Viola Nation - All Posts

Hello Goodbye

2013-06-16T13:26:35Z

WE heard it for years. Emiliano Viviano would love to play for his home town squad, Fiorentina. In fact, we heard it SO often that it became a little irritating, if he wanted to play here so much, why not make it happen. The situation just never seemed favorable and he always seemed a long way away.

He started as a player in the Fiorentina youth program, becoming a Viola fan for life as he stayed for three years before moving on to Brescia, where he would move up to the Senior team. He was loaned to Cesena, played at Bologna before being purchased by Inter, where he never played a match. In fact, he's constantly been plagued with half ownerships and loans since Inter bought his rights in 2009.

Inter sold half of his contract to Genoa in August of 2011, although he stayed with the Inter squad due to injury. In January of 2012, Palermo bought Genoa's half of his contract, where he would play in 20 matches.

Last Summer, the rumors started hot and heavy, Emiliano wanted to come to Firenze!.

After several weeks of jockeying, negotiations, obstructions by Inter, Palermo managed to purchase Viviano's other half and sent him to la Viola, albeit with a hefty price tag to redeem him for the following season.

Emiliano started out strong enough, winning 8 and drawing 5 in his first 16 matches, but the squad hit a rough spot, giving up 4 goals in two draws, to Torino and Sampdoria and 4 goals in a drubbing by AS Roma and Viviano found himself on the bench behind youngster Neto.

Neto won his first two matches and looked to have relegated the veteran to the bench, but a poor start, not only by the young goalie, but by the whole team starting the second half of the season saw Viviano get another chance and he didn't waste it.

Viviano won 11 and drew once in the last sixteen games, leading Fiorentina to 4th place in the league, a return to the Eurpoa League and just missed leading them to the Champions League. Overall he won 19 matches, drew 6 and only lost 7. He also had 12 clean sheets for the season.

Being interviewed this week, Viviano was quoted saying, "In spite of everything I'll never forget this season: I'm glad to have brought Fiorentina to Europe. My best season? Surely this will remain as the most beautiful of my career.''

Sadly, as Calcio is now a business first, choices have to made according to a balance sheet and management must adhere to the bottom line and the price tag put on Viviano by Palermo makes it problematic for the team to keep the home town boy, but he, and us as well, now have the memories of Emiliano in a Viola kit.

Mercato Round-Up: 6/12

2013-06-13T00:25:53Z

Or not.

Well, my personal universe may very well disintegrate from confusion and disbelief if the most fantastic rumor I read this week - that Monaco is looking to buy Cristiano Ronaldo for 85 million Euros - comes to fruition. But even if this or something similarly fantastic happens, Fiorentina's concerns in the market will be both less glamorous and more important than the vanity purchases of oil-exploiting billionaires. Now, as I stow my soap box safely away, we come to Fiorentina's main purchasing intentions this off-season, which, despite the horsemen of the mercato-apocalypse flying around on Twitter, are only threefold: signing a goalkeeper, a defensive midfielder, and a center forward option.

The goalkeeper discussion has been ongoing for a while now, and the prominent name remains Michael Agazzi. The 28 year old Cagliari keeper has had a very good year and is in his prime, but I am still hoping to hear Costel Pantilimon's name come up. The Manchester City reserve and Romanian international is 6' 8'' and hungry to prove himself.

The David Pizarro saga, if I am honest, cuts me deeper than the any of the other Fiorentina madness so far. A newcomer to the side but not to Serie A, he had the tactical and technical savvy to propel the whole team, especially in the first half of the season. He was adopted by the fans during a tough personal time, and even wore the captain's armband. When I first heard about his histrionics, I thought he was angling for a contract renegotiation and a pay raise (he is on criminally low wages for a player of his caliber). However, things have apparently gotten so bad behind closed doors that - according to Florentine radio - the Pek has to apologize profusely to both coach and administration before he can be confirmed as the metronome of Fiorentina's midfield. Otherwise, he'll likely have a 4-5 million euro price tag attached to him and be offered abroad.

With one-time Viola target Jordy Clasie confirmed at Feyenoord, the search for a regista / mediano (deep-lying playmaker and midfield enforcer, respectively) has recommenced in earnest. Catania's Francesco Lodi is a promising but expensive replacement, while the rumors of Massimo Ambrosini make me laugh-cry. With positionally flexible players like Adem Ljajic, Matias Fernandez, Rafal Wolski, and Matias Vecino around, there are whispers of Montella possibly changing system, possibly moving Fiorentina's main scheme to a double pivot 4-2-3-1 system like that used by Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Whether it is worthwhile for Borja and Aquilani to stay further from the box and maintain more disciplined defensive positions in order to include a player like Palermo's Josep Ilicic remains to be seen.

Obviously, as slakas mentioned earlier this week, the Stevan Jovetic transfer debate has (if possible) gained complexity and importance this week with his statements to the Gazzetta dello Sport over the weekend. A big transfer move for the player looks to now be in the interest of both player and club if one can be found, and the JoJo bargaining chip appears crucial to obtaining the high-calibre box poacher both the society and the fans desire (whether Jovetic stays or goes could also prove crucial to extending Ljajic's contract, with the Della Valles rumored to be interested in terminating all business with mega-agent Ramadani; this would also involve offloading Seferovic this summer... But this is all speculative at the moment).

The interest in Bayern Munich striker and German international Mario Gomez is very real and appears to be the most realistic "star" addition Fiorentina could find this summer. He has allegedly agreed to take a cut in salary in exchange for regular play with a good side, but negotiating a fee with Bayern in the range of 14-16 million and offers from other clubs could complicate the matter. With the near-done addition of veteran Malaga winger Joaquin Sanchez for a frankly astonishing 2 million Euros (according to Di Marzio), the Fiorentina frontline could very quickly become one of the most versatile and competitive in Europe if Gomez were to come to Tuscany.

Much is still to be unraveled in the coming weeks (especially resolutions of the many player loan situations still hanging in balance), but with the Viola's needs and intentions crystallized, I am excited to report again soon with more specific interesting names and juicy(er) gossip. For now, however, we are left in the unsavory position of very clearly seeing the needs that still separate a great from a truly special side, and hoping that our mercato magicians are shrewd and lucky enough to bring us through this summer stronger than before.

New players for the coming season so far: Marcos Alonso (left-sided midfielder / defender, 22, Bolton), Oleksandr Pavlovych Yakovenko (left-sided winger / striker, 25, R.S.C. Anderlecht), Joaquin *unofficial* (winger, 31, Malaga) Matias Vecino (attacking mid, 21, from Uruguay with visa now eligible).

Hot Rumored Ins: Mario Gomez (striker, 27, Bayern Munich), Josep Ilicic (attacking mid, 25, Palermo), Massimo Ambrosini (defensive mid, 36, Milan), Cyril Thereau (left wing / striker, 30, Chievo Verona).

Hot Rumored Outs: Jovetic (Chelsea, Arsenal, Juventus), Viviano (Palermo, Torino), Pizarro (Manchester City), Migliaccio (Livorno), Seferovic (Livorno, Chievo & Hellas Verona), Neto (Bologna, Cagliari, Vasco da Gama).

Poll

Mario Gomez would be...

Runaround Sue

2013-06-10T15:34:05Z

It's a sad story that every Calcio fan must face, you give your heart to a player, you dish out your hard earned pennies to buy a jersey at ridiculously exorbitant prices and wear it proudly, displaying your love for all to see and in return you get nothing but stories about how he's going to forsake you, leaving you high and dry and left with an overpriced piece of fabric, good for nothing but rubbing grease off your car.

Except for years, that player protests his innocence, he says he doesn't want to leave, that he's happy with you, but still, deep in your heart, where no one else can see, you curl up in a fetal position knowing full well he's going to stray, knowing he's going to start making goo goo eyes at that flashy, slick tool with the black and white stripes, or an Englishman, with loads of cash in his pockets, or maybe the solid German, pointing to new Champions League Trophy.

But you hold out hope, he'd never do that to YOU, you have something special, he just couldn't...

Well he did, Stevan Jovetic has finally come out and said what we all expected in the end, we're just not good enough. we're just yesterday's news, that we're just not "stimulating enough" for him:

"I've been at Fiorentina since 2008, five very intense seasons," Jovetic told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I really feel like I've given everything. I'm young and ambitious and it is normal to feel the need to test myself elsewhere. I do not think there's anything wrong with desire.

"Florence and la Viola fans have always asked me to be upfront: so here it is. I need stimulation elsewhere, I need to devote myself to a top club.

"I've played in Europe with Fiorentina, now I want to win in Europe."

To further rub salt in wounds that never got over a similar defection in 1990, he, when asked about Juve, responded:

"For a year they (Juventus) have said they want me," he said. "I come before (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic, (Carlos) Tevez and (Gonzalo) Higuain in their list. Who would not be flattered?

"With (Juventus manager Antonio) Conte I feel that I could continue to grow. I think the feeling is mutual.

Jovetic completed his Dear John letter to his fans with:

"But the Premier League is also fantastic championship, as is La Liga. I have some opportunities so we'll see."

Understandably, perhaps the most hurt by this is Andrea Delle Valle and he is furious, promising fines for the "Unauthorized Interview."

Perhaps an angry and jilted ADV will fuel a Fiorentina push to see Jovetic sent abroad, rather than let him wind up in Turin, maybe he's angry enough to sit him in the stands until his contract expires, it's certainly legal, but probably not likely. Whatever the result, odds are Stevan Jovetic has played his last match in Florentine Viola.

All I know, I think my next jersey won't have a name and number on it's back and it's time to go change my car's oil

The Report Card: Season in Review

2013-06-07T18:14:10Z

Although we are already covered in the slimy ooze of mercato rumors, it still feels too soon to completely move on from the spectacular season we just had. This was a special campaign in many ways, from the stylish football to the crazy swings of fortune, and perhaps most happily, to the 20% increase in fan attendance at the stadium. Excitement has grown in the Fiorentina camp once again, the team will be challenging in Europe again, and I wanted to wear the rose-colored glasses for just a little bit longer before strapping on my binoculars.

So, in what I hope will be a recurring feature, here are some final grades and special prizes for Fiorentina's 2012-2013 season.

PLAYER GRADES

Alberto Aquilani

B+ (6,5)

Solid on and off the ball. His "return" is not quite complete, and he had a dip in form (like everyone else) in January and February, but he has since been as good as I've ever seen him. He has deservedly returned to the national team, and we can only expect better next season. Also, how about that assist against Inter?

Marvin Compper

B (6,5)

Slow but solid in the tackle and smart with his positioning. He was a huge addition to the Viola back line in the second half of the season, and should be around next year.

Mattia Cassani

C+ (5,5)

Had an ok half-season when called upon.

Juan Cuadrado

A (8)

You can't say enough about our Vespa. His pace and trickery terrify defenders, he runs inexhaustibly, and as the season has gone on, he has grown smarter in his distribution and more cynical in front of goal. He will be key for us in Serie A and Europe next year.

Mounir El Hamdaoui

B- (6)

Mounir scrapes a "B" largely thanks to his performances in the first half of the season, with a couple crucial goals. After January he apparently started training with Larrondo.

Matias Fernandez

C+ (5,5)

Largely disappointing, but the class on the ball is there. Criminally wasteful for most of the season, but he showed more confidence and bright flashes in the last couple months of the season. He will probably return and play better next season.

Stevan Jovetic

B (6,5)

Often anonymous, occasionally imprecise, and too often lazy. But when he is in the mood, his genius shows. Fabulous goals against the other big clubs in the second half of the season.

Marcelo Larrondo

C+ (5)

The "plus" is for surprising everyone (myself included... I actually burst out laughing in disbelief) with an actually spectacular Batistuta-like goal away at Atalanta. Otherwise he performed like the Serie B player I more-than-suspect he is.

Cristian Llama

Meh / D / ? (4,5)

I remember a couple bad crosses. That's about all.

Adem Ljajic

A- (7,5)

Even in the first half of the season, you could tell that this was a player really starting to mature and play to his full potential; I assumed that he just had an incurable allergy to putting the ball in the back of the net (maybe a genetic disease?). Whatever it was, he's seen the right doctors, because he was lethal in front of goal after February. A player entering his prime who works very hard off the ball, has a nose for goal, and opens up defenses with dribbling and great vision. Can't be more pleased for Adem.

Giulio Migliaccio

B- (6)

A useful player squad, unselfish and strong in the air. Gives commentators nightmares when paired with Borja, and he looks like Vin Diesel.

Neto

D (4,5)

I had high hopes for this kid, but he appears to lack both the physical and the mental characteristics required to be a goalkeeper at the highest level. The goal he allowed against Udinese was obscene.

Manuel Pasqual

B+ (7)

Technically speaking, he is one of the least gifted in our starting eleven (my Dad has, for years, rued how he never dribbles by his man), but our captain has been rock-solid defensively, tireless up and down the left side, and still has a delicious left-footed delivery. He showed a captain's character, and should have been in the national team squad.

David Pizarro

A- (7,5)

Barely squeaks an A, his solidity from the penalty spot outweighing his occasional costly blunder. One of the key players for Montella's system, he is a fantastic player having a "good" season by his standards.

Gonzalo Rodriguez

A- (7,5)

Marshaled the defense, flawless in the tackle, and excluding the occasionally half-baked pass, his distribution was essential. One of our "bombers" of the season too, with an impressive goal haul. What a signing.

*Romulo

B (6,5)

He had a pretty awful first half of the season in the middle of the pitch, but was a key stopgap after January. Listed as a right back on Wikipedia, he played a bit of everywhere down the right and in the middle. Useful player who had a useful season.

Facundo Roncaglia

B- (6)

We were all very excited about Facundo, until his naiveté (both positionally and in the tackle) were exposed by various sides. Let's hope the offseason helps our warrior grow mentally.

Stefan Savic

B+ (6,5)

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Nastasic, but Savic hasn't let us down. Physically gifted, great in the air, and strong in the challenge. Still growing tactically and in terms of distribution, but he should still be a staple of the back line next year.

Momo Sissoko

N/A (S/V)

It's really hard to break into that midfield, to be fair.

Nedad Tomovic

B (6,5)

He's been confirmed by the Fiorentina front office after a very good campaign. Another gritty and positionally flexible defender for the Viola defense.

Luca Toni

B+ (7)

No one expected the impact he would have for us this season. The goals against Lazio and Parma reminded us all of a Toni in his prime, and shows how much Fiorentina can use a penalty-box poacher.

Borja Valero

A (8)

Impossible to overrate. Class with and without the ball, he never stops running and working. Opens up defenses on the run, precise ball delivery from set pieces, and almost never loses the ball. After only one season both him and his adorable family are royalty in Florence. If only he was a little more cynical near goal...

Emiliano Viviano

B- (6)

All in all, his campaign wasn't terrible, but if there is one position where Fiorentina fans expect the highest level of play, it's from their goalkeeper. Hard to forget the game at Roma, but he made some big stops at Lazio. Montella appears to almost definitely be pointing in another direction for next season, but Emiliano will remain one of us wherever he goes.

---

Giuseppe Rossi, Rafal Wolski, Ahmed Hegazi, Michele Camporese

A+ for Potential

---

COACH

Vincenzo Montella

A (8)

He had Fiorentina playing coherently and cohesively from the first game, and also showed the tactical savvy to change the system when it was required. He completely outsmarted Strammaccioni and Petkovic, and I would also put to his credit the seasons of individuals like Ljajic and Pasqual. Long may Montella Style reign at the Franchi.

SPECIAL PRIZES FOR EXCEPTIONAL BRILLIANCE AND/OR INEPTITUDE

Best Haircut

Whichever haircut removed Viviano's sideburns.

Most Improved

Adem Ljajic.

Best Moment

Fiorentina 4 - Inter 1 Where the fans started singing "il pallone e quello giallo" (the ball is that yellow thing) ... Here they are singing it at Sampdoria later in the season.

Most Controversial Neckwear

Dat scarf (Montella wore it at the San Siro against Milan). I say it's a B+ at the very least.

Goal of the Season

Lots of contenders here, but for me it was the Jovetic opener at Lazio, with Borja's marvelous dummy wrong-footing the entire Lazio defense.

Biggest Disappointment

As slakas pointed out, there were many shoulda-coulda-wouldas this season, but I really would have liked us to have won that 0-0 draw against Juve in the fall. It was there for the taking, and could have changed the season.

Biggest Idiots

Anyone who racially abuses Balotelli. Leave Florence please.

Worst Miss

Cuadrado against Bologna, before he found his scoring boots...

Most Hilarious Refereeing Decision

70% of Pizarro's yellow cards.

Best Celebration

While Cuadrado's dancing has jerky-fascination to it, it's no contest: Andrea Della Valle takes the cake. Here he is at the end of the home opener against Udinese, in a most amusing little video.

Special Thanks For...

Prade and Macia, who made this season happen with their shrewd purchases, and we can only trust that they continue their brilliance this summer as well. A+.

Please feel free to comment with your own best / worst of below, bitterly complain about my grades, and stay tuned for a mercato round-up early next week!

*Missed Romulo when first published.

Poll

Who was your player of the season?

Luca Toni: Thanks For The Memories

2013-06-04T13:50:43Z

The Early Years

Luca Toni was born in May 1977 in Pavullo nel Frignano, a town and commune in the province of Modena, in the Modenese Apeninnes. He joined the Modena Youth squad at age 13 and spent the next 3 years developing his talent before moving to the senior squad in 1994.

He spent two seasons in Modena, getting 32 appearances and 7 goals, but moved onto Empoli in 1996.

After failing to break into the lineup at Empoli he moved from club to club in Serie B and C1, including Fiorenzuola, Lodigiani and finally, Treviso, before landing his first Serie A gig, at Vicenza.

In Vicenza, he got 31 appearances, scoring 9 goals, but moved on the next year to Bresica, playing next to Roberto Baggio and Pep Guardiola. Toni played 2 seasons in Brescia, with 44 appearances and 15 goals.

In 2003, Toni agreed to go back to Serie B to play with Palermo, who were making a strong push for promotion. Toni scored 30 goals in his first season in Pink, setting a Palermo record, and was a main factor in bringing the Rosanero back to top flight competition for the first time in over 30 years.

This performance also earned Toni his first National cap. Toni would go on to appear 46 more times, with 16 goals.

The 2004 season saw Palermo back in Serie A they finished 6th in the league with 13 wins, 13 draws and 12 losses and a respectable total of 52 points and qualified for their first UEFA Cup in club history.

Palermo would win their first round match up and win their group, as well as their round of 32 match up with Slavia Prague, but would give up 3 goals in Germany and bow out in the round of 16 to Schalke 04, but would do so without one, Luca Toni.

Fiorentina: First Time Around

In Summer of 2005, The Delle Valle's brought in Pantaleo Corvino, who brought coach Cesare Prandelli to Firenze. Amongst their first purchases was Luca Toni for 10 million Euros. Palermo Fans were quite bitter over the move, declaring Toni a traitor and bad blood was to remain between the two factions for some time.

The bad feelings did little to distract Toni, however, as he went on to score 31 goals, the most goals scored at that time for 50 years and only 4 short of the all time record of 35. The feat earned him The European Golden Shoe(Boot), and earned Fiorentina4th place in the league and a place in the Champion's League.

Ironically enough, events were to happen which would see Palermo fans get some satisfaction back as Calciopoli exploded in July of 2006. Fiorentina originally were relegate to Serie B and were to have 12 points deducted for that season in Serie B.Palermo were to wind up 5th and go to the UEFA Cup again as Juventus, Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio all received penalties.

Luca Toni immediately began to express his displeasure of the situation and frequently expressed a desire to leave the squad, but, upon appeals, Fiorentina were reinstated in Serie A, albeit with a 19 point deduction penalty, which was laer lowered to 15 points, and that fact, coupled with appeals from ADV managed to convince Toni to stay one more season.

Also in the Summer, Toni made his first appearance in a World Cup for Italy, scoring a brace in the quarter-finals against Ukraine, along with hiting the crossbar and having a goal disallowed against France in the Final.

Perhaps because of the tumult and the energy expenditure and wear and tear of a World Cup campaign, Toni's 2006-2007 campaign was marred with injuries and the striker only managed to net 16 goals. Even without the scoring output and despite the point deduction, Fiorentina finished 5th and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

The lesser competition and a desire to play for a larger club finally pushed Toni over the edge and he asked the squad for a transfer. He promised ADV not to play for another Italian squad and a deal was made to send him to Bayern Munich

Post Viola

Toni had a very prolific first season at Bayern, scoring a combined 34 goals, 8 of which were in the UEFA Cup and 2 in the German Cup final, including the game winner in extra time.

His second season started much as the first, netting 9 goals in 13 league matches before injuring an Achilles heel, which would plague him for much of the second half of the season. Toni would still wind up the leading scorer for Bayern with 14.

Still battling his injury, Toni made two appearances for the reserve team, but stormed off the field and out of the stadium after being subbed for at halftime. After his antics and all out feud with Coach Louis v,an Gaal, he was loaned to Roma for the rest of the season.

At Roma he got in 15 matches and scored 5 goals.

After his loan stint and continued disagreement with Bayern's staff the German squad terminated his contract and Toni left Germany in Summer of 2010.

After one year stints with Genoa and Juventus that did not revive his career he settled for a lucrative contract in the Emirates for Al Nasr.

The Return

On August 31, 2012, in a last second signing, Fiorentina announced the signing of Luca Toni, bringing his career full circle and bringing back to the place of his greatest personal glory.

Toni was not to disappoint the Viola faithful. In week three, against Catania, Toni scored his first goal mere seconds after stepping on the pitch, on his first touch of the match:

Toni would go on to be the third leading scorer for La Viola this season, scoring 8 goals, including:

Siena, a 4-1 victory

Parma, a 2-0 victory

a big win against Lazio 2-0

Cagliari, a 4-1 Victory and Toni's 50th Fiorentina Goal

and Luca Toni's last goal in Fiorentina's Viola kit, a victory against Palermo 1-0

In Conclusion,

Luca Toni has led a long and prolific career, with lots og goals and lots of stops at many towns and cities along the way. He came into Fiorentina labelled a traitor by Sicilian fans and left Firenze labelled a mercenary by many of the Viola faithful after he left, but no one can deny the impact he has had to this team, not only in his first visit, but also in his his last.

I admit to being one who thought Toni a mercenary, and an old washed up one at that, and I never imagined he could have any worth to this squad, but Toni took on this season with an excellent work ethic, and though at times I despaired at his inaccuracies, he still managed to score a goal for every 2 shots he got on net, better than both Joveitc and Ljajic.

So, as Luca Toni rides off to parts unknown, I find myself glad for the season and for his participation and wish him nothing but good things to come.

And who knows, maybe there's a place for Luca in the organization after Calcio....

Fiorentina's "What Ifs" Part 2

2013-06-02T15:04:30Z

So, now we move to the second half of the season. The first half was amazing, despite some road woes and some dropped points, Fiorentina had dominated possession in nearly every match they had played and everything looked bright.

Adding to the buzz around the squad was the surprise pickup of Giuseppe Rossi, even though it was likely he wouldn't see the pitch much, if at all. The move proved that Viola brass were serious about this project.

Fiorentina came off winter break on a two game winning streak and, with a home match against lowly Pescara, looked to continue the trend. But...

January 6, 2013 Pescara 2-0 loss

Pescara were already relegation threatened and looked to be an easy win, but someone named Mattia Perin stepped up and ruined the Viola party. Fiorentina out possessed Pescara with 70% of the ball, out shot them 29-6, FIFTEEN of those shots were on net, but all of those were saved by Perrin. To further compound the injury, Neto was only able to stop one shot of three that Pescara got on net.

What if La Viola had been able to get more from some of the early shots that they (mostly Toni) just fired straight at the goalie, giving him confidence and setting him up for the harder saves he made later in the match. Clearly, this was 3 points lost.

January 27, 2013 @Catania 2-1 loss

After a 3-1 loss at Udinese and a 1-1 draw against Napoli at the Franchi, neither of which were really all that unexpected, Fiorentina traveled to Catania, and, in what looked like it could have easily been the first win of the new year, Fiorentina gave up a 1-0 lead, the goal scored by Miggliacio. Catania equalized shortly after halftime and late in the match, Aquilani got himself red carded for dissent and Catania quickly capitalized for the win. Fiorentina had more possession, more than double the shots taken(14), but only got 3 shots on net. Once again Neto was not sufficient.

What if Aquilani just shut the hell up, would've been a tie. 2 points lost

February 26, 2013 @Bologna 2-1

After beating Parma for the first win of the year, losing at Juve and absolutely drubbing Inter, 4-1, Fiorentina fans had thought that perhaps the funk the squad had been in since winter break was finally over, but that proved to not be the case. The match in Bologna was delayed, due to heavy snow, and Fiorentina looked distracted at best at the kick off. Bologna hit the post early. The home squad's chance seemed to wake up Fiorentina, however and they took the lead at the half hour mark courtesy of Adem Ljajic. But Bologna hit two goals in a row and Luca Toni missed a golden opportunity to tie it up late but couldn't get the ball on net. Similar to the start of the season, Fiorentina had trouble getting balls on net, getting 16 shots, but only 3 were on target.

What if Luca Toni was able to score while unmarked to rescue Fior. At least one point lost.

March 30, 2013 @Cagliari 2-1 loss

After a win at home against Chievo, a huge victory on the road at Lazio and barely squeaking by Genoa, Fiorentina went to Cagliari. the match was played behind closed doors and once again Fiorentina dominated play with 59% possession, out shooting the home squad 23-9, but once again, their shots were wild with 20 of their 23 shots off the target. To further compound Viola fans pain, Jovetic went out injured. Cagliari started the scoring 11 minutes in and then doubled the lead on a PK, Cuadrado brought Fiorentina back but misses late from Aquilani and Toni sealed their fate.

What if Luca Toni didn't miss a wide open net 2 minutes from stoppage. 1 point lost

May 4, 2013 AS Roma 1-0 loss

After a tie with Milan and wins against Atalanta, Torino and Sampdoria, Roma came to town. This one was perhaps the most painful of the what ifs as it wasn't the team but the ref that gave this match away. Fiorentina dominated this match for 85 minutes but were only able to get the ball off the pole. A clear handball by De Rossi ignored lead to a late Osvaldo score.

What if Bergonzi wasn't such a horrible ref... at least 1 pt lost.

Fiorentina finished the year with three straight wins, finished strongly in fourth and nearly tied Milan for third place. But due to the close finish Viola fans were left scratches their heads wondering "What if....."

Fiorentina's "What Ifs" Part 1

2013-05-24T20:05:08Z

After a great season, finishing fourth in the league but missing out on third place due to seeming injustices and questionable calls, I thought I'd comment on those games that might have been a point or three lost, or maybe could have swung the other way.
In this article, I'll talk about the first half of the season. In a couple of days I'll do the second half.

So, in 2012 What if.....

September 2, 2012 @Napoli 2-1 Loss
After the season opening win behind Jojo's brace agaisnt Udinese, Fiorentina went on the road for the first time and dominated Napoli in every category except the final score. Poor shooting for everyone, especially Jovetic killed the Viola attack, beating Hugo Campagnaro after three minutes but shooting wide and wasting another chance following a corner as he fired at Morgan De Sanctis. Fiorentina shot SIXTEEN times, and only got three shots on net, one of those a late score by Jovetic. Add to that two mistakes on counters, a ball going off Valero for a goal and another defensive mistake leaving Dzemali wide open.

What if Fiorentina could have gotten 3 or 4 more shots on net, De Sanctis was there to be had- missed a chance at 2 or even 3 points

September 22, 2012 @Parma 1-1 Tie

After a win against Catania at the Franchi, Fior travelled to Parma for their second road match. Roncaglia put Fiorentina ahead early and 2 minutes from half time, Parma were sent down a man, but Jovetic missed the penalty, which would've put Fiorentina ahead by two goals and with a man advantage. With a late hand ball call on Luca Toni, Parma equalized. A complete fail not only on Jovetic, but Toni as well.

What if Jovetic makes the penalty shot, it's 2-0 with Viola having a man advantage. game over. 2 points lost

September 25, 2012 Juventus 0-0 Tie

Fiorentina had several penalty claims in the first half that were ignored and late in the half, Ljajic was wide open on goal and couldn't get the ball on net. Jovetic hit the crossbar. Fiorentina were the better squad for most of the match, out shooting Juve 17 to 8, but each team could only get 2 shots on net.

What if Fiorentina is given a penalty or Fior get more balls on the net, could've been two extra points. At the time, i recall being satisfied with a tie, however

October 21, 2012 @Chievo 1-1 Tie
After a loss at Inter and a win at home against Bologna Fiorentina travelled to Chievo. Both teams scored early, Thereau for the Flying Donkeys and Gonzalo for La Viola. Multiple missed opportunities, chief of which was a Toni header off the post. Sixteen shots for Fior, only 2 on net. This point of the season, it was a reoccuring theme, shots galore but not many that had a chance.

What if Luca Toni header goes in or Fior get more shots on net, probably a Fiorentina win. 2 points lost.

And then the big win streak happened. Wins against Lazio, at Genoa, Cagliari, the big win at Milan followed up by a drubbing of Atalanta and all looked peachy and then...

November 25, 2012 @Torino 2-2 Tie
A dominating effort as most of the matches the first half of the season were, but largely a futile effort as it took Fiorentina 75 minutes to finally get on the scoreboard as Rodriguez scored a Penalty Kick to answer Cerci's goal at the end of the first half. Aquilani missed a fairly easy header early and Cerci's shot was knocked in offf of Viviano. I seem to recall thinking Emiliano could've done better. In the 2nd half, Seferovic headed off the post and Pasqual had a chance at a Ljajic rebound and also headed it over the net. Torino scored 2 minutes later and it was left to El Hamdaoui to put in a late goal to rescue a point. 15 shots with only 4 on.

What if Viviano had a better day. Should have been 2-0 Fiorentina and 2 points lost.

December 2, 2012 Sampdoria 2-2 Tie
Fiorentina followed up a ho hum performance at Torino with a ho hum performance at home, wasting a brace for Stefan Savic. Savic got the scoring started 20 minutes into the half, but Fiorentina allowied an early goal right after half time, which was followed 20 minutes later by an own goal on Rodriguez. Savic got his second to rescue a point at home. Sampdoria really packed it back and took Montella out of his game. Fiorentina took 16 shots, but only 5 were on net most of them on net were weak.

What if Fiorentina could score from the run of play, rather than all goals coming from set pieces, as both did in this match.

The next three matches were of the butt whoopin variety, two on the givin' end and one on the receivin' end. Fiorentina went to Roma and were schooled, 4-2. They came back to the Franchi and beat Siena 4-1 and finished off 2012 with a 3-0 drubbing of palermo in Sicily.

Things really couldn't have looked brighter at this point. With the exception of the Roma beat down, Fiorentina were in and had even arguably dominated play in virtually every match. With a strong Winter market and a strong start to the season, the sky was the limit...

It's Time to Find the Next Viola Blogger

2013-05-21T01:01:49Z

There are a variety of reasons why i'm stepping down. A new professional life has rendered me unable to post great stories every week, i've had to dedicate myself to other blogs, and I find myself with new editors and deadlines, but more importantly I want to give someone else the opportunity to show their passion and dedication for this team and after this incredible season, I think there is a lot to be excited about. Although my only regret is i'll never get to write about a European match, I've seen so many passionate individuals here and no matter what I am perfectly certain that the site will always be in hands. So lets first talk about the job.

The perfect viola blogger has to post every weekend, either a match preview or a match review. They have to keep themselves informed from a variety of viola faithful sites (ViolaNews and FirenzeViola among them) as well as weeding out the BS news and report on all things viola. The ability to post in midweek is strongly preferred as it ups the excitement for the weekend, and i'm announcing this early in the summer so that who ever takes my place has the opportunity to become familiar with the tools and the board before the season hits. The ideal viola blogger is unyieldingly passionate about the team and uses a preview not just to convey information about the lineup or the game but to get the fans excited about the match. Imagine that each match is the crucial point of the season and express how important each match is. They must be able to self edit themselves, fact check and have minimal grammatical errors.

So the way that we're doing this is we're going to have a little write off. For anyone who is interested in the position, I would like to write a mock preview for a fictional Juventus-Fiorentina match. You may adjust the lineups accordingly, be creative and have fun, but ground the preview in reality (i.e. we won't be signing Messi this summer) include some disqualifications, injuries, stack the odds if you need to, but what i'm going to be looking for is something exciting, something that tells me I can't miss the game. Include what has been happening in the midweek, has there been a deal? Has something happened on the training ground? Did Kharja realize his dream of becoming a train conductor? Those little midweek tidbits are what make the board fun. Along with the piece, tell me a little about yourself and your fandom for the team and also include your e-mail so that i'll be able to contact you.

Submit all your entries to Violabloggerjob@yahoo.com.

The contest will close on Monday June 3rd and from there i'll announce the winner. Ideally the winner should make themselves available to get settled in and report on the upcoming transfer season.

Again I thank you all for 3 amazing years and i'm excited to see what's next.

FORZA VIOLA!!