the fact that he turned down an offer to become the 2nd highest player for roma makes me think. especially because it's only a two year contract.

he is gonna go, but i hope he signs an extension for one year just so he can finish out the season.

Roma: New Year move for Cassano
Sunday 16 October, 2005

Roma director Daniele Prade’ admits a January sale for Antonio Cassano is “inevitable” and reacts angrily to today’s defeat.

“We made an important offer that Cassano did not accept,” explained the official. “As far as we are concerned, the issue is closed. It would have been the second highest wage deal at the club, second only to Francesco Totti, and it’s not the kind of contract players are given nowadays.”

The Italian international’s current deal expires at the end of this season, so Roma must sell in the New Year transfer window if they are to get anything back from their £20m investment.

“After the statements made by director Rosella Sensi, I really think that a January sale is inevitable,” noted Prade’.

A move to Juventus is almost certain, although Real Madrid, Milan and Chelsea have also shown interest in Cassano.

The Giallorossi have other problems to contend with, as they have just eight points after seven games and today lost 1-0 at 10-man Empoli.

“This performance was frankly disturbing,” continued the director. “The players have to be more concentrated, as they are a great side, but are yet to prove it. Today we showed all the worst aspects of our game.”

Coach Luciano Spalletti was equally concerned by the latest setback, as Roma slipped down to 14th place in the Serie A table.

“I admit our performance was terrible,” said the former Empoli boss. “We deserved to lose and I will certainly have to change a few things. After conceding Francesco Tavano’s goal, I saw the players become afraid of defeat. They were discouraged and sluggish.”

__________________________________________________ ___________


:ewan:

Would be nice if he isn't cup-tied by then. Thanks.

I see him with Fiorentina. (Y)

Cassano nets AIC support Monday 17 October, 2005
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Italian Players’ Association is ready to intervene if Antonio Cassano is frozen out of the Roma squad for failing to accept a new contract.

Talks regarding an extension broke down again at the weekend, with the club insisting that they will hold no more negotiations.

That has led to the distinct possibility that the attacker could be forced to sit on the sidelines until his present agreement expires in June 2006.

But the Italian Players’ Association (AIC) have insisted they will support the Azzurri man if that happens.

"We are in daily contact with both Cassano and his agent," stated AIC chief Sergio Campana.

"If they want us to mediate with the club then we will do that. If the club take a stance that impedes his contract then we could ask for his present deal to be rescinded."

Numerous Italian clubs have opted for such tactics when faced with the prospect of losing a player on a Bosman free transfer.

Just last month, Udinese dropped star striker Vincenzo Iaquinta from the squad until he did eventually put pen to paper.

Cassano was expected to sign a new contract this month, but the club grew tired of the known Juventus target’s demands.

"Negotiations with Cassano have ended," stated chief operating officer Rosella Sensi on Saturday.

"We made him an important offer, but he didn’t give us a reply. Our tolerance has terminated. I will no longer meet with Cassano or his agent."

A move now looks inevitable, with the club also suggesting yesterday that they would consider a January sale.

Italian champions Juventus are again being linked even if the Turin giants are keeping quiet.

"Nobody who is registered at this club will comment on Cassano from today," stated transfer guru Luciano Moggi.
------------------------------------------------

well he's freezing himself out of the squad at the moment with his injuries. just get him back in the squad and lets improve our positioning in the standings. use him till he's gone in january.

Cassano: Roma taking me for a ride Tuesday 18 October, 2005
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Antonio Cassano has hit back at the club’s accusations and insists he wants to stay, but Roma’s directors are eager to be rid of him.

“I repeat that I want to stay at Roma,” he told 100 fans who came to the Trigoria training ground to protest today. “I am not the one who is trying to leave, it’s the club that is pushing me out. The Giallorossi are taking me for a ride.”

The Italian international’s contract expires at the end of the season and he has rejected a two-year extension, prompting director Rosella Sensi to announce she’d terminated negotiations. Her colleague Daniele Prade’ also noted that with this situation, a January sale was “inevitable.”

Cassano has now broken his silence and is eager to put across his side of the story. “I was offered a wage increase in February, then the club told me this money had gone and I was given no explanation. I went in personally to speak to the Roma directors on September 8 and told them I wanted to stay at the Olimpico. I took two steps back from my original position, but they didn’t move an inch forward.”

Sensi claimed that the wage deal offered was second only to that of Francesco Totti in the Giallorossi squad, but it’s not enough for Cassano.

“I am willing to sign for a lot less than they were going to give me in February, but I cannot accept an offer on these terms. They cannot take me for a ride like this. I was the first to tell them that I don’t want to match Totti’s wages, as he’s a symbol of Roma and it’s only right he takes home more. This isn’t about money, it’s the principle that counts.”

The former Bari starlet has been heavily linked with Juventus, although there is also talk of Inter, Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

“I never said I wanted to join Juve. I don’t want to take you for a ride, the way the club has with me,” he told the fans. “This is why I came here to speak, face to face. Otherwise I would’ve snuck out the back door and signed for another team in January or June.”

This only increases the confusion surrounding Cassano’s future, but time is running out – for the player to earn his place in the World Cup squad and for Roma to recoup some of the £20m paid in 2001.
--------------------------------------------------------

if this is true, than i will be truely disgusted by the club. :(

Roma's response

Roma blast ‘liar’ Cassano
Thursday 20 October, 2005
Antonio Cassano’s relationship with Roma is deteriorating by the day after he was labelled a ‘liar’ by the club.

The two parties are in the middle of a contract dispute after failing to agree terms over an extension.

Roma broke off talks at the weekend blaming the player for the collapse, while the attacker hit back with his version of events earlier this week.

"Cassano is a liar and he is taking the club and the fans for a ride," chief operating officer Rosella Sensi stated.

"I will no longer speak to someone who is not coherent and who doesn’t check his facts.

"His claims that it was he who took two steps back are not true, he never has," the President’s daughter added.

"On the other hand, we took a step forward. He really can’t be permitted to say certain things."

A split in January or in June now seems inevitable seeing as the £20m signing will be available on a free transfer next summer.

Sensi’s comments seem to have also dismissed the whispers that were coming out of the Italian capital last night.

There were reports that Cassano was on the verge of signing a new two-year deal worth around £2.5m a season.

However, as part of the agreement, a clause was set to be included which stated that he would be sold to Inter in the summer of 2007.

i really don't believe anything rosella says, she can go **** herself and stop lying.

cassano has nothing to lose.

I honestly think Moggi has done something to Rosella..












Doggy-style :(

The reason why Francesco Totti is such P-I-M-P. (H)

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20051023/capt.xds11410232135.italy_soccer_roma_lazio_derby_ xds114.jpg

http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/PPC117102316_1024x768.jpg

Roma fans

oh thats super (Y):o

lmao surprised there isnt much more smoke! I saw highlights of the Milan-Palermo game and there were smoke cans everyday! :rockman:

Pizarro-Cassano in swap deal? Wednesday 26 October, 2005
-----------------------------------------------------------
Inter are set to tempt Roma into releasing Antonio Cassano in January by offering them the services of David Pizarro.

The enigma is coming to the end of his capital stint after talks regarding a contract extension collapsed.

Cassano is only tied to the Giallorossi until June 2006, meaning that he will be available on a free transfer next summer.

However, Inter will reportedly offer Pizarro to Roma in an attempt to win the competition to sign the attacker.

Both Juventus and Milan are interested in the 23-year-old, but Inter believe they have something that Roma want.

Luciano Spalletti already tried to sign Pizarro - who he bossed at Udinese last term - in the summer, but Roma’s transfer embargo made the move impossible.

The Chilean joined Inter instead but the form of Juan Sebastian Veron means that he’s finding it tough at the San Siro.

Inter are now allegedly ready to offer him on loan for six months in a move which would apparently suit all parties involved.

"There are few better playmakers than him around," Spalletti said yesterday. "He may be lacking physical strength, but he knows how to move the ball on quickly."
----------------------------------------------------------

i think this is the press just making **** up. veron is leaving inter next year and pizarro is his longterm replacement. pizarro would be nice though. the only quote in there is from spaletti and it probably came from this past summers transfer window.

Unpredictable Roma doing it again...2-0 up on Inter. We were dominating then one Roma counter-attack and Totti makes Julio Cesar look like a Ricardo

inter wants to give us pizarro on a 6 month loan.

and i'm not getting my hopes up, inter will hit back with 4 after the break

**** this, materazzi piece of **** tackles totti in the area, totti scores on the penalty 3-0

Il Imperatore pulled one back for Inter. 3-1 :rolleyes:

I guess that gol in the derby did well to boost up Totti's morale!Bcuz before the derby he had scored like 1 goal. :rolleyes:

3-2
3-2
3-23-2
3-2
3-2
3-2
ADRIANO!!!! 2 goals!! COMEBACK HERE WE GO!!

WOW this is starting to become a close game!!Sum1 really BETTER post highlights later!At wat minute did he score at?

22 and 32 minute mark, just under 10 min left

ah **** its over. materazzi :| totti and veron sent off at the end for headbutting eachother :|

not all is bad...at least Adriano got some confidence with 2 goals.

Well im guessing it was a good game!?Lol Totti, always gettin in sh*t.

Roma Roma Roma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOWEE WOW WOW

http://www.screenhead.com/funny/walkenintherain.jpg

Congrats to Roma who ****ted on us in the first half. I'm not happy about that PK call but I still feel it's the teams fault for really giving the first half away. Thank God though Adriano came in and scored a brace to make it a respectable loss of 3-2.

BTW what's the name of that guy in the pic? He's hilarious. His SNL bit was the best of all time.

BTW what's the name of that guy in the pic? He's hilarious. His SNL bit was the best of all time.

Christopher Walken.

ED ORA,IL NOSTRO CAPITANO!!! IL SIMBOLO DI ROMA!!! IL BIMBO DI ORO!!! CON IL NUMERO 10!!!

FRANCESCO!!!!! TOTTI!!!!!!!!!!!



Happiest I've been in weeks!!!!!!!!!!


FORZA LA MAGICA ROMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bah! :p

Congrats to Roma who ****ted on us in the first half. I'm not happy about that PK call but I still feel it's the teams fault for really giving the first half away. Thank God though Adriano came in and scored a brace to make it a respectable loss of 3-2.

BTW what's the name of that guy in the pic? He's hilarious. His SNL bit was the best of all time.

You didn't know that was Christopher Walker? wow :|

---

Other than the early yellow how was Chivu? Who did he defend man to man? Please don't tell me it was Adriano :(

You didn't know that was Christopher Walker? wow :|




don't worry. thats not the only thing he doesn't know.

don't worry. thats not the only thing he doesn't know.

haha I miss your sb9 bashing :D

PS: great sig (Y)

hey guys,
over the last few years i was able to see all goals on coolioz.com together with some other extra features ... unfortunately the site is gone :(

Anybody an idea, where to view at least the goals?

Chivu got a red :D

Spalletti shuts out Cassano Saturday 5 November, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luciano Spalletti has now confirmed that Antonio Cassano will not play in a Roma jersey until he signs a new contract.

“The club has a project for the future and I will only use players who share that vision,” stated the Coach in today’s Press Conference.

Cassano has now recovered from an ankle injury, but he has not been included in the squad travelling to Messina for Sunday’s game and official confirmation arrived that it was a disciplinary decision.

“Antonio seemed physically fit in training and is fully recovered now, but this has nothing to do with why he wasn’t picked. Will he be left out until he signs a new contract? That is possible.”

The tug of war between the Italian international and Roma has been going on for over a year, but reached a head because he will be a free agent in the summer.

It’s believed the Giallorossi want him to pen a new contract or join Inter in January, whereas Cassano would prefer to wait until June and sign for Juventus.

The situation could, however, cost him his place in the 2006 World Cup squad, as Marcello Lippi warned that he “will not wait forever” and cannot call someone for international duty who is not playing at club level.

Meanwhile, the capital club faces a difficult trip to Sicily on Sunday afternoon, where they will take on struggling Messina.

“They have rediscovered their unity after a tough time in which everything was going wrong for them. I am concerned about taking on Zlatan Muslimovic, as I know this striker well and he can cause problems for opposition defences.”

Spalletti must do without the suspended Daniele De Rossi and Cristian Chivu, while Messina are missing Riccardo Zampagna and Ivica Iliev. However, the Sicilians finally won their first game of the season at Lecce last week with a brace from former Roma youngster Gaetano D’Agostino.

“D’Agostino scored two important goals to get his side out of trouble and is definitely a talent. Coppola and Massimo Donati are also key players, but we can win this match. It’s still possible we can aim for fourth place, although I prefer to set simple goals so that we can build our way to a long-term ambition.”
----------------------------------------------------

To me it seems like a stupid idea to not play Cassano until he signs a new contract; I don't think there's a better way to make him NOT want to resign. I mean, if he's going to leave for free, you might as well get the most out of him while you can.

Julio ready for Cruz to Roma
Monday 21 November, 2005
Inter striker Julio Cruz looks likely to move to Roma at the end of the season, according to reports in Italy.

Cruz, whose contract expires in the summer, has been waiting for the Nerazzurri to offer him a new deal after an exceptional season so far.

But with no such arrangement forthcoming, the Argentina striker will be available for nothing in six months.

Roma, who seem resigned to losing Antonio Cassano for nothing in June as the striker continues to refuse the improved terms on a new three-year-deal, are keen on compensating for the £20m signing from Bari.

Although it would hardly recoup the financial loss of Cassano, procuring the services of Cruz for free would at least help draw a line under the whole messy affair.

The Giallorossi are prepared to offer the South American £1.7m a season for four years and the in-form 31-year-old - who has just earned a recall to the Argentina squad but remains something of a San Sio super sub - is keen on the move.

Another free agent who could be on his way to the Stadio Olimpico at the end of the season is Hatem Trabelsi of Ajax.

The right-back, who will represent Tunisia at the World Cup in the summer, has attracted the interest of Juventus, Milan and Arsenal.

However, with Luciano Moggi seemingly commandeering proceedings, it appears that the Juve transfer mogul is willing to ‘allow’ the player to move to Roma, much as he is supposed to have permitted similar transfers to the capital involving Samuel Kuffour and Shabani Nonda.


:D

I dont understand the "Moggi connection" as a non-Italian, but it seems that this guy has way to much influence power, since he can decide which player is going to which team. Can someone explain?

Media thinks that Moggi was trying to help Roma with their mercato so Juve could get an option on Cassano. That's why people think he "let" Nonda, Taddei and Kuffour go to Roma.

by letting them go to Roma, the media means that Juve didn't sign them

Hey, I need some good recent pics of Tott for a PES-face. So doe you guys have some great frontal pics?

Thanx in advance.i

http://www.asroma.it/UserImages/7188.gif
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20051119/i/r1333819167.jpg
http://www.juventus.com/fe_images/fotogallery/051119-romjuv/zoom/10.jpg
http://www.sportinglife.com/pictures/general/donatitotti.jpg

that's the best i can do for now my man.

Is this Thread DEAD???

So what's the latest on Cassano? Last I heard he wanted to go to Madrid? Moratti has spoken and said Inter are interested but no contacts have been made. After our past games I'm not so sure if we really need him for our attack. But Cassano is Cassano, a great young player and I would still like to see him added to our side.

What that means for Roma though I don't know.

with the cassano saga, i have come to a conclusion. when i see it, i will believe it. anything else till then wont matter to me. just another headline.

Real agree terms for Cassano Tuesday 3 January, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Real Madrid have successfully concluded talks with Roma for the transfer of Antonio Cassano.

Negotiations between all parties continued in the capital this morning and an agreement has finally been reached.

"It was a difficult deal, much more so than the one regarding Walter Samuel in the past when we sorted everything out in a day," said Real’s transfer wizard Ernesto Bronzetti.

"Everyone is a winner in this move. This is a great piece of business for Roma, as they have saved themselves around £7m on a player who was coming to the end of his contract.

"Real have also won because they have signed an important player for a relatively low price.

"Cassano is a winner too because he is going to Real Madrid. Football in Spain is much more technical and he will fit in well.

"Real are short of strikers at the minute too and he will find space in the team. Will he play on Sunday? He hasn’t signed yet but there won’t be any problems."

