Meet The Riot: #2 Defence

Name: Reto "Ziggy" ZIEGLER
RMR Squad Number: 18
Position: D/WB/AM L
Signed: 24/02/09, £126,000 Wage Auction

Real-Life:

Swiss International Reto Ziegler is a legitimate star on the world stage, and considered one of the brightest left-sided prospects in Europe. Having appeared for Spurs under both Jacques Santini and Martin Jol as a youth, a loan move to Italian club Sampdoria was made permanent in 2007.

RMR Bio:

Since arriving at Preach Clubrooms, "Ziggy" Ziegler's versatility has given him a very solid run in the first team, making over 100 appearances and establishing himself as the first-choice for the left side. Usually starting games as a wing-back, he is known to drift forwards if required, as well as showing creativity from set pieces.

Name: Mohamed Salah GHAZOUANI (regen)
RMR Squad Number: 21
Position: SW + D C
Signed: 23/02/09, £12,600 End-of-Contract Auction (Spanish Fork FC)

RMR Bio:

A highly-talented sweeper, Mohamed Saleh Ghazouani was much courted when his Spanish Fork FC contract was due to expire. Dominant in the air and decent on the ground, the teenager is knocking on the door of the first team, and looks set to be an RMR superstar for years to come.

Name: FABIANO
RMR Squad Number: 28
Position: D C
Signed: 23/02/09, £15,400 End-of-Contract Auction (Hamilton 1967)

Real-Life:

Research suggests that Fabiano was last seen playing for the U20 side of Brazilian side Marilia, although whether this is still the case is unknown.

RMR Bio:

A big, strong, two-footed defender, Fabiano's signing from renowned side Hamilton 1967 was big news. However, some shaky early appearances saw him lose his confidence and spot in the team to Michele Canini, and since then he has drifted further and further from the first team setup. A loan spell at Seaview has given him some game time, but his long-term future remains to be seen.

Name: Roberto TACCHI (regen)
RMR Squad Number: 31
Position: D/WB/AM R + DM + F C
Signed: 23/02/09, £154,000 End-of-Contract Auction (Hamilton 1967)

RMR Bio:

Signed at the same time as Hamilton 1967 compatriot Fabiano, young Italian Roberto Tacchi has fared much better. With every game he's played, he has simply got better and better. The versatile teenager has thrived after being given free rein to run up and down the right wing, with seven-figure offers already being turned down for him.

Name: Davor PEJOVIC (regen)
RMR Squad Number: 32
Position: D LC
Signed: 09/01/09, £9,000 Wage Auction

RMR Bio:

Having been much sought-after as a free agent, interest in youngster Davor Pejovic has cooled somewhat following some average performances for the RMR youth sides. Agreeing to take a wage cut saw him earn a contract extension, although he knows as well as anyone that his future is in the balance.

Name: Michele CANINI
RMR Squad Number: 33
Position: D C
Signed: 24/02/09, £126,000 Wage Auction

Real-Life:

Tough-tackling centre-back Michele Canini has been likened to Paolo Maldini in his time at Cagliari, and looks to be one of the bright hopes for Italian football. A left-footed defender, he has played for his country at U21 level.

RMR Bio:

A hot free agent after his Arctic Monkeys contract was terminated, Michele Canini has proven himself an absolute bargain. Having replaced Jermaine Taylor on the left side of the two centre backs, he is generally strong in the tackle but prone to schoolboy positioning errors. Canini's ability to play on the left gives him a definite advantage, as well as being one of the more senior heads in the squad, despite having many years still ahead of him.

Name: Alexis NORAMBUENA
RMR Squad Number: 5
Position: D RLC + WB RL
Signed: 28/02/09, £12,000 End-of-Contract Auction (1.FC Josef)

Real-Life:

Alexis Norambuena is a versatile Chilean defender who has recently signed for Polish First Division side Jagiellonia Bialystok. Prior to this, he had played over 100 games for Chilean side Union Espanola, with whom he won the Chilean League in 2005.

