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

[nerf]

Sunday 14th January 2007

Lecco arrive in southern Sicily to find a Ragusa team in good condition; Luca Orlando finally makes a welcome return from his long-term injury to cram alongside the likes of Di Nicola, Costagliola, Burnadze, Chiavarini and Alderuccio on the bench. Daniel Fonseca will today make his first start for over two months, finally resuming the long-absent partnership with Eddy Baggio that brought so much success in the past. Lecco, of course, will be no pushovers, currently in 9th position with two wins on the bounce.

Serie C1/B Fixture #18

Ragusa v Lecco

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Gallicchio, Pellegrino, Mignani; Fonseca, Baggio.

I hope that none of the capacity crowd were late arriving for the kick-off, because they would have missed an eventful start. Daniel Fonseca should have found the net in the very first minute but the chance went begging when he was unable to connect cleanly with Baggio's cross, then Lecco went straight into attack and Antonello D'Ambrosio's header bounced back into play off the near post, before Giuseppe Lenea successfully parried away a Francesco Cardillo shot during the resulting goalmouth scramble.

On 11 minutes Gaspare Pellegrino laid the ball off to Carlo Mignani on the halfway line, who split the Lecco defence by sending an excellent pass forward through the gap between fullback and centre back. Eddy Baggio ran in behind to chase after it, Emanuele Concetti was tempted forward off his line to sweep up, but Eddy got there first, skipped around the stranded keeper and passed into the empty net. The celebration in front of the fans was made extra special by the knowledge that it was the striker's 50th goal for the club, not to mention the fact that it carried us through to half-time at 1-0 up. At the break Di Nicola replaced Tamburro to try his hand at the left midfield position.

We should have added a second goal in the second half, but Baggio sent a good chance wide and Daniel Fonseca spurned an even better opportunity from the penalty spot after Edoardo Gorini, a substitute who had only been on the pitch for seven minutes, was red carded for a professional foul on Fonseca in the area. Unfortunately Concetti had done his homework and guessed Fonseca's chosen direction correctly to push the spot kick away to safety. Giancarlo Di Nicola, who was adapting very well indeed to the wide midfield position, was also guilty of wasting a decent chance late on when he failed to hit the target from a Mignani cross.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 0 Lecco

It was a tale of missed chances for both teams, but ultimately the three points are ours and we looked like the most comfortable team once we had the goal as a cushion. Giancarlo Di Nicola seemed to enjoy the role wide on the left, an experiment that I had been tempted into by his tendency to drift wide effectively when he plays in attack. He certainly has the athleticism to play in midfield, and I think he may have the potential to develop into a dangerous winger if the experiment is successful.

[nerf]

Thursday 18th January 2007

Much controversy has been caused this week by Spanish Primera Liga club Sevilla and their new-found ambition. With an increasing amount of questions being raised about the way many European clubs are handling their money, Sevilla incited outrage by tabling a ridiculously inflated offer of £40,000,000 for Cristian Chivu of Ajax. The team from Amsterdam obviously snatched their hands off and the completed deal was announced yesterday, with the highly-rated 26 year old Romanian posing for photographs in the white shirt of Sevilla. All of this comes, of course, with the undeniable knowledge that Sevilla have happily plunged themselves into heavy debt, fuelling yet more debate about the financial state of the game. Seven years ago this sort of transfer might have been more willingly accepted, the sort of thing that accompanied Real Madrid's latest £40 million superstar, but not Sevilla, not for a defender, and certainly not in today's climate.

The Spanish are not the only ones at it either, as Arsenal today announced the signing of Newcastle's England international defender Jonathan Woodgate, subject to a medical. The 26 year old spent four and a half acclaimed seasons on Tyneside but has now decided to move to the capital, with a slightly less ridiculous fee of £26,000,000 heading the opposite way.

[nerf]

Sunday 21st January 2007

Palmese are struggling through a barren season of continuous disappointment. Not only are they propping up the rest of the division in 18th position, they are also already seven points adrift from the nearest team and have not won in four matches. In our season opener in September, a double from Fonseca brought us back from 0-2 down to gain a draw at the Comunale in Palma Campana.

Serie C1/B Fixture #19

Ragusa v Palmese

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Gallicchio, Pellegrino, Mignani; Fonseca, Baggio.

If you could write a script for the perfect way in which your team should start any football match, it wouldn't be too dissimilar to how we began today. It was the kind of graceful move that every manager dreams about, and was started by Pavel Grznar dispossessing Migliorelli with a well-executed sliding challenge. The Czech's chip forward was fielded and held up in the centre circle by Eddy Baggio, then laid off to Gallicchio, who looked up and searched for a option to pass to. With Pellegrino making a dash forward as a distraction, Carlo Mignani suddenly darted inside the left fullback and was screaming for the ball to be sent through. Claudio obliged with a glorious sweeping pass from his right foot, perfectly flighted into Mignani's path up the right channel, and the young midfielder dribbled to the edge of the area before embarassing goalkeeper Valerio Visconti with the most perfect of casual lobs. The clock ticked past thirty seconds as the ball bounced into the net, we were already 1-0 up, and what a stylish way to do it.

Unfortunately, Palmese immediately decided that they no longer wanted to play by our script, and the lead lasted a whole three minutes. After Fumagalli and Sabellini had competed well in the air to head clear on two occasions, another corner resulted in Gallicchio undoing their work by shoving Verolino in the back inside the penalty area. Luca Migliorelli curled the penalty right into the corner and we were back at all-square. Eddy Baggio came within millimetres of changing that when he latched onto Pavel Grznar's cross in the 12th minute, but his header was pushed onto the post by Visconti at full stretch.

On 37 minutes, the next goal arrived in much less impressive fashion than the first. Daniel Fonseca's typically dangerous inswinging corner saw Eddy Baggio compete for the header with two opposing players, and Del Prete was the unlucky one as the ball bounced off him and spun into his own net. No doubt that will be the last time for a while that the Palmese striker drops back to help his defence out. As the first half drew to a close, Fonseca caused more trouble with an audacious free-kick from nigh-on 40 yards out, but his spectacular curling effort dipped onto the crossbar rather than under it.

At half-time, Tamburro made way for Burnadze to come on at right midfield, with Mignani moving over to the left and Gaspare Pellegrino adopting the captain's armband. In the 64th minute we finally found that crucial two-goal cushion, thanks to an old school Fonseca-Baggio breakaway that resulted in the Uruguayan managing to get the important finishing touch to his strike partner's cross. The third goal seemed to kill Palmese off, a team all too used to losing this season, and they were consigned to yet another defeat.

Final score: Ragusa 3 - 1 Palmese

It was a decent enough performance today, it's nice to see the Fonseca-Baggio partnership still clicking, and both Fumagalli and Pellegrino really stepped up in the second half. Quite shockingly, and this is testament to just how tight this division is, those three points see us make the gigantic leap from 11th up to 4th in the table! Taranto, Sambenedettese and Messina occupy the top three spots, we trail three points behind Messina, and then just three more points covers us in 4th to Lecco in 13th. We have also therefore nudged in front of Lanciano, who are in town next weekend to try and repeat the 5-1 thrashing they gave us at the end of September.

[nerf]

Wednesday 24th January 2007

Just as Luca Orlando is gradually easing back into the swing of things following his long injury, my plans for the centre of Ragusa's midfield are disrupted again by the recurrence of Gaspare Pellegrino's groin injury. The pair have played together just once all season, and that will not change for at least another 2 months as they continue their bizarre interchange of spells on the treatment table. I am intrigued by the prospect of what the combination of Luca and Gaspare could produce in the middle of the park, but it seems like we are destined not to find out any time soon.

Thursday 25th January 2007

Flying in the face of controversy, Liverpool have put their necks on the line by "doing-a-Sevilla" and throwing around cash that they surely do not have. £26,000,000 wings its way to Turin in return for Juventus' defensive midfielder Manuele Blasi, a 26 year old capped 15 times by Italy. This is immediately followed by the announcement of the signing of 30 year old left-back Francesco Coco from Inter, for a more realistic price of £3.9 million.

Newcastle and AC Milan, meanwhile, are able to strike a deal with a greater degree of sensibility to it. Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf brings his collection of winners medals to the Premiership for a fresh challenge, in exchange for frenchman Laurent Robert and a £3.7 million sweetener.

[nerf]

Friday 26th January 2007

I'm not used to outside influences trying to pick the team for me, and I have to admit that I don't like it one bit. It's the manager's job. Fortunately I have thus far been spared any meddling from above, as chairman Giuseppe Antoci has always been blissfully hands-off, and as for Marcello Pitino, well, our Director of Football shows his face once in a blue moon. Antonio and the coaching staff have offered their eminently useful bits of advice and feedback but have never taken further steps. God forbid that a player's agent would be the first to try.

The phone call from Mr Roman Tuchkov arrived late in the afternoon, from his car as he departed Lecce. Roman was eager to inform me that he has been assured there will be scouts from two Serie B clubs at the game on Sunday, when Lanciano come to the Aldo Campo Selvaggio. The two clubs in question, Livorno and Lecce, had both expressed a wish to view his client, Temuri Burnadze, in action in a full league encounter. Would it be possible that Temuri will be named in the team on Sunday?

Would it be possible indeed. It wasn't a demand, it wasn't exactly an enquiry either, it was more a request with a hint of expectation. I suppose I'm not used to dealing with agents, considering that Burnadze is the only member of the squad who has bothered to employ one - not even Daniel Fonseca thinks he needs one these days. The most annoying thing is, not only was it possible, but circumstances are pointing towards it being likely. With both Marco Cirillo and Gaspare Pellegrino out injured, and Luca Orlando being nurtured tentatively back to full match fitness through a couple of weeks with the Under-20s, it is pretty much a forgone conclusion that Carlo Mignani will be moving infield to join Claudio Gallicchio in the centre of Sunday's team lineup. This will free a spot on the right, presenting me with a choice between Franco Chiavarini and Temuri Burnadze.

