Liverpool FC: The 5 Year Plan

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And so that's the current state of affairs. Liverpool F.C. gave their man
and extra chance and he failed to deliver. So here we are, and so it begins.


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There was the usual flurry of activity surrounding a new appointment, but when
it's a big club, the media pays more attention. I'm fairly used to press conferences
from my time as a Deportivo player. It was something you got just used to playing
in La Liga.


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The interview continued on like this for another 30 minutes. Just asking me the basics,
will I sign anyone, what kind of football will I play, the usual. Rodgers got sacked for
underachieving so I have to address that first. I need to pull the squad back together
and try rescue our top 4 ambitions.


Though I guess at this stage, you're wondering who I am...
My name is Javier Gonzalez Mendez


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To truly understand who I am, I have to first tell you what I am.
As a kid, I wasn't rich, I didn't have much, but I had football!
This is my story.


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"A long time ago, in a city far far away"


I grew up about 6 blocks from La Masia. It was only a stone throws away so I
grew up only one way. Every weekend my father would take me to church:
The Camp Nou was our temple; los culés would be our choir.

Football after school was a must. I'd run out onto the side streets, still
wearing my school uniform and play with the local kids. Each street had
it's own 'team'. A group who knew each other and played together.
Sometimes if we could find them, we'd play against the kids on another
street. It was a kind of territory battle; the honour of the street mattered
to us.

I remember arriving home from school when I was eight. Christ, I remember
it like it was yesterday. My father was already home, which was strange
since he usually didn't get off work until 6pm on a weekday. Both my parents
stood in the main room of our small house, wide smiles on their face as they
handed me a open letter... a letter with the Barcelona F.C. seal on the cover.


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That was probably the hardest year of my life; and I had only moved up
the street. Some of the boys had flown over entire continents to sleep
in the bunk next to mine and they were naturally more lonely than me.
Though we were all home-sick, each one of us had people we left behind.
So we we all bonded together. We became each others family.

Training in the morning, school in the afternoon, Training in the evening...
It was ****** hard work. If our school work slacked off, we wouldn't be
allowed train for the weekend matches so we all pulled together and helped
each other out. I think that may have made the difference. Getting both an
academic and football education.


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The F.C. Barcelona Chapter


I started my club career at F.C. Barcelona.. Having worked my way up through
the youth team, I was eventually offered a senior contract and placed in their
reserve side F.C. Barcelona B when I was 17 years of age.


I was a regular in the B side, making 81 appearances and scoring 7 goals; making
18 assists over 3 seasons. I even got my first taste of success here, winning promotion
to LIGA adelante and enjoying Success at international youth level as Spain U19s won
the European U19 championship.

We finished 5th in LIGA adelante in my final season with my boyhood club but I hadn't
done enough to win a contract extension. They let me go after 7 years at the Camp Nou.


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The R.C. Recreativo Chapter


I was signed on a free transfer by R.C. Recreativo and this was my first experience at
a new club. I've only even won the Barcelona kit, even as a child so this was something
new. I took the opportunity by the horns though and I enjoyed my 3 years here.

Having learned to play my football at Barcelona, I was definitely one of the most
technically gifted players in the squad. This quickly cemented me as a first team player.
Though with the quality in the squad, promotion was never a realistic prospect.

My final season at Recreativo was ultimately frustrating as we lost our relegation
scrap and were demoted tot he 3rd tier of Spanish football... for me however, a
mew challenge awaited as R.C. Deportivo put in a €1.1M bid for my services.


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The R.C. Deportivo Chapter


This was where my career really kicked off. I can honestly say that I felt at home here.
I felt like I could express myself and after a first season of highs and lows we reached the
LIGA Adelante play-off positions. It was heartbreak for us though as we lost out at the
final hurdle; Alcorcón beat us in the Play-off Final.


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However, it was a defining season for me as I was voted 2021/22 Supporters' Player of the Season.


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The following season we were determined to go one better and achieve our goal of promotion,
which we did by securing 2nd place in the league. Once again I was voted Supporters' Player
of the Season and after the season finished, the Manager asked me into his office... He named
me R.C. Deportivo club captain.


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My first season in Top Flight Spanish Football. Twice voted Supporters' Player of the Season
and now the Club Captain. My career had peaked and I was loving Life at Deportivo. Our first
Season in LIGA BBVA was a scrap, as we avoided Relegation on the final day to survive by 3pts.


