napoli back into serie A (1 Viewer)

HelterSkelter

Senior Member
Apr 15, 2005
19,055
#1
Resident Paisan: Napoli Headed Back Toward Serie A

The Resident Paisan reflects this month on the excellent performances Napoli are churning out in Serie B.



zoom - galleria I’ve been to many cities around the world and soccer fans in each one of them always claim to be the most rabid. Sure, they have banners and flags, fireworks and horns, but none match the passion exuded by the local tifosi who follow Napoli and bleed the team’s colors of sky blue and white. The electric atmosphere generated by Napoli fans, particularly at their home field at the San Paolo Stadium, is tremendous.

The city of Naples -- a hectic mix of old cobblestone roadways, street markets and the occasional gangster shooting -- is filled with residents passionate about everything: pizza (it was invented in Naples), women, and of course, calcio. The team happens to be doing pretty well, actually very well, at the moment. Napoli is in first place in Serie B with 25 points after 13 games -- a point ahead of second place Juventus -- thanks to a hard-fought win on the road against Pescara this past Saturday. Honestly, seeing the name Napoli at the top of the standings is something pretty rare these days, unless you consider last season’s first place finish in Serie C1 something to brag about.

A friend of mine in Naples recently told me that there hasn’t been this much excitement generated by the team since Diego Maradona led them to the Scudetto in 1990. But the man behind this soccer fairytale isn’t the stocky Argentine (although he has said recently that he wants to return to Naples and work for the club). Instead, this latest production is the work of film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis. The Roman-born movie mogul took over the bankrupt club in August 2004 after convincing creditors that he could guarantee them a satisfactory recovery package. “Give me five years and I’ll take Napoli to Europe,” he proclaimed at the time during a packed news conference to announce that he had taken over the storied club. De Laurentiis still has three more seasons to put his money where his mouth is. In the meantime, Napoli is a favorite to gain promotion to Serie A.

The future wasn’t always this bright. De Laurentiis’ first two seasons with the club were tough in Serie C1, the country’s third division. Napoli finally earned promotion to Serie B last season, though they had come close the previous spring but lost to rivals Avellino in a two-leg playoff game.
Those of you who have watched Napoli on TV this season (or visited the San Paolo) know that this team doesn’t play the most entertaining soccer. Instead, they get the job done. At times, the team is downright unwatchable. At other times, they demonstrate a certain scrappy edge that can make them unbeatable. In the biggest match of the season so far, Napoli renewed its rivalry against Juventus 20 years after the two clubs went at it for a shot at the Scudetto. During the 1986-87 season, it was Napoli that emerged victorious in the end, winning its first Scudetto and elevating Maradona to sainthood among the locals.

This time around, the game was also a big deal, attracting over 60,000 spectators at the San Paolo three weeks ago and ending in a 1-1 draw. Though not the most attractively played game this season, both sides put on a show in the second period. Alessandro Del Piero put Juve ahead after 67 minutes on a 30-yard free kick, curling the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. Napoli tied the score six minutes later on a close-range effort by Mariano Bogliacino to beat Gianluigi Buffon, who until that point hadn’t been beaten in eight consecutive Serie B games. The last time Napoli, who are coached by the talented and tactically astute Edy Reja, and Juve had met was in August in a third round Coppa Italia game. The game had ended 3-3, but Napoli knocked out the disgraced club after winning a penalty shootout.

Napoli’s two biggest stars are striker Emanuele Calaio, who has scored six goals so far this season, and defender Paolo Cannavaro, younger brother of Italy captain and World Cup champion Fabio. Both Fabio, winner of France Football’s European Player of the Year award, and Paolo grew up just a corner kick away from the San Paolo Stadium in the nearby working-class neighborhood of Fuorigrotta. Possibly – hopefully – Fabio will join his brother at Napoli when his contract with Real Madrid expires in 2 ½ years.

Many have said that Serie A is lacking something this season because Juventus is in Serie B. I’d argue something else: Serie A has been missing something since Napoli was demoted in 2001. Perhaps this is the season Napoli returns to Serie A.

The Resident Paisan, Clemente Lisi, writes a monthly column on Italian soccer. You can also read his daily blog on Goal.com

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id love for napoli and genoa to join juventus back in the serie A.will the next season be a great one if torino remain in serie A,and juventus,genoa and napoli get promotion into the serie A?
 

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Marc

Softcore Juventino
Jul 14, 2006
21,649
#3
Napoli, Genoa, Juventus and Pro Vercelli back to Serie A!

And yes, the next season would be great, especially if Serie A gets rid of some scum clubs who are poisoning it...
 

Dominic

Senior Member
Jan 30, 2004
16,692
#5
Serie A back on it's way up(after a big decline the past years)?

Juventus, Milan, Inter, Roma, Palermo, Lazio, Napoli, Genoa, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Torino.

Not bad.
 

Jun-hide

Senior Member
Dec 16, 2002
2,068
#8
Dominic is pretty quick to pounce on as always. Yes, Serie A was bound to be on the up - it couldnt have been as mismanaged as its teams were in the 90s.

I know a lot of younger members of this forum werent believe this but there was time in in early to mid 90s when Manchester United (best team in EPL), Barca and Real (best team in Spain) would have finished struggled to finish in the top half of the season. Likes of Parma were buying Stoichkov off Barca because the player just wanted to havea crack at Serie A. On the other hand, Barca were buying Serie A rejects such as Fernando Couto. J

The teams in the list are not just Italian giants but European heavyweights. They have consistently competed Europe and many of them had some success to its name. Their stadium in heydays were always packed, (Do anyone remember Napoli's homegames in its peak? They put Barca fans into shame), and almost any foreigner playing in Italia was worldclass.

