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

[nerf]

Sunday 27th April 2008

Franco Chiavarini is arguably in the best form of his Ragusa career so far, but a fourth yellow card received in Vercelli means that he will be suspended for today's home fixture with 7th-placed Arezzo. Fortunately Claudio Gallicchio is now available after his time out through suspension and injury, allowing Simone Tamburro to shift back out onto the left of midfield, while Giancarlo Di Nicola switches flanks.

Serie C1/B Fixture #32

Ragusa v Arezzo

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Santos, Fumagalli, Attewell, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Orlando, Gallicchio, Di Nicola; Marino, Baggio.

Even though they are five points away from the playoffs, Arezzo are not yet mathematically out of the race. Meanwhile we are intending to push as high up as we can towards third position, in the hope of securing our playoff spot sooner and claiming the positional advantage. It would have come as a bit of a surprise then, when the first half passed with little more event than you'd expect from an end-of-season kickabout, which this most certainly is not. It wasn't to last.

At half-time I pulled Di Nicola aside and had a quick tactical word, encouraging him to drive forward with a greater attacking mentality in the second half. Five minutes after the break it paid dividends. Giancarlo was pushed high up the right flank to recieve Eddy Baggio's lay off, and when he got to the byline and swung the ball back across, Baggio's head was on the end of things for a near post opener.

Arezzo were momentarily rocked onto the back foot by the blow, a fact that we were intent on taking advantage of. In the 53rd minute, new-signing Santos lofted a long ball forward from left-back for Nicola Marino to chase, who beat Castorina to it, dribbled into the area and jinked to his right. Goalkeeper Giovanni Proietti bought the feint fully and was left looking rather silly, chewing on empty grass, as a flash of precocious skill tooK Marino's dancing feet back to the left for an open goal. It was cheeky, it was brilliant, or at least it was if you're not Proietti. Two-nil up with news arriving from elsewhere that the teams around us were not faring quite so well - things were looking good indeed.

Flashback. The first Saturday of June, year 2007. An hour gone, onto the Guido Biondi sideline steps a big, strong seventeen year old forward. The rest is painful history. Present day. Less than an hour gone, onto the Aldo Campo sideline steps a big, strong seventeen year old forward. No, not Mattia Pagano, but a kid by the name of Filippo Bellucci, who could do a decent enough physical impression of our previous tormentor. Where in God's green Italia are they breeding these manchilds?

Painful history repeated. If you haven't guessed the rest, you haven't been paying attention. Within minutes Bellucci was barrelling onto the end of a fantastic cross from Arezzo's left winger, and he rose above Stefano Fumagalli to power a strong header at goal for his fifth of the season. In the 73rd minute he then chased a high, plummeting long ball with menacing intent, not flinching as Giuseppe Lenea raced out to intercept, and Bellucci's toe was enough to send the ball through Lenea to bobble, bounce and roll over the line for 2-2.

It got all the more painful for Luca Orlando, who was involved in a collision immediately after play was resumed and had to withdraw, making way for Pavel Grznar. The only saving grace we could see between this situation and the one in Lanciano, aside from the obvious fact that the stakes were higher back then, was that at least this time we had a chance to do something about it. Santos formed a third defensive tower in our defence to help reinforce against the aerial barrage, a duty through which the Brazilian suffered a bloody nose from an accidental Bellucci elbow, and from this base we pushed forward. With five minutes to go, Giancarlo Di Nicola's attempted ball through the Arezzo defence flicked off Galeotti and suddenly, temptingly, Nicola Marino was in and away. Scurrying to evade the frantic covering defender Barbagli, the teenager took it onto his left in the area and let fly from fourteen yards. Struck cleanly, it flew to Proietti's left... but so did Proietti, launching full-stretch to impressively fingertip the ball away. A goalkeeper's revenge.

Final score: Ragusa 2 - 2 Arezzo

[nerf]

Monday 28th April 2008

We can't help but see it as two points dropped, but giving Arezzo their credit, they did well to change things and come back from two goals down, and they will probably claim to have been good enough to deserve a point. Bellucci was more than a handful for us and really was the catalyst to the change in the match, just like Pagano had been almost a year ago. If we're not careful, more teams might start noticing this weakness and find a way to exploit it if they have the appropriate target man. Stefano Fumagalli and Stuart Attewell are no shrinking violets themselves mind you, so I'm disappointed that they were bossed so easily, but perhaps it reflects more on myself and the backroom staff in that we had no contingency plan prepared.

Our disappointment at letting a good situation slip was only increased when we heard confirmation of the similar difficulties experienced by our playoff rivals this weekend; Vis Pesaro losing 0-2 at home to Avellino, while Ternana could only draw 2-2 with Crotone. Mantova were the only ones to win, dragging themselves back into contention with a 2-0 victory at Fano. If we had mirrored their success today, we would have already put our name in the playoff hat.

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

1. Cittadella 72 pts

------------------------

2. Taranto 66 pts

3. Vis Pesaro 59 pts

4. Ragusa 58 pts

5. Ternana 55 pts

------------------------

6. Mantova 53 pts

7. Arezzo 50 pts

8. Crotone 49 pts

</pre>

[bjorn]

This story gives me a great feeling and wants me to start a story of a lower league club myself.

Great work Nerf, and I hope you can get promotion

[Johnny_Trotter]

Excellent story. The level of detail makes it feel like I'm a season ticket holder at Ragusa. Keep up the fine work.

[nerf]

Thank you bjorn and Johnny_Trotter

Sunday 4th May 2008

Two matches to go, starting today at 8th-placed Crotone. Combining last week's results with our strong goal difference, we know that a single point today will be enough to effectively guarantee our participation in the playoffs, but we need to try and win in the hope of snatching that potentially important third place. Unbeaten in their last four fixtures, our opponents are still mathematically within reach of Ternana and the final playoff position, but a relatively weak goal difference means that any hopes they retain are very faint indeed. They have, however, banged in fourteen goals in those last four matches, so clearly they are unwilling to go out meekly.

Santos is available to play despite the broken nose suffered last weekend, and Luca Orlando has also recovered from his knock to be in the team again today. Franco Chiavarini, suspension dutifully served, comes straight back into the starting lineup at the expense of the unfortunate Simone Tamburro. Simone has been doing well recently, but with Franco and Giancarlo on the wings I'm confident that we can go out and take the fight to Crotone.

Serie C1/B Fixture #33

Crotone v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Santos, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Sabellini; Di Nicola, Orlando, Gallicchio, Chiavarini; Marino, Baggio.

The opening minutes reflected the ambitions of the two clubs as the match set off at quite a pace, with the pick of the goalmouth action being Giuseppe Lenea's save low to his right. Boosted by recent strong goalscoring form, Crotone were looking increasingly dangerous, getting home shirts forward in waves and attacking us in numbers. It didn't come as a great surprise when Fabbrini got onto the end of one of the assaults and gave the home side a 31st minute lead.

At half-time we needed to change something. Facing a hostile atmosphere in the Ezio Scida and an upbeat Crotone side, I was already regretting my mistake in casually discarding the influence offered by our club captain. I gave Simone Tamburro the nod to get warmed up in preparation for joining us in the second half, Claudio Gallicchio making way, with Simone detailed to hold a defensive midfield role and interrupt Crotone's midfield runners. Shortly before we headed back out for kick-off, news filtered in that Mantova had equalised in their massive game against Ternana, while Vis Pesaro were being held 0-0 at Messina. On current results, none of the clubs would be moving anywhere.

The reintegration of our captain added an important midfield pillar... for all of, ooh, about twelve minutes. At that point he came off worse in a midfield clash and stayed down, clutching his shoulder and grimacing with pain, and so I had to change it all over again. With little over half an hour left to pull this back, I sent Massimo Costagliola on to play alongside Baggio up front, with Nicola Marino floating in behind and Di Nicola, Chiavarini and Orlando making it three across midfield. It really wasn't the time for experimentation, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Preferably not unsuccessful measures, however. By the 64th minute Moretti had pounced to finish a goalmouth scramble after Lenea had done his best to push the first shot away, and the hill became a mountain. Eddy Baggio later had a chance saved, but the home side could have made it three if Gentili had struck the net rather than the upright, and Crotone were really not in the mood for letting us off the hook today.

Final score: Crotone 2 - 0 Ragusa

After 33 matches with just one left to play, the Serie C1/B table looks like THIS.

Vis Pesaro went down by two goals for the second week on a row, but once again we have let them off disappointingly lightly. Technically we are yet to confirm our own participation in the playoffs, but you'd hope that a three point and eight goal advantage over Ternana should, barring any complete last minute disasters, prove to be enough. Meanwhile, Mantova came from behind to triumph 3-1 in their hugely important clash with Ternana, which has really spiced things up for the final week. We will face them in the Aldo Campo next Sunday.

Looking down on the playoff tussle from above, Cittadella's win over Fano today confirmed them as the new Serie C1/B champions.

[nerf]

Wednesday 7th May 2008

The mood in training this week has become a touch more subdued, a little tense, a bit weary. Our run of good form has faltered with failure to win either of our last two matches, a failure that has seen us miss out on two good opportunities to move up into our target of third position. Vis Pesaro have lost twice in consecutive weeks, virtually inviting us to overtake them, yet on both occasions we have been unable to step forward and capitalise. Nobody seems to want to take command of that third place.

