Scores Rennes en direct
16 March 2011 | à 21h18

Flashback: Laurent Delamontagne

Before the game between Stade Rennes and Olympique Lyonnais, as part of Ligue 1’s 28th game week, Stade Rennais Online take a look at the career of a personality common to both clubs, Laurent Delamontagne.

Flashback: Laurent Delamontagne

In the shadow of the big brother, Patrick

Born in Rennes only five months after Rennes’ first victory in the Coupe de France (October 9th, 1965), Laurent Delamontagne, signed his first football licence at the age of 8 with la Bouëxière, a small amateur club twenty kilometres away from the Breton capital. He made his way through the youth teams at the club until turning fourteen and joining Stade Rennes’ sports school. Soon, he was included in the various youth teams at the SRFC. His undeniable talent was quickly spotted by the club’s scouts who wanted to keep him at any cost, and he also earned U15 and U17 international caps (and later joined the Olympic and A’ France teams).
A few month later, Delamontagne was learning his trade with SRFC’s reserve team, playing his football on the very special pitches of third division. His first steps with the professional team finally arrived on March 2nd, 1985, against Abbeville (victory 3-2), during Division 2’s 23rd gameweek, although he was still to sign his first professional contract.

The following season, in D1 (1985-1986), Pierre Mosca also called him during the first leg of the Coupe de France quarter-finals (1-1, goal by Jocelyn Angloma for Rennes), on March 26th in Auxerre. He replaced Mario Relmy and played for about twenty minutes. At the time, the young Laurent waited for his time, mainly in the B Team, but learnt a lot alongside more experienced players.
He finally signed his first professional contract in 1987, a year in which he appeared as a regular starter from the half-season and scored his first goals. October 31st, 1986 was a great day in Laurent’s career, when he played his big brother Patrick for the first time. Laval won 3-0, but the most important was elsewhere. He would talk about this game a few days later: “When we played against each other, Patrick didn’t stop encouraging me ».

In January 1987, Pierre Mosca was replaced by Patrick Rampillon as Rennes manager, the latter getting promoted from his position as a coach for the Academy, and being assisted by Patrice Rio in his mission. Despite the managerial change, the miracle wouldn’t happen. Stade Rennes finished last in Division 1, and realised one of the worst seasons in the club’s history with only twenty goals scored, including eight by Mario Relmy alone. On a personal level, Laurent Delamontagne played twenty four games in the league, including fourteen starts. Playing as a right winger most of the time, he scored his first professional goal on March 21st, 1987, during a Coupe de France round of 64 game in Versailles, for a difficult victory against the amateurs from Mantes-la-Ville. Partnering with Mario Relmy upfront, he scored Rennes’ fourth goal. At the end of a catastrophic season from the beginning to the end, Rennes returned to Division 2 after earning no more than five wins in thirty eight championship games.

Delamontagne at the top

At the beginning of the 1987-1988 season, an icon of Breton football arrived in Rennes: Raymond Keruzoré. The man from Finistere immediately started building his squad around Laurent Delamontagne, and his faith was immediately repaid by the Rennes striker, easily recognisable by his long hairs. Quickly in the pace, Laurent scored his first league goal against Saint-Dizier during the second game week (Rennes won 2-1). Four more would follow.
The early season was difficult though. Thus, on November 7th, 1987, the Breton club decided on hiring a Dutch striker who would remain in the collective memory, Erik van den Boogaard (he would score seven goals that season). This wouldn’t prevent Delamontagne to also stand out, on February 13th, 1988, during a Coupe de France 8th round game against minnows of Baud (DSR) in which he took his chance to score four goals in a same game (7-0).

