Faramir Posted September 3, 2005 Author Share Posted September 3, 2005 Injuries struck with a fury again- decimating my plans for forwards. Alabaster is now out for 2 months and Andrea Della Velle is out for 3 weeks, so neither will be on the side for Kazakhstan. Replacing them on the roster will be veteran Matteo Valli and 20 year old Alessandro Mularoni. This also means that Nicola Ciacci and Michele Gasperoni- who played well when paired together against Wales- will move into starting roles. *** On the eve of our matchup with Kazakhstan, there was another unfortunate injury. Our already thin group of forwards could ill use another loss, but Michele Albani injured his ankle and will be out a couple weeks. With his loss, I recalled Manuel Marani to the National side. *** Losing Marco Toccacelli on the eve of our match with Kazakhstan was disappointing. The 18 year old has proven to be one of our steadiest players in the little time he has been with the National side. With his loss, I recalled Nicola Mancini to the side and Nicola Giardi will move back into the starting lineup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 4, 2005 Author Share Posted September 4, 2005 5.9.12 Kazakhstan (2) San Marino (0) World Cup Qualifier Group 2 Kazakhstan- S.Logvin 4-P K.Martyanov 36 San Marino- None MOM- Sergey Logvin, Kazakhstan You wouldn't know it by the match totals afterwords- since the amounts seem equal- but I was very unhappy with the Dutch refereeing crew. By the 20 minute mark we were trailing 1-0 on a penalty (after Andrea Fabbri was whistled for pushing in the area, when he was trying to jump and grab off a looping corner) and everyone of our backline players had earned a yellow card. We couldn't make a challenging tackle without getting a card, while the home side was tackling from behind at will. It was very frustrating. I was very pleased that we didn't quit and we showed some solid ball movement, but we also didn't play nearly well enough offensively to avoid taking this loss. Their second goal by Kirill Martyanov was pretty much a direct result of the yellow cards since Gabriele Fabbri couldn't try to tackle him agressively and he slipped a shot past Andrea Fabbri. Losing Alabaster and Andrea Della Velle up front was very costly as Nicole Ciacci and Michele Gasperoni just couldn't avoid marking and tackling and that left us without many scoring chances. The determination shown was welcome, but overall we lacked the execution to gain a better result after giving away that early penalty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 5, 2005 Author Share Posted September 5, 2005 We have lots of 'walking wounded' as we begin preparations for our trip to Scotland. Andrea Guerra is definately out. Luca Moroni, Alessandro Gasperoni and Gasper all will be included on the roster- but are doubtful for the match. Andrea Della Velle and Marco Toccacelli are now healthy enough to return to the side. With Moroni doubtful, I also brought 19 year old DMC Davide Casadei on to the National side for the first time. Casadei is one of the fastest players that we saw in our summer camp for youngsters and may see his 1st Cap against Scotland. My expected starting lineup for the trip to Ibrox is: GK- Andrea Fabbri (who must play better than against Kazakhstan for us to have a chance) DR- Roberto Selva DL- Matteo Gasperoni DCR- Gabriele Fabbri DCL- Paolo Cupi DMC- Andrea Domeniconi MR- Alex Gasperoni (who became the Most Capped player in San Marino history against Kazakhstan) ML- Marco Toccacelli AMC- Loris Balducci (Giardi's lack of pace means he doesn't contribute as much as I hoped) SC- Nicole Ciacci SC- Andrea Della Velle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacemaker7 Posted September 5, 2005 Share Posted September 5, 2005 Delighted to see you get your first competitive win, well deserved for sticking with it. I bet you threw a party didn't you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 7, 2005 Author Share Posted September 7, 2005 Injuries to our best players remain the bane of the club. We have lost Gabriele Fabbri for awhile and I called up 24 year old D/DMLC Matteo Forcellini to take his place. Forcellini has several Under-21 Caps, but this is his first time training with the National side. We also lost Alessandro Mularoni to a thigh injury and that will bring back Michele Albani, now healed up enough to play, back onto the side. *** Andrea Della Velle is injured again- we just can't seem to get him and Alabaster to play due to injuries and I recalled Stefano Venturini to take his place on the roster. Our altered starting lineup will be: GK- Andrea Fabbri DR- Roberto Selva DL- Matteo Gasperoni DCR- Gasper DCL- Paolo Cupi DMC- Nicola Giardi (worth a shot to try him here- since his lack of pace is hurting us attacking wise) MR- Alex Gasperoni ML- Marco Toccacelli AMC- Alessandro Gasperoni (healthy again) SC- Nicole Ciacci SC- Michele Gasperoni Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 8, 2005 Author Share Posted September 8, 2005 6.10.12 Scotland (2) San Marino (0) World Cup Qualifier Group 2 Scotland- P.Gallagher 9,23 San Marino- None MOM- Paul Gallagher The score may be the same as our loss to Kazakhstan, but the match was nothing like it. Scotland dominated us- as seems usually the case- sending high balls into the area from every part of the pitch and blasting away from beyond 20 yards. Paul Gallagher scored both their goals- the first on a bit of a fluke header and the second on a rebound after Andrea Fabbri made the initial stop but the backline couldn't clear away the rebound. We showed very little offense in the match as the bigger and quicker Scottish lineup relentlessly tackled our players with the ball. Fabbri played superbly in the net after those first two goals and kept us in the match. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 8, 2005 Author Share Posted September 8, 2005 10.10.12 San Marino (0) Belgium (4) World Cup Qualifier Group 2 San Marino- None Belgium- L.Pieroni 2,41 V.Kompany 17 G.Cacciatore 62 MOM- Faris Haroun, Belgium We didn't play well in front of our fans at Olimipico and Belgium had an easy time handing us a 4-0 defeat. We did a lousy job defending on the backline as they moved the ball at will on both the pass and dribble as they sliced and diced our defense. Andrea Fabbri had no magic in this match, but he also had little help. Beyond our poor play defensively, we were once again covered in a swath of yellow cards. This is getting absolutely ridiculous when you look at the stat line and see 11 fouls, 5 yellow cards and 1 redcard (Alessandro Gasperoni drew 2 yellows) to their 1 foul- it just irritates me to no end. The plethora of yellow cards means that we will be without Paolo Cupi, Nicola Giardi and of course Alessandro Gasperoni for our next qualifier. We now close with friendlies against Albania and ? to finish out the year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 10, 2005 Author Share Posted September 10, 2005 10.11.12 Albania (1) San Marino (0) Friendly Albania- M.Michanz 61-P San Marino- None MOM- Meglit Michanz, Albania Another solid performance on the books, another loss due to a penalty kick. We showed a lot more offensive life in the match, which was refreshing after the dismal displays against Scotland and Belgium. It wasn't enough as their keeper Ilir Tafaj was sharp when he needed to be- stopping Matteo Valli at point-blank range in the waning moments. The penalty wasn't one I would quarrel with the call, since Stefano Moroni clearly tripped Meglit Michanz in the area on the call. He converted the penalty kick calmly and we never could get an equalizer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 11, 2005 Author Share Posted September 11, 2005 14.11.12 San Marino (0) Greece (1) Friendly San Marino- None Greece- K.Katsouranis 26 MOM- Sotiris Leontiou, Greece I was happy with our defensive effort in the match, as we limited a much more talented Greek side to only 8 shots in the match. We were back to our old ways offensively though and we just plain had trouble passing the ball for much of the match. We failed on easy passes, hard passes, short passes and long passes- I wish I had a bit more time readying the club for these matches, because we really do look like we need to get back to the basics on offense. Their goal came on a 25 yard free kick from the center of the pitch, just another one of those unfortunate goals we seem to allow. It wasn't a bad effort and our fans were pleased that we kept the match close, but overall we didn't really demonstrate much improvement in the match and that is what I was hoping to see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 13, 2005 Author Share Posted September 13, 2005 Early February 2013 A spate of injuries to our normal central defenders have left me scraping the bottom of the barrel. Gabriele Fabbri was the latest to go out and I was forced to call up 27 year old Elia Della Velle to fill his spot. Della Velle is one of the fastest players (almost explosive) on our side, but lacks a lot of technical skills. Our lineup against Switzerland will be: GK- Andrea Fabbri DR- Andrea Rossi DL- Stefano Moroni DCR- Elia Della Velle DCL- Gasper DMC- Luca Moroni MR- Francesco Simoncini (this is an experiment on my part, since he is left footed it may or may not work out) ML- Marco Toccaccelli AMC- Alessandro Gasperoni SC- Andrea Della Velle SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 15, 2005 Author Share Posted September 15, 2005 6.2.13 Switzerland (3) San Marino (0) Switzerland- P.Senderos 10 D.Chiumiento 25 L.Din 73 San Marino- None MOM- Tranquillo Barnetta, Switzerland It wasn't a wasted performance for us, but we didn't play nearly well enough defensively to have a chance of gaining a better result. The result of all our backline injuries was clearly a loss of cohesion as our backline spent a lot of time running around, instead of playing like a disciplined unit. They gained a goal right away when Philippe Senderos outleaped Elia Della Velle and Andrea Rossi to flick a header past Andrea Fabbri on a corner. Their second goal came when explosive Davide Chiumiento found a small seam in the defense and then whipped a shot past Fabbri as soon as they got him the ball. We had some good scoring chances too, but Andrea Della Velle missed the net twice when we put him away free to go one-on-one with keeper Hugo Mabillard. Their last goal came when we couldn't clear away a loose ball and left Fabbri trying to smother it- but Ludovic Din slipped it past him as he dove. It wasn't a very solid performance overall, but there were at least a few bright moments to build on for our next match as we move back into World Cup Qualifiers against Austria next month. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 16, 2005 Author Share Posted September 16, 2005 Injuries were a factor in naming the National side for the match with Austria. Alessandro Gasperoni has a leg injury that will keep him out of action for a couple of months and that caused some juggling in my selections. The main recipient of good fortune is 21 year old MC Stefano Zanotti. Zanotti will likely get his 1st Cap filling in for the injured Gasperoni. I hadn't planned on bringing him up just yet, but he seems the best fit to fill the role. Nicola Giardi is suspended for this match too, so that will cause more adjustments. *** I was tired of naming starting lineups, only to see everyone injured, so I refused to do for the press until the day before the match. Our starting lineup against Austria (minus Paolo Cupi and Giardi who are both suspended on yellow cards): GK- Andrea Fabbri DR- Massimo Albani (1st Cap for the 21 year old) DL- Matteo Gasperoni DCR- Gasper DCL- Stefano Moroni DMC- Luca Moroni MR- Alex Gasperoni ML- Marco Toccacelli AMC- Stefano Zanotti SC- Andrea Della Velle SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 20, 2005 Author Share Posted September 20, 2005 23.3.09 San Marino (0) Austria (0) World Cup Qualifiers Group 2 San Marino- None Austria- None MOM- Andrea Fabbri, San Marino A sterling effort from Andrea Fabbri and our defense overall allowed us to earn a scoreless draw against Austria in front of a delighted sold out crowd at Olimpico. Fabbri came up with big saves when we needed them and our coverage was very good- especially when considering the referee rained 6 more yellow cards on us. I have no idea why we have been selected for this treatment of late, but we seem to be earning yellow cards at an alarming rate. Matteo Gasperoni and Luca Moroni will now face suspension in our next match due to their accumulated yellow cards. We didn't manage as many chances as Austria, but we did have a couple good chances- in both cases though Andrea Della Velle missed the net with shots. Stefano Zanotti had a solid debut, as did Massimo Albani at rightback. It would have been nice to gain a win, but the draw was hard earned and I was pleased with our play. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 Matteo Gasperoni was injured in the match with Austria, so 21 year old Daniele Selva was called on to the National side for our friendly against the Congo. Selva has good speed and concentration, but is lacking in skills. *** 27.3.13 San Marino (1) Congo (2) Friendly San Marino- M.Toccacelli 30 Congo- J.Ekunde 45 J.Bantsimba 86 MOM- Barel Mouko, Congo We should have won this friendly, but a lack of concentration on the part of Andrea Fabbri led to us losing in the closing moments when Jean-Vivien Bantsimba struck a 30 yard shot that sailed into the net. It was very frustrating for all of us, we had taken the lead midway through the first half when Marco Toccacelli boomed home a great 30 yard free kick past Barel Mouko. We had played a strong first half, but then let down in the closing moments when Luca Moroni lost coverage on Just Ekunde on a free kick and Ekunde had an easy time firing a shot past Fabbri from just outside the six yard box. We also had good scoring chances in the second half, but we were thwarted by good work by Mouko as he made two terrific reaction saves on Toccacelli and Stefano Zanotti. Other than Fabbri's poor play, this was a solid match for us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 Losing Stefano Zanotti on the eve of the match with Germany was disappointing. Loris Balducci remains out with an injury, so Nicola Mancini drew the replacement call. This will be a very tough match for us, not only because of injuries- but also because of our yellow card difficulties. Our starting lineup will be: GK- Andrea Fabbri DR- Andrea Rossi (Massimo Albani is out with an injury, Roberto Selva retired from International play) DL- Stefano Moroni DCR- Gasper DCL- Paolo Cupi DMC- Andrea Domeniconi MR- Nicola Giardi ML- Marco Toccacelli AMC- Alessandro Gasperoni SC- Michele Gasperoni (Andrea Della Velle is slightly injured, but won't be ready for this match) SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 24, 2005 Author Share Posted September 24, 2005 1.6.13 Germany (5) San Marino (0) World Cup Qualifiers Group 2 Germany- J.Horning 27 S.Schmitt 30,45 F.Lenz 39 S.Kern 71 San Marino- None MOM- Christoph Bauer, Germany This match was every bit as bad as I feared going in. Germany used their pace, passing, height, touch and tackling to perfection as they crushed us 5-0. We stayed close in the early going as Andrea Fabbri came up with some good saves and we got help from the crossbar. Their first goal underlined their skill advantage as Jens Horning took the ball on the dribble past Andrea Domeniconi and Gasper before blasting his shot past Fabbri off the inside of the left post. They scored again quickly after when Stefan Schmitt blistered a low shot from 20 yards. Frank Lenz used his height advantage to flick a header home and then Schmitt and Stefan Kern also produced header goals on centering passes. We just couldn't keep pace with Germany and then when you add missed tackles and give away passes it all added up to a heavy defeat. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 25, 2005 Author Share Posted September 25, 2005 The starting lineup for Scotland will be: GK- Gianluca Albani (Fabbri's troubles of late have spurred me to try the 21 year old Albani) DR- Andrea Rossi DL- Matteo Gasperoni DCR- Gabriele Fabbri (Gasper's injury allowed me to name Fabbri back to the side) DCL- Paolo Cupi DMC- Luca Moroni MR- Alex Gasperoni ML- Marco Toccacelli AMC- Nicola Giardi SC- Andrea Della Velle SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 27, 2005 Author Share Posted September 27, 2005 5.6.13 San Marino (0) Scotland (0) World Cup Qualifiers Group 2 San Marino- None Scotland- None MOM- Gianluca Albani, San Marino We benefitted greatly when Derek O'Riordan mouthed off and drew his 2nd yellow card at 14 minutes. Scotland was forced to play a bit more defensively and we did a better job of limiting their space after that. Considering they still had a much quicker club, we couldn't get too aggressive offensively, but we did at least generate a few good chances in the match. Gianluca Albani earned the standing ovation and MOM honours for his great work in the match. Their main tandem of Paul Gallagher and James McFadden seemed muted today, which is likely why we were able to work hard and gain a draw from the match. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 27, 2005 Author Share Posted September 27, 2005 As we neared our September match with Belgium, we lost both Alessandro Gasperoni and Andrea Della Velle to injuries. With our miniscule depth of decent players, losing two players of this caliber always hurts us badly. Michele Albani and Luca Bonfazi both return to the National side as replacements. Our starting lineup against them will be: GK- Gianluca Albani DR- Massimo Albani DL- Matteo Gasperoni DCR- Gabriele Fabri DCL- Paolo Cupi DMC- Luca Moroni MR- Nicola Giardi ML- Marco Toccacelli AMC- Loris Balducci SC- Nicola Ciacci SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 29, 2005 Author Share Posted September 29, 2005 31.8.13 Belgium (1) San Marino (0) World Cup Qualifiers Group 2 Belgium- V.Kompany 45 San Marino- None MOM- Jonathan Blondel, Belgium We may have lost this match, but the signs are there that we are really showing some improvement. The only goal they managed was on a corner kick (one of about 7 consecutive corners they had in this series) in first half injury time that Vincent Kompany was able to flick past Gianluca Albani. There were many encouraging moments for us in the match, but the tale of the stat line tells me the most- as they only outshot us 20-12 for the match (I think that is the most shots we have managed in a match in a long time). We moved the ball well and created some good chances, but Logan Dailly played well in net for the home side. Loris Balducci really impressed me with his tireless play on both sides of the ball- he helped our backline out immensely with his timely interventions. Our backline blocked a lot of shots in the match too, which made things a bit easier for Albani in our net. Albani looked very sharp, I couldn't fault him for the goal. It was a good match and one that I hope we can build on as we put a nice little scare into Belgium as they fight to stay alive in the hunt for at least 2nd place in the Group. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted September 29, 2005 Author Share Posted September 29, 2005 We lost Marco Toccacelli for the match against Kazakhstan as he suffered a couple nasty gashes on his face in a training accident. I called up 18 year old AMRLC Manuel Albani to take his spot on the roster. Our lineup for the match will be: GK- Gianluca Albani DR- Massimo Albani DL- Matteo Gasperoni DCR- Gabriele Fabri DCL- Paolo Cupi DMC- Luca Moroni MR- Nicola Giardi ML- Alex Gasperoni AMC- Loris Balducci SC- Nicola Ciacci SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 1, 2005 Author Share Posted October 1, 2005 4.9.13 San Marino (1) Kazakhstan (0) World Cup Qualifiers Group 2 San Marino- M.Gasperoni 48 Kazakhstan- None MOM- Sergey Bogomolov, Kazakhstan We went to halftime with Kazakhstan scoreless and a bit down- as Alabaster had been injured early on and Nicola Ciacci was injured right at the halftime whistle. I didn't have another forward dressed, so 18 year old Manuel Albani got the call to fill in at forward for Ciacci. The move turned into a suprisingly magical one in the opening moments of the second half when Manuel lofted a centering pass and Michele Gasperoni mis-hit the header, but it caught the inside of the left post for what would turn out to be the only goal of the match. Truthfully, we were a bit lucky as Kazakhstan had some very good scoring chances but wound up 0 for 9 in hitting the net with their shots. As was the case against Belgium, we moved the ball well- even with both Alabaster and Ciacci out of the match, and we could well have had more goals than the one we got. Fortunately, that one was all we needed to send the Olimpico fans into a frenzy when the final whistle sounded and we had the 1-0 win. The win moved us out of last place in the Group as we now have one more point than Kazakhstan, with matches against the top 2 clubs in the Group- Austria and Germany- upcoming in a month to close out the Group play. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Well done on another win Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 2, 2005 Author Share Posted October 2, 2005 Thanks Supa *** Our starting lineup against Austria will be: GK- Gianluca Albani DR- Massimo Albani DL- Matteo Gasperoni DCR- Gabriele Fabri DCL- Paolo Cupi DMC- Luca Moroni MR- Nicola Giardi ML- Alex Gasperoni (Marco Toccacelli just missed being healthy enough to be named to the side, then for once we didn't have any injuries that would allow me to bring him on to the side) AMC- Loris Balducci SC- Andrea Della Velle SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 3, 2005 Author Share Posted October 3, 2005 5.10.13 Austria (2) San Marino (0) World Cup Qualifiers Group 2 Austria- N.Giardi 49-OG D.Berger 63-P San Marino- None MOM- Denis Berger, Austria Make no mistake about it, we had Austria worried in this match. Through a bit of luck from our posts we went to halftime scoreless with the host side and we had missed a couple chances of our own. We came out and had a great scoring opportunity to start the second half, but Jurgen Rindler made the save on Alabaster. Moments later, we found ourselves behind when Nicola Giardi deflected a long shot past Gianluca Albani. Albani then saved us and kept us in the match with a pair of one-on-one saves against Roman Waller and Denis Berger. The defining moment of the match may have been at 60 minutes when we sent Alabaster free with a beautiful through ball from Loris Balducci. He broke cleanly into their area, but then hesitated in lining his shot up and never even got it off as Martin Stranzl got back to make a saving tackle. It was just a frustrating moment for me to see us waste a great chance to equalize. Moments later, Massimo Albani was whistled for a handball in the area and Berger converted the ensuing penalty. I was proud that we never quit and Andrea Della Velle missed a golden chance when all alone in front at 82 minutes as he shot over the open net. We played hard and well in the match- but were undone by a couple untimely occurrances. Austria was beathing a sigh of relief as they needed to win to keep alive their chance of overtaking Germany for the top spot in the Group. Now they need a little help from us in our final match against Germany. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 5, 2005 Author Share Posted October 5, 2005 Michele Gasperoni was injured and now I was able to recall Marco Toccacelli for the Germany match. Our starting lineup will be: GK- Gianluca Albani DR- Massimo Albani DL- Matteo Gasperoni DCR- Gabriele Fabri DCL- Paolo Cupi DMC- Luca Moroni MR- Alessandro Gasperoni ML- Marco Toccacelli AMC- Loris Balducci SC- Nicola Ciacci SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 5, 2005 Author Share Posted October 5, 2005 10.5.13 San Marino (0) Germany (3) World Cup Qualifiers Group 2 San Marino- None Germany- C.Bauer 13 T.Wolters 16 S.Schmitt 33 MOM- Christoph Bauer, Germany We were never a threat to Germany after they jumped on us for a pair of quick goals. The first came courtesy of Gabriele Fabbri- though Bauer got the credit, Fabbri deflected it slightly which was enough to strand Gianluca Albani. They followed that with a header from towering Thomas Wolters on a cross from Bauer. Bauer also triggered Stefan Schmitt's goal as he found him sweeping in to the far corner unmarked. Adding insult to injury was the quick pair of yellow cards handed out to Andrea Della Velle which will leave him suspended for his next match in competition. Germany's pace and skill was too much for us to handle today and Albani didn't play a superhuman match- which left us with a loss to close out our Group play. Germany finished atop the Group and Austria edged out Belgium for 2nd place. We finished 5th as Kazakhstan finished last, so this was a solid performance for us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 6, 2005 Author Share Posted October 6, 2005 Just for the record, as we take a couple weeks break before naming the side that will travel to South Africa and then back to Wales for friendlies, we are now ranked 146th in the World. We are ranked ahead of European sides Malta (152), Azerbaijan (189) and Andorra (192). *** Luca Moroni suffered a torn groin muscle and will be out until next year. To take his place on the National roster, I recalled 21 year old Stefano Mularoni. I may start Mularoni in place of Andrea Domeniconi, since I know what Andrea can do- but still don't have a good feel for Mularoni's ability to fit into our system. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 8, 2005 Author Share Posted October 8, 2005 Gasper went down with a twisted knee and will now miss both friendlies as well. Andrea Guerra was recalled to fill his spot on the National roster. *** Our starting lineup against South Africa will be: GK- Gianluca Albani DR- Massimo Albani DL- Matteo Gasperoni DCR- Gabriele Fabbri DCL- Stefano Moroni (Paolo Cupi is making known that he may retire if he can't catch on with another club, it is time to start preparing for that eventuality) DMC- Stefano Mularoni MR- Nicola Giardi ML- Marco Toccacelli AMC- Loris Balducci SC- Andrea Della Velle SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 9.11.13 South Africa (1) San Marino (0) Friendly South Africa- K.Jasmath 65 San Marino- None MOM- Gift Leremi, South Africa It was a good effort on our part, but one sizzling cross from the right corner by Gift Leremi followed by Kamal Jasmath outleaping Stefano Moroni to strongly head it past Gianluca Albani was the difference in the match. We didn't give them an easy time of it as we played even with them in the first half and had the better of the scoring chances. Loris Balducci came close twice, but both were just over the net, and Andrea Della Velle's scorching shot was smothered by Emille Baron. Our subs didn't have the same verve as our starters and we had little luck rallying from the second half deficit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 For the upcoming Wales match, I decided to remain with the starting lineup that we used against South Africa. Quite contrast in weather as we moved from the scorching heat of Johannesburg to Cardiff for the match there. *** Andrea Guerra went out with a badly sprained wrist, so Elia Della Velle got the call to replace him on the National side. *** 13.11.13 Wales (1) San Marino (0) Wales- R.Jefferies 66 San Marino- None MOM- Simon Gray, Wales Despite the scoreline, this match must be considered a disappointing one to close out 2013 with. They were very sharp, and very quick, in the early going as they moved the ball with perfection. Gianluca Albani came up with several excellent saves and was helped out when Paul Hart ripped a shot off the crossbar. They went a man down at 33 minutes as James Collins was called for hacking down Alabaster with a two-footed tackle from behind. Despite the man advantage, we weren't doing well offensively and the loss of Luca Moroni showed up as it had against South Africa as we didn't seem to have the link from the backline to the attack. We finally generated a few good scoring chances to open the second half, but didn't overly trouble Lewis Price. They scored the only goal of the match at 66 minutes when Gabriele Fabbri just plained missed a header and that allowed Richard Jeffries to come in all alone behind him to whip a shot past Gianluca Albani. We tried to rally and seemed to get another boost when Price had to leave with an injury after all the subs were used- forcing Jefferies into goal for them. The disappointing part of the match was what followed- as we had a man advantage and a non-keeper in net, but we couldn't pass the ball well enough to reach their area. To be sure, they were scrambling hard and tackling well- but we should have been able to at least test Jefferies and we never did. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 16, 2005 Author Share Posted October 16, 2005 January 2014 2013 Awards were announced today. Usually, I don't pay much attention, but I guess I should start. World Footballer of the Year 1- Fernando Cavenaghi, Inter 2- Bastien Schweinsteiger, Chelsea 3- Arjen Robben, Liverpool World Player of the Year 1- Fernando Cavenaghi, Inter 2- Wesley Sneijder, Arsenal 3- Arjen Robben, Liverpool European Footballer of the Year 1- Arjen Robben, Liverpool 2- Wesley Sneijder, Arsenal 3- Fernando Cavenaghi, Inter European Keeper of the Year 1- Christian Abbiati, Valencia 2- Dennis Visser, Chelsea 3- Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus European Defender of the Year 1- Wayne Bridge, Chelsea 2- Cetin Servet, Valencia 3- Andrea Lazzari, Inter European Midfielder of the Year 1- Arjen Robben, Liverpool 2- Giampiero Pinzi, Inter 3- Bastien Schweinsteiger, Chelsea European Strike of the Year 1- Fernando Cavenaghi, Inter 2- Alejandro Sanchez Fernandez, Liverpool 3- Nilmar, Deportivo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 18, 2005 Author Share Posted October 18, 2005 Mid-January 2014 We scheduled a more difficult round of friendlies this season, although still not taking on major European sides. In the competition side we were drawn into Group 9 in the European Championship Qualifying. Our fellow Group 9 opponents will be- Spain, Switzerland, Finland and Slovakia. Our slate of matches for the year looks like: 5.2.14 Albania (Friendly) 26.3.14 at Costa Rica (Friendly- nice little bit of vacation trip on this one) 30.8.14 at Norway (Friendly) 3.9.14 at Slovakia (Euro Champs Qualifying) 4.10.14 Spain (Euro