Jump to content
Sports Interactive Community

'Mezzocorona, vinci per noi!' - Crouchy's Big Euro Challenge Attempt!

crouchaldinho

By crouchaldinho,
in FM Career Updates

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 132
  • Created
  • Last Reply
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Congratulations on promotion at the first attempt :)

Thanks HRB! :)

Congrats on promotion! That's for the national league and not the state, right? Always have to wrap my head around Brazilian football :)

I suspect you've got me mixed up with Acidburn. I'm in Italy, Cerud! ;)

Well done on the promotion :)

Thanks Cleon. :)

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Here is a quick and informal update as we reach the winter break for the 2015/16 season in Serie C1/A.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Modena         |       | 17    | 12    | 3     | 2     | 34    | 14    | +20   | 39    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Treviso        |       | 17    | 9     | 2     | 6     | 22    | 19    | +3    | 29    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Sambonifacese  |       | 17    | 8     | 5     | 4     | 37    | 27    | +10   | 29    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Lumezzane      |       | 17    | 7     | 6     | 4     | 29    | 25    | +4    | 27    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Como           |       | 17    | 7     | 5     | 5     | 43    | 42    | +1    | 26    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Carpi          |       | 17    | 7     | 5     | 5     | 31    | 24    | +7    | 26    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
[b]| 7th   |       | Mezzocorona    |       | 17    | 7     | 5     | 5     | 29    | 23    | +6    | 26    | [/b]
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | San Marino     |       | 17    | 6     | 6     | 5     | 31    | 30    | +1    | 24    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Reggiana       |       | 17    | 6     | 5     | 6     | 26    | 29    | -3    | 23    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Prato          |       | 17    | 5     | 5     | 7     | 25    | 27    | -2    | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Cuneo          |       | 17    | 5     | 5     | 7     | 29    | 33    | -4    | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Alto Adige     |       | 17    | 5     | 4     | 8     | 22    | 27    | -5    | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Padova         |       | 17    | 4     | 7     | 6     | 28    | 31    | -3    | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Santarcangelo  |       | 17    | 4     | 6     | 7     | 20    | 28    | -8    | 18    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Pavia          |       | 16    | 5     | 3     | 8     | 27    | 32    | -5    | 18    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Alessandria    |       | 17    | 3     | 6     | 8     | 27    | 38    | -11   | 15    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Virtus Entella |       | 17    | 3     | 4     | 10    | 21    | 32    | -11   | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Once again, we have been exceeding my expectation, especially early on in the season where we had a very solid start.

We have a few stand-out players, such as central midfielder Simone Loiodice who is one of our best performers. Once again Manuel Gavilan is perfoming well up front. And I made one or two signings who I will provide screenshots of at the end of the season who have also settled in well at this level.

Like last season, the rest of the team is fairly workmanlike. My philosophy of keeping a good defensive structure is helping but we also seem to have enough about us going forward to score goals.

In general, I think our current league position is pretty true to where we are in this league. We seem to be able to beat the lower sides but then struggle against some of the bigger teams in this division. Although, we have managed to record one or two results against bigger teams when the odds have been against us, which is basically down to a very spirited team (team gelling is very good) and some good motivational and tactical choices, I feel.

Not clear on where we will be come the end of the season but I suspect we aren't too far away from where we will finish right now. However, if injuries hit, we could be in trouble. Our worst runs have come when missing one or two key players, in particular Simone Loiodice or Manuel Gavilan. We need to keep those two fit.

My comfortable start to life at Mezzocorona continues for now! I predict a solid mid-table finish for the end of the season.

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Crouchy's 'Mezzocorona, vinci per noi!' Big Euro Challenge Attempt! (Season Two at Comunale 2015/16)

mezzocorona_calcio_news_full_img.jpg

Season Results Summary:

Results for first half of the season

Results for second half of the season

I was surprised at just how strongly we started the season. We went on a six game unbeaten run and looked at home at this level. Our little 1,000 capacity ground was getting filled for every home match and all looked well. However, when we met top sides like Pavia and Prato, things weren't quite so straight forward for us.

We reached the winter break in great shape, though, having had a comfortable start to the season. We weren't as solid at the back as I would have wanted us to be but we seemed able to find the back of the net with enough regularity to put points on the board.

The second half of the season certainly wasn't as comfortable. I always knew that if we had injuries, it could end up being really tough for us. So it proved, as we ended up losing the likes of Simone Loiodice, Manuel Gavilan and others. The replacements weren't good enough, we started to lose form and then we lost confidence. Five straight defeats took us through January to the middle of February and signified my worst spell as Mezzocorona boss. It was a seven game run without a win that took us into March. Very worrying times indeed.

As our best players returned, the confidence also came back, and back-to-back wins at home to Reggiana and away to Como got us back into the swing of things. It was still a bit hit and miss up until the end of the season though but at no point were we in danger of getting into a relegation battle. It was comfortable mid-table all the way. We ended the season with a 3-2 win at home to Sambonifacese. A good end to the season after a pretty terrible second half of the season.

Fire power wasn't enough to get us through that second half of the season and we proved to be far more fragile at the back than I expected. I need to improve the squad for next season to ensure that we don't take a step backwards.

