Viola Station 71: We're sure trying to find some positives

The games are coming thick and fast for Fiorentina right now, so your favorite podcast idiots are back in the saddle. This time, we're looking back at how the Viola have looked over the first part of the season and how they've emerged from the restart, which naturally steers the conversation into the transfer market. With that out of the way, we also consider what this team's expectations ought to be for the rest of the year. Then, ahead of a weekend clash with the Giallorossi, we got in a rollicking discussion with Chiesa di Totti's Lord Commander Bren, who caught us up with everything happening in the Romaverse. Along the way, we learn that Mike's been brushing up his Italian, Tito's view on the nature of eternity (which involves a certain Viola midfielder), and which 1990s kids sports movie applies to Roma this year. Big thank you to Bren, whose taste in tracksuit jackets is impeccable, and to Producer Mike for doing the producing. Our theme music is by Windchime Weather (and check out Nate's other project Shaylee). As always, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening. If you've got any questions, hit us up on the website or on Twitter, and leave us a rating if we did an okay job. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Jan 20231h 45min

With the winter holidays wrapping up, your favorite Viola podcast idiots have a late present for you: an episode devoted entirely to you! That's right, Mike and Tito are here to tackle questions ranging from how to get Fiorentina back in the Champions League, the Primavera-to-US-insurance-salesperson pipeline, and the Hipster Super League. So settle into that ugly sweater, pour yourself another mug of nog, and dive into, well, your thoughts about this team. Along the way, you can also learn about McMike's uncanny resemblance to a certain pivotal Yuletide figure, Tito pulling the Reverse card and dropping some thoughts on viticulture, and Candle Talk with Mike and Tito. Thanks as always to Producer Mike for producing this one and to Windchime Weather for the music (and check out Nate's other project Shaylee). And finally, thanks to you for listening. Feel free to get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter, and drop us a rating and review on whatever platform you're listening to if you feel like it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 Des 202253min

Okay, we know this is a Fiorentina podcast, or at least a hipster wine/beer podcast, but when Juventus winds up under federal investigation for fraud, we've got to talk about it. And there's only one guy we trust to talk all things Bianconeri: Dom Penza. If we can't get hold of Dom, though, we'll grab Danny--the Blog Overloard at Black & White & Read All Over--to walk us through the Juve board's resignation and what exactly it entails. We'll also chat a little bit about the Juvenuts' January transfer market business and rest-of-season goals. Along the way, we'll learn about Juve's efforts to reunite the EU and the UK via transnational criminal investigations, whether or not Tito is just a deepfake AI, and one cool trick to spike Danny's blood pressure. Thanks as always to Producer Mike for producing this one and to Windchime Weather for the music (and check out Nate's other project Shaylee). Big thanks also to Signor Penza, who may support Juve but has the kind heart and gentle soul of a Viola fan. And finally, thanks to you for listening. Feel free to get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter, and drop us a rating and review on whatever platform you're listening to if you feel like it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Des 202227min

Your favorite friendly Fiorentina podcast idiots spend this episode searching for the meaning in these meaningless days without the Viola, and they come pretty close to finding some. The conversation ranges from the revolving door of the January transfer market to the two-steps-forward-one-step-back nature of the women's game in Italy to the return of the Blessed Adrian Mutu. And okay, fine, we'll give you some grudging World Cup predictions, along with all the Sofyan Amrabat propaganda you can handle. Along the way, we learn what you can expect when McMike brings you a birthday present, why Tito's genuinely worried about some Tuscan anti-Polish sentiment, and what word the Viola Nation legal department made us learn to keep us out of trouble. Thanks to Windchime Weather (also, check out Nate's other project Shaylee) for the music and Producer Mike for the production. As ever, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening. Drop us a rating and/or review if you're into that kind of thing, and feel free to hit us up on the website or on Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Des 20221h 16min

