The Old Trafford Revival

[gregprude]

The Old Trafford Revival

It had been one week since we hoisted the UEFA Champions League trophy in Paris.

Today, I found myself sitting in front of the West Ham board having to beg for a new contract. I looked to my right and saw some of the many pieces of silverware that I brought to the club in my three years there.

2 Premier League titles, 2 League Cups, 1 FA Cup, and 2 European Cups.

The fury boiled up in my body as I glanced back over at club chairman, Roger Parkin, and I said “I’ve come here for one reason and that is to sign a new One Hundred Thousand pound per week contract at West Ham United.”

I looked around at the board members and the faces they made would make you think I told them that Mars was made of cheese. They looked at me like I belonged in an insane asylum.

Roger stood from his seat and said “One Hundred Thousand a week? Have you lost your mind, Charles? There is no manager in the world, not even you, that is worth that kind of money!”

I looked around the board room one last time and said to them, “This is your final chance. Give me one hundred thousand pounds per week for the next four years or I will walk out of this stadium and never return as West Ham manager.”

Roger looked at me and said, “We reject your request for One Hundred Thousand per week. But, we can offer you Eighty Thousand. We feel that this is a fair offer for you. What do you say, Charles?”

I stood from my chair. It took everything I had not to walk over and back-hand Roger in the face. I walked out of the boardroom without saying a single word and as I slammed the doors behind me, I thought to myself, “They will regret this day for the rest of their lives.”

I jumped in my brand-new all-white 2046 Land Rover and I pulled out my phone and clicked on Twitter. I thought about how to phrase this tweet and just wrote what first came to mind, “I have resigned as manager of West Ham due to the board’s inability to give me the contract that I deserved.”

I send out the tweet and it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I started my car and drove home.

As I pulled into the garage of my East London home that I have owned since I became manager at West Ham, I got a call from my agent and brother, Daniel Shaw.

I answered the phone and said “They didn’t budge Danny.” After a deep sigh, he said, “I heard man, I heard. The good thing is, I have already heard from 9 clubs across Europe who are interested in your services.”

I chuckled and said “Well, I guess when you are the agent of the most successful manager in English Football history, you might get a couple calls."

But before we go on, I just want you to know I will not work outside of England. Who are the clubs that called you?” I questioned.

Danny agreed to my requirements and proceeded to tell me that only 2 minutes after I tweeted about my resignation, he received a call from Chelsea.

“The call came directly from chairman, Gregory Perdue. He wanted to know if you would be interested in returning back to the club that you managed at for 12 years.”

As he was saying this, my mind drifted and I thought back to the good days at Chelsea. The place where I won 7 Barclays Premier League titles, 6 FA Cups, and 3 European Cups in my 12 seasons there. Once I came to, I said to Danny, “I accomplished all I could there. Who else called, Danny?”

He said “Well, the next English club to call was Manchester City.”

I cut him off and said “I don’t want to return to any of my former clubs. I won 15 trophies there in 5 years. Who were the other English clubs that called?”

“Okay, I understand. The next club to call me was Everton. They were just taken over by American billionaire, John Harvey, five seasons ago and he has already led them to the Champions League and he said they are looking to take the next step and with you at the helm, that next step will be a huge one,” Danny exclaimed.

I thought about the young group of players that they had and I was intrigued. I kindly asked my little brother to set up an interview with Everton Football Club.

“The fourth club to call from England was Manchester United. Everyone knows that they have fallen from grace over the past ten years. They haven’t won the Premier League in thirteen seasons! This could be an interesting challenge for you to get them back into the Champions League and beyond,” Danny said.

I processed what he was telling me and said “That sounds quite interesting. Let’s also schedule an interview with United.”

I paused then asked, “Did any other English clubs call?”

“Well, there was one more. Arsenal. They haven’t qualified for the Champions League in sixteen years and on top of that, they haven’t won any silverware since 2026 when they won the Capital One Cup,” Danny reasoned.

I was intrigued by the prospect of taking Arsenal back to their glory days of Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles. “Let’s schedule a meeting with them as well.”

