Flashback: Bernard Tischner

From local leagues to Division 1

As a young footballer, Bernard Tischner started his career in the Alsatian local leagues, in the club of his city of birth, FC Soultz. The young Alsatian defender was then spotted by FC Sochaux, who just opened their Academy in 1974. Unfortunately for him, the experience didn’t last long. In 1976, despite his first failed experience in the Doubs, he signed a contract with the Racing Club de Strasbourg, where he joined other promising youngsters.
Aged 19, he played his first professional game against Hazebrouck, on November 24th, 1976 (RCS won 2-0). Later, he kept on improving to become a key player in the Reserve. He went on to appear a few times with the professional squad, and contributed to the French champion titles in D1 (1979) and D2 (1977) for the Alsatian club. He also played a UEFA Cup game (1978-1979 season) against MSV Duisburg (0-0), during the first leg of this confrontation, on November 22nd 1978, at the Stade de la Meinau.

Despite interesting debuts at the highest level, the Racing wasn’t really relying on him and preferred to recruit François Bracci and Jean-François Jodar, two players more used to playing Division 1 football. With his future clearly blocked in Alsace, he decided to take a new direction and signed in Thionville in 1979, an ambitious club from Lorraine just promoted to the Second Division. He managed three satisfying seasons in the former Diedenhofen, where he soon became an essential player at centre back.
His adventure with Thionville finished with the club getting bankrupt in 1981 however, as the team had been autumn champion after the first half of the season (finishing sixth at the end of the season). Bernard Tischner was therefore transfer-listed just as most of his team-mates. However, his obvious qualities as a libero were remarked during his time at Thionville. He received proposals from several Division 2 clubs and chose the one that offered more warranties, the Stade Rennais.

Rennes : 1981 - 1984

Freshly arrived in Rennes at the beginning of the 1981-1982 season, he immediately imposed his physical power in the axis of the Rennes defence, alongside Finisterian Jean-Yves Kerjean. For his first season with the “Rouge et Noirs”, he played every one of the thirty-four League games and even scored a goal during a large victory against Abbevile (5-0, 12th match day). SRFC finished the season in fifth position in the league, 7 points behind the “Diables Rouges” from FC Rouen, despite the efficiency of Congolese striker François M’Pelé, with sixteen goals.
The same year, in the Coupe de France, Pierre Garcia’s men endured a terrible humiliation in the sixth round, losing to their small neighbour of Saint Malo, then playing in the Division d’Honneur (6th tier) (Defeat against US Saint-Malo, 1-2, on December 27th, 1981). During the next season, Jean Vincent was named as the new SRFC coach and naturally kept his trust in Tischner, whom he paired in central defence with Cholet-man Patrick Brulez.

The results would soon follow, Rennes enjoyed total domination over the Second division. Rennes logically finished the season in fist position, managing to keep their advantage on Nîmes and Valenciennes. Jean Vincent’s players also became French D2 champions for the second time after the title won in 1956. Rennes beat Toulon over the two games (1-0 in Toulon, 2-2 in Rennes) and went on to win the honorific title. On a personal point of view, Bernard Tischner played thirty-one games, and scored a goal against Valenciennes (SRFC won 2-1).

Tischner returned to the French top-flight five years after leaving it, at the beginning of a 1983-1984 season that promised to be ambitious at the stade de la route de Lorient. Indeed, the club from the Breton capital was considerably strengthened during the summer with the arrivals of Yannick Stopyra, Udo Horsmann (European Champion with Bayern Munich in 1976) and Dominique Marais among others. Unfortunately, the man from Soultz paid the catastrophic beginning of the season of his team. Jean Vincent was looking for the right formula…without ever really finding it.
In consequence, Tischner played most of his football as a midfielder, his only option to try and recover a bit more play-time. The pre-season objectives were soon proving utopic, and Stade Rennes finished rock-bottom in D1, without ever really hoping to remain in the top-flight. Tischner played thirty-three matches in the league including twenty-two in the starting eleven. He also scored a goal (as during his previous two seasons) in the 15th game week (defeat in Monaco, 2-3). Rennes returned to second division, but Bernard Tischner left the club to join Montpellier.

An anonymous end of career

Bernard Tischner accepted indeed the call from the Herault club, which also wished to return to the front of the stage and get promotion to the first division as soon as possible. Despite another Division Two French Champion title in 1987, he would never play in the French top flight again.
At the end of this 1986-1987 season, he joined the Entente Melun-Fontainebleau, still in D2. The club from the Seine-et-Marne had a bad season and finished the season in 17th position (out of 18). Relegated in D3, the club split but Bernard Tischner found the motivation to look for a final challenge at the AS Angoulême. Angoulême managed a good season and finished second in Division 2 (Centre-West) but unfortunately couldn’t clinch promotion to Division 2. “Papa Soultz”, the robust Alsatian took the occasion to put his honnest career as a professional player to and end.

His career in short

1976-1979 : RC Strasbourg
1979-1981 : Thionville
1981-1984 : Stade Rennais FC
1984-1987 : Montpellier PSC
1987-1988 : Entente MF 77
1988-1989 : AS Angoulême

Sources :
- racingstub.com
- « Le Stade rennais, fleuron du football breton » de Claude Loire, Ed. Apogée.

- Photos : srfc.frenchwill.fr, forum footnostalgie