50 years of MHSC: “We felt strong and united”… Thierry Laurey recounts the epic in the 1994 Coupe de France

Thierry Laurey formed a hinge full of experience with Michel Der Zakarian. Midi Libre – Archives

The former midfielder then defender spent sixteen years at the club as a player then educator. A finalist in the Coupe de France in 1994, he had supervised, with Michel Der Zakarian, a talented young generation. He then became assistant coach and trained the Montpellier reserve team.

A special issue of 84 pages

Condensing half a century of history into 84 pages. This is the challenge taken up by the sports editorial team of Midi Libre in this special edition on the 50th anniversary of the MHSC. Available on newsstands on December 11 for just 5 euros, this glossy magazine will allow you to relive the great moments in the history of the Montpellier club through our “50” who made the MHSC. Players, coaches and builders, of course, at start with this “Nicollin Saga”, told by Laurent and Colette, the wife of the late Loulou. A special edition full of anecdotes and unpublished photos with an exclusive interview with Olivier Giroud.

A special issue of 84 pages Midi Libre

Buy our special issue celebrating 50 years of the MHSC by clicking on this link.

How was your arrival at the club? ?

I had signed and did a full season in Marseille in 1986-87, we finished 2nd in the championship and lost the Cup final against Bordeaux, who achieved the double. Tapie and the staff then started thinking about it and decided to loan me out. I wasn't against it. Montpellier contacted me and my arrival went very simply.

And you joined this promoted team that was beating everyone up at La Mosson!

Exactly. We had finished with the best attack in D1, the best home team. At La Mosson, the teams knew that it was going to be very, very hot on the pitch. There were so many experienced players like Lemoult, Milla, Bernardet, Rust, Stojkovic, that it was all smooth sailing.

And when it wasn't smooth sailing, Loulou would step in ?

I remember a defeat against Lyon at home on a Sunday afternoon. He had called us the next morning to the headquarters in Castelnau, at 8am. One of them arrived late. The president told him “you know what ? You take your car and get out.” He had shaken us all up by making a comparison with the guys who worked behind his trucks. It was a way of making us understand that we couldn't do whatever we wanted. When he was on the sidelines, training took on a different tone. We knew when the boss was there that we had to give our best. This avoids getting a “scud” at the end of training.

Spending 16 years in a club, you inevitably come out marked ?

Absolutely. Afterwards, when you know the ropes, you know exactly how things are going to turn out. I got all my diplomas thanks to Montpellier Hérault and I can never thank Louis Nicollin and the Montpellier management enough. When I signed my last player contract, I had a retraining at the club for the following years. It was almost an investment in the future. The management had detected that I had this ability to coach, at least with young people.

Your best memory ?

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The epic is rather the 1994 Coupe de France, even if we lost in the final against Auxerre. The quarter-final in Marseille and the semi-final in Lens remain fantastic moments. The emotion that it gives you on the field… We felt strong and united. In addition, we had a team with quite a few young people. We were the supervisors with Michel Der Zakarian, the Périlleux, Barrabé, Reuzeau, Divert… And it was going strong.

A leading player of the 80s and 90s, Thierry Laurey praises the team spirit that reigned in the locker room at the time. MAXPPP – NICOLAS CREACH

There was a party at Loulou's, after this final, with a song by Divert on the guitar that moved the boss ?

I remember. Fabrice Divert always had his guitar. He had composed his own songs. It was a good time. There was a great atmosphere. We often ate together as players. One day we had a meal at Fabrice Divert's the day before a match and since we had won, we said to each other out of superstition, let's do it again! There was a desire to share something. Loulou sometimes overplayed a little but behind it, there was this family and friend vision of football. He always did things so that the club resembled a big family.

Does this lineage through Mézy, Nouzaret, Gasset, Der Zakarian also mark the limits of the club? ?

We can’t say for sure because when the club opened up to people who didn’t have the Montpellier experience, it didn’t always work well. Louis Nicollin yesterday and Laurent today know exactly what the people called up are capable of doing. Maybe it’s what they expect. Michel Der Zakarian, apart from this season, has had very good results, Jean-Louis Gasset too. Today, no one could question these choices even if it can give, from the outside, the impression of living a little in a vacuum.

Read also: 50 years of MHSC: escapades, magic goals, explanation with Nicollin… Cantona’s chiaroscuro passage at Montpellier

Which coach has had the biggest impact on you? ?

Henryk Kasperczak. He was someone who was very respectful and shared a lot. When sessions didn't work, he accepted that we offered him something else to make us responsible. That's something I've kept in my job as a coach. You shouldn't always impose things on players. One evening, after a victory in Metz, when we weren't feeling well, on the way back to the airport, at one in the morning, he asked his wife to bring champagne with glasses to celebrate. I thought it was fantastic.

And the player ?

Everyone is going to talk about Laurent Blanc but I spontaneously think of Julio César. He was sometimes a bit of a teddy bear, not always serious but he was a hell of a defender. Gérard Bernardet was a player of rare finesse, Christian Pérez too. Fabrice Divert was a bit like our JPP. There were some very good players. It's hard to come up with one.

Also read: 50 years of MHSC: Julio César, the Brazilian emperor of Montpellier's defense

Has Montpellier ever contacted you again to coach and could it happen? ?

It never happened and I don't think, at 60, that it's something that's immediately conceivable. I don't have too many illusions anymore. I still live in Montpellier, I have my children and grandchildren there. I go to see the matches at La Mosson where I am welcomed but I know the inner workings of the club and I don't want to end up there at any cost. I made my life elsewhere and I am doing very well there. However, if one day the MHSC were to contact me, I would listen to their speech.