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Authors Notes:

Hello all, my name is Greg and this is my first time posting on the FM Stories board. This story is going to follow 57-year old English coaching legend, Charles Shaw, as he tries to turn a former English football giant back into a powerhouse of yesteryear. This story will not only include the problems Charles faces on the pitch, but also off the pitch in the regular world. He has to battle through personal issues and right a few wrongs from his past. The save is based in the year 2046, therefore all the players will be generated by the game. This will allow me, the author, to create interesting backgrounds and stories for each character. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the story.

[gregprude]

The Interview

The first interview I had was with Manchester United on the sixth of June.

I arrived on the fifth of June late at night via train.

Once I arrived to my suite at the Hotel across from Old Trafford, I fell right on my bed and went to sleep. I had a big day ahead of me.

I woke up the next morning and called down for my usual breakfast of baked beans, grilled tomatoes, two sausages, one poached egg, and a glass of water.

Whilst eating my breakfast, I received a call from my wife, Michelle.

I picked up the call and said “Good morning, Michelle. Have you met with the doctors yet?”

“I’m sitting here in the waiting room. They said they will call me when they are ready for me,” she explained.

I took a sip of my water and then proceeded to say “Are you nervous about the results?”

She chuckled as if I told her a funny joke and said “Not at all, I’m nervous for you though. You know I have loved the Red Devils for as long as I can remember. I really want you to manage there.”

After a few more minutes of chatting, Michelle said “I will let you get back to preparing for your interview. Bye, I love you.”

Even after 30 years together, I still love hearing her say those three words: I love you.

When I arrived at Old Trafford, I walked into the lobby and was greeted directly by the chairman, Miguel Almeida, the board, and a couple of my potential staff members.

I shook the hands of each of the board and staff members in front of me.

Miguel and I then separated from the rest of the group and walked in the direction of his office for the meeting.

As we were walking through the facility towards his office, I looked around at the facility and thought to myself, “These are the best facilities I have seen in English football.”

The combination of historic architecture from Old Trafford partnered with the new school design of the recently renovated training facility made the Manchester United campus a sight to see.

We finally got to the chairman’s office and as we sat down, I gazed to my right and saw their trophy case. There hadn’t been anything new placed in there for years.

As I looked at the trophy case, it reminded me of my last board meeting with West Ham. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but it also made me happy that I was finally moving on.

Miguel cleared his throat and said “Good afternoon, Charles. My fellow board members and I are very grateful that you have taken the time out of your day to attend this interview today. There are a few questions we would like to ask to see if you are the manager we want to take the club forward.”

I responded by saying “Thank you for considering me for the job. Let’s get started.”

He asked a few questions about why I left West Ham and what made me want to manage at Manchester United.

I also asked him questions about the youth setup and the staff. But none of those things really mattered.

The only thing that mattered to me was what he said next:

“It is no secret that this club has had a slight fall from grace over the past few years,” he said with a look of embarrassment.

He continued by saying, “It is also no secret that you are known as one of the greatest managers of all-time and can really help this club.”

After a long pause he said, “Therefore we are willing to offer you a 5-year contract at £105,000 per week.”

I nodded my head to show my approval as I tried to hide my excitement.

He went on to say, “We are also willing to provide you with a yearly transfer budget of £150Million per season and a maximum wage budget of £5Million per week.”

My eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas.

“We believe that the facilities, staff, and most importantly the money speak for themselves. Take a few days to think about this decision, talk it over with your family, and give us a call,” he finished.

I sat there in disbelief that the club was willing to offer more than I asked for and was also willing to provide me with the funds I needed to turn this squad around.

I sat back in my chair, took a deep breath and said “I don’t need a few days, I agree. Let’s get this contract signed!”

A few hours later, on the train back to London I called my beautiful wife, Michelle, when she picked up before she could even say hello, I said “I took the job at United.”

Expecting her to scream with excitement, I was instead surprised that she said nothing. “Honey, you there?” I questioned.

I heard weeping on the other side of the line and said “What’s wrong love?”

She summoned up all her courage and said, “The doctor told me that I have breast cancer.”

[gregprude]

First Day

I sat in my new office at the newly renovated Trafford Training Centre for the first time. I was happy to be the new manager at United, but I just couldn’t get my mind off Michelle.

It had been eight days since she told me the horrible news and I still couldn’t get it out of my mind.

I loved her dearly and even though my past infidelities caused a rift in our marriage, she still loved me too.

I wanted to do right by her one last time, and that right would come by turning Manchester United back into the club that she fell in love with during the days of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Whilst I was deep in thought, a knock came at my door and soon after entered a stunning, curly brown haired woman with fine toned legs and a body that would make any man or woman stare in awe.

I scanned her up and down, she wore a tight white dress that fit her curvy figure perfectly and she walked with the confidence of a supermodel. She knew she was sexy.

“Good morning, Mister Shaw. I would like to introduce myself as Sarah Owen, your new executive assistant,” said the beautiful woman.

She continued by saying, “I have put together an agenda for you for your first day at the club. Please look over it and if you have any questions, my desk is right outside your office.”

Soon I had forgotten all my previous thoughts about Michelle and was solely focused on this appealing figure in front of me.

I took the paper with my plans for the day and reached my hand out for hers.

We shook hands and I smoothly said “It is very nice to meet you Sarah. But please, call me Charles. Thank you, I’ll look this over and we will talk later,” as I flashed a smile.

When she turned to walk out of the room, my previous observation about her beautiful and curvy figure was only confirmed by what I saw.

I looked down at the agenda for the day and saw that first on the list was a meeting with my staff headed by my new assistant manager, Raheem Sterling.

As I moved on to read the rest of the plans for the day, another knock came at my door.

This time entered the previously mentioned Raheem Sterling. He introduced himself and after a brief chat he said it was time for the first of our bi-monthly staff meetings.

We entered the meeting room and everyone stood as if King Charles had just walked in.

I chuckled and asked everyone to be seated. The highest priority of the meeting was to discuss our first training session of the season.

I told my staff they would be running the first training session so I could get a good look at each squad member before I decided to make any major changes.

We then talked about our upcoming schedule of friendlies. Our Preseason Tour was scheduled for Northern Ireland this season. We were matched up against Glenavon, Linfield, and Ballymena United.

Our final three friendlies were against club affiliates Colchester, FK Novi Pazar, and Bradford.

[gregprude]

First Press Conference

I dismissed the staff members after a productive meeting and quickly ran to my introductory press conference which I was already late for.

I walked into the media room and the camera lights instantly started flashing, it was nothing I wasn’t used to though.

Club Head of Media, Nathan Dale, was quite thrown off. He had never seen so many reporters and cameramen interested in a manager before.

Welcome to the world of Charles Shaw, the most successful manager in English football history.

The first question came from Football 365 News. “Do you have any regrets about the way your tenure ended as manager of West Ham?” asked the reporter.

“Every decision I make in football is thought through thoroughly and I never regret any of them,” I quickly answered the question with a tongue-twister.

“Previous managers at Manchester United had limited funds available to spend on the squad over the past few years. What do you think the chairman’s motivation was behind handing you such a huge transfer and wage budget?” The question was asked by a Sky Sports reporter.

“Well, my track record shows that I have handled large transfer budgets extremely well in the past, therefore I am not surprised at the chairman’s decision,” I said.

Quickly after my last answer, a short blond from the Guardian rose from the crowd of reporters and said, “It is no secret that you are one the best managers in the world and every footballer wants to play for the best manager and best club. With that being said, who will you target in this summer’s transfer window?”

“I was waiting for someone to ask that question and thank you for the compliment.” As I said that, I gave her an amorous wink and quickly got back on topic when I realized I was on live television across the world.

I paused for a second to think of my blunder then said, “My staff and I will be thoroughly evaluating every man in the squad. From there, we will determine who needs to leave the club and who can potentially fill those gaps left.”

Finally, after a few more questions Nathan decided that was enough. He said “Thank you guys for the questions. Mister Shaw has important business he needs to attend to. Thank you for your time.”

With that, I was off to my next stop. My first training session as Manchester United manager.

[gregprude]

First Training Session

With no time to waste, I walked out onto the training pitch in my suit from the press conference.

When I looked to the sky and saw gloomy clouds, I started to regret not changing into my training sweats.

But I had more important things to worry about.

I walked over to where the goalkeepers were training. Cléber was in goal. “The 23-year old Brazilian stands at 186 cm and he looked every bit of it. He joined from his boyhood club, Desportivo Brasil, six seasons ago. He is world-class,” said Raheem.

