Generic small time football blather thread FOREVER

[Gemmill 42591]

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

[Ayatollah Hermione 13588]

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

[PaddockLad 16505]

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 yesterday at 13:09 by PaddockLad

[PaddockLad 16505]

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 31578]

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

[Alex 34069]

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 34069]

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 yesterday at 14:18 by Alex

[thebrokendoll 8610]

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

[PaddockLad 16505]

 

[PaddockLad 16505]