retired_nela

Wrapping it up

There was an assortment of news immediately after the final game. Corrado Grabbi finally announced his retirement (yay!), but defender Manuel Cattani demanded a new contract. He’s on £750 per week and is demanding £9K, which is rather annoying. To make matters worse, he now wants to move to a bigger club. Meanwhile, young defender Devis Nossa was called up to the Italian Under-21 side while new signing Andrea Briotti was named the Italian Serie A Young Player of the Year – a fair effort given that he played five games in total. Supat Rungratsamee finished second on the Serie A goalscoring list. Nordin Lennartsson’s ridiculous goal against Sampdoria from January was named the Serie A goal of the year.

I brought in almost a dozen young, newly released players on trials in June. The first two to receive contracts were 17-year-olds Jugurta Tait (a former Chelsea defender, who actually played a Premier League game) and Sharle Agenor Eckhardt (a German Under-21 striker, with three senior games for Dortmund). They were followed by McGowen (a defender from Ipswich), Webb (a central midfielder from Arsenal) and Mohammed Guillou (a goalkeeper from Hertha BSC). German centre-back Krause (formerly of HSV) and Newcastle midfielder Sobir White were the final two signings. All these players are currently aged 17 and are signed until 2010. I guess there go my chances of any youth players coming up from my academy in the near future… I released upwards of a dozen Under-20 players this season, so these new players should get a decent go.

I gave up on attempting to re-sign Manuel Cattani after five rejected offers (I went as high as £5K), but did for once manage to re-sign my staff members with expiring contracts (except for physio Alberto Lugli, who retired).

Around the world: major awards and results

Ancona Supporters’ Player of the Year:
Supat Rungratsamee

World Player of the Year:
Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

World Footballer of the year:
Philippe Mexés (Real Madrid)

England:
Arsenal

Spain:
Real Madrid

Champions Cup:
Arsenal

UEFA Cup:
Hertha BSC

fat_boy_troy

Although you are unlukcy to have messed up italian awards, you're main ones are still okay. I'm not that fortunate, 4 Rosenborg players won the most important world awards for me...

Nice to see you've stayed up. Next season is gonna be exciting too. Btw, how's your financial stats?

retired_nela

I think we're making about £8M profit a season, which is a pretty fair effort. Shame I don't actually have a use for it...

The Transfers

Trans In
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Date | Person | From | Fee | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22.6.2006 | Fusco, Alessandro | Free Transfer | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23.6.2006 | Gregory, Shavkat | Free Transfer | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23.6.2006 | Roberts, Khairani | Free Transfer | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 27.6.2006 | Reid, Amor | Free Transfer | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Ferrari, Daniel | Carrarese | £130K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Stendardo, Guglielmo | Perugia | £325K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Pappalardo, Tse Lung | Novara | £110K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Sarr | Free Transfer | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21.12.2006 | Nossa, Devis | Free Transfer | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 31.12.2006 | Ajide, Olasunkanmi Akande | Free Transfer | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.1.2007 | Pezzarossi, Dwight | Ferrol | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.1.2007 | Redavid, Vito | Juventus | £75K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23.1.2007 | Perrone, Antonio | Lecce | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3.5.2007 | Briotti, Andrea | Roma | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15.6.2007 | Eckhardt, Sharle Agenor | Free Transfer | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17.6.2007 | Tait, Jugurta | Free Transfer | Free | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Total | | £650K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

