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Gabriel Sutton

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Wednesday 26th May 1999
A pub in Manchester

"Beckham, into Sheringham... AND SOLSKJAER HAS WON IT!"

Manchester United had won the Champions League for the first time under Alex Ferguson at the Nou Camp. They had dramatically overturned Bayern Munich with two goals in injury time to give them a famous treble, and Ferguson, a knighthood.

Gabriel was a 21-year-old midfielder hoping to break into the Manchester City first team. He was on a night out with Kevin Horlock and Paul 'the wasp' Dickov, having just beaten Wigan at Maine Road to get into the Division Two Playoff Final against Tony Pulis's Gillingham at Wembley.

Kevin sighed when the United result was confirmed. "This is ******* me off. What are we doing here? We should be winning titles at the top, playing in Europe, being the best. Not in the third ****** tier. Do you think we can ever be better than Manchester United?"

"We will." Gabriel said with an air of assurance. "I promise you. Someday."
"We've got a massive game on Sunday first though, lads." Interjected Paul Dickov.
Gabriel was determined to win. "We have to beat Gillingham and get back into the second tier of English football. That's where our journey starts."

Gabriel struggled to get to sleep that night. The prospect of playing in front of 75,000 fans at Wembley that Sunday was a daunting one. What if he messed up? What if he made a fool of himself and disappeared. Vanished into the midst of time and space in non-league obscurity. Forgotten. Gone. Forever.

No. This wasn't going to happen to him. This was his shot at the big time, he wasn't going to let fear get in the way of him helping his beloved Manchester City reach the Premier League and fulfilling his dream. He would go to the gym tommorrow after training. Gabriel Sutton was a man on a mission. And he would succeed. Someday.

(Hi everyone- some of you might recognise this story, I started it a few months ago but my computer crashed so I'm starting it again. Cheers.)
 
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5th June 2011
SKY SPORTS NEWS

Italian national football team manager, Cesare Prandelli, has been pronounced dead at Milan General Hospital following a recent battle with lung cancer. The 54-year-old will have been best known to football fans around the world for his success with Italian giants, Juventus as a player in the early 80s, Fiorentina's longest-serving manager, and, until recently, national team manager of Italy. He broke a record of 9 games unbeaten in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, followed by a 2-1 friendly victory over world champions, Spain. He will be a man sadly missed- and never forgotten.


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It has been announced that his assistant manager, Gabriele Pin, will take temporary charge of the national team until a new manager is given the job permanently. The favourites to be appointed are:

Roberto Mancini- 3/1

Carlo Ancelotti- 4/1

Gabriele Pin- 6/1

Fabio Capello- 8/1

Giovanni Trappatoni- 8/1

Pep Guardiola- 10/1

Arsene Wenger- 10/1

With Roberto Mancini the favourite for the job, the Italian FA have announced that they will draw up a shortlist within the next few days.

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Sunday 30th May 1999
Wembley, London

"Last four minutes of the game, Carl Asaba the goalscorer... and it's Taylor he's put through this time, Taylor! 2-0!"

With Man City having just conceded for a second time, Gabriel was warming up to try and make an impact on the game with very little time remaining.

"Right, sonny." Joe Royle was stood beside him as the board went up. "You're coming on for Lee Crooks, I want you to close down as quickly as you can to create chances for Goat and Waspy."
"Yes boss."

And with that, Gabriel made his way onto the pitch, palming Crooksy's sweat-filled hand as he did so.

30 seconds into his game, a short ball came to him from Jeff Whitley came to him on the edge of the 'D', his through ball put Shaun Goater in on goal in a position where he could see the lights of the keeper's eyes. A good save from Vince Bartram before the ball fell to Kevin Horlock rammed the ball home on the rebound. With 5 minutes injury time, the game was on- both teams were looking desperate. With the ball falling to him again on the edge of the box, a pass from him sent Paul Dickov through. With his first touch, he smacked the ball inside the near post for a late equaliser. 30 minutes extra time- and the possibility of penalties- loomed...
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21st June 2011
SKY SPORTS NEWS

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The Italian FA have announced that they have appointed Roberto Mancini as their new manager. In a recent interview, the Italian has said: "To be honest, it didn't feel 100% right to leave Manchester City the way things were going. We had won the FA Cup, signed the likes of Samir Nasri, Sergio Aguero iamongst others earlier in the summer- I felt we were in a great position to develop as a club. But, when your country comes calling, especially in the tragic circumstances regarding Cesare- we were great friends and I was very saddened by the news- I felt I needed to step in, help sort out the situation. Although I'm sure many Italian football fans, myself included, will be devastated by the news of his death, I am looking forward to the challenge of leading this great nation and hope to continue from where Cesare left off.

