Lost in Liguria...

Sampdoria 0-1 AC Milan
Serie A
Friday 16th September 2016

Anyone who knows me well enough will be aware that I'm half-decent at speaking Italian; not fluent by any means, but not bad either...

I've been all over the country - spending the most time in the northern regions such as Piedemont, Lombardy or Tuscany, but also occasionally enjoying visits to Rome which becomes a more eye-opening experience on every visit.

However, for this blog post I'm in the region of 'Liguria' on the north-west coast and within a couple of hours drive of the French border. Specifically, at Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa which will be recognisable to many folk of a certain age as it was used in Italia '90.

Probably like many others, my fascination with Italian football/culture stems from Saturday mornings in the 1990s spent watching Channel Four and a balding bloke with a series of newspapers usually in a restaurant somewhere. Highlights of different games were intermittent and the programme in question was, of course, Football Italia.

Hosted by James Richardson, the series lasted a decade and began in the aftermath of the 1990 World Cup when Luciano Pavarotti's vocals, Gazza's Tears and England's performances won the hearts of people in the UK. It was broadcast in an era when Italian clubs were very much the all-conquering dominant force, the world's best players went to Serie A and there was a genuine appetite for foreign football. This was largely because the wall-to-wall three-games-a-day type-coverage which you see nowadays simply didn't exist, coupled with the effects of the five-year ban on English clubs from competing in European competitions.

Like everything, the show 'ran it's course' over time as the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League (both of which were formed in the early 1990s) grew in both strength and commercial appeal, and satellite broadcasters started to screen more live football.

Eventually, Football Italia ceased in 2003, though it still created great memories - it's hard to forget Alessandro Del Piero ripping to shreds some unlucky full-back at Perugia or his strike-partner Filippo Inzaghi being flagged offside for the 17th time against Bologna!

Or, obviously, James Richardson enjoying spaghetti for the eighth successive week in some plush city centre 'restaurant with a view' in Rome with sixty mope-heads per minute flying past!

If you grew up in the 'Football Italia' and watched the show, it's hard not to have been left with an impression - and even harder to resist the temptation to just throw caution to the wind and live the good life for yourself.

I'd arrived in Genoa by road (including a crossing on the Morandi Bridge which collapsed around two years later - tragically killing 43 people) after a week of much-travelling/sightseeing on the continent and the game I picked couldn't be more nostalgic.

The hosts were Sampdoria, where David Platt enjoyed a spell during his playing days, whilst the opposition came in the shape of AC Milan. Both clubs had much success during the 'golden era' - Sampdoria in reaching the 1992 European Cup Final whilst the Rossoneri were frequently successful in all competitions.

However, fast-forward to 2016 and times were vastly different with current superstars having long since 'looked elsewhere' to get the maximum from their careers.

Tickets weren't difficult to purchase and were done in advance. Juventus aside, which sometimes requires a bit of luck in being able to purchase tickets, usually it's not difficult to get tickets for most games in Serie A (even for big derbies) as attendances are comparable to the second tier in England. You just have to remember to take your passport/identification to the game as this is compulsory.

Genoa is a lovely city with plenty to see, do and explore and pretty much everything is within walking radius. The one major thing to expect, for anyone that's never been previously, is several steep inclines - both on major roads and obscure side-streets which means A LOT of steps so it won't be long until you're blowing out your backside.

A late-summer heatwave didn't help my cause (or budget - as deodorant cans are generally expensive in Italy) but I was still determined to enjoy every bit of my time here.

As numerous hills overlook Stadio Luigi Ferraris, I enjoyed some glorious views on my route to the ground from my accommodation which was generally a downhill walk. Nevertheless, I do remember having quite a few fleeting thoughts with regards to the 'uphill' walk later on which, albeit in 'cooler' conditions, I knew would be tough.

Just seriously don't underestimate the amount of steps in this city!

The stadium itself is iconic, albeit council-owned and neglected, therefore it's quite worn out in some places, quite dusty, and the stands share similarities to a multi-story car park. It's comparable to a concrete version of Preston North End's Deepdale - albeit with a larger capacity but with less 'glitz and glamour' surrounding it.

As for the game, Sampdoria (who'd got off to a good start) dominated and put in quite a decent performance - minus the finishing from the front players. They created plenty of chances, moved the ball better and should have won, but instead were undone thanks to a late Carlos Bacca goal - assisted by Suso (who once upon a time I thought would be the next 'big thing' at Liverpool).

The final whistle prompted some of the funniest abusive language/behaviour that I've ever witnessed as practically every Sampdoria fan individually stopped on their way to the exit and either made rude hand gestures or screamed 'BASTARDO' or 'BASTARDI' at the away fans who were in a segregated corner quite nearby, before continuing down the steps towards the exit. It was comedy of a different kind that you just don't get in the UK.

The following couple of days were spent exploring and enjoying Genoa whilst trying to decipher the routes to everywhere which had as few steps as possible.