Being positive, though, this was a solid season at Serie C1 level and we basically consolidated and didn't look out of place in this division. More of the same next season would be good and we'll aim for a slow but sure improvement, I hope.

Competitions Overview:

Serie C1/A Final table:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | C     | Modena         |       | 32    | 25    | 5     | 2     | 68    | 22    | +46   | 80    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | Pl    | Carpi          |       | 32    | 15    | 10    | 7     | 65    | 45    | +20   | 55    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Treviso        |       | 32    | 17    | 4     | 11    | 59    | 44    | +15   | 55    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   | Pl    | Lumezzane      |       | 32    | 15    | 9     | 8     | 60    | 48    | +12   | 54    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Pavia          |       | 32    | 16    | 4     | 12    | 59    | 55    | +4    | 52    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Como           |       | 32    | 12    | 10    | 10    | 70    | 67    | +3    | 46    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Padova         |       | 32    | 11    | 10    | 11    | 61    | 58    | +3    | 43    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Sambonifacese  |       | 32    | 12    | 7     | 13    | 58    | 56    | +2    | 43    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Prato          |       | 32    | 10    | 11    | 11    | 49    | 51    | -2    | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
[b]| 10th  |       | Mezzocorona    |       | 32    | 11    | 7     | 14    | 45    | 48    | -3    | 40    | [/b]
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | San Marino     |       | 32    | 10    | 10    | 12    | 54    | 61    | -7    | 40    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Alto Adige     |       | 32    | 10    | 6     | 16    | 44    | 55    | -11   | 36    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Reggiana       |       | 32    | 9     | 9     | 14    | 46    | 58    | -12   | 36    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  | R     | Virtus Entella |       | 32    | 9     | 7     | 16    | 45    | 57    | -12   | 34    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Santarcangelo  |       | 32    | 8     | 10    | 14    | 42    | 57    | -15   | 34    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  | R     | Cuneo          |       | 32    | 8     | 7     | 17    | 50    | 70    | -20   | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  | R     | Alessandria    |       | 32    | 5     | 12    | 15    | 41    | 64    | -23   | 27    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Italian Cup:

We beat Serie C1/B side, Virtus Lanciano, in the first qualifying round. However, we were beaten in the second qualifying round by Serie B team Spezia.

Serie C Cup:

This was not a priority for us. We were knocked out in the 1st round away to Serie C1/B side Avellino.

Transfers:

IN:

| Date               | Person             | From               | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2015           | Alba, Fabio        | Verona             | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2015           | Tedesco, Giuseppe  | Vicenza            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7.7.2015           | Eguelfi, Fabio     | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.7.2015          | Bortoli, Marco     | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22.7.2015          | Gori, Leonardo     | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22.7.2015          | De Cello, Gabriel  | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.7.2015          | Malcore, Giancarlo | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 27.7.2015          | Solini, Matteo     | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.8.2015           | Corsi, Angelo      | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.8.2015           | Evangelisti, Mattia| Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £0                 | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

All free transfers. Some very solid signings amongst this bunch of players.

Fabio Eguelfi turned out to be a very solid left-sided wide player. Giancarlo Malcore added some quality up front although he wasn't exactly prolific and had a pretty bad dry spell in the second half of the season. Matteo Solini was a quality signing in defence. The other players were good squad players, for the most part. I feel that I did good work in the market here to give us a really good chance of performing well at this higher level.

OUT:

| Date               | Person             | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.6.2015          | Princivalli, Nicola| Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.6.2015          | Serafini, Mattia   | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.11.2015         | Mazzoni, Elia      | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4.1.2016           | Miniati, Emanuele  | Seregno            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.1.2016           | Tedesco, Giuseppe  | Lecco              | £1K                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7.1.2016           | Tait, Fabian       | Lecco              | £1K                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £2K                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

The first three players were free transferred at the end of their contracts as I didn't feel they would be useful at Serie C1 level.

The last three players were all sold in the January transfer window. The wage budget was an issue and I decided to try to sell a few fringe players to bring it under control. We probably could have got better fees here for one or two of these guys but I just needed a quick sale to get them off the wage bill.

Squad Statistics:


