Scots' Odyssey

[darrent612]

Chapter 1

 

The sun began to filter through the curtains of the old townhouse in the heart of Bellshill. The smell of morning toast wafted through the hall into the room where Malcolm was stirring from a restful sleep the night before. The morning routine commenced as Malcolm sat on the edge of the bed, reached for his glasses and phone, and started scrolling through the emails he had received. Most were spam, but then he noticed a Sky Sports alert stating that Rangers had removed Michael Beale as the manager due to a poor season-end. A slight smile emerged at the corner of his mouth.

 

The Rangers or Celtic job had always been an end goal of sorts for Malcolm since the beginning of his journey as a football manager. Perhaps this was the chance he had been waiting for, especially after such a strong finish to the season with Motherwell. Taking over in December with them at rock bottom, he managed to guide them to a 7th-place finish, just missing out on Europe.

 

Stepping out of the shower, Malcolm grabbed his clothes, got ready, and made his way to the dining room where his fiancée had made some toast and set out a freshly brewed cup of tea. After a good morning kiss, he opened his laptop, beginning the day's routine. Malcolm logged into his club email account, scanning through emails, scout reports, analyst reports, and messages from the Director of Football about contact from other clubs regarding some of his players. This was the normal morning routine at this time of year.

 

Pushing the laptop away, Malcolm took a bite of toast when his phone began to ring. Glancing at the caller ID, he noticed the picture of his agent, Alex Donovan. Alex was an intelligent and well-connected football agent with a reputation for negotiating lucrative deals for his clients. He had a wealth of experience in the football industry, successfully guiding many players through their careers. Alex operated his own agency, Donovan Sports Management, and had a keen eye for talent, both on and off the pitch.

 

Malcolm picked up the phone and answered the call. After 15 minutes, the call finished, and Malcolm sat in shock at the information he had just been given. His fiancée, Nicole, tapped him on the shoulder and asked what the matter was. Malcolm explained that Rangers had sacked their manager, and Alex had been reached out to by Rangers for an interview about taking over. Ideas were flying all over his head, and it was all he could think about. Was this his chance to take that next step? Champions League football, big names, big stadiums—everything he had ever dreamed of.

 

Edited January 28 by darrent612

[darrent612]

As the day passed, it got closer to the interview date. Malcolm had decided that today was the day to start his presentation for the Rangers selection committee, consisting of the newly appointed Director of Football, Paul Mitchell, club ambassador Graeme Souness, and CEO James Bisgrove.

 

Malcolm had been informed that the club had wiped the slate clean with the staff. If successful, he would be given a shortlist of staff interested in joining the club, and he would have the final say on who would join him. He grabbed his laptop and went into the room, opening the email that Alex had sent him with the Rangers squad and incoming transfers that had already been agreed upon before the sacking of Michael Beale.

 

In terms of the squad, it consisted of 26 players: 3 Goalkeepers, 7 Defenders, 9 Midfielders, 5 Wingers, and 3 Strikers. After hours of looking at the breakdown of the players and their performance last season, Malcolm finished the presentation and was more than happy and ready to take that next big step in his ever-growing career.

 

The days seemed to drag by, but there were only two days left until the interview, and Malcolm had made an appointment to speak to Alan Burrows, the Motherwell CEO, to inform him that he was going for the interview with Rangers. He kissed Nicole as he walked out the door, opened the door of the Nardo grey Focus RS parked in the driveway, and made the short trip to Fir Park Stadium. He walked through the doors and up to the CEO's office. The secretary, a small and dainty woman named Linda who had worked there for 40 years, said, "He will be ready for you in a couple of minutes." Malcolm nodded and sat on the chair adjacent to the office door.

 

A few minutes passed, and Alan Burrows' door opened. He stood and beckoned Malcolm into the office. Malcolm crossed the threshold and sat in the chair opposite Alan at the desk.

 

"Well, Malcolm, I was expecting this conversation to happen after the news broke the other day," said Alan with a big smile on his face. "Yeah, I am sorry, but the opportunity was too big to turn down at this point. I am willing to do anything to make the handover as painless as possible if I get the job."

 

They spoke for just over an hour, and just as they got up to leave with a firm handshake and good luck for the future, Malcolm jumped back into the car and made his way home. There were only two days left until the big interview, and Malcolm was going to make sure he was prepared.

[mark wilson27]

Cracking start darren, looking forward to see how this progresses

[darrent612]

Chapter 2

 

Awakened by the alarm blaring like someone beating a drum repeatedly, Malcolm woke up knowing that today was the day his future would be sealed. He sat at the edge of the bed, reached for his glasses and phone, and scrolled through emails before hitting the shower. Walking out of the shower, the smell of green apple shampoo lingered. Grabbing the freshly ironed clothes Nicole had left on the bedside, he got into them, ready, suited, and booted, and fully prepared to show this selection committee that he was the right man for the job.

 

The interview was set for 10 am. Malcolm arrived at Ibrox Stadium at 9:30 am and walked up the marble staircase, admiring the main entrance to the historic main stand of Ibrox Stadium. It was designed by Archibald Leitch in 1928, featuring a red brick facade, and is listed as a historic building. The history was encapsulated inside, with the marble staircase where a bust of Bill Struth sat, and further up above the stairs was the Hall of Fame board.

 

Walking along more corridors, the rich history of Rangers became evident. They reached the blue room where the interviews were being held. Malcolm stood next to the door while the receptionist knocked and went in to let them know he had arrived. Malcolm was beckoned into the room and welcomed by Paul Mitchell, Graeme Souness, and James Bisgrove. They pointed him to a seat in front of the three-seated table, and Malcolm pulled the laptop out of his bag, hooked it all up, and started to introduce himself to the panel. He explained how he started coaching at the age of 18 at his local football team, Bellshill Athletic, coaching their U16s team. Slowly moving up, at the age of 21, he was managing the senior team. That's what got him a call from Motherwell U21 team. In December 2022, he was promoted to caretaker manager and then offered a full-time contract to take over the team.

 

James Bisgrove asked, “What is your assessment of the squad at the moment?” Malcolm switched the slides up and explained, “Starting at goalkeeper, I like the signing of Jack Butland, so he would be the starter for me, and Robby McCrorie would be his understudy/cup goalkeeper. In defense, James Tavernier is a staple of this team and will continue with the team, probably needs a backup as I don’t think Sterling is the right player at this time. The center backs, I like Souttar and Goldson, and young Leon King as well. But Ben Davies does not suit the style of defender I like, and Barisic has one year left on the contract, so we should cash in on him and move young Ridvan up as the first choice and find someone to compete with him. In midfield, Raskin, Lundstrum, Rice, Cantwell, I would keep. The rest would move on as contracts and age are factors. Out wide, Hagi, Lammers, and Sima are ideal, and maybe sign one more in this area to strengthen. Upfront, we would need maybe two new strikers due to availability and contract situations.”

 

The panel looked impressed at the amount of prep work Malcolm had done. As the interview came to an end, all parties shook hands and left the room. Malcolm drove home and sat on the couch next to Nicole, who asked how it went. He explained the full interview and thought he did really well but acknowledged that it would be a big decision if they chose him over some other managers available at the moment.

 

Several days passed, and it was approaching the beginning of pre-season for most Scottish clubs. With the League Cup group stage beginning soon, Malcolm had already helped Motherwell pick out his replacement. Coincidentally, it was his assistant at the time, Craig Riley, who made it known that he would not follow Malcolm to Rangers if that was going to happen. A small piece of continuity for Motherwell.

 

Through the halls of the townhouse Malcolm and Nicole owned, there was silence. The sudden noise of the iPhone ringtone broke the silence. Malcolm picked the phone up to be greeted by the voice of Alex, his agent. “Rangers have got back to me, Malcolm. They were very impressed with your football knowledge and your assessment of the squad, and they would love if you came on board on an initial 1-year deal, paying you twenty-five thousand pounds a week.” Malcolm stayed silent. The years of work had culminated in him being the next Rangers manager, and this was the chance he had waited for. But before he could say yes, Alex brought him back to reality. “Before you say yes, Malcolm, they want to have a conversation with you regarding something that I am not at liberty to say at the moment.” Alex explained. Malcolm said yes and then proceeded to get ready to head into Ibrox for an informal talk with the CEO and DOF.

[darrent612]

Chapter 3

 

Malcolm accompanied by Alex entered Ibrox again through the main door walked up the staircase and made his way to the board room where he was met by James Bisgrove and Paul Mitchell they sat down around the table, and James Bisgrove spoke first.

