Career Twenty-five Dolphins

[Seth Anacondas]

Humans perceive dolphins to be friendly and amenable. Twenty-five dolphins charging at a human as though said human were a fish, however...

Despite being home to some of the biggest names in Italian football, Pescara have been something of a minnow in calcio. The team's best showing in Serie A came in the 1987-88 season, where they avoided relegation by one point. Needless to say they have been relegated in every other season and 2016-17 looks to be a continuation of this infamous tradition. Before Valentine's Day 2017, The Dolphins mustered a total of one victory, awarded to them after their opponents Sassuolo fielded an illegal player. While things have gotten somewhat better since then, avoiding relegation is still a massive challenge for the team from Abruzzo.

The Career

I will attempt to turn Pescara into a global powerhouse, which is the most generic of generic goals. This however will be done with a twist. I will build my team in accordance to Serie A squad rules, which have not been coded into FMM17.

The rules are as follows:

• Squad cap of 25 (Players aged 22 and above)
• Of these, 4 must be association-trained (Attached to any Italian club for a minimum of 3 years before turning 21)
• Another 4 must be club trained (Attached to Pescara for a minimum of 3 years before turning 21)
• Only 2 non-EU nationals allowed.
• No non-EU nationals can be signed on loan. They must be contracted to the club for at least 3 years.
• No poaching of non-EU youth. (Osimhen etc)

The Team

Association-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Nicola Leali (Juventus)
• Francesco Zampano (Entella)
• Cristiano Biraghi (INTER)
• Michele Fornasier (Sampdoria)
• Simone Pepe (Roma)
• Ledian Memushaj (Sarzanese)
• Valerio Verre (Roma)
• Luca Forte (Varese)
• Alessandro Crescenzi (Roma)
• Paolo Faragò (Novara)
• Bryan Cristante (loan) (Milan)
• Gianluca Caprari (loan) (Roma)

Club-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Davide Vitturini
• Lorenzo Paolucci
• Marco Perrotta
• Francesco Karkalis
• Gaston Brugman
• Ransford Selasi (loaned out) - will count to the tally from 2017-18 onwards

Others 

• Hugo Campagnaro (EU National, secondary nation Italy)
• Ahmed Benali (EU National, secondary nation England)
• Felipe Avenatti (EU National, secondary nation Spain)
• Callum Paterson (Scotland)
• Norbert Gyomber (loan) (Slovakia)
• Alexandru Mitrita (Romania)
• Ricardo Barros (Portugal)
• Alessandro Micai (Italy) *

* According to Wikipedia, Micai was unable to finish his apprenticeship at Mantova as the club dissolved. 

The Tactic

Next up: First Waves

[Rjgreeno]

Will definitely be following this career sticking to rules will make it interesting

[BatiGoal]

I like this. Interesting. Looking forward to your first waves.

[veerus]

On the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel, New York, wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons.

[Ashez]

Good luck  

[Real_Random]

Good luck mate, this career looks very interesting.

[Seth Anacondas]

Thanks one and all for the massive support. With that, let's go straight into Season 1 of our adventure...

Season 1: First Waves

"Crazy Singaporean" Back For Second Slice of Tiramisu

In a shocking twist of events, Pescara announced Singaporean Seth Anacondas as Massimo Oddo's replacement for the 2016-17. The World Cup winner had taken the reins just two months ago, but was advised to step down by owner Daniele Sebastiani. Sebastiani denied rumours of a Delfini ultra-cum-seer predicting calamity striking Pescara, reportedly including angry dolphins setting fire to the owner's property. 

Furthermore, the new manager had invited police interrogation during his time with Carpi FC due to accusations of necrophilia. Despite successfully convincing Italian authorities that Akame ga Kill is purely fictional (and surprisingly good), Carpi decided to take action after some youth players were found to be worshipping Aerith from FF7.

Despite the bizzare nature of the appointment, Seth quickly got to work, most notably bringing in Callum Paterson from Hearts for a fee of £2.2 million and Nicola Leali from Juventus for £1.7 million. In a somewhat welcome development, these signings provided Pescara with the best defence in the league, though this was coupled with the worst attack. 