Trans Out

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Date | Person | To | Fee | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17.6.2006 | Kalambay, Patrick | Como | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30.6.2006 | Peccarisi, Maurizio | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 30.6.2006 | Del Gaudio, Giovanni | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Minin, Enrico | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Palloni, Nicola | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Rossi, Matteo | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Triuzzi, Gianluca | Treviso | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Bilica | Bari | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.7.2006 | Vives, Giuseppe | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.8.2006 | Scarchilli, Alessio | Pistoiese | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.8.2006 | Rapaic, Milan | Reggiana | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10.9.2006 | Ciccantelli, Stefano | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29.10.2006 | Borsatti, Luca | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10.1.2007 | Sannino, Francesco | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14.1.2007 | Vichi, Davide | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3.2.2007 | Paci, Riccardo | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 28.2.2007 | Faccioni, Artur | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18.3.2007 | Stecconi, Nicola | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24.3.2007 | Caldaroni, William | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24.3.2007 | Baiocchi, Michael | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 26.4.2007 | Anconetani, Sergio | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20.5.2007 | Santarelli, Marco | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20.5.2007 | Inglese, Luigi | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20.5.2007 | Lambiase, Giuseppe | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20.5.2007 | Sollitto, Gabriele | Free Transfer | Free | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Total | | £0 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

Loans Out

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Date | Person | To | Fee | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7.7.2006 | Cignacco, Luca | Nocerina | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15.7.2006 | Carlos Henrique | Salernitana | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 25.7.2006 | De Nicolò, Enzo | Igea Virtus | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 27.7.2006 | Chiaramida, Carmelo| Meda | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 29.7.2006 | Sealey, George | Lucchese | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1.8.2006 | Degano, Daniele | Reggiana | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21.8.2006 | Donzelli, Elia | Crotone | Loan | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Total | | £0 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

Staff In

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Date | Person | From | Fee | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3.7.2006 | Venturelli, Giuseppe | Free Transfer | £0 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4.7.2006 | Davies, Tim | Free Transfer | £0 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Total | | £0 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

Not a great season at all for transfers. It’s a bit too early to judge the young players signed as long-term prospects, but Devis Nossa managed some senior games and Tse Lung Pappalardo looked good. Daniel Ferrari did his job as backup goalkeeper and Antonio Briotti did well in his four senior games –so well that he won the Serie A Young Player of the Year award. Amor Reid unfortunately did little, but he was a long-shot anyway.

Of the players signed as senior regulars, the results were fairly poor. Sarr did okay at the back, but Stendardo was a waste of £325K and Igors Stepanovs was unremarkable. Dwight Pezzarossi was particularly disappointing while Redavid and Ajide didn’t do a heck of a lot.

We made no money at all from transfers out, but at least cleared up a bit of space in the squad. Daniele Degano was the only player to look good on loan.

retired_nela

Pre-Season 2007/2008

A very interesting start to the 07/08 season. We received a new sponsorship deal for two years worth £1.1M - £600K less than what we got from the previous deal that had been running from the start of the game. I was given a transfer budget of £7.5M, with the rather disturbing request that I invest in new players and start rebuilding the team. Sommese, Chadwick and Bucchi aren’t even gone, and we’re already expected to be relegated? I don’t like this at all… The supporters at least expect a mid-table spot, but my board seems to have no confidence in the side.

Corrado Grabbi, Vincenzo Sommese and Goran Pandev were the first senior players to leave. That clears up more than £20K in wages – most of those which went to Grabbi – but leaves me minus one useful player. Incidentally, it’s worth noting that Grabbi received upwards of £3M in wages while at Ancona, for the grand total of 23 senior games. My wage budget is now up to £160K, which is quite useful.

Markus Neumayr took out a chunk of my transfer budget at the start of July, arriving for £1.7M from Arsenal. Quite a hefty price for somebody with four senior games in his career, but hopefully it’ll work out. It caused immediate problems, though, with Vito Redavid and Olasunkanmi Akande Ajide complaining about the amount of competition in the midfield. They probably had a point, but with a lack of playmakers at the side, I felt it necessary to sign Neumayr to cover that weakness. I made another purchase immediately after Neumayr arrived, grabbing 28-year-old Italian goalkeeper Generoso Rossi for £150K from Udinese. Agliardi did well last season, but Ferrari needs time to develop and a bit of competition for a position is never a bad thing. I had a go at signing former Italian international Francesco Coco on a free transfer, but he chose Rayo over Ancona. Perhaps my best signing was veteran English centre back Darren Purse on a free transfer, after he played particularly well at Birmingham in the English Premier League over the last few seasons.

