[FM11] Constantly on the Pisa

[Deisler26]

Running on 11.2 with all leagues in England, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Holland and Germany loaded

A.C Pisa 1909

Associazione Calcio Pisa 1909 (formerly Pisa Calcio) is an Italian association football club, based in Pisa, Tuscany. The club was founded in 1909 as Pisa Sporting Club and refounded in 1994 as A.C. Pisa (and registered to the Eccellenza, that is the sixth football division in Italy), after the cancellation of the old one because of economical troubles. It assumed the current denomination in 1995, but was excluded again from Italian football in 2009, after the property failed to collect enough money to pay off the club's debts.[3] The team's colors are blue and black. The team currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione.

Pisa has won two Mitropa Cups, in 1985 and 1988. They play their home matches at Arena Garibaldi - Stadio Romeo Anconetani, named after Romeo Anconetani, the chairman who brought and led the club in Serie A during the 1980s and the 1990s.

Pisa has played the 2008–09 season in the Serie B, after having lost to U.S. Lecce in a two-legged promotion playoff final to Serie A. The club marked its last Serie A appearance in 1991. The next season, Pisa slowly lost positions in the table, and shockingly got directly relegated in the final game of the season due to an injury-time home defeat to Brescia which left the Tuscans in 18th place. The unexpected relegation also unveiled a number of massive financial issues which prevented the club from registering in the Lega Pro Prima Divisione, and on July 2009 the club was excluded by the Italian Football Federation for the second time in its history. Pisa has been refounded with the current denomination of A.C. Pisa 1909 S.S.D. to start again from Serie D under a new property.. At the end of the season Pisa won Group (Girone) D of Serie D and was promoted to Lega Pro Seconda Divisione (formerly Serie C2) for 2010–11 season.

The team was then admitted to Lega Pro Prima Divisione (Serie C1) for the 2010–11 season to fill vacancies created by a row of club exclusions in 2nd and 3rd tier of Italian football league system.

(information from Wikipedia)

[Deisler26]

2010-2011 - AC Pisa 1909 - 11th place in Serie C1/B

2011-2012 - AC Pisa 1909 - 2nd place in Serie C1/B, promoted via playoffs

2012-2013 - AC Pisa 1909 - 15th place in Serie B

2013-2014 - AC Pisa 1909 - 15th place in Serie B

2014-2015 - AC Pisa 1909 - 2nd place in Serie B, automatic promotion

2015-2016 - AC Pisa 1909 - resigned in November, 18th place in Serie A

.................... - SC Beira Mar - 15th place in Liga Orangina, relegated

2016-2017 - FC Südtirol-Alto Adige - 5th place in Serie C2/A, lost in playoffs

2017-2018 - FC Südtirol-Alto Adige - 1st place in Serie C2/A, Champions; Serie C Cup winners

2018-2019 - FC Südtirol-Alto Adige - 1st place in Serie C1/A, Champions

2019-2020 - Hannover 96 - 11th place in 2.Bundesliga

[DSYoungEsq]

Ahhh, this should be fun. A climb up the Italian ladder. Surprised more people don't do this. Good Luck!

[Deisler26]

Ahhh, this should be fun. A climb up the Italian ladder. Surprised more people don't do this. Good Luck!

Thanks man, hope you keep reading and commenting!

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Pre-Season Briefing

I was given a £250k war chest and a £21k wage budget for saying I'd aim for a mid-table finish. I was using £18k of that budget, so the first thing I needed to do was look at loans from my parent club AS Roma. My ass man said that I was weakest on defence so I would be looking for options all along the back line and including the keeper. MC Christian Amoroso was given as my best player so I would be looking at trying to compliment him this season.

I would be trying the 4-4-1-1 formation that I used in my previous career and hopefully this would get me the finish I promised.

[Romanista1994]

Pisa! Lovely town and lovely club, I always keep them as a feeder club when playing as Roma.

Good luck!

[Deisler26]

Pisa! Lovely town and lovely club, I always keep them as a feeder club when playing as Roma.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! Yep, they're one of the best parent clubs I could have atm, so I'm looking forward to the season!

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Transfer Window Update

31 August 2010

TEAM

Well, a busy, busy period for me this season. The Pisa squad I inherited was not of the best calibre. In fact, as calibres go, it was up there with the non-alcoholic beer.

First up was to junk the whole coaching (?) staff. In came a raft of rejects, first-timers and alcoholics (possibly). I finally went with a GK coach, a Fitness coach, an all-purpose coach and my Ass Man. I also recruited a new physio and 3 new scouts. After the bloodbath of staff, I then went after players

TRANSFERS

I wanted to spend as little of the £250k I had been given as a transfer kitty as possible, simply as I want to try and make this club turn a profit. This also goes for the wage budget, I had £3k spare and wanted to keep that intact as much as possible. To this end, I was targeting free transfers and loans to meet these targets. The other problem with the club was there were a lot of new signings who were simply not good enough for Pisa, but couldn't be offloaded until Jan.

First up, I signed DRC Sebastian Mladen on loan from parent club, AS Roma. Then came a double swoop for AMLC Milan Jirasek and MRC Sebastian Carlsén on loan from Inter. I then raided AC Milan for another two loanees; ST Andrea Lombardi and DM/MC Mitja Novinic. I then picked up four players on frees, D/WBL Vittorio Tosto, AMC Martin Mimoun, GK Vincent Degré (who looks an absolute bargain) and AMLC Leandro Depetris. DC Richard Martini was signed on a free from AS Gémenos. Cash-wise, I signed DC/DM/MC Ilias Aspridis for £5k compensation from Morolo and AML Franco Parlacino for £7k from Nardó. Finally I picked up Leonardo Davide Gatto on loan late on from Atalanta after his fine perfomance in the money-spinning friendly we'd organised and signed club icon Gionatha Spinesi on a free

Sales-wise, I released 25 players and sold DR Matteo Anania to Trapani for £12k and AMC Gianluca Porri for £7k from Campobasso.

RESULTS

The Serie C Cup kicked off with a match against Serie C2/B U.S Poggibonsi. A brace from left winger Franco Parlacino and a goal from veteran striker Marco Carparelli gave us the 3-1 victory in my first game in charge. Next up was Serie C2/B side U.S.D Gavorrano. A great finish by Marco Carparelli on 28 minutes, striking low inside the near post after turning the DC inside out, gave us the win.

My first game in Serie C1/B was against promotion hopefuls Benevento. They had the lion's share of possesion and shots, out-shooting us near on 3:1. However, a second-minute goal from Franco Parlacino and, after Benevento had equalised, two goals from Marco Carparelli, the first being a disputed penalty. We ran out 3-1 winners and a great start to the league campaign! Next up were U.S Siracusa. A fantastic first-half hat-trick by Marco Carparelli was the springboard for another 3-1 win. Their goal coming from an own goal.

[iseemonsters1]

Nice start to this career! Shame the Salamanca one had to come to an end, but of course I understand the reasoning - and I'll be following your exploits in Italy with interest.

[Deisler26]

Nice start to this career! Shame the Salamanca one had to come to an end, but of course I understand the reasoning - and I'll be following your exploits in Italy with interest.

