Ragusa to riches (the toe-end of the boot)

[nerf]

Introduction

Ragusa

The city of Ragusa, the capital of the province of the same name, is a likeable place with an encouraging and friendly atmosphere. Located down in the south-east of Sicily, off the beaten path and away from tourism, the area is tranquil and authentically Sicilian.

I spent my first weekend as a resident strolling around the two halves of the city. After visiting the church of San Giorgo - the same George who is patron saint of England and who seems to be well liked in these parts - I climbed the 242 steps of Santa Maria delle Scale to the upper part of town. Here the architecture is of baroque and neo-classical themes, and is dominated by the Duomo, a building of grand scale adorned with yet more representations of old George.

My wandering took me close to the stadium high up the valley, and, having only taken a quick glance around on my previous visit, I decided to amble inside and sit down to soak it in. The Aldo Campo Selvaggio stadium is surprisingly modern in contrast to such an old city. An all seater stadium capable of holding 3500 people, it is neat and clean and the light-blue seats shone in the afternoon sun. I wondered how much of it we would fill come match day; I had noticed one or two blue-and-white rosettes in windows around the town, but it did not seem like the most openly passionate football place in the world.

The pitch looked in decent condition considering the dry climate, and I liked the feel of the place. Hopefully opposing teams in the Serie C2/C will feel otherwise this season.

The city tends to become deathly quiet around lunch time, but on my way back down the hill the shops were opening again and I picked up a newspaper, to read while sat outside with a pastry at the Caffè Trieste. My Italian was still rudimentary but I was able to gather in the sports section that AC Milan were being hotly tipped for the Scudetto this season. Further down there was mention that Henrik Larsson had left Celtic for Real Betis in Spain, and my best guess at the conversion rate came up with a £10 million fee. It reminded me to discuss finances with Giuseppe Antoci as soon as possible this week.

[nerf]

Introduction

Ragusa

The city of Ragusa, the capital of the province of the same name, is a likeable place with an encouraging and friendly atmosphere. Located down in the south-east of Sicily, off the beaten path and away from tourism, the area is tranquil and authentically Sicilian.

I spent my first weekend as a resident strolling around the two halves of the city. After visiting the church of San Giorgo - the same George who is patron saint of England and who seems to be well liked in these parts - I climbed the 242 steps of Santa Maria delle Scale to the upper part of town. Here the architecture is of baroque and neo-classical themes, and is dominated by the Duomo, a building of grand scale adorned with yet more representations of old George.

My wandering took me close to the stadium high up the valley, and, having only taken a quick glance around on my previous visit, I decided to amble inside and sit down to soak it in. The Aldo Campo Selvaggio stadium is surprisingly modern in contrast to such an old city. An all seater stadium capable of holding 3500 people, it is neat and clean and the light-blue seats shone in the afternoon sun. I wondered how much of it we would fill come match day; I had noticed one or two blue-and-white rosettes in windows around the town, but it did not seem like the most openly passionate football place in the world.

The pitch looked in decent condition considering the dry climate, and I liked the feel of the place. Hopefully opposing teams in the Serie C2/C will feel otherwise this season.

The city tends to become deathly quiet around lunch time, but on my way back down the hill the shops were opening again and I picked up a newspaper, to read while sat outside with a pastry at the Caffè Trieste. My Italian was still rudimentary but I was able to gather in the sports section that AC Milan were being hotly tipped for the Scudetto this season. Further down there was mention that Henrik Larsson had left Celtic for Real Betis in Spain, and my best guess at the conversion rate came up with a £10 million fee. It reminded me to discuss finances with Giuseppe Antoci as soon as possible this week.

[nerf]

Monday 5th August 2002

My first task on Monday morning, however, was a meeting with my coaching staff - First-team coach Leo Pellegrino, goalkeeping player/coach Corrado Vaccaro, and Emanuele Giampiccolo who will be my assistant. Signor Antoci had been complimentary about them all, so I had no current plans to replace any of them and wanted to hear what their opinions on the players were.

All three coaches seemed fairly positive about the current squad. We only have 22 players but barely a bad word to say about any of them, and there appears to be a good mix between youth and experience. The most negative view was probably from Corrado about himself, as he admitted that at 39 he was not really expecting to be competing for the number 1 jersey with the other three younger and more capable goalkeepers.

Tuesday 6th August 2002

I sat down today to chat about the club's financial situation with Giuseppe Antoci. As things stand we have a pretty even £100,000 in the bank. £45,000 of that comes from the club's sponsorship deal, and Signor Antoci generously suggested that most of that sponsorship money should be made available for the transfer budget. For a club this small it is not a bad situation to be in, by my limited experience.

One thing that might worry me slightly is the wage bill. Fortunately we have a small squad but there is still £5,000 going out per week, from a wage budget of £5,750. It is impossible for me to get a grasp on how things will go at such an early stage, and I hope that the chairman has made a conservative enough estimate with his budgeting. It will probably also depend on how many locals we can tempt to the Selvaggio each week.

Thursday 8th August 2002

After being in charge barely a week it looks as though 2 people will already be leaving the club. Young winger Pietro Cutaia's contract expires as early as January, and a Serie D club called Matera has approached him with an offer to join them in the new year. I'm disappointed that I haven't had chance to judge him first, but at the same time I am not going to up the wage bill further to keep a player that we may not need. We already have cover should we choose to play with wide midfielders, and my staff tell me that they question whether he possesses the determination to improve and become a first team regular. Pietro will go and speak with Matera, on the basis that he can either stay here on the same contract or sign a longer contract for more money with the new club.

More disappointingly I spoke with my assistant Emanuele and he tells me that he is interested in taking the assistant manager's role at Lodigiani, the 'other' club in Rome. They would like to have him on board, it is a club he used to play for, and he has family in the region - as if the city itself was not enough of a pull already. I told him that I would very much like him to stay here but will not obstruct him if he wants to leave.

[nerf]

Tuesday 13th August 2002

I have now had a full week and more to deal with the players in training, and I have to say I'm quite pleased with their response. For a semi-pro side there is plenty of determination and energy amongst them, which are attributes that I value very highly as a coach. We progressed from runs, sprints and stamina exercises to more general training, and they seem like a nice bunch of lads so things have started well.

GK Nicolas Cinalli

GK Antonio Di Giovanni

GK Giuseppe Lenea

GK Corrado Vaccaro (player/coach)

DRC Pietro Alderuccio (on loan)

DR Stefano Guastella

DLC Graziano Ursino (on loan)

DC Pietro Infantino

DC Dario Italia

DMR Danilo Sabellini

DMRL Simone Tamburro

MRL Alessandro Bonaffini

MRL Pietro Cutaia

MRL Manolo Manoni

MC Gaspare Pellegrino

AMC Vladimiro Caramel

FRC Carmelo Bonarrigo

FR Domenico Tassone (on loan)

SC Marco Cirillo

SC Giancarlo Ferrara

SC Claudio Gallichio

SC Vittorio Emanuele Lupo

As expected, Pietro Cutaia was tempted by Matera's offer and has agreed to transfer to them when the window opens at the start of January. Emanuele Giampiccolo will also be moving back to Rome to begin his new job at Lodigiani - my disappointment only slightly countered by the £7,000 compensation fee that we will receive in return.

I have also had my first batch of reports back from our scout Enrico Calabrese. He doesn't seem to be the most experienced scout in the business but you certainly can't fault his enthusiasm. I have particularly had in mind a new central midfielder, as the current squad is very short of cover in that area, and the best of the bunch looks like 24 year old Nazzareno Scopelliti who currently plays for Gela. I am told that he is hard-working and vocal on the field, two things that come in very useful in the centre of the park, so we'll take another look at him and all being well we might place our first bid.

[nerf]

Friday 16th August 2002

The first two weeks have passed in a blur, and before you know it its match day. I gathered my coaches together yesterday and talked tactics for a while. They mainly agreed with what I had to say but it was necessary to make sure we are all the same page and there wasn't a glaring error in my plans.

The one big bonus is that every single member of the squad is fully fit and for the most part raring to go. After studying the players we have, and deliberately deciding to work a system to suit the players rather than the other way round, I came to a final decision of going with a 5-3-2 attacking formation. A back 3, 2 wingbacks pushing forward past midfield, 2 central midfielders in the engine room, and 1 floating in the hole behind the front 2. I will have to ask one of our wide midfielders to play out of position in the centre for now, but otherwise I'm confident that on paper this appears to be the system that should suit our players the most.

When it came down to choosing a club captain, I faced a difficult choice between the experienced Infantino and the determined Tamburro. I felt that Tamburro's drive and tough play would help him lead through example, and with Infantino already 36 the centre back would not be a sound choice long term.

Serie C Cup Group P

Ragusa v Gladiator

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Infantino, Italia, Alderuccio; Ursino, Tamburro©; Manoni, Pellegrino; Caramel; Ferrara, Tassone.

Gladiator made the trip down from Santa Maria Capua Vetere, a town on the outskirts of Napoli, and 1904 people were there to greet them at the Aldo Campo Selvaggio. There was quite a buzz around the ground for the first match of the competition.

We made a fairly pleasing start. Although it was pretty even for the first half an hour, I felt that we did most of the pressing and the lads were clearly up for it. A disaster on 34 minutes then, as a rare Gladiator foray resulted in a corner, and a decent ball swung into the box was headed home by striker Rosario Majella. 1-0 to the visitors.

Although going a goal down was not exactly the start I had intended to make, I still believed we edged the first half and had the majority of possession, even if all we had to show for it was a few saves by their keeper. Graziano Ursino at left wingback wasn't getting involved enough for my liking, and Manoni in midfield was wanting too much time in possession and giving the ball away too often, so I took them both off at half-time. Sabellini came on at right wingback with Tamburro moving across to fill Ursino's spot, and Bonaffini was a straight swap for Manoni.

Vladimiro Caramel wasn't having as much of an impact as I would like, so I had a word to tell him to try drifting out to either wing as often as possible. I had a feeling that if he could avoid being bogged down in the middle and instead link up with the wingbacks to get some crosses in, he could cause a lot more damage in the second half.

The second half started much better and within 5 minutes we managed to get our deserved equaliser. Tassone won the ball in the air and flicked it out left to Ferrara who started running at the defence. He managed to sprint his way into the box and turned at the touchline, then attempted to drill it across the six yard box towards Tassone coming in at the far post. Gladiator's goalkeeper Vincenzo Di Muro tried to cut out the cross but only succeeded in deflecting the ball into his own net, 1-1.

We were on top from then on. I made my final substitution by bringing Gallichio on for Tassone, giving us a fresh pair of legs up front as we pushed for a winning goal. I also shouted for Caramel to come over and hug the right touchline, enabling us to double up on their left back.

With 79 minutes on the clock, Ferrara won a header and flicked it in behind their number 4. Gallichio pounced on the through ball, took it inside the area onto his right and lashed a powerful strike across the keeper, 2-1. We finally had the lead. After that Gladiator saw they needed to push forward more, but our defence was solid and our midfield and wingbacks were working hard.

