Up and down between B and A

Gianpaolo Pozzo could not stand losing. Serie A was his only goal. He hired a real professional, Franco Scoglio, and the move proved successful. Udinese start was just good, Balbo was restless on the pitch, Sensini was terrific, Manicone, newly hired, was very tactical and clever, Mandorlini, joining from Inter, was the pivot of the defence. There seemed to be no adversaries for Udinese, but then on their way to the top of the table something went wrong. The beginning of 1992 was a disaster, the top of the crisis was reached in February after a 2 - 2 home draw to Cosenza playing with 9 men. Then it was the turn of 0-2 at home against Messina. Scoglio was sacked and Fedele substituted him. He was known to be a hard worker, an athlete, a motivator. With great effords the Club won promotion on the final match day on 14 June 1992, winning 2-0 during an away match to Ancona.
 
An unexpected event was still to come: just five days before the beginning of the new season Adriano Fedele was sacked and replaced by Albertino Bigon.
 
In 1992-93 Udinese was a double face team: the strongest at home, the most vulnerable away. And that was a pity because their potential was high. Sensini, Balbo, Dell'Anno, Desideri, Branca, Giuliani were among the best players of the whole championship. Udinese avoided being relegated at play-offs winning to Brescia on 12 June 1993 in Bologna. Bigon's post was not confirmed and former National team coach Azeglio Vicini was hired. But what is serious was that Balbo left Udinese and Dell'Anno joined Inter. The beginning of the season was relly poor and Vicini was sacked and replaced by Adriano Fedele. In the meantime Sensini joined Parma; and as a partial ransom Fausto Pizzi was hired. Udinese made their best but their effords were vain. It was Serie B once again. The last time since the beginning of Pozzo's Age, though. The following season started bad but Udinese struggled hard with the newcomers Poggi, Ripa, Ametrano, Marino, and with his regulars Desideri e Pizzi, finishing in at high positions in the table and winning promotion. Pozzo was not yet satisfied, fired Fedele and hired Giovanni Galeone who managed to lead the squad to A effordlessly finishing a stunning season in second place.
Hiring Oliver Bierhoff was just one example of the Club's tactics, of their competence. Zaccheroni's first year in Udine proved positive: the team gained salvation well in advance, long before the end of the championship. The following season (1996-97) represented a turning point: Udinese's football was among the best, more professional ones in A. The Club proved skilled during the transfer window: Marcio Amoroso joined the bianconeri, despite being discarded by other big clubs. At first Zaccheroni did not place his trust in the Brazilian but then he realized what an extraordinary champion he was. A new marvellous trio was born: Poggi, Bierhoff, Amoroso. Moreover Udinese started playing with three men in defence. It was 13 April 1997, Udinese was engaged in Turin against Juventus, it would be 3-0 for Udinese. During the first minutes Genaux, defender, made a bad foul and was red carded. Zaccheroni left the defence as it was, that is to say three man, and at the end it would turn out to be a success. That June Udinese gained qualification for UEFA Cup.
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Poggi e Carnevale
The following season Zaccheroni's age came to an end. The team got great results: third place at the end of the championship and Bierfoff was the top scorer with 27 nets. And it was UEFA again. The Pozzos moved cleverly during the tranfer window: they hired champions at low prices, and sold for ten times as much. Udinese were the king of capital gain, the balance was far positive and, what was best, the team was not weakened after the transfer of both Bierhoff and Helveg to Milan. Udinese were then considered a model in Italian football scene for their skilled transfer operations, for their structure, for their ability to find hidden talents all over the world.
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4 novembre 1999: El Pampa segna contro la Legia Varsavia
The following year, Udinese, now trained by Guidolin, qualified for UEFA again after winning the play-off match against Juventus. At the end of the season, however, Guidolin was sacked and Luigi De Canio replaced him. In the meanwhile Amoroso was transferred to Parma for an astonishing amount of money. Stefano Fiore was then hired. Fiore was one of those sleepers, hidden talents who made sparks fly in Udine. For three quarters of the season the Club behaved well, but after Jorgensen suffered a bad injury, they were overcame by a period of crisis. Seventh place in the table and no UEFA. All the same, they won Intertoto and consequently qualified for UEFA.

2000-01's season opened up with a stunning Udinese: 5 games, 13 points, 1st place. Somebody bagan talking about scudetto, somebody else was gulty on vanity and the team faced a bad slump from March on that year. After losing to Parma at home, De Canio was sacked and substituted by Luciano Spalletti. The team could not recover but on the very last match day of the season they won to Atalanta 1-0 thanks to a net by Muzzi, and gained salvation.
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1997-98: Coppa UEFA per Amoroso e Calori
Pozzo sacked Spalletti, whose efforts had been great, in the name of a promise made a couple of months before to Roy Hodgson, former Inter coach. The Englishman trained Udinese for the 2001-02 season but he found it hard to acclimatize and was sacked despite quite positive results. During Hodgson' leadership Udinese actually faced some ups and downs but on the eve of Udinese-Verona Gianpaolo Pozzo got offended and sacked the trainer after knowing about an interview to an English newspaper where Hodgson regretted having accepted Udinese's proposal. That was too much to stand and Hodgson got fired right after the match. The Club then hired Giampiero Ventura but in vain: results were lacking and the team only managed to win salvation on the second last game winning 2-1 in Lecce thanks to a brace by Di Michele.

The blackandwhite club as an inspirational model

In June 1995 Gianpaolo Pozzo hired Alberto Zaccheroni. And his trust was well rewarded. Thanks to the new coach results did not seem to lack. The Pozzos' policy had been far-sighted and clever, they avoided wild extravagances and aimed to hidden talents and young of promises. A policy whose results are still visible and concrete.
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Alberto Zaccheroni nel campionato 1995-96