Thus in January the decision was made to bring in two non-EU talent from Boca. Though fans were initially sceptical, Marcelo Meli and Andrés Chávez soon won over the fans with their performances. 

On a sadder note, the arrival of the Boca contingent signified curtains for veterans Ledian Memushaj and Hugo Campagnaro. The captain had struggled and lost his place to loanee Bryan Cristante while Campagnaro was similarly displaced by club-trained prospect Davide Vitturini.

Echoing the nature of events off the pitch, the Dolphins had moments to remember and forget in equal measure. A superb 6-1 defeat of Fiorentina sparked wild celebrations, only for the Delfini to be hit with a harsh dose of reality.

Pescara went winless and goalless in the next 5 matches, putting paid to hopes of a surprise European spot. Nevertheless, Pescara fans will be quietly delighted with a club record finish of 8th, the Delfini never in danger of going down.

Pescara are also pleased to announce that alumnus Massimiliano Allegri has led Juventus to yet another scudetto.

Callum Paterson was the fans' Player Of The Season, beating out competition from Valerio Verre and Francesco Zampano. The Scotsman finished second-highest scorer and won an astounding 8 Man Of The Match awards.

Given how the season started, Delfini fans are in dreamland thanks to the performances of twenty-five brave dolphins... and one felon.

Next up: O Felon, Our Felon

 

Association-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Nicola Leali (Juventus)
• Francesco Zampano (Entella)
• Cristiano Biraghi (INTER)
• Michele Fornasier (Sampdoria)
• Simone Pepe (Roma)
• Valerio Verre (Roma)
• Luca Forte (Varese)
• Alessandro Crescenzi (Roma)
• Paolo Faragò (Novara)

Club-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Davide Vitturini
• Lorenzo Paolucci
• Marco Perrotta
• Francesco Karkalis
• Gaston Brugman
• Ransford Selasi (loaned out) - will count to the tally from 2017-18 onwards

Non-EU professionals (max. 2)

• Marcelo Meli
• Andrés Chávez

Other professionals (max. 17)

• Ahmed Benali (EU National, secondary nation England)
• Felipe Avenatti (EU National, secondary nation Spain)
• Callum Paterson (Scotland)
• Alexandru Mitrita (Romania)
• Ricardo Barros (Portugal)
• Alessandro Micai (Italy) *

* According to Wikipedia, Micai was unable to finish his apprenticeship at Mantova as the club dissolved. 

[Sousa_XI]

Very good season for a pescara and nice career.  Well organised ..  Keep it up mate 

[Seth Anacondas]

Season 2: O Felon, Our Felon

Storm Before The Calm

Despite an encouraging first season with the man named after marine mammal, Pescara fans were worried. Was their manager making an early exit? Was their manager taking the reins at Accrington Stanley? Was their manager leaving the industry to pursue an acting career?

Fortunately, the notoriously unreliable Singaporean was settled in eastern Rome. (He had to, the mental asylum was the best alternative) In ambitious fashion Pescara swooped upon the relegated trio of Cagliari, Crotone and (shockingly) Sassuolo. Purchases from old friends SLB and a certain red-and-white tsundere made for solid summer business. In the winter, Rick Karsdorp came in for a club-record fee.

At the exit door, Brugman and Benali were shown the way to Loftus Road after some mediocre performances for £8 Million.

Playing Karsdorp in the central attacking midfield role would be the most interesting occurence all season, and it was not for the lack of trying from our twenty-five Dolphins. Teams below us were generally defeated efficiently, apart from a few bogey teams (Genoa and Chievo come to mind).

Challenging the top teams proved largely disappointing. Despite the team's best efforts, Juventus walked away with the full six points while encounters with the other elite proved as frustrating. Tensions boiled over when a late stoppage time goal robbed us of victory against Roma. The manager's reaction summed it up: morose, understated, lacking as firemen all over Abruzzo dared not to sleep.

Gutted. We had the head-to-head advantage over Milan too... 

On a more positive note, our Player of the Season was a constant bright spark in an unspectacular season. 

That man is Valerio Verre, whose performances will see him in Russia as Italy seek national glory.