At the end of a very forgettable season, the man from la Bouëxière scored five times in twenty-nine games played. Rennes ended the season in tenth position in D2 (Group B) and planned to rebuild the squad serenely, without growing too fast and putting the emphasis on the club’s Academy. The following season (1988-1989), the “big brother” Patrick Delamontagne returned to Rennes, strengthened with successful spells at Laval, Nancy, Monaco and Marseille. Immediately, the club could raise its expectations again. The two brothers played together in the “Rouge et Noir” shirt for the first time during the opening game of the league, on July 16th, 1988 in Créteil (Rennes lost 1-3 despite a goal by Laurent). A “childhood dream” had become true for the youngest of the Delamontagne brothers. With this familial support, Laurent started the season in style by scoring no less than six goals in seven games.
He, his brother and Erik van den Boogaard formed a superb attacking trio, dreaded by any defence in the second division. Raymond Keruzoré confirmed this impression at the end of 1988: « Our main strength is the attack. Patrick Delamontagne is delighted to have returned in Rennes and to play with his brother Laurent for the first time. On top of that, they are both very complementary with Erik van den Boogaard ».

Rennes hung on and finally managed to reach the third position in the league (in the process, the club had the best attack in Ligue 2 with 61 goals scored) behind Mulhouse and Brest. Unfortunately, Rennes were beaten by Nimes (1-0) in the promotion play-off’s preliminary round. Their fate was sealed, there would be no Division 1 football despite legitimate hopes and all the qualities displayed throughout the season. Rennes would be forced to wait for at least one more season before returning to the top flight. As for the goal scorers, Erik van den Boogaard aka « VDB » found the net in 20 occasions, while Laurent (32 games) and Patrick scored 13 goals each.
The brothers were equals even in the statistics. Laurent also showed his efficiency in the Coupe de France by scoring five goals, while SRFC were logically knocked out of the competition by Olympique de Marseille in the quarter-finals (1-5 in Marseille, 2-2 in Rennes for the return leg). For the story, two brothers playing in the same team, it has advantages but also drawbacks. Patrick was unrightfully suspended for one game by the commission of discipline, when the sanction was applicable to his brother Laurent. Fortunately, the truth was soon restored on that case.

The «Yo-yo» years

The initial objective to the 1989-1990 season was clear: Rennes was searching promotion to the first division. And this would be done at the end of an epilogue worthy of Hithcock’s greatest movies. Indeed, the club of the Breton capital only managed promotion to the top flight during the last game of the season in Lorient, through a victory (2-0) which also condemned the “Merlus” from FC Lorient to relegation in the third division. Fighting against Valenciennes throughout the season, the SRFC scored a second goal at the Stade du Moustoir at the last second, through the heroic Jean-Christophe Cano, meaning Rennes had reached the Graal, and promotion to the heaven of Division 1.
On an individual level, Laurent Delamontagne finished the season as the club second best goal scorer with 9 goals (in 34 games played), just behind the unavoidable Van den Boogard and his fifteen goals. He also shone by scoring a hat-trick against Cherbourg (6-0) during a Coupe de France 7th round game, on December 16th, 1989. The happy ending of the season naturally remains an unforgettable memory to Laurent: “We managed to clinch promotion at the last minute of the last match day!, the former Rennes player remembers. “Stade Rennes was well structured but struggled to survive in the first division. The club had a small budget at the time”.

As he admits it himself, Laurent is also very proud to have been able to play alongside hi solder brother Patrick, during three good years in which he accumulated memories and emotional moments. The following season, Rennes failed once again to capitalise on their accession and finished last in Ligue 1, once again, despite the phenomenal efficiency of Cameroon international François Omam-Biyik (transferred from Laval in summer, 14 goals). The DNCG (National Directorate of Management Control) came to the rescue of the Breton club. Rennes profited of the financial worries of Bordeaux, Brest and Nice to remain in the top flight for another season. Laurent played thirty four games and scored five goals.
Saved on the wire, the SRFC experienced a 1991-1992 season nearly identical to the previous however, but hung with all their energy to the eighteenth position, thanks to a heaven-sent equaliser by Laurent Huard at the last minute of a game against Auxerre (1-1), during the final match day of the Division 1 season. Rennes was therefore offered the chance to play the relegation play-off against Strasbourg. Alas, despite all the efforts to rescue the cub, SRFC was finally beaten over the two games (0-0 in Rennes, 1-4 in Strasbourg) and relegated to D2 once again. This would be the last game with Stade Rennais for Laurent Delamontagne. For his final season with his first club, the long-haired striker scored six goals in thirty-seven matches. Altogether, he played 218 games with Stade Rennes’ professional team, for a total of 52 games. More than honourable statistics for a player who always gave his best with the “Rouge et Noir” shirt on.

