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Next session is friday 7.45pm

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next session thursday may 12 ,7 45pm

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PIAGOL!!! February Edition

Grazie Mille Mansone!

We all know that the Serie A has always been, and still is, far superior to the French Ligue 1, where some players don't even put gel in their hair!
Needless to say that the Serie A is the best league in the world, despite what some English and Spanish people might say.

Alexis Mansone, though French, is a true great. What he has achieved at the club is unbelievable, because although the results haven't always gone his way, it is the first time in our recent, if not total, history that they have been able to witness top class football from their side, and of course, top class footballers.

Last season, Piacenza just about made it to the Serie A through the dreaded playoffs. This new season in the Serie A has so far been very difficult, with many new players who struggled to fit into the team in the early stages.

It certainly looked like we would not survive in the extremely competitive Serie A, despite some incredible signings on Bosman contracts for next summer.
Indeed, Alexis Manson has managed to attract the likes of Pazzini, Buffel, Mettomo, the younger of the two Kalou brothers, Faty, Doherty, Gudjohnsen (left back) and other quality players. In a way, it would be funny to see Piacenza destroy everything on their path in Serie B next year.

However our beloved team's recent form suggests that they possess more than enough quality to stay clear of the relegation zone. Beating Juve 2-0 is not a privilege that is affordable to everybody, and drawing 4-4 against Sampdoria away, when you are 4-2 down with only ten men, shows that this team has a lot of resilience, character, and belief.

If Piacenza players keep playing the way they are playing at the moment, not only will Piacenza easily stay in Serie A, but they might be next season's surprise package.
Manson is admirable for his ability to find solutions in the short term, without putting the club in a dangerous situation in the long term, which not many managers have been able to do in the past, especially not with such a limited budget.

At this rate, Piacenza will be one of the best clubs in Italy within the next 2 or 3 seasons, perhaps even sooner if luck is on their side. This is why we would all like to pay tribute to Alexis Mansone for having put permanent smiles on all of our fans' faces.

Everybody loves him. Kids love him because he makes them laugh when he gets excited on the bench, and women love him because he is simply so sexy, full of French charm (they love his accent when he speaks Italian), of course they like him for his money too. Men love him because they want to be him and realise how special and gifted he is, and because they have never seen anybody else who has been able to tranform the club to the same extent. Finally, old people love him because he makes them forget about the imminence of death when they are at the stadium supporting their team. Also, they are the ones who are most informed about Piacenza' history as a football club, and are really able to judge how lucky and privileged they are to still be alive to witness this historic phase at the club.

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didnt know we got a Mourinho in the clan ....

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We don't. This wasn't me writing, it was the Italian football magazine Piagol!!!

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The sheer hubris of it. Positively revolting

Howler of the year :thup:

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Arrivederci signor Dello Spliff! Cosimo Galtieri, Notizie delle Marche.

Coming up to Easter there are still six teams in the running for the Serie A title, but Ascoli is not one of them. Having qualified for the Champions' League, and despite bolstering the squad considerably last summer, last season's surprise package in Serie A have found the going very tough. The gruelling schedule, and the number of injuries to key players along the way, translated into dropped points in several league encounters that should have been won. Where last season a result would often be obtained in the last fifteen minutes, this year it was the opposite; this was particularly true in the home games, too many of which were drawn against inferior opposition.

Still, Ascoli are on course to qualify for the UEFA Cup, and they made it to the Knockout Stage of the Champions' League, narrowly losing out to giants Milan (1-1, then 0-1 at the San Siro, where Dida made a string of fabulous saves to deny Ascoli a chance to take the game to extra-time). It seems, therefore, that the club is now firmly established in the top half of Serie A, with an excellent squad which includes some very interesting prospects for the future -all brought to the club by Dello Spliff in the course of the two-and-a-half years of his tenure. The structural improvements, as well as the scheduled increase in the stadium's capacity, also indicate Ascoli's determination to secure its medium- and long-term future amongst the élite of Italian football.

It is therefore with mixed feelings that most people present responded, when during a

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*so fecking annoying not to be able to edit your own posts anymore*

It is therefore with mixed feelings that most people present responded, when during a press conference which he set up yesterday evening, Davide Dello Spliff announced that he was leaving the club to take over the vacant Roma job. Del Neri's sacking a week ago had led to much speculation regarding the name of his successor, and Dello Spliff's name came up repeatedly.

Yesterday Dello Spliff confirmed that Roma had approached him and offered him the job earlier this week, and that after a twenty-four hour period of reflection he had decided to accept it. Thanking the staff, the players and the supporters for the "three fantastic years" he spent at the club, Dello Spliff went on to assure them that he would "never forget the kindness and respect [he] was shown, particularly in the first few months".

