From the top, to the bottom, to the top - a Scott Thacker story.

[rangersgreg44]

Two or three years ago, you couldn't escape the name Scott Thacker in the footballing world. He was regarded as the best Scottish forward since Ally McCoist. Now, his name in held in digust. At the age of 30, Scott had one of the best International career's ever, and his club career wasn't too shabby either. His first Nationality was Scottish, but he was also eligible to play for two other countries, Northern Ireland and Denmark. His father was from Northern Ireland, his mother from Denmark. In the end, he chose to play for the Northern Irish team.

In his club career he played for 4 teams in the space of 12 years. He spent 5 years at boyhood idols Rangers, then 2 years at Tottenham Hotspur. Scott then moved onto Valencia for 3 years, becoming club captain during his last year at the club. He then winded down his short lived playing career at Linfield, quickly becoming a Fan's Favourite for his rate of scoring, 34 in 50 games for the club.

Internationally, it was the best period of Northern Irish football in history. The team had qualified for the 2004 European Championships on the back of 9 qualification goals from Scott, and a mammoth effort from the rest of the team. At the finals, the team shocked everyone, reaching the last 8, before being knocked out in extra-time to Germany, 1-2. Next on the agenda for them was the 2006 World Cup, in Germany. After an incredible 17 goals scored, and 3 conceeded the Northern Irish were hyping up their countrie's chances of progression. Sadly it wasn't to be, as the squad were knocked out in the 2nd round by tournament favourites France. It took a Thierry Henry hat-trick to cancel out goals from David Healy and Thacker.

It was during the 2008 European Championships qualifying period that everything went wrong for the national team. Steven Davis, a key figure, snapped his cruciate ligaments during a fiery Old Firm game, which ruled him out for the best part of a year. After this, tempers flared in Portugal when Scott was being repeatedly fouled by the Portuguese back line. Scott got up from his latest flooring and proceeded to repeatedly punch Paolo Ferreira in the face and stomach. After this was brought to a conclusion, 7 players were sent off, 3 for Portugal and 4 for Northern Ireland. Scott was one of them. He was then given a 3 year ban from the game, and he vowed to never return to football. The Northern Irish football team never recovered from the "Battle of Braga" and has never returned to any major finals.

Club Apps: 324
Gls: 179

Itnl Apps: 67
Gls: 45

_______________________________________________________________________

***Newcastle sack Hughton!***

Another season, another sacking. As is customary now, Newcastle United have parted company with their manager, this time, Chris Hughton. It is believed that the unsatisfactory performances of his team has infuriated the Newcastle board, and their patience has run out. Right now, the odds on who will become the next manager in the Newcastle merry-go-round are as follows:

- Vicente del Bosque 15/1 (it is believed del Bosque is looking for a managerial job on top of his Spain position)
- Alan Curbishley 5/1
- Martin Jol 9/1
- Sven Goran Eriksson 8/1

Stay tuned for the latest updates on the situation.

________________________________________________________________________

I turned on my PC. It was custom built, and cost well over £2000. As my playing career was over I had turned to gaming, and this PC reflected that. A Quad Processor, and the lates nVidia graphics card as well as many other high-end upgrades had made this machine my pride and joy. Anyway, I opened up my browser, Google Chrome, and typed "www.hotmail.com" and sent an email to Lawrie Sanchez, my old gaffer. I asked him if he could provide me with details to contact Mike Ashley, who I knew him to be best friends with.

I was growing bored of my life. Sitting at home, playing Football Manager, Halo: Reach, Team Fortress 2 and Starcraft 2 over and over. It was time I got back into football. The Newcastle United job was a promising bridge to build on my way back in.

"Mr Ashley,

My name is Scott Thacker. I am a retired international footballer with 67 caps for my country, scoring 45 goals in the process. I have also played for Rangers FC, Tottenham Hotspurs, Valencia and Linfield. You will probably know what happened next. Anyway, I am looking to fill the vacant managerial position at your club. I have worked under many illustrious managers, like Martin Jol, Harry Redknapp and Walter Smith. I have picked up many ideas from these guys. If you have any doubt about trusting this email, please phone me on 07898758566. This is my mobile and I can reassure any doubt you may have.

Yours Sincerely,

Scott Thacker."

________________________________________________________________________

 

[Jordanthompson93]

nice op i think your putting to much into the pc specs and the games you play, you could of just said hi-end pc, plays lots of games but i like the little story you had made for your character rather then some nobody who comes outta nowhere, good luck.

 

[rangersgreg44]

I turned on my PC. I headed straight for my Hotmail, anxious to find out whether Mike Ashley had replied to my email. He probably hadn't, if he hadn't phoned me first to check if it was me. To be honest, I couldn't see myself landing the Newcastle job, it was just too high up in the management ladder. Always the optimist, I clicked on Inbox, more in hope than expectation. To my surprise, I saw one unread email. The sender? Peter Trembling. It read:

"Hello Scott,

My name is Peter Trembling, I am the Chairman of Notts County, you may have heard of us, we play in League 2. Anyway, I have big aspirations from the club, and I would like you to be our new manager. My good friend Mike Ashley forwarded your email to me, and he sends his thanks. He recommended you, as I am also looking for a manager to take us forward. If you accept, I can have a nice 4 bedroom, semi-detached house for you and your family in a lovely area of rural Nottingham. You have a transfer budget of £1,000,000 and a wage budget of £43,500. I believe, for League 2, this is plenty for a promotion finish. Please make your decision as soon as possible.

Peter Trembling, Charmain of Notts County FC."

