Viola Nation: for Fiorentina fans

It's a real good news, bad news situation for Fiorentina of late. The bad news is that the team, after briefly showing a pulse, has nosedived again, losing 3 straight games while shedding all that previous progress. The good news? At least the transfer window's closed so these bozos can't hurt themselves anymore. Your three favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back to discuss all that and more. We start out with a quick run through the Big Dog of the Fortnight, Bonehead of the Fortnight, and a thing we learned. You know, beyond the Viola's general haplessness. We then turned our attention to the mercato, picking out the good, the bad, and the truly inexplicable; if you want a hint, think of the Gatorade High School Player of the Year. Once we'd bummed ourselves out enough reviewing the transfer business, we finished up with a look at the Relegation Percent-o-meter, which provided a surprisingly optimistic forecast. Along the way, we got one well-dressed man who really believes that he’s a well dressed man, some more sub-par barking, and a particularly tortured bird joke that never quite got off the ground. Thank you as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the music. And as always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every episode of this podcast runs the emotional gamut but, in the wake of Rocco Commisso's passing, this one did in particular. Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots opened the pod with a long conversation about the man and his Viola legacy. After that, we lightened the mood by handing out our usual weekly awards before turning to transfer market. We talked through new signings Manor Solomon, Marco Brescianini, and Jack Harrison, talked through the exits of Pablo Marí, Mattia Viti, and Tommaso Martinelli, and then set sail into the mists of speculation. Along the way, we were treated to McMike's Woodland Critter Variety Hour, some very unconvincing barking from Producer Mike, and Tito's recent traumatic coffee experience. Thank you as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the music. And as always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back and are every bit as grim as you'd expect. We talk about relegation, of course, and preview the transfer window. More than anything, though, we're just sad. Sad about the Viola, yeah, but sad more generally too. For a change of pace, we also talk about Rocco Commisso and club ownership in general. Did that cheer us up? Well, no. McMike ended up needing a distraction. Producer Mike predicted the heat death of the universe. And Tito somehow got sadder than both of them. Thank you as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Nate’s got new music out!) for the music. And as always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To quote the Drive-by Truckers, the Viola have been falling for so long it's like gravity is gone and they're just floating. That won't stop your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots from getting on the mic and trying to figure out where it's all gone wrong, other than everywhere. It's just Hines and Tito this week as McMike's got holiday duties to attend to, but we maintain a pretty good level of absurdity regardless. This time around, we're looking back at the past couple of weeks and handing out some awards, including one we've had to rename in light of recent events. Then we take a look at some simple adjustments the Viola could make to stop losing like the losers they are. Staying in this present eventually got depressing, so we decided to look into the future and saw, well, an unremittingly grim landscape. Yep, we discuss relegation (one of us is surprisingly confident that Fiorentina's staying up) and the January mercato before closing out with a look at the coach, the fans, and the general feeling around the squad. Along the way, we learned about Mike's pandering to a younger listening demographic, Tito's Slingblade psychosis, and a new social experiment to conduct if you're listening in a crowded, public space. Thank you as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Nate’s got new music out!) for the music. And as always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to some technical difficulties, this episode is up a couple days late, but fear not: your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are at their best, as ever, as they break down the Juventus game, looking for the tiniest pellets of hope to feed on like wide-eyed goldfish with 6-second memories and largely failing. We also touched on some woeful kit choices, as well as Producer Mike's gastronomical sins, McMike's hierarchy of journalistic respect, and Tito's inversion of linear time. And, because Fiorentina fans continue to be disgusting racists, we had to address that for what feels like the umpteenth time. Thank you as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Nate’s got new music out!) for the music. And as always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It happened. It finally happened. A historically slumping Fiorentina finally took some accountability and started firing those responsible. Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots recorded this in the smoldering rubble of the Lecce game, before Stefano Pioli had been officially relieved of duty, but the writing was already on the wall, so we discussed his and DS Daniele Pradè's depatures. We also got some vintage McMike rants, a blanket apology from Producer Mike for everything (EVERYTHING) that's gone wrong, and learned about the various types of snake: evergreen, deciduous, et cetera. Thank you as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Nate’s got new music out!) for the music. And as always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fiorentina's wacky (read: tragic) start to the season continues, with the added wrinkle of apparent competence in the Conference League. Here to talk about it are two-thirds of your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots. We dive deep into a maddening performance against AC Milan and honestly bum ourselves out a little bit before turning to happier topics. Hahaha no we don't. Instead, we try to figure out which member of Fiorentina's management that's publicly taken responsibility for this mess is right; it's an "I am Spartacus" moment but nobody's going to get crucified. We also learn about McMike's anniversary (happy anniversary, McMike!) and the best joke that Tito knows. Thank you as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Nate’s got new music out!) for the music. And as always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fiorentina has arrived at the unenviable point of the season at which the