26th August, 2009

One day to go. Everything is gearing up for the big day tomorrow when we open our season away to Cagliari. It appears the all-knowing bookies have made us favourites. So the onus is right away on us.

Thought of a couple of good one-liners for the post-match press. depending on the result obviously. A few funnies are fine if you’ve won. If you lose it’s not a good idea.

The players have had their tactical briefing from Christian Damiano and me and have dispersed. I stare out across the empty pitch to the deserted stand behind it, trying to imagine what the place will look like at kickoff time tomorrow. I picture the scene and I think to myself – this is the life.

27th August, 2009

I get into the dressing room for final preparations. I go over last minute instructions on a few key opponents, then with a clatter of studs the players left the dressing room and ran out onto the pitch for our first real game of the season.

With Mirko Vucinic nursing his injury back in Rome it was Julio Baptista who very well knew that he had to perform and he did just that. In the 35th minute we were a goal up as Totti slipped a beautiful ball through to Baptista who wasted no time in scoring, Just before half time Julio once again managed to score as he fired in from 15 yards to double our lead. He was on fire!!

In the second half we continued to press forward and didn’t give Cagliari a sniff of the ball. We were all over the Cagliari midfield yet after the 2nd goal we semed to struggle to produce an end product, with the Cagliari keeper keeping the scoreline quite respectable. In the last 10 mins Mexes, Burdisso & De Rossi picked up yellow cards for dissent and I was not pleased about it.

Cagliari 0 – Roma 2
Scorers : Baptista (35,45)
MOTM: Baptista (8.3)

I was very happy with the performance but I had to give Mexes,Burdisso & De Rossi a warning about their furture behaviour. I want professional players on the field not thugs.

29th August, 2009

The Serie A league started off in actually quite predictable fashion. Juventus, Milan all taking 3 points, with the exception of Inter who dropped points at home against Fiorentina. I felt great aswell picking up my 1st win in our 1st game of the season. With the transfer market closing in 48 hours, Chelsea made a last ditch offer of £50M for Daniele De Rossi which I rejected without thinking twice. Fuck you Carlo Ancelotti.

30th August, 2009

There’s no rest in this business. We welcome Genoa tonight for our second league game. The players have recovered after the first game and need a little pep talk that they can clinch this tie against one of the dirtiest teams in Serie A.

I go in with an unchanged team and ask Philippe Mexes to make sure he tries his best to make “Scumbag” a.k.a Hernan Crespo his little argentinian bitch for the next 90 odd mins.

We started slowly as Genoa kept the ball away from us, it wasn’t till the 15th minute when we had our first real effort as De Rossi fired in a cracker which rattled the upright, unfortunately no one was there to slot home the rebound. Genoa then came close with Burdisso blocking a scrabbled shot off the line, the game started to open up with Genoa and my team going for it. Despite the free flowing game the first half ended 0-0.

I go in the dressing room and tell the lads that I am disappointed because they have allowed Genoa to play this well in our fucking stadium. Go out there and get me a goal.

That little talk during the break certainly helped as in the 47th minute the first goal of the game was scored as Baptista headed home a Menez cross. After that goal I changed the strategy from “attacking” to “control” and reduced the tempo by a couple of notches to just have more off the ball and in the 61st minute it was Burdisso who headed the 2nd goal off a Totti corner. Francesco then finished off a perfect second half by firing in a brilliant free kick from 30 yards in the 88th minute.

Roma 3 – Genoa 0
Scorers: Baptista(47) Burdisso(61) Totti(88)
MOTM: Francesco Totti (8.3)

1st – 10th September, 2009

International break, so really not much happening…had a few training session with the boys not involved with their countries. Mirko Vucinic got back from injury and just needs couple of more days to get his fitness levels up and hopefully he will start on the bench when we welcome Udinese to Stadio Olimpico.