Thanks dude. Hope I can keep your interest!

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Half-Season Update

31 December 2010

TEAM

Well, we finish 2010 in 3rd place. A few excellent results, coupled with some stinkers mean we're above our target. Key to this has been Marco Carpenelli. The veteran striker has been gold for me this season, netting 13 so far. However, club icon Gionatha Spinesi has been somewhat of a disappointment on his return with only five goals and a month or so out with injuries, however a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Cosenza 1914 has allayed my fears somewhat. We also been making a profit constantly this season, every month in fact. In October, I requested the board give us better youth facilites and a feeder club. The board granted the upgrade, but not the feeder club. I also applied for the Torino job when it came up, but was rejected.

TRANSFERS

Only Cameroonian midfielder Alain N'Kong has joined us since August. He was rated at 4 stars for Serie C1, so I snapped him up on a free.

RESULTS

Serie C1 results have been steady. A 0-3 defeat to Barletta and a 0-2 defeat to Taranto have been the low lights. I've also seen battling defeats to Cisco Roma (2-3) and Foggia (0-1). However, we beat Virtus Lanciano 5-4 and humped Cosenza 4-1, thanks to a Gionatha Spinesi hat-trick. I also had a nice four game unbeaten streak to nearly round out the year, three wins and a draw. A 0-1 defeat to Benevento ended 2010 on a low note.

In the Serie C Cup however, we qualified for the First Round. Barely. A 0-0 draw with Sangiovanese set us up with a final clash with Serie C2/B Prato. Win and we were through, draw and I wasn't sure. We started with a bang, with Andrea Lombardi netting two in quick succession. However, a cruel deflection and OG from Alberto Reccolani brought them back into it and after they missed a penalty, this happened...

[video=youtube;0i8fIgGTGNs]

Luckily, this 95th minute equaliser meant that we went only through on goal difference, not out to lick our wounds! Our next match was against Serie C2/A Valenzana. Valenzana took us to school and although Marco Carpenelli reduced the deficit, we were too sluggish and uninterested to stop a 1-2 defeat and the end of our cup hopes.

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Transfer Window Update

31 January 2011

Well, what a short, yet terrible month that was. Lost 0-1 to a terrible Siracusa side, drew 1-1 with Barletta AND Nocerina. Marco Carpenelli netting the equaliser in the second.

Transfer-wise, we added 6' 8" striker Kevin Vink on a free from amateur club Excelsior Maassulis and GK Bo Antal on a free. I sold GK Maurizio Pugliesi for £15k to Bassano and DC Thierry Audel to Chieti for £5k. There was very little available on either the loan or free markets so I just left alone really.

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

2010-11 Season Review

TEAM

A spectacular second half collapse this season saw us fall to a final position of 11th. We could not buy a win at points and it showed! Marco Carpenelli was our top scorer this season with 16 goals and Gionatha Spinesi second with 9. The biggest problem was that too many teams played well against our 4-4-1-1, so we were forced to change to a counter-attacking 4-4-2, but this never came off and new signing Kevin Vink was utterly woeful. He'll be put on the transfer list in July. However, my aim of making a profit this season was realised as we didn't lose money for more than two seperate months this season. We didn't sell out the stadium at any point, and only sold 65% of the stadium on average.

TRANSFERS

D/WB/MR Luigi Lavecchia signed on a free to bolster our full-back compliment.

RESULTS

In Serie C1, we started February brightly with a 3-0 win over Gela; Vittorio Tosto, Martin Mimoun and Leandro Depetris getting the goals. However, we didn't then win for 8 games in a row, the low point being a 0-4 defeat to Taranto in a three game losing streak. A 4-0 win over new rivals Juve Stabia broke the streak, a Marco Carpenelli brace setting us up, with his first goal being my goal of the season...

[video=youtube;bMFqOeTcggQ]

Coming into the last three games of the season, a 0-1 defeat to Cosenza 1914 was followed by a 3-1 win over Andria Bat. A 0-1 defeat against Foligno rounded out our season.

Plan for next season is to push on for the playoffs, with winning the season after. Getting some decent loans back too will help.

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Transfer Window Update

31 August 2011

TEAM

Well, a new season and a new start. I was given the same deal as last season, a £250k war chest and a £27k wage budget. As, as with last season, I will be trying to keep the wages low in order to keep turning a profit. The board have broken ground on new youth facilities and this is looking to be finished by November. Needed too, as I free-transferred all of this year's intake, simply as they were a waste of good wages! I also asked for more coaches and was granted the request. This was used on another fitness coach and another GK coach. Midfielder Franco Parlacino won the Serie C1/B Signing Of The Season award, with DC Richard Martini just behind him. Martini also took home the Supporters Player of The Season. We're continuing with the 4-4-1-1 this season as well.

TRANSFERS

I was busy again this August. Coming in on loan were DRC Sebastian Mladen (back for a second spell), AMRC Adrian Stoian, DL Simone Sini and DC Alessandro Malomo, all from parent club AS Roma. MC Sebastian Carlsén and AMLC Milan Jirasek also both came back from Internazionale, along with DC Michele Rigione. Coming in on free transfers were MC Alexander Merkel from AC Milan, DRC/WBR/MC Alexandre Bryssinck from WS Woluwé, MRC Oguzhan Ozyakup from Arsenal and DLC Carlos Valverde from Salamanca.

Picked up off the Free Agent market were ST Jurgen Pandiani, DC Marek Kysela with GK's Mirko Ranieri and Luca Nunziata. AMC Luiz Santos Wellington was picked up on the end of a co-ownership deal for nothing too. But the big signing of the summer was AMC/ST Pablo Vitti from Universidad San Martin. Here was a striker who was quick and lethal and best of all, willing to come to me! I struck the deal for £600k over 48 months. I also tried to sign Man Utd's Davide Petrucci on a free and although I got him to accept my offer, he chose Arsenal. Bastard.

Sales-wise, I was a busy bee too. Lot of deadwood leaving on free's, AMLC Franciso Favasulli was sold off to Pergocrema for £14k and last season's superflop, ST Kevin Vink, was offloaded to Triestina for £50k. Fringe players such as Giovanni Passigila (DM, Messina, £22k), Ludovic Saline (AMR, Trapani, £20k), Simone Calori (D/WBR, Reggiana, £16k) and Volkan Tekin (GK, Pavia, £14k) were all offloaded too.

But the two biggest deals this summer were selling AMC Martin Mimoun for £220k + 50% sell on fee to Crotone. I didn't want to let the talented kid go, but money talked and the 50% sell on clause should give me some extra cash later on. The other was MRC Christian Amoroso to Pro Patria for £18k. Christian was the showpiece player when I got here last season and although he was still effective, his £5k p/w wages were a millstone round my neck and I needed to get rid.

RESULTS

I took over £1m from my pre-season matches against a lot of top Serie A and B sides. My first two games of the season were in the Serie C Cup. I was facing Sangiovannese again to start with. Pablo Vitti endeared himself to the fans straight off by netting the first goal in a 3-0 win. The second was a cute finish by Alain N'Kong after great work by Vitti. Finally Pablo Vitti headed home in injury time to cap a sparkling debut. Next up were Poggibonsi who were also dispatched 3-0. This game was just a 90min showcase for Pablo Vitti's skills as he plundered a superb hat-trick and just utterly run riot in the Poggibonsi half!

Next was AC Gubbio, who proved to be a tougher prospect. However, two goals from club icon Gionatha Spinesi early on in the game settled it as a tie and although they netted one midway through the second half, we were never in trouble. Final match was against Pontedera and I put out a weakened youth side, having already qualified. The youth took the opposition to task and Milan Jirasek netted a screamer to win us the match 1-0.

In Serie C1/B, our first game was against Foligino, who beat us in the last game of last season. Franco Parlacino netted an early penalty, but after Pablo Vitti had been taken off with an injury, they equalised in the 86th minute to finish the game at 1-1. Game two was against Viareggio and virtuoso performances from Leandro Depetris, who ran the midfield and got a 89th minute goal to go with his two assists and Gionatha Spinesi who plundered 2 goals against a horrific backline gave us a 5-1 win. The game also saw Oguzhan Ozyakup and Alexander Merkel net their first goals for the club!

[EvilDave]

Tough second half to the season there, but it looks like you've got something to build on. Lots of new signings can be a gamble, but I'm sure you know what you're doing - Vitti should be great for that level! KUTGW, I'll be following

[crouchaldinho]

Good luck Deisler26. Enjoying this so far.

Nice title too!

[Deisler26]

Thanks Crouchy and EvilDave. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!

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A.C Pisa 1909

Half-Season Update

31 December 2011

TEAM

Well, we finish 2011 in 5th place in Serie C1. The season has been one of inconsistancy, a twelve match unbeaten run, followed by some numbing defeats and incomprehensible draws.

In better news, our traning facilites have finished being upgraded to 'Adequate' and my request for a youth academy has been granted. Being as one of my long-term goals is to get some good home-grown youth through the side, these are vital. Still need to upgrade my youth recruitment network although I have no idea how... I also had my request for a relaid pitch granted too! Injuries have also taken their toll with the below graphic being taken before a game in November. Pablo Vitti has had bad luck with injuries this season with 8 weeks lost so far this season at various points. Virtually every other main midfielder/striker has been afflicted with an injury or two so far!

TRANSFERS

No players came in or out between transfer windows and I highly doubt anyone will come in unless I sell off.

RESULTS

In Serie C1/B, we had a twelve game unbeaten run to start the season, however we had an annoying trick of losing two goal leads, as seen in 2-2 draws with Cosenza and Juve Stabia. However, we had some big wins with 3-0 victories against Ternana, Atletico Roma and Virtus Lanciano and hit four in a 4-1 win over AC Gubbio and a 4-2 win over Andria Bat. We have only lost two games as well, a 0-1 defeat against relegation threatened Avelino. This was a classically bad match as we were 0-0 at HT, they scored a soft goal just after and we had Vittorio Tosto sent off 10 mins later. The 23 shots on goal didn't help us either as we either put them straight at the keeper or wide. The other was a 1-2 defeat against Fano where we never got out of gear. Our final game of 2011 was a 1-0 win over Foglino, with Pablo Vitti netting the only goal.

In the Serie C Cup, having passed the group stage, our First Round matchup was against Brindisi. We went in at HT 0-0, conceded in the 60th min and all looked lost again. But I changed up the formation and on 82 mins, a deep corner caused havoc in the defence and the unfortunate Brindisi defender could only hack it into his own net. 1-1. Better was to come however, as in the 91st minute, another deep corner saw Ilias Aspridis head home to guarantee us the win, 2-1. Our Second Round matchup was against recently-relegated Torino. And we battled hard, but fell in ET 2-1, thanks to a rocket from the Torino winger.

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

2011-12 Season Review

TEAM

We delighted our supporters (and myself) with promotion to Serie B through the Serie C1 playoffs!! We finished the season in 2nd place with Pablo Vitti front and centre with 17 goals. His goals were vital to us this season, along with Franco Parlacino's 13 goals from midfield. I requested and was granted another upgrade to the youth facilities and a relaying of the pitch. Again, we made a profit this season, nearly £2 million in fact, with careful selection of friendlies and an iron control of wages. Vittorio Tosto and Salvatore Fresi are both retiring this season and they gave sterling service throughout the season! A new 1 year contract was given to club legend Gionatha Spinesi, who gained legendary status after hitting the two goals that put us through into the Serie C Playoff Final.

TRANSFERS

DM/MC Fabio Liverani was offered to me by his agent on a free from Palermo, he was aging, but his talents would be useful at the back end of the season, so I picked him up. Also on the release of youth players, I picked up the ex-AC Milan full back Mattia Desole and the former Inter youth, Andrea Romanó.

RESULTS

We finished 2nd on the back of an 18 match unbeaten run, including 6 straight wins. We racked up the goals during this time, hitting 5 against Virtus Lanciano and 7 against Avelino! We then proceded to hit 3 goals in three consecutive games against Brinidisi, Fano and Andria Bat. With four games, we faced Salernitana on my birthday, the only team ahead of me. However, it was spoiled as we lost 0-1, which effectively ended our chances of ending up champions. This hangover lasted til the end of the season. We beat Atletico Roma 2-0, but lost heavily 0-3 to Taranto. This continued our wretched run against Taranto, who we hadn't beaten since I took over!. The final game of the season was a 2-2 draw with Barletta.

The Playoff Semi-Final pared us with our nemesis Taranto. I decided to go for broke away from home and a double from Gionatha Spinesi gaves us our first win against them and a great lead to take back to Pisa. We then took the home leg 3-0. Goals from Alexandre Bryssinck, Michele Rigione and Pablo Vitti meant we cruised into the Playoff Final!

The Playoff Final was against Virtus Lanciano. We'd dominated them since I took over at Pisa, yet in our first leg away from home, we were sluggish and clearly feeling the effects from the Semi-Final. Lanciano scored on the stroke of half-time and, although we battered on the door of their defence all game, we just couldn't break them down. So we were going back to the Garibaldi with a 1 goal deficit, but all to play for.

We rocketed out of the traps in the home leg with Pablo Vitti sensational. He netted the first from close range on 20 mins and just after half-time, he struck again. However, my midfield trio had all gone down to 55-60% fitness. i replaced them all and settled back. However, Alexandre Bryssinck went down with a calf injury and couldn't continue on 76 mins. We were down to 10 men and praying. In the 93rd minute, this happened.

The player receiving the ball was clearly offside as he took a touch and fired into the roof of the net. 2-1 and although we would still win on best league record, we were playing against 11. Extra-time started and both sides had chances, however the tie was settled with 4 minutes to go, when Pablo Vitti burst through and was crudely taken out by the Lanciano defender. Franco Parlacino stepped up and sealed promotion for us! YES!

This was our goal of the season, from our opening Serie C Cup match

[video=youtube;Rw1bFkqT13M]

[AK22]

Congratulations on the promotion. Good luck with Serie B!

[Deisler26]

Congratulations on the promotion. Good luck with Serie B!

Thanks man! It's going to be tough, but I'm enjoying it! Hope you keep reading!

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Transfer Window Update

31 August 2012

TEAM

We were given a £2m war-chest and a £35k wage budget to compete in Serie B this season, although the board just want us to attempt to avoid relegation. Our pitch has been relaid so it's now perfect, which means good news for our short passing game. The youth academy and youth facilites upgrade have gone underway, so I'm expecting them to be completed about November time. Franco Parlacino was awarded the Serie C1/B Player Of The Year last season and I was given the Serie C1/B Manager Of The Year award as well. Finally, at the end of the season, we were awarded the Overachievers of the Season award too. Yet again, I had to free-transfer my entire youth intake, due to a very poor standard. We also gained Nocerina as a feeder club. I also applied for the Chievo Verona job, however the board got wind and offered me the chance to resign. I grovelled and apologised and the board forgave me, luckily.

TRANSFERS

I went mad this season on free transfers, with no less than 15 players coming in, players such as; DC Jacopo Galimberti, AMC/ST Kerlon, DM/MC/AMC Lucas Correa, DC Sead Hajrovic, DM Nico Yennaris, DC Daniel Boateng, DR Andrea Pisani, DC Chris Mavinga, AMRC/ST José Ortíz, ST Marko Mitrovic, MC Victor Pálsson, GK Dean Bouzanis, AMC Alexander Albistegi, DM Tómas Pina and AMRL Gai Assulin. A lot of these deals were for players released by their clubs and youth to be played in the future. Stoien, Rigione and Carlsén all returned on loan and ST Gianluca Montevarchi co-owned from Montevarchi for £40k.

Outgoing were Ilias Aspridis for £3k to Treviso, DC Richard Martini on a free to Amiens SC, AMC Alain N'Kong was sold to Salamanca for £110k. 7 players went on loan to Nocerina and three players were co-owned, the players being Luca Nunziata (GK, Frosinone, £140k), Oguzhan Ozyakup (MRC, Vicenza, £140k) and Alexander Merkel (MC, Napoli, £375k). But, by far the biggest deal was the deal that sent Pablo Vitti to Empoli to £800k. Vitti's contract was up at the end of the season and he didn't want to sign an extension, so I decided to cash in where I could.

RESULTS

We only had our Serie B season opener this month against our Serie C Cup conquerors last season, Torino. They had a lot of new players and I was mainly using my squad from last season because of that fact, trying to intergrate the new players slowly. An extremely quiet first half exploded into life a minute after the re-start when Adrian Stoian hit the inside of the post with the Torino keeper beaten! New signing DR Andrea Pisani was injured in the 63rd minute and was replaced by another new signing, DC Chris Mavinga. Alex Bryssinck moving to DR. That was really as exciting as it got as we ground out a 0-0 draw

Also our only Coppa Italia match this month was against Andria Bat. The match was notable for the fact that debutant José Ortiz was carried off injured after ONE minute! Andria took the lead on 7 mins with an unstoppable Scholes-esque 30 yard strike after a corner was headed out!. We reached HT still at 0-1 and I read the riot act to the players! 15 mins into the second half and a short pass by Kerlon put Alexander Merkel into space. The midfielder strode to the edge of the area before firing into the far corner. Parlacino turned provider in the 75th minute, delicately chipping into the box to Gionatha Spinesi's feet. Spinesi killed the ball then killed the game, passing low into the net. 2-1 it finished. However, the next round had us against Serie A giants Genoa

[EvilDave]

Kerlon, Assulin and half the Arsenal youth squad (Hajrovic, Yennaris, Boateng)? Looks like another productive transfer window, well done on promotion and good luck in Serie B!

[Deisler26]

Kerlon, Assulin and half the Arsenal youth squad (Hajrovic, Yennaris, Boateng)? Looks like another productive transfer window, well done on promotion and good luck in Serie B!

Thanks man! Yeah, guess who I follow?

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Half-Season Update

31 December 2012

TEAM

We ended 2012 in 6th place in Serie B. No idea why we're there as we've only had a few positive results. One reason might be the 11 draws we've played out this season! We again had our youth facilites upgraded and a youth academy built, next is to upgrade it yet again and try to improve our youth recruitment network. I've had some behavioural issues this season with two players, Alex Brysnnick and Chris Mavinga. Both had attitudes that were not condusive to what I was trying to achieve and didn't take the bollocking I gave them well, at all! Injuries and internationals were also a massive part again with this screenshot being taken before a match with Sassaulo

I also celebrated my 100th game in management, as seen here.

TRANSFERS

I only signed one player outside the transfer window this season, this being MRLC/AMC Kevin Mensah on a free. He was found on a scouting trip of Scandinavia and played for Belensenses in Portugal last season. Outgoing-wise, I put two players on the transfer list, as mentioned above, but as yet, I haven't had any enquires.

RESULTS

We started off the Serie B season with a weird run of 7 draws in 8 games., the other game being a 1-0 win over Cittadella. Our first defeat came against Crotone, 0-2, where I was banned from the touchline for questioning an offside goal in the previous match. I came from 0-2 down to win 3-2 against Piacenza, then put three past both AlbinoLeffe and Benevento. A 0-2 defeat to Cesena set us up for another run of draws, three this time, until Ascoli snapped it with a 2-3 win. My final two games were a 2-0 win over Reggina and a 1-0 win over Novara.

In the Coppa Italia, we lost 3-1 to Genoa in the Third Round. Totally expected and really non-plussed about the result.

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

2012-13 Season Review

TEAM

Well, we finish our first season back in Serie B in 15th place after a total second-half collapse (see a pattern?). We lost our way badly and just couldn't seem to snap out of it. Still, a mini-fightback stabilised us and we finished well above the relegation playoff spots. Kerlon was our top scorer with 13 goals this season with retiring club legend Gionatha Spinesi next on a disappointing 6. I made a mistake this season in picking up too many free transfers and it bloated the squad a hell of a lot, so first priority in the off-season is to trim the fat and deadwood. With our new facilities, I hope we finally get a youth player worth having through our new academy. I'll be hassling the board again to try to upgrade the youth facilities too in the off-season. Next season's aim is mid-table and an improvement on our disciplinary record as we collected 77 yellow cards (second most in the league) and 3 reds (just below midway). I'm also thinking I need to change my parent team too as I didn't get many players from Roma this season, but it depends what the board come back with.

TRANSFERS

Only incoming player was free agent GK Ivan Pelizzoli after his release by Lokomotiv Moscow. His arrival signals the end for one of my four goalkeepers.

RESULTS

We started 2013 in Serie B with two games against the top teams. First up, we lost 1-3 to rivals Siena, but beat Torino 2-0. Tomas Pina scoring the pick of the goals with a thunderous half-volley that went in off the post. That was to be the last highlight for a while as we tailspan down the league. We scored precisely 3 goals in 10 games and took just one point, a 0-0 draw with Crotone. Our scorers were Gianluca Lamonica hitting his first ever goal for Pisa in a 1-6 hammering against Atalanta, Jacopo Galimberti heading home a consolation goal against Frosinone in a 1-3 defeat and an own goal went our way in a 1-4 hiding from Livorno. Other than that, we were losing 0-2 and 0-1.

