As a Barnsley lad, I've always known Yorkshire well. Whilst my hometeam are, of course, my team, I've always had a softspot for other local clubs - despite some intense rivalries. We're a well-supported region, and we never seem to have a good enough team representing Yorkshire. I'd like that to change.
My name's Alex, and at just 17 years old, my football knowledge could be considered limited. Suffering from severe lazyness and having just recovered from serious neurological issues, it was needless to say my career prospects didn't look good. I'd lost my bearings in my A-levels, and looked set to drop out of Sixth Form with no formal qualifications but my GCSE's.
My short life so far had been a roller-coaster of academic ups and downs, medical ****-ups and watching Barnsley finish the season with the worst goal difference in the league (consistently). At school I did very well in the boring subjects. If only the same could be said for PE. I loved football, and while I had some ability, I always lacked the confidence to produce that cutting edge. But, in what turned out to be a piece of very good fortune, my PE teacher had spotted my mental ability in the game; fair enough I couldn't pass, but by God, I could pick one out. Unfortunately, that still didn't make me a good player by any stretch of the imagination.
With all that in mind, you'll not be surprised to know that I was gobsmacked when I recieved an email from Bradford Town FC one day, saying they'd shortlisted me as a "potential candidate to interview for the position of assistant manager". Apparently they'd had a tip off from a reliable source (a reliable source being my PE teacher down the pub, as I later found out), informing them of my "possible potential". I naturally gave them a buzz without a moment's hesitation, and managed to haggle enough to gain an interview... in 20 minutes time! I didn't own a suite, so I wore... err... T-shirt and skinny jeans. It wasn't the best of first impressions, but I told them of my predicament, and they were relatively understanding.The interview was pretty standard; there were all those obligatory questions: "Hobbies? Work Experience? Qualifications? References? Why should we consider you?" Not a great start, I thought, but what happened next was surreal. The manager and chairman had a minute, and came back holding a DVD. They put it on. It was a tape of a league game against Melksham Town last season; they wanted me to watch 15 minutes of it, and write down every mistake I noticed, every wasted opportunity and any tactics that should have been employed to deal with specific opposition players.
The game was shocking. They didn't lose, but they didn't win 10-0 like they could have done, either. The team kept trying to play it long through the middle, and they were shooting hopelessly from everywhere. I hate watching the long ball game for starters, and some of the decision-making was woeful. The 2 wingers were getting in great positions, and nobody bothered to notice. Melksham had a very pacey right-winger, and the way Bradford went about dealing with him made me want to cry. Let's just say they were very lucky he couldn't shoot for all the pie 'n' peas in the world. I finished my task and handed in my assessment. It felt like school.
The board were impressed. So impressed infact, that they gave me 10 minutes to twiddle my thumbs in the changing room, whilst, unbeknown to me, they were sorting out my entire future. I'd asked the board to call me by my first name - I didn't believe in formalitites. "Alex, come back in". The manager had gone home, leaving the chairman, which didn't look good at all, and there were two new men in his place."I'm Mark Lawn, this is Julian Rhodes", one of the men began. Now I was just confused. "We're the co-chairmen of Bradford City Association Football Club." Oh, okay, I thought. They were here through some affliation or something, making sure their pet club didn't employ a complete moron. "We've just been flicking through your notes and your personal statement. Are you aware of the current situation at Bradford City?" "I know your manager, Phil Parkinson, has just resigned - if that's what you mean?" "Yes, we're out looking for a new manager from the local area. We're looking for someone young and bright, with a clean slate, fresh ideas to help reinvigorate the club and a great passion for the game. This might come as quite a surprise because of your age, but we'd like to offer you a two year contract as manager. Pay will be minimal at first, and you won't be an instant hit with the fans, but we believe you have potential to go far in this game.
"Epic. I felt legitimately dizzy. I fumbled to get my college pen out of my pocket. One of the guys noticed, and handed me a real Parker pen. I'd never felt so not un-posh in my life. I hurried to sign the long contract without even reading it, which is usually a good idea. I shook hands with the chairmen, arranged to come into training the next Wednesday, and set off home.
So I did my research. I definitely have a very tough job to do. Bradford are a big club, probably the biggest in the npower League 2.