| Pkd | Inf | Name                | Apps   | Gls | Ast | PoM | Pas R | Tck | DrbPG | K Pas | Sh T| Yel | Red | Av Rat | Nat | Age | Value | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK  | Hol | Mattia Lanzano      | 34     | 0   | 1   | 1   | 56%   | 0.00| -     | 2     | -   | 0   | 0   | 6.87   | ITA | 25  | £110K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR  | Hol | Riccardo Brichese   | 32     | 0   | 1   | 1   | 80%   | 3.20| 0.43  | 11    | 100%| 2   | 0   | 6.95   | ITA | 23  | £190K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DCR | Hol | Giuseppe Giampietro | 32     | 1   | 0   | 0   | 66%   | 3.52| 0.03  | 0     | 100%| 2   | 1   | 6.98   | ITA | 23  | £170K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DCL | Hol | Matteo Solini       | 32     | 3   | 0   | 1   | 66%   | 3.17| 0.07  | 1     | 60% | 4   | 0   | 6.99   | ITA | 23  | £90K  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL  | Hol | Dario Pelizzari     | 8 (2)  | 0   | 0   | 0   | 77%   | 3.34| 0.12  | 0     | -   | 0   | 0   | 6.60   | ITA | 29  | £7K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR  | Hol | Antonio Gravina     | 9 (15) | 1   | 3   | 0   | 77%   | 3.05| 1.92  | 3     | 14% | 1   | 0   | 6.88   | ITA | 22  | £150K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MCR | Hol | Leonardo Gori       | 27 (1) | 2   | 2   | 1   | 86%   | 3.44| 0.28  | 8     | 37% | 11  | 0   | 6.94   | ITA | 19  | £90K  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MCL | Hol | Simone Loiodice     | 29 (1) | 1   | 5   | 2   | 86%   | 5.85| 0.65  | 32    | 43% | 5   | 1   | 7.28   | ITA | 27  | £300K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML  | Hol | Fabio Eguelfi       | 28     | 7   | 5   | 1   | 79%   | 3.43| 1.96  | 13    | 52% | 1   | 0   | 7.02   | ITA | 21  | £100K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| STCR| Hol | Manuel Gavilán      | 29     | 12  | 4   | 2   | 77%   | 1.96| 0.37  | 27    | 46% | 6   | 2   | 7.09   | ESP | 24  | £240K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| STCL| Hol | Giancarlo Malcore   | 32     | 11  | 4   | 3   | 83%   | 1.45| 1.11  | 14    | 54% | 1   | 0   | 6.99   | ITA | 22  | £140K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1  | Hol | Vincenzo Mormile    | 1      | 0   | 0   | 0   | 71%   | -   | -     | 0     | -   | 0   | 0   | 6.80   | ITA | 22  | £18K  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2  | Hol | Marco Bertini       | 0 (7)  | 0   | 0   | 0   | 74%   | 4.91| -     | 1     | 0%  | 0   | 0   | 6.38   | ITA | 21  | £110K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3  | Hol | Daniele Morritti    | 3 (4)  | 0   | 0   | 0   | 64%   | 6.73| -     | 0     | -   | 1   | 0   | 6.91   | ITA | 25  | £12K  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4  | Hol | Marco Bortoli       | 8 (15) | 0   | 1   | 0   | 83%   | 3.74| 0.11  | 4     | 57% | 4   | 0   | 6.81   | ITA | 21  | £75K  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5  | Hol | Angelo Corsi        | 27 (5) | 4   | 11  | 2   | 74%   | 3.44| 2.87  | 17    | 29% | 8   | 0   | 7.12   | ITA | 27  | £100K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S6  | Hol | Fabio Alba          | 7 (9)  | 1   | 0   | 0   | 85%   | 1.36| 1.93  | 1     | 38% | 1   | 0   | 6.83   | ITA | 21  | £120K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S7  | Hol | Paride Formentin    | 5 (7)  | 1   | 3   | 1   | 82%   | 1.33| -     | 7     | 22% | 2   | 0   | 6.84   | ITA | 27  | £170K | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Mirko Drudi         | 3 (7)  | 0   | 1   | 0   | 82%   | 2.01| 0.22  | 1     | 100%| 0   | 0   | 6.50   | ITA | 29  | £2K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Mattia Evangelisti  | 6 (3)  | 0   | 2   | 0   | 88%   | 3.66| 0.26  | 6     | 80% | 1   | 0   | 6.97   | ITA | 25  | £50K  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Antonio Di Palma    | 27     | 0   | 1   | 1   | 80%   | 3.22| 0.47  | 3     | -   | 4   | 0   | 6.81   | ITA | 24  | £14K  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Mirko Tommasi       | 3 (5)  | 0   | 1   | 0   | 70%   | 2.30| 2.30  | 4     | 50% | 2   | 0   | 6.94   | ITA | 23  | £16K  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Nico Di Giuseppe    | 1 (3)  | 0   | 0   | 0   | 58%   | 4.40| -     | 0     | 100%| 0   | 0   | 6.90   | ITA | 22  | £4K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Key players:

Simone Loiodice - Voted by the fans as their player of the year for the second year running. Was already at the club when I joined. Good solid attributes in the right areas at this level. Did very well as midfield playmaker.

Angelo Corsi - Solid wide midfielder who I signed on a free in pre-season. Very consistent performer.

Manuel Gavilan - Named as captain this season. Performed well but started making noises about wanting to leave.

Fabio Eguelfi - Solid wide player who performed consistently for us down the left flank.

Matteo Solini - Good attributes and did well for us. Prone to making the odd mistake but perhaps he will have matured this season. Hopefully we'll get more from him next season.

Tactical talk:

Once again, we played a no nonsense 4-4-2, rigid style, low creativity, basically making us well organised and hard to beat. Most matches, we approached with a cautious counter-attacking approach and for some matches we just aimed to defend deep and frustrate our opponents. We were pretty efficient, often not getting a lot of possession but defending well and taking our chances going forward. We ultimately did what was needed to put points on the board.

Bonus screenshots:

Our Best XI

Crouchy signs for another year with Mezzocorona. I wanted more but the board would only give me a contract for one more year.

The board review my season in charge. I think they were pretty happy.