It is now Manchester City's turn to wonder who their new manager might be, Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho and Gabriel Sutton amongst those who have been linked to the now vacant job.
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30th May 1999
Wembley, London

"Guy Butters steps up for Gillingham, Man City win if he misses. He can't miss. He'***** the post. Manchester City win in the most dramatic of circumstances!"
"Well Gabriel, how's that for a bit of drama?"

"Oh, unbelievable. You know, when I came on at 2-0 with just a few minutes to go I had a small feeling that if we could nick one straight away then we might be back in the contest, but the game was in Gillingham's hands so I was delighted that I could come on, grab an assist and make an impact."

"You mentioned your assist and a lot of people I've spoken to have said that City looked a different team once you came on. What's your reaction to that?"

"Well, if I'm being honest I don't want to pay too much attention to what other people have said. As a club we're just taking it one step at a time, this was a big step- I'm looking forward to next season."

"Of course, you're promoted to Division One now, courtesy of this result. Realistically, how far can this Manchester City team go?"

"Premier League football. The whole squad wants to be competing with the likes of Manchester United and I think when you've got a manager with the quality and ambition of someone like Joe Royle- given a bit of time and money- the only way is up."
 
Monday 4th July
City of Manchester Stadium

"Good morning, Mr Sutton."
"Ah, good morning, Mr Cook, I'm delighted to meet you."
"Thank you for attending this interview so promptly. I would like to introduce you to our board of directors. This is Kaldoon Al Mubarak- a close business associate to Mr. Sheikh Mansour. Brian Marwood, our football executive, and I'm Garry Cook, our chairman."
"Fantastic. It's great to meet you all."

"Take a seat. Now, at the moment, we're looking at Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho as potential candidates to replace Roberto Mancini as our manager. Given the recent successes that these managers have achieved- and that you've only just completed your coaching badges- what do you think gives you an edge?"

"Well, I think that the missing piece of the jigsaw between the current Manchester City team and overall greatness, is having a team that is going to run through brick walls for one another, to play for the manager with that winning mentality and never-say-die attitude. I honestly think that that's been the difference between us and what Manchester United have done. Because they always fight to the end, if they're drawing to pick up the three points late on. It's no coincidence that they do that time and again- I think that's the kind of mentality we need to pick up. Being a former Manchester City captain, I had that reputation for playing for the shirt and putting my neck on the line for the team. I think that I'm in a position to tell if a player is at the club just to see the money in, rather than a burning passion to compete at the top level and win trophies. If the former is the case, if they show a lack of respect or a bad attitude, then they will have a brief relationship with me."

"Okay, what do feel would be your long-term plans for the club?"

"One of the things that I'd be most excited about if I took this job would be the age of the squad. Most of our players are about 24- the peak of their careers. However, in 5 years time they'll be about 30. So, if we sign a few of the best teenagers in the world- with the most potential- by the time the current team turn about 30 we'll have some of the best players in the world playing at the peak of their careers- that's if all goes to plan. So, the next 2-3 years for me would be about tweaking the squad, gradually fading out the older players and introducing the new blood.

"More specifically then, which players are you looking to bring in and who, in the squad do you feel could be our weak link?"

"I think that the spine of the team is lacking longer-term backup options. I'm very happy with Joe Hart in goal, but as a backup to him we have Costel Pantillimon who's on loan from a Romanian side- Timisoara? I personally think we can do better than that for a backup keeper. I've been looking at Marc-Andre ter Stegen from Monchengladbachs to be second choice.

At centre-back, I'd be relatively happy with Kompany and Joleon Lescott, but I'd be looking to sell Kolo Toure- as he's now 30, a backup and on £120,000 a week. Therefore, I'm looking to get in Mamadou Sakho- he'd be a great long term option. I've also looked at Mats Hummels. At right-back I'm considering Sime Vrsaljko as backup to Micah Richards- I think he can be one of the best fullbacks in the world in the next few years. As far as I'm concerned Nedum Onuoha can leave the club for first team football.

