The 1940s: World War II and Mediocrity
This particular decade was dominated by Il Grande Torino, and Lazio could achieve no better than mid-table finishes. The championship was suspended in 1943 due to the effects of World War II, and the club, now without the national hero Piola, participated in the local Campionato Romano until 1945-46 when the national championship returned, albeit in a regionalised and unofficial format. The following year, the Serie A returned to its usual format and Lazio duly finished 10th, a mediocre season, albeit ahead of Roma, who narrowly avoided relegation.
The 1948-49 season was a difficult one for the biancocelesti as players were reduced to the minimum wage and several went on strike. They finished 13th, however recovered the following season to record an impressive 4th-placed finish, made even sweeter by the difficulties of the previous year and the miserable campaign of Roma, who once again narrowly avoided the drop to Serie B.
Read more about this topic: History Of S.S. Lazio
Famous quotes containing the words world, war and/or mediocrity:
“... there is no such thing as a rational world and a separate irrational world, but only one world containing both.”
—Robert Musil (1880–1942)
“Armies, for the most part, are made up of men drawn from simple and peaceful lives. In time of war they suddenly find themselves living under conditions of violence, requiring new rules of conduct that are in direct contrast to the conditions they lived under as civilians. They learn to accept this to perform their duties as fighting men.”
—Gil Doud, U.S. screenwriter, and Jesse Hibbs. Walter Bedell Smith (Himself)
“Philadelphians are every whit as mediocre as their neighbors, but they seldom encourage each other in mediocrity by giving it a more agreeable name.”
—Agnes Repplier (1858–1950)