Memoirs of a Slovak - Chapter 1
- Thread starter Kris
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I really enjoyed reading this Kris! 
I usually keep away from these sort of threads, but you've made it sound quite personal and its very interesting to read and like you said, it's more than just a football story! Keep up the good work and tell us what happens next... soon!!!!
I usually keep away from these sort of threads, but you've made it sound quite personal and its very interesting to read and like you said, it's more than just a football story! Keep up the good work and tell us what happens next... soon!!!! # # #
I stood outside our front door with a look of fear, all I could think about was Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars telling me 'you'sa in big du du now'. Selma's dislike for the new Star Wars films was always being brought up on movie night's so it may not have been the best joke to crack.
I eventually decided to walk into our home and to my surprise, there she was, standing at the front door with a look of excitement and sheer happiness.
'Well?' She screamed excitingly
'You know? but how...?'
'They called the house first, I gave them your cell number' Still brimming with excitement.
'Nothing gets past you Selma, I should know that by now' She smiled and skipped over to the other end of the hall way.
'here' she said 'I have already packed you an overnight suitcase, your good suit is already in there. don't crease it for the love of god'
Unable to contain my excitement I thanked her with a kiss and a hug wondering how i found someone like her.
'But how did you know It would be good news?' I asked in a oddly high pitched tone
'Women's intuition...it's never wrong' she smiled with confidence.
Finally we sat and enjoyed a meal before my car arrived. I looked out the window as it all sank in.
BEEP...cars here.
# # #
Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement so far. It really helps keep up the motivation to continue writing. I can only hope you enjoy the story and i promise there is allot more to come...and the football is not too far off either I promise.
More updates soon
I stood outside our front door with a look of fear, all I could think about was Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars telling me 'you'sa in big du du now'. Selma's dislike for the new Star Wars films was always being brought up on movie night's so it may not have been the best joke to crack.
I eventually decided to walk into our home and to my surprise, there she was, standing at the front door with a look of excitement and sheer happiness.
'Well?' She screamed excitingly
'You know? but how...?'
'They called the house first, I gave them your cell number' Still brimming with excitement.
'Nothing gets past you Selma, I should know that by now' She smiled and skipped over to the other end of the hall way.
'here' she said 'I have already packed you an overnight suitcase, your good suit is already in there. don't crease it for the love of god'
Unable to contain my excitement I thanked her with a kiss and a hug wondering how i found someone like her.
'But how did you know It would be good news?' I asked in a oddly high pitched tone
'Women's intuition...it's never wrong' she smiled with confidence.
Finally we sat and enjoyed a meal before my car arrived. I looked out the window as it all sank in.
BEEP...cars here.
# # #
Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement so far. It really helps keep up the motivation to continue writing. I can only hope you enjoy the story and i promise there is allot more to come...and the football is not too far off either I promise.
More updates soon
Last edited:
unknown111222
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I think she knows something different as there was no mention to what she knew.
Great story Kris keep it up, This should be in a Normal Stories section XD
Great story Kris keep it up, This should be in a Normal Stories section XD
he is jus about to sign a contract i believe so therefore its an fm story just written really great
# # #
A few hours later i arrived at the S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium.
As a player I only made a few trips here, It was nothing like i remembered. The chairman met me upon arrival and proceeded to give me the tour of the stadium and it's facilities. The few staff that were still working greeted me well.
Eventually we ended up in the board room, It was very small and basic. Selma often told me of the large corporate board rooms she worked but this did little to awe or impress.
After an hour's back and forth, Gintaras Ugianskis sat forward, Looked me in the eye and told me....
'Look Sirk, This club needs someone young,ambitious and have the ability to work with youth. With your UEFA Licences I don't see why we need to beat about the bush. As far as i am concerned, you are the new manager of FBK Kaunas.
I will arrange for you to be put up in a hotel tonight, Contract discussion and a meeting with the board in the morning. Get some rest'
As he walked out the room, leaving me sitting there he turned and said 'ohh and congratulations, you are now a football manager'
# # #
I was so overjoyed. Manager of FBK Kaunas and a return to Lithuanian football. Over the past few years I have developed my own idea's for tactics,training and man management. I could not stop thinking about what I would do first.
# # #
My conversation with Selma was excellent, she seemed ecstatic over the phone. I think her enthusiasm and support helped me in that board room tonight. She arranged for a lawyer to help me sort out my contract, something I would never have thought of on my own.
Our future together was about to change however, She would not be allowed into Lithuania with ease since we are not married. I had been considering asking her for sometime now and now my decision was final. After I sign my contract I'm going to buy a ring and ask her to marry me.
A few hours later i arrived at the S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium.
As a player I only made a few trips here, It was nothing like i remembered. The chairman met me upon arrival and proceeded to give me the tour of the stadium and it's facilities. The few staff that were still working greeted me well.
Eventually we ended up in the board room, It was very small and basic. Selma often told me of the large corporate board rooms she worked but this did little to awe or impress.
After an hour's back and forth, Gintaras Ugianskis sat forward, Looked me in the eye and told me....
'Look Sirk, This club needs someone young,ambitious and have the ability to work with youth. With your UEFA Licences I don't see why we need to beat about the bush. As far as i am concerned, you are the new manager of FBK Kaunas.
I will arrange for you to be put up in a hotel tonight, Contract discussion and a meeting with the board in the morning. Get some rest'
As he walked out the room, leaving me sitting there he turned and said 'ohh and congratulations, you are now a football manager'
# # #
I was so overjoyed. Manager of FBK Kaunas and a return to Lithuanian football. Over the past few years I have developed my own idea's for tactics,training and man management. I could not stop thinking about what I would do first.
# # #
My conversation with Selma was excellent, she seemed ecstatic over the phone. I think her enthusiasm and support helped me in that board room tonight. She arranged for a lawyer to help me sort out my contract, something I would never have thought of on my own.
Our future together was about to change however, She would not be allowed into Lithuania with ease since we are not married. I had been considering asking her for sometime now and now my decision was final. After I sign my contract I'm going to buy a ring and ask her to marry me.
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I
iNickStuff
Guest
Yeah,when Sirk's retired,his son can take over...or he could play for the club..
Friday 10th April 2009
It has been a very long and strenuous few weeks, however tomorrow is show time. The season will be under way, as will my career in football management.
The last few months have been chaotic to say the least. With no previous scouting reports for any of the other sides we face in this division, I have spent most of my spare time on the road, checking out the opposition. Having to do all of that myself was a pain but essential as the club has one full time scout and don’t have the budget for another.
Between that, signing players and trying to decide on my final tactic I want the players using for the season I have not had an opportunity to unpack half of my boxes.
# # #
Pre Season could not have gone worse! After hours of player analysis and study I finally decided to settle on a 4-2-3-1. This will be our formation for the season and I am 99.9% certain it will allow us to dominate the poor quality of opposition at this level.
We will play at a fast pace using short passing movements. Our Central Midfield will play deep and while one will be set to defend. The other will look to find the correct pass to the wingers or advanced playmaker. This is the way I always want my teams to play, unfortunately I may not always have the quality of player to do so. For now though it should not be a problem and should provide fans with enjoyment.
The results during pre season were far from encouraging, we suffered 5 defeats out of our 7 friendly matches. It was always going to be difficult trying to work in a new formation and way of playing to a team, add my ten new arrivals and then that process starts all over again. I knew things were coming together though and games against Heart of Midlothian were clearly going to be a lot tougher than Visas Lebas
# # #
The media have been all over me since day one, the biggest club in Lithuanian Soccer appoint an almost completely unknown manager to lead them back into the nations pro league’s was big news.
I feel this was one of the chairman’s main reasons for giving me this job, He would deny it to the death but my appointment gave him publicity, good publicity at that! It is exactly what Kaunas desperately needed after a horrible start to 2009 for the club.