Although Fiorentina, Napoloi, Torino started off as different entities as the past ones, I think they bought the history and brand off the auction again. That is far better than starting off with millions in debt.

I believe getting that Euro bid successful is paramount to Serie A's team restoring its virility. It has suffered from scandal (or rather fictional claims) and with old rundown stadia's fans are running away from the matches. I think only hatful of teams draw meaningful attendances these days (Samp, Fiorentina, Inter, Milan and Roma) and the league needs event to kick start the interests amongst the fans and renovate its basic infrastructure.
 

Eddy

The Maestro
Aug 20, 2005
12,644
#9
mark83 said:
Napoli, Genoa, Juventus and Pro Vercelli back to Serie A!

And yes, the next season would be great, especially if Serie A gets rid of some scum clubs who are poisoning it...
Pro Vercelli have a long way to go my friend
 

JCK

Biased
JCK
May 11, 2004
123,208
#10
Jun-hide said:
Dominic is pretty quick to pounce on as always. Yes, Serie A was bound to be on the up - it couldnt have been as mismanaged as its teams were in the 90s.

I know a lot of younger members of this forum werent believe this but there was time in in early to mid 90s when Manchester United (best team in EPL), Barca and Real (best team in Spain) would have finished struggled to finish in the top half of the season. Likes of Parma were buying Stoichkov off Barca because the player just wanted to havea crack at Serie A. On the other hand, Barca were buying Serie A rejects such as Fernando Couto. J

The teams in the list are not just Italian giants but European heavyweights. They have consistently competed Europe and many of them had some success to its name. Their stadium in heydays were always packed, (Do anyone remember Napoli's homegames in its peak? They put Barca fans into shame), and almost any foreigner playing in Italia was worldclass.

Although Fiorentina, Napoloi, Torino started off as different entities as the past ones, I think they bought the history and brand off the auction again. That is far better than starting off with millions in debt.

I believe getting that Euro bid successful is paramount to Serie A's team restoring its virility. It has suffered from scandal (or rather fictional claims) and with old rundown stadia's fans are running away from the matches. I think only hatful of teams draw meaningful attendances these days (Samp, Fiorentina, Inter, Milan and Roma) and the league needs event to kick start the interests amongst the fans and renovate its basic infrastructure.
Well said and even if these teams return and add to that Inter winning the CL, the image of the league will stay as it is and it will not attract the big guns as it used to. Players are now afraid of scandals and conspiracies and FIGC did not do the right thing in cleaning that; on the contrary, they made it even worse.
 

Jun-hide

Senior Member
Dec 16, 2002
2,068
#12
juventus710 said:
Did they still exist?

For me Juve, Fiorentina, Napoli, Lazio are gurantee to me back up.

Not so sure with Torino, & Samp. Pessimistic about Genoa, & Parma.

@ Jacques, I feel a lot of these teams need a foreign investor to liven them up a bit with fresh vision, money, enthusiam to restore the league. Looking at it, I cant see why Italian team cannot draw similar foreign investors when its teams IMO are relatively undervalued compared to EPL (though I understand a lot of Serie A rejuvenation goes beyond running team well). My guess is that the regulation governing the FC is probably far more cumbersome than EPL. Lawyers discuss.
 

JCK

Biased
JCK
May 11, 2004
123,208
#17
Jun-hide said:
Did they still exist?

For me Juve, Fiorentina, Napoli, Lazio are gurantee to me back up.

Not so sure with Torino, & Samp. Pessimistic about Genoa, & Parma.

@ Jacques, I feel a lot of these teams need a foreign investor to liven them up a bit with fresh vision, money, enthusiam to restore the league. Looking at it, I cant see why Italian team cannot draw similar foreign investors when its teams IMO are relatively undervalued compared to EPL (though I understand a lot of Serie A rejuvenation goes beyond running team well). My guess is that the regulation governing the FC is probably far more cumbersome than EPL. Lawyers discuss.
I don't see the problem in investors rather in the federations itself. It is up to the federation to create a new look for the league, to shape it and promote in a better way. The TV rights in Italy suck big time, they kill the small teams. In the 90s Parma were reaching the finals of the European competitions and winning them. So often there were at least two Italian teams in each of the semi finals of the European competitions. Then came the TV rights and the scandals.

England and Spain have TV rights for the whole league, it is not for certain teams. Who would want to buy the home matches of Catania? And mind you, the home matches for Catania but when they play Inter or Milan, the rights change.

Football has become more international than before and instead of gate receipts it is TV rights that brings the audience. FIGC and Sky sell tickets only for the big teams (or the teams that they themselves chose to be big)

Actually starting by changing the TV rights we can reach the point you discussed where foreign investors would get interested in opening a cash tap into mid table teams that they seldom get to be seen.

How do you market your league if you try the impossible not to show the games abroad?
 

Azzurri7

Pinturicchio
Moderator
Dec 16, 2003
72,692
#18
Dominic said:
Serie A back on it's way up(after a big decline the past years)?

Juventus, Milan, Inter, Roma, Palermo, Lazio, Napoli, Genoa, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Torino.

Not bad.
Looks like Torino and Fiorentina will have a hard way remaining in Serie A.
 

Red

-------
Moderator
Nov 26, 2006
47,024
#19
Be great to get all the big teams bak in Serie A next season. England has the same problem, league full of pishy little teams with crowds of 15,000 like Reading and Wigan while there are much bigger teams in lower leagues.

Really spoils the league cos the atmosphere ends up being rubbish unless they are playing a top team.
 

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