nerf Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 Asprilla in the physio room . I hope he realises not everyone is quite as bendy as he is. Decent start, the sweeper system seems to be doing okay and I reckon Europe's on this season. Forza Fano Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 Cheers nerf - still hoping for the Ragusa playoff triumph! A Sweeping Success The switch in tactics to introduce a Catenaccio formation had certainly paid off, taking Fano to their best ever start to a Serie A season. It was not as watertight as Sandy would have wanted – only one clean sheet in 5 games would testify to that – but his team were definitely looking more solid in defence. With three of their five games being played against very strong teams in the shape of Sampdoria, Lazio and Juventus, Sandy was doubly pleased with the results thus far. His team would face another big challenge at the start of October with the visit of Inter, although Fano had a decent record against them – 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats in their 6 meetings. Their opponents had made a terrible start to the season with 4 defeats in their first 5 games and Sandy was hoping to add to their discomfort. As well as playing Amadio for the injured Ferri there would be another change as Dorian Ame was on international duty so Ricardo Costa would deputise in central defence. Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 4th 2009 Serie A Game 6 Fano 2 Inter 1 I have to say that we rode our luck a little in this game as the visitors created the better chances and we have Luzi to thank for the win. Collacchioni took advantage of a poor clearance from the visiting keeper to open the scoring but they struck back with an equaliser immediately after the restart. With Odair tiring rapidly I brought on Andorno for his first appearance of the season and he was in the right place to latch on to the ball after Leo’s shot from distance was spilled by the veteran Francesco Toldo. Team Selection Luzi (9), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (7), Amadio (6), Santos (7), Ricardo Costa (5, sub 45), Odair (7, sub 75), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (9*), Pazzi (6), Visentin (7) Subs – Fernandez Perez (6), Andorno (7) Goals Collacchioni 28, Andorno 82 Christian Pazzi became Fano’s record holder for the most appearances for the club, the game against Inter marking his 190th game. He, along with several other players, was rested for the midweek visit of newly promoted Ternana. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday October 7th 2009 Serie A Game 7 Fano 1 Ternana 0 A flicked header by Luca Foldi from a near-post corner gave the new boy his first goal for the club and three more very useful points. How that remained the only goal of the game I’ll never know as we created a shedload of chances. We nearly lived to regret out carelessness in front of goal as the visitors finished with a flourish, hitting the woodwork late on when they could easily have scored. Team Selection Luzi (8), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (8), Santos (8), Ame (7, sub 64), Herrero (6), Odair (9*), Riccio (8), Palacios (8), Alberti (7, sub 64), Foldi (8) Subs – Hagen (6), Machado (7) Goals Foldi 1 Fano’s 5th win of the season took them to uncharted territory – the top of the Serie A table, two points clear of Perugia and a further point ahead of Vicenza. With Cagliari in 4th place, the top of the table had a very unfamiliar look about it at this early stage of the season. With a weekend break because of World Cup qualifiers, Sandy could watch as Italy won 2-1 in Belgium to secure their place at the finals next summer. With Poland failing to win their final fixture and Norway suffering an unlikely 4-1 defeat in Cyprus, Scotland somehow finished top of their group to book their place alongside his adopted nation. His team’s next game would be a visit to Parma, struggling in 16th place in the table. He was pleased to go back to his first choice starters for what he hoped would be another productive match. Sandy’s Journal Saturday October 17th 2009 Serie A Game 8 Parma 0 Fano 0 This was not the most entertaining match that I have witnessed as neither side played with much attacking ambition and few chances were created. Everything seemed to bog down in midfield and we struggled to impose ourselves on the game. Team Selection Luzi (8), Tchangai (6), M Ferri (6), Amadio (6), Santos (6), Ame (6, sub 45), Odair (7), Ochs (8*), Collacchioni (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Ricardo Costa (7), Foldi (6) Sandy’s team was soon back in action with an Italian Cup tie at home to Siena of Serie B. As was his habit, the manager swapped most of his team around for the Cup game in order to preserve the fitness of his first choice players. Sandy’s Journal Tuesday October 20th 2009 Italian Cup 1st Round 1st Leg Fano 6 Siena 0 The rather sparse crowd at the Stadio Mancini enjoyed a goal fest this evening as our midfield and forwards ran riot against rather poor opposition. Young Alberti scored his first goals for the club and Foldi had a field day with his two goals. Team Selection McGregor (7), Fernandez Perez (7), Herrero (6, sub 45), Hagen (8, sub 54), Ame (5, sub 45), Amadio (8), Andorno (8), Riccio (8), Palacios (9), Foldi (10*), Alberti (9) Subs – M Ferri (7), Santos (7), Tchangai (7) Goals Palacios 5, Hagen 7, Alberti 53, 54, Foldi 77, 80 It was soon back to reality for Fano after their fun in the cup as they faced two key games in four days. Firstly they would take on Vicenza at home and then they would welcome the visit of Perugia, both teams challenging for the leadership of Serie A. With a few injuries starting to affect availability Sandy had to make some enforced changes to his preferred lineup. Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 25th 2009 Serie A Game 9 Fano 1 Vicenza 0 With time running out it was beginning to look like we would not be rewarded for our territorial dominance but then Visentin showed his power in the air when he met a precise corner from Odair to head home the winning goal. The win was not without cost though as we had a few more players pick up knocks so let’s hope that none of them are serious. Team Selection Luzi (6), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (7), Ricardo Costa (6, sub 85), Fernandez Perez (6, sub 40), Santos (7), Odair (8), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (7), Pazzi (4, sub 65), Visentin (9*) Subs – Ame (7), Foldi (7), Herrero (6) Goals Visentin 84 Buoyed by a win that took them back to the top of the table, Sandy’s team looked forward to their next game with great enthusiasm. Fortunately there were no long-term injuries following their last game but several players required to be rested so the manager had to shuffle his eleven once more. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday October 28th 2009 Serie A Game 10 Fano 2 Perugia 1 We showed great spirit to come back from a half-time deficit and score twice in the last quarter of the game to seal a great win. It was no more than our pressure deserved as we finally found a way past an inspired visiting keeper. Both goals were excellent – Andorno’s equaliser was a perfectly placed free kick and the winner from Ochs came courtesy of a first-time volley. I am delighted with the way we are grinding out results and we are certainly proving to be a difficult team to beat at present. Team Selection Luzi (6), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (7), M Ferri (5), Herrero (7), Santos (8), Andorno (8), Ochs (7), Palacios (7), Pazzi (7), Visentin (8) Goals Andorno 72, Ochs 79 Fano were indeed proving to be hard to beat – no one had achieved that feat in the league thus far and they proudly topped the table at the end of the month, holding a 5-point cushion over the chasing group. As Sandy perused the table he noted just how tight it was and reflected on the strong position that his team held at present. He would be amazed if they could continue their outstanding form and he was acutely aware just how quickly they could slip down the table if they got into a losing streak. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | FANO | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 24 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Roma | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 10 | +13 | 19 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Cagliari | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 19 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Perugia | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 11 | +8 | 19 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Milan | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 19 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Udinese | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 11 | +5 | 18 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Torino | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 14 | +5 | 17 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Vicenza | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 17 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Juventus | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 15 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Sampdoria | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 14 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Atalanta | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 18 | +1 | 12 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Reggina | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 16 | -2 | 12 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Como | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 19 | -2 | 11 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Inter | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 10 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Parma | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 16 | -4 | 10 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Lazio | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 14 | -2 | 9 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Ternana | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 16 | -6 | 9 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Fiorentina | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 7 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Palermo | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 23 | -15 | 7 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Bari | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 20 | -12 | 4 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanochris Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I'm loving these stories Bob: Keep them up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Thanks beanochris – appreciate the support. Knocked Off The Top Full back Luca Ferri was still not fit enough to be in the team that travelled to Fiorentina and with backup Amadio out of action with a dislocated shoulder Sandy had to make some defensive changes. Michele Ferri would move to the left of defence and Fernandez Perez would come in on the right and he would also revert back to his favoured midfield trio. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 1st 2009 Serie A Game 11 Fiorentina 0 Fano 0 This was a pretty sterile display from us as far as scoring opportunities went, with the home side creating most of the openings. Patrice Luzi seems to have improved his consistency and is certainly playing well enough to keep new signing McGregor on the bench as once again he was out best player on the night. Team Selection Luzi (8*), Tchangai (8), Fernandez Perez (5, sub 47), Santos (7), Ricardo Costa (7, sub 47), M Ferri (8), Odair (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (8), Pazzi (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Herrero (7), Ame (7) Fano faced yet another midweek game when they travelled to Siena for the 2nd leg of their Italian Cup tie. Sandy went with pretty much the same side that played so well in the first encounter, the only change being the return of Luca Ferri on the left of defence. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday November 4th 2009 Italian Cup 1st Round 2nd Leg Siena 1 Fano 1 (Fano win 7-1 on aggregate) We dominated play and should have wrapped up another comfortable win over these opponents but some slack finishing, combined with a fine display by the home keeper, kept the score respectable. It was frustrating to see us concede a goal against the run of play when Siena converted their only scoring attempt of the game. Team Selection McGregor (5), Fernandez Perez (7), Herrero (6, sub 60), Hagen (8), Ame (6, sub 72), L Ferri (6), Andorno (7, sub 60), Riccio (7), Palacios (7), Foldi (7), Alberti (8) Subs – M Ferri (7), Santos (6), Dall’Acqua (6) Goals Alberti 28 Sandy went back to his favoured eleven for the visit to Udinese. Their opponents were having a good season so far, sitting in 6th place in the table, but they had never previously beaten Fano and the manager was anxious for that record to be maintained. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 8th 2009 Serie A Game 12 Udinese 1 Fano 0 The loss of Visentin after half an hour made a big difference to the outcome of this game as we definitely missed his presence in attack, especially as Pazzi had a pretty poor game. But on chances created we did mort that enough to get the win and only a poor refereeing decision late on denied us a point when a strike from Ochs was chalked off. Team Selection Luzi (5), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (5), Santos (7), Ricardo Costa (7), L Ferri (6), Odair (7), Ochs (7), Collacchioni (7), Pazzi (5, sub 85), Visentin (7, sub 30) Subs – Alberti (7), Foldi (6) Fano’s first defeat of the season allowed Perugia to re-take the leadership of Serie A, moving above Sandy’s team on goal difference. Fortunately, striker Visentin was not badly injured and would not miss any competitive action. The team had a weekend off before their next game due to the World Cup qualification playoffs. England and Wales were amongst the teams that went through, the latter on away goals after an enthralling 4-4 aggregate draw with Ireland. Fano’s next game would be the biggest of the season so far – a visit by title challengers Roma. Michele Ferri would be missing after he suffered a training injury so Sandy dropped Collacchioni back into defence and brought Palacios into midfield. Sandy’s Journal Saturday November 21st 2009 Serie A Game 13 Fano 3 Roma 4 Our previously reliable defence struggled a bit today as a record crowd enjoyed an enthralling encounter. Roberto Palacios played superbly in midfield and put us into a great position with 2 goals from the penalty spot in the first 25 minutes. But the visitors came powering back and scored twice before half time. A cruel own goal by Tchangai put us behind just after the restart but a superb free kick from Odair squared the game. Unfortunately we just couldn’t hold on for a deserved point and we conceded once again with 10 minutes to go. Team Selection Luzi (7), Tchangai (6), Collacchioni (6), Santos (6), Ricardo Costa (5, sub 45), L Ferri (6), Odair (7), Ochs (7), Palacios (9*), Pazzi (6, sub 45), Visentin (7) Subs – Fernandez Perez (7), Alberti (7) Goals Palacios 9, 25, Odair 70 Still smarting from two consecutive defeats, Sandy knew that it was vital for his team to get back into winning ways quickly, otherwise their wonderful start to the season would start to unravel. On paper, the visit to 7th place Torino did not appear to offer an easy three points by any means and Sandy decided to replace the out of sorts Pazzi with 18-year-old Michele Alberti. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 29th 2009 Serie A Game 14 Torino 0 Fano 3 Our teenage strike force were excellent today and it took Alberti just 13 minutes to register his first Serie A goal. With the defence looking much more solid we never really looked like losing this one. Michele’s opener was as good a goal as I have seen – picking up possession just inside his own half, he outstripped the entire Torino defence before finishing from a narrow angle. Matteo took advantage of two goalkeeping howlers to wrap up the scoring and give us a morale-boosting win. Team Selection Luzi (8), Tchangai (8), Collacchioni (8), Santos (9*), Ricardo Costa (6, sub 33), L Ferri (6), Odair (8), Ochs (7, sub 88), Palacios (8, sub 88), Alberti (8), Visentin (9) Subs – Ame (7), Hagen (6), Foldi (6) Goals Alberti 13, Visentin 22, 66 Fano’s two defeats had seen them drop down to 3rd in the table, a point behind surprise leaders Perugia and just behind Roma on goal difference. Cagliari were just a point further back with a little daylight between them and the chasing pack. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vic Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 Really enjoying this one. A great read. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted June 28, 2005 Author Share Posted June 28, 2005 Cheers vic If You Can’t Stand The Heat… December began with an Italian Cup tie at Parma and Sandy made the decision to go with the same basic lineup that performed so well in the 1st round. He decided to give youngster Luca Anaclerio a run out in midfield to see how he handled life in the first team. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday December 2nd 2009 Italian Cup 2nd Round 1st Leg Parma 2 Fano 0 I know that I was playing my second string but I really can’t explain how they managed to put in such a dismal performance. When I was looking at making substitutions I just didn’t know where to start! No one did themselves any favours in this display and the first eleven won’t be under threat from any of this lot. Team Selection McGregor (6), Fernandez Perez (6), Herrero (5), Hagen (8), Ame (7, sub 63), L Ferri (4, sub 45), Andorno (7), Rosales (4), Anaclerio (6), Foldi (4, sub 63), Pazzi (7) Subs – Amadio (7), Tchangai (7), Dall’Acqua (7) Still bemused by his team’s inept midweek performance, Sandy was quick to revert to his favoured eleven for the visit of Milan. It would be a hard game and now that the team had tasted defeat in the league he was anxious to get back to winning ways. Michele Ferri was fit enough to return at right back, allowing Collacchioni to move into midfield. Sandy also selected Palacios rather than Ochs to offer more of an attacking threat. Sandy’s Journal Saturday December 5th 2009 Serie A Game 15 Fano 2 Milan 2 We were robbed of a great win by an equaliser scored with virtually the last kick of the game in stoppage time. The visitors scored on the half hour but we were able to strike back quickly, Ricardo Costa getting his first of the season from an Odair corner. Visentin took advantage of a terrible howler from the visiting keeper who came rushing out of his goal to collect a long ball, only to misjudge it completely and give Matteo an empty goal to aim at. Team Selection Luzi (6), Tchangai (6), M Ferri (7), Santos (8), Ricardo Costa (8), L Ferri (7), Odair (7), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (8), Alberti (8), Visentin (8) Goals Ricardo Costa 32, Visentin 78 For the trip to Palermo, Sandy went with the same eleven that had performed so well against Milan. Their opponents were struggling near the foot of the table and Sandy was confident of gaining maximum points. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 13th 2009 Serie A Game 16 Palermo 0 Fano 2 With the game still scoreless at half time I was hoping that the penalty miss by Palacios wouldn’t come back to haunt us and thankfully two good goals from Visentin, the second brilliantly set up by substitute Pazzi, saw us turn our dominance into three points. Alberti was very disappointing and I am wondering if the 18-year-old needs a break as it’s a lot to ask for a teenager to play week in and week out at this level. Team Selection Luzi (8), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (8), Santos (8), Ricardo Costa (8), L Ferri (8), Odair (7, sub 80), Palacios (8), Collacchioni (8), Alberti (4, sub 45), Visentin (9*) Subs – Pazzi (7), Riccio (7) Goals Visentin 46, 77 The 2nd leg of Fano’s cup tie against Parma saw Sandy switch his team around again. With Herrero and Hagen both suspended he called up Tomasetti and Faccini from the reserves to replace them. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday December 16th 2009 Italian Cup 2nd Round 2nd Leg Fano 1 Parma 0 (Parma win 2-1 on aggregate) At least we regained a modicum of respect with a slightly better performance than the first leg, but in truth we never looked like turning the tie around. Foldi had another stinker and he isn’t working out as well as I had hoped. McGregor put in one of his better performances for us but the Scotsman is still very unsettled and I’m not sure how long he will stay with the club. Team Selection McGregor (8*), Fernandez Perez (7), Tomasetti (7), Faccini (6), Ame (7, sub 77), Amadio (6), Andorno (8, sub 77), Riccio (7), Rosales (7), Foldi (4, sub 45), Dall’Acqua (7) Subs – Machado (7), Santos (7), Collacchioni (7) Goals Machado 83 If Allan McGregor was finding it hard to adapt to his new surroundings at least Spanish defender Fernandez Perez was at last feeling more at home. He had knuckled down and decided to make the most of his new home, his Italian was improving rapidly and he seemed a much happier man. The final game of the year before the Christmas break featured a visit from Atalanta and Sandy decided to rest Alberti and start Pazzi instead. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 20th 2009 Serie A Game 17 Fano 1 Atalanta 0 We were a bit fortunate to get out of this game with a win as Luzi made a fine penalty save with ten minutes remaining to keep our noses in front. We were competent without being outstanding and I think the boys are looking forward to a little time off over the Christmas period. Team Selection Luzi (8), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (7), Santos (7), Ricardo Costa (6), L Ferri (7), Odair (7, sub 62), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (8), Visentin (7), Pazzi (8*) Subs – Ochs (7) Goals Pazzi 62 With no competitive fixtures until early January, it gave the players a chance to recharge their batteries a little and prepare for the second half of the season. As Sandy perused the Serie A table he was very happy to see his team in second position, two points behind leaders Roma. So far his switch to the sweeper system was working out very well and with just 13 goals conceded in 17 games Fano had the best defensive record in the division. January would also bring some reinforcements into the squad as several pre-arranged transfers would take place when the window opened in January. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weegie Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 another great read bo b Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weegie Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 *bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
porph Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 fantastic, just read the entire thing while at work surely inter will come calling again soon! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted July 4, 2005 Author Share Posted July 4, 2005 Thanks chaps Some New Faces A new year brought several new players to the Stadio Mancini, players that Sandy hoped would add depth and who would develop into solid performers for him. He was becoming more and more convinced that his sweeper system was the way forward so his first acquisition was a young defender who looked like a natural in the position. 23-year-old Daniele Magliocchetti was a product of the Roma youth programme but had never established himself as a senior player. A fee of €775K was enough to bring him to the club and Sandy was very pleased with the deal as the lad was versatile and could play anywhere at the back if pushed. Englishman Ryan Garry was another versatile defender who came from Arsenal for €750K. Another academy graduate he had never been a regular starter but had played well enough when given the opportunity. The final arrival was a young midfielder in the shape of Alex Tiesse of the Ivory Coast and Sandy felt the €150K paid to Millwall was a bargain. The 24-year-old had racked up over 180 appearances for the London club over 6 seasons and his record showed that he could both score and create goals. All three new boys featured in the squad for the visit of 5th place Cagliari with Garry starting at left back and the other two amongst the substitutes. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday January 6th 2010 Serie A Game 18 Fano 1 Cagliari 0 This was a pretty even affair and it turned out that Odair’s goal midway through the first half was enough to settle it. We played well if not outstandingly so and Ryan Garry had a decent debut but I can’t expect too much too soon as we have to give the new lads time to settle in. Team Selection Luzi (8), Tchangai (6), M Ferri (7), Santos (7), Ricardo Costa (6, sub 83), Garry (7), Odair (8), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (8), Alberti (7), Pazzi (8*) Subs – Magliocchetti (6) Goals Odair 22 Fano’s next game involved a trip to Bari, a team marooned at the bottom of Serie A and who had also just recently sacked their manager. On paper it should represent an easy three points but Sandy was quick to remind his players that football matches aren’t played on paper and they should take nothing for granted. Midfielder Palacios was struggling with a training injury so Sandy gave Alex Tiesse his debut in the centre of the pitch. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 10th 2010 Serie A Game 19 Bari 2 Fano 1 After warning the players about being too complacent it was infuriating to watch them ignore my words and play like they were taking a win for granted. Their early goal should have been a warning and we did improve for a spell, leading to the equaliser from Visentin. Their winning penalty was a bit dubious but by that time we should have had the game well sewn up. Team Selection Luzi (5), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (6), Santos (7), Ricardo Costa (5, sub 55), Garry (7), Odair (8, sub 90), Tiesse (7), Collacchioni (7), Visentin (7), Pazzi (7) Subs – Ame (7), Machado (6) Goals Visentin 32 Sandy decided against making any team changes for the visit of Como, trusting that a hard week of training and some regular reminders that any success that the club achieved would only come through hard work and dedication would serve to re-focus his players. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 17th 2010 Serie A Game 20 Fano 0 Como 1 Despite the result this was a better performance and but for some fine saves by the visiting keeper we would probably have won the game. A moment’s lack of concentration at the back cost us a goal but we had enough chances to get the win. Team Selection Luzi (7), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (8), Santos (8), Ricardo Costa (6, sub 68), Garry (8), Odair (7), Tiesse (7), Collacchioni (7), Pazzi (7, Visentin (7) Subs – Ame (6), Alberti (7) Two successive defeats against teams that he expected to beat was not what Sandy wanted to see from his team. They were fortunate that their own loss of form had been matched by leaders Roma and his team still held second place in the table when they travelled to Sampdoria. With Tchangai away on international duty Magliocchetti would get his first start since his arrival. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 24th 2010 Serie A Game 21 Sampdoria 3 Fano 1 A poor performance and a poor result, with two late goals condemning us to defeat after we had fought our way back into the game. Magliocchetti and Tiesse both played poorly and the introduction of Ochs at half time improved things slightly. He did well with his goal, showing speed and control to outpace the defence. Team Selection Luzi (5), Magliocchetti (5, sub 71), M Ferri (7), Santos (7), Ricardo Costa (7), Garry (6), Odair (7), Tiesse (5, sub 45), Collacchioni (7), Pazzi (7, Visentin (8) Subs – Ochs (7), Fernandez Perez (7) Goals Ochs 71 Three defeats on the spin was not the sort of form that Sandy wanted to see continue and his team had now slipped to 4th place in the league. The only consolation was that some other results had been favourable and they were still only two points off the pace. A midweek visit by struggling Reggina offered as good a chance as any of breaking the losing sequence. Sandy made a couple of changes to his team selection for the match. Michele Ferri had picked up a training injury so he switched Garry to right back and brought in Amadio on the left with Roberto Palacios coming into midfield. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday January 27th 2010 Serie A Game 22 Fano 0 Reggina 0 The scoreline says it all really – neither side created much going forward and there was precious little to keep the fans entertained. We spurned a golden opportunity to win the game when Palacios missed from the penalty spot after some trickery from Visentin had drawn a rash challenge in the area. Team Selection Luzi (7), Magliocchetti (7), Garry (7), Santos (7), Ricardo Costa (5, sub 45), Amadio (7), Odair (7), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (7), Pazzi (7, Visentin (7) Subs – Fernandez Perez (6) For the visit to Lazio for the final game of the month, Sandy decided to include young Alberti in the starting eleven to replace Pazzi in the hope of pepping up his team’s goalscoring threat. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 31st 2010 Serie A Game 23 Lazio 0 Fano 2 This was a much more satisfactory performance as we dominated play and created a lot of scoring opportunities. After missing a penalty a few days earlier, Palacios showed character when he took responsibility for another spot kick. This time he made no mistake as he slotted the ball home to give us the lead. I am always nervous when we are defending a narrow advantage so I was very pleased when the second goal went in late on in the game. Team Selection Luzi (8), Magliocchetti (8), Garry (7), Santos (8), Ricardo Costa (6, sub 64), Amadio (7), Odair (10*), Palacios (7, sub 64), Collacchioni (8), Alberti (7), Visentin (8) Subs – Fernandez Perez (7), Ochs (7) Goals Palacios 36, Fernandez Perez 85 Despite a rocky month, Fano still sat in 3rd place in Serie A, three points behind leaders Roma. On reflection, it had probably been too much to expect his team not to have the odd blip, as they were not used to holding such an exalted league position. Sandy also suspected that some of their early success might have been related to the surprise factor that a radical switch of tactics provided and as they moved into the second half of the season their opponents were a little more used to the team’s style of play. He only hoped that their loss of form would prove to be transient and that they could put another run of victories together. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 Great work by Fano in the new season, Bob. Glad to see the team up in the top few places. Fingers crossed for a finish that will ensure European football next season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Posted July 6, 2005 Share Posted July 6, 2005 More More More More!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
porph Posted July 7, 2005 Share Posted July 7, 2005 +1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted July 7, 2005 Author Share Posted July 7, 2005 Well seeing as you asked so nicely Starting To Struggle February would begin with a visit from Juventus, the team just above Fano in the league. Sandy’s team had a pretty good record against the Turin giants, having lost just once in 5 contests, and he hoped that trend would continue. He made a couple of changes to the starting eleven, bringing Komi Tchangai back in as sweeper and dropping Collacchioni back to the left of defence with Andorno coming in to midfield. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 7th 2010 Serie A Game 24 Fano 1 Juventus 1 We had to withstand some determined attacks in the first half and Patrice Luzi made several fine saves to keep the scoreline blank before he was deceived by a deflection off Collacchioni just before half time. We offered more threat up front after the break and looked more solid at the back after I replaced Tchangai and Santos. We were rewarded ten minutes from time when Palacios scored his second goal in consecutive games to grab a useful point. Team Selection Luzi (7), Tchangai (5, sub 63), Garry (8), Santos (5, sub 63), Ricardo Costa (7), Collacchioni (7), Odair (8), Palacios (8), Andorno (7), Alberti (8), Visentin (8) Subs – Fernandez Perez (7), Ame (7) Goals Palacios 81 Fano would travel to struggling Ternana looking for a win and Sandy continued tinkering with his defence, still not happy that he had found the ideal candidate to fill the role of sweeper. This time it would be Dorian Ame who would play there, with Tchangai replacing Ricardo Costa in the back four. Sandy’s Journal Sunday February 14th 2010 Serie A Game 25 Ternana 1 Fano 0 There will be no Valentine cards for any of my lads after today’s dismal display – poor in defence, mediocre in midfield and offering no threat going forward, this was as passive as performance as I have seen for some time. Team Selection Luzi (7), Ame (5), Garry (7), Santos (5, sub 45), Tchangai (6), Collacchioni (7), Odair (7), Palacios (7), Andorno (7), Alberti (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Magliocchetti (7) Sandy made his feelings known to his players in no uncertain terms during the next few days, making it crystal clear that he expected a much better effort in midweek at Inter. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday February 17th 2010 Serie A Game 26 Inter 1 Fano 1 Apart from giving away a sloppy goal after quarter of an hour we didn’t do too much wrong this evening but we still didn’t look up to scratch going forward. Young Alberti’s equaliser was well taken but we should have gone on and won the game – especially in light of centre back Cordoba getting a second yellow card ten minutes before half time. So another frustrating display overall and a disappointing result in the circumstances. Team Selection Luzi (5), Ame (6), Garry (7), Santos (7), Tchangai (6), Collacchioni (7), Odair (8), Palacios (7), Andorno (7), Alberti (7), Visentin (7) Goals Alberti 22 Sandy made some further team changes for the visit of Parma, recalling McGregor in goal and bringing Michele Ferri in at left back so that Collacchioni could move back into midfield. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 21st 2010 Serie A Game 27 Fano 0 Parma 1 Another flat and lifeless performance with not a shot on target for the entire 90 minutes. We are slowly undoing all of the good work that we put in during the first half of the season and blowing a golden opportunity of our best ever Serie A finish. Team Selection McGregor (7), Ame (7), Garry (7), Santos (7), Tchangai (7), M Ferri (7), Odair (7), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (6), Alberti (7), Visentin (7) The month would close with a trip to Perugia and now that Fano had slipped to 6th place their opponents sat just above them in the table. Sandy’s foul mood had improved little in the days leading up to the match and his players were under no illusion that getting back to winning ways was the only way that they would placate their manager. Alberti was serving a one-match suspension so Luca Foldi was brought in to see if he could add some punch up front. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 28th 2010 Serie A Game 28 Perugia 0 Fano 3 A win at last! With the midfield firing on all cylinders we looked like a different team. We even survived the sending off of Santos in the second half. Foldi was involved in our first two goals, gaining the early penalty converted by Palacios and then setting up Visentin just after the restart. He had to be sacrificed when we went down to ten men though, coming off to allow Magliocchetti to come on. Team Selection McGregor (9), Ame (6), Garry (7), Santos (6), Tchangai (8), M Ferri (6), Odair (8), Palacios (8), Collacchioni (9), Foldi (6, sub 58), Visentin (9*) Goals Palacios 8, Visentin 47, Collacchioni 90 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peljam Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 Love the story. Cant wait for more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 3, 2005 Author Share Posted August 3, 2005 Thanks peljam Back To The Top Sandy was hopeful that his team could maintain their momentum after a much-needed win and a home game against relegation-threatened Fiorentina should provide a good opportunity for another three points. He decided against changing a winning team despite his concerns about the form of Luca Foldi. However, he was forced into one change in defence as Santos was serving a suspension so Daniele Magliocchetti was given a place in the starting eleven. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 7th 2010 Serie A Game 29 Fano 4 Fiorentina 0 It turned out to be a very good decision to keep Foldi in the team as he played his best game for us since his arrival, scoring twice and setting up the other two goals. I can’t criticise any area of our play today as the team was strong in all areas and never allowed the visitors a scent of goal. Team Selection McGregor (7), Ame (7), Garry (9), Magliocchetti (8), Tchangai (8), M Ferri (8), Odair (7), Palacios (8), Collacchioni (8), Foldi (9*), Visentin (9) Goals Foldi 10, 47, Visentin 11, Collacchioni 18 Boosted by their good win the team knuckled down to a productive week in training, the only problem being an injury to Odair that would sideline the influential Brazilian for at least a fortnight. This meant that Davide Andorno would be in the team for the trip to second place Vicenza, a team that had surprised everybody with their fine form this season. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 14th 2010 Serie A Game 30 Vicenza 0 Fano 2 An excellent first 45 minutes provided the platform for an very good win as Luca Foldi kept his form to set up our opener and score our second. Had Andorno not missed a penalty shortly before half time our lead would have been even more comfortable. The home side carved out some decent chances after the break but their finishing was surprisingly poor and when their top scorer Nicola Ventola was sent off after kicking out at Palacios then the game was as good as over. Team Selection McGregor (7), Ame (7), Garry (7), Magliocchetti (7), Tchangai (8*), M Ferri (7), Andorno (7, sub 77), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (8), Foldi (8), Visentin (7) Subs – Machado (7) Goals Visentin 29, Foldi 32 A very good win on the road lifted Fano up to second place on goal difference and with Roma suffering a 3-1 defeat at home to Juventus, Sandy’s team found themselves just two points behind the league leaders. The manager was anxious to keep the winning habit going in the next match at home to 13th place Udinese. This would have to be done without Ryan Garry, the English fullback having struggled all week with a knock sustained last weekend. Michele Ferri was moved across to play on the right of defence and namesake Luca came in on the left. Sandy’s Journal Sunday March 21st 2010 Serie A Game 31 Fano 2 Udinese 0 I think it’s safe to say that Luca Foldi has found his feet now! Four goals in three games have done wonders for his confidence and he is now making a key contribution. It was good to see Tchangai getting his first goal of the season too. This was exactly the sort of win that we need to get if we are really going to challenge in this league – we didn’t play at our best but we still got the three points. McGregor made some crucial stops in the second half to keep the visitors at bay and all in all I’m very satisfied with the result. Team Selection McGregor (8), Ame (7), M Ferri (7), Magliocchetti (7), Tchangai (7), L Ferri (7), Andorno (7), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (8), Foldi (9*), Visentin (8) Goals Foldi 29, Tchangai 40 A weekend schedule of international friendlies gave Fano a ten-day break before they would next see action and Sandy was grateful of the extra time as he wanted his team to be as well prepared as possible for their next game. The reason – their next opponents were Serie A leaders Roma and the game would be played at the Olimpico stadium in Rome where they would be playing in front of at least 60,000 fanatical Romans. The manager was pleased to see both Ryan Garry and José Reis Odair back in the side and he kept his fingers crossed that Luca Foldi would continue his goal-scoring sequence. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday March 31st 2010 Serie A Game 32 Roma 1 Fano 3 The game plan was to keep it tight at the back and look to hit the home side on the break, and boy did it work. Two perfect breakaway goals inside 20 minutes got us off to a fantastic start and the sheer pace of Luca Foldi was instrumental in both of them. He set Visentin up for the opener and scored the second himself with the most delightful chip over the advancing keeper. Roma pulled a goal back before the break but I told the boys at half time to just keep playing as they were and we would get the win. Our decisive third goal had an outrageous stroke of good fortune about it as Roma keeper Cristiano Lupatelli somehow managed to fumble a cross from Odair into his own net. Team Selection McGregor (5), Ame (6), Garry (6), Magliocchetti (7), Tchangai (8), M Ferri (6), Odair (8), Palacios (8), Collacchioni (8), Foldi (9), Visentin (10*) Goals Visentin 6, Foldi 18, Lupatelli (o.g. 56) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weegie Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 good run Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 8, 2005 Author Share Posted August 8, 2005 Thanks Weegie Hanging On Sandy realised with some amusement that when he looked at the Serie A table that the date at the top of the newspaper read April 1st 2010. But this was no April Fool’s joke – Fano sat on top of the table for the second time this season. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | FANO | 32 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 45 | 24 | +21 | 59 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Roma | 32 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 62 | 36 | +26 | 58 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Vicenza | 32 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 43 | 29 | +14 | 57 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Milan | 31 | 17 | 5 | 9 | 54 | 41 | +13 | 56 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Juventus | 32 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 54 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Perugia | 32 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 52 | 41 | +11 | 50 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Sampdoria | 31 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 58 | 49 | +9 | 48 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Atalanta | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 47 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Cagliari | 32 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 52 | 45 | +7 | 47 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Inter | 32 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 42 | 44 | -2 | 46 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Reggina | 32 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 44 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Como | 32 | 12 | 5 | 15 | 55 | 55 | 0 | 41 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Parma | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 43 | 50 | -7 | 39 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Torino | 32 | 11 | 6 | 15 | 42 | 50 | -8 | 39 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Udinese | 32 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 40 | 44 | -4 | 38 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Palermo | 32 | 11 | 4 | 17 | 33 | 50 | -17 | 37 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Lazio | 32 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 40 | 61 | -21 | 32 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Bari | 32 | 9 | 4 | 19 | 35 | 53 | -18 | 31 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Ternana | 32 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 31 | 57 | -26 | 30 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Fiorentina | 32 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 36 | 55 | -19 | 28 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Just how long they would stay there was anybody’s guess but a midweek match at home to struggling Palermo gave Sandy every hope that it would be for a few more days at least. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday April 7th 2010 Serie A Game 33 Fano 1 Palermo 0 Well we got the win but it took a rather scrappy penalty to secure the points. Not that we were short of chances but Croatian international Stipe Pletikoska was in brilliant form between the sticks and he kept out everything that we could throw at him. Team Selection McGregor (7), Ame (7), Garry (7), Magliocchetti (7), Tchangai (6, sub 85), M Ferri (7), Odair (8), Palacios (8), Collacchioni (7), Foldi (8), Visentin (8) Subs - Fernandez Perez (7) Goals Palacios 51 Another home game followed a few days later with Torino, struggling in the lower reaches of the table, the visitors. Another win was essential if Fano were to maintain their unlikely championship bid and Sandy was able to field an unchanged lineup. Sandy’s Journal Sunday April 11th 2010 Serie A Game 34 Fano 2 Torino 1 We somehow managed to survive the dismissal of two of our players and scrape through with a win but I have to say that I am less than impressed with the standard of refereeing in this game. Odair was the first to go after 24 minutes after a badly timed tackle. José Reis is not a dirty player by any means and there was no malice involved, just bad timing, and a yellow card would have been sufficient. By that time we were a goal up after Magliocchetti powered home a header form an early corner. Another poor decision went in our favour shortly before half time when we were awarded a penalty, Palacios stepping up to double our lead. But we conceded just after the break and when Tchangai got a straight red after an accidental collision with an attacker, things didn’t look good. I was frankly amazed at the ref’s decision and I’ll be appealing against both dismissals but I don’t hold out much hope. Team Selection McGregor (6), Ame (8), Garry (7), Magliocchetti (8), Tchangai (6), M Ferri (8), Odair (6), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (7), Foldi (7), Visentin (7, sub 78) Subs - Fernandez Perez (6) Goals Magliocchetti 8, Palacios 37 As Sandy expected, his appeals were both dismissed and even worse was to follow as the notoriously strict disciplinary panel slapped a further two-match ban on both players. Fano would now enter the climax of the season with two key players unavailable for three out of their final four matches. The first of those games involved a trip to Cagliari and Sandy decided that Santos would step into the defence with Davide Andorno coming into midfield. Sandy’s Journal Sunday April 25th 2010 Serie A Game 35 Cagliari 2 Fano 1 Ever had the feeling that things are not going your way? Having got off to a great start with an early goal from Matteo Visentin we then lost Andorno with a shoulder injury but Machado came on and put in a decent shift. When we lost Foldi just after the break that did affect us though as we missed his pace and determination up front. We started to fall back deeper and deeper and allowed them to square the game on 55 minutes. It looked like we were going to hold on for the draw when deep into injury time Santos was beaten in the air yet again and the ball deflected off Ame and into the net for a devastating defeat. Team Selection McGregor (5), Ame (6), Garry (7), Magliocchetti (6), Santos (5), M Ferri (7), Andorno (6, sub 18), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (8), Foldi (7, sub 52), Visentin (9*) Subs – Machado (7), Alberti (6) Goals Visentin 9 Despite the deep disappointment of succumbing to a last-second defeat, Sandy was comforted by the way that some other key results went as Roma drew at home with Vicenza and Milan lost at Sampdoria, meaning that Fano held on to first place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Just read the whole story BobBev, it's a great read. continue youre good work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 10, 2005 Author Share Posted August 10, 2005 Cheers Selaw To The Wire Trying to remain cool, calm and collected, Sandy sat back and took stock of his team’s position. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | FANO | 35 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 49 | 27 | +22 | 65 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Milan | 35 | 19 | 6 | 10 | 61 | 46 | +15 | 63 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Roma | 36 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 68 | 43 | +25 | 62 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Remaining Games Sunday 2nd May Fano v Bari Fiorentina v Milan Udinese v Roma Friday 7th May Milan v Fano Sunday 9th May Atalanta v Fano Milan v Vicenza Roma v Ternana It was clear that should they beat relegation threatened Bari at the weekend then their trip to Milan would effectively be a title decider. With both teams having a game in hand over Roma the match next Friday could determine the outcome of the entire season. The town was engulfed in a media frenzy and it seemed that every sports journalist and TV reporter wanted to speak to the manager, his players, the coaches, the Chairman or indeed anyone vaguely connected with the club. The whole nation seemed gripped by the unlikely possibility that the Serie A title could be won by a small provincial club instead of one of the big boys. It was difficult for anyone at the club to escape the glare of the media and Sandy was very concerned about the negative impact that all this attention would bring, heaping even more pressure on his players. The manager himself was struggling to stay in control of his emotions. Sandy may have become a much more balanced and happier man since his nightmare days at Rangers but he now faced a situation that could start to unravel him completely. What if his team blew their chance of glory again? How could Sandy deal with the crushing sense of disappointment and failure? Would he go back to his old ways and seek solace in solitude and alcohol? And then he remembered the words that he had read a few years ago that had been so instrumental in his healing. “If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two impostors just the same†And he knew that whatever happened he would be OK. For the visit of Bari the manager made two changes to his team. Keeper McGregor was not a happy man. Despite being so close to a major title the Scotsman just wasn’t happy in Italy and yearned to return home. This was clearly starting to affect his performance so he was moved to the bench and Luzi would start. His other alteration was to drop Santos and bring in Fernandez Perez in the hope of shoring up his defence. Sandy’s Journal Sunday May 2nd 2010 Serie A Game 36 Fano 2 Bari 2 I blame myself for letting three points slip away – 2-0 up and inside the last ten minutes I assumed that the game was won. I took off our two most effective players to rest them before the crunch match at Milan. With our attacking threat blunted and our defence seemingly asleep, we concede twice in the closing minutes to drop two vital points. Team Selection Luzi (6), Ame (5), Garry (8), Magliocchetti (4), Fernandez Perez (7), M Ferri (6), Andorno (9*, sub 82), Palacios (8), Collacchioni (7), Foldi (7), Visentin (8, sub 82) Subs – Machado (6), Alberti (6) Goals Palacios 5, Andorno 77 The damage caused by the dropped points was minimised when the other Serie A results began to filter through – Milan had contrived to lose 5-3 at Fiorentina and Roma had drawn 1-1 at Udinese. This gave the table a rather interesting look and put Vicenza back in the hunt. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | FANO | 36 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 51 | 29 | +22 | 66 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Roma | 37 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 69 | 44 | +25 | 63 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Vicenza | 37 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 47 | 33 | +14 | 63 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Milan | 36 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 64 | 51 | +13 | 63 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> So this was it – the biggest game of the season against one of the biggest teams in the country. Sandy made four changes to his lineup, one enforced and the rest planned. Michele Ferri was suspended so Luca Ferri would play at left back. In a calculated gamble he replaced his entire central defence with Igor Herrero playing at sweeper with Erik Hagen and Ricardo Costa as his two centre backs. The decision was based on both recent form and the morale of the players. He wanted players that believed that the team could win and only time would tell if he had made the right call. Sandy’s Journal Friday May 7th 2010 Serie A Game 37 Milan 2 Fano 2 The gamble didn’t pay off – in fact only some superb saves from Patrice Luzi prevented a rout as Milan outplayed us for long periods of the game. Hagen was a liability at the back but at least our two young strikers didn’t let us down. Matteo Visentin equalised within minutes of us conceding an early goal and Michele Alberti came off the bench to grab a late equaliser. We almost snatched a dramatic win through Roberto Palacios but his shot came crashing back off the crossbar. Team Selection Luzi (9*), Herrero (6), Garry (6), Ricardo Costa (6), Hagen (4, sub 57), L Ferri (7), Andorno (8), Palacios (7), Collacchioni (8), Foldi (6, sub 75), Visentin (9) Subs – Santos (7), Alberti (7) Goals Visentin 7, Alberti 83 Sandy had some serious thinking to do – the trip to Atalanta came just two days after their intense encounter in Milan and there were some tired legs amongst the players. He continued to worry about their defensive mistake as the early promise of his sweeper system now seemed much less effective. The fate of the Serie A title now lay in the hands of two teams – a win or a draw would give it to Fano and a defeat coupled with a win for Milan would see a dramatic title playoff. With three players now back from suspension Sandy could at least restore them to the side. He shuffled his central defenders once again and sent his team out to meet their fate. Sandy’s Journal Sunday May 9th 2010 Serie A Game 38 Atalanta 3 Fano 1 What a time to put in one of our worst displays of the season! Even the outstanding Leo Collacchioni had a stinker. But as badly as we were playing we were still just seven minutes away from the title after Visentin squared the game early in the second half. Our hopes were dashed by two late goals and I don’t know about the players but my nerves are shot to pieces. Team Selection Luzi (5), Tchangai (6), Garry (5), Fernandez Perez (6), Santos (7), M Ferri (7), Odair (7), Palacios (5, sub 84), Collacchioni (4, sub 67), Foldi (7, sub 84), Visentin (8) Subs – Santos (7), Alberti (7) Goals Visentin 54 Milan came out on top in a tight encounter with Vicenza, winning 1-0 to tie Fano on points and set up the drama of a playoff to decide the Serie A title. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | FANO | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 54 | 34 | +20 | 67 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Milan | 38 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 67 | 53 | +14 | 67 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Roma | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 70 | 44 | +26 | 66 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Vicenza | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 47 | 34 | +13 | 63 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Sampdoria | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 70 | 54 | +16 | 60 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Juventus | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 61 | 53 | +8 | 58 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Atalanta | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 71 | 62 | +9 | 57 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Perugia | 38 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 59 | 51 | +8 | 57 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Reggina | 38 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 55 | 50 | +5 | 54 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Cagliari | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 59 | 55 | +4 | 54 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Inter | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 51 | 56 | -5 | 53 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Como | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 70 | 64 | +6 | 50 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Udinese | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 48 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Lazio | 38 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 52 | 64 | -12 | 48 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Parma | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 51 | 60 | -9 | 46 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Torino | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 47 | 60 | -13 | 43 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Bari | 38 | 12 | 5 | 21 | 44 | 61 | -17 | 41 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | R | Fiorentina | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 49 | 65 | -16 | 40 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | R | Palermo | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 39 | 59 | -20 | 40 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | R | Ternana | 38 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 33 | 71 | -38 | 32 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Superior goal difference meant that the Stadio Mancini would host the playoff and in the days leading up to the game it seemed like every citizen of Fano had managed to secure a ticket somehow. Prior to the game Milan secured the Italian Cup with a 3-0 aggregate win over Parma and they would be seeking a domestic double. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bingitz Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 Wow, I just read this entire thing, and I banged my head on the table when I realized that the story stopped right before the playoff. Anyways, good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brammeke Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 Great story! Just grab that title, you deserve it! Greetz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 15, 2005 Author Share Posted August 15, 2005 Thanks chaps – sorry to keep you waiting! Meet Your Destiny Sandy didn’t usually do team talks, preferring instead to talk to players individually. But given the momentous nature of the forthcoming game he broke the habit of a lifetime and addressed his entire squad. “Boys, I want you to know that whatever happens today we will end this season as champions. We may not win the title but finishing second in this league is still a fantastic achievement. Now that doesn’t mean that I don’t expect us to triumph – in fact I believe that we will. Try to look at the bigger picture here. Just look at the pressure that is on Milan. They have been runners-up four times in the last five seasons and they’re desperate for the title. Now for some reason everyone expects Milan to beat us. I don’t understand why – this will be our 7th meeting in Serie A and they haven’t won yet. In my book we are the favourites and I want us to go out there and beat them – I know that you can do it if you just believe†Sandy hadn’t realised that his Chairman had been standing quietly in the background until Mirco Giovanelli spoke. “Signor Sandy, your words are an inspiration to us all. In fact your very presence here at Fano ees an inspiration. You have brought my Fano to thee breenk of success and eet would be a dream come true for me to win thee title. But you speak thee truth – no matter what happens you are all champions. You play for a small team, a team that has no chance of success, and you have made it a success. And you weel never forget my Fano and my Fano weel never forget Signor Sandy.†He strode forward and grasped his manager in one of his trademark bearhugs as the entire playing squad applauded and cheered to the rafters. Sandy had decided that Massimiliano Riccio, one of the few players who had experienced life at Fano in Serie C, would make a rare start in the centre of midfield and the young man would be wearing the captain’s armband for the day. He was hoping that his pace would unsettle the Milan rearguard and present them with some problems. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday May1 9th 2010 Serie A Playoff Fano 0 Milan 0 (Fano win 3-1 on penalties) It was my much-maligned defence that won this game for us, standing firm under intense periods of pressure from Milan and keeping the game goalless for 120 minutes. This was a very difficult game for me to watch as the nervous tension really began to bite. I saw Milan mount attack after attack and somehow we repelled them. Our defending was desperate at times but when Adriano sent a shot crashing against the bar seconds before the end of the game I somehow felt that the gods were on our side. Even when Shevcheno fired Milan ahead and Matteo Visentin missed our first penalty kick I still remained calm. Adriano found the woodwork again with his attempt and Ricardo Costa squared the shootout. Then Phillipe Mexes sent his kick wide and Odair put us ahead. When Luzi came up with a great save to deny Kapo it all came down to captain for the day Riccio. His kick was true and the net bulged as if in slow motion. There was a second’s silence and then all hell broke lose! Team Selection Luzi (8), Tchangai (8), Garry (7), Herrero (6, sub 100), Santos (8), M Ferri (8), Odair (7), Riccio (7), Collacchioni (8), Foldi (6, sub 41), Visentin (9*) Subs – Alberti (7, sub 105), Ricardo Costa (7), Machado (6) The Stadio Mancini was filled with celebrating fans as the Fano players went wild, running to every corner of the pitch to drink in the adulation of the fans. When 10,000 Italians really set their emotions free it is quite a sight to behold. Sandy joined in with the rest of them, the normally reserved Scot releasing years of pent up emotional energy. The party went on long into the night, and indeed for the next several days, as the players and the backroom staff were feted all over town, visiting as many bars and restaurants as they could manage and luxuriating in the joy of winning the biggest prize in Italian football. But within days of securing the title, the Fano Chairman had to have a difficult conversation with his manager. “Signor Sandy, you know how much thees means to everyone at thee club and to everyone in thee town but I have to let you know something. Inter have sacked Luigi Del Neri and they want you to replace heem.†“Inter eh.†“Si, Inter.†“But they’re in Milan.†“Si, of course, Meelano.†“I don’t like the weather up there Mirco so I think I’ll just stick around here if that’s OK with you.†“I would be much happiness eef you do that Signor Sandy.†“Mirco, your English is as bad as my Italian, but I know what you mean. Now let’s all go off for a bit of a holiday - we’ve got the Champions League to worry about next season.†But before the players dispersed for their summer break, Sandy had the pleasure of informing some of them that they had featured in the seasonal awards. Matteo Visentin had been voted the Young Player of the Year, the Fans Player of the Year and was also selected in the Serie A Team of the Year with Leo Collacchioni whilst Odair had finished 3rd in the Foreign Player of the Year voting. There was success for Juventus in Europe as they won the UEFA Cup, beating Liverpool 2-0 in the final. But Roma missed out in the Champions League as England gained revenge with Arsenal winning, also by a 2-0 scoreline. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weegie Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 top noch story bob Congrats on winning the Serie A Champions of Europe Next season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alixibus Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 amazing, read right through and has rekinfled my love for lower league success, congrats on a fab story and hope champions league brings all the success fano deserve!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tophe54 Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 Great... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 Please Please write some more of this. I love these rags to riches tales. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 5, 2005 Author Share Posted December 5, 2005 Sorry for the delay chaps, trying to get this back on track now. Season 8 Attack – The Best Form Of Defence After enjoying a brief holiday Sandy returned to Fano to begin planning his 8th season in charge of the club. He had done plenty of thinking whilst he was away, not least of which concerned his future with the club. The relief he felt at seeing his team come through to win the Serie A title was palpable and he felt that he had at last laid to rest the ghosts that had haunted him for years. Well almost – first there was the small question of the Champions League to be resolved. Winning that trophy had crystallised into his mind as the final achievement that he had to make to truly bring himself peace. So with that unstated objective in mind he set about reviewing his playing squad. The youngsters had received a new batch of players and according to Peter Beardsley there were a couple of real gems in there. The club’s financial position was very secure and after meeting with Mirco a fairly modest €8M transfer budget was agreed and the wage budget had a tidy increase applied. Over the course of the summer a new training facility had been brought into commission and by Christmas another 5,000 seats would be added to the stadium. Sandy had also decided that he would dispense with his sweeper system and revert to a back four but that he would use a defensive midfielder to offer some additional protection to the defence. He intended to implement the policy that attack is the best form of defence, feeling that he had enough offensive talent at his disposal for such a strategy to work. The squad had a very different look about it by early August with a dozen players having been released or sold and both Erik Hagen and Davide Andorno deciding to retire. Sandy had no regrets about releasing Stefano Layeni and Nermin Celikovic but the departure of Cristian Pazzi, Frederico Orlandi and Luca Tomasetti was sad to see as they had all been with him for a long time. He made some effort to retain Luca Ferri, Patrice Luzi, and Santos but in the end their salary demands proved to be too much. Dirk Ochs refused a contract offer, preferring to move to Cagliari instead. Several new faces did appear however. Brazilian centre back Evandro and promising young keeper Francesco Sammarco both joined on free transfers. Francesco Carbone, a player who could be used as a right or a left fullback, cost €1.8M from Torino. Experienced midfielder Kleber Romero came from Zaragoza for €275K and Paolo Zanetti moved from Middlesbrough for €2M. The vastly experienced Trianos Dellas joined the coaching staff and was also registered as a player as Sandy felt that his 8 seasons at Roma would stand him in good stead. Another experienced defender appeared in the shape of Kewullay Conteh who came on a free from Palermo. Finally young Moroccan defender Zakaria Chahbaoiu came on a season-long loan from Wolfsburg and midfielder Christian Tiffert joined as a free agent. Fano’s first game of the season did not end happily as they lost the Italian Super Cup final to Milan 4-2. Sandy’s cavalier attacking approach certainly created scoring opportunities but it also left his team exposed defensively. With several fresh faces in the starting eleven and a new formation to come to terms with, the manager refused to be discouraged. A 3-3 draw at home to Sevilla in a warm-up match was more encouraging and with Fano missing a penalty and facing an inspired keeper, the game should have been won. The pre-season continued with a 1-1 draw at home to Ajax, a scoreline that was no reflection of Fano’s dominance of the match. The warm-up matches finished with a visit from Barcelona and an impressive 3-2 win. At the start of September Sandy found out whom his team would be facing in their Champions League group – Man United, Hearts and Maribor. He was particularly excited to be facing United, one of the biggest clubs in world football. By the time of the league opener at home to Inter, Sandy had a fair idea of his starting eleven but perhaps more importantly, he felt that there were at least two players challenging for each position which meant that the depth within the squad had been improved by his summer transfer activities. He was also pleased that keeper Allan McGregor seemed quite a lot happier. Peter Beardsley had been spending a fair amount of time with the 28-year-old Scot and Sandy’s assistant had been successful in engendering a much more positive attitude in the player. However, his preparations were disrupted by injuries to defenders Conteh, Dellas and Garry, meaning that he could not send out his first choice selection. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 5th 2010 Serie A Game 1 Fano 5 Inter 2 There was no shortage of thrills for a packed Stadio Mancini as we got the season off to a barnstorming start. The shape of the game, and the final result, were indicative of my high-risk (and hopefully high-reward) tactics. By playing with five out-and-out attacking players and having the midfield trio push forward at every opportunity to support the strikers, I am taking a huge gamble but I believe that it will pay off. Team Selection McGregor (8, sub 67), Ferri (8), Carbone (7), Evandro (8), Ame (6, sub 67), Tiffert (7), Odair (8), Rosales (9), Romero (9), Alberti (9), Visentin (10*) Subs – Sammarco (7), Tchangai (7) Goals Rosales 5, 85, Visentin 8, Alberti 50, Romero 88 A pumped-up Fano were soon back in action with a midweek match at home to Sampdoria, champions two seasons ago and expected to be challenging again this campaign. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday September 8th 2010 Serie A Game 2 Fano 4 Sampdoria 1 The sheer pace of Mauro Rosales looks like it will be an effective weapon this season and his bursts forward from the centre of midfield were hugely effective. After he came off with a slight knock substitute Luca Foldi looked to be equally effective in the same role. In fact we have several speed merchants that could cause some damage but it all depends on their quality of finish at the end of the day. Team Selection McGregor (7), Ferri (8), Carbone (8), Evandro (8), Ame (6, sub 83), Tiffert (8), Odair (7), Rosales (10*, sub 83), Romero (7, sub 65), Alberti (7), Visentin (8) Subs – Zanetti (8), Tchangai (6), Foldi (8) Goals Rosales 15, 19, 54, Foldi 89 Sandy’s players had time to recover from two thrilling wins when European Championship qualifiers gave most of them a weekend off and they travelled to Roma hoping to continue with another swashbuckling win. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 18th 2010 Serie A Game 3 Roma 2 Fano 1 Despite getting off to a great start with a goal virtually straight from the kickoff we were behind by the middle of the first half and never showed the attacking qualities required to penetrate a watertight Roma defence. Team Selection McGregor (6), Conteh (7), Carbone (6), Evandro (6), Tchangai (6), Tiffert (7, sub 85), Odair (7), Rosales (7, sub 85), Romero (8), Alberti (7), Visentin (8, sub 73) Subs – Machado (6), Foldi (6), Palacios (6) Goals Visentin 1 Disappointed by such a subdued display, Sandy tried hard to lift his players for their Champions League debut at home to Hearts. He felt that they needed to make a positive start and set his players the clear target of an opening win. His objective was to get ten points in the group, as that should be sufficient to qualify for the nest phase. Sensing that the back four were all pretty dejected after the defeat at Roma he took the gamble of replacing then en-masse for this game. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday September 22nd 2010 Champions League Group H Game 1 Fano 4 Hearts 0 This time we took full advantage of another good start and established a match-winning 3-0 lead by half time. I was delighted to see Matteo Visentin complete his hat trick with a late goal as the lads delivered exactly what I had asked for. Team Selection McGregor (7), Ferri (8), Garry (8), Ame (8), Dellas (7), Tiffert (8), Odair (8), Rosales (8, sub 82), Romero (7), Alberti (8), Visentin (10*) Subs – Foldi (7) Goals Visentin 14, 44, 86, Odair 18 A surprising 1-1 draw for Man United at Maribor put Fano at the top of their group and gave the team another boost before the visit to Modena. Newly promoted they were the shock leaders of Serie A having won their first three games and Sandy expected a challenging game. They would be without Christian Tiffert on the right of midfield so Luca Foldi would play there instead. Sandy’s Journal Sunday September 26th 2010 Serie A Game 4 Modena 2 Fano 5 This was another great hat trick for Visentin in a win that turned out to be more comfortable than I had expected. It was slightly concerning to have conceded twice when we were 4-0 ahead but I had told the players not to sit back and defend the lead and this is what can happen when you keep pushing forward. Team Selection McGregor (7), Ferri (8), Garry (7), Ame (8), Dellas (6, sub 65), Foldi (8), Odair (7), Rosales (7, sub 45), Romero (7), Alberti (10), Visentin (10*) Subs – Tiesse (7), Tchangai (7) Goals Visentin 19, 26, 28, Alberti 61, 90 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 9, 2005 Author Share Posted December 9, 2005 Goals Galore Sandy was delighted with the start that his team had made to the season although he was aware that it was early days and that his high-risk approach to the game could well blow up in his face. Their brand of carefree attacking had certainly got the Italian press talking, with no shortage of praise being handed out for their thrilling style. However, the consensus was that this was not the way to retain their Serie A title. What the papers didn’t know was that Sandy was focussed solely on the Champions League and he was convinced that by going for broke he had a great chance of lifting the trophy. His team was still very much an unknown quantity outside Italy and he was counting on surprising the big boys with his aggressive approach. But before their next group match his team had to deal with the visit of Cagliari. He restored Tiffert back into midfield but made no further changes to his selection. Sandy’s Journal Saturday October 2nd 2010 Serie A Game 5 Fano 5 Cagliari 2 If this game is anything to go by then there will be no shortage of goals at the Stadio Mancini this season. Two down inside 40 minutes we came storming back to tie the scores before half time. Ryan Garry’s equaliser was a beauty – he must have hit it from 30 yards out and it fair flew into the net. Rosales went on to score a deserved hat trick and both he and Visentin have 8 goals each thus far. Team Selection McGregor (6), Ferri (8), Garry (9), Ame (8), Dellas (7), Tiffert (5, sub 45), Odair (7), Rosales (10*), Romero (9), Alberti (7), Visentin (8) Subs – Foldi (7) Goals Rosales 42, 55, 65, Garry 45, Romero 76 Boosted by another good win, Sandy and his team travelled to Old Trafford with a sense of great anticipation for the forthcoming game. Sandy’s Journal Tuesday October 5th 2010 Champions League Group H Game 2 Manchester United 2 Fano 1 We took quite a battering in this game and could have been defeated by a bigger margin. Some of the lads seemed to be rather overwhelmed by the occasion I think and I am sure that they will have learned from the experience. Bizarrely, all three goals were scored by the same player, Sanli Tuncay scoring twice for the home side and also being credited with an own goal. Team Selection McGregor (7), Ferri (7), Garry (5, sub 45), Ame (8), Dellas (5, sub 45), Tiffert (7), Odair (8), Rosales (6), Zanetti (7), Alberti (5, sub 32), Visentin (7) Subs – Machado (7), Tchangai (6), Collacchioni (7) Still a little deflated after their one-sided defeat, Fano travelled to Bari for their next match in Serie A looking for a good win to improve morale. Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 10th 2010 Serie A Game 6 Bari 3 Fano 3 Having conceded an early goal we did superbly to battle back and go 3-1 ahead but then some sloppy defending saw us concede two more in the closing stages for a disappointing draw. The highlight of the game was our second goal from Michele Alberti – picking the ball up just inside his own half he went on a dazzling run before finishing with a powerful cross-shot. Team Selection McGregor (5), Ferri (6), Garry (7), Ame (7), Dellas (7), Tiffert (7, sub 65), Odair (7, sub 56), Rosales (5, sub 56), Zanetti (7), Alberti (8), Visentin (9) Subs – Foldi (7), Collacchioni (7), Machado (7) Goals Odair 10 (pen), Alberti 28, Visentin 54 After a weekend off because of Euro 2012 qualifiers Fano travelled to Reggina without Mauro Rosales who had suffered a slight knock in training, Luca Foldi taking his place. Sandy’s Journal Saturday October 23rd 2010 Serie A Game 7 Reggina 3 Fano 5 If this is any indication of the type of games that I will have to sit through this season then I am not sure that the poor old ticker will take it! We were 2-0 down before we woke up and started to play a little, Foldi scoring the first goal of his treble to take us into the break a goal down. Some further sloppy defending saw us concede a 3rd just after the restart and we looked a beaten team. But Luca had other ideas and he completed his hat trick to square the game. With both Evandro and McGregor looking very uncertain I decided to shore up the back, taking the unusual decision to substitute the keeper. It worked well with Tchangai putting us in front before Visentin netted late on. Team Selection McGregor (5, sub 68), Ferri (7), Garry (7), Ame (6), Evandro (5, sub 68), Tiffert (9), Odair (8), Foldi (10*), Romero (8), Alberti (7), Visentin (8) Subs – Napolitano (7), Tchangai (7) Goals Foldi 41, 59, 64, Tchangai 83, Visentin 86 Fano took a step into the unknown when they travelled to Slovenia to face Maribor in their next Champions League group game. Although not too far away in terms of distance, Sandy and his coaching team knew very little about the team but the manager decided that his best option was to try to impose his own attacking play on their hosts and go full out for the win. His one concern was the form and confidence of keeper McGregor so he risked playing 20-year-old Nicola Napolitano, reasoning that he could do no worse than the out of sorts Scotsman. Sandy’s Journal Tuesday October 26th 2010 Champions League Group H Game 3 Maribor 0 Fano 3 My decision to concentrate on our own game and not worry too much about the opposition proved to be the correct one as we dominated play from pillar to post. Both of our goalscorers could easily have had hat tricks such were the number of chances we created. Foldi hit the woodwork twice, Alberti once and both were denied repeatedly by the home keeper. But nonetheless it was an excellent result and with Man United comfortably beating Hearts we are in second place in the group. Team Selection Napolitano (7), Ferri (7), Garry (7), Ame (6), Evandro (8), Tiffert (8), Odair (9), Foldi (10*), Zanetti (8), Alberti (9), Visentin (8) Goals Alberti 33, 67, Foldi 65 With title-chasing Juventus coming to the Stadio Mancini Sandy knew that their next game would be a tough one but he resisted the temptation to shuffle his team, keen to keep a settled lineup whenever possible. Sandy’s Journal Sunday October 31st 2010 Serie A Game 8 Fano 0 Juventus 1 Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon gave an object lesson in goalkeeping today, demonstrating why he is considered to be one of the best in the world. The 32-year-old has amassed 106 international caps and he pulled off a series of stunning saves to deny our voracious attack. Their winner came when they hit us on the break with two minutes of normal time remaining to consign us to an unjust defeat. Team Selection Napolitano (6), Ferri (6), Garry (7), Ame (6), Evandro (7), Tiffert (7), Odair (7), Foldi (7), Zanetti (7), Alberti (7), Visentin (6) Fano’s second defeat of the season dropped them to 4th place in Serie A but the title race showed every sign of being as competitive as ever with the top three of Roma, Juventus and Milan all tied on 17 points with Fano and Vicenza following on 16. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 Staying On Track A visit from mid table Perugia gave Fano an opportunity to recover from their disappointing defeat and Sandy made one change to his lineup, bringing in Romero for Zanetti in the midfield anchor position. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 7th 2010 Serie A Game 9 Fano 2 Perugia 1 The problem with our aggressive style of play was quite apparent today – if our attack isn’t on song then we struggle. We started very slowly, conceded a goal midway through the first half and didn’t have our first scoring attempt until nearly 30 minutes of play. But thankfully we did warm up, even having to make some enforced changes, including subbing a sub when Rosales was injured after replacing Foldi. We have Dorian Ame to thank for the winner as our attacking players fired blanks for most of the game. Team Selection Napolitano (5), Ferri (7), Garry (7), Ame (9*), Evandro (8), Tiffert (7), Odair (7), Foldi (7, sub 69), Romero (7, sub 69), Alberti (8), Visentin (7) Subs – Collacchioni (7), Rosales (7, sub 90), Riccio (6) Goals Alberti 39, Ame 53 Sandy approached the visit of Maribor in the Champions League with great anticipation – a win would take his team within a point of his 10-point target at the start of the group campaign and out them in a great position to qualify for the next phase. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday November 10th 2010 Champions League Group H Game 4 Fano 2 Maribor 0 It was a very frustrating hour watching us huff and puff in front of goal until our opener came from Alberti. After that we visibly relaxed and really should have scored more than just Foldi’s late strike. With Man United beating Hearts in their return game, it looked like the two of us would be the teams to go through. Team Selection Napolitano (7), Ferri (7), Garry (7), Ame (7), Evandro (6), Tiffert (8), Odair (7), Foldi (9*), Romero (7, sub 72), Alberti (8), Visentin (8) Subs – Zanetti (7) Goals Alberti 61, Foldi 85 A trip to bottom of the table Genoa presented Sandy’s team with a good opportunity of three points and the manager decided to make some changes to his starting eleven. Francesco Sammarco was given his first start in goal and Leo Collacchioni was selected on the right of midfield with Mauro Rosales restored in the centre. Sandy’s Journal Sunday November 14th 2010 Serie A Game 10 Genoa 0 Fano 3 Rosales scored his 9th of the season early on after some great work by Visentin before coming off in the second half after he picked up a slight knock. Evandro also had to be replaced but neither player looks like being absent for long. Collacchioni put in a great shift on the right and deserved both his goal and his Man of the Match award, his strike coming at an important time in the match. Substitute Foldi wrapped it up late on with a neat turn and shot to make sure of the win and it’s a close call between him and Rosales for the central midfield berth. Team Selection Sammarco (8), Ferri (7), Garry (6), Ame (8), Evandro (5, sub 27), Collacchioni (9*), Odair (7), Rosales (7, sub 74), Romero (8), Alberti (8), Visentin (9) Subs – Tchangai (8), Foldi (7) Goals Rosales 12, Collacchioni 47, Foldi 88 Fano’s win took them back to the top of Serie A on goal difference over Vicenza but just two points separated the top five teams and Sandy anticipated an enthralling title battle unfolding over the remainder of the season. The manager made just once change for the visit of struggling Lazio with Komi Tchangai replacing Evandro in central defence. Their opponents sat in 14th place in the table after a poor start to the season and Sandy hoped that his team would add to the Romans misery with a good result. Sandy’s Journal Saturday November 20th 2010 Serie A Game 11 Fano 4 Lazio 0 We were rarely troubled by the visitors and looked solid defensively throughout. An early goal from Matteo Visentin settled us quickly and Ame had another good game in central defence, adding our second from a corner. Odair made the game safe before half time after Eric Djemba-Djemba had been sent off for a professional foul whilst conceding a penalty. The Brazilian had his spot kick saved but followed up to net the rebound. Rosales kept up his goal-a-game scoring ratio late in the game to seal a comprehensive win. Team Selection Sammarco (7), Ferri (9), Garry (8), Ame (9*), Tchangai (8), Collacchioni (7, sub 64), Odair (8), Rosales (9), Romero (8), Alberti (8), Visentin (8) Subs – Foldi (8) Goals Visentin 11, Ame 22, Odair 44, Rosales 82 Sandy had to make two enforced changes for the trip to Milan when Ryan Garry and Jose Reis Odair both sustained injuries in training. Francesco Carbone came in at left back and Rodrigo Machado was selected on the left of midfield. Sandy’s Journal Saturday November 27th 2010 Serie A Game 12 Milan 2 Fano 0 We were on the back foot from the moment that Andriy Shevchenko opened the scoring inside 5 minutes. We conceded again midway through the half and with out attacking players not really on song we rarely looked like getting back on terms. Some niggling injuries didn’t help our cause but it was a disappointing game to lose as our opponents have now taken over at the top of the table. Team Selection Sammarco (7), Ferri (7), Carbone (6), Ame (6, sub 45), Tchangai (7), Collacchioni (7), Machado (7), Rosales (7), Romero (5, sub 45), Alberti (7), Visentin (7, sub 76) Subs – Chahbaoui (7), Zanetti (7), Riccio (7) The team needed to bounce back from the disappointment of defeat for their Champions League match at Hearts. Man United had already qualified from the group and anything bar a defeat would ensure that Fano followed suit. A few changes in personnel were required to ensure that his players remained fresh but the manager looked forward to a rare return to Scotland with some confidence. Sandy’s Journal Tuesday November 30th 2010 Champions League Group H Game 5 Hearts 0 Fano 6 Three goals in the first half made sure of the win and qualification to the next phase and another three after the break was the icing on the cake. We totally dominated the game and with the chances we created it is no exaggeration to say that we could have got double figures. Man United recorded the same scoreline at home to Maribor and our meeting next month will decide who ends up as group winners. Team Selection Sammarco (7), Conteh (9), Ferri (8), Ame (8), Tchangai (8), Palacios (8), Foldi (9), Roslaes (10*, sub 70), Romero (10), Alberti (10, sub 82), Visentin (9) Subs – Tiesse (7), Riccio (7) Goals Rosales 18, 22, 59, Alberti 28, Visentin 70, Romero 82 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 22, 2005 Author Share Posted December 22, 2005 Win Some, Lose Some Still on a high after their demolition of Hearts, Sandy’s team welcomed the visit of mid-table Como with some eagerness, keen to progress their bid to retain the title. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 5th 2010 Serie A Game 13 Fano 3 Como 0 We made heavy weather of the first half and but for some good saves by Sammarco we could easily have been behind at the break. The front two played well with Matteo Visentin looking particularly sharp and he took his two goals very well. Team Selection Sammarco (8), Conteh (7, sub 68), Ferri (8), Ame (7), Tchangai (8), Tiffert (7), Foldi (8), Rosales (7, sub 68), Romero (7), Alberti (7), Visentin (10*) Subs – Collacchioni (7), Tiesse (7) Goals Visentin 10, 48, Alberti 80 With the press highlighting the form of 20-year-old striker Visentin Sandy added his voice to the chorus of approval, praising his young goalscorer for his skill and application. In combination with strike partner Michele Alberti, himself only 19, the two made a potent offensive threat and the pair had already notched 25 goals between them. Midweek action in the Italian Cup at home to Genoa offered Sandy the perfect opportunity to give his fringe players a competitive game and he made sweeping changes to his starting eleven for the game. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday December 8th 2010 Italian Cup 2nd Round 1st Leg Fano 6 Genoa 0 The second string performed admirably against relegation threatened Genoa and our comfortable win has guaranteed our progression in the competition. I was particularly impressed by Alex Triesse in the centre of midfield and the way he scored his hat trick. Team Selection Napolitano (7), Herrero (8), Magliocchetti (7), Chahbaoui (8), Fernández Pérez (7, sub 67), Palacios (8), Machado (8), Tiesse (10*, sub 67), Zanetti (10), Riccio (8), Visentin (10) Subs – Tchangai (6), Foldi (7) Goals Tiesse 8, 29, 59, Zanetti 36, Visentin 60, Foldi 89 Sandy reverted to his first choice selection for the trip to Parma knowing that with Milan having dropped points the day before his team could move back to the top of the table with a win today. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 12th 2010 Serie A Game 14 Parma 3 Fano 2 This was one of those games that I really can’t believe we lost. The winning goal came from a soft penalty, we struck the woodwork twice and Parma keeper Sebastien Frey made some stunning saves. So instead of overtaking Milan to go top we slipped down to 4th, such is the competitive nature of this year’s Serie A. Having scored in the first minute of the game it was frustrating not to have pushed home our advantage and killed the game off. Team Selection Sammarco (6), Conteh (7), Ferri (5, sub 84), Ame (7), Tchangai (7), Tiffert (7), Foldi (6, sub 84), Rosales (7, sub 50), Zanetti (8), Alberti (7), Visentin (7) Subs – Tiesse (8), Chahbaoui (7), Palacios (6) Goals Alberti 1, Tiesse 73 Fano’s next match would decide who finished on top of their Champions League group and the manager was keen to get the win, as he wanted his side to prove that they could compete with the best teams in Europe. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday December 15th 2010 Champions League Group H Game 6 Fano 3 Manchester United 1 An early penalty got us off to a great start but the visitors equalised midway through the first half. However two excellent goals from Alberti before half time took us into the break with a two-goal cushion and we were able to play out the remainder of the game to get the win that I really wanted. Team Selection Sammarco (7), Conteh (9), Ferri (7), Ame (4, sub 53), Tchangai (8), Foldi (8), Odair (7), Roslaes (7), Zanetti (7), Alberti (9*, sub 82), Visentin (7) Subs – Dellas (7), Riccio (7) Goals Visentin 9, Alberti 25, 40 The draw for the 2nd Round of the Champions was relatively kind to Fano as they came out of the hat together with Danish side FC Copenhagen and Sandy was reasonably confident of being able to get a result. But next on the agenda was a visit by Atalanta in the league, the first match to be played at the Stadio Mancini since the newly completed expansion. Still tiny by modern standards the ground now held just under 14,000 souls and Sandy expected a good turnout for the match. Sandy’s Journal Sunday December 19th 2010 Serie A Game 15 Fano 0 Atalanta 3 What a poor display to serve up for our fans in the new-look stadium! We had several key players well below par today and I think that I need to shake the team up with a few changes for our next few matches as some of the lads need to buck their ideas up. They must know by now that they can’t just turn up and expect to win – they have to work at it if they want to achieve success. Team Selection Sammarco (5), Conteh (7), Ferri (7), Chahbaoui (7), Tchangai (6), Foldi (7), Odair (7), Rosales (6), Zanetti (6), Alberti (7), Visentin (7) The final game before the short Christmas break involved a trip to Genoa for the second leg of their Italian Cup tie and Sandy once again gave his fringe players a run out. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday December 22nd 2010 Italian Cup 2nd Round 2nd Leg Genoa 1 Fano 3 (Fano win 9-1 on aggregate) Whilst not as impressive as we were in the first leg, the second string were more than good enough to win on the night and complete a very easy victory to take us into the Quarter Finals. Team Selection Napolitano (5), Herrero (6), Magliocchetti (7), Chahbaoui (7), Fernández Pérez (6), Palacios (8), Machado (10*), Tiesse (9), Zanetti (7), Riccio (8), Alberti (8) Goals Machado 4, Tiesse 37, Alberti 57 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terk Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Unlocked and upped by request Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted June 6, 2006 Author Share Posted June 6, 2006 Thanks Simon. I looked at resurrecting this but when I went back to CM03/04 I just couldn’t get back into it. So I’ve put FM06 on holiday mode for a while and I’m taking this in a new direction to see what happens. Hogmanay Surprise It was early January and Sandy Banks was sitting behind his desk reading through some scouting reports when his Chairman interrupted him. “Ciao, Signor Sandy and a Happy New Year†“Same to you Mirco†said the Scotsman, rising to allow himself to be engulfed in one of his Chairman’s trademark bear hugs. Despite the time that he had spent in Italy, Sandy was still slightly uncomfortable with the tactile approach adopted by most Italian men, but he did his best not to show it. “So, you are still at thee work then Signor Sandy? You need rest a leetel more, eh. As you say in Britain, all working and no playing makes your boy dull, no?†“Something like that Mirco. Anyway, what brings you into the stadium when you should be on holiday too?†“Another one of those telephone calls.†“Mirco, I’ve already told you – Milano, Torino, Roma, I’m not interested. I’m happy here at Fano.†“I know that Signor Sandy, but thees call ees not from Milano, Torino or Roma – eet ees from Glasgow.†Sandy’s heart missed a beat! He honestly hadn’t thought about Glasgow for months, years maybe. He was over all of that, settled in a new country, living a new life, running a new team. “Glasgow!†“Si, Glasgow. Eet is a very interesting situation and I theenk that maybe thees time eet is a call that you should return! Here ees thee name and thee number – I’ll see you in my office a leetle later.†It took Sandy some time to even glance at the slip of paper that Mirco had handed him as his mind was in a spin after his Chairman’s news. When he did look down he almost rubbed his eyes in disbelief. “My, my Mirco†he whispered to himself, “interesting would be quite an understatement.†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 I Belong To Glasgow Several hours passed before Sandy walked slowly to Mirco’s office. “So Signor Sandy, that must have been a very long telephone call?†“No, not too long, but it did leave me with a lot to think about.†“Sometimes my friend eet doesn’t do to theenk too much with the ‘ead. Thees time you must theenk with the ‘art, no?†Sandy looked at Mirco for what felt like an eternity. “Just how is it that you know me better than I know myself?†“Signor Sandy, I tell you many years ago that I know football people and that you are a football people. Een your head you have unfeeneshed business at Fano but een your heart you have unfeeneeshed business in Glasgow, that ees clear to me. You have come a long way een the last few years but thee final peece of thee puzzle ees not in Fano – eet ees een Glasgow.†Both men were silent for what seemed like an eternity. Finally Sandy spoke. “God Mirco, I’m really going to miss things around here – the staff, the players and the fans. But most of all I’m going to miss you. I don’t know if I can do it without your support.†“You weel always have my support Signor Sandy, no matter where you are. And you weel always have a leetle beet of my Fano in your ‘art, no?†This time it was Sandy who reached out and hugged Mirco. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 Homecoming Sandy’s return to the city of his birth was greeted with a mixture of incredulity and anger. He had been a hero at Rangers until the spectacular collapse of his team when they were on the brink of making history. That was ten years ago and since that time the club had failed to make any real impression in Europe. Alex McLeish had guided them to the SPL title four times in the previous five seasons. Fierce rivals Celtic had just a single league title to their name during that period and they had finally ran out of patience with manager Gordon Strachan. Neither set of rival supporters could believe their ears when it was announced that former Rangers manager Sandy Banks would be his successor! Sandy was almost as surprised as the rest of the football establishment by this incredible turn of events. When Mirco had handed him the piece of paper with Brian Quinn’s name on it, it had taken Sandy a few seconds to realise that it was the Celtic Chairman that had called, and not David Murray, the man in charge at Ibrox. His first instinct had been to crumple the paper into a ball and throw it in the bin but for some reason he hadn’t done that. He knew Mirco well enough to realise that he would never have informed Sandy of the call in the first place if he hadn’t felt that his manager should give the situation some thought. Sandy and Mirco had developed such a deep unspoken bond that the one almost seemed to know what the other was thinking. The jovial Italian certainly seemed to have an uncanny ability to read his managers mind and empathise with his emotional state. So if Mirco said that this was a call that should be returned then Sandy couldn’t just dismiss it out of hand. When he eventually dialled the mobile phone number written on the sheet of paper he was struck by how quickly Mr. Quinn established a rapport. He was clearly familiar with Sandy’s exploits in Italy and was quick to proffer his congratulations on the Serie A title success. The Celtic Chairman was quick to get to the point however. “I’ve no doubt Sandy that you wouldn’t have been expecting to hear from me but the truth is that I’m short of a manager and I believe that you are one of the best in the business. In short, I want you to take over at Celtic Park. I’ve got great ambitions for this football club and I think that you’re the man that can help me achieve my objectives.†“And they are?†“Success in Europe. Sandy, you came close to re-writing the history books by winning the treble with Rangers. I want you to go one step better at Celtic and go all the way.†“I see. Why did you sack Gordon? I had a quick look on the Internet before I called and you’re top of the table right now with the press scenting blood and putting Alex under pressure.†“I stuck by Gordon for as long as I could and in the end it was more his decision than mine that he should leave. He felt that the pressure of my expectations, particularly regarding Europe, was too much for him to handle.†“And you think that I’d handle that any better? You saw what happened when things went pear-shaped at Rangers.†“And I’ve also seen how you’ve recovered from that. Taking Fano to the top of the tree in Italy is nothing short of miraculous. Now I may flatter myself but to be honest I don’t think that it would take a miracle to turn Celtic into one of the top teams in Europe. We’ve got a fantastic setup here – average crowds of nearly 60,000, a strong coaching team and a core of very promising players. It’s my belief that you have the talent and the drive to deliver my vision and finally put your ghosts to rest.†It was Quinn’s closing phrase that stuck in Sandy’s mind after he terminated the call. And in the end it was that phrase that was echoing in his head when he finally walked to Mirco’s office to tell his Chairman what the Italian already knew. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted July 26, 2006 Author Share Posted July 26, 2006 New Club, Old City It was Monday 10th January 2011 when Sandy Banks returned to the familiar surroundings of Glasgow to take charge at his new club. Despite carrying almost £20M of debt the club had cash in the bank and the new manager had a reasonable transfer budget but little room for manoeuvre on his wage bill. His first task was to introduce himself to his backroom staff. Celtic legends Danny McGrain and Tommy Burns were already well known to him but there were still new faces and new names. His Assistant Manager, Englishman Garry Pendry was one such and Sandy was quick to sit down with his right hand man and run through the squad whilst Sandy took notes that he would read through later. The new man was aware that joining midway through the season meant that he had to get to grips with his playing squad in double quick time. The team had been eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage, finishing bottom with just a single point. However they were top of the Premiership and had progressed to the Semi Final of the League Cup and the 4th round of the Scottish Cup. It seemed clear to Sandy that he needed to bag at least one trophy if his return to his old stomping was not to end in tears in a few months time. It had been made clear to the new manager that the previous incumbent strongly favoured a 3-5-2 system but Sandy was no fan of that formation, preferring a flat back four. He definitely wanted to play with two strikers so it was clear that his team would use a 4-4-2 style although the manager did have some thoughts on how he might vary his midfield shape depending on opponents and circumstances. Having been a spectator towards the end of the days training session he decided to head back to his hotel and work through his notes on the playing staff. First Team Squad Goalkeepers David Marshall, 25, Scotland A product of the Youth Academy and now in his 4th season in the first team although he has never established himself as number one choice. Good in the air and a fine shot stopper. Joe Lewis, 23, England Picked up as a teenager from Norwich five years ago and been in the first team for most of that time. Has tended to be alternated with Marshall but is generally favoured over his older rival. Defenders Dan Dean, 22, England Acquired from Aberdeen two seasons ago and firmly established in the first team. Can play anywhere across the back but is usually deployed on the right of defence. Kelvin Potuyt, 23, Holland Arrived at Ibrox after two seasons at Hearts. Another versatile defender who can play anywhere in the back four but he has failed to gat a regular start so far this season. John Kennedy, 27, Scottish Resilient centre back and another product of the Youth Academy who has been at the club for over ten years. Andrea Masiello, 24, Italian Joined from Juventus five seasons ago. A very capable young centre back and a first team regular. Bobo Balde, 35, Guinea A club legend in the centre of defence but has seen no first team action this season and is currently transfer listed. Subtle he’s not but with bags of experience he could be a real asset for the younger players. Paul McShane, 25, Ireland Centre back who joined from Hibs three seasons ago. After an excellent debut he has fallen out of favour and is available for transfer. Dominic Shimmin, 23, England Cost £1M from QPR last season and is firmly established in the heart of the defence. Paul Caddis, 28, Northern Ireland A decent right back who has found it very difficult to get established in the first team. Not too surprising as playing with three at the back does limit the opportunities for a full back. Nicklas Svendsen, 24, Denmark A left-sided player who can operate well as a wingback or an orthodox midfielder. Now in his second season at the club after a move from Oldham. Midfielders Stephen Sunday (Sony to his mates), 22, Nigeria Clutured young midfielder who has yet to make a start after his move from Inverness CT at the start of this season. Pawel Kazimierczak, 23, Poland Understandably known to everyone as PK he was another acquisition from Inverness. A right sided midfielder, he looks great in training but by all accounts has not made much of an impact on match days. Gabriele Cavallaro, 22, Italy This slightly built midfielder cost £1M from Juventus at the start of the season. Seems a bit of a lightweight to me and he will have his work cut out to convince me that he’s worth a place in the team. Garry Walker, 18, Scotland Stolen from Aberdeen last season this young midfielder is the one that all of the coaches rave about. Huge potential by all accounts and from what I’ve seen so far he has a right foot to die for. Could be a real diamond. Jamie Winter, 25, Scotland Now on his 6th club despite his relatively tender years and I suspect that he flatters to deceive. Tobias Eriksson, 25, Sweden Right sided or central midfielder now in his third season at the club. First team chances have been limited but seems a solid enough performer. Damien Duff, 31, Ireland The legendary Irish winger joined on a free transfer from Chelsea four seasons ago but has never really lived up to the hype. Ross Wallace, 25, Scotland Another well known Academy graduate. Now in his 10th season at the club but has yet to put in a stellar season. Currently recovering from a broken leg. Forwards Craig Beattie, 26, Scotland The club’s highest valued player and the top scorer for the last four seasons. Andy Bagshaw, 22, Scotland A lad who looks capable of good things if given the opportunity. Garry O’Connor, 27, Scotland In his first season since joining from Hibs the big striker hasn’t proven to be hugely prolific. In fact Bagshaw actually has a better strike rate so big Gaz has a lot to prove. Kjartan Henry Finnbogason, 24, Iceland A very steady performer for the last three seasons. No world-beater but a pretty reliable lad up front. Notable Reserves John Bruce, 20, Scotland Young striker on loan for the season at Hibs but reputed to be a good prospect. Darren Smith, 22, Scotland Newly arrived from Hearts this season the striker is transfer listed after a major fallout with Strachan. Time for a clean slate as far as I’m concerned and with his talent he needs to be moved to the seniors. Mark Wilson, 26, Scotland A very good right wingback and I have no idea why he is out of favour. Will be given every opportunity to fight for a place. Teddy Bjarnason, 23, Iceland A talented midfielder by all accounts so he must have rubbed Gordon up the wrong way to be stuck in the reserves. David Limbersky, 27, Czech Republic A left wingback on loan for the season at Zaragoza and doing very well by all accounts. Julien N’Da, 25, Ivory Coast Has apparently never settled after his move from Hearts two seasons ago and is keen to move on. Tim Vincken, 24, Holland A right winger who has consistently failed to perform in the four seasons he has been at the club. Shaun Barker, 28, England Played just three times since moving from Motherwell three seasons ago on the back of two excellent years after his move from England. His preferred position is centre back but I hear whispers that he is quite capable of playing a holding role in midfield, a favourite ploy of mine. Craig Davidson, 18, Scotland Picked out by the coaches as a terrific prospect this young keeper looks to have a bright future in front of him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 An intriguing new twist to your story, Bob. Now that I'm fully up to date I'll be interested to see how Sandy handles the challenge of turning Celtic into a European superpower. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted July 29, 2006 Author Share Posted July 29, 2006 Thanks Spav. I couldn’t get back into the original so I thought I’d try something a but different. Off We Go Sandy began life at his new club with a league match at home to Hearts. Sandy was aware that he was taking a risk by asking his players to change to a 4-4-2 when they had been used to playing a different formation for some time but the transition had to be made at some point and there seemed to be little purpose in delaying the decision. He called several of the current reserves up to the first team and filled the gaps with some of the older lads from the U19’s. Mindful of the SPL regulation that the matchday squad must include at least two players aged 21 or younger the manager had given some thought to his team selection as he had few options. Midfielder Garry Walker was an obvious choice but few of the other youngsters on the books were thought to be capable of first team action. He finally decided that young keeper Davidson would be the man and he was selected as one of the substitutes. Sandy’s Journal Saturday January 15th 2011 SPL Match 22 Celtic 3 Hearts 1 This was a very satisfactory start with a pretty comfortable win and even though the decisive goals came late in the game we dominated most of the play. Darren Smith looked very sharp considering that he has spent almost all season in the reserves. His early goal was cancelled out quickly but he did very well throughout. Young Garry Walker took his goal well and Damien Duff impressed by setting up both of Smith’s goals. Team Selection Marshall (7), Dean (7, sub 82), Svendsen (8), Shimmin (8), Masiello (7), Duff (8), Walker (8), Sony (7), Eriksson (7, sub 82), Smith (9*), Beattie (7, sub 60) Subs – Bagshaw (7), Barker (6), Cavallaro (6) Goals Smith 2, 82, Walker 73 During the next week veteran defender Bobo Balde agreed a move to Dundee for a nominal fee. Sandy would have kept the rugged centre back on but the change to take £14,000 a week off the wage bill was too good to turn down. Sandy saw no reason to make any changes to his team selection for the visit of Inverness CT and named an unchanged squad for the match. Sandy’s Journal Sunday January 23rd 2011 SPL Match 23 Celtic 5 Inverness CT 0 The lads had a field day today as everything went their way over the 90 minutes. We were aided when the visitors had a man sent off but by then we were 2-0 ahead and cruising anyway. Duff was excellent on the left of midfield, creating two of our goals again and we showed some lovely one-touch football. Walker’s goal was they pick of the bunch and it was a joy to see how he curled the ball home from some 25 yards out – lovely stuff. Team Selection Marshall (8), Dean (8), Svendsen (9), Shimmin (8), Masiello (8), Duff (10*), Walker (8, sub 78), Sony (9), Eriksson (9), Smith (10), Beattie (9) Subs – Bjarnason (7) Goals Eriksson 5, Beattie 25, 49, Walker 38, Sony 78 Livingston were proving to be the surprise package of the SPL this season, consolidating on consecutive top-six finishes in the previous two seasons by holding second place in the table. Sandy expected the trip to Almondvale to be difficult but was encouraged by his team’s form and named an unchanged squad for the match. Sandy’s Journal Saturday January 29th 2011 SPL Match 24 Livingston 1 Celtic 0 Livingston showed that they are a difficult side to beat, packing the midfield and getting men behind the ball at all times. But there was still no excuse for our dreary display and I made sure that the players were aware of my feelings at the end of the game. An injury to Duff didn’t help but in truth we were poor all over the pitch and can’t use that as an excuse. Team Selection Marshall (6), Dean (6), Svendsen (7), Shimmin (7), Masiello (6), Duff (6, sub 37), Walker (6, sub 86), Sony (6), Eriksson (6), Smith (7, sub 86), Beattie (6) Subs – Bagshaw (6), Bjarnason (6), Finnbogason (6) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted July 31, 2006 Author Share Posted July 31, 2006 Into the Lion’s Den Striker Darren Smith was named Player of the Month for January with Garry Walker taking 3rd place in the Goal of the Month rankings for his effort against Inverness. The team was in action early in the month as they faced 1st Division St. Johnstone in the Semi Final of the League Cup. Sandy made a couple of changes for the match, resting an unfit Duff and moving Svendsen to the left of midfield. Potuyt was brought in at left back and Gary O’Connor was given a start up front with Smith moving to the bench. Sandy’s Journal Tuesday February 1st 2011 League Cup Semi Final St. Johnstone 1 Celtic 2 This was a cagey match from start to finish and at the end of the 90 minutes I was relieved that we had achieved our objective of a place in the final. Our attack misfired throughout and the penalty awarded in stoppage time at the end of the first half proved to be crucial. The Division One outfit did themselves proud and having clawed a goal back they made a chance or two late on and could have taken up to extra time at least. Team Selection Marshall (6), Dean (7), Potuyt (7), Shimmin (8), Masiello (7), Svendsen (8), Walker (7), Sony (8*), Eriksson (7), O’Connor (7), Beattie (7) Goals Eriksson 41, O’Connor pen 45 The weekend saw cup action once more as the team welcomed the visit of Motherwell in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup. Sandy made several changes in his selection, some enforced and some voluntary. Nicklas Svendsen moved back to left back with Duff returning to midfield, Shaun Barker replaced Sony who finished the St. Johnstone match with bruised ribs and Darren Smith was preferred up front to O’Connor. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 5th 2011 Scottish Cup 4th Round Celtic 2 Motherwell 0 This was a comfortable win marred only by an injury to Smith that meant he was unable to come out for the second half. Eriksson impressed on the right wing and Beattie took his goal tally to 15 for the season. Barker looked very capable playing as a holding midfielder in front of the back four and young Walker confirmed his potential with another influential display. Team Selection Marshall (7), Dean (7), Svendsen (8), Shimmin (7), Masiello (8), Duff (7), Walker (8), Barker (8), Eriksson (9*), Smith (7, sub 45), Beattie (7) Subs – O’Connor (7) Goals Beattie 3, Walker 42 With over a dozen players absent on international duty during the week Sandy had time to ponder the irony of the draw for the Quarter Finals of the Scottish Cup which the fates had decreed would be his first Old Firm derby as Celtic manager. But before that he had two league games to deal with, the first of which featured a visit by St. Mirren. Rooted at the foot of the table, on paper the visitors should pose no threat but there was no such thing as an easy game as far as the manager was concerned. With Darren Smith having shaken off his knock from the previous game Sandy was able to name an unchanged eleven for the game. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 12th 2011 SPL Match 25 Celtic 3 St. Mirren 0 An early penalty set the tome and after Eriksson netted with a free kick the result was never in doubt. We had to wait a long time for the 3rd goal although Beattie had an effort disallowed and also hit the bar before he made one count. The free kick from Tobias was a beauty, curled from the edge of the area into the top corner. Beattie’s was none too shabby either with Duff and Smith involved in a crisp build up with Craig providing a clinical finish. Team Selection Marshall (7), Dean (7), Svendsen (8), Shimmin (7), Masiello (7), Duff (9*), Walker (8), Barker (7), Eriksson (8), Smith (7), Beattie (8) Goals Svendsen pen 7, Eriksson 16, Beattie 90 Sandy was pleased to be able to name an unchanged eleven for the trip to Dundee United as he was a great believer in keeping a winning team together whenever possible. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 19th 2011 SPL Match 26 Dundee United 0 Celtic 3 The lads were facing former teammate Bobo Balde and to be frank he had a nightmare until he was subbed after an hour. By that time the game was won although it could have been quite different had David Marshall not saved a penalty when we were 2-0 ahead. It was an odd game really – we played well but the home side created more chances and the final scoreline flattered us to some extent. Smithy took his goals well and the second was a real beauty as he cut in from the left and danced through half the defence before blasting a shot into the far corner of the net. Team Selection Marshall (7), Dean (7), Svendsen (8), Shimmin (8), Masiello (9*), Duff (8), Walker (8), Barker (7), Eriksson (7), Smith (8), Beattie (8) Goals Smith 23, 49, Rimkus og 31 With his first Old Firm derby fast approaching Sandy was feeling increasingly apprehensive about his trip to Ibrox and the reception that he would receive from the home fans. He was delighted to receive a telephone call from Mirco during the week and the two spent some time discussing the situation. As always the Italian seemed to have a sixth sense where Sandy was concerned and his words of support did much to boost his former manager’s confidence. An injury to left back Svendsen meant an enforced change with Dan Dean switching sides and Mark Wilson coming in on the right of defence. Sandy made one further change, bringing Sony back in and dropping Barker to the bench. Sandy’s Journal Saturday February 26th 2011 Scottish Cup Quarter Final Rangers 2 Celtic 2 I expected a pretty hostile reception and the ‘Gers fans duly obliged with a barrage of boos and whistles as I took my seat in the dugout. I took Mirco’s advice however and waved and smiled as I walked out into the cauldron. I was subjected to several of their favourite chants during the game including “Drink when your losing, you always drink while your losing†but I kept my cool and laughed it off. The match itself was a cracker with the home side coming out on top in terms of chances but two great strikes from Man of the Match Beattie meant that we would have another bite at the cherry. Team Selection Marshall (6), Wilson (8), Dean (7), Shimmin (7), Masiello (6), Duff (8), Walker (7), Sony (8), Eriksson (7), Smith (6, sub 77), Beattie (9*) Subs – O’Connor (6) Goals Beattie 29, 45 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 One For The Trophy Cabinet Sandy’s hopes of naming an unchanged eleven for the Cup replay were spoiled by a booking for Mark Wilson in the previous match that meant the full back was suspended. This gave Paul Caddis a chance to see some action and the manager was interested to see how the young Irishman would perform. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday March 2nd 2011 Scottish Cup Quarter Final Replay Celtic 1 Rangers 0 This was another entertaining match for the watching thousands and once again it was Craig Beattie who provided our cutting edge. A great reverse ball from Eriksson sprung the offside trap and the finish was clinical. Only a couple of great saves prevented our top scorer from getting a hat trick and although the visitors forced some fine saves from David Marshal we looked worth the win. Substitute O’Connor was denied by the woodwork late on and frankly a 2-0 scoreline would not have been unreasonable. Team Selection Marshall (7), Caddis (7), Dean (7), Shimmin (7), Masiello (8), Duff (8*), Walker (6, sub 76), Sony (7), Eriksson (7), Smith (6, sub 76), Beattie (7) Subs – Winter (7), O’Connor (7) Goals Beattie 39 The manager made a couple of changes for the trip to Dumfries to face a struggling Queen of the South, Wilson and O’Connor replacing Caddis and Smith. The opposition had been a fixture in the SPL for almost five seasons but this year they were struggling near the foot of the table and form suggested that Celtic should not be unduly troubled. Sandy’s Journal Saturday March 5th 2011 SPL Match 27 Queen of the South 3 Celtic 4 We got off to an absolute flyer, going two-up inside the opening quarter of an hour. But I was very surprised at how well the home side came back at us, putting us under sustained pressure for a twenty-minute spell. During that time they pulled a goal back and had a penalty saved by Marshall. That wasn’t the only save our goalie made and it was thanks to him that we kept our lead. A trademark Eriksson free kick extended our advantage against the run of play but the match was far from over. A defensive error gifted our hosts a goal minutes after we scored and five minutes after the restart they squared the game. They could well have taken the lead on 65 minutes but a free kick decision denied the impressive Daniel Kvam a hat trick. The young Norwegian was a thorn in our side all day and we found him a real handful. But luck was with us and substitute Smith was able to tap-in to an empty net when we hit them on the break near the end of the game. O’Connor drew the keeper and selflessly squared to his strike partner to give us a very fortunate win. Team Selection Marshall (7), Wilson (7), Dean (7), Shimmin (7), Masiello (6, sub 78), Duff (8), Walker (9*), Sony (8), Eriksson (8), O’Connor (7), Beattie (7, sub 78) Subs – Kennedy (6), Smith (7) Goals O’Connor 10, Walker 12, Eriksson 36, Smith 86 A midweek trip to Kilmarnock saw Svendsen restored at left back and Dean switched to his favoured right side. Sandy knew that if his team could win their game in hand then they would strengthen their position at the top of the table so he instructed them to be positive and take the game to the opposition. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday March 9th 2011 SPL Match 28 Kilmarnock 0 Celtic 3 The home side enjoyed a very productive first half and to be honest I was grateful to get the lads into the changing room with the game still scoreless. After a frank and open exchange of views (a one-sided exchange as it happens) we improved immeasurably in the second period. Mind you it wasn’t until I made a double substitution that we made the most of our good play and three late goals put a real gloss on the scoreline. The third from Bagshaw was the pick of the bunch, a curling shot from some 22 yards that left the keeper clawing at air. Team Selection Marshall (7), Dean (7), Svendsen (8), Shimmin (7), Masiello (7), Duff (9), Walker (7, sub 78), Sony (9*), Eriksson (8), O’Connor (7, sub 78), Beattie (7) Subs – Bagshaw (8), Smith (7) Goals Smith 83, Sony 90, Bagshaw 90 Impressed by his late contribution in the previous match, Sandy decided to bring Andy Bagshaw into the starting eleven for the visit of Aberdeen, resting youngster Garry Walker. The 18-year-old had been playing well but his manager was concerned that he should not be overplayed at his tender age so the young midfielder took a seat on the bench. Sandy’s Journal Saturday March 12th 2011 SPL Match 29 Celtic 3 Aberdeen 0 Once again we started very slowly and the visitors enjoyed much more of the ball in the opening period. By the end of the game they were rueing their missed opportunities and cursing the excellence of David Marshall between the sticks. Once more I was required to expound my views on the team in a forceful manner during my half-time talk and once more they responded positively. Bagshaw scored a wonderful opener on the hour when he connected perfectly with a corner played to the edge of the D. Then Beattie ended his mini goal drought after some excellent wing play by Eriksson before super-sub Smith scored his 5th goal in six games with a terrific cross-shot. Team Selection Marshall (9), Dean (7), Svendsen (7), Shimmin (8), Masiello (8), Duff (9*), Bagshaw (8, sub 84), Sony (7), Eriksson (7), O’Connor (7, sub 73), Beattie (8) Subs – Smith (8), Winter (6) Goals Bagshaw 61, Beattie 73, Smith 90 The team faced another midweek match as they made up their final game in hand and Sandy decided that Bagshaw needed to work on his match fitness so he was rotated with Walker for the game. By coincidence the match against Hibs was a dress rehearsal for the League Cup Final at the weekend so the manager was keen to gain a psychological advantage. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday March 16th 2011 SPL Match 30 Celtic 0 Hibs 0 We dominated possession, made all of the chances but a flat performance up front kept a frustrating game scoreless despite my half-time exhortations. Even a desperate triple-substitution ten minutes from time made no difference but the point gained moved us 6 points clear of rivals Rangers. Team Selection Marshall (6), Dean (6), Svendsen (7), Shimmin (7), Masiello (7), Duff (7), Walker (6, sub 79), Sony (7, sub 79), Eriksson (7), O’Connor (6), Beattie (6, sub 79) Subs – Barker (6), Bagshaw (6), Smith (6) A busy month continued with the CIS Cup Final, Sandy’s first chance to gain some silverware for his new club. The manager decided to go with an unchanged side despite a slightly lacklustre display against the same opponents a few days earlier. Sandy’s Journal Saturday March 20th 2011 League Cup Final Celtic 2 Hibs 0 We started off very tentatively and Hibs had the better of the early exchanges but once Craig Beattie opened the scoring we settled down and began to play some football. His first goal had an element of luck about it as he took advantage of a slip in defence but his second later in the game was excellent. A patient build up culminated in some sharp passing that freed the striker to fire home. Whilst we didn’t dominate I we always looked to be in control, limiting the opposition to shots from distance most of the time. The only bad news was an injury to young midfielder Walker and he looks like missing several weeks of action. Team Selection Marshall (7), Dean (7), Svendsen (8), Shimmin (7), Masiello (7), Duff (7, sub 73), Walker (7, sub 73), Sony (7), Eriksson (7), O’Connor (6, sub 73), Beattie (8*) Subs – Barker (6), Winter (6), Smith (7) Goals Beattie 18, 69 There was little time to celebrate the cup success as within days the club was in action again with Dundee visiting Glasgow for the final league match of the month. Bagshaw was brought in for the injured Walker and Sandy decided to start Smith in attack and drop O’Connor back to the bench. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday March 23rd 2011 SPL Match 31 Celtic 0 Dundee 0 This was a disappointing result given the possession that we enjoyed but in truth we lacked the penetration to find a way through a stubborn and well-organised defence. Even my ploy of a late triple-substitution failed to do the trick and we missed a great chance to put a couple more points between ourselves and the chasing group. Team Selection Marshall (6), Dean (7), Svendsen (8), Shimmin (7), Masiello (7), Duff (7, sub 84), Bagshaw (6), Sony (7), Eriksson (6, sub 84), Smith (6), Beattie (7, sub 84) Subs – Winter (6), O’Connor (7), Bjarnason (6) With over a dozen players away on international duty the rest of the month was relatively quite for Sandy and his backroom staff and it was a relief when the players all returned to Glasgow uninjured. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 17, 2006 Author Share Posted August 17, 2006 A Nail-Biting Finish Everyone at the club was delighted to have secured the first trophy of the season and Sandy was rewarded with the Manager of the Month award. Damien Duff and Garry Walker both featured in the playing awards, although neither were winners in their respective categories. Sandy’s former mentor Mirco was one of the first to call with his congratulations and the two spent some time on the phone catching up on recent events. Things at Fano were not going too well and Sandy’s former Assistant Manager Peter Beardsley was struggling to make the step up to running the team. However, Mirco remained upbeat and was clearly still relishing the fact that “hees Fano†was playing in the top flight. With the domestic treble still very much a possibility, the first action of the month was against St. Mirren in the Scottish Cup Semi Final. Parkhead favourite Maciej “Magic†Zurawski was in the final year of his contract and had spent the season in the reserves but Sandy decided to recall the Polish striker for a final tilt at glory, believing that his experience would prove valuable during the final games of the season. Sandy’s Journal Sunday April 3rd 2011 Scottish Cup Semi Final Celtic 4 St. Mirren 1 Although the scoreline might suggest that this was a one-sided game the reality was quite different and St. Mirren had their chances. The excellence of Andy Bagshaw was a crucial factor and he played wonderfully well, creating the opening goal for Beattie and taking the match ball after a superb hat trick. We were solid defensively and always posed a threat going forward and now we can look forward to competing in another cup final at the end of the season. Team Selection Marshall (7), Dean (7), Svendsen (8), Shimmin (8), Masiello (8), Duff (8), Bagshaw (10*), Sony (7), Eriksson (9), Zurawski (7), Beattie (8) Goals Beattie 15, Bagshaw 25, 31, 71 Sandy was distressed to hear that Cup hero Bagshaw would be out of action for at least a month when he damaged his ribs in training as the 22-year-old had really impressed when played in an advanced midfield position. For the trip to Hearts the manager decided that Garry Walker wasn’t quite ready to return to action so Teddy Bjarnason was given a rare start. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday April 6th 2011 SPL Match 32 Hearts 0 Celtic 2 I have to say that this was a classic “smash-and-grab†as we absorbed everything that the home side could throw at us and hit them with two goals on the break. The big surprise was the identity of the first goalscorer – that was Masiello’s first of the season but his finish was worthy of a striker. Bjarnason took his chance with both hands and as well as scoring our crucial second goal he was the best player on the pitch all evening. Team Selection Marshall (7), Dean (7), Svendsen (7), Shimmin (7), Masiello (8), Duff (8), Bjarnason (9*), Sony (7), Eriksson (6), Zurawski (7), Beattie (7) Goals Masiello 35, Bjarnason 49 The final game before the top-six split involved a trip to Ibrox for a hugely significant Old Firm match. Going into the game Celtic had a 6-point advantage over their hated rivals and anything bar a defeat would surely put them in pole position in the title race. Sandy decided that teenage midfielder Walker would be thrown into the lion’s den with a recall to first team action after his injury layoff. Sandy’s Journal Saturday April 9th 2011 SPL Match 33 Rangers 2 Celtic 1 In the end this was a bitterly disappointing result and a puzzlingly poor performance. Despite taking an early lead when Beattie profited from some poor defending we let the home side back into the game ten minutes later. We were flat all game and there are definite signs that some of our key players are not too happy with me as a manager. Maybe they are still suspicious because of my past connections with the blue side of Glasgow but whatever the reasons they are starting to undermine the club’s title hopes. Team Selection Marshall (6), Dean (6), Svendsen (6), Shimmin (7), Masiello (7), Duff (6), Walker (7), Sony (7), Eriksson (6), Zurawski (6), Beattie (7) Goals Beattie 5 The defeat threw the title race wide open and left the Celtic manager with much to ponder prior to the long trip north to Aberdeen. In the end he decided that his only change would be to drop Magic and bring in the enthusiastic Darren Smith up front. Sandy’s Journal Saturday April 16th 2011 SPL Match 34 Aberdeen 2 Celtic 2 To say that I was disappointed with our first half display would be the understatement of the season as I watched us concede twice in the opening ten minutes. After a somewhat animated team talk during the break we improved markedly and managed to scrape a point. If we don’t get our act together soon then the title will be heading back to the holders. Team Selection Marshall (6), Dean (7), Svendsen (7), Shimmin (6), Masiello (6), Duff (7), Walker (7, sub 82), Sony (7), Eriksson (7), Smith (7, sub 82), Beattie (8) Subs – Bjarnason (6), O’Connor (6) Goals Beattie 63, Smith 67 A furious Sandy worked his players hard in training in preparation for the visit of 3rd place Dundee knowing that anything less than a win would probably see their city rivals leapfrog them and take over at the top of the table. Sandy’s Journal Saturday April 23rd 2011 SPL Match 35 Celtic 0 Dundee 1 In truth there wasn’t too much to separate the two teams in today’s match and the difference was that the visitors wanted the win more than we did. Their crucial goal came in stoppage time at the end of the first half and we simply failed to play with enough passion to overcome their spirited resistance in the second period. Team Selection Marshall (6), Dean (6), Svendsen (7), Shimmin (6), Masiello (6), Duff (6), Walker (6), Sony (7), Eriksson (6), Smith (6), Beattie (6) Sandy’s team were fortunate that their great rivals Rangers failed to full capitalise on the defeat and a 0-0 draw at Hearts meant that the two were locked together at the top of the table on 66 points with the hoops staying on top on goal difference. This gave even greater importance to the final Old Firm derby of the season at Ibrox at the end of the month. The Celtic manager made three changes for this crunch encounter. Sony had been injured in training so Shaun Barker took his place. His other alterations were to replace right back Dan Dean and centre back Dominic Shimmin with Paul Caddis and John Kennedy respectively. He had a gut feeling that the two defenders he had dropped were starting to lose their bottle as the climax of the season approached and a Rangers/Celtic match was no place for the faint-hearted at the best time never mind when the league title was on the line. Sandy’s Journal Saturday April 30th 2011 SPL Match 36 Rangers 3 Celtic 3 The neutral observer would no doubt conclude that this was as exciting a game as would be seen all season but for me the entire 90 minutes was a nightmare! First I saw our early lead cancelled out within two minutes of us scoring. I then watched my team concede a second goal midway through the first half to go behind. Next was the exultation of seeing us score twice either side of the break only to be brought back down to earth when teenage striker Kevin Green completed his hat trick ten minutes after we regained the lead. I then had to sit through 30 minutes of agony as both sides set about looking for a crucial winner. In the circumstances I was happy to settle for the point as at least our destiny is still in our own hands. Team Selection Marshall (7), Caddis (6, sub 45), Svendsen (7), Kennedy (7), Masiello (7), Duff (8), Walker (7), Barker (7), Eriksson (7), Smith (7), Beattie (8) Subs – Wilson (7) Goals Beattie 6, 46, Smith 45 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 23, 2006 Author Share Posted August 23, 2006 Squeaky-Bum Time With two games left to play Sandy was all too aware that his team had to at least match Ranger's results if they were to be crowned SPL champions in his first season in charge. The first obstacle was a visit from Livingston and the manager decided on some changes to his starting eleven. The disappointing Caddis was replaced by Mark Wilson at right back and Barker stood down so that Teddy Bjarnason could come into midfield. Sandy’s Journal Wednesday May 4th 2011 SPL Match 37 Celtic 2 Livingston 0 One down and one to go! What ended as a comfortable win has seen us take one step closer to the league title. We played competent football throughout, doing just enough to get the three points and young Walker was clearly our top performer. He has had an excellent season for a lad that has not turned 19 yet and he could well have a very bright future ahead of him. Team Selection Marshall (7), Wilson (7, sub 60), Svendsen (8), Kennedy (7, sub 60), Masiello (8), Duff (8), Walker (8*, sub 60), Bjarnason (6), Eriksson (8), Smith (6), Beattie (8) Subs – Shimmin (7), Barker (7), Zurwaski (6) Goals Duff 22, Walker 47 The final league match of the season involved a trip to the capital to face 5th place Hearts and once again Sandy tinkered with his lineup. An injury to Wilson saw Dean back in the side, Sony was now fit and he came back into midfield with O’Connor preferred up front to Smith. Sandy’s Journal Sunday May 8th 2011 SPL Match 38 Hearts 0 Celtic 2 Well it’s come down to the wire but a very good win in Edinburgh was enough to finish on top of the table on goal difference over Rangers. It took big performances some of our key players to get us there though. The likes of Duff, Walker, Beattie, Marshall and Svendsen excelled and they have been amongst our best performers since my arrival. It was a fairly even match throughout and on another day we could just as well have lost by the same margin. Having established a two-goal lead by half time we were under pressure for spells in the second half and at one point Hearts hit the woodwork twice during a frantic goalmouth scramble. Marshall pulled off some great stops to keep a clean sheet and despite being pinned back for periods we always looked capable of creating something on the break. Team Selection Marshall (8), Dean (7), Svendsen (8), Kennedy (7), Masiello (7, sub 52), Duff (8), Walker (8), Sony (7), Eriksson (7), O’Connor (7), Beattie (9*) Subs – Shimmin (6) Goals Duff 39, Beattie 45 <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Celtic | 38 | 22 | 7 | 9 | 67 | 31 | +36 | 73 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Rangers | 38 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 64 | 33 | +31 | 73 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Dundee | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 47 | 50 | -3 | 62 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Livingston | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 61 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Hearts | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 54 | 46 | +8 | 57 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Aberdeen | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 46 | 48 | -2 | 50 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Dundee Utd | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 49 | 56 | -7 | 49 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Hibernian | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 53 | 60 | -7 | 46 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Inverness CT | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 51 | 59 | -8 | 42 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Kilmarnock | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 46 | 59 | -13 | 41 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Queen of Sth | 38 | 7 | 16 | 15 | 55 | 68 | -13 | 37 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | R | St. Mirren | 38 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 44 | 66 | -22 | 32 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Sandy had just under a week to prepare his team for their final game of the season, the Scottish Cup Final against unfancied Dundee United. His only change to the starting eleven was to replace the injured Masiello with Shimmin, the Italian not having recovered from a gashed leg sustained at Hearts. Sandy’s Journal Saturday May 14th 2011 Scottish Cup Final Celtic 4 Dundee United 1 The match was not quite as one-sided as the final scoreline suggests and David Marshall was called into action with some decent saves but we were just too strong for the Tangerines. The game was won in a devastating 15-minute spell early in the second half as we built on Walker’s excellent opener with three fine strikes, O’Connor’s first-time shot from distance perhaps the pick of the bunch. It was immensely satisfying to secure the domestic treble after just half a season in charge but I am realistic enough to know that the real challenge begins next season when we will be expected to make some decent progress in Europe. Team Selection Marshall (8), Dean (8), Svendsen (8), Kennedy (9*), Shimmin (8), Duff (8), Walker (7), Sony (7), Eriksson (8), O’Connor (8), Beattie (9) Goals Walker 31, Beattie 50, Eriksson 54, O’Connor 66 The mood at the club was understandably buoyant and Sandy allowed himself to join in the celebrations of the treble for a day or two. He made a point of calling Mirco who was effusive in his congratulations even as he gave Sandy the bad news of Fano’s slide down the table in Serie A. As the players went off on holiday the manager flew out to Italy to spend some time back in Fano and at least lend his former Chairman some moral support. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 The Treble, eh Bob? Not too much trouble in the end, despite the goal-difference triumph in the SPL. Excellent work as usual. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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