Episodes

  • Viola Station 56: 2023-2024 end of year

    Viola Station 56: 2023-2024 end of year
    Jun 12 2024
    The end of the Serie A season can only mean one thing: your three favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots stretching their hearts and minds over the 3-front campaign and figuring out what it all means. We each pick standout performers and try to dredge some conclusions out of a typically unhinged Viola year. We also bid a fond farewell to Vincenzo Italiano and look ahead to Raffaele Palladino. Along the way, we get to (?) learn about McMike's Tina Turner legs, hear Producer Mike refute the tenets of linear algebra, and get a brief insight into Tito's pre-podcast life through a Paulo Sousa lens. Feel free to get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter. Big thank you to Windchime Weather for the music and to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us. As always, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Viola Station 55: Olympiacos and the Red Sea Podcast

    Viola Station 55: Olympiacos and the Red Sea Podcast
    May 23 2024
    Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots are all back in one place and in fine form, talking about these final few fixtures of the Viola season. The Conference League is obviously first and foremost in our minds and we run through our preliminary thoughts on that game in Athens. We aren't looking too far ahead, though, as we also detour into a brief conversation about the trip to Cagliari before getting a bit more philosophical wondering about whether or not this season has been a success. For the second half of the pod, we talked about squad turnover, replacement managers, unpredictable highs and lows in the league, European triumphs and tribulations, and fans throwing flares that irritate their own team. No, it's not Fiorentina; we were so lucky to get Denis and Gav from the Red Sea Podcast, who explained all things Olympiacos to us. They covered the feeling in Athens, what to expect from the game, and just how wild the Erythroleykoi season has been. Spoiler alert: this may be the only team in Europe that's more capable of emotional whiplash than the Viola. Along the way, we learned about our podcast's dark specter of negativity, McMike's fruit preferences, and just a single reference to Martin McDonagh's seminal film In Bruges. A huge thank you to Denis and Gav for coming on and to Windchime Weather for the music. Thanks as well to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us. If you want to get in touch, hit us up on the website or on Twitter. We had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening to it. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 43 mins
  • Viola Station 54: Coaches, Kisses, and Cups

    Viola Station 54: Coaches, Kisses, and Cups
    Apr 24 2024
    Your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots recorded an episode on Saturday. Remember Saturday? It was a day of sunshine, joy, hope. The birds sang l'inno della Fiorentina. And you know what? McMike and Tito (no Producer Mike in this one) leaned into it, striking a tone that's way more optimistic than what we usually do around here. Don't worry. We thought it was weird too, but bear with us. After a heartbreaking loss to Atalanta in the Coppa Italia semifinal second leg at Atalanta, maybe that kind of happiness can help us learn to feel again. So dive in to hear us discuss (sigh) our expectations for the game against la Dea. Fortunately, though, it's not all Coppa blues, as we also dug into the Conference League win over Viktoria Plzeň and looked ahead to the semifinal with Club Brugge before detouring through one of the most tempest-in-a-teacup stories about Vincenzo Italiano "kissing" a Sky Sports reporter you've ever heard. Along the way, we learned about McMike’s yearning for a certain syrupy evening treat, got a glimpse into Tito’s weirdly encyclopedic memory for decade-old transfer rumors, and found out about what’s going on with Allen Iverson’s tiny statue. Big thank you to Windchime Weather for the music, as always, and thank you to the Sport Social Podcast Network for hosting us. We had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening. Feel free to get in touch with us on the website or on Twitter, and, as ever, Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Viola Station 53: A long overdue chat with the innimitable Giancarlo Rinaldi

    Viola Station 53: A long overdue chat with the innimitable Giancarlo Rinaldi
    Apr 11 2024
    A Mike special this week! McMike sat down with Giancarlo Rinaldi to talk Queen of the South, Fiorentina, and the weather. After their chat, the Mikes^2 talk the loss to Juve and all the midweek shenanigans your heart could desire. We also talk coaches and conspiracies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 46 mins
  • Viola Station 52: Joe Barone, international break updates, and a tumultuous summer coming up

