Smurph Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 Offt unlucky, you need to sign Gylfi Sigurdsson. €6.25M he's cost, and with €54K a week on wages, I might need to wait a while! Reggina had been performing all right I suppose. They were sitting 10th in Serie B. Their form was quite patchy and they were losing against the better teams and getting results from the weaker ones. Our form was still excellent with the only recent loss being the game before to Lecce. I'd like to build tension and say the game was interesting, but it wasn't really! A fairly uninspiring game and you could call it a lucky win: but they were both clear penalties. We can more chances and better possession, so I'd argue that I did deserve to win. Luck was on our side with the two penalties though. Delighted with the win though. A few play-off chasers lost which is encouraging to see, however... It doesn't make much of a difference! We can still finish anywhere between 3rd and 9th, so it's went right down to the final game of the season, which is exciting if not nerve racking! We have it easy, playing now-relegated Varese, but it's always these games against the diddy teams we seem to f**k up against. I should be confident, we're heavy favourites and expecting a bumper crowd of 7,000 people turning up to watch it, but I'm still really unsure about it. I really should be winning this though. Absolutely no doubt. None of the other teams have it as easy as I do, bar Siena who play Modena. I'll be needing a "professional performance" from my team. Come on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurph Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 ...and so the game kicked off. Half time: 0-0. Nothing happened. A little encouragement is needed. GIANNIIIIII!!!!! and that was it. Nothing else really happened. There were a few shots, but that one highlight is all I can really give. Nonetheless. 3 points, and... YAS! Play-offs secured, and regardless what happens in them, a fantastic season for all involved. Because of our win, the other results didn't really matter, but we still managed to finish third which is an excellent achievement in itself, especially given that horrible run of form we had. The change of formation helped a lot, but I also feel it was changing the goalkeeper from Oddo to Polito - who is far more experienced and really did help us, especially when we went four games without conceding. Delighted with the whole squads efforts, of course. The only worrying thing is the lack of goals from the strikers. Libertazzi is still out for a few weeks, Guisti is still young and learning (and on international duty!), Eweka has been sorely disappointing and Monachello hasn't been great either. We'll need to hope for goals from other sources. So aye, the play-offs. "It is well worth noting that Verona have not lost to Pro Vercelli in the last 4 meetings between the two sides" "Verona have not lost to Pro Vercelli in the last 4 meetings between the two sides" "Verona have not lost to Pro Vercelli" Bugger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo Stu Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Reading and enjoying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurph Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 Good to hear! Our previous result against Verona were like so: L2-0 (A) D1-1 (H), L3-1 (A), D0-0 (H). On that basis, I would be delighted with a draw, especially that we're without Civita, Toninho and Guisti for the foreseeable future due to internationals. The game kicked off: MONACHELLO!!!!! His first goal in 20 hours! and half time finish 1-0 to Pro Vercelli. Full time. First win against Hellas Verona in my tenure. Delighted with that. Advantage: Pro Vercelli. Siena beat Torino 1-0 away in the other play-off tie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurph Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 We went into the second leg at home to a sell-out crowd at the Silvio Piola. Verona were still favourites for the match but we had the advantage. At half time Deserved red card for their player which resulted in Eweka's injury. he had to be taken off for Scarabelli - a youth with not must hope. Gianni was also injured in the half so Ledesma came on for him. The second half kicked off. f**k f**k f**k f**k. A simple goal to concede and it should have been avoided. 1-1 on aggregate, both teams with away goals. The game swings to Verona's advantage. Scarabelli nudged in the box. Penalty! PELANTY!!! (Note: it really wasn't a penalty... cheers referee!) Ledesma steps up... YYYEEEESSSSS!!!! LEDESMA!!!! 2-1 on aggregate to Pro Vercelli! Come on! Keep it together! I, understandably, changed my tactics to "DEFEND. JUST FUCKING DEFEND!" as I really couldn't afford to let another goal slip... OFF THE BAR. OFF THE FUCKING BAR! They continued to pile pressure on me and my whole team were just sitting taking it like the little bitches that they are with no intention of attacking. Parking the bus doesn't even cover it. We couldn't concede. Until... The final whistle went. Pro Vercelli 2-1 Hellas Verona. Sheer. Fucking. Elation. It was lucky, that's for sure. It wasn't a penalty. They had a player sent off. They hit the cross bar. They had more opportunities to score and a much higher percentage of possession. But I don't care. We're in the final of the Serie B play-offs against Siena now who beat Torino 3-0 on aggregate (1-0 A, 2-0 H). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Is it bad that this is more interesting than events at the DDS this season? Now none of your 'we're just glad to have made it this far' nonsense, get out there and win it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Gotta know how the playoff final went... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellboy1991 Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Oi Smurph The Bellshill branch of the Pro Vercelli Supporters Association are awaiting an update on the Final. Anxious to book our tickets @The Bigtime!