Week 14

Football Academy · Cult Status

Week 14

benjyg · Cult Status

Benjy Resigns as Forest Boss

After the 0-0 draw with Preston this is what Gregory had to say.

Ive decided that know would be the right time to stand down as Notts Forest manager, as i have taken this club as far as i possibly could have.
The getting very fustrating as there are no funds to work with and the lack of talent coming through the youth ranks is embarassing. Working with free transfers and loans is a stalemate the clubs never going to improve this way, for this reason im resigning as manager of Notts forest.
I wish the board and the fans the best of luck in the future.

Football Academy · Cult Status

Allen questions Gregory grit

At the weekend disgruntled Nottingham Forest fans saw their season spiral even lower with the resignation of manager Benjy Gregory out of the blue. Gregory joined from Leicester after a disagreement with the owner Steve Jenkins led to contract problems towards the end of their first season working together. Nottingham Forest chairman Dave Allen has today spoken of his disappointment in Gregory's decision to leave the club.

"We knew Benjy was disappointed with results, so were we. We haven't won in the last 5 games now and have failed to string more than 2 positive results together all season. But realistically we are only 6 points off the play-offs and if he had taken us there we would have been in with a shout and who knows!! If he had taken us up it would have been a huge achievement and something to springboard his career forwards.

No small club at this level has huge funds available or masses of youth players pouring through. But only two types of manager ever manage at this level; the first is the manager who has won everything and chooses to have a challenge, they have a wealth of knowledge and take such a job 100% knowing what to expect. The second is the manager who is lacking in experience or has failed at a higher level. These managers need to prove themselves and don't deserve £50 million or £100 million investment. These managers haven't earnt the right to manage teams full of top quality young players.

Benjy came to us wanting control. He rejected a contract extension at Leicester because he didn't want Juventus loan players. We gave him free reign to sign his own loan players and he's struggled so maybe he threw away a good thing at Leicester. They certainly don't seem to have missed him since and look a completely different team!! We can only hope our club has the same success as them in the seasons after."

Tezza · Cult Status

I am very grateful for the opportunity to publish this regular column for the next few weeks.
This weeks column is a little extended to coincide with its launch. It is my intention to publish in this section a brief summary of the weekends Italian matches. In the Weekender I want it to be of a general nature with a little more discussion.
Italian managers I need your help. If you have any worries, targets or plans you will share with me I could make your team a feature. We need to push this league forward.

SERIE A.

How can a manager less team be going so well people are asking? Possibly the previous manager left or was sacked to soon. Genoa is such a team. They have won their last 6 games and are flying. Abebayor scored twice again on Friday and the future looks very promising. The big test will come on Friday when they meet Palermo, but they could pull it off.
At the other end of the league Empoli are struggling and look certain to drop into Serie B already. They have no points this season and dont look like getting any

Another team making headway is Palermo under Callum Ward. I had the pleasure of taking on Palermo last season at Atalanta and they were well disciplined and looked the part then.
Palermo is giving most sides in this league the run around, scoring 22 goals already. They are good enough to finish second in this league. It just shows the quality when you consider the leap from Serie B, Speaking of teams on the up, Sampdoria are holding the third spot in the league and have just paid 2.5 m for Xhulian Rrudho from Barcelona. On the face of it he looks a bargain at 26 yrs. But Chris Bishop does have a side with 7 players over 30yrs and it could be a problem during the latter stages of the season.

Inter Milan looked a broken side on Friday. They have lost the last 4 matches and I am not sure that they can pull out of the decline. Mark Rollings may have to seek divine intervention to stop the rot.

SERIE B.

Amilcar continues to work hard at Catania and has acquired a 12m fighting fund. At the moment he will sell anything. He offered me half of his catering staff last week. No, I have had dealing with Amilcar and he is a fair trader and genuine manager. He must be watching Jason Brown, the goalkeeper, he looks desperate for some time out. Dani Salas joins the team on loan this week and he looks a very useful right back. They are currently managing 2 points a match.