At defensive midfield I'm very happy with Nigel de Jong- I think he can do a great job with breaking up opposition attacks and playing the simple pass- the Makelele role. As backup for him we've got Gareth Barry and Owen Hargreaves. They might be useful for another 1-2 years but are hardly long-term alternatives. I'd maybe be looking to get Yann M'Vila once one of those is sold. Or Casemiro- a Brazilian. For central midfield, whilst I'm very happy with Yaya Toure and James Milner, these only account for two definite central midfielders- Javi Martinez, Andre Ayew and Ross Barkley I'm thinking about to add some competition for places.

Now, I'd be very tempted to get in 16-year-old Mbaye Niang from Stade Malherbe Caen, who I'd be looking to get on the cheap before the U20 World Cup this summer in Columbia- where I would send a few of my scouts. At Chivas in Mexico, I've heard great things of Carlos Fierro and Erick Torres. I'll also be keeping an eye on Jordan Ayew of Marseille."

"Should you get the manager's job, what kind of tactic's would you be looking to employ?"

"I think football is, fundamentally, about entertainment and one of my personal aims is to entertain the fans. The fans work so hard during the week, have to pay over £1,000 for a season ticket to come and watch the team play, they've supported the team for so long when we were terrible and played in the third tier of English football- the very least that they deserve is a performance that's enjoyable to watch. Moreover, I think that we can win games and play some good football- if you want to stay in your shell and lump the ball up- why have so many talented ball players- football becomes a bit meaningless if you do that. We have to try and entertain.

Bearing that in mind, I like this footballing style called 'tiki taka'- I learnt about it on an exchange trip to Barcelona. For me, the best way to play our game is 'pass and move', especially if we can play one-touch football in triangles which would suit the likes of Tevez, Silva, Aguero. With that, we can create the situation where once someone closing us down has reached the player with the ball, it has already gone. Keeping the ball ensure's that our energy remains in tact and means the opposition team are spending most of the game closing us down- with hardly any energy left for when they do have the ball. That way, we can then close them down quickly and build another attack. Over the course of games, gaps will appear and the quality that we have in the team will be telling. In my opinion, that's our best chance of winning games.

In terms of the formation, my strategy would be to pack central midfield, in a 4-1-2-1-2 system. With Kolarov and Richards at fullback providing us with a bit of width when we've got the ball- de Jong can occassionally cover in defence to give us three at the back if they do that. Toure and Milner would be instructed to work hard to control the midfield, and play it simple to more creative-minded players like Silva and Aguero, with Milner occassionally breaking forward. Tevez's work rate means he can be heavily involved in the approach. Having no out-and-out striker, this can cause confusion in the opposition defence. I will be looking to play in a fluid system with short passing and high levels of creative freedom.

"That sounds interesting, what could the club achieve this season under your guidance?"

"I think the Premiership title is the no.1 priority. Of course we'll be looking to please the fans with a few memorable nights in the Champions League- defending the FA Cup would be considerable backup if we did do poorly in both competitions but not really what we're after. The Carling Cup for me is more of an opportunity to check out my second-string team. Generally speaking, to beat Manchester United to the Premiership title would be a great start to my managing career here so that we can then kick on from there and try to win the Champions League with the fans and your backing."

"Very well, thank you for your time, Gabriel. Should you get the job, we will phone you within the next few days."

With a smile and a final hanndshake, he picked up his coat and walked out.
 
Monday 16th May 1994
Maine Road

Jim Cassell gathered all the Manchester City academy prospects around him: "Right lads, this is a big week for everyone. We've seen you develop from 9-year-olds when you joined us to some talented young men with a very bright future. At the moment, there are 25 of you in this academy, by this time next week, just 5 of you will have been promoted to the reserves side, and the rest of you will be released. For me, this is the hardest part of the job. It's not a decision that we're looking forward to making, but make it we must. Whatever happens, we want you to know that we sincerely wish you the best of luck in future life. You now have a week to convince us of your ability in the game, including a match on the last game of the season against Manchester United academy."

