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Hello everyone, its my first time writing a story, and I might inadvertently make grammatical mistakes. Forgive me for that. Hope its worth the read.
AFC Wimbledon 14th Jan, 2024
"So how are we doing today?" Mr. Hammond, the Don's chairman remarked. Mr. Dale Hammond, or Daley, as he was normally called by his ardent supporters was in a jovial mood. The recent run by his club has been pretty exhilarating. And profitable as well.
Daley had taken over the recently promoted club back in 2007/08. This was the time when the club had simple part-time players, most of them with family. These players worked their normal job during the weekdays, and had worked very hard to bring the club up to the Conference South in 2007/08. Thats when I took over. Daley nevertheless, was impressed by the club's motto - The Don Domination, and after a fair amount of time negotiating, decided to by the club for a then paltry sum of £300K. Was this as investment, or just a hobby? No one knew. But the chairman has seen his share of football with this club. He remains fiercely loyal, and has seen the club grow in leaps and bounds.
Back in 2007, IO met Daley for the first time. I know what some of you might be thinking. Some of the people who watch golf, might imagine him to look like John Daly, the husky fella who could hit golf balls a mile. Well, Mr. Hammond fit the bill perfectly. He was how I had imagined him to be. His demeanor was easily noticeable. Back then, he promised me to let me stay with my job if I perform well. And so I did.
Its 2024 now. We are midway between the 2023/24 season, and the club is performing well. It has been almost 17 years since Daley and me decided to take the club to new heights, a promise, which was prophesied by the oracle, thoudands of years ago.
The prophecy said: "At the turn of the second millennium, the physical prowess of man shall dominate. It won't be a story of conflict, won't be a story of bloodshed; but rather, would be one of extreme courage, and will see men bonding to achieve domination; domination in what they will achieve. In an island, where men would battle, without bloodshed, a band of men would arise; and this band would take passion to another level."
Fulfilling the prophecy and the promise has been an arduous task. The first season saw the Dons avoiding relegation, and subsequently, going on to achieve 5 straight promotions to join the ranks of the Premiership. The EPL, as it were, was another story. Even though for the first couple of years, the club struggled to dominate, things soon picked up. And since 2017/18, the club has commanded the EPL and Champions League to its own accord. Winning the EPL all along, the club was however beaten by the Red Devils in 2022/23. This lead to concerns if the Don Domination days were over. The Champions League has been fruitful too, with Dons being crowned world champions in 2018, 2019 and 2023. Along the road, the Dons have also seen their name written on the FA cup and the League cup, 3 and 5 times respectively.
"So how are we doing today?" Daley repeated. And I looked up...
"Not bad Daley, not bad!" I chimed in, "You look in a good mood today?"
"Yup, Ive got a birthday gift for you. I know its a week late, but you will be happy" he remarked.
"Is it some more transfer kitty" I said. Daley laughed.
"You already have £100M to buy players, surely you don't want any more?"
"Nah..I don't" I said, "but some more seats in the stadium might be nice!"
"Yes, they would. I have been trying Raj, you know I have, but the council keeps blocking it, they have done so for the past 7 years! I guess we'll have to buy you a new stadium." He chuckled. I knew better to not believe that. With a balance of £114M, and my recent extravagant spending, a new stadium, with a capacity more than 38K could be tricky.
"Alright then Daley, what have you got for me today?" I said.
"Well, I got you a new contract. Although its unofficial yet, I would like to know if you are going to stay with us next year. I know you wouldn't refuse, but I just wanted to ask you, as a friend."
"I will definitely stay Daley, you know that. I have done so much for this club, invested my sweat and blood into it. There is no way I will go anywhere else."
"Well, what if you get an international job? Like Scotland, they hired you a while ago...didn't they?" Daley remarked.
"Well, lets not bring that up please."
Daley understood, he saw it in my eyes. "Thats ok" He said
"Another thing," he said, "Do you reckon winning the league is possible, after last year's performance? I mean, with the quality of players you have got, the Dons should easily dominate again! "
"We'll win it Daley" I replied with some arrogance.
