C-27J Spartan
Role	Military transport aircraft
National origin	Italy
Manufacturer	Alenia Aeronautica
Introduction	October 2006 Italy
Status	In production, in service
Primary users	Italian Air Force United States Air Force Hellenic Air Force See Operators below for others
Produced	1997-Present
Number built	52[citation needed]
Unit cost	US$53.3 million (2012)[1]
Developed from	Aeritalia G.222

The Alenia C-27J Spartan is a medium-sized military transport aircraft. The C-27J is an advanced derivative of Alenia Aeronautica's G.222 (C-27A Spartan in U.S. service), with the engines and systems of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. The aircraft was selected as the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) for the United States military.

The C-27J has also been ordered by the military air units of Australia, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco and Romania.

Design and development[link]

In 1995, Alenia and Lockheed Martin began discussions to improve Alenia's G.222 using C-130J's glass cockpit and a more powerful version of the G.222's T64G engine and four-blade propellers. The companies began a program for the improved G.222, named C-27J in 1996. This was a U.S. military type designation based on the G.222's C-27A U.S. designation. Then the design was changed to use the C-130J Super Hercules's Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engine and six-blade propeller. Alenia and Lockheed Martin formed Lockheed Martin Alenia Tactical Transport Systems (LMATTS) for the development of C-27J in 1997.^[2] The C-27J has a 35% increase in range and a 15% faster cruise speed than the G.222.^[2]

By 2005, the U.S. Army had identified the need to replace its aging C-23 Sherpa lifter. The Sherpa's performance was inadequate in the hot, high terrain of Southwest Asia. In lieu of adequate fixed-wing airlift availability, the U.S. Army's CH-47 helicopter fleet was being worked hard to fill the "last tactical mile" transporting supplies to forward located troops. The C-27J as intended by the U.S. Army to give "Direct Support" capability, and reduce the stress on their CH-47 fleet.^[3]

The LMATTS joint venture was later dissolved when Lockheed Martin chose to offer the C-130J in 2006 as a contender in the same U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) competition in which the C-27J was competing.^[4] Alenia Aeronautica then paired with L-3 Communications to form the Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS) joint venture to market the C-27J.^[5] Boeing later joined Alenia and L-3 Communications as a GMAS team member.^[6]

A C-27J during ground handling.

The GMAS team bid the C-27J in the Joint Cargo Aircraft competition against Raytheon and EADS North America's C-295. Both the U.S. Army and Air Force JCA orders combined are expected to top 100 aircraft. The JCA will eventually replace the existing Short C-23 Sherpa, Beechcraft C-12 Huron and Fairchild C-26 Metroliners in the Army National Guard, and will become a substitute tactical airlift platform for those Air National Guard airlift groups or airlift wings losing C-130 aircraft to retirement or Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action redistribution of aircraft (C-130H/C-130J).^[7][8] The C-27J completed the U.S. Department of Defense's Early User Survey evaluations by November 2006, flying 26 hours and surpassing all the JCA program requirements. The GMAS team also announced that the C-27J will be assembled at a facility at Cecil Field, Duval County, Florida.^[9]

While the final selection of the JCA was expected to be announced in March 2007, the decision came on 13 June 2007, when the Pentagon selected the C-27J as its Joint Cargo Aircraft.^[8] A contract worth US$2.04 billion was awarded to the L-3 Communications team for 78 C-27Js along with training and support on 13 June 2007.^[10] At this time, the U.S. Army had requirement for up to 75 aircraft in the Army National Guard; the Air Force had a requirement for up to 70 aircraft in the Air Force Special Operations Command and the Air National Guard.^[8]

On 22 June 2007, Raytheon formally protested the award of the JCA contract to the Alenia C-27J.^[11] On 27 September 2007, the GAO announced that it had denied Raytheon’s protest, thereby allowing the Pentagon to go ahead with the C-27J procurement.^[12] Prior to Raytheon's protest, the first C-27J aircraft were to begin delivery to the joint U.S. Army-Air Force test and training program in June 2008.^[13] The first flight of a U.S. C-27J occurred on 17 June 2008.^[14]

A C-27J during "Giornata Azzurra 2007".

