Spangly Princess

Roma 2 - 1 Fulham

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:13:00 +0000

when we went 1-0 down I really did think oh no not again, there was a terrible inevitability about it. I just sat there thinking oh my god we're going to lose to fulham at home. I have a friend who is a huge fulham fan so I was pleased for him with at least, ohhh let's say 0.0000000002% of my brain. Then some sendings off, some effort on the part of our players to remember they're actually quite talented, and suddenly we had scored two goals and it was all good. For values of all which mean a tiny bit.

Still at least our support was better and the booing was replaced by a determined singing. progress perhaps. and we can still go through, it's in our own hands (ha!)

On Friday I went out with the Fulham guys, we went to a bar which serves micro-brewery beers coming in a a minimum of 6.5%. They were thirsty. This entirely wiped out my Saturday, I am badly out of practice at drinking with Englishmen. Even CB cooking me poached eggs wasn't enough to revive me. All my weekend plans were entirely fucked by this, I haven't felt so terribly ill for a long time.

I am trying to write a research proposal so that's your lot. We're away at Inter tonight, kick off in 20 minutes or so. I might eat some soup and try to prepare for tomorrow's class.

Roma 2 - 1 Bologna

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:59:00 +0000

things you've never seen and don't want to: a crowd booing its own team's equaliser.

That's how bad the situation has got at Roma after yet another league defeat last Wednesday (away at Udinese). The booing against Livorno was pretty comprehensive, today was even worse. Through the week there have been protests of all kinds at the training ground an en route to the game today so its not surprising that things were worse than ever today.

Interrupting the protests against the club and the players came a much more serious issue, for once. We started with a 5 minute silence and banner for Stefano Cucchi, the 31-year-old who died mysteriously while in police custody here in Rome this week. Apparently epileptic, Cucchi was arrested for possession and held in custody for over a week while his family were not permitted to see him; his body exhibits highly suspicious signs of a beating (there is a horrible picture released by his family). The official story is that he fell down the stairs. The minister for the interior, despite 'knowing nothing at all as yet' confirms his absolute confidence that 'the carabinieri have operated correctly'.

It seems trivial and unpleasant to follow this story by talking about the football, I can only apologise. After the 5 minutes silence followed chanting against the police, unsurprisingly, and against Rosella Sensi. I don't think the Curva blames her for beating an epilectic to death but pretty much every else goes to her discredit, apparently. As for the game, with a sense of weary inevitability we went 1-0 down; somehow, against the script, we then equalised... through Vucinic of all people. This may partly explain the virulent cauldron of whistling hostility which greeted the goal. The second was scored by Perrotta, who was booed almost as vigorously throughout the game (with some justification) but at least people didn't actively boo the second goal. We still played like shit.

A thoroughly depressing afternoon. 27,000 sad fucks having a miserable old time, and I include all 22 players on the pitch, the staff, managers, directors, owners and even the away fans given the state of Bologan right now. You know, if it's not fun at some level, che cazzo stiamo a fa'?

Udinese 2 - 1 Roma

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:01:00 +0000

we have lost our last 3 league games: a crisis-hit Milan, bottom of the league Livorno and now Udinese. Admittedly the Friulani are a decent attacking side and in Roberto Di Natale (currently the league's top scorer) they have a great striker. Actually it was the more inconsistent yet talented and brilliantly named Floro Flores who was busy scoring last night, the fcuker. Two set pieces, two great finishes (especially the second, a lovely header). De Rossi briefly equalised but fruitlessly while Vucinic continued to infuriate by missing an absolute sitter at the very end of the game. I love(d) the man but fuck me you're useless, Mirko. Taddei was sent off but these days he might as well not be on the pitch anyway, I don't think it made much difference.

In other Serie A news, Lazio are sharing our losing streak and last night were finished off at home by Cagliari; bottom of the league Siena (5 points) lost to relegation rivals Bologna last night and have just sacked their manager Giampaolo; Juve put 5 (FIVE) past Samp, which is a shame since I really want Samp to keep challenging at the top, at least it makes things interesting. Milan went 2-0 up against Napoli and then conceded 2 goals in the last 3 minutes to draw. (haha). We're going to see Inter-Palermo tonight, CB has never been to the San Siro so it should be fun. More fun than watching the giallorossi right now, anyway.

