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

[Guest]

My god, this is just like watching Eastenders (sorry all you non English people out there) cliff-hanger upon cliff-hanger. I don't think I can take any more!

[Ninjafish]

ARGH!

[kragrock]

AARRGGGG NO

I have just sat here and read through all of this, only to find this at the end.

Absolutely superb writing and it couldnt have come out any better if you had truely made this up.

my fingers are crossed (although you do know that if you are promoted the chairman will be mildly satisfied or some other nonsense LOL)

K

[nerf]

I sank to my knees on the touchline, eyes dropping to the turf in front of me as Acireale players and fans celebrated in my peripheral vision. That was it. The playoffs beckoned. We had come so close.

Straightening up and turning towards Antonio, the words "Three bloody minutes" about to escape despairingly from my mouth, I noticed that the mood of the group of Acireale players had changed. The noise of the crowd started to lessen, when they had been mid-roar. I hesitated and looked up along the sideline. Never before had the sight of a linesman's flag, thrust stiffly out to angle across the pitch, seemed so beautiful.

The world snaps back into focus. The Acireale players don't share my opinion, but surrounding the referee does them no good and the official stands by his assistant's decision. Apparently Acireale's Marino had been in an offside position in the goal mouth, obstructing Nicolas Cinalli's line of sight as the goalkeeper watched Cardinale's piledriver fly unstoppably into the top corner. Them's the breaks, as they say. As far as we are concerned we have had one almighty let off, and we are back in the position of defending our lead to win the title.

With me hopping and kicking every ball from in front of the dugout, we get our backs firmly to the wall and plenty of players behind the ball. After an unbelievably tense couple of minutes, the tension bar is raised when the sign showing 3 minutes of added on time is held up. Each Acireale attack is rebuked with desperate blocks and hacked clearances as we inch ever closer... In the 93rd minute, Sabellini's hoofed clearance is chased down by Daniel Fonseca, and his dangerously whipped cross into the box is headed over the bar by Eddy Baggio, but it doesn't matter! The referee blows the final whistle before the goal kick can be taken, and we've done it!

Final score: Acireale 0 - 1 Ragusa

Final League Table

[nerf]

Tuesday 17th May 2005

I woke in the afternoon, feeling groggy but elated. We had indeed done it. What we'd done after the final whistle I could not hope to document accurately, it had been such a blur of celebration. I remember being swamped by Antonio Ranucci and Giuseppe Lenea on the sideline as we rushed from the dugout, and I remember Nicolas Cinalli and Alessandro Bonaffini running straight off to the band of Ragusa fans in the away end, where Nicolas threw his gloves. I remember chairman Giuseppe Antoci arriving in our rapturous changing room with a bottle of champagne, not the last one he opened that evening, and vaguely the short but happy coach journey back south. After that there was a spontaneous gathering at the chairman's villa for all associated with the club, and then I remember crashing out on Monday afternoon when my body reminded me that I had hardly slept since Saturday morning.

Tomorrow we will be receiving the Serie C2/C trophy and doing a quick parade through the streets of the town. It is sometimes difficult to remember that this is 'merely' the Serie C2/C title, but for a club as small as this one it really is a big deal. Not to mention the dramatic way that we obtained it, and how unexpected it was. From the window of my apartment today I can look out and see a few blue and white scarves, flags and rosettes hanging around shop fronts and out of other people's windows, a big difference from the relative lack of enthusiasm that I noted on my arrival almost 3 years ago.

[veelhousen]

well done mate, well done.

[Kev J]

This is fantastic. You should become a novelist.

Hall of Fame potential I reckon?

[Guest]

I really am glad for you nerf.Now go and conquer the Serie C1!

And this is indeed Hall Of Fame potential...

[Philip Rolfe]

with all due respect, how dare you beat Varese

Great story too

[nerf]

Gino - Thanks for the support!

Dan1111 - I can't stand Eastenders personally, but I'll let you off with that one

AFF & Ninjafish - Hope it wasn't too painful for you

Kragrock - Thanks Fortunately the board have been on my side from the start, so they're even happier after promotion.

Junichi Inamoto - Pffft, Varese I'll be happy if I can take Ragusa as far as you have taken those northeners

Thanks very much for the kind words veelhousen, Kev J and Juventinogdt

- Ragusa 2004/2005 - Player Performances -

GOALKEEPERS

Nicolas Cinalli, age 25, Goalkeeper (Argentinian)

(apps 32 - conceded 31 - clean sheets 14 - MotM 1 - AvR 6.87)

Despite the achievements of the two younger goalkeepers last year, Nicolas got his wish and found himself as the number one for pretty much the entire season. Thanks to injuries to both of his 'rivals' for the jersey, he took the starting spot at the beginning of October and has not been disturbed since; we were winning games and he was error-free, so there seemed no reason to change. A fairly solid season in terms of individual performance, vastly improved over the previous two campaigns, but I still think he is a bit shakey when dealing - or rather not dealing - with long range shots. Has a good rapport with the fans.

Antonio Di Giovanni, age 22, Goalkeeper

(apps 6 - conceded 3 - clean sheets 3 - AvR 7.00)

Antonio began the season as the starting goalkeeper, on the back of his appearances towards the end of the previous season. When he picked up a groin injury at the end of September, Cinalli took his chance and Antonio never got another look in. Still young, but I don't see a future for him as the number one choice.

Giuseppe Lenea, age 20, Goalkeeper

(apps 0(2) - conceded 0 - clean sheets 2 - AvR -.--)

It has been quite a different story compared to the previous seasons for Giuseppe. The dislocated shoulder that he suffered in pre-season was a blow, not only because he had only just returned from the broken leg but because it allowed the other keepers to stake their claim. Again the satisfactory performances by Cinalli kept him out, but he remains a talented young shot-stopper and will most likely regain his place as first choice in the near future.

[nerf]

DEFENDERS

Dario Italia, age 34, Centre Back

(apps 18(3) - AvR 7.04)

Dario has done well when required to fill in, even appearing in midfield on a couple of occasions, but he will be 35 years old later this summer. His contract runs out in July and we are unsure about renewing it, despite his interest in doing so, mostly due to his age and also because of Stefano Fumagalli's arrival when the transfer window opens.

Stefano Guastella, age 21, Right Back

(apps 8(3) - AvR 6.45)

Stefano has played a very small part this season, kept out in the cold by the form of Danilo Sabellini. He's an optimistic young man with a good attitude, but it will take something surprising (or another injury plague) for him to suddenly break into first team contention.

