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23.4.06
Our humble abode is nothing compared to Bari's San Nicola stadium, a huge arena which Bari regularly attract 20,000+ fans to. And they're pushing for promotion, with an attack as good as any. A tough ask, I think you'll find.
A great game for the neutral, but some shocking defending on our part. To concede six shows something is very wrong, and although Bari's strikers are absolutely lethal, we didn't play at our standards. Carlos Duarte, or Mokas as he is commonly known, had a field day, scoring four goals past a pathetic Benussi. 4-2 down at half time showed we were right out of sorts, although Gabi Batistuta showed his experience of playing in big stadiums with 2 to take him to 15 for the season, and his most prolific for Varese. Scant consolation, as was Moroni's 9th of the season late in the day. It's an embarrasing and crushing defeat, but hopefully we're able to come out without it affecting our Serie B status.
Eight points clear of relegation, with three to play. Next game against Spezia, should we win, will confirm another season at this level. To be truthful, we've never been in trouble this season. Just consolidating for a season or so, then make a push for glory. Or at least that's the plan
30.4.06
With no disrespect to Spezia, games at home against the lesser lights of Serie B should be easy points. I bring Girardi in goal for the shambolic Benussi, to face a struggling Spezia we should beat.
Varese 3
Santi 17
Benachour 41 pen
Gresko 52
Spezia 0
I said we should win, and we did quite easily in the end. It took 17 minutes to break through the spirited but weak Spezia back line, Gorini created space for Santi to sidefoot in. Marco Amelia battled bravely to shut out any more goals going past him, keeping out a Rodriguez shot that looked a goal all the way. With 4 minutes left in the first half, Batistuta went clear past Amelia, who tripped the Argentine. Selim Benachour continued his 100% record of conversion with a 4th penalty of the season. And 6 minutes after the restart we made sure of the win after Gresko made a neat one-two with the Tunisian Benachour and rifled in his first goal for us. We didn't need to get out of 3rd gear today, but never needed to.
7.5.06
Last away game of the season at promotion chasing Reggina. Hopefully we can upset their push for success in Reggio Calabria today. No changes necessary.
Reggina 3
Foschini 35
Leon 57, 66
Varese 2
Batistuta 38, 82 Gresko injured 79
It looks a tight game, but Reggina were always the dominant force, and had two goals disallowed on top of the three they put past Girardi. Surprisingly it took 35 minutes for I Granata to break us down, but when they did it was Antonio Foschini who was on the end of a cross to beat Girardi. They didn't hold a lead for long though, as Batistuta volleyed in a great equaliser shortly afterwards. We scraped through to half time level, as Foschini had a 2nd ruled out for a push on Tobros. Then Julio Cesar Leon took control. The Honduran had already hit the post before he was flagged for offside on 55 minutes, ruling out his goal. But he scored legitimately 2 minutes later with a fierce drive. Then on 66 minutes he ended any hopes of a point with a pot-shot from Foschini's pass. Batistuta pulled another back late on after a keeping mistake by Reggina's Belardi to make it his most prolific season since joining Roma, but we lost for the 14th time this season. Reggina meanwhile, return to Serie A.
14.5.06
Last day pride is on the agenda against Empoli. A win will keep us 11th, a defeat 12th. Sbrizzo in for the injured Gresko.
Varese 2
Rodriguez 19
Benachour 45
Empoli 3
Giandomenico 3
Tavano 14
Rocchi 39
I'm annoyed at not winning. Sure, Empoli are a decent side, but we could have done much better on the last day. We weren't alert early on, and Giandomenico capped a good season with the opening goal. Francesco tavano doubled the advantage before the quarter hour mark with a tap in, but Yuri Rodriguez restored the one goal deficit with a header for his 13th of the season - a little disappointing he hasn't scored more. Tommaso Rocchi has scored more. His 39th minute goal was his 25th of the season - oh how I wish we had someone who could do that. Selim Benachour drilled in an impressive goal on half time to reduce the arrears, but Empoli closed things down in the 2nd half and took their win.
Starting in Italy, where Inter clinched a second successive Scudetto by an 8 point margin from Roma. Cuper's side become the first side to retain the Tricolor shield since theu great Juventus side of 1997 and 1998. Juventus now finish back in 5th, with AC Milan and surprisingly Bologna pipping them to a Champions League spot. Perennial yoyo clubs Sampdoria, Torino and Venezia all once again experience relegation, and Perugia suprisingly join them in the drop. Replacing them from Serie B are Fiorentina, Vicenza, Reggina, and Piacenza.