“Well congratulations on being offered the job, Malcolm, the reason we asked you to come in before you signed anything or even accepted was because we had an announcement that we had to make but didn’t want to blindside yourself before making it.”

“Rangers and Celtic will not be competing in the Scottish Premiership for the foreseeable future and have instead negotiated with the SPFL and the English Football Association and we have come to an agreement where Rangers and Celtic will be joining the English Championship and Rotherham and Plymouth are joining the Scottish Premiership.” James continued

Malcolm sat back in his chair, his mind going crazy. The job he had hoped he was getting was one of the big 2 and now he was going to manage down in the English leagues where the standards only got higher due to the money involved, the ambition in him was screaming at such an opportunity he had been handed.

Paul then asked, “So will you still be interested in taking the job or do you have any questions before we get the papers drawn up?”

“This is a massive surprise if am honest but I am incredibly honored that the club and you have placed your trust in me for that monumental season ahead and I am looking forward to it.” The meeting finished up with some negotiations on the contract and then they said their goodbyes and headed home. It was signed sealed and delivered come the 3^rd of July Malcolm would become the 19^th manager in over 150 years.

 

Returning home, the weight of the decision settled on Malcolm as he sank into the couch. Nicole, sensing the magnitude of the news, approached with curiosity. Malcolm shared the momentous announcement – he had accepted the job and would soon become the Rangers manager. The realization that a new chapter in his career had begun brought a mix of emotions. The immediate challenges loomed large – assembling a coaching staff, establishing a scouting department, and ensuring the medical team was in place. But tonight was about celebration, about acknowledging the leap in his career. Malcolm's family arrived, laughter and joy filling the townhouse. Glasses clinked in a toast to new beginnings, and the air buzzed with excitement for the challenge of taking Rangers to the pinnacle of English football.

 

As the night unfolded, Malcolm's thoughts oscillated between the professional challenges ahead and the personal joy of sharing this milestone with his loved ones. Little did he know that the journey he was embarking on would test his skills, determination, and ambition in ways he could never have imagined.

Edited January 28 by darrent612

[darrent612]

Chapter 4

 

Malcolm spent the next 2 weeks on holiday with Nicole in the Maldives, a holiday that he had promised her after he proposed as they had planned on going in January 2023 during the Scottish winter break until he was asked to take over as caretaker boss of the senior team due to Graham Alexander losing the job. In those two weeks Malcolm got time to spend with Nicole by the pool and in the bar but most of the time she had succumbed to allowing the use of the laptop as Malcolm carried out scouting and analytics of players he would be interested in signing once he took over at Ibrox.

 

Malcolm awoke on Monday 3^rd of July to the joyous sound of the bird songs out the window, the smell of the snow fairy wax burner Nicole loved wafting through the house, he got up to the edge of the bed, reached over to the bedside table and picked up a black box off the bedside table and walked over to the ensuite bathroom and washed his face and hands before opening the black box and removed a set of contact lenses and while holding his eye open slotted the lens into his eyes and made his way to the dining room where Nicole had sorted out a scolding hot cup of tea and some toast. Malcolm ate the toast drank the tea, slipped into his new Castore Rangers training kit, kissed Nicole on her head, grabbed his keys, jumped into the car, and made his way to the Rangers training centre where the day was going to be busy, but he was more than ready for the challenge.

 

Malcolm placed his hand on the scanner and the door buzzed and then opened, he walked into the reception area where he was met but DOF Paul Mitchell who was there to guide him up to his office. They walked through the training centre being introduced to everyone from the janitors, Cooks, and eventually his new secretary Catherine, a small elderly woman with eyes that felt like they were piercing every organ in your body, he reached out his hand and shook hers, she welcomed him and opened the door to the office.

 

As they sat at the desk overlooking all the pitches at the training centre Paul explained

“If you use their login details to sign into your computer,” handing Malcolm a small, posted note. “This will give you access to everything within the club from emails to squad lists.”

“Thank you, did you manage to get me these reports on the players I asked for?” Malcolm asked.

“Yeah, I got them emailed over to you today along with the shortlists of staff that have expressed interest in joining your coaching team.” Replied Paul

Malcolm opened the staff lists, started to scroll through the names, and asked, “Do you just want me to email back the recommendations?”  Paul nodded and agreement and with a shake of hands welcomed Malcolm again and walked out and closed the door.

