NOT Another San Marino Story
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kandersson
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Club Season 2015/2016: Serie A
League Results & Stats
View attachment 223911View attachment 223912View attachment 223913
What a fantastic season for San Marino. Napoli deserved their championship but Serie A surprise package San Marino fought till the very last day and looked like legit contenders through the year. The Titani finished with an excellent 2nd place ahead of big spenders Inter, Milan and Juventus despite huge salaries' differences. In addition San Marino youth team managed to win U20 Group 1 (aka U20 Serie A), which is great news considering our youth squad is mainly composed of local Sammarinese prospects.
Cups' Success and Top Performers
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Obviously our cups' success was the highlight of the season. Italian Cup was the first "major" trophy in San Marino's history, while winning Europa League - especially that way - was really something special. Young CB Giuseppe Prestia led the defensive line with authority while talismanic playmaker Eric enjoyed another year of excellent form. Both players were selected for Serie A Team of the Year. Midfielder Lorenzo Crisetig continued his improvements and is now first choice for Italy at just 22. San Marino golden boy Alessandro Paolone had a very promising season as he scored 19 total goals (11 in EL) and was extremely efficient as a super-sub, not too bad for a 17 year older. Quite surprisingly John Fleck was chosen as Fans' Players of the Year as a reward for his clutch performances in both cups.
You might be surprised that Ailton, the man who scored FIVE goals in the EL final, our league and total top scorer for the season, doesn't even get a spot in this year Best Eleven. How is that possible? It's very simple: as of June 2016 Ailton, arguably one of the best strikers in the game, is no longer part of our organization.
More on Ailton and other summer "incidents" in next updates
League Results & Stats
View attachment 223911View attachment 223912View attachment 223913
What a fantastic season for San Marino. Napoli deserved their championship but Serie A surprise package San Marino fought till the very last day and looked like legit contenders through the year. The Titani finished with an excellent 2nd place ahead of big spenders Inter, Milan and Juventus despite huge salaries' differences. In addition San Marino youth team managed to win U20 Group 1 (aka U20 Serie A), which is great news considering our youth squad is mainly composed of local Sammarinese prospects.
Cups' Success and Top Performers
View attachment 223926View attachment 223928View attachment 223929View attachment 223930
Obviously our cups' success was the highlight of the season. Italian Cup was the first "major" trophy in San Marino's history, while winning Europa League - especially that way - was really something special. Young CB Giuseppe Prestia led the defensive line with authority while talismanic playmaker Eric enjoyed another year of excellent form. Both players were selected for Serie A Team of the Year. Midfielder Lorenzo Crisetig continued his improvements and is now first choice for Italy at just 22. San Marino golden boy Alessandro Paolone had a very promising season as he scored 19 total goals (11 in EL) and was extremely efficient as a super-sub, not too bad for a 17 year older. Quite surprisingly John Fleck was chosen as Fans' Players of the Year as a reward for his clutch performances in both cups.
You might be surprised that Ailton, the man who scored FIVE goals in the EL final, our league and total top scorer for the season, doesn't even get a spot in this year Best Eleven. How is that possible? It's very simple: as of June 2016 Ailton, arguably one of the best strikers in the game, is no longer part of our organization.
More on Ailton and other summer "incidents" in next updates
kandersson
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Heartbreaking Moment #1: Ailton No More
View attachment 224209
Future was looking brighter than ever for San Marino at the end of 2015/2016 season: we had just won Europa League after a spectacular 6-0 win against Sevilla and our 2nd place in Serie A meant next year the Titani would play Champions' League football. Finances looked great thanks to league prize and TV deals, and things could only get better with CL. San Marino were ready to enter the élite of European football, and one player in particular looked destined for absolute greatness: that is, you guessed, 20 year-old wonderkid striker Ailton, the man who scored 5 goals in the Europa League Final.
Obviously I was receiving several offers for him (8-9M, nonsense!), and obviously rejected of all of them: Ailton was only entering the second year of a very convenient 5+1 years deal, and the kid was actually happy to stay at the Olimpico. My team was built around Ailton, and the club had about 20M euros in the bank at the end of the season. Then this happened:
View attachment 224211View attachment 224212
Olympique Lyonnais knock at the door with a stupid 10,25M offer and the board says it's "too good to refuse"! Really? I wouldn't even talk for less than 30M... oh and it's 10.25M including 5M in 24 months... I don't know what happened here, this was a real heartbreak for me and a setback for the whole club.
