‘TGU guest writer, Patrick Graham, studied history in Venice for three months, becoming attached to their local team Venezia FC, recently promoted to Serie B. Whilst there, it struck...
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Graeme Souness’s 98-day disaster as Torino coach
“Graeme Souness, not Ferguson, knocked Liverpool off the top,” former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher once claimed. The defender was of course was responding to the famous comment made by...
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Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication: Tracing the miraculous revival of SPAL
“Nobody thought we could get to this point,” were the words of SPAL coach Leonardo Semplici after his side had confirmed their promotion to Serie A last season. “We...
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Zdeněk Zeman & Pescara: The enduring legacy of the 2011/12 promotion season
The side that won the Serie B 2011-2012 season scored 90 goals in the league, 30 more than the next most prolific team in the division and only five...
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The Ligurian Black Devils: How Virtus Entella went from bankruptcy to Serie B
“Chiavari è una bella cittadina della Riviera Ligure, ricca di storia e tradizione.” This is how the website of Virtus Entella S.r.l. describes its home of Chiavari; a...
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Tales from the Peninsula: Pisa will not bend – Ultras, protests & injustice in Tuscany
The message from the protesting fans is clear: ‘Pisa will not bend’ It is Thursday, 2 February 2017, and I am making a familiar journey to Tuscany to take...
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The Derby del Veneto: Verona vs. Vicenza, one of Italy’s forgotten rivalries
On a Friday night back in April, Davide Di Gennaro calmly dispatched a 92nd minute penalty to earn Vicenza a 1-0 victory away to Cittadella. The travelling Vicentini erupted....
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What’s gone wrong at Brescia?
Brescia is situated at the foot of the Alps in the Lombardy region, and has had a football team representing the city since 1911. Brescia Calcio enjoyed its most...
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Carpi FC 1909: Yes Claudio Lotito, they do exist
Football outside of the top flight is usually where you can find some real ‘diehard’ supporters, the supporters who follow their club through thick and thin, and more often...
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