Pisa Calcio

Football club infobox
clubname = Pisa


fullname = Pisa Calcio SpA
nickname = "Nerazzurri" (Black-Blues),
"Torri" (Towers)
founded = 1909 1994 (refounded)
ground = Arena Garibaldi - Romeo
Anconetani, Pisa, Italy
capacity = 17,000 [cite web|url=http://www.pisacalcio.it/stadio.asp|language=Italian|publisher=Pisa Calcio|title=ARENA GARIBALDI - STADIO ROMEO ANCONETANI|accessdate=2007-11-02]
chairman = Luca Pomponi
manager = Giampiero Ventura
league = Serie B
season = 2006-07
position = Serie C1/A, 3rd
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=_blackstripes|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=0055A3|body1=0055A3|rightarm1=0055A3|shorts1=000000|socks1=000000
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF

Pisa Calcio is an Italian football club, based in Pisa, Tuscany. The club was founded in 1909 as Pisa Sporting Club and refounded in 1994 as A.C. Pisa (and registered to the "Eccellenza", that is the sixth football division in Italy), after the cancellation of the old one because of economical troubles. It assumed the current denomination in 1995. The team's colors are blue and black.

Pisa has won two Mitropa Cups, in 1985 and 1988. They play their home matches at Arena Garibaldi - Stadio Romeo Anconetani, named after Romeo Anconetani, the chairman who brought and led the club in Serie A during the 1980s and the 1990s.

Pisa will play the 2008-09 season in the Serie B, after having lost to U.S. Lecce in a two-legged promotion playoff final to Serie A. The club marked its last Serie A appearance in 1991.

History

After promotion to Serie B in 1965, Pisa took three years to reach Serie A for the first time. Despite a brave effort, Pisa were relegated on the final day of the 1968-69 season.

Spending much of the 1970s in Serie C, Pisa returned to Serie B in 1979 (by which time the club had come under the presidency of the much-loved Romeo Anconetani) and were promoted to Serie A in 1982, embarking on a period of six out of nine seasons in Serie A. With Danish international Klaus Berggreen among their stars, Pisa managed a credible 11th place in the 1982-83 Serie A with 27 points and 27 goals scored and conceded in 30 games. The following season brought relegation (during which they recorded just 3 wins and 16 draws) with 10,000 fans travelling to Milan for the fateful penultimate game.

Promotion followed in 1985, and the team seemed capable of staying up until losing their last three games. The cycle was repeated in 1987, only for a side containing players like Dunga and Paul Elliott to stay up. The last promotion to Serie A was achieved in 1990, and with the talents of players like Maurizio Neri, Michele Padovano and Lamberto Piovanelli up front and Diego Simeone and Aldo Dolcetti in midfield, the side started well and was briefly atop the standings, only to suffer another relegation.

Relegation brought considerable financial strains to the club, and by 1994 they had lost a relegation play-off and were condemned to Serie C1. Bankruptcy saw Pisa reformed in the lower leagues, only to return to Serie C2 in 1996 and C1 in 1999. Pisa have since worked towards attaining Serie B status, which was achieved in 2007. Their crowds have been among the better in Italy's lower divisions owing to the dedication of their fans.

In 2005-06, the team, initially thought to be a protagonist for the promotion, were in continuous struggles, and avoided relegation after playoffs in two dramatic regional derbies against Massese. The 2006-07 season, with new boss Piero Braglia, brought Pisa back to fight for a promotion spot: the "nerazzurri" ended the regular season in third place, and eventually won the promotion playoffs by defeating Venezia in the semi-finals and Monza in the finals.

For the 2007-08 Serie B campaign, the first in 13 years, Giampiero Ventura was named to replace Braglia at the helm of the "nerazzurri". Despite initial predictions of a mid-low table place, Pisa's impressive performances brought the team to fight for a direct promotion spot, also thanks to a forward line composed by Alessio Cerci, José Ignacio Castillo and Vitali Kutuzov which proved to be among the finest in the league.

Current squad

"As of 2008-09-15" [cite news|url=http://www.pisacalcio.it/squadra/squadra.html?sId=1|publisher=Pisa Calcio|title=Prima squadra|accessdate=2008-08-05|language=Italian]

Notable former players

*flagicon|Netherlands Mario Been
*flagicon|Denmark Klaus Berggreen
*flagicon|Brazil Dunga
*flagicon|Argentina José Antonio Chamot
*flagicon|England Paul Elliott
*flagicon|Netherlands Wim Kieft
*flagicon|Denmark Henrik Larsen
*flagicon|Italy flagicon|Scotland Giovanni Moscardini
*flagicon|Italy Roberto Muzzi
*flagicon|Italy Michele Padovano
*flagicon|Italy Lamberto Piovanelli
*flagicon|Belgium Francis Severeyns
*flagicon|Italy Gianluca Signorini
*flagicon|Argentina Diego Simeone
*flagicon|Italy Marco Tardelli
*flagicon|Italy Christian Vieri

Notable former managers

*flagicon|Romania Mircea Lucescu
*flagicon|Italy Luigi Simoni
*flagicon|Brazil Luis Vinicio

References

External links

* [http://www.pisacalcio.it/ Official site]