I scouted Ailton since he was 16 when the Titani were playing in lower leagues, tracked his career waiting for the right moment to sign him and finally snapped him for only 2M. Ailton was such a special player for this club. He introduced himself with a hat trick in his first game for the club, and said goodbye scoring five in his last - yep the Europa League Final. He was our top scorer despite a string of annoying injuries and was one of the best strikers in Europe at just 20. Ailton could have easily eclipsed the legend - and the records - of former club icon Enzo Scorza. Losing him like this was simply... heartbreaking.
When sheeet like this happen I can only think of one thing: revenge. In this case I requested scouting reports of all Lyon players and noticed there was this fantastic, young defender still considering a contract extension from OL. I offered him a good contract - probably overpaid a bit but I HAD to do that - and most importantly bribed his agent et voilà, meet new Titani signing, French/Italian defender Salvatore Vender:
View attachment 224213View attachment 224215
Honestly this is a world class centre-back in the making and should soon become a key player for the club. I admit this made me feel a little better about the Ailtongate.
At the end of the day I was trying to look at the positives: sure I had lost a world class striker but I gained a potential world class defender. Also, Ailton had shown signs of being somewhat injury prone and his replacements had done a great job during his absence. Plus I could now give more playing time to everyone's favourite, Sammarinese golden boy Alessandro Paolone... right... Alessandro Paolone...
View attachment 224209
Future was looking brighter than ever for San Marino at the end of 2015/2016 season: we had just won Europa League after a spectacular 6-0 win against Sevilla and our 2nd place in Serie A meant next year the Titani would play Champions' League football. Finances looked great thanks to league prize and TV deals, and things could only get better with CL. San Marino were ready to enter the élite of European football, and one player in particular looked destined for absolute greatness: that is, you guessed, 20 year-old wonderkid striker Ailton, the man who scored 5 goals in the Europa League Final.
Obviously I was receiving several offers for him (8-9M, nonsense!), and obviously rejected of all of them: Ailton was only entering the second year of a very convenient 5+1 years deal, and the kid was actually happy to stay at the Olimpico. My team was built around Ailton, and the club had about 20M euros in the bank at the end of the season. Then this happened:
View attachment 224211View attachment 224212
Olympique Lyonnais knock at the door with a stupid 10,25M offer and the board says it's "too good to refuse"! Really? I wouldn't even talk for less than 30M... oh and it's 10.25M including 5M in 24 months... I don't know what happened here, this was a real heartbreak for me and a setback for the whole club.
I scouted Ailton since he was 16 when the Titani were playing in lower leagues, tracked his career waiting for the right moment to sign him and finally snapped him for only 2M. Ailton was such a special player for this club. He introduced himself with a hat trick in his first game for the club, and said goodbye scoring five in his last - yep the Europa League Final. He was our top scorer despite a string of annoying injuries and was one of the best strikers in Europe at just 20. Ailton could have easily eclipsed the legend - and the records - of former club icon Enzo Scorza. Losing him like this was simply... heartbreaking.
When sheeet like this happen I can only think of one thing: revenge. In this case I requested scouting reports of all Lyon players and noticed there was this fantastic, young defender still considering a contract extension from OL. I offered him a good contract - probably overpaid a bit but I HAD to do that - and most importantly bribed his agent et voilà, meet new Titani signing, French/Italian defender Salvatore Vender:
View attachment 224213View attachment 224215
Honestly this is a world class centre-back in the making and should soon become a key player for the club. I admit this made me feel a little better about the Ailtongate.
At the end of the day I was trying to look at the positives: sure I had lost a world class striker but I gained a potential world class defender. Also, Ailton had shown signs of being somewhat injury prone and his replacements had done a great job during his absence. Plus I could now give more playing time to everyone's favourite, Sammarinese golden boy Alessandro Paolone... right... Alessandro Paolone...
Last edited:
Legendismessi
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Lol Ailtongate! Nice name.
Sad to see him leave though. Nice defender though, it has to be said.