only way to plumb new depths involves picking up a shovel, and the Viola are sure enough looking for the right tool. Two-thirds of your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are here to wonder where it's all gone wrong (everywhere) and wonder if it's going to get better (lol). This one's coming out a little late due to some technical issues on the back end so we're reaching all the way back to the last couple of games these bozos played: a brief moment of sunshine against Sigma Olomouc that made the subsequent crash-and-burn at Roma all the more painful. As we, like every other fan, look around like Vincent Vega to find a scapegoat, at least we get some classic, brusque-as-hell Philadelphia descriptions from McMike; some lolMets despair from Producer Mike; and a shot at Tito's Fenian shortcomings. Thank you as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Nate’s got new music out!) for the music. And as always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cinders. Ash. Dark, roiling skies. A desolate landscape strewn with rubble. This, dear listener, is where your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots reach you from. We shriek into the uncaring heavens, hoping to hear an echo that will prove that their are limits to our suffering, but our calls continue into a cold and endless universe, weakening until they vanish without ever seeing an end to the suffering. Why, yes, we are indeed recording in the aftermath of a psychically destructive defeat against Como. However did you guess? As you’d expect, we’re diving deep into what went wrong here. Whether it’s the personnel or the tactics, we’re leaving no stone unturned. Much like the season itself, we’re so upside-down that we’re changing roles mid-podcast. This time around, it’s Producer Mike who completely diverts us into a long conversation about wine pairings, which may be for the b best given that we also touched on McMike’s oddly erotic dreams while Tito blithely plows through all of it. Turns out that we were wrong with our last episode, and that’s on us. We’re very sorry. Thank you as always to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Nate's got new music out!) for the music. And as always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's taken us months of waiting and we've gotten so frustrated that McMike pulled out all his hair, but we finally have additional games to talk about. Join two-thirds of your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots (McMike's getting experimental Rogaine treatments and also moving house) to talk about the Viola in real, live games. Calcio is back. Because the transfer window industrial complex remains the single greatest driver of discourse in this accursed sport, we do have more mercato discussions, running through the arrivals of Hans Nicolussi Caviglia and Tariq Lamptey and how they'll shape this team's season. The real highlight for us, though, is having actual Fiorentina games to talk about, although the Producer Mike therapy episode and Miner Talk (way less scary to write than say out loud) with Tito. Thank you to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Endless summer? More like endless bummer. Because Fiorentina isn't playing, obviously. Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back and we're so tired of the estival inactivity that we've turned to making outlandish predictions. Yep, we're putting our names on some big predictions for this upcoming season, predictions that are of course completely correct and won't make us look like morons in 9 months. We don't just get hung up on the future, though. We also talk about the recent past, trying to glean what we can from preseason. McMike also prodded us into a discussion of Fiorentina's midfield and whether or not it's good enough. Along the way, we learned about what number of teeth in West Virginia is the right number of teeth in West Virginia, Producer Mike "Guinness in a Peroni Glass" Hines favorite lines from the New Jersey poet laureate (not that one), and Lorenzo the Lion in a gimp mask. You can find the show by searching “Viola Station” wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠⁠ for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to Viola Station, everyone, where 2 of your 3 favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots brave the heat and ennui of summer to talk about the Leicester City friendly and the transfer market. On the topic of the former, we chop up the action a little bit while trying to remember that these friendlies are utterly meaningless while still trying to draw some sort of conclusion. After that, we delve into the transfer market, discussing new signing Simon Sohm and some of the departures we're expecting and the Fiorentina salary structure and its implications. Along the way, we discuss Producer Mike's haunted house, some offhand disdain for Pisa, and Mbarney Nzola. Thank you to ⁠⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠⁠ for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. You can reach out to us on the website, Twitter, or Bluesky. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The mercury's high, the sleeves are short, the sun is hot, and the takes are even hotter. That's what happens when in July, when your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are running on SPF (Speculatively Positive Foolishness) fumes and delivering some blistering takes. Before we get to takes, though, we run through the conclusion of Moise Kean Release Clause Minidrama and Stefano Pioli's introductory press conference. After that, though, each of us tried to outdo the others in irresponsible optimism, before doing a quick rundown of the transfer rumors. Along the way, we learned about McMike's Tuscan hot dog conundrum and Producer Mike's second stroker theory. Thank you to ⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠ for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You could leave a rating and review if you want, but whatever. You can also hit us up on the website, Twitter, or Bluesky if you feel like it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're fully into the summer transfer window madness phase of the year and two of your three favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are doing their best to hang on. Producer Mike and Tito are back to chop it up (McMike's got some family stuff to attend to, so keep him and his in your thoughts). What is it? Well, that's always a question with lots of answers, isn't it? In this case, the main business at hand is Moise Kean and his €52 million release clause that only exists for another week. We also run through a few more potential additions--Adrián Bernabé, Sebastiano Esposito, Nadir Zortea--and, unfortunately, a couple potential departures in Dodô and Rolando Mandragora. Along the way, we learn about Tito's fun fun game to play with Manchester United fans, Producer Mike's come-get-me plea to Guy Fieri, and even get a complete linguistic meltdown. Thank you to ⁠⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠⁠Windchime Weather⁠⁠ for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You can listen to the episode on the embedded player on this page or wherever you get your podcasts. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The mercury's rising, the sun's beating down, and the oppressive heat of another off-season has us questioning our choices. Fortunately for your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots, we can dive into the cooling waters of the transfer window, especially since Daniele Pradè is actually getting stuff done before the last week of the mercato. We start with the additions of Edin Džeko and Jacopo Fazzini, breaking down how they'll fit in with the current squad and what grades Pradè gets for them. We then turn to the more nebulous rumors, working through some of the more plausible whispers, including a whole passel of Espositi. There's more to life than the transfer window, though, so we also try to figure out what new manager Stefano Pioli will bring to the table, both tactically and emotionally. We forecast the strengths and weaknesses of the squad for his approach before turning to the possible exits of current players. Along the way, we learn about the efficacy of dance-offs in a strictly audio medium, a conversational transition that might've gotten us excommunicated, and Producer Mike being too poor for IMDB. Also, the audio quality on this episode is pretty bad. We had some equipment issues her at Viola Nation studios but should have them fixed in time for the next episode, so bear with us. Thank you to ⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠Windchime Weather⁠ for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You can listen to the episode on the embedded player on this page or wherever you get your podcasts. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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It's just two of your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots in this one--McMike's off listening to birdsong to write an Oliver Messiaen-type symphony--but we've got enough gloom for the three of us. Producer Mike and Tito run through the grimmest week of results in recent Viola memory. Yep, we're talking about losses at opposite ends of the spectrum (Real Betis and Venezia) that result in similar outcomes: goodbye Europe. Don't worry, though. We don't confine ourselves to just that one kind of sadness. We look ahead to the potential repercussions of missing out on continental competition, looking at who might be edging towards the exit and which loanees saw their chances of sticking in Florence drastically reduced. We tried to avoid going full Zack Snyder and interspersed the grim dark greys and muted blues with the odd Wes Anderson pastel: Producer Mike pouring his first-ever beer, for example, or Tito trying to combine American football, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a shrimp. Thank you to ⁠Sport Social Podcast Network⁠ for hosting us and to ⁠Windchime Weather⁠ for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your three favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back together for the first time in a minute and we've got a lot to talk about. We looked back at the triumphant Derby dell'Arno before glancing ahead at the Conference League semifinal against Real Betis. We also ran through some of the key absences facing the Viola at the moment. The big thing we did, though, was play a little game we're calling McMoneybags McMike. Imagine, if you will, that our favorite big bearded boy bought the club and brought Producer Mike and Tito along for the ride, but with a catch: they both have to present a plan for the summer transfer window. Nepotism? Absolutely. Do they still have some decent ideas? Sure. Is there pandering to those with a fondness for midfielders whose cheeks are sharp enough to puncture tires? Oh, most definitely. Thank you to Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. You can listen to the episode on the embedded player on this page or wherever you get your podcasts. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

EDITOR'S NOTE: We didn't talk about the Celje win (?) because we recorded a couple days beforehand. Due to real world constraints, by which we mean Producer Mike's day job, this one's a couple days behind. Anyways, it's the Tito and Hines show today as McMike is on a super-secret special assignment that certainly doesn't involve hiding in suburban New Jersey shrubbery. We had a somewhat grim conversation about the dire draw against Parma and a somewhat less grim conversation about the first leg win at Celje before swerving into predictions for the rest of the season and then descending back into the serious stuff about the newest betting scandal hitting Serie A, which touches on a couple of Fiorentina players. Come for the heavy topics but stick around for the more important stuff: where McMike is, what conspiracy of primates knocked Producer Mike out of commission as we recorded, and Tito's triumphant return to What Are You Drinking. Thank you to Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. Feel free to drop us a rating and review but it’s whatever. This is for discerning listeners like you rather than the hoi polloi. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The birds sing. The sun kisses your skin. There's no doubt about it, there's something in the air, and that something is a couple of big wins over Juventus and Atalanta. McMike and Tito bask in that positivity (mostly because Producer Mike isn't around to bring it crashing back into an emotional nuclear winter) as they look back over the past couple outings. It's not just the games that count in the standings, though. Stroll with us through the golden garden of halcyon memories as we hit the highlights of #PepitoDay, celebrating the one and only Giuseppe Rossi and some of his friends who swung through town to hang out for his testimonial match. We wrap up with a discussion of Raffaele Palladino's chance of getting the axe before the end of the season or over the summer. Along the way, we listen to McMike try to name a single actor under the age of 30 and find out which American city Tito hates most. Thank you to Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the music. As always, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this. Feel free to drop us a rating and review or whatever. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices