Blades of Glory?

[ray magini]

This is a fantastic story, keep it up!

[viperk1]

“So, how did it go?†Alison asked, seemingly nonchalant as the sound of the train thundering through the English countryside became an interesting background noise at the other end of the phone. At the other end, as always, was Richard Thomas.

“Well, Jeroen should be able to join us tomorrow. He wanted to say a final farewell to his family back in Rotterdam before completing the deal,†Richard answered icily, having never had to do such a thing in his life. When his parents were still alive, the then young striker was only a ten minute drive away. ‘There’s nothing I can do about that now, I guess,’ Richard thought, not particularly bothered that both of his parents were now dead. Of course, that was because nearly a decade had passed since then.

“That’s good to hear. Anyway, I managed to get Andy’s stuff back – thanks to a little persuasion,†Alison exclaimed, much to Richard’s surprise. Despite his strong belief in the blonde-haired woman’s capabilities, he didn’t believe that she would be able to persuade two rough Scottish men to part with stolen goods.

“Impressive. Anyway, I think someone is trying to call me, so I’ll hang up, ok?†Richard stated, before returning the club’s phone to the holder. Eventually, the young manager’s thoughts had been realised, with the phone finally coming to life, ringing every couple of seconds.

Once Richard picked it up, he waited for the caller to make the first move, rather than be courteous. “Mr. Thomas. It’s Shaun Clarke,†the voice at the other end of the phone answered, being not particularly bothered that Richard hadn’t answered.

“Shaun…what can I do for you? Or is this about Gary?†Richard asked, hoping in his head that the Portsmouth manager had finally seen sense and that Gary would be making his way up north to discuss a contract with Sheffield United.

“Well, concerning Gary, I can happily tell you that the board have allowed me to sell him on. They believed he was to be a talent for the future, but I see things differently,†Shaun stated, causing an inaudible laugh to emit from Richard.

“Thank you very much, Shaun. Could you name a date as to when he’ll be in Sheffield?†Richard asked, before silently smirking. He had pulled the wool over the eyes of the second most experienced manager in the Premiership, the most experienced being Manchester United’s veteran manager, Sir Andrew Shields.

“Well, he’s recovering from a bout of flu that’s being going around the club. Until he’s fit, he won’t be heading to Bramall Lane. Though, of course, that’ll be only five days or so,†Shaun assured – much to Richard’s displeasure. He had wanted to complete the deal before the end of July, but it was very clear that he would have to wait until August in order to finish the Irish youngster’s move.

Placing the phone down, Richard could do nothing more than smile. ‘Unless Shaun’s going senile in his old age, it seems that he is really thick!’ Richard thought, taking a look at Gary Welch’s report. According to Hecham, the Blades’ trusted scout, the Irish youngster had by far the most potential of anyone within the Sheffield United squad, and would be able to settle into a first team place almost instantly – especially since he had sold on Oneil Hyde, the only left winger with three brain cells to rub together.

‘I somehow think some people won’t like the fact that all of the players I have made bids on, apart from Johann, have been under twenty years old,’ Richard thought, thinking over the players he had made transfer bids on.

He wasn’t wrong, either.

[viperk1]

SHEFFIELD UNITED – PREMIER LEAGUE FODDER?

Editor: Jeremy Pearson

Many people in Sheffield United’s fan clubs have been happy with the appointment of Richard Thomas as their new manager. However, I feel that the Blades board has simply gone back to the club’s past to pick a capable manager.

Richard Thomas, to Blades fans, was one of the best strikers the club could ever have. However, I feel that because of this, his ability to manage the side he once played for will be much less than his playing abilities.

In my opinion, his ability to purchase players on the transfer market is likely to be the club’s downfall. For instance, according to rumours, Richard is almost about to complete a deal with a 17-year old striker from Dundee United, and a 17-year old attacking midfielder from Sparta Rotterdam. For a club like Chelsea or Manchester United, looking for youth players that can replace the big stars is always a good thing.

But not for a club where those players may be shoved straight into the first team, just like Sheffield United. Richard is making poor moves in the transfer market, and really should be looking for players who could displace some of the dead wood in the Blades’ first team.

The Sheffield United squad are, surprisingly, some of the worst ever football players I have ever seen in my entire career as a pundit – Romaine Murray wouldn’t be able to defend the goal even if the ball was given to him, and Dean Fortune can’t pass to save his life.

Start signing some major players, Richard Thomas, or that useless bunch of no-hopers will run the club, and your reputation, into the ground.

Richard could hardly believe what he was reading. Never before had he seen any editor of a local or national newspaper slate a Premier League manager purely on the fact that they were building for the future. Nor had he seen any club’s players being slated because they were ripe for insults.

Instantly, the young manager, once again within the walls of his Bramall Lane office, whipped out his laptop from his bag, heading onto his e-mail provider to send a report for the Sheffield Today to post in the next day’s edition. ‘Not pleased is an understatement and they will certainly figure that out tomorrow,’ Richard thought, typing away frantically to get the report to the newspaper.

A knock on the door came just as he sent the e-mail – a welcome relief from the bad press he had received. As the door opened, he noticed two youngsters wearing Sheffield United shirts. “Welcome to Sheffield United, lads,†Richard stated, a smile appearing on his face.

Both Jeroen Mulder and Andy Ellis had come back – and had both signed their all-important contracts. The Dutch youngster, obviously wanting to meet his new team-mates, instantly left the room, seemingly running down the Bramall Lane stairways.

“What’s wrong, Andy? Do you want to talk to me?†Richard asked, curious as to why his new striker had decided against following his team-mate to the pitch. A quick nod from the youngster proved what the manager had been thinking all along – why he had helped return Andy’s things to their rightful owner.

“Well, Mr. Thomas…†Andy began to ask before Richard decidedly shook his head, resulting in the young striker stopping his words in his tracks.

“Call me Richard. Anyway, I know what you want to talk to me about. Just why did I help you?†Richard stated, causing Andy to nod furiously. The young manager, despite being a cold, heartless man most days, seemed to want to help his players deal with their problems.

“Well, Andy, I helped you because you are in the same situation that I was in nearly a decade ago. Of course, the fact that your former team-mates are Scottish jackasses helped too,†Richard explained, causing a chuckle from the youngster.

“Is that all you wanted to know, Andy? Because if it is, I need to get moving…and so do you. We’ve got a press conference in ten minutes,†Richard stated, packing away his laptop. Andy simply nodded, before holding the door open for the young manager.

“By the way, Andy – don’t read the Sheffield Today’s editorial. Unless you want to be sickened by how far some people are willing to go to ensure a team is relegated,†Richard whispered as they walked down towards the press room – the young manager was still slightly annoyed about what Jeremy had written.

Richard was building for the future, it was true. But he also felt some of the players he had purchased would be capable of holding their own during this season, too.

Why could anybody else not see that?

[viperk1]

BLADES TAKE ON MORE YOUNGSTERS

Sheffield United have signed two more youngsters to their ranks today, with Jeroen Mulder making a £1,500,000 move from Sparta Rotterdam and Andy Ellis completing a £675,000 move from Dundee United.

“I feel that this move is a good step in my career. Richard is a good manager and we will make progress in the league,†Jeroen said in the press conference, despite his poor English. The youngster is reportedly taking English language lessons during his time at Bramall Lane.

“Without Richard Thomas, I think I would be lying in the gutter right now. After poor treatment from my former team-mates, this move to Bramall Lane is the best thing I could have ever done in my career and my life,†Andy exclaimed during the same press conference.

“These two youngsters are stars for the making, in my opinion. Despite the poor belief everyone has in my philosophy of purchasing younger stars, both of these players could easily walk into many of the Premier League clubs right now,†Richard stated, appearing obviously pleased with the signings he had made.

‘Another day, another report in the Sheffield Today,’ Richard thought, looking through the sports pages to see whether or not his report had actually been placed into the newspaper. However, much to his disappointment, the report was no-where to be seen. ‘Unsurprising - being the editor, Jeremy will have deleted it and replaced it. I wouldn’t even be surprised if that jackass is a Sheffield Wednesday fan,’ the young manager thought.

It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to Richard – Sheffield Wednesday’s fans were notorious for putting down their rivals. Though of course, so were Sheffield United’s fans – though Richard knew that the Blades would do their put-downs on the stands, rather than on the back page of the local paper.

His thoughts were shattered once the phone decided to start beeping. Richard instantly recognised this beeping sound – according to the board, it meant that one of the Bramall Lane phones was being used to contact him. Picking up the phone, he asked, “What’s up?â€

“It’s Johann Oddson’s agent, Rich. He wants to talk to you. Where shall I send him – your office or the board room?†Alison asked, seeming a little less cheery than she had before her escapade to Dundee.

Richard decided against answering by simply placing his phone on the holder. The young manager then took a good look at the training session taking place on the pitch below. However, a very different person could be seen on the sidelines. The young manager continued to watch this person, trying to figure out who he was and what he was doing at Bramall Lane.

After a couple of minutes watching, Richard realised he was a scout from West Bromwich Albion. ‘Those guys need to learn that they should really not wear their club gear away from their own stadium,’ the young manager thought to himself, spotting the West Brom logo. It seemed that the scout was taking an interest in one of the Sheffield United youngsters – he had been watching Ray Coll, one of the Under 18’s, for over five minutes.

Looking away from the pitch, the young manager rooted out the Sheffield United under 18’s folder. Scanning Ray Coll’s report, Richard took note that he was a centre-half, and was very unlikely to ever crack into the first-team when faced against Dean Fortune and Ali Younes.

However, the young manager’s thoughts were disturbed by the door being opened. Striding in, Daniel Butterworth instantly yelled, “What are you doing, Richard? You’ve kept this man waiting for ten minutes!†pointing to what seemed to Johann Oddson’s agent.

“My apologies. Shall we do this discussion here?†Richard asked icily, to which the agent simply nodded, apparently suffering the effects of being scared to death from another special stare from the Sheffield United manager.

“Thank you. My client is looking for a weekly wage of thirty-two thousands pounds, with all the usual perks,†the agent nervously explained, causing a couple of worried looks from the chairman to the manager. Richard, unaware of any restrictions, was tempted to agree to the deal.

However, Daniel whispered in the young manager’s ear, “We’re only going to be able to go as far as twenty thousand a week, Richard. Don’t accept the request – see if you can haggle the deal,†resulting in Richard dishing out another icy glare towards the agent.

“All we can offer your client is twenty thousand pounds a week. You go and tell Johann that,†Richard exclaimed, before asking, “Now I have some work to do in here – so could you both please leave?â€

The agent instantly strode out of the office, looking a little miffed – maybe because the club wasn’t willing to pay out as much as Johann had wanted. The chairman, on the other hand, continued to stand within the office. Once the door had closed behind the agent, Daniel asked, “What was so important then, Richard? Why did you leave that man waiting?â€

However, the young manager was unable to answer, as the phone began to ring out. The chairman, willing to let Richard answer, simply nodded towards the phone. The young manager finally realised this, before picking up the phone and asking, “This is Richard Thomas, manager of Sheffield United. Who is this?â€

“Ben Gardner, manager of West Bromwich Albion. I have received word of a player of yours that we could do with at the club,†the caller answered, to which Richard instantly knew who the Championship club were looking at.

“So that’s why I’ve spotted one of your scouts here taking a very good look at Ray Coll, is it?†Richard icily asked, causing an almost inaudible shriek from the West Brom manager. Hearing this shriek, the Sheffield United manager simply asked, “How much do you want to pay for him, then?â€

“Well, that’s a good question…†Ben deliberated, before discussing the price-tag they were willing to place on Ray with somebody at the West Bromwich end of the phone line. After a couple of moments, the West Brom manager answered, “two and a half million pounds, Richard.â€

The young manager instantly took a quick look at Ray Coll’s report, realising that he was worth £2,000,000 when the report had been made. Richard had almost been wondering what Ben Gardner had been smoking when he made that offer – now he simply shrugged it off, before answering, “It’s a deal, Ben – nice to have spoken to you.â€

Placing the phone back on the holder, Richard coldly asked the chairman, “Does that answer your question for you?â€

[viperk1]

NORWICH TO SPEND BIG

According to reports, Norwich manager Alan Thomson is ready to spend his entire transfer budget on Sheffield United’s young centre-half and right-back Ray Bryan. The youngster, currently on loan at Premiersip side Bolton Wanderers, carries a transfer value of £1,500,000.

When questioned on this matter, Sheffield United manager Richard Thomas had this to say: “Ray Bryan is a strong player in my eyes, but since Julian placed him on loan before I began my management of the club, I can say very little. However, I will listen to any offers that come in for him.â€

It had been a short newspaper article, but since Richard was reading it from the Daily Times, rather than the Sheffield Today, it could provide more repercussions than any report he had ever read in the local paper. Not that it would make much difference to the situation – the young manager had a feeling that the Norwich manager wouldn’t be able to afford a transfer move for Ray Bryan.

Unlike most days, where he watched the training sessions from the comforts of his office, Richard had decided to closely study each and every player – just in case any of them proved to be an undiscovered gem. Unfortunately, by the time the training had neared it’s end, he was still struggling to see any player that could be of some use to him during the season.

Concerning transfers, Gary Welch, solely because of the flu epidemic at Portsmouth, had still yet to turn up at Bramall Lane to discuss a contract – a contract that Richard seemed to desperate for the youngster to sign. ‘Without him, I’m sure the relegation battle will already be over – and we’ll go down,’ Richard had thought to himself – which made perfect sense. With the sale of Oneil Hyde to Ipswich, Sheffield United had no left wingers on the books, with the exception of Chris Irving – a reserve player who, in the opinion of Ian Jackson and the coaches, would be better suited to playing in League 2.

Johann Oddson, on the other hand, had come back with a simple answer to the contract Richard had set out the previous day. “No. I cannot accept such a poor deal,†the experienced defender had said during the call he had made to Bramall Lane. Deciding that there was little point to trying to negotiate a contract with such an uptight jackass, Richard cancelled all negotiations with the Swede, believing that he would be able to find a good left-back before the season began.

Back on the Bramall Lane pitch, the training session had just finished. The three newest recruits to Sheffield United had formed a close bond with each other, as well as with two of the other youngsters in the club – Jon Atkinson and Danny Bartlett. It seemed that despite their very different backgrounds, Andy Ellis, Jeroen Mulder and Phillip Robinson had all settled into life at Sheffield United exceptionally.

“Hey lads, do you reckon we should go clubbing tonight? Maybe pick a couple of ladies?†Danny asked cheekily, hoping that the four other youngsters would agree with him – he was the oldest of the young players in the senior squad, after all.

“Well, me and Andy still need to un-pack our things, Danny,†Jeroen admitted in his typical Dutch accent, to which the English striker nodded in agreement. Despite having joined the club two days ago, the Dutchman and the Englishman had not managed to unpack the items that they had brought from their previous homes.

“Speaking of which, where are you two staying?†Phillip questioned, curious as to whether they had managed to get a bed in a hotel or whether they had been able to convince one of the older players to let them crash until they found a place of their own – which the Northern Irish goalkeeper had managed to do with aplomb, as he was now crashing with Declan O’Shea.

“Well, if you don’t have a place, you can stick with us,†another member of the Sheffield United squad offered, to which the five squad-mates all tried to figure out who had made the offer – before eventually spotting Luke Cooke and Matthew Purvis, the two Under 18 graduates.

“Thanks, you two,†Andy nervously answered, staring at the floor. He was still worried that his new team-mates were going to treat him poorly, just like Andy Fulton and Joe McCallum had done during his stay at Dundee United.

The manager, noticing Andy’s discomfort at the current situation, simply walked over the youngster before whispering, “Don’t worry, Andy – they already know about your problems, and they’re willing to help,†causing Andy to simply stare at Richard, curious as to why he had told them all about his parent’s death. The young manager seemed unperturbed at the striker’s icy stare – he had seen enough of those in his lifetime.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Andy, mate – we won’t do what those asses did at your old club†Matthew assured cheerfully, before the other five youngsters nodded in agreement – they didn’t want to see their new team-mate being treated badly.

“Thanks, guys,†Andy answered, appearing to have been lifted from his poor state of denial. The support that he had just received from the younger members of the senior squad spoke oceans to Andy – he was wanted at Bramall Lane. Not just by the manager, but by the rest of the squad too.

It pleased the manager, who simply walked away, trying to deal with the situation he had found himself in – trying to find a left-back that would be able to support Danny Bartlett in case he was injured. However, it seemed that Hecham Dielna’s usual supply of scouted players had run dry – he had received nothing from the Beninese scout since obtaining the two reports on Gary Welch and Johann Oddson.

‘Come on Hecham…there must be someone who would be of some use to the club…’ Richard thought, before a ringing noise from his mobile disrupted the young manager.

“What’s up?†Richard icily asked, wondering whether it was simply Alison calling to tell him that Hecham had finally come up with the goods. However, he was to be left disappointed and slightly worried for Alison’s safety.

“Hello Mr. Thomas. I’m coming to your home tomorrow to take what is rightfully mine. You stole my girlfriend from me...†a male voice answered, before a faint click ended the call just as quickly as it had begun.

Richard, staring at the phone, simply thought to himself, That must be Alison’s ex.’

[viperk1]

BLADES TURN TO LES BLEUS FOR DEFENCE

French left back Sylvain Brillant has completed a move from French Ligue 1 Orange side CS Sedan Ardennes to newly-promoted English Premier League side Sheffield United. The move has cost the Blades roughly £1,900,000.

Sylvain Brillant, during his unveiling outside of the Bramall Lane tunnel, had this to say: “To join Sheffield United is a great achievement in my opinion. I am sure that I will be able to help this team stay in the Premier League. I would love to return to France during my Sheffield United career – but to play UEFA Cup football. I owe to my new club to help them do that.â€

Sheffield United assistant manager Ian Jackson commented: “When Sylvain met his new team-mates before this meeting, he was an instant hit. I am sure that he will help Sheffield United towards the UEFA Cup this season.â€

Richard Thomas, the manager of Sheffield United, was unavailable for comment.

‘What day is it?’ Richard thought to himself as he wearily read the Sheffield Today - the transition from July to August has been nothing more than a blur to the young manager. Eventually, he took a look at the date of the paper – Wednesday 9th August 2007.

‘Just where have the days gone? It almost feels as if I have been on auto-pilot for the last twelve days!’ he thought, trying to figure out who the hell Sylvain Brillant actually was. Eventually, after a couple of minutes looking back into his memories, he finally remembered a key moment in the signing of the 21-year old Frenchman.

‘Finally! Hecham has finally decided to get off his backside and give me a player report!’ Richard thought as the latest report was finally faxed to Bramall Lane. “I wonder if this will solve any of the problems I have at the moment…†he said to himself, before taking a close look at the report.

The report was on a young Frenchman by the name of Sylvain Brillant, currently playing for French side CS Sedan Ardennes. According to Hecham, the 21-year old left back was worth £1,500,000. A closer look at the picture attached showed a confident black haired young man, with brown eyes and a very lean figure. The report noted that he wasn’t super fast, but had the capabilities to be much better than his only left back – Danny Bartlett.

Instantly, Richard reached for the phone, punching in the French club’s number. ‘There is no way I’m going to lose this one!’ the young manager thought to himself, waiting for the inane ringing to end and for the manager to actually pick up the phone. It was Friday the 4th of August, meaning only one thing – he had to complete a signing or two fast. He had finally gotten around to setting up a friendly against Aston Villa – in 8 days time.

Within his head, Richard figured out a suitable price-tag for the player – He had a lot more in the bank account now that the sale of Ray Coll had gone through. “William Fernandez speaking – how may I help you?†the Sedan manager answered after picking up the phone.

“Richard Thomas speaking, Mr. Fernandez. I am making an offer for your left back, Sylvain Brillant,†Richard replied, trying ever so desperately to speed up proceedings – in this business, time was money. Before the Sedan manager could even answer, Richard instantly piped up, “I will pay one point nine million pounds for his services.â€

The Sedan manager paused for some time, figuring out the price-tag it translated to in Euros. Once William had figured out the magic sum that Richard was willing to pay for Sylvain Brillant, the Sedan manager answered, “You have a deal, Mr. Thomas. I’d like to play against an English club someday.â€

‘Not this season, Mr. Fernandez,’ Richard thought as he put the phone down. He knew that with limited time between now and the start of the season, he couldn’t afford to send his team to the Ardennes to play the French side.

‘Why is that all I can remember?’ Richard thought to himself, trying desperately to figure out why he couldn’t remember anything else from the last twelve days. He had a feeling that it wasn’t amnesia; otherwise he’d have probably forgotten a lot more than what happened during the last twelve days.

Eventually, the young manager realised he was still in his bedroom, and had not even gotten ready for work. However, Richard still took a look at the rest of the sports pages to see if any big signings had been made. However, a small picture of a young player caught his eye – a player that he could easily remember. The picture was of Gary Welch. ‘Aw no…I was too late! Someone else got him,’ Richard thought, before taking a look at the actual report alongside the picture.

IRISH WONDER ESCAPES FROM POMPEY TO JOIN THE BLADES

Irish youngster Gary Welch has completed a move from Portsmouth to Sheffield United. The deal, that is reportedly worth £500,000, has delighted Blades fans, who believe that the left winger can become an instant success at Bramall Lane.

Danny Bartlett, one of the youngster’s new team-mates at Sheffield United, had this to say to reporters: “Gary Welch was born to play for Sheffield United. He will be a major success with the club and I feel that he will help us towards the charge for a UEFA Cup spot next season.

The youngster, who was seen donning his new kit at Bramall Lane, had this to say: “I am so glad that I have signed this deal. At Portsmouth, they already have players that are capable of playing at left wing. At Sheffield United, they needed someone who could take on the role with dignity. I hope that I am their answer.â€

“Richard Thomas is a brilliant manager – he has taken one of the brightest stars of the beautiful game,†one fan said, before adding, “Gary Welch will be a legend for the Blades in the future.â€

The Sheffield United manager, Richard Thomas, was unavailable for comment.

‘Phew… I got him,’ Richard thought, before resting his head back on his pillows. The young manager instantly became flustered, wondering why he couldn’t remember any of the previous twelve days.

“Richard!†a female voice called out, sounding extremely worn out. The young manager instantly recognised exactly who it was – Alison Trent. “Richard!†the blonde haired woman called out again, before Richard heard a loud sigh and sickening thud.

Richard, becoming extremely worried about what he had heard, jumped out of his bed to search for Alison. After a couple of minutes of searching everywhere that Richard felt she would be, the young manager’s hunt to find Alison became frantic, as he became even more worried. Eventually, the search ended once Richard found the blonde woman lying face down on the floor – just a few metres away from an open door.

After looking her over, Richard noticed that she was solely in her underwear, save for a ripped and bloodstained white blouse. He also spotted trails of blood stemming from her stomach and chest, before realising what had happened. Slowly, everything began to click back into place – all the memories that he had from the last twelve days returned to him, but the most recent memory seemed to stick into his mind the most.

Clutching Alison’s bloodstained body in his arms, Richard instantly thought, ‘You b******d – If I ever find you, you will receive justice,’ before attempting to wrap up her injuries to stem the continuous bleeding. Eventually, after all of the noticeable cuts and gashes had been covered up, Richard rushed towards the phone, ringing the only number that he knew would be able to help Alison now – 999.

“Hello! I need an ambulance at 16 Brincliffe Crescent, Sheffield, right now!†Richard yelled, worried that Alison was to become a victim of domestic violence. Once the emergency services were able to reassure him that they were on their way, Richard returned to Alison’s side, attempting to resuscitate the young woman. Unfortunately, his attempts to return her consciousness to the world had failed.

In Richard’s eyes, Alison Trent was moments away from death.

[viperk1]

Thankfully, the ambulance driver, just like the emergency services had said, arrived less than ten minutes after Richard made the call. “What happened to her?†one of the female ambulance nurses asked Richard, who was turning into a nervous wreck at the doorway. It had been the first time he had seen death up-close since 13/5 – or so he thought.

“She won’t die, sir,†the woman added, trying to calm down the 25-year old after he failed to answer. Once the stretcher carrying Alison had left 16 Brincliffe Crescent, Richard picked himself up off the ground, following her body as it was carried into the ambulance.

Despite his frantic attempts to cover up Alison’s injuries, Richard had actually done a good job in stemming the blood-flow coming from his friend’s cuts. Once in the ambulance, the young manager finally told the ambulance nurse everything that he knew - which wasn’t a lot, considering the incident had taken place away from his home.

“Ex…attack…rape…†a female voice called out slowly. Eventually both Richard and the nurse realised that the words had come from the mouth of Alison Trent. A quick look into the young woman’s eyes quelled any fears that Richard had believed were true.

“You’re alive!†a teary eyed Richard exclaimed with glee, a less than rare smile appearing on his face. ‘Alison has changed my life by so much…’ Richard thought to himself as the ambulance made its way towards the Northern General Hospital.

He was perfectly right. Ever since the day that Alison came back into his life, Richard’s attitude had changed. It had taken time, but slowly and steadily the young blonde had crept her way into Richard’s very soul. The iceman that Richard once was – was no more. “What happened, Alison?†Richard asked, wiping away his tears.

The young blonde, struggling to pick herself up from the stretcher on which she was laid upon, wearily and slowly answered, “It was Aaron, my ex-boyfriend. Whilst you were asleep, he took me away. He wanted me to marry him. When I said no, he…he…â€

“He raped you…†Richard said to himself, fury seeping into his mind. Alison slowly nodded, before the sounds of the ambulance’s engines died down – they were now outside the hospital. ‘Again…and again…and again,’ the 25 year old thought, obviously in the mind-set that Alison couldn’t have suffered such injuries from one night of pain.

Eventually, the young manager thought, ‘I must not have remembered anything because…I don’t know! Maybe it was because Alison wasn’t there for those twelve days? I know that those memories came back when I saw here, so that must be some kind of explanation?’

Whilst Richard’s thoughts had taken over his body, the stretcher carrying Alison had been taken into the hospital – which the young manager had taken no notice of whatsoever. “Are you ok, sir?†the nurse asked Richard, wondering why he was still in the ambulance when the stretcher was in the hospital.

“Sorry, ma’am,†Richard replied, finally realising that Alison was no longer in the ambulance. Jumping out of the back of the vehicle, the young manager asked, “Where will they be taking her?â€

“Accident and Emergency – though I must admit, you did a good job covering the wounds,†the nurse replied, before asking, “Who are you, by the way? I’m sure the A&E department could do with someone like you,†clearly having no clue as to who she was actually talking to.

“Richard Thomas. Thanks for the offer, but I’m trying to save a football club from relegation,†the young manager replied, before things snapped into the place for the nurse. Finally, she had realised that she was talking to Sheffield United’s new manager.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Thomas. Should’ve realised it was you – I’ve seen so many pictures of you in the paper. Do me a favour…keep them in the Premiership – though I’m sure you’ll do it,†the nurse replied, seeming slightly more cheery that she was talking to the youngest manager in the Premier League.

“Thank you,†Richard answered, thankful that she believed in the ability of him and his players. After a couple of moments, the young manager realised why he was here – to help Alison survive. Saying his farewells to the nurse, Richard ran as fast as his artificial leg would allow him to towards the A&E department – not that he knew where that was, of course. However, a quick glance towards the signs dotted around the hospital soon rectified that little problem.

Barging through the doors of the Accident and Emergency department, Richard quickly gazed around to find Alison. “Can I help you, sir?†the male receptionist asked, before recognising the red-eyed manager instantly – few people had red eyes, after all. “She’s over by the window – and I think she’s extremely lucky. According to the doctors, without you, she’d be dead,†he added, allaying the fears the young manager had about Alison’s wellbeing.

He had literally saved her life.

[O\'Hara_fan]

Nice read viper, good saving of the life by Richard. Though not the sort of incident you want hapening

[viperk1]

“Look, Daniel. I get the feeling what with Alison’s injuries…well – the media are going to have a field day,†Richard protested outside of Bramall Lane’s conference hall. He was perfectly right to say so, too – when somebody is injured in less than noble terms, the hounds of the media pounce like a pack raging wolves.

“Come on, Richard. Your first friendly match is in three quarters of an hour. Surely a little chat with the media will do some good?†the chairman attempted, in vain, to turn around the young manager’s mood. Of course, Richard had no intention of actually entering the room whatsoever and stated that fact to the chairman clearer than ever – By walking towards the changing room.

“Apologies for the foul language, but get the f***ing hint, Daniel! I am not going to be subjected to legal torture!†Richard yelled in true Yorkshire style at the chairman, becoming extremely frustrated. He seemed to believe that the media would lay the blame for Alison’s injuries directly on his shoulders – and with a match in 45 minutes time, he didn’t have the time or the patience to deal with men and women whose sole purpose is to drag the world down to their level.

“I must apologise to you all, before I begin. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have not been able to prepare you or myself for this friendly against Aston Villa,†Richard admitted in the changing room – where the entire squad were now preparing for their first ever match of the season.

“Don’t worry about it, sir. We understand that Alison means a lot to you,†Andy Livesey stated, before instantly shutting himself up – he realised that no-one had told Richard that the players knew about Alison’s poor state of health.

‘I guess Jon told them. Can’t blame him really – he does live three doors down and the noise was enough to wake the dead anyway,’ Richard thought, before shaking his head at the experienced defender – Andy instantly figured out that the young manager wasn’t too fussed that they knew. They were bound to find out anyway.

“Anyway, as you have been training in a 4-4-2 formation for most of the pre-season, I’ve got little choice but to have you in that formation for this friendly. On Monday, I’ll set out a new formation,†Richard stated, causing slight concern throughout the changing room. The players almost felt that their manager had no faith in their abilities at working in the standard formation.

“Relax. I have faith in all of your abilities. However, there are some players that are naturals in positions that aren’t being utilised in this formation,†Richard assured, noting in his head the two players who he knew would perform much better in a different formation.

‘Gary Welch is a left winger and Luke Cooke is right winger. At the moment they’ll be in left-half and right-half positions, which won’t work for either of them,’ the young manager thought, before realising that the team-sheet whiteboard on the home team’s wall was completely empty. Instantly, he took the board pen from the holder and wrote down who would be starting. Despite his rough time over the past three days, he knew exactly who was to start – and who was to captain the side.