Ailtongate! Nice name.Sad to see him leave though. Nice defender though, it has to be said.
kandersson
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Heartbreaking Moment #2: High Treason
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So after the infamous Ailtongate life goes on for San Marino, time to get back to work and keep improving both our club and our country. As I said I thought this could be a great chance for local lad Alessandro Paolone to step up and gain consistent playing time with the first team. Obviously I had to change those plans very soon.
Alessandro Paolone is by far the brightest prospect ever produced at our club, and at only 17 he could already be considered one of the most successful Sammarinese players to ever play the game, having scored 19 season goals for a club that won Italian Cup and Europa League while also finishing 2nd in Serie A.
I spent so much time and effort on Paolone, working personally on his development and giving him so much attention like I had never done before for a single player: setting specific training schedules, measuring his playing time with first team, even signing players only to serve as his mentors. And it was worth it.
Alessandro has made fantastic improvements in just 18 months, and already played an important part in 2015/16 emerging as an effective super sub striker for a successful San Marino club. Sure, he was still rejecting the NT but I thought he would soon change his mind, after all other great SM prospects like Luca Tagliani and Niko Micheli took their time before eventually committing to SMNT.
And then disaster struck:
View attachment 224558
Alessandro Paolone, striker, Italy U19. Sigh.
Knee-jerk reaction would always be the same: ultra-heavy schedules, strict GK training diet, fines for no apparent reason etc. I'm not at that point yet though, obviously Paolone is still eligible for San Marino and I still hope he will be OUR star striker sooner or later. But now I have to limit his first team exposure (especially in European competitions) or his international career with the Azzurri could soon proceed through the U20, U21 & U23, all the way to a full cap for Italy... and we certainly don't want that! So Alessandro can expect a lot of youth team action at San Marino this year, and probably a loan spell at some Serie B club in January... all for his own good!
Next on my to-do list, I had to send a message to the FIGC and to all Italian football to let them know how I felt about their policy of recruiting MY Sammarinese players. Hope they got it loud and clear:
View attachment 224567View attachment 224568
After some friendly conversations with their manager/mentor Marco Amelia and Lorenzo Crisetig announced their retirement from international football. Now Amelia is 34 and was only Italy's third GK so I guess this doesn't really hurt them much. On the other hand Crisetig, 23, is one of the best midfielders in the country and had become undisputed first choice for Italy amassing his 10 caps in less than one year.
Hope Italy likes my new "policy". Payback's a *****.
View attachment 224556View attachment 224557
So after the infamous Ailtongate life goes on for San Marino, time to get back to work and keep improving both our club and our country. As I said I thought this could be a great chance for local lad Alessandro Paolone to step up and gain consistent playing time with the first team. Obviously I had to change those plans very soon.
Alessandro Paolone is by far the brightest prospect ever produced at our club, and at only 17 he could already be considered one of the most successful Sammarinese players to ever play the game, having scored 19 season goals for a club that won Italian Cup and Europa League while also finishing 2nd in Serie A.
I spent so much time and effort on Paolone, working personally on his development and giving him so much attention like I had never done before for a single player: setting specific training schedules, measuring his playing time with first team, even signing players only to serve as his mentors. And it was worth it.
Alessandro has made fantastic improvements in just 18 months, and already played an important part in 2015/16 emerging as an effective super sub striker for a successful San Marino club. Sure, he was still rejecting the NT but I thought he would soon change his mind, after all other great SM prospects like Luca Tagliani and Niko Micheli took their time before eventually committing to SMNT.
And then disaster struck:
View attachment 224558
Alessandro Paolone, striker, Italy U19. Sigh.
Knee-jerk reaction would always be the same: ultra-heavy schedules, strict GK training diet, fines for no apparent reason etc. I'm not at that point yet though, obviously Paolone is still eligible for San Marino and I still hope he will be OUR star striker sooner or later. But now I have to limit his first team exposure (especially in European competitions) or his international career with the Azzurri could soon proceed through the U20, U21 & U23, all the way to a full cap for Italy... and we certainly don't want that! So Alessandro can expect a lot of youth team action at San Marino this year, and probably a loan spell at some Serie B club in January... all for his own good!
