Robert Accard
 Accard (middle) in 1926 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Auguste Accard | ||
| Date of birth | 26 November 1897 | ||
| Place of birth | Lisieux, Calvados, France | ||
| Date of death | 15 October 1971 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Le Havre France | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1915–1925 | Le Havre | ||
| 1925–1930 | Stade havrais | ||
| International career | |||
| 1922–1926 | France | 6 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1930s | Stade Français | ||
| 1947–1949 | AAJ Blois | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Auguste Accard (26 November 1897 – 15 October 1971) was a French footballer who played as a midfielder for Le Havre and the French national team in the 1920s.[1][2][3][4]
Playing career
[edit]Club career
[edit]Born on 26 November 1897 in Lisieux, Calvados,[1][3][2] Accard was a member of the Le Havre AC team that participated in the 1915–16 Coupe des Alliés, a knockout competition contested during the First World War, which given the mobilization of Frenchmen to the war, was mainly contested by U20 players, such as the 18-year-old Accard, who started in the semifinals against the eventual champions Stade Rennais.[5]
Accard eventually established himself as a solid midfielder and an undisputed starter in the team, playing a crucial role in helping Le Havre win the 1919 USFSA Football Championship, beating Olympique de Marseille 4–1 in the final in May 1919.[6] Together with Henri Gibbon, Bernard Lenoble, and Alfred Thorel, he helped Le Havre reach the 1920 Coupe de France final, which ended in a 2–1 loss to CA Paris.[7][8] He remained loyal to Le Havre for a full decade, from 1915 until 1925, when he left for Stade havrais, with whom he won the Coupe Normandy in 1930, and where he played for five years, until 1930, when he retired at the age of 33.[3][2]
International career
[edit]On 15 January 1922, the 24-year-old Accard made his debut for France in a friendly match against Belgium at Colombes, helping his side to a 2–1 victory.[1][2][3] He had to wait two years until his next international cap on 13 January 1924, when he came off the bench as a first-half substitute for Jean Boyer in another friendly home victory over Belgium.[1]
In total, he played six matches for France between 1922 and 1926, making his last appearance in yet another friendly against Belgium, but this time it was away and ended in a 2–2 draw,[1][2][3] even though he had scored the opening goal in the 3rd minute after a cross from Jules Dewaquez hit the bar and fell kindly to him, who "pushed it easily into the goal".[9][10]
Managerial career
[edit]At some point in the early 1930s, Accard became the coach of Stade Français,[11] where he invented the defensive tactic of béton ("concrete") which would serve as a model for the Italian "catenaccio" and then the "Swiss lock", also known as the "Rappan lock", named after the Austrian Karl Rappan, who implemented this system at Servette in 1932.[12][13][14]
Death
[edit]Accard died in Le Havre on 15 October 1971, at the age of 73.[3][1][2]
Honours
[edit]- Le Havre AC
- USFSA Football Championship:
- Champions (1): 1919
- Coupe de France:
- Runner-up (1): 1920
- Coupe Normandy
- Champions (1): 1930
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Robert Accard, international footballer". eu-football.info. Archived from the original on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Robert Accard". www.fff.fr (in French). Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Robert Accard (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "Robert Accard". www.worldfootball.net. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "La Coupe des Alliés: Rennes" [The Allies Cup: Rennes]. gallica.bnf.fr (in Spanish). L'Auto. 17 May 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "Le Havre gagne la Coupe Nationale" [Le Havre wins the National Cup]. gallica.bnf.fr (in Spanish). L'Auto. 12 May 1919. p. 3. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "Histoire de la Coupe de France Saison 1919-1920 CAParis vainqueur" [History of the Coupe de France Season 1919-1920 CAParis winner]. www.om4ever.com (in French). Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "Grandes Equipes Le Havre AC" [Great Teams Le Havre AC]. www.pari-et-gagne.com (in French). Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "La France et la Belgique font match nul, 2 buts à 2" [France and Belgium draw 2-2]. gallica.bnf.fr (in Spanish). L'Auto. 21 June 1926. p. 1. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "Belge n'a pu prendre sur le Français la revanche qu'elle espérait. Le match fut nul: deux buts a deux" [Belgium was unable to take the revenge it had hoped for against the French, as the match ended in a draw: two goals to two]. gallica.bnf.fr (in Spanish). Le Miroir des sports. 23 June 1926. p. 11. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "France - Trainers of First and Second Division Clubs - Stade Français (Paris)". RSSSF. 26 September 2019. Archived from the original on 31 May 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "Evolutions tactiques" [Tactical developments]. asbettbornhellering.footeo.com (in French). Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "Coupe du monde 1966: autopsie du fiasco des Bleus" [1966 World Cup: autopsy of the Blues fiasco]. lecorner.org (in French). 20 December 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ "Ces tactiques venues d'Italie" [These tactics came from Italy]. serieamonamour.com (in French). 1 November 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
