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Old 07-11-2006, 08:53 PM   #1
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
FM 2006: Bologna 2011-onwards

This is my first attempt at a dynasty, so no promises for quality. I'm a big fan of the work Butter O' 69 is doing with his Petersborough dynasty, so any similarities are imitation on my part, most likely.

I'm currently in the 2011 off-season with Bologna in Italy. This is my fifth season at the club. I came over in 2007 after winning two MLS titles with Real Salt Lake and proceeded to take the newly-promoted Bologna side to 8th in their first year. The next year, we finished fifth, securing a UEFA Cup spot and defying all of the critics. In 2009/2010, we pipped Juventus on the last day to win Bologna's first Scudetto since 1961. Last season, we slipped up a bit and finished third as Roma ran away with the title.

In a league dominated by heavyweights who throw around 30 million Euros on one player, I have just gotten my surplus above that mark and have been handed my largest transfer budget by far, 32 million Euros. My goals for the team are as follows:

1) Advance past the First Knockout Round in the Champions League. In our first appearance last season, we were knocked around by Inter and quickly exited.

2) Reclaim the Serie A title.

3) Win the Italian Cup, where we have never advance past the first round.

Well, that’s the basic info. I'm currently on July 2nd, 2011. I'll introduce the squad next as we prepare for the beginning of the preseason.

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Old 07-11-2006, 09:10 PM   #2
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
A breakdown of my current first team (and key youngsters) by position:

Goalkeepers

Morgan de Sanctis, 34 yr old Italian, 2 caps - Brought over from Inter Milan last season, he replaced outgoing #1 Hector Carini and had a decent season, averaging a 7.07 and registering 15 shutouts in 49 games. However, he is 34 and does seem to let in the occasional awful goal. Still, there is no one better right now, so he is the man between the posts.

Federico Agliardi, 28 yr old Italian, 9 U21 caps - Came over from Brescia three seasons ago on a free transfer and has been a model backup, despite only making 25 first team appearances in that time. His contract runs out after the season and I will probably let him leave, preferring one of my younger, cheaper keepers for the #2 job.

Vito Mannone, 22 yr old Italian, 8 U21 caps
Pablo Rochi, 23 yr old Mexican, uncapped - Both of these players are listed for loan and whoever has the better season and looks better in pre-season next year will be the number 2 keeper. Not sold on either as a long-term solution, so we are still looking for the successor to De Sanctis

Starter - De Sanctis

Central Defenders

Curtis Davies, 26 yr old Sierra Leonean, 14 caps - The current hot defender in the real life Premiership has been capped by Sierra Leone in this game. Came over on a free transfer from WBA last season and put up a 7.00 rating in 34 appearances. Probably relegated to 3rd choice based on new signings, still someone I would like to keep around for a long time.

Robert Huth, 26 yr old German, 18 caps/1 goal - The imposing German comes over from Chelsea via Everton, where he spent the last three seasons on loan. During that time, he never averaged less than a 7.40 for the Tofees, so we expect him to anchor a backline that had problems leaking in goals last season. With the exception of only decent acceleration, has everything you'd ever want in a dominant central defender.

Hedwiges Maduro, 26 yr old Dutchman, 27 caps - Maduro is the other major signing this off-season, coming over from Ajax Amsterdam, where he posted a 7.76 rating last season for the Dutch champions. Though he has the ability to play defensive midfielder, he will line up exclusively as a centre-half due to our depth in the midfield. He is very similar to Huth, with a little more speed and a bit less of a physical presence. The two will hopefully form one of the best pairings in Serie A.

Alex, 29 yr old Brazilian, 15 U21 caps - Alex was the first BIG signing of my Bologna tenure. The former PSV man has been a rock for us the last two seasons, but seemed to be losing a step towards the end of last season and is likely be the third choice behind the two new boys to begin the season.

Projected Starters - Huth, Maduro. Though no one is very old here, I am always on the lookout for a young, star-caliber defender.

Last edited by cschex : 07-11-2006 at 10:13 PM.
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Old 07-12-2006, 10:26 AM   #3
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
Fullbacks

Miguel, 31 yr old Portuguese, 28 caps – Miguel was a pleasant surprise for Bologna last year, as he ended the season as our starter at right-back after being signed only for depth at the beginning of the season. Still, his ratings aren’t anything great and he is getting up in years. He will probably start the season at right-back, but will have a short leash.

Umuru Bangura, 23 yr old Sierra Leonean, 12 caps – Bangura is my most versatile player on the defensive line, as he is a natural at all three defensive positions (and defensive midfield, as well). He has played mostly at right-back the last few seasons and will probably see the most amount of time there this season, though he could fill in at center back if a rash of injuries and/or poor form hits.

Maxim Geurden, 20 yr old Belgian, 12 U21 caps – The heir-apparent at right-back, the only thing keeping him from the first team right now is a rough start last season and some low mental attributes. Still, he has all of the technical skills, and will probably be in the rotation before the end of the season

Avine, 23 yr old Brazilian, 12 U21 caps – This exciting left-back just completed a 4 million Euro switch to Bologna from Internacional in the Brazilian league. He is being compared in the media to a young Fabio Aurelio, the incredible Valencia left-back. He also likes to get forwards and is equally comfortable at a attacking position on the left. He will be the starter at the beginning of the season.

Fabio Kerkini, 22 yr old Italian, 11 U21 caps – Last year’s starter at left-back, he just doesn’t have the attributes of a good left-back at the continental level. He’s young and continuing to develop, so hopefully he will get there soon. For now, he will be a very good back up to Avine.

Probable Starters – Miguel, Avine

Defensive/Holding Midfielders – My primary formation is a 4-2-3-1, similar to what France ran in the World Cup. My holding midfielders have to command the center of the field, pass and tackle very well, cover the defense and occasionally join the attack. My desire for this type of player has left me with five excellent players for my two starting spots.

Nik Besagno, 22 yr old American, 16 caps/1 goal – My favorite player and future captain, Besagno was a player I groomed into a star at Real Salt Lake before leaving for Italy. Brought over here three seasons ago, he has blossomed in the traditional defensive midfielder role, despite having injury setbacks in two of those seasons. He has the ability to contribute more on the offensive end, but for now his skills are concentrated more defensively.

Johannes Djourou, 24 yr old Ivorian, 3 caps/ 1 goal – Starting the season as 4th choice and likely to be sold, Djourou stepped up after a rash of injuries and proved to be my most consistent player, earning a spot on the Serie A Team of the Year. He added a surprising 6 goals and 6 assists in all competitions, making him the most well-rounded midfielder on my squad. Though the competition in this spot is fierce, he’s earned the right to begin the season as the starter.

Celio Junior, 24 yr old Brazilian, uncapped – A more offensive-style ball distributor and long-range shooter, Celio will provide good depth here and get his share of starts. He’s the most talented of any of the midfielders on the squad, but nagging injuries last season kept him from a regular place in the lineup.

Loic Poujol, 22 yr old Frenchman, 15 U21 caps – A new signing from Sochaux, he is a redundant luxury but I couldn’t pass up his superb skill set and excellent mental make-up. I might try to loan him out this season and see who plays themselves out of a job in my midfield, but he definitely has a future here.

Massimo Loviso, 27 yr old Italian, 6 U21 caps – The oldest and least-talented of the five, Loviso wouldn’t even be in the picture if not for my needing at least 4 “homegrown” players for European competition. Still, he puts up solid 7’s when he plays, and can even play right midfield when I run a traditional 4-4-2. He’s strictly a back-up.

