#AVIA TEAM WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO ME

[cyravillaria]

My mind is having a crisis, WTF IS HAPPENING

I just realized that bela`s suit aint even blue its fucking PURPLE😭😭😭

AND HER HAIR IS CLOSER TO ORANGE THEN YELLOW FUCK, IT COULD BE USED AS A SKIN TONE TOO OWHROQBROQBD

[norwegiancinnamonrolls]

Translation of the interview with Andi Wellinger in Willingen

(requested by @skijumping-stuff)

Dirk Thiele: Dear viewers of Avia tv, we say hello from the Sauerland in the spa hotel where team Germany is hosted since years and when Andreas Wellinger stayed in Willingen, he didn’t sleep somewhere else as well, right?

Andreas Wellinger: Yes, I always stay here. For the 5th time, just one time I had to intermit.

DT: So last night you got renamed?

AW: Yeah, more or less. They made little pun, made Willingen to Wellinger.

DT: They made Wellinger to Willinger.

AW: Yeah, whatever. Anyway I’m kind of native now.

Gerd Siegmund: Are you already a member of the ski club?

AW: They offered me yesterday and I told them we still have to talk about the details. But I think I rather stay in Upper Bavaria.

GS:  Peter will do that, Peter Knoll, your manager.

DT: But therefor I’m a member here. Everything’s fine.

AW: Yes, that’s enough.

DT: Yesterday you won the qualification with a perfect jump. One year ago you also won the team competition. So you can’t say you don’t like the hill.

AW: You could say that. It’s a really cool hill, the biggest large hill of the world. It’s fun to jump in front of that backdrop. But yesterday’s jump was not completely perfect yet.

DT: Is there even something like a “perfect jump”? Have you already had one?

AW: Probably not. There’s always something you could do better and so also yesterday was still room for improvement. But all in all I trained well and did a good jump and it’s really nice if I can win the qualification with such a jump, but now I have to look forward to today’s and tomorrow’s competitions.

DT: And you’ll just take the 2000€ along. You actually do not need it, because you’re already a wealthy man.

AW: How do you want to know that?

DT: According to all accounts. They say sponsoring works well… that they chase after you. For example Milka, you’re the successor of Martin Schmitt.

AW: But that’s just that I don’t get too thin, that I get something to eat.

DT: Ah, some bars of chocolate as reserve.

AT: If I remember correctly you also got something from them, right?

DT: From Milka? I got two bars from you. Active corruption!

GS: Two bars? Probably two kilos?

DT: No, two normal sized bars, not even the big ones.

GS: Sometimes you should be pleased with the little things, Mr Thiele.

DT: Welli, so please do not distract. We were at the topic Martin Schmitt and there were rumors about his own bed linen. That’s not possible, is it?

GS: He had his own collection at that time.

DT: And you were sleeping (...in it??? He is like the worst interviewer ever)

AW: Yeah, I was sleeping in my bed, that’s correct. Could be possible that I wore nappies back then… nah, it’s not that long ago… but I have heard something about that, but I don’t know if it’s true.

DT: But there is connection between both of you in sponsoring. Martin Schmitt got sponsored by Milka and then they thought “Andreas Wellinger, a nice guy, very popular with the girls, who also eat some chocolate from time to time…” Did they tell you why they’ve chosen you?

AW: If you say so, it must be that way… Well no, my career started very well and fast. I consider it an honour to represent that color and label. They support winter sports since a very long time and I’m happy every day I can wear the helmet or hat and ski jumping becomes more fun then.

DT: But eating all the chocolate is not that easy considering your weight?

AW: No, I don’t have any problems at all. I got good genes from my dad. If I’m hungry for a schnitzel, I eat one and if I’m not, I don’t.

DT: So you’re a bad food processor?

AW: No, a good one.

DT: A bad one!

AW: A good one. What I take in, gets processed well.

DT: But if you can eat all that stuff, not all of the calories get used.

AW: We could ask the expert.

GS: The Nutritionist? Well, of course he is a good food processor.

AW: 2:1

DT: People, send the employment agency…

GS: Change of subject maybe?

And the discussion goes on... 

AW: Just admit that he is correct.

