Just so’s you know I’m still alive innit. Been having a lot of life changes lately, no time for blogging. But I’m still about and I’m still buying stuff. Here’s a very funny tea mug from those top boys at Casual Connoisseur. Tea tastes great in this you melts.
I’ve still got my season ticket for Falmer, and I’m kind of glad we didn’t go up a division with Poyet still in charge, the muggy cunt. Should be blogging proper again soon, ciao ragazzi.
Regular readers of this blog will know I’ve a bit of a ‘thing’ for Italy and Italian culture. The Boot inspires me foodwise, clothingwise, and of course I love their football too. One of the most fascinating aspects, and certainly least documented in the UK, is Italian youth culture, and the most enigmatic period of all – the 1980s and the Paninari.
During the height of what we brits now call Thatcherism – young urban and suburban Italians were discovering Americana, hedonism and high fashion. Starting out in a burger joint in Milan early in the decade, the Paninaro phenomenon spread to the rest of Italy and beyond, and eventually found its looks replicated on the football terraces of Merrie Olde Englande in the late 1980s.
When I was in Genoa and Turin lately, I tried tracking down the eponymous Bible of the original Paninari, ‘Paninaro’. My pidgin Italian didn’t cut it at all the independent bookstores and stalls I sought out there. So, I had to turn to that love/hate internet phenomenon – good old eBay – to find some satisfaction.
For a few Euros I picked up some original and dog-eared copies of ‘Paninaro’, direct from sellers in Italy. Flicking through these is like looking at a postcard from youthful continental holidays in my schooldays. Tanned, young and happy people, dressed to the nines in Moncler, Timberland, Best Company, and Stone Island. The 1980s were the best ten years in the history of the world, and I miss them now, I really do. Enjoy these scanned pages, their like will not be seen again anytime soon. Ciao ragazzi.
The River Po
Well, I’m back to work again, just as the Albion have hit form again; Derby was my last live game until April. Here’s the best of the rest of my photos from Turin, as promised. I’ll be pretty quiet on here until April, and then it’s seeing the end of the Championship season in, and another game over in Italy, Sampdoria v Fiorentina. I fancy Albion to sneak the last play-off place, and Samp to stay in Serie A now they have master tactician and player puncher Delio Rossi in charge. Cheers.
The Basilica di Superga, the site of the Grande Torino air disaster in 1949
A shady cove on the banks of the Po
The memorial to Il Grande Torino on the back wall of the Superga Basilica, a very poignant place
Il Grande Torino
Great views from Superga
Result of the shopping in Turin, a nice bit of shiny Moncler, the stylish Torinese are mostly covered in this stuff at this time of year.
La Mole Antonelliana, as seen from the street
The church of the Gran Madre di Dio (one of the sets for the 1969 movie The Italian Job)
The view from the church over the Po and central Turin
The Piazza Castello
Got back to Brighton this afternoon, and I’ve been going through my photos from a week in Turin. I’ve taken so many decent ones that it’ll take a few posts to do them justice. So, without further ado, here’s the best from the highlight of the holiday – Sunday’s brilliant win by 10-man Sampdoria over Juventus.
I bought two tickets for 50 Euros each in a local Listicket shop in central Turin. I wasn’t at all chuffed about having to fork out this kind of money, but it was a one-off, and I know when I go to watch Samp again in Genoa the tickets will be half that. Watching Samp then tonk the greedy Juve bastards (it’s the club suits, not the fans, I’m aiming at here BTW) was all the more sweeter, and I got my money’s worth for that alone.
Samp fans in fine voice pre-match
We got a lift to Juventus Stadium off the head of Sampdoria TV, a nice bloke called Matteo, who read my column in StandAMF and wanted to interview me for the local Genoa-based Samp channel. We were a bit late arriving at the Football Ground Formerly Known as the Stadio delle Alpi, so we only managed three or four questions to camera, about the pros and cons of Italian v English football. I talked shite and I’m guessing the interview won’t see the light of day. Matteo bid us farewell and promised to email the edited-for-broadcast TV clip. Haven’t heard from him since! LOL
Juve’s stadium is in a beautiful setting, with the Alps, rolling in the cold winter sun to the northwest, as a breathtaking backdrop, one of the most recognisable vistas in world football. They have a fully functional shopping mall beneath or beside (or inside) the stadium structure, and it’s all very Modern Football. I was feeling a bit disappointed at this stage, Juventus are more than a mere football club, and their corporate stadium is the only one in Serie A currently owned by the club that plays in it. Some have to share, like the two paupers in Genoa/Genova, so like our game here at home no-one really has a chance against such wealth and ostentation. Or do they??