Malcolm sat back in his chair, turned round and looked over as the morning sun blazed away and just started to realize that he was sitting in the Rangers manager's office at the training centre. He twisted back around in the chair and started to look through the lists of staff wanting to come into his team. After a few hours, he had finalized the list of staff and sent it over to Paul.

 

The phone rang and he reached over and grabbed the receiver and announced himself and was told the players had arrived and were waiting for him in the changing room. He quickly got up and made his way out the door and down to the changing room door. He pushed the door open, walked in and stood in the middle of a circular room surrounded by the Rangers' first team and some of the more promising youngsters that he had asked to come into training so he could evaluate himself.

 

Malcolm spent 45 minutes talking to the players and broke down what he expected of them this pre-season and for the season going forward, he explained that he would not be changing the captains and then took questions at the end.

As the players got up to leave Malcolm said: “Can Antonion Colak, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo, Scott Wright, Fashion Sakala, Ben Davies, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, Glen Kamara, Jon McLaughlin, and Kemar Roofe stay behind for me.”

As the other players made their way to the pitches to start preseason Malcolm started speaking again,

“It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that I do not have any space in my plans for everyone in here and therefore I will be making everyone here available for transfer and asking prices have been set, if anyone would like to speak with me on their own regarding this, I am always available to speak.”

The silence in the room meant you could hear a pin drop some players looked in complete shock at what they had been told but made their way to the pitches and got on with their training.

 

As the day progressed Malcolm observed training and started to formulate his plans for the squad. The players were impressing him with the commitment they were showing and were pushing each other to get better, some of the younger players joining up at the request of the manager included 16-year-old Bailey Rice, a highly sought-after player at such a young age, as part of his early looking at the squad he had been made aware of the Manchester City asking about Bailey's availability due to him not signing a professional contract yet but that was quickly rectified at the Malcolms request before he joined.

 

The day came to an end and Malcolm made his way home and slumped onto the couch and had his dinner while telling Nicole all about his day and what the plans for the future were but he knew that he had a lot of work to do and it was by no means going to be easy but was ready to face the challenge head-on.

[darrent612]

Chapter 5

 

The next few days the nitty gritty got started, there were preseason games, Rangers and Celtic were still going to be competing in the Scottish League Cup this season, but both agreed that they would field their youth teams in the games. Malcolm and Rangers got active in the transfer market as well with both players leaving and joining and the squad was starting to take shape.

 

In the lead to the opening games of the preseason and the league cup Rangers agreed deals to allow Antonio Colak to leave to Cagliari for £3.6m, Scott Wright to Hull City for £1.1m, Fashion Sakala to Luton Town for £10m, Ben Davies to Sheffield United for £6m, Ryan Jack to Al-Fahya for £5m, Glen Kamara to Burnley for £8m and Nnamdi Ofoborth to Bristol City for £750K.

On the incomings Malcolm had instructed Paul that he wanted to sign a Left Centre back, a Left back, 2 Strikers, 2 Left Wingers, and a Centre Midfielder. Paul had come back with multiple options for the LCB, and the Striker and Malcolm evaluated all options before opting for Mads Bech Sørensen from Brentford on a loan to buy which will be made permanent if Rangers get promoted from the Championship to the Premier League. Sørensen fit all the criteria that Malcolm was looking for in his center-backs, he was tall, strong, and good with the ball at his feet and was more than capable of partnering Conor Goldson.

Next up the decision was made to sign Nelson Weiper from Mainz in Germany the 6’4” Striker had all the intangibles that were needed to lead the line and at the tender age of 18 he had the potential to lead the line for many years to come.

 

Other work was still being done to bring in other players to reinforce some other positions, but no further decisions had been made yet, with the first match approaching against recently relegated Leicester Malcolm will be hoping that there will be some work done in the coming days.

 

In terms of results from preseason, it was mostly against lower league opponents but were good run out for the players to get their match fitness up, the B team players mixed with the U21s and U18s took park in the Scottish League Cup group stage winning all 4 games scoring 14 goals and conceding none albeit it was against lower league Scottish teams but the young lads were managed by Malcolm at pitch side to give them experience for the future, they will play Airdrieonians in the second round after facing them in the group stage and winning 3 -0 there should be no fear from the young guns.