New stadium! This is the big one! The board have announced plans for a new stadium, which is great as our tiny 1,000 capacity stadium just isn't cutting it at this level. This could make a big difference in the long run but in the short-term it means the purse strings are going to be tightened even more.

Next Season:

Thanks to the same bug as I experienced last season, I have to replace all of my staff as none of them would negotiate a new contract.

Next season is going to be really tough. The board have advised me that a wage budget cut is forthcoming and therefore I will have to make cuts to the squad even though I want to be able to improve the team so that I can continue to progress.

We are once again being predicted to finish in last place in the league. I'm going to have my work cut out in the summer to sort out this squad so that we can avoid relegation.

Some players will be leaving at the end of their contracts. At least one is a first team player who I want to keep but who I do not have the budget to offer a decent contract to.

I think we will have to bring in some loans and rely on younger players. I really hope I can keep the spine of the team together and then perhaps build a squad around it with loans and youth players.

I don't expect a lot of progress given the constraints we'll be under. Mid-table again would do nicely.

The new stadium will be coming next season so I hope that could make a big difference. Survival has to be the aim for next season and then maybe we can push on the season after with a new stadium and then some new 'revenue streams' as those financial types on the board of football clubs like to say!

Career Overview:

Season    Team			League                   Position    Achievements/outcomes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014/15   A.C. Mezzocorona	Serie C2/B	         3rd         Promoted via play-offs! Overachievers!
2014/15   A.C. Mezzocorona	Serie C1/A	         10th        Survival when expected to finish bottom. Overachievers!

My A.C. Mezzocorona Record (729 days at the club):

P 	W 	D 	L 	F	A	Win % 		Competitions Won / Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
76	34	14	28	115	100	44%		Serie C2/B Play-off Winners (2014/15)
							Named Serie C2/B Overachievers (2014/2015)
							Named Serie C1/A Overachievers (2015/2016)

Link to post
Share on other sites
Dr. Hook

Dr. Hook

Posted
Posted

Excellent adventure so far. I'm looking forward to following your progress and how you cope with the general climate of tightwadishness floating around the club at the moment!

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Excellent adventure so far. I'm looking forward to following your progress and how you cope with the general climate of tightwadishness floating around the club at the moment!

Thank Dr Hook! Money certainly is tight. It's going to be a challenge.

Was a very good first season in Serie C1/A,hopefully the cuts won't be too harsh on you.

Thanks B.W.G!

Solid survival year.

Yeah, I'm pleased with it. Could have been even better if it wasn't for the poor form in the second half of the season.

Decent first effort in C1.

Cheers Nobby. :thup:

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I've got into November now and the board has just cut the budget even further.

I'm down to £11.67k (reduced from £14k).

I'm already over budget but this has made it more so. I'm going to have to stay over budget because otherwise I just won't be able to put out a team never mind stay in the league!

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Here is a quick and informal update as we reach the winter break for the 2016/17 season in Serie C1/A.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Alto Adige    |       | 17    | 9     | 6     | 2     | 29    | 17    | +12   | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Portogruaro   |       | 17    | 10    | 3     | 4     | 22    | 16    | +6    | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Como          |       | 17    | 9     | 5     | 3     | 24    | 19    | +5    | 32    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Varese        |       | 17    | 9     | 4     | 4     | 27    | 21    | +6    | 31    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Cittadella    |       | 17    | 8     | 4     | 5     | 23    | 22    | +1    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Bassano       |       | 17    | 8     | 4     | 5     | 26    | 27    | -1    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Pro Vercelli  |       | 17    | 8     | 2     | 7     | 31    | 26    | +5    | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Padova        |       | 17    | 7     | 5     | 5     | 34    | 22    | +12   | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Sambonifacese |       | 17    | 7     | 4     | 6     | 28    | 24    | +4    | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
[b]| 10th  |       | Mezzocorona   |       | 17    | 6     | 5     | 6     | 26    | 21    | +5    | 23    | [/b]
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Real Spal     |       | 17    | 5     | 5     | 7     | 20    | 29    | -9    | 20    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | AlbinoLeffe   |       | 17    | 4     | 7     | 6     | 19    | 21    | -2    | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Prato         |       | 16    | 5     | 2     | 9     | 31    | 37    | -6    | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Pavia         |       | 17    | 4     | 4     | 9     | 21    | 33    | -12   | 16    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Reggiana      |       | 17    | 3     | 5     | 9     | 19    | 29    | -10   | 14    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Carpi         |       | 17    | 3     | 4     | 10    | 25    | 30    | -5    | 13    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Treviso       |       | 17    | 2     | 5     | 10    | 16    | 27    | -11   | 11    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

So we're basically three points worse off than this time last season. We're predicted to finish 17th so we're exceeding expectations again.

The first eleven is exactly the same as last season minus our left-back. The wage budget cuts meant that I had no money to improve the squad so I just focused on keeping the team together as much as possible.

In November, the board cut the budget even further from 14k down to around £11k. Needless to say, I'm way over budget. I doubt I could put together a team with the current wage budget.

Things are VERY bad financially at the club. It was announced that we were close to administration at the end of November. Then, at the beginning of December, we entered administration.