I received a £1.1M bid for Federico Agliardi from Piacenza, which I did consider having signed Generoso Rossi, particularly as Agliardi’s contract expired at the end of the season. I eventually rejected it, though, as I didn’t really want to take the risk of leaving the side with an unproven goalkeeper.

The 31st of July, 2007, was a big day for Ancona, with Amor Reid, Luke Chadwick and Christian Bucchi leaving the club at the ends of their respective contracts. Chadwick, Bucchi and Sommese (who was released at the start of the month) were Ancona’s three “*” players, which certainly underlines their importance to the side. For what it’s worth, Rabito, Lennartsson and Rungratsamee are the three new “*” players. Forward Mirko Vucinic left to join Wolfsburg while Brazilian defender Carlos Henrique went to Bari after neither looked good enough last season to earn a new contract.

Our first friendly offered some promising signs for the season ahead. We easily downed Chievo 2-0, with goals to Degano and Pezzarossi – two players who will need to step up this season. Supat Rungratsamee suffered a groin strain in the game, but since it only put him out for two weeks, it mattered little. Thanks to the fact that my assistant did not arrange any friendlies despite being set to do so and the mysterious disappearance of a game against our Under-20 side, that turned out to be the only friendly for 07/08, so Rungratsamee was no more unfit than any other member of the side by the time of the first senior game.

As the pre-season drew to a close, I brought in two first-team signings – Dutch right back Christian Gyan on a free transfer and Liverpool forward Sinama-Pongolle on loan. Midfielder Olasunkanmi Akande Ajide was placed on the transfer list by request, but there was no interest. There was another bid for Agliardi, this one £1.3M, but I again rejected it.

I received news that Supat Rungratsamee was unhappy that I’d not offered him an improved contract at the end of the season as promised. Of course, I’d thought (rather logically, I believe) that since I’d offered him an improved contract before the end of the season, which he’d happily accepted, that promise was pretty much fulfilled, albeit a bit earlier. But no, apparently if you promise a contract at the end of the season, doing it earlier is just as bad as not doing it at all. So now my most important player is angry at me though a lack of flexibility [read: stupid programming oversight] in the game. In all seriousness, if I had not put so much work into this story, which may well be my last, the game would not only be uninstalled by now, the CD would probably be snapped in half. Even EA Sports would be ashamed of some of the crap in this game. [/rant]

fat_boy_troy

The last paragraph summed up everything I feel about CM too. :thup:

The most worrying thing is that I almost don't play it anymore, your story is the only ramification I've have left with the game. Reading it made me try to play it once more, but if even you that "fantasize" the wrong aspects of the game can't stand it anymore I figure it's a lost cause.

retired_nela

Indeed. It's just a shame I'd already put so much work into this before finally realising just how bad it truly was. Now I have to keep playing the game regardless of the numerous flaws because I don't want to have totally wasted all this time.

I hope you appreciate the sacrifices I make for you...