Starting Line Up:

Goalkeeper: Matt Leach

Right-back: Ali Younes

Left-back: Sylvain Brillant

Centre-back: Jon Atkinson

Centre-back: Bryan Robinson

Right-half: Luke Cooke

Left-half: Gary Welch

Centre-half: Dean Fortune

Centre-half: Danny Bartlett

Centre forward: Miroslav Ruzicka

Centre forward: Declan O’Shea

Captain: Ali Younes

Once Richard had finished writing on the board, the players began to huddle up to stare at the team-sheet. “For those who aren’t on the sheet, still get ready – as it’s a friendly, you’re all on the bench,†the manager stated, resulting in the whole squad becoming much happier than they had beforehand. Strangely, nobody questioned his choice of captain – though he knew that it would have to change.

“Anyway, just remember guys – this is a friendly match. I have little care for the result of this match. All I want is a good performance,†Richard requested, before taking a quick look at his watch – it was 14:46. The match was to start in 14 minutes.

No pressure then?

[tenthreeleader]

Originally posted by viperk1:

“Come on, Richard. Your first friendly match is in three quarters of an hour. Surely a little chat with the media will do some good?â€

About as much good as a really good case of scurvy.

Nice read, viper!

[displaced_seagull]

Eeeh, how haven't I noticed this?

Excellent.

[viperk1]

Thanks guys!

“I really think you should just resign now, Richard. It’s obvious that you’ve got no clue about how to manage your club,†Mark Topley, the Aston Villa manager, stated at the end of the match, believing that under Richard Thomas’s guidance, Sheffield United would be playing Championship football during the 2007/08 season.

The statement frustrated Richard, as his side hadn’t done that bad against the Villans. ‘It was 2 – 0 at the end, but I’m sure when the league matches start, Mark will learn defeat,’ the young manager thought to himself, before replying, “Keep dreaming, Topley. By the end of the season, the Blades will be home and dry.â€

It was true – the match hadn’t gone so well for Richard’s Sheffield United side. Aston Villa had gone ahead in the first minute of the match, with Adrien Raimondi pouncing on a ball that had rebounded off his newly acquired left-back, Sylvain Brillant.

Ten minutes later, Declan O’Shea was clutching his cheek after colliding with Aston Villa’s central defender Tom Weatherstone. A change had to be made, with Andy Ellis making his debut for the Blades from the bench.

Several chances had come and go before the half-hour mark, but the best chance Sheffield United had to equalise came from their new striker, who had beaten Aston Villa’s offside trap in the 29th minute, running clear into the box. However, the manager was left holding his hands to his face after the youngster pitched the ball into the side netting – it would’ve been such a glorious goal for the youngster.

By half time, Aston Villa had been unable to capitalize on their chances, with skipper Nick Lawson’s cross being wasted – the ball skimming the top of the bar. The Villans had made the best chances during the first half, but by half-time they were only 1 up on the Blades.

During half time, Richard decided that it was best to give his benched players a chance to prepare for the start of the season. The young manager replaced Matt Leach with young Phillip Robinson, Ali Younes with Darren McCann, Dean Fortune with Jeroen Mulder, Atkinson with Romaine Murray, Bryan Robinson with Andy Livesey and Miroslav Ruzicka with Matthew Purvis.

However, despite Aston Villa’s notable change of style in their play by playing more defensively and Richard Thomas’s rallying call of victory during the break, ten minutes into the second half, Scott Gregory had put the Villans two up with a pile driver shot that Phillip Robinson had no hope of getting to.

The Blades had a mountain to climb, and it was made worse when Matthew Purvis was forced to come off after a bad challenge from Ãdám Molnár five minutes later. As it was an accident, Molnár received no warning and no card. With no strikers on the bench, Richard was forced to change from a 4-4-2 to a 5-4-1, with Ellis as a lone striker. John Haywood came on for the injured Purvis.

Thankfully, Sheffield United’s fans all stayed the duration of the match, and suffered no more embarrassment, despite many good chances coming from the Villans in their search of a third goal. To Richard it was clear that, when the match had ended, the Blades fans all wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

He couldn’t blame them, really, but now Richard knew that the 4-4-2 formation would simply not work with the players that he had. “You’ll be playing Championship football next season if you play like this,†the Aston Villa manager stated, rubbing in the fact that the Blades had lost their first match under Richard’s management.

“I think you’ll find that you’ll be facing a totally different animal when we meet again, Topley,†Richard retaliated, believing that the formation that he had planned for the squad would provide more benefits than the basic 4-4-2 formation.

However, the future prospects of Sheffield United couldn’t mask the final score.

Final score (Saturday 12th August 2006)

Friendly Match

Sheffield United 0

Aston Villa 2 (Raimondi (1’), Gregory (55’))

“We’re sorry about the score, sir,†Miroslav apologised, worried that the manager would be extremely annoyed by the fact that the team had failed to win their first game under his leadership. However, every player in the away changing room all became rather shocked when Richard simply shook his head – it was clear that he wasn’t blaming them for the defeat.

“Relax, guys. It was only a friendly match, so I’m not particularly bothered by the score. We had some good chances, so I’m happy that you’re able to shoot during a match rather than just on training days,†Richard stated, doing little to brighten the mood of the players

“We’re all worried, sir,†Luke Cooke stated, attempting to explain their poor play during the friendly match. Finally, Richard understood – the players, despite shunning her when she asked them for a favour, were all worried by what had happened to Alison.

“Don’t worry about Alison, lads. She’ll pull through,†Richard admitted, before he felt a rumbling in his pocket. Quickly, the young manager picked up the phone, listening to what was being said on the other end of the phone. After a couple of moments, Richard ended the conversation without a single word.

All of the players were staring at Richard, believing that it was actually news on Alison’s condition. The young manager simply said, “That was the hospital. Alison’s coming home,†which was followed by a rapturous applause from the entire playing staff.

If that hadn’t lifted their spirits, Richard had no idea what would. However, he simply looked to the ceiling of the changing room, before thinking, ‘Thank you, God. I was worried that I’d lost her too.’

[viperk1]

Richard had decided to bring the unveiling of his new formation forward, as with only a week to prepare the squad for their first league match, time was no longer an infinite commodity – it was running out, and fast. The players knew this well enough – this time last season they were already playing league matches, so they all agreed to turn up on the Sunday, rather than the Monday, to find out their new formation.

“Um…where’s Declan and Matthew?†Richard asked when he noticed the two strikers missing from the tactics room – of course, the rest of the players had turned up. Eventually, after several minutes of silence, someone else burst into the room, clutching two pieces of paper.

“What’s up, Ian?†the young manager asked his head physio, before realising exactly why Matthew and Declan were absent – they had been injured during the friendly against Aston Villa the previous day, and were likely to miss their first league match. Richard asked, “How long are they going to be out for?â€

Looking about as tired as he always did, Ian replied, “Matthew’s injury isn’t that bad…with a bruised head, I’d say he’ll be out for about a week. Declan, on the other hand, fractured his cheekbone yesterday. He’ll be absent for about 3 weeks, maybe a month.â€

Richard couldn’t help but stare in disbelief at the current situation he found himself in. With only four strikers in the senior squad, he would now have to make a tough decision concerning his strategy – go for a lone striker to ensure they had a back-up striker, or take a huge risk with keeping with the usual two strikers at the front. “Thank you for that information, Ian. See if your physio’s can make those times a little shorter – our fixture list doesn’t exactly favour us,†Richard replied icily, sending the physio on his merry way.

“Now lads…here’s your new formation. I’m sure it’ll provide us with victories during this season,†Richard stated, pointing to the whiteboard in the tactics room of Bramall Lane. The tactic was a 4-1-3-2, with only one actual midfielder – it included two wingers and a defensive midfielder.

Andy Ellis, who wasn’t totally sure about the team’s fixture list, asked, “What are our first five fixtures, Mr. Thomas?†which was met with murmurs from the entire squad – Richard had not told any of them about the teams they were going to meet in the first month of league matches.

“Should I show you the first games we’ll play, lads?†Richard asked, to which the entire squad nodded – they were totally unaware of the challenges they were going to be facing during the season. Of course, they knew the teams who were in the Premier League, but they didn’t know the order they were playing their games in.

Wiping away the tactic he had made, the young manager wrote down Sheffield United’s first five games:

Manchester City vs. Sheffield United

Sheffield United vs. Bolton Wanderers

Newcastle United vs. Sheffield United

Sheffield United vs. Aston Villa

West Ham United vs. Sheffield United

“There are some difficult fixtures there, Mr. Thomas. Do you think we don’t have a chance against some of them?†Luke asked, the winger becoming very worried that he would have to face such seasoned opposition in his first league games.

“Not if you play to your best abilities. If we come out of those games with at least a win or two, I’ll be happy. If we lose, it won’t be so bad,†Richard replied, attempting to improve the morale of his squad. Thankfully, it succeeded.

A couple of moments later, a noise rang throughout the tactics room to the tune of Muse’s new hit song Supermassive Black Hole. Eventually, Richard realised that it was his phone that had gone off. Quickly, the young manager picked it up from inside his pocket, before answering, “Richard Thomas speaking. Who are you and how did you get my number?â€

Quickly, Richard escaped from the tactics room, worried that this may be a call for one of his players. He wasn’t wrong, either. “This is Martin Futcher. I am the manager of Newcastle United. Your board kindly told me of your number,†the voice replied.

Newcastle United – the perennial underachievers of the Premier League. Despite their resources almost rivalling that of the big four, the Tyne and Wear side had never broken into the elusive Champions League places. They were also very inconsistent – despite a fifth place finish at the end of the 2003/2004 season, they finished fourteenth the season after.

Richard, smarting over the fact the board were handing his phone number out like confetti, knew exactly what Futcher wanted. The Newcastle manager obviously wanted one of his players. Eventually, the young manager asked, “Which player do you want?â€

“Jon Atkinson. I am curious as to how much you want us to pay for you to part with him,†Martin answered, causing Richard some discomfort. Jon was a rising star in Sheffield United, and he was an academy graduate a season previous – at least, that’s what it said in the report. He was also worth two million pounds, according to the club.

“He’s not for sale, Futcher. Goodbye,†Richard stated, before clicking the button to end the call. He wasn’t willing to part with Jon Atkinson for any price tag. Placing the phone back in his pocket, the young manager steadily walked back into the tactics room. Eventually, he said, “What are you all still doing here? Sunday’s your day off, so go and enjoy it!â€

The players all believed that Richard was still ice cool in his persona – they were mistaken. The entire squad, as they left to pursue their social lives, thought the same thing – this change in personality won’t be a bad thing.

[gingstu09]

Really good story!

Keep it up

[viperk1]

“Why am I even here, Daniel? Surely dealing with on-pitch matters is more important than being stuck in a board room for two hours,†Richard asked disdainfully. It was true – the board were making their meetings a priority. With the squad leaving for Manchester late on the Friday, Richard’s time was running out – and here he was, stuck in a board room on the Monday with two cash-mongering morons.

“Well, Richard, we have been receiving requests from clubs throughout the Football League pyramid, all of whom want to be our feeder team,†Daniel stated, attempting to make it sound important to the survival of Sheffield United. As usual, however, he failed spectacularly, making it sound more boring than it actually was. “Barnsley, Hull, Huddersfield and Bradford are interested,†he added, trying to please the young manager.

“Huddersfield,†Richard instantly stated, before picking himself up from the sticky leather chairs in the board room. It was clear they wanted his opinion on which team they should make a deal with – so Richard simply answered, without much thought. “Anyway, I’ve got more important things to deal with, Daniel, so I’ll be leaving,†Richard stated, walking out of the door with venom in his red eyes.

Again, he was right. At the moment, he had only one defensive midfielder in the senior squad, which simply wouldn’t do. After all, if Garry Clarke was injured during a match, Richard would be forced into playing a different formation that the players wouldn’t be used to. Of course, in the world of football, tactics change over a season, so he knew it was very much possible for the 4-1-3-2 to change.

“No need to worry about your defensive midfielder problems, Rich,†Alison stated from her desk. She had returned to work just after their friendly, and the squad all were much happier because of it. However, Richard became rather confused – did Alison have some kind of odd ability to read minds? Thankfully, the young blonde pulled two reports from below her table, handing them both to Richard.

Both reports featured a defensive midfielder – which pleased the young manager. He couldn’t believe that Hecham figured out that the Sheffield United squad needed defensive midfielders for his tactic. “How did he know?†Richard asked, shell-shocked that the head scout had managed to be able to come up with such finds on his travels.

“You’re forgetting who else was in the tactics room on Sunday, Rich,†Alison jokily stated, causing Richard to assume the young blonde had snuck in whilst he had been talking to the squad about his new tactic for them. “I informed Hecham that you needed another defensive midfielder,†she added, tapping her fingers on the table.

The young manager was tempted to thank Alison in some way, but decided to leave it until later. Richard simply answered, “Thank you,†before waltzing into his office. He was grateful that somebody was desperate to see him perform well above the position the media had Sheffield United rated at – though he had wished that it would come from somebody other than Alison Trent. ‘When a secretary takes more care about results than the board members, it’s worrying,’ he thought to himself.

A quick glance at the two reports caused Richard to do a double take. Rather than making a comparison to Garry Clarke, of whom Richard believed was the best defensive midfielder available to the squad, Hecham Dielna had compared the two players to George Muldowney. Of course, the young manager had no idea who George actually was.

Instantly, Richard checked the fronts of the folders of the reserves and Under 18’s squads stuck in the filing cabinets. Noticing George’s name on the reserves squad, the young manager frantically opened the folder, searching for the defensive midfielder who could save him a lot of money. Eventually, after a couple of minutes searching, Richard found the person he was looking for.

George Muldowney, according to the coaches, was a very hard working 22 year old defensive midfielder. He was never late to training, but because of his natural position, the coaches felt he wasn’t required at Bramall Lane. ‘Time to change that, I think,’ Richard thought to himself, before pulling the report out of the reserves folder, and placing it into the senior squad folder.

Eventually, the young manager placed the folders back into the filing cabinet, and began to make his way down to the pitch, going as fast as his legs and the stairs would allow. His intention was to tell George exactly what he thought of his abilities. ‘No one can really be disappointed at going up in the ladder, can they?’ Richard thought, having a slight doubt that the 22 year old may prefer playing in the reserves than suffering from massive pressure in the Premier League.

However, his fears were quelled after the response he received from George when the young manager finally broke the news to the 22 year old. “Wow! Playing in the Premier League is what I’ve wanted for so long! Thank you, boss!†the Englishman yelled in glee, just before the end of training. However, the reply struck a chord with Richard – his dream had been to play for Sheffield United in the Premier League. Now he was offering that chance to somebody else – whilst he’d be watching from the sidelines.

It hurt – but for the tactics he was using, the pain was worth it all.

[viperk1]

“Calm down lads!†Richard yelled as the Sheffield United bus coasted out of Bramall Lane, heading towards The City of Manchester Stadium. As it was a night-time trip to Manchester, it was likely to take even longer than planned – which meant trying to keep a group of over thirty people calm for over an hour.

“By the way, Richard, you may want to read this,†Andy, the experienced centre-back, stated once the bus had calmed itself to something like normal levels. Handing the young manager a newspaper, Andy added, “Back page – it’s the odds for the Premier League.â€

“That should be something interesting, I guess,†Alison stated, unperturbed by the fact that she was the only female on the bus. The young blonde was there because Richard had simply asked her to be there – in other words, if things went belly up against Manchester City, Alison would be on hand to pick up the pieces. ‘I hope that doesn’t happen,’ the young blonde thought, trying to believe in the ability of the Sheffield United squad.

