Resurrecting the falling giants

[Chokopop]

As you may or may not know, my At. Madrid save got deleted along with every other save... This time, it will stay for good.

Intro:

29th June 2011

Statement from LiverpoolFC.tv

Kenny Dalglish retires from football

We regret to announce that Kenny Dalglish has decided to retire from Liverpool. Kenny has stated, that he did not wish to go public with his decision and we respect that. We wish Kenny all the best in the future.

Skysports:

Favorites for the Liverpool job are now:

Alan Shearer - 1.50
Rafael Benitez - 2.85
Steve Clarke - 7.80
Steve McLaren - 12.50
Andreas Dähnert - 15.00

12 hours earlier

I was sitting in my apartment in Liverpool, literally in tears when I read the headlines "Kenny Dalglish retires from football". Only 6 months after the king returned, he retires.

Carpe Diem - Seize the day. That's the motto I live by, so I decided to take a chance, and apply for the job. My girlfriend just laughed at me and told me I was crazy. Fair enough, I thought to myself. I wasn't so sure about this either. But what was the worst that could happen? A rejection? I've had tons of those in my life, so one more won't matter.


1st July 2011


I woke up, my phone was ringing. I rolled over, looked at the time. 7:30 . "Who the **** could this be, at this **** hour?!". I answered the phone.


Dähnert: Hello?

Voice: Hello, is this Andreas Dähnert?

Dähnert: Yeah, this is me. Who am I speaking to?

Voice: Oh, excuse me! I am Thomas Werner, chairman of Liverpool Football Club

"My heart stopped there for a minute... Could this be true, or was I still dreaming?"

Werner: I am calling because of our job vacancy. Despite only having having managed u14's and u10's we'd like you to come to Anfield tomorrow, to have a chat with you.

Dähnert: Seriously? I... I'll be there!

Werner: Lovely. How does 11am sound to you?

Dähnert: That's perfect!

Werner: Great! See you then.

I was delighted... Ever since breaking my leg, which ended my footballing career at only 18 years of age, I have only dreamt of managing Liverpool.

2nd July 2011
I arrived at Anfield 30 minutes early to make a good impression. And sure enough, there he came out of the front door to welcome me. "Welcome to Anfield. As the big Liverpool supporter you said you were, I'm sure you've been here many times". Indeed... I was even a season ticket holder. If the talks would go as smoothly as I hoped, I wouldn't need them anymore... ****, I would even do this job for free. But obviously, I didn't tell him that.


"So..." he asked: "What do you plan on doing for this club, if we were to hire you?".
"Well", I replied. "I believe this club has the ability to go to the next level, and get back into the Champions League. And I believe I have the ability to do just that, along with everyone else at the club"
Werner just smiled and said:
"Hahaha! You're pretty confident in your abilities. I like that. Another question I wanted to ask you, how did you work with a large ammount of people around you? As you know, a football manager has to work directly with his players and staff."
I thought "Well surprise?. That was already clear to me". Of course I didn't say that, so I just replied: "Well, I tend to work well in large groups. Ever since Highschool I've been pretty social, and comfortable around people. I prefer that, than sitting at a desk week in, week out never talking to anybody."


Werner replied: "Lovely. Everything seems to be in order then. Are you ready to sign your contract?"
I froze for a minute or so. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing aswell. After a few seconds I just replied "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I couldn't help but think to myself "Is this really happening?!".
He (Werner) got up, and asked me "Can I bring you anything?" . I replied "A glass of water would be great, thank you".


About 5 minutes later he came back with a piece of paper and a glass of water. My throat was as dry as a **** desert! "Alright, well if that is all, I think we are ready for you to sign the contract." Werner said. I put my signature on the contract. My hand was shaking a lot, Mr. Werner just grinned and said "You're nervous now? Just wait until your first game in charge." He was right... If I was this nervous now, I didn't even want to know how nervous I'd be when I stepped out on Anfield for the first time!
The last thing Werner said was: "Alright, it was a pleasure meeting you. I'll be introducing you to the lads tomorrow morning. Have a pleasent day".


