News and notes

By: Joe | June 22nd, 2007

There’s almost too much going on with Napoli to keep straight. The signing of Rolando Bianchi is certainly a signal Marino understands the need to add another legitimate threat up front to partner with Calaio. A full 28 of the 42 games this season found Napoli scoring 1 goal or less. While the record was impressive in these matches (12-15-1), the level of competition in Serie A is such that the lack of another legitimate striker would surely knock Napoli back to Serie B and we’re back to battling the likes of Albinoleffe and Triestina. While they were calling Iezzo ‘San Genarro’ in Napoli for his tremendous goalkeeping this season, the team needed some help in stepping on the throat of an opponent when it’s down. One piece of brilliance goes against you and it doesn’t matter that you’ve been dominating a squad for 85 minutes. To compete in Serie A, you must have quality players able to finish off games or pip late goals to salvage a draw.

i'm so out of here

Cristian Bucchi must be less than overjoyed at the Bianchi signing. Since the club have said they’ll hold on to Roberto Sosa, Bianchi coming on board will, at a minimum, reduce Bucchi’s playing time (which severely diminished after the winter break) but more than likely will end his Napoli career. Although Bucchi ranked second on the squad with 8 goals, he was never able to form a strike partnership with Caliao. The two didn’t feed off each other well and seemed to almost get in one another’s way. Another Napoli striker likely to feel the impact of the Bianchi signing is 25-year old Brazilian Inacio Pia whose agent, Pedrinho (even Brazilian agents have one name, good God) is set to talk with Marino in the next few days. Pedrinho is also talking smack about needing to talk with Marino about a young Brazilian midfielder who he won’t name. blahblahblahblah.

Napoli will have to play their first match in Serie A in six years without two thirds of this years back line (Paolo Cannavaro and Maurizio Domizzi) and Fabio Gatti due to yellow card accumulations. Just hope we’re playing Torino or Cagliari and not Roma or Juventus that first match. The season is likely to start on August 26 and hopefully Lega Calcio will get off their asses and get the schedule out there soon. Who am I kidding? Italians do something early? Facciamo domani, non ti procupare.

The raid on Reggina may continue as Napoli is in serious talks with fullback Salvatore Aronica (scroll to the bottom). The 29-year old Aronica appeared in 35 matches for Reggina and has been a regular for the past eight seasons with Crotone, Ascoli, Messina and Reggina. Ok, so maybe starting for Messina doesn’t carry the same cache as being a regular starter for Milan or Roma but he’s been able to stay in the starting XI for eight years. When asked about the likelyhood of a move up north from Reggio Calabria to Napoli, Aronica said “Let’s say it’s about 80%.” I can’t say I know much about Aronica but he won’t turn 30 until January and he’s going to give Gianluca Grava a run for his money to see which player can put more crap in their hair. Wonder if he’s got the bad ass tattoos Grava has? You also get the feeling the guy has a 5 o’clock shadow by the time he’s had his first cup of espresso in the morning.

Coach Edy Reja still hasn’t signed his contract. First it was an issue of Reja wanting two years instead of the single year that was offered, then they said it’d be done this week and there were just formalities to iron out. Now, they say they’ve worked out a verbal agreement but it won’t get finalized until next week. The longer this goes on, the more I’m thinking De Laurentis is sweet talking Marcelo Lippi into taking the gig. Reja is more than a little maddening in his stubborness to hold on to players too long (Montervino anyone?), not promote bench players who are clearly outplaying members of the starting XI (Trotta over Grava) and playing Sosa ad-infinitum when you can tell he’s just not a 90 minute player any longer. I’d probably be bitching about Lippi as well but that’s what I do. The thing is with any manager, you really have to watch an entire season to get a sense of how the man handles the gig, rotates his players, uses his substitutions, etc… I’m just not down with the way he does it.

Enjoy Manfredonia and Pistoiese losers! Spezia relegated Hellas Verona yesterday. Couldn’t happen to a nicer group of fans. The fact that the brigate will be singing their obscene, racist chants at Cittadella and Cremonese fills me with joy. The last straw for me was when their fans at the Bentegodi this year harassed the Telecapri Sport announcers. These announcers had to work in fear because these scum kept screaming and throwing crap at them. It’s bad enough when you do that to fans though it’s not like the tifosi at San Paolo are exactly innocent, but to interfere with these guys who are just doing their jobs?