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Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown”
1 June 2046
It was a tearful goodbye on that fateful Friday morning. The squad had been through many ups and downs over the last two years, and the loss of their manager, after the highs of the last couple of weeks had been, perhaps a little too much for some to take.
Daniel, the huge Brazilian centre-back, who had formed an integral pat of my team years earlier, and whose career I had rescued by bringing him to this Italian city on the Adriatic coast when he was without a club and unable to train for half a year with a broken leg, broke down in tears in the corner.
Ibrahima was the most composed. The man who’d captained the club to the greatest moment in their history nine days ago simply shook my hand and said “At least I get a chance to say goodbye this time”, a luxury that he wasn’t afforded in February when I was ruthlessly punted by the Senegalese FA after the African Nations. That sacking still hurt, I’d qualified them for the World Cup from a group containing the might of Nigeria and Cameroon, and felt that the least they could have done was let me lead the team to the tournament. That resentment was also possibly part of the reason I hadn’t been allowed to speak to the players after my sacking.
As he sat down, Ibrahima smiled a wicked grin, “I’m sure some of us will be seeing you again”.
There were a few laughs. Like Daniel, Ibrahima had been part of the Ajax squad I’d left just two yeas previously. It seemed like a lifetime ago. There was a fair smattering of players in the squad that had played under me in one of my two previous clubs, and I’d brought over from Holland. Perhaps there was a grain of truth in that. Hopefully there was a grain of truth in that. They were a good bunch of lads.
“And if it doesn’t work out you can always come back” added Arnaud Malonga, my reliable French striker, who’s ability on the pitch reminded me of my boyhood hero, Luca De Simone. I’ve met De Simone in person more than once, and they are two very different characters, but both possess that rare ability to produce spectacular long range goals out of nowhere, even when the tide was against the team. It would be a big shame not to have a player like Malonga again.
“Enjoy the new stadium lads” I said, looking at the players I was about to leave behind. “I’ll be back here in the stands, the first chance I get”.
Earlier in the day, the board had reminded me I hadn’t played at the new roofed stadium yet, to see if they could change my mind, but it was only a light hearted offer, they had known of my intentions for some time, and after the success of last season, the timing seemed right.
As I turned to leave the San Nicola stadium and the City of Bari for the last time, my multi-national team of players started to sing the British national anthem, shamelessly choreographed by my two English goalkeepers Chris Jones and Andy Betts.
As I walked away listening to the harmony of English, Dutch, French Togolese, Icelandic, Uzbek and even one Italian voice, I wiped a tear from my eye.
“Good luck in the Club World Championship boys!”
10-28-2007, 10:51 PM
Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown” Post #2
The rain soaked my light jacket through, and I was freezing. I knew what England was like, I’d grown up on the streets of Manchester, but it was my first visit to the capital since I’d started my management career, and my acclimatization to the continental weather had left me woefully unprepared.
“Highbury or Stamford Bridge, boss?” asked the taxi driver.
Despite never having managed in England, I was a bit of a household name, and the driver had recognised me immediately. If my previous success hadn’t ensured that, then the previous week’s Champions league victory over Nottingham Forest had guaranteed it.
“Erm, Griffin Park please” I replied, causing the driver to stop and get out the A-Z.
After much searching, he almost shouted.
“Brentford!”
“Why on earth are you going there? Surely you have scouts for this sort of thing.”
“Actually, I’m taking over as manager” I said without missing a beat.
“You could do much better” joked the friendly cabbie.
I sighed. “I thought so too. In fact I thought so too two years ago when I left Ajax”. I paused, unsure whether to let slip that Brentford wasn’t exactly my first choice, but I figured I was fooling nobody. “West Brom just hired Steven Taylor. If I’m moving to England, I guess I had to take the plunge”
“Ah, Steven Taylor. Now that’s a man with a wealth of footballing experience. Won the league as player and manager, you know. 40 years at the highest level, there’s no substitute for that”
Silently I was seething. I’d won every competition I was entered in in my two years at Bari. I’d won Champions leagues with Ajax from the unfashionable Dutch leagues. But I knew he was right, I was only 38, young for a manager, and completely untested in my homeland. Besides, I couldn’t say a bad word against Steven Taylor. My dad had regaled me with stories about his solidity in the centre of the Newcastle defence, especially in the title winning side of 2015. My dad definitely had a soft spot for him though, and that was more than 30 years ago. Though often thereabouts at the end of the season, the Geordies had actually won the square root of sweet FA since then.
