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We hope you have a fantastic year!

Let’s hope 2009 brings success back to Parma and it’s great fans!

Happy New Year everyone!

A very Happy Christmas from everyone here at forzaparma.com.

We hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful day.

Merry Christmas.

“Before coming onto the pitch, Stefano Morrone told Marco Rossi and I that after we came onto the pitch as substitutes, we would contribute to winning the game and sure enough, it was Rossi’s cross and my goal that won us the game! Alessandro Budel was there as proof that Stefano Morrone predicted the future.”

“Of course, I hope this goal will spark a run of goals for myself and also another long successful run for the team, but we know that we have to keep working hard and not get complacent in order for this to be possible.”

“I dedicate my goal to all the fans that have always supported me hear regardless of my goal-less streak. It really helps to keep my morale high and I hope they will continue to do so. I went a little crazy when I scored… mainly because I had been working so hard recently but with no goals to show for it. Like I said, hopefully I will not have to wait another few months before my next goal.”

“Many people have compared me recently to Pippo Inzaghi and this is a great honour to me. I hope in my career to score as many goals as he has in Italy and Europe. That would be a dream!”

“Now we are level top of the table. Obviously now our objective is to keep winning and try to get as big a gap as possible from us and the following teams. We showed great belief in winning the match after Giulio Falcone was given a red card. We continued to puch and played some wonderful football.”

“There is no way I’m leaving Parma in the January transfer window. I came here in the summer as I believed it would be the perfect place for me to grow and improve as a player and that hasn’t changed; therefore I wish to remain here.”

Pete.

After a poor showing and a defeat at Pisa in the previous round, Parma new they needed three points in order to remain at the top of the Serie B table over the Christmas break.

However, the home team’s first half performance seemed as laboured as the one in Pisa a week before and things were made worse by Reginaldo having to go off with an injury and Giulio Falcone being sent off for a careless challenge.

Parma were a new team in the second half however and Reginaldo’s blood replacement Alberto Paloschi scored for the first time in two months with 15 minutes remaining after a perfectly weighted Marco Rossi dink cross from the left. Moments before, Nicola Pavarini had made a stunning stop after a powerful far post header seemed destined to give the away side the lead.

Parma held onto the result and the three points left Parma sitting level top of the league with an incredible four other teams over the mid-season break.

Pete.

Parma went into yesterday’s game knowing that they had not won in Pisa since 1991. With the team unbeaten in thirteen matches, many expected the Crociati to crumble that record but in truth they were lucky to come out only one goal behind as Pisa dominated throughout.

Parma struck first against the run of play after Cristiano Lucarelli scored his ninth goal of the season from the penalty spot after a dubious foul decision from the referee. He then managed to somehow not give a penalty to Pisa after Alessandro Lucarelli clearly handled the ball in the Parma area. Parma were lucky to go into half-time in front.

Soon into the second half, Braiati struck for the home side to level the scores. This further enraged the Parma fans as moments before he had taken Stefano Morone’s legs clean out from under him in a ferocious tackle that could have deserved a red card.

Moments later Pisa had the lead as Joelson doubled Pisa’s tally and secured the victory for home team.

Parma now face Cittadella at home on Friday night in their last match before the Christmas break knowing that anything but a win could see all their hard work in the last month undone.

Pete.

“Avellino put up a strong fight against us. At home, we aim to win every game by two or three goals to zero but they were very physical and tough to break down, however, a win is a win and we can look forward positively. If they continue to play with the same work ethic as they did against us, I’m sure they will avoid relegation this season.”

“I found out that I would be starting from kick-off the morning before the match during the technical meeting. This did not change my mindset however. I play how I play regardless of how long I’m on the pitch. I think I played well though like I said, I still need more playing time to get to full match fitness. I understand that as I am young I cannot simply expect my body to be able to be put through 90 minutes week in week out; I understand that I must be patient.”

