Archive for the ‘General Lazio Blog’ Category

Welcome to a new season of the Serie A. With a new season comes new faces so lets say hello to our latest contributor on The North Curve. Long-time Lazio Fan Matthew Macher will join us for the upcoming stagione with match previews and Lazio thoughts. Enjoy.

Sunday August 29, 2010 is a day unlike any other on the Gregorian calendar for the years 2010/ 2011. For most around the world it is a day of worship, for others it is a day of leisure, for some it is a day of recuperation from a night of youthful exploits, but for a select few it will be a day of reckoning. For that group it is a day that will either be one to be remembered or one to be quickly forgotten.

Laziale around the world have been anxiously awaiting the beginning of the Serie A season and for us the day of hope and anticipation is within reach. The off season has brought with it much anticipation for a squad that finished the previous season in twelfth position after only barely escaping the relegation zone due to what some described as a last minute scramble for safety, much like a drowning victim reaching for a flotation device that brings them to safety. As all Laziale know we have seen that the basis for much of this clamoring and blame is due to certain individuals in the front office of S.S Lazio. Although, over the past few years many Laziale including myself have grown exasperated with the way that those individuals have been able to mold our squad, but over the past few weeks we have seen what can be described as promising moves made by the S.S Lazio executive staff. The front office was able to acquire players that can be a positive influence on the team and provide skill, experience and most importantly heart. They have not brought about strife and anger they have not influenced players to leave our team over foolish skirmishes. This has provided Laziale with a hope that this year’s squad and staff are all in search of providing Laziale all around the world with a team that will make us all proud and is deserving of our praise and love. Now over the summer we’ve heard names such as Prince Boetang and Almeida mentioned only to have those dreams dashed quite quickly yet I would like to commend the front office for pursuing those players with energy and verve. Yet even with these few “disappointments” I would like to take this time to welcome our new summer signings which include, Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Viana Lima, Javier Garrido Behobide, Mark Bresciano and lastly Alvaro Gonzales.
I believe that with the addition of these players in addition to our existing squad will be a ray of hope that this team can finish in the top ten of the Serie A and perhaps contest for Europa League positions.
In terms of the position the 2010/ 2011 Lazio squad will finish come May 11, 2011 having seen the way they have played and trained over the course of the last few weeks including their most recent result of 3 – 1 against Deportivo La Coruña. It is these results that we have seen our beloved S.S Lazio soar high and as Laziale that we are we can only hope that these results act as a precursor to the upcoming Serie A season. It has recently been asked on the “LazioLand Fever Forum” as to where our team may finish once the season is over. Many have made their opinions known, but in the humble opinion of this Laziale, our squad is capable of entering European competition once again and that is my prediction for this upcoming season.

In conclusion S.S Lazio will be looking to redeem itself after the terrible 2009/2010 campaign and in striving towards that goal they have made many improvements. I like all Laziale are hoping with all that we are that the players come to understand the pride that comes with adorning the Lazio Jersey.

Forza Lazio!!!!!

Bentornato my friends!

Let me start off by giving you the kindest of hellos, since my good-bye to the end of the 2009-2010 campaign was non existent. Similar of course to the team we love and follow. Truth be told to go to Rome in April and witness Il Derby Della Capitale will be next to nothing in terms of life-long experiences. The greatest 45 minutes of my life, followed by the worst 45 minutes of my life. Unfortunately the latter 45 weighed on my voglia desire to continue this project of the North Curve. But now a new sun has dawned, a new season, new problems same scum of the earth Lotito. A lot of confusion surrounds our fans of La Lazio to start the 2010-2011 season. Reports saying the Curva Nord is being abandoned in response to the Tessera del Tifoso ID cards for fans. Too much to discuss so little time to really analyze everything. Thus I’ve brought in some-what of an expert on La Lazio as a whole. The real man behind the microphone, Lazio Fever moderator and creator of LazioLand.com and most importantly the announcer of Lazio home games: Signore Paolo Peroso joins us to explain what all the fuss is about with regards to La Tessera del Tifoso and also lets us in on some news from Auronzo di Cadore in Veneto where our beloved Lazio is currently training.

Be smart, put an L over your heart.

-Love “The Show” Di Mascio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbJxWvEV2ic

So after becoming fed up with Youtube, Movie-Maker, and any other video recording software to try and finish editing the conclusion of my one-on-one interview with Jovan Tikvarovski (Jofo) on the lazioforever forums I found salvage in pod-casting the episode in its entirety via mypodcast.com

This will allow me in future to post more frequently episodes that have taken place most recently. This however doesn’t mean I will stop the video blog aspect of the show. It just allows me more options depending on how much time I have between work and the radio show I do weekdays.

