[Serie A] Calciopoli Directors 1-2 JUVENTUS "29" (Oct 29th 2011) (13 Viewers)
- Thread starter Azzurri7
- Start date
^ Yes :devil: I love it.
Blog: Familiar foe
Giancarlo Rinaldi, with tongue in cheek, on Juventus’ attempts to reclaim their role as Italy's most disliked football club
The old saying, Tutta l'Italia contro la Juve – All of Italy against Juve – has had a bit of a hollow ring in recent years. It has been hard for even their most bitter adversary to muster much dislike for a team in Serie B or struggling to get above mid-table in the top flight. There were even those who, whisper it, felt some sympathy for La Vecchia Signora – not that she ever would have accepted it.
It left a vacancy for the part of Serie A's pantomime villain. Ironically, the curly moustache which goes with the role ended up being assumed by the very team which claimed to have suffered most at the Bianconeri's hands. Suddenly, Inter were the team most Italians loved to boo.
To those who had been watching calcio for a while it did not feel quite right. They had been raised on the belief that the only certain things in life, other than death and taxes, were injury-time penalties to Juventus. The old world order had been turned on its head.
It even seemed as if the Bianconeri's other greatest asset, the legendary Culo di Juve – Juve's Bottom – had disappeared. Used by rival fans to describe the good fortune which seemed to be stitched into the club's shirts, it had all but evaporated. They had been stripped of their most famous super powers.
But there have been flickers of late that it is all falling back into place. The appointment of Antonio Conte – one of the architects of a golden age of antipathy towards Juve – sent a signal to the rest of the peninsula. We intend to get back to the top end of the table and dethrone the Nerazzurri from our rightful place as the side the rest of the nation loves to hate.
In truth, there was something slightly uncomfortable about anyone other than the Turin giants occupying that role. There was something of the security blanket about the Bianconeri in years gone by. If you were scrabbling around for an excuse for your own team’s failings, you could always blame it on the boys from the Comunale, Delle Alpi, Olimpico or whatever their ground is called this week.
Come to think of it, the new flashy Juventus Stadium was a clear statement of intent too. If you can’t envy us our League position – it said – you’ll at least be jealous of our swanky surroundings. And you can’t deny it has worked, with the rest of Serie A now scrambling to draw up construction plans of their own.
On the pitch, too, results are coming and the players are growing into their roles. Many of them are starting to acquire the swagger required to live up to the legends of yesteryear. Even the fans – after some meagre times – are starting to act with the assured air of years gone by when a season without a major honour was as rare as a month without a red card for Paolo Montero.
There is still work to be done, of course, and the job won't be complete until a 30th/29th/28th – delete as you wish – Scudetto is secured. However, there are undeniable signs that they are on the right track. After all, nothing makes you more disliked than winning things.
Blog: Familiar foe
Giancarlo Rinaldi, with tongue in cheek, on Juventus’ attempts to reclaim their role as Italy's most disliked football club
The old saying, Tutta l'Italia contro la Juve – All of Italy against Juve – has had a bit of a hollow ring in recent years. It has been hard for even their most bitter adversary to muster much dislike for a team in Serie B or struggling to get above mid-table in the top flight. There were even those who, whisper it, felt some sympathy for La Vecchia Signora – not that she ever would have accepted it.
It left a vacancy for the part of Serie A's pantomime villain. Ironically, the curly moustache which goes with the role ended up being assumed by the very team which claimed to have suffered most at the Bianconeri's hands. Suddenly, Inter were the team most Italians loved to boo.
To those who had been watching calcio for a while it did not feel quite right. They had been raised on the belief that the only certain things in life, other than death and taxes, were injury-time penalties to Juventus. The old world order had been turned on its head.
It even seemed as if the Bianconeri's other greatest asset, the legendary Culo di Juve – Juve's Bottom – had disappeared. Used by rival fans to describe the good fortune which seemed to be stitched into the club's shirts, it had all but evaporated. They had been stripped of their most famous super powers.
But there have been flickers of late that it is all falling back into place. The appointment of Antonio Conte – one of the architects of a golden age of antipathy towards Juve – sent a signal to the rest of the peninsula. We intend to get back to the top end of the table and dethrone the Nerazzurri from our rightful place as the side the rest of the nation loves to hate.
In truth, there was something slightly uncomfortable about anyone other than the Turin giants occupying that role. There was something of the security blanket about the Bianconeri in years gone by. If you were scrabbling around for an excuse for your own team’s failings, you could always blame it on the boys from the Comunale, Delle Alpi, Olimpico or whatever their ground is called this week.
Come to think of it, the new flashy Juventus Stadium was a clear statement of intent too. If you can’t envy us our League position – it said – you’ll at least be jealous of our swanky surroundings. And you can’t deny it has worked, with the rest of Serie A now scrambling to draw up construction plans of their own.
On the pitch, too, results are coming and the players are growing into their roles. Many of them are starting to acquire the swagger required to live up to the legends of yesteryear. Even the fans – after some meagre times – are starting to act with the assured air of years gone by when a season without a major honour was as rare as a month without a red card for Paolo Montero.
There is still work to be done, of course, and the job won't be complete until a 30th/29th/28th – delete as you wish – Scudetto is secured. However, there are undeniable signs that they are on the right track. After all, nothing makes you more disliked than winning things.
