Anglo-Italian Cup For The Class Of '72

[davieG]

OS - http://www.lcfc.com/page/ThisWeekinHistoryDetail/0,,10274~2803249,00.html?

In the latest of his 'The Week in History' blogs, Club Historian John Hutchinson recalls Leicester City's games against top Italian opposition in the innovative, but short lived, Anglo-Italian Club.

Forty years ago this week, Leicester City were involved in a European Competition which in many ways was very innovative and experimental. This was the 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup.

The competition only ran for four years, but its participants included some of the biggest names in Italian football, such as Napoli, Juventus, Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Sampdoria, and Cagliari. Participating English clubs included Middlesbrough, Wolves, West Brom, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool, Stoke, Crystal Palace, Huddersfield, Swindon and Leicester City.

The match programme for Leicester's two home ties in the 1972 Anglo-Italian Competition.

Leicester City entered the competition in the close-season of 1972. One of the reasons for this was that Leicester's Chairman Len Shipman, who was also President of the Football League, was on the organising Committee of the Anglo-Italian Cup. The driving force behind the competition was Gigi Peronace, who had negotiated the very high profile transfers of the top English stars John Charles, Denis Law and Jimmy Greaves to Italy in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The competition format saw six Italian Clubs and six English Clubs arranged into three groups, each containing two clubs from each country. The teams from each country which accumulated the most points met in the Final.

Two points were awarded for a win and one for a draw. However in an attempt to encourage open and attacking football, the competition rules contained some interesting innovations. A point was awarded for each goal scored. Offside was restricted to the penalty areas. Also, in an attempt to encourage tactical innovation and at a time when only one substitute was the norm, five substitutes were allowed on the bench, any two of whom could be used. Another innovation was to allocate pre- designated squad numbers to the players, abandoning the usual system of players wearing position-related numbers on shirts (1-11).

Jimmy Bloomfield's Leicester, who had just finished a respectable 12th in the old First Division, registered 15 players for the 1972 Anglo Italian Cup. They were Shilton, Whitworth, Nish, Cross, Sjoberg, Manley, Weller, Sammels, Birchenall, Tomlin, Glover, Fern, Partridge, Wallington and Farrington.

Italian World Cup Finalist goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi who frustrated Leicester's attempts to equalise in Cagliari.

The star team in Leicester City's group was undoubtedly the Sardinian side Cagliari. They had recently emerged as an explosive force in Italian football, with a side studded with Italian internationals, such as Riva, Domenghini and Albertosi, who had all played in the 1970 World Cup Final against Brazil. Cagliari won the Italian Championship in 1970, and had come desperately close to repeating this feat in a three-way fight with Juventus and Torino in the season which had just finished.

Also in Leicester's group were Atalanta. Like Leicester they had been relegated from the top division in 1968-69 and like Leicester they had bounced back two years later. Also like Leicester they had strengthened their side with established first division players. In Leicester's case these had included Weller, Sammels and Birchenall. Atalanta's equivalent signings were Leoncini and Sacco from Juventus and Bianchi from Napoli.

The other English team in Leicester's group was Bob Stokoe's Sunderland, who famously won the FA Cup the following season.

Keith Weller, who scored four goals for Leicester in the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1972.

On June 1st, Leicester lost their first group game 1-0 to Cagliari in the luxurious Santa Elia stadium. The inspired goalkeeping of Albertosi kept Leicester at bay after a Jon Sammels own-goal had given the Italians the lead.

This set the scene for Leicester's final three games in the competition. These took place forty years ago this week.

On June 4th, in a thrilling goal feast in Atalanta, Leicester were defeated 5-3. Weller had given Leicester a half time lead. The hero of the night though was Atalanta centre forward Magistrelli who scored four goals in the second half. He equalised on the hour. Sammels put Leicester ahead a minute later. Three minutes after that Magistrelli scored again. Then Bianchi put the Italians ahead for the first time , but Sammels scored his second to make the score 3-3. Magistrelli then scored another two in the closing minutes.

On June 7th, Leicester beat Cagliari at Filbert Street. The Italian giants did not play their World Cup stars. Leicester were two up after twelve minutes. In the third minute Glover finished off a good run with a perfectly judged cross which Weller headed in like a bullet. Nish got the second. He hit a low shot from 35 yards out which deceived the Cagliari's reserve goalkeeper. Leicester badly needed to increase their goal tally to qualify for the final, but it wasn't to be. Cagliari scored in the 58th minute, Leicester lost their earlier sparkle, and the final score of 2-1 meant that Leicester would need to win their last group game by a big margin.