We finally arrested the slide with a 3-1 win over Piacenza with Kerlon, Victor Pálsson and a late Gionatha Spinesi goal giving us victory. Kerlon was our brightest star in this run-in, hitting the first in a 2-3 defeat against fellow relegation strugglers Benevento and the lone reply against Cesena, who triumphed 1-2. Against Triestina, we went 0-2 down by HT and looked really on the ropes. However, two second half subs made an impact as, first, Franco Parlacino netted a deep cross to reduce the deficit. Then on 85 mins, Kerlon set Marko Mitrovic free and he finished simply to bring us level.

[video=youtube;jleZB7i-mrA]

This goal wasn't pretty or well-struck, but it was so monumentally important that it was my Goal Of The Season, as it gave the players a lift and that little bit of morale to turn things around. Identical 3-1 wins over Grossetto and Vicenza gave us that little bit of breathing room. Kerlon hitting 5 in these two games, including a hat-trick that included

. A 0-1 defeat to Ascoli still left the mathematical chance of being relegated but the next game, a dour 0-0 draw with Reggina, saw me safe. We then beat Novara 2-0 in the penultimate game of the season with a double from Gianluca Lamonica and rounded off a good season with a disappointing 0-1 defeat to Siena, who won Serie B

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Transfer Window Update

31 August 2013

TEAM

To celebrate another season in Serie B, I was tasked with attempting to avoid relegation and given £4m and a £66k wage budget with which to do so. I requested and got upgrades to my youth and training facilities from the board, a re-laid pitch and chances to look for new feeder and parent clubs. However, when the parent clubs came along, I saw that I was better off staying with Roma. I then choose Canavese as my new feeder club. We sold 75% of our stadium each game last season and I'm looking for a simliar kind of return this season really.

TRANSFERS

As ever, this was a busy window for me. This was also by far the hardest season so far in terms of getting players that would improve the squad and also keeping the players I already had, as a lot of their contracts were expiring this season and I didn't want to pay over the odds for contracts.

Incoming were the usual free transfers of GK Raffaele Di Gennaro, D/WBR Andrea Bandini, DM/MC Simone Pasa, DR Alberto Mussacci, D/WBL Antunes and GK Jasmin Handanovic. Other frees included DLC Michelangelo Albertazzi from AC Milan, DC Michele Rigione from Internazionale, DM Luis Almeida from Sporting CP, DM/MC Sebastian Carlsén from Internazionale and AMRLC Cristian Céballos from FC Barcelona. I also co-owned a young striker from Montichiari called Andrea Giovanni Barbarisi for £40k. Alex Merkel and Luca Nunziata both were kept at the end of co-ownership deals. But the two most important signings were DM/MC/AMC Mehmet Ekici on a free from FC Bayern Munich and AMLC Frédéric Sammaritano from AJ Auxerre, also on a free. These two represented big gambles with their sky-high wages and I'll be looking to get rid in January if they don't perform.

I AGAIN had to free-transfer all my youth intake which was extremely annyoing! The only one I kept was this fella. This should give you an idea of how poor my intake has been that this is the only one I have kept in 4 years.

Outgoings were Vincent Degré (GK, £110k, Le Havre), Kevin Mensah (AMRLC/ST, £90k, Albacete), Andrea Pisani (DR, £110k) and Marek Kysela (DC, £150k, both Perugia), Alex Albistegi (MC/AMC, £170k, C.F Palencia), Lucas Correa (DM/MC/AMC, £120k, Salernitana), Jacopo Sala (AMRC, £120k, Mantova) and Jurgen Pandiani (ST, £12k, Perugia). Oguzhan Ozyakup (MRC, £80k, Vicenza) and Dean Bouzanis (GK, £12k, Novara) both went to other clubs after co-ownership. Finally, Victor Palsson had been a stalwart servant for the club last season, but he wanted a raise from £1,200 p/w to £6,750 p/w! I tried numerous times to get him to accept lower contracts, but he just kept accepting, then turning them down, so I cut my losses and sold him on to C.D Guadalajara for £300k.

RESULTS

Our first Serie B game of the season was against title hopefuls Reggina, clearly a tough start to the season! Yet, on 5 minutes, we signalled our intentions with a tame shot from Mehmet Ekici that the keeper easily took. Then, with 12 mins gone, a glorious pass by Kerlon left Marko Mitrovic in the clear, but with a defender in close attendance. Mitrovic rode the challenge of the defender, then rifled the ball into the roof of the net. 1-0. Mitrovic was virtually unplayable and on 20 mins, he turned the defender on the edge of the area and unleashed a howitzer of a strike that thundered off the bar with the keeper beaten all ends up. However, our Achilles heel seems to be our defending from set pieces and we again got punished as the Reggina striker rose to head home the equaliser. 1-1. HT came and went and I subbed the injured Tomas Pina for Sebastian Carlsén. Then on 56 mins, a corner taken from the left was punched out by Pelizzoli, but that left him exposed for the 30 yard strike that slightly deflected into the net off Luigi Lavecchia . 1-2. We never threatened again for the rest of the match and were left with the defeat.

Next up was Ascoli. Jasmin Handanovic made his debut in goal for us after Pelizzoli's clanger in the last match. We had our arses kicked in the first half, under constant pressure and Handanovic was called on a few times to make some great saves. HT came and went and I subbed the injured Gai Assulin for Franco Parlacino and went to 4-1-3-2. This change paid off as a cross into the box by Lavecchia was headed home by Kerlon. 1-0. However, our task became harder on 64 mins when Antunes collected his second yellow and was sent off. Daniel Boateng was brought on for Kerlon and nearly had an immediate impact when his downward header was clawed off the line from a corner. On 73 mins, I replaced the tiring Mehmet Ekici with Alex Merkel. The rest of the game was a midfield battle which no-one won and we came away with the 3 points.

Our Coppa Italia adventure started with the del Foro Derby against Sporting Lucchese!!. Now, I hadn't won in the last two meetings with them so this looked to be a tasty tie! The game was only 46 seconds old when Frédéric Sammaritano burst down the left and slung in a deep, high cross. So deep, in fact, that it lobbed the Lucchese keeper and nestled in the far corner of the net.. 1-0!!. We then lost Gianluca Lamonica to injury on 29 mins, with Marko Mitrovic replacing him. Mitrovic had the ball in the net on 35 mins, but was rightly given offside from a peach of a ball by Kerlon. On 41 mins, a hopefully ball into the box from the right caused chaos in the Pisa box and the Lucchese striker has an easy tap in for 1-1. Barely two mins later, Kerlon fed debutant Mehmet Ekici, whose laser-guided pass found Frédéric Sammaritano again and he made no mistake from the corner of the six yard box. 2-1 at HT.