Andrés Chávez is rather unlucky to miss out. In a relatively injury-free season, the 27-year-old scored on 19 occasions and had 7 Man of the Matches. While inconsistency remains and issue, Chávez has undoubtedly been instrumental in attack.

All in all, this proved to be another decent season. With Europe on the cards, we hope our gaffer is able to travel. He may be a felon, but he is our felon.

Next up: Three or Tree?

Squad report

Association-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Nicola Leali (Juventus)
• Francesco Zampano (Entella)
• Cristiano Biraghi (INTER)
• Michele Fornasier (Sampdoria)
• Simone Pepe (Roma)
• Valerio Verre (Roma)
• Luca Antei (Roma)
• Luca Forte (Varese)
• Giuseppe De Luca (Varese)
• Andrea Barberis (Varese)
• Alessandro Crescenzi (Roma)
• Paolo Faragò (Novara)

Club-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Davide Vitturini
• Lorenzo Paolucci
• Marco Perrotta
• Ransford Selasi

Non-EU professionals (max. 2)

• Marcelo Meli
• Andrés Chávez

Youth prospects (18-21, must be Italian, registration not compulsory)

• Nicolo Barella (Cagliari), demoted for poor attitude in training
• Federico Pelosi (Napoli)

Other professionals (max. 17)

• Felipe Avenatti (EU National, secondary nation Spain)
• Callum Paterson (Scotland)
• Alexandru Mitrita (Romania)
• Pelé (Portugal)
• Rick Karsdorp (Holland)
• Alessandro Micai (Italy) *

* According to Wikipedia, Micai was unable to finish his apprenticeship at Mantova as the club dissolved. 

 

• 
   

Edited February 27, 2017 by Seth Anacondas
Formatting

[BatiGoal]

Unlucky to miss out on the CL spot but still a good season. Keep those dolphins moving forward

[salohcin]

Always great to see a fellow singaporean here and juz caught up with this! Great job there with the dolphins! Excited for the nxt update alr!

[Seth Anacondas]

Season 3: Three or Tree?

Dolphins Invade Europe

For Pescara, talk of relegation has all but dissipated, with a fish-placed, I mean fifth-placed finish sending supporters into dreamland. Now Sebastiani wanted more: no less than European Qualification would do. We have seen Sassuolo suffer a swift fall from grace after attaining European football - now punters everywhere were tipping us to replace them...

Not the greatest of transfer business. The 'Crazy Singaporean' did most of his business in the second tier (Even Michele Somma was originally from Brescia Calcio) We are chuffed that Poli has come home, but apart from Daniele Verde on a free, this was a low-key window for the Dolphins.

Also the gaffer apparently rates two of our 'Young Dolphin' goalkeepers. Pranovi is fine, but Donatello is clearly not as good as his brother.

The drama involved the departures as Luca Forte went to Carpi in exchange for Kevin Lasagna (so much for hating us, Carpi). The young prospect clearly deserved better, hopefully Kevin pulls rabbits out of a hat for us... We also bid farewell to fan favourite Simone Pepe, who left in exchange for the 'Lower League Messi' Fernando Forestieri. Again we hope Fernando grabs his chance at the top. Most of all, we hope the manager hasn't lost the plot.

Dolphins in Europe

Spoiler

A pair of victories over the CR7 creators sees us top a relatively straightforward group.

Where we meet SLB. What brilliant luck. Never mind, Pele's brace against his former club proves crucial. By no means an easy feat.

And we promptly bottled it against Mainz.

What about the league?

So this happened...

Then this happened...

So how badly did we do?

Not too bad, just have to get one point from Napoli at our own stadium. Oh, and Juventus have a much easier final day, so Napoli must win to secure Champions Cup football...

(The frail narrator fainted shortly after realising his beloved Pescara had a shot at the scudetto. Normal service will resume: with a live commentary of the Pescara-Napoli clash.)

 

[BatiGoal]

On 5/3/2560 at 21:17, Seth Anacondas said:

Not too bad, just have to get one point from Napoli at our own stadium. Oh, and Juventus have a much easier final day, so Napoli must win to secure Champions Cup football...

(The frail narrator fainted shortly after realising his beloved Pescara had a shot at the scudetto. Normal service will resume: with a live commentary of the Pescara-Napoli clash.)

Come on now give us the final match already. You can't lose it now.

BTW very decent run in Europe, little unlucky vs Mainz. Now make it up by winning the Serie A. Go Dolphins!

[Rjgreeno]

Looking forward to the next update 

[Ashez]

You can do it! 

[Seth Anacondas]

7.03pm Hello, and welcome to Sports Mammal's live coverage of the title decider in Serie A between Pescara and Napoli.
 
7.06pm From relegation to the Champions Cup, it has been something of a fairy tale for Eastern Rome Pescara. They just need a draw in front of their home fans to win their first scudetto, which will also be manager Common Dolphin's first scudetto.
The Singaporean manager is a colourful character, taking up his current pseudonym to show his affection for the club.

7.09pm As for Napoli, it is all business. The Partenopei are hanging on to the fourth and final Champions Cup place for dear life. Juventus are just one point shy of the Naples side. If the Old Lady make beat their opponents as expected, Napoli will need all three points to secure Champions Cup football.

7.13pm Anyway, without further ado, let's crack on with the team news. These two teams know one another very well. Will either side make changes for this crucial clash?

7.15pm PESCARA XI: Leali, Zampano, Fornasier, Antei, Biraghi, Politano, Mitrita, Meli, Pelé, Karsdorp, Forestieri
 
7.16pm PESCARA SUBSTITUTES: Faggiano, Vitturini, Crescenzi, Paterson, Selasi, Pellegrini, Verre, De Luca, Chávez
 
7.17pm NAPOLI XI: Rafael, Hysaj, Strinic, Goldaniga, Chiriches, Zielinski, Diawara, Brandt, Ziyech, Roberto Insigne, Zapata
 
7.18pm NAPOLI SUBSTITUTES: Sepe, Tonelli, Luperto, Semedo, Grassi, El Kaddouri, Dezi, Gabbiadini, Milik
 
7.21pm The East Romans have made three changes to their lineup. Alexandru Mitrita has been provided with a role in the starting XI, while Marcelo Meli and Fernando Forestieri come in for Valerio Verre and Kevin Lasagna respectively. Andres Chávez has recovered from injury and the top scorer will be on the bench.
 
7.25pm Napoli have opted to start Roberto Insigne, the brother of Real Madrid star Lorenzo. Arkadiusz Milik drops to the bench. In defence, Vlad Chiriches replaces Ruben Semedo.
 
7.29pm These two teams have had quite the rivalry. A clash in an Italian Cup Quarter Final ended in a 1-0 victory to the visitors, but Mitrita is the only survivor from that Pescara team. The match winner that day was Julian Brandt, and the young winger will be hoping to fire Napoli to the Champions Cup tonight.
 
7.39pm Despite the hype Brandt is nowhere near the top assist maker in Serie A. That would be Rick Karsdorp, who has 15 assists already. That's nearly twice as many as his Napoli counterpart Piotr Zielinski, who has eight.

1 min Napoli get us underway.

Spoiler

 

1 min And what a chance for the visitors already! Luca Antei's poor clearance finds Amadou Diawara at the edge of the box, but he shoots straight at Leali. The nerves are already getting to Pescara!

16 min Pescara have been struggling to create anything in the final third. Politano forces a superb save from Rafael, but the former Sassuolo man is offside anyway.

25 min Another chance for Napoli! A poor free throw is intercepted by Brandt. His cross finds Roberto Insigne, but the younger Insigne skewers it wide.

40 min GOAL!!! Pescara 1-0 Napoli (Mitrita)

A superb flowing move from the hosts leads to Pelé feeding Mitrita on the edge of the box. The Romanian hits it and it flies past Rafael before he can react. Pescara lead after converting their first real chance!

45+ 2 min HALF TIME: Pescara 1-0 Napoli

8.48pm The half-time whistle goes at the Stadio Adriatico. Alexandru Mitrita's goal separates the two sides, but Napoli look good for a goal.
 

46 min Pescara get us back underway.

49 min Massive chance for Napoli as they win a corner. Duván Zapata with a bullet header, but Leali keeps it out with an amazing save!

56 min Pescara have provided great entertainment with some quality passing, but Karsdorp's shot from range is easily claimed by Rafael. 