I expect we'll lose players in the January transfer window. At this point, it really is a case of fighting for our lives in this league. We are in big trouble.

It's likely to be a very tough and harsh second half of the season.

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted

And more terrible news as my top scorer, Giancarlo Malcore, is injured with a torn calf muscle ruling him out for six months. He is out for the season and we've lost the main source of our goals.

Meanwhile, teams are beginning to circle around my best talents such as Manuel Gavilan.

Worrying, worrying times. :(

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thought I would share some details of the last two major international tournaments with those who might be interested.

Here is the knock-out stages of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

England doing remarkably well but Spain winning it again.

Then here are the knock-out stages from the 2016 Euros which were held in France.

England bringing home the trophy! :cool:

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Crouchy's 'Mezzocorona, vinci per noi!' Big Euro Challenge Attempt! (Season Three at Comunale 2016/17)

mezzocorona_calcio_news_full_img.jpg

Season Results Summary:

Results for first half of the season

Results for second half of the season

On the whole, this season was very similar to the last one. The main difference was that we were able to be more consistent over both halves of the season. It was mostly the same squad, the same kind of tactics, the same lack of money and some very similar performances to last time around.

We reached the winter break in decent shape and managed a very solid second half of the season too, which saw us finishing in a comfortable mid-table position. We actually ended up with 4 more points than last season. We also lost less games and managed to finish with a positive goal difference. A small improvement but good enough for me considering that this was pretty much the same side as last year.

Off the pitch, we had the whole drama of being on the brink of administration and then finally entering administration in December. Players became unhappy and needed constant reassurances. On the pitch performances did suffer but I think I handled it quite well and we kept up a competitive push in mid-table. We never looked in too much trouble of going down but we certainly didn't look in any way as though we would trouble the sides going for the play-offs.

Just after the winter break, we lost our top scorer, Giancarlo Malcore, to a torn calf muscle which ruled him out for six months. This was a big loss but we still managed regularly to upset the odds. One absolutely huge player for us this season was Matteo Solini. His performances at the back were the key to us having the fourth best defensive record in the league.

This was a decent second season at Serie C1 level with a small amount of progress. I guess you could say that this was more consolidation. The new stadium is coming in the summer and this could improve the financial situation at the club and allow us to be more competitive. We can already say that we don't look out of place in this division, for sure, and if I can keep some of the squad together for next time around, we'll continue this very slow but sure feeling of progress.

Competitions Overview:

Serie C1/A Final table:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | C     | Portogruaro   |       | 32    | 18    | 6     | 8     | 42    | 29    | +13   | 60    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | P     | Pro Vercelli  |       | 32    | 17    | 6     | 9     | 61    | 38    | +23   | 57    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Como          |       | 32    | 15    | 6     | 11    | 50    | 43    | +7    | 51    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Alto Adige    |       | 32    | 13    | 11    | 8     | 53    | 45    | +8    | 50    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Bassano       |       | 32    | 14    | 8     | 10    | 53    | 46    | +7    | 50    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Varese        |       | 32    | 14    | 6     | 12    | 50    | 46    | +4    | 48    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Sambonifacese |       | 32    | 13    | 8     | 11    | 52    | 46    | +6    | 47    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Padova        |       | 32    | 13    | 7     | 12    | 53    | 38    | +15   | 46    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Cittadella    |       | 32    | 12    | 9     | 11    | 48    | 57    | -9    | 45    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
[b]| 10th  |       | Mezzocorona   |       | 32    | 12    | 8     | 12    | 45    | 41    | +4    | 44    | [/b]
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Prato         |       | 32    | 13    | 4     | 15    | 58    | 64    | -6    | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Pavia         |       | 32    | 12    | 7     | 13    | 49    | 55    | -6    | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | AlbinoLeffe   |       | 32    | 10    | 10    | 12    | 45    | 52    | -7    | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Treviso       |       | 32    | 10    | 7     | 15    | 42    | 47    | -5    | 37    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  | R     | Reggiana      |       | 32    | 9     | 9     | 14    | 51    | 57    | -6    | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  | R     | Real Spal     |       | 32    | 7     | 9     | 16    | 35    | 62    | -27   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  | R     | Carpi         |       | 32    | 6     | 7     | 19    | 39    | 60    | -21   | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Serie C Cup:

We got through the group stages but were knocked out by Frosinone in the 1st round.

Transfers:

IN:

| Date               | Person                     | From               | Fee                | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13.7.2016          | Conti, Matteo              | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17.7.2016          | Cipriani, Mirko            | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 25.7.2016          | Guidi, Riccardo            | Chievo             | Loan               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7.8.2016           | Marchesotti, Andrea Matteo | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.8.2016          | Marotta, Antonio           | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                      |                    | £0                 | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

No money to spend at all and a cut wage budget meant that I just did the minimum that I needed to in terms of signings in the summer.

Matteo Conti came in as a replacement left-back. The other signings here were more or less squad players. They were all signed up on the minimum wages we could offer.

