Tetradeca-gone (in sixty years) - The Ballad of Steven Smith

August



Where do I start?

Friendly-wise, we had some tough games. Wigan Sochaux and Mallorca are all above our level, so for them to beat us wasn't exactly the end of the world. No, that particular event was still to come. We got our first win of pre-season in the wrecking derby that is the qualifying rounds of the Italian Cup. We beat Virtus Entella 3-1 to book a tie against Torino, and then followed up with another friendly win against Alto Adige. Then came our first test - Torino in the cup. It was a test we conclusively failed, finding ourselves on the end of a 5-2 defeat. A 6-0 win in our final friendly against minnows Villongo did not have the effect I had hoped for, because in our first two Serie B games, we were beaten badly. 4 goals scored was good, 9 goals conceded was very bad.

September



September was a bit better. We found our feet well after losing our third in three games, ending up taking eight points from the next four. A great fightback from the side. We were unlucky not to get all the points against Juve Stabia and Bologna, but I'll definitely take a point.



We stuttered at the start, but we're on the board now. Just need to keep things tight and hope we can push on.

October



More points added to the board, but early relegation strugglers Vicenza and Viareggio beat us. In a league where head to head goes above goal difference in sorting league positions, being defeated by your relegation rivals is doubly crippling. Hopefully we don't come to regret that at the end of the season.

November



A good month. Not great, but good. We got revenge on Torino for them mauling us in the cup, and picked up priceless points against Latina and Sorrento, but to see Pro Vercelli beat us so easily was really a sobering experience. They were in Serie C1 with us when I got the Como job, and to see them light years ahead of us in terms of quality is tough to take. Much improvement is needed.



We're holding our position, but it's not really a position you want to be in at this stage. The teams below us are catching up, and it's going to be a long hard season.

December



Our tiny squad had held firm for months, but in December we looked down and stared into the gaping abyss. Four defeats in four games, and only one solitary goal scored. If alarm bells weren't ringing before, now the team is heading for the lifeboats. We have to get a reaction in January or we are going down, possibly taking my job with it.



Only out of the relegation zone on head to heads. Without some results in January we won't stay like that much longer.

Now I could have taken it month by agonising month in the rest of the season, but unfortunately I got carried away in the abject misery of it all and played on. As a result, you'll get the rest of the season in one big lump. Lump of what? See for yourself...



I could hold you in suspense, but I think from that list of results, you can tell what happened



Relegated.

It wasn't even close in the end. January and February saw a revival of sorts as we picked up eleven points out of a possible eighteen. We started off March by drawing with Crotone, but from then on look at that run. We stole a point against Spezia and Cittadella, but in the other twelve matches, we lost every single one of them. Absolutely dreadful, and there was just nothing I could do to halt the slide. I tried being nice to the players, I tried going balls out insane at them. I tried changing the formation, and then changing the players. Not one thing worked, and Como will be playing in Serie C next season. Will I be managing them though?

Looks like my job is safe for now. The board are understandably unhappy about the league campaign, but I've just about survived it. One thing is for sure though - if we don't get promoted this season, it'll be just about curtains for me, and not far off it for the club itself. Financially, we need Serie B money.

Also, with great relegation comes great unrest...



I'll go on record as saying that none of these players will be leaving if I have anything to do with it. I know how they're feeling, and I understand, I just don't support it. I'll pretend I didn't hear them for a while and see if I can keep them here. Promotion is now even more important, or these players will most definitely go.

Finances



Sponsorship is understandably down, and we will have no TV deal.



That obviously led to our budget being cut, but it's not as bad as it could've been. I can work with that for now.

Transfers





(the eagle eyed amongst you will notice that the transfers for this season are the same as last - I put in the wrong screenshot for the last update, so these are the correct transfers for this season)

Now this is more like it. Apart from a few worrying friendly defeats and an absolute drubbing by Empoli in the cup (which I'm used to by now), we had a perfect start to the season. Amazingly, our defence seems to be holding up too, which is something I never thought I'd say about Como. The stats don't lie though - in competitive games, barring the Italian Cup, we have conceded seven goals in seven games. Might not seem like something to shout about, but coming from a team who delights in scoring five, but only because the opposition has got four, it's quite something. When we're also averaging around three goals a game when you include all games so far, we're looking good for a quick return to Serie B.



