~Returning the Glory to Anfield~

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~Returning the Glory to Anfield~




Chapter 1
1995, June 5th
Rockliffe Park, Middlesbrough FC training ground




As I penned my name on the pristine white paper, thoughts of fame, glory and money came pouring into my head. My first professional contract, with my hometown club, Boro. The words of the youth coach washed over me. “Listen lad, you're something special and you can go a long way in this game...”. Was I really that good? I’ve always put myself down a bit, played down my achievements and ability but maybe it’s time to change that and start to live up to what people are saying, fight for that spot on the team sheet that could be mine. Obviously if Brian Robson was offering me a contract (and a pretty decent one for just a kid too) then there was something in me, something that could take me places. I just need to work hard to unleash it.




1997, June 21st
Brrring, Brrrring, Brrrring. I picked up the phone.
“Congratulations Mr.Liddle, you have been chosen to receive the Premier League young player of the year award. There is a dinner on the evening of the 23rd in the VIP suite of Wembley stadium were the awards will be handed out, photos taken and that sort of thing. We would be delighted if you could attend, thank you.”. Young player of the year award?! I know that I’ve been earning praise from a lot of the managers and most of the pundits, but I never expected this! Jesus, I hadn’t even played 30 games and I was getting this? Things are going faster than I thought they were.




2006, 10th May
Philips Stadion, Eindhoven
Uefa Cup Final




4-0! 4-0! We’ve just beaten Seville 4-0 in European final! Obviously my shock was shared by my team mates as we walked into the dressing room beaming from ear to ear.
“ Who wants champaaaaaaaagne?!?!” Bellowed Hasselbaink, right before he blasted a bottle of it in my face. The cool liquid frothed over my head and shoulders and it seemed to clear my head, letting me realise what we had just done. My team mates seemed to be coming to terms with it too, and the party atmosphere descended completely when Viduka blasted out some tunes from his I-pod dock.
The Carling cup in 2004, the UEFA cup now, surely things could only get better?








2008, August 31st
Urgh, the club are stagnating I thought. This is the second year in a row we’ve almost been sucked into the relegation battle. As much as I love this club, my future lies elsewhere.




I flicked onto Sky Sports news to see my own face smiling back at me as the news reader announced I had signed for Spurs for £13 million and got the opinion of a few pundits who just happened to be hanging around the studio when the news broke. They were all saying that I would be a marvelous signing to help propel Tottenham onto Europe and that leaving the Boro was only good for my career. Maybe, but I was still in distraught when I left my boyhood club for good.




2008, December 20th
London General Hospital




“Mr. Liddle, can you hear me?”
I don’t know, can I? I open my eyes but the light hurts, so I keep them closed and tell the voice that I can hear him.
“Mr. Liddle, you are in London General Hospital because you sustain a head wound and a back injury during the football match against Stoke City. I’m afraid that because of the nature of your back injury, with it affecting so many vital nerves and arteries that you will not be able to play professional football again.” I felt despair and agony wash over me, and gave up on keeping a grasp on the voice, slumping into unconsciousness.

2 Days Later




Never. Play. Football. Again. I’d ran the words over and over in my head but they still wouldn’t sink in. And It had been going so well! Most assists in the league, becoming known as a Ronaldo-esque free kick taker and propelling Spurs to 3rd in the table. Gone. What the **** am I going to do with my life? The gaffer had been in the day before and told me I had his backing if I needed it. He also said that the way I talked to him, controlled the team and organised them showed some real tactical nous and tentatively recomended coaching or possibly even management, but to take my decision slowly. Hmm, I wonder...
 
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Chapter 2
June 3rd, 2011
New York
Tom Werner, Chairman of Liverpool FC




Why is this so tough? Kenny Daglish has done a lot for the club, he’s a legend. “King Kenny” as they call him. He’s basically rescued our season taking us from 12th to 6th. But is he really the man to take us forward from here? Push on and make the right signings, build on the squad foundations and push for a top 4 place?
Who else is there? I wrote up a list of all the top, and up and coming managers in Europe, and then pulled a shortlist of the ones I fancied.




