"Where did HE come from?": a legendary Football Manager tale

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I've become a huge fan of the Football Manager series, and I'm always thinking of new ways to enjoy the game. Last night as I was driving my family up to my mom & dad's house for Mother's Day, I came up with an idea that will allow me to combine two of my interests: English football and history. I think I've found a way to bring the greatest players in English (and world) football history back to the pitch.

Before I go any farther, I'll first mention that my premise involves editing the daylights out of the game, using the official in-game editor. If you're a FM purist who believes doing something like this is immoral, read no more. You won't like my idea one bit.

Here are the "rules:"

• I'm taking over as the manager of a club in one of the lower divisions of English football. The club I pick will need to be a fully professional team that customarily buys and sells players.
• I will make myself unsackable, and turn many of the day-to-day operations of the club to my backroom staff.
• As I begin the game, I will use the editor to add a legendary player to my side. He will be a fairly young player, early in the prime of his career.
• I'll give the legend a contract that will pay him well, by the standard of my club's wage scale. (I reserve the right to edit the club's finances to make this possible.) The legend will probably want to move on to a bigger team quickly, but that's part of the story.
• The legend will remain at the club until he accepts a sale to another club. I won't stand in the way of his happiness, but I reserve the right to turn down a club's offer if I think I can get a better one.
• Once the legend leaves, I'll create a new one. Only one legend may be in the team at a time.
• The legend will be the only "real" player in the game, so I'll feel free to create story lines involving the players with whom the legend crosses paths during his career.
• If, at any time, the club I'm managing is promoted to the Premier League, I'll resign and take over another lower-league club.

I know who my first legend will be, and I'm in the process of selecting the club where my legends will materialize.

I hope at least some of you will have fun following the story. It might not work well at all; I'm not sure what will happen as the computer-managed clubs of the Premier League try to lure the legends away.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Here is where our story will begin.

Coventry City play in League One, the third tier of English football. They are a big enough club that they can afford to participate in the transfer market and pay a decent wage to their players, but their budget is far from extravagant. Furthermore, they begin the game in a precarious financial position. The club's chairman loaned it £10 million a few years ago, and there's another miscellaneous debt of £120,000 on the books. Almost £7 million of this debt is still outstanding. If I sell a legend or two, I might be able to retire the debt and fix the Sky Blues' shaky finances.

How the Legends are Born
The inspiration for this project comes from an amazing FM database called "Ultimate Legends, 1880s-2014," created by an FM user called "Fenech." It contains thousands of great players from all over the world, and the research behind it is nothing short of incredible. I will be re-creating Fenech's version of each of my legends when it becomes time to add him to my footballing world.

Very soon, it will be time to meet our first legend...

[Greyfriars Bobby]

8 July 2014
Sky Blue Lodge
Coventry, England

At 38, Charlie Ross looked like he could still pull on his England kit and bang them in, the way he did during a career that saw him earn 56 full international caps. He'd just been hired as the manager at Coventry Town, and today was the team's first day of training.

Ross would never forget what he was doing when it happened. He had just watched one of Coventry's promising young players, a midfielder called Brad Perry, put a low, hard shot just wide of goalkeeper Jack Tonks' near post when he heard a loud POP. Immediately, a cloud of sky blue, Coventry-colored smoke appeared in the center circle.

Everyone on the pitch froze for a moment. The players who were unfortunate enough to be close to the center circle leapt back in horror, and several ran to the far edge of the training ground. At least one cursed loudly.

The smoke slowly dissipated and, as it did, the figure of a man appeared. He was young, with dark brown hair and a muscular, athletic physique. He was clearly a footballer; he wore a football kit, but it didn't look like anything the young players had ever seen someone wear.

Taylor Fairclough, the physio, was the first to speak. "Is everyone all right?" he inquired, his eyes scanning the area.

The captain, Sean Lyons, had ended up on his backside, about ten yards away from where the mysterious player now stood. His mouth agape, Lyons lifted his hand and pointed at the man, unable to say a word.

The player shook his head as if to collect himself, cleared his throat, and spoke. "Excuse me, lads, but where am I? I mean...I know I'm on a football pitch, but where...?"

Ross took a few cautious steps toward the player. "I'm Charlie Ross. Manager of Coventry City. You're on our training pitch."

The man nodded, a smile beginning to appear on his face. "Coventry, sure. I know your club. Allow me to introduce myself."

He extended his hand to Ross.

"I'm Duncan Edwards."