Next 2 fixtures :
vs Udinese – Home (Serie A)
vs Athletic Bilbao – Home (Europa League Group B)

13th – 17th September, 2009

After the International break Udinese & Atheltic Bilbao came to Stadio Olimpico and did trouble us a little but we were upto it and made sure we send them back without a point.

Against Udinese, Julio Baptista decided to show me his true colors by missing 4 clear cut chances after Di Natale gave Udinese a early lead. It was Taddei who equalized in the 35th minute with a powerful header. Menez then won us the game with a brilliant solo effort which saw him dribbling past 3 defenders. Menez put in another good display and is certainly impressing me with his play. Good to see him work hard and making every opportunity count.

Roma 2 – Udinese 1

Roma : Taddei(38) Menez(57)
Udinese : Di Natale (13)
MOTM: Menez (8.4)

After Udinese it was Athletic Bilbao who came to Rome to play the first Europa League Group B game and from the start set their stall out for defense as they played ten men behind the ball. Despite that Francesco Totti set up Julio Baptista on 3 occassions and Julio botched up all 3 clear cut chances. Totti then took matters in his own hands when he fired in a bullet from 35 yards which led to the only goal of the game. 3 valuable points earned.

Roma 1 – Athletic Bilbao 0
Scorers : Totti(28)
MOTM: Totti (7.4)

After a good start the fans have started to believe in me, the players have gone from strength to strength and shown promise. Julio has fucked up in the last 2 but has also delivered in the first two games. The morale of the squad has improved immensely, winning is the only way forward and so far we are on the right track.

Up Next a big challenge awaits us : AC Milan vs AS Roma. A win at San Siro is going to be huge.

Injury Update :

- Mirko Vucinic has recovered completely and raring to go once again. Should start against Milan.

- Cicinho will start training in 6 days.

- Simone Perrotta needs another 4 days to get going.

- Doni shall start training with the boys in the next couple of days.

29th July, 2009.

This is it! The start of my first season as AS ROMA manager. I met the press and discussed my first official game at home to FC Vojvodina with confidence.

Proudly I walked along the touchline and took my place in the dugout, there is no denying that the nerves started to kick in ! What happens if I’m not good enough to be a football manager ? Now was the time to find out. I had a squad, I had my backroom staff, now I needed the first result.

AS Roma vs FC Vojvodina – Europa League 3rd Qual. Rnd Leg 1

As you can notice with the lineup, I am taking Europa League seriously and want to go as far as possible and if I can win it then that’s going to be fantastic. It’s not only going to add a silverware in our cabinet but what it’s going to also do is bring in some money and that is something the club badly needs.

I went in with an attack minded approach, I told the boys that this is a game they have to win and if possible then try and kill the game in the first leg and that’s exactly what they did.

Roma 5 – Vojvodina 0

Scorers: Vucinic(10,21) Menez(14,60,pen 64)
MOTM : Menez (9.4)

6th August, 2009

After the first leg in Rome we travel to Serbia for the 2nd leg , during the course of the week Manchester United came knocking on my door for Mirko Vucinic. I swiftly told them to go and fuck themselves & it was lovely to know that Mirko Vucinic shared the same sentiments. I love players like him , there is no place for mercenaries here.

FC Vojvodina vs AS Roma – Europa League 3rd Qual. Rnd Leg 2

In the second leg I decided to give Guberti & Andreolli their respective debuts. The approach was similar to the one in the first leg and the boy’s did not disappoint.

The only hiccup was Mirko Vucinic, those bastards at Manchester United seemed to have cursed him. He injured himself in the 10th minute and is going to be out for couple of weeks. No doubt that it’s a blow but I am glad it’s nothing serious and in his absense I am hoping that Julio Baptista wakes up that “Lion of Sevilla” inside him.

FC Vojvodina 0 – Roma 4

Scorers : Vucinic(4) Baptista(15) Mexes(22) Pizzaro(61)
MOTM: David Pizzaro (8.4)

All the players and staff enjoyed a good night in Novi Sad after the game. I just told them to keep things under control, I didn’t bother setting a curfew because I myself was looking forward to a late night-out.

