Alpha Romeo Metaphor II

Monday, 25 August 2014 8:30ish AM

As I pull up to the gate at Casteldelbole, Enzo comes lumbering out of the gatehouse.

"Oh, Enrico! Oh, Enrico!" he laments as he draws close. "That ref was a real ******* *** *******. They paid him off. I know it. We always get a raw deal in the Coppa. You must not worry, you musn't."

"Thanks for your concern, Enzo," I reply. "But we battled hard and played well. We stuck to our game and we were unlucky. You just watch and we'll get a few lucky bounces. It evens out."

"My oldest was screaming at Morleo to not touch Di Natale," Enzo notes. "What can you do?"

"I know," I reply. "We had more of the ball than them, out-shot them ..."

"Their keeper played really well," Enzo interjects.

"... that he did," I concur. "Let me give you my cell, my friend. If you see any unusual comings and goings. Like related to Board of Directors or anything you think might be related to Saputo and Tacopina and the takeover, will you let me know?"

"Of course I will, my little devil," he replies. "There are other employees here at the club who are sick of all the crazy and the stupid and want ..." Enzo looks around to make sure nobody is listening. "... want Guaraldi out. I will introduce you to them. There are many who understand that what the bad finances Guaraldi brought to the club endangers our jobs."

"Now don't you ever forget that we all have your back, my little devil," Enzo said straightening up and hitting the button to let me in the gate.
 
The match against Brescia is tight. We're not creating any chances, but neither are they. Then in the 85th minute, we managed to bundle the ball over the line after a scrum in the goal mouth. But Brescia take the ball straight down the field and score against us. Then in the 89th minute, we take the lead again.

Suddenly, we can't play defense anymore. Brescia score against us in the 91st minute. Apparently, Brescia can't either as we take the lead again a minute later. They make it 3-3 in the 93rd.

In the 94th minute, we have a throw in deep in our left corner. Wait a minute, when did I sub myself in? I'm the fkn left back? I can't play left back. I'm yelling at the ball boy to get me the ball. He tosses me a cabbage?

What the ****?

Okay, the game must go on. I'm trying to pick out someone to throw it in to, but the tree branches are getting in the way. Wait. What? When did trees grow inside Renato Dall'Ara? Regardless, I give the cabbage a huge heave and it clears the lower branches and finds a way between the branches ...

Then I wake up with a start.

The bed is soaked with sweat. I look at the my mobile. 4:03AM.

Fkn A.
 
Upcoming Matches: September

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The tough matches of my first month will be Brescia and Catania. Everyone expects Catania to, like us, bounce straight back. Brescia are supposed to be in the promotion hunt.

Ternana, Crotone and Frosinone are supposed to be mid-table sides and Pro Vercelli are supposed to be fighting relegation.
 
Serie B: Bologna v. Brescia

View attachment 323598Friday, 29 August 2014

Curva Bulgarelli is full but the rest of the stadium is pretty sparsely filled. Overall, it feels like Renato Dall'Ara is just over half full. A few thousand Brescia fans fill a small part of Curva Nord.

I love the sound of the fans singing as we sit in the locker room.

"This is what it's all been building up to, let's continue to improve on how we execute our new system," I said. So much for a pep talk. But if you're not pumped up for your home opener, you're not in the right business.

Brescia are playing carefully and we start nervously. We have plenty of the possession but just pass sideways.

In the 23rd minute, Brescia's Sodinha makes a late run. We're not pressuring the ball well enough and neither Maietta nor Barba pick up his run. They lump a ball into the space behind the defense and Sodinha is in alone.

Dejan Stovanovic tips his shot just wide of the far post.

We traded free kicks that amounted to nothing and that was the end of the first half.

"You hear them singing, don't you?" I ask once everyone is seated in the locker room. "They want to beat Brescia bad. Let's do our part and give them a victory."

In the 47th we win a corner. Matthias Lepiller hits it to the far post and a defender clears it to the far side. Gennaro Troianiello races out and controls it before it crosses the sideline. He sees Lepiller running in from the corner flag and sends a ball toward the far post. Lepiller has a free header but it's just to high.

Curva Sud groans.

We keep the pressure up. In the 53rd, our defending from the front works and we steal the ball back in the Brescia half. Lepiller whips the ball in from the right. It looks like an easy clearance for the Brescia right back, but he simply misses the ball. Troianiello is a bit surprised and lashes his volley into the side netting from 15 meters.