Probable Starters – Besagno, Djourou
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Old 07-12-2006, 01:58 PM   #4
Butter
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Dayton, OH
A lot of good looking young players so far. I'll be reading. Good luck!
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Old 07-12-2006, 03:09 PM   #5
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers – In my tactic, I have three central attacking midfielders, two of whom have arrows going wide and one right behind the striker. They share creative responsibility and overlap often.

Ali Onur Baykal, 23 yr old Turk, 14 caps/1 goal – Baykal was a brilliant find for me a few seasons ago, coming in and scoring 19 goals at the age of 20. Injuries and increased competition for his place has lowered that total dramatically the last two seasons, but his First Touch, Passing, Finishing, Creativity, and Pace are all World Class. He is an exciting young talent who should continue to improve in the center-attacking role.

Ton, 25 yr old Brazilian, uncapped – Brought over after languishing in the Newcastle reserves, Ton is Baykal’s main competition for playing time. He’s scored 11 and 7 goals the last two seasons, despite being more comfortable as a true center mid than in a more forward position. His excellent crossing and acceleration allow him to play more in the wing positions, as well.

Daniele Vantaggiato, 26 yr old Italian, 4 U21 caps – The most shocking performance of last season came from this guy, as he thrived in our new tactic. After having never put up higher than a 6.9 in three seasons with us, he averaged a 7.39, scored 10 goals and added 14 assists from our right attacking position. His ratings are only average-to-good, but as long as he produces like that, he will be the starter.

Bruno Mota, 23 yr old Portuguese, 17 U21 caps – Brought in from Newcastle on loan at the beginning of the season to add depth to our left attack position, he performed so well that we paid 2 million to secure a permanent move in the January transfer window. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury right after the move and was a shadow of him former self the rest of the season. We are counting on him returning to his first-half form this season.

Florian Vogel, 23 yr old German, 6 U21 caps – A free transfer from Werder Bremen, Vogel will provide cover at all three attacking positions. He doesn’t do anything spectacularly, but hopefully he will improve under our training regimen.

Rob Devisscher, 23 yr old Belgian, 14 caps/2 goals
Bruno Filipe, 25 yr old Portuguese, 7 U21 caps
Arnor Angeli, 21 yr old Belgian, 1 cap
– These players are all backups to my starting players. Filipe is a backup on the right, Angeli and Devisscher on the left. The Belgians both have star potential, especially Angeli, so hopefully I will get them enough playing time this season.

Probable Starters – Mota, Baykal, Vantaggiato

Strikers

Giacomo Cipriani, 30 yr old Italian, 4 U21 caps – Our captain and unquestioned star of the team, Cipriani scored 30 goals in only 39 appearances last season. He’s been with Bologna his whole career and, if I have anything to say about it, he will finish his career here. Quite simply, if he isn’t on the field, we struggle mightily.

Lynel Kitambala, 22 yr old Frenchman, 1 cap – The great enigma of our team, Kitambala looked poised to break out after scoring 13 goals in each of his first two seasons. Unfortunately, his failure to establish himself when Cipriani went down with an early injury, coupled with his own injury later in the year, saw him put up only a 6.65 in 24 appearances for us, mostly off the bench. Still, he has all of the talent to be the heir apparent to Cipriani, he just needs to put it together.

Marco Borriello, 29 yr old Italian, 2 caps – Borriello has been our most consistent performer at the forward position until last year, averaging 14 goals a season pairing with Cipriani. Unfortunately, he broke his foot early in the season and never got back on track, making only a handful of appearances. He is strong in the air and with the ball at his feet, and he also will see a lot of time at the attacking mid slots in our formation.

Michele Bruno, 20 yr old Italian, 1 U21 cap
Vincenzo Milano, 19 yr old Italian, 7 U21 caps
– The future at striker looks good for us. Bruno is a solid player now who is developing nicely into a support-type striker in a 4-4-2 or a good backup in our current system. Milano is the real star, though. He’s averaging a goal per match for the Italy U21 side and I have just rejected a round of 8 million Euro bids for him from Juventus and Milan. I plan to have them both get some experience in the Italian Cup this year and hopefully against some lesser Serie A sides.

Probable Starter – Cipriani

Whew. Ok, those are our most important squad player for this season. Next, I’ll summarize the preseason fairly quickly, as I have little interest in friendlies and, unless we have a major injury, I’m not looking to spend much of my 30 million in transfer funds. I’m already going to have a hell of time finding playing time for everyone as it is.

Last edited by cschex : 07-12-2006 at 03:11 PM.
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Old 07-12-2006, 03:13 PM   #6
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
Quote:
Originally Posted by Butter_of_69
A lot of good looking young players so far. I'll be reading. Good luck!

Thanks for the words of support. My squads in FM always tend to skew young as I don't like paying big transfer fees for established star unless they are really worth it to me. Plus, it helps me feel more connected with the players as I groom them. This squad actually is a little older than most of my teams, but I have a lot of good-looking attacking players in the U20's coming through.
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Old 07-12-2006, 06:04 PM   #7
Ajaxab
College Benchwarmer
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Far from home
Djourou was solid for me for almost a decade at Exeter. He was probably my best player over that period of time. I'm sure he will serve Bologna well.
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Old 07-13-2006, 01:43 PM   #8
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
July ‘11

Ah, my second-least favorite month of the season (after June). I am one who immediately puts the AM in charge of friendlies and lets the month buzz buy. This month I actually played a couple out, just to see some of my new signings in action. Everything looked good in my tour of Holland, with the exception of Loviso tearing a calf muscle and being out for 4 months. While that clears up a logjam at DM, I still have to register him for the Champs League. *grumble* Kitambala has had a great preseason so far, scoring 4 goals and averaging an 8.5. Maybe he’s all the way back this year.

A few noteworthy events did happen. I brought in a couple of new players, 21 yr old DL/AML Leroy Fer from relegated side Avellino and 19 yr old striker Cesare Giovannini from Cesana. Both will play in the reserves this season, but I can’t resist adding exciting young talent at cut-rate prices, even if I am already stocked at the position. I have my eye on a youngster who could be the answer to my qualms about my right midfield, but there are a few potential barriers.

Most importantly, I was appointed the new coach of the Belgian National Team. I had quickly ear-marked Belgium as one of the few nations I wanted to coach; as they have some intriguing young players and many of them play for me. When they offered me the job I quickly accepted it. They sit in second place in their group for 2012 Euro Championship qualifying with 9 points. Leader Germany has 13 and third place Scotland has 7. I hope that we are able to overtake Germany, but we should be able to at least secure the playoff spot. As the month comes to a close, I am running scout searches in Spain, Holland and Italy in an attempt to shake loose any talent that might be worth my while to invest in.

As the month closes, I am chasing after an amazing-looking young defender who is being pursued by Roma also. The uncertain part is that he is co-owned, and while one club has agreed to a transfer fee the other wont budge. It appears Roma has already agreed to a price (which must be more than 10M total, as that’s what my offer stands at), so hopefully I can at least get to the negotiating table before the player signs with them.
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Old 07-13-2006, 01:44 PM   #9
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
August ‘11

An extraordinarily strange bug in the game just happened that I had never seen before. In chasing after young defender Aldo Bellini, I agreed to a 4.1M transfer fee with Torino but Sampadoria kept refusing to negotiate, even as I went above 6M. Then, after I offered 7.5 million (my final offer), they countered and said they’d accept 4M for Bellini. My only guess is that the clock just changed to August and they want/need the extra income quickly and they’ve already agreed to such a fee with Roma. Otherwise it doesn’t make much sense. Anyway, we’ve offered a contract to the 18 yr old well above what I’d normally pay for youth talent, but I want to be sure to sway him from Roma. Hopefully we’ll know in a few days.

