Alan Hanson's died and gone to heaven (Italian League Football Clubs & Teams)

Member Name: northerner

Product:	Italian League Football Clubs & Teams
Date:	01/05/01 (151 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: top names of world football

Disadvantages: no passion, plenty of diving, and the biggest display of gutless wendy-band wearing fairies you ever see

The main reason for watching Italian football is the level of technical excellence and the quality to the football on display. Although the home grown Italian players won’t have you giving up Sunday lunch to watch Channel 4, the standard of foreign imports is immense. I would argue that Spain, and even England are beginning to gain the upperhand, but for the moment, Italy leads the way. This is the home of Zidane, Davids, Veron, Cafu, Batistuta and many more. Its worth watching a few of the game just to see some of the world greats in action. Italian football has moved on from the days on endless 1-0’s, due to the number of exciting imports, although if you enjoy open, attacking football (and lets be honest, who doesn’t?) this isn’t for you. However, some of the best known players in world football apply their trade in Italy, and if you like to watch big-name, big-money players, then Ital is the league for you.

Although there is no doubting the standard of certain players, buying in entire squads does nothing to create a good team spirit or club loyalty. Who honestly would want Veri playing for you? As soon as someone offers him more money he is off. Paul Scholes has been offered huge amounts of money to more to Italy, but he is a red through and through. I want to watch players who actually want to play for my club. Players who know what it means to pull on that red shirt. Players who want to wear it as much as I do. Do many Italian players think of nothing other than money? There’s no passion watching Franny Totti play. He missed the game against Liverpool because of a dispute with the chairman over who paid for his massages. The days where Bill Foulkes earned more as a miner than he did in his 18 year career as a United player are long gone, but is it too much to expect some loyalty and commitment that extends beyond money? You don’t get the same passion in Italian games, because playing for Roma means
nothing to a Brazilian import. I’d rather watch Manchester lads like Scholes, Neville, Butt and Brown go up against scousers likes Gerrard, Fowler and Carragher where the game actually means something to them.

Often the excitement of the Italian league lags behind that of Spain and Italy. Admittedly it is impossible to watch a football game properly on television. You can never appreciate a team, or an individual player until you have seen them in person. But in terms of television viewing, Italian football simply doesn’t sell. Many Italian football fans may argue with me. The simple fact is that Italian football doesn’t appeal to many but football purists. The most watched league in the world is our very own premiership. The English game is being exported all over the world, to those fans who appreciate fast flowing, committed, passionate, end-to-end action. Italian football rights are brought for a pittance by C4, and watched by a limited number of people. Viewing figures suggest that more people watch Spanish football, which is shown inconveniently on a saturday night and only on sky, than watch C4’s free Italian offering on a Sunday. Spanish football is characterised by wonderful attacking flare, and poor defending (Valencia excluded) which make for tremendous entertainment. English football has the attacking flare and fluidity that Italy lacks, but where England leads the way is commitment. Seeing a tackle form the likes of Stam, Campbell, Keano, Veira or Wise is better than seeing a goal being scored. Italy witnesses lunges, but they are dirty and cynical rather than skilful. The physical approach doesn’t make a game entertaining on its own, but when coupled with skill, it makes for excellent viewing. For my money, England has got the perfect combination.

The instant turn off for the Italian league is play acting and diving. I never have and never will tolerate this cynical and deplorable
act. Its not confined to Italian football, but the extend to which it occurs in Italy is enough to ruin what would otherwise be competitive game of football. Although Collina (bald head, scary eyes) is a top ref, the rest seem to do nothing to eradicate blatant cheating. If bookings were given for every dive, Totti wouldn’t last 5 minutes on the pitch. The problem is that foreign players seem to pick up the habit and cheat as well. I don’t know if certain Italian coaches encourage cheating as a legitimate tactic, but I don’t find it clever or entertaining. Having spent years watching Mark Hughes run through brick walls to get to a ball, I find no pleasure in play-acting, diving and cheating.

Part of the enjoyment with supporting Manchester United is seeing young players developing into world class stars. Back in 1994, we were seeing the likes of Paul Scholes playing in reserve and League Cup games. Now he is a world class player, worth £40m according to Inter Milan. Where’s the enjoyment in going out and spending £30m on a finished player? Clubs such as Juve don’t come anywhere near to generating a profit. They require a £50m cash injection every year from the chairman of Fiat to keep them afloat. To me, that isn’t what football is about. It shouldn’t be a contest between who has the richest chairman. It gives me great pleasure when Manchester United beat Inter Milan in 1999, where our entire squad cost less than just Ronaldo and Veri. Likewise, I loved it when a Leeds team created at a fraction of the cost of Lazio went over there and beat them. You can spend all the money you want, but you can’t always buy success, and I do enjoy seeing the miserable performance of Italian clubs at European level. I would love Bayern Muinch or Leeds to go on and win the European Cup.

Part of the problem in the Italian leagues is the pathetic crowds. Although grounds such as Highbury, Villa Park
and the Riverside can be dead at times, they are caldrons of noise compared to Italian grounds. The fact that most Italian grounds have a running track between the pitch and the stands doesn’t help. Also, very few games in Italy are sold out. Compare the situation to England where most premiership games are sell outs, and with many more wanting tickets. It can’t be any fun for black players playing in a country that is more racist than our own little xenophobic nation. Fans in Rome seem to have the worst reputation in this respect. Chanting at Italian games is almost non-existent, as any English fan who has been to a European game in Italy will know. Part of the reason why the games lack any real passion is that the fans don’t create an atmosphere for the players to perform in. Its no wonder that increasingly players are being attracted to the premiership.

Italian football was always used as the benchmark for other leagues. However, the performance of Italy’s clubs in Europe appears to suggest that their crown has slipped. Spain now reigns supreme as the kings of European football, and England have also usurped the Italian’s on recent years. Look at the pathetic form of Italian clubs in Europe this season. Inter Milan didn’t even get through the qualifying stages of the Champions League. Juventus, AC Milan and :azio could hardly claim to have done any better. Roma, the leaders of the Italian league, were dumped out of the Uefa by the club occupying 5 place in the premiership. Why the failure in recent years? I would argue that some Italian players are overrated, by people who pay more attention to their price tag than their ability. But what about those who are world class like Zidane? There just seems to be a lack of commitment shown by too many Italian players. You can say what you like about Italian football, but at the end of the day, when they go head to head with Spain and England, they are
left behind.

Whether you like Italian football depends on how you appreciate the game. In my opinion, the only way to watch football is from the terraces. If I’m forced to watch the shirts play away from home on the tv, I can’t help but join in with the chants. However, watching games on tv can still be entertaining. I do watch Italian football, often to see what the standard of opponents we will be facing in Europe next session is like. However, the games can be dreadfully boring at times, and the reputation of players like Zidane are definitely based on performances in international and not domestic football. If you are a football purist, who likes technically sound football, the you will love this. If, like any normal person, you want to be entertained, then its Spain and England for you my son.

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