RMR Bio:

Brought in as a versatile man-at-the-back, Norambuena's quality performances from the bench have led to him challenging for a first-team spot. Since young Roberto Tacchi is more comfortable as an attacking winger, a change of tactics could see Norambuena get a run in the first team as the right wingback.

Name: Marek WASILUK
RMR Squad Number: 2
Position: D LC + WB L
Signed: 24/03/09, £200,000 Private Transfer (Tortue SG)

Real-Life:

A lanky young defender, Marek Wasiluk moved from his hometown club Jagiellonia Bialystok to Championship contenders Cracovia Krakow.

RMR Bio:

Wasiluk's transfer was already in the works when it was announced Mexican heart-of-the-defence Severo Meza was leaving the club, the tall defender having impressed in four seasons at Tortue SG. A strong and determined player, he will be looking to cement himself in the starting line-up for years to come.

Name: Maxime JOSSE
RMR Squad Number: 3
Position: D RC
Signed: 24/03/09, £500,000 Private Transfer (Kinghorn Hippopotami FC)

Real-Life:

A young centre-back who has come through the ranks at Sochaux, Josse has spent considerable time out on loan to get first-team football. Having previously appeared in the French Ligue 2 for Stade Brestois 29, he is currently wearing the #27 shirt for another Ligue 2 side, Angers SCO.

RMR Bio:

With the new season looming and the major blow of losing Severo Meza in an end-of-contract wage auction, RMR manager Law Martin found himself looking for a new star to build his defence around. Michele Canini had yet to prove himself as a consistent and reliable starter, and as such Maxime Josse was brought in from David Crighton's Kinghorn Hippopotami, for whom he had played over 500 games. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, impressing in pre-season performances and looking likely to be the first choice right centre-back ahead of Wasiluk.

Name: HWANG SUN-PIL
RMR Squad Number: 22
Position: D RLC + WB RL + DM
Signed: 25/03/09, £19,000 End-of-Contract Wage Auction (GS Iraklis Salonika)

Real-Life:

Having played for many years at South Korean side Daegu FC, Hwang Sun-Pil is now part of the military side, Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix, as he performs his two years military service.

RMR Bio:

With his contract at GS Iraklis Salonika running out, it was surprising how little interest there was in Hwang Sun-Pil. An extremely versatile defensive player, he was signed as an all-purpose handyman, filling in wherever needed. In addition to this, he brings dead ball expertise which has been shown to be sorely lacking. Whether he can get ahead of the club's other utility player, Alexis Norambuena, in the pecking order remains to be seen.

Name: Gustavo REARTE (regen)
RMR Squad Number: 24
Position: D/WB RL
Signed: 23/03/09, £8,000 End-of-Contract Wage Auction (Randledinho's)

RMR Bio:

A promising youngster, at 16 years old Gustavo Rearte is already finding himself competing for a spot in the first team. The Argentine is showing good development, and is particularly deadly from free kicks. Definitely one to watch.

Afore Season Four

And so, to season four, due to start on the 1st. Some pretty brutal squad changing after the disappointing end to last season has left a new look River Medway Riot. New look not least in the sense of our funky new Lotto strips, again sponsored by Debenhams.




The big news on the transfer front was the targetting of Fernando Cavenaghi, of Kid Chameleon. Following Etien Velikonja's disappointing form towards the end of the season, Cavenaghi was being targetted as the perfect big-name signing to take some of the pressure off of young Anthony Modeste's shoulders. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be- Cavenaghi's wage demands proved too far beyond the established RMR structure, and the Argentinian international moved to Great Scot instead.

Velikonja's release, coupled with the transfer of Diego Silva to Screaming Vikings for £100k, left us a little thin on the ground in terms of striking options. 18-year-old Simone Dell'Agnello returned from a disappointing loan spell at CWA rivals Gary Town FC, but the wheels were put in motion to bring in some more established players to challenge Modeste, Dumisani Ngwenya and Kaimar Saag for the available first-team spots.

