retired_nela

November, season 2003/2004

Sergio Marcon took over in goal for our first match of the month, at home to Siena. He was put under plenty of pressure by an undisciplined defence, with one free kick hitting the post before a second went into the net to put Siena ahead in the 24th. We struggled to make an impact, and as the game reached the final 20 minutes it looked as if it was all over. Cue Luigi Sator, who took a pass from Daniele Daino outside the box and launched it into the corner with a volley for a 76th minute equaliser. Four minutes later Christian Bucchi ran into the box and was promptly brought down by a defender. Daniel Andersson was on hand to take the penalty, and he drilled it in to give us the lead with ten minutes to go. Four minutes later, Paolo Poggi, fresh off the bench, took control of a clearance from Marcon and chipped the keeper. The ball went agonisingly slowly as the keeper raced back to get it, but it just trickled over the line before he could get there. Sommese and Bucchi were unlucky not to score in the final minutes, but the 3-1 scoreline was flattering enough.

A much greater challenge faced us next as we faced Inter away. Could we continue our good form, or would this be a repeat of the match against Juventus? Christian Vieri hit the upright with a chip in the 18th, but it was only thanks to Kallon missing a sitter that we got through the first 45 unscathed. Unfortunately, Inter finally scored in injury time, leaving us 0-1 down at the break. However, a great cross from Daniele Daino was met with an even greater volley from outside the area by Alessio Scarchilli, levelling the scores in the 54th. An 81st minute chip from Adriano gave Inter the lead back and a long-range strike from Emre sealed the result. 1-3 in the end, and for a change the result was actually unfair to Ancona considering the balance of the play rather than our opponents.

Brescia came next, and after just four minutes we had the lead. Bucchi was tripped in the area and Daniel Andersson took advantage with his third successful penalty of the season. Bucchi made it 2-0 in the 20th after intercepting a pass between Brescia defenders, easily drilling it into the net. He almost had a second eight minutes later, but it was ruled offside. Ancona simply dominated the first half, and probably should have been up by more than two at the break. The second half was not quite so good. Milan Rapaic and Luciano Zavagno both suffered injuries requiring them to leave the pitch. Thankfully, they were only minor knocks, and Daniel Andersson was able to seal the game with a great shot from 20 yards out. 3-0, and yet another win on the board for Ancona. It occurs to me that I could make a lot of money betting on Ancona to win games against any but the top couple of sides…

Though the injuries to Rapaic and Zavagno were quite minor, I decided to rest them both for the match against Sampdoria. Davide Carrus, Marco Esposito, Sergio Marcon and Maurizio Ganz got rare runs. Davide Carrus ran onto a long pass in the 12th minute and went straight towards the goal. He tried to run around the keeper and sneak it through, but it came back off the post. Bucchi wasn’t able to get there before a Sampdoria opponent, but that defender obligingly knocked it straight into the net. Sampdoria hit back three minutes later, and then took the lead in the 29th through a ridiculous shot from about half-way into their area which drifted straight over Marcon’s head. Now I know why I normally go with Hedman… Thankfully, captain Mauro Milanese hit back with a header from a Scarchilli corner just before half time to level the scores. Milanese almost repeated the move early in the second, but it was parried by the keeper. However, he got revenge on the goalkeeper through another ridiculous goal, this one a free kick from about half way which went over substitute Paolo Poggi’s head and rolled into the corner of the net without the keeper even moving, despite the fact that the ball was right next to him! Milanese completed an eventful game by being sent off in the 79th minute for a second yellow. It would prove very costly indeed. Sampdoria levelled the scores once again in the 82nd with a simple tap-in from a cross. Three minutes later, they went forward on a counter-attack and sent a fourth past Marcon. Suddenly, we had gone from leading to being a goal down, with only 10 players on the pitch and eight minutes left. Freddie Adu came off the bench and took the ball forward in the 88th, sliding it to Scarchilli. The midfielder ran at the keeper and launched it at the keeper, but it went off the crossbar and bounced to Sampdoria’s defenders. Our last chance was a 55-yard pass from Scarchilli 30 seconds from the final whistle that would have put Bucchi one-on-one with the keeper, but it was headed clear by the defence and 3-4 was the final score. A good effort with several regulars out, but to lose after holding a 3-2 lead with ten minutes to go is very disappointing. It certainly doesn’t help when players can score from half-way, but it worked for both sides, so I can’t really complain (well, I can about the realism, just not the result).

