Viola Station 29: Napoli, Dušan, and the racists

You might not know this about your VN staff, but we’re usually a little behind the times. It’s why McMike’s got an endless supply of 1990s movie references and why all Tito's music is from 2006 or earlier. It’s also why we’re only just getting this post-Cagliari episode of the podcast out right now (okay, that’s actually entirely on Tito, so direct any irritation his way and not towards the Mikes, please). Anyhow, we had a rollicking good time on this one. We opened up with a chat about the Cagliari game, trying to figure out what went right (hint: it’s the Saponaraissance) and how Fiorentina can keep it going. We then pivoted to a conversation about Dušan Vlahović’s future—hopefully not with Juventus—and how Rocco Commisso’s handled it before wrapping up with a back-and-forth about what (if anything) the brass has learned from this whole fiasco. Along the way, we learned that there may be a new addition to Mike’s wine Mount Rushmore, that Tito really really can’t speak Swedish, and that it’s great when the Viola have already messed everything up, because that means there’s nothing left to mess up. We’d also like to highlight McMike’s anniversary (aaaawwwwww) and thank Judith for lending him to us. We’d also like to point everyone in Producer Mike’s direction; he’s had a hell of a couple of weeks and deserves everyone’s best thoughts. As always, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening to it. Special thanks to Windchime Weather for the music. If you want to get in touch with us, you can hit us up on the website, on Twitter, or via email (sbn [dot] viola [dot] nation [at] gmail [dot] com. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Nov 202156min

After knocking off Genoa, Fiorentina made it three wins in a row, which means we got to see our first Viola win streak in almost exactly two years. That's exactly the kind of minor trivia to which your intrepid hosts will never overreact, which is why we kept our heads and absolutely, positively did NOT succumb to any sort of giddiness. And yeah, we recorded this before the Inter Milan game, so just imagine how that ended for us. (Not well.) Along the way, we learned that Mike’s happiness is inversely proportional to Fiorentina’s, Tito will geek out about world class number 10s turned librarians, and why being on a boat with Vincenzo Italiano might be a bad idea. We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it. We'd love to hear from you on the website or Twitter, and feel free to leave a rating on whichever service you found us on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Sep 20211h 7min

Hello there. You look ravishing. Can I ask you a question? Did you know that FIORENTINA IS BACK, BAYBEE? Yep, we're talking about Viola games again, and it feels so good. Because this is Fiorentina, of course, it can't be all good, and that game, of course, is a (very referee-influenced) opening day defeat at Roma. Still, your humble narrators manage to drag some positives out of the affair before turning to the ongoing mercato and venturing some typically well-considered opinions that aren't the result of horrified emotional flailing. Don't worry, though, because our next step was a chat with the brilliant Simone Rosadi (Instagram and Facebook) of the Viola Club Gli Ingestibili Prato, who's been a friend of the site for quite some time. Along the way, we learned that Mike's high school fashion is cycling back around, that Tito's got some thoughts on jiggery-pokery, and that your favorite podcast idiots are perfectly happy to spend Rocco's money. We had a blast recording this episode and we hope that you enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it. And, if it's up to snuff, go ahead and throw us a rating on whatever platform you're listening on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

29 Aug 20211h 12min

Fiorentina have finished the Moena portion of their preseason, so now it's time for your resident podcast idiots to dive into what it all meant (and, more importantly, what it didn't mean (which is everything (or nothing (or just too many parentheses)))). From the tactical approach to the mentality to the roster, we touch on just about everything and even make some really, really hopeful predictions that will all absolutely come to pass and make us all very happy, thanks. From there, it's time to talk about the transfer market because there's no way not to at this time of year, even though we pretty quickly realized that there isn't much going on there besides the purgatory of contract renewals. That's we we moved onto the mailbag and answered listener/reader questions, which is always a blast. Along the way, we learned about Mike's new prescription muscle relaxer cocktail, Tito's heretofore unsuspected ability to make 90s pop cultural references, and what that Fiorentina lion mascot is up to. As always, this was a blast to make and we hope you enjoy it. Big thanks, as ever, to Producer Mike and Windchime Weather. If you've got any comments/concerns/questions for us, hit us up on Twitter or on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9 Aug 20211h 20min

Summer is generally the most optimistic time of year for Fiorentina fans, so we decided to record a happy podcast. And naturally, Giancarlo Antognoni's departure from the club means that we get to start with a lot of sadness. As we lead into a new-look Fiorentina Femminile's prospects for upcoming season, we stayed kind of sad. It wasn't until we started getting into what's going on at Moena that we began to perk up a little bit; by the time we were chatting about transfers, we were nearly buoyant. That definitely got us into the right headspace to talk with Europa Viola founder and friend of the site Massimo Lelli, who took time out of his vacation for some Viola conversation (there were some connectivity issues, so apologies for anything getting garbled). Along the way, we learned why McMike is on Producer Mike's death list, that Tito can't keep himself from descending into giggles when reading Patrizia Panico's playing stats, and that "talking about talking about" contract renewals is about as meta and Fiorentina as you can get. As always, it was a blast making this episode and we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it. Feel free to get in touch with us at Viola Nation, on social media, or at sbn dot viola dot nation at gmail dot com. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Jul 20211h 39min

Last time we recorded one of these, Fiorentina had just hired Gennaro Gattuso and looked to be in a great place. It was very nice of everyone involved to blow that sky high and give your humbled podcasters so much to work with as we sort through the pieces. It's not all bad news, though, because the arrival of Nicolás González and the return of Riccardo Sottil mean that there's plenty of good news. And we wrapped up this episode by answering a host of questions from the folks who listen to us or read our stuff on Viola Nation, ranging from the hopeful to the despairing to the utterly left field. Along the way, we learned that Mike has a 90s movie reference for every situation, that Tito probably should've installed air conditioning in his bunker, and about the true nature of Alexandr Kokorin. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this one. Feel free to reach out to us on the site or on Twitter. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 Jun 20211h 31min

This thrice-accursed season is over, so Mike and Tito pull on their latex gloves and begin the autopsy, discussing what went right (a few things), what went wrong (everything else), and what we learned (???). That segued into a conversation about the upcoming season, which got us both a lot more bubbly than we normally are as we discussed the hiring of Gennaro Gattuso and what his arrival means for the club. We rounded this episode off with a fantastic conversation with international journalistic man of mystery Massimo Basile, who is as wonderful in person as he is in print. Along the way, we learned about Ringhio and Rocco's relationship, learning curves, and how to hide on a train in Bologna--a crucial skill for the traveling fan. We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it. Special thanks to Producer Mike, who, well, produces the show, and Windchime Weather, who provide the theme song. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13 Jun 20211h 48min