Football Adventures with James Rendall
My football adventures all over the world
In a wide pool of European opposition, it is perhaps unusual, especially in the early rounds that a repeat fixture appears. That said, more than 30 years has elapsed since Well last went toe to toe with Havnar, meaning harbour. Harbour Football Club, when translated, sounds like something you’d expect in Australia or New Zealand. … Continue reading Havnar and Faroese Football
Perhaps, given the volume of calcio tales I have brought to the Football Weekends table over the years, it is a great honour to write the ‘26/27 preview of Italian football. In order to look forward, first we should recap on last term, a season that in many respects was Italy’s “annus horribilis”. The failure … Continue reading Recensione e anteprima
The diverse and large region of Abruzzo might not be amongst the hotbed areas for calcio, but it certainly packs a lot in. From mountain ski resorts to lengthy coastal beaches, as well as terrific historical towns, it’s just about got it all. The big fish is the capital Pescara, maybe the only club those … Continue reading Hilltop Teramo
It might have taken a while, 1987 to 2026, but the Coppa Eccelenza Finale in Teramo on 9th May will be my 100th Stadio in Italia. Given I have only visited 412 anywhere in the world (mostly Scotland), nearly 25% is a remarkable stat perhaps. Blame it on Football Weekends and my craving to discover … Continue reading Centenarian
The Campania region is on the rise in the Italian football world. Sitting as kingpin over everything else in this corner of the country is Napoli, not just in terms of recent Scudetto success, but economically too. Its presence looms almost as large as Vesuvius does in this area, with everything sitting in the shadow … Continue reading Milling Around
Who would you say is the most famous person you have ever had a wee chat with or shared a selfie? I am sure we have all had at least one such encounter. I guess, post an utterly depressing 1-0 loss for Scotland at Italia ‘90 to Costa Rica (it is why Haiti remains fearful … Continue reading I, Spartacus
Sergio Rachmaninoff, pianist and great composer might seem a curious way of starting a tale about Serie D football, but his famous piece “Theme from Paganini” has been whirring in my mind as I start to write this article, a romantic ditty at its core. The correlation of Paganini and the team from Pagani, Paganese … Continue reading Theme for Paganese
My opening tale from Italy in this 2025/26 season was from a match between Sambenedettese and Carpi. It was the first time I had seen the visiting team from Emilia-Romagna, and seeing a game at their stadium suddenly appeared in lights as the last of the “big” grounds missing off my viewing roster from that … Continue reading Carpi Diem
When UEFA brought in the Conference League, it was meant to be a competition where the wee club could compete. Alas, those who reach the final and win it, still come from one of the “big 5” nations, but certainly in the group stage, the likes of Malta, Gibraltar and Armenia are in the mix … Continue reading Italia, Away, Away, Away
Basilicata is one of the last four regions of Italy (20 in total) where I hadn’t watched a game. Indeed, prior to this trip, I hadn’t even set foot in any of the four missing places, let alone seen a game. Yet, like buses, you wait 38 years, and two games come along together to … Continue reading Basilicata, baby!
Football Adventures with James Rendall 
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