Danilo Sabellini, age 22, Right Wingback

(apps 31 - Assists 1 - AvR 7.09)

I have been very pleased with the emergence of this player, he has really grown in stature throughout the last 18 months or so. He even found himself presented with the captain's armband at one point this season, a testament to his reliability. As tough and determined as you would want a full back to be.

Simone Tamburro, age 31, Wingback

(apps 27 - Assists 2 - AvR 6.96)

An average yet decent season from the club captain, never spectacular and rarely disappointing. He has expressed a wish to move into midfield and solve our weakness in that position on the left, but considering he is the only left back at the club, that's not really likely for now.

Stuart Attewell, age 19, Centre Back (English)

(apps 25 - Assists 4 - MotM 1 - AvR 7.32)

Another excellent season from Stuart. He missed a few more games with injuries this season, but he was every bit as solid as I needed him to be when he was on the pitch. Still only 19, he has plenty of time to continue improving, and has already attracted attention from a host of English Nationwide League clubs including the likes of Bradford City and Bournemouth.

Pietro Alderuccio, age 22, Centre Back

(apps 31 - Assists 2 - AvR 7.09)

Pietro had a much better campaign this time round, really settling in and building his partnership with Attewell. No complaints, other than being more careful in the future about shirt-tugging in the box!

[nerf]

MIDFIELDERS

Alessandro Bonaffini, age 24, Winger

(apps 14(7) - Goals 1 - Assists 2 - AvR 6.95)

Alessandro continued his role as a backup squad player, filling in where needed. He has a big heart and never has a bad word to say, but I don't think anyone believes he will be good enough to play regularly in Serie C1.

Manolo Manoni, age 28, Winger

(apps 14(6) - Assists 1 - AvR 6.30)

No blockbusters from Manolo this season, and fewer appearances. I don't see a future for him here in Ragusa, especially when we will be looking to strengthen the midfield. Frankly, as harsh as it may sound, if I thought someone would be interested in buying Manolo then I would transfer list him.

Gaspare Pellegrino, age 22, Centre Midfield

(apps 24 - Goals 1 - Assists 4 - MotM 1 - AvR 7.41)

Despite some repeating injury problems, another very good season for Gaspare. He has managed to increase his assists tally in fewer appearances, and I can always count on him to go beyond the requirement in terms of energy and effort. Our midfield benefits hugely from the bite and drive that he brings; opposing centrocampisti don't enjoy much time on the ball when Gaspare's around.

Vladimiro Caramel, age 36, Attacking Midfield

(apps 27(1) - Assists 5 - MotM 1 - AvR 7.00)

Vladi will sadly hit 37 years old this summer, though he has shown there's life in those old legs yet. Didn't enjoy as much individual success as in previous seasons, but he was mostly played out of position to fill the gap on the left of midfield. I won't expect so much from him next season, if he decides to stick around. He was obviously especially pleased to have won the Serie C2/C title on old soil, being a former Acireale player.

Franco Chiavarini, age 25, Right Midfield (Argentinian)

(apps 35 - Goals 3 - Assists 7 - MotM 2 - AvR 7.22)

Franco has produced a much better display in his second year in Ragusa, improving on his first year in all areas. His pace down the right made him a handful for most Serie C2/C teams, and he chipped in with a pleasing amount of assists. Has also forged good relationships on the pitch with Danilo Sabellini behind him and Eddy Baggio in front of him.

[nerf]

ATTACKERS

Marco Cirillo, age 28, Striker

(apps 26(1) - Goals 2 - Assists 1 - MotM 2 - AvR 7.22)

Marco Cirillo was Marco Cirillo, putting in a third season of consistency in midfield. He even appeared at centre back briefly, at the height of our injury problems, and didn't exactly make a fool of himself.

Claudio Gallicchio, age 27, Striker

(apps 15(2) - Goals 1 - AvR 7.41)

Claudio surprised everyone by suddenly emerging as an extremely capable midfield player over the second half of the season, putting in some very good performances indeed and reinventing his standing in the squad. I'm sure if he had been told at the start of the season that he would only score 1 goal he would have been distraught, but I think he's fine with that now that we have decided to extend his contract.

Vittorio Emanuele Lupo, age 30, Striker

(apps 4(3) - Goals 2 - Assists 5 - AvR 7.00)

"The Wolf", as the Italian translation of his surname goes, seems destined never to get an extended run in the first team. Despite this he contributed a lot in his brief showings, linking well with Eddy Baggio in January during Fonseca's injury. Again he's another player whose days are numbered, although we're not exactly drowning in backup forwards.

Daniel Fonseca, age 35, Forward (Uruguayan)

(apps 35 - Goals 37 - Assists 14 - MotM 4 - AvR 7.82)

Last season's Fan's Player of the Year had a stellar season this time round, being fantastic from start to finish. When I offered Daniel a chance for regular football back in the summer of 2003, I thought he would add quality to the team but I wasn't expecting the scintillating performances of this season. 37 goals, 36 of which came in the league, made him the top scorer in the Serie C2/C.

Eddy Baggio, age 30, Striker

(apps 37 - Goals 37 - Assists 26 - MotM 15 - AvR 7.83)

As the other half of the most lethal strike partnership in the Italian leagues, if anyone had a more stunning season than Fonseca, it was Eddy. And the pair of them cost a total of £1,000! Eddy was permanently sizzling hot, starting with a hattrick in pre-season and culminating in his double in Tricase, banging in chance after chance that came his way throughout the season. Surely the best season of his career so far, and he will have to go to some lengths if he wants to recreate that in Serie C1.

[BobBev]

Congrats nerf, great achievement and terifically well written. HOF indeed!

[nerf]

Cheers BobBev

Wednesday 18th May 2005

In the 2nd legs of the Champions League Semi Finals, Manchester United overcame AC Milan 2-1 at Old Trafford to win the tie 4-2 on aggregate. They will go on to face Deportivo in the final, who triumphed 4-3 on aggregate in an all-Spanish match-up with Barcelona. After losing 1-3 in the 1st leg, two goals from former Barcelona player Rivaldo helped Deportivo overturn the deficit with a 3-0 victory.

Three players have signed new contracts with the club. Vladimiro Caramel extends his contract for one more season, Manolo Manoni signs on for an extra couple of seasons until 2007, and Marco Cirillo will be with Ragusa until 2008.

