A moonshot

[Alephmoonwalker]

THE INTERVIEW

--------------------------------

Steve was at the foot of the staircase, tapping and swiping really quickly on his phone. I couldn't tell if he was catching up on one of his mobile games or catching up on the barrage of emails and messages that he receives on a daily basis. Even as he was doing that, he seemed to be in control; calm and focused despite having a tsunami of things coming his way through the screen.

Steve has been here from the first day the company landed on the island. He was entrusted to lead the pioneer team of architects, engineers, builders and support staff to lay the foundations for the rest of the team, and the work he has done around here is reportedly, phenomenal. Known to be meticulous and highly resourceful, Steve had a natural ability to untangle complex situations and make things happen, earning him a reputation as "The Fixer".

--

"You good to go?" asked Steve as he put away his mobile phone when he saw me approaching.

"I have this," I said, raising my cup of coffee in a toast to him.

"This is your last chance to turn back you know."

"I told you, I don't want to bum around and I think this will help me figure things out. Don't worry about me, I'm sure about helping out."

"If you say so. Come on, let's go."

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Here we go.

The meeting room was simply furnished but it was refined. A table made of a single piece of polished white stone anchored the room with a a vase of orchid flowers in the middle giving it a touch of elegance. A polished chrome aesthetic was evident in the furniture selection and the full height glass offered a majestic view of the vast lands below. The door swung open and a man in his late forties entered and commanded the space with his deep, authoritative voice. It was Mr Harry Lee, founder of Lunar Inc, the private real estate development and investment company that owns these islands and everything that's on it.

"How are you Aleph? I hope the medical staff have been taking good care of you and you are doing well," said the gentleman as he shook my hand, clearly not waiting for my answer. "Steve tells me that you want to make yourself useful around here as you continue your recovery," he continued.

"Yes Sir, I believe that work, gives man a purpose in life. I don't have much right now so, this would keep my mind and body well," I said with a voice that meant every word that was uttered.

"I must say I admire that: A desire to help yourself rather than just waiting for handouts," he continued, looking at me straight in the eyes as though he was sizing me up by looking into the depths of my soul.

"Do you know why I named the company Lunar Inc?" he asked. "Other than the fact that the moon carries a personal significance to me, it's because I believe in going for the moon. If we are going to do anything, then let it be a moonshot. This company was built to dream the impossible," he continued in dramatic fashion while once again showing an inclination to answering his own questions.

"I could buy over anything I want, a company, a football club, a city; but nothing gives me more satisfaction than building it up from scratch," said the man whom everyone calls Mr Lee.

He then stood up, and walked to the edge of the room, taking a moment to ponder the view outside the window like a proud colonialist admiring his conquered land.

"Five months ago, all this was virgin land. Today, it's a complex made up of our quick deployment prefabricated structures where 500 men, live and work tirelessly to put Phase Zero of Lunarcity in place. Next month, these men will finally be reunited with their families as they uproot and travel halfway round the world to resettle here and our population will increase four-fold overnight. And all this... towards the real dream that in a few years time, this will be a model community of the future - high quality of living, creative, sustainable, and prosperous."

Mr Lee paused for a moment and let the stillness hang in the air for his words to settle in. He then continued.

"But beyond all these hardware that I'm building, this new town needs one more ingredient to give it soul. Football. It builds character, it galvanizes communities, it gives people hope. It is faith."

Harry spoke with so much passion that I couldn't help but be swooned by his magnetic charisma. I was drawn deep into the vision that he had painted until the spell was broken when he looked directly at me and asked expectantly in a soft, voice: "Are you a man of football Aleph?"

I was caught by surprise but managed to recover in time to find an answer. "I absolutely am Sir. In fact, it's one of the few things that I can still remember."

"Good. Steve here will take care of all the administrative parts, and you, take care of the football and build me a club that will make the world remember this city. I've got to go. I'll be in touch."

And just like that, Harry shook my hand and Steve's before exiting the room leaving an eddy of confusion behind him.

"What was that?" I asked Steve.

To which he answered matter-of-factly: "I think he likes you. Congratulations, you are now the founding manager of Lunarcity F.C."

What? The **** just happened?

[Alephmoonwalker]

"I'll text you"

--------------------------

All this is ridiculously befuddling but let’s rewind a little bit to understand how we got to this point. The scene: an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain; a place that's warm, lush, and uninhabited - that is until Mr Lee exercised his clout to acquire all of it, freehold. He had grand plans and brought his team in to realize it, making them one of the first few people to land on the island. However, unlike their planned arrival, the circumstances around mine is a mystery.