On the contrary, our players just seem to want a rest. The exertion put into our burst towards playoff contention has finally started to take its toll. Simone Tamburro will sit out for a few days with his damaged shoulder, Santos will do the same with a twisted knee, while Giancarlo Di Nicola has a sprained ankle that might cause him to miss our final league match. Most of all, a calf injury inflicted on Franco Chiavarini in training yesterday afternoon could put the Argentinian out of the playoffs.

Glancing around the training pitch, there are some tiring legs starting to feel the effects of a long, hard roller-coaster season, none more noticabley affected than Nicola Marino. The sixteen year old has started to look less spritely and more exhausted in the last week or so. It's an entirely understandable thing to happen towards the end of his first ever professional season - it's only a surprise that he has lasted this long. I'm seriously considering resting him for the final match because we need him fit for the playoffs, but as for the rest of them, myself and the coaching staff will have to do our jobs and get them all motivated and reinvigorated for the remaining challenges. The sort of tempo and excitement prevalent throughout the last couple of months has started to make a few legs ache, but we have to overcome that. Now is crunch time, now is not the time to lapse.

[nerf]

Sunday 11th May 2008

The final day of the regular season is here, with plenty to play for. The battle for third place is between ourselves and Vis Pesaro, who face a difficult trip to Taranto. Taranto have already been confirmed second position, but they will want to carry some momentum into the playoffs and we'll be hoping that they can do us a favour today. Our opponents this afternoon, Mantova, possess even greater incentive. They know that to earn themselves a playoff slot they must match whatever Ternana achieve against newly-crowned Cittadella, but there's also the added certainty that a win today would lift Mantova above us into fourth position.

A chat with Nicola Marino yesterday left me convinced that the kid is feeling sharp enough to continue the pace, so he remains in the side, but I've gone for some very fresh legs in defence. Adding Pietro Alderuccio at right-back will give us an imposing back line, while Simone Tamburro and Danilo Sabellini will feature wide in midfield to provide plenty of effort and defensive cover.

Serie C1/B Fixture #34

Ragusa v Mantova

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Santos, Fumagalli©, Attewell, Alderuccio; Tamburro©, Orlando, Gallicchio, Sabellini; Marino, Baggio.

In the knowledge that a victory today was our last chance to keep our hopes alive of making third, we started this game more brightly than we did in Crotone. Luca Orlando clearly felt the importance of this match more than anybody and emerged as the star of the first half, attempting to drag the team forward on his own and getting involved all over the pitch. His teammates were playing no more than supporting roles for the first half an hour, so when Luca himself fired in the only goal of the half with his right foot, it was an accurate representation of how the match was progressing.

With an unconvincing yet factual one goal advantage sustained through to the break, we were eager to discover news from elsewhere. Reports from the Erasmo Jacovone in Taranto informed us that Gianluca Triuzzi's 14th minute goal had put Vis Pesaro on the losing end of a 1-0 scoreline, so as things stood at half-time, we had a shaky hand on third place.

I'd like to know what my opposing coach said to his players during that same half-time breather, or perhaps they too looked at the latest scores and learned that Teramo were beating Cittadella. Mantova had seemed nervous and hesitant in the first half but something changed during the break. Finding themselves a goal down and in danger of being eliminated from the playoff race at the death, they dug deep and discovered the motivation they needed - at our expense. Gaetano Caridi equalised in the 66th minute, nipping inside Alderuccio to recieve Graziani's pass and strike across Lenea, and a minute later Graziani himself put the away side into a sudden 2-1 lead, eluding Stuart Attewell far too easily and jinking past Lenea to knock it home.

In the face of that lightning onslaught, we froze up. In little more than 60 seconds we had gone from celebrating a possible third position to end up facing finishing fifth, and it came as a bit of a shock to the system. I tried to liven things up in the 79th minute by introducing Massimo Costagliola and urging the team forward for an equaliser, but it was to no avail. Four minutes later, Gabriele Graziani, the man who had scored a hattrick against us in January and who had already had a hand in both of his side's goals today, recieved the ball on the left and cut it back to substitute David Guibilato, who shaped up and connected sweetly from twenty yards to make it three.

Final score: Ragusa 1 - 3 Mantova

[nerf]

Monday 12th May 2008

Very disappointing. Where was the fire, where was the fight? We wanted that third place and Orlando's goal had given us the perfect opportunity to go and grab it, yet for the third week in a row we threw it away. Two consecutive defeats and three without victory is not exactly the perfect way to end the season and enter into the playoffs.

After all 34 fixtures have been completed, the final Serie C1/B table looks like THIS.

We finish 5th, a point behind both Vis Pesaro and Mantova. Looking on the bright side we are at least actually in the playoffs and not struggling in mid-table, and this has mostly been an inconsistent season where the latter could have been a real danger. Some very rocky form in the first half of the campaign had seen us amass seven defeats before the end of January, which was not playoff-chasing form. Still, we set ourselves the target of reaching the playoffs again and that's what we achieved. Now we have to make use of that achievement and not throw another chance away.

We will play Taranto on Saturday the 24th, with the first leg here at the Aldo Campo.

[nerf]

Wednesday 21st May 2008

Days after AC Milan lifted the 2008 Coppa Italia trophy by conquering Juventus, Italy played host to the climax of another cup competition tonight - the UEFA Cup final, fought out between two English clubs, Aston Villa and Leeds United, in front of almost 83,000 spectators in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. In a very tight contest it was Leeds that broke the deadlock, when former Juventus player Edgar Davids curled a shot past goalkeeper Peter Enckelman from twenty yards, but Villa were able to equalise through England international striker Darius Vassell, who completed a flowing move by stretching onto the end of Alan Smith's near post cross.

The match remained even and progressed into extra time, but it was Leeds who eventually had the final say. Denmark's Peter Lovenkrands diverted home Gregory Vignal's centre to put Leeds back in front in the first half of extra time, and less than a couple of minutes later the former Glasgow Rangers forward added his second when Eirik Bakke put him one-on-one with Enckelman. Manager Arsene Wenger had succesfully guided Leeds United to the third UEFA Cup triumph in the club's history, while Aston Villa's disappointment was compounded when former Villa defender Olof Mellberg was announced as man-of-the-match and lifted the trophy as Leeds captain.

Ollie...

[nerf]

Thursday 22nd May 2008

The last two days of our two week preparation period for the playoffs. We have spent much of the past fortnight trying to will renewed energy into tired legs and raise the players' spirits, but there's a nervous atmosphere around the squad that does not contain the optimism you'd hope for. They haven't tasted victory for over a month, only various levels of disappointment, and there appears to be a hint of pessimism generated by the knowledge that we were in exactly the same position last year when it all ended badly.

The coaching staff can do their utmost to dispel such mental lethargy, but it is reinforced by that creeping physical lethargy. It has been a long and tough season for our small squad, most of whom have gone through injury difficulties along the way, injuries that have not only weakened the afflicted but have also increased the load borne by others. Training over the past two weeks has therefore been light anyway - we're already missing Franco Chiavarini, Gaspare Pellegrino and Carlo Mignani through injury, we certainly don't want to collect any unnecessary knocks in the meantime. It all goes towards proving that, whatever happens, it will be necessary for us to expand our playing staff over the summer, but I can't think about that now. We have a playoff semi-final to win first.

There are always positives to balance against the perceived negatives. This time around we will benefit from the availability of Giancarlo Di Nicola, who missed this occasion last year with injury, and although he is short on match practice he is at least one of the few who do not have a long and tiring season in their bones. Simone Tamburro is another who missed the playoffs last time and is now available. With their help we can perhaps rediscover the good form that got us into the playoffs in the first place, form that I think can show us to be a match for any side in this division on our day. I hope we can remind Taranto of that.

[BobBev]

C'mon Ragusa

[nerf]

Saturday 24th May 2008

The nerves are understandably ever more prevalent in the changing room as kick-off approaches, perhaps most of all for Pietro Alderuccio. In a gamble on my part, I have selected Pietro ahead of Stuart Attewell for the starting position today. Alderuccio has not had to toil through almost every match of a long season like Attewell has, and I know that we will need some freshness in the centre of our defence - Taranto strikers Gianluca Triuzzi and Giovanni Pompei form a fearsome pairing, boasting forty-two goals between them this season.

Serie C1/B Promotion Playoffs Semi Final 1st Leg

Ragusa v Taranto

Ragusa lineup - Lenea; Santos, Fumagalli, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Orlando, Gallicchio, Di Nicola; Marino, Baggio.

The whistle belonging to referee Oscar Girardi gets the playoffs underway, and it's the light blue shirts that start the brightest. Two chances go our way in the opening five minutes, the first coming when Orlando feeds Di Nicola on the right and he crosses for Eddy Baggio to fire straight at the goalkeeper. Soon afterwards Taranto play a long ball looking for Pompei but Alderuccio is there, heading the ball towards Di Nicola, who makes progress up the right flank before leaving it for Gallicchio. The first-time cross finds the feet of Nicola Marino in the area, but he is quickly crowded out by some alert Taranto defenders and they manage to scramble the ball away.

Taranto are not without their own attacking intentions, and a period of end-to-end play ensues as the game roars into life in front of a capacity crowd. Giuseppe Lenea is soon called into action, initially keeping on his toes to safely field Gianluca Triuzzi's first attempt on goal after it had deflected off Fumagalli, and then producing a magnificent save low to his right to deny Triuzzi on a second occasion. Up the other end, Eddy Baggio's deft chip drifts narrowly wide of the far post.