Jon Sammels, who scored three Leicester goals in the 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup, together with an own goal.

They nearly pulled it off. On June 10th, Leicester annihilated Atalanta 6-0 at Filbert Street. Weller scored twice, adding to goals from Glover, Nish, Sammels and Farrington. The game had been in some doubt following torrential rain which left parts of the freshly reseeded Filbert Steet pitch waterlogged. The ball threw up clouds of spray when it hit the ground.

In the end it was all to no avail. Despite accumulating eight points in this match, word reached the ground that Blackpool had qualified for the final against Roma because they had scored ten goals against Italian First Division side Lanerossi Vicenza.Blackpool went on to lose the final 3-1 in Rome in front of a crowd of 40000.

Leicester's only foray into the short lived Anglo-Italian Cup was over.

Nevertheless, forty years ago this week, it had provided the Filbert Street crowdswith a glimpse of some top Italian competition and the chance to witness an experimental off-side rule which was never adopted.

[Father Ted]

OS - http://www.lcfc.com/...803249,00.html?

In the latest of his 'The Week in History' blogs, Club Historian John Hutchinson recalls Leicester City's games against top Italian opposition in the innovative, but short lived, Anglo-Italian Club.

Forty years ago this week, Leicester City were involved in a European Competition which in many ways was very innovative and experimental. This was the 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup.

The competition only ran for four years, but its participants included some of the biggest names in Italian football, such as Napoli, Juventus, Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Sampdoria, and Cagliari. Participating English clubs included Middlesbrough, Wolves, West Brom, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool, Stoke, Crystal Palace, Huddersfield, Swindon and Leicester City.

The match programme for Leicester's two home ties in the 1972 Anglo-Italian Competition.

Leicester City entered the competition in the close-season of 1972. One of the reasons for this was that Leicester's Chairman Len Shipman, who was also President of the Football League, was on the organising Committee of the Anglo-Italian Cup. The driving force behind the competition was Gigi Peronace, who had negotiated the very high profile transfers of the top English stars John Charles, Denis Law and Jimmy Greaves to Italy in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The competition format saw six Italian Clubs and six English Clubs arranged into three groups, each containing two clubs from each country. The teams from each country which accumulated the most points met in the Final.

Two points were awarded for a win and one for a draw. However in an attempt to encourage open and attacking football, the competition rules contained some interesting innovations. A point was awarded for each goal scored. Offside was restricted to the penalty areas. Also, in an attempt to encourage tactical innovation and at a time when only one substitute was the norm, five substitutes were allowed on the bench, any two of whom could be used. Another innovation was to allocate pre- designated squad numbers to the players, abandoning the usual system of players wearing position-related numbers on shirts (1-11).

Jimmy Bloomfield's Leicester, who had just finished a respectable 12th in the old First Division, registered 15 players for the 1972 Anglo Italian Cup. They were Shilton, Whitworth, Nish, Cross, Sjoberg, Manley, Weller, Sammels, Birchenall, Tomlin, Glover, Fern, Partridge, Wallington and Farrington.

Italian World Cup Finalist goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi who frustrated Leicester's attempts to equalise in Cagliari.

The star team in Leicester City's group was undoubtedly the Sardinian side Cagliari. They had recently emerged as an explosive force in Italian football, with a side studded with Italian internationals, such as Riva, Domenghini and Albertosi, who had all played in the 1970 World Cup Final against Brazil. Cagliari won the Italian Championship in 1970, and had come desperately close to repeating this feat in a three-way fight with Juventus and Torino in the season which had just finished.

Also in Leicester's group were Atalanta. Like Leicester they had been relegated from the top division in 1968-69 and like Leicester they had bounced back two years later. Also like Leicester they had strengthened their side with established first division players. In Leicester's case these had included Weller, Sammels and Birchenall. Atalanta's equivalent signings were Leoncini and Sacco from Juventus and Bianchi from Napoli.

The other English team in Leicester's group was Bob Stokoe's Sunderland, who famously won the FA Cup the following season.

Keith Weller, who scored four goals for Leicester in the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1972.

On June 1st, Leicester lost their first group game 1-0 to Cagliari in the luxurious Santa Elia stadium. The inspired goalkeeping of Albertosi kept Leicester at bay after a Jon Sammels own-goal had given the Italians the lead.

