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William Foster sat back in his chair and took another swig from his 5th can of Strongbow. “Yup! That just about sums up the strangest 13 months of my life!” he uttered to no-one in particular. The date was Sunday the 9th July 2006 and like the vast majority of the country, William had just spent the last 90 minutes watching the World Cup Final. He looked around the room at his friends who seemed quite shocked and dismayed by what they had just witnessed, all except for Brian who was dancing drunkenly about the room due to the fact that his new adopted Nation had been victorious.
England, France and Spain had all been kicked out of the competition in the 2nd round and, as a fierce Arsenal supporter, Brian had declared it his mission to cheer on Ivory Coast for the remainder of the competition due to them featuring a pair of Arsenal defenders. Therefore, as loyal Spurs fans, William and his friends Alex and Lee had become Sweden supporters for the day as the two sides ran out for the Final. A convincing 2-0 win secured the Trophy for Ivory Coast and more annoyingly earned Brian the right to wear a smug grin for the next few months or maybe even longer.
After enduring Brian's gloating for a few more hours the group decided to call it a night and head home. William fell into the backseat of the cab for the journey to the other side of London and closed his eyes in an effort to stop the world spinning. He really did fear for his sanity these days and the alcohol didn't help matters one bit. 2005 started out making complete sense; he had a dead-end IT job working for an office supplies company and spending the weekends down the pub with his mates. Now in mid-2006 he'd seen Ivory Coast lifting the most prestigious trophy in national football while he was preparing for a second season as manager of Millwall FC – could things get any more crazy?
Been a long-time lurker and have been reading some of the fantastic stories here so I thought it's about time I tried to give something back. Hopefully this will work but it's been about 15 years since I've written any kind of story so please be gentle
Playing FM2006 version 6.0.2 with all English leagues and some from: France, Germany, Italy, Holland, N. Ireland, Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, Spain & Wales. With huge database (I like to have plenty of player choice).
Finished my first season before starting the story which will explain why there will be a bit of to-and-froing. Hopefully it'll make sence
Slightly wary about the lack of preview button tho :/
Mornings are nasty, clearly the worst part of the day by far. William fell out of bed after being rudely awakened by the persistent alarm. Still groggy after last night's drinking he headed for a quick shower, the cool water doing little to help him regain his full mental capacity; He NEEDED coffee. Ten minutes later he pulled open the front door to his rented house and winced as he was greeted by the brightness of the morning sun. Quickly slipping on his sunglasses and folding his normal pair into his shirt pocket he grabbed his laptop and headed off to work.
As he walked he looked up and saw the shape of The Den rising above the tops of the buildings, only a mere 10 minute walk from where he now lived. He'd set out half an hour early for work, like he had done every day since discovering a rather nice little cafe which was conveniently positioned near to his route. He couldn't fault the efficiency and professionalism of Josh, the guy they'd assigned as his personal assistant, but the lad couldn't make a decent cup of coffee to save his life.
Locating a free table in the cafe he sat himself down and closed his eyes as he waited for his laptop to boot. Fulham would be visiting for a friendly in just 7 days time and he still was not 100% happy with his choice of strikers. A clattering of china woke him with a start, he hadn't realized he'd dozed off while sitting there. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the friendly smile of the young red-haired waitress who had brought over his usual order, “Good morning, here's your coffee”.
He smiled back, “Morning, Lisa .....”
A shout from behind the counter interrupted him before he could say any more and with a resigned look on her face Lisa rushed back to the kitchen. The owner was a nice enough guy but certainly didn't have any tolerance for his staff “standing around chatting while there are paying customers to serve”. He felt sorry for the poor girl who always managed to greet him with a smile despite being run off her feet every morning.
He took a nice long drink of his coffee, and turned back to his laptop. His smile turned to a frown as he was greeted with the familiar error message. Yet again, the flaky client software that Millwall's computer system required had crashed again. He really should get that sorted out now, but then again it was this same computer system that had been responsible for him being where he was today.