Cassano was expected to put pen to paper on Tuesday yet it now seems that he will do so only tomorrow.

"Cassano will have his medical on Wednesday, he will then sign and be unveiled to the media," Bronzetti added.

The 23-year-old, who is believed to have cost the Spanish giants just £3.5m, could feature against Villarreal at the weekend.

The Italian international is expected to net himself around £3m a season for the next five years at the Bernabeu.

Although few Roma fans will miss the controversial attacker, one of his now former teammates has wished him well.

"I wish him all the best," said Rodrigo Taddei. "Antonio is a great lad and he has personally done me no harm.

"Is he good enough for Real Madrid? He is good enough for Italy…"
------------------------------------------------

that looks pretty official to me. not 100% but around 90-95%. i will miss antonio and wish him the absolute best. :ewan:

Is there gonna be a replacement for Cassano? He is a big loss...

not until the summer. roma have once again been banned from making any incoming transfers due to the transfer of phillipe mexes.

cassano loss is a real big one because at the moment, montella and nonda are injured. and if nonda does return im not even sure if he will play because he may be away at the african nations cup.

but mido may return after an extremely successful campaign in england. i wouldnt be surprised if spurs want him outright. but definitely in the summer we have to bring in a big name.

Great win yesterday! Highlights anyone?

4 in a row. watch out juve, you're now only +20. :P (H)

i couldn't find the highlights for the milan game, but i did come across the highlights for today's game:

Roma 3 - 1 Reggina (http://as-roma.ru/goals/2005-06/20roma-reggina4.zip) (18MB, it's a zip file)

Again, a confident win. The sky is clearing up... We are getting in form for the Uefa-cup against Bruges. :lui:

we're off to the semi's.

quite the tense game. chances favoured roma, along with possession. after the red cards, it really opened up and was quite nice to watch. totti's disallowed goal was wrong. there was much worse that wasn't called.

the penalty had to be called. it was unintentional, but it deviated the ball from where it was going to go. perrotta was turning his head. it was the right call.

nedved should have been sent off. first for his horrific challenge on totti from behind, which then saw ibra sent off for kicking the ball at totti. and he should have received a second yellow on 91 mins while in a holding match with perrotta, turned and straight armed him in the face.

besides all the fouls, it was a good match to watch, there was alot of nice football to watch. we deserved the draw, but i'm not complaining.

oh and how could i forget mexes. he was brilliant. unbeatable in the air, his tackles were clean and swift and alot of the play that started from the back went through him and roma really controlled the ball alot, knocking it around the back before going forward. he is really turning into the player that we paid for. mexes and chivu are becoming great together.

7 IN A ROW

Parma 0 - 3 Roma
Mancini 47, 72 (R), Perrotta 77 (R)
Stadio Tardini
----------------------------------------------------------------------Amantino Mancini bagged a brace as Roma matched the club record seven straight Serie A wins by thrashing Parma 3-0 at the Tardini.

The Giallorossi were looking for their club record seventh consecutive Serie A victory and, although he was an injury doubt until the last minute, Francesco Totti was able to start upfront. Parma were without Damiano Ferronetti, Giovanni Pasquale, Filippo Savi, Marco Delvecchio and Andrea Pisanu, while Ferdinand Coly is on international duty.

Doni was fortunate that Bernardo Corradi just failed to get his toe on to a through ball with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Roma went even closer with an audacious attempt by Totti. He hooked his leg back over behind him to flick on a Cristian Chivu free kick with his heel, forcing Matteo Guardalben into a difficult fingertip save over the bar.

An Olivier Dacourt piledriver from the edge of the box was just wide, then Daniele De Rossi's glancing header was off target. Another Dacourt attempt from distance took a deflection past the post.

There was controversy on 35 minutes when Philippe Mexes seemed to karate-chop Giuseppe Cardone in the stomach in an off the ball incident, but the officials did not see it and no action was taken.

Parma had their best chance just before the break, as Domenico Morfeo threaded through for Mark Bresciano, but Doni rushed off his line to charge down the strike from four yards.

Roma broke through straight after the restart in chaotic fashion. Totti had two close-range efforts saved by Guardalben and Bresciano, but it was third time lucky for Amantino Mancini from six yards.

Cardone clattered into Totti's tender right ankle, but the Roma captain was able to carry on after treatment. Rodrigo Taddei nodded a Perrotta cross off target when he got between two defenders.

Perrotta then caught Totti's pass to the back post, but it got caught under his feet and Guardalben came tearing out to charge the shot down.

At the other end, Marco Marchionni found space down the left flank, but his angled drive was wide of the post and not close enough to Corradi.

But Roma were on fine form and Perrotta shrugged off a challenge as he ran up the field to test Guardalben with a powerful finish.

Parma were extremely unlucky not to equalise on 67 minutes, as a free kick reached an acrobatic diving Fernando Couto header, but the ball cannoned off the upright and the visitors were somehow able to clear.

Instead, the Giallorossi doubled their lead with another goal from Mancini. The Brazilian sprung the offside trap on Totti's pass and placed a perfect lob over the helpless goalkeeper.

Roma were now dominating and scored another fantastic team goal. Totti was again involved, as his hooked first-time pass over the top of the defence found Perrotta, whose lob settled into the far corner of the net.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Parma: Guardalben; Cannavaro, Cardone, Couto, Bonera; Marchionni, Grella, Simplicio, Bresciano (Ruopolo 76); Morfeo; Corradi

Roma: Doni; Panucci (Bovo 87), Mexes, Chivu, Cufrè; De Rossi, Dacourt (Tommasi 73); Taddei, Perrotta, Mancini; Totti (Rosi 85)

Ref: Trefoloni

interesting that with Cassano's arrival to Real, and departure from Roma, both teams have been on amazing form ;).

i guess it was the best for both parties. a fresh start.

- 7 wins in a row, tieing the club's record
- Knocking Juve out of the Coppa Italia
- Doing all this with no strikers
- 5 pts back from a CL spot
- Team unity, finally
- Totti has grown up, finally

:Bow: :Bow: Grazie Spalletti

santino, good to see you back. where were you though? it was getting quite lonely posting to myself with a couple randoms here and there.

Roma just got put back to earth. 0-2 to Cagliari after 20 minutes.

well its 2-2 now... Roma woke up by the looks of it.

Damn, I spoke too soon. :(

4-3 FT

i dont know what happened, all i know is we got 2 penalties in the last 10 mins and both teams had 10 men. maybe it's roma who got the refs on their side this time.

reports to follow, and i will be searching for highlights.

regardless 8 IN A ROW AND A NEW CLUB RECORD

congratulations to the team and mr. spalletti. thank you.

Roma 4 - 3 Cagliari
Suazo 15 (C), Langella 19 (C), Perrotta 24 (R),De Rossi 34 (R), Conti 54 (C), Totti pens 78, 90 (R)
Rieti - neutral ground

-------------------------------------------------------------

Two Francesco Totti penalties proved decisive in this seven-goal thriller with two men sent off, as Roma mark their new club record eighth consecutive Serie A win.

The Giallorossi were forced to play this match behind closed doors and on neutral turf in Rieti after a group of so-called fans held up anti-Semitic banners during the encounter with Livorno.

Nonetheless, they were looking to set a new club record of eight consecutive Serie A victories and faced a Cagliari side that was fresh from a 4-1 demolition of Empoli to take them out of the relegation zone. There were some familiar faces in the Sardinian squad, such as former Roma men Antonio Chimenti and Daniele Conti, but Nelson Abeijon is suspended.

Doni performed the first save on Giallorossi youth product Conti's powerful effort, then Francesco Totti's glancing header was smothered.

However, it was Cagliari who took the lead when David Suazo's hopeful attempt took a massive deflection off Philippe Mexes and looped up over the helpless Doni.

Incredibly, the Sardinians doubled their lead soon after. Mauro Esposito sprinted past Cesare Bovo on the right flank and rolled across for Antonio Langella to tap in past a static Mexes.

Roma got back into the game on 24 minutes when Simone Perrotta both started and finished the move in a smart combination with Totti.

Totti was extremely unlucky not to draw level four minutes later, as his low free kick took Chimenti totally by surprise and cannoned off the base of the upright.

