If you register for free, you will be able to post threads, vote on polls and lots more. If you have problems with the registration or logging in, please contact the administrator.
Flight BA9824 began it's approach into Madrid. Richard Lipscombe peered out of the window at the ground below.
"There's no turning back now, brother." Richard joked. Andrew looked across and smiled, raising his head from his Spanish phrasebook. "I guess not."
It had been about a week ago that Andrew had had the phone call. His brother, Richard had been appointed as the new manager of Villarreal, a Primera division team based in Eastern Spain. They had just secured qualification into the UEFA Cup, before the unexpected departure of their boss, Pellegrini. Andrew had been organising his finances and taking care of his belongings to join his brother as his Assistant. This was a role he was used to, having worked with his brother at Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton. The call was from his agent.
"Andrew, i have some information you might be interested in. How do you fancy being a manager yourself?"
"What do you mean?" Andrew replied
"I've had a call from the chairman of Celta Vigo. They're offering you the chance to be their manager, if you're interested. I know you've told your brother you'll work with him, but i'm sure he'd understand your decision if you fancied this role." Andrew knew a bit about Celta. He was a fan of Spanish football, and followed their progress closely, along with the rest of the teams in La Liga. It had been one of his main reasons for following his brother to Villarreal. Celta had just been relegated, and were looking to bounce straight back to the big time.
"What state are the finances in?" Andrew asked.
"Well there's not much money available in terms of wages, and the Transfer budget isn't exactly huge - about £700k." His agent replied, telling he was tempted.
"Arrange a meeting with the chairman, and we'll talk."
The plane taxied on the runway. The weather was hot outside - something very different to the grey, miserable weather they'd left behind in England. The brothers left the plane and collected their luggage. Upon their arrival in the departures lounge, they were met by a small gathering of journalists, waiting to get their photos and a quick soundbite. Photos completed, the brothers hailed a taxi and headed to their Madrid hotel from where'd they would head their seperate ways.
08-21-2007, 05:43 PM
Viva Espana - The story of two brothers abroad Post #2
At 3pm local time, Richard Lipscombe entered the press room at El Madrigal to meet the Spanish press for the first time as manager of Villarreal. Following all of the formalities, Richard spent 45 mins answering all of the questions the press had for him, albeit in English. He was still working on his spanish. "Does Riquelme fit into your plans?" asked one jornalist, in reference to the playmakers turbulent relationship with his former manager.
"Yes, of course. He is a talented player, and an established international, and his experience will be invaluable to this team. We are playing in two major competitions this year, and we need all of our best players." Riquelme was rumoured to be unhappy at El Madrigal, and was looking at potential new clubs.
"How will you cope working without your brother for the first time?" asked an English reporter from the Times.
"Yes, my brother was an important member of my backroom team, and i'm sure it will strange to work without him, but he has his own career, and i fully support him in this. He has a great opportuinity at Celta, and i want to help him in any way i can, and i'll be happy to loan him a few players, or offer him some advice if he wants it." More questions followed, before Richard was led out onto the pitch for the traditional photocall. 5,000 fans had come to greet the new manager, and cheered as Richard stepped onto the pitch. El Madrigal was a small stadium by spanish standards, with a capacity of only 23,000. The atmosphere inside the stadium on matchdays was electric and the new boss couldn't wait to sample it. El Madrigal reminded him of an English stadium, with it's layout, and this generated the atmosphere.
Once the photocall was over, Richard was straight onto the phone with his brother. Andrew had just completed his press conference, albeit on a smaller scale.
"Hey brother, how did it go?" Richard asked.
"Not bad, there weren't many here really." Andrew replied. "Not like your unveiling - i saw you on the news"
"Anyway, how's the squad looking over there. Do you think you'll be able to bounce back up this season?" Richard asked.
"It's not bad to be honest. Quite a few of the players from last season are still here, so it's a case of persuading them to stay on. I might have to let a couple of them go in order to raise some transfer funds, as i've only got about £700,000 to spend, which isn't going to get me very far. Besides, their wages are crippling me and i just can't afford to bring anyone in unless i shift a few of the high earners." Andrew bemoaned, realising the scale of his task. He was determined to stamp his authority on the team, and bring in some of his own players, and the wage budget was a problem.
"There's some decent out of contract players out there who seem keen, but i just can't meet their wage demands without selling a few players first."
"Who are you looking at selling?" Richard asked his brother, sensing a potential bargain in the pipeline.
"Placente's a candidate definately. There are a few people sniffing around for him, so i reckon i might get over £1 million for him. There is also some interest in Canobbio, the Uruguayan winger, so i might cash in there. I think that would free up about 40k a week, which i can then put to good use."
"There's always loan sigings too. I'm sure we can arrange for a few of our youngsters to spend a season with you if you wish, to give you a helping hand." offered Richard to his younger brother.
"Cheers, bro. I'll send one of my scouts over to have a look and i'll be in touch. If you fancy taking one of my high earners off my hands then feel free. i expect market value though!" Andrew joked, as he ended the call.
08-21-2007, 06:02 PM
Viva Espana - The story of two brothers abroad Post #3
It looked like a disaster zone. Papers were strewn all over the office, dirty mugs scattered over the desk, waste bin overflowing. On the wall was a large noticeboard, covered in player pictures. On the left were 'definates' - on the right, 'surplus to requirements.'
It had been three days since Richard Lipscombe had taken charge of Villarreal. Those three days had been the most hectic days in his life. Endless interviews with the press, a steady stream of calls from agents touting "the next big thing" and calls back home to family and friends. He'd also spoken to his brother, who'd been enquiring about players.
"Got any good prospects you fancy sending here for experience?" Andrew asked.
"i've a few you might be interested in. I've a kid called Jonathan who looks quite handy. He's an attacking midfielder who i reckon might do a job for you over there. A couple of clubs have been sniffing around him, but i've been stalling them. You interested?" Richard knew this kid could be special, although reports from his coaches said he wasn't quite ready for La Liga yet.
"Yeah, i'll take him if you're offering. i take it you'll be paying his wages!" laughed Andrew, the pressure of the clubs financial restraints very much on his mind.
"I think i can manage that. He's not on much, so i'm sure we can sort something out. I've explained the benefits of our situation to the chairman and he agrees with me that it benefits us as a club to form an unofficial link. Our younger players will have the opportuinity to get some first team experience in a competitive league, if you play them of course!!"
"Exactly," replied Andrew. "I decide who plays mind. You're not my boss any more!"
After a brief outburst of laughter by both brothers, talk turned to potential signings.
"How's it looking on the new player front then." Richard asked his brother.
"Well i've got deals in the pipeline to sell Placente for £1.5 million, and it looks like i might manage to get £2 million for Canobbio, so that will give me £4 million pounds to play with. It'll also mean that i've got a surplus of £31k per week on my wage budget, which is the main thing. Porto and Lazio are both sniffing round Borja Oubina, my defensive midfielder, but i don't want to sell him so i'm ignoring them. Something i've learnt from you brother!"
"Ha Ha. Exactly. They can't buy your player if they can't speak to you." Richard laughed, his mind casting back to many a transfer in the past.
"I've got quite a few players coming in on trial over the next few days for a month, so i can cast my eye over them. Kenny Cunningham is coming over to see if he can cut it here. He's not too sure about moving i've also got a Hungarian striker coming in, Gergely Rudolf, who i've heard decent things about. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is booked on a flight out here tomorrow for a few weeks, and i think he might be a decent signing. Plus he's played in Spain before. I've a few other irons in the fire as well which i should hear about in the next few days" Andrew was quickly realising what being a manager of a football club entailed. It wasn't just about training the players, as he had been used to.
"How about you brother. Identified what you need yet?" Andrew asked his brother.
"Well i've got Michael Reiziger and Ze Maria, two defenders coming in on trial, to see if they can offer me anything. Zlatan Ljubjankic is thinking over my offer, although i know he's got other teams interested in him as well. Other than that i'm still pretty open-minded. I'll give the current squad a little time to impress me before i look for new targets. I think i'm definately going to need a new left-back, as i only have Capdevilla who can play there. I also think i'm weak down the left-hand side of midfield as well. i am a little limited by my transfer budget though, so i might have to wheel and deal a bit first."
"Good luck then bruv. Fancy playing a match before the season gets underway? We've a spare date on the 20th August we can play if you fancy it. Come to our ground and we'll give you a good game!"
"Yeah, i think that will be good. I'll get the chairman to arrange it in the next few days. That is only a week before the season, though, so i don't want your players getting carried away!"
08-22-2007, 05:40 PM
Viva Espana - The story of two brothers abroad Post #5
"What are you thinking selling Borja?" Gustavo Lopez screamed at his boss. "Do you not want us to get promoted this season? Because selling our best players isn't the way to go about it."
"Look, i've sold Borja because we received a good offer for him, and he wanted to leave. I'm not going to keep unhappy players at this club, as it helps neither the club or the player. Discontent spreads, and that's the last thing we need." Andrew replied, trying to ease his players fears. "I'm already working on bringing in a replacement, and we should have someone in place soon. I want us to gain promotion just as much as you, if not more, as i'm sure my job would be at stake otherwise. Is that OK?"
Lopez nodded, and headed for the door. "Boss, you do believe we'll be promoted this season don't you. I need to be playing at as higher level as i can, so i can get into the national team again."
"Of course i do. i'd put money on it."
Lopez left the office, and Andrew was straight on the phone to his brother.
"Rich, i need your help. I need a defensive midfielder, and fast. Any ideas?"
08-23-2007, 06:00 PM
Viva Espana - The story of two brothers abroad Post #6
Richard stared at the computer screen in disbelief. "Villarreal in bid to sign Dica." reported Skysports.com. How on earth did that get out, he pondered. "Only the day before he had been on the phone to Dica's agent, insisting that the contract offer remain private. The Steaua Bucharest midfielder was Richard's No. 1 target to provide cover for the left side of midfield, and Lipscombe had been keen to keep the transfer out of the public domain. Villarreal had had a £1.3m bid accepted by the club, and they were waiting to hear from the player whether he was going to accept the deal.
Richard picked up the phone, flicked through his contacts, and rang the player's agent.
"What on earth are you doing leaking this to the press,!" Richard screamed down the phone.
"I don't know how the story got out, Mr. Lipscombe," the agent replied. He had clearly been rattled by his tone.
"You best not be leaking this in an attempt to eak out a bit more money for your player. Because as far as i'm concerned, if anything goes wrong with this, i'll hold you accountable, and i;ll ensure he never plays outside of his country. Ever."
"I can assure you that this has nothing to do with me. He will be flying over to Spain in the next day or two to complete the deal, and you will have your man." the agent mumbled.
"Good." and with that Richard slammed the phone down.
08-24-2007, 04:58 PM
Viva Espana - The story of two brothers abroad Post #7
The streets below were filled with people rushing home from work. Taxis raced by on the main street, weaving in amongst the queuing traffic. The Atlantic ocean was just visible in the distance amongst the high-rise buildings.
"Do you know, brother, this is proving harder than i thought." Richard groaned, turning from the hotel balcony towards his brother. "i'm really struggling to bring in the players i want. The transfer market is so inflated these days. Buying an average player will set you back a couple of million."
"I know what you mean." Andrew replied. I spoke with Romanov, the Hearts owner yesterday, about Pinilla, the chilean striker. I was enquiring how much they wanted for him, and i was quoted £7 million! £7 million for a striker playing in scotland... And not even for Rangers or Celtic."
"Don't get me wrong, the 1st XI i've inherited is good enough, but i'm worried about a few positions if we suffer a few injuries. I really want to push towards the top four this season, but i don't think we can do it without more transfer funds. I asked the chairman the other day for more money, and he laughed in my face. I think i'm going to have to sell a couple to raise cash and i don't want to."
The brothers had met up in Andrew's hotel for a catch up and a few drinks. it had been a month since they'd started their new lives in Spain, and it was proving more difficult than they'd imagined. Neither manager had managed to bring in the players they'd wanted so far, and Richard had cancelled the purchase of Dica, the Romanian midfielder after he had stalled on their offer. Andrew had had more success in the transfer market, signing Diego Capel, the promising Sevilla winger on a season-long loan. He was however continuing to be thwarted in his attempts to sign a striker. His latest bid had been for Wesley Sonck, the Belgian striker, from Monchengladbach in germany.
Both were still living in hotels, frustrated in their attempts to find a new home of their own. Richard had had one offer collapse after the seller had found out who had been buying - he was a season-ticket holder at Villarreals fiercest rivals, Valencia. Andrew was still awaiting some of his luggage that BA had lost during their flight from England a month previously.
Pre-season had been going well for both teams at this point. Celta were unbeaten after three friendlies, having embarked on a mini-tour of Scotland, playing lower league opposition. Villarreal had only lost one match, a 1-0 defeat at home to Juventus at El Madrigal in a close-fought match. Richard was still tinkering with his team, juggling between a 442 and 4411 formations, in an attempt to find the best way of employing Riquelme. Celta had settled on the traditional 442 formation, and Andrew was fine-tuning his team in an attempt to find his best XI.
"Did you see that Barcelona have signed Henry? How am i supposed to compete with that!!" Richard despaired. "I could probably afford to buy his right-leg... and he's left-footed!" They both laughed.
"Fancy going out for a few drinks?" Andrew asked his brother.
"Yeah, i think i need one!"
"i know a little bar up the coast we could go to. It's quiet, and there's a lovely bar maid works there... Isabella i think her name is."
"Sounds good to me! The bar that is..." Richard joked, heading towards the door.
08-29-2007, 12:18 AM
Viva Espana - The story of two brothers abroad Post #8
Viva Espana - The story of two brothers abroad 
thanks for the comments.
Linear Mode