The medical staff tells me that the workers found me unconscious at the river banks, without identification, and as it was discovered later, without any memory too. Since then, I've been nursed back into health at the medical facility where Steve was a regular visitor. In fact, he was the only one, sent by the company to ensure that I was doing fine. We chatted during those visits, part of a programme to help me draw out my past memories, but I had nothing. Amnesia had removed a lot of things from my brain though surprisingly, football retained a special place.

It was while watching football on the hospital TV that I realized that I have some grasp of footballing knowledge, the rules of the game, tactics, and a bit of footballing history. I could remember that I was a boyhood fan of Manchester United and have a very hazy memory of being at Old Trafford once. I also had the faculty to discuss with Steve the football that we watched, and it was this that led him to ask if I wanted to help out at a football project that he is working on after I get discharged. I had said yes, leading to the meeting with Mr Lee and clearly, I should have clarified the kind of help that he was asking.

How am I supposed to know how to manage a football club? I don't even know who I am! Hell, I know nothing at all!

"Hey, don't worry too much and overthink this. It's not like we are asking you to manage a Premiere League team! It's just a local team, and if our papers go through, we'll be at lowest tier of the whole English football league pyramid! We're all going to learn and build it up piece by piece." said Steve, trying to reassure me.*

Even then, what makes you think I know how to do this?!

"We'll bring in a full-time professional eventually, but since you are around to help, I thought you might find it fun to do this in the interim. And you know, keep you busy and give your brain some mental exercise, “ he continued.

He has a point. Besides, I did say I wanted to be useful. But does putting a man with no memory or even friends for that matter in this position, a smart move?!

"I may have overestimated this. Tell you what, why don't you have a think about it. If you really don't want to do this, I'll just let Lee know. He'll understand that this might have been too much and too fast for you. Let me know tonight?"

Of course you've overestimated this.

“No. Tomorrow. I'll text you," I said before making my way home.*

[mark wilson27]

Welcome to FMS Alephmoonwalker, Really liking the way this is set up and looking forward to further updates

[tenthreeleader]

I'll echo what Mark has said here. First, welcome to FMS and second, it will be interesting to see where you take this. Good luck!

[Alephmoonwalker]

Thank you for the encouragement mark_wilson27 and tenthreeleader! Really appreciate it!

---------------------------------

A CLEAN SLATE

----------------------------------

The four days since I was discharged has been filled with errands to get my house in order - the one that Lunar Inc had kindly paid two months rental for. The relief stipend that I've been given was meant to help me get by for the rest of the month and it is this that has allowed me to go shopping for necessities and settle down into my new life. As it seems, everything, including sorting out administrative matters, is much simpler and more complicated at the same time when you are starting out on a clean slate. No history, no preferences, no papers, no family, and no friends except for the medical staff and Steve if I may call them so.

I need to do something with my life. I can't live like this. Might just end up killing myself. And I'm going to need money. But can I? How should I?

In between all the errands, I tried to fill time with getting to know this small urban village that I now call home, and surfing the Internet to catch up on current affairs, secretly hoping that something will trigger my memory of the past. It remained a distant hope.

That Steve is making it sound like it's easy. Didn't he hear Lee clearly? He wants this club to grow into something. Which makes sense. Why do anything if you're not going to give it your all? But I know nothing. Oh damn.

The calendar ticked a digit forward as I spent the day occupying myself with domestic errands and when that was done, uncertain thoughts rushed in to fill the vacuum. I contemplated the ceiling and along with it, this undetermined life.

Eventually, I picked up my newly acquired smartphone and tapped on one of the two names in my contact list.

So what exactly am I supposed to do?*

Aleph, 1:30am*

Recruitment, people manage, tactics.

Steve, 1:31am

Who else is working on this?

Aleph, 1:35am

Lee will be Chairman, I'm club secretary. I handle all the paperwork with the FA, sort out all the admin duties to make the club tick.

Steve, 1:36am

I've got your back with all the paperwork so you can focus.

Steve, 1:36am

Other staff? Coaches, physios, scouts, others?

Aleph, 1:47am

I will get a HR team to hire them. Along with other support staff.

Steve, 1:50am

Do we even have jerseys, equipments, pitch to train? Or even a logo and club colors for that matter?

Aleph, 1:51am

Don't worry abt that. You in or you out?

Steve, 1:52am

Maybe. I have conditions

Aleph, 1:58am

You're being difficult here.

Steve, 1:59am

We work the details tomorrow. See you at the cafe at 11am tomorrow and we'll talk. Nites.

Steve, 2:10am

[Alephmoonwalker]

Writer's note: the story contains some mature themes. If you are uncomfortable with such stories, please stop reading. Thanks!

Sorting things out

------------------------------

Surprisingly, we agreed on the details quickly. I asked for a one year contract as manager to ensure some security and seeked assurance that I will be given opportunities to go for formal coaching training, to which Steve said that it was always on the table right from the beginning. He also shared that Mr Lee had conveyed that the expectation was simply for the club to do its best and not finish in the bottom three. He seems to be a very understanding man after all.

Mr Lee was also a prudent businessman, keen to make a point that the large amounts of money being pumped into football clubs by new sugar daddy owners from Middle East, East Europe and Asia, destroys the game. He refused to be part of that and so told us that we would be given only half a million pounds to kickstart the club. This would go into setting up facilities and necessary equipments, settling the one-time fees, paying for operating expenses, and covering wages for all the staff associated with the club for the year. I had no sense of benchmarking this figure to the other clubs in the UK but Steve informs me that it is "tight but doable". In comparison, Wayne Rooney could possibly earn our whole budget in two weeks.

What kind of manager would I be? Who shall I look up to and be my mentor? What do I want my team to be?

Seven days after my discharge from the medical facility, I returned for a scheduled checkup with Dr Muthu, the doctor in charge of my medical case. I was told that I had a clean bill of health and I can stop the checkups and medication. But before our consultation ended, he asked:

"So how are you settling in? News around here is that you got a job. Congratulations."

"Thanks Doc. Yeah, I'm working on the Football Club now with Steve."

"That's good. Working will exercise your mind. But Aleph, I want you to take this slow. You might be healthy physically but amnesia has a way of getting to the mind and emotions," he said. I remained silent and gave a slight nod.

He then continued, "It's important that you start to develop a social network around yourself. Neighbours, new friends, new colleagues. And I hope you will continue your appointments with Dr Alan. His sessions will do you good."

"Sure."

Dr Muthu didn't seem too encouraged by my less than enthusiastic response but discharged me anyway.

You see, over the last two weeks of my consciousness, I've noticed that I'm not much of a talker. I don't hate social conversations but neither do I feel a desire to seek it. I know and greet my neighbours, I know the name of the barista who runs the cafe at the corner, I offer a smile at the familiar staff at the supermarket, but I'm no social butterfly. Instead, I prefer to float as anonymously as possible so that I can observe things deeply from afar. That way, every word I say will mean more and have a larger impact. I will be dominant if I have to but being loud just isn't my style.

*How will I relate to my players? How will I relate to my peers and colleagues?

With little social commitments and my official first day of work still a few days away, I dived straight into the subject matter to fill my rather empty mind. I was truly a beginner and tried to see the positive side of this. I bought myself autobiographies of successful managers, books on the history of football, books that covered tactical analysis, and books on clubs with long histories. I scoured the Internet for blogs, videos and Twitter accounts that dissected the game, and could give me insight. I went deep.

I did most of my reading at home in the quiet of the night and in the afternoon, I made the cafe my base. Being a regular, Mat, the barista, was the closest I had to a social friend. He spoke with an accent which I later learnt was Malay. Originally from Singapore, he came over with the company to be their in-house barista and hopes to chart a career as a coffee consultant here in Lunarcity.

Mat was my source of knowledge about many things. He told me about Lunar Inc, the people who work for it, the transformation of the island in recent months, and his life back in Singapore. We also talked about football. He was in fact once an amateur league player and represented his country at the Under-18s level but soon decided that he couldn't build a career around it and chose to enjoy it as a spectator instead.

I was scribbling notes from my reading of Jonathan Wilson's "Inverting The Pyramid" that afternoon when Mat approached a subject.

"I need to ask you this. Don't get angry ok?"

I paused and waited for the question. This seemed serious.

"Since you woke up two weeks ago, have you had sex? Or at least got off?"

I looked straight at him. It made me a bit uncomfortable but I suppose this is what being friends is about. But I realised that I wasn't angry nor disturbed.

"Actually, no. I've just been too physically weak at first, then I've just been so busy with fixing up the house and all these studying."

"No urges at all?!"

"To be honest, I've felt it on the last couple of days. I'm human too you know. I just have amnesia, not any sexual deficincies."

"Hey, I'm just asking man," said Mat, trying to defuse any awkwardness.

"No, no. I appreciate your concern," I said.

"I'm sure you've got your Internet all wired up right?" said Mat with a wink punctuating the end of that question. He then inched closer and spoke softly, "But you know, tomorrow, the families of the staff here and the first batch of new residents are arriving. That's a population spurt to 4000 people on the islands, and I bet there'll be some hot ones! Fresh stuff man!"