Second time lucky and the software let him into his email account. He chuckled as he saw the first email was from his assistant manager, David Tuttle, with a subject line that simply read: “More??”.
It wasn't Will's fault, it was in his nature to collect things. He had always seemed to just acquire stuff and this personality trait clearly had spilt over to his Managerial duties. In the 13 months or so since he'd had the job he had brought in no-less than 36 players while only 8 had moved else-ware. To his credit, he'd only spent half the amount that his sales had brought in and hence the chairman was not at all bothered by this. His assistant manager, however, was constantly joking about all the extra work trying to organise the Reserve and U18 squads. No doubt this latest email was in reference to the 6 new young trialists he'd invited to train with the club for a few weeks.
He finished up his coffee and closed the lid of his laptop, probably about time he headed into the office. Leaving the money for his bill and a sizable tip, he got up and made for the exit.
As Will walked through the head office doors he was immediately greeted by the usual chaos – this time caused by a delivery of 400 self-inflatable rabbits which had been set-off somehow and had exploded out of their boxes. Neatly side-stepping a young temp who had been tasked with gathering them all up he made a bee-line for his office. Closing the door behind him he sat down at his desk and and tried to focus on today's tasks.
Overall last season had been very good on several counts but consistency was not one of them. While charting his progress over the season had produced quite a nice zig-zag pattern to stick on the wall, the reality of the situation had not been so amusing when they'd dropped to the lower positions. However, once the last whistle had blown on the season Millwall had found themselves in 9th place. An outstanding achievement, especially for a Rookie Manager who really didn't have a clue what he was doing. This season he wanted to do better, not least because a poor season would give the chairman an excuse to replace him with a proper manager, but also after a year he really would miss the place if he had to leave.
He turned to the squad lists and looked at the numbers. 23 players in the main squad, 22 in the reserves and a mighty 24 training in the Under 18s; Perhaps his assistant manager did have a point? Shrugging away his doubts he began to review his notes on his main squad.
Keepers:
Andy Marshall - As owner of the number 1 shirt last season, the 31 year old performed reasonably well. However, with only 7 clean sheets in 36 games and a less than convincing overall performance he'll now be spending most of this season warming the bench.
Geert De Vlieger - At 34 years old and with very little action at Man City for the past two seasons, the Belgian ex-International was a bit of a gamble. Signed recently on a free transfer, he should retain the spot between the posts this season but will miss the first few friendlies as he is recovering from a broken foot.
Adrian Serioux - A Canadian International who was a solid presence at right back last season and will most likely be first choice there this season too.
Matt Lawrence - A 32 year old starting his 8th season as a Millwall player. A reliable, tho not outstanding, performance least season will earn him a starting place in central defence for most games this season.
Goran Bunjevcevic - An experienced central defender purchased early into last season from Spurs for 85K. Made 28 good appearances last season and will be used in rotation throughout this season.
Paul Robinson - A product of the Millwall youth system and entering his 7th year at the club. Powerful but not technically-gifted and prone to making poor judgments which have often lead to conceded goals. Made a dozen appearances last year and will likely get the same this year for some needed match experience.
Nuno Morais - One of several Chelsea rejects who have made the move to The Den (along with his younger brother Filipe who will play in the reserves). Very promising central defender despite being a bit short. Will be given a good few games to aid his development.
Tony Craig - Another Millwall youth, this one in his 5th season. One of many to try and make a difference in last season's troubled left back position. Not overly impressive in half a dozen attempts but will hopefully get a few more tries this season as he has been impressing in training.
Joe Keenan - Another of the Chelsea rejects and brought in as first choice for left back. A speedy and hard-working youngster who should perform very well in this role.
Darren Kenton - At 200K this player is the most expensive purchase he'd made. A strong and versatile defender that can play anywhere at the back was brought in from Southampton in late August last year. Likely to see quite a bit of action as either rotation or first choice substitute.
