Daily Calcio News and Notes: 7/31/08

I just love how each one of you is trying to sell your respective teams to doug lol

HALA MADRID!!!!

*jumping in to the conversation late, as usual* Having been rossonera since I was six (damn that Marco van Basten), I should really tell you to support Milan. But considering how things have been going and will continue to go in the foreseeable future, I say, don't lose your heart to what is guaranteed to break it, and follow Fiorentina. If I hadn't adopted La Viola as my second team last season, I'd currently be curled up under my bed whimpering because of all the news that's coming out of Milanello. Fortunately, Fiore are young, cheerful, plucky, friendly, and will never purposefully trod your heart into the mud with their cleats. They might not be able to win everything yet, but they're going to give it their best shot, and they're going to do it with a smile on their face. (Well, maybe not Gila.)

I like your suggestion Lorenzo; a two squad approach sounds good to me. I think my tentative finalists right now are Fiorentina, Juve, Samp, and Palermo. Although I do appreciate the Inter and AC fans soft approach. Makes me think twice....I wish the season would just begin already so I can start watching games!

FORZA PALERMO!!

Diamond of the South

Doug -

Nice to hear about your ties to Sicily. PALERMO is an exciting team that you'd definitely enjoy following. We have a crazy owner who NEVER disappoints with his mouth or his actions.

I guess what you could end up doing is what alot of southern Italians do. Root for a top 3 team (predominantly Juve in the South...and then the home team - PALERMO!).

So, of course, the choice is yours!

FORZA PALERMO!

Sampdoria also has one of the best sporting directors in all of Italy, Beppe Marotta, who really has an eye for signing good players.

SOrry about the baseball discussion. Us Yankee fans love our pinstripes.... :) (Also, a big game vs LAA is in about 1 hour. Let's hope Sidney can pick it up a notch for this one....)

Doug,

Sampdoria do have Cassano. And as urus said, they have a terrific derby.

That's my pick for you. (My first choice was Inter, but said no to them already. :) )

Sorry; I hope I only get a yellow card for that!

Yes they do.

And the Derby della Laterna is my pick as the best Italian derby for atmosphere (the Rome derby is the only real competition, and the Marassi is a much better ground for atmosphere.

You could do a lot worse than Samp.

I say good. Molina can't do it every day, especially at the plate. Even though he has been pitching well, I keep waiting for Farnsworth to fall apart. By the way, Antonio, i watched the Lighthouse Derby form the 07-08 season this morning on Italian League classics; Sampdoria is a possibility. Don't they have Cassano?

Worse yet, Yankees talk. :/

AGHHHHHH MY EYES ARE BURNING.

Was that *shudder* Baseball talk?

Doug, from one fellow Yankee fan to another!!!

Nice to see the pinstripes even here on theofsside.

QUick question?

What do think on the recent Pudge for Farnsworth trade?

Good, because Molina hasn't played this many games his whole career, and there is a fear of him breaking down and having Chad as our starting catcher.

OR...

Bad, because Kyle was starting to pitch well, and Molina is a solid player.

Personally, I go with the "good" option...

Napoli is hard because they have really strict broadcasting deals so basically you cannot see their home games in the US. They are a great team, though, and I am looking forward to watching them in the UEFA cup.

You've all given me a lot to consider. I do have some family connections to both Sicily and Naples, so those are tempting teams. La Viola is still up there though. I am a Yankee fan, so rooting for Juve would feel right (front runner thought that might make me). I think I'm going to have to watch some games. If I do, it sounds like, according to Johonna, I'll wind up following one of the bigger clubs. I'm losing GolTV and picking up RAI. I'm not there yet, but I look forward to the day when I can participate in the passionate debates I've been following here. I know about the corruption, but what can you do.

Oh, and on a technical note, Doug, just hope you dont get too attached to a team like Siena... that is unless you dont mind watching games on line. The only time you may get to see some of the "smaller" teams on tv here in the US is when they play Inter, Roma, Juve, or AC Milan.

It sucks, but that's the way it seems to be. RAI coverage is slightly better, but as many of the games are played at the same time, the networks choose to broadcast the more popular team's game.

ale, the official site lists 29, with the last two "(revocato)", which is what happened. Time to move on.

Johonna, I have no idea what you could possibly be referring too?! You've got your own recent history yourselves. :) Passports, doping, mafia ties, creepy ties to the company that "busted" Juventus (illegally I might add) etc.

