Fiorentina: To win just once...that would be enough

To win just once would be enough, For those who’ve lost in life and love

I arrived in Florence six months after our last triumph, the Coppa Italia win of 2001. At the time, Fiorentina were deep in relegation and financial trouble.

That season ended with the club, for a brief moment, ceasing to exist, at least on paper, but never in the hearts of the people of Florence or the fans of Fiorentina.

For those who feel they’ve been mistreated, Discriminated, robbed or cheated

We returned with a temporary name forced upon us for legal reasons, but for us ‘C’è solo la Fiorentina!’. We filled the Stadio Franchi for our fourth-tier games against the likes of Poggibonsi, Aglianese, Gualdo, and Gubbio.

For these fans, it doesn’t matter what the competition is, Serie C2, Serie B, Coppa Italia or European competition, they always respond and will always be there to stand with their team.

In all the years since, there have been many ups and just as many downs. We battled against relegation again on more than one occasion.

We played and beat the best in Europe. We topped the table, only to see the dream slip away. We’re still here, still dreaming.

To claim one victory inspired, To win just once is their desire

That is what football is about, daring to dream. We start each season wondering if this could be our year, and even when it’s clear that it won’t be, we stay to the end. After a few difficult seasons of anonymity at best, here we are on the cusp of glory.

Vincenzo Italiano has this squad playing football we can be proud of. We reached the Coppa Italia Final, gave it everything we had. An early goal and just for a moment, maybe we even believed this could be our night. It wasn’t to be, but we’ll come out all the stronger for it.

To win just once against the odds, And once be smiled on by the gods

We still have the chance of winning a European trophy, in our first season back after five years in the wilderness. Basel broke our hearts in the first leg of the semi-final, but not our spirit.

In the return game, just when it looked like a penalty shoot-out was on the cards, our team which never gives up scored a last minute winner.

If there are to be more bitter tears of disappointment, we’ll dry our eyes and dream some more. We don’t often find ourselves in this type of situation, still in with a chance of a trophy at this stage of the season. This season we reached two different finals, something which we hadn’t achieved since 1961, when we won the first ever European Cup Winners’ Cup along with the Coppa Italia.

Standing out from all the rest, The cynics and the pessimists

This is why winning a trophy with Fiorentina would mean so much, to the club, the players, the manager, but most of all to the fans. As I said, it’s been over 20 years since I’ve been supporting the club, and the fact that we have never won something has never made me less passionate.

If anything, it’s what keeps me going. Maybe next year, maybe this time, maybe things will change, maybe it can be different.

Bare your soul for all to find, An honest heart and an open mind

Of course, I’ll be disappointed if this season too ends without success, but it will only mean that the dreaming continues. I often wonder, after waiting so long for triumph, what it would be like if it arrives?

For Fiorentina, I’m prepared to wait some more, if necessary. For now, I will cheer and swear, rejoice, and despair, it’s all part of watching this club.

So come all ye full-time small town heroes

I started supporting this club in Serie C2, and have amazing memories of that season, and those that followed. Those memories can’t be tarnished by a lack of silverware.

The moment will come, I’m sure, when I will witness a Fiorentina team raise aloft a trophy. At least, that’s the hope, and we will go on hoping.

This season is coming to a close. The league campaign has just two games left, and for once Serie A is just a backdrop to our season finale. Now that the Coppa Italia dream is over, we have one more shot at glory.

Time is passing so come on, And face the ball, the game is on

One more chance, one last dance, for this season anyway. Last night will have taken a lot out of everyone, players and fans alike.

Waiting so long for a Fiorentina trophy, and coming so close, I thought that after the final whistle I would be felling sorry for myself. However, seeing those players in tears afterwards, seeing how much it meant to them, meant my thoughts were with the squad, the manager, and the rest of the club.

Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

For those who’ve lost their guile and nerve, Their innocence, and their drive and verve

I don’t, and will never understand the race to find somebody to blame, a scapegoat, after a defeat. I really don’t understand it after a final, a one off game, 90 minutes, where the players and manager gave it everything.

Did we make mistakes? Of course we did, but why focus on one particular mistake, one player? After the game, it came as no surprise to see the usual insults fired at someone like Luka Jović. This morning’s radio shows had plenty of people blaming the goalkeeper.

A team, and its manager, wins together, and they lose together. It’s easy to point out one mistake, a save not made or a goal missed, but it’s football, without mistakes it would be a pretty boring sport.

Take a proper look at the game and you’ll see that every single player made a mistake. You’ll also see that they gave their heart and soul for this club and for the fans. These guys are only human, and need our support now more than ever.

There’s one more battle to be fought this season. I’m sure the players and manager will have learned something from last night’s heartbreaking defeat. Maybe, we as fans will also have learned some lessons.

To race with speed along the track, Break the tape and not look back

If, against West Ham in the Conference League Final, we score another early goal, maybe we won’t get too carried away. Who am I kidding, of course we will. It’s another final and we’ll go through this whole rollercoaster ride once more.

If we win, it will taste all the sweeter after so long, and after such recent disappointment.

If not, remember, we’ve seen it all before and worse, and lived to tell the tale.

Also try to remember just who it is who brought us this close to success, and allowed us to dream.

To win just once would be enough, but you know what, even if Fiorentina never win, they will always be enough

To Win Just Once

To win just once would be enough

For those who’ve lost in life and love

For those who’ve lost their guile and nerve

Their innocence, and their drive and verve

For those who feel they’ve been mistreated

Discriminated, robbed or cheated

To claim one victory inspired

To win just once is their desire

To win just once

To win just once

To win just once

That would be enough

To win just once against the odds

And once be smiled on by the gods

To race with speed along the track

Break the tape and not look back

To never have considered losing

As if to win is by your choosing

Bare your soul for all to find

An honest heart and an open mind

To win just once

To win just once

To win just once

That would be enough

So come all ye full-time small-town heroes

Cast away your in-bred fears of

Standing out from all the rest

The cynics and the pessimists

The self-indulgent almost rich

The blatant hurlers on the ditch

Time is passing so come on

And face the ball, the game is on

To win just once

To win just once

To win just once

That would be enough (that would be enough)

To win just once

To win just once

To win just once

That would be enough: Written by David Carton / Brendan Leo Mary Moran

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