Be Good To Your Nonna’s,

Michael “The Show” Di Mascio

A light flickers from the end of the tunnel. A light that resembles the one you hear about in movies and TV shows, the one’s the supporting actor asks you to chase away as you fight for your life. Truth be told, the circumstances that plague the protagonists of film are the same that afflict a team that we call our own in SS Lazio. To say “call our own” is also a term that can’t really be thrown around loosely since its plain to see that this squad can’t co-exist nor has the proper leadership to be steered in the right direction. After today’s shocking loss to Bari, and I use shocking because of the way we controlled the possession of play and lack of tempo only to be hit time-and-time again on the counter-attack. Lazio can no longer hide behind the arrogance of their 110 year history and just know that they’ll survive this. 2 points above the relegation zone and the bright lights of Serie B are upon us. This situation is more serious than a heart-attack. I have no answers for what plagues this team. According to my eyes I saw XI players without any idea…Forget creativity this team was lost from the word go. Even after a lifeline by referee Rizzoli who to be fair was more than willing to allow Lazio a chance back into the game. (Penalty shot, 5+ mins of added on time) The whole situation is disheartening and every Sunday I find my mood hampered by the string of defeats which seem to have no end. To make matters worse this quality people speak of that this team has that will pull us out of these times is non-existent. Aside from perhaps Stendardo who played his usual rough-em up no nonsense defense, this team looked worse than ordinary and in truth down-right awful. No more hiding behind injuries, player exclusions, Lotito etc. The onus now falls on the 11 men who walk out onto that pitch. For some more than others they should feel the threat of playing for a Serie A contract. This goes beyond pride for the Eagle and its history, something that was thrown out way back at the beginning of this season and seasons past with the pig-head in charge. From top-to bottom this team is in serious jeopardy and can only look to each other to save themselves. In closing “I still haven’t seen the quality that I was expecting from this side before I came here.” Were the words expressed in disillusion by current manager Edy Reja. In all honesty I don’t believe that quality was every there in the first place.
On a lighter side, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the patience shown by Jovan Tikvarovski (JOFO) from the Lazio Forever Forum. Jovan took part in my episode 11 look at Lazio a few weeks back. Unfortunately the perils of windows movie maker and other computer set-backs have slowed down the process of putting out episode 11 part deux with the continuation of Jovan’s commentary. Stay tuned for that however. I also have to look to my daily venture on the radio as another distraction to releasing fresh new North Curve content on the regular. This however doesn’t mean that the Serie A talk is dormant. Each and every Monday afternoon I hold via my sponsors of American Express through AM1220 here in the G.T.A a Serie A round-up. Going through each game, the results, and all it had to offer from the past weekend. My friends, you are all welcome to join in on the fun and commentary that each Monday brings. Should you care just to listen from around the globe the website is: http://www.radiouno.ca/play.php
Should you feel like expressing your own thoughts and feelings give me a call at the station @ area code: 905-856-4440.
Stay tuned for Episode 12 of The North Curve as Well as I’m prepared to drop a bomb on all of you that could just very well save Lazio’s season.

Moreover, enjoy if you’ve missed it Part 1: of 2 with my sit-down with Jovan Tikvarovski from Macedonia.
watch?v=AkAX4fM2ViI

You know things are bad when; The President of your favorite soccer team is resigned to throwing his hands up to another person to steer the sinking ship that is SS. Lazio. Some can say what they want but a combination of poor results and constant pressure from fans has left Claudio Lotito no choice but to reshuffle the coaching duties. “We chose Reja when it became clear the team needed a radical change of direction to find the strength and hunger to fight. Reja is experienced and a great Coach. Unfortunately this was a necessary choice, but Ballardini remains without doubt a wonderful tactician and a good man.” Wonderful tactician? Hardly! Then again, Lotito was the one who put Ballardini in charge with specific orders not to play specific people, *cough: Ledesma, Pandev, Stendardo, Firmani, Manfredini, and on and on. Surely he had to come up with some nice parting words for the ever so loyal spine-less excuse for a coach.

Thus, we turn the page on one of the darkest chapters in our 110 year history on to a man whose last name rings of foreign land yet speaks in the tongues of the Romans.
Meet our new coach “Il Mister” Edoardo “Edy” Reja. (pronounced R-e-y-a). Hailing from one of the most northern parts of Italy in the province of Gorizia (Boarders with Slovenia) , Edy is a returning ‘newcomer’ I guess it’s fair to say after only coaching in Serie A for 2 seasons previously with Napoli. Reja however is no stranger to the lower levels and the fight for survival, which is something we desperately need. His accolades are few yet throughout his first week in the capital many colleagues from around the peninsula are praising Lazio for swooping Signore Reja from his contract in Croatia. From former manager Dino Zoff to Palermo Fire-cracker President Maurizio Zamparini, Edy’s admirers are on the up-and up. (Now let’s hope for the same in results) It’s important to note that Reja left his post with club Hajduk Split who are languishing in the middle of the pack of the Croatian League.
Like his predecessor Ballardini (Arrigo Sacchi School of Hard Coaching) Reja comes from a successful coaching background in Fabio Capello. The two played together first and foremost in Serie A before Reja called it a career in 1975 and 125 Serie A appearances later.
At this point accolades and warm wishes will only get this blog — this far. We the Canadian Lazio Supporters Community would like to extend our warm wishes to our new trainer yet the honeymoon will only last until Sunday. Like Lotito said we are in a results business and Lazio is desperate for a result against Parma…Badly. Our survival counts on it. With 14 weeks to go, from here on end every match will be like a final for the Bianco-Celeste. Like we’ve done up until now remains the same, Pray and then talk badly when the results don’t arrive. New coach? New results? Speriamo (I hope so)