Romanistas, And Others
By: Ale | April 23rd, 2008
First off, let me say that by writing this, I am in no way trying to disrespect any supporter of the Giallorossi, I’m just trying to understand your viewpoints on something. Roma is one of my favorite teams in the Serie A, so it’s not like I’m biased against them or anything.
The only real question I have to ask here, is why can’t you (this does not refer to EVERY Roma fan of course) accept defeat? When your team fails to win, it seems like it’s always someone else’s fault. Ronaldo and Co. knocked you out last year? Well, they’re shit. FORZA ROMA. Ronaldo headed United past you again this year? Ah well he’s just a shit player that dives and cheats. FORZA ROMA. Honestly, that kind of thinking doesn’t even make sense.
I’ve read a few of the comments at the Roma Offside after today’s Champions League game, and the majority of them are just anti-Ronaldo or anti-United. I understand losing by a margin of 7-1 would make any supporter of any team be that much more against the side that beat them, and rightfully so, but I don’t that’s a reason for ignorance.
Instead of being bitter, why not just say ‘the better team beat us today’ and move on? If Barcelona are to eliminate Manchester United on Tuesday, I would not talk down on their players or their team, nor would I be glad to see them lose in the final. If Totti had scored 5 goals against United in both legs this year and last, I would not talk about what a terrible player he is… because his stats and career speak for themselves and would clearly make me sound like an idiot.
Perhaps you should look at your own team’s failure to capitalize and hope they can change what they did wrong for next season. I understand that the rivalries are part of what makes football so great, but at the end of a game (say Barça and Real) do you see the players trading words? No, (most of the time at least) handshakes and jerseys and congratulations are exchanged instead.
Why can’t it be this way for fans as well?
Again, I’m just using Roma as an example here, I know it works the same way for fans of all clubs. I’d just like to see what some of you have to say, whether you agree or not.
Category: Cristiano Ronaldo News
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Ronaldo is a good player, and a great player against lesser opponents.
I told my Man United fan friends before the Barce game: ‘Watch when Zambrotta has Ronaldo in his pocket, Ronaldo will resort to diving and throwing pleading glances to the ref all night’
Watch the replay, that’s exactly what happened.
No denying he is a gifted footballer.
But his attitude stinks.
Look at Messi, the complete opposite, and in my mind, twice the player Ronaldo is.
And that’s no insult to Ronaldo. He is a great player like I said, but can’t perform when up against other great players.
Posted from
United States
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Sheps, indoctrinated and Man United/English fans are synonymous.
I find your posting extremely ironic.
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United States -
All football fans are like that - crikey. This has got way out of hand.
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tell me about it! Rob.
I cannot wait to finish my CRoaldo essay and never to come back here. Actually I may not even finish it. I dont care or this guy
Do you want to see some of it?
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I wouldn’t mind seeing what you think about him, as you’ve been intellegent and such throughout, though I can understand if you wanted to let this go away.
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United Kingdom -
Gabriella, please read my post again. I said MOST Roma fans. You are an exception as generally you behave in a rational and controlled manner, except for failing to read my post just then. What I object to is someone like Naeem who just says a one line statement in an attempt to discard what I said without any kind of further discussion at all.
I consider myself to be someone who considers evidence and makes an opinion based on this evidence. It is said that a symptom that you’re brainwashed is when you interpret evidence according to how well it backs up your beliefs. Applying this to football, I try to interpret events based on facts rather than how, as a Man Utd fan, I’d like to see them. My point furthering the original blog post, therefore, is that some/most whatever Roma fans fail to see that De Rossi had a poor 2 games against United, and that United over the two legs were indisputably the better side. And that they are unable to discuss these and other points in a manner approaching intellect.
I think also that the way I say things sometimes doesn’t come across well - there’s elements of sarcasm in a lot of what I say. When I’m discussing these things IRL the tone of voice indicates my sarcasm, but obviously that doesn’t come across well on the internet. Of course I don’t mean to say that all Roma fans are fascists, I was just observing some facts and making a statement derived from these facts which is obviously unjustified and therefore humorous, at least to me.
