It's been a while since last writing here, mainly because we, the Cronica Violeta "staff", felt that the effort is unrewarding - as much as we'd like to aid the creation of an international community around the club, it's quite clear that the club has to want it too. And while the club did not put too much effort into brand-related activities coming into 2011, all that was done on a local and national level has been negated by Poli's relegation to the second league - despite being the vice-champions of Romanian football for the second time in three years. The whole matter is iffy an speculative, as it is hard to find culprits and try to feed conspiracy theories at the same time, but fact is that the gavel has fallen and the sporting merits of the team reduced to rubble.
Unsurprisingly, many players have left Politehnica in the last month or so. Captain Alexa was first to leave, followed by the likes of Burca, Bourceanu and Nikolic. Of the players still expecting the expected, such as Goga, Sepsi, Curtean and Tames, Pantilimon was the first to sign for a new club just today. It is, by all means, the transfer that has brought most satisfaction to my heart, as a player that has been quite emblematic of the crumbling white-violet generation managed to be sold for a good sum of money to a world renowned club, the likes of Manchester City. An example for all the players who tend to mistake progress with transfers to other Romanian clubs.
Of course, few are in the position of Pantilimon, of being Romania's number 1 goalkeeper. This transfer is, however, no guarantee for future success, particularly because Pantilimon has just finished a fairly mediocre season, goalkeeping-wise, and has had a tough time making progress in his trade of choice. Hopefully, under the proper tutelage, he will manage to keep Politehnica's banner pretty high in the years to come.
Other than that, the new season starts on the 20th of August, as Poli aim for promotion, despite the club's dubious administrative issues. With a young squad, comprised of players with little first league experience, our chances will depend on whether all the remaining players of the "old guard" will leave. But there's hope yet, as the club's success at junior levels, particularly the U19s who ended up national champions, can yield a great team for the future, with proper care and just the proper amount of passion.