I’m drawn against Basel from the Swiss league in the 3rd round of Chamipons League Qualifying. While not the easiest of sides in the draw, I should have no problem dispatching then in the two-leg competition. We play the first leg at the Renato Dall’Ara (my home stadium) on August 10.

Hmm, Bellini snubbed my contract offer, despite offering him almost 7K a week, saying he wants a more lucrative salary and significant bonus payments for first team appearances. I’m pretty loose with my salary budget since I normally save a lot of money in transfer fees, but I might give this up if I have to go through protracted negotiations to get him.

Enough of petulant young defenders who don’t want to play here, it’s time for the first competitive match of the season

August 10, Champions League 3rd Round Qualifying First Leg v. Basel

GK: De Sanctis
Def: Miguel, Huth, Davies, Avine
DM: Djourou, Celio Junior
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Borriello
F: Cipriani


We come out in our 4-5-1, hoping to take the game to the Swiss side. Of course that doesn’t happen, and some awful defending leads to a quick goal off a header for them in the 10th minute. De Sanctis came out and was caught in no man’s land. Djourou tries to answer in the 16th minute, but his open header from 4 yards is off-target. Less than two minutes later, Cipriani wins a free kick on the edge of the box. Borriello takes the kick and forces a great save by the keeper, but Vantaggiato pounces on the rebound and deflects it in the net off a Basel defender. In the 38th minute we strike again, as Baykal throws in to Cipriani on the right side, then receives the return pass, dribbles through three defenders to the edge of the bow, and beats the goalie short-side with an amazingly-placed shot. The whistle blows with Bologna leading 2-1

We sub on Kitambala for Cipriani at half-time for fitness reasons. We get only one decent chance in the next 25 minutes, then decide to sub on Mota and Poujol for Borriello and Celio Junior. We give up some clear chances to them over the next few minutes, but they fail to capitalize. The defense is looking sluggish, especially on the wings. However, a moment of brilliance from Baykal finds Kitambala free at the top of the box in the 78th minute, and the Frenchman buries a perfect strike in the upper-left hand corner to give us a two-goal edge. Three minutes later, Mota wins a ball on the left and send Avine free down the wings, who then sends a great cross to Vantaggiato to one-time into the net for his second goal. We finally look to be clicking on offense. In the 84th minute, Mota runs down the left side off a restart and send the ball into Vantaggiato again, who banks the ball off the keeper for his first career hat-trick! He finished last season as our most threatening player and has started this season on an even higher note. There is no more action and the game ends with Bologna dominating 5-1.

Vantaggiato is the obvious MotM and rates a perfect 10. My entire backline, Djourou, Baykal and Kitambala rate 8’s, and everyone else rates a 7. We looked shaky at times, but our quality really showed at the end of the match.

Unfortunately, Ali Onur Baykal picked up an injury in the waning moments of the game and will now be out about 4 weeks. Luckily, Ton is an established performer, so the drop-off shouldn’t be much, if any.
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Old 07-13-2006, 10:35 PM   #10
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
Since the first Serie A game isn’t until the 28th, I had a few more friendlies to play before my return game at Basel on the 24th. In the meantime, renovations were completed on the stadium to install undersoil heating, which is very nice. The next move might be to expand it a bit, as 39000 seats is rather small for Serie A and limits my earning potential. I wrap up two more acquisitions of excellent young players for about half of my transfer budget. First up is Enrico La Rosa, a 19 yr old DC/DM who comes over from Atalanta for 8M. La Rosa rates above a 17 in Marking, Tackling, Heading, Positioning, Awareness, and Pace, and a 15 in Jumping and Strength. At 6 ft even, he’s got the height for the position as well. Hopefully, I have found the excellent young defender I want to groom

My other transfer is AM RLC/F Ricardo Estrada, an 18 yr old Mexican who comes from Sevilla for 8.25M. He is a “natural” at every midfield and attacking position, including striker, but will eventually line up as an attacking winger in my system. With these two signings, my spending is over for the summer. I might try to sell off a few reserve players, but that’s about it.

The Serie A odds are out and we are picked at 3-1 by the bookies, behind the traditional powers Juventus and Inter, last year’s champion Roma, and AC Milan. I think that’s fair from the bookies perspective, but I fully expect this team to be right in the title hunt and hopefully win it.

August 24, Champions League 3rd Round Qualifying Second Leg @ Basel
GK: De Sanctis
Def: Bangura, Huth, Maduro, Kerkeni
DM: Besgano, Celio Junior
AM: Vogel, Ton, Mota
F: Kitambala


We go with an almost completely different lineup for this one, but my squad depth is so good that there should be little drop-off in performance from the first game. For the second straight game, Basel gets on the board first with a superb 30 yard curling strike. My midfielders didn’t close down fast enough, but it was a superb shot. Then, to make matters worse, Kitambala limps off in the 25th minute with an injury. I bring on Borriello and hope it isn’t serious. In the 43rd minute, after we have wasted 3 good chances, they get a repeat of the first goal and I am starting to sweat a bit. My team has come out sluggish before, but we just look outclassed right now. We settle down a bit after halftime and in the 57th minute a great team passing move leads to a goal, as Besagno floats a ball that Vogel heads down right into the path of Ton, who doesn’t miss from close range. Mota and Vogel are both getting fatigued, so I bring on Devisscher and Vantaggiato to close the game out. Right after the subs, Bangura sends a long cross from just over the halfway line right to the head of Borriello, who beats the keeper for his first goal of the year. Borriello converts a penalty a few minutes later to put a cap on the scoring. Bologna wins 3-2 and advances to the Group stages after an 8-3 aggregate win.

Besagno wins MotM honors with a 9 rating after a dominating performance in the midfield. Everyone else gets a 7 or 8 except the injured Kitambala and Robert Huth, who let the defender have too much space on the second goal, both with 6’s. For the second straight game we were awful in the first half and turned it on in the second half, which will work against decent sides like Basel but not the top squads in Serie A. Something to work on.

Luckily, Lynel will only be out a week, and we only have one match before the international break, so he should be good to go.

We are drawn into Group B of the Champions League, along with FC Bayern, Rangers, and Shakhtar. On paper, we should advance easily, and compete with Bayern for the top spot. We shan’t take any of the teams lightly, however. Some fascinating groups include one with Arsenal, Barcelona, and Ajax and another with Man U, Real Madrid and French power Monaco.

August 28, Match #1 v. Sampdoria

Finally, our first Serie A match, at home vs. Sampdoria. The team has caused us problems in the past, with strikers Maxi Lopez and Lisandro Lopez consistently a thorn in our sides.

GK: De Sanctis
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Besgano, Djourou
AM: Vantaggiato, Ton, Mota
F: Cipriani


Sampdoria dominate the chances for the first half hour, but De Sanctis is up to the challenge. We then get two great chances, with first Cipriani and then Vantaggiato being stoned at point-blank range. In the 35th minute Mota sends Cipriani down the left, who skins his marker and tucks a gorgeous shot just inside of the right post. We get a couple of more shots but no goals. We bring on Poujol at the half, as Djourou suffered an injury and is down to 63%. Cipriani passes up a clean shot opportunity to pass to Vantaggiato, who would have scored if not for a reflex save by the Sampdoria keeper. Sampdoria gets some more chances and we change tactics to slow the game down and keep possession, as well as bringing on Borriello for the tiring Cipriani. In the 68th minute they flight a free kick in from the right which Carlos Augusto, beating Miguel to the header, nods back to Maxi Lopex, who strikes it past a flat-footed De Sanctis. Luckily, in the 77th minute Borriello steals an errant backpass, runs clear of the defense, and jukes the keeper to put us up by a goal. That’s all the scoring and Bologna escapes with a 2-1 victory.

