Viola Station 29: Napoli, Dušan, and the racists

Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back in the saddle. This time around, Mike and Tito wrap up relegation watch for the year, break down Rocco's extraordinary meeting with the press, discuss some rumors (which may have become reality!) and club staffing issues, and highlight some recent standout performers. Next, they chat with Giants Being Lonely star (streaming now on Amazon Prime!) and Fiorentina superfan Amalia Culp about the city of Florence, the Venice Film Festival, and all kinds of fun stuff. Along the way, we learn that Mike has some truly frightening medical analogies for happiness, that there’s nothing more Fiorentina than being too hungover to eat lunch, and that you don’t always get to keep your head. As always, thank you for listening. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it, and feel free to get in touch with us any time at Viola Nation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

31 Mai 20211h 50min

Even though the season's winding down, there's more than enough Fiorentina stuff for Mike and Tito to discuss. This one runs through the Primavera winning their unprecedented third straight Coppa Italia despite hovering around the relegation zone; the usual Relegation Watch, with some bonus content about who's going down; a vintage Mike rant about the quote-unquote stadium refurbishment that the Firenze government is planning; a few standout performers; and, of course, a rousing round of reader questions. Here's hoping you enjoy it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 Mai 202155min

Welcome back, everyone. Mike and Tito return to discuss BeppeBall 2.0 and (of course) the continuing relegation battle. More importantly for this podcast, they also introduce Producer Mike; we'll give you one guess as to what he does. After running through possible managers and sporting directors for next season, our intrepid hosts have a conversation with Niccolò Misul, editor-in-chief of fiorentina.it. You're not going to find a better-spoken or more insightful voice in the Fiorentina media universe, so you definitely don't want to miss him. And, because this is Viola Station, you know that you're going to get a truly inexplicable extended metaphor in there. Trust us, this one's a doozie. Feel free to get in touch with us at Viola Nation or on Twitter, and thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Apr 20211h 45min

We're back and we're mostly here to discuss Mike's Large Adult Son, Dušan Vlahović, on the back of his first professional hat trick. We also touch on Stefano Borgonovo, whose birthday was last week (to learn more about him, visit the Fondazione Stefano Borgonovo); Sebastien Frey, who also had a birthday; and the immediate future of Fiorentina, including relegation and what lies beyond season's end. Along the way, we’ll learn that Mike has a slightly selfish motive for getting Vlahović signed to a new contract, that Tito needs to be a lot smarter about swearing haircut oaths, and that sometimes you don't get a guest on this podcast. Sorry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Mar 20211h 10min

Hello, faithful listener(s?). We're back to bring you another episode of your favorite clueless narrators discussing all things Fiorentina. This time around, we're talking about new managers--particularly Maurizio Sarri, but also a number of other options--and new sporting directors. We also discuss the team's relegation prospects, some notable Viola birthdays, Mike and Tito's Wine Variety Hour, and who should be part of the core group going forward before seguing into a chat with the legendary Giancarlo Rinaldi (he's written books!), who is the world's preeminent English-language Fiorentina authority, to get his thoughts on the miserable situation in which the Viola find themselves. Along the way, we also learn about Mike’s Gen X cold open, Tito’s inability to pronounce German wines, and the inspiration for Giancarlo’s haircut. We had a blast recording it, so we hope you enjoy listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Mar 20211h 42min

Well hello there. It's been awhile since we've posted one of these, largely due to some technical difficulties that we've since conquered. If you really want the authentic experience, just imagine that you've stepped into a time machine and have been transported back to early January 2021. Too close to 2020 for you? Yeah, we don't like it either. What we do like is talking about the January transfer window, our New Year's resolutions (which we might actually keep), and, more than anything, chatting with Dr. Massimo Balestri, who's about as lovely a man as you could ever hope to meet and has forgotten more about Fiorentina than we'll ever figure out. Along the way, we learn that Mike remains the king of analogies, Tito remains amazed by that as ever, and that the good doctor has some Maradona stories. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Feb 20211h 45min

Viola Station is back. This time around, your intrepid hosts Mike and Tito get seasonal in discussing what Fiorentina-related things they're thankful for, answer listener questions (with a big assist from the lovely and talented Lauren) that range from the tactically detailed to the utterly absurd, and dive into what they've gleaned from Prandelli's first two games in charge. Along the way, we learn that Mike doesn’t work for the Tourist Board of Tuscany (but they know how to reach him if they're hiring), that Tito’s bunker eerily resembles the final scene in the classic Patrick Swayze film Ghost, and that Mike and Tito have no clue how to wrap up a podcast in a constructive fashion. Come for the Fiorentina chatter. Stay for the buffoonery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Des 20202h

Your favorite Viola Nation knuckleheads are back with another episode. This time, Mike and Tito discuss the recent run of poor form, the transfer window, and club management with each other and then with FiorentinaNews Editor-in-Chief Stefano del Corona. Along the way, we learn that Tito's never going to slip an Eddie Murphy Delirious reference past Mike, Stefano is more Cincotta than Iachini, and that volleyball in Florence is bigger than you ever imagined. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Nov 20201h 33min