11th August, 2009

After Manchester United it was Chelsea who came knocking on my door for Daniele De Rossi with 40 million in their bags. Of all the people I expected atleast Carlo Ancelotti to know what Daniele De Rossi means to the city of Rome and AS Roma. De Rossi is “untouchable” and I am not selling him even if they give me 100 million. I cannot afford to lose Daniele.

Moments later Daniele De Rossi walked into my office & declared his undying love for Roma and confirmed that he has no intention of leaving the club.

“Boss, Every year around this time, the rumours start spreading around, I assure you I am very calm: I entrust my future to this shirt. I will not change my mind, I love this club, the city and the fans”.

13th August, 2009

Get into the office and turn on the TV to find out that our next opponent in Europa League 4th Qualifying Round is Debrecen, reigning Hungarian champions.

18th – 24th August, 2009

Serie A season begins on the 27th but before that we faced Debrecen for the 4th Qualifying Round. I expected my team to make it to the group stages and in both legs I went in with an attacking mindset and came out with flying colors.

Debrecen vs AS Roma – Europa League 4th Qual. Rnd Leg 1

Debrecen 0 – Roma 3

Scorers: Menez(35) Totti(50) Pizzaro(75)
MOTM : David Pizzaro (8.3)

AS Roma vs Debrecen – Europa League 4th Qual. Rnd Leg 2

Roma 5 – Debrecen 0

Scorers: Baptista(1) Totti(5) Taddei(54) Mexes(61) Brighi(70)
MOTM : Francesco Totti (8.2)

A month into the job now and I’ve been pretty pleased with the start, qualified for the group stages & now anxiously waiting for the season opener against Cagliari.

Injury Update:

-Doni is recovering way ahead of schedule and should be starting light training in the next 3-4 weeks.

- Simone Perrotta should be back in 12 days.

- Cicinho needs another 3 weeks

- Mirko Vucinic should be back in 2 weeks or so.

Serie A Transfer Update :

-Gaetano D’Agostino moves to Juventus for £7M. That’s a steal.

-Juan Roman Riquelme moves to AC Milan for £3.5.

- Giampaolo Pazzini moves to Chelsea after Sampdoria accept a £15.75M offer.

25th August, 2009

The draw for the group stages of the first edition of the Europa League was today.

There are some interesting clashes, which display the amount of work that will be needed to put in, in order to reach the next stage of the competition.

Group A – Genk, Stuttgart, Valencia, Genoa.
Group B – Roma, Athletic Bilbao, Toulouse Fc, Krylja Sovetov
Group C – Benfica, Anderlecht, Dinamo Bucharest, CSKA Sofia
Group D – PSV, Fulham, Lazio, Slovan Bratislava
Group E – At.Madrid, Fenerbahce, Gent, Levski
Group F – Everton, Villarreal, FC Twente, Tromso
Group G – SC Heerenveen, Steaua, Slavia Prague, Trabzonspor
Group H – Werder Bremen, Club Brugge, AEK, Wisla
Group I – Celtic, Zenit, PAOK, Sparta Prague
Group J – HSV, Aston Villa, Metalist, Dinamo
Group K – Panathinaikos, Braga, Cluj, Sivasspor
Group L – Galatasaray, Patizan, Dinamo Moscow, Lille Metropole

11th July, 2009

Ivan Carminati (first team coach) and Gianpiero Ventrone (coach) along with Nicola Bisiotti (fitness coach) turn up for interviews this morning and I hire them all on the spot. That’s the sort of manager I am. Businesslike. Decisive.

Didn’t want to waste time and hunt for unrealistic targets. They are not world class sorts but they will do a good job for now.

After setting up the training schedules, I figured that I can squeeze in two more coaches. So I called up 45 yr old-Dutch, Ricardo Moniz (coach) and offered him the job and he was more than happy to accept it. Next up was 59 yr old-Italian, Nicola Spinosi who just like Moniz was ready to join hands with me.