Barely 25 minutes gone and I'm already breathless. Seconds later I'm holding what little breath I have, when Triuzzi turns Alderuccio and spots teammate Vincenzo Pini running beyond him from deep. Lenea rushed out quickly to close Pini down and force him wide, but the midfielder still managed to squeeze a low shot under the 'keeper, only for the ball to rebound back off the near post and Fumagalli cleared. Once again we immediately looked to turn defence into attack, Eddy Baggio finding Marino with a knock-down, but again the opportunity is closed down quickly and the hurried shot is held by the goalkeeper.

Eddy Baggio had the final chance of the half, a mis-hit volley parried wide by Antonio Di Mauro, and by some miracle both teams went into the break scoreless. How neither side had found the net I do not know - Gianluca Triuzzi was being a constant menace to us, Giancarlo Di Nicola was causing Taranto all sorts of problems up the right flank, and both sides had come within a whisker of taking the lead. All we needed now was for one of the strikers to stick one of those chances away for us!

The second half failed to pick up where the frenetic first half left off, and the hectic pace of the match showed signs of subsiding. I sent Marco Locatelli on to replace Santos at left back, as Triuzzi's nippy movement across the turf called for more mobility in opposition, but it didn't exactly improve matters defensively. Whether the tall Brazilian would have been in place to contest Pompei's unchallenged 63rd minute header, I can only speculate, but when his nod-down fell at the feet of Vincenzo De Liguori, the Taranto captain let fly from twenty yards. Where those more accustomed to goalscoring had already been repeatedly denied from more promising situations, we were all left marvelling at the sick irony of one hopeful long-range snapshot finally disturbing the scoreline. I'm sure that De Liguori, swamped by his teammates near the corner flag, didn't care in the slightest.

Up until that point we had matched Taranto stride for stride, giving as good as we got and more, but the first goal proved decisive. Heads dropped, morale drooped and the pace of that first half caught up with our tired team. Triuzzi had a goal disallowed for a dubious offside decision on 78 minutes, then as Taranto looked increasingly secure throughout the remainder of the half, it was left to Giovanni Pompei to stick the knife in in injury time. To be truthful it was a fine, fine move, started by Triuzzi and De Liguori before the ball moved smoothly between five players, and from a clever dink over the top, Pompei found room in our penalty area to turn and finish neatly.

Final score: Ragusa 0 - 2 Taranto

[nerf]

Tuesday 27th May 2008

Nerves, tension, brief excitement, and ultimately bitter, bitter disappointment. A disagreable concoction with an unpleasantly sour aftertaste. I felt dreadful after the final whistle on Saturday and three days have not done much to ease the pain. If anything, prospects have grown worse in the aftermath. Fresh injuries to Stefano Fumagalli and Nicola Marino are likely to deny us of their services for the return leg, adding them to the list already featuring Pellegrino, Mignani, Chiavarini, Matera and Costagliola.

The task ahead of us now approaches the impossible. Our only chance of making the playoff final lies with a victory by three clear goals, away from home, against the team that finished runner-up in the league table and whom we have not defeated in our last four attempts. Taranto conceded just eight goals at home in the entire league season. I can sense that the players are well aware of all of this.

A potential flaw in our squad has started to expose itself of late; I'm beginning to call into question our collective mental strength. Our heads went down when De Liguori's strike flew in and it's not the first time that has happened this season. When things are going well and the goals are flowing we're becoming a real force to be reckoned with in this division, but when things go against you and you need a bit of stability and self-belief, I wonder if that's where we are found wanting.

To back this up, it has been an up and down season that has rolled with the peaks and troughs of confidence. Good results have usually been followed by good results, but when the chain gets broken we sometimes struggle to pick ourselves up and repair it. Our pattern of inconsistency has not been win, loss, win, loss, it has followed more along the rough lines of win, draw, win, loss, loss, draw. Throughout March and April we won six on the trot, and now we have followed that up with no wins in four; it is a familiar type of sequence that has emerged on several occasions throughout the last nine months.

A likely contributing factor is that we are short on years. It's all very well bringing through the young players, but as anyone knows you need to balance that with the experienced old heads. We have a lot of youth and some genuinely exciting talent, some real prospects, but with that comes the obvious shortages in experience and wisdom. Glancing around the squad, we don't have an abundance of leaders to help guide them. Simone Tamburro is a clear exception, and people like Stefano Fumagalli, Danilo Sabellini and Eddy Baggio will often share their vocal talents, but beyond that we are not blessed with many generals. You could add Gaspare Pellegrino to that brief list, but his influence comes more through example than direction. I know players like Carlo Mignani and Claudio Gallicchio will scrap tooth and nail for the team, but they're not the types to rally the troops behind their banner.

This is something that we might be able to address in the summer, with a bit of luck, when we sit down and assess how we are going to go about expanding and improving. Unfortunately, that's not going to help us with the magnitude of our task on Saturday.

[nerf]

Wednesday 28th May 2008

In the final of the Champions League tonight, the mighty Inter Milan finally carried their fearsome domestic dominance onto the European stage. Shortly after securing their fourth consecutive Serie A title, Inter made it a spectacular double by becoming European champions for the first time in over forty years. Facing off with English giants Arsenal in the season finale, they were inspired to this achievement by playmaker Alvaro Recoba. Much criticised in the past for his own fickle inconsistencies, the Uruguayan maestro finally showcased his undoubted talents on the biggest stage, tormenting the Gunners' defence and having a hand in both of the goals. His right boot curled the Italian side into an early lead, then his left provided the free-kick for Colombian defender Ivan Cordoba to head home in the second half, and Inter lifted the prestigious trophy via a 2-0 victory.

[nerf]

Saturday 31st May 2008

The last day of May threatens to bring our season to a close. We face the daunting prospect of needing to defeat an upbeat Taranto side by a distance of three goals here in the Erasmo Jacovone, a stadium where the home team has experienced just one loss and conceded no more than eight goals in all seventeen fixtures this season. 2-0 or 3-1 will not be enough - Taranto would progress due to their superior finishing position in the league, as Lanciano did last year.

Partly through necessity, partly through an attempt at surprising Taranto, partly through the hope that fringe players will want to play hard for their position in the team, and also perhaps partly through a nagging subconcious belief that this is already over, there are some unsual changes to our team this afternoon. Santos and Alderuccio form a brand new pairing in central defence, with Pietro assigned to man-mark Triuzzi, and as Di Nicola steps forth into attack, there is room on the right for Alessandro Bonaffini. Jess van Strattan makes a long awaited reappearance in goal.

Serie C1/B Promotion Playoffs Semi Final 2nd Leg

Taranto v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - van Strattan; Locatelli, Santos, Alderuccio, Sabellini; Tamburro©, Orlando, Gallicchio, Bonaffini; Di Nicola, Baggio.

We know that if we want to turn this tie around then an early goal is almost necessary, and when Giancarlo Di Nicola flicks on Santos' 4th minute clearance, Eddy Baggio has just the chance to do that... unfortunately, his shot blazes over the bar.

It's a sweltering twenty-eight degrees down at pitch-side, as the early summer sun bakes the 29,000 capacity stadium in unrelenting humidity. In such heat there's no chance of this second leg repeating the pace of the first leg, and we struggle to maintain our positive start. Both goalkeepers make a save each, but then with half-time approaching fast, the resistance wilts. The ever dangerous Gianluca Triuzzi loses his designated marker, slips past Danilo Sabellini into the box, and fires hard into the net for a 43rd minute killer. Goodnight, see you next season.

At half-time it is clear that there isn't enough left in the players for a forty-five minute four-goal barrage, for last gasp dramatics or legendary reversals. The opening day of next season can't come soon enough. Gabriele Catania and Stefano Guastella are both given very rare appearances for the second half, allowing Eddy Baggio and Danilo Sabellini an early start to their well-earned summer rest, and the match and the tie peter out. Triuzzi attempts to make a spectacle of it, shooting from everywhere and anywhere and striking the crossbar and the post in the process, but the winners are already decided. Taranto are going through to meet Mantova in the big one, whilst we are going away to lick our wounds and prepare for another campaign in September.

Final score: Taranto 1 - 0 Ragusa (Taranto win 3-0 on aggregate)

[nerf]

Sunday 1st June 2008

That's it then - a second Serie C1 season completed, a second playoff disappointment. We had hoped for, perhaps even expected, so much more. In the closing weeks of the season we had more than a decent shot at third place, and we were determined to do better in the playoffs than we did last time. Instead we wasted those opportunities by crumbling early.

I'm not a believer in moping, however. We can take the lessons of this season and learn from them, but there's no point dwelling on disappointment, we should instead look forward to a fresh start and a new challenge. Looking back on this season, we were generally inconsistent and went for long periods without some of our better players, and yet we still finished in the top five and almost in the top three. If players like Gaspare Pellegrino and Giancarlo Di Nicola had stayed fit and we had been able to improve our consistency, we could genuinely have been up there challenging with Cittadella and Taranto. That's now the target we have to set ourselves for next season.

Indeed, there are plenty of positives to take from the last nine or ten months. We were able to at least match last season's achievement of reaching the playoffs, proving that it had been no fluke. We've seen Nicola Marino emerge as an extremely enticing prospect with bags of raw talent, and he still won't even be seventeen when next season kicks off. We've also seen some constant and very encouraging improvement in other members of the squad, most noticable in Carlo Mignani, Luca Orlando and Massimo Costagliola. Finally, off the pitch, the increased revenues generated by another season of capacity home crowds has all but wiped out the club's debt. From being around £700,000 in the red just two years ago, that has now been reduced to little over £100,000 and falling.