Guardiola
Jurgen Klopp
Andres Villas Boas
Mourinho
Benitez
Loew




Let’s be realistic, 3 of those aren’t really do-able. Guardiola isn’t going to leave Barcelona for us, same for Mourinho with Real. Benitez. Hmm. No, I can’t do that, we only just got rid of him last season, the fans will think I’m crazy, calling for my head. That leaves Klopp, Andre Villas Boas and Loew. All 3 are currently in charge of a great side playing attractive, attacking football. I’ll make some calls.




Ok, Loew is far too expensive and to be honest, he already had a great squad at his disposal. Klopp is a possibility but he’s happy at Borusia Dortmund. That leaves Villas Boas, or AVB as the press are calling him. He’s young, he’s upcoming, he understands the mechanics and tactics of football and he won’t cost me that much. Plus he has stated his intention of moving to a bigger club than Porto. So, Kenny or Andre, Andre or Kenny. I want a new Liverpool, a new brand, a new squad and that calls for a new manager not a club legend who keeps bouncing back. I’m going with AVB.




£5 million buyout clause, £4 million a year salary, 4 year contract length.
I poured myself a cup of coffee and ran over the details of the deal with AVB and Porto. I’ve already ok’d it with both of them but we just need to put pen to paper now. I walked over to the fax machine and sent it off to Portugal. This was a good decision, I could feel it. Feeling good about the choice I’d made I sat down on the recliner in the living room with a bagel and my coffee and turned on the T.V. I nearly choked on my bagel when I saw the headline on Sky Sports news.
Chelsea have put in a last ditch offer to AVB under the noses of Liverpool and could
sneak through a deal at the 11th hour.




2 hours later I received Dalglish’s acceptance of his contract termination and another phone call that was less welcome. AVB’s deep tones seeped through the phone.
“Mr.Werner I am sorry but I am turning down your offer to become manager of Liverpool FC. I apologise for the turnaround in my actions but I have received an offer I feel I would find more of a challenge, the Chelsea FC managerial position.”




****.
 
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June 4th 2011
The Black Key Pub, London
Adam Liddle




“Terry, We’ll have another couple of pints over here when you're ready mate”. I headed back over to the corner seats where me and my friend were relaxing after a hard day of work. Well, he’d had a hard day of work, I’d been sat at home scouring the internet for any staff positions at clubs in Europe.
“Did you hear about Liverpool yesterday?” He said as I slouched back down into the cushions on the chair.
“Nope, what was it? Has Dalglish over payed for another overrated British player?”
“Not quite. He’s been sacked”
Sacked? I didn’t expect that. The guy was a living legend at Anfield, their fans would practically kneel in the street at the sight of him and he’d been sacked?
“Have they got anybody lined up?” I asked
“Why, have you got your eye on it? I know you graduated from the FA’s College of Management a year early, and their all singing your praises at the headquarters, but the Scousers won’t take you on. You’re too inexperienced. But no, not that I know of”
“No, no I didn’t mean that I was just curious”.
But come to think of it I was the only person ever to to come through the FA Coll. of Man. in just 2 years. And I got the highest ever rating at the end of it. And a personal commendation from David Bernstein plus a promise that what ever job I applied for he would recomend me to the chairman. I mulled the thought over in my head. I’d been about to apply for the vacant spot at Swindon Town, and I’m sure if I want it it’ll be mine, but... I can’t let an opportunity like this just slip away. I decided to go for and submit my name to the Liverpool board for consideration. I realise that I only have an outside shot, probably less than that but you can’t blame me for trying, can you?
 
Chapter 4
June 6th 2011
New York
Tom Werner




Another sleepless night after the **** up I’ve made for myself with this whole manager ****. I can’t believe Andre would do that, turn his back on us when we sacked our manager and had only to finalise the deal! The ******* went to the Abramovich’s play thing instead. I lay in bed flicking idly through a magazine, not reading the content, not even knowing what magazine it was, just having the sickening thought that no good manager is available.