With just 3 minutes plus stoppage time remaining we punished them on the break. Pellegrino picked the ball up deep in midfield and floated the ball to the right wing, where both Caramel and Gallichio had found acres of space. Gallichio gathered the ball and took it forward, and by the time the opposing centre back had managed to get across to cover they were already at the edge of the area. Caramel angled his run inside, Gallichio drew the defender and slipped a simple pass into his path, and Caramel had all the time in the world to sweep the ball home off the far post.

Final score: Ragusa 3-1 Gladiator

[Gino]

Great start nerf! Anyone who can have success is lower league Italian is a good manager in my book because it's nigh on impossible! All the best! Keep this up

[nerf]

Thanks for the kind words Gino

Saturday 17th August 2002

What a day yesterday had been! I was delighted with the victory, and it was nice to see the fans enjoying the game, but the performance pleased me the most. There was desire and energy throughout the team and we had easily been the better side over the 90 minutes.

My physios tell me that goalkeeper Nicolas Cinalli had somehow suffered a finger injury at the end of the match but there is a chance that he will be ready for the next game. We'll see how he is in training, we may have to consider putting one of the younger keepers in.

Our next fixture is Pordenone away on Tuesday night, a team who were blitzed 0-4 in their first match. Having never heard of the place I check my map, and am horrified to discover that it is north of Venice! From the southern tip of Sicily we have to go the entire length of Italy to reach Pordenone in the north-east, close to the borders of Slovenia and Austria, which is about as far away as you can get. We will be traveling up on Monday, and looking on the bright side I guess it will at least give me chance to get to know my players a bit more.

Sunday 18th August 2002

The tentative £1,000 bid for Scopelliti was accepted and Gela gave us permission to speak with the midfielder today. Our contract offer of £450/week would make him one of the highest paid at the club, and I told him he can expect to be a regular feature in the side if he lives up to our expectations. Disappointingly I got the impression that he was quite cool on the idea of joining us though, and I don't think he was overly impressed by a quick tour around the old town or a visit to the small stadium.

[nerf]

Monday 19th August 2002

Nicolas Cinalli, 23, Goalkeeper

The only non-Italian in the squad, Nicolas hails from Argentina. He looks like a capable goalkeeper and will be our first choice, as long as he doesn't keep damaging his fingers celebrating victories like he managed to do on Friday! Corrado tells me that Nicolas can occasionally be a bit temperamental, but he certainly seems stable so far. Interestingly he used to be on the books at Perugia.

Antonio Di Giovanni, 19, Goalkeeper

Antonio is a brave kid and quick on his feet. He hasn't overly impressed his coach in training though, and is not much of a threat to the first team jersey for the time being. I might consider offering him out on loan to get some experience.

Giuseppe Lenea, 17, Goalkeeper

I have had some glowing reports from Corrado about this young lad; he is showing signs of developing into a quality goalkeeper and his confidence helps him to be particularly good in 1-on-1 situations. He also seems very excited and happy to be playing football, always has a smile on his face and is often acting out eccentrically in training.

Corrado Vaccaro, 39, Goalkeeper

The veteran goalkeeping coach admits that his best days are behind him. This is fine by me, with Emanuele gone I will need him to concentrate on the coaching side anyway. He certainly looks like a very good goalkeeping coach and should help our young keepers a lot.

Pietro Alderuccio, 19, Defender right/central (on loan)

The first of our three loan signings from Reggina, I also consider Pietro to be the most promising. At just 19 he has a lot of composure to go with his ability, is adept at marking and is not afraid of a tackle. He has been impressive so far.

Pietro Infantino, 36, Centre Back

Pietro has a wealth of experience at this level of football, but at 36 must be nearing the end of his career. He uses his knowledge to help his younger teammates whenever he can and should be able to maintain a first team place as long as his legs hold out.

Dario Italia, 32, Centre Back

Dario's combination with Infantino gives us masses of experience at the back. He can be occasionally lapse in his marking but uses his head and reads the game fairly well, so he will probably play in the middle of the back three.

Graziano Ursino, 19, Defender left/central (on loan)

Our second Reggina defender, Graziano is a big lad but slow with it, as is often the case. We saw on Friday that he does not have the pace or mobility to play at left wing-back, and he will struggle to win a place in the back three. We do need him as cover though with our defence short on numbers.

Stefano Guastella, 18, Right Back

Stefano has been fairly quiet and has not done anything to stand out in training, positive or negative, but the coaches gave a good opinion of him when I arrived and I will try to give him a run out as soon as possible to see what he can do.

Danilo Sabellini, 19, Right Wingback

Danilo gave a good account of himself in the second half against Gladiator and looks as though he could be worthy of a place in the first eleven. He is aggressive, quick and likes to get up and down the line, and also possesses a long throw.

Simone Tamburro, 28, Wingback

I gave Simone the captain's armband and I can already tell that he will be an important figure for us this season. He seems very driven, is determined and aggressive and is vocal both in training and in matches. He is also in great physical shape and enjoys getting stuck in. Although he favours his right foot more than his left foot, he can play either side and will most likely find himself leading from the left this season.

Alessandro Bonaffini, 21, Winger

Though nothing special at first glance, Alessandro is certainly game. He wanted to impress when he came off the bench on Friday and did himself a lot of good by getting involved and working hard. If he keeps that up he might earn himself a starting spot.

Pietro Cutaia, 19, Winger

Pietro has already confirmed that he will be leaving us in January, so I don't intend to consider him for first team action unless injuries force it. He shows some willingness to get forward off the ball, but he hasn't displayed much else in training. It will be a small relief to not have three Pietro's around, with the language barrier as it is.

Manolo Manoni, 25, Winger

Manolo is in good shape and can run all day if needs be, but I feel he lacks in his attitude a little. Occasionally he can be uninterested or lazy, and he got caught in possession too many times on Friday. I will give him some more chances before I judge him however.

Gaspare Pellegrino, 19, Centre Midfield

Really our only genuine central midfield player, Gaspare does not have his first team place on position alone. Very enthusiastic and with a work-rate to match, he could be an important player to have in the middle of the park this season. I was delighted with his display against Gladiator when he was a real terrier in midfield.

Vladimiro Caramel, 34, Attacking Midfield

He has a ridiculous name, he's old at 34 and he's certainly not keen on defending. On the other hand he's experienced, very comfortable on the ball and can whip a cross onto the blade of grass of your choice from anywhere on the wing. He's also in surprisingly good shape for his age and has a deceptive turn of pace when running with the ball. I can see Vladi being a vital creative influence on the side this season, and if we can work him out wide more often then I hope to see that crossing ability being used to full effect.

Carmelo Bonarrigo, 27, Forward

Carmelo has shown a good range of passing in training but at first glance seems to lack in more crucial areas of an attacker's repertoire. I have yet to decide how to use him but he will get his chance eventually, perhaps in a Sheringham role.

Domenico Tassone, 20, Forward

The third of our three players on loan from Reggina, Domenico is a powerful right-sided forward with a good spring and a trick or two. Although he got up well in the build up to our first goal, he didn't really impress me in the rest of the first half and was subbed as a result. We are also paying his wages so if he doesn't impress early then I might consider terminating his loan to save the club some cash.

Marco Cirillo, 25, Striker

Marco is an energetic player with a good level of fitness. Again I will need to look at him in a match situation to be able to judge him properly.

Giancarlo Ferrara, 27, Striker

Determined and aggressive, Giancarlo can be a handful for defenders and he always wants to get forward quickly when he's on the ball. Although not excelling in any particular area, at this stage he looks like he could potentially be our main striker this season.

Claudio Gallichio, 25, Striker

Not too dissimilar to Ferrara, Gallichio is strong and plays with plenty of energy. When he came on in the second half on Friday he helped himself to a goal and an assist in impressive style, so he has probably won himself the opportunity to start tomorrow.

Vittorio Emanuele Lupo, 27, Striker

Vittorio tends to be very quiet and shy in training and only finds his confidence when the ball is at his feet, but that's when his flair and flamboyance comes through. A few tricks aren't enough to impress me though, and he will need to show more if he wants to compete for a crowded position. Leo has commented that he's not sure if Vittorio has the ambition or drive to achieve this.

[Peacemaker7]

Neat looking start, good luck with this!

[nerf]

Thanks Peacemaker7 - and believe me, I'll need it!

Tuesday 20th August 2002

We arrived at the Bottechia in Pordenone with a full strength squad again. Nicolas Cinalli insisted that his finger was feeling fine and was able to convince the physios to clear him to play, so I will trust their word and he keeps his place. The only changes I made were to start with the same side that finished the last game, so Sabellini, Bonaffini and Gallicchio started at the expense of Ursino, Manoni and Tassone.

Serie C Cup Group P

Pordenone v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Infantino, Italia, Alderuccio; Tamburro©, Sabellini; Bonaffini, Pellegrino; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

The first half an hour was scrappy, with neither team really settling down into any rhythm. The midfield was strongly contested with Pellegrino working hard in there again and both wingbacks getting involved, and eventually Pordenone's Willy Baiana found himself in the book for a particularly over-enthusiastic challenge.

On 34 minutes the game changed. Despite his earlier warning, Baiana lunged in again on Sabellini and caught him high, leaving poor Danilo in agony on the floor. Our physios Salvatore Rinzillo and Gioacchino Giudice rushed on but he had to be stretchered off, with Salvatore giving me a shake of the head as he went by. I quickly turned and told Stefano Guastella to get warmed up to take over on the right. There was suddenly a roar of disapproval from the crowd of nearly 1500 in the Bottechia stadium, and I looked up to see Baiana trudging off with his shirt hanging out - the referee had sorted out the melee and shown him a second yellow followed by the red.

Could the man advantage prove to be a turning point? Minutes later Pellegrino went close with a 25 yard drive, and then just before half-time Giancarlo Ferrara dragged wide when he really should have at least hit the target.

I made no changes at the break. We had been on top since the sending off and were starting to look more dangerous, and nobody was tiring yet. On the hour I thought we had made the break-through. Tamburro chipped down the left for Ferrara, who teased the defender and jinked his way to the byline. After what seemed like an age he finally twisted and swung the ball across the six yard line, the keeper was helpless to stop the cross, but Gallicchio was a stud's length away from getting onto the end of it.

5 minutes later we made another foray down the left wing. Tamburro had been bombing up the line all game, and this time he was able to pull the ball back across the crowded area. Ferrara checked his run, brought it smoothly under control, turned, and finished with a powerful strike past the keeper. 1-0!

I freshened up the attack shortly afterwards by bringing Tassone on for Gallicchio, to give the loan signing another chance to show what he can do. It was Ferrara who was having the most impact though. Minutes later a free kick was won on the right wing, Caramel picked out Ferrara's head with one of his pinpoint crosses, and the striker nodded home at the near post for his second goal to make it 2-0.