Champs Qualifying) 8.11.14 Morocco (Friendly) 12.11.14 Algeria (Friendly) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 19, 2005 Author Share Posted October 19, 2005 It is hard to believe I have been Manager of San Marino for 10 years now. I didn't expect to be here this long, especially given the lack of success when starting out, but the development of players has been encouraging and we have managed to become a better club, though most clubs do not fear playing us. Injuries again seem to dominate the headlines in preparation for our first friendly. Definately out for the match include Gabriele Fabbri, Loris Balducci, Michele Gasperoni and Elia Della Velle. Nicola Cavalli is very doubtful and I won't be including him on the roster. Our roster as we entered training for the friendly was: GK- Gianluca Albani, Andrea Fabbri, Roberto Capicchioni DEF- Massimo Albani, Matteo Gasperoni, Paolo Cupi, Gasper, Nicola Gasperoni, Roberto Selva, Andrea Rossi, Stefano Moroni MID- Nicola Giardi, Alessandro Gasperoni, Alex Gasperoni, Luca Moroni, Andrea Domeniconi, Manuel Albani, Francesco Simoncini, Marco Toccacelli, Stefano Mularoni FOR- Alabaster, Andrea Della Velle, Nicola Ciacci, Matteo Valli, Michele Albani Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 19, 2005 Author Share Posted October 19, 2005 The squad roster lasted only one day. Alessandro Gasperoni went out with a knee injury and I recalled Luca Bonifazi to replace him on the roster. *** Midfielders are dropping like flies as Manuel Albani strained his groin and will miss a few weeks. Nicola Cavalli was well enough to warrant a recall to the side to replace the injured Albani. *** Leftback Matteo Gasperoni will miss the friendly with a bad ankle, so Andrea Guerra returns to the National side as his replacement. *** Our starting lineup for the friendly against Albania will be: GK- Gianluca Albani DR- Massimo Albani DL- Stefano Moroni DC- Gasper DC- Paolo Cupi DMC- Luca Moroni MR- Alex Gasperoni ML- Marco Toccacelli AMC- Nicola Giardi SC- Andrea Della Velle SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 20, 2005 Author Share Posted October 20, 2005 5.2.14 San Marino (1) Albania (2) Friendly San Marino- A.Della Velle 30-P Albania- A.Drenova 79,84 MOM- Andreas Drenova, Albania To say I was furious might have been an understatement. I had just brought Nicola Cavalli on as a replacement for a tiring Nicola Giardi and he made a completely unnecessary, nasty tackle from behind- earning himself a redcard at 68 minutes. Until that point, we were playing really well and we held the lead on a beautiful throw-in from Marco Toccacelli that forced Durim Qato to foul Alabaster in the air (Alabaster had hit the post on a header moments before on another throw-in from Toccaccelli). Andrea Della Velle converted the penalty past Tafi to give us the lead. After Cavalli's sending off, Paolo Cupi allowed Andreas Drenova to get behind him- despite my admonishment to the defensive line moments before to stay back more. Drenova had an easy time equalizing the match with a shot past Gianluca Albani. Albania then won the match when they whistled a pass in to Drenova and Nicola Gasperoni- who I had brough on for Cupi- failed to even challenge him as he marched in from outside the area and blasted the match-winner past Albani for his 2nd goal of the match. I second guess myself for having taken Giardi out, but this may be the last straw for Cupi and Nicola Gasperoni- I have just seen too many defensive mistakes from both of them and am really tired of it. These cost us a win we could have had. I am also mad at Cavalli for his idiot tackling and he may find his chances with the National side lacking in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 22, 2005 Author Share Posted October 22, 2005 Nicola Ciacci went out with an injury before the friendly trip to Costa Rica, so I recalled finally healed up Matteo Gasperoni to take his place. Though slightly injured, Alessandro Gasperoni and Loris Balducci were both far enough along in the healing process to be included on the National roster. *** The loss of Marco Toccaccelli is costly, since the youngster is quickly becoming a key cog in the club's success. With him out, I recalled now healthy Manuel Albani to replace him on the National side. *** The players are all enjoying our trip to the Costa Rican sunshine immensely. Many have commented that they wish we would schedule more winter friendlies over here, instead of against Iceland or Faroe Islands... The starting lineup for our friendly against Costa Rica will be: GK- Gianluca Albani DR- Massimo Albani DL- Matteo Gasperoni DC- Elia Della Velle DC- Stefano Moroni DMC- Luca Moroni MR- Nicola Giardi ML- Alex Gasperoni AMC- Loris Balducci SC- Andrea Della Velle SC- Alabaster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 23, 2005 Author Share Posted October 23, 2005 26.3.14 Costa Rica (2) San Marino (0) Friendly Costa Rica- R.Azofeifa 11 G.Albani 60-OG San Marino- None MOM- Ronald Gomez, Costa Rica I was actually less unhappy with this match than the loss to Albania. We gave away the first goal early on when Luca Moroni inexplicably