We're becoming established as a Serie C1 club, which for Ragusa is an achievement in itself, but there's a solid base now to move off from and we should put that into motion. I'd like to revitalise the squad in the summer, although it remains to be seen how great our options will be. History suggests not very. We have already arranged for the coaching staff to sit down and go through our squad in detail, and we'll be doing it before anyone disappears for their summer holidays. A bit of motivated preparation now could go a long way to making our summer more successful than the end of our season.

[nerf]

- Ragusa 2007/2008 - Player Performances -

GOALKEEPERS

Giuseppe Lenea, age 23, Goalkeeper

(apps 40 - conceded 45 - clean sheets 15 - AvR 6.80)

Giuseppe has been Giuseppe, which never ceases to amaze me. Although he has conceded more goals this season, he has also conversely kept more clean sheets and continued to make a constant string of spectacular saves. Almost six years down the line and he's still the same as the grinning seventeen year old kid that I first met under Corrado Vaccaro's tutelage. How could you not warm to him?

Jess van Strattan, age 25, Goalkeeper (Australian)

(apps 1 - conceded 1 - AvR 8.00)

A year ago I offered the question about how Jess would cope with being the number two at this club, which is a situation he probably wouldn't have expected to find himself in. The answer is: admirably. The big Aussie hasn't moaned, sulked or kicked up a fuss, he has just got his head down, trained hard and waited patiently. This attitude has quietly earned him plenty of friends and respect. He has, after all, been very unlucky to be kept on the sidelines so much, particularly when he has done nothing wrong.

[nerf]

DEFENDERS

Stefano Guastella, age 24, Right Back

(apps 3(1) - AvR 6.50)

Stefano is unfortunate enough to be stuck in a time-warp. Each year I appreciate that he has promise, point out that he's a nice lad, admit that he's done okay playing with the Under-20s, and finally decide that he's unlikely to become a regular in the first team when there are good, solid players in front of him.

Danilo Sabellini, age 25, Right Wingback

(apps 40 - goals 1 - assists 3 - MotM 2 - AvR 7.12)

I thought Danilo had a good season last time round, but this season he has been even better. In a side that has shown inconsistency, he has been a tower of reliability in that fullback position.

Simone Tamburro, age 34, Wingback

(apps 28(5) - goals 1 - assists 3 - AvR 6.72)

Simone's leadership remains an invaluable attribute, a rare responsible head in a young team requiring direction and guidance. I would prefer it if his personal performances could improve, as even Simone would admit that he is not the most talented or productive player in the squad, but he still has a vital role on and off the field.

Stuart Attewell, age 22, Centre Back (English)

(apps 33(2) - MotM 1 - AvR 7.00)

I'm afraid to say that my doubts over Stuart's credibility as a Serie C1 defender remain. He is still young and has plenty to learn, but this season he was prone to the occasional mistake and I'm still not seeing any significant progress in his performances compared to a year or even two years ago.

Pietro Alderuccio, age 25, Centre Back

(apps 4(2) - AvR 6.66)

I'll cut to the chase and admit that Pietro's place in the squad is not very assured. It was perhaps unreasonable to expect him to come in so late in the season and contribute anything significant, but even so, I don't really see a future Ragusa side that features Pietro at the heart of it. Like Stuart Attewell, I suspect that the club's ambitions will out-reach Pietro's capabilities sooner rather than later.

Stefano Fumagalli, age 26, Centre Back

(apps 39 - assists 4 - MotM 2 - AvR 6.89)

Stefano has had a satisfactory season. I think he can do much better, and in contrast to his fellow centre backs I believe he will. He remains a calm and steady influence at the back, and is a candidate for future captaincy if he can maintain his position in the team.

Pavel Grznar, age 29, Wingback (Czech)

(apps 22(4) - goals 2 - assists 2 - AvR 6.50)

Much like the fortunes of the team at large, it has been a mixed nine months for Pavel. At times he has been on form and even surprised us with a couple of goals, and at other times he has been poor and seemingly unhappy. His place in the team is also very uncertain, particularly if we are able to strengthen this summer, as there's a danger of him being pushed further down the pecking order.

Marco Locatelli, age 18, Full Back

(apps 25(5) - AvR 6.46)

Some of the backroom boys think that Marco could be capable of becoming a class act for the club, but I'm not yet convinced. His positioning can be a liability defensively, although that could and should improve with age, and he doesn't show me any outstanding ability that would set him apart - he doesn't possess stunning pace, great strength, great skill. He has time on his side, however, so we will wait and see.

Santos, age 27, Defender (Brazilian)

(apps 7(3) - goals 1 - assists 1 - AvR 7.00)

If Santos can settle in he should prove to be a good signing - particularly considering the fact that he was free. So far he is still adjusting to the team and our style of play, but he certainly has the ability to become a regular in the first team, where he can provide strength, experience and an aerial threat at set-pieces.

[nerf]

MIDFIELDERS

Alessandro Bonaffini, age 27, Winger

(apps 11(4) - assists 1 - AvR 6.93)

I'm surprised that Alessandro has made so many appearances this season, which is testament to the small size of the squad and the number of injuries sustained. He remains a popular guy around the club, but if we can bring any midfielders in this summer then I wouldn't expect him to feature in the first-team on many more occasions.

Gaspare Pellegrino, age 25, Centre Midfield

(apps 9(4) - assists 2 - AvR 7.00)

Nine appearances. It's a tragic fact that he has made fewer appearances in the last two years combined than he did in my first twelve months as manager, and it's frustrating to imagine how much better we might have done with a healthy Gaspare in the middle of things. Fingers very much crossed from now on.

Franco Chiavarini, age 28, Right Midfield (Argentinian)

(apps 19(4) - assists 1 - MotM 1 - AvR 6.82)

Franco did show signs of improvement and at one point was putting in some of the best performances of his Ragusa career, but I remain unconvinced that he is our ideal choice to start on the right of midfield. I certainly have no qualms about Franco being a capable backup, but I feel we can do better.

Carlo Mignani, age 21, Midfield

(apps 16 - goals 1 - assists 2 - AvR 7.06)

The amount of effort that Carlo put into his development over last summer and this season was exemplary, and he was very disappointed to have his progress brought to a grinding halt by the wrist injury in February. I'm confident that Carlo will play his part in the coming season and that at this rate he has the potential to be a Ragusa stalwart for years to come.

Luca Orlando, age 18, Centre Midfield

(apps 27(1) - goals 2 - assists 1 - AvR 7.32)

From an individual standpoint, Luca's second season has been every bit as impressive as his debut year. 19 next month, he is developing into a very rounded midfield player and is not afraid of taking control of a game when he's in the mood. The likes of Di Nicola and Marino can hog the headlines, but Orlando is equally as promising in my eyes.

Fabio Rossini, age 18, Left Midfield

(apps 0(3) - AvR 6.33)

Put simply, I don't see a future for Fabio at this club. He is yet to show the kind of talent necessary to even become a fringe player in this squad, and has not provided me with much hope that it will ever happen.

Antonio Matera, age 17, Winger

(apps 6(3) - assists 1 - AvR 6.77)

I'm a little more praising of Antonio than most of the rest of the coaching staff. I do agree that he will need to improve a lot over the next couple of years, but I think that he possesses the physical attributes necessary to make the breakthrough and has far from disgraced himself in his few appearances this season.

[nerf]

ATTACKERS

Claudio Gallicchio, age 30, Striker

(apps 29(1) - goals 1 - assists 2 - AvR 6.96)

Now a fully-fledged central midfield player, Claudio has made the transition very well indeed. I do appreciate his determination and his effort, but sadly I don't quite regard him as highly as Claudio does himself. To be honest, few people do. I still don't consider him to be our best option in that position, though that is more to do with the quality of competition rather than any real shortcomings on Claudio's part, and he's certainly a handy player to have in the squad rotation if he can accept it.

Eddy Baggio, age 33, Striker

(apps 35(2) - goals 21 - assist 14 - AvR 7.54)

It's a tribute to Eddy's spirit and resilience that his position in the team has not been secure all season, yet still he comes out as top scorer and statistically-speaking our most effective player, leading the team in both goals and assists. On paper he has actually produced an even better year than last season, and only two other players in the whole of Serie C1/B scored more league goals this season. The drawback is that Eddy will hit 34 years old this summer, and he is already having trouble completing a full ninety minutes.

Gabriele Catania, age 19, Forward

(apps 0(4) - AvR 6.50)

Antonio Rannucci still holds faith that Gabriele will come good, but this is another area where we disagree. One goal in every three games for the Under-20s this season is not bad, but it's by no means close to convincing me that he can make the transition to the senior squad.

Massimo Costagliola, age 19, Forward

(apps 18(16) - goals 18 - assists 5 - MotM 5 - AvR 7.11)

Massimo's production is up on all counts and his progress this season has been extremely pleasing. The big lad is coming on leaps and bounds and still has many years in front of him to continue to improve. He's already giving Eddy Baggio a run for his money now, so there's every chance that very soon we could find that we have a better target man than Eddy on our hands. Whisper it quietly.