I was enjoying my morning cup of coffee and leisurely reading the newspaper. The times on Sunday had some good
article about how Dons are going to fail again this year. Bloody newspapers, I told myself. "They never
get the facts right. They cant understand that we are currently 2nd, 3 points behind and 5 games in hand."
Then I came across something interesting. The Man United chairman, David Gill, was looking to step aside. Seems
that something was wrong in the ManU camp. Maybe we will have an upper hand next season, I thought.
Back in the office at 9, I had a few important messages. My assistant, the highly motivational Carlos Azehna
came to me and started complaining as to how I had let Steve Fischer, the German winger go for cheap.
"We didn't need him", I said. "We can do without him, you know. I mean we have enough depth anyways. Perez can
fill well in. Moreover, King and Stevens are good wingers too."
That consoled him a bit. It was surprising seeing my assistant so concerned about a player who had been
languishing in the reserves for such a long time.
"What about Dominguez and Barragan, will you let them go as well? They are very talented youngsters you know.
Dominguez was even rated as a wonder kid by FIFA!" Carlos said.
"No, these players are unusual talents. Dominguez has proved his worth to the club. His form has been
exceptional. So I dont think he is going anywhere soon. And as for Barragan, even though he is quite invaluable,
if by the end of the season, he does not get his act together, I will have to let him go. With a big club like
Valencia interested, I can't keep them for too long anyways."
Carlos understood. He is a good assistant, a true friend. He respects my decisions.
The board meeting
A surprise meeting was held in one of the conference rooms of The Fans' stadium. The board finally came
back with the list of feeder clubs. By this time I had acquired most of the feeder clubs, so the board had gone
far and wide, into the east to find me a club. The options they gave me were:
Rosario (Northern Ireland)
Mahindra Utd (India)
Nebitchi (Turkmenistan)
Astana (Kazakhstan)
Nisa (Turkmenistan)
I decided to go with Mahindra United. I just wanted to give Indian clubs a try, and maybe pump in some money into them
every year. "Thanks for your recommendation, Mr. Sachdeva. We will tell you of the outcome".
17th Jan, 2024 The FA cup 3rd round against Colchester
The away game had been a draw. I knew that. Since this match, a doubt had started to creep in, with the
supporters gossiping about club's future. So I had to show that I was worth all the time and money invested. A
dominant win would put doubters in their place.
Just before the kick-off, Fabbrini came to me. Being a very experienced player as he was, he understood
the situation well. "Let Joey Reid play today".
I was surprised. Joey Reid, you see, is the latest addition to my squad. A 17 year old Defensive midfielder, and
being tutored by Fabbrini. Newspapers quote him being a Promising midfielder. And bought at £3.2M, he was a very
expensive youth signing.
"He is all worth his money Raj, and you know that!". I didn't. I didn't know that. Joey was recommended to me by
Carlos, and Carlos was a natural at finding talented youngsters. So I had no hesitation at picking up Joey from
Charlton.
"Fine, I will give him a game. But he better performs, or I will have to drop him into reserves!". I was well
known for the cruel way I treated players. Sometimes though, it can be useful to treat players like lambs, I
said to myself!
I told my team that they can win the match. The rest was up to them. The match began.
Within 20 seconds of the kick-off, Geoff Matthews, the opposition defender tripped Vincze, my wing back. And that
too in the penalty area. It was raining heavily, and taking a penalty was an arduous task. But Arthur, the
Portuguese central defender confidently stepped up, and got his first goal of the season by smacking the ball in
the bottom left corner of the goal. The goal keeper could not even moved. It must have done wonders for Arthur's
confidence.
Before long, Smirnovs (who I like to call Smirnoff), my Latvian fast paced striker ran down the left and curled
a beautiful ball in to make the scoreline 2-0. The clock read 6:05. We are cruising here. It was a beautiful
goal. Smirnoff has been pretty upset recently over not been given enough first team games. But with teh battery
of strikers at my disposal, he is best at sidelines. However, I had to give him a chance, and he is proving his
worth to me.