I shrugged with a smirk of secret satisfaction on my face. He was right, maybe the reason I haven't thought much about it was the fact that I haven't seen any women on the island. All that will change tomorrow and I have a feeling that life around here will get much better. For now, I think it's time to go home and sort myself out.

[chesterfan2]

may I add my welcome to you, Alephmoonwalker. This is an intriguing start, and it's not often I could have said that, but I am very much looking forward to the continuation of this story. Good luck with it and keep up the good work.

[Alephmoonwalker]

Thanks for reading chesterfan2. Hope this intrigues you enough to stay on till the end!

SETTING UP CAMP

---------------------

In the short course of a month, the small town had grown five-fold with the massive influx of new residents. In the same period, a retrofitted 40-foot container had become our dressing room, storage facility, physio room and changing room. Stacked on top of it was another container that housed our club office and briefing rooms. Two mobile scaffold seating units that could fit up to 400 people were our "stands". The field was flattened, and marked to comply to FA regulations. It was bare bones but we think it will work for our first year. We called it "The Moon Base".

It's not much but this will do for now.

The trinity of Mr Lee, Steve and myself decided to adopt white and black as the team colors, and hoops jersey as our identity. We made do with a brand-less jersey and a mish-mash of equipments and inched closer to being ready for the season. Our club logo, which I am unhappy with, was a sketch made by one of the staff at Lunar Inc.

It's not much but this will do for now.

Players. We need players.

There was simply too much to be done and my workday in the early life of the club was relentless. After a quick breakfast in the morning, I would jog to the office which was about 15 minutes away and do some calisthenics before taking a shower. I would be at my desk by 7:00am and from then on, it was a lot of fumbling with training plans, cracking my head to put together a detailed club development framework, working through club rules and standard procedures, and writing job scopes for staff that we needed. I would break for lunch before heading out to visit the medical facility to learn more about sports science, sports psychology or nurtriotining, and depending on the schedule, I might talk to potential partners on how the club can work together with them. A short dinner break would follow before returning to my desk to study the books and readings that I have assembled and this would take me to 11pm and beyond before I jog back home.

I need to do this well. It's the only thing I have now. This will be a good club, not just a ragtag team. But first, we need players. We need staff. We need supporters.

I allowed work to consume me and it was partly intentional. It made me forget about my condition. It distracted me from the glaring emptiness of my life. It helped me sleep.

The day I tried to stop work at 5pm was one of the worst days. I did not know what to do, where to go, who to talk to. I tried reading non-football materials, I downloaded movies, I tried listening to music, but nothing quite worked. It always felt like being in a vacuum. It felt like I was stranded in outer space. Football was the security harness that kept me alive.

We need players. We need staff. We need supporters. It's less than 10 weeks to the start of the season. We must make it.

I put up a call for trials. EDMs were sent out to Lunar Inc's database and we printed posters which we put up at key places. However, the small talent pool meant that signups were limited. Our non-existent reputation also meant that some families preferred to enrol their children in trials with larger clubs.

After two weeks of the recruitment drive, we only had 10 trial registrants between the age of 16 to 24. We also had 2 who were above 30. Clearly, we have a problem.

We need players. We need staff. We need supporters. ****, it's 8 weeks to the season and we have nothing. We need to do something differently.

Everyone around town seemed too occupied with settling down, sorting out teething problems and getting used to the new environment, they must have missed this.

As it was a small town, I decided that it was feasible for us to go door to door. I gathered a small group of volunteers, split the neighbourhood into sectors and we headed out with flyers to tell people about the new club and how they can be a part of it. I really wanted this to be a community-focused football club.

To anyone that opened their door to me and willing to listen, I introduced myself, told them about the vision for club and how they could help. I managed to get some positive responses and built up a roster of potential volunteers, hires and most importantly, more trialists.

It's tiring to talk to all these people and repeat myself. And I still have to pretend and keep my positivity up. I should assemble a community outreach team so I never have to do this again.

It was past 5pm and the Sunset Way area was the last stretch for the day. Thankfully, the first four houses along the street was empty. I ringed the doorbell once on the fifth door and was going to walk away when someone opened the door.

The lady that appeared behind the door had her hair tied back in a ponytail and had a blue pin-striped apron on. She looked like she was in her late 20s.

"Hi Ma'am, sorry to disturb you. My name is Aleph, and I'm the manager of the local football club. Do you have a moment or am I catching you at a bad time?"

"Hey, don't worry, I was just preparing ingredients for dinner before my husband comes back. Not in a rush," she said.

"Oh, this won't take more than 5 minutes ma'am."

"Lisa. Brooke. But you can call me Lisa."