Next on my to-do list, I had to send a message to the FIGC and to all Italian football to let them know how I felt about their policy of recruiting MY Sammarinese players. Hope they got it loud and clear:
View attachment 224567View attachment 224568
After some friendly conversations with their manager/mentor Marco Amelia and Lorenzo Crisetig announced their retirement from international football. Now Amelia is 34 and was only Italy's third GK so I guess this doesn't really hurt them much. On the other hand Crisetig, 23, is one of the best midfielders in the country and had become undisputed first choice for Italy amassing his 10 caps in less than one year.
Hope Italy likes my new "policy". Payback's a *****.
Last edited:
Safc-mad-scotty
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Loving the story mate, keep it up
kandersson
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thanks, and yeah I'm pretty confident Paolone will play for San Marino NT sooner or later.
You know to win a cap for Italy you need to actually PLAY for your club, and the kid has just signed a looooong contract with MY club (Godfather soundtrack in the background...)
kandersson
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Serie A 2016/2017: Pre-Season
Transfers Summary
View attachment 225390
Typical, busy stransfer session for San Marino: all the money from league, TV deals and European competitions gave us an excellent budget to chase top class targets and add depth to face Champions' League. Certainly we were very active on the market, though the vast majority were minor deals like co-ownerships, free youngsters, loan deals etc - old habits from my LLM days...
Key Signings for First Team
View attachment 225392View attachment 225393View attachment 225394View attachment 225395
- Ezequiel Rossi (1.9M from Boca Juniors): Italian/Argentine centre-back with terrific size and bags of potential. Already an U21 international for Italy at only 18, Ezequiel is currently touted as the new Franco Baresi which shouldn't be that bad. Joins the likes of Giuseppe Prestia and fellow new signing Salvatore Vender to form an exciting, young group of defenders.
- Serge Aurier (8M from RC Lens): I had just signed a wonderkid right back for another 6M but the kid broke his leg during one of his first training sessions with the club so had to find a replacement. Aurier is a more than decent consolation prize and is actually an international class fullback who could be San Marino first choice for present and future.
- Kara (8M from FC Twente): Kara is simply one of the best - if not the best - defensive midfielders in the game, and as soon as he got his EU passport after 5 years in Holland I was keen to make a move for him. An excellent addition for San Marino at both CB and midfield positions, and also a great mentor for our youngsters.
- Federico Carraro (free): I have to admit I missed my main targets for AML/right-footed playmaker position: I had agreed deals for Marco Verratti and Georginio Wijnaldum as their clubs were keen to sell, unfortunately they both rejected San Marino. I couldn't find another class playmaker that I both liked AND could afford, so decided to go with freebie Federico Carraro: he's a gifted attacker once regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the country, his attributes look decent but he has the some of best PPM's for his postion, and I must say I really enjoy his style of football.
New Strikers: Looking for the Next Ailton
View attachment 225402View attachment 225403
- Darwin Quintero (3M from Al-Wahda): a well-known name for many of my fellow football managers... Quintero was making money somewhere in Qatar when I offered him the chance to play real football for a real club. He's clearly a short-term solution, but I needed a reliable poacher at reasonable price and Darwin was simply the right man at the right time.
- Alex (475K form America MG): the new Brazilian hope. Alex is a young, talented striker who could develop into world class and become the next big thing in San Marino. At only 18 he might not be ready to become automatic first choice from day one but will get consistent playing time and hopefully improve quickly. A 5-star prospect who only cost me 475K, Ailton who?
Projected First 11 and Season Expectations
View attachment 225406
We have a good team here, and new signings like Kara and Aurier really bring a lot to this club. I would have liked to do something more for DL and AML positions, and our goup of strikers lack a real, bonafide superstar but in the end I'm pleased with the quality of my squad.
After last year's 2nd place the board are asking for Europa League qualification which I think is a fair request for this team. However Italy as a league has gained back an extra Champions' League spot so 4th place will be enough to qualify for CL, and that is my goal for the season. The likes of Napoli, Inter and Juventus are still much stronger than us in my opinion, while other big spenders Milan and Roma don't scare me much these days... My prediction for San Marino is somewhere between 2-4!