GS: I did so on TV for 13 years and had my peace. (They we’re both German Eurosport commentators for years.)

AW: 13 years?

DT: So you wanna continue without me? If you go on that way, we’re gonna talk about Nordic combined and skiing.

AW: With pleasure. I still don’t want to ski.

DT:  I thought so.

GS: Ski fast.

AW: I like doing it as a hobby in my free time, but not in a professional way. It was never my thing.

DT: So let’s be serious. Why did you start as a Nordic combined athlete?

AW: That’s just the typical way. Everyone starts there, learns the basics, so you’re not focused on a special thing from the beginning and I think that’s good, because you can try different things then. Then it develops individually, one is better at jumping, one better at skiing and everyone goes his or her way.

DT: Are you still interested in what the combined athletes are doing?

AW: Of course!

DT: They are too successful, I think.

AW: Yeah, the results are the same eventually which is not the best for the sport in the end.

DT: That’s why you don’t win everything, right?

AW: Pretty much… Last week I watched the race and that was a good promotion for the sport. When there are 20 athletes within 10 seconds during the last round. Things were really happening there. That’s really fun to watch.

DT: So your heart is still beating for Nordic combined?

GS: That’s the general interest in sports. Many athletes watch other sports. The football player who is interested in winter sports or just the other way around: like you as a passionate FCB fan. Every professional athlete has interests in other disciplines. Unfortunately you meet rarely to talk.

AW: Yeah, you know how much hard work it is to achieve such results.

DT: So we were talking about the “perfect jump” which actually does not really exist. Are there still ups and downs or did you put them ad acta after Bischofshofen?

AW: There are always variations because it’s just a very sensible sport and the power density is high. But I think they reduce and I’m on a steadier level now.

DT: How did it affect you to win the qualification and not reach the second round then?

AW: It shows how close it is between victory and loss in this sport. One day it was an amazing experience, also with the hill record which lasted about 11 years I think - and on the next day it’s just the opposite. There were a few factors coming together: shorter inrun, tail wind and then you get that result and are in a bad mood. But the next day it goes on, I try to look forward and work on.

DT: On the surface you seem to have a cheerful disposition and I have the impression you just consider it as over and are done with it.

AW: On the inside as well.

GS: It doesn’t always have to be so complicated. But what do you think about asking the FIS to start the world cup like about two weeks earlier? Then the shape of the German team, especially of you and Richard Freitag, would have been to the point for 4HT.

AW: If you look at this season, it would have probably worked out. Basically you could do this. I mean it’s cool to see the dedication of the people in Klingenthal, how they drudge to get the hill ready. But in my opinion you could also go somewhere, where snow and good conditions already are at that time. So we’re back at the topic North America. We will be allowed to go there with Ironwood next year…

GS: But Ironwood is a ski flying hill.

AW: Exactly.

GS: I mean it could be interesting to start the season with ski flying...

DT: I think it got rebuilt.

GS: Yes, it was already a big one.

AW: It’s a surprise how it’s gonna be. Basically there are the opportunities in North America to start the season earlier. Why they don’t use it…

GS: I think this a financial problem. Apart from that it’s famous, like the Olympic games of 2002 in Salt Lake City. Because of the time shift it would be a reasonable thing. You jump in the morning and we watch it in the evening. People were already discussing about that. But what I was talking about was your shape and to start two weeks earlier because of that. You could also train two weeks earlier, but who knows that?

AW: If you could wish it that way, it would be easy. But it’s not always easy to time to the point. The positive side is there is an upward trend.

DT: Let me chase this up. We asked Richard Freitag the same question. Are you able to calculate how to build up your shape in ski jumping?

AW: No, this is not possible. Of course you aim it and try to prepare for such events and it probably works in many cases. But you cannot certainly say “I’m gonna jump best in three weeks if I stay at home for two weekends to train.” That won’t work.

DT: There are automated motion sequences in ski jumping. But it doesn’t work automatically, there is tail wind, up wind, there are too many concomitants that disturb automatisms. You have to accommodate to this. Does that work in every competition, that you factor all that in?

AW:  No, because we don’t know it anyway. When you have a competition like Wisla where conditions change so fast and you stand on top of the hill, you don’t if there is tail wind or up wind as an athlete. You have to do your jump and if you do a good one it will work with both conditions.

