2004/2005 Italian season thread [R]

[argh1]

quote:Originally posted by beachesl

Yeah, well maybe you got Serie A mixed up with Scotland, where they usually</u> have one relegated. Easy to get mixed up, both leagues have a lot of shennanigans. Almost like foreign countries when seen from Moncton!

Yeah...well we have crystal radios that hook up to the metal thingy on the telephone (radio strangly shaped like a rocket) and indoor plumbing if you bring in a bucket of snow and put beside the Kimack stove that burns both coal and wood. We is modern.

Anyways I'll take my shots at Edmonton when I get back and brush up on Italian soccer. The wife says I'll enjoy 14 days in Barbuda,leaving Friday. Don't see how I can't, unless she expects me to entertain her ? Al Bundy is my hero. Ah.....honey I've only tried 5 brands of Caribean rum there's 20 more to go ......ask that nice blue haired Yankee women if she wants to shopping .......

[massimo]

JUVENTUS

Juve revolutionised their tactics for this must-win game and take the pressure off by beating on-form Udinese.

The Bianconeri were beginning to feel the heat after two consecutive defeats cut their lead over Milan from eight points to just two. Olivier Kapo has been ruled out for three weeks, while Pavel Nedved and Alessio Tacchinardi failed to recover in time.

AC MILAN

A comical own goal has given Milan a hard-fought victory at the Stadio Granillo and keeps the gap at two points.

Milan knew they needed a victory to further close the gap on leaders Juventus, but Reggina have a very strong home record and were unbeaten in seven, while they had not succumbed at the Stadio Granillo since losing to Brescia on December 5.

INTER

The Nerazzurri confidently saw off Roma last night and maintain they still have a shot at the Serie A title this season.

“Hope springs eternal,” smiled Coach Roberto Mancini when asked about their Scudetto dreams. “While there are points there to be won, then we must continue to believe in our chances.”

Current Standings

Club P Pts

Juventus 24 53

Milan 24 51

Inter 24 42

Udinese 24 40

Sampdoria 24 38

Palermo 24 36

Roma 24 35

Cagliari 24 33

Bologna 24 32

Lecce 24 32

Reggina 24 32

Livorno 24 30

Messina 24 28

Chievo 24 28

Lazio 24 27

Fiorentina 24 26

Brescia 24 23

Parma 24 23

Siena 24 22

Atalanta 24 14

[DJT]

Originally posted by Rivaldo - 04/19/2005 : 23:57:03</u>

Inter vs. Juventus on FSWC

Fox is showing this game, which won't be on TLN, on a two day tape delay on Friday.

I haven't noticed them picking up games that weren't on TLN already.

It should be a good one.

[DJT]

About time we revive this thread and talk about actual Italian soccer instead of just the shenanigans.

quote:Originally posted by Rivaldo

Fox is showing this game, which won't be on TLN, on a two day tape delay on Friday.

I haven't noticed them picking up games that weren't on TLN already.

This happens whenever there are midweek Serie A games. For some reason TLN doesn't show the midweek games, but FSWC shows them a couple of days later. I think this is the fifth time this has happened this season. The only exceptions were the Befana matches, which were shown on TLN.

There are two other matches as well:

Friday

2:00 PM EDT - Inter vs. Juventus

4:00 PM EDT - Milan vs. Chievo

Saturday

2:00 AM EDT - Palermo vs. Brescia

(These are just the premiere broadcasts; check listing for repeats.)

[shaku_bert]

Who watched Juve V. Lazio on Sunday. Was at the gym to do my long Sunday run and the game had just started (treadmills have TV’s built in nowadays! Talk about technology!). The first half had some pretty tasty challenges. Anyone who thinks the game can’t be physical should have watched that game. Mind you there were quite a few yellows flashed.

[amacpher]

quote:Originally posted by shaku_bert

Who watched Juve V. Lazio on Sunday. Was at the gym to do my long Sunday run and the game had just started (treadmills have TV’s built in nowadays! Talk about technology!). The first half had some pretty tasty challenges. Anyone who thinks the game can’t be physical should have watched that game. Mind you there were quite a few yellows flashed.

