[Napoli Save] The save game that is saving my life. A wonder tactic that is beating depression

[Sydney666]

Napoli replace Manolo Gabbiadini with ex Barcelona player Ruben Garcia

Ruben Garcia has signed for Napoli for a bargain fee of 2.5 million Euro. The ex Levante star was regarded as a flop signing by the media, after his big money to move to Barcelona ended in failure. Yet when he did play for Barcelona, he performed fantastically and his flop tag seems some what unjustified.. He scored 2 goals in his 3 La Liga appearances with an average of 7.9, yet he just did not get the game time that the player probably deserved.

The player will more than likely be a squad player at Napoli, and after players such as Lazaro and Allione have shown to be quality players, it may be difficult for him to grab a starting spot at the club. He sure will be getting a lot of game time off the bench and will be able to try and force his way into the first team if he can perform.

It seems Napoli have lately been scouring the transfer market for bargain signings, rather than approaching players who may have inflated values.

[Sydney666]

Victor Ibanez - The most underrated player in Serie A?

Have you ever heard of Victor Ibanez? If not, then you may not be alone. The Spanish International was signed by Napoli two seasons ago, yet he has battled a string of injuries keeping him on the sidelines for many months. Yet he has returned with all guns blazing, netting 5 goals in his last 7 matches and people are all wondering - where in the hell did he come from?

Well he is the second Napoli player, after Ruben Garcia who led the line for Levante in past seasons and have made their way to the Partenopei club.

He may well be one of the most talented strikers at Napoli, but he has a point to prove - he want's to show that he is a striker to be feared. He has been hiding in the shadows and is now ready to pounce - so Serie A sides and Europe alike should keep an eye on this player hiding out on the wings - literally.

[Sydney666]

Band of "rejects" team together to thump Milan 4-0

Not many teams around the globe have ever dominated like Napoli have over the last decade, and recently many of their aging stars have been replaced by what some may deem as "rejects" from other clubs. Virtually all the signings Napoli have done over the last two seasons have been solely transfer listed players. Some of these names include, Valentino Lazaro (7M), Augustin Allione(8.75M), Gustav Valsvik(375k), Victor Ibanez(22M), Sam Johnstone(550k), Matteo Darmian(Loan 250k), Bryan Cristante(4.4M), Ruben Garcia(2.5M) and Paulo Dybala(23M). That is nine players purchased for an outlay of 68.82 million Euro, and their current values now stand at 102.75 million Euro. So while these players were once deemed surplus at their clubs, they have now performed so well that their values have increased for a virtual profit of 33.18 million Euro. That is something quite rare, in a world of football where money is wasted on disgruntled, yet overpaid players on a daily basis.

Napoli were a club falling into financial ruin only as recent as two seasons ago, with over 140 million Euro in debt, now they stand pretty with 200 million Euros in the coffers. The new signings are young and vibrant with a winning mentality and while transition phases can be drastic for some clubs, Napoli have proven that it is possible to continue to be successful while replacing aging stars.

This just shows that sometimes you do not have to break the bank in order to make a winning squad. The right scouting, good timing, risk taking and knowing what kind of player fits into your tactic as well as signing players with a similar mentality - will create a strong winning unit.

While some fans are sad to see players such as Higuain, Callejon, Gabbiadini, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Koulibaly leave the club in the last 24 months, they are certainly warming up to their new stars. In their most recent match, there was a debut for Ruben Garcia, and first time goals for new signing Gustav Valsvik who at one point was deemed not good enough for struggling Serie A side Atalanta. There were also the usual great performances by Valentino Lazaro and Augustin Allione, while Victor Ibanez led the line for the first time, seeing that Fernandao and Carlos Saenz are all out injured. Milan who were at full strength, certainly thought they would be able to take advantage of a Napoli side missing many key first team players such as Marquinhos, Pogba, Fernandao and Saenz, with Insigne, Hamsik and Lacazette still far from their best physical condition - still recovering from their long term injuries. Instead they were completely played off the park and humiliated 4-0 by one of their closest rivals.

Bravo Napoli, Bravo!

Match Details

[Sydney666]

Napoli push to purchase Chievo star Sunday

Napoli have put in an enquiry for 22 year old Chievo and Italy star striker Sunday. Chievo rejected Napoli's advances, which then resulted in Napoli putting in an offer of 30 million Euro to show they mean business. Chievo rejected the offer and have since put a price tag of 102 million Euro for the current top scorer in Serie A. Napoli director of football, Gabin Etchebarne was said to have laughed at the price request by the mid table Serie A club.

"We obviously want the player to join our club, and Sunday has a big future in football and we want to offer him what he wants and that is winning trophies. He obviously wants to be a part of that, but we aren't prepared to deal with absurd numbers. It is almost as though Sunday has been kidnapped by the club and the price tag is like a ransom demand. Napoli will not deal with terrorists", laughed Etchebarne.

[Sydney666]

Napoli into TIM Cup Final with a 1-0 win against Juventus

It was a wonder goal from 30 yards by Marek Hamsik to send Napoli into their 8th straight TIM Cup Final. The match could have gone either way, and Juventus probably could and should have done more, especially after grabbing a 0-0 draw in Naples. It was a horrible night for football, with plays slipping all over the place and by the end of the match it was difficult to judge who was who as most kits were covered in mud.

Match Details

Napoli to play TIM Cup Final against Roma

It will be a hard match for Napoli, seeing that the final will be played right in Roma's ground, the Olimpico. Napoli have won 7 TIM Cups over the last 8 years, which is an Italian record and no matter what the result will be - Napoli will go down in history as one of the greatest Italian clubs of this era.

[Sydney666]

Napoli thump Dortmund 4-0 away in Germany!

Napoli have thumped Dortmund in Germany!

It was the first leg of the first round of the Champions League knockout round. Many thought this would be a close game but Napoli have shown why they have won 5 Champions Leagues over the last 8 years. Colella sprung some surprises with his selections, by starting Dybala and leaving Saenz on the bench. He also played Insigne out wide to take advantage of the lack of speed on Dortmunds right flank and played Valentino Lazaro in the hold behind the striker. Napoli also rested Battipaglia whom was showing signs of tiredness. Jonathan Silva and Ruben Garcia were cup tied, while Fernandao was still out injured. Even with a depleted squad and the poor weather, Napoli kept Dortmund pressed in their own half with their fantastic possession game and when the ball was lost, they worked hard to win the ball back.

Colella's decision to play Dybala worked wonders as the Argentine finished with two goals. Lacazette finally got back to scoring ways and it was great new for the player and club alike, especially after being injured for the majority of the season and still fighting for full fitness. Augustin Allione also got on the scorers chart, and has become an important impact player for the club.

Most media outlets are now stating that this tie is effectively OVER!...

Match Details

[Sydney666]

I_am_frustrated_!!!

So I am totally frustrated!

A week before the transfer deadline I put in a 50 million Euro offer for Arsenal striker Pim van Eck. I mentioned him a few posts ago and he is probably one of the best youngsters in the game. I have had my eye on him since he was about 17 and I was going to make an offer for him a long time ago, but Chelsea (whom he played for at the time) never wanted to sell him and would ask for silly prices like 340 million Euro etc... Chelsea spotted the player before I did, and only bought him for 275k! (lucky buggers!)

I then didn't realise that he was no longer on my shortlist and suddenly I saw him playing with Arsenal and they only paid 6 million Euros!

So, as stated I put in a 50 million Euro offer, after haggling them down from the initial 102 they wanted... It goes to contract talks and he wants a rotation role and low wages and I offer him a key position with a couple of million higher, just in case anyone else wanted to go for him.

Now the contract was "signed" a week before the transfer deadline and then I heard nothing right until the last 6 hours when I was asked by the media if I would be able to sign Pim before the end of the deadline. I surely replied "yes, I am sure it will be fine"... I mean, come on it's been a week since he signed this damn contract.

Then the transfer window closes shut and the transfer is cancelled....

WHY?!?!?!?!

Why did it take a week to put these damn papers in? Now I tried to re-negotiate and guess what...Arsenal want 300+ million Euro for him and won't talk otherwise. The player is now unhappy and put in a transfer request but the club is not selling.

Did I mention I am frustrated?

/rantover

[Sydney666]

Napoli link with Antonio Colella's home town club Western Sydney Wanderers

[Sydney666]

Colella linked to Manchester City Job!

Rumours have been circulating that Napoli manager, Antonio Colella may be on the verge of agreeing a contract that will see him be the new manager of Manchester City at the start of next season. The oil rich club has been performing well under par in recent years, and it seems owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak are finally fed up with the clubs performances over the last decade. Since 2014, the club has only one a single English Premier League title (2015/2016) and one Europa League(2017) cup. Amazingly the club finished 11th last season and yet manager Roberto Di Matteo some how managed to hold on to his job.

This evening at Wembley, Chelsea completely humiliated Manchester City 4-0 in a match where fans were hoping to see the club lift the Capitol One Cup, but it was not to be. Some fans feel that the club has lost it's identity in recent years and that it is appalling that some were dreaming of winning what some call a worthless cup, that is how low the expectations have become of the club.