With 15 minutes left I brought Manoni on in midfield to rest Gaspare Pellegrino, who had worked tirelessly all match yet again. Ferrara might steal the glory for his sharp finishing but Gaspare's effort in midfield was exemplary.

Final score: Pordenone 0-2 Ragusa

[nerf]

Wednesday 21st August 2002

Back in Ragusa, my delight at getting off to a great start in our first two matches was tempered today by two pieces of bad news. First of all Salvatore the physio confirmed his initial fears about Sabellini by informing me that the injury to his hip could keep him out for 3 months or more. Although young Stefano Guastella had done reasonably well in filling the right wingback slot yesterday, Sabellini had impressed me and it will be a blow to lose him so early and for so long.

I also received a message from our Director of Football, Marcello Pitino, to let me know that our attempt to bring midfielder Nazzareno Scopelliti to Ragusa had failed. Gela had also accepted two identical bids from other clubs, and Scopelliti had decided to join Ravenna in Serie D rather than come here. Apparently Ravenna are well supported in their local region, and I am told that despite being in Serie D they are considered slightly less obscure on a national scale than Ragusa are. Even so, I am worried that our first potential signing would rather drop down a division than play for Ragusa.

It also occurred to me that this was the first proof I had of Sig Pitino actually doing any work. Since our brief greeting on my arrival nearly a month ago I had not seen him around the club at all. This in a way can be a good thing, as in general I’m wary of so-called Directors of Football who can sometimes try to interfere in the running of the team.

[nerf]

Saturday 24th August 2002

For our third fixture we made the trip across to Martina Franca, on the 'heel' of Italy between Bari and Lecce. Here we would face Serie C1 side Martina in the Gian Domenico Tursi, where 3465 fans were looking forward to the match.

The only team change I made was forced, with Stefano Guastella stepping into the gap left by Sabellini's long term injury.

Serie C Cup Group P

Martina v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Infantino, Italia, Alderuccio; Tamburro©, Guastella; Bonaffini, Pellegrino; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallichio.

The first half an hour was fairly tight with neither team really looking threatening. On 29 minutes it was us who made the first real chance on goal, with Giancarlo Ferrara's great play down the left resulting in a cross into the box. Caramel's first touch cushioned the ball nicely past his marker first time, but his powerful volley screamed over the crossbar.

This seemed to spark Martina in to life and they began to push us back. A cross came towards our box from their left and Dario Italia challenged to get his head to it. The ball dropped perfectly for Martina midfielder Ambrogioni 30 yards out, and his right foot produced a spectacular curling drive that rocketed into the top corner. Cinalli had no chance.

Half-time came round. We had kept Martina to hopeful long range shots only and were unfortunate that one had been hit so sweetly, but we had also failed to cause them any problems at the other end. Guastella was looking lost when the ball was at his feet and in general our passing play was hesitant and poor. Caramel in particular had failed to get involved with his only contribution being the wild volley, so he came off for Bonarrigo and Cirillo replaced Gallicchio.

On the hour, defender Alderuccio recieved a hefty kick to the foot in a 50-50 challenge and had to limp off for some treatment from the physio. Martina almost took advantage of their temporary extra man, but Cinalli saved well from a header and we managed to clear.

Time was passing and we were still lacking in attack, so I knew I had to change something. Pellegrino had worked his socks off in the previous two matches and looked like he was finally beginning to tire, so I rested him to bring Tassone on and switched to a 4-2-4 formation, with Ferrara, Cirillo, Bonarrigo and Tassone all in the attack. This new more direct style almost paid off when Ferrara nodded the ball down to Cirillo inside the box, but the striker's shot went straight at the keeper and was saved comfortably.

Inevitably however it opened up chances for Martina to catch us. On 78 minutes a fast break resulted in a low cross whipped in from the right, and Campolattano nipped in before our defenders to poke the ball past Cinalli. It was a well executed and ruthless counterattack that left us facing a 2-0 defeat.

With just 3 minutes remaining we managed to give ourselves a glimmer of hope. Tassone won the ball in the home side's half and put the eager Cirillo through on goal. His shot deflected off the advancing keeper and the ball trickled gradually towards the goal... Martina centre-back Sottili was chasing back, and just when it looked like he would keep it out, his desperate lunge to clear the ball only succeeded in blasting it into the roof of his own net. By a slice of good fortune we had clawed a goal back, but would it be too little too late?

Out on the edge of my technical area, I urge the players forward as the match enters the last minute. Tassone has relatively fresh legs and picks the ball up to race down the right flank. The full back manages to stay with him, but Tassone is still able to curl his cross around his opponent as Cirillo and Ferrara come dashing into the box... I'm almost literally jumping up to head the ball in from the dugout... but the cross drifts agonisingly over the heads of both onrushing strikers and out for a goal kick.

That was our last attack, as Martina keep us at bay for the short period of injury time and condemn us to our first defeat.

Final score: Martina 2 - 1 Ragusa

[nerf]

Sunday 25th August 2002

Although we had only lost 2-1 away to a Serie C1 team, and it had taken an absolute screamer from Ambrogioni and a lethal counterattack to score against us, I was not very happy with our overall performance. In truth we probably hadn't deserved the point that we had come close to snatching at the death, and in the first half we had been unimaginative and lacking quality on the ball. Perhaps the two away trips in 5 days had taken its toll on the players, but it was more of a mental thing than a fitness problem - we still had much of the tenacity without the ball, we were just very weak on it.

I would normally have wanted to give the lads a rest after the week we had just been through, but unfortunately we have a difficult game coming up on Tuesday and can't afford to relax. One player that will be resting is Pietro Alderuccio, who was examined by the physios and has been advised by Salvatore to keep off the damaged heel for a week.

Tuesday 27th August 2002

Tonight we entertain Sudtirol-Alto Adige at the Aldo Campo Selvaggio. In their previous fixture they destroyed Gladiator 4-0, helped by a hat-trick from Manuel Sinato, a flamboyant striker on loan from Juventus. We'll need to keep an eye on him, that's for sure.

Just one team change enforced again, with Graziano Ursino stepping in at centre back to replace his injured Reggina teammate Alderuccio.

Serie C Cup Group P

Ragusa v Alto Adige

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Ursino, Italia, Infantino; Tamburro©, Guastella; Bonaffini, Pellegrino; Caramel; Ferrara, Cirillo.

The Selvaggio was only half full but hopefully we could give them something to cheer about. In the first minute we looked as if we were starting brightly, as Ferrara won a header and knocked it down to Caramel who played a one-two with Pellegrino. The 34 year old broke through the visitor's defence and took a shot, but it was saved by the keeper and cleared before Ferrara could pounce on the rebound.

After 5 minutes Alto Adige made their first threatening move of the match but were foiled by a vital interception from Italia. However, minutes later they made sure as a near post corner was headed home my midfielder Nardi, and we were already 1-0 down.

Not for long though. On 11 minutes a long ball was flicked across by Ferrara and Marco Cirillo was on the end of it in the box. He took his time, drew the keeper, and swept it past him into the net for the equaliser. Needless to say I was delighted to get back into the game so soon after going behind, and it was a fine finish from Marco to get his first of the season.

Unfortunately we were unable to build on that and Alto Adige started to get on top. They were very threatening down their left side, especially with Brazilian Jose Reis Odair, who was looking very tricky indeed. I shouted at Stefano Guastella to hang back and not leave gaps by pushing forward to join the attack.

It was young Stefano's long ball that created a good chance for us on 27 minutes. His chip forward sent the lively Ferrara racing across the back of the defence to latch onto it in the area, and as it bounced up for the volley he attempted to hook it towards goal with his right foot. He caught it sweetly, perhaps too sweetly, and the Alto Adige keeper was forced to tip it over the bar.

The visitors' pressure paid however. On the half hour Sinata beat Italia to the ball and flicked it on for Reis Odair. The Brazilian had managed to nip around the back of our defence, glided into the area, and finished with a classy drive into the far corner. We were 2-1 down and looking second best. A few minutes later, a spectacular dipping volley from 30 yards by Sinata required Cinalli to tip it over his crossbar. Half-time couldn't come soon enough.

With few options on the bench I did not make any substitutions, but chose to make some tactical alterations. Alto Adige were enjoying superior numbers down the left, so I pulled Caramel out wide right in an attempt to occupy their left full back and stop him marauding forwards, as well as getting in some crosses of his own.

Things didn't improve too much in the second half. Ferrara had a half-chance saved, but on 66 minutes Alto Adige's quality showed through. Reis Odair mesmerised the defence with his dribbling, tip-toed into the area and slid the perfect ball across to Sinata, who had the fairly easy task of tucking it away at the far post. 1-3.

I made some changes, with Tassone, Gallicchio and Manoni coming on to switch to 4-2-4, but it seemed that we just couldn't get going in this match.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 3 Alto Adige

[nerf]

Wednesday 28th August 2002

After a great start in our first 2 matches we had suffered 2 straight defeats and would not qualify from our group. The performances had also dropped in those losses, looking second best throughout. Alto Adige had far too much attacking quality for us to handle, the difference in creativity and ideas on the ball was quite clear, and our previously strong defence had often been caught ball watching and occasionally flat footed.

Sifting through the scout reports has brought up two players who I would like to bring to Ragusa. Fabio Caserta is a versatile attacking midfielder who works hard and is a good passer of a football, and the fabulously named Omar Roma is a centre back known as a man-marking specialist. If we can get those two players in, it might go some way to help in sorting out our problems.

Sunday 1st September 2002

The transfer deadline passed today with no luck. We had been in negotiations with Igea Virtus and Frosinone respectively with regards to the aforementioned players, but have been unsuccessful in our attempts. Igea Virtus were demanding a package worth £20,000 for Caserta and we simply ran out of time as we searched for a compromise, whereas the Roma bid barely got off the ground.

It looks like we will have to make do with the current squad for now, unless we can find some good loan deals. Again I haven't been impressed with Signor Pitino's input and can't help feeling that we might have sneaked one of the transfers through with a bit more of his time devoted to the club.

[nerf]

Monday 2nd September 2002

We are in Poggibonsi today for a pre-season friendly. I can't say I'm delighted about having to travel to northern Italy again, but at least it isn't as far as Pordenone this time! At the 4000-seater Stefano Lotti stadium, a massive crowd of 76 people have turned up to watch.

Alderuccio has been cleared by the physios but will start on the bench. Although Ursino and Guastella were less than impressive against Alto Adige, they keep their places in an unchanged back 5. Pellegrino will be asked to hold the midfield solo, whilst a first start for Vittorio Emanuele Lupo will see him alongside Caramel in a support role.

Friendly

Poggibonsi v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Ursino, Italia, Infantino; Tamburro©, Guastella; Pellegrino; Lupo, Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

In a frankly dire friendly even the 76 people that showed up must have wished they hadn't come to watch such an uneventful game. Our slightly more attacking formation did not bring more attacking football or the attacking potency that I was searching for, and we looked very poor indeed. The home side were no better, but were only denied the victory when a deflected own goal by Dario Italia was disallowed due to their striker being offside.