Our second choice keeper, Ian Cotterill, was practicing with one of our goalkeeping coaches in the adjacent goal. The 26-year old Welshman was brought into the club last season for a mere £325K. He only had three appearances for the club in that entire season. He can expect more of the same this year.

We moved on to our fullbacks.

The first one I saw was Marc Heus. The 31-year old Dutch fullback has seen better days. “He is still a capable backup at either fullback position, though,” commented my assistant.

Heus was partnered with his best mate at the club, Håkon Kuvaas. The 23-year old towering Norwegian fullback was brought into the club from Liverpool-side, Everton, last season for £6.75Million.

“He played one league match, and that was against West Ham. I didn’t like what I saw from him and we will try to sell him as soon as possible,” I said firmly.

Our second pairing was Kevin James and Tiziano Grilli. The 34-year old Welsh and Manchester United legend, James, amassed over 450 league appearances for United.

I said “He is not going anywhere. He will retire in a Manchester United shirt. He is still quite strong and pacey for his age.”

“Tiziano Grilli is a 21-year old Italian fullback that already won 16 caps for his nation. United bought him from his boyhood club, Catania, for £3.5Million a few years back. He is no doubt one of the top-5 fullbacks in all of Europe,” stated Raheem.

I nodded my head in agreement.

We moved on from the full backs to our centre-backs.

“Álex Tejedor is a 21-year old Spaniard and is one of the up-and-coming stars in world football. United purchased him from Real Betis four seasons ago,” claimed Raheem.

“He will be a staple in the defence for years to come,” I proclaimed.

Next up was Luke Bartlett. “The 31-Year old English Man United product was once world-class but now is an above-average Premier League centre-back. Seeing that we have bigger concerns elsewhere, I think he should stay with us as Tejedor’s partner at centre-back for this season,” Raheem stated.

Our final centre-back was Miro Livakovic. The 31-Year old Croatian was definitely going on my transfer list.

“He is slow and weak. He isn’t very sound between the ears either. We should be able to get a few million quid for him though.”

I moved on to our defensive midfielders.

João José is a 31-year old Brazilian. The previous manager signed him for £17.5Million. He only played in 6 overall matches in his two seasons.

I laughed and said “No wonder the fool was sacked. He will be transfer listed and hopefully we can get a couple million quid for him.”

Next up was Jacinto Ibáñez. The Spanish-born England international was a vital anchorman for me at Chelsea during my final 5 seasons there. But that was more than eight years ago.

“He is now 37-years old and is a shade of his former self. He is a still serviceable as a second choice defensive midfielder. He can also mentor the younger guys in the squad,” I said.

Our third defensive midfielder was Jairo Cano. The 33-year old Spaniard has seen better days.

“He has also been through his final season at Manchester United. A few years back I got into a rift with him during a match, but that is a story for another time. He will be the first player out the door and everyone knows it,” I said with a dismissive tone.

“João Silva is a 27 years old. He has won 27 caps for Portugal. A double hernia, dislocated shoulder, and a pulled hamstring kept him out for a majority of the season last year. If he can stay out of injury trouble, I think he can play in the most important role of your tactic: deep-lying playmaker,” said Raheem.

I responded by saying “Great minds think alike,” and smiled.

It was time to move onto the central midfielder and attacking midfielders.

“Kike Pascual is a 30-Year old Spaniard and is probably one of the best central midfielders at the club. The competition in central midfield is tough though, he might not be a first choice central mid,” we agreed.

“Bernardo Ortega is next. Despite being 32-years old, the Spaniard is still a world class midfielder. He has the pace and flair of an 22 year old. He should join the fight for a role in midfield.”

I nodded my head then said, “Now let’s talk about Bradley Lucas. The 33-year old plays very similar to Ortega and Pascual. The only advantage he may have is that he is English. There are only four Englishmen in the roster currently including Lucas. Therefore he will most likely stay, even though he is washed up.”

The rain slowly started to pour but we were almost done. Next up was our wingers.

“Adrián is a 33-year old Spaniard can serve as a second choice Right Winger if we decide to keep him on. His crossing ability is still good enough for the position,” claimed Raheem.