"Sure. Lisa. Hi." I stammered. I've done this all week but I found myself choking on my words.

I tried to continue, "Well, we're a new club so... we are looking for... potential hires, volunteers and trialists for the team. Do you happen to have children ma'am? Lisa, I mean."

"No, it's just me and Glen. I run my own business from home but I'll be happy to volunteer if you need help."

"Well Lisa, in that case, if I can have your name and email address, I can send you more details about the volunteer program." My rehearsed speech seems to have returned to normal and as I handed over the clipboard to her, she asked: "So how's things at the club?"

"Oh, we're moving along but there's so much to be done. We need all the help we can get," I said as I watched her write her details. She had dainty fingers; slim, just like herself.

"I'm sure you do. You know, I think I drove past it the other day. There's nothing much around that small field is there?"

"Nothing much at all. We need the space for future development of the stadium that we are planning now."

She handed the clipboard back to me and I got a good look at her face as her eyes caught mine. She flashed a beautiful smile with a little dimple. She was the sweetest person I've met all week.

"So you cook often?" I asked as I checked the details that she has filled up.

"I enjoy cooking, but I only do it when Glen tells me that he's coming back. Sometimes he stays till late at the office and eats dinner at his studio. It's no fun to cook for one really."

"Oh, a studio?"*

"He's an architect at Lunar Inc. There's so much work to do now that they are trying to finish Phase 1 by middle of next year," she said with a small sigh. There was a hint of resignation in it, possibly at the stress that her husband is subjected to.

"I see. Well, I won't bother you then Lisa. Thanks for this and I'll be in touch. Enjoy your meal! It was nice talking to you," I said.

"Thanks Aleph," she said and stepped back to close the door while I turn around to head back to the office.

Then, I heard her call my name and I thought I had forgotten something. She then said, "Hey, would you like to come over for lunch tomorrow?"

It starts with lunch. It always starts with lunch.

[Cheesey1975]

loving this one....cant wait for next instalment and the outcome on lunch

[Alephmoonwalker]

Well Cheesey1975, read on!

Writer's note: Contains mature themes but this is important in the story arc.

RELATIONS

-------------------------

There were positives from the recruitment drive. We found people to fill some of the gaps in the club's staffing structure such as Tracy who will be our marketing/communications executive, Jeff as our kitman/groundsman, and Aimee who will lead the community development team. We also managed to build up a roster of interns and volunteers if we needed extra help.

Our list of trialists had also grown but I was still unhappy about the pool. We need a bit of experience in the squad if we are to survive the debut season. We also need to quickly develop our youth recruitment network and facilities, and I had spent the whole of last night and earlier today working on a proposal which I hoped to present during the monthly management meeting which will take place in a couple of day's time. But for now, I had an appointment to go to.

This would be the first social invitation for Aleph Moonwalker. My appointments were always related to medical reasons or work and this is a nice change. Casual conversations with others have always been incidental but this was intentional.

Don't mess this up. It's a small town. As the manager of the town's football club, you are a semi-

public figure. Stay in control.

Lisa prepared chicken tikka for lunch. It was something that she had been craving since arriving at Lunarcity a month back and was happy to finally have a chance to prepare it and share it with someone. I was just happy to be invited over and have a home-cooked meal.

In her simple sky blue top, Lisa looked gorgeous. Her long black hair draped over her shoulder with the bangs covering her forehead giving her a girl-next-door charm. Her cheekbones and jaw line were gently defined and her large brown eyes sparkled. I thought I saw the universe in her eyes.

We chatted over lunch and for the first time, I opened up to another person about my story. I told her about my lack of a past and how I'm coping with it by immersing myself in work and she listened intently. It seemed that she genuinely wanted to hear it. However, my story was short and still being written, so I asked her to tell hers to me.

She did not say much about her past, but instead told me about her ambition to run a cooking blog and be a food stylist. I joked that I don't mind being her food-taster but I might end up being one of those out-of-shape football managers who can't seem to even see their toes.

Lisa told me about her kind of music - a playlist of blues, soul, and funk, calibrated to the time of the day. She was also an avid reader, devouring fiction from various eras and also with a love for diaries of famous authors. She enjoyed getting a peek into how they lived their lives and getting a glimpse of what went in their heads.

"Since you are into management, you should read some management books. But please don't read those lameeeee business management ones," said Lisa, rolling her eyes for dramatic effect.

"So what do you recommend? I've been reading Alex Ferguson's autobiography and hope to start on Pep Guardiola soon. I figured they must have something to teach me if they've been so successful."

"That's ok but you want to be groundbreaking. Edgy. Original. Off the beaten track. How about you read something totally different like... Creativity Inc? How to manage a bunch of creatives! Or... maybe watch the Godfather trilogy! Now THAT should give you management tips!"

