retired_laurenraejohnson

great read man im loving it. Itll be intresting to see how you go in europe more so than the italian league becuase oh the point deductions n so on. but keep it up!

retired_gabachitalinda

brilliant stuff so far, addictive reading

retired_dlevien

I struggled to get into this at first as I'm still mourning your Rangers story! :p On a serious note I'm glad I've stuck with it. Usually stories around the 'big clubs' - Man Utd, Chelsea, Real, Barca, Inter etc - are a turn off for me, but this is turning into one of the exceptions to the rule.

retired_teju

Thanks man_utd_nz and Welwyn. It's great to know it entertained you, and particularly good to see some quite new readers coming along. It inspired me to do another update when I hadn't intended to for a few days.

Thanks Ockenback, I am still p***ed off at how my Gers story ended too! I know what you mean about big club stories, but Serie A is in such a weird state at the minute I couldn't resist having a pop at managing there!

retired_teju

After a lot of finger tapping, and general fannying around, I finally made the call...and got her answering machine. The first time I didn't leave a message, but that was just silly so I called back and left a short missive, of the "nothing serious, so I can make light of it if ignored" variety. Just to say that I was back in town, had seen her on the TV and wanted to catch up with her.

I then promptly went and got drunk, taking care to unplug the phone. All drunk men phone up ex-girlfriends at some time in their life, and this was too important for me to ruin by leaving a series of idiotic messages that I wouldn't even remember in the morning.

I kept on drinking for a few days actually, made a short visit to Lake Como, during which I was convinced I saw George Clooney riding a motorbike (he apparently has a home in the area), and generally lived like the bum I was. When I came back, there were about 30 messages on my phone, mostly club related business. Then at message number 27, four days after I had called, came the delectable voice of Carla Falsini.

"Ciao. I was so surprised to hear from you. I knew you were back in Milan, but I thought you were probably married with three kids by now," (that part made me laugh). "Anyway, listen, it would be good to catch up with you. But I'm really busy the next little while. I have a lot of work to do for the show, and then at the start of November, I must fly to Buenos Aires to report on a film festival there. But yes, please, call me and we will meet. You can tell me about those three kids of yours!"

I listened to it about 11 times, then unplugged the phone and went and got drunk again. A happy drunk this time.

In the latter half of the international break, Moratti was really s***ting his pants, leaving messages demanding to know "where the hell" I was, and warning me that I'd "better not be on the booze again". I hadn't been seen at the club in just over a week, which I thought was perfectly normal during an international break, but he obviously didn't. I reluctantly went back to work and everything was easily smoothed over, yet it showed the difference in culture and expectations at a club like Inter. I should have known this of course. In fact I did, I just thought I was the golden boy at the minute, what with us top of the league and cruising.

Returning to work rather interfered with my plans to see Carla, though I finally got to talk to her on the phone. I felt a fair bit of electricity when we did, although that might only have been coming from my direction. I bemoaned the fact that we were too busy to get together:

"Take your time," she said. "I'll still be here."

I imagined there was a subliminal message in there for me.

From the glamour of this amazing bird to an away trip to Siena was something of a comedown. Yet there were three points to be won, and I made sure everyone was totally focused on the game. I expected sluggishness after the international break, and I got it. Despite our constant pressure, there was a lack of clear cut openings and incisive finishing. Finally the tension was lifted in first half injury time, when Crespo skinned his man and smashed it into the top corner from 16 yards. We should have buried them from there, instead we only sealed it in injury time of the second period, Stankovic smashing in a corner that was allowed to run to him, from just above the penalty spot.

Three days later we entertained Lyon in the Champions League. With a crucial league tilt with Palermo on the horizon, I shuffled the pack, bringing in Materazzi, Burdisso, Maxwell, Solari, Vieira, Figo and Cruz. I'd like to think this explained the drab game and performance. Despite having much the better of it, we weren't really good enough in key areas to force the win, and I wasn't too concerned since we had practically wrapped up qualification anyway. The only bummer was a serious injury to Vieira, who was carted off with a torn calf muscle, that would keep him out for up to 4 months. Now we were looking light in midfield, and that was my fault.