In the domitories that night, there was a stillness in the room. Compared with the usual noise of rap music, chatting and party atmosphere with smuggled bottles of alcohol and *********** magazines under the beds, there was silence. Gabriel was sure that some of the players were putting up a tough front, acting confidently to isolate others and put them of their games. He felt cold and uneasy. This could be the end for him, and he didn't know if he could make it through...

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Wednesday 6th July 2011
SKY SPORTS NEWS

View attachment 239935

Manchester City chairman, Garry Cook, has announced that the club have appointed Gabriel Sutton as their new manager. The 33-year-old has played at Manchester City throughout almost the whole of his footballing career. Sutton's first press conference as manager is tommorrow and many fans across the football world will be intrigued to find out what the new manager's plans are for the club, as a new era in Manchester City's history dawns.

Local fans have said: "I felt we could have persuaded a better quality manager to come to us, especially with Carlo Ancelotti out of a job at the moment, so I'm disappointed with that appointment to be honest."
"I think we need to give Sutton a chance. He certainly isn't a proven manager, but he did captain us for a long time, he was very loyal and could be the type of manager we need. I'm disappointed we didn't get Mourinho but I'm prepared to reserve judgement."
With the fans holding a somewhat mixed view on their new manager, one supporter said: "I was very impressed with his loyalty to the club, he never bottled out of tackles, he was a great captain and a great player. But does that make him a great manager?"
Time will tell whether Sutton is the answer to what those hard-core Manchester City fans are looking for, and the reaction from them as far suggests it's a rather dubious decision from Garry Cook and the club's board of directors.
 
Sunday 22nd May 1994
Ewen Fields

"Okay lads, this is the big one. Manchester United have some of the best academy prospects in the world, they've already won the Academy Lancashire District League, we must stop them from winning the FA Youth Cup. You have 90 final minutes to prove yourself."

Jim took Gabriel to one side: "Gabriel, United have a top-class midfield with the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs. I want you to get stuck in and show them how these City boys fight. Right lads, come on, LETS 'AVE IT!"

Jim Cassell's pep talk was greated with a roar from the boys as they marched onto the pitch.

Thirty minutes into the game, and Gabriel was having a nightmare. He seemed to be misplacing every pass he made, looking immobile and incompetent against a speedy Ryan Giggs who was nicking the ball off his every time he received it. Stunned, Gabriel was in an emotional state as the game seemed to bypass him. With City 2-0 down, the referee blew for half time. Jim Cassell approached him by the touchline. "Gabriel, can I have a word?"

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Wednesday 6th July 2011
TWITTER

@Lee_Dixon It'll be interesting to see how Sutton does in his new job at Manchester City- I've spoken to a few fans who are hesitant about the move, looking for more experience- I think he'll settle in okay if he gets a good run of results to start the season. Otherwise he could be in trouble!

@BBC_Lawrenson I'm looking forward to seeing Gabriel Sutton's press conference tommorrow. Hopefully he can bring a fresh approach to the club and provide them with a bit of energy- I'm backing him to surprise everyone and I think City can win the league this year!

@Jason_Manford Hiya folks, heard City have got a new manager in. Shame about Mancini- guess he felt his country calling. Sutto was a legend in the team a few years back, hopefully he'll deliver. Just got tickets to go to the Community Shield at Wembley- dead excited. Should be a great game, looking forward to checking us out.

@1Hitman_Hatton Hi everyone- what do we think about Sutton? I'dve rathered Mourinho but least he's got City blood. Looking forward to going to the Community Shield with Jason.

@Wazza10 heard the ****** have appointed a 33-year-old rookie as manager! lol. looks like it'll be us for the title this season. again. this is amusing #theshittyareback
@Micah_Richards It'll be even more amusing when we beat you to the Premiership title this year
@Wazza10 oh, like the year I scored an overhead kick against you bunch of Arabian Billionnaire's playthings?
@Micah_Richards Well at least I don't have to pay prozzies from Norwich £1,000 to get some
@ash18_young well at least I'm not going to get kicked off the team because the club has got money to buy players that don't suck
@Milner_official oh yeah, that must be why United signed Ashley Young.
@Wazza10 oh yeah, that must be why we've won the league 19 times.

