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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 23, 2008 11:05:40 GMT
Did I mention this game was easy? Well done though Mr Boo - second place in the first flushes of the game is very well done. Andy Gray-studying poof. :thumb: In other news, I always signed a forward in SWOS called "Poggi." He was as well, being slow which was usually death to SWOS strikers, but he had a brutal curling ability that made his long shots almost impossible to stop.
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Post by Boony on Apr 23, 2008 11:15:03 GMT
Cheers Stu. I never quite played SWOS enough, mainly I think because the control system was different to the SNES version (only one kick button - SNES had 3!) and I couldn't quite get the hang of it. I tried reinstalling it earlier this year, to no avail - nothing happening. I hate backwards incompatibility!
I hope the writing in this thread passes muster - I wrote most of this in a rush on Saturday afternoon. I'll have a play with some formatting or something to make it all a bit more visually pleasing. If anyone has any questions or ideas, just shout!
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Post by Boony on Apr 24, 2008 7:06:38 GMT
April 2002
April - the crunch time of the season. Squeaky bum time, I heard someone say. Hold onto your hats, folks...
Pro Vercelli come to Meda, and we lost 2-0. Absolute rubbish - we reverted to 4-3-3 after the second goal went in, but absolutely nothing came from our players. I get the feeling it's been a long old season for these kids. Next up, we go to Valenzana (in third spot) and lose 3-1. Skipper Giglio came off the bench to equalise, but we shipped two more goals after that, with left back Vado sent off in the 46th minute. We slip down to fourth, just one point above sixth. What was that I was saying about the playoffs?
To take our mind off the impending league explosion, we had a Serie C Cup semi final to contend with. Despite being in nothing like the form we were in while qualifying for this game, we somehow managed to turn this game around after going one behind - Nativi and Segreto scoring to give us a 2-1 victory. Nativi picked up the Man of the Match award from right back, having provided the assist for Segreto's winner as well as scoring himself.
Back to the league, and back to the losses! Sangiovannese came and beat us 1-0, and for the first time since September, we were out of the playoff zone, two points below the magic line. Worse is to come, though, as our visit to Poggibonsi falls apart when we get an injury having already used all our subs, and our keeper plays another shocker. 4-2 is the result, and we have now lost four league games on the bounce! April totally sucks. We're seventh in the league. The only good thing that's happened this month is that Sotgiu has escaped the Player Profile Curse™.
The second leg of the cup semi final swings by, and the game is over by the 23rd minute, after Giglio, Miglioranzi and Sotgiu bang the ball past their keeper. What I would give to get these results in the league instead of the cup... Treviso pull two goals back in the second half, but we're never really in trouble. Arezzo (14th in C1A) await us in the two-legged final.
There is just time for one more league game before the month ends, as Legnano come to town. Giglio chooses this time to spank the first hattrick of our season, ably assisted by Valentini, and we take the three points 3-0. This sets up an intriguing end to the season...
There is one league game left, and we are concerned about two teams above us. Valenzana are three points above us, and we have an identical goal difference (+17). This means that if we win and they lose, we finish above them and definitely in a playoff spot. Valenzana are playing Poggibonsi away, who are in second place and have already secured a playoff spot. Pro Vercelli are one point above us, and have an inferior goal difference (just +7). Therefore, if we score one more point than they do, we'll finish above them and probably grab a playoff spot. Pro Vercelli are playing against Castelnuovo, who are dead last in the league and have already been doomed to automatic relegation.
Our final game is against Pro Sestro, who lie 16th in the league. They are already consigned to the relegation playoffs, and we beat them 5-2 earlier in the season. What with this and the Serie Cup final, we have three games which will decide the course of our season...
----- Player Profile
Stefano Valentini, 17, MRC
Valentini joined the club in October, and has been a regular starter ever since. He's very strong and brave, and also has a perfect combination of passing, technique and creativity for a central midfielder. Perhaps he's not quite as good at tackling as he should be, and indeed this is a problem across all of my midfield. Anyhow, in 25(3) games, he's scored two goals, set up ten (second in the team behind Segreto), and averages a rating of 7.14 per game. -----
Onward to May, proper squeaky bum time...
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Post by coffers on Apr 24, 2008 7:57:12 GMT
Wow, that was a shocker, what a time for a tailspin to happen. Still the rot was stopped in the cup and last league game, maybe just mabe you can still do it. The problem is it's out of your hand s to some extent. Good Luck with May, you might just need it. KUTGW! :thumb:
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Post by Boony on Apr 24, 2008 9:05:49 GMT
Cheers Coff, it was indeed an absolute shocker. I was watching the results going against me in a state of disbelief, at about 4 in the morning last Saturday while, um, heavily sedated...
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Post by Sonic on Apr 24, 2008 10:56:51 GMT
It's an exciting end to the season, with a lot to play for in not many games. I'm looking forward to May.
