Neil Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 So, Roma ripping the shit out of the league so far. 17 scored, 1 conceded, 18/18 points. Napoli and Juve naturally close-by, and Inter have performed admirably so far. Fiorentina and Lazio looking like potential CL contenders, probably moreso the former. AC Milan have been atrocious. Next weekend's games. Juve v AC Milan Lazio v Fiorentina Inter v Roma Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Saw Juventus for the first time last weekend and couldn't get over how good they were. The amount of depth in the midfield and defence beggars belief. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mole_Toonfan Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 My favourite league to watch so far this season, i don't watch much PL atm outside of NUFC and MOTD. A lot of the top 6 or at least what you would expect the top 6 to be play some great stuff. I probably like watching Roma the most but Fiorentina are right up there aesthetically as well especially when Cuadrado is fit ( what a player he is btw) You would think Juventus will be too powerful in the end although they haven't started that well and quite frankly shouldn't have won their last two games two appaling referee decisions in their favour. But in an ideal world, i'd like to see Roma do it mainly because it would be class to see Totti do a ADP and win it one more time before retirement. Napoli winning it would be class as well, one of the reasons being it would be a big f*ck you to all all the t***s who have treated Benitez like s***. Can't wait for next weeks games. Also about Milan.... i still think they will be in the shake up for top 3 come the end they just have a horrendous injury list at the moment, when they come back and Balotelli back from suspension they will climb the table pretty fast i reckon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 The league is far more interesting now with the fall from grace for both Milan clubs. You're getting the intrigue of their rebuilding process while opening the door for other teams. Less quality, but far more open race than in recent years. The low scoring stereotype doesn't ring true anymore either, for example compare the goals per game in Italy (2.95) with that of the Prem (2.22) this season. The stadium issue is the real elephant in the room for Italian football. The clubs don't own them and they're decrepit and oversized pretty much across the board, leading to empty seats for various reasons. Most clubs are desparate to follow Juve's lead in building 'proper' football stadiums that are suitable for the club's size and can generate income by actually owning them, but the bureaucratic system in Italy is farcical which makes doing it very difficult. The success of the Premier League is marketing and intelligent business sense, Italian clubs are miles behind in that sense and the stadium problem contributes to that. One of English football's biggest selling points is the backdrop when football is on TV, the crowd are close to the pitch and the stands are full. Sky for all their faults are brilliant at bringing forward the ambience of the stadium and putting it in your front living room, or more so front living rooms in Asia, USA, South America etc. Italian ultras are great with the tifos and atmosphere but it doesn't ever translate to being on TV apart from the odd pre-match shot, most of the time they're at two ends of the ground with a bunch of empty seats in the middle because the stadium is so ludicrously oversized. Or at grounds like the San Paolo and Bentegodi (teams renowned for their strong fan support) the lower tier is closed completely because of the poor state of the stadium, which is even worse again. It may seem like a small thing, but it's pretty crucial to marketing the game and thus generating more income collectively. Another major problem is allowing teams to sell their own TV deals, a terrible idea that has threatened to rear its head over here a few times. It means every game is televised so long as you subscribe to your club's channel. Why go sit in a decrepit cavenous bowl with no roof coverage when every game is televised anyway? Why take my kids to a game with the dangers a small minority of ultras cause when you can watch it round the TV at home? Kills attendances, particularly in an economic situation like the Mediterranean countries are in. Would hate to see it happen over here, not least because if you started televising 3pm Premier League kick offs it would end lower league football in this country for good which is for me the greatest trait of English football. So yeah, decline of Serie A is more or less an economic situation facilitated by poor bureacratic process and outdated marketing. Compounded because of the match fixing scandal in 2006 which put off many fans for good. It'll be interesting to see over the next few years if anybody else can start to break ground on new stadiums, that's the necessary turning point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JS Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 The league is far more interesting now with the fall from grace for both Milan clubs. You're getting the intrigue of their rebuilding process while opening the door for other teams. Less quality, but far more open race than in recent years. The low scoring stereotype doesn't ring true anymore either, for example compare the goals per game in Italy (2.95) with that of the Prem (2.22) this season. The stadium issue is the real elephant in the room for Italian football. The clubs don't own them and they're decrepit and oversized pretty much across the board, leading to empty seats for various reasons. Most clubs are desparate to follow Juve's lead in building 'proper' football stadiums that are suitable for the club's size and can generate income by actually owning them, but the bureaucratic system in Italy is farcical which makes doing it very difficult. The success of the Premier League is marketing and intelligent business sense, Italian clubs are miles behind in that sense and the stadium problem contributes to that. One of English football's biggest selling points is the backdrop when football is on TV, the crowd are close to the pitch and the stands are full. Sky for all their faults are brilliant at bringing forward the ambience of the stadium and putting it in your front living room, or more so front living rooms in Asia, USA, South America etc. Italian ultras are great with the tifos and atmosphere but it doesn't ever translate to being on TV apart from the odd pre-match shot, most of the time they're at two ends of the ground with a bunch of empty seats in the middle because the stadium is so ludicrously oversized. Or at grounds like the San Paolo and Bentegodi (teams renowned for their strong fan support) the lower tier is closed completely because of the poor state of the stadium, which is even worse again. It may seem like a small thing, but it's pretty crucial to marketing the game and thus generating more income collectively. Another major problem is allowing teams to sell their own TV deals, a terrible idea that has threatened to rear its head over here a few times. It means every game is televised so long as you subscribe to your club's channel. Why go sit in a decrepit cavenous bowl with no roof coverage when every game is televised anyway? Why take my kids to a game with the dangers a small minority of ultras cause when you can watch it round the TV at home? Kills attendances, particularly in an economic situation like the Mediterranean countries are in. Would hate to see it happen over here, not least because if you started televising 3pm Premier League kick offs it would end lower league football in this country for good which is for me the greatest trait of English football. So yeah, decline of Serie A is more or less an economic situation facilitated by poor bureacratic process and outdated marketing. Compounded because of the match fixing scandal in 2006 which put off many fans for good. It'll be interesting to see over the next few years if anybody else can start to break ground on new stadiums, that's the necessary turning point. Top post - you nailed it in one, especially with the ground atmosphere. It's non existent, even the derby games are quite weak. The Stadio Olimpico pretty much rings in with your example (if you had that in mind), with the running track putting big distance between the pitch anyway and a near 83k capacity making the place look dated, empty and rather shit Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Interesting post, Sewelly. Realistically, can you actually see it improving as you alluded to in your last paragraph, in the next 5 years or so? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Top post - you nailed it in one, especially with the ground atmosphere. It's non existent, even the derby games are quite weak. The Stadio Olimpico pretty much rings in with your example (if you had that in mind), with the running track putting big distance between the pitch anyway and a near 83k capacity making the place look dated, empty and rather shit I think the most pertinent example I can think of this season is comparing Cardiff's win over City with Verona's win over Milan, both early on in this season. Very similar occassions, sold out venues and brilliant wins for two promoted clubs but watch the highlights of the two and see the difference. The atmosphere for Cardiff's goals contributes the spectacle, but Verona's sold out crowd are in the upper tier with a running track between them and the pitch and thus barely noticeable to a TV audience. It takes a lot away from the viewing experience, seeing Toni celebrate to a running track instead of the fans. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mole_Toonfan Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Sewelly Especially on the stadium issue, a big reason why Juve came back to the top was because they were able to build a new stadium and own it completely. The more Serie A clubs who are able to buy their stadiums from the council or build new ones from scratch and own them completely the better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JS Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Interesting post, Sewelly. Realistically, can you actually see it improving as you alluded to in your last paragraph, in the next 5 years or so? Sorry to break your heart and also reply to this () but a lot of it will depend, imo, on government changes. Interestingly, foreign ownership may have a big swing in matters: Roma have been through some big changes and seem to be doing quite well on a commercial side of things now that the yanks came in and got hold of the club. A catalyst would be something like a huge TV deal if big players keep coming to the league, or perhaps more sovereign state / foreign ownership , which may push the stadia along and.. well, yeah. Edit - Look at Ligue 1 now and the attention it's getting due to PSG and Monaco. Could be a similar effect which could domino but, meh. We'll see. I hope it doesn't end up more fucked than it already has been Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Interesting post, Sewelly. Realistically, can you actually see it improving as you alluded to in your last paragraph, in the next 5 years or so? Udinese are building a new one. For a provincial club like them with a small fanbase thats a big deal, the current one was built in the 70s by the council for multi-purposes and its just ridiculous. http://www.udinese.it/portal/EN/handle/?page=redazione_nuovostadiofriuli Fiorentina, Roma, Inter and Sampdoria are all trying too but whether or not they happen soon is another thing, like I said the bureaucratic system in Italy is just something from a whole other world. Napoli are trying to buy the San Paolo from the council but are having difficulties, it would allow them to renovate it I guess. But tbh the thing is an absolute horror of a stadium, they might be better off just starting again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toon Hoser Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Dream season for Roma so far. 5 pts clear of Napoli & Juve, 1 goal conceded in 9 league matches. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Rudi Garcia Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JS Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 Roma absolutely storming it so far. The 5-0 vs Bologna was some of the quickest football I've seen being played. Really helping take my mind away from Newcastle so far. No doubt there will be a bad patch near Christmas, I just hope the team has enough mettle to see it through. Gervinho's been great again under Garcia too, what an absolute turn around from Arsenal. PS - f*** Lazio too, and that fascist prick Di Canio. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuce Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 Masterstroke to hire Garcia. I thought they might miss Lamela and Osvaldo up top, but Florenzi has stepped-up his game and the midfield 3 of De Rossi-Strootman-Pjanic is really dynamic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mole_Toonfan Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 http://www.chiesaditotti.com/2013/10/29/5043824/roma-you-lucky-ducks This is utterly fantastic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 Looking forward to watching Roma later. Probably be a scrappy 1-0 win now that I'm thinking they'll score loads. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JS Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 Looking forward to watching Roma later. Probably be a scrappy 1-0 win now that I'm thinking they'll score loads. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 Standard. Possibly the worst Roma game this season. Chievo's plan was clear. Can't blame them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JS Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 Standard. Possibly the worst Roma game this season. Chievo's plan was clear. Can't blame them. You should have thrown a big bet on that man! - This winter patch will be interesting.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trumpet Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Roma to make it 11 in a row ? Napoli and Juve both trying to keep up with the pace, their clash next week is gonna be great to watch. Callejon though ! He's been a superb transfer so far. Absolute goal machine...and is very good at scoring belters too. Mertens quickly displacing Insigne in the starting XI as well. Milan already 16 points off CL spot. Don't think they can have a turn around like they had last season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mole_Toonfan Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Torino won't be easy team to face at all.... especially with Cerci and the form he's in. Castan is out for Roma as well so Burdisso will probably have to come in and do a job we will see if he's still capable. I wouldn't be surprised if Roma drop points here, of course now i have said that they will go and win 4-0. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 So, after stating I was looking forward to a goalfest on Thursday with Roma (drab 1-0) and then claiming Everton-Spurs would be great for the neutral, I think it's only right that I say it is with some trepidation that I am looking forward to goals galore in this game. 2-2, 3-3, it could be any score. Any number, pick some numbers and that is what the score could be. Dead cert. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Strootman 1-0. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Haris Vuckic Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Fucking Hell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Had a feeling they'd score. 1-1. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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