I began working on contract re-signings with the Bosman period approaching, but Giampero Maini was the only player who signed in November, agreeing to a one-year extension. I offered Daniele Daino a contract after a couple of weeks of decent performances, but he turned it down. He is demanding a wage of more than five times his current amount, which seems a but much to me. I’m willing to go to £3K, but that may be the limit.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Holders - Juventus| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D.| Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Inter | | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | +16 | 29 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Milan | | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +14 | 26 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Roma | | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +12 | 22 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Juventus | | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +7 | 20 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Ancona | | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 11 | +5 | 19 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Lazio | | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 12 | +2 | 18 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Perugia | | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 11 | +3 | 17 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Sampdoria | | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | +2 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Parma | | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | +2 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th| | Brescia | | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 | -3 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th| | Bologna | | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -2 | 14 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th| | Modena | | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 13 | -6 | 14 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th| | Chievo | | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 12 | -3 | 13 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th| | Lecce | | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | -12 | 10 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th| | Udinese | | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 12 | -7 | 9 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th| | Empoli | | 11 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -6 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th| | Siena | | 11 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 13 | -10 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th| | Reggina | | 11 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 11 | -14 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

Mike..

Good stuff Donners, and good luck in Italy - done my time there and I ain't going back

Also, on the subject of luck, you'll need it with Mr Grabbi blocking up your squad

retired_nela

I know! The ***** is taking up 1/9th of my wage budget and is stuck there for years! I was quite happy to update my side with the latest transfers, thinking with the likes of Baggio, Jardel and Grabbi I would actually have a decent chance to doing well. Now, of course, not only are the star loan players gone, but Grabbi seems utterly worthless. Yet somehow we're still doing well. Go figure...


December, season 2003/2004

The Daino saga continued into December, with the defender refusing a deal of £3.4K per week. Considering he’s only on £750, that’s a pretty good deal, but he still won’t accept. My assistant suggests I should go up to £6K, but he also said signing Scarchilli wouldn’t be worthwhile… He’s contracted for three more seasons, so he’d better either accept an offer or stop whinging.

Ancona’s first match of the month was away to Bologna. Mauro Milanese missed through suspension from the Sampdoria game, but aside from that we returned to full-strength. Bucchi almost ended his goal drought after being on the end of a move involving Zavagno and Rapaic, but his shot was tipped aside and came off the post. Rapaic went off injured early, and was replaced by Maurizio Ganz. A great strike from Amoroso gave Bologna the lead in the first half and Zavagno joined Rapaic on the bench after taking a knock from an opponent. We had a couple of chances in the second half, but they came to nothing. This was the first time all season we’d lost two games in a row.

Things weren’t any better off the pitch. I failed in several attempts to sign players, while young forward Daniele Degano spoke to the media claiming that he was ready for a first team spot. Any chance players could actually speak to me before the media?

That was not the ideal lead-in for our match against Lazio up next. Midfielders Vincenzo Sommese and Alessio Scarchilli fired in a few shots early, but it was a wonderful 55 yard pass from Scarchilli that gave us our best early chance. Bucchi ran onto it and raced away from the defenders. He had a go at goal, but the keeper got a hand to it and was able to gather it before it trickled away. Two minutes later he was on the end of a long goal kick from Hedman, but this time his shot was tipped over the bar. The first half ended scoreless, though with Ancona surprisingly dominant. Immediately after the kick-off, Bilica launched the ball forward. Rapaic took it and volleyed it through to give Ancona the lead. Lazio attacked to try and regain parity, but wasted their chances. In the 74th minute, substitute Daniele Berretta sent a lovely pass down the left of the pitch. Rapaic smacked it back into the middle and Bucchi was left with a simple finish. Lazio did not respond, and we finished with our most impressive win of the season. Five months ago I was thinking only of survival. Now perhaps it’s time to start thinking of a fight for the top few places of Serie A.

Daniele Daino decided to speak out against the club once again, claiming that he was disappointed by my failure to offer him an improved contract after his good recent performances. Firstly, his performances weren’t that good. Secondly, I offered him three improved contracts, but he rejected them all. I decided to transfer list him for £725K, but there was no interest shown.

