MadDogsBarmyArmy
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I have been a keen follower of this website and its forums for a few years now and even though I use to have an account I have decided to create a new one as I don't use the email address on the old account. The whole point of the story is I am trying a different type of 'story' in which I write in the style of an autobiography/diary. If it is a success and many people enjoy it I will use this same format when FM2013 comes out and I start my story for that. Some of the information I write may be true to life but majority of it is made up to add more realism to the story. Please leave any feedback, good or bad and I shall try to improve as I go along.
3rd July 2011
I was on the computer during my lunch break at work and instantly went onto the Gillingham website to check the latest news on my beloved Gills. To my surprise the headline on the homepage read 'Hessenthaler Leaves Club With Immediate Effect'. Being a fan and season ticket holder in previous seasons I was shocked that Hess had left with just a week before the first pre season fixture was set to take place. As I read on in the story there was an message from the chairman, Paul Scally asking all managers/coaches interested in the position to email there CV to him as soon as possible. Obviously I knew I would never get the job but decided to send a cheeky email with my CV to the chairman declaring my interest for the job. I received the standard 'thank you for your interest in the current vacancy' email in return and thought nothing of it from the rest of the day. It wasn't until I returned home that my world was literally turned upside down.
Waiting for me when I returned was a answer machine message from Mr Scally stating that he was holding interviews for the vacant position tomorrow at Priestfield. My interview time was 10 o'clock which gave me plenty of time to prepare what I was going to say and to write down some of the ideas that I would bring to the club. I was buzzing with excitement that I was even being considered for the job let alone actually standing a chance of getting it. Considering my experience was only managing a local Ryman League side it was more of a 'joke' application than one that I actually thought would get considered.
4th July 2011
I hardly got any sleep that night as the excitement as well as nerves were keeping me awake for most of the night. I had different situations and scenarios running through my head as I tried to plan for everything that the chairman may throw at me. I had scraps of paper all over my desk as I wrote down different ideas of things that I would do at the club. I decided to leave home at half past eight to make sure I arrived in plenty of time. It was less than an hours journey but I wanted time to prepare myself before I went in for my interview. I was under strict instructions from the chairman not to enter the reception at the club until quarter of an hour before my interview because other candidates would also be having there's.
I walked through the large entrance doors into the marble entrance to be greeted by one of the reception staff. She led me through to the waiting room where on the other side of the room was a sign hanging on the door saying; MR P SCALLY, CHAIRMAN. My heart felt like it was going to soon come flying out of my chest as it was beating that quickly. The handle soon moved and the door flung open and waiting in the doorway was the chairman himself. Obviously being a fan for many years I had my own opinions of Mr Scally, which weren't the best so I decided to kept them to myself. As I entered the room I was handed a folder which contained all the details about the club including finance's, future investment on and off the pitch as well as the current playing and management staff. The conversation lasted well over an hour and even my lack of management experience didn't seem to deter the chairman. At the conclusion of the interview he stated that he had one more person to interview then would be ringing the candidates to declare if or if not they had got the position. With that I left the ground and started the journey home knowing I had given my best and all I had to do now was hope and pray that I had got the job.
It was just gone five o'clock when the phone rang and I jumped up from the table hitting my knees on the table sending my dinner flying. I hobbled across the hallway to the phone where on the other end was Mr Scally himself. He started talking about what he liked and what went well in the interview but the longer he spoke the less and less I believed I had the job. Them all of a sudden his tone changed and he simply said 'Do you want the job?'. I was gobsmacked and instantly replied with a delightful yes. He stated that I would need to be at the ground for nine tomorrow morning to be officially announced and to sort all the remaining bits and bobs out. With that he hung up and I just pause for a moment taking it all in. I WAS NOW OFFICIALLY MANAGER OF GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB.
5th July 2011
Mr Scally met me in reception and showed me to my new office which I had the freedom to do what I wanted with. I had already decided that I would get a massive whiteboard on the opposite wall to my computer so I could write down notes about what ever I felt was important at the time or to write down reminders of important meetings. He later called me into his office to finalise my contract and the playing budget for this season. Hessenthaler had already made quite a few signings before he left so I knew there wouldn't be much left. I was handed a contract until June 2013 which was worth £825 per week. The playing budget wasn't exactly what I expected but knowing that Scally was a tight sod, that was the fan inside talking again, I wasn't expecting much else. I was only given £15,000 to sign new players and £22,000 per week on wages. That isn't too bad for a League 2 side but considering we was already spending £21,684 on wages I knew I would have to release some players before I could bring in a few of my own.
After looking around the stadium and getting used to my surroundings I took the short trip over to the training ground to meet the current staff that I had on board. My current management staff consisted of:
I then went back to the stadium to look over the current playing staff and to decide who I wanted to keep and who I wanted to get rid of. My first challenge was trying to let my head rule instead of my heart. Being a fan made this very difficult as every fan has there favorite players and I had to try and convince myself that there may be better players available that may actually improve the current squad. I had made a list of players that I wanted to get rid of and players that I was interested in signing. I had decided though that I would rather not chance my luck and that unless had a suitable replacement in my squad I would not let anyone leave just yet. Saying this I still managed to transfer list three of my current squad. Theses where;
The next thing I decided to do was to totally rearrange the pre season fixtures that had been scheduled. Being so close to the season I knew I may not be able to get the teams I want but hopefully I would still be able to get enough competitive fixtures that would give my boys a good run out before the season starts properly. After many phone calls to different clubs I managed to arrange six pre season matches against oppositions from a variety of leagues. Here is the pre season schedule that I have arranged;
3rd July 2011
I was on the computer during my lunch break at work and instantly went onto the Gillingham website to check the latest news on my beloved Gills. To my surprise the headline on the homepage read 'Hessenthaler Leaves Club With Immediate Effect'. Being a fan and season ticket holder in previous seasons I was shocked that Hess had left with just a week before the first pre season fixture was set to take place. As I read on in the story there was an message from the chairman, Paul Scally asking all managers/coaches interested in the position to email there CV to him as soon as possible. Obviously I knew I would never get the job but decided to send a cheeky email with my CV to the chairman declaring my interest for the job. I received the standard 'thank you for your interest in the current vacancy' email in return and thought nothing of it from the rest of the day. It wasn't until I returned home that my world was literally turned upside down.
