FILE ON FIORENTINA

I was in London for a couple of days meeting up with the Executives of BT sport. Britain is one of the most insular of soccer nations with little coverage of the European Leagues so I question whether BT bagging of the Champions and Europa League rights will be the same driver as the Premier League’s was for SKY. I enjoy working with Mina Zerruki a former stockbroker who regularly appears on Doten Adenbayoh’s World Football programme. I know some podcast it but it indicates what I say that this is tucked away at 2 am.

Fiorentina have now their last 3 games over Milan, Panduri and Sampdoria . I watched the Last two at La Pietra with the Viola Club of London . Emiliano Viviano the Arsenal number 2 was there for he Milan game. He is left alone as it should be but he told me he is settling in well as Arsenal,its always easier to do this when your club is top of the League.

I took Alan Tanner to dinner at my favourite Italian restaurant the Locanda Locatelli in the Churchill hotel . He was distraught that his beloved Fulham would go down. They certainly seem a lifeless team and it may well require a new manager to reenergise them and shake a few things up. Certainly Fiorentina would have sacked him by now but this not always an advantage. I recall one season when we were well placed at the turn of the year, sacked the manager and then a couple more and ended up relegated .

I am surprised that a London team with a training camp near Kingston cannot attract better younger players. in his article Alan mentioned how Fiorentina sold on 3 players profitably and utilised the funds to buy de Rossi and Gomez. De Rossi who was once at Manchester United has now scored 10 goals. He is a small striker so he won’t get many headers but he has a cannon of shot often with no back lift: a snip at €10m.

Roma’s run has come to an end with 2 surprising draws against Torino and Sassuolo and I can see Juventus overhauling them. We are just outside the top 3 and need some strengthening in January to mount a challenge.

The removal of Galliani the Chief Executive director of Milan will not create any tears in Florence. Last season the police had to get him out of the directors’ box where you don’t normally expect crowd trouble for his safety whilst Viola fans with Uncle Fester masks to whom he has some similarity mocked him from outside it. It could only happen in Florence.