Cipriani wins MotM with an 8 rating and Huth is the only other player on the team to get that. Everyone else rates 7’s. Cipriani’s conditioning has been pretty bas thus far, making it increasingly less likely he’ll ever be able to go a full 90 again. I’m going to have to explore the possibility of bringing on as sub more often.
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Old 07-15-2006, 07:29 PM   #11
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
As the month comes to a close we again try to open negotiations with Bellini, who wants 44K a week! To put in perspective, he’s currently a 19 yr old defender who isn’t even a starter for Serie B Torino. Sorry Aldo, I might not have a wage structure, but I’m not that dumb. We head to the end of the month and into the international break with all of our transfer business done, for now.

September ‘11

As the new month starts, my board is very pleased and reports we lost 13M last month, which is mostly from transfer fees.

With a week off for the international games, it’s time for my first game with Belgium, at home vs. Ukraine. They are one of the two teams that have beaten us in qualifying, so we are looking for a win here to keep ahead of Scotland for second place in the group. I don’t really have the energy to do an exhaustive write-up of the squad, but suffice to say the backline is the strong point with Kompany, Vanden Borre, and ManU keeper Silvio Proto. I’m running an attacking 4-4-2. I won’t do too much description of the international games until Euro 2012 (assuming I make it), so I’ll say we thoroughly out-played the Ukraine in this one. Stein Huysegems and our own Rob Devisscher put in goals and Belgium strolls to an easy 2-0 win.

With the win, we move to 12 points in the Group, still behind Germany but almost assured of a playoff spot. We play the group leaders in Germany during the next break in October, then finish against Armenia on October 12th

One cool item of note: based on their strong play last year and at the beginning of this year, Daniele Vantaggiato and Giacomo Cipriani have been called up to the Italy squad for their qualifying match on Sept. 7th. Only Daniele got in the game (a 1-0 win over Greece), but hopefully this will lead to more call-ups in the future for two of our most important players.

September 11, Match #2 @ Fiorentina (3rd)

Back from the international break, we are slightly favored against Fiorentina. At age 34, Luca Toni is still the star of the team, and Charles N’Zogbia is a constant threat from the midfield as well.

GK: De Sanctis
Def: Bangura, Huth, Alex, Avine
DM: Besagno, Celio Junior
AM: Vantaggiato, Ton, Devisscher
F: Kitambala


We are giving a few regulars a rest today as we have a home game against Shakhtar in the Champions League in just two days. After a boring opening half hour, we strike quickly when a Banguru cross finds Ton’s head in the middle of the box and he beats Carlos Kameni near-side. 10 minutes later, Kameni parries a Kitambala breakaway shot right to the feet of Devisscher, who strikes the ball into the open net. We allow a Toni goal in the dying seconds of the half but go into the break with a 2-1 lead. In the 70th minute, a perfect pass by Ton frees Devisscher on the left. He squares the ball for Kitambala, who lobs the keeper and puts us up 3-1. The rest of the game is uneventful and we record a 3-1 vitcory on the road.

Devisscher is named MotM for his 1 goal/1 assist performance with a 9 rating and 6 other players garner an 8. It was the most complete game the team has played in the young season and we will need more of that, with Palermo, Roma and Inter on the schedule after the Champions League tie.

Ton becomes our first player honored in the Team of the Week this season for his performance against Fiorentina.

September 13, Champions League Group B v. Shakhtar

GK: De Sanctis
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Kerkeni
DM: Poujol, Djourou
AM: Vogel, Baykal, Mota
F: Cipriani


I was doing other things during this match, so suffice to say that Cipriani bagged a hat-trick and Bruno Mota added a goal off a header. We allowed a late goal but came away 4-1 victors.

Cipriani was MotM and one of 3 players to rate a 9, along with Miguel and Huth.
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Old 07-16-2006, 11:19 PM   #12
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
September 18th Match #3 v. Palermo

I’d say more about this match I lost my write-up and I don’t have the heart to re-type it. We got destroyed 3-1 and I am seriously on the lookout for a new goalkeeper in the January window.

We have no time to breathe as we travel to Roma, who sit 4th in the table. We are currently 7th

September 21 Match #4 @ Roma

GK: De Sanctis
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Kerkeni
DM: Poujol, Besagno
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Devisscher
F: Cipriani


I replace 5 starters from the Palermo debacle and pray that we can keep this close. In a surprisingly even, free-flowing first half, Roma gets the better of the chances but we hold them off the board. The highlight was a goal line clearance by Kerkeni off of a Roma corner. 3 minutes into the second half, some nifty ball control in the midfield sends Miguel free on the right. He takes his time and plays the ball right to the feet of Baykal, who turns and fires a shot inside the left post for the lead. In the 63rd minutes a ball played into the box is won by Cipriani, who nods it down to an unmarked Baykal. Ali places this shot in the same place as his first and we lead 2-0! Not content with that, five minutes later Poujol sends Vantaggiato free of the offside trap, and Daniele squares it for Cipriani to tap into an empty net. Baykal completes the humiliation in stoppage time as he deflects a Celio Junior into the net for his first career hat-trick and the third for Bologna in the young season. We register our first shutout of the year and destroy Roma 4-0 on the road.

Baykal rates a perfect 10 and is the obvious MotM. Poujol, Vantaggiato, Cipriani, Miguel, Huth and De Sanctis all rate 9’s. This is the team that is the strong contender for the title. Now if I can just get them to show up every match. We move up to 5th with the win, 3 points behind undefeated Palermo. We face 3rd place Inter in our next match.

Inter coach Robert Mancini continues his praise of me (going back the last three seasons) saying he hopes the best team wins and he considers me a good coach. I respond by saying I have deep respect for Mancini’s coaching abilities. Hugs all around.

September 24, Match #5 v. Inter

GK: De Sanctis
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Celio Junior, Besagno
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Mota
F: Cipriani


A long clearance off of a corner kick early leaves Adriano free behind our defense. However, De Sanctis comes out to challenge and makes a great one-on-one stop to save the goal. After a couple of dangerous plays, I assign Huth to tightly mark Adriano and drop Besagno back as basically a fifth defender. Inter gets more chances, but nothing good and all are easily gathered by De Sanctis. Right before the half, Celio Junior wins a 50-50 ball and send it to Mota down the left, who gives it right back to a cutting Celio. He dribbles into the box and, with the angle seemingly cut off, blasts it right over the keeper for a goal. In the 60th minute some neat passing by Inter frees Adriano from his marker, and he is free in the box to attempt a lob on De Sanctis. How he gets back to the ball I’ll never know, but he just gets enough of it to palm it over the bar. Maybe he heard me talking about acquiring a new keeper, because he has be great the last two games. I bring in Kitambala for a tiring Cipriani, hoping his fresh legs will have some effect. It pays off in the 73rd minute as Kitambala beats his man on the left and sends the ball to Baykal racing down the center of the pitch. He rushes into the box and, still on the run, coolly smacks the ball past the keeper for a 2-0 lead. I bring off the goal scorer for Bangura, essentially giving myself six defenders for the rest of the game. Besagno heads in a Mota corner in the 81st minute for another goal. The whistle blows and we close a dominant second half with a 3-0 win over Inter.