At the 16th minute, Barragan passes a beautiful ball to Smirnoff, who is on the left of the two strikers, the
other being Cesar. Smirnoff takes the ball a few towards and shots from just outside the penalty area. Another
wonderful goal. I am really having trouble re-evaluating my approach towards these guys.
39th minute sees another beautiful goal. "On this water soaked pitch, any long shots are scoreable" Carlos tells
me. And then voila, with a beautiful pass from Joe King, my Target man, Ceasr scores from 30 yards. The
opposition keeper can clearly not face the force with which the team is attacking. Carlos says: "You know the
doubt we have been having about Cesar's £35M transfer, its probably the best thing you did". "I dunno Carlos, I
mean he is playing well today, but he hasn't been very consistent recently", I said.
Its the 45th minute, and Vincze is making good runs down the wings. Joey Reid passes the ball to Vincze, who
puts the ball in the 6 yard box, and King scores a sitter. Looking at this amazing match, I am sure that this
team can go places. I can hear the commentators saying: AFC Wimbledon have been simply fantastic. Its a
great feeling!
In the dressing room, I tell my team that I am thrilled, and specifically praise the £2.4M keeper,Phil Dillon,
who in particular has been pretty amazing.
Second half
Colchester start attacking from the word go. But their efforts have been futile. They try here and their, but
Dillon has been blocking their efforts very well. "The team talks must have worked." Carlos again chimes in. So
far, Hidaka, the 23 year old box to box midfielder has not been performing well. Its probably because central
defense is not his natural position. Even then, we score 5-0 in the match, a very comfortable win, and this
guarantees the Dons a trip to the next FA cup tie.
Final score: 5-0
Arthur (pen 2)
Smirnoff (6,16)
Cesar (39)
Joe King (39)
20th Jan, 2024
A home EPL match against Blackburn did not raise many eyebrows. With the wet showers still around, a win was comfortable, seeing Dons' record in such conditions. I decided to give Joey another chance. He did well against Colchester, but I wanted to see if he could face up to the slightly more formidable sides.
The match begins:
By the 10th minute, Blackburn are enjoying the pocession. But Dons, playing with a high tempo have already tried their luck twice, but failed both times. The partnership of Cesar and Ruiz, another midfielder/striker seems to be working well. 38th minute sees Cesar getting injured after a rash tackle by the opposite team. Surprisingly, no card.
This means that last seasons' top club scorer comes on to replace Cesar. Baudry is fast, and did wonders with Ruiz last season. All this information is being pumped to me by Brett Emerton, AFC Wimbledon coach. The commentators say the despite Dons domination, the teams go into the half time with a draw. Joey has not been playing too well. Carlos tells me that the team could do with a motivational speech.
I am specially concerned with my strikers. Pleading if they could make a difference tonight. Maybe they can.
Second Half:
Blackburn revert to 4-1-4-1. The formation that is the nemesis of my 5-3-2. However, they are playing with all men behind the ball, so by the 50th minute, it has been the same scoreline. However, the opposition winger gets frustrated and lunges on my attacking midfielder, Stevens. This earns him a red card, and playing wide against 10 men, it seems that a win might be possible after all.
Suddenly, two goals are scored, but they are both disallowed on account of offsides. By the 63rd minute, another player goes for the two footed challenge and is sent off. Playing against 9 men, the scoreline still worries me. Carlos says it will change soon.
By 67th minute, we decide to go more gung-ho! If we can't score against these 9 men, then there is no point playing football. 82nd minute and its still the same story. Salvation seems highly unlikely.
In the 87th minute, Ruiz gets the ball and sets it up for Baudry, who makes a quick run and finally puts it past the keeper. "That should settle it", the commentators say. That might well be the case! Although in the 89th minute, Blackburn get a free kick on the edge of the area. The Dons bench had their heart in their sleeve as the ball whiskers past the goal.
With 4 minutes of extra time, the Dons still keep attacking, although a goal seems unlikely. And as the clock ticks down, the players jump around. They have just continues the winning tradition. So much so, that we haven't lost at home in the past 4 seasons.
The media agrees; the manager should be credited for the win. Rightly so.
