Am I the 'Spezia One'?

[ManicBadja]

Genesis.

This is the beginning of what I hope is going to be a wonderful save.

I have not posted a story since my Middlfart Story a few years ago. Alas it is time for a new challenge and this time I have chosen the team a bit differently.

Having seen an advert on Instagram for a random football shirt purchase, I was intrigued and I am glad I went ahead.
https://www.mysteryshirts.co.uk/

Order placed and within a few days I received this beauty.

View attachment 20201202_185828.jpg


It has grown on me and is the perfect reason to start a new Football Manager 21 save.

Coming soon is the introduction to the club and the masterplan (hopefully) of success.

 

[ManicBadja]

Spezia announce shock new manager

With its debut season in the Italian top flight division about to begin, Spezia Calcio have shocked the league by announcing they have sacked their manager Vincenzo Italiano.
Italiano had a meteoric rise from amateur management to Trapani Calcio, gaining promotion with them then a year later achieving another promotion with Spezia.

His replacement is an even younger manager who has not ever managed a club before. Hein West, the South-African born Englishman was forced to retire in 2018 due to a horrendous challenge resulting in his knee being rendered beyond repair. Since then he has been studying for his coaching badges and has surprisingly been appointed as the new manager of Spezia.

What do we know about Spezia?
As we mentioned at the start, Spezia Calcio have recently been promoted to Serie A for the first time in their history. A quirky little club on the Mediterranean Coast, La Spezia has around 93,000 residents.
The stadium, the Stadio Alberto Picco has a capacity of 10,336 and has been the home ground of Spezia since 1919.

The club went bankrupt in 2008 and since it has been re-founded, the owner Garbiele Volpi has shrewdly secured the finances at the club at the same time as guiding them through the divisions.

One thing is for certain, Spezia are heading into unknown waters and even more so, there are questions of whether the appointment of an unproven, foreign manager is really going to be helpful in navigating the unknown waters.

The whole of Italy is watching, waiting to find out. As are we.

 

[ManicBadja]

Club Introduction

Well here we are. I have unpacked into my little apartment in La Spezia. There are a couple of things I need to sort out as soon as possible, getting an Italian tutor and getting to the club!

I walk into the stadium, it is one of the smallest grounds I have ever seen. There is some definite charm to it though. I head on in and see that the owner Garbiele Volpi is there to meet me. After a warm hello, we head to my office and we start talking about the club.

The 5 Year Plan

The Finances Transfer and Wage Budget
Not bad really, definitely a small budget for the top tier but if we solidify this year and manage to stay up, we can definitely get some coin in if we are clever.

The Squad

Well this is interesting. A LOT of loanees, not that much of a youth set up. In a way this could be the perfect time to mould the club into how I see it.

Squad Depth
We have quite a nice spread of cover, I have got to look into the Free agent market.

Backroom Staff
Ooft. These boys need some sorting. A very small team but I think with some small additions I can sort it out. Scouts and medical are a priority.

Summary
I think that there are some massive improvements needed but there are some good foundations here. The facilities need to be upgraded as soon as we have the money. The basics are there, time to begin this journey!

FORZA SPEZIA!!