to be able to send over a player a season
The rise of USG is really refreshing to see
Going on an awayday to Union is one of the best awaydays. I've went there with Beerschot in second division. You drive trough to the forest and suddenly you see a football pitch. Pints everywhere good old school football stadion and oldschool atmosphere from both of us.
I live in St Gilles. their stadium is so cozy (Also a lot of Belgian beer in the surroundings) and you barely knew they were so successful as they have such a small place
PD: If you ever want to come to see a game let me know Alfie, beers on me!
Lol we’ve got to get a Euro 2020 style Alfie vlog where he goes to a USG match
Ooo, I'd love that offer too (though I'm an Anderlecht supporter 😅)
As a Belgian football fan, I found this video very refreshing. While I support Union's rival team Anderlecht, I must admit their rise has been nothing short of incredible. Kudos to Les Unionistes and kudos to you Alfie for making this video
Christian Burgess what a player, still annoyed Pompey’s board are full of clowns and were too late and too cheap to offer him a new contract. Decent and smart bloke off the pitch too, one of the best role models we had.
We really fell off after selling him
Definitely! I remember when he went and helped a kid's football club after Pompey had a game called off. Then he did community deliveries during lockdown. Absolute class act.
Absolute top bloke. Deserves the success!
Speaking of Big clubs stuck in the lower divisions, I hope Portsmouth get back to the pl soon! I try follow them more as Gavin Bazunu is there and has been amazing internationally for us. Good luck
Best defender in Belgium this season
My brother lives in Brussels and has a season ticket at Union, so I’ve been to see them a few times. Great ground, amazing atmosphere and fantastic history. Nice to see the story getting some proper media attention! 👍
As a Bremen fan i'm dilighted to see undav doing well. He's propably too good for us now.
Wenn er noch in Meppen spielen würde, hätte man ihn in der Form sich direkt sichern müssen😅 aber naja hätte hätte Fahrradkette
I'm from Belgium and the thing Union Saint-Gilloise has been doing is just unbelieveble. every one is in shock at the moment and some still think that they will fumble. But If they manage to win the league, it will be an even better story than Leicester 2015/16.
I agree can't wait to win the league and arsenal to finish top 4 i will cry like a baby
Wonderful video man, I hope as a Belgian you continue to make videos about our league in the future, for that I would suggest talking about the fall from grace of Standard, before the season started I believe they would have simply accepted a top-half finish. However they’re currently fighting degradation and there having major issues with their fanbase and within the standard-board as well.
Standard has been shit for the last 3 years.
I actually managed USG in Football Manager 2012 and I brought them all the way up to the Champions League. So I am really proud to see them fighting pretty well in the real Pro League
I mangaged them in FM21 and got them to win the Europa League
You do realise, it's a game. It's not real.
I got them to win the Conference League in FM23 recently, it was quite fun
As an Union fan I have long waited for this video, and you surpassed all my expectations with this one! Thank you so much Alfi!
Are union fans upset about possibly leaving their amazing old stadium? Would be a shame to lose all that history and memories?
You should do the rise of US Sassuolo from the depths of the Italian 4th tier
just over a decade ago,to regular top half finishers in Serie A.
Exactly
SPAL also did this, as recently as 2012-13 they were playing in Serie D which is pretty much an semi pro or amateur league if I'm correct
Quite easy to answer literally brought reggiana stadium when they went bankrupt in 1999.
So happy for Burgess, always welcome back at Pompey 💙
This team couldn't be more Belgian. Love it!
As a Genk fan I'm delighted to see a video about USG. It truly is a miracle and I'd love for them to win the league title. We won't anyway so rather them than any other team. I'm excited to see them in Europe as well lol
3 years later en they are again top of the league. Genkie here too🤙
And now 2 years later, they're 8 points ahead of Anderlecht in the league, and 20(!) points ahead of 3rd place Club Brugge, they've just reached the Belgian Cup final for the first time in over 100 years and they've knocked out Eintracht Frankfurt from the Conference League. They still haven't won a trophy yet, but I'd be surprised if they don't win one this season. Last season they finished 3rd in the league in just 1 point after the craziest final matchday I have ever seen! They topped their Europa League group with Union Berlin, Braga and Malmö and reached the quarter finals. Union is still living through a fairy tail right now!
Man, doesn't create chances but still scores at will, has a bend don't break defense and seems to Gegenpress all the time. Man USG sounds awesome.
Season ticket holder and former youth player for the club here, lovely to see us getting some attention.
The history and mythical status this club has in belgium is unreal. I remember going to matches on away days in our big USG bus and other teams treating us like celebrities. It's crazy how genuinely its very hard to find a belgian football fan who doesn't like USG. The respect is always appreciated. 👍
Can you do a documentary on the afc Wimbledon on the nine promotions in eleven years, how they’re a fan own club and how they have a stadium in plough lane now.