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Post by Boony on Apr 25, 2008 8:28:56 GMT
May 2002
So we visit Pro Sestro for a game which will decide the fate of our league season. We need points, and we need others to drop points, and we might squeak into the playoffs. The first half was as open as you like - Chionna scored twice but we couldn't quite take advantage as the home side also scored two in a pulsating opening 45. The second half was basically us pounding and pounding at the Pro Sestro goal... Skipper Giglio had a penalty which he missed on 52 minutes, and that turned out to be crucial. The game finished 2-2, while Pro Vercelli only managed a 0-0 against Castelnuovo. If Giglio had scored the penalty, we'd be through to the playoffs. As it turned out, we completely threw the season away after being in a very strong position at the end of March. I really can't believe it...
So, consolation prize? The Serie C Cup would certainly be a decent consolation, and things were looking very good as we beat Arezzo 2-1 in the away leg, goals from reserve midfielder Contin, and right back Nativi. It was a fine result, as we were missing some big players due to injury and/or tiredness. Bad news was coming, though... Miglioranzi would miss the second leg due to suspension, which meant we would have to revert to our league 4-3-3 formation rather than the 5-3-2 we'd used so effectivley in the cup so far. Ambrosini put us one up in the second leg, and we were cruising with two away goals already in the bank... Then.... Collapse. 4 goals shipped before half time, 5-3 to Arezzo on aggregate. We needed three in the second half and despite Giannusa's 53rd minute strike, we didn't look like getting anywhere near.
Bollocks.
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Post by Boony on Apr 25, 2008 8:32:40 GMT
Season 2001-02 SummaryFirst choice team at end of season No Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Romellini, Alessio 47 0 51 0 0 1 1 1 7.02
- Vado, Vincenzo 40 3 0 0 4 4 1 0 6.90 - Nativi, Carlo 40 4 0 0 8 3 1 1 6.70 - Goisis, Paolo 37 3 0 0 1 3 0 0 6.54 - Seminara, Antonio 34 (1) 2 0 0 1 4 0 2 6.57
- Segreto, Filippo 35 4 0 0 12 2 0 3 7.49 - Valentini, Stefano 28 (3) 2 0 0 10 1 0 2 7.06 - Sotgiu, Salvatore 27 4 0 0 2 3 0 1 6.89
- Giglio, Raffeale 40 (1) 12 0 1 (0) 3 1 0 2 7.15 - Ambrosini, Roberto 36 (2) 13 0 0 2 0 0 2 7.29 - Giannusa, Vincenzo 17 (2) 8 0 0 1 0 0 2 7.32
Other players of note:
- Miglioranzi, Fabio 29 3 0 1 (1) 0 4 0 1 6.62 - Contin, Marco 18 (8) 2 0 0 6 1 0 2 6.81 - Imberti, Alessandro 13 (7) 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 6.85 - Abbate, Fabio 12 (2) 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 6.71 - Riolo, Filippo 12 (2) 3 0 0 4 0 0 1 7.14 - Diamanti, Alessandro 11 (5) 5 0 0 0 1 0 2 6.94 - Ferramini, Alfonso 11 (1) 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 6.83 - Nisi, Ottaviano 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.64 - Chionna, Attilio 10 (3) 5 0 0 1 0 0 2 7.08
League GraphStatsTeam StatsLeague Stats
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Post by coffers on Apr 25, 2008 8:37:55 GMT
That is a choker of a season, it promised so much and then spat in your face. However on the bright side, you might have taken that at the beginning of the season and you now know that certain players probably have problems dealing with the pressure. Go forth into the close season and recruit. KUTGW! :thumb:
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Post by Boony on Apr 25, 2008 8:52:38 GMT
Aye, it was a proper choking in the last few games. I know some of the guys are a little "wobbly", shall we say, but there's not a lot I can do about that. Just make sure there's at least some experience on the pitch... Recruitment? You're joking, right? My youth scouts keep coming up with great players, but they're all German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese or French. :thumb:
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Post by coffers on Apr 25, 2008 9:26:54 GMT
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Post by Sonic on Apr 25, 2008 10:05:02 GMT
If you build on this year for next, I see straight promotion instead of almost making the play-offs. This season started so promisingly too.
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Post by Moo on Apr 25, 2008 12:06:24 GMT
Good. KUTSW! (Shíte)
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Post by coffers on Apr 25, 2008 12:08:45 GMT
Moo:
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Post by Boony on Apr 25, 2008 12:42:59 GMT
:moop:
I should be writing up the first parts of season 2 this afternoon, but I left my notes at home...
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 25, 2008 13:23:48 GMT
That's a proper Mooski plummet right there. Did you try lucky music?
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Post by Boony on Apr 25, 2008 13:29:49 GMT
I didn't think to put Mezzanine on. Maybe that was the problem...