Taking our seats I was more than a little happy we were about 10 seats away from the hardcore Samp fans who made the trip over the hills of Liguria for this supposedly mis-match of Italian football extremes (you can’t buy away tickets in Serie A as a foreigner). The quaint reinforced glass partitions could surely take a lot of abuse, but any British hoolie worth his salt could scale them in a nanosecond. I’m sure they have more security in place when Torino FC visit for the Derby della Mole. The upshot was you could watch in fascination, like at a zoo – up close and personal – the antics of opposing fans at their best: when the teams are on the pitch. It was a real hoot, and as I had to sit on my hands when Samp scored twice, it was even harder to keep a straight face when the Samp fans were goading the locals, and me – I was to them a Juve fan from the fact I was sat among the enemy.
The Curva Sud (it’s not curved anymore)
The stadium is ok, big and bowl-like, like St Marys on steroids. They say it’s an improvement on the delle Alpi, as the running track is gone and it’s more “English” with the fans close to the pitch. But the Juve fans have piped music to help them sing, and the Drughi Ultras behind the home goal are pretty muted – no flares, smoke bombs and general mayhem like at the Marassi and other Serie A grounds. When Juve scored their stonewall penalty to take the lead, the PA got in with a song before the bulk of the home fans could let out a roar. Shit, utter shit, my pet hate at any football match is de rigueur at the biggest club in Italy – fuck modern football.
Juve were relaxed, arrogant even, and assured of victory once the hot-headed Berardi got a second yellow midway through the first half, just after the penalty. Samp looked doomed, and I predicted a 3 or 4 goal hammering. How wrong I was. They picked up a gear from somewhere and in the second half, although they held on from some ferocious Juve assaults on goal, two fantastic breakaway goals from the Argentinian teenager Icardi dispatched the Italian Champions, and with clinical aplomb. The home fans went into silent shock, while the sliver of blue/white/red/black to our right went mental. It was great, and even though I’ve watched live games “in the wrong end” quite a few times, I’ve never been so close to see goading like this – how the Blucerchiati enjoyed themselves. Another joy was to see fans’ favourite Angelo Palombo back in the team after being out in the cold for so long. The little guy played in central defence and would have got my Man of the Match if Icardi hadn’t been so deadly.
1st half action
We left elated as they kept the Samp fans in after the final whistle, and to round it all off our taxi driver back into town was a diehard Torino fan, so he was pretty happy to ferry us back into central Turin, where we enjoyed watching the replays of Icardi’s goals before heading out for a steak and some beers. Awesome.
Juve win & score a penalty, nothing dodgy about it
I’ll get some pictures up of Turin later, as it’s a very photogenic city, with a lot to point a camera at. Cheers.
Juve taunt Samp
Samp respond – those stewards’ hats are reinforced, like crash helmets
Argy bargy on the pitch, I love Italian gamesmanship
Pirlo hits a corner in
Samp equalise LOL
Marchisio gets stretchered off
Samp win it with ten men
Starting our second full day in Turin this morning, so much to do and see in this beautiful Italian city. I’ve taken loads of phots on both my normal camera and the iPhone, so many I thought I’d better start uploading them to here early doors; I know I won’t be arsed when I get home.
Picked the match tickets up for Juve v Samp yesterday, and got seen off for €50 apiece, remember tickets for Samp at home cost €21 each. Juventus are the biggest fish in Serie A, so I guess we were always going to get charged more. The bastards.
Expecting Samp to take a bit of a beating, but with the new manager apparently happy to return the combative fans’ favourite Angelo Palombo to the playing field, it might be a tighter game than predicted. Stay tuned for more updates.