In Spain Barcelona continue their reign with a 4th straight title win, equalling their successes under Johan Cruyff from 1991-4. Louis Van Gaal's men held off a drive by Bilbao to beat them, and won the title by a convincing 5 point margin. Real Madrid and Betis make up the rest of the top 4, with Deportivo, Espanyol and Atletico Madrid further back. Mallorca drop back to the Segunda division after a long spell in La Liga, and Huelva and Las Palmas join them. Three sides make a welcome return - Alaves, Oviedo, and Sporting de Gijon. England saw the Man Utd/Liverpool swap fest continue, as Man Utd took the crown from Liverpool by a huge 16 points. Sunderland make 3rd spot, whilst 4th place went suprisingly to Birmingham City. Star of the season was Bolton's Greek strike Manolis Ligkos, scorer of 24 goals and impressing everyone. Going down are Watford, Middlesbrough, and Everton, to be replaced by West Ham, Man City, and Wolves.
To France, where Lyon retained the Championnat trophy by eleven points to second placed Bordeaux, and level with them 3rd placed Nantes. Once again, goals from Sidney Govou and Alberto Luque were too much for everyone to handle, and so Le Guen's men are once again successful. Caen, Cannes, and Metz are relegated, and coming up in their respective places are Sochaux, Nice, and Martigues.
And finally to Germany as Dortmund completed a hat-trick of title wins. 6 points was again the margin of success back to 2nd placed Freiburg, and Koln were an additional 2 points back. FC Bayern finished a lowly 6th - disappointing for Hitzfeld's men. St. Pauli, Kaiserslautern and Nuremburg will be replaced by Darmstadt, MGB and Werder Bremen next season.
My review of the season;
I suppose I should be happy with a consolidatory season in Serie B. After all, Varese haven't played at this level for over 30 years, and with a weaker squad compared to most of the division, we were odds on favourites to be relegated at the start of the season. But our good start put us in great stead for the rest of the season. We had our sticky patches, which can only be expected against quality opposition, but we managed to maintain a solid midtable place for 38 games, something I can be proud of. But we showed enough promise to finish above 12th, especially in the first few months. That's just being picky though, because we should be delighted that we can play and match certain teams at a strong level in Italy - one of the hardest places to play in world football.
The goalkeeping position was usually OK. Sergio Girardi is number one, and his recent call-up to the Italian Under 21 squad proves that. He had a shaky spell, so Francesco Benussi came in and impressed until he went bad - very bad. Our defence struggled at times to come up to Serie B standards, as we conceded 61 goals. But Tobros had an impressive second season, and Gorini was as impressive as ever. Gresko came in and did well on the left, and Cristian Molinaro excelled in the competition against Igor Tcherevchenko to make the right back spot his own.
The midfield, as ever, was impressive and our most settled area. Christian Santi and Stevie Sidwell continue to hone a partnership that is as good as any defensively, and now they're starting to chip in with some goals. This season I used two new wide men - experienced internationals Selim Benachour, and Raffaele Moroni, on loan from Venezia. Both men chipped in with a few goals, 17 goals and 19 assists between them is a very impressive total, and I'm glad to announce that Moroni will be joining us permanently. As ever, the cover was excellent.
And to the attack, which was again very good. Yuri Rodriguez came in from Milan and added 13 goals to our cause. That's good, but I was expecting at least 20 from such a quality performer, so it was a little disappointing. Neil Mellor, Max Vieri, Matuesz Dobek, Maurizio Schiavon, and Sebastian Conti all showed they were competent backups at one time or another. Then there is Gabriel Batistuta. A fantastic season - 17 goals is his highest for Varese, and at the age of 37 that's a real achievement. He hasn't said it, but I think he secretly harbours a desire to play in Serie A one last time, and honetly believes Varese is the place to do that. He was great at times, and dug us out of some holes. A shining beacon in our season.
So, what next? This season continued our gradual improvement over time, and give us more time and we'll get better and better and hopefully make the playground where the big boys hang out - Serie A. I'm not sure we're ready for that yet, but if I can get hold of a strong quality centre back, and a striker with a proven track record in Italy to get me 25 goals, we can get better, definitely.
02-20-2003, 11:25 PM
I can't believe I thought it would be easy (the Italian Job challenge) Post #114
6.6.06
Once again it's the time where Awards are given out
FIFA World Player of the Year - Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
World Footballer of the Year - Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Serie B Manager of the Year - Massimo Morales (Vicenza)
Serie A Player of the Year - Adrian Mutu (Parma)
Serie A Young Player of the Year - Felice Piccolo (Verona)
Serie A Defender of the Year - Fabio Rustico (Juventus)
Serie A Top Goalscorer - Claudio Pizarro (Bologna, 19 goals)
Serie A Italian Player of the Year - Christian Vieri (Inter)
Serie A Foreign Player of the Year - Claudio Pizarro (Bologna)
Serie B Player of the Year - Mokas (Bari)
Serie B Top Goalscorer - Davide Di Michele (Reggina, 34 goals)
13.6.06
I've been busy in the summer transfer markets, keeping tabs on a few names and faces. Nothing's concrete yet, but I live in hope.
