THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[ASR1927]

[AS Collie]

[ASR1927]

[Lupa]

How one day changed things. Before the last day of the transfer season everyone already seemed ready to dump LE and 'the project'. Roma fans have definite highs (hey Stefano) and lows. Patience is not a noted quality (which is why I can't resist jokes like the fact that it's too bad we didn't acquire Pazienza).

I'm envious that you're living in Rome, Collie. Not envious of your neighbour's Laziale stench.

[ASR1927]

So we really did go after Montolivo but he rejected us. From football-italia

Riccardo Montolivo has rejected reports that he has agreed to join Milan in 2012. Fiorentina have also revealed that he snubbed a move to Roma this summer.

“I’m just concentrating on Fiorentina,” said the former Viola captain. “I have no verbal or written agreement with any other club.”

Montolivo was made available for transfer by the Tuscan side after he refused to sign an extension to his contract that expires next June.

Milan were strongly paired, but it has now been revealed that Roma made an offer for the former Atalanta playmaker.

“There was interest in him from a big Italian club and that was Roma,” Viola sporting director Pantaleo Corvino noted.

“However, it was the player himself who turned it down. He told us that joining Roma would have been an act of treachery towards the Viola fans.

“We missed out on an important economical opportunity there, but the positive side was that it demonstrated his attachment to Fiorentina.

“We can’t deny that Montolivo has betrayed us though. We wanted to make him the symbol of Fiorentina.

“Nevertheless, what has just happened will allow us to sit around a table again and discuss his future.”

If Montolivo isn’t convinced to put pen to paper on a new deal then he could leave Tuscany on a free transfer next summer.


http://www.football-italia.net/sep2g.html

[DavidP]

I wonder if maro would come back after 2-3 years for this team





(after selling off Pjanic for big bucks, as well as selling off Gago and all the dead weight that we will have in 2-3 years (sorry Rosi) and buying Eriksen, the roma fan and Giuseppe Rossi).

[DavidP]

oh and Greco, Montini, Scardina, Brosco (buy him back) can all be thrown into the squad as well..

six one-club men in there. if they all start at some point, then it must be a record for a current 1st/2nd/3rd serie a finisher (if we do make it up there in the next couple of years) for the last few decades at least. there are also 17 home-grown players in that squad.

Curci, Crescenzi, Antei, Stoian, Sini, De Rossi, Bertolacci, Verre, D'Alessandro, Totti, Caprari. how about that for a starting 11... with Greco, Florenzi and Viviani coming on as subs..

[forzaitalia]

Where's maro gone?

Anyway, Christian Eriksen is quality. Would love him here.

[DavidP]

[aldair6]

Roma director Walter Sabatini openly warned Francesco Totti “must take a step back” after a row with Luis Enrique and Franco Baldini.
The Giallorossi have been very public in their disagreements this summer, especially after Coach Enrique dropped Totti for the Europa League games, prompting a furious response from media and fans.

“Our transfer strategy won’t do much good if this irritating situation continues,” slammed director of sport Sabatini."The moment has come to face the matter that involves Totti, Enrique and Baldini, as I do not like this saga at all. It is dangerous and must be resolved, as there is a worrying deadlock. We can’t carry on like this, as the whole city can hear us, while we should be focusing only on football.”

It was well known that Totti reacted angrily to being dropped by Enrique, but Baldini is also pushing the captain to one side. Although technically still general manager for England, Baldini has effectively been working at Roma for months.

“Everyone has to do something, perhaps the person least at fault here is the Coach. It’s not true that there is a Baldini ‘faction’ within the club going against Totti. At the same time, I cannot believe there is a plan to annihilate Totti that comes from Baldini.He is a great champion, but has to be treated like all the others. We’ve got to end this idea that if he doesn’t play, then he has been betrayed. Totti is the one who has to get himself out of these problems.Does he need to step aside? No, just let the Coach work in a relaxed environment, even if the tactician decides not to field him. Totti has to make sure he isn’t described as someone who suffers on the bench, or the man who destroyed the last few Roma Coaches. He has to help the Coach. In modern football there are no untouchable players and I ask him for this sacrifice.”

[RomaShield27]

This Totti shit is getting outta hand. It would wanna be all put to bed soon, but i'm not sure if a hard line approach is the way to go about it. Ever the pessimist, it could get worse before it gets better. This says there could be a backlash from Totti, as in its "his turn to speak":

La palla passa a Francesco. Ora il capitano deve parlare
– Venerdì 02 Settembre 2011 16:46


Delvecchio tells it as it is:

Delvecchio: "Totti è Roma e la Roma. Non è un 'mangia-allenatori'"
– Venerdì 02 Settembre 2011 21:05

[AS Collie]

[maro]

Remind me again what Totti's done over the past two months - other than not say anything while Baldini, Sabatini, and LE have all taken shots at him?

[RomaShield27]

All Totti's done is walk down the tunnel after he was subbed. Not great to see, but its hardly a declaration of war.

It certainly doesn't look like he's in anyway unhappy in photos from training yesterday. This whole Totti thing is a complete non-issue and starting to get ridiculous.

Some rather gay ones of the squad playing ring a ring a rosie. Still good to see them all smiling and having a bit of laugh, including Totti. Obviously it was all an act for the media, as we all know that there's really a 'war' going on with Totti and the management.











Good to see Borriello back in the mix and looking happy. Also looks like he's got the trademark gayhair back going for him.

And nice to see Juan getting back to full fitness.

It does look like a bit of royal rumble at times, though.



But then it was all ruined by big bad Sabatini coming down after his conferenze stampa and flicking his smokes everywhere and giving he evil eyes.

[maro]

Do we know that his walking straight down the tunnel broke team rules? It would have done under Spalletti, but do we know LE holds similar rules?

[RomaShield27]

Who knows, are there set rules for such things? I wouldn't imagine so, but the general feeling is that a player should sit down on the bench and watch and cheer his team on for the remainder of the game, especially the captain, unless he has a knock or slight injury concern.


How about this from Giacomo Losi. He sums it up pretty well:

Losi: "Basta gettare benzina sul fuoco. Lasciamo tranquilli Totti e Luis Enrique"
– Sabato 03 Settembre 2011 13:22



My dodgy google-aided translation:

[AS Collie]

That's photos are amazing Ed! I love Taddei's gay hotpants look and the evil Sabatini one.

I'm not saying Totti is wrong, but neither is he the whole team. When a player is as influential and as universally loved as he is, they need to be extra careful of what they say and do, lest it be mis-interpreted.

For the first time in his miserable life, I think Ed's right. This is a non-issue being blown up by lazy journalists and overly-passionate fans. Everyone at Trigoria needs to get the finger out, work together and win some fuckin football matches.

Should Roma hire a coach and tell them from the start "Totti must play 90 minutes of every game for which he is fit"? If that's the rule that the majority of Roma fans want, then fine, but I'd rather let the professional coach observe his players in training and then select what he deems to be the best 11 for the formation he chooses and the opposition they face.

[maro]

Each team has rules about such things - this came out when Pizza stormed off after being subbed by Spalletti and Spalletti said that any subbed player knew he had to sit on the bench for 5 mins before he could go and shower.

[Lupa]

How can you pick on Borriello's gayhair and not point out Osvaldo?

Taddei's shorts are another issue. I guess he knows his legs are his best feature and they draw your away from his other features.

[red]