Yeh, great goal by Nedved too. Big game in two weeks: Milan x Juve. With all the other top Euro domestic leagues pretty much decided (except Portugal), the Milan x Juve game is shaping-up be the biggest title-impacting game in Europe this season.

[Massive Attack]

The big game is on live at 9:00am EST Sunday morning. Juve-Milan, which will most likely decide the title. I guess I should go to bed so I can wake up on time to see the match.

[Massive Attack]

The big game is on live at 9:00am EST Sunday morning. Juve-Milan, which will most likely decide the title. I guess I should go to bed so I can wake up on time to see the match.

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by shaku_bert

Who watched Juve V. Lazio on Sunday.

Late comment, but... that was Lazio 0 Juventus + Trefoloni 1.

quote:Originally posted by Massive Attack

The big game is on live at 9:00am EST Sunday morning. Juve-Milan, which will most likely decide the title. I guess I should go to bed so I can wake up on time to see the match.

I was going to say, why hasn't anyone brought this up yet? Well, someone finally did, only 6.5 hours before kickoff, but quicker than me. I already know I won't be able to wake up in time, but I wasn't planning to. I'll tape it as usual.

It could decide the title, but I'm hoping it doesn't, ie. we get a draw. That would make the last three matches a bit more dramatic, and perhaps lead to a playoff, which could be the best scenario for neutrals.

I hate both teams, but I have to pull for Milan because I think they are better team and deserve it more. They've had poor matches, but not as many as Juventus. Really, I can't believe Juve are still in it.

My question is, who does Collina favour in this match? His head is going to explode trying to figure that out!

The next race is for the final Champions League spot: Udinese and Sampdoria are even - and face each other next week!

Then the UEFA Cup: looks to be whichever of Udinese/Sampdoria finishes fifth along with Palermo (though Palermo have been sliding a bit recently with Messina coming up from behind, still 5 points back but with an easier schedule). However, there might be one more spot (8 teams are within 4 points of it), depending on what happens in the Coppa Italia. Italy also has one Intertoto Cup spot.

At the other end of the table, I have to mention Atalanta. They looked like the only team sure to go down before the season was half over. But that was because they won only 1 of their first 22 matches - who would have thought they'd then go 6-2-3 in their next 11? They're still 5 points from safety with 4 matches remaining, but two of those are against relegation-threatened teams.

Speaking of relegation-threatened teams, Roma have won only 1 of their last 13 (haha!) going back to the beginning of February - back when they were actually looking at Champions League qualification, while now they are only 5 points clear of relegation! (Okay, Lazio are barely better at just one point ahead of them, but that's a huge point [8D] - and the derby is next week!)

As usual, the relegation battle is wide open, with only 6 teams having secured a Serie A place next season and more than half of the remaining teams in serious jeopardy.

I believe we've shifted to the usual late-season scheduling of all matches at the same time (Sunday at 9 AM EDT). But I don't understand why we now get only two of them on Telelatino, particularly since it's the homestretch. We should still get at least three. Worse, in addition to Milan vs. Juventus we're getting Brescia vs. Inter on May 8 (tape-delayed at 2:30 PM EDT; for some reason there's no match at 11). Okay, Brescia are fighting for survival, but for all intents and purposes Inter have nothing to play for - but I bet we're going to continue to get their matches, anyway. Chievo vs. Fiorentina would have been more interesting.

I wonder what we'll see next week: there's the Rome derby, all remaining Juventus and Milan matches are big, Udinese vs. Sampdoria for the Champions League, then Atalanta vs. Fiorentina, Siena vs. Chievo and Bologna vs. Brescia for relegation. I hope we get more than two of them (please, no Inter!).

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by shaku_bert

Who watched Juve V. Lazio on Sunday.

Late comment, but... that was Lazio 0 Juventus + Trefoloni 1.

quote:Originally posted by Massive Attack

The big game is on live at 9:00am EST Sunday morning. Juve-Milan, which will most likely decide the title. I guess I should go to bed so I can wake up on time to see the match.

