My Alter Ego Story: The Ballad of Chris Waterman

M

MrStu01

Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2013
Messages
384
Reaction score
0
Points
0
My name is Chris Waterman...I am an English Football Manager looking for my big shot. My aim to become the BEST British and English manager of all time (sorry Sir Alex).


July 2014
Our story starts July 1st 2014. Following a successful English Football season in 2013/14 which saw Manchester City win the Premier League and the drama the Football League and FA Cup, it was all change during the off season. As the worlds best competed in the FIFA World Cup back home in UK the managerial changes were in full swing. This is the perfect time for me to finally cut my teeth as a manager...

The question is where???

Candidates:
- Bolton Wanderers
- Leyton Orient
- Hartlepool
- Port Vale


View attachment 767187
BOLTON APPROACH WATERMAN
July 3rd

I picked up the voicemail and without thinking clicked redial "Connect me to Phil Gartside please"
Nearly an hour later i was on my way to Bolton. Head and heart racing i knew this was my chance to make an impression. I could make Bolton my club! These discussions had to go well, this was my big break I WAS SURE OF IT!

-Hours Later

The discussions were productive. Realistic targets the ability to grow the squad as i pleased and no real philosophies to adhere to. I could really mould Bolton back to a team like Big Sam created. The opportunities were endless (with the exception of wages and transfer budget)


View attachment 767187
Orient contact Waterman representative
July 2014:

After settling myself in at home again a text from my rep meant that i was again on the road. Wow two offers in a day is unreal. According to the bookies i was not even in the running for either Bolton or Leyton Orient and here i am meeting both clubs for a potential job. What to do now? Get this interview out the way.

-Late that night

Another constructive meeting has seen me being given the run of Orient i take charge. No philosophies or wage concerns and the ambition to gain promotion by winning the league. Having seen a squad list i am unsure but if the board is wiling to back me for this i am willing to try.

A BIG DECISION LIES AHEAD
​
 
After much back and forth over the coming days i decided to go back to the clubs and approach their respective boards with ideas i had.

BOLTON BOARD
Objective: Finish in Respectable league position
My Demands: Improve club Youth coaching & Improve youth facilities.

Because of the low budget of the club and difficulty of the league it was agreed in my interview that youth would play a big part in my employment which i am very happy with. Why not try and develop some players? Bolton have some quality youth players but their facilities and coaching within them leave a lot to be desired.

View attachment 302885 >>>>>>>>>>>View attachment 302884
(a basic idea of what i wanted)


THE BOARD SAYS NO!!!!

​
=============================================================================
Leyton Orient Board
Objectives: Win Promotion
My Demands: Upgraded Youth & Training facilities

Again a low budget and belief from the board in youth (refreshing but also restrictive at this level) meant that my demands were simple. Orient have very basic and inadequate facilities so i wanted both basics upgraded.


Orient Board agree to Youth Upgrade, Say Training facilities will stay!!!

A little victory if i take the job. Something which could swing the balance in their favour is the understadning of Orient's chairman that a focus on youth would not be worth it if the below average facilities remain. They have promised me £100,000 improvements to take exactly 1 year and will significantly boost the chances of some good youth products. This has two benefits for me:
1- Youth players of some calibre appearing in the first team
2- Good money for those who don't quite make it.

1 Week to decide!!!

View attachment 302880
​
 
July 2014

View attachment 767473
View attachment 302828
"We have breaking news here at Sky Sports studios"

View attachment 767507
View attachment 302826
"BBC Sport understands that Chris Waterman has made a managerial decision"
​

========================================================================



Waterman Joins Orient!

View attachment 302823

'Today Leyton Orient FC are pleased to announce that after much negotiation we have appointed Englishman Chris Waterman as our new manager. He has put pen to paper on a 2 year deal worth £1,000 p/w. Both parties are excited to get on with the new season and Chris is ecstatic about meeting his new squad and being given the opportunity to cut his teeth in professional management. As per Chris' pre contract negotiations we, the club are willing to invest £100,000 on developing the clubs youth facilities in order to immediately help Chris achieve our aim of producing some home grown local talent. We wish Chris a long and successful stay at the club.'




New club Chairman Francesco Becchetti moved to lay two new promises at the feet of his new manager and has prepared an upcoming press conference in order for everybody to field their questions to the new man at the helm.

