Boasting an architectural heritage that stretched back millennia and saw groovy new stadia built for the 1990 World Cup in Bari and Turin - and stadia especially renovated in Cagliari, Florence, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Rome and Verona - Italy let its violent and disappointing World Cup finals play out between disappointing, random sets of box-nets.
And not even a fat man singing Puccini could hide Italy's missed opportunity to make its mark in the history of on-field architecture.
A dirty backroom deal awarded Mexico its second tournament in only sixteen years and gave FIFA a TV on which to broadcast to the world that at the end of the 20th century they wanted football to be like McDonalds - anywhere you went in the world, it'd all be the same.
The enormous free-hanging box-nets installed at each stadium were not only a re-statement that the goals first seen in the 1974 tournament, were the first-class, on-field architecture of choice for the future. They also marked the beginning of the era of football as a brand on global TV.
Previously you could sight the goalnets on TV and identify which stadium the game was being played in.
After Mexico '86, it was possible only to glance up and say, "It's football."
The 1982 World Cup finals were played out within a hybrid 24 team format, and between horrible hybrid goal nets that were neither the L-supports seen at Argentina 78, nor the monstrous box nets we'd see in Mexico four years later.
The Poland - Italy semi-final was played at Barcelona's Camp Nou, but you wouldn't know that if watching on TV and seeing only these charmless and characterless goal nets.
This is all the more regrettable given Barcelona played out the 1981-82 season between the stanchions that had made Camp Nou instantly recognisable on TV.
In 1982 Pepsi was a major sponsor of Real Madrid. However, such is the power of FIFA that for the World Cup finals they replaced all Pepsi signage at the Bernabeu with the logo of their own major sponsor - Coca Cola.
If FIFA could remove Pepsi, getting shot of the old stanchions at the Bernabeu was no problem.
Madrid played out the 1981-82 season between the old curved stanchions of Puskas, di Stefano and Gento.
And though the Bernabeu went on to host one of the memorable World Cup moments...
By removing the old stanchions - the on-field signifier of Madrid location for everyone watching on TV - FIFA effectively took the game from the grass of the Bernabeu and uploaded it to a placeless cloud called 'FIFA World Cup.'
Extra time in the 1978 World Cup Final. Amidst a series of Argentine attacks that had begun to resemble cavalry charges, Mario Kempes slalomed through the Netherlands defence for 2-1. But the goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed blocked the shot. The ball ricocheted off Kempes, arced into the air and for a moment the watching world held its breath...
Argentina were awarded the tournament in 1964 but by the time 1978 came round the country was ruled by a ferocious military junta that had disappeared 30,000 of its own citizens and were desperate for the World Cup victory that would lend a legitimacy to their regime. As such, the 1978 World Cup became the most politicised sporting event since the Berlin Olympics of 1936.
The on-field architecture designed for the tournament were goalnets supported by fancy L's and posts with distinctive black bands round the base. For the second successive tournament they were newly installed and uniform across all 6 stadia .
On a carpet of bogroll and shredded newspaper the generals got their victory but at what price to the game? The new world champions stood accused of gamesmanship, intimidation and bribery.
For the future of football, the world held its breath.
Before the violence and negativity of the 1986 and 1990 tournaments plunged the game to new depths of despair, the 1974 World Cup with its miserly 2.55 goals per game was considered the nadir of football history.
At a distance of 44 years it can now be seen as the apotheosis of European football.
Holland destroyed Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. West Germany became champions and the pace and tempo demonstrated by each became the new standard in world football
Matches were played at 9 different stadia but for the first time the on-field architecture was standardised.
The 1970 finals were the first to be broadcast live in colour and they're rightfully remembered for the champions Brazil's kaleidoscope of 19 goals from 6 games - including the four in the final against Italy, into the L supports at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Brazil scored 15 goals in their five games at the Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara - 16 if this one had gone in!
Away from the fiesta in Guadalajara there were notable net supports in Puebla:
Considering England were awarded the 1966 finals for forming the FA a hundred years before; that their side became champions with no-wingers and a formation that firmly turned its back on Hungary and the lessons of '53; and most importantly that the goalnets were hung on stanchions as English as World Cup Willie then the '66 finals could be seen as the empire's last hurrah.
But with journalists from a greater diversity of countries than ever before attending the tournament, the matches broadcast live to the world for the first time and these Continental D's supporting the nets at Hillsborough, Sheffield -
the 1966 finals could as easily be seen as the first of the modern tournaments.
Games for the 1966 finals were held at seven other venues, including:
Wembley
Goodison Park
White City Stadium, London - used only because Wembley refused to cancel the scheduled greyhound racing for the same night as Uruguay v France, hence the temporary look of the goalposts
But pride of place goes to the awesome 1966 hardware at:
The Chilean FA told FIFA they had to give Chile the World Cup "because we have nothing else."
So Chile won the rights to host the 1962 tournament and they got plenty in return: Garrincha in his prime, the Italy v Chile Battle of Santiago and these stanchions of almost perfect quarter circumference on which to hang the tournament's nets.
