May 2012
3 posts
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Shit just got real
Apologies for the vulgarity of the title to this post – it is actually a quote, from at least two films and every other, Americanized parody out there. But still…
The “shit” in this instance is the Lega Pro playoffs, of which Pro Vercelli’s place was confirmed with my last entry. Who they play was only confirmed last week, after the final round of matches: Taranto.
The got real part – well,...
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April 2012
2 posts
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Sorrento
I’ve done something that goes against what I believe in.
I have placed a bet on the outcome of a result - and in doing so, have bet against the team I want to win.
OK - so my attachment to Pro Vercelli is, as you will have read through the site, one that has only flourished this term. But it’s still an act of an unholy (if that is your persuasion) nature.
Betting against...
March 2012
5 posts
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CAZZO!!!
Mi dispiace ma – if you’re going to learn a language, you sometimes have to understand the fruitier components, the insults; the swear words – to be able to fully express yourself.
So Pro Vercelli lose, on the road, in the south. It’s hardly breaking news, but it is a jolt to the expectation – the way the club have performed of late.
The preview piece called it on Monday. Avellino are only...
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Taranto
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt said that. I’m not sure the 32nd President of the United States had a trip to Taranto in mind whilst composing the speech that line is lifted from, but there is much to be gained from Pro Vercelli adopting his mentality.
Taranto are a southern club. They are the southernmost club in Girone A – based on the inside of the heel...
February 2012
4 posts
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Neve say neve again!
OK – so the title doesn’t really scan, but you get the point.
20 days without football due to snow – less than a month after the League’s official winter break. So that’s best part of a month and a half of the ‘season’ lost to planning and the weather. And some want to bring this idea in to the English game?
The most bonkers element of it all is that Avellino , Pro’s would be opponents, is...
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January 2012
2 posts
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December 2011
4 posts
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Rigori
I painfully learnt three new words last night.
When I say painfully, I am being – of course – overly dramatic. But then that is what sport, particularly football, can do to a person. Don’t study at RADA for however many years it takes to become an acceptable actor – simply put your all in to a season of watching a particular football team. Then you’ll know how to act:
“Three Points, Three...
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Amici
I have a two year old daughter. My daughter only has friends; no enemies.
Her friends range from the people she goes to nursery with, our dog – to the characters on the cartoons she watches.
Things won’t always be that way for her. She’ll soon fall out with someone over a crayon, an outfit – a boyfriend; hers, or her friends. Until then, it’s great to see how she just likes and gets on with...
November 2011
10 posts
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Cucina Povera
You won’t often see the name Cucina Povera on a menu in Italy.
It’s not that the kitchen or food of the poor is something to be embarrassed about. More so that what was once a means to an end – the use of pulses, beans and vegetables to “beef” up a meal without the use of meat, has effortlessly transcended the gap between farmyard and restaurant menu - so that it is now commonplace amongst the...
Pro Patria
If you can remember back to the opening posts of this blog - you will know there was a point when I near enough tossed a coin to decide whether I should follow Pro Vercelli or their one time, league rivals, Pro Patria.
The deciding factor came down to the kit Pro Patria wear. As a relative of a number of QPR fans - I simply couldn’t bring myself to support a club that plays in a similar...
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il corso inferiore
It’s easy to be disparaging.
To look down your nose and bemoan about the quality, the atmosphere or the class – but in terms of an experience, it’s one that I have to admit to actually enjoying.
I’m not sure if it’s the ability to stand, the fact I can drink a pint in the “stands”, or that I can almost engage with the players on the pitch – either way, as a rare treat, it feels good to watch...
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October 2011
4 posts
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Pessimistico
I could have predicted this weekend’s result. Even with only a quarter of a season as a Pro Vercelli follower behind me.
In fact, I think I did near enough suggest what the result might be in the final paragraph of my previous piece. Could there have been any other result as Foligno, rooted to the bottom of the league with only one draw from 10 games – travelled to Vercelli; the side “destined”...
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Scrivi quando stiamo vincendo
That’s what we second team fans tend to do.
Imagine the amount of blogs that will remain unwritten, thanks to Manchester City’s demolizione (demolition) of their near rivals, United. Fans who spent Sabato pomeriggio (Saturday afternoon) wishing for a United win, so they had something positivo (positive) to write about – as they watched their first team lose out.
Well it’s no different in the...
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Lo Stemma
I like a badge.
As a kid I would collect badges of my favourite bands; wearing them with pride - albeit hidden under the lapels of my school blazer. Turning them over when talk got to musica (music) - with someone who didn’t know what bands you were in to.
I also like the idea that I play a sport - yes Lawn Bowls is a sport - where the biggest reward the average bowler can hope for comes in...
