retired_amyslack

Thanks for your ongoinf support Spav

Into the Unknown

After a short break to recharge his batteries Sandy was soon back at Fano and hard at work preparing to meet the challenge of Serie A survival. With the Serie B Manager of the Year award proudly displayed in his office he got back to work with a vengeance. The first item on his agenda was to take a look at the playing staff on the books and decide on any squad changes for the forthcoming season. There was no doubt in his mind that their best player of last season was 20-year-old Leonardo Collacchioni. The lad had been top notch and not only made the Serie B Team of the Year but was also recognised by the fans as the club’s Player of the Year. Cristian Pazzi had also been in fine form before being struck down through injury and managed 11 goals in his 16 games. He was now back in full training and Sandy was hopeful that he had made a full recovery.

Sandy felt that he had some decent options amongst his strikers with Pierobon, Selva, Dall’Acqua and Odair to choose from as well as a fit-again Pazzi. In fact the Brazilian Odair had finished as the top scorer last season with 15 goals and Sandy valued his pace and close control. With youngster Matteo Visentin having another exceptional season in the Under-20s, scoring 23 goals in 42 games, he also offered an option. But having just turned 17 Sandy had no immediate plans to give the boy any first team action just yet. Davide Andorno had put in a terrific season on the left wing and Frederico Carelli had played well in midfield. In fact Fredi had finished runner-up in the Goal of the Season awards for his long-range effort against Cagliari back in December.

The first of the squad changes took place when Rodrigo Batista Machado and Stefano Gazzano finished their loans and returned to their respective teams. Injury-ravaged Luca Pucinelli was also coming to the end of his contract and he decided that his body couldn’t take any more and that he would be retiring. Veteran striker Cristiano Luconi reached the same decision, having not featured last season. The youth academy produced a new batch of graduates this summer, with four prospects joining the Under-20 team. They were a pair of 16-year-old keepers, Nicola Napolitano (about whom Beardsley was particularly enthusiastic) and Alessandro Pavesi, a young striker, Domenico Martini (14) and a midfielder, Luca Anaclerio (16).

On the coaching front Sandy recognised that he was depending more and more on Peter Beardsley as his number two and he made the difficult decision to appoint the Geordie as his official assistant. Dario Sanguin was understandably upset by this decision but after taking some time to reflect on the situation he accepted Sandy’s offer to remain on the coaching staff. 35-year-old defender Salvatore Russo met with Sandy to discuss his future. He had 6 months left on his contract and had been considering retirement but having recently gained his coaching qualifications he was interested in an alternative role. Sandy agreed that he too could join the coaching staff and asked him to oversee the youth programme now that Beardsley had a new role.

The club’s finances were in excellent shape and the profit made last season, combined with a very tidy sum for the Serie A TV rights meant that little old Fano had over €12M in the bank – an extraordinary sum for such a small club. Mirco quite rightly earmarked a fair amount for running costs and improvements but he and Sandy still agreed that up to €6M would be available to sign new players if required. As well as this the two men agreed that the wage budget would need to be upped considerably and Mirco agreed to a staggering €120K a week. Sandy reflected that with their current bill running at under €18K a week it would be some time before he threatened that particular budget.

As the summer progressed Sandy and his staff partook in some serious squad strengthening, bringing in no less than 8 new players to the Stadio Mancini. Despite his generous transfer budget six of his new signings came via the free transfer market with only two commanding fees. The new boys at Fano were as follows.

Michele Marcolini (31)
An experienced attacking midfielder who has Serie A experience with Atalanta in his long career.

Erik Hagen (32)
Capped five times for Norway Erik is a very experienced centre back and joined from Valerenga for €700K.

Ricardo Costa (26)
A central defender who has spent all of his career at Porto but failed to make a breakthrough into the first team.

Dirk Ochs (23)
A very determined midfielder recently released by FC Bayern. Capped at Under-21 level for Germany but he never made an appearance for the senior team.

Michele Ferri (26)
A versatile player who can play anywhere along the back line he joined from Palermo for a fee of €950K.

Patrice Luzi (27)
A gifted keeper who can boast clubs such as Monaco, Liverpool and Schalke 04 on his CV.

Igor Herrero (22)
A former Real Madrid youth who never made it to the first team, Igor can play as a sweeper, centre back or right back.

Nermin Celikovic (26)
A Bosnian striker who has spent four seasons in the Bundesliga with 1.FC Koln.

In addition to the new players coming in Sandy decided to release centre back Daniele Sgammini on a free transfer at the end of his contract as he had more than enough defensive cover and young Dan was never going to make the grade.

Most of Sandy’s signings were made with a view to strengthening the defence but Marcolini, Ochs and Celikovic would also add depth to the midfield and attack and all things considered he was pretty pleased with how the squad was looking.

During the summer period the Euro 2008 qualifiers continued with Sandy as an interested spectator. He was disappointed to see Scotland doing poorly, losing in Norway and Estonia, and they had virtually no chance of making it to the finals. Italy recovered from a shock defeat in Latvia by recording a home win against Wales and still had every chance of qualification.

Sandy arranged a couple of pre-season friendlies to see how the new players fared. The results were mixed – a 2-1 defeat of Ancona and a 1-0 loss at Pisa – but a sending off would mean that Fredi Carelli would miss the season opener at home to Cagliari.

retired_amyslack

Eating At The Top Table

As Sandy prepared his squad for their first ever game in Serie A the realities of life in the top flight began to hit home. During the course of this season his team would face matches against the likes of Roma, Inter, Juventus, Milan and Lazio. Teams that had spent the best part of €100M on playing talent during the summer. Teams that could attract over 80,000 fans to their home games. This really was life with the big boys and Sandy had absolutely no idea if his lads could handle it. He did have the luxury of a pretty big squad now – counting all his youngsters Fano had some 45 players on the books. Of course this did mean that he had some selection headaches for the season opener and he spent hours with his coaches deciding on the first eleven for the visit of Cagliari. His main concern was in midfield with Carelli suspended, Ochs carrying an injury from the last friendly game and Palacios out for 2 months with a groin muscle torn in training. Komi Tchangai was also unavailable as he was away on international duty with Togo.

The day before the opening game the first major trophy of the season was decided with Sampdoria lifting the European Super Cup after a 2-1 defeat of FC Bayern.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday September 2nd 2007
Serie A Game 1
Fano 0 Cagliari 1
Not the greatest of starts to life in Serie A, especially considering we were playing another newly promoted team that we had beaten home and away last season. The new centre back pairing of Hagen and Costa looked unsteady but it often takes time for new players to settle in and adjust. Orlandi put in a good performance to keep the score respectable but we never threatened going forward and I obviously have some thinking to do about out attacking play.

Team Selection
Orlandi (9*), Tomasetti (7), Ferri (7, sub 67), Hagen (5, sub 67), Costa (6), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (7), Stefani (7), Riccio (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7)
Subs - Faccini (6), Russo (7)


Sandy would be forced to make at least one change to the team for the next game as Luca Tomasetti suffered a serious groin strain in training and would be out for two months. After seeking further medical advice Sandy agreed that both Tomasetti and Palacios would undergo surgery and both players would be out for several months. With a weekend off for Euro 2008 qualifiers Sandy spent the extra time working his players hard in training. At the weekend Scotland restored a modicum of pride with a battling 3-3 draw against Slovakia, coming back from 3-1 down to take a point. Italy maintained second place in their group behind Serbia & Montenegro with a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland. However during the week Italy suffered a 1-0 defeat in Serbia and could now do no better that runners-up but Scotland recorded a stunning 3-1 win over group leaders Spain.

For the visit of Perugia Sandy decided to play Collacchioni at right back, giving Marcolini a start on the right wing. He also welcomed back Tchangai from international duty and paired him with Hagen in the centre of defence.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday September 15th 2007
Serie A Game 2
Fano 1 Perugia 2
This was a much better performance from the team and was worthy of at least a point. Odair scored a superb opening goal, firing home powerfully from a tight angle and we held the lead until 20 minutes from time. But then Tchangai gave away a careless penalty to allow the visitors back into the game. The Togolese defender was also at fault for the second goal, losing possession in a critical area and undoing all of the good work put in by his teammates.

Team Selection
Orlandi (6), Collacchioni (8), Ferri (7), Tchangai (5, sub 83), Hagen (7), Marcolini (7), Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (8*)
Subs - Costa (6)

Goals
Odair 19


In their next game Fano faced a trip to Vicenza, a team that they had eliminated from the Italian Cup last season. Sandy only made one change for the game, brining in young Dirk Ochs for Carelli. He decided to keep faith with Tchangai to see if he would put in a steadier performance in this game.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday September 23rd 2007
Serie A Game 3
Vicenza 1 Fano 1
This was another pretty good performance and I was delighted to see Pazzi playing well and scoring his first goal of the season, his pace taking him free of the defence and making a neat finish. We could have reached the break further ahead but Andorno saw his shot come back off the post. It’s a shame that the winger had to come off with a knock in the second half as he was playing well. The home side equalised just 5 minutes after the restart with German veteran Oliver Neuville creating the chance. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get the win but at least we have our first point on the board.

Team Selection
Orlandi (7), Collacchioni (8), Ferri (7), Tchangai (6), Hagen (8), Marcolini (7), Andorno (8, sub 73), Riccio (6, sub 73), Ochs (7), Pazzi (9*), Odair (8)
Subs - Stefani (6), Di Fiandra (7)

Goals
Pazzi 28


With Ochs still not yet match fit Sandy made the decision to recall Carelli for the trip to Reggina but apart from that he went with an unchanged team.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday September 30th 2007
Serie A Game 4
Reggina 1 Fano 0
This was a bruising encounter and the tackles were flying in, especially from the home side. We had several players struggling by the end of the game and were fortunate that there were no serious injuries. We created some decent chances and the home keeper made some good stops to deny us a goal. We conceded the winner with 20 minutes remaining and it was a bit of a disappointing goal. A long diagonal ball to the back post should have been dealt with but we were a little slack and paid the price.

Team Selection
Orlandi (8), Collacchioni (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (7), Marcolini (7, sub 18), Andorno (7), Riccio (7, sub 70), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7)
Subs - Di Fiandra (7), Stefani (7)

So Fano’s first month in Serie A was not a happy one – three defeats out of four games and just a single point to show for their efforts. They sat in 16th place but only goal difference kept them out of the bottom three relegation places. Parma, Lazio and Fiorentina were making the early running at the to of the table and all three were unbeaten so far.

mrsevans7177

A terrific story and by the looks of things, a terrific manager. Will be following this one with a keen interest, kutgw

retired_amyslack

Thank you bartley

It’s A Jungle Out There

Morale was understandably affected by the bad start to the season and a visit by Roma did not seem to offer much hope for progression. Tchangai would miss the game as he was on international duty for Togo so Ricardo Costa would play instead. Davide Andorno would also miss the game as he had not fully recovered from his battering the previous weekend and Mirco Di Fiandra was unavailable with an injury sustained in training. Sandy reshuffled by moving Marcolini to the left wing, Collacchioni to the right, Michele Ferri to right back and bringing in Paolo Bravo for his first game of the season at left back. Odair was also struggling with a knock so Marco Pierobon made his first appearance to partner Pazzi. He also brought in Ochs to replace Carelli in midfield.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday October 7th 2007
Serie A Game 5
Fano 0 Roma 1
We were by no means disgraced in this game and the narrow scoreline reflects the closeness of the game. We fell behind after half an hour from a header that deflected off Marcolini when Orlandi looked to have it covered. Luck was not on our side today – we hit the crossbar, had one effort cleared off the line and forced the visiting keeper into a number of decent saves. On another day we would have taken something from this game so we should look at it positively.

Team Selection
Orlandi (5), Feri (7), Bravo (5, sub 73), Costa (5, sub 73), Hagen (7), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (6, sub 88), Riccio (7), Ochs (7), Pazzi (7), Pierobon (7)
Subs – Dika (6), Russo (6), Dall’Acqua (6)


A midweek trip to bottom of the table Genoa was not the worst of prospects as Fano sought their first win in Serie A. Some further team changes were required though after their hard game at the weekend. Herrero came in at right back, Tchangai was back after representing his county and Andorno, Carelli and Odair would all make a start.

Sandy’s Journal
Wednesday October 10th 2007
Serie A Game 6
Genoa 2 Fano 2
We started this game well and established a two-goal lead after an hour but in the end we ran out of steam and allowed the home side to come back and gain a point. It was very disappointing to let a lead slip like that and we still don’t look solid enough at the back for my liking. But on the positive side Collacchioni looks like he won’t be out of place at this level and Odair is playing very well.

Team Selection
Orlandi (7), Herrero (5), Ferri (6), Tchangai (7), Hagen (6, sub 79), Collacchioni (8), Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (10*)
Subs – Faccini (6)

Goals
Odair 18, Pazzi 62

The Euro 2008 qualification campaign was completed over the weekend and despite a 6-0 demolition of Liechtenstein, Italy finish runners-up in their group and will face a playoff. Scotland signed off with a scoreless draw in the Faroe Islands and finished 4th in their group.