She's so adorable when she gets excited. She smiles with her eyes.

We chatted till it was almost 2 in the afternoon and as I did not bring anything over for dessert, I offered to help her clean up the dishes after lunch. She was surprised by this but took up the offer as this was the first time anyone had offered to help around the new house. I just wanted to be useful and not get free lunches.

When I was done cleaning up and was sipping on my cup of coffee, I said to her, "This warmth. I've never felt it before. At least not in this short lifetime. And I think, this is the longest period I've had where I wasn't thinking about football. This is nice. Thank you."

"I think this is nice too," said Lisa with a smile that could melt the hardest of hearts. "I think you should come over more often."

With those words, she stepped up closer to me. I was nervous because I knew what was coming. She took my hands and guided it round her slim waist, encouraging me to pull her closer. Her beautiful face came close to mine and I could feel the quickening pace of her breathing. There was a hint of hesitation but one that was being overpowered by desire.

What are you doing?

I leaned closer towards her small, pink lips. I wanted to kiss her and take her hard but I was hesitant. I had never been this close to a girl in this lifetime. This could be my second first kiss. Then, it happened.

Right there in her kitchen, my hands explored her body; tracing the gentle curves on her back, sliding my hands underneath her blouse to feel her warm, supple body and feeling her silky, smooth skin. The world outside didn't matter as time and space shifted its orbit to this warm, beautiful, celestial body, nestled in my arms. I moved slowly, carefully, wanting to commit everything to memory.

I want to have you so bad right now. But this is wrong. You belong to another man. Make me stop.

Lisa was gentle and graceful with just a hint of urgency in her movement. She seemed to want it as bad as I did but we both paced ourselves; both seeking to extend the pleasure as much as we could. We shed each other's clothes assuredly. Not a single word was said for fear of breaking the spell, and it was only the softest of moans that gave clue to what was happening. Right there in the kitchen, we fulfilled each other's primal needs. Football was cancelled for the rest of the afternoon.

[jdoyle9293]

I like Lisa, and this story. Great start, Aleph. Looking forward to how you pad out the team's beginnings. You've got a reader here.

[Alephmoonwalker]

Glad you are enjoying this jdoyle9293. This story should unfold in just nicely with FM16's create your club feature:)

The first boardoom battle

---------------------------------

50 days to the start of the season.

“So looks like we have a half decent job in getting the club set up. So administrative things aside, how’s the squad looking Aleph?” asked Mr Lee.

I have spent days preparing for this meeting, doing my research, building up my knowledge from scratch, doing the leg work. I’ve even had to postpone going over to Lisa’s in light of this update meeting with the Chairman. I cleared my throat and proceeded to give him a summary.

"Our trials have been going on concurrently with the recruitment over the past three weeks and I hope to offer short-term contracts to the first batch of successful ones by the end of this week. But Sir, we are sorely lacking in any experience whatsoever and we’re going to need to sign some names from the PFA Transfer List."

Lee looked at me, then turned to Steve.

"I know a guy," said Steve. "He can advise us on researching and signing some of these players for now, until we have a full time scout on board. I got to let you know sir, without any reputation, it’s going to be an uphill battle signing anyone. But don’t worry, my guy will help."

He nodded and shifted his attention back to me. I tried to read his body language and I think he means “ Ok, go ahead and sign who you need as long as you are not asking for more money". However, the next few sentences that I had prepared was exactly that.

"Mr Lee, many weeks ago, you asked me to help take care of the football around here. I know I'm not qualified but, I want you to know that I've spent a lot of time thinking about football and I would like to propose a direction forward for the club."

Was that a good opening statement to make? What’s that face he’s making?

“Like what Steve said, it will be difficult to sign anyone and we can’t be throwing money all the time. So, the only sustainable way for us to grow this club, is to groom our own players in our own way. It will require heavy investment in the first few years of this plan but I believe it will pay itself off."

I spoke based on my research on the youth development setups from overseas clubs such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Santos. It was also based on what I saw closer to home – Manchester City’s 200 million pounds City Academy, Manchester United’s Academy, Southampton’s Staplewood Campus and Crewe Alexandra's setup. I was blown away by the kind of attention that they had placed in grooming their own talents but was cautious that these have had the luxury of heavy investment and a long history behind them. There were also much more established in the footballing echelons than us. But I needed to give it a shot if I am to help build Lunarcity FC. I continued to make my case.

“We have a limited talent pool here so we most definitely must expand our recruitment network. Pull the talents at a young age, train them in our very own culture, invest in them. This will be good not only for the club but also for the city.