Franco has not been firing on all cylinders lately. The winger has been infinitely more loyal to the club than Temuri has, but on recent form he is unlikely to offer any greater performance than the Georgian. I could take the moral stance and pick the more deserving player, but it would probably be spiteful to use that as a reason to deny Temuri the chance to earn the move that would suit everyone's interests. Roman ensures me that neither Lecce nor Livorno would consider buying Temuri without watching him play in a Serie C1 match first, so Sunday is most likely going to be the best chance we have of encouraging a deal.

[nerf]

Sunday 28th January 2007

Serie B scouts aside, we have three league points and a sense of revenge to aim for today. Four months ago Lanciano inflicted a humbling 5-1 defeat on us, during their run at the top of the table for the first fourteen matches of the season. Since then they have suffered from the closeness of the division and have dipped to a deceptive 9th position after dropping some points.

Temuri Burnadze does indeed get the chance to sell himself from the start, as he replaces the injured Gaspare Pellegrino in the only change from the side that beat Palmese last week. I hope the representitives from Livorno and Lecce managed to get their tickets, because the Aldo Campo Selvaggio is packed yet again.

Serie C1/B Fixture #20

Ragusa v Lanciano

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Mignani, Gallicchio, Burnadze; Fonseca, Baggio.

In our previous meeting, the right foot of midfielder Adriano Mezavilla was responsible for the scorching drive that delivered Lanciano's third of the five goals. This time, after his teammates had worked him free in the area, that foot eschewed power in preference of lifting the ball delicately over the advancing Giuseppe Lenea, giving the away team a 12th minute 1-0 lead.

Mignani and Gallicchio have not partnered each other in the centre many times, but despite falling behind they were making a good start of it. On 29 minutes the two linked smoothly in midfield and the move culminated with Mignani playing Daniel Fonseca through on goal, who provided an accurate and stylish finish by sliding an equaliser into the corner from the edge of the area. That was sufficient to bring both teams into the half-time break at 1-1, at which point Eddy Baggio made way for Massimo Costagliola in attack.

Temuri Burnadze had been enjoying a fairly solid first half without producing anything that the scouts would consider eye-catching. His first starring moment arrived less than five minutes after the restart when he picked the ball up deep in midfield from Attewell's defensive header, and sent a pass through to Costagliola as a huge gap suddenly opened in the Lanciano defence. The young forward did the rest by striking beyond the keeper's right hand to put us in front. In the 71st minute Burnadze then had an influence on the third goal, even if it was unintentional. His hopeful ball down the right was collected by Lanciano defender Massimo Del Prete, who inexplicably sent a pass back to his goalkeeper without looking first. Daniel Fonseca said thank you very much, dribbled calmly around the exposed keeper, and walked it into the empty net.

The Georgian's crowning moment then came with three minutes left on the clock. We were already 3-1 up and producing a worthy second half performance against a good team, but the best was saved for last. Fonseca drifted wide on the right wing to receive the ball, exchanged a one-two with Burnadze, and then laid it off again for the Georgian to take over. Temuri spotted both Mignani and Gallicchio haring into the box, and with newly discovered confidence he fired a diagonal ball into the path of Gallicchio, who turned and aimed an excellent strike into the bottom corner from 12 yards. It was a fine move and the pick of the four goals, completing our revenge nicely.

Final score: Ragusa 4 - 1 Lanciano

The team's second half display was just as pleasing as the result. Claudio Gallicchio seemed to like playing alongside the hard-working Mignani and wrapped up a good individual performance with a quality goal, though Daniel Fonseca took the man-of-the-match accolade for his two goals and general link-up play. Temuri Burnadze, of course, put in by far his best performance in a Ragusa shirt, the irony of which is not lost on me since we have all been hoping that it will be his last performance in a Ragusa shirt. Perhaps, if we had provided motivation by pretending that there were Serie B scouts following him at our previous matches this season, he would have been in the team every week on the basis of his contribution today.

[nerf]

Monday 29th January 2007

Roman Tuchkov was excited to let me know this morning that Livorno and Lecce were both receiving praising reports about our Georgian midfielder, and are likely to take their interest further. It's a shame that we are selling just as Temuri finally hinted at why we had signed him in the first place, but he wants to leave and for reasons of wages, team spirit and style of player, there's no chance of us trying to keep him. However, now we know that the two Serie B clubs have sniffed the bait and are hungry, we're not about to let him go on the cheap. Our instructions to Mr Tuchkov are to table a suggestion of £75,000 to both teams, a price that could be deemed as slightly higher than the player's value.

With Burnadze's departure hopefully imminent, I have come to the decision that we will need to locate some sort of replacement midfielder who can play out wide. I do have the ideal player in mind, but his identity I will keep to myself until Burnadze's deal is done and dusted...

While we wait for a response in our transfer saga, Juventus have completed theirs by splashing out £14,250,000 of the money they received from the Manuele Blasi deal, to bring 30 year old Italian centre back Nicola Legrottaglie back home from Real Betis. Despite the significant influx of cash, several Betis players, including former Arsenal duo Anelka and Silvinho, have voiced concerns about disillusionment and lack of ambition at the Spanish club.

[nerf]

Tuesday 30th January 2007

Anyone who works in the world of football tends to pick up contacts and acquaintances as they go along, and one such person that I have enjoyed crossing paths with in the past has been Ray Mathias, currently manager of Tranmere Rovers in England. Apparently Ray has been told by the board to try and cut down the size of his squad, and one of those on the chopping block is 18 year old goalkeeper Sean Hurst.

When Sean was surprisingly released by Chelsea not too long ago, I inquired unsuccessfully about the possibility of bringing the kid to Ragusa for a trial, before he chose to stay in England when Tranmere's much better offer arrived. Somehow Ray had got wind of this slight past interest and was phoning to ask if Ragusa would be tempted at a price of £12,000. Sean is a very promising goalkeeper, but we already have two very talented young keepers fighting it out, and five in total, so obviously my response was to decline the offer.

Meanwhile, Tranmere's fellow merseysiders Liverpool continue to splash the cash despite rumours of growing debt. Continuing their policy of speculating to accumulate, the Reds have found another £12,000,000 to tempt Sunderland into allowing Norwegian attacking midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen to leave the north-east. The highly rated 25 year old has scored 24 goals in 24 appearances for his country, and the Liverpool fans are delighted by Martin O'Neill's decision to bring him to Anfield. Last season's Champions League runners up are clearly hoping that the new signings will boost their challenge for the Premiership title, as they currently lie one point behind leaders Arsenal.

[smiller]

Nerf -- Have been managing Pavia in Serie C2 mainly because you make your playing experiences sound so interesting, and am enjoying it alot. I use CM 01/02 and I know you use CM4. Have been tempted to switch and wondered if you tried 01/02 first and if you feel CM4 is a better way to play LLM. Thanks, and keep posting your fascinating story.

[nerf]

Delighted to hear that you are enjoying the lower end of Italian football, smiller . I have to admit that I did not attempt a great deal of LLM in previous versions of CM, despite having played them all. I'm one of those people who thinks that CM4 is the best version yet, and a quick glance over at the LLM forum seems to show that CM4 with EP5 installed is considered a great way to play LLM. If you have plenty of patience then you might want to have a look through the LLM forum for more info - I don't think I'm qualified enough to answer your question, aside from the obvious fact that I am thoroughly enjoying being in Ragusa

[nerf]

Wednesday 31st January 2007

Disappointingly, Lecce replied to our Burnadze offer with a no. Fortunately, Livorno were so impressed by his performance on Sunday that they decided to accept the £75,000 pricetag, and a meeting was hastily arranged to push the deal through before the deadline. It was tempting for us to try and test Livorno by requesting the addition of a sell-on clause for the 24 year old, but it was dropped for fear of disrupting the progress of the deal. With today being the very last available window until the off-season we did not want to scupper such a good opportunity, and negotiations were hammered through as quickly as possible.

Of course Temuri was all too happy to agree personal terms, and Roman Tuchkov was able to seal his client a deal of £3,600 per week until 2010 - more than quadrupling what he was earning here. The transfer was squeezed in before the deadline with mere hours to spare, and Temuri Burnadze ended his eight month spell at Ragusa to become a Livorno player.

Temuri Burnadze - Ragusa 2006 / 2007 - Appearances 16(3).

Elsewhere, Real Betis made a quick response in an attempt to placate their grumbling players, by announcing the capture of Inter Milan's Mohamed Kallon for £5,750,000. The 27 year old forward has been banging the goals in for Sierra Leone but has never managed to find a first team place at Inter, though the move is surprising considering the amount of attacking riches already present at Betis.

[nerf]

Thursday 1st February 2007

A few phone calls back home to England have sealed the return of a former Ragusa favourite, a midfielder who settled in very well during an eight month spell here in the 2002/2003 season. Stephen Cooke will be catching a flight out tomorrow evening.

Aside from very short loan periods at Nationwide League clubs, Stephen has been rotting in the Aston Villa reserves without being given much hope of progression. I get the feeling that he's starting to think his career at Villa is going nowhere, he's twenty-three now and knows that he really needs to be playing regular first team football, and the prospect of playing five months of first team football in sunny Sicily was an offer too good to refuse. It is even better news for the club, not just because we gain a very good player who can play anywhere across the midfield, but because Aston Villa have agreed to let us loan the player without paying any contribution at all to his wages.

Stephen is not the only one about to arrive either, as we have also finally found a replacement for Leo Pellegrino, who left at the end of November. Giovanni Franco is a 38 year old coach who was previously employed by Brindisi, and he will join our coaching team at the start of next week.

In a rare bit of good financial news in the world of football, both AC Milan and Valencia have announced that they are back in the money and are free from the shackles of receivership.

[nerf]

Sunday 4th February 2007

After a very long and busy week off the pitch, we are back in action with an even longer trip to Trento in the far north-east of Italy, who are currently 8th in the division. Stephen Cooke only arrived in Ragusa late on Friday night and was spared the journey, so Franco Chiavarini takes the right midfield spot vacated by Burnadze's transfer.

Serie C1/B Fixture #21

Trento v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Mignani, Gallicchio, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

Trento dominated possession during the first 45 minutes, but it was the away side who struck first. In the 18th minute Chiavarini won the ball and played it up to Fonseca, who rolled it into the path of Eddy Baggio for the striker to smash it into the roof of the net from sixteen yards. On 28 minutes Trento found their way back level, when the left foot of Lenoci sent an free-kick inswinging from the right and it deflected in off the unlucky Sabellini at the near post. Despite the defender's misfortune, in truth it was no more than Trento deserved; the goal had been coming.

