retired_karamelkel

Congrats Mike! Gooed luck with Crotone. :

retired_destiny1124

Thanks Educated- Crotone is a new club for me (never managed them at any time before) so it should be interesting.

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2003-04
Crotone Snapshots

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Keepers
Gabriele Paoletti 25 yr old GK- signed on free transfer after having played in Torino youth system- likely club captain- very solid and balanced in skills
Riccardo Morelli 20 yr old GK- purchased for 40K from Arezzo- scouts think very highly of him and I am impressed with the skills he has at such a young age
Gianluca Ricci 18 yr old GK- purchased for 12K from San Marino- I liked him when we signed him at San Marino, I still like him- very agile, but lacks some of the other skills at present
Massimiliano Bacci 18 yr old GK- already at club when arrived- seems like he might have potential to be an adequate keeper- worth keeping for now

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Backline
Thomas Manfredi 23 yr old D/DML- purchased for 500K from Udinese- I still can't believe they could just toss a player of Manfredi's caliber away so cheaply- should be our starting leftback for a long time
Cristian Adami 26 yr old DRC- purchased for 350K from Vicenze- Another one I am glad to get cheaply- worse chance of risk/reward than Manfredi, but will be in our starting lineup a lot
Angelo Schembri (II) 19 yr old DRC- already at club when arrived- Very good young rightback- he should get a lot of playing time there for us
Federico Bracci 24 yr old DC- purchased for 20K from San Marino- I didn't give him the full starting chance he deserved at San Marino, but he will get it now
Luigi Biagi 17 yr old SW/DRC- purchased for 18K from San Marino- Best young defender I have seen, but a troublesome lack of pace might be a serious drawback- Good cover for the Adami-Bracci starting combo
Giuseppe Del Gaudio 23 yr old DC- signed on free- scouted him heavily when at San Marino, so naturally signed him right away when moved here- solid defender, but mostly cover for the middle
Marco Pecorari 25 yr old DRC- already at club when arrived- His high wages make him a transfer candidate, but a solid defender if he stays
Ciro Capuano 22 yr old DLC- purchased for 60K from Pisa- Was starting leftback until Manfredi came aboard, still will see time there and maybe even in the middle- promising youngster who may develop into a better player
Michele Bacis 23 yr old DRLC- already at club when arrived- High wages make him a pricey backup, but I may keep him anyways- Should be a great gameday sub, since he can fill in adequately at any backline position
Francesco Filanti 21 yr old DRC- purchased for 14K from San Marino- Developing young defender that likely won't see a lot of action this season

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Midfield
Alessandro Zucchelli 23 yr old MRLC- already at club when arrived- Solid midfielder who looks like he can play every position in the midfield with adequate ability- Should be one starter
Francesco Spezzano 23 yr old AM/FR- already at club when arrived- Another midfielder starter- Wizard with the ball, but lacks some defensive skills which make him more of a one-way player
Antonio Donati 22 yr old AMC- purchased for 210K from San Marino- San Marino were foolish to let him go, but it might have been due to injury problems last season- Appropriately, he is injured and will miss the first divisional matches of the season- Good with the ball and an excellent clutch player- Very glad to have him here
Francesco Musumeci 30 yr old DMC- purchased for 28K from San Marino- Solid veteran presence and had played well at holder midfielder role for me at San Marino- Dependable and also should provide leadership, not flashy at all
Marco De Santis 23 yr old MRLC- purchased for 22K from San Marino- Lack of midfield depth means that Marco will likely be playing a lot more than he did at San Marino- solid overall skills, just a steady worker no matter where he plays
Giovanni Cioffi 23 yr old MRC- already at club when arrived- Should help fill in at most midfield spots- Solid player, but not especially flashy
Francesco Pulidori 22 yr old MC- purchased for 20K from San Marino- Capable fill-in for Donati when hurt...(like right now)- Played well in limited usage for me at San Marino, should do the same here
Ubaldo Asteriti 21 yr old ML- already at club when arrived- Developing youngster that may see a spot start on occasion- Has good physical skills for his young age
Giuseppe Finocchairo 20 yr old MC- already at club when arrived- Another developing youngster that will provide cover for Donati- Won't see a lot of time this season, but might see a start here and there
Francesco Piccioni 19 yr old AML- signed on free transfer- Scouts found him on youth search and he looks like a well rounded player- Won't see senior play unless injuries come into play
Daniele Mandelli 17 yr old D/DMR- signed on free transfer- Scout found him on youth search and he shows flashes of potential- Offensive player, which is why working with the midfielders- Don't expect to use him on seniors this season
Francesco Nuti 18 yr old DMC- received from San Marino in player exchange- Liked him a lot after signed at San Marino- Will provide cover for Musumeci in midfield holder role
Gabriele Recchi 16 yr old DMRC- already at club when arrived- Very promising young midfielder- Coaches all think he will turn into a very good player for us, but that likely won't be this season- May see a little senior time due to injuries or yellow cards

