That guy who was writing about Calcio when Football Italia was on Channel 4 and never grew out of it. Books, Rigore! podcast & Football Italia website.
A wee bit Italian football chat courtesy of
@Rigorepod
with
@marcoarrinaldi
. Join us as we take a potshot or two at Serie A’s big boys - and each other.
Way back many moons ago when I was youngster (with hair) obsessed with Serie A, I was lucky enough to meet Trevor Francis and Graeme Souness doing pre-season with
@sampdoria
near my family’s home village in Tuscany.
Serie A TV in the UK news alert 🚨!
@OneFootball
has confirmed its direct-to-consumer model. Next two rounds will have eight games free but after that it will be £4.99 a game on its Home of Serie A. Alternatively a Team Pass is £79.99 or a Season Pass (all games) £99.99.
A few thoughts on why the
@Azzurri_En
matter more to Italians abroad and those of Italian descent than those living in Italy 🇮🇹 ahead of tonight’s vital World Cup qualifier with North Macedonia 🇲🇰. Missing out again is unthinkable for those of us “all’estero”.
More on the Serie A rights in the UK.
@SerieA_EN
has just informed me that right for the UK have been sold to
@OneFootball
where the matches not on
@footballontnt
should be able to be viewed. I’ve no details yet of costs - if any - of watching the matches. Potentially good news.
Can’t help but feel there’s a warning to Gabriel Batistuta and Fiorentina in the Totti-Roma saga. You have to actually have something for your legends to do if you appoint them to a role. Not many happy just to be a figurehead - unless you make that clear from the outset.
On
#Vlahovic
- very hard to keep a player if they don’t want to stay. Batistuta, Antognoni and the likes remained for reasons beyond career or money but that kind of player is rare. Personally, I don’t see much point in a stand-off and keeping a player against their will.
It's nearly time for the proper football to start again. Welcome back Serie A! And welcome aboard new tifosi and old alike. Going to be another good one.
I’m so old I can remember when we used to be able to have a decent debate on Twitter. Light-hearted, even. Occasionally there was mutual respect. Seems a long time ago. Who can shout loudest and longest seems the order of the day now...
Welcome Luca Rinaldi 🏴🇮🇹
The young attacker joins from Queen of the South, massive signing for the club in its first season at the 20s.
Welcome to the club Luca ⚫️⚪️
BLOG: Thanks for the magical memories After the passing of the late, great Peter Brackley,
@ginkers
pays tribute to the voice of Football Italia, and the man who brought
#SerieA
to our living rooms
Rarely seen Italy 🇮🇹 this dominant in recent times but that goal cruelly eludes them. They’ve played some nice stuff - hope they get a result so I can write something upbeat for
@footballitalia
later.
#POLITA
Only in Italy could the return leg of a cup semi-final be played 57 days after the first leg. Italian governments have come and gone quicker...
#AtalantaFiorentina
#CoppaItalia
“Your memory inscribed in our minds in the knowledge that nothing can ever erase it.” Impressive and moving display by Fiorentina fans to remember Davide Astori nearly one year after his death.
Thoughts and prayers with Fiorentina general manager Joe Barone whose been rushed to hospital. Atalanta v Fiorentina postponed as a result. Some things more important than football.
Here we go, now on the
@OneFootball
website - “exciting news for Calcio fans in the UK and Ireland”. Every match of the first match day in
@SerieA_EN
streamed live, eight matches free or the ones on
@footballontnt
for £4.99. Not clear what happens after match day one. 1/2
Important information for Liverpool players visiting Naples. Please be careful not to leave Joe Gomez isolated against Napoli forwards as he is likely to be robbed of the ball. We strongly recommend staying away from the Stadio Maradona where you may end up getting mugged…
Serie A coverage in the UK update 🧵 after
@HenryBellCalcio
flagged up concerns about
@footballontnt
cutting back. I’m afraid it’s bad news for Calcio fans with much reduced coverage planned for the season ahead after getting pretty much every match in recent years. 1/6
I know a lot of folk dislike the international break and national team football in general but, for me, Italy 🇮🇹 games are still a bit of an occasion - a chance for family & friends to get together and have a glass of wine 🍷 and a coffee ☕️ and celebrate/commiserate together.
I’m finding it hard, as a Fiorentina fan, to imagine a time when you could have told me that the world champions of anything would turn to Mario Gomez in their hour of need and I’d have believed you
#GERSWE
It’s
#SerieA
day, buon campionato to all! Predictions for your team? Here’s my Viola ones.
League finish: Hope Europe (expect top half).
Coppa Italia: Semi-finals.
Top player: Chiesa.
Breakout season: Vlahovic.
