Football Adventures with James Rendall
My football adventures all over the world
The most southerly city of mainland Italy is Reggio Calabria, tucked right around the base of the toe, looking across the Straits of Messina on Sicily. If you have ever taken the train across this stretch of water on the boat to the largest island in the Mediterranean, you were mighty close to Reggio. The … Continue reading Reggio Sud
July into August is a busy time for clubs involved in European qualification. Those who go straight into the groups that start in September have no idea of the required travel planning at short notice, the visa applications (which can stop fans visiting the UK as the process takes more than a week), let alone … Continue reading Astrid Too Far
The fifth tier is always a competitive level in any given nation's ladder. A holding pen for some of the great sides of our youth who have fallen on hard times, either through periodic dribbling away, or the grand old snake of mis-management. These clubs clash at this level with those of an altogether new … Continue reading Talking about a Revolution
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
You must be logged in to post a comment.