Great articule from Goal.com (For those about to reply "We dont care", just dont post and get a life!)
How Was It For You? A Review Of Roma’s Season
5/18/2005 10:45:00 AM
If there was an absolute way to translate frustration into the printed medium then I would employ that technique at the very outset of this review and keep it coming throughout as my beloved Roma’s season has been nothing else but tantalizingly frustrating. Unfortunately I do not know that word.
How many teams in this world could boast the season that we have endured (and believe me, it is by no means over as we still have our Serie A lives in addition to Coppa Italia to fight for).
But let us take a trip through this season and I’ll see if I can make it to the present day before I begin to beat my head against my desk…
All Romanistas were prepared for the exodus of some key players but we were comforted by the arrivals of Ferrari, Mexes, Perrotta, & Mido. Furthermore a successful system and attitude seemed to be in place under our newly appointed coach Cesare Prandelli. Unfortunately Mr. Prandelli’s wife became seriously ill and he did the right thing to resign… While the season had yet to even begin, this was indeed the beginning of the end. In the ensuing months we endured the appointment and resignation of a former Roma great in Rudi Voeller. Mr. Voeller came onboard due to his love of Roma. Unfortunately as we have learned not only through Mr. Voeller but also now with Bruno Conti, a coach that loves the team does not necessarily translate into success. After losing to Bologna 3-1 despite having a 2 man advantage for much of the second half Mr. Voeller’s tenure ended and we began afresh with Gigi Del Neri despite some cynicism from many fans.
Let us not forget that by this time we have already begun our ill fated Champions League campaign which kicked off with us giving up a home goal to Dynamo Kiev, the sending off of Phillippe Mexes, and finally Anders Friske being struck by a coin thus calling the game and awarding Dynamo a 3-0 victory. Of course then there was the breakdown against Real after going up 2 goals only to concede 4. Believe me, by then the Roma Tifosi’s heads were spinning like the tailspin our team was in. The rest of our Champions League campaign is not worth mentioning, regardless of how promising Mr. Del Neri continued to say we looked in loss after loss.
Regardless, Del Neri slowly brought order to the team despite bust ups with Antonio Cassano as well as veteran defender Christian Panucci. In his first game in charge we played a dramatic 3-3 draw at the Olimpico with Inter. Francesco Totti’s 100 goal from a 30m free kick was truly lethal and deserves consideration for goal of the year. Although Daniele De Rossi’s equalizer minutes later was just a joyful to witness.
Despite shamefully crashing out of the Champions League our Serie A form was on the rise. After enjoying a 5-1 thrashing of Parma where we witnessed Totti’s 107th and 108th goals (a club record) and some other positive results sandwiching a sorry 3-1 derby loss to Lazio the team sat 5th and looked poised to gain Champions League football next season. And then, like a freak rain storm of green frogs, it all came crashing down again.
It began with a 2-0 loss to Palermo, a Champions League rival. Then in the most outrageous display of refereeing I have ever witnessed Roma fell 2-1 to Juve as an offside goal for Cannavaro and a dive for a free kick outside the box by a Juve player SOMEHOW WAS CALLED A PENALTY which Del Piero converted. While I may sound like the typical fan complaining of a loss to a hated rival I ask you only to take a look for yourself:
This was the beginning of the end even though we did not know it at the time. We proceeded to lose to Cagliari which brought on the resignation of Del Neri. While the fans were happy to see him go he truly did get the best out of this team this season.
Enter Bruno Conti with the love and respect of fans and squad alike… and he has yet to win a game as coach. We have plunged to the depths of the table with the Coppa our only true salvation. We achieved no revenge on Lazio in what is now being called a fixed Derby. We have hit the goal post enough times that a calculator is necessary. And despite our coaching merry-go-round, fans being banned from the Olimpico for The Champions League Campaign, extended injuries to Christian Chivu, Olivier Dacourt, and a lengthy suspension to our Captain Francesco Totti, we still must deal with the ever present dark cloak of the media, always ready to pick on Roma every step of the way.
If it isn’t calling our entire fan bass a disgrace for the actions of one with respect to the Friske incident, it subjectively fuels transfer rumors regarding our best players. Despite Chivu, Cassano, Totti, De Rossi, & Mancini all declaring a love for Roma and a desire to stay with the club the media chooses to focus only on the negative (as if there wasn’t enough of that already) creating a scope for only discontent and incessantly labeling Roma as cash strapped. In fact the one thing we have accomplished this season is wiping out a majority of our debt putting us in better position for the future… but don’t ask the media that, it is more concerned with just how low we may go.
And unfortunately I still do not know how low we will go. Our last win was February 20th against Livorno. Montella, who was a revelation the first half of the season, has gone dry due to a lack of depth at forward as we loaned out summer signing Mido and is no loonger the Serie A’s leading scorer. Poor Matteo Ferrari has endured the very worst season of his professional career and is criticized every step of the way. All the big teams are salivating over a possible drop to Serie B to poach our players, and we Romanista sit here patiently waiting for a goal or a win to cheer for.
In all honesty the only respite this season has been the little statements our players or fans have made is support of each other. During the Olimpico lock out in the Champions League there were banners reading: “You are Never Alone” along with fans audibly singing from outside the stadium. When Totti scored his 107th he revealed a T-shirt reading, “107 all for you”. During our current slide both Cassano and Chivu, two of our most desired players, have come out and pledged their future to Roma. During Totti’s 5 match ban Cassano unveiled a shirt during a goal celebration that read, “you are our one great captain”. These are the things I can smile for this season. With two matches and the second leg of the Coppa Semi-final left, I truly hope to cheer some more.
