Viola Nation: for Fiorentina fans

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are back for a new episode looking at the same problems plaguing the VIola in deflating losses at Panathinaikos and against Napoli from which they limped away with even more self-inflicted wounds, which should feel like business as usual at this point but still hurts our feelings. We also discuss expectations for the rest of the season and weigh the merits of Serie A versus the Conference League in a discussion that we certainly won't look back on as hopelessly optimistic in a few months. The real fun part, though, is a look at all the Fiorentina loanees. This is the loaniest club in the league and we wanted to look at those short-term deals through a longer-term lens, so we played a new game we're calling Keep or Yeet with the guys currently at the club, and a similar game called Try Again or To the Bin with the guys elsewhere. Along the way, you'll get to hear about the Irish Hineses of Monterrey in Mexico, McMike learning what yeet means, and Tito once again reduced to dead air (because that's what makes for compelling audio content). 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

Are you feeling happy? In a good mood? Surrounded by your loved ones? Maybe a kitten purring in your lap? Well, your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are here to ruin all that. To be fair, it's not entirely our fault: the Viola have been, in a word, cheeks for the past few weeks and we don't like it. We don't like it one little bit. We talk about the dispiriting loss to Hellas Veorna, particularly the utter failure of the team's medical personnel and the league's health protocols in the wake of Moise Kean's really frightening concussion. After that, we look forward and forecast the rest of the year, trying to figure out if the January mercato made any impact. Spoiler alert: the mood doesn't really lift. Along the way, learn more about McMike barging his way into a familiar bunker, Producer Mike's Beautiful Mind, and Tito's textile tirade. 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

The transfer window has slammed shut, thank goodness. Just before the sash met the sill, though, your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots convened to talk it over. We covered most of the arrivals--Nicolò Zaniolo, Nicolò Fagioli--and the departures--Jonathan Ikoné, Christian Kouamé, Cristiano Biraghi--but we did record with a day left, so there are a couple of gaps in the record. That wasn't all that happened, though, because there was a real, honest-to-god Serie A game too. We ran through the action in Fiorentina's alternately enjoyable and miserable win over Genoa. And of course, we couldn't let the episode end without a discussion of Rocco Commisso's burner accounts, which is a real thing that a billionaire in his 70s had (has?). Along the way, we found a new nickname for Producer Mike that he really, really likes and learned about McMike's logic-defying Moebius underpants. Thank you to Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the music. Reach out to us on Twitter, Blue Sky, or the website if you're so inclined. 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