At the hour mark, I replace Daniele Cacia with Roberto Aquafresco and Nacho Huertes with Federico Casarini.

Lepiller had been tormenting the poor Brescia right back all match. It was really the only bright spot of the match for us. Masahadu Alhassan had been booked in the first half for a foul on Lepiller and in the 68th minute, he missed his tackle on Matthias. He leapt to his feet pleading with the ref. His teammates surrounded the ref adding to his pleas.

But you know refs, it all fell on deaf ears. He was too busy trying to pull out his pen and his yellow and red cards.

Alhassan was off!

This didn't particularly change much in the match, unfortunately for us. Brescia just parked the bus and left Sodinha as lone attacker whose sole role was to chase clearances.

In the 84th minute, my right back Luca Ceccarelli cramped up so on went Gyorgy Garics.

In the 86th minute, left back Archimede Morleo chipped a ball into the box for Troianiello. Troi one-time flicked the ball into the path of Casarini. Unfortunately, he blazed his shot into the side netting.

Two minutes later, Acquafresca volleys a Lepiller cross right at the keeper.

Brescia were looking pretty confident of holding on and we looked out of ideas. The fourth official held up his sign indicating there would be 4 minutes of extra time.

In the 91st minute, we won a corner. Everyone piled into the box for Lepiller's cross. A Brescia defender headed it clear. Curva Sud groaned. But he headed it right at Casarini. He controlled it perfectly on his chest as Curva Sud screamed SHOOT!!!!

Casarini unleashed a laser-guided tomahawk missile towards the far corner of the net.

1-0

Absolute bedlam in Curva Sud. Everyone was off the bench and hugging and screaming. I was hugging Graziano Vinti and Fabio Calcaterra. Casarini just pointed at Curva Sud as his teammates engulfed him.

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This Story is Awesome, followed all the way from last year, Glad your back!
 
Saturday, 30 August 2014

Gwen and I drove to Como for lunch then on to Varese to watch our next opponents Ternana play. It turned into another blisteringly hot afternoon. As warm-ups were finishing, a young man bent over us.

"You are Enrico Pucci?" he asked.

"Uh, yes, yes I am," I replied. Gwen and I exchanged glances.

"Yes, well Nicola Laurenza, President of AS Varese sent me because he cannot let you swelter and burn in this sun," he said.

"Well, yes, it is a bit hot," I noted.

"Mr. Laurenza kindly requests your presence in the Directors Box, will you please follow me?" he asked.

So we did. And we sat in the shade, had some nice appetizers during the halftime and a local wine he insisted is only good when chilled. The match wasn't much. But at least I know what to expect from Ternana next week and Varese when we play them in November.

Catania lost to Cittadella which is a bit of a shocker. So was Livorno losing to Latina. Pescara drew and Modena won.

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Monday, 1 September 2014 -- DEADLINE DAY -- noonish

My phone pings in my pocket. I pull it out and I have a text from Director of Football Roberto Savoia.

'Lazio want Camorani, we must talk.'

"Fkn godamnedsonufabitch," I mutter under my breathe. Every manager hates texts like this on deadline day.

I was observing shooting drills so I just mumbled that I had just been called away and started walking towards Savoia's office.

At least it wasn't for a veteran I was relying on as a starter. I imagined how Ballardini felt when days after assuming the manager job and he got informed by Savoia that the team's star had been sold. This development doesn't really compare. But it is disheartening to a lesser degree because Camorani will be a solid to great Serie A player if the coaching and environment are just right. I'd like to think that Bologna is that place, but if Lazio are asking for enough money and the boy wants to go ...

"Roberto, what's the deal?" I ask as I barge into his office.

"They say the boy wants to join them and they're offering EU750K plus monthly payments for two years," he replied.

I sigh.

Here's how it works. The big club contacts the agent of a kid who appeared on their radar. Since agents only make money when transfer fees are negotiated, they always like the idea. Once the agent is on board, the big club flies the kid to their training ground with their parents and agent on the owners private jet. Then they explain how everything will be rainbows and unicorn farts, which is the sweetest smell ever, and awesomely wonderful once they sign with a really big club that will train him properly and look after his best interests.

The parents start envisioning the new, big house they will get to move into and the agent drools over the prospect of how much fatter his bank account will become and they all conclude that this deal will be awesome and totally in the best interest of the boy.

Then the big club contacts the club that owns the boy. So that brings us to now.

"Hmmmph, mother****ers," I said in English. Then I said in Italian: "I've always hated Lazio."