At Roma a new challenge awaits him; currently lying fifth, and still in the race for the title, the Giallorossi have just suffered a humiliating defeat in Moscow at the hands of CSKA (3-1, in the UEFA Cup Second Knockout Round), and there is an urgent need to slah a wage bill that has grown out of control -and which most pundits have singled out as the main reason for Del Neri's dismissal. It remains to be seen whether Dello Spliff will be able to handle the many overdeveloped egos in the Roma team, and whether he can lead the perennial underachievers to the success and the glory they so desperately crave.

We at the Notizie delle Marche wish him the best of luck, and until he returns to Cino e Lillo del Duca with his new side, we say arriverderci signor Dello Spliff, e buona fortuna...

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PIAGOL!!!

In a dramatic twist, Empoli manager Damo Field, a good friend of Alexis Manson, has been diagnosed with cancer, and will not be able to play the few remaining Serie B games of the season.

Indeed, the young talented English manager, who many people have compared to Alexis Manson for his tactical ability and belief in himself, has been diagnosed with testicular cancer, and should be back to managing his team within the next few weeks.

Damo Field has found his assistant manager's results in the past less than satisfactory and feels he cannot afford to take any risks at this stage of the season.
He has therefore asked Piacenza manager Manson to secure a playoff place for his team, a unique development in Italian football, and probably in world football.

The Italian Federation are still scratching their heads and debating whether they should allow this to happen, and though technically illegal, they are seriously considering letting Manson take temporary charge of Empoli due to exceptional circumstances.

Players at Empoli are buoyant about Manson's potential arrival at the club. Here is what Bariberi had to say : 'Manson is a true great. I mean, look at what he's done at Piacenza. I defy anyone to claim that he is no good, or even average. Hopefully his arrival will refresh the team and liberate some players, which would help us achieve our aims: securing a place in the playoffs, and then going on to win them.'

Piacenza fans are not too happy about Manson leaving the club, but acknowledge the manager's will to help a friend in need: 'Of course, ideally I'd like Manson to stay at the club all the time, and forever, but I sort of understand him.
Anyway, the season for Piacenza is pretty much finished, as we have nothing to play for, except avoiding relegation, which is mathematically still a possibility, but realistically highly unlikely. Furthermore, he should be able to just about manage both teams at the same time, as Piacenza and Empoli usually play on different days' said a Piacenza fan.

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Giallopazzi - The Roma Fanzine With Attitude.

And so a new guy is at the reins, with most fans still wondering why on earth Del Neri was sacked. Rumours of a threesome with Dellas and Choutos notwithstanding, Del Neri had led our beloved Giallorossi to contention for the Serie A title, something that hadn't happened in quite a while.

Here's what some of the players had to say shortly after the arrival of new manager Dello Spliff:

"Ma che cazzo vuoi, cretino?" Francesco Totti (Flamboyant Spitter)

"He told me I would never play as long as he is manager. I hate him. I really hate him. Besides, he doesn't join us in the shower after training, which is a crying shame if you ask me. Have any of you noticed my new shoes?" Traianos Dellas (Greek Bungler)

"Could you repeat the question, please?" Olivier Dacourt (Thug By Vocation)

"I tried to warn the other players, but none of these tössers ever listen to a single word I say." Güiza (Too Cool To Have A Proper Name)

"I cleaned his car. Twice. And he still won't pick me." Jaap Stam (Block Head)

"So far, the only thing he has said to me was 'get up off the ground, you lazy overpaid tw@t'. He seems like a nice enough guy." Andrea Caracciolo (A Bit Thick)

"I'm so bored." Christian Chivu (Jaded Fashion Victim)


With such high spirits in the Roma camp, it is hardly surprising that Dello Spliff's first game in charge was a merciless 5-1 drubbing of CSKA Moscow, sending Roma through to the Quarter-Final 6-4 on aggregate. In the league it was a different matter, with the Giallorossi held to draws at home in games they could have won. The crucial away game against Inter ended in a 2-0 defeat, scarcely a week after Newcastle had eliminated Roma from the UEFA Cup (2-1 on aggregate). Things were looking grim for the new boss, and the title was all but lost. The only positive note was that Juventus was now the only team that could realistically hope to deprive Roma of a Champions' League spot.

The victory in the Roman derby the following week (2-0) went a long way towards reassuring the fans and the board, and from then on the Giallorossi looked like a different team. In their last six games, Roma won five and drew one, despite the fact that four of these games were played away from home. Juventus were left well behind, and only goal difference kept this season's most improved team Udinese in front Roma.

Finishing in 4th place, with 82 points from 38 games (25 wins, 7 draws and 6 defeats; 67 goals scored and 30 goals conceded), Roma will be given the opportunity to qualify for the Champions' League. Once the grossly overburdened wage bill is sorted out, the Giallorossi will no doubt be looking to sign some quality players, with which to replace the many ageing stars whose contracts expire this summer.

So despite a slow start, it seems the team is responding well to the new manager, and with Milan winning the Champions' League despite being pipped to the Serie A title by Inter, the competition will be tougher than ever next season...