Sam: This is my time

[FM Nutter]

I've started writing my own story and I'm proper into it so I thought I would share it with you guys. I know I haven't been commited with stories but I have alot of free time on my hands and when writing this one I've been addicted to it. I hope its not too boring and feedback is welcomed.

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My Story, My Life
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Its Sunday evening, I'm at home enjoying my night with my lovely fiancé Laura and our 10 year old son Danny. I could tell that he was a football fanatic from the early days, he just loves football and talks of one day being like Ronaldo, although I hope he doesn't turn as arrogant as him.

"Dad quick come here look at the news"

Breaking news coming in, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has resigned from his position as Arsenal manager after 15 years at the club. Early reports suggest he wanted time out of football for a while and decided to call his time on his rein as manager. We will have more news on this story when we have it

As shocked as I was to see the news, I couldn't help but think maybe this is a sign that someone else can step into the frame and untimately take this club back to its glory days. Whatever the situation, I'm sure the board will choose wisely and carefully before making any rash decisions but you never know.

I've been on the rocks lately, losing my job in the City, having to cope with my friends death just weeks before hand. The only thing keeping me a float at the moment are my son and my Fiancé. I met Laura on a night out one Saturday night. She looked a bit down at the bar on her own so I made my move and we got talking, we got talking all night and danced like maniacs on the dance floor and then the rest, as they say, is history. Anyways, I take a moment and look at Sky Sports News, reports coming in that apparently Harry Redknapp is interested in the position as Arsenal manager, It wouldn't surprise me really, he's managed West Ham & Tottenham so anything could happen and I wouldn't put it past him being named as manager. Andre Villias Boas, apparently is in pole position to take over as manager. He had a torrid time at Chelsea but I've always rated him a top manager, would be a good appointment I think. Just then my son says,

"Someone great will manage that club, I just know it"

"What Harry? you got be joking"

"I don't mean him, Dad"

Walking into the kitchen, i grab a glass of whiskey and start pouring myself a glass when my fiancé says,

"Sam, I just had a thought, you have all your coaching badges right? Well why don't you apply for the post as Arsenal manager?"

"Me? Your having a laugh right? We have more chance of winning the lottery than me becoming Arsenal manager babe and you know that"

"It wouldn't hurt to apply though would it? Come on, please do it. For me. What have you got to lose?"

Ahh yes, those words "what have you got to lose". How many times I have heard that over the years. Still, maybe she was right, I have my coaching badges. The only thing is I will look like a right idiot when the owner see's my application, I could just imagine him now sitting back in his multi million pound mansion or laying in his massage chair in his private jet coming back from Barbados with a cocktail and a massive grin on his face laughing away. Still, I guess I have nothing to lose really so, why not? The worst that could happen is I get made to look stupid, the best that could happen is I end up managing a top English club.

It's hitting that time of night when I'm feeling a bit tipsy flicking through the TV to find something good watch. I felt like a *** with a glass of whiskey in one hand and the remote control in the other. I stare into thin air and pressing the arrow on the remote to flick through channels blistfully unaware that I had gone through every single channel more than once. I again take a sip from my glass, the warm feeling rushing down my throat and burning in my stomach filled me with excitement as I finished off the glass and poured myself another. If I'm not careful, sooner or later, I will turn into an alcoholic or even worse end up in hospital. Or dead.

I only started drinking since my best friend Alex died 2 years ago. He was killed in a hit and run accident after storming out of his house after having an arugument with his wife. She can never forgive herself and she blames herself for his death but honestly, she was never to know that he was going to get run over. I haven't really been able to cope with his loss, he was like a brother to me and losing him felt like a part of me had gone away, forever. I was at work when I got the news and since that very day, I've been stuck to drink. I lost my job a few weeks after and since then I've been drinking, and drinking more heavily to the point when I pass out on my own sofa with a bottle in my hand. Lately, I've been getting better thanks to Laura mainly and my son. I turn my head towards the door way where Laura stands there.

"I'm going to bed, I got work tomorrow, you coming up soon?"

"Yeah, I'll be up in a minute darling, just gonna finish this drink and have a ***"

As she walks up them stairs I can hear the stairs creaking I look to the side and see the state of the hall and the stairs. I take one moment and think to myself, We really need a better life....at that moment, I write myself a letter with my managers CV and pop it into a envelope ready to be posted in the morning. It may have been the drink but I thought to myself I really need a change of life, I can't keep living like this and I need to do something about it because I wont be nothing when I'm older and retired. With a *** in my mouth I write a note on a peice of paper for Laura to post it on the way to work tomorrow. I finish my last sip of whiskey and walk up the stairs using the gaurdrail as support to stop me falling down the stairs. Walking into the room, I think to myself, "tomorrows going to be different". With that thought inside my head, I get into bed before the dark night decends over my house in East London and slowly I drift off to sleep.

