AS Roma coach Claudio Ranieri has blasted the media in an amazing press conference rant.

Ranieri is furious over talk of resignation and rifts with players.

The former Chelsea manager blasted: "It's too easy to talk with the benefit of hindsight. Too EASY. I do things beforehand based on all the information I have and what happens during the week. It's too easy for you lot afterwards.

"Last season when I arrived you said this team was too old and couldn't handle it anymore. You hurled mud on this side. These lads allowed you to dream all year. This season we wanted to start at 1,000 miles per hour, but for a series of factors we haven't been able to.

"I don't want alibis and I don't need them. We want to give more and we know that. We won over the fans because we gave everything in every second of every game. We won, lost, played well or badly, but we fought.

"We didn't want to be embarrassed in Munich, but the game wasn't all bad, as we had more chances in the first half. We got it wrong after the break and I take responsibility.

"I will not accept these insults. This team has balls and will prove it. I won't name names on the mud-slingers, but we will remember you. You say 'Ranieri only knows 4-4-2.' What do you know of me or my career, where I won with many different systems?

"Whenever a side loses, it's too easy to look to who didn't play. This is like a sports bar conversation."

The Coach got increasingly agitated and slammed his fist on the desk.

"We've got to look at reality! You're all 'ooh, why isn't Fabio Simplicio playing?' He had an injury and only started training in August. He'll be useful to Roma, but his time will come.

"I would like to talk about Bologna, as we all know it's a difficult game against a side who clam up and go on the counter. We're going through a tough time and in my 20-year career I've been through 3,000 of them. Do you think I always sat on the bench smoking a cigar?

"This team fights hard and proved it last season when nobody believed in us. Our fans will be with us, because we want to give them what we shared last year.

"We're starting with a handicap, just as we did last season, and just as we got back then we will get back now. I tell you this and I underline it. Goodbye and thank you."