The Hunter and the Hunted

[sherm]

After such a terrific win against our rivals, we were back on our travels, as we faced Mallorca in La Liga action. I had been reliably informed that they were a decent side, particularly at home, so we needed to be at our best to win the match. With this in mind, I felt that we needed to start the game well, and when Lionel Messi squared a ball across for Navarro to put past his own goalkeeper, we were in front within a minute. This sent us well on the way to another win, and when Gio dos Santos scored two minutes before half time, this merely confirmed the points. We did find a third goal in the second half, with Sammy Eto'o finding the net againts his former employers, but the score didn't matter, and our pursuit of the leaders continued

---

"Sweetheart, can we have a talk?"

"Sure. What's up?"

Heather had sat me down for a talk after the win over Mallorca, something I had trouble working out why. I wasn't aware I'd done anything wrong, but I agreed none the less

"Well. I don't really know where to start"

"From the beginning. Come on. I'm not going anywhere"

"OK. You enjoy your work don't you?"

"Yes, you know that"

"Right. And you love me don't you?"

"Of course I do. Heather, where are you going with this?"

"Just hear me out. I've been thinking a lot lately, and it seems you don't put the effort in you used to. I mean you didn't come to my mum and dad's over christmas"

"We've been through this. I can't just drop everything"

"So you've said. Well I'm sorry Barry, I can't do it anymore"

"What? You can't do what?"

"This. Us. I just can't do it"

"But what about the kids? How do you think they are going to take it?"

"They're both old enough to understand. I'll have my bags packed and be gone within the week"

"Where are you going to go? You can't stay in a hotel"

"Mum and dad's. Stephen and Emma can come with me. I'm sorry Barry, I really am"

I was in shock. I couldn't understand what Heather was saying. We had been married over 20 years, and she was just up and leaving like that. She said it was because I was focusing too much on my job, and I didn't put the effort in that I used to. I wasn't sure about that. 20 odd years of marriage doesn't end just like that.

As you can probably guess, I was in a foul mood, and when I walked into work the next day I had a distinct smell of whisky and bags under my eyes, not the sort of impression I wanted to make to my employers. The fact of it was that we had a game that night, as we travelled North to face Valencia in our Spanish Cup quarter final. I don't remember much of the coach journey for the fact I slept through it, and to be honest, the game was a blur too. Maybe the team reacted to my mood, but I will never know. As it were, we lost 1-0 to a Veloso goal, and again we were left with a mountain to climb to advance to the semi's

[sherm]

I had been moping around the training ground like a bear with a sore head for two days, and only Claudio Gaudino had enquired what was wrong. I brushed him aside, told him I was fine, and my assistant shrugged it off. I don't think anything would have been noticed around the offices had I just stayed in my office, but when I snapped at one of the poor tea ladies, that was when Joan Laporta realised something might be wrong. He pulled me into his office and sat me down, before bluntly getting to the point

"Barry, sit down. Now, I heard you snap at Alexandra before. That's not like you at all. What's wrong?"

"Nothing Joan, I'm fine"

"Barry? Don't shrug it off. Talk to me. I might be your boss, but I'm here as a friend too. Now come on"

"It's Heather. She...she left me. Packed her bags and gone back to England"

"Barry I'm sorry, I had no idea"

"20 years of marriage, and just like that. I mean I'll never find anybody else like her"

Talking to Joan helped me. I managed to get a lot off my chest, and for the first time for as long as I can remember, I cried. I loved Heather with everything I had, and I didn't know what I'd do without her. I spent two hours with Joan, just talking, before he finally came up with a solution

"Right. We have two games left, both at the Nou Camp. Take them off. Go home, relax, get yourself straight. Claudio can take over for the two matches"

"No Joan. I'd rather be at work, take my mind off things..."

"No. You need to be fully focused. Go home, rest up. Claudio will take charge of the team. I'm not taking no for an answer"

I obeyed my instructions, and went home to relax. I knew both of our games were on T.V, so I prepared myself to watch them. Claudio had promised to contact me with team news, but it felt strange being sat at home while the team played games. The house was too quiet. It was not a nice feeling

Claudio had given me the voice over on the phone, and his news regarding team selections for the Real Sociedadwas positive. He also told me that Joan had told the players what had happened, which I had agreed to. They seemed intent on putting in a performance, and after a quarter of an hour had passed, we were three goals to the good, thanks to Sammy Eto'o's hat-trick. After his third goal, he ran towards the camera on the touchline and took his Barcelona shirt off to reveal a white t-shirt on, that simply read :

Boss, we're all thinking of you

I was taken aback, but it was something that brought a tear to my eye. I had only been with these players a short period, but it was a heartfelt tribute by our star striker. The scoring wasn't finished though, as Sammy scored a fourth and a Matias Fernandez penalty sent us 5-0 ahead by the half time interval. The second half was dull, and no more goals were added, but I had Sammy's tribute in my head, and made a mental note to thank the little striker

We had the second leg of our Spanish cup game against Valencia to play next, and with a 1-0 disadvantage, I knew we had a mountain to climb. Claudio took the opportunity to put a good side out, and after 120 minutes of play (which was in our favour) we had won 1-0 thanks to Matias Fernandez's goal, and a penalty shoot out would decide the outcome of the tie. The man of the moment was Agliardi, saving all three penalties from Valencia, while Fernandez, Gomez and Ronaldinho slotted home to send us into the semi-finals

[sherm]

I was back at work for the start of February, and walking onto the training pitch, I was greeted by several players, with pats on the back, and hello's. Just to be back among the company of my players was a nice feeling, and I knew that being in work would take my mind off things. I pulled Sammy Eto'o to one side before training, just to thank him for the message

"Sammy, can I have a word?"

"Sure boss. You alright?"

"Feeling better. I just wanted to thank you for the message against Sociedad. It was really touching"

"No probs boss. It was everyone's idea, we wanted to show you our support"

"It meant a lot. Thankyou again"

The lads were training well, and after two hours on the pitch, I felt like I was back where I belonged.

I also couldn't wait to get back into the proper footballing action, and that wasn't all that long in coming, as the team travelled down to Seville to face a very good side, in third placed Sevilla. It was a game that I knew would be tough, and called for nothing but the best team I could field. Yet again, as seemed to be the case so often, we started well in the game, and it was Sammy who put us ahead, continuing his magnificent form of late when he slotted home past Oscar Ustari. The home side created chances of there own though, as Kwabena Agouda in particular was impressive. He used his pace and power to good effect, and forced Federico into a couple of saves, but we certainly used out counter attacking ability as best as we could, when a long ball from Heitinga fell to Matias Fernandez, who squared the ball for dos Santos to slot home past Ustari. Both sides had chances to score again, with Kone and Agouda missing for the home side, while Mario Gomez missed a hat-trick of opportunities, but it made no difference, and my first game back in charge ended with a very good 2-0 victory, over a very good footballing side

[sherm]

I was trying my hardest to take my mind off things, but it was hard. Damn hard. She still had stuff in the house, and every time I went to our room, I still see it. I sit there, crying. I don't want to go through it all. She hated that. I wake up in the morning, and when I find I have the bed to myself? God it hurts. It hurts so badly. All I ever wanted was to be with her, and make her happy. I want to hold her in my arms, feel her hair on my chin, feel her arms around my waist. I can't do that now. I can never do that again. It's killing me, it really is

I was trying so hard to take Heather out of my mind. I couldn't. If she wasn't in there, she popped in later on. It was almost 24/7 thoughts. Even on the training pitch. At least when I was taking training, or with the team, I could focus more, and she wasn't on my mind half as much. This was the case again as the team travelled to struggling Ejido, a team I fully expected to beat, even with a weaker team out. Yet again, as was a regular occurence, we started well, and Raul Garcia fired us ahead after 7 minutes, but not before we had forced the opposition 'keeper into two good saves. We had the match all wrapped up before the half time interval too, as a brace within four minutes from Messi secured the points. The second half saw the team take their foot off the gas, and although we could have had more than just the three, I was quite happy to settle for that, and we carried on our pursuit of the leaders

---

Going to the park when we were younger. She used to sit on the swings, and I'd push her...then we would sit on the bench, and talk for hours. I used to love that. She was the only person I could relate to, tell everything to

Our first date. What a disaster. I was late, she nearly left...we were able to laugh about it but it could have been so different. She looked amazing that night. I fell in love from the moment I saw her

When my mum met her, they got on so well. Heather loved my mum, and when she died it was a sad day for both of us...I will always remember being so happy she was there that day. I wouldn't have survived without her. I miss her so much

...

"Now you're gone, I realise my love for you was strong..."

I woke with a jolt. I'd been doing that a lot lately. Waking up to find her not there, not leaning over to kiss her good morning, her arm not being over my chest. That's the hardest part. I try so hard to take my mind off her, but I can't. It's so god damned hard. I had moved all of her personal stuff into a shoe box, things like photographs, notes, letters, just little things like that. I haven't been through it yet, but when I got up that morning I had the urge. I just took the lid off, and I picked up the first photograph. That was as far as I got. I couldn't do anything else. It was too much. I just sta there, holding the photo, and burst into tears. What had I done to deserve this. She had left me. I loved her so much, and I would never see her again. This was so hard...

[sherm]

The club had been great with me. They had offered me however much leave I needed, offered me support, counselling, anything that I needed. All I wanted to do was to get on with my life as much as possible, and to do this I needed to try and focus on the football with the team. Occasionally, I was caught in a trance-like state, just sat there, not doing anything. Joan Laporta had become a good friend over the last week or so, and he offered me the chance to fly to Holland with him on his personal jet. The UEFA Cup was the next port of call, and our opponents were Heerenveen, a side I knew very little about, but scout reports had told me we should easily dispose of them

I did fly to Holland with Joan, and when I met up with the team, it was on the training pitch. They were in terrific form of late, and winning games seemed to be an easy task, so I had no qualms about this such game. My strongest side took to the field, and as I took my place in the dugout, I smiled, for the first time in a while. I loved the sense of being in the dugout, and watching my team, as I considered Barcelona to be now. The game itself was largely predictable, with three first half goals, two from Lionel Messi and a stunner from Sammy Eto'o sending us away from Holland with a 3-0 cushion, one I was comfortable with, and that I believed would be enough to send us through to the next round

---

Waking up next to her was a dream come true. She was the most beautiful, kind, gentle woman I have ever known. Now she's gone. Forever. What can I do. How can I cope with that?