Saturday 21st May 2005

Goals from Freddie Ljungberg and Kanu gave Arsenal a 2-1 over London rivals Chelsea in the 2005 FA Cup final at New Wembley. It is the Gunners' 3rd FA Cup triumph in 4 years, and England defender Sol Campbell collected the man-of-the-match award again.

Sunday 22nd May 2005

The Serie C2/C may be over, but Serie A is still winding down. This morning, heading into the penultimate matches of the season, Internazionale held a 3 point lead over rivals AC Milan. Inter cruised to a 3-0 win over Cagliari and AC could only manage a 2-2 draw at Verona, meaning that Inter win their second successive scudetto even with 1 match still to play.

[nerf]

Wednesday 25th May 2005

England's West Ham United met Italian club Bologna in the UEFA Cup final tonight. West Ham's Jermain Defoe opened the scoring just before half-time, but Giacome Cipriani equalised on 67 minutes with a superb curling shot into the top corner. It stayed that way until 2 minutes from time, when Defoe grabbed his second goal with a right foot shot that beat Gianluca Pagliuca. As Bologna desperately pushed forward to rescue the game in the dying seconds, West Ham striker Louis Saha made it 3-1 by forcing a deflected shot over the line.

Still only 22 years old, Jermain Defoe has had an excellent season, scoring 39 goals in all competitions and also becoming a regular in the England squad, where he has collected 10 caps and scored 4 goals. Understandably, several big European clubs are said to be keeping an eye on the lively striker.

Serie C1/A club Albinoleffe have given us a message regarding our bids for Roberto Pepe, a 17 year old left sided midfielder. They say that they might consider welcoming our approaches if we were to raise an offer of £138,000,000. Tempting... but no thanks.

Wednesday 1st June 2005

The Champions League final took place between Deportivo and Manchester United, in front of over 81,000 people at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Deportivo got off to a blistering start inside 8 minutes, when Victor sent a 25 yard rocket into the top corner. A Spaniard equalised for United, former Real Madrid striker Fernando Morientes making Victor's effort look ordinary with an even more spectacular long range strike of his own in the 83rd minute. Extra time progressed goalless, and then Diego Tristan and Joe Cole missed Deportivo's first two penalties in the shootout. However, United threw away this big chance and allowed their opponents to get back on level terms, and when Morientes missed in sudden death, Deportivo were crowned champions of Europe.

Meanwhile I'm going to have to nip down to the shops for some polish, because I now have a Serie C2/C Manager Of The Year 2004/2005 trophy to keep shiny

[Blanket Jackson]

WEll done nerf KUTGW

[Get on Teletext!]

Brilliant nerf, easily the best CM4 story on the board!

[nerf]

Thanks very much Blanket Jackson and Dimitrios

Thursday 2nd June 2005

The award is not the only new arrival at Ragusa. Probably dazzled by that gleaming piece of silver, Czech wingback Pavel Grznar has signed on the dotted line today to become our first acquisition of the summer. I have been chasing the 26 year old for about 12 months now, since he parted with Udinese, but until our promotion was confirmed he refused to entertain our approaches. Despite missing an entire season of competitive football he has remained in great shape, being a very fit and determined player. His place in the team will probably be to link up with Simone Tamburro on the left, though who will play left back and who will play left midfield is yet to be decided.

The other player to put pen to paper is Dario Italia, who we have decided to keep on for one more season. Dario will be 35 later this month and has signed in the knowledge that he will be used very sparingly. His wage is one of the lowest at the club, so we can afford to keep him on as extra backup in case of injury, and hopefully avoid the possibility of more farcical scenes like the ones of this season, involving registering the first local youth we could get our hands on because we did not have enough fit players.

Wednesday 15th June 2005

The next player in through the door is Carlo Mignani, an 18 year old attacking midfielder. Unfortunately Paterno also rate him highly, so it took £12,000 up front with the promise of more to come based on appearances, to prise their fingers off the youngster. Despite the price I am delighted that we have managed to capture Carlo, as he is clearly a talented kid with a good future. He also dished out 10 assists this season for Paterno and can play anywhere across the midfield, so he brings us some creativity and flexibility. Carlo will join up with us after Paterno have completed their participation in the promotion playoffs, whatever their result.

[Ninjafish]

I love this thread, I love books and this is just as good as onhe, a brilliant read every time I get home, thank you nerf.

Oh, keep going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nerf]

Thank you very much Ninjafish, comments like that make it more than worthwhile. And I do intend to keep going

Thursday 23rd June 2005

I set out early on a gloriously bright morning for a short stroll down the road into the centre of town. After popping into a shop for the sports paper, I crossed the street to the Caffè Trieste, ordered breakfast, and sat outside browsing through the newspaper. Apparently Varese, the unlucky losers in the title race, had yesterday completed a 3-0 aggregate victory over Paterno in the promotion playoff final. I'm fairly glad for them that they didn't miss out on promotion, they fully deserved it, and it also means that Carlo can feel even happier that he made the right choice by leaving Paterno!

In the Serie C2/C wrap-up there was also a mention of Ragusa, and a quote from a spokesperson for Ragusa fans, who proclaimed me to be "undoubtedly one of the best managers around". I'm not so sure that's the case, but it is always nice to know that the fans are behind you. They really have been great for me since the day I arrived, giving me their full support despite the fact that I was some unknown Englishman attempting to replace the coach who had guided them to Serie D success. I hope they will still be on my side by the end of our innaugral season in Serie C1.

Over the page there was news that Barcelona had won the Spanish Primera Liga for the first time since 1999. Despite their season still not being over yet, an emphatic 5-0 win over relegated Xerez, featuring a hattrick by Javier Saviola, means that rivals Real Madrid will be too far adrift to catch the Catalan club in the final game.

[nerf]

Thursday 30th June 2005

Unsurprisingly, the annual Fans Player of the Year poll in the local newspaper has declared Eddy Baggio as the winner of this season's vote.

Meanwhile, I have spent the day back on the training ground with assistant Antonio Rannuci and coaches Leo Pellegrino and Marco Onorati, casting our collective eye over the successful triallists for the new Ragusa youth team. The Serie C1 hosts an organised league for under-20 teams attached to the clubs in the division, which is something that we are very interested in being involved in. As a result, Director of Football Marcello Pitino lifted a finger to set the ball rolling, and I have left it up to Antonio, a former chief scout you remember, to run trials and recruit some youngsters to sign youth contracts.

