retired_jessicabraden

I had snuck into the recent FMS awards and sat at the rear of the room, I obviously caught the doormen off guard as I gatecrashed the FMS event of the year.

The Rossiya Hotel in Moscow was the venue and it was to be attended bu so many world wide famous managers, journalists and others linked to football.

I (Slobadan Zitface) had borrowed a suit to sneak in and find out what happened at this most prestigious event.

The drinks flowed nicely, (well you have to take advantage of the free vodka bar). I can't believe how easy it was getting into the venue, nobody had asked me for ID although they could tell I was over 21, and nobody had asked what my connections with football were. I sat there and observed as each ward was issued.

My connections with football was very limited I floated around the Russian 1st division a few years ago but had to call time on my playing career due to a nasty horse riding accident. I had managed to obtain my coaching badges but had failed to secure a job with a football club. I had applied for numerous managerial posts but to no avail.

The awards go smoothly and I meet loads of nice people, a few question who I am and what I'm up to but I manage to bluff my way through as there Russian was very limited.

I look across the room and a young blond woman beckons me over she is stunning a real piece of artwork, she is sitting with 4 middle aged gentleman (obviously a few years older than myself). I ignore her for a while and then sneakily look across again this time she waves and signals me to go over.

I think about it and build up the courage pick up my double Vodka and Red Bull and stroll across to her table. What was I letting myself in for?

retired_workingmom77

Come on Leo, we all know you were on WKD

retired_jessicabraden

They must have sold out by the time this bird pulled me in. Anyway........


She looks at me and stares at me with a lovely pair of sparkling blue eyes "Hello"

"Hi" I reply nervously having to be careful as one of the 4 men might be her husband. That's happened to me once or twice before.

"We've been watching you all night and we recognise you from somewhere but we can't put our finger on it"

Now what do I say, do I lie through the back of my teeth or do I tell the truth. I decide the best bet is to return the question.

"I thought I recognised you as well, but I think it must have been from a few years ago"

"Oh you have a good memory then, its been about 10 years"

I look puzzled what did I do with this woman 10 years ago, the thought is not worth thinking about, it can't have been that good of an experience or I would have remembered. I whad not got a clue who she was, but I wasn't going to blow my chances of a slow dance by admitting that I shouldn't even be at the awards.

"These are my business partners" she explained "We are currently on the board of Russian first division side Volgar-Gazprom Astrakham"

"Oh right, thats sound interesting" lying again. Who the hell was Volgar the name sounded posh, thats all I knew.

I try and make light conversation my eyes fixed on hers. "How's things going?"

"We've had a few challenges this season, things haven't been going as planned, but you face hurdles in football don't you"

"My oh my, you certainly do, I've jumped a few in my time"

We both laugh "I bet you have, you hunky boy" we continue to chuckle. She begins to flirt. I can't respond although I want to as I still do not know who these men were.

"What are you doing now?" she enquires again.

"Nothing much, things are hard at the moment, I'm doing a bit of this and that" I wasn't lying this time at least I explained that I was not linked to football at the moment.

"Well by chance we are looking for staff at the club" The men around the table look at her their attentions to us. They are obviously wondering what she is going to ask next. Well so do I....

retired_jessicabraden

"Do you want to dance" she enquired

I look at the dance floor and theres a couple of guys on there doing the hokey cokey and then what looked like a chicken laying eggs. "Rather not, I can't do anything like that"

"Well thats let go to the bar"

I got the impression that she wanted to move away from the men she was with, was she trying to come onto me?

We walk to the bar, I ask her what she wants to drink. "Can I have a sweet white wine please"

"Can I have a sweet white wine and a Blue WKD please?"

The barman serves us the drinks and I turn to return to the table, "No, not yet"

She leads me to a lounge area thats in the main reception of the hotel. "You don't remember me do you?"

"Well, to be honest not really, should I?