Romania ordered seven C-27Js for delivery from 2008 to replace Antonov An-24 and Antonov An-26 aircraft, beating the EADS CASA C-295.^[15] However, the order was blocked by the government in February 2007 upon a legal challenge filed by EADS.^[16] In June 2007, the order was confirmed again when the Romanian court rejected EADS' complaint.^[17] The Romanian government officially signed the contract for the delivery of seven C-27Js on 7 December 2007,^[18] with the first two Spartans delivered on 12 April 2010.^[19]

As of 2011^[update], orders stand at Italy (12), Greece (12), Bulgaria (3), Lithuania (3), Morocco (4), Romania (7), Mexico (4) and United States (38).^{[18][20][21][22]}

Operational history[link]

Italy received its first C-27J in October 2006.^[23] The Italian Air Force deployed two C-27Js to Afghanistan from 12 September 2008 to 27 January 2009 in support NATO airlift operations.^[24][25]

In March 2011, the Bulgarian Air Force received its last of three C-27Js ordered. Bulgaria had initially ordered five in 2006, but reduced its order in 2010.^[26][27][28]

The United States received its first C-27J on 25 September 2008.^[29] In September 2008, the C-27J Schoolhouse, operated by L-3 Link, officially began classes at the Georgia Army National Guard Flight Facility, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. By April 2009, the U.S. Army had accepted deliveries of two aircraft and had 11 more on order.^[30] A proposal in May 2009 that the U.S. Army/Army National Guard relinquish all of its aircraft to the U.S. Air Force, primarily the Air National Guard, with a reduction of the total buy to 38 aircraft,^[31] led the DoD to give total control of the US's C-27Js to the USAF in December.^[22]

Although the initial plan was for the C-27J to be operated by the Air National Guard for direct support of the United States Army, that changed to both Army National Guard and Air National Guard flight crews to support the fielding of the aircraft. The U.S. Air National Guard had received four C-27Js by July 2010 and began using them for testing and training. Purchase of 38 Spartans is anticipated with initial operational capability expected in October 2010.^[32] The U.S. Air Force had planned the C-27J's first combat deployment for summer 2011.^[33]

In August 2011, two C-27J aircraft flown by Air National Guard personnel with Army National Guard personnel began operations at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan.^[34][35][36] From August to December 2011, the C-27Js of the 179th Airlift Wing transported some 400 tons of cargo, and over 6,900 passengers in more than 900 missions.^[3] By exercising tactical control of the C-27Js, the U.S. Army was able to employ helicopters in a much more efficient fashion, splitting missions between the two platforms to make best use of the strengths of each.^[37]

The U.S. Army had indicated that a fleet of 54 aircraft posed a moderate risk to mission fulfillment in 2005; the USAF has moved to cancel the program entirely in 2012.^[38] On 26 January 2012, the U.S. Department of Defense announced plans to remove all 38 C-27Js on order from the U.S. Air Force's inventory as their niche capabilities are too expensive.^[39] The C-27J's duties are to be taken by the U.S. Air Force's C-130s.^[40] In February 2012, Alenia warned that it would not provide support for C-27Js resold by the United States.^[41] In March 2012, it was reported that the U.S. Coast Guard is considering taking over the aircraft from the U.S. Air Force.^[42] On 23 March 2012, the U.S. Air Force announced that it will cut the C-27J from its inventory in fiscal year 2013 after determining that its per-aircraft lifecycle costs are higher than those of C-130 aircraft performing the same combat resupply mission.^[43][44]

As of April 2012^[update], the USAF is continuing to shut down the program, in anticipation that Congress will support its budget request to do so.^[45]

Possible sales[link]

A C-27J in a banked turn.

The Royal Australian Air Force has made a Foreign Military Sales request for 10 C-27Js light air lifters valued up to US$950m to replace its retired DHC-4 Caribou fleet.^[46][47] One advantage identified by the RAAF over the rival C-295, is the C-27J's wider and taller cabin that makes it compatible with the Australian Army's general purpose G-Wagon vehicle^[48] and palletized goods.^[49]

The C-27J was being considered as a sole-source contract by the Government of Canada as a future replacement for its current search and rescue air fleet; this contract was worth approximately C$3 billion in January 2007.^[50]

The Indian Air Force has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for 16 medium military transport aircraft. Alenia Aeronautica responded with information about the C-27J Spartan.^[51]

The Peruvian Air Force is in evaluations to replace their Antonov An-32, and the C-27J along with the EADS CASA C-295 are the contenders for the program acquisition.^{[citation needed]}