Marco Anastasi, age 16, Goalkeeper

Gabriele Catania, age 16, Forward

Massimo Costagliola, age 16, Forward

Francesco Di Girolamo, age 17, Goalkeeper

Giancarlo Di Nicola, age 16, Forward

Luca Orlando, age 15, Central Midfielder

Fabio Rossini, age 15, Left Midfielder

Pietro Sannino, age 15, Right Back

Antonio's overall impression is that Gabriele Catania, Massimo Costagliola and Luca Orlando stand out as the ones to keep an eye on, though sadly the rest are likely to struggle depending on how they respond in their development. Marco Onorati remains unimpressed by either goalkeeper, knowing that we already have talent and youth at that position in the senior squad.

[nerf]

Friday 8th July 2005

It's official. The massive news story that has rocked the entire country has finally reached critical levels, as Italian football governing bodies have declared that all domestic professional football competition is to be suspended indefinitely.

From Serie A down to the lower divisions, all domestic leagues are brought screeching to a halt before the new season has even started. The causes are many, the conspiracies twisted, but chaos reigns. The authorities are taking a stand, the financial crisis has struck new lows, match-fixing allegations abound, and labour strikes have sprung up everywhere. The culmination is the postponement of Italian football for the time being, many predicting until after Christmas, most fearing a cancellation of the 2005/2006 season altogether.

Other professional leagues around Europe and the world will continue as normal, but Italian football is in complete disarray. Come September, Ragusa will not be starting their first season in the Serie C1.

[nerf]

Monday 11th July 2005

We have talked through the situation in several internal meetings over the weekend between staff and players. The club has no alternative but to carry on functioning almost as normal, on the assumption that there will be a half-season beginning in January, or at the worst, the arrival of a full 2006/2007 season in 12 months time.

Pretty much all of the coaches and players live locally, and many have wives or families with connections in the area, so the majority of the squad will always be around and training will continue 'as normal', albeit on a reduced scale for a while. The players are free to do as they please for the next few months, on the premise that they recognise they are still professional calciatori and will need to maintain their fitness levels to some extent. It is highly likely that many of the players will search for part time work to fill up the hours, although decisions on wages are yet to be officially taken.

As for me, I'm taking advantage of the sudden events to enjoy an extended return home to England, spending a few weeks there with friends and family. Stuart Attewell is doing the same, and I heard Franco Chiavarini and Nicolas Cinalli talking about going back to visit Argentina for a short time.

Daniel Fonseca has already expressed a desire to go into football physiotherapy when his playing career is over, so this seems to be a perfect time to take his courses and study the occupation. At 35 going on 36, I can't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, we've already seen Daniel Fonseca play his last game for Ragusa. He refuses to make a decision on his retirement as yet, especially after enjoying the success that he had over the last 10 months or so. The same goes for Dario Italia and Vladimiro Caramel.

The youth players who signed with the new Under-20 squad less than a fortnight ago, well, their introduction to professional football has been put on hold, and after the summer they should be going back into full time education.

[veelhousen]

is this true or some kind of bug??

really enjoying this. first thing i check when i get to work

[Ninjafish]

You are taking the bug extremely well!! If you have a sve in the close season u may want to load that up but, argh! I feel so sorry for you, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do NOT give up writing this increible story!!

[nerf]

Yes, just one of CM4's little quirks . I have played on further and everything returns to normal, so after the initial panic I'm over it now. I'm just viewing it as an additional challenge both in the game and in writing the story. Glad you're both still reading

Friday 15th July 2005

Stuart and I catch a flight back to England, where he will return to his family in West Bromwich and I will go to stay with my sister and her family. I have brought along with me a couple of shiny new replica Ragusa home shirts for my two nephews, only to be duly reminded on presentation of the gifts, that an AC Milan home shirt with 'Shevchenko 7' on the back is much more likely to impress the other kids at school. Fair enough.

I go along to watch them both play in an under-13's 5-a-side tournament that weekend, then visit some other acquaintances, and I'm back in Sicily by mid August. Stuart Attewell stays in England, on strict condition that if I find out he speaks to any English clubs then I'll throttle him. Point taken.

Back in Ragusa, so far, everyone seems to be enjoying the relaxing break. No new season to prepare for, no slugging their guts out in pre-season training, no pressure. Several players have already found part-time employment, Daniel Fonseca is already ploughing into his physiotherapy training, and others such as Gaspare Pellegrino and Eddy Baggio - coincidentally the two highest paid players at the club - are ensuring they maintain their fitness by spending plenty of time at the training ground. Indeed, with the coaching staff Antonio, Leo and Marco all living very close to the training ground, there seems to always be some kind of relaxed activity going on there. Groups of players occasionally get together for 5-a-side games, some lift weights... though I've noticed a distinct lack of cross country running!

The weeks drift by more quickly that you might think. After the intense season that we had finished in May, you can't really complain about relaxing in the tranquil warmth of south Sicily all day...

[nerf]

January 2006

The FIFA award winners are announced. Needless to say, no Italian-based players were in the running:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">World Player Of The Year Gilberto Silva (Deportivo)

World Footballer Of The Year Patrick Kluivert (Barcelona)

European Footballer Of The Year Mateja Kezman (PSV Eindhoven)

European Goalkeeper Of The Year Fabien Barthez (Man Utd)

European Defender Of The Year Romero (Deportivo)

European Midfielder Of The Year Sergio (Deportivo)

European Striker Of The Year Javier Saviola (Barcelona)</pre>

Former Ragusa goalkeeper Corrado Vaccaro has left his assistant manager post at Altamura, to take the step up into full management. Pro Gorizia, based in the far north of Italy, will be competing in Serie C2/C when the league resumes and Corrado has agreed to take the reins.

[Untitled]

any chance of a few friendly tournaments?

[Ninjafish]

get some under 19 tournaments together, it be great seeing some new talent through your magical words.

[nerf]

Five Ragusa players are on contracts that expire in the summer - Dario Italia, Vladimiro Caramel, Vittorio Emanuele Lupo, Stuart Attewell and Danilo Sabellini. Dario and Vladi have still not decided whether they intend to carry on playing or hang up their boots, and quite frankly, at aged 36 and 37, I'm going to go some way to making their minds up for them by neglecting to offer them a new deal. We will talk in five months when decision time arrives.