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Scuse
Scuse (apologies) for the break in posts - I’ve been on vacanza (holiday); somewhere modern technology (mobile coverage, the internet, the 1990s) is seen as the work of the diavolo (devil), rather than a daily necessity.
I’ve also had a slight mental break from my plans for world domi… err, I mean, learning Italian.
I hit a bit of a wall the other week when I found out that I couldn’t do a...
September 2011
5 posts
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Foggia
There is a difficoltà (difficulty) with this blog in knowing exactly what angle to take with each post.
Clearly the basis is in the development of my Italian lingua (language) skills, which is directly linked to my continued – albeit – limited understanding of Lega Pro and Pro Vercelli.
The difficulty comes with trying to show how quickly, if at all, those language skills are developing. For I...
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gia visto
I’m currently clearing out the sala da pranzo (dining room) at mia casa (home) in anticipation of costruttori (builders) arriving to knock through and create a bigger cucina (kitchen).
In doing so I have found a number of CDs and libri (books) all belonging to the same theme – that of imparare italiano (learn Italian) – or whatever a better translation of teach yourself might be.
It’s not quite...
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Romanticismo
If you are looking for a word to describe the relationship fans have with their football clubs - or which readers have with the written words used to describe the highs and lows associated with the beautiful game - then you would be wise to look no further than, romance.
Football may have changed over the years in terms of the money involved and the attitude of those that both run and play the...
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Como
There must be a time in every experiment where the chief protagonist stops and wonders if what they are doing is for the best.
As if they find themselves, but for the grace of a decimal point, a miscalculation or a followed hunch, ignoring a path that might have seemed wholly plausible when they first started out.
I knew as soon as the Prima Divisione Girone A (Lega Pro First Division Group A)...
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Augusto glossario
Pro Vercelli finished the preliminary group stages of the Coppa Italia Lega Pro with a 1-1 draw against Montichiari; a result that was enough to see Pro finish top of their group.
I won’t be dedicating a full post to the game, as – well, to be honest, there’s very little information to be had on Montichiari as a town - even less if you want it in English. It is part of the province of...
August 2011
12 posts
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Cavo
I knew this day would come, but I didn’t expect it to be so early in the season.
A day when my main team, Tottenham Hotspur, were so outclassed by a main rival, that there would be the temptation to almost forget the result as I checked on the fortunes of Pro Vercelli.
This is going to be a fairly language light post. I did ask @Adz77 what the best translation for ‘gutted’ would be in Italian...
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Monza
Monza is a city to the north of Milan. The two cities were linked by Italy’s second ever train line.
As a name it is better known for its links to Formula Uno (One) – with the Italian Grand Prix taking place at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on the outskirts of the city. Monza is the home to the Tifosi (fans) of the Ferrari motor racing team.
Even though motor racing may be the main sporting draw,...
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Una sola parola
Abbattuto, onesto, realistico.
Just some of the Italian words a person might use to describe the view football fans tend to have of their club’s chances each season. For football fans, even those of championship winning sides, will still approach a new campaign in a tentative manner – where they try not to sound too upbeat, just incase someone chooses to remind them of their foolish, August...
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caffe e calcio
As I touched on in my introductory post, most of the Italian words I use on a day to day basis, stem from the art of drawing water through coffee grounds – to produce liquid gold.
I didn’t touch coffee until shortly before I got married. My mum doesn’t drink hot drinks, and therefore neither did I. But then, when replacing one dominant female figure with another – I found myself...
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Un incubo selezione - Parte quarta
And so, finally, to stage six – there shall be only one.
There was to be no more themes. Even I was beginning to think I had exhausted every possible angle. I was even starting to worry – or at least consider – that I had made my mind up long ago.
Or had I. There was still two clubs that had swapped places a couple of times throughout the myriad of spreadsheets I had now discarded. Both seemed to...
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Un incubo selezione - Parte seconda
Stage Three was slightly pre-meditated in that I knew I wanted to get down to 10 clubs. There was no points cut off, simply numbers left standing. I added four new themes at this stage: access through the media, historical success, current club status and a wildcard.
Access through the media was an obvious requirement. If you are going to follow a team from a distance, you need to be able to...
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Un incubo selezione - Parte prima
Having introduced you to the why, and the premise of how - over the next four posts I will run you through the reasons why a number of clubs progressed through the selection process, yet others fell at a particular stage – before finally introducing you to my raw selection data. It is at that point where you might begin to question both my desire, and my sanity to get this project off the...
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Come scegliere una squadra di calcio
OK.
So you know the reason behind this blog, but then how do I really intend to make it work?
Reading, watching and listening to people talk about calico is all well and good, but to really understand – you have to have some kind of hook; a reason to want to keep coming back for more. More than just the language – what you really need is a club to follow; otherwise it’s nothing more than simply...