Typical isn't it? We should be gloating now after Italy crashed out of the Confederations Cup on the back of their three goal defeat against Brazil and the Yanks' three goal thumping of Egypt. How long have we waited for this sort of humiliation of the Italian national football team? Going out of a second rate competition in the first round, their place in the semifinal taken by the mighty US of A, with Spectator playing at right back no less! It is the stuff of dreams.
So what's the problem? Well, quite simply, Zola and Nani are apparently concentrating their recruitment drive on Italy. Typical! We get a foot in the door of the Italian market and suddenly Italian football goes backwards faster than an Italian regiment!
So we get taken over by a billionaire banker and then along comes the banking crisis and now...
It could only happen to West Ham!
Maybe - but the Italians we are interested in are youngsters, not in the Italian senior team, or else, they just play in Italy but are South Americans.
ReplyDeleteJW
its not suprising as the average Italian national team age is around 30!
ReplyDeletelol sounds about right.
ReplyDeleteGloating why? Where are England in this tournament exactly?
ReplyDeleteItalian football has gone backwards because their national team lose to Brazil in a meaningless tournament that no-one outside of a BBC digital channel is interested in?
ReplyDeleteLess a case of sods law and more a case of not being able to come up with anything worthwhile to write about I fear.
Seriously, our 'foot in the door' of the Italian transfer market this window consists of being linked with loan deals for 2 players who aren't Italian and another who is only 18.
And even if we were chasing full Italian internationals them getting caned would probably knock a few million off the tansfer fees here and there, win-win (or maybe lose-win). But we're not, so it doesn't really matter either way.
I wouldn't worry too much, there is good news afoot this week regarding the clubs ownership - which will move from CB Holdings to a new individual. You heard it first.........
ReplyDelete0328, I have posted elsewhere that Italian club sides are no longer dominating in Europe as they used to. Inter, Juve, AC, Roma, Lazio - they always seemed to be in the semifinals, at least, of the competitions; but not any longer.
ReplyDeleteThe game in Italy is going through a crisis: gates are falling and rumours of illegal betting and match fixing persist. Then there is the problem of crowd trouble.
DaDon, I love Italy but loath the Italian national football team. (They jockey for first place with Germany and Argentina for who I dislike the most.) I would take any opportunity to gloat!
I had a similar thought at first, but then I thought about the Italian U21's who are a much more exciting prospect and that is the market that Zola is trying to dip into and I believe it is a good time to dip into it because of the state of the Italian game which has been on the decline for years, there will be quite a few decent players who are and will be looking for a way out of Serie A.
ReplyDeleteHow does Italian clubs lack of performance in Europe equate to bad news or 'sods law' for West Ham?
ReplyDeleteWhen we signed Behrami was everyone (or anyone) thinking 'oh no, he's from the Italian league which, not being quite as good as the Spanish and English leagues, means he'll not be very good. Damn that sods law'?
As for the Italian game in crisis... good. Less money, less opportunity, less attractive football is good news for clubs like West Ham. And as long as you have astute, or at least competent people overseeing transfers it as good as makes no difference.
That's actually quite sad.
ReplyDeleteIs it really DaDon, and you are too noble to gloat I suppose. Never sung, "It's all gone quiet over there"?
ReplyDeleteIt's not the gloating that's sad. That's just pathetic. What's sad is that you boast about hating three national teams. Or to put it another way - 'Top Three Teams I Hate' by Hammersfan aged 13 3/4.
ReplyDeleteDaDon, you are a silly billy!
ReplyDelete13 3/4 DaDon, that's a bit harsh isn't it? I'd have said sixth form common room, mid seventies Grammar school. And now for something completely different...........
ReplyDeleteDon't forget the Shirt sponsor who crashed and burnt!!
ReplyDelete