DT: So it’s the same technique, you don’t change anything like an angle or something?

AW: I do not know if nations like Slovenia with a more extreme jumping style knowingly change something. But I don’t.

GS: So you changed your material in summer like some other athletes, too, which is pretty common to test things. But I remember that statement after your crash in Kuusamo about intensifying the edge of the ski. Did you take this back in the current season?

AW: Of course you try to keep the skis flat to get more inflow and feedback of the ski, but the change from flat ski to more edge was unknowing. It’s a process that develops if you change the jump, your body’s forces and the athletic. These are all unconscious concomitant effects with the goal to jump better.

GS: So you keep the skis flatter now?

AW: It’s not that easy, but I try to. It just takes about several 100 jumps.

DT: Andreas Wellinger and publicity, the girls. Here in Willingen it’s much more pronounced. You’re coming from training and walk by the crowd and don’t want to disappoint anyone. It’s a balancing act. You also need the time to focus on the next jump.

AW:  Yes, like yesterday. After the first training you don’t just want to walk by. These fans are waiting there for hours. This is also the great feeling, when you’re sitting above and see all those people. But down there is always not enough time to stop, give autographs and take pictures. So yesterday’s team presentation was really cool. We went down there again afterwards and had more time.

DT: So I heard your postman already has a crooked back if he comes to you because there is so much fan mail. Can you still manage this?

AW: I can manage it, I also get help.

DT: You have employees.

AW: No employees, my family helps me. That’s also a work you really like to do. There are lots of nice letters, like drawings from little kids where you just smile when opening the letter.

DT: Do you want to talk about your private life?

AW: Nope.

DT: You’re taken?

AW: (shrugs). I’m happy with my situation.

DT: What a rascal…

GS: “Wanna talk about your private life?” “No” “But how is your girlfriend?” (laughs)

DT: So now you can imagine how his private life looks like. So he’s happy… And we want that you stay happy, because there is probably a correlation. If everything’s fine in private, there are no worries, then this affects the jumping, too, or is this unimportant?

AW: I think if you have or had stress at home, you unknowingly take it to the competition and are distracted. But family and support from home are very important, so you have a balance between tension and relaxation.

DT: Is there a hierarchy in the team? Unfortunately Severin Freund is hurt and this will take its time. You just say no until I finished the question. So Richard Freitag and you don’t set yourself apart from the rest?

AW: No. Maybe from the outside you might think there is a gradation or hierarchy according our performance, but that doesn’t exist. We have a great team, a good atmosphere, everybody tries to give his best. We spend so much time together during the year, that we need to have fun together and enjoy the time. So I can just say it’s cool to be around with that team.

DT: You share your room with someone who is quite shy...

AW: Depends. Our native… (=Stephan). Basically he is calm and modest. That makes it comfortable, because you can relax and it’s fun.

(Then Werner Schuster enters the room and asks him to go to training.)

[fossadeileonixv]

Stalker vs Security Team

Read on to find out what happens when the Fossa’s resident Stalker comes up against the San Siro’s Security Team!

Milan v Spal

At the Udine match there were no issues passing security with my new banner, the Spal game however was a different matter.  I was stopped at the barrier by a steward as before and asked to explain the rolled up thing I was carrying. Flung it open and explained what it was....to which the response was that I couldnt take it inside! Casually pulled out my phone and showed them pics from the Udine game and told them that I’d already been okayed just a few days earlier, security countered that banners had to be okayed officially for display inside the San Siro, thinking fast, I decided to blag it and told them that I had received an official OK from AC Milan thinking it would be enough to make security cool their jets. Boy was I wrong....my cocky comment lead to security getting on to their radios and calling down the Head of Security! #Fuck!

After lots of waiting around and funny looks from fans passing into the stadium, a dapper looking guy turned up. He was shown both sides of the banner and began to stroke his chin...I decided to stop playing the smart ass and switched to being the silly foreigner who didnt know what all the fuss was about. Mr HoS explained that the word “Ultra” on the banner was a cause for concern and asked where I was from....I just replied with surprised expressions and explained that being from the UK, the word ultra is often used to mean all football fans (lies!). Mr HoS said not to worry and the wait wouldnt be too much longer as they simply HAD TO CHECK THE FOSSA XV URL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He said they didnt know what the Fossa XV Tumblr was and wanted to check that it wasnt anything “weird”.