Fulham 1 - 1 Roma; Roma 0 - 1 Livorno

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:02:00 +0000

neither of these results have inspired me to write much. or indeed anything at all.

Totti has been out for nearly a month, since injuring himself scoring against Napoli, and he was supposedly aiming to come back for Bologna on Sunday. Late this afternoon news has emerged that he is about to be operated on ... again... on his knee. Mah. He might be back by December but it's optimistic.

Frankly though the absence of Totti is no excuse. Sure, it'll always be harder without him. But does that explain why Perrotta and Taddei look as though they've lost the will to live, why Menez was asked to ~~miss~~ take a penalty, or why Daniele De Rossi is more interested in mentally evaluating which Premiership club he's going to move to in January than in making a single useful pass in the entire 90 minutes. De Rossi, ffs. The papers have politely described it as a 'periodo grigio' - a grey period - but it's more like dark matter than grey. Vucinic looks like a starving poet who's been forced by a capricious patron to put on a football shirt and run around aimlessly for the amusement of the public in the hope of being rewarded with a publishing deal for his tragic epic "The Lost Man of Montenegro", written entirely in terza rima.

losing at home to bottom of the league Livorno, to give them their first win of the season, is a new low. credit to Fulham who deserved their draw though.

rage/despair.

what I have been doing on my non-holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:17:00 +0000

Am drowning in mid-term marking right now and have also developed a horrid cold / acheyness which may or may not presage swine flu. I have also been busy with the Roma Supporters' Trust project, about which you can read a brief intro here as well as on the main website (click on they banner to the right).

Meanwhile I have been knitting and worrying about cash flow and reading Neal Stephenson and stressing about my research proposal.

Norwegian Derby!

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:27:00 +0000

Big Riise vs Little Riise! That's what it's all about apparently. Tonight Jonn-eh, luminous haired fan favourite, will be going head to head with younger brother Bjørn Helge, who plays on the right wing for Fulham and will thus be attempting to wizz down the line while Jonn-eh kicks lumps out of him.

Touchingly, in an interview for the Fulham website Bjørn Helge credits John Arne (do they really use their middle names like this, as though they were Spanish?) for his pace and acceleration:

"I hit him and then tried to run, because he was always a lot bigger than me. I ran as fast as I could to get home to my mum because I knew then he couldn't touch me. But almost every time he would catch me on the stairs or by the door and would give me a thump but I still think it helped me develop my pace.”

Other useless Riise information acquired in the last 24 hours: there is apparently a statue of J. A. outside the stadium in his hometown, and his sister is also a top footballer.

Good times. I really REALLY wish I was in London but instead will be spending the afternoon supervising mid-terms and trying to mark 22 exam papers and 31 essays. Apparently the ~~UEFA Cup~~ Europa League is on Rete4 which we for some reason don't seem to have on our new superlarge telly so we will have to try to tune it in somehow. Or go to the Brazilian bar round the corner, perhaps.

I like Fulham and the Fulham fans that I know so I hope they have a nice evening and lose only narrowly in an exciting game of attacking football.

Metadream

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Last night I dreamt that I found a new Georgette Heyer novel. It was published by Arrow, in a late-90s two-book paperback volume with, I think, April Lady. Un-Heyerishly, it was called The Cut. The text of April Lady was also a little different in this edition, and an introduction explained that they had found new manuscripts.

I triumphantly took the volume to show CB. "Do you know, I have repeatedly dreamt of finding a previously unread Georgette Heyer novel" I said to him, in my dream. "In fact my mother has also had this same dream. It's probably the only dream we have both had... having the same dreams as people is weird, really," said I, accurately as it happens. I remembered those other dreams, and particularly one where I had even dreamt about the plot (as opposed to merely the edition, in a bizarrely bibliophilic rather than text-orientated change of focus).