Not only can we give them the best football training, but we groom them as good men and women. And more than that, we don't just sell the football to them, we sell them the whole lifestyle on Lunarcity. Forget the congestion of London, don't live in gray Manchester, come here to the sunny south."

Mr Lee and Steve was quiet but their faces told me that a lot of things were going through in their head. I had run this idea by Steve and he thought I was pushing my boundaries and will never be able to get this passed. He was not going to play a part in making the case here and has kept quiet throughout. As for Mr Lee, he seemed to be deep in thought but seemed unconvinced by something.

I had a loose structure in my head for how we could begin: we could start small with a scouting programme involving all the schools in a 50km radius. We then offer the good ones a paid relocation package for the whole family to Lunarcity - a guaranteed job for the breadwinners of the family, a new house, full scholarship, stipend and insurance for all the children till they are 18. We can then work with the Lunarcity Medical Facility to advice on sports science, sports psychology, nutrition. Slowly, we can build up from there. But I thought this might be too much detail for Mr Lee at this point in time, so I continued on another track.

“I’m sure Steve have sent you the link on the EPPP grading system which has set out pretty clear guidelines on how youth development should be done. If we don’t invest anything now, we will lose out on grants and if we do it half-heartedly, we will be in Category Four - which means we will end up picking 16-year-olds that have been released by other teams. Also,if we don’t set this up properly, we will end up losing transfer fees for youth players and more importantly, the income that we can generate if we groom them to be good players."

Mr Lee had a frown on his brow. I think he is already projecting the implications of building, and not building an academy. From my short time here, I knew that he was a cautious businessman but he will open his wallet if it makes sense. I had one last card to play.

“Mr Lee, I might not be here next season but think of this as laying the foundation for the next guy. We can bring in the professionals to run the academy, we can take small steps. But it will be too late if we wait."

I had nothing more to say and both Steve and I looked at Mr Lee expectantly, waiting for him to say something. The silence was nerve-wrecking and even the slightest of shifts in his seating position made us hold our breath.

Finally, Mr Lee said, “Good thinking Aleph. But we’ll do this in phases. Give me a full study and a proposal for a light version of the academy. Details, costs, projection."

I cracked a smile. It was a small win for me and it felt good. I had convinced the Chairman to do something. I had stood my ground and defended my idea without Steve’s backing. I thought I did well in the boardroom. Now I need to do well on the pitch.

50 days to the start of the season.

[Alephmoonwalker]

Season tickets

----------------------

I had managed to come out of the meeting with Mr Lee with a small win, but as I returned to my small office, a panic washed over me. I had played a bluff in that boardroom meeting, but that game is over.

The truth is, I have been overwhelmed by so many aspects of the club. Day and night, I was thinking about the players, thinking about tactics, reading about alternative tactics, trying to make sense of coaching, watching hours of videos on YouTube to understand how to conduct drills, and yet I still felt inadequate. I felt like a fraud who was waiting to be found out. I knew nothing about managing a football club and I was grappling to build up my knowledge for the first training session.

Yes I can do this. Yes I can.

I couldn’t take my foot off the pedal. Football consumed every waking moment of my life and even when I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t. Nothing went the way I wanted it to go.

After reviewing all the trialists, I could only pick out 5 names that were decent enough to play. That bit about confirming the squad by the end of the week? It was a lie. 50 days to the start of the season and we do not have enough players to even make the first eleven, let alone a squad. That is unless I go for the amateurs.

Alan aka "Steve’s guy” have in fact already been involved for the past couple of weeks but every player whom we have tried to sign for the club has either refused to speak to us, rejected our offer, or came back with a ridiculous request. Every coach whom he approached, has also refused to work with us.

Yes I can do this. Yes I can.

“I’m already wondering whether this was a mistake.” Those were the words from Steve's mouth last week and it hurt me deep. The man who had thrown me a lifeline had started to doubt me and my brush with him on the youth setup was just the beginning.

The walls of my house and office have been caving in faster each day. There seemed to be lesser air to breathe. A dark filter made the sunny days in the south, dull. The force of gravity felt stronger. Only the moment with Lisa had been a bright spark in what have been a miserable few weeks.

It’s 50 days to the start of the season and while it seemed like much had been done, there was still a mountain to climb before our first kick-off. However, if things remained status quo, Lunarcity FC might not make it for this season.

I had my back against the wall and in the dark periods, I considered heading down to ask Mat for advice. I considered checking in with Dr Alan, the psychiatrist, to help me deal with the stress. I considered making peace with Steve to find a solution. But all that was to be unnecessary. I found my motivation right outside my office's doors. I found it in the first ever person to buy a season ticket to Lunarcity’s FC games: A Mr John Harvey.