New Board Promises:
- No changes to backroom staff
- Keep Director of Football

Lets get this story started! Come on you O's

View attachment 302824


​
 
Last edited:
Welcome to Leyton Orient

View attachment 302259
So just who are Leyton Orient, to many they are just another one of many Football League clubs who you see in the FA Cup and you hear about on football results shows. So lets give you a tour of my new club;

View attachment 302258
A History of the Orient
- Founded 1881 as Eagle Cricket Club
- 2nd oldest club in London behind Fulham
- Based in Waltham Forest East London
- Have undergone many name changes including Clapton Orient and Clapton FC
- Orient have only spent 1 season in the top flight, 1962-63
- The club mascot Theo is named after the clubs nickname, The O's
- Main club rivals are Southend, Brentford and West Ham
- Barry Hearn brought the club for £5 in 1995

View attachment 302254 View attachment 302253


Season 2014/15
​

Waterman Takes Charge - 17th July 2014
" Today new Orient boss Chris Waterman was unveiled by the club in a small gathering attended by senior officials and the clubs supporters trust."
"Chris will have to deal with lofty ambitions from new O's chairman but a relatively small first team squad with only 21 players featuring in the senior team, 4 of which are under 21."


Media Day - 18th July 2014
ESPN reporter- 'Chris you are a new face to the managerial scene and have immediately taken a lot of responsibility on by trying to gain instant promotion with Leyton Orient, do you feel you are over reaching for a new manager'
CW- "Absolutely not, i may be a fresh face to this that is true but i don't think that means aiming high is over reaching. I am an ambitious man backed by an ambitious chairman who will give me the tools needed to succeed"

Daily Sport writer- 'What made you pick Leyton Orient?'
CW- "The club were willing to show me some faith by offering an unknown guy the helm and they set out realistic goals and ambitions which were then supported when i asked them to help me by investing in a youth project which will bring through more talent from right here."

Sky Sports reporter- 'Do you think the dressing room will support your appointment given your unknown status and how do you plan to win them over?'
CW- "I think the task is as simple as talking to them, setting out my goals and then winning games. If the players can perform as expected then their trust in me will be developed over time. If we struggle it will test our relationship that is for sure. But the chairman assures me the lads here are very welcoming and i believe we will soon all be on the same page."

BBC Radio 5 Live- 'What stlye of manager will the players get from you and how will that affect your ambitions?'
CW- "The players will get a mentor and a very hands on manager who will train with them win with them and lose with them. Our ambition will remain to gain promotion regardless of what type of manager i am but this squad will be a unit. I feel suffer with them but share the good times as well. Thank you all for your time."



Roll on Pre- Season & Squad Evaluation


View attachment 302246

​
 
Good luck with Orient! hope to see Dean *** as a major part of your plans there!
 
View attachment 301324

Leyton Orient Key Players

So who are the best of my current crop who will lead me to domestic glory?

​
View attachment 301321 Adam Legzidns- GK- English

View attachment 301316 Shane Lowry- DF- Australian

View attachment 301315 View attachment 301314
Dean ***- ML- English & Jobi McAnuff- MR- Jamaican

View attachment 301313 Jay Simpson- ST- English

A good solid spine to my team and a couple surprises in terms of Lowry, McAnuff and Simpson (as many of you can see the date and some of the stats are from late season because i forgot the screenshots). I already have a large squad according to the media but in my opinion my first team size is relatively small and i am also looking for some youngsters for my backup squads so i think i will be investing in a few names.


Pre Season 2014
​


I missed the first 3 friendlies but the results broke down like this:
- H vs. Watford 1-2
- H vs. Fulham 1-1
- A vs. AFC Telford 4-1

23/7/14 - A vs. Dag & Red 3-0
A brilliant game for my opener which saw Simpson, Henderson and McAnuff all score. We limited them to 1 shot on goal which wasn't bad considering it was a very young defense and a new formation i trialled.

26/7/14 - A vs Hampton & Richmond 2-1
Not so convincing however i was happy with the teamwork i saw. A rotation of players also worked well with Baudry (top CB who we will speak of later) and Lisbie notched 2nd half goals to give me the victory which was well earnt.

4/8/14 - H vs. Charlton 1-2
Spirited performance against our third Championship opposition of Pre Season. The disappointing part of this game was the amount of failed crosses and passes especially with Jay Simpson as our target man.We also hit the post on 2 occasions so with luck on our side another day that could be a big win.


S with the pre season out the way all my attentions turned towards the season opener. A sure win match vs Chesterfield would bring the curtain up on our league adventure and give me my first taste of competitive management. But what of our transfers?