I woke feeling first thrilled and then bereft, and I know that it will happen again.

strange referrals #389 in an occasional series

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:31:00 +0000

most people come to my blog on purpose, that is already knowing me. others find me through google searches ranging from the logical (roma, caporetto, coffee and walnut cake) to the rather more surprising: each week a steady flow of visitors arrive who have searched for 'Irriducibili Lazio clothing'. I can only surmise that they must be very disappointed, and I can assure them that the feeling is mutual, since I don't imagine they are going to be particularly interested in my site or will choose to hang around for very long.

but a big belated hello to whoever distinguished themselves this week by arriving here via a search for 'brothels firenze'. The inexorable logic of google rankings, as promoted by certain newspapers at the expense of journalistic values (yes, daily telegraph, I'm looking at you) would now suggest that I talk lots about brothels to boost my rating. I feel stragely unqualified in this department, though regular readers might quibble that this doesn't stop me from writing about anything else.

In fact I have been asked for brothel recommendations before, in person. When I was a student I worked as a cleaner/chambermaid in the holidays to supplement my grant, scrubbing bathrooms and changing beds for conference delegates staying in Oxford over the summer. A number of oddities were thus revealed: the fat man who ate apples on the toilet, leaving the core carefully positioned on the cistern; the propensity of certain Japanese guests to boil up noodles inside their kettles, not a habit conducive to happy cleaning staff; the woman who expected us to clean her room while she drifted around it in the nude. Most disconcerting to me though was a request from a nattily attired middle aged man (an OPEC delegate) for a list of recommendations of Oxford's top brothels. I disappointed him, as I must have disappointed the seeker of entertainment in Florence, with my entire inability to make any suggestions - ignorant as I was (and remain) of *any* of the city's brothels, let alone the 'smart, classy' establishments he specifically requested. Heaven forbid that I should recommend a downmarket brothel to the man whose shower I was scrubbing.

On balance I think the aspiring purchasers of Irriducibili tshirts are more welcome. Just about.

supporter's trusts in italy? could it work?

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:30:00 +0000

I don't have a massive amount of time to write about this right now, but there is a project afoot to create a kind of Supporters' Trust for AS Roma and move towards partial or entire collective ownership.

You can read all about it here. Lots of Italians are sceptical as to whether it could ever work, but bearing in mind the socio model at Barça and Real, or the system at Bayern, not to mention the Supporters' Trust model in the UK, I don't see why not. Or that it's not worth trying.

I met the guy who is trying to set this up a couple of weeks ago and helped him out with the English part of the site.

Now, if you are interested, you can here more on the radio this evening, also available via the internet, and featuring... yours truly in an exciting radio debut.*

Now I just need to prepare something to say, especially since I am apparently the 'responsabile inglese del progetto'... erk.

* actual excitingness may vary.

tessera del tifoso

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:07:00 +0000

on 20 September coordinated national protests were organised (supposedly) by Italian ultras against the Tessera del Tifoso (though why I dignify it with capitals I'm not sure). If you haven't been paying attention at the back, you can make up missed lessons here.

It is unlikely of course that these would in any case have achieved anything (popular protest changing government policy? when Vesuvius freezes over...) but they would be more like to do so if people could actually stick to their guns for as long as 45 minutes at a time. Roma ultras had announced a 45 minute strike, which was rigorously enforced with a type of picket line which one was seriously discouraged from crossing, though in any case I would not have. This was initially very successful:

(Photo from LamiaRoma.com)

But when after about 30 minutes of standing outside the curva singing and playing tug of war - no really - Totti scored his second goal, people altogether lost their self-control and after chucking a bunch of bangers into the empty sector then flooded in to fill the end as normal. It's hard to argue that you care desperately about a gross abuse of civil liberties when your attention span lasts less than 45 minutes. Where, you might ask yourself, is the mentalità?

Anyway I much preferred the response at Bari. Puglia, as you may or may not know, is at the heart of the corruption investigations which began with the regional health service and which have uncovered the escorts, the parties, the champagne etc and which first brought Ms Patrizia D'Addario to public attention. In others words, the summer-long scandalous revelations about Berlusconi's sex life all begin back in Bari. The Curva Nord there had its own take, consequently, on the idea of trying to control bad behaviour through the issue of ID cards:

[Fighting, banners, escorts and coke: we want MP ID cards now!]

I put this here because it is possibly the only thing about this story which can make me smile... our so delightful minister for the interior Roberto Maroni has insisted that it will be mandatory for all clubs to introduce the tessera from 1 January 2009 and henceforth it will be impossible to buy tickets for away sectors of any ground from the old C2 upwards. They have slightly tweaked it in response to public criticism but fundametally it seems sure to go ahead.

sprechen sie deutsch?

