In the dying embers of daylight, the Parma players made their way over to the 700 or so travelling supporters. As they went the players slapped each other on the back and high fives abound after another job well done by the Gialloblu.
The closer they got the louder the chanting became, soon the players stood before them and were joining in the celebrations. Then from amongst the players stepped forward Parma captain and club legend Alessandro Lucarelli. The 38-year-old defender raised both hands high into the air silencing the players around him. In the stand once the ‘Boys 1977’ Ultras group realised what he was going to do they also fell into a hush.
Then with 700 supporters in the palm of his hand Lucarelli belted it out from the top of his lungs, “Alé Alé Ohh Ohh, Alé Alé Ohh Ohh, e Tanto Gia Lo So Che L’anno Prossimo, Alé Alé Ohh Ohh.” With boundless gusto the chant is picked up by the fans. The heartbeat of a club that many thought was dead was now thumping as strong as ever. With that win the Crociati had moved six points clear at the top of Serie D Group D. The following week they would beat Ravenna at the Tardini to be crowned winter champions.
This is a different Parma from the one at the end of last season. A season in which due to horrific management in the board room the club ultimately went bust and was forced to start again. To say that the club died however is far from the truth. The decaying, corrupt management of the club died but Parma’s soul survived. That soul being its fans, fans who refused to abandon their club despite the situation it found itself in. This passion for the Ducali saw the new incarnation of the club sell over 10,000 season tickets, 4000 of them sold within 77 hours of going on sale. Needless to say this was a record for a division in which attendances hover around the 1500 mark.
Although naturally Parma do not want to find themselves at such a low level, playing in Serie D has brought about some very good things for the club. For one it has brought the fans and players closer together. That is because the men who now don that famous Black cross on a white background are men who have not spent their careers at the top level of the game. They know the rigours of playing at this low level and most importantly they know how much of an honour it is to pull on such a famous jersey and because of that they give everything to the cause.
The same cannot perhaps be said of some Serie A players where the jersey matters little and the pay check is king. Not only has it brought the fans and players closer but also the fans and the management of the team. On the 7th December manager Luigi Apolloni paid a visit to the Ultras where he was presented with a couple of Christmas presents.
The first of which was Panettone, that was presented to Apolloni in a massive box which took him ages to open. As each time he managed to cut through the tape he only found another box within much to the delight and laughter of the Ultras standing by. Eventually he finally got down to the last box and a loud cheer rung out. Moments later he was then given another item, this one easier to open. Inside it was the official Ultras hoody/jacket which he genuinely seemed touched to receive, rather than putting on any fake smile.
Now these may only be small presents but their significance is so much more. Can you imagine any manager in Serie A being openly welcomed into the Ultras lair or even willing to visit it and then to be presented with Christmas presents that he was happy to take with open arms. All of this in a friendly and jovial atmosphere that is so often far from what the Ultras are associated with.
These are all signs of the new Parma a club who despite being hurt so badly such a short time ago are willing to love again.
It is still though only a beginning and the road back remains arduous. We are after all still not past the first half of the season but Parma do look in enviable shape. They maintain one of the meanest defences in all of Europe, martialled by Lucarelli but ably assisted by partner in crime Luca Cacoli. While between the sticks 18-year-old Latvian youth international Kristaps Zommers has proven to be one of the finds of the season and someone with a potential big future ahead.
Further up the pitch Fabio Lauria and Francesco Corapi are quickly becoming fan favourites while Yves Baraye has been banging in the goals at a decent rate. All in all, the club has been performing well and remains unbeaten in the league so far this season, conceding only six goals in their 17 matches so far whilst also scoring a healthy 35. The only defeat of the campaign coming in the Coppa Dilettanti away to Correggese with a second string side on the pitch.
At the end of last season Parma were seen as a bit of a running joke in Serie A, a club in complete disarray. Now however with the help of thousands of loyal fans, a sounder management structure and players who wear the jersey with pride the Crociati are quickly becoming a model club on the peninsula.
As already said the road back to the top may take years but it is a journey that will be made.
And as the sun set over the celebrating Parma fans and players in Rovigo that November eve let it be known that it did not signal the continuing darkness around the Ducali but the continuing journey towards the dawn of a new era for the club who has given so much to calcio and still has so much more to give.
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