On 21 August 2009, Taiwan announced that it had entered price negotiations with Alenia Aeronautica for the sale of six C-27J Spartan aircraft.^[52] The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Ghana of four C-27Js on 9 September 2009.^[53]

Indonesia is considering the purchase of the C-27J.^[54] Slovakia's air force has selected the C-27J and is negotiating an order for at least two aircraft.^[55] The Royal Thai Air Force plans to upgrade its three G.222s to C-27J standard.^{[citation needed]}

Variants[link]

AC-27J Stinger II[link]

The AC-27J was a proposed gunship version of the C-27J. The U.S. Air Force shifted US$32 million from the Pentagon's 2008 budget to purchase a C-27J for the U.S. Air Force Air Force Special Operations Command, to fulfill the requirements that AFSOC had defined under the AC-XX concept that it envisioned as a replacement for the aging and extensively used AC-130s.^[56] The AC-27J was to be equipped using proven hardware and systems to reduce risk.^[56][57][58] AFSOC planned to acquire 16 aircraft, the first in fiscal 2011, with two additional gunships to be purchased each year from 2012 to 2015.

The AC-27J was planned as a multi-mission platform, equipped with full-motion video cameras and capable of covert infil/exfil as well as armed support from above, armed with either a 30-millimeter or 40-millimeter gun and the stand-off, precision-guided munitions like the Northrop Grumman-built Viper Strike bomb.^[59]

At the Air Force Association's 2008 conference, it was reported that the AC-27J variant would be named "Stinger II" after the AC-119K Stinger.^[56][60] C-27A 90-0170 (c/n 4097) was removed from storage at AMARC in October 2008 and delivered to Eglin AFB, Florida, for use by the Air Force Research Laboratory to test the feasibility of mounting of 30 mm and 40 mm guns. The fully assembled airframe was at the Eglin main base by December 2008.^[61]

The gunship program was put on hold in May 2009 because U.S. Army funding for 40 C-27s in an Army-Air Force cooperative purchase had been removed from the fiscal 2010 budget.^[62] U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command will remain with the C-130 for solutions to its stated need for gunships.^[63][64]

Operators[link]

World operators of the C-27J Spartan.

 Australia

• Royal Australian Air Force has ordered ten C-27J aircraft with delivery to commence in 2015.^[65]

 Bulgaria

• Bulgarian Air Force has three C-27J aircraft in service as of January 2012.^[66]

 Greece

• Hellenic Air Force has eight C-27J aircraft in use as of January 2012.^[66] The last four aircraft of the initial order of 12 will not be delivered to due to cutbacks in military spending.^{[citation needed]}

 Italy

• Italian Air Force has 12 aircraft in operation as of January 2012.^[66]

Lithuanian Air Force C-27J Spartan with a aerial refueling probe.

 Lithuania

• Lithuanian Air Force has three C-27Js in service as of January 2012.^[66][67]

 Morocco

• Royal Moroccan Air Force has four aircraft in use as of January 2012.^[66]

 Mexico

• Mexican Air Force has one C-27J in service as of January 2012.^[66] It ordered four C-27Js in July 2011.^[68]

Romanian Air Force C-27J Spartan at Otopeni Air Show 2010.

 Romania

• Romanian Air Force has five C-27Js in service as of April 2012.^[69] It ordered seven aircraft with deliveries to completed in 2012.^[70]

 United States

• United States Air Force has eight C-27Js in service as of January 2012.^[66] In 2009, the U.S. Air Force was given total control of the US's C-27Js. The requirement is limited to 38 aircraft.^[22] The Air National Guard has received 13 C-27Js by February 2012.^[71]

Specifications (C-27J)[link]

C-27J Spartan with prop vortices condensation at the Paris Air Show.

Italian Air Force C-27J.

Data from Alenia Aeronautica,^[72] C-27J facts^[73]

General characteristics

• Crew: Minimum two: pilot, co-pilot, (plus loadmaster when needed)
• Capacity: 60 troops or 46 paratroops or 36 litters with 6 medical personnel
• Payload: 11,500 kg (25,353 lb)
• Length: 22.7 m (74 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 28.7 m (94 ft 2 in)
• Height: 9.64 m (31 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 82 m² (880 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 17,000 kg (37,479 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 30,500 kg (67,241 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce AE2100-D2A turboprop, 3,460 kW (4,640 hp) each
• Propellers: 6-bladed Dowty Propeller 391/6-132-F/10, 4.15 m (13 ft 7 in) diameter

Performance

• Maximum speed: 602 km/h (374 mph; 325 kn)
• Cruising speed: 583 km/h (362 mph; 315 kn)
• Minimum control speed: 194 km/h; 121 mph (105 kn)
• Range: 1,852 km (1,151 mi; 1,000 nmi) with 10,000 kilograms (22,000 lb) payload
• Range at 6,000 kg payload: 4,260 km (2,650 mi; 2,300 nmi)
• Ferry range: 5,926 km (3,682 mi; 3,200 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 9,144 m (30,000 ft)

See also[link]

Related development

• Aeritalia G.222
• C-130J Super Hercules
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• EADS CASA C-295
• Transall C-160
• Antonov An-32
  

References[link]

Notes

Bibliography

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: C-27J Spartan

• Alenia C-27J site
• GMAS C-27J site for JCA Program
• Alenia Canadian C-27J site
• C-27J Spartan: Pocket Technical Guide
• "Spartan In Name Only" LM Code One Magazine
• "Frontline warrior: The Alenia Aeronautica C-27 Spartan ", Flight International
• European Aviation Safety Agency - Type Certificate Data Sheet C-27J
• Greek C-27J Spartan
• Flight Test: C-27J - No small measure. Flight International, 24 August 2004.
• "C-27J Derivatives Emerge". Aviation Week, 23 October 2007.

Sampdoria

200px
Full name	Unione Calcio Sampdoria, SpA
Nickname(s)	i Blucerchiati (The Blue-ringed) la Samp il Doria
Founded	August 1, 1946; 65 years ago  (1946-08-01)
Ground	Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy (Capacity: 36,536)
President	Riccardo Garrone
Head Coach	Giuseppe Iachini
League	Serie B
2010–11	Serie A, 18th (relegated)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria. Both the team name and jersey do reflect this, the first being a combination of the former names, the second incorporating the former teams' colours (blue-white and red-black) in a single design.

Sampdoria currently compete in the Italian Serie B. The team's colours are blue with white, red and black hoops , hence the nickname blucerchiati. Sampdoria play at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, capacity 36,536,^[1] which it shares with Genoa's other club, Genoa Cricket and Football Club. The derby between the two teams is commonly known as the Derby della Lanterna.

Sampdoria have won the scudetto only once in their history, in the 1991 season. The club has also won the Coppa Italia four times (1985, 1988, 1989, and 1994) and one Italian Super Cup. Their biggest European success came when they won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. They also reached the European Cup final in 1992 only to lose against the Spanish side FC Barcelona with an 1–0 score after extra time.

History[link]

The Ginnastica Sampierdarenese was founded in 1891, opening its football section in 1899. Also around this time, a club named Society Andrea Doria was founded in 1895, and began to increase their focus on dedicating itself to football.

Andrea Doria: early league participation[link]

Andrea Doria did not participate in the first Italian Football Championship which was organized by the Italian Federation of Football (F.I.F.) since instead they had enrolled themselves into a football tournament which was organized by the Italian Federation of Ginnastica. The club eventually joined the competition for the Italian Football Championship 1903, but did not win a game in the tournament until 1907 when they beat local rivals Genoa 3–1.

It was not until 1910–11 that the club began to show promise; during that season's tournament they finished above Juventus, Internazionale and Genoa in the Piedmont-Lombardy-Liguria section.

Post-World War I[link]

After World War I, Sampierdarenese finally began to compete in the Italian Championship, after they bought a pre-war club of Genoa province: Pro Liguria of Bolzaneto. So, Samp and Doria met in the championship for the first time; Doria won in first-leg game (4–1 and 1–1), and they also arrived at second place after Genoa in Ligurian Championship, qualifying for the National Round.

With the 1921–22 season, the Italian top league was split into two competitions; both of the clubs in Sampdoria's history were in separate competitions that year too. Sampierdarenese played in the F.I.G.C. run competition, whereas Andrea Doria played in the C.C.I. variation.

