Basingstoke Town Football Club

[Sidhe]

When I was very young, only five years old, I woke from a fever and told my mother “I’m going to manage Basingstoke Town.” She had no idea what I was talking about, and probably said, “That’s nice, dear,” and soon put it out of her mind. It was the sixties and English football was not a subject very many Americans knew anything about. It certainly wasn’t on my waking mind, but once she told me I had said it, I thought “what a strange thing to say” and I never forgot it.

Fast forward to 1976. I’m twelve years old and I’ve just discovered soccer. And it turns out I am good at it. Very good. Although soccer still isn’t a very popular sport in America, there are local youth teams. I play on all of them, every league I can, every day I can. Once I discover soccer, I can’t give it up. I even practice in my room at night.

I admit now, looking back, that this is a very odd way for a twelve year old to behave.

In 1980 I’m 16 and by now I’m the best soccer player anyone knows. I’m better than any adult I can get to play with me. “By golly, this soccer thing – It’s easy!” I proclaim, in my youthful hubris. My highschool team is winning everything, and I’m playing every position, depending on what’s needed. I’m even acting like an onfield coach. All my teammates hate me by now. I’m too good, and too full of myself. I walk among the immortals. I’ve been in the local newspapers so many times I feel miffed if the reporter doesn’t call just to check on me.

That’s when I get a very strange visit. There’s a man here to see me, coach says, all the way from England. He’s a scout, and he works for (drum roll please) Basingstoke Town. We have a nice talk, where he tells me that my options in America are too limited for a talent like mine. He invites me to visit his club, all expenses paid for by the chairman of the Basingstoke Town Football Club, Mom and Dad can come too, even coach if I want.

It took some doing, but I got the ok finally from Mom and Dad. They knew by now that soccer was my life. We made the visit.

It was awful. The field, the players, the town – all of it. I looked down my nose at the whole thing. It wasn’t even as nice as my high school. The manager there, a somewhat aloof man, though very cordial in his way, assured me a start at Basingstoke would lead to much bigger and better things, but I never saw past the cesspit that was the training area. I snubbed him, hard, and back to America we came.

I always wondered, when I got older, what would have happened. It’s too late to look back now.

After making a commitment to UCLA, full scholarship and all, I did something the very young always do – I got into a car and drove it really fast. When I got out of it, it was a twisted hulk, and my left leg was still in there. This is 1983, and the technology simply doesn’t exist to put it back on. “You’re lucky to be alive, son,” says the doctor. But I’ll never play soccer again. I don’t really feel alive.

Skipping past all the years of twisting my head back on straight, one trauma at a time, we land in 2000. I’ve been coaching a high-school team for a few years, but I’ve finally found that player - The Player - the one who reminds me of myself. I put him on the varsity squad right away, and for four years he tears up the leagues just like I did. We win our State championship four years running, and come in tops in the National rankings every year.

It was cathartic to get a little of my old glory back, even if it was only as coach of a high school team. It lit something in me. An old fire, gone dim ever since the accident. Maybe I can be good again, maybe..

That’s when the most absurd thing entered my mind. “I’m going to manage Basingstoke Town.”

[Sidhe]

Between the thought and the reality lie a thousand miles.

Or more than a thousand, actually, but by plane it’s not so bad because you get movies. I’ll make a long story short. I found, when I looked into it, that the BSFC was actually about to launch a manager search at the end of the 2004-2005 season. Their longtime manager had decided to retire from management. Acting on my hunch, I submitted for the job. They gave it to me.

So why did they hire me? In truth, it was the kid they hired. I don’t mean me. Nobody there now would have known my name anymore. I never mentioned that I’d once been in Basingstoke before, either. I just didn’t have the heart to go back again. I wanted to go forward, and the way forward was through Steven Clippard, the kid I’d found. They’d heard of him alright.

I think maybe they thought I could get him to come over the water too. I didn’t stop them from thinking that.

After they heard his name, and looked me up, they wanted me to fly over for an interview. I was pretty hopeful. All I needed was to let them get to know me, and I’d have that job.