 

[FM Nutter]

Bye honey, love you"

Shouted Laura as she left for work. I opened my eyes and strained to look at the alarm clock. 6.45am It read. With the sun rising and the sunlight beaming through the window, I felt like I had been 10 rounds with Floyd Mayweather. My head was pounding and I had the sick taste of whiskey in my mouth from the night before. I really need to stop drinking said a tiny voice in my head.

Another day of being jobless, another day of being a *** and most probably another day of drinking was upon me. As I become aware once again of my surroundings, I take some paracetemol to help ease my headache then throw on a shirt and jeans and stumble down the stairs ready for the day ahead. I would just love to go to back to bed right now, but I know I can't because I have things to do, such as make sure Dan is up for school. Walking into the living room, I see my bottle of whiskey on the side almost empty and a glass next to it with a few cigarette butts in the ashtray from the night before, It wasn't a pretty sight if I'm honest. I quickly and hurridly toss the contents of the ashtray in the bin and recycle the bottle.

"Dan! get up! Time to get ready for school!" I shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

Dan, just loved his sleep. As a baby he slept so well but he is so hard to wake up in the mornings now, It's annoying at times. 15 minutes pass and still Dan is asleep. He must take after his father, I used to be like that when I was little, stay in bed that little bit longer before getting up because as well say "that extra bit of sleep is worth it"

Walking up the stairs to get him up, I prepare for the struggle that lay ahead. I just knew I'd be here another 15 minutes trying to get him up.

"Dan, for the last time get up its-" I was interrupted by Dan before I could walk into the door.

"Yeah Dad I know, I'm up. Can you make me breakfirst for when I'm out the shower?"

Cheeky ******. But, I always knew that the key to a good day was breakfirst, the most important meal of the day, make sure to get all those good vitamin things or whatever they are inside you. Well my breakfirst will consist of a Fry up but Dans breakfirst is the simple Crunchy Nut Cornflakes with a glass of Orange juice. As i'm sitting in the kitchen reading a newspaper looking at events that are happening on this day, and then reluctently turning to the job avertisement page, Dan walks into the kitchen, sits down and says:

"Dad, I heard mum last night talking about you applying for the Arsenal job, Are you going to do it?"

"Yeah, your mother emailed my application to them this morning. I have it here in the envelope but she decided to email it instead. I got nothing to lose have I"

"As I said yesterday, someone great is going to get that job. Bye Dad.

What did he mean by that? Does he think I'm going to get the job? He seems so confident in me and my ability to manage Arsenal. I have no idea why, because I have never managed a top Premier League team before, I dont know how he can even think I'm good enough. It's more of a joke that I applied for that job, well actually its more so Laura wont be on my back about it, nagging me to apply for it. I said that we need a better life and I'm going to work my socks off to make sure I can give my to-be wife and son exactly that. I hate being out of work and having to rely on Laura to pay for things, she can't keep doing it and I'm going to lose her sooner or later but at the moment, I just have to be positive and hopefully something will come up.

It's almost midday and I'm sitting on the sofa flicking through the channels this time with a tea in my opposite hand when I find the news:

"Sources are coming in to suggest that an Unknown manager is being considered for the role after Arsene Wenger left his post on Sunday night. It is being suggested that the Arsenal Chairman is interviewing a number of canditates with Redknapp being favorite to take Wengers place, but this Unknown manager could also be in contention"

Surely this unknown manager can't be me. How can the chairman seriously consider me for this role? I mean, I don't have the experience to take this club forward and It would be a huge risk to hire me. I also wouldn't know how to cope with the media and all sorts of issues.

Then after a while my phone rings, with a private number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mr Victory?"

"Speaking....."

"Mr Victory, this Peter Hill-Wood, Chairman of Arsenal F.C. I have just taken a look at your application and although you don't posess the experience of being a manager, I am impress with your attitude to work and how you approach situations and control them. I do want to consider you for this role. As you may have heard in the news, apparently we are going to appoint Harry Redknapp as manager. Do not believe this, those reporters just want to sell a story and will do anything to sell a paper. We have spoken to Harry but we also want to speak to you. Will you be available for interview today?"

"Yes, I am available as soon as possible."

"Brilliant, If you come down to the stadium now, I will speak to you more about the position and discuss with you, in depth, our aims and ambitions for this club"

"Okay, sure. I look forward to seeing you soon"

"See you soon Mr Victory"

Wow, I can't believe what just happend. Was that real? Am I dreaming? It takes me a while to realise what has just happend, but I have an interview with Arsenal, something I never, ever thought I would be saying. I need to make a good impression, I need to do my absolute best and try and sell myself to the Chairman. I can do this, I know I can. I text Laura about the good news then start the preperation for the interview. I just know this is a glorious opportunity and I need to take it by the scruff of the neck.

