[FM08] American Calcio

Sunday, March 16
We arrived in Cremona this afternoon just in time to catch the end of the Novara - Manfredonia match on television. Not surprisingly, we’re interested in the outcome.

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to us that Novara is now top of the league on its own. What did surprise us was that their lead is only a point, as Manfredonia fought a terrific rearguard action to steal a point in a 1-1 draw far away from home.

Novara is one of Manfredonia’s longest trips of the season so to get off the coach as they did and fight the league leaders to a draw is amazing.

It’s also immensely convenient for us, as we now need only a draw tomorrow to keep pace at the top of the table. We watched the end of the match in silence in the lobby of our hotel, each player thinking his own thoughts as the last moments of the match ticked away.

Novara will look at the result as two points lost but I looked at it as an opportunity gained for us. I turned to my players as the teams trudged off the pitch and spoke.

“Okay, fellows. It’s out there for you. The other guys can stumble too. Don’t lose your cool tomorrow, play like you can and let’s make it happen.”

To be completely honest, I’d take a draw tomorrow. The way we’re playing doesn’t bode well for taking all three points though I know if we play like we can, especially on the defensive side of the ball, we will be in with a shout at getting the points.

Sassuolo picked up a big away win, 2-1 at Pro Patria, to move within two points of us. And Venezia again failed to win, drawing away to Ternana, which is suddenly slaying giants. I won’t say I minded that at all.


Sometimes the sense of déjà vu in this game can be overwhelming. For Rangers, it’s meeting Celtic in their last match after the SPL split with something big on the line. For Chelsea, it’s meeting Liverpool in the Champions League semifinals.

For me, déjà vu is playing Cremonese in a driving rainstorm. I need to raise my goals.

Tomorrow’s match forecast is exactly the same as when we met them at our place – afternoon heavy rain and warm. I know the rain put a cramp in our style the first time we played and it may well do the same tomorrow.

A slower surface will provide even more difficulty for us in terms of the way we want to play the game. I would like more possession even though I realize that on the road I probably won’t get it, but poor conditions will make it harder for a team as limited as mine in passing ability. I want the ball on the floor when I can have it there, but tomorrow probably will not be one of those days.


I met with Masolini after the match, to talk about Baú. My relationship with my deputy is good, I value his opinion, and he knows if he has a concern about the squad I will give that opinion careful and esteemed consideration.

This time, though, I went to him.

“Eder needs to sit,” I said. “I want your thoughts. I haven’t seen enough from him in training this week and I don’t think he should start.”

“You’ve already made up your mind,” he observed. “I don’t know if I want to try to change it.”

“You can,” I said. “That’s always been the case. I want your professional judgment on his play against Ternana and whether you think he can bounce back tomorrow.”

“You do have an opportunity through Novara’s draw today,” he said. “If we do lose tomorrow it will be only one point lost. The message can be sent, which is presumably the reason you are doing this. Also, Gotti too did not play well last weekend but his situation is caused by having played nearly every minute of every match so far.”

“That’s not what I’m asking,” I told him. “I want your evaluation of Eder’s play and whether you think he should retain his place in the side.”

“I don’t think I would put him to the bench, Rob,” he said. “DiVenanzio is not the kind of all-around player Eder is, and he hasn’t had as much match time due of course to his injury. I feel starting DiVenanzio in the eleven would be a tactical error.”

That was pretty blunt. We are facing a crunch match on the road, and my assistant thinks I’m wrong to move Baú to the bench. However, that’s why we pay him, and I hired him for his honest opinion.

“And if his poor form continues?” I asked.

“It would also be a tactical error to play him,” he admitted. “You cannot win.”

“In fairness, all eleven players will determine that,” I said.

“Then here is a suggestion,” he said. “Please consider this. If you must drop Baú tomorrow, consider placing Caputo on the left and move Muzzi to the right side of midfield, which you know he can play. I know you are disappointed by his form in the Ternana match, but he can supply from that wing and you will then have the ability to restore Varricchio to the eleven.”

“You really don’t think DiVenanzio is the answer on the left,” I said, mulling over an excellent idea.

“No, Rob. I do not. I know you want to make a statement and you feel you need to make a statement, but we are in a promotion race. Don’t be hasty over this. If you feel you must send Baú to the bench then that is your right to put him there, but please consider the team selection I’ve given you. I think it is our second-best side.”

I nodded. Naturally, the decision is mine to make and I have to live with the consequences. My deputy had done his job and done it well. Now the rest is up to me.


Finally, I had to make my decision. I told Baú that he’s on the bench to start the match tomorrow.

Gotti will also sit, for the first time in almost two months, due to a dip in form he suffered in the Ternana match. Faísca will slot into the left back role in his place and Donadoni will return to the XI in central defense alongside the ever-present Sacchetti. I don’t blame him for getting sent off in his last appearance and this is the best way to show it.

Eder didn’t like the news of his exclusion from the starting unit, but he understands that he needs to perform to keep his place. There’s method to my madness here, too – I’m not afraid to put one of my top players onto the bench for poor performance, and that will send a message to the entire squad.

It’s a move borne of confidence, but if it backfires I’m sure Emiliani will roast me for it. Patty might have called it ‘arrogant’, but I look at it differently.

