The Decline of Italian Football (I miss Gazetta Football Italia in the 90s!)

[Jim Lahey]

Who else remembers James Richardson on a Saturday morning highlights program? Eating my bacon & eggs watching highlights of Juventus v Inter, packed full of stars. Packed stadia, amazing atmospheres.

Ruben Sosa, Walter Zenga, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Gabriele Batistuta!

What actually did happen? Serie A has fallen so hard. Will the Premier League go the same way? I mean, look at the state of AC Milan's squad now. Inter are unrecognisable as a force in football. OK, Juventus look pretty handy, Roma up-and-coming - but the stadia is still creaking, the fans don't turn up for matches. Racism, corruption, dodgy pink kits.

Come back Football Italia. Come back to the good ol days

 

[ijjysmith]

I hate to do this to you as I'm a huge fan of your work.

But....

http://www.grandoldteam.com/forum/threads/football-italia.63091/

KABOOM

THREAD

 

[Del]

Ijjy nobody has posted in that thread for nearly a year

Pipe down

 

[Jim Lahey]

@Ijjy

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Sorry, should have done a search first!

 

[ijjysmith]

Ijjy nobody has posted in that thread for nearly a year

Pipe down

Just realised that! Felt like only yesterday.

 

[ijjysmith]

@Ijjy

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Sorry, should have done a search first!

You carry on mate. I'm on my period.

 

[ijjysmith]

How good were this lot...

 

[roydo]

When was the last time an Italian side won the CL?

 

[ijjysmith]

 

[ijjysmith]

 

[ijjysmith]

 

[Jim Lahey]

When was the last time an Italian side won the CL?

AC Milan v Liverpool in 2006 I think mate.

 

[Jim Lahey]

Actually no, wasn't it Mourinho's Inter in 2010?

 

[Jim Lahey]

How good were this lot...

View attachment 3464

Parma! I had a soft spot for them.

 

[davek]

The Italian league is starved of tv cash in relation to other big leagues.

Premier League receive €2.2 billion per season. In Spain, Barcelona and Madrid alone signed a 3 year deal worth €2 billion a few years back. Italy’s Serie A receive from their collective TV rights €975 million.

Stadiums crumbling; law and order issue with fans. Less of a presentable spectacle, I suppose it's not a commercial driver as football is in Britain and elsewhere, so the tv cash is low. That has to have had an impact on quality.