I was going to say, why hasn't anyone brought this up yet? Well, someone finally did, only 6.5 hours before kickoff, but quicker than me. I already know I won't be able to wake up in time, but I wasn't planning to. I'll tape it as usual.

It could decide the title, but I'm hoping it doesn't, ie. we get a draw. That would make the last three matches a bit more dramatic, and perhaps lead to a playoff, which could be the best scenario for neutrals.

I hate both teams, but I have to pull for Milan because I think they are better team and deserve it more. They've had poor matches, but not as many as Juventus. Really, I can't believe Juve are still in it.

My question is, who does Collina favour in this match? His head is going to explode trying to figure that out!

The next race is for the final Champions League spot: Udinese and Sampdoria are even - and face each other next week!

Then the UEFA Cup: looks to be whichever of Udinese/Sampdoria finishes fifth along with Palermo (though Palermo have been sliding a bit recently with Messina coming up from behind, still 5 points back but with an easier schedule). However, there might be one more spot (8 teams are within 4 points of it), depending on what happens in the Coppa Italia. Italy also has one Intertoto Cup spot.

At the other end of the table, I have to mention Atalanta. They looked like the only team sure to go down before the season was half over. But that was because they won only 1 of their first 22 matches - who would have thought they'd then go 6-2-3 in their next 11? They're still 5 points from safety with 4 matches remaining, but two of those are against relegation-threatened teams.

Speaking of relegation-threatened teams, Roma have won only 1 of their last 13 (haha!) going back to the beginning of February - back when they were actually looking at Champions League qualification, while now they are only 5 points clear of relegation! (Okay, Lazio are barely better at just one point ahead of them, but that's a huge point [8D] - and the derby is next week!)

As usual, the relegation battle is wide open, with only 6 teams having secured a Serie A place next season and more than half of the remaining teams in serious jeopardy.

I believe we've shifted to the usual late-season scheduling of all matches at the same time (Sunday at 9 AM EDT). But I don't understand why we now get only two of them on Telelatino, particularly since it's the homestretch. We should still get at least three. Worse, in addition to Milan vs. Juventus we're getting Brescia vs. Inter on May 8 (tape-delayed at 2:30 PM EDT; for some reason there's no match at 11). Okay, Brescia are fighting for survival, but for all intents and purposes Inter have nothing to play for - but I bet we're going to continue to get their matches, anyway. Chievo vs. Fiorentina would have been more interesting.

I wonder what we'll see next week: there's the Rome derby, all remaining Juventus and Milan matches are big, Udinese vs. Sampdoria for the Champions League, then Atalanta vs. Fiorentina, Siena vs. Chievo and Bologna vs. Brescia for relegation. I hope we get more than two of them (please, no Inter!).

[amacpher]

It's pretty absurd that they played the Milan x Juve game at 3:00pm local. Why not have it at night?

[shaku_bert]

quote:

My question is, who does Collina favour in this match? His head is going to explode trying to figure that out!

You don't like Collina? I thought he was pretty good in the match. The players have the utmost respect for him and that must mean something. Was it Nedved he hauled up near the end trying to waste time playacting? You wouldn't see many refs do that.

I thought it was a pretty crappy game (although I did not see the whole game and could have missed all the good parts). The Milan - Brescia game was OK

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by amacpher

It's pretty absurd that they played the Milan x Juve game at 3:00pm local. Why not have it at night?

The Serie A rule is that all matches in each of the last 4 rounds must be played at the same time. They could put them all at night, but I guess they don't want that for whatever reason.

quote:Originally posted by shaku_bert

You don't like Collina? I thought he was pretty good in the match. The players have the utmost respect for him and that must mean something. Was it Nedved he hauled up near the end trying to waste time playacting? You wouldn't see many refs do that.

I like Collina, and, yes, that Nedved incident was hilarious and perfect. My comment was facetious, in reference to refereeing in Italy in general and how everyone thinks both Juventus and Milan are favoured by referees. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but I must say that they do get more calls going their way than any other team. Hence, who would get the calls in this game?

