50 years of MHSC: “When we started, we mainly thought about having fun”… Robert Nouzaret's memories

Robert Nouzaret a gardé des tonnes de souvenirs et une grande place dans son coeur pour le MHSC Midi Libre – RICHARD DE HULLESSEN

A childhood friend of Loulou, the former OL player became one of the pillars of the club's creation. Coach from the beginning, manager and above all the first visionary to drive a youth policy.

Our 84-page special issue

Condensing half a century of history into 84 pages. This is the challenge taken up by the sports editorial team at 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, but also builders, starting with this “Nicollin Saga”, told by Laurent and Colette, the wife of the late Loulou. A magazine full of anecdotes and unpublished photos with an exclusive interview with Olivier Giroud.

An 80-page special edition on newsstands December 11 Midi Libre

He is part of the inner circle of friends. Not only one of the pioneers of La Paillade but also and above all a childhood friend of Loulou, in Lyon, where the shared passion for OL would outline other balloon trips.

From the banks of the Rhône, where he returned to settle to be closer to his children, Robert Nouzaret goes against the current with a confident voice that goes to the essential, as if to deceive a sometimes failing memory: “We never really separated. And then the fact that I played for OL, for him, it was as if I was President of the Republic. He had a good heart and knew how to laugh.”

Read also:50 years of MHSC: Louis Nicollin, the incredible saga of a pack leader who became a triumphant patriarch

Winner of the Coupe de France in 1967 with the Lyon club, the Marseille native then settled in Montpellier a few years before Loulou, as a player and then coach of Montpellier Littoral, the ancestor of La Paillade. “Loulou then asked me to give him a hand to set up his corporate club and it's crazy to think that it all started from there.”

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Head coach of the club in 1977

Three years after the creation of the Montpellier Paillade Sport Club, Nouzaret became head coach of the club in 1977 with the desire declared in Midi Libre of the time to “create a state of mind and implement a youth policy.”A visionary intuition that carried within it the Paillade spirit, already bottle-fed with family values, and the need to train talents to be part of the long term.

Robert Nouzaret, young coach from the early days of La Paillade, with Emmanuel Moh. Midi Libre – Archives

Unforgettable first stroke of brilliance, this qualification for the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, in 1979, by defeating (3-0) the Lyon of Chiesa, Chauveau and the promising Tigana. “I would have paid to experience that” Nicollin will say, as happy as a kid under the tree. A year later, that will not stop him from calling on Nîmes' Kader Firoud to aim for promotion to D1. The first in a long series of quarrels between Loulou and Robert.

“When things weren't going well, Loulou and I would break up like old couples”

“He had character, I had some too”, laughs Nouzaret, a character whose frankness has often stood out in the environment.“We had some difficult times because I didn't let myself be pushed around. When things weren't going well, we broke up, a bit like old couples. Loulou was proud but endearing deep down. We understood each other thanks to football and our temperaments and the fact that I liked this kind of challenge ended up bringing us closer together again.”

Read also: 50 years of MHSC: Jean-Marc Valadier, local scorer and first guide to a new world

Yet another return or eternal recourse ? The expression suited Nouzaret's unwavering loyalty when he arrived again as a firefighter on duty, as a coach in 1983 or manager in 1994. “Louis was rarely wrong about men,” he says. “He knew where he was going when he called someone for help. And since we had a lot of fun with him, we didn't know how to say no to him. Deep down, we were complementary. I was a hard worker and he was very intelligent. We made compromises to succeed together.”

“We never imagined that the club could become champion”

Recalled one last time as coach in 2004 to try to avoid relegation to Ligue 2, Robert Nouzaret would fail, a sign that this new century would be that of new men at the helm of the club. For a championship title that no one saw coming: “We never thought about it and that's what allowed us to succeed. When we embarked on this adventure, we were humble. We mainly thought about making it work well and having fun.”

Read also: 50 years of the MHSC: Cup victory, European epic, death of Bruno Martini… Pascal Baills' contrasting memories

Both goals were achieved. Beyond their expectations.

Also read: 50 years of MHSC: Fleury Di Nallo Little Prince of Gerland becomes first star of La Mosson

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