***
Forwards
Gaetano Mancino 22 yr old FLC- purchased for 90K from Castel di Sangro- Was just starting to earn playing time at Castel di Sangro- Has the qualities I look for in a scoring forward, especially pace and acceleration- Good finisher
Eros Schiavon 20 yr old FRC- purchased for 24K from San Marino- I remember raving about him after I brought him to San Marino, but then I didn't give him much playing time last season- Still like his mix of qualities, he hasn't proven himself a real good scorer- yet, but that might be what happens this season with a full chance
Enrico Pento 20 yr old SC- purchased for 30K from San Marino- He played well for me the first season at San Marino, but regressed some last season because Negri and Agostinelli soaked up most of the playing time- Still like him and think he will turn into a good scoring forward
Mirko Pagliarini 27 yr old SC- already at club when arrived- His very high wage level has him on the transfer list- I like his qualities, but even now he hasn't had one full, good season- Don't expect him to be with the club too long, since there are several clubs interested
Edoardo Artistico 34 yr old SC- already at club when arrived- Skills have diminished leaving a player that is only OK, but is earning top level wages- He is on transfer list by request, but would have been transfer listed anyways- Pessimistic about chances to move him and his exorbitant wages somewhere else
Giuseppe Sculli 22 yr old SC- already at club when arrived- The sleeper pick for some senior starting time- He lacks a few qualities I look for, but still has enough to interest me- Has shown scoring potential in limited exposure the last two seasons
Luigi Ieversi 19 yr old FR- already at club when arrived- Has some nice qualities, but I am unsure about extending his contract past this season- Likely won't see any senior time this season
Nunzio Di Dio 19 yr old FR- already at club when arrived- Similar to Ieversi, but under contract through 2005- Don't expect to use him on senior side

retired_destiny1124

Our first Serie C1B match was a trip to Foggia. We gave away a goal in the early going when our defensive coverage got caught not communicating and neither stepped up to challenge the scorer. Just before halftime it was Gaetano Mancino scoring in his debut when he picked up a loose ball and fired a rising shot past Michele Tambellini. We took the lead in the second half when Francesco Pulidori scored in his Crotone debut after Francesco Musumeci found him with a pass into space. It took a determined effort to hold off Foggia's rally after Eros Schiavon drew a redcard at 75 minutes for pushing down Eddy Mengo. Gabriele Paoletti was equal to the task and we begin our long season with a 2-1 road win.

The next day after the match, Pulidori broke his collarbone- and would miss a month. Antonio Donati was close to returning fortunately. We also purchased a very promising 19 yr old AMR Gabriele Rigato from Como for 65K. Rigato certainly helps our midfield depth and I may be inserting him into the lineup sometine soon. We also completed the sale of 35 yr old GK Massamiliano Caniato to Treviso for 70K.

We hosted Giulianova in our first home match in divisional play. With Schiavon's suspension, Enrico Pento was in the lineup and he scored in his Crotone debut. It turned out to be the only goal we would get- but it was enough as we put forth a strong defensive effort in besting Giulianova 1-0.

Second half goals from Mancino and Mirko Pagliarini were enough to allow us to survive a late goal by Torres as won another close match 2-1. We aren't scoring much- yet- but we are playing very well over all. I celebrated Antonio Donati's return to the lineup and he celebrated the match by winning MOM honours. After the match it was announced that he had been selected for the Under-21 side.