Orient Transfers In/Out
In
Paddy McCarthy (loan from Crystal Palace)

View attachment 301282
Hogan Ephraim (unattached)

View attachment 301279
James Cope (unattached)

View attachment 301274
Yannick Bastos (unattached)

View attachment 301270
Zak Farr (unattached)

View attachment 301267
Kingsley Francis Reynolds (unattached)

View attachment 301265

​
Out of these players i hold a lot of promise for Francis-Reynolds and Bastos who are good youth players and considered Hot Prospects so i hope they will benefit from my upgraded Youth Facilities soon. However it was not all positive...

View attachment 771429

BAUDRY DEMANDS CHERRIES MOVE!
"Leyton Orient centre half Mathieu Baudry has demanded the club let him speak to AFC Bournemouth despite confirmations from his new boss that Orient will challenge for promotion. This will leave a big hole at the back of The O's defence as Baudry was a solid servant under Russell Slade. Could Waterman lose more off his dressing room after the public spat the pair had over this transfer?"

Yes a bitter dispute between myself and Baudry led to his departure which i slated to the media and to the player upon his departure. It could have been better handled in retrospect.


SEASON 2014/15 next!
View attachment 301252
​
 
View attachment 301024
As this story is behind the current game the updates for scores will be provided in bulk. When we catch up with the game i will post either just important games or will provide more in depth match analysis (let me know what you guys prefer) but for now lets get rolling...

August
The start of League One and a thrilling Capital One clash with a Premier League big boy
Best Performance: Sunderland :D Worst Performance: Walsall :(

Home/Away
Opponent
Competition
HChesterfield 2-1 (W)View attachment 300983
H Stevenage 4-2 (W)View attachment 771973
A Oldham 0-1 (W)View attachment 300983
A Bristol City 0-2 (W)View attachment 300983
H Walsall 2-2 (D)View attachment 300983
A Sunderland 3-2 (L)View attachment 771973
A Fleetwood 1-4 (W)View attachment 300983
"A Very solid month has left Leyton Orient sitting comfortably within the playoff zone in League One and a very spirited Capital One cup campaign will have done nothing to dampen the fans spirits after pushing Sunderland to the brink, conceding finally after 76mins after leading the game twice."

September
My first loss of the season at home non the less but a solid month for us which has kept momentum for our play off challenge.
Best Peformance: Rochdale :D Worst Performance: Colchester :(

Home/ Away
Opponents
Competition
H Colchester 1-1 (D)View attachment 300983
A Notts Cnty 1-2 (W)View attachment 300983
A Scunthorpe 1-2 (W)View attachment 300983
H Preston 2-3 (L)View attachment 300983
H Rochdale 1-1 (D)View attachment 300983

"Despite their first loss of the season The O's look like a solid force within League One so far and new manager Chris Waterman can be congratulated on solid discipline which has kept the goals against down and also a tactical masterpiece which has paired ***, Simpson and McAnuff into a deadly trio."



 
Last edited:
View attachment 300981

October
The Johnstone's Paint Trophy did not go very well and a loss to a promotion rival.
Best Performance: Swindon :D Worst Performance: Portsmouth :(

Home/Away
Opponent
Competition
H Swindon 1-0 (W)View attachment 300980
A Portsmouth 2-3 (L)View attachment 300979
A Sheffield United 2-2 (D)View attachment 300980
H MK Dons 0-2 (L)View attachment 300980
A Doncaster 1-2 (W)View attachment 300980
A Port Vale 1-1 (D)View attachment 300980
"A far from convincing month has seen Leyton Orient slip as far as 5th in Sky Bet League One while being leapfrogged by Barnsley and MK Dons. Also a disappointing defeat to lower league opponents in the Johnstone's Paint trophy left manager Chris Waterman demanding a turnaround in effort from his players."

November
The FA Cup rolled into town as Orient looked for a bounce back month and the power of Jay Simpson was felt in a 5* match against Bradford.
Best Performance: Bradford :D Worst Performance: Crewe :(

Home/AwayOpponentCompetition
H Coventry 2-2 (D)View attachment 300980
H Shrewsbury 2-0 (W)View attachment 300977
A Gillingham 0-2 (W)View attachment 300980
H Crewe 0-1 (L)View attachment 300980
A Bradford 5-1 (W)View attachment 300980

"An FA Cup win put Orient into the hat to face Yeovil next round, and a terrific wins over Bradford and Gillingham were considered a good measure of the progress Orient have made from League One playoff hopefuls to promotion candidates."


 
View attachment 300616

December
3 meetings with Yeovil and progress in FA Cup plus a solid month of points for The O's
Best Performance: Peterborough :D Worst Performance: Barnsley :(

Home/ Away
Opposition
Competition
H
 Yeovil 2-2 (D)
View attachment 300611
H
 Peterborough 5-3 (W)
View attachment 300610
A
 Yeovil 1-2 (W)
View attachment 300611
A
 Barnsley 2-3 (L)
View attachment 300610
H
 Crawley 1-0 (W)
View attachment 300610
A
 Yeovil 2-3 (W)
View attachment 300610

" A 2nd round replay saw Leyton Orient push their way into 3rd round of FA Cup in 2 of 3 meetings with Yeovil this month. A lot of League One positives for The O's too as they continue their campaign for promotion well into the new year period, however a loss to playoff chasing Barnsley closed the top 6 in the league to within 4 points seperating 2nd and 6th."


 
View attachment 773125

View attachment 300489

"Breaking News reaching us at this hour that Leyton Orient have suffered a major blow to their promotion ambitions at this stage of the season. Lets cross now to our reporter at Brisbane road."

​

View attachment 300486 "In this last few minutes we have learnt of a massive injury blow to Leyton Orient which manager Chris Waterman has described as morale blowing to his squad. The Jamaican born Jobi McAnuff will be out for the rest of the season after tearing a calf muscle in their recent match against Yeovil."


 
View attachment 300484
So after the devastating injury news for Jobi McAnuff, we rolled into January and the next transfer window. Sitting pretty in 2nd it was clear that the main goal i had was to find a right wing solution in order to replace Jobi. Bradley Pritchard had stepped up well as a utility man already this season filling in at RM, RB and CM when needed and so for the short term would be a good filler. However we needed more cover at least.
Jobi added to what was already a list of first team regulars missing out, including free agent signing Eidur Gudjohnsen. But by far his influence would be missed the most.
View attachment 300482

January
Another meeting of 3 with Bradford as yet again the FA Cup went to a replay however poor league form would see the real impact of not having Jobi fit and squad rotation pushed to its limits.
Best Performance: Tottenham :D Worst Performance: Bradford :(
Home/Away
Opponent
Competition
H Bradford 1-1 (D)View attachment 300481
A Bradford 4-0 (L)View attachment 300480
H Fleetwood 2-0 (W)View attachment 300480
A Bradford 1-3 (W)View attachment 300481
A Preston 2-2 (D)View attachment 300480
H Tottenham 1-2 (L)View attachment 300481
A Colchester 3-3 (D)View attachment 300480
H Scunthorpe 2-2 (D)View attachment 300480
"The loss of Jobi McAnuff has clearly hit Orient hard after picking up just one league victory in January. Manager Chris Waterman's mind clearly on finding a replacement for the talented winger. The results were not helped by the number of games being played as Waterman had to rotate his squad numerous times giving some youngsters and backup players chances in big games as key players like Dean ***, Jay Simpson and Darius Henderson were given opportunities to rest. Despite all the negatives Orient maintained a good league position."


View attachment 300476



Transfer News
View attachment 300479
The Transfer Window is now closed!

Very Minor news for the January window. Despite trying to make a few signings as my depth was not pleasing (see Bradford result in League One) i was unable to get any deals across the line because of wages. So deadwood James Cope departed the club after failing to impress from summer move, however we found an able Jobi McAnuff replacement....
View attachment 300477
​
 
Jedd95 said:
Going great! Fantastic read keep it up
Click to expand...

Thanks. Good to see some support. I am into my second season just had a few delays posting updates. Will be changing the layout of my story following this season too im not a big fan of the tables im using
 
SamPeters said:
going well so far mate! hows *** doing for you?
Click to expand...

Yeah hanging with the big guys. I was going to post some player stats but i am a bit further ahead so its trying to remember to do them. might have to slow down a bit. *** is one of my best players coming from the left, he is 2nd as of January on the avrg rating and if i remember rightly has 7 goals and 14 assists. Another bonus is he doesn't look like he is fatigued at all
 
Great read this mate, enjoying it....Gutted to lose Jobi as he was performing quite well but top signing in Wright-Phillips...Hope you end the season well and manage automatic promotion...Look forward to reading future updates.
 
Dean Wilkes said:
Great read this mate, enjoying it....Gutted to lose Jobi as he was performing quite well but top signing in Wright-Phillips...Hope you end the season well and manage automatic promotion...Look forward to reading future updates.
Click to expand...

Cheers mate. Wasnt sure about the table might alter the layout in future but does the job for now. Yeah big fan of Jobi so was bad to lose him for the season he came back to fitness for last two games but wasn't match ready. Hopefully raring to go next season
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

FMBase

Beta

Resources

Top