Transfers Summary
View attachment 225390
Typical, busy stransfer session for San Marino: all the money from league, TV deals and European competitions gave us an excellent budget to chase top class targets and add depth to face Champions' League. Certainly we were very active on the market, though the vast majority were minor deals like co-ownerships, free youngsters, loan deals etc - old habits from my LLM days...
Key Signings for First Team
View attachment 225392View attachment 225393View attachment 225394View attachment 225395
- Ezequiel Rossi (1.9M from Boca Juniors): Italian/Argentine centre-back with terrific size and bags of potential. Already an U21 international for Italy at only 18, Ezequiel is currently touted as the new Franco Baresi which shouldn't be that bad. Joins the likes of Giuseppe Prestia and fellow new signing Salvatore Vender to form an exciting, young group of defenders.
- Serge Aurier (8M from RC Lens): I had just signed a wonderkid right back for another 6M but the kid broke his leg during one of his first training sessions with the club so had to find a replacement. Aurier is a more than decent consolation prize and is actually an international class fullback who could be San Marino first choice for present and future.
- Kara (8M from FC Twente): Kara is simply one of the best - if not the best - defensive midfielders in the game, and as soon as he got his EU passport after 5 years in Holland I was keen to make a move for him. An excellent addition for San Marino at both CB and midfield positions, and also a great mentor for our youngsters.
- Federico Carraro (free): I have to admit I missed my main targets for AML/right-footed playmaker position: I had agreed deals for Marco Verratti and Georginio Wijnaldum as their clubs were keen to sell, unfortunately they both rejected San Marino. I couldn't find another class playmaker that I both liked AND could afford, so decided to go with freebie Federico Carraro: he's a gifted attacker once regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the country, his attributes look decent but he has the some of best PPM's for his postion, and I must say I really enjoy his style of football.
New Strikers: Looking for the Next Ailton
View attachment 225402View attachment 225403
- Darwin Quintero (3M from Al-Wahda): a well-known name for many of my fellow football managers... Quintero was making money somewhere in Qatar when I offered him the chance to play real football for a real club. He's clearly a short-term solution, but I needed a reliable poacher at reasonable price and Darwin was simply the right man at the right time.
- Alex (475K form America MG): the new Brazilian hope. Alex is a young, talented striker who could develop into world class and become the next big thing in San Marino. At only 18 he might not be ready to become automatic first choice from day one but will get consistent playing time and hopefully improve quickly. A 5-star prospect who only cost me 475K, Ailton who?
Projected First 11 and Season Expectations
View attachment 225406
We have a good team here, and new signings like Kara and Aurier really bring a lot to this club. I would have liked to do something more for DL and AML positions, and our goup of strikers lack a real, bonafide superstar but in the end I'm pleased with the quality of my squad.
After last year's 2nd place the board are asking for Europa League qualification which I think is a fair request for this team. However Italy as a league has gained back an extra Champions' League spot so 4th place will be enough to qualify for CL, and that is my goal for the season. The likes of Napoli, Inter and Juventus are still much stronger than us in my opinion, while other big spenders Milan and Roma don't scare me much these days... My prediction for San Marino is somewhere between 2-4!
Last edited:
kandersson
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Summer 2016: Summertime, Super Cup Time
As winners of Italian Cup and Europa League San Marino would compete for more silverware this summer, as the Titani faced a busy August preparing high-profile Super Cup matches against two of the best clubs in the world.
First there was the Italian Super Cup game against Serie A champions and European powerhouse Napoli:
View attachment 225756
A very close game that could have gone either way. Eventually famous Sammarinese traitor Alessandro Paolone made the difference with two beautiful goals coming off the bench, as the Titani sealed a 3-2 win at San Paolo. To be honest I always feel like Napoli are the better team every time we face them, anyway I was very pleased with the win and the overall performance.
Three weeks later San Marino travelled to Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, home of 2016 European Super Cup, where the Titani had to face Champions' League winners Liverpool:
View attachment 225760
This was a surprisingly easy match for us: San Marino simply played Liverpool off the park as new striker Darwin Quintero continued his impressive start with a fantastic brace. Youngster Alex added another one as he scored on his debut, and the Titani cruised to a shocking 3-0 victory.
