retired_manragh

South Africa to Brazil and onto Spain (maybe) I seem to be quite the jet setter, or maybe im looking for Mr Fortune

retired_bootcamp_nat

Can't wait for that first Lille vs Marseille match in the frenchie ligue 1!

Diego Della Rosa vs Conrad Rowden. I'll back my lad in though.

Interestingly I found this snippet from the La Voix du Nord regarding young Della Rosa just the other day. Thought some people here might be interested in it. Oh and I even translated it for you...

retired_thpgal

Quite a few of us at Pompy.

Nice Start

retired_rblake

Unfortunately for you Haze.13 and KakaKaka the first Lille vs Marseille clash has already taken place, it was the first league game of the season. Della Rosa played but it was before Rowden signed for Marseille, the match ended 2-2.


"Congratulations, did you play well?" Stefano asked with his mobile to his ear.

---

"Doesn't matter, once the league season starts with Modena you can show them what you can really do."

---

"Sorry again I couldn't get over to Ireland for the game."

---

"Yeah, speak to you later son."

Stefano hung up the phone and was pleased that Gennaro had earnt his first Italian cap, be it at Under 19 level but a cap all the same and that they had won 2-0.


Author's Note: Sometimes I am, like now, going to have to break out of story mode and just post a summary as it is difficult to work in an allegance to twenty odd players of varying age and nationality.


First International Games
Scottinho of Porto, capped at U21 level for Portugal as attacking midfielder. £1.7m (17 AM/F C)

Conrad Rowden of Marseille, Norway yet to play. 2 League appearances. £2.7m (17 AM R, Str)

Smithaldo of Portsmouth. English. £1m (17 AM R)

Borge Eian - unattached with no present interest, Norway yet to play. (19 AM RC)

Tobes of Antwerp, Australia yet to play. 1 League appearance. £80k (18 AM/F C)

Rod Davies of Sporting, in the French U21 squad but not in the playing 20. One sub appearance in the UEFA Champions League. £2m (20 D/WB/AM L)

HD - unattached with no interest at present. Sint Maarten yet to play. (14 AM/F C)

Gennaro Melisi of Modena, capped at U19 level for Italy. £2.2m (18 DM)

Terkaldinho of Aston Villa, capped at full Scottish level at left-back in 1-1 away friendly draw to Austria. 1 League appearance. £1.8m (22 D LC)

Hick of Lugano, capped at full Northern Ireland level in 3-1 away friendly win over Malta. 1 League appearance. £1.4m (24 GK)

Pan Panpardus of Gremio, twice capped at full South African level at left-midfield in friendlies, 1-0 at home to Zambia and a 3-1 away defeat to Iceland. £1.2m (20 DM, M LC)

Diego Della Rosa of Lille, capped at Italian U21 level from the bench at half-time in 2-1 away defeat to Ireland. 3 League appearances. £2.6m (21 AM LC, Forward)

Mikkel Kristensen of Bari. Danish. £975k (18 Sw, D C)

Leo Allen of Aston Villa. English with 1 League appearance partnering and assisting Milan Baros for his goal in the 2-1 home defeat to Charlton. £4m (30 Striker)

James Bradbury - unattached with no interest at present. Welsh (19 D R, DM)

Luna of Juventude, sat on the bench in Nigeria's 2-1 away friendly win over Libya at full International level. 1 League appearance. £550k (18 D/WB/M RL)

Harleqin of Portsmouth, made the full Danish International squad but not the playing 20. 1 League appearance at left-back in 2-1 away defeat to the mighty Spurs, subbed after 43 minutes. £2.1m (20 D/WB R)

Jude Alderson of Portsmouth. English/Irish with 1 League appearance at left-midfield, injured after 43 minutes but not serious. Sat on the bench for the full Irish side's 0-0 home draw with Italy. £1.8m (17 WB/AM L)

Sam Cox - unattached at present with no interest. English/Irish (16 AM/F C)

Dave Solomon - unattached with no interest at present. English (15 DM, M RC)

Steve al-Jazeera - unattached at present with no interest. Kuwait/English (20 D/WB RL, DM)

Ty of Portsmouth. Capped at England U19 level in centre midfield. 1 Leauge appearance off the bench after 43 minutes. £1.3m (D C, DM)

Willy - unattached with no interest at present. English/Irish (26 AM C)

If there are no comments against the players' name then it is because they have not played, be it Internationally or at club level.

Modena v Bari (08/09/05)
Aston Villa v Portsmouth (17/09/05)

retired_rblake

"Tiziano, come in," Stefano said to his hovering Assistant Manager, "Please sit, what can I do for you?"

"It's regarding Jorg Stiel," Tiziano replied.

"Yes, go on."

"He has been in rather buoyant mood of late, especially in training."

"Well that's good news, right."

"Yes, yes it is."

"Oh, you worried me for a moment there, any reason why?"

"Well I spoke to a few of the players', you know the goalies he spends most of his time with and they say, it's down to the comments you made to the media regarding his debut performance the other day."