"Juan Bravo is someone that I like. He is another 33-year old Spanish winger. Juan Bravo has a better chance of making it through the transfer window than Adrián does. We shall see what happens," I said.

Next we talked about Mark Mullan.

“The 23-year old is guaranteed a spot on the roster due to the fact that he is English. He will serve as a backup winger and striker. He can finish with the best of them and feasts on crosses,” I explained.

Finally came our strikers.



Ettore Rughetti was a 21-year old Italian striker.

“He is thought to be one of the best young strikers in Europe. He is best as a target man that will scrap and fight for goals,” said Raheem.

“That doesn’t fit my tactic whatsoever. He will be transfer listed and sold. The fans will not understand it initially, but they will come around,” I said convincingly.

Kim Chang-Nam was last.

“The 30-year old South Korean international was once a good backup striker that could come into a match late and change it completely. Those days are gone and he will soon be gone too,” I stated.

The first training session was finally over and my first day as manager was starting to wind down. I returned to my office and asked Sarah to schedule a staff meeting for next week to further discuss our possible transfers.

[gregprude]

Transfers

Incoming Transfers:

Carl Blankley – My first dip into the transfer market was for this English left winger. We payed £29Million for him and had to fight off interest from Chelsea and West Ham. He is 21 years old and will be a star for the club. He is faster and quicker than any rightback. He has the footwork of a Brazilian on the beaches of Sao Paulo and he always seems to find the right place to put his crosses. He is going to wear the historic number 7 shirt.

Damon Headley – We needed a second choice centre-back to add depth to the squad. We bought the Englishman from Ipswich for £12Million after a decent season in the Premier League. He is one of the bravest in the Premier League and is a great tackler.

Robert Evans – I have watched the English fullback since he was first promoted to Spurs first team at age 18. He is now 24 years old and is one of the best fullbacks in the Premier League. His marking ability is the best on the roster and he is a natural born leader. We bought him for 20 million quid.

Alejandro Rodriguez – This 26-year old Colombian will serve as our first choice defensive midfielder. He has the strength of an ox. He can play 90 minutes week in and week out. He is also a great finisher from a few yards outside of the box. He will wear the number 20 shirt.

Julian Richards – The 24-year old has been with me since I was at Chelsea. He was a backup then, but I knew he would be something special. When I moved on to Man City, I signed him 5 million pounds. He played a vital role in my 5 seasons there. When I went to West Ham, you guessed it, I bought him for 40 million pounds. Now I am bringing him to Manchester United for 50 million pounds to be the first choice right winger. He will wear the iconic number 10 kit.

Miguel Ramos – The Barcelona born, La Masia product, played 34 matches for Barcelona and scored 12 goals during his two years with the first team. He will be my first choice striker at Old Trafford. He is only 20 years old and will continue to develop under my staff. He will wear the number 11 kit.

Jose Pedro – We needed a backup striker. I decided to pick-up the 26-year old Portugese advanced forward. He arrived for a fee of £11 million from Spurs after eight goals in twenty-two appearances.

Dave Neville – Our final incoming transfer was for the 23-year old Everton man. He will be a reserve centre-half. He will be featured only a few times, if everything goes as planned.



Outgoing Transfers:

Adrian – He returned to his boyhood club, Recreativo, on a free transfer. When I told him we were transfer listing him, he requested to be let go on a free so he could sign with his old club.



Miro Livakovic – he went back to his home nation of Croatia to play for Split after a long career around Europe and North America.

Joao Jose – He moved to fellow Premier League side, Norwich, for 6 million. He will surely be motivated when we played them in October.

Ettore Rughetti – My former club Chelsea picked him up for £25.5 Million. I expect him to have a chip on his shoulder when he returns to Old Trafford during the Premier League campaign.

Jairo Cano – He moved to Malaga for 500 thousand. He won’t be missed. I’m just glad we do not have to play him twice a season in the premiership.

Cris – He moved to Inter Milan for £8 Million. They faced competition from rivals A.C. Milan to sign him which drove the price up. We only initially asked for £4 million.

Kim Chang-Nam – We released him on a free and Pescara picked him up. His squad status is listed as reserve striker.

Hakon Kuvaas – He was released on a free but was never picked up by another side.

[tenthreeleader]

Good start you've got going -- glad to have you posting here!