There were plenty of chances for the taking when we visited Arezzo. Unfortunately, all we had to show for them was Eros Schiavon's first goal for Crotone. They scored a late equalizer and we wound up with a disappointing 1-1 draw.

I had to laugh when I saw the newspaper reports quoting Marco Negri, "We need better players..." It was even more humerous when I saw Zola's comments agreeing with him- Rossini must have blown a gasket when he saw those. San Marino is off to an 0-2-3 start and in dead last in Serie B.

retired_destiny1124

Our first match in October 2003 was hosting Pescara at Ezio Scida. The first half was wild, as we took the lead with Antonio Donati's 1st goal at Crotone, but traded the lead back and forth. We went to halftime ahead 3-2 because Federic Bracci had headed in two different corners- overpowering defenders both times for his first two goals at Crotone. We put the match on ice in the second half when their keeper- Hugo Daniel Rubini- was redcarded for pulling Donati down in the area. Francesco Musumeci converted the penalty kick for his 1st goal at Crotone and we were happy to finish out a 4-2 win.

The first leg of our 2nd round Serie C Cup match hosting Poggese was unusual to say the least. By the 12 minute mark the referee had handed out redcards to both Mirko Pagliarini and Ubaldo Asteriti- leaving us with only 9 men. We did what we could, playing a defensive game and supported Riccardo Morelli very well in his debut. The scoreless draw was about the best we could expect under the circumstances- and I was happy enough with it. I wasn't happy with the referee at all and privately the FA told me that his officiating had been poor and they would keep a close on future matches.

Gabriele Paoletti continued to prove he was one of our most valuable players on our trip to Avellino. We traded scoring chances with them the entire match. The reason we won the match 4-1 was that Paoletti played better than their keeper. Our goals came from Francesco Spezzano (his 1st of the season), Eros Schiavon and two from Antonio Donati. The next couple weeks we would be without Thomas Manfredi and Francesco Musumeci- as both suffered minor injuries in the match.

In our match against Sora, it was good to see Antonio Donati take over a match- like I had seen him do in the past at San Marino before the injury problems of last season. He was the dominant force in our 3-0, scoring a goal in each half and assisting on the goal scored by Francesco Nuti. We looked very good and everyone seems to be gaining comfort in their roles now- which bodes well for our chances.

Before the transfer deadline, we added a several new players. Well, two new players- one old friend. 20 yr old ML Maurizio Costa cost us 45K to purchase from Martellago. I thought he could help us a lot, since we needed a more defensive minded midfielder to help balance all the offensive specialists we seemed to have. Musumeci's injury pointed out that we really needed some veteran cover for our holder role- so we signed Stefano Trinchera, a 29 yr old DMC that Reggiana had released. The old friend is 21 yr old DRL Alessandro Della Vella from San Marino. Della Vella cost 70K, but gives us excellent cover at both fullback positions. I also had been trying to loan another forward- since Geatano Mancino was out with an injury, but wasn't having any luck that way.

We didn't play a great match in the 2nd leg of Serie Cup C at Poggese, but it turned out to be good enough as Enrico Pento scored in the second half and that away goal was enough to send us on in the next round of the Cup with the 1-1 draw.

Nocerina was our next destination. Della Vella, Costa and Trinchera all played well in their debuts- but it was Donati powering the offense again. He scored in each half and Francesco Spezzano added a goal as we beat the home side 3-0. We may not have been getting much scoring from our forwards- but our midfield had been picking up the slack.

The first leg of Serie C Cup 3rd round wasn't a good one for us. We visited fellow C1B side Pescara and found out how much their loaning of Atalanta forward Federico Pettina had made them. Our backline couldn't contain Pettina or Antonio Filippini (on loan from Brescia), but despite going down 2-0 on goals from Pettina and Filippini- we fought back. Enrico Pento scored to get us back into the match and Giuseppe Sculli scored his 1st this season to even things late in the match. It wasn't enough as Pescara capitalized on another good chance brought on by poor defensive coverage and we lost the first leg 3-2.

retired_destiny1124

Fermana came calling to Ezio Scida in early November 2003. For most of the first half it seemed like we just couldn't get going- no real chances and no offense of any kind. Giuseppe Sculli made his case for being a starter as he hit for a late first half marker and then scored again in the opening moments of the second half. After they scored to close it to 2-1, Antonio Donati clinched the match with a late goal to make the final score 3-1.

