Road to Glory : The Manager

"Yeah, attendances." Roche said as I entered for a quick meeting in the morning. I knew it was about the lack of a show out to our games and how it was affecting us a little. I took a seat and ushered him to go on.

"We have a small stadium but we don't even half fill it and that's bad. It's bizarre because Tony Watt is on fire and constantly getting praise in papers and on the tele and we play good ****** football." He continued, clearly confused at the situation.

"Well, we have Manchester up the road. Liverpool further, Stoke even to contend with." I made a few points, I mean we were surrounded by Premier League clubs. Liverpool and Manchester weren't brushing shoulders with Crewe but they were close enough for a few fans of the small town of 80,000 to travel.

"Yeah but we need fans here! We are going to have a fan day against Newport. They are struggling - play like Barcelona. Have Tony Watt score a few and make people enjoy the game!" he demanded, sarcastically. I hope.

"Define fanday?" I shuffled in my seat.

"I don't know, half price tickets. Kids free? Free pie and Coke at half time? We need people in the gate." he listed off possible incentives.


______________________________________________________________________________
ADULT - £12
STUDENT - FREE
CONCESSION - FREE

Also a free Crewe pie and non-alcoholic beverage of your choice at half time!
______________________________________________________________________________

He knew it wouldn't be cheap, but it could bolster the attendances in the future and to be frank we should be performing admirably against Newport.

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"****** waste of time!" Roche complained as I past by him in the corridor. It was ******* it down, I felt like I was in the North of Scotland again as the weather didn't want to stay off.

"We'll get more than we would have got with this weather but nothing near what we were ****** after, James. This is a joke!" He continued, forcing me to stop and engage in a conversation prior to sending my team out.

"We can try another one, it isn't any bother." I suggested, taking my steps towards the dressing room.

"No, because then people think it is a regular thing and we'll lose money and reputation. Just get me 3 ****** points, I'm going to go entertain." he retreated, his anger subsided and he was just disappointed. He was desperate to see some fans and a good display but the rain put a few off.

I entered the changing rooms, the players were ready to go.

"Lads, we have to get 3 points. We need a win and we have over 5,000 people come to see you do just that, go out there and play our game!"

And to be frank it was a very decent game of football. A few good chances from either side and flash skill from our wide men Fosu and Forde kept the fans going and just before they could leave for a free pie and drink at half time Forde grabbed a goal. The ball was well-worked around the edge of the box before a Lawrence shot was blocked and deflected to Forde who calmly placed the ball into the faraway left corner. The second half was much the same, we stopped any resurgence from Newport County as a quick one-two between Forde and Lawrence found Lawrence in good enough space to pick out a Tony Watt run across the front post - he found himself on the end of the nice ball and he drove it home!

The excitement didn't end there, Jesse Joronen - our keeper - also put a show on for the spectators. A double-save despite the crowds of players around him was a moment for him to remember before he was really called into action as Bossaerts clambered on top of Rhys Lewis in the box - penalty. Saved!

Big win on a poor day, shame as more fans could have enjoyed it.

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"What was it you were wanting to tell us earlier, boss?" Liam Warren said, quickly followed by Graham Dalton into my now revamped office. Bids had come in for the both of them and neither bids were accepted, felt they both deserved to know as the offers came direct to me and neither of their agents - if they had ones? - had caught on.

"Yeah, lads - take a seat." I responded, pointing them to the two seats I had facing my desk before continuing.

"You two clearly have talent otherwise I wouldn't feature you two in my side, a lot. I reckon both of you can easily make it and a few clubs have taken notice." Then I stopped in my tracks. It would be stupid to tell them that Premier League clubs wanted them? It would ruin them, they'd not focus, they'd play for themselves..

"I guess. So, what I want to do is reassure you that, uh" What was I saying? I was good with words once!

"Yeah, I just want to say that you'll continue to feature and I really feel that you two can reach the top. I'd hope you'd want to do it with Crewe but just in case you had wind of the interest I urge you to, eh, just kinda focus on your game here for now." I have no idea what I just spilled out, but it was terrible man management and a complete mental lapse. I was supposed to say that Blackburn had placed bids for the both of them and Sunderland were desperate for Dalton. No idea what I was doing, but anyway. Football to focus on.