Sandy viewed the forthcoming trip to the San Siro to play Milan with mixed feelings. On the one hand the prospect of such a big game was very exciting but on the other he had serious misgivings about his team’s ability to handle the pressure that they would encounter. They were far from used to playing in front of large crowds and they would almost certainly find the atmosphere very intimidating. With this in mind he decided to bring the experienced Michele Marcolini into midfield in place of Riccio.

Sandy’s Journal
Saturday October 20th 2007
Serie A Game 7
Milan 1 Fano 3
I told the boys before the game to go out and see if they could quieten the crowd and they certainly did that! Odair showed pace and trickery to get us off to a great start and even though Milan equalised soon afterwards we still kept our heads up. Marcolini took advantage of some poor marking to put us back in front and Pazzi showed his pace to score the third. I have to say that I was amazed at how poorly the home side played but take nothing away from our boys – they fully deserved their win.

Team Selection
Orlandi (6), Herrero (6), Ferri (6), Tchangai (6), Hagen (7), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (7), Marcolini (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8*), Odair (8)

Goals
Odair 6, Marcolini 19, Pazzi 29


Having gained their first Serie A victory in some style the mood in and around the Stadio Mancini was very positive. But there was little time to relax before the trip to Como for an Italian Cup encounter. Sandy planned to make some significant team changes anyway but one change in particular was forced upon him when Davide Andorno suffered a serious injury, a torn groin muscle, which would require surgery and a long layoff to repair.

Sandy’s Journal
Tuesday October 23rd 2007
Italian Cup 1st Round 1st Leg
Como 2 Fano 1
We spent the bulk of the game exercising the home keeper who deservedly gained Man of the Match honours for his performance, a string of stunning stops limiting us to a single goal. Inspired by their goalie, the home side found the net twice in the last 20 minutes to get the win but if we can exert the same pressure in the return leg then all is not lost.

Team Selection
Luzi (7), Russo (6), Bravo (7), Costa (5), Dika (7), Di Fiandra (7), Dall’Acqua (5), Riccio (9), Stefani (6), Pierobon (7), Celikovic (8)

Goals
Riccio 49


For the visit of Serie leaders Parma, Sandy reverted back to his first choice eleven with Marcolini replacing Andorno on the left wing and Luzi keeping his place in goal.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday October 28th 2007
Serie A Game 8
Fano 1 Parma 1
This was a really steady display by the team today. We held our shape really well and defended as well as we have all season. We didn’t create too many chances going forward but Riccio gave us a deserved lead before the break. The visitors struck back 10 minutes after the restart but we held on for a well-earned point.

Team Selection
Luzi (6), Herrero (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (8*), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7)

Goals
Riccio 39

A very busy month came to a conclusion with a visit from Juventus and Sandy had to make a few team changes. Orlandi came back in as Luzi was struggling with a knock picked up in training. Russo replaced Herrero at right back and Celikovic came in for a tired Odair.

Sandy’s Journal
Wednesday October 31st 2007
Serie A Game 9
Fano 2 Juventus 1
This was another excellent performance – solid in defence and very positive going forward. Erik Hagen scored his first goal for the club to give us an early lead but Juve struck back quickly with what would prove to be their only shot on target during the whole game. We stuck to our task admirably and Riccio selflessly set up Pazzi for the late winner and three invaluable points.

Team Selection
Orlandi (5), Russo (7, sub 70), Ferri (8), Tchangai (8), Hagen (8), Collacchioni (8), Marcolini (8*), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Celikovic (4, sub 70)
Subs - Di Fiandra (7), Pierobon (7)

Goals
Hagen 6, Pazzi 88

Two excellent league wins saw Fano end a hectic month in 14th place with 9 points, a much healthier state of affairs than last month. Parma continued to set the early pace with Inter hot on their heels.

retired_jgirl87

Good start to Serie A. If Fano can beat the likes of Milan and Juventus, then there must be reasonable grounds for assuming that they can stay up. KUTGW BobBev.

retired_amyslack

Thanks Spav but I expect a few struggles along the way

A New Challenge?

With little time for recuperation before the trip to Palermo Sandy shuffled his side once again. Luzi was preferred in goal over Orlandi, Collacchioni was switched to right back with Di Fiandra playing on the right wing and Odair replaced the disappointing Celikovic.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday November 4th 2007
Serie A Game 10
Palermo 0 Fano 0
This wasn’t the most entertaining of games for the spectators as neither side really got going during the 90 minutes. We created few opportunities but on the other hand we didn’t have too much to do at the back either.

Team Selection
Luzi (8), Collacchioni (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (6), Di Fiandra (7), Marcolini (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7, sub 64), Odair (7)
Subs - Pierobon (6)


A knock to keeper Luzi during the last game turned out to be more serious than was first thought and the French stopper required several weeks of physiotherapy to rectify the problem. Sandy once again made chances for the team to face Como in the midweek game, partly through necessity but mainly to give some of the squad players some competitive action.

Sandy’s Journal
Wednesday November 7th 2007
Italian Cup 1st Round 2nd Leg
Fano 3 Como 2 (3-3 on aggregate, Como win on away goals)
Already chasing a one-goal deficit the situation looked hopeless after we conceded two goals immediately after half time. But this seemed to spur the players into action and they achieved a spirited fight back to win on the evening but we were eliminated on away goals. I’m not too disappointed to go out of the cup and I was impressed by the spirit in the team so it’s hard to be too disappointed about the result.

Team Selection
Orlandi (8), Herrero (6), Ferri (7), Faccini (7), Costa (8), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (7), Ochs (7), Stefani (7), Celikovic (7), Dall’Acqua (9*)

Goals
Ochs 63, Costa 65, Dall’Acqua 78


With the Italian Cup now behind them Sandy hoped that he could now focus on establishing a settled first eleven and get a decent run of form going in the league, starting from the weekend visit to Cup opponents Como.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday November 11th 2007
Serie A Game 11
Como 0 Fano 0
We were more than equal to our hosts and it took a fine performance from their keeper to deny us a win. We created a number of good chances and on the balance of play we deserved the win. But a point away from home is never a bad result so I won’t complain too much.

Team Selection
Orlandi (8), Ferri (7), Russo (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (7), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7)


There was no competitive action the next weekend due to the Euro 2008 Playoffs and the Fano boys watched along with the rest of the country as Italy tried to secure their place in Austria and Switzerland. The were drawn against Belgium and an extraordinary first leg at home ended 5-4 to Italy with five goals being scored in a frantic final 20 minutes. The return tie was also high scoring but left Sandy’s adopted homeland in mourning as their team lost 4-2 to suffer an incredible 8-7 aggregate defeat.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday November 25th 2007
Serie A Game 12
Fano 1 Atalanta 3
What a frustrating game this can be – we outplayed the visitors but failed to capitalise on our chances after a splendid early goal by Odair. They had three shots on target and scored with each one. I’m afraid that Orlandi must shoulder some responsibility here and his place in the first team is under increasing threat.

Team Selection
Orlandi (5), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (6), Collacchioni (8), Marcolini (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (8)

Goals
Odair 10


The next day as Sandy was brooding on the nature of his team’s defeat there was a knock at his office door and club president Mirco Giovanelli walked in.

“Hello Mirco. Come to discuss our goalkeeping problem?”

“No Senor Sandy, I have something else on my mind.”

The usually jovial Italian sounded rather subdued. “What is it Mirco?”

“You are happy here at Fano Senor Sandy?”

“Of course I’m happy Mirco. The team is going well, I love the town and the people – I’m very happy”

“You have maybe thought about moving to a beeger team though?”

“I can’t say that I have, why?”

“I have had a telephone call from Senor Cimminelli the President of Torino. As you know they have just fired Voncenzo Pincolini and they want to talk to you about taking over”

“Oh!”

“Senor Sandy, I love you like a brother and you are the best thing that has ever happened to my Fano, but eef you want to talk to them I weel not stand in your way. They are a huge club weeth a magnifico stadium and eet would be a beeg chance for you.”

Sandy hesitated for a moment before responding. “Mirco, the only reason that I got back into this stupid game was because of you. Why do you think that I’d walk out on you now when we have so much more to do at Fano.”

Mirco said nothing but standing abruptly he pulled Sandy up out of his chair and engulfed him in one of his trademark bearhugs. Releasing the Scotsman he walked towards the door, turning at the exit to say “Senor Sandy, you are a very fine man, a very fine man indeed.”