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:49:00 +0000

I have started German classes. Leaving aside the fact that the only one I can fit into my stupid schedule is on a Tuesday from 08.00-09.30 I am quite excited about this. I am studying at the Osterreich Institut (since I mainly will be reading things to do with Austria, in my ultimate objective of studying both sides of the war). There are only 6 of us in the class and we will be breakfasting together, Germanically.

I have also joined a gym. This is less exciting than the German, and probably harder work, but better for me. The gym instructor is a short, enormously stocky and heavily tattooed laziale to whom CB blithely revealed my footballing orientation. If I die of a heart-attack on a treadmill you know why.

Rome is still unseasonably hot - sandals and tshirt weather - and I was kept awake half the night by tormenting mosquitoes. Grr.

new stadium project

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:15:00 +0000

Seeing is believing, they say, but I'm not sure that having seen I quite believe just yet. Still, if & when something vaguely like this should come to pass it would be great. Mostly.

Roma have been talking about building our own dedicated stadium for years, in a rather vague way. It would massively boost our income, is the main argument, but there are more emotive reasons too. Finally a concrete proposal has been made - for a site way out west on the via Aurelia, which is a bit odd, and I've not yet seen an explanation of how the public transport access might work. It would have a 55,000 capacity, extendable to 60,000, on two levels, and much closer to the pitch. It has solar panels & is designed with an eye to environmental impact, which is good. It is a bog-standard characterless out of town bowl à la Reebok Stadium, which is bad. There is a substantial corporate hospitality element which is, I guess, a distasteful necessity in our economic situation. Much remains to be seen... where is the money coming from? and above all the curva: could it ever be anything like the same? how will it work?

So I am reserving all judgement and not getting excited since who knows if it will even happen.

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:54:00 +0000

Okay people, you get news not elegant prose. Also, what you get is dependent on the whim of my dictation software. Although the tendinitis which has been crippling my arm of late is gradually beginning to heal, I am trying to be very careful not to use it too much. Hence I am sat on the sofa wearing a headset, as though I work in a call centre, dictating to my laptop.

Personal News:

I am 30! Happily this is something I'm pleased about, rather than otherwise, not least since CB prepared me the most wonderful birthday ever. It featured a cooked breakfast (with real English bacon), followed by shooting Nazis on Call of Duty: World at War on the Xbox, and then a nice lazy bath. Then we had a picnic with champagne in the sunshine, in the grounds of the Villa Doria Pamphili, with a quick stop for shopping on the way home. Then out for dinner in my favourite restaurant, which is really more of an enoteca with expert sommelier, where I had a surprise cake after dinner -- my first time ever -- followed by drinks in a nice cocktail bar with friends. All of this was a complete surprise, since he hadn't told me anything about what he was planning. 10 out of 10. He has now amassed enough boyfriend credits to sit in his pants on the sofa for a year playing FIFA and calling for tea and biscuits. And I haven't even mentioned the tan leather knee high boots which he bought me yet.

The tendinitis is apparently almost entirely connected to my awful back, which has been creating problems for me for nearly a decade now. Basically because the upper part of my back, neck and shoulder is so immobile, it cuts off the blood flow to my right arm. This not only causes pain to the nerve, giving the diffused pain up and down the entire limb, but makes it harder for the tendon to stay healthy as well: any slight inflammation of the tendon doesn't heal as it should do. Disney is brought to you by my lovely physiotherapist, who is now back from doing good works in Tanzania, and who I shall be going to see regularly in the hope of not being quite so crippled.

Work news:

I have been asked to devise a seminar course on the First World War for the spring semester, which is in the process of being approved by the Academic Council. All my colleagues in the Department seemed to like it, and I'm really excited about the chance to actually teach my very own subject. I'll also be teaching the course on memory from last spring once again.

I went to conference in London in early September, which was extremely successful and interesting. I have been asked to join the editorial board of a new journal dedicated to the study of the First World War, which is both flattering and exciting. Even more flattering and exciting, a friend of mine has asked me to put forward a proposal for a research project, and to start applying to research councils for funding grants with an eye to holding a post-doc fellowship at his institution. I'm currently trying to cobble together my rather vague and ill-defined ideas into something a little bit more concrete, more on this process as and when it happens.