I left him out of the side for our match against Chievo. A wonderful run down the wing from Scarchilli in the 33rd minute left us with both strikers running clear of the defence. Rapaic’s shot was saved, but Bucchi was able to gather it and slot it home. Bucchi and Rapaic had nine shots between them in the first half, but that one goal was all they could manage. This proved very costly, with a Chievo player rising above Hedman to head home an equaliser in the 72nd. Despite our absolute dominance of the game, we simply could not hit the back of the net again, having to settle for a 1-1 draw. The stats told a tale – 17 shots (10 on target) for only one goal. Our opponents had half that, yet still came away with a point. Worse yet, left back Luciano Zavagno suffered a torn groin muscle in the final moments, putting him out for two months. Marco Esposito should take over at left back over this period. He was originally my first choice for that position, but somewhere along the way in the early part of the season Zavagno took over left back and did well enough to hold it down until this injury. Hopefully Esposito can show the ability that had him at the top of the list a few months ago now that he has his chance.

At the end of December we were 5th in the league, with a shot at the top couple of places clearly within our reach.

retired_nela

January, season 2003/2004

I busily searched for Bosman signings at the start of January. With several fringe players likely to leave the club and two players outside the first team squad having announced their retirements, I should have room to sign a couple of players. The biggest worry about re-signings is Luigi Sartor, since my board will not give me enough money to match his current wages (he’s on £12.5K and they’re only giving me £9.5K). This seems quite ridiculous to me, since I have so much room under my budget and would only be paying the same amount he’s already on, but there’s a lot of stuff in this game that doesn’t make sense… At any rate, because of this likely loss I focused on defenders, but also had goes at players for a variety of positions. Like my attempts to loan players at the start of the season, I was spectacularly unsuccessful. Uruguayan striker Ivan Alonso of Alavés decided to join Osasuna over us, while players like attacking midfielders Jesus Arellano and Tieme Klompe were out of our financial reach. Another attacking midfielder, Ibrahim Ba, decided to stay at his current club, as did young defender Erminio Rullo.

I did manage some success eventually, though. Key defender Luigi Sartor was good enough to accept a pay cut from £12.5K to £9.25K with the aid of a pay-per-appearance bonus, while Partizan’s speedy right back Milivoje Cirkovic agreed to join at the end of the season. I’d actually approached him as a replacement for Sartor, but will hopefully be able to find a spot for him next season. He is an international for Serbia and Montenegro, but unfortunately countryman Marko Perovic is likely to be released at about the same time Cirkovic arrives.

After that, the transfers seemed to fly in. Reggina’s veteran centre back Stefano Torrisi agreed to join, as did Empoli’s right back Manuel Belleri. I thought strongly about cancelling the signing of Belleri since I’d already grabbed Sartor and Cirkovic for the same position. However, I decided you can’t go wrong with a few options for a position, especially in defence, and went through with it. Young goalkeeper Pier Graziano Gori re-signed with Ancona until 2006, but backup keeper Sergio Marcon rejected my first offer of a new contract. With Hedman back to Celtic soon, I need to find another goalkeeper. My first option for a new goalkeeper, Bo Andersen, received unanimously negative reviews from my assistant and scouts, so I will have to keep looking.

Eventually we came to a match, and a pretty tough one too – Parma at home. Though they were sitting 12th in the league compared to our 5th, there’s no denying the strength of their side. The first half was uneventful aside from newly re-signed defender Luigi Sartor being forced off after a minor knock. Midfielders Daniel Andersson and Vincenzo Sommese took a couple of unsuccessful long-range shots in the second half, but by the 84th minute scores were still level. Rapaic received a throw-in and sent it straight across the box in the direction of Bucchi. He looked to have hit it too hard as it went some way past him, but the Italian had enough time to gather the ball up and squeeze it between the keeper and the post. 1-0 with only six minutes to go, which proved to be not long enough for Parma. Another win on the board for Ancona, though we stayed in 5th spot.

There was some disappointing news after the game, with Mexican international goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez rejecting my third contract offer. It was the highest amount I could offer (£9.25K), but this apparently wasn’t good enough. A bit odd for a player who is only on £4.5K at his present club, but that’s the way it goes. Young Belgian goalkeeper Jean-François Gillet re-signed with Treviso, removing another attractive replacement for Hedman.