I agree that Collina did a good job in this game and I expected nothing less. I think he was right with those two close calls in the Juve penalty area, but we've seen them called before so they could have gone either way (maybe Milan were a bit unlucky).

quote:I thought it was a pretty crappy game (although I did not see the whole game and could have missed all the good parts). The Milan - Brescia game was OK

You mean Inter, not Milan. I didn't bother watching that, partly because I knew the score and partly because I'm tired of seeing Inter now that their spot is virtually locked up. I want to see games with something on the line. The drama makes it completely satisfying for me. Quality of play, number of goals, amount of action, etc. are all generally less important than what's on the line. Therefore, I thought Milan vs. Juventus was great. Even though nothing really happened towards the end, just the fact that one goal could decide the whole championship had me on the edge of my seat.

This weekend's Telelatino schedule is out: Juventus vs. Parma live (9:00 AM EDT) and Lecce vs. Milan on tape (2:30 PM EDT). I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY AREN'T SHOWING THE ROME DERBY!!! [V] I agree that both the Juve and Milan games should be shown. However, what I don't understand is why we used to get four matches every weekend and now, at the homestretch, with so much to be played for from the top of the table to the bottom, we only get two! It makes no sense. [xx(]

More comments from me about Serie A in general a little later, if I get around to it...

[DJT]

All times are EDT.

European U17 Championship Semifinal

(technically doesn't belong in this thread, but anyway...)

Italy vs. Netherlands

Video Webcast of the second half only by RAI Sport Satellite, on delay at 4:10 PM, 8:05 PM & 4:45 AM

(FYI, the other semifinal is Croatia vs. Turkey, with the final on Saturday. The tournament is being played in Italy. More info at uefa.com.)

Coppa Italia Semifinals, First Leg

Wednesday, May 11

Roma vs. Udinese

Video Webcast by RAI Sport Satellite, on delay at 5:00 PM & 12:15 AM

Thursday, May 12

Cagliari vs. Inter

Video Webcast by RAI Sport Satellite, on delay at 5:00 PM & repeat TBA

[amacpher]

quote:Originally posted by DJT

The Serie A rule is that all matches in each of the last 4 rounds must be played at the same time. They could put them all at night, but I guess they don't want that for whatever reason.

Right, but the game's outcome had no impact on any of the other 18 teams in serie A. So surely they could have made an exception.

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by DJT

Wednesday, May 11

Roma vs. Udinese

Video Webcast by RAI Sport Satellite, on delay at 5:00 PM & 12:15 AM

Like the U17, it seems this wasn't the complete match, either. I tuned in around 6 and there were only 5 minutes left. I don't get why they show only partial games.

[DJT]

Wow, Juventus are now officially champions in perhaps the most anti-climactic way possible. Not only did they become champions through Milan's failure to win (as opposed to actually winning themselves), but the match that Milan failed to win was played on a Friday (very unusual, many people probably didn't realize it was even happening despite it being a title decider) and featured the following lineup:

Abbiati; Marzoratti (Perticone 72), Simic, Costacurta, Pancaro; Brocchi, Rui Costa, Dhorasoo; Serginho; Crespo (Inzaghi 64), Tomasson

Milan led Palermo 3-1 with 15 minutes to go but soon gave up two quick goals to finish 3-3.

Here is the updated table:

JUVENTUS     82  CL + Champions

MILAN        78  CL

INTER        68  CLQ

UDINESE      60  CLQ/UC

SAMPDORIA    60  CLQ/UC

PALERMO      52  (UC)

MESSINA      47  (IC)

CAGLIARI     43

LIVORNO      43

LAZIO        42

LECCE        42

REGGINA      42

BOLOGNA      41

ROMA         41  UC [Cup]

PARMA        40

SIENA        39

CHIEVO       39

FIORENTINA   38  (R)

BRESCIA      38  (R)

ATALANTA     35  (R)[/code]
Sunday's matches:


Atalanta vs. Roma

Brescia vs. Messina

Cagliari vs. Udinese

Chievo vs. Bologna

Lazio vs. Fiorentina

Livorno vs. Juventus

Parma vs. Siena

Reggina vs. Lecce

Sampdoria vs. Inter


Every match has at least one team playing for something. Telelatino have Livorno vs. Juventus scheduled for a live broadcast and Sampdoria vs. Inter tape-delayed in the afternoon. What are the chances, with Juventus already champions, that they'll change their schedule and show something more interesting, like Atalanta vs. Roma, Chievo vs. Bologna, Lazio vs. Fiorentina or Parma vs. Siena? Yeah, right. [xx(] 



As for the Coppa Italia, it's Roma (3-2 over Udinese in the semifinals) vs. Inter (4-2 over Cagliari in the semifinals) in the final on June 12 and 15.


Roma haven't won the Coppa since 1991 and Inter haven't won it since 1982. In addition, amazingly (and hilariously []) Inter haven't won any trophy at all in 7 years (1998 UEFA Cup). So, especially with both teams underachieving in the league this season, they'll both want the Coppa, however much it is ignored in the earlier stages. (Bleh, I [i]really[/i] don't want to see either of these teams win. [}])


For Roma it was big enough just to get to the final against Inter instead of Cagliari, because this qualifies them for the UEFA Cup next season. (Yet they could still get relegated after going winless in league play in the last 3 months (before that they were in contention for a Champions League spot). [])

[Massive Attack]

Wasn't the Milan-Palermo game pushed up so that Milan could get more rest for the CL final against Liverpool? Apparently one of Palermo's goals was a dubious penalty.

The last 2 weeks should be interesting on the relegation front. It's just so tight that I won't even bother looking at the possibilities until this weekend is over, its just too complicated.

I do hope that Fioreninta gets relegated. They don't deserve to be in Serie A yet, too many favours helped them get up this quickly.

I'm sort of rooting for Atalanta as an underdog. Sure, their chance of safety is slowly slipping away, but they've been playing so well in the 2nd half of the season it would be a shame if it was all for nothing.

Finally, I predict that there will be a relegation playoff (I just won't predict who will be in it). It's too close for their not to be one. We'll have to wait and see.

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by Massive Attack

Wasn't the Milan-Palermo game pushed up so that Milan could get more rest for the CL final against Liverpool?

Yes, that was the reason. When I called the Friday match "unusual" I just meant it was unusual to have a Serie A match on a Friday.

quote:The last 2 weeks should be interesting on the relegation front. It's just so tight that I won't even bother looking at the possibilities until this weekend is over, its just too complicated.

Yes, I haven't considered the possibilities either. Except I know that Lazio will definitely survive by beating Fiorentina tomorrow, while a draw or even a loss might accomplish the same depending on other results.

quote:I do hope that Fioreninta gets relegated. They don't deserve to be in Serie A yet, too many favours helped them get up this quickly.

I agree. I even said that at the beginning of the season, in the first post of this thread. And, of course, I wouldn't mind seeing Roma relegated.

quote:I'm sort of rooting for Atalanta as an underdog. Sure, their chance of safety is slowly slipping away, but they've been playing so well in the 2nd half of the season it would be a shame if it was all for nothing.

Yeah, I've been pulling for them for weeks now. Usually I wouldn't care about these yo-yo (ie. always bouncing between Serie A and northern teams, but their comeback has been wonderful. Except, they really needed a win against Fiorentina last week (0-0 draw). Now they have to win both their games and hope for LOTS of favourable results elsewhere — highly unlikely.

I also don't really want Siena and Chievo relegated since they are small clubs. I feel bad for Parma's financial difficulties so I'd like them to stay up. Can't cheer against the southern teams, so Reggina, Lecce and Cagliari (I consider them southern) get a pass. Livorno haven't spent much time in Serie A recently so they should stay. Bologna I kinda like having around. But Brescia are sort of boring and pointless without Baggio, so they can go down. So, yeah, it's Brescia, Fiorentina and Roma to B. []

But in addition to relegation, the interesting Champions League race is still wide open after Udinese and Sampdoria drew 1-1 in their head-to-head clash last week. I'm pulling for Udinese because they've done so well for most of the last decade but never got a Champions League spot (plus, for whatever reason, they are one northern team that I've always had a soft spot for). Sampdoria have been there before and can wait a little longer to go back.

