Ballardini: Are You A Fan Of The Man?

By: cathal | October 30th, 2009

Once again and hopefully for the last time, I have decided to change the format of the poll. My reasoning behind this is that with the new system, I have noticed that almost all votes are cast within a 2-3 day period and thus, I feel it is needless to write up a recap a week or so down the line. Therefore, polls will now commence on a Friday night and close on a Sunday night. This gives everyone the opportunity to vote as they come over to take a look at the previews and reviews.

Ballaaaaaa

To get the ball rolling with this new system, I am asking you to evaluate the performance of our coach, Davide Ballardini. I actually intended to draft up this poll weeks ago but since results have continued to go from bad to worse, it now appears to be the perfect (or if you’d rather, imperfect) time to put this question to you. Feel free to skip the rest of this entry and cast your vote immediately, however, I would like to make a few thoughts of mine known before I pose the question.

ballajumper

In my honest opinion, recent results have been disastrous and I would be surprised if anybody disagrees with me on that one. However, despite criticism and accusations of mismanagement on the president’s part, the Ravenna-born tactician is accumulating his fair share of criticism also. This is understandable but is it deserved? Yes, we are situated in the most horrendous of league positions but just how much has our bald-headed boy had to contend with? Firstly, he has had to deal with the absence of Pandev and Ledesma, an absence “Lazio” decided upon and one that was just beginning to emerge when the spec-lover wore his favourite sky blue (ok, not quite) jumper to put pen to paper. Since then, he has had to rebuild the side, a mission that on first glance appears to have failed spectacularly. However, we know Ballardini is a notorious slow-starter who likes to take his time in imposing his style upon sides so is it safe to conclude that he has finished with that process?

ballaspecs

Many people have been quick to criticise his tactics but just what can you do with a decent-sized injury list and a bunch of “dissidenti?” The consistent benching of Foggia and the presence of Baronio has raised many an eyebrow as has the positioning of Zarate and the rotation of an inept defence. Does he need more time? There have also been suggestions that Davide is a slave to Lotito; these allegations are understandable but it is difficult to fathom why a guy who walked out on Cellino and Zamparini could possibly think Claudio was a more optimistic solution? Many question marks surround his present reign but considering we cannot replace him with a coach inside Serie A under newly devised regulations, does the possibility of having Mihajlovic at the helm or someone of that calibre whet your appetite? Let me know. Forza Lazio!

Ballardini: Back or Sack?(opinion)