Recent content by bigmattb28

Scott sat in the dim hotel room, the streets of Mostar a low hum beneath the window. His notes from the interview still lay scattered across the desk, squad lists, formation sketches and half scribbled ideas. He hadn’t touched them since leaving the stadium but he’d replayed every word instead...

The office smelled of old wood, a haze still hanging in the air despite the window cracked open. Across the desk sat Sefkija Vila, sharp suit, sharp eyes, a man who gave nothing away unless he chose to. ‘Scott’ Vila said, his voice low but firm ‘thank you for coming to Mostar. You know why...

Scott had the phone in his hand, thumb hovering over the last call. He almost pressed it, almost gave Alihodžić his answer, whatever that might’ve been, he still wasn’t entirely sure. Then it rang again. Another number he hadn’t saved. He swore under his breath ‘what now?’ The voice on the...

Scott sat with Peter, Marcin, and Blazej later that evening in a small cafe. Three coffees, one half eaten pasty sat there along with the hanging silence until Marcin finally broke it. ‘Well?’ he asked ‘how was the call with Sarajevo?’ Scott rubbed a hand across his forehead and said ‘pushy...

The call came on a damp Thursday morning. Scott almost let it ring out, thinking it was another agent sniffing around on Łęczna’s behalf. But the voice on the other end was different. Polished English, accented but clear. ‘Mr. Lanowski? This is Edas Alihodzic, president of Željezničar...

Scott Lanowski is no longer the man on the touchline in Ślęza. The dugout, the shouts, the routines, all of it there belonged to someone else now. He’d walked away, and the silence that followed was louder than any crowd. It didn’t take long for his name to surface again. Managers who win...

The office was stripped bare now. The walls where tactics once hung looked naked, like they’d forgotten their purpose. Files had been boxed, the desk cleared, the chair pushed back for the last time. It didn’t feel like his room anymore. Scott wasn’t the only one leaving. One by one, his...

The room was thick with chatter when Scott stepped in, the kind that always buzzed after training and was filled with a different kind of energy, the energy of a season well done and dusted. Boots scraped against the floor, tape was ripped from ankles, and the smell of sweat clung to the air...

Scott didn’t knock, he pushed the office door open like a man carrying a weight he couldn’t set down anywhere else. Slawomir Sobczak was behind his desk, papers stacked neatly in front of him, glasses perched low on his nose. He looked up, and for a fleeting second, Scott thought the chairman...

The season was over, but the silence in Scott Lanowski’s flat felt louder than any stadium. The league table said another third place finish, overachievers by anyone’s measure. But numbers didn’t soften the ache of falling short, nor did they answer the question gnawing at him; what now...

Young players for stupid money also dominated the summer transfer window. Carlos Artola, the highly rated right back from Real Sociedad, packed his bags for Champions League runners up Juventus in a deal worth a jaw dropping €87 million. Yes, that’s €87 million for a defender who has got a...

The first big move of summer 2021 saw Karol Linetty head to Manchester City for a staggering €86 million, more than double what Paris themselves paid just three seasons ago. Clearly, financial fair play is just three words on a piece of paper. To cover the loss, PSG splashed €65 million on Saúl...

The 2021 Champions League final saw Manchester City face off against Juventus, and things went brilliantly for Juve….. for about two minutes. That’s when Pierre-Emile Højbjerg decided the occasion called for a straight red card, and off he went. City, perhaps more out of politeness than...

Summer 2021 With two games left in the 2020/21 Premier League season, Newcastle sat top of the pile on 75 points. Manchester United lurk just behind on 74, while Liverpool, now led by self proclaimed defensive mastermind and top ******* John Terry, are third on 72. Spurs, in a shocking plot...

Chapter 60 Bytovia made them fight for everything. Ninety minutes in a cramped little ground where the grass looked tired and the stands felt closer than they should. Ślęza never found rhythm, never found air, but they found enough grit. A scrappy tap in from Szymczak in the first half, an...