Whirlwind: Matthew Greene's New Life

[TodayForTomorrow]

6/7/2013

*buzz, buzz*
The sound of my phone vibrating on the dresser roused me from my sleep. I rolled over groggily and looked at the Caller ID...Les Reed...what the **** did Southampton?s Director of Football want at half past 3 on a monday morning...this better not be a crank call?

"Hello?" I answered the call, a feeling of trepidation within me which was echoed in my voice, ?What?s up Les??
"Matt! Hey! Look, just a heads up; Mauricio handed his resignation in yesterday...don?t ask why, i dont know, all i know is that Nicola?s looking for a new manager, and he?s dead set on someone who knows the club and who has a track record with youth players?."
"Why're you telling me this? I'm far too young to be managing a football club!"
"Who said you couldn't win anything with kids Matthew?"

And then he was gone.

Confused, I shrugged it off as some sort of joke, and went back to sleep.

- - -

The next morning, as I was working my way through my breakfast, I received a text from Southampton Captain Adam Lallana:
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I sat my phone back on the table, thinking nothing of it, and returned to my eggs...

 

[TodayForTomorrow]

9/7/2013

Bulbs, flashing everywhere...I'm not even sure what day it is, never mind how I've ended up sitting in the centre seat at a press conference at St. Mary?s stadium, fielding questions from Journalists about team selections, transfers, tactics, and what I make of the club as a whole?

Truth is, I have no idea!

"Matthew, many people are going to be wondering exactly who you are...care to give us some background information?"

"Sure...I started my footballing career at Eastleigh, before moving to Southampton due to the link between the clubs...I guess I was one of those 'exciting 17 year old' players who have a few good games and then you never hear of them again, but that was nobody's fault but my own. I made 20 appearances for England at Under 21 level, and scored 12 goals, before injury ended my career at just 21. The guys at Eastleigh took me back, offering me a coaching spot with the Under 18s, despite my age, and I've been studying for coaching qualifications ever since!"

"So what do you think you can bring to a managerial role then? Given that your experience is so limited?"

?Well...I learnt a lot about football when I was playing at this level, A lot about how players interact on the pitch, and what makes a team tick...I think a lot of people will see my appointment as some sort of crazy gamble by Nicola, but I'm hoping I can prove my many doubters wrong, as well as reinforcing the fact that you can win things with kids.?

"Have you had a chance to take a look at your squad yet"

"In all honesty, not closely enough to be able to give you any kind of dramatic transfer story...Every player will be given the chance to prove their worth in training before I make any decisions on the futures of players."

At this point, Nicola cut back in, drawing everything to a close...As I leant back in my seat, I took in the sea of Journalists in front of me, who had just been handed their lead story for tomorrow mornings papers.

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[TodayForTomorrow]

14/6/2013

As I stepped onto the training fields, the whole squad turned to look at me...I looked around, and picked out some familiar faces...I flashed the lads a smile, and gestured for the coaches to continue what they were doing...I was just observing for now.

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Overall, the levels of fitness I was seeing were good for a side just back from their holidays, and they were giving it their all in a bid to reach match fitness, It was obvious. As I looked around, I started to form some opinions on who would be forming the backbone of my team.

- - -

Later on, I was relaxing in my living room, looking over some footage from training and trying to work out a formation which would suit the players in the squad. There were some good options, but the wings were beginning to seem like an issue...an issue which would need resolved if we were to have any chance at all of getting something out of this season.

I reached for my phone, and made a few calls, eventually sourcing an interesting deal: Nicolas Gaitan on a season-long loan, with a future price of ?7.5 million
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All in All, a plan was starting to form in my mind.