THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi I

[RomaShield27]

Alright lads, haven't got much time, as I right this post from Rome. I said fuck it, no point in going home, I may as well stay for the Derby and go home on Thursday....





...yeah, I fucking wish. I was on such a buzz from the game and Saturday night and the city was so kicking I was seriously tempted to do just that and stay, but there were just to many things saying no, as they always do – work commitments, the wallet, the other half. Would of loved to have stayed for the Derby. To be honest, the girlfriend wasn't as keen, as she was scared enough at the Milan game so you can imagine what she would be like on Wednesday. Women huh. You can really feel and see the anticipation of the city and people awaiting a big Derby. Even before the Milan game, there was talk on the radio, on television, in the papers, there were signs and posters, people talking everywhere.

The build up to the game on Saturday was a bit of pain in the arse trying to secure our tickets. When we got to the Termini on the Friday evening it was pushing on 6pm, so I thought I may not make it to Piazza Colonna in time, what with the traffic and everything, so I remembered there was this little Roma shop beside the Santa Maria Maggioire (near the Termini) where we could get tickets. This store wasn't an official RomaStore, but it did sell official Roma products and was licensed to sell tickets. So we booked and paid for them then (two in Tribuna Tevere Laterale, beside the Curva Sud, €60 each) and were told to come back and collect them at 1pm on the Saturday. Grand. So we came back at 1pm the next day and they said there was a delay in getting the tickets from Piazza Colonna as the demand was great, so they asked us to come back at 5pm. Ok, fair enough, I'll be happy once I just have the tickets. Then we came back at 5pm, and they said they still haven't gotten the tickets from there suppliers, and asked if we can come back at 6.30pm. By this stage I was pissed off and told the lady – middle-aged, local, smelt of dog food – this is the third time you have said this to us and she just waved her hand in the air and said it was not her fault. I said to the other half this just stinks of AS Roma to be so disorganised with tickets, and that is definitely the last time I book tickets through these little agent stores like that. We weren't staying anywhere near the Maria Maggioire so it was a hassle to make the trip there on three separate occasions, plus in all the confusion and time constraints with going back there at 6.30pm I forgot my camera from our hotel. Nevertheless, finally we had the tickets and with time against us headed straight to the Olimpico in a taxi.

Great atmosphere both inside and outside the stadium before the game. Fuck all Milan fans though – were some of them banned from traveling? Or was it there a Gay rights Parade in Milan on the same day or something? I asked for the tickets in the Tribuna Laterale so we could be close to the Curva Sud and soak up the noise, but I thought they were actually fairly quiet on the old singing front before the game. The match was brilliant without many clear cut goal chances in the first-half, with DDR, Pizarro, Juan and Doni all looking on top of their game. Then Milan scored and the girlfriend thought it was the funniest thing ever when the stadium announcer announce it, 'Gol Milan Kaka'... Everything he said before that was 'nummmmmmmmmmmberoooooo unooooo DOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNI' or 'attttttttttenzioneeeeeeee ragaaaaaaazzzzzi' or somesuch, but after their gol it was simply ''Gol Milan Kaka' real quick, real quiet and real sombre, which was pretty funny. Then the time seem to fly and I was getting very aggravated and tense and thought we were fucked, and said to herself its just not happening for us and we just need to get a lucky break to get back into this, then the ball broke to Ludovic after a spot of ping-pong in the box and it was 1-1, lets go fucking crazy. Before we could settle down The LitM broke free... I held my breath for what seemed like about 10 minutes and BAMN 2 FUCKING 1!! Pandemonium. The Shield went off the fucking radar, madness, lets go fucking crazy. It was brilliant. We should have had a third then right after that had Totti brought himself to the game in full, but it didn't matter, we held out and held onto the ball with real Roman spirit, playing the clock down, even surviving that last minute Pirlo free-kick – fuck me never have I heard such whistles – until at last the ref blew the full-time whistle. How appropriate it should be that Vucinic gets the winner. The girlfriend didn't understand. It didn't matter. 2-1 baby, fucking brilliant.

[RomaShield27]

[maro]

[RomaShield27]

[maro]

[RomaShield27]

Got this in an email this morning and immediately thought of all the French-haters here, feckin classic:



French Soccer Team 1959; French Soccer Team 2008:



The effects of climate change can no longer be ignored

[Italiamia]

[oily]

i salute you ita.. that was deep

[Frenchesco]

Hey Shield, u must have had a great time in Rome and it is really a pleasure reading ur week end in the Eternal City.
I was there 2 years and a half ago already but I had not been so lucky ...Loss against the Zebras 4 to 1. Roma was not the team we have now. Cassano was still there and Spalletti had just started. We didnt even manage to win against Strasbourg in UEFA.
I had a great 5 days in Rome and I am still desperately waiting for my next trip. It is not as easy now as I am working in Asia but I am really planning to go back and enjoy that great city and the atmosphere of the Olimpico....hopefully next year. So Shield, u brought them luck....do not hesitate to go back as soon as u could ok, Mirko really needs u in the stands to show his best.

By the way, I see we have more and more French haters over here. I never wanted to start arguing with u all as I am glad to read from u about Roma and I would certainly be alone trying to defend myself agains all of u. Also I do not always disagree with what u have to say, especially when u talk about Domenech. I do not like the guy at all but evidently still supporting the French team.

[Zoff82]

Ribery is the last white guy on that team. After him there's nobody else. It must be tough in that locker room after the games. He must feel embarassed.

[g.smiley]

[marco]

[RomaShield27]

Frenchesco, my apologies. That image I posted was intended as a joke, and I hope you don't take it to heart. However, I don't think anyone can argue with the basis of it, in that there are a lot of players in the current French national team who's origins aren't purely French and who are perhaps of a different nationality altogether. This is the way of modern football, as opposed to football back in the times such as the 50's, and if you want a more extreme example, look no further then my own country. We have had and continue to have many players who are not even Irish put on the green jersey using the 'grandparent' rule (players who grandparents are Irish), including some of our most famous players like Aldridge, McCarthy, Houghton, Townsend and Cascarino (for whom it turned out lied about his grandmothers origin just so he could play for us – the big leg-end). Like it or not such a ruling is very much in place today. Then you can look further at players like Cameronesi, Amuari , Hargreaves, Deco, Kuranyi... the list goes on. Also, I think you know the difference when it comes to most of us here and our reasons for not liking the French national team – Domenech. The continue ignoring of Mexes is the biggest joke in international football these days, and also of other Italian-based players like Trezeguet and Frey (although the latter is getting a rare call up of late) is very puzzling. Imaging if Mexes was playing for ManUre these days, say in place of Vidic – I wonder if Domenech would find a way to put his 'differences' with Philippe aside and select him in his team then. Seems obvious enough to me. Still, all you can do is support you side, and I'm sure you do with as much passion as anyone else here does for their national side.

Yeah I had a great trip alright. Such a great game to witness, much better than any smelly 6-2 scoreline – I mean who wants to witness that... where's the art of defending there...? And don't worry about Mirko, he's alright. He said he'd loved to have met up with me for a few in Campo the Fiori after the game but he is just to easily recognised on the streets these days. He could of easily done so four months back when most were calling for his head (such is the fickelty [sic] of the mob etc etc.), but now it seems like everyone wants a piece of him. The Legend is growing.

[marco]

[maro]

[Italiamia]

[Italiamia]

[SPqR]

[maro]

[maro]