I'm 46 now. How am I going to find someone else at that age. Nobody can find love again at that age. I've lost her for good, and I'm going to die a lonely old man

"You know what hurts the most? Losing the kids. I want to spend every day of my life with my kids. I love this kids so much. Every minute I think of her, I think of Stephen, and Emma. I've lost it all...

Since Heather left, I had become a different person. How? Well let's just say that the bottom of an empty whisky bottle seems to be my best friend at the minute. I'm turning up to work with a lack of sleep, lack of energy, and a stinking headache. And the worst pf it is, I can't do anything about it. Stuart's in England, not over here. He know my problems, knows what I'm going through, and he'd know how to help. He can't. He's not here. The top drawer in my desk used to have files of paperwork. Now, it's a bottle of whisky on top. I haven't got anything left to live for now. She's gone, my life's ruined...

[devinthedude]

Ahem update....

No seriously your making work very boring for me having no Hunter tales to read about.

[sherm]

devinthedude - Apologies for lack of updates in recent days, been rushed off my feet with work and other aspects. Here's an update for you

---

I was only being kept sane by walking through the doors at work, and knowing I could sit in the dugout and manage the team. Without this, I think I would have been...well, it doesn't bear thinking about to be honest. At times, all I wanted to do was let the ground swallow me up. I had nothing apart from football. Being at Barcelona was my life, and I was grateful for the club, and the help and support they were offering me. I wanted to repay them, and the only way I felt was right to do this was by winning football matches for the club. The next opportunity I had for the team to do this was when we welcomed Levante to Camp Nou for our La Liga game

The squad I had at my disposal was good enough to rotate, and with us still in three competitions, this was vital. Our opponents were not exactly a top notch side, but I was still wary that we could be in trouble if we underestimated them. The opening ten minutes saw a flurry of chances, with Sammy Eto'o and Lionel Messi testing the reflexes of the Levante 'keeper twice a piece, but it was just after the fourth chance when we took the lead, Matias Fernandez sliding the ball through for Eto'o to slot home into the corner. Two minutes later, our Cameroonian striker won a free-kick on the edge of the box, which was quickly taken by Messi who curled it into the unguarded left side of the goal, and despite protestations, we advanced into a 2-0 lead. Our Argentinian midfielder was pulling all the strings, and anything creative came from him, and when he scored a magnificent individual goal on 25 minutes, it was all over, and his beating of three men before cutting into the box and sliding in past a stranded 'keeper. The visitors had absolutely no way of stopping us, and shots rained on their goal, and Matias Fernandez curled a corner which found the head of John Heitinga, who powered home into the net. The big Dutch defender added the fifth and final goal in the second half, as he powered into the box on a breakaway and volleyed home from Messi's cross, and we ran away as comfortable 5-0 victors

---

Although I missed Heather, and missed her like crazy, I couldn't help myself from looking through her stuff. It seemed to be that she was always there, and looking through the box of memories helped me remember her. This was where I was going wrong. I needed to stop thinking about her, stop looking through her stuff, and try to get her out of my mind. How can I get somebody out of my mind that I had been with since I was 16. 28 years. Thats a long time. I was taking solace in the bottom of a glass, or a bottle, and without Stuart with me, it was fair to say I was going off the rails a bit

Football was still taking preference, although there were some games that were meaningless. Such as our next one, which saw us welcome our UEFA Cup opponents Heerenveen in the second leg of our last 32 tie. Having won the first leg by a 3-0 margin, I was virtually guaranteeing a place in the next round for the side. Many players were rested for the tie, with Messi, Eto'o, Fernandez and Kolarov all left out of the squad, which was a sign of how confident I was. The game was a dull affair, with our less illustrious opponents offering nothing to threaten us, and when Mario Gomez further strengthened our aggregate lead to 4-0, it was game, set and match. To be fair, the Dutch side did put up a bit of a fight in the second half, and goals from Drooduin and Dingsdag gave them a brief lead, but it lasted until injury time, as our German striker added his second and sent us through with a 5-2 aggregate scoreline

[sherm]

"Barry, listen to me. I know what you're going through, and as your friend, I need you to listen to me"

"Go on. I'm listening"

"Right. I know you, and I know you're drinking too much. That needs to stop. Also, the stuff you have of her. The photos, clippings, whatever. Get rid. It's making you depressed"

"Yes but I need..."

"You don't need anything. Now, I'm coming over to Spain. No argument from you. I'm going to be there for you as your friend"

"What about Forest, your job?"

"Let me worry about that. Now, I'll be there in three days. Until then, I don't want you to touch a drop of beer, whisky, vodka, whatever. OK?"

"Fine. I'll see you in a few days"

The fact Stu was coming to Spain could only be a good thing for me, as I needed a close friend to help me to get my mind off Heather. I hadn't heard from her or the kids in nearly three weeks now, and it was killing me. Course it was, it's bound to. I love them, they are my only family, and I want them in my life. At least the kids anyway

Before Stuart landed in Spain, I had to travel to the nations capital with the team, as we faced Atletico Madrid in La Liga action. They were a good side and were hoping to push for a UEFA Cup spot, so I knew the team had their work cut out. However, I was grateful that I didn't have the threat of Sergio Aguero to deal with, as the striker had gone to Real Madrid in the summer. They defended brilliantly, forcing us to try and create opportunities in different styles, and it was one of these different styles that resulted in our winning goal, as Emmanuel Eboue's long ball found the head of Mario Gomez, who nodded the ball into Messi's path and the Argentinian drilled the ball home from 10 yards out. That goal came on 28 minutes, and we only really created two more chances of note, Gomez hitting the post, and Messi curling a free-kick just over the bar, but we held on and claimed a hard fought 1-0 win

Stuart's presence was a great help to me, as he managed to force me to stop the drinking and trying to force me to stop thinking about Heather. I knew he had the intention to do this, but when I watched him pour all the alcohol I had down the sink, before throwing the box of mementos into the log fire in my front room, I knew I was taking the first step on the road to recovery, if you will.

Stuart also accompanied me to the ground for our next game, which was the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi final. This game saw us face Athletic Bilbao, and my policy of fielding the side that saw several regular first teamers rested continued. After 45 minutes, it looked to be a good decision on my part, as a second minute header from Gomez, and a brace from Matias Fernandez, including a stunning 35 yard volley, gave us a 3-0 cushion that looked to be enough to send us through. The visitors however, had other ideas, and goals from Eneko and Lopez gave them two away goals and we were just 3-2 in front. This only angered the players on the pitch, and Ahmed Barusso's first for the club, before Fernandez's hat-trick settled the game. Efrain Juarez managed to get himself a second bookable offence for celebrating the goal, and his stupidity was something I didn't appreciate, but none the less we held on for the win

[sherm]

After finishing in style with our 5-2 win in the Copa del Rey, I went into March with more of a positive outlook than I'd had in a while. The on0field side of things was going as well as it could, with the team on form and playing well, picking up results, and still in with a shout in all three competitions we had entered. My personal life was also picking up (well, as much as it could after the break up of your marriage), but at least with Stuart helping me out for a few more days, I was beginning to at least get Heather out of my mind on the odd occasion.

Just when I thought Heather was gradually swaying from my mind, I received a letter from her solicitor. As soon as I read the name on top of the paper, I was nearly brought to tears. It was a letter I never imagined I'd get, and one that ripped my broken heart into two pieces

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

Dear Mr. Hunter

I am writing on behalf of my client, Mrs. Heather Hunter/Adams. Having discussed the marital situation between yourself and my client, we feel that the best, and most prudent thing to do, is to file for divorce. The grounds are the fact that you never had time for your wife or your family in the last few years, more so when you moved to Spain, so the papers should be with you within the week

In terms of seeing the children that you and my client have, we don't feel it is appropriate to deny you access. They are after all, adults, and can make their own decisions, but while you are living in Spain, you can only see them when you are in England. My client will leave contact details and an address for you, and you may speak to the children at any time

Thankyou in advance for your co-operation, and I ask that you can make this a painless experience for my client

Yours sincerely

John Cartwright

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

---

To say I was in a foul mood would be an understatement. I was going through a range of emotions, with anger being the prominent one. I couldn't believe that after more than 20 years of marriage, and being together, she had decided to just give up on it. If we had been going through a rocky patch, and she'd have spoken to me, I might have been more understanding.

I was in absolutely no state to take charge of the team, and I was (quite rightly) ordered to sit in the stands for the visit of Getafe. It was a game I fully expected us to pull a win from, and my constant calls down to Claudio Gaudino in the dugout were to try and get him to follow my orders without his own ideas. It didn't work, and he went with his own judgment. He was right to do that, and it worked, as the team dominated from first to last. Chances galore came our way, with Messi, Gio dos Santos, Iniesta, Garcia, Eto'o and Cigarini all missing chances. Going into the final ten minutes, the game was deadlocked at 0-0, and it looked like we might have a bump in the road. It wasn't to be the case, fortunately, and three goals in six minutes from Sammy Eto'o (twice) and Gio dos Santos secured the points

[sherm]

We were back in action just a few days later, with a quarter final place up for grabs in the UEFA Cup. To get there though, we had to defeat Russian side Spartak Moscow, and travelling to Russia in the winter months was bound to bring an interesting experience, and one I hadn't had before. We landed in Moscow on the Wednesday morning, and we were greeted by about three inches of snow. It was absolutely perishing. I know I'm from England but I had never experienced anything like what the weather was like in Russia

Still, we had to put the coldness behind us, and concentrate on picking up the right result to put us on the right path for the hat for the quarter finals. The strongest available side took to the field, and we were not at our best, but the Russians were no match for us, as we used our knowledge and know how to garner a superb 4-0 win, which meant an unassailable lead (thanks to four away goals) and our safe passage. Lionel Messi was as good as he always seemed to be, and the Argentinian opened the scoring after 19 minutes, slotting home a brilliantly crafted team move. It was another South American who doubled our lead, Eto'o playing dos Santos through and the Mexican winger dinking over the on-rushing 'keeper. Two second half goals from Samuel Eto'o and Matias Fernandez with a penalty livened up an otherwise dull second 45 minutes, and flying back from Russia with the 4-0 win was gratifying

---

Stuart had gone back to England, which meant I was on my own, but to be fair, he had helped me a lot, and I was not thinking about Heather anywhere near as much as I was, which could only be a good thing right? He had said, as a joke I think, that I needed to find another woman to have a 'fling' with, and that would help me to get over Heather. However, I wasn't sure I could do that. The thought of Heather with another man knocked me sideways, and I hoped that she felt the same. What I hadn't counted on though, was Stu's persistence when he got back to England. I had settled down, ready for my Rocky night (my usual form of relaxation) when the phone rang

"Hello"

"Hello. Is it possible to speak with Barry Hunter please?"

