With so much drama with the bianco-celesti it’s kinda hard being a Tifosi…
Poetry it’s what I do for you. At this point any fun that can be poked at Lazio is welcomed. On a day to day basis we’re a joke. Enough said. From transfer clamoroso’s with our Golasa friend in Israel, to the revolving court door that continues to blow the wind of Claudio Lotito in and out times are excruciating to say the least. If it wasn’t raining in Rome already it surely is pouring now, and we can all be meteorologists and say “we told you so” but when a pompous, arrogant, Haughty. Yes I just used the word haughty, Is in charge your set for a recipe of disaster. If he wasn’t so clueless yet outspoken I wonder if we would hate him as much. According to the almighty Lotito not to surprise anyone but he reaffirmed that he’s at Lazio for life. Ballardini our ace of a coach we can’t be as sure. What we do know is as he’s definitely on a different level of a joke than “C.L.”. His rep didn’t get any help from injured Matuzalem who spoke out about the confusion Davide has instilled in the minds of the boys with his constant tactical changing. One thing is for sure, he better have the right wizard cap on for tomorrow’s game which all of a sudden is more important than a traditional “big match” versus a Milan or a Juventus like last week. Catania sit two points behind us and can leapfrog us with a win. On the positive side of things some of our new debutantes will make appearances in tomorrows match while Catania have only won one game on the road this season. The first 15 minutes will be absolutely crucial in instilling a winning mentality by taking the game to the Sicilians. Although nothing is confirmed the formation Ballardini has been rolling with in training looks like this: Lazio (4-3-1-2)
86 Muslera; 87 Diakitè, 25 Biava, 26 Radu, 11 Kolarov; 4 Firmani, 33 Baronio, 15 Hitzlsperger; 5 Mauri; 20 Floccari, 10 Zarate. A disp: (88 Berni, 28 Stendardo, 80 Dias, 6 Dabo, 2 Lichtsteiner, 74 Cruz, 9 Rocchi) All. Ballardini

Indisponibili: Foggia, Matuzalem, Brocchi, Bizzarri, Del Nero, Meghni
Squalificati: nessuno
Diffidati: Foggia, Firmani, Baronio
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Now onto the fun stuff,
This past week saw a congregation of some of Toronto’s finest Lazio fans join together to witness the refereeing hypocrisy that was Saccani against Juventus. In The North Curve Episode 10 I welcome some past guests and some debut’s as well. Some might be familiar with their work from the Lazioforever forum. In no particular order meet David (Aquile89), Adrian DiDomenico, Julian McNaughton who put in a spectacular job with his camera work, Joseph Ieraci, Davide Ferrara (PiaFidelis), Emanuele DeDonno (CurvaNord), Paolo Barba, and Pietro Cioffi. Together they give some post-match comments, our individual views on the transfer market, and the state of The Biancoceleste
Enjoy and Forza Lazio.

A lackluster performance in both play and business dealings in the transfer market leave Lazio 2 points out of the relegation zone and an overall black cloud looms for the future of the club.
Going forward versus Juventus, Lazio resembled the way in which Lotito and Co. went through the transfer market: At A Snail Pace.
To say that Lazio deserved all 3 points in Turin is a little far-fetched, however, the way in which Juve earned their point left a bitter taste in all our mouths and brought back memories to the seasons of Calciopoli. As a professional Del Piero should have at least admitted to the press that he was at least slightly fortunate to receive such a decisive call that was dubious to say the least. But of course Alex stood by referee Saccani who I had bragged prior to the match to my peers in my own home that he was one of the better ref’s in Serie A not to mention that Lazio usually has a positive record when he’s in charge. My how quickly my predictions were nullified.
Speaking on the turn-out at “casa Di Mascio” I can say we all enjoyed the overall experience as a group as the Lazio fans in the Toronto district seek-out a new home/bar/social club to call our own. With video proof of episode 10 of the North Curve soon to follow we’ll hear from a host of members of Lazio Club Canada along with reoccurring contributors to the North Curve Audio blogs from last season. As a collective group we seemed to come together in agreement on a lot of the same concerns. Some of those concerns being the transfer market which was less than spectacular. Nonetheless the final tally of new players introduced and outgoing looks like this:
Incoming:
André Dias
Defender From: Sao Paulo
Giuseppe Biava
Defender From: Genoa
Tomas Hitzlsperger From: Stuttgart
Eyal Golasa
Midfielder From: Maccabi Haifa
Outgoing:
Cribari- Siena & Pandev-Inter
In true Lazio fashion no moves were made with ease as mostly everything minus the Hitzlsperger move was secured prior to the last hours of the transfer window. Two of these dealings look set to land us in front of FIFA for various reasons. Sebastian Eguren for example looked set to be part of the squad, which was until he failed his medical. Now it seems Lazio still might be on the hook for his salary regardless of his medical situation according to his current club Villarreal. The other is not so cut and dry. The Israeli attacking midfielder Golasa had yet to sign a professional contract with his squad of Maccabi. Yet he managed to make appearances in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League this year. Not only has he been accused of breaching his contract, it’s also been reported by La Laziosiamonoi that he is fleeing his homeland on purpose to avoid mandatory military conscription of 3 year service. Moreover his transfer to Lazio has brought shame to his family according to his father who feels he’s turned his back on the club that has given him so much. To be fair his father is technically more upset with his Eyal’s older brother Roy who seems to have played a part in the transfer. With Golasa expected to make his appearance on Friday a lot of questions will churn until then and as well as seeking out the answers to the validity of his passport with Belgium.
On a positive note today’s trainings saw the return of Floccari to the pitch while get a closer look on Lazio’s latest signings: Dias and Biava who had their medicals earlier today.