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Sunday 22nd May 1994
Ewen Fields

"What the **** are you playing at?"
"I'm sorry, Sir, I honestly don't know what'***** me."
"What happened to those driving runs, those crisp passes, those last ditch tackles you've been making all season?"
"I promise you, Sir, I'll make it up to you in the second half, I promise."
"It's not my decision to put you into the reserves, Gabriel. Brian Horton's got the unenviable task of making those final decisions. But, seeing as your performances as far this season have merited it, I will give you some more playing time."
"Oh, thank you, Sir, I promise I won't let you down."
Having just thanked Jim, a cold chill then came over Gabriel. He had to deliver now. Or else he'd be kicked off the team for good. The second half started...

With ten minutes to go, Gabriel had valiantly helped his team draw level at 2-2. A Bobby Charlton-esc strike from him just seconds into the second half tipped the balance of the game in City's favour, before a great through ball from him set through Paul Dickov one-on-one, who finished with aplomb. Gabriel was then on a mazy run into the box, and he was just about to pull the trigger, a horrible feeling- a bit like his leg was being sawwed off- came over him, he looked behind as he fell to see Roy Keane's determined face just as he, too, fell on the floor. Penalty. All the lads said: "Gabriel, all yours" with a smile and a pat on the back, Gabriel thought they might be hoping they wouldn't have to take it.

Gabriel stepped up, stood to the left of the ball, and planted it into the opposite bottom corner of the goal. 3-2 and a great victory for the academy team. He had done it.

The next morning, everyone was called down early. Gabriel was feeling in confident mood, he had played really well as captain all season long and was the hero in yesterday's game against the future stars of Manchester United. He was thinking about this as Brian Horton announced the names of who had made it:

"Good morning everyone." He said with a weak smile. "First of all, congratulations on your win against Manchester United, I've been so impressed with your performances throughout the season. But I'm afraid, decisions must be made. (Taking a deep breath) Okay, here are the names:

Kevin Horlock, Shaun Goater, Paul Dickov, Jeff Whitley and...
Nicky Weaver."

What. There must have been a mistake. Surely. I can't have been kicked off this team. This can't be happening.
This was my dream. My future. My... life.

"Excuse me, Mr Horton, there must have been a misunderstanding. Why am I not on the list?"

"Sorry son. You're not good enough. We appreciate what you've done for the academy but, it's over. I'm afraid you'll never play for us again." He regurgitated, almost like that was what he said each time.

And that was it. He stood there for 30 seconds... shellshocked. All that glory of yesterday. Beating United. Gone.

He was just 16, and his life was over.




 
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Sunday 28th May 1994
Manchester

A week had gone since Gabriel was kicked off of the Manchester City academy. He'd just woken up; it was one o'clock in the afternoon. Hearing the doorbell, he hastily slipped into some trousers on the floor and a shirt he'd worn the night before and made his way downstairs.

"Oh, hi Julia." It was his girlfriend- they'd had a sticky patch since he was dropped from the team.
"God, you don't look so good."
"Oh I know, I still can't get over it. Just don't know what to do."
"Well, I don't know what there is you can do." she sympathised. "Sit down, I've got something I need to talk to you about."
"Okay." Gabriel yawned, bewildered but not too concerned.
Julia eyed him. "Gabriel, I'm pregnant."
"What?"
"And you're the father."

Wednesday 8th July 2011
City of Manchester Stadium

"Good morning, everyone." Garry Cook said as he sat down to address the crowd of eager sports reporters and journalists awaiting Gabriel's entrance. "At this press conference, I'm delighted to announce that Gabriel Sutton will be the new manager of Manchester City football club. As a board, we've decided to give him a 3-year contract, with just over £40 million transfer budget this summer with the aim of challenging for the Premiership title in mind. We felt that his ambitions and long-term plans for the club matched our own and we look forward to working with him. So, here he is to answer any questions you may have... Gabriel Sutton!"
The name was greeted by applause from all journalists, and Garry Cook included, as he made his way behind the table. "Hello, thanks to everyone for coming. Yes, you."

"Andy Lyons, When Saturday Comes. Good morning, Gabriel. After quite a long wait and some saddening news regarding the Italian National Team manager, how do you feel about bringing the situation to an end now and being appointed manager of the club?"

