Sampdoria celebrate their 80th year in existence mired in Italy’s second tier for a fourth consecutive season. It’s hardly the most appropriate place to mark a milestone for the Blucherciati. For a club that won the Scudetto, four Coppa Italia trophies and featured in three European finals – winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup –Continue reading “Sampdoria season preview 2026-2027: milestones and ambitions”
Category Archives: Football
Crisscrossing California: World Cup fan zone
The party’s long over. Any semblance of the World Cup visible only in stray merchandise at bargain prices, almost as if it never happened at all. Banners and adverts speedily removed, stadiums switched back to normal ahead of the American football season. The tidal wave of the controversy during the event swept away only forContinue reading “Crisscrossing California: World Cup fan zone”
The state of Sampdoria: Donati, data and the road to recovery
New season, same position. After three games of the 2025-2026 campaign Sampdoria are bottom of Serie B and out of the Coppa Italia. Two league defeats against Modena and Sudtirol – and five goals conceded in the process – and a cup exit on penalties at Spezia put Samp at an immediate disadvantage in whatContinue reading “The state of Sampdoria: Donati, data and the road to recovery”
Bologna’s Champions League dream
There has been a takeover, four seasons in the second tier and two promotions since the last time Bologna played in Europe. Few will even remember the club’s run to the final of 2002 Intertoto Cup as the Rossoblu target a Champions League place in the final stretch of a remarkable campaign. From financial ruinContinue reading “Bologna’s Champions League dream”
Celtic’s scouting network: why it won’t stop in Japan and South Korea
There was some kind of malfunction in the recruitment drive for nearly a decade as Celtic failed to sign a single player from East Asia. The appointment of Ange Postecoglou as manager in June 2021 rebooted a system which had either been left dormant or abandoned completely. Now the Glasgow giants have six Japanese playersContinue reading “Celtic’s scouting network: why it won’t stop in Japan and South Korea”
Classic match: Napoli 1-4 Sampdoria
Serie A, November 18, 1990 When are highlights not really highlights at all? Showing goals is a given, if there are any, but sometimes the goals alone don’t tell us the whole story. Like a carefully cropped picture we don’t appreciate what’s in the background or the rough edges edited out for clarity. Scorelines canContinue reading “Classic match: Napoli 1-4 Sampdoria”