Judging by where they have been and where they are now, they really needed some wise old man, complete with meditation and discipline - something like this guy...
My name's Alex, and at just 17 years old, my football knowledge could be considered limited. Suffering from severe lazyness and having just recovered from serious neurological issues, it was needless to say my career prospects didn't look good. I'd lost my bearings in my A-levels, and looked set to drop out of Sixth Form with no formal qualifications but my GCSE's.
My short life so far had been a roller-coaster of academic ups and downs, medical ****-ups and watching Barnsley finish the season with the worst goal difference in the league (consistently). At school I did very well in the boring subjects. If only the same could be said for PE. I loved football, and while I had some ability, I always lacked the confidence to produce that cutting edge. But, in what turned out to be a piece of very good fortune, my PE teacher had spotted my mental ability in the game; fair enough I couldn't pass, but by God, I could pick one out. Unfortunately, that still didn't make me a good player by any stretch of the imagination.
With all that in mind, you'll not be surprised to know that I was gobsmacked when I recieved an email from Bradford Town FC one day, saying they'd shortlisted me as a "potential candidate to interview for the position of assistant manager". Apparently they'd had a tip off from a reliable source (a reliable source being my PE teacher down the pub, as I later found out), informing them of my "possible potential". I naturally gave them a buzz without a moment's hesitation, and managed to haggle enough to gain an interview... in 20 minutes time! I didn't own a suite, so I wore... err... T-shirt and skinny jeans. It wasn't the best of first impressions, but I told them of my predicament, and they were relatively understanding.The interview was pretty standard; there were all those obligatory questions: "Hobbies? Work Experience? Qualifications? References? Why should we consider you?" Not a great start, I thought, but what happened next was surreal. The manager and chairman had a minute, and came back holding a DVD. They put it on. It was a tape of a league game against Melksham Town last season; they wanted me to watch 15 minutes of it, and write down every mistake I noticed, every wasted opportunity and any tactics that should have been employed to deal with specific opposition players.
The game was shocking. They didn't lose, but they didn't win 10-0 like they could have done, either. The team kept trying to play it long through the middle, and they were shooting hopelessly from everywhere. I hate watching the long ball game for starters, and some of the decision-making was woeful. The 2 wingers were getting in great positions, and nobody bothered to notice. Melksham had a very pacey right-winger, and the way Bradford went about dealing with him made me want to cry. Let's just say they were very lucky he couldn't shoot for all the pie 'n' peas in the world. I finished my task and handed in my assessment. It felt like school.
The board were impressed. So impressed infact, that they gave me 10 minutes to twiddle my thumbs in the changing room, whilst, unbeknown to me, they were sorting out my entire future. I'd asked the board to call me by my first name - I didn't believe in formalitites. "Alex, come back in". The manager had gone home, leaving the chairman, which didn't look good at all, and there were two new men in his place."I'm Mark Lawn, this is Julian Rhodes", one of the men began. Now I was just confused. "We're the co-chairmen of Bradford City Association Football Club." Oh, okay, I thought. They were here through some affliation or something, making sure their pet club didn't employ a complete moron. "We've just been flicking through your notes and your personal statement. Are you aware of the current situation at Bradford City?" "I know your manager, Phil Parkinson, has just resigned - if that's what you mean?" "Yes, we're out looking for a new manager from the local area. We're looking for someone young and bright, with a clean slate, fresh ideas to help reinvigorate the club and a great passion for the game. This might come as quite a surprise because of your age, but we'd like to offer you a two year contract as manager. Pay will be minimal at first, and you won't be an instant hit with the fans, but we believe you have potential to go far in this game.
"Epic. I felt legitimately dizzy. I fumbled to get my college pen out of my pocket. One of the guys noticed, and handed me a real Parker pen. I'd never felt so not un-posh in my life. I hurried to sign the long contract without even reading it, which is usually a good idea. I shook hands with the chairmen, arranged to come into training the next Wednesday, and set off home.
So I did my research. I definitely have a very tough job to do. Bradford are a big club, probably the biggest in the npower League 2.
Judging by where they have been and where they are now, they really needed some wise old man, complete with meditation and discipline - something like this guy...
Alas, they got me!
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