Season One
30/6/16
It's been a full season since my appointment and I thought I would let everyone knows what goes through the head of a 20 year old man taking on one of the biggest jobs in English football - West Ham United. Some might laugh to think that this is a difficult job, but here's why I think it is. First, I am a huge West Ham fan and I was overjoyed when our old manager Sam Allardyce was shown the door at the end of last season. The appointment of Slaven Bilic was a controversial one, but his signings were great: Payet, Obiang, Ogbonna etc. He set the foundation work before unfortunately, having to leave the role after his wife became unwell.
So this leads to my story. I was one of the last people to be brought in by Slaven and the job was a bit of a fluke if I'm honest. My previous managing experience was bringing a bunch of terrible misfits from the worst team in their u16's league, to champions in 18 months. Slaven was desperate for an under 18's manager to fill the vacant role and despite my lack of experience, he liked my interview. I weaselled my way into a cushy job and was now rubbing shoulders with some of my favourite players. Next thing I was told I was leaving my post as youth manager. Little did I know what had happened with Slav and why I no longer had my job.
Gold and Sullivan called me into their office and explained the situation. Reserve manager Steve Potts was currently off sick and Assistant Manager Nikola Jurecevic was currently with Slaven's family. The club had their hands tied with who could take control of the team on an interim basis. They told me that as long as I was willing to stay on the same wage I was already on (£500 a week) they would happily put me in charge while they looked for another manager - and the media went mad.
I'm now reaching my 21st birthday and I still get questions about my age and constant jokes about being unable to control the squad because they are all older than me. Well, you can judge for yourselves. This is the story of my first year in management...