THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[RomaShield27]

That is worrying alright, Don Simon. We need to make sure we make a Europa League spot this season. Even if we are doing very bad at the moment I still think that a top six finish isn't beyond us. Its also a shame we went out in the qualifying stages of this seasons EL, as you'd imagine LE would have taken the competition a bit more serious than your standard Italian club does and we could have went far.

Not good news for Saturday. Looks like Totti could be out, he pulled out of training early today with a thigh strain. Taddei could also be a doubt with a calf strain. Osvaldo's appeal against his red card and three-match ban was, unsurprisingly, rejected (not sure why we feckin appealed it in the first place, I mean, he kicked someone, the bleedin dopio).

http://www.forzaroma.info/news-as-roma/ ... -out-65740

Our primavera are playing Rube shorty:

http://www.forzaroma.info/as-roma-prima ... foto-65746

LE FORMAZIONI UFFICIALI

JUVENTUS (4-2-3-1) : Branescu; Untersee, Gouano, Rubin (C), Liviero; Cibsah, Bouy; Spinazzola, Beltrame, De Silvestro; Padovan.


ROMA (4-2-3-1) : Pigliacelli; Romagnoli, Orchi, Barba, Nego; Viviani (C), Verre; Politano, Ciciretti, Piscitella; Tallo.


Stream here: http://www.calcion.eu/si24.htm

[AS Collie]

Nose-diving coefficient, half-empty stadiums and a team still in need of players despite a heavy influx are all symptoms of years of decline.

The coefficient is sad, but it's hardly Roma's biggest worry. At the end of the day, easy draw or not, if they're good enough they'll perform well in Europe and if they're not, they won't. Look at Napoli.

The statistic that bugs me the most is that match-day attendances have fallen by almost 50% in the last decade. Last season we averaged a pathetic 33,000 per game. in 2001/2002 it was over 60,000 on average, which means a fuck-load of people turning out to see games against the minnows and a sold-out stadium for the big games.

Aside from the atmosphere and the confidence boost that a sell-out home crowd would give the team, with a stadium only 45% full, AS Roma is losing out on a lot of pesetas ... I mean dollars ... I mean Euros.

This problem has a lot to do with the rent/gate-receipt problem that all Serie A clubs – save for Juventus – face, but the fact that Roma only recorded around €20m in match-day revenue last year, when teams like Arsenal, Man United and Real all pocketed somewhere between €110m-€130m is a farce. Even teams like Schalke – and I mean no disrespect to them, but I think we'd all agree Rome as a city and Roma as a team have more appeal and a broader fan base – managed around €30m.

It's been almost a year since the new owners came in, and I have to ask: where the effing hell is the long-term stadium plan? Honestly, as frustrating as he can be, I'd be happy to let LE plug away for another while if I knew that we were improving behind the scenes and building for the future. The primavera seems to be getting the attention it deserves, but we need a stadium plan too.

[RomaShield27]

Great win in the end for the primavera. Standout players for me were Romagnoli at the back, who could be our future defensive monster for years to come, Pigliacelli in the sticks, of course Viviani and Verre in the middle, and Tallo upfront looked lively. He's on loan from Chievo i believe, an Inter youth product.

With this win, our primavera also became the first opposition team to ever win at the spanky new Juventus Stadium. Not bad. Match report .

[Lupa]

A bunch of photos from training. There's one of Bojan that I don't understand. You'll figure out which one, I'm sure.
http://www.corrieredellosport.it/foto/c ... llenamento

Good to see Nico training.

[Italiamia]

[Zoff82]

Why should they make a bridge from that shit region Calabria to the beautiful Messina. There's a reason why it is hard to get to Manhattan from the South Bronx. Keep the shit in the litter box, I say

[red]

Anyone in any doubt about how poor a job Enrique is doing just needs to have a look at what Bielsa has achieved at Athletic Bilbao in the same period.

[RomaShield27]

Palermo-Rome, summoned by Luis Enrique: out Perrotta and Taddei
/ Friday, March 9, 2012 17:10

(As Roma.it) After training, today the coach Luis Enrique has named the squad for the match between Palermo and Rome, scheduled for tomorrow evening at the Barbera stadium at 20.45

Bojan, Borini, Cicinho, Curci, De Rossi, Gago, Greco, Heinze, Josè Angel, Kjaer, Lamela, Lobont, Marquinho, Pigliacelli, Piscitella, Ricci, Rosi, Simplicio, Tallo, Totti

So Totti makes it, but both Perrotta and Taddei are out, along with Pjanic and the suspended Steak, Osvaldo and SuperMarcoCassettiGol.

We've obvious problems at the back with Juan joining Burdisso in the dodgy ginocchio department, along with Cassetti's suspension. Heinze and Kjear will likely start, with DDR in that DMF role, but other than that our options for the centre of the defence are non existent. LE hasn't called up any defenders from the primavera like Romagnoli or Barba which is a bit of a surprise to me. He has called up Matto Ricci for the first time (there are Ricci twins in the primavera), who is a midfielder. Tallo, Piscitella and Pigliacelli, who all played for the primavera v Juve midweek, are also included.