Teaching is quite quiet this term, since I only have three courses instead of four, so I'm trying to get some research done while I can. I'm doing some stuff on the wartime illustrated children's gift books. Rackham, Dulac &c.

Flat News:

we have a new telly. It is very large. I find it a little daunting, but it makes it easier to shoot Nazis. We also have a coffee table. Heady times. Oh and I finally bought a telephone, which means that the landline, which was installed last month can now actually be used as such. Perceive my efficiency. Those of you who have been asking for my landline number will shortly be receiving it! Try to contain yourselves.

There is also of course lots of football news, far too much to be incorporated into this post, and it will hopefully follow over the days to come.

it's nice to be writing again.

all change

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:53:00 +0000

Spalletti out! Ranieri in! not a surprise in some ways after losing at Genoa and at home to Juve on Sunday but still dramatic. Brilliant timing too, two games into a new season & with the transfer window now closed.

Sadly my arm is crippled and I can't write anything more but that accurately reflects my feelings of... oooh blimey. What to say.

I was going to call this post Neglect but apparently I have used that title already

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:24:00 +0000

Dear long-abandoned readers, I am not, in fact, dead. As you may have been suspecting. I have just been afflicted with a serious case of real life which has brutally come between me and the computer. I have moved house, and had that strange and long-forgotten thing, a holiday. Soon I hope to be back in the saddle (NB I do not sit on a horse to blog, though it might be interesting).

Actually a break has been rather good for me: a break from the computer, a break from blogging, and even a break from thinking about football at all. Chelsea Boy points out that you will all have left me in my absence, and having been pretty much incomunicado since late June this may be the case. On the other hand, you should be used to it by now.

News & comment in brief:

CB & I have moved into a new flat all of our own. Well, rented, so not our very own. But just the two of us, not shared. What we lose in relentlessly carnivorous Slovakian flatmates we gain in having an actual living room. With a sofa. CB may never prise himself from it again.
I have bought a lovely new sewing machine (a Singer 7463, for those who are interested. I think that's at least 1 of you).
The sofa is disgusting. I shall be making loose covers for it.
Ibra for Eto'o + over €45 mill is the bargain of the century, Inter must be laughing all the way to the bank.
I have had a paper accepted at a conference for Italianists... this is alarming since normally I only talk to First World War historians. Italian historians may laugh at me and poke me with big sticks. Time will tell.
Holidays, of the kind where you actually rest and relax, are ace. There is a social imperative for intellectual middle-class types to spend holiday time ceaselessly "doing" museums, galleries, views, churches, ruins, exhibitions, temples, cathedrals, historic washhouses &c in order not to "waste" precious holiday time. Strangely it seems that lying on the beach in a place you have been 83 times before with a succession of paperback books is more restful, recuperative and de-stressing. Who would have thought it.

that's all for now. Soon I hope to be back to a more regular posting schedule

fundraising

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:33:00 +0000

So a while back I mentioned the delightful first hand experience of heavy handed and pointless Italian policing which CB & I got to enjoy. Seven of our companions on that day have received banning orders & further penal measures may yet ensue. They are all banned for the next two years from attending any organised sporting event whatsoever within the territory of Italy at any level, whether amateur or professional, competitive or friendly, national or international. Those of you whose lives revolve heavily around sport can perhaps try to imagine what this might feel like.

They are advised by an experienced lawyer who works almost exclusively in this field that there is a reasonable chance of successful appeal, and are consequently following this path; the expense of instructing the solicitor and lodging the appeal is of course not inconsiderable, and they are all of course young and in a state of what we call precarietà over here.

As a result they are trying to raise funds to meet their legal costs, as you can see here on their homepage or on their blog and have set up a dedicated Postepay card to this end. Should you be moved to contribute, then it is very easy to do within Italy (via any Post Office or Sisal point). If you are outside Italy it is rather more tricky, but email me and we could certainly sort something out.

no alla tessera del tifoso

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:55:00 +0000

So the other day I was mentioning the tessera del tifoso, the proposed Fan ID card which they want to introduce here. If you wanted to know more about this you can now go over to Pitch Invasion where I have written a bit more about it, for further details. 'cos I know you have nothing better to do with your time than read my writing. No really.

photo of the day

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:07:00 +0000

from my recent trip to Napoli with CB:

beer, football, adidas... what more could you ask from life?

