After some positive results against Inter, it’s time to assess the positive fundamental changes at Fiorentina

Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Henry Ford said, “Failure is just an opportunity to start over. Do it smarter this time.” I hope you find it on your way. ’ We are somewhere in these quotes right now.

Let’s start by emphasizing this. The days of Rocco Commisso are not over. Rocco does not believe his Commisso era will end once the Viola Park is built. Do you agree with everything Rocco and the company have done? No, not even close. I’m an optimist and I love this club so I remain positive about where we can go as a team even after taking the brunt of Rocco’s attack. , players and the club in general, what will happen next? Let’s take a look at some things to build.

Rebuild relationships and feelings with fans

I know, I know, we have learned since the days of Guelfi e Ghibellini that the Florentine people are always divided. increase. Knowing this, Rocco must take a collaborative approach to speaking clearly to all fans, be transparent about the decisions made, and answer questions without pride or anger getting in the way. I know he must feel unfair to be judged when he invests so much in Fiorentina, but as the owner of Florence’s very proud and respected Calcio Club, he is not necessarily him, but is responsible for uniting the fans around the jersey.

Do fans agree with everything he does? No, it’s like owning this big, beautiful club. The owners and Rocco know this, so the fans have equal power and rights over the club. When I first met him at Mediacom headquarters, he was very appreciative of the fans sitting in the storefront of Florence’s della Valle. He told his ViolaNation that he might not have been able to move through the deal so quickly and cheaply if his loyal and proud fans hadn’t spoken out.

Rocco should make all future public statements and actions regarding the consolidation of his fanbase so more people can understand his vision (though not necessarily agree with it). Stop all press conferences and staged interviews. They discuss only the same negative narratives, dissent and denounce others, and pat themselves on the back. It’s okay that Rocco is prone to mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Stop building and breaking down.

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Deepen connections with local fans

Previous Fiorentina leadership has always had and prioritized Fiorentini links within the club. Today, under Joe Barone, we not only have no local connections, but we have kicked out and denigrated those who unite Fiorentini with this leadership group. wants Fiorentini to. This demonstrates a desire to be one with the community and creates a sense of trust among the fan base for the club. Hire locals.

Develop and maintain professional relationships with local journalists

This is very strange. A sports club’s relationship with the local media is critical to the club’s success. Journalists should always be allowed to be honest and candid when evaluating club performance. Fiorentini journalists are no exception. They have a reputation for being critical, but always fair.

In a healthy club-media relationship Fiorentina hopes to provide an environment of transparency and access that will lead to mutual trust. Loyalty should never be expected. In a perfect world of journalists, they should be the only ones who can call their babies ugly. Rivals He is the first to defend team journalists when they write articles criticizing the club or criticizing players or officials. The current administration does not understand this and instead attacks itself and demands support from the same people they overthrew.

Recent events following Inter Milan’s match at Franchi this weekend have demonstrated why Fiorentina need a reliable partner, but the bridge has been a threat every time a press conference attack has taken place, as well. It has been burned more than 1,000 times due to limited access for local journalists. Clubs reach out during bad spells to keep articles positive and limit the number of negative comments It is always done with the idea of ​​oppression rather than transparency or openness.

Fiorentina needs local media support and local journalists need access to the club. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Almost all journalists are locked out of information within their clubs and have to get information from other Serie A clubs, player agents or market experts. why? Relations with local media are no longer so belligerent. Stop asking for favors and take the connection seriously. In fact, someone else should be hired to build trust with Fiorentina’s media.

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Antononi, Batistuta, Valero, etc.

A real Fiorentina man has stepped up to be part of the Renaissance and Reconciliation. Over the years he has sweated, bled, scored and won for this club Men, some with the coordinates of the Ponte Vecchio tattooed on their arms. These men bring tremendous value to Fiorentina and Fiorentini in many aspects of football, business and relationships, but they have all been pushed aside.

Battigor wants more money than he’s worth, Antononi isn’t great at public speaking and is limited in what he can do, and Borja is just getting started. The truth is that there is a real fear factor of how these men will overshadow their current leadership, which is preventing the necessary steps from being taken.

Fiorentina needs street cred. When Rocco introduced Fiorentina at his 2019 party on Arthur’s Avenue, he told Giancarlo Antognoni’s victory in his 1982 World Cup. and established credibility for bringing Fiorentina to New York. As far as I can recall, Rocco hosted his party on Arthur’s Avenue for that World Cup win, and what Antononi, Zoff and Rossi did for Italian-Americans in that part of the Bronx. We talked about how the streets swelled in celebration of

To me it seems very short-sighted to kick one guy out and shut out the other two completely, especially when Rocco needs help. is missing. Fiorentina lacks people with community connections. Who’s better than these Fiorentina legends?

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The right investment by the right people at future Mercato

Rocco told me in our first meeting at Mediacom that he likes being loyal to his people. He doesn’t like excluding people, and gives them every chance to gain a position within the organization, but if they fail, he moves quickly. but the results matter. Fiorentina needs to look back at the results of the buy and sell. Yes, we did a great job selling his Dusan and Chiesa for big bucks, but there’s little to show for it. Worse, they tend to be arrogant and unwilling to admit they made mistakes.

Prade deserves credit for bringing in Burdisso, but it may be time for students to take on the role of teacher. Maybe you want a new group to do player selection. The biggest mistake is never getting players who fit the coach’s system. Especially now that we have a coach who just got extended last summer. Personally, I don’t think Italiano is one of the biggest problems plaguing this club today. He is someone we should invest in.

Supporting Joe Barone

Based on what I’ve heard, it’s my opinion that Barone will never leave this project. He was part of Rocco finding Fiorentina and negotiating the sale. They have been working with Cosmos for many years, but show no signs of separating. You don’t have to agree with this statement, but people should be aware that he will not be replaced, Rocco will not make this change. All that has to be done is a sincere attempt to surround him with the right football, the heart of Fiorentina and Fiorentini… simple.

It’s been said that Rocco will spend money, but he doesn’t spend it foolishly. He doesn’t keep paying people he believes don’t have the purpose or a certain skill set he thinks he needs. For example, you need to change your mindset about the skill sets you need and who brings value to your organization. For example, if Fiorentina intends to keep the people they perceive as lacking in key positions, at least surround them with others within the club who will add the strengths they lack. .

CEO

Mark Stefan is a true talent and the current CEO of Fiorentina. He is fully qualified to manage Fiorentina’s finances, contracts and organization. Although he is not involved in day-to-day operations or personnel decisions, this may be due to his impeccable business track record within Mediacom. Unfortunately, Mark is just too valuable to his Mediacom to make him full-time at Fiorentina.

Is it time for Fiorentina to consider hiring a Serie A businessman? If the answer is yes, this person is not afraid to say yes to everything Barone and Prado want In addition, they must be able to manage the company autonomously. We need people who say, “I understand your position, but I want you to think about this as well.” Fiorentina doesn’t need more yes-men.

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Finally, I took more positives from Saturday’s game against Inter than most people. We ended up seeing some emotion from the players, even as Jovic directed them towards the fans. We played against very good clubs and got a bad result from the referees a few times.

The road forward will not be easy, but it can be. If Joe and Rocco are willing to let their pride down and try their best and start over, this could be the best and most fulfilling thing Rocco Commisso has ever done and it’s a Forbes 400 man Remember the hope we all felt on the first day he came to Florence in Franchi. He told me it was one of the best moments of his life. i know what i said He deserves good things, but so do his fans. This club has always been owned by the hearts of many loyal fans. Rocco’s method alone won’t work. He can’t do it, but can he accept it? If he can, we’ll see Fiorentina’s company, team and fanbase come together for the first time in decades. Isn’t it just intelligent and magnificent?

Semper Forza Viola.

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