But the star of the day was Baudry, who used his pace and skills to score the eventual goal.
Final score:
AFC Wimbledon 1 - 0 Blackburn
Baudry (87)
Not much has changed in the football world since the Dons won against Blackburn. Newspapers have been going on about Belanik, the Dons’s target man being linked to the under performing Coventry. On the recent interviews this is what Mr. Sachdeva had to say:
“If need be, I will let Belanik go. We have got enough strength in terms of Cesar, Baudry and Ruiz. Moreover, a talent like Belanik does not like to warm the sub-bench for too long.”
The third match in a row sees Aston Villa come up to Kingsmead in order to maintain their 1-0 home advantage in the League cup semi-final. We have been performing well at home this season, although containing Villa could be a bone of contention today.
The line up has been decided and includes Vieria, the team’s savior. Mark Lea, the English international has to say this about him: Vieria’s contribution to this team is un-questionable. His long range free-kicks have made such an impact in every match he plays. The opposition is always left bemused at his vast talents. 5 times fan’s player of the year, and with 250 games for the Dons under his belt, he is by far the best thing that has happened to AFC Wimbledon.
The players arrive on the pitch and I tell them that I expect them to reach to the final. Not too much to ask, I hope.
The match begins:
The beginning was rather tame. With Dons dominating, possession could not be converted to goals early on. Although things changed in the 24th minute when Bouffard (an ex-Dons player) tripped Barragan in the penalty area and earned Dons a penalty, Vieria duly converted, thumping the ball in the lower left corner of the net. At this point, another goal would see Dons through, whereas a goal by Villa could ring the alarm bells.
In the 55th minute, a through ball from Lea meant that Baudry had space to run and score. However, his little chip just missed the mark. At this point, even though dominating the field, Dons were not taking many chances. Carlos suggested a few changes to the tactic. Suggestions that I curtly refused, mostly because I knew that as long as I did not lose domination, I could win!
An amazing cross from Perez, normally an attacking winger, but playing at wing-back; saw Smirnoff head in a simple goal. The goal was being described by Pundits as being magical, which it truly was.
By the 81st minute, Villa had to go full-on with the attack, with a formation that looked something like a 4-2-4, a formation commonly used in the dying minutes. Dons were not going to lose this!
In the end, even though Dillon, the keeper, was tested at times, the possession ruled the day and Dons won 2-0, moving to the final of the league cup, quite possibly against their arch rivals, The Red Devils.
Final Score:
AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Aston Villa
Vieria (pen 24)
Smirnoff (63)
News just in: AFC Wimbledon will be facing Manchester United in the League Cup final on Sunday, 25th Feb, 2024. These teams have actually played each other in the League cup final, back in 2022, with The Dons lifting the trophy.
27th Jan, 2024
Belanik looks like a good prospect, as Sporting CP join in the race to loan him. Either way, since Dons have too many strikers for the season, it could be a good way of getting rid of one of the lambs.
Next up, Dons go to Stamford Bridge to fight out under-performing Chelsea in the FA cup clash. With their recent form, The Dons are supposed to win, but Mr. Sachdeva knows that’s its futile to get complacent.
The match begins:
I wish my players good luck before they go out. It’s an even match, and we will be glad to come out on top. Although a draw is definitely possible.
By the 7th minute, Arthur successfully injures Poulsen. Poulsen is one of the biggest threat against the Dons, and being replace with the under performing Greek striker Atmatsidis could only be a good thing for the visiting side,.
By the end of the first half, the score is still 0-0. Baudry in particular has been best at par, and his jovial mood does not please Carlos. “Go out there and prove a point” I say to Baudry. I hope he listens; I hope he can find the net.
In the 48th minute, a superb cross from Chelsea right winger sees Lea, the central defender score an own goal. I made a note:” Serious concerns over Lea manning the central defence alone.” Will have to keep this in mind later.
Chelsea pop in another one by 50th minute, and it seems that the FA cup run might soon be over. It was Lea’s mistake again, and he is substituted for Vieria. Dillon is also substituted and Pena, the 23 year old Spanish keeper takes his place.