Six minutes into the second half, Daniel Fonseca was forced to limp off with searing pain in his knee and Di Nicola was a straight replacement. Trento then started to make their possession count, by banging in two goals to give them a commanding 3-1 lead. The first arrived from Santucci in the 56th minute when he received a cross from Breschi to turn and fire at goal, and then Breschi himself made it three by slamming home a powerful volley to cap a counterattack.

Our meagre response did not arrive until the 91st minute, when Costagliola, a 77th minute substitute for Baggio, got up high to head Di Nicola's corner past the Trento goalkeeper. The two kids had caused more trouble together in the second half than the starting eleven had in the entire game, but it was too little too late.

Final score: Trento 3 - 2 Ragusa

Trento proved to be a much stronger prospect at home and in all honesty we didn't deserve much out of the game. That defeat drops us to 6th, and Trento take our place in 4th.

[veelhousen]

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

_Thursday 1st February 2007_

A few phone calls back home to England have sealed the return of a former Ragusa favourite, a midfielder who settled in very well during an eight month spell here in the 2002/2003 season. _Stephen Cooke_ will be catching a flight out tomorrow evening.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Welcome back Stevie!!!

Keep up the good work Nerf. Kudos on the story!!

[smiller]

Nerf -- Thanks for your input. I will probably be going over to CM4 in the near future. By the way, saw Eddy Baggio's name on the "Real world" transfer list the other day.

[nerf]

Thanks veelhousen

No problem smiller. I hear Eddy has been transferred to Vicenza?

Tuesday 6th February 2007

Daniel Fonseca's knee injury has been revealed as strained ligaments, which will keep him out of action for two weeks. In light of Marco Cirillo's injury, that seems like a let-off. All in all we look like being without eight members of the squad for the match on Sunday, thanks mostly to injuries and also a couple of suspensions. Simone Tamburro and Claudio Gallicchio both collected their fourth yellow cards of the season in Trento, bringing them each an automatic one match ban, and squad players Manolo Manoni and Alessandro Bonaffini have joined Marco Cirillo, Gaspare Pellegrino and Daniel Fonseca on the injury list. The eighth missing player will be Massimo Costagliola, who today became the latest to suffer a groin strain, minor in his case, so he will also miss the next two weeks.

[nerf]

Sunday 11th February 2007

Pro Vercelli come to Ragusa in the unenviable league position of 17th, just one place off the bottom, with four losses in their last five matches. Our previous meeting ended in a 1-1 draw in October, when we were unable to hang on to our lead in the Silvio Piola.

With a sizeable chunk of the squad unavailable, the team almost picks itself. Luca Orlando is still lacking match practice but is pressed back into action for his first senior appearance for over three months, and Stephen Cooke starts on the left to make his second Ragusa 'debut' and officially begin his new loan spell. Stefano Fumagalli takes on the captaincy in the absence of Tamburro or Pellegrino.

Serie C1/B Fixture #22

Ragusa v Pro Vercelli

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Sabellini; Cooke, Mignani, Orlando, Chiavarini; Di Nicola, Baggio.

Pro Vercelli looked like a team lacking confidence and our pacey young side began to dominate from the off, but it was one of the older heads who had the most crucial say as Eddy Baggio could have had a hat-trick in an eight minute spell. The first came in the 25th minute, when Pavel Grznar took a throw-in and Mignani, Orlando and Di Nicola combined very neatly to allow Baggio to blast home his 10th goal of the season from close range. Seven minutes later Stephen Cooke linked with Di Nicola, and when Giancarlo's effort was saved by goalkeeper Marchetti, Baggio outfought Grillo to force home the rebound for 2-0. Eddy's third could have arrived less than sixty seconds later, after some more fantastic work down the wing by Di Nicola left the Vercelli fullback tied up in knots, but Baggio poked wide of the post under a challenge.

At half-time Pietro Alderuccio replaced Stuart Attewell - this was not a judgement on Stuart's performance at all, simply a way to get Pietro some match practice. The first half had been all Ragusa and straight after the kick-off we got back on the attack, when Stephen Cooke, who had produced a very tidy first half indeed, got a cross in from the left to provide Baggio with yet another chance, but his far post volley was somehow deflected onto the post by Marchetti and the danger was cleared by Grillo. Five minutes later even fullback Danilo Sabellini nearly scored, when he waltzed unmarked onto the end of a tricky Di Nicola free-kick only to scuff it straight into Marchetti's hands.

On 63 minutes we finally found the elusive third goal, when Baggio got down the right and floated it up for Giancarlo Di Nicola to head in at the near post. The hattrick was destined not to happen for Eddy however, as Marchetti produced yet more miracles with a brilliant clawing save low to his right from Baggio's 72nd minute header, after Di Nicola had again created havoc in the away defence. Baggio then joined Orlando in being rested, giving teenagers Gabriele Catania and Fabio Rossini fifteen minutes of fame as we sauntered towards the final whistle.

Final score: Ragusa 3 - 0 Pro Vercelli

It was comfortable win in a game that we dominated throughout, and the scoreline could have been more convincing were it not for Marchetti's lone resistance. Luca Orlando didn't exactly sparkle in terms of his individual display, but our shape is much better when he is in the centre to keep things ticking over with patient passes, we really do benefit from that calming influence in midfield. Cooke, Mignani and Chiavarini all played very well as we were much more sharp and quicker off the mark in midfield than Vercelli, and Giancarlo Di Nicola remained a constant danger by terrorising the defenders on his way to two assists and a goal. Chairman Giuseppe Antoci made it clear that he was very pleased with the team, and the three points lift us up to 5th in the table.

[Ninjafish]

Just a quick "carry on or I'll shoot myself in the head with a shotgun" ;-)

Fantastic as always, I love the youth there, a "golden generation" trio of Di Nicola, Costagilia and Orlando? Hope they grow to form your backbone. Unless Di Nicola is swiped ( and on performances, why not?) I don't know there stats and I don't want to know them, its great looking at it from a performance only point of view. And Di Nicola is god on that grounds.

KUTFIAIFPOW(Keep up the f-ing Incredible awesome Inspiring fantastic Piece of work)

[nerf]

Thanks Ninjafish . The way those three have progressed has been a very pleasant surprise, I hope they continue to improve as well. Fortunately there are no big clubs sniffing around yet; Giancarlo could be the best kept secret in Serie C, but I don't know for how long.

Sunday 18th February 2007

Avellino's Stadio Partenio is an intimidating sight by the standards that we are used to, a great concrete bowl capable of seating over 33,000 people. It has even played host to a UEFA Cup final, back in 1990 when Juventus triumphed over Fiorentina. There may only be less than 8,000 people in attendance today but even that is still more than double the capacity of our own stadium.

The standard of competition is unlikely to be of the quality that these curved walls witnessed seventeen years ago from the likes of Dunga, Roberto Baggio and Schillachi, as Avellino are struggling in 15th and went down 2-1 to a Daniel Fonseca double in our previous meeting this season. The Uruguayan will be on the bench today, joining Massimo Costagliola in returning from their respective injuries. Also making a reappearance are Simone Tamburro and Claudio Gallicchio following their suspensions, but they too have to settle for the subs bench as I keep faith in the same eleven that played so well last week.

Serie C1/B Fixture #23

Avellino v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Sabellini; Cooke, Mignani, Orlando, Chiavarini; Di Nicola, Baggio.

At the time of that final here in 1990, Daniel Fonseca was a young 20 year old arriving in Cagliari to look forward to his first season in Italian football, and Giancarlo Di Nicola hadn't even reached 18 months. Today Giancarlo is an 18 year old trying to make an impact in his own debut season, and he left a significant impression on the first ten minutes of this match. Two chances were created by Eddy Baggio flicking on passes from Pavel Grznar, the first resulting in Di Nicola dribbling around the goalkeeper to open the scoring on 4 minutes, the second allowing Di Nicola to chip the goalkeeper in the 10th minute.

We could have gone in at half-time 3-0 up, but Eddy Baggio hit a shot straight at the goalkeeper from Di Nicola's 42nd minute cross, then Avellino immediately moved the ball up the other end of the pitch and won a penalty when Pavel Grznar pulled an attacker's shirt. Giovanni Ignoffo stepped up and stroked the spot kick into the bottom corner with his left foot, presenting the much tighter prospect of a 2-1 scoreline at the break. We had, however, been good value for the lead in terms of chances created, and we had looked quite lively at times, particularly in the left half of our midfield where Carlo Mignani was linking well with Stephen Cooke.

Avellino threatened to equalise just after the hour when Giuseppe Lenea was forced to tip a shot over the bar, then minutes later Mignani and Di Nicola worked some space for Eddy Baggio 25 yards out and the lead was extended to two goals by a crashing long-range drive from his right foot. Eddy began to tire after that so he was replaced by Costagliola, who had only been on the pitch four minutes before he latched onto Di Nicola's glorious pass on the breakaway, outpaced two defenders and darted around goalkeeper Cecere to slide in our fourth goal from a tight angle.

Final score: Avellino 1 - 4 Ragusa

At long last, our very first Serie C1/B victory away from home! It was also another very accomplished performance, possibly even better than last week. Pro Vercelli and Avellino are not the sternest of competition in this division, but, with two wins on the bounce taking us back up to 4th, few would find it hard to argue against the opinion that Ragusa are starting to look comfortable at this level. A tougher test should be presented by the away trip to Mantova next weekend, who are only one place below us.

To prove that every silver lining has a cloud, £8,000 will now be swiped from our bank account by Paterno following Carlo Mignani's 20th league appearance, as stipulated in the transfer agreement.

[nerf]

Friday 23rd February 2007

Stephen Cooke has made a very welcome and successful return to Ragusa, but we will be without our loan signing for the next three weeks as he heals a freshly fractured wrist. The addition of Stephen, combined with the return from injury of Luca Orlando, has undoubtedly sharpened our midfield in the last two fixtures and it will be a shame to have him on the sideline.

