Spav Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 BobBev, I'm fast becoming a fan of all your stories. Just read this one and it is excellent. I've never played much in Italy, but from what I've read it's hard to take a Serie C team all the way to the top flight. You're well on the way with Fano, so best of luck for the rest of the Serie B campaign. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
americas4ever Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Excellent work!! Keep up this job Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 3, 2004 Author Share Posted December 3, 2004 Thank you gentlemen - you're very kind. Playing With The Big Boys As Sandy looked forward to a couple of days off over the New Year he was proud to see his team occupying 3rd place in the Serie B table, going above San Marino and Terana on goal difference. They were 7 points adrift of leaders Reggina but just one behind Livorno who held second place. Their performance thus far in the season had exceeded the wildest expectations of everyone at the club, including Sandy himself. He had been reasonably sure that the team would not be relegated but had expected a mid-table finish at best. To be so far clear of any hint of relegation was a huge bonus but it now opened up the possibility of promotion to Serie A. That would be a massive step for the club and one that Sandy was not at all sure they were ready for. But putting those thoughts to one side for the moment, he moved his attention to the opening league match of the year. For the trip to Modena, Stefano Dall’Acqua would be absent as he had sustained an injury in training so Andy Selva would start instead. Sandy’s Journal Saturday January 6th 2007 Serie B Game 20 Modena 2 Fano 3 Some determined defending by the home side managed to keep the scoreline blank until late in the game but then we had a bit of a goal fest in the last 15 minutes. Komi Tchangai set the ball rolling with a header from a corner but we conceded an equaliser some 10 minutes later. However within seconds we went back in front through Riccio and substitute Odair scored our 3rd two minutes later. But there was still enough time for our hosts to pull a goal back before the final whistle. Team Selection Orlandi (6), Russo (7), Bravo (6), Tchangai (8), Marinelli (6), Collacchioni (8), Andorno (7), Riccio (8*), Carelli (7), Pierobon (7), Selva (5, sub 73) Subs – Odair (7) Goals Tchangai 76, Riccio 86, Odair 88 With a hectic schedule of games to be played this month the last thing that Sandy wanted was an injury problem – but that was exactly what he got with the news that striker Marco Pierobon would miss up to 2 months with a shoulder injury. This left Fano with three strikers out of commission but at least Dall’Acqua would be available again soon. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday January 10th 2007 Serie B Game 21 Fano 3 Ternana 0 At the end of this game I stood up with the rest of the spectators at the Stadio Mancini and applauded the players off the pitch. They had given a team with high hopes of promotion a footballing lesson and I was absolutely delighted with our performance. From the moment that a slick passing move initiated at the back sent Selva free for the opener we were always on top. Collacchioni’s goal may have had a touch of the route-ones about it as he latched on to a long clearance from Orlandi, but his powerful finish left no room for argument. And Riccio’s closing goal showed that we can bide our time too as we retained possession in a patient build up before his intelligent run was spotted by Russo. Team Selection Orlandi (8), Russo (7), Ferri (8), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (10*), Andorno (8), Riccio (8), Carelli (7), Selva (7), Odair (7) Goals Selva 11, Collacchioni 51, Riccio 58 Sandy was pursuing several players that he was hoping to bring into the club before the winter transfer window closed and one deal was successfully concluded as goalkeeper Stefano Layeni (24) joined from Como for €35K. With another decent looking goalie on the books Sandy decided that Emilio Cionfrini was definitely surplus to requirements and was happy to release him on a free transfer. For the visit of relegation threatened Ascoli, Sandy made one change at the back with Paolo Bravo coming back in to replace Ferri. Sandy’s Journal Saturday January 13th 2007 Serie B Game 22 Fano 0 Ascoli 0 Despite having by far the better of the play the closest we came to scoring on a frustrating 90 minutes was when José Reis Odair hit the bar in the first half. The visiting keeper denied us on several occasions but to be honest our finishing just wasn’t up to the job. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Russo (8), Bravo (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Selva (7), Odair (7) Subs – Luconi (7), Di Fiandra (7) Just to add to Sandy’s striking problems Odair picked up a thigh injury – nothing serious but more than enough to rule him out of their next game. The good news was that some cover arrived in the shape of Rodrigo Batista Machado (24), an exciting young Brazilian forward that Sandy had heard good things about. A loan deal had been agreed with his club Catanzaro that would see him at Fano for the remainder of the season. Fano’s next game offered Sandy quite a dilemma. Ordinarily he rested his best players for Cup games, preferring to keep them as fit as possible for the league. But this was a bit different – his team were travelling to Milan to face the might of Inter at the San Siro in the Quarter Final of the Italian Cup. He discussed the situation with Chairman Mirco. “So Senor Sandy, for thee feerst leg in Milano, what do you theenk? You weel change thee team?†“I don’t know yet Mirco.†“We weel not be relegated thees season weel we?†“No Mirco, I don’t think that we’ll be relegated.†“So eet ees notta so eemportant to rest thee players, no? “True.†“And eet ees a very huge game for us, probably thee beegest that we have ever played, no?†“Also true.†“And you are a proud man Senor Sandy, I am sure that you do not want your team to how you say in Eenglish, have a bottom-spanking?†“No I don’t want that to happen Mirco.†“But anyway, ees up to you. You control thee team and I back you whatever you do.†“Thanks Mirco, but I think that I’ve made my mind up know.†Sandy had indeed made up his mind and Fano would field the strongest side that they could for the game against Inter. Sandy’s Journal Tuesday January 16th 2007 Italian Cup Quarter Final 1st Leg Inter 3 Fano 2 Oh the fearlessness of youth! Our two youngest players, a pair of 20-year-olds, showed no respect for our big-name opponents and gave us genuine hope of a major upset. Riccio set the cat amongst the pigeons with a goal after just two minutes, heading home from a cross from Leonardo. The home side struck back quickly with Uruguayan international Recoba equalising within 10 minutes. Things took a turn for the worse when Dutch international Andy van der Meyde fired them in front with less than 15 minutes on the clock. But we were able to compose ourselves and defended valiantly for the remainder of the half. Ten minutes after the restart the excellent Recoba fired Inter further ahead but Collacchioni, our outstanding player of the day, reduced the deficit with the sweetest of free kicks. Team Selection Orlandi (5), Russo (7), Bravo (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (9), Andorno (7), Riccio (8), Palacios (7), Selva (6, sub 69), Dall’Acqua (7) Subs – Machado (7) Goals Riccio 2, Collacchioni 69 Fano returned home to a hero’s welcome from their fans, delighted at the fighting performance of their team. As the only lower-league side left in the last eight the odds were heavily stacked against them but if nothing else Sandy was sure that Inter would have a fight on their hands in the return leg. Before their next league game at bottom of the table L’Aquila, Sandy secured another loan signing with forward Stefano Gazzano (22) coming in from Carrarese. He was confident that he had more than enough cover now for his injured strikers. With one eye on the imminent visit of Inter he took the unusual step of resting players for the Cup and playing a weaker team in the league. Sandy’s Journal Saturday January 20th 2007 Serie B Game 23 L’Aquila 1 Fano 2 Well it was a close-run thing but Andy Selva saw us through with two goals to keep us on track in the league. We went behind after half an hour when Marinelli conceded a penalty. Orlandi got a hand to the ball but he just couldn’t keep it out. The home side were rampant and didn’t look like a team propping up the table and they could easily have extended their lead. We made it to the break without any further damage and 20 minutes after the restart Selva put us back on terms. The home keeper had a rush of blood to the head and came charging out of his goal to deal with a through ball. But he made a complete rickets of it and Andy was on hand to fire the ball into an unguarded net. His stoppage-time winner was a bit more deserved as a lovely passing move freed Dall’Acqua on the flank and his neat cross was headed home for a late winner. Team Selection Orlandi (9), Giangolini (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7, sub 81), Puccinelli (8), Di Fiandra (7), Riccio (7, sub 81), Stefani (7), Selva (10*), Dall’Acqua (8) Subs – Dika (7), Carelli (7) Goals Selva 65, 90 With Sandy’s calculated gamble having paid off in the league he wondered if his team would get the ultimate reward by reversing the 3-2 deficit against Inter in the Cup game. He named what he thought would be his best eleven and sent them out to do their best against one of the giants of the modern game. Sandy’s Journal Tuesday January 23rd 2007 Italian Cup Quarter Final 2nd Leg Fano 0 Inter 0 It was clear from the first whistle that Inter had come with but one thought in mind – don’t concede a goal. They proceeded to close the game down and they did it expertly. We worked very hard but lacked the inspiration to break them down. They locked down the midfield, denying our players time and space on the ball. As time wore on we took more and more risks trying to find that elusive goal and they came close to scoring on several occasions. We were not disgraced by any means but we just lacked that cutting edge. A capacity crowd tried hard to lift the players but to no avail and we made a brave exit from the Cup. Team Selection Orlandi (8), Russo (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (7, sub 64), Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Odair (7), Dall’Acqua (5, sub 21) Subs – Gazzano (7), Machado (7) Despite a gallant effort against Inter everyone at the club still felt slightly disappointed by the result so Sandy and his staff worked hard to boost the squad for their next league match. The visit of Bari would pitch the two form teams of Serie B together, both on 9-match unbeaten runs. Sandy’s Journal Saturday January 27th 2007 Serie B Game 24 Fano 0 Bari 0 Bari can thank their keeper Alex Manninger for single-handedly preserving their unbeaten run. The Austrian international, on loan from Bologna, pulled off a string of fine saves to deny us a goal. Time and again our forwards watched in disbelief as he clawed the ball away and he was truly a man inspired. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Russo (7), Bravo (7, sub 90), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (7, sub 90), Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Odair (7, sub 90), Dall’Acqua (7) Subs – Di Fiandra (7), Palacios (6), Selva (6) A gruelling month finally came to an end with a trip to Napoli. Sandy remembered the 3-1 defeat when the two teams met early in the season but since then the pre-season favourites for promotion had performed very poorly and currently sat in 15th place in the table and had sacked their manager a month ago. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday January 31st 2007 Serie B Game 25 Napoli 1 Fano 3 How satisfying it was to reverse the 3-1 scoreline from our meeting back in September of last year. The two sides were fairly well matched in the first period but we took control after the interval. Two neat goals put us in control before a late penalty secured the points. An even later spot kick gave the home side a consolation goal but it was no more than that. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Russo (7), Bravo (7), Tchangai (6), Marinelli (5, sub 63), Collacchioni (9), Andorno (9*), Riccio (8), Carelli (7), Odair (8), Dall’Acqua (7) Subs – Dika (7) Goals Riccio 62, Odair 76, Andorno 85 Fano reached the end of January holding on to second place in the table, 6 points behind leaders Reggina and three points clear of Bari in 3rd. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 8, 2004 Author Share Posted December 8, 2004 The Pressure Mounts Fano’s unexpected challenge for promotion had, to say the least, generated some interest in the press. Sandy had expected the local newspaper attention but he was somewhat taken aback by the presence of several national publications and TV channels at the club’s press conferences. Sandy was now confident enough in his Italian that he regularly presided over press events but he still had Giacomo sitting with him in case of any language problems. It also proved to be useful on occasions when he needed some time to think about a particularly awkward question. The few extra seconds when Giacomo provided a translation gave him some valuable thinking time. But it seemed that the romantic story of small-town Fano’s rise to success and the rehabilitation of their previously well-known manager was proving irresistible to the voracious Italian sports press. Sandy was concerned that his players would find all the attention too much of a distraction and he decided that most of the team’s training sessions would be closed, with no press allowed. Mirco persuaded him to allow the press into the training ground twice a week as he recognised the importance of keeping good relations with the media but he accepted his manager’s concerns over the potential impact on the players. In the lead up to the next match at home to Cremonese Sandy was pleased to agree contract extensions with keeper Frederico Orlandi and full back Luca Tomasetti, two members of his original team From Serie C2 that were still with him. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 3rd 2007 Serie B Game 26 Fano 4 Cremonese 0 The visitors approached this game with a very physical attitude, flying into the tackles and clearly trying to intimidate our players. Russo was the first to suffer, having to leave the field after just a few minutes with an injury. But we responded in the best possible manner – by letting our football do the talking and scoring goals. Two goals in each half to be precise and the 4-0 scoreline didn’t flatter us in the slightest as we fully deserved the win. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Russo (5, sub 6), Bravo (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (8), Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Odair (7), Dall’Acqua (9*) Subs – Palacios (9) Goals Dall’Acqua 27, 46, Odair 37, Palacios 66 With Russo out of action for a fortnight Sandy brought Tomasetti back into the team for the trip to Empoli. He also decided to give Palacios a start and moved Riccio to the bench. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 10th 2007 Serie B Game 27 Empoli 1 Fano 1 Tomasetti celebrated his return to first team action with a quite extraordinary goal, or so he claims. His story is that he spotted the Empoli keeper off his line and audaciously lobbed him from almost on the halfway line. His teammates claim that he was attempting a long ball forward for the strikers and it was a fluke. Whatever the truth of the matter it proved to be one of the highlights of an otherwise dull game. We conceded a slightly disappointing equaliser shortly after the restart and had to settle for a point in a game where we had high expectations of a win. Team Selection Orlandi (6), Tomasetti (8*), Bravo (7), Tchangai (5, sub 55), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (7, sub 55), Andorno (8), Palacios (7), Carelli (7), Odair (7, sub 76), Dall’Acqua (7) Subs – Dika (6), Di Fiandra (7), Gazzano (6) Goals Tomasetti 40 Collacchioni and Odair both suffered minor knocks in the Empoli game but thankfully neither player was badly injured and both would be fit to face Pescara. That was more than could be said for Paolo Bravo who damaged a wrist in training and would be replaced by Ferri. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 17th 2007 Serie B Game 28 Fano 1 Pescara 0 An early penalty converted by Andorno proved to be the only goal of the game but it was not for the want of trying by my players. They subjected the visitors to a barrage of attacks and only the excellence of their keeper stopped the game from becoming a rout. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Tomasetti (7), Ferri (8), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (8), Collacchioni (8), Andorno (9*), Palacios (7), Carelli (7), Odair (7), Dall’Acqua (8) Goals Andorno 4 Odair would miss out on the trip to Venezia having damaged a shoulder in training and Selva would take his place. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 24th 2007 Serie B Game 29 Venezia 1 Fano 3 This was a fine display today and we fully deserved our win. Young Lenny powered home a near post corner to open the scoring and also set up Stefano for his first goal. This young man must be a contender for our player of the season after his outstanding performances this season. Team Selection Orlandi (6), Tomasetti (8), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (9*), Andorno (8), Palacios (7), Carelli (7), Selva (7), Dall’Acqua (9) Goals Collacchioni 10, Dall’Acqua 40, 59 As Fano kept up their terrific unbeaten run Sandy was pleased and still rather surprised to see them hold on to second place in the table. Leaders Reggina would take some catching as they were still 5 points clear but his team had opened up a 7-point gap over third placed Bari. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 9, 2004 Author Share Posted December 9, 2004 Who Will Blink First It was looking increasingly likely that the Serie B title would be contested between two teams – leaders Reggina and chasing Fano. Which team would be able to keep their form going in the tense run-in to the end of the season? Sandy saw no sign of his team giving way just yet. The team spirit was strong, the players were confident and the coaching staff was performing well as a unit. Compatriot Peter Beardsley was becoming a more and more influential backroom figure as the season progressed. Sandy trusted his instincts and increasingly turned to the Geordie for advice rather than to his assistant manager Dario. Beardsley had played at the highest level and he understood the pressures that the players were under. At his suggestion the intensity of some of the training sessions was reduced, particularly the open sessions where the press were in attendance. He wanted the reporters to see the players relaxed and smiling, believing that the positive news stories that resulted gave Fano a psychological advantage over their title rivals. For the trip to Piacenza Sandy would have Bravo and Odair back in the starting eleven now that both were fully fit again. Marco Pierobon was now back in training but still some weeks away from regaining full fitness. Sandy’s Journal Saturday March 3rd 2007 Serie B Game 30 Piacenza 1 Fano 3 Another two assists from Collacchioni were crucial in securing a win over difficult opponents although the home side having a man sent off near the end of the first half didn’t do us any harm. Palacios had a good game in midfield and we are now in the healthy position of having competition for places virtually all over the pitch. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Tomasetti (7), Bravo (7), Tchangai (8), Marinelli (8), Collacchioni (10*), Andorno (8), Palacios (8), Carelli (7), Odair (7), Dall’Acqua (8) Goals Odair 18, Dall’Acqua 26, Palacios 87 Grateful for a week with no injury problems Sandy named an unchanged side for the visit of Livorno. Sandy’s Journal Saturday March 10th 2007 Serie B Game 31 Fano 3 Livorno 1 Fredi Carelli opened the scoring just on half time with a typical howitzer of a shot. Unfortunately he couldn’t make it back out for the second half having picked up a slight muscle strain. Odair scored a peach of a second before the visitors made things interesting by pulling a goal back. But within two minutes the pace of Dall’Acqua gave us our third and secured the win. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Tomasetti (7), Bravo (8), Tchangai (8), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (7), Palacios (7), Carelli (8*, sub 45), Odair (7), Dall’Acqua (7) Subs – Riccio (7) Goals Carelli 45, Odair 62, Dall’Acqua 70 With Sandy’s team in such excellent form the trip to league leaders Reggina would be interesting. Fano were now just 2 points behind their opponents and a win would take them to the op of the table. With the exception of Paolo Bravo who was serving a one-match suspension, the starting eleven were unchanged. Sandy’s Journal Saturday March 17th 2007 Serie B Game 32 Reggina 2 Fano 2 The game was as tight as the final scoreline suggests and on balance a draw was probably a fair result, although having taken the lead for the second time in the game with less than two minutes to play it was disappointing to concede a stoppage-time equaliser. An even first half looked to be ending goalless when Collacchioni headed home a neatly worked short corner routine – Lenny must be on track for Player of the Season with the form he's in. The home side struck back shortly after the restart and both sides traded scoring chances for the remainder of the half. Two goals in two minutes meant a thrilling climax to the game but I really thought that when Dall’Acqua converted Odair’s cross that we would take all three points. Unfortunately the late equaliser denied us and although brilliantly taken it came about as a result of bad marking at the back. Team Selection Orlandi (6), Tomasetti (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (9*), Andorno (7, sub 45), Palacios (7), Carelli (7), Odair (7), Dall’Acqua (7) Subs – Di Fiandra (7) Goals Collacchioni 42, Dall’Acqua 88 With Fano now looking increasingly likely to be playing next season in Serie A, Sandy expected a sellout crowd for the visit of San Marino. He would be without full back Luca Tomasetti who had suffered a calf strain in training so Russo would regain his place. This was tough on Luca as he had played well since getting back in the side and he would now miss some three weeks of action. Sandy’s Journal Saturday March 24th 2007 Serie B Game 33 Fano 3 San Marino 0 This was as one-sided an encounter as we have seen at Fano this season, with the visitors failing to muster a single shot on target during the 90 minutes. We had to wait until almost half time before we broke their resistance though but it was a goal worth waiting for. Odair demonstrated his excellent dribbling sills to beat two defenders and finish powerfully. The Brazilian then showed his skills on the wing, sending in a teasing cross from the byeline that Palacios headed home. Jose Reis then capped off a virtuoso performance by being in the right place to tap in a neat cutback from Andorno to wrap up the scoring and give us a fine win. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Russo (8), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (9), Andorno (9), Palacios (8), Carelli (8), Odair (9*), Dall’Acqua (7) Goals Odair 43, 71, Palacios 64 Having failed to overcome Reggina a week earlier and miss out on a chance to top the table it came as some surprise to hear that the leaders had slipped up at Livorno, losing 2-0 to allow Fano to take over at the head of Serie B. The last weekend of the month didn’t feature any league action as the Euro 2008 qualification programme continued. Italy were mighty unimpressive in their narrow 2-1 win at minnows Liechtenstein though Scotland looked a little better in gaining a 2-2 draw in Slovakia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Prepare your farewell speech to Serie B, it looks like you'll be needing one at this rate. KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipsix3 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 As another 'ex-pat' manager myself I'm slightly ashamed to say that I'd let this one slip by until now but it's great stuff Bob. Also it's always nice when you see someone else managing a player you've worked with yourself in the past - Dell'Acqua was in my one-time great Cittadella side some time ago, and I note he seems to be equally 'hot and cold' for you but when he was hot he was always red hot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maollelujah Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 From the title I thought that you had resurrected the Bankies... But it still is a nice read. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 11, 2004 Author Share Posted December 11, 2004 Thanks for your support gentelmen. Going To The Wire With two months and eight games left Fano now had their nose in front in the title race - now it was a matter of keeping it there. Sandy had a good feeling about his boys but every now and again he was still gripped by negative thoughts, doubting his own ability to get the job done. But he was learning how to deal with his own mental anguish. One of his coping strategies was to use his coaching staff as a sounding board for his own fears and their positive reactions helped him to restore a more upbeat perspective in his own mind. The overall view was that promotion was virtually secured and that the Serie B title was a realistic possibility. Before travelling to Brescia another round of Euro 2008 qualifiers were played. Italy had an excellent 2-0 win over Serbia & Montenegro to take over the leadership of their group whilst Scotland beat the Faroe Islands 2-0. Despite having made a poor start to their campaign the Scots could still take the runners-up slot but group leaders Spain looked set to qualify automatically. Sandy was forced into one team change though as Marco Marinelli was serving a one-match ban for their league game so Jean Dika was drafted into central defence. Sandy’s Journal Saturday April 7th 2007 Serie B Game 34 Brescia 0 Fano 0 The final scoreline gives a fairly good indication of the quality and excitement on display as neither side ever got into any kind of rhythm. A dour midfield stalemate ensued with few scoring chances created at either end. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Russo (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (8), Dika (6), Collacchioni (7, sub 43), Andorno (7), Palacios (7), Carelli (7), Odair (7), Dall’Acqua (7) Subs – Machado (7) Fano’s brief reign at the top of Serie B came to an end after their draw as a win for Reggina allowed them to re-take the leadership by a point. For the visit of Triestina Sandy could revert to his favoured full back pairing of Tomasetti and Bravo. Tchangai would be serving a one-match suspension but Marinelli was once again available. Sandy’s Journal Saturday April 14th 2007 Serie B Game 35 Fano 2 Triestina 1 We failed to take full advantage of our first-half superiority and entered the break just one goal to the good. Andorno took his chance well after being picked out by Carelli in the area. The visitors responded well after the break, equalising with 30 minutes remaining but 5 minutes later Odair used his pace and close control to score what proved to be the winning goal. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Tomasetti (8), Bravo (7, sub 78), Dika (7), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (7), Palacios (7), Carelli (7), Odair (9*), Dall’Acqua (6, sub 60) Subs – Machado (7), Di Fiandra (6) Goals Andorno 22, Odair 65 The first casualty of the season was decided as bottom of the table L’Aquila suffered their 24th defeat and their relegation from Serie B was confirmed. But sandy was focused on the other end of the table and his suspension served, Tchangai was restored to the team for the trip to relegation threatened Ancona. Sandy’s Journal Saturday April 21st 2007 Serie B Game 36 Ancona 2 Fano 4 For the first 20 minutes it was as if there was only one team on the pitch, and it wasn’t Fano. By that time we were two goals down and looking awful. I could barely believe what I was seeing as we squandered possession and allowed the home side to attack at will. But then young Leo showed his spirit and began to drag his team back into the game. He headed home an Andorno corner to pull a goal back and, perhaps inspired by his example, we started to play some football. Odair found himself alone in the opposition box to score a simple equaliser and we reached the break on level terms. Then in the second half the Brazilian sprung the offside trap to put us ahead and Collacchioni repeated his corner trick to secure the points. I must admit that I got a nasty surprise at the start of the game but we redeemed ourselves well to get the win. Team Selection Orlandi (6), Tomasetti (7), Bravo (6, sub 89), Tchangai (8), Marinelli (6), Collacchioni (9), Andorno (7, sub 45), Palacios (4, sub 45), Carelli (7), Odair (10*), Dall’Acqua (8) Subs – Riccio (7), Di Fiandra (7), Faccini (6) Goals Collacchioni 27, 61, Odair 31, 55 Despite the early scare Fano’s win was enough to take them back to the top of Serie B as Reggina played out a goalless draw at Brescia. For the visit of Catanzaro Sandy decided to restore Massimiliano Riccio to midfield in place of Palacios as the youngster had been looking sharp in training. Sandy’s Journal Saturday April 28th 2007 Serie B Game 37 Fano 5 Catanzano 1 This was definitely a game of two halfs as the cliché has it. The first period was very even and ended all-square at one apiece. But in the second half the visitors collapsed and we ran out easy winners. Odair kept up his excellent scoring form with a goal in each half with strike partner Dall’Acqua hitting the back of the net twice in little over a minute. Substitute Mirco Di Fiandra completed the rout with his first goal for the club. They were all well taken goals where pace, good passing and intelligent running combined to great effect. Team Selection Orlandi (5), Tomasetti (8), Bravo (8), Tchangai (8), Marinelli (5), Collacchioni (9), Andorno (8, sub 65), Riccio (8), Carelli (7), Odair (9), Dall’Acqua (10*) Subs – Di Fiandra (8) Goals Odair 9, 66, Dall’Acqua 82, 83, Di Fiandra 87 With just 5 games left to play a defeat for Reggina meant that Fano were top of Serie B, 4 points clear of their nearest rivals. But more importantly they had a 13-point gap over 4th placed Bari, meaning that their promotion to Serie A was virtually assured. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 13, 2004 Author Share Posted December 13, 2004 Almost There Boys Although not mathematically certain of promotion, there was no room for doubt as far as the press were concerned – next season Fano would be a Serie A team. But whilst some uncertainty still existed Sandy would not accept that promotion was assured – his team still had to work for their reward. But he had to admit to himself that it wasn’t easy to stay detached from the atmosphere of self-congratulation that the papers and TV were building. There were regular articles and feature profiling the team, key players and of course Sandy himself. His final season at Rangers was analysed endlessly and his dark days in the aftermath of his team’s collapse were pored over raising much speculation about his ability to deal with the pressures of management. But throughout it all Mirco was never far from his side, guarding him from the worst excesses of the press, encouraging him with words of support but most of all just trying to let his manager do his job. As springtime moved towards early summer Sandy was aware that several of his players would be out of contract in the summer so Danilo Stefani and Marco Marinelli were both offered and accepted new 2-year deals. There was more good news to follow as Cristian Pazzi returned from his rehabilitation and began some light training sessions at the club. The chances of the striker actually making an appearance before the end of the season were very slim but it was good to have him back around the place. The squad faced the trip to Chievo in confident mood, sensing just how close they were to making history. Sandy’s Journal Saturday May 5th 2007 Serie B Game 38 Chievo 1 Fano 0 We fell behind to an early goal and spent the rest of the match playing catch up. We created more than enough chances to at least take a point but found Czech international keeper Peter Cech in unbeatable form. Time and again he denied us with a series of brilliant stops and there was just no way past him. So our unbeaten run of 23 league games comes to an end but with Bari failing to win their game we can still celebrate as our promotion to the top flight is confirmed. Team Selection Orlandi (6), Tomasetti (7), Bravo (7), Tchangai (8), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (8), Andorno (8), Riccio (7, sub 56), Carelli (7), Odair (7), Dall’Acqua (4, sub 24) Subs – Machado (7), Palacios (7) And celebrate they did, both on the journey back to Fano and on their arrival at the Stadio Mancini. Thousands of supporters had gathered at the stadium to welcome the team, even though they arrived back home in the small hours of Sunday morning. Mirco was beside himself with joy and alternated between tears and uncontrollable laughter as he tried to come to term with what his team had achieved. Sandy was no less pleased than his Chairman but he remained much calmer than the jovial Italian. His team had made such steady progress this season that some two months ago he was certain in his own mind that they would gain promotion and now that it was confirmed it felt strangely anti-climatic. Getting promoted was great but now his focus was firmly on winning the Serie B title. In the lead up to the visit of Crotone, Roma were crowned Serie A champions with three games to spare but Sandy’s attention was on his own team. Davide Andorno would miss the game through suspension so Machado would play on the left wing. Sandy’s Journal Saturday May 12th 2007 Serie B Game 39 Fano 0 Crotone 1 Judging by our performance today the players clearly think that their season is over now that we have gained promotion and they need a strong reminder that we still have the title to play for. This was a pretty poor display and we fell to a late goal because of some slack marking at the back. Team Selection Orlandi (8*), Tomasetti (7), Bravo (7), Tchangai (6), Marinelli (7), Collacchioni (7), Machado (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Odair (7), Dall’Acqua (5, sub 77) Subs – Pierobon (7) Sandy was not pleased with his players and he made sure that they knew it. He emphasised the importance of making a strong finish to the season to try to secure the league title and worked them hard in training during the week. Fortunately rivals Reggina could only draw so Fano remained in first place and kept a three-point advantage and another defeat for Ascoli sealed their fate as their relegation was confirmed. However Reggina did enough to confirm their own promotion and there was now just one place to be finalised. Such was his inward focus that it almost escaped Sandy’s attention that Inter made up for a relatively poor season in the league by retaining the Italian Cup with a 2-0 aggregate victory over Parma. He was thinking hard about Fano’s next game, which involved a very tough trip to Cagliari who were trying to secure 3rd place and promotion. Andorno was back after his suspension and Sandy decided to start Machado up front in place of Dall’Acqua after his two poor recent performances. Sandy’s Journal Saturday May 19th 2007 Serie B Game 40 Cagliari 1 Fano 2 No doubt this must have been a very entertaining game for the neutral supporter to watch but it was agony for me. Both sides went all-out for the win and for quite some time it looked like the home side would prevail. They took the lead after 15 minutes and then kept us at bay as we tried to get past an inspired keeper. Odair’s persistence was finally rewarded when he followed up on a rebound from his own shot to get the equaliser. My decision to play Machado was vindicated when his speed and power allowed him to make a decisive breakaway and score the winner. Team Selection Orlandi (6), Tomasetti (6), Bravo (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (5, sub 63), Collacchioni (8), Andorno (8), Riccio (7, sub 63), Carelli (7), Odair (9), Machado (9*) Subs – Faccini (7), Palacios (7) Goals Odair 65, Machado 75 Sandy was very relieved that his team had fought back for a win as he had spent long periods of the game experiencing that familiar feeling of dread, convinced that they were going to blow their chances of the title. He was even happier when he heard that Reggina had drawn yet again, leaving Fano with a 5-point lead with just two games to play. The next day the relegation places in Serie A were all decided with Verona, Lecce and Siena all dropping into Serie B. Sandy’s intense desire to seal the Serie B title was beginning to introduce an atmosphere of tension around the training ground and at Peter Beardsley’s suggestion the squad gathered together on Wednesday evening for some relaxation. That’s if you could call watching Lazio and Sampdoria battle out the UEFA Cup Final on TV relaxing. A surprisingly one-sided final resulted in a comfortable 3-0 win for Samp with the Romans reduced to ten men before the end of the game. But it served its purpose and there was a more tranquil feeling around the club afterwards. Sandy had to make one enforced change fro the trip to Ternana as Tomasetti was suspended so he was replaced by Russo. Sandy’s Journal Saturday May 26th 2007 Serie B Game 41 Ternana 0 Fano 0 Nerves may have got the better of us in this game as we played some scrappy stuff. There were chances at either end but we failed to get enough on target to warrant a win. Orlandi had to be alert and made some smart stops to keep us all square. Team Selection Orlandi (8*), Russo (5), Bravo (7), Tchangai (7), Marinelli (5, sub 64), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (8), Riccio (8), Carelli (7), Odair (7), Machado (7) Subs – Faccini (7) Despite losing to Reggina, Cagliari secured their own promotion as Bari also lost. Cremonese failed to get the win they needed to keep their hopes alive and were relegated. The team once again gathered to watch another midweek game – this time to cheer on Juventus as they sought to beat FC Bayern in the Champions League Final. But they were to be disappointed as the German side won a tight game thanks to an unfortunate own goal in the first half. Sandy felt that his team was as well prepared as he could make them for their final game of the season, a home match against Modena. The team knew that the title was almost theirs – even if they lost their superior goal difference would probably see them through. But Sandy wanted a win – he didn’t want to take the title by default. Tomasetti was restored at full back and Faccini was selected in central defence in preference to Marinelli. Sandy’s Journal Saturday June 2nd 2007 Serie B Game 42 Fano 2 Modena 0 We were all over the visitors from start to finish as the players went for the win that would secure the title. I was delighted that Riccio scored the opener when he headed home from a short corner routine. The visitors were enjoying a short spell of pressure when Pierobon made a decisive breakaway to score the second and make certain of the win. I felt remarkably calm sitting on the bench today and it was great to see the lads performing well and looking confident, as though they fully believed that they would get the win we all wanted. Serie A here we come! Team Selection Orlandi (7), Tomasetti (7), Bravo (7), Tchangai (7), Faccini (7), Collacchioni (8), Andorno (8), Riccio (8), Carelli (8), Odair (7, sub 71), Machado (8) Subs – Pierobon (7) Goals Riccio 20, Pierobon 76 The final whistle was the signal for a mass celebration as the Fano subs ran out onto the pitch to join their teammates. Mirco and the rest of the suits joined in with great enthusiasm, as did Sandy and his staff. The Fano supporters were of course ecstatic and cheered their team to the rafters. When he could finally drag his players off the pitch Sandy unveiled a case of chilled Champagne in the dressing room and told his team to be showered and ready in an hour as a coach would be waiting outside the stadium to take everyone into town for a meal and a party at one of the local restaurants. It ended up being quite a night as hundreds of supporters followed the bus into town and set up an impromptu street party outside the restaurant. Sandy had no idea what time he got to bed but when he awoke the next day it was well into the afternoon. He sat bleary-eyed over a coffee, thumbing through the newspaper stories reporting Fano’s triumph and tried to take it all in. It was only then looking at the final table that he realised that the final relegation place in Serie B had been taken by Triestina as both Ancona and Pescara had final-day wins to escape the drop. And there on top was little old Fano – Played 42, Won 24, Drawn 12, Lost 6, Points 84. Having already told the players that they could take an early break this summer there was little point in going to the stadium. After a final glance at the headlines he went back to bed for a well deserved sleep. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Superb effort in winning the Serie B title. As I said earlier, getting from Serie C to Serie A is a great achievement and I wish Sandy (and you) all the best of luck in Fano's debut season in Serie A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 15, 2004 Author Share Posted December 15, 2004 Thanks for your ongoinf support Spav Into the Unknown After a short break to recharge his batteries Sandy was soon back at Fano and hard at work preparing to meet the challenge of Serie A survival. With the Serie B Manager of the Year award proudly displayed in his office he got back to work with a vengeance. The first item on his agenda was to take a look at the playing staff on the books and decide on any squad changes for the forthcoming season. There was no doubt in his mind that their best player of last season was 20-year-old Leonardo Collacchioni. The lad had been top notch and not only made the Serie B Team of the Year but was also recognised by the fans as the club’s Player of the Year. Cristian Pazzi had also been in fine form before being struck down through injury and managed 11 goals in his 16 games. He was now back in full training and Sandy was hopeful that he had made a full recovery. Sandy felt that he had some decent options amongst his strikers with Pierobon, Selva, Dall’Acqua and Odair to choose from as well as a fit-again Pazzi. In fact the Brazilian Odair had finished as the top scorer last season with 15 goals and Sandy valued his pace and close control. With youngster Matteo Visentin having another exceptional season in the Under-20s, scoring 23 goals in 42 games, he also offered an option. But having just turned 17 Sandy had no immediate plans to give the boy any first team action just yet. Davide Andorno had put in a terrific season on the left wing and Frederico Carelli had played well in midfield. In fact Fredi had finished runner-up in the Goal of the Season awards for his long-range effort against Cagliari back in December. The first of the squad changes took place when Rodrigo Batista Machado and Stefano Gazzano finished their loans and returned to their respective teams. Injury-ravaged Luca Pucinelli was also coming to the end of his contract and he decided that his body couldn’t take any more and that he would be retiring. Veteran striker Cristiano Luconi reached the same decision, having not featured last season. The youth academy produced a new batch of graduates this summer, with four prospects joining the Under-20 team. They were a pair of 16-year-old keepers, Nicola Napolitano (about whom Beardsley was particularly enthusiastic) and Alessandro Pavesi, a young striker, Domenico Martini (14) and a midfielder, Luca Anaclerio (16). On the coaching front Sandy recognised that he was depending more and more on Peter Beardsley as his number two and he made the difficult decision to appoint the Geordie as his official assistant. Dario Sanguin was understandably upset by this decision but after taking some time to reflect on the situation he accepted Sandy’s offer to remain on the coaching staff. 35-year-old defender Salvatore Russo met with Sandy to discuss his future. He had 6 months left on his contract and had been considering retirement but having recently gained his coaching qualifications he was interested in an alternative role. Sandy agreed that he too could join the coaching staff and asked him to oversee the youth programme now that Beardsley had a new role. The club’s finances were in excellent shape and the profit made last season, combined with a very tidy sum for the Serie A TV rights meant that little old Fano had over €12M in the bank – an extraordinary sum for such a small club. Mirco quite rightly earmarked a fair amount for running costs and improvements but he and Sandy still agreed that up to €6M would be available to sign new players if required. As well as this the two men agreed that the wage budget would need to be upped considerably and Mirco agreed to a staggering €120K a week. Sandy reflected that with their current bill running at under €18K a week it would be some time before he threatened that particular budget. As the summer progressed Sandy and his staff partook in some serious squad strengthening, bringing in no less than 8 new players to the Stadio Mancini. Despite his generous transfer budget six of his new signings came via the free transfer market with only two commanding fees. The new boys at Fano were as follows. Michele Marcolini (31) An experienced attacking midfielder who has Serie A experience with Atalanta in his long career. Erik Hagen (32) Capped five times for Norway Erik is a very experienced centre back and joined from Valerenga for €700K. Ricardo Costa (26) A central defender who has spent all of his career at Porto but failed to make a breakthrough into the first team. Dirk Ochs (23) A very determined midfielder recently released by FC Bayern. Capped at Under-21 level for Germany but he never made an appearance for the senior team. Michele Ferri (26) A versatile player who can play anywhere along the back line he joined from Palermo for a fee of €950K. Patrice Luzi (27) A gifted keeper who can boast clubs such as Monaco, Liverpool and Schalke 04 on his CV. Igor Herrero (22) A former Real Madrid youth who never made it to the first team, Igor can play as a sweeper, centre back or right back. Nermin Celikovic (26) A Bosnian striker who has spent four seasons in the Bundesliga with 1.FC Koln. In addition to the new players coming in Sandy decided to release centre back Daniele Sgammini on a free transfer at the end of his contract as he had more than enough defensive cover and young Dan was never going to make the grade. Most of Sandy’s signings were made with a view to strengthening the defence but Marcolini, Ochs and Celikovic would also add depth to the midfield and attack and all things considered he was pretty pleased with how the squad was looking. During the summer period the Euro 2008 qualifiers continued with Sandy as an interested spectator. He was disappointed to see Scotland doing poorly, losing in Norway and Estonia, and they had virtually no chance of making it to the finals. Italy recovered from a shock defeat in Latvia by recording a home win against Wales and still had every chance of qualification. Sandy arranged a couple of pre-season friendlies to see how the new players fared. The results were mixed – a 2-1 defeat of Ancona and a 1-0 loss at Pisa – but a sending off would mean that Fredi Carelli would miss the season opener at home to Cagliari. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 18, 2004 Author Share Posted December 18, 2004 Eating At The Top Table As Sandy prepared his squad for their first ever game in Serie A the realities of life in the top flight began to hit home. During the course of this season his team would face matches against the likes of Roma, Inter, Juventus, Milan and Lazio. Teams that had spent the best part of €100M on playing talent during the summer. Teams that could attract over 80,000 fans to their home games. This really was life with the big boys and Sandy had absolutely no idea if his lads could handle it. He did have the luxury of a pretty big squad now – counting all his youngsters Fano had some 45 players on the books. Of course this did mean that he had some selection headaches for the season opener and he spent hours with his coaches deciding on the first eleven for the visit of Cagliari. His main concern was in midfield with Carelli suspended, Ochs carrying an injury from the last friendly game and Palacios out for 2 months with a groin muscle torn in training. Komi Tchangai was also unavailable as he was away on international duty with Togo. The day before the opening game the first major trophy of the season was decided with Sampdoria lifting the European Super Cup after a 2-1 defeat of FC Bayern. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 2nd 2007 Serie A Game 1 Fano 0 Cagliari 1 Not the greatest of starts to life in Serie A, especially considering we were playing another newly promoted team that we had beaten home and away last season. The new centre back pairing of Hagen and Costa looked unsteady but it often takes time for new players to settle in and adjust. Orlandi put in a good performance to keep the score respectable but we never threatened going forward and I obviously have some thinking to do about out attacking play. Team Selection Orlandi (9*), Tomasetti (7), Ferri (7, sub 67), Hagen (5, sub 67), Costa (6), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (7), Stefani (7), Riccio (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7) Subs - Faccini (6), Russo (7) Sandy would be forced to make at least one change to the team for the next game as Luca Tomasetti suffered a serious groin strain in training and would be out for two months. After seeking further medical advice Sandy agreed that both Tomasetti and Palacios would undergo surgery and both players would be out for several months. With a weekend off for Euro 2008 qualifiers Sandy spent the extra time working his players hard in training. At the weekend Scotland restored a modicum of pride with a battling 3-3 draw against Slovakia, coming back from 3-1 down to take a point. Italy maintained second place in their group behind Serbia & Montenegro with a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland. However during the week Italy suffered a 1-0 defeat in Serbia and could now do no better that runners-up but Scotland recorded a stunning 3-1 win over group leaders Spain. For the visit of Perugia Sandy decided to play Collacchioni at right back, giving Marcolini a start on the right wing. He also welcomed back Tchangai from international duty and paired him with Hagen in the centre of defence. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 15th 2007 Serie A Game 2 Fano 1 Perugia 2 This was a much better performance from the team and was worthy of at least a point. Odair scored a superb opening goal, firing home powerfully from a tight angle and we held the lead until 20 minutes from time. But then Tchangai gave away a careless penalty to allow the visitors back into the game. The Togolese defender was also at fault for the second goal, losing possession in a critical area and undoing all of the good work put in by his teammates. Team Selection Orlandi (6), Collacchioni (8), Ferri (7), Tchangai (5, sub 83), Hagen (7), Marcolini (7), Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (8*) Subs - Costa (6) Goals Odair 19 In their next game Fano faced a trip to Vicenza, a team that they had eliminated from the Italian Cup last season. Sandy only made one change for the game, brining in young Dirk Ochs for Carelli. He decided to keep faith with Tchangai to see if he would put in a steadier performance in this game. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 23rd 2007 Serie A Game 3 Vicenza 1 Fano 1 This was another pretty good performance and I was delighted to see Pazzi playing well and scoring his first goal of the season, his pace taking him free of the defence and making a neat finish. We could have reached the break further ahead but Andorno saw his shot come back off the post. It’s a shame that the winger had to come off with a knock in the second half as he was playing well. The home side equalised just 5 minutes after the restart with German veteran Oliver Neuville creating the chance. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get the win but at least we have our first point on the board. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Collacchioni (8), Ferri (7), Tchangai (6), Hagen (8), Marcolini (7), Andorno (8, sub 73), Riccio (6, sub 73), Ochs (7), Pazzi (9*), Odair (8) Subs - Stefani (6), Di Fiandra (7) Goals Pazzi 28 With Ochs still not yet match fit Sandy made the decision to recall Carelli for the trip to Reggina but apart from that he went with an unchanged team. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 30th 2007 Serie A Game 4 Reggina 1 Fano 0 This was a bruising encounter and the tackles were flying in, especially from the home side. We had several players struggling by the end of the game and were fortunate that there were no serious injuries. We created some decent chances and the home keeper made some good stops to deny us a goal. We conceded the winner with 20 minutes remaining and it was a bit of a disappointing goal. A long diagonal ball to the back post should have been dealt with but we were a little slack and paid the price. Team Selection Orlandi (8), Collacchioni (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (7), Marcolini (7, sub 18), Andorno (7), Riccio (7, sub 70), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7) Subs - Di Fiandra (7), Stefani (7) So Fano’s first month in Serie A was not a happy one – three defeats out of four games and just a single point to show for their efforts. They sat in 16th place but only goal difference kept them out of the bottom three relegation places. Parma, Lazio and Fiorentina were making the early running at the to of the table and all three were unbeaten so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartley_m Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 A terrific story and by the looks of things, a terrific manager. Will be following this one with a keen interest, kutgw Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 Thank you bartley It’s A Jungle Out There Morale was understandably affected by the bad start to the season and a visit by Roma did not seem to offer much hope for progression. Tchangai would miss the game as he was on international duty for Togo so Ricardo Costa would play instead. Davide Andorno would also miss the game as he had not fully recovered from his battering the previous weekend and Mirco Di Fiandra was unavailable with an injury sustained in training. Sandy reshuffled by moving Marcolini to the left wing, Collacchioni to the right, Michele Ferri to right back and bringing in Paolo Bravo for his first game of the season at left back. Odair was also struggling with a knock so Marco Pierobon made his first appearance to partner Pazzi. He also brought in Ochs to replace Carelli in midfield. Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 7th 2007 Serie A Game 5 Fano 0 Roma 1 We were by no means disgraced in this game and the narrow scoreline reflects the closeness of the game. We fell behind after half an hour from a header that deflected off Marcolini when Orlandi looked to have it covered. Luck was not on our side today – we hit the crossbar, had one effort cleared off the line and forced the visiting keeper into a number of decent saves. On another day we would have taken something from this game so we should look at it positively. Team Selection Orlandi (5), Feri (7), Bravo (5, sub 73), Costa (5, sub 73), Hagen (7), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (6, sub 88), Riccio (7), Ochs (7), Pazzi (7), Pierobon (7) Subs – Dika (6), Russo (6), Dall’Acqua (6) A midweek trip to bottom of the table Genoa was not the worst of prospects as Fano sought their first win in Serie A. Some further team changes were required though after their hard game at the weekend. Herrero came in at right back, Tchangai was back after representing his county and Andorno, Carelli and Odair would all make a start. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday October 10th 2007 Serie A Game 6 Genoa 2 Fano 2 We started this game well and established a two-goal lead after an hour but in the end we ran out of steam and allowed the home side to come back and gain a point. It was very disappointing to let a lead slip like that and we still don’t look solid enough at the back for my liking. But on the positive side Collacchioni looks like he won’t be out of place at this level and Odair is playing very well. Team Selection Orlandi (7), Herrero (5), Ferri (6), Tchangai (7), Hagen (6, sub 79), Collacchioni (8), Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (10*) Subs – Faccini (6) Goals Odair 18, Pazzi 62 The Euro 2008 qualification campaign was completed over the weekend and despite a 6-0 demolition of Liechtenstein, Italy finish runners-up in their group and will face a playoff. Scotland signed off with a scoreless draw in the Faroe Islands and finished 4th in their group. Sandy viewed the forthcoming trip to the San Siro to play Milan with mixed feelings. On the one hand the prospect of such a big game was very exciting but on the other he had serious misgivings about his team’s ability to handle the pressure that they would encounter. They were far from used to playing in front of large crowds and they would almost certainly find the atmosphere very intimidating. With this in mind he decided to bring the experienced Michele Marcolini into midfield in place of Riccio. Sandy’s Journal Saturday October 20th 2007 Serie A Game 7 Milan 1 Fano 3 I told the boys before the game to go out and see if they could quieten the crowd and they certainly did that! Odair showed pace and trickery to get us off to a great start and even though Milan equalised soon afterwards we still kept our heads up. Marcolini took advantage of some poor marking to put us back in front and Pazzi showed his pace to score the third. I have to say that I was amazed at how poorly the home side played but take nothing away from our boys – they fully deserved their win. Team Selection Orlandi (6), Herrero (6), Ferri (6), Tchangai (6), Hagen (7), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (7), Marcolini (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8*), Odair (8) Goals Odair 6, Marcolini 19, Pazzi 29 Having gained their first Serie A victory in some style the mood in and around the Stadio Mancini was very positive. But there was little time to relax before the trip to Como for an Italian Cup encounter. Sandy planned to make some significant team changes anyway but one change in particular was forced upon him when Davide Andorno suffered a serious injury, a torn groin muscle, which would require surgery and a long layoff to repair. Sandy’s Journal Tuesday October 23rd 2007 Italian Cup 1st Round 1st Leg Como 2 Fano 1 We spent the bulk of the game exercising the home keeper who deservedly gained Man of the Match honours for his performance, a string of stunning stops limiting us to a single goal. Inspired by their goalie, the home side found the net twice in the last 20 minutes to get the win but if we can exert the same pressure in the return leg then all is not lost. Team Selection Luzi (7), Russo (6), Bravo (7), Costa (5), Dika (7), Di Fiandra (7), Dall’Acqua (5), Riccio (9), Stefani (6), Pierobon (7), Celikovic (8) Goals Riccio 49 For the visit of Serie leaders Parma, Sandy reverted back to his first choice eleven with Marcolini replacing Andorno on the left wing and Luzi keeping his place in goal. Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 28th 2007 Serie A Game 8 Fano 1 Parma 1 This was a really steady display by the team today. We held our shape really well and defended as well as we have all season. We didn’t create too many chances going forward but Riccio gave us a deserved lead before the break. The visitors struck back 10 minutes after the restart but we held on for a well-earned point. Team Selection Luzi (6), Herrero (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (8*), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7) Goals Riccio 39 A very busy month came to a conclusion with a visit from Juventus and Sandy had to make a few team changes. Orlandi came back in as Luzi was struggling with a knock picked up in training. Russo replaced Herrero at right back and Celikovic came in for a tired Odair. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday October 31st 2007 Serie A Game 9 Fano 2 Juventus 1 This was another excellent performance – solid in defence and very positive going forward. Erik Hagen scored his first goal for the club to give us an early lead but Juve struck back quickly with what would prove to be their only shot on target during the whole game. We stuck to our task admirably and Riccio selflessly set up Pazzi for the late winner and three invaluable points. Team Selection Orlandi (5), Russo (7, sub 70), Ferri (8), Tchangai (8), Hagen (8), Collacchioni (8), Marcolini (8*), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Celikovic (4, sub 70) Subs - Di Fiandra (7), Pierobon (7) Goals Hagen 6, Pazzi 88 Two excellent league wins saw Fano end a hectic month in 14th place with 9 points, a much healthier state of affairs than last month. Parma continued to set the early pace with Inter hot on their heels. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Good start to Serie A. If Fano can beat the likes of Milan and Juventus, then there must be reasonable grounds for assuming that they can stay up. KUTGW BobBev. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 22, 2004 Author Share Posted December 22, 2004 Thanks Spav but I expect a few struggles along the way A New Challenge? With little time for recuperation before the trip to Palermo Sandy shuffled his side once again. Luzi was preferred in goal over Orlandi, Collacchioni was switched to right back with Di Fiandra playing on the right wing and Odair replaced the disappointing Celikovic. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 4th 2007 Serie A Game 10 Palermo 0 Fano 0 This wasn’t the most entertaining of games for the spectators as neither side really got going during the 90 minutes. We created few opportunities but on the other hand we didn’t have too much to do at the back either. Team Selection Luzi (8), Collacchioni (7), Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (6), Di Fiandra (7), Marcolini (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7, sub 64), Odair (7) Subs - Pierobon (6) A knock to keeper Luzi during the last game turned out to be more serious than was first thought and the French stopper required several weeks of physiotherapy to rectify the problem. Sandy once again made chances for the team to face Como in the midweek game, partly through necessity but mainly to give some of the squad players some competitive action. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday November 7th 2007 Italian Cup 1st Round 2nd Leg Fano 3 Como 2 (3-3 on aggregate, Como win on away goals) Already chasing a one-goal deficit the situation looked hopeless after we conceded two goals immediately after half time. But this seemed to spur the players into action and they achieved a spirited fight back to win on the evening but we were eliminated on away goals. I’m not too disappointed to go out of the cup and I was impressed by the spirit in the team so it’s hard to be too disappointed about the result. Team Selection Orlandi (8), Herrero (6), Ferri (7), Faccini (7), Costa (8), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (7), Ochs (7), Stefani (7), Celikovic (7), Dall’Acqua (9*) Goals Ochs 63, Costa 65, Dall’Acqua 78 With the Italian Cup now behind them Sandy hoped that he could now focus on establishing a settled first eleven and get a decent run of form going in the league, starting from the weekend visit to Cup opponents Como. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 11th 2007 Serie A Game 11 Como 0 Fano 0 We were more than equal to our hosts and it took a fine performance from their keeper to deny us a win. We created a number of good chances and on the balance of play we deserved the win. But a point away from home is never a bad result so I won’t complain too much. Team Selection Orlandi (8), Ferri (7), Russo (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (7), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7) There was no competitive action the next weekend due to the Euro 2008 Playoffs and the Fano boys watched along with the rest of the country as Italy tried to secure their place in Austria and Switzerland. The were drawn against Belgium and an extraordinary first leg at home ended 5-4 to Italy with five goals being scored in a frantic final 20 minutes. The return tie was also high scoring but left Sandy’s adopted homeland in mourning as their team lost 4-2 to suffer an incredible 8-7 aggregate defeat. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 25th 2007 Serie A Game 12 Fano 1 Atalanta 3 What a frustrating game this can be – we outplayed the visitors but failed to capitalise on our chances after a splendid early goal by Odair. They had three shots on target and scored with each one. I’m afraid that Orlandi must shoulder some responsibility here and his place in the first team is under increasing threat. Team Selection Orlandi (5), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Hagen (6), Collacchioni (8), Marcolini (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (8) Goals Odair 10 The next day as Sandy was brooding on the nature of his team’s defeat there was a knock at his office door and club president Mirco Giovanelli walked in. “Hello Mirco. Come to discuss our goalkeeping problem?†“No Senor Sandy, I have something else on my mind.†The usually jovial Italian sounded rather subdued. “What is it Mirco?†“You are happy here at Fano Senor Sandy?†“Of course I’m happy Mirco. The team is going well, I love the town and the people – I’m very happy†“You have maybe thought about moving to a beeger team though?†“I can’t say that I have, why?†“I have had a telephone call from Senor Cimminelli the President of Torino. As you know they have just fired Voncenzo Pincolini and they want to talk to you about taking over†“Oh!†“Senor Sandy, I love you like a brother and you are the best thing that has ever happened to my Fano, but eef you want to talk to them I weel not stand in your way. They are a huge club weeth a magnifico stadium and eet would be a beeg chance for you.†Sandy hesitated for a moment before responding. “Mirco, the only reason that I got back into this stupid game was because of you. Why do you think that I’d walk out on you now when we have so much more to do at Fano.†Mirco said nothing but standing abruptly he pulled Sandy up out of his chair and engulfed him in one of his trademark bearhugs. Releasing the Scotsman he walked towards the door, turning at the exit to say “Senor Sandy, you are a very fine man, a very fine man indeed.†As the month came to a close Sandy was approached by Cristian Pazzi who wanted to negotiate an improved contract. Having assured his star striker that he was supportive of a new arrangement the Scotsman asked General Manager Sandro Mengucci to hammer out the details and the two worked out a new 3-year deal that would make Paz one of the best-paid players at the club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted January 3, 2005 Author Share Posted January 3, 2005 Struggling to Compete As Sandy prepared his team for their trip to Bologna he reflected on the challenge that Serie A presented. Now moving into their 4th full month of competition his team had only won 2 of their 12 games and lay in 16th place but he wasn’t too worried. He felt that things would soon turn around once Fano started getting a little more luck going their way. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 2nd 2007 Serie A Game 13 Bologna 1 Fano 1 It was another very frustrating evening as I watched the lads play with great spirit, taking the game to their opponents and creating some great chances. Having taken the lead through an early penalty we had the opportunity to kill the game off but it never happened. We came very close, hitting the woodwork three times. The fact that the home keeper was voted Man of the Match says it all really. But once again we were denied three points as we conceded an equaliser 10 minutes after the restart. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (6), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (8), Hagen (7), Collacchioni (9), Marcolini (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Odair (8) Goals Marcolini 7 The visit of Udinese was preceded by another visit from Mirco with the news that he had been approached by Genoa with a request to interview Sandy for their vacant managerial post. “I’ll tell you what Mirco, take it as read that I’m not interested in leaving Fano so just tell anyone else that calls that they’re wasting their time. Unless they’re from Milan or Rome of course.†Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 9th 2007 Serie A Game 14 Fano 1 Udinese 0 Our second penalty in as many games gave us a first-half lead and this time we were able to hold on to it and get a very welcome win. Komi Tchangai was a rock at the back, snuffing our numerous attacks before they could develop and Luzi made some good stops to keep a clean sheet. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (8*), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7) Goals Carelli 33 In midweek left back Luca Ferri suffered a knock in training that ruled him out of the trip to Lazio so Paolo Bravo made the trip in his stead. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 16th 2007 Serie A Game 15 Lazio 2 Fano 0 We were quite simply outplayed tonight, never really getting into our stride and rarely threatening the home side. We worked hard but never looked like penetrating a solid Lazio back line that was marshalled superbly by the veteran Jaap Staam. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (6), Bravo (6), Hagen (6), Tchangai (6), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (6), Riccio (8), Carelli (6), Pazzi (7), Odair (7) Fano’s final game of the month would be at still-managerless Torino and Sandy was keen to say the least to take full points from the bottom of the table strugglers. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 22nd 2007 Serie A Game 16 Torino 2 Fano 1 Having gifted the home side a two-goal lead by half time we were always on the back foot. A re-shuffle during the break saw a marked improvement in the second half but it was too little too late and we couldn’t get back on terms. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (9*), Bravo (4, sub 45), Hagen (6), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (8), Marcolini (7), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (8) Goals Ferri 82 With a 2-week break over the Christmas period to look forward to Sandy had an opportunity to spend some extra time on the training pitch in an effort to gee up his team and snap them out of their poor run of form. They were still in 16th place but his team were slipping closer and closer to the relegation positions and he wasn’t quite as confident in a turnaround as he had been at the start of the month. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted January 5, 2005 Author Share Posted January 5, 2005 The Fight Continues A visit by high-flying Sampdoria was not perhaps the ideal start to the New Year but with Luca Ferri restored to the starting lineup Sandy was hopeful that his defence would be strengthened. He also decided to play Dirk Ochs in midfield rather than Carelli to see if the young German could inject some bite. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 6th 2008 Serie A Game 17 Fano 0 Sampdoria 1 My experiment with Ochs failed as he put in a very poor performance before being substituted at the break. Hagen was also poor and was replaced by Faccini who lasted 20 minutes before limping off himself. We just can’t seem to buy a goal at present – the front two are playing well but they seem to have lost their touch in front of the posts. Team Selection Luzi (9), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (4, sub 45), Tchangai (6), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (5), Riccio (7), Ochs (4, sub 45), Pazzi (7), Odair (7) Subs – Faccini (7, sub 64), Carelli (7), Herrero (7) A rare midweek game followed with a visit from Inter. The Milan giants were not having a good season by their own standards and lay in 9th place in the table but Sandy was under no illusions regarding the magnitude of the task that faced his team. With some enforced changes in the starting eleven the job would be even more difficult. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday January 9th 2008 Serie A Game 18 Fano 1 Inter 1 Pazzi’s first goal for 8 games to give us the lead was a great confidence boost and with a bit more luck in front of goal we could easily have gone on to win the game. We saw more of the ball and were by no means outplayed. If Luzi would be a bit more consistent then I would be a lot happier as he’s a good keeper. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (7), Russo (7), Dika (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (9*), Marcolini (8), Riccio (8), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Dall’Acqua (7, sub 45) Subs – Celikovic (7) Goals Pazzi 17 The appearance of player/coach Salvatore Russo at the age of 36 was a record for the club as he became the oldest player ever to represent Fano in a competitive game. Before the week was out Russo had also persuaded Sandy and the board to make a major investment in a young striker that he had been following. Michele Alberti was just 16 and it had taken a fee of €775K to prise him from Serie B side Catanzaro but Salvatore was so insistent about the lad that he pushed the deal through. If he was anywhere near as good as Russo said he was then it wouldn’t be too long before he made an appearance in the first team. Sandy reverted back to his preferred eleven for the visit to Fiorentina but Dika kept his place in central defence instead of Hagen. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 13th 2008 Serie A Game 19 Fiorentina 3 Fano 2 Having managed to come back from a goal behind I was furious when we conceded twice in the last 5 minutes to throw three points away. Our inconsistency in defence is costing us dear and if I can’t find a way to fix it then we won’t be playing in Serie A next season. On a positive note young Leo Collacchioni is proving his worth yet again as he shows that he is more than capable of playing at this level. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (5), Dika (5, sub 72), Tchangai (8, sub 84), Collacchioni (9), Marcolini (7, sub 72), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Odair (7) Subs – Faccini (6), Di Fiandra (6), Herrero (5) Goals Tchangai 25, Collacchioni 27 To add to Sandy’s concerns striker Pazzi was ruled out for a week with a back strain and would miss the next game at Perugia, as would Collacchioni who was serving a one-match suspension. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 20th 2008 Serie A Game 20 Perugia 0 Fano 0 There was little to choose between the two teams, both creating a number of chances but failing to hit the target with most of them. I can’t help feeling that if we can start to find the back of the net and get a few wins under our belts then the entire season could turn around. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (6), Dika (7), Tchangai (6), Di Fiandra (7, sub 79), Marcolini (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Dall’Acqua (7), Odair (8*) Subs – Celikovic (7) With his team struggling to get on the scoresheet Sandy was pleased to have Pazzi back in the side for the visit of Vicenza. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 27th 2008 Serie A Game 21 Fano 0 Vicenza 0 Despite totally dominating the game our goal drought showed no signs of being broken. The visiting keeper denied us again and again and we have just about got to the point where we are convinced that no matter what we do we are destined not to score. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Dika (8), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (4, sub 64), Riccio (7), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Odair (7, sub 64) Subs – Di Fiandra (7), Pierobon (6) The month came to an end with a midweek trip to Cagliari. Luca Tomasetti would make only his second appearance of the season after his early injury as Sandy shuffled his lineup to rest some tired bodies. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday January 30th 2008 Serie A Game 22 Cagliari 3 Fano 2 Just as Pazzi gets back in amongst the goals our defence decides to go AWOL! His early goal was quickly cancelled out as the home side established a 3-1 lead with 25 minutes remaining. Paz pulled one back but we couldn’t do enough to steal a point. Team Selection Luzi (7), Tomasetti (4, sub 62), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (8), Marcolini (7, sub 62), Riccio (7), Carelli (6), Pazzi (8), Celikovic (7) Subs – Herrero (6), Dall’Acqua (7) Goals Pazzi 7, 68 After a very poor month Fano had now dropped to 18th in the table, the first of the three relegation places. With only 3 wins and 18 points they were in real trouble. At the other end of the table Roma had overtaken Parma and established a 7-point lead at the top. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankles Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 This is a very captivating diary, and so effective that I'm beginning to see elements of my dad after a couple of drinks in Mirco the chairman. How I'll explain that reading this all evening last night instead of completing an English essay to my teacher is the question I'll take with me into college today. This is good stuff, may it continue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted January 7, 2005 Author Share Posted January 7, 2005 Sorry to disrupt your education Frankles but I certainly appreciate your very kind comments. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures With barely a third of their debut Serie A season remaining, Fano were in deep trouble. Mired in a relegation dogfight, struggling to score goals and inconsistent in defence, the players were understandably dejected. Sandy was desperate to find a way to boost their confidence but unfortunately the best way to do that was to get a few wins on the board, and that was proving to be a difficult trick to pull off. 3 victories in 22 attempts was not an encouraging statistic. For the visit of fellow strugglers Reggina Sandy made the decision to put 16-year-old Alberti in the starting eleven. The lad had impressed in the Under-20s and quite frankly the manager felt that he had nothing to lose by playing the youngster. Winger Marcolini was missing with an injury so Odair was moved to the flank. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 3rd 2008 Serie A Game 23 Fano 3 Reggina 0 This was a much steadier performance than of late and for once we were able to capitalise on an early goal and go on to get the win. Odair showed his versatility by adapting to his position on the wing and his early strike was crucial. The experiment with Alberti up front didn’t really work but it was asking a lot of a 16-year-old to come into the team and become an instant goalscorer. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8), Riccio (8*), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Alberti (5, sub 62) Subs – Dall’Acqua (7) Goals Odair 8, Tchangai 28, Riccio 54 Fano’s morale-boosting win was hugely welcome and Sandy hoped that his players could draw some inspiration from the result in their next game, a trip to table-topping Roma! Having tried out one young striker with no success he decided that he would go for broke with another teenager, asking 17-year-old Matteo Visentin to start up front. The lad was having another exceptional season in the Under-20’s and Sandy felt that the gamble was worth it. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 10th 2008 Serie A Game 24 Roma 1 Fano 3 This was a truly stunning performance by the team. To silence the Olimpico in Rome and come away with such an emphatic result was a magnificent achievement, especially considering our league position. Our midfield was just inspirational and young Matteo was outstanding, showing no nerves and converting his goal with aplomb. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (9), Odair (9), Riccio (8), Carelli (8), Pazzi (8), Visentin (9*) Goals Collacchioni 39, Visentin 52, Tchangai 62 Two straight wins had transformed the mood around the Stadio Mancini, with the victory over Roma in particular providing a significant increase in morale. Sandy had no hesitation in naming an unchamged eleven for the visit of struggling Genoa. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 17th 2008 Serie A Game 25 Fano 3 Genoa 0 Having not been able to score a goal for love nor money we have now found the net 9 times in our last three games. Matteo is fast becoming a local hero and I am delighted with the impact that the young man has made. The boys have suddenly started to deliver and are now playing with style and confidence – it’s amazing what a win or two does for a team. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (8), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8), Riccio (8), Carelli (8), Pazzi (8), Visentin (10*) Goals Visentin 18, 31, Pazzi 86 With his team suddenly finding things going their way Sandy was hopeful that their midweek trip to Juventus would prove fruitful. The Torino giants were having a poor season and sat in 10th place in the table. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday February 20th 2008 Serie A Game 26 Juventus 0 Fano 2 To be honest we were on the defensive for a lot of this game but our luck has taken a definite turn for the better and two late goals gave us our 4th straight win. The key moment in the game came in the 86th minute when Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon was injured. The home side had already used all of their substitutes so veteran striker Christian Vieri took over in goal and was found wanting. I suspect that had Buffon remained on the pitch then the game would have remained goalless but who am I to complain when a break goes our way for a change. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (6), Hagen (7), Tchangai (9*), Collacchioni (9), Odair (9), Riccio (9), Carelli (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8) Goals Riccio 88, Tchangai 90 Fano’s new-found form faced a stiff test indeed in their next game when Milan came to town but once again Sandy could name an unchanged lineup. Michele Marcolini had recovered from injury but the excellent form of Odair meant that the winger remained a spectator on the bench. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 24th 2008 Serie A Game 27 Fano 2 Milan 0 I am truly astounded at the extraordinary turnaround that we have seen this month as we put in another quite splendid performance to get a well deserved win. Riccio’s contribution has been significant and the striker-turned midfielder was once again instrumental. Defensively we have tightened up significantly and the midfield is really clicking but the real key has been the self-belief of the players. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (9*), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8), Riccio (9), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8) Goals Riccio 45, Visentin 52 As Sandy continued to marvel at the transformation in his team’s fortunes he regarded the league table with a deal more satisfaction now than just a few short weeks ago. Fano were now in 14th place with a decent 10-point margin over the first of the relegation places. Five straight wins with just 1 goal conceded in that spell had made a huge difference to their outlook and it was a much more confident set of players that looked forward to the remainder of the league campaign. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartley_m Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacemaker7 Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Frankles: This is a very captivating diary, and so effective that I'm beginning to see elements of my dad after a couple of drinks in Mirco the chairman. How I'll explain that reading this all evening last night instead of completing an English essay to my teacher is the question I'll take with me into college today. This is good stuff, may it continue. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Let us know how it goes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Great updates BobBev. The last time I posted a comment you had beaten Milan and Juventus for the first time, but now you've made it a double over both teams. Form like that surely implies safety and another crack at Serie A next season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted January 13, 2005 Author Share Posted January 13, 2005 Thanks chaps Like Night And Day As the team went through their preparations for the trip to Parma for their opening game of the month it was as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders. But Sandy new that confidence could be a very fragile commodity indeed and a bad result at the team holding 3rd place in the table could easily reverse his team’s buoyant mood. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 2nd 2008 Serie A Game 28 Parma 0 Fano 1 I guess that when your luck is in then it’s in and I consider us fortunate to have won this game. The home side saw more of the ball but they seemed to lack composure in front of goal and squandered some good opportunities. To add insult to injury, there was more than a hint of offside about Pazzi’s goal but the decision went our way and our splendid run of results continues. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (6), L Ferri (7), Hagen (8), Tchangai (8), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8), Riccio (7), Carelli (8), Pazzi (6), Visentin (7) Goals Pazzi 64 A run of three home games commenced with the visit of Palermo and once again Sandy could send out an unchanged eleven. Now that his team had found their form we was most anxious not to disrupt a winning lineup and he was very pleased to have avoided any injury problems for some time now. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 9th 2008 Serie A Game 29 Fano 0 Palermo 0 Having had a good injury-free spell it was concerning to have to withdraw several players who seemed to be struggling with knocks and it really disrupted our flow. We never looked like losing this game but we didn’t play with the sane authority that we have shown recently and a draw is a fair result on the balance of play. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (6, sub 59), Collacchioni (8*), Odair (7), Riccio (5, sub 59), Carelli (7, sub 59), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Faccini (7), Ochs (7), Marcolini (7) Goals Pazzi 64 Sandy was pleased that none of his players had sustained a significant injury and all would be fir for the visit of Como. However, once change would be forced on the Scotsman as Carelli was serving a one-match suspension so Ochs would substitute. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 16th 2008 Serie A Game 30 Fano 3 Como 0 This was quite a dominant performance by the boys with Ochs playing well and Odair in fine form on the wing. Riccio has struggled in the last couple of games for some reason – perhaps the lad just needs a rest. I was particularly pleased with our second goal, substitute Marcolini finishing off a very slick one-touch passing move that tore the Como defence to shreds. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (8), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (7, sub 56), Odair (9*), Riccio (4, sub 45), Ochs (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Marcolini (8), Stefani (7) Goals Collacchioni 34, Marcolini 49, Odair 55 Before Fano’s next game there was a great deal of upheaval in Milano with Inter sacking boss Alberto Zaccheroni and Milan dismissing Carlo Ancelotti. As Sandy was in the midst of his preparations for the visit of Bologna he had another visit from club president Mirco Giovanelli. “Senor Sandy, you told me some weeks ago that I should not bother you again about other teams wanting you as manager unless they were from Roma or Milano, you remember?†“Sure I remember Mirco, what about it?†“Well, I have had a call from Milano – Inter want to talk to you.†There was a long silence as both men regarded one another. Finally Sandy spoke. “Tell them I’m not interested Mirco.†The normally jovial Italian looked at his manager for a few moments and Sandy was sure that he could see a hint of tears in Mirco’s eyes. Unable to speak, the Fano president merely nodded, turned on his heel and left Sandy’s office. Trying to ignore the distraction of the Inter offer, Sandy decided that Ochs would keep his place in the first team for the visit of Bologna after his good display in their last game but he decided against leaving Riccio out despite his recent slump. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday March 26th 2008 Serie A Game 31 Fano 3 Bologna 0 Leo Collacchioni topped off a superb performance with an expertly taken free kick in the second half to seal another excellent win. The front two have quickly developed a good understanding and young Matteo continues to excel. The lad isn’t blessed with lightning pace but he’s good in the air and his close control gives him that extra yard. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (9), Hagen (8), Tchangai (8), Collacchioni (10*), Odair (8), Riccio (7), Ochs (8), Pazzi (8), Visentin (9) Goals Pazzi 17, Visentin 35,Collacchioni 59 A second unbeaten month had done Fano a power of good. Eight wins in 9 games with just a single goal conceded in that period had taken the team to 10th place in Serie A, a position that seemed inconceivable two months ago. Roma still held top spot, three points clear of Milan, with Lazio, Parma, Inter and Sampdoria all challenging. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted January 20, 2005 Author Share Posted January 20, 2005 Safe At Last Having now established a 13-point margin of safety Sandy felt that it would take a very unlikely collapse in form for Fano to be relegated from Serie A. Not that they could afford to relax, far from it, but the club was in much better shape now. He was pleased by the way that his players had responded to adversity but Sandy knew better than most just how transient confidence could be. Looking back, he couldn’t single out a particular event that triggered the turnaround and if he knew exactly how it had been engineered he would bottle it, sell it and retire a rich man! For the trip to Udinese, Freddi Carelli was restored to the team as Dirk Ochs was looking a little weary, having not fully established match fitness. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday April 2nd 2008 Serie A Game 32 Udinese 0 Fano 1 A splendid piece of opportunism from Paz secured what proved to be the winning goal in the first half, the striker sneaking possession in the centre circle and allowing his lightening pace to do the rest. The home side had more than enough chances to end their recent losing streak but once again our luck held and we got another good result. Roberto Palacios made an appearance from the bench to ease him back into action after his injury layoff and he came through the 45 minutes in good shape. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (6), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (7), Riccio (5, sub 45), Carelli (7, sub 73), Pazzi (9*), Visentin (8) Subs – Palacios (7), Ochs (7) Goals Pazzi 30 There would be two absentees for the visit to Atalanta – Michele Ferri serving a one-match ban and Komi Tchangai on international duty with Togo. Herrero and Dika would play in their stead and Sandy was understandably concerned about the impact the changes would have on his defence. Sandy’s Journal Sunday April 6th 2008 Serie A Game 33 Atalanta 1 Fano 0 Despite my concerns about our defence it was our attack that failed to perform in this game and having conceded a very early goal we were unable to prise open a stubborn rearguard and suffered our first defeat for 11 games. Team Selection Luzi (5), Herrero (6), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (7), Odair (8*), Riccio (7), Ochs (7), Pazzi (6), Visentin (7) Sandy went back to his first choice back four for the visit of Lazio. He also shuffled the midfield with Carelli replacing Ochs who picked up a knock in training and Palacios starting instead of Riccio. Sandy’s Journal Sunday April 13th 2008 Serie A Game 34 Fano 2 Lazio 2 Two rather dubious penalties in each half reversed Pazzi’s early goal but thankfully Odair was able to find an equaliser, firing home from a narrow angle to square the game. But it was sickening to see Tchangai suffer a terrible injury in stoppage time. I am still awaiting a final diagnosis but his leg is definitely broken and he will be out for the remainder of the season. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Tchangai (6, sub 90), Collacchioni (8), Odair (7), Palacios (8), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Visentin (7) Subs – Dika (6) Goals Pazzi 6, Odair 70 The news on central defender Komi Tchangai wasn’t great as he would require some 5 or 6 months to recover but at least he did not require any drastic surgery as the break was not as severe as Sandy had first feared. The Serie A fixture computer gave Fano a weekend off before their next game at home to Torino and in the meantime the relegation of Bologna was confirmed. With Tchangai not available, Dika would play at the back and Davide Andorno would make his return after injury to replace the suspended Odair. Sandy’s Journal Sunday April 27th 2008 Serie A Game 35 Fano 3 Torino 3 Having taken a two-goal lead inside the first ten minutes we then pressed the self-destruct button and conceded two in the next five minutes. When Pazzi put us back into the lead early in the second half it looked like we would have the quality to hold on but we were denied by a late equaliser. With a goal and two assists, young Visentin was the star of the show. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (4), Hagen (6), Dika (7), Collacchioni (8, sub 60), Andorno (7), Palacios (6), Carelli (7), Pazzi (8), Visentin (9*) Subs – Marcolini (7) Goals Visentin 3, Collacchioni 8, Pazzi 49 Fano were soon back in action with a midweek trip to Sampdoria and Sandy had to make several changes to the team to rest some tired legs. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday April 30th 2008 Serie A Game 36 Sampdoria 3 Fano 2 We were unlucky to concede an early goal when a shot came back off the post and then rebounded into the net via Erik Hagen. Leo got us back on terms from a corner but we conceded twice more before the interval to go into the break 3-1 down. Leo’s second came from a long range free kick that deflected off the wall but despite further pressure we couldn’t complete the comeback. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (6), L Ferri (7), Hagen (7), Faccini (7), Collacchioni (9*), Odair (8), Riccio (8), Ochs (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8) Goals Collacchioni 16, 59 Fano went into May in 12th place in the table on 48 points, well clear of the relegation places. Torino became the second club to have their relegation confirmed and Roma were crowned champions, retaining their title. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 Now We Can Relax Fano’s penultimate game of the season was a match in Milano against Inter. Having been spurned by Sandy they had taken the surprising step of installing sacked Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti as their new manager. Sandy’s Journal Sunday May 4th 2008 Serie A Game 37 Inter 3 Fano 1 Having failed to win any of our last five games I think that we can safely say that our purple patch is well and truly over. We were pretty thoroughly outplayed at the San Siro and did well to reach the break with the match still scoreless. However by the time Leo scored his 6th goal in the last 8 games we were 2-0 down but he gave us a glimmer of hope. A few minutes later young Visentin was chopped down in the area. The lad himself took responsibility for the kick, to my surprise I must admit, but his effort was saved. Having missed a great chance to draw level the final nail in the coffin came late on when Inter scored their 3rd goal. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (5), L Ferri (6), Hagen (6), Dika (6), Collacchioni (8), Odair (6), Riccio (6), Carelli (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Goals Collacchioni 69 Sandy’s team would have their final match of their debut season in Serie A at the Stadio Mancini, Fiorentina the visitors. Luca Ferri would miss the game through suspension so Salvatore Russo cleaned off his boots for one more sally. Sandy’s Journal Sunday May 11th 2008 Serie A Game 38 Fano 1 Fiorentina 0 An even encounter was settled by an Odair penalty midway through the first half, the Brazilian rounding off an excellent season with his 8th goal of the campaign. It was very satisfying to signoff with a win and the 7,000 loyal supporters that packed the stadium cheered us to the rafters. Team Selection Luzi (8*), M Ferri (7), Russo (7), Hagen (7), Dika (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (7, sub 45), Riccio (7), Ochs (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Goals Odair 23 Fano’s great run of form in February and March had totally transformed their season and they finished in 12th place on 51 points, just 10 points shy of a top-5 spot. Reggina took the final relegation place and would be playing Serie B football next season. The breakthrough of Matteo Visentin into the first team was significant and another youngster, Leonardo Collacchioni, was probably the clubs best performer of the season. Leo was voted Serie A Young Player of the Year and also won a place in the Serie A Team of the Year as well as being recognised as the Fan’s favourite for the second season in succession. Another Fano player was also honoured, José Reis Odair finishing in 3rd place in the Foreign Player of the Year voting. Cristian Pazzi finished as top scorer with 13 goals, not his most productive season but a decent return from a lad that was playing in Serie C less than 5 years ago. Inter gained some compensation for a disappointing season by winning the Italian Cup, beating Vicenza 2-0 over the two-legged final. In Europe, PSV won the UEFA Cup, beating FC Bayern with an extra time silver goal after a 1-1 draw in normal time. The Champions League featured an all-English final with Man United triumphing 2-0 over Newcastle after extra time. With neither Scotland nor Italy having made it to Euro 2008 Sandy could enjoy the tournament as a neutral although he was disappointed to see Ireland eliminated in the group stages. World Cup holders Holland crashed out of their group, losing all three games and joint hosts Austria and Switzerland also failed to get to the knockout stages. Germany finally lifted the trophy, beating France 2-0 in the final. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 A very solid finish to the season - well done. If I were Sandy I would be setting a goal of European qualification with next season's effort. Is that how you see it, Bob? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 2, 2005 Author Share Posted February 2, 2005 Thanks Spav but I think that we may be a season or two away from that yet! Consolidation Is The Message With the players all allowed an early summer break after their hard season, Sandy held a series of meetings with his coaching and scouting staff to review the playing staff and determine any changes that would be made over the summer months. It was clear to the manager that his squad needed a clearout as there were a number of players that really did not feature in his plans. The clearout started with the retirement of Mirco Di Fiandra and Paolo Bravo. Salvatore Russo also hung up his boots but remained on the coaching staff in charge of the Youth Academy. Sandy decided that a number of players would not be offered new contracts so Vincenzo Buscemi, Francesco Calanchi, Marco Pomante, Danilo Stefani, Alessandro Pavesi and Francesco Giangolini were all released on free transfers. Striker Andy Selva announced his qualification as a coach but the club was unable to reach agreement on a contract extension so he took his leave. Sandy’s biggest disappointment was the attitude shown by Frederico Carelli during the negotiations on a contract extension. The midfielder’s wage demands were such that agreement could not be reached and he was reluctantly released from the club. The scouting team had identified a number of potential targets but it proved difficult to fit many of them into the club’s wage structure. However, there were a few free agents that did agree to join and the squad was strengthened with the following new faces. Santos (27) An experienced Brazilian defender with 6 years in Serie A under his belt. Rodrigo Batista Machado (25) Another Brazilian, this speedy forward had been playing in Serie B for 4 or 5 seasons. Mauro Rosales (27) The South American connection continued with the signing of this skilful forward for his first stint in Europe, Mirco had also been busy, finally managing to get approval to expand the Stadio Mancini and in 6 months time an additional 3,500 seats would be available. The President had also earmarked nearly €4.5M for Sandy’s transfer budget but the two agreed that the wage budget would be trimmed slightly to €100K. The clear objective this season was to consolidate on their achievements of the last campaign and aim for a comfortable top-half finish. As the season proper approached the Italian Super Cup went to Roma with a 3-1 defeat of Inter. The European Super Cup was won by Man United with a 1-0 victory over PSV. Fano’s first game took place at the end of August and Sandy decided that none of his new signings would make an immediate start in the first eleven. Opponents Catanzaro were newly promoted from Serie B so he was hopeful of making a decent start to the campaign. Sandy’s Journal Sunday August 31st 2008 Serie A Game 1 Fano 4 Catanzaro 2 The highlight of our opening win was a superb hat trick from Leo Collacchioni who was absolutely outstanding. At 22 he is maturing into an extremely powerful player, fast, strong and hard working but with no little skill to go with it – a potent combination it would appear. Today he demonstrated his power in the air, with all of his goals coming from crosses or corners. Jean Dika put in a very disappointing performance in the centre of defence and he may have played his last game for us as he has never established himself in the team, despite his physical presence, and it may be time to move him on. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (8), Hagen (8), Dika (4), Collacchioni (10*), Odair (9), Riccio (7), Ochs (7, sub 54), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8) Subs - Faccini (7) Goals Collacchioni 6, 38, 52, Faccini 84 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 4, 2005 Author Share Posted February 4, 2005 No Easy Games The first weekend in September had no Serie A action scheduled because of World Cup qualifiers and Sandy saw Italy rack up a comfortable 4-0 win over minnows Liechtenstein with Scotland struggling to a 1-1 draw in Cyprus. During the week Scotland put in a very contrasting performance to win 2-1 at home to the Czech Republic with Italy gaining a narrow 3-2 win in Georgia. League action restarted with a trip to Perugia but the team would be without midfielder Michele Marcolini for some time, the 32-year-old having to undergo surgery for a groin strain. With Komi Tchangai still not fit Sandy decided that Santos would make his debut in central defence for this game and midfielder Machado would also get a start, replacing Riccio. Sandy’s Journal Saturday September 13th 2008 Serie A Game 2 Perugia 0 Fano 0 In a game that was as dull as the scoreline suggests our debutants were competent if not outstanding, but the whole team performance was bit flat to be honest. Perhaps we suffered from the enforced break – I do find that when the team is playing well it is best to keep the games coming as we can go off the boil a little with no competitive action. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Hagen (6), Santos (7), Collacchioni (7), Odair (8), Machado (7), Ochs (7), Pazzi (7, sub 71), Visentin (8*) Subs - Rosales (6) After a reasonable start to the season Sandy announced an unchanged team for the visit of Juventus Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 21st 2008 Serie A Game 3 Fano 2 Juventus 2 Before kickoff I would probably have settled for a point but having taken a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes it was disappointing that we couldn’t go on and win the game. Visentin’s opener was nice, the product of a very neat passing move whilst Paz capitalised on a defensive mix up for the second. The visitors pulled a goal back after half an hour and got the winner on the hour mark. We are going to have to try to learn how to kill a game off when we are on top, otherwise this kind of turnaround will keep on happening. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (8), Hagen (7), Santos (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8*), Machado (7), Ochs (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7, sub 85) Subs – Dall’Acqua (6) Goals Visentin 12, Pazzi 19 With Fano’s next game at struggling Cagliari, Sandy was hopeful of a decent result. At this level there were few easy games but this was the sort of match that they had to win if they were to avoid another relegation struggle. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 28th 2008 Serie A Game 4 Cagliari 2 Fano 2 Ill-disciplined defending nearly cost us dear in a game that we should have been capable of winning comfortably. Erik Hagen gave away a rash penalty after 20 minutes and a lack of concentration allowed the home side to double their lead virtually straight from the kickoff. Thankfully we were able to make a spirited recovery, with Pazzi in particular an inspiration to his teammates. But I consider this two points lost rather than one gained. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (7), Hagen (4, sub 63), Santos (7), Collacchioni (9), Odair (8), Machado (7, sub 45), Ochs (8), Pazzi (10*), Visentin (7) Subs – Faccini (7), Palacios (7) Goals M Ferri 72, Pazzi 87 The month ended with Fano unbeaten in their 4 league games but with three of them ending in draws they sat in mid table rather than near the top. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 7, 2005 Author Share Posted February 7, 2005 A Mixed Month Fano’s next opponents were Roman giants Lazio and although they had not got off to the best of starts Sandy knew that they would provide a stiff challenge. He decided to recall Komi Tchangai to the centre of defence after Hagen’s poor show the previous week. Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 5th 2008 Serie A Game 5 Fano 2 Lazio 3 Just like in our game against Juventus, we stormed into a first-half lead but were unable to defend it, only this time the visitors scored three times to condemn us to a frustrating defeat. Machado had an excellent game in midfield – in fact I can’t really criticise any individuals. I am going to have to work hard with the coaches to try to identify why we keep conceding goals. We’re scoring well – 10 in 5 league games is OK – but we have conceded 9 and that balance must change if we are really to establish ourselves in the top flight. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8), Machado (9*), Ochs (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Goals Machado 12, Tchangai 25 Sandy was very unhappy with the way that his team was defending but he was uncertain if he had a problem with his tactical approach or if the issue was with the calibre of his defence. But with a midweek game at Inter fast approaching he had little time on the training pitch to try to sort the problem out. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday October 8th 2008 Serie A Game 6 Inter 2 Fano 4 Perhaps we have found the answer – allow the opposition to score first, and make sure it’s early in the game. Inter took the lead with just two minutes on the clock but we responded superbly, scoring four unanswered goals before the home side got a late consolation. This was quite possibly the most effective attacking play that I have seen the lads produce. Inspired by Odair and Collacchioni we really clicked and when you make a team as good as Inter look ordinary then you really are on form. Pazzi’s opener was all about pace and power as he took off from just inside his own half, outstripped the Inter defence and finished brilliantly. Encouraged by that we really played some flowing football and if we could just reproduce that every week we would take some beating. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (8), Faccini (7), Santos (7), Collacchioni (9), Odair (10*), Machado (7), Ochs (8), Pazzi (8), Visentin (7, sub 68) Subs - Dall’Acqua (7) Goals Pazzi 17, Visentin 26, Collacchioni 57, Odair 68 Sandy and his team had a weekend off to view the World Cup qualifying games and they enjoyed seeing Italy complete a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Slovenia. Encouraged by their fine win Sandy was looking forward to the visit of Sampdoria, hoping that his team could keep their free-flowing attacking style going. Sandy’s Journal Saturday October 18th 2008 Serie A Game 7 Fano 4 Sampdoria 0 This was another very fine display of attacking prowess, aided by some poor defending and wayward shooting by the visitors. Odair is at the top of his game right now and is in truly sparkling form. His close control is breathtaking to watch and he plays with real Brazilian flair and imagination. Pazzi has proven that he can make the grade at the highest level – no mean achievement for a lad that was playing in Serie C a few short years ago. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (9), L Ferri (8), Tchangai (8), Santos (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (9*), Machado (8), Ochs (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8) Goals Pazzi 4, Odair 35, 84, Machado 47 Fano’s next match was the first leg of their Italian Cup tie at Perugia and Sandy decided to give his fringe players a run out. This would serve a double purpose – it would rest the key players in his lineup and it would give much-needed match practice to those selected. Sandy’s Journal Tuesday October 21st 2008 Italian Cup 1st Round 1st Leg Perugia 1 Fano 0 Well none of the fringe players really shone – in fact some of them were downright awful! Andorno showed his class and the only reason that he is not a regular starter is the superb form of Odair. Hagen showed that he can be useful in a defensive midfield role but no one else caught my attention. I should be thankful that we just conceded the one goal and that, despite a rash of minor knocks, we had no serious injuries. Team Selection Luzi (5, sub 16), Tomasetti (6), Santos (6), Costa (6), Faccini (7), Rosales (6), Andorno (8*), Riccio (7), Hagen (7), Celikovic (4, sub 75), Pierobon (6, sub 55) Subs – Orlandi (5), Pazzi (7), Machado (7) For the visit to early Serie A pacesetters Vicenza, Sandy was pleased to revert back to his first choice eleven. Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 26th 2008 Serie A Game 8 Vicenza 1 Fano 1 An early injury to young Visentin knocked out of our stride slightly and we conceded shortly afterwards. But we fought back determinedly but without ever really getting into our attacking stride. The equaliser came on the stroke of half time when Pazzi was upended in the area and Ochs tucked the penalty away neatly enough. On balance the draw was a fair result, as we never really did enough to warrant a win. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Collacchioni (9*), Odair (7), Machado (7), Ochs (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (6, sub 16) Subs - Dall’Acqua (4) Goals Ochs 45 The final action of the month was a midweek visit from Parma. Normally a team challenging for a top-half finish, their opponents had made a dreadful start to the season and languished in 17th position. Matteo Visentin was still struggling with after his injury in the previous game and with several other strikers also struggling for fitness Sandy brought Nermin Celikovic in as a replacement. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday October 29th 2008 Serie A Game 9 Fano 0 Parma 2 What a poor performance this was! I was very unhappy with the goals we conceded and from an attacking viewpoint we never raised our game to make a response. We weren’t helped by a couple of injuries and Celikovic looked dire once again. He’s a good player but his confidence is low at present. I suspect that he needs a run of games but there is no way that he will displace either of our first choice strikers – I may need to move him to the reserves just to get him some playing time. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (6), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (5, sub 29), Santos (7), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Machado (7), Ochs (7, sub 65), Pazzi (7), Celikovic (4, sub 65) Subs – Faccini (6), Hagen (7), Pierobon (7) Fano finished the month in 10th place in Serie A on 13 points. Inter had taken over at the top of the table with surprise package Vicenza close behind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerf Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 BobBev is in Italy, I can't believe I've only just discovered this! Great stuff as always, Bob, and a really terrific achievement to take Fano so far so quickly. I found your playoff defeat more than poignant but you recovered magnificently. Happy to see Santos find a place in your defence too, and I just love Mirco ! KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 Keep it coming! Its one great story, I read it all in one sitting. Viva Fano, in bocca al lupo amico Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 8, 2005 Author Share Posted February 8, 2005 Thanks for your support chaps. BTW nerf, it's great to see your Ragusa epic still going strong - it was in the back of my mind when I started this story I have to admit. Leaking Goals Sandy made one enforced change to his eleven for the trip to Siena, Ochs having picked up a knock in the previous game and Hagen coming in as a replacement. He had seen enough of Nermin Celikovic and the Bosnian striker was despatched to the reserves for some match practice with youngster Visentin restored up front. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 2nd 2008 Serie A Game 10 Siena 2 Fano 2 A fine display by two of my favourite players, youngsters Leo and Matteo, should have given us a platform to beat our relegation-threatened opponents quite comfortably, but having taken the lead on two occasions we conceded equalisers each time. To make matters worse, Collacchioni seems to have suffered an injury late on and even though he finished the game he seems to be in some discomfort. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (6), Tchangai (7), Santos (8), Collacchioni (8), Odair (7), Machado (7), Hagen (6), Pazzi (7), Visentin (10*) Goals Collacchioni 9, Visentin 21 Collacchioni’s injury turned out to be a fractured wrist and he would miss a week’s worth of action at least. Mauro Rosales was drafted in as a replacement for the second leg of the Italian Cup tie against Perugia. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday November 5th 2008 Italian Cup 1st Round 2nd Leg Fano 0 Perugia 1 (Perugia win 2-0 on aggregate) This was a very tame performance from the team – having been chasing a one-goal deficit I expected rather more drive that I got. I suspect that they missed Leo’s presence as even at just 22 he is a highly influential figure and a future club captain, of that I have no doubt. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (6), Tchangai (7, sub 67), Santos (7), Roslaes (5, sub 67), Odair (7), Machado (7), Hagen (7), Pazzi (4, sub 67), Visentin (7) Subs – Faccini (7), Andorno (7), Dall’Acqua (6) Still smarting from his team’s poor performance in the Cup, Sandy made a couple of team changes for the trip to Palermo. Ochs came back into midfield and Andorno would play on the right of midfield. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 9th 2008 Serie A Game 11 Palermo 3 Fano 0 I just cannot put my finger on what we are doing wrong defensively and I am getting increasingly frustrated by the situation. We conceded two silly goals within a few minutes of the restart and the game was as good as over. We barely created a decent chance all evening and the whole feel about the team is all wrong at the moment. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Andorno (7), Odair (7), Machado (7), Ochs (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Frustrated by his inability to pinpoint the reason for his team’s recent displays, Sandy was increasingly questioning his own managerial abilities. For the visit of Como Sandy decided to experiment with a slightly different tactical formation, asking Ochs to drop back more to try to cover the back four and switching Odair into an advanced central position with Andorno playing wide left and Collacchioni, now fit again, on the right. He made one additional change with youngster Gianluca Amadio coming in at left back due to a minor injury to Luca Ferri. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 16th 2008 Serie A Game 12 Fano 1 Como 0 Well I was encouraged by the difference that my tinkering made. We looked more solid at the back and the sheer pace of Odair always caused problems as he broke from behind the strikers. It is certainly worth continuing with this approach for a game or two until we see how the players adapt and how other teams try to counter us. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (8), Amadio (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (6), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (8), Odair (8), Pazzi (8), Visentin (8) Goals Odair 45 So Sandy kept the same formation, and the same personnel apart from the return of Luca Ferri, for the trip to struggling Bari, hoping that the result last weekend was not a fluke. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 23rd 2008 Serie A Game 13 Bari 0 Fano 5 It’s hard to tell whether our new formation made the difference today as, aided and abetted by a defensive collapse from the home side. Virtually everything that we got on target in the first half seemed to hit the back of the net. The wide midfielders had a field day, being given lots of space to work in they constantly sent in dangerous crosses from the byeline and Visentin profited with an excellent headed hat trick. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (9), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (8), Santos (9, sub 88), Ochs (8), Collacchioni (9), Andorno (8, sub 82), Odair (10), Pazzi (7), Visentin (10*) Subs – Machado (6), Faccini (6) Goals Odair 2, Andorno 7, Visentin 22, 39, 48 The bad news after the game was an injury to the luckless Andorno. Just as he was getting established back in the first team he suffered a calf strain and was likely to be sidelined for a month. For the visit of Udinese, Sandy decided to move Odair to the left of midfield to replace Andorno and bring Riccio back into central midfield, hoping that his pace would prove to be effective. Roberto Palacios made a welcome return to the squad after his extensive layoff and Sandy was delighted to give him a seat on the bench. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 30th 2008 Serie A Game 14 Fano 0 Udinese 0 The game was nowhere near as uneventful as the scoreline might suggest as we carved out a number of very good opportunities. But some inaccurate finishing and fine goalkeeping by the visiting goalie, kept the scoreline blank. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (5, sub 15), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (7), Riccio (6, sub 73), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Faccini (7), Palacios (7) Having enjoyed a bit of an improvement in form in the last few games, Sandy was pleased to see his team end the month in 7th place in the table, with Vicenza and Sampdoria at the top on 29 points and Inter, Atalanta and Lazio all close behind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 From The Ridiculous To The Sublime For Fano’s first game of the new month they travelled to face Roma. The Serie A champions for the last two seasons were having a torrid time thus far, sitting in a poor 10th position and manager Ruud Gullit was under some pressure. Sandy hoped that a win for his team would add to the Dutchman’s problems and decided to play Palacios in the advanced midfield position, with Riccio dropping back to the bench. Sandy’s Journal Saturday December 6th 2008 Serie A Game 15 Roma 4 Fano 1 Our defensive frailties came back with a vengeance as we conceded two goals in the first five minutes. Odair pulled a goal back but it proved to be a temporary respite as the home side scored two more before the end of the game. We created some good chances but were denied by their keeper whilst our own looked decidedly shaky. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (6), L Ferri (6), Tchangai (5, sub 77), Santos (6), Ochs (7, sub 35), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Palacios (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Hagen (7), Faccini (6) Goals Odair 13 For the trip to Genoa the team would be missing Dirk Ochs following his injury in last week’s game so Hagen would take his place. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 14th 2008 Serie A Game 16 Genoa 2 Fano 0 Having looked more than capable of getting the win it was doubly frustrating to concede twice in the last 20 minutes. After some initial optimism, I’m now not sure if our modified formation is really working as we are still leaking goals. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Hagen (6), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Palacios (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7, sub 69) Subs - Dall’Acqua (6) For the visit of Fiorentina, Sandy would be missing Palacios in midfield after a training injury so Riccio would deputise. On the plus side, Ochs was fit to return to his starting position in front of the defence. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 21st 2008 Serie A Game 17 Fano 6 Fiorentina 2 We got off to a poor start, conceding after just two minutes but Pazzi struck twice to put us into the lead. However we allowed an equaliser before half time and during the break I took the unusual step of asking Luzi to stay in the changing room, sending Orlandi out in his place. Patrice is lacking confidence at present and he needs to be given a break so Frederico may find himself with the number one jersey for a while. We looked like a different team in the second half, powering in four more goals and getting an excellent win. Having gone 11 games without a goal it was great to see Paz get back on the scoresheet and he was delighted with his hat trick. Team Selection Luzi (5, sub 45), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (8), Santos (8), Ochs (8), Collacchioni (10), Odair (7), Riccio (7, sub 65), Pazzi (10*), Visentin (8) Subs - Orlandi (8), Rosales (7) Goals Pazzi 7, 22, 85, Collacchioni 77, Tchangai 83, Ochs 89 Fano would end the year by entertaining Milan in a game that would test their abilities to the maximum. Sandy chose Orlandi to start in goal and with Tchangai away on international duty, Ricardo Costa would start in the centre of defence. Sandy’s Journal Saturday December 27th 2008 Serie A Game 18 Fano 3 Milan 1 Driven on by Ochs and Collacchioni we totally outplayed the visitors in the first 45 minutes but at the break I was concerned that we had not pushed home our advantage, having just a single goal to show for our efforts. But fortunately we continued to dominate after the interval, with both of our midfield dynamos getting on the scoresheet. Team Selection Orlandi (7), M Ferri (9), L Ferri (7), Ricardo Costa (7, sub 80), Santos (8), Ochs (10*), Collacchioni (9), Odair (8), Riccio (7, sub 87), Pazzi (8), Visentin (7) Subs - Herrero (6), Rosales (7) Goals Pazzi 21, Ochs 67, Collacchioni 87 With one of the best wins of the season so far as a late Christmas gift, Sandy looked forward to the short New Year break. There was one further piece of business to conduct before then however, as a deal to bring a new player to Fano was concluded. Francisco Javier Fernandez Perez, a versatile 24-year-old defender come midfielder, would join in a €450K deal from Real Madrid. With Inter now heading the Serie A table, Fano maintained a mid-table slot, sitting 9th on 27 points. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 awsome story bob. its awsome how you've brought these boys up from so little.Loving ur work!! keep it up! PLZ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 13, 2005 Author Share Posted February 13, 2005 Thanks benny, glad you're enjoying it. Win Some, Lose Some After a very short break from training to allow a modest New Year celebration, Sandy soon had his players back hard at work preparing for the trip to Atalanta. Tchangai would take his place in central defence for the game and Sandy made one further change, bringing Rosales into midfield to replace Riccio. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday January 7th 2009 Serie A Game 19 Atlanta 3 Fano 3 We took the lead early on when a shot from Collacchioni was deflected past the home keeper and for the remainder of the half we looked the better team. Rosales scored his first goal for the club to put us further ahead but then some schoolboy defending allowed Atalanta striker Igor Budan to score twice in two minutes. Then Rosales scored again and it looked like we would get the win but once again we were sloppy at the back, allowing Budan to complete his hat trick. Team Selection Orlandi (7), M Ferri (6), L Ferri (6), Tchangai (6), Santos (6), Ochs (8), Collacchioni (8), Odair (7), Rosales (8), Pazzi (8), Visentin (8) Goals Rosales 47, 77 For the trip to Catanzaro Sandy needed to rest Morales and Visentin as both players were tired after the midweek game so Riccio and Pierobon were drafted in. Newly promoted to Serie A their opponents were deep in relegation trouble and, in theory at least, presented a great chance for a valuable win. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 11th 2009 Serie A Game 20 Catanzaro 1 Fano 2 Young Leo was outstanding once again – what a season the lad is having. His tireless style of play drives his teammates on and he is certainly an inspirational figure. I took Odair off before he got himself sent off as we had already been booked and was getting far too involved with the referee. As it happened his replacement Andorno netted what proved to be the game-winning penalty as some defensive sloppiness late on allowed the home side to grab a goal back. Team Selection Orlandi (8), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (6), Santos (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (10*), Odair (9, sub 62), Riccio (6, sub 62), Pazzi (7), Pierobon (7, sub 88) Subs – Andorno (7), Machado (7), Dall’Aqua (7) Goals Collacchioni 47, Andorno 79 For the visit of Perugia Sandy went back to his preferred eleven with Rosales and Visentin returning to the starting lineup. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 18th 2009 Serie A Game 21 Fano 1 Perugia 1 This was a curiously subdued performance by both teams and our failure to take charge of the game was a concern. This was a match that was calling out to be won and needed to be taken by the scruff of the neck. The early strike from Dirk Ochs was cancelled out 10 minutes later and although we created the bulk of the chances we failed to convert them into goals. Team Selection Orlandi (5, sub 84), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (7, sub 84), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Rosales (7), Pazzi (6, sub 66), Visentin (7) Subs – Machado (7), Luzi (6), Perez (6) Goals Ochs 17 A couple of days before the trip to Juventus the long-awaited expansion of the Stadio Mancini was completed, raising the capacity to over 9,500 – tiny by Serie A standards but an increase of over 50% in relative terms. Mirco was disappointed that the team would not play their next game at home but he had big plans to mark the opening of the new stand in a few days time. Sandy had to make one change for the game, Tchangai being absent on international duty and Perez replacing him. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 25th 2009 Serie A Game 22 Juventus 4 Fano 0 By the time I replaced three of my defensive unit ten minutes after the restart we were already 3-0 down and in danger of being totally humiliated. Our marking was poor and our positional awareness suspect to say the least. I need to have some serious discussions with the coaches to see how we can get a better balance between attack and defence. Team Selection Orlandi (4, sub 55), M Ferri (6), L Ferri (6), Perez (4, sub 55), Santos (4, sub 55), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Rosales (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Luzi (7), Costa (6), Hagen (6) Sandy’s concerns over his team’s defensive vulnerability was fully justified. Whist Fano were a free-scoring side – only Milan had scored more goals in the league – that was being undermined by shipping too many goals. Their defensive record was one of the worst in Serie A and Sandy felt that was a key inhibitor to further progress. The use of Ochs as a shield in front of the back four was not proving to be as effective as Sandy had hoped but the manager decided not to tinker nay further with his team’s formation at present. However, he did make a few personnel changes to rest some tired legs and Tchangai, Machado and Pierobon all started against Cagliari. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday January 28th 2009 Serie A Game 23 Fano 1 Cagliari 1 We started out brightly and really should have had more than one goal to show for our efforts at the break. But once again we slipped up in defence, allowing the visitors to score very early in the second half. Our finishing was a bit sloppy as well and given the number of chances we created we really should have taken maximum points. Team Selection Orlandi (5), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Ochs (8), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Machado (7), Pazzi (7), Pierobon (7) Goals Machado 29 The month ended with Fano still holding 9th place and whilst the club looked to be far from relegation candidates, Sandy was still dissatisfied with what he saw as a mediocre league position. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted February 13, 2005 Share Posted February 13, 2005 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BobBev: The month ended with Fano still holding 9th place and whilst the club looked to be far from relegation candidates, Sandy was still dissatisfied with what he saw as a mediocre league position. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Bob, I quizzed you earlier in this thread regarding the goals for this season and mentioned European qualification (probably a top seven finish in Italy). You weren't too sure of achieving that then, but it appears that you (Sandy) now believe that 9th isn't good enough. It's good to see that the season's aims are being re-examined. Good luck with moving up the Serie A table. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 13, 2005 Author Share Posted February 13, 2005 Sandy's a hard man to please Spav but I'm reasonably pleased with progress so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 16, 2005 Author Share Posted February 16, 2005 Tactics, Tactics, Tactics Sandy and his coaching staff spent long hours discussing various tactical systems that the team could potentially deploy and these talks invariably ended with a general chat about the philosophies and values that the team should represent. Sandy had always taken the view that football should be a pleasure to watch and not a chore. He put an emphasis on attack, on the basis that without scoring goals you can’t win games. But he was gradually becoming more open to the arguments of his Italian coaching colleagues who had a natural bias towards a more defensive approach. The concept of establishing a solid defence and building from there had a certain logic about it, he couldn’t deny that. But no radical changes were made for the demanding trip to Lazio, although once again there were some changes in the playing staff. Michele Ferri was struggling with a training injury and Dirk Ochs was suspended so young Carmine Lorenzini came in at right back with Erik Hagen taking the defensive midfield position. Sandy decided to start Davide Andorno in the centre of midfield and Matteo Visentin would return up front. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 1st 2009 Serie A Game 24 Lazio 4 Fano 2 The positive aspect of the game was that having gone into the break a goal down we came back well in the second half and established a 2-1 lead. I won’t say that the introduction of Riccio was an inspired substitution but he certainly made an immediate impact. The negative was our defending once again and we allowed the home side to score three times in the last 20 minutes. Team Selection Orlandi (5), Lorenzini (5), L Ferri (4), Tchangai (6), Santos (5), Hagen (6), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Andorno (5, sub 66), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8) Subs – Riccio (7) Goals Visentin 54, Riccio 67 Sandy made some changes to the starting eleven for the visit of Inter - Patrice Luzi was restored in goal, Igor Herrero came in at right back, Dirk Ochs played in front of the defence and Riccio started in midfield. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 8th 2009 Serie A Game 25 Fano 1 Inter 0 This was a much steadier defensive display than I have seen recently and we never allowed 3rd place Inter a sight of goal all game. As the match progressed we started to venture forward more and more and we deserved the winner when the excellent Santos headed home a back-post corner from Odair. Team Selection Luzi (7), Herrero (8), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (6), Santos (8*), Ochs (8), Collacchioni (8), Odair (8), Riccio (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7, sub 86) Subs – Pierobon (6) Goals Santos 70 After a very satisfying result the only change Sandy made for the trip to Sampdoria was to bring back Michele Ferri at right back now that he was back in full training. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 15th 2009 Serie A Game 26 Sampdoria 1 Fano 0 Given the number of chances that the home team created it was a surprise that we didn’t lose by a bigger margin. We conceded the goal early in the game and never really looked like finding an equaliser. Compared to the last game the defence was much less solid and it was only thanks to Luzi that the scoreline remained so close. Team Selection Luzi (8*), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (6), Santos (7), Ochs (7, sub 45), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Riccio (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7, sub 76) Subs – Hagen (7), Machado (7) For the midweek visit of Vicenza, Sandy decided to rest both Visentin and Riccio with Pierobon and Palacios coming in instead. The visitors were several places above Fano and the manager was not too hopeful of gaining a win. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday February 18th 2009 Serie A Game 27 Fano 0 Vicenza 0 The visitors can thank their keeper for gaining them a point as we created a host of chances yet failed to convert any of them. An early injury to Odair didn’t help and we will need to see what the physios make of it when they examine him later. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (7), Odair (5, sub 11), Palacios (7), Pazzi (7), Pierobon (7, sub 81) Subs – Andorno (7), Rosales (7) The news on Odair was not great – fractured ribs was the diagnosis and a 3-week layoff would be required. For the trip to Parma Sandy was forced into a number of changes. Tchangai was off on international duty so Fernandez Perez would deputise. Michele Marcolini would make his first start of the season to replace Odair, Riccio was restored to midfield and Visentin up front. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 22nd 2009 Serie A Game 28 Parma 1 Fano 0 For most of the game we matched the home side all over the pitch and we can consider ourselves a little unfortunate not to have at least taken a point out of the game. We created some decent chances and but for a desperate goal line clearance in the first half we would have gone into the break in the lead. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (6), Fernandez Perez (7), Santos (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (7), Marcolini (6, sub 78), Riccio (6), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8) Subs – Andorno (7) A return of just 4 points in a pretty poor month saw Fano drop to 13th place. They were still 11 points clear of the first of the relegation places but the team couldn’t afford to get into a losing streak now as it would be all too easy to keep falling down the table. Sandy was concerned with their goal drought but he kept faith with his main strikers, believing them to be the best pair that he had available and hoping that they would repay his faith in them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 18, 2005 Author Share Posted February 18, 2005 Points On The Board Fano would face a crucial game at home to Siena to start the month. Their opponents occupied the first of the relegation places and Sandy urged his players that a win was vital. Tchangai would take his place back in the heart of defence and Andorno would come in on the left of midfield. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 1st 2009 Serie A Game 29 Fano 2 Siena 0 This was a much-needed win, especially considering the relative positions of both teams. We looked confident, especially after Riccio calmed the nerves with his goal, racing on to a ball over the top to finish neatly. He was also instrumental in the crucial second, freeing Visentin superbly for the 18-year-old to make a delightful chip over the advancing keeper. With a bit more composure in front of goal we could easily have doubled our tally but I’ll happily take the three points. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7), Tchangai (7), Santos (8), Ochs (8), Collacchioni (8), Andorno (7), Riccio (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8, sub 65) Subs – Rosales (7) Goals Riccio 24, Visentin 45 In the week leading up to Fano’s next game, Sandy was approached by Spanish defender Fernandez Perez. The 24-year-old was finding it difficult to adjust to life in Italy and he told his manager that he was considering making a formal transfer request. Sandy spoke at length with the player, asking him to defer a decision until the end of the season and not rush into anything. The defender was included in the starting eleven for the visit of Palermo as Tchangai was once again off playing for his country. Their opponents were a few places below Fano and once again Sandy urged his players to go for the win. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 8th 2009 Serie A Game 30 Fano 1 Palermo 1 On the balance of play we should have had this game wrapped up long before the visitors equalised in the second half. Pazzi ended his 11-game scoring drought with a brilliantly taken goal, controlling the ball neatly before sending a delightful chip over the opposition keeper. The visitors squared the game with their only goal attempt that actually hit the target and Luzi will be disappointed not to have kept it out. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (7), Fernandez Perez (7), Santos (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Goals Pazzi 33 Sandy was disappointed that his team had scorned a golden opportunity to get a modest winning streak off the ground – if they were going to get anywhere in Serie A then they had to make games such as these a routine win. They would have another chance to redeem themselves in their next game however as they travelled to Como, a team just one point and one place below them in the table. Apart from bringing Tchangai back into defence after the 30-year-old had collected his 32nd cap for Togo the previous weekend, there were no changes to the starting eleven. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 15th 2009 Serie A Game 31 Como 3 Fano 3 The home side caught us cold at the start of the game, scoring after just two minutes of play. But I was delighted with our response – three unanswered goals that sent us into the break with a good lead. Riccio’s opener was a beauty – a sweet volley from fully 25 yards that fair fizzed past the keeper. Visentin’s first was a straightforward header from a corner but his second was more impressive as he somehow fired home from a tight angle and through a crowd of players. There was less to be pleased with later in the game – two goals in three minutes near the end allowing Como an undeserved point. I must say that we had no luck with the third goal as a speculative shot deflected off Ochs and wrong-footed Luzi. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7) Tchangai (7), Santos (4), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (7), Andorno (7), Riccio (9), Pazzi (7), Visentin (10*) Goals Riccio 13, Visentin 29, 38 As Fano prepared for their next game, a visit from relegation-threatened Bari, Sandy pondered his goalkeeping dilemma. Luzi was a talented keeper, no doubt about that, but he sometimes infuriated his manager with his inconsistent performances. After a run of half a dozen excellent displays his last two games contained errors that had cost the team points on each occasion. But Sandy decided to stick with the erratic Frenchman. His thoughts on the subject were interrupted by a knock on his office door and he looked up to see his Chairman Mirco Giovanelli standing at the threshold. “Mirco, come in. What can I do for you?†“Well Senor Sandy, eet ees like thees. You know of course that Inter have run out of patience with Ancelotti and fired heem last week.†“Yes.†“Well they are very insistent that they man they really want in charge is the great Senor Sandy Banks. The President, he wants to talk to you about thee job. Eff you hav an interest then I would not be an obstacle to you my friend.†“Mirco, I told them last year that I’m not interested and that’s still my position today.†“Well, eef you are sure…†“Positive – now get out of my office and let me get on with my job.†Giving his manager a huge grin the Chairman turned on his heel and left the room. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 22nd 2009 Serie A Game 32 Fano 2 Bari 1 We were frankly outplayed in the first 45 minutes bur after what could be described as a “vigorous†half time talk we bucked up our ideas after the break. Riccio isn’t the most skilful of players but his pace and sheer physical strength goes a long way, even at this level of football. Visentin is quite a contrast – slight and not exactly fast along the ground, his strengths are his close control and his ability to take up intelligent positions. Anyway, they both took their chances well and it is a relief to see Matteo back amongst the goals. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7) Tchangai (7), Santos (6), Ochs (8), Collacchioni (8*), Andorno (7), Riccio (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8) Goals Riccio 47, Visentin 57 The final weekend of the month featured no Serie A games because of World Cup Qualification, Sandy watched Italy gain a 1-0 win in Lithuania and caught the highlights of Scotland’s 1-0 defeat at home to Norway. Italy played again in midweek, going down 2-0 at home to group leaders Belgium. Fano held a comfortable 11th place in the table – certainly clear of relegation but with no real chance of European qualification. But such was the competitive nature of the division this season that on 45 points they were only 13 points behind leaders Roma – in fact just 4 points separated the top 7 teams. Had his team converted some of their 12 drawn games into wins then who knows how they might be placed. Riccio’s superb strike against Como was deemed a worthy winner of the Goal of the Month, a nice boost for the youngster. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 21, 2005 Author Share Posted February 21, 2005 Matteo The Man April would begin with a significant challenge in the shape of a trip to play Milan. Full back Michele Ferri would miss the game through suspension but Odair was fit enough to return to the left side of midfield. Sandy was delighted to remind his team that they had played Milan three times already in Serie A and, amazingly enough they had won all three. Sandy’s Journal Sunday April 5th 2009 Serie A Game 33 Milan 1 Fano 1 The boys were really fired up for this game and we came awfully close to maintaining our 100% record. The home side put us under a lot of pressure but we still managed to get forward and cause them problems from time to time. When Pazzi tucked his chance away with 15 minutes to go I really felt that we could get the win. And when Alessandro Nesta received his second yellow card near the end I was sure that we would hold on. But with just two minutes of stoppage time remaining Andriy Shevchenko was in the right place at the right time to pounce on a rebound and rescue a point for the home side. I was gutted for the lads, especially Luzi who made a bunch of great stops. Team Selection Luzi (9*), Herrero (6), L Ferri (8) Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Ochs (8), Collacchioni (8), Odair (7), Riccio (7), Pazzi (8), Visentin (8) Goals Pazzi 76 Michele Ferri returned to the team after suspension for the visit to Udinese and Sandy was keen to keep the team’s momentum going with a win. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday April 15th 2009 Serie A Game 34 Udinese 0 Fano 2 It was the Matteo Visentin show today, the young man only denied a hat trick by a rather dubious free kick decision in the first half. For a relatively small lad he scores a lot with his head – a combination of excellent spring and flawless positioning. As well as his fine club form, the 18-year-old had broken into the Italian U21 team and has scored 6 goals in just 3 internationals. Team Selection Luzi (8), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (8) Tchangai (8), Santos (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (8), Odair (9), Riccio (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (10*) Goals Visentin 25, 66 Before Fano’s next league match at home to Genoa, Siena became the first side to be relegated from Serie A, their return to the top flight a short one indeed. Sandy also decided it was time to open negotiations with start striker Visentin regarding a renewal of his contract. However, that proved to be a difficult process as the young man, or more accurately his agent, had a very inflated idea of his worth to the team. It took several rounds of meetings but a deal was finally hammered out that would extend the two years remaining on his current contract by another three years and give him a very significant pay rise into the bargain. Sandy’s Journal Sunday April 26th 2009 Serie A Game 35 Fano 2 Genoa 0 After a very sterile first 45 minutes we finally began to play a bit in the second half, scoring twice in a minute to seal a very useful win. Collacchioni’s opener had a slice of luck about it, his header taking a wicked deflection off a defender. But the second was quality, Ochs rounding off a fine display by firing home from the edge of the area. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (7) Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Ochs (9*), Collacchioni (9), Odair (7), Riccio (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Goals Collacchioni 59, Ochs 60 A somewhat abbreviated league programme nonetheless saw Fano unbeaten for the month and sitting in 10th place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted February 23, 2005 Author Share Posted February 23, 2005 Pushing For Points For the final few games of the season, beginning with the trip to struggling Fiorentina, Sandy’s focus was to get maximum points and push his team to a higher finish in the league. This would not only make a difference financially but also it would give the players a morale boost as well. Tchangai would miss the game because of international commitments so Fernandez Perez would play instead. Sandy’s Journal Sunday May 3rd 2009 Serie A Game 36 Fiorentina 0 Fano 2 This was a fine team performance with the goalscorers particularly impressive. Odair had as good a game as I’ve seen all season and now that Ochs has settled into the team he is becoming a key figure in midfield. If we can sort out the defence and be a bit more productive in front of goal then we won’t be in bad shape next season. Team Selection Luzi (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7) Fernandez Perez (7), Santos (8), Ochs (9), Collacchioni (8), Odair (10*), Riccio (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Goals Odair 13, Ochs 48 A defeat for Catanzaro confirmed their relegation and left just one place to be decided. Boosted by a fine win, Sandy looked forward to the visit of Atlanta with some optimism. Tchangai would be back in defence but with Ochs struggling with a slight knock he would start on the bench with Hagen taking his place. Sandy’s Journal Sunday May 10th 2009 Serie A Game 37 Fano 2 Atalanta 1 A rather disjointed performance today and despite seeing more of the ball and creating a good number of chances we struggled to establish ourselves in the first half. It was a neat finish from Riccio to give us the lead but it lasted barely 5 minutes before the visitors equalised. But when substitute Machado was felled in the area, Visentin confidently put away the penalty to give us a welcome win. Team Selection Luzi (6), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (7) Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Hagen (7), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Riccio (9*), Pazzi (5, sub 61), Visentin (8) Subs – Machado (7) Goals Riccio 65, Visentin 80 With Genoa failing to get three points in their last game they took the final relegation place. Fano faced their last game of the season with a visit from former leaders Roma and Ochs was fit enough to take his usual place guarding the back four. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday May 13th 2009 Serie A Game 38 Fano 1 Roma 1 It was nice to end the season with a good performance and we certainly gave the home fans a decent show and with a little more luck we could have taken all three points. We have certainly shown on occasions this season that we can live with the bigger teams and what we need to do now is find a lot more consistency from week to week. Team Selection Luzi (5), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (8) Tchangai (7), Santos (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (8*), Odair (8), Riccio (7), Pazzi (7, sub 87), Visentin (7) Subs – Machado (7) Goals L Ferri 36 With Sampdoria crowned as somewhat unlikely Serie A champions, it was a disappointing season for the big teams although Roma lifted the Italian Cup with a 3-0 aggregate win over Inter. In Europe, Newcastle lifted the UEFA Cup, beating Everton 1-0 in an all-English final. The trend continued in the Champions League, with Manchester United beating rivals Arsenal on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Fano finished in 10th place on 59 points, two places and eight points better than their debut season and Sandy was fairly satisfied with his team’s progression. He was particularly pleased to see his top players feature in the Serie A end of season awards. Matteo Visentin was voted Young Italian Player of the Year and finished as Fano’s top scorer with 14 goals. Leo Collacchioni came third in the voting for Italian Player of the Year, was selected in the Serie A Team of the Year and was named as the Supporters Player of the Year fr e third time in succession – nit bad for a lad that cost €4,000. José Reis Odair was runner-up in the Foreign Player of the Year, Dirk Ochs finished in 3rd place in the Player of the Year poll and Michele Ferri was runner-up in Defender of the Year. Even though it was not yet mid-May Sandy decided to release the players for an early summer break, instructing them not to get too out of condition and to report back fro pre-season training at the start of July. He also told the backroom staff to take a few weeks off but to return in mid-June so that they could begin planning for Fano’s third season in the top flight. Sandy had some ideas for next season that he wanted to develop further in terms of the team’s tactical approach and he also needed to thrash out the financials with Mirco. The club had run at a loss this season, despite the increased stadium capacity, but the cost of that expansion had made a dent in the finances. Sandy also wanted to meet with both General Manager Sandro Mengucci and Director of Football Loris Servadio to review the backroom staff themselves, another area of the team that Sandy felt could be improved. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian of Nazareth Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Another season of consolidation Euro spot challenge next year? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krasno69 Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 absolutly awesome story .....but either im stupid or just Polish........is this the story of yu playing FM2005??...or u makin this story up???....( which i doubt) anyways great work Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Bob's starting date is August 2003, so I'd say this is a CM03/04 story. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Hey Bob its been a while since you've continued on with your story, have you stopped? Please keep on writing, this is one of the best stories around mate! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_cufc*SAVE OUR CLUB* Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 i agree , i have just started to read the story and it looks as though it will be a great one i like to see extra detail and this certainly has that more more Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_cufc*SAVE OUR CLUB* Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 i agree , i have just started to read the story and it looks as though it will be a great one i like to see extra detail and this certainly has that more more Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted June 10, 2005 Author Share Posted June 10, 2005 Thanks for the feedback chaps. I must admit that I had kind of lost interest in this one but your encouragement has mitivated me to get back to it. A Change Is As Good As A Rest After an unaccustomed few weeks of idleness, Sandy was itching to get back into action and he returned to the Stadio Mancini well before his backroom team. Most of the Board were back at work and he took the opportunity to establish Mirco’s goals for the season. With the Serie A TV rights and an excellent new sponsorship deal that the Chairman had put together, the club had in excess of €12M in the bank. Just over €5M of that was earmarked as a transfer budget and the wage budget was increased to €120K a week. Both Sandy and Mirco were keen to see the club build on two pretty decent seasons in the top flight and decided to make a real push for European qualification. But to do that Sandy felt that he needed to make a few changes – some new players, strengthening of the coaching staff and perhaps a different tactical approach too. In the early summer the first of the backroom changes were initiated with physio Leonardo Profili (59) and coach Roberto Serena (62) both offered early retirement. Sandy asked Director of Football Loris Servadio to try to identify some new coaching staff as well as physios and scouts in order to strengthen Fano’s off-the-field team. He interviewed a number of candidates and made several appointments before the end of the summer. On the coaching side, former Russian international Valery Karpin accepted an offer and retired Colombian star Faustino Asprilla joined the physio team. On the playing front 33-year-old Michele Marcolini decided that he would be hanging up his boots but as Sandy wasn’t about to renew his contract anyway, it made little difference to the squad. Striker Marco Pierobon was another who would not be getting an extended contract and youngster Carmine Lorenzini accepted an offer from Verona. Defender Jean Dika and young keeper Antonio Corti also left when their contracts expired. Sandy was pleased when Spanish defender Fernandez Perez decided to stay on in Italy, despite his difficulty in settling into the lifestyle. Sandy was strangely inactive in the transfer market, making just a few acquisitions. Former Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor agreed a three-year deal and speedy forward Luca Foldi joined from Bari for a nominal fee. His final deal of the summer was to bring centre back Dorian Ame in from Juventus for just under €1M. During his meetings with his coaching staff, the team had discussed various ideas for a different tactical formation and they agreed that it would be interesting to try out a Sweeper system. The squad had several players capable of filling that role and Sandy felt that it might offer more stability at the back. He was certainly prepared to give it a go, at least for the early part of the season. So with that in mind the players worked hard in pre-season to put the formation into practice. To help in this process Sandy had agreed to several warm-up games against lower-league opposition. He was pretty pleased with the results but the real test would begin when with the season opener at home to Serie A title holders Sampdoria. Sandy had to make some difficult team selection decisions for the opening game, given that his team was trying to adapt to a new formation. He decided to play Tchangai as sweeper and pair Santos and Ricardo Costa in the centre of defence. New signing McGregor would start in goal with Michele at right back. First choice left back Luca Ferri would miss the first few games through injury so he tried youngster Gianluca Amadio in that position. In midfield he played Odair, Ochs and Collacchioni with Visentin and Pazzi up front. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday September 2nd 2009 Serie A Game 1 Fano 0 Sampdoria 0 We can’t be too disappointed with a shutout against the defending champions and this game was as close as the scoreline suggests. There was little to choose between the teams and to be honest this wasn’t the most thrilling of contests. McGregor made a solid debut and young Leo was as dynamic as ever. Team Selection McGregor (8), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (8), Amadio (6), Santos (7), Ricardo Costa (6), Odair (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8*) World Cup qualification was in full swing with two rounds of matches played before Fano next saw action. Italy had a good 3-0 win at home to Lithuania and then a narrow 3-2 win over the Ukraine. Scotland played out a creditable 0-0 draw at group leaders Norway and then had a fine 3-1 win in the Czech Republic. McGregor was in the squad for both of Scotland’s games but failed to add to his single international cap. For the visit to Reggina, Sandy saw no reason to make any changes to his starting eleven for the moment and went with an unchanged selection. Sandy’s Journal Saturday September 12th 2009 Serie A Game 2 Reggina 1 Fano 1 Another pretty even game that could have gone either way. We recovered well after conceding an early goal even though McGregor was struggling somewhat with an injured hand. We were caught out a bit with the opening goal when Tchangai seemed to forget that he was sweeping and was dragged out of position trying to mark an attacker. Something to work at on the training ground I think. Team Selection McGregor (5), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (7), Amadio (7), Santos (8), Ricardo Costa (7, sub 75), Odair (8*), Ochs (7, sub 75), Collacchioni (7, sub 75), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Ame (6), Foldi (6), Palacios (7) Goals Santos 48 McGregor’s injury turned out to be more serious than first expected, a nasty dislocation that would keep him out of action for a few weeks. This meant that Luzi would come back into the team to cover for a few games. For the midweek trip to Como, Sandy had to make a few changes as, this early in the season, some of his players were still not totally match-fit. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday September 16th 2009 Serie A Game 3 Como 1 Fano 2 A goal down at half time, the introduction of Dirk Ochs at half time for the disappointing Hagen proved to be significant, the midfielder getting the equaliser within a minute of the restart. The 25-year-old German scorned the chance of another goal when he put his penalty too near the keeper but thankfully young Matteo was on hand to drive home what proved to be the winning goal. Team Selection Luzi (8), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (7), L Ferri (8), Santos (7), Herrero (7, sub 78), Odair (8), Hagen (4, sub 45), Collacchioni (8), Foldi (8), Visentin (10*, sub 78) Subs – Ochs (8), Fernandez Perez (6), Alberti (6) Goals Ochs 46, Visentin 56 Sandy was pleased to get his first win of the season and he was encouraged by the early form of some of his key players – Visentin, Odair and Collacchioni had all started well. All three would start the game at home to Lazio as Fano sought to keep up their unbeaten start to the season. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 20th 2009 Serie A Game 4 Fano 2 Lazio 1 This was a really good performance as we matched a strong Lazio side chance for chance and could actually have won by a greater margin. The two goals from Visentin were sandwiched either side of a strike form the visitors in the first half. The Lazio keeper was called into action several times in the second half, and his quick reactions kept his team in the game. Team Selection Luzi (8), Tchangai (9*), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (7), Santos (7), Ame (7, sub 80), Odair (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (8), Pazzi (7, sub 80), Visentin (8) Subs – Fernandez Perez (7), Rosales (6) Goals Visentin 14, 41 Sandy’s team had a week to recover before their credentials would be tested further with a trip to Juventus for what was sure to be a very difficult game and he was able to name an unchanged side for the game in Turin. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 27th 2009 Serie A Game 5 Juventus 1 Fano 2 An early goal from Ochs served to settle the nerves and although we conceded an equaliser on the half hour, Visentin tucked away his penalty with great aplomb. Injuries to Luca Ferri and then Santos caused us to re-shuffle our formation twice, the second time abandoning the sweeper system as we had no more defensive subs on the bench. In the circumstances we did extremely well to hold on to our lead and I am delighted with the result. Team Selection Luzi (6), Tchangai (6), M Ferri (8), L Ferri (6, sub 69), Santos (8, sub 85), Ame (8, sub 69), Odair (8), Ochs (8), Collacchioni (9*), Pazzi (7), Visentin (9) Subs – Fernandez Perez (6), Palacios (7), Machado (6) Goals Ochs 3, Visentin 36 Full back Ferri would be out for four weeks with broken ribs, opening up an opportunity for Academy graduate Gianluca Amadio to establish his place in the team. An unbeaten opening to the season saw Fano hold 3rd place in Serie A at the end of the month, the highest that Sandy’s team had ever been. Whilst no one expected them to maintain that position at the end of the campaign, everyone at the club was still thrilled with their current position. 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