We have informed Vittorio that we will not be renewing his contract. Already fourth choice striker, the arrival of three bright young forwards to the squad will probably mean that his rare opportunities will quickly become non-existant. Stuart Attewell and Danilo Sabellini, on the other hand, are very much in my plans and have both signed on until 2009. Stuart insists that he did not talk with any English clubs during his stay at home, even though Shrewsbury Town, Bradford City and Rochdale all attempted to get in contact with him.

[nerf]

Although the months leading to the end of 2005 were spent mostly easing off and living a life of relaxation and recreation on the edge of the Malta channel, after the potential for a half-season came and went without luck, we started to pick up a bit more intensity in the first half of 2006. A tentative innaugral "Tornei della Sicilia" was organised and held here, a light hearted event featuring our senior team, our prospective Under-20s team, and local clubs Gela and Acireale. Our senior side won the mini-league, and Antonio managed to guide the youngsters into the runner-up spot.

The Under-20 squad have been much more active than their senior counterparts and have played many friendlies with other Serie C1/B youth teams, as all clubs are willing to try and continue the development of their youth players. Some of the younger members of the senior squad, usually Giuseppe Lenea, Stuart Attewell and Stefano Guastella, have also joined in to try and stay in practice.

The senior squad later went on an enjoyable trip to San Marino, to take on another club that will be promoted to Serie C2/C for the 2006/2007 season. We made a couple of days out of it and it was good to back on the road with the team again. Back home, we arranged a few more senior friendlies with nearby Sicilian clubs such as Palermo, Catania and Siracusa, as we started to build up to the return of the football season in a few months time.

[nerf]

In April, the transfer of Georgian midfielder Temuri Burnadze was agreed via the bosman ruling, after he rejected Lokomotivi Tbilisi's latest contract offer and accepted ours. The 23 year old will move to Ragusa when his contract expires in early June.

Throughout May we had been trialling young Australian goalkeeper Jess van Strattan, also 23 years old, who came highly recommended from Verona where he had spent several seasons. Jess impressed enough for us to want to keep him on permanently, and signed a contract until 2009.

With the arrival of van Strattan, we released youth team goalkeepers Francesco Di Girolamo and Marco Anastasi. Both had passed the age of 17 and neither looked worthy of full professional contracts, and we now had four fairly young goalkeepers ahead of them, so we parted company.

Elsewhere in Europe, domestic competitions for the 2005/2006 season were now drawing to a close. Manchester United won their second successive FA Premiership title, their 9th in the last 14 years, although they were pushed to the last day by both Liverpool and Arsenal, who finished second and third respectively. Over in Spain, Barcelona mirrored United's success by taking their second Primera Liga in a row, beating Real Betis and Real Madrid once more.

Barcelona also went on to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time since 1992, by conquering Liverpool 4-1 in front of a crowd of 51,000 in the Amsterdam ArenA. Man-of-the-match Patrick Kluivert bagged a double in his home country as the Catalan giants won the most prestigious competition in Europe, though Liverpool were without star striker Michael Owen due to injury.

There was yet more success for Spanish football in the UEFA Cup, when Copenhagen hosted a Seville derby in the final between Real Betis and Sevilla. After extra-time had ended at 2-2, ambitious Sevilla capped their first ever appearance in a European final by taking the penalty shootout 4-2.

[nerf]

June 2006

The 2006 World Cup kicked off in the Olympiastadion, Berlin, with an easy 3-0 victory for the hosts over minnows Syria. Germany will also have to face France and Italy at the first stage however, earning Group A the traditional title of the group of death. England have it only slightly easier in another tough poule, Group F, where they join Croatia, Portugal and Sweden.

Temuri Burnadze arrived in Ragusa on the 12th, took one look around, and was quickly on the phone to berate his agent and demand that he looks for a more suitable club for him to join! I'm not sure what the Georgian was expecting, or exactly what put him off as soon as he arrived in town, but we certainly seem to have got off on the wrong foot. Still, the contracts are all signed, so I hope this is not a sign of things to come.

Vittorio Emanuele Lupo announced his retirement from football at the age of 31, as his contract with us expired. Vittorio took the decision to hang up his boots rather than search for a new club and a fresh start. I'd like to be able to say that it is a shame to see him go, but he has not played a big part during my time here and would not have been needed for the coming season.

Vittorio Emanuele Lupo - Ragusa 2001 / 2006 - Appearances 10(26), Goals 7.

The entire nation was brought to a grinding halt during the televised Group A match between Germany and Italy at the World Cup. German forward Miroslav Klose, and Luca Toni, a prolific Italian striker who plays his club football for Real Betis, both grabbed hat-tricks during a spectacular game that finally ended 4-4. The draw is enough for Italy to qualify behind group winners France, meaning that Germany are eliminated from their own World Cup at the first hurdle.

Veteran midfielder Vladimiro Caramel has joined Lupo in retirement, a month before his 38th birthday. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Vladi at Ragusa, who was a very professional and determined player with a level head. He was also probably the best crosser of a ball that I have had the pleasure of coaching, even if he did lack the mindset of a winger to be able to use that knack to the full. Vladi retires in the knowledge that the last competitive appearance of his career was winning the Serie C2/C title.

Vladimiro Caramel - Ragusa 2002 / 2006 - Appearances 84(7), Goals 6.

As two old ones leave, a young one joins. Paolo Re, a 17 year old goalkeeper, has joined up with the Under-20s squad.

[Blanket Jackson]

I hope this bug only this season. This is a th rilling read. Thanks for the pleasure, KUTGW

[Ninjafish]

I understand the reason why this is losing momentum and that you may be feeling annoyed at it all(just a bit of analysis, if Im wrong thats great) but please carry on writing in your wonderful style and keep going!!

[nerf]

Cheers Blanket Jackson

Thanks for sticking with it Ninjafish The frequency of posts has slowed down a bit due to me having less time available to write the story, so I can't quite continue the pace of the last season. There should be no danger of the story ending any time soon, I'm still enjoying it, but it might not progress quite as quickly as it had been recently.

[nerf]

Finally, the Italian professional football governing bodies have officially confirmed that all issues have been resolved, and all domestic competitions from Serie A down to the lower leagues will resume in time for the traditional start of the season. The cogs of Italian football are clunking back into gear, and fixture lists have been generated and distributed to the clubs. On Sunday 3rd September, we will kick off our first season in Serie C1/B away at... Palmese, a familiar club thanks to our clashes in Serie C2/C in recent times.

