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A Tale Of Two Clubs


Feliks

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Anthony Leese and Lewis Horgan had worked as a pair in the industry for over three years now.

They were from very different backgrounds - Leese was from a working class family in Grimsby, Horgan from a middle class family in London - but the pair had formed an instant connection when they met at a FA coaching class in 2014.

Leese was a grafter, someone who had started with very little but was determined to finish with a lot. He was loud, determined and headstrong, and could easily be labelled as a 'people person'. He knew the value of personal connections and favours in the professional world, and was able to make a lasting impression on most people he met. He was, in a word, enigmatic.

Horgan, meanwhile, had never wanted for much, and although it hadn't made him ungrateful, it meant his drive and work ethic wasn't at the same level of someone like Leese. Horgan was quiet and reserved, a man of slight stature and few words. He was, however, extremely intelligent, patient and had an unbridled passion for the game of football. He wanted to forge his way through the game by, quite simply, being the most tactically adept manager in the country.

So when Anthony Leese met Lewis Horgan, the age-old adage of 'opposites attract' was very much applicable. Leese appreciated the calming influence of Horgan, and Horgan appreciated Leese's flair and 'larger than life' personality. They both decided to apply for youth coaching roles at Leyton Orient, in London, and so for a season they lived together at Horgan's modest flat in Leytonstone. At the end of the 2014/15 season, they were sacked as part of a larger backroom overhaul, but vowed to try and stay together in football - they made a hell of a team.

In 2015/16, Horgan managed to secure a position as the youth manager of Vanarama National side Gainsborough, bringing Leese on as his assistant. The club's Under-21 side were flying, until a number of his players were picked for the first team. The sudden removal of talent - and the lack of talent to bring in - saw Horgan's side plummet from 1st to 11th in three months, and at the conclusion of the season, he was removed from his role, with Leese going with him.

The pairs' exploits at Gainsborough Under-21s hadn't gone unnoticed however, and in 2016/17, they were contacted by their former employers Leyton to take the helm of their Under-21 squad. Now working at a League 2 club, Horgan and Leese felt like they were making solid progress, sitting in 3rd position on the league table, but calamity hit them again - the main squad slid down the table, the Under-21 players were called up to save the club money, and Horgan's squad couldn't handle the lack of talent. At the end of the season, the Leyton chairman informed them that due to the amount of youth players that would be promoted next season, the club didn't feel the need to have as many youth staff. Under the guise of a 'wider backroom reshuffle', they were let go.

And thus the summer of 2017 is where the tale of two clubs, and two managers, begins.

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This story will be written about a save I'm currently playing with a mate, so I have a lot of emotional attachment to the save already and some personalities are developing. I'll write this at my own pace which should help me enjoy it more.

 

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