This is of personal interest only, but I'll mention that further down the pyramid in Serie C1 my father's hometown club AS Sora are entering relegation playouts yet again: a two-leg series against Giulianova to see who gets to stay up and who goes down begins next weekend. Even without getting to see these Serie C1 matches (though highlights are usually available from RAI) or even hear much about them (my Italian isn't good enough to bother struggling through all the articles), it has been thrilling to follow Sora get promoted to C1 a few years ago and then survive every year afterwards (admittedly, last year they were relegated on the field but got to stay up only because of that same shuffling that put Fiorentina in Serie A — hey, it's okay when it benefits your team ). I am actually more interested in catching a Sora match when I eventually visit Italy than a Lazio match. I have a team poster signed by the whole team from a couple of years ago, and another team poster from 10 years ago when Giuliano Giannichedda was on the team before moving to Udinese (hence I've loved having him at Lazio, but rumour is he'll leave this summer — to Inter, of course [xx(]). Forza Sora!

Further down the pyramid, Castel di Sangro have already been relegated to Serie D. I guess that saga is over.

And down in the Abruzzo Prima Categoria (8th division), and just up the road from Castel di Sangro, my mother's hometown club US Pratola Peligna have already survived their relegation playout. [8D] I actually have a jersey of this team. Forza Pratola!

Anyone else follow hometown clubs?

[DJT]

Phew, deep breath...

I didn't bother watching Livorno vs. Juventus. Apparently it was a good, fun game, but what's the point? There was lots of real drama following all the other results on the Web. (Stupid people who chose to show Juve. )

May 22 results:

Atalanta 0-1 Roma

Brescia 2-1 Messina

Cagliari 1-1 Udinese

Chievo 1-0 Bologna

Lazio 1-1 Fiorentina

Livorno 2-2 Juventus

Parma 0-0 Siena

Reggina 2-2 Lecce

Sampdoria 0-1 Inter

Those results clinch a UEFA Cup spot for Palermo, assure survival for Cagliari, Livorno and Roma (geez, one win in three months and they're safe ), and relegate Atalanta.

Updated standings (all teams above the line are safe from relegation; items in brackets are provisional):

JUVENTUS     83  CL + CHAMPIONS

MILAN        78  CL

INTER        71  CLQ

UDINESE      61  CLQ/UC

SAMPDORIA    60  CLQ/UC

PALERMO      52  UC

MESSINA      47  (IC)

CAGLIARI     44

LIVORNO      44

ROMA         44  UC via Coppa Italia

------------------------------------

LAZIO        43

LECCE        43

REGGINA      43

CHIEVO       42

BOLOGNA      41

BRESCIA      41  

PARMA        41

SIENA        40  (R)

FIORENTINA   39  (R)

ATALANTA     35  R[/code]
There are still too many possibilities to calculate all the relegation scenarios. Therefore, just calculate the scenarios for the club you are interested in.


For Lazio alone those calculations are complicated enough. Here's my attempt...


Lazio cannot be relegated directly, only through a playoff. First Chievo, Bologna, Brescia, Parma [i]and[/i] Siena must catch or pass them. Therefore, Lazio must lose while Bologna, Brescia, Parma and Siena must all win and Chievo must win or draw. These results would produce either a 3-way tie, a 4-way tie, a different 4-way tie, or a 5-way tie for the last relegation spot. When this happens I believe the rule is to look at the head-to-head results between the tied teams, then the worst two teams have a two-leg playoff to see who gets relegated. I'm not going to go through all the details, but by my calculations Lazio would finish last in every case (in other words, they sucked against the teams around them in the table — weird!) and hence go to the playoff (their opponents being Chievo in one case, but I'm not sure about the other cases).


But this is unlikely since 6 results have to occur. In other words, I think Lazio are safe. 


Massive Attack, feel free to do your own calculations. It's fun stuff. 

[Massive Attack]

Too many possibilites, DJT, but I think you got them all down for Lazio.