Though football on TV was in its infancy and the matches at the '62 finals were not broadcast live, the influence of the tournament could be seen in the stanchions installed at stadia as diverse as Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid -
Following the weekend's FA Cup shocks of Forest beating Arsenal and Coventry defeating Stoke, the History of Goal Nets kicks off 2018 with a glance back at FA Cup shocks of the past, and the terrific goal nets architecture that hosted the matches.
Sutton United v Coventry City 1987
Great white saggy nets, Chelsea-style crooked A-frames. Two goals from corners.
Wrexham v Arsenal 1992
Strict triangular Continental D's as per the early 1990's fashion at the old Racecourse Ground (and check out David Seaman being beaten on his post by Mickey Thomas' free-kick.)
Manchester United v Southampton 1976
The grandfather of upsets and the grandmother of old goal nets. Always - always - loved the way Bobby Stokes shot rebounded off the old Wembley stanchion...
My Top 3 is a series where community members name their Top 3 goal nets of all time. As we are going offline for the festive season, this week's My Top 3 will be the last of 2017 and that honour goes to Martin @ Offis Munkeh.
Here, in his own words, is Offis Munkeh's Top 3.
Argentina 1978
My favourite goal nets, the L-frame goals with the black 'arm-bands.' The way Mario Kempes' first goal in the final (at 1:55 in the video below) comes back off the net in the final is mesmerising; the nets seem to know how far to return the ball without being rude.
Zico loved the goal nets so much he threw himself into them after the Brazil / Sweden match!
When I was a kid, I tried to create these goals with one of my Subbuteo goals and a black marker pen. It didn't end well!
Wembley
The classic curved A-frame, you could put the old Wembley goal nets in any place and situation in the world and you'd immediately know what they were.
All the most memorable FA Cup goals involve this hardware. In fact, the only FA Cup final moment I can remember post-1996 is Alan Pardew dancing, and that's not a good thing.
New Lodge, Billericay Town
A biased choice, I've been admiring the Billericay Town A-frame goals for more than 30 years; in fact I've painted the A-frames and even scored a couple of goals in them!
The A-frame goals lasted until this season when they were changed to box nets as part of the ground redevelopment. An endangered species lost another member.
The football may not always have been pretty but the goal nets certainly were. (Warning: the video below contains choice language and the appearance of a box goal net around the 1:31spot).
Maybe a unique part of the goal nets is how they frame the slope at New Town. With the sloping pitch, even at lo-resolution in the photo below you can see the advertising hoardings slope at one angle, the goal posts slope at a slightly lesser angle but the stand behind the goals slopes at yet another angle!
Thanks for your Top 3 Offis Munkeh - a sensational grouping of goal nets to finish the year.
Wishing all community members a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Is it ironic that we only celebrate things when they are gone, and not while we have them?
The History of Goal Nets would like to pay tribute to Celtic's unbeaten run of 69 games, ended yesterday by Hearts. So this week's Big Match comes from Tynecastle 1978, on another occasion the maroons triumphed (and Celtic's long standing goalkeeping woes were laid bare - poor Peter Latchford).
Two great goals by Drew Busby, fantastic old stanchions at Tynecastle.
This week's Top 3 has been contributed by the guys at the Yesteryear Footy Pod (where they watch games gone past and talk about them.)
The guys had a bit of a rummage and their Top 3 - in their own words, but in no particular order - is as follows:
Late-80's Old Trafford
Airy design, bonus points for when a ball gets stuck in the upper corner.
Malta Empire Stadium
Living in Malta, thought we'd include a bit of Mediterranean flavour (and what's not to love here?) Think this image must be of England's visit in 1971...
Azteca Stadium
Bit of a classic, Azteca from the World Cup 1970.
Honourable mention to Hampden Park (but we saw this already picked in the series, so went for a bit of diversity instead...)
All great choices, Yesteryear Footy Pod - good luck with your excellent series of podcasts.
Would you like to contribute your Top 3? DM Tony on Facebook.
Forget Mourinho and his fighting-in-the-tunnel look-over-there attempt to divert attention from his unsuccessful defensive tactics at home and revel in the History of Goal Nets at the Manchester derby.
This week's Big Match comes from Old Trafford and Maine Road because, why not? Isn't it Christmas?
1970 - Old Trafford
Check out United's old red stanchions and netting, and the Mike Doyle goal for 1-2 City - straight back out of the hardware!
Maine Road - 1975
1975/76 saw United return to the First Division and was the swansong for City's grand white stanchions, here with nets dropped short and pulled taut.
Maine Road - 1979
A 2-0 win for City featuring a beautifully curled goal by Michael Robinson - "fit to grace any derby match," according to the excited John Motson commentary - and the trendy Continental D supports City installed after the 1976 European Championships. What's not to like?
Old Trafford - 1982
Straight after the Spain World Cup, United went into copycat mode and dropped their nets waaaay short of their white stanchions. Check out the first of Frank Stapleton's brace for the afternoon - great goal - and note the nets' dreadful ball retention, caused by their being pinched in the corners.
