10th February 1996 When a player moves from Italy's Serie A to join Grimsby Town - and pays half the transfer fee out of his own pocket - you can imagine he would become a fans' favourite. Sadly though the main memory of Ivano Bonetti in darkest Lincolnshire wasn't of him on the pitch but the infamous 'chicken wings' incident (see below). After a 3-2 defeat away to Luton Town on Saturday 10th February 1996 (just a month after they had beaten Luton 7-1 in an FA Cup tie) Grimsby manager Brian Laws confronted the former Juventus player about his lack of effort and the confrontation ended when Laws threw a plate of chicken wings at Bonetti, breaking his cheekbone. And that certainly made the "head" lines! When Bonetti signed for Grimsby Town in 1995, it brought massive national attention to the club, and he became an instant fans' favourite. The loyalty of the fans was tested when it was announced that £100,000 was needed to hire Bonetti from the American management company that held the rights to his "services and image"; this was raised by £50,000 from the fans and £50,000 from Bonetti himself, further increasing his appeal. Grimsby, under FIFA regulations, was not allowed to deal with the company and probably could not have afforded the money anyway.
The love affair was completed when he scored the winning goal against West Brom, then managed by former Grimsby boss Alan Buckley and featuring several former Grimsby players.
The "plate of chicken" incident
On 10 February 1996, an incident after a 3–2 defeat away to Luton Town led to the departure of Bonetti from Blundell Park Just a month before, Grimsby had beaten them 7–1 in the FA Cup third round. Brian Laws, angry after the defeat, threw a plate of chicken wings at Bonetti, who he felt did not try hard enough, leaving him with a fractured cheekbone. At the end of the season, Bonetti left for Tranmere Rovers on a free transfer; Laws lasted until November of the next season. At Tranmere, Bonetti scored twice, including a late winner in a 4–3 win over Portmouth. At the start of the 1997–98 season, Bonetti turned up at Crystal Palace, making two substitute appearances in the Premiere League, shortly before returning to Italy to join Genoa.| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–1984 | Brescia | 70 | (3) |
| 1984–1985 | Genoa | 31 | (1) |
| 1985–1987 | Juventus | 18 | (2) |
| 1987–1988 | Atalanta | 26 | (2) |
| 1988–1990 | Bologna | 62 | (3) |
| 1990–1993 | Sampdoria | 61 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Bologna | 18 | (2) |
| 1994 | Torina | 5 | (0) |
| 1995 | Brescia | 16 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | Grimsby Town | 19 | (3) |
| 1996 | Tranmere Rovers | 13 | (2) |
| 1997 | Crystal Palace | 2 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Genoa | 55 | (1) |
| 1999–2000 | Sestrese | 19 | (0) |
| 2000–2002 | Dumndee | 18 | (2) |
| Total | 433 | (20) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2000–2002 | Dundee | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
10th February 2002, former Spurs favourites Paul Gascoigne and David Ginola (yes, it is them in photo) teamed up for a Tottenham Legends charity match against Inter Milan at the new Spurs ground, in March 2019 it proved a very popular photo opportunity. But the two did once play together in the Premier League - for about 20 minutes - in the colours of Everton on 10th February 2002 against Arsenal at Goodison Park. David Ginola made his debut for Everton in that match with Gazza coming on as a late sub. Ginola only ever made five League outings for Everton with the Arsenal match being the only one they played together in the Premier League. Arsenal won 1-0.
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