Cheaty cherry & chocolate pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:53:00 +0000

So recently I have been going to lots and lots of parties where I am asked to take a dessert of some kind, partly because I offered in the first place & then it became almost an expectation. I have been baking lots of cakes, but for Saturday fancied something much quicker and easier, so I invented a very easy cheaty pudding. I suppose it is sort of a trifle.

supermarket sponge cake
fresh cherries
powdered chocolate pudding mix - check number of servings per packet
milk
booze

Choose the appropriate size of dish depending on numbers you need to feed. Line the dish with a 1cm thick layer of sponge cake - one of those rectangular sponges is ideal. I used a €0,79 slab of marble cake.

Stone and roughly chop some ripe cherries - enough to cover the entire layer of cake. This is the most hassle of the whole thing, I think. Spread the chopped fruit evenly over the sponge, gently crushing with a spoon to encourage the cherries to leak juice into the base.

Now slosh some booze over - marsala or sherry would be best, I used the former.

Now make up the chocolate pudding according to the packet instructions, which usually involves boiling up the powder with whole milk for a few minutes. Pour it carefully over the sponge/cherry ensemble & leave it to set. I made 3 packets worth, which serves 12, and takes 1.5L of milk, poured over about 600g of cherries.

Serve it chilled - you can decorate the top with more cherries should you so desire, or chocolate flakes, or even with whipped cream if you wanted to go crazy, but there's no need. This is better if made the day before, but in either case is a nice lazy option which looks good & tastes better.

Distraction for the day

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:04:00 +0000

If you are at work and have nothing to do with your time, you could do worse than to try this:

http://italiandefender.altervista.org/

(better with sound)

Speckled Jim!

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:58:00 +0000

I have to go away for the weekend and there is no time for me to write up the post I had planned this evening. Instead I offer you a lovely picture of cutting edge Italian military communications technology, c. 1916:

Thousands of these mobile dovecotes were in use at army, corps, divisional & brigade levels.

In fact, shooting of [delicious plump breasted] pigeons anywhere in the Veneto became a military offence throughout the war (though not, perhaps, a capital one...)

Roma 3 - 2 Torino

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:08:00 +0000

Don't extinguish our passion

When the fixture list came out last August I was pleased to see that we were at home for the last game of the season, for a change. I don't think that back in August any of us were quite expecting that when that day came we would have nothing to play for because we had already confirmed a spot in the UEFA Cup. Sorry, the Europa League. Bleurgh. As it happened, it was only Torino who had anything to play for yesterday: they needed to better Bologna's result in order to stay up, a tallish order since Bologna were at home to Catania, an easier prospect than Roma at the Olimpico even in this benighted season.

Through one cause or another - protests, illness, Lodigiani - I have been a bit distracted recently with regards to Roma. As I arrived at the ground it somehow felt like ages since I'd been there. Shiny new signs were much in evidence, remnants of Wednesday night's shenanigans: a superfluity of coloured noticeboards directed us to the entrances to each stand, while new instructions on how to use the turnstiles had been stuck up. My United-supporting friends who were here last week inform me that the system had broken down substantially on the night of the final, not least due to the large numbers of fans who had bought tickets through legitimate outlets only to find on the gate that they had been reported stolen and hence blocked. Even those with no ticket problems had some issues with the electronic system, which was perhaps not quite up to coping with the complexities it was being asked to perform - pictures of each ticketholder were supposed to pop up on a screen inside the ground as they presented their card. No such difficulties at the turnstile for us, of course, and the little green arrow duly flashed up on the LED screen for the last time this season.

The climate of uncertainty which hangs over Roma's future has grown ever greater in recent weeks. In particular, the bank Unicredit (to whom Italpetroli owe the trifling sum of €280 million) have at long last broken their silence and announced that they want urgent movement from the company: the December 2008 repayment instalment has not been made, the June 2009 sum is due imminently and there is no evidence of how the Sensis are going to meet it. With the bank's public statement, the pressure on the Sensis to sell Roma is greatly increased; to many of the fans who have been calling for Rosella's head ever since the Fiorentina game, this is a welcome sign. The fact remains that while investors ponder, investigate, discuss, inquire and consider - and vultures circle - no concrete offer for the club has ever been made, either now or last summer.