Totti sprung the offside trap only for Chimenti to get a wrist to the angled drive and push it inches past the far post.

On the resulting corner, Roma managed to draw level. Christian Panucci held up the ball for a diving Daniele De Rossi header from four yards to go from 2-0 down to 2-2 in the space of 10 minutes.

Cagliari were forced to play the entire second half in 10 men, as Joe Bizera was sent off for a second bookable offence on Totti.

Incredibly, the Sardinians still managed to restore their lead. Daniele Conti - the son of Roma legend Bruno Conti - saw his free kick take a deflection off Leandro Cufre' and slot in to the far post from a tight angle.

Rodrigo Taddei's shot was pushed out by Chimenti and Amantino Mancini nodded a corner kick inches off target, while Vincenzo Montella made his comeback 73 days after back surgery.

There was controversy, as Bovo saw red for a second bookable offence, then soon after Canini was judged to have pulled down Totti in the area. The captain buried the penalty under the crossbar for a 3-3 scoreline with 12 minutes to go.

This was a heart-stopping encounter and in stoppages Totti converted another penalty for substitute Pisano's foul on ex-Cagliari man Edgar Alvarez to give Roma their record-breaking eighth consecutive Serie A victory.


-------------------------------------------------------------

Roma: Doni; Panucci (Rosi 74), Bovo, Mexes, Cufrè; De Rossi, Aquilani (Montella 63); Taddei (Alvarez 85), Perrotta, Mancini; Totti

Cagliari: Chimenti; Ferri, Bega, Bizera, Agostini; Esposito (Pisano 89), Conti (Conticchio 71), Budel, Gobbi; Suazo, Langella (Canini 46)

Ref: Girardi

Sent off: Bizera 45 (C), Bovo 76 (R)
-------------------------------------------------------------

interesting

had a LOT of computer problems, ended up reformatting about 4 times because the backups of files i amde were also corrupted, i've been dealing with school and work a lot and just haven't had the time. but im done school till september and i don't work till 5pm everynight, so i've been doing plenty of catching up on sleep.

i didn't miss one roma moment through all this and thank god, this has been the best 2 months ever. a record breaking roma, an out of this world Perrotta, yes Perrotta!

just unbelievable.

FORZA ROMA!!!!!!!!!

Imagine if Juve had gotten 2 penalties in the same game.

I'm not trying to take away anything from the win. Just an observation.

i haven't seen the penalties yet but apparently both were deserved. but definitely i know what you mean ice. it comes with the territory of being the best, anyone and everyone will take their shots when they get a chance too. it's just easier for whoever is making the accusation to make it rather than own up to their own poor play.

and it has to be said but perrotta for the national team. his play has been special and according to lippi, he plans to bring the best 23 players. there is no reason why he shouldn't be there barring any unfortunate circumstances(knock on wood) plus he has experience.

the midfield looks like this to me:

the guarantee's: gattuso, pirlo, camoranesi, de rossi

contenders: fiore, barone, diana, perrotta, ambrosini, marchionni

i have been a huge fan of marchionni for some time now. i think his move to juve is brilliant and hope he becomes a world class winger. we definitely could use his services in the future. i believe he deserves to be considered, needs to stay off the medical table long enough though.

i definitely think fiore should go to germany, and perrotta looks good too

Where can I find highlights for this game and other Serie A games? Here in Belgium, we can see all leagues except the Serie A. Is there a site?

your best chance is to go to www.fbtz.com(maxxed football forums). it is a brilliant site where you can download torrents of soccer matches, shows and highlights. that is usually where i find my highlights.

you have to have a torrent downloader though, like azureus or bitcomet.

good luck

i was watching la domenica sportiva and i saw the penalties.

totti should have gotten a pk in the first half but it wasnt given, and the one he did get was very generous, so itihnkthe ref was just evening it out.

and the foul on alvarez was a pk.

After the game, Totti was called to the microphone for some words. He was told he got the Man of the Match award. Totti replied:
-Did you really see the game?
then he pulled Perrotta to the microphone and left.

how's that for team spirit? totti finally growing up :)

classy (Y)

9 in a ******* ROW!!!!!!!

and fio lost to livorno! the gap is at 2 points

Forza Roma :rockman:

Brugge 1 - 2 Roma
Vanaudenaerde og 45 (R), Portillo 61 (B), Perrotta 74 (R)
Jen Breydel Stadium

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite Daniele De Rossi’s dismissal, Roma's away win at Club Brugge with a spectacular Simone Perrotta strike puts them in good stead.

The Giallorossi are currently on a record-breaking run of nine consecutive Serie A victories and hoped to continue that trend in Europe when they travelled to Belgium. Francesco Totti was left at home, but Vincenzo Montella returned after more than two months out with a back injury.

Gianluca Curci comfortably held a long-range Dufer effort, then Balaban’s shot skimmed the woodwork as Brugge got off to a strong start, but they lost goalkeeper Butina to a muscular problem after just 16 minutes.

Roma were fortunate when ex-Fiorentina striker Javier Portillo was stopped in a one-on-one situation with Curci by an incorrect offside decision.

The game took an unexpected twist on 27 minutes when Daniele De Rossi saw red for elbowing Klusowski, an untimely lack of discipline from the Italian international that earned him a furious ear-bashing from Coach Luciano Spalletti.

Nonetheless, 10-man Roma still managed to take the lead on the stroke of half-time, as Christian Panucci’s cross missed the head of Amantino Mancini, but went in off Vanaudenaerde to score an own goal.

After the restart, a hopeful Olivier Dacourt strike was blocked, but the Frenchman later gave away the ball to Portillo, who unleashed an unstoppable drive from 25 metres.

Vanaudenaerde nodded off target and Brugge started to pour forward looking for the victory, so Spalletti went back to his preferred tactic with Mancini as the central striker supported by Rodrigo Taddei and Damiano Tommasi.

It did the trick, as Simone Perrotta continued his stunning form with another away goal to restore Roma’s lead. Philippe Mexes swung wildly at a corner kick, but Mancini crossed back into the centre for a spectacular Perrotta backheel from close range.

It remained an open game and Portillo’s header threatened Curci’s goal, though a promising Mexes counter-attack was halted by a debatable offside decision. Mancini’s low drive skimmed the woodwork and another couple of moves were stopped at the last moment by good Brugge defensive work, but deep into stoppages Portillo's looping header thumped the upright with Curci beaten.

Spalletti can certainly be content with this result, as in 10 men for over an hour, Roma conquer Club Brugge in Belgium and are in a good position to qualify after the second leg at the Olimpico.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Club Brugge: Butina (Stijnen 16); Vanaudenaerde (Gvozdenovic 86), Maertens, De Cock, Klukowski; Vermant, Leko, Roelandts (Ishiaku 53); Dufer, Portillo, Balaban

Roma: Curci; Panucci, Kuffour, Mexes, Cufrè; Dacourt, De Rossi; Tommasi, Perrotta (Kharja 88), Mancini (Alvarez 89); Montella (Taddei 66)

Ref: Baskakov (Rus)

Sent off: De Rossi 27 (R)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

beat goes on

how come no Chivu and no Totti?

Portillo scored (Y)

It did the trick, as Simone Perrotta continued his stunning form with another away goal to restore Roma’s lead. Philippe Mexes swung wildly at a corner kick, but Mancini crossed back into the centre for a spectacular Perrotta backheel from close range.

:rockman:


the boys just won't say no, they won't give up, this is unbelievable

perrotta is playing some really inspiring soccer right now. his stock is at an all time high. there is no excuse for not taking him to germany.

no totti because he is resting his ankle which has been inflammed for weeks now. he has played through all this pain and rarely practices. i hate it when people say he takes games off because he doesn't wanna get injured.

chivu was probably just rested. he has been a rock in the back, a true leader back there. plus we had to get kuffour back into the squad. chivu will return for important serie a, coppa and uefa cup matches.

A New Dawn In Rome

Just when even the most ardent of Roma fans were about to resign themselves to yet another anonymous season, Spalletti's charges have turned it around. And it's beginning to look like there might be something to celebrate, after all.