Sampierdarenese won the Ligura section and then went onto the semi-finals, finishing top out of three clubs; this lead them to the final against Novese. Both legs of the final ended in 0–0 draws, thus a repetition match was played in Cremona on 21 May 1922. Still intensely difficult to separate, the match went into extra time with Novese eventually winning the tie (and the Championship) 2–1.

After the league system in Italy was brought back into one item, Sampierdarenese remained stronger than Andrea Doria by qualifying for the league. By 1924–25 the clubs were competing against each other in the Northern League; Doria who finished one place above their rivals won one game 2–1, while Sampierdarenese were victorious 2–0 in the other. At the end of the 1926–27 season, the clubs merged by fascist authorities under the name La Dominante.

La Dominante Genova split: 1930s[link]

Wearing green and black striped shirts, La Dominante Genova were admitted to the first ever season of Serie B, where they finished 3rd just missing out on promotion. The next season, under the name Liguria they had a disastrous year, finishing bottom of the table and were relegated.

Because of this, both Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria reverted to their previous names as separate clubs. Sampierdarenese were back in Serie B for the 1932–33 season and finished in the upper part; the following year they were crowned champions and were promoted into Serie A for the first time. Andrea Doria on the other hand, battled out the 1930s down in Serie C.

The 15 July 1937 saw Sampierdarenese, melting itself with Corniglianese and Rivarolese with the club using the name Associazione Liguria Calcio; this saw them reach 5th place in Serie A during 1939. In the early 1940s, the club was relegated, but bounced straight back up as Serie B champions in 1941.

Merger[link]

After World War II, both clubs were competing in Serie A; in a reverse of pre-war situations, Andrea Doria were now the top club out of the two. However on 12 August 1946 a merger took place that would stick for the two teams, together they formed Unione Calcio Sampdoria. The first president of this new club was Piero Sanguineti, but the ambitious entrepreneur Amedeo Rissotto soon replaced him, while the first team coach during this period was a man from Florence named Giuseppe Galluzzi. In the same month of the merger, the new club demanded that they should share the Stadio Luigi Ferraris ground with Genoa; the agreement was carried off without problems. Consequently, the stadium was prepared to accommodate the games of both clubs.

As if to further show that the merger really was equal parts of both previous clubs, a new football kit was designed for the club; it implemented the blue shirts of Andrea Doria with the white, red and black mid-section of Sampierdarenese.

European and domestic successes[link]

In 1979 the club, then playing Serie B, was acquired by oil businessman Paolo Mantovani, who invested in the team in order to bring Sampdoria to the top flights. In 1982 Sampdoria made their Serie A return, and they won their first Coppa Italia three years later. In 1986 Vujadin Boskov was appointed as new head coach; the club won their second Coppa Italia in 1988, being admitted to the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1988-89, where they reached the final, being defeated 2–0 by Barcelona.^[2][3] A second consecutive triumph in the Coppa Italia gave Sampdoria a spot in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1989-90, which they finally won defeating Anderlecht after extra time in the final. This was followed only one year later by their first (and, as of 2010, only) scudetto, being crowned as Serie A champions with a five points advantage to second-placed Inter Milan. The winning team featured several notable players, such as Gianluca Pagliuca, Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, Toninho Cerezo, Pietro Vierchowod and Attilio Lombardo, with Vujadin Boskov as head coach. In the following season, Sampdoria reached the European Cup final, and was defeated again by Barcelona at the Wembley Stadium.

Since this period Sampdoria have made a limited number of appearances in European cup competitions. During the 1994/1995 campaign they reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup before being eliminated on penalties in a memorable tie against Arsenal. The club also participated in the 1997/1998 UEFA Cup but were eliminated by Atletico Bilbao of Spain in the First Round. The 2005/2006 season also proved to be a significant one, with Sampdoria returning to European competition for the first time since their promotion back to Serie A, with the club narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification and entering the UEFA cup. During this campaign, the team was minutes away from qualification to the last 32 when Lens of France eliminated them by beating them 2–1. The club recently also took part in the 2007/2008 UEFA Cup, entering via the Intertoto cup. However it was to be a short and disappointing campaign, with Sampdoria being eliminated on away goals by AaB of Denmark in the First Round. Participation in recent seasons of Europa League was marked by constant defeats by Metalist Kharkiv and lack of consistent play.