The chairman's expectations, as well as the fans', and in fact my own, are no grander than simply wanting to survive a quick return from whence we came. Avoiding relegation is our aim for the coming campaign, and perhaps causing one or two upsets whenever we can. Obviously I have no personal experience of Serie C1, so I don't know first hand how big the step up is, but I do know that Serie C2/C 2002/2003 champions Brindisi spent the 2003/2004 season as Serie C1/B whipping boys, and were dumped ignominiously straight back down to square one again. Lets hope that we can fare a little better.

[nerf]

July 2006

Dario Italia, the 36 year old defender, has been released by the club as his contract expires.

Dario Italia - Ragusa 2001 / 2006 - Appearances 68(5)

At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, France have been crowned world champions again. 57000 spectators at the Olympiastadion and countless millions across the world all watched one of the most entertaining and exciting finals for years, between the winners of the two previous World Cups. Brazil took the lead in the first half through Edu, and Adriano doubled that advantage before half-time. In the second half, Thierry Henry pounced twice in the box with close range finishes on 59 and 82 minutes to send the game into extra-time at 2-2. Man-of-the-match David Trezeguet, of Juventus, only required two minutes of the extended period to pick the ball up and jink around Dida to score the golden goal.

France captain Fabien Barthez lifted the coveted golden trophy, and Arsenal's Thierry Henry collected the golden boot for topping the goalscoring charts in the tournament. England finished 3rd by beating Argentina in the consolation playoff.

[nerf]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>

Giornale Di Sicilia, Venerdì 21 Luglio 2006

DESCRIZIONE DE RAGUSA CALCIO

by Gianluca Juventi

The twelve month break from professional competition has been a long one for the Ragusa fans, so here we have a reminder of who's who in casa biancazzura:

La rosa... (name, position, age, estimated market value)

PORTIERI

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Nicolas Cinalli GK 27 £6,000

Antonio Di Giovanni GK 23 £2,000

Giuseppe Lenea GK 21 £3,000

Paolo Re GK 17 £1,000

Jess van Strattan GK 24 £18,000

</pre>

DIFENSORI

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Pietro Alderuccio D RC 23 £2,000

Stuart Attewell D C 20 £6,000

Stefano Fumagalli SW/D LC 24 £10,000

Stefano Guastella D R 22 £4,000

Pavel Grznar DM RL 27 £18,000

Danilo Sabellini DM R 23 £30,000

Pietro Sannino D R 16 £1,000

Simone Tamburro DM RL 32 £5,000

</pre>

CENTROCAMPISTI

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Alessandro Bonaffini M RL 25 £6,000

Temuri Burnadze AM RC 23 £65,000

Franco Chiavarini AM R 26 £4,000

Manolo Manoni M RL 29 £1,000

Carlo Mignani AM LC 19 £24,000

Luca Orlando M C 17 £26,000

Gaspare Pellegrino M C 23 £26,000

Fabio Rossini M LC 17 £2,000

</pre>

ATTACCANTI

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Eddy Baggio S C 31 £80,000

Gabriele Catania F C 16 £2,000

Marco Cirillo S C 29 £24,000

Massimo Costagliola F RLC 17 £3,000

Giancarlo Di Nicola F C 17 £2,000

Daniel Fonseca F LC 36 £2,000

Claudio Gallicchio S C 29 £10,000

</pre>

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[nerf]

New Faces...

Stefano Fumagalli

Position: Defender

Age: 24

Nationality: Italian

Transfer fee: £5,000

Previous clubs: Fidelis Andria

Stefano spent four good seasons in Andria, he was a hugely important part of their promotion from Serie C2/C in 2002/2003 when we first tried to sign him, and we have kept track of him since. He's a strong, powerful centre back who also has the mobility to play left back, though I suspect most of the time he will be used in the middle. This could be bad news for either Stuart Attewell or Pietro Alderuccio, who will have to be on top of their form to stay in the team.

Pavel Grznar

Position: Wingback

Age: 27

Nationality: Czech

Transfer fee: (Free)

Previous clubs: Triestina, Udinese

Pavel took some persuading, but eventually he finally agreed to come and join us when our promotion to Serie C1/B was attained. With a club like Udinese in his background it is no surprise that he can play, and he will probably line up as our starting left back this season.

Carlo Mignani

Position: Midfielder

Age: 19

Nationality: Italian

Transfer fee: £12,000

Previous clubs: Paterno

Carlo was not cheap but he's one for the future, so we're hoping he will earn that fee back in years to come. Able to play anywhere across the midfield, his main attribute is that he always works tremendously hard. I'm unsure where his regular spot in the team will be, probably on the left, but with his ability and versatility he should be a consistent appearance on the team sheet.

Temuri Burnadze

Position: Midfielder

Age: 23

Nationality: Georgian

Transfer fee: (Free)

Previous clubs: Lokomotivi Tbilisi

Temuri is a cultured midfielder who has already been capped twice by his country. His passing and technique should stand out as being at a higher level than most of the other players in the squad, although early suggestions are that he appears to lack a bit of pace. Consqequently I will probably use him wide right rather than in the chaos of the middle, and hopefully he will create plenty of opportunities with his vision.

Jess van Strattan

Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 24

Nationality: Australian

Transfer fee: (Free)

Previous clubs: Northern Spirit, Verona

Jess has all the attributes you could want from a goalkeeper. He's big and agile, commands his area very well, and can even distribute the ball intelligently. He didn't get much of a chance in Verona to prove to the brigate gialloblu that he can perform as the number one keeper, so we're hoping that he will take this chance to show what he can do.

Of the Under-20s youngsters, the ones most likely to make the step up to the senior squad would appear to be midfielder Luca Orlando, and attackers Gabriele Catania, Massimo Costagliola, and Giancarlo Di Nicola. It's pleasing that we have some young forwards coming through, as Fonseca and Baggio are no spring chickens - despite what their amazing performances last season implied.

[Untitled]

van strattan = great buy

[Guest]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Untitled:

van strattan = great buy <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

100% True!

You guys knew he's Juve bound?

He's just loaned out To Hellas Verona

[Guest]

Nerf,check out this thread.a guy foudn a trick to record your goals.You can do this too!

Some goals,the one you choose maybe.

Here the link;Thread

Give me your thought...

[nerf]

Untitled - I hope that turns out to be true! He won't have it easy though, we already have one or two decent keepers just waiting to take his place.