FORZA ROMA !
How Was It For You? A Review Of Roma’s Season
5/18/2005 10:45:00 AM
If there was an absolute way to translate frustration into the printed medium then I would employ that technique at the very outset of this review and keep it coming throughout as my beloved Roma’s season has been nothing else but tantalizingly frustrating. Unfortunately I do not know that word.
How many teams in this world could boast the season that we have endured (and believe me, it is by no means over as we still have our Serie A lives in addition to Coppa Italia to fight for).
But let us take a trip through this season and I’ll see if I can make it to the present day before I begin to beat my head against my desk…
All Romanistas were prepared for the exodus of some key players but we were comforted by the arrivals of Ferrari, Mexes, Perrotta, & Mido. Furthermore a successful system and attitude seemed to be in place under our newly appointed coach Cesare Prandelli. Unfortunately Mr. Prandelli’s wife became seriously ill and he did the right thing to resign… While the season had yet to even begin, this was indeed the beginning of the end. In the ensuing months we endured the appointment and resignation of a former Roma great in Rudi Voeller. Mr. Voeller came onboard due to his love of Roma. Unfortunately as we have learned not only through Mr. Voeller but also now with Bruno Conti, a coach that loves the team does not necessarily translate into success. After losing to Bologna 3-1 despite having a 2 man advantage for much of the second half Mr. Voeller’s tenure ended and we began afresh with Gigi Del Neri despite some cynicism from many fans.
Let us not forget that by this time we have already begun our ill fated Champions League campaign which kicked off with us giving up a home goal to Dynamo Kiev, the sending off of Phillippe Mexes, and finally Anders Friske being struck by a coin thus calling the game and awarding Dynamo a 3-0 victory. Of course then there was the breakdown against Real after going up 2 goals only to concede 4. Believe me, by then the Roma Tifosi’s heads were spinning like the tailspin our team was in. The rest of our Champions League campaign is not worth mentioning, regardless of how promising Mr. Del Neri continued to say we looked in loss after loss.
Regardless, Del Neri slowly brought order to the team despite bust ups with Antonio Cassano as well as veteran defender Christian Panucci. In his first game in charge we played a dramatic 3-3 draw at the Olimpico with Inter. Francesco Totti’s 100 goal from a 30m free kick was truly lethal and deserves consideration for goal of the year. Although Daniele De Rossi’s equalizer minutes later was just a joyful to witness.
Despite shamefully crashing out of the Champions League our Serie A form was on the rise. After enjoying a 5-1 thrashing of Parma where we witnessed Totti’s 107th and 108th goals (a club record) and some other positive results sandwiching a sorry 3-1 derby loss to Lazio the team sat 5th and looked poised to gain Champions League football next season. And then, like a freak rain storm of green frogs, it all came crashing down again.
It began with a 2-0 loss to Palermo, a Champions League rival. Then in the most outrageous display of refereeing I have ever witnessed Roma fell 2-1 to Juve as an offside goal for Cannavaro and a dive for a free kick outside the box by a Juve player SOMEHOW WAS CALLED A PENALTY which Del Piero converted. While I may sound like the typical fan complaining of a loss to a hated rival I ask you only to take a look for yourself:
This was the beginning of the end even though we did not know it at the time. We proceeded to lose to Cagliari which brought on the resignation of Del Neri. While the fans were happy to see him go he truly did get the best out of this team this season.
Enter Bruno Conti with the love and respect of fans and squad alike… and he has yet to win a game as coach. We have plunged to the depths of the table with the Coppa our only true salvation. We achieved no revenge on Lazio in what is now being called a fixed Derby. We have hit the goal post enough times that a calculator is necessary. And despite our coaching merry-go-round, fans being banned from the Olimpico for The Champions League Campaign, extended injuries to Christian Chivu, Olivier Dacourt, and a lengthy suspension to our Captain Francesco Totti, we still must deal with the ever present dark cloak of the media, always ready to pick on Roma every step of the way.
If it isn’t calling our entire fan bass a disgrace for the actions of one with respect to the Friske incident, it subjectively fuels transfer rumors regarding our best players. Despite Chivu, Cassano, Totti, De Rossi, & Mancini all declaring a love for Roma and a desire to stay with the club the media chooses to focus only on the negative (as if there wasn’t enough of that already) creating a scope for only discontent and incessantly labeling Roma as cash strapped. In fact the one thing we have accomplished this season is wiping out a majority of our debt putting us in better position for the future… but don’t ask the media that, it is more concerned with just how low we may go.
And unfortunately I still do not know how low we will go. Our last win was February 20th against Livorno. Montella, who was a revelation the first half of the season, has gone dry due to a lack of depth at forward as we loaned out summer signing Mido and is no loonger the Serie A’s leading scorer. Poor Matteo Ferrari has endured the very worst season of his professional career and is criticized every step of the way. All the big teams are salivating over a possible drop to Serie B to poach our players, and we Romanista sit here patiently waiting for a goal or a win to cheer for.
In all honesty the only respite this season has been the little statements our players or fans have made is support of each other. During the Olimpico lock out in the Champions League there were banners reading: “You are Never Alone” along with fans audibly singing from outside the stadium. When Totti scored his 107th he revealed a T-shirt reading, “107 all for you”. During our current slide both Cassano and Chivu, two of our most desired players, have come out and pledged their future to Roma. During Totti’s 5 match ban Cassano unveiled a shirt during a goal celebration that read, “you are our one great captain”. These are the things I can smile for this season. With two matches and the second leg of the Coppa Semi-final left, I truly hope to cheer some more.
FORZA ROMA !
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Keep up the (I can't find an adjective) work.
