Re: The Official Roma Thread

by McLewis Thu May 30, 2019 4:07 pm

iftikhar wrote:
McLewis wrote:Coaches we've been linked to:

Gasperini - Nope
Sarri - Nope
Giampaolo - Probably
De Zerbi - Probably
Mihaljovic - Probably (Yuck)
Bordalas - Maybe (Random AF)
Fonseca - Maybe

I honestly am not all sure I care which coach we get. The coach doesn't really matter when the front office is a mess right now.
Didn't he play for Lazio, that would automatically rule him out IMO.

Well he also played for us too. Then he went to Lazio and won the scudetto. It isn't just that he played for them, it's the shit he was talking about the club while he was there. Rubbing it in was understandable, yet still a dick move.

Kolarov did it the right way.

by Hapless_Hans Thu May 30, 2019 9:42 pm

Mihailovic is a proven shit coach isn't he

wouldn't wish him on any of the clubs, except Jjuve

by McLewis Fri May 31, 2019 2:40 pm

Oh yes. He's a positively jobber-level coach. I never liked the idea of Romanisti being so snobbish as to turn our noses up at ambitious coaches looking to for the next step up in their career, but I'll willingly make an exception for Mihaljovic.

Don't want him anywhere near us. We're already average as it is.

by Kaladin Fri May 31, 2019 4:12 pm

According to @DiMarzio Roma will choose one of Mihajlovic, Fonseca or De Zerbi as coach

by McLewis Fri May 31, 2019 6:59 pm

Of those 3, I like Fonseca the most. His Shakhtar were difficult to beat last season.

by iftikhar Fri May 31, 2019 7:07 pm

Kaladin wrote:According to @DiMarzio Roma will choose one of Mihajlovic, Fonseca or De Zerbi as coach

Why can't we have someone like Gasperini or Benitez? It's not like we are asking for Pep or Allegri. Life is so unfair.

by McLewis Fri May 31, 2019 10:29 pm

Gasperini deserves to take that Atalanta side in the CL after his excellent work with them. Benitez has done well at Newcastle as well and there was a strong will from both him and the club for him to stay. We never had a chance at him.

Fonseca is an unknown quantity somewhat because of coaching in Ukraine, but he's put together some good sides out there, especially in the CL. I fear more for his reputation than ours right now, but I think he's our best candidate presently outside of maybe Giampaolo.

by McLewis Fri May 31, 2019 10:35 pm

Pallotta's Open Letter to the Fans

My reaction: I do not like how Trump-like Pallotta can be at times, but this statement did make me feel a tiny bit better about the state of this club. He was characteristically defensive about the shambles of last season as well as the influence that Baldini has on him, yet he also took responsibility as well for not firing EDF and Monchi when he probably should've (though I disagree with those calls at the time). I don't have the same hang-ups about him that a lot of other Romanisti have so I take this statement at face-value.

I have never been a results-oriented fan of this club. It's not why I support it. I just hope he learned something from this past season and doesn't repeat the same mistakes.

by Robespierre Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:45 pm

FONSECA, Shaktar Donetsk coach, is going to be next Roma manager.

by rincon Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:51 pm

No context whatsoever on Fonseca. What does this mean for Roma? what kind of manager is he?

by iftikhar Wed Jun 05, 2019 3:51 pm

Robespierre wrote:FONSECA, Shaktar Donetsk coach, is going to be next Roma manager.

Not having a good vibe about this.

by Hapless_Hans Wed Jun 05, 2019 5:52 pm

I do. He'll be good..

by McLewis Thu Jun 06, 2019 1:43 am

I like Fonseca from what little I've seen of him. Shakhtar have always been something of a bogey team for us. We barely beat them under Fonseca, needing Bruno Peres' toe to get us through to the quarterfinals.

I like this particular appointment (should it happen) better than the others we've been linked to so far. That it has Baldini written all over it is the only taint on it for me.

by McLewis Sat Jun 08, 2019 12:43 am

Looks like it's going to be Fonseca then. Shakhtar don't appear to be willing to stand in the way of letting him go for free so he's expected in Rome early next week.

And we might even get a replacement for Kolarov as well as part of the deal.

