THE WOLF'S DEN - Tana dei Lupi I

[RomaShield27]

This is the SPQR jersey we were wearing yesterday (which looks great with that as a sponsor). Our new official jersey will be displayed this Thursday at the Presentation game.



And some short RAI highlights from YouTube showing the goals from Borussia Dortmund v Roma:

[RomaShield27]

I see Il Romanista are running a piece with the headline 'Pradé to Chivu: Shall we renew?" Of course, I think they are just getting ahead of themselves somewhat, but yet I suppose it at least shows that they are coming around and beginning to considering the possibility. So perhaps others will too. Apparently it springs from a light-hearted conversation between Prade and Chivu on the plane home from Germany yesterday, when they joked and smiled and pulled each other off over the issue. At least someone is finding it funny. For feck sake... It does suggest, however, that there is a chance that we will offer Chivu another contract – one final chance to stay, in order words – and that if a deal isn't struck with Inter, there is a possibility he may sign. Its still to early to tell what will happen though, but I guess one way or another it will be finally all sorted out this week (and hopefully not like all those other weeks when we heard the same thing), in time for the official Presentation game on Thursday.

I also find it very unusual that Chivu was playing yesterday. If he was close to leaving, if these reported 'secret meetings' between Rosella and Moratti were happening, and if a deal was close to being agreed, then surely he wouldn't of been involved at all yesterday? I know Spalletti has made it clear that if Chivu is in his squad he will play him – regardless of if he intends to leave on a free or as soon as possible (which I very much disagree with) – but for Spalletti to test him out in a free-season friendly and then see him leave the club two or three days later makes no sense at all. I mean surely there is some level of communication between Spalletti and the management. So to me it looks like he will be staying, Inter will go fuck themselves and sign some more South Americans, and the chances of Chivu signing a new deal with Roma look better and better.

As for yesterdays friendly, em, how the fuck did we lose 4-0? I'm hearing all this crap about us only being back in training a few days, whereas Dortmund are back longer, or that our players are not fully fit yet, or they're still tired, or they were still in holiday mode, or it was too cold, but for fuck sake, lets be realistic here, 4-0. Losing any game 4-0 is a disaster and unnacceptable and embarrassing. Yes, it doesn't mean anything (except for a little thing called pride), it is a nice little friendly, but we played a full-strength team of the players at Spalletti's disposal, yet by all accounts we were useless and let them run all over us. I mean a team with players like Panucci, Chivu, De Rossi, Perrotta, Mancini and Totti should not be losing 4-0, simple as that. Did anyone see the game, and can they tell us how we played, or what happened? Hopefully it was just a blip, and nothing more is wrong, but its not good anyway you look at it.

[RomaShield27]

Is it just me again today? Is there no one else around? Or is everyone gone back to XFF...? I mean, whats the story here? We all know what happened, we had to find a new home to go to and a new place for our little community, and then as soon as we're here a little while everyone dissapears. There are a small number that are around regularly, but where is everyone else? Italiamia? Fonz? Glad? Maro? Jamoldo? Tuna? Smiley? We all said we we're happy to move here, I have tried to make it as good as possible, I have even made several suggestion threads and tried to make it as good as possible outside the Roma forum, yet no one is posting. They are only a small number of us here, we all know each other, and for this to work we all need to contribute, at least a little bit. And there will be no chance of expanding this forum, or attracting new members, if the one's that are here aren't even posting. Otherwise its not going to work, and we should look at other options.

[vtec]

your boy cg916 has been visiting xff recently looking for you guys. one of you should maybe hit up his blog to tell him where you are.

[Jamoldo]

Shieldy relax dude. I dont have internet in my dorm which means I have to actually pay for it each time (erm well i have a user card I have to top up on occasion). But this also means that I'm not always on like I used to be. I definitely get online when I'm at the cafe though..

wouldn't read too much into the friendly It's early. ..

[Jamoldo]

Also Shield, I have to agree that I hope our man Chivu finds a way to re-sign for Roma. I will say that that I agree with Spalletti, that I would play Chivu regardless if I had him at my disposal. It's a big year for Roma in Serie A with Juve coming back, Fiorentina strengthening, Inter, Milan and Napoli coming up, to say the least and that's not mentioning the CL...

[Jamoldo]

wait wait.. its time to pull a Shield, aswell as increase the old post count... seeing how there have been no posts in 5 minutes.

WHERE IS EVERYONE? OMG!! OMG! WHere? Ita, Peng, Edge, W2k, Jamo, Grasso, Aba, Maldini Tottigol etc etc wher are you all? I miss you all maybe we should go back to XFF!!! Post please!

Ok pushing it a bit but hey... that's what we do right?

[maro]

I've posted something over on the offside site. I couldn't quite figure out how to send a pm so I hope no-one there suffers from Socc's insecurities about poster-poaching.

