Fan Dance (Celebrating blog number 500 with the Roma)

Well, this is amazing.  When the Roma team, which I LOVE (Totti, Gervinho, Yanga Mbiwa, de Rossi, Pjanic, Manolas, Maicon, and so many other great players) played Bayern Munich the other night and were wiped out 7 to 1 (the Gazzetta dello Sport had a headline, “The Sack of Roma”), the tifosi,  (fans of the Roma) gave a standing ovation to the Bayern team, and also applauded their own beloved Roma team, even though the Roma really were seriously beaten into the ground. At another time, when the Roma had lost 7 to 1 in a game, the so-called fans threw rotten vegetables and horrible things AT THE TEAM, which is hardly the behavior of a real FAN. It’s the behavior of a hoodlum, and god knows what turned them around this time, but they were great, and they sang and sang through the whole game really really beautifully.

Totti in action

I think they might have been too optimistic about taking on the best soccer team in the world (right now, at least), and the Roma also did not come out looking as though they really wanted a win, a first goal, and to maybe, just maybe keep Bayern at bay.

I really have esteem for my team—mama and papa and I watch all the games and the Roma is pure soccer ballet, so beautiful in form and function and they completing many more passes that they used to, thanks to their coach, Garcia. But the Roma has always needed to grasp the other team’s game plan and this time, they gave Bayern way too much room, they did not rush the ball-holder quickly enough, if only to throw him off psychologically, and they started caving in just after the first goal by Robben in the first few minutes. A terrible psychological blow in itself. But Robben says the Roma plays the best soccer in Italy…that’s a real compliment coming from him!

We should have scored first and all would have been different.

I think the Roma is just a bit too fragile and if they could toughen up, like me when confronted by an adversary, if they could get their claws out a bit sooner and keep them out, they would have a clear advantage over the other team.

Maybe next week, when they play again, something will have changed. Because a team that can pull up itself by its boot straps and decide to score, attack, defend to the death its place in the soccer world, no matter how the game ends, is always a winner.

I can’t wait to see them do that, because I know they can, and because I’ve written some suggestions to Mr. Garcia and signed it “Loulou, a kitty fan of the Roma” so he’ll know what it means when he reads the thing about claws. FORZA, ROMA!!!

GO, TEAM!  Give ’em hell!!!