    Viola Station 52: Joe Barone, international break updates, and a tumultuous summer coming up
    Mar 26 2024
    It's a Tuesday evening so it's time for a new Viola Station. No McMike today, so it's just Producer Mike and Tito to run through the doldrums of the international break. First and foremost, your favorite Fiorentina podcast idiots discuss their shock and grief at the untimely passing of Viola president Joe Barone last week. There's obviously nothing about this we can spin into humor or even lightheartedness. It's just heartbreaking. Our next topic of discussion was the international friendlies that a number of Fiorentina players popped up in; there wasn't much to report, so we instead focused on some guys who may have deserved a call (paging Luca Ranieri). We then shifted to this upcoming summer, which sounds like it'll be as topsy-turvy as ever for this team, what with Vincenzo Italiano on his way out and Arthur Melo unlikely to be redeemed. Along the way, we learn that McMike's absence doesn't protect him from strays, that Hines finally betrays his lack of American patriotism, and that Tito has a surprise candidate for next year's manager. Big thank you to the folks at Sport Social Media Network for hosting the pod, and big thank you to Windchime Weather for the music. Finally, a big thank you to you for listening. Hit us up on the website or on Twitter if you've got any questions, and forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • Viola Station 51: Roma, Italiano, and listener questions

    Viola Station 51: Roma, Italiano, and listener questions
    Mar 14 2024
    We're back. Sorry for being a day late; we encountered and overcame some technical difficulties en route, but we're back. Anyways, this was quite a podcast to record: two straight Fiorentina games defined by last-gasp goals (against Maccabi Haifa and Roma) left us reeling, grasping at answers, and eventually settling back into our usual rhythms. We worked through that wild finish against the Giallorossi--tactical, technical, and vibes-based opinions included--and spun that out to encompass a wider look at the Viola right now, particularly how Vincenzo Italiano's done during his time in charge. After that, of course, it was the fun part. Yep, that's the part where we answer listener questions, ranging from youth development to Serie A dynamics to the state of the Artemio Franchi and beyond. Along the way, we learned that Hines' American supremacy remains unchecked, that McMike's reading comprehension is at a very different level from anyone else's, and that Tito needs to work on his transitions to ad breaks if Hines is going to give him any respect. Big thanks to Jake, Laura, and the team at Sport Social Media, and to Windchime Weather for the theme music (Nate's got a new band called Friends Friends that's really good too). We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this one. Feel free to reach out with any questions at the website or on Twitter. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • Viola Station 50: Doom, gloom, and room for improvement

    Viola Station 50: Doom, gloom, and room for improvement
    Feb 28 2024
    Two-thirds of your favorite Fiorentina podcasts are here with a little doom and gloom. This time, it's Producer Mike and Tito, with McMike allegedly off keeping an alleged eye on Rocco Commisso, allegedly. The remaining musketeers engage in some pessimistic gazing at the Viola, looking at recent results, upcoming fixtures (which look awfully difficult!), the Conference League, and some bigger picture goals. If we sound pretty down, well, keep in mind that we recorded this the day before the Lazio game, which may have altered our outlook just a little bit. We touch on new signings in February, the future of Gaetano Castrovilli and Dodô, and where Vincenzo Italiano should place his focus for the rest of the year. Along the way, we get scorching hot transfer predictions from Producer Mike, Tito talking himself back into a dark place (that may or may not be a closet with a washer/dryer), and which Fiorentina player is like Pippo Inzaghi but without the tantric sex stuff. As always, we had a blast making this and hope you enjoy listening. Feel free to reach out to us on the website or on Twitter if you have questions or comments. As always, a big thank you to the Sport Social Media Network for hosting the podcast. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • Viola Station 49: The winter mercato, Fiorentina's future, and the new-look attack

    Viola Station 49: The winter mercato, Fiorentina's future, and the new-look attack
    Feb 13 2024
    Well hello again, friends. Two of your three favorite podcast idiots are back on the airwaves to talk all things Fiorentina, as we always do. No Producer Mike Hines this time because he decided to spend his honeymoon doing something that wasn't chatting with us (and again, auguri, Producer Mike!), so it's McMike and Tito behind the microphones to bring you the kind of hard-hitting journalistic excellence you've come to expect from us. That last part was, if you've listened to any previous episodes, obviously a joke. Anyways, this time we're digging into the January transfer window and trying to figure out what it means for the club and its going forward; only adding a couple of veterans on loan deals definitely has us feeling certain emotions. We also dig into Cristiano Biraghi's frustration in the post-Lecce presser, the firepower of this fully armed and operational Viola attack, and the life and impact of the recently departed Kurt Hamrin. We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed making it. Hit us up on the website or on Twitter with any questions or comments, as usual. Forza Viola! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 16 mins