I really don't know if his possession-style football will translate well here, but it will be interesting to see what pieces he gets to work with.

by rincon Tue Jun 11, 2019 8:23 am

Fonseca is officially the new coach of Roma

by McLewis Tue Jun 11, 2019 3:17 pm

- Young manager

- New sporting director

- Possession-based football

- High-line defense with a slow CB

The Official Roma Thread - Page 14 Z

by Kaladin Tue Jun 11, 2019 8:36 pm

McLewis wrote:- Young manager

- New sporting director

- Possession-based football

- High-line defense with a slow CB

I got a good feeling about Foncesca

by McLewis Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:22 pm

Meh, same was said about Enrique, Garcia and EDF as well. I like Fonseca in general, but forgive me if I'm a little jaded. This is a story we Romanisti have read before.

I think our brass know that though given they've only given him a 2 year deal with an option to earn a 3rd year if he does well enough. Lessons are being learned, just gradually.

Based on what I've read about him and how he sets up his teams, what will make or break Fonseca this season is getting a good keeper, ball-playing CBs that can play a highline and a deep-lying playmaker to operate the pivot alongside a destroyer (probably Nzonzi).

If we don't have good players for these positions by the end of the transfer window, we're going to be in trouble from the get-go.

by McLewis Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:33 pm

Pre-Season News:

We're out of the ICC due to having to get ready for the EL Qualifiers.

Good, we'll get a nice look at Fonseca's tactics and setup way before Serie A kicks off.

by McLewis Mon Jun 17, 2019 2:57 pm

“Hello and welcome. I first have to thank (CONI) president Malagò. At 12.41 today, I sent my resignation to (Roma) CEO Guido Fienga via e-mail. It is a tough day, but given the conditions, it was the right time to make this decision, I never had the chance of being able to express my work. Now isn’t the time to be pro-Pallotta or pro-Baldini — there’s only Roma. I’ve always said: presidents come and go, but the ‘bandiere’ remain. I thought long and hard. Let’s just say it was not my fault that I had to make this decision. I don’t know what else to tell you.”

Whose fault was it?
It wasn’t my fault because I never had the chance to express myself, they never involved me in the technical part of the project. In the first year, that can happen. In the second, I realised what I wanted to do and we never got together, never helped each other. They kept me out of everything.

What do you feel to tell people that are shocked by Totti’s farewell from Roma? Do you feel like saying that it won’t be a goodbye but a see you later?
I just have to say thanks to the people of Roma for the way they treated me. There has always been mutual respect, both on and off the pitch. I can only say only to continue to support this team. Roma is the most important club in the world, it must be supported and honored. To see it in such difficulty stresses me out and annoys me. Rome supporters are different from others, their love is so huge that it can never end. I will continue to support Roma even from the outside. It’s a see you later, it’s not goodbye. I can say that it is impossible to see Totti outside of Roma. As a Romanista, I don’t think it can happen. I’ll focus on a different path, when another club owner wants to trust in me, I’ll always be ready.

What do you want to do now? Is there someone more guilty than the rest?
Let’s say that right now there are so many things I can do. I am evaluating. I’ll take this month to think and the one that makes me feel best is the one I will accept and do so with all of my heart. If i make a decision it is final. There is no guilty party. We had started a journey, it was not respected, so I am moving on.

Is the club trying to “de-Romanise” or “de-Totti”?
The main focus of some people has been to remove Romans from Roma. In the end, they managed to get what they wanted. For eight years since the Americans arrived, they’ve come in and tried to shove us aside. As the years progressed, they did all they could and they’ve managed to do so.

Your relations with Franco Baldini?
There has never been a relationship with Franco Baldini and never will be. If I made this decision, it’s only normal that there were misunderstandings, problems within the club. One of the two had to leave, I stepped aside because too many people were sticking their beaks in. There are certain people in clubs who talk and make trouble. You can do all the talking you want from Trigoria, but the last word always came from London. There was no point telling people what was wrong and what needed fixing, as it was a waste of time. Nobody listened, they just listened to the word from London. It was a waste of time.

What do you need to come back?
First of all, different ownership.Then you have to see if this ownership group were to call me and believe in me. I have never have and never will hurt Roma. This hurts more than having retired as a player. I feel like I’m dying, I almost feel as if it would be better if I had died.

So you were proposed the Technical Director role? What if Baldini left?
I never talked about money and never asked for anything. I asked to be the Technical Director. I didn’t ask to oversee everything. I asked to have a strong contribution, to put my face on things. But what sort of Technical Director are you in they don’t ask you about the Sporting Director or the manager? I didn’t go to London because they warned me two days ahead of time that the manager was already decided on. I don’t know about the Sporting Director. The only manager I called was Conte. Miha, De Zerbi, Gattuso and Gasperini: I never spoke to or wrote any of them. I have to clarify because this is reality. I wouldn’t return ever if Baldini left – the vase is broken and it’s difficult to put the pieces back in the right place. I have nothing against Pallotta and Baldini. They made their choices and I respect that.