 

[FM Nutter]

The interview is over. I was shaking like a leaf before, during and after the interview, however I think I did impress the chairman and a group of other board members. He explained to me that seeing Arsenal not winning trophies and not competing for the title is frustrating for everyone involved and he want's the club to be back to when they were called "The Invincibles", he wants to employ an ambitious, keen and dedicated person who has the drive and determination to succeed. I was quite impressed with what he had to say If im honest. I actually do want to be part of all this and help them, hopefully, take the club bac to the top, whether or not this will happen is another story. One things for sure, my life has taken a dramatic turn from Sunday night when I was laying on my sofa with a drink. I had just come out of the Emirates stadium and I reach for my phone and Call Laura

I had decided to meet her for a late lunch as she couldn't wait to hear all about the interview. We sit down in Nando's, one of my favorite places to eat and we both order the same. A chicken wrap with chips.

"How did the interview go then? Tell me all about it" Laura said eagerly.

"It went good, I was nervous but I held myself together. The chairman and a 2 other board members were in the room. the chairman was talking about his aims and ambitions mainly for the club and how he wanted someone to take them forward to be how they used to be. I was impressed with what he had to say, and he seemed impressed with me"

"Ahh thats good honey. Just be positive. You never know what will happen"

"They only trouble is Harry Redknapp has been interviewed and compare his managers CV to mine"

"Don't think about him, this is all about you. Just because he has a better CV than you doesn't mean the board will hire him. They may want a change of direction, something different. They may be willing to take a risk and hire you than hire someone else. You can just never-"

Suddenly again my phone rings. My stomach turns inside out as I just know who this is and I prepare myself for the worst. I take a step out of my chair and into the toilets.

"Hello Mr Victory, following our interview earlier today I would like to offer you the chance to be Arsenal manager"

"You are not serious surely?"

"I am. You impressed me, Sam. You are the person, I want to take this club forward. I know you haven't ever managed at this level but I want to give you the opportunity to manage Arsenal FC. We had an hour meeting and we all agreed that appointing you, were it may be a risk, it's a risk we are willing to take. So what do you say?"

"I just don't know what to say. Thank you so much for this opportunity"

"It's fine, I want you here tomorrow at 9.30am to meet with us so we can discuss various things such as your contract, players and so on and then you will head off to the training ground to meet with the players."

"Thank you so much, see you tomorrow"

As I walk back to my seat, I am in complete shock by what has just happend. I am going to be the new Arsenal manager. I could not believe what has just happend. My son said that someone great will end up managing Arsenal, he always believed in me and now it has happend. Within one day, I have gone from being unemployed to manager of Arsenal Football Club. As I sit down, I still am in complete shock still by the recent events that have unfoled. As i dont want everyone to hear the news, I just simply say two words after a very long while of silence and her asking me questions.

"I got it...." I said in shock

"You got what?"

"The job. That job. He just called me and offered me it. I can't believe it babe, I really can't"

"Oh, my god. Seriously? Your not messing with me?"

"I really am not. We are going out tonight, the 3 of us and we are celebrating this. I'm going to book a table for us at half 8"

"Oh my god, I don't know what to say. I really don't. Congratulations darling" She said giving me a hug.


As Laura drives to the restaurant for our celebration dinner we switch on the radio and all reports of the appointment of being being Arsenal manager come flooding in. Some fans expressing their anger towards the board and some thinking this could be a good thing. I think to myself, I'm now in the media spotlight and I'm going to be on the back pages of every sports magazine tomorrow morning.

"You can forget about living in this area babe. You wait we will be living along The Bishops Avenue in Barnet soon. We will have a luxury lifestyle. This is only the begging"

"I always knew you was going to get this dad. I just had a feeling"

It was all smiles around the car as we drove to dinner. During dinner, I ordered the most expensive bottle of Champaigne available and started our celebration. I couldn't care about being too drunk, tonight is about me and my family. I promised them a better life and now I can give them it.

As we finished the night off, and got home. I just suddenly began to think that tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life. I can forgot about my troublesome jobless past, I can forget about my past employers. I will be having a better life from this day on. I just wish Alex was here to see this day. My friend who was run over in a hit and run last year. I am going to dedicate my first game to him.

It's fast approaching midnight and I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, so this time Its my turn to go to sleep first. As I see the news full of my name, I take one look at the TV and chuckle then switch it off.