16.6.06
More Awards;
European Footballer of the Year - Luis Figo (Roma)
European Goalkeeper of the Year - Sebastian Frey (Parma)
European Defender of the Year - Wilfried Bouma (Barcelona)
European Midfielder of the Year - Luis Figo (Roma)
European Striker of the Year - Vincenzo Montella (Roma)
once again, Batistuta is the Fans Player of the Year for the 3rd time in a row. There could be no other.
20.6.05
We're drawn in the Italian Cup Group C along with Frosinone, Genoa, and Ancona. A little easier than last season, but I'm not complacent, and we'll take each one as it comes.
I also have a meeting with Fabrizio Cabrini, Aniello Manganelli, and the rest of the board on what the future holds. They admit there's little or no money to spend on players, and what we have is just enough to cover wages and costs. However, they are particularly pleased at the progress we continue to make, and state another consolidatory season in Serie B as the aim for the forthcoming season. I agree to an extent, although I want an improvement in terms of league placings.
1.7.06
In today come Raffaele Moroni on a permanent basis, and Piotr Frankowski - another Pole like Dobek, who was prolific in lower league football. With some luck and development, they'll both evolve into quality players,
But my hopes of signing prolific Aussie/Italian Kevo Gulessarian - the poor man's Christian Vieri - from Marconi have been scuppered by the board They think my bid was unrealistic. How can they expect success when they won't let me get the players to do so.
3.7.06
Today saw the retirement of Roberto Bandirali. The veteran centre back has served the club as a player for a number of years, and I'm deligted to have him in a coaching capacity. He's a wonderful influence for the younger players here.
7.7.06
Decent strikers are a rare commodity, but after some time I think I've found someone who can score consistently at Serie B level. Emanuele Calaio - formerly of Torino and Messina, is a talented frontman who has scored 44 goals in 2 and a half seasons at Messina before they released him. I pick him up for nothing (what else?) and I think he's a really good player.
9.7.06
The upset of upsets occured in Berlin this evening. Croatia won the 18th FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 win over Argentina thanks to an 81st minute strike by River Plate's Ivan Bosnjak. Against all odds, Ivo Susak's men did it.
17.7.06
In the desperate need for funds I sell Neil Mellor to Dutch side Cambuur today for just short of £1m - which is a very large sum for a club our size. If the board let me have that money, I'd be delighted. But they won't
28.7.06
Two more players arrive today, and there should be no more additions after these. Martins, a Nigerian striker stuck in the reserves at Inter, has joined on a 6 year contract, and is a very pacy individual - a feature that when looking at the top goalscorers last season cropped up very often. So he's a decent addition. I also bring in a goalkeeper as backup to Girardi. Brescia's Michel Zanfretta is here until the end of January, and doesn't look half bad.
------------- right, so an uneventful pre-season is out of the way, now back to business
02-21-2003, 02:39 AM
I can't believe I thought it would be easy (the Italian Job challenge) Post #115
Just caught up on your first season in Serie B, and you did a good job maintaining your club's status in the division. Now with a couple of good strikers (in my game, Calaio goes on to represent Italy and signs for AC Milan for a high fee), you should be able to improve even further.
I look forward to further updates!
Cheers,
Dixie
02-21-2003, 05:38 PM
I can't believe I thought it would be easy (the Italian Job challenge) Post #116
The end of the season looked promising (except the last few games) A few improvements to the squad during the summer and you might be fighting for promotion next season, good job!
but I guess Batigoal is getting pretty old now, so yo should probably find yourself a new star striker
Go Varese!
*Best story ever*
02-28-2003, 11:26 PM
I can't believe I thought it would be easy (the Italian Job challenge) Post #117
Cheers Dixie - anything is possible. Unfortunately I think Calaio was far superior on you version (00/01), but I hope that he can be that good.
Spooky - thanks for the praise, but I'm not sure this is the best story ever. Take a look at Dixie's masterpiece, or ARLTB by Sir Bert Merton in HoF - they're far superior to this. Cheers anyway though.