Now came the crucial league period. Palermo arrived in what was undoubtedly the game of the week. How times had changed. I don't think Palermo were even in Serie B when I was playing here. All credit to them though, they were now serious players. It was a tense game, made all the more so because I was fully expecting to win. When we came off the pitch goal-less at the break I was livid, and ripped into the players, letting off my own nervous steam as much as anything else.

The hairdryer worked the oracle two minutes after the re-start, Camoranesi firing home from an Ibrahimovic rebound, and suddenly the shackles were off. We still underperformed, yet that strike completely broke their resistance, and we cruised home untroubled and deserved winners.

A tricky trip to Udinese followed in midweek, yet this was a much more self-assured performance, as though the tight win over our previous opponents had allowed the lads to relax. Ibrahimovic slotted home 8 minutes in, then Camoranesi killed them off just before the hour, heading in a wicked Recoba cross.

Another big home fixture loomed with Fiorentina at the weekend, and here I clearly made a mistake. The lads were too loose for this one, and I should have realised the warning signs. As soon as the match started I could sense they thought they just had to turn up to win, confirmed by the fact that we were creating scoring chances at will. Problem was we were missing all of them. I started to get that horrible feeling that experienced football watchers get when you know somehow that this isn't your day. Some karma was working against us as we missed chance after chance, then watched as they scored direct from a free kick after 49 minutes. I went bananas on the touchline, and despite all out attack, I knew we wouldn't get it back. The players had to endure a real performance from me at the end, and Grosso mentioned to the media that I had flipped out, which didn't improve my mood.

On the 31st, I compounded one mistake with another, for our away European game with Lyon. I was in a childish sulk, still huffing after the performance at the weekend, surly and refusing to manage the team properly. Not surprisingly they played like drains, falling two behind after 24 minutes. Still in a silly huff, I didn't say anything at half or full time. When we got back to Milan, I realised that I'd been a complete p***k. I called the players together at the baggage lounge and told them so, and they seemed to appreciate that. There were a few laughs at my expense, and the atmosphere lightened noticeably.

It was still a successful month, however soured at the end. The club raked in its usual heavy profit, another one in excess of 4M notes.

retired_teju

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Inter | | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 24 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Torino | | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 20 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Palermo | | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 18 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Sampdoria | | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 16 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Roma | | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 15 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Livorno | | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 15 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Udinese | | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 14 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Parma | | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 14 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Empoli | | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 13 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Chievo | | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 12 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Siena | | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 11 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Catania | | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 11 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Atalanta | | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 10 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Milan | | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 7 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Lazio | | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 7 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Fiorentina | | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 5 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Ascoli | | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 5 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Messina | | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 5 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Cagliari | | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 19 | -13 | 0 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Reggina | | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 25 | -16 | -7 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8 points deducted from Milan | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3 points deducted from Lazio | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11 points deducted from Reggina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15 points deducted from Fiorentina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 point deducted from Siena | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_dlevien

Continuing nicely, and you're already beginning to build up a nice little lead! When monitoring Serie A during games of mine I've only ever Inter not win Serie A once, when Chievo won with two games to spare. Palermo and Torino usually seem to be there or thereabouts, so it's interesting to see that they're up there at the moment.

I honestly can't see how Inter can't win Serie A - what with the point deductions and Juve being in Serie B. The real challenge for a man of your talents will be to win the treble!

retired_teju

Thanks Ockenback. Yes Serie A should be a piece of cake, especially since even if you take away the points deductions, we'd still be in pole position.

It'd be nice to win the whole shop of course, but we'll see how it goes. The League always comes first, and with Serie A not being that strong I'm not sure how far we can go in Europe.

November began with great news on various fronts. By far the most exciting was that Carla and I had found time to have dinner together. Entirely predictably, since we were in Milan, we went to an Italian restaurant. The place was called Benedetti's. We used to go there years earlier. I had a knot of excitement for hours beforehand, and my heart was pounding as I waited outside for her.