"You gonna come up babe? I've gotta be up early tomorrow"

"Yeah, I'm coming"

Looking up the house and switching everything off I walk up stairs with a feeling inside my stomach that I have never got before. Tomorrow Is a big day and I will find out the task that lay ahead of me. For now though, I can go to sleep knowing my life is going to be a whole lot different from this day on. Hopefully I can succeed and prove to the doubters that I can take this club back to the top. One day, just one day.

 

[FM Nutter]

​

This was it, I wake up with a sudden urge rushing through my body like I have never experienced before. I know I have to be at the Emirates Stadium but 9:30am to have a meeting with the board so all morning I've been rushing around trying to find things and make sure I have everything with me.


6:45am and the sun glare pours through the windows. I swint to see infront of me and rub my eyes and make my way to the bathroom. As I walk to the bathroom, I felt a sudden shiver rushing up my spine. I ignored it and had myself a nice hot shower to ease me a bit. My nerves were never going to be eased this morning, thats for sure and as I start shaving I looked in the mirror to see my reflex and I could see my anxiety in my eyes. again I ignored this and continued shaving, before at the end rinsing my face. I paused for a gentle second and looked up calmy looked at myself again then made my way downstairs.


"Darling what's up?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'm fine, don't worry"

"Are you sure? Right, I've gotta go to work now, text me and let me know what ever happens. Honey, i'm so proud of you"

"Cheers, babe"

And just like that, she was gone. The words from one of my favorite films, Forest Gump. I knew, the big day that lay ahead for me. I will be meeting with the players today, which I'm looking forward too. I'm looking forward to seeing what the board have to say in the meeting, my contract will most definately be discussed as will targets for the season. I hope they are not overally ambitious. I know the clubs good enough to be up there at the end of the season but with Tottenham, City, United & Chelsea all up there, it will be tough to keep in touch with them but time will tell.

Anyways, I drop Dan off at school and as he wished me luck on my first day, It was only then I stopped in the car and stopped for a few minutes to compose myself before driving along the North Circular Road to North London. A bit of Oasis to calm me a bit I think. Playing their Time Flies album on the sterio I tried to forget what I was about to start. I was excited but at the same time nervous. I switched to the radio to hear about the gossip and again it's full of my name, "Can Sam this? Can Sam that?" Some listeners saying I will be gone within a few months, some saying this is going lead Arsenal in the opposite direction and down the table. I channelled all this out of me and put Oasis back on. "Don't look back in Anger, I heard you say". Too right Liam, too right.

"Right this is it Sam, time for the moment of truth" I said to myself as I pulled into the car park. 15 minutes to go till the meeting, I'll go in, grab a coffee and introduce myself to the receptionist.

"Hello, may I help you, sir?"

"Hello there, would you be able to tell me where I could find Mr Hill-Wood please?"


"What is it regarding?"

"Oh erm, I guess you haven't heard. I'm the new manager for Arsenal and this is my first day here and obviously I'm going to be a bit lost"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Well as it turns out, Mr Hill-Wood is just in his office I guess waiting for you. I'll call him and then lead you to his office"

As she calls him, I look first to my surroundings, everything in here has got to be worth alot of money, surely. Then, I look towards the receptionist, she looks mighty fine with her long black hair and her nice....hold on, what am I thinking I have a fiancé and a son. Right back on track, the nice receptionist finishes the conversation with Hill-Wood and then leads me up to his Office.

"So are you married?"


"Engaged actually, yeah hoping to get married soon, just haven't had the money"

"Well, as manager I'm sure it wont be too long till you earn enough money" she giggled.


As we get closer to office, she starts making jokes before walking away back to the her desk. Well, I'm here now outside his office and the board meeting is only minutes away, hopefully there will be some positives to take out of this meeting and most importantly, hopefully I make a good impression. The worst thing I want to do is start a bad relationship with the board and the rest of the team.

 

[FM Nutter]

The Meeting

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"Ah Sam, Good Morning and how are you today?"


"Yeah, I'm brilliant thanks Mr Wood"


"Call me Peter Sam, I officially know you" he joked.

"Before we go into the meeting I just want to discuss your contract privately first. Now I'm willing to give you a £59,000 a week deal until June 2013. This is non negoatiable so im afraid your stuck with is until 2013. As for staff members, now all staff from the previous regime have been retained, however they all will aceept mutal termination of their contracts should you wish to bring in your own team"

"Ok brilliant"

"Right now, the only thing left is to sign that dotted line to officially become manager"

As I sign my life away I just thought £59k a week!? Thats insane however I'm not going to complain about it.

"Welcome onboard with us Sam, now lets head of to this meeting to meet the others"


I met with Managing Director Ken Friar, General Manager Ivan Gazidis and my Assistant Manager Steve Bould. They seemed like pretty nice guys and they seemed to know what they were talking about.