Stay tuned as more news continues to unfold from the Formello. I’ll be back in the coming days with the episode from The Juve-Lazio game.

On the eve of what is the last day of the transfer window, mystery surrounds all of us in sky-blue. If you feel like someone’s pulling a dirty prank on you: YOUR NOT ALONE.

Let’s break things down on the incoming side of things first:

According to lalaziosiamonoi.it ; the most certain of deals that looked to be bringing in Red Cross Relief in the form of a Yellow Submarine from Spain is off! Sebastian Eguren looked(literally photographed with Lazio paraphernalia) all but set to be installed into the midfield of Lazio for tomorrow’s game versus Juventus. The club agreed a deal in principle with Villarreal for a loan and future fee agree deal. The only thing we know for certain is his agent has indicated that his blood pressure is slightly high, and Lazio have grown uninterested in prolonging this charade. Mixed reports out of the formello say he’s already returned to Spain after failing a second test, and Lazio have swooped for two new additions.
As Stefano Federici puts it bluntly in his article, Lazio has been creating plenty of smoke without much fire. If all goes to plan they will be successful in blowing smoke up all our asses with the next two names we have been linked with:
Thomas Hitzlsperger,

The hammer as he’s become affectionately known to by his adoring German fans has landed in Rome in a shock swoop that makes Igli Tare look like a hero and his former club Stuttgart looking like goats if all that is being said is in fact true. Anyone’s guess is as good as mine to if this is true. We have no understanding on what agreement has been made (figures, term etc.). Why bother checking the team’s official website for confirmation? The most un-informed information provider of the first team of Rome if I’ve ever seen one.
Ederson:

Now onto even more confusing turn of events. Remember way back in the summer of 2007 when we pulled the coup of all coups and managed to qualify for The UEFA Champions League? Well one of the thousand of names that we were linked with that mercato and didn’t sign was a man who was turning heads at OMG Niece. Well we didn’t get him then and I really doubt we’ll get him now as he signed for Lyon later that year for €14 million. Yesterday his agent claimed that both agent and player want Lazio, Lotito wants Ederson “Si Party” ASSOLUTAMENTE NO! Why? Because this is the dirtiest professional sport when it comes to business management I know. A loan deal seemed to be agreed upon by both parties all that was left was the signatures. Today I read the bulletin on L.L.S.N. and it appears Lyon are ready to pull out unless Lotito can sing the tune of 10 million, or suffer the consequences of a loaning him to Rennes. Well we know this can’t happen. Ederson hasn’t spent enough time in Europe to warrant him with the ever so popular EU membership, thus Lazio can only register him via loan since J.P Carrizzo (remember him) occupies that spot while he watches goals go past him at Zaragoza. The website smells bluff. I smell a skunk. And his name is Claudio Lotito.
So as it stands now Lazio have officially brought in 1 player during this transfer window and lost 4. (Pandev, Cribari, Eliseu, and Perpetuini) For a team so desperate for reinforcements that’s hardly a winning ratio. To add insult to injury fan favorite Pasquale Foggia seems destined to leave for more playing time at surprise team of the year Bari, while the latest reports in the Ledesma merry-go-round have him a flick of the pen away from surprise, surprise: Inter. Reports indicate it to be in the region of 8 to 8.5 million Euros with a Primavera player (Not Rene Khrinh) coming out way. Only time will tell what the stooges in suits have in store for us. Like Eguren my blood pressure can’t take much more.
Now onto tomorrow’s clash of the once titans. Juventus have another new Coach and Lazio are a loss away from the relegation zone. Juventus have lost a remarkable nine of their last 12 games in all competition, following up three consecutive Serie A defeats with a midweek Coppa Italia exit at the hands of Inter. Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Grosso sit out bans, while an injury list includes Vincenzo Iaquinta, Mauro Camoranesi, Martin Caceres, David Trezeguet, Sebastian Giovinco, Christian Poulsen, Claudio Marchisio and Hasan Salihamidzic. Should be an easy 3 points right?
Well…It’s hardly going better at Lazio with just two wins in their last 19 Serie A matches leaving the team floundering two points clear of the relegation zone. To make matters worse all the off-field transactions leaving everything from coaching to player personnel in question. Even the rock of all rocks Tomasso Rocchi isn’t safe from the wrath Lotito has created. He too is considering his options with Fiorentina ready to pounce after their gypsy-of a player Adrian Mutu decided to take the Lega Calcio rulebook for a ride by failing not one but two drug tests. One, coincidentally resulting in our elimination from the Coppa Italia last week. As Football-Italia puts it straight in their match preview: Above all the fans blame President Claudio Lotito for creating an atmosphere of tension that has seen its players take legal action against the club.
If history is anything to look at, we’ll probably succumb to defeat while putting up a good fight. To do so we’ll have to do it without: Matuzalem, Cristian Brocchi, Sergio Floccari, Pasquale Foggia, Christian Manfredini and the fact Mourad Meghni is on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Probable formation for the boys in blue are as follows:
Lazio (4-3-1-2)
86 Muslera; 2 Lichtsteiner, 28 Stendardo, 13 Siviglia, 26 Radu; 6 Dabo, 33 Baronio, 11 Kolarov; 5 Mauri; 9 Rocchi, 10 Zarate. A disp: (88 Berni, 52 Luciani, 87 Diakitè, 4 Firmani, 42 Sevieri, 74 Cruz, 18 Makinwa).
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On a last positive note, yours truly will be joined by his compatriots from around the Toronto area at Casa di Mascio for the contest in hopes of urging on this team to turn over a new leaf. Pictures and Videos of Episode 10 of the North Curve to follow. Forza Lazio.