Despite coming on and scoring at Avellino, Massimo Costagliola continued to ease back to full fitness by taking part in the Under-20s match this evening, and both of his goals were assisted by Gabriele Catania in a 2-0 win over Mantova Under-20s.

Sunday 25th February 2007

Cooke and Orlando are not the only ones to help liven up the midfield, Carlo Mignani has added more than his fair share from his new position of playing in the centre. He has been performing with such energy there that I am reluctant to move him back out wide to fill Cooke's place, so that task will instead go to Simone Tamburro, who also of course takes back the captain's armband. Aside from that one forced alteration the team is the same as it has been for a fortnight.

Serie C1/B Fixture #24

Mantova v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Mignani, Orlando, Chiavarini; Di Nicola, Baggio.

The first half passed without a great deal of action. Both sides exchanged a few long range efforts without really worrying the goalkeepers too much, our best chance hit the side netting through Di Nicola, and Stuart Attewell pulled off a brilliant challenge in his own penalty area just as Spinnazi was winding up to shoot. At the break, Alderuccio and Gallicchio came on to replace Fumagalli and Orlando.

Eddy Baggio threatened twice in the first ten minutes of the second half, both of his efforts saved by Bellodi, before he flicked on Sabellini's 57th minute cross to enable Di Nicola to thrash an eight-yard volley into the roof of the net for 1-0. The score stayed that way until the 81st minute, when Caridi caused problems with his dribbling and created a chance for Notari, and when his shot rebounded low off the goalpost it was Valle who was first on hand to earn Mantova a draw.

Final score: Mantova 1 - 1 Ragusa

A point is sufficient to maintain our 4th position in the league table and keep us ahead of Mantova on points. It was by no means a classic today but you can never complain about picking up points on your travels, particularly when you have an away record like ours.

[nerf]

Sunday 4th March 2007

Viterbese are the next to visit the Aldo Campo Selvaggio, which, at the risk of tempting fate, has become a bit of a fortress lately considering that we have won all of our last seven home matches. In contrast our visitors have not won any of their last four fixtures, home or away, and have at least one wary eye on the relegation playoffs as they teeter in 14th. On the recent form of the respective teams, now seems as good a time as any to gain revenge for the last-minute defeat that was sprung on us on a November weekend in Viterbo.

Giancarlo Di Nicola suffered a back strain in training this week, which is likely to put him out for two weeks and denies us the scorer of four goals in our last three games. Daniel Fonseca arrives as a direct replacement, and once again the team is otherwise unchanged from last week.

Serie C1/B Fixture #25

Ragusa v Viterbese

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Mignani, Orlando, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

Another capacity-crowd of home fans watched their team enjoy the best of the first half, with both Mignani and Baggio forcing saves from Viterbese goalkeeper Alberto Passoni, and Daniel Fonseca curling an 11th minute free-kick off the crossbar. Luca Orlando was having an influence on everything, involved in the majority of the passing play, but for all our good work it was a defensive error that brought about the opening goal. Fullback Alessio D'Andrea played a bad pass that was snapped up by Eddy Baggio in a flash, and the striker darted into the box to hook a shot high across the keeper and in off the far post.

Passoni continued to frustrate Baggio in the second half with a few fingertip saves, and in the 75th minute Gallicchio and Costagliola came off the bench to replace an unconvincing Chiavarini and a tiring Fonseca. Although our grasp on the game remained as firm through the second half as it had been in the first, it took until the 92nd minute for Baggio to add the second goal, when the ever-improving Carlo Mignani used trickery and quick feet to slip Costagliola into the area, and his low, hard cross presented Baggio with an easy finish.

Final score: Ragusa 2 - 0 Viterbese

Eddy Baggio may have picked up the man-of-the-match award for his persistent peppering of Passoni's goal, but I thought Orlando was superb in midfield with Mignani not far behind him, it was from these two in the centre that most of our good play started. Even more pleasing is that another three points lifts us up into an unprecedented 3rd place, with only one point separating us from Taranto in 2nd.

After 25 of the 34 matches have been played, the Serie C1/B league table looks like THIS.

[Guest]

Nerf,it's looking quite good man

Who knows who knows...

*cough* DI NICOLA *cough*

[nerf]

Who knows indeed . Got my fingers crossed!

Tuesday 6th March 2007

Ragusa, third in the table, in our first ever season in Serie C1. Who would have predicted that? When the season kicked off in September, the only thing on our collective mind was fighting for survival and hoping that we would not be out of our depth. Now, as we enter the final quarter of the campaign, we have lost only one of our last eight fixtures and a promotion playoff spot is a real possibility.

Why have we been able to adjust and make the step up more comfortably than would have been expected? I think there are two main reasons that could be pinpointed. Firstly, and most obviously, we have benefitted from the influx of new blood acquired during the extended off-season. Of the five new signings, one was a total flop and another remains unproven, but I think we can safely say that the other three can be accepted as successes. Pavel Grznar made a belated start through injury but settled in quickly and looks very solid. Stefano Fumagalli has made an improvement to our defence, he is now our number one centre back and vice-captain, and Carlo Mignani, still just nineteen, is getting stronger as the season progresses. Jess van Strattan is the one with plenty to prove, and the less said about Temuri Burnadze the better - although with a profit of £75,000 on him you could almost label that deal a kind of success. What is for sure is that the impact of the youth players has been a huge and unexpected boost, particularly Luca Orlando, Giancarlo Di Nicola and Massimo Costagliola.

The second reason becomes clear when you study the bonus of our home form, which no doubt has been assisted by the Ragusa fans turning up in droves this season - relatively speaking. All thirteen home fixtures have seen the 3,500 capacity Aldo Campo Selvaggio filled to the brim, and the home fans have cheered us on to 11 wins and 2 draws with no losses. That's championship form, it's a shame that our away form has not held up quite as well. I wonder if the stadium will need to be expanded should we make it into Serie B...

Lets not get ahead of ourselves. The division from 2nd to 13th is spread across just ten points, and between us and 7th there is the matter of one victory. There is still the final run-in to negotiate with our mainly inexperienced team, and there is the not-insignificant amount of 27 points yet to play for. Things could change very quickly, as we proved ourselves by leaping up the table in the last six weeks or so. We certainly did not expect to find ourselves in this situation come March, but now that we are here it would of course be nonsensical to do anything other than strive for one of those playoff places.

[nerf]

Sunday 11th March 2007

A Sicilian derby presents itself in today's battle between 3rd and 4th, promising to attract over 12,000 people to fill half of the Giovanni Celeste in Messina. Our hosts may have lost 2-0 at Avellino in their previous match, but they have managed to hover around the top of the table for most of the season and will be looking to use this fixture to jump ahead of us.

Our only team change is caused by Simone Tamburro's neck injury, so Mignani will move over to the left and allow room for Claudio Gallicchio to regain a starting place in the middle. Stefano Fumagalli resumes the captaincy in Tamburro's absence.

Serie C1/B Fixture #26

Messina v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Sabellini; Mignani, Orlando, Gallicchio, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

The twelve thousand that did indeed show up were probably left slightly disappointed by the spectacle. In a poor first half we created nothing, unable to manage a single shot on goal, and Francesco Marra was guilty of spurning both of Messina's best chances by chipping one over the bar and having a volley held by Lenea. We were quite glad to still be on level terms at half-time, but our tactical changes during the break failed to liven up an equally dull second half. On 67 minutes our best opportunity came and went when Baggio's header from Fonseca's cross was saved by Vincenzo Marruocco, and Gabriele Catania had a half-chance as a late substitute but he shot wide following some busy work by Mignani.

Final score: Messina 0 - 0 Ragusa

Not a bad away point, we had a chance to sneak it in the second half but neither team really did enough to deserve to win. With 8 matches remaining we stay 3rd, six points behind leaders Sambenedettese, with ourselves, Messina and Trento all level on 44 points.

Up in Serie A, Inter Milan produced slightly more entertainment by managing to smash Parma for no less than 7-0. Hernan Crespo bagged four, Gianluca Zambrotta hit twice, and Alvaro Recoba rounded it off with the seventh. Title-holders Inter are top of the Serie A on 69 points, with only Juventus and AC Milan within touching distance of the leaders.

[nerf]

Sunday 18th March 2007

It's a depleted Ragusa squad that lines up to welcome 8th-placed Teramo today, in front of another packed home crowd. Luca Orlando's fourth yellow card of the season earned him a suspension for one match, and Eddy Baggio stubbed a toe in training this week to join an injury list that already boasts the likes of Pellegrino, Cirillo, Tamburro and Costagliola. The good news is that Stephen Cooke's wrist fracture has fully healed and he will start on the left.

Serie C1/B Fixture #27

Ragusa v Teramo

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Sabellini; Cooke, Mignani, Gallicchio, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Di Nicola.

As if last week's sluggish spectacle remained chained at our heavy heels, a new match yielded little increase in dynamism. At least this time we were able to forge some sort of goalmouth action, with Di Nicola twice failing to provide the spark at Fonseca's prompting, first heading at the keeper then hammering a shot over the bar. Even the Uruguayan was unable to stoke the embers from dead-ball situations, later flashing a free-kick narrowly wide. The culmination of Teramo's contribution was a hopeful thirty-yarder that Lenea gathered without trouble, and we remained on top with neither team setting things alight.

The second half burned even less brightly than the first, until late on we switched to a more direct style in an attempt to go hammer and tongs to make a dent in the Teramo armour. It turned out that Claudio Gallicchio had been keeping an iron in the fire until the 89th minute, when Di Nicola scorched Teramo down the right wing, cut back for Chiavarini, and the spritely Argentinian's chip into the middle found Gallicchio's run untracked. Claudio's right foot struck the crucial blow when he fired a sizzling volley on the turn, the ball blazing into the bottom corner to douse Teramo's hopes of a draw.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 0 Teramo

The winning goal might have arrived late in the day but if any side deserved to win it was us, finally breaking down a Teramo team who had just come to defend for a point. We can play far better than we showed today, though Cooke, Mignani and Gallicchio can be pleased with their individual performances in midfield. The victory keeps us third in a very tight battle at the top where Taranto and Sambenedettese share the lead on 50 points, ahead of the trio of ourselves, Messina and Trento just behind on 47 points.

