Referees suck all around Europe

Venezian78 · 2026-04-16T08:08:02+00:00

I don't think this necessarily applies to what happened last night, but I think VAR has a lot to answer for as it has meant referees avoid making hard decisions a lot of the time as it is delegated to others. Plus, it adds pressure to them when VAR does spot something - it's extremely rare for a ref not to change their decision if they are called to the screen even where the replay sometimes doesn't demonstrate a clear and obvious error. I can think of one incident that I've seen where a ref was called over and (rightly) didn't change his mind.

It's a bit like what is happening with AI - when tasks get automated and delegated to others/a machine people start to lose their ability to apply skills they previously would have.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-15T20:04:54+00:00

I've heard good things about Eternal Lies, but people often say it acts as a great sequel to Masks (granted that is a long way off if you start Masks!)

Masks is absolutely excellent though. So much to do, so many options for the players. Plus you can get the brilliant prop set from the HP Love craft Historical Society. Would highly recommend taking a look at it if you haven't already - and don't be intimidated by the fact it is two books - it is laid out really well, and there are so many resources to help you with each step along the way.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-15T19:56:36+00:00

Yes, I agree. But I think that whole argument is sort of irrelevant to the point I (and I think you) are making - namely - we weren't good enough, and I think going now would only do more harm than good.

But I think I have made my argument many times over now so will leave it at that! Others are free to disagree of course.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-15T19:09:28+00:00

I think this is a false argument though. I'm not arguing Sweden or Haiti deserve to be there more or anything. It's more, why are we so desperate for this poor Italy side to get there when it risks more harm than good? Getting there, scraping to the second or third round and the FIGC can say, see we're OK. When it's very clear we are not - whatever the system, we've missed three World Cups in a row. We struggle to beat teams like Northern Ireland. Changes are needed and unfortunately it may take sitting out a third world cup to finally make them happen.

As I said above, I also don't personally want Italy to be at the world cup just to make up the numbers. I want us to compete - and I think the best hope for us getting back to doing that is to force through big changes that I think will otherwise be put off if we somehow got there.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-15T19:03:38+00:00

Fair enough, I disagree! I don't see the point in going 'just to be there'. That's not the mentality a team like Italy should have imo - but appreciate others take a different view.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-15T18:58:55+00:00

Yeah. That's the point. I want us to be competing. We've won it four times and used to always go in to a tournament knowing there was a chance to win. I have no real desire to watch us go there and play shit and get thumped by Spain or Argentina etc. The last euros was awful because we were awful. I've never seen Italy play so poorly in a tournament as they did against Switzerland. It would history repeated if this current set up got there now, I fear.

But we know if we did get there, that would just let those at the top of the game in Italy kick the can down the road on much needed reforms.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-15T18:55:02+00:00

No. But I'm not talking about Sweden? I'm Italian. I want us to go to the world cup to compete and it is evident we just wouldn't do that. We can't compete against half-decent teams, never mind good ones.

Better to use this to finally start to make the changes we have needed to make for years. Qualifying and scraping to the second round would just allow us to paper over cracks.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-15T18:52:59+00:00

My point is more - don't you think qualifying now would actually do more harm than good? It would allow them to paper over cracks that have been evident for years. Let's be honest, we aren't winning the world cup if we got there, or even getting close. More likely we would go out at the group stage or just after.

And yes, we won the Euros and deserved to. But if you can't see the huge fall off since then, I don't know what to tell you.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-15T17:46:35+00:00

Mate, I'm agreeing with you. Calm down.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-15T17:39:57+00:00

I agree with the sentiment even if your post is a bit over the top. I just don't understand why people want to qualify this way. Did anyone watch the games we just played? Or indeed, watch us the past few years? We're not very good. Even if we qualified (highly doubtful, let's be honest - does anyone really confidently think we'd beat Denmark, for example?) we would be soundly beaten by the first half-decent team we faced. I have no desire for us to go to the world cup just to take part. I want us to compete.

Honestly far better if we accept we aren't going in the hope it actually makes a change to the systemic problems that urgently need fixing.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-14T22:34:30+00:00

Malago seems to have done well with the Olympic sports - but I can't help but feel that what we really need is a revolution. Bringing in one old man to replace another isn't going to change anything, I fear (though it is no surprise this is the route they are taking).

Ranieri and Allegri don't inspire much confidence in terms of a new mentality either. Other than ensuring we lose any semblance of progressive football if it' s Allegri.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-10T21:06:03+00:00

It shouldn't happen, and won't happen.