For the first time in what feels like years, your three favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots reunite to talk shop. While that reunion was pretty joyous, the cloud surrounding the Viola is less so. We discuss just how stinky that cloud is following the collapse against Torino, whence that stink is emanating, and whether there's a way to eliminate or just cover it. It's hard to say, but having club leadership slap-fighting in the media probably isn't the best approach. After that, we turn to everyone's favorite disinformation mill: the transfer market. We run down some potential arrivals and some potential departures, as you'd expect. We touch on Michael Kayode and Jonathan Ikoné (both healthy scratches against the Granata) as well as a couple other candidates for a January exit before hitting the names you'd expect. Yep, it's Pablo Marí, Tony Sanabria, Dennis Man, and Brian Cristante. Along the way, we get some god-tier Foley from McMike, an explanation of Tito's new split custody arrangement of his body, and how pantslessness affects an audio medium. In unrelated news, we also get Producer Mike's Rum Reviews. Thanks to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the music. Get in touch with us on the website, Twitter, or Bluesky. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike and Mike convene to break down the Napoli loss in both scatological and eschatological terms, trying to figure out what went wrong (everything) and what went right (nothing). Napoli certainly deserved to win but holy smokes was that unpleasant. It was maybe so unpleasant that your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots think this might have been a Joshua Brillante situation, a demonstration that the squad needs a lot of work in January. That naturally took us into a discussion about the winter transfer window, which we were able to have because Tito wasn't around to be grouchy about it. We talk about the incoming (Michael Folorunsho, Pablo Marí), the outgoing (Lucas Martínez Quarta), and the rumors surrounding players who fall into either category. As you can imagine, that's a lot. Along the way, we learn about Larry David theme music defending, the difference between a fart and a shart in a metaphor, and all about Jarritos sodas. Thanks to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the theme song. Hit us with questions on the website, Twitter, or Bluesky. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh off a disheartening defeat against unpleasant Udinese, two-thirds of your favorite podcast idiots convene to discuss the state of Fiorentina. Producer Mike and Tito run through the collapse against the Zebrette, trying to figure out what went wrong and maybe salvage some positives. From there, the conversation took a turn into what's changed for the Viola since Edoardo Bove's exit, trying to figure out some mitigation strategies to replace his unique contributions. After that, we classed up the joint with our favorite (only?) Juventus expert: Danny Penza of BWRAO. Danny and Tito ran through Juve's season to date, including the ex-Fiorentina contingent, and tried to get a handle on what Thiago Motta's been cooking up besides potions of health. We capped it off, of course, with some predictions. Along the way, we learned about McMike's attempts to evade NORAD, Producer Mike's goose-like fear of wooden canines, and Tito's 6-dimensional chess predictions. Thank you to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and thank you to Windchime Weather for the music. Hit us up on the website, Twitter, or Bluesky if you want to get in touch. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While McMike's under the weather and possibly suffering Nyquil hallucinations, your remaining favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots--that'sProducer Mike and Tito if you weren't clear--run through the latest goings on. At the top of our minds, of course, is Edoardo Bove, because his medical episode was terrifying, and we first and foremost hope that he's okay and that he does whatever's best for his health going forward. Losing him for the foreseeable future, though, means that Daniele Pradè and Roberto Goretti have a lot more work to do in the January transfer window, although there may be some in-house solutions to replace Edo. Returning to actual stuff on the pitch, we also discussed the Cagliari game and touched on the Coppa Italia before taking a dive into the future of the goalkeeping position in Florence. Along the way, we also discussed whether it's better to get punched in the mouth or grabbed by the nipple and who's going to stake out McMike's house to confirm that he's alive, as is a Viola Nation tradition. Thanks to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the music. Hit us up on the website, Twitter, or Blue Sky with any questions. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots have decided to sit down in front of their microphones and tempt fate in a way that would make a Sophocles protagonist wince. That's right, we're still flushed with the afterglow of a Moise Kean-inspired win over Hellas Verona and, as we gaze into the abyss of the international break, we're feeling okay. Fine. Good, even. Because we're trying to figure out if Fiorentina is actually good. And you know what? We do. We break down that Verona game, naturally, and compare it to some other recent and perhaps slightly less enjoyable wins against mid-table opposition. We sing Kean's praises, of course, but also dip into some of the less noticeable heroes as well (central defenders, this one's for you). After that, we dip into the depth chart and what the injuries--Albert Guðmundsson, Danilo Cataldi, Marin Pongračić--mean for a team competing on three fronts. We also (big sigh) dip into the winter transfer market, looking at what kind of player the club should target after the APOEL loss laid bare the issues at certain key positions. Along the way, we learned about McMike's grandmother's communication advice, what plant-based beverage Producer Mike will shill for, and just how far Tito can stretch a pit bull metaphor. Big thank you to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the music. Hit us with questions on the website or on Twitter. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed making it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Still wrapped in the warm embrace of a 5-1 battering of Roma, your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are in as good a mood as they've been in for quite some time. McMike and Tito open with a long discussion about that incredible performance against the listless Giallorossi, trying to figure out if the limit exists for this edition of the Viola. After that, we run down the injury list, which launches us into a conversation about the current squad depth, which is somehow simultaneously frightening and also better than it's been in years. We round this episode off with a quick look ahead to the Genoa and Torino games, making some predictions that'll send you to look for some holy water, just in case. Along the way, we learn about McMike's masochistic Wheaties, what kind of cloud Producer Mike would be, and Tito's lonely tennis games. Big thanks to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us and to Windchime Weather for the music. Hit us up on the website or on Twitter if you've got questions. As always, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices