retired_blondie_524

Sunday 25 November - Serie C2/B
Montevarchi v Cavese

In a poor first half the home side took the lead early on before Bosak put Castioni through to level minutes later but we still went into the break behind. Montevarchi scored the go ahead goal when Terzi made a real hash of a backpass and Frau nipped in to loft it over the stranded Valentini.
The second half was instantly forgetable except for Bosak's 90th minute miss of an open goal. Another disappointing loss that could have been avoided.
Montevarchi 2-1 Cavese
Montevarchi scorers: Matri 7, Frau 28
Cavese scorers: Castioni 9
Att: 1,923

Reggiana confirm their class by hammering Cecina 4-0 and Bellaria's 2-0 win over Fano gives them second place, two points above us.

Saturday 1st December 2007

The board are delighted with my performance despite our patchy form, I suppose when you were almost relegated the season before you do count our current placing as a result. We made a profit of €123,000 last month.

Sunday 2nd December - Serie C2/B
Cavese v Foligno

It's third v fourth so we must win to maintain our playoff drive. Ndreka moves to central defense to replace Claudio Terzi who's been making a few mistakes recently and López comes back at left back.
We fail to have a single shot on goal and it's thanks to Alex Valentini that we go into half time level. He makes some magnificent saves as the visitors get four of their 10 shots on goal.
The second half was no better except that both sides stopped shooting, the worst 0-0 draw I have seen in the last three seasons.
Cavese 0-0 Foligno
Att: 4,339

Reggiana stay top with a 1-0 win at Giugliano and second placed Bellaria keep place with us after a 2-2 draw at Ferentino.

Sunday 9th December - Serie C2/B
Reggiana v Cavese

Today we face a difficult trip to the league leaders. Dohert has a cold so his place on the bench is taken by Marsili. We survive as Reggiana push on and even take a shock lead just after the half hour. Alfieri sends a ball over the defense and Bosak runs on one-on-one with the keeper before slotting it calmly under the keeper for his fifth of the season. The lead barely lasts two minutes before Facchinetti catches Valentini and Di Ciccio in no mans land and nods in his fifteenth goal.
It was our best second half for a while and our forwards were rather wasteful of the chances we created. Frédéric Bosak is starting to show the form that led me to buy him and it was him that sealed a surprising win with eight minutes left. The Reggiana defender let the ball bobble and Bosak whipped it off his toe 30 yards from goal, everyone trailed in his wake as he powered on and finished his second breakaway chance of the game.
Reggiana 1-2 Cavese
Reggiana scorers: Facchinetti 35
Cavese scorers: Bosak 33, 83
Att: 7,083

Reggiana are still three points clear but we move into second spot ahead of Bellaria, who drew 1-1 with Teramo, on goal difference.

retired_blondie_524

Sunday 16th December - Serie C2/B
Cavese v Fermana

The visit of 13th placed Fermana is the perfect opportunity to build on our victory last week. Alex Valentini is at home suffering from flu so Sander Kevelaerts comes in for his debut.
The visitors took an early lead when Staffolani got into the area and tried to lob Kevelaerts, he did marvelously to parry it but it fell straight to Bucchi for a tap-in. Bucchi lost his marker after 20 minutes and tucked home his second.
The few chances we did carve out in the second half found the visitor’s keeper in top form. With eight minutes left Arno's little flick found Alfieri and his header beat the keeper at the near post. Too little, too late! I just can't seem to concentrate the team's minds, they cannot make the right decision in front of goal and they won't keep up the effort.
Cavese 1-2 Fermana
Cavese scorers: Alfieri 83
Fermana scorers: Bucchi 6, 20
Att: 4,499

Reggiana pull away again with a 3-1 win at Prato while Bellaria's 5-2 win at Orvietana lifts them above us into second.

I'm beginning to hate this place, my plans worked at TNS and Zhejiang because the players concentrated and followed orders. Here they're all prima donnas, won't concentrate and can't score because they always take the wrong option. I'm starting to feel that I made a wrong turn somewhere here, Zhejiang won the Chinese National 1st division title with my squad - they listened to me. Maybe I should go somewhere where they do listen again.

retired_aurie

Maybe you should take them to the Opera and show them how real primadonnas work. They'll find out that nothing but the best will suffice and hopefully work with you after that

BTW, sorry I mistook your journey to have taken a turn to Canada in an earlier post. I don't know what got into me
Maybe it was wishful thinking?!

retired_blondie_524

if I had the money they'd have got their P45's in their christmas cards

...maybe I ought to send the players to Canada?

retired_blondie_524

Sunday 23rd December - Serie C2/B
Cecina v Cavese

A visit to 11th place Cecina leaves me wondering what team of ours will turn up? The one that can win at Reggiana or the one that can lose to relegation threatened teams? The only change I make is to restore the fit again Valentini to the first team.
We played reasonably well but didn't take the lead until the 53rd minute. Bosak lost his marker and found Capone's cross and nodded home. Cavese had plenty of chances to win it but players breaking wouldn't cross, midfielders shot 30 yards wide and forwards clean through started looking to pass. We paid for it in the last quarter of an hour when somehow Arnulfo's header found the net from a seemingly impossible angle to level the game. Everybody was in uproar when substitute Milton's shot hit the post with four minutes left and Bosak swept the rebound into the yawning net but the Linesman's flag was up.
Cecina 1-1 Cavese
Cecina scorers: Arnulfo 79
Cavese scorers: 54
Att: 1,100

Reggiana's 1-0 victory over Castelnuovo gives them a five point lead to Bellaria who drew 2-2 with Forli and we're a further three points back.