"Oh, I'm delighted. Of course I had a lot of respect for Mr Prandelli, I'm sure it's a mutual feeling of sadness across the football world to see someone like that leave us, and I have a lot of respect for Roberto Mancini for taking that job in what were very difficult circumstances, when he was doing very well at Manchester City. So, it can't have been an easy decision, but I take my hat off to him for that. As for my job here, as far as I'm concerned, and as far as the board is concerned, this is very much a long-term project for me. I think with the great financial clout we have at the club, I can help this team soar to new heights."

"Dan Walker, BBC Sport. Given that many supporters will have been hoping for someone like Mourinho to get the job, and that you've only recently retired from playing- tinged with being happy to be appointed, do you feel a degree of pressure to prove yourself to the fans?"

"Of course, but none more than usual. In football there's always pressure and you're constantly under scrutiny- you have to be very focused and very dedicated. I'm someone that thrives on pressure- I've proved that time and again in my playing days which I think is something Mr Cook noticed in me- I will give 100% to this team. So yes, of course there will be pressure, I'd expect nothing less, but I believe that I'm more than capable of handling it adequately- hopefully we can start the season with a run of wins to put the issue to bed."

"Neil Downes, the Guardian. With Mario Balotelli transfer listed after a training ground bust up with Roberto Mancini a few weeks ago, can he expect to get any first-team football at Manchester City under your management?"

"Absolutely not. From what Mancini has come out and said I thought that Balotelli was being extremely disrespectful to a manager of Roberto's quality. As far as I'm concerned, if any player in my team doesn't work hard, shows a bad attitude or is disrespectful on a consistant basis, then I can't work with them. It's as simple as that. I think the difference between where we are as a club now, and what teams like Manchester United have done is having that mental strength, that winning mentality to keep going until the end to get those extra two points if we're drawing, that never-say-die attitude, teamwork and perseverance. If players don't have that, then that's going to really hinder our progress in getting to where we all want to be. Afterall, all players, especially at Manchester City get paid so highly, and they have a job that most teenage boys would practically kill for, they should at least put in 100% every match. That's what I'm looking for, and, despite being exceptionally talented, I don't think Mario Balotelli has that."

"David Hall, FourFourTwo magazine. What kind of tactics can we expect to see from your side under the new regime?"

"Hi David. Big fan of FourFourTwo, by the way! The way I see it, football is about entertainment. We could adopt the strategy of tackling hard and hoofing the ball up- the way of playing that I believed in before an exchange trip to Barcelona. Now, I just don't think that that approach would be fair on the fans who have stuck loyally with the team through over 30 years of being aweful, who have paid over £1,000 for a season ticket plus potentially more for European games in this tough economic climate- the very least they deserve is a performance week in, week out, that's enjoyable to watch. The very least. Not only that, but I also think that attractive, one touch football would be our best chance of winnig games with some very talented ball players in the team. So in a nutshell, I want to get us playing some good football.

Bearing this in mind, I discovered this style of football called 'tiki-taka' when I went to Barcelona, which is essentially, pass and move. What I want is for the opposition players closing down to be so far away from the ball by the time they reach that player that they need a sat-nav. Alongside this, I'm looking for the players to pass the ball around in triangles at a high tempo, within a fluid system to outnumber the opponents wherever the ball is. I will be instructing James Milner and Yaya Toure to close down quickly in midfield so that we are in possession more often than not."

"James Barlow, Manchester City magazine and website editor. Gabriel, what do you feel are your long-term plans for the club?"

"Now, I'm glad you asked me that, James. I feel that this is very much a long-term project for me, as a relatively young manager, (I like to think!) I intend to stay at the club until the pope goes to the synagogue! (*laughs*). Seriously speaking, what I'm very excited about for taking this job is the current age of the squad- we have a lot of players who are about 24, and can play at the top level for the next 6 or 7 years. Whereas Chelsea are in a bit of a transitional state at the moment with an aging squad, and Manchester United have a team of players who are either over 30 and gradually losing their fitness or about 20 and far too inexperienced- like de Gea and Phil Jones. We've got players with the perfect balance. What I'm looking to do now, is bring in some of the best teenagers in the world, so that in five years time, when the current crop are thinking about retiring or want to leave for first team football, I can gradually fade them out and integrate the new blood. If I can sign some of the best wonderkids in the world in the next two or three years, by the time I'm nearly finished with some of the current first team players, I'll have a team of the best players in the world playing at the peak of their careers. I hope that the fans will understand that this kind of progress won't happen overnight, but we are in a fantastic position to begin to do so, and the more trophies we win, the higher we'll be ranked in the scheme of world football, the better quality player's we'll be able to attract, the more trophies we'll win and so forth. It'll be tough, but I'm someone that relishes challenges and have never looked forward to any, more than this one right now."