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Lanarkshire Jag Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Smurph has gone to the park to look at boobs. There will be no final update for a while There's a T-shirt at stake for the outcome of the final Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widge Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Smurph has gone to the park to look at boobs. There will be no final update for a while http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif[/ There's a T-shirt at stake for the outcome of the final http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif[/] Pfft at least I'm dedicated to the cause, but ony because I found an extension cord lon enough, I could sit in my garden, with wifi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Lanarkshire Jag Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Pfft at least I'm dedicated to the cause, but ony because I found an extension cord lon enough, I could sit in my garden, with wifi. I tried to use my laptop in the garden, but the glare from the sun was too strong. Any solutions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widge Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 I tried to use my laptop in the garden, but the glare from the sun was too strong. Any solutions? Face it away from the sun. Nah but seriously, I just tilted the screen down slightly and it seemed to be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Lanarkshire Jag Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Face it away from the sun. Nah but seriously, I just tilted the screen down slightly and it seemed to be fine. I tried that The sun in Dunoon must be shinier than the sun in Edinburgh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widge Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 I tried that The sun in Dunoon must be shinier than the sun in Edinburgh That's a possibility I suppose, now we should stop spamming Smurphs thread and I've another update to do, it's a biggie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatwad Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Smurph has gone to the park to look at boobs The key word there being look Cannot believe I made a typo there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurph Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 Thanks for the kind words lads. I'm really glad that you're enjoying it as much as I am. However, it's also put a sort of pressure on me, because if I lose this you're all going to be angry! Siena were the team to play in the play-off final. They haven't lost a game since the very beginning of April, which funnily enough, was against my Pro Vercelli side. They're on a brilliant run of form. The two games I've played at the Artemio Franchi were draws which gives us a bit of hope. Because of the amount of injuries I have, and because the team are absolutely shattered due to playing so many games in such a short space of time, I've had to change the formation to what we previously had and when we were losing left right and centre. Something I never wanted to do, but I really had to. The whistle for the first leg went off: Seven minutes in: GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!! VECCHIONNEEEE!!!!! Oh. He was offside, I guess... The first half finished 0-0. Paghera was shattered, so I put on the reliable Carboni to add a bit of experience, if you will. No other changes bar that. 50 minutes in: The ball comes in... Monchella out of no-where...! GGGGGGGOOOOOOLLLLLLLAAAAAACCCCCIIIIIOOOOOOOO!!! Siena 0-1 Pro Vercelli This actually counted as a Rosso O.G. but it was going in regardless. Come on! However, in the 76th minute... Siena equalised. He shouldn't have got the space in the box to control and finish like that but I think they probably deserved it. Siena 1-1 Pro Vercelli I now set out to defend. I didn't want to concede again and another goal would be lucky given the possession they had. I couldn't let this slip and if we were to walk away with an away goal it would be a very decent result to build on. Young player Scarabelli, on only his second ever appearance for the club, had other ideas... Yes. Free-kick came in, fell in the box, disappeared for a bit amongst the bodies, and Scarabelli tapped it in. Ya beauty. Siena 1-2 Pro Vercelli with five minutes to go. Can we hold on? Of course we can. The final whistle went and the fans in the away end cheered whilst the home fans departed. Pro Vercelli won 2-1 away from home, and had one foot in Serie A... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SodjesSixteenIncher Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Weirdly gripped by this. Mon and get that second leg posted ya dick I find myself too impatient to play through the sort of consolidation/progress seasons you had before this one. I am therefore rather enjoying reading about your monumental rise to (hopefully) the big time. Forza Pro Vercelli! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurph Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 Here goes... As you know, we lead 2-1 from the first leg. A 1-0 Siena win would still see us progress. Any more than that, without reply, would see Siena through. There were no changes to my squad. Alberto Libertazzi was fit and available to play, but despite the fact this would be his last ever game for Pro Vercelli, I couldn't drop Scarabelli after his heroics the game before. It's strange, that. How much you seem to care for virtual players' feelings in a game. He doesn't have a future at the club, in fact I think his contract's out in the summer, but I don't want to hurt the guys feelings after his goal on Wednesday. Anyway, back to business. It's important at the beginning of ANY game to not concede early or make a silly mistake. We don't make it easy for ourselves... Douglas Packer hits in a corner Ferrero headers off the bar! De Paolo... DE PAOLO!!!! GGGOOOOAAAALLL!!! Pro Vercelli 3-1 Siena. Surely that's it. I can't lose now. Half time rolled in so I gave the players a bit of gentle encouragement. Paghera passes to Rosati. Rosati crosses it in to Guisti. Guisti slides it in. GOOOAAAALLLL!!!! (As an aside, the two players - Rosati and Guisti - were the two youngsters I signed in January who wouldn't be featuring much this season. Nice one!) Pro Vercelli 4-1 Siena. There's yer rice. There's yer chicken. There's yer DINNER! And there it is. Pro Vercelli 2-0 Siena (4-1 on aggregate). Therefore, for the first time since 1935, Pro Vercelli are in Serie A - the top flight of Italian football. It's taken five years of me in charge to make this happen and as soon as the final whistle blew in the Silvio Paoli to a sell-out crowd, a tear rolled down my eye. That really shouldn't be happening. Simply, I'm absolutely delighted by this. I didn't even expect to make the play-offs this season, but to actually win them is a phenomenal success. I don't want to dwell on the season too much, but I'll post an update on how the year went (Not that it actually needs one!) f*cking. Yes. Next stop? The Scudetto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Brightside Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Belter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas! I'm having an orange juice in celebration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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