Dream: Beat Juve with a 95th minute Ribery deflection off Ronaldo.
I don’t really do rallying cries but if you value
@OfficialQosFC
staying in the Championship you should give up a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon to cheer on
@WullieGibson
and his team. A decent turnout could make a big difference.
“We are grateful for the support that we’ve had so far but we need your backing more than ever, so come along and get behind the boys”
Queen of the South vs Arbroath.
Palmerston Park.
19/02/2022, 3PM.
Get behind Wullie and the boys tomorrow afternoon,
#InItTogether
The hours before an Italy 🇮🇹 game are the longest hours ever. I swear that the day of the World Cup final in 1982 was at least a week long. An all or nothing tie for the Azzurri for the first time in what feels like an eternity. Forza ragazzi!
#EURO2020
#ItaliaAustria
#ITA
Impossible to say in a tweet what Stephen Dobbie has been for
@OfficialQosFC
. A talisman, a hero, a saviour and a most amazing goalscorer. Sad we can’t be there to say farewell in person. Made me dance in delight so many times. Queens were lucky to have him
@Susanne_Dobbie
.
I hate the “what now?” feeling the day after a big game. You spend so long looking forward to it and then, suddenly, it is behind you. To lose it only makes the emptiness that much deeper. I know I should be used to it, but it’s still hard to get over.
The Scottish Championship season ends tonight for
@OfficialQosFC
and - for the first time in forever - I’ll never have seen them in the flesh. I’ve tried to sum up my feelings and say thanks to the team of 2020/21
Only an idiot would spend his Sunday afternoon watching an almost entirely pointless Serie A clash between Fiorentina and Udinese? So who’s with me?
#FiorentinaUdinese
Have a good season Serie A fans, should be exciting. We are allowed to dream - at least until this afternoon - when reality will begin to kick in. What are your hopes? I’d like a good Scudetto battle, top six finish for Fiorentina and Venezia survival for
@marcoarrinaldi
. You?
I’m not sure I could tell you how many different broadcasters have had the rights to Serie A in the UK since back on BSkyB and then Channel 4. Still exciting to see
@btsport
take it on with a long-term commitment and
@acjimbo
involved. The more live games the better!
Impressive stuff so far from Italy 🇮🇹 even if Greece 🇬🇷 have been terribly timid. Bossed the game, scored some nice goals and been constantly on the front foot. Credit to Roberto Mancini.
#GREITA
No official announcement yet from
@OneFootball
but - as pointed out by
@uk_acmilan
they appear to be offering all the weekend Serie A games free, apart from the ones on
@footballontnt
. Maybe have to sign up for Serie A Pass in due course.
#UKSerieARights
This
@footballitalia
nostalgia weekend on
@btsportfootball
has taken me back to my own wee contribution. Maybe need to revive the fanzine Rigore! too...
You’ve made me cheer, you’ve made me cry. You gave me Batigol, you gave me Tanque Silva. We’ve been in the Champions League, we’ve been in C2. Happy Birthday, Buon Compleanno
@acffiorentina
!
They should show pictures of the Olimpico tonight to every Serie A side playing at whatever level of European football and thinking of fielding a less than full strength side. Fans love a final of any competition way more than the battle for sixth place in the league…
If you want to brighten up your day, check out the grin on this boy. Making your debut for Fiorentina in Serie A clearly meant a lot! (PS, yes we only have players called Federico)
It feels a little crazy to have gone from no football to football every day of the week. Totally disorientated by the whole thing. No idea what day of the week it is, what stage of the season we’re at, who is playing who and when!
Note to footballers - please don’t kiss the badge or profess love for a club and then negotiate a deal with a bitter rival. Fans are touchy about these things.
La Fiorentina profondamente sconvolta si trova costretta a comunicare che e' scomparso il suo capitano Davide Astori, colto da improvviso malore.
Per la terribile e delicata situazione, e soprattutto per rispetto della sua famiglia si fa appello alla sensibilità di tutti.
Anyway, suffice to say there will be a lot of Italians like myself dotted around the globe gathering over pizza, pasta, wine or whatever to pray we get to this World Cup having missed the last one. Don’t let us down
@robymancio
. Forza Azzurri, per sempre.
It’s Napoli v Real Madrid tonight which I like to think of as the game which created the
@ChampionsLeague
. It wasn’t really but I do remember the outcry in 1987 when the champions of Spain 🇪🇸 and Italy 🇮🇹 were drawn together in the first round of the European Cup.
What an amazing run of results from Fiorentina. I know Roma were not at full strength but I was convinced today would be the end of this winning streak, especially without Chiesa. Impressive spirit.