The Monopoli Gazette
Match15 Jan 2028
Monopoli taken apart
1‑4 to Salernitana, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
The terraces17 Jan 2028
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 28 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Player ratings17 Jan 2028
A defender's goal wins it for Monopoli — 7.65
1 for Bruno Valenti, marked 7.65, and a centre-half's name in the part of the report he normally only reaches by mistake. He will not be allowed to forget it in the dressing room for a month.
Match15 Jan 2028
4 matches without a win for Monopoli
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Monopoli are no longer polite ones.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Freddi Greco in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Monopoli this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Jan 2028
David Kalokoh falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Boardroom17 Jan 2028
Monopoli agree a free transfer for Luigi D'Alessio
Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.
Squad17 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of David Kalokoh
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom17 Jan 2028
Inquest at Monopoli
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
In brief
- Player ratings Emanuele Scipioni runs at them all day
- Squad Marco Paparella signs a new deal
- Market The Cristian Battocchio question follows Monopoli around