As a footballer Lair played in the lower categories in France. After spending a decade in Stade Briochin and US Avranches, in 1987 he moved to FC Périgueux where he had his first experience as a coach, coaching the junior team while playing in the first team. He repeated these functions in US Saint-Malo before making his debut as a player-coach in USA Pouancé in 1993. He subsequently played and coached for Racing Doué, AC Pouzauges, Trélissac FC, ESA Briviste and Reims either as a player-coach or training junior teams, before retiring in 2001.
After retiring he was appointed the assistant coach of Stade de Reims, which was promoted in 2002 to Ligue 2 after a decade in lower categories. After first coach Marc Collat was sacked in 2003 he was offered his position, but he declined the offer and moved to AS Angoulême as an assistant coach. In 2004, he held his first position as a first coach in CS Villeneuve, and in 2005 he made his debut in women's football, taking charge of defending championMontpellier HSC. Under Lair's two-years tenure Montpellier won two national cups, reached the 2006 European Cup semifinals and was the championship's runner-up behind FCF Juvisy and Olympique Lyonnais. Lair subsequently returned to male amateur football, coaching Castelnau-le-Crès FC for two seasons. In 2009, he moved to Benin to coach Espoir de Savalou, but he left the team after a month. He also coached briefly the Rwanda under-17 national team, also serving as the senior team's assistant coach, the following year.[1]
On 28 May 2018, he was announced as the new head coach of Chamois Niortais.[5] In December 2018 he was suspended,[6] and he was formally sacked in January 2019.[7]
On 4 June 2019, he was announced manager of newly relegated Ligue 2 club Guingamp for the 2019/20 season.[8] After a poor start which saw the club in 14th place with nine points, he was sacked on 23 September 2019.[9]
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