A manager who could revive the blue side of Manchester could be someone who is used to leading his blues to victory and that is Napoli Manager Colella. The Napoli manager has 12 months left on his contract and has yet to be offered a new deal at the club. Media sources suggest that Colella is in no hurry to sign a new deal because he is expected to continue on as manager and thus contract talks are not high on the priority list, yet others suggest that Colella is looking for that right job which contains a mix of a challenge, an exciting league and a club with deep pockets.

After the 4-0 loss in the Capitol One cup, Di Matteo has still managed to keep his job and was given a vote of confidence - but most fans know that when those are given the manager's days are numbered. Some fans were interviewed after the match and it seems that the Australian born manager was on most of the Manchester City fans lips.

"I have lost faith in Di Matteo, he should have been given the boot after we finished 11th last season. I have nothing against Italian managers, I just think he plays a bland style of football. I would actually prefer another Italian manager, I think Colella could do a job here." stated one elderly fan.

"Why don't we just sign Colella, I mean he has won five Champions League - he's even better than Mourinho!" - exclaimed another fan, who's face was completely painted blue.

"My dad is from Naples, but we live in Manchester. We follow Napoli and City and I think Napoli has won enough and maybe it's time The Citizens began to win some trophies!" stated a youngster who seemed somewhat subdued by the events that had unfolded this evening.

"I don't bloody well care who we get as manager, you're asking me about Colella right? Well listen, I think my pet dog would do a better job than Di Matteo" exclaimed another fan, visibly upset.

There is one consensuses here and that is that Manchester City is a club that is underachieving and Di Matteo's days are more than likely numbered.

[Sydney666]

Shock as Colella announces retirement!

It is a sad day for football fans in Naples and also around the globe as Napoli's Legendary manager Antonio Colella has decided to call it quits with almost immediate effect, however he will manage the club one last time at home to Juventus - almost a magical ending to a Napoli career against one of their most fiercest rivals . There was complete shock around the streets as the news began to spread like wildfire. The shock has also spread in England where Colella is currently the national manager, but they were then relieved to know that Colella would see out his contract and take the club to the World Cup in Qatar.

Chairman Aurelio De Laurantiis had announced an 8pm media presentation and many had thought it was a regular club press conference, more than likely to tell fans that Colella had signed a new contract. This was similar to what happened in 2019 when Colella was heavily linked to Manchester United, and Colella had decided to renew his contract to ease fan worries and take away any distractions from the team. Some fans thought that a worse class scenario would be that Colella would announce that he would be leaving at the end of the season - but that would have sounded odd, seeing that Colella still had 12 months left on his contract.

However they were in for a huge shock when the news was presented, stating that Colella had quit because of family and health reasons. Grown men were seeing crying in coffee clubs at the heart of Naples and in the many pizzerias around the many towns located near the main city. Traffic literally sat still once the news was out, followed by celebrations in the street - with many fans honking their car horns and waving flags out of car windows. One would have been forgiven to have thought that Napoli had won a cup, but instead it was a huge sign of appreciation by fans celebrating a fantastic manager, rather than mourning the event as if it were a death.

Usually the straight faced Colella seemed very emotional while he spoke to the media, and had to take numerous pauses to complete his speech. De Laurentiis had taken over comments while Colella struggled to continue and as an even sterner man, it was also hard for him to hold back tears.

De Laurentiis opened the conference seemingly trying to avoid the key subject, but then eventually went into his feelings toward the manager and then give the news to fans.

"I am here to give you some news, which should not be taken as bad news but as a celebration. To my left is a manager who we have grown to respect, a manager who is one of our own. A manager born in Naples, who came through our youth ranks, then playing for the first team and then for his country of birth Australia. He had a good career, while not always at Naples, he remained loyal through his time. He was eventually hired as a youth coach and won the Viareggio Cup as well as the Under 18 tournaments, and finally in 2014 took over as manager after Rafa Benitez decided to move on. At first everyone was apprehensive at the move, and to be honest a small part of me did have doubts, but he has proven us all wrong.

So you may be wondering what I have to say and I wanted him (Colella) to give the news, but he asked me to deliver this news to you so that he would not change his mind", chuckled De Laurentiis, followed by an awkward smile. Colella who was visibly moved, still managed to muster a chuckle of his own.

"I am here to tell you all that your manager, Antonio Colella has decided to retire from management and his last match will be for us at home to Juventus". The comment caused a complete ruckus among media personnel and it took some seconds for the Napoli chairman to continue.