Amazing to say, but I don't want to be here come the end of the season. A play-off is not something I'd look forward to, so we need to keep the pressure up on Varese and hope for the title. Win our game in hand and we'll be top.

This team never ceases to amaze and frustrate me. We put ourselves ina fantastic position with our early results, but if you take out our Serie C cup win against Foggia, October was all about caring, sharing and drawing. Three varying draws, a 1-1, a 2-2 and a 3-3 for the neutrals, but none of the sides involved would be entirely happy with the results. Except possibly the Bologna game. They are emerging as one of the title challengers, so to draw 3-3 with them is probably a good result - we really need to beat them in my eyes though - our goal difference is probably not going to be great come the end of the season, so beating them early on gives us a good chance on head to head. We couldn't do that, and had to settle for a point, and fall further behind Varese in the race.



Bologna steal a march on us, but it's Varese who can breathe easy. They're seven points ahead of us, albeit with a game in hand, and they're the ones to beat this time round. We face them next month in what will be a crunch game.

Serie C1/A



What has twenty-two feet and a pissed off manager? Como. At least for a few days in January. We once again dropped two points to a team we really needed to beat when we visited Varese. It's far from worst case scenario, but a double from my new best friend Vitale couldn't get us the three points. We remain seven adrift, and need to pick our form up if we don't want that to number to grow.

Luckily, for the rest of November, the squad jsut about remembered how to chase a title. Pavia, Carpi and Treviso fell, but those results sandwiched a disappointing defeat to Padova.



A big December is coming up. If we can go into the Winter break close to the top two, we stand every chance, but at the moment they just look too good.

Serie C Cup







We negotiated our way to the semi-finals of the Serie C cup with little bother, winning all four games. I would really love to win the trophy as if all goes well I won't ever be back to this level - this year hopefully represents my final chance to win it.

Could've been worse. We remain unbeaten, but a win instead of the draw at Cuneo would have been priceless



We end 2031 in a positive position. I need to remember that we have only lost one single game so far, and we're past the halfway point. That's a fantastic record so far. Unfortunately, we've drawn five, and the teams above us have been far more consistent. I wait patiently for Varese to slip up and start losing games.

The three teams are far and away the favourites for the title - we're eight clear of the nearest rivals in fourth, so it's well and truly a three horse race at this stage.

With 2032 upon us, we didn't really have much of a break to speak of. A couple of weeks is your lot, so on the 4th of January we were back in action, determined to grab that title.



We started off sluggishly with a 1-0 win away to Castiglione, with Daniel Ricci the only scorer. We then threw that all away with a 3-2 defeat away to Venezia. It feels like we're slowly watching the league slip out of our hands. Things got slightly better with a 4-1 win at Real Spal, but once again we dropped points in a thrilling 4-4 draw to Portogruaro.



Despite having a less than perfect month, it looked like we weren't alone. Varese lost twice, and Bologna dropped points too. We now sit six points behind Bologna at the top, and suddenly the race is back on.

Buoyed by new hope in the title race, we stepped out against Carrarese and absolutely smashed them. Arcangelo Vitale was in imperious form once again, scoring a hat-trick. A week later he added another to help us beat Reggiana. However, to make it three out of three, we would have to beat table-toppers Bologna. A massive, massive game, but unfortunately we weren't up to it. We were pretty dreadful to be honest, losing 2-0 and never really having a sniff.



That final game has pretty much ended our hopes of the title. Bologna would have to have quite a collapse to lose it now, and we'll probably struggle to haul back Varese too. It's all about ensuring we make the play-offs now, anything else is a bonus.

March



We postponed the inevitable with a 2-0 win at Alto Adige, but when we came up against Varese things were well and truly decided as we crashed to a 3-2 defeat. It was hard to take, as we played far better in that game than we had against Bologna. We still ended up with the same number of points though, and the morale was sapped as we slumped to a 1-1 draw in our final league game of the month.

Of course, the result against Varese probably wasn't helped by being thumped by Sorrento in the first leg of the Serie C Cup Semi-final. It made our job in the 2nd leg pretty much impossible, and a 1-0 win was not enough.



Bologna and Varese will fight it out for the title and both have secured a play-off place well ahead of time. We should secure ours with a win in the next match.

April and May



A good April secured our play-off spot with games to spare. We struggled to keep a clean sheet once again, but we were scoring for fun.

But then came the play-offs. In the form we were in, we could expect to have a ridiculously high scoring tie, but in the end, we managed a pair of clean sheets in the semis against Reggiana. We then went into a very predictable final against Varese, and I was absolutely bricking it. We hadn't beaten them all season, and now it was even more important to get a result. We managed another clean sheet, but in a very rare occurrence the match finished 0-0. The second leg was finely poised, but we won through 2-1 after Arcangelo Vitale signed off on his loan spell by firing us into Serie B once again. Love that guy.



Varese almost threw away their second place in the end, and we finished only a point behind. We were a massive eight ahead of Reggiana, and after the performance against Varese in the play-offs, I think we deserve our place in Serie B.

International Job



My ill-fated month with Tonga didn't quite put me off the Oceana region, so I return there to manage Fiji. There's an outside chance of glory with them, but if not it'll do until the New Zealand job comes up.

Como

Awards



Four of our players in the team of the year, and have to say it's deserved. Our central defensive pairing made it in, as well as Arcangelo Vitale and our goalkeeper. Well deserved.



Happy to be nominated for manager of the year, but interesting to see that the title winning Bologna manager wasn't. Varese manager ended up winning it, and that's a bit surprising too considering he oversaw a ridiculous collapse to throw away the league title and then lost the promotion play-off. Each to their own.



On-loan Vitale just missed out on player of the year, but Pintus of Bologna ended up far better, scoring a ridiculous amount of goals on his way to the title. Happy to lose to that.



Good to know the board are behind me. Hopefully we don't see Serie C again. Ever.

Finances



More money in sponsorship for the coming season. Not much more, but it'll all add up.



Slightly improved budget, but since I've installed a revolving door for people leaving and arriving at the club, we'll end up with decent room for improvement.

Transfers






Just five players in this time around - we brought a good amount of money in from sales and co-ownerships, but once again we're over-budget. It's another risky move and one that will backfire if we don't survive.

As you can see, I got carried away again, but not sure why with those results. We started off the season with a few friendlies and the now customary humbling in the Italian Cup. Albino Leffe were this years victors, running out 2-0 winners in the 3rd qualifying round. When we started the league proper, in the first two games we looked like a fairly competent side, picking up four points. A 4-2 defeat by Novara didn't seem to affect us too much as we won the next two, crucially keeping two clean sheets.

The Viareggio result was a bad one though - they are usually around the bottom of the table, so to lose to them is a big blow. We bounced back well enough though, thumping another basement dweller Cittadella 4-0. The next few weeks were not so good. We started with a draw against high-flyers Bologna, but then went on a four match losing run. We halted that with a 1-0 win at Benevento and a 1-1 draw at Verona, but the damage was already done.



We're in not too bad a position. We're almost a third of the way through the season and sitting in mid-table. Would be delighted if we ended up here at the end of the season

First up this month, quite a milestone reached in this career.



1000 games. Doesn't seem like that much really - it's gone fairly quickly. Hopefully by the time I reach 2000, I've won everything I need to win...

In worse news, the board decided to cut the wage budget for the club, despite already being over the original mark.



We're now around 12k over-budget.

Serie B



A terrible month adds to a dismal recent period of time for the club. Three goals scored, eleven conceded and just a single point achieved. Sure two of the teams were pushing for the title, but we didn't look like we had any fight in us. It's very worrying at this stage of the season.



Now just two points above the relegation zone. Just above the abyss...

December



For December, I tried something new tactically. I withdrew our advanced wingers, turning our formation into a very deep 4-2-3-1. It would isolate our striker, but playing on the counter I hoped it would shore up our defence and hopefully yield some narrow victories. In our first match, I have to say we were absolutely amazing. Taranto just couldn't cope with our attack, even if my aim of shoring up defensively went out the window. At 2-2 we scored two fantastic counter-attacking goals, the first coming from a move that crossed the whole pitch. Schwabl started it from two yards away from his own byline and then charged up the pitch to head in from five yards. A magical goal, and one I Hoped would kick-start the season.

Unfortunately, I was wrong, as in the very next game - a must-win against relegation strugglers Spezia - we were absolutely dreadful. My amazing new tactics looked just like my old terrible ones, and we slumped to a 3-0 defeat. A 2-2 draw against Crotone was hard fought, but any momentum was thrown away with another collapse against Virtus.