With all the above appointments my backroom staff looks good and were off to work right away.

14th July, 2009

Today’s training was good with our new coaches. My training schedules look pretty decent if I say so myself. It’s mostly fitness work at this stage. I’m kinda looking for one more physio, although I’m a bit concerned that Rosella Sensi will put her foot down over the growing number of staff around the place. To be honest I am surprised that she allowed me to appoint 3 new ppl, asking for a 4th is basically pushing my luck & I don’t want to piss off the lady just yet. All in good times.

15th July, 2009

The first preseason friendly starts from tommorow and I’ve been agonising over tactics, I was seriously considering a short passing 4-2-3-1. Thought about using a diamond formation at some point but then decided that it would be a safe bet to first start off with a old school 4-4-2 and see how the players respond to personal instructions.

Christian Damiano then then walked into the office, “Monsieur, I assume we’ll be going 4-4-2, nice and straightforward, no fancy instructions or anything. I suggest you swap the team completely at half time to give everyone a run out, Does it sound good to you ?”

I told you, he is a good man to have around.

16th – 27th July, 2009

On my appointment I had promised the press & the fans that I am going to make my team play some attractive football and if the first 4 preseason friendlies are anything to go by then I believe I have not disappointed.

Preseason friendly resuslts :

Roma 6 – Ternana 0

Scorers: Burdisso(14) Totti(17) Taddei(38) Mexes(60) Riise(71) Faty(84)
MOTM : Totti (8.1)

Roma 6 – Rimini 1

Roma : Mexes(3,13,25) Totti(11) De Rossi(28) Vucinic(39)
Rimini : Frara(72)
MOTM : Mexes (9.3)

Roma 4 – Cagliari 2

Roma: Totti(16,90+2) Vucinic(29) Pizzaro(43)
Cagliari : Conti(28) Matri(45+1)
MOTM : Totti (9.2)

Cisco 0 – Roma 9

Scorers : Vucinic(5,33) Totti(8,11,43) Menez(29) Pizzaro(31) Cerci(68) Baptista(82)
MOTM : Totti (9.2)

I started off the first game with a 4-4-2 but with every game I was tinkering in full throttle mode and I think I have finally decided that I am going to stick with 4-4-1-1 and give it a good run. The 4-4-1-1 has given me the right balance so far and allows me to use Totti more effectively. Totti is certainly lightning it up and I hope he carries this form into the season and help this team as he always has.

There are still areas which need improvement and that’s only going to happen as I play more and more games and fine tune them along the way.

So far the tactics looks promising but I must say one thing that this years Football Manager is one high scoring affair. The match engine certainly needs some improving, but so far it’s been good. It’s good to see that there are not many bugs in the game to start with.

Up next I face FK Vojvodina of Serbia in the 3rd Qualifying Round of the Europa Cup and then kick start my Serie A season away to Cagliari, till then please free to voice your opinions about anything and everything which shall help improve this blog & my gaming experience. Just as Samir would say – You are my Ass-Men, just make sure you don’t touch anything that’s not yours.

9th July, 2009

My first day in the job and I was already feeling good about this adventure, After a quick press conference where I state my happiness and give assurances that everyone at the club would get a chance to prove their worth, I was straight into the nitty gritty of sorting out Associazione Sportiva Roma.

Next on the agenda was meeting up with my backroom staff. Within the next few minutes, in comes Christian Damiano. He is my assisant, it seems he is happy to work under me and willing to give his all for the club & get this team back on track. I found some notes about Damiano which lists some of his qualities and he is a pretty decent guy to have around. He is one of those coaches who has a good eye for talent and believes in youth development.

We then call in Bruno Conti and both of them brief me on what happens next. Damiano has already arranged six preseason friendly games. He proposed a intrasquad game set to be played tommorow which I was quick to reject. I don’t want to rush things and put the players under the hammer right away. Last season was terrible for Roma because the players were burnt out and they were constantly hampered by injuries, there is no way I am going to let that happen under my regime.