[nerf]

Thursday 22nd March 2007

After the dust had settled on the UEFA Cup Quarter Final 2nd legs tonight, Newcastle United and Schalke 04 will be joined by two Spanish clubs in the Semi Finals. Sevilla hung on for a 0-0 draw away at Aston Villa to progress by a 2-0 aggregate score, and Valencia did the same when two goals from Welsh international Jason Koumas gave them an impressive 2-0 victory to upset AC Milan.

English Premiership side Tottenham have announced that former Englad boss Kevin Keegan will be installed as their new manager, following the recent sacking of German coach Klaus Topmoller.

Staying in England, last year's Champions League finallists Liverpool have been declared bankrupt in the latest financial scandal in European football. The Reds spent £70 million this season on international stars such as Denilson, Manuele Blasi and Morten Gamst Pedersen, and recouped very little in return by way of player sales. To make matters worse, the gamble is unlikely to pay off this year as they stand third in the Premiership, seven points behind leaders Arsenal who have a game in hand. Liverpool will almost certainly qualify for Champions League football again, but the title is rapidly heading out of reach and the financial instability could yet cause internal upset.

[nerf]

Monday 26th March 2007

Our normal routine is altered this week with the postponement of our match in Varese beyond the usual Sunday. Yesterday, Trento's 1-1 draw at Vis Pesaro enabled them to knock us down into 4th position, but if we can win today then we will go joint 2nd on 50 points with Taranto, who suffered a 2-3 defeat at home to Lanciano. Sambenedettese's 1-0 victory at Rimini has put them clear on top by three points.

Despite starting the season well, Varese have not enjoyed a very successful run of late and now find themselves sinking to 13th place. They have somehow managed to lose five matches on the trot, their last home win being a single goal victory over Palmese in the middle of February. In contrast we are enjoying a purple patch of six games without defeat and are bolstered by the return to fitness of Tamburro, Baggio, Costagliola and Orlando, though only Eddy Baggio strides straight back into the starting lineup.

Serie C1/B Fixture #28

Varese v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Sabellini; Cooke, Mignani, Gallicchio, Chiavarini; Di Nicola, Baggio.

The opening half hour of the match was settled by one man: Francesco Giorgetti. The Varese player sent a venomous right foot shot goalwards on 16 minutes to open the scoring, then showed he could do the same with his left foot when Porro set him up on the edge of our area in the 30th minute. Lenea got a hand to the second effort, but the ball still found the net and Giorgetti had given the home side an ideal two-goal cushion.

Typically, once we had made it substantially more difficult for ourselves, we finally started to play. Baggio was denied by a decent save on 39 minutes after some good work up the right by Chiavarini, and then a crucial moment arrived on the stroke of half-time when the striker reacted quickest to latch onto Stephen Cooke's inswinging cross. Eddy directed home his 15th of the season at a very important time for us, taking us into the break at only one goal behind.

Fonseca and Orlando arrived as substitutes for the second half as we went searching for an equaliser. Varese managed to keep us at bay for most of the remainder, until in the 89th minute Daniel Fonseca teed up Cooke in space on the edge of the Varese penalty area, but his well-struck shot was straight at the keeper. Determined to make up for wasting that opportunity, the Villa youngster soon won the ball back and went dribbling up the left, then crossed to find Fonseca and Baggio in a two-on-one situation in the centre... somehow, despite being wide open, Fonseca managed to fluff his shot at the near post and it was easily saved by the goalkeeper. It was agonising to watch us throw away two perfectly good chances in the final minute; perhaps Varese had finally managed to break the curse we held over them.

With the third minute of stoppage time leaking away rapidly, Franco Chiavarini floated out wide on the right and was found by Attewell, expecting the referee to blow the whistle at any second. As Varese defender Ragatzu came across to intercept, Franco cut inside and sought Eddy Baggio with an angled pass. Easily twenty yards out, Baggio suddenly found himself with some room thanks to the defender being dragged out of position... he trapped the ball, turned, swung his right boot, and you could almost feel the entire stadium sink in dismay as the ball rocketed into the top corner of the net.

Final score: Varese 2 - 2 Ragusa

It's a distant rivalry that brews stronger with each meeting, though no doubt Varese are sick of the sight of Ragusa blue by now. Today was a perfect example of riding your luck to steal a point from a game that you didn't have any right to take anything from. We didn't exactly play badly, and we did have those chances late on, but Varese had been lively, deserved their lead, and had looked the more threatening side for 88 minutes of the match. In the end Eddy Baggio had saved us by snatching goals from the dying breath of each half, two goals that not only gave us a lucky point but also makes him the club's highest ever goalscorer with 52 goals. Claudio Gallicchio, one of our better performers today, appears to have picked up a knock towards the end of the match that will need treatment when we complete the long trip south.

[Brian of Nazareth]

Grr. Bloody Sevilla

Missed this for a bit sadly - but fantastic to see Cookie back with you!

Top stuff still though nerf - Ragusa are perfectly capable of promotion this year - 2 in a row would be fantastic stuff. Good luck

[nerf]

Cheers Brian . I hope you're enjoying Canada.

Sunday 1st April 2007

There are no league fixtures this weekend, which means that there is plenty of time to pick up new injuries in training. Pavel Grznar's groin strain is expected to keep him out for the next 4 weeks, joining Claudio Gallicchio who managed to put himself out for the remainder of the season with the injury he carried back from Varese. I kept hoping that Salvatore would laugh and tell me the news was an April Fools joke, but alas the old physio was deadly serious.

Better news is that Daniel Fonseca has signed a short extension to his contract, moving the expiry date forward 12 months to the end of next season. Our esteemed Uruguayan will be 38 years old in September and wishes to end his career in Ragusa, whenever that time may be.

Up in Serie A, former Dutch international Frank Rijkaard has returned to AC Milan as their new manager, despite not really enjoying any notable success at Newcastle, Manchester City, Lazio or Chelsea.

[nerf]

Sunday 8th April 2007

Last week's results saw us move back into third position on goal difference, five points behind leaders Sambenedettese, but only two points above 7th-placed Lecco. Our visitors today, Crotone, are not so concerned about the tense battle at the top of the table, as they lie just one place off the bottom in 17th and have not won since the end of January. Last time we met, two fine headers by Massimo Costagliola enabled us to grab a point on our travels in late November.

Carlo Mignani is suspended for today's match, Gallicchio and Cirillo are injured, and Gaspare Pellegrino is not yet at full match fitness following his injury so will take a seat on the bench. This leaves us very short in central midfield, meaning Stephen Cooke will step infield from his usual wide position and join Luca Orlando in the middle. To fill the gap out wide, young Giancarlo Di Nicola will try his hand at left midfield.

Serie C1/B Fixture #29

Ragusa v Crotone

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Di Nicola, Orlando, Cooke, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

The benefits of having a capacity home crowd behind us cannot be underestimated, and for the first time in a month we looked once again like the team we know we can be. The first half presented an attractive and flowing game that neither side dominated for extended periods, but whereas Giuseppe Lenea had been given little to dirty his gloves, we had successfully managed to keep Crotone keeper Silvesto Proto on his toes throughout. He was given an early warning inside the first ten minutes when both Cooke and Baggio had him scrambling, then he was called into action later in the half to deny Di Nicola and Baggio again with two decent parries. Unfortunately for him, whatever confidence those saves developed was nullified in the 42nd minute, when Eddy Baggio got across two defenders to latch onto Sabellini's chip and finally give us the lead.

Ten minutes into the second half our superiority in the final third was made to count again, when Baggio played a one-two with half-time substitute Gaspare Pellegrino and crossed to Di Nicola at the far post, who happily rounded off a smooth move by smashing his 15th of the season into the roof of the net. In the 73rd minute the game was killed off completely, again from a move initiated by Pellegrino, as he and Orlando won the ball back in midfield and a pass over the top enabled Eddy Baggio to emphatically strike home his fourth goal in two matches.

Final score: Ragusa 3 - 0 Crotone

A very convincing second half to boost an all-round good display, we really started to take control the further the game progressed. Gaspare slotted in like he had never been away, and alongside him Luca Orlando put in a man-of-the-match performance. Cooke and Di Nicola were also excellent, the latter looking for all the world like he played left midfield on a regular basis.

Thanks to Trento beating Taranto 1-0 at home, that victory sends us up into second position for the first time, albeit only on goal difference. Sambenedettese are looking no closer however, as they maintained their title campaign and five point lead by crushing Lecco 6-0.

[nerf]

Tuesday 10th April 2007

Nicolas Cinalli's contract is due to expire in three months time. Sadly, we have had to inform the big Argentine goalkeeper that we will not be renewing his contract, he will be free to leave in the summer as he wishes. I'm sure it comes as no surprise to Nicolas, who has found himself a distant third in the pecking order for the keeper's jersey behind two very talented competitors, and although he will be disappointed to leave Ragusa I don't think he can kid himself that it isn't for the best. His last competitive appearance was actually the victory in Acireale that sealed our promotion, crowning a season during which he had been the first choice goalkeeper, but since then he has drifted out of first-team contention and there's little reason to keep him here. After he had sorted out his personal problems early on I grew to like the guy, and he has always been a popular figure with the fans, but with Giuseppe Lenea and Jess van Strattan here there is simply no place for Nicolas at the club.

A different player who has a much bigger shout for first-team action is defender Pietro Alderuccio, who made an assured substitute appearance on Sunday and has done nothing to deserve such little playing time. I'm trying to give him brief appearances here and there and I can't really justify leaving him out so much, but the unlucky timing of his injuries and the good form of Fumagalli, Attewell and Sabellini have conspired to consign Pietro to warm the bench week after week. The only way I can see the team accomodating him as a starter would be to shift Fumagalli across to left back, which is something that I'm loathe to do, not only because Stefano is more comfortable in the centre but because we already have two experienced players - Tamburro and Grznar - fighting it out for the left back spot. Until things change, Pietro will have to continue to bide his time on the bench.

[nerf]

Saturday 14th April 2007

Our final quintet of league fixtures begins with another long trip north, this time to 11th-placed Cittadella. Despite Gaspare Pellegrino's acclaimed substitute performance last week he is still lacking match practice and will be eased along again today, with Carlo Mignani returning from suspension to take that central midfield place. Stephen Cooke shifts back out onto the left, as Di Nicola joins Pellegrino amongst the substitutes.

