*Official* English Football Season 2007-08

[Craig]

Italian football busy shooting itself in the foot for the zillionth time, I see.

Not really as such (unless that was an attempt at pun?), two rival fans turned up at the roadside petrol station and given they were the hardcore likes and started going at each other and the police called and the fan was accidentally shot. Then there was the over-reaction by some Atalanta fans (and they are getting charged anyway). But you have to remember there is a different culture of football in Italy and England. Go to a game there and I think you will find out for yourself, but I think they are some of the most passionate, if not more. Put it this way it sends hair up the back of your neck when you hear a flair go off (which is like a bomb going off in some cases) outside and inside a ground. I've been to games in both countries and I enjoyed the Italian experience better.

Also it is a bit rich for you to say that as well considering that it isn't all perfect among the fans (remember some knobs chanting at the Turkish team and fans: "I'd rather be a P*** then a Turk" a few years back?) People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

On a different note: Adriano: I want Man City.

 

[cpr]

and some people Man United fans crazy, ha the whole idea of going to places like Italy, Spain, Russia etc to watch football is scary AFAIC.

Loved going to Milan for the Utd match earlier in the year. Best day ever, and the Milan fans were fantastic.

However, Dad went to Rome for the game before, lets just say he wasnt a fan (not to much the rioting, as the way the police treated the utd fans like sheep before hand, wernt allowed to move pretty much untill they were hearded to the ground)

 

[Loony BoB]

Also it is a bit rich for you to say that as well considering that it isn't all perfect among the fans (remember some knobs chanting at the Turkish team and fans: "I'd rather be a P*** then a Turk" a few years back?) People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

I'm pretty sure Halsey wasn't one of those fans chanting racist comments, so Halsey is perfectly within his rights to say what he said and I agree with him.

As for all the passion etc, so what? "Why did you beat up the journalists? Why did you set off flairs in the grounds? Why did you riot in the streets? Why did you burn the cars? Why did you kill the police officer? Why did you beat up the rival fans? Why did you throw stones at the police?"

"Because I am passionate!"

"Oh! Sorry, I thought it was because you were a criminal. Better let you get back to it, then..."

It doesn't matter how passionate you are, it's not justifiable. You can be pretty damned passionate without having to partake in illegal activities and to suggest that doing such things makes you more passionate is just silly. Partaking in illegal activities - particularly ones that can cause harm to others - doesn't make you more passionate. It just means you're an idiot.

Tom was right - it has shot itself in the foot. All the politicians and all the officers and all the fan organisations will probably agree that the hooligan culture they have there is not going to help them one little bit.

EDIT: I understand United fans are to be refunded their money if they no longer want their tickets for Roma. Good to see they're understanding of that.

 

[roseboy64]

Nah, just a matter of wanting the best possible players to be in the squad ahead of the useless ones.

Fair enough.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Not really as such (unless that was an attempt at pun?), two rival fans turned up at the roadside petrol station and given they were the hardcore likes and started going at each other and the police called and the fan was accidentally shot. Then there was the over-reaction by some Atalanta fans (and they are getting charged anyway). But you have to remember there is a different culture of football in Italy and England. Go to a game there and I think you will find out for yourself, but I think they are some of the most passionate, if not more. Put it this way it sends hair up the back of your neck when you hear a flair go off (which is like a bomb going off in some cases) outside and inside a ground. I've been to games in both countries and I enjoyed the Italian experience better.

Also it is a bit rich for you to say that as well considering that it isn't all perfect among the fans (remember some knobs chanting at the Turkish team and fans: "I'd rather be a P*** then a Turk" a few years back?) People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

No idea where you're coming from this entire post.

Bottom line is, a fan is dead, it's far from the first time trouble has sparked in Italy and being "passionate" is not anything like an adequate excuse. Italy has for a long while been one of the worst countries in this respect for a long time and they have continually escaped anything like a meaningful punishment, unlike English clubs who were banned from all European competition for a number of years back in the 80s. Admittedly Italy are not the only culprits, I've no idea how countries such as Turkey repeatedly get away with it either.