Captain Mauro Milanese finally returned to the senior side to face Empoli after an absence of more than a month. I’d left him out after he was suspended for one game at the end of November, and Drazen Bolic and Bilica were so solid at centre back that I simply forgot about him. That’s what happens when you rush through the game in order to get the next post of a story up in time… Christian Bucchi opened the scoring with a header from a Rapaic cross in the 31st in what is becoming one of our trademark moves. Rapaic gave Bucchi another two chances in the second half, but both were saved. Empoli put up a decent fight but never really threatened Hedman until the final 25 minutes. He pulled off three fine saves, but was finally beaten for a 74th minute equaliser. Dario Baccin was sent off in the final minute for a second yellow (which seems to be the only way people are sent off in this patch), but it was surely too late for Empoli to take advantage. Or so I thought. The resulting free kick was headed in, leaving us a goal down in injury time. Our attack from the kick off was halted and there was no time for another. 1-2 in a game we really should have won.

There was at least some good news off the pitch. 32-year-old Colombian international keeper Miguel Calero agreed to a Bosman transfer from Pachuca. He was certainly not my first choice, but looks to have some talent. I also loaned out angry defender/winger Daniele Daino to Como after they made an approach. They initially offered a straight loan, but I added in the option for them to buy him for £750K. It’s a bit less than he’s worth, but I’d be happy to receive it for a clearly unsettled player. The only disappointment was missing out on young English goalkeeper Lee Grant, who decided to re-sign with Derby rather than join us.

Dario Baccin missed the following away game against Perugia with a one-game suspension. Perugia started powerfully, and it was no surprise to see them ahead after only five minutes. However, we answered from the kick-off, with a great long pass from Maini helped along into the net by Rapaic. Perugia continued to attack well, and eventually broke through Magnus Hedman’s solid keeping to regain the lead in the 29th. A third in the 34th minute to the same player – young Brazilian international striker Luis Fabiano – had us reeling. Right on half time, Hedman pulled off three successive saves in a desperate attempt to keep us in the game. However, on the end of the third rebound was good old Fabiano, who put it through for his fourth in the half. And this from somebody who had six goals in twenty games up to this point! I had no idea how to combat him, so simply the two central midfielders back to defensive midfield. It seemed to work, as neither he nor Perugia scored in the second half. Then again, nor did we, with the game finishing in a 1-4 hammering. That’s probably more like what I would have expected out of this season at the start, so it’s not that devastating, but it does impact on our chances of a particularly high finish.

Our next match was a re-match of our very first game in Serie A, against current league leaders Milan. We got away with a scoreless draw in that last encounter at home, but how well could we go in an away game with Daino and Zavagno out? In the very first minute, a magnificent one-two between strikers Rapaic and Bucchi saw the Croatian slam the ball into the net. How’s that for an answer? As you might expect, Milan launched a massive attack after that. Hedman and sloppy shooting combined to keep them at bay for a while, but the situation was complicated with Hedman picking up an injury. He was able to stay on the pitch, but clearly wasn’t at full fitness. Nonetheless, I couldn’t risk having any less than my best keeper out there unless it was absolutely necessary. Milan still put one through anyway, chipping it over Hedman in the 35th (3rd placed in the Goal of the Month award) They clearly dominated the second half, but again a combination of good work from Hedman and weak finishing helped save Ancona the one point. This left us in 7th spot at the end of the month (sorry, I forgot to print the table again).

The only other transfer action of January was learning our fringe defender, Croatian Drazen Bolic, had agreed to join Venezia on a Bosman at the end of the season. With three defenders coming in, this is not much of a loss, though he was on a mere £50 per week. I got Freddie Adu to sign another youth contract, keeping him at the club until February 2005, but Alessio Scarchilli rejected my initial offer of a two-year extension. I offered striker Corrado Grabbi to Bologna for free, but they didn’t respond.

retired_bbcarr

wonderful stuff so far, donners :thup: sorry to see you still can't get rid of grabbi

retired_nela

Thanks, Terk. The worst bit is that Grabbi has a 15% yearly wage increase, so he actually costs me more money as he becomes even less useful (if that is possible...).