passed directly to Ronald Gomez on our left wing (Matteo Gasperoni was up the pitch). Gomez pushed into the area and crossed for Randall Azofeifa to score his 1st International goal on a header past Gianluca Albani. We had several good chances of our own- including two in the first half by Alabaster- but Randall Badilla was equal to the challenge. It appeared we might get equal early in the second half when a good through ball from Alex Gasperoni sprung Andrea Della Velle in alone, but Badilla again came up with the big save. We went down 2-0 when Gianluca Albani put the ball into his own net, but I wasn't too unhappy with him as he was strongly challenged by Luis Quesada on the play. Our central defense combo of Elia Della Velle and Stefano Moroni didn't play well, so I am hoping that Gabrielle Fabbri gets well soon to pair with Moroni. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 Late June 2014 Our summer camp for youngsters showed us a few promising first-timers. 16 year old Strikers Gabriele Berardi and Alessandro were two that impressed me with their development relative to their age. 13 year old DMC David Selva made an impression with his skill level for one so young. 18 year old DC Nicola Mularoni was the one player who pleased me the most and he was ushered on to the National side with haste. 21 year old MC Marco Conti was another who made such a good impression that I added him to the National side. *** 1.7.14 It was with interest that I watched as Iran stunned Italy 1-0 in the Semifinals of the World Cup. Italy was in a state of shock over the loss to upstart Iran. *** 8.7.14 After watching Italy dismantle Uruguay for 3rd place and seeing Germany easily defeat Iran 2-0 to capture the World Cup, wanderlust took over. There are a wealth of positions available Internationally and the club I supported when young- Noisy-le-Sec was also seeking a manager. I decided the time was now to finish my time at San Marino and seek new horizons. *** 5.8.14 It was a month of waiting before the Board of Noisy-le-Sec decided to offer me the position of Manager. Their offer was a generous one- especially for a club in the National- 1.5 Million in transfer funding and since the current weekly wage of the club was only 13,250, they would allow me room to build that level up. My time at San Marino has been gratifying, though I do wish there had been a few more high moments. The future of the side looks much brighter as they seem to be getting a much better quality of young players now. 10 years seemed but a blink of a moment in time, not the lengthy stretch it seems on looking back. I will continue to avidly follow them, but the curtain now is drawn closed over my time as their National Manager. I may have had delusions of grandeur to begin with, but I leave knowing my craft as a Manager and I am eager for a chance to prove that back in France with Noisy-le-Sec. *** The End It seemed prophetic that the only French job open when I went looking at the conclusion of the 2014 World Cup was Noisy-le-Sec, my favorite French club for many times in both CM and now FM. I didn't really expect anything to come out of all the applications I made to other Countries- and nothing did. I will likely start a new story to continue the tale with Noisy-le-Sec as I hope to move up and challenge powerhouse Monaco- who have won the last 10! French League 1 titles. Thanks to all who read and commented on the story- you stuck with me through the most losing I have ever done in any game Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hufctigers Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Nooooooooo! You can't just up and leave!! Seriously though, congratulations for sticking it out so long, As Bill & Ted would say, it has been and excellent adventure Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz the Imp Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Cracking effort throughout Faramir Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptfc_kev Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 Has been an excellent story for many months - usually the first thread I would look out when I got to FM Stories. Well done and good luck with your new French adventure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying_Fin Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Interesting read... especially since I am trying to find excuses for not working... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Brilliant work Faramir, I look forward to your next Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Perfect Posted October 28, 2005 Share Posted October 28, 2005 I can only echo what's been said. Well done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted October 29, 2005 Author Share Posted October 29, 2005 Thanks to all of you- I am glad it brought that much enjoyment to those who read it. It was just a lark when I started it- something that I had wanted to do for many years and then i finally could do it. Now it is Ter's 'Official Challenge' *shakes head* Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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