I will take Masolini’s advice tomorrow and start Muzzi on the right side of midfield. I am taking a huge, but calculated, risk. The payoff may be great but the payback – if I’m wrong – might be even worse.

A big opportunity to move ahead in the league. Good luck in what could be a season-deciding fixture!

Let's see how it goes!
___

Monday, March 17
Cremonese v Padova – Serie C1A


I once mentioned that sometimes I hate being right. Then there are days like today, where being right has us once again on top of Serie C1A.

The quote at the top of today’s entry serves a dual purpose; first, that’s what more than few players looked like this afternoon as they tried to cut, pass and move in a downpour that really should have resulted in a postponement.

Second, the name of the movie the quote comes from was apropos to describe our effort today. The players galumphed up and down the sodden pitch at Giovanni Zini with great industry even if it wasn’t always as pretty as we’d like to imagine the game appearing to be. It took ‘true grit’ to win today and that’s what we showed.

I put up the starting XI on a board in the visitors’ changing room and watched the reaction of the faces around me. There was genuine surprise. That wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

I took Varricchio aside before we headed out for the match and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was itching to redeem himself.

“Make it happen,” I said, using my favorite phrase. “Show me you deserve to stay out there and give us a performance.”

His scowl of determination was also a good thing.

What wasn’t good, though, was how we started the match. Cremonese had it all to play for just like we did and playing at home, they started brightly. Orlandoni was a busy man for the first 45 minutes, making four close-in saves in the first 39 minutes to help keep the match scoreless.

Meanwhile the ‘new’ formation with Muzzi on the right carved out a few decent chances of its own but I found myself hoping on more than one occasion that we might get a goal through keeper Salvatore Sirigu mishandling the wet ball. Not that I worried about Orlandoni doing the same. Of course not.

We did need to make a few adjustments at half. For one thing, we wanted to shut down Cremonese’s wide game and we did that – but not because we were good. We did it because they brought all their pressure through the middle, attempting to take advantage of Gentile’s somewhat limited man-marking skills. To a large extent, they did.

The 4-1-3-2 generated enough chances to keep it a viable option for the second half but my wish was also that Paz move just a bit higher in the formation to directly support Gentile in the center of midfield.

“The back four doesn’t need you as much as Gentile does,” I said. “I need you supporting Andrea before they move the ball into position. That extra second you’re waiting is allowing them to work the ball where they want it to go instead of where we want them to put it.”

He nodded, and proceeded to give me better play as the second half began. We also got Varricchio’s first goal in nearly two months to open the scoring.

Oddly enough it was Paponi who was the provider. Neither player is known for the quality of his linking play but Daniele made it happen with a good twenty-yard breakout pass from just inside our area into space. That made it a footrace and in such circumstances Varricchio is probably the last player on my club I’d bet on to win.

However, the conditions were a great equalizer and while everyone looked like they were running in quicksand, Varricchio was still first to the edge of the area. His knuckling shot swerved under the arm of the diving Sirigu and home for the first goal of the match on 53 minutes.

It had to have been a devilishly difficult shot to stop and I was obviously glad our man had struck it. Varricchio reacted both with relief and a rolling slide behind the goal toward the traveling support.

Much of his uniform became a muddy mess for the rest of the day. When he got up it was hard to tell which team he played for, but we led and that was what mattered.

With the lead, my goal was to maintain possession and make them chase the game on a truly wretched day to play. We did that admirably, but they then caught lightning in a bottle. I’m sure they preferred it there, because lightning in the distance also threatened to stop the match for a time.

When it came, though, they caught us brilliantly on a counterattack off a Caputo corner. Three quick diagonal passes later, the ball was on striker Giuseppe Cozolino’s boot. One more flick later and it was behind Orlandoni to tie the match on 65 minutes.

The 2,116 fans on hand wrung out their lungs long enough to give a long, loud cheer as we went back to blank paper. I then looked down the bench and made a decision.

“Eder, strip off and warm up,” I said. He nodded and did as I asked. Three minutes later he reported, ready for duty.

“You’ll go in for Paponi,” I said, after looking at my loan striker standing in front of the Cremonese goal, ready for a breather. “Muzzi goes up front, Caputo goes to the right and I want you on the left. Show me how much you want to avoid the bench for next week.”

He nodded, the fourth official held up the numbers board for the substitution, and I greeted a disappointed Paponi as he came to the bench.

“It’s not your play,” I said, grabbing his arm to make sure I had his attention to tell him why he was being substituted. “Daniele, it’s not your play. The conditions aren’t good and I want you rested for what’s coming up.”

He nodded, knowing I rate him after his recent run in the team, and sat down to get a little bit dry. The rain was pouring now and the gusting wind made play very difficult.

Baú made his entry and just like that, we had most of our ‘best’ offensive eleven on the pitch, with Eder also having relatively fresh legs.

His energy soon had the impact I needed to see on the match, as Baú showed his professionalism. He and Caputo immediately switched wings in full flight and the Grigiorossi began to struggle right away.

The two began to work well together immediately, carving out a wonderful chance for Muzzi that my talented but wasteful front man obligingly, and annoyingly, pushed wide of Sirigu’s right post.

