From Verona in Italy, Richard Hough launches “Notes from Verona”, a new Italian football column that charts the highs and lows of following his local team. To kick-start the new column Richard considers the big changes in the Italian game he’s witnessed since 2011.
In an increasingly crowded field, the Gentleman Ultra is one of the longest-running and most-respected brands covering Italian football. For writers who share the same broad outlook and interest in the Italian game, it offers a space to express yourself and reach a wider audience.
In fact, it was the Gentleman Ultra that gave me my first platform when few others seemed interested in regular updates from an unfashionable provincial football club languishing at the bottom of the table (I can’t imagine why).
But for its legion of loyal followers (nearly 11,000 on the social media platform previously known as Twitter), the Gentleman Ultra remains a byword for quality content with a hefty side order of Italian style and nostalgia.
So, when Rich Hall, the undisputed Godfather of the Gentleman Ultra, called with an offer, it was one that I just couldn’t refuse.
This column is the upshot of those conversations with Rich. The first in what I hope will be a regular monthly column for the Gentleman Ultra, offering an insight into life in Italy following the fortunes of that aforementioned provincial club, all whipped up with a healthy dose of nostalgia.
But nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. For the really good stuff, you have to go back nearly forty years now, and that’s not even nostalgia, that’s ancient history!
So instead of harking back to the glory days of the 1980s (the 1984/85 season stands out for some reason), in this first comeback appearance, I thought I’d reflect on how the Italian game has changed in the relatively short time I’ve been here.
New beginnings in Italy
I moved to Verona in September 2011. It was the fag-end of the Berlusconi-era (on and off the pitch) and the most common response I encountered from locals when I told them I’d permanently relocated to Italy was complete disbelief.
Why would anyone choose to leave a prosperous, well-governed, politically stable, land of opportunity (the UK in case you are wondering) in favour of Italy – which (in case we forget) was an economic basket case whose prime minister was a global laughing stock.
How the tables have turned!
As the 2011/12 season (my first in Italy) got under way, Milan were reigning champions. It was their first Scudetto since 2004, ending Inter’s run of five successive Serie A titles.
The rossoneri, at that point, were managed by an up and coming young coach named Massimiliano Allegri (whatever happened to him?). It was his first ‘big’ job since impressing with a spell at an ambitious Serie C1 side called Sassuolo (whatever happened to them?), followed by his first stint in Serie A with a struggling Cagliari. In fact, he won the 2008 Panchina d’Oro (Golden bench award for best Serie A football manager) with Cagliari, beating a certain José Mourinho, who had just won the title with Inter!
Berlusconi on the brink
On the field, Milan were reigning champions. Off the field, 2011 was a turbulent time for the club’s controversial president as it also coincided with the fall of the fourth Berlusconi government, marking the beginning of his (extremely long) terminal decline after 17 years of political dominance.
Berlusconi’s resignation came just a few days after the fall of Prime Minister Papandreou in Greece, and the whole of southern Europe seemed on the brink of economic catastrophe.
On the night of Berlusconi’s resignation, an “impromptu” choir gathered outside the presidential palace to play the “Hallelujah” chorus from Handel’s “Messiah”, while hundreds of spectators joined them, shouting “buffoon” and “go home”.
It was against this backdrop of political and economic turmoil that I began my new life in Italy.
Berlusconi was undoubtedly a polarizing figure.
His unscrupulous approach to governance and public life is a legacy that has taken Italy many years to recover from.
In footballing terms, his legacy is equally contested, but having brought unprecedented success to both Milan and Monza, few can doubt his impact.
The Milan giants in decline
The fall of the Berlusconi government in 2011 coincided with the end of Milan’s dominance as a footballing city, as power in the Italian game shifted emphatically westwards, to Torino to be more precise.
In fact, I’d have to wait ten years for a team other than Juventus to lift the Scudetto.
In May 2021, Internazionale were confirmed as champions for the first time in over ten years, finally bringing Juventus’ record-breaking run of nine consecutive titles to an end.
So, one of the major hallmarks of Serie A during my time in Italy has been the suffocating dominance of La Vecchia Signora.
Thankfully that era is now over and, with the re-emergence of the Milan giants, Napoli winning their first Serie-A title in 33-years, and the repositioning of Lazio, Roma and Atalanta as consistent forces in Italian football, superficially at least, Serie A would appear to be in good health.
At the top of the table, the picture is much more balanced now than it has been at any other point during my time in Italy, with at least four (possibly as many as six) genuine title contenders. And that can only be good for the Italian game. It is also far more reflective of that golden 1980s era when no fewer than six different clubs won the Serie A title.
Verona: survival and stability
Of course, as a long-suffering Hellas Verona season ticket holder, I’m rarely concerned with events at the top of the table.
Instead, the thirteen years I’ve been here has seen Hellas shift regularly between Serie A and Serie B (though thankfully no lower). In fact, Hellas played in Serie B the first two seasons I lived in Verona, and then again in the 2016/17 and 2018/19 campaigns.
More recently, things in Verona have stabilised. Inspired by Ivan Juric-led revival, Hellas are currently enjoying an unprecedented fifth consecutive season in the top-flight. But, despite a surprisingly chirpy start to the current campaign, survival remains the overriding objective.
Indeed, it is the near-constant cycle of relegation, playoff and promotion that makes Hellas Verona such a compelling team to follow.
Value for money
Turning to economics, an unavoidable topic in this era of price inflation and cost of living crisis, I’m delighted to report that the price of my current season ticket (€250) is €100 less than the first one I acquired back in the 2014-15 season. I guess we’ll have to call that the Luca Toni premium! The big man scored 23 goals for Hellas Verona that season, finishing joint Capocannonieri with Inter’s Mauro Icardi, so it was surely the best €350 I ever spent!
More generally, data confirms that Serie A continues to represent decent value for money from a fans’ perspective, certainly when compared to the eye-watering ticket prices associated with the English Premier League. Indeed, few fans I know crave the polished corporate experience available elsewhere, though the chronic lack of investment in Italian stadiums remains a serious source of concern to anyone with an interest in the Italian game.
Gli Azzurri – A Generation Misses Out On World Cup Joy
A final observation on the national team before blowing the whistle on this debut column appearance.
My formative World Cups were in 1986 and 1990 (I was nine and thirteen years old respectively). These were era-defining events (especially Italia 90), forever etched on my memory (though following Scotland could often be a harrowing experience). With Italy’s failure to qualify for each of the last two World Cups, it pains me that my kids have never experienced the unique thrill of following their national team at a World Cup. Of course, winning the Euros is a small consolation, but to grow up without seeing Italy play on the biggest stage must surely be some kind of breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child!
A crazy faith
A few years ago, I interviewed Tim Parks (author of A Season with Verona) for an article in the short-running Hellas Verona fanzine, The Crazy Faithful (hang on to your copy if you’ve still got one – these are a genuine collector’s item!). On that occasion he offered the profound observation that football was there for you when you needed it. I’ve certainly found that to be the case (and still do).
I’ve had some truly wonderful times following Hellas Verona, often with one or other of my kids at my side. I’ve also made many enduring friendships, not just here in Verona, but with people from far and wide who follow Italian football with the same values and enthusiasm that I do.
So, with this new column for the Gentleman Ultra, I look forward to sharing a few of the highs and lows of supporting my local team here in Verona. I might even making a few new friends along the way!