She laughs and holds my hand, "Legs 11, about 8 years ago, I had just started working there and you were the first person to put some money down my suspender belt"

I clicked on, I was at a stag night and ended up in some seedy lap dancing bar. It was the first time that I had been to anything like this before and was extremely nervous and drunk. I can remember the girl parading in front of me with a gorgeous figure and a wonderful pair of eyes. This woman was that woman. She'd certainly aged probably from all the clinging to that cold pole. But she still had a great figure.

"How can you remember me, loads of men must have down what I'd done."

"Yeah but you were the first, I also have a good memory"

"But you said that you all recognised me, your going to tell me they were in the club as well"

She giggles "No of course, they don't know what I'd got up to before, I had to make an excuse when they caught me looking over all the time and I said that you used to play football"

"I did.....Sadly I got injured and had to call time on my career, I have applied for a few managerial jobs but to no avail I have the qualifications, just need to get my foot in somewhere then I can show people what I can do"

"Well.....Leave it with me I'll see what I can do, by the war whats your name?"

"Slobadan....Solobadan Zitface and yours"

"Duwana"

She leans across and gives me a kiss on the cheek, here's my phone number call me in a couple of days and I may have some interesting news for you.

I sit in the lounge area and watch as she walks back to the main room, her hips and rear swinging from side to side, she was still sexy.

retired_jessicabraden

I don't return to the main room and sneak out the front the fresh air hitting me. It mush have been that last bottle of WKD its's gone right to my head. I walk across the square and head for the metro. It's cold and damp and I'm shivering.

The journey on the metro was a blur, I stare into space a couple of times and end up in Slobadan's own little world. The thoguht of casting my eye over Duwana again, fancy meeting her and fancy her being linked to football.

I fumble for the piece of paper thats inside my suit jacket and pull it out, it had got her phone number on and signed with a kiss.

I will have to call her in the next couple of days I'm not to hopeful but she may have some contacts who will be offering me a trial at least. I am hopeful, well more hopeful than when I walked in.

retired_jessicabraden

Not a day goes past without thinking of Duwana every moment I look at the piece of paper she gave me at the awards. I start to question myself am I clinging to hope that she fancied me or that she could arrange a break into football. Who cares either option will do for me. I miss football but I also miss having a woman. I had drove my wife out as I was depressed, the football injury had caused major problems at home, sitting doing nothing around the house. I was sending her to work whilst I sat there and did nothing.

Days passed and I finally pulled up the courage to phone her. "Duwanna its Slobadan"

"Who" She giggles

"Slobadan Zitface we met at the awards the other day, you told me to phone you in a couple of days"

"I know who you are, you silly muppett, I thought you would have phoned me earlier"

"Well I would of, but I haven't been feeling to well, had a bit of a dodgy stomach, think it was something I must have eaten"

"Are you ok now? I want to come and see you with some proposition"

"I'm fine, what's the proposition, tell me now"

"No you must wait, whats your address, I'll be over later this afternoon, you going to be in?"

I give her my address and agree to meet her later that afternoon.



The time passes so slowly I pace around the house not able to concentrate on anything I look at the Vodka bottle and I'm tempted to pour myself a large shot. I convince myself some how that that would be a bad idea. I need to remain focused. I mean she could be asking me anything.

I look out of the window and see a lovely sports car pull up outside. I open the door you'd better move that car, put it on the drive its safer. "Don't worry about the car, its an old one anyway"

That would definitely get the neighbours talking a posh car outside the house and a good looking woman coming into it. I can see the curtains twitching on the house over the road and give her a wave.

"Do you want a drink?"

"No thanks, I won't be long, I think you might be interested in my proposition so come and sit down beside me"

I pull up a chair, she opens her briefcase and pulls out a piece of paper.

"Now then, I have been busy over the last couple of days, talking to colleagues at the football club. I have convinced them to offer you a short trial at the club"

I can't believe it she's pulled it off, shes got me into a foobtall club. "Thanks whats the managers name, does he know about me?"

"Ermmm...hang on Slobadan you will be the manager and you will have somebody supporting you."