The Super Cup Double was certainly a great way to start new season this should be a huge confidence boost for the lads, and I must say it's always nice to add some silverware to the trophy room.
This will also be San Marino's first year in the Champions League and I have to say I'm quite pleased with our group:
View attachment 225761
As of 2016 Barcelona are still a world class club and should win this group easily, while Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb aren't looking that impressive and I think we have a pretty good chance of nailing 2nd place.
In other news club facilities were upgraded in September, so now we boast good training facilities and average youth facilities. New works have already started so you can expect further upgrades next year.
Next update will be about San Marino national team and their 2016 performances. Any other thing you'd like to know/see, feel free ask
As winners of Italian Cup and Europa League San Marino would compete for more silverware this summer, as the Titani faced a busy August preparing high-profile Super Cup matches against two of the best clubs in the world.
First there was the Italian Super Cup game against Serie A champions and European powerhouse Napoli:
View attachment 225756
A very close game that could have gone either way. Eventually famous Sammarinese traitor Alessandro Paolone made the difference with two beautiful goals coming off the bench, as the Titani sealed a 3-2 win at San Paolo. To be honest I always feel like Napoli are the better team every time we face them, anyway I was very pleased with the win and the overall performance.
Three weeks later San Marino travelled to Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, home of 2016 European Super Cup, where the Titani had to face Champions' League winners Liverpool:
View attachment 225760
This was a surprisingly easy match for us: San Marino simply played Liverpool off the park as new striker Darwin Quintero continued his impressive start with a fantastic brace. Youngster Alex added another one as he scored on his debut, and the Titani cruised to a shocking 3-0 victory.
The Super Cup Double was certainly a great way to start new season this should be a huge confidence boost for the lads, and I must say it's always nice to add some silverware to the trophy room.
This will also be San Marino's first year in the Champions League and I have to say I'm quite pleased with our group:
View attachment 225761
As of 2016 Barcelona are still a world class club and should win this group easily, while Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb aren't looking that impressive and I think we have a pretty good chance of nailing 2nd place.
In other news club facilities were upgraded in September, so now we boast good training facilities and average youth facilities. New works have already started so you can expect further upgrades next year.
Next update will be about San Marino national team and their 2016 performances. Any other thing you'd like to know/see, feel free ask
kandersson
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thanks a lot mate, glad to hear that!
NT is floating around 80-90 as of december 2016, a good result after only 5 years I think. Things could be much better though, I have at least 6 good players still rejecting San Marino NT, including two excellent prospects currently playing for Italy U19
now those two I can understand, they could actually be good enough to play for Italy someday (I'd rather ruin their careers than see this happen though) but the others are just delusional...
kandersson
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National Team: Year 2016
View attachment 226316View attachment 226317View attachment 226318View attachment 226319
A bittersweet year for the national team: San Marino continued their good form in friendlies and started well in the World Cup qualifying group, with a great win against a repsectable Iceland team. We also finished the year at 80th place in FIFA World Rankings, which is an all-time best for San Marino (though we dropped to 90th after a couple of months).
On the other hand the national team can't seem to develop futher than this at the moment, as all the best Sammarinese prospects with dual nationality (unfortunately they're the vast majority) have no intention of accepting San Marino right now. This trend is really spoiling the full development of the NT, and hopefully will come to an end someday.
These are the latest, best 100% Sammarinese recruits from the youth setup:
View attachment 226320View attachment 226321
Carlo Vignoli is a promising goalkeeper that should soon push the legendary Aldo Junior Simoncini to the bench. Fabio Scarano is a classy left-footed attacker, an excellent prospect for my trademark lefty AMR position. Both are 4-stars prospect with good Serie A potential, and certainly have a bright future with the NT as they develop their attributes.
On the other hand I have at least 6 good prospects still rejecting SM, while the two brightest talents in San Marino are currently happy to be part of Italy U19:
View attachment 226323View attachment 226324
You already knew about traitor Alessandro Paolone, well fellow Sammarinese wizkid Gianluca Macina did exactly the same and joined his shameless friend to represent Italy at youth level. I still believe they are the future of SMNT and they'll lead our country's - not Italy's - attack someday (otherwise I'll ruin their careers...) but right now I can only wait and see.