I got home, and just sat down on the couch and started wondering, how this could happen to me? I am underqualified, I don't have any managing experience except with kids. Well this will certainly be interesting. At least my girlfriend wasn't laughing about this anymore.
​

 

[Raikan007]

nice Choko

 

[Chokopop]

Cheers mate !

 

[Chokopop]

Note: Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated

 

[Raikan007]

Spacing when typing "block text stories" as you named them is essential, paragraphs are essential, even when typing normally I use paragraphs for different comments and views etc and to break up the wall of text

from Steves story thread (wrote it a few minutes ago)

 

[Chokopop]

Yeah just read that aswell. Cba to change it now, will keep it in mind for my next update though.

 

[Average Joe]

"and then I woke up and it was all a dream. The End"

I will follow

 

[Chokopop]

"and then I woke up and it was all a dream. The End"

I will follow

Nelly - Just A Dream

Awesome!

 

[Steve*]

Note: Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated

Nice start mate

However, wait for my next post on the Story thread about proper spacing
Also like the centre alignment on the page.
It does a lot for a storys apperance.

A rejection? I've had tons of those in my life, so one more won't matter.

I bet you do

 

[Chokopop]

Nice start mate

However, wait for my next post on the Story thread about proper spacing
Also like the centre alignment on the page.
It does a lot for a storys apperance.


I bet you do

Cheers... Not so happy with it as of yet, but as long as other people like it, I'm happy

Should've had a few spaces inbetween, I know that
Yeah, I prefer the centre alignment aswell. Looks a lot better.


*sigh*... I should've known that, that's the only thing you'd notice

 

[Chokopop]

Chapter 1:
A new hope

I was in my car, driving to Melwood. I was nervous as ****. Never had I dreamt about even meeting one of my favourite players, and now I was their boss. This really had exceeded my wildest expectations.

I arrived at Melwood, again, 30 minutes early, to make a good impression. I went onto the training ground, and was surrounded by journalists in a matter of seconds.

How is your relationship with Werner?

What are you planning for the season?

What made you even consider applying for this job?

What the actual ****?! I have been manager for 24 hours, and already they ask me these questions?! I shrugged my shoulders and brushed them aside, as I proceeded into the training ground, to be greeted by Werner and the rest of the squad. A few of the players had the "What the ****?" look when I entered.

"With no further delay, I present to you: Andreas Dähnert. Your new manager" I got shivers down my spine when Mr. Werner said my name.
They were all looking at me, like they wanted me to say something. I just stepped forward and said "Hello lads. It is great to be manager here, and I hope that you all will accept me and give me your full co-operation"
Steven Gerrard forward, shook my hand and said "You'll get nothing less than our best. I'll make sure of that"

Werner showed me to my office, and I thought to myself "What a nice lad."
In my office, i sat behind the desk in a big comfortable chair, and Thomas (Werner) sat on the other said. "You know, I could actually get used to this" I joked. He started laughing while taking a piece of paper out of his briefcase. "In terms of budget" he said. ", We will give you a transfer budget of £2m, as Kenny Dalglish already made the majority of the transfers, and we believe we have a title winning squad."
Fair enough, I thought. I didn't have any transfer targets in mind anyway.

Thomas was about to leave, when I had to ask him. "Why did Kenny (Dalglish) retire?". He looked at me with a tad of sadness in his eyes and replied "Cancer" as he rushed out the door.
This came as a shock to me. I thought he was retiring due to family reason, or something like that. The hero of the 80's that made me even consider a career in football had cancer. I almost started crying when I heard that, but I had to be professional.

I exited my office and went down the hall to be greeted by Pepe Reina. "Hey boss" he said, as he shook my hand. "Let me be the first of the players to welcome you to Liverpool Football Club." I thanked him and headed out the back door, back onto the training pitch.

The players were all fully indulged in their training excerises and didn't want to disturb them. I just monitored their progress for now.

At the end of a hectic day, I just went home, made myself some dinner and relaxed. Tomorrow was the press conference...​

 

[Cole89]

this is sounding like its going to be a great story, just hope u stick with it. GOOD LUCK.

 

[Chokopop]

this is sounding like its going to be a great story, just hope u stick with it. GOOD LUCK.

Cheers mate
Yeah, I made a backup of it and put it on my external HD so it won't disappear again.

 

[Chokopop]

Chapter 2
The Introduction


I was in my car on my way to the press-conference when it suddenly hit me: What questions could they possibly ask? What could I possibly answer? There was no point in preparing answers anyway, as I had no idea what they were going to ask anyway. But it couldn't possibly be that bad, could it?

I arrived at the press conference 5 minutes late. I had no excuse, and this wasn't really the best way to start a job.
I walked into the room, cameras were flashing, people were chattering. Those flashes gave me a serious headache.


"Without further delay, I introduce to you our new manager. Andreas Dähnert". Werner barely finished the sentence, when the camera flashes started again and the reporters were shouting. I couldn't make out anything, finally I said "Please, ladies and gentlemen. One at a time".
The crowd sat down, and I started taking questions.

Reporter: How is it being a manager for such a big club, at only 25?

Dähnert: Well, I am honored that Mr. Werner has confidence in me.

Reporter: So, as a life long Liverpool supporter, this must be like a dream come true?
Dähnert: Oh definitely. I love this club, and will do everything in my power to make the fans proud.

Reporter: Do you have any transfer targets in mind?
Dähnert: I haven't really been thinking about that yet.

Reporter: Do you have a specific tactical approach to the forthcoming games?
Dähnert: Uhm... No, not really. Football is a game of luck, as much as skill. If the conditions are right, even the weakest team can beat the strongest. I am going to use the pre-season to experiment with a few tactics. It would be irresponsible only having one tactical approach.

Reporter: How have the players reacted to have a inexperienced manager at the helm?
Dähnert: They've been quite impressive really. They're a nice bunch of lads. I'm sure we will be able to work together very well.

Reporter: What is the real reason for Kenny Dalglish's sudden retirement from football?
Dähnert: That is a question I can not answer.

Reporter: Liverpool failed to qualify for a European competition, which must have been a huge disappointment for the fans and players alike. Do you believe you are able to do it this season?
Dähnert: Definitely. The team was fighting so well towards the end of last season. If they can continue to do that, anything is possible.

I think I handled that quite well. Back onto the training pitch. Everyone was concentrated with their training excercises. I headed back to my office to check my mail, only to find a mail from my scout Steve (Hitchen). He suggested I'd take a look at Robbie Fowler.

"Why?" I thought to myself. After a few minutes of thinking about it, I could see it though. He'd bring valuable experience to the youngsters, and with only £2m he was the best striker we could afford. We only needed a backup striker anyway.
So tomorrow I'd contact Muangthong United over a possible transfer of Robbie.

I went out onto the training ground, and told the lads to go home. Take the rest of the day off. From tomorrow, we'd be in serious business to prepare for the new season.​

 

[I7IDanny]

He suggested I'd take a look at Robbie Fowler.

The return of the return of God :L

 

[Chokopop]

The return of the return of God :L

**** yeah! One can never have to many Robbie Fowler's :L

 

[bambam.cam]

FOWLERRRRR!!!!!

 

[Chokopop]

Chapter 3:
The journey begins

Another hectic start. I got up to late, I didn't even have time to make myself any coffee. Needles to say, this will not be a good day. Yesterday was the last day of training, before out trip to London for our first friendly against Crystal Palace.

10/7/2011

Alright... Here goes. My first game in charge of Liverpool. It's only a friendly, but I am still really, really anxious.