Well our defense of the Coppa Italia is over. 2 and its through for the Biancoceleste. I can’t say I’m the least bit surprised. One thing is for certain; this loss will hurt the players more than the fans. For some strange reason whatever squad is present during a Coppa Italia fixture, seems to try harder then they would during a regular Serie A match. Maybe they thought this was a chance to make amends with us the fans by going deep into the tournament and hoping for a repeat miracle like march to the final in Rome like last season. The truth is most of us have already come to terms with the fact that we’ve taken major leaps backwards and are headed for a relegation dog fight with teams up to the challenge. This is mere observation from the moves of some of the clubs on the wrong end of the standings. There is just too many things wrong with this whole organization to put into clear concise words. There just isn’t enough time in the day to continually harp on the misguided efforts of one Claudio Lotito, nor how poor our squad is in just pure talent. The will and desire to do well just is not substantial enough to carry this team anymore. Soon the players will understand this and the demise of what could be relegation staring us in the face will be enough to fully severe any chance of survival for these players. Amazing to think that losing 4 players (Rozenhal, DeSilvestri, Pandev, and Ledesma) and not reproducing the same or better talented players in their respective positions would lead to such disaster. If your a normal human being you might have saw this coming, maybe not to this extent because surely I didn’t believe we were capable of stopping this low either but really Lotito? REALLY? Day 21 of the mercato and we have a mere 1 loan signing to show for 3 wins in the first half of the season. If there is one quality in any hierarchical structure its that hunger for money drives them. Lotito is a firm believer of profiting from whatever he can without doing that much. Why buy a new player when we have one with less quality that will do the job for cheaper? Well Sir how would you like to loose any profit whatsoever if your team is relegated to the new structure the Lega Calcio has put forth that allows for TV rights sharing and merchandise sales to be shared only between the squads active in Serie A. The prospect of losing millions in reveune surely must hit Lo-Totti where it hurts right? Stay tuned for the fall out along with the excuses. Until next time keep your prayers going and light as many candles as possible: Only divine intervention can save us.

Halfway through a relatively quiet mercato on the Serie A side of things, Lazio can boast to currently hold the signing of the winter in Sergio Floccari. Sergio has been a savior of sorts helping us to an undefeated string of games. That was until we decided to drop the ball in Bergamo this past Sunday. The result only further underlined the need for reinforcements AND FAST! So far the midfield seems to be in dire need the most, with Ballardini dipping into the defence for extra relief. Personally, i’m of the mentality that defence wins championships. A strong stirdy central back is something Lazio faithful have craved since Couto lined up beside Stam or Mihajlovic. It was something Delio Rossi had asked for on numerous occasions while in charge and its something thats always remained a “when” but Lotito has made of making a habit of “if”‘s instead. Promises of a strong central defender were declared through the media in the summer but to no avail. Like he’s done on so many different matters Lotito seems destined not to learn from his mistakes. At the midpoint transfer talk of incoming players is on the sort while everyone on our squad seems destined to depart. I tried to get some clarification on the whole situation by sitting down with Julian McNaughton and Lazioforever.com forum admin Dan D’Ambrosio to get their take on the madness that is the calcio mercato.