Alderuccio was eased on in the second half to test his heel, and I gave 17 year old keeper Giuseppe Lenea the entire second half for some experience.

Final score: Poggibonsi 0 - 0 Ragusa

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Tuesday 3rd September 2002

A depressing display yesterday was further made worse by the news that Vladimiro Caramel stubbed his toe and will be out for 2 weeks! With the first league fixture coming up on the 15th it could be touch and go whether he will make it in time, although Salvatore seems fairly confident that they will get him sorted.

I have taken the decision to terminate Domenico Tassone's loan from Reggina. We are paying him £425 a week in wages, making him the third highest on our wage bill, and he has failed to impress me to any significant extent. We already have 5 other strikers on the books at Ragusa - it is the one outfield area that we do not lack cover in - so there seems little need to keep him. We get to remove £425 from our weekly outgoings and he is not looking likely to get much first team experience here, so it seems the best decision for all concerned.

Saturday 7th September 2002

I was woken last night by a call from Salvatore. Pietro Alderuccio was in hospital having come off his moped in an accident and didn't look in good shape. Fearing the worst I rushed to the hospital and spent most of the night and the morning there. We have since been informed by the doctors that Pietro has damaged his spine and could be looking at a recovery period of 8 months.

8 months! The poor kid will probably be out until next summer. It is a severe blow for the 19 year old, not just because of the painful injury but by coming at such a time in his development. It is also very bad news for us, as he was looking like a very capable defender and would probably have been a regular throughout the season. As it is, we have no choice but to close the loan deal and send him back to his club for rehabilitation and recovery with his family.

[nerf]

Sunday 15th September 2002

We spent a week focusing on keeping the players motivated and looking forward to the first game of the season. We also tried to work on tactics, as we would be switching to a new 4-3-2-1 formation against Acireale. Caramel was cleared to play after his injury.

Soon the preparations were over, and it was time to step out in front of a fully packed Aldo Campo Selvaggio on a bright Sunday afternoon for our first league match.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Acireale

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Tamburro©, Infantino, Italia, Guastella; Bonaffini, Pellegrino, Manoni; Caramel, Bonarrigo; Ferrara.

For the first twenty minutes the game was quite even, but it was us who had the chances. Caramel burst into the inside left channel and dug a cross out to the near post, but Ferrara's header was weak. It was then Caramel again looking dangerous, as he made an interception on the halfway line and ran through only to see his shot skim the top of the bar on its way over.

Even more sickening then, when Acireale punished us on the break. On 23 minutes they worked the ball quickly down the right, and a low cross was poked home by the onrushing Marino to put us 1-0 down. We were almost in danger of collapsing straight away, as minutes later Marino was left in acres when the Ragusa defence went to sleep, but his effort was disallowed for offside.

We seemed incapable of doing anything right. Vladimiro Caramel was trying to force things in the centre but wasn't getting much assistance from his teammates, and time and again we would surrender possession with sloppy passes. A frustrating second half raced past with out much success, though Caramel had a shot saved well by Acireale goalkeeper Paramini. Shortly before the final whistle, Caramel collided with a defender in frustration and had to be taken off clutching his side.

Final score: Ragusa 0 - 1 Acireale

Monday 16th September 2002

A disappointing way to begin the league season, rewarding a capacity home crowd with a miserable and blunt performance like that. Acireale were capable without being impressive, but we still lacked the ability and creativity on the ball that we will need if we want to cause our opponents any problems. The only bright spot was Vladimiro Caramel - the 34 year old was attempting to carry his lacklustre teammates, and although he was trying to force the play too much he was our one and only source of attacking ideas. For his troubles he will have to spend most of this week nursing bruised ribs.

Martina and Alto-Adige both qualified from Group P of the Serie C cup after sharing the spoils of a 1-1 draw. They were clearly the best two teams in the group, with Ragusa taking 3rd place.

[nerf]

Sunday 22nd September 2002

We travelled across to Brindisi, not a million miles away from Martina Franca, for our second league fixture. Brindisi had won their first game 2-0 away to Olbia, with both goals coming from veteran striker Cosimo Fanciosco.

In an attempt to breathe more life into the middle of the park I brought Tamburro forward from left back, hoping his leadership would be of some benefit there. Bonarrigo made way for Cirillo.

Serie C2/C

Brindisi v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Ursino, Infantino, Italia, Guastella; Tamburro©, Pellegrino, Manoni; Caramel, Cirillo; Ferrara.

The Franco Fanuzzi stadium had a capacity crowd of its own, as 2250 people crammed in to the small ground to see if their team could continue their form of last week. They certainly started out in the right way, when disastrously for us Brindisi forward D'Amble got up to nod in a simple near post corner after just 5 minutes.

As if that wasn't bad enough, a Franciosco dribble forced another corner within minutes of the opener, and the resulting ball into the box was again headed home by midfielder Pinclarelli. I was livid - two nil down inside the first 10 minutes, and both from simple corners.

We were forced to attack to try and get a quick goal back, and the match quickly became quite end-to-end. Ferrara blasted over the bar after Pellegrino and Cirillo had combined through the centre, and then at the other end Cinalli had to be on his toes to save a D'Amble attempt from a cross. Ferrara had another chance only to shoot straight at the keeper, but he would do better in the last few minutes of the half.

Captain Simone Tamburro stepped up to take the corner, and Giancarlo Ferrara lost his marker to glance the ball into the net at the near post. We had snatched a vital goal back to go into the half at 1-2.

Ursino had looked very shaky against Franciosco and Tamburro wasn't looking too happy in the centre of midfield, so Ursino came off and Tamburro dropped back to left back. Caramel stepped deeper into midfield, and Gallicchio came on to form a three pronged attack with Ferrara and Cirillo.

In retrospect, not the greatest half-time change I will ever make. The second half did not begin well, as D'amble went very close on two occasions. Within 10 minutes Orlandini was found free inside our area, and he was able to turn and finish to make it 3-1 to the home side and spark a frenzy at either end.

3 minutes later it was 2-3, as Gallicchio stole the ball off the toe of a defender and raced through to finish well. Just as our hopes rose they were dashed again. Straight from the kick off, the wily Franciosco wiggled his way through and found space to smash a shot past Cinalli into the far corner and the lead was back to two.

And before we could even draw breath, Brindisi won a free-kick that Franciosco sent crashing off the post... I could only watch in horror as the ball fell kindly for midfielder Menolascina, who sent it back with interest.

Suddenly 5-2 down, we had to stop leaking goals and switched back to our original formation. Things improved slightly after this but we were still looking devoid of all ideas, continually resorting to hopeful long balls. Gallicchio went close with a shot over the bar but that was all we were able to manage.

Entering the last few minutes of the game, Ferrara dropped deep and picked up a ball from Pellegrino. He played a one-two with Bonaffini, and then struck a stunning 30 yard drive with the outside of his boot into the top corner. It was a wonder strike, worthy of something more than a consolation goal.

Final score: Brindisi 5 - 3 Ragusa

[nerf]

Monday 23rd September 2002

Eight goals and a fourth straight defeat, not including the friendly. I'm sure the home fans loved it, but it was not so enjoyable from where I was sitting. Having said that, I felt we actually played better yesterday than we had done in the 1-0 loss to Acireale; at least this time we had managed to score some goals and had looked a bit less clueless on the ball. In an attempt to calm things down late on I had encouraged the lads to knock it around and play some short passes, and this had shown a slight improvement in our play. Unfortunately the damage had already been done by that blitz of 3 goals in no more than 6 minutes.

Training this week will be centered around defending set pieces though, don't worry about that. 10 minutes in we had gifted them two easy goals from corners, not for the first time either, and you can't afford to do that against opponents as lethal as Brindisi had been.

[nerf]

Sunday 29th September 2002

We're away again, this time in Pozzuoli, a coastal town very close to Napoli. Puteolana are our hosts in the Domenico Conte stadium, with its 12,000 seats just over a third full. Puteolana won their first match 3-0, then lost to Acireale 3-1, and young striker Roberto D'Auria has 3 goals in those 2 games.

Serie C2/C

Puteolana v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Cinalli; Tamburro©, Infantino, Italia, Guastella; Bonaffini, Pellegrino, Caramel; Ferrara, Bonarrigo; Gallicchio.

For the first half an hour both teams traded possession and chances. Ferrara and Gallicchio both went close, and Puteolana's Luigi Castaldo shot wildly when he really should have done better.

On 39 minutes a calamity occurred. A long ball from Puteolana centre back Vitiello was nodded on aimlessly by Castaldo. Dario Italia had all the time in the world to collect the ball and clear it, but instead he dallied and then stumbled over it embarrassingly on the edge of his own area. The ball rolled casually into the path of Roberto D'Auria, who couldn't believe his luck but saw his snap-shot thump back off the base of the post. Di Criscio followed up for Puteolana but Cinalli pulled off a brilliant save to get in the way, only to see the ball drop right into the path of Castaldo for an easy far post tap in.

It was a scrappy goal of mistakes and misfortune, and we were unable to find an answer for it in the first half. At half-time Lupo and Manoni came on for Bonaffini and Gallicchio in an attempt to give us more unpredictability in attack.

On the hour we had the ball in the net. Caramel did well and laid the ball square to Manoni just inside the area, who thumped a cracking shot in off the underside of the bar. We were up off the bench celebrating an equaliser, only to look across and see the assistant flagging... apparently Ferrara had been offside, and the goal was controversially disallowed. I let the linesman know what I thought of his interpretation of the active offside rule, his eye-sight and possibly his mother too, but perhaps fortunately his English wasn't good enough to make out what I was bellowing over the crowd.

With 15 minutes to go we forced another corner. Bonarrigo recieved the short ball and hooked it back across the area, but Castaldo was back defending and hoofed it clear. At the halfway line, Puteolana midfielder Di Meo collected the clearance and headed for goal. Guastella had no chance of catching him and Di Meo went on unopposed to slot the ball confidently past Cinalli, 2-0.

Final score: Puteolana 2 - 0 Ragusa

[nerf]

Monday 30th September 2002

I was far more disappointed with this loss than I had been after we conceded 5 to Brindisi, and not just because this one sent us rock bottom of the league. We had actually played reasonably well in parts, with our passing looking much better than it had done previously. I also felt hard done by with the two goals they scored, especially the first where we had suffered a stumble and two unlucky ricochets. Not to mention having a perfectly good goal being wiped off to make it a flattering 2-0 scoreline.

18th position out of 18 teams is a sombre thought however. Signor Antoci has been very supportive in light of the recent defeats though, and insists that he is still sure the club made the right choice in appointing me. It is also pleasing to note that the spirit of the players has not dropped significantly, there is still a good vibe amongst the small squad and we have some pleasant characters in there. I'd like to know what Signor Pitino thinks but I haven't seen him.

Well, nobody said it would be easy. And just in case it wasn't tricky enough, Simone Tamburro picked up his 4th yellow card of the season and will receive an automatic one match ban, so we will be without our captain for the visit of Nocerina on Wednesday.

[nerf]

Wednesday 2nd October 2002

Nocerina are another side from the area around Napoli. They had beaten Lodigiani 1-0 in their first game, but I had been unable to get hold of Emanuele yesterday so I could not tap him for inside knowledge. Since then though they had come off 2 straight defeats, including losing 2-1 to everyone's favourite Acireale side. One name on the Nocerina team sheet stood out for me straight away, with former Fiorentina player Emiliano Bigica taking the midfield holding role.

Pietro Infantino and Stefano Guastella were both feeling the pace after Sunday's match but were just about able to come through late fitness tests - not that we had much alternative, with so little depth in our squad for cover. Controversially I will be giving 17 year old goalkeeper Giuseppe Lenea his first start, after I had a word with Corrado and we both agreed that he was ready for it. Nicolas Cinalli hadn't been doing badly in goal, but we had conceded a few and it couldn't be helping his confidence. Giuseppe has all the confidence in the world and has looked very sharp in training, so he will get his first chance today.

I decided to switch to 4-3-1-2 for this match and instructed the lads to get the ball down on the floor and pass it around. I would have to wait and see if my latest master plan would come off.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Nocerina

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Ursino, Infantino©, Italia, Guastella; Bonaffini, Pellegrino, Manoni; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

2899 turned up to the Aldo Campo Selvaggio to cheer on their faltering team in the second home fixture of the season. We gave them the best start possible, as Guastella's ball forward was flicked on by Ferrara to Gallicchio. Gallicchio took it in his stride, shifted it onto his left, and wrong footed the keeper by cutting it back across him. 1-0 up in just 3 minutes!

We were bright, we were sharp and for once our movement looked decent. After Pellegrino had a shot saved following a one-two with Bonaffini, Ursino curled a ball in-field from left back to Manolo Manoni. Manoni turned and saw the visiting defence open up before him, so burst through to the edge of the area and let fly. The ball rocketed over the keeper's head into the roof of the net and Manolo was off to the corner flag to celebrate.

10 minutes later I thought we had a third. Ferrara got up and nodded it down for Caramel who turned towards goal. As the defender was drawn in, he slid a perfectly weighted back into Ferrara's path and the striker found the corner of the net... but the whistle blew and it was given offside. This time I was a little more lenient on the linesman.

Defensively we were first to every ball, with both centre backs mopping up everything and Guastella was looking very solid. Bonaffini and Manoni were finding space well in the gaps in midfield and Caramel and Pellegrino were distributing the ball calmly in the centre.

The Nocerina goalkeeper was called into action twice more in the first half, to parry Pellegrino's shot wide and to tip Caramel's effort over the bar after he had nutmegged his marker. Just before half-time though, Dario Italia was jostled in an aerial challenge and landed badly on his neck and shoulders. With no other centre-backs available, Ursino moved inside and Bonaffini dropped to left back, forcing me to put splitter Pietro Cutaia in for some first team action.

I was more than happy with the way things were so no changes were made at half-time. Campo almost got one back for the visitors early in the second half, but his shot flew wide of Lenea's post. Just after the hour mark I pulled young Stefano Guastella off for a rest - he had played fantastically well at right back and had their number 7 Chietti in his pocket the whole game, but his stamina is not the best and I wanted to save him for the next match. I was delighted that he had bucked his ideas up following some poor displays, and hopefully the applause he received as he went off will do his confidence some good.

We maintained our control of the game without extending our lead. In the 83rd minute Capezzuto finally found a hole in our defence and looked certain to score, but Giuseppe Lenea reacted and pulled off a brilliant stop to keep his clean sheet. He had only had a couple of crosses and weak headers to deal with before that, but it was the kind of terrific save we knew he had the talent to pull off. The kid even had the cockiness to get up and wave over to the bench at his coach Corrado Vaccarro.

As the game wound down I even had the luxury of resting the ever-present Giancarlo Ferrara to give Lupo a few minutes of playing time, before the final whistle signaled a well earned first league victory.

Final score: Ragusa 2 - 0 Nocerina

[nerf]

Thursday 3rd October 2002

I've been walking around town with a smile on my face today, I can tell you. Yesterday's performance was probably the best we had produced since I started, and to do it off the back of a 5 game losing streak showed character. 14th doesn't look quite so bad as 18th.

There were so many plusses from the game. We had managed it without Tamburro, both Manoni and Guastella had looked a lot sharper than they had previously shown, and I was happy for the young kid in goal to start with a clean sheet. 36 year old Pietro Infantino at the back had been man of the match, really reveling in the captaincy and producing a commanding display on tired old legs. If anything the only complaint was that we hadn't scored more than two goals, but the performance was the important thing.

Of course, as ever, there is the bad news too. Our task will be made even more difficult for the away match at Tivoli on Sunday as we will be missing three important players. Dario Italia strained his neck in that awkward fall and has been ordered to rest it for a week, and Salvatore also told me that Gaspare Pellegrino appears to have a badly bruised thigh. The rascal had been attempting to hide it so he could carry on playing, but the physios recommend that he takes a few days to allow it to heal properly. The third player is Vladimiro Caramel, who picked up his 4th booking and will serve his suspension just as Simone Tamburro returns from his.

I spoke with the chairman Giuseppe Antoci this afternoon, who declared himself extremely pleased with the result. He has been very encouraging so far, I hope that he does not get carried away before we take a depleted team to a strong Tivoli side at the weekend... but at least we can enjoy it for a couple of days

[nerf]

Sunday 6th October 2002

Tivoli, based on the outskirts of Rome, have enjoyed a good start to their season with 2 wins and 2 draws in their 4 games. Considering their form and our weakened lineup, I would be quite happy to come away from the capital with a point from this fixture.

Reluctant to change what looked like a potentially successful formula, the formation will stay the same and I will have to ask some players to play out of position. Ursino comes in to replace the injured Italia in the centre of defence, and Bonarrigo will get another chance to show me what he can do as he takes Caramel’s place in the support role. Filling Pellegrino’s hole in the centre of midfield is more difficult, and I will gamble on throwing Marco Cirillo in there. Though a striker by nature, he does have the tenacity and the energy to at least put himself about in the middle of the park.

Serie C2/C

Tivoli v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup – Lenea; Tamburro, Ursino, Infantino©, Guastella; Bonaffini, Cirillo, Manoni; Bonarrigo; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

As if the injuries were not already enough, after just 4 minutes Claudio Gallicchio picks up a knock and needs to be replaced. Lupo is straight off the bench to fill in. After Ferrara had had a good chance saved, it is Lupo who opens the scoring on 40 minutes. A brilliant through ball from Cirillo finds him clear beyond the defence, and he takes his time before curling it round the keeper for his first goal of the season. 1-0 Ragusa.

The lead is let slip before the half however. Tivoli win a corner with a minute left in the first half, and a near post header from Di Vincenzo somehow sneaks inside the near post for the equalizer. I couldn’t see very well from the dugout, but I was surprised that Guastella on the post was not able to get a block in.

With only Cutaia and two keepers on the bench I make no changes at half-time. Almost as soon as the match resumes we’re off the bench celebrating, as our first attack results in Manoni crashing a stunning volley into the net from the edge of the area. Unfortunately Lupo, who had nodded the ball back to Manoni, had been whistled for being offside and the goal was disallowed.

The second half progresses, and just after Ferrara shot wide disaster strikes at the other end. Tivoli full back Tarsel plays the ball into Massara on the edge of the area, and Infantino’s stretch brings the striker down in the box… penalty. Massara steps up to put his team 2-1 up, but Giuseppe Lenea pulls off a fantastic stop to ensure it stays level!

Final score: Tivoli 1 – 1 Ragusa

[nerf]

Monday 7th October 2002

I said before the match yesterday that we would happily take a point, and that’s what we got to push us up to 13th place. It had been another encouraging performance – Cirillo had been a bit of a revelation in midfield, the centre backs had been solid and Lupo had looked lively after Gallicchio came off injured. Carmelo Bonarrigo had been disappointing however; we had definitely missed Vladi in the middle.

Giuseppe Lenea seems to get better every day. His penalty save yesterday was further proof of his rapid improvement, and if he keeps this up then Nicolas Cinalli is going to struggle to get his starting place back.

Checking the sports papers over lunch today, the buzz in the Serie C2/C division seems to be around Gela Juve-Terranova. Although their fans had expected another mid-table season, a 4-0 win over Giugliano this weekend took them to 5 straight wins in the league and made them the early leaders. We will have to face Gela away in 2 weeks time.

[nerf]

Friday 11th October 2002

Next up though we entertain Frosinone at the Aldo Campo Selvaggio. Caramel returns from his suspension, Pellegrino’s injury has been successfully rested and Gallicchio’s knock has also cleared up in time for him to continue his partnership with Ferrara. Marco Cirillo’s spirited performance in Rome earns him another start in midfield.

This will also give me a first hand look at previous transfer target Omar Roma. It will be interesting to see how the centre back stands up against Giancarlo Ferrara, who has been in good form for us recently.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Frosinone

Ragusa lineup – Lenea; Tamburro, Ursino, Infantino©, Guastella; Cirillo, Pellegrino, Manoni; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

Frosinone make the early running and quickly take the lead with a slice of bad luck for us. A Chicchetti cross was diverted towards goal by Ripa, but Graziano Ursino’s attempted block only deflects it past Lenea into the net, giving the young keeper no chance.

Both keepers make saves to keep the score at 1-0, before a wonderfully crafted effort on 33 minutes puts us level. Pellegrino laid the ball back to Ursino, who chipped the ball out to Cirillo on the left wing. Cirillo got up well to nod the ball inside to Vladimiro Caramel, and the playmaker dinked a delicate ball over the top of the defence to where Claudio Gallicchio was trying to get goal-side of his marker. The striker connected with a left foot volley to cap a great move and make it 1-1 at half-time.

Gallicchio made it 2 and 5 for the season shortly after the half-time break, when a Ferrara flick through the middle allowed him to stroke the ball home to the keeper’s right. Not to be outdone, 5 minutes later Giancarlo Ferrara lost Omar Roma for almost the first time in the match and powered a shot into the Frosinone net to take his own season’s tally to 5, as we stormed into a 3-1 lead.

On 84 minutes Lenea denied Frosinone striker Mussaco by diving full stretch to his left to make a great save, and then Gallicchio narrowly missed out on a hat-trick with a skimming shot past the post in the final minutes.

Final score: Ragusa 3 – 1 Frosinone

[nerf]

Saturday 12th October 2002

Our third impressive performance in a row and we have climbed to 12th position. We had really played some neat football yesterday in front of 2710 home fans and thoroughly deserved the victory. Vladimiro Caramel was a livewire in the support role, and both strikers had helped one another to their fifth goal each. Giuseppe Lenea had only had a few comfortable long range efforts to deal with but was sharp and on his toes to make another impressive save late on – he’s really going all out to make the number 1 jersey his own and seems to be enjoying himself immensely.

