Foggia - Season 1 - Something Old, Something New

Aaaah, the familiarity of Foggia. The welcome from the Foggiani is to be expected for such a managerial heavyweight, but it is inspiring nonetheless. The seemingly endless fields, the war memorial and the splendour of the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Fovea all tug on the heartstrings of the usually unemotional Fantashtico...

...that is until he remembers quite how shoddy the first team squad at U.S. Foggia really is.

Only 14 players depart in Season 1, but somehow, cash is accrued. Alzano even pay 7k for the absolutely worthless Faveo. Good news, it allows me to spend a little money for once. Still only a total of 220k, spread between 21 players, but at this level, that's a Godsend.

A couple of old classics come in (Adolfo, David Collins and Agustín), I surprisingly tempt the wonderful Bras to such an awful level of football for 16k, but mainly I sign players that I've never signed previously.

In midfield, the prolific Kristian Selnæs and the dependable Billy McKinlay arrive. Wingbacks for the new formation are provided in the shape of Bryan Roy and Ecuadorian international Augusto Jesús Porozo and further firepower brought in from Uruguay with Juan Pablo Rodríguez.

The new formation is the ridiculous looking but widely spoken of WWW2 Hard Tackling formation; apparently the formation of choice for players across the globe, so who am I to argue? 2 centre backs, 2 wingbacks, a DMC, 3 central midfielders, an AMC and a striker.
So, only one up front, but I'm not exactly blessed with a legion of golden strikers after Joao Paiva and To Madeira turn me down, so here goes.

And wow, what a formation it is. P34 W31 D2 L1. 109 goals scored, 18 conceded. Ludicrous. David Collins scores an almighty 53 and becomes Foggia's highest ever scorer in just one season. Adolfo scores 23 and makes 17 more. Selnæs gets 19 from midfield. Agustín performs better than he's ever looked like doing and obtains 22 assists. Needless to say, the league is won, by miles.

I even win the Serie C Cup. Unheard of! Monza rolled over 3-0 on aggregate in the final.

David Collins secures Fan's Player of the year, and rightly so. Sant'Anastasia finish 12th, safe midtable obscurity, but enough to retain the services of Luigi. For now... I fear they may come a time were this formation feels like cheating, but for now, I'm loving the goals. Onwards and upwards...

Luigi Fantashtico

In an effort to provide myself with a potential rival in Italian football, I create a non-player - Tash's twin brother Luigi. So as not to mess with the game too much (not firing anyone) I install him as Sant'Anastasia's assistant manager, but provide him with all the talents required of a potential managerial great. Hopefully in a few seasons he'll go it alone and climb the ranks to rival his more illustrious brother.

Meanwhile, Tash eyes up yet another stab at Foggia...

Napoli/Bayern Munchen: Another Laptop's Demise

Balls. Another lost game. Another useless laptop.

I was enjoying that one. Success in Naples continued for another couple of seasons until I needed a new challenge. Bayern were floundering, so I took a stab at German football, dragging Bjorn Bahr with me (turns out he's Thomas Hassler's re-gen, no wonder he was great).

But that game's been dead a while now.

What's that? Another computer? Foggia's a-calling...

Napoli - Season 5 - Trophies Ahoy

New faces are needed, just to freshen things up and to make sure the squad is big enough to cope with another plunge through Europe. Noticeable acquisitions are Aghahowa (AM/FRLC) for £3.9 million from Sao Paolo and 3 Bosmans, Ricardo Quaresma (AMRL) from Sporting, Petit (DMC) from Boavista and surprisingly, Contra (D/MR) from Milan. Surprising as he's in their first team and they are in the Champion's League too. I must have made the big time.

The Italian Super Cup is won in unconvincing fashion, 2-1 against Piacenza. Champion's League form is incredible, 26 goals in my first group stage, including 6-0 wins over PAO and Galatasary and a 5-0 win away in Istanbul. League form is less impressive however, although the top 4 is a constant, the title looks tricky.