Richard took the newspaper off Andy’s hands, before whispering something to the experienced defender. Alison noticed that Andy seemed to be much happier afterwards, and so asked Richard, “What did you tell him, Rich?â€

“He’s captaining the squad in Manchester,†Richard smugly answered, before unfolding the paper. In the darkness, it would be impossible for anyone to read a note, let alone a newspaper. Thankfully, the Sheffield United bus had lights above every seat, allowing the young manager to read without much hesitation.

CHELSEA TIPPED FOR THREE IN A ROW – totalbet.com ODDS

Chelsea 6-4

Manchester United 2-1

Liverpool 3-1

Arsenal 3-1

Newcastle 16-1

Tottenham 20-1

Blackburn 25-1

…

Sheffield United 1000-1

Watford 1250-1

Reading 1500-1

“It’s not looking too good, is it, Rich?†Alison asked, taking a look at the poor odds given to their side. Richard wasn’t particularly bothered by this – he had been expecting this kind of situation since day one in charge. After all, the media believed the Blades didn’t have a hope in hell of surviving the seasonal drop. Something that Richard was hoping to rectify after a few games.

“Don’t worry about it, Alison,†Richard answered, trying his best to quell the young blonde’s fears of relegation. After all, she had become quite accustomed to living with the young manager – and relegation usually means a sacking for the manager in question. Of course, Richard knew that even if he was fired, he would allow Alison to stay with him – especially since he was becoming slightly smitten.

Thankfully, Alison calmed down slightly, before remembering something that she had picked up from the fax machine before they left. “Rich…Hecham sent another report,†she stated, pulling a folded piece of paper from her handbag. Handing it to the young manager, Alison added, “This one seems to be even younger – and better.â€

Realising that this report could spell further success for Sheffield United, Richard unfolded the piece of paper, reading about a 16-year old West Bromwich Albion keeper named Chris Scott. Alison was right – as usual. Hecham believed that he was much better than Matt Leach already – a man nearly eight years his senior. Of course, it would mean leaving Phillip Robinson out of the first team fixtures for most of the season.

“I hope that helps, Rich,†Alison stated, beginning to worry slightly. She was under the impression that she had informed the manager far too late for him to do anything about it. “I’m sorry that you won’t be able to sign him until next season,†she added, believing that once the season started, transfers between clubs ended.

“Alison…the transfer window is open for another twelve days,†Richard stated, allaying the new fears in the pit of the young blonde’s stomach. “This youngster will be pivotal to my plans, so thank you so much,†he added, placing his left arm around her waist. In response, Alison simply rested her head upon Richard’s shoulder, yawning slightly. Even she was becoming tired due to lateness.

Checking his watch, Richard finally realised that it had gone well past midnight. The coach, however, was still travelling – it seemed that the driver didn’t want to risk going in between the Pennines, and had decided to take the long way round. At the moment, it seemed that they were Buxton – nearly an hour away from The City of Manchester Stadium.

Deciding that it was probably best to leave dealing with the transfer of Chris Scott until the morning, Richard rested his head on Alison’s blonde-haired head, trying his best to get some sleep. The two players behind him, Darren McCann and Declan O’Shea, simply said to each other, “Don’t those two look like a cute couple, eh?â€

“Don’t you two need to learn that a league match is more important than my love-life?†Richard replied, not bothering to even look at the two players. However, they both got the hint, and instantly kept their mouths shut, attempting to get to sleep themselves – with little success.

Eventually, the entire coach was silent, with the exception of the coach driver, attempting to get the squad to Manchester without delay. Alison, however, was still awake, thinking about the man that had his arm wrapped around her waist.

Just before sleep finally overcame her weary soul, Alison thought, ‘Why is Richard doing this? Does he like me now, or has that little episode with Aaron just made him more protective?’

She wasn’t totally sure anymore, but she knew only one thing – tomorrow, the game would be all that would matter to Richard Thomas.

[tenthreeleader]

Some nice imagery in this post, viper. Well done!

[O\'Hara_fan]

Aye, very good once more.

[viperk1]

Cheers you two. Hope I don't disappoint...

“Alright lads, the bookmakers seem to think this’ll be a very close match, so if we come out with a draw from this, I’ll be very happy,†Richard stated in the away dressing room. It wasn’t that much different from the home dressing room at Bramall Lane, but with the Manchester City logo emblazoned rather than the Sheffield United logo.

“Though just realise that there is no pressure your shoulders today. If we lose, I won’t be too disappointed,†Richard added, doing his best to rally the troops for battle. Instantly, the young manager placed the starting line-up on the board, which he had decided before the coach had even left Sheffield.

Goalkeeper: Matt Leach

Right back: Ali Younes

Left back: Sylvain Brillant

Centre back: Bryan Robinson

Centre back: Andy Livesey

Defensive midfielder: George Muldowney

Centre half: Dean Fortune

Right winger: Luke Cooke

Left winger: Gary Welch

Centre forward: Andy Ellis

Centre forward: Miroslav Ruzicka

Substitutes:

Phillip Robinson

John Haywood

Danny Bartlett

Jon Atkinson

Romaine Murray

Captain: Andy Livesey

Richard had very little choice but to have three defenders in his substitutes list – as both Declan and Matthew were out with injuries. They had travelled with the team, but had not been in training since the Aston Villa friendly. Richard simply hoped that there would be no injuries in their first league game.

“Why am I not captain, Mr. Thomas?†Ali asked, seeming disappointed that he wasn’t going to be leading the team out in their first ever Premier League match. “I have captained this side for 2 years, Mr. Thomas, so I do not feel this is justified!†he added, becoming slightly angry.

“Ali…you’ve done a good job, I know. I am simply seeing whether there is a more suitable candidate for the job,†Richard stated, trying to improve relations with the Egyptian. Thankfully, it seemed that Ali was able to comprehend that he may not even be the best man for the job – and backed down without another word said.

Simply nodding at his players, Richard beckoned the new captain, Andy Livesey, to lead the starting players to the tunnel. The young manager, once the starting 11 had gone, followed along with the bench warmers and the non-starters. Despite the fact that it was his first ever league game in charge, Richard seemed calm and collected.

By the time Richard reached the dugout, his side were already warming up for the game. ‘It’s been four years since I last saw this place...’ the young manager thought to himself, thinking back to the Commonwealth Games of 2002 – when The City of Manchester Stadium was an athletics stadium named Eastlands rather than a football pitch.

On the other side of the dugout, he spotted the opposing manager. However, unlike Mark Topley, who was disdainful of Richard, the Manchester City manager walked over cheerily, offering a hand of friendship. “Lee Milsom,†he said, attempting to strike up conversation, “and you are Richard Thomas, if I’m right. Plenty of news coverage on you, lad…â€

Richard was totally unaware of any news coverage that had come from the national papers, but he had a feeling it was to do with Alison’s injuries and the relatively young signings he had made during the pre-season. “That I am, Lee. Don’t deny my side a good game – they thoroughly deserve it after what they went through,†Richard stated cheerfully, shaking the offered hand with gusto.

Lee simply shrugged, before admitting, “They won’t, Richard. Though to be honest, a Manchester derby would’ve done this lot some good for the opening day of matches,†heading back to his dugout. Richard followed suit, heading back to the dugout, where Ian Jackson and Alison were waiting for him.

Meanwhile, back on the pitch, Andy and Manchester City’s captain, Ecuadorian midfielder Jaco Pacinto, were dealing with the usual coin toss to decide which side would start the proceedings. Admittedly, for a summer’s day, the weather was awful – according to the weather forecasters, it was about 5 Celsius, and it seemed that the rain was unlikely to let up either.

Once the two captains had taken their positions in their formations, Nick Timothy, the referee, blew his whistle, to allow Manchester City to kick-off and start Sheffield United’s first ever Premier League match.

Let the games begin.

[viperk1]

It didn’t take a tactical genius to realise that Manchester City were using the basic 4-4-2 for the match. ‘I somehow think the two wide players will move forward into winger positions when they have the ball,’ Richard thought to himself as he noticed that the two wide men for The Blues had automatically moved much closer to the front two after kick-off.

After the first few minutes, Richard could distinctly hear Lee Milsom yelling, “Get on with the match, lads! Get into their half, damnit!†above the roaring Manchester crowd. The orders seemed to give Manchester City boys some strength – after the defenders passed the ball back to Blues goalkeeper Eamonn Crawford for what seemed to be the umpteenth time, the young keeper pelted the ball forward towards the two strikers.

Fortunately, it struck the head of Bryan Robinson, which settled Richard’s fears of a breakaway goal. However, he became even more nervous when the ball continued to travel towards the Sheffield United sticks and into the path of Mohamed Mathlouthi, who Sylvain Brillant was unable to stop from heading the ball towards his strike partner, Steven Philippens. The skipper, Andy Livesey, instinctively yelled, “Matt - do something!â€

The 24 year old keeper didn’t need to be told twice – despite the striker being in acres of space, Philippens had fired the ball straight at Matt, allowing for a simple yet stunning parry. Richard had reason to believe that the Blues striker may have even been offside, but he couldn’t complain, as the ball fell to Dean Fortune, who instinctively cleared the ball towards the Manchester City goals. If there was ever a time for a counter attack, this was it.

“Get it into the net, lads!†Richard yelled, hoping that this moment would result in a goal. Andy Ellis, who had picked the ball up inside his half, pushed the team forward, going past a defender in the process. Eventually, the youngster was attempting to deal with two defenders, and looked for a good run from his strike partner, Miroslav Ruzicka. Unfortunately, the ball struck Emilio Da Ros, and went back to the keeper for a simple save.

“Not a bad attempt, kid,†Da Ros stated, patting the young striker on the back. However, the fact was that it had not resulted in a goal, which had frustrated both Andy and Richard in the dugout. After all, a goal after 6 minutes of their first league match would’ve been the perfect start to the season for the Blades.

The next chance of the match fell to Manchester City several minutes later, with a passing triangle consisting of Da Ros, Bosse Lopez and Martin Bertelsen outwitting Luke Cooke. Bertelsen then sent the ball towards Mathlouthi, who seemed destined to score. On the dugout, Richard’s heart was in his mouth – were Sheffield United going to fall behind after only ten minutes?

Thankfully, their seasoned defender and captain, Andy Livesey, slid in with a brilliant tackle to stop the attack in its tracks. Again, the ball fell to Fortune, who once again sent the ball towards Ellis. This time, however, the ball was picked up in Manchester City’s half rather than his own. Once again, the striker went past Da Ros, and performed an extremely intricate 360 roll to go past City’s French centre back Akim Meslien.

“Andy! Into the middle!†Ruzicka yelled from the box, looking to bundle the ball in whilst Crawford was still watching the left side of his net. Ellis finally made it to the byline, and was looking to send the ball towards his Czech strike partner, before a poor challenge from Da Ros sent him onto his face. Timothy’s whistle blew – Sheffield United had been awarded a free kick.

“You alright?†Da Ros asked, picking up the young striker. Andy simply nodded, but once again was slightly annoyed with the Italian left back. A free kick was all well and good, but it was by no means as useful as that cross would’ve been. Placing the ball carefully, Ellis ignored Da Ros’s words, mentally preparing himself to fire the ball into the box. The Italian simply shrugged, before running into the box to prepare for Ellis’s free kick.

The free kick followed, but since Manchester City had prepared for it, Matthias Brinkman, their right back, cleared the ball with a superb header away from the goalmouth. Meslien picked up the ball, before passing it to Mathlouthi. Unfortunately, none of the Sheffield United players had gone to challenge the striker, who was allowed to run along the touchline towards the opposing goal.

Like Ellis, Mathlouthi reached the byline. However, unlike Ellis, Mathlouthi’s cross bounced off Sylvain Brillant, who probably had no idea that it had struck him. Eventually, midfielder Dean Maloney picked up the ball, edging past Gary Welch with ease. Mathlouthi, at this point, had moved into the box to help the attack, whilst Maloney ran towards the byline.

The second cross struck Livesey, as Brillant had moved into the box to defend from the cross. Finally, the momentum Manchester City had gained was now lost, but the Sheffield United players still had to defend from a throw-in.

Brinkmann threw the ball back in, towards Philippens. Had the ball reached its target, Ali Younes and Leach may not have been able to defend it well enough to prevent a goal. Thankfully, the ball was cleared away from danger by Bryan Robinson, who sent the ball towards Ruzicka with the decent effort.

However, the ball was headed back towards the goal with Craig Williamson, who had beaten Ruzicka in the air. Williamson headed the ball towards Maloney, who basically ran rings around Welch. Two quick passes followed, and once again Mathlouthi was able to have a shot on goal.

‘Come on Matt…’ Richard thought to himself, clutching Alison for some kind of support. Thankfully, Mathlouthi was firing from an awful angle that not even Richard would be able to score from, and sent the ball extremely wide and out for a goal kick. “Thank goodness…†Richard said, resting his head on Alison’s shoulder. Only twelve minutes had gone by, but the young manager was already mentally knackered.

And yet, there were still over seventy minutes left to play. This was going to be a long day...

[viperk1]

Another chance followed several minutes later, but finally the dice rolled Sheffield United’s way. Nick Timothy had awarded another free kick to the Blades, which Robinson decided to take. Despite the poor conditions, the kick was perfectly executed, landing at Brillant’s feet. A stunning piece of play by the Frenchman saw him jink the ball past Maloney and pass the ball towards Welch, who was barely onside within the box.

Instead of trying a fire useless shot, Welch instinctively crossed the ball to Ellis. Unfortunately, Da Ros, once again, was marking him like a vulture, and was able to head the ball away. Once again, the ball fell to Robinson, who again passed it to Brillant.

This time, however, Brillant was totally unmarked, and was able to pass the ball to Fortune, who had pulled out of the box to latch onto the pass. After advancing a couple of feet, the midfielder attempted a long shot. However, despite the fact that it would’ve left Crawford for dead, it went inches over the bar, causing Richard, who had believed it was going past the City keeper and into the net, to raise his arms up in disbelief.

However, just after raising his arms, the young manager instantly felt weary – he was not used to travelling at midnight to get to a match anymore. After all, it had been several years since he had done it as a player. “Ian…take over,†Richard said, sitting back down in the dugout. Instantly, Alison’s shoulder seemed like the perfect pillow, and the young manager rested his head, almost zoning out completely.

“You are not serious, are you?†Alison whispered to Richard, still wide awake from the excitement. However, she had forgotten that he had woken up at midday, whereas Richard had been awake since one a.m. trying to deal with an idiotic coach driver. Realising this moments later, she said, “I’m sorry, Rich. You sleep.â€

However, Richard had not heard any of Alison’s words – he had zoned out almost instantly after resting his head on her shoulder. Really, he should’ve stayed awake – as five minutes later, Welch headed the ball towards Ellis, who jinked the ball past Blues defender Williamson. A thunderous drive followed, but Crawford was playing out of his skin – his fingertips reached the ball, sending it away from the goalmouth.

The ball was continually passed around for most of the next twenty minutes, until Mathlouthi ran down the right flank, attempting to get the ball to Philippens. Thankfully, super skipper Livesey kicked the ball behind for a corner. The corner was taken by Lopez, but it slammed firmly into Cooke, and went behind again for another corner.

This time, Lopez took the corner short, passing to Mathlouthi. However, Timothy instantly blew his whistle once he saw young Luke Cooke pulling on the striker’s shirt. Thankfully, there was no booking, but there was a dangerous free kick. Once again, Lopez took the set piece, which was cleared by Bryan Robinson, who was playing out of his skin.