Serie C1/B Fixture #30

Cittadella v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Cooke, Mignani, Orlando, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

4,000 spectators filled the Tombolato to capacity for our visit, and, just as we benefit significantly from having our home crowd behind us, Cittadella's similar boost was reflected in their competent first half performance. For us to go into half-time at 2-0 up then, could be considered somewhat of a crime. Daniel Fonseca notched the first from a 14th minute breakaway, splitting the centre of the home defence with a diagonal run and finishing in a manner that simply oozed class, by dragging the ball around the keeper and leaving a defender sprawled on the grass as he celebrated his 10th of the season. Eddy Baggio retired through injury shortly afterwards, then a flowing move the length of the pitch in the 33rd minute, involving Tamburro, Cooke and Chiavarini, resulted in Luca Capecchi making a great diving save to his left to parry Fonseca's effort. Baggio's replacement, Giancarlo Di Nicola, showed up at the right time to hook his right foot around the rebound and make it 2-0 from a tight angle.

In between our two usurping goals, the rest of the half was about Giuseppe Lenea. His fingertips kept out Andrea Turato's close range header, then held onto Mercante's drive, and then produced a simply astonishing double save in the 42nd minute, when he parried Biso's long range effort and sprang back up to his left to push Dell'Acqua's rebound away to safety. The first half ended with Davide Carteri flashing a 25 yarder past Lenea's right hand post, and the home side would no doubt spend the break pondering exactly how they were two goals behind. They had kept most of the possession and had more shots, but two lethal breaks by us had given the scoreline a false - yet immensely pleasing - slant.

It took all the way until the 82nd minute for Cittadella to find the goal that their display demanded, and set up a nerve-wracking last ten minutes - not least for defender Stuart Attewell. After Dell'Acqua's header had bounced off Attewell and spun into our own net to give the home team a glimmer of hope, Stuart must have thought he'd thrown it all away when he allowed Sabellini's pass to roll under his foot, inadvertantly releasing Alberto Bertolini in on goal in the 89th minute. To the young man's eternal credit he made up for his error big time, chasing Bertolini into the area and making a fantastic recovery tackle before he could pull the trigger, and then dusted himself off to get in another desperate block deep into injury time.

Final score: Cittadella 1 - 2 Ragusa

It was a tense and nervous finish but we successfully held on for a rare and important away victory. Cittadella will no doubt be annoyed that they lost the match, having had more chances, more shots and more possession, and the fact that Giuseppe Lenea was arguably our best player probably says enough about the way the game went. His double save near the end of the first half was fantastic, another highlight to add to his growing collection.

Division leaders Sambenedettese managed to find an 88th minute winnter to beat strugglers Palmese 3-2, maintaining their five point lead above us. Taranto slumped to a third straight defeat with a 2-4 loss inflicted by Pro Vercelli, and Trento were held 1-1 at Rimini, so that means we now have a two point cushion between us and the teams immediately below us. With just four matches to go, the Serie C1/B table looks like THIS.

[Brian of Nazareth]

Come on Ragusa!

*Somewhat hopefully predicts rapid Sambenedettese decline*

Oh and yes it's fine here - hardly any work to do so far - which is why I've been able to come on here so often

[nerf]

I suspect that might be a bit *too* hopeful Brian

Sunday 15th April 2007

Back home in Ragusa, there are some loose ends to tie up and some potential injuries to examine. First of all we have informed 17 year old defender Pietro Sannino that we will not be offering him a full professional contract, and he has left the club to seek his fortune elsewhere. Pietro failed to convince us that he was worthwhile investing in during his time in the Under-20 squad, and with Sabellini, Alderuccio and Guastella we already have plenty of youth and cover at the right-back position.

29 year old midfielder Manolo Manoni, one of the players remaining from when I arrived here, has a contract that is due to expire in three months' time. Again, just as we told Nicolas Cinalli, we will not be renewing that contract due to the sad but simple fact that Manolo is not a required member of the squad any more and is not needed by the club. Manolo enjoyed runs in the team in previous seasons without ever being considered a key first team player, and chipped in with one or two memorable goals, but he is barely even on the fringes now and it would be a waste for all concerned to bind him to a new contract. We have offered to help him find new employers, though there has been no interest shown so far.

It's bad news all round really, as Salvatore got a chance to take a look at the two players carrying knocks from the trip to Cittadella. Eddy Baggio has a damaged foot and faces a race to be fit in time for the visit of Vis Pesaro in a week, but that's nothing compared to the seriously dislocated shoulder that could keep Giancarlo Di Nicola out of action for as long as 2 months. I pray that the loss of our young star will not impact heavily on the remainder of our season.

[nerf]

Sunday 22nd April 2007

Vis Pesaro come to another sell-out crowd in the Aldo Campo off the back of a 3-1 win over Avellino last weekend, lifting them to 8th position. They also bring with them Michele Palmieri, an impressive 20 year old central midfielder who I have had my eye on for a while now. He's very bright, has excellent technique and can strike a ball from long range with that cultured left foot of his. He performed particularly well in the 1-0 defeat that Vis Pesaro handed to us back in early December and is fast making a name for himself in this division. Mignani and Orlando are the two players facing off with him in the centre today as I name the same team that won at Cittadella.

Serie C1/B Fixture #31

Ragusa v Vis Pesaro

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Cooke, Orlando, Mignani, Chiavarini; Fonseca,Baggio.

The first half was closely contested but we were starting to come out on top in the midfield battle, though we could have been a man down on half-an-hour thanks to Carlo Mignani's 'enthusiasm'. Carlo decided that now was the time to put the reducer on Palmieri, and was probably quite lucky to get away with just a yellow card for a particularly robust challenge that could have been viewed as two-footed. Aside from that it was us that looked like coming closest to scoring, with Daniel Fonseca firing wide, Eddy Baggio doing the same and then Eddy having a header saved by the goalkeeper.

If there were any Cittadella representatives in the stadium today then, they would have been pleased to see Vis Pesaro give us a taste of our own medicine. Despite us having most of the possession and having the chances, a lightning counterattack was launched in the final minute of the half by Nicola Rostellato's high ball over the top, and Marco Martini left Attewell eating dust to ram his 10th goal of the season past Lenea. It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially coming in the dying seconds of the first half, and it was not an accurate reflection of the first 45 minutes, but then I suppose we should know as well as anyone that such things do not directly correlate.

Fortunately we did not sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, we sprung back on the attack with the arrival of the second period. Within five minutes Baggio had lunged onto the end of a Stephen Cooke cross and forced a save out of Roberto De Juliis, then in the 59th minute Baggio pounced again to finally get the goal that we deserved. Danilo Sabellini's ball into the box caused havoc between Baggio, De Juliis and Vis Pesaro defender Ischia, and in the resulting scramble it was Eddy's bravery and determination that enabled him to poke the ball into the net. It wasn't pretty but it put us back on level terms, although we were unable to take that any further in the remainder of the half. Rapidly tiring, Baggio hooked a decent chance wide in the 78th minute, then was replaced for some fresh legs in the shape of Gabriele Catania. The gamble didn't pay off as the youngster didn't even get a touch on the ball, and Vis Pesaro had long shut up shop to staunchly defend their point.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 1 Vis Pesaro

We could have taken a win out of this difficult game, but Vis Pesaro are not an easy team to beat and defended well in the second half. Michele Palmieri had another decent game but I was delighted to see Carlo Mignani do everything in his power to outplay his opposite number, and can rightfully claim to have come out on top - even if he did also come close to breaking Michele's legs! Elsewhere, Sambenedettese's 4-1 win over Mantova is their fourth on the trot and gives them a guaranteed playoff berth, as well as a 7 point lead in the title race. With just three matches remaining I think such a gap is asking a bit much for us to overcome, but assuming we don't collapse and plummet out of the top 5 then we should comfortably take a playoff spot of our own.

[Guest]

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

Elsewhere, Sambenedettese's 4-1 win over Mantova is their fourth on the trot and gives them a guaranteed playoff berth, as well as a 7 point lead in the title race. With just three matches remaining I think such a gap is asking a bit much for us to overcome, but assuming we don't collapse and plummet out of the top 5 then we should comfortably take a playoff spot of our own.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well,I've got a quite good history with play-offs.I think from the 5 times I had to play a play-off in Serie C1 or C2 I won it 4 times so I can only hope you will enjoy the same luck as I did

Forza Ragusa !

[nerf]

I hope so too, Juventinogdt

Thursday 26th April 2007

As another hard season starts reaching the final stages, the injuries inevitably start to pile up. To add to the long term injuries of Cirillo, Gallicchio and Di Nicola, Pietro Alderuccio's factured ribs will put him out for a month and effectively the rest of the season. What comes as a bigger blow is the reccurance of Gaspare Pellegrino's torn groin muscle yet again. He had only just recovered this month from the same injury that had kept him sidelined since January, and even though we were trying to ease him back in gently it has just flared up again. Gaspare could now be looking at another two months on the treatment table, meaning we have played the entire second half of the season without our heartbeat in the centre of midfield.

Over in England, Dick Advocaat becomes the latest manager to suffer the wrath of Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis. The Dutch boss was able to guide the team to a UEFA Cup Quarter Final this season, but their league form and position of 9th will mean that the big Midlands club will not be enjoying European football next season. After little over two years in the job, Advocaat at least reached the average length of tenure for a Villa manager in recent times.

[nerf]

Sunday 29th April 2007

The Erasmo Jacobone stadium in Taranto is a relatively impressive sight for this division, capable of holding 29,000 people. Little over 9,300 home supporters will be in attendance today, to see if their former-Serie B club can shake their four game losing streak in what could prove to be an important game in the race for the playoff places. Taranto were in second position before their poor form began but now find themselves down in seventh and five points below us. We will be looking for at least a draw here to continue our upturn in results away from home and stay on track for the promotion playoffs.