“Now we are just two points from the top of the league. We must continue to work hard game after game in order to secure as many victories as we can, expecially at home. Clearly our position in the league is very pleasing, but it is a very even league that will be hard-fought until the very end. We are now 13 games unbeaten and we will go to Pisa looking to continue that run with another win in what is sure to be a tough game.”

“It was strange to line-up on Saturday without Cristiano [Lucarelli] leading the way. He is a talisman for all of us and is a fundamental piece in the Parma puzzle. I am learning so much from him through his experience of scoring so many Serie A goals and in playing so many matches. However, I feel I play effectively will with all the other strikers at this club; against Avellino for example, with me as the target man and Reginaldo playing off me we linked up well. As a team, we perhaps played a more attractive game in the first half, but this was because though we continued to push for a second goal after half-time, keeping a clean sheet was also a key factor in our minds.”

“Since Guidolin [Francesco] took over as manager I have been on the bench more than before but I do not resent this. Each manager has his way of running a team and the team must adapt to this. People have been saying that I miss Milan but I can assure them that though I wish to return to the San Siro one day, my main priority now is to get Parma back into Serie A.”

Pete.

“My Italian language is improving and my fitness is improving; though of course, I need to continue to play a part in our matches if I am to be at my utmost.”

“I was really pleased with my performance; I think I played a good game. I don’t like to play at full-back or wing-back, and so the manager putting me at my natural position of centre-back was much better for me.”

“It was a wonderful delivery from Paolo [Castellini] for my goal and I didicate it to me and the team. They have all been very supportive of me when I have not been playing as often as I’d like, both with keeping my morale up and when I don’t understand the language.”

“With Lucarelli [Alessandro] and Paci [Alessandro] injured, it was likely that I was going to get a game against Avellino. Obviously I’d like to play every single game, but with good defenders like those, that isn’t always going to happen. I simply must play well whenever I get my chances.”

“I have fulfilled one of my aims in my career and that was to score a league goal in Italy. I am overjoyed that it has happened, even though the win was more important.”

“The main thing I am having to adapt to on the pitch is the Italian style of play. It is very different to the Danish. I also must focus my concentration more sometimes. On Saturday I made a silly error and got an immediate yellow card.”

“Clearly we are on a fantastic run. We must continue to secure 3 points week in, week out, as we have been doing. Avellino are a good squad and certainly didn’t roll-over to us, but our primary objective this season has always been to at least win every home match, and that we did.”

Pete

After a hard-fought win in round 16 in Salerno in horrific playing conditions, confidence was high for Parma going into this clash with lowly Avellino on a ghastly cold December afternoon. Parma were without talisman Cristiano Lucarelli up front, or the suspended Leon in the midfield so Alberto Paloschi joined Reginaldo up top, and Stefano Morrone, returning from suspension, joined Macdonald Mariga and Alessandro Budel in midfield.

The Crociati played with three at the back (Marco Rossi, Giulio Falcone and Magnus Troest) with Paolo Castellini switching to right wing-back to allow for Luca Antonelli to play on the left, and it was Paolo Castellini that got yet another assist for what turned out to be the only goal of the game. He swung in the perfect free-kick from the right that Magnus Troest was able to score his first Parma goal from, with a diving header at the far post.

For the rest of the half, Parma continued to search for goals but just couldn’t deliver the correct final ball, with the defence having next to nothing to deal with from the away team. Luca Antonelli impressed for Parma in the first half and Franceso Guidolin will have a tough choice to make for the wing-backs in future now that the young Milanista has shown he is capable of competing with Castellini and Damiano Zenoni for a place.

The second half started much as the first ended, with Parma camped around the Avellino area just unable to find that killer pass. The away side played a counter-attacking game but any swift breaks they attempted were quickly dealt with by the solid Crociati back-line.

Daniele Paponi and Vitali Kutuzov came on for the last 20 minutes and as it got even colder, many players began to feel the strain in the second half and legs were cramping up all over the pitch. However Parma held on as Avellino pushed for an equaliser late on, and Nicola Pavarini held firm in the Crociati goal.