February, season 2003/2004

The month kicked off with Ancona hosting Leece. The customary exchange of passes between the strikers occurred in the first few minutes here, but for a change Bucchi put it wide. However, in the 9th minute Milan Rapaic was shoved over in the area. Daniel Andersson took the penalty with his usual confidence, but unusually it was saved, and the defenders cleared the ball before an Ancona player could grab it. Giampiero Maini was forced off injured soon after and was quickly joined off the pitch by fellow midfielder Alessio Scarchilli. The first half ended scoreless and the only real chance of the second was a wonderful curling shot from outside the box by Luigi Sartor. Unfortunately, it just went wide, leaving us with our fourth straight game without a win. At least the injuries to Scarchilli and Maini were very minor. However, Vincenzo Sommese suffered a broken toe at training a couple of days later, leaving me without my first-choice right wing for two weeks. Daino wound normally have been the replacement, but he’s out on loan and I don’t want to bring him back for only a couple of games. Davide Carrus thus took over on the right against Modena. Carrus did well with two corners that were headed at goal by the strikers, but both were saved. There was no saving a Modena shot in the 29th minute which was one-on-one with the keeper thanks to a lenient linesman. We were still down at half time and lost Rapaic to a knock shortly into the second half. A good run down the right from Carrus in the 68th set up Maini for a shot on goal which was parried straight to Bucchi. Despite the absence of his regular striking partner, Bucchi kept his composure well, scoring his 11th of the season. That was all we could manage, and our run of games without a win extended to five. Alessio Scarchilli signed a contract to keep him at Ancona until 2006 for a moderate wage increase after the game.

We did not look to have much chance of getting back amongst the winners with a match against Roma next. Alessio Scarchilli went off injured early, just like Luigi Sartor did after he re-signed with the club. The first half was otherwise uneventful, but the deadlock was finally broken with a goal to Roma in the 74th. In a game of few chances, it looked like we had no chance of coming back. A 90th minute free kick from Maini that dropped straight into the keeper’s hands seemed to confirm this, but suddenly the linesman’s flag went up. A Roma defender had committed a foul in the area, and a penalty was awarded. Daniel Andersson, who missed his last penalty attempt, stepped up with just seconds to go in the game and put it straight into the corner. 1-1, and a very lucky escape for Ancona.

Could we break our stretch of games without a win against Udinese? Maini missed the game, having reached the yellow card limit, but Vincenzo Sommese returned from a broken toe to start in Maini’s place. It took just 29 seconds for our opening goal, with yet another fine exchanges of passes between Milan Rapaic and Christian Bucchi finished off by the Croatian. This later finished 3rd in the Goal of the Month award. Udinese hit a great 25-yard curling shot to equalise mid-way through the first half, and a powerful strike in the 38th put them a goal up. So much for our dream start… It took until the 68th minute for us to respond, with a neat pass from Bucchi finding Rapaic past the defence for a simple finish. We had our chances to regain the lead in the final minutes, but our best chance – a header from Rapaic just a couple of yards out – was easily saved by the goalkeeper. 2-2 for another single point to Ancona.

Luigi Sartor was out with a one-game suspension for the tough match against Juventus, but midfielder Giampiero Maini and defender Luciano Zavagno (injured for the last two months) both returned to the side. Rapaic had a good chance in the 17th when a loose defensive header put him through on goal, but his shot was saved. He suffered a minor injury after that and had to be replaced. Corrado Grabbi came on as his replacement in the 42nd minute for his first senior game in around five months, and just before half time he, Bucchi and Sommese were charging toward the goal after Sommese managed to take the ball off a defender. Sommese’s shot was blocked, but Bucchi was able to latch onto the rebound on the right side of the area and hit it over to Grabbi on the left. He seemed to take forever to turn on the ball, giving the keeper enough time to start moving in his direction. After an agonisingly long time, he fired it in just as the defenders were about to reach him. The shot went straight past the keeper and into the right side of the net for a dramatic opening goal to the game. Juventus began the second half in an attacking mood, but constantly put the ball over the bar. They looked to have a great chance in the 74th when a weak Bilica clearance left a striker with an open goal, but the shot went wide. Hedman saved two late Juventus chips and somehow we held on for a fine win. Rapaic’s injury turned out to be a dislocated jaw, putting him out for two weeks. This should at least give Paolo Poggi and Corrado Grabbi a rare run in the next few games.

