Foggia

Anyone of my age group may remember Serie A highlights on RTE on Monday night and so the club name Foggia will resonate with you in some way as one of the lesser sides in the League but a Serie A side nonetheless.

I don't particularly care for Foggia. What I do care for is fervent and loyal support. Foggia's fall from grace has been quite dramatic. I haven't read anything in advance of posting this other than the weekly updates I get from a friend Ndosang 1920, a very very passionate Foggia fan living here in England.

Our conversations some 6 months ago were not dissimilar to me as a Finn Harps fan. A decline, dwindling support and dreams and expectations of a return to former glories. Ok so Finn Harps are one division below the top tier. Foggia are in Serie D. 6 months ago they were in 6th. And 6th they would finish so far cut adrift as they were. Well some 15 games later they are undefeated and are now in the Play Off's. Something of a remarkable end of season. I fact in their last game, a play off game, it went to extra time and the opposition Maserata (Spelling/actual club name check required) ended the game with 6 players. Ndosang 1920 has promised me the link to the game. I will post it.

Worth casting an eye toward them at the minute. The long road to return. The stories Ndosang has told me about fans banned from travelling, the grounds they now play at.

Next up it's the next play off game on Wednesday. Their opposition only need a draw. Anything in this game is possible as we all know.

I don't know if you are of my vintage but Foggia definitely resonate with me like Cremonese et al.

Surely 6 players is too few and the game should have been abandoned and awarded to Foggia 3-0?

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Originally Posted by BonnieShels

I don't know if you are of my vintage but Foggia definitely resonate with me like Cremonese et al.

Surely 6 players is too few and the game should have been abandoned and awarded to Foggia 3-0?

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Yes we are sir but I had a much kinder paper round. I'll update this story later. It's amazing. Vincenzo read this last night and took to texting me in true Italian passion and style with message after message filled with exclamation marks.

He corrected me on the opposition. Yes I believe a 3-0 was awarded and the opposition were GLADIATOR!!!! Yes Gladiator. Ya couldn't make it up
. Forget Termonbarry. Gladiator is the team we need to adopt around these world football parts.

Here they are....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.S.D._S.F._Gladiator

Gladiator Termonbarry are small-time. The only thing they've got going for them are fantastic burgers for sale from that stall in front of the Xano stand.

Home Farm Accrington Stanley Termonbarry are where it's at these days.

What about Go Ahead Eagles?

I remember Foggia well and even had a little soft spot for them when Italian Football was on RTÉ on Monday nights. Their most notable player (i.e. the one I associate with them most) was the Russian Igor Kolyvanov. I remember at one stage the Milan goalkeeper, Rossi, was on course for the record amount of Serie A minutes without conceding a goal. Kolyvanov popped up with a goal just minutes before the record would have been broken. If I'm not mistaken, Rossi actually broke the record later on the same season in the return against Foggia, and Kolyvanov scored again a short time after the record was broken.

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Originally Posted by Mad Moose

Anyone of my age group may remember Serie A highlights on RTE on Monday night and so the club name Foggia will resonate with you in some way as one of the lesser sides in the League but a Serie A side nonetheless.

I don't particularly care for Foggia. What I do care for is fervent and loyal support. Foggia's fall from grace has been quite dramatic. I haven't read anything in advance of posting this other than the weekly updates I get from a friend Signor Totta, a very very passionate Foggia fan living here in England.

Our conversations some 6 months ago were not dissimilar to me as a Finn Harps fan. A decline, dwindling support and dreams and expectations of a return to former glories. Ok so Finn Harps are one division below the top tier. Foggia are in Serie D. 6 months ago they were in 6th. And 6th they would finish so far cut adrift as they were. Well some 15 games later they are undefeated and are now in the Play Off's. Something of a remarkable end of season. I fact in their last game, a play off game, it went to extra time and the opposition Maserata (Spelling/actual club name check required) ended the game with 6 players. Signor Totta has promised me the link to the game. I will post it.

Worth casting an eye toward them at the minute. The long road to return. The stories Vincenzo has told me about fans banned from travelling, the grounds they now play at.

Next up it's the next play off game on Wednesday. Their opposition only need a draw. Anything in this game is possible as we all know.

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Funny it was Cremonese that beat them in te 2007/2008 Serie C play-off.

Reading the Wiki page I completely forgot some of the savage players they had.

