CHAPTER ONE: NEW BEGINNINGS
The wheels of the plane kissed the runway below as Gerald White, the new manager of 1860 München arrived at Munich International Airport. From the window he could only make out the flashing lights from the control tower on what was a foggy and gloomy evening. ''I hope this isn't a sign of things to come'' he muttered under his breath as his thoughts of press conferences, formations and introductions were interrupted by the seatbelt signs flicking off and the rest of the passengers rushing to grab their bags from the compartments above and rushing to the exit.
Gerald was on a commercial aircraft as he was unknown the world of football - or the world itself for that matter. His experience in the game had been flicking inbetween trials at Manchester City and Wigan Athletic before signing a professional contract at Everton. He was a goalkeeper, and one who had been whispered about in the corridors of any training ground he entered as something of the next big thing - ''The next Messi of Goalkeeping'' he had heard, which always confused him a little as the player described and the position he played didn't match. No matter anyway, an ACL injury in a friendly game against Glasgow Rangers had led to off and on injuries which eventually led to his release. Determined to not let disappointment get in the way of a career in the game, White threw himself into a coaching career, shadowing the best in the business and passing his coaching badges with ease, learning German after shadowing both Daniel Farke at Dortmund and Marco Rose at Red Bull. These studies had led to an interview with 1860 München (with both Farke and Rose giving glowing recommendations of the young coach). White had met the club in secret, hence the no need for a private jet or security team to keep him free from the press. White was the epitome of anonymity and that suited him just fine - whether the supporters would take to such a newbie was another question entirely.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, White had claimed his baggage, entered a taxi and was now walking down the pavement leading up to Grunwalder Stadion, the 15,000 capacity ground that 1860 (among others) called home. It was there that Gerald met Robert Reisinger, the President. Inside the largest boardroom on the top floor, it was explained again (just as it had in interview) that 1860 München were expected officially to reach the playoffs, however unofficially all Reisinger ever talked about was promotion to the 2. Bundesliga. Gerald sensed from the first meeting that simply meeting expectations would not do here, in order to succeed promotion would need to be gained within the first chapter of employment. The cup didn't matter, Robert said as much as he dismissed the conversation whenever raised - the league was all that mattered, and getting out of it was the objective.
CHAPTER ONE: NEW BEGINNINGS The wheels of the plane kissed the runway below as Gerald White, the new manager of 1860 München arrived at Munich International Airport. From the window he could only make out the flashing lights from the control tower on what was a foggy and gloomy evening. ''I hope this isn't a sign of things to come'' he muttered under his breath as his thoughts of press conferences, formations and introductions were interrupted by the seatbelt signs flicking off and the rest of the passengers rushing to grab their bags from the compartments above and rushing to the exit. Gerald was on a commercial aircraft as he was unknown the world of football - or the world itself for that matter. His experience in the game had been flicking inbetween trials at Manchester City and Wigan Athletic before signing a professional contract at Everton. He was a goalkeeper, and one who had been whispered about in the corridors of any training ground he entered as something of the next big thing - ''The next Messi of Goalkeeping'' he had heard, which always confused him a little as the player described and the position he played didn't match. No matter anyway, an ACL injury in a friendly game against Glasgow Rangers had led to off and on injuries which eventually led to his release. Determined to not let disappointment get in the way of a career in the game, White threw himself into a coaching career, shadowing the best in the business and passing his coaching badges with ease, learning German after shadowing both Daniel Farke at Dortmund and Marco Rose at Red Bull. These studies had led to an interview with 1860 München (with both Farke and Rose giving glowing recommendations of the young coach). White had met the club in secret, hence the no need for a private jet or security team to keep him free from the press. White was the epitome of anonymity and that suited him just fine - whether the supporters would take to such a newbie was another question entirely. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, White had claimed his baggage, entered a taxi and was now walking down the pavement leading up to Grunwalder Stadion, the 15,000 capacity ground that 1860 (among others) called home. It was there that Gerald met Robert Reisinger, the President. Inside the largest boardroom on the top floor, it was explained again (just as it had in interview) that 1860 München were expected officially to reach the playoffs, however unofficially all Reisinger ever talked about was promotion to the 2. Bundesliga. Gerald sensed from the first meeting that simply meeting expectations would not do here, in order to succeed promotion would need to be gained within the first chapter of employment. The cup didn't matter, Robert said as much as he dismissed the conversation whenever raised - the league was all that mattered, and getting out of it was the objective.