As the month came to a close Sandy was approached by Cristian Pazzi who wanted to negotiate an improved contract. Having assured his star striker that he was supportive of a new arrangement the Scotsman asked General Manager Sandro Mengucci to hammer out the details and the two worked out a new 3-year deal that would make Paz one of the best-paid players at the club.

retired_amyslack

Struggling to Compete

As Sandy prepared his team for their trip to Bologna he reflected on the challenge that Serie A presented. Now moving into their 4th full month of competition his team had only won 2 of their 12 games and lay in 16th place but he wasn’t too worried. He felt that things would soon turn around once Fano started getting a little more luck going their way.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday December 2nd 2007
Serie A Game 13
Bologna 1 Fano 1
It was another very frustrating evening as I watched the lads play with great spirit, taking the game to their opponents and creating some great chances. Having taken the lead through an early penalty we had the opportunity to kill the game off but it never happened. We came very close, hitting the woodwork three times. The fact that the home keeper was voted Man of the Match says it all really. But once again we were denied three points as we conceded an equaliser 10 minutes after the restart.

Team Selection
Luzi (6), M Ferri (6), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (8), Hagen (7), Collacchioni (9), Marcolini (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Odair (8)

Goals
Marcolini 7


The visit of Udinese was preceded by another visit from Mirco with the news that he had been approached by Genoa with a request to interview Sandy for their vacant managerial post.

“I’ll tell you what Mirco, take it as read that I’m not interested in leaving Fano so just tell anyone else that calls that they’re wasting their time. Unless they’re from Milan or Rome of course.”

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday December 9th 2007
Serie A Game 14
Fano 1 Udinese 0
Our second penalty in as many games gave us a first-half lead and this time we were able to hold on to it and get a very welcome win. Komi Tchangai was a rock at the back, snuffing our numerous attacks before they could develop and Luzi made some good stops to keep a clean sheet.

Team Selection
Luzi (8), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (8*), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7)

Goals
Carelli 33


In midweek left back Luca Ferri suffered a knock in training that ruled him out of the trip to Lazio so Paolo Bravo made the trip in his stead.


Sandy’s Journal
Sunday December 16th 2007
Serie A Game 15
Lazio 2 Fano 0
We were quite simply outplayed tonight, never really getting into our stride and rarely threatening the home side. We worked hard but never looked like penetrating a solid Lazio back line that was marshalled superbly by the veteran Jaap Staam.

Team Selection
Luzi (8), M Ferri (6), Bravo (6), Hagen (6), Tchangai (6), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (6), Riccio (8), Carelli (6), Pazzi (7), Odair (7)


Fano’s final game of the month would be at still-managerless Torino and Sandy was keen to say the least to take full points from the bottom of the table strugglers.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday December 22nd 2007
Serie A Game 16
Torino 2 Fano 1
Having gifted the home side a two-goal lead by half time we were always on the back foot. A re-shuffle during the break saw a marked improvement in the second half but it was too little too late and we couldn’t get back on terms.

Team Selection
Luzi (5), M Ferri (9*), Bravo (4, sub 45), Hagen (6), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (8), Marcolini (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (8)

Goals
Ferri 82


With a 2-week break over the Christmas period to look forward to Sandy had an opportunity to spend some extra time on the training pitch in an effort to gee up his team and snap them out of their poor run of form. They were still in 16th place but his team were slipping closer and closer to the relegation positions and he wasn’t quite as confident in a turnaround as he had been at the start of the month.

retired_amyslack

The Fight Continues

A visit by high-flying Sampdoria was not perhaps the ideal start to the New Year but with Luca Ferri restored to the starting lineup Sandy was hopeful that his defence would be strengthened. He also decided to play Dirk Ochs in midfield rather than Carelli to see if the young German could inject some bite.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday January 6th 2008
Serie A Game 17
Fano 0 Sampdoria 1
My experiment with Ochs failed as he put in a very poor performance before being substituted at the break. Hagen was also poor and was replaced by Faccini who lasted 20 minutes before limping off himself. We just can’t seem to buy a goal at present – the front two are playing well but they seem to have lost their touch in front of the posts.

Team Selection
Luzi (9), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (4, sub 45), Tchangai (6), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (5), Riccio (7), Ochs (4, sub 45), Pazzi (7), Odair (7)
Subs – Faccini (7, sub 64), Carelli (7), Herrero (7)


A rare midweek game followed with a visit from Inter. The Milan giants were not having a good season by their own standards and lay in 9th place in the table but Sandy was under no illusions regarding the magnitude of the task that faced his team. With some enforced changes in the starting eleven the job would be even more difficult.

Sandy’s Journal
Wednesday January 9th 2008
Serie A Game 18
Fano 1 Inter 1
Pazzi’s first goal for 8 games to give us the lead was a great confidence boost and with a bit more luck in front of goal we could easily have gone on to win the game. We saw more of the ball and were by no means outplayed. If Luzi would be a bit more consistent then I would be a lot happier as he’s a good keeper.