Peter:

"Ok lets get this meeting underway. Now first I want to discuss is Season Expectations. I feel we have a very good squad and the minimum I want is to challenge for the title, I don't think we have the squad to win the League but we should be up there.



Now what does that do for finances? Well, I'm prepared to give Sam £35m to play with and a wage budget of £1.4m per week for Title Challenger or if he is really confident £39.5m and a £1.5m wage budget for Winner. Whats It going to be Sam?"


Me:

"Well, I think being realistic, both Manchester clubs and Chelsea are going to be up there this season. I think its too ambitious to say we are going to win the title so I think we should be looking to at least challenge for it with a few additions to the squad we should achieve this"


Peter:
"So thats £35m to play around with Sam, spend it wisely and you can always adjust it to your £1.4m wage budget to get more of one but sacrifising the other. Now you pointed out additions to the squad. Has anyone highlighted any particular targets?"

Steve:
"Yes, we need to strengthen our defence for sure. I've picked out Jan Vertonghen of Ajax. His strong at the back, and of course his still young. I've sent scouts to watch him and they will come back to us with details but I should think we should sign him, £10m at most should be enough to get him. I've also picked out 19 year old Right Back Sime Vrsaljko. We need cover at Right Back for Sagna and he could be the perfect replacement for when Sagna moves on. £1m should be enough for him. Left back is a bit of an issue too, we have Santos & Gibbs but I think we should offload Santos and bright in a 1st choice left back. I'm thinking of Leighton Baines at Everton, he may be hard to buy because Everton wont budge but lets try. But It's completely your choice Sam, these are my recommendations"

Me:
"I agree Steve I think we need an Attacking Midfielder aswell. I have noted Christian Eriksen. I think he is a great, great talent. Obviously he plays for Ajax and like Jan Vertonghen, Ajax will want to keep him, but I think he would add something to the team. As for wingers, I think we are fine, we have new signing Lukas Podolski who can play on the left, Oxlade Chamberlain who can also play there. We have great depth in midfield. I will be getting rid of Rosicky however."

Friar:
"As MD, I would first like to say I will be responsable for handling all transfers. I will be the one to complete deals and talk to clubs regarding their players. If you need me for anything else you know where I am"

As the meeting went on I was amazed by what I was involved in I gave my views and opinions on many things. The meeting lasted for an hour and as it came to an end, I was bonding well the Steve and the others. The next part now is the hard part, going to meet the players. I'm not looking forward to this and also not looking forward to telling who's being transfer listed and so on but as manager I've got to put my foot down and we have to work hard for the coming season.

 

[Zed616]

Just read this. Awesome, mate.

Definitely following.

 

[Sam91]

Brilliant stuff mate, keep it up

 

[FM Nutter]

Going to get one more update before the England game for you lads.

Training
​

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Ahh, that meeting wasn't too bad. I am pleased with the outcome if im honest. Steve Bould hightlighted the area's we need to strengthen which was particularly pleasing. I'm going to send out scouts around Europe. I have £35m to spend but, if im not careful that could all be gone before I can say "take it easy".

I'm driving down to the training ground to meet the players. The first training session is always going to be difficult but I can get a good look at the boys and hopefully get a few drills in. I'm looking forward to seeing Alex Chamberlain. His young, energetic and he could be vital to the way we play. Another player I can't wait to see on the pitch is Lukas Podolski. The German international is full of talent and his eye for goal is brilliant. I hope that he can be a good asset to the club, well I'm pretty almost certain he will be.

Right this is the moment I've been dreading. It's here.

"Right boys, my name is Sam Victory and Im pleased to be your new manager. Before we get started I just want to say, I'm really looking forward to working with you lot and I hope that coming into this new season, you will all be raring to go. Theres a few drills I want to work on. So before we start are there any questions?"

With no questions for me, the players got underway with the drills I'd set up and seemed to be focused on working hard in training. What I was seeing was a group of lads enjoying themselves whilst taking it seriously. They seemed to know, I'm not here to be considered a walkover. I then started speaking to Steve Bould and we agreed that Robin van Persie is absolutely key for our season, we need to keep him fit and not keep him iscolated, however we also agreed that we need a backup for him and we don't think Chamakh is up to the standards to be a good backup for him.

"We need a backup for Robin. Chamakh just doesn't seem interested, and he looks a bit frustrated. I'll chat to him and see what he wants to do" I said calmly.

"Yeah I agree, I will note the scouts to target a goalscorer as a backup. Not too expensive though. Anyways, what are your thoughts on the boys?"

"They are working really hard, I'm impressed with Gervinho and Walcott, they seem to be working really, really hard. I hope this is a good thing and they will be sharp for the season"

"I will organise a friendly tomorrow against the Reserves if you want? The reserves are pretty good so they will be a little bit of a test for us. What do you think?"