"Well?" Savoia asked.

"Let me go and talk to Luca," I said. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Just in case, talk to the ******* in charge of transfers at Lazio and make sure we get 25% of the next sale."

I stomped out Savoia's office, onto the training pitches and pulled Luca out of the shooting drill.

"So Lazio called," I said.

"Yeah," he replied.

"And?"

"I want to move to Lazio," he said. "Their a massive club and they're more ambitious than Bologna."

"You know you'll be in the youth squad then spend several years getting loaned out?" I asked. "In my three summer transfer windows as a manager, I've picked up several truly talented young men who'd been utterly forgotten and neglected by their parent club while out on loan."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Or you can play in the first team here, gain experience and then play in Serie A next season," I said. "Once you show you can handle it, you'll be my right winger. Lepiller will switch to the central attacking midfield role."

"I still want to go," he said.

"Would more money convince you to stay?"

"Seriously? That's insulting. I can't believe you even said that. It's not about the money. Lazio match my ambitions."

"Fine. Good luck with that. Go shower and change. You're a Lazio prospect now."

And I stomped off to make sure that Savoia got the 25% rider on the deal.

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I'd love to attempt a story in this style myself, seems a daunting prospect reading this
 
davegutt0512 said:
I'd love to attempt a story in this style myself, seems a daunting prospect reading this
Click to expand...

FM15 provides a decent amount of plot development. Then just add in some characters into your hero's life. That's all I'm doing.

I'd love it if you attempted your own story.
 
Monday, 1 September 2014 1pm

I sent a group text to my scouts requesting an emergency meeting to find a new back-up winger. They knew the drill, the time around deadline day was always a time they had to be available to help solve any potential crisis. We talked through a slew of prospects. Despite that I could spend upwards of EU700K, I decided that a loan signing was the better way to go. I wanted to keep some money in reserve in case I needed to make a January signing.

After narrowing it down to five players, I went to my office to watch some videos of matches that they had suggested.

4pm

After three hours of watching videos, I'd decided on Real Betis's Sergio. Sergio Rodriguez Hurtado is a left-footed attacking midfielder with a healthy amounts of creativity and vision, decent enough speed and can play on the left or right though he prefers through the middle.

6pm

Betis agree to loan him to us for the season. We pay his full wage of EU5.25K and can buy him outright for EU1.74M. His contract doesn't expire with Betis until 2017 so there isn't a chance we'll get him on a free which is probably why we've got a player of this quality.

9pm

The paperwork is filed with the Spanish Federation and the FIGC (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio). He's our man.

11pm

You may have heard about Bologna forgetting to meet a player at the airport when he arrived on transfer. My Assistant, Graziano and I drive in Graziano's big BMW 7class to get him. This is the new Bologna, we aren't going to make those kinds of mistakes ever again.

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Tuesday, 2 September 2014 9AM

"Good morning, Enrico," Graziano Venti said.

"It is a good morning," I said. "We didn't lose anyone major. I guess considering what happened to Ballardini, I should feel rather grateful."

"Right," My Assistant said nervously. Nervous? Why should he be nervous?

"Out with it, Graziano. What?"

"I'm guessing that Savoia hasn't kept you up-to-date on our players who are traveling on the international break."

"No. With so much else going on, I hadn't considered it. Let me guess. I'm screwed."

"We do have a problem, yes," Graziano replied. "Coppola is our only fit and available keeper."

View attachment 322795"**** me," I said in English. "Mary Mother of God, we're in trouble if he's in net."

Early in the season, Ferdinando Coppola had flapped at a shot that was hit right at him and it went in. My grandmother, God rest her soul, could stop more shots than he would merely because a few would hit her gravestone. You may recall that I yanked him after 10 minutes of the friendly against Napoli. Walter Gargano hit a shot right at him that he watched go past him.

I had expected Coppola and Stojanovic to challenge each other for the starting job. But Coppola had been embarrassing. He shouldn't be. He's only 36 which isn't too old for a keeper. His skills are high enough. Yes, his positioning and agility aren't good, but he shouldn't be an embarrassment.

Dejan Stojanovic had traveled back to Vienna for an Austrian U21 team match. Filippo Lombardi had been out the entire preseason with a sports hernia and was still several weeks away from starting his recuperation.

"**** me," I repeated as this all sunk in.

"Here's the list of players who left either last evening or are heading out of town today," Graziano added and handed me a sheet of paper.

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