The summer of 2004 was when it all went downhill. Many believe that it was Capello's shock departure for Juventus that summer, that pulled the rug from under their feet. It might have been the first blow, but the process was more gradual.

The long drawn and controversial exit of Emerson, to follow his former boss to Turin, was the next step. New coach Prandelli left to take care of his wife, and his replacement Rudi Voller also found his way out of the club after just four matches, leaving the Giallorossi in turmoil. Del Neri was then brought on board, as the fourth coach in as many months.

Then, came the infamous incident in the Champions League clash with Dinamo Kiev, when Anders Frisk was struck with a coin, and left bleeding on the pitch. The match was promptly called off, and later awarded to Dinamo Kiev. The graphic images, and the need to set an example, ensured Roma were handed more severe penalties, including a stadium ban.

The stink of it all was, Roma were actually doing well despite being a goal down, and could yet have won that match, but for a bunch of stupid fans.

And that is where the house came down. The Galliorossi turned into a pale shadow of themselves, and neither Del Neri, nor his replacement Conti, could do much. There was the odd performance which flattered, only to deceive. The way they celebrated avoiding relegation in May, says it all. The season was classified as a disaster, an appearance in the finals of the Coppa Italia, and the subsequent back door entry into the UEFA Cup, notwithstanding.

Luciano Spalletti took over in June, and his joining bonus was Roma's one year transfer ban. All credit to him for not flinching, though, and still assuming the challenge with gusto.

There were some good performances, but by and large, things failed to improve. Roma were found flirting with relegation again, although they did keep scraping through in the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia.

Cassano's contract talks were a constant irritant, and even though Spalletti kept himself, and the squad, on the margin of things, it was getting just as frustrating as the Emerson saga. With his departure to Real Madrid in December, it seemed that the path had been cleared for non-footballing issues to finally take a back seat.

And then, came 2006, as Roma moved into a different gear. Seven consecutive wins in the League has seen them come to within two points of fourth placed Fiorentina, and a Champions League berth is a distinct possibility, with all due respect to Prandelli and company.

They have seen off none other that the almighty Juventus in the Coppa Italia, putting three past Capello's side in Turin, in the process. Their prospects in the UEFA Cup aren't any worse. Although Brugge are no pushovers, Roma have lots of reasons to back themselves, and their 2-1 win in the away leg must have done Roman confidence a power of good for the return.

While it would be inappropriate to single out individuals for what has been a huge team effort, three key aspects come to mind.

First, and foremost, is the liberation of their iconic skipper Totti. He has been forced to sit behind one, if not two forwards ahead of him, for most of the last few years, thanks to his vision, and Italy's abundance of forwards and lack of top quality attacking midfielders.

Ever since being given back his 'advanced' role by Spalletti, albeit due to squad constraints, he has almost rediscovered himself, and can be seen constantly bursting past centre-halves after what seems like ages. Not surprisingly, this sudden explosion from him has made everyone rally round. Credit should go to Spalletti, though, for ensuring that the creative part of his game has not been lost in the process.

Next, comes the most apparent aspect of the transformation: the coming of age of De Rossi and Mancini. That is where the breath of fresh air has come from, and the way they have supported their skipper indicates that it might be harder than it seems to lure them away.

That said, Roma's biggest worry in the summer will be holding onto them. A Champions League berth is what should settle that issue, for a while at the very least. Should they succeed in tying the duo down, the future looks increasingly rosy, especially given the approaching end of their transfer ban.

Finally, one has to take a look at perhaps the most underrated part of this transformation: their central defensive partnership of Chivu and Mexes. While neither of them would classify as world class just yet, the way they have combined to create a more secure looking Roma deserves a lot more credit.

The pieces are finally coming together, and in no small measure due to Spalletti's handling of this young squad, and defining of roles so that the players know exactly the spaces into which they need to run.

Thankfully for Roma, none of the damage during the first half was beyond repair. Should this revival continue, a Champions League berth, is not beyond their reach. However, it is those scraped wins in the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia, that could now return to make their season.
-----------------------------------------------

nice article.

FORZA ROMA :rockman:

Wow Perrotta does it again. Great form. He scores in the 1-0 win against Empoli. Congrats guys and more money for me cortesy of Roma (6)

Theres the record. Roma equal Juve's, Milan's and Bologna's records from the past of 10 consequetive wins.

Thats some run.

Totti out 2 months, broken foot.

****! why totti whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy :(

omg, did you guys see when he broke it...

http://msn.foxsports.com/id/5344934_36_2.jpg :O

Oh my. :( That looks awful.

:nape: totti ... :nape:
hope he doesnt miss the WC

why is Totti standing in front of the roma fans like this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7701810662059674119&q=totti ?

he is saluting the fans of la curva sud.

btw, brilliant video.

saluting?? He looks to me like he si disappointed or angry or something. Look at his face expression.

And yeah, awesome video. Don't know why, but somehow I like Totti. I know I shouldn't, but can't help it.

why shouldn't you?

Congrats Roma. What a way to bring up the historic 11th win - with a 2-0 win against Lazio.

Totti was sitting with Conti near the touchline. Emotional scenes after the game with Totti waving a Roma flag. Felt bad for him. He had a smile on his face throughout and deserved to see his team do well.

As for the game itself, I think Totti's absence made it a little tame compared to the usual fiery atmosphere. Both teams played well but Roma took their chances. Lazio had more a better share of the possession but never really looked like scoring. Roma had things under control.

Mancini played extremely well along with Aquilani. Those two stood out in my opinion. Good game to watch.

Congrats once again.

i knew that if one person had to step up while totti was out it had to be Aquilani and he had a great game today.

Forza Roma, this team is Historic!!!

11 consecutive wins, who's gonna top that? (H)

clap clap to Roma,

now don't screw up and let the record continue to 12. ;)

You know what really ****s me off? This whole over-celebration yellow card nonsense. Let them celebrate FFS. It's killing the spirit of the game. Like Aquilani today; scored an immense goal in such a huge match and gets a card for his troubles.

finally got a chance to watch the game after a hectic day, and all i have to say is that i'm speechless.

this team is special, this run is special. the comraderie is out of this world. i think every player on the pitch would die for eachother. it is a wonderful thing to watch. they knew what this game meant, didn't let the pressures get to them and performed extremely well. they defended brilliantly(mexes and chivu outstanding again), counters were quick, fluid and watching there one touch passing is awesome. i just can't say enough.

the love and comraderie that this team possesses is unmatched in all of europe, and sure winning 11 straight can do this but in order to get to this point it really takes something special. i just wish totti could have played but i know he was definitely the most proudest of his team today. spalletti's reaction at the end of the game was magical. the celebration was real touching for me to watch.

GRAZIE MR. SPALLETTI. FORZA LA MAGICA, FORZA ROMA.

let's enjoy every moment.

Just look at how happy they are :D

http://cache.gettyimages.com/xc/56943175.jpg?v=1&c=MS_GINS&k=2&d=AAAB1D3D22B8F28C55D0030E3F0539DF

All I can say is congrats Roma, you did a great game (Y).

proud fan here

Roma always been a great team to watch and Totti a great captain

the team is magical

totti in the lazio derby:

http://files.filefront.com/Francesco_Tottiwmv/;4815886;;/fileinfo.html

he is saluting the fans of la curva sud.

btw, brilliant video.

He's definetely not saluting them, like nird said he looks disapointing, i'm also curious, why?

BTW, he's one of my all time favourite players!

Well, there was a period (I think last season), the Ultra's weren't too kind for him, blaming him he was not active enough on the pitch etc... Maybe that video is from that period.

i am very happy to report that i am the proud owner of the 2005/2006 AS Roma International Home Jersey L/S. this jersey is absolutely brilliant. i got it in long sleeve(the only way to go with jerseys) but here is what it looks like for those who don't know.

http://www.diadoraextra.net/webapp.diadoraextra.net/webapp.prodotti/_img_depot/foto_prodotto_900_en.jpg

it costs about $129.00 CDN and i got it for the price of $60 CDN. all thanks to a best friend of mine who works at a soccer store in winnipeg and put it on hold for me.

modena u lucky sob. i want that jersey so bad, I got the 05/06 home shirt which I'm in love with,lol. but i'd kill for that one, any chance u can get another on hold ;)

i can easily talk to my friend and ask if they have another one or if they can order one. i know they also have the green one.