Kick off:

Palace had numerous chances the first 25 minutes, which really made me nervous. It wouldn't be a great way to introduce myself to the fans, with a defeat against a weaker team, despite it only being a friendly.
I was relieved when Sebastian Coates scored a beautifully placed header, in the 36th minute of a corner from, another new signing Charlie Adam.

The halftime score was 1-0 to us. I was happy with our defensive work, however the attacking should improve.
It worked! We were in control most of the time, when Andy Carroll scored a beautiful shot from long range after 55 minutes. 2-0 to the reds.

We were able to relax a bit now. We still had most of the possesion until Palace's Mile Jedinak brought down Craig Bellamy just outside the box in the 78th minute. What a horror tackle! Luckily, Bellamy didn't get injured.
Brazillian left back Fabio Aurelio scored from a powerful free kick in the 78th minute.
We were in control most of the 2nd half and we really looked good, despite it only being pre-season.
My first game in charge was a succes. A 3-0 victory to the reds.

14/7/2011

We arrived in Belgium the day before, for our friendly against Genk.
The game started quite well. Sebastian Coates was once again at the right place, at the right time, in the 26th minute were he scored from a well placed free kick from Charlie Adam.

However, Pepe Reina scored an unlucky own goal just 5 minutes later. The game was only really marked by two injuries for Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll and a red card for Genk's Leandro Grimi.
We were again in control of, most of the game. However this time we were unable to convert the chances into goals.

17/7/2011

We took a plane directly from Belgium to Stuttgart, Germany for our next friendly against Vfb Stuttgart.
Another game where we were in complete control, but only managed a narrow 1-0 win with a beautiful long shot from Danish international, Daniel Agger.
Another injury plagued our camp, this time with Craig Bellamy. Fortunately nothing serious.

19/7/2011

We made our way back home to Liverpool, for our friendly at Anfield against French side AS Nancy Lorraine.
However this time we were struggling. After 4 minutes, Nancy's Paul Tchoukriel scored, after very bad defending from Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel.
Things got worse in the 21st minute, were Nancy again got a goal. However this time it was from a beautiful free kick from Benjamin Moukandjo.
Dirk Kuyt was lucky to reduce to 1-2 after a bad backpass from Nancy defender André Luiz in the 32nd minute.

After halftime we looked a bit better. Nathan Eccleston was brought down inside the box, and the referee pointed towards the spot. I was relieved when Dirk Kuyt put it in the top left corner. The keeper never saw it coming.

We were in control the rest of the game, but failed to convert our chances. The game ended 2-2.

26/7/2011

We took a trip to Northampton for our 5th friendly.
Quite a boring game, only marked by a own goal from Northampton player Kevin Langmead in the 52nd minute.

We looked good through the whole match, but the quality of out strikers was concerning me.

28/7/2011

We went back to Liverpool for our 6th friendly against Brazillian side Internacional.
An aggresive game with 7 red cards, and only one goal by our Slovakian central defender Martin Skrtel.

Our strikers again didn't score, and that is a concern for the upcomming season.

31/7/2011

We went to Bilbao, for our 7th and last friendly of the 2011 pre-season, against Athletic Club Bilbao.
Jamie Carragher got injured in the 4th minute of the game, and had to be substituted. However, our defence was good enough to keep a clean sheet.

Luis Suarez brought us up 1-0 after 9 minutes after skinning 2 Bilbao players and the goalkeeper. Brilliant play!
The game was quiet until the 82nd minute, when Stewart Downing scored from a great long-range effort.

The game ended 2-0 and I firmly believed we were a force to be reckoned with for the new season. Our first game against Blackburn would be a tough test though. Never underestimate any opponent, no matter how "weak".



​

 

[bambam.cam]

We went back to Liverpool for our 6th friendly against Brazillian side Internacional.
An aggresive game with 7 red cards, and only one goal by our Slovakian central defender Martin Skrtel.

only 7?
great start mate

 

[Chokopop]

only 7?
great start mate

Trust me, my reaction was the same as yours

Cheers mate


About to start my next update. Stay tuned