Ah crap! My mind went into hyper-drive. I mean we’re just “normal” here right? How do you define weird? Will they like the WAG Wednesdays? When was the last time I joked about Ultra’s posting a bullet to someone at Milan HQ? What if he reads how much Lisi hates Suso?? Shit...my mind was spinning trying to think what there was on this blog that might be incriminating or cause for concern. I then caught a glimpse of Mrs AviA motioning to her watch. We had turned up a whole 2 hours early to the game and now there was just over 30 mins left to kick off! I went over to her and she wanted to know what the plan was, I told her we simply ditch banner Mk2 if it comes down to it as I sure as shit wasnt missing the game because of it. I was called back by Mr HoS for more standing around, he gets a cackle on the radio with some loud, frantic Italian being spoken, Mr HoS looks at me and says the Fossa url “passed” whatever the hell that means, I didn't pause, I just took the banner and was motioned to the turnstiles by stewards....it was only as I was walking up the stairs into the San Siro it dawned on me....Holy Shit...wait....does this mean......THEY KNOW WHO WE ARE!??!?!?! That has to count for something right?

Hey Marco! It’s me your old buddy AviA. You signed a shirt for me just yesterday remember? ........Why are you blanking me now dammit?.....FFS!

Pre Kick Off and Montella is sat with Mirabelli in the dug out

This is me heckling the camera man.... I told him to film me and the banner lol

The Bona Presentation

Dont know if they showed this on TV or not but prior to kick off Mirabelli presented Bona with a “100″ shirt for number of appearances

Tell you what, Jack has a face of a footballer......and the voice of a child actor!

Mr Mirabelli...please sign me to your team!! I can stalk scout talent for you!

Me, signed shirt & The Curva!...(no lattes allowed)

Goal Rod scores a penalty!

Spal manager getting frustrated....good!

Curva celebrating Kessies pen

Again, a great result but disappointed that both goals had come from penalties but two back to back wins were in the bag. I’ll take it!

Unfortunately that brings the Stalk Week to end folks. Hope you guys got a kick out of it as much as I did? In amongst the usual holidaying things I managed to get in a ton of Milan related stuff and managed not to get myself arrested which is always nice! I’ve been over to Milan a number of times and successfully pulled off stalking missions but this was by far the best football related visit to Milan I’ve ever had.

BTW, if you didnt already know this, Italy is surely the European Brazil! If you are single then you MUST go to Italy, it’s hottie heaven! OMG, seriously you guys...I'm not even exaggerating!

I was even awarded the Golden Anteater award by the City of Milan for being the worst tourist best stalker ever!

Mega-Big-Forever thanks to Mrs AviA btw! As good as a trip like this is, its multiplied a million times over if the person with you is equally enjoying it. There’s no way I would have been able to take all these pics and gotten all these autographs without her! Mwah!

Milan Booty!

As good as it always feels to get back home after a trip, a special highlight was unpacking all my Milan related goodies and drooling over them!

That’s it folks, the diary of a Milan stalker. Hope you guys enjoyed it?

Professor AviA Signing Off!

[fossadeileonixv]

What to do, what to do.....

Up next is Lazio folks. A team that can score in buckets with a pretty loaded midfield and front line. They’ve also been giving up a fair few goals. One clean sheet since Thanksgiving. To say they’re probable a little heavy on the offensive and light on the defensive would be fair.

How, exactly will we handle that?

Obviously it’s most important is what this guy thinks.

BUT......

It wouldn’t be any fun to just sit around and wait to see what lineup Montella rolls out on Monday afternoon. It wouldn’t be the Milanista way! It wouldn’t be AviA’s way! Wash my hand? HELL NO! It wouldn’t be in the spirit of our beloved founder, and might I mention avid flower arranging enthusiast, Gianfranco’s way! NO! This is the Fossadeileoni! We must consider! We must predict! We must justify our own delusions!

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

Kucka and Paletta are out via red cards

Jack, Monty and DeSciglio are still all gone for a while.

