THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi I

[ASR1927]

[romawi]

[Jamoldo]

[Zoff82]

[Carlo Romano]

[RomaShield27]

Sensi: 'Roma stars unprofessional!'
– Sunday 26 April, 2009

President Rosella Sensi puts Roma in a training camp and “demands effort, professionalism and dignity out of respect for the fans.â€

[RomaShield27]

SPALLETTI VERSO L´ADDIO, C´È IL MILAN
– pubblicata domenica 26 aprile 2009

(Sportmediaset) - "Lavorare a Roma è stato bellissimo, ma ora che le cose vanno male è giusto che sia io a metterci la faccia e a sentirmi in discussione". Parole che sanno di congedo quelle di Luciano Spalletti dopo il tracollo giallorosso contro la Fiorentina, che ha fatto 'esplodere' Rosella Sensi. Il tecnico toscano è a una svolta, che sa però di Milan, non di Juve, come ipotizzato giorni fa. Spalletti non si dimette, ma esprime tutta la sua contrarietà al ritiro, misura invece imposta alla squadra da una furiosa Rosella Sensi, alle prese - sempre che la famiglia non ceda davvero il club da qui alle prossime settimane - con la difficoltà di far quadrare i conti vista l'ormai praticamente certa esclusione dalla prossima Champions (occhio anche alla Uefa, la Roma non può più sgarrare). Come dire che la rottura ormai è a un passo. Con Ranieri e Ancelotti ancora legati per una stagione rispettivamente a Juve e Milan, l'ipotesi più probabile per il futuro immediato di Spalletti potrebbe sembrare quella dell'anno sabbatico. No, non è così. Perché il cambio in panchina è una prospettiva totalmente aperta sia a Vinovo che a Milanello. In rossonero potrebbe finirci proprio il tecnico di Certaldo, con la Juve impegnata in un progetto immediato di 'restaurazione lippiana', targata Antonio Conte.

[romawi]

[quote="RomaShield27"]Sensi: 'Roma stars unprofessional!'
– Sunday 26 April, 2009

President Rosella Sensi puts Roma in a training camp and “demands effort, professionalism and dignity out of respect for the fans.â€

[romawi]

Oh and does anyone know if there are any good coaches that we might be able to get when Spalletti leaves? Ancellotti seems to be out of Milan, but I think he'll probably end up at Chelsea. I also would want us to stay as far away from Ranieri as possible. Who else is out there?

[vtec]

yeah, ancelotti is almost certainly gone to chelsea.

[edge_xeno]

Wouldn't Ancelotti snub Chelsea for his beloved Roma that he always dreamed of coaching?

[vtec]

probably not for 5 times the salary roma would offer

[ricky2882]

Sunday April 26, 2009


Roma have always had a self-destructive streak, but Susy Campanale thinks they are going off the deep end

President Rosella Sensi has always been quiet and calm, an ocean of tranquillity within the chaos of football in the Italian capital. So when she releases a statement as vicious as the one that followed the humiliating 4-1 defeat at Fiorentina, you know the team has seriously overstepped the mark.

Her complaints were not targeted at the results, nor necessarily the performance, but rather the self-destructive streak that runs through the Giallorossi squad. It is frankly unacceptable to have 12 red cards, almost all of them for dissent or aggressive reactions.

Roma is a difficult club to work in and I’m sure the players will discover that over the next few days. The rivalry with Fiorentina was already intense quite apart from the battle for fourth place and to lose so spectacularly can only spark a furious response from the fans. The Giallorossi will find themselves under siege at the Trigoria training ground and the ‘ritiro’ camp is more for their own safety than as punishment.

Throughout the campaign Roma have shown they are incapable of challenging the big clubs, but not in terms of quality or style of football, something that was badly affected by the injury crisis. Their real loss has been psychological and that can be the trickiest aspect of all to fix.

I think the moment it all went wrong was the Champions League exit to Arsenal. A team decimated by fitness problems gave its heart and soul in that second leg, taking it all the way to penalties despite Francesco Totti and David Pizarro hobbling along for 120 minutes, the strain of their efforts moving the fans and leaving them in no doubt that nothing more could have been done. It was all for nothing, much like last season the Scudetto was whisked away when the incredible comeback was 30 minutes from completion. The side visibly feels whatever they do, it's never going to be enough, so they act out.

Roma are in the midst of a crisis of faith, feeling forsaken, frustrated and weighed down by a sense of futility. If they are not careful, then the UEFA spot could also slip from their grasp, which would only add to the spiral of despair and helplessness. This squad needs an intervention.