Decline and resurgence[link]

On 14 October 1993 Paolo Mantovani suddenly died; he was replaced by his son Enrico. During Enrico Mantovani's first season (1993/94) Sampdoria won one more Italian Cup and placed 3rd in the national championship. During the following four seasons many players from his father's team left the club but many important acquisitions were made which kept Sampdoria in the top tier of the Italian Serie A. The likes of Enrico Chiesa, Argentine internationals Juan Sebastian Veron and Ariel Ortega, loan signing Vincenzo Montella and international midfielders Clarence Seedorf and Christian Karembeu.

Despite this, in May 1999 Sampdoria were relegated from Serie A, and did not return to the top flight until 2002. Around this time Sampdoria was acquired by Riccardo Garrone, an Italian oil businessman. Two of Garrone's most important initial moves were to inject new cash into the club and to appoint Walter Novellino as new head coach. Sampdoria returned to Serie A in 2003 lead by talisman Francesco Flachi, and ended their first season in eighth place. In the Serie A 2004-05 they lost a spot in the UEFA Champions League to Udinese in the final matchdays of the season, ending in fifth place. This was followed by a poor season; despite this, Novellino was confirmed for one more season and Sampdoria ended the 2006–07 Serie A campaign in ninth place. As the 8th placed team in Serie A were not granted a UEFA licence, Sampdoria was able to enter the UEFA Intertoto Cup 2007 as a result. Novellino announced his farewell to Sampdoria soon after, with Walter Mazzarri unveiled shortly after as his replacement.

The 2007–08 campaign started very early for Sampdoria due to qualifying rounds. They defeated Cherno More Varna in the Intertoto Cup and Hajduk Split in the second qualifying round of UEFA Cup, before being eliminated in the First Round proper by AaB on away goals. The club took actively part in the transfer market, persuading Vincenzo Montella to make a comeback at Samp and signing Antonio Cassano from Real Madrid on a loan basis. Having had such a successful loan period, Sampdoria have made the move permanent from the 2008-09 season. During the winter transfer window, Giampaolo Pazzini was signed and formed one of Serie A's most effective partnerships. Sampdoria ended the season in sixth place of the Italian Serie A and qualified for the UEFA Cup 2008-09. The following season, they qualified for the Champions League play-offs.

With the departure of Director of Sport Giuseppe Marotta, coach Luigi Delneri, both of whom were credited with Samp's recent successes and club top scorers Cassano and Pazzini and the squad being stretched by Champions League football, Sampdoria embarked on a miserable run of results and were relegated to Serie B after loss 2-1 at home to Palermo in May 2011.

Players[link]

Current squad[link]

As of 26 January 2012^[4][5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Júnior da Costa 3 DF Andrea Costa (on loan from Reggina) 4 MF Marco Padalino 5 MF Renan (on loan from Cluj) 6 DF Massimo Volta 7 MF Paolo Castellini (on loan from Parma) 8 DF Shkodran Mustafi 9 FW Nicola Pozzi 10 MF Pasquale Foggia (on loan from Lazio) 11 MF Gianni Munari 13 DF Gaetano Berardi 14 MF Pedro Obiang 16 MF Savvas Gentsoglou 18 MF Zsolt Laczkó 19 FW Bruno Fornaroli

No. Position Player 20 GK Sergio Romero 21 MF Roberto Soriano 22 FW Cristian Bertani 23 FW Éder (on loan from Cesena) 25 MF Nenad Krstičić 28 DF Daniele Gastaldello (vice-captain) 29 FW Juan Antonio 33 DF Andrea Rispoli (on loan from Parma) 35 DF Jonathan Rossini 44 GK Vincenzo Fiorillo 77 MF Franco Semioli 90 FW Graziano Pellè (on loan from Parma) 92 GK Andrea Tozzo 99 FW Mauro Icardi

Youth players[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Deljan Bregasi GK Andrea Tozzo 51 GK Davide Negretti 54 DF Daniele Messina DF Edoardo Blondett DF Nicolò Rolando DF Alberto Masi DF Fabio Lamorte DF Bruno Martella DF Tommaso Cancellotti

No. Position Player MF Davide Leto MF Nicola Muratore MF Alessandro Martinelli MF Nicolò Baudo MF Gianluca Sampietro MF Fabio Oliviero FW Davide Rossi (footballer) FW Stefano D'Agostino FW Francesco Galuppini

