If you’ve been with Chiesa di Totti since the beginning—way back in 2007—you’ve seen your fair share of change, both within the club and our site. In our ten years of existence, we’ve changed platforms, layouts (several times) and even our name (remember Roma Offside?), but through it all one thing has remained constant: we’ve strived to give you an unvarnished view into the mind of a Roma fan, with a smattering of objective analysis thrown in for good measure.
Once upon a time, we would pull anywhere from 800 to 1,200 comments on a match day and and several hundred more on any given transfer rumor, no matter how ridiculous, and whether by design or dumb luck, we’ve slipped a bit from that apex. And while I’m incredibly proud of everything we’ve done here—and quite frankly still amazed that I’m even writing about soccer/football/calcio, something I never would have imagined a decade ago—there is always room for improvement.
While comments alone were never the measure of CdT, it was always about sharing your passion and/or delusions with fellow fans, and the throngs of comments, complaints, insights and reassurance were testament to the community we (and I mean all of us) built.
So rather than cloistering myself away and trying to figure out how to reinvigorate the church, I thought I’d turn to you, the readers and members of CdT. What sort of stories or features would you like to see? Is there anything from the past we can resurrect? Anything we’ve been missing completely?
And what about those comments? Is there anything we as moderators can do to make you feel more welcome? More secure in sharing your thoughts and opinions? What do you think we can and should do to cast a wider net?
Above all else, I just want everyone to know that this is truly a labor of love. There are few things I enjoy more than writing about Roma, and I’m so thankful for the help I receive from all of staff, and so overwhelmingly appreciate of the readers and community members who have kept and are keeping this place vibrant and exciting.
When I first submitted my speculative piece to Chris five years ago, I never in my wildest dreams would imagine I’d be running the place and taking it to new heights, but no matter the comments or praise, my goal has always been the same: to make CdT the gathering place for English speaking Roma fans.
And quite frankly, this is probably long overdue, but I’m turning to you: help us keep that promise. So, please, share your thoughts and your insight, they will be considered and much appreciated!