I'm not fond of the green one but if u can get a hold of the white one let me know. I can pay with check/money order/paypal, don't have a credit card,lol.

How many different shirts do you guys have this season? 5? Most of them look cool. You guys have been pretty lucky with your shirts over the past few years. I also liked those Kappa ones.

roma seemingly always have brilliant jerseys. ever since kappa took over it has been awesome.

and yeah we have 5, not including the keeper jerseys(which i personally dont like).

yeah the Kappa jerseys were awesome and it seems like Diadora continued where Kappa left off seemlessly.

Usually you see a vast divide between manufacturers. Sometimes is works out for the best but many a time when a particular design is already good, it becomes hard to top that and the new designs just don't live up.

But in Roma's case it worked out very well. I'm sure the great looking jerseys help attract new fans around the world.

Where did you find this shirt? I can't even find it on the official Roma online-store...

i have a friend who works at a store called Sweat Shack, the website is www.sweatshack.com. the website is really bad and doesn't show all the up to date merchandise. you really have to go to the store to get a feel for what it has. my friend gets all merchandise sold in the store at cost, so that's why i got my jersey real cheap.

they(and i'm pretty sure all soccer stores) get catalogues that us fans/consumers can't get unless you subscribe. he gets this stuff in advance and they ordered it, he saw it, knew i would buy it and held it for me.

i'll post some pics when i get some with it on.

Any of you got Chivu's free kick goal against Juve a couple of years ago? :p

The streak stops here. You're going down!!!!

-------------------------------------------- <--- here

I still remember that 4-5 Inter win in what was it, 1999? Awesome match.

the 3-3 from last season was a great game too. Roma-Inter is always an exciting match and in truth, I doubt our chances today. The run eventually has to end and i'm pretty pessimistic about roma's chances tonight.

no montella, he was sent home injured.

leaving taddei or mancini to play as the striker. i doubt okaka will start.

1-0 Taddei

Great game guys. Congrats on the long streak, and i hope you can finish in a championsleague spot. You deserve it.

disappointing. only a few minutes from extending the record. great effort from the boys though, their counter-attack is simply awesome. i think we did better without montella than we would have done with him. we really need strikers. i say we give okaka a chance, although since we have played so well lately, why change whats working.

I hope that Iaquinta will sign to Roma in summer because Montella is already too old to play 90 minutes on very high level. Nonda is injured so currently we haven't classic striker.

Forza Roma :rockman:

Roma should get Mido back. He is better than Iaquinta in my opinion. Just needs some more time to settle.... or perhaps get both. Roma are short up front anyway.

I heard Vucinic also.

Only as alternative for Iaquinta.

an alternative to Iaquinta? Vucinic has been far better lately.

I think he'll end up going to Inter though.

Also Roma wanted David Pizarro from Inter but I think he will stay.

- mido is loved at tottenham, i think the spurs will do everything they can to buy the rest of his contract.

- i hope iaquinta stays at udinese. we don't need anymore band-aids, we have enough. not a fan of him.

- vucinic says he wants to play with totti, and i hope he does. considering the italian market for players, lecce are overpricing him and only inter would pay for him.

i think after this year there will be some interest for some strikers to come and play with roma. a great young coach and captain, who command the respect of the team. great team attitude and chemistry, awesome young talent and a team that is showing it can compete for titles. who knows, maybe mido will come back, alot of players like the idea of playing with totti.

i think montella's time is coming to an end. i know he can still be productive and i would like him to stay, maybe in a substitute/depth role. nonda i hope stays, i think he has something to prove but he just has to stay healthy. i would like a big name though, look what happened when batigol came.

I am sure that Mido will be sold to Tottenham after this season, because he feels well in London and Roma wants to sell him to have money for summer transfers. Also I read today that Roma is very interested to buy Hatem Trabelsi who's currently playing for Ajax.

In-form Middlesbrough host injury-stricken Roma at The Riverside Stadium in the Uefa Cup Round of 16 on Thursday.

Having staved off any lingering doubts over their continued Premiership participation with a 1-0 win over Birmingham on Saturday, all thoughts turn to Europe and entertaining Roma is a mouth-watering prospect for the Teesside club.

With a place in the quarter finals at stake, no added motivation should be necessary, however, and Boro will be desperate to capitalise on a spate of injuries to the Serie A outfit and record a healthy first leg advantage.

Roma, who beat UEFA Champions League entrants Club Brugge in the last round of the competition, are without the influential Francesco Totti and Vincenzo Montella.

Shabani Nonda is also out with a knee injury so visiting coach Luciano Spalletti is expected to deploy Brazilian winger Mancini in a lone striking role.

Opposite number Steve McClaren has a wealth of options, in comparison, with the expected return of Stewart Downing from a knee injury the biggest boost.

Ray Parlour and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will also return to the 16 while former Lazio midfielder Gaizka Mendieta will hope to impress against ex-rivals.

Boro advanced past Stuttgart on away goals in the last round despite suffering a 1-0 home reverse, with a 2-1 win in Germany in the first leg proving decisive.

McClaren will call on his side to grasp the initiative ahead of what will prove a testing second leg at Stadio Olimpico in two weeks' time.

I believe that Roma will take away profitable result from Middlesbrough in context revenge on Stadio Olimpico.

Yakubu Ayegbeni's early penalty gave Middlesbrough FC a slender but precious advantage to take into the second leg of their UEFA Cup last-16 tie against AS Roma.

Crucial advantage
The Nigerian striker scored the only goal of the game from the spot in the 12th minute as Middlesbrough ground out a vital first-leg lead ahead of Wednesday's reverse fixture at the Stadio Olimpico. The English side's UEFA Cup campaign last season was effectively ended by a 3-2 home defeat against Sporting Clube de Portugal at the same stage, but a repeat never looked likely as Steve McClaren's team produced a resilient and disciplined defensive display to hold Roma in check.

Crucial intervention
McClaren had said that an English-style approach would unsettle the visitors and his side duly started at rapid pace, harrying and pressurising their opponents at every turn. Nevertheless it was the Italian team who created the first clear opportunity as Philippe Mexes' long pass found Simone Perrotta advancing beyond the Middlesbrough back line, but although the Italian international slid his shot beyond Mark Schwarzer, Gareth Southgate was on hand to clear.

Nerveless Yakubu
Minutes later, the home team took the lead. Gianluca Curci had already palmed away Yakubu's cross under pressure from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and when Gaizka Mendieta's pass split the Roma defence the 20-year-old goalkeeper was again quick to react, only to mistime his challenge on the Dutch striker. Yakubu duly sent Curci the wrong way with the resulting penalty.

Mendieta influence
Thereafter both sides struggled to pierce their opponents' defence, although Mendieta – who had an unhappy spell with Roma's city rivals S.S. Lazio in 2001/02 – was a tireless influence and involved in most of Middlesbrough's better moves. The two goalkeepers had only routine saves to occupy them, however, with Schwarzer dealing competently with Damiano Tommasi's low right-wing cross and Curci gathering Hasselbaink's effort from long range.

Notable absentees
Missing forwards Francesco Totti, Vincenzo Montella and Shabani Nonda through injury, and with Italian international midfielder Daniele De Rossi suspended, the visitors struggled to replicate the form that had taken then on an eleven-match winning run in Serie A, although Mancini did curl one effort fractionally wide after an incisive move. At the other end, Curci scooped away an awkward bouncing effort from Hasselbaink and Mendieta might have given his team a two-goal cushion to take to Rome, but shot over after being put through by substitute Mark Viduka.
http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Photo/competitions/UEFACup/402978_BIGLANDSCAPE.jpg

I didn't dream about such result but it isn't the worst. I'm hoping that we will score some goals at home and go to next round. :)

I wouldn't be too worried. Thats too slim a margin for Boro to hold on to. Roma should cruise through.

How's Damiano Tommasi doing?
I know he was injuried for a long time and he's playing today against Ascoli so I decided to ask :).

he is doing fine. not starting, only being used as a substitute. he does get the occassional start and is awarded as the captain.

on the loss today, i have to say i expected this to happen. even though we deserved the draw, after all the wins i knew we were gonna lose one. actually i fear losing more now.