Just ten mins into the second half and Sammaritano was at it again, his jinking run into the box, coupled with a rocket of a shot that thundered off the bar and to safety. Sammaritano was rampant and only the linesman's flag kept him from his hat-trick, straying slightly offside as he ran onto Kerlon's inch-perfect through ball. Cristian Cerballos came on for his debut in place of the tiring Gai Assulin. On 76 mins, Sebastian Carlsén came on for his full debut, replacing the tired Tomas Pina. On 83 mins, Kerlon was down by the near corner flag. His chipped ball to the byeline was outragously flicked on to the edge of the area by Sammaritano to the waiting Mehmet Ekici who volleyed home to put us up 3-1 and finish the game.

We'll have our other derby, the del Tirrento derby, against Serie A side Livorno in the Third Qualifying Round. Being as they were at home as the higher team, I would have been satisfied with a good performance, so I told the players and sent them out. Only change was Franco Parlacino up front in place of the injured Lamonica. Only 9 mins, a lovely few mins of interplay on the edge of the Livorno box saw Gai Assulin hit a beautifully flighted chip that the keeper just grabbed under the bar. Sammaritano squandered a wonderful chance when put clear on 23 mins, screwing his shot wide. Parlacino got in on the action on 33 mins with a rasping low drive that the Livorno keeper just put round the post. Sammaritano messed up again when clean through on 40 mins, snatching at his shot and screwing wide. On Livorno's first major attack of the match, a deep cross found their striker at the far post, having stolen a yard on Antunes and he headed home, 0-1 and disaster! HT

At HT, I subbed the underachieving Assulin for Ceballos and sent them back out. 55 mins and Sammaritano curled wide following good work by Kerlon. I changed to 4-1-3-2 on 65 mins and brought on Marko Mitrovic for the tiring Kerlon. Final throw of the dice was Sebastian Carlsén on for Mehmet Ekici on 75 mins. Come 88 mins, a glorious 30 yard angled chip from Sammaritino beat the Livorno keeper all ends up and, to our despair, came off the top of the bar and that was it for us. Our Coppa Italia adventure ended in the second of two local derbies.

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Half-Season Update

31 December 2013

TEAM

We finished 2013 in 8th place in Serie B. Again, a baffling start to the season as we're really struggling at the glass celling here. With a shortage of quality players willing to come (and me being not willing to break the self-imposed wage restrictions for the ones that will consider it), if we pulled off the miracle of promotion, we would get utterly annihilated. One or two injuries up front would meant the end of this good run. The defence is excellent (Rigione has 9 goals) , but the strikers just are not scoring, apart from Kerlon.

TRANSFERS

Nada on both fronts, although I may sell Leandro Depetris who slapped in a transfer request.

RESULTS

A 1-0 win over Ascoli, courtesy of a Kerlon goal, started off Septemeber well, but then we had a weird set of symetrical results going 1-1 (vs Cittadella), 0-1 (vs Empoli), 0-0 (vs Frosinone), 0-1 (vs Foggia) and finally a 1-1 draw with Novara. The Novara game was notable for Tomas Pina's excellent goal. We then embarked of a three match unbeaten run, a 0-0 with Cesena, a 4-0 win over AbinoLeffe, a Michele Rigione hat-trick stunning everyone, including me and a 3-0 win over Chievo.

The 1-2 defeat against Padova was made hard by first, the sending off of Alberto Massacci for a two-footed lunge and then the fact that the following goal did not win it all.

[video=youtube;7BRS4cJu290]

Stunning. A 6-1 win over Taranto a few games later put us in to 5th and dreamland. Grosseto and Torino inflicted back to back defeats on us before a three game unbeaten run ended the year, with a 3-2 win over Atalanta and a 2-0 win over rock bottom Hellas Verona

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

2013-14 Season Review

TEAM

Well, here we are again. In 15th place again. Only with one more point. True to my worst fears, we had a mini-injury crisis and plummeted down the table. Michele Rigione was our bright spot in defence, getting 9 goals with Kerlon next on 7. The squad looked generally uncertain and unable to mix it up after Xmas, so I think I need to bring in some more players. I'm hoping I can do it without spiralling wages, but it looks like that's the only way to cut it in this division! The aims and thoughts are the same this year as the last two; trim the fat, upgrade facilites and try to make mid-table. I'm also thinking about a formation change to 4-1-2-1-2.

TRANSFERS

A quiet January transfer window saw only DRC Kasper Lindgaard came in on a free, whilst Alex Merkel (MC, £250k, Lecce), Raffiele Di Gennaro (GK, £220k, AlbinoLeffe) & Mehmet Ekici (DM/MC/AMC, £550k, Napoli) all accepted co-ownership deals.

RESULTS

In Serie B, identical 1-2 defeats to both Piacenza and Reggina meant that we saw 2014 in with a whimper. But a 1-0 win over Cittadella, full back Luigi Lavecchia hitting the winner, and a 2-0 over Empoli, with Michele Rigione scoring and an own goal, meant we were still in the fight. However, injuries to Kerlon and Mitrovic, plus suspension bit hard and we didn't score for the next 5 games, including this horror show of a result.

All in all, we failed to win in 15 games and drew just 6 of them. These being 0-0's with AlbinoLeffe, Brescia and Padova, a 1-1 with Chievo and Padova and a 2-2 with Cremonese. A shock 2-1 win over Atalanta, with Carlos Valverde and Frédéric Sammaritano netting, stablished us after our free-fall and lead to the penultimate game of the season against fellow relegation strugglers Piacenza. A 0-1 defeat gave them hope, but a 2-0 win for us over relegated Hellas Verona and results elsewhere pushed us up to 15th and saw them relegated.

Our goal of the season was, of course, this stunner from Andrea Romano

[video=youtube;7BRS4cJu290]

[AK22]

Skin of teeth...again!

[Deisler26]

Skin of teeth...again!

Yeah, I know. It's getting to be too much of a habit

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Transfer Window Update

31 August 2014

TEAM

In another parallel with last season in Serie B, I was tasked with attempting to avoid relegation and given £4m and a £89k wage budget with which to do so. I'm awaiting the upgrades to my youth and training facilities, which will come round in November. I got a re-laid pitch and chances to look for new feeder and parent clubs. This season is going to be boom or bust for me. I've built up a £5m bank balance in four seasons and now is the time to break my self-imposed restictions. We REALLY struggled last season when I sold all my forwards and had Kerlon as a trequarista behind three U-20 strikers. So I need to pay the big wages and push on. We sold 75% of our stadium each game last season and I'm looking for a simliar kind of return this season really.

TRANSFERS

I free-transferred almost all my youth intake again. Really getting annoyed now, however I saved one, this guy wasn't great, but he was the best of a bad bunch.

Incoming was ST Luca Reale for £850k from Atalanta and AMLC Thorgen Hazard for £1m from Arsenal. Hazard would be the driving force for us this season, I hoped. Coming in on free's were AMLC Iago from Genoa, MC Guido Davi from Real Madrid, AMRLC Daniel Bessa from Deportivo La Coruna, DRC Alessandro Potenza from ChievoVerona and players such as GK Marco Alessio, AMC Adam Maher, DRC Giuseppe Scurto, ST Igor Budan and ST Tomas Micola. The last two were to bolster our powder-puff front line. Incoming on loan was ST Lenny Nagis from Roma. Also Andrea Giovanni Barbrisi was purchased at the end of his co-ownership.