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Duncan Edwards, in his Manchester United red kit

Duncan Edwards, of Manchester United and England, is often mentioned on lists of the greatest players ever. As stated on Man U's official website, "Matt Busby [Edwards' manager] described Duncan Edwards as the most 'complete footballer in Britain - possibly the world'. The greatest tragedy is that his death aged just 21 from injuries sustained in the Munich air crash meant his full potential was never realised.

"Armed with boundless stamina, an all-encompassing range of passing and a truly ferocious shot, Edwards was a player who could control any game he played in. "

Edwards was born 1 October 1936 in Dudley, England. He made his debut for Busby's Manchester United club in 1953, still six months shy of his seventeenth birthday. By 18, he was a full England international; he is still the second-youngest man to earn his England cap since the turn of the twentieth century.

Before his death in the horrific disaster that took the lives of eight Manchester United players and 15 other passengers, Edwards had won two league championships and played in an FA Cup Final. His England manager, Walter Winterbottom, memorialized him by stating "It was in the character and spirit of Duncan Edwards that I saw the true revival of English football."

Again, from the club website: "The name of Duncan Edwards continues to invoke a sense of injustice that one with such a gift was halted before reaching his prime. Those who were lucky enough to see him play invariably regard him as the best player they saw, without ever seeing what he could truly become."

Here's how Big Dunc will appear in my game:

[Greyfriars Bobby]

13 July 2014

The aged man sat on the edge of the walk that ran beneath the Longford Bridge, his feet hanging down, gazing into the water of the Coventry Canal. He tossed the last bit of the stale bread he had brought into the water, and watched a fish swim to the surface and gobble it down.

In his other hand he held a neatly folded copy of today's newspaper. After a moment, he opened the paper, and read the words of the story about Coventry City's 3-0 victory away to Cheltenham Town.

"The Sky Blues' young midfielder, Duncan Edwards, performed a passable imitation of his namesake...Edwards hit the upright with a shot that the goalkeeper could only parry into the path of Ryan Milne, who approached from the right wing. Milne fed the ball to Michael Mitchell, who neatly tucked it past the hapless 'keeper."

The man smiled. "I did it," he whispered. "I did it..."

[Greyfriars Bobby]

23 July 2014

Charlie Ross shook Duncan Edwards' hand, and managed a smile. "It was great to have you in the team, Duncan. I wish it had been longer."

"Thanks for not standing in the way of this, Charlie. Nothing against Coventry City, but..."

"Hey, I understand. Arsenal's one of the best clubs in the world. You have ambitions, and right now we can't make them happen for you here."

Edwards paused for an awkward moment before he reached to shake Ross' hand again. The manager was a big man, but Edwards' powerful hand nearly swallowed Charlie's in its grip.

"See you, Dunc. Good luck with the Arsenal."

"Cheers, boss."

Charlie had wondered how long it would take for the rest of the footballing world to realize Duncan Edwards was playing in League One. Exactly a week after his first appearance with the Sky Blues, five Premier League clubs were expressing interest in signing him. Manchester United and Arsenal acted quickest and made transfer offers that first day.

That morning, Charlie's assistant came to him with the news that Edwards wanted to speak with him about his future. The manager first asked skipper Sean Lyons to help resolve the situation. Lyons was pleased that he was allowed to try to help, but told the gaffer that the youngster really needed to speak to the boss.

The conversation with Edwards went well; Duncan simply expressed his desire to move to a bigger club and Ross, knowing he couldn't realistically keep such a luminous talent, agreed to work out a deal.

Two days later, Edwards made what would be his second, and final, appearance for Coventry City. The Sky Blues hosted Glasgow Celtic before a large crowd at their temporary home, Sixfields Stadium, and Edwards was the Man of the Match in a 1-0 victory. From 35 yards out, Dunc hit a free kick into the box for Michael Mitchell to head home for the game's only goal. He also defended with the tenacity of a bulldog, attempting 18! tackles and succeeding 16! times.

Ross negotiated much better terms with both United and Arsenal than the clubs first offered, and a deal was reached with both. Edwards chose the London club, and in the process made himself a very wealthy young man.

Coventry City received £500,000 up front, with almost £400,000 more due in monthly installments over the next year. The club would also receive the following bonuses:

• £8000 for each of Duncan's first 10 league appearances for Arsenal
• £160,000 after another 50 league appearances
• £160,000 after Edwards scores 10 league goals
• 30% of the profits from Edwards' next transfer
• a friendly match with Arsenal

Edwards signed a four-year contract that will pay him £120,000/week--over 50 times what he was set to make with Coventry.

If that's the real Duncan Edwards--and I have no reason to think it's not--the Arsenal got a hell of a bargain, thought Ross.