This also goes beyond crowd trouble - can't remember too many other countries playing host to a mass match-fixing scandal.

While there are undoubtedly innocent parties here when I make this generalization, Italian football is a wreck.

 

[roseboy64]

No idea where you're coming from this entire post.

Bottom line is, a fan is dead, it's far from the first time trouble has sparked in Italy and being "passionate" is not anything like an adequate excuse. Italy has for a long while been one of the worst countries in this respect for a long time and they have continually escaped anything like a meaningful punishment, unlike English clubs who were banned from all European competition for a number of years back in the 80s. Admittedly Italy are not the only culprits, I've no idea how countries such as Turkey repeatedly get away with it either.

This also goes beyond crowd trouble - can't remember too many other countries playing host to a mass match-fixing scandal.

While there are undoubtedly innocent parties here when I make this generalization, Italian football is a wreck.

I'm pretty sure Halsey wasn't one of those fans chanting racist comments, so Halsey is perfectly within his rights to say what he said and I agree with him.

As for all the passion etc, so what? "Why did you beat up the journalists? Why did you set off flairs in the grounds? Why did you riot in the streets? Why did you burn the cars? Why did you kill the police officer? Why did you beat up the rival fans? Why did you throw stones at the police?"

"Because I am passionate!"

"Oh! Sorry, I thought it was because you were a criminal. Better let you get back to it, then..."

It doesn't matter how passionate you are, it's not justifiable. You can be pretty damned passionate without having to partake in illegal activities and to suggest that doing such things makes you more passionate is just silly. Partaking in illegal activities - particularly ones that can cause harm to others - doesn't make you more passionate. It just means you're an idiot.

Tom was right - it has shot itself in the foot. All the politicians and all the officers and all the fan organisations will probably agree that the hooligan culture they have there is not going to help them one little bit.

EDIT: I understand United fans are to be refunded their money if they no longer want their tickets for Roma. Good to see they're understanding of that.

Agreed.

 

[Craig]

I'm pretty sure Halsey wasn't one of those fans chanting racist comments, so Halsey is perfectly within his rights to say what he said and I agree with him.

As for all the passion etc, so what? "Why did you beat up the journalists? Why did you set off flairs in the grounds? Why did you riot in the streets? Why did you burn the cars? Why did you kill the police officer? Why did you beat up the rival fans? Why did you throw stones at the police?"

"Because I am passionate!"

"Oh! Sorry, I thought it was because you were a criminal. Better let you get back to it, then..."

It doesn't matter how passionate you are, it's not justifiable. You can be pretty damned passionate without having to partake in illegal activities and to suggest that doing such things makes you more passionate is just silly. Partaking in illegal activities - particularly ones that can cause harm to others - doesn't make you more passionate. It just means you're an idiot.

Tom was right - it has shot itself in the foot. All the politicians and all the officers and all the fan organisations will probably agree that the hooligan culture they have there is not going to help them one little bit.

EDIT: I understand United fans are to be refunded their money if they no longer want their tickets for Roma. Good to see they're understanding of that.

I never said anything about Halsey doing any thing. Unless I mid-read?

No idea where you're coming from this entire post.

Bottom line is, a fan is dead, it's far from the first time trouble has sparked in Italy and being "passionate" is not anything like an adequate excuse. Italy has for a long while been one of the worst countries in this respect for a long time and they have continually escaped anything like a meaningful punishment, unlike English clubs who were banned from all European competition for a number of years back in the 80s. Admittedly Italy are not the only culprits, I've no idea how countries such as Turkey repeatedly get away with it either.

This also goes beyond crowd trouble - can't remember too many other countries playing host to a mass match-fixing scandal.

While there are undoubtedly innocent parties here when I make this generalization, Italian football is a wreck.

France and Germany?