02-28-2003, 11:27 PM
I can't believe I thought it would be easy (the Italian Job challenge) Post #118
----------------- 13.8.06
Pre-season warmup - or the Coppa Italia as it's known, gets underway with a trip to Serie C1/B side Frosinone (how they're in the Coppa Italia I'll never know). Calaio makes his debut in the reveered number 10 shirt, but not in the number 10 role, if you get me
Couldn't have had a nicer way to start up again. It was exactly what we needed to get the juices flowing and remember what we're good at. Frosinone are a long way behind us, and it showed early on. Stevie Sidwell's early tenacity was rewarded with his 4th goal for the club, a neat finish from about ten yards out. Batistuta continued the scoring with a powerful shot from a wide angle, and Santi's 36th minute goal was similar, to give us a 3-0 lead at half time. I had the choice to make subs, but I decided against it to keep my first choice eleven playing as much as possible. Benachour dispatched a penalty won by Gorini short of the hour mark, and finally Batistuta completed the rout with a follow up to Moroni's saved drive. As I said, a decent warm up, but nothing more.
20.8.06
After the kickabout last week, business picks up now with a visit from Genoa, and their newly acquired attacker Jon Dahl Tomasson. Will this be an indication of our league fortunes to come?
Varese 3
Calaio 9
Moroni 24
Benachour 60
Genoa 0
The answer to the question above is; hopefully . Two games, 8 goals, none conceded, and we're playing well. And Genoa had a pretty strong side out today, so it's quite an impressive win. Emanuele Calaio scored his first goal for Varese when breaking clear on the left, then rifling into the bottom corner. An impressive finish from a player I hope will produce more of the same . Raffaele Moroni opened his account for the season with a curler past the despairing Ripa in Genoa's goal, and we fully deserved a two goal advantage. When Selim Benachour crashed in an unstoppable third with a half volley, we secured all three points, and with it a very good win over a side expected to figure in the promotion challenge picture.
27.8.06
The League season start couldn't be harder, with a visit from Venezia, who were a Serie A side 4 months ago. As a result, they have some real quality. But we've made a good start to the season, and it makes for an interesting match.
Varese 1
Sidwell 79
Venezia 2
Paulo Costa 12
Di Michele 21
Our unbeaten home record has gone . It's not actually a laughing matter, as I don't like losing the opening game of the season, and I like to have a fortress at the Franco Ossola. Venezia are a good team, but we could have had a draw if we'd have had some sort of focus. Portuguese international Paulo Costa headed in the opener, and shortly afterwards Davide Di Michele, opting to join Venezia over staying with Reggina in Serie A, volleyed in his first for his new club. We improved, but only Sidwell and Moroni really showed any bite, and it wasn't a surprise that the two combined for the ex-Arsenal man to score what turned out to be only a consolation. Still, it may only be a minor setback, as long as we win our next league game.
But they nearly did. 2-0 down inside 25 minutes was not the way I expected to start the match. Ex Como and Chievo man Sasa Bjelanovic gave Ancona the lead with a header that ricocheted in off him. Captain Stefano Melissano doubled the headed tally for the home side 13 minutes later, and we were in dire straits. But Raffaele Moroni scored a sweet curling strike almost immediately to get us back in the match, and a header on 45 minutes that just trickled over the line was the most important thing in the match - to get level before half time was a big boost. Gabriele Gozzi was then sent off for the home side for headbutting Calaio - definitely the right decision, before Batistuta drilled in the goal that gave us the lead and eventually the win. Christian Santi twisted a knee and will be out for 2 weeks, but now we're through to the latter stages of the Coppa Italia.
I'm hoping for a big side in the draw, not only for the financial benefits, but also for the chance to prove ourselves against quality opposition.
..................We end up meeting Chievo Verona, a well established Serie A side. I'll take that
10.9.06
The international break was good for us, as we've been able to work on a few things in anticipation of a tough visit from Sampdoria - another side with recent Serie A experience, and quality players in the shape of Enrico Chiesa, Domenico Morfeo, and Andreas Oliveira. Santi is replaced by Fuoco.
Varese 2
Benachour 47
Sidwell 85
Sampdoria 2
Chiesa 4
Morfeo 73
This result is a vast improvement over the performance against Venezia. We showed the passion to get something out of the game, and against an impressive Sampdoria side it looked hard to get, but we came back from the dead twice to take a point. Enrico Chiesa's early strike was the only goal of a first half dominated by the Blucerchiati, and we weren't doing enough. Calaio was disappointing, so I gave ex-Inter youngster Martins a debut. Within 2 minutes he was involved in a move that lead to Benachour equalising with a cross-cum-shot from the right wing. Sampdoria carried on dominating, and they again took the advantage when Domenico Morfeo tapped past Girardi to score what looked to be a winning goal. But we equalised again. A demon of a cross was put in by Benachour, and all that was needed was a runner to meet it full on. Sidwell was that runner, heading it straight past Brunner to score another goal - 3 already for this season. And the point was well deserved.