The story of they lost the club, how the F A allowed that and won’t allow that anymore.
How they went up the English football leagues.
The dissapointment in alfie's voice at the end was both hilarious and a bit sad. Dont worry, you can ramble on as long as you want if you keep creating masterpieces like this!
Finally! My favourite club and my favourite player are being covered!!!
sv meppen is a club near and dear to my heart as its the closest somewhat professional club to where i live. i love seeing ündav do so well and im certain he can achieve great things if he keeps bettering himself every season!
Finally someone talks about this
Great video! If the Belgian league interests you , there are a lot of interesting topics going on right now. 1: Propere Handen, a fraud case about player-manager Dejan Velkovic and the corrupt belgian football system. Or maybe about the fall of one of the big 3, Standard Liege.
The latter would call for a thrilling video
As an RSC Anderlecht supporter I can say they completely deserve the title this year and we will congratulate our neighbour when they do so. 👏 Football derby in Brussels are back again 👍
Brighton and Hove Albion and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise are football friends.😊
Heh, the USG team bus was often parked outside my work's office on the outskirts of Brussels. I moved to a different country in 2020 and I had no idea they managed to get promoted or were now leading the Pro league. Good for them!
These guys are legends. Currently doing a save with them on FM22 and it was very tough to replicate Thier success due to their budget + rep.
Fascinating! Rooting for them now from not knowing anything about them half an hour back. Great job as always Alfie.
Yes! Been hoping someone would do a piece on this, and you're the perfect man for it
As a belgian i love that you're mking a video about this amazing club! They play so well and fun
Respect to Saint Gilloise shaking things up
I remember a little while back seeing them on top of the Belgian table and was shocked for not knowing them beforehand and seeing that sudden dominance
As a Standard de liège fan I hope UNION wins the pro league this season! The enemy of my enemy is my friend :D and UNION is Anderlecht's worst nightmare at the moment. Love it!
edit: I respect Anderlecht as a rival though, so don't misinterpret my comment please
Brussels is 💛💙
@Emile Dehennin i can't wait for rwdm to go to the d1a next season imagine the derbys in Brussels 😍
Keep the Stade Marian as a Training facility, like what Columbus Crew has done in MLS, they moved to a new stadium, but made their old stadium their Training Facility/Reserves stadium.
A team I've loved watching this season, and was going to ask for this video, thank you Alfie.
Fantastic video as always, one matchday was talking to this man outside the Amex about USG and it turns out he's Alex Muzio's father haha small world. Could you do a video on the rise, fall, and potential rise again of Thonon Evian FC?
the guy you spoke to is unironically my grandad ian
@@airqx2808 no way hahaha he was really nice, saw him another matchday and said hi
Thonnon Evian are still a thing? The last I heard of them was that they were relegated from Ligue 1 in my last year living in France... I assumed they'd gone the same way as the other Bastia team from back then (having Googled the Bastia clubs, apparently the second one is Bastia-Borgo, but that isn't a name I remember...)
@@mastertrams They're nowhere near Bastia lol Thonon Evian is next to Lake Geneva. They were in Ligue 1 in 2015, then in the 7th tier (Regional 2) in 2018 post dissolving and reforming, currently in Championnat National 3 and second in the league with a game in hand, with the team they used to share a stadium with (Annecy) doing surprisingly well all of a sudden. Think it would make for an interesting video.
@@charlieghana2945 I know Thonion Evan are nowhere near Bastia! 🤣
I was just comparing their dive into obscurity to that of whatever-the-other-club-in-Bastia-was-called's dive into obscurity! And why do you say potential rise again?
as a club brugge fan i have to say that union are doing great and they are probably gong to win the title
Good luck in the UCL qualifiers next season 😁 (unless you overtake USG somehow of course)
As a Anderlecht fan I disagree. In the play offs the points will be halved and Union has never experienced it contrary to Club and RSCA
@@briancops3798 anderlecht are finished
@@callumhayes7502 I would argue the contrary we are coming back!
Just as union returned, just as RWDM is returning.
@@briancops3798 Brussels is coming back
So glad you done this one...it's a fantastic story this season!!
Great video Alfie! What a story this team is writing! Teams achieving things like this are what make this game so special.
Christian Burgess was great for us at Pompey. A top professional and a gentleman. Miss him!
These kinds of videos 🤝🏾 FM save ideas.
Thanks for covering this Alfie! This plus Rato challenging for UCL are the biggest surprise stories in European football this season
Really interesting video. How well Union Saint-Gilloise are doing this season is insane. Nice to see a newly promoted side doing so well
Getting goosebumps just listening to Ds.... I love underdog tales
Amazing to learn new things in football through this channel, props to you mate
THanks for the history lesson and update. Well Done as usual.
thanks for making this one
Union won last year 2nd divison with 20 points difference to second place!