Notts County! A club that doesn't deserve to be in League 2 in my personal opinion. They have very high hopes, would I be good enough for the job? I know I can do this. I'm going to write back, I'm taking this job!

"Hello Mr Trembling,

I would be delighted to take the job you are offering, luckily I do not live far from Nottingham, and I will be at the Stadium soon. I look forward to meeting you.

Yours Sincerley,

Scott Thacker"

I quickly shut off the PC, grabbed some keys and ran to my cupboard. I picked out my best suit, and hurriedly put it on. I walked out to the car, a nice Audi RS4, and jumped in. The V8 roar brought the car to life, and I had a serious amount of wheelspin as I drove the car out of my drive.

________________________________________________________________________

I arrived at the stadium, Meadow Lane, and went inside the front entrance. The secretary looked at me in disgust, but once I had this job I could soon fire her. I asked where the board room was, and she pointed me in the general direction of it, leaving me to stagger around the reception area like a total pillock. Not the best start, I would imagine, but things quickly picked up, I found the board room, by chance, and went inside, not before I politely knocked. Inside, was Peter Trembling.

"Ah, Scott it's wonderful to see you. I guess you have came about the job I offered you?" he said.
"Yes, sir, I emailed you back but you may not have received it, for it was only an hour ago."
"Not to worry, I got it just fine. Lets cut to the chase shall we, do you want this job?"
"Yes! It would be brilliant to get back into football."

Mr Trembling handed me a sheet of paper. I looked straight at the signature line, and put pen to paper. I was the new Notts County boss!

 

[Jack_Jarvo]

very nice mate good layout

 

[rangersgreg44]

I've been in the job now for 2 days. Already I had a list of things to do around the club:

- Cancel all friendlies

I don't see why we should be paying other teams to come and play at our ground. At a League 2 club we should be trying to get as much money as possible from pre-season friendlies, which is why I am trying to arrange friendlies at away grounds. I have already received confirmation from Manchester City, which should bring in a tidy £40k, but I have another 2 lined up that should net us £180k in total. That's one players transfer fee! For two meaningless friendlies!

- Get rid of the deadwood

There are too many players wasting space at the club. Already, I have spotted Ade Akinbiyi as a potential leaver. How many more years can we get out of a 34 year old? Not many I assume. I have a few strikers already in my sights, be them loan signings, or transfers. Our reserve goalkeeper, Kevin Pilkington is also another player I am not to keen on. He has been placed on the transfer list for £100, which may seem pitiful compared to my transfer budget (£1,000,000) but who wants to buy a 35 year old keeper who, hasn't got the best reputation? Not many. This transfer fee will hopefully make some clubs interested.

- Assess the Youth Team

I have been informed by my assistant that the club has at least one promising youth player, 15 year old Tom Ellis, a player who can play either left or right back. However, at first glance he appears the only player to stand out. A problem perhaps in years to come

The League Cup 1st Round draw has also been made, and both sets of fans are already foaming at the mouths over the draw! We are playing Nottingham Forest, here at Meadow Lane which is sure to be a sell-out. I can't wait to test our team out against some of the Championship's finest.

---------- Post added at 04:45 PM ---------- Previous post was yesterday at 09:49 PM ----------

Manchester City 3 - 1 Notts. County
Adebayor
Bellamy
Toure
Hughes


I'm not disappointed with my lads today. We arrived as massive underdogs and it showed, City had 75-25 possession on us, but they failed to score in the first half, which showed real quality from our defence and goalkeeper. My tactics paid off well, we used a basic 4-4-2, and I told the boys to hit them on the counter, and Lee Hughes scored from this with about 5 minutes to go. A losing start to pre-season, but not many would have bet 3-1.


Leon 3 - 0 Notts. County
Castillo
Martinez (2)

This time around, I am slightly disappointed with the scorline, none the less, my new signings impressed me. ***** Topp was causing havoc in the Leon defence, and Nicklas Carlsson was a rock at the back before I substituted him at half time. Our next friendly, at Aldershot, should provide a slightly more realistic challenge than this game, and the Manchester City game.


Aldershot 0 - 1 Notts. County
Ritchie


A hard fought game that was decided by a moment of brilliance from left winger Matty Ritchie. The new 4-2-3-1 deep lying formation proved a success as Aldershot could not break through the essentially 6 man defence. Matty Ritchie missed a penalty in the 82nd minute, but this didn't affect him as he was named man of the match. I'm proud of my lads, they proved they can win away from home, especially against tough teams like Aldershot.

Salthill 1 - 1 Notts. County
Weiss
Forsyth

Disappointing. I told my team to go out and control the match, dominate the possession charts, which we did for 81 minutes. We took the lead through an incredible strike from Vladimir Weiss, but Jonny Forsyth equalised in the 81st minute after a great through ball. We need to much better in competitive matches.


New Signing
I am pleased to announce a new signing at the club, Nicklas Carlsson from IFK Goteborg for £75,000. This seasoned centre-half will provide some real quality at the heart of our defence. Nicklas would be a great signing for most League 1 sides, this shows how good he is.
The club have also signed exciting Chilean striker ***** Topp, on a free transfer. ***** is a promising 23 year old striker, and I am looking forward to seeing some good performances from him this season!


New Signing
Manchester City youngster Vladimir Weiss has agreed to join us on a season long loan. Slovak Weiss said he was relishing the prospect of first team action. Weiss is a young player, with good potential and I'm looking forward to have the chance to nurture this talent.
Arsenal's Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has also joined on a season long loan. The defensive midfielder will slot into my tacticts perfectly, a deep 4-2-3-1.