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Der Club - 1. FC Nuremberg
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Sep 6, 2005, 15:11

Der Club Currently in the top flight of German football and trained by Head Coach Han Meyer, 1. FC Nuremberg, or First FC Nuremeberg (the '1.' is the same as our '1st'), is a club steeped in tradition. Most successful in Germany The club, known throughout the country as just that: 'Der Club', was formed in 1900 by a group of former Nuremberg schoolboys in a local pub.  Over the next nine decades it became the most successful football club in Germany.		Hans Meyer - Head coach
Nine times champions Becoming German championship on nine occasions, 'Der Club' held the record for winning the title the most number of times for over 60 years until Bayern Munich took the record from them in 1987.  Such past glories are largely a pipe-dream for today's squad of players, few of whom have ever tasted major success.
The 1. FC Nuremberg first team squad 05/06
Friends with Schalke 04 Although it may seem odd to football fans from other countries, the Nuremberg fans also feel a special allegiance to one other Bundesliga club - they have close ties of friendship with the fans of Schalke 04 and will often support Schalke when the Ruhr District team is playing in the area against rivals Munich 1860, Bayern Munich or SpVgg Fürth. And
Michael A. Roth - Club Chairman		while attitudes to 1860 and Fürth may have mellowed in recent years, the rivalry between 'Der Club' and Bayern Munich is as intense as ever! 13 managers fired The club's chairman is one of the best-known officials in German football.  On the board for nearly 30 years, in his two spells in the hot seat he had already dismissed 13 managers at the last count, amongst them Klaus Augenthaler and Felix Magath.
Mixed fortunes In recent years, Nuremberg have been a yo-yo club, as their record since 1985 shows:  1985-94: Bundesliga (top flight) 1994-96: 2nd Bundesliga (second flight) 1996-97: Regional League South (third flight) 1997-98: 2nd Bundesliga (second flight) 1998-99: Bundesliga (top flight) 1999-01: 2nd Bundesliga (second flight) 2001-03: Bundesliga (top flight) 2003-04: 2nd Bundesliga (second flight) 2004-??: Bundesliga (top flight) So, it's never boring being a fan of 'Der Club'! Photos courtesy of 1. FC Nuremberg (official website - German only).

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