[RomaShield27]

[Pauly W. Nuts]

Welcome back Carlo, I am so glad to see you post again. It seems as if it was rather unlively here without your comments.

So much to say, seriously, so much after that debacle from yesterday. Its always good to begin with the most important position:

1) Although its truly hard to imagine TGIP as not being with or team anymore, I completely agree with Chris's sentiments from a while back, which he re-posted again. Quote:

"I’ve had more doubts than I’ll ever let on. Tactically never a question, but the way this team operates sometimes really brings to question his ability to extract the right mentality from this team, the first and foremost quality for any great coach, teacher, leader, etc. in any aspect of life. His football mind is top of the mountain, maybe a bit higher, but otherwise, I can’t honestly say I’m sure he’s a coach that can lead a team to greatness. [That he can implement] That overwhelming sense to will themselves to a win. To defeat regardless of tactics, blow up the gameplan and just win."

Let us also add what some of you have claimed here, or that which I had an argument with Maro and others on Theoffside a while back, which is TGIP's lack of flexibility, and usage of our young players, at least occassionally.

The few times that Spal has implemented and let the young players play, it has been out of sheer necessity. What is most bothersome is that lack of belief that the players have, or that "sense to will themselves to win." Spal is the person most resposible for that, and I doubt whether that will change if he stays for another season, even if one or two players are added to the roster. It seems that, except for a few players, our current roster us composed of a bunch of nonbelievers, mentally fucked-up players that lack drive, determination, and a winning mentality. Again, Let Spal take the blame for that, even amongst the few key injuries that still haunt this team.

As much as I hate to say it, and I love the guy to death, it seems to me that Spal should leave. Even a low profile, or small club manager might do wonders for our team. if Ancellotti decides to go for 5 times the salary at Chelsea, then let it be, since than that would be a true testament of his character towards his "beloved Roma."

[Pauly W. Nuts]

I also respectfully disagree with anyone here who thinks that Totti is part of the problem, or that he should maybe retire, etc. Totti is the best thing we have on this team.

Let me explain. There is no need to remind you gentlemen that Totti, at 80% health and fitness or so, was absolutely phenomenal yesterday, especially in the first half when things were still undecided. Every single time he touched the ball, he drew 3-4 opposing players towards him as they tried to contain him. In addition, Totti made 3-4 superb passes to his teammates, that they unfortunately failed to materialize and turn into goals (e.g., Brighi, Taddei, Baptista). The same applies for previous games, when Totti's set-ups and feeds balls, that should have been turned into goals.

Yesterday, Totti was the one that was always fighting to create chances, feeding other players balls that should have been capitalized, but they were not. I have noticed that as the games progress, and our players fail to capitalize, the opposing teams do in fact take advantage of the few chances that they have, and that is the reason we have lost so many games. Therefore, let us place the blame on the players that lack the finishing touch, expect Totti, for the lack of goals, and wins, for this disastreous year.

[romawi]

[Carlo Romano]

Pauly, thanks loads for the welcome back...

I'd like to respond to you, Tuna-Man & Ed together since you are all more or less on the same topic(s).

On Spalletti, given our present circumstances and the fact that they will most probably remain unchanged next season, I have to say I feel we are better off if il mister stays, despite many words to the contrary I am seeing in various places that perhaps he has run out of ideas with our Roma and his time is over. It wasn't so long ago that most of us would have considered his leaving unthinkable! Yes he makes mistakes but he's a man, not an omnipotent being. If I'm going to take him to task, so to speak, I want better reason than just that he took too long to finally drop the 4-2-3-1.

A tradesman must have the correct tools for the job. We know our squad lacks sufficient starting quality players even when fully fit and all available, yet Spalletti was expected to fight a three tier campaign: il campionato, Coppa Italia, and CL...often with players out of position and at times with walking wounded. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we haven't even once this season had a completely fit full first choice XI starting a game! Hardly his fault that he's been put in the position of having to do more reshuffling than a Vegas poker school!

Where this man fails me is:

A) He is a more than capable tactician but he lacks for example, Capello's strength. Don Fabio would have gone to Pradè, Conti, and our principessa a long time ago and made his demands clear. They'd have known before even speaking to him that they'd have to take him seriously. By comparison, I've said before and I will again...I'm certain Spalletti was told to shut his mouth or get out in November 07 when he said he needed three more players to make a good team a great team.