The ball fell to Williamson, who instantly laid it wide right back to Lopez. The cross came in, but Welch was able to get above Maloney to clear it away from the box. Philippens picked up the ball on the Blues’ left wing, but was instantly tripped up by Younes. Fortunately, Welch had accidently elbowed Maloney in the face, and was now on floor in box in pain. Thankfully for the City faithful, Maloney wasn’t injured too badly.

“Richard! Wake up!†Alison screamed in disbelief, shaking her shoulders to bring the young manager back from his rest. Richard simply became wide awake instantly, looking towards the Manchester City net. Once he realised it was completely empty, he looked at his own sides net. Unfortunately, Mathlouthi had put the ball into the net.

“They haven’t scored, Alison,†Richard stated, pointing to Nick Timothy’s touchline assistant. The flag was up – Mathlouthi had been offside. A sigh of relief followed – They still could grind out a draw. Akim Meslien had taken a free kick after Younes tripped up Bosse Lopez. The French defender passed to Lopez, who ran with the ball towards the box. Eventually, the midfielder passed the ball to Mathlouthi, who had nailed it into the top corner. However, the replays showed that not only Mathlouthi was offside, but Philippens was too.

By the time the outcry from the Manchester City fans had ended, Nick Timothy blew his whistle to signal the end of the first half. Despite sleeping for nearly half an hour, Richard was impressed with the performance of his players, after hearing about what he missed from Alison and Ian.

45 minutes to go. All Richard could do was hope that his players would be able to stand the test.

[viperk1]

“I must admit it lads – this game is winnable,†Richard stated to his players back in the dressing room. However, he decided against saying anything special to Andy Ellis – despite the fact that Alison had told the young manager that the young striker was by far their best attacking player in the game. He really didn’t want to place too much pressure on his shoulders.

The team-sheet remained hanging on the away team’s dressing room, which Richard decided to use to full effect – he instantly crossed out two of the starting line-up, and replaced them two substitutes from the list of five available. “That will be line-up going out of this dressing room, understand?†the young manager stated – he knew that substitutes were vital for this game, and Romaine Murray and Danny Bartlett were perfect for what he had in mind.

Fearing the worst after a poor half, Ali Younes took a look at the team-sheet, realising that his name had been crossed off. However, he knew exactly why Romaine was taking his place for the next 45 minutes – he had given away too many free kicks during the first half. “George, you’ll be replaced by Danny,†Ali called back, causing concern in both George’s and Danny’s heads. George was a defensive midfielder, yet Danny was a straight-forward, run-of-the-mill midfielder.

“Oh yes, we’ll be playing 4-4-2 this half. Stay on the wings, Luke and Gary – maybe we can catch them out somewhere,†Richard stated, trying to nullify the concern within the substituted and the substituted players. George and Danny instantly understood their roles more clearly now, and simply nodded in appreciation.

After five minutes and plenty of mindless chit-chat between Richard and the players, the new line-up ran out onto the pitch, still trying to deal with the poor weather conditions. It had gotten no colder, but the rain was now coming down much harder than it had been in the first half. “Do you think they can do it, Richard?†Alison asked as the manager took his place in the dugout.

“I’m not sure, Alison. If we come away with a draw, I’ll be happy,†Richard admitted, hoping that his side would be able to handle the change in formation he had made during the break.

If there was any worry in Richard’s head at the break, it completely dissipated twelve minutes into the second half. After some exceptional passing skills being shown by Fortune and Brillant, the ball came forward towards Ruzicka. A single touch was all that the Czech international applied, which came into the path of Ellis, who was becoming a major threat. Blues defender Williamson attempted a sliding tackle on the youngster, but Ellis simply clutched the ball with his legs and jumped over the seasoned centre-back.

An impressive piece of play by anybody’s standards – but it still didn’t result in a goal. Once again, Crawford was able to parry away the ball, much to the disappointment of the entire Sheffield United dugout and the away supporters.

However, hearts were firmly in mouths at the Sheffield United dugout minutes later, when Philippens and Mathlouthi had broken free of the defence. All Philippens needed to do was cross the ball and his strike partner would apply the finish. The cross came in, but once again, Livesey found himself in front of the ball. The loose ball found its way to Fortune, who instantly laid the ball out to the left wing towards Welch.

The young Irishman found himself unopposed along the left flank, coming forward about 30 yards before laying the ball to Ruzicka, who began to exchange passes with left back Brillant in a brilliant piece of play. Once again hearts were firmly in mouths – but for the majority of the fans in the stadium supporting Manchester City. Fortune cut inside after receiving the ball from Ruzicka, and performed another superb pass to Ellis. Once again, Ellis fired, but Crawford managed to hold on to the ball. Another excellent Sheffield United move – but another failed attempt at goal.

At one point, it seemed that Matt Leach would have very little to do. However, a free kick from Bosse Lopez after substitute Danny Bartlett held back Mathlouthi forced the English keeper into a making a save. However, like Crawford at the other end, Leach held onto the ball, keeping Sheffield United firmly in the game.

Fourteen minutes from time, Manchester City were becoming more drastic with their tactics. After spending so long in a 4-4-2 formation, the Blues switched to a 4-3-3 formation in an attempt to grab a late goal.

However, the first chance to come after that change in tactic was for Sheffield United. After Crawford managed to tip another superb Ellis shot over the bar, the young striker pitched in a perfect corner, which was met by the head of substitute Romaine Murray. Once again, Crawford’s fingertips put it over bar. The second Ellis corner was finally cleared by Da Ros, but went out of play for a throw in.

Cooke took the throw, and Ruzicka was able to perform a bicycle kick that Richard would’ve been extremely proud of. However, it was a poor angle, and Ruzicka was unable to keep the ball down, and it was yet another goal kick for Crawford to take.

“They’re not doing bad, are they?†Alison asked, impressed by the abilities that the squad had shown on the Manchester City pitch. Richard simply shrugged, thinking about the fact that there were still ten minutes on the clock.

Thankfully, the clock ran down with neither side earning a goal. The only chance City had came from Mathlouthi, who replicated Fortune’s first half attempt and pitched it over the bar. He had beaten the keeper, but had also beaten the post.

On the ninetieth minute, three announcements came from the PA system. Two of them pleased Richard to no end, but the third riled him a little. According to the announcer, Andy Livesey was the man of the match for this game, which Richard was extremely pleased about – the tackles the seasoned defender had made kept Sheffield United in the game.

The second announcement was that the overall attendance for this match was 46,629, of which Richard believed only 6,000 were Blades supporters. Richard could hardly believe that his players had been playing in front of over 40,000 people. Back when he was a player, the highest attendance he remembered was the 30,095 who came to Bramall Lane for the Liverpool match.

However, the third announcement decreed that there were four minutes of added time, which was shown the fourth official’s board. ‘There have only been two substitutions during that half – what exactly warrants four minutes of added time?’ Richard thought, worried that the Blues would find a late winner.

However, when Nick Timothy blew the whistle for the final time, the score had remained unchanged. Sheffield United had already gotten one monkey off of their back – they had scored a point.

[O\'Hara_fan]

You made a 0-0 draw sound intresting, nice job

[viperk1]

“I’m impressed, lads. That was a good result,†Richard stated back in the away team dressing room. Despite the fact that it was only a draw, the young manager had a feeling that a win wouldn’t be too far away from his youthful side. He was impressed by the debutants, especially Andy Ellis, who had put the Manchester City defence to the sword.

However, it seemed that some of the players seemed to be a little down that they had conceded 2 points, especially since Manchester City, apart from the offside goal, hadn’t managed to put more than one shot on target. “We’re sorry, sir,†Miroslav apologised, feeling despondent that he’d not taken the chances handed to him.

“Don’t be sorry, lads. You did a brilliant job out there, and I don’t think I could’ve asked for much more from you. Play like this in our next match and I may as well tell them not to bother coming to Bramall Lane,†Richard replied, unwilling to allow his players to be downhearted by a draw. Of course, the young manager realised that most of the squad were used to winning most matches after their 2nd place finish in the Championship in the last season.

“Anyway, that doesn’t matter right now. Somebody here has forgotten their own bloody birthday!†Alison claimed loudly, much to the surprise of the entire squad. As the squad began to wonder just who had forgotten his own birthday, the young blonde woman pointed at Richard, stating that it was him who had missed out on celebrating his birthday. “You were twenty six on Wednesday, Richard,†Alison added, pulling the young manager into an embrace.

“And you didn’t care to remind me?†Richard whispered to Alison, slightly annoyed that she had not told him about it. However, he eventually realised that anybody should be able to remember their own birthday, and simply kept his mouth shut, with exception to telling the players, “Everyone to the coach, lads. I’ll be following with this one.â€

Suddenly, just as the coach set off for home, a Richard felt a rumble in his pocket which signified a typical phone call. Picking the phone up from his pocket, he simply waited for an answer from the person on the other end. After all, he had been expecting this call – he was finally getting around to negotiating a deal with West Bromwich Albion concerning 16-year old goalkeeping sensation Chris Scott.

“We want you to pay two hundred and fifty thousand pounds, Mr. Thomas. We also want sixty two and a half thousand per month for the next twelve months. Finally, we want a twenty percent sell on clause,†Ben Gardner stated, much to Richard’s delight. For such a good talent, the young manager hadn’t expected the West Brom manager to let Chris go for such a low price tag.

“You’ve got a deal there, Ben,†Richard replied, stopping the phone call before anything else could be said. It was almost as if Christmas had come early for him – by getting such a talented player, he’d be able to solve a goalkeeper injury crisis if it ever arose.

Once the call ended, Alison jokily mouthed, “This one?†before shaking her head. Richard hoped that she would take it as a joke – which she probably did. “I’ll give you your present when we get home tonight, Richard,†Alison whispered, causing Richard a little bit of concern – just what did she have planned for him?

Alison spilt the beans on what she had supposedly gotten him for his birthday half an hour later, worried that he would be disappointed if she left it until later. “Believe it or not, Richard, I only remembered today,†Alison admitted, looking dejected. She had so desperately wanted to give him something grand for his birthday, but had forgotten the day. “I’m really sorry...†Alison apologised, struggling to hold back the tears.

‘Wow…tears over missing somebody’s birthday by a few days,’ Richard thought, just as Alison wrapped her arms around his waist whilst in the coach seat. “You don’t need to apologise, Alison,†he stated, trying to comfort the young blonde’s pained soul. However, Richard could feel more tears soaking into his shirt after he said it, so he felt that his attempt at comforting her had failed badly.

“I’m really sorry Richard. I wanted you to have something special – but I can’t even do that. All I can give you is my love, but that’s useless to you,†Alison quietly sobbed, desperate not to attract attention to the players. Thankfully, the players were too busy celebrating their fine efforts at the back of the coach to take any notice of what was happening at the front.

“Your love is worth more to me than any material object, Alison,†Richard stated, causing Alison to look up, still with teary eyes. “Thanks to your love, I’m a changed man. I used to be icier than the polar caps, but no longer. You have changed my life so much since I met you again,†he added, trying so desperately to stop her crying. However, he realised that it was all true – Alison had been a soothing influence on his life.

“Thank you Richard,†Alison whispered, wiping away the tears in her eyes. “Do you like me, then?†she quietly asked moment later, before feeling Richard’s lips pressed up against her own. Once Alison finally realised the situation she was in, the young blonde calmed down even more, knowing now that her life would be complete.

“Darren, take a look up front,†Matt Leach requested to the Scottish defender, who noticed the manager and his secretary smooching at the front of the coach. Instantly, Darren seemed slightly frustrated. Despite rejecting Alison’s request of letting her stay with him, the 23-year old actually liked her – he wasn’t sure why, but all he knew was that he was infatuated by the young blonde.

“Do you want me to help you get her back, Darren?†Matt asked, having figured out Darren’s interest in Alison since she started as the club receptionist back in June. The Scotsman simply shook his head, seeming close to tears because of the situation he found himself in.

Eventually, as he settled back into his seat, Darren thought to himself, ‘She's yours, Richard. If Alison being with you makes her happy, I am willing to search once more for true love.’

[viperk1]

“Time does pass by so quickly when the league starts, doesn’t it?†Richard said to his players in their home team dressing room. He was perfectly right – apart from a couple of league games for divisional rivals, nothing much had occurred in Richard’s life. ‘Well, except that great day I had with Alison on Sunday…’ the young manager thought, thinking back to the day he spent with his new girlfriend.

The players couldn’t help but nod, as apart from the usual training sessions with the coaches, very little had made an impact on their lives. However, they all noticed one thing that was missing within the dressing room – a young player by the name of Luke Cooke. Thankfully, the youngster turned up, albeit ten minutes late, fully kitted out for their next game. ‘Somehow I don’t think the message to turn up ten minutes early reached him,’ Richard thought, thinking about his decision to call in the players early to mentally prepare for their first home game of the season.

“Sorry about that, Mr. Thomas…I was at the betting shop,†Luke admitted, nervously sitting down next to Andy Ellis and Gary Welch. Both of them knew exactly why their team-mate had gone to the bookies – all three of them wanted to know the betting odds of them actually winning their game against Bolton Wanderers.

After their one-nil victory over Portsmouth, Bolton were lying 7th in the Premier League, only 1 point from the top of the table. Because it was only the start of the season, they were tied on points with 6 other clubs, including Everton, who had hammered Watford five-nil at Goodison Park on the opening day, and Blackburn Rovers, who lost their opening game three-one against Newcastle but won against Aston Villa yesterday two-one at Ewood Park.

“Go on then, Luke. What are the odds?†Gary asked, eager to find out whether their draw at The City of Manchester Stadium had improved their odds at all. However, as the young Irishman looked at the sheet Luke handed him, his grin immediately turned upside down in sadness. Bolton were tipped 4/7 favourites for the match, with Sheffield United’s odds at 4/1. Despite the squad’s good performance on Saturday, the Blades were still tagged as relegation favourites, which would probably be why the odds were so poor.

“Luke – I know it’s our first home game, but don’t go to the bookies to find out our odds,†Richard requested, slightly annoyed at the youngster for doing such a thing. Taking the betting slip from Gary, the young manager finally took at look at the odds for the game – not that it mattered to him. “Apparently, we’re underdogs for this game, lads,†Richard stated, “though I quite frankly don’t care. As it’s our first home game, I want you to put in the performance of your life – not for me, but for the fans that have come to see you play.â€

Richard was tempted to not field an unchanged side and give some of the fringe players, like John Haywood and Darren McCann, a chance in the Premier League. However, the poor odds for his side made him re-think this, and decide to send out his strongest eleven to face the might of Bolton.

Sheffield United (vs. Bolton Wanderers, Wednesday 23rd August 2006)

Goalkeeper: Matt Leach

Right back: Ali Younes

Left back: Sylvain Brillant

Centre back: Bryan Robinson

Centre back: Andy Livesey

Defensive midfielder: George Muldowney

Centre half: Dean Fortune

Right winger: Luke Cooke

Left winger: Gary Welch

Centre forward: Andy Ellis

Centre forward: Miroslav Ruzicka

Substitutes:

Phillip Robinson

John Haywood

Danny Bartlett

Jon Atkinson

Romaine Murray

Captain: Andy Livesey

Unlike the opening game, Ali Younes decided against complaining at not being given the captaincy. After all, Andy Livesey was the man of the match for the last game, and led the team with gusto in Manchester. Once again, there were no strikers on the bench, what with both Declan O’Shea and Matthew Purvis being out with their injuries.