Bruno Mota is the MotM for his 2 assist performance and rates a 9 along with Baykal. 6 other players rate 8’s, including our keeper, 3/4ths of our backline and both starting central midfielders. The dominant way we’ve played the last two matches is making the Palermo game look more and more like an aberration. We move up to second with the win, but since it was a Saturday match, we could slip down to fourth if Milan and Juventus both win.

We do slip to third, but are only a point behind Milan and Palermo. De Sanctis, Maduro, Vantaggiato, Baykal, Mota, and Poujol were all named to the Team of the Week, a personal high for the team.

September 28, Champions League Group B @ FC Bayern

We travel to Munich to take on the German champions today in what should be a showdown for supremacy of Group B.

GK: De Sanctis
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Kerkeni
DM: Poujol, Besagno
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Borriello
F: Cipriani


A scoreless first half ends after De Sanctis has robbed both Ballack and Hargreaves. We are being out shot 7-2, and I make a few tweaks to try and generate some pressure. Our backline is playing well, but the attacking idfielders and forwards are all rating 6’s past the 60th minute. Bayern finally breaks through in the 73rd minute as Santa Cruz beats Maduro to a Schweinsteiger cross and heads it past De Sanctis. The rest of the game is uneventful and we fall 1-0.

We were outshot 15-6 and we only had one shot on target. Maduro was our only player to rate above a 7. I fear we still aren’t ready for competition against the top-flight clubs in Europe. We sit second in the group, tied with Shakhtar on points but a +4 in goal differential.

October ‘11

Our Board is still very pleased with the job we are doing here. We lost about 2.9 million Euros last month. We definitely need a bigger stadium.

October 2, Match #6 @ Piacenza

GK: De Sanctis
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Poujol, Besagno
AM: Vogel, Baykal, Mota
F: Cipriani


We face relegation candidates Piacenza today and get off to a quick start. Cipriani runs down the right in the 4th minute, draws two defenders and the attention of the keeper, and then squares a great ball for Baykal to poke in the back of the net. 4 minutes later Mota is fouled in the penalty area. He steps up and converts the kick to double our lead. Potential disaster strikes in the 45th minute, as keeper De Sanctis has to come off with an injury. Frederico Agliardi sees his first action of the season. Poujol scores his first ever goal for Bologna in the 53rd minute after converting a Miguel cross. In the 74th minute, Mota makes a brilliant run down the left, beating three defenders before passing to Baykal, who beats the keeper near post. Baykal just misses his hat trick in stoppage time, blazing a shot over the bar from 6 yards out. Nevertheless, we crush Piacenza 4-0 and vault up to 2nd in Serie A.

Poujol is my only player to rate a 9 and accordingly wins MotM honors. Eight other players rate an 8, including both of my goalkeepers. Hopefully we’ve put the Bayern game behind us.

Unfortunately, the news on De Sanctis is worse than I could have imagined. He tore a calf muscle in the game and is out for a minimum of 4 month. Agliardi is a decent backup but exposed as a long-term starter. I will bring up reserve keeper Pablo Rochi to rotate with him and hope I can survive until January, where I will bring in a better keeper on loan or through transfer. Normally I say we have adequate cover when we lose a big player to injury but in this case I say, truthfully, that his absence is a huge loss for us.

Last edited by cschex : 07-16-2006 at 11:20 PM.
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Old 07-16-2006, 11:50 PM   #13
Butter
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Dayton, OH
Tough break on De Sanctis... but maybe since you were already looking for a replacement, this'll just make your squad that much stronger when he returns.
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Old 07-17-2006, 08:36 AM   #14
cschex
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
Quote:
Originally Posted by Butter_of_69
Tough break on De Sanctis... but maybe since you were already looking for a replacement, this'll just make your squad that much stronger when he returns.

Yeah, I was still going to shop for a replacement...then again, De Sanctis had averaged an "8" rating for out last 4 matches and seemed to be finding his form. The only matches against top tier teams between now and Jan. are one with Milan and the Champs League, so hopefully my back-up keepers will not need to save games for me.
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Old 07-19-2006, 01:09 PM   #15
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
It’s time for the last competitive international break before this summer’s European Championships. My Belgian squad plays at Germany and then, in the final game of the group, hosts Armenia. We effectively need just one point in the two matches to clinch a playoff spot, but victories in both would win us the group as Germany is playing their last match against us. Unfortunately, we fall 3-1 to the Germans, as Lukas Podolski scores a brace and an aging Michael Ballack also gets on the scoresheet. We really need to win against Armenia, who we won’t be taking for granted

Massimo Loviso returns to full training after missing the last three months with a torn calf muscle, the same injury De Sanctis has. Hopefully his recovery will be as quick.

We almost get a fatal shock from an upstart Armenian team, who score an early goal and keep denying us chance after chance. It is only an 82nd minute goal from little-used Anthony Cavallo that levels the match 1-1. Due to Scotland’s draw with Ukraine, we advance to play Ireland in the Playoff for Euro ’12.

October 16 Match #7 @ Modena

GK: Agliardi
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Djourou, Besagno
AM: Filipe, Ton, Devisscher
F: Kitambala


I rest some starters today as we should win handily over Modena, who hasn’t finished higher than 15th in their four seasons in Serie A. Kitambala steals the ball in midfield, dribbles around his defender, and banks the shot off the post and into the net in the 17th minute. However, Maduro is called for a foul in the box in the 42nd minute and they convert the penalty. We get no less than 6 excellent shots on goal during the second half, and every one of them is stopped. Their keeper wins MotM as we stumble to a shocking 1-1 draw.

October 19, Champions League Group B @ Rangers

GK: Agliardi
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Poujol, Celio Junior
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Mota
F: Cipriani


Davies and Bangura are on duty with Sierra Leone and Alex is ineligible, so Kerkeni is my only backup defender here. In the 3rd minute, Huth pulls down their player on a breakaway in the box and is re-darded for his efforts. Baykal is sacrificed for Besagno, who comes in at the center of defense. Luckily, El-Hadji Diouf strikes the penalty kick straight into Agliardi’s body. In the 16th minute, Mota does some neat tricks on the left to get free and send in a cross to Poujol, who heads it past the keeper for the lead. 3 minutes later, Cirpiani is the first to get to a deflected Mota cross and poke it into the net, doubling our advantage. Mota is terrorizing the right side of the Rangers defense. In the 41st minute, Avine sends a long ball over the defense for Mota again, who gets it and sends a first-time cross to a streaking Vantaggiato, who scores an impressive goal. Mota is on fire! Early in the second half, Besagno is judged to have fouled Szabics in the box and Rangers is awarded a penalty. Szabics doesn’t miss this one, and our lead is cut to 3-1. Both sides get a couple more chances each, but the whistle blows with Bologna running out 3-1 victors.

Mota rates a 9 along with Avine, and unsurprisingly wins MotM. We move into second place in Group B with 6 points. Bayern has 9, Shakhtar 3 and Rangers 0. Huth is suspended for the next CL match due to his red card.