Not only did I remember to print the league table, I’ve also added in a table showing the senior stats which should give you some idea of how the players are going.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D.| Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Inter | | 23 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 11 | +29 | 53 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Milan | | 23 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +27 | 50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Juventus | | 23 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 13 | +24 | 45 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Lazio | | 23 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 17 | +13 | 43 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Sampdoria | | 23 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 17 | +12 | 37 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Roma | | 23 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 15 | +10 | 37 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Perugia | | 23 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 23 | +9 | 36 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Ancona | | 23 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 23 | +4 | 34 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Bologna | | 23 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 18 | -4 | 32 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th| | Brescia | | 23 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 21 | -9 | 29 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th| | Parma | | 23 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 23 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 25 | -8 | 26 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th| | Udinese | | 23 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 22 | -4 | 25 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th| | Chievo | | 23 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 23 | -14 | 23 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th| | Modena | | 23 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 33 | -21 | 21 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th| | Siena | | 23 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 25 | -14 | 20 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th| | Empoli | | 23 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 20 | -12 | 19 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th| | Reggina | | 23 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 21 | -18 | 18 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th| | Lecce | | 23 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 23 | -24 | 18 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">8th in Italian Serie ASquad Screen| Pkd | Inf | Name | Apps | Gls | Asts | MoM | Pass | Tck | Drb | Sh Tar | Av R | Value| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | MC | | Andersson, D | 25 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 73 % | 3.79 | 0.36 | 64 % | 7.24 | £1.2M| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ML | | Scarchilli, A | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 66 % | 1.87 | 1.07 | 46 % | 6.72 | £300K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | FC | | Bucchi, C* | 24 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 63 % | 1.44 | 0.80 | 71 % | 6.92 | £3.6M| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Sartor, L | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 68 % | 3.56 | 0.70 | 50 % | 6.88 | £1.1M| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | FC | Inj | Rapaic, M* | 23 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 70 % | 0.65 | 1.40 | 73 % | 6.96 | £2.6M| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | DC | Yel | Milanese, M | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 68 % | 1.61 | 0.05 | 100 % | 6.64 | £170K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | MR | | Sommese, V* | 21 (2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 64 % | 3.81 | 2.00 | 33 % | 7.22 | £3.4M| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | DC | | Bilica | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 69 % | 2.48 | 0.25 | - | 6.43 | £475K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | GK | Lst | Hedman, M | 21 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 42 % | - | - | - | 7.00 | £1.7M| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | MC | | Maini, G | 14 (4) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 66 % | 2.29 | 0.38 | 66 % | 6.39 | £325K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB5 | | Zavagno, L | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 69 % | 2.54 | 0.54 | - | 6.50 | £475K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | DL | | Esposito, M | 11 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 % | 3.68 | 0.60 | 100 % | 6.00 | £275K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | DR | Trn | Bolic, D | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 74 % | 2.18 | 0.09 | 100 % | 6.82 | £110K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB3 | | Marcon, S | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 % | - | - | - | 6.80 | £170K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB1 | | Berretta, D | 3 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 % | 2.47 | 0.25 | - | 6.50 | £275K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Carrus, D | 3 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 61 % | 3.90 | - | 33 % | 6.00 | £400K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB7 | Wnt | Grabbi, C | 3 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 78 % | 0.61 | 0.61 | 80 % | 5.80 | £700K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB2 | | Ganz, M | 2 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 % | 0.97 | 0.32 | 75 % | 6.50 | £35K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB4 | | Baccin, D | 1 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 % | 3.12 | 0.39 | - | 5.80 | £275K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Pandev, G | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 71 % | 4.50 | 2.25 | - | 7.00 | £575K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | SB6 | | Poggi, P | 0 (8) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75 % | 2.39 | 0.48 | 66 % | 6.75 | £80K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Adu, F | 0 (7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 % | 0.80 | - | - | 6.29 | £0 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Goretti, R | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 6.50 | £180K| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Perovic, M | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 7.00 | £70K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Lst | Sogliano, S | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ---- | £55K | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_bbcarr

how long before a decent team comes in with a bid you can't reject for bucchi? good to see you doing well in the table though

retired_deljo

Top stuff - Serie A is :cool:

*looks at my Italian Job story, then at flippers with contempt*

You're doing well with very little :thup: KUTGW

retired_nela

Cheers, Juni. Terk, there doesn't seem to be any interest in Bucchi at the moment, and even if I did receive a reasonable bid of £4.5M+, I doubt I'd accept it. I'm doing pretty well financially as it is, and don't really have another target striker at the side.


