November 21st 2010...September 29th 2013

The start of an incredible journey.

Looking back it was the beginning of the modern Hellas Verona. Yet at the time not even the most optimistic Scaligeri supporter couldn't have predicted where we'd be less than three years later. November 21st was our game away to SPAL, the team of Ferrara. We were 17th out of 18 teams in Serie C1. We'd lost to rivals Salernitana 2-1 and coach Beppe Giannini had been sacked. The fans were angry, the team poor. Yet another season in the lower divisions seemed likely. Even a repeat of the relegation battle to avoid C2 of 2007-08 wasn't so unrealistic.

President Martinelli

President Martinelli needed a new coach. After his poor choices in Remondina (just saying his name sends shivers down my spine, a coach who played for the draw in EVERY.SINGLE.GAME and made his first substitution in the 87th minute) and Giannini, (who after a strong pre-season was clearly out of his depth even in the third division) the pressure was on to deliver with this decision. Luckily for him, Andrea Mandorlini was available after his sacking at CFR Cluj of Romania, despite leading them to the league title the season before. He was just what we needed. A coach who wouldn't take any bullshit and never ever allow anything less than full commitment. He was quickly signed up and got to work.

Mandorlini in his first press-conferance

There was a two week break after the pathetic defeat in Salerno, so tactics were quickly drawn up. Journalists and fans were impressed of Mandorlini's demeanour in training, constantly harassing his players to improve and stopping sessions to discuss tactical points. Martinelli spoke of a new 'professionalism' within the squad, whilst the players themselves spoke of the hard work (Andy Selva "I've never ran so much!")

As mentioned above, Mandorlini's first game in charge of Hellas saw us one place above bottom. The first game of the Mandorlini era was played in terrible conditions on a pitch with more mud than grass. Giuseppe Meloni gave SPAL the lead before Beppe Le Noci equalised with a low header before half-time. That's how it finished in a game where the ball spent much more time in the air than on the floor.

After promotion in Salerno

It's incredible to think that it took the Ravenna born coach six games to get his first win after drawing his first five (SPAL, Pavia, Sorrento, Lumezzane and Pergocrema.) Victory came at home to Paganese, the team who beat us on the first game of the season. 4-0 was unexpected but welcome and helped move us away from the relegation play-out places.

Mandorlini actually only lost three out of 22 league matches, not including the successful play-off campaign that eventually saw us promoted to Serie B after beating Salernitana in the play-off final.
We're in the spotlight at the minute and the world seems to be finding out exactly who we are. But those that have been there through the hard times will never forget those days in Serie C. As I write we currently sit in 7th place, level on points with fifth. I know it's early days but to look back where we were less than three years ago makes you proud to be a Verona fan and proud of Mandorlini after what he's achieved. After the players and Curva had finished applauding each other after the Livorno game there was a quiet for around five seconds, but then a song started..MANDORLINI ALE MANDORLINI ALE MANDORLINI ALE ALE ALE!!!!

Opinion..Charles' thoughts

Charles Ducksbury talks about the season as a whole thus far.

Cacciatore gives Verona the lead

The season was never going to be defined by the Juventus game, defeat was expected and anything gained from the match, even learning from mistakes made during the game, was a positive. To take the lead and to keep Juve to within one goal pleased both the fans and management, even if defeat is never easy to accept. All it took was a set-piece or lucky deflection and we could have left with a draw. But like all small margins in football, many of Juve's 35 efforts could have gone in and it may have finished 6-1. It's important to take what we've learned from the Juve game and move onto more important games like the next two, Torino and at home to Livorno.

Moras defends against Llorente

So what did we learn? For me the most important lesson is that we can defend relatively well against the best team in the league. Last season we dominated games and played at an incredible tempo at times, so to know that we can sit deep but press quickly in the right areas was nice to see. 35 shots do seem a lot, but many were from long range and either went wide or were comfortably saved by Rafael. Moras (much like Rafael when he went from Serie C to B) seems to be more suited to a higher division, playing a very composed game against two giants of world football in Tevez and Llorente. After initially being looked at as a substitute, Moras has become a key defender so far this season.