Juventinogdt - Yeah I saw that thread, it sounds interesting. I'm not sure that I'll be giving it a go, but thanks for the suggestion

Wednesday 2nd August 2006

Georgia coach Aleksandre Chivadze has requested that midfielder Temuri Burnadze joins up with his national squad for next week's opening European Championships Qualifier against Bosnia. Fortunately it should not interfere with our preparations too much, slotting in neatly between our two arranged friendlies, and Temuri could probably do with a trip back home due to his baffling instant dislike of Ragusa, so he is given permission by the club.

In Group 2 of the qualifiers for Euro 2008, which will be jointly hosted for the first time by Austria and Switzerland, Holland are far and away the favourites to win. Georgia will either need to cause a major upset or fight off Greece and Scotland to try and take a 'best' second place. England have it much easier on paper in Group 5 with only Belgium and Slovenia looking capable of troubling them, although no doubt they will manage to make it hard work for themselves as usual. Italy remain favourites for Group 8, but Denmark, Russia, Estonia and Slovakia are unlikely to make it easy for them.

The first pre-season injury has arrived, as Gaspare Pellegrino managed to acquire a torn groin muscle. Sadly this is likely to keep him out for two months and means that he will miss the start of the season.

Saturday 5th August 2006

Our pre-season begins with yet another friendly, and a meeting with our most local opponents, Gela Juve-Terranova. The starting eleven contains only three of those who experienced the drama of Acireale almost 15 months ago.

Friendly

Ragusa v Gela

Ragusa lineup - van Strattan; Grznar, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Alderuccio; Mignani, Orlando, Cirillo, Burnadze; Di Nicola, Costagliola.

Two early goals from Di Nicola and Costagliola get us off to a pleasing start in the first half, and only the linesman's flag denied us a third. Conversely, Gela do not even manage a shot in anger in the entire 45 minutes. At the break young Fabio Rossini is given a run-out on the left of midfield, and Danilo Sabellini steps out for some pre-season fitness building. The second half is quiet in comparison, and late on I make some wholesale changes as legs start to tire.

Final score: Ragusa 2 - 0 Gela

A fairly easy stroll for our pre-season warm up. The two seventeen year olds up front, Di Nicola and Costagliola, were simply electric in the first half, if quiet in the second. Antonio seems to be of the opinion that Catania and Costagliola are the most promising and is not quite so keen on Di Nicola, but I have to disagree. The kid looks lively and will be worth keeping an eye on.

Luca Orlando, also just seventeen, continues to impress in midfield, reminding me of a young Ray Wilkins. The former AC Milan and England international midfielder earnt the nickname 'the crab' from one of his managers in England, and Luca has a similar style about him. He can sit in midfield and stroke simple passes sideways, keeping the play ticking over, never looking rushed, always choosing the right pass to play, and showing a remarkably cool head for one so young. Antonio claims that Luca has a great future at the club and this is something that we definitely agree on.

[nerf]

Saturday 12th August 2006

Being the site of the club's greatest achievement, it only seemed fitting to return to the Tupparello in Acireale for our second pre-season friendly. Despite travelling there and back, Temuri Burnadze wasn't required to play for Georgia in midweek so he is fit enough to start again.

Friendly

Acireale v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - van Strattan; Grznar, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Alderuccio; Mignani, Orlando, Cirillo, Burnadze; Fonseca, Baggio.

We do not make such a good start this time, picking up an injury instead of two goals. Pietro Alderuccio is removed as a precaution and Danilo Sabellini takes to the field in his place. Meanwhile Acireale striker Mattia Mastrolilli is proving a handful in the air, even for Stuart Attewell, and it is he who glances home a near post cross with his head to give the home side a 1-0 lead. We pull back onto level terms later in the first half, when Baggio collected Sabellini's pass down the line and crossed for Fonseca to convert with a noncholant flick of the left boot.

In the second half we regained the edge and started to wear Acireale down. Eddy Baggio twice provided crosses for Fonseca to complete a hattrick, showing that the smooth understanding is still there, and we ran out comfortable winners.

Final score: Acireale 1 - 3 Ragusa

Two friendlies and two controlled victories, although I don't expect it to be remotely as 'easy' against Serie C1/B opposition. Alderuccio's injury was just a scare and should not trouble him with any seriousness, but the bad news is that a 2nd half knock picked up by Pavel Grznar will see him miss the start of the season. He will have plenty of time to spend with Gaspare Pellegrino and the physios, as he too will be facing two months in the treatment room.

On our return to Ragusa, Luca Orlando and Fabio Rossini are both presented with full-time professional contracts, until 2009 and 2008 respectively, as both have passed the age of seventeen recently.

[Guest]

Excellent story... One of the best I have read to this day...

So How are my fellow Icelanders doing. any icelander playing in ITLAY

[nerf]

Thanks Mr.Iceland

The only Icelandic player I can find in Italy is Olaf-Ingur Skulason, a right-back for Maceratese in Serie D, who moved there in 2003 after failing to make the grade at Arsenal. Iceland's biggest export is still Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, now valued at £14 million and a recognised 25 goals-per-season man in the Premiership, with a UEFA Cup runners-up medal to his name. The Iceland national side lost their opening Euro 2008 qualifier 3-2 in the Czech Republic last week, and will struggle to qualify from Group 7 against the likes of Spain and Ukraine. There ya go

- Serie C Cup 2006/2007 - Group P preview -

Here are the teams competing in this year's Group P:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Gladiator Serie C2/C

Palmese Serie C1/B

Pordenone Serie C2/C

Ragusa Serie C1/B

Thiene Serie C2/A

</pre>

Gladiator have become somewhat cup specialists at the group stage. Perennial strugglers in the Serie C2/C division, they have somehow managed to overturn the odds in the last two Serie C Cups to qualify from some very tough groups. On league form you would not think they stand a chance, but with their tendency for upset you can rarely bet against them.

Palmese managed to achieve what Brindisi could not, by maintaining their Serie C1/B status and surviving the drop back to Serie C2/C. A 13th place finish enabled them to do this and makes them the highest ranked of the teams in this group.

Pordenone were promoted last season from the leagues below C2, following their relegation from Serie C2/A back in the 2003/2004 season. Not many people will fancy them to make an impact on this group.

Ragusa were recently promoted as champions from Serie C2/C, three years after their rise from the lower leagues. They do not have a good record in this competition, but with the capacity for goalscoring that they displayed in their title year, they have the quality up front to cause plenty of problems for the other teams in this group.