Why Mr Harvey? Why?

[tenthreeleader]

Just wanted to check back in here and let you know that I find you to be a fluent writer and this is an enjoyable read. This is smooth stuff, with a good premise, some characters that I'm looking forward to seeing develop, and above all it looks like you have a plan for the work. That means much.

[Alephmoonwalker]

Cheers mate! Appreciate you dropping by to motivate me along!

---

He's got Soul

------------------------

Let me introduce you to our first ever season ticket holder, Mr Harvey. He moved to Lunarcity because it promised him a better life for his family. It paid better, and had good work benefits, and that was enough for him to leave his family behind for greener pastures. Every month, he would remit money back to them and the plan is to return home once a year for New Year celebrations. He is a janitor at Lunar Inc, and there are many who has a similar story – the construction workers, the gardeners, and all the other manual labourers – and they are proud of their working class roots.

Chatting with him introduced me to a group of men who uphold the value of hard work and sacrifice. Men who will keep their head down and focus on their goal. Men who believe that the cause is bigger than their individual self. I was deeply moved by that character.

“We’ve left behind our loved ones to be here and football is what we have. It is the one entertainment that we enjoy, the one passion that we look forward to every week. Besides, if I don’t support my local club, who will?” said Mr Harvey.

That statement shuddered something in me. I felt the weight of hope and glimmer of optimism that the football club carry on its shoulders for its supporters. Clearly, this career in football is a privilege that I should never take for granted.

Little would I know that hearing Mr Harvey share his passion for football was to shock my systems. As I was drawn into his stories of footballing brawls and mexican waves, a sudden jolt hit me. Like out of sync video clips jumbled up in a timeline, snippets of memories that I never knew I had started to flash. I remembered watching Manchester United grabbing the late victory in 1999 on television and the euphoria that erupted. I had a fuzzy memory of the electric atmosphere at a stadium, one that I cannot recognise. I remembered the look of devastation in a child, when his club got relegated. I remembered the taste of winning.

I don’t think Mr Harvey realise that he has just helped me find the soul of Lunarcity FC.

[Alephmoonwalker]

Benefits for the season

----------------------------------

Tomorrow is the first training session with the squad and I had decided to take some time off. I wanted to spend time with Lisa.

This was only our second meeting after that first lunch date. Since then, we’ve kept in touch by Facebook Messenger but I hadn’t gone over to visit. Being busy was part of the reason, I also did not want to fall too deep, too fast.

Once again, we had lunch, and in the beginning, I wasn’t sure what to say to her. Football had controlled my life for the past weeks and I didn’t want to bore her with details but she insisted. I obliged, telling her about the new setup, the principles of the football club that I am basing my tactics on, and also about the new community of blue-collar workers that I learnt of. However, while I spoke, what I really wanted was to hear her voice. She was my voice of normalcy and I would rather hear that.

The atmosphere over lunch was relaxed as we spoke and laughed, but there was always the elephant that was peeking in from the other room. Finally, I decided to address it.

“I don’t know how to put this, so I’m just going to put it out there. I like spending time with you. And what happened the last time, is wrong… you’re married..."

I started to fumble with my words which allowed Lisa to interject with a firm: “And?"

I tried to pick it up once more and continued, "I want to think that we’re friends. Good ones and comfortable with each other. I think what happened was..."

“Great,” interrupted Lisa.

Huh?

She continued, "I like you too. And I think we make great friends so let’s keep it that way shall we?”

Once again, she flashed a smile that radiated a beauty beyond words, crushing the defences that I had brought along. I wanted to be a man of integrity, one who respected the sacred vows of another man with his woman, but the way she emanated a demure sexiness was inexplicable and I was helplessly drawn to her. I wanted her for myself. And I know I can give her what she wants.

When she started to come closer to me, I knew that we shared the same thought. And when she dropped to her knees between my legs, I knew this was to be a special kind of friendship, the one with mutual benefits.

I am going to need this for the rest of the stressful footballing season.

----------------

Writer's Note: this story will pause for a moment till the launch of #Fm16. Till then, if you have thoughts about what might happen, I hope to hear your comments and even suggestions!

What will happen to the relationship between Aleph and Steve as the season goes on? Can Aleph pull together a squad without any knowledge and expertise or will he crumble? Will Aleph get caught with his pants down and have his reputation destroyed? Will he ever remember anything significant about his past that will change everything?

[jdoyle9293]

A good basis for which to pause, I feel. Looking forward to how you rattle through this for when the game launch comes about. Great work so far!