Our 2nd leg of Serie C Cup 3rd round was an exciting one, but when the dust had cleared we were broomed out of the tourney on a 5-4 aggregate. They grabbed the early lead, but we stormed back behind goals from Sculli and Gabriele Rigato (his 1st for us). We couldn't hold them off though and Raffaele Diana put us in dire straits when his rising shot sailed past Riccardo Morelli to put us behind on aggregate. We sent everyone forward and though we had some excellent chances we couldn't beat Hugo Daniel Rubini- who earned his MOM honours in moving them on to the 4th round.

Mirko Pagliarini wanted to stay with the club. He made his point before the match with Fidelis Andria and then during the match. They took the early lead and Gabriele Paoletti had to withstand heavy pressure most of the first half. Just before halftime, Donati sent a skipping pass through to Pagliarini and his low shot past Paolo Onaroti evened the match at 1-1. The second half saw both clubs with good chances, but defender Luca Moreo was forced to hold Pagliarini in the area and Mirko converted the penalty kick for his 2nd goal of the match and what would turn into the match winning goal in our close 2-1 win.

Poggese turned out to be a very tough match at Ezio Scida as their keeper Gianluca Spinetta performed brilliantly. We outshot them 17-2 for the match, but it was Giuseppe Sculli's goal late in the second half that finally allowed us to escape with a 1-0 win. \

Next was a trip to Castel di Sangro. Francesco Musumeci celebrated his return from injury by keying our 3-1 win. Musumeci scored in the first half and then was seemingly everywhere as we were forced to fend off wave after wave of attacks from the home side. Gabriele Paoletti had another splendid match, but they managed to score on him just before halftime and we went to dressing rooms even at 1-1. Alessandro Della Vella was the biggest contributor in the second half. Della Vella, filling in for injured Thomas Manfredi, made two superb leftside runs. Both resulted in crosses that found Mirko Pagliarini lurking in the area- and both resulted in Pagliarini goals as they were the difference in gaining the road victory.

It looked too easy in the early going- and it was. By the 16 minute mark we had a 3-0 lead over visiting Viterbese on the strength of goals from Pagliarini, Donati and Gaetano Mancino. Mancino made his return from a lengthy time off due to injury a good one as he forced the play in the Viterbese zone. With the lead, we got entirely too comfortable and suddenly it was 3-2 after they struck for two quick goals against Riccardo Morelli. We didn't panic and managed to get ourselves sorted out at halftime. For the match we outshot them 25-9 and most of that was in the second half. The lone goal of the second half belonged to Giovanni Cioffi- who scored his 1st of the season. Our defense finally put the clamps on them at that point and we were happy to hear the final whistle in the 4-2 final.

retired_destiny1124

A look at the balance book as we entered December 2003 told the stark truth- just as expected we are leaking money. We have too many high wages for a club at the level we are at. I am not sure if I can really do anything at this point- but just take the heat if the Board get unhappy. I am very happy with the players we have and didn't plan on adding any more during the season. I won't be able to add any unless they are free signings after the last glance at the books.

A tough trip to face Lanciano was at the start of our slate for December. It was a taut match- as the 4th place home side really needed a win against us. We wanted it just as badly, but it was the keepers that wound up dictating the fate of the match. Both keepers played great and the scoreless draw was a fair result for both clubs.

We started quickly against Faenza at home as Antonio Donati scored after a nice run to give us the lead. Enrico Pento added a second half goal and that was all we needed as they managed only two shots on goal for the match.