Serie C1/B Fixture #32

Taranto v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Tamburro©, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Cooke, Orlando, Mignani, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

The story at half-time was much more pleasing than against Vis Pesaro last week, as we almost went into the break two goals in front. Daniel Fonseca converted Eddy Baggio's 32nd minute cross with a deft little cushioned sidefoot volley to score the opener, then Baggio thought he had his 20th of the season when he headed in Stephen Cooke's centre on the stroke of half-time, but the goal was disallowed for offside. It hadn't been one-way traffic by any means, but Taranto had only managed a couple of weak long range efforts and Gianluca Triuzzi had dragged wide when presented with the home side's only good chance of the half.

In the 70th minute Chiavarini was substituted, Cooke moved over to the right, Tamburro pushed forward into left midfield and Pavel Grznar came on at left back. We needed to shuffle things around because Orlando and Chiavarini were not looking too happy in midfield, even though Carlo Mignani was putting himself around and generally terrorising the home team. Unfortunately the changes did not yield any great improvement, and in the 78th minute Taranto constructed the best move of the match. Truizzi laid the ball out left to Catinali, he sent a low ball across to the edge of the box, Antonini set it up for Truizzi again, and the striker smacked a swerving shot that dipped and evaded Lenea to find the net. It was a very fine goal indeed, all one-touch stuff, almost impossible to intervene. It also proved to be a goal worthy of settling the result, as Taranto survived a scare when Costagliola arrived as a late substitute and nearly scored with his only touch of the ball, and the game ended in a draw.

Final score: Taranto 1 - 1 Ragusa

I never like letting a lead slip away, but despite their dismal run of late it is not such a bad thing to gain a draw in Taranto. Carlo Mignani had another good game in the centre, battling like a trooper, I lost count of the number of times he put a foot in to disrupt Taranto's movements, though even he could do nothing about such a high quality equaliser. Franco Chiavarini endured less success on the right, and picked up his fourth yellow card to earn himself a one match suspension.

[nerf]

Monday 30th April 2007

Only two matches remain in the regular season, we stand third in Serie C1/B. Trento's 3-1 win at bottom club Palmese yesterday lifted them above us into second, at the same time consigning Palmese to the automatic relegation that has looked so likely for so long. Leaders Sambenedettese were held 1-1 at home by Lanciano, but that point was enough to put them on to 63 points and make them almost certainties for the title as well as the automatic promotion into Serie B. Only Trento can mathematically catch them now, and only then if Sambenedettese manage to lose both of their remaining fixtures - however, Trento have been given a lifeline by the fixture list bringing the top two together for the penultimate match.

After 32 matches - Sambenedettese (63pts), Trento (58pts), Ragusa (56pts), Lanciano (54pts), Messina (54pts)

The playoff positions are far from settled, as the division remains tight from 2nd to 9th. If results go their way then Mantova, Teramo, Taranto and even Lecco are all within touching distance of the top five, waiting for one of the teams above to slip up and allow them to sneak in through the playoff door at the last moment. We can do ourselves a massive favour by getting a victory at home to Rimini next weekend, where three points are far more likely than banking on a potentially tricky journey to Lecco on the final day.

Down in Serie C2/C this weekend, Catanzaro were able to seal the trophy that we won last season and earn themselves automatic promotion to Serie C1. Gladiator, a club that we developed a long running tussle with in past competitions, have finally seen their luck run out and are already guaranteed to finish bottom of the table this season, sadly dropping out of Serie C2 for next year.

Further afield, another title was decided this weekend when Arsenal secured the English Premiership crown following a 1-0 win over rivals Tottenham, giving them an insurmountable 10 point lead with three Premiership fixtures left to play. It is the first time that Arsenal have successfully topped the table since 2002, and comes at the expense of big-spenders Liverpool in second and Manchester United in third.

[nerf]

Sunday 6th May 2007

It's a big day in Ragusa, a day when victory will be as good as a ticket to the Serie C1/B promotion playoffs. In contrast, Rimini arrive with their eyes fixed firmly on the relegation playoffs, due to their precarious position of hovering right on the edge in thirteenth place. What's more, our visitors today have not been able to register a win in any of their last eight matches - a run that does not compare well to our own form of eleven without loss. A twelfth undefeated would be most welcome indeed.

Surprisingly, I'm no more nervous than I am for any other game. Despite what rewards could be in the balance today, despite Rimini being far from pushovers, I'm quietly confident and send the lads out onto the pitch with faith. After that day in Acireale most other scenarios seem to pale in comparison, or at least that's what I keep trying to tell myself. There's still 180 minutes of league football yet to play and that's plenty of time for a slip-up, but there's a full house of Ragusa fans in good voice behind us today - we can seal it here and now.

Serie C1/B Fixture #33

Ragusa v Rimini

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Orlando, Mignani, Cooke; Fonseca, Baggio.

To say we're a team hoping to snatch a playoff berth to try and fight the hard way up into Serie B, we hardly made a good impression of ourselves in the first half of today's match. At least we had the fighting thing down, as the first half an hour proved to be very scrappy indeed with neither team able to put their foot on the ball and bring some order to the proceedings. On 35 minutes Eddy Baggio then compounded things by missing a sitter, scuffing a weak close range shot into the goalkeeper's grateful arms after Daniel Fonseca had headed intelligently across the box.

Rimini could have gone into half-time with their noses in front. Davide Di Nicola, no relation to Giancarlo, had obviously been taking pointers from Baggio's most recent example of finishing, as he turned in the box and blasted wildly over the bar when presented with a glorious opportunity in the 41st minute. It was then bad luck rather than incompetence that denied them three minutes later, when Floccari beat Attewell in the air only to see his header loop over Lenea and bounce back off the crossbar.

After the break, a bitty and niggly game became dirty. Rimini's hot-headed striker Francesco Lunardini was the main offender, first upending Carlo Mignani shortly after kick off and having the cheek to give referee Michele Cruciani a furious earful about the award of a free-kick, for which he earned a stern talking-to in response. Minutes later Mirko Paglialonga appeared to shove Stuart Attewell off the ball, but he too escaped with only a verbal warning. Carlo Mignani is not exactly the coolest of personalities at the best of times and soon got involved, when he became frustrated that he had given the ball away and slid through Paglialonga in his haste to win it back. The Rimini players did not like that, claiming it was cold-blooded revenge on Carlo's part, but again Signor Cruciani took the lenient approach and deemed it worth no more than a free-kick after shooing the protestations away. It didn't stop the vocal exchange of opinions though, and, when Rimini were preparing to take another free-kick barely a minute later, Francesco Lunardini threw a kick at Mignani in the centre circle in full view of everybody. Silly boy. With the Aldo Campo baying for blood, Cruciani no longer had any alternative and showed Lunardini a straight red.

It proved to be the moment of weakness that we could capitalise on. In the 66th minute Stephen Cooke, arguably the best player on the park, received a pass from Sabellini on the halfway line and sent a perfectly weighted chip through the defence as Eddy Baggio darted between the two centre backs. Eddy took the shot early on the bounce, catching it cleanly from 22 yards, and the ball ricocheted off the keeper into the corner of the net for his 20th goal of the season. He was rested ten minutes later to the benefit of Massimo Costagliola, who required only four minutes on the pitch before he killed the game off by converting Tamburro's cross for 2-0.

Final score: Ragusa 2 - 0 Rimini

[Brian of Nazareth]

\o/ for Stephen Cooke

/o\ for Doug Ellis Come on VFC!

There's the play offs secured surely?

Pity Baggios goal was ruled out

[nerf]

Monday 7th May 2007

Baggio's goal had arrived on a wave of relief, because for an hour the match had looked like being the sort of game you could easily slip-up on, until Lunardini lost the plot and not only gave us the advantage but also ensured his team would drop into the relegation playoff places. Stephen Cooke picked up the man of the match award, Luca Orlando recovered from a poor start to grow in stature as the second half progressed, and the three points have secured us a guaranteed playoff spot. With one fixture to go, the Serie C1/B table looks like THIS.

All of the playoff berths are now confirmed. A huge match was played in Trento, where the second placed team triumphed over leaders Sambenedettese 3-1 and reduced the gap in the title race to just two points. Sambenedettese are still favourites however, as their final match is at home to Pro Vercelli, whereas Trento face a tricky journey to Lanciano. We can still nick the runners up spot if results go our way and we manage to pick up a victory at Lecco.

Up in Serie A, rampaging Inter put four goals past Perugia to secure their third successive Scudetto, leaving rivals Milan and Juventus to fight it out for second place. Inter's three league championships in a row equals the same feat achieved by the great AC Milan side of the early nineties.

[nerf]

Thursday 10th May 2007

My assistant manager, Antonio, is not usually the sort of fellow to get overexcited about much, so I was mildly intrigued when he arrived at training this morning with great eagerness etched in his features. He was excited to inform me that he had passed by a local school yesterday. This was hardly attention-grabbing news, not unless Antonio was preparing to provide a discourse on the length of skirts belonging to tanned seventeen year old Sicilian girls these days. In fact his news was far more relevant, as he had stumbled across an under-16's football match between two local schools.

Apparently, the white-shirted Scuola di San Giorgio blew their opponents away with a barrage of goals, thanks almost entirely to the inventive feet of a young kid referred to as Nicolas. Sporting a mop of curly hair on top of a small stature, Antonio drew comparisons to Pablo Aimar and could not stress enough just how much this lad had been in a class of his own. Netting six times, most of which had apparently followed mazy runs through numerous hapless opponents, this kid had left Antonio in the belief that he could have beaten the other team single-handedly, and done more than enough to convince Antonio on one showing that we should consider getting to know Nicolas with the intention of bringing him to the youth trials in the summer.

Frankly I hadn't even spared a flicker of thought for the summer, the future or anything past the frightening shape of the playoffs looming on our horizon, but if this lad is anything like Antonio's reliable eye suggests he is then there's something to look forward to afterwards. In the meantime, we have the formality of a journey to Lecco to negotiate before things get really tense.

[nerf]

Sunday 13th May 2007

The fixture list has conspired against us and saved our longest away journey for last; Lecco is barely a stones' throw from the border between Italy and Switzerland and therefore a long way from Ragusa, but fortunately yesterday's flight passed without a hitch. The same team that beat Rimini will line up again today.