I sat next to Masolini in the dugout for the moment, out of the driving rain, wondering how many chances we’d get and how many more we would miss.

Twelve minutes from time I got the answers: one, and none.

This time it was Faísca who made a fine play on the left, working an overlap with Baú that resulted in the ball at my left fullback’s feet at the corner of the Cremonese area.

Instead of crossing for the middle of the park, Faísca faked for the byline and managed a 180-degree turn in the muck, laying the ball toward the top of the area – right into the intuitive path of Baú.

On a first-time volley, Eder struck a simply superb effort that would have been beautiful to watch on a dry pitch. The fact that it came on a sodden mass made it wonderful. The fact that it found the top right corner of Sirigu’s goal made it perfect.

Without thinking, I instinctively leapt into the air when Baú’s goal flashed home. I forgot I was still sitting inside the covered dugout due to the rain. As a result I rammed my head hard against the top of the structure. I actually saw stars for a moment before stepping out of the dugout to celebrate properly.

That caused some laughter on the bench, and for a time I smiled along with the bench players until I noticed a trickle of blood running down my cheek. I had cut my scalp, which was embarrassing as well as quite messy.

The physios had to respond to the manager’s needs this time, which made for a moment of comedy, and in a few moments I had been treated in the same manner as a boxer who’s cut during a match.

Assistant physio Vittorio Rosetto leaned me back into the dugout, found the cut, and applied pressure on it before inserting a Q-tip soaked with adrenaline into the cut. It hurt like a son of a gun, but after a few moments, it was done.

While I watched the action, Rosetto cleaned me up and in a few moments the only sign I had been cut was a drop of blood on the collar of my shirt. That, and a headache no one else could see.

Yet Baú’s strike made certain that our hosts would suffer the headaches after the match. That was the important thing.

The teams combined for 34 attempts at goal in the deluge, a remarkable number considering the conditions, with seventeen on target. That was quite a high total as well, and Orlandoni won the man of the match award for dealing with eight of the nine strikes on target he saw.

It was just a huge win for us, obviously, if for no other reason than it opened up some space between ourselves, Sassuolo, Cremonese and Venezia. The top five are starting to spread out and it may well wind up a two-team shootout with Novara before all is said and done.


“If you must know, it hurt like hell.”

Blushing, I faced our media after the match sporting a headache but also a happy smile. “I forgot I was underneath the dugout roof and opened myself up pretty good.”

“Bleeding puts a cramp in your style,” Emiliani said with a smile. I thought that was decent of him to say, especially since he was smiling, but then he asked me about Baú.

“Eder started on the bench for poor form against Ternana,” I explained. “He showed me he learned his lesson late in the match today.”

“You would bench a player of his status for one bad match?” That was a reporter from the Cremona media, asking the question so my media wouldn’t have to.

“We’re playing for something here,” I explained. “There’s a lot at stake and I took a calculated risk today by sitting down one of our most consistent players. The effort and results we are coming to expect from the players who wear this shirt are both quite high. When that doesn’t happen I have to take steps as the manager. It’s not fair to the players who are fighting hard for places when I let a player stay in the eleven based on reputation. You have to perform.”

“Do you think you would have needed a late rescue today had Baú been in the eleven?” Ah, Emiliani.

“Who knows?” I said, in what was probably an unfortunate reply. “All I know is we got a goal with Eder on the pitch and a goal without him on the pitch. You can go ahead and ask me how happy I am that Varricchio is scoring again if you like. I’m sure he’d appreciate the positive press.”


We climbed aboard the coach after all the players and the skin-soaked manager had had a chance to clean up, heading back to Padua in time for a late dinner.

Patty met me with a smile on her face.

“I heard you fought the dugout roof and lost,” she smiled, bending me over to kiss the top of my head when I greeted her.

“Yeah, I suppose word gets around,” I answered, wincing with pain as she made it ‘all better’. “But if a layer of skin is the only thing I lose today, that’s a good trade.”

“Let me help you,” she offered. “I have an idea how to ease your pain.”
Cremonese 1-2 Padova

	        Pl	W	D	L	Pts
Padova 	        27	16	9	2	57
Novara	        27	16	7	4	55
Sassuolo	27	15	7	5	52
Cremonese	27	12	11	4	47
Venezia	        27	13	7	7	46

A thrilling game for sure, it's good to see Eder react in the way he did to produce the winner.... you should bench all your best players to use as super subs from now on

Eder Bau's match rating was very low from the prior match and he's listed a "model professional" so I sat him. It paid off!
___

Tuesday, March 18
We have a short week of preparation this week before things start to heat up again for us.

Our return match against regional rival Hellas Verona is Saturday and in looking at their video I’m heartened to see that there’s another team in this league that’s also having trouble putting the ball in the net.

However, our scoring own woes pale by comparison to theirs. Verona has scored only 18 goals in 27 league matches so despite leading the league with thirteen draws they are still three spots out of the playoff places. Their defensive record is nearly as good as ours and they’ve only lost five matches themselves.

They’ve only had two matches all season where they’ve scored more than one goal, and already have nine goalless draws to their credit, including one against us on November 4. Still, the fact that they are even playing in this league is surprising to a lot of people.

