Lazio are one of Italy's oldest clubs, yet their long history has hardly been illustrious with only two major honours since their foundation in 1900. It was not until the appointment of financier Sergio Cragnotti as club president in the 1990s that Lazio became regular top five finishers in Serie A.
Lazio's very early days were characterised by several ground changes. When they were founded as SP Lazio Roma, they played at the Piazza d'Armia, a military parade ground and moved in 1906 to the Parco der Daini. This would call this home when they first qualified from their regional league to reach the national championship final. Italian football was in these days concentrated in the northern towns of Milan, Turin and Genoa and the gulf in quality became evident as Lazio were beaten six-nil by Pro Vercelli in the play-off final. After another move to the Campo Farnesina the 1914 season would demonstrate even more emphatically the superiority of the northern Italian teams. Lazio easily won the Laziale region league, winning all ten of their matches, scoring fifty-two goals and conceding only five. They won all four of their southern final matches, including an eight-nil victory over Internazionale Napoli only to be beaten nine-one on aggregate by Casale, whose progress to the final had included two defeats and three draws against northern clubs. The end of the season brought another move to the Standio Rondinella before the league was abandoned at the outbreak of World War One. Lazio's final appearance on the national stage before the formation of the national league in 1929-1930 came in 1923. This time, Lazio's progress to the final stage was not so easy. They won their regional group by four points, won their semi-final group, again by four points and in the southern final drew three-three with Savola, before beating them four-one in the second leg. Lazio did themselves more credit in the national play-off final, were over two legs, they were beaten six-one on aggregate by Genoa. In 1925, Lazio became SS Lazio Roma and would be among the founder members of Serie A on its formation in the 1929-1930 season.
During the inaugural season of Serie A, Lazio were out of their depth and only narrowly avoided relegation. After a move to the Stadio PNF (Partido Nacional Fascista) in 1931, they quickly stabilised and finished mid-table before reaching the dizzy heights of fifth place in 1935. 1937 brought Lazio's best season to date, finishing second in Serie A and winning the Mitropa Cup. It was the Roman's away form that let them down in the league that season, losing seven times away from home compared to champions Bologna who only lost twice. In fact, Lazio's home form was better than any other team's in the division as they won twelve from fifteen and lost only once. The following year, Lazio returned to more familiar territory, and apart from fourth place in 1940 and a brush with relegation in 1941, the club grew accustomed to life in mid-table.
Upon the reformation of the Italian league after World War Two, Lazio's situation was unchanged and apart from changing the of the Stadio PNF to Stadio Nazionale in 1945, and again to the Stadio Torino in 1949, there is little to remark upon in several uninspiring Serie A campaigns. There was some improvement as Lazio finished in fourth position in 1950 and 1951 and fifth in 1952. In 1953, Lazio moved to their present home, the Stadio Olimpico soon afterwards they recorded their highest post-war Serie A position so far, finishing in third place in 1957. Their league form was disappointing in 1958 and Lazio only managed to avoid relegation by two points. However, the season would be remembered for Lazio's first major trophy, the Italian Cup, Fiorentina the unfortunate side to lose one-nil in the final. Lazio's League form continued to disappoint and when in 1961, they were relegated, they had only won five games out of thirty-four. There was further heartache in that year as Fiorentina gained revenge in the Italian Cup final, beating the Roman side two-nil.
Throughout the 1960s and the earliest part of the 1970s, Lazio were destined to bounce back and forth between the Italian top flight and Serie B. They missed out on promotion by a point in 1962, went up in third place the following year and despite a season in mid-table in Serie A in 1964, they were soon back near the bottom of the table until they were relegated again in 1967. Lazio won the Serie B championship in 1969, but were again relegated in 1971, winning five games from thirty. There followed one of Lazio's most successful periods. Lazio won promotion at the first attempt, finishing in second place and in 1973, on their first season back in the top flight, finished third in Serie A to qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time. Lazio progressed past the first round, narrowly edging past FC Sion to set the scene for a second round tie against Ipswich Town. The first leg, staged in Ipswich, finished four-nil in favour of the English club. Lazio went ahead two-nil in the return leg and had a penalty appeal refused. Ipswich were then awarded a penalty, scored, and the match ended four-two to Lazio which was not enough to keep them in the competition. At the end of the match, missiles were hurled at the English players and a fight ensued in the player's tunnel, resulting in a ban for Lazio from European competition. This was to prove very costly, as the following year, Lazio went on to win their first and only scudetto, in the process completing the double of local rivals Roma, but were denied the opportunity to enter the European Cup, second placed Juventus going in their stead. Lazio finished fourth in Serie A that season, and their time in the sun was over.
In 1976, their suspension from Europe complete, Lazio again went out of the UEFA Cup in the second round, Barcelona winning the tie four-nil. That season they also finished fourth from bottom of Serie A and would fluctuate between the safety of mid-table and near relegation until the 1979-1980 season when they were relegation along with Milan, for their part in a match-rigging scandal. Milan went straight back up as champions the next season whilst Lazio missed out on promotion by a single point. Milan were back in Serie B in 1983, and this time the two clubs won promotion together, Milan as champions once again, with Lazio as runners-up. Lazio found the step up in class in Serie A too much to cope with, and narrowly avoided relegation in 1984 before being relegated in bottom place the following year having won only two games and scored just sixteen goals all season. In another scandal, which saw Lazio, Triestina and Cagliari all, having points deducted, Lazio narrowly avoided relegation from Serie B in 1987. It was only a one-nil victory over village side Campobasso that kept them up. The following season Lazio finished in third place and won promotion to Serie A where they have remained to this day. Immediately the Romans became a mid-table side, but with Cragnotti's millions and the talent Lazio could now afford to draft in, they became a top five team, finishing second in 1995. |
发表于 2002-8-10 03:31:49
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