THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[arthurfonzarelli]

ehehe maro. Funny from Spags.

Have you guys heard that he's trying out Faty at centreback and the kid's decent enough? While encouraging, the problem I have with Spags is kind of a non-complainer of extreme nature to the point where it hurts the team. I believe he thinks he could do miracles by finding talents where nobody else has. Clearly, what he did with Tonetto was pretty good. He also helped Perrotta find his wings again and kick started Mexes' assension. Mancini became a scorer because of Spags.There are probably others. But then he pulls out a Loria out of his hat and we're all thinking "Mixed feelings but Spags knows how to find cheap diamonds in the rough" and then wham, we got what we got. He had discussions with Rosella about his future. He decided to stay. I thought it would be with certain funds at his disposal. I'm he didn't ask for that much but it looks like he's being given even less than that and he's not saying anything. Also, if we have to let go of guys to 'balance some books' then I would go in the following order: Cassetti, Baptista, Brighi, Taddei. Those 4 should add up to 25 million. Barring extreme injury situation, we could still compete with that trimmed squad. I think...

Forza Roma

[maro]

Fonz, I'm sure you're right - that there are times when we'd be better served were Spags to put the knife in and demand more than he's being given. On the other hand, I do think it's one of the essential weaknesses (moral, as much as practical) of modern football that it's almost always easier and more quickly rewarded for a club to give up on a player and to buy someone more fully developed rather than concentrating on bringing the best out of each individual's potential. Of course that's part and parcel of the general impatience with Spags's reluctance to trust the young primavera products. And so were he, under constraint, to find something in Faty that might have been lost otherwise, then it's hard for me not to like that development. And the same, of course, applies to players like Malomo or Frasca or Crescenzi or D'Alessandro. Coaches are very rarely judged on their ability to make the best of what they've got - on their ability to coach, that is.

And I agree on your list of players to be shown the door - though I gather the problem with Baptista is that he's already rejected a couple of opportunities. It wouldn't just be the transfer fees, but also the wages. Relying on Crescenzi rather than Tonetto would, I imagine, in itself save 3 mil or so (or more).

[Italiamia]

Oh how I love the optimism going into every season. Spalletti believes his Roma will be competitive. In what sense however? There are levels of competitiveness I believe. Between the embarrassing moments, were we competitive last season? I seem to remember most of us praying for the season to end. I think Spalletti truly believes that with the players he has presently, Roma can be competitive. But, will the players he is counting on be part of this squad when the season begins? That is the question. Will Juan, Vucinic and Aquilani be there? Lets face it, Aquilani and Juan were injured for the better part of last season so they could not be relied on in any sense. Juan's time at Roma has been a disaster in my opinion. He is a very good player, but he is rarely available to Spalletti. Aquilani seems to start well, then he gets injured, and re-injured and his season ends prematurely.

I do not have the same sense of optimism as they rest of you. We have to rely on some infusion of youth to help this team compete. We don't have the depth, and we have injury prone players including Totti. How many of us believe that our Captain will play the majority of games this season? I honestly do not believe we can make an assessment at this point because we really do not know who will be sold.

As a side note, I read an article this morning regarding the ill fated Roma sale to George Soros. Diamond Joe Tacopina was caught in Rome on July 11th and was asked what happened and specifically, about the alleged Arab interest in Roma that seemed to rubbish the whole deal. Tacopina revealed that an email was sent to Unicredit purportedly from a representative of the Arab group expressing the desire to pay 400 million euro for Roma. As we all know, this alleged interest pissed off Soros who then told Rosella to go to hell. Tacopina stated that the email came from none other than Pipo Marra. Rosella's right hand man in the filth department. So this confirms what we all knew; Rosella and Marra concocted the story and planted it in the press. It sounds juvenile, but it worked.

[arthurfonzarelli]

It didn't entirely work.
1-) Nobody really believed her. I sure didn't. Especially after she came out and said "the whole Soros thing made us lose out on acquiring Amauri." Like she can't chew gum and walk at the same time but she could smell like shit AND garlic bread. Cunt.

2-) She's accepted an offer from Fioranelli that was less than what Soros would have given her. Fioranelli didn't go through but it goes to show she would have taken less money. Dumb cunt.

[Deini]

First the offer was accepted around 280million plus Rosella would have part in the new structure. Then later they wanted 350million, 280 for Roma and 70 for the Sensi family. Soros just laughed about that and walked away from it.

[maro]

[aba_bab]

Any news on the Italian websites about the fixtures list? Grrr... I'm leaving on the 5th of Aug for vacation, and really need to get the fixtures list to plan my trip to Rome this september with a few of my friends. Last year i beleive the fixture list came out on the 25th of July or a day earlier.. and back then the season was starting on the 31st. Hopefully sometime next week?

And one more thing.. does anyone know if our first game will be away from home for sure since our last game of the previous season was at home? Is that how it works?

[RomaShield27]

Jannymack keep your knickers on Baba. As you said the fixtures list is released sometime around the last week of July, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait to then, unless you want to email the Lega Calcio yourself and ask them just to tell you and promise you won't tell anyone else promise (which might work). And yes, I do believe that a teams opening day fixture does rotate from season to season, meaning we will be away from home on the first weekend of games (23 August).

[RomaShield27]

line-up for this evenings friendly with Blackburn Rovers at 20.30:

Probabile formazione (4-2-4): Artur; Cassetti, Mexes, Riise, Tonetto; Pizarro, Brighi; Taddei, Totti, Vucinic (Okaka), Guberti.

Live stream: http://www.atdhe.net/8057/watch-as-roma ... urn-rovers

[RomaShield27]

What a game, it had it all. Such tension. We eventually came through on peno's. Up yours EPL. (lots of mid-game discussion in the SB).

LA ROMA VINCE IL TROFEO ´CITTA´ DI BOLZANO´ AI RIGORI
– pubblicata giovedì 16 luglio 2009

da Bolzano. Arianna Botticelli

LE FORMAZIONI UFFICIALI-IL TABELLINO AGGIORNATO IN TEMPO REALE

ROMA (4-4-2): Artur; Cassetti (dal 18'st Crescenzi), Mexes (dal 1'st Faty), Riise (dal 45'st Virga), Antunes (dal 18'st Malomo); Taddei (dal 1'st Greco), Pizarro (dal 1'st Barusso), Brighi (dal 26'st Pit), Guberti (dal 18'st D'Alessandro); Totti (dal 1'st Esposito), Okaka (dal 26'st Stoian).
A disp.: Bertolacci
All.: Spalletti

BLACKBURN (4-3-3): 1 Brown; 2 Jacobsen, 5 Samba (dal 1'st Nelsen), 6 Givet (dal 1'st Khizannishuili), 3 Warnok (dal 4'st 19 Olsson); 11 Nzonzi (dal 1'st Judge), 4 Grella (dal 1'st Dunn), 8 Andrews (dal 1'st Doran); 7 Gallagher (dal 1'st Treacy), 9 Roberts (dal 1'st Mc Carthy), 10 Diouf.
A disp: 13 ROBINSON.
All.: Allardice

Arbitro: Gervasoni di Mantova

Note: Ammoniti: Grella, Brighi. Angoli: 3-2 per la Roma. Spettatori: 3000 circa. Final score: 2-2, Roma win 3-2 on peno's

[RomaShield27]

The draw for the Europa League third qualifying round is on today (13.30CET), of which we are seeded in Group one:



Familiar faces await Europa League draw
– Friday 17 July 2009

Some of the continent's most storied clubs will have their attentions fully fixed on the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round draw in Nyon this afternoon, as the likes of AS Roma, Hamburger SV and PSV Eindhoven all wait to find out where their European campaigns will begin.

Seeding system
A total of 110 sides will be involved when the process gets under way at UEFA headquarters from 13.30CET, although 40 of these will disappear from the picture once the second qualifying round ties reach their conclusion next Thursday. The 40 victors in those contests will advance to the next round along with 30 new contenders, and a seeding system based on UEFA coefficients for each club will help determine which teams face which in the two-legged ties due to be played between 30 July and 6 August.

European pedigree
Of the 30 sides entering the tournament at this juncture, Roma boast the highest coefficient, though they have yet to lift a major trophy in UEFA club competition, having finished runners-up in the 1983/84 European Champions Clubs' Cup final. That certainly does not apply to PSV, on the other hand, the Dutch giants having won the European Champions Clubs' Cup in 1987/88 and the UEFA Cup ten years previously, while Hamburg reached the European summit in 1982/83 and also lifted the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1976/77. FC Steaua Bucureşti, the 1986 European champions, were one of those teams in second qualifying round action last night.

Dangerous opponents
Those clubs are by no means the only ones to have tasted European success in the past either, with Aberdeen FC having clinched the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup under Sir tender Alex Ferguson in 1982/82 and IFK Göteborg having twice celebrated UEFA Cup triumphs in the 1980s. Turkish giants Fenerbahçe SK are sure to provide stern opposition too, as will Spanish Liga side Athletic Club Bilbao, Portuguese hopefuls SC Braga, Ligue 1 stalwarts LOSC Lille Métropole and improving English Premiershit outfit Fulham FC.

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None of those teams should be troublesome for us. This third qualifying round takes place over two legs, scheduled for Thursdays 30 July and the return on Thursday 6 August. If we win that we go into the fourth qualifying round (another two legs) and then the group stages (full explanation of competition format ).

[RomaShield27]

We got the what is probably the hardest draw, AA Gent of Belgium.

EDIT: That is to say we play the winners of Gent or Belarusian side Naftan:

http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_ ... ul17k.html

[pocari_fenrir]

Wow anyone see what Fiorentina's sporting director came out saying?? He apparently tried to go after Mexes and Juan, what a joke. Not only do they lack depth but they lack the brains to realize that we'd be rammed to deal any of our players to them. I'm enticed to see how they fare this season.

[Italiamia]

My God men, the bitch is seriously considering selling Aquilani. It's being reported that there are ongoing negotiations with a number of clubs in Italy and abroad. Spalletti also confirmed it at his press conference today. It would not be a surprise to me if he ended up at rubentus. Tragic.

[ricky2882]

[Jamoldo]

[red]

[romawi]

[ricky2882]

[Pauly W. Nuts]