October 23, Match #8 @ Lecce

GK: Agliardi
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Kerkeni
DM: Poujol, Besagno
AM: Vantaggiato, Ton, Devisscher
F: Cipriani


Lecce is currently 18th in the table, but I’m not going to make the same mistake I did with Modena and start all of my back-ups. In the 18th minute, Devisscher runs down the left and provides a great ball for Cipriani in the box. Our poacher doesn’t miss from there and makes it 1-0. We get quite a few more chances in the next 60 minutes but the next goal doesn’t come until the 79th minute, when Kerkeni sends a cross into the box. Baykal heads it back to Besagno standing just outside the 18, and Nik curls it into the far post for a wonderful goal. In the 87th minute a mishandled cross by their keeper allows sub Kitambala to poke the ball into the empty net. They grab one back late in stoppage time but we roll out comfortable 3-1 victors.

Besagno rates a 9 and gets MotM honors. Five other players rate an 8. After the win we are in second place, one point behind Milan and tied on points with Inter, but with a +8 goal differential.
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Old 07-24-2006, 02:36 PM   #16
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
October 26, Match #9 v. Vicenza

GK: Rochi
Def: Bangura, Huth, Alex, Avine
DM: Poujol, Djourou
AM: Vogel, Baykal, Mota
F: Borriello


Vicenza is sitting 19th in the table right now and I do rest my starters for this one, figuring if some of my back-ups can’t secure a comfortable win against this sorry team the season is hopeless anyhow. In the 10th minute, Vogel chests down a long pass on the right, then sends a pass in the air to Baykal about 30 yards from goal. Baykal, his back turned to the goal and being closely marked, turns and hits a first time volley that catches the keeper completely off his line and bends into the back of the net from 30 yards. That is the most spectacular goal I think I’ve ever seen in this game. In the 25th minute, Mota gets off one of his trademark crosses from the left into the center of the box, where Vogel is waiting to head it in. His first goal ever for Bologna, that one. Seven minutes later he gets his second goal as he flights in a free kick from 25 yards out. Their keeper parries it away, but right to Mota who sends it back across the box to Vogel, who slots it home. Unfortunately, Mota comes out with an injury in the 42nd minute. The way he’s been playing, we can’t afford to lose him. We get late goals from Cipriani off the bench and an injury time screamer from Djourou to put the cap on a convincing 5-0 win.

Djourou rates a 9 and wins MotM. Every other starter except Borriello and Poujol rates an 8. We had all but 2 seats filled in our 39000 seat stadium, so the board might listen this time as I ask them again to expand.

Unfortunately, Mota fractured his ribs and will miss the next two months. Devisscher and Borriello will see more time this way, but it is a hard loss, no doubt.

October 30, Match #10 v. Cagliari

GK: Agliardi
Def: Miguel, Maduro, Davies, Avine
DM: Celio Junior, Besagno
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Devisscher
F: Cipriani.


The first 15 minutes of the half are surprisingly even, with Cagliari having the better of the chances. Slowly, we begin to put more and more pressure on them until, in the 28th minute, Besagno gets hold of a bouncing ball in the box and strikes it past the flat-footed keeper for the lead. Cipriani is brought down in the box only 6 minutes later, but Migual fires the penalty right into the keeper’s arms. Our team looks a little sluggish, and it’s noticeable how sloppy we look on the left side without Mota. We finally break through again in the 73rd minute as Vantaggiato breaks down the right and sends a great ball to a streaking Celio Junior. The Brazilian bulls into the box, draws the attention of the keeper, and plays a square ball right to the feet of Ton to put into the net. Very nice team goal right there. The game ends with Bologna 2-0 winners.

Vantaggiato rates an 8 and winds MotM. Avine and Celio also get 8’s while the rest of the team get 7’s.

November ‘11

The board is now delighted with my performance again. As well they should be, we’ve moved ahead of Milan by one point to be first in Serie A, and if we beat Rangers in our upcoming Champs League game we will effectively qualify from our group.

November 1, Champions League Group B v. Rangers

GK: Agliardi
Def: Bangura, Maduro, Davies, Kerkeni
DM: Poujol, Besagno
AM: Vogel, Ton, Devisscher
F: Kitambala


Due to our last game being only two days ago, I change out a lot of starters due to conditioning issues. We get some decent build-up in the first half hour but can’t crack the Rangers defense. A break happens in the 31st minute as Kitambala finds Ton in the box, who is then brought down by Barry Ferguson for a penalty kick. Vogel steps up and calmly puts it in the back of the net. In stoppage time, Vogel gets a breakaway off a Rangers corner and eventually works the ball to Ton on the right side. Ton sends it to Poujol, who sees the keeper off his line and lobs him from 30 yards, scoring an amazing goal. The second half is mainly us playing keepaway, as we stroll to an easy 2-0 victory.

Ton rates a 9 and wins MotM for his two assist performance. My team is a machine right now, and the offense is coming from all quarters. We are one point behind Bayern in the Group B standings and are virtually assured of a spot in the next round.
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Old 07-27-2006, 02:47 PM   #17
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
November 6, Match #11 @ Cesana

GK: Agliardi
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Celio, Djourou
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Borriello
F: Cipriani


Cesana is a decent mid-table side but we should be able to secure a win here before the international break. Boy, am I wrong. Cipriani hits the post twice in the first 15 minutes and it is a sign for things to come. The first half comes to a close with Bologna completely dominating possession, but unable to put the ball in the net. In the 51st minute Diego Galvan hits a long shot which Agliardi is slow to react to and puts Cesana up by one. Kitambala, in for Cipriani, hits the crossbar in the 71st minute. In stoppage time, Papa Waigo puts the game out of reach by beating Agliardi again. We slump to a 2-0 defeat.

Only 4 players rate a 7 and I tear my team a new one in the post-game talk.

The international break comes and my Belgium squad has a playoff against Ireland, while I shop around for a new keeper come January. In a nice bit of news, De Sanctic is recovering faster than expected and could be back in training by the end of December.

I agree to a preliminary deal with Botafoga for their Brazilian keeper Renan for 3.9M. We’ll see if he’s allowed to come over since I’ve already signed one non-EU player this season.

Belgium demolishes Ireland 5-2 aggregate to move on to the Euro Championship 2012. Fellow playoff victors are Wales (over FYROM), Bulgaria (over Finland), Austria (over Romania) and Slovakia (over Iceland). The draw will be held next month.

In more surprising injury news, Bruno Mota has resumed full training only three weeks after his injury, despite the initial prognosis having him out for 2 months. I’m going to have to get my physios a raise, I think. On the other side of the spectrum, Massimo Loviso hurt himself in training after just getting back to full health, and is out for another month.

Due to rescheduling I’m off until the 23rd vs. Shakhtar in the Champions League. In that time, I come to a preliminary agreement with a Brazilian goalkeeper to move here when the transfer window re-opens. I’ll write up the details when it is finalized in January.

November 23, Champions League Group B @ Shakhtar

GK: Agliardi
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Kerkeni
DM: Besagno, Poujol
AM: Vogel, Baykal, Devisscher
F: Cipriani


Mota is at 90% health but I will rest him until the weekend Serie A game. We start off strong and Cipriani puts it in the net in the 25th minute, but he is whistled for offside. Shakhtar pick up their pace in the closing stages of the first half and almost score due to breakdowns in midfield, but Agliardi comes up with some great saves on Darijo Srna to keep the game scoreless. In the 49th minute, Miguel plays a great-first time cross into the box which Cipriani heads right to an unmarked Baykal, who slots it home. He breaks a tie with Cipriani to become the out-right goal scoring leader for Bologna this season. In the 60th minute, Cipriani again shows off his passing skills as he takes a throw in deep on the left side of the field and sends a perfectly weighted ball to Baykal, who strikes it from the edge of the box just inside the far post for the brace. Nothing else of note happens and we win a relatively easy 2-0 game.