Which brings me to my next point, Doug. Italy is corrupt. Serie A is corrupt. It sucks, but it's true.

Oh and MAD, check Juve's trophy room. I'm pretty sure it states 29.

MAD,

Spoken will full truth. Simple as that.

Nothing left for me to say. You covered it all in a few sentences. :)

and lets just gloss over the rest of the er... more recent Juve history, eh Alessio?

And Lorenzo, you can only cheer for Palermo if you're Sicilian. Otherwise, it's just masochism.

To add to Ursus' comment, playing in a 2nd competition at any level will drain your league form a bit. When it's the Champion's League which absolutely demands your top starting XI, it will really hurt it. One of the reasons Juventus made 3rd place last season is because we were only playing in one competition, sort of Coppa Italia. (Which you will learn doesn't matter)

To echo the other comments, I would watch Serie A and see which teams you gravitate towards. Scientifically, check your heart rate. When Juve plays, I'm up there. During the Derby d'Italia, my pulse was off the charts.

Reasons to pick Juve? We have a fighting spirit, we're known for never giving up. We have a core of great players, we generally buy young and Italian (only big squad to do it) so if you like the Nazionale, we're the largest contingent. We basically own the Italian U-23 team. We also are known for buying a lot of European players, Inter/Milan/Roma buy a lot of Brazilians and other South Americans, our legends are Zidane, Nedved, Trezeguet, etc. So in sum, we fight hard, we're Italian, and we have the most glorious history in all of Serie A!

Gee, you could write a book in response to that question. But briefly.

Yes, qualification is based on last season's results. Because Italy is one of the three strongest leagues in Europe, they get four clubs. The top two (Inter and Roma, this season) go directly into the "group stages", while the other two (Juventus and Fiorentina) have to play the "third qualifying round" (the draw for which was made today; la Viola are playing Slavia Praha and Juve are likely to face Artmedia Bratislava).

It's a lot about money (potentially more than 100 million euro to the winner), but also a lot about prestige, as it is the current incarnation of the European Cup - the most highly prized trophy in European club football. Milan supporters in particular will not let you forget that they've won 7 of those (compared to 2 for each of Inter and Juve, no other Italian team has won the competition).

And yes, it can be a distraction. For example, Inter are putting a great deal of emphasis on the Champions League this year, as it has been more than 40 years since they last won it. Improving their performance "in Europe" was perhaps the primary reason why they replaced Mancini with Mourinho (who won it with Porto and reached the semis twice with Chelsea).

Thanks for all of the suggestions - teams, books, and all. I may move change my deadline and watch a few weeks of the season to see which team sucks me in. I do enjoy reading all of your suggestions, though, so keep them coming! As far as team gear, I'm sticking to the national squad for now. By the way, what's up with the champions league. Teams earned a spot based on last season, right? From what I've read, it's a little about prestige and a lot about earning more money for the teams. How does it impact the scudetto chase? Thanks, all.

By the way, when the hell did this blog go neutral?

Wasn't this place officially Roma Blog 2A with the so called "National Team Blog" officially Roma Blog 2B?

I would have sworn that Insults and Indifference to All People of Inter being the title of at least one of Chris' posts here.

I also thought I just saw a giant picture of Rome not too long ago when I accidently clicked the league button. I remember thinking... "Oh, there's a fucking surprise, at least their not trying to play innocent anymore."

It's almost a little creepy to be here and not laughing at my desk like a psycho at what the blogger wrote...

"29 scudetti"?

Really? You would think that some official site would/could confirm that number...

...You mean it's 27? But why would there be a discrepancy?

@ Doug

I never went out to pick a team, I let the team pick me. Seeing George Weah and Paolo Maldini playing for AC Milan in the later nineties turned my heart toward the Rossoneri.
I've always been a fan of Barca since I saw Hristo Stoitchkov and Romario slamming goals into the net at the Nou Camp.
Dennis Bergkamp made me a Gooner (Arsenal FC).
You see what I mean? It's the players that move me. Since I'm from Nürnberg I have an affection for The Club. But in other leagues I don't have any affiliation.
Hope that helps.

Johonna was right on. (No surprise she is an Interista. :) )

Take your time. Watch a few games.