The tv situation isn't that good for the last weekend:

Sunday May 29th, 2005 - 8:55am/et - Udinese vs. Milan

Sunday May 29th, 2005 - 2:30pm/et - Inter vs. Reggina (tape delay)

Brescia-Fiorentina is a direct relegation battle that could have been shown. Lecce-Parma would have been pretty good as well. I wouldn't have minded Palermo-Lazio for personal reasons either.

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by Massive Attack

The tv situation isn't that good for the last weekend:

Sunday May 29th, 2005 - 8:55am/et - Udinese vs. Milan

Sunday May 29th, 2005 - 2:30pm/et - Inter vs. Reggina (tape delay)

Brescia-Fiorentina is a direct relegation battle that could have been shown. Lecce-Parma would have been pretty good as well. I wouldn't have minded Palermo-Lazio for personal reasons either.

Yeah, that TV schedule is crazy. Sure, Udinese are playing for a Champions League spot, and Reggina are relegation-threatened (but only to the same extent as Lazio (ie. that very unlikely combination of results has to happen)). But neither match compares to Brescia vs. Fiorentina.

I'm so disappointed with the coverage we've been getting over the last few weeks. It's even more disappointing to think that this is what the average viewer might actually want to see - "screw the matches at the bottom of the table, we just want the big names at the top even if they aren't playing for anything." [xx(]

And you can't even get these other matches as torrents. MaXxed is SO England-centric.

To add to the weight of Brescia vs. Fiorentina:

quote:From Football Italia

There are worrying reports that Fiorentina supporters are planning a pitch invasion if they are relegated on Sunday – effectively dragging rivals Siena down with them.

The Viola are furious at the refereeing error that cost them precious points in last Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Lazio, as Luciano Zauri should have been sent off and given away a penalty for punching the ball off the line.

Now even a victory against Brescia might not be enough to keep them in the top flight, but angry fans are planning to take the matter into their own hands if the match ends in a draw.

The new zero tolerance policy on crowd trouble will see teams automatically lose a game 3-0 if there is a pitch invasion, even if it is a peaceful one. There are reports coming out of Florence that fans will stage this incident to give Brescia a 3-0 victory – effectively dooming hated rivals Siena to Serie B as well.

Siena will be safe if they manage to beat already relegated Atalanta, but if both ties are heading for a draw then the Viola could leave Serie A with one final act of petulance.

There are other layers to the final round of this season, as Sampdoria have the opportunity to push Bologna into a relegation play-off with a win at the Stadio Dall’Ara. It would be sweet revenge for the Blucerchiati, who were doomed to Serie B in 1999 after an extremely controversial 2-2 draw here.

I don't like the call that wrongly went Lazio's way versus Fiorentina, but so many calls have gone against Lazio that this bothers me less. Plus, hey, Fiorentina shouldn't even be here in the first place.

[Massive Attack]

Decent article from Football Italia on the whole last day situation:

http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/may28d.html

[wherehaveugoneardoperri]

I LOVE THAT UDINESE IS ON TOMORROW MORNING! GONNA CATCH IT AT 9 A.M.AT NEVADA SMITH'S ON THIRD AVENUE IN MANHATTAN....I HOPE THE BIANCONERI CAN DO IT. I'D LOVE TO SEE THE FANS AT FRIULI GO CRAZY (BUT NOT INVADE THE PITCH!!!!)

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by Massive Attack

Decent article from Football Italia on the whole last day situation:

http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/may28d.html

Yes, it's a good one. And their Lazio scenarios are consistent with mine.

Turns out, after complaining that there won't even be torrents of these relegation battles, someone at MaXxed is capping Fiorentina vs. Brescia. I'll most likely want to know all the results ASAP, but if it's a good match I might download it anyway.

This isn't really related, but did you hear that RAI International has been approved by the CRTC and will be launched on June 2, though I believe only on Rogers digital? No other details have been released (including price). I wonder if there will be a free preview period, which would be nice with Italy's match next weekend and the Coppa Italia finals the week after. I certainly wouldn't pay normal multicultural channel prices for just national team and Coppa matches.