Maduro rates a 9 for a commanding performance in the back and wins MotM. Every other starter except Vogel gets an 8.

We have qualified from our group into the first knockout round and if we can beat Bayern in the last game we will win the group outright.

November 27, Match #12 @ Udinese

GK: Rochi
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Besagno, Celio
AM: Vantaggiato, Ton, Devisscher
F: Kitambala


Udinese is having an awful season, sitting last in the table with only 7 points. In the 8th minute, Devisscher steals the ball from former Bologna player Yaya Toure in midfield and pokes it ahead to Kitambala, who is in the clear. He doesn’t miss in his one-on-one opportunity and right away we are leading. In the 23rd minute, Miguel’s long cross from the right seemingly overshoots everyone but Devisscher races in and heads it back across the goalmouth into the far corner to double the lead. Ten minutes later Devisscher is fouled in the box and Avine steps up and converts the penalty for his first ever Rossoblu goal. Devisscher is having an excellent game thus far. We almost score again in stoppage time as Celio is stopped point-blank by the Udinese keeper. Unfortunately, Rochi gets hurt in the 53rd minute so Agliardi comes on to replace him. Immediately, he makes a good save on Milito in the box to force a corner. There is no other action except Mota being denied a few minutes after he comes on as a sub, and Bologna takes an easy 3-0 win.

Vantaggiato rates a 9 and wins MotM. I notice Mota picked up a late-game injury, which doesn’t bode well.

Indeed, Bruno will be out for the next three weeks. Well, that’s certainly annoying. Rochi will miss the next month as well, so young Vito Mannone becomes the backup to Agliardi as we limp towards January.

Before our game with Cagliari, I get notices that a few of our players have only seven months left on their existing contracts. The most noticeable include De Sanctis, Kitambala, Miguel, Borriello, and Rochi. For now, I only tender Kitambala a 3 year offer with a slight raise in it. De Sanctis will depend on how he looks post injury and, though I love what Borriello has done for the team, he seems out of sorts in the tactic I am running now. I decide to offer Miguel a one-year extension, as he is sought after by no less than four teams and has been stellar for me this season.

November 30, Italian Cup First Knockout Round First Leg v. Cagliari

It’s time to get some of my promising youngsters some game experience with the first team, as I should have little trouble with Cagliari.

GK: Agliardi
Def: Geurden, Alex, Romano, Fer
DM: Djourou, Bangura
AM: Estrada, Vogel, Angeli
F: Milano


We start off well, as Geurden sends a cross that Milano gets a head onto in the 9th minute. Unfortunately, their keeper is up to the task and parries it over the bar. We dominate possession but despite good chances, can’t put the ball away. I bring in Baykal for Vogel to try and spark things at the half. We continue to control the game, but are stopped just short of scoring. Angeli has a great chance off a Geurden cross in the 73rd minute but his powerful header is tipped just around the post. The final seconds tick off and our youngsters slump to a 0-0 draw.

Angeli rates out only 8 and wins MotM. Not an awful showing, but I will need to play the first team in the return leg away to ensure passage to the next round.
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Old 08-07-2006, 08:34 AM   #18
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
December ‘11

The board is still delighted, despite the fact we continue to lose money. We will be counting on that European money to put us in the black for the season.

Miguel rejects our contract. Geurden is looking very good in the U20’s and I recently rejected a round of bids for Miguel from some EPL sides. If I don’t re-sign him, I’ll either have to sell him or let him get signed away on a free.

December 6, Champions League Group B v. FC Bayern

GK: Agliardi
Def: Bangura, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Besagno, Celio
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Devisscher
F: Cipriani


We get off to a shaky start and Agliardi has to stop Borut Semler on a couple of good chances in the first 20 minutes. For all of my worries about goalkeeping, Agliardi has been very solid and come up with game-turning saves in the last few outings. In the 27th minute, Avine crosses from the left for Vantaggiato at the far post, who heads it into the net for the lead. In the waning moments of stoppage time, a Cipriani header is directed into the net by a Bayern defender to double our advantage. In the 71st minute, Semler is taken down by Maduro in the box. Hedwiges gets a red card for being the last man, but Agliardi stones Podolski on the ensuing PK. The shutout is finally ended in the 84th minute, as continued Bayern possession leads to a Sikorski goal. More trouble in the 89th minute, as Besagno is injured and has to come off. I am down to 9 men, as I had already used all of my subs. Luckily, we dominate stoppage time and hold on for a 2-1 victory.

Vantaggiato rates a 9 and wins MotM. Agliardi and Baykal both garner 8’s. Kitambala picked up a nagging late-game injury, so we will get the prognosis on both him and Besagno. However, we do officially finish first in the group.

Maduro picks up a one-game suspension for our next Champions League match. Kitambala is out a week and Besagno is out for a month. The media asks me about his injury and I tell them he’s an important player but we have adequate cover, which is true: DM is probably the one place on the pitch we could lose a player of Nik’s ability and not feel it. I’m going to miss the 7.47 he’s put up in all competitions so far, though.

December 9, Italian Cup First Knockout Round Second Leg @ Cagliari

GK: Agliardi
Def: Geurden, Huth, Davies, Avine
DM: Djourou, Poujol
AM: Estrada, Ton, Angeli
F: Cipriani


We play a fair amount of first team player in this match, but bring up a few of the youngsters who impressed in the first leg. It pays off early as Maxim Geurden sends a good cross into the box in the 8th minute, which Cipriani easily heads into the back of the net. In the 21st minute, Poujol hits an amazing shot from the left side of the 18 yd box that curls into the far post out of the reach of the keeper. Two minutes later, Estrada heads in a Huth freekick for his first ever Bologna goal. Just after the half, Poujol hits another great long range shot, but this time the keeper just gets a hand on it. Avine is first to the rebound and puts it in off a Cagliari defender for the goal. We dominate 4-0 to move on to the next round.

Cipriani rates a perfect 10 and wins MotM. Poujol and Avine rate 9’s and all other starters get 8’s.

For our efforts we draw league leaders Milan in the next round of the Italian Cup. Milan is also our next Serie A opponent in 3 days.

Belgium is drawn into Group B of the Euro Championships along with France, Portugal and Wales. Though not an easy draw, it isn’t nearly the Group of Death. England, Italy, and the Czech Republic were drawn into one group together and Spain, Holland and Germany were drawn into another.

Sevilla fires their manager and I am linked as the favorite for the job. I play down the speculation and affirm my commitment to Bologna. If only the board would commit to a new stadium…

One day after that I am touted as the man to take over at Valencia. I play down speculation again. I don’t really want to manage in Spain, though if an EPL team came calling I might not be so quick to refuse.

Lazio is linked with Baykal. I quickly issue a hands-off warning in hopes to deter any further interest.

December 12, Match #13 @ Milan

GK: Agliardi
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Poujol, Djourou
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Devisscher
F: Cipriani


Right away, I can tell this is going to be a long game for us as Agliardi is forced to make three world-class saves in the first 20 minutes. However, we come back and begin to dominate the chances in the next 15 minutes, with the Milan keeper Canales making three good stops. Then, in the 37th minute, Rob Devisscher takes a swing at a Milan defender and is given a straight red. Great job there, Rob. To make matters worse, Cipriani and Djourou collide in stoppage time and I have to sub them both out.