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 25, 2008 13:32:34 GMT
Have you learned nothing?
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Post by Boony on Apr 25, 2008 13:46:10 GMT
Seemingly not. Next time I'm in trouble, I'll give it a whirl :thumb:
I keep hoping to find time to play/write this weekend, but even though the girlfriend is away the opportunities are narrowing. I'm almost hoping for rain on Sunday so cricket is cancelled - it looks like that's how it'll happen anyway...
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Post by Boony on Apr 26, 2008 11:30:53 GMT
Season 2002/03 August 2002 It was a relatively quiet off-season during the Summer of 2002. A couple of players left, a couple of coaches were poached (no replacements wanted to come my way) and a couple of players signed new contracts for me. 34 year old Allesandro Imberti decided to retire from professional football, depriving me of an experienced midfielder who started 13 games last term. My scouts keep finding decent players, but they tend to be non-Italian and therefore no use to me. A couple of friendlies are lined up (one draw, one win) before the semi-serious business of the Serie C Cup. We reached the final of the Cup last year, but the first two games here put paid to that as Carrarese beat us 1-0 at their place and Fiorenzuola come to Meda and win 3-1. We'd had to play a 4-4-2 formation as midfielder Segreto was out injured; this weakened our midfield significantly and it was no surprise that we failed to challenge. A Vado freekick was our only consolation in the first three hours of the season. Our first point in the cup came away at Lumezzane, where we hold on 0-0. Or should I say, they held on 0-0. Giannusa came on after 66 minutes, as we switched to a much more comfortable 4-3-3 formation; the big fella racked up four chances in the 24 minutes he was on the pitch, but failed to convert one of them. This result confirmed the fact that we were going nowhere in this competition, so the last game was a fine time to start showing me something of the form we'd seen last year, as Monza were duly dispatched 2-0. There were goals for Chionna (in for a tired Giglio) and substitute Contin. Five players came to the club - Pietro D'Anna (MC) was promoted through the youth setup, while Benedetti (GK), Vitali (SC), Baroni (DC) and Di Lauro (AMLC) all came from youth scout searches. Di Lauro, in particular, looked a useful player and immediately commanded a spot in the first team squad.
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 26, 2008 11:35:43 GMT
Si Baroni!
If only he was French.
I presume you're back to the opinion that cups are for girls again?
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Post by Boony on Apr 26, 2008 13:52:37 GMT
The Serie C Cup is for girls, aye...
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Post by Mr Bismarck's Electric Donkey on Apr 26, 2008 14:18:48 GMT
C Cups look good on girls though. More updates! I know you're further on than this.
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Post by Sonic on Apr 27, 2008 8:10:38 GMT
Well as long as your not scouting for model material, as the rule there is B Cups :checkit:
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Post by Boony on Apr 27, 2008 8:57:27 GMT
September 2002 So, onto September and the start of the important part of the season. Our board expect us to battle bravely against relegation, but I'm looking at a playoff spot at the very least. After getting close last year, I reckon promotion is a distinct possibility. The season got off to a cracking start, as well. Brescello were our first opponents, who came across after finishing 7th in C2B last year. Di Lauro made his debut, coming in for an injured Valentini, to play on the left side of the midfield triumvirate. Sotgiu switched to the right hand side, and Chionna kept his place ahead of Giglio. Chionna it was who opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, only to see the lead cancelled out in the 53rd. Giglio came on for Ambrosini, and it was his shot in the 86th minute which was parried into the path of Giannusa to give us the three points. Promoted Voghera were the first visitors to our stadium, and came away with a very lucky 0-0 draw. We'd ransacked their goal looking for a lead, but nothing got past their keeper. The next game was at home against Valenzona, who finished 4th last year. The first half was quiet, but on the 49th minute their left winger scored a fine solo goal. Di Lauro grabbed an equaliser on 54, before coming off for Contin. 75 minutes in, Valenzona scored from a throw in to take the lead at 2-1, but another late goal from the Meda boys shared the points - Giglio passing to substitute Contin in the 84th minute for the midfielder to level things up. The last game in September saw us visit Pro Patria, who finished 7th last year. We started very poorly, and an hour into the game we were 3-0 down. Giglio pulled one back, and Giannusa attempted to make things interesting with ten minutes to go by scoring our second, but we just didn't show enough during the game. Four games in, and we were 10th in the league.
Player Profile - Atillio Chionna
20 years old, striker, joined December 2001 Strengths: Off the ball (18), Pace (13), Jumping (13) 2 goals in 5(1) games rating 7.67, with 1 Man of the Match award.
Chionna has slowly crept into the first team, having played something of a bit part last year. He's currently keeping Ambrosini out of the side. He has no great strength or dribbling prowess, so has no special instructions as a striker, but plays off the front man Giannusa in an effective manner. |
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