It is truly lean times for the Mastini, who won the Scudetto in 1984-85 and played in Serie A as recently as 2002. Players like Adrian Mutu, Mauro Camoranesi, and Martin Laursen were with the club then.

But now, hard financial times and a galling playdown loss to Spezia – in which Eder Baú played as a member of that club before coming here on loan – resulted in the end of 64 consecutive years of football in Italy’s top two leagues. Verona’s city neighbor, Chievo, was also in Serie A earlier in this decade before being relegated so the city’s fans haven’t had much to cheer about as of late.

In fact, they’ve had so much trouble scoring goals that one wag in the paper there has reminded all and sundry about those nine scoreless stalemates by referring to this year’s team as “Hellas Ver 0-0 na”. Now, that’s bad.

As a top-flight team just five seasons ago, having difficulty scoring goals in Serie C1 must be galling for them. We think we have a good plan to deal with them but unfortunately it does involve getting ahead at some point in the match. That’s part of most plans in my experience, but for my club, at times it’s been the most difficult part.

We have been more than twice as good as Verona – we’ve scored 39 goals in 27 matches, but if you take away the first Manfredonia match where we scored five including two from the penalty spot, we’re barely averaging a goal a contest ourselves.

For me, confidence is everything at this point. The constant media talk about how we can’t score has my players joking about frustrated wives and girlfriends, but after a time it’s going to start to tell. This is the worst possible time for that. Now more than ever we need to stay true to ourselves and believe in what we’re trying to do.

At this time of the season, training is noticeably different from what it is early on. The regular players have long since found their legs and often I need to conserve those legs rather than work them. So I’m trying to make training more enjoyable even as we work on the things we have to get better at doing.

Today, as our last drill, I instituted a skills competition, just on a lark. I placed traffic cones in the four corners of the goal, with the top cones hung from ropes wrapped around the crossbar.

“Right, then,” I said. “Line up. We’re going to do a little shot placement test.”

The laughter I got showed the squad was either loose or not taking it seriously, but I soon showed I was quite serious indeed by taking a ball and hitting three of the four cones myself from the top of the penalty area.

“Beat the old man,” I challenged. “I’m buying lunch for any player who can hit all four targets.”

The challenge issued, my players stood one by one and tried to win lunch for themselves. One by one, they failed. I was starting to think the drill was going to backfire. Finally, Orlandoni could stand no more.

“Give me a ball,” he said. “I’ll show you how it’s done.” My first choice keeper then proceeded to drill all four cones, to the delight of his teammates and the amazement of his manager. I wonder if I’m playing him in the right position.

So, I bought my goalkeeper’s lunch in a situation I had never imagined would take place. I made a point to my squad about needing to prepare and train better in the finishing part of the game, but now I wonder if I did more harm than good.

Seems as if the squad need a wake-up call ahead of the title run-in, and fast!

They do. The team isn't firing on all cylinders but sometimes, even the best-laid plans can backfire.
___

Wednesday, March 19
Our friendly rivals from Sassuolo can do us a favor this weekend – a favor that might well earn us automatic promotion.

They host Novara in a battle of third place hosting second, and a win might get their season back on track. It would also make ours, quite frankly. Win, lose or draw between those clubs will help us – if we do the business at home.

It’s the time of year when everyone watches the scoreboard and we’re certainly no different at this stage.

We’re closing on clinching a playoff place, though, so we have even more to play for over the next couple of weeks. Two more victories will do it, and that was my reminder to the senior squad as we trained, this time with cones removed from the goals.

My team talks don’t seem to have a galvanizing effect quite yet – I do hope that will come with more experience – but where I do most of my instruction to the players isn’t at that time.

It’s during training, in the video sessions, and most of all during our warmups when we train. I have a captive audience then and I don’t hesitate to use it. My habit is to walk up and down the rows of stretching players and giving them their daily dose of Ridgway’s Rules.

“Six points out of twenty-one, men,” I said. “Surely that isn’t beyond you, to clinch a playoff place? Your hard work has gotten you to this point and it’s up to you to finish the job.”

They’re starting to get used to me wandering through their stretching exercises and put up with my eccentricity because they know if they listen then, they won’t have to listen to it again when they’re trying to leave for the day. I’m going to speak my mind anyway and I figure I’ll do it sooner rather than later.


There’s word from Verona that has me wondering tonight. Another manager’s head is on the block with victory over Padova evidently necessary for him to keep his job.

Franco Colomba is in a real spot now – he’s got just nine wins from 27 matches with a side that was fancied to win immediate promotion back to Serie B.

Unlike the ill-fated Paolo Favoretto at Venezia, he hasn’t taken a swipe at either my club or me in the press, which is probably a good idea. That isn’t because I’m any great shakes at my job, but because he needs to avoid doing anything that will antagonize his next opponent whoever it is.

We will get Verona’s best shot on Saturday. At least from the manager. As frustrated a club as they appear to be, we may not get the best shot from the players, which will probably work to our advantage.

Thursday, March 20
Due to our advantageous league position, we have the luxury of looking ahead to next season. We proved it today.