Tuesday 1st January 2008

The board are still delighted to be challenging at the top end of the table and we even made a profit of €4,300 last month.

retired_blondie_524

Sunday 6th January - Serie C2/B
Cavese v Giugliano

I just set on the bench shaking my head as flowing moves got the ball into decent positions and then ended in pathetic shots or terrible passes. Ndreka gave away a penalty just before the break and that looked to be all she wrote until we got the luck with 20 minutes left. Bosak's shot was so wayward it found Castioni in space on the far edge of the six yard box and he slipped it under the keeper.
Cavese 1-1 Giugliano
Cavese scorers: Castioni 72
Giugliano scorers: Consonni 44 pen.
Att: 4,412

Reggiana remain top despite losing 3-1 at Fano, second placed Bellaria drew again, this time 0-0 at Latina.

I will have to look for a backup defender as Claudio Terzi has sustained torn knee ligaments and will probably miss the rest of the season.

retired_blondie_524

Serie C2/B table at the halfway point of the season

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Reggiana | | 17 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 16 | +15 | 36 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Bellaria | | 17 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 31 | 18 | +13 | 32 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Cavese | | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 19 | +9 | 29 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Fano | | 17 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 28 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Prato | | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 19 | -2 | 26 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Foligno | | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 26 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Castelnuovo | | 17 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 24 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Latina | | 17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 21 | -1 | 24 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Montevarchi | | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 26 | -3 | 23 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Fermana | | 17 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 22 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Giugliano | | 17 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 22 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Cecina | | 17 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 22 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Teramo | | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 21 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Orvietana | | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 27 | -8 | 21 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Ferentino | | 17 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 17 | 25 | -8 | 18 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Forlì | | 17 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 32 | -6 | 17 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Manfredonia | | 17 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 27 | -12 | 13 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Gubbio | | 17 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 32 | -13 | 13 | </pre>

retired_blondie_524

Saturday 12 January 2008

I've signed one PSV younster, 17 year old Belgian Jasper Grevendonck, on a free and am chasing another. Jasper is a central defender who has made one senior appearance for PSV this season.

Sunday 13th January - Serie C2/B
Latina v Foligno

After surviving Latina's bright start we got a lucky break when Castioni's shot from an angle was turned away right into the path of Bosak who slid it in from 12 yards. Suddenly Cavese stepped up a gear and it was no surprise when we doubled the lead after 25 minutes. Capone headed the ball across the face of the goal and Bosak was free at the far post to turn it in. Di Piedi pulled one back on the half hour when he evaded the defense and beat Valentini at his near post fromna seemingly impossible angle. Within seconds of the kickoff Latina were level, an intercepted pass was swiftly moved to Di Piedi who cooly slotted home from the edge of the area.
The second half both teams struggled to find any fluency as good approach play leads to blazing shots. Another two goal lead thrown away. My frustration stems not from the lack of results but the knowledge that the players can do it when they want to. I have three coaches working solely on shooting and ball control techniques without any success.
Latina 2-2 Cavese
Latina scorers: Di Piedi 31, 32
Cavese scorers: Bosak 16, 25
Att: 2,957

Reggiana draw 0-0 at Ferenntino whislt Bellaria win 1-0 against Manfrédonia. Our draw leaves us five points behind them.

Monday 14th January 2008

The other PSV younster, 17 year old belgian Davy Sorbo, joins us on a free. He's a central defender who has made two appearances for PSV this season.

retired_blondie_524

Wednesday 16th January 2008

My assistant manager Li Xiaopeng has obviously been sensing my frustration and has been cooking things up behind my back. Today he came into my office and handed me his mobile, "Speak to Mr Liefeng".
I took the phone and said " Hello?"

"Hello this is Shen Liefeng, I'm chairman of Wuhan Huanghelou. You met me last year when we played Zhejiang in a friendly."

Oh yea, I remember! We kicked your ass good and proper - Super League side stuffed by first division side, was it 4-1 or 5-1?

It was 3-1 actually. I've been watching you since then. You did a good job turning Zhejiang around, you now they're in the Super League now?


Yes, I know, I've been keeping in touch with Wang Shihai. It was my team that built the foundations for that.

"You've keep in touch back here, that’s good – you’ll know which players are good then. Look you've impressed me and our mutual friend Li says you're not to happy in Italy?"

Well, Not so much unhappy as frustrated. The players here don't seem to respect my instructions.

"The players here are very respectful Mr. Loughnane. Our trouble is that we had to part company with Li Yingfa, he could only get us to 11th spot in the Super League last season and for a team that has only had one season outside the top five in the five seasons before that, that was not good enough! I want you to restore Wuhan, I'll give you a rise, a decent transfer budget and some scope on wages. Be on the plane to Wuhan tomorrow and we'll talk."

With that he hung up. I sat there staring at the flight ticket Li Xiaopeng had just placed on the desk.

"my phone" he said, holding out his hand. I gave it to him and he disappeared without another word leaving me alone with my thoughts.

retired_blondie_524

Saturday 20th January 2008

So now I'm sat in my office, not in Cavese anymore but in Wuhan, Mr Liefeng was right, Pasta was making me fat. I'd spent all that time learning Chinese so I might as well use the lingo.
So here I am back in China, in the Super League. I've got a contract of 475,000 RMB a week, a transfer budget of almost 16 million RMB and 45,000 RMB left in my salary pot.
I've got 25 days before our first pre season friendly so time to get this squad in shape.

The Super League rules are much the same as they were for the Chinese first division except that although you can still only have two foreign players in the matchday squad, you can also sign a third foreigner to the overall club.

Friday 25th January 2008

The phone's been red-hot all week as I put out feelers for several players I was interested in during my time at Zhejiang but could never afford, plus of course a few old favourites at Zhejiang. One of those, keeper Cui Kai, becomes the first to sign for just 40,000 RMB. Mind you that's all profit for Zhejiang as I originally picked him up on a free.