When she stepped out of the taxi, she was at least as stunning as I remembered her. We just smiled at eachother and hugged, not saying anything until we were settled inside. It was a fantastic evening. The years rolled back, and it was clear that something was starting all over again. I took her home and left her with a kiss on the cheek. Then I walked home on air.

I had a stupid smile on my face at the club the next day, which was enhanced when I received a phone call from Signor Moratti. Due to the club being in rude financial health, he had decided to increase the transfer budget by a whopping 17.5M to 24.5M. Everything was going great. The only spanner in the works was that Carla was flying out to Buenos Aires for 10 days, though I had a plan for that too.

We prepared for the match away at Catania on the 5th, and in the meantime I asked the scouting department to prepare a list of Argentine players playing for the Buenos Aires clubs that we had some scouting interest in. It was a dirty trick. Recoba put us two up in the game after 18 minutes, with a penalty and a rebound from Crespo's shot. The Argentine striker got on the scoresheet himself after 47, then Catania replied 20 minutes later. Late sub Julio Cruz fired in on 83, and after that satisfactory 4-1 win, no sooner had we arrived back in Milan, than I was on a flight to Buenos Aires, pretending to be on a talent scouting mission. I'd be going to see a phenomenal bit of talent all right, but it had nothing to do with football.

I knew where Carla was staying, and I dropped a backhander to the hotel staff to let me surprise her. I don't want to make anyone puke, or turn this into an episode of The Love Boat, so I'll spare you the details of my 5 days with her in the Argentine capital, save to say it was amazing. Being the impulsive t**t that I was, I also asked her to marry me for the second time, and she said yes for the second time. I didn't regret that at all, though I did pause to recall that I still had Jenny living at my home in Sevenoaks. At least I assumed she was. We hadn't actually spoken in several weeks.

Whilst I was away, I left Sinisa Mihajlovic in charge for the midweek Italian Cup game at home to Sampdoria. I wasn't anticipating anything out of the ordinary, which is always a cert that something out of the ordinary would happen. We beat them 6-4, with Julio Cruz getting all six of our goals, and also having one disallowed. As David Coleman would say, "quite remarkable!"

A good couple of days preparation led into the important home game with Roma. I felt somehow invincible at the moment, which was always a consequence of a happy personal life. Camoranesi smashed us in front in the 1st minute, and halfway through the period, Crespo fired in a Maicon cross. They scored right on half time, which was irritating. I was still super confident though, and Camoranesi headed in a Recoba corner to seal the win after 63 minutes. It was a good performance and confirmed our pre-eminence. The board were pleased with both the result and the very attractive style we were playing in, which is never a bad thing. Moratti then asked me about my scouting mission to Argentina, and I thought I detected a glint in his eye, yet I stayed on message and trotted out the old bull**** about it being a useful exercise.

Adriano returned to full training, though could only make it to the bench for the derby game with AC Milan on the 18th. We were the away side, and I got a fair bit of stick all game long from the Rossoneri fans. It didn't bother me, though the wasting of chance after chance, and the missing of a penalty by Ibrahimovic certainly did. We dominated the game, and would have been unhappy with the draw, only for them to steal it in the 93rd minute with a goal direct from a free kick. I was annoyed, but not furious. The game was shorn of its usual intense atmosphere. The points deduction meant that our opponents were so far behind that they practically needed snookers to catch us in the league.

Midweek saw the visit of Anderlecht in the Champions League, and the return to the starting line-up of Adriano. He scored a straightforward goal after 19 minutes, then 4 minutes later Stankovic rifled one in from the edge of the box to put our opponents firmly in their place. Our returning Brazilian then headed in a floated Figo cross 7 minutes before the break. Ibrahimovic then lashed in a quick double in 6 minutes after the hour. After a reply from the visitors, Stankovic provided an exclamation point with a blistering 25 yarder in injury time. We had qualified in good style.