Despite it being hubris and hopefully not bad luck to say so, we’ve agreed terms with the first player we’ve signed expressly to play in a Serie B lineup. Venezuelan international Massimo Margiotta will join us in the summer and he’s going to go straight into the center of our midfield.

He’s another Frosinone old boy, is coming in on a Bosman and he will fill a huge gap in our present side. I have seen extensive video of him and I see a skill set that’s vastly superior to either Gentile or Rabito. I’m very glad he’s on the way in.

There are two things that have frankly annoyed me about our central midfield play this season. The first is maddening inconsistency from the two players battling for playing time.

Second, and just as maddening, is the fact that much of the discipline problem I’ve had this season has come from my central midfielders, who have both missed games through suspension. I can’t choose between the two when one of them is suspended, a fact which is starting to make young Grujic look like an attractive option for more playing time.

The boy is taking to the senior squad like a duck to water. He got over his initial nervousness quite easily and he’s making it easier for me to decide on his future. The u-20 side is doing just fine without him, so I will keep him with the professional squad awhile longer.

The whole issue of bringing in new players is occupying more and more of my office time, as well as how I intend to shape the squad for the 2008-09 season.

As much as I’ve enjoyed having him on my squad, if we get promoted I won’t have Eder Baú back next year. Since Spezia owns his contract for another two seasons, I somehow doubt I’ll have him next year unless we – or they – collapse over the last few weeks of the season.

Finally, the longest-term battle I have will also be decided. We co-own Rabito with Albino Leffe and even as dangerous as he can sometimes be in the box, I’m considering selling our half-share of his rights in the summer. I’d prefer to own players’ contracts outright to the greatest extent I can, and Rabito has played well enough to allow the club to do a good bit of business should I choose to go that route.

And as I look at a tentative depth chart for next season, he’s third in the central midfield pecking order anyhow, behind Margiotta and Gentile. I will need a place to put Grujic next season as well, so a midfield consisting of Gentile/Caputo/Margiotta with Grujic as reserve would be passable. If we play in Serie B, that midfield could hold its own. If we don’t get promoted, that midfield could dominate Serie C, even though I might not be around to see it.

I’m also looking ahead to next season’s loans from Lazio. Should we earn promotion, we might get better loan opportunities.

One player I’d very much like to see in our colors is 29-year old holding midfielder Fabio Firmani. He’s not playing, is contracted for two more years, and would like first-team football. The center of Padova’s midfield would be quite secure indeed next season with Firmani and Margiotta holding it down.

I’ll be looking for at least one defender as well. After Gotti’s loan expires I’ll be looking for a left back and if I decide to put Vasco Faísca on the left I’ll need a central defender once Vasco shifts over.

Frankly, my goal would be to bring in two central defenders if I could afford it. Sacchetti has been brilliant all season but he’ll be 35 years of age next season and I need to ensure youth is served on the back line. I’ll also be looking to loan another goalkeeper, once Orlandoni returns to Milan.

So there’s lots of work to do and not much time in which to do it. First, though, we have to get promoted or I can forget a lot of this work. I might be looking for employment myself.


Media reported Margiotta’s signing this morning and my noon press gaggle had higher than normal attendance as a result.

“It is odd to show such ambition in the middle of a season,” I was informed, but I just shook my head.

“It’s odd to sign a player on an expiring contract for the next year?” I replied. “Hardly. Teams do that all the time.”

“Aren’t you afraid of upsetting your current midfielders by announcing new signings during a promotion race?”

That was a better question, but I had the answer in hand.

“I didn’t announce anything,” I said. “Neither did the club. You came to me and asked about a signing. So if any report upsets my midfielders, it’s not me that started it. We would have announced the signing in due course.”

“That’s disingenuous.” That was Emilani.

“That’s me running the football operation the way I see fit,” I snapped. “I get to do that, despite your best efforts.”

He seemed surprised. “Despite my best efforts? What do you mean, Rob?” he asked.

“I don’t like words like ‘disingenuous’ used in conjunction with my official activity,” I said. “I’ve answered every question you’ve asked me, whether about my professional life or my personal life, and I’ve been honest every time. I do not appreciate such an attack on my integrity. You’ve taken more than a few public shots at me over the last six months over how I’ve run the football side of this operation and I’m just reminding you that I’m still in charge.”

“Defensive,” he smiled. I couldn’t tell if he was kidding.

“Call it what you want,” I said. “The fact remains. This signing was leaked so if there’s trouble, I’ll know who to talk to.”

Emilani needs a slap!

Stupid reporters ....
___

Friday, March 21
To the surprise of no one, Gentile and Rabito were quite nervous as we did shadow play for tomorrow’s match.

They sort of tiptoed around me, and more importantly tiptoed around each other. That isn’t positive at all and it doesn’t bode well for tomorrow since Gentile is playing and Rabito isn’t.

Emiliani’s online piece this morning suggested that Rabito shouldn’t be thinking of buying a house in Padua. So he’s unsettled, and for a key player off my bench, I don’t appreciate what was said. He asked to see me after the training session today and I brought him into the Euganeo manager’s office.

“What have I done to fall out of favor?” he asked. “Why are you bringing in another midfielder?”

I took a deep breath.