The interview went very well. I said all the right things. “You’ve got good guys here. You don’t need to bring a lot of expensive talent in, not at this level. Torres and Levis – these kids are quality players. You may have some talent on your youth squad, and if you do, I’ll find it.” I saw the chairman relax visibly when I said I wouldn’t need to bring in expensive talent. That was a big fat juicy worm wriggling on the line, and he took it right in the cheek.

But I also believed it. I knew enough about soccer – hold on, better call it football from here on out – I knew enough about football to know you can get a lot out of the squad you have if you know how to motivate them, how to make them better. That’s the way you have to do it at the high school level. I would never have said that out loud, though. That in so many ways, the Basingstoke squad was a lot like a high school football team. But there was some truth in that. I knew I’d be getting players who were pretty rough. None of them would be as good as Clippard. But I also expected to find some diamonds in the rough.

“Mr. Sidhe, welcome to the Basingstoke Town Football Club,” said the chairman, as he extended his hand. They hired me on the spot.

“Please, call me Jack,” I said. For a second I wondered if the obvious joke was playing through anyone’s head. “You don’t know Jack Sidhe!” I’ve heard it plenty, thanks. And it’s always been true. Nobody knows Jack Sidhe, if they think they are going to beat me. Nobody.

Anyway, if the name Jonathan Sidhe hadn’t rung any bells with them yet, it still might, so it had to be Jack.

After the contract signing and whiskey drinking, they let me know that Levis and Torres would be leaving the team. But they weren’t worried, now that they had me.

Great, they weren’t worried! But now I was..

[Sidhe]

Making the arrangements to get across the water and get set up: trust me, it’s all boring stuff, and it was probably one of the most headache filled, difficult things I’ve ever done. But at last, on June 30th 2005, I walked into the training room as the manager of the Basingstoke Town Football Club.

I had a couple of problems right away. For starters, the assistant manager was on contract through 2010, and I really couldn’t stand him. I already knew that, having had to deal with him via phone for months by now. Looking around the “offices” I saw that there was little chance I’d be escaping him soon, either. The offices – one room with a lot of desks jammed into it. Mine was the biggest desk, but other than that, no extra perks for the manager. Mr. Peters’, the assistant manager, had a desk right next to mine. Wonderful.

Aside from Mr. Peters, I also had a coach, a physio, and a scout on staff. I thought about the same for all of them. I recognized that there wasn’t much pay for the positions, but that had not mattered to me, and I thought it shouldn’t matter to anyone else. None of these guys really put any passion into their jobs. I saw that straight off. So don’t worry that I didn’t tell you their names.

And the training facilities looked exactly as I had seen them in 1983! I swear it’s the same paint job. A stinking, filthy dive of a room with some freehand weights, an ancient scale, and a closet full of moth-eaten balls. That was about the size of it. Anyone who played here either loved the game beyond reason, I thought, or had lost half their marbles. Now I had to find out which of these I had, and in what numbers.

Within a few weeks I had my answer. I had some good players. In particular, I had a reliable goalie in Rob Bullivant. Right behind him was a young guy who had some talent, Liam Castle. I considered GK one position I didn’t need to look at this season. Working from the back, forward, then, I found that I had a very capable defensive line. The best of these were the team captain, Jason Bristow. He was a fine DC, and as long as he wanted to play here I’d let him. Neville Stamp was a very good WBL. He was the kind of player I was looking for in that he was very versatile. His best position was WB, but he was also proficient as a DL and even at AML.

But he was something of a slacker. This is the kind of player I’ve seen over and over again, but have never understood. All the talent in the world, but very little desire. As often as he could, he’d just skate through with as little effort as was absolutely necessary. This guy never stayed up nights practicing. But he was talented, and I needed him.

Rounding out the line were DC Steve Hemmings and DR Brett Cooper. Good players, though Hemmings was moody.

Midfield – what a disaster the loss of Torres and Levis had been! Torres, a true middle-field general with great talent, and Levis, an explosive winger, had easily been the best players on the team. They had been replaced by Lewis Cook, a left side winger with solid skills, who was also now the best player on the team, and David Ray, an MC still growing into the role. These were capable replacements, but.. DMC Jamie McClurg eased my mind somewhat. He was still raw, but was fast learning the game.