So apologies to Roma fans who have ever been offended by my postings here or on the Roma blog. I don’t mean to cause offence, just to discuss issues in an intelligent and banterous manner.
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When we talk about CRonaldo’s game first of all we have to look at what position he is playing and what that position requires, what system he plays in (team set up, tactics), moders football and generally the building blocks of football.
So he is a winger, meaning he should be an expert crosser, play cut backs and good short passing, being able to drible and take defenders on one-on-one and assist the striker(s), makes runs at the byline etc. Good work off the ball finding space etc. There arent many defensive duties allocated to wingers but some do expect them to hassle a bit.
I think most of CRonaldo’s crosses are fine, they are by no means stellar or of good quality all the time and usually a high ball into the box but they are fine.
Cut backs and short passing: also fine but he has problems under pressure when he receives the ball. There is a decision making issue there between drible and simple pass. He tends to hug the ball, run into the defender and fall. For me that is where he lacks footballing intelligence and vision greatly. In modern football for me attack is when Scholes gives the ball to CRobaldo who then looks around to see if there is a pass to play to a left/right back arriving or do I cross, or cut inside or play a 1 to 1 with the midfielder. I feel his decisionmaking lets him down sometimes and if that defender opposite him is a technical one he strugles.
Being able to drible and take defender on 1 on 1. Let me make a quick mark that being able to drible and doing stepovers are two different things. One is a useful skill the other is shomanship with little efficiency and sometime little effect on the actual outcome of the move. For example yesterday at the Barca game CRonaldo did stepovers twice and then lost the ball.
…
Free kicks: I have looked at all his freekick and he takes them all the same. 4 out the goals he scored from free kicks (5 all together) were all from a central position, similar length and same technic. They were not particularly technical shots and he doesnt have a variety of free kicks. The other freekick was closer and blasted through the legs of the wall.
I am going to refer to Totti here … Totti used to take free kick for Roma with such technical poise and variety that it was orgasmic to watch! You never knew what you are going to get. He now has platinum plates in his feet and cannot practice his shooting any more. He still takes the free kicks and blasts them with great success mind you but no variation in technic because he is no longer able and that part of his genious is lost. For us fans we watch the game and you can see the comments flying in “I wish he wouldnt blast it”.
CRonaldo’s free kick lacks technical variety at the moment (you probably dont realize it), is this due to lack of ability? lack of practice to go for a different kind of technic? I dont know but it is not there and for a player who is a main free kick taker and it is part of his game I expect more, like in Pirlo’s case (if CRon was a left back who doesnt take freekicks we would not discuss this part of his game whatsoever), so I give this a B, good but not great.CRonaldo’s finish: A+, this is of course hard to argue with the number of goals he has had this season so far.
======================So this is it so far and I am writing it in parts but there is soooooo much and I dont really care for him that much to go into details about how MU tactics cater to his strong points etc…
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I would say Fascist was a bit far. Knowing my Italian history and all…
I would say as well, that fans from all clubs ignore the evidence when faced with thier own team - you are bound to see things with your teams specs on. I just try and be as neutral as possible with things, but naturally I still get caught out with it.
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Gabriella - I agree with most of what your saying to be honest. He does lack a little bit of maturity and passing the ball, and he is hardly Johan Cruyff when it comes to intellegent play. Man United do of course play to his strengths, but I think it works well of course, and he has been playing really well despite his weaknesses.
You make a very good point about FK’s. I do think he’s been a bit lucky with some of them (sporting) and there is no variation - although the one he took against Portsmouth was astounding. He has to get a bit of varity if he wants to ba Juninho, who I still think is the benchmark for free-kicks. That guy picks his spot as if its a pen.
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For me he progressed greatly but he is far from being a great player. Does he have the potential? I say yes and he is already good but if he doesnt improve his overall game the new boys are already here, Quaresma, Benzema ec and he will remain a footballing tabloid phenomenon with less substance to back it up the claim that he is the best player at the moment (he said that)
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there are too many aspects to discuss and if you look at my previous comments on him I go into details which means probably pages and pages… I’d do that for De Rossi
… lol as a Roma fan but not for CRonaldo … lolPosted from
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and regarding that missed penalty… everyone misses penalties. I wouldnt give any sticks for that for anyone
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Why vary his free kicks though? They work, and it’s not like the lack of variety results in an advantage for the keeper. Let’s face it, if he hits them right, they’re going in, regardless of what the keeper does. Otherwise David James might have worked it out and saved a couple by now! Closer to the box, the technique doesn’t work, but that doesn’t matter as long as Hargreaves is on the pitch!
Man Utd have very much built their team around him of late. But then, that tends to happen everywhere. Liverpool around Gerrard, Roma around Totti (very very much so you’d have to agree) etc
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101, YAY… Well done Ale…
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You had no idea what kind of asswhooping you were unleashing on yourself when you made a Roma commentary, did you? Didn’t you know the full name of this site is “Chris’ Roma Army Brings You The Offside”? Now at least I know how to get a butt load of comments on my blog, thanks a bunch, Ale!
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Ah well at least it’s making for a bit of interesting, intelligent reading now instead of the ‘You’re an idiot’ - ‘No, You Are’ battle in the beginning… even if it is just about Ronaldo and not what I originally posted.
Oh well.
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Ale, you should have been around the world cup blog, when PT kicked out HOL in the world cup two years ago… Man, that was real destruction… This is kids stuf…
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Ale, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8veXAo7zaUthis is basically how i feel about Ronaldo
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United States -
Kelly, it was like four 55 year old men summed up this entire post’s discussion between everyone in ten minutes. Too bad we couldn’t just have this video in 1 comment instead of 100 of everyone arguing haha
Much of what they’re saying is 100% true, and echoing the sentiments of many football fans, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Good find.
I think some people that read my posts might think I think Ronaldo can do no wrong, and is the best player to ever grace the game. Far from it… I just have followed him and enjoy watching him play, and watching a bit of ’success’ come to him now. Yes, there are many parts of his game I’d like to see disappear forever, but I don’t have much say in that
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Why do people still insist on indulging these Roma fans? Can we all not just agree to see them for what they really are?
Have a look on the thread they made regarding Totti (which coincided with the Utd-Barca semi) and you will find, almost without exception, the most one-eyed, bitter, arrogant and self indulgant arseholes your ever likely to come across on these blogs.
Italians calling Ronaldo a diver? Italians calling United ‘negative’? Italians calling the Prem ‘lacking class and culture’ and then going on to call United fans arrogant??? Are you aware of something called irony?
You know what? I never really ‘hate’ any team per se, yeah, I hate City and the scousers, Leeds too, it’s in the blood, comes with the territory, but you Roma elitists, my god, I hope the drop back into world club football obscurity is swift and painful..
Enjoy the semi at OT next week losers.
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Ans Ste sets everyone off again. Which in itself is somewhat ironic.
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Hopefully not…
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ste, i just got stupider reading what you wrote.
you’d find more character in a floating log.
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Good point shehan. I love how you back it up so well, and don’t rely on a character assasination. I mean, what an indication that the points that ste made were wrong! Where did you learn to argue so eloquently?
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Why does it bother you that players are hated? Someone with Cristiano Ronaldo’s talent (and demeanor) is naturally going to be a lightning rod for contempt. I don’t like Cristiano or Man Utd (I am not a Romanista, Roma is shit) but that’s the way it goes. I’m sure a lot of United fans hate Drogba, Gerrard or Lampard, or how about Sheva (HA) and that’s just the way it goes.
So Totti and C. Ronaldo can both go to hell. Just wait until real teams are back in the CL.
(Bayern, Juventus)Posted from
United States
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