5 hours later
I picked up my phone, glanced at the caller I.D which told me it was my secretary.
“Tell me somebody’s been sacked or something, please any good news anything at all?” I barked Lindsey, pacing back and forth through the kitchen.
“Well, I’m not sure what you’ll make of this Sir, but we’ve had an application for the position. It’s from Adam Liddle. No experience at all, but can you remember all the fuss about the young man from the FA College for Management? Well this is him.”
“Hmm. Is he really as good as people say?”
“Well did a bit of digging before I rang you and apparently he has a real knack for selecting the right tactics and connecting with players. He’s got the highest amount of points gained from the FA course than ever before, and he graduated a year early. You wanted young and fresh with AVB, this guy’s just the same but unproven, untested and inexperienced.”
“It’s a massive gamble. This is too big a club to risk with a novice. But I did want a newish manager in the first place. Screw it, contact the FA and ask them if they would recommend him for the job.




June 7th 2011
New York
Tom Werner




I can finally relax again, kind of. Adam’s interview went great he’s got real ambition and weird vibe coming from him, you automatically feel safe with him. He’ll be a good man manager. I flicked through the documents that had to be signed to complete the move and felt happy that I’d secured a good young manager for such a bargain price. No compensation money, low wage and a contract termination clause if we are out of the top 7 after Christmas. I leaned back and crunched on a juicy apple. But I still had a niggly feeling in the back of my head that Liddle just wasn’t up to such a big job. I sighed. I’ll just have to wait and see now.
 
June 15th 2011
Anfield
Adam Liddle




As I penned my name on the pristine white paper, thoughts of fame, glory and money came pouring into my head. My first managerial contract, and with one of the biggest clubs in the history of football, Liverpool FC. I still couldn’t get over the fact that I’d been given more than a glance by the chairman, let alone given the job. I shook Mr. Werner’s hand and thanked him for giving me the opportunity to work at such a magnificent club, then strutted out if the stadium feeling on top of the world, got into my Range Rover and pulled away in awe of the task I had ahead of me. I’d been told to attend the press conference tomorrow at 9:30 sharp and then to start work however I saw fit. I could not wait.




June 16th 2011
Anfield Press Room
Adam Liddle




“Adam, how did you manage to land such a high profile job with absolutely no experience?”




Well, I’m not quite sure of that myself to be honest! I’m sure you’ve all done a bit of brushing up on my so you’ll be aware I progressed through the FA’s college a year early and with the largest points tally in its history so I’m sure that didn’t do me any harm. Also, me and Tom connected really well and we both have a passion for this football club.




“You say you have a passion for the club, so is this your dream job?”




I’m not going to lie to the fans and say yes, I was a liverpool fan all my childhood because I wasn’t. Middlesbrough is my club. But, that said, I did have always had a soft spot for LFC and I’m really looking forward to returning the club to its former glories




“Do you truly believe you can guide the club to those heights again?”




Yes. Champions League, Premier League, Carling Cup, FA Cup all of the competitions are winnable with enough time and work and I think I’m the one to do that.




“Kenny Dalglish obviously splashed a lot of cash before his departure on the likes of Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique, Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll. My question would be, is there any more money left over for you to mould the squad to your own liking?”
Well, there’s a little bit left but don’t be expecting massive signings unless I can shift some of the, erm, dead wood players here.




“That’s a bit of a strong view to take on your squad members, calling some of them dead wood. But would be willing to identify some of these players?”




No. I don’t know myself yet, just that we are overstocked in certain positions and every player will be given chances. The ones who don’t impress will be out.”




Tom Werner- “ Ok, I think that just about wraps it up for today guys, thanks for coming and we’ll see you again soon”
 
Sorry to anybody who is reading this but I'm having problems with the game loading, so there will be a delay in updates :(
 
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