“I’ve told you that you need to improve your consistency,” I said. “I have to be honest. You have undoubted talent but I can’t make you a regular player when I’m not sure what I’m going to get when I put you on the pitch. You and Gentile are both good players but right now he’s preferred because he has a more consistent approach to the game than you do.”

“Am I going to be put on the transfer list?”

“Perhaps in the summer, but what I’d prefer is that you fix the things we’ve talked about so you can press for a place,” I said. “I don’t like to let players go, but if you can’t fix what we’ve talked about, you won’t get regular first team football here. That might make the transfer list the best thing to do.”

He looked disappointed and I hated to see the look on his face, but if I’m not honest with a player he could wind up losing a year or more off his career. It’s a very hard part of the business but sometimes it has to be done.


I was quiet tonight. I spent the evening at Patty’s place and she is nearly back to her old self in terms of her overall health.

That does my heart good. Word is that charges will come against her assailants next week and a hearing will take place when the charges are filed.

She seems in good spirits – better than mine, anyway. I feel the press has cost me something important as we head into tomorrow’s match and it has certainly lost me Rabito’s trust.

“But then, I may not have had it anyway due to my team selection,” I mused, thinking out loud.

“What’s that, honey?” Patty asked, moving to sit next to me on her overstuffed couch.

“Rabito,” I said. “I’m having a hard time with what I had to tell him today.”

“Darling, it’s part of the business. You know you can’t get wrapped up in that.”

“I know, and someday that conversation will be held with me. I understand that. But Andrea scored in my first game here, at Venezia in the Cup, and without that goal things might not have gone as well as they have this season. That gave us confidence, it helped us believe in ourselves, and we haven’t looked back.”

She leaned over and laid her pretty head on my shoulder.

“Rob, listen to me,” she said. “Andrea Rabito doesn’t owe you anything and you don’t owe him anything. Sestaro doesn’t owe you anything either. No one at Padova does. You’ve done a good job here, Rob. The results show it. I know it’s human to feel bad about something like this. But lately your attitude has been what’s gotten you through. Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s the only way.”

Saturday, March 22
Padova v Hellas Verona – Serie C1A
The fans are coming back and today they saw a show that might keep them here.

For the first time all season, I didn’t start in the 4-1-3-2 formation and I kept it a surprise from as many people as possible. The result was a tactical surprise that paid dividends before a season-high crowd of 7,411.

Verona has played quite a bit of 3-5-2 this season and I figured they would come out that way in recognition of our own challenges in scoring goals. The way we’ve been striking the ball in some matches of late, Colomba must have thought three defenders would be enough to contain us.

I figured control of the midfield would be all-important today so I elected to play 4-3-3 with two attacking midfielders to try to force the issue. When Masolini saw the team sheet, he broke out in a grin.

“I’ve been trying to encourage that all season,” he said. Had it been Emiliani saying such a thing I would have frowned, but my deputy was plainly pleased. When I see that kind of reaction from him, I feel a little bit better myself, and I was pleased to note it.

The lone striker was Varricchio, doing the hard work supported by Baú and Caputo. Without our now-traditional holding midfielder, the back four was on its own but given Verona’s troubles this year I didn’t think that was as great a concern as it might otherwise be.

It took much of the first half, but the 4-3-3 finally started to click and when it did, it was just a matter of time before we broke through.

Varricchio created our first chance by working a neat 1-2 with Caputo at the left edge of Verona’s penalty area. Varricchio was chopped to the deck a stride inside the box and it was hardly necessary to complain to referee Marco Piotto.

He pointed to the spot and a newly confident Baú ripped home the penalty to make it 1-0 on 32 minutes. After his poor showing against Ternana he’s now netted in consecutive matches and was in full flow offensively from that point forward.

They hardly bothered us in terms of creating scoring chances as their malaise in front of goal continued. Piotto’s halftime whistle was greeted with loud cheers from the home support, well pleased with the quality of our play.

They should have been pleased. There was quite a bit to be pleased about, to be frank. I was happy the stadium was just about one-quarter full, and it seemed to agree with the players as well. There was noise in the place – real noise – for the first time all season and the effect it had on our game was dramatic.

We’ve had a bit of indifferent form at home in recent weeks in terms of draws with teams we should beat – and of course losing to Ternana at home two weeks ago didn’t help.

A part of that is understandable. When you perform well and don’t get reaction from home fans it can tell on a player and I think we were guilty of letting that get to us, to a point. However, professionals play through such things and my players have done a good job getting to where they are.

I elected to stick with 4-3-3 in the second half once I saw Verona sticking with their 3-5-2 formation, and heard the resulting whistles from their supporters wanting a change.

On the hour, I made a switch up front, after Varricchio had taken a knock. I brought on Paponi for him as a reward for his fine form of late and dropped Caputo back to central midfield in favor of Muzzi on the right. The two substitutions made an immediate impact, as Roberto’s seeing-eye ball found Paponi rampaging toward the Verona back line.

Just like that he was through and one explosive first touch later, the ball was in the net to make it 2-nil. The play showed wonderful vision and as I accepted congratulations from the staff, I decided enough was enough.