The deserved win for Parma took their unbeaten run to an impressive 13 games, with a trip to Pisa the following weekend the next test for Guidolin and his men.

Pete

“A lot was said at the start of the season in the media about how we did not have the right mentality for Serie B and that we weren’t ready. It is true that we started sluggishly, but this is a very different league to Serie A, and I think we are now succeeding in putting right our poor start to the season. You would not believe the magnitude of the desire in the squad to return to Serie A. Clearly those of us that were here last season are desperate to gain promotion, but also the new faces here; we are one big morally strong unit and if one falls, all of the rest of us pick him up.”

“The training exercises are pretty similar to those in Serie A, but the mental approach to the league is totally different. In the top league, it is often the case that you can lose big one week, then win big the next. In this league however, it is easy to get into a rut and so a positive mentality is vital to a Serie B squad’s success.”

“I don’t think our slow start was anything to do with an ‘un-intensive’ pre-season. Had some of the bad luck we experienced early on gone our way, no-one would have been talking about physical shape. However, none of us are looking for excuses; we simply started badly. Now we are totally focused on getting as high up the table as possible in the next few games so that we can feel calm in the Christmas holidays, and with a hunger to continue climbing the standings in the new year with the same desire and intensity we have at the moment.”

“I saw Avellino play against Piacenza and they are a very fit team, that like to wear down their opposition until they are too tired, and then start to attack late on. We must focus on playing at our utmost for 90 minutes and not sitting on a small lead if we manage to score early. If we play like we did against Salernitana, I’m sure we will be fine, but I still think we can do better. Our manager has great faith in our abilities and we want to repay that faith every match.”

“I am fully aware in myself that I have not performed to my top ability this season. I have been working incredibly hard but I just havn’t been able to perform how I know I can on the pitch. However, I am getting better and better as the team gets better, especially now that the manager is playing me as a striker; the position I feel is natural to me.”

“Many people ask me how it feels to not be a permanent fixture in the team, but I actually thrive on the competition in the squad. It makes certain that when you do get your chance, you are giving 110%. Ever since I arrived in Italy at Treviso, I knew there would be major competition in any squad I played at here so it wasn’t an unwelcome surprise for me.”

“Guidolin [Francesco] told Leon and I in particular to concentrate more than anything else on finding space whenever we can in order to utilise our pace and also to make it easier to link up with Cristiano up top. The first goal in Salerno showed that we were listening!”

Pete

“I had been recieving some critism of my form but instead of letting this get to me, I used it to my advantage. By reacting in a positive manner, I have been able to hopefully silence my critics on the pitch as opposed to off it. I have been working so hard to adapt my playing style to that which the manager [Francesco Guidolin] wants and finally, in Salerno, I found the form which I had been so proud of in previous years. I’m also glad that the team and I are understanding each other’s games much better.”

“Of course, my goal was not the primary objective of my free-kick, but when you cross a free-kick in from such an angle, you always try to put the ball on target, especially in the awful conditions of Friday, in case no one gets a touch. I am over the moon that all my hard work this season has finally paid off with a goal, though secretly I have to thank the pitch a little bit!”

“The t-shirt I showed in my celebration is always on when I’m playing. It says that Jesus loves you and that God is faithful and will see you through everything if you are faithful in return.”

“I am very angry at myself for getting suspended with another yellow card and thus not being able to play next weekend. I don’t even have the words to defend myself; let’s just say that referee’s make mistakes but so do we. The referee had given me numerous warnings but I was careless. I hope to remove these mistakes from my game in the future.”

“I hope to reach a personal tally of 10 goals this season and I think this is possible as we continue to rise up the Serie B table. With humility and patience, we are gradually showing everyone what we are caperble of. We can still get better, but Friday’s was a massive victory for us: 2 away wins on the trot is a huge boost for us as players, and for our fans. We will continue with our current approach and attitude to try to extened our unbeaten run as far as possible.”

Pete