Team Selection
Luzi (5), M Ferri (7), Russo (7), Dika (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (9*), Marcolini (8), Riccio (8), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Dall’Acqua (7, sub 45)
Subs – Celikovic (7)

Goals
Pazzi 17


The appearance of player/coach Salvatore Russo at the age of 36 was a record for the club as he became the oldest player ever to represent Fano in a competitive game. Before the week was out Russo had also persuaded Sandy and the board to make a major investment in a young striker that he had been following. Michele Alberti was just 16 and it had taken a fee of €775K to prise him from Serie B side Catanzaro but Salvatore was so insistent about the lad that he pushed the deal through. If he was anywhere near as good as Russo said he was then it wouldn’t be too long before he made an appearance in the first team.

Sandy reverted back to his preferred eleven for the visit to Fiorentina but Dika kept his place in central defence instead of Hagen.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday January 13th 2008
Serie A Game 19
Fiorentina 3 Fano 2
Having managed to come back from a goal behind I was furious when we conceded twice in the last 5 minutes to throw three points away. Our inconsistency in defence is costing us dear and if I can’t find a way to fix it then we won’t be playing in Serie A next season. On a positive note young Leo Collacchioni is proving his worth yet again as he shows that he is more than capable of playing at this level.

Team Selection
Luzi (5), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (5), Dika (5, sub 72), Tchangai (8, sub 84), Collacchioni (9), Marcolini (7, sub 72), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Odair (7)
Subs – Faccini (6), Di Fiandra (6), Herrero (5)

Goals
Tchangai 25, Collacchioni 27


To add to Sandy’s concerns striker Pazzi was ruled out for a week with a back strain and would miss the next game at Perugia, as would Collacchioni who was serving a one-match suspension.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday January 20th 2008
Serie A Game 20
Perugia 0 Fano 0
There was little to choose between the two teams, both creating a number of chances but failing to hit the target with most of them. I can’t help feeling that if we can start to find the back of the net and get a few wins under our belts then the entire season could turn around.

Team Selection
Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (6), Dika (7), Tchangai (6), Di Fiandra (7, sub 79), Marcolini (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Dall’Acqua (7), Odair (8*)
Subs – Celikovic (7)


With his team struggling to get on the scoresheet Sandy was pleased to have Pazzi back in the side for the visit of Vicenza.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday January 27th 2008
Serie A Game 21
Fano 0 Vicenza 0
Despite totally dominating the game our goal drought showed no signs of being broken. The visiting keeper denied us again and again and we have just about got to the point where we are convinced that no matter what we do we are destined not to score.

Team Selection
Luzi (6), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Dika (8), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (4, sub 64), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7, sub 64)
Subs – Di Fiandra (7), Pierobon (6)


The month came to an end with a midweek trip to Cagliari. Luca Tomasetti would make only his second appearance of the season after his early injury as Sandy shuffled his lineup to rest some tired bodies.


Sandy’s Journal
Wednesday January 30th 2008
Serie A Game 22
Cagliari 3 Fano 2
Just as Pazzi gets back in amongst the goals our defence decides to go AWOL! His early goal was quickly cancelled out as the home side established a 3-1 lead with 25 minutes remaining. Paz pulled one back but we couldn’t do enough to steal a point.

Team Selection
Luzi (7), Tomasetti (4, sub 62), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (8), Marcolini (7, sub 62), Riccio (7), Carelli (6), Pazzi (8), Celikovic (7)
Subs – Herrero (6), Dall’Acqua (7)

Goals
Pazzi 7, 68

After a very poor month Fano had now dropped to 18th in the table, the first of the three relegation places. With only 3 wins and 18 points they were in real trouble. At the other end of the table Roma had overtaken Parma and established a 7-point lead at the top.

retired_troan

This is a very captivating diary, and so effective that I'm beginning to see elements of my dad after a couple of drinks in Mirco the chairman.
How I'll explain that reading this all evening last night instead of completing an English essay to my teacher is the question I'll take with me into college today.