Giancarlo Di Nicola, age 19, Forward

(apps 13(4) - goals 1 - assists 7 - MotM 3 - AvR 7.35)

Ah, how frustrating a season for Giancarlo! Injuries have deprived us of the player that made such an impact last year. In the games that he has played he has also been shifted to wide midfield, which explains the solitary goal. Giancarlo has shown he could be a great striker, but I also think that there's real potential for him as a winger with his skill and athleticism. Wherever he plays, staying healthy next season will be a big boost for the team as a whole.

Nicola Marino, age 16, Striker

(apps 26(6) - goals 17 - assists 10 - AvR 7.50)

He might have tired towards the end, but it has been a quite stupendous debut season for Nicola. His stunning technical ability puts the senior pros to shame, but the most impressive fact is that he has managed to take that natural gift and turn it into a very productive package. We have been lucky to smuggle Giancarlo Di Nicola below the radar thus far, but for how long we can keep Marino a secret I do not know.

[Janz]

tough luck in the playoffs, but next season will be Ragusa's claim to riches!!!! KUTGW nerf!

btw i started my own Ragusa game, but quit in season 3 because the sky blue flashes made my eyes blurry

[nerf]

Thanks Janz

Tuesday 3rd June 2008

There's no time like the present. Assistant manager Antonio Rannucci and myself met up with coaches Giovanni Franco and Marco Onorati and scouts Simon Clifford and Tim Davies for a pre-summer meeting, with the intention of assessing our personnel and how best to focus our attentions in the off-season.

We all agreed that greater strength and solidity is a priority, as we attempt to escape the inconsistencies and mental frailties that plagued us last season. This means that we are looking for characters, for footballers who we think will be reliable under pressure and can help to reinforce the players around them when the going gets tough. To complement this, we also have the perennial problem of balancing it with quality and flair. Although we have some talented players for this level and can boast three strikers who scored seventeen-or-more goals this season, to gain more victories on the road and generally become more of a threat to our opponents, week in, week out, we need to continue to improve our level of creativity and the standard of our possession of the football. Finally, the club cannot afford to look for a quick-fix at the expense of long-term value, excuse me Signor Erbini, so age will also be an issue.

In the accepted knowledge that the positions of goalkeeper, attack and central midfield are already accounted for more than satisfactorily, three other areas of the team emerged from our discussion as deemed requiring the most attention. In defence, our biggest priority is to locate a strong, high-quality centre back to play alongside Stefano Fumagalli. None of the assembled minds held much disagreement that Attewell and Alderuccio should not be persisted with if an alternative option became available. Alongside that, a new, vibrant left back would not go amiss; Santos is yet to settle in fully, and Locatelli still faces a lot of development time before he will be ready - if at all.

The third area is wide midfield, more specifically the left. Simone Tamburro, Pavel Grznar, Carlo Mignani and Giancarlo Di Nicola have all been tried there, but none geniunely represent an ideal solution. It's a problem area that has bothered us for a long time. These conclusions made it clear that we are looking at a minimum of two or three new first-team players, and messrs Clifford and Davies will come back next week with an initial shortlist of possible targets.

[nerf]

Saturday 7th June 2008

The first leg of the Serie C1/B playoff final turned into an eight goal thriller this afternoon, between Taranto and Mantova. The forehead of Guido Di Deo opened the scoring for Taranto, only for that man Gabriele Graziani to equalise and then nod Mantova into the lead on the stroke of half-time with his 20th and 21st goals of the season. Taranto came back strong after the break, however, Giovanni Pompei levelling things with a header of his own before teammate Edoardo Catinalli fired them back in front on the hour. Fancy footwork from Fabio Troise tied the game back up momentarily before Taranto once more took the lead through the new-found shooting boots of captain Vincenzo De Liguori, but Mantova's Gaetano Caridi had the final say by shooting into the roof of the net for 4-4.

Taranto 4 - 4 Mantova<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Di Deo 19 Graziani 25, 45

Pompei 51 Troise 67

Catinali 62 Caridi 76

De Liguori 74

</pre>

The final is now poised nicely for the return leg next weekend, though Taranto know that their superior finish in the league would see them through in the event of another draw.

[dr-nix]

i must say this is the best cm/fm story i've ever read, keep up the good work.

[Brian of Nazareth]

Ollie Mellberg what a traitor

A very belated hard luck in the play offs, but with young Massimo Costagliola there seems to be an almost natural successor to Eddie.

Terrific still.

edit: and congratulations on reaching 20 pages

[nerf]

Thank you dr-nix

Cheers BoN. Let us pray that Olof never does such a thing for real!

Monday 9th June 2008

The scouts have done their work, tapped up their contacts, consulted their papers and gathered their videos, and now we have an early list of candidates. First up is Giorgio Carboni, who comes with the unselfish recommendation of an insider. Emanuele Giampiccolo was once assistant manager here in Ragusa and now holds the post at Lodigiani, where he has first-hand experience of the eighteen year old nippy winger. Carboni has already broken into the first team there and made thirty-one appearances this season, contributing an impressive eighteen assists with some very consistent performances. Emanuele confirmed the scouting reports that Carboni has an eye for a pass to go with his notable quickness, but also confirmed that the Rome club would perhaps not be willing to let the youngster go too easily.

Up next is Marco Volpi of Modena, a twenty-four year old midfield workhorse who is at home in the centre or on the left, and can even cover at left back if needed. His statistics paint a pretty picture - thirty-eight matches, twelve goals, fourteen assists - so it comes as a surprise that he is not being chased by other clubs. Simon Clifford tells me that he is not much to look at and is unlikely to catch the eye for having any particularly special individual talent, but in Modena's system his character and mental strength enables him to play well above his station with subtle effectiveness.

The third option for left midfield is currently in Sicily, completing his first season with Acireale. Alessandro Volpe is a Roman born with Lazio breeding, until he grew tired of waiting for his chance and slipped out of the academy to find himself signing for the Serie C2/C club twelve months ago. At twenty-five years old he is a late-comer to regular first-team football, but the years spent in the Lazio youth and reserves have not been without merit. This year, he made an eye-catching forty-one appearances for Acireale, contributing sixteen assists and becoming a driving force in their return to the promotion playoffs. His technical ability is most evident in a very cultured and creative left foot.

The search for options in other positions has not been quite as fruitful. At centre back, the only one to catch the eye so far is Fabio Cinelli, of Serie C1/B rivals Messina, a rapid centre back who is reputed to be a tough man-marker and has great physical agility and quickness. He was also born in Gela, which is literally just down the road from here, so for him it would be a move even closer to home. He has yet to break into the Messina first team, despite gaining glowing reports in his four appearances, and he is not eighteen until next month. We were ideally looking for someone a little older and more experienced than this, but all of the above means that he remains a tempting option. In the meantime, the scouts say that there are a couple of young defenders being released from Serie A academies that they are keeping an eye on.

As for left back, however hard we search, one unwelcome name keeps popping up that meets all of our criteria for that position. Giacomo Domizzi is a lad of undoubted talent, that's for sure. He plays intelligently but with great energy, likes to get forward, and the nineteen year old has been a very consistent performer for Mantova again this season. We have been tracking him for over two years now, but last time we approached he showed a greed to match his ability. Depending on how Mantova fare in the playoff final we might make another approach, but it will be more in hope than expectation.

[nerf]

Thursday 12th June 2008

...and the first one is in, but quietly, via the side entrance. While we were all pondering the names on the shortlist, Simon Clifford had mentioned that he was hovering around the exit door of a few Serie A stadiums, in the hope of tripping up one or two promising young players as they departed without a pro contract. Metaphorically, of course. He sounded excited to subsequently let us know that Napoli had failed to keep on 20 year old centre back Enrico Capuano when his deal expired at the start of the month, and on his recommendation we were in like a flash. Enrico was born in Naples and was gutted to be set free by his hometown club after making only three senior appearances, but he was over the moon to be offered regular first team football and signed on the dotted line.

A strong and commanding centre back, most of all Enrico is a mature young man and comes with a reputation for being a determined customer. Exactly what we are looking for. Best of all, there's no transfer fee attached and he arrives straight away without needing to wait for the transfer window to open. Not a bad start. One down, hopefully more to come, as bids are sanctioned for Giorgio Carboni and Fabio Cinelli.

[nerf]

Saturday 14th June 2008

The second leg of the Serie C1/B promotion playoff final took place today in a heat haze, but talented striker Gianluca Triuzzi wasn't about to let a little bit of sun get in his way. The lethal man-of-the-match bagged a hat-trick as he ran Mantova's sweating defence ragged and fired Taranto back up to Serie B, before partner-in-crime Giovanni Pompei capped their promotion joy in the final minute with a celebratory fourth. Mantova managed only a single Gaetano Caridi strike in response and succumbed to a 5-8 aggregate defeat.

Meanwhile, physio Guido Ferraris has decided to retire, at the age of 56. Guido has been with us for nigh-on five years now, and considering the amount of injury problems we have had in that period, I can't say I blame him!

Monday 16th June 2008

Discussions have broken down with both Giorgio Carboni and Fabio Cinelli. Emanuele's warning that Lodigiani would not let Carboni go lightly proved true, as we were unable to agree a mutually respectable fee for the winger and have decided to divert our attentions elsewhere. We experienced a little more success when negotiating with Messina for young Sicilian defender Fabio Cinelli, but he felt that the move back south would only be worthwhile for significant wages, and as we can no longer promise him a starting place, the discussion was closed from his end. He would have made a promising backup for the centre and right side of defence, but for now it is no great loss.