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The team gained nationwide popularity as U.S. Foggia in the 1990s when coached by Zdeněk Zeman because of its attacking, spectacular style of play, which brought Foggia continuously on the verge of UEFA Cup qualification, launching several players who later broke through at international level such as Giuseppe Signori, Francesco Baiano, Brian Roy, Igor Kolyvanov, Igor Shalimov, Roberto Rambaudi and Dan Petrescu.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.C.D._Foggia_Calcio

I have a feeling Vincenzo will cry when he reads through this and I suspect he will join the site. Great guy. He has sent me links as well to catch up on life in Serie D so here we go.

www.livestream.com/mitico_channel

He'll send me the link for tomorrow's game which I do intend on seeing. It's against Matera. It will be played behind closed doors on a neutral field. There were some fine players listed there in that Foggia side. As for the Official Foot.ie World Football Team.... It's Gladiator. No questions. It's decided.

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Bryan Roy - Forest legend :) I remember him getting a great goal at Portman Road (on his debut?) and doing little else after that, could be wrong though.

Don't think Signori and Shalimov were there long before they headed off to Lazio and Inter.

Can't remember Petrescu being there, quality player.

Ah, Foggia & Cremonese, remember those days along with Vicenza, Piacenza, Salernitana, Perugia, Verona, Reggiana, Padova

Just thinking there, since Serie A went to 20 teams and 3 relegated, it sort of has gone down in quality, I thought 4 teams to go down in an 18 team was a great idea, makes the whole season more competitive.

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Originally Posted by TheBoss

Ah, Foggia & Cremonese, remember those days along with Vicenza, Piacenza, Salernitana, Perugia, Verona, Reggiana, Padova

Just thinking there, since Serie A went to 20 teams and 3 relegated, it sort of has gone down in quality, I thought 4 teams to go down in an 18 team was a great idea, makes the whole season more competitive.

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I used to love Piacenza and Vicenza and Venezia playing each other and then of course Reggina and Reggiana!

Vicenza were savage at home I remember. They had a fairly prolific striker who's name escapes me? They lost the Cup Winner's Cup semi final to Chelsea in 1998. Chelsea could become the first British team to win all the Eurpoean trophies tomorrow night actually. A nice little thing to have I suppose considering they had only one of the three this time last year (not including the European Super Cup which they have also won). Hopefully Benfica beat them though but they're on a bit of a downer after the weekend.

Ancona were another one of those side who had a spell in Serie A. I remember 'Shoot' magazine doing a weekly profile on each of the Serie A teams. I missed the first week which was Ancona (done alphabetically). I wanted to collect them all and I eventually plagued my friend into given me the Ancona cut-out I had missed.

My love for Parma began while watching Gianfranco Zola on Monday nights then they sold him to Chelsea, never liked them since... :mad:

I've had a soft spot for Foggia since some season (in the 90s when it was on TV I assume) when they seemed to be involved in 4-4 draws or 5-3 wins every second week.

Ok Foggia update. Massive massive play off game tomorrow at 2pm Irish time. Available to view on www.livestream.com/mitico_channel News this evening. The game tomorrow I revealed earlier was due to be played behind closed doors and at a neutral venue. In fact Foggia travelled today. They arrived to find the game has returned to Matera and will not be held behind closed doors. Matera is about 200km from Foggia.

Not sure if Foggia fans can now travel but if they can they will travel in numbers and will almost certainly outnumber Matera support. I wont see the game at 2pm but will tune in later and watch it later.

I got an update on the game v Gladiator. Gladiator were undefeated in 14 months at home. They finished the game with 6 outfield players and the keeper and Foggia were awarded a 3-0 win. Apparently if you hit the link above you can find tis game and watch it back.

I've informed Ndosang (Translates as 'In the Blood' ) of foot.ie's adoption of Gladiator as our World Football side. He's not happy. Lots of gesticulating, shouting 'merd' 'merd'......

Bouno fortuna Foggia.

The adoption of Gladiator will not occur until the foot.ie board of random shoite meet.

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Originally Posted by BonnieShels

The adoption of Gladiator will not occur until the foot.ie board of random shoite meet.

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In my absence can you push the case for Gladiator. Frigging great name. My Italian friend sees no humour in the name. He hates them for kicking his team off the pitch in the last game. And can you blame him. Most of us however move past that and would just find great amusement again in the name.

I remember Foggia too from those Monday night shows. Shalimov was an exciting player to watch, and the bald guy for Sampdoria, Lobmardo maybe ?

And was it Lecce who kicked a lot of shins one season on their way to relegation?