This set the scene for Leicester's final three games in the competition. These took place forty years ago this week.

On June 4th, in a thrilling goal feast in Atalanta, Leicester were defeated 5-3. Weller had given Leicester a half time lead. The hero of the night though was Atalanta centre forward Magistrelli who scored four goals in the second half. He equalised on the hour. Sammels put Leicester ahead a minute later. Three minutes after that Magistrelli scored again. Then Bianchi put the Italians ahead for the first time , but Sammels scored his second to make the score 3-3. Magistrelli then scored another two in the closing minutes.

On June 7th, Leicester beat Cagliari at Filbert Street. The Italian giants did not play their World Cup stars. Leicester were two up after twelve minutes. In the third minute Glover finished off a good run with a perfectly judged cross which Weller headed in like a bullet. Nish got the second. He hit a low shot from 35 yards out which deceived the Cagliari's reserve goalkeeper. Leicester badly needed to increase their goal tally to qualify for the final, but it wasn't to be. Cagliari scored in the 58th minute, Leicester lost their earlier sparkle, and the final score of 2-1 meant that Leicester would need to win their last group game by a big margin.

Jon Sammels, who scored three Leicester goals in the 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup, together with an own goal.

They nearly pulled it off. On June 10th, Leicester annihilated Atalanta 6-0 at Filbert Street. Weller scored twice, adding to goals from Glover, Nish, Sammels and Farrington. The game had been in some doubt following torrential rain which left parts of the freshly reseeded Filbert Steet pitch waterlogged. The ball threw up clouds of spray when it hit the ground.

In the end it was all to no avail. Despite accumulating eight points in this match, word reached the ground that Blackpool had qualified for the final against Roma because they had scored ten goals against Italian First Division side Lanerossi Vicenza.Blackpool went on to lose the final 3-1 in Rome in front of a crowd of 40000.

Leicester's only foray into the short lived Anglo-Italian Cup was over.

Nevertheless, forty years ago this week, it had provided the Filbert Street crowdswith a glimpse of some top Italian competition and the chance to witness an experimental off-side rule which was never adopted.

So much potential for match-fixing!

[Guest]

I went to both games at Filbert street.

[Webbo]

I'm sure there was an Anglo Italian cup in the 90s as well.

[Steve_Walsh5]

I'm sure there was an Anglo Italian cup in the 90s as well.

I thought that as well. I'm sure I saw highlights of Leicester V Peterborough on an old season review video.

[RowlattsFox]

Was thinking the other day that they should introduce some sort of European tournament for lower league clubs of the top countries, would give lots more fans the opportunity to go to an European away, will never happen though.

[isaidno]

My first ever city game was An Anglo-Italian cup game in 1992 against Grimsby

[Voll Blau]

They should resurrect this competition!

[Guest]

I'm sure there was an Anglo Italian cup in the 90s as well.

Sure you're right.

[Zingari]

Was thinking the other day that they should introduce some sort of European tournament for lower league clubs of the top countries, would give lots more fans the opportunity to go to an European away, will never happen though.

good idea

how about the teams that win the equivalent of the championship or second tier of the French Spanish German Italian etc having a straight forward knockout FA cup style ?

[Bayfox]

I'm sure there was an Anglo Italian cup in the 90s as well.

I'm sure we played an italian side at some point is what i thought was the anglo-italian cup, didn't the teams who made it to the later stages of the Zenith Data Systems Cup play against the italians of the same level? Or did i actually just imagine that?

[Out Foxed]

good idea

how about the teams that win the equivalent of the championship or second tier of the French Spanish German Italian etc having a straight forward knockout FA cup style ?

would be quality.

[RonnieTodger]

I'd like to see an Anglo-Scottish cup again. Scrap both the League Cups to make room for one between the two countries.

[Finnegan]

Top English stars? John Charles? <_<

[OzFox]

They also had an "Anglo-Italian Semi Pro" tournament in the 70s.

I went to watch my local side Wealdstone play the eventual winners, Udinese. Violent game it was too.

Now Wealdstone are stuck in the Ryman League, whereas Udinese finished 3rd in Serie A. Funny old game.

[davieG]

Top English stars? John Charles? <_<

Probably meant English League stars.

[Spudulike]

That Atalanta match.....I can remember the Kop lads going down to the Filbert Street end at half time as that was the end we were attacking. No seats then. Happy days.