Florence, You'll Always Be In My Heart (FM 15)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Just over a year ago, we took a family vacation to Italy. We used Florence as our base, and had a wonderful time exploring the city and the surrounding area.

Somewhere in the city, I spotted the graffiti pictured above, written on a wall. It made me smile, and I took a picture of it with my phone. The other day, I was scrolling through my camera roll and saw it, and the idea for this dynasty was born. So, I'm booting up my favorite Football Manager edition, FM 15, and off we'll go.

Here are the guidelines:

• My managerial alter-ego is a 35-year-old former professional player from England. His second nationality is Italian, and he also speaks Dutch, German, and Danish.
• I will only manage clubs located within a 50-mile radius of Florence. I won't apply for jobs or accept interviews from clubs outside the circle marked on the map above.
• The only Serie A club located within the circle as the 2014/15 season begins is, of course, Fiorentina. If I'm successful enough to be considered for a gig in the Italian top flight, the only Serie A job I will accept is Fiorentina.
• If I'm good (or lucky) enough to take another club as high as Serie A, I'll stay there.
• My ultimate goal is to manage Fiorentina, so if there's a chance to move there at a realistic point in my career, I'll take it.
• If I'm ever sacked from Fiorentina, I'll either end the story or, possibly, take a job with another club inside the circle. That's not a question I'll have to answer for a long time.

One of our favorite day trips was a visit to the town of San Gimignano, pictured above. Wealthy families built some 70 towers there during the 1200s, thirteen of which still stand. We celebrated my wife's birthday there, and we all enjoyed exploring the old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

I'm using an edited database that includes six levels of Italian football, and I was delighted to discover that San Gimignano's local club was a playable team!

Sangimignano Sport will play the 2014/15 season in Eccellenza Toscana B, in the fifth tier of Italian calcio. They are an amateur club, and their home ground is Stadio "Santa Lucia."

The road from San Gimignano to Florence isn't too long, but the journey from this tiny club to the pinnacle of Italian football is much longer.
Perhaps I'll never get there. We'll see, won't we?

[Izulde]

Looking forward to this one.

[ntndeacon]

I'm in for the ride

[Chas in Cinti]

Me too...

[Greyfriars Bobby]

@Izulde, @ntndeacon, @Chas in Cinti: Thanks for the support! It's good to have you along for the ride.

31 August 2014

When I took over at Santa Lucia, there were eight actual players in the team; the rest were Grey Ghosts. That gave me ample opportunity to shape the team the way I want it.

The rules for Eccellenza Toscana B require me to name at least two Under 19 players in my first eleven, at least one of which must qualify as Under 18. I suppose that rule keeps teams from stockpiling veteran amateurs and steamrolling the league. I may name 9 substitutes, and use up to three of them.

While I was building the squad, we played six friendlies during our rather lengthy preseason. I was fairly pleased with the results: three wins, two draws, one loss. We beat the lower level teams we played, drew with teams at our level, and lost a close match to Pro Piacenza, a Serie C side. That game was, honestly, our best to date.

Today we'll play our first meaningful match: the first leg of a home-and-away tie in the First Round of the Eccellenza Toscana Cup. The board want me to lead the team to the Semi Final, but I'm looking to put a trophy in the case.

Here are the players who begin the season in Sangimignano green shirts. My assistant manager, Stefano Ripa, provides the star ratings.


Goalkeepers


I'm very happy with these two. Chiarugi is excellent for this level; his positioning and decision-making are very good. He's also our free kick taker. He scored our goal against Pro Piacenza.

Governi is far more comfortable with the ball at his feet, and since I usually use a sweeper keeper, that skill comes in handy.

I give Chiarugi a slight edge, but I feel like I have a number 1 and a number 1A here.


Full Backs


Left back Qehajaj, our vice captain, has been capped 6 times at Under 21 level for Albania. He works hard and has lots of pace. Right back Mare is a similar player, less of a threat moving forward, but just as fast.

Benedetti and Romualdi are very serviceable backups. Benedetti has a particularly well-rounded set of skills that could enable him to play effectively almost anywhere on the pitch.


Center Backs


I like having center backs who are comfortable playing the ball out of defense, and both our starters possess that skill. Lorenzini, a Livorno trainee, is an especially classy player. Cavallaro is small for a center back, but he's otherwise a very good fit. He scored twice, including the game-winner, against Audax Rufino.

Big, bruising Borri can do the things a center back absolutely has to do, albeit without any finesse at all. He and Romualdi are our only depth here, so I'm looking out for a young player to add to the mix.


Central Midfielders


Lots of names here, but some of them would only feature here in an emergency.

I like to play with a DM shielding my back four. I brought in the well-traveled veteran Mocarelli to play this role. He's a sure tackler and a creative, capable passer.

Gianmarco Cicali's professional personality makes him an ideal captain. He's the only other central midfielder with the wide range of skills needed to play the box-to-box role well.

Talented young Salerno will feature in the playmaking role, where his impressive passing range and flair will be on display. Costa, a similar player who is even younger, can do a job here, too.

Then there's Fantacci, whom I brought in on loan from our senior affiliate, Empoli. He will almost always start, because he is (1) very talented and (2) under 18. He can play both in the middle or out wide, and I will probably rotate him through three different spots in the formation.

For a big guy, Francesco Cicali is surprisingly hesitant to mix it up; he's totally a finesse player and, as such, will have to scrap for minutes behind the more talented men in our midfield. Monti, on the other hand, will get stuck in, so I envision him as the primary backup for Mocarelli and G. Cicali.


Wide Midfielders


We have several attractive options here, and the physical demands of running up and down the wing all day will require us to use several players here.

I was overjoyed to bring in Ballerini, who drifted from club to club after his release from Atalanta. He didn't score during the preseason, but he did everything else. He can play as a traditional winger, flighting crosses into the box, or as an inverted forward, making dangerous runs.

Federici is our usual first choice on the left. He's not as pacy or as skilled as Ballerini, but he's strong and determined, and he can find the net.

Fantacci can play on either wing, and will do so at times. Corbucci is barely hanging on to his roster spot, and will only play in emergencies; I'd employ one of the spare CMs, such as Costa, out wide instead.


Center Forwards


For the first few weeks of the preseason, Paparelli was the only true striker in the team. He's a very good player, able to play in teammates or score himself, but I knew I needed another man here.

I tended to sign only younger players, but when scout Manuele Cappelletti tipped me off to De Brasi, I was tempted. His scoring record in the lower divisions--21 goals in 26 games; 13 in 16; 26 in 30 in the division below us last season--has been outrageous. And, since his arrival, he's come off the bench to score three times. De Brasi has forced himself into the picture at the top of our formation.

We also have Cantone, whom I brought in to give us another Under 18 player. He looks to do one thing, and one thing only: score goals. He's left-footed, unlike Paparelli and De Brasi (none of the three are any good with their weaker foot).


Closing Thoughts


The board insist on a league title this season, and the touts are predicting a two-team battle between us and Castelnuovese.

I'd like to find a boss for the middle of our formation, the kind of player whose presence forces other teams to adjust their tactics. Mocarelli isn't too far from that standard, but I'd prefer to use him as an outstanding supporting actor. I'm also looking for another powerful defender, hopefully young and left-footed.

[Portiere]

Forza Sangimignano! Forza i nero e verde! *cue additional chants.* The supporters club reminds you that nothing less than the best will do!



Good luck with this. I've not been to San Gimignano, but I've been close to it (some interesting times). A nice setting for sure.



Empoli is often in Serie A and maybe a more realistic first step to Fiorentina

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Portiere

Forza Sangimignano! Forza i nero e verde! *cue additional chants.* The supporters club reminds you that nothing less than the best will do!

Good luck with this. I've not been to San Gimignano, but I've been close to it (some interesting times). A nice setting for sure.

Empoli is often in Serie A and maybe a more realistic first step to Fiorentina

Grazie, Portiere! We'll be counting on you and the other supporters to back us every step of the way!

Empoli are in Serie A in my save. I discovered that when I received a scouting report on them. I was delighted to see they are our parent club. Tommaso Fantacci, the young midfielder they are loaning us, looks like he'll be class.

You're right; the step from Sangimignano to Fiorentina would be more like a leap. The only way I could see that happening in one go would be for me to somehow lead the "Nero e verde" on a fantastic journey up the pyramid. I think it's much more realistic for me to make several stops along the way.

Here are some of the bigger clubs I might work for on my journey:

Empoli (Serie A)

Bologna (Serie B)
Livorno (Serie B)

Arezzo (Serie C)
Carrarese (Serie C)
Grosseto (Serie C)
Pisa (Serie C)
Pontedera (Serie C)
Prato (Serie C)

There are also a slew of Serie D clubs close by. Among them are Siena, who are reforming for the 2014/15 season after their predecessor went bankrupt. They played in Serie B in their last season before their collapse, and that's probably more their level.

[Portiere]

We will have applausi for your success and pomodori (tomatoes) in the case of failures . Actually this is a longstanding tradition in Italia!


I should do an Italy save, but the time to play matches has put me off starting a new FM save...

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Portiere

We will have applausi for your success and pomodori (tomatoes) in the case of failures . Actually this is a longstanding tradition in Italia!


I should do an Italy save, but the time to play matches has put me off starting a new FM save...

I like pomodori...but on my plate, not on my matchday suit!

I downloaded a skin that has an "instant result" button. I'll often use it for matches I'm not especially interested in. I set my starting eleven, and the AI seems to do a pretty good job with substitutions.

In my last match (a 3-1 victory in a cup tie), my computer assistant took off a forward with a 6.3 rating at the hour mark. I would probably have done the same thing. The AI assistant also replaced a CM with a more defensive-minded player (Giacomo Salerno off, Mirko Monti on) at 78 minutes. I was pleased with those changes.

You might want to look into something like that, if your primary interest in FM involves team building and tactics, rather than match management.

Thanks for stopping by!