Even so I’d done good. I was totally unappreciated in my own country.
As I got out I heard the cabbie excitedly talking into his radio. “You’ll never believe who I’ve just had in the back of my cab…”
Well maybe not totally unappreciated.
10-28-2007, 10:52 PM
Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown” Post #3
This is my first stab at writing a football manager story. I’m unconvinced if it’ll be any good, or if I’ll have the patience to keep writing it, but I’ve decided to have a stab anyway, and if it doesn’t work out, then it’ll just have to be a short story…
I’m continuing on the save that I have been playing since FM05 was released. I hope that’s ok. I don’t want to stop this game, so if I have to start a new game then please lock this thread and I won’t bother.
It’s FM05 unpatched. Running England, Scotland, Holland, Italy and Russia.
I’m afraid I have no idea how big the database is.
If you have any suggestions or comments about how or what I write, please let me know, as I have no idea what I’m doing.
10-28-2007, 10:56 PM
Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown” Post #4
Welcome to the forum, nick Stories on FM05 are very much OK, you can write about games on any of the SI created football management games. Hope you stick with it :thup:
10-28-2007, 11:05 PM
Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown” Post #5
Brentford’s last season had been their first in the championship for eight years. It didn’t look much from the outside, and was certainly the smallest stadium I’d ever managed in.
I walked inside to meet the board. Eddie Rogers was the chairman. In fact, he had been the chairman of Brentford since before I was born. I shuddered to think how old he was, but the club was unmistakably his. He’d been there for the highs of their solitary Premiership season 10 years previously, and the lows of the relegation and stagnation in League two many years before.
He gave me a reasonable transfer budget albeit not a fraction of the funds available at Bari, but I couldn’t help feeling that that was an incentive for me to join, rather than something the club could actually afford. It was almost the club’s entire balance.
With the tiny wage budget, I couldn’t help feeling it could have been calculated. Anyone I could spend that much money on would never sing for the wages I could afford. My chairman may he old, but he’s certainly not stupid.
I was beginning to doubt Ibrahima’s prediction that some of the old guard would be joining me. Not on those wages they wouldn’t.
He wanted a respectable league position, which is what Ben Price took them to the previous year, before he left to fill the vacant post at Sheffield Wednesday.
The chairman took me down to the pitch where he had arranged for assistant manager John Harrison to take the players training on the actual pitch so that I could see them first hand before I met them.
My chairman certainly is no fool.
The players were terrible though. Of course, I knew its what they do on the pitch that matters. I had achieved results with terrible players before. But I had also been sacked with them
As I walked out to meet them, Eddie Rogers told me that they were all very excited I was their new boss.
I strode onto the pitch and announced “Hi. I’m Nick Hamill, the new manager”
The players looked subdued, and quiet.
After an awkward few minutes, John Ball, the club captain said
“Oh. We thought you were your dad.”
10-29-2007, 12:13 AM
Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown” Post #7
I am Nick Hamill Jr. My dad is also named Nick Hamill, and is regarded as possibly the greatest English manager ever.
He won the league titles in 3 countries, European Titles in two and Dominated Domestic and European football for a period of 10 years with Manchester City.
He also retired in 2038.
I had Deliberately started my management career in Holland, a country my father never had any success in, in order to avoid the media glare.
3 European Winner’s medals and I thought I’d done enough to return to England as my own man. Without constant comparisons to my father.
Apparently not.
However great you are, It’s not funny to give your kids the same name as yourself.
I suppose the lads had thought that a legend that’s been out of work for 8 years was a more likely prospect for Brentford than me.
I should have stayed abroad.
I could go back, but I’m not ready to admit defeat this early.
It’s certainly looking like a challenge though. I’ve built my reputation on signing youngsters from around the globe, but I don’t know if my new club will be an enticing enough prospect for this standard of youngsters.
10-29-2007, 01:56 PM
Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown” Post #8
Just wanted to echo the sentiments of Terk and Wegason and say welcome to the forum. It is an enjoyable experience to write on them, and from the start of your story its obvious you have talent. KUTGW
10-29-2007, 02:16 PM
Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown” Post #9
For someone who has no idea what they are doing, you are doing ok. Introduce yourself to the community in the Off Topic Thread and if you need help/advise want to discuss ideas about yours or indeed anyone else's writing, try the Ideas thread
Most of all, have fun!
10-29-2007, 08:25 PM
Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown” Post #10
Luke 4:24 “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown” 
Stories on FM05 are very much OK, you can write about games on any of the SI created football management games. Hope you stick with it :thup:
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