In the end, even the magical Vieria cannot save the Dons, and they are sunk by 2-0. A disappointed dressing room awaits. The road for FA cup ends here, at Stamford Bridge.
Final score:
Chelsea 2–0 AFC Wimbledon
Lea (og 48)
Hudson (50)
28th Jan, 2024
Belanik is finally sold to Coventry for £3M upfront and $5M in 24 months, with 25% of next sale value. Seems like a good sale, as Dons got him for free over 5 years ago.
Inter are also trainling for Dominguez, but the manager wont agree any prize over £23M. However, the back out since the price is far too much.
30th Jan, 2024
Carlos comes into my office again. I already know what he’s gonna say.
“I know Carlos, I am sorry. I just had to sell Belanik. You know how much talent we have rotting in our first team. I mean we already have strikers who are getting un-happy since they are not being given enough first team games, so it was the only way to go. Moreover, we need all the money we can for a possible expansion. As for Freund, I knoe he’s a good player, but I had to send him on loan as well, since he was lying in reserves. I will eventually move out other strikers into the first team you know…” I said without a breath.
“I was just wondering if you wanted your doughnuts now.” Carlos said. I smiled. “Yes Carlos, that would be nice thanks”. I thought I had just lost.
31st Jan, 2024
Today, we travel to Vicarage Road; Watford’s home. The prospects look good. On the way there, Dominguez tells me that we have never been beaten by Watford in the top flight. I nod. I am not worried at all. Winning in the league still seems comfortable. My scout, Brad Friedel comes up to me.
“Hey Raj, can I talk to you?”
“Sure Brad, go ahead”
“Raj, do you remember; Ajax, a few years ago used to dominate a lot. Van Gaal in particular played wide with mixed passing, and maintained healthy possession?”
“Yes, I do remember. But why do you bring it up now?”
“Well Raj, I was just thinking, Watford play with a low tempo 4-4-2. Seeing that we could easily win today, I was wondering if you could give this formation a try?”
Brad handed me a piece of paper. It had full detail about the system, and seemed pretty simple yet affective from what I saw.
“Alright, this seems interesting. We will try this today.”
Just before the match, I wish my team good luck. They know they will win. Baudry in particular is in a good mood. The match begins:
Initially the match is even, and by the 17th minute, both team waste whatever chances they get. Dillon is called upon a couple of time to make some saves. I feel not so sure about this system anymore, but I can’t seem to find Brad; so I let this go as it is.
In the 25th minute, Prince, the opposition player is challenged by Joey and has to be stretched off. Joey is proving to be a strong defensive midfielder, feisty, to say the least.
By the 32nd minute, attack starts flowing, and Baudry scores a savage right footed shot in the penalty area. Dominguez again with his perfect assist.
I think that things would settle down from here, but they don’t. By the 34th minute, Vieria comes up the field, to cross the indirect free kick to Ruiz, who heads it in to make it count. I am pleased, could not really ask for more. Oh but how wrong I was.
In the 38th minute, Stevens joins the party. Ruiz passes beautifully to the midfielder, Stevens. In such wet conditions, this was a very well executed pass. Stevens uses his skill to turn the ball around his marker and scores from 20 yards out. Truly remarkable goa.
By the 45th minute, the game is pretty mucho ours, but I am disappointed as I see Ruiz being stretched off. King replaces him on the right wing.
Second half:
Their manager must have said something, because Watford come out attacking. But it’s still not good enough to break down the Dons defence. The match ends as no other team scores a goal till full time. We have won 3-0, a convincing win away from home, against a side placed 11th. We still trail Newcastle by 4 points, 5 games in hand though. Title this season seems highly likely.
Final Score:
Watford 0 -3 AFC Wimbledon
Baudry (32), Ruiz (34), Stevens (38)
“So, what do you think of the tactic, do you reckon you will use it again?” Brad looked jovial.
“Yes, I actually will. But I might try using Smirnoff next time, see how he plays upfront by himself.”
"Mind giving me a pay-rise?" Brad asks.
"Too soon Brad, too soon."
The Don Domination - A story foretold 
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