Our last match of 2003 was a trip to face Catania. Catania had been placed as high as 2nd earlier, but had been slumping and were dearly looking for a win to help right their fortunes. Donati stung them in the opening moments with a goal, but after that it was great football. Both clubs played up and down the pitch- but neither could score. Eros Schiavon proved to be the difference- as he subbed on for Giuseppe Sculli- his fresh legs made him dangerous and he was able to score two goals in a four minute stretch to put the match out of reach.

retired_destiny1124

We opened January 2004 with an important match at Ezio Scida hosting rival Messina. Everyone was refreshed from our short break and ready to go in the match. Go we did, as we scored 4 first half goals on our way to a 4-1 win. Gaetano Mancino had the first goal, then Antonio Donati chipped in with two goals before Mirko Pagliarini added the last marker. We gave up a consolation goal, but it was an excellent effort all the way around.

At the halfway point of the season (17 matches)
Serie C1B
1. Crotone 47 (+30)
2. Messina 32 (+8)
3. Lanciano 30 (+10)
4. Arezzo 30 (+9)
5. Nocerina 30 (+0)
6. Giulinova 29 (+6)
7. Torres 27 (+9)
8. Pescara 25 (+6)
9. Poggese 25 (+6)

First half goals from each of our forward tandem of Mirko Pagliarini and Gaetano Mancino were enough to push us past a stubborn Foggia squad. The 2-0 win could have been larger, but for our atrocious shooting.

We closed out January with a strong offensive showing as we outscored Giulinova 4-2 in front of their disappointed fans. Thomas Manfredi scored his 1st goal to answer their early score. Pagliarini lost a goal to an offside call, but that only served to make him angry and he took it out on the home side- scoring two goals. Mancino scored the other goal as we took good advantage of our scoring chances today.

retired_destiny1124

Our island trip to visit Torres was a scary one- buffeted by howling winds, it looked like we might not be able to land- but they finally did. It was a good thing that we already had scored- a goal by Antonio Donati- when Cristian Adami was redcarded. Being in the lead made the job a lot simpler- just support Gabriele Paoletti and try and keep them from getting good shots. That worked for most of the match and when it didn't - Paoletti came up with the big saves. We also caught them pushing too far forward and sprung Eros Schiavon free to score his 5th goal of the season and clinch the match in the late stages of our 2-0 win.

Donati and Gaetano Mancino scored early on and we got too comfortable against Arezzo. They scored one at the end of the first half and again early in the second half and we were back to even at 2-2. Francesco Musumeci, just back from injury, scored the match winning goal late in the second half as he headed a centering pass from Alessandro Zucchelli past Alessio Sarti to give us the 3-2 win.

Pescara had dumped us from the Serie C Cup, and we wanted a bit of revenge on them. Despite that, I was trying to rest several players for this match too- and we had some injuries crop up as well. That meant I was apprehensive when we went behind as Fabio Artico scored for them. We answered that goal early in the second half when Liugi Biaggi headed a Cristian Adami corner home for his 1st goal at Crotone. We wound up stealing all three points in the closely played match when Giuseppe Sculli deflected a cross from Maurizio Costa into the net in second half injury time to give us the 2-1 win.

Our match hosting Avellino was a see-saw affair. Donati scored to put us up, but it didn't last long. We went ahead again on Eros Schiavon's goal, but that also only listed a little while before the visitors evened things at 2-2. Schiavon scored the match winner in the last five minutes to cap a fine 3-2 win.

retired_destiny1124

We opened March 2004 by travelling to Sora and crushing the struggling side 5-0. Antonio Donati had two goals, Gaetano Mancino had two goals and Giovanni Cioffi had one as we clinched a place at least in the playoffs with the win. We also set a new unbeaten streak record in Serie C1B with our 24 matches without a loss this season. The bad news is we are close to 1 Million in the red again- after starting out not badly off, that is disappointing despite our play this season.

Nocerina had given us a tough tussle at Ezio Scida and our fans were a bit restless as we were even with them 1-1 and they had outplayed us for much of the first half. They lost track of Donati in the second half and that ruined them as he struck for the goal to put us in the lead and then crossed for Enrico Pento to clinch the 3-1 win.