Well actually I can do something to answer Italy's policy of poaching MY local talent: go on with my own personal "policy":
View attachment 226328
Classy centre-back Giuseppe Prestia, 23, fresh winner of both Serie A Defender of the Year and Italian Player of the Year decided to retire from international football after only two caps, thanks to a friendly chat with his manager. The same had happened a couple of months earlier with talented midfielder Lorenzo Crisetig, so Italy has lost two of their best young players thanks to my new "policy". Italy San Marino 2-2.
View attachment 226316View attachment 226317View attachment 226318View attachment 226319
A bittersweet year for the national team: San Marino continued their good form in friendlies and started well in the World Cup qualifying group, with a great win against a repsectable Iceland team. We also finished the year at 80th place in FIFA World Rankings, which is an all-time best for San Marino (though we dropped to 90th after a couple of months).
On the other hand the national team can't seem to develop futher than this at the moment, as all the best Sammarinese prospects with dual nationality (unfortunately they're the vast majority) have no intention of accepting San Marino right now. This trend is really spoiling the full development of the NT, and hopefully will come to an end someday.
These are the latest, best 100% Sammarinese recruits from the youth setup:
View attachment 226320View attachment 226321
Carlo Vignoli is a promising goalkeeper that should soon push the legendary Aldo Junior Simoncini to the bench. Fabio Scarano is a classy left-footed attacker, an excellent prospect for my trademark lefty AMR position. Both are 4-stars prospect with good Serie A potential, and certainly have a bright future with the NT as they develop their attributes.
On the other hand I have at least 6 good prospects still rejecting SM, while the two brightest talents in San Marino are currently happy to be part of Italy U19:
View attachment 226323View attachment 226324
You already knew about traitor Alessandro Paolone, well fellow Sammarinese wizkid Gianluca Macina did exactly the same and joined his shameless friend to represent Italy at youth level. I still believe they are the future of SMNT and they'll lead our country's - not Italy's - attack someday (otherwise I'll ruin their careers...) but right now I can only wait and see.
Well actually I can do something to answer Italy's policy of poaching MY local talent: go on with my own personal "policy":
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Classy centre-back Giuseppe Prestia, 23, fresh winner of both Serie A Defender of the Year and Italian Player of the Year decided to retire from international football after only two caps, thanks to a friendly chat with his manager. The same had happened a couple of months earlier with talented midfielder Lorenzo Crisetig, so Italy has lost two of their best young players thanks to my new "policy". Italy San Marino 2-2.
kandersson
Member
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2010
- Messages
- 2,037
- Reaction score
- 82
- Points
- 48
Club Season 2016/17: Winter Update
Quick mid-season update.
Serie A
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San Marino looking good at the top of Serie A. I have to say our 1st place is well deserved so far, our home form has been spectacular as usual though we still have the occasional no-show game when playing away. We keep doing a great job against small teams and those points are really making the difference for us. Club icon Eric is having his best season ever while CB Giuseppe Prestia has been impressive not only in defence but also as a scoring threat. Darwin Quintero proved to be a reliable striker at the highest level, though wonderkid Alex looks more than ready to become first choice very soon and replace Ailton in the heart of our fans.
Summer signing Federico Carraro was largely disappointing in the key AML/playmaker role and was sold to Parma for 4M in January. Midfield maestro Marco Verratti (my main target in previous summer) was happy to join San Marino after 6 months spent warming Milan's bench. I thought it was a bargain at 6M and Marco has indeed been very promising in his first games with the Titani, especially impressing in CL while learning the new AML position.
Champions League
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I was pretty confident we could qualify from the group and actually we managed to get 2nd place quite comfortably. Barcelona were the only team that beat us as they easily won the group, while Shakhtar and Dinamo have sold most of their best players in the last 5-6 years so they don't look very competitive these days. We didn't even need to play our best team against them...
Schalke will be our next opponents in the first knockout round, and they look like a good team - good not great.
Future Signing
View attachment 227018
A scout of mine came back with a report of this African kid, probably the most impressive 16 years-old I've ever seen. Nigerian playmaker Kingsley Agbo will only join San Marino in July 2018 but he already looks amazing and could really become something special. Not too bad for less than 100K...
Quick mid-season update.