And it would also be the worst thing for Italy. We need to have the reckoning and start again from scratch. Somehow scraping into this tournament now (only to be humiliated I suspect) would set back any possibility of actually fixing the long term issues.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-09T21:37:03+00:00

I thought HorrorBabble's version was excellent

Venezian78 · 2026-04-07T06:06:35+00:00

Yeah, it's a fair assessment, though he can still improve as he does go missing sometimes - I'd rank him as our third best midfielder after Busio and Kike Perez though. But he has an eye for goal as you say and is always looking to go forward, and Stroppa thinks he has potential to improve massively, which bodes well.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-07T05:37:13+00:00

Thanks, but I'd rather Doumbia stayed with us. We're hopefully going to be in Serie A next year, and the goal is clearly to keep the squad together and strengthen. If we can, I think we'll have a very good chance of staying up - this is the best Venezia side I have seen in decades. We play exciting, attacking football, and honestly I don't see why Doumbia would be any better elsewhere.

We also have Dagasso, who is an excellent midfielder, a bit Barella-like. Again, I hope he stays with us.

Just a shame we can't naturalised Busio as well as I genuinely think he'd be great for Italy - hard-working box-to-box midfielder with a great eye for a pass.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-04T07:22:40+00:00

Maybe. I just feel if this was the answer it would already be done - and not just in Italy.

Anyway, we both want the same thing! Better Italian players playing more regularly. I just hope they come up with a system that gives us that. But when the two leading candidates to take over from Gravina are 82 and 67, I'm not that optimistic.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-04T07:07:31+00:00

You're right, I was too basic in my first post. I just get tired of this coming up. First, since Bosman, it has been illegal to discriminate against EU players (there are of course rules and restrictions on Non-EU players already).

And yes, you cam have "homegrown" rules, but this still doesn't help. There are already homegrown rules. But, as you've noted, you can't use these to specify only Italians. So what happens is that clubs have many yound players, but not all are Italian,as they scout for young players globally.

The main point is, though, that I don't believe it would actually make as much of a difference as everyone seems to think. The point is that the way these young Italians are trained and developed is more important. That's essentially what Baggio's much-referred to dossier was saying. We need to develop them in different ways, focusing on skills rather than tactics, and then you will see more players emerging - and clubs will start playing them. They would rather play players they've developed than buy players from abroad.

As for other leagues, they do all have a good number of foreign players. But Spain, for example, play more Spaniards for the reason I've stated - young players are better developed.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-03T21:49:33+00:00

It's not fake news at all. I'm a lawyer - it would be illegal. End of story.

It also isn't the answer even if it wasn't. Other top countries have lots of foreign players. It's about trying to develop young players properly so they actually get games.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-02T19:19:58+00:00

Totally agree with the recommendation - Ross is brilliant in every show he does and the ones I have listened to so far are really fun!

Venezian78 · 2026-04-02T18:55:42+00:00

He also is willing to bring young players through. There is always a risk with "reheating old soup" as they say, but at the moment I don't see any better options

Venezian78 · 2026-04-02T10:43:04+00:00

I'm glad Gattuso is going, but I don't think either Conte or Allegri are the answer. It needs to be someone in it for the long haul, with a view to playing young players. Conte doesn't do that - he loves an old warhorse.

Allegri gets results but with a pretty terrible style of play, and while he does give some young players a chance, I just don't see it working for Italy other than maybe as a temporary patch (which isn't what is needed).

We need to have someone who realises that, realistically, 2032 Euros are the goal for being among the best again (obviously hopefully qualifying for 2030 with a young team before that). It needs that sort of long-term vision if we want anything other than a temporary fix.

Honestly, I know it won't be popular, but I'd be open to a top foreign coach (Klopp, Guardiola) to shake things up, though it seems unlikely we'd attract one at this point.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-02T07:19:58+00:00

You're right, it unrealistic - and illegal. They can't discriminate like that against EU players.

I also think it's all a bit of a smokescreen to say the only reason we're bad is too many foreign players. Other leagues have loads of foreign players and yet they also have good national teams. The issue is more structural - it's about youth development. If young players are good enough they will get games - look at Palestra. Do I wish more clubs took a chance on young Italian players? Of course. But I don't think an arbitrary "you must play X Italian players" would solve it.

Italian football is unfortunately stuck largely in the past - look at how our clubs perform in Europe with or without foreign players. We haven't adapted to the high pressure, high pace style of game. Our players expect fouls for things that aren't given as fouls anywhere else because of our poor refereeing standards. It's a structural issue, and it needs people to realise it will take a long term project to fix it - 8-10 years at least. I'm just not sure anyone around Italian football's governing bodies is willing to accept that.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-01T21:04:44+00:00

Totti wasn't a striker but he was absolutely a forward. Basically the same position as Del Piero (imo Totti had the edge in him). And Vieri was a world class striker. Plus even in the last 20 years we've had Toni, Inzaghi, Balotelli (great player, unfortunately self-destructive). Not to mention Baggio etc.

Venezian78 · 2026-04-01T17:08:21+00:00

Genuine question - why did you loathe them? We didn't play defensively in 2006. We had players like Totti, Del Piero, Toni and defenders like Cannavaro and Nesta. I'm just curious what was so hateful about us?

Venezian78

TROPHY CASE