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This was the moment when I first considered Management. I was Club captain,
I was invited into the managers office to discuss tactics and on the training ground
I was asked to put my arm around the youngsters. I was enjoying the increased levels
of responsibility.


When I look back, I wonder why it toured sour.



Again voted Supportes' Player of the Year for the following two seasons, I captained our
side to avoiding relegation successfully. it all changed before the start of the 2026/27 season
when the Manager called me into his office... he was to strip me of the captaincy.

I was furious. The fans loved me, I was a first team regular, why did he want to demote me?
That one was a season to forget as we were relegated from LIGA BBVA.


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I was distraught. We got relegated and I blamed myself. I felt that if I was the captain, I'd have had more control and I'd have been able to do something, anything. talk to the players, encourage them... IT was then when It hit me, I'd made that mental transition from player to coach. I cared more about the result and how my team mates were doing than my own performances.

With just one more year left on my contract, I announced my intention to retire at the end of the
season. But I wanted one last hurrah! One last good day and to go out with a bang, I wanted to retire
having helped Deportivo win promotion!


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And so I retired. R.C. Deportivo holding a special place in my heart as it was the place I
found my passion. The fans acknowledged my efforts for the team and told me I'd never be
forgotten. I left the club to chase my coaching badges, to chance a management career.


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Great to see this back mate! I look forward to seeing where it goes. This has always been my favourite story on the site!
 
You never seize to amaze me with the depth that you put into these, hearing your (Javier Mendez's) entire background like that definately makes me feel connected to him.
 
xJamieWilliams said:
Great to see this back mate! I look forward to seeing where it goes. This has always been my favourite story on the site!
Click to expand...

Cheers mate. Glad for the support.
Finally getting my hands on FM16 tonight so I can finally give ye some actually contend. Not exceptional looking foreshadowing and story setting :p Most likely won't be an update tonight as I've a show in Galway to prepare for.
 
Barca4ever11 said:
This is gonna be AMAZING ! ;)
Click to expand...

Haha, Cheers mate. I always enjoy making this story for ye :)

TheOtherSpecialOne said:
You never seize to amaze me with the depth that you put into these, hearing your (Javier Mendez's) entire background like that definately makes me feel connected to him.
Click to expand...

Cheers mate. My first Liverpool story just invented the characted and outlined him as a youth focused coach.
Least year I continued that but in my journeyman story I tried to give him more background.
This year, I want him to be an actually person with his highs and lows. I discovered that he was a Deportivo captain and despite winning trophies with Spain's U19s, he never won a senior cap; I can only assume this made him determined to help youngsters make the transition form Under age to senior football.

Next year, I may introduce his family, estranged son who's using his player Agent status as a cover for a black-market human trafficking ring :p

Each yea, I grow this character more and more :p
 
Great start to this mate, looking forward to it continuing!
 
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It's finally time! Now I can churn out some serious content for this story :)
Story Background: check
Managers history: check
*****'n Photoshop skillz: check
Fm16.... check!

Lets do this :D

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October 4th 2015. Brendan Rodgers is sacked after a 2-2 draw at
home to West Ham United. Sitting 11th in the table and already
knocked out of the Capital One Cup, FSG decided to bring in their
new manager.

This is the mess he left Mendez to clean up.

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Rodgers had a decent pre-season, winning all his games and giving fans
hope with an opening day 1-0 home win against Manchester City. But having
won 1 of their last 6 Premier League Games, Liverpool have slipped to 11th
place in the English Premier Division Table.


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Mendez now has 2 weeks to assess his options during the International break.
With tough games coming up against Napoli, United and the Merseyside derby,
Mendez has his work cut out for him.


Next 5 fixtures.

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Sorry if you have already said, did Rogers buy anyone Brendn?
 
Well looks like you chose a very tough month to get started... Here's hoping you'll humiliate United.
 
Average Joe said:
Sorry if you have already said, did Rogers buy anyone Brendn?
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No signings for any teams. I disabled First window Budgets since I'd planned on Simming to October and playing on (if the club was in a similar situation to how it is now)

Trophy_Whorder said:
One of the best stories on here last year glad to see it back.
Click to expand...

Cheers mate. Glad to be back and I hope it's another good year :)

TheOtherSpecialOne said:
Well looks like you chose a very tough month to get started... Here's hoping you'll humiliate United.
Click to expand...

Aye, it look like a tough start indeed. Still, this is why we play FM. You either become a Hero, or become determined to be one.
 
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