I whistled for Paz and told him I wanted 4-1-3-2 to stifle any thoughts of a Verona comeback with four defenders and a holding midfielder. It turned out to be hardly necessary. We strolled to the 2-0 win and as I shook hands with Colomba he looked at me as though his sentence had been passed.

There’s just nothing you can say in circumstances such as that and when he wished me good luck the only thing I could do was return the gesture.


There’s plenty to be pleased about. Novara hammered Sassuolo 3-0 away this afternoon, which obviously keeps the top of the table in the same order, but more importantly virtually eliminates Sassuolo from contention for the automatic promotion spot with six matches to play:

	        Pl       W	D	L	Pts
Padova 	        28      17	9	2	60
Novara	        28	17	7	4	58
Sassuolo	28	15	7	6	52

So it appears it’s down to Padova and Novara for the automatic promotion spot. Sassuolo should have no trouble reaching the playoffs and I should think Cremonese is a decent bet as well but the fourth and last playoff spot is anyone’s guess. Venezia drew yet again today and is clinging to the last spot while having a horrible time getting untracked.

It is quite possible that our last match of the season, which is against Venezia at Euganeo, might determine a playoff place for our rivals. There isn’t a person in red and white who wouldn’t like to send them packing.


During my media briefing, I was handed a note by one of our support staff:

“Hellas Verona Football Club S.p.A. chairman Pietro Arvedi d’Emilei announces the termination of manager Franco Colomba’s contract with immediate effect. We thank Mr. Colomba for his efforts and wish him the best of luck in the future.”

Just like that. It was over.
Padova 2-0 Hellas Verona

Monday, March 24
Today featured a rare event for me. I got the last word with our media.

Patty and I took an entire day off yesterday and frankly I just didn’t feel like writing an entry. Sometimes that happens, and it was worth it to me just to spend the day with her. Today, though, I reported back for training in a new frame of mind.

It is not too often that a manager gets to stand up and say “I told you so” but today I was able to do it, after a light morning training session.

We travel to Pro Patria on Saturday. We will do it in the knowledge that three points will cinch a playoff place for Calcio Padova.

One of the goals of the season may well be realized on Saturday so gaining the players’ full attention today was not difficult. We make the long trip to Busto Arsizio with confidence, as our hosts will be 16th in the table when we arrive.

We handled them 3-0 back in November thanks to Baú’s hat trick so the players are in a good frame of mind as we get ready for the road. After Saturday’s match we are back in the Serie C Cup quarterfinals, so we have midweek matches coming up over the next two weeks as well.

Our opponents in the quarterfinals will be Serie C2B’s Teramo, which is located about halfway to Manfredonia down Italy’s eastern, or Adriatic, coast. In short – more time on the coach. It’ll get busy again soon – our biggest matches of the year lie ahead.

We’ll have choices to make. The board has set an expectation of the semifinals in that competition, but there’s one big problem in between the two legs of the Cup quarterfinals.

The home rematch with Novara’s flying circus is scheduled for April 6 and it may well decide the league’s championship and automatic promotion. If we lose to them, they’ll knock us out of the top spot and have the tie-break since we played to a goalless draw earlier in the season. If we beat them we may well get the boost we need to win the league if the rest of the results go according to Hoyle.

To me, that takes precedence over the Cup. I’ll be making evaluations on who plays on that basis going forward.

But I digress. I said I had the last laugh today.

After the session, I gathered to talk with media for their “day after” stories. The first question I was asked was naturally about securing a playoff place. I looked straight at Emiliani as I answered.

“I love keeping my promises,” I said.

Big win over Hellas, well done!

We caught them at the right time. Yes, a big win and one which will definitely help us.
___

Tuesday, March 25
Murphy’s Law must have been written with football managers in mind.

One of my key players went down to injury today and naturally it’s a player who has been putting the ball in the net.

Paponi, who has been on a rampage over the last month, strained his wrist today in a training ground collision. The knock will put him out for two weeks, at a very bad time indeed to have him gone.

DiNardo is back in full training following his injury and he’ll slot in for the Cup matches coming up next month, but for the league we are back to our original strike partnership of Muzzi and Varricchio. I’m glad Massimiliano is back on the scoring trail again. At least there is that to put a smile on my face in light of today’s news.

I’m frankly pleased we have avoided a lot of trouble on the training ground in terms of injuries. I’ve been with clubs that were decimated by injuries while on their own facilities. That’s disheartening.

As the reader will know, I do tend to train light whenever I can get away with it, and try to make sure the players get enough rest especially in the parts of the schedule where international matches are played. I’ve given my players two mid-season breaks this year and I think that has resulted in better overall health. I have that luxury – clubs in England don’t always have the ability to rest players, for example. So I take advantage.

Verona made an interesting hire today to replace Franco Colomba. Youth coach Corrado Verdelli is taking over.

This is a move made by a club that knows it can’t and won’t win right now. It is trying to grow and intends to do it through youth. It’s also an admission that the club will be in the lower leagues for awhile.

That isn’t to say that a youth coach can’t be a successful senior squad manager. Yet the “book” on Verdelli says he’s very good with young players but tactically not so hot.

Odd. I’ve had the same things said about me. If he weren’t managing a rival, I might send him a note of commiseration. But I have other things to do.