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Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

I remember Foggia too from those Monday night shows. Shalimov was an exciting player to watch, and the bald guy for Sampdoria, Lobmardo maybe ?

And was it Lecce who kicked a lot of shins one season on their way to relegation?

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Attilio Lombardo. He was a coach under Mancini at Man Citeh. Left with Roberto last week.

Remember him turning out for Crystal Palace in the 90s; kind of stood out cos there aren't that many bald footballers. And cos he went from Juve to Palace.

Also had a soft spot for Foggia back in the day. Think they came close to ending Milan's unbeaten run back in the day (the season after Milan's unbeaten season)

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Think they came close to ending Milan's unbeaten run back in the day (the season after Milan's unbeaten season)

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Milan were unbeaten in 1991-92. Foggia lost 1-0 at the San Siro in the opening game of the next season and drew the reverse 2-2 while Milan were still on the unbeaten run. I presume it's the latter that you remember although it was Foggia who equalised in the 79th minute.

Could be. Maybe it was just the case that they put it up to Milan that I liked.

While googling, I came across this mad game in the same season actually -



3-2 to Pescara after 15 minutes, including two own goals from Baresi! 4-4 at half time; ended 5-4. Milan also beat Fiorentina 7-3, Lazio 5-3 and yet still didn't manage two goals a game over the season.

Does anyone remember the time a ref gave a yellow card to a defender for slow play?

Lombardo for Sampa was some player - had lost his hair by the age of 24!

Torino were also a decent outfit back then, faded since then

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Originally Posted by DeLorean

Milan were unbeaten in 1991-92. Foggia lost 1-0 at the San Siro in the opening game of the next season and drew the reverse 2-2 while Milan were still on the unbeaten run. I presume it's the latter that you remember although it was Foggia who equalised in the 79th minute.

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Probably the last game of the unbeaten season when Foggia were 2-1 up at half-time. And then...

Only thing I remember about Foggia is that Signori used to play for them and they got hammered on the last day of the season for 2 seasons in a row . ;)

Well now then for a Foggia update. My esteemed friend, when I can get him to calm the f*** down and speak slowly spoke so little about the Matera-Foggia play off game I assumed, correctly, they were beaten. And they were and so the promotion bit ended. Brave brave end of season with an incredible bid for promotion. I didn't see the game as it took ages to go up online after the game but I did see the Gladiator - Foggia play off with about 5 sendings off. It was an incredible game.

The good news for Foggia is bizarrely some 6 teams in the division above have folded (Any LoI fan here will understand this turbulence and murkiness) and if Foggia can come up with a million pound ( I think the figure was around 800,000) they can get promoted to the division above. As far as I know that division is below Serie B and has some 60 teams involved.

On the sad note Gladiator may have reached a sad end. It appears they may also be folding. What a name and what a team.

This thread warms my cockles. I never had any grá for British football growing up, it was all Italian and Argentinian football, thanks to a combination of Screensport, Gazzetta and Championship Manager Italia.
Parma were my team from when they were promoted, I loved their colours, their tiny little stadium, and subsequently their football. My best mate was, and still is, a Milan nut. That era really was a golden era in football, and even some of the gash teams evoke a certain nostalgia: Cremonese with their grey and red striped jerseys in their ****ty little plastic pitch ground, Reggiana with their wine shirts and the ParmaReggianaCremona tri-derby; Lecce for their canary shirts and the fact their stadium was full of loons because of the unusual camera angles. Perugia for the mad chairman Gauchi (sp?) and the even crazier manager with the baseball hat, bald heat and little smeg. Padova due to Alexi Lalas;
Foggia I remember for two reasons: Zeman, and the 8-4 reverse to Milan.

The high scorer you're mentioning doesn't ring any bells, but Dario Hubner was a goal machine for a rake of the weaker clubs from the mid-90's onwards.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Remember him turning out for Crystal Palace in the 90s; kind of stood out cos there aren't that many bald footballers. And cos he went from Juve to Palace.

Also had a soft spot for Foggia back in the day. Think they came close to ending Milan's unbeaten run back in the day (the season after Milan's unbeaten season)

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He became player-manager at Palace for half a season in the Premier League. That's despite the fact he couldn't speak English! Another ex-Serie A player, Tomas Brolin, had to act as translator for him!!

Unsurprisingly Palace went down that season.

I just remember Foggia for all their high-scoring matches - I didn't realise Zemen was manager but it makes total sense. The worst thing Roma did this season was to sack him - they'd have at least qualified for Europe if he'd stayed for the season.