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Dalton

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Warren​
 
I had no idea what had just happened with Graham Dalton and Liam Warren but I was in a weird way when I went to do a quick interview with the Football League Youtube Channel too, asking to redo questions and just completely losing track of what I was saying. I felt like being sick and an awful migraine came on..​
 
I had no idea what had happened, but here I am lying in a hospital bed. Was some shock nonetheless, how long had I been here? I stretched around but couldn't locate my phone or a paper. A nurse wondered towards me and she was young and blonde, a beaming smile and she dropped the local on my lap and gave me a quick rundown of what supposedly happened.

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"Well, you apparently spoke nonsense throughout Thursday then collapsed after an interview?" she gave a little laugh, maybe it was supposed to be reassuring and I can't tell if it was.

"and of course you had to come into hospital, since then you have slept a lot. We haven't quite figured out what caused the collapse, Doctor Krusche will probably want a word. It's probably stress related. Are you in a stressful job? Or were you after one - with the interview and all that?" she quizzed. I laughed. The naivety!

"You could say that, yeah." I said as I struggled to rest my back on the backboard. Sitting up.

"I'm the manager at Crewe. The football club? Interview must have been some media nonsense." I smiled, looking at her as she went red in the cheeks and glanced at the paper. My face was there, I'd been desperate to read it after spotting myself but was dragged into conversation.

"Oh my! I see. Sorry!" she stuttered.

"Wait? I have a game tonight? How long has it been? I have to go?!" but she resisted me and didn't let me out the bed. I continued to moan but she was adamant I had to rest. Rest? What is rest?

"Who even ******* manages Preston? 'Football isn't for me?' Get me a phone!" I demanded, Justin Merritt had just said I hadn't got it in me to manage a football club because I collapsed? Who even is Justin ****** Merritt!? The young nurse went quickly into the cupboard under me and grabbed my phone. Before saying I had to stay calm because there was a risk a migraine could come on.

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"Smash f'n Preston. Don't even touch Merritt." I was so angry. I then instructed him on how to we would do such a thing, but I think kick off was about 15 minutes away. He reassured he that he had been stubborn towards anything Preston after recent comments and a lot of people around the country were too. Nothing had happened transfer wise in my absence thankfully.

"When you back, boss?" I then glanced up to the nurse after being asked by James Collins. I restated the question to the young nurse, still standing over me - half reading the paper.

"We don't know. You'll be here for a few weeks.." She winced, "but I mean, until we find out what happened we can't really say for sure."

I just hung up and slouched. I can't be away from football? I didn't even feel stressed, did I? I found the local radio station on my phone and sat there listening away to boring commentators.

"Oh and Crewe have fallen apart, quick-fire double leaves then 2 down after 20 minutes!"

"Oh no, it's a third! I don't quite believe it. James Collins just slumps in his chair!"

"3-0 down at half time, McKenzie would be really giving it to them in their changing room"

"Tony Watt.. That's a goal! That will give Crewe something to fight for now. 40 minutes to go."

"Watt has scored another! What a goal, what an effort from Tony Watt. It's 3-2, we have 20 minutes still to go!"

"Well worked down the right for Clarke, he can cross this - Fosu is there! OH MY IT'S 3-3, COLLINS IS ECSTATIC. I'M SURE MCKENZIE IS SOMEWHERE TOO!"

"Are you okay?" rushed through the nurses.

"Of course I ******* am!"

"Watt's taking down in the penalty box, it's a penalty! Watt for his hat trick surely?"

"And it is! 4-3 to Crewe! What spirit, this is unbelievable. McKenzie is watching on somewhere, in awe at the side that is fighting for him. Collins continues to celebrate with assistant manager Mahoy on the sidelines"

"And it's Brown. It's 5-3. What a well-worked goal, it really is like watching Barcelona. Merritt watches on in pure disgust. He shouldn't have said those things about McKenzie, he really shouldn't have!"

"Ajose scores. 2 minutes to go, can they win back a point here?"