I then ask about the rest of the backroom staff.

“This is it,” says Christian, waving towards himself and Bruno Conti, “oh, and there’s a GK coach Giorgio Pellizzaro and 2 physios, Vito Scala & Riccardo Capanna.

Without much ado I made a list, that’s what the professionals do, isn’t it ? They all make lists. I believe I need atleast two new coaches and adding another physio wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I want this out of my way real fast as ideally I would like to get the new recruits in within the next couple of days before we play our first preseason friendly.

The candidates that have interested me are :

- 54 year-old Italian, Ivan Carminati as a First team coach
- 48 year-old Italian, Gianpiero Ventrone as a coach.
- 49 year-old Italian, Gian Nicola Bisiotti as a Fitness coach.

After the brief meeting I decide to meet up with my players, I swagger over to the ground along with Damiano and Conti where the players are just arriving for the first training session of the new season. Damiano gathers the players around us who introduce themselves & congratulate me as we soon kickstart our preseason.

10th July 2009

I thought that went quite well really. For a first day in training the players seemed as fit as could be expected. The following is the low down of my squad :

Goalkeepers

Doni, 28 GK
1st choice keeper, experienced and a good goalkeeper. Will be out of action for atleast 3-4 months. Never a good feeling when your first choice keeper is not available to you from day one.

Artur, 29 GK
Second choice keeper behind Doni, but will start until Doni recovers from injury.

Lobont, 31 GK
Veteran GK who is On loan from Dinamo Bucharest.

Defenders

Philippe Mexes, 27 DC
If Mexy has the discipline to match his talent then he will be a worldclass centre-back, I expect him to be a rock for us this season.

Juan, 30 DC
Made of glass. A brave determinded centre back. Key player in my set up. Will miss the start of the season as he is out with an injury. Should return in 4-5 weeks.

Nicolas Burdisso, 28 DC
On loan from Inter. Hard working, aggressive, hard tackling defender. The thought of starting him with Mexes scares the shite out of me.

Marco Andreolli, 23 DC/R
A young competent centre back. Has the potential to be a good centre back.

Cicinho, 29 D/WB/M R
Wingback with flair and pace. Needs to work hard over his defending.

Marco Motta, 23 D/WB/M RL
Promising wingback with flair and pace, should challenge Cicinho for the starting spot.

Max Tonetto, 34 D/WB/M L
Max is a veteran defender but lacks both pace and technique. Emergency use only.

Marco Cassetti, 32 D/WB/M R
Cassetti is a decent wingback who once made Roma look good but his performances last season were horrific, he isn’t getting any younger and needs to train extremely hard and impress me in training to earn his place.

John Arne Riise, 28 D/WB/M L
Determined Wingback with a mean left foot, Just don’t expect him to do anything clever with the ball.

Midfielders

Matteo Brighi, 28 DM/M LC
Has incredible work rate and stamina, going to be a very important player in my set up.

Divid Pizzaro, 29 DM/MC
A good creative midfielder, should be my deep-lying playmaker. Needs to work hard on his defensive qualities.

Daniele De Rossi, 25 DM/MC
Vice-captain and a worldclass defensive midfielder. He is an exceptional talent. I am glad to have a player of his calibre in my team. Brilliant lad.

Riccardo Faty, 22 DM/MC
Moderate defensive midfielder. Unlikely to break into the starting XI anytime soon.

Simone Perrotta, 31 DM/AM LC
Attacking midfielder who isn’t highly skilled but makes up for it with his immense work rate and determination.

Stefano Guberti, 24 AM RL
Moderate winger who can dribble, needs to put his head down and work hard to improve his game.

Rodrigo Taddei, 29 AM RLC
Determined Winger with modest ability who like Simone Perrotta makes up for it with his immense work rate.