Much, much better news arrives from chairman Giuseppe Antoci; today the club announced a new sponsorship deal with a local firm that is worth an equivalent of £141,000 per season for the next five years. Not only will this influx of cash be an invaluable source the likes of which this club has not been blessed with before, but it has also already wiped out our remaining debt in one swift blow and the club is back in the black for the first time in years. A few glasses were raised in the Antoci villa this evening.

[nerf]

Thursday 19th June 2008

Following approximately a week of hassling back and forth with playoff losers Mantova, they finally gave in and accepted our bid for Giacomo Domizzi. Unfortunately, that was the point at which we discovered that the nineteen year old had already signed a new contract with Mantova worth £1,000 per week. As that is significantly higher than our wage structure can handle, this whole thing was a non-starter to begin with.

However, while our right hand was being mauled by a Serie C1/B rival, our left hand was gathering in more Serie A pedigree chunks. Former Lazio product Alessandro Volpe today agreed to abandon Acireale and move even further south, after the Serie C2 club accepted our tempting offer of £14,000 up front and a further £30,000 spread over the coming eighteen months. Volpe, having already proven that he is too good for that division, was attracted by the prospect of a club knocking on the door of Serie B and will join when the transfer window opens. Acireale, meanwhile, could not afford to turn money down for a player they'd picked up for free. How times change.

[nerf]

Thursday 26th June 2008

Two enticing new signings are on their way, but there are also matters to take care of at home. Earlier this week we welcomed 42 year old Sicilian Tomasso Angeli, who will join forces with Vincenzo Ambrosio to form our relatively new physiotherapy team. May God spare their souls. After that it was on to the playing staff, or more specifically the contracts of Danilo Sabellini, Giancarlo Di Nicola, Luca Orlando and Carlo Mignani, all of whom were on deals that expire next summer. The first three all signed eagerly and without fuss until 2012, although it took an extra day or so of negotiations to watch Carlo put pen to paper, and only then after we had made him the highest paid member of the squad on £750 per week, slightly above Gaspare Pellegrino and Eddy Baggio. We have put a lot of faith in Carlo in the past and he has shown signs of repaying it, so we wanted to make sure that we could tie him down for another four years.

[nerf]

Sunday 6th July 2008

In the final of the 2008 European Championships today, Holland met England in Vienna. The two nations had already crossed swords in Group C of the competition, where England had won the group and Holland had qualified second at the expense of 2004 holders Germany. Holland progressed to beat Italy in the quarter finals on penalties, then a single Patrick Kluivert goal was enough to ease them past France in the semis. England had to negotiate Poland 2-0 and Spain 3-2 to earn a return match with Holland, but two second half goals by Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy, the first an audacious individual effort and the second a tap-in from a rebound, were enough to see off the English challenge and make Holland champions of Europe for the first time since Van Basten and co in 1988, exactly twenty years ago.

Regarding competition news far closer to home, this year's edition of the Tournei della Sicilia has been arranged. Palermo and Acireale will compete once more, and after Catania rejected, city rivals Atletico Catania have stepped in to fill the fourth spot. The mini pre-season exhibition tournament will take place across Monday 11th August and Tuesday 12th August.

[nerf]

Friday 18th July 2008

Following a short but well-earned break, I find myself sat hunched over the round table in my apartment, surrounded by pages and pages of statistics. Pre-season is fast approaching at an alarming rate and it looks like we are unlikely to ensnare any more new acquisitions before then, so it is high time that we take a look at the squad and sort out some forward planning for the coming season. At least it gives me an excuse to be indoors with the cool relief of a softly whirring fan, rather than outside sweating like, well, an Englishman in summer.

In goal, Giuseppe Lenea did very well again last season, if not quite as statistically well as the season before. However, despite my enthusiasm for Giuseppe's abilities, I'm becoming very tempted to give Jess van Strattan a turn between the sticks. Firstly, Jess has never complained while being sat on the bench for most of the last two seasons so he deserves some kind of reward for that, and secondly he is capable of being more of a commanding presence from behind the back four then Giuseppe is. It's a scenario where we can't really lose. If Jess takes his chance then all is well, and if he doesn't then Giuseppe will quickly return as first choice.

At right back, Danilo Sabellini continues to be an automatic selection. His admirable commitment and aggression has made him an almost ever-present for four seasons now and I see no reason to change that. On the opposite flank, even though we were unable to attract the left back that we were chasing this summer, the other fullback slot boasts plenty of competition. Eighteen year old Marco Locatelli has potential, the Brazilian Santos will be in contention depending on how and where he settles into the team, and there's also Pavel Grznar waiting in the wings. At the moment, however, I'm tempted to go with Simone Tamburro over them all, specifically for his leadership and experience. This battle for the left back position is something that may go on all season, unless someone can really step up and make themselves indispensable.

In the centre, I'm banking heavily on new-signing Enrico Capuano to show why he was on Napoli's books and make us significantly more solid in the middle. Stefano Fumagalli is the strong favourite to feature alongside him, but Santos could oust either of them. Pietro Alderuccio will most likely be the backup, partially thanks to his versatility in being able to play right back in an emergency, which leaves Stuart Attewell slipping further down the pecking order. A handful of English clubs are rumoured to still be keeping track of Stuart, but we'll wait to see how he reacts to the increased competition. Besides, we still don't know how well Capuano and Santos will slot in. What is certain is that our summer signings and contract renewals have tipped us slightly over the top of our wage budget, so someone may have to go, and if there is genuine interest for Stuart and he proves expendable...

Home-grown Luca Orlando has risen to prominance in midfield, but joins Gaspare Pellegrino, Carlo Mignani and Claudio Gallicchio in a foursome all desperately coveting those two central starting places. Unfortunately, history suggests that this particular fight will be decided more by who isn't injured rather than who's on top form. In contrast Alessandro Volpe will be an automatic choice wide on the left, where I expect the former Lazio man to bring plenty more creativity than we have been blessed with before.

Wide on the right of midfield, I'm interested in giving Giancarlo Di Nicola an extended run as a winger. Although he made a significant impact as an explosive forward less than two years ago, Giancarlo has the pace, the athleticism, the flair and the creativity to offer plenty down the flank. I think our width in midfield has been a weakness in our team for a while, but through Volpe and Di Nicola I hope we will see a massive improvement there.

Up front, newly-voted Supporters Player of the Year Eddy Baggio produced the goods yet again last season, passing the twenty goal mark for the third straight year, but those legs are tiring rapidly and if he can't keep up the pace then Massimo Costagliola is eminently capable of stepping in to fill the target man role. Partnering either of them will be Nicola Marino, still yet to hit seventeen years old until October and coming off a stellar debut campaign. If any of the above trio should falter, having the option to push Di Nicola back into attack is never a bad thing.

[nerf]

Thursday 24th July 2008

Ragusa have been drawn in Group F of the Coppa Italia, along with Empoli, Treviso and Livorno, Serie B sides all. Empoli were relegated from Serie A last season and therefore boast a comparitively strong side, while Treviso came from the other direction by conquering Serie C1/A. Livorno stand in the middle as being a regular midtable Serie B club for several years, and featuring on their right flank nowadays is a certain Temuri Burnadze, who since we last saw him has managed to make himself a first team player and increase his caps for Georgia. He hasn't exactly set Serie B alight but it will be interesting to meet him when we meet in our fixture. Livorno also sport former Italian international and AC Milan legend Roberto Donadoni at the helm.

Prior to our participation in the group stage of the Coppa Italia and before the Tornei Della Sicilia, friendlies have been arranged with familiar Serie C2/C outfits Pro Gorizia and Gela.

[smiller]

Nerf,

Enjoyable as always with the added fillip that I remember to see my own CM team in more human terms after reading your accounts.

[Ninjafish]

I wanna periodically say this so you know u will always have me reading :-)

absolutely superb.

[Get on Teletext!]

Same as ninjafish, still reading and its still superb!

[Guest Furn]

Fabulous story. Always entertaining and wonderfully written. Best story on the board in my book. Fingers crossed that you'll continue with the story...

[Hank Warbler]

Still loving the story, still waiting with baited breath for the next instalment.

[nerf]

Thank you very much for your replies . I offer my apologies for the last few weeks without a post, things have been pretty busy lately, but I do fully intend to keep this going at some pace or other!

Wednesday 30th July 2008

Former goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach here in Ragusa, Corrado Vaccaro's first foray into full management has seen him guide a difficult Pro Gorizia ship through the trouble waters of two years in Serie C2/C towards the safety of 13th and 11th placed finishes. Twelve months ago he was even able to mastermind a 1-0 win here in the Aldo Campo in an identical pre-season fixture, but that was not to be the case today. Despite the casualties of pre-season training keeping Eddy Baggio (chest), Carlo Mignani (ankle), Simone Tamburro (shoulder) and Nicola Marino (groin) out, we were able to show the gulf in class this year. Jess van Strattan started in goal, Santos, Fumagalli, Capuano and Sabellini formed the back line, Volpe, Orlando, Pellegrino and Chiavarini featured in midfield, while Di Nicola and Costagliola renewed that instinctive partnership after a long absence.