"Well I didn't lie, I was happy with his performance and once he settles and adapts to our style and the team in front o him he will get better and I think will be vital to us this season. His experience and know-how and the great ability that he possesses. He needs games to get to full fitness, so he's gonna start the friendly against Grossteo in a couple of days time. Want him in shape and fit and ready for the remainder of the Cup games, three qualify from each group of five, got to win our home games to give us a chance."


Stefano took his players north to the Tuscan region to Grosseto, situated on the west coast of Italy. The Serie C1/B side showed their qualities against a fringe San Potito's side and dominated for large parts and took the lead midway through the first half after some poor marking. Francesco Colantoni thought he had had equalised for San Potito with ten minutes left but it was ruled out for offside. Stefano was again pleased at not giving away too many chances with a changed side against higher opposition but also looked upon the fact that they didn't really create anything again away from home.

He flicked through the newspapers in now customary fashion in his office, but the talk was now starting to edge towards matches as opposed to transfer rumours, although Gremio had rejected Espanyol's loan offer for now South African International Pan Panpardus.

retired_embartl

Terk and Allen so not good enough for the Villa

Nice to see I'm sunning it in Portugal at the most oft abused pub quiz team name [/quote]


full name John Bobbit?


oh and er good luck in Serie C, can be a right arse at times.

retired_bbcarr

pfft, I'm clearly good enough for your bunch of mid-table lumpers. Should be honoured to have a Scottish international at the club :p

retired_karamelkel

Ah, the hazards of dual citizenship... I suppose I'm more useful to the N. Ireland side than my own native country...

I like the idea of interspersing the "proper" story with player update posts. That would help the story.

retired_rblake

The visit of Serie C1/A side Giulianova in the second of four Serie C Cup games, not only saw 2,556 in the crowd but one Stefano Farina as referee and a delighted Stefano Melisi at the end of the game despite the scoreline not reflecting the game he couldn't help but think. Left winger Martino Gravante opened the scoring early on and Piero Balistreri made the second half his own by claiming a hat-trick and MOM in a 4-0 win.

"Signore Melisi."

"Chairman Maglione."

"Fantastic result today," Giuseppe Maglione said as he strode into Stefano's office and took a seat, without being asked.

He is the Chairman though, Stefano thought to himself.

"Players acquitted themselves well and worked the ball around nicely, except for those dodgy backpasses in the first half, good to see none of them in the second. We can't let this victory count for nothing, build on it and take some it into the league game next, cos that's the important one this season, cup games are a distraction."

"Will certainly try to."


Stefano added another new face to the squad with the loan signing of experienced U21 Swiss International midfielder Rijat Shala from Salernitana for the season. In addition several other players were signed to contracts beyond the summer, including just turned 17-year-old striker Antonio Rubio to a pro-contract.

A flick through the papers, Stefano read the reports from the UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Phase Second Leg and the Finals of the Intertoto Cup. Rod Davies sat on the bench for Sporting, whilst it was a bitter-sweet day for Conrad Rowden starting up front for Marseille as they lost 2-1 to HSV of German but Rowden scored his first goal for the club.


Congratulations to Conrad Rowden for scoring the first competitive goal of any player. Leo Allen was the first to claim an assist for Aston Villa.

retired_rblake

The Chairman's words didn't so much as go out the window as broke the window and fly out of the town of San Potito as San Potito took the short trip to Calabria to play Rende and put in a decent performance but were blown away by the finishing of Bruno Trocini and an expert free-kick from Mario Alfieri, losing 3-0 in their opening league fixture of the season.

If it was a response Stefano was looking for, it was exactly that, which he got away to Serie C2/C side Pro Vasto from the province of Chieti in the Abbruzzo region. Within twelve minutes Stefano Pandolfi and Martino Gravante had put them two up and they were cruising. Pro Vasto pulled on back before half-time and scored shortly after to equalise and the game fell away to a disappointing draw for San Potito, throwing away a two-goal lead.

The first game of September was the last of the group stages of the Serie C Cup. San Potito entertaining Serie C1/B side Chieti in front of 1,024 knew that a win would put them through to the next stage. The first half was even and Fabio Di Vito gave the vistors the lead just before half-time slotting past Ermanno Fumagalli making his first competitive appearance of the season in goal in place of Jorg Stiel who had been called up for the Swiss National side. Stefano changed this around, switching to a conventional 442 with Stefano Pandolfi and Piero Balistreri partnered together and it paid dividends as Pandolfi scored twice in five minutes to put San Potito ahead and when Balistreri was felled in the penalty with twelve minutes left, resulting in a dismissal for Alessandro Battisti, it was left to 19-year-old centre-half Francesco Cosenza, who earlier had been a late transfer target for Fiorentina, with a late bid on transfer deadline deal for a co-ownership deal, which was rejected, to seal the match from the penalty spot. This he did with a cool head and composure. San Potito were very good value for their win and claimed second spot in Group G to progress.


During this period two round of World Cup Qualifiers were played, which will be reported on later, with player Round-Ups.