Although the chairman had received amazing press for taking a gamble and giving a young boss a shot, Press are like wild animals waiting to pounce. My pre season would have had the media homing in on there target…a few more slip up’s and they would tear me apart before I knew what hit me.
More coming soon
It has been a very long and strenuous few weeks, however tomorrow is show time. The season will be under way, as will my career in football management.
The last few months have been chaotic to say the least. With no previous scouting reports for any of the other sides we face in this division, I have spent most of my spare time on the road, checking out the opposition. Having to do all of that myself was a pain but essential as the club has one full time scout and don’t have the budget for another.
Between that, signing players and trying to decide on my final tactic I want the players using for the season I have not had an opportunity to unpack half of my boxes.
# # #
Pre Season could not have gone worse! After hours of player analysis and study I finally decided to settle on a 4-2-3-1. This will be our formation for the season and I am 99.9% certain it will allow us to dominate the poor quality of opposition at this level.
We will play at a fast pace using short passing movements. Our Central Midfield will play deep and while one will be set to defend. The other will look to find the correct pass to the wingers or advanced playmaker. This is the way I always want my teams to play, unfortunately I may not always have the quality of player to do so. For now though it should not be a problem and should provide fans with enjoyment.
The results during pre season were far from encouraging, we suffered 5 defeats out of our 7 friendly matches. It was always going to be difficult trying to work in a new formation and way of playing to a team, add my ten new arrivals and then that process starts all over again. I knew things were coming together though and games against Heart of Midlothian were clearly going to be a lot tougher than Visas Lebas
# # #
The media have been all over me since day one, the biggest club in Lithuanian Soccer appoint an almost completely unknown manager to lead them back into the nations pro league’s was big news.
I feel this was one of the chairman’s main reasons for giving me this job, He would deny it to the death but my appointment gave him publicity, good publicity at that! It is exactly what Kaunas desperately needed after a horrible start to 2009 for the club.
Although the chairman had received amazing press for taking a gamble and giving a young boss a shot, Press are like wild animals waiting to pounce. My pre season would have had the media homing in on there target…a few more slip up’s and they would tear me apart before I knew what hit me.
More coming soon
# # #
Although my UEFA training covered most aspects of management, signing players has been the most time consuming and stressful ordeal yet. My computer and i-phone have been on overdrive with emails and calls coming in from agents all across Eastern Europe and South America.
The chairman and I discussed by budgets in detail a week after I arrived but I assured him any transfer funds he had saved away should be used for wages. At that I set out to find good loan deal’s for the positions I was weakest.
I spent countless hours talking to agents and watching videos of players they described as ‘must have’. I brought in 6 players on loan. In an ideal world I would have liked to have my own group of players and not have to rely on a group who would leave come February and the process would have to start over. However we are in a position where we will save money bringing in loan players and the chairman was more than happy to avoid paying wages this season.
Ghanaian Kenneth Asamoah and Croatian Milan Prso bolster my attacking options, Irakly Logua joined us after I received a call from Dynamo Moscow’s chief youth coach recommending his young star. Full Back Mikhail Makagonov arrives from Russian side Amkar, Nedad Sreckovic adds Technical prowess to our central midfield and Linas Klimavicus arrives in at centre half from Dnipro of the Ukraine.
I did manage to sign 3 players on my own accord, Rolandas Dziaukastas adds more strength to the defence and is a former Lithuanian international with a point to prove. Young Russian keeper Nikita Talalikhan arrived from Ural for a fee of £7,000. My biggest coup had to be the return of former fan favourite Audrius Kasanavicuis, He left Kaunas two years ago to join parent club Hearts but after a positive start coach Steven Frail released the player after falling out of favour at the Edinburgh side. He adds great technical ability and will fit into my attacking playmaker role quite well.
# # #
I consider myself very fortune these last few months to have been so busy. Selma’s rejection has yet to hit me and I think that is due to the fact I am working myself to sleep every night.
As much as I would like to forget that night, it still haunts me in my sleep. My plan to propose may have been spontaneous, nevertheless I was sure in my heart it was the smartest decision I had ever made.