Waiting for me when I returned was a answer machine message from Mr Scally stating that he was holding interviews for the vacant position tomorrow at Priestfield. My interview time was 10 o'clock which gave me plenty of time to prepare what I was going to say and to write down some of the ideas that I would bring to the club. I was buzzing with excitement that I was even being considered for the job let alone actually standing a chance of getting it. Considering my experience was only managing a local Ryman League side it was more of a 'joke' application than one that I actually thought would get considered.
4th July 2011
I hardly got any sleep that night as the excitement as well as nerves were keeping me awake for most of the night. I had different situations and scenarios running through my head as I tried to plan for everything that the chairman may throw at me. I had scraps of paper all over my desk as I wrote down different ideas of things that I would do at the club. I decided to leave home at half past eight to make sure I arrived in plenty of time. It was less than an hours journey but I wanted time to prepare myself before I went in for my interview. I was under strict instructions from the chairman not to enter the reception at the club until quarter of an hour before my interview because other candidates would also be having there's.
I walked through the large entrance doors into the marble entrance to be greeted by one of the reception staff. She led me through to the waiting room where on the other side of the room was a sign hanging on the door saying; MR P SCALLY, CHAIRMAN. My heart felt like it was going to soon come flying out of my chest as it was beating that quickly. The handle soon moved and the door flung open and waiting in the doorway was the chairman himself. Obviously being a fan for many years I had my own opinions of Mr Scally, which weren't the best so I decided to kept them to myself. As I entered the room I was handed a folder which contained all the details about the club including finance's, future investment on and off the pitch as well as the current playing and management staff. The conversation lasted well over an hour and even my lack of management experience didn't seem to deter the chairman. At the conclusion of the interview he stated that he had one more person to interview then would be ringing the candidates to declare if or if not they had got the position. With that I left the ground and started the journey home knowing I had given my best and all I had to do now was hope and pray that I had got the job.
It was just gone five o'clock when the phone rang and I jumped up from the table hitting my knees on the table sending my dinner flying. I hobbled across the hallway to the phone where on the other end was Mr Scally himself. He started talking about what he liked and what went well in the interview but the longer he spoke the less and less I believed I had the job. Them all of a sudden his tone changed and he simply said 'Do you want the job?'. I was gobsmacked and instantly replied with a delightful yes. He stated that I would need to be at the ground for nine tomorrow morning to be officially announced and to sort all the remaining bits and bobs out. With that he hung up and I just pause for a moment taking it all in. I WAS NOW OFFICIALLY MANAGER OF GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB.
5th July 2011
Mr Scally met me in reception and showed me to my new office which I had the freedom to do what I wanted with. I had already decided that I would get a massive whiteboard on the opposite wall to my computer so I could write down notes about what ever I felt was important at the time or to write down reminders of important meetings. He later called me into his office to finalise my contract and the playing budget for this season. Hessenthaler had already made quite a few signings before he left so I knew there wouldn't be much left. I was handed a contract until June 2013 which was worth £825 per week. The playing budget wasn't exactly what I expected but knowing that Scally was a tight sod, that was the fan inside talking again, I wasn't expecting much else. I was only given £15,000 to sign new players and £22,000 per week on wages. That isn't too bad for a League 2 side but considering we was already spending £21,684 on wages I knew I would have to release some players before I could bring in a few of my own.
After looking around the stadium and getting used to my surroundings I took the short trip over to the training ground to meet the current staff that I had on board. My current management staff consisted of:
- Player/Coach - Nicky Southall
- Coach - Ashley Lawrence
- GK Coach - Ron Hillyard
- Youth Coach - Darren Hare
- Physio - Steve Allen
I then went back to the stadium to look over the current playing staff and to decide who I wanted to keep and who I wanted to get rid of. My first challenge was trying to let my head rule instead of my heart. Being a fan made this very difficult as every fan has there favorite players and I had to try and convince myself that there may be better players available that may actually improve the current squad. I had made a list of players that I wanted to get rid of and players that I was interested in signing. I had decided though that I would rather not chance my luck and that unless had a suitable replacement in my squad I would not let anyone leave just yet. Saying this I still managed to transfer list three of my current squad. Theses where;
- Matt Lawrence
- Curtis Weston
- Dennis Oli
The next thing I decided to do was to totally rearrange the pre season fixtures that had been scheduled. Being so close to the season I knew I may not be able to get the teams I want but hopefully I would still be able to get enough competitive fixtures that would give my boys a good run out before the season starts properly. After many phone calls to different clubs I managed to arrange six pre season matches against oppositions from a variety of leagues. Here is the pre season schedule that I have arranged;
- Sun 10/07/11: Weston-super-Mare (Away)
- Thu 14/07/11: Bromley (Away)
- Mon 18/07/11: Havent & W (Away)
- Fri 22/07/11: Brighton (Home)
- Tue 26/07/11: Burnley (Home)
- Sat 30/07/11: Newport Co (Away)