Shield, I don't share your concerns over the friendly result at all. Of course it's never good to get rolled, especially so comprehensively, but preseason matches are impossible to judge. We don't know that Spags hadn't had them running themselves into the ground over the preceding three days to get some conditioning into their legs so they had nothing left for the match. Every team works to its own schedule and when you catch a team at the wrong point the results can look deeply inelegant. It's also true that our style of play is so based around fitness and movement and sharpness that we're always likely to look especially bad early in the preseason. We may catch West Spam at just the right point for us and roll them in turn, but win or lose the results and performances early in the pre-season are pretty hard to read. I probably will try to get down for that game; it's too good an opportunity to miss. I'm just a bit worried that if I don't take the Peng with me he may get up to some mischief in my absence.

As for Chivu, really I just think it's too complicated and there's too much going on for us to be able to hazard any kind of sensible guess. Of course I'd love for him to reconsider and Rosella to reconsider and for a new contract to be signed. Juan and Ferrari and Max could get grumpy, depending on where Spags would play him. Still, I'd rather have Chivu than Rosina or Quags, as it were.

I also think Spags was always going to play him - apart from anything else, it was important as a symbolic gesture. It was a little line in the sand emphasising that we really are seriously committed to the possibility of his staying. Not playing him at this stage would only increase the uncertainty and run the risk of weakening our position.

[maro]

Don't worry, 'moldy. I'm here to hold your hand.

With Aguero, Messi, Tevez, Mascherano etc. etc., the Argies have some bloody promising young players, don't they. Perhaps they will follow Saviola and Aimar and Riquelme and perhaps never quite deliver as expected (not, of course, that those three aren't very fine players and haven't done well), but there is, as ever, some glittering promise coming out of South America. Messi's no Stuart Downing, of course, and Tevez has a way to go before he can be compared with David Nugent. And yet England are still surely favourites for the next Coppa America or would be were the Brazilians not too scared to let them participate.

[Frenchesco]

Yeah Shield that's true, that place has been very quiet lately.
Don't worry though....I think they r all quite busy and they should be back as soon as more things will happen. I can't think they went back to xff.

Guys I dont know how will look the new jersey for the coming season but from my opinion Kappa already set our sights very high.
I love the jersey we used yesterday and hopefully the ones that will be presented this week will be even better.
I really like that SPQR "sponsor" and I don't see how they could make something better than that. White with that great Kappa Logo, Spqr in golden colour...isn't that great??? I'm imagining that jersey with a few good combinations of colour and there we would have a great look for the coming season.
By the way....I do not think they will be on sales anywhere but just in case they are and some of you got that info, pls let me know.

Regarding Chivu......that's good rumours I guess. I mean I'm sure. How is that info. reliable though??? I have no idea........can u imagine guys??? Chivu resigning the day of the 80th years celebration. That would a surprise and sorry if I'm naive...but yes I'm still hoping this would be a possibility.

[Jamoldo]

well being called the next Maradona is pretty much asking for failure.. but yeah the Argies look good. Now if only they could get a winning mentality. They certainly had more quality in the side than Brazil did (not a slouch side by any means though)...

Maro, you're forgetting Ariel Ortega and Gallardo from 1998...

[Jamoldo]

Frenchesco, I agree with you about the Kappa shirts. They've set the standard very high. I really like what they're doing. I have to admit that I was sad to see Diadora go though since they made some very high quality stuff for us...

As for reliable information.. well we all know that nothing concerning Roma is ever reliable...

[maro]

Frenchesco, great posts yesterday, my friend. Just be careful with those nice Chinese girls and don't go slipping any French letters into their 'boxes.

I believe the SPqR maglie may be going on sale tomorrow. I'll check. I think there was something about this on ilromanista today. As for the Chivu, it's not information or anything like that - it's just more empty speculation. The article actually added nothing at all except for the detail that Chivu and Prade shared a joke on the plane yesterday. How significant!?!?? Essentially, everything remains uncertain; Inter are at the door but not knocking; Chivu is back training but not perfectly settled; Spags wants to keep him - so perhaps we might consider thinking about pondering whether or not we might possibly tentatively propose a contract renewal. etc. etc. No development, then, though it's easy to imagine that if/when something does happen it'll happen very quickly.

[maro]

Here we go Frenchy:

Maglie Spqr, da domani in vendita

(AS_ROMA | 23/07/2007) - Non sono state magliette fortunate, ma almeno faranno del bene a qualcuno. Le inedite tenute della Kappa, indossate ieri dalla Roma a Dortmund con la scritta Spqr sul petto, sono state prodotte a tiratura limitata e saranno messe in vendita a partire da domani nei negozi uffiali As Roma store. Il ricavato sarà devoluto in beneficenza alle Associazioni: A.PRO.T.I.O.N. Onlus, Assohandicap Onlus, Fondazione Alberto Sordi Onlus e Fondazione BioParco Onlus. 

'moldy, the list is long and depressing, I think. ManUre's purchase of Kleberson will have to go down as one of my favourites, though - not that he was ever quite a glittering young star, but he was one of the most spectacularly ordinary players I've ever seen play. Were he Belgian I shudder to think how much less he might have cost. Put shit on garlic bread on a silver platter and it still stinks of shit on garlic bread. As the Avvocato might say.

[vtec]

[Frenchesco]

[Frenchesco]

[aba_bab]

[maro]

[g.smiley]