football rambles

 Saturday saw pre-season continue with King's Lynn taking on a young Norwich XI at The Walks. It was a good performance by the Linnets, although there were incidents that proved some of the issues that they had last season might persist in this one. In the opening half hour King's Lynn were the stronger of the two sides. They were rewarded with a penalty on 3o minutes when the dynamic Jesse Nwabueze was brought down in the box. However, Carlton Ubaezuonu squandered the opportunity with a soft penalty. Something that was reminiscent of last season where Lynn were regularly disappointing from the spot. Six minutes later the Canaries had the lead when Lynn were caught napping despite having most of the ball up until then - another trait that they need to curb. Ken Aboh giving the visitors the lead and it stayed like that until half-time.  Lynn came out firing in the second half though and Nwabueze equalised on 51 minutes with a fantastic strike from distance. It was made all the ...

This game took place a couple of weeks ago on July 4th. I didn't write anything up, as I pretty much went on holiday to Sicily straight after the game. There isn't too much to say. The game wasn't too bad, but it was the first preseason game for the clubs. It was at the start of a heatwave and there weren't any goals, so there really isn't too much to say. 

 On Saturday FC Peterborough took on Biggleswade United in the heatwave in a repeat of the same early pre-season fixture from 2 years ago. It was a really good atmosphere and the heat didn't seem to have an impact on the players who played out an enthralling 3-3 draw. 

 While I was over in Veneto, I was also lucky enough to visit Vicenza. It's a great little town and as well as the great cafes and bars and of course all the renaissance architecture, it is a place that has a real football legacy. And what's more, they had just celebrated going up from Serie C1 to Serie B. LR Vicenza are one of Italy’s most historic provincial clubs, traditionally known for their strong identity, youth development, and periods of impressive overachievement relative to their size. Although most recently in C1, Vicenza have spent much of their history moving between Serie A and Serie B, with their peak coming in the 1970s and 1990s when they were regularly competitive in the top flight. The club carries a reputation for being well-organised and resilient, often punching above their weight against bigger northern sides. One of the things that interested me the most about visiting there was the legacy of Paolo Rossi- the hero of the 1982 World Cup, who is synonymo...

 Last week we were in Italy and more specifically Verona for a short break. When I got up on the Monday morning (we arrived late on Sunday) I noticed we were opposite the club shop for Hellas Verona. I wasn't tempted as I have never been particularly taken by Hellas, especially given the reputation of their fans. However, after seeing all the sights in the spectacular town, I still went for a nose around the stadium, not that you could get particularly close to it. In all honesty, I would have perhaps been more interested in some Chievo history, but their Serie D base was quite away out of town and I had more plans for the next day - more of that later.  Hellas Verona - founded in 1903,  are best remembered for their remarkable 1984–85 season when they won the Scudetto under Osvaldo Bagnoli, a feat that remains one of the most celebrated shocks in Italian football. The club has since moved between divisions but retains a strong identity rooted in working-class support and...