"Go on then, It will be interesting to see the boys in action"

With that conversation over, Bould whipped out his mobile and started chatting away, organising a friendly at Underhill, Barnets home ground. I call time on the session and I invite Chamakh for a private chat. I want to see whether he is happy with the situation of being a backup or whether he wants to move on.

"Chamakh, I just want to talk to you about the current situation. Now I know you understand Robin van Persie is a key player for this team but I just want to make sure you are happy with being a backup to him"

"I am frustrated, I come to this club to, to.....be number one player. But I only make bench? Every game? Its not right."

"I understand your frustration, I will be happy to let you look for another club"

"I don't know, we see yeah? I want to be in first team. Not bench"

"I will give a chance in the upcoming friendlies but I will be listening to other offers from clubs if they come in for you. Consider yourself being transfer listed. I don't want unhappy players to be at this club because It will spread around the changing rooms. I hope you understand and accept this decision"

"Yes, boss..errr...errr can I go now?"

And with that conversation over he left. I addressed the boys that they have a game tomorrow against the Reserves and I want them at Underhill on time. They all agreed and got changed. Not a bad session, I hope for more like this but in the mean time, I'm going to be heading off home.

On the drive on the way home, I start thinking that this wont be so bad after all. Maybe, this is the start of my new footballing career. I want to make it big, who doesn't but we will have to wait and see.

"Long day hun?" Said Laura

"Could say so, I met the boys today they seemed pretty happy with me. Oh by the way, I was given a £59,000 a week contract until June 2013, so you can consider ourselves pretty rich"

"It's not all about money, but It helps that we have this backing. It means we can get married. Finally"

"Indeed, babe. Indeed"

We both enjoyed a nice evening together, eating dinner, watching films and for once I never had a drink in my hand. Dan was fast asleep upstairs then me and Laura both went upstairs at the same time to bed. We have a game tomorrow, so its going to be interesting decided what team to put out, for now though, I can sleep happily knowing that maybe everything will be okay after all.

 

[FM Nutter]

Friendly

Arsenal 7 -0 Arsenal Reserves

View attachment 254798
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Well, this was a drubbing it had to be said. Okay, it was against the reserves but it was still my first game in charge. I actually told the boys to go all out for it because I wanted to see what the reserves could do against us and it's safe to say, the boys took it a bit like a league game.

Yeah, I know I put my strongest squad out but I wanted the boys to get more confidence so for this I had to play Robin van Persie, Walcott, Gervinho and so forth. One thing that was positive out of this game is Jack Wilshere's return to football. He missed alot of football last term and to have him back is like a new signing, he has such raw talent and It's going to be a pleasure to work with him in the coming future.

"Right boys, I was impressed with what I saw out there from both of you. Gervinho you particularly impressed me and I want you to see more good performances from you. Robin, you were excellent and I hope you can put in more good performances.

As for the Reserves, well I was hoping you could nick a goal but it didn't happen, however after this match I will be taking Vela & Frimpong to the Senior Squad, I want to try them out within the next few games.

Right, well done the lot of you, have a good night"

I ended the speech with a pat on the back for every single player. They done well, and it was good to get an eye into watching the players individually. I'm thinking of swapping Jack into the centre and using Vela as an Attacking Midfielder in the next game, it all depends on how I feel about the team. Chamakh, I want to get rid off as soon as possible. I'm looking into the possibilty of signing Luuk De Jong from FC Twente.

Negotiations

​

"Steve, how would I go around contacting Ajax? I'm going to see how much they want for Christian Eriksen."

"You can send a fax or email them, I will email you their contact details"

"Brilliant, cheers mate"


"Dear Ajax

I am writing to enqiure about the availability of your Denmark International playmaker Christian Eriksen. I will be happy to Negotiate a deal for him.

Kind Regards,

Sam Victory
Arsenal Manager"

I submitted this to the Ajax board and then I had to play the waiting game. Eriksen is a player I admire and with the style of football I want to play, I feel he could be vital to the team if we were to sign him. Obviously, he is only 19 years of age and I don't want to pay over the odds for him, I don't want to spend a bulk of our money on a single player.

Steve, sent me details from a scout that went to watch him in Ajax's two pre-season friendlies and, luckily enough, Eriksen played the full 90 minutes in both and I was informed that his vision is amazing, he isn't blessed with a lot of pace but can pick out that vital pass. He is also exeptional from set peices and could be a vital addition to the team. A fee of about £20m MAY be required to get him but I'm going to try and use my relatively new skills, to get that down.

After some time I recieve a phone call from an International number:

"Sam Victory"

"Umm, Ya Hi. I call regarding, regarding email from you about our player Christian Eriksen, yes?"