USG did not add the Royale prefix to their name until 1922. As at that time (in the early 20th Century) Belgian clubs couldn’t add Royale to their official name until the club were a minimum of 25 years old. The Belgian FA has gradually increased this timescale and it currently stands at 50 years. Just a nerdy bit of trivia on Belgian Association football for you.
Is the Royal prefix also something Flemish clubs do? I have a feeling the whole Royale thing is a Walloon thing.
@@Darwinek Yes Flemish clubs do it too, look at royal Antwerp FC. A club from the biggest Flemish city, Antwerpen.
It's nice to see traditional clubs being succesfull in Belgium! If I may suggest Royal Antwerp FC for another video, which was also a "sleeping giant" for the past 2 decades which has woke a few years back.
RAFC 1 -locooooos
They're also entertaining, too. 😊
KV Mechelen also has a lot of potential.
Huge fanbase, a new stadium and the last Belgian winner of a European cup
Been waiting for this video for a while! Excited to hear our story told! 😁
Started watching them this year to follow Kaoru Mitoma as I liked him at Kawasaki. Only found out a few weeks ago they were promoted last season, but didn't know this background. Great video once again
My club Celtic just signed 3 Japanese boys and one of them played for Kawasaki, Reo Hatati. We had signed Kyogo Furahashi in the summer and he is just absolutely incredible.
How good is Reo? Some Japanese journalists say we’ve got a bargain and great player. The other two we signed were Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi. If those three are half as good as Kyogo we’ll be delighted.
@@JohnBoyBeattie I really like Maeda, good finisher and a very good presser of the ball. He’s quick and moves well off the ball (maybe not as good as Kyogo in that department).
Reo is incredibly versatile and been solid everywhere he’s played. Proper all-rounder who is a two way player, attack and defend. Will be interesting where he lines up for you.
To be honest I don’t know much about Ideguchi, didn’t see too much of Gamba Osaka last season as they had a fairly poor year.
I’ll be watching Celtic for the rest of the season
@@bbaIIer11 thanks a lot for the insight. We’re all very excited to see how they all get on. The new gaffer Postecoglu has worked miracles considering how badly our club was mismanaged both on and off the field last season.
Welcome aboard to the Celtic family
Fantastic video, keep you the great work. 👏
Yes I was waiting for this
YES!!!!! Great video !
God I miss Burgess at Pompey! No one deserves success more than him after everything he done on and off the pitch for us.
I knew this video was coming. SG have been impressing this season
A year on, and they’re currently second in the Jupiler League.
Very well run.
Hearing HITC sevens talk about my club ... I never thought this would one day happen... 💛💙
I am a simple man, i see a video from Hitc sevens, i simply watch and like it.
By far and away the best football channel on CZcams. Quality content as always and not just some face trying to make a name for themselves by screaming during a live stream or putting mad opinions out there for click bait. Top drawer 👏🏼
Thanks for the in depth info very interesting and well delivered
love hearing stories like this, USG!
Great video mate!
Intresting to note that they’ve just signed Brighton’s new signing on Loan Kacper Kozlowski. Personally having watched him closely in Poland and for Poland he’s one of the many wonder kids to come out of Poland and he’s already got tones of talent technically. Could be the midfielder they need to improve even further. Great video as always 👍
I've seen lots of Polish fans say that going to Belgium is the wrong decision as many Polish players have failed there before, do you think this is true or just Polish fans overrating their players maybe or just a coincidence
@@georgehurst4024 personally from my recollection two players played in Belgium Teodorczyk and Wasilewski both being quite good there. Both used Belgium as a steeping stone to further their careers to secure big moves to a better league. I think a slow gradual progression through the leagues is the best for him as I don’t think he’s physically there yet to play premier league football
@@georgehurst4024 There is some truth in that. In the Czech Republic there is a widespread belief that our players go to Belgian league to kill their career.
So happy to see my home competition featured here! Allez Union!!
They will play UEFA Champions League qualification this year. I hope they find a way into group phase.
a complicated matter brilliantly explained. Nice work, from a Belgian
As a Union fan I couldn’t see them play anywhere else than at the stade Joseph Marine, The atmosphere is incredible and everyone is respectful expect for when it’s molen
I did not know this team even ever dominated Belgian football. The big 3 Anderlecht, Brugges and Standard Liege have become the most famous Belgian clubs
That is quite common. I have followed Belgian football for a little over a decade now, and Union were always in the second tier, in midtable. When the football system in Belgium changed ahead of the (I think it was) 2015/16 season, they were playing in the 8 team second tier. They were never really a challenge for the title until Mazzu arrived, where they steamrolled through last season, losing just 2 of 28 league games. Although I'm an Anderlecht supporter, I find their rise to be remarkable
Racing Genk is the 3th most succesfull club in Belgium the last 25 years.