Roman Mahlich - 34 year old Austrian ex-International defensive midfielder who was brought in early last season for his experience and defensive abilities. Played 24 games last season and should get a reasonable amount this season also.
Ednilson - A young Portuguese talent that was initially brought in as a future replacement for Mahlich. Did well enough last season to make 25 starting appearances and showed some signs of pure brilliance.
Dennis Wise - Persuaded to return in a purely playing role during a spout of injuries last season. Made a dozen appearances and aided the team with 4 goals. Needs to be kept away from the chairman but otherwise should make a good few appearances this season.
David Livermore - Versatile and tireless player who can play in a variety of positions, but has made nearly every one of his 36 appearances in his preferred positions of left or central midfield. Despite three leg injuries over last season, he played enough to be voted Fans Player of the Year for his contributions in assists and outstanding performances. Big part of the plans for this coming season and will retain the captain's armband.
Jody Morris - A well liked and gifted central midfielder who is capable or creating and scoring goals. Featured in nearly all games last season and will likely repeat that this season although will have to improve his performances just a little with some improved competition in the squad this season.
James Beaumont - At 21 this midfielder is showing some very good signs and so will be given plenty of games. A similar player to Morris will provide some good competition to get both players working their hardest.
Fangueiro - One of two players fighting it out for the right wing. Fast and determined and able to make several good goal-scoring opportunities.
Barry Cogan - Has the advantage of youth and skill over Fangueiro but failed to do much better than him last season. Certainly has the potential to be very good in this position but is lacking on match experience so far.
Leandro - This up-and-coming Hungarian star has played at both left wing and up front. 10 goals and 11 assists in 36 games was only let down by some occasional inconsistent performances. Will be first choice on the left wing and should play most games, expecting an even better season for him this time round.
Alexis Kubilskis - Caused quite a stir on arrival at the club last season, despite not being a big name. A very promising 19 year old Belgian player who can play in most positions in midfield or up front. Ideally should play the season in reserves or on loan but keeps his place in the main squad by being the best backup for the AML currently.
Barry Hayles - A 34 year old veteran who still makes appearances for Jamaica. Made 35 starts last season and was Millwall's top hitman with 21 goals. Works well when in a pair upfront but so far has not shown much promise when used as a lone striker.
Richie Foran - Brought in for 35K after an injury to Hayles last season. Only managed 8 goals in 27 appearances which has left doubts as to how well he would perform this season. Will be used as a sub and maybe given the occasional start.
Jason Walker - Ideally classed as a promising player but was unhappy to sit in the reserves last season. Made 15 appearances and grabbed 6 goals which earned him a spot in the main squad. Likely to get a few games but will probably complain before then and will perhaps be allowed to move on to pastures new.
So, a clear weakness in firepower on paper – although in practice it didn't seem to matter as much as it should. Last season Millwall had been second in goals-scored only to Champions Crystal Palace. Even so, Will was planning to apply a 4-1-2-2-1 formation to most games this season and thus some more depth of choice in strikers would be helpful.
Ofcource he also had all those players in the Reserves and U18s to call upon, but they were mainly for his assistant manager to take care of. Last season had seen one or two perform well enough to earn a few first team appearances tho, and he wouldn't be surprised if there were a few more seeing first team action this season.
He started to open the notes on his reserves when the screen went black. A power cut? Just typical. Shrugging his shoulders in resignation he decided to go and help that poor temp rounding up the inflatable rabbits.
Good early development to the storyline, setting it up nicely. :thup:
Always good to welcome a quality new writer, keep up the good work!
Many people here write in notepad or Word and cut/paste into the post window, given the lack of preview or editting options. Leads to a fair few bold/italic etc errors, but they're always fixable by asking for an edit in the Mod Request thread.
I've found a possible solution by pasting the text into a local copy of phpbb that I have to hand. Since the markup is similar I'll hopefully not mess up too often.
Thrown to the Lions 
Linear Mode
