Generic small time football blather thread FOREVER

[Gemmill 44407]

Time to rethink the Mediterranean diet. 

[Howmanheyman 32747]

I absolutely loved seeing the radge, bulging eyed Sicilian reeling away after he scored wearing one of the most simple but classy looking silky azzurri kits ever. If Gazza still played for us he'd have been my favourite number 19 at Italia 90 but he'd fucked off to Spurs so Schillacci takes the honours. I actually ordered that shirt from toffs a few years ago and the number was never going to be anything other than 19. (I wouldn't normally bother with numbers but the italics of the numbers on those Italian shirts just went together didn't they?)

[Ayatollah Hermione 13798]

7 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

Time to rethink the Mediterranean diet. 

Think it’s alright if you don’t go down the Italian route of pairing it with 40 tabs a day

[Gemmill 44407]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/jun/15/italia-90-world-cup-special

 

An article talking about how great Italian 90 was.

 

And OF COURSE there's a link within it to an article by that joyless mackem cunt Jonathan Wilson entitled "England's performance at Italia 90 is venerated too much"

 

[Alex 34852]

8 minutes ago, Howmanheyman said:

I absolutely loved seeing the radge, bulging eyed Sicilian reeling away after he scored wearing one of the most simple but classy looking silky azzurri kits ever. If Gazza still played for us he'd have been my favourite number 19 at Italia 90 but he'd fucked off to Spurs so Schillacci takes the honours. I actually ordered that shirt from toffs a few years ago and the number was never going to be anything other than 19. (I wouldn't normally bother with numbers but the italics of the numbers on those Italian shirts just went together didn't they?)

You don’t think of Mexico 86 as much because Italy had such a poor tournament. But the 82/86/90 Italy kits were all beautifully stylish and simple. And yeah, that was a proper iconic celebration. He’d definitely had a paper round as he looked rock hard with his wiry physique and (to me then at least) much older than his years appearance. I don’t suppose growing up in a poor part of Palermo in the 70s was particularly easy going like  

[Alex 34852]

25 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/jun/15/italia-90-world-cup-special

 

An article talking about how great Italian 90 was.

 

And OF COURSE there's a link within it to an article by that joyless mackem cunt Jonathan Wilson entitled "England's performance at Italia 90 is venerated too much"

 

Standard stuff from the mackem misanthrope. 
You can possibly tell I’ve just read it but ‘All Played Out’ (later republished as ‘One Night in Turin’) by Pete Davies is a great read. It’s mainly about England plus how they qualified. Davies had almost exclusive access to the players, management etc. He was entrusted on the basis none of anything he learnt would come out until the book was published (December of that year I think). But he also travelled about with the fans a bit and used his connections, friendships and press access to go to as many games as he could. As well watching games in bars and cafes in Italy. It’s a bit of a shuddering reminder of how long ago it was and how much football and the world has changed. But the way it isn’t sugarcoated is also why it’s so good. What’s also apparent is what a shower of cunts most of the English press were. Not just the lads from the red tops either. 

Edited September 18 by Alex

[Gemmill 44407]

I'll give that a read cheers. Gonna buy it now before I forget. 👍

[Ayatollah Hermione 13798]

Aye, same here. Alex missing a trick by not being an Amazon affiliate

[PaddockLad 17084]

For me the preceding two world cups were better quality than 1990 but 1990 remains my all time favourite. I was about to turn 21, had just left home; freedom, disposable income on a comparatively huge scale, booze, women, music… it was unforgettable… 

 

 

I’d never heard of Schillacci at the beginning of the tournament for the precise reasons others have mentioned. Mancini and Vialli had played at Euro 88 so this lad was for me the NKOTB. He was sensational though, I think it’s a pity Italy didn’t win it tbh, but the semi final placed them in Naples and not Rome and they were up against Argentina with Maradonna. The Neopolitans in the crowd basically backed the Argies (lots of North v South hatred in Italy in those days) making for an odd atmosphere. Despite Toto nicking what looked like a winner the Italian goalie dropped a cross and Caniggia scored an equaliser, it went to pens and Italy were out… 

Edited September 18 by PaddockLad

[PaddockLad 17084]

