THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi I

[SPqR]

[Bagg10]

[RomaShield27]

[oily]

[Jamoldo]

[oily]

[Jamoldo]

[RomaShield27]

3-1 would be an "ok" result, Jamoldy...? Ya think! I think we can do 3-1, but its going to take something really really special. There is always hope, but I won't be holding my breath. At least we have Juan and Mexes fully fit and raring to go. We need they're experience at the back to try keep them out as much as possible at the back and then who knows. We do have The LitM.

says this about Rio:

The Manchester United central defender and current England captain sustained the injury, which will almost certainly rule him out of Wednesday's Champions League game at home to Roma, during a thrilling 2-2 draw against Middlesbrough.

[Jamoldo]

Yes Shieldypoo. "ok" meaning that we would get through without sudden death. I'll be very honest. Us getting a 2-0 win would be spectacular (since it would give us a shot and maybe get us to PKs) but it would not be "ok" in this specific sense. 4-2 would be "ok" too. etc etc. I think the key is going to be pushing up like Boro did and we will have to risk keeping Cicinho at RB to attack on occasion but have the speed to get back and defend against Ronaldo. Taddei has to be in front of him to help. Mancini and DDR will have to help Max. We can definitely do it with a full 11, that's for sure. I think Perrotta's inclusion will be far more critical than we think. Let's see what Aquilani can give us creativity wise.

[maro]

Well, gentiluomini, clearly I have nothing to compare with dib-dab's ridiculous 6-2 or Shield's late Vooch winner against Milan, but Rome was good to us all the same. A fine week in the Roman sun, drinking well, eating better, walking, wandering, checking out the Ara Pacis for glad, knifing a couple of isolated ManUre supporters for Populusque, smoking an incense candle or two for Grasso. Back to snow drifts in England yesterday - the latest reminder that we're clearly living in the wrong country.

We managed to get tickets for the ManUre game, more by good fortune than by real perseverance, and so at least had the consolation of being able to absorb the action live. I knew Doni had been saving up a catastrophic clanger for a special occasion, but didn't realise it was for me to be able to enjoy in person. I felt we played pretty darn well for seventy minutes, fashioning four or five really good chances to their one, but in the end we were lucky the damage wasn't worse. An early goal at Old Trafford may put the wind up them, but you have to be clinical and lucky against the very best and we were neither.

[RomaShield27]

C'mon now Maro, a whole week away in the Eternal City and all you give us are two small paragraphs. And your meant to be a professor? You can do better than that. Usually we can't shut you up. Its not like you have any work to do or anything...

Where were you sitting for the ManPoo game?

[RomaShield27]

Yeah Jamoldo, I think Perrotta will be very important and can be a match-winner for us. Not terms of actually scoring a match-winning goal, heaven knows he can't do that, but he just might run that damn hard and that damn much ManUsa will be over-awed and just look at him while he slips The LitM in for his hat-trick.

Jammy, do you think Aquilani will start? I think he may be on the bench as he is recovering from a knock while Pizarro and Perrotta will be raring to go, both coming off suspensions.

Fuck, Totti is definitely out:

I convocati per l'Old Trafford – Totti, come annunciato, a casa
www.ilromanista.it | oggi - ore 14:39

Al termine della seduta mattutina, Luciano Spalletti, allenatore della Roma, ha diramato la lista dei venti convocati per il match di mercoledì sera a Old Trafford, in programma alle 20.45. Come ampiamente annunciato, non c'è Francesco Totti. Questo l'elenco completo:

ANTUNES Gabriel
AQUILANI Alberto
BRIGHI Matteo
CASSETTI Marco
CICINHO
CURCI Gianluca
DE ROSSI Daniele
DONI
ESPOSITO Mauro
GIULY Ludovic
JUAN
MANCINI Alessandro
MEXES Philippe
PANUCCI Christian
PERROTTA Simone
PIZARRO David
TADDEI Rodrigo
TONETTO Max
VUCINIC Mirko
ZOTTI Carlo

[maro]

Shield, only the best for us - in the Tribuna Monte [Super] Mario (in the middle of the three tiers of MM seats, as it were). Towards the northern end, though, so closer to the little section of ManUre fans than to the mighty Curva Sud. They were fantastic seats, really, though all too close to see fekkin Doughnut Doni come up with his monstrous flap. I yelled out a couple of things at Vooch in my best attempt at an Irish accent and you could see him muttering under his breath "Not that stupid Irish fekker again; sleeping with his missus was fair enough, but all this man love is going too far." I didn't really understand what he was on about, but I guess you may know more. Ronaldo looked like he'd been enjoying a bit of man love too, though I guess that's hardly a surprise.

[RomaShield27]

[maro]

[Italiamia]

I honestly do not believe Totti can't go for this match.

I don't know maro, I tend to agree with Shield here. Despite your follow up posts, you're not giving us enough. Did you get within smelling distance of Rosella? Did you see the prison where Saints Peter and Paul were held? Did you go to Chiesetta Domine, Quo Vadis or the Catacombe di San Sebastiano to see the footsteps of Christ? I'm not sure you would have been allowed to bring in the Mango gelato as that is not fit for heaven but each of those places may help to convince you of the existence of the Almighty. So would a little Prociutto di San Daniele.

[g.smiley]

Maro, tell me more about how you stumbled upon the tickets. I waited for hours and hours. However, i did get to enjoy a victory

So no Ferdinand and no Vidic for ManBoobster UtD. Can't get a better chance for a massive victory than this!!

[maro]

Avvocato, it was a little like Dr Johnson on his approach to Edinburgh - "Rosella, I smell you in the dark." The scent was almost overpowering as we approached the ground.

[maro]

Smiley, we just got lucky really. We just popped back in to the store on Piazza Colonna just after a few more tickets had suddenly become available. Presumably they were returns of one kind or another. It was purely a piece of fortuitous timing and not being one to check a gift horse's teeth and all.

Avvocato, we did sit in the shadow of what was once the Mamertine a couple of times, looking out over the forum below - does that count for something? And we saw San Pietro being miraculously released in the Stanze Raffaele, but we didn't even make it to San Pietro in Vincoli this time, I'm afraid. We did go to Santa Maria del Popolo (for the Caravaggio, admittedly) and Santa Maria in Trastevere, on your advice, which was very beautiful and we had an excellent, last dinner in the Taverna Trilussa in honour of you all here. We were staying right on the edge of Trastevere, in Via della Gensola, just off Via della Luce, so we strolled across the river most mornings, but had the evenings exploring Trastevere. Some great aperitivi on the Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere and on Via del Moro where there was also a great bakery the moglie had uncovered among her books. Some great carciofi alla Romana and fiori di zucca, prosecco for the moglie and frascati for us both. A couple of great, simple meals at two tiny little, tucked-away restaurants, one 'Da Remo' on the Via della Luce and one at Trattoria della Lucia on the Vicolo del Mattonato. Da Corrado was closed - I don't whether permanently or for the low(ish) season, but it was sadly deserted.

And then plenty of time for the usual sorts of things on the other side of the river and in the Vatican - the Palatine, the Campidoglio, EUR, the Musei Vaticani, wanderings through the forum and the Pantheon, in the Ghetto and along via Giulia, gelato in Piazza Navona, the markets in the Campo de' Fiori and the Piazza San Cosimato. All the good sorts of stuff which make the return to Ingerland particularly tough.

[RomaShield27]

Gents, can anyone identify this lovely lass, and on what Italian programme does she work?