Sales-wise, I lost Alex Merkel and Mehmet Ekici at the end of their co-ownerships. They were my two best MC's, but they were also taking £16k p/w in wages. Also leaving the club were Leandro Depetris (AMLC, £190k, Perugia), Ricardo Acerbis (DRC, £85k, Arezzo), Tomas Pina (DM, £250k, Livorno), ST Marko Mitrovic (ST, £250k, Fortuna Sittard), Mattia Desole (D/WBL, £190k, Albacete), Daniel Boateng (DC, £275k, Real Oviedo), Kaspar Lindgaard (DC, £375k, Racing Santander), Sebastian Carlsen (MRC, £120k, Colchester) and finally, club stalwart Luigi Lavecchia was sold on for £45k to Mantova.

RESULTS

Our Coppa Italia adventure started off at home to against Serie C2/C Messina. We kicked off with a sense of anticipation and belief and it wasn't long before we were rewarded. On 23 minutes, a wonderful through ball by Thorgen Hazard let in Gai Assulin, so often the object of my wrath last season, and he finished emphatically into the roof of the net. Assulin and Hazard were everywhere and barely two minutes later, they combined again to slip in Igor Budan to score his first goal for the club. Sadly, that was Budan's last contribution as he was injured and had to be subbed. However his replacement, Tomas Micola, gave the fans a lift on 40 mins with a thumping 25 yard strike to put us even further ahead. We were owning the right wing, powering down it time and time again and it was the right side combo that unlocked the defence for a fourth time as Alessandro Potenza, another summer signing, got to the byeline, unchallenged and clipped a low cross in for Gai Assulin to net his second on the stroke of HT. The game settled down after and we comfortably reached the next round, 4-0.

Our third season back in Serie B kicked off against Pescara. Pescara were looking for promotion and I was looking for more than 15th place and a second-half collapse. We kicked off and within 7 mins, had a good chance to take the lead. A low cross saw the Pescara defender trip Tomas Micola as he went for the ball and the ref has no hesitation in giving a pen. However, the penalty by Kerlon was weak and straight at the keeper. On 34 mins, a good break by Micola saw him chip the keeper beautifully from the edge of the area, however his shot went just wide of the post. HT and Kerlon was struggling, so I sent on Frédéric Sammaritino as a replacement. On 67 mins, a crunching tackle on Thorgen Hazard left him limping and as a precaution, I subbed him for Daniel Bessa. 82 mins gone and Antunes played a short ball from the left touchline to Frédéric Sammaritano. His driving run combined with a laser-guided through ball let in Gai Assulin to smash home the opener. 1-0. We closed up shop and rode the game out from there.

Next up were Vicenza. They made a lot of the early running and a 30 yard snapshot thundered off the post, leaving Pelizzoli beaten. On 34 mins, a deep cross evaded both centre backs and the Vicenza striker made sure, burying it high to the keeper's right. 0-1. On 59 mins, after good recovery by Andrea Romano, a determined run by Kerlon saw his shot daved, however he made no mistake with the rebound, slotting home easily. On 71 mins, I made a triple substitution. Kerlon, Gai Assulin and Giuseppe Scurto came off for Luca Reale, Franco Parlacino and Michele Rigione. Luca Reale was making his debut and was largely annoymous. The game had fizzled out by then and ended 1-1.

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is Micola's first goal for the club.

[video=youtube;Eiqaz5BfBpE]

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Half-Season Update

31 December 2014

TEAM

We finished 2014 in 7th place in Serie B. This team, despite the outlay, are still repeating the same results as seasons past. A good start, followed by a few stutters and BANG! We're 6-8th at the winter break. One reason for this may be the terrible disciplinary record we have, with 5 red cards and 40 yellows so far this season, easily good (or bad) enough for the top three bad boys in the league. The training & youth facilities were improved again and yet again I requested an upgrade to them. Despite all the work I've put in, we still have a fairly basic youth recruitment program and I have no idea how to better this. Franco Parlacino broke the club's all-time league appearance record at 119 appearances, sometime in November and is also on course to break the club's all time league goalscoring record, standing at 30 goals. Parlacino is on 24 and has around 18 or so moths to do it. However, Kerlon is hot on his tail with 22 and if Kerlon breaks it this season, I'll sell Parlacino. Parlacino was also inveiled as the newest Club Icon at the Supporter's Dinner.

TRANSFERS

None arranged, although I'm starting to worry about the high wage bill. I still have around £20k spare, but this is on an £89k budget and I'm not doing well enough to deserve it. If I do buy this transfer window, I shall buy Italian. Igor Budan has been an utter waste of wages as he has been injured or suspended for 90% of the season so far.

RESULTS

New approach, instead of oodles of text. Good? Bad? Let me know. Obviously, the 2-1 win in the derby against Livorno was sweet. Michele Albertazzi's header and Gai Assulin's breakaway bringing home the three points. The league run went well, however the Coppa Italia defeat to personal rivals Siena hurt a little. Then after a 1-0 win over AlbinoLeffe, things went into a nose-dive. We gave away a 2-0 lead, created by goals from Michele Rigione and Tomas Micola, to turn it into a 2-2 draw with Frosinone and generally played poorly all throughout. ALL the 1-2 defeats followed the same pattern of us conceding early, equalising early in the second half and then conceding a late-ish winner. A 3-0 win over Foggia stabilised us as record signing (for me) Thorgen Hazard netted, along with Iago and Igor Budan.

However, we rounded off the year with two defeats and two shutouts against Benevento (0-1) and Novara (0-2)

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

2014-15 Season Review

TEAM

Wow. Just wow.

We finished 2nd in Serie B and gained promotion to Serie A. This was on the back of a stonking run to the end of the season. Franco Parlacino ended up as the club record appearance holder with 133 league appearances overall. However, no-one got the club record goalscorer title as Kerlon finished two goals out on 28. Thorgen Hazard finished as top goalscorer for the season with 8 goals, with Kerlon one behind. The club status will rocket immeasurably for next season, but I can't help but feel it's come far too early for us and we'll totally flounder at Serie A level. However, I made the club's favoured personnel list. I missed out on Serie B Manager of the Year, but the team made the Overachievers Of The Year, however Luca Reale was given the un-enviable title of Serie B Worst Signing Of The Season.

TRANSFERS

We sold on AMLC Frédéric Sammaritano to rivals Livorno for a record £1.2m. He was a good player, but I wasn't using him to his full potential and a £1.2m profit on him was seriously good value. We also offloaded AMRLC Cedric Ceballos to Pro Vercelli for £90k, but with a £60k buy-back clause as I rate him as a player.

Incoming were D/DM/MC Orhan Boyhuz on loan from parent club Napoli and free signing MC Njaka Rafilibera. He was simply signed to add a bit of depth to the squad for the final run in and will be offloaded this summer.

RESULTS

As you can see, after the Xmas break, we went on an outstanding run to haul us up the table. Full credit must go to the defence for it as they toiled and strived to give us the best chance possible to go up. A three game unbeaten run to start 2015 was abruptly halted by Pescara in a 2-4 defeat, notable only for Franco Parlacino's only goals of the year. We then lost another three on the spin, including a humilating 1-4 defeat to Empoli. I was sure that we were going the same way as the last two seasons. However, nine wins and a draw out of 10 rocketed us up the ladder, including a stunning 3-1 win over rivals Livorno. Our last three games would decide our future, much like the Arsenal 1988-89 title decider. We lost 0-1 to Benevento, which lost us the chance to gain the Serie B title and gifted it to Frosinone. We then took on mid-table Novara with Cesena two points behind in the standings. We raced into a 3-0 lead by HT, with goals from Tomas Micola, Thorgen Hazard and Kerlon. But a second half collapse, including a 94th min own-goal from Michele Rigione pegged us back. With Cesena's win over Portasummaga, we were dead-level on points going into the final game.

We kicked off against Salernitana on a bright and breezy day and Guido Davi gave us a great start, hitting a low shot from the edge of the area to put us 1-0 up after 18 mins. However, we lost full-back Albertazzi to injury after 22 mins, Carlos Valverde coming on. In first half injury time, Kerlon doubled the score with a curling shot from the edge of the area and despite a flurry of yellow cards in the second half, we held on to the 2-0 win. That, in conjunction with Cesena's defeat, meant that we'd gained promotion to Serie A for the first time since 1990

This was our Goal Of The Season,

[Gundo]

Good stuff so far Deisler26, I'm enjoying reading this.

Can I ask what rep you started with?

[Deisler26]

Good stuff so far Deisler26, I'm enjoying reading this.

Can I ask what rep you started with?

Thanks Gundo. Glad you're enjoying it! I started off as a Sunday League footballer.

[Deisler26]

BREAKING NEWS

Watch this space... What do you guyd think I should do?

[Raware]

I'd say stay at Pisa especially with Serie A football next season.

[Gundo]

Yeah stay, give it atleast one season in Serie A after putting in the time and effort to get there.

[Deisler26]

I'd say stay at Pisa especially with Serie A football next season.

Yeah stay, give it atleast one season in Serie A after putting in the time and effort to get there.

The problem is that I don't really have any attachment to Pisa. There's no player I've nurtured to fame, I was given £10k in spare wages after all the increases and I have little faith in the squad at all. However, do I want to start again?

[AK22]

Great job on the promotion to Serie A. If you do end up moving, you're gonna need to clear out a lot of deadwood to get the wages within budget again

[Deisler26]

Great job on the promotion to Serie A. If you do end up moving, you're gonna need to clear out a lot of deadwood to get the wages within budget again

Oh hell yeah. But I kind of like that challenge.

[iseemonsters1]

Just catching up on this - congratulations on promotion! I have a tendency to get itchy feet and move on to new clubs quickly, and I get the sense that your gut is telling you that you want to move on to, so I say - go for it! The real challenge though will be coming up with a good pun for the thread title... maybe something like "Driving Me Up The Waalwijk"?

[Deisler26]

A.C Pisa 1909

Transfer Window Update

31 August 2015

TEAM

Well, as you can see, I rejected the RKC Waaljik job. It was really tempting, but I couldn't leave without one more season in Serie A. Our first in 25 years. As ever, requested upgrades to our training and youth facilites and signed a one-year deal so that if I need to go, I can. A lot of contracts are up at the end of the season too. We switched to a 4-1-2-1-2 this season too.

RESULTS

In came ST Andrea Fiorentini, DC Walter Izzo and MC Ignazio Arini on free's. Also coming in on free's were ST Ettore Mendicino from Lazio and DC/DM/MC Oriol Romeu from Barcelona. Coming in at the end of co-ownership deals were GK Raffiele Di Gennaro and DR Andrea Bandini. I also splashed out a record £4m on ST Andrés Cortez from San Lorenzo

A lot of players left on free's and on loan. Only Antunes was sold for £775k to Recreativo.

RESULTS

We started off the season with a 2-0 win in the Coppa Italia Third Qualifying Round against C1/B Cosenza. An early finish by debutant Andrés Cortez put us 1-0 up and we never looked like losing, adding an OG at the end for an easy 2-0 win.

In our first game back in Serie A, we took on Palermo. After 10 mins, Michele Rigione bought down a Palermo player in the box and conceded a penalty. However, Pelizzoli saved the resulting spot-kick. Palermo caved us open 10 mins later to take the lead 0-1. We battled hard, but we just couldn't get any form of offence going. The next game against personal rivals Siena and again, we went 1-0 down early. However, late on, we were thrown a lifeline by the ref who gave us a dubious penalty. Kerlon stepped up and brought out a great save from the Siena keeper to keep the score at 0-1 and give us our second defeat in a row.

[Deisler26]

Just catching up on this - congratulations on promotion! I have a tendency to get itchy feet and move on to new clubs quickly, and I get the sense that your gut is telling you that you want to move on to, so I say - go for it! The real challenge though will be coming up with a good pun for the thread title... maybe something like "Driving Me Up The Waalwijk"?

Oh I wouldn't change titles. I'd keep this one.

[AndrewFM]

Have you decided on what you're going to do yet? Maybe take on the challenge of trying to stay up in Serie A?

I'm in the same predicament in my own game as well, think I may move on to a new challenge.

[Deisler26]

Have you decided on what you're going to do yet? Maybe take on the challenge of trying to stay up in Serie A?

I'm in the same predicament in my own game as well, think I may move on to a new challenge.

I'm gonna stay for a season I think, although with current results, I may not make it that far.

[Deisler26]

Well, due to my 'umming' and 'aaahhing' over whether I should take the RKC Waalwijk job, I really didn't leave a lot of room to improve the squad as much as I'd like and we struggled mightly. I was growning more and more disillusioned with the team and job. A 0-5 defeat to Frosinone was a catalyst, and although we beat Cagilari 3-2, a 0-8 defeat to parent club Napoli put the tin hat on it. I applied for a number of available jobs and was greeted by this.

So, I walked

However, the best thing was my place as a AC Pisa 1909 icon was assured

So, I'm now free and single and looking for what's out there.

[Deisler26]

I'd barely got in the door of my hotel room after moving out of the company apartment, when the phone rang with this offer

Go back where it all started for me? Serie C1/B? Naah, I was looking for a better Italian club or overseas. I politely declined and put the phone down.

[Deisler26]

Phone rang again. Struggling Wycombe Wanderers in League 1. Very tempting, but England is not where I'm at atm. So there was another polite no.

I also put in applications for Real Sociedad, Koln and NAC Breda

[Deisler26]

Phone rang again a month or so later. League 1 again calling in the shape of Oldham Athletic. However, for a number of personal reasons and the fact I don't want to manage in England yet, I turned it down.

I was turned down for a number of jobs as well, mainly in Germany. It's looking like I want to manage there next, but I'm open to a decent offer from Spain or Portugal.

Barely a week later and...

I'm starting to think that League 1 is the only job I'll get!