"Colella is not only a brilliant manager, but he is a very good man. Through my career I have never become this close to any of my employees before, but I can now proudly consider him (Colella) a good friend. I believe it is not his tactical mind or his football intelligence that has lead Napoli to be one of the most feared clubs on the football park, it is not his financial acumen or his training drills. Those are all great - don't get me wrong!" smirked the chairman. "He found a way to bring the best out of the players, out of all of us. He united not only the staff and the players, but he united a city - he changed this nations perception of Naples and Southern Italy. Napoli as a city is always scorned at by the North of Italy, but our success on the park and as a club has earned the city respect from all of Italy and has given fans something to be proud of. Fans who go to Milan or Turin to work are no longer ashamed of wearing the shirt in public - this was a sad truth and Colella changed all that. I will now allow you to speak to the manager, but before I do - I would like to see every single seat filled against Juve on Saturday and I would like everyone to wear your Napoli shirt or any blue clothing to show your respect to our parting manager. We must help him go out as a winning manager!"

Colella soon took up the mic and made his comments simple as to avoid being over emotional.

"I just want to thank the chairman for those kind words, it really does mean a lot to me. I also want to thank the staff, the players - current and past - and of course the fans. It has been a wonderful eight years. I did want to continue for many more years and I have never had any intention of leaving this club, but due to health issues of which I do not want to disclose at this time, I have decided that my time in football will soon come to an end. This will also give me the chance to spend quality time with my family while I sort my health issues". Colella at this point halted his speech as he appeared visibly upset and De Laurentiis decided to take over talking about some early memories of Serie A and Cups won under the manager. Colella then continued finishing his speech and answering questions once he managed to keep composed with the mic in hand.

"My last game will be against Juventus, and it was perfectly by chance. However it is a nice way to go out, with a great match and hopefully a win".

Colella then answered some questions;

Reporter: "So will you also be quitting your position as manager of England"

Colella: "I will continue as manager of England all the way to the conclusion of the tournament in Qatar"

Reporter: "Is your health condition life threatening? We know you do not want to give details, but you can't expect fans to remain worried?"

Colella: "No it is not life threatening, but lets just say that it is a problem that will not allow me to focus on managing as I should."

Reporter: "Do you think you will go out with a win on Saturday?"

Colella: (laughing) "I aim to win every game - you should know that by now!"

Reporter: "Do you think England will do well in the World Cup, especially as now they might be distracted by your news?"

Colella: "I hope to do well, the team is quite good and we always work hard with the aim to do well and we shall remain focused no matter what the media or other things out of our hands will throw at us"

Reporter: "But you stated that your current illness, whatever it may be, will affect your managing - will it affect your England job?"

Colella: "In the long term, yes it would. However there is only six months to the World Cup and not managing a club level will allow me to manage it and keep it under control".

Reporter: "Mr De Laurentiis, who will take over as manager when Colella retires?"

De Laurentiis: "Fabio Pecchia, our assistant manager will take over as care-taker manager until a more permanent solution is found."

So there you have it - Colella is to retire...! SHOCKING!

News on the Juventus match and then the England World Cup will follow (then the story will end - and my own personal comments will come).

[Sydney666]

Napoli thump Juventus 3-0 in emotional farewell...

It was a sad night for football fans this evening as manager Antonio Colella called it quits on a managerial career at the ripe old age of 42. The entire stadium had not one seat to spare and a giant banner of Colella was erected on one side of the stadium and one of Maradona on the other. Both of the gigantic banners read "Napoli will never forget".

A huge roar enveloped the ground as Colella stepped onto the field accompanied by his 3 children. Colella was provided with a large bouquet of flowers prior to the match which were half blue and half black and white as well as a specially designed pendant to commemorate the occasion. The pre-game gifts were presented by match captains of both teams, which were Marek Hamsik and Leonardo Bonucci.

With niceties aside, the match got on the way and it was napoli who locked Juventus in their own half for practically the entire match. The fire in the hearts of the players could be seen as Napoli finished the first half with an amazing 71% of possession and 22 shots. It could have easily finished 10-0 in the first half, but it was a solitary goal by Alessandro Sacco who ventured forward on a counter attack and capitalised on a fantastic cross from Mario Gaspar by volleying home. It was the first goal in Serie A for the 21 year old defender in over 100 appearances for the club and he made all his joy show by running straight to his manager and giving a bewildered Colella a kiss straight on the lips.