March, season 2003/2004

With Milan Rapaic out, Corrado Grabbi had a rare chance to start in the game against Reggina. However, it was midfielder Giampero Maini who made an impression early, scoring a wonderful 30-yard strike (2nd in the Goal of the Month award) right through the keeper in the 22nd minute. Vincenzo Sommese scored a similar goal ten minutes later, leaving us with a comfortable two goal lead at the break. Reggina were unable to mount much of a fight back and Christian Bucchi knocked in a deflected Sommese shot in the 89th minute to seal the result. Two wins in a row for Ancona, putting us back in the hunt for a high Serie A finish.

Siena came next in the league. After just three minutes, Luigi Sartor headed through a great free kick from Vincenzo Sommese to give Ancona the lead. Bucchi and Sommese both tested the Siena keeper in the following minutes, but he held on well and our lead was only one goal at half time. Siena missed a great chance early in the second, as did Ancona’s Giampero Maini, who hit the ball over an open goal. Tore Andre Flo finally put one through for Siena in the 74th, but it was clearly offside and disallowed. Daniele Degano, a young forward co-owned by Parma, came on in the final minutes for his senior debut, but the action was at the other end as Daniel Andersson slid through an opponent in the Siena area. The penalty came back off the crossbar, but in his attempt to gather the ball, Hedman somehow put it into his own net! 1-1, and Degano lasted about two minutes on the pitch before being forced off with an injury. There’s one of the most useless debuts on record… His replacement, Paolo Poggi, found himself running at goal in the final minutes, but while he managed to sneak the ball past the goalkeeper, it went inches wide. The draw did not seem a fair result, but we had our chances to put the game away.

Milan Rapaic returned from injury to reunite with partner Christian Bucchi against league leaders Inter. For a change, it was our opponents with a good start, leading after only three minutes, A successful 26th minute from Daniel Andersson made it 1-1 and Bucchi headed home a great Scarchilli corner just before half time for the lead. Just ten minutes into the second half, all four of our defenders had yellow cards and Rapaic had been forced off with a minor injury. Poor handling from Hedman handed Inter an equaliser with a simple tap-in with barely twenty minutes to go, but a magnificent cross in the 70th from right winger Sommese handed Bucchi his second in a very similar move to his first goal. Not even Inter could come back from that, and our biggest win of the season was on the board.

Still on a high from that unexpected win, we faced Brescia in the final game of March. A great run and pass from Sommese left Rapaic with a simple tap-in for the first of the game after twenty minutes. Brescia hit back well with a similar move nine minutes later and scores were level at half time. Brescia scored a second in the 60th through Di Biagio, and we unfortunately did not manage a single shot at goal after that. It was a disappointing end to the month, especially after such a great win in the previous game. Still, 6th place at the end of March is far better than I could have imagined at the start of the year.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Holders - Juventus| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D.| Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Milan | | 27 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +32 | 59 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Inter | | 26 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 18 | +29 | 56 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Juventus | | 27 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 16 | +29 | 52 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Lazio | | 27 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 28 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 22 | +17 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Perugia | | 27 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 26 | +10 | 43 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Ancona | | 27 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 26 | +7 | 41 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Roma | | 26 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 21 | +7 | 40 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Sampdoria | | 27 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 31 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 19 | +10 | 39 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Bologna | | 26 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 19 | -2 | 37 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th| | Brescia | | 27 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 21 | -7 | 37 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th| | Parma | | 27 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 29 | -10 | 31 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th| | Udinese | | 27 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 25 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 28 | -8 | 29 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th| | Lecce | | 27 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 25 | -20 | 28 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th| | Siena | | 27 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 28 | -13 | 27 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th| | Chievo | | 27 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 30 | -19 | 26 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th| | Modena | | 27 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 39 | -26 | 24 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th| | Empoli | | 27 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 22 | -15 | 21 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th| | Reggina | | 26 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 26 | -21 | 21 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_nela

April, season 2003/2004

April began with a number of prompts to re-sign staff members. Unfortunately, almost all, particularly the coaches, demanded ridiculously large wage increases that I was simply unwilling to pay. I did at least re-sign backup goalkeeper Sergio Marcon for two seasons, but I look likely to lose most of my coaches and possibly all my physios and scouts at this rate. I signed unattached coach Gilberto Vallesi , who has ‘20’ in coaching goalkeepers and working with youngsters so I’ll at least have *one* coach next season. Sigh…

