THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[ASR1927]

[maro]

Well, I don't know if I can continue taking an interest in Roma if we see a side like this at some stage this season: Stekelenburg, Cicinho, Kjaer, Heinze, Angel, De Rossi, Pjanic, Gago, Lamela, Bojan, Osvaldo. I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer to see De Rossi leave. Lord knows it's not much of a 'Roma' that he'd be staying loyal to. I wonder if that line-up's much stronger than, let's say, Curci, Cassetti-Mexes-Juan-Riise, De Rossi, Pizarro, Brighi, Vucinic, Totti, Menez? Or with Simplicio, Perrotta, Taddei, Borriello in there too? If LE's such a bloody good coach, then lord knows why he can't get something out of the midfielders he already has at the club. Lamela and Angel I understand since they bring something new to the table; Mexes leaving I understand given his wages; perhaps Vooch and Menez were never supposed to leave. Bringing in some ordinaryish midfielders to play ahead of the loyal servants already at the club I find rather harder to stomach. It's not even a question of Italians versus foreigners, for me. For heaven's sake, ManShitty probably have as much continuity with their side of three seasons ago as we will with that of last year.

[maro]

If LE were a real coach he'd be trying to mould Simplicio and Taddei and Perrotta and Brighi and Pizarro, along with Viviani and Bertolacci, and Verre, into the midfielders he wants them to be. I find it very hard to believe they'd prove slow-learners.

[red]

Or he could show some flexibility in his system.

A system that no-one can be sure will work well in Serie A.

[maro]

I don't mind a coach who has a very clear footballing philosophy; I worry more when a coach has a very clear footballing philosophy but clearly not a lot of faith in his own ability to communicate it.

[red]

I've no issue with a coach being very dedicated to a way of playing, if that philosophy has proved successful.

I wouldn't be impressed if I was a Roma fan if, for instance, Pizarro was forced out of the club because he doesn't fit an unproven system.

Unproven coaches should, as you said, mould existing players to their system, rather than making heaps of changes to a squad.

[DavidP]

[DavidP]

[Italiamia]

I think at this stage, there is no way I can disagree with what Tomasso just said. Of course, I have made my concerns about a foreign Roma well known to all, but this is becoming just a garden variety gang of spanish speakers worthy of Inter. Even though Tommaso's post goes much deeper than just an Italian v. Foreign situation, it is quite clear that the emphasis has been to reshape the team by acquiring foreign players who may not be able to find Rome on a map while sending Italians packing.

This club has taken a major turn and from where I am sitting, it has not taken very long to destroy pretty much everything I have felt as a Roma fan since I was old enough to understand, which is about 38 years ago. I literally have no interest in this club right now, and no interest in football in general. I can barely bring myself to post in this thread because I am completely disgusted and literally sick to my stomach. This is not my Roma and I think that sentiment is shared by a majority of Romans. I believe this new ownership has made a huge mistake in this transfer season and while some of these players may be talented, it is not going to change the general feeling that as fans, we have lost our team.

[DavidP]

it now seems that brighi will be gone before september 1st. fucking hell.

[RomaShield27]

[Italiamia]

Edzo, we are not going to have a single fucking Italian on this team in the very near future. De Benedetto is going to let Enrique build a squad that he is most confortable with it seems to me. I took what Tommaso said as a serious post. It is a deep post, and it goes to the heart of the matter if you are a Roma fan. I cannot see how the Curva Sud is going to support such a squad under this coach.

[RomaShield27]

I do agree that we are seeing a lot of change in this mercato. Too much, perhaps, if we do see a full line-up made up entirely of newcomers. LE has been pretty clear that he requires two new midfielders as he's not content with the quality of what we currently have, but like Tom said he is doing that because he wants to play a certain style of football and impose his preferred brand upon the team. There is a certain amount in that which is fair enough – he is a coach in the Barca method, and so there is some logic to it – but it also doesn't say a lot for him as a coach if he's not able to work with whats already there. I don't see the dramatic urgency for new midfielders, to be perfectly honest. One new, creative mezz'ala perhaps, and ditch the deadwood in Simplicio and Barusso, but to me this chase for new midfielders has taken away from the most urgent area in need of reinforcement, the defence.

I've also maintained that I'd like to see more Italians brought in. LE wants more creative, footballing midfielders? Why not go for Montolivo? Sure, wages may be an issue, but if we were serious about him we'd offer more than a paltry €7m. We desperately need a new defender, why not go for Ogbonna? We're apparently short of midfielders and yet the versatile Brighi is being frozen out? Okaka wasn't part of our plans then he was, Borriello the opposite? There's a lot of inconsistencies in this entire mercato.

[DavidP]

[Italiamia]

Edzo, yes, Iglesias wants to play a Barca style of football and he holds the belief, in my opinion, that Italians cannot play this style because the clear empahsis is obvious: bring in foreigners, preferably spanish speakers, and tell the Italians to jog off. De Benedetto is bleeding fans right now because having been to Roma this summer, I can tell you that in early July, there was the wait and see approach because it was early. By early August, I saw complete disgust about the club's approach to this market. I do not think folks who have never been to Rome can really appreciate the place that this team holds in the lives of your ordinary Roma fan and the hold the team has on the city as a whole. Totti and De Rossi are the Kings of the city. As sure as I am sitting here, if De Rossi goes, this ownership is finished in Rome. Finished before a single league match is played and they will never, ever recover from it.

I remember back in May, I posted an article that detailed the amount of media that is soley dedecated to Roma. The only team that compares to this is Real Madrid. It is incredible for a team that rarely wins a thing.

[DavidP]

news: apparently LE has blocked the deal. looks like gago may be going to palermo now.

[DavidP]

[RomaShield27]

Yeh, seen that Dave. Live mercato madness updates here:

http://www.forzaroma.info/calciomercato ... janic.html

Apparently Zamparini has already denied interest in Gago. Kjaer is likely to be official soon (Sky Sports Italia claim it already is), with Wolfsburg giving in to our offer, and apparently we're also close to Pjanic for €10m.

No worries about that other thing. I seen the punning thing when reading Chris's latest, and then seen you asked to "re-post' Maro's post above.

Giovanni, I agree, sell De Rossi and its all over for this ownership. And for LE, too.

[DavidP]

gah. even if Gago is ruled out, there's still no way we're going to sign Montolivo, right (assuming we're signing Pjanic)?



but perhaps we could forget about pjanic and just sign montolivo? also, when asked about the players we are looking to buy, saba said one was already rumoured by the media and the other was only is his own head. maybe its nocerino? but, yes, i will agree with shield here. i'd prefer to just get one midfielder and two cbs.

[Italiamia]

What is killing me is that Bruno Conti is working his ass off building up the youth system again. The man is everywhere. He just landed a 16 kid from Poggibonsi that is destined for great things.

They already have the deal with Pajama, Davis. Motolivo is not coming.