Serie A
View attachment 227001View attachment 227002
San Marino looking good at the top of Serie A. I have to say our 1st place is well deserved so far, our home form has been spectacular as usual though we still have the occasional no-show game when playing away. We keep doing a great job against small teams and those points are really making the difference for us. Club icon Eric is having his best season ever while CB Giuseppe Prestia has been impressive not only in defence but also as a scoring threat. Darwin Quintero proved to be a reliable striker at the highest level, though wonderkid Alex looks more than ready to become first choice very soon and replace Ailton in the heart of our fans.
Summer signing Federico Carraro was largely disappointing in the key AML/playmaker role and was sold to Parma for 4M in January. Midfield maestro Marco Verratti (my main target in previous summer) was happy to join San Marino after 6 months spent warming Milan's bench. I thought it was a bargain at 6M and Marco has indeed been very promising in his first games with the Titani, especially impressing in CL while learning the new AML position.
Champions League
View attachment 227013View attachment 227014
I was pretty confident we could qualify from the group and actually we managed to get 2nd place quite comfortably. Barcelona were the only team that beat us as they easily won the group, while Shakhtar and Dinamo have sold most of their best players in the last 5-6 years so they don't look very competitive these days. We didn't even need to play our best team against them...
Schalke will be our next opponents in the first knockout round, and they look like a good team - good not great.
Future Signing
View attachment 227018
A scout of mine came back with a report of this African kid, probably the most impressive 16 years-old I've ever seen. Nigerian playmaker Kingsley Agbo will only join San Marino in July 2018 but he already looks amazing and could really become something special. Not too bad for less than 100K...
kandersson
Member
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2010
- Messages
- 2,037
- Reaction score
- 82
- Points
- 48
Club Update 2016/17: Defending The Italian Cup Title
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Second Italian Cup title in a row for San Marino, and I must say this time it was ridiculously easy. We never had to face a serious opponent in the whole tournament, and we actually enjoyed total domination without playing our best team. The Titani thrashed Serie B sides Bologna and Albinoleffe in the first two rounds before facing Serie A strugglers Catania in the semifinals. A 5-0 away win in first leg gave me the chance to use second leg as a showcase for our local Sammarinese prospects, which resulted in a decent 1-1 draw and a solid performance from the kids.
Final match was against mid-table side Udinese:
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Udinese were clearly the strongest club we faced in the tournament, still they didn't cause much trouble as San Marino dominated the match from the start and cruised to a deserved 3-1 win. Brazilian wonderkid Alex took advantage of this competition and displayed a string of impressive performances, finishing as Italian Cup top scorer with 8 goals in just 4 matches (including a fantastic 4-goals explosion against Bologna). San Marino may have found their new star striker for the next 10 years after all - eat your heart out Ailton!
View attachment 227481View attachment 227483
Second Italian Cup title in a row for San Marino, and I must say this time it was ridiculously easy. We never had to face a serious opponent in the whole tournament, and we actually enjoyed total domination without playing our best team. The Titani thrashed Serie B sides Bologna and Albinoleffe in the first two rounds before facing Serie A strugglers Catania in the semifinals. A 5-0 away win in first leg gave me the chance to use second leg as a showcase for our local Sammarinese prospects, which resulted in a decent 1-1 draw and a solid performance from the kids.
Final match was against mid-table side Udinese:
View attachment 227489View attachment 227484
Udinese were clearly the strongest club we faced in the tournament, still they didn't cause much trouble as San Marino dominated the match from the start and cruised to a deserved 3-1 win. Brazilian wonderkid Alex took advantage of this competition and displayed a string of impressive performances, finishing as Italian Cup top scorer with 8 goals in just 4 matches (including a fantastic 4-goals explosion against Bologna). San Marino may have found their new star striker for the next 10 years after all - eat your heart out Ailton!
kandersson
Member
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2010
- Messages
- 2,037
- Reaction score
- 82
- Points
- 48
sure, actually it's the very same I had uploaded for FM11 here http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...sexiest-football-ever-seen-lower-leagues.html it didn't have much feedback at the time...
It's important to have players with right attributes and especially right PPM's for the position, plus learning to play around with tempo and time wasting according to different opponents and different game situations
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let me know if it works for you