After the game we discovered that Camoranesi would be out for a month with an ankle sprain, though I was satisfied that wouldn't disrupt us too much in the upcoming fixture at home to Cagliari on the 26th. Adriano was at it again 16 minutes in, heading in a Maicon cross. Figo then doubled our lead when he nutted in a similar cross from Recoba two minutes before the interval. It was easy enough, yet we were by no means outstanding. Maybe I was becoming spoilt and greedy.

The month closed with the away second league to Sampdoria in the cup. As always I couldn't give a toss about this one, and sent out our reserve side. Despite a goal in the 1st minute for them, goals from Cambiasso and Solari, the latter from the spot, ensured comfortable progression. Everything was going according to plan, not least for the board, who pulled in another hefty profit (6M) for the month.

retired_teju

With a Champions League knockout spot in the bag, every reserve was in for the trip to Warsaw to face Legia. Stankovic had injured his foot, and would miss 3 weeks, so couldn't play in any case. At least Zanetti was now on the verge of returning, though not soon enough for this one.

I was surprised by how cosmopolitan and developed the city was. I was expecting some spartan post communist hellhole. With nothing on the line, I took time to see a bit of the city, and it was a pleasant enough diversion. The Christian architecture in particular was almost the equal of Milan.

The game wasn't quite as pleasant a spectacle. They took the lead after 24 minutes, whilst our team was utterly disjointed in everything we did. I didn't give a toss of course, yet was pleased when Figo saved our blushes with a 66th minute equaliser, direct from a free kick. We should have won easily, however I wasn't about to waste time ranting and raving over a game which was, broadly speaking, irrelevant.

Of more importance was our home tilt with Torino on the weekend. Injuries had begun to ravage us. Figo picked up an injury in the last match and would be missing for two weeks. I was struggling to pick a half decent midfield. Solari came in on the left, moving Recoba to the centre, whilst a half fit Zanetti was forced on us at right midfield.

It was a drab game with lots of pressure from us, and no breakthrough in the first half. I got very irritable at the interval. The way I saw it, injuries were no excuse. I was boiling on the sidelines through an equally rancid 2nd half, then in the 89th minute, Recoba slipped in Ibrahimovic, who did what he was paid to do. The crowd went bananas, and the pressure was released, yet I was still irritable that it had taken this long. It should have been about 5-0 except for our incompetence in front of goal.

I was expecting much better 4 days later, with our midweek trip to Atalanta. There were no changes, which was enforced. And this time we played a bit more like serious professional footballers. Recoba drove in at the back post after 10 minutes, sneaking on to a cross that had evaded everyone else. I expected the flood gates to open. However they didn't. The home side never threatened us at all, though they did fight hard and denied us any further score. It was a hard fought win. Harder fought than it should have been anyway, though I gave credit to our opponents.

When the news came through on the 15th that we would face Chelsea in the Champions League knockout phase, my first reaction was that we would probably get slaughtered. It wasn't for a long time yet, so at least we might be able to get our full strength side out, and maybe make a signing or two before then, though anyone that we did sign would most likely be cup-tied anyway.

Of more pressing interest was a visit to bottom dwellers Reggina, and we were able to welcome back Stankovic and Figo. A familiar name stimied us in the first half, former Sunderland stopper Jurgen Macho. The dam finally broke in 1st half injury time, when Ibrahimovic beat the aforementioned keeper to a cross, nodding us into the lead. Recoba sealed it with 2 second half goals in as many minutes. First striking fabulously into the top corner, from the left corner of the area, then another stunner from close to 30 yards. An easy win in the end, but still we weren't exactly setting the world on fire at the moment.

Games continued thick and fast, with a potentially trick home game against Livorno. The same irritating scenario played out. They came to frustrate us, and did a very good job of it, whilst I seethed on the touchline. With 7 minutes left, Ibrahimovic latched on to a bad pass and chipped in. Again they made us fight all the way, but we weren't lucky. We were pulverising them the whole game, leaving me concerned about the finishing.