We've got a slightly different format today, featuring a shorter episode and just a single host. It's just Tito in this one, but McMike will be back shortly. We want to make this a weekly show but it turns out that getting both of us and Producer Mike in the same Zoom room every week is really tough, considering that we've all got other stuff going on, so this is our compromise: a shorter solo show whenever we can't all get together for a full-length one. So jump in for half of your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiot team's thoughts on the World Cup, the Viola players in (and out of) the tournament, some thoughts about how the club is being run as a whole, and a quick rundown of the transfer rumors that are desperately trying to fill the vacuum of domestic calcio coverage. Along the way, find out what I'm getting a certain special team owner for his birthday (and happy birthday, Rocco), a brief history of bald Viola midfielders associated with heavy armor, and sign number 572 that your despair indicates your understanding of how Fiorentina works. As always, huge thanks to Producer Mike for all his work making this listenable and to Windchime Weather for the music. Feel free to hit us up on the website or on Twitter, and feel free to leave us a rating and a review on whichever platform you listen on. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 Nov 202229min

With the Viola's season on pause for some reason nobody can quite explain, your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back to bring that splash of purple back to your life. We started off with a quick look at the AC Milan game and the absurdity that came with it before zooming out and trying to figure out where this team is right now after a wretched start, highlighting a few newer developments that have the good guys flying, well, maybe not high, but at least not into a smoking crater. After that, we turned our attention to the World Cup and what it means for the 5 Viola players there (we recorded before the Nicolás González injury hit, so just ignore all the stuff we said about him). We wrapped up with a surprise interview featuring an international man of mystery. Who is he? Guess you gotta listen to find out, suckers. Along the way, we learned that Mike's branching out into other types of football, that Tito's a sommelier of sadness, and that Producer Mike thinks we're number one and he's got the fingers to prove it. As always, thanks to Windchime Weather for the music. We had a blast making this and hope that you enjoy listening. Feel free to get in touch with us at the website or on Twitter (assuming it's still around by the time this is live), or to leave us a review on whatever platform you listen on. Thanks, and Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Nov 20221h 10min

It's not always fun to talk about Fiorentina, and it's even less fun to talk about Fiorentina during the international break. Nevertheless, your favorite Viola podcast idiots do their level best. This is a less granular episode and more of a zooming-out, higher-level (for us, so it's all relative) look at the club as a whole. We talk about the possibility of bringing back Saint Gabriel Omar Batistuta to Florence in an official capacity before looking at the org chart and figuring out what it means for the club, then do a quick run-down of the Fiorentina players who're on international duty. The best part, of course, is a chat with the ever-brilliant Massimo Basile (wait, were we supposed to bleep the name?). A long-time friend to the website and the podcast, Massimo gives us his inimitable insight into how Fiorentina's being run right now, what the office hierarchy looks like, and the difference between great ambition and great experience. Along the way, we also learned about some Poland-to-Tuscany Szynanigans, Mike's expertise on chaos, and which former players would and wouldn't make great club employees (and why it breaks Tito's heart). Thanks for listening. If you want to get in touch, hit us up on the website or on Twitter. Feel free to leave us a rating and review on whatever podcast service you listen on, and, as always, Froza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Sep 20221h 46min

Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back to talk about a slew of topics. We begin with a breakdown of the Viola mercato (spoiler alert: we think there may still be gaps in the squad), then veer into how the team's looked on the pitch (another spoiler alert: not very good!), and wrap up with a discussion about what some possible fixes could be. Oh, and I guess it's worth mentioning that we touch on why Fiorentina owner and president Rocco Commisso is badmouthing our very own Mike McCormack in team press conferences, and how exactly we feel about it. Along the way, we learn about the Samuele Ricci slide whistle, that Mike lives a liquid IV, that Tito is VERY hungover, and that we should never, ever, ever name any names, under any circumstances. We had a blast making this one and hope you enjoy listening. If you want to get in touch with us, hit us up on the website or on Twitter, and feel free to leave a rating (unless you're on Mediacom payroll, in which case maybe don't do that, please). Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

21 Sep 20221h 5min