With just seven matches to go in the season, our home encounter with Sampdoria was clearly important. Our last match against them was a 3-4 thriller, and with Mauro Milanese (injured) and Luciano Zavagno (tired) missing from the side, it looked like we were in for a tough match. We lost Rapaic in the first half due to yet another minor knock, which he seems to have a remarkable habit of picking up. Maini barely missed a free kick just after the resumption of play while Christian Bucchi had a powerful shot saved minutes later. The game petered out from there but in five minutes of injury time Sampdoria attacked heavily. We wound up conceding four corners in that time, but managed to keep Sampdoria from scoring a late winner.

After this game, I signed scouts Rob Campin and David Jarrett and physio Alberto Lugli with my current staff members still refusing to sign contracts below their ridiculous demands. Even offering double their current wages apparently isn’t enough.

Our match against Bologna looked to be heading for a scoreless half despite hard work from Sommese and Daniele Berretta in a rare starting role. A foul on an Ancona player in the area just minutes before half time seemed to change this, but only an indirect free kick was awarded. Nonetheless, Giampiero Maini’s pass gave Daniel Andersson plenty of chance to put the ball into the net, but his shot went over and the half did indeed end 0-0. The second half went back and forth, but neither side took advantage of their chances and we finished with a second straight 0-0 draw.

Next up was a game away against Lazio. We won our last encounter 2-0, but lost Luigi Sartor for this one due to a training injury. A great pass from Milan Rapaic gave Christian Bucchi his 15th of the season after only a couple of minutes, but we soon lost Drazen Bolic (Sartor’s replacement) to a straight red card. Despite the numbers advantage, Rapaic and Bucchi repeated their move from earlier for a 2-0 lead in the 17th. It was a great start to the game, but it didn’t last long. Lazio hit back 12 minutes later and a 35th minute penalty put them level. Lazio then snuck in a third just before the break to leave us a goal down at half time despite having a 2-0 lead only twenty minutes earlier. A fourth just after the break made things worse, and a fifth from the resulting kick-off confirmed this game was an outright disaster for Ancona. I brought on an extra defender and switched to a purely defensive style in a desperate attempt to prevent this from being totally embarassing. It worked for forty minutes, but a sixth to Lazio in extra time completed an absolute hammering. Bolic picked up a three match ban for his late tackle, as if the result itself wasn’t bad enough.

Sartor returned to replace Bolic while Marcon got a go in goal and Grabbi replaced the out-of-form Rapaic in an attempt to recover from the belting of the previous game. Unfortunately, our game against Lecce featured few moments of interest and it ended in a tame scoreless draw. Still, it’s a welcome relief after the Lazio game to have a defence which actually functions.

I had been looking at a place in the top-5, but after that month I think a top-10 finish will be satisfactory. I’m not really sure when went wrong, since it was the same side as we’ve had for most of the season, but Rapic has hit a form slump and the side simply didn’t play well in many of April’s matches.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Holders - Juventus| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D.| Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Milan | | 31 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 7 | +39 | 68 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Inter | | 30 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 20 | +33 | 65 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Juventus | | 31 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 23 | 18 | +31 | 57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Roma | | 31 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 24 | +17 | 55 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Lazio | | 31 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 35 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 24 | 25 | +19 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Perugia | | 30 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 27 | +11 | 47 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Sampdoria | | 31 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 31 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 21 | +11 | 46 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Ancona | | 31 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 32 | +3 | 44 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Brescia | | 31 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 21 | -6 | 43 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th| | Bologna | | 31 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 22 | 0 | 42 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th| | Parma | | 31 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 31 | -3 | 39 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th| | Lecce | | 31 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 26 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 34 | -27 | 31 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th| | Udinese | | 31 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 35 | -17 | 30 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th| | Reggina | | 31 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 22 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 27 | -17 | 30 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th| | Siena | | 31 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 19 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 33 | -20 | 28 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th| | Chievo | | 31 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 34 | -24 | 28 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th| | Modena | | 31 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 41 | -29 | 27 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th| | Empoli | | 31 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 30 | -21 | 25 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>