B) He is not a demonstrative enough personality. Capello demands a response from his players. No one says Spalletti has to shout like a bullying schoolmaster at his pupils from the touchline but it is part of his job to lift and encourage his boys...I don't really want to remember the occasions when tv cameras have picked him out just staring down at his feet when things go bad!

C) Spalletti has stated he has many flair players but far too few fighters. It's Offside guru Chris's opinion il mister doesn't have the mentality required to draw out those qualities in the players he refers to. An extension of my thoughts in point B above but I will say it's not the easiest task to create a fighter from a passive nature! Spalletti knows his players better than we do. It may be he thinks in their case it can't be done...

But even having said that, given our alternatives and the important words, given where we currently are, now in a poorer bargaining position than during that unfortunate meeting I referred to between il mister and his employers, we're not going to get better than him. Replacing him should only be an option if he chooses to leave or is forced out in the aftermath of
Ms Sensi's public outburst...


Anyway, my mind is now on Chievo, l'assini volante, a home game and one we should by rights win. We then have Cagliari (a), Catania (h) Milan (a) and i granata Toro (h) to finish our season. Previous to watching us struggle against Lecce last week and the madhouse of Firenze on Saturday I'd have said the only game we'd have to give up for sure was against Milan. With Artur in goal everything is now wide open...we will indeed do well to be certain of taking any Uefa Cup place, most likely not the 5'th place I'd hoped for which would have spared us from playing 2 prelims (4 matches) and given our boys very little of a holiday break!

[Jamoldo]

[RomaShield27]

Decline and fall of the Roma empire
– Monday 27 April 2009 10:00

Much like the dear old Eternal City, AS Roma have seen better days. Both are in need of a major makeover. The 4-1 thumping at Fiorentina on Saturday all but ended any hopes of grabbing fourth place and unless there is a miracle of biblical proportions, UEFA's showpiece final at the end of May will be the last Champions League football at the Stadio Olimpico for some time.

That unthinkable state of affairs has left the future of everyone – from president Rosella Sensi to the kitman – very much up in the air. The feeling is that Luciano Spalletti is already looking for an escape route and in the Machiavellian world of Italian football, the whispers along the corridors are of the shaven-headed coach defecting to AC Milan when Carlo Ancelotti decamps to either Chelsea or Real Madrid.

Nice work if you can get it, but what of the mess Spalletti leaves behind on the banks of the Tiber? Of course, he can't shoulder all the blame – having had little or no say in last summer’s transfer campaign – but his handling of the team in the most delicate moments has left a lot to be desired. The 50-year-old may or may not have snubbed Chelsea last summer, publicly committing his future to Roma through thick or thin. But for most of the season he has been a distant figure compared to his usual chirpy self.

To those outside the club that lack of real belief has transferred itself to the players and Florence was typical of recent Giallorossi performances. La Viola broke the deadlock with their first shot, and despite dominating the first half – when chances couldn't be turned into goals – it all went pear-shaped for the visitors. Attacks broke down, players lost their positions and there was no use in looking to the bench for help as Spalletti was either staring at the ground or shaking his head in resignation.

With no one or nothing to prop up their fragile egos, those on the pitch switched to default mode: whining and whingeing before losing all semblance of discipline. The diminutive but very uptight David Pizarro lost his rag over nothing and squared up to France Semioli, receiving a second yellow card and his marching orders.

That's now a dirty dozen red cards this season, most of them for dissent. It's back to the bad habits from before Fabio Capello's reign (1999-2004) briefly brought everyone into line – when there was never a week that passed without someone or other getting sent off.

Sifting through the ruins of the season, the only similarity now with Don Fabio’s reign is that the club are still in the depths of financial woes. Sensi has admitted that interested parties have been in touch about a possible sale, with a consortium fronted by disgustingly rich industrialists the Flick family ready to acquire a major stake in the club. The billionaire financer George Soros could have taken over last year for a snip, but having apparently predicted the current worldwide financial crisis, he decided to keep his readies closer to home.

Where too now for the failing Romans? Well, the players have been banished to the dreaded ritiro for a week, which smacks of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

As for the rest, the Sensi family need to step away and allow the German-Swiss axis to come in and clean up the mess – ending the handouts of jumbo contracts (and that includes Francesco Totti’s hopes for one last mega-payday), selling off some of the assets (Philippe Mexes and Alberto Aquilani) then jettisoning the deadwood and starting from scratch again.
As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it hasn’t taken long for the club to crumble.