Up front, I was going to have some options. The club had just brought in a very good striker by the name of James Taylor. They also had a young fellow named Mark Peters. His talent was obvious a mile away, but so was his attitude. Then there was the tall and skillful Uwa Ogbodo, and the aging but still useful Martin Whiddet. There were a lot of points here, if we could get the ball to them.

There were also some good guys to sub in – Lloyd Webber on the right flank and Mark Paterson on defensive line, with a young midfielder named Ricci Dolan that everyone thinks is going to bloom into a force to be reckoned with. We’ll see.

The main problem we’ve got as a team is lack of speed. Aside from Cook, there’s nobody “with pace” as they say it here. And the team is thin. We don’t have enough cover, especially on the wings. I’m going to have to do something about this, I think, and I get Mr. Peters’ attention.

“We need a few more players in here, Mr. Pete, what do you say?”

“I believe you are right, Mr. Sidhe; however, the chances of our bringing in lads who will improve us are very slight, unless we bring them in on loan.”

We’d already had this discussion. As an American, I don’t well understand the loaning business. That is, I do understand it, and know why bigger clubs want to “loan” smaller clubs some of their good players – so that these guys can get first team experience. It’s a good system, I grant it. But not for this year. We need to build a team that can play together. Anybody we loaned in would probably be our best player, and we don’t need everyone learning to rely on a guy who won’t be here next year.

“I don’t think we’ll need to loan in anyone this year, Mr. Pete,” I say. “I’ve had a look at the reserve squad and the youth team. I think two of our players are already here.”

“Mr. Sidhe, I can’t think who you could possibly mean..” Said Peters, seemingly at a loss for words.

“You may have to trust me on this one, Mr. Pete,” I said. “There are two young wingers, raw, yes, but FAST – or pacey if you prefer. Our job is to mold them into capable substitutes.”

Peters stared blankly from his desk. He really was at a loss for words.

Here’s the thing. Knowing a guy is great, that’s nothing. Anyone can do that. But knowing a guy can be great, that’s a rare skill. That’s the skill I have. That’s what’s left from my glory days, and it’s all I have. Well, that and my knowledge of how to play the game. And it’s enough, I think, to just get us through.

But Peters has no concept of this, and no hint – not even an inkling – when a guy, who isn’t great yet, will become great if he’s trained up right. I’d spotted a pair of them already, but I knew getting them past Peters was going to be a problem. Of course, I could do anything I wanted – I was the manager. But I only had a years contract, and I knew the board was going to be listening to Peters when it came time to think about renewing. But I also knew the state of my team – we needed these two guys.

[Sidhe]

“Mr. Sidhe, I’d like to let you know what the board’s expectations are for this year,” the chairman began.

“Alright, I’m listening,” I said. Probably not the most respectful answer I could have come up with, but at least he couldn’t see me rolling my eyes over the phone. He’d already told me his expectations, twice. Apparently, this was the official notice, and our chairman isn’t anything if he isn’t thorough about the details.

“We expect you to attain a safe mid-table finish. I’m sorry to tell you that there isn’t any budget for transfers. Perhaps you can bring someone in on a free, or promote a youth. I’m sure you’ll be able to manage the situation. We do have a little room in the budget to add wages, and I am sure you will spend it wisely.”

“You can be sure I will care for that money as if it were my own,” I said.

“I’m glad to hear it,” said the chairman. I could tell by his voice he knew I thought this conversation was silly and now he was playing along with my joke. “If there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to contact the board. You can call me personally.”

Now that that formality was out of the way, it was time to bring in Liam Walker. Young Liam was only sixteen years old when I met him. And I won’t tell you he was any kind of great footballer – far from it. He was as raw as a fresh picked onion, and about as likely to make you cry when he was on the pitch. But he was fast, and I could see, even with his rawness, that he had that awareness you must have to be a great player. He had it. Sometimes he was a little late cluing in to it..

“Come in, Liam” I said, waving him toward my desk from the door. Right on time. I like a punctual kid.

“You wanted to see me, Mr Sidhe?” He asked nervously. He looked like he didn’t know whether he was allowed to sit.

“Please sit down, Liam,” I said. “Yes I do want to see you. I want you to consider taking a contract to play for the senior squad.”

“The what?” He was dumbfounded. It’s true, sometimes the players aