THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi II

[Frenchesco]

[Jamoldo]

[Frenchesco]

[Carlo Romano]

Frenchy, we all like to dream and it would seem that's just a normal day in the life of a Romanista! However, we can't win without self belief. Neither Inter nor Mourinho respond well to pressure and with home advantage we need to heap it on them! At this stage they can still afford to drop points whereas we are obliged to win. So we must! Then we'll see what they are truly made of.

Next league match is down in that inferno of lo stadio San Paolo. We've beaten Napoli down there before and we can do again. Milan at the Olimpico on the other hand will be a good rehearsal for the Inter game. First we must see what we are truly made of in terms of moving up a level!

Jam...I think you know by now my belief in fate. But I also know it needs a helping hand sometimes. In terms of a job I think if you want a change badly enough you will make it happen!

Winning il campionato isn't unfortunately as cut and dried an affair.

[SPqR]

Inter beating Chelsea might tip the scales IMO...Inter fighting a war on three fronts is largely susceptible.

[maro]

[Carlo Romano]

Grazie mille, Professore! Nice of you to say so. It's an interesting comeback and I see a change or two...

Yes, Totti is set for life with our club even after he hangs up his boots...like I said, you don't simply "replace" a guy like that for a lot more than just playing reasons! But nonetheless he has to get some sort of fitness back and going by the latest gossip on Mediaset, it looks like he is going to take a chance and try to leave treatment on his kneecap/cartilage until the close season. A gamble that had better pay off.

My longtime buddy Bill, fellow female lecher, close confidante, and without whom I would not be able to practise my drinking with anything like the same relish, has an even more cynical outlook on life than I and that's saying something! Were it not for the fact that Ranieri reiterated our belief in Totti's desire to play with his recent statement, saying the main problem he(Ranieri) has with him(Totti) is that he'll say he is ready to play even when he is not, I might just take more seriously Bill's jibe that every time we see a new lot of tv commercials made by our gallant Capitan' they just happen to coincide with his injury problems! Then again, coming as he does from Monza and being an Interista, you can imagine some of our conversations. All in the best possible taste of course...ha!

Three newish Totti commercials have been recently doing the rounds and one brand new I saw for the first time today, this batch all being for Vodaphone. Strange that none of you guys on here have commented. Trust me, we are seeing someone with a television future if he wants it because these ads are way above the standard of the usual ones made by sporting personalities. He is now comfortable with his speaking roles and when you watch you are aware that this is Francesco Totti the man as much as it's about the product he advertises, and mostly always done with humor. Not just bonhomie but honest to goodness comedy. Out walking his dog and nearly losing his footing while the dog pulls on the leash as he tries to give two girls street directions, playing the piano and teasing his wife while she applies her facial beauty treatment...watering his garden as a family man at home would do. All the time talking to us and using that sneaky smile we see him use at times on the football pitch. I really hope he does something in the future with this talent when he retires from football because it would be a waste not to.



Vincenzo, we can hope Inter fighting a war on three different fronts as you accurately put it does distract them. They have the squad for it though, unlike us, something bloody Rosella seems to forget as she clearly expects Ranieri and the boys to do that very same thing just as we are...I'm still raging over the way she and Pradè were prepared to sacrifice Motta in January and but for il mister Claudio, they'd have done it! A pity he wasn't more forceful over keeping Guberti. I imagine it was a case of either or, we had to lose one.

Again on Inter, I glanced at a piece on Rai earlier this evening about Julio Cesar not being fit to face Ancelotti's Chelsea this Tuesday. Frankly I expect Carletto to do the business on Mou over the two legs, Cesar or not. So maybe Inter won't be on a three tier contest by early March after the second leg is played. I know it'll be an interesting evening for me tomorrow, watching the match in the Studio 5 bar with Bill and the usual reprobates!

[RomaShield27]

He must really like doing those TV commercials for the craic as its surely not for the money. Or maybe he just needs another hobby. Like physiotherapy. Totti does seem to rush back from this dodgy ginocchio worries and Raneiri, too, does seem to push him back into the mix a little too soon, but with a player like Totti what are you gonna do? On one leg he's still lethal. I don't think he'll ever fully recover from his knee trouble at this stage of his career. At the moment his knee is recovering slowly and he's not expected back until early March, although at the moment I believe he is suffering from tendonitis which is preventing him from exercising.

What's the word on Luca Toni? He was supposed to be ready for Napoli but now he's in doubt for that one. Its feared he's also been rushed back too soon and he could suffer a relapse of his dodgy calf, so more than likely it will be up to Vucinic and Baptista/Menez once again.

[Italiamia]

[maro]

Carlo, it looks as though you were right on Luca - he had been pushing to be back on the bench even tomorrow or at least against Napoli whereas it looks like the Milan game is the new target, as the Avvocato says, after another little set-back. I'd like to see Cerci and Menez get the start again tomorrow night, though that might be a bit hopeful. I think they can suit each other and Vooch as well, as they're all lovely, quick players. I guess a bit will depend on the fitness of Pizza and Perrotta. If they're both fully fit, it's more likely to be the 4-3-1-2, with Simone behind Baptista and Vooch, but if Pizza's out, I think Ranieri will play Menez through the middle again.

[maro]

For Frence', following on from our conversation on Sundee:
"Di sicuro rientrerà Perrotta, che ha smaltito i proble­mi alla schiena che gli hanno im­pedito di allenarsi regolarmente nelle ultime due settimane."
And no Pizza, it seems, for tomorrow evening, so I think we'll see Menez again through the middle. I'm not sure Ranieri can set us up with Brighi-DDR-Perrotta through the middle. We'd be too short on technical quality.

[RomaShield27]

ROMA, I CONVOCATI PER IL PANATHINAIKOS: ASSENTE PIZARRO
– pubblicata mercoledì 24 febbraio 2010

La lista dei giocatori a disposizione di Ranieri per la sfida dei sedicesimi di finale di Europa League contro il Panathinaikos.

Andreolli
Baptista
Brighi
Burdisso
Cassetti
Cerci
De Rossi
Faty
Juan
Lobont
Marangon Doni
Menez
Mexes
Motta
Perrotta
Riise
Taddei
Tonetto
Vucinic

ASSENTI: Pizarro, Totti, Toni, Julio Sergio

No Pizarro, so maybe something like this:

----------------- Doni ----------------

Motta ---- Mexes ----- Juan ---- Riise

--- Taddei -- De Rossi -- Perrotta ---

--------------- Menez ----------------

--------- Baptista ---- Vucinic --------

[arthurfonzarelli]

----------------- Doni ----------------

Motta ---- Mexes ----- Juan ---- Riise

--- Taddei -- De Rossi -- Perrotta ---

--------------- Menez ----------------

--------- Cerci ----- Vucinic --------

Baps to come in during the game.

[maro]

----------------- Doni ----------------

Motta ---- Mexes ----- Juan ---- Riise

--------------- De Rossi ------------

Cerci ---- Menez ---- Perrotta ---- Taddei

--------------- Vucinic ----------------

[Carlo Romano]

[maro]

[Jamoldo]

I think we'll end up getting through.

Newsflash - whatever money we get from this thing, will not go into the market. It will be another penniless summer fellas.

[maro]

[maro]

[Italiamia]