Do you have a certain type of "play" that you like? (I.e.- Counter attacking, wing play, ect)

Oh, but save some money 'cause then you will want to rush right out and buy a jersey or two... and those are usually pricey! especially with the dollar in the toilet.

If you cant see your way to Inter (truly the best), then pick Fiorentina. Really, it is all about who moves you. It may take watching a few games before you really know.

It is all about chemistry. When you meet the right team and are ready to settle down (remember, this attachment may well be for life), you will know. Dont rush into anything. Take your time, play the field.

By the winter break, I guarantee you will have made a connection. Come January, when you are scrounging the internet for any little scrap of information about possible transfer rumors for a particular team (chougfiorentinacough), you will know you have found your team.

DOug,

Seeing you don't to root for Inter, I will not try to reel you in. :)

How about Sampdoria? They have a great solid core of young players, and Cassano. Plus they have REALLY, REALLY nice jerseys. Oh, did I mention Cassano? :)

It's all about PALERMO.

Napoli wouldn't be a bad second choice though.

Doug- Pick Roma or Napoli

Doug you may also want to read the Italian Job which chronicles the differences of the EPL and Serie A game written by Vialli, and a great read. Also you may want to check out Calcio, a really solid book chronicling Serie A.

Doug, you have to go AC, so much history and class. Whatever you do stay away from Roma and Lazio, you dont be associated with those wackos.

You could always root for Fiorentina, good young squad, making a run in CL, and hopes for the scudetto...

DOUG! Don't fall for the same drab top 3...Roma doesn't count. Juve, Milan & Inter already have a secure fan base, adding another will go unnoticed.

How about Palermo? The rosanero (pink & black) are a team from Sicily that consistently places among the top 7 every year for the past couple years (barring last year's debacle of course). Plus, cheering for a smaller team brings alot more joy with the success because we can't go out and just buy any player we want. The right mix of success, talent and youth is needed to succeed.

FORZA PALERMO!!!!!! LA SICILIA SIAMO NOI!

You're a smart man Doug. Stick with JUVE, the winningest team in all of Italy. 29 scudetti

Thanks, Antonio. Well, initially I was thinking about Juve since I know so many of the players from the national team. I did like watching Buffon during the last world cup. I also kind of like Fiorentina; they seem like a fun team to watch, and I did love Florence on my trip. I also think the whole "no hunchback" thing is kind of funny. For some reason I know i don't want to root for Inter, and a former student of mine (I'm a high school teacher) was always yelling about AC, so they're out too. They are pretty obvious choices, though. Any suggestions? Fans, stick up for your squad!

Doug,

Nice to have you join us fans of the GREATEST league in the world. You joined just in time also, this season is shaping up to be on the best ever.

If I may ask....Which team(s) are you leaning towards?

Thanks a lot, Francesco. I actually read that, too; I forgot to mention it. It gave me a great background. I'll probably look into RAI since I'm learning to speak Italian, as well. My last big decision is which club to support. Since we had a home away from home in Arrezzo, I'll root for them. But in Serie A, I'm still not sure. Well, I guess I have 31 days left to decide!

Doug, Fox Soccer Channel has the english language rights to Serie A so once the season starts you can catch all the games there. They also have a highlights show. RAI International has the italian language rights and they show all the games in Italian plus National team games and Coppa Italia. You read two of the best Italian calcio books, but I would also highly recommend reading "Winning at All Costs" by John Foot, which is a detailed history of Italian soccer: http://www.amazon.com/Winning-...

I'm looking for some suggestions. I played soccer until middle school, and I have watched the World Cup, but other than that I haven't paid much attention to the beautiful game for a long time. That is until a family vacation to Italy this past Spring. Now, I can't get enough of it! After Euros, all I've been able to watch are games from last season On FSC. I've got a subscription to Calcio Italia, I've read The Miracle of Castel del Sangro and A Season with Verona. Where can I watch games once the season starts? Any recommendations for books, movies? Any thing would be appreciated.

Ale,

I understand where you stand on this situation. It is very reasonable.

However, Dejan is a top class player, and would help your team. Knowing that, I don't want you to get him. :)

However, you wouldn't take him? EVen if he would help your team?

We also loved Canna when he came to JUVE. I'm serbian and i hate stankybitch. Fuck him very much

It's not just that he's an Inter player, look at Cristiano Zanetti, we love him. It's the things he's said against us, fuck him very much.