Panamanian striker Luis Tejada had been sitting on the bench at Sierra Olson's Loverdunk Lemurs side for a few season, and in a squad with Nicolas Anelka and Enrique Sola, didn't look like breaking into the first XI anytime soon. Some very fast-moving back-and-forth negotiations between myself and the charming Miss Olson resulted in a deal acceptable to both parties, worth £350,000, but which saw Riot youngsters Denis Huber, Florian Pizzinat and Edilson Mendes form the spine of the Lemurs' new youth side.

Also joining was man-mountain Bogdan Milic, whose contract at Chryssalid FC expired. At 6'5 and over 14 stone, Milic had again found his opportuities limited at his present club, and was delighted to get both a pay rise and the opportunity to relaunch his career. Since coming in, he's established a powerful partnership with Anthony Modeste, and looks like he could prove to be a valuable asset.

Riot's other big story was the acquisition of 22-year-old AMRC Giles Barnes, a man who had averaged over a 7.00 rating for pretty much his entire career to date, including over 250 games for previous club G700 F.C. His RMR career has got off to an even finer start, scoring 8 goals in 14 friendly fixtures, and picking up two man of the match awards. Although Barnes was transfer listed with a £1.1m fee, G700 manager Nick "The Greek" accepted a straight swap deal for hotly-tipped RMR youth product Marco Criscuolo.

Other transfer activity saw the strengthening of the defence to fit a new look formation, with the three-man defence ditched for four at the back to try and establish some consistency in form. While Riot scored the second-highest number of goals in the CWA Premiership last season, they were also second in the league for goals conceded.

As it stands, it seems River Medway Riot will line up the first game of the season as follows, in a 4-1-3-2 formation:


Anthony Modeste ... Bogdan Milic
Jozef Michalik ... Giles Barnes ... Roberto Tacchi
Arouca
Reto Ziegler ... Michele Canini ... Severo Meza ... David Romminger
Jason Brown


The flexibility of the formation and starting line up, particularly with Tacchi, Romminger and Barnes, allow for easy modification to both a more attacking 3-5-2 and a more defensive 5-3-2. Ziegler and Romminger have occasionally been employed as wingbacks in preseason, while Meza can become the fifth man in defence as a sweeper, if necessary.

At present, Riot are competing in a Greek competition, the "Big Cup", which features predominantly newer teams, but which is hosted by XFA Premier League runners-up Aspra Chomata F.C. The Riot invitation came as part of a transfer deal which saw Lucas Correa move to Chomata, and given their experience compared with the fresh-faced opposition, it is unsurprising RMR sit top of the table, unbeaten, having won 7 from 8.

Finally, a word on two other friendly games, both with scores which make the mind boggle. Having experimented with a ten-striker formation, in the hopes of catching their opponents offside, Riot took a sound beating at the hands of Northampton Hurricanes. Brazilian superstar Kaka set a new GW record in the process, scoring ten of the goals in a 17-4 victory for the Hurricanes- Fernando Torres also bagged six, with Damien Le Tallec rounding off the rout. The shoe was on the other foot, however, when Riot agreed to be the opposition in Francesco Toldo's Testimonial Game for Carnoustie Celtic. Despite giving up over 100 places to Celtic, Riot ran out 9-3 winners in a remarkably open game, with new faces Milic, Barnes and Tejada joined on the scoresheet by Modeste, Arouca, Gislason and Ngwenya.

Last but not least, voting is currently in process for the official River Medway Riot Away Strip Babe for season four. Campaigning from respected FC Highlanders boss Federico Rizzi has seen a surge in popularity for a return of Season 3's beautiful Alison Angel, but sources from inside the polling station suggest the Olsen Twins, Stacy Keibler and Myleene Klass are all in the running to fill Angel's dainty boots.