Signor Antoci called me in to see him again to reiterate how pleased he was with our recent results. Just as importantly he also informed me that the Ragusa fans were pleased with how the club was being run – always nice to hear, especially after our less than brilliant start. It’s amazing what a couple of wins can do for you.

Wednesday 16th October 2002

Alessandro Del Piero is single-handedly guiding Italy through their European Championship qualifying group, as 2 goals past Wales in Cardiff tonight followed a similar brace against Yugoslavia in Milan at the weekend. The Italians don’t seem to be firing on all cylinders at the moment, but the Juventus forward is giving them a touch of class and some vital goals.

I called Emanuele earlier today to speak to him about our upcoming opponents Gela. He warned me to watch out for 31 year old Francesco Erbini, a cultured striker who had spanked in 4 of the 5 goals that Gela put past Lodigiani recently - 4 of his 16 goals in 12 games, an eye-catching achievement.

[nerf]

Sunday 20th October 2002

I must admit to having been caught off guard about the fact that today is somewhat of a local derby. Although there is no big rivalry between the fans of Gela and Ragusa, our destination today lies only a short distance west along the south coast of Sicily.

Dario Italia has fully recovered from his neck strain and will regain his starting place at the expense of the improved Graziano Ursino. Otherwise the team remains the same as the one that beat Frosinone, for what could be our sternest test so far.

Serie C2/C

Gela v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup – Lenea; Tamburro, Infantino©, Italia, Guastella; Cirillo, Pellegrino, Bonaffini; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

Although it is us who fashion the first chance of the half as Gallicchio fires over the bar, it is Gela who get to show why they have made such a blistering start to the season. Just 12 minutes in, Lenea makes a point blank save only to be left helpless to watch the rebound be slammed home for an early goal. Before half-time it is 2-0 to the home side, as a whipped cross allows the cultured Erbini to volley yet another goal for his collection, leaving Lenea with no chance again.

Gallicchio isn’t looking half as sharp as he had been in the previous match, so I sub him at half-time in the hope that Lupo can revive our attack. Just before the hour we are back in the game; a long range drive by Caramel is parried into the path of Giancarlo Ferrara, who gladly sticks the loose ball into the net. 6 minutes later Simone Tamburro’s determined gallop up the left wing results in Lupo’s diving header being saved by the Gela keeper, but the inspirational left back doesn’t give up on the cause and follows up to force his first goal of the season. 2-2!

The home team begin to increase the pressure over the last 25 minutes, and we’re attempting to hang on for the draw. Then with a sinking feeling in the stomach and a flashback to the Tivoli game, Infantino is caught lunging in in the box and concedes another penalty, this time for a trip on Erbini. With just 5 minutes remaining in the match we can hardly watch from the dugout as Gela full back Savio steps up to the penalty spot, only for the kid Lenea to produce heroics again and deflect the spot kick onto the bar and over!

Tragically the joy is shortlived, as 60 seconds later a simple long ball from the Gela defence finds Conte with far more space than he should have been allowed. With a free run on goal, he has time to pick his spot and drive a powerful finish past the young keeper to end our hopes of a successful comeback.

Final score: Gela 3 – 2 Ragusa

[nerf]

Wednesday 23rd October 2002

Today is our second away match in 4 days but fortunately the fixtures have been kind and we stay on Sicily again. This time the destination is Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto on the northern tip of the island, where Igea Virtus await us in the D’Alcontres stadium.

Guastella is finding it hard to keep up with the pace and has looked a bit lethargic in training over the past couple of days, so he will be rested.

Serie C2/C

Igea Virtus v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Ursino, Infantino©, Italia, Tamburro; Cirillo, Pellegrino, Bonaffini; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

A fairly uneventful game in which both teams seemed to cancel each other out, finding it hard to create good chances. Manoni and Lupo came on in the second half to try and liven things up, but the game petered out to a nil-nil draw. Former transfer target Fabio Caserta had a solid game in midfield for the home side.

Final score: Igea Virtus 0 - 0 Ragusa

[nerf]

Sunday 27th October 2002

Back home to the Aldo Campo Selvaggio for our third match in 8 days, to see the return of the team that we faced in our opening game of the pre-season cup. Back then we performed well in a rousing 3-1 victory so we are hoping for more of the same today.

Veteran centre-backs Pietro Infantino and Dario Italia appear to be feeling the pace, and Dario was feeling the twinge in his neck return, so we have to reshuffle the defence for this one. Tamburro will have to fill in at central defence, with winger Bonaffini becoming a makeshift left back. It isn’t ideal but we really have no other option.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Gladiator

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Bonaffini, Ursino, Tamburro©, Guastella; Cirillo, Pellegrino, Manoni; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

Despite the unwanted alterations we got off to a great start. Less than 2 minutes after kick-off Giancarlo Ferrara chested the ball back to Pellegrini and spun off. The midfielder laid it square to Cirillo who had spotted Ferrara's run, and his through ball was converted by Ferrara to put us into an early lead.

Unfortunately it only lasted until the 8th minute, when Pellegrino threw himself in typical fashion to block a shot only for the ball to drop for Pasquale Bovienzo, who made it 1-1. Just before half-time we were back front. Captain Simone Tamburro went across to take a corner, and his deep cross found Claudio Gallicchio stooping at the far post for a diving header.

With little option on the bench to keep things fresh in the second half, a hard fought win was stolen from us in the 88th minute. A cross from the right wing fell to Gladiator striker Diego Russo who produced a bit of magic with an unstoppable 20 yard volley, so we were forced to settle for a point.

Final score: Ragusa 2 - 2 Gladiator

[nerf]

Friday 1st November 2002

I have had two extremely interesting phone conversations this week. The first was a call from Emanuele Giampiccolo, my former assistant now working in Rome with Lodigiani. He was aware that I was still struggling to find his replacement and has given me a contact number of a friend of his. It sounds very promising so I will be looking to chase that up tomorrow and over the weekend.

The second was a call I made back home to England. It has been a long while since I last saw him, but Gordon "Sid" Cowans and I have met up a few times during our careers and I rang to ask him a favour. Sid is currently a big part of the youth setup at Aston Villa, and I was ringing to optimistically enquire about whether there was any chance that any of his youngsters might fancy some experience in Italian football. Almost surprisingly one name did come up, as Sid suggested that a 19 year old midfielder called Stephen Cooke might be a possibility. Apparently he's a good kid who could benefit from some experience of living away from home - he turns 20 in February, and Sid offered that I could take him until then with the option to extend it to the end of the season should Stephen wish to stay. I was happy to accept and left it with Sid to have a word with the player.

[nerf]

Sunday 3rd November 2002

6th-placed Olbia visit Ragusa today for our 10th match of the league season. Gaspare Pellegrino is suspended after picking up his 4th yellow card against Gladiator, but Infantino is fit enough to return to the side. Dario Italia is also back but I don't want to rush him, so he will sit on the bench and Ursino keeps his place.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Olbia

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Ursino, Infantino, Guastella; Cirillo, Bonaffini, Manoni; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

A tight affair had to be settled by a moment of brilliance in the second half. On 64 minutes Ferrara's long throw from the left was headed out by Olbia defender Polizzano, the ball struck substitute Bonarrigo and bounced across the middle of the pitch. The Olbia defenders came running out to try and leave our attackers stranded offside, with their keeper Luca Pastine screaming at them to get out as he chased them to the edge of his area. Manolo Manoni collected the loose ball centrally 35 yards out, spotted the keeper chasing his defenders out, and calmly lofted the ball high over his head. Luca Pastine saw it too late and went scrambling back, but the ball scraped underneath the crossbar for a fabulous goal.

Pietro Infantino had to be taken off with a chest injury after colliding with another player, so more reshuffling was needed and Tamburro had to cover at centre half again. With 5 minutes to go Olbia thought they had equalised when Siazzu latched onto the end of Manca's ball into the box, but his finish was ruled out for offside - much to my relief - and we hung on for the win.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 0 Olbia

[nerf]

Monday 4th November 2002

Upon completing 10 league fixtures of the season, the table looks like THIS

After a start of 3 straight defeats and experiencing being bottom of the league, we have lost only once in our following 7 matches and have climbed up to a slightly more respectable 11th. It is no less than I would have hoped for pre-season, but after the poor start we made I have to be happy that we managed to turn it around.

Injuries are beginning to tell now; we are short on cover with such a small squad so players are being forced to play out of position (although in Marco Cirillo's case this seems to have been a blessing in disguise so far). I am particularly concerned about the centre of defence, where our two veterans are finding it difficult to play every match.

The midfield should be helped by the signing of young Stephen Cooke. The 19 year old product of Aston Villa's promising youth system completed his loan deal today and will arrive this week for his character-building experience abroad. I will be doing my utmost to help him settle over here and hope that he will be able to add a touch of quality to the team for the rest of the season.

Also arriving this week is my new assistant manager, thanks to Emanuele's recommendation. It seems to have taken an absolute age to find someone willing to take the job, but that someone is 47 year old Italian Antonio Angelo Ranucci. Antonio has been working as a scout at Frosinone, but he has decent coaching credentials and was no doubt tempted by the opportunity to quadruple his wages! We will also owe Frosinone £4,000 in compensation.

[nerf]

Wednesday 5th November

Antonio arrived in Ragusa yesterday, and myself and Leo (one of our two coaches) gave him the welcome tour. He seems to have a good amount of tactical knowledge and has experience of working with and disciplining developing players, which should come in handy considering the amount of young players that we have at the club. He is also formerly a scout, so he should be able to spot a good player when he sees one and won't take too long to get to know the squad. All in all, first impressions were positive.

Today I was at the airport to collect Stephen Cooke. He had been put on a plane from England and was abroad alone for the first time, and doesn't speak any Italian, so no doubt this will all be quite daunting for him. He will be staying in accomodation close to mine, so I will be able to keep an eye on him to help him settle in.

It is the ideal time for both new arrivals to join us, as we have a break of a week and a half for them to get used to the place before we visit Fidelis Andria on the 17th. It also gives Pietro Infantino time to recouperate following the chest injury sustained in the Olbia match.

[nerf]

Tuesday 12th November 2002

The usual mix of good news and bad news greeted me today. I had a meeting with Giuseppe Antoci about our financial situation, and it appears that although our wage bill is well under the budget, the ground maintenance costs and general expenses are mounting up to the tune of a loss of some £23,000 for the season already - over a fifth of our starting pot. Signor Antoci insists that I shouldn't worry, that he will handle it and that I should continue to make progress on the pitch. I hope he knows what he's doing.

The good news came from Salvatore, our head physio. He tells me that wingback Danilo Sabellini has recovered from his injury a couple of weeks ahead of schedule and is ready to return to full training, giving us a bit more cover in defence. He had looked capable in the brief glimpse I saw of him before his injury in Pordenone so it will be nice to have him back in competition with Stefano Guastella. Barring any accidents in training between now and Sunday, it will be the first time I have had a fully fit squad since then.

Thursday 14th November 2002

Over in Spain tonight, Intertoto winners Aston Villa were taking a 2-0 1st leg lead to Real Betis in the 2nd round of the UEFA Cup. Unfortunately for them they are blown away by the Spaniards, who are inspired by a brace of goals from £10 million man Henrik Larsson to dominate the game 4-1 and send the English club crashing out 3-4 on aggregate.

[nerf]

Sunday 17th November 2002

Today we travel to Andria in south-east Italy with a full squad. Sabellini and Cooke will both be on the bench while Dario Italia returns to the starting eleven.

Serie C2/C

Fidelis Andria v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Infantino, Italia, Guastella; Cirillo, Pellegrino, Manoni; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

The home side made the better start with Giuseppe Lenea being called on to make a couple of early saves, before striker Andrea Di Napoli struck the post with a thundering shot. On 38 minutes however, Giancarlo Ferrara made them pay for not converting their chances by skipping through and converting one of his own to give us the lead.

It was a lead that almost made it to half-time. In injury time at the end of the first half, Stefano Guastella was whistled for bringing down an attacker in the box and conceded a penalty to go with a yellow card. Faieta placed the ball on the spot to face Lenea, and although the confident 17 year old got a hand to it the shot was too powerful to keep out. 1-1 at the half.

I introduced Stephen Cooke in place of Manoni at half-time and Sabellini replaced Guastella on the hour. On 69 minutes Cooke made a bursting forward run past the strikers and received the ball from Gallicchio, but his shot was too high and flew over the bar.

Three minutes later Fidelis Andria gained the lead. Faieta swept a long ball down the line to where Lanotte had left Tamburro trailing, and Lanotte's cross was flicked home by the head of Spinelli at the near post. We fought back though, when Stephen Cooke won the ball well on the halfway line and looked for Claudio Gallicchio through the centre. Claudio unselfishly took one touch to control and slipped it across perfectly into the path of the onrushing Ferrara, who gratefully fired in his 7th league goal and 9th of the season to make it 2-2 with five minutes remaining.

The home side only needed a matter of seconds. The resulting kick-off was knocked back to Faieta, who turned and floated a familiar ball down the right wing. In an almost action replay of their previous goal, Lanotte again found himself breezing in behind Tamburro to cross towards the near post. This time striker Stefano Morello brought the ball down, and finished Beardsley-esque by smashing the ball into the far top corner from a tight angle.

Final score: Fidelis Andria 3 - 2 Ragusa

[nerf]

Monday 18th November 2002

Another 3-2 loss away from home with the winner coming in the 86th minute, just like at Gela. It continues our less than spectacular away form where we have yet to find a win on our travels, gaining just 2 points from a possible 18, so that is something we will seriously have to look at. It might be an idea to start adopting the 'win the home games and draw the away games' policy. We have shown that we can score goals but we have been conceding far too many in our away matches (14 goals against in 6 away games), so perhaps we should start to look into trying to keep it tighter when playing away, even if this involves a change of formation. I'll bear it in mind.

Sunday 24th November 2002

This week we are hosting Catanzaro at the Aldo Campo Selvaggio, and there's a full house of 3497 to greet them. Catanzaro currently lie 7th in the table.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Catanzaro

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Infantino, Italia, Guastella; Cirillo, Pellegrino, Manoni; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

A reasonably quiet and even first half is shattered by Catanzaro striker Fabio Moscelli on 30 minutes. The ball is played infield to him over 35 yards out, and Infantino has backed off thinking there is no danger. Moscelli has other plans however and winds up to unleash a rocket of a shot at goal... Lenea flings himself to his left but his fingertips are not enough and the ball crashes into the back of the net for a stunning goal.

5 minutes later we are awarded a free kick outside the Catanzaro area some 30 yards from goal. Gaspare Pellegrino is hardly a set piece master but decides to try his luck, and discovers that his luck deflects the ball off the Catanzaro wall to wrongfoot keeper Luca Gentili. 1-1, his first ever goal for the club.

Early in the second half Moscelli tries another outrageous 40 yard blast that Lenea is relieved to see fly past his upright. On 70 minutes I send Sabellini and Cooke on to replace Guastella and Cirillo, and we start to dominate with both Caramel and Ferrara coming close to giving us the lead. Unfortunately Caramel's shot is tipped round the post and Ferrara puts his chance narrowly over the bar.

As late as the 89th minute Stephen Cooke almost became the hero. Giancarlo Ferrara drifted out onto the right wing to receive the ball, turned, and knocked it inside to Vladimiro Caramel. Vladi took the ball forward and spotted Cooke dashing up the left channel, so slid the ball forward into his path. The young English midfielder brought it under control, looked up, and took a swing with his right foot from 30 yards. Gentili was rooted to the spot helplessly as the ball screamed past him, only to see it smash off the underside of his crossbar and bounce back into his arms.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 1 Catanzaro

[Peacemaker7]

Still lookng good nerf, hope you keep this going a long long time

[nerf]

Thanks Peacemaker7 , I hope you continue reading.

Wednesday 27th November 2002

I caught some Champions League football tonight on television, with both Milan teams in action in the second phase. Internazionale were back in England to face Bobby Robson's Newcastle at St James's Park and almost came away with the 3 points. Twice they led through Zanetti and Vieri with Craig Bellamy scoring in between, only for Jonathan Woodgate to pop up in the box at a set piece and poke home an 88th minute equaliser. Woodgate had looked very impressive against such high quality opposition with his goal being just reward for a commanding performance, and will surely be considered for the next England squad.

Meanwhile AC Milan fought out an exciting 3-3 draw in the Nou Camp, with Patrick Kluivert grabbing a hattrick on one of his rare 'on' nights. I have never been an admirer of the Dutch forward but I suppose to stay the main striker at a club like Barcelona he must be doing things like this more often than I'm aware.

[nerf]

Sunday 1st December 2002

We have journeyed up the west coast of Italy to Latina, a coastal town just south of Rome. Latina are presently sitting bottom of the division but the bookies still favour them over us. Pietro Infantino picked up his fourth yellow card against Catanzaro and is suspended for this match, so Ursino will step into his position at the back. I resist the temptation to start Sabellini and Cooke until they get some more match fitness.

Serie C2/C

Latina v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Ursino, Italia, Guastella; Cirillo, Pellegrino, Manoni; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

On 16 minutes I can only watch when a gaping hole appears in our defence. Ursino's lack of pace means he is slow getting across as Maurizio Tacchi glides into the gap with ease, and he strokes the ball from the edge of the area with the outside of his left foot. Lenea has no chance as the ball clips off the inside of the near post and bounces into the far corner.

5 minutes later it is two. Tacchi, left far too open again, moves into the box through the right channel and cuts the ball back across. Latina's Alessandro Marzio improvises impressively to volley it towards goal, and the ball arrows into the top corner to make it 2-0.

Final score: Latina 2 - 0 Ragusa

[nerf]

Monday 2nd December 2002

Yesterday confirmed that we are not really set up well for away matches and that we are defensively weak. Latina were allowed far too much space early on and punished us for it, and we can't afford to give our opponents headstarts like that.

I contacted our scout Enrico to send him out to look at a few central defenders. With Infantino and Italia struggling to play every match and Graziano Ursino not exactly proving to be a reliable backup, we desperately need at least one new centre back to help plug some holes. Tacchi gave Ursino a hell of a run around all match and was involved in both goals.

Defence is really our only weak position and it is costing us. We have two good goalkeepers, a decent midfield and a competent strikeforce, with Gaspare Pellegrino, Vladimiro Caramel and Giancarlo Ferrara being the undoubted stars. Other players like Lenea, Tamburro, Manoni and Gallicchio have occasionally stepped up to contribute, but the other three have been consistently impressive even in a loss like yesterday's. If we can shore up the defence a bit more then I'm confident that we can really start to make some progress.

[nerf]

Sunday 8th December 2002

Foggia come to southern Sicily during a fairly mediocre season by their expectations. Pietro Infantino returns in place of the disappointing Ursino, and Stephen Cooke is given his first start for the club.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Foggia

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Infantino, Italia, Guastella; Cirillo, Pellegrino, Cooke; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

Scoring an early goal away from home is always a boost, and that's exactly what Foggia did. 5 minutes in, a simple ball played forward to the edge of the area was controlled by Foggia striker Renato Greco. Dario Italia was caught completely flat footed and nowhere near tight enough on his opponent, giving Greco the time and space to turn and drive the ball into the roof of the net.

Giancarlo Ferrara got us back level again on 22 minutes. Good work by Cooke and Gallicchio down the right wing found Ferrara in the area with his back to goal, and the striker turned to smash home an equaliser. 1-1 at half-time, and Sabellini came on to replace Guastella at right back.

Just before the hour mark, Sabellini announced his arrival in the worst way; a cross from the right by De Zerbi resulted in the referee judging that Sabellini had jumped all over Greco in the area. Foggia's number 8 Michele Pazienza dispatched an impeccable penalty into the corner to put the visitors back in the lead at 2-1. It took them just 2 minutes to make it three, when Infantino fouled Vantaggiato just outside the area and Roberto De Zerbi curled an impressive free kick into the top corner. The 23 year old midfielder is spending the season on loan at Foggia from Serie A giants AC Milan, and his quality shone through there.

We pressed on to try and get back into the game, with Caramel, Gallicchio and Ferrara all going close with efforts on goal. Unfortunately Vladimiro Caramel's determination went a bit too far and landed him in hot water with the referee after a robust challenge on Brutto. The Foggia player made the most of it and the red card was a bit harsh, but there was nothing we could do and we were down to ten men.

With 5 minutes remaining, Tamburro played the ball infield to Pellegrino who cushioned a first time volley off to Marco Cirillo. Cirillo looked up to see Ferrara making a run down the left channel and found his teammate with a ball over the top. In behind the defence, Ferrara took his time and curled it smoothly around the keeper with the inside of his right foot.

Final score: Ragusa 2 - 3 Foggia

[nerf]

Monday 9th December 2002

Another 3-2 loss, this time at home in front of a capacity crowd, providing yet more proof that defensive slip-ups are letting us down. We have shown that we are capable of creating chances and scoring goals, but if you carry on conceding 2 or 3 in return then it's going to make life difficult.

Giancarlo Ferrara had been awesome, a real thorn in the side of the Foggia defence who simply couldn't handle him. His 10th and 11th goals of the season (9 of them in the league) were just part of a man of the match performance and its a shame that we couldn't turn it into a win for the team. Gaspare Pellegrino had also put in another good display in the holding midfield role; if there's anyone more consistent than Ferrara it is him. Once again though, our increasingly poor defending cancelled out any of the efforts from our attack or midfield.

Up in Serie A, pre-season favourites AC Milan beat second placed Bologna 1-0 to maintain their unbeaten run in the league of an incredible 14 games - 12 wins, 2 draws, no losses, and only 4 goals conceded. If they are capable of maintaining their excellent current form, it is difficult to see any of the chasing pack being able to mount a challenge for the title this season.

[nerf]

Sunday 15th December 2002

We travel to Palma Campania this weekend, just up the road from Napoli. With us down in 14th place, our opponents Palmese are riding high in 3rd position and coming off the back of two 4-0 victories. After taking Giugliano apart at home, they then pulled off a fantastic result by doing the same away at 2nd place Acireale. When comparing their recent form against ours I think a point today would be more than pleasing.

Antonio and I have been concentrating on tactics in training this week as we devise a new approach for this match. We will be switching to a 4-5-1 formation in an attempt to control the midfield and allow our opponents less joy down the flanks. Giancarlo Ferrara will be left up front on his own, with our intention being to soak up the pressure and hit them on the break. Carmelo Bonarrigo gets a rare chance to start with Vladimiro Caramel on his 1 match suspension for the red card, and Manoni and Cooke will serve as the wide players.

Serie C2/C

Palmese v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Infantino, Italia, Guastella; Manoni, Pellegrino, Cirillo, Bonarrigo, Cooke; Ferrara.

It was vitally important that we didn't concede another early goal and we achieved that by managing to hold Palmese for the entire first half. In injury time at the end of the half we even almost stole an opener, as Ferrara ran at his marker and saw his shot skim past the outside of the post.

At half-time I was pleased with how things were going. We hadn't really created much but we had looked much tighter without the ball, with both Manoni and Cooke working very hard on the flanks. Bonarrigo was again showing little involvement so he came off to be replaced by Alessandro Bonaffini.

Ten minutes into the second half, Giuseppe Lenea stroked a low goal kick out to Guastella at right back. The youngster brought the ball forward to the halfway line, then swung a long ball high across the pitch to where Manolo Manoni had made a diagonal run infield from the left wing. He nipped in behind the defence, controlling the dropping ball first time on the run, and from the edge of the area whipped a right foot shot towards goal as the keeper started to come out. Our dugout exploded with joy as Ferrara chased the delighted Manoni across the pitch, we were 1-0 up!

For the remaining half an hour it was time to defend as the home side tried to increase the pressure. On 80 minutes I replaced Ferrara to put Lupo's fresh legs on up front, and for the last ten minutes we were clinging on for dear life. Palmese had all the possession, trying to find a way through, and we were working desperately to hack it clear and defend our lead. Gaspare Pellegrino made a couple of vital last-gasp interceptions in our area, and Lenea was called on to make a couple of saves.

As the clock ticked onto 90, Palemese's Gatta found space down the left wing and crossed towards the six yard box. Landini collected it with his back to our goal, swivelled about 9 yards out, and hooked the ball goalwards with his right foot. Giuseppe Lenea flung himself forward to get anything on the shot, and it deflected off some part of his anatomy towards the gaping net... the ball bobbled off the base of the near post and Dario Italia was there to hoof it out for a throw-in.

Final score: Palmese 0 - 1 Ragusa

[nerf]

Monday 16th December 2002

I have no nails left and my nerves are frayed, but we are home with 3 points. I cannot lie and say we were the better team and deserved the win, it was a real smash and grab job with our winning goal coming against the run of play, but that's really what we had gone there to do. The lads worked tremendously hard and fought tooth and claw to hang on for our first away victory, with a slice of luck here or there, so they deserve plenty of credit.

In many ways a fortunate 3 points but also points gained through sweat and determination, and it's always satisfying when a gameplan pays off. We defended in numbers and caught them with a swift attack just as we had hoped, so you could say everything went according to plan... just. Considering Palmese had scored 8 goals in their previous 2 matches and were doing well up in 3rd place, we can be even more satisfied with the result.

It was also a good day for the two youngest members of our squad. The return of Sabellini from injury has put 18 year old Stefano Gustella's starting place under pressure, but he responded to the competition yesterday by putting in one of his better performances. Aside from letting Gatta get down the wing at the end, he looked very solid and made some important interceptions. Giuseppe Lenea also did his job in goal, even if his stop in the 90th minute was not the most stylish or calculated save he will ever make. At just 17 he has convinced me that he is already our first choice keeper, so Nicolas Cinalli has a fight on his hands if he wishes to regain the place he held at the start of the season.

Those 3 points lift us back up to 11th, ahead of Giugliano and Lodigiani on goal difference. We will face the latter in our final game of the calendar year when we meet next Monday.

[Agathron]

Great job nerf, without a doubt my favorite story. Keep up the good work

[nerf]

Thanks very much Agathron, I'm glad you're enjoying it

Monday 23rd December 2002

Our first opportunity to play our former assistant manager’s new team as they travel down to Sicily. We will switch back to our usual formation for this one, with Caramel and Gallicchio returning to the starting eleven.

Serie C2/C

Ragusa v Lodigiani

Ragusa lineup – Lenea; Tamburro©, Infantino, Italia, Guastella; Manoni, Pellegrino, Cooke; Caramel; Ferrara, Gallicchio.

The first half is all Ragusa. Manoni, Caramel, Ferrara and Gallicchio all had chances but veteran keeper Attilio Gregori is on form and keeps the visitors level at half-time. Just after the half he continues to defy us, with two amazing double saves including an unbelievable stop when it looked like Gallicchio had an easy tap in.

It takes 62 minutes to make our dominance tell. Stephen Cooke worked a one-two with substitute Sabellini down the right and whipped in a near post cross, for Claudio Gallicchio to finally break Greogori’s resistance with a glancing header. 1-0.

With 15 minutes to go I replaced Ferrara with Lupo; after this Lodigiani seemed to wake up and started to take the game to us. A very slick passing move found Pantano open in the area, and he sent the ball to Lenea’s left for a shock equalizer. I couldn’t believe it, we had dominated the entire game and a couple of minutes of possession had given the away team a goal.

As if the previous game had not been tense enough, there was excitement left in this one too. With 89 minutes on the clock, Pellegrino laid the ball off to Vladimiro Caramel in the centre circle, who in turn looked forward for Claudio Gallicchio. The pass deflected off a defender but still found its way through to Claudio, who raced with another defender on his way towards goal. Gregori started to come out, Gallicchio struck the shot straight at him, but it was powerful enough to ricochet off the underside of the keeper’s arm and trickle over the line.

Final score: Ragusa 2 – 1 Lodigiani

[nerf]

Tuesday 24th December 2002

We had left it very late indeed but the win was no more than we deserved. Pellegrino and Caramel had dominated the entire midfield and were at the centre of everything, and Cooke was also lively. I’m glad that Gallicchio was able to get two goals, but with the chances that he had he really could have helped himself to 3 or 4.

Antonio and I both went for a quick drink with Emanuele Giampiccolo after the game, then as the rest of the team headed back to Ragusa, Stephen Cooke and I both stayed in Rome and caught the earliest available flight back home to England for Christmas.

Thursday 26th December 2002

Boxing Day gave me my first real chance to catch up with events in English football. Arsenal maintained their lead at the top with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa at Highbury, extending the gap to a massive 13 points. Two goals against his former team by Andy Cole helped Blackburn to a 3-1 win over Manchester United, who currently lie in 4th place.

Second place belongs to this season’s surprise team Middlesbrough, with Steve McLaren’s men destroying Tottenham 4-0 at home. Spurs are having an awful season, in fact so bad that Glenn Hoddle announced his resignation from the job just before Christmas. German Klaus Topmoller was quickly installed as the new boss, but he has the daunting task of dragging the London side off the bottom of the table; historically, no team bottom of the Premiership at Christmas has survived the drop.

Thursday 2nd January 2003

The footballer of the year awards were announced, as follows:

World Player of the year - Patrick Kluivert (Barcelona)

World Footballer of the year - Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

European Footballer of the year - Fabio Cannavaro (Inter Milan)

European Goalkeeper of the year - Roberto Bonano (Barcelona)

European Defender of the year - Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)

European Midfielder of the year - Marc Overmars (Barcelona)

European Striker of the year - Michael Owen (Liverpool)

The opening of the transfer window greets me on my return to Sicily. As much as we need to strengthen the defence we also have things to deal with closer to home. Simone Tamburro, Gaspare Pellegrino, Claudio Gallicchio and Giancarlo Ferrara, all key players, have contracts that run out in July. It is vitally important that we get all four of them signed up to new contracts as soon as possible.

The first activity of the transfer window is Pietro Cutaia’s long planned move to Matera in Serie D. Pietro’s contract actually expired at the turn of the new year and he leaves on a free. I have a sneaky feeling that the next player to leave might be Argentinian Nicolas Cinalli, who understandably is not pleased with being the second choice goalkeeper and has not looked too happy of late.

[nerf]

Sunday 5th January 2003

We make the familiar trip to the Napoli area again today to face 13th placed Giugliano. Following our win before Christmas we are above them in 10th, our highest position of the season.

Seeing as the defensive tactic worked so well at Palmese we will return to it for this fixture, and despite Gallicchio’s brace he will make way and allow Ferrara to continue as the lone striker.

Serie C2/C

Giugliano v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup – Lenea; Tamburro©, Infantino, Italia, Guastella; Manoni, Cirillo, Caramel, Pellegrino, Cooke; Ferrara.

Four minutes in Pellegrino passed to Stephen Cooke, and Guigliano player Castellano ploughed through the back of the young midfielder at the halfway line. As if that wasn’t enough, he then got up and gave Stephen a helping shove back to the floor. The referee had no option but to show Castellano an instant red card.

Despite being down to ten men the home side manage to keep it 0-0 until half time. Facing a good opportunity to go out and take an away game by the horns, do I stick with the defensive formation to play safe or switch back to our normal formation and go for the win? Hoping I wouldn’t regret it, I pass on instructions to switch to 4-3-1-2 and Marco Cirillo gets to play up front for once.

On 51 minutes captain Simone Tamburro chips the ball down the left wing to Giancarlo Ferrara. Giancarlo holds the ball up, delaying the cross and looking for a target in the box, then spots Tamburro following up and cuts it back to the edge of the area. Tamburro controls, knocks it out of his feet just inside the area, and then unleashes a low right foot drive through the crowd. The keeper manages to get a hand on it but can’t stop it, and we’re 1-0 up.

I immediately give the order to change back to 4-5-1, but we continue to make all the pressing. Giugliano keeper Corona saves a couple of efforts from Ferrara, then Vladimiro Caramel falls awkwardly on his arm and has to come off. Giugliano try to get back into it in the last 10 minutes but we run out 1-0 winners.

Final score: Giugliano 0 – 1 Ragusa

[nerf]

Monday 6th January 2003

A third straight victory takes us up to up to the dizzy heights of 9th place, exactly mid-table exactly mid-way through the season. After every team has played each other once, the Serie C2/C table looks like THIS.

Salvatore reported that Vladimiro Caramel’s injury is not as bad as first feared, he has only sprained his wrist and should be back in time for the weekend’s fixture against his former club Acireale. Missing out on the trip to Acireale will be Simone Tamburro, who picked up his 8th yellow card of the season to earn himself another 1 match suspension.