With six Ligue 1 crowns, Stade de Reims could be considered as one of the most successful sides in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899. However, the Champagne-Ardenne side start the current season with relatively low expectations
Six-time Championelle winners, two Coupe de France, and five Trophée des Champions is a haul of silverware that attracts envy of most of the French clubs. This is what one can come across the trophy cabinet at Stade Auguste Delaune – home of recently-promoted Ligue 1 side, Stade de Reims.
However, it has been almost 50 years since Reims won a major trophy in France. Largely known for producing one of the most successful sides in France, the city of Reims is now famous for its champagne production.
Yet there was a time when the club’s players were a popular brand across the continent just like Mumm and Tattinger are now.
In the post-war years in France, it was infact Stade de Reims who were the superpower of French football – long before Paris Saint-Germain even existed. After an absence of 33 years, Reims are back among the big boys in the Championnat and will start their first top flight season of the new millennium against Olympique de Marseille – a side that till today, is the only French team to have won the Champions League.
As they get ready to take on http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-de-Marseille-c40127 at the Stade Auguste Delaune, there will be no spare seat at the stadium whose capacity is around 22,000. Although Reims won’t start the game as favourites or anything, the game is bound to bring back vintage memories of an era when the club dominated French football.
La Grande Epoque
The time between 1945 and 1963 is still affectionately known by those who witnessed the greatness of Reims as La Grande Epoque. That was a time when the club produced some of the finest players French football has ever seen like the late http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pierre-c29989 Sinibaldi.
The likes of Raymond Kopa, Just Fontaine, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Roger-c31516 Piantoni, Dominique Colonna and Armand Penverne were all products of the Reims side and guided France to the semi-finals of the 1958 FIFA World Cup.
The archetype
Much of this success is owed to Albert Batteux who guided the team to their first Ligue 1 crown in 1949. Even now, the former Marseille coach is considered as the most successful coaches in the history of Ligue 1.
Five of his nine domestic titles came from Stade de Reims and perhaps, his greatest achievement was a final victory against AC Milan in the Latin Cup which was a forerunner to the European Cup.
Reims also reached the final of the first European Cup in 1956 where they eventually lost to Real Madrid at Parc des Princes 4-3 after initially leading the game 2-0 after just 10 minutes.
However, despite showcasing the best and the most stylish football in France, Batteux was sacked in 1963. The Frenchman went on to coach AS Saint-Etienne with whom he won the Championnat four times.
Things changed drastically following the ousting of Batteux. Reims, despite being a regular fixture in the 70s, was not the same again.
In 1979, the club was relegated to Ligue 2 and it was from there the downward spiral started.
In the early 90s, the club came to the brink of extinction as its financial predicament consigned it to the sixth division of Ligue 1 football. The club’s plight at that time was such that it had to sell relics of the past just to raise enough funds to stay operational. However, in the past 20 years, the club has overseen five promotions.
Current coach, Hubert Fournier has no stars like Kopa, Fontaine or Bianchi at his disposal but Anthony Weber, who will be playing in defence this season, says that his side can hit the ground running.
"We know how important our start to the season will be and, like last year, we want to get as many points on the board early on as possible," said the 25-year-old.
Although the club’s main priority for the current campaign would be to stay up, a good showing is certainly very important for the club as the current crop of players must follow the example that was set all those years ago by their illustrious and talented predecessors who have left a mark on the history of the club.
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