"It is. I'm speaking"

"Oh. Hey Barry. It's Ashley"

"Ashley...?"

"Benson. Used to be your P.A"

"Oh. Hey Ash. How are you?"

"Fine thanks. And yourself? I'm sorry, that's a silly question, please forgive me"

"It's fine, don't worry. So, you still at Forest?"

It was nice to speak to a friendly voice, someone I knew but not somebody who was too close or wanted to get too close. I ended up chatting with Ash for over an hour, and it actually brought a smile to my face. We arranged to talk more frequently and more regularly over the phone, and it gave me hope of a day to know I might have something to smile about

The players were always good for raising a smile, and when we travelled to face Celta in La Liga, I managed another one, as we ran out with another win, and further advanced our lead at the head of the table. Lionel Messi was bang in form, and he scored a brace to take his season tally to 14, a great total for a midfielder, and our other goal came from the left foot of Samuel Eto'o. Even with a 13 minute Jurado equaliser, we still claimed the win and were looking good for trophies

[sherm]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

www.skysports.com

Hunter on course for historic treble

Not many people would have expected Barry Hunter to be making his life in Spain with Barcelona, and if anybody had told me that a few years ago, I wouldn't have thought twice. But now, that is exactly what is happening, as the former Nottingham Forest supremo is getting his side firing on all cylinders. They are still in all three competitions that they were in when the Englishman joined, and withe the fans in buoyant mood, the future looks rosy for Hunter

However, he has been seen in the stands in a few of his sides recent games, which besg the question of his relationship with the Los Cules board, but Barca fans will surely want to hold on to the talented, eccentric and outspoken manager, as he looks like he is a born winner and someone who is guaranteed to bring success wherever he goes

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

With our passage through to the UEFA Cup quarter finals secured, I felt that the second leg of the tie with Spartak Moscow was a good opportunity to rest a few first teamers. In total, there were nine changes, with only Gio dos Santos and Victor Valdes keeping their places in the side. I had almost no interest in the game, as I knew we weren't going to concede four goals, but it was possibly our most reserved performance of the season thus far, as we never stepped out of first gear. For this reason, it took us nearly an hour to score the first goal, but when it did come, Xavi slotted the ball through for dos Santos to round the 'keeper and slide home into the goal. The visitors did get themselves a goal to show for their efforts, as Tolkachev headed home, but when Torbincky was dismissed for a two footed lunge on Xavi just two minutes later, their hopes of another evaporated, and we took a 5-1 aggregate win

---

I had spoken to Ashley a couple more times, and each conversation was more in depth, and longer. I was enjoying her company, as such, although I wasn't actually seeing her in person, but it was nice to have a female input in my life again. I had also had several conversations with my old boss, Nigel Doughty. His support had been unwavering, and he had always remained a good friend to me, so his friendship in my hour of need (along with my other good friends) was priceless. I was however, disappointed to hear that my old club were firmly embroiled in a relegation battle, sitting just 2 points above the drop zone, and it upset me. I knew the players had the skill and stature to get out of it, and had full faith that they would

Meanwhile, my current crop of players were busy themselves, as we faced Deportivo in La Liga action at Camp Nou. They were a side marooned in mid-table, and we comfortably warded off their threat, and almost identified them as a team likely to stay in mid-table. To be fair to them though, they had a couple of decent chances in the first half, as did we, but both 'keepers were never tested too much. It was in the 51st minute that we opened the scoring, Messi's ball to Fernandez resulting in the Chilean curling it home from the corner of the box. Fernandez turned to provider for the deciding goal, as his square ball found Xavi, and the Spaniard slotted home with the side of his right foot to keep our charge for the La Liga title on course

[sherm]

When a team has a 5-2 lead from the first leg of a two legged tie, any manager would expect his side to triumph, and most managers would make changes. That is what I did. Again, many regular players were rested for the trip to Athletic Bilbao and our second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. We had a three goal cushion, although two away goals had gone in the favour of the home side in the first leg, and I was sure we had a chance. We always gave a threat of a goal, although at times, our defence could be shaky, but recently we had been solid. A fifteen minute brace from Giovani dos Santos saw us advance to a 2-0 lead on the night, and a 7-2 aggregate advantage, so with 58 minutes left, Bilbao needed five goals to force extra time. I did, whether rightly or wrongly, ask the team to take their foot off the gas, and for that, I have to accept responsibility for the second half blitz we received, as a hat-trick from Fernando Llorente, and a John Heitinga own goal (all in the space of 20 minutes) gave them a fighting chance. We were second best for the rest of the match, and it was Valdes that secured our place in the final, as he kept out several chances, and we prevailed 7-6 on aggregate, although I was not happy to have lost on the night

---

"No I love it here. The weather's generally nice, the country itself is lovely. It's just great"

"Good. I've never been to Spain. I've never been abroad actually. Ah well, never mind eh?"

"You've never been abroad? Seriously? Well why don't you come and visit me?"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Sure. We're friends aren't we? Plus it'd be nice to see you"

"That's true. Yeah sure, why not? I'll come and visit you. When do you want me to come?"

"Whenever suits you. I don't mind, honest"

"OK. Well give me a few days and we can sort it out properly, make all the arrangements"

I hadn't planned to invite Ashley to Spain. It just happened. On a whim. Once I'd said it, I could hardly take it back could I? Still, now I think about it, it would be nice to see her. It had been a while. Although I was looking forward to seeing Ash again, I had more pressing matters to contend with, namely a trip to Murcia in La Liga. Once again, it proved to be no real test at all, as so many games in La Liga had seemed to be, and two goals from Mario Gomez, plus one from Luca Cigarini secured us another three points, sending us into a clear gap at the top of the table and finishing February off on a very positive note, both for me and the team, aswell as the fans

[sherm]

Ashley and myself had been talking over the phone more and more regularly, and as we were making arrangements for her trip to Spain, she was becoming more excited. To be honest, so was I. I didn't think that I would be so happy about seeing my old P.A. We had never been close when we worked together, so our sudden bond had been somewhat of a surprise. She was a few years younger than me, I think shes in her early 30's. Is she good looking? Yes. Now I come to think of it, she is. Her ginger hair is what makes her good looking. I never really looked at her like that to be honest. I never needed to. Now though, I suppose I can...Stop it Barry. You can't think like that. She's far too young for you. Behave yourself.

I couldn't stop thinking about Ashley. As wrong as it was, I couldn't help myself. She was still on my mind as I prepared myself and the side for our UEFA Cup quarter final, and for the first leg we faced Celtic at the Nou Camp. Although I expected a win, I felt it might be a tough game, as Celtic had beaten a very good Dortmund side to get to this stage, so I warned the team against complacency. We started slowly, and we were lucky not to find ourselves behind, McGeady hitting the post, and firing one just over ther bar, but the second effort woke us up, and a 34th minute Samuel Eto'o goal sent us into the lead. This was the signal for us to control the game, and precise passing and moving led to several more chances being created. However, we couldn't convert them. Messi, Eto'o Gomes, dos Santos all missed excellent opportunities to further the lead, and we had to settle for a 1-0 lead. I was thinking that could come back to haunt us, as going to Glasgow in front of a hostile crowd was something some of the players were not used to. Still, I had the confidence in my troops, and was sure we could advance through

---

Ashley landed at Madrid airport the day after we played Celtic, and when I went to meet her I was taken aback. She arrived in a denim skirt that was, to say the least, short, with a white top and white sandals, the top in particular excentuating her rather sublime figure, something I was upset I'd missed before. I walked over to greet her, and was caught in a surprising embrace

"Hi Barry. It's good to see you"

"It's good to see you too Ash. Flight OK? Not too much trouble?"

"No it was fine. Nice and relaxing. You're looking well. Have you caught the sun?"

"I have a little bit yes. You're looking, well, stunning, I must say"

I took Ash to the house, showed her to her bedroom, and instructed her to make herself at home, but unfortunately I had to travel with the team to face Real Betis in our next La Liga game. It was a game that I paid no attention to, as the only thing on my mind was Ashley. We won 1-0, thanks to a Lionel Messi goal, but the Argentinian also missed a late penalty, which had it made a difference, I'd have been annoyed. It mattered not, and we came away victorious to keep our lead intact

[Nathan Pike]

I've been reading this over the past few days. Thanks for the great story, sherm.

[sherm]

Thanks a lot Nathan, glad you're enjoying the read

---

Although Ashley was staying for a couple of weeks, I didn't feel it was long enough. The night after the Betis game I ahd walked into the front room to find her peacefully sleeping on the couch, so I left her to sleep off her jetlag until the morning. In the morning, she woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon, and I treated her to breakfast in bed, or at least on the couch. We spent an hour or so just talking, laughing, joking, and I have to say, the time we spent together was enjoyable. I did unfortunately, have to go to the ground for training, although I wasn't all that keen on it. Every day I was going to work, and every day I was looking forward to seeing Ashley when I got back home. I couldn't get her out of my head. I hadn't expected it, and hasdn't expected her to be in my head all the time, but when she was. Well, it was nice.

The team had a trip to Scotland for the second leg of our UEFA Cup tie, and with a 1-0 lead, I knew it would be tight. Ashley would be at home for a couple of days while I travelled with the team, but she promised me she would be watching the game on television and cheering us on in our tussle with Celtic. I didn't want to take any chances, so my strongest team took to the field. Gordon Strachan was a fiery character, and I had a lot of respect for him, so when I saw him alone before the game, I took the opportunity to have a few words

"Gordon. How are you?"

"I'm good thanks Barry. How are you?"

