‘It’s the hope that kills you’ could be the motto of all football fans, but it is especially poignant for us Romanisti.

We’ve been hoping and praying and wanting an elusive fourth title for so many years and always falling short.

It’s been fifteen years now since Roma last won the Serie A title (don’t ask me to type out the name of the title because it’s bad luck, and yes, we fans are also a highly superstitious bunch) and in that time period we have managed second place eight times.

Let that sink in: eight of the past 15 seasons we have been ALMOST winners, the ‘not quite but getting closer’ team, the ones that ‘had that one bad spell’ or otherwise surely would have won it that time for sure, yup, you bet.

We’re the team that doesn’t win but plays beautiful football, evidenced by the amazing goals shown on the evening’s highlight reels.

Journalists around the world talk about us, calling us the team to watch, the best team in Italy – if only they could win.

It’s this excessive admiration and collective outpouring of goodwill toward our team (and admittedly the desire of the rest of Italy to see someone other than Juve win for once) and general sympathy (and/or pity) for us suffering fans that makes it even worse every time we let them down, ourselves down and our team down.

Believe us, we know we are good but not great; we feel that disappointment in our hearts and bones more than you can imagine. But this self-pity is not just about us: for a Romanista this longing has a deeper meaning.

This coming season will be yet another one in which our hopes are raised and we dream of finally toppling the No. 1 team off its haughty perch: Juventus. Juve with their money and power and their now five-year-long winning streak.

To despise Juve is an Italian national pastime for anyone who doesn’t adore them – the rest of us – and for many years now, Roma have had the greatest chance of dethroning the giants and have failed at this task. Each instance is a fresh heartbreak and to say us fans are becoming desperate is putting it lightly.