Nice to see the seats already in the South West corner
To say this match was a bit of an anti-climax, after waiting 3 months to see an Albion game, would be an understatement. It was great to be traipsing through the Christmas rain up to Falmer to see the stripes again. That is until the match actually started.
I don’t know what’s happening with the team, and yes Watford are a good side with another young football-as-it-should-be-played manager steering them, but Gus Poyet’s side now have no fight in them it seems. Toothless up front, slow to the point of being embarassing at the back (“Bomber” El-Abd needs a new nickname, that was painful), and a midfield without the fantastic Liam Bridcutt doesn’t bear thinking about. If Albion let him go this upcoming tranfer window, as is rumoured, then we’re fucked, it’s as simple as that. So, Man of the Match to the player I always have thought as the best we have – our midfield ball winner – Liam Bridcutt.
And going into the North West corner
However, you don’t need me to tell you that football is a harsh mistress, and if you look at Brighton & Hove Albion over a 5 year timescale and not just this season, we’ve come a long way, and it’s still a huge success story. I do like the way the corners of the ground are getting filled in, and in a way that’s not going to turn the place into another soulless indentikit bowl, I just wish we could fill the huge gaps in the footballing side at the minute.
The Watford lot – noisy, with a lot to be noisy about
Happy New Year to you, wherever you find yourself, I’m missing the Newcastle FA Cup game as, guess what, I’ll be in Turin watching Juventus v Sampdoria on 6th January. Match/holiday report to follow soon after. Cheers.
Ideas From Massimo Osti : by Daniela Facchinato
First Published : 2012
ISBN 978-8862082358
Score out of 5 : 
As it’s Stone Island’s 30th Anniversary this year, there’s been a lot of re-newed (revised?) interest in that label and the original brain behind it – the late Massimo Osti. Stone Island themselves have released an Archive book – which I’ve yet to get my hands on as I’m abroad until next month – but it’s sat in its packaging at home, so I will review it in time.
This book, however, is a lot cheaper, and I’ve been told it’s far superior to SI’s effort. And that’s not hard to see why – Osti was a fashion genius, probably the greatest male fashion designer ever, and Stone Island was just one branch of his overall genius tree (am I making sense or talking bollocks here?).
I’m not going to spiel much more about this massive tome, I took a load of phots of it the minute it arrived in the post, and then read it cover to cover. It’s superb, if you’re an Osti fan/geek (hands up, I’m guilty), or into This Thing of Ours in any shape or form, then it’s a must buy. Get it bought for Xmas – at last, something you CAN say you want from Santa. Enjoy this small preview – and as always, my phots don’t do the book any justice whatsoever. See you next month. Ciao.
The Seagull Love Review #42 is for sale at Falmer tomorrow at the Middlesbrough game. Still a pound a copy, still the only BHAFC fanzine around, and still going strong. Lots of places to buy a mag around the concourse before the match, just keep your eyes peeled in the 25000 strong crowd (still gets me that, 25K to see the Albion? Not me personally though, I’m abroad once more).
The fanzine will also be available to Albionites everywhere else around the globe via the TSLR website, where you can buy subscriptions, back issues, Build a Bonfire, and other bits and bobs of BHAFC fan culture. Check it out.
UP THE ALBION
After issue #1 sold out in no time, everyone involved in STAND AMF was astonished about the demand for such a paper fanzine today. It really was a roaring success. So, you better be quick and get an order in for issue 2 which went on sale yesterday from the excellent new STAND website.
I’ve submitted a small write up about my recent trip to Genova to watch Sampdoria v Torino, but apart from that I’m not sure what else is in this edition, but if it’s anything like the seminal #1 and the writing on the new site then you really can’t afford to miss it, if you’re against modern football yourself of course. If however you’re a SoccerAM-loving #bantz #tekkers whopper then it’s definitely not for you. Simple.
The demand has proven that people are crying out to be heard in our country, they want to have a voice against the sad state of British (and most foreign) football, and STAND is the only thing going in print that’s giving a platform to these voices in Olde Blighty. Thanks to everyone who bought the first issue, and if you keep supporting it it can grow into a lot more than the excellent fanzine it undoubtedly is right now.