Middlesbrough fans have been injured in Rome.

Three Middlesbrough fans have been stabbed and injured after trouble erupted in Rome before the club's Uefa Cup clash with Roma.

Several other fans were also injured as a group of visiting supporters were attacked in the Italian capital on Tuesday night.

The stabbed fans were taken to hospital for treatment and it is not yet known how serious the injuries are.

Middlesbrough chief executive Keith Lamb confirmed there had been violent clashes between both sets of fans

"There was an incident in one of the bars in a square in Rome," Lamb told Radio Five Live.

"Some Boro fans were drinking in a bar and the bar was attacked by some Roma fans.

"A number of Boro fans have been injured - a small number - and taken to hospital and received medical treatment.

"As far as I'm aware everybody is okay now, although one was retained in hospital but is in a stable condition."

The incident has cast a massive shadow over Wednesday's tie at the Stadio Olimpico with both clubs hoping for no more unsavoury incidents.

Knowing the English fans they were probably drunk and rubbing the 1-0 result in. Lets put things into perspective. In my opinion it was a blatent dive! You can see clearly that Borough lack tecnique and they have to dive to get results. They are making so much noise about a cheap result like this. Roma still matched them. Hasselbaink shouldnt expect a warm reception. He got himself into that situation the idiot. I'm not condoning this violence. Roma fans are a bit too volatile. They need to leave this backwards behaviour behind. Hooliganism should be old news by now.

Roma out of the UEFA Cup.

- Mancini was great.
- Bovo sucked balls.
- Roma would have passed with Totti.
- Chivu: Injured...AGAIN!

Wow going out to boro... embarassing. Boro are ******* terrible. No offence or anything. But they got beaten 7-0 by us.

BORO! (H) :rockman:

from what i read, we absolutely dominated the **** out of boro. apparently it was embarassing.

im still to watch it, but when i do i will be able to actually form an opinion outside of the reports. but what from i read, bovo played well, mark did you watch the game?

we deserved to go through.

Wow going out to boro... embarassing. Boro are ******* terrible. No offence or anything. But they got beaten 7-0 by us.

and no boro aren't terrible. they have beaten the best in the premiership by no fluke. they just have absolutely no consistency, they are a two faced side. they have alot of problems in the back with marking and more but the fact we went out to them isn't embarassing.

losing 1-0 on the road, on a ****ty (practically unplayable) pitch, depleted squad, without our captain and heart of our midfield not playing and to lose on a penalty which was suspect. we showed our quality in the 2nd leg and am proud of the boys. it is just a shame we couldn't score the deserved 3rd or 4th goal.

yes, I did watch the game and Roma dominated. Bovo was horrible. Yeah, he played on the right but his passing pissing poor. He always lobbed the ball(a la Materazzi) too far from the strikers so they couldn't reach it. Don't know why Spalletti didn't start Panucci instead.

Chivu played LB btw

BORO! Are Crap (H) :rockman:

We dominated but it wasnt to be. I dont care if Mexes got sent off again. Hes still the best. Roma still play every game like a cup final. There still a big team. Or the fans wouldnt turn up anymore. f*** what those idiots at the man utd website think. Roma is numero uno for me.

They banned me for spking my mind. Pricks. Soccergaming is better. We can talk about our favourite club here at least :ewan:

I would just like to commend Daniele De Rossi for his fair play actions in today's game. That was one of the classiest gestures I've seen.

For those that don't know, De Rossi used his hand to push the ball into the net, and the ref was going to allow it, but De Rossi told the ref he had indeed touched it with his hand, and the goal wasn't counted.

I take my hat off to De Rossi for this, very well done. :jap:

Great gesture indeed BUT heres what I feel.


Such decisions should be left to the ref. De Rossi and Roma are going to have decisions go against them every now and then so things even out during the course of the season.

I feel its unnecessary for a player to overturn decisions even if he was just being honest.

Still commendable.

I love some Roma players.. De Rossi, Mancini, Aquilani, Chivu ...

it was a cool thing to do. (Y)

the positive thing for them though, is that now the refs would love them more :D

Roma hail De Rossi gesture Sunday 19 March, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daniele De Rossi’s ‘confession’ has earned praise from the Roma Coach and his teammates, who also give an update on Francesco Totti’s recovery process.

“It was a wonderful gesture and represents what Daniele and the Roma players are like,” claimed director Rosella Sensi after the 2-1 win over Messina this evening.

De Rossi had knocked the ball into the net for the Giallorossi’s second goal, but confessed to the referee that he had done so with his hand and asked for the goal to be disallowed.

“These are the teachings that come from Luciano Spalletti and you saw that De Rossi did not hesitate to come forward and admit his mistake.”

Simone Perrotta had opened the scoring and also praised his teammate for his honesty in this situation.

“Daniele was absolutely right and we need to start from these gestures if we are to improve football,” said the midfielder.

“My job is to play in the centre, but I admit it is fun to push forward a little more in the new position Spalletti has prepared for me. Messina deserve compliments for their performance, as they put us under pressure and are probably too good a side to go down.”

Spalletti agreed that he has tried to instil a sporting character to the Giallorossi side this season.

“De Rossi took the right route and I am glad it was one of my players who made that step. It’s an important message for everyone involved in this sport. Nobody had noticed, not even the referee, so he could easily have gotten away with it, but Daniele didn’t even celebrate and knew immediately he wouldn’t let it stand.”

The only man who wasn’t ready to shake De Rossi’s hand was Messina Coach Bortolo Mutti.

“He should’ve been booked. It wouldn’t have changed anything, but it would’ve been a sign to us that we were on an even playing field. Let’s not forget our player, Ivica Iliev, was suspended earlier this season for simulation and nobody else has been held to such strict rules.”

Nonetheless, Mutti did admit that Roma deserved the 2-1 victory at the Stadio Olimpico this evening.

“Not much worked for us, as our opponents held possession well and we didn’t make the most of our chances because Gianluca Curci made some great saves. Our season will be decided over the next few weeks.”

Meanwhile, Spalletti revealed the state of captain Totti’s ankle, which underwent surgery a few weeks ago for a fracture.

“Italy boss Marcello Lippi should prepare his ticket, because Totti will be at the World Cup. I don’t know if he’ll be able to get off the crutches on Tuesday, but he was already putting his foot down today. His desire to recover at all costs is reassuring and all the Italians want him to make it.”

De Rossi was also stretchered off with a suspected sprained ankle this evening and is in hospital for tests on the injury. Spalletti explained: “The ankle has swollen up and is sore, so it has been put in a rigid bandage to keep it still.”
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well done daniele. it really takes alot of character to do what you did, although i kinda agree with ice though.

also great news to hear that francesco is ahead of schedule. i don't want him to rush it though.

For those that don't know, De Rossi used his hand to push the ball into the net, and the ref was going to allow it, but De Rossi told the ref he had indeed touched it with his hand, and the goal wasn't counted.
:

i didnt watch this game, cable tv over here arent showing italian matches this season. maybe i have to go work in the italian embassy to watch an italian match, maybe as a janitor or something.

what de rossi did is certainly very rare sportsmanship. mighty roma has shown the world! take a bow.

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The only man who wasn’t ready to shake De Rossi’s hand was Messina Coach Bortolo Mutti.

“He should’ve been booked. It wouldn’t have changed anything, but it would’ve been a sign to us that we were on an even playing field. Let’s not forget our player, Ivica Iliev, was suspended earlier this season for simulation and nobody else has been held to such strict rules.”
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Whoa, this guy is really thick... :boohoo:
Class display, if a weird one, from De Rossi.

Thing is, I was looking at the net for your next scheduled games, and for CL-rivals Fiorentina as well. Then I noticed:

Round 31
[26 Mar]
(...)
Juventus - Roma
(...)
Milan - Fiorentina
(...)

Round 32
[2 Apr]
(...)
Fiorentina - Roma
(...)

Round 33
[9 Apr]
(...)
Juventus - Fiorentina
(...)
Roma - Lecce
(...)

Seems promising, huh? (H)

Totti walks towards World Cup Tuesday 21 March, 2006
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Francesco Totti has taken his first steps since undergoing surgery for a fractured ankle and Roma boss Luciano Spalletti believes he’ll play again this Serie A season.