59 min Pescara continue with the tiki-taka, but again choose to shoot from distance. Meli's shot won't trouble Napoli.

60 min BOOKING! Karsdorp hacks down Zielinski to stop a Napoli counter-attack and deservedly gets the yellow card.

60 min SUBSTITUTION! Dolphin has seen enough and sends Verre on for Karsdorp, while Napoli bring on Gabbiadini for Insigne. The home fans are bemused as Napoli's free kick comes to nothing. 

65 min GOAL!!! Pescara 2-0 Napoli (Mitrita)

Mitrita writes his name in the history books with a massive brace! Chiriches is beaten too easily by his countryman, who latches on to Forestieri's pass. Mitrita finds himself one-on-one with the keeper again and he makes no mistake! The Pescara fans are singing as the away support look on in despair.

66 min SUBSTITUTION! Sarri finally sends Milik on for Zapata, but is it too late?

76 min Milik has been lively but Leali is equal to his shot.

80 min SUBSTITUTION! Alberto Grassi is the visitors' last substitute. He replaces Zielinski as Napoli look for an extra creative edge.

81 min GOAL!!! Pescara 2-1 Napoli (Antei OG)

And the substitute makes an immediate impact! A brilliant cross from Grassi finds Gabbiadini, forcing Antei to put through his own net! Milik dashes back to the halfway line - there is lots of life in this!

82 min SUBSTITUTION! Andres Chávez replaces Forestieri to loud cheers. The 17-goal hero has all but secured the Capocannoniere, but will look to add to his tally and take the sting out in the process.
 
85 min What a chance for the hero to complete his hat-trick, but Mitrita fires it into the side netting. A massive let-off for Napoli, but they really need a miracle now.

90+ 1 min Three minutes of extra time are to be played. Pescara continue to threaten as opposed to securing the padlocks, Chávez finding himself marginally offside.

90+ 2 min End to end action here in the concluding stages, as a well-timed Fornasier clearance ends up at Mitrita's feet. Rafael is able to stop the Romanian before the latter rounds him.

90+ 3 min Napoli go to the left flank again. Strinic crosses this time, but Biraghi beats Gabbiadini to the ball with a powerful header. 

90+ 3 min Chávez picks up the loose ball and he feeds none other than Alexandru Mitrita. All Napoli players nearby immediately cut him off, but he leaves Goldaniga on the ground and lays it to Verre.

90+ 3 min Another good passing move ends with the ball at Mitrita's feet. He squares it for Chávez, who is foiled by a desperate clearance from Hysaj.

90+ 4 min The Albanian clears straight to Brandt, but the young winger bowls Zampano over. Free kick to Pescara ... and the referee ends it there!

Wild scenes at the Stadio Adriatico as Pescara celebrate their first scudetto! Juventus will also celebrate, as they rise into the Champions Cup playoff spot, while Napoli will make do with a place in the EURO Cup.

10.15pm Fornasier raises the trophy proudly as Abruzzo is in party mode. Both teams saved their first-choice attackers for later. While Alexandru Mitrita and Fernando Forestieri wrote their names into history, Napoli paid for their profligacy in front of goal. That's all for now from Sports Mammal. Thank you for joining us this evening and we hope to see you again soon. Goodbye for now.

 

 

[BatiGoal]

How's that for a fairytale ending. Way to go Dolphins!! Congratulations!

[veerus]

Nice. Milan also won. If you keep doing this for future matches, I'd suggest taking screenshots of the other matches in progress. The pressure is so much more when you HAVE to win. 

[Seth Anacondas]

9 hours ago, BatiGoal said:

How's that for a fairytale ending. Way to go Dolphins!! Congratulations!

 

8 hours ago, veerus said:

Nice. Milan also won. If you keep doing this for future matches, I'd suggest taking screenshots of the other matches in progress. The pressure is so much more when you HAVE to win. 

 

Thanks for the comments BatiGoal and veerus!

@veerus Was really focused on the match as it was really close, Brandt, Gabbiadini and Milik played well. Will take your advice into consideration the next time I do a match report.

[Rjgreeno]

Congrats on the title man

[Seth Anacondas]

Season 3.3 + 4 Double Update = Two Times The Hangover?

Spoiler

The Class of 2019

Rock steady.

Our two generals. Unflappable.

Our captain and his partner in justice complete an incredible defence.

On the level of the Pirlo-Pogba-Marchisio trio. Something clicked within Pelé and he could not stop scoring.

Wide men was an area with lots of squad rotation. Mitrita's legacy is secure, but can he deliver on a regular basis?

The main man himself. Still a bit inconsistent and injury prone, but a club legend all the same.

It takes a lot of discipline to sit on the bench and deliver when needed. We all know about Alexandru and Fernando, but honourable mentions go to Lasagna, Crescenzi and Vitturini.

Decent squad depth, with Paolucci, Perrotta and Selasi bringing the club-trained edge.

And of course our old friend, tearing it up in the Championship at the age of 35.

Second update to come later today!

 

 

[Seth Anacondas]

Season 3.3 + 4 Double Update = Two Times The Hangover?

Dolphin Dynasty?

Once the confetti had been swept from the streets of Eastern Rome it was back to business for our Dolphins. We were participating in the Italian Super Cup and Champions Cup, both for the first time in history. That's very similar to an Italian-managed English club, and as we all know that club proceeded to bottle it spectacularly. Thus there was guarded optimism for the Dolphins.

Ever the sadistic one the gaffer began by reliving the memories of a certain bad day in our EURO Cup campaign.

We bring this up because this man ended up replacing Michele Fornasier as our captain!

Opulence was the theme here, as Jairo was the only signing to have a significant role in our season. Barba and Leipertz mainly warmed the bench, with the latter demoted after Kasper Dolberg came in. Marco Chiosa was a Massive waste of Cash, going down to the Reserves after Barba came in. Winter signing Dolberg failed to hit the ground running clearly, but he's still young so can't have many complaints. The others went out on loan.

Speaking of youth...

A decent outfield player from the Academy!

But he somehow likes Arezzo more, after a good loan there.

Our biggest signing last season is our biggest exit this season. The man-dolphin clearly did not rate Verde but I guess it's a tidy profit. Big Ave, our first-ever signing, also joined Ajax after falling down the pecking order.

On the pitch, we were on to a glider (rather than a flier) with Verre's thunderbastard settling a tight game against Cup winners Milan.

As for the league, 4 goals conceded after 20 rounds? Madness!

Things ended on a borderline whimper, including going down to Sampdoria on the final day of the season. But if no one wants to win the scudetto this season, we will gladly take it. 

Can't say no to another dismantling of Juventus though, but we were left holding on for dear life in the reverse fixture. A season of two halves, then.

Thus, Europe would be the stage on which we would be judged...

Spoiler

An insipid 0-2 loss to Lyon cost us top spot in a Group of Death, with Pep's men missing out.

But at least we will always have the 2-1 win at home, with the bargain bin Romans outplaying their oil-rich opponents.

Our reward was none other than...

Messi was the main man, but we were simply outclassed by a world class system. At least we brought home another memo for the fans.

Our attack remained decent, with Chávez plundering 14 goals, while captain Jairo led by example with 9 assists. Player of the Season? Neither man won.

Francesco Zampano was a model of consistency and a safe outlet on the flank. In a season where rival teams yearned for just one bit of consistency, the right-back wins this award after coming close a couple of times.

Also, anyone wants to hear a joke?

Spoiler

And they still finished fifth!

 

Squad report

Association-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Nicolò Barella (Cagliari)
• Federico Barba (Empoli)
• Francesco Zampano (Entella)
• Cristiano Biraghi (INTER)
• Nicola Leali (Juventus)
• Valerio Verre (Roma)
• Luca Antei (Roma)
• Alessandro Crescenzi (Roma)
• Matteo Politano (Roma)
• Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma)
• Michele Fornasier (Sampdoria)
• Giuseppe De Luca (Varese)

Club-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Davide Vitturini
• Marco Perrotta
• Ransford Selasi
• Stefano Faggiano
• Simone Acerbis

Non-EU professionals (max. 2)

• Marcelo Meli
• Andrés Chávez

Youth prospects (18-21, must be Italian, registration not compulsory)

Other professionals (max. 17)

• Callum Paterson (Scotland)
• Alexandru Mitrita (Romania)
• Pelé (Portugal)
• Rick Karsdorp (Holland)
• Jairo (Spain)
• Kasper Dolberg (Denmark)

 

[BatiGoal]

Those youth prospects look fantastic. They'll be quality players in a few seasons from now. Well done retaining your Serie A title, KIU!

