Viola Station 57: Looking forward to summer vacation

Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots recorded an episode on Saturday. Remember Saturday? It was a day of sunshine, joy, hope. The birds sang l'inno della Fiorentina. And you know what? McMike and Tito (no Producer Mike in this one) leaned into it, striking a tone that's way more optimistic than what we usually do around here. Don't worry. We thought it was weird too, but bear with us. After a heartbreaking loss to Atalanta in the Coppa Italia semifinal second leg at Atalanta, maybe that kind of happiness can help us learn to feel again. So dive in to hear us discuss (sigh) our expectations for the game against la Dea. Fortunately, though, it's not all Coppa blues, as we also dug into the Conference League win over Viktoria Plzeň and looked ahead to the semifinal with Club Brugge before detouring through one of the most tempest-in-a-teacup stories about Vincenzo Italiano "kissing" a Sky Sports reporter you've ever heard. Along the way, we learned about McMike’s yearning for a certain syrupy evening treat, got a glimpse into Tito’s weirdly encyclopedic memory for decade-old transfer rumors, and found out about what’s going on with Allen Iverson’s tiny statue. Big thank you to Windchime Weather for the music, as always, and thank you to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us. We had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening. Feel free to get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter, and, as ever, Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Apr 20241h 13min

A Mike special this week! McMike sat down with Giancarlo Rinaldi to talk Queen of the South, Fiorentina, and the weather. After their chat, the Mikes^2 talk the loss to Juve and all the midweek shenanigans your heart could desire. We also talk coaches and conspiracies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 Apr 20241h 45min

It's a Tuesday evening so it's time for a new Viola Station. No McMike today, so it's just Producer Mike and Tito to run through the doldrums of the international break. First and foremost, your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots discuss their shock and grief at the untimely passing of Viola president Joe Barone last week. There's obviously nothing about this we can spin into humor or even lightheartedness. It's just heartbreaking. Our next topic of discussion was the international friendlies that a number of Fiorentina players popped up in; there wasn't much to report, so we instead focused on some guys who may have deserved a call (paging Luca Ranieri). We then shifted to this upcoming summer, which sounds like it'll be as topsy-turvy as ever for this team, what with Vincenzo Italiano on his way out and Arthur Melo unlikely to be redeemed. Along the way, we learn that McMike's absence doesn't protect him from strays, that Hines finally betrays his lack of American patriotism, and that Tito has a surprise candidate for next year's manager. Big thank you to the folks at Sport Social Media Network for hosting the pod, and big thank you to Windchime Weather for the music. Finally, a big thank you to you for listening. Hit us up on the website or on Twitter if you've got any questions, and forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Mars 202453min

We're back. Sorry for being a day late; we encountered and overcame some technical difficulties en route, but we're back. Anyways, this was quite a podcast to record: two straight Fiorentina games defined by last-gasp goals (against Maccabi Haifa and Roma) left us reeling, grasping at answers, and eventually settling back into our usual rhythms. We worked through that wild finish against the Giallorossi--tactical, technical, and vibes-based opinions included--and spun that out to encompass a wider look at the Viola right now, particularly how Vincenzo Italiano's done during his time in charge. After that, of course, it was the fun part. Yep, that's the part where we answer listener questions, ranging from youth development to Serie A dynamics to the state of the Artemio Franchi and beyond. Along the way, we learned that Hines' American supremacy remains unchecked, that McMike's reading comprehension is at a very different level from anyone else's, and that Tito needs to work on his transitions to ad breaks if Hines is going to give him any respect. Big thanks to Jake, Laura, and the team at Sport Social Media, and to Windchime Weather for the theme music (Nate's got a new band called Friends Friends that's really good too). We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this one. Feel free to reach out with any questions at the website or on Twitter. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Mars 20241h 33min

Two-thirds of your favorite Fiorentina podcasts are here with a little doom and gloom. This time, it's Producer Mike and Tito, with McMike allegedly off keeping an alleged eye on Rocco Commisso, allegedly. The remaining musketeers engage in some pessimistic gazing at the Viola, looking at recent results, upcoming fixtures (which look awfully difficult!), the Conference League, and some bigger picture goals. If we sound pretty down, well, keep in mind that we recorded this the day before the Lazio game, which may have altered our outlook just a little bit. We touch on new signings in February, the future of Gaetano Castrovilli and Dodô, and where Vincenzo Italiano should place his focus for the rest of the year. Along the way, we get scorching hot transfer predictions from Producer Mike, Tito talking himself back into a dark place (that may or may not be a closet with a washer/dryer), and which Fiorentina player is like Pippo Inzaghi but without the tantric sex stuff. As always, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening. Feel free to reach out to us on the website or on Twitter if you have questions or comments. As always, a big thank you to the Sport Social Media Network for hosting the podcast. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Feb 202459min

Well hello again, friends. Two of your three favorite podcast idiots are back on the airwaves to talk all things Fiorentina, as we always do. No Producer Mike Hines this time because he decided to spend his honeymoon doing something that wasn't chatting with us (and again, auguri, Producer Mike!), so it's McMike and Tito behind the microphones to bring you the kind of hard-hitting journalistic excellence you've come to expect from us. That last part was, if you've listened to any previous episodes, obviously a joke. Anyways, this time we're digging into the January transfer window and trying to figure out what it means for the club and its going forward; only adding a couple of veterans on loan deals definitely has us feeling certain emotions. We also dig into Cristiano Biraghi's frustration in the post-Lecce presser, the firepower of this fully armed and operational Viola attack, and the life and impact of the recently departed Kurt Hamrin. We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it. Hit us up on the website or on Twitter with any questions or comments, as usual. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13 Feb 20241h 16min

We're back baby. It's been a minute but your favorite podcast hosts are back and have dragged Producer Mike out from behind the curtain. It's been a little over a year so we're just doing a quick overview over how the season has gone thus far and whether Fioretina has lived up to expectations (not just a rhetorical question). We talk about tactics, Christian Kouamé's marriage, and how the goal scoring wingers that the Viola desperately need were the friends we made along the way. We'll be getting nittier and grittier in subsequent episodes, never fear; we're just dipping our toes back in for the moment. Listen, rate, enjoy! If you have comments or have anything you want us to talk about on future episodes then you can comment on the site, or tweet at us (We're not calling it X. That's weird.). Big thank you to Jake, Laura, and the whole team at Sport Social Media for getting us back in the action. It's great to be recording these again, so we hope you enjoy hearing us as much as we enjoyed talking to you. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 Feb 20241h 20min

No Mike this week, so it's just Tito in this one, but the presence of our most tactically-savvy guest ever should more than make up for it. Marco Lai (also subscribe to his Substack, because it's consistently fascinating) is a certified match analyst who's quickly become one of VN's favorite social media presences due to his fantastic analysis of Serie A matches. We were lucky enough to track him down for a conversation about Fiorentina's approach under Italiano. Our chat covered a range of topics, bouncing around from the abstract--the necessity of a striker who can press for a team that's predicated on pressing, tactical dogmatism, the burden on the wingers to create--to the more concrete--reasonable transfer targets, how Fiorentina can get more out of the number 10 spot, and the asymmetrical use of fullbacks--and it's safe to say that this is the most educational episodes we've ever done. Grazie mille, Marco, for the time, the knowledge, and the genuinely fun conversation. As always, thanks also go to Producer Mike Hines for producing this episode, and to Windchime Weather for our theme song (and check out Nate's other project Shaylee). We had a blast making this episode and hope you enjoy it too. Feel free to get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter, and if you like what you hear, feel free to drop us a rating and review. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

18 Jan 202331min