"Yeah now I want to be straight with you, we want to sign him but we will only sign him for the right price. Say £8m?"

*Laughs* "No, no, no. You got this all wrong. He key player for our team and we, errr want like a lot more than €9m. Give us €15.3m (£12.4m) and you got deal"

I put him on hold and discuss this with Steve.

"Steve mate, what should we do? £12.4m? Is that a bit too much?

"Sam, he is a quality player and to be honest £12.4m is a bargain. See if you can get it down a bit but if not go for it. They wont budge I'm telling you that now"

I remained paused with the guy at Ajax on the other line.. What should I do? I thought to myself, hmm, what should I do?

 

[Luarez]

Awesome start to the story, i loved reading it.
Can't wait for the next update

 

[Mike]

"Dear Ajax" XD

 

[Luarez]

"Dear Ajax" XD

That had me laughing as well!

 

[The Ultime FM God]

Just read it all and it is ****** brilliant. This is my type of story, and say yes for that amount of money for Erikson, without a doubt!!

 

[Triv]

Talk about pressure to succeed when your name is Victory

 

[FM Nutter]

Cheers guys for the positive feedback, much appreciated.

The Dear Ajax was partly down to my tiredness, haha. I should have put the chairmans name or something.

Triv, haha yeah I had that alot at school aswell to be honest. Victory is actually my surname IRL and I remember my English teacher saying to me "You gotta up on that horse and onto Victory!" he never let that go.

A new update will be done some point within the next couple hours maybe less.

 

[Luarez]

Cheers guys for the positive feedback, much appreciated.

The Dear Ajax was partly down to my tiredness, haha. I should have put the chairmans name or something.

Triv, haha yeah I had that alot at school aswell to be honest. Victory is actually my surname IRL and I remember my English teacher saying to me "You gotta up on that horse and onto Victory!" he never let that go.

A new update will be done some point within the next couple hours maybe less.

Looking forward to it

 

[FM Nutter]

Friendlies

Derby 1 - 2 Arsenal
View attachment 255060
​

Well this was my first official game in charge of Arsenal. It was a tough game, more tougher than I expected, however thanks to a brace from Robin van Persie we came away with a victory. The game started well for us but without a goal. We dominated for large periods of the first half but our shooting was just really poor. I changed a bit at half time and told the boys to play wider and it paid off, Van persie scored to put us front but in all fairness the keeper should have saved it. The second he could do nothing about, it was just a brilliant header from a corner. Derby then grabbed a goal back and looked certain to grab a winner but we held on.

"Well done lads, I know that people will be saying we should have smashed Derby today but they gave us a test and to be honest, you should have scored at least 2 in the first half. I was impressed with the way you approached the second half and the movement was superb. You all seem to want the season to get underway, well played boys"

The cheer that went up in the dressing room after that speech was imense and it was good to see the boys happy, even Chamakh looked happy and this was particularly pleasing. I may give him a chance in our next game away to Cardiff. For now though, I will look forward to spending tomorrow night at home with my fiancé. We got a nice evening planned, Dans out at his friends and since it's our anniversary, I thought I would surprise her with a cooked meal at home since she was working late.

The followiing day consisted of relaxing and watching TV and as the day dragged on I couldn't help but think I actually have to cook tonight.

"Carls dads here, Bye Dad!" shouted Dan as he walked out the door.

"Bye son, have fun"

I started with the dinner and was thinking about football and I'm overall very happy with how management has gone so far. It's certainately changed my life as I would never have thought that I would be living as a Premier League manager. It's exciting but scary at the same time.

"Babe I'm home. Mmm, what's cooking smells really.."

"Happy anniversary darling"

She gave me a huge cuddle and her face lit up like a spotlight. We enjoyed our evening together and she asked all about how management was going and how much I was enjoying it. I explained my feelings and explained how the last game went and she seemed pretty happy. I just wish she would stop bugging me about her present. Since I get my first wages in a couple weeks and I'm also in Colorado for a friendly, I decided to book a holiday for me and her at a lovely Villa in Florida for a week. I can't wait to see her reaction when I tell her.

Cardiff 0 -3 Arsenal
View attachment 255061
​

We dominated this game, I gave Chamakh his chance and he rewarded me with a brace. It's good to see the lads in such good form and I hope It can continue. Cardiff never really threatend in this game and the game never looked in doubt. Overall then, a very good win.

"Very well played lads. The performance was excellent and even though I didn't play hardly any first team regulars, you still came away with a result which is pleasing to see how much depth we have within the team."

You may remember that I have been chasing Christian Eriksen. Well, I finally gave in to Ajax's demands and a fee of £12.25m was accepted. Eriksen's agent has flown in for personal dicussions regarding his client joining our club.