This is good stuff, may it continue.

retired_amyslack

Sorry to disrupt your education Frankles but I certainly appreciate your very kind comments.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

With barely a third of their debut Serie A season remaining, Fano were in deep trouble. Mired in a relegation dogfight, struggling to score goals and inconsistent in defence, the players were understandably dejected. Sandy was desperate to find a way to boost their confidence but unfortunately the best way to do that was to get a few wins on the board, and that was proving to be a difficult trick to pull off. 3 victories in 22 attempts was not an encouraging statistic. For the visit of fellow strugglers Reggina Sandy made the decision to put 16-year-old Alberti in the starting eleven. The lad had impressed in the Under-20s and quite frankly the manager felt that he had nothing to lose by playing the youngster. Winger Marcolini was missing with an injury so Odair was moved to the flank.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday February 3rd 2008
Serie A Game 23
Fano 3 Reggina 0
This was a much steadier performance than of late and for once we were able to capitalise on an early goal and go on to get the win. Odair showed his versatility by adapting to his position on the wing and his early strike was crucial. The experiment with Alberti up front didn’t really work but it was asking a lot of a 16-year-old to come into the team and become an instant goalscorer.

Team Selection
Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8), Riccio (8*), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Alberti (5, sub 62)
Subs – Dall’Acqua (7)

Goals
Odair 8, Tchangai 28, Riccio 54


Fano’s morale-boosting win was hugely welcome and Sandy hoped that his players could draw some inspiration from the result in their next game, a trip to table-topping Roma! Having tried out one young striker with no success he decided that he would go for broke with another teenager, asking 17-year-old Matteo Visentin to start up front. The lad was having another exceptional season in the Under-20’s and Sandy felt that the gamble was worth it.


Sandy’s Journal
Sunday February 10th 2008
Serie A Game 24
Roma 1 Fano 3
This was a truly stunning performance by the team. To silence the Olimpico in Rome and come away with such an emphatic result was a magnificent achievement, especially considering our league position. Our midfield was just inspirational and young Matteo was outstanding, showing no nerves and converting his goal with aplomb.

Team Selection
Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (9), Odair (9), Riccio (8), Carelli (8), Pazzi (8), Visentin (9*)

Goals
Collacchioni 39, Visentin 52, Tchangai 62


Two straight wins had transformed the mood around the Stadio Mancini, with the victory over Roma in particular providing a significant increase in morale. Sandy had no hesitation in naming an unchamged eleven for the visit of struggling Genoa.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday February 17th 2008
Serie A Game 25
Fano 3 Genoa 0
Having not been able to score a goal for love nor money we have now found the net 9 times in our last three games. Matteo is fast becoming a local hero and I am delighted with the impact that the young man has made. The boys have suddenly started to deliver and are now playing with style and confidence – it’s amazing what a win or two does for a team.

Team Selection
Luzi (7), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (8), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8), Riccio (8), Carelli (8), Pazzi (8), Visentin (10*)

Goals
Visentin 18, 31, Pazzi 86


With his team suddenly finding things going their way Sandy was hopeful that their midweek trip to Juventus would prove fruitful. The Torino giants were having a poor season and sat in 10th place in the table.

Sandy’s Journal
Wednesday February 20th 2008
Serie A Game 26
Juventus 0 Fano 2
To be honest we were on the defensive for a lot of this game but our luck has taken a definite turn for the better and two late goals gave us our 4th straight win. The key moment in the game came in the 86th minute when Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon was injured. The home side had already used all of their substitutes so veteran striker Christian Vieri took over in goal and was found wanting. I suspect that had Buffon remained on the pitch then the game would have remained goalless but who am I to complain when a break goes our way for a change.

Team Selection
Luzi (7), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (6), Hagen (7), Tchangai (9*), Collacchioni (9), Odair (9), Riccio (9), Carelli (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8)

Goals
Riccio 88, Tchangai 90


Fano’s new-found form faced a stiff test indeed in their next game when Milan came to town but once again Sandy could name an unchanged lineup. Michele Marcolini had recovered from injury but the excellent form of Odair meant that the winger remained a spectator on the bench.

Sandy’s Journal
Sunday February 24th 2008
Serie A Game 27
Fano 2 Milan 0
I am truly astounded at the extraordinary turnaround that we have seen this month as we put in another quite splendid performance to get a well deserved win. Riccio’s contribution has been significant and the striker-turned midfielder was once again instrumental. Defensively we have tightened up significantly and the midfield is really clicking but the real key has been the self-belief of the players.

Team Selection
Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (9*), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8), Riccio (9), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8)

Goals
Riccio 45, Visentin 52


As Sandy continued to marvel at the transformation in his team’s fortunes he regarded the league table with a deal more satisfaction now than just a few short weeks ago. Fano were now in 14th place with a decent 10-point margin over the first of the relegation places. Five straight wins with just 1 goal conceded in that spell had made a huge difference to their outlook and it was a much more confident set of players that looked forward to the remainder of the league campaign.