For Roma ultras the thorny and divisive question of ownership is only one of many issues to be addressed. In common with every organized tifoseria in the land, the Curva Sud is implacably opposed to the proposed introduction of the "tessera del tifoso" - a fan's ID card which is due to be brought in this summer. So far only Milan have signed up for the scheme which turns fans into customers: a rechargeable payment card "loyalty scheme" without which away tickets can't be bought, and which will be issued only once checks have been made on the identity and record of each individual. Past offences will therefore live on - even after the terms of any sentence or ban may have expired, you will be unable to obtain the tessera del tifoso so any punishment, just or otherwise, will effectively be inextinguishable. But Maroni is keen to extend his scheme; it would be hard to make it obligatory by law, but easy to seriously penalise any club which doesn't sign up to the scheme (eg if only fans with the tessera can attend certain games... opt out, lose out econmically.) Collect points! get discounts! be placated in a consumerist paradise which obscures the erosion of your civil rights!

A large scale coreografia had been arranged for this game, to mark the end of the season, to remind us what we're all supposed to be there for, and to address these concerns. Of the big groups in the Sud, only the Ultras Romani opted out, with a banner on their spot proclaiming "Lavori in Corso" [work in progress]. Their close links with the current administration have left them isolated in the face of the current climate in the Curva, which is more united now than for a number of years. The theme was a return to childlike enjoyment, "Rivogliamo il calcio di una volta" proclaimed the striscione which (entirely by chance) I got to hold until my arms ached. The central painted banner showed kids playing in under the Roman skyline against a giallorosso sky:

A close up on the central picture:

The day was also marked by lots of striscioni and chants for Agostino di Bartolomei, on the fifteenth anniversary of his tragic suicide: 30 May 1994. Ago captained Roma to the '82-'83 scudetto and for many older fans remains their true captain, above and beyond Totti. He died alone and hard-up; many people blamed Roma for failing to offer him any support or the continuing role with the club which he so desperately wanted and which might perhaps have helped to save him from his loneliness and depression. Ago shot himself ten years to the day after Roma's loss on penalties to Liverpool in the '84 European Cup final here in Rome.

The match itself got off to a lively and unexpected start with Torino taking the lead in a bizarre fashion after 9 minutes of play. Unfortunately for the (impressive) Toro fans present, Bologna swiftly established a lead over Catania and held on to it throughout, so there was never much hope of salvation. As for us, our only concrete goal was once more Totti related: starting the game with 177 Serie A goals, tenth in the all-time goalscorer's chart, he was just one behind Giampiero Boniperti on 178. Boniperti's distinction is that all 178 of his Serie A goals, between 1946 & 1961, were scored for Juventus (he would later go on to be president of the bianconeri before turning up as a MEP for Forza Italia in the 1990s). Once Totti hits 179 he will become the player to have scored most Serie A goals for a single club. Of course, for me the 179 goal target irresistibly brings to mind this:

Ah, happy days... 13 September 1997. I was not quite 18 years old, about to start university; Arsenal were beating Bolton at Highbury and Ian Wright was prematurely celebrating beating Cliff Bastin in a memorable fashion. Totti didn't manage it yesterday: just the one goal (a penalty) to equal Boniperti's record. His Ian Wright homage will have to wait for next season.

So it ended 3-2, Torino's two goals and sterling goalkeeping from Matteo Sereni making little difference in the face of Bologna's convincing win over Catania. All over for another year. I have some end of season musings, and some more things to say about Sunday for that matter, but this post is already quite long so I might stop here.

'tis the season to be nuptial

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:40:00 +0000

sorry for the silence, people have been getting married (not me!) and I have been busy travelling, titivating, drinking prosecco, being photographed, making small talk with other people's distant relatives, overeating &c for what feels like a long time. There was also a few days of lounging by the sea. Perhaps there will be photos at some stage.

then there has been the whole CL final thing - my thoughts on it are here if you care. some Utd fans of my acquaintance were over for the match so yesterday we met up for an afternoon of drinking & Caravaggios at the Galleria Borghese, a traditional post-defeat activity to be sure.

Now I am girding my metaphorical loins for the start of the summer semester on Monday. I have also been writing conference paper proposals & preparing for a presentation I'm giving in the UK next week. Busy times.