Six points from the first four games is very acceptable given the high standard of the opponents. Milan, Roma, Sassuolo and Juventus are all tough games at any point in the season for various reasons, never mind them being the first games of the season, four points would have been pleasing, so to win two games is very positive. In my mind the Milan game was a one-off game played with heart and adrenaline, the following three games gave me more of an indication of Verona's capabilities. In many ways, the Roma and Juventus games were similar, we lost concentration after the first goal and within ten minutes were we beaten. This is something Mandorlini will look to address, particularly against the stronger teams in the division.

Looking forward, the next games are Torino (A) Livorno (H) Bologna (A) Parma (H). After playing three sides predicted to finish top 5, now we'll play four teams who are predicted to finish mid-table and below. It's a great opportunity to see where Verona fit into this Serie A table, and although its a cliche, the season starts now for Verona.

Another game in Turin..Torino on Wednesday

The game against Torino on Wednesday night

Hellas made the wise decision to stay in Piedmont instead of travelling back to Verona, as they play in the same city for the second time in four days on Wednesday.

Verona will train at Novarello, an hour away from Turin, before heading home on Wednesday evening after the game with the Granata.

Juve 2-1 Verona..the reaction

Reaction from Verona's defeat in Turin

MANDORLINI- 'We have left the game feeling sorry. For ten minutes we gave up and were punished with two goals. After our goal we lost concentration, but for the goals I felt we were solid. But we remain positive, as we have lost to the strongest team in the division. Verona has never won here for a reason, this is a difficult place for any team. We arrived wanting a draw which would help towards survival, but overall my feeling is a positive one.'

MORAS- 'We tried putting into practice a whole week of training. We believed we could get a result but now we must forget this performance as we have a game on Wednesday which is win at all costs. Tevez? A winner, but what mattered was our attitude. We were aggressive and if we play like this we will be difficult for everyone. We'll take everything we have learned and move on to Torino.

CONTE (JUVENTUS)- 'Credit to Hellas, they had a plan and executed it well. we created a lot and could have won by more goals. It was difficult for Pirlo to be man-marked all game, I thought Jorginho would follow him into the toilet! It was a similar game to Copenhagen, with very little space on the pitch'

Pope Francis is a Hellas fan..evidence!

The archbishop of Rome receives a present from Verona..

The famous renault 4 (photo via hellaslive)

Don Renzo Zocca has been pastor of Verona for 25 years. He has seen it all. The Scudetto, European adventures, Bagnoli, Elkjaer..but also the yo-yo years of the 90's and the fall into Serie C..abd the rise back up again.

This week Don Zocca gave the Pope a present..a Renault 4. He even drove the car to Rome himself. However the car also has a surprise (well, two surprises..) on the back window are two Hellas Verona stickers..the mighty Hellas forever now linked with higher powers.

Pre-match news..Hellas-Sassuolo

News ahead of the third game of the season

INJURIES- Hellas held a closed training session on Thursday, with two major injury doubts. Defender Albertazzi will 99% miss the game, whilst forward Luca Toni is a major doubt after picking up a muscle strain early in the week.

OPPONENTS- Sassuolo will miss two key players, Marrone and Berardi. This significantly makes the neroverde weaker as they look for their first win of the season (losing to Torino 0-2 and Livorno at 'home' 1-4) Defender Marcello Gazzola said "The season has started, but our campaign begins in Verona. Their fans always make a difference, but on the field it's 11 vs 11"

REFEREE- Massimiliano Irrati of Pistoia (Tuscany) will take charge of the Bentegodi game. He ironically took charge of last seasons 1-1 draw between the clubs in Modena, giving Hellas a penalty (which Gomez missed). His overall record when taking charge of Verona games is..Games 11..Verona wins 6..draws 4..lost 1.

Mandorlini Pre-Sassuolo

The coach prepares for a six-pointer against fellow promoted team.

"We're expecting a tough game..we don't need to tell the players how important this will be". The Ravenna native continued, "Roma? For 60 minutes we did very well and defended as a strong unit. The first goal killed morale, we could have handled the situation better."

Speaking about the new signing Iturbe, Mandorlini said "We know of his obvious quality, but he must demonstrate this on the field to become a regular."

Preparing for Sassuolo

News and views in the run-up to next weekends game at Bentegodi..

Mandorlini- "The break has been useful in allowing us to rest after intense pre-season and first two games. The market has been great, Iturbe gives us some pace that Martinho aside we were missing.
Sassuolo attack well, they haven't had a great start to the season but it's only two games, they won't panic."

Injury news- Bomber Luca Toni missed the friendly game against the Primavera side, he has been working in the swimming pool after a small muscle injury. The medical team will evaluate him in the run up to the Sassuolo match.

Icelandic midfielder Emil Hallfredsson returned back early from international duty after problems with his knee and will continue the recovery this week. Jorginho is also on a differing training routine as he battles to be fit for next weekend. Albertazzi and Agostini continue their recovery from injury, whilst the only certainty to miss the game is Cirigliano who has had dental work.

Laner- "A win against Sassuolo will be worth double in our fight for safety. The results have been good so far, beating Milan was great, losing to Roma is no disgrace."

Friendly match..Verona 4-1 Primavera

Victory for Hellas at the training ground.

Hellas played a friendly match on Saturday against the Primavera side, fielding most players not away on international duty. The first team won the game 4-1 against Pavanera's young boys, gaining valuable match practice during the prolonged break.

Scorers- Romulo (12) Cacia (21) Gatto (36) Laner (66) Jankovic (76)

Teams-HELLAS VERONA (4-3-3): Rafael (dal 1' st Nicolas); Sala (dal 1' st Moras), Gonzalez, Maietta (dal 1' st Cacciatore), Rubin (dal 25' st Ragatzu); Romulo (dal 1' st Laner), Donati (dal 1' st Donadel), Hallfredsson (dal 1' st Martinho); Iturbe (dal 18' st Sala), Cacia (dal 1' st Jankovic), Gomez. 
All.: Mandorlini.

PRIMAVERA (4-2-3-1): Borra (dal 1' st Nervo; dal 29' st Seck); Ballarini (dal 18' st Rizzitelli; dal 37' st Speri)),Varricchio (dal 1' st Boateng), Boni (dal 1' st Rossi), Manolache (dal 18'st Crisci); Zaccagni (dal 1' st Sall), Salifu (dal 1' st Menolli; dal 29' st Ronconi); Mazzocchi (dal 5' st Miketic), Alba (dal 18' st Taneski), Gatto (dal 1' st Formigoni); Fares (dal 27' st Birlea). 

All.: Pavanel.

Iturbe and his agent..'Verona are perfect'

Juan Manuel Iturbe and agent Gustavo Moscardi speak..

"My player (Iturbe) chose Hellas Verona because he wants to gain experience and grow in one of the worlds hardest championships, Serie A" Moscardi told tuttomercatoweb.com

He continued "Iturbe is also ideal for Verona, because Mandorlini's squad lacks an explosive player like him".

Iturbe himself was delighted to join gialloblu, telling the official website "I joined Hellas because they are a great team, and Italian football has always fascinated me. I must thank Sean Sogliano for signing me to such a big club."

The Argentine added "The negotiaions took a while, but I'm finally here. I'll play on the left or right, wherever the coach wants me to play".

OFFICIAL- Rubin and Donadel sign for Hellas

Sogliano completes double signing.

After a long chase, Matteo Rubin has signed for Verona. It is thought the deal is a loan, with an option to buy. It remains to be seen whether or not Daniele Ragatzu will go the other way in a loan deal.