I also got a disquieting phone call this evening, as Police Inspector Cipriani called after Patty had gone home for the evening.

“I apologize for the lateness of the call,” he said. “However, I must tell you, a hearing is scheduled for tomorrow and I wish to be perfectly clear. You will learn details of our investigation which will alarm you. My strong recommendation to you is that Miss Myers stay out of public view.”

“You’re right, I don’t like that at all,” I said. “What is happening?”

“The nature of the charges we are bringing will make it clear, but unfortunately I am not at liberty to discuss them at this time,” he said. Nothing like a cryptic message.

“She’s just gone home,” I said. “What should I do?”

“Tell her to stay there,” Cipriani said. “I have requested added patrols around her apartment. I hope it is just a precaution, but you may wish to seek protection for yourself as well.”

My head started to spin. “Inspector, I need some answers,” I said. “What on earth is going on?”

Wednesday, March 26
The answers I’m looking for won’t come from the authorities – at least not directly. Patty and I have come full circle now.

The trial of the two drivers involved in Patty’s accident will begin next week. The defense had moved for separate trials but had been turned down because identical charges had been filed against both defendants.

Also, I was the recipient of a chilling letter that is now in the hands of authorities.

It all happened as I left the training pitch today. We had a very good day of preparation for Pro Patria and I retired to my office to go through the mail. My secretary Christina called in sick this morning, so I picked up the mail addressed to me and opened it myself.

I really shouldn’t have done that, in retrospect. I opened a seemingly innocuous letter and read the following:


My blood ran cold and I picked up the phone. I called the Venice police and asked to speak to Inspector Cipriani on an urgent matter.

I waited a few moments and he was on the other end of the line.

“Inspector, I’ve received a threatening letter from a group calling itself ‘The Supporters’. Was this what you feared last night?”

“It was,” he said. “I can now tell you that the charges against the drivers of the vehicles include attempted murder and conspiracy.”

“If there were two of them, that isn’t surprising,” I said. “They had to conspire with each other.”

Then I remembered what he had told me about the hometowns of the two men. They were from different places – Padua and Venezia. That they should be conspiring carried ominous overtones.

In football, the cities are rivals. If they belonged to a group called ‘The Supporters’, and that group transcended club rivalry, it was well worth my attention.

My next call was to Patty and my third call was to the United States Embassy in Rome.


My call to Patty was to determine if she was all right. My call to the embassy was to inform them of a threat the police evidently considered credible.

Obviously, they can’t offer protection. They can advocate on behalf of American citizens, though, and I expect them to do so in our case.

I still have a job to do, and I intend to do it, but how I do that job may well have to change. I can’t subject Patty to danger on my behalf and I can’t place myself in danger either.

But I did have an enlightening talk with a consular official about issues that may have led to bad feeling, including recent tensions between Rome and Washington. Add to this my nationality, the fact that I’m here in Italy, and the fact that my girlfriend is a strikingly beautiful American woman, and you get a recipe for trouble.

“You have to decide what you’re going to do about it,” the official told me. “If you want to stay, you have every reason to believe you’ll be safe. But if you are nervous, I guess I wouldn’t blame you.”

“With respect, I don’t understand what that means,” I said.

“It means what it sounds like it means,” he explained. “You got a threatening letter and the authorities will soon have it in their keeping. You have to decide how that affects you. On the whole, Americans in Italy do quite well. Just because tensions may be raised over individual issues does not mean you should quit your job. It sounds to me like the police are working to crack a conspiracy group in this case and I suggest you let them do it.”

I took a deep breath. “Check in with us, of course,” he added. “Believe me, even though we can’t send security to you, we keep tabs on things that affect American nationals in this country. This counts as one of them.”

“Then I guess I’m glad to hear that,” I replied.


Italian law isn’t helping the situation.

The Italian constitution states that a Public Prosecutor, or Pubblio Ministero, is legally bound to take punitive action against alleged perpetrators of crimes, making prosecution not simply a right, but rather a duty.

So even if for some unknown reason Patty – or for that matter, a prosecutor – didn’t want to press charges against Patty’s alleged assailants, it might not matter. If enough evidence exists, and the crime isn’t minor, the prosecutor has no choice. Italian law also does not allow plea-bargaining as in the United States.

So this case, where the police are still investigating conspiracy, is particularly ticklish. But Patty has also taken a special action allowable under Italian law. I’ve hired a special counsel for her.

Italian law also allows the victim of a crime to have his or her own attorney, working independently of the public prosecutor. With the situation we now face, having a person in that position is a must. Also, a Victim’s Assistance Group, known here as an Environmentalist Association, has also volunteered to help her.

The case is being tried in what is known as the Court of Assizes, where serious crimes are prosecuted. There’s no jury – just a judge, who determines guilt or innocence and if a guilty verdict is reached, also passes sentence in one stroke. When the trial is done, it’s done, at least until a defendant found guilty decides to appeal.

Under Italian law, Patty was informed of the arrest, informed of the pre-trial hearing and also allowed to attend the hearing and confront her assailants. She chose not to do this while still recovering from surgery. Reading what I read today, part of me is glad she didn’t.