Within eleven minutes we were a goal up. Giancarlo Di Nicola's corner from the left was dangerous, and Gaspare Pellegrino arrived at pace in the box to head down into the corner. Massimo Costagliola should then have made it two after Volpe and Di Nicola had linked well down the left, but the visiting goalkeeper diverted his close range effort wide of the post.

On 39 minutes Di Nicola doubled our lead, pouncing on a rebound when Costagliola's shot was saved, and within sixty seconds Di Nicola had nutmegged aging Pro Gorizia defender Colonnese to cut the ball back for Volpe to fire in a sweet half-volley from ten yards. Three-nil, and as half-time was signalled by Costagliola striking the crossbar, it was clear that we had made a very encouraging start to our pre-season preparations. Volpe was already looking a class act, spraying passes around with consumate ease, Di Nicola was very lively and dangerous, and you don't need me to tell you that Pellegrino was making an impact by being here, there and everywhere.

In the second half there were substitute appearances for Marco Locatelli, Gabriele Catania, Claudio Gallicchio and Antonio Matera, and there was just enough time on the clock for Matera to cross from deep to allow Costagliola to head home the goal that he'd been threatening all afternoon, as we ran out comfortable four-goal winners. Pro Gorizia had not provided great opposition admittedly, but it was still a promising start.

[nerf]

Sunday 3rd August 2008

Just down the road from Ragusa, Gela were once the bigger club in these parts of southern Sicily. Nowadays the Vincenzo Presti is rarely full as the club wallow in midtable in Serie C2/B, but they were to regain a modicum of pride today. For us, it was Giuseppe Lenea's turn in goal and Marino started up front, with Di Nicola displacing Chiavarini in midfield.

Costagliola put us into an early lead, doing what he does best when Volpe crossed from the left, but Desideri equalised for the hosts shortly before half-time break. Marino then got his name on the scoresheet almost as soon as the second half kicked off, when Di Nicola and Costagliola combined to feed him the ball and he eluded defender and goalkeeper with a drop of the shoulder. Costagliola then grabbed his second of the afternoon to make it 3-1, this time with Marino returning the favour.

After that Gela mounted a comeback. First Commandatore let fly from thirty yards and found the top corner of Lenea's net, closing the gap to one goal, and then Nobile diverted home Di Giorgio's cut-back from close range to square the game up. Marino and Costagliola both had late attempts saved by Gerotti as the home side clung on for a 3-3 draw.

Following our return home along the east road, there was the less pleasant experience of having to inform a young player that he was not going to make the grade. Fabio Rossini's contract expired at the end of last month having just turned nineteen years old, and he was encouraged to look elsewhere as the club were not going to offer him a renewal. The left sided midfielder only made eight substitute appearances for the senior team in the last two years, and never convinced enough in the Under-20s to show that he was capable of stepping up.

[nerf]

Monday 11th August 2008

The third Tornei Della Sicilia has inspired an almost carnival atmosphere in the town, promising to make the pre-season mini-tournament a bigger success than in previous years. Indeed, the Aldo Campo was almost full this afternoon when reigning champions Palermo defeated Atletico Catania 1-0, thanks to an early goal from young striker Massimiliano Perrone. As hosts, we take on Acireale this evening.

Tornei della Sicilia Semi Final

Ragusa v Acireale

Ragusa lineup - Van Strattan; Santos, Fumagalli©, Capuano, Sabellini; Volpe, Orlando, Pellegrino, Di Nicola; Marino, Costagliola.

One pleasant evening, three thousand spectators, five goals in the first half. Acireale kicked things off at both ends of the pitch inside the first ten minutes, starting when Massimo Lo Monaco diverted the ball past his own keeper in a desperate attempt to block Costagliola's effort. Team-mate Cardinale quickly made amends, however, letting fly an awesome left footed drive from long range that levelled the scores and brought a ripple of appreciative applause from the home fans.

An entertaining start then, and as we got progressively stronger throughout the half, the entertainment kept on flowing. Massimo Costagliola capitalised on a defensive error to give us the lead in the 38th minute, then stepped aside to allow the Nicola Marino Show to take centre stage. The teenager struck twice in five minutes, firstly by firing low into the net after Orlando, Di Nicola and Pellegrino had combined to win possession and feed him the ball, and then by collecting a Di Nicola cross before dribbling around the goalkeeper with consumate ease.

Eddy Baggio and Carlo Mignani arrived at half-time for some much-needed match practice, and after Giancarlo Di Nicola had curled in a deflected free-kick on the hour, they were followed by Locatelli, Alderuccio, Gallicchio and Matera. Alessandro Volpe's strong performance was blighted only slightly when he blasted a penalty over the bar, Jess van Strattan got in on the action with a great save to deny Madonia from close range, and finally there was enough time for Baggio to cap a very enjoyable day with a late sixth.

Final score: Ragusa 6 - 1 Acireale

The football matched the mood and everything felt right today; it's not every day that you get to score six! Some very good performances all round, particularly Carlo Mignani's second half showing in his first appearance since February. The only drawback is that Gaspare Pellegrino damaged a toe early in the second half and will certainly miss the final tomorrow.

[nerf]

Tuesday 12th August 2008

Following on from Acireale's penalty-shootout victory over Atletico Catania in the third/fourth playoff, the two winners are ready for a repeat of last season's final in the evening kick-off slot. Palermo ascended to an impressive sixth position in Serie B last season, further affirming their standing as Sicily's number one team, and will no doubt be expecting to retain their Tornei Della Sicilia title to add the cherry on the cake.

Tornei della Sicilia Final

Ragusa v Palermo

Ragusa lineup - Van Strattan; Santos, Fumagalli©, Capuano, Sabellini; Volpe, Mignani, Orlando, Di Nicola; Marino, Baggio.

There wasn't to be another goal fest in this fixture, as the first half proved to be very even and closely fought. Palermo threatened first when spritely striker Massimiliano Perrone was sent clear through on goal, but Enrico Capuano showed excellent pace to catch up and clear the danger. In truth Jess van Strattan was the busier of the two goalkeepers but he was able to deal fairly comfortably with what Palermo had to offer, whereas a Carlo Mignani effort from outside the box stretched Palermo keeper Sicignano and forced him to tip over the bar.

At half-time Locatelli and Gallicchio came on for some pre-season fitness, unfortunately however it was Palermo who showed that they were in better shape. They grabbed the lead on the 49th minute when Vianello held off Fumagalli and fired in with power from the edge of the area, and following that they went from strength to strength as they imposed their presence. The Serie B side made it two when Vianello again wriggled free of Fumagalli, enabling him to find teammate Zennaro who turned and finished accurately.

Final score: Ragusa 0 - 2 Palermo

Once again Palermo showed their class, exerting themselves on the second half to further embellish their claim as the top team in Sicily. Carlo Mignani was our best player on the day, while at the end of the pre-season festivities I am feeling very positive about the progress we have made this summer. Alessandro Volpe has impressed me a great deal, I'm excited to see what he will do in Serie C1/B this year, whereas Enrico Capuano has stood out less but has still done enough to convince me that he will have an important role in the centre of our defence this season. I'm less convinced about who will play alongside him, a decision that will hopefully become clear in time.

[nerf]

Sunday 17th August 2008

The cup competitions begin early here in Italy, meaning that once again we kick off the competitive season with a foray into the Coppa Italia group stage. For the visit of Livorno only Pellegrino and Costagliola are unfit, the latter having picked up a calf strain in training yesterday, but Gallicchio, Tamburro and Chiavarini are all suspended from domestic cup competition for one match. With those five unavailable I notice that Danilo Sabellini is the only player in today's starting eleven who was present at the club when I arrived six years ago, so it seems appropriate that he wears the captain's armband today.

Coppa Italia Group F

Ragusa v Livorno

Ragusa lineup - Van Strattan; Locatelli, Fumagalli, Capuano, Sabellini©; Volpe, Mignani, Orlando, Di Nicola; Marino, Baggio.

An all-too-familiar shape occupies the right flank of our Serie B opponents as the teams line up for kickoff. Temuri Burnadze is doing his best to eminate an air of indifference at the start of today's encounter, as if this shameful return is of no consequence or relevance to him. There is still no obvious emotion relinquished by the Georgian when Nicola Marino scampers down the left wing in the seventh minute, curls the ball into the penalty area, and Eddy Baggio directs a low header down into the far corner to earn a satisfyingly early lead.

The advantage is maintained through to half-time and we depart the pitch in the belief that we had been the better side so far. Temuri Burnadze's return had been justifiably embarassing, as he repeatedly lost possession with some sloppy passes and collected an impressive bruise courtesy of an 'enthusiastic' challenge from Carlo Mignani.

The fact that we had been on top and had not allowed Livorno to do so much as hit the target, made it a little hard to stomach when the visitors struck back within the first ten minutes of the second half. A corner was whipped in towards the near post with some venom, where Saverino was alert enough to swoop in and flick the ball goalwards with the outside of his foot for an opportunistic equaliser.

We could have been knocked off our feet by the sudden blow, but we had been outplaying a team that finished eighth in Serie B and we knew they were there for the taking. The home crowd got behind their team and we went back on the offensive, only for the woodwork to intervene twice in the space of three minutes. First Nicola Marino clipped the post with a ripping drive, before Livorno goalkeeper Sanna blocked Eddy Baggio's effort and watched defender Cremaschini thump the rebound off his own crossbar!