We were out at our favourite dinning spot in the heart of Moscow, celebrating my new job. Not once of us dared to mention our future in fear of ruining the night. Meanwhile our close friends (Roman and Anna) set about our apartment, transforming it into a beautiful scene you would only find in American blockbusters.
# # #
Her look of both joy and fear said it all. As much as she wished she could accept, she had worked too hard to get herself from her small farming village in Poland, to Warsaw to study Law and to her 10 year placement for a respectable firm in Moscow.
She was excellent at her job and was confident she would make it to London and then New York, Who was I to try and stand in her way. I was selfish to even ask her to leave it all and move to Lithuania, where I could be sacked at anytime. We both had our dreams in life and neither of us could give up on them and we went our separate ways.
# # #
So I find myself in the eve of the first ever game in management, in my apartment filled with moving boxes, watching highlights of my glorious Liverpool in there best title fight in the last 19 years as they attempt to topple Manchester United…myself, Which I was so used to, so content with before…now I couldn’t be more alone.
Although my UEFA training covered most aspects of management, signing players has been the most time consuming and stressful ordeal yet. My computer and i-phone have been on overdrive with emails and calls coming in from agents all across Eastern Europe and South America.
The chairman and I discussed by budgets in detail a week after I arrived but I assured him any transfer funds he had saved away should be used for wages. At that I set out to find good loan deal’s for the positions I was weakest.
I spent countless hours talking to agents and watching videos of players they described as ‘must have’. I brought in 6 players on loan. In an ideal world I would have liked to have my own group of players and not have to rely on a group who would leave come February and the process would have to start over. However we are in a position where we will save money bringing in loan players and the chairman was more than happy to avoid paying wages this season.
Ghanaian Kenneth Asamoah and Croatian Milan Prso bolster my attacking options, Irakly Logua joined us after I received a call from Dynamo Moscow’s chief youth coach recommending his young star. Full Back Mikhail Makagonov arrives from Russian side Amkar, Nedad Sreckovic adds Technical prowess to our central midfield and Linas Klimavicus arrives in at centre half from Dnipro of the Ukraine.
I did manage to sign 3 players on my own accord, Rolandas Dziaukastas adds more strength to the defence and is a former Lithuanian international with a point to prove. Young Russian keeper Nikita Talalikhan arrived from Ural for a fee of £7,000. My biggest coup had to be the return of former fan favourite Audrius Kasanavicuis, He left Kaunas two years ago to join parent club Hearts but after a positive start coach Steven Frail released the player after falling out of favour at the Edinburgh side. He adds great technical ability and will fit into my attacking playmaker role quite well.
# # #
I consider myself very fortune these last few months to have been so busy. Selma’s rejection has yet to hit me and I think that is due to the fact I am working myself to sleep every night.
As much as I would like to forget that night, it still haunts me in my sleep. My plan to propose may have been spontaneous, nevertheless I was sure in my heart it was the smartest decision I had ever made.
We were out at our favourite dinning spot in the heart of Moscow, celebrating my new job. Not once of us dared to mention our future in fear of ruining the night. Meanwhile our close friends (Roman and Anna) set about our apartment, transforming it into a beautiful scene you would only find in American blockbusters.
# # #
Her look of both joy and fear said it all. As much as she wished she could accept, she had worked too hard to get herself from her small farming village in Poland, to Warsaw to study Law and to her 10 year placement for a respectable firm in Moscow.
She was excellent at her job and was confident she would make it to London and then New York, Who was I to try and stand in her way. I was selfish to even ask her to leave it all and move to Lithuania, where I could be sacked at anytime. We both had our dreams in life and neither of us could give up on them and we went our separate ways.
# # #
So I find myself in the eve of the first ever game in management, in my apartment filled with moving boxes, watching highlights of my glorious Liverpool in there best title fight in the last 19 years as they attempt to topple Manchester United…myself, Which I was so used to, so content with before…now I couldn’t be more alone.
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