But by the late 2000s, Pro Vercelli were entrenched in the lower leagues, their glorious past forgotten. Until one day, a man bought a video game.
Read the uplifting saga of a small-town Italian club, an unknown American manager, triumph, betrayal, passion, and several extremely good recipes, from start to finish below.
Football Manager 2009 was released last week to the annual …
November 24, 2008
Thanks to some great suggestions from all of you, I’ve …
November 25, 2008
With 69% of the vote, Pro Vercelli. Otherwise known as …
November 28, 2008
I’m on a two-year, €600-per-week contract. Here I am, incidentally: …
December 3, 2008
Why live, if you can’t take aim at blue air? …
December 4, 2008
In many ways, our first friendly was a disaster: a …
December 5, 2008
We were held by Olbia in our first league match, …
December 7, 2008
Our first transfer window was a disaster. It’s seriously hurt …
December 8, 2008
Good news and bad news from Vercelli, where our favorite …
December 10, 2008
Our season is over. I don’t mean that histrionically. Playing …
December 14, 2008
This just got serious. I’m not talking about our quest …
December 16, 2008
Ever since I took the job at Pro Vercelli, I’ve …
December 16, 2008
Goal scorers: Marco Antonelli (11) Jorge Ibáñez (26) Pieter Oosting …
December 17, 2008
Seven straight league wins to start the season. A goals-scored-to-goals-allowed …
December 18, 2008
Okay, here’s a question. Why is Worldsoccer.com stalking me? Every …
December 21, 2008
We were playing Varese at their stadium. I was worried …
December 22, 2008
We won the league with five games to spare, and …
December 24, 2008
From the list of fixes incorporated into the new 9.2.0 …
December 28, 2008
I was searching for a way to celebrate our unbeaten …
December 30, 2008
Brian has asked me to write the culinary details of …
January 7, 2009
Most managers would look at an undefeated season as a …
January 9, 2009
We’re 11 games into our first Serie C1 season, and …
January 14, 2009
Alain Messi, that is, the 20-year-old Cameroonian striker formerly of …
February 2, 2009
Four games left in our first season in Serie C1, …
February 3, 2009
The board offered me a new contract at the end …
February 5, 2009
The text of today’s lesson is two styles of game-management, …
February 9, 2009
Here’s a question for everyone else who plays this game: …
February 11, 2009
You know you’ve had a good day as a striker …
February 12, 2009
Pandemonium reigned in the well-lit offices of the Vercelli Soccer …
February 12, 2009
The man at the bar clinked the ice in his …
February 13, 2009
The epic drama of the promotion playoff.
February 13, 2009
The quick comedown after winning promotion through a playoff.
February 28, 2009
I’ve always been a partisan of the 4-4-2 in FM games. That’s about to change.
March 2, 2009
Overachieving in Serie B.
March 6, 2009
Struggling with the pitch at the Silvio Piola.
March 9, 2009
We didn’t make the playoff. Here’s what happened.
March 10, 2009
Building the mountain.
March 12, 2009
Upward over the rocks.
March 16, 2009
The end of the road for the mercurial Jorge Ibáñez.
March 18, 2009
Pro Vercelli’s newest signings take Serie B by storm.
March 21, 2009
Down memory lane with the Vercelli Soccer Express‘s Riccardo Nicastro.
March 24, 2009
Piedmontese sweetness and the next Pro Vercelli celebration feast.
March 26, 2009
The Vercelli Soccer Express draws on the power of the Anti-Jinxing Sheep.
March 27, 2009
Looking ahead to our first season in Serie A.
March 30, 2009
The crashing excitement of summer.
March 31, 2009
Our former assistant manager goes on an epic quest.
April 3, 2009
Staying afloat in our first season in Serie A.
April 4, 2009
The world just changed. You should probably see this.
April 6, 2009
Brilliant successes, unfortunate falls.
April 8, 2009
Mysterious investors swoop in to buy the club, putting my job on the line.
April 11, 2009