Old Trafford 1990
United might have looked cool with their new Continental D's - their last change of goal nets before the box nets of Euro '96 - but it was Ian Brightwell's equaliser for City that stole the show!
Continuing our series of My Top 3, where members of the History of Goal Nets community nominate their Top 3 goal nets of all time.
This week's contributor is Duncan Spencer and Duncan's Top 3, in his own words, are:
Maine Road 1977
First up is the classic D frame from the 1977 FA Cup semi-final between Everton and Liverpool. Sheer white tight netting. The first goal displays the most magnificent ball retention.
Elland Road 1974
Next up is the old A-frame classic at Elland Road circa 1974, made even slightly quirkier as they had a small pouch of loose netting to catch a well-drilled low shot.
Estadio Santiago Bernabeu 1980
Thirdly, and for sheer European quirkiness, check out the 1980 European Cup final. Outstanding round stanchion.
Picking a Top 3 was very difficult so could I make an honourable mention of Blackpool 1974? I think it was the goal of the season against Newcastle, a mini version of the Stamford Bridge nets.
Wow, that's a top Top 3, Duncan - thanks very much for sharing!
Would you like to contribute your Top 3 to the community? DM Tony on Facebook.
If you have a weekend match-up at Vicarage Road between Watford and Tottenham Hotspur and a blog dedicated to the lost aesthetics of the game in the 1970's and 1980's, it requires only the alchemy of adding those two simple elements together to make gold.
Yes, your Big Match feature this week is The Glenn Hoddle Goal.
OK, it's 1983 and Watford have taken unique liberties with their oversized Continental D's but let's be honest - you only really see the goal nets once the ball has completed it's laser guided flight over the Watford goalie's head, don't you?
Starting today, a feature where valued members of the History of Goal Nets community nominate their favourite Top 3 Goal Nets of all time.
First up - Daniel McNeill. In no particular order, Daniel's Top 3 are as follows:
Hampden Park
Daniel is a big fan of the iconic Hampden goals - the big square posts and bar and the Iron Man stanchions.
Celtic
Daniel's a big fan of Celtic and A-frames. He regrets not seeing the A-frames that supported the Parkhead nets until the early 1970's but can't look past the Continental D's that replaced them.
Sporting Lisbon
Daniel's also a big fan of the other club that wears the hoops, Sporting Lisbon, and loves the magnificent A-frames at the old Alvalade.
Great choices Daniel - thanks for sharing!
Would you like to be included in the Top 3 series? DM Tony on Facebook.
What better to add to the three-in-one-week Motherwell v Celtic fixtures than a game from the past?
The September 1982 clash between the sides is maybe not one The Steelmen will want to remember, but if they wanted to avoid the attention of a goal nets blog 35 years later, they shouldn't have installed such classic Continental D's at their ground, should they?
Check out a super-rare assist by David Moyes, a rare double from Roy Aitken and a less rare hat trick from Charlie Nicholas in his last season at Celtic. Oh, and the brilliant white nets at Fir Park. Enjoy!
Can we agree to rename the week's retro feature as The Big Match? Thanks. It just seems ITV did the 1970's and 1980's way better than the BBC.
With that out of the way, this week's Big Match features West Ham and Leicester, who fought to a 1-1 standstill at the dreadful London Stadium last Friday.
The first match featured is from 1973 and it's also a 1-1 draw. Look out for the Persil white of Peter Shilton's goalie kit and the early season Boleyn nets - they're whiiiite.
The second game is from the last day of 1977. The Boleyn nets may be mid-winter filthy but check out the unlikely (and scientifically difficult to understand) ball retention offered by the support system. Scored into the tight trampolines of today, John McDowell's opener or Steve Kembell's cross-cum-shot for 1-3 would have rebounded to the halfway line.
Bayern Munich may have eventually triumphed in Glasgow last night but they have struggled previously on Scottish grounds and been beaten. This week's Match of the Day (Retro) looks at two previous visits of Bayern to Scotland.
The first visit featured is the1983 Cup Winners Cup quarter-final tie against a top Aberdeen side who would go on to win the tournament. Look out for an ageing Paul Breitner, two terrific goals for Bayern and the superb ball retention of the Pittodrie Continental D's.
The second featured Bayern match in Scotland is the first leg of the 1989 UEFA Cup quarter-final against Hearts. By 1989 Hearts had long dismantled their great Bernabeu-style stanchions and had replaced with loose-hanging Continental D's which were good - but no cigar.
Tottenham and West ham may have been playing against each other for nearly 120 years but their meetings in the League Cup (in whichever guise) have been sporadic to say the least. There have been only nine meetings between the sides in the English league's third trophy, with two of those games in the last five years and two of them replays.
Our Match of the Day League Cup Special focuses on one of those replays, when the tournament was the Littlewoods Cup and Tottenham triumphed in a replayed quarter final rout. Though Spurs had Hoddle and Waddle in tandem, the star of the show was Clive Allen - and the White Hart Lane stanchions!