A terrible month, and we're now only out of the relegation zone on head-to-head against Bologna. Half-way home, and that home looks like it might be Serie C.

January 2032

When January arrived, we badly needed a kick up the arse. If we kept up the form we had managed since October, we would be down by Easter. I took advantage of the small break to play a couple of friendlies and bring the morale up as best I could.



They went according to plan, 9 goals scored and 2 conceded against lower league opposition. It looked like my plan may have worked when we returned to league duty with a 1-0 win against Latina. Novara had other ideas in our final game of January, beating us by the same scoreline.



Those three points were priceless to keep our heads just above water.

March 2032



This is what it feels like to be without a win in two months. We did pick up six points with some hard fought draws - and matches that would probably have been great for the neutral - but for Como fans it was grim viewing.



We've been threatening it all season, but by the end of March we were stone dead last. Eight games to go, and it's hard to see a way out of this.

April 2032

We had to do something. We were bottom of the table at the end of March, and we didn't have much time to save ourselves. We faced Verona at the start of April knowing we needed a win more than anything.



And we got it. The 81st minute winner by Thomas Adam could be worth so much by the end of the season. We followed it up with another two draws, but that meant we remained unbeaten that month. We had also held the league leaders away from home. That gave us confidence going into a crunch five games.



Those three games lifted us off the bottom by four points. Quite a difference between the table now and the one at the start of the month. We sit four ahead of the relegation zone and can smell safety. Crucially though, we're five away from a position that wouldn't require us to face a relegation play-off. I really don't want to do that.

Five games to save our season, and possibly my job.

So it comes down to this. Just five games.

Here's the run-ins of my four rivals...




To put a bit of context into things, Viareggio have a tough run-in, playing teams from the top half of the table mainly. Virtus Lanciano have it slightly easier, as they face Spezia and Crotone in their five. Crotone and Spezia share the accolade of the easiest run-in, as they both play us, Virtus and also each other. The fixture list could not really have got any better for anyone who isn't Viareggio, could it?

Match-day 38



The momentum is with Virtus as they dispatch Sassuolo ruthlessly by four goals to two. Wonderful performance by them as they bid to make the jump out of the relegation zone. We managed a 0-0 draw against Vicenza which would've been poor if it wasn't for Spezia and Viareggio both losing out. Crotone were later thumped 5-1 by Parma to make it an even better day.



Status: Relegation Play-off

Virtus will fancy their chances of catching us, but we also have our eyes on Crotone. We still have them to play as well...

Match-day 39



The first of the huge relegation six-pointers happened in the 39th round of the league with Virtus once again the winners. Spezia are now staring down the barrel of relegation with only three to go. With Crotone and ourselves up next, six points are a must. We managed another creditable draw, but at this stage, even one point against second placed Parma isn't quite enough. Viareggio breathed some life into bottom spot with a scrappy win at home to Benevento and Crotone lost again, this time to Taranto.



Status: Relegated

Virtus had their eye on us, and now they've passed us thanks to their head-to-head record. We're six ahead of Spezia below us, which is far from an insurmountable obstacle. This one is going right down to the wire.


Match-day 40



Viareggio pretty much confirmed their relegation with a defeat in this round, but it was elsewhere the excitement really happened. Spezia won a priceless three points from Crotone, but their celebrations were cut short as they found out that even after throwing away a 3-1 lead, we had won our game 4-3. Ooft.



Status: Relegation Play-off

A huge result for us, but probably a huger one for Spezia as they keep the dream alive. They face us in the next round, and if they win that they will be close to survival. Virtus played the next day, knowing what they needed to do. Unfortunately, they couldn't do it.



Match-day 41



Already relegated Viareggio decided they better start playing in this round, and ended up taking three points off Champions-Elect Sampdoria. It may have been a result that meant little to either team, but a great result nonetheless. Again though, the excitement was a few places higher. A double relegation six pointer. Crotone faced off against Virtus knowing that a win would probably give them a play-off place and stave off relegation for at least two more games. They could only draw though, keeping Virtus in the drop-zone going into the final round, and leaving Crotone with the spectre of relegation still looming over them. The big result is at the top though - Spezia destroyed us at the worst possible time. Not much to say about the game really.



So there we have it. We head into the final game of the season with two relegation spots still up for grabs. Both ourselves and Crotone could still grab that crucial 17th position as well, which would save the dread of a relegation play-off. All to play for.

So here's the table going into the final run of games. There are all kinds of permutations, but it looks like we're the worse off.

Viareggio - Relegated, will finish bottom
Spezia - A win could see them into the play-off, providing Como lose. They cannot catch Crotone without a seventeen goal swing
Como - A win would see them into the play-offs at least, and a Bologna defeat would see them safe. If Virtus better their result, they will be relegated
Crotone - A win or a draw would see them into the play-offs. They cannot catch Bologna (head-to-head).
Virtus - Win at all costs, and hope that Como lose to Crotone.

Pretty simple really - Viareggio have nothing to play for, Spezia and Virtus have to win and Crotone just need a draw. We stand to lose the most, and it's a good old fashioned six-pointer against Crotone. Lovely.



It was tense. Oh God, it was tense. When Virtus scored in the 2nd minute, it got even more tense. They would now be safe, pushing us down into the relegation zone. Then Spezia took the lead also. Worst case scenario. If we were to be beaten, we would need both games back in our favour before our scoreline even mattered. We were locked at 0-0 which suited Crotone down to the ground. All three games stayed that way until the second half began, and then everyone decided they would start doing something.

Relegated: Viareggio, Spezia, Como

In the 51st minute at Napoli, the home team equalised against Virtus. Any celebration on our part was short lived though, as Crotone took the lead in our game. Nightmare scenario. Virtus were still safe with a draw, but one more goal for Napoli and they would be on their way down.

Relegated: Viareggio, Spezia, Como

Sure enough, the 54th minute arrived, and Napoli had their second in five minutes. Spezia rejoice, Virtus in trouble.

Relegated: Viareggio, Virtus, Como

But then an amazing turn of events at Spezia as they let in an equaliser. Rughetti for Latina breaks Spezia hearts and sends them back down into the relegation zone. It's also fantastic news for us.

Relegated: Viareggio, Virtus, Spezia

Fantastic news got even better two minutes later as Le Goff slid in to equalise for Como. A point grabbed wouldn't change our position, but it would solidify our play-off position - provided Spezia and Virtus had no more surprises left.

Relegated Viareggio, Virtus, Spezia

Napoli put the game beyond doubt in the 59th minute by scoring their third in a crazy eight minute spell to well and truly send Virtus down to Serie C. We were celebrating, but only a minute later at our game, Crotone scored their second. We were now just a Spezia goal (or unlikely Virtus comeback) away from everything changing.

Four minutes later it got worse, Crotone extended their lead to 3-1 and then ten minutes later it was 4-1. We were falling apart, and even if there was no Spezia goal, this was the team we would be facing off against in the play-off. This was getting embarassing. In amongst that, Virtus went 4-1 down, and the white flag came out.

The minutes ticked on, and Spezia could not find that decisive goal. The final whistle blew, and we were safe, at least until the play-off.



A crazy afternoon of football, and really we've just been saved by Latina and Napoli. They kept us up there, because we did nothing to help ourselves.

Would anyone fancy facing Crotone again just a week after a 4-1 mauling? We had to.

One of these teams would be heading down into the cold, dark abyss of Serie C, and one would be remaining in the relative warmth of Serie B.



After that performance, it's odds on to be Crotone raking in that TV money. An insipid performance that typifies our season. We managed a good deal more possession than Crotone, but we didn't really do anything with it. Was it any wonder we lost in the end? Our home leg has now been and gone, and we lost it. We now have to go to Crotone's ground and hope for a miracle. I mean, who could believe we can...



Oh. Fair enough then.

This team continues to surprise me, and continues to lift themselves for play-offs. We took the lead twice through Charly Schwabl and then second-half sub Jean-Claude Le Goff, but we were pegged back both times. It began to look like it wasn't going to be our day or year, but then the Frenchman popped up with a second to put us ahead on the night and level in the tie. Crotone searched for a winner, but it was Davide Bonnesso who scored it, putting us 4-3 up and keeping us safe for one more year.

Como, eh?

I'll halt updating until tomorrow now to give people a chance to read - I've put quite a lot on today. Still far behind where I'm at in the game, as we've just reached 2047, so still plenty of thrills, spills, chills and bills to come.