[Seth Anacondas]

Season 5: One-Nil To The Delfini

Twenty-four Dolphins and a Rooster

While this might sound cynical, there was still a modicum of caution around the Stadio Adriatico despite a first-ever Double last season. After all, we're used to things going really wrong in Serie A.

After a mixed bag last season the spending was also significantly cut, which certainly did nothing to play down our concerns.

But our Bielsa once again proved there was no need to spend much.

Just the £325k spent on a decent left back from Arezzo, but...

 

Got the reigning Capocannoniere for free! The Rooster comes in on a reported £100,000 a week wages, but the fans are certainly delighted! The former Torino man had scored 90 goals in the last 4 seasons. Despite that, there was no interest from big clubs, culminating in Belotti running down his contract to the dismay and disdain of Torino fans.

Meanwhile, it was time to say goodbye to Giuseppe De Luca. The Italian had served us well on the wing and as a lone striker, but Belotti's arrival ultimately decided his fate. Definitely earned himself a place in the history of Pescara.

But in new surroundings, would Belotti swim ... or sink?

No goal for the new man, but a hard-fought defence of the Super Cup gets our season to a good start...

Only to come crashing down with an opening day loss, the first time we have lost our opener. 

The competition came back this time, with a nervy 2-2 draw at home to Carpi ensuring we did just enough.

A team effort, with 4 players, including the Rooster, scoring at least 7 league goals. Karsdorp topped the Assists charts comfortably.

Dolphins in Europe

Spoiler

 

 

Just an embarrassment all around.

 

And finally, the Italian Cup Final vs. Milan. Just to show how unfortunate we have been in this competition, it went to penalties despite our best efforts.

Spoiler

 

Milan choke from the spot and we sweep the domestic competitions.

 

9th place? Mate, Pep was beaten last season!

Player of the Season

Easy decision.

While nowhere near the heights of last season, Belotti was a solid upgrade to the striker position. Although Dolberg, Jairo, Mitrita and Karsdorp all made notable contributions, this award was The Rooster's to lose.

Young Dolphins

Several youngsters, particularly of the central midfield variety, made their presence known in the first team.

Spoiler

 

Regrettably, the local boy had an injury prone season. He can play almost anywhere in midfield and attack, making him very important tactically.

Cittadoni topped the class, but still has some way to go before turning into a regular first teamer.

Like Cittadoni Panda Dolphin (An orca) has the "Big matches" trait, ensuring some solid performances against big teams. The Torinos and Carpis of the world? Not so much.

Another prospect with the "Big matches" trait, Martinelli certainly needs to improve.

Was becoming another Martinelli until a series of decent performances at the end. Max also scored our first penalty in the Italian Cup final.

A young man signed from AlbinoLeffe is still stepping up when it matters.

From Bari to highest rated of the team. Solid.

Speaking of which...

 

 

Squad report

Association-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Nicolò Barella (Cagliari)
• Francesco Zampano (Entella)
• Kevin Lasagna (Governolese)
• Cristiano Biraghi (INTER)
• Nicola Leali (Juventus)
• Valerio Verre (Roma)
• Luca Antei (Roma)
• Alessandro Crescenzi (Roma)
• Matteo Politano (Roma)
• Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma)
• Federico Barba (Roma)
• Michele Fornasier (Sampdoria)
• Andrea Belotti (Torino)

Club-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Davide Vitturini
• Marco Perrotta
• Ransford Selasi
• Stefano Faggiano
• Simone Acerbis

Non-EU professionals (max. 2)

• Marcelo Meli
• Andrés Chávez

Youth prospects (18-21, must be Italian, registration not compulsory)

• Antonio Cittadoni
• Walter Pandolphin
• Michele Chinellato
• Saverio Martinelli
• Max Aloi

Other professionals (max. 17)

• Callum Paterson (Scotland)
• Alexandru Mitrita (Romania)
• Pelé (Portugal)
• Rick Karsdorp (Holland)
• Jairo (Spain)
• Kasper Dolberg (Denmark)

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

[BatiGoal]

Congrats with yet another Serie A title. And Belotti on a free, that's pretty good business!

btw 53 screenshots takes a massive time to load, may I suggest putting a few more in spoilers (like you did) as it would make for an easier read for most of us.

Good to see the Pescara Dolphins dominate the Serie A. KIU!

[Seth Anacondas]

10 hours ago, BatiGoal said:

Congrats with yet another Serie A title. And Belotti on a free, that's pretty good business!

btw 53 screenshots takes a massive time to load, may I suggest putting a few more in spoilers (like you did) as it would make for an easier read for most of us.

Good to see the Pescara Dolphins dominate the Serie A. KIU!

Thanks for the advice!

[Seth Anacondas]

Season 6: Dolphins In Saltwater

A Sad Brexit

An exciting season in which we just about retained the scudetto was not a good sign for the gaffer, who saw rivals pick up the likes of Max Meyer, Jetro Willems and Douglas Costa on Bosmans. Lessons were obviously learnt, but that did not diminish the fanfare when the new arrivals came in.

Not one penny spent, but the Superfriends Christian Pulisic and Felix Passlack came in for free! Dortmund fans grieved, but we celebrated until we triggered the fire service. A local talent to get excited over was Alberto Grassi, who needed just one minute to assist against us back in Season 3.

Meanwhile it was goodbye to Callum Paterson and Lorenzo Paolucci. The sole UK talent left for Portugal, while a surplus of Club-Trained professionals meant Paolucci was free to leave.

Firstly unlike seasons past the Champions Cup was a fun experience. But could we win it?

Spoiler

A dire 3-1 loss at Anfield aside, consistent performances all around saw us finish first.

Revenge in Eastern Rome as it was an all-Italian show.

The luck of the draw took us to Germany, Gladbach were no pushovers but home comforts saw us reach the last eight. This would make history as our best performance, but could we go one step further?

Luck shined down on us once more, a Karsdorp goal in Spain proving the difference in a tense affair.

Livid. The defence chose the worst moment to let down the fans.

Worse yet, did it affect our league form?

Dolphins in Italy

 

Spoiler

 

Rematches and more rematches, as a relatively comfortable domestic treble brings cheer.

Player Of The Season

Spoiler

 

The Rooster has been very efficient, if not consistent. A superb return from him sees of competition from Zampano.

 

The Gaffer

Spoiler

 

That's more like it.

 

 report

Association-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Alberto Grassi (Atalanta)
• Nicolò Barella (Cagliari)
• Francesco Zampano (Entella)
• Cristiano Biraghi (INTER)
• Nicola Leali (Juventus)
• Valerio Verre (Roma)
• Luca Antei (Roma)
• Alessandro Crescenzi (Roma)
• Matteo Politano (Roma)
• Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma)
• Federico Barba (Roma)
• Michele Fornasier (Sampdoria)
• Andrea Belotti (Torino)

Club-trained professionals (min. 4)

• Davide Vitturini
• Marco Perrotta
• Ransford Selasi
• Stefano Faggiano
• Simone Acerbis

Non-EU professionals (max. 2)

• Marcelo Meli
• Andrés Chávez

Youth prospects (18-21, must be Italian, registration not compulsory)

• Antonio Cittadoni
• Walter Pandolphin
• Michele Chinellato
• Saverio Martinelli
• Max Aloi

Other professionals (max. 17)

• Alexandru Mitrita (Romania)
• Pelé (Portugal)
• Rick Karsdorp (Holland)
• Jairo (Spain)
• Kasper Dolberg (Denmark)
• Felix Passlack (Germany)
• Christian Pulisic (EU National, secondary nation Croatia)

 

 

 

[BatiGoal]

Another great season. KIU!

Youth prospect: Walter Pandolphin gotta love it. 

[Seth Anacondas]

4 hours ago, BatiGoal said:

Another great season. KIU!

Youth prospect: Walter Pandolphin gotta love it. 

He isn't great, but the banter will see him stay on.