Note: I might have set Big Dunc up for a less-than-fair value when I created him. I had problems trying to change a player's nationality with the in-game editor, so I took the English player on Coventry's roster with the highest value (£650,000) and edited him to create Big Dunc. I might try editing a free agent who's valued more highly when I bring the next legend to life.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

25 July 2014

"Hey, you! Old man! Don't move!"

Rodney Prince felt tough, like a veteran cop about to apprehend a dangerous perp. Rodney didn't often feel this way. He worked as a security guard for Coventry City, and today his assignment was to make sure supporters--usually children--didn't attempt to get into Sky Blue Lodge, the team's practice facility, while the team was training.

Today, he'd spotted a shabby-looking old man standing by a fence. Rodney stared at him for a long moment, wondering what to do next, before his partner nudged his arm.

"Get'im, Finger." For the life of him, Rodney couldn't figure out why people called him Finger Prince. He'd always preferred "King."

Finger and his partner, a hulking, doughy bloke called Hughes DiPotti, began to move toward the intruder who, to the guards' delight, obeyed the order to remain where he was.

"You can't be here," Prince informed the old gentleman.

The man shrugged in resignation. "I only wanted to see it happen."

"I think he's a spy," concluded DiPotti. "Prolly sent here by Preston or Notts County."

Prince looked at his partner and nodded. Obviously, they had captured a dangerous intruder, indeed. "You're going to explain yourself to the MANAGER," he declared.

"That is exactly what I should do, yes."

Needless to say, Charlie Ross was taken aback when the guards produced their captive. Once they had left, Charlie invited the man to sit down.

"I'm terribly sorry the guards treated you this way," he said.

"I wasn't harmed in any way. They simply did their jobs, and even had the courtesy to bring me to you. I had wanted to speak to you anyway, Mr. Ross."

Charlie nodded, and poured both of them a cup of tea. "What may I do for you, Mr...?"

"You may call me The Summoner."

Charlie's cup was an inch from his lips when the man spoke. He placed it back down. "The Summoner. Very well." I have a nutter here, he thought.

"Duncan Edwards was with your club. It was I who brought him here."

Shocked and more than a little afraid, the manager jumped back from his desk. "You...you did that?"

"I did. I wanted to see him play again, and I discovered I could make it happen.

I've seen them all, Mr. Ross. I want to see them again, too."

Charlie sat back down and listened while The Summoner explained that he was well over a century old, that he was a wizard of sorts and that, after years and years of trying, he had developed a spell that could apparently restore great footballers to their full youth and vitality and summon them to him.

"Why our club?" Charlie asked him.

"That's a silly question, lad. I've always supported Coventry." He pointed to a photograph on the wall, a picture of the first Coventry City team. The frame bore the date "1883."

"Always."

Charlie's mind was awhirl. "Can you summon more?"

"I believe I can. That is why I came to the training ground today. I wanted to see if I could. I tried the day after I discovered that dear Duncan had arrived, but it seems I am unable to conjure enough energy to maintain more than one player at a time."

"But Edwards isn't gone. He's still alive, playing for Arsenal."

"Very true. However, I awakened with the very same sense of power I felt the day I summoned Duncan, a power I had never felt before. Perhaps now that he has left this place, he is on his own, and my energy is free to be used by another player."

"You know, the club made a very large sum of money when Edwards was sold. I'm sure I could arrange for you to be paid..."

The Summoner raised his hand. "No, thank you. I do not want payment. I simply want to watch them play again."

Charlie's eyes brightened. "So who will you bring us next?"

"You will see." The Summoner smiled back.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

26 July 2014

It was only a few minutes past dawn when the Summoner arrived at the Sky Blue Lodge. He wasn't sure if he could summon a player to arrive anywhere other than the center circle of the pitch at the training ground, and he wanted very much to see if today's experiment would work.

Charlie Ross had already arrived, and he smiled when he saw the Summoner. Ross unlocked the gates and let him in, and locked the gates behind them. The two men walked slowly to the center circle as the Summoner explained what he would try to accomplish this morning.

"I am not sure whether it will be more difficult to summon a player who is no longer living or one who is still alive," he told Charlie. "The energy might work in such a way that the player arrives as he is today, as an older man. Or, he might arrive in the prime of his footballing career.

"We will see, won't we?" The Summoner smiled, a twinkle in his eye.

"Please stand back, Mr. Ross." Charlie obligingly backed away from the center of the pitch. He remembered the loud noise and the smoke that had announced Duncan Edwards' arrival.

The Summoner bowed his head, and his lips began to move. Charlie couldn't make out his words, which sounded a little like one of the languages he'd heard spoken in eastern Europe. When he finished, he looked up again, gazing at the center circle.

"POP!" Another cloud of sky blue smoke appeared. The Summoner smiled. "Ahhhhh...." he gasped.

The smoke cleared, revealing a young man with wavy brown hair. The football shirt he wore looked like it might be 40 years old, and it bore the crest of the German national team.

Charlie Ross recognized him at once. "Holy....."

The footballer approached the Summoner as if he knew him. The older gentleman beamed, and said a single word.

"Welcome."

Charlie slowly approached the two of them and extended his hand to the footballer.

"It's truly a pleasure to meet you, Franz. Welcome to Coventry City."

[Grover]

Beckenbauer!!!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Grover

Beckenbauer!!!

Der Kaiser lifting the 1974 World Cup

Born amidst the ruins of Munich in the late summer of 1945, Franz Beckenbauer grew up to be the captain of West Germany, a World Cup winner, twice the European Footballer of the Year, a legendary star with Bayern, and the manager of another German World Cup championship side.

Beckenbauer is credited with inventing the role of the attacking sweeper, a defender with the creativity and skill to surge forward when the opportunity presented itself.

After winning 107 caps for West Germany and leading Bayern Munich to a variety of trophies, Beckenbauer signed for New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League. There, he won three championships in four seasons.

Beckenbauer coached Germany in two World Cups, finishing second in 1986 and winning the title in 1990. He also won trophies as manager at Bayern Munich, where he currently serves as honorary club president.

Here's how "Der Kaiser" appears in the game:

[Grover]

Sweet jesus.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Grover

Sweet jesus.

I know, right? What a player!

One thing that's been fun about this project is the opportunity to use players in some of the more unique roles. I usually play as the manager of a lower level team, so I don't get players with the range of attributes required to be a good Roaming Playmaker like Duncan Edwards or an attacking Libero like Beckenbauer. I know Dunc and the Kaiser have been on the pitch with guys who are nowhere near their class, but it's been fun to watch them do their thing. They are both the kind of player who raises the quality of his teammates, and they're literally everywhere on the pitch.

I also noticed that when I find some sad sack with the right nationality and turn him into a featured player, his value is significantly higher. Beckenbauer is valued at £5 million, which is a lot closer to what a League One team might be offered for him. I can't seem to give him the ability to speak English; there's a way to add that in the editor, but I can't get it to stick.

Thanks for following along.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

2 September 2014

The good news for Charlie Ross and his Coventry City team was simple. The transfer window was now closed, and Franz Beckenbauer was, somehow, still in the team. Valued at £5 million, Beckenbauer's price tag might have scared off all but the wealthiest suitors, but Ross was a bit surprised that none of the big clubs made a move for him. None of them expressed the slightest bit of interest.

With Beckenbauer on the job, the Sky Blues sat fourth in the League One table, two points adrift of the leaders. The team had conceded only three goals in league play, which was not surprising; one of the best defenders in history was patrolling their back line.

Coventry were out of the Capital One cup, losing 0-2 at home to Reading, but nobody had expected them to progress very far anyway.

Off the field, the club was adjusting to a new chairman. The Coventry City Supporters' Trust, led by local businessman Keith Hanley, took over the club, and pledged to remedy its wobbly finances. Hanley's first move was to loan the club nearly £400,000, which on the surface seemed to do little more than create even more debt. Perhaps the fact that the Sky Blues were now able to move back into spacious Ricoh Arena would help the financial picture.

The club's most valuable asset seemed to be its legendary German sweeper. Beckenbauer's contract was set to expire at the end of the season, and his agent was making it very clear that his client would not sign a new deal with Coventry City.

Charlie Ross was, therefore, faced with a dilemma.

Should he offer Beckenbauer for sale during the January transfer window, hopefully bringing in a big pile of cash before Franz could leave on a free transfer? The Summoner might then be able to bring him a new player.

Or, should he allow Franz to remain with the club all year, hopefully leading it to victory after victory, and play out his contract? The club would miss out on the financial windfall a big sale would bring, but might be rewarded with a promotion...

(Feel free to express your opinions, everybody.)

[Grover]

You have to set up a sale, right?

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Grover

You have to set up a sale, right?

I can transfer list him or offer him to other clubs. I get the idea that offering him around is a more aggressive way to "shop" him.

Not surprisingly, given his attributes, Franz is quickly becoming a team leader. His hidden attributes (which I had to edit when I created him) are even more impressive than the ones that are visible, if that's possible:



The scores that are supposed to high are pretty much maxed out. The ones that are supposed to be low are low. Herr Beckenbauer is a model citizen.