Serie C1/B Fixture #34

Lecco v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Grznar, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Orlando, Mignani, Cooke; Fonseca, Baggio.

The final match of the season kicked off, under a hot sun that warmed the 5,000 all-seater Rigamonti-Ceppi stadium and made the grass shine. It was Lecco who started the brightest of all though, some early pressure culminating in full-back Matteo Melani stepping up to find the net from the edge of the area, giving his side a 13th minute lead. Giuseppe Lenea then had to be on his toes to make two good saves, tipping the ball over the bar and then round the post, but we were not without chances of our own. Daniel Fonseca was denied from close range after Baggio's cross had been parried away, though his second effort on goal looped dismally over the bar when he should have done better.

At the break Carlo Mignani came off for a rest, Cooke shifted into the middle and Franco Chiavarini went on at right midfield. Unforunately a switch to a more direct style did not bring any success and Lecco began the second period much like they began the first, this time taking eleven minutes to beat Lenea, when Matys threw himself into a diving header at the near post and glanced the ball home for 2-0. Fabio Rossini and Massimo Costagliola made substitute appearances during the second half, but we were second best throughout the remainder of the match.

Final score: Lecco 2 - 0 Ragusa

[Guest]

Nice going nerf, best of luck with the new season.

[nerf]

Thanks LemonJelly - this one isn't quite done yet though

Monday 14th May 2007

After all thirty-four league matches have been completed, the final Serie C1/B table looks like THIS.

Our loss in Lecco means that not only do we finish fourth, we also miss out on setting a new club record. We had previously been on a run of 12 matches unbeaten, equaling the spell of success that we enjoyed in the second half of my first season at the club, and it's a shame that we could not end this season with a thirteenth game without defeat... although, as they say, that might be unlucky for some. It was certainly unlucky for Pavel Grznar, who returned to Sicily with fractured ribs and will miss our impending involvement in the promotion playoffs.

Trento were unable to get the three points that they desperately needed, going down 2-4 at Lanciano, but it was all academic anyway as a hat-trick from eighteen year old striker Federico Di Bari enabled Sambenedettese to romp convincingly past Pro Vercelli 4-0 to secure the Serie C1/B title in style.

The final table reveals that we will face Lanciano in the promotion playoff semi-final, the first leg of which will be at the Aldo Campo on the 26th.

[nerf]

Thursday 24th May 2007

Less than forty-eight hours before our foray into the playoffs and the nerves are starting to grab hold. Naively I didn't think that anything in football could make me nervous again considering what we went through in Acireale back in May 2005, but the prospective reward on offer here is huge. Serie B football. The idea of a small club like Ragusa being in Serie B is certainly bordering on the ridiculous, but that achievement is within arm's reach of us now and we'd be letting ourselves down if we didn't give it our best shot, even though we never expected to be in this position so quickly.

Added to the nerves is, admittedly, a tinge of fear. Lanciano are a powerful team, the top scorers in the entire division with 71 goals, and will step into the playoffs full of confidence following a strong victory over runner-up Trento on the final day. There's also a volatile history between the two clubs this season; back in September, Lanciano handed us a crushing 5-1 defeat on their own turf, although we were able to gain revenge by putting four past them here in Ragusa at the end of January.

It is clear that the first leg is going to be hugely important for us. We have maintained a surprisingly good home record this season, the joint best in the division, a record that has seen us take fourteen wins and three draws from seventeen home fixtures. No team in Serie C1/B has yet been able to come to the Aldo Campo Selvaggio and steal all three points, something that we can be immensely proud of. What is less pleasing is our away form, as we only managed to pick up two victories outside of Ragusa and collected seven losses. Still, we have at least scraped a few draws, something that could be handy if we can take a lead with us to Lanciano for the second leg.

Our biggest worry is undoubtedly our sizeable list of injuries. Club captain Simone Tamburro will also miss the first leg due to a suspension following four yellow cards, adding his name to absentees such as Marco Cirillo (knee), Claudio Gallicchio (groin), Pietro Alderuccio (ribs) and Pavel Grznar (ribs). Most distressing of all, Gaspare Pellegrino (groin) and Giancarlo Di Nicola (shoulder) will play no part at all in the playoffs, meaning that we are without two players who can be hugely influential on their day for differing reasons. We do have capable replacements, but those are two names that would have made an early appearance on my team sheet had they been fit.

[nerf]

Saturday 26th May 2007

The playoffs start here, and the Aldo Campo is packed to capacity yet again for the first leg of the semi finals, despite the stifling heat. Lanciano are looking confident and in the mood, whereas we have a selection difficulty to overcome - with both Simone Tamburro and Pavel Grznar unavailable, and no back-up centre back available to accomodate shifting Stefano Fumagalli, the left back slot will have to be filled by Stefano Guastella. Stefano has spent most of the season in the under-20s and has barely made double figures in senior appearances in the last two seasons, but injuries and suspensions have left us with little choice.

Serie C1/B Promotion Playoffs Semi Final 1st Leg

Ragusa v Lanciano

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Guastella, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Sabellini; Cooke, Orlando, Mignani, Chiavarini; Fonseca, Baggio.

The majority of the early possession belonged to us, and in the 22nd minute the first significant moment of danger was created by Franco Chiavarini bursting down the right, beating the full-back and finding Eddy Baggio inside. Baggio played a quick one-two with Fonseca on the edge of the area, darted to the byline, and from his cut-back Daniel Fonseca capped a wonderfully crafted move by applying the appropriate finish, leaving the Lanciano defence all at sea. It was a huge weight off my shoulders; we had made the perfect start, and it proved to be enough to carry us through to the half-time break with our noses in front.

It was a lead that we had just about deserved, but we were not intending on settling for one goal - we could need more than that for the return leg. Fonseca almost made it two in the 67th minute in great style, when he picked the ball up and dribbled from deep before flipping an audacious chip from outside the area with his left foot, but we had to watch the ball bounce agonisingly off the base of the right post with the keeper beaten. Defensively we were working very hard and managed to hold Lanciano to long range efforts only, but the away team did likewise and we were unable to find that second goal we were looking for.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 0 Lanciano

There was cause for double celebration in Sicily, as the island also hosted the other semi final between Messina and Trento. A brace from Francesco Marra put Messina two up inside an hour before Trento quickly snatched two goals back to equalise, but no sooner had they drawn level then Nicola Porcarelli popped up to win it for the home side by pouncing on a rebound amongst a goalmouth scramble.

[nerf]

Tuesday 29th May 2007

The soft scuff of shoe leather on stone precedes my amble down the sloped road, the street lamps casting thick shadows across weathered buildings left and right. Breathlessly quiet at this time of night, the street is a lot less active than my brain, which has plenty to ponder.

I have conflicting thoughts about our situation after one leg of the playoff semi final. We do have the goal advantage that we desperately needed, but the lead is slim. A single goal is unlikely to prove to be enough to hold on to in Lanciano, not just because of our poor away form, but because Lanciano are a team with plenty of goalscoring options and never more so than when they are on their own park. Our injuries are also still a worry at a time when we could do with those key names at full fitness; of those unavailable for the first leg, only Simone Tamburro will be back for the second leg now that his suspension has been lifted. This is just as well, considering his emergency replacement at the weekend, Stefano Guastella, took a knock to the knee in training today and isn't expected to recover in time.

I turn off the main avenue and take the wide steps down to the tiny courtyard, glancing down to spare my eyes from the unshielded light protruding over the steps on a black iron support. A bulb much brighter than the team's peformance in the first leg. Yes, we did get the win and I shouldn't be too harsh, but our display was not up to what I have come to expect this season. In fact, we haven't been at our best in the last three or four games, not since Cittadella or Vis Pesaro. Stephen Cooke and Luca Orlando combined to have a good influence on the midfield, but other than that we were fairly average across the pitch. I concede that we worked very hard defensively, our clean sheet is testament to that, but we'll have to work even harder than that if we want to protect our lead in the second leg.

My sleeve brushes along the wall-clinging greenery as I approach the front door to the apartment, and I pause in the alcove to clear my head. I shouldn't be entertaining these doubts; tonight was supposed to have been a break from the tension. To celebrate the fact that today marked my fourtieth year on God's green Earth, Antonio and the rest of the staff had arranged a communal dinner out for all to attend. Isabella's restaurant was booked out in honour of my birthday, shared by staff and players with their wives and girlfriends in tow, and Chairman Giuseppe Antoci appeared just in time to pick up the bill and distribute the champagne - a kind gesture to complete a pleasant distraction. I had arrived here in Ragusa as a fresh-faced 35 year old, now nearly five years later we are on the eve of the club's biggest ever match. Here's to the next five.

[nerf]

Thursday 31st May 2007

A knock on the door, an end to an era. An quiet chat in the privacy of my office informed me that, despite having signed a contract extension at the beginning of April, Daniel Fonseca had experienced a change of heart. The former Uruguayan international will be retiring sooner than expected, in fact as soon as the playoffs are over.

I gave a polite request that he reconsider, but it was more out of custom than of any belief that he would do so. The fact that he had agonised over the decision for the last two months or more, and that he was telling me right in the middle of the playoffs, suggested that his mind was finally made up. It will obviously be a shame to see him go, even though he will be 38 years old by the time next season comes around. Daniel did mention, however, that he was interested in remaining at the club after his playing career was over, if there was room on the physiotherapy staff. We agreed that we would pursue that angle further with the chairman, after the season was over and Daniel's retirement had been officially announced.

Signing Daniel, back in July 2003, had been undertaken in the knowledge that it was a gamble on my part. We needed a forward fairly desperately when Giancarlo Ferrara abandoned us but we had little money to spend, and after fading out at Juventus the then 33 year old had spent the previous three years in the wilderness through failing to find a club where he could settle. Fortunately the gamble paid off handsomely and rest is history. I had been expecting a veteran with some quality to give us the occasional flash of magic on the pitch, but in the end few players can claim to have been more influential over the past three seasons.

Last night saw the final of this season's Champions League, in which Real Betis crushed German powerhouse Bayern Munich by a score of 3-0. A brace from a rejuvenated Nicolas Anelka was rounded off by Italian international Luca Toni, emphatically ensuring that the coveted Champions League trophy stays in Spain for a third season in a row.