Marco Donadel has also signed a contract with Verona. The former Fiorentina midfielder has signed from Napoli. The market closed at 23:00GMT so details will be more readily available tomorrow.

Hellas Verona..news round-up

A round-up of news from Hellas

Grossi leaves- Forward Paolo Grossi has agreed a deal to leave Verona. After being linked with newly-promoted Serie B club Carpi, he will make a loan move to rivals Brescia. Signed from Siena, the player failed to score in 16 games for Verona.

Ragatzu wanted- The forward signed in the summer from Cagliari, but is already being touted for departure on a loan deal. The first proposal is from Avellino, a loan deal but unlikely to contain a view to permanent clause. The second option is from Siena, who are wanting the Sardinian as part of a deal that would see Matteo Rubin sign for the Gialloblu.

Martinho speaks after Roma- The flying winger spoke after the 3-0 loss, saying "We defended well for about an hour, then after the first goal we lost it. We're sorry, but this defeat will serve us as a lesson. Overall it was a good performance, but we must improve."

Primavera win again- The Hellas Primavera team won their second game in two games, beating Udinese 3-1. Coach Pavanel played a 4-2-3-1 formation, and the baby Gialloblu dominated the game, with goals from Zacagni (two) and an Alba penalty.

OFFICIAL..ITURBE SIGNS FOR VERONA

The Porto man has signed a season-loan with an option to buy.

A player Sogliano has managed to sneak under the radar, (in terms of signing for Verona) Juan Manuel Iturbe signed for Hellas tonight, a deal announced by Gianluca Di Marzio of SkyItalia.

Iturbe is one of a number of players dubbed 'the new Messi' due to his similar characteristics of being a dribbler, goalscorer and small stature. Born in Buenos Aires (1993) the forward started his career with Cerro Porteno in the Paraguayan Premier Division scoring three goals in 22 games.
This allowed him to make a big money move to FC Porto, a club famous for signing South Americans and then selling them on for big money.

Sadly it didn't work out and after only five games for the first team, he was loaned to River Plate in Argentina, scoring three goals in 17 games for the giants. He started his international career in Paraguay's youth teams but after falling out with management, declared for Argentina, playing ten u20 games, scoring five goals.

The player attracted interest from both Inter and Genoa, but Hellas won the deal, loaning him and having an option to buy for an estimated £7.5M, a similar deal to another Argentinan player signed in the summer, Ezequiel Cirigliano.

The player will wear the number 15 shirt.

A day of tension..Roma-Verona

Grudge match lives up to it's name.

It's always a tense game whenever Roma meet Verona, a historical rivalry on and off the pitch. Yesterday there we a few incidents that highlight this fact, which ended in a cowardly attack by some Roma 'fans' after the game on the Verona team coach.

Around 600 Butei travelled to the capital, and although most entered the ground with no problems, one coach was attacked by stone throwing Roma fans. Nothing too serious as the Roma fans ran away when the police charged them and used tear gas. Two policemen were hurt in these clashes.

Roma's Curva Sud was closed for one game so many went into Curva Nord, very close to the Verona fans. As usual, there were chants directed at each other, and once Roma took the lead a flare was thrown into the Verona end by the celebrating Roma tifosi.

After the game there was little problems as the Verona fans travelled back to the north, although there was one major incident. Some Roma fans attacked the players coach as it neared the motorway, smashing windows. Luckily no-one was hurt but the club couldn't travel home, having to travel via train on the Monday.

Mandorlini commented on the situation "I don't really want to talk about it, although the stones smashed and sent glass flying. We're lucky, because it didn't hit the driver. It could have been worse".

Maurizio Setti, Verona president was of course angry, saying "This is a very regrettable situation, and we are lucky things weren't worse. Football shouldn't be about iron bars and stones. I hope the perpetrators are severely punished."

The return game is in January.