The Italian Cup campaign comes to an end with a disturbing 5-2 aggregate defeat to Genoa of all teams. The 2nd group stage is overcome with the group won on goal difference over a peculiarly tough PSV side and the prize is a Quarter final against Arsenal. It is overcome fairly routinely, but not as easily as the Semi Final, a 5-0 aggregate victory over Milan who fail to muster a shot on target over 180+ minutes of football. So another final, this time against Marseille.

The league is secured despite my patchy form. My 4 rivals, Inter, Roma, Lazio and Milan all stumble badly in the last month and I come through, albeit with 12 less points than 2 seasons ago. Another poor Final, but this time it comes with a victory, 1-0, with Bonomi (DRC) the appropriate hero in a season where the defence was pivotal.

The Fan's Player/top scorer goes back to Luca Toni, 24 goals and a 7.82 average. Bjorn Bahr's 15 assits beats Peralta by one in another fine season. But credit must go to the defence, particularly Cristante, Bonomi and Bartolucci.

I have over £120 million to spend and I think it's time to spend a bit, perhaps on a couple of big names...

Napoli - Season 4 - More Of The Same

But less so. Hmm. Not too many quality players out there, so I pretty much stick with the same squad, sometimes a risky business. One decent signing is Bartolucci (DC) on a Bosman from Fiorentina.

Super Cup humiliation to start the season, Roma wipe the floor with me 3-0. Any worries are soon dispelled though, by a good start in all other competitions. Less spectacular than the previous year, but occupying the top 2 all season. Even the Italian Cup 2nd Round is negotiated.

The 2nd group stage of the Champion's League throws up a nasty group with Man United, Dortmund and Barcelona, but I manage to win it after a nervy night in Dortmund.

The league is won with a few less goals for, a marginally better defence and one less defeat. Also a hell of a lot less in the way of interest on my part as I focus on Europe. Somehow my reserves storm through the Italian Cup and emerge victorious against a poor Piacenza side in the final. A Cup! My focus on Europe pays dividends with qualification for the Final.

Once again however, it's defeat at the hands of a fellow Italian side, Lazio edging a tight encounter 2-1 after a dreary match. But the double is a fine achievement, and I'll be back in the Champion's League for more next season, hopefully with some new signings.

Fan's Player and top scorer go hand in hand again, this time Nikiforenko securing it with 23 goals from behind the strikers and an average rating of 7.62. In defence, Bras does fine work averaging 7.78. Sixto Peralta's assist crown is usurped by youngster Bjorn Bahr (AMRC), a kid I signed on a free at the beginning of season 2 who is beginning to blossom into a very fine central midfielder, who gets 15 assists and 3 goals, a lot of which come from the bench.

Napoli - Season 3 - Goals Galore

Not too much work required before this season. A few of the original squad that haven't made the grade are shipped out, along with Mexes who isn't settling. He had an OK year, so a £6.25 million profit is a decent return. Key transfers in this season are Cristante (DRC) on a Bosman from Piacenza, Max Tonetto (D/DMLC) for £1.2 million from Lecce and Luca Toni (ST) an absolute snip from Brescia at a mere £2.7 million, courtesy of a relegation release clause.

There is absolutely no way of describing the beginning of this season without the word ridiculous. It is the best run of league form that I can ever remember. I win the first 16 games on the bounce. It's fantastic and RIDICULOUS. Goals are flying in both ends. Italian Cup progress is halted by a useless Brescia side in Round 2, but the UEFA Cup proceeds smoothly, no real opposition until the Quarter Finals.

Eventually of course, the league run is halted, by a 3-3 draw away at Milan after being 3-1 down though, so I'm plenty happy with a point. The form remains good until the end of March, by which point it's almost in the bag. Good thing too, as I lose 4 out of my last 5 away from home.

Ajax and Valencia are dispatched in the UEFA Cup, but the final is a predictably sorry tale, Juventus beating me comfortably 2-0. But hey, a Serie A title in season 3 is a damn good result, so I'm chuckling away.