Thiene have remained a tricky prospect in Serie C2/A, consistently finishing just below the playoff slots, but without having that push to take them the extra step forward into being promotion contenders. They will need to find that boost if they want to qualify and progress into the knockout rounds.

[nerf]

Tuesday 22nd August 2006

We resume active competition with the visit of Serie C2/A side Thiene for the start of the Serie C Cup. Gaspare Pellegrino, Pavel Grznar and Daniel Fonseca are all injured, and Eddy Baggio has a suspension carried over from 2 years ago! With our starting strikeforce out, Gallicchio will return to centre forward for the first time in a long while, and young Giancarlo Di Nicola will be alongside him.

Serie C Cup Group P

Ragusa v Thiene

Ragusa lineup - van Strattan; Tamburro©, Fumagalli, Attewell, Alderuccio; Mignani, Orlando, Cirillo, Burnadze; Di Nicola, Gallicchio.

After 20 minutes, Marco Cirillo's long ball from deep in midfield drew Thiene goalkeeper Pietro Pipolo out of his goal area to head clear. Unfortunately for him he headed it right back into the middle of play, and Luca Orlando pipped Tommaso Lazzaro to get to the loose ball. With Pipolo scrambling back in vain, Luca sent it back with interest, finding the open net from 45 yards. The youngster races over to the dugout to celebrate, clearly delighted to score his first ever goal for the club.

At half-time we make no changes, but urge the wide midfielders to get more involved. Thiene started to gain a larger share of possession after the break, but we were able to kill that off with an quick counterattack in the 57th minute. Luca Orlando collected the ball on the edge of our area and lobbed it upfield, where Di Nicola sprung high to flick it on with his head. With a two-on-one break against Thiene substitute Paolo Ardenghi, Gallicchio chipped it back to Di Nicola, who drew the keeper and then fired it back across to give Gallicchio an easy finish. 2-0.

Temuri Burnadze was not having much effect on the flank, so Franco Chiavarini came on for the last twenty minutes. We cruise comfortably through to the end, then cap the game off with a flourish in injury time. First new-boy Carlo Mignani cut inside and struck a volley from the edge of the area, then Gallicchio did the same from inside the box after Di Nicola had embarassed two defenders on the left wing.

Final score: Ragusa 4 - 0 Thiene

Four goals may have flattered us a little, but there was only one team who looked likely to win the game and we were more than worthy of a victory. Giancarlo Di Nicola was man of the match with his two assists, and his energy was a constant thorn in Thiene's side. Stefano Fumagalli won everything in the air at the back, and Luca Orlando also played well, setting a new record for the youngest player ever to appear for Ragusa at 17 years 1 month.

[nerf]

Saturday 26th August 2006

Pordenone were defeated 3-4 in a seven goal thriller at Palmese in the group opener, and they must now make the long, long trip down from north-east Italy to enter the Aldo Campo Selvaggio. The last time we met Pordenone was almost exactly four years ago, my second match in charge, probably more memorable for Willy Baiana's high challenge on Danilo Sabellini rather than for Giancarlo Ferrara's double in a 2-0 away win.

Eddy Baggio returns from his suspension, but he is lacking match practice so will begin the game on the bench, and Gallicchio did well on Tuesday so he will keep his place up front.

Serie C Cup Group P

Ragusa v Pordenone

Ragusa lineup - van Strattan; Tamburro©, Fumagalli, Attewell, Alderuccio; Mignani, Orlando, Cirillo, Burnadze; Di Nicola, Gallicchio.

The confidence levels of the two sides are apparent from the start, and we put Pordenone under some early pressure. In the 7th minute a corner is forced down the right, and Marco Cirillo's head was highest to direct Di Nicola's flighted ball into the net for 1-0.

In the 25th minute the goalscorer laid the ball off to Luca Orlando on the centre spot, who looked for his under-20's teammate Di Nicola with a chip upfield. Di Nicola dribbled past defender Fabio Trangoni at pace, clipped a ball to the far post, and Gallicchio got across the front of his marker to finish from eight yards. Straight from the kickoff Di Nicola terrorised the defence again, disposessing Millesi and sprinting on between the two centre backs, before dribbling around Paolo Marin to score his first official goal. The kid is one to watch.

3-0 up at half-time is a nice position to be in, and Gallicchio made way for Baggio to gain some match practice. The two seventeen year olds had excelled in the first half, as Di Nicola had a big hand in all three goals, and most of our passing play invariably had Orlando at the heart of it.

After 64 minutes I finally lost patience with our ineffectual Georgian on the right, and made the call for two substitutions. Carlo Mignani would be replaced by Fabio Rossini on the left to give the kid a taste of first team action, and Franco Chiavarini would take Burnadze's spot on the right. Temuri was less than happy to see his number come up again, and emitted a stream of angry words in his mother tongue as he stomped towards the dug out. An innocent drinks bottle felt the full force of his right foot - the most effort he had put in all day - and he steamed straight off to the changing room with barely a hesitation.

The rest of the team got on with things, and soon Giancarlo Di Nicola deflected everybody's attention back on to his twinkling boots. In the 83rd minute he volunteered for the responsibility of taking a free kick within shooting distance, and saw his effort spin off Belingheri in the wall to give the goalkeeper no chance. Five minutes later he completed a hat-trick when put through with only the goalkeeper to beat, and he drew Paolo Marin before stabbing the ball between his legs into the net.

Final score: Ragusa 5 - 0 Pordenone

Three goals, two assists, man of the match... this Di Nicola kid was magic today, he's making Antonio quite happily eat his words. He has pace, he has flair, he can get up in the air well, and, despite the luck with the fourth goal, he is also a dab-hand with deadballs. Best of all, he's still only seventeen. When Daniel Fonseca does eventually decide to retire, we appear to have been blessed with an immediate replacement.

I decide not to have words with Temuri Burnadze, I'll just let him blow off steam and cool down. Normally I don't stand for childish behaviour like that at this club, but in this case we will allow him one chance. The next time he'll be severely reprimanded. Temuri's situation is a delicate one, due to the fact that he seems to have regretted his decision from the instant he set foot on Sicilian soil. Apparently his agent is already looking for prospective buyers. If he decides to stay then we'll have him as long as he bucks his ideas up, but quite honestly I'm already hoping that his agent does find someone so we can make a quick profit on him.