Raw effort is not always enough, however. Sometimes you just need that bit of quality, composure when it counts, and thankfully we had an on-form Giancarlo Di Nicola this afternoon. Not content with merely terrorising the Livorno left back for an hour, Giancarlo ventured infield, drifted onto Nicola Marino's nod down, spotted Sanna off his line, and swivelled to loft a volleyed effort over the goalkeeper's head from thirty yards out. Magic.

It proved to be the moment worthy of sealing the victory, though only just. Shortly after Sabellini was booked for sticking a leg out on Temuri Burnadze, the surly Georgian very nearly had the last laugh when his rasping right-footed effort fizzed narrowly wide of Van Strattan's far post.

Final score: Ragusa 2 - 1 Livorno

[nerf]

Sunday 24th August 2008

Almost five thousand people have filled the Omobono Tenni to welcome us to the north-eastern town of Treviso, not far from Venice. Our hosts were champions of Serie C1/A last season after having missed out in the playoffs in both of the previous two seasons - some encouragement there for us, I feel. More recently, however, they started their Coppa Italia campaign with a crushing 1-5 defeat at the hands of Empoli last weekend.

Coppa Italia Group F

Treviso v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Van Strattan; Locatelli, Fumagalli, Capuano, Sabellini©; Volpe, Mignani, Orlando, Di Nicola; Marino, Baggio.

Despite the home side gaining the upper hand in the early stages, when Bocchetti went close with a long range strike, the two best chances of the first half both fell to us, or to Eddy Baggio to be specific. Both were created by Nicola Marino linking well with Locatelli and Volpe down the left wing, but Baggio was unable to beat goalkeeper Walter Bressan on either occasion, first being denied by a great block from point-blank range, then latterly when Eddy took too long and allowed Bressan enough time to scramble across to parry the second chance.

We were into added-on time in the first half when the ball fell at the feet of Treviso's grandly named Vedin Music on the edge of our area, who himself promptly fell at the feet of Enrico Capuano as the two players clashed. At first I assumed it was an unintentional collision, that was until the referee blew his whistle, flounced across to Enrico and flourished a red card in the defender's puzzled face. As Enrico was the last man between Music and the goal it was deemed to be a professional foul, despite our fervent claims that it had not even been a foul in the first place. Waving away our protestations, the referee then added further confusion to the mix by awarding an indirect free kick inside our penalty area. Carlo Mignani bravely charged it down, Santos headed away the second ball in, and thus the first half ended in a flurry of controversy.

At the halfway point we still hadn't really got a solid grip on the game, even though Bressan had been the more worked of the two keepers. The numerical disadvantage would only make things harder for the remainder, and as if that wasn't enough, Luca Orlando was carrying a knock. Di Nicola had already been sacrificed to allow Santos to plug the gap left by the sending off, so Claudio Gallicchio came on in place of Orlando to form a central midfield three alongside Volpe and Mignani.

The second half was indeed a struggle, though a moment of blessing came our way on 68 minutes. Sabellini's ball up the right searched for Baggio, but Treviso defender Iorio got there first and headed the ball back to his goalkeeper. Bressan took his eye off the ball too soon as it bobbled towards him, he miscontrolled it, the ball bounced back off the far post and away from his anxious, clawing grasp... and who should be following up but Nicola Marino, for the easiest and freakiest goal he will ever score.

Sadly the undeserved lead only lasted for a mere four minutes. Treviso went on the attack and dragged us all over the place, a through ball deflected into the path of Julio Brian Gutiérrez, and as he cut in from the right he let fly a low, diagonal shot that possessed just enough pace to squeeze under Van Strattan for a merited equaliser.

Final score: Treviso 1 - 1 Ragusa

Not a bad draw considering that we had to face an entire half with ten men; in particular, Fumagalli and Santos were excellent under extreme pressure in the second half, Fumagalli's best performance in a long while. Luca Orlando's shoulder injury looks like it may put him out for no more than a week.

[nerf]

Tuesday 26th August 2008

While one player appears destined to depart, another has signed on for more Ragusa heartache. Eddy Baggio today put pen to paper on a new two year deal that will keep him here until 2010, making him the joint top earner alongside Carlo Mignani. Eddy's career is winding down now but he remains a potent force in front of goal - despite his misses on Sunday - and can still do a more than adequate job for us over the next two seasons, allowing Massimo Costagliola more time to develop.

The player that may be leaving Ragusa is Stuart Attewell, after the club today accepted a bid from English Division Two outfit Torquay United. The offer of £2,000 plus a 20% sell-on fee is well below Stuart's £10,000 valuation and I would have hoped for more, but we can either take this small amount and wish him the best or risk disrupting the deal and leave Stuart sitting on the bench, which would benefit nobody.

It's a shame to see him go and it was hard to tell Stuart that he was no longer in my plans when we met for a chat this afternoon. He was very good for us in Serie C2/C but has struggled with the step up to Serie C1 football and now finds other players in his way. Having arrived here as a seventeen year old, now that he is twenty-two it seems the right time for him to go back home and pursue a career in England.

[nerf]

Friday 29th August 2008

Keen to get his future sorted, Stuart Attewell's discussions with Torquay progressed smoothly and he is set to officially sign today. It is a great move for Stuart, to a place where he will have a far higher earning potential and greater scope for movement up the league, whether with Torquay or via future transfers. Under the tutelage of former West Ham player Leroy Rosenior at Plainmoor, he will be playing in an established second division side and will no doubt make himself an important member of their team.

The immediate future is slightly less rosey for Claudio Gallicchio, who picked up a knock in training this morning and will be resting that right knee for at least the coming week.

[nerf]

Sunday 31st August 2008

Our third season in Serie C1/B kicks off this afternoon with a testing away trip to Mantova - not exactly the most comfortable way to begin. Mantova finished last season very strongly, to such an extent that they only missed out on promotion thanks to defeat to Taranto in the second leg of the playoff final. Encouragement for us can be taken from the knowledge that our squad is healthy and I am able to name arguably our strongest eleven for this contest.

Serie C1/B Fixture #01

Mantova v Ragusa

Ragusa lineup - Van Strattan; Santos, Fumagalli, Capuano, Sabellini©; Volpe, Mignani, Pellegrino, Di Nicola; Marino, Baggio.

I was interested to see that Giacomo Domizzi, the young left back we have been chasing in vain for some time, led the Mantova eleven onto the pitch today. His first experience as captain did not begin very happily. Just six minutes had passed when a long ball forward from Santos was brought down in the area by Marino, who turned and looked early for his strike partner, and Baggio was somehow able to dig the ball out of his feet to find the net from eight yards. Straight from the resulting kick off, Gaspare Pellegrino dove into a tackle and lobbed the ball up the pitch, forcing Mantova goalkeeper Bellodi to come out of his area and sweep up, but Carlo Mignani was first to collect the keeper's headed clearance in the centre circle and had the awareness to send it back with interest. His ambitious effort floated between the sticks from fully fifty yards and we were two up inside eight minutes.

Mantova are not the sort to roll over and die, however. The longer the first half went on, the more resolve they gained and the more their resilience came to the fore. In the 34th minute an impressive passing move by the home side was given a helping hand when Sabellini and Capuano stepped up to play offside but Fumagalli did not, allowing Gaetano Caridi to slip through the net into a one-on-one situation with van Strattan and the striker finished in typically lethal manner. Five minutes later Mantova won a free kick near the edge of our penalty area which Gaspare Pellegrino bravely charged down, but the ball ricocheted off his body and fell kindly to the feet of Mantova defender Mattia Notari on the penalty spot, who spun to sweep in an equaliser with his right foot. From a two-nil lead we now headed into the half-time break on level terms.

The team was visibly disappointed, so Antonio and substitute Simone Tamburro set about geeing the players up. This had become a test now. We had just witnessed a two goal lead evaporate away from home, and I had raised a question mark over our mental resilience in the past; here was an opportunity to show that we possessed the sort of resolve that the home side had displayed in the first half.

Mantova, meanwhile, were not thinking of resting on their laurels, and came out for the second half intent on completing the comeback. As the home side piled forward in numbers, Santos made an important interception in our own penalty area and hoofed the ball clear. The ball disappeared into the afternoon sun, spinning its shiny path through the air as it crossed the halfway line. Nicola Marino is not the quickest, but he is sharp on his toes and this allowed him to get the step on Mantova defender Matteo Negrisoli, enabling the youngster to win the chase ahead of both goalkeeper and defender. Marino stabbed the ball under Bellodi as the keeper dived at him and we were back in the lead, albeit against the run of play.

On the hour mark Tamburro joined the fray to reinforce the team with his leadership and tough tackling, allowing a limping Volpe to rest. The substitution had a positive effect and we discovered our second wind, relieving the pressure on our defence by looking to get the ball forward to Nicola Marino as early as possible. By now Matteo Negrisoli was scared stiff of the kid and was backing off every time the ball was at his feet, which was creating problems in the home side's defence whenever the second centre back, Notari, came over to help out. It was only a matter of time before Marino capitalised on this advantage, waiting for the double-team to arrive before finding the space to chip in a cross, which left Eddy Baggio with more than enough room to get onto the end of it and direct a free header neatly into the bottom corner.

Final score: Mantova 2 - 4 Ragusa

[Get on Teletext!]

Just doing a bit of upping as this story deserves to be near the top Hope its going to continue, I have been gripped from the start.

[smiller]

Nerf,

When are you coming back? Your eager fans await.

[Hank Warbler]

I echo that, still loving the story, hope you have time to write more soon.