The second half began and on the first attack of the half, Carlos Saenz's glancing header was wonderfully saved by Jeronimo Rulli, but of all people Alessandro Sacco was there to tap in his second goal of the match. There were no kisses this time, as the player ran to the fans throwing both of his boots into the crowd. It was an amazing feat for a player who had never previously scored in Serie A. What made it even more of a feat is that he normally plays as a left or right back, but in recent weeks has been playing as center back and none of his goals were from set pieces.

Once celebrations were over, the referee gave Sacco a talking to, but did not issue a card - however the Napoli defender was forced to wait out the restart on the sidelines as he got a new pair of boots on. Napoli completely dominated the rest of the match and should have won by a greater margin, if it was not for Carlos Saenz and Insigne squandering numerous easy chances. Carlos Saenz finally added to the tally by a nice team goal. Fernandao dribbled by a couple of Juventus defenders and thread through a diagonal ball to Victor Ibanez, who cut the ball back for Carlos Saenz who headed the ball into the back of the net from point blank range.

The match ended with a gigantic roar - with numerous fans entering the pitch. These scenes were only ever seen in Naples when a league title was secured or when Maradona returned to Naples in 2005.

It was a fairytale ending to a fantastic managerial career at Naples, but Colella will be hoping to win one more title - the Fifa World Cup for England. One thing is for certain, he will go down as one of the greatest, if not the best manager of all time. One fan suggested that Napoli had the best player of all time in Maradona, and Colella was basically the Maradona of managers.

Match Details

Colella's trophy wins

8 Serie A

6 Tim Cups

5 Champions Leagues

5 FIFA World Club Cups

5 UEFA Super Cups

7 Italian Super Cups

1 FIFA World Cup (2018 Brazil)

1 Superclassico (2017 Brazil)

1 Nations League (2021 England)

[deltablue]

Great way to bow out at Napoli. Good luck capping it all off with the World Cup.

[Sydney666]

Thanks guys. I decided that I had won all I could ever win at the club and there was no point moving clubs either.

I feel the game has done it's job and helped me a lot through a dark time - I have been playing the game virtually every day for the last 4 months and it's time for a break. Also I noticed writing a story along with playing really took it's toll with me mentally - I am not sure why but it made it difficult to play and enjoy at the same time.

Also my son and daughter have lately been trying to spend more time with me, so I decided to buy a different game that all of us can participate. My son also want's to play FM so I will let him have a go of the game on his PC.

I will be finishing the World Cup however and I will post the results of each match here then the story will end.

I won't lie, I put the speakers up loud for the final match against Juventus and put some chants from Youtube in the background and at the end I really did feel sad, but I felt that I just was not enjoying the game as much as I was. Lastly, I spent the last two seasons logging bugs and ideas from my game and sent it to SI to try and help them with my feedback - I do love walls of text as you guys may know.

Let's hope I do well at the World Cup - I really want to win it - but the England side isn't very strong, but then again I thought the same of my Brazil side where only Neymar was really World Class, and he was out injured for most of it. :o

[dllu]

My son also want's to play FM so I will let him have a go of the game on his PC.

If he does better than you, ask his permission to post it here!

[deltablue]

I won't lie, I put the speakers up loud for the final match against Juventus and put some chants from Youtube in the background and at the end I really did feel sad, but I felt that I just was not enjoying the game as much as I was.

I know the feeling. In my last career I bowed out at Slavia Prague (for the second time having lost a lot of seasons to technical issues) with a devastatingly crushing 7-0 win against a Jihlava side that finished 3rd and I couldn't help imagining the incredible reaction from the fans at the end as well as listening to songs with that sort of 'fond farewell' theme.

[Sydney666]

If he does better than you, ask his permission to post it here!

I think you would go crazy trying to read his hipster cool facebook text type.

[nie jem frytek]

Mario Gaspar got called up in real life.

[nie jem frytek]

And now he has just scored his debut goal against Ukraine.

[Bluedylan]

Really interesting read, this thread. Best wishes to you and your family, Tony.

Could I possibly trouble you to tell me which skins, backgrounds and graphics packages you have please? They look fantastic.

[nie jem frytek]

@Bluedylan

(other details, please don't ask)

Skin : Scorpio V1.9

Background : Picture of Naples

All mods were taken from sortitoutsi

[Bluedylan]

@Bluedylan

Ah, sorry for missing it.

Much appreciated.

[mezzboms]

Tony, not sure if you'll see this but just wanted to say thankyou. I've never been in the story section of the forum before and I stumbled upon your thread by chance from your tactics thread. I really enjoyed reading your posts and will look out for Napoli IRL and in my FM saves. I often only manage to play about 4 seasons before I lose interest but this has spurred me on to try and go further. If you start playing again please post a link here if you fancy doing updates.

I wish you all the best!

Mezz