THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi I

[romawi]

[romawi]

[Italiamia]

[Italiamia]

[SPqR]

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=870717

Exactly my sentiments on Menez prior to the transfer. We over-payed on an unproven player. I would have preferred spending half on a guy like Osvaldo. What a joke...We had a nice run..some minor silverware to show...but prepare for hell this season and possibly next.

[marco]

[cg916]

[maro]

[giallo-rossi.ie]

[red]

[maro]

[red]

[Italiamia]

[giallo-rossi.ie]

[cg916]

I think some of you gentlemen, Italiamia in particular, will find this quote from Jonathan Wilson's recent article on Dynamo Kyiv intriguing:

It is the departures, though, that have been the real talking points. "Mr Semin sent Rincon, Rodrigo and Kleber back to Brazil - and they were once our leading players," said Surkis. "But the team moves on, keeps on notching one success after another. A sporting director from Lyon, Brazilian himself, told me once that two Brazilians in a team is very good, three is a catastrophe and four is a tragedy. That was exactly our situation."

I'd put Roma's number up for reference but I can't quite count that high. The quote most likely came from Lyon's head of SA operations (or something), Marcelo Djian. Not that it makes a difference.

Plenty of angles here worth pondering. I don't quite like grand sweeping generalizations such as that, obviously depends on the players involved, but I've also heard worse theories.

(Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/20 ... iv.arsenal )

[maro]

That's a very interesting piece, Chris - not, of course, in the detail of 2 or 3 or 4, but in the principle that Brazilians working within an Italian or French or other European footballing culture can be brilliant, but allowed to determine the overall culture of the club, can be disastrous. There's always that cliche' that the Brazilian players don't want to work quite so hard and always want to play with a smile on their faces and the sun on their backs which means they can come up short when the pressure really comes on and you have to dig in to grind out results. At this stage it still seems to me that the most obvious problem is that we've had too many injuries. It would have been nice to have seen Baptista come off the bench for a few games, an hour in, with the team working as it's been doing with a settled line-up of DDR-Pizza, Vooch-Perrotta-Taddei, with everyone knowing their roles and what to expect from each other. We shall see. Certainly the boys need to get their shit together pretty fekking quickly. I thought two wins this week might have been a good start; let's hope we can at least get one.

[Italiamia]

That is an interesting article Chris. I think everybody knows my position regarding foreign players at Roma. This generation of Brazilians is much different from the last, or the generation of my youth. I happen to like the way Brazilians play the game and a few of these guys on the team can make a difference. But there are not many players like Aldair and Falcao around these days. They had a loyalty to the club that rivaled the Roman players on the squad. Today, I honestly cannot analyze the problem with this generation. Something is different. Perhaps they have been shaped by the excesses produced by commercialism. But we can say that about many players. I just hope the Brazilians we have now do not fall into this category although I think Cicinho has some issues. I have been a frequent critic Doni, but I believe he has a very good attitude and an appreciation for what he has been able to do at Roma. He came to Roma thankful to get a chance to play in goal. No doubt he has elevated his game to become a very good keeper. Thus, he was rewarded with a very nice contract. There was no commotion or threats when his contract was being negotiated. He basically accepted Roma's best offer and that was it. Who can fault that.

At this stage I have to agree with the professor here. We have been devastated by injuries to key players. Getting some of those players back who no doubt help matters. That is no excuse to lose to a team like Cluj however. Injuries, combined with tension between some of the players and the coach have combined to make a lethal tonic for which somebody on this team had better come up with an antidote.

[romawi]

Blog: Shame game (Channel4.com)
After their surprise defeat to Cluj, Serafino Ingardia argues that Roma are an embarrassment to Italian football on the continent
Roma’s 2-1 loss at hands of far from irresistible Romanian side Cluj was a shock for many. But the reverse was just the latest episode in an incredible series of European defeats for the Giallorossi.

I may sound like a Laziale right now, but it is undeniable that over the years Roma have badly represented our nation in the Champions League. Such a statement could sound a bit too harsh on them, so let me list three incidents.

Firstly, that awful night at Old Trafford back in 2007. Millions of fans still remember that stunning 7-1 defeat when the Roman Empire collapsed. Secondly, Roma gained the right to return to Manchester a year ago after a wonderful win over Real Madrid and, instead of taking revenge, or at least trying to, the Giallorossi were poor yet again. Finally, the defeat against Cluj.

Let’s face it, Roma are a small club and if it wasn’t for Calciopoli they would have struggled to make the Champions League in the first place. They are a fascinating side with plenty of character and blossoming talents, but in today’s football, where money plays a key part, a team which cannot afford to spend big has hardly any hope of success.

Everybody at the Olimpico is aware of that fact, beginning with Rosella Sensi and Luciano Spalletti. Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, blinded by their love for the club, are the only ones who fail to see it.

Alberto Aquilani, who is a clever man as well as a cultured midfielder, once said: “I am not like Totti or De Rossi. I love this club, but cannot say I will play here forever.â€

[Italiamia]

Rosella has apparently come up with the winning formula. She has suspended the contract renewal process for Aquilani, Juan, Perrotta, Taddei and Panucci.

Interesting Tuna. But does that guy think he is telling us something we do not know?

[RomaShield27]

Jesue... anyone else see this? Is this for real? Unashamedly taken from Chris's blog (comment by Lucian) :

According to this, players have not been paid for four months, the Sensi accounts have been blocked by UniCredit, and they may go BUST by end of October. Caltagirone is waiting in the wings…

CLAMOROSO RETROSCENA AS ROMA: ecco il motivo della crisi giallorossa
– Venerdì, 19 Settembre 2008
Spalletti? Condizione fisica di Totti e compagni? Ecc. ecc. Il vero motivo è tutt’altro, a Trigoria i giocatori della As Roma non prendono lo stipendio da 4 mesi. Analizzando le partite fin ora giocate, possiamo dire che sono state tutte simili. Venti minuti, un goal e poi il blackout totale. E’ impossibile che la forma fisica blocchi un intera squadra, il problema doveva essere un altro. Ecco il retroscena: Unitcredit ha bussato fortemente a casa Sensi, chiedendo i soldi o almeno una parte, la Roma si è trovata completamente spiazzata, forse perchè fino al 2010 credeva di star tranquilla. Dunque i conti dei Sensi sono stati tutti bloccati e a rimetterci al momento sono stati i giocatori. La possibilità che i Sensi possano fallire è molto alta e addirittura si mormora che entro la fine di Ottobre i Sensi falliscano del tutto. La società A.S. Roma è tranquilla e non fallirà, questo per il semplice motivo che è una società S.P.A. Una sola la notizia positiva di questa storia, del tutto nascosta, a rivelare il pacchetto di maggioranza delle azioni giallo-rosse potrebbe e dovrebbe essere il noto imprenditore italiano Caltagirone. Tutto quadra e tutto torna. La Roma gioca male per via degli stipendi, Soros è scappato perchè entrare in Italia non è del tutto “facileâ€