Against Modern Football - An Underdog Story

[TepZepi]

Hi guys. This is the first time I'm writing a story on these boards. Reading some of these amazing stories made me want to start one of my one. English isn't my first language so apologies in advance for bad grammar or spelling mistakes. 

The story is about a game on FMM 2020 I'm enjoying very much at the moment. I took charge of Aldershot Town in the Vanarama National League. This team has a great youth set up so I'm trying to get to the Premier League with them without doing any transfers. 

Nobody envied Bart Winand when he took over as manager of Aldershot Town five years ago. Chairman Shahid Azeem had just sold Aldershot to a local investor who refused to put extra money in the club. Winand accepted a 1-year deal at wages of 1k/week. The new chairman couldn't believe his luck that a talented manager like Winand would want to manage the club for such a ridiculous fee. Little did he know that his new manager would have accepted an offer far worse than that. 

Although he was just 32 when he took the job Winand had already been attached to the club for over a decade as a youth coach. Born in Belgium he moved to Aldershot at the age of 4 with his parents because his dad had found a job at the army base. Winand had a difficult relationship with his father. His old man wanted him to follow in his footsteps and join the military after graduating high school. But all Winand wanted was becoming a football manager. 

Actually his initial dream was to become a professional football player but he already knew at a very young age that he didn't have the talent to make it. He did have one thing going for him though: his length. Standing at 6 ft 6 tall "The Big Belgian" played at centre half for the Aldershot u-21 team. In 2010 he captained the side that managed to win the reserves league. A feat that is yet to be repeated by The Shots. 

The Aldershot u-21 manager was so impressed by his captains tactical prowess that he offered him a job as his assistant. Winand made just enough money at that time to rent a small studio apartment not far from the training ground. A lot of people would have found this to be a tedious life but Winand was over the moon. He got a shot at living the dream. The rest is history. 

 
August 1st, 2024 
 
Aldershot manager Bart Winand was never keen on press conferences. Journalists asked standard questions and he would give standard answers. He found it a complete waste of time. Time he’d rather spent on what really mattered: making players better and win football matches. 
 
He never dreaded attending a press conference more than today though. Yesterday his two star players Zain Gotts and Damien Shittu signed a contract with Fulham. Both players debuted for the first team at the tender age of 16. Winand received a lot of criticism for this choice back then but the haters soon had to admit it was the right choice.  
 
Shittu tore up defences from the right wing coming inside with his left foot. It was Robbenesque. Defenders knew what he was going to do but Shittu’s speed and dribbling skills were just too much for lower league defenders.  
 
Zain Gotts was a natural born leader. Playing as a central defender he took the captaincy at age 18 and commanded instant respect from players who were already playing professional football when he was just a ball boy. Standing at 6 ft 5 he was not only dominant in the air but also lightning fast. He had already played 3 times for the England u-21 squad. The coaching staff wouldn’t be surprised if he’d play for the senior team one day. 
 
When Gotts and Shittu came in the team Aldershot had just promoted to League 2. Under their guidance Aldershot promoted to League 1 and just missed out on promoting to the Championship last season. Falling 3 points short in the league and losing on away goals in the play-offs. 
 
The press room was packed. When Winand was announced as Aldershot manager five years ago only 2 journalists attended. Today journalists from national newspapers like The Guardian and The Daily Mail attended. 
 
Journalist: Bart. You have 15 million pounds in the bank after the transfers of both Gotts and Shittu. Who are you going to sign with that money? 
 
Bart Winand: No one. 
 
Journalist: How do you mean? A lot of high profile players want to sign with you guys after your incredible run the last five seasons. People expect you to promote to the Championship next year. You can’t argue that you need more quality to live up to those expectations? Also the fans want you to sign players with big reputations. 
 
BW: With all due respect. You don’t have a clue what the Aldershot fans want. The fans want a team they can be proud of. The reason why we promoted 2 times in 5 years isn’t because we signed big time players. It’s because every single player who steps on that pitch has a passion for this club and this city. I could break the bank on a former Premier League player but he would have to have the Aldershot mentality and passion. Frankly, I don’t think I can find someone like that outside the club. 

Journalist: What are you going to do with the money?

BW: We are going to invest it in our facilities so this great team can grow in the long run. As you all know we went broke in 1992 and had to start over in the Isthmian League. In 2013 we also got close to filing for bankruptcy. I don't want this to happen ever again.

Journalist: How are you going to replace Gotts and Shittu?

BW: We can't replace talented players like that overnight. We've got some great prospects coming up but we're only playing them when they're ready. There are always players who are going to step up though. Last season nobody expected us to reach the play offs after our top scorer Bettamer was sold and his strike partner Mullings had a long time injury. You know what happened. Jenkins and Miller stepped up and scored 70+ goals together. You'll see. We'll bounce back from this. The future is bright.