“Time to put on a show, lads,†Richard coolly said, ushering the starting eleven to get into the tunnel as soon as they could. To be honest, the game wasn’t to start for another fifteen minutes, but Richard wanted them to be warming up on the pitch. Of course, with the squad training at the stadium rather than the training grounds, Richard had a feeling that warm-up would be a quick and painless affair.

Bolton’s manager Steve Parsons, unlike Lee Milsom, didn’t speak to Richard at all before the match. However, their captain, left back Shaun Neil, decided to do most of the pre-match talking – directly at Andy Livesey. It seemed that Chris Wright, the referee for the match on another wet afternoon, was willing to let the talking go on until a few moments before kick-off.

“Are you sure you’re not going to have to be stretchered off at half time, old man?†Shaun taunted, firing a pot-shot at the experienced defender moments before kick-off. Obviously somebody hadn’t told the Bolton captain that the opposing skipper had played the full match on Saturday, and capable of causing any sharp Bolton attacks to go blunt within a matter of seconds.

“We’ll see about that. Anyway, there is no time for this idle nonsense, little man. I am willing to let football do the talking in this match,†Andy replied, shrugging off the attack. He wasn’t going to be pressurised by a youngster who had been in school when he was a first-team regular for Sheffield Wednesday – which was over ten years ago.

The referee, deciding to break up the war of words, simply requested that both teams should be kept under control by their captains. Eventually, after a very quick coin toss, Andy called up the Sheffield United strikers – they were to kick off. “Let’s give them hell,†the experienced defender whispered to his team-mates, before taking his position at the heart of defence.

Finally, after waiting until the kick-off time had passed, Chris Wright finally blew his whistle to signal the start of Sheffield United’s first home match for this season.

Seconds out for round two – but would either side suffer a knock-out blow?

[viperk1]

Unlike Manchester City in the last match, Bolton had opted for a staggered 4-1-4-1 formation, which was similar to Sheffield United’s formation, except they were using 2 midfielders and only 1 striker. Richard also believed that Bolton’s wingers were likely to align themselves with the lone striker when holding the ball. However, he wouldn’t be able to figure that out until Bolton had the ball in their possession – which the young manager hoped that they would have little of.

None of the fans or the managers had expected such a quick start by either team, but it was Sheffield United who had the momentum at the start of the match, winning a corner after Tidiane Sidibé had blocked a vicious shot from Miroslav Ruzicka. As always, Andy Ellis took the corner, which eventually was headed out by Bolton skipper Shaun Neil.

However, the ball fell to Bryan Robinson several yards outside the box, who laid the ball back to George Muldowney. The defensive midfielder then attempted to feed the ball forward to Luke Cooke, but once again, Neil intercepted and passed the ball to Yossi Janach. In an attempt to pass the ball to the Bolton striker, Janach passed the ball backwards to Souleymane Diaw. Fortunately for Sheffield United, the ball was then intercepted by Cooke again.

The next chance on goal again fell to Sheffield United in the twelfth minute, after Ali Younes had managed to intercept another pass from the Bolton captain. A stunning lob from the Egyptian rightback fell to Ruzicka inside the box – but the ball struck the post, inches away from scoring his first goal for the Blades. All he could do was hold his head in his hands for a few moments after – just how did he miss that?

Sheffield United continued to be a threat, after Neil had put the ball out for a throw in the twenty-seventh minute. Cooke took the throw, putting it back into play with a long throw to centre-back Robinson. A quick pass to Younes followed, who held the ball near the touchline before curling the ball towards Ruzicka. The Czech striker attempted to take a shot, but felt two hands on his legs – that shoved him over the goalkeeper. All of a sudden, Chris Wright had blown his whistle, and had immediately pointed to the spot! Penalty!

However, the referee had called Irakly Morev, Bolton’s goalkeeper, over to the outside of the box. What happened next was unexpected by his team-mates, but fully deserved in the eyes of the Sheffield United fans. A couple of moments after walking to the referee, Morev found himself walking towards the Bramall Lane tunnel – Wright had deemed it as a professional foul, and the goalkeeper had been sent off!

The Bramall Lane faithful could do nothing but cheer, jeering, “Send us a postcard!†at the goalkeeper as Andy Ellis placed the ball onto the penalty spot. With no goalkeeper on the pitch, Steve Parsons had little choice but to bring on the reserve goalkeeper – Stevie Edwards – to replace Steve Hermansen, which eventually led to Bolton changing their formation to a 4-1-3-1, minus any wingers.

None of the Bolton fans dared to watch Ellis nervously began his run-up. Unlike some players, who would stop-start, the youngster simply struck the ball with fury, watching as Edwards attempted to block the shot. The keeper had guessed right, but the shot had bounced off the bar as it went into the net! Ellis had scored his first ever goal for Sheffield United, and was mobbed by Fortune as the team celebrated a one-nil lead!

No Bolton fan wanted to believe that their side would be shoved under the carpet by their newly promoted opponents, but it seemed that Sheffield United weren’t willing to simply let their opponents create chances to equalise. A free kick by Bolton’s new keeper Edwards in the thirty-fourth minute fell to Brilliant, who astonishingly managed to volley the ball into the path of Ellis!

It took only seconds for Ellis to be free of the last defender, centre-back Ruslan Tarasov – and Edwards ran forwards, trying his best to block any shot that came towards the goalmouth. Unfortunately for him, Ellis simply jinked the ball to the right, away from the onrushing keeper, and buried the ball into the right of the net for his second goal of the game!

Richard had simply cheered when Ellis scored the first goal, but he was now down on his knees, cheering his heart out – the underdogs were two goals up! Meanwhile, Bolton fans could hardly believe that their side, tipped as heavy favourites for the match, were now two goals down before half time, and by the time the whistle had gone for half time eleven minutes later, fans and players alike trudged away unnoticed whilst the home supporters cheered the efforts of their club.

The young manager simply pulled Andy into a hug, thoroughly delighted by the youngster – it seemed that the £675,000 that Richard had paid for him in July was truly worth it. Hecham had rated him very highly during their meeting – now he knew why.

[viperk1]

“I can’t be more impressed than I am now lads. I am absolutely thrilled that we’ve done so well against them,†Richard admitted joyfully, his voice still hoarse from cheering along with the crowd. To be honest, the crowd could still be heard cheering to their heart’s content in their seats – it seemed that no-one was going to leave in case they missed something.

“Admittedly, we all have to congratulate young Andy here, don’t we?†the manager continued, ruffling the young striker’s hair. The players all nodded, gingerly grinning like Cheshire cats. A few moments afterwards, Richard simply whispered into Andy’s ear, “I’m absolutely delighted with the way you’ve played, lad. Keep it up.â€

“Jon and Danny, get ready. Dean and Bryan, you’ve done a great job today – and you’ve earned a rest,†the young manager requested a few minutes before the end of the break, much to the delight of the two youngsters. Danny had already taken part in a Premier League game, but for young centre-back Jon Atkinson this was a Bramall Lane debut in the top echelon of English football.

Once the players were all back onto the pitch for the second half, Richard noticed an unusual situation – Bolton had actually changed their formation again to a 4-1-4-0. Additionally, the young manager spotted Haluk Ibrahim in the Bolton dugout, rather than the pitch, with his ankle wrapped in ice packs. ‘Must’ve done something bad to warrant that,’ Richard thought, before remembering George Muldowney’s tackle a few minutes from half time – he had slid in and took the ball, but also caught Ibrahim’s foot in the process.

Steve Parsons appeared to have sweat poring from his brow – the weather had taken an unusual change, with the temperature skyrocketing to a usual summer’s day of weather rather than the wet weather the first half had brought. However, Richard knew fully well that Parsons was struggling to comprehend how his side had been beaten black and blue in the first half – and had most probably ripped into his players during the break.

Once the whistle had gone for the start of the second half, Richard sat upright in his chair, wondering whether the quick start that his squad had made in the first half would happen again in the second half. Unfortunately, the first real chance for either side this time around came just before half time from a free kick – which Sheffield United had earned after Ruzicka was pushed by Sidibé. Brillant heeled the kick back to Muldowney, who immediately struck it over the dispersing wall of Bolton players.

Richard was back on his feet like he had been for most of the first half, waiting for it to rocket into the Bolton net. Unfortunately, the ball had struck David Marumo, and had fallen safely into the hands of Stevie Edwards. ‘That was so close to being a third goal,’ Richard thought, knowing full well that if it hadn’t deflected off the midfielder, it would’ve been flying into the top left corner of the net.

‘Just what are they doing?’ Richard thought half-way through the second half about the opposition. The young manager wasn’t totally sure, but it seemed that Bolton had decided to shut up shop, to make sure they didn’t leave Sheffield looking totally embarrassed. Since the break, only one shot had been made on goal – which was beginning to frustrate Richard.

However, two minutes later, Edward’s goal kick accidently struck Bartlett rather than David Phillips, who had come on for the injured Ibrahim at half time. The ball then fell to Ruzicka, who decided to lay the ball out to the overlapping Gary Welch, instead of trying to jink the ball past Sidibé. The Bolton centre-back had given up on marking Ruzicka, so when Welch passed the ball back to the Czech striker, Sidibé was no where near, and had given the former Sunderland player a clear run into the box.

Although a run into the box wasn’t what Ruzicka had in mind – instead, he launched a furious shot from roughly twenty five yards out, which Edwards struggled to parry away from the top of the net. ‘Another chance wasted – come on lads, just finish them off already,’ Richard thought to himself, as Bolton’s skipper Neil picked up the loose ball and cleared it away from his end of the pitch.

Bolton were on their back foot – and everybody knew it. Brillant attempted a long throw to Ellis a couple of minutes later, but after a poor first touch from the striker, the ball was cleared by Rory Reynolds. However, hearts in mouths seemed to be the condition of the day for Bolton, after the ball fell to Bartlett, who attempted another shot on goal. This time, however, Sidibé blocked the shot, but the loose ball once again fell to a Sheffield United player – this time being Muldowney.

After a swivel on the ball, the midfielder passed to Cooke, who launched another shot not too dissimilar to Ruzicka’s a couple of minutes prior. Just like the last shot, Edwards parried the ball away – which fell to Marumo nearly three yards from the goal. Unfortunately, no Sheffield United players were anywhere near the midfielder to tap it in, so Bolton cleared the ball away for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.

At this time, Bolton had made only one shot at the Sheffield United goal since the start of the match, whilst the Blades had scored two goals, and had made nearly ten shots on the Trotters goal. Admittedly, four of them had skewed away from the goalmouth, but they were shots nonetheless. ‘I don’t know what Mark was talking about in our friendly, but I know that this is Championship quality football,’ Richard thought, as the sweat on Parsons’ brow seemed to be dripping to form a small puddle on the dugout.

Many more chances flowed Sheffield United’s way, including a brilliant piece of play by Bartlett in the seventy third minute, leaving two Bolton players for dead, which led to Ellis firing a shot into the bottom left of the net. Unfortunately, the youngster was denied a thrilling hat-trick on his home debut by the smallest of margins – more commonly known as Stevie Edwards’ fingertips.

However, Bolton finally were able to break free of the waves of attack that seemed to be flowing continuously from Sheffield United, and finally put Matt Leach to the test – the first time in the match, which had played for nearly eighty minutes. Unfortunately for the travelling Trotters, the first shot by substitutes Mick Gorman was parried by Leach, and the second shot – merely inches from the goal, was sent into the side netting by Victor Janach .

Of course, the attack of Sheffield United continued, in search of the third goal that would send Bolton home with their tails between their legs. Eventually, Sidibé could do no more than concede a corner after a brilliant long ball from Younes nearly found its way to Ellis’s head – albeit outside the box.

Ellis took the corner, with the ball drifting towards the penalty spot. All of a sudden, George Muldowney dived forward, with the player feeling as if time had slowed to a crawl. The ball connected perfectly with the midfielder’s head, shoved towards the goal. A small deflection from Shaun Neil changed nothing – the 22 year old, who had been in the Sheffield United reserves squad two weeks ago, had nailed the ball into the back of the net.

The entire stadium erupted with cheers that could’ve probably been heard at the other side of Sheffield. George Muldowney had just scored his first ever goal for Sheffield United! The rest of the squad on the pitch mobbed the scorer, who was struggling to hold back his delight at the edge of the pitch. Richard would’ve been there too, but would’ve probably suffered a touchline ban for breaching his area. Instead, the young manager was simply cheering along with the crowd, almost in tears at the ability his squad had been shown in the last eighty three minutes.

The match was quickly resumed, but despite their three goal lead, the squad were all seemingly desperate to get on the score sheet. Bolton were able to try another shot at the Blades goal, but Shaun Neil’s half volley in the eighty-ninth minute flew over the bar and into the crowd. By this time, the Sheffield United fans in the seats were on their seats, singing to their hearts content:

“Are you Wednesday?

ARE YOU WEDNESDAY?

ARE YOU WEDNESDAY IN DISGUISE?â€

Richard could hardly believe that he was hearing the chant again after so long away from Sheffield United. The last time he had heard the infamous song was several years ago, when Sheffield United were dominating Bradford City five-nil - a game in which Thomas had scored a hat-trick. It may have been an away game that day, but the noise coming from the fans was unbelievable – but today, it was amplified by ten. If the cheers from the third goal had not been heard at Hillsborough, the song making reference to Sheffield Wednesday surely would be.

Despite the noise, Richard could make out the typical words of the PA system. For his two goals and the assist in the third goal, Andy Ellis had been given the man of the match award. Additionally, the attendance for the match was 29,608. It wasn’t as much as during the first match of the season, but since Bramall Lane could only hold just over thirty thousand people, Richard wasn’t too fussed. The three minutes of added time made little difference to the young manager – his squad were already home and dry.

When Chris Wright blew the whistle for the final time, many of the Sheffield United fans broke ranks, hoisting the two goal scorers into the air – a situation that brought tears to Richard’s eyes. He could still remember his debut in Bramall Lane, which also lead to the Blades supporters breaking ranks to hoist their new star into the air. ‘Well done lads. You’ve made this club proud,’ Richard thought, wiping away the tears.

“Well done Mr Thomas,†Steve Parsons congratulated the young manager on the victory, looking even more dishevelled than he had at half time. “If that performance has told me anything, it tells me that you’ll survive the drop this season,†the Trotters manager added, before walking away to console his dejected players. Richard had a feeling that Parsons would rip into Irakly Morev once they were away from Bramall Lane.

Either way, Richard’s second Bramall Lane debut, this time as a manager, produced the same result – a destructive resounding victory for the Blades. They young manager had a feeling he would remember this match for many years to come – because he knew that Andy Ellis and George Muldowney surely would.

[viperk1]

1000 views...rock on

Usually, Richard wouldn’t have bothered reading the national papers the day after a match – especially if the game had gone disastrously wrong for Sheffield United. However, the day after the stunning performance his players had put in against Bolton, the young manager finally gave up the tradition, and had a look at the sports pages of the News of the World whilst walking back to his home.

As he opened the pages, he was met with a massive picture of George Muldowney and the rest of the squad celebrating the final goal that took up most the page. Underneath, the caption read, “Domination: Sheffield United celebrate their third goal on a black day for Bolton"

He couldn’t agree more with the caption – Sheffield United had dominated that match completely, and nobody could possibly disagree with that fact. Eventually, after glancing over the exhilarated faces of his celebrating players, the young manager finally looked at the headline that the paper had given concerning their win.