17.9.06
Neither ourselves or Cosenza have made the best of starts to the season, but I hope the trip to the San Vito will be easy enough to claim our first win of the season. Martins impressed enough in 45 minutes against Sampdoria to start ahead of Calaio.
Cosenza 1
Perrone 16
Varese 3
Batistuta 18, 36
Gorini 74 Gresko sent off 23
Another impressive performance warranting the full points, and to play for so long with 10 men and still come out winning was something I was particularly pleased with. Giuseppe Perrone gave the Rossoblu a lead with a diving header to connect with marani's cross. But Gabriel Batistuta has been great so far this season. Whatever the 37 year old is taking, I want some, as he scored twice today to make it 5 in 6. The equaliser was a lovely strike after jinking past Oshadogan, who must have wondered how a man nearing the end of his career glided past him so easily. Vratislav Gresko was sent off for kicking an opponent, and will be punished by the club's disciplinary procedures. So I was forced into a reshuffle, leaving holes in the midfield. But on 36 minutes Batigol put us into the lead with a volley following a 2nd assist from Sidwell. Edoardo Gorini thundered a header home with about 15 minutes to go from Moroni's corner to cap a good showing, and our first three points in the League.
20.9.06
Luigi Del Neri has promised me he will field a full strength Chievo side for their visit for the first leg of the Coppa Italia 1st Round. That means we'll have a test against a very good Serie A squad. Santi can return in place of Fuoco.
Varese 0 Benachour injured 91
Chievo 0
A clean sheet and avoiding defeat against a team in another league above ourselves is something which shows the progression we've made as a side in all the time I've been here. It also shows we can live with some Serie A sides, although to be fair the Flying Donkeys were far superior today. Massimiliano Giacobbo claimed an opener on 6 minutes, but clearly used his hand to beat Girardi, so Pier Francesco Cenni ruled it out. Both goalkeepers were in fantastic form, but the fact that captain Cristiano Lupatelli was voted Man of the Match tells you something about our attacking threats. Martins again impressed - if he adds goals to his game he'll be a talent to watch. Another good result, even if the ref made us wait with 7 minutes of injury time :o
Benachour injured his achilles tendon and needs two months on the sidelines . I guess it's a chance for Marijan Buljat to get some first team football for the first time since breaking his ankle.
22.9.06
For his violent dismissal against Cosenza, Vratislav Gresko has been banned for a total of 8 games. I think 8 games is too steep - 3 would have done, but that's football authorities for you.
24.9.06
We're without Benachour and Gresko for the trip to Spezia, so Buljat and Sbrizzo make returns after a spell on the sidelines.
Spezia 0
Varese 3
Santi 28
Batistuta 33
Martins 38 Martins sent off 68
Another comfortable win overshadowed by an incident which will cost us dear. The match saw a tight opening, with Spezia looking for a goal but not finding it. On 28 minutes, a fine team move ended with Sidwell supplying his central midfield partner Christian Santi for a volley to put us ahead. 5 minutes later Batistuta struck a loose ball past Enrico Milan to double the lead. And when Martins found Batistuta's cross too easy to miss, we had a 3-0 lead, with all the goals coming in a 10 minute spell. For Batistuta's and Martins' goals, then defence just couldn't handle their movement. That was it in terms of goals, as we had everything sewn up, but a complete moment of madness from Martins, who headbutted Castorina, will see him get another ban similar to Gresko's, and will be deserved. He will also be severly punished for his actions. But we're getting back to some nice form now.
1.10.06
Emauele Calaio will get some playing time, as Martins has an 8 game ban; starting today against Pescara, who have a 100% record - played 4, lost 4. I'd hope to get 3 more points.
Varese 1
Batistuta 30
Pescara 1
Iaquinta 90
Well, you play with fire and you get burnt. We should have scored more than one goal, and in the end we were punished for not doing so. Pescara's central defensive partnership of Venturelli and Amoruso were tough to break through, and it was only Batistuta that could do so on 30 minutes, as he found himself on the end of Moroni's cross to score again. We should have had a penalty for a trip on Batistuta, but Andrea Bo turned down the appeal. In injury time, dangerous striker Vincenzo Iaquinta headed home a desperate equaliser to take home a point for the struggling Southerners, and I feel like we've dropped points today rather than gained.
They think my bid was unrealistic. 
How can they expect success when they won't let me get the players to do so.
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