OUT:

| Date               | Person             | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.6.2016          | Drudi, Mirko       | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.6.2016          | Pelizzari, Dario   | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.6.2016          | Morritti, Daniele  | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.6.2016          | Di Palma, Antonio  | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.6.2016          | Tommasi, Mirko     | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4.7.2016           | Grassi, Manuel     | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.12.2016         | Depetris, Moritz   | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £0                 | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

With no money to offer players, I was bound to lose a few. The worst loss by far was that of Antonio Di Palma, our first choice left back and a quality player. That was tough to take.

Squad Statistics:

| Pkd | Inf | Name                | Apps    | Gls | Ast | PoM | Pas R | Tck | DrbPG | K Pas | Sh T| Yel | Red | Av Rat | Nat | Age | Value | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DCL | Hol | Matteo Solini       | 31      | 2   | 1   | 7   | 64%   | 5.50| 0.03  | 1     | 45% | 7   | 1   | 7.45   | ITA | 24  | £24K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| STCL| Hol | Manuel Gavilán      | 29      | 15  | 6   | 3   | 73%   | 2.49| 0.57  | 29    | 56% | 7   | 0   | 7.27   | ESP | 25  | £325K | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Giancarlo Malcore   | 20      | 13  | 3   | 2   | 76%   | 1.74| 0.96  | 12    | 53% | 1   | 0   | 7.21   | ITA | 23  | £220K | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MCL | Hol | Simone Loiodice     | 29      | 4   | 5   | 0   | 78%   | 5.79| 0.51  | 26    | 59% | 4   | 0   | 7.19   | ITA | 28  | £20K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| STCR| Hol | Paride Formentin    | 13 (8)  | 5   | 5   | 1   | 76%   | 2.20| 0.35  | 18    | 65% | 2   | 1   | 7.15   | ITA | 28  | £200K | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML  | Inj | Fabio Eguelfi       | 31 (1)  | 5   | 10  | 1   | 73%   | 3.15| 1.36  | 17    | 48% | 4   | 0   | 7.10   | ITA | 22  | £150K | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DCR | Hol | Giuseppe Giampietro | 34      | 0   | 0   | 3   | 69%   | 4.84| 0.12  | 0     | 100%| 6   | 0   | 7.09   | ITA | 24  | £20K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4  | Hol | Marco Bortoli       | 6 (15)  | 0   | 2   | 0   | 83%   | 5.11| 0.25  | 3     | 100%| 0   | 0   | 7.01   | ITA | 22  | £10K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MCR | Hol | Leonardo Gori       | 28 (1)  | 0   | 2   | 0   | 85%   | 4.43| 0.30  | 19    | 45% | 4   | 0   | 6.99   | ITA | 20  | £140K | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR  | Hol | Antonio Gravina     | 33      | 4   | 6   | 2   | 76%   | 3.17| 1.55  | 20    | 39% | 6   | 0   | 6.97   | ITA | 23  | £275K | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Mattia Evangelisti  | 6 (4)   | 0   | 1   | 0   | 82%   | 4.57| 0.15  | 7     | 25% | 0   | 0   | 6.96   | ITA | 26  | £6K   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR  | Hol | Riccardo Brichese   | 32      | 1   | 1   | 1   | 82%   | 3.17| 0.26  | 3     | 50% | 3   | 0   | 6.94   | ITA | 24  | £18K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5  | Hol | Angelo Corsi        | 2 (19)  | 2   | 2   | 1   | 74%   | 2.96| 2.37  | 2     | 50% | 0   | 0   | 6.93   | ITA | 28  | £9K   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1  | Hol | Vincenzo Mormile    | 0 (1)   | 0   | 0   | 0   | 86%   | -   | -     | 0     | -   | 0   | 0   | 6.90   | ITA | 23  | £3K   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL  | Hol | Matteo Conti        | 28 (1)  | 1   | 1   | 0   | 71%   | 3.23| 0.26  | 5     | 67% | 2   | 0   | 6.85   | ITA | 20  | £22K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3  | Hol | Nico Di Giuseppe    | 4 (6)   | 0   | 0   | 0   | 63%   | 4.08| -     | 0     | 100%| 1   | 0   | 6.82   | ITA | 23  | £60K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Fabio Alba          | 10 (17) | 1   | 2   | 0   | 82%   | 1.89| 1.24  | 14    | 50% | 0   | 0   | 6.77   | ITA | 22  | £12K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK  | Hol | Mattia Lanzano      | 35      | 0   | 0   | 2   | 50%   | 0.03| -     | 1     | -   | 0   | 0   | 6.77   | ITA | 26  | £9K   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2  | Hol | Marco Bertini       | 1 (10)  | 0   | 0   | 0   | 74%   | 3.03| 0.20  | 2     | -   | 0   | 0   | 6.70   | ITA | 22  | £10K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Gabriel De Cello    | 1 (3)   | 0   | 0   | 0   | 75%   | 5.07| -     | 0     | -   | 0   | 1   | 6.70   | ITA | 21  | £50K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Hol | Antonio Marotta     | 3       | 0   | 0   | 0   | 77%   | 4.40| -     | 0     | -   | 0   | 0   | 6.67   | ITA | 20  | £10K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S6  | Hol | Riccardo Guidi      | 2 (2)   | 0   | 0   | 0   | 68%   | 3.64| 0.45  | 1     | -   | 0   | 0   | 6.58   | ITA | 18  | £325K | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S7  | Hol | Mirko Cipriani      | 7 (2)   | 0   | 1   | 0   | 76%   | 3.46| -     | 4     | -   | 0   | 0   | 6.50   | ITA | 21  | £18K  | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Key players:

Matteo Solini - Voted by the fans as their player of the year. Put in so many good performances and was the key to our great defensive record.