Fermana may have been in 17th place, but they played us even in the first half as they hosted us at Fermo. They had jumped on top early, but we quickly answered when Luigi Biaggi headed in a corner from Mirko Pagliarini. Antonio Donati took over the match to start the second half, scoring his 20th and 21st goals of the season in a matter of 4 minutes. We added a late marker from Eros Schiavon to finish off a solid 4-1 road victory. We found out on the trip back home that Messina had lost to Castel di Sangro- we had clinched the Serie C1B Championship. We had quite a reception from the fans as we arrived back in Crotone. It lasted a good while and I was forced to give the club the day off from training because of its aftermath.

Despite clinching promotion back to Serie B, I have to admit I was worried. Our books were showing 1.2 Million in the red and sinking fast. It certainly meant that either we had to sell our best players- Antonio Donati was garnering a lot of 'big club' interest- or that we would have to succeed with the players on hand. I wasn't inclined to sell Donati- especially because he didn't have a minimum fee release to worry over.

Fidelis Andria badly wanted to end our unbeaten string. They were in a dogfight for the last playoff position and a win over us would have helped them immensely. I think they were hoping we wouldn't be playing with the same kind of intensity- in that they were mistaken. We took the lead midway through the first half when Enrico Pento scored, but we had two excellent chances bounce back off the posts. They finally showed more life offensively in the second half and it was our turn to get lucky on the post and crossbar. They couldn't dent Riccardo Morelli as he put a clean sheet up on the board and we held on for the close 1-0 win.

I have to admit a small bit of satisfaction as I saw that Marco Negri had blown up in the press again- and this time Zola had left him hanging in the breeze. San Marino looks to be on their way back down the Serie C1 play- as they are 18th in Serie B and have been struggling for quite some time. Amazing what a 'name' coach will gain you...

retired_destiny1124

We fell behind to Poggese at Comunale in the opening moments of first match in April 2004, but we quickly roared back into the lead. Francesco Spezzano scored a pair of goals to move us ahead 2-1. We battled up and down the pitch in the second half and finally were able to score the clinching goal when Giuseppe Sculli fired one home late in the second half to make it a 3-1 win for us.

Our 28 match unbeaten streak finally came to an end at the hands of Castel di Sangro. They came to Ezio Scida and played well- taking better advantage of their chances in beating us 3-2. The loss didn't come without controversy though as Mirko Pagliarini scored the equalizer after we had intense pressure in second half injury time. Lost in the celebration was that Sculli was ruled offside and the goal was disallowed. They had to call out the security to keep the fans from assaulting the referee as he left the stadium. We made a good try to come back- our goals were from Pagliarini and Simone Trinchera, but we hadn't played well enough to really earn the result.

With the pressure from the unbeaten string now gone, it was time to feature the debuts of several youngsters from the Reserve side. We did just that in our trip to face Viterbese. One of them, Nunzio Di Dio, scored in his debut and we made that goal stand up for a 1-0 win. Also starting on the Seniors for the first time were foward Luigi Iaversi, midfielder Francesco Piccioni, defender Francesco Filanti and defender Matteo Rossi. All played well in contributing to the win.

Our match against Lanciano at Ezio Scida was a showdown match of sorts. They wanted to keep 2nd place and show us that they were capable of beating us. We just wanted to prove to them who the best club was. They helped us with an own goal early in the first half, but then they piled on the pressure. Gabriele Paoletti, ably supported by our backline, stood tall and kept them from the scoring throughout the first half and in the furious maelstrom that started the second half. We finally took a lot of their enthusiam out when Francesco Pulidori scored on a free kick halfway through the second half. Gaetano Mancino added a late goal to clinch the match and we had a 3-0 win on the books.

Faenza, already pretty much locked into the playoffs to avoid relegation, gave us all we could handle on our trip to visit them. Pagliarini had put us into the lead, but Francesco Musumeci had backed into Enrico Pomini during a corner and they converted the penalty kick to even things at 1-1. They had the pressure to start the second half, but we steadied and started playing better- having kept them from taking the lead. Pagliarini earned his MOM honours with a brilliant strike in second half injury time to give us a hard fought 2-1 win.