Vice-champion of France !

In 1992, he left his Brittany, after thirteen years at Stade Rennais, to join the Olympique Lyonnais. “I then arrived in the club with a stronger structure, but above all big ambitions”, he remembers. He would spend three seasons in the Rhone, where he would meet some charismatic characters of French football, such as Raymond Domenech or Jean Tigana. After a rather good first season in Lyon (37 games, 4 goals), he wouldn’t confirm the following year, playing twenty-six games for only one goal. At the time, Lyon was already regular in its performances, finishing the First division in fourteenth position during two consecutive seasons.
Change of scenery in the 1994-1995m in which the OL and Delamontagne finished the season as vice champions of France, before the untouchable FC Nantes of Ouédec, N’Doram, Loko, Pedros and pals, who wouldn’t concede a defeat in 32 consecutive games. “We had a good team, but above all a great atmosphere with Olmeta, N’Gotty, Maurice, Gava”, Delamontagne explained. On a personal level, Laurent played 23 games and scored two goals, but he wouldn’t be part of the team involved in the following year’s European campaigns.

In a state of uncertainty in Lyon after a difficult summer break, he finally decided to return to the West of France by signing for SCO Angers “I had a few contacts but nothing concrete, he explained a few years later. OL and Aulas proposed me a one year contract. Angers proposed me three years and an interesting project”. Unfortunately for him, Angers wouldn’t leave to its pre-season ambitions. Twenty first in the Super D2, the club from Maine-et-Loire was relegated in National 1 (third tier) and Laurent decided to bring his spell at the club to an end.
In 1996, he moved towards the south of France and signed a new contract in Valence. Despite having the smallest budget in the second division, the club from the Drome managed two very good seasons, finishing tenth and seventh. His final season, under Bruno Metsu’s management, wasn’t as successful however. In Valence, he played 102 league games and scored 15 goals. He eventually left the ASOA Valence for neighbouring club US Montélimar (Union Montilienne Sportive Football) in which he joined several former team-mates. He spent four seasons in the CFA2 division (5th tier), finishing third in 2000-2001 while organising his professional reconversion. Now a company director in the communication sector, Laurent Delamontagne made the heydays of five clubs in his career.

His final game with the “Rouge et Noir”

Strasbourg 4 - 1 Rennes
D1/D2 play-offs, final
Wednesday, May 13th, 1992

Stade de la Meinau
Attendance : 35 709 spectateurs

Goals : Cobos (5’), Keshi (20’) and Paillard (28’ and 84’) for Strasbourg ; Le Dizet (11’) for Rennes

Strasbourg : Sansone - Dall’Oglio, Keshi, Lebœuf, Cobos - Mura, Paillard - Pouliquen (cap), Etamé (Monczuk, 42’), Péron, Keller. (Manager : G. Gress)

Rennes : Rousseau - Rico (Noël, 73’), Le Dizet - Sorin, Oosterveer, Ribar - Ripoll (Baltazar, 46’), Huard, Shala, Sliskovic - L. Delamontagne. (Manager : D. Notheaux)

His career in short

1979-1992 : Stade Rennais FC
1992-1995 : Olympique Lyonnais
1995-1996 : SCO Angers
1996-1999 : ASOA Valence
1999-2003 : UMS Montélimar
1979-2003 : 421 professional matches / 60 goals

Sources :
- Foot26-07.fr
forum footnostalgie
- « Le Stade rennais, fleuron du football breton » de Claude Loire, Ed. Apogée.

Photos :
- Sitemap.dna.fr
forum footnostalgie

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