And, needless to say, the supporters have fallen head-over-heels in love with him. If I try to sell him, I'm almost positive I will upset the fans, who might not care about the pile of money I'll add to the club's bank account. I think it's also possible the other players will be upset, too. Could I end up with a changing room mutiny on my hands?

[Greyfriars Bobby]

When I began this story, I didn't think I would spend much time with the day-to-day management of my club. I've discovered I can't let myself do that. Instead, I'm doing as much as I can to surround the Legend with as good a club as possible, and working on a tactical system that suits the team and makes use of the Legend's unique abilities.

Until now, I've never had a player who was a good enough sweeper to make it worth my while to build a tactic around him. I'm still trying to create a formation that allows Beckenbauer to display the full range of his abilities.

I've tried a 4-4-2 with a sweeper, which looks like this:



The key to this formation is using Beckenbauer as an attacking Libero. If I have him on support duty, he dutifully remains in the defensive half of the pitch, and he does a masterful job of eliminating scoring threats before they become serious. If I give him an attack duty, he ventures up the pitch, playing in teammates or looking for scoring opportunities himself.

I'd like to score a few more goals; we've only conceded three times in five league matches, but we've scored only six ourselves.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

5 September 2014



Well done, Duncan!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Let's meet the Coventry City senior team. When I took over the reins, the club was within a few hundred pounds of its wage budget, and there was only about £13,000 or so available for buying new players. With those constraints, it was impossible to buy anyone who could improve the team, so I've looked for players who were willing to come to us on loan and whose clubs would pay their salaries while they're with us.

Teams in League One are allowed eight loan players per season, and I'm at the limit.

Goalkeepers


I admit that, at the beginning of the season, I was a little nervous about giving the number one shirt to Tonks. He's been just fine, however. Firth hasn't played since the matches started counting. There aren't any 'keepers on the youth teams to get excited about.


Defenders


A number of these players are very versatile and can provide depth at several positions, including in the middle of the pitch.

Beckenbauer needs no introduction. He plays as a libero, or as a ball-playing defender when I play a flat back four. Ellis, Smith, and Chapman, who is on loan from Aston Villa, all see time at left back. Tottenham loanee Burton, who has as much pace as any player I've ever seen in the lower leagues, just arrived and is now the first choice on the other side. Mahinou, a Benin international, plays the most at center back; when he's on international duty, I can call on Hunter or Stevenson without sacrificing much quality.

There's some decent potential here, too, with Yamfam and James Brown, in particular.


Midfielders


John Brown, one of three players I have on loan from Everton, has been a great fit as an attacking central midfielder. I like pairing him with Johnson, who recently won his first senior cap for Canada. Lynch is a solid choice in the middle of the park, too. On the right side, I've been playing Mathisen, an Italy youth international, but Lyons, the club's captain, has just returned to training after missing almost two months with a hernia and will get an opportunity to show what he can do. Ellis and Milne are versatile utility players who can slot in anywhere. When I use attacking midfielders, Milne plays on the right.

Patrick Güllenbeck, a German lad of 15, is the brightest midfield prospect in the youth team.


Attackers


I recently shopped the loan market in an attempt to find more goals, and I'm pleased with the two lads I brought in. Jepson, from Manchester United, scored a brace in his Coventry City debut. His first touch is sure, and he's a superb finisher. Clarke, in from Aston Villa, has great wheels and likes to press opposing defenders. Mitchell, tall and strong, is a classic English center forward whose goal celebration features a somersault. Farnworth is fast and surprisingly strong for a smaller man.

The arrival of Webb, the third of my Everton loanees, has allowed me to change things up tactically. I'm experimenting with a pair of strikers, flanked by attacking midfielders, and Webb is a perfect fit on the left wing. Allen and Thompson are versatile attackers who can play any of the four positions, and Milne, whom you met earlier, is probably the best AM(R) in the team.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I just discovered something that makes me frown. It appears that when you put a world-class player in a third tier club like Coventry City and keep him there for a few weeks, the quality of coaching and training he receives causes him to lose a little of his magic!

Most of Franz Beckenbauer's attributes have declined a point each. He's still an amazing player especially for League One, but I don't want him to slowly decline until he's less than he should be. After all, he's only 24 years old, and should still be at his peak.

I'm thinking seriously about freezing his attributes so he remains what he should be: one of the best footballers on the planet.

On the other hand, as Duncan Edwards beds in at Arsenal, his value continues to go up and up. He's valued at a cool £8 million now.