Luca Toni is Fan's Player (average rating 8.21) and top scorer with 21 and I'm sure there's more to come. Peralta bags another 18 assists in another fine season. Two records are set in the league by my side with a 19 game winning streak (3 games from the previous season) and the highest total goals scored (86 in 34 games), Job done.

Napoli - Season 2 - Overhaul

Bit of strengthening needed and no mistake. The large ground makes raising cash easier, and promotion means I can target better players. In order to fit them into the ridiculously large squad, a cull is in order. Out go loads of crapsters, mostly on a free, although I get 5 million for the strangely useless Claudio Husain.

Goalkeeper back-up arrives with the promising youngster Agliardi from Brescia for 1.5 million.

Defensive reinforcement comes in the shape of Mexes (SW) and Pivotto (DC) on Bosmans and Cesar (D/DML) for 2.5 million.

The midfield is strengthened with Peixe (DMC) on a Bosman, Timoschuk (D/DMRLC) for 2.5 million, Sixto Peralta (AM/FRLC) for 3.8 million, and in February, Nikiforenko (AM/FC) on a Bosman.

Valuable firepower is added up front with Cherno Samba on a Bosman and, come November, Vasilyuk on yet another Bosman free.

It becomes clear fairly quickly that the 442 formation used in Serie B isn't going to do the job. Particularly away from home, where early season points are thin on the ground. So after 10 games and a not too bad mid-table position, I revert to "old faithful" or 352A at home, and the dreary looking, but bizarrely effective 31411 away from home.

Results improve markedly, although not enough to prevent a round 2 Italian Cup defeat to Atalanta, and Napoli push up into the top 8 for the second half of the season. From 4th to 10th it's pretty tight and it's a scrap for various European spots. Eventually, with a fine end of season run, 6th place is obtained, and a place in the UEFA Cup. The result of the season a marvellous 3-0 win at home over AC Milan, Sixto Peralta the architect with 2 goals.

Fan's Player goes to Graffiedi again, with 16 goals and a share of the golden boot with Batistuta at Roma and Shevchenko at Milan. Illustrious company for the young man. Sixto Peralta is the best of the newbs with 10 assists and 7 goals. To Europe!

Napoli - Season 1 - Victory Through Bargains

New laptop, new game. Sticking with the Italian league for the same reasons as before. This time however, I'm skipping the whole Serie C2C thing as the first 2 seasons have a depressing sense of inevitability about them. Also, I want somewhere with a big ground as ground expansions seem almost unobtainable.

So no to Foggia. I go for Napoli. No money to speak of, but a big old ground (72'810 capacity) and a mixed squad. Some overhaul required, but there are a few decent players, including Mancini (GK), Bonomi (DRC) and Graffiedi (ST). A start in Serie B to boot, a league I have failed to win on many occasions.

The low amount of money on offer means not too many transfers in for season 1. I sign a few youngsters, with the notable additions being Bras (DC), Pedro Emanuel (DM/FC) and Andrey Milevskiy (D/DMLC) for 14k, 22k and 180k respectively.

I expect promotion as the squad is decent enough, but a run at the title depends on luck with injuries, as quality doesn't run too deep. Fortunately, luck favours me in this regard. Never outside the top 4, and the title is secured with a tense 1-0 victory over Como on the last day of the season. Graffiedi is the star man, with 24 goals and an average rating of 7.89. Francesco Moriero does surprisingly sterling work from the right wing, accumulating 15 assists, and the new boys, Milevskiy and Emanuel combine well in central midfield.

As usual, the Italian Cup is a bust, with Serie A Torino dispatching me comfortably, 4-1 in the first round proper. One notable result is the 6-3 defeat of title rivals Salernitana, bringing to an end their 11 match winning run, Milevskiy starring and bagging 2. Graffiedi is Fan's Player. To Serie A!