To Hellas and Back. (Hellas Verona Story)

[RochdaleBob]

To Hellas & Back - A Hellas Verona Story

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In 2009, I discovered a sleeping giant in Hellas Verona on Football Manager. Since then, in every FM game I have owned, I have managed as them at some point, but never documented it.

This year is different, having found some spare time recently, I have decided to take charge of them again and show you my journey.

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Main Objectives for the Save

- Return to Serie A
- Keep Club Finances in Good Health
- Win Italian Cup
- Qualify for Europe (EL & CL)
- Win 2nd Serie A Title



The Club Origins & Honours

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Founded in 1903 by a group of high school students, the club was named Hellas (the Greek word for Greece), at the request of a professor of classics. At a time in which football was played seriously only in the larger cities of the northwest of Italy, most of Verona was indifferent to the growing sport.

However, when in 1906 two city teams chose the city's Roman amphitheatre as a venue to showcase the game, crowd enthusiasm and media interest began to rise.

1984–1985 Scudetto

Although the 1984–85 season squad was made up of a mix of emerging players and mature stars, at the beginning of the season no one would have regarded the team as having the necessary ingredients to make it to the end. Certainly, the additions of Hans-Peter Briegel in midfield and of Danish striker Preben Elkjær to an attack that already featured the wing play of Pietro Fanna, the creative abilities of Antonio Di Gennaro and the scoring touch of Giuseppe Galderisi were to prove crucial.

To mention a few of the memorable milestones on the road to the scudetto: a decisive win against Juventus (2–0), with a goal scored by Elkjær after having lost a boot in a tackle just outside the box, set the stage early in the championship; an away win over Udinese (5–3) ended any speculation that the team was losing energy at the midway point; three straight wins (including a hard-fought 1–0 victory against a strong Roma side) served notice that the team had kept its polish and focus intact during their rival's final surge; and a 1–1 draw in Bergamo against Atalanta secured the title with a game in hand.Hellas finished the year with a 15–13–2 record and 43 points, four points ahead of Torino F.C. with Internazionale and Sampdoria rounding out the top four spots.

This unusual final table of the Serie A (with the most successful Italian teams of the time, Juventus and Roma, ending up much lower than expected) has led to many speculations. The 1984–85 season was the only season when referees were assigned to matches by way of a random draw. Before then each referee had always been assigned to a specific match by a special commission of referees (designatori arbitrali). After the betting scandal of the early 1980 (the Calcio Scommesse scandal), it was decided to clean up the image of Italian football by assigning referees randomly instead of picking them, to clear up all the suspicions and accusations always accompanying Italy's football life. This resulted in a quieter championship and in a completely unexpected final table.​

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[RochdaleBob]

Summer Transfers & Ones Players to Watch
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With the season right around the corner, I set off in search of making improvements to the squad. The squad itself is fairly strong already, so there wasn’t too much transfer activity throughout the summer.

In fact, the only transfer I made myself that wasn’t already pre-existing was the addition of centre back Maurico.

I had intended to bring him in as a rotational player, but having looked at his stats and his reports given to me by my assistant and coaches, he will slot straight into the starting line-up on most match days.

The only other notable addition to the squad, was the pre-existing loan to permanent deal for Samuel Di Carmine from Perugia who will be joining at the end of the first season for £1.5million.

At 29 years old, he joins us in what should be the prime of his career, so I look forward to seeing what he can do.

3 Players to Watch in 2018/19



Giampaolo Pazzini

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34 year old veteran striker and former Italy international Giampaolo Pazzini is a recognisable and experience head in our squad.

Having joined in 2015 on a free transfer and spending half a season on loan at Levante last season, Pazzini has netted 33 times in 84 appearances for club, which is not a bad ratio for someone who joined the club in his 30s.

Pazzini will be partnered by previously mentioned Samuel Di Carmine in what will hopefully prove to be a decisive partnership in Serie B.

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Antonio Di Guadio

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Next up is 28 year old loanee Antonio Di Guadio who joins us from Parma having played just one season from them after joining from Carpi for £1.1million 12 months ago.

His stats speak for themselves and as an inside forward in my tactic, he should prove himself well above this level and should he prove himself this season, I will be looking to make this transfer permanent.

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Liam Henderson

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Last but not least is Liam Henderson, my young 22 year old central midfield dynamo. The former Celtic and Hibernian youngster joined Verona on a free transfer after a short 1 year stint at Bari.

I’m surprised, but happy to see a Scottish youngster over here in Italy, he jumped out at me immediately when I looked over my squad and he’s a player I really want to develop.

With 9 U21 caps for Scotland, I would love to see him progress and be called up to the full national team.

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Next Update: Friendlies and Italian Cup Early Rounds

Apologies for it nearly taking a week to update this thread, not a great start, but I’ve been too busy with work. I am off for a couple of days now so there will be a few updates in the coming days, including another one or even two tonight.

Thank you to those who liked my opening post also, I really appreciate your support.