Was merlino smart or just lucky ?

I think that Merlino was only lucky.
In the Scarfo fall he tried to kill his son but nicky jr fled and there are no retailation; Stanfa decide to made merlino and his young turks for avoid the war but merlino won the war with the tought sicilian Stanfa despite 20 and more attempt to kill him.
Joey made ralph natale front boss that flips but merlino save himself again but with lumio that flip on drug trafficking with the patriarcas joey go to jail but beat a racketeering case and in 2011 go out.
While in prison his acting boss Ligambi rebuild the family.
Now is the youngest boss on the streets.
What do you think ? Lucky or smart ?

Don't know the inside stuff that went down (if it was all a plan or just fell in place) but if there was anytime ever that was the time New York families were in disarray with all there bosses going away and the UB and skippers were looking to keep food on there table and stay of of the Feds hands.

So I say he got very lucky almost the perfect storm lucky !!!!

Is he the youngest boss? Some reports have Cali as boss of the Gambino's and he's 51.

Lucky.

Its unknown who's the real gambinos boss if Cefalù or Calì while is official that Merlino is the boss.

It was a combination. Obviously luck was involved but plenty of mobsters are alive today due to luck.

I mean he sniffed out the Chin's plot to lure him to a sit down in NYC and have him killed.

People always discredit Merlino but I always thought he was a little sharper than everyone gave him credit for. Probably works in his advantage when everyone thinks he is an idiot

But Merlino overcame a lot to rise up in Philly at a young age..he was smart enough to build a loyal following

Huh when did Chin try to whack Joey? Source

From my understanding, after Manna got pinched & the little guy's nephew ratted, chin wanted nothing to do with Philly

And it was the Gambino's who sent Stanfa back to Philly... Which is why when he was beefing with Joey, stanfa reached out to New York (Tommy Gambino) asking for a few unknown faces

But Gambino couldn't do anything

Now there was a plot from the north jersey guys I think who wanted to lure in Borgesi Ligambi & Staino I think it was

He had guys he grew up with who were loyal to him and went to the streets with him. Stanfa was away from philly for years. Stanfa had no real loyalists. He had to make everyone including Irish and polish.

If I remember right, it was Fiumara who invited Merlino to come up to Jersey for a meeting. Merlino's response was basically, "You come down here to Philadelphia." Probably didn't want to risk being getting the Caponigro treatment.

From a 1996 article

http://articles.philly.com/1996-10-21/ne...ny-joey-merlino




Anyway maybe Fiumara was angry that joey was the boss and not the siggy Stanfa but if the genovese wanted to kill him, merlino would be dead.
Maybe thanks to Ligambi that rebuilted the relations with NY and that in in 1999 merlino went to jail, the things are changed.

Merlino was mostly lucky. There was nobody left on the streets after the Scarfo disaster. Everyone was either dead, in prison, or had flipped. Stanfa's muscle was that junkie Veasey. His other muscle was a rat cop.

I write this rap song on joey merlino sorry for the rhymes I made my brst


Yo yo motherfuckers its me, joey.
Joey Merlino

When I got out, I did like Willy
Go to Boca and far from Philly
The years goes on
But I cant turn back to philly
The feds want to nail me
but I had  great men that watch my back

The Changs, Ligambi, Grande and Mazzone
Guys is like a pizza with peperoni

In 89  mac10 in my hand
I tried to kill the little guy son
But he run away and say bye bye
I go to jersey, lucchese save me

In the 90s fighting Stanfa
Yo old siggy had no men to made
Apart veasey and Coletti this renegades

Yes I win the war, philly was mine
Natale flips but for me is ok
Party every night,money to bet
Luise a guy from Boston said made me,
Im Bobby luise and I was a capo
But 10k a month I was desperado
The solution?  The cocaine
 It goes away better than  champagne
But the fed busted me: We want merlino idiot you must flip
Give us the tapes and got a witsec trip
1999 for sure I won't be at the millenium  party
14 y, ain’t bad better than death penalty
I will be 50 and this is not my elegy
Uncle Joe I give you the borgata
Re up my armata
Fuck the fed fuck the 5 family
Im joe merlino the king of philly

Lol
What u been smoking over there Furio?!

As for thread, you forgot to mention the Turra family wanted Merlino dead too! Again Merlino got lucky when the entire crew got pinched because they had a rat

Pure weed, Beer and strange pills that my friend buyed in amsterdam.

Anyway tony what do you think of the song lyrics?

LMFAO Furio HAHAHAHA!!! I picture you all drunk and stoned rapping that in broken English with a ponytail, decked out in the latest Eurotrash attire and I absolutely lost it, HAHAHAHAHA SO FUNNY

hahahah thanks for that Furio you made my day hahhahahahahahha

everytime i read furios post i picture the actual furio from sopranos talking lmao

False. I wear glasses and have short hairs.

Lol, hmm I think Joey would like the lyrics better than I do my friend

You never go full retard.

Fat Dom you're a mentally retarded ,not me.

One thing i do know for sure, Merlno had big fuckin balls, no doubt.

Love the rap song Furio, gave yours a big chuckle.

Quality post mate. This site these days, that's a rarity.

Just bustin your chops furio. Good rap you wrote.

Thanks Sonny finally there is someone who appreciates what I wrote.

I second that..luv this guy..

HAHAHA

you've hit a new low Furio...wow. I feel sorry for ya pal.

Furio.

You and me should travel around America as a comedy duo.

Dino and Moe when have a sense of humour is considerated a shame ?

Moe for me its ok we'll be the 21 century Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis