FM 2009: Official Napoli Thread - Back to the Maradona Days

[dude891]

Just began my second season with Napoli with a 3-0 Home Victory against Chievo.

First Season went well with us finishing 4th in the Serie A Table. Netting 60 goals and letting in only 24 goals. Lavezzi was the top scorer with 15 in all competition but I am still searching for that 20 goal a season man.

In the first season we also managed to reach the Semi Finals of the Copa Italia beating AC Milan on Penalties in the Quarters and reached the second knockout stage of the UEFA Cup. Schalke 04 proving too much of a obstacle for my tired squad.

My first season signings were:

Razvan Rat [Loan] - Excellent Season but Shaktar wouldn't sell him to me come the summer

Franco Costanzo - His excellent reflexes and one/one ability saved the team time and again

Alejandro Gomez - Poor mans Buonanotte. Didnt perform that brilliant but still only 21.

Eduardo - Brilliant Athletic CB. Can cover many positions

Mascio - For the future/profit.

Robert Lewandowski - Denis wasn't convincing and Zalayeta/Lavezzi inconsistent. Unfortunately adjusting to Italy proved difficult for the Pole.

With that in hand and a 43M Pound Transfer Kitty given to me for the 2nd year I looked to strengthen the team.

In

I sacked Fabio Vivviani as my Assistant and brought in Massimo Neri. With a new look at the team I brought in.

Salvatore Foti [1m]: Big Pacey Striker. Will play alongside Lavezzi rotating with Lewandowski

Domenico Criscito [2.6m]: Brilliant Defender. Bargain.

Frederico Laurito [1.7m]: For the future. Isn't first team quality yet.

Alberto Cossentino [Free]: Can be as good as Cannavaro. Which is good enough for a backup DC.

Andrea Russoto [Free]: For the future. But provide cover for the RW when we play 4-4-2

Cristian Zapata [4.5m C/O]: Cheap C/O to have one of the best CB's for two years while i become more financially stable and can buy him outright

Bosko Jankovic [Free]: Small wages. 13k!. Good Backup AMC

Igor Akinfeev [18m]: Biggest Signing of the summer. Costanzo was brilliant last season but Akinfeev is twice the player.

Edgar Barreto [6.5m]: Damn Extortionists at rivals Reggina who got relegated [and whose manager i insulted numerous times] haggled me to 6.5m for this guy but he will be first choice AMC. Can use both feet. Can shoot from far.

If FM didnt have the stupid "able to use both feet so stats are nuetered" he would be a more popular signing in the game

6 Regens

OUT

German Denis [2.4m Ajax] - Useless Player

Marcelo Zalayeto [1.2m Juventus] - I bidded £0 as i didnt want him.

Mariano Bogliacino [1m Chievo] - was no longer needed. But will forever be remember for the 25 yard goal he scored in the 3-0 thrashing of Juve in Turin.

Nicolas Navarro - [1m Udinese] 3rd choice. With two good looking regens plus Akinfeev and Costanzo. He was dispensable

Salvatore Aronica [250k Catania] didnt want him.

Current Team is

GK: Akinfeev\Costanzo

DC: Criscito\Eduardo

DC: Cannavaro\Cossentino

DC: Zapata\Santacroce

WBR: Maggio\Morabito*

WBL: Leonardo*\Vitale\Eduardo

MC: Hamsik\Jankovic

MC: Blasi\Gargano

AMC: Barreto\Jankovic\Gomez

FC: Lavezzi

FC: Lewandowski\Foti

I am considering signing Marquinhos as I dont feel any of my current strikers will be the 15 Serie A goal a season strikers I desperately need to challenge. However Palmeiras have just rejected a 13M bid! But all my targets were taken by bigger clubs/crazy offers. Huntelaar to Roma. Gomez to Barcelona. Paloschi to Udinese [13m!] Lanzafame to Blackburn [8.7m]. Hulk to Leverkusen. Milevsky to Sunderland.

My Champions League Group is Napoli, Manchester Utd, Zenit. I feel 10 points will see us through. Meaning beating Zenit at home and Drawing with United at home

[Fullback]

Half way though the season.

I am still in 9.1 so i save each 2 weeks because of crash dumps so i went back to before i bough laurito...i'm not gonna bother with co-o again.

4th at the moment but my team is being wrecked by inter, united and real. Cacerea, Henrique, Gergano, Matuidi, Javi Martinez all have had bids..which i didn't reject but set asking prices....and caceres and henrique kicked up. esp henrique and he dying away in the barca reserves the cheek of him...wants to go to real...no deal done yet but i expect him to go so i brought in sidnei from benfica and adrien from sporting...even tho javi didn't mind not moving clubs so i'm gonna have to lose either gergano or matuidi....

[tansrb]

anyone here like me plays maggio at WBR instead of midfield?

he's awesome in that position. three times player of the season for me

[iamjerome]

playing this again, procrastinating to avoid doing my essay and learning for my exams.

started my 4th season. changed from 3-4-3 to a 4-2-4. but with a twist. gk/sw/dl/dr/Libero DC/mc/mc/amr/aml/fc/fc

only bought one player, a phenomenal prospect of an arg DM/MC regen with excellent technical ability but average mental/physical. hopefully i can cultivate him into world class beater.

11 games in, 9 wins 2 draws, 19 goals, 1 conceded in serie a.

[Ethan]

things go back a long long way to the maradona era.

the peak of S.S.C Napoli's reign was then. the trio of Maradona, Careca and Giordano, along with the likes of ciro ferriera, the emerging zola, and other good players were really strong.

they won the UEFA cup in the 1989 season (if im not wrong), and won the Serie A about the same time. they dominated till their downfall in the early 90s, then the club went burst at around 2004 and went into the dreaded administration. they were relegated all the way down to Serie C, but gradually started their climb up.

this is a team of character, die hard fans, and of course, good players and history.

about the rival thingy im not sure why too, but all i know is that napoli's number one rivals is roma. due to the close proximity

Hi, I'm italian and I'm a Napoli supporter.

SSC Napoli was born in 1927 and until 1986 won only 2 Italy Cup.

In 1984 Pierpaolo Marino (that that come back to be director of football in the actual team after some season to Udinese) bought Diego Armando Maradona and start to create a great team around him.

In 1986/1987 Season Napoli was the first team that won both Coppa Italia and Serie A. Napoli played 13 match in Coppa Italia and all match Napoli won. (no team until now was able to do the same).

In 1987/1988 Napoli comes 2nd in Serie A

In 1988/1989 Napoli comes 2nd in Serie A and won the UEFA Cup.

In 1989/1990 Napoli won the Serie A and won Italian SuperCup against Juventus for 5-0

In that period Napoli had players like Maradona, Careca, Ferrara, Fabio Cannavaro, Zola and Marcello Lippi start his manager job in Napoli.

After Maradona Napoli was released in Serie B and goes to dead administration in 2004. In 2004 Aurelio De Laurentis bought Napoli and recalled Pierpaolo Marino...after 2 years in Serie C and 1 year in Serie B last year Napoli come back to Serie A and after a brillant season (won against Inter,Juve,Milan,Fiorentina,Sampdoria and draw against Roma in Roma) qualified for EURO-VASE.

At the moment Napoli is in the 4th position and is fighting for Uefa Champions League.

Napoli had so many rivals because is a City located in south of Italy and most of rivals (except Salernitana and Avellino that is in the same region) are team from the north.

Major rival are Juventus and Milan, in the last years Roma too.

Napoli have the forth support number in italy and napoli support are very similar to southamerican team fan.

[JimmyWangYang]

An Italian finally finds his way into this thread! Excellent! Welcome, Ethan.

So we now have confirmation that the reason for the many rivals is because the club is located in the south. Next we should examine their favorite and disliked people. What is the story behind these people being linked with the club? I like to know as much as possible about the club I’m managing. I’ll throw out what I know, and then hopefully Ethan or someone else can reveal a bit more.

Favourite people

Legends

Aurelio De Laurentiis – Italian film-producer who in 2004 after the club had gone bankrupt with debts close to €70 million, bought the club for €30 million. Secured football in the city by renaming the club to Napoli Soccer (they were not allowed to use their old name) and laying out a 5 year plan to get them out of Serie C1 and back to the European stage (a feat he has already accomplished). Bought back the club’s history, and restored the name to Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli. Considered a God in Napoli for restoring the pride of millions of fans in the region who share his passion for the club. His legend continues to grow as he refuses mega offers for Hamsik and Lavezzi by saying they are building something special. In turn the players stay loyal. They believe because he believe.

Diego Maradona – Could have gone to any club in the world when he left Barcelona, yet still he chose Napoli. It would be the equivalent today of Messi packing up his bags and heading to Middlesbrough. The move in itself was enough to make him a club icon, but it was the trophies he delivered while at the club that made him a legend. The rise and dominance of Napoli during his spell is one of the greatest

stories in modern football.

Gianfranco Zola – Was the understudy to Maradona at Napoli, and considered to be the most talented Italian to ever play for the club. Helped the club to the league title and Supercoppa Italiana in 1990. Universally respected both on and off the field, he is considered a legend in no less than 3 clubs: Chelsea, Cagliari, and of course Napoli.

Pierpaolo Marino – General manager and quite possibly the smartest team builder in the world. His choices have been spot on. Not just as a recruiter of talent, but as a selector of the right kind of player. South America is a huge talent pool full of players who would love to walk in Maradona's footprints. Lavezzi, Gargano, Navarro, and Denis. Marino has taken advantage of this, and of players from Serie B, mostly the once powerful Brescia squad whom he robbed of Hamsik,

and Mannini. His signings have been shrewd and Aurellio De Laurentiis has had no problems scribbling his name on their contracts. He’s built a squad united into a harmonized group where working for the team is top priority. The fans adore him.

I’m very happy that the stats in the game for De Laurentiis and Marino both reflect their abilities.

Icons

Salvatore Carmando – 64 year old physio who’s given his services to the club for the last 25 years. Reportedly one of the most passionate Napoli supporters around. I’ve seen old footage of Maradona walking over to him and kissing his forehead after matches, so I can only assume he did his job very well.

Bruno Giordano – Former Italian striker who played for the club between 1985 and 1988. Formed the famous “Ma-Gi-Ca” line with Maradona and Careca. Was very instrumental in bringing home Napoli’s first Scudetto in 1987.

Favoured personnel

Fabio Cannavaro – Naples native who started his legendary career with Napoli. Never wanted to play anywhere else, but had to be sold to generate funds during the post-Maradona era. Is expected to finish out his career with Napoli, together with his little brother Pablo. The roar of the crowd will be deafening once this guy reenters San Paolo.

Stefan Schwoch – Former Italian striker who spent a magical season with the Partenopei in 1999/00, tying Attila Sallustro’s record of most amount of goals scored in a season. Retired last season, after 20 years of winning the hearts of football fans everywhere with his fantastic workrate and eye for

. An icon with Livorno, a legend with Venezia and Vicenza (where he’s now a youth coach).

Ciro Ferrara – Another Naples native who started his career at Napoli. Made 323 appearances and 15 goals for the club between 1984 and 1994. Was the idol of Fabio Cannavaro, who took over his place when Marcelo Lippi brought him with him to Juventus. Was known for being a model professional, a consistent performer, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Had his

at San Paolo between former and present stars of Napoli and Juventus. Ferrara played for each team for a half, and Maradona returned to Napoli after a 14 year absence just to see his good friend’s farewell game.

Disliked people

(these are hidden values in the editor, with level of dislike ranging from 1-100)

Gianluca Pagliuca (100) – Former Italian goalkeeper who played for Sampdoria, Inter, Bologna, and Ascoli between 1987 and 2007. So we know he played for some of Napoli’s fiercest rivals – but what exactly did he do?

Sebastiano Rossi (100) – Former Italian goalkeeper who played for rivals Milan between 1990 and 2002. Holds the record for longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history when during an 11 match span he kept a clean sheet for 929 minutes. His disliked clubs are Inter, Napoli, and Foggia. Was rumored to be transferred to Napoli when he fell out with Fatih Terim, but the move never materialized. What exactly is his story with Napoli?

Arrigo Sacchi (100) – Former shoe salesman who coached rivals Milan between 1987 and 1991, and again between 1996 and 1997. Did he do anything to annoy the Napoli fans other than being extremely successful?

Adriano Galliani (90) – Outspoken Vice President of rivals Milan and Silvia Berlusconi’s right hand man. Was investigated by the district attorney of Napoli for match fixing, resulting in a 1 year suspension. His comments in the press has not made him any less hated.

Antonello Cuccureddu (65) – I don’t understand much Italian, but apparently he’s anti-Napoli?

Massimo Rastelli (70) – 40 year old striker who had a spell with Napoli in Serie B during the 2001/02 season. The year after he moved to rivals Reggina. What exactly did he do?

Raffaele Ametrano (70) – 36 year old rightback who also played during the 2001/02 season before moving to Messina. Came through Napoli’s youth system in 1991, but sold before he could make any appearances. Dislikes Marcelo Lippi. What’s his story?

[deejay10]

@Jimmy...re-signing Fabio Cannavaro, even if only for one season was one the best moves I've ever made in the transfer market. I like to play all my matches in the right way for a club, and so re-signing a club icon, and making him captain, well that could only have been beaten by signing Diego himself as my assistant.

And if the rumours are true, Fabio will be playing in Napoli sky blue next season!

Also I agree, Marino and De Laurentiis have done a brilliant job together in building not only a team, but a spirit and vision for Napoli again. Denis and Mannini are vastly underrated on the game too.

[Pimblimi87]

@JimmyYangWang

Ty for you're last post!

I'm in my 2nd season at Napoli now and i'm really enjoying it!

[tansrb]

I'V DONE IT! I'VE COMPLETED AN UNBEATEN SEASON WITH NAPOLI!!!!!!

although i went out of the champs league right after the group stages, im still really really happy with my achievement.

*pats myself on the back*

[Fabregas18]

I'V DONE IT! I'VE COMPLETED AN UNBEATEN SEASON WITH NAPOLI!!!!!!

although i went out of the champs league right after the group stages, im still really really happy with my achievement.

*pats myself on the back*

... and Well done .

[tansrb]

... and Well done .

seems like you've been waiting to be sacarstic for really long.

[Sultanen]

I was handed a HUGE transfer budget so i have done some improvements to the team.

GK: Asenjo/Foster

DL: Chiellini/Balzaretti/Regen

CB: Zapata / Paolo Cannavaro

CB: Fazio / Chiellini

DR: Santon / Chretien

WGL: David Silva / Di Maria / Raktitic

WGR: Messi / Santon / Raktitic

MC: De Rossi / Gago / Regen

MC: Moutinho / Hamsik

S: Cardozo / Lavezzi / Regen

F: Aguero / Lavezzi / Regen

Bought:

Messi: 50 m

Silva: 40 m

De Rossi: 40 m

Zapata: 30 m

Chiellini; 30 m

Rakitic: Free

Sold:

Hamsik 45 m

Santacroce: 25 m

Maggio: 25 m

Leto: 10 m

Martins: 15 m

Denis: 10 m

Wellbeck: 3 m

Everything in euro.

[deejay10]

And i thought i had a good squad in my game, wow! Aguero and Messi !?

[Fabregas18]

I didn't mean it in a bad way, I just saw someone posted that pic somewhere and I thought it looked funny:D..

Therefore I added: "... and Well Done."

I'm playing with Napoli my self, so I'll post an update soon.

[uppercut]

do lavezzi/hamsik ever stop being unhappy, started a new game today with napoli (playing 3-5-2) and even though i resisted selling them, its currently november and they're still unhappy as i rejected bids for them and still unwilling to sign a new contract.

i didnt really sign anyone, but did a total revamp of the backroom staff, with the limited budget i had, that was my number one priority.

nothing special to report, first serie a game was *gulp* milan at home, but thats not actually too bad as kaka was injured and held on for a 0-0 so quite pleased at that actually.

a bizarre home game late october to juve ended up 1-1, buffon punts a ball downfield, navarro under no pressure at all, comes across to collect it... except it bounces off of him at the exact same time the sniper in row Z hits him, so hes lying there obvious unable to get up while camoranesi runs in and taps the ball in after 4 mins! :/ i was not best pleased, on the plus side, lavezzi finally scored after a 900+ minute barren run(!)

followed by inter away, it was a ominous start when ibra scored rounding my men with ease after 4 mins, but a brace from belletti (including a rocket which slammed into the underside of the bar on its way in) pulled me back in, would've been more had lavezzi not missed his penalty and ended up 2-1 winners!

[tansrb]

For some reason i've been trashing Juve during my last few meetings with them. no cheating involved here. it's absurd. i just ran riot 5-0 past them, and that includes playing with three youth subs from the 60th minute.

[Fabregas18]

I've just made an amazing comeback against Lazio :D:D...

I was experimenting with a tactic in the 1st half, and was 4-0 under at the brake. At the start of the 2nd half I brought on Ezequiel Lavezzi, German Denis and Fabiano Santacroce (All of them had around 80% in fitness so I started with them on the bench).

It started in the 59th minute as German Denis scored an easy goal after great build-up play by Lavezzi and Blasi. Two minutes later he scores again when he went after a thru-ball, rounded the goalkeeper and scored.

71st minute now, and a corner to me. Lavezzi curls it outwards and straight to Rinaudo's legs, and he takes a shot down in the right corner of the net.

4-3, and I'm beginning to hope for a draw.

Then, in the 83rd minute German Denis comes past the defence again and strikes it up in the corner. 4-4! I was very happy with the performance in the 2nd half. Then in the 93rd minute, Blasi plays a one-two with Lavezzi and strikes it from 20 yards straight into the net!

Here's a screeny if you don't believe me: http://i39.tinypic.com/2lxcn76.jpg

And I'll be posting a transfer window update after the jan window.. As you can see from the screeny, I'm on the 11th so there won't be very long until I'll post it.

[Fabregas18]

SEASON 08/09 UPDATE

Okay, so here comes my Napoli sav update after the Summer and Winter transfer windows... I've been playing on this for a while and tried to perfect my tactic, and I can tell you it's working great .

Transfers

I chose to challenge for a european spot, and I got around £8 Million IIRC. I then asked the board for more transfer budget and wage budget. They didn't gave me more for transfer, but I got more for wages. I then adjusted the total budget to get as much transfer budget as possible, without going under the wage budget. I ended up with £12 Million.

After taking a look at the squad, I decided I needed a new goalkeeper, an attacking midfielder and a defensive midfielder. I signed others too, but they will only be used as back-ups or are for the future.

In November or something, the board said the financial situation had improved, and that they therefore added £3 Million to my transfer budget:D. Guess if I were happy..

In:

Gojko Kacar - Hertha BSC - £4 Million + 40% sell-on

Diego Buonanotte - River - £4.5 Million + 25% sell-on + Friendly

Franco Costanzo - FC Basel - £1.5 Million + Friendly

Davide Santon - Internazionale - £1. Million + 35% sell-on

Mascio - Cisco Roma - £100 K + Friendly

Total: £11.1 Million

In (January):

Robert Lewandowski - Lech - £1 Million + 20% sell-on

Matej Rapnik - Hearts - £200K + 15% sell-on

Mateo Musacchio - River - £450K + 35% sell-on

Magnus Svensson(REGEN) - Örgryte - £170K + Friendly

Andrea Nogara(Amazing REGEN) - Alessandria - £80K

Tullio Scala(REGEN) - Rodengo - £110K

Pablo Herrera - Saprissa - £250K + 40% sell-on

Luca Tremolada - Internazionale - £750K [CO]

Total (both windows): £14.2 Million

Out (both windows):

Samuele Dalla Bona - Benevento - £350K [CO]

Matteo Gianello - Empoli - £500K

Matteo Contini - Panathinaikos - £1.5 Million

Mirko Savini - Modena - £600K

Francesco Montervino - Modena - Season Loan

Total: £3 Million

Squad & Tactics

I chose to play a counter-attacking 4-5-1 with 2 DC's, 2 FB's, 3 CM's (1 def, 2 off), 2 AMR/L and a Lone striker. The striker is ticked as a target man. It's forward runs on the fullbacks, two of the center midfielders and on the wingers. Backward arrows on DC's and the CM(d).

Here's a screen of the tactic with my best eleven:

In team instructions I have this:

The player instructions isn't far away from this, as I play with global mentality, passing and closing down.

The squad looks like this:

GK: Franco Costanzo, Gennaro Iezzo

DR: Christian Maggio, Pablo Herrera, Davide Santon Gianluca Grava

DL: Luigi Vitale, Salvatore Aronica, Matej Rapnik

DC: Fabiano Santacroce, Pablo Cannavaro

DC: Leandro Rinaudo, Matej Rapnik

CM(a): Marek Hamsik, Andrea Russotto

CM(d): Walter Gargano, Gojko Kacar, MIchele Pazienza

CM(a): Manuele Blasi, Diego Buonanotte

AMR: Ezequiel Lavezzi, Daniele Mannini, Davide Santon

AML: Diego Buonanotte, Pia, Daniele Mannini

ST: German Denis, Robert Lewandowski, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marcelo Zalayeta

My main targets for the summer is a new goalkeeper again, as Costanzo was only a last-minute signing. He's been good though, so I'll keep him as back-up when the new GK comes. I've also secured deals for Domenico Criscito(£2 M), Adem Ljajic(£800K) and Franco Zuculini(£1.2 M).

League, UEFA Cup and Italian Cup

In the leagua I'm currently 2nd after Inter, but with 2 games more than 3rd and 4th placed Juventus and AS Roma. I've scored the most goals in the league together with Inter at 44. But I've also let in 27, which is the most of the top five teams atm. Inter have 11, Juve have 12, Roma have 24 and Palermo have 26. German Denis is top goal-scorer in the league atm with 15 goals to his name. Zlatan is close behind with 15. Diego Buonanotte is 2nd in the assist league with 11 assists only topped by Ricardo Quaresma who has 14. Gojko Kacar has the most tackles pr. game in the league, which I'm satisfied with. In the top 4 average rating I've got 1st place, 3rd place and 4th with Lavezzi, Denis and Maggio in that order.

It didn't go too well in the UEFA Cup s in the 1st knock-out round after the EURO Vase I got drawn with Manchester City. I managed to get a draw at home, but lost 2-0 away. I hadn't finished my tactic at that time, so it wasn't as good as it is now.

I'm still in the Italian Cup though, and have been drawn with AC Milan in the Semis. I've beaten Lazio and Fiorentina on my way there, 2-1 and 2-0 respectively.

In other news, City have just spent over £140 Million pounds in transfers, and haven't sold anybody. That's the most I've seen them spend on any of my saves.

Sorry for the long read, but I hope you read it and will comment. I'm open for that and suggestions.

[Pimblimi87]

Fun post Fabregas

and that 4-5 win..amazing!

[Fabregas18]

Fun post Fabregas

and that 4-5 win..amazing!

Thanks, and I couldn't believe I would win it myself .

[iamjerome]

won the league/cl double again in 4th season. in 5th now, sold off lopez and lavezzi, bought aguero. i'm on messi's favoured personnel but i still can't get a bid accepted...

[uppercut]

i decided to abort my first season napoli save and start again with having only italian/argentian players, using v910 as it doesnt feel right having the bojan bug, it also means im able to sell players to man city for large fees.

only going to have players with italian/argentinian as their first nationality, so unless daniel aquniho chooses not to play for spain, im not going to get him.

OUT:

hamsik, £50m (to man city!)

pia, £1m over 24 months

gargano, £4.5m

IN: (all over 24 months)

di maria, £8m

vilar, £9m

riquelme, £15m

demichellis, £10m

santon, £4m

insua, £2m loan to buy with £8m future fee

roberto guana, £275k

martin palermo, £2.5m

bolzoni, £6m

cristico, £3m end of season

playing a 352 with wingbacks and a target man/striker combo up front with palermo looking quite nifty in front of goal in preseason. annoyingly, i lost out to spurs for lucho gonzalez, offered as much as i can in wages but he wanted to play in a better standard of league he said (bah!) so went with riquelme instead as i needed a playmaker to replace hamsik. guana, from palermo i think it was, was a bit of a bargain.

i completely broke my wage structure to get demichellis in (£42.5k/week!), amazed he wanted to sign and my assman rates him as the best player at the club in his reports as do my scouts.

long term high profile (wishful thinking) targets would be:

-aguero

-messi

-garay

-di santo possibly as a target man, going to need someone to replace palermo some way down the line or maybe balotelli

-mascherano

a very argentinian wishlist there. looking at leo franco on a bosman as hes rejecting a new contract and going to try and bring in any expereinced players i can, like crespo at the end of the season if possible.

european registration is going to get me in trouble as i've only got vitale/cannavaro as club trained, santon and insua are due in about 2 years so i'm having to register kids for this and next season.

still got around £15-20m left over, who/what/where can i improve or should i wait till jan where i can hopefully attract some more higher profile players, my first team atm would be:

GK: vilar

WBL: vitale

DCl: rinauldo

DC: demichellis

DCr: cannavaro

WBR: maggio

MCd: bolzoni

MCa: riquelme

MCd: blasi

TGM: palermo

ST: lavezzi

my subs bench is completely shocking though, not too sure about rinauldo but i have cristico coming in next season so dont really want/need to waste my money on a new DC for a single season.

di maria was injured for a month when he signed but planning to switch to 1 MCd and 2 MCa and play him centrally when hes back with di maria/riquelme going forwards or maybe even 1 DMC and 2 AMC and move my wingbacks to left/right midfield, it also then opens up the need for wingers then..

not sure 442 would suit this team but i think i would have the personnel for it but really wanted to try 352 as something different from the bog standard 442:

GK: vilar

LB: insua

DC: cannavaro

DC: demichellis

RB: santon

ML: di maria

MCa: riquelme

MCd: blasi

MR: maggio

TGM: palermo

ST: lavezzi

[tansrb]

AC MILAN HAS BOUGHT SCOTT SINCLAIR FOR $53MILLION!!! WTF!!?!?!

to think i sold him away to blackburn just a season ago for 8m....

crap.

[Pimblimi87]

@uppercut

what is the bojan bug?

how the ****ing hell do you sell hamsik right in the beginning fr 50mlj? :s

@tansrb

wtf too.. =s

edit:

currently first in league in my 2nd season

and 25 games unbeaten in the league. (record started previous season)

but many players are complaining for a beter contract or whining that they want to be transferd (i recejected the offers) like santacroce, rinaudo, lavezzi, hamsik..

caus' of that they play ****..

hamsik is a real disaster, in the first season too

[uppercut]

@uppercut

what is the bojan bug?

how the ****ing hell do you sell hamsik right in the beginning fr 50mlj? :s

i'm playing v910, man city are more likely to "splash the cash" as it were. but thats not the main reason, its because of the bojan bug.

the bug is that for some reason, AI teams release top top players at the end of season, bojan is the biggest example of this.

[tansrb]

in 2014 now. my team is filled with regens. the only non-regen players left are: carrizio, guardado, maggio, lewandoski, maquinhos, veloso and subs for non-regens include viviano, and irineu.

[uppercut]

ack ironies of irony!

just went out of the uefa cup 2nd round to spurs after vilar (my GK) had scored a free kick in the 93rd minute (!) of the 2nd leg at home, it goes to penalties and who scores the winner? lucho gonzalez, the summer signing i missed out and the person who missed was insua, he has the cheek after the game to accept the offer i tabled for him pre game, bah

lost out 1-0 to inter in the coppa italia but somehow i'm top of the league on 62 points, 1 point ahead of fiorentina and 2 ahead of ac milan, best result so far is coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with inter with 10 minutes to go!

hopeful for CL games next season *fingers crossed*

[the--dud]

uppercut: I like what you're doing here, I always prefer to create "rules" for myself and a wee story to make it more interesting

By the way, you should be able to sign Leo Franco for £5-7.5m, and at the price, I'd say he's without doubt on of the most solid goalies in FM09. I've had him on several saves, and he's always been impressive!

[uppercut]

ah yes, self imposed restriction games are much more fun, else you end up going for the same old players everytime.

i'll keep vilar, he cost me £8.5m at the start of the game, cheaper and better, imo. also i usually find leo going for a bosman at the end of the first season too, however hes asking for around £15k/week to in essence become my backup, navarro is on less than £5k/week to do the same and hasnt made any noises about not playing all season, however leo franco is a lot better than navarro, who is being tracked by bayern so i might see if i can do a bit of wheeling and dealing.

trying desperately to bring fabio cannavaro back to the club, for sentimental reasons, hes out of contract and been turning down madrid's contracts but they've won the league so not sure much luck i'm going to have. if i cant get him, my back 3 next season will be cristico/demichellis/coloccini with his brother paolo on the bench as backup.

i have to admit selling hamsik to man city has been the cataylst to my success this season as it has enabled me to pretty much rehash my whole team from the start, i even won the league with 2 games to spare!

i did buy ayala/palermo/riquelme (£2m/£2.5m/£15m) who are all the wrong side of 30 but they played their part as their experience helped me out immensely, they'll be playing less of a role in the team this season and will be glorified tutors if anything, unless i get a good offer for any of them of course. palermo/riquelme actually ended up with 14 and 12 goals respectively, top scorers as lavezzi decided to go on regular goal droughts, much to my annoyance as he was banging them in preseason!

maggio finished my best player ratings wise but imo demichellis was my man of the season, almost every highlight where i was under pressure, he was there to head the ball away or make that vital interception.

still bitter that cambiasso's extremely swerving banana shot dumped me out of the coppa italia, it was a supreme shot but i was keeping them at bay and giving it as good as were were getting

i thought getting demichellis/coloccini/guiseppe rossi were much big captures for napoli (imo) but i think i've just eclipsed all of those and arranged a major coup for the end of the season, £35m over 24 months for.. mascherano! liverpool finished 5th so no CL football for them next season bwhaha!

a few of the fringe players were unhappy at not getting games so requested to be transfer listed, which i duly accepted as tbh they're deadwood to me, however a few days after the last game of the season one of them has approached me to be taken off the transfer list. request... DENIED!

in the process of tying up deals for di santo (chelsea) and balzaretti (palermo) because as good as vitale/insua were last season, i think i need someone with a bit more experience at WBL and a target man for the future, i'll get palermo to tutor him if i can.

going the new season and the board are giving me around £55m as i'm going for another european qualification finish, i cant attract the "big big" names to warrant me saying i'll win the league to need the extra £20m or so they're offering. i aimed at top half finish last season and the board were delighted when i overachieved and i'll do the same again this season, i see absolutely no need to put myself under any undue pressure from the board.

undersoil heating and upgraded youth facilities are in the works and should be done by the start of the season and hopefully i wont have 2nd season syndrome as it wont be a complete squad makeover like in the first season, only mascherano/balzeratti/cristico will jump straight into the first team.

current squad: http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/8812/napolisquadsf3.jpg

formation: http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/986/napoliformationlr6.jpg

transfers: http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/9757/napolitransferslq3.jpg

future transfers: http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5862/napolifuturetransfersxa0.jpg

most nailbiting game: http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2809/napolicomebackje8.jpg

most bittersweet game: http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5303/napolisoclosefr5.jpg (i was down 1-0 in the away leg)

any suggestions for transfers in, taking into account who i've already got coming in, i want to stick with this formation (my profile says its a 5-3-2).

[deejay10]

Thats a lot of signings, big money spent uppercut! I think Laurito looks to be the natural heir to Palermo, you should definitely try and sign him and get Palermo to tutor him. Criscito works really well as a playmaker in the defence, so could replace Ayala for you. Also, the likes of Fausto Rossi, Tremolada and Bolzoni need a lot of first team games early to develop, will be interesting to see if your going to change to a 3-5-2 flat midfield now, or keep the wingbacks.

[uppercut]

ouch udinese are asking for £7m upfront then £7m over 24 months for laurito! i think i'll have to stick with di santo as hes coming for less than £4m but have to admit laurito does look good!

you know, the thought of "cristico = playmaker" never even crossed my mind but omg he could be! hes got good looking stats to do that sort of thing, where would you put him, in the middle of the 3 man defense as a DC or SW? and what sort of marking would you have for the 3? my initial thought for cristico is on the left side as hes left footed, no more, no less but this is interesting..

fautso rossi, remolada and fiorillo are going to be sent out on loan this next season to get first team games.

i'm still trying to hold onto 5-3-2 instead of a 3-5-2 flat across the middle as i think i'd leave myself too exposed to teams who play with wingers if i pushed the two wingbacks up to midfield and a lot of my sucess has been a compact defensive outlook to the team.

my plan was buonanotte in the middle as my playmaker with mascherano/bolzoni (who has developed very nicely playing 30 games last season, hes only 20 and mentally hes got lots of 16+ stats) on either side playing the same defensive game. then i can have migliaccio (who admittedly, i panic brought but is still rather good) and blasi as backups those two and di maria to backup buonanotte.

that way i get to keep vitale/insua to backup balzeratti and santon to backup 'super maggio' as i call him

[shanks]

Hi all,

I started a new game with Napoli and at the start of October Lavezzi's stats have decreased dramatically. Has this happen to anyone else before.

Literally every stat of his has gone down by one or two points. Thing is everyone else in my squad is training well and there stats are going up. Its just him.

He' still scoring but im just curious as to why his stats are decreasing rapidly.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

[uppercut]

Hi all,

I started a new game with Napoli and at the start of October Lavezzi's stats have decreased dramatically. Has this happen to anyone else before.

Literally every stat of his has gone down by one or two points. Thing is everyone else in my squad is training well and there stats are going up. Its just him.

He' still scoring but im just curious as to why his stats are decreasing rapidly.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

check his training on the training screen, is he unhappy with the workload? on my game, i found he didnt like the workload that the other strikers were using so had to create a new one which worked on the same things, but lowered intensity.

its wasnt as bad as in your pic though!

[shanks]

check his training on the training screen, is he unhappy with the workload? on my game, i found he didnt like the workload that the other strikers were using so had to create a new one which worked on the same things, but lowered intensity.

its wasnt as bad as in your pic though!

I checked everything. His training report says he his happy with the workload. There are no concerns he has. His condition is 94% and he is 'Match Fit'.

So really don't know what the problem is.

[Lisandro Lopez]

There's a few possible for that shanks;

- He's tired from all the playing

- He has reached his potential and now the training schedule is forcing his CA to be re-distrusted so they is why it his state have to drop the stats first.

- Just a drop, it will go back to normal in a few months.

Try giving him a rest for a few games and his own schedule with the same as the strikers but lower the intensity a little. In a few months the stats should go back up again. Sometimes doing a season you can get drops, usually they go back up again in a few months.

[shanks]

Ok thanks for that.

I'll try resting him. Just thought it was odd that they went down THAT MUCH a couple of months into the 1st season.

Will try it though.

Thanks

[Lisandro Lopez]

Ok thanks for that.

I'll try resting him. Just thought it was odd that they went down THAT MUCH a couple of months into the 1st season.

Will try it though.

Thanks

Has it gone down in successive months? But yes, rest him. Lower the intensity on his own schedule and hopefully it will pick up again.

[shanks]

Has it gone down in successive months? But yes, rest him. Lower the intensity on his own schedule and hopefully it will pick up again.

No it just all went down at the end of September. The ass. mans training report came in at the end of the month and it said

blah blah has trained well

Lavezzi has trained poorly (tactics)- so i went to check on his stats and i saw a mass of red down pointing arrows!

[Lisandro Lopez]

No it just all went down at the end of September. The ass. mans training report came in at the end of the month and it said

blah blah has trained well

Lavezzi has trained poorly (tactics)- so i went to check on his stats and i saw a mass of red down pointing arrows!

Odd, could be what I said in point two about the CA trying to re-distribute his points across. First though rest him, lower his training intensity and see if that improves it. If not, you might have to alter his schedule completely.

[shanks]

Odd, could be what I said in point two about the CA trying to re-distribute his points across. First though rest him, lower his training intensity and see if that improves it. If not, you might have to alter his schedule completely.

Yep, i've lowered his training intensity. Given him a couple match rest (Luckily playing Uefa cup matches and Serie A against lesser teams)

I'll see how he fares at the end of this month with the training and report back.

Thanks

[deejay10]

@uppercut...i can't take credit for the idea of Criscito as playmaker, i got the idea from iamjerome earlier in this thread, and also a thread he created in the tactics forum, so id advise you to check that out. I had already signed Gonzalo Rodriguez, so between him and Criscito i had two 'ball playing' defenders. Putting them on direct passing, or the highest notch of mixed helped a lot with keeping postion as they quickly suppiled my midfield of Ponzio, Hamsik and Hernanes with the ball to initiate attacks. Having a DC as playmaker, with Fwd runs mixed help retain and recycle possesion a lot better. The only problem with putting Criscito in the middle of the 3 is that his lowish jumping stat means he might be beaten in the air a lot by by forwards who are good at jumping. Maybe as a sweeper, with mixed Fwd runs, but low closing down, so he 'sweeps' up, but doesnt attack the high balls would work.

I also found switching to a flat 3-5-2 improved my team a lot, and didnt leave them as exposed as you would think, you just need your wide players marking tightly, and tracking back.

[uppercut]

have you got a link for that thread?

[CapaJr]

GK- Erick Delgado

DR- Maggio

DC-Cannavaro

DC-Santacroce

DL-Vitale

DM-Blasi

AM-Buonanotte

MR-Srna

ML-Di Maria

FC-Denis

FC-Lavezzi

my other transfers are Alexis Sanchez, Musacchio, Michael Lumb, Nainggolan and Javi Garcia.

about to start first season with Napoli, lets see how it turns out , wish me luck

[Ethan]

An Italian finally finds his way into this thread! Excellent! Welcome, Ethan.

So we now have confirmation that the reason for the many rivals is because the club is located in the south. Next we should examine their favorite and disliked people. What is the story behind these people being linked with the club? I like to know as much as possible about the club I’m managing. I’ll throw out what I know, and then hopefully Ethan or someone else can reveal a bit more.

Favourite people

Legends

Aurelio De Laurentiis – Italian film-producer who in 2004 after the club had gone bankrupt with debts close to €70 million, bought the club for €30 million. Secured football in the city by renaming the club to Napoli Soccer (they were not allowed to use their old name) and laying out a 5 year plan to get them out of Serie C1 and back to the European stage (a feat he has already accomplished). Bought back the club’s history, and restored the name to Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli. Considered a God in Napoli for restoring the pride of millions of fans in the region who share his passion for the club. His legend continues to grow as he refuses mega offers for Hamsik and Lavezzi by saying they are building something special. In turn the players stay loyal. They believe because he believe.

Diego Maradona – Could have gone to any club in the world when he left Barcelona, yet still he chose Napoli. It would be the equivalent today of Messi packing up his bags and heading to Middlesbrough. The move in itself was enough to make him a club icon, but it was the trophies he delivered while at the club that made him a legend. The rise and dominance of Napoli during his spell is one of the greatest

stories in modern football.

Gianfranco Zola – Was the understudy to Maradona at Napoli, and considered to be the most talented Italian to ever play for the club. Helped the club to the league title and Supercoppa Italiana in 1990. Universally respected both on and off the field, he is considered a legend in no less than 3 clubs: Chelsea, Cagliari, and of course Napoli.

Pierpaolo Marino – General manager and quite possibly the smartest team builder in the world. His choices have been spot on. Not just as a recruiter of talent, but as a selector of the right kind of player. South America is a huge talent pool full of players who would love to walk in Maradona's footprints. Lavezzi, Gargano, Navarro, and Denis. Marino has taken advantage of this, and of players from Serie B, mostly the once powerful Brescia squad whom he robbed of Hamsik,

and Mannini. His signings have been shrewd and Aurellio De Laurentiis has had no problems scribbling his name on their contracts. He’s built a squad united into a harmonized group where working for the team is top priority. The fans adore him.

I’m very happy that the stats in the game for De Laurentiis and Marino both reflect their abilities.

Icons

Salvatore Carmando – 64 year old physio who’s given his services to the club for the last 25 years. Reportedly one of the most passionate Napoli supporters around. I’ve seen old footage of Maradona walking over to him and kissing his forehead after matches, so I can only assume he did his job very well.

Bruno Giordano – Former Italian striker who played for the club between 1985 and 1988. Formed the famous “Ma-Gi-Ca” line with Maradona and Careca. Was very instrumental in bringing home Napoli’s first Scudetto in 1987.

Favoured personnel

Fabio Cannavaro – Naples native who started his legendary career with Napoli. Never wanted to play anywhere else, but had to be sold to generate funds during the post-Maradona era. Is expected to finish out his career with Napoli, together with his little brother Pablo. The roar of the crowd will be deafening once this guy reenters San Paolo.

Stefan Schwoch – Former Italian striker who spent a magical season with the Partenopei in 1999/00, tying Attila Sallustro’s record of most amount of goals scored in a season. Retired last season, after 20 years of winning the hearts of football fans everywhere with his fantastic workrate and eye for

. An icon with Livorno, a legend with Venezia and Vicenza (where he’s now a youth coach).

Ciro Ferrara – Another Naples native who started his career at Napoli. Made 323 appearances and 15 goals for the club between 1984 and 1994. Was the idol of Fabio Cannavaro, who took over his place when Marcelo Lippi brought him with him to Juventus. Was known for being a model professional, a consistent performer, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Had his

at San Paolo between former and present stars of Napoli and Juventus. Ferrara played for each team for a half, and Maradona returned to Napoli after a 14 year absence just to see his good friend’s farewell game.

Disliked people

(these are hidden values in the editor, with level of dislike ranging from 1-100)

Gianluca Pagliuca (100) – Former Italian goalkeeper who played for Sampdoria, Inter, Bologna, and Ascoli between 1987 and 2007. So we know he played for some of Napoli’s fiercest rivals – but what exactly did he do?

Sebastiano Rossi (100) – Former Italian goalkeeper who played for rivals Milan between 1990 and 2002. Holds the record for longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history when during an 11 match span he kept a clean sheet for 929 minutes. His disliked clubs are Inter, Napoli, and Foggia. Was rumored to be transferred to Napoli when he fell out with Fatih Terim, but the move never materialized. What exactly is his story with Napoli?

Arrigo Sacchi (100) – Former shoe salesman who coached rivals Milan between 1987 and 1991, and again between 1996 and 1997. Did he do anything to annoy the Napoli fans other than being extremely successful?

Adriano Galliani (90) – Outspoken Vice President of rivals Milan and Silvia Berlusconi’s right hand man. Was investigated by the district attorney of Napoli for match fixing, resulting in a 1 year suspension. His comments in the press has not made him any less hated.

Antonello Cuccureddu (65) – I don’t understand much Italian, but apparently he’s anti-Napoli?

Massimo Rastelli (70) – 40 year old striker who had a spell with Napoli in Serie B during the 2001/02 season. The year after he moved to rivals Reggina. What exactly did he do?

Raffaele Ametrano (70) – 36 year old rightback who also played during the 2001/02 season before moving to Messina. Came through Napoli’s youth system in 1991, but sold before he could make any appearances. Dislikes Marcelo Lippi. What’s his story?

Hi,

I will explain something about Preference and Disliked Staff.

After so many years in the Serie B when 4 presidents changed and with a lot of promises never kept Aurelio De Laurentis bought Napoli after the club had gone bankrupt.

With Pierpaolo Marino he start to recreate the squad and gave again enthusiasm to the supporter.

After so many years in the anonymity De Laurentis and Marino bought young players with future.

Salvatore Carmando is the figure of the continuity, he is the person that connect actual Napoli with the past. He was present when Napoli gains league, uefa euro cup, etc...

he was present when Napoli played in Serie B and when Napoli had gone to bankrupt. He was born in Salerno (a city near Napoli) and there are 35 years that is working

for Napoli. He is a legend...a courious thing is that Maradona call him to be physio for Argentina in the Mexico World Cup in 1986.

Diego Maradona for Napoli supporter is like God for Cristians. This sentence explain everithing.

Gianfranco Zola was the pupil of Maradona, Diego teach everything to him. For Napoli supporter Zola was the little Diego! He was a great person inside and outside the playing field.

Gianluca Pagliuca and Sebastiano Rossi a lot of time shown their hate for the Napoli team, they was goalkeeper of Inter and Milan, this is the reason of why supporter dislike them.

Arrigo Sacchi was the trainer of Milan in the years that Milan was the main rival of Napoli (1988 and 1990).

Cuccureddu hate Napoli city, team and people.

[Pimblimi87]

Currently first in 2nd season with Napoli. At the end of the season i'll have to make some serious transfers.

I'm very interested in Camacho, Pique and Paloschi

Negative: lost a game to Sampdoria after 35 games without losing

[killface]

Well I was forced to reformat my computer today, so I had to start up a new career. Napoli sounds like a fun game, so here I am. I've seen Hamsik playing a few times recently and have started to really like him, so I decided to keep him as long as I can.

So my transfers for the first window are:

In:

Ikechukwu Uche: 3.5m

Takayuki Morimoto: Co-Owned for 2 years for 1.7m

If you didn't know co owning in this game is practically cheating to me so I kept it to just him.

Out:

None, I like the team:)

So far Uche has been the man in friendlies, so I'm very happy with that buy. He has 5 goals and 2 assists in just over 3 halves:) I bought Morimoto to have a nice back up wing/striker plus he looked amazing after a few years in my last game in Italy.

[tansrb]

morimoto. good buy killface. have been chasing him for years now. but roma just outbidded me to him.

[tansrb]

i just realised i've became a legand for Napoli!! having my name beside the great Maradona and Zola really brings great joy to me.

[Pimblimi87]

I ended up my second season as champion!

I did the following transfers:

This is my current team:

As you can see I play on the 4-4-2 tactic with special teamadds that work fine.

------

This is my youth-squad (got no reserves)

Santini is my first good from the own youthdrafts

[Willis]

First of all, I would just like to mention how impressive this thread is. I have found the information of the club's history particularly interesting.

Just a quick question, I'm playing as Swansea and have just signed Hamsik. Is there any chance some of you could tell me how he performs and what I can expect from him?

Thanks for your time and good luck with your respective games