How much input did you have for De Rossi’s farewell?
The answer is trivial. I told the hierarchy in September that if this was indeed De Rossi’s final season, then tell him straight away and don’t do to him as you did to me, bu warning me with two match days left – the captain deserves respect. Then there were injuries and then Monchi and Di Francesco left, which complicated the situation. The problem is too much time is spent at Trigoria making decisions. There must be one person who decides, not ten. I talked to Daniele as a friend, not as a director. I told him to look forward, look beyond. I was a Roma director, I couldn’t say too much, but as a friend, I gave him advice that there could be problems on the horizon. Then just like they did with me, problems arose. From what I understand, this was all done deliberately: to remove Romans from Roma.

What about Sarri?
I never contacted him.

Is there anyone who stabbed you in the back at Trigoria?
Yes. I will never mention names, but there are some people who don’t want me there.

What about technical choices made?
I won’t name players out of respect. I returned from holiday and they asked me about a player and I said he wouldn’t do well. Di Francesco plays a 4-3-3 and this guy doesn’t – I told them I’d buy someone else. They told me that I always say no, but I gave them my opinion. You can guess the other name, though (of the player he wanted) because he’s the one from Ajax.

by McLewis Mon Jun 17, 2019 5:20 pm

The absolute state of fucking club right now......I was disillusioned before, but now I'm seething.

I read these words this morning and came closer than ever to renouncing my support. Then I took a breath.

I could never walk away from this club, but the stuff that Totti has laid bare here is so damning that it has changed the nature of my support for this club entirely. This club has lost its soul and with it the romanticism that drew me to it. Now I support it purely out of habit and because it would feel even worse to begin supporting another club.

by Hapless_Hans Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:24 pm

Can't help it but Totti always has seemed like an egomaniacal melt to me.

by Doc Tue Jun 18, 2019 11:30 am

You know, I honestly thought Totti was just a "ceremonial piece". You know, just a guy they had in a suit, have him sit in the stands for more glamorous ties and have him comb his hair like Hitler. Really didn't know he actually had a job at Roma. What did he do there? I mean, he explained what he didn't do there but what was his actual job?!

As for the "removing Romans from Roma" comment, that probably has truth to it and it also makes sense from a Machiavellian pov. The Americans are the outsiders and would want complete control over all things Roma so you would get rid of those that would hamper said control i.e the Romans. Reading all that and I would say, without any sort of emotion (or much knowledge) concerning Roma that be careful with taking one side of a story and not hearing the other. That being said, I personally do not think Totti is lying but I do think he is extremely bitter about a lot of things too.

by McLewis Fri Jun 28, 2019 6:54 pm

So:

- Manolas to Napoli for 36m
- Diawara comes in from Napoli for 18m
- Marc Bartra to be replacement for Manolas. Valued at 18-20m.
- Luca Pellegrini to Juve + 10m and Spinazzola
- We're paying Spinazzola 3m per year
- Almost lost SES to China money
- Gerson not going to Bologna, but probably not staying.
- Nzonzi on a milk carton.
- Dzeko going to Inter for pennies + another youngster that is definitely not a Zaniolo
- Monchi about to grab Ziyech from Ajax for the exact same amount he wanted to buy him for last season, but we spent on Pastore instead: 30m.

Once more: The absolute state of this club Laughing

by Doc Fri Jun 28, 2019 9:10 pm

It could be worse, you could be the Milan clubs trying their darnest to coupon their way into signings while one is banned from Europe and the other is Inter.

by McLewis Mon Jul 01, 2019 4:29 pm

Appreciate the perspective, Doc. Thumbs up

As for other news -

With Diawara and Spinazzola in, focus has shifted to Betis duo Bartra and Pau Lopez. Bartra is sought after as Manolas' replacement, but Betis might play hardball and insist on his 60m release clause, which would have us looking elsewhere. We're looking to offer no more than 30.

Lopez's release clause is 30m, but we'll be looking to offer somewhere between 18-20.

Then there's Nico Barella. We've reached an agreement with Cagliari, but he has to choose between us and Inter.

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