Garry Cook interjected: "Right, thanks for coming down, everyone. That's all we have time for today."
 
Monday 29th May 1994
Manchester

Over the next few days, Gabriel felt increasingly guilty about how he'd been behaving to Julia. If he was being honest with himself, he felt she deserved more than this.

"Oh. Hi... Gabriel."
"Julia, errm... there's something I kinda wanna to you about."
"If it's about the football then you can forget it."
"I know, I'm really sorry about that- can I come in? Please?"
"Okay."
"Look, Julia, I really wanna say, I'm here to apologise about how we've behaved recently. I just couldn't get over my own selfish needs, when there's more important things to think about right now. I want to help you in every single way possible to raise this baby. If I'm going to be a dad, I'm going to be a proper dad. Look at me. Together we're not going to let this baby down. I promise you."
"Okay, well to be honest I'm glad you've turned a corner. So, thank you."
"I'm going to forget about football. It just hurts too much and ***** up people's lives. I'm over it. I promise."
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Wednesday 8th July 2011
Carrington Training Ground

Gabriel gathered all of the first team players in front of him for the team meeting. "Good afternoon everyone, I would like to arrange a team meeting instead of training for my first day as manager- I wish to say a few things.

Firstly, I would like to introduce myself, I'm Gabriel but I want you all to refer to me as boss. I'm delighted to be appointed manager of the club, I think here we have a squad with tremendous potential, and I think we can have a very bright future here. Whilst you are all incredibly talented players, I would like to emphasize the importance of respect, dedication, teamwork, and a never-say-die attitude. You can have all the individual technical talent in the world, but you must remember that football is a team game and if you can't work hard for the team, and play as a team, then all of that talent goes to waste quite frankly.

So, I'd like to make a deal with each and every one of you. If you all turn up on time every day for training, and give 100% in every single game we play in, and we don't win the Premiership title, then I'm happy to take the responsibility wholeheartedly. Because I truly believe that we have the best team in the league, and one of the best in Europe. So, who's with me?"

Gabriel got the team to form a circle, and put his hand in the middle. Almost everyone put their hand in the middle immediately, except Balotelli, Kolo Toure and Nedum Onuoha. "1,2,3 CITY! Brilliant. Right that's about it lads, you can all go, see you tommorrow for training, except you three." He said, motioning to Kolo, Nedum and Mario.

"Right, Kolo and Nedum, do you want to stay at the club? I'm afraid I can't guarentee either of you a first team place."
"In that case, I want a transfer."
"Okay, Nedum?"
"Me too, I wish you best of luck with the team."
"Thank you, I'll see if I can sort out a transfer move for either of you."
With a smile, Kolo and Nedum left the training grounds.
"Mario, I'm afraid you don't have a say in the matter, I'm transfer listing you."
"Why? This is unfair. What have I done for this?"
"Oh, let me see... you've consistently shown disrespect to Roberto Mancini on a number of times, including a bust-up on the training ground. You've shown arrogance in games where you've not shown the talent to back it up. I'm sorry Mario, but it's either a transfer or City reserves for the next 4 years of your contract. It's up to you."
Mario trudged back to his car stroppily in a huff.

On his car journey back into Greater Manchester, Gabriel thought he was probably being a bit harsh on Balotelli- after all, he was still young and probably got his cockiness from being so highly payed- it's not uncommon. But he couldn't risk any sort of negative attitude influencing team- Gabriel needed players that would give everything for him in games, and he was pretty sure that Mario wasn't a player that would give him that.
 
Hi everyone- any feedback so far? Hope you like it, I've gone down more of a storytelling route than stats and stuff. What does everyone thing?
 
Yh its looking good mate. really in depth and good reading. are you going to keep this going through the games as a story telling subject as that will be very time consuming dont u think?? (my personal opinion) good creativity and imagination.
 
I'm gutted your selling Super Mario :(. Still a good story though :P
 
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