Out on loan[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player FW Federico Piovaccari (at Brescia) DF Andrea Grieco (at Aprilia) GK Daniele Padelli (at Udinese) DF Gianluigi Bianco (at Grosseto) DF Fabrizio Cacciatore (at Varese) DF Matteo Lanzoni (at Foggia) DF Vasco Regini (at Empoli) DF Vedran Celjak (at Pergocrema) MF Andrea Poli (at Inter)

No. Position Player DF Simone Patacchiola (at Alessandria) MF Paolo Sammarco (at Chievo) FW Jonathan Biabiany (at Parma) FW Simone Zaza (at Viareggio) FW Alessandro Romeo (at Ascoli) FW Stefano Scappini (at Sorrento) FW Emanuele Testardi (at Siracusa) FW Massimo Maccarone (at Empoli)

Capped players[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Sampdoria.

Managerial history[link]

Name Nationality Years Giuseppe Galluzzi 1946–47 Adolfo Baloncieri 1947–50 Giuseppe Galluzzi 1950 Matteo Poggi Alfredo Foni 1950–51 Alfredo Foni 1951–52 Matteo Poggi 1952 Ivo Fiorentini 1952–53 Paolo Tabanelli 1953–55 Lajos Czeizler 1955–56 Pietro Rava 1956–57 Ugo Amoretti 1957 William Dodgin 1957–58 Adolfo Baloncieri 1958 Eraldo Monzeglio 1958–61 Roberto Lerici 1961–63 Ernst Ocwirk 1963–65 Giuseppe Baldini 1965–66 Fulvio Bernardini 1966–71 Heriberto Herrera 1971–73 Guido Vincenzi 1973–74 Giulio Corsini 1974–75 Eugenio Bersellini 1975–77 Giorgio Canali 1977–78

Name Nationality Years Lamberto Giorgis 1978–79 Lauro Toneatto 1979–80 Enzo Riccomini 1980–81 Renzo Ulivieri 1981–84 Eugenio Bersellini 1984–86 Vujadin Boškov 1986–92 Sven-Göran Eriksson 1992–97 César Luis Menotti 1997 Vujadin Boškov 1997–98 Luciano Spalletti 1998 David Platt Giorgio Veneri 1998–99 Luciano Spalletti 1999 Giampiero Ventura 1999–00 Luigi Cagni 2000–01 Gianfranco Bellotto 2001–02 Walter Novellino 2002–07 Walter Mazzarri 2007–09 Luigi Delneri 2009–10 Domenico Di Carlo 2010–11 Alberto Cavasin 2011 Gianluca Atzori 2011 Giuseppe Iachini 2011–

Colours, badge and nicknames[link]

This section requires expansion.

The club crest features a sailor in profile known by the old Genoese name of Baciccia, which translates to Giovanni Battista in Italian or John-Baptist in English. The image of a sailor is appropriate due to Sampdoria being based in the port city of Genoa.

The white, blue, red and black colours within the crest represent the clubs origins of a merger between two teams, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria, who wore respectively red/black and white/blue jerseys.^[6]

Supporters and Rivalries[link]

U.C Sampdoria supporters come mainly from the city of Genova. The biggest group is Ultras Tito Cucchiaroni, named after an Argentinian left winger who played for Sampdoria. The group was founded in 1969, making it one of the oldest ultra groups in Italy. Ultras Tito Cucchiaroni are apolitical, although there are smaller groups like Rude Boys Sampdoria, who are left wing. The main support with flags and flares comes from the southern Curva, Gradinata Sud.

U.C Sampdoria biggest rivals is Genoa C.F.C.^[7]

Honours[link]

Serie A: 1

• Winners: 1990–91
• Runners-up (1): 1921–22 (F.I.G.C. as Sampierdarenese)

Serie B: 2

• Winners: 1933–34, 1966–67
• Runners-up (2): 1981–82, 2002–03

Coppa Italia: 4

• Winners: 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1993–94
• Runners-up (3): 1985–86, 1990–91, 2008–09

Supercoppa Italiana: 1

• Winners: 1991
• Runners-up (3): 1988, 1989, 1994

European Cup/Champions League

• Runners-up (1): 1991–92

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1

• Winners: 1989–90
• Runners-up (1): 1988–89

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sampdoria's official website
• Unofficial Sampdoria Website
• Sampdoria statistics
• The story told through UC Sampdoria collectables

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