The Squad

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">1st in Italian Serie ASquad Screen| Pkd | Inf | Name | Squad Status | Basic Wage | Contract Expiry | Offer Options | Asking Price | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Loa | Sinama-Pongolle, F | - | £750 | 17.6.2008 | None | £3.8M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | GK | Wnt | Agliardi, F | First Team | £7,000 | 31.7.2010 | None | £1.1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | DC | | Briotti, A | First Team | £7,500 | 31.7.2008 | None | £1.2M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | DR | | Gyan, C | First Team | £5,000 | 31.7.2010 | None | £1.8M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | MC | | Lennartsson, N* | First Team | £5,000 | 31.7.2008 | None | £4.2M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB6 | | Munitis, P | First Team | £6,500 | 31.7.2008 | None | £700K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | MC | | Neumayr, M | First Team | £4,000 | 31.7.2010 | None | £2.1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | FC | | Pezzarossi, D | First Team | £4,000 | 31.7.2009 | None | £2.4M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | DC | | Purse, D | First Team | £5,000 | 31.7.2009 | None | £1.8M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | MR | | Rabito, A* | First Team | £13,250 | 31.7.2009 | None | £6.75M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB1 | | Rossi, G | First Team | £3,000 | 31.7.2010 | None | £1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | FC | | Rungratsamee, S* | First Team | £5,500 | 31.7.2009 | None | £6M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | DL | | Zamperini, A | First Team | £2,600 | 31.7.2009 | None | £1.1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Req | Ajide, O | Rotation | £2,200 | 31.7.2009 | None | £1.8M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Cassani, M | Rotation | £2,200 | 31.7.2010 | None | £875K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ML | | El Kadouri, B | Rotation | £5,500 | 31.7.2010 | None | £3.7M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Unh | Nossa, D | Rotation | £600 | 31.7.2009 | None | £625K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB2 | Unh | Redavid, V | Rotation | £1,100 | 31.7.2009 | None | £1.4M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB3 | | Sarr | Rotation | £3,500 | 31.7.2009 | None | £1.1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Stendardo, G | Rotation | £975 | 31.7.2009 | None | £725K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Zavagno, L | Rotation | £6,000 | 31.7.2008 | None | £525K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Unh | Arthur | Backup | £425 | 31.7.2009 | None | £1.2M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB5 | Unh | Cattani, M | Backup | £750 | 31.7.2009 | None | £925K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB4 | Wnt | Degano, D | Backup | £725 | 31.7.2008 | None | £1.8M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Potenza, A | Backup | £2,000 | 31.7.2010 | None | £625K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Stepanovs, I | Backup | £550 | 31.7.2008 | None | £350K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB7 | | Adu, F | Hot Prospect | £750 | 31.7.2011 | None | N/A | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Bid | Vianello, M | Hot Prospect | £850 | 31.7.2009 | None | £1.1M | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Unh | Leonelli, M | Youngster | £150 | 31.7.2008 | None | £350K | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

Total Players: 54
Wage Budget: £160,000
Total Weekly Wages at 30/7/07: £95,849


Goalkeepers

Federico Agliardi [24, GK, ITA – Capped at U21 level] – 2, 68, 0
A better season from Agliardi, which was certainly important considering the lack of a proven backup. He did concede big numbers of goals a couple of times against the bigger teams, but considering our weak defence and the strength of some of our opponents, that’s not too surprising. There’s a few sides interested in buying him, and I will have to decide fairly early in the season if I wish to re-sign him, lest I wind up with a lot of competition come January 2008.

Daniel Ferrari [18, GK, ITA] – 1, 4, 0
Ferrari did a decent job when called up for a few games last season, but he now has a chance to get a full season of games under his belt in the Under-20s rather than sitting on the bench in the seniors. He looks a good prospect, and hopefully will continue to show promise.

Generoso Rossi [28, GK, ITA]
Bought for £150K in an attempt to cover our lack of first-team options for goalkeeping, Rossi looks solid but hasn’t played a lot of senior football in recent times. He was loaned from Serie B to Serie A to become Siena’s first choice goalkeeper, but after he was bought by Udinese in 04/05 for £375K he really struggled, and only played 13 senior games for them. Hopefully he can play something of a rotational role here.


Defenders

Andrea Briotti [21, Sw/D LC, ITA – 7 U21/0] – 1, 4, 0
In only four games with Ancona, Briotti seemed to seal a first team spot for this season. He’s only contracted until the end of 07/08 and may well be the subject of some demand, but I hope he can be a solid player at the back this season.
06/07 Serie A Young Player of the Year

Manuel Cassani [23, D RC, ITA – Capped at U21 level] – 2, 56, 0
A fairly flat season from Cassani, clearly behind Cattani for the right back position, but he wasn’t as bad as some (i.e. Potenza). I did re-sign him last season until 2010, so hopefully he can pick up his game this year.