"Not so bad. Just wanted to say I hope the best team wins today"

"They will. Good luck"

"You too. If you're free after the game, we'll grab a drink"

"Sure. Find me after the match"

The game itself was a classic, with both sides going for the win. Our 1-0 lead was cancelled out after four minutes, John Heitinga bringing down Johan Elmander, and Mark Wilson slotting the ball home past Valdes. It saw us pick the pace up a bit, with Messi curling a shot just wide, Eto'o cracking an effort off the bar, and Heitinga having a header cleared off the line, and we found ourselves trailing at half time. We needed to get a good startm to the second half, but within two minutes, we were two behind, Johan Elmander braeking through and slotting underneath Valdes. I was off the bench like a shot, shouting the odds at the players, and fortunately for us, they responded. We had more quality than the Celtic team, of that there was no doubt, and two goals in three minutes from Matias Fernandez and Lionel Messi gave us two away goals, and a safe passage through to the semi finals of the competition

I had arrived back in Spain on the Friday, to a cooked meal from Ash. She said it was to celebrate winning, and to repay me for the breakfast. It was actually nice. She was a hell of a cook. I sat and talked with her for hours, recounting my life tales, getting to know her, basically, just growing closer and closer. I knew from that moment that I was falling for her. I also knew that I wouldn't be doing anything about it, as we were friends, and I didn't want to ruin that

Ashley actually accompanied me to our next game, which saw Espanyol provide us with our next test in La Liga. Whether she was a jinx or what I don't know, because the game was, to be kind, crap. Neither side looked like penetrating the defence. When the visitors had Costa sent off after 18 minutes, we should have wrapped up the points in style, but our city rivals just put men behind the ball. In the end, we did pull a win out of the hat, and an injury time penalty from Matias Fernandez secured us the points. We were six points clear with six games remaining, and the title was drawing ever closer for the team

[sherm]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

skysports.com

Final looms for los Cules

Barcelona and Barry Hunter have been in preparation for their upcoming Copa del Rey final against Sevilla all week long, and if anybody is under pressure, it's the Englishman. Having never won a domestic cup in either England or Spain, this would be his first one, a landmark all managers would like to reach. Barcelona fans are also expectant, particularly after two trophyless seasons, so Hunter must be feeling the force of the fans expectations

They do not have an easy game either, as third placed Sevilla are a tough prospect. The game, which takes place at Valencia's Mestalla stadium, is sure to be a tight affair, and the first goal could be vital, but there is one thing for sure. Neither side will be afraid to go for goals, so the fans should be in for an exciting game

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I was looking forward to the final, but god I was nervous. Ashley hdd travelled with me to Valencia, and she had tried all through the journey to calm me down. It hadn't worked though, and I was more nervous than ever when we reached the ground. I had never been in a final as a manager, so I didn't know what to expect. I was also, as the article had so kindly pointed out, under more pressure than my opposite number, as I only had a League One and Championship title to my name. I had been in consultation with my staff all week, and we had differing opinions on what team to play, so my night was spent scribbling down teams and formations

I hadn't slept a wink, and throughout the day, I was becoming more eager to get on with the game. Ashley had been supportive, bless her, and I was grateful she was there. She was due to fly home on the Sunday after the match, and although I had thoroughly enjoyed her company, I was worried I had not been a good host.

Still, I couldn't worry about that now, as I had a final to play. Leading the team out was a brilliant experience, something I wanted to do more often, and when I took to the dugout, I anticipated a good game. We started well, Messi with a rasping 30 yard drive forcing the first save, albeit a comfortable one, and Eto'o being denied by Oscar Ustari, but despite our pressure, we conceded the first goal, as a break from Sevilla resulted in a Hatem Ben Arfa cross, and Vucinic powered into the box to slot home past Valdes. I was surprised though, as they seemed happy to settle for this, and it was this complacent attitude that cost them, as Sammy Eto'o used his pace to beat his man and slide the ball home past Ustari. The second half was all in our favour, and Sevilla had no answer to the way we played, and goals from Gio dos Santos on 53 minutes, and Eto'o's second on 78 minutes gave us the win, the trophy, and ensured some real celebrations would occur through the streets of Barcelona

[sherm]

"I was really proud of you today"

"Why? It's my job"

"I know, but seeing you up there, lifting the trophy. It gave me shivers"

"Really? I enjoyed it, I must say. So, have you enjoyed your stay?"

"Every minute of it. You've been a perfect host. Well, apart from one thing"

"And what might that be?"

"You'll have to see won't you. Now, I'm going to go and pack my stuff. I will see you later"

I won't go into a full account, but lets just say that Ashley didn't spend the night in her bed. And when I arrived at the ground after dropping Ash off at the airport, I had a smile on my face that went from ear to ear. I think the players recognised my good mood, and were determined not to spoil it on the field

The press were surprised too, as I was nice to them (something that was a very rare occurence), so they took the opportunity to ask me about managing my 300th career game. I honestly had no idea it was that milestone, but it had certainly come quickly. I gave a quick statement on it, and left the interview room to prepare the team for the game. Athletic Bilbao were a team we were familiar with, as we seemed to have played them a few times this season, so I expected another three points. We did get them, but we were definately made to work for them, as we found ourselves behind thanks to a goal from Munian. It looked like we would be the victim of just 'one of those games', as everything we tried was kept out, but in the end, the brilliance of substitute Ronaldinho was enough to win us the match, as a 66th minute free-kick, and an injury time strike from a lovely move gave us the 2-1 win, a very hard fought one, and it kept us on course for the title we so richly deserved

---

I can feel it, calling in the air tonight...

I shot up. I had been having a horrible dream. It had Heather in it. For the first time in over a month, I had thought about her. I had woke up drenched in sweat. I was that hot I was nearly stuck to the bed. Surely that wasn't right. I had just spent 2 great weeks with Ashley, and I was thinking of Heather. I just swung out of the bed, got a cold shower, and shook her out of my head. I was due to speak to Heather later that day, so I had that to look forward to, but I was still concerned that I had had a dream involving Heather. Why? I didn't need it. Not now. Just as I'm getting closer to Ashley, it happens. Damn it.

[sherm]

I had spoken to Ashley, and it had taken my mind off Heather. Every day I spoke to her, it reminded me less and less of Heather. However, one thing I couldn't take my mind off was the kids. I had not seen them, or even spoken to them since the split, and I missed them dearly. I tried as hardest as I could to get them out of my mind, and I replaced them with thoughts of Ashley, of footballing matters, and of anything apart from my family. Speaking of football, we had a rather important game that was next on the agenda, as we travelled to Merseyside to face Liverpool in the semi final of the UEFA Cup. In terms of a result, I was looking for either a score draw, or a win by a couple of goals, which would give us a decent advantage going into the second leg next month.

The Liverpool team was full of quality, with players like Torres, Babel, Reina, Hobbs and Pablo, so I expected a tough game from the word go. This theory looked unfounded after a minute, as I had not even taken my seat before we took the lead, as Eto'o slid us in front after 26 seconds. It was two minutes later when we doubled our advantage, as Pablo's backpass was short and Messi nipped in and slotted home to send us 2-0 in front after 3 minutes of the match. The home side were shellshocked. Conceding two away goals is always a bad thing, but to do it in three minutes. It was a nightmare for them, but they went someway towards helping themselves, as Torres headed home Babel's cross after 16 minutes. Going into half time though, we had restored our two goal cushion, thanks to a superb free-kick from Messi, his second of the game. The second half was one which, unusually for me, I told the team to concentrate on defending the two goal lead, but they let me down, and Dirk Kuyt got his side back into it on 67 minutes. When this happened, I wanted our two goal lead back, and with just a minute of normal time remaining, we got it, Fernandez sending Sammy racing through andthe little Cameroonian rounding Reina and slotting home to give us a 4-2 win and put one foot in the final

---

Sfter the win over Liverpool, we had little time to rest up, as we had a La Liga game three days later, a tough test against Valencia, our second visit to the Mestalla in less than two weeks. The players were bound to be tired, as games were coming think and fast, but not one complaint was heard from the players. They wanted to win the remaining two competitions as much as I did, and I told them we had to gut it out and perform for just seven more games. This was a crunch time for the fans, the players, and everybody involved with the club, so it was all about performances on the pitch.

The home side also looked tred, but the difference between them and us was that they showed it on the pitch, and we took advantage of that and pressed it home. Messi was the man who converted the opener, winning the penalty before placing it in the bottom corner, before his left hand cross found Gio dos Santos, who hit a stunning volley from the edge of the area just after the half hour mark. After this, we never looked like we were going to get anything other than a win, and although we took our foot off the gas in the second half, we ran away 2-0 winners and drew ever closer to the title, with the final weeks of the season remaining. Life was about to get stressful

[sherm]

We opened up May with the second leg of our UEFA Cup semi final. The advantage we had was one that I felt should have been good enough to see us progress, and the next 90 minutes was a mere formality. I also felt that our opponents would come all guns blazing at us, in order to cancel out our four away goals. Liverpool travelled to the Nou Camp on a run of form that was not befitting UEFA Cup semi finalists, having not won in their last 7 games in all competitions, but that was something I wasn't taking lightly. I knew we were still in for a tough test, and I wanted the players to give 110% on the field

The first half was one which, in all reality, we were lucky to escape from having not been put at a significant disadvantage. The visitors created several chances, with Torres, Kuyt, Babel and Jack Hobbs all missing top notch opportunities, and when we went in at 0-0, I felt it might just be our day. Mario Gomex looked determined to make sure it was when he replaced Eto'o at half time, and within six minutes, he had given us the lead, racing onto Messi's through ball and slotting past Pepe Reina. It took Torres five minutes to equalise, but his side were still two goals behind, so it wasn't looking good. Gomez was instrumental in our second, as his one-two with Fernandez saw him brought down by a trailing leg from Hobbs, and Brazilian Ronaldinho slotted home the penalty, and that goal was enough to give us the win, and send us through to the final.

---

Celebrations were reserved, just a couple of beers for me that night, as we still had business to attend to, but I was delighted to be in my first ever European final. My first thought when I got home was to contact Ash, and as soon as I heard her voice, the joy inside me spread to a smile on my face. We talked, as we always did on the phone, for hours, and by the time I replaced the receiver it was nearly midnight. I went to the fridge for another beer, opened it, and sat down in my chair to relax

I still hear your voice as you sleep next to me...

I had dozed off to an extent where it was the next morning before I woke up. I had not drank the beer, it's contents were on the floor. I must have been absolutely shattered the night before, as I was still in my suit, albeit in a crumpled state, but I quickly dusted myself off and headed for the bathroom.

Arriving at the ground the next morning for training, I found everybody in a jovial mood. Everybody from the board to the tea-ladies were toasting our success against Liverpool, but I was back to my pessimistic style, as I reminded them that we still had work to do, in both the La Liga and UEFA Cup competitions, but I did feel like everybody else around the club. Confident that we could do what was required to bring the trophies back to the club

[sherm]

After one massive game, in the shape of Liverpool, we were soon faced with another one, as our great rivals Real Madrid visited the Nou Camp. They sat second, 7 points behind us, so I was fully aware that a win would give us the La Liga title, the clubs first in three years. Half an hour before the game, I had the players in the dressing room, and I decided I would go for a different option for the team talk for this game. Something I had never tried before ;

"Right lads. Let's have your attention"

They all looked towards me. Every member of the squad was now looking straight at me, 42 pairs of eyes

"Now. I'm not going to sit here and give you a 'win one for the kippers' speeches. I'm just going to keep it simple. This is a massive game at the best of times, as you all know. Now, we win this one, we have the title. Now, go out there, show me what I know ou can do, and win the title. Not for me, for you. Let's go lads"

It wasn't my usual sort of team talk, but it was one I was tempted to try, as we started brilliantly, testing Casillas on four occasions in the first twenty minutes. The game twisted even more further in our favour on the half hour, as Fernando Gago's two footed lunge resulted in his marching orders, and we had the man advantage for an hour of the match. It took us until the 52nd minute to make this count, as Iniesta hit a rasping drive from 25 yards, which deflected past the stranded 'keeper, and on 69 minutes, we secured our big derby win, as Lionel Messi curled a free-kick into the top corner. Our win was soured somewhat by Luca Cigarini's second yellow card on 72 minutes, but it mattered not, and it was only fitting we secured the title on our home ground

---

I don't know if it was because we had secured the title, or whether it was because the players were tired, but our next league game, which saw us visit Villarreal, was one which we were poor in, and very lucky to come away with a 1-1 draw. We were caused problems by the entire team, but no man made us sweat more than striker Edison Cavani, the Uruguayan who also had Spanish nationality, having never played for his home country. He was a big, quick, and powerful striker, and when he headed his side in front on 23 minutes, it was fully deserved. He should have had several more too, as should his side, as they tested Agliardi throughout the game, but in the end, we were saved by German striker Mario Gomez, as his 86th minute strike rescued a point, but I knew we could count ourselves very lucky to get away from the ground with the point

[sherm]

"Barry, have you got a minute?"

Joan Laporta had requested my presence in his office, and although I couldn't possibly fathom him being unhappy after the season we'd had, but with men like he, you never know

"Of course Joan. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to let you know that the whole board is delighted with your performance this season. We brought you in to do the job, and you have done that brilliantly"

"Well thankyou Joan, but my ultimate aim is to bring the Champions League back to Barcelona"

"I'm glad you feel that way Barry, and you will have that chance next season, as we are offering you a one-year extension to the end of next season"

"That's wonderful news Joan. If you hand me the contract I will be happy to sign it now"

"Well we are just preparing the documents at the moment, but they should be ready in a few days. I will let you know when they are ready"

I was delighted to be staying at Camp Nou until the end of the nexts eason. I loved being manager of Barcelona, being manager at, quite simply, one of the biggest clubs in the world. However, I knew it would mean nothing if I didn't bring home the bacon, so to speak

---

We still had a couple of league games to work around, and the next one of these saw the recipients of a 6-3 defeat earlier in my reign, Osasuna, visit the Nou Camp. It was a gme in which I didn't really invest much thought, and with a few players rested, only playing 45 minutes, I was still confident of the points. All three of our goals came in the second half, in a 18 minute spell, and Lionel Messi scored twice, and Heitinga powered a header into the goal in between Messi's brace to give us a comfortable 3-0 win against a poor mid-table side, and that win gave us a really good boost going into the UEFA Cup final, a game I really wanted to win, for myself, for the fans, for the board, and for everybody to do with Barcelona football club

[sherm]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

World Soccer Magazine

Hunter not one for tradition

Barry Hunter has always been his own man, and never one to do things by the book, but he has blown all tradition out of the window in the build-up to his side's UEFA Cup final against English side West Brom. He has decided to name his team almost three full days before the match, something which has never been done before. Having already won the Spanish Cup and League title, Hunter is looking to win a historic treble, and become the first English manager to win a European trophy with a Spanish club since John Toshack with Real Madrid

He has realeased the team sheet to WSM, and although it seems a strange move, it is one designed to get in the head of his opponents, a side who sit sixth in the Coca Cola Championship, and only have a run to last season's F.A Cup final to thank for their unbelievable run to the UEFA final. The Barcelona team looks like this for the game ;

Valdes ; Eboue, Kolarov, Heitinga, Canini ; Banega, Xavi ©, Barusso, Messi, Fernandez ; Eto'o

It is a team that strikes fear into many teams, and although many fans do not give West Brom a chance in the match, anything can happen in the game of football

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The article basically said our opponents in the UEFA Cup final, West Brom, had no chance of getting a result. That was something that displeased me greatly, as any team had a chance in any game.

I had named the team because I didn't think it mattered too much when it was named to be honest, as they would be speculating up to the day of the game. I was so excited about being in a European final. I know it wasn't the Champions League, but it was still my first one. As I led the team out of the tunnel at the Santiago Bernabeu, I took in the atmosphere. It was that moment that I knew I wanted to be in finals all through my vareer. Winning trophies was something I hadn't done as a player, as I was a bit of a 'run of the mill' midfielder. I wanted to make up for that in my managerial career

If I'm being honest, I expected an easy ride. West Brom were a Championship side, and one I full expected to see off with ease. They however, had several other ideas, and their Nigerian striker Mani Ishiaku broke through our back line and slotted home a sixth minute goal. This seemed to shock us into life, and maybe their cheek of scoring the early goal angered the beast, and once Sammy Eto'o had scored a second on 35 minutes, after Matias Fernandez's equaliser on 24 minutes, it looked like we had done enough. Messi only looked to conform this in the second half, as a 58th minute volley sent us 3-1 clear, a scoreline that should have been good enough. Ishiaku however, had other ideas, and his deflected shot ten minutes later gave his side a glimmer of hope. That should have been all it was, but two minutes into injury time, the Nigerian completed his hat-trick, heading home a long ball and forcing extra time

Extra time was almost a non-event, neither side creating a chance of note, and both 'keeper's mere spectators, and the dreaded penalty shoot-out was upon us. We had the advantage of going first, and Fernandez coolly slotted home. Ishiaku made it level. This was the story for the first eight penalties, with Messi, Eto'o and Xavi converting ours, while Beattie, Howson and Sharp scored for the English side. When John Heitinga belted a penalty down the middle, it was down to West Brom to score, but Valdes tipped it round the post, and we had been successful. The UEFA Cup was coming to the Nou Camp, and I had won my first Europen trophy. Lifting it in the air on the podium was an amazing feeling, and one which I was delighted to be having. Also, one which I knew I wanted more and more. A treble, in my first season is Spain. Wow. Was that a good achievement? I think so. Hopefully, so do the fans. And the board. The coach journey back was a real celebration. Even with one more game left in the season, I allowed the players a few drinks of champagne. They couldn't be denied that surely?

[sherm]

My regular converstaions with Ashley were something that I looked forward to. She always wanted to know about the football, and how the team was doing, and if it was a televised game, she made sure she watched the match. I appreciated that, I really did. She was the one thing, besides football, that kept me sane. I looked forward to talking to her, I couldn't wait to see her, and I just had the feeling I was falling in love all over again. I didn't tell her that though. There was no way I was going to scare her off by saying something stupid like that.

Despite our UEFA Cup win, we couldn't end our season until we had played our final game, which saw a visit to relegation battlers Albacete. None of the starting eleven from the Cup Final started against Albacete, so a new team took to the field. With the title in the bag, I didn't really care about the match, and a 0-0 draw was a result I didn't care about. I was still on a high from our incredible treble, and the presentation of the trophy saw a celebration with everybody at the club. Players, fans, board members. Everybody to do with the club was ready to celebrate our incredible achievement. A treble. League, Cup, European trophies back in the cabinet at the Nou Camp

--

I sat at home that night, having spoken with Ash earlier, and it really hit me. I was lonely. I wanted company. I lived in a massive house in Spain that was built for a family. I didn't have a family anymore. I had football to keep me company, and that was it. I had a three month summer break coming up, and although I was always going to be busy, I had arranged to see Ash. I wasn't sure if she would be coming to Spain, or whether I would be going to England, but I knew I didn't care. I wanted to see her

---

Memories. This house is full of them. Maybe I should sell it, just get a little flat to myself. I'll have to see. I didn't even pick the house, Heather did. I still don't know why she left. It must have been something to do with me

I don't dream about her as much as I used to. Not at all. But I do know I still get the occasional one. Every time it's the same. I wake up in a sweat, sticking to the bed. I always seem to hear her favourite songs too. Maybe it's just me, I don't know

Without football, I would have nothing. Now Ashley has come into my life. Do I love her? I don't know. I know I could. But I don't know if I should. She's a nice girl, and yes, she is several years younger than me. What's age matter though? Ain't nothing but a number is it? Means nothing in this day and age

Do I still think about her? Course I do. I still love her. We were together for nearly 30 years, how can I not love her still? We have two grown up children together. Stephen and Emma. I miss thm so much. God it hurts that I can't see them. It really does hurt so so much

[sherm]

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Holders - Barcelona

| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 1st | ECC | Barcelona | | 38 | 29 | 7 | 2 | 87 | 21 | +66 | 94 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 2nd | ECC | R. Madrid | | 38 | 29 | 3 | 6 | 74 | 21 | +53 | 90 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 3rd | ECC | Betis | | 38 | 24 | 6 | 8 | 65 | 33 | +32 | 78 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 4th | ECC | Zaragoza | | 38 | 22 | 8 | 8 | 59 | 39 | +20 | 74 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 5th | EC | Sevilla | | 38 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 56 | 31 | +25 | 73 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 6th | EC | Villarreal | | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 71 | 46 | +25 | 68 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 7th | EC | Valencia | | 38 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 42 | 31 | +11 | 60 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 8th | EV | Athletic | | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 61 | 57 | +4 | 56 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 9th | | R. Sociedad | | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 56 | 54 | +2 | 56 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 10th | | Celta | | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 49 | 54 | -5 | 55 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 11th | | Murcia | | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 53 | 60 | -7 | 46 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 12th | | At. Madrid | | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 55 | 52 | +3 | 44 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 13th | | Getafe | | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 40 | 60 | -20 | 38 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 14th | | Osasuna | | 38 | 10 | 8 | 20 | 57 | 73 | -16 | 38 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 15th | | Espanyol | | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 39 | 56 | -17 | 38 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 16th | | Albacete | | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 37 | 74 | -37 | 35 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 17th | | Deportivo | | 38 | 9 | 6 | 23 | 35 | 61 | -26 | 33 |

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| 18th | R | Mallorca | | 38 | 5 | 16 | 17 | 31 | 59 | -28 | 31 |

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| 19th | R | Levante | | 38 | 7 | 5 | 26 | 34 | 74 | -40 | 26 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

| 20th | R | Ejido | | 38 | 3 | 11 | 24 | 31 | 76 | -45 | 20 |

| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

</pre>

[sherm]

The end of season awards were a pretty good event for us, with Lionel Messi and Giovani dos Santos picking up first and second place in the player of the year awards, while I claimed manager of the year award (to a round of applause from the crowd, which suprised me). It was a good night, I enjoyed it, and it was nice to relax, without any worries whatsoever, so when I got home I managed to crawl into bed, and sleep off the alcohol that I had consumed over the course of the night

---

I knew I was bound to busy over the summer, so I didn't attempt to hide that fact from Ashley. I did however, want to see her. Badly. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Every morning, I wanted to wake up with her there. Her arm across my chest, leaning over to kiss her good morning. Just making her breakfast would be enough. I want her in my life, and I mean permanently. Living with me. Am I man enough to ask her to move in with me. We've only grown close recently. Maybe it's too soon?

Her flowing ginger hair blows in the wind. It suits her so much. When she runs, her hair flowing back behind her. She is gorgeous, really a lovely girl

She's smart too. Her glasses are fashionable, but she looks good when she has them on. Some people don't suit glasses, but ther is no doubting she does. So much they suit her, that she wouldn't look good without them

Her figure is just perfect. Something I never noticed until she came to Spain earlier this year. I am definately falling for her, I really am. I know that eventuall I will fall in love with her, but just one thing bothers me. Will she feel that way about me? Or am I just a 'fling'? I do want her. So badly. She is just amazing

I never thought I'd feel like that again. Once Heather left, that was it. I thought my personal life was over, and I would become career orientated, maybe even go off the rails. But I haven't. For that, I owe everybody around me a huge thanks. They have been great, and without them I don't know what I would have done

Myself and my staff members were constantly going to be busy, and I knew that if I could keep the bones of the current squad together, we had a good chance of winning the trophies next season too, as long as we brought in the right players. I had a shortlist of who I wanted, and all I had to wait for was a sign of the budget I would be having for the season. Not only did I have the football to prepare for, but I had the visit of Ashley to prepare for. She was only coming for a week this time, as she was job hunting in England, but I was looking forward to seeing her so much. She was the one person in my life who gave me hope, and without that hope, I don't think I'd be where I am today

[sherm]

Season 7 - La Liga (2013/14)

I had seen Ashley for two weeks of the summer break, and it had been the best two weeks of the break. We had spent most of it together, just talking, walking, just being together. I had loved being with her, and when she was going home, I was desperate to spend more time with her. That had got me to thinking. Maybe I should ask her to move to Spain. I know she was looking for work, and I didn't have a P.A. Maybe that would be a good idea? I'd have to ask her. It couldn't do any harm could it?

---

Joan Laporta had called me into his office a few days before the transfer window opened, saying he wanted to have a word with me. I didn't know what it could be about, but I assumed it was something to do with transfers

"Joan. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes I did Barry. Please, sit down"

I took my sit directly opposite my boss, and suddenly noticed a rather strange look on his face

"I just wanted to let you know that, due to the unstable finances of late, we have had to accept some offers for players"

"OK. And you want to see what I thought?"

"Not exactly. The offers have been accepted, I just wanted to let you know that the players are discussing terms"

"What? You didn't think it would be prudent to tell me first?"

"We had no choice Barry"

"OK. So which players are they then?"

"Well Arsenal have made a £14,500,000 bid for Aaron"

"Really? He's not even a first team player. I can cope with losing him. Who else?"

"Same team have made a £15,000,000 bid for Raul Garcia"

"Damn it. He is important. Still, I huess the money could come in useful. Anyone else?"

"Yes. And you aren't going to like this one. £29,500,000 for Man United. Lionel Messi"

"Please tell me you're joking?"

"I'm afraid not. We've had to accept it Barry, I'm sorry"

"He's one of our star players. Surely that money wasnt needed that badly?"

"Yes it was. We were desperate"

"****. That's going to hurt. I don't know how you can expect us to push for the Champions League when you've sold two of our best players"

To say I was unhappy was an understatement. I was livid, and ****ed off. Big style. Yes, we had made nearly sixty million pounds, and it could be used, but Lionel Messi's departure was something I felt could hurt us. He was a massive player, and had scored over 20 goals the season before, so to lose him to a European rival was a major blow. Another two players had departed, with Sammy Eto'o moving to Everton for £4,500,000, and Gabriel Milito leaving for Fulham for £2,700,000, two transfers I wasn't too upset about due to the ages of the players, but I had to quickle set about replacing the players who had gone

[sherm]

The pre-season campaign had gone well, with the friendlies providing good fitness for the players, and although the opposition wasn't of the highest class, I was still happy with how it went. My activities in the transfer market were not as active as I had been in previous seasons, with just six players coming in, but I felt that they were players who would provide a cutting edge for the team. Fiorentina's goalkeeper Diego joined on a bosman, after his impressive performances (including against us) last season, and I felt he would provide good cover for Valdes and Agliardi. Another Bosman joined us, as Roma's striker Okaka made the move to Camp Nou. One of the transfers I was particularly happy to have secured was that of Lyon's French forward Henri Saivet, who joined on a four year contract for £25,500,000, a large fee but for a top quality player, it was money well spent. A second attacking player joined, Atletico Madrid's striker Kwabena Agouda making a £15,000,000 switch. He was a big and powerful lad, who was terrific in the air and could certainly sniff out the net, and I was delighted to have him. The final two signings were defenders, another from Atletico Madrid, as Pichu Atienza joined for £6,000,000, a fee I thought was well worth it for such a talented individual. I also forked out £14,250,000 to Parma for their centre back Martin Skrtel, a player who was a massive force at the middle of the defence, with his build and sheer size, he was an intimidating presence straightaway, even to some of his own new teammates. On the whole, I was delihted with the signings, and felt I really had a chance of pushing for the Champions League, which was the trophy the board (and the fans) really wanted

All of our pre-season games were away, and although four of them were in a pre-arranged tour of Portugal, I wasn't all that upset about that. Our first opponents were from Saudi Arabia though, as we faced Al-Ittihad. They were a poor side, who never really had a chance against our much better players, and goals from Saivet and Kolarov secured a good win. However, it wasn't pre-season results that were important, it was gaining fitness that was the main thing

The opening game in Portugal was against non-league Aves, who gained a creditable 0-0 draw, before we claimed a 3-0 win against Leiria, the goals coming from Okaka (with a brace) and Iniesta, and then a 2-0 win over Rio Ave, Okaka again and an own goal sealing the win. Our biggest test came in the final game of the pre-season, as we faced UEFA Cup qualifiers Boavista, and they were the best team we faced by some distance. A 1-1 draw was how the game finished, and our goal came from youngster Felix Rios, before Vieira equalised for the home side, but I was happy with the way we had performed, and the fitness of the players had gotten to the level it needed to be. I had good vibrations for the upcoming season, and as we headed into the opening game, I was confident.

[sherm]

"No. I think we can win the Champions League, and I'm sure we'll defend the title. I just hope we start well"

"I'm sure you will. You're ood at your job, and the players are decent. Anyway, let's forget the football. When can I come and see you again?"

"Well I've been thinking about that"

"That didn't sound good. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I promise. It's just...you are looking for a job aren't you?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well I could use a P.A, and you'd be with me all the time. If you want to that is?"

"That's actually not a bad idea. Only thin is, my mum's not well, and I'd need to be close to her"

"I understand that. Well you don't have to decide now, but just think about it OK?"

I did want Ash to come to Spain, but I could understand why she wanted to be close to her mum. She wasn't well, and if her condition got more serious and Ash wasn't there, it would be something that upset her

---

The first game (technically the first two, as it was a two-legged affair) of the season would be the Spanish Super Cup, which usually took place between the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey. However, since we had won both, we played the runners up of the Copa del Rey, so I prepared the team for the trip to Sevilla. In truth, I wasn't all that bothered by the competition. If we won it, fair enough, it's another trophy, if we didn't win it, then it didn't matter too much.

I fielded our strongest possible side, which included new signings Skrtel, Saivet and Agouda, and despite the fact our opponents were a good side, I was confident of the win. The game itself wasn't all that good to watch, but through the first half, we looked to be in control of the play. We had to wait until just before the hour mark to take the lead though, Gio dos Santos playing Agouda through, and his shot wa saved, and Fernandez followed up to slot home into the empty net. We should have gone further in front, as both Agouda and substitute Gomez had good chances, but we were made to pay for missing these as we were hit by a late double from the home side, Kone twice finishing off a breakway move, and we succumbed to defeat

I wasn't happy with the defeat, but we had a chance to make up for it in the second leg, as we had the away goal, and the way we started, it looked as if we might have a chance, as four chances in the opening nine minutes saw us go in front, Martin Skrtel rising highest to power home a header. This meant that the ball was in our court, and if we could get another one, we would be on course for the win. That second goal did come, and it came with 73 minutes on the clock, Saivet's square ball finding Fernandez and the Chilean winger sliding the ball home. This should have been enough to win us the game, but a silly mistake from John Heitinga allowed Jesus Navas to nip in and beat Agliardi to the ball, and slide the ball into the net. This cancelled our away goal out and sent the game into extra time, and when Kone scored in half time in extra time, they were back on course. Agouda's first for the club gave us a glimmer of hope, but despite the fact we won on the night, Sevilla picked up the trophy on away goals

[sherm]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">

La Liga Loca

Can Barca defend their trophy?

Barry Hunter has what many see as a tough task to defend his side's La Liga trophy. Having sold Lionel Messi to Man United, they have lost one of their best players, and it remains to be seen if they can cope with his absence. The Englishman had an excellent first season in Spain, winning the La Liga, UEFA Cup and Copa del Rey, but there is an old adage that says its a lot easier to win it, than it is to keep it. That may well be true for Hunter and Barca

Their main focus, besides the La Liga title, will be to win their first Champions League trophy since 2006, a period which is far too long for a club of their stature. Hunter has established himself as a fan favourite at Camp Nou, but if he wins the league and Champions cup, he will make himself a complete legend in the eyes of Barca fans

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

---

Although I wasn't going to admit it to the press, I felt that the loss of Messi would be something that could cost us a chance at winning the Champions League, but other than Real Madrid, I couldn't see any other team from the division challenging us for the La Liga title

We had a La Liga game to prepare for, and our opening match saw us travel to face Zaragoza. Just like the away game against Sevilla, we started slowly, and it took us almost half an hour to create a chance, Mario Gomez testing the Zaragoza 'keeper. Come half time, the score was level at 0-0, but the introduction of Saivet changed the game, as he scored five minutes into the second half, cutting in from the right hand side and firing into the corner. Again though, we missed chance after chance, and in injury time, it looked like we would pay for that, Emilio Nsue capitalising on a mistake and grabbing an equaliser. Matias Fernandez saved us though, and got us out of the mire, as he went straight up the other end to slot the ball home and give us an opening day win, which we were lucky to get away with if I'm honest

With the win over Zaragoza in the bag, the team said they were ready for the European Super Cup game, which saw us face our great rivals Real Madrid, who had done what we wanted to do and won the Champions League. The game itself was quite a dire affair, and 120 minutes of football produced goals from Agouda and Behrami, and a 1-1 draw resulted in a penalty shoot out. This was what proved to be our downfall, as we suffered a 3-2 defeat, and it was highly unfair that our best player, Matias Fernandez, was the man who missed the deciding penalty, but he did, and we lost our second cup competition of the season, although I wasn't that upset about it to be fair, as Europe and the league were my priorities

[sherm]

Our next league game was at the Nou Camp, and Valencia made the trip. They had suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at home to Getafe in their opening game, so they would be looking to get back on track. I was determined for the team not to let them get on track with a win over us, and I sent them onto the pitch with that message

Come the half time interval, they had carried out my instructions, at least to some extent, as they had created several chances and tested the visitors 'keeper several times, but we only had Mario Gomez's 17th minute goal to show for our endeavours. The German striker had recently done an interview with a local paper and stated his intention to fill the scoring boots of the departed Sammy Eto'o. I admired his grit, but I was fully aware of the magnitude of the task he had ahead of him. The German set up Iniesta for our second goal just 23 seconds into the second half, and even the consolation goal for the visitors didn't matter, as we claimed a second win in as many games

---

"Why won't you let us see him mum? You might have fallen out with him but he's still our dad"

"When he makes the effort then you can"

"Makes the effort? He's been trying to contact you for months. He only wants to see us doesn't he?"

"I don't care, that's not the point"

"Well are you going to tell him about Michael?"

"I will, when the times right"

"And when might that be?"

"What's with the questions Stephen? I didn't expect the Spanish inquisition"

"Tough. I'm going to Spain next week. I don't care if you like it or not, I'm going"

"Fine. You do that. I wouldn't expect him to take you in though. You know what he's like"

"I can't believe you can say that after all these years. Everything he did for you and you say that?"

---

After the Valencia match, we faced a team we had already played twice this season, as we travelled to face Sevilla. They had beaten us 2-1 at their place in the Super Cup, but I was confident I knew how to counter their quick, attacking play and we could pick up the win. As it happened, I didn't actually need my plan, because they were poor throughout the game. Federico hardly had anything to do, and although I know he hated being a spectator, it didn't bother me too much. In the end, one goal was enough to win the match, as Matias Fernandez cut in from the right and curled home a left footed shot through to seal the win with ten minutes remaining, giving us a perfect start from our opening three games

[sherm]

Don't look back in anger, I heard you say...

Another dream. Though I'm starting to think that nightmare is a more appropriate term at this moment in time. Every time it's the same, although they are quite spread out. If I was having them every night, I would have problems. There was no need to worry Ash with them, so I decided against letting her know the situation

"I've come to a decision"

"Have you? What is it?"

"Well. I do want to be with you. So much. But, I don't think I should move to Spain. I need to be around mum, just to make sure she's OK. I hope you're not mad"

"No I'm not mad, don't be daft. I understand completely Ash. I should let you in on a little secret though"

"And what might that be?"

"I'm contemplating moving back to England after this season"

"Really? Why though? I thought you loved it in Spain?"

"I do, and I love managing Barcelona. But I think I love you more"

"That's so sweet. You've made me blush now"

"Sorry. I would move sooner, but I don't want to leave them in the middle of a season. I hope you can understand that?"

"Of course. Well maybe when you move back, you could move in with me?"

"I might just do that Ash"

---

My intentions to move back to England were genuine. I also wanted to be with Ash, which was why I had come up with that plan. It wasn't said on a whim. It was genuine. I had a massive smile on my face all week long, and as we travelled for a short trip to England to face our opening opponents in the group stage of the Champions League. Bolton had surprised everyone by finishing fourth the previous season, but they were no match for us and caused no surprises at the Reebok. Sfter an hour, we were 4-0 ahead, and it had all been about one man. Gomez had scored all four goals, his first hat-trick in Europe I'm told, but a convincing victory (4-1 after Mathieu scored) sent us straight to the top of the group

We had little time for resting up, as we had a three day break before our next game, which saw Atletico Madrid visit us at the Nou Camp. Once again, we were terrific, and our opponents, a good side in their own right, were blown away, thanks to a brace from Matias Fernandez, including a spot kick, and Mario Gomez's 89th minute goal. I was pleased with the way we had been playing in our last few games, but we had to keep it going over the course of the season

---

I was sat at home relaxing after the Atletico game with a beer, just trying to unwind. I had literally just sat in the chair when there was a knock at the door.

Who the hell can this be at this time?

I opened the door, and I wish I could have had a mirror to see my face. My jaw dropped, almost hit the floor I would imagine. Standing there was a scruffily dressed lad, with ruffled hair, and a backpack on his shoulder

"Hi Dad. Can I come in...?"

[sherm]

"Stephen? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you. You're my dad, that's not a crime is it?"

"No, no. Sorry come in, don't stand there"

I couldn't believe that my son, who I hadn't seen in several months, was stood in front of me. I was in shock. Obviously I was delighted to see him, as he was my son, and I had missed the kids, but I hadn't expected him to be here

---

I had spent time with Stephen over the nrxt few days, and I even invited him to watch the team's next game, which was a home game against Deportivo. I didn't tell the players that I had my son in the crowd, as I didn't want to add extra pressure to them, but I was secretly hoping that they would put a performance in for Ste. Come the end of the match, that is exactly what they had done, running out as 4-1 winners. Henri Saivet grabbed his first La Liga goals for the club with one in each half, with our others coming from Ahmed Barusso and Mario Gomez, while a penalty from Rodriguez was the scant consolation for the visitors.

Stephen had been impressed with the team, as he had never really seen much of my work. He's always been more into playing football rather than watching, but he seemed happy to be watching my team play their football on the field.

"So how's your mum?"

"She's fine. Keeps asking about you"

"I doubt it. You don't have to make me feel better, don't worry Ste. So how are you an Emma?"

"Fine. She's with a new guy now, I don't like him though. Bit of a dick to be honest"

"Right. You with anyone?"

"Not at the minute no. Mum's sort of...well, you know. Got a new fella..."

"Oh. What's he like?"

"Alright I suppose. He tries too hard though. Like he owes it to us to be a dad. I don't like that, but besides that he's OK"

It didn't bother me that Heather had found a new man. I had Ashley. I then made a daft mistake. I should have told him there and then about Ash. But I didn't. I left it inside me, and didn't tell him. I regret it now, I really do. I feel like an idiot

[sherm]

He found out about Ashley when she rang the house the next night. He answered the phone, before thrusting the phone against my chest and storming upstairs. After talking to Ash, I tried to explain the situation to Stephen. He wasn't having any of it though, and he proved that he was as stubborn as his old man. I didn't want to leave him in the house, I needed to patch things up with him, but I had to leave to take the team to face Athletic Bilbao in our next La Liga game. With a 100% record so far, I was keen for the players to keep it going for as long as possible. The game started well for us, with Gomez, Saivet, Fernandez and Skrtel all testing the home 'keeper, before Gomez scored the opener after 40 minutes, rounding the 'keeper and sliding into the net. The second half was more of the same, and goals from Iniesta and Fernandez sent us into a 3-0 lead, but a lapse in concentration at the back allowed Llorente to score a consolation for the home side, but it didn't matter all that much, and we ran away with a 3-1 win

---

"You didn't think to tell me then?"

"I wasn't sure how you'd take it son. It's not like we're all that serious anyway to be honest"

"I still wouldn't have minded knowing"

"I know, I'm sorry son"

"Are you planning on telling mum?"

"Well I wasn't going to, unless we went really serious or anything like that"

"OK. Well I agree that you shouldn't, as I'm not sure she would appreciate that just yet"

"OK. So I'm going to leave it as it is. Do you want a lift to the airport?"

"Not unless it's too much trouble for you, don't go out of your way"

"It's alright. I'll give you a lift"

It had been nice to see Stephen, and I asked him to give my love to Emma. We said our goodbyes and I left him at the airport. I had given him my number, told him to keep in touch, and I had enjoyed his company. We had agreed not to tell Heather about Ash just yet, as we felt it might be a bit too much for her, but I was sure that I would eventually tell her

[sherm]

With Stephen back in England, I could fully concentrate on the football matters in hand, and we had European action to attend to, with Italian side Lazio making the trip to Spain. They were an average side, but their one stand out player was striker Genaro Zeefuik, a man I had tried unsuccessfully to buy in the summer. He was a pacey striker, who could score goals for his team, drop back and hold up play, or lay off goals for his team-mates, and he was the one player that had me worried. Once again though, we started the better of the teams, with our star man Matias Fernandez sliding home the cross after powering into the box on six minutes. We had several chances to wrap up the game after this, but we never took any of them, and it was the danger man Zeefuik who grabbed a point for his side with a 78th minute goal

---

I was disappointed with the draw, as I felt we had played well enough to win the game, but it wasn't to be on that occasion. I had been talking with Ashley, and I had admitted that I was getting a little fed up with life in Spain. The footballing side of things was not as enjoyable as I wanted, with hardly any La Liga sides providing a decent test for me and my side, and Europe being the only real threat to our chances of winning matches. This was not why I was a manager. I wanted challenges, tough tests, and I wasn't getting it.

I had told this to Ashley, and I felt it was time to do some serious thinking about my future as manager of Barcelona. Maybe things would change at the Nou Camp. Who knows? However, the one thing I did know, was that the longest I would be at Barca for would be up until the end of the season. My theory of not being tested enough in the league was only strengthened further by our next game, which saw Getafe travel to face us. It needed two goals to see off the opponents, but Agliardi was a spectator through the game, making no saves at all, and leaning against his post for half the match. The goals that won us the game came from a free-kick by Ronaldinho, and a penalty by Matias Fernandez, who was a man in the form of his life at the moment, with his goal in this game being his ninth of the current campaign, and the 2-0 win kept us top of the table

It's just too easy in the La Liga games. We go in front, and they just give it up. Wouldn't happen in England...

In a way, I miss England too. I miss Ashley, I want to be with her. When I move to England after this season is through. If I can win the Champions League, then I've accomplished a big thing in my career

I wouldn't want to be out of management too long, but surely my reputation would be enough to get me a job. It'd have to be in the Premiership though, I do know that. My C.V's ready to be faxed away or sent off to chairmen. Maybe I could go to somewhere like Arsenal, or Chelsea...

[sherm]

I had spoken to both Stephen and Emma in recent days, and although I wouldn't normally admit it, talking to Emma nearly made me cry. She said she missed me, wanted to see me, and loved me. It was enough to make a father remember why he had children in the first place, and as the team travelled to face Osasuna, I was sat with my assistant with the hughest grin on my face. The game itself was one that, unless you were a fan of the home side, you would have enjoyed, as we were rampant. We were victors over Osasuna by a 6-3 scoreline the season before, but this time, we went one better, putting seven past our hapless opponents. Henri Saivet started it, scoring in the sixth minute with a volley from the edge of the area, before Mario Gomez scored a second on 8 minutes. Thre goals in the space of seven minutes sent us 5-0 clear, with Saivet grabbing his brace, but not before our German striker had completed his second hat-trick of the season, and Luca Cigarini scored two minutes before the half time interval to send us in at 6-0. We only managed one more in the second half, Gomez scoring his fourth, but our 7-0 win was my best in charge of any team, and Barca's biggest win for ten years

---

It was always going to be hard to follow the 7-0 win against anybody, no matter who my Barca side were up against, and when Joan called me into his office just before our next game, I was expectant for a congratulations.

"Barry. I just wanted to congratulate you on the victory over Osasuna. The style in which we won the game was fabulous"

"Thankyou Joan. The boys were fantastic, and I was amazed at how well we did. I never expected a scoreline like that"

"Obviously the entire board is delighted with your performance so far, and we just wanted to give you a keep up the good work message"

I had hoped that the message from Joan wasn't some sort of jinx, as we prepared to face our next Champions League opponents, Shakhtar Donetsk. They had some good players, and had money that they could spend if they wanted to, so I had felt we might have a tough game anyway. It wasn't the case, as goals from Ronaldinho, Fernandez and Kwabena Agouda sent us top of the group with a 3-0 win, and another refined performance from the players left me in a good mood as I got home that night

[sherm]

After the Shakhtar win, I just wanted to hang back and relax. I walked through the front door with the intention of sitting down, putting my feet up, and opening a couple of beers, but my mouth dropped open as I walked in.

"What the..."

The house was a mess. Papers were strewn everywhere, glasses were smashed, it was a nightmare. I'd been burgled. Having looked around the house though, it was clear nothing of importance had been taken. This didn't register at the time, but when I thought about it, it was a bit strange. Not the average burglary. Still, I didn't want to take any chances, so I picked up the phone and dialled the police

"Hello. Yes, I'd like to report a robbery"

"..."

"Yes, 23 Valvuena Boulevard"

"..."

"Yes it is my own property"

"..."

"No, I can't see anything of note which has been taken, which seemed a little strange"

"..."

"Yes, I'll come down to the station now"

---

The robbery had been reported and noted down, and by the time our next game came around, a La Liga tie against Albacete, I ahd managed to clean the house. I felt it was best not to let anybody at the club know about the robbery, and I got on with the football issues. It proved to be another simple game, as second half goals from Matias Fernandez (with a penalty) and Mario Gomez gave us a 2-0 win, keeping us at the top of the table.

We had no rest before our next fixture, yet another game at the Nou Camp, and this time it saw Murcia have the honour of being our opponents. They had a big threat in Brazilian striker Jo, but I wasn't too worried. The reason I wasn't that worried was because I knew we were on good form, and when we went in at half time 3-0 in front, thanks to goals from Okaka, Skrtel and Xavi, it was game over. However, we made it hard work, and Jo grabbed a second half brace to make the scoreline a little bit more respectable to the visitors, but when Ponzio got himself sent off it put a dent in any hope they had, and we came away with another win

[sherm]

I had no idea what was going on, but over the course of the next three days, I was the victim of prank phone calls, threatening notes, both at my office and at home, and twice I got rocks thrown through my windows. I had no idea who was behind the attacks, or why, but I made it my mission to find out. I had not mentioned it to anybody, as I didn't want them to worry. I hadn't rang the police to tell them, I hadn't told Ash, I hadn't told the kids, I hadn't told the club.

I had decided to go for a walk to clear my head. I strolled down to the beach, and on my way back to the boulevard I had several thoughts running round my head

Why would somebody want me to be warned? What have I done?

It was bizarre. I did know that. A robbery that wasn't. Did I have thoughts on who it was? Being honest, no. I didn't have a clue

I just wanted to get back to joining up with the squad, managing my football team, things like that. I didn't want to be walking round in fear. That's silly

Maybe it was my fault, because I was completely lost in my thoughts, but I failed to hear the car revving behind me, failed to hear the screeching of tyres, until I turned round and felt myself flying over the bonnet of the car. As I landed, I felt a searing pain in my legs. I couldn't move. The car screeched off, leaving me in a crumpled heap

My head was spinning. My first thought was to reach for my phone, which had landed a few feet away from me. It hurt, but I got there eventually

"Hello. Yes I'd like an ambulance please...ah. No I think I've broke my leg..."

---

I was escorted off to hospital in an ambulance, where I was met by Joan Laporta. He showed concern for my condition, but neither of us would know the extent of my injuries for a few days

I told Joan the full story, with the car, the thoughts, what had happened the days previously. He explained I should have told him, he'd have tried to help, but it didn't matter anymore. I was couped up in hospital with what felt like severe injuries. What had I done to deserve this?

---

"Mr Hunter? I just thought you'd like to know the result of your x-rays?"

"Go on then. Let's hear it"

"Would you prefer good news or bad news first?"

"Good news first"

"Your injuries are less sever than we first feared, and you should be out of here within a week"

"OK. And the bad news?"

"You need an operation on two broken legs, and I'm afraid you will have to give up work for a while"

"OK. How long is a while?"

"Maybe a year or so"

[sherm]

"I'm sorry Barry, we have no choice"

"Joan, stop apologising. I understand completely. I can't work for a year so I can't expect you to keep me on"

"You undersatnd though. I don't want to see you go. I believe that you would have done great things for us"

"I know Joan. Listen, thankyou so much for the opportunity to manage your magnificent club. Maybe one day, we could work together again?"

"I'd like that Barry. Good luck with your recovery, and I hope you get back into management as soon as possible. I wish you all the luck in the world"

"Thankyou Joan. And tell the players I told them to win the Champions League for the fans"

"I will Barry, I will"

So that was that. My short career with Barcelona was finished due to my injuries, and I had a long road to recovery ahead of me. I was still determined to find out who had done this to me, but for now, I just wanted to get back to England to be with Ashley and start my recovery

As I wheeled away from the ground, I turned to look one last time at my former ground. I had won a League title and UEFA Cup with los Cules, and I just wished I could have been there much longer to fulfil my ambitions. But, thanks to some hooligan, I couldn't. I still held the club dear, despite my relatively short time with them, and I would be following their progress with a keen eye.

I had arranged to go back to England to be with friends and the people I cared about. Stuart would be there, as would Ashley. Maybe I could see the kids a bit more. They'd b shocked to see their old man in a wheelchair for a bit, but thats the way it has to be. I turned round and wheeled to the car, and as I stepped in, I felt a little tear trickle down my face. Barcelona had meant a lot to me, and they had treated me brilliantly, been so supportive throughout the break-up, and I was ever so grateful for their help. I would miss this place, and I just hoped the man who filled my boots would take them to where they belonged. Back to the top of the European mountain once again

[sherm]

And here we draw to an end, at least for part one anyway. I hope those reading have enjoyed the story, and without wishing to be too arrogant, for want of a better word, this has been some of my best work

There is going to be a part two, I do know that. However, I'm not sure if that will be the end of it. Barry Hunter has a long road ahead of him to recover from his injuries, but he will be back

Thankyou to all those who have followed the story throughout, you have inspired me and been a massive boost. I am proud to say that this is the first story I have ever completed (or part of a story in this case) and I just hope I can keep up to this standard

Thanks all

Nick

[Nathan Pike]

Top quality, sherm. I loved it and I am definitely looking forward to Part 2.

[BobBev]

That was excellent sherm and I too look forward to Barry making a full recovery and getting back to work.

[sherm]

Thanks a lot Nathan, BobBev. You have both been avid followers throughout and I thank you for that. I just hope Part two can follow up and hold your interest as part one did

[Jart]

sherm, I really enjoyed this story too. Roll on, Part 2.

[sherm]

Cheers Jart. Glad you enjoyed reading it. Knowing that people are reading is the best encouragement for any writer to continue, so I do appreciate it

[Borowski29]

Top quality sherm, well played!!

[PoopyPants]

Great Story Sherm

[sherm]

Cheers Borowski, PP. I'm glad you both enjoyed Part one, and I hope you both enjoy part two as much