Manuel Gavilan - Another good season from our captain. A very important player for us.

Giancarlo Malcore - Had a great first half of the season and just started to find his feet in front of goal when he picked up an injury that put him out for six months. I hope we'll see more of the same of him next season.

Simone Loiodice - Solid season if not quite as good as previous seasons. Unfortunately, I couldn't agree a new contract with him and so we have lost our best central midfielder.

Fabio Eguelfi - Another great season from the left-sided wide midfielder.

Tactical talk:

Same as previous years. Nothing has changed here.

We played a no nonsense 4-4-2, rigid style, low creativity, basically making us well organised and hard to beat. Most matches, we approached with a cautious counter-attacking approach and for some matches we just aimed to defend deep and frustrate our opponents. We were pretty efficient, often not getting a lot of possession but defending well and taking our chances going forward. We ultimately did what was needed to put points on the board.

Bonus screenshots:

Our Best XI

Crouchy signs for another year with Mezzocorona. I wanted more but the board would only give me a contract for one more year.

The board review my season in charge. This was a more lukewarm response than last time around.

Mezzocorona back on the road to financial recovery. We come out of administration and things look like they might be okay for a while. We're still losing money but the new stadium is coming soon and that may well help us in a big way.

Talking of the stadium, it has been delayed. This is a real pain. The sooner we get our much bigger capacity stadium, the sooner we can start selling more tickets and making more money on match days. Hurry up!

Huge losses recorded for Mezzocorona. The stadium is key to progress but it pretty much crippled us this season.

Next Season:

Thanks to the same bug as I experienced for the last two seasons ... blah blah blah ... I have to replace all of my staff as none of them would negotiate a new contract.

I've lost about seven players already due to contracts running out. At least one was a regular first team player, whilst most were squad players so it's not too terrible. It does mean that I have my work cut out in the transfer market trying to bring in some replacements who want to play for the tiny wages that we can offer here at Mezzocorona!

Next season may be a little less bumpy than this one. The board have given me an improved wage budget similar to that which I had when we first came into this league. I'm hopeful I can do some good with it.

I'm expecting to have to focus on young players so I'm not expecting anything too much in terms of progress next season. I think we'll look to consolidate some more.

Moving into the new stadium could really kick things into gear and put us into a better position for the year after.

So, I don't expect major progress given the constraints we've got at this club and mid-table safety would do quite nicely.

Career Overview:

Season    Team			League                   Position    Achievements/outcomes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014/15   A.C. Mezzocorona	Serie C2/B	         3rd         Promoted via play-offs! Overachievers!
2015/16   A.C. Mezzocorona	Serie C1/A	         10th        Survival when expected to finish bottom. Overachievers! 
2016/17   A.C. Mezzocorona	Serie C1/A	         10th        Survival when expected to finish bottom.

My A.C. Mezzocorona Record (1093 days at the club):

P 	W 	D 	L 	F	A	Win % 		Competitions Won / Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
111	48	22	41	169	148	43%		Serie C2/B Play-off Winners (2014/15)
							Named Serie C2/B Overachievers (2014/2015)
							Named Serie C1/A Overachievers (2015/2016)

Link to post
Share on other sites
noikeee

noikeee

Posted
Posted

I hadn't come across this thread earlier but I like Italy as much as anyone. :thup:

Shame the initial promise with promotion at first attempt hasn't been backed up by continuous progress, and I'm sure that's all because of the finances. The first time I tried Italy at that level the finances scared me too, as debt racks up at a crazy rate and income doesn't seem to come from anywhere! Hopefully Mezzocorona will become stable sooner or later.

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Another solid season,hopefully things will kick on next season.

Thanks BWG! :thup:

I speak to you on Steam occasionally so how the **** could I miss your thread?!?!

Great stuff Crouchy!

Thanks Daz! :)

Doing very well considering the financial strife.

Yeah, the financial thing is actually adding a nice level of challenge. I've never really experienced this before on FM.

Still looking really tough, hope you make it with them.

I actually think this season is going to be easier, especially once we move into the new stadium as I imagine our attendances will double and then some straight away.

I hadn't come across this thread earlier but I like Italy as much as anyone. :thup:

Shame the initial promise with promotion at first attempt hasn't been backed up by continuous progress, and I'm sure that's all because of the finances. The first time I tried Italy at that level the finances scared me too, as debt racks up at a crazy rate and income doesn't seem to come from anywhere! Hopefully Mezzocorona will become stable sooner or later.

Yeah, the finances are definitely adding a level of challenge but I'm actually happy that I'm not just having continuous progress. It will definitely be nice, though, once the club has become stable and I'm able to build something rather than just looking for survival each season.

Just caught up with this thread, after having enjoyed so many of your previous ones, crouchaldinho. Looks like it's tough going, but once you get that stadium going you should be set. KUTGW!