All in all, total number of Romans in our match squad v Palermo = 8.

Palermo also have similar problems though as they're missing their first choice centre-back pairing of Silvestre and Migliaccio. So expect lots of mistakes and possible managerial firings.

Clip from Roma Channel on Burdisso returning to training. Look at em go, its just like Rocky training in Rocky II:

[RomaShield27]

Ah, just learned that Piscitella was in fact born in Nocera Inferiore, Salerno. I think he joined our youth ranks from a local team there at an early age.

[DCGweez]

Bielsa is a genius no doubt but I think Roma could get 3rd in La Liga.

Unless you're impressed with last night in OT. If so, look at ManUs home matches in Europe this year. They have one win I think. That was to Otel Gulati.

I do think it's interesting that LE came out today talking about Roma long term after last nights results and Peps comments about El Loco in the past

[red]

I've watched Athletic Bilbao quite a few times this season and the way they move the ball is consistenly impressive.

It's the pace they move the ball at that is great.

Even when Roma are playing reasonably well, they move the ball too slowly to stand much chance of opening a defence up.

[DCGweez]

Agree there. When we play with tempo, we win. When it's slow we lose.

[RomaShield27]

Palermo-Roma: le probabili formazioni dei quotidiani
/ 10.03.2012 08:40 di Francesco Gorzio articolo letto 452 volte

IL MESSAGGERO
ROMA (4-3-3): 1 Lobont; 87 Rosi, 5 Heinze, 44 Kjaer, 3 Jose Angel; 19 Gago, 16 De Rossi, 8 Lamela; 10 Totti, 14 Bojan, 31 Borini.


LA GAZZETTA DELLO SPORT
ROMA (4-3-3): 1 Lobont; 87 Rosi, 5 Heinze, 44 Kjaer, 3 Jose Angel; 16 De Rossi, 19 Gago, 30 Simplicio; 10 Totti, 8 Lamela, 31 Borini.


IL ROMANISTA
ROMA (4-3-3): 1 Lobont; 87 Rosi, 5 Heinze, 44 Kjaer, 3 Jose Angel; 16 De Rossi, 19 Gago, 7 Marquinho; 14 Bojan, 8 Lamela, 31 Borini.


IL TEMPO
ROMA (4-3-3): 1 Lobont; 87 Rosi, 5 Heinze, 44 Kjaer, 3 Jose Angel; 16 De Rossi, 19 Gago, 7 Marquinho; 14 Bojan, 8 Lamela, 31 Borini.



Good piece on the young primavera players called up:
http://www.forzaroma.info/corriere-dell ... vani-65847

[forzaitalia]

Anybody else really not confident for tonight?

[AS Collie]

Not confident at all. They put 5 past Genoa and Lazio, and we looked terrible against them both. And without Juan, there can be no beating around the bush: we have an absolutely shit defence.

Paul McShane would get a game for this Roma ...

I'm gonna watch it at a local tifosi club, so at least there'll be a few beers and some angry banter.

[RomaShield27]

By local tifosi club, do you mean your little bedroom with a Roma poster on the wall, where you'll watch on your little laptop wearing nothing but your whitey tights, sweating and drinking 6 cans of Birra Moretti and have angry banter with yourself? If so, sounds like a good one to me.

Yeh, not confident alright. As I've said, both teams have big problems at the back and are missing players so you never know which way this one could go. But not too confident about our defence as a whole and can't see us not conceding. Kjaer could come under added pressure too being back at his former team.

[Lupa]

Yeah, I'm not confident about this one either. Shield, I don't think I want to know how you so much about Collie in his bedroom.

[AS Collie]

Lupa, he does that for himself! And my bedroom is awesome – i Lupi sheets an' all.

No, I'm going to the club in Testaccio, Ed. I was talkin to some of them last week and they seem cool, so gonna check it out. Bringin' the missus an' all, the lucky, lucky girl.

[DCGweez]

Zero confidence and jealous of Collie. Not sure why I bother coming here...

Oh yeah misery loves company.

[RomaShield27]

Palermo-Roma FORMAZIONI UFFICIALI, Greco a centrocampo. Davanti Totti-Lamela-Borini (DIRETTA)
/ Sabato 10 Marzo 2012 19:12

Segui con ForzaRoma.info Palermo-Roma. Sarai aggiornato in qualsiasi istante sul risultato del match e potrai leggere in tempo reale la cronaca testuale della partita. Una forte pioggia e raffiche di vento si stanno abbattendo sullo stadio Renzo Barbera di Palermo.

LE FORMAZIONI UFFICIALI

Palermo (4-3-1-2): Viviano, Pisano, Munoz, Mantovani, Balzaretti, Barreto, Donati, Della Rocca, Ilicic, Budan, Miccoli.


Roma (4-3-1-2): Lobont; Rosi, Kjaer, Heinze, José Angel; Gago, De Rossi, Greco; Lamela, Totti, Borini


Arbitro: Banti di Livorno.