"Mr Victory, this is Nicolai Nielsen, the agent of Christian Eriksen"

"Hello and welcome to the Emirates stadium. Right down to business"

"Indeed. Now, after having a talk with my client, here are his demands. He want's £49,500 per week in wages as well as a loyalty bonus of £1.9m. He wants £5,000, £2,500 & £250,000 for Apperance fee's, goal bonus' and Team of the year respectively"

"We are happy to pay him the bonus' however we feel that £44,000 would be more respectable"

"Hmm, yeah this deal seems good. We will have a talk and get back to you" "Thank you very much for coming here"

He left the room and now all I have to wait is a call to confirm that Eriksen has agreed terms with us. He will be a very good signing and now that I think about it, £12.25m, really is not alot for such a talent. I wonder what this will do for team confidence. Our next game is against FC Metz so maybe he can be available for this game, IF he signs for us. Only time will tell.

 

[Luarez]

Great update again!, what tactics are you thinking of using?

 

[FM Nutter]

I'm not sure yet, I'm just experimenting with different styles. I like having a fluid style and using my wingers.

 

[FM Nutter]

"I think we got him!" Shouted Bould. "Friar is on the other end of the line if you want to speak to him"

Bould passed me the phone and I was ready to speak to Friar, for the first time over the phone.

"Friar? Whats the latest on Eriksen? Has he agreed terms with us?"

"I'm delighted to tell you Sam, that Eriksen has indeed agreed personal terms with us. We are flying him out here as soon as possible from Holland for a medical and for him to sign the contract the only thing we will then be waiting for is confirmation from the Premier League but, I think you can safely say Eriksen is now an Arsenal player"

"Oh fantastic, thanks alot, Friar for the latest"

I hung up the phone and as I did, a sense of relief passed through my body. I began to think how he could suit our style of play and how he could fit into the team. He's a playmaker and has the ability to split defences in half with that all important final ball. We still have a fair bit of cash to spend but I'm not going to spend it wildy now. We have a strong squad and just need to spend sensibly rather than madly.

The key to the Premier League is having strength in depth and United, Chelsea & City have a brilliant squad. I would be amazed if we finished above any of these but I want to be quite close to them. However, alot can happen now and for now, I'm just focused on having a good pre-season and so far, so good.

A few hours later, I met with Eriksen. I greeted him and made him feel welcome. He was photographed outside the stadium and at that point, I knew he would be all over the news and sure enough I was right:

"We have some breaking news. Dutch international midfielder Christian Eriksen has reportedly signed for Arsenal. The fee is not yet known but is believed to be around £12m. He has been photographed getting out of a car and heading into the stadium. We will have more on this story as it develops" reported Sky Sports News.

The poxy ****** media. I absolutely hate them. How on earth did they know about Eriksen signing for us? I was fuming but I had to keep calm. I led him to the medical team so he could complete his medical, which he passed with flying colours. After this we went to my office along with Friar and Bould.

​

"I'm very sorry for the hassle you recieved outside and I hope they did not bother you Mr Eriksen"

"No, no. Fine, its fine"

"Well, the only thing left for you is to review the contract and then sign across the dotted line"

And without hesitation he signed the contract. Christian Eriksen was officially now a Arsenal player. I could not be more happy and I was hoping this was a sign of intent that we are not going to be like Wenger and not spend at all. I intend to spend money available to bring this club back up.

Press Conference

​

Sky Sports News:
"You sit here along with your new signing Christian Eriksen. Are you pleased to have got your man?"

Me:
"Im delighted to welcome him to the club. Eriksen is a class player and he was a player that I wanted at the club"

Eurosport:
"As Eriksen is only 19 years old, have you signed him for the future?"

Me:
"To be perfectly honest, I feel he can make a contribution straight away"

The Observer:
"How has this affected your transfer budget?"

Me:
"I don't wish to discuss finances at this time"

BBC London:
"Reportedly, this transfer has swallowed up a big chunk of your budget. Are you going to stick to this approch in the future, or will you money around on several players?"

Me:
"I want to bring the best players to the club. If we have to spend, so be it. So I wouldn't be suprised if you saw another big transfer in the future"

BBC Radio 5 Live:
"Eriksen has spoken of his excitement of playing for a team with the support that Arsenal has. How important do you think it is for the fans to continue to back the team?"

Me:
"I that speaks for it's self. Christian was delighted to join this club and it was in a large part due to the fantastic support"

sportinglife.com
"This signals your forary in the transfer market. Can we expect more signings?"

Me:
"I will be looking to bring in more faces"

"Thats it for now, thank you all for coming"

I ended the conference with. Me and Christian stood up and as we shook hands for the camera, the media took pictures of us. I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. However, inside all I was thinking of is, at last. We have got our man. This is only the begining.