Manuel Cattani [22, D RC, ITA – Capped at U21 level] – 2, 33, 1
A pretty solid year from Cattani, holding down right back without ever standing out. He wants a new contract and to move to a bigger club, but he’s contracted until 2009 and I won’t increase his wages too much unless his performances improve dramatically. He will likely play fewer games this season due to the following player.

Christian Gyan [28, D R, GHA – 21/1]
A specialist right back, and a quite good one. Gyan only played semi-regularly with Feyenoord, but put in some superb performances when he did. We haven’t had a really good right back since Sartor (and even then he was only good for one season), but Gyan should change that. He has the pace to be a threat going forward and is reasonably good as a defender. A regular first team role looks likely.

Marco Leonelli [23, D C, ITA] – 3, 4, 0
Having had little impact in either the seniors or Under-20s, it’s hard to see Leonelli getting much of a go this season or getting his contract renewed.

Devis Nossa [21, D C, ITA – 2 U21/0] – 1, 3, 0
One of the better prospects at the side, the former Inter defender fought his way into the senior side last season and didn’t look too out of place. He’s not happy at Ancona, but may be if he gets more of a go in the seniors this year.

Alessandro Potenza [23, D C, ITA – Capped at U21 level] – 3, 41, 0
I have no idea why I signed him for another three seasons last year. He has struggled in both the seniors and youth team, and will play few games this season.

Darren Purse [30, D C, ENG]
Signed as a centre back partner for Briotti and Sarr, Purse has been one of the better English Premier League defenders at Birmingham, and should play an important role at Ancona. He is strong in the defensive aspects of the game and finally provides us with a decent choice for captain.

Sarr [23, D RC, SEN – 20/0] – 1, 34, 2
A reasonably good year from Sarr in 06/07, but with Briotti and Purse now at the club, he will have to fight hard to retain his regular first team spot. Even if he loses his starting place, he has the ability to play a useful rotational role at the back.

Igors Stepanovs [31, D C, LVA – 74/3] – 1, 20, 1
After having little impact last season, Stepanovs will have little to do this year with two new centre back options. He may be a useful backup if one of the three main centre backs suffers an injury, but he won’t get in ahead of them otherwise.

Guglielmo Stendardo [26, D C, ITA] – 1, 15, 0
See above.

Alessandro Zamperini [24, D LC, ITA] – 2, 43, 0
Zamperini wasn’t as impressive in Serie A as he was in his couple of games after being signed while we were in Serie B, but like right back Cattani, he did a decent job without ever standing out. He should continue to be a first team player in the absence of other left back options.

Luciano Zavagno [29, D L, ARG] – 4, 101, 6
Zavagno is behind Zamperini in the battle for left back, and since he can only play in that position, that puts him in a bit of trouble. This is his last season under contract, and he will have to improve a lot to be re-signed.


Midfielders

Freddy Adu [18, AM/F RC, USA – 15/1] – 4, 36, 0
Yep, that position is correct – I’ve re-trained him as a right-sided player in an attempt to cover the loss of Sommese and Chadwick from the right wing. Adu hasn’t had much impact at Ancona yet, but he looked good in a couple of games last season and looks to have improved as a player. This should be his biggest season yet.

Olasunkanmi Akande Ajide [21, DM RC, NGA – 1/0] – 1, 8, 0
Ajide apparently showed enough last season to make his international debut, but didn’t look great in his few chances at Ancona. He’s upset at the competition for a first team spot, and unless he does particularly well off the bench off the season early, he may indeed struggle for a place in the side.

Arthur [21, AM C, BRA] – 2, 3, 0
Though he didn’t do much in the seniors last season, Arthur has been one of the better Under-20s players. He will need to improve to get a spot in the seniors this season, but has shown some promise.