Alessio Cerci, 21 AM RL
Young speedy winger from whom big things are expected. Should challenge Taddei for the starting spot.

Jeremy Menez, 22 AM RLC, FC
Quality creative footballer. Has the potential to be an amazing player. A little selfish at times but he is young and can improve his game.

Forwards

Julio Baptista, 27 AM LC, FC
Strong, skilful striker. His second season at Roma and I expect him to shine this season.

Mirko Vucinic, 25 AM LC, FC
Striker with blistering pace, He certainly is talented and will be a very important player for me.

Francesco Totti, 32 AM/FC
Giallorossi legend and Captian. A player of his quality are rarely produced these days. Inspires everyone at the club. Key player.

Stefano Okaka, 19 ST
Only 19, but I believe he can make a impact in the first team. He is talented and I believe he is certainly for the future.

A decent squad at my disposal, I would have loved to add a couple of new faces to the current roster but with lack of funds I have to work with what I have. Nevertheless I shall try and clear some deadwood from my “Reserve Team” which will help me free up some wages and bring in some much needed cash.

With that out of my way, now comes one of the most important part : ” TACTICS ”

So what formation do you guys suggest ??

The players I have at my disposal makes me think that 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-2-1-2 would suit this team.
What say you ??

7th July, 2009

In front of my idiot box, I sat there, amazed at the events unfolding at the headquarters of AS Roma, news suddenly broke that Luciano Spalletti had left his position as the manager of AS Roma, I was not only dissapointed because of my natural love for the Giallorossi but also because of this ongoing soap opera at Roma.

I was worried for the future of my beloved – a club that currently has “zilch” in it’s transfer kitty, a club that is on the market to be sold one minute and then isn’t the next, a club that was playing Champions League football last season and now finds itself battling for a mid-table finish.

Just as I was about to pick up my phone and call one of my mate to discuss this on-going saga, my phone rings.

“Hello, Who is this” ?

“Hello Dhawval, this is Daniele Prade, Director of Football at AS Roma, we met recently.”

“Yes Mr.Prade”

“I am sure you have heard about Mr.Spalletti resigning today morning, we’ve decided that the man to take us forward is you, we’d like you to be the new Manager of AS Roma”

“Is this a joke, why me, surely there were better candidates out there.”

“No one else wanted the job as they didn’t think the environment at the club is right at the moment” are you interested in the job ??

“Ofcourse Mr.Prade, who wouldn’t be”

“Great to hear, I’ll see you tommorow and have a contract ready for you and then take it from there”

“Certainly. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I’ll speak to you tommorow”

Well my history in football is limited to the coaching of youth teams and discovering a few talents but I never quite made it as a pro, which all in all does not add up to much. On a recent and very successful tour of Rome with a highly organised and well disciplined youth team my skills attracted the attention of Daniele Prade who was very impressed with my work and said to me that one day he would like to see me at Roma but little did both of us know that this day would be upon us so soon.

8th July, 2009

As I was driving towards the headquarters of Roma, I was completely taken over by the occassion and was ecstatic but as soon as I entered the building, I started to think, maybe they’ve had a change of heart, maybe they have figured it out that I am not the right man, but once I got in the room I saw Prade and the legal documentation on his table and felt a sigh of relief and without bothering to read the documents, without even looking at the wages I pulled out a pen and signed the papers.

I am now a manager of Associazione Sportiva Roma. I left my meeting with Daniele Prade having just signed a 2 year contract worth £12,000 a week. The money wasn’t important as being given the responsibility of managing a team I have supported as a kid was an honor.

Due to the financial crisis at the club the management isn’t in the position to offer me a transfer kitty but they have asked me to qualify for the Champions League which means I have to target a top 4 finish. With a lack of transfer funds and a aging squad this is going to be a challenge but nonetheless I am going to give it a shot and I feel I am going to have to rely on all my skills at coaching the youngsters as for the foreseeable future these kids are the clubs future.

I can’t wait until I officially start tomorrow.