However, he was forced to do a double take when he saw it:

BLADES TRAMPLE 10-MAN TROTTERS TO TOP PREMIER LEAGUE

Richard could hardly believe what he had just seen – surely there was some mistake? Sheffield United could not possibly be at the head of the Premier League after that win, could they? However, he simply shrugged it off, before reading the entire article.

BLADES TRAMPLE 10-MAN TROTTERS TO TOP PREMIER LEAGUE

Sheffield United 3 – 0 Bolton Wanderers

Sheffield United ousted Manchester United from the top of the Premier League on goal difference yesterday, after defeating Bolton Wanderers in a match where the Blades dominated from start to finish. Bolton’s first choice keeper Irakly Morev was sent off for a professional foul on Miroslav Ruzicka, which also resulted in a penalty for Sheffield United.

Andy Ellis calmly put the penalty kick away, before adding a second in open play minutes later with a sensational run that left Bolton’s reserve keeper Stevie Edwards for dead. Bolton were confined to their own half for much of the half, and were left trotting back to their dressing room to a chorus of ‘Are you Wednesday in disguise?’ after George Muldowney scored his first ever goal for Sheffield United with a diving header ten minutes before time.

After the match, a sweat-ridden Steve Parsons said, “We were totally outclassed today. The red card was unfortunate, but considering we in our own half for most of the match, it wouldn’t have made much difference.â€

‘Unbelievable,’ Richard thought, still struggling to comprehend how badly Bolton had played the previous day. However, he eventually realised that he would have to prepare for another sleepless night on the Saturday, what with the squad having to travel to Newcastle for their third league match. Once the thought implanted itself firmly into Richard’s mind, the young manager decided to concentrate on the challenge ahead rather than dwelling on the past – Sheffield United had only played two league games, whereas the league was thirty-eight games long.

If Sheffield United were first by the end of the season…then Richard would be dwelling on the past. But not now – not when relegation is still a massive possibility. However, his thoughts were disturbed during his walk when he accidently walked into something – clearly the young manager wasn’t looking where he was going.

Instantly, Richard pulled his eyes away from the paper, and tried to survey what had happened. Finally he realised just what he had walked into a girl, seemingly in her mid-teens. “I’m really sorry,†the young manager apologised, offering a hand – he had knocked her onto the ground, after all.

“Don’t worry about it,†the girl replied, picking herself up off the ground. Richard then noticed something unusual in the girl’s accent – she was Scottish. “I don’t know if you can help me, can you, sir?†she added, attempting to strike up conversation - either that or she seriously needed help.

“What can I do for you, young lady?†Richard asked, trying to be polite. Eventually, he managed to get a good look at the girl he had accidently knocked over. She had long and silky black hair, and piercing blue eyes. However, like most teenage girls these days, she seemed to be tomboyish in nature, wearing black shorts and an orange tank top, that featured a logo that Richard seemed to recognise.

The girl shrugged off Richard’s politeness, and replied, “Well, I’m looking for Bramall Lane, sir. But I’ve never been in Sheffield in my life,†before Richard finally realised just what this girl was actually doing here – she had been a supporter of Andy Ellis, formerly at Dundee United. That explained the logo on her shirt, at least.

“Well, you’re in luck, young lady, because I can get you to Bramall Lane right now. Want a lift?†Richard asked, trying his best to not inform her that he was in fact that manager of Sheffield United. After all, he didn’t want her to twig on to the fact that he taken Ellis to Sheffield United – which could lead to disastrous consequences.

“Do I! Yes please, sir,†the teenager answered, thoroughly pleased that somebody was willing to help her out. Several minutes later Richard and the teenage girl were in the young manager’s Ford Mondeo, making their way to Bramall Lane. Despite their victory against Bolton, Richard had not given the players a day off – that would come after Sunday’s match.

“I’m so close to you again, Andy,†the girl accidently murmured to herself, forgetting that Richard was still in the car with her. Of course, the young manager paid no heed to what she had said – he already knew that the girl, whoever she was, wanted to meet Andy Ellis for some reason or another. “Oh, I’m sorry, sir,†she apologised, after realising just what she had said.

“Do you like this ‘Andy’, then?†Richard asked, pretending that he knew nothing of his star striker. It also seemed that she had no clue as to who he actually was – which would definitely be a good thing if she didn’t like the fact that Andy had left Dundee for Sheffield.

The girl simply nodded, before replying, “I knew he’d have to come back to England some day, and I’m really glad he has found such a good club in your Premier League, but I miss him. I want to see him play again,†making Richard realise that she didn’t hate him for signing up Andy – in fact, she was almost expecting it. Of course, she didn’t know she was talking to the manager of Sheffield United – that very club that she defined as a ‘good club’.

Several minutes later, Richard pulled up outside Bramall Lane, and had managed to get some extra details on the girl who he had offered a lift to the stadium – she was Clair Fletcher, a Dundee born 17 year old teenager with a clear tomboyish streak and she was a massive fan of Andy Ellis – not Dundee United.

Calmly, Richard waited until Clair was no where near the receptionist desk before making his way into Bramall Lane – he had still not revealed his true identity to the clueless teenager. By the time he had reached the pitch, the players were already training hard with the entire coaching staff – he had still not delegated a single session to each coach.

Thankfully, Clair was no where to be seen. “Andy! Come here for a minute,†Richard called to the young striker - unfortunately, due to most of the squad being in the middle of a shooting session, the Englishman had not heard his manager’s call. Instantly, Richard called over Andy Livesey, who was on a break, to go grab the club's star striker for him.

“What’s up, boss?†Andy asked when he finally reached the dugout. Clearly he wasn’t aware that one of his biggest fans had turned up at the stadium, and that she was looking for him already. “Is this to do with the game yesterday?†he added, trying to figure out if he had missed something during that game that the young manager wanted to go over with him personally.

Richard simply shook his head, beckoning him to follow him to the tunnel. After Richard quickly explained the situation to the striker, Andy finally realised just what was wrong – but had absolutely no idea who Clair Fletcher actually was. “She was one of your biggest fans when you played at Dundee United,†Richard added, trying to get the young striker to remember who she was.

“Andy!â€

The young striker turned around to find Clair running towards him, arms outstretched. Once she had pulled Andy into an embrace, the young teenager began to start crying. “Andy, I’ve found you!†she sobbed, before the young striker finally remembered who she actually was. Before his move to Sheffield United, he would’ve probably pushed her away, in an attempt to not get close to anyone else in fear of losing them.

However, Andy simply put his arms around the Scottish teenager before replying, “You found me, Clair,†in an attempt to act confident – just like he would be when on the pitch. In reality, he was still slightly scared of the situation he found himself in.

“I’ll leave you two to it, shall I?†Richard joked, before heading back through the tunnel. He was glad to have helped Andy gain his confidence back in some way, but he knew that Clair would be able to help him so much more – after all, she had known him a lot longer than he had.

[viperk1]

“Don’t mind me asking, driver, but why are we going through the Pennines when there is a direct path up to Newcastle?!?!?†Richard asked, becoming a little annoyed that the driver, once again, was taking a very different path to the one that he had asked him to take. Unlike their trip to Manchester, Richard had decided set off in the afternoon of the previous day – to prevent him from falling asleep during the match.

Instantly, the coach driver took a quick look at his GPS, which was telling him to go through the Pennines to get to Manchester – their last destination. “Sorry, sir – I forgot to change the GPS to Newcastle!†he joked, becoming rather embarrassed about making such a bad mistake. Coupled with his decision to delay them even further in their trip to Manchester, the driver had a feeling that he would be losing his job.

“Change it then. I’ll be finding someone competent to drive this coach after this,†Richard icily stated, confirming the driver’s fears. Eventually, the young manager turned around and yelled, “We’ll be a little later than expected, lads. This idiot here forgot we’re going to Newcastle!†resulting in the entire squad laughing to their hearts content. The driver, once again, blushed furiously, further embarrassed by the situation.

Unfortunately, the driver proved his incompetency again when turning away from The Peak District towards Glossop, taking the corner far too quickly – resulting in the entire squad lurching to the right. Moments after the corner, Richard yelled to the driver, “What the hell are you doing?!??!?!â€

“Boss, we got a stowaway!†Bryan yelled to Richard, causing the young manager to quickly look to the back of the coach. In the sea of track-suits, Richard recognised an orange shirt that he seen not too long ago. Shrugging it off as coincidence, the young manager sat back down in his seat, ignoring the happenings at the back of the coach.

“Let me go,†the female stowaway yelled, before Richard – and Andy Ellis – recognised the voice, bolting up in their seats to see Clair Andrews struggling to fight off their top centre-back, Bryan Robinson. “Somebody get this lunatic off of me!†Clair yelled, clearly in pain – she had fallen from out of the luggage racks.

“Leave her, Bryan! She’s with me!†Andy yelled, defending Clair – he didn’t want her to be treated as a stowaway. Probably because stowaways would usually be arrested if caught – that, and the fact the she probably needed treatment for the long fall from the luggage racks to the coach floor. Bryan, who was shocked by Andy’s blunt request, simply nodded, releasing Clair from his clutches.

“Sorry, Andy – I didn’t know,†Bryan apologised innocently, having being rightfully put in his place by the young striker. Andy simply nodded, before helping Clair into a seat – she was struggling to stand properly. Her silky black hair had become dishevelled, and the Dundee United clothing she was still wearing was now covered in rubbish from the luggage racks.

“Andy – thank you. I’m sorry I’ve caused such a commotion,†Clair apologised, starting to cry again as she finally sat down into a comfortable seat. A small sigh of relief followed – considering she had been laying in the luggage rack, which would’ve been extremely uncomfortable, a seat in the coach would be heavenly. Once Andy sat down alongside her, Clair rested her head on his shoulder, tired from having to have been stuck in a luggage rack for forty minutes.

Andy noticed the tears almost instantly, trying to dry them up with his track-suit top. “No tears, Clair,†he stated comfortingly, thinking back to the day he had been reunited with his biggest fan. She had been in tears for nearly five minutes that day, so Andy was simply trying to stop a flood occurring in the coach – that and he didn’t like to see anybody cry in fear.

“Are you in love then, Andy?†Luke Cooke asked tensely from the seat behind just as Clair began to drop off to sleep. Gary Welch, who was sitting in the seat next to Luke, poked his head above Clair, curious about why Andy even knew this girl.

“No, Luke. I’m not…but I think she is,†Andy quietly replied, not wanting to wake her up. After all, he could vaguely remember what she was like when she wasn’t in a happy mood – she had needed anger management courses for three months.

“How do you even know her, Andy?†Gary calmly enquired, realising that Andy had no intention of waking the sleeping teenager. Carefully, the young striker moved Clair forwards, so that Gary could see the name on the back of the Dundee United tank top she was wearing. Eventually, the Irish left winger spotted the name and number on the back – “Ellis 13â€

“So she was a fan of yours…†Luke stated sympathetically. Andy simply nodded, slowly bringing Clair back to her original position.

All of a sudden, the coach lurched again as the driver once again took a corner far too quickly. Richard, having been made aware of Clair’s situation at the back of the coach, quietly walked over to the driver, before whispering, “Stop the coach, you maniac.â€

Following orders, the driver simply stopped, accidently opening the doors. “Thank you for opening the doors,†Richard stated mischievously, before grabbing the driver by the scruff of the neck and throwing him out onto the grassy plains of the Peak District. Putting his head out of the door, Richard then yelled, “Go get lost, you psycho! I’ll make sure you never get a job again!â€

“Richard…who’s going to drive the coach now the driver is out there?†Alison asked as the coach door shut again. Instantly, the young manager pointed to his chest, before sitting down in the driver’s seat. Realising his intentions, Alison simply nodded, taking her usual seat.

Apart from a accidental mild excursion to Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, the rest of the journey went without a hitch, with the coach arriving at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, nearly four hours after leaving Sheffield.

[O\'Hara_fan]

Haha. Bit of a thick bus driver.

[masta p]

Very good work, Viper! I realy enjoy it.

Especially the funny elements in it.

I believe that you won't disapoint us

[viperk1]

Sorry for the lack of updates. Projects + Start of A2 year...lol

“I guess after such a performance against Bolton, I don’t see a reason to put any pressure on you,†Richard coolly stated in the away dressing room at St. James’ Park. Just like the opening game, the bookmakers predicted a close match between the two sides with Newcastle being the favourites – but only just.

Newcastle had only played one league game since the start of the season, due to their UEFA Cup exploits – their Second Round Qualifying Round match Second Leg had been on the same day as their trip to Fratton Park to face Portsmouth. However, the European competition took priority, meaning they would play on the last Wednesday of the month.

A temptation to play an unchanged side came across Richard’s mind again, but since he and the squad had decided to tinker with the tactics just to test what would work best with the squad, he was forced to make a couple of changes.

Sheffield United (vs Newcastle United, Sunday 27th August 2006)

Goalkeeper: Matt Leach

Right back: Ali Younes

Left back: Sylvain Brillant

Centre back: Jon Atkinson

Centre back: Andy Livesey

Defensive midfielder: George Muldowney

Centre half: Dean Fortune

Centre half: Danny Bartlett

Right winger: Luke Cooke

Left winger: Gary Welch

Centre forward: Andy Ellis

Substitutes:

Phillip Robinson

Bryan Robinson

Miroslav Ruzicka

Matthew Purvis

Romaine Murray

Captain: Andy Livesey

Richard had actually expected some form of an outcry from Miroslav Ruzicka and Bryan Robinson – after all, both of them had started the first two matches of the season and had done relatively well.

However, neither of them made any effort to complain to their young manager.

Ruzicka knew that despite him, at 23, being a full international for the Czech Republic, Andy Ellis by the player in-form at the moment, with those two goals against Bolton. Robinson, on the other hand, simply believed that Jon Atkinson already had the ability and potential to surpass him – despite him having only just turned 19.

Richard couldn’t help but stare in awe at how big the stadium actually was – according to reports, it could hold over fifty thousand people and was the third largest stadium in comparison to the rest of the English Premier League. Even then, it still looked unfinished.

“You’ll won’t see a stadium like this at Sheffield, kid,†Martin Futcher mocked, walking coolly up behind the young manager. Futcher, after all, was nearly old enough to be Richard’s father at forty-six. Richard simply discarded the comment as mind games, before giving his opponent a two fingered salute as he walked towards the dugout - much to the annoyance of the elder manager.

Carefully, Richard took a long glance at the stadium again, trying to figure out some way of Sheffield United being able to get a stadium like the one he found himself in. However, he knew that Bramall Lane wasn’t the smallest stadium in the league – that fell to Watford’s Vicarage Road, which was barely legal in the Premier League with only sixteen thousand seats.

All Richard seemed to want to do today was look at his watch and ready up for kick off – he was almost shaking his boots at the prospect of this match. However, the players seemed unfazed by the stadium or the crowd, and simply were waiting patiently for the referee to finally blow the first whistle. Andy Ellis seemed the calmest player on the pitch – after all, he had support in the stands.

“Go on Andy!!!†Clair yelled from the front row of the seats, still wearing her Dundee United jersey – much to the chagrin of the Sheffield United supporters behind her. The young striker barely heard her words over the impatient crowds – but knew that she, if nobody else, was rooting for him. A simple thumbs-up from the Blades’ top scorer told Clair exactly what she wanted to know – Andy Ellis was ready and waiting to pounce.

The youngster then looked over to his captain, who shook his head. Livesey was slightly disappointed that the Magpies were going to be starting the match, but Ellis purely thought, ‘It doesn’t matter who starts the match, Andy - all that matters is the final score,’ which brought a smile to his face.

However, Ellis wasn’t the only person with that thought – Richard had seen Livesey’s annoyed features, and shrugged it off. ‘Don’t worry about it Andy. The final score is all that matters here,’ he thought, almost in unison with his striker. Suddenly, a deafening whistle from Lloyd Baxter, the referee, filled the stadium – which said only one thing to the people within St. James’ Park:

Game on.

[tenthreeleader]

Good to have you back posting!

[viperk1]

Just like Manchester City, Futcher had opted for the basic 4-4-2 formation, with the wide players moving forward when they had the ball. ‘I somehow think the Premier League needs to have some kind of originality…’ Richard thought, becoming a little miffed at the lack of different formations he had come across. However, the young manager thought back to the times when Preston was in charge of the Blades, before realising his predecessor had done the same thing.

Despite the Magpies’ best efforts, it was Sheffield United who were able to make the better start, with both scorers in their last game, Andy Ellis and George Muldowney, both having one shot on goal apiece. Unfortunately, Ellis had come under pressure from Newcastle defender Terry Newby, and had pitched his shot wide. Muldowney, however, scooped his shot over the bar. Richard was tempted to be disappointed, but only five minutes had gone on the clock – there would be many chances yet to come.

However, despite his belief that many chances would come, Richard hadn’t expected the next chance to come so soon – three minutes later, to be precise. After a poor clearance from Matthew Powell, Danny Bartlett intercepted a ball destined for Newcastle centre-half Michael Carrick, putting it towards none other than Sheffield United’s man of the moment – Andy Ellis.

The youngster surged past Darren Murphy, who had tried in vain to dislodge the ball from Ellis’s feet. After a quick run to the edge of the six yard box, the young striker tried from a relatively tight angle to put the ball into the net. Powell attempted to block the shot, but despite getting a hand to the ball, the young striker had done it again!

With one arm aloft, the youngster celebrated his third goal in the Premier League, before running over to Clair, who had, like Alison, seated herself in the Sheffield United technical area. Quickly, Andy simply kissed her fully on the lips, before carefully mouthing the words, “That was for you.â€

For the second time in less than ten minutes, Newcastle kicked off from the half way line, clearly frustrated that they had let in a goal so early in the game. However, they weren’t the only people annoyed at their situation – Martin Futcher was splitting hairs on the touchline, screaming at his players to get their fingers out of their backsides.

‘You have no idea how good this feels, Martin,’ Richard thought, watching his elder rival yell at his own players – after all, the young manager had never had to deal with that feeling during any match of his short career. ‘Well, maybe against Aston Villa, but that was only a friendly,’ Richard remembered, beginning to smile again.

Despite only nine minutes having gone, Newcastle were already getting desperate, with striker Monny Sapzezar foolishly tripping Ali Younes inside Sheffield United’s area. Thankfully, he only received a warning – thankful for the Magpies’, anyway. For the Blades, it simply meant they weren’t going to able to have a chance of getting another opposition player sent off. Naturally, with the level of refereeing being so high in the Premier League being so high, red cards were a rarity - unless your name is Irakly Morev, of course….

However, Newcastle now seemed more determined to fight back from their one goal deficit, with Sapzezar breaking the offside trap after a good pass from Mike Stokes from the left wing. However, Sheffield United had not conceded a goal in their last two games, and Matt Leach showed the home fans just why – the 24-year old vigilantly threw himself onto the ball. However, it fell sideways, allowing Anthony Johnson to come and fire in on the rebound.

Or at least, it would have, had Sylvain Brillant not proven once again why he was signed from CS Sedan – the Frenchman scrambling the ball away from the penalty area just before the Newcastle striker was able to get a foot onto it. The away supporters – and Richard – let out a quick breath of relief, whilst the home supporters booed and hissed at their own side for an apparent lack of passion.

It took only five more minutes of play for Sheffield United to once again try to get a second goal, after a free kick had been awarded for to the Blades. Brillant, not very well known for his long range free kicks, drifted the ball in from the left touchline from nearly forty yards out. However, this kick was a gift from the gods, or so it seemed. A perfect touch from Fortune sent the ball heading towards the top right hand corner of the net, and Richard seemed to believe it was two-nil already!

However, his celebrations were short-lived – Fortune’s shot had not reached the line, after being successfully parried by Powell. Unbeknownst to the young manager, Fortune pushed Newcastle left-back Fábio moments later, rendering the rebounded shot worthless – the referee had called for a free kick to Newcastle. Even then, the rebound hit the bar. ‘Another chance missed…’Richard thought, becoming a little annoyed.

For the next twenty-four minutes, the game finally seemed to settle down, with neither side making much of an impact – chances were there, but none that could’ve resulted in a goal. However, when the next real chance came after a quick throw in from Luke Cooke – the right winger threw the ball back to Younes, who instantly chipped the ball over to Muldowney.

Once again, the defensive midfielder launched a fiery long shot from outside the area, and seemed destined for the net. However, just like last time, Powell was proving to be a demon between the sticks, making a particularly difficult save look as if he could do them all day. “Damnit all!†Richard yelled to himself, becoming rattled by Powell’s ability.

“Don’t worry, Richard,†Alison comforted, still being allowed to join her boyfriend within the Sheffield United technical area. “If the keeper is their only good link, we’ll be fine,†she added, trying her best to stop him worrying.

However, his fears were proven to be true three minutes from the end of the first half – a perfect clearance from Fábio landed in front of Sapzezar, who had managed to muscle Younes out of the way. Younes, thankfully, hadn’t finished, blocking the striker’s cross, but conceding a corner in the process.

Mike Stokes took the corner, but the ball was cleared away from the penalty area by Cooke with a great header. Sadly, the ball came back to Stokes, who crossed the ball in again. This time, however, the ball landed at Johnson’s feet, who managed to swivel on the ball and put it into the top left hand corner of the Sheffield United net! Newcastle had equalised!

Martin Futcher in the opposite dugout was on his feet in jubilation – whilst Richard Thomas simply put his head in his hands…just what had they done to deserve this? A reassuring pair of hands began to rub his shoulders – obviously belonging to Alison. “Don’t worry, Richard. They’ve only equalised – it’s not as if they’ve won the game 5 – 0, right?†she asked, wondering why Richard was so frustrated by the situation.

When Lloyd Baxter finally blew the whistle for the end of the first half, Richard felt a sense of worry – if Newcastle were to get out of the starting blocks quicker than them in the second half, that one goal lead they had after eight minutes would become a one goal deficit – one that the young manager didn’t seem to think they would be able to pull back.

[tenthreeleader]

viper, I do enjoy your match-writing style. Thanks for the post and I hope your A2 year is going well!

[viperk1]

“A little unlucky there, lads – I personally think we should be in the lead right now,†Richard sighed, unwilling to raise his voice to his players – after all, they were only drawing with Newcastle at the moment. If it had been five-nil to the home side…then Richard would be annoyed.

Unfortunately, the young manager wasn’t sure how to proceed from this situation – unlike the previous two matches, the opposition had been able to get a goal past Matt Leach. ‘Should I put an extra defender at the back to try and stop them from scoring again, or put Miroslav on to try and score a goal at their end?’ Richard thought, racking his brains to try and figure out some kind of solution to this situation.

“Bryan, get ready for the second half. Danny – you can take a rest. We’ll be having five defenders on the pitch,†Richard stated, ensuring that Bryan wasn’t becoming confused – he didn’t want such a good defender to believe that he was going to be played outside his comfort zone. The centre-back simply nodded, before looking towards the clock. “Let’s go, guys,†the young manager requested, beckoning Andy to lead the squad out again.

As he made his way to the dugout, Richard could instantly feel that the air was much warmer than it was at the start of the match. The forecasts had predicted that there would be no rain today – and the weathermen, for once, were spot on. The day was still crisp and clear with blue skies seeming to be the order of the day. ‘Hopefully it’ll be the only time they’ll have to kick-off in this half,’ Richard contemplated, believing that adding an extra player into their back line would have some kind of effect just as he watched the second half finally kick off.

Surprisingly, despite the ferociously quick start in the first half, the first ten minutes of the second half seemed to be more timid, despite off target chances ebbing and flowing between the playing sides. However, when the first on-target chance came, it would change the complexion of the match entirely. On the fifty-fifth minute, Denis Charnock, the home side’s right winger, had managed to play the ball towards the byline, where Johnson was waiting to receive the pass.

A quick cross followed from the striker, which bounced off George Muldowney, and into the feet of Monny Sapzezar – who left Leach for dead, putting the home side into the lead for the first time in the match! A small collection of groans from the Sheffield United support were completely drowned out by the jubilation of the Newcastle supporters – despite them only facing a predicted EPL table-prop, any win would be of some good to them at this early stage in the season.

Richard could hardly believe what he had just seen – and called over the captain, seething over the fact that his team had wasted a lead and were now trailing. “What kind of defending do you call that? Get the backline in order, Andy! We can’t concede any more in this match,†Richard angrily whispered, with the seasoned defender simply nodding. After all, both Jon Atkinson and Bryan Robinson had drifted over towards Johnson, leaving the captain to deal with Sapzezar alone – a truly impossible situation.

Livesey had seen his manager when he was less than impressed, and knew that crossing him at this stage would mean curtains. “I understand sir,†he answered, before heading back to the heart of the Sheffield United defence.

Richard’s heart had now planted itself firmly into his mouth, angrily worried about the prospect of a first league match defeat only three games into his tenure at Sheffield United. He also knew about winning and losing streaks – once a team starts to lose, they struggle to start winning again. ‘I just hope we don’t have a losing streak during this season…’ he thought, tapping the dugout wall lightly with his finger.

Any hope that Sheffield United had of a comeback slowly started to ebb away as the match progressed, with the possibility of a third goal for the Magpies, and a second goal for Johnson, seemed possible after a rare mistake from young Andy Ellis gave possession back to Newcastle in the fifty-eighth minute. Eventually, the triple act of Charnock, Johnson and Sapzezar had managed to get the ball into the box, with Johnson launching a furious drive towards the net. However, Leach saw the ball and tipped it over the bar for a corner. The corner in question came in moments later, but came to nothing after Livesey was pushed by Terry Newby, who had come up for the corner. Despite fury emanating from the Sheffield United fans, Lloyd Baxter only awarded a free kick.

Surprisingly, despite Sheffield United’s impeccable booking record, both Luke Cooke and Ali Younes had managed to earn themselves yellow cards for tripping up Michael Carrick and Mike Stokes respectively within the next ten minutes. However, Younes had fouled Stokes at the byline, causing more concern for the away fans. Thankfully, the free kick provided nothing extra to the game apart from a stunning bicycle kick from Sapzezar that may have resulted in a goal if he had hit the ball cleanly.

Most of the chances in the game for the next ten minutes seemed to fall Newcastle’s way, with Matt Leach and the Sheffield United defence having to make some very strong clearances from their own area – which may have resulted in penalties being awarded to Newcastle if any of the three centre-backs had made a bad challenge. By the eightieth-fifth minute, Sheffield United were still on the ropes, having had no clear-cut chances on goal – making Richard even more nervous than ever.

However, with only four minutes left of regular play left, a fifty yard clearance from Younes was picked up by Ellis – who had managed to break away from the Newcastle defence with a brilliant run. The youngster picked up the ball at the eighteen yard box – but nobody, not even Richard, had expected him to be able to half-volley the ball towards an onrushing Gary Welch, especially with both Newcastle centre-backs being almost on top of him.

The Irishman gladly took the ball just outside the six yard box. Newcastle’s keeper, Powell, had already been left for dead, but Welch still had to contend with Newby, who had parked himself on the line. Much to everybody’s surprise, the left winger struck the ball along the ground at a spectacular speed, and had picked out a route between Newby’s legs! Sheffield United, with only four minutes left on the clock, had equalised!

Richard couldn’t do anything more than jump into the air with glee – Newcastle were now on the back foot despite the goal coming against the run of play. ‘Looks like I was wrong about these guys,’ the young manager thought, remembering what he had said at the end of the first half. From the joyful expressions upon the fans and the players’ faces, Richard had a feeling that despite there being so little time left, the lads would give one final push. Sadly, despite their renewed confidence, a couple of world-class saves from Powell ensured that only one point would be leaving St. James’ Park, including a save from a nearly-unstoppable shot from Ellis.

“The total attendance figure for this match is 47,926. Thank you all for joining us at St. James’ Park today,†the announcer stated, bringing another bit of joy to Richard – Newcastle were only facing Sheffield United, but so many people had turned up to watch them play. However, the next piece of information was received with a roar of boos, with the Newcastle fans being very unimpressed that one of their own players didn’t receive the man of the match award – instead, it had gone, once again, to Andy Ellis.

It was only a draw, but considering the circumstances, Richard couldn’t help but smile at the situation – they had earned another point. Considering seasons can be won or lost on a single point, the five points earned from the first three games could prove pivotal in their battle against relegation.

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“Another sterling second-half performance, lads – although I was disappointed when they put in their second goal,†Richard stated, shooting metaphorically blunt daggers at both Jon Atkinson and Bryan Robinson. Both defenders simply rested their heads on their hands, a little miffed by the situation they found themselves in.

“Anyway, we’ve a two week break from matches because of the international fixtures, so be ready – we need to exact our revenge on Aston Villa. After all, they beat us in our only friendly fixture,†Andy Livesey piped up, changing the subject. Richard, unsurprised by the leadership the captain was showing, simply beckoned him to carry on. “We need to show them that we are a very different team from the one they beat two weeks ago. We’re faster, we’re stronger and we’re now better than they are. Believe, and we will win,†the experienced centre-back stated, rallying the players for the next league match.

Richard simply clapped at Livesey’s inspirational words of wisdom, before reminding them all that it was another two weeks before those words would be able to take any effect. “Save the rallying cry for the next match, Andy,†the young manager joked, before patting Andy on the back. “Anyway, of all the people we need to congratulate, we have to thank young Andy for another fantastic performance – and the touch of the match,†Richard added, before clapping once again – this time directing his applause towards the club’s top scorer. The rest of the squad followed suit, applauding another fantastic performance from the young Englishman.

“Out of curiosity, how are we going to get back to Sheffield? I mean, you threw the coach driver out into the Peak District, if I remember right,†Gary Welch pointed out, wondering whether they would be stuck in Newcastle until they could find a suitable coach driver.

“I guess we’ll have to deal with that once we get back to the coach, right?†Romaine Murray nonchalantly replied in his blunt Caribbean accent, having only taken a little bit of notice in the conversation within the dressing room. “Though I get the feeling the gaffer will drive again. Am I right in believing that, boss?â€

Richard could only stare in slight disbelief at the 31-year old Jamaican – never before in his life had the young manager been referred to as the gaffer. He couldn’t help but feel an utmost respect for the entire squad – the supporters of his predecessor, which included Romaine, seemed to have finally accepted that he wasn’t coming back and that life with him in charge may be just that little bit rosier with a younger man at the helm. “Yes, Romaine - I’ll be driving,†Richard replied, “now we all need to be in the coach. If we’re lucky, we’ll make it back before nightfall.â€

[viperk1]

Just a notice - I have the intention of reposting this properly, with the intention of making it much better than this. Therefore I would like somebody to kindly lock this, and archive it.