Cheers
The 30/30 jacket ‘out of the box’
It will be a long time before I do another ‘A casual buy’ post, not this year anyway, probably not for another year. The reason is this latest purchase. The ’30/30 Anniversary Jacket’ from Stone Island. This came at an eye-popping price, but I couldn’t resist owning a piece of SI history, plus you’re really getting two jackets for the price of one, or more accurately one and a half jackets, as will be seen. This will also be a very long, photo-heavy, post.
That ugly 30th Anniversary badge again
The blurb for this jacket from Stone Island themselves states:
The 30/30 jacket is a cross section of the state of the art of Stone Island. A testament to three decades of exploration and development, it has been designed to embody the spirit of Stone Islands endless creativity. Linked by the signature looped rigging system, both the jacket shell and jacket liner are reversible. These can be worn, either together or alone, in a total of 10 different ways. The transformative properties of the fabrics mean that these 10 ways can each be worn in 3 different states: Ice, Reflective, and Normal; resulting in a total of 30 different jacket modes. The numerous details, such as the reversible cuff and liner button, have been specially engineered to ensure the smooth operation of all jacket features in every worn state. The inclusion of both natural and man made face fabrics, as well as engineered knit and down components, ensure that the jacket can be worn across the broadest spectrum of climates and situations.
Total ways: 10
- Shell alone: Raso face outside
- Shell alone: Prismatic face outside
- Liner alone: Knit face outside
- Liner alone: Thermo Reflective face outside
- Shell and liner together: Raso face over Knit face
- Shell and liner together: Prismatic face over Knit face
- Shell and liner together: Raso face over Thermo Reflective face
- Shell and liner together: Prismatic face over Thermo Reflective face
- Shell and liner together: Thermo Reflective face over Raso face
- Shell and liner together: Thermo Reflective face over Prismatic face
Total States: 3
- Normal
- Ice
- Reflective
Total Modes: 30
Wow, there you have it. For ‘Ice’ read ‘really cold weather’. For ‘Reflective’ read ‘night time’.
The shell alone: Raso Gommato outside
Shell alone: Mussola Prismatica outside (I really like this)
The liner alone: Knit face outside. Can’t see many wearing it like this, looks just like what it is – a coat inside out. Horrible.
Liner alone: Thermo/reflective face outside (I really like this, there’s an idea forming here)
I then started putting it all together in the different ways the two elements interact. The jacket(s) have the famous SI ‘Dutch rope system’ to keep both jackets tied together once assembled. They also have inner sleeve and collar buttons to hold it together. I would’ve been out in the yard all day tying up little loops of cord, fuck that. So, I’ve just put one jacket loosely over the other as best I can for this next sequence of phots, to give a rough idea of how it looks in various guises; it will look better properly ‘joined together’ later. Promise.
Ice/thermo/reflective inner over the Prismatic face
Detailing: loose ‘Dutch Rope’ and the Mussola fabric
The ‘Ice’ jacket doing it’s thing, it was nippy out today. This will go a very dark grey in the really cold. (I love Ice jackets – pattern forming mmm)
Ice over Raso. The hood has a detachable inner/outer on both shell types, same material as the ice/reflective
That detachable section of the hood, looks too blocky on the outside for me
Detailing: buttons and reflective cuff on the Raso
Pocket detailing on the puffa (yes the Ice is down filled)
The hood with the reflective section reversed with Mussola outside (best combo I think)
More Mussola detailing, love the contrasting orange stitching
The Mussola Prismatica shell from the back
The wee booklet that comes with the jacket
Instructions for the dopey/uninitiated in dutch roping
“30 Ways to Love”
Ok, after playing around with the jacket and getting sore arms – it’s a heavy thing when put together – I decided which way I liked to wear it best. I like the Mussola on it’s own, but Winter is nearly here and the best way to get this worn is to put it together as one. So, I roped it all up like a good Dutchman, and voila, below is the jacket assembled the way I intend to wear it (for now). So, by Stone Island’s own criteria it’s ‘Shell and Liner together: Thermo Reflective face over Prismatic face’. It is a beautiful garment, but as I said before, that’s it for a long time for clothes shopping for me, this was pricier than it should have been, but I had to have one. That’s all folks.