7 minutes ago, Alex said:

Standard stuff from the mackem misanthrope. 
You can possibly tell I’ve just read it but ‘All Played Out’ (later republished as ‘One Night in Turin’) by Pete Davies is a great read. It’s mainly about England plus how they qualified. Davies had almost exclusive access to the players, management etc. He was entrusted on the basis none of anything he learnt would come out until the book was published (December of that year I think). But he also travelled about with the fans a bit and used his connections, friendships and press access to go to as many games as he could. As well watching games in cars and cafes in Italy. It’s a bit of a shuddering reminder of how long ago it was and how much football and the world has changed. But the way it isn’t sugarcoated is also why it’s so good. What’s also apparent is what a shower of cunts most of the English press were. Not just the lads from the red tops either. 

I’ve always meant to read that. I read an article about it and it basically said he went out there with one book in mind and ended up writing something completely different due to his experiences out there.  He basically went out as one of the press cunts you describe but came back changed by what he’d seen 

[Howmanheyman 32747]

Aye, I'll look up that book as well. 👍

[Alex 34852]

1 minute ago, PaddockLad said:

I’ve always meant to read that. I read an article about it and it basically said he went out there with one book in mind and ended up writing something completely different due to his experiences out there.  He basically went out as one of the press cunts you describe but came back changed by what he’d seen 

Yeah. It’s very behind the scenes. And it doesn’t really describe the games in huge detail. Like as a fan where a very tense match can fly by in parts and drag in others, but where it’s almost a bit if a blur afterwards bar some key moments. Interestingly the best experience from an England fan pov was in Naples. The only place they weren’t treated like cattle and had a decent fans’ camp, with plenty access to basics like food and running water. I think he basically described the locals as mental but friendly on the whole. Re: the press there were stories just invented about players in night clubs and shagging lasses. Whereas that’s what the (married) press lot were often actually up to. And they actively wanted England and Robson to fail until it looked like they might not. So they got what they deserved, as the couldn’t bask too much in the glory but the best performance since 66 was anything but failure either. 

[Alex 34852]

One last thing, I obviously wasn’t there ( I was only 15 anyway) but I liked the way he talked about the fans. Not in a sociology essay way but how sone were odd fanatics who went everywhere with England, even losing jobs over it, a lot were canny lads, many were just a bit fucking uneducated and ignorant and easily led. A product of the typical secondary school education at that time. But lastly, there was a hard core minority of nasty, racist cunts determined to kick off

Edited September 18 by Alex

[thebrokendoll 9115]

alex firmly establishing himself here as the sara cox of toontastic.

[PaddockLad 17084]

 

[PaddockLad 17084]

 

 

 

 

[RobinRobin 11143]

 

@sammynb  

 

 

 

 

 

[trophyshy 7073]

 

[Kid Dynamite 6992]

The new CL format leaves me cold mind. I used to love seeing what the group draws were and getting a couple of good games a week on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. 
 

This is just a fucking mess

 

 

 

[Gemmill 44407]

I haven't read up on the new format, but aye, what the fuck is that. That's not a competition, it's the back of a band's tour t-shirt. 

[Howmanheyman 32747]

It's been shit for years, they're just twisting the knife now.

[sammynb 3353]

6 hours ago, RobinRobin said:

 

@sammynb  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next Spurs coach in waiting, hopefully!

[The Fish 10750]

6 hours ago, RobinRobin said:

 

@sammynb  

 

 

 

 

 

What the fuck are the Subway Socceroos?

[sammynb 3353]

19 minutes ago, Kid Dynamite said:

The new CL format leaves me cold mind. I used to love seeing what the group draws were and getting a couple of good games a week on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. 
 

This is just a fucking mess

 

 

 

 

Fucking Villa go straight to rnd 16 for beating a team that wouldn't even get out of League one, FFS.

And who was so shite Celtic knocked four past them? Another farmers league team?

[sammynb 3353]

1 minute ago, The Fish said:

What the fuck are the Subway Socceroos?

 

Well Subway is a shite American sandwich chain and if Graham Arnold is lucky, he might get a job there.

That help?