WHAT...she'd gone one better I was going to be the manager of Volgar-Gazprom Astrakham.

"Well what do you think"

"I don't have to think about anything of course I'm interested, how did you manage that?"

"Thats for me to know, don't worry about it"

She hands me the piece of paper "Here's some bedtime reading, phone me in the morning if everything is ok with it, and we'll take it from there. I must shoot"

She sees herself out as I'm in shock this stranger has offered me a break into football how unbelievable is that and all because I slapped a few quid in her suspender belt.

I read the paper and agree to all the terms and conditions it was a short deal just up until the end of the season and for a poor amount of money but who cares. Once your in a job its easier to find another one. I decide that I wouldn't phone her back straight away as I didn't want to appear to eager.

I walk to the internet cafe and decide that I'd better do a bit of research into the new club as I hadn't really heard much about them. I was still going to join them no matter what.

retired_jessicabraden

Well Volgar-Gazprom Astrakham play in the city of Astrakhan in the Tsentralnyi Stadion a 30,500 capacity which was built in 1955. well thats what http://www.worldstadiums.com inform me. The picture of the ground looks ok, not the state of the art but who was I to comment on. I mean I am a nobody and I'm going to walk in as a manager of a football club I hadn't been this excited since my wedding day and look what happened to that.

It would be a bit of a jornery to and from the ground but how much did I want this job. Of course I wasn't going to turn it down and if push comes to shove I would have to consider moving I mean what was holding me back here.

retired_jessicabraden

I phone Duwana up the next day. "Hiya its Slobadan just thought I'd ring to let you know I accept, I'd be a fool to turn the offer down and I'm ready to start whenever"

"Thats great news I'll pick you up tomorrow at 0800 hours drive you to the ground and introduce you to everybody"

"Is everybody ok, about me taking the job?"

"Don't worry about that its sorted they owe me one anyway, to be honest we have been struggling to fill the vacancy and your available why not, things can't be worse than they already are, see you at 8 in the morning"

Thats it I'm the new manager and to be unveiled tomorrow.

retired_jessicabraden

Slobadan Zitface is the man to put pride into football at Volgar. This was the message from board member Duwana Rider after appoint Zitface as the new manager of Volgar Gazprom Astrakham.

Inexpereienced in managerial terms Zitface has been offered a 1 year contract with his brief to starve off relegation.

Zitface a former lower league player wants to bring exciting attacking football to the club. Zitface is not concerned that some people are not impressed with his appointment "I want to find out sonner or later whether I can grasp the skills to be a successful manager and this is the perfect place for me to start.

Zitface is under no illusions about the job that he faces and it is clear to stear Volgar from the drop zone. Zitface refuses to predict how successful he will be, this division is going to be tight our main aim is to remain safe, obviously the higher up the league the better we are. We have to pick up as many points as we can as soon as we can and show progression. "

Zitface has been allocated some money for transfer dealings. "I need to make sure that I spend this money wisely I need to assess the players that we currently have before rushing in and finding any alternatives. I will only bring better players into the squad if it takes the club forward. I am sure that there are good players here already!"

retired_jessicabraden

Its only days before my first game, and we have to travel to highflging KamAZ. I had inherited a team 15th in the first division, a team that had been widely tipped for promotion. Anyway lets not dwell on the facts. I was now the manager and had been appointed to do a job.

Volgar romed to a 4-1 victory over 5th placed KamAZ. The home side were immediately under pressure from the start and it was obvious that Volgar would take the lead early on with numerous shots justmissing the target. Bestaev scored after 10 minutes. Amirov added goals 2 and 3 in the 60th and 65th minute. KamAZ pulled a goal back on 75 minutes but the 3 goal deficit was restored when Uzdenv scored with 4 minutes remaining on the clock.

Volgar manager Slobadan Zitface was in a happy mood after his side dished out the thrashing. "We played some wonderful stuff at times and to get 4 goals is fantastic. Its far to easy to comment on what I can acheive but this has been the excellent start and I wouldn't have dreamed that the result was going to be this big.