Thanks Trilderos. Yeah, I think the stadium will be massive.

Good luck in your next season, I fear you may need it!

Do you not lose points if you enter administration in Italy then?

I wondered about that too. Apparently not, at least not at C1 level.

I did assume that we'd be docked points. I also expected the team to be picked apart but luckily I was able to keep things stable in terms of the first team during the season.

Ouch, your financial woes have just put losing the championship on the last day into perspective!

Indeed! :)

Link to post
Share on other sites
SnakeXe

SnakeXe

Posted
Posted

It does seem administration is a minor inconvenience rather than a potential club-destroyer on the continent! I wonder why nowhere else actually bothers with a points deduction? It does seem stupid not to have some sort of sporting punishment.

Great season nonetheless! It'll be interesting to see the effect of the new stadium on the finances.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Mike7077

Mike7077

Posted
Posted

Another gripping Crouchy thread. Top drawer stuff.

I was kinda hoping there would be a points deduction and the financial crisis would worsen, just because it makes a change from reading threads about success after success!

Do you think the worst is over now, Mr. Crouch sir?

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Another gripping Crouchy thread. Top drawer stuff.

I was kinda hoping there would be a points deduction and the financial crisis would worsen, just because it makes a change from reading threads about success after success!

I know what you mean.

Had there been a points deduction, we would have been in the play-outs and it could have been very tricky indeed.

Do you think the worst is over now, Mr. Crouch sir?

Financial issues still abound at the club. However, my wage budget went back to something similar to my first season at this level. Also, we've successfully moved into a new stadium and our attendances have jumped from 1,000 to 2,500ish. So I expect things to get better from this point. Hopefully anyway.

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Here is a quick and informal update as we reach the winter break for the 2017/18 season in Serie C1/A.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Cittadella    |       | 17    | 10    | 4     | 3     | 33    | 19    | +14   | 34    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Varese        |       | 17    | 9     | 5     | 3     | 29    | 21    | +8    | 32    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Cuneo         |       | 17    | 9     | 4     | 4     | 38    | 29    | +9    | 31    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Modena        |       | 17    | 7     | 9     | 1     | 30    | 11    | +19   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Lumezzane     |       | 17    | 8     | 5     | 4     | 37    | 28    | +9    | 29    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Pavia         |       | 17    | 8     | 4     | 5     | 32    | 26    | +6    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Alto Adige    |       | 17    | 7     | 5     | 5     | 35    | 29    | +6    | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Venezia       |       | 17    | 8     | 2     | 7     | 33    | 23    | +10   | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
[b]| 9th   |       | Mezzocorona   |       | 16    | 6     | 7     | 3     | 22    | 17    | +5    | 25    | [/b]
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | AlbinoLeffe   |       | 17    | 7     | 3     | 7     | 25    | 23    | +2    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Padova        |       | 17    | 7     | 2     | 8     | 28    | 26    | +2    | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Feralpi Salò  |       | 17    | 5     | 6     | 6     | 31    | 33    | -2    | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Treviso       |       | 17    | 5     | 2     | 10    | 20    | 36    | -16   | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Vicenza       |       | 17    | 4     | 4     | 9     | 20    | 39    | -19   | 16    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Bassano       |       | 17    | 4     | 3     | 10    | 23    | 33    | -10   | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Sambonifacese |       | 17    | 2     | 5     | 10    | 20    | 41    | -21   | 11    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Como          |       | 17    | 2     | 2     | 13    | 13    | 35    | -22   | 8     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

So we're two points better off than this time last season but having played one less game. We're predicted to finish 17th so we're exceeding expectations again.

The actual first team hasn't changed too much but I have managed to strengthen the squad with the slightly bigger wage budget. All will be revealed regarding signings etc. in the end of season update.

I have to confess, I was really worried at the start of the season as we struggled to get any points on the board early on. However, by the time we got into October we hit our stride and we are currently on a 12 game unbeaten run.

As I mentioned in the last end of season update, our stadium move was delayed. We finally relocated on 21st November. A big day in the club's history! We've moved to the imaginatively titled 'Mezzocorona Stadium', which is a 9,679 all-seater. This is great progress for our tiny club. We'll get more paying fans through the gates and hopefully our troubled financial situation will be resolved bringing some long-term stability for the future of the club.

All in all, pretty positive. We're still very much a mid-table side though and so I need some stability so that I can start to build for a long-term strategy to aim for promotion.

Link to post
Share on other sites
crouchaldinho

crouchaldinho

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Very small baby steps forward, but at least things are stable this season. :thup:

Yes, it has been slow so far, although

things might speed up in the second half of this season. New update to come very soon!

Part of the slow progress is because of the finances obviously but also our club reputation is so low. We're always predicted to come bottom and can't attract many quality players at the moment. I think until the rep gets a significant boost, we'll be in this league for a while.

Crouchy, really interesting read.

The financial troubles add an interesting twist, intrigued to see how much of an effect the new stadium will have now the relocation is complete.

Best of luck for the rest of the year.

Thanks GazTheDoood!

I'm hoping the new stadium will make things stable for us at this level. Time will tell. We are still a very small club especially compared to some of the clubs coming down from Serie B each season.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...