“It was a great sensation to see him walking again without crutches,” said Spalletti. “If he says he’ll return in May, then I think that’s possible too.”

A month and two days have passed since Empoli’s Richard Vanigli went through the back of the Giallorossi captain, accidentally causing an injury that has put Totti’s World Cup participation at risk.

On Saturday he underwent a new operation to remove the screws that had been put in place to keep the left ankle steady and today he walked around Roma’s Trigoria training ground without crutches.

“We were all standing around watching him in awe when he walked on to the field,” explained Spalletti. “It’s all up to him now and he is taking the right attitude to this serious injury. We all eagerly await his return and believe he can play again before the end of the Serie A season.”

There was more good news for the Giallorossi, who announced a deal with Mediaset for the terrestrial digital television rights worth £45m per season for the next two years.
---------------------------------------------

one step at a time.

side note, the new sponsorship is awesome news.

Is Chivu gonna leave this summer? Heard many rumors about interest from Juve, Milan and Madrid. What do you think?

Nah, after 3 years Chivu already attached to the life in Rome and with the fans. He stated anyway that he is happy there and will not leave any soon, so I don't see him leaving, at least not this summer. Though I'd like to see him at Juve some day.

unless some team offers a ridiculous some of money, say around the size of 30mil, then hopefully i would expect the team to listen to some offers.

i think with the display that chivu has put on this year and his growing dominance in the middle with mexes that it would be a crime to leave. he has said that he is more than happy in rome and after such a great odds defying season, he will be staying for atleast another year.

Today Roma will play with Palermo. Let's remind, that first game ended with victory of team from Sicily 2-1. I hope that we'll win this match 1:0 or higher without losing goal or goals.

Totti back with a bang Tuesday 18 April, 2006
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Roma hero Francesco Totti today played his first game between ranks since undergoing ankle surgery and even scored a goal.

The captain had been out of action for 58 days, having fractured his ankle in a clash with Empoli defender Richard Vanigli on February 19, but made his first appearance in full training with his teammates today.

He ran around the Trigoria training ground, worked with the ball and then took part in the game between ranks.

Totti even managed to score two goals during this kick-about and set up two more strikes for his colleagues, who all celebrated this return to the field.

Doctors initially stated he’d be sidelined for three months, but the recovery process is going so well that he could anticipate his return.

The current schedule is to have Totti back for the Coppa Italia Final against Inter on May 3, hoping to prove his fitness ahead of the World Cup.

GRANDE CAPITANO!!!!!!!


Inter are going down :rockman:

I'm glad that Totti will back soon on the pitch but that what Roma did in the last match was...I can't find words to describe this.

When I was looking on live scores I had seen 0:3 for Roma and I was sure that we will win this match more than 3:0 but it didn't happen this way.

:) :ewan:

hey i heard roma were linked to klose is that true?

we were at some point awhile back. I wouldn't make much of it tho.

why dont u guys go for podolski, he would fit roma's style of play so well

because of money, i bet podolski's price tag would be too much. and i doubt he is up for sale. but in related news....

Roma prepare Vucinic bid Friday 28 April, 2006
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After months of speculation it appears that Roma may finally be ready to place a bid for Lecce striker Mirko Vucinic.

The 22-year-old was rumoured to be close to a move to the capital club in January, but chose to stay at the Stadio Via Del Mare and fight against relegation.

Last weekend’s draw with Treviso sentenced the Salentini to Serie B football and has opened the door for the Serb’s departure.

The biggest potential stumbling block is the transfer fee. Vucinic is in contract with Lecce until 2009 and is valued by the club at £7m but Roma are likely to make a more modest offer.

Vucinic was a revelation last term with a staggering tally of 19 goals in 28 games, but has struggled to recreate that success in a relegated side – only finding the net nine times in the current campaign.

Roma have also been linked with Udinese marksman Vincenzo Iaquinta, but any incoming transfers may rely on the size of Tottenham Hotspur’s bid for Egyptian striker Mido.

yes it looks totti will be ready for the world cup

it just makes the world cup 10x more entertaining for me

well, the season has finally come to an end, and in retrospective, i have to say that i am happy and optimistic for the future. haven't felt this good at the end of a season in a couple of years. sure we lost the coppa final...again, bounced from the uefa cup and missed out on 4th and the CL but what we accomplished is something that we have missed and ultimately led to our downfall. we accomplished team unity and serenity between the players. spalletti had a great first campaign and the future looks amazing. we deserved more from the season, but it just wasn't meant to be.

after all that has transpired over the last 2 years, i think we have finally turned the corner and can only go up from here. i honestly believe, that had we started out as well as we did in the 2nd half of the season, we would have challenged more intensely for the scudetto. this team deserved more than it got this year.

besides playing, arguably, the best football in italy, they did it with a team ravaged with injury. their transformation into a deadly counter attack one touch team was an absolute joy to watch.

of course this season had its successes. setting a new serie a record of 11 consecutive wins was an absolute rollercoaster. this team made itself legendary and deservedly so. here is a video i found of their accomplishment:

The Record Breaking 11 Game Win Streak (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk_43ZS0ugk&search=as%20roma)

but on top of the record, we achieved something that in some peoples opinions rival that of trophies. the way the team pulled together and became so tight was really the best part for me. we have been torn apart for 2 years, whether it was the fans, the bans, the coaches or the cassano saga. we finally achieved a sense of team, which is the most important than any one player. mr. spalletti did a outstanding job of pulling this team together and i am grateful for it. found this video on youtube.com that was cool:

The Magic of Roma (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7yETzc4A4I&search=as%20roma)

players that deserve recognition for their outstanding seasons are:

daniele de rossi: wow. this kid is real deal. he was the machine that ran the heart of the roma 5 man midfield. he plays from box to box and apparently can do everything. WILL be a fixture in the heart of the roma and italian midfield for years. i'm starting to think of him like steven gerrard.

amantino mancini: one phrase to describe him. cant stop wont stop. he was mr. go to this year. scoring seemingly at will. he is the reason we won games and undoubtedly in my biased opinion (H), deserves to go to germany. an absolute joy to watch. 17 goals in all competitions for a winger.

phillipe mexes and cristian chivu: i mention them together because they are one in the same. they created a wall infront of goal and have created a brilliant young CB combo that will dominate for years. mexes finally paid off and is unbeatable in the air, robbed from the world cup. chivu has easily cemented himself as one of the best in the business.

simone perrotta: he turned it on during the 11 game win streak and really played a remarkable role this year. found a home in the 4-5-1 sitting behind the striker and scored key goals. played so well that he broke into lippi's lineup and is a reasonable bet to make it to germany. another motor in the midfield.

francesco totti: before the injury, he was playing like one of the best players in the world. he was out of this world. continued his fine form of goals and his great PK taking, he rose to a new level, not just as a player but as a leader. he matured an immense amount, and i believe has put his past behind him.

now on to the summer season which will be postponed until after the world cup. some serious and interesting questions will be raised in terms of transfers. i think we need to add depth because of injury concerns. maybe a winger and another DM. obviously the forward position will be addressed. montella and nonda are bandaids and obvious upgrades are needed.

anyways, i'm done.

FORZA LA MAGICA. FORZA ROMA.

Chivu Discussing New Roma Deal
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The Romanian player wants to remain with the Giallorossi.

Despite being at the centre of various transfer rumours, Christian Chivu has denied that he is on the verge of leaving Roma, but on the contrary, the player is currently in talks with the capital city side to extend his stay.

"We are currently discussing the renewal of the contract. The negotiation has currently stalled because the club has other commitments, but I'm confident.

"The only team that wants me and made me an offer is Roma. My father always taught me that I must not run after the money, I have great respect for the Sensi family."

Chivu had been linked to various clubs both in Italy and abroad in recent weeks.
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great news. also to go along with the signings of cassetti and tonetto, great start to the offseason.

Hello collegue Roma Lovers,

do we need a new topic for the upcomming season? Or will we continue on this one?
Is there any transfer new yet? Roma will play CL if Milan, Fiorentina and Juve will probably be banned from European football. I think some reinforcements may be needed to compete on that level. Toni?