Badr El Kadouri [26, AM L, MAR – 12/0] – 68, 4, 23
While he didn’t have as much impact last season as he did in Serie A, El Kadouri did well to hold down the left wing. With Chadwick now gone and few options on the wings, El Kadouri will need to play well for the team to succeed.

Nordin Lennartsson [24, AM C, SWE] – 2, 59, 5
A surprise success, Lennartsson was originally only going to be a fringe player but last season became an important part of the side. His long shooting is often questionable, but he has created quite a few goals with some incredible passes. He will likely play alongside Neumayr for much of this season. I may have trouble re-signing him at the end of the season, as his wage demands are likely to go up.

Pedro Munitis [32, AM/F LC, ESP – 21/2] – 2, 55, 5
After a poor start to the season which saw him lose his midfield spot to Rabito, Munitis managed to perform much better in the latter half and regain his place. He will likely have to play a bit on the left wing with Chadwick gone and no other obvious backup for El Kadouri, which should help give him a reasonable number of games despite the signing of Neumayr. A forward role may also be possible.

Markus Neumayr [21, M C, GER – 1 U21/0]
A record signing at £1.7M from Arsenal, Neumayr has just four senior games in his career but should be a key player at Ancona. He dominated in Arsenal’s reserve side, with 22 assists in 26 games, and is a brilliant playmaker. He doesn’t have a lot of pace, but there’s more than enough quick players at the club already.

Andrea Rabito [27, F RLC, ITA] – 2, 66, 18
Our highest-paid player, Rabito will unfortunately not have much of a chance to play in his better position of forward with no other obvious options on the right. He played well last season, but has not played on the right wing much at Ancona so I’m not sure if he will continue to be such a strong performer.

Vito Redavid [26, M LC, ITA – Capped at schoolboy level] – 1, 5, 1
A useful backup for the left wing and centre of midfield, Redavid has not helped his chances of a rotational role by complaining about the competition for a first team spot.


Forwards

Daniele Degano [24, F LC, ITA] – 4, 17, 4
A strong season on loan to Reggina in Serie B, with 17 goals in 36 games, combined with the departure of Bucchi has given Degano another shot at a first team spot. He’s still very strong and possesses good heading ability, but his lack of height makes it difficult to use him as a target forward. He will get a few chances, but won’t be in the initial first team plans.

Dwight Pezzarossi [27, S C, GUA – 18/7] – 1, 11, 1
A dismal debut and average performance after that was disappointing from the player signed as a replacement for Bucchi. He had a good scoring record at Ferrol, but that was in Spain’s lower leagues. If he doesn’t do well early this season, I may have to look for a replacement.

Supat Rungratsamee [19, S C, THA – 3/1] – 3, 43, 31
The unquestioned star of our forwards, and possibly the side, Rungratsamee is angry at me thanks to a lovely touch of game stupidity, but if he stays at the club, he will be a key player over the next few years. We have far fewer options up forward than last season, so he needs to continue his fine form.
06/07 Supporters’ Player of the Year

Florent Sinama-Pongolle [22, S C, FRA – Capped at U21 level] On loan from Liverpool until 17/6/08
Signed due to the lack of depth up forward for Ancona, Sinama-Pongolle has little senior experience but unquestioned potential. He’s quite small, and will probably be a better partner for Pezzarossi than Rungratsamee, but should get a regular run. I hope readers of my Rushden stories appreciate the irony of me signing him…

Marco Vianello [23, S C, ITA] – 3, 22, 0
With poor performances in both the seniors and youth team in three seasons at Ancona, it’s hard to see Vianello doing much this season. However, with a sudden lack of depth up forward, he may indeed need to play a few games.

fat_boy_troy

I am fully enjoying what you're doing for me, no doubt about that. You made me play a bug-ridden badly-coded game again and lose important hours of my day (aminly the beggining of afternoons or deep night moments. There is no gift greater than that. :thup:

retired_nela

Well said.

All Up…

I’m not quite sure what to think of this squad in comparison to that of previous seasons. Losing three stars is always difficult to cover, but what we have lost in some areas, we’ve gained in others.

Most notably, we now have an experienced goalkeeper to backup Agliardi. Agliardi improved last season, but it’s better to have a 28-year-old as his backup than somebody ten years younger.

Defence is clearly the most improved area, with two new starting centre backs. The sides of defence were a bit of a concern, but the late addition of Gyan makes a huge difference. Overall it will be much stronger with the inclusions of Purse, Gyan and Briotti.

The midfield also looks stronger, despite the losses of Chadwick and Sommese. Neumayr proves us with a much-needed playmaker and the right wing is the only obvious concern.

For once, we have very few options up forward. I didn’t really realise how bad it would be during last season, as I’d intended to play Rabito up forward without really thinking about who would have to cover the right wing. His likely move to the middle combined with the loss of Vucinic and Bucchi creates problems, particularly as none of the forwards outside Rungratsamee have done anything much at the club. There are no real forward prospects in the Under-20s either, so this could be a real concern.

The Likely Side:

(Playing with a 4-4-2)

GK – Federico Agliardi
LB – Alessandro Zamperini
CB – Darren Purse
CB – Andrea Briotti
RB – Christian Gyan
LM – Badr El Kadouri
CM – Nordin Lennartsson
CM – Markus Neumayr
RM – Andrea Rabito
CF – Dwight Pezzarossi
CF – Supat Rungratsamee

Sub – Pedro Munitis
Sub – Manuel Cattani
Sub – Sarr
Sub – Generoso Rossi
Sub – Vito Redavid
Sub – Florent Sinama-Pongolle
Sub – Freddy Adu


The Staff

Giacomo Tafuro (Assistant Manager)

Gilberto Vallesi (Coach)
Roberto Bocchino (Coach)
Roberto Corti (Coach)
Giannicola Pinotti (Coach)
Gianluca Pagliuca (Coach)
Udalrico Tretter (Coach)
Paulo Roberto Zanon (Coach)
Giuseppe Venturelli (Coach)

Salvatore Gnisci (Physio)
Massimo D’Ambrosio (Physio)

David Jarrett (Scout)
Rob Campkin (Scout)
Julian Carrera (Scout)
Tim Davies (Scout)

retired_nela

August, season 2007/2008

Just the one senior game this month, against Udinese. It posed quite a problem, as with only one friendly before it, the side was lacking match fitness. Freddie Adu started in the midfield, since he had at least played a few international games over the last few months. It wasn’t a promising start, with a forward waltzing right around Andrea Briotti for a shot on goal, which luckily was saved by Agliardi. A wild 37th minute cross from Pezzarossi missed his partner, Rungratsamee, but the Thai striker was quick enough to get the ball and hit it out of the area to Nordin Lennartsson. The midfielder wound up from 25 yards out and slotted it straight in. Rabito hit the bar in the 76th after a fantastic run, but a pass from Rungratsamee to substitute partner Florent Sinama-Pongolle for a simple tap-in put our second on the board a few minutes later. A nice 2-0 win, with Purse, Sinama-Pongolle, Neumayr and Gyan all solid on their Ancona debuts.

Having loaned in Florent Sinama-Pongolle, I decided to let Marco Vianello go to Reggina when they made a loan offer for the striker. If nothing else, this should ensure Degano gets a decent go. I was given odds of 150-1 for the Serie A title, which I believe are my best yet.

retired_nela

September, season 2007/2008

Sampdoria were our second Serie A opponents of the season. They took an early lead, with a winger running straight through our defence, while at the other end Dwight Pezzarossi missed a chip that he could easily have scored from. Lennartsson levelled the scores with a 30-yard free kick five minutes into the second half, but our chance to go ahead after Rungratsamee was put through by a Neumayr pass was wasted with a weak finish. There was an anxious moment when defender Darren Purse went off injured in the 80th after all three substitutions had been made, but despite being a man down we held on for the draw. Markus Neumayr revealed after the game that he was having trouble settling in Italy. As if I don’t have enough to worry about with Rungratsamee angry with me, now my record signing is unhappy.