"No they cannot, that's full time! Unbelievable.. and Merritt refuses to shake! He's in a sulk at Collins' celebrations!"

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//

You could not write it!



​
 
Just started catching up on all the stories i have missed in recent weeks on FM Base and decided to take a look at your one first. Its been a brilliant read, had me in suspense and laughing all the way through it, you havent had a quiet end to a season yet. KIU
 
"Hey James, we have finally got rid of Tunnicliffe and we have made moves for that Cameroonian?" Roche said, down the phone. We had been aiming to get rid of Tunnicliffe for a wee while as we tracked the ex-Barcelona schoolboy Wilfrid Kaptoum.

"Money?" I asked.

"Only peanuts for Tunnicliffe. Wilfrid is around £600,000 - will become our top earner." he cautiously added. He knew I had a strict system with wages and I didn't want anyone to earn over around £4,200.

"By how much?" I continued to quiz.

"He'll be on around £6000 per week." Mad amounts of money, but he will be a top player for us. I rate him a lot. He had come through Barcelona's system so he had learned from the best.

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Gimnastic are currently fighting for promotion in the Adelante so it would be a real move for the guy to be fair. Verge of the top Spanish tier for fighting for the Championship.

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22 years old.​
 
coolmcool said:
Just started catching up on all the stories i have missed in recent weeks on FM Base and decided to take a look at your one first. Its been a brilliant read, had me in suspense and laughing all the way through it, you havent had a quiet end to a season yet. KIU
Click to expand...
Thanks bud!
 
Wilfrid looks like a good pickup mate. CM/AM judging by the stats?
 
That's awesome, I've been scouting Kaptoum on my Malmo save, but I'm more likely to go for someone else, won't give anything away :P
 
PatrickLFC said:
That's awesome, I've been scouting Kaptoum on my Malmo save, but I'm more likely to go for someone else, won't give anything away :P
Click to expand...

Looks very decent!

Yeti01 said:
Wilfrid looks like a good pickup mate. CM/AM judging by the stats?
Click to expand...
CM, can only just play as a AM. Gonna train him as a BBM though, it helps with general stats as well as the likes of work rate and positioning.. once I get out of hospital of course!
 
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"Boss.." The voice greeted me on the phone, I was hoping I wouldn't receive another call and I'd have no one after my players and we didn't need to go elsewhere. It was Shaun Barker, my head of youth development and we were working incredibly closely as we wanted to bring through players to be quality and they'd either be a profit for us or propel us to bigger things.

"What?" I responded, hesitantly. Hoped it was that a kid tweeted something rough or someone was breaking in but it wasn't Shaun's voice next.

"Hi, James. How ya keeping? It's Stubbsy! Alan Stubbs." I knew Alan pretty well, mainly from what I saw of him at Hibs but I knew him before that when he was at Everton as a coach he'd often work with his ex-club Celtic when it came to picking up young talent. He'd go through Celtic, to get to other clubs like Aberdeen and we spoke a fair bit and I would often send some real talent down there - more often than not they'd return. Cammy Smith is a real example.

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"Liam Warren, we want him at Swansea." He finished off, I didn't want to let him go at all. I remained quiet for a few moments to think before my thinking was interrupted.

"I don't know how you are but myself, the lad and Roche can sort it out. Just rest up." This is not what I wanted and quickly spoke out.

"We aren't looking at selling."

"Roche says you aren't looking too fine financially after the deal for that Cameroonian?" he continued to press my buttons. We were perfectly fine financially when I was in control, what could Roche have done to have messed this up. Before I knew it, Roche was on the other end.

"Yes, James. We have lost over £1,000,000 this year. We can recoup that with Liam Warren? They say around 2.2 million should be okay?" He asked.

"Upfront?" I responded. That is decent money if it had been up front.

"Well, no.." and then the negotiations started. I didn't want any stupid clauses and it looked like my prized possession was off. £2,200,000. £900,000 now and the rest over the next 12 months. ****** shame but I was pushed into a corner.

One thing is for sure, I am getting out this bed and back to my club tomorrow!


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16 year old midfielder.​
 
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