Coffee & walnut cake

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:11:00 +0000

I made this last weekend for a friend's party in the countryside. She lives in a delightful stone house near Sacrofano with views out across rolling verdant hills, a garden overflowing with jasmine & honeysuckle, a litter of orphaned kittens living on her terrace and a hammock strung between two fruit trees, to which CB retired in state, receiving delegations of visitors and calling for wine to be brought to him.

Guests were American, Italian, Canadian and various other varieties. I suspected - rightly - that coffee & walnut is a very British tradition which would be unfamiliar to many of the guests, and which might also go down well with them. It did. I have just been typing up the recipe for a colleague who requested it and thought I'd offer it to you as well.

Coffee & walnut cake

175g each butter, self-raising flour and caster sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder / lievito per dolci

100g shelled walnuts

Espresso – around 6 cups in total

(for the topping)

200g mascarpone

200g fromage frais / philadelphia / similar

Caster sugar

Pre-heat oven to around 180°. Grease two 23cm spring-form cake tins and line with baking parchment.

Make the espresso: a 2-person stove-top pot is just right. Or two generous cups from a barista's machine. Leave it to cool.

If you can be bothered, carefully cream butter and sugar together by hand until smooth & white, then fold in sifted flour, backing powder & eggs. Otherwise, chuck them all in the blender and whizz til smooth.

Meanwhile spread all the walnuts on a baking tray and toast them lightly in the oven for a couple of minutes til you can smell a rich toasty flavour. Keep an eye on them, they burn very easily and then become disgusting.

Keep 10-12 nice walnut halves to one side for decoration and finely chop or crush the rest. (I like to put them into a small clean plastic bag & smash them with a rolling pin). Mix walnut pieces gently into the cake mix, then add the cooled espresso bit at a time, mixing well until blended in.

Divide the cake mix equally between the two prepared tins and bake until golden brown & springy to the touch.

Optional Syrup – for extra moist, sticky cake

While the cakes bake, make another 2 cups (NB espresso-size not US-style "cups") of espresso, dissolve 4-5 teaspoons sugar in the coffee to make a sticky syrupy concoction. If you have a sweet tooth, or its opposite, adjust the sugar to taste.

Once the cakes are baked, carefully spoon the coffee evenly over both cakes as soon as you remove them from the oven. Leave to cool in their tins before turning them out onto a plate or serving dish.

Topping

Repeat the coffee/sugar procedure as for the syrup & leave to cool. By hand or in a mixer, blend the mascarpone & crème fraiche. Slowly add the cooled sweetened coffee and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour or two before applying to the cake. Use a generous quantity to sandwich the two cakes together and the remainder on the top, finishing off with the reserved walnut halves.

It all vanished in record time, and sadly I forgot to take a picture.

fun with privacy

noreply@blogger.com (Spangly Princess) — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Espanyol haven't won the Spanish title ever. But their women's team has - in 2006 - and finished fourth this year, which is more than the men's team can say for itself; they also seem to win the Catalan Cup with monotonous regularity. The reason though that we're talking about this at all is the news about one of their players, one Noemi Rubio. She's been at Espanyol for four years and been an important part of the side.

As of last week though she has been suspended and her contract - due for renewal this summer - is not going to be extended. Why? because she was photographed at Mestalla for the Copa del Rey final, brandishing a Barca scarf and with blaugrana face paint. Frankly, the face paint alone should be a sacking offence on any adult. Espanyol though are more upset that she then put these pics up on Facebook. Ah the joys of posting unfortunate details about your private life on the internet. I've been that idiot, many a time.

They say that it's not about her support, pointing out that many Espanyol players past & present have been Barca fans, even ex-Barca players, and that this is in itself no problem at all. What they are unhappy about is the lack of respect, discretion and courtesy towards Espanyol fans: do what you like but don't flaunt it about, basically.

You can read the full statement (in Catalan) here .

On the one hand this might seem like a bit of an over-reaction but then again, it's not like they're sacking her. How would I feel if there'd been a widely circulated photo of one of our players with blue and white facepaint celebrating the Coppa Italia win last week? absolutely sick to the pit of my stomach. Hard to say that it's a wrong decision on an emotional level.