Napoli had a win on Saturday although it hurts me to mention it. We scored 2 goals in 6 minutes and let them take all three points. They are a side that are improving week on week and will need to be watched in this very tight league. Their only downfall could be the condition of the strike force. Some of the strikers look as though they need a rest. I just wish they had been resting on Friday.

When a team starts to make progress after a very poor start it lifts a Club. drew on Friday and they are looking a lot better of late. Atalanta at last seem to be faltering after many weeks in the top three. I would like to think I had something to do with the success but leaving them may have been the trigger. I still have this ambition to pass them in the league. Their latest form may help me achieve it. To be fair they had a similar problem to Sienas on Friday with the back line being dictated by suspensions.

-- Edited by Football Academy on Tuesday 25th of January 2011 10:08:55 PM

Fletch · Cult Status

Napoli Launch Season 8 Youth Aacademy Bid

See the FA Academy Development Section for full details

-- Edited by Fletch on Wednesday 26th of January 2011 01:03:26 PM

Tezza · Cult Status

Tuesday nights Cup Matches in Italy brought out the best of Italian football. It was a feast and a night to temp those managers playing in the winter back in England, to a climate a little more accommodating. This country is at last waking up to a new era of competitive football. Anyone watching the four games last night couldnt help but feel that they were witnessing the start of something very special.

Palermos season, so far, has been wonderful. With their return this season into Serie A, it is almost as though they have never been away. They did, however look lucky to get past Reggina, another team finding their feet in this league, Reggina seem to have most of the play and must be unlucky not to progress.

Juventus, on the other hand, strolled by Inter Milan with ease, and made the whole thing look like a walk in the park. There is not a lot going against Juventus this year and they should win this competition. But it is not over yet with a couple of teams that have made steady progress throughout the campaign and still believe they can go further.

Joining Juventus and Palermo in the semi-finals is Napoli from Serie B. Napoli managed to beat Empoli, in extra time, on penalties. I must say that there was very little between the two sides on the night. Andy Fletcher is certainly getting the best out of Napoli. They are now on an unbeaten run of 7 matches.

The final team to join the group in the semi-finals is A.C.Milan. A. C. Milan came back in a thriller of a match against Genoa to beat them 3-2. Maxi Rodriguez late goal sealing the result well into the second half.

We are all looking forward to the next round when we will know you will be in the frame for the Italian Trophy.

belizeno · Cult Status

Vasquez humours Manifold, but warns of war to be waged in Artemio Franchi

After reading the columns Vasquez tips his hat to Terry Manifold, claiming he was one of the nicer guys in serie b.

Vasquez' face however seemed to cloud by sheer expression, as he claimed he was preparing for a battle at Sienna home grounds:

"Our 4 match unbeaten streak won't be surrendered easily. My players have set their eyes at victory and are willing to go out there like gladiators of old. I can tell you outrightly.. Catania wants to be the best in serie b, and to be the best we must first beat the best. War is upon Sienna, and what is worst.. it came to their home soil.."

Tezza · Cult Status

ITALIAN TRANSFER NEWS

The Transfer window is now closed again and you have to feel sorry for Amilcar
  at Catania who was very keen to sign the Brazilian CM Morias for 4.5m. Palermo
  came in with a late bid of 5m and scooped the player. As if that wasn't bad
enough, his bid of 7m for the Argentinean Belluschi also failed at the last minute.
The only good thing to be said about it is they will not be playing against me in
  Serie B.

So Palermo scooped both players and could well be looking to sell someone to recoup some of the money. It is a hard world and you have to feel sorry for the lower Clubs who can find success a very difficult process.

Juventus have successfully signed two 24 year old players from the Arab Emirates. Valdivia has been watched for a long time now and plays on the right wing and Pisculichi is a very promising left winger. Juventus have seen their transfer budget drop by 15m. Not bad for a Friday afternoon.

-- Edited by Tezza on Friday 28th of January 2011 09:51:59 PM

-- Edited by Tezza on Friday 28th of January 2011 09:55:50 PM

belizeno · Cult Status

Vasquez furious at unfair activity in foreign player market

Tezza · Cult Status

Week 14