retired_Genesis777

I meant to put this bit earlier, but I forgot. Either way, it's now here:

Game: FM2006 v6.0.3
Leagues: England (Conference N/S and higher), Germany, Italy, Spain (top leagues only) (All on normal detail)
Attribute Masking: On
Real Players: Off
Database Size: Normal
The database has been changed so that Leicester now have a brilliant, loyal manager and a chairman who interferes too often (though with real names off I couldn’t get their names right.)

retired_Genesis777

Pre-season freindlies results:
Yeading (A) W4-1 Scorers: Tom Lee, Rigby, Edgar, Sullivan
Swindon (H) L0-1
Hayes (A) D2-2 Scorers: Atkinson, Edgar
Ipswich (H) L0-2

I won’t go into detail over these meaningless matches, since all except Hayes went as expected. Swindon and Ipswich were always going to beat us, though we can take some pride in keeping the scores respectable. Yeading were surprisingly easy, even if that scoreline flatters us. We should’ve beaten Hayes, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it. After the defeat to Ipswich, I decided there was something I was going to lose sleep over. I spent a lot of the money I’d made renting a car and started to drive to Leicester. I was out of patience and needed to know what was going on.

***

The phone rang, eventually bringing James back to consciousness. A couple of swings of his arm knocked the phone to the floor, from where he then picked it up. ‘What?’ he snapped sleepily into it.

‘It’s Brown, sir. He’s on his way to Leicester.’

James snapped awake in an instant. ‘Right. I’m on my way to the stadium. But you know what to do in the meantime: stop Brown getting anywhere near us, whatever it takes.’

retired_w0lfpack1

Interesting take on it - I like the dates/real players twist.

Here's hoping you keep this level of quality - I'm hooked!

Nothing like creating a great villain to start a story with.

retired_Genesis777

Thanks for the praise, Amaroq.

***

It didn't take me that long to get to the M5 and find myself cruising down the nearly deserted, half-soaked motorway, half-listening to the miserable late-night radio, even if my mind was more focused on the task at hand. Suddenly, I saw a car coming down the wrong side of the motorway towards me; it may be night-time but that's no excuse for driving down a motorway the wrong way. We got closer together and I stayed fixated on him and noticed his relative lack of speed. Then, with only a short distance between us, he turned and broke sharply so that he was blocking my path, the car sitting sideways, immobile.

I slammed my foot down on the brake. But, realising there wasn't enough time to stop in this drizzle, I instead tried to go around the stopped car. I thought a little too slowly and as I reached near it, I threw the steering wheel right, knowing I'd hit the crash barrier. I didn't: someone had left a slope that instead threw me over the barrier and left me sitting in the middle of the motorway.

I didn’t stay there long: I turned the car left and continued towards Leicester, down the wrong side of the motorway. Someone, and I could guess who, was trying to stop me and I had no intention of hanging around to let them. I swerved round the occasional car, not daring to go too fast as I searched for an exit, so that I could get to Leicester in safety: you couldn’t pull a stunt like that in the middle of a city. Then I saw it. A wall of light suddenly appeared in the distance, flashing into life as it crossed the horizon and covering both sides of the motorway while moving quickly towards me. As we grew nearer to one another, it became apparent that there was a line of 5 bulldozers, on either side of the motorway, with no gaps between them and no way to squeeze through.

I span 180 degrees in my car and saw that there was another line of bulldozers, but only on the other side of the motorway, racing towards the stopped car. I also spotted that car's driver, standing in the middle of the motorway, about half a mile ahead of me. My headlights caught something shiny he was holding. It took me a moment to recognise it as a gun. I unfastened my seatbelt and threw myself to the floor of my car, putting my hands on the accelerator, pushing with all my might. Two shots, one of them shattering a window rang loudly through the car. Once the shooting had ended, I pulled myself back up into my seat and set about weaving through the traffic I was going so much faster than. Once I'd managed to slow down, I realised I couldn't here the radio program about the philanthropy of the rich over the ringing of my mobile phone. Knowing who it was, I broke the law by answering it.

'Take the hint Brown. Don't come back to Leicester anytime soon.'

retired_Genesis777

Once I’d driven back to Worcester, I found I couldn’t sleep, and that my mind was fixated on what had happened and whether the car’s insurance covered attempted murder. I couldn’t afford to pay for the broken window, scratches and bullet hole to be fixed. After a while, I gave up on sleep and got out of the haystack, trying not to wake Goatee (who slept in the bed) as I stumbled up to my office with the half-formed idea of reviewing my transfers and squad.

Before the season had started, I’d sent my scouts to look for any half-decent player desperate or drunk enough to join us. I’d also hired an assistant manager/scribe, some scouts and some coaches. I later became aware there was no transfer window, however I had then thought I was fighting against time and made the following transfers before the league began:

Players In

Kyle Brown (DM, English, 23yrs.) £3,000 from Team Bath
Useful player, who'll be in the running for the midfield roles.

David Harvey (SW, D RC, English, 20yrs.) Free Transfer
Good defender who's very determined. Not currently good enough for the first team, but one day... (The wisdom of getting a reserve player when you have no reserve team is another matter, though.)

Craig Hillier (AM C, Wales, 1 U21 cap, 19yrs.) Season-long loan from Wrexham
Very good player, who I may (if I'm lucky) get permanently. I later found out he had already played for Worcester.

Players Out

David Harding (M L, Eng, uncapped, 41yrs.) Free transfer to Hinckley
An overpaid, mediocre player who was sold to free up wage money.

retired_Genesis777

August 2005

We started the season away at Hednesford, in a match we'd be happy to draw. It was a dull match, won 1-0 by us with Ben Clark getting the goal from the only shot on target. It took us 9th in the table, not that it matters at this point in the season. Before our next match, I tried to sign a few players. Since most seemed to see us as a swamp surrounded by mire and located in the middle of a missile range, this proved difficult. Through loaning, lying and scouring very obscure sides, I acquired these players:

Scott Nixon (M C, Eng, uncapped, 22yrs.) Free from Hampton & Richmond
Useful player who'll provide more competition for the midfield role.

Stephen Thomas (AM L, ST, Eng, uncapped, 17yrs.) 6-month loan from Tranmere
We needed competition for Daniel Edgar and this guy looked more than capable of providing it. He's a very good player, though I felt Edgar was better.

We should've beaten Stafford, our next opposition. Gould had very little to do (no saves at all), yet we couldn't score against a stubborn Stafford defence as we drew another dull match 0-0. Still, 4 points from 2 games was a good enough record, and we had yet to concede.

The next match, away at Redditch, provided no such frustrations, as Stephen Thomas shot us into the lead. Quickfire goals from Hillier and Thomas after the break confirmed our victory, and though Redditch got a late consolation goal, it didn't matter, as we ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.

A fairly even home match against Moor Green saw Thomas again scoring, with Kyle Brown doubling the scoreline shortly into the second half. It stayed that way giving us a 2-0 victory with Daniel Edgar having a good game, setting up both goals. That aside, Moor Green probably deserved a draw, but these things even out (or, as I hope, they don't). At the end of the month, we were second in the league, behind Hucknall on goal difference. Since the board only wanted a midtable finish, I found an arrogant pride in this.

retired_Genesis777

‘I’m sorry, Mr. Lloyd. It seems that we cannot track down most of the players Brown signed.’

‘And why is that?’

‘Well, in a few cases they’ve moved clubs and-‘

‘No,' barked James, 'It’s because you and your team of idiots cannot do your job properly. I told you “take us back to when Brown was appointed.” What did you do? Screw up the year and take everyone we knew away!’

‘But, Mr. Lloyd, we-‘

‘I don’t want to hear the end of any sentences. Now get out of my office or there will be one less person we know.’

‘Is that a death threat?’

‘Yes. Get over it,’ James snarled. At that point, the man to whom James had been speaking stood up and slowly walked out of the office. Once he was sure the man was gone, James picked up his phone and dialled a number. He waited for an answer, then spoke. ‘It would seem that we are going to have to scout for players the old-fashioned way: with scouts.’

***

As James was bemoaning his need to use scouts, I was signing some players who had been recommended by scouts. At the very moment James picked up the phone, I was debating how little I should pay a player with his agent.

‘We want a hundred quid a week on a part time contract.’

‘I’ll give you a tenner and first choice of lunch every day.’

‘How am I supposed to take 10% of a lunch, idiot? We’ll go as low as £95.'

‘£30.’

‘£80 plus first choice of meal.’

‘£60 and second choice. I want first choice.’

‘Done.’

And so, we shook hands on the deal and the player joined our club, as I looked to the future of the club. For some reason, it involved a bird swooping out of the sky and grabbing the ball.

***

Players In

Richard Jones (SW, D RC, English, 22yrs.) £2,000 from Eastliegh
Purchased primarily as a centre-back, Jones is a good defender.

Matthew Buckley (ST, English, 19yrs.) £1,000 from Blackpool
A young player who's fairly good and should get better. He’s sluggish, but good in the air.

retired_Genesis777

September 2005

After a fortnight's break, we faced a tough Barrow side away from home. They dominated the match, and it was no surprise when they took the lead from a Jon Foster-Agg freekick. Matthew Buckley headed in a Chris Holt cross to put us back on level terms. That lasted barely 5 minutes before Barrow retook the lead. I tried to inspire my team at half-time, but when Daniel Edgar went down injured in the 60th minute, the team seemed to give up and accept the 2-1 defeat. Edgar's injury was expected to keep him out for 3-5 months and it was clear obtaining cover for him was necessary. Since a player of similar quality would require large wages and a better side that Worcester, loans were the only option available and we quickly found someone willing to join with only our 10th request. The joining fool was:

Michael Wilson (AM L, English, 19yrs.) 4-month loan from Farnborough
With Edgar injured, we turned in need to the mighty team of... Farnborough? Damnit! Anyway, this guy is quite good (best available) and is brilliant with crosses and free kicks. He also accelerates quickly, though since his top speed is so low, it seems wasted.

Gainsborough came to Worcester to play the next match. For 'play' read 'stick all of their men in the defensive third and get them to whack the ball at our goal in the hope that our keeper has fallen asleep from watching them do so for 90 minutes'. If I'd've been in goal it would've worked. Anyway, we dominated play, but never really got a decent shot in, and it was this that cost us two deserved points in the 0-0 draw. Our best chance was a penalty, which Tom Lee squandered, in a demonstration of the match's dullness.

A FA Cup Qualifying match against Marine offered a chance for us to boost our morale. Marine, like Gainsborough, sought to stick everyone between the ball and their goal while playing for penalties (in the replay). It worked for 74 minutes, before Dave Harrison got himself sent off for a foul on Buckley. Michael Wilson blasted the resulting free kick into the net, breaking the deadlock. A fluke goal from Tom Lee seemed to open the floodgates, but we never managed to grab a third.

Workington away was the final fixture of the month and produced yet another dull match. Neither side ever looked like scoring and there wasn't even a shot on target. The less said about it, the better.

The month had been poor for Worcester with no victories, a bad 2-1 defeat and a long-term injury coming out of the league matches. But, we were still in the cup.

retired_Genesis777

I sat at my desk after the Workington game, wondering where our attack had disappeared to, with my eyes staring, out of focus, at the computer game I was playing. We hadn’t won a league game in a month and we desperately needed to somehow improve. October didn’t look promising: it was already scheduled to have 5 matches, though there could be as many as 8 if we needed replays in the cup. Still, our 3rd qualifying round opponents were non-league Consett and they shouldn’t be too difficult.

I became aware of the phone ringing and answered it by saying, with my usual wit, ‘hello.’

‘Good evening, Mr. Brown,’ said a voice which sounded fake and was clearly disguised. Presumably, they didn’t want me to know who it was; this worked.

‘Who is this?’ I asked, suspicious.

‘That information is irrelevant. What is relevant is that I understand you wish to enquire about certain recent events regarding Leicester City Football Club.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘Once again, that is something you do not need to know. Do you want to know how you can investigate what is going on?’

‘Yes. Yes, I do.’

‘I will call back with details soon. Be at your phone at this time every day until I do so. And, Mr. Brown, let me make a few things clear: do not call the police, attempt to trace my location or generally do anything I do not wish for you to do. I will find out. Goodbye.’

‘Goodbye,’ I replied, but they’d already hung up. I turned back to my computer and found that I’d forgotten to pause it and was now dead. That annoyed me more than the sheer weirdness of the conversation.

retired_Genesis777

October 2005

We went into our match against Alfreton expecting another dull match, and when we headed to the dressing room at half time with the score still 0-0, it looked like we were right. Then came the second half. Bouzis missed an easy chance, but Ben Clark kicked the rebound in to give us the lead. It still wasn't very good football, but we'd take the 1-0 win as we headed into the final 10 minutes. Michael Wilson scored another free kick, before Alfreton pulled one back without us touching the ball from the kick off. A Stephen Thomas brace rounded out a memorable conclusion to the match as we picked up all three points in a match that where we’d scored as many goals in 90 minutes as we had in the preceding month.

The 3rd qualifying round FA Cup-tie against Consett was next and we were confident. Matthew Buckley scored what seemed to be the winner early in the match, but then Scott Nixon was sent off for a second yellow card. This was especially annoying since his first had been the result of a dive. Still we fought on and a quarter-hour later it was 10 vs. 10. They still equalised though, in the 95th minute. That meant I had to sit through the awful match that was the replay three days later. It finished 0-0 after about two months and it came down to penalties. Unfamiliar with shooting, the Consett players simply couldn't score and we went through.

After that energy-sapping waste of time, we took on Leigh RMI in an away match. Michael Wilson scored the only way he knows how, with a free kick from the edge of the area. That was the only time we had an accurate shot on a match dominated by our opponents. They couldn't score though and we picked up the three points.

Without Wilson in our next match against Farnborough (he couldn't face his own side) in the final FA Cup qualifying round, we had to rely on other methods to beat them. Once again we won by the only shot on target, this time thanks to Cakir Tayfun, but this time it was a deserved victory. The match also saw Kyle Brown suffering a sprained ankle that would keep him out for a month.

A good Lancaster side visited us when we returned to league action. However good they were, we were simply brilliant and dominated the match. A hat trick from Stephen Thomas settled the match, as we got a 3-0 victory in our best performance to date.

We left it late in our next match, this time against Droylsden, but a single goal was all we needed. Ben Clark's 84th minute goal saw us win 1-0, getting our 5th consecutive clean sheet in the progress.

October had been a good month for Worcester, even though our performances weren’t particularly good. We needed to start playing good attacking football consistently, but we were still second in the league behind Hucknall, who looked like winning the title this season.