And FYI it wasn't match-fixing in the way what happened in what Hansie Cronje did, it was influence peddling in they way that certain refs would give favourable calls to Juventus or if they were playing an important game the following week then said team who had a player or key player who was a yellow card away from having a week off would get booked so he would miss the following game. I'm in no way excusing what happened and I think Juve got off lightly tbh (I'm not just saying that as an Inter fan), but I hate it when people go about using the term 'match-fixing' in the way that a team was handed 150,000 euros to lose quite easily. Although that did happen in the end of the 04-05 Serie B season with Genoa and Venezia rigged a game and it made it quite obvious that it was pretty comical in the end.

Re: Turkey, I wholeheartly agree, Marsielle (sic?) fans are very bad and in Greece I think they are about as bad as the Turks.

I'm not saying Italian football is perfect, but I hate it when I see some people (mainly media etc.) attacking it with such a closed minded view (ie the sterotype that it is boring). I suggest Forza Italia by Paddy Agnew. I think you would like it.

 

[Loony BoB]

It's just as much match-fixing, actually. If I remember correctly, not once did Cronje actually fix a match (most offers he made to other players were rejected, and on the one or two situations he actually went through with receiving the money, it wasn't to fix the match, just to declare early/late/whatever... I think?), so it's pretty much the same. In fact, you could almost say the Italian situation is closer to season-fixing than match-fixing, since a booking would affect so many games.

 

[Tom Halsey]

I'm not saying Italian football is perfect, but I hate it when I see some people (mainly media etc.) attacking it with such a closed minded view (ie the sterotype that it is boring). I suggest Forza Italia by Paddy Agnew. I think you would like it.

I don't really think it is boring, but it is quite hard to defend it in its current situation.

Re: rest of post, agree with Bob, season-fixing would have been a better way of putting it.

 

[Tom Halsey]

I never said anything about Halsey doing any thing. Unless I mid-read?

You implied it with the stones and glass houses.

 

[Matteh]

Harrogate Railway vs Mansfield Town is being shown on the BBC. **** yeah.

 

[Craig]

Harrogate Railway vs Mansfield Town is being shown on the BBC. **** yeah.

And at what time may I ask?

 

[Matteh]

1:10pm on 2nd Dec.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

"I fully expect us to have qualified for the campaign."

Er...this is the kind of thing you say when qualification is in your own hands...

(on another note: a goal from the last time England went out)

 

[BoyBrumby]

Er...this is the kind of thing you say when qualification is in your own hands...

(on another note: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5sv7O6NWYnU]a goal from the last time England went out)

I got "The url contained a malformed video id." when I clicked on it. Guessing it's you beating us 2-0 during the 1994 WC qualifying campaign?

Hate it when we don't qualify for major tournaments; feel like an street urchin with his nose pressed up against a window looking in on other people enjoying a Christmas meal.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Just thought I'd pop into this thread to say Pompey > England right now. Benjani, whooooaaoooh.....

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I got "The url contained a malformed video id." when I clicked on it. Guessing it's you beating us 2-0 during the 1994 WC qualifying campaign?

Hate it when we don't qualify for major tournaments; feel like an street urchin with his nose pressed up against a window looking in on other people enjoying a Christmas meal.

Fixed now.

Imagine being from a country who's qualified three times since WWII. No wonder we get excited

 

[BoyBrumby]

Fixed now.

Imagine being from a country who's qualified three times since WWII. No wonder we get excited

Lovely ping, it must be said.

I was wrong tho; right campaign, but that was the equaliser at Wembley when you held us 1-1, was it not?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Lovely ping, it must be said.

I was wrong tho; right campaign, but that was the equaliser at Wembley when you held us 1-1, was it not?

Yup. I don't think any proud Norwegian has uploaded the 2-0 yet.

 

[aussie]

Hate it when we don't qualify for major tournaments; feel like an street urchin with his nose pressed up against a window looking in on other people enjoying a Christmas meal.

, word out and it would be more depressing if Scotland were to overcome Italy 2moro but i think thats unlikely.