Matters would be helped by the return of Camoranesi to training. From a personal point of view, another international break came at just the right time. It was time to forget about football for 2 weeks, despite what Moratti might say, and enjoy the new found excitement in my personal life.

retired_teju

I spent Christmas with Carla, not that either of us was particularly a Christmas person. Her parents had emigrated late in life to New York, so she was entirely available for the holidays. My parents were in Canada, having a nice time of it. They were very pleased to hear that I was back together with her, and didn't waste the opportunity to tell me that I had been a "complete idiot" for letting her go in the first place. They had always said was "a cut above" all the other girls I had presented to them.

That wasn't fair actually, although Carla was special beyond belief. My mind wandered to Jenny and though I tried to get in touch with her at my place there was no answer. I assumed she had buggered off. I certainly wasn't a coward in most areas of life, but in terms of dealing with tricky personal issues, I most assuredly was. I just left it as it was.

The festivites went well, and like I said, we were so compatible, it was as though we had never been away from eachother.

One of the minor things that made her so amazing was that she didn't mind me going out with the lads now and then to get a full load on. My old Match Of The Day sparring partner Alan Hansen flew in after the Boxing Day fixtures were over in England, and we had a right good time of it. He was salivating over Carla, saying she was "even better than that other gorgeous doll with the huge t**s", as he tastefully referred to Jenny. As usual, his hormones were in full flow. He got his end away before he left, with some tart he picked up in The Duomo. Although it was not quite true to say he picked her up. I was acting as translator, and when he said "just tell her I'd love to f**k her", I was translating it as something like, "your eyes light up the room like stars in the heavens".

I was feeling suitably energised when I returned to work early in January. Moratti was hyper too, urging me to make signings in the re-opened transfer window, telling me that "money was no object". Well it was actually, considering the players I wanted, though I didn't say anything and got on with the job of trying to improve us.

Our first match after the break was a visit to Sampdoria on the 7th. We managed to get our full-strength line-up on the field for a change, and that certainly helped. Adriano pounced on a rebound after a tight opening 25 minutes, though the game didn't loosen up at all afterwards. We conceded just after half time, and I was thinking "here we go again". It was a case of that, since we also got our usual late winner. The home side were more difficult to break down than nuclear waste, and it took a 30 yard screamer from Ibrahimovic in the 90th minute to hand us the points. We fully deserved to win, yet teams were making it so damned hard for us. Why wouldn't they of course? It was difficult for me to watch from the sidelines though.

I expected better at home to Empoli in a midweek Italian Cup 1st leg. The reserves were in again, and Julio Cruz put us on the board after 21 minutes, a deflected free kick. It was pretty much one-way traffic, and Recoba doubled our advantage on 41, with a diving header. Once again we conceded sloppily after half-time, but Figo restored our lead on 65, with a nicely flighted free kick. The visitors came out a little more, allowing the necessary space for Crespo to turn his man and drill home with 13 minutes left. They scored again on 82, courtesy of a dreadful Zanetti backpass, and whilst 4-2 was a handy win, it was by no means nailed down, as it should have been.

Increasingly, I was becoming concerned about my Argentine skipper too. He hadn't produced much this season, and had been injured a fair bit. I hadn't the heart to unceremoniously dump him just yet. Instead I was going to look around for a replacement and let him fade into a utility role. He deserved that much, which is more loyalty than the club showed me when I was ruthlessly purged eight years earlier.

True to Moratti's wishes, I was looking to spend big. When the fans got hold of a story that I was trying to get Buffon from Juventus, call-in shows were beseiged with negative reaction. I thought that was crazy, since the only logic behind it was that he had played for Juventus and was somehow damaged goods. All I saw was one of the world's leading keepers, who would massively improve what I considered to be a weak area of the team. In any case, Juve were highly resistant to my overtures, and I didn't think this one was going to come to fruition anytime soon.

Messina arrived on the 14th, and I was expecting an easy win. Camoranesi knocked in a cross after 11 minutes, and the result was never really in doubt. It took another 30 yard screamer, this time from Adriano to put the seal on things. This time however, there was no nailbiting involved. It was a regulation win.