What we don’t know is the current status of recently injured Romagnoli and Poli

Or the availability of Antonelli or Calabria.

For this little exercise I’m just gonna assume they will all be out.

So let’s begin...

Let’s start in the back.

CLEARLY Donnarumma needs a break... so let’s start Storari so he can get one last start before riding into the sunset.

Just kidding.... I’m not THAT crazy...

Captain Abate will definitely start. As much as his defensive shortcomings drive me crazy, he’s out there leading. I’ll take it.

In the middle..... I think you have to stick with the South American connection of Zapata and Gomez. Even if R13 appears to be healthy I’d still be worried about starting him following a mid-week game. If Gomez can avoid his opening jitters and Zapata can just pretend that all of Lazio’s players are Higuain, we might be OK.

EDIT: Romagnoli has been declared out for the game.

Left back? Well it looks like our only real option is Vangioni. Even if Antonelli is healthy, his lack of defense would be a nightmare.

Easy part over. We know what we have in the back and we know what they can do.

Now for the hard part.... or might I say creative part?

What to do... what to do.... what to do....

My initial thought is that Locatelli needs some help in the midfield... so maybe 442? 4231? The goal here is to help slow the advance down the middle without sacrificing too much width. So.... how we gonna do that?

I have 3 ideas....

OPTION 1

Stick with the general plan A that Montella has stuck with all year. We’ll go with our standard 433. Loca plays as DM flanked by Pasalic and most likely Bertolacci? That’s a tough call. Sosa is probably too slow to play in a wide spot. Up front you go with Deulofeu on the left, Bacca in the middle and Suso on the right. Like i said, boring and kind of expected.

OPTION 2

How about a 4411 where we play Locatelli AND Sosa together? The middle becomes a midfield diamond of sorts where Sosa sits deeper, Locatelli plays the top flanked by Pasalic and... again.... maybe Bertolacci? That extra midfield spot is kinda tough to nail down. I’m honestly not sure who else is even available.... Poli? Mati? Honda? Perhaps I go Honda since that’s a familiar role for him. Up top we put Bacca and Deulofeu together. Bacca stays up higher with Deulofeu beneath. We keep our width, sit deep and hope to hit on the counter via Bacca’s finishing and Deulofeu’s ability to take folks 1v1. 

FYI: We need a nickname for him ASAP. I’m getting tired of typing his name.

OPTION 3

I call this one the Cliffs of Insanity!

We throw caution to the wind and dance along the knife edge between madness and genius!  

Montella rolls out with a 4231 where Bertolacci (GULP) and Pasalic sit deep in front of the back 4, Locatelli plays in an advanced midfield spot flanked by Ocampos and Suso with Deulofeu up top. This would most likely result in a 4-3 loss but it would make for a crazy entertaining game. If Lazio is weak anywhere it’s in the back. Their defense is IMO better going forward than backward and Marchetti always seems to bungle SOMETHING once a game. This game is AT LAZIO so the pressure will be on them. Why not come out with something a little crazy to attack like wild dogs early? If nothing happens for 10-15 minutes, that group could easily slide back into Montella’s favored 433. Instead staying advanced Loca flips back to his DM spot and we can sit deeper. 

Other random thoughts:

-Anyone else as impressed as I was with Deulofeu’s fearlessness at attacking folks 1v2 or 1v3? It’s that element that Bacca and Lapadula don’t have that can be infuriating at times.

-To piggy back on that it’s also worrying to see that Suso is becoming easily marked out when he drifts too far into the middle. He needs to keep as wide as possible so to have space and do his thing. He drifts centrally, receives the ball in too much traffic and is too easily dispossessed.

-While considering options for this game, it’s amazing how many midfielders on our roster are either hurt (mati/Poli/monty/Jack), suspended (Kucka) or just guys that Montella is resistant to putting on the pitch (Honda). How/why we brought in 2 wide players this window and no midfielders is confounding. 

- There’s no way in my mind this game features kless than 2 goals..... which of course means we will be treated to a scoreless draw.

- Prediction? 

We lose 2-1. Deulofeu scores continuing his rise to Milan Fantasista status but the Lazio offense is just too much. 

Have a great weekend,

Lisi