Great video and great story ! It is really nice to hear about Belgian football
Love this video Alfie. Could you do the match fixing scandal in the 2010-2011 turkish league which involved Trabzonspor losing out on the title due to Fenerbahce match fixing.
Yeah i just read up about that , why didn't Fenerbahce get the title taken of them over that , I feel very sorry for Trabzonspor.
Bruxelles, ma ville, je t'aime 💛💙
As a Union fan since a very young age, I couldn't be more happy about their performance ! And us, fans, never fail to party even if they lose, that's the true spirit !
Fantastic video thanks
This was a great video, I live in Canada so we rarely hear about any leagues apart from the prem.
usg's chairman is my dad's half-brother
What a great story, like a phoenix from the flames. Fascinating to hear of a team shaking up the establishment, would love to go to that stadium, that's how they should be.
It’s 5am and I’m watching this. Great vid
I'm Belgian and have been watching your content for quite some time now so it's really cool to see a video on Belgian football.
Just quickly wanted to comment on something in the vid. You said no one cares about the second tier which wasn't always the case, before it was a league containing 16 teams that was quite competitive and interesting with some giants of the game regularly being found there (Antwerp, Charleroi, Beerschot, KV Mechelen, Union). However loads of teams had to file for bankruptcy or only barely got their professional license so the entire system got reformed: Pro League went from 16 to 18 teams and the second tier went from 16 to 8. 8 teams in a league doesn't make for very interesting scenarios, teams play eachother at least 4 times a season and potentially again for the promotion play offs. On top of that even this league struggled to get filled with professional teams leading to Club Brugge's youth team having to fill the last spot last season (they just got pummeled almost every week, so there was even less excitement for fans). On top of that Belgium's UEFA coëfficient dropped to its lowest point in years this season, meaning we will almost definitely lose our champions league group ticket for the 22/23 season (unless Gent performs a miracle and wins the Conference League). This has led to more talks about reform, the top flight might potentially go down to 12 teams!
Overall at this point I think that Belgian football as a whole could really benefit from a BeNe Liga with the Netherlands but if you're ever interested in making a video on this topic that would be really cool.
You mean for the 23/24 season because the the uefa rankings is set one year in advance, if you know on how the uefa rankings actually do work out
@@davismoore1090 yeah my bad, its for the 23/24 season
Are they really considering reducing the league from 18 to 12 teams sometime in the future?
@@davismoore1090 I really don't know at this point, the league was supposed to go back down to 16 teams after this season but idk if that's going through either. I think like 5 teams had an agreement for a BeNe Liga with some dutch clubs but havent heard anything about that in a while.
It just feels like a lot of rumous are spreading rn and idk what's gonna end up happening but 12 teams has been brought up.
This is so interesting, love the channel. Many clubs in England and across the world can take note of this data model. Many fallen giants sides such as Bolton Wanderers etc. should take notice of this young players and data driven models so they follow it and eventually rise to the Premier League
You have to remember that the top 4 in the Belgian league splits off after 34 games, points are halved and then they play 6 more games against the rest of the top 4. Even if they maintain their 7 point lead to the end of the regular season, this could then drop to 3.5 points once the points have been halved. It's all about the end of season playoff round as long as they can get there
Top 6 play the play offs. League went to 16 teams.
@@GuntherSDoumson2178 You're responding to my comment from well over a year ago and are trying to tell me I'm wrong because the information that was correct at the time is now wrong?
Thank You 🙏
Love this story. Will def keep an eye on USG now!
A few months back I made a comment about this amazing story on one of your videos, not expecting that they would last much longer at the top of the table. Amazing video btw, it's nice to see Belgian football history getting some recognition. There are still a lot of interesting stories if you're interested, like Beveren's Ivorians or the European cup victory of KV Mechelen in 1989 as European debutants.
And an extra fact about Union: I believe that Union's 60 game unbeaten streak is the third longest ever in European top flight football. If I remember correctly only Benfica and Celtic have gone longer without a loss.
Also for anyone planning a trip to Brussels: definitely take your chance and try to visit USG, it's one of the best and most authentic matchday experiences in Belgium and maybe even Europe.
Man, I love your politic takes and how you put things into context. To me it's passionate yet reasonable, so don't stop. I usually dislike the mixture, but I find that you do it quite well.
I love a good underdog story.. I wish them all the best
Great video 👏🙌🙌
Can you attempt a video on the current Arbroath team. I know it is second division Scottish football but they are currently 4 points clear at the top whilst being the only part time team in the whole league. It’s a truly amazing story
Stories like these are why we love football, and there is no better storyteller than alfie.
u uploaded this as i get them in the euro conference in fm22 love the coincidence
Thanks for the football manager save idea.