The Cup quarter final second leg at Empoli came in midweek. I chanced my arm again with the reserves, warning them against complacency. Sure enough we were completely in control of a dreadful game, which we eventually won 1-0, on the strength of Solari's 56th minute bicycle kick. The semi drew us against Juventus. Due to their relegation punishment, this didn't have quite the caché of earlier years. It was still a biggie though.

At the weekend, we entertained Chievo which promised to be tricky. Fortunately, Ibrahimovic was in rollicking form, out-jumping the keeper for the first after 20 minutes, then firing in low on the stroke of half time. They had a man sent off soon after the re-start, then it was time for Adriano to show off. He nutted in a corner soon after, then seconds before the final whistle, finsihed expertly from just inside the area.

Somehow, without really setting the world alight, we'd racked up 8 straight wins in the league, which had to be a good sign. The next morning's papers carried quotes from the President about how happy he was with the way we were playing. There walso a crummy story about Figo being too old, and questioning my judgement in involving him in the squad. He was having a good season, especially for his age, and as far as I was concerened, it was garbage.

Just prior to the home first leg of the Cup on the 24th, Vieira returned to training, but unfortunately was unfit to play. I sent out the best possible side, and the San Siro was just about full, unusual for one of these games. Adriano blasted us in front from 25 yards, just before the half-hour. Then Recoba added a 42nd minute penalty, and we were in full control. Camoranesi made it three with a header 8 minutes from time. And although Trezeguet gave them hope with a late goal, it was an advantage I expected to be good enough for the return leg.

The next day I pedalled Burdisso for 3.1M to Sevilla. Not that he was a bad player or anything, he just wasn't good enough to get in this team. I had a number of transfer irons in the fire, and the President was constantly on my back about new signings. In particular I was stalking Giorgio Chiellini an outstanding U-21 international left back with Juve. They were making life very difficult for me about the fee, so I was also looking at Palermo's Italy international right back Christian Zaccardo. It was difficult, but I was hopeful I could get something done.

Also difficult was our visit to Lazio on the 28th. We conceded a softie early on, and it took until just before the break to find an equaliser, Recoba heading in a Zanetti cross. I tried to really wind the players up at half time (without bollocking them), and Ibrahimovic responded with a powerful run and finish on 54. I thought we just shaded the game, and was delighted to come away with the win, although I would have accepted a draw, since the home side worked hard and I wouldn't have begrudged them a point.

With the deadline now two days away, Moratti was really sweating me now. With great speed, I moved to sign Antonio Cassano from Real Madrid for 8.75M. His contract called for 45K/week and a 1.6M signing on fee. I was delighted to capture a young Italian international, yet the fans and board were completely underwhelmed. Fortunately I had Zaccardo almost in the bag for 12M. Then the s**t hit the fan.

I was in my office on the 30th when I was summoned up to see the head honcho. I walked in and he had a great big grin on his face.

"I've just signed Eric Abidal for 11M from Lyon," he beamed.

"Who the f**k is Eric Abidal?" I complained.

"The French international left back," he said sternly. I had a vague idea who he meant.

"Well I've just arranged to buy Zaccardo from Palermo for 12M. I hope you're going to stand behind the deal."

"Umm. Well. The budget has now been spent. All but 4M or so. So no is the answer to that question."

"You c**t!!" I said, not giving a damn about the consequences. "What did you do that for?"

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" he shouted. "This is Italy, this is my club, this is my money. Now you go back to work. Ok?"

I snarled something under my breath and stormed out.

The last day of the month saw us visit Turin, for the cup semi 2nd leg. It was a dire game, all that mattered was the 1-1 draw which saw us into the final. For the record, Eric Abidal came on as a 2nd half sub. I had to admit he was a good player, he just wasn't my player. Then again, Moratti had a point. It wasn't my money I was spending, it was his. Speaking of which, we lost 17M for the month, which when excluding transfers, was actually a profit of a couple of million.