The second half is possibly the most exciting 45 minutes I have ever experienced playing this game. Milan appears to break through in the 48th minute but Gilardino is ruled offsides. Six minutes later, Agliardi stones another breakaway shot from Kaka. We begin to get more chances, as Vantaggiato especially is threatening on his runs down the left. Celio has a breakaway in the 75th minute and just needs to pass to an open Vantaggiato, but elects to shoot instead, resulting in a save. The last 10 minutes plus stoppage time yiled 4 chances for me, all which produce great saves or blocks from Milan. The whistle finally blows on an exciting 0-0 tie, in which Milan outshot us 19(13) to 12(6).

Huth gets MotM with an 8 rating, but I personally would have given it to another excellent performance from Agliardi, who also got an 8. Considering the way Milan has been playing this season, I’ll take the point on the road.

Unfortunately, Cipriani will be out 4 weeks due to the injury he sustained. Devisscher is suspended at least for the next league match against Livorno. The day after I discover he will be suspended an additional two games.

December 12, Match #14 v. Livorno

GK: Agliardi
Def: Bangura, Huth, Davies, Kerkeni
DM: Poujol, Celio
AM: Vantaggiato, Ton,Vogel
F: Borriello


We have no trouble dominating possession in the early going, but get nothing on the board until the 34th minute, when a Vogel cross from the left goes over everyone to Ton at the back of the net, where he heads it in. Just after the half Ton takes a ball in midfield, dribbles past four defenders and coolly places it in the back of the net for his second goal of the game. We have three more good chances that go to waste, then Celio sends a perfect pass through a crowd to Ton in the box, who slams it home for the hat trick. That closes the score on a 3-0 win for us. Ton unsurprisingly wins MotM honors.

The draw for the Knockout Stages of the Champs League is held and we get Dinamo Kiev of the Ukranian League. Not bad, considering the heavy hitters out there. The first game will be in Kiev in February.

December 18, Match #15 v. Atalanta

GK: Agliardi
Def: Miguel, Alex, Maduro, Kerkeni
DM: Poujol, Djourou
AM: Vogel, Baykal, Vantaggiato
F: Milano


Young Vincenzo Milano will get his first start in a league game today, as Cipriani is hurt and I am disenchanted by Kitambala’s up-and-down performances. We get nothing going early on and are giving the possession edge to Atalanta. In the 21st minute Rolando Bianchi beats Miguel to a header and scores past Agliardi to put us down early. We get a lucky break twenty minutes later, as Djourou put a corner into the box for Vantaggiato, who’s off-target shot is put into the net by the keeper for an own-goal. A few minutes after half, Maduro clears an Atalanta corner all the way to an unmarked Milano, who runs from his own half, holds off one then the other central defenders, and banks a low shot off the keeper for an amazing goal. A defensive breakdown in the 80th minute leaves Bianchi all alone with Agliardi, but our keeper gets a hand on the shot and puts it over the net. Despite a couple of more scares, we hold on for a tougher-than-expected 2-1 victory.

Atalanta’s Bianchi wins MotM, but Milano gets an 8 and performed very well in his first start. Alex, on the other hand, will be very unlikely to see another first-team game for me after his poor performance.

Mota has put the pressure on me through the media to start new contract talks. I respond that I will be reviewing the payroll structure at the end of the season. Granted, he is being underpaid, but he needs to show he can stay healthy before he gets the lucrative new deal.

December 21, Match #16 @ Ascoli

GK: Agliardi
Def: Bangura, Huth, Maduro, Kerkeni
DM: Celio, Loviso
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Mota
F: Kitambala


In the 8th minute, Vantaggiato makes a glorious run into the box, timing his run at the keeper perfectly and at the last minute flicks it to Baykal in the center of the box, who puts it into the back of the net. Ascoli scores in the 42nd minute on a powerful shot from outside the area. I bring on Milano in the 68th minute, as Kitambala again failed to make any impression in the game. Baykal steals a backpass one minute before stoppage time but is stoned on the breakaway by the Ascoli keeper. Sadly, that’s the last action of the game and we draw 1-1.

We can’t seem to avoid slumping against weaker teams. I am considering a tactic change, but it will be hard to do as many of my wingers aren’t that comfortable playing more defensive roles. I currently am 3rd with 36 points, 4 points behind surprise leaders Palermo and 2 points behind Milan.

I will have a two-week break after the Lazio game to tinker with tactics changes, but I want to play Lazio first.

December 23, Match #17 v. Lazio

GK: Agliardi
Def: Miguel, Huth, Maduro, Avine
DM: Celio, Poujol
AM: Vantaggiato, Baykal, Devisscher
F: Milano


Ugh. In the 16th minute, Andrea Carletti dribbles across the top of the box and puts a screamer past Agliardi. None of our midfielders decided to pick him up and left him wide open. We get close in the 31st minute, as Vantaggiato heads a Devisscher freekick just over the bar. In the 37th minute, Huth hits a shot from 20 yds out that evades 5 players and goes into the back of the net for his first ever Bologna goal! He gives it right back two minutes later, as Huth fails to mark Palacio in the box and the striker wheels and shoots it past a frozen Agliardi. Just after the half, Vantaggiato feeds it to Poujol, who puts in one of his patented benders from 25 yds to square the match. Again, my team can’t build on the momentum, as Maduro is whistled for a dubious foul just inside the box and Lazio is awarded the penalty. However, Agliradi stones Olivera and the rebound is hit wide. Sub Borriello is brought down in the Lazio box in the 79th minute, and steps up and coolly places the ball in the back of the net for our first lead. We dominate the last 10 minutes until Kitambala puts in the rebound of a Borriello shot to seal the game. We come back for a 4-2 victory.

Borriello gets MotM for his performance off the bench and five other players rate an 8.

As the month comes to a close, I have a decision to make on Miguel. He is averaging a 7.42 this year, but his defensive breakdowns are becoming more noticeable and he’s a liability in the air. 3 or 4 teams are continuing to flock around him and I might just let him leave in January and bring up Geurden for the rest of the season to platoon with Bangura.

Some of my main rivals beef up in the transfer window. Roma agrees to a 14.5M deal with Benfica for Portuguese playmaker Manuel Fernandes, while Inter buys the immensely talented attacker Juliano Pacheco from River Plate for 8.5M.

The month ends with me scouting around for some free transfer opportunities and looking for any bargain buys during the January transfer window. However, with the number of first-team players available, I won’t be buying unless I sell first.
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Old 08-07-2006, 08:57 AM   #19
cschex
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Austin, TX
January ‘12

The board is still delighted with my performance, despite losing another 2M during the last month. We have to do something about that stadium size.

Baykal and Vogel both come down with viruses that will keep them out until at least the middle of the month. Hopefully they don’t infect the other squad members as well.

We welcome in Brazilian keeper Renan from Botafogo for 3.9M Euros. He’s 26 and is a solid keeper who could start here for a few years. He’s certainly more skilled on paper than Agliardi and, as we have not yet decided on extending De Sanctis’ contract, he could be our full-time starter next season.

Miguel agrees to an offer from West Ham in England and will join them in the summer transfer period. I don’t mind having him around for the rest of season but I wasn’t willing to overpay him to stay into his mid 30’s.

Djourou is the latest player to want a new contract. Considering the fact that he has been much more inconsistent this season than last, I tell him I will wait until the end of the season to review the payroll structure.

Here is a screenshot of the squad at the halfway point:

Last edited by cschex : 08-07-2006 at 08:58 AM.
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