Bologna came next. The opening dozen minutes were incredibly busy, with seven shots in total. Unfortunately, six went to our opponents. Agliardi somehow held on, and a scramble in our area in the 25th allowed Rungratsamee to tap in a goal from point-blank range. Bologna kept dominating the game, but Agliardi and the defenders, led by Darren Purse, kept them out (with the aid of some sloppy finishing). Against the run of play, a great pass from Ajide gave Sinama-Pongolle our second with ten minutes remaining and Bologna continued to waste their chances. Agliardi rated a perfect ‘10’ for keeping a clean sheet despite 24 Bologna shots (12 on target). I was not entirely certain I should have rejected the bids for him during the pre-season, but this performance makes the decision look good. I re-signed him until 2010 on the strength of that performance alone.

After that lucky win, we faced Vicenza. Rungratsamee and Sinama-Pongolle had a rest, replaced by Degano and Pezzarossi. It started off much like the previous game, with Vicenza attacking hard only to be thwarted by good saves from Agliardi and sloppy shooting. A good tackle and pass down the right from Christian Gyan sent Dwight Pezzarossi running forward, and while his cross was seemingly cleared, Degano was apparently fouled in the process. Purse took the 27th minute penalty and hit it straight in. Vicenza hit back with a goal in the 40th, and then had a penalty of their own a few minutes into the second half. It was hit hard and beat Agliardi, but came back off the post and was cleared. Vicenza continued to waste chances in the final 20 minutes, and by injury time scores were still level. Two minutes in, Rungratsamee (having come off the bench earlier) raced down the right of the area and sent in a short cross. Aide’s half-volley was parried straight to Daniele Degano, who hit it in to snatch a late lead. We made it through the final minutes for our third win in four games. It was not all good news, though, with new defender Christian Gyan complaining about being taken off. He’d suffered a minor injury and I didn’t want to have an unfit player there in defence, but heaven forbid a manager could actually use common sense. I gave him an official warning, which he accepted.

El Kadouri missed the game against Atlanta with a thigh strain, with Munitis starting on the left. Atlanta received a penalty in the 29th after Purse pushed a forward, but for the second week in a row our opponents failed to score from it – this time it was saved by Agliardi. There wasn’t really much to the rest of the game, with Agliardi continuing to play well and Rabito missing no less than six shots. Rungratsamee is well down on form compared to last season, which is no doubt at least partly due to being angry at me.

Pezzarossi was dropped for the game against Chievo after four mediocre games. The first half looked to be scoreless, but Lennartsson drilled in a 20-yard free kick just before the half time whistle. Rungratsamee uncharacteristically had a shot from close range saved by the keeper in the 75th, but thankfully it was parried to Sinama-Pongolle who hit it into the open goal. However, Rungratsamee missed a sitter two minutes later, and this time there was nobody to clean it up. This is becoming a serious problem now. Chievo scored their first in the 85th and had a few chances to level the scores, but again Agliardi did well enough to hold onto a clean sheet. Daniel Ferrari made his Italian Under-21 debut after the game, while young defender Tse Lung Pappalardo was also called up to the squad.

I certainly cannot complain about being undefeated after five Serie A games, with four wins, but player-wise the season has been very mixed. Rungratsamee is clearly struggling and unhappy, and may request a transfer soon. Pezzarossi has been awful and Neumayr is looking like a big disappointment. On the plus side, Sinama-Pongolle has done his job well, Ajide has done excellently in the middle and Agliardi is playing better than I could possibly have hoped. It remains to be seen what long-term impact these issues will have, but it should be an interesting season.