De Rossi right to defy his bossi ... but I was foolish
Italy’s Daniele De Rossi – eyes ablaze with rage.
It triggered instant recall of riding the pine one midweek for East Stirling back in the day.
As the Azzurri chased a goal against Sweden last Monday, the memory bank cashed in on a soaking wet night at Firs Park as the clock ticked down.
De Rossi’s refusal to follow orders by erupting in anger and imploring his boss Giampiero Ventura to play Napoli striker Lorenzo Insigne instead was described by Germany boss Joachim Low as a ‘moment of greatness’.
You could feel his frustration as he furiously shouted at the coach: “Why the hell should I go on? We don’t need to draw here, we need to win.”
What made this act so rare was the sheer unselfishness of his behaviour, putting the team before himself.
A holding midfielder by trade, De Rossi defied his gaffer with an insistence on the greater good for his country – even if history shows that win didn’t arrive. Ventura was axed after becoming the first Italy boss to fail to lead his nation to a World Cup since 1968.
Normal practice for most substitutes is to try and engage in eye contact with the manager, a few energetic shuttles down the sidelines – a demonstration of effort that you are the man to save the day.
It’s over a decade ago when the De Rossi moment arrived for me. The brilliant but temporally misguided coach Hugh McCann had taken over as Shire caretaker boss after the resignation of John Brownlie.
Shug picked the team but was barely audible as the rain battered down. We all started to get changed when he said: “What are you doing Parksy?”
The shirt was off and it was almost down to the smalls when notification came that there was no place in the team or bench for this particular striking talent.
Bemusement, embarrassment and downright incredulity as piece by piece of the club suit had to be put back on.
Then divine intervention, one of the Edinburgh-based players was caught in traffic and in came Parks from the cold with a number 14 shirt assigned to the name.
Off came the shirt again, mutterings under the breath about the whole fiasco and the hope Hugh’s caretaker reign was about to be short lived.
One, two, three and quite possibly four goals down later, the call came from the dugout to get warmed up.
Frozen and dispirited, mutiny was afoot as Hugh’s offer was declined with a disrespectful “no thanks” and a more industrial eff off.
Unlike De Rossi, it was stubborn insubordination at play – nothing about the benefit of the team as the head sank further into the tracksuit top. It was a classless moment which is also recalled with a deep regret.
De Rossi’s behaviour was unique. This is a man who once raced away from training at Roma to make his way to Florence for the funeral of his former Italy kitman Pietro ‘The Toothbrush’ Lombardi who had passed away aged 92.
Last respects were paid as he placed his 2006 World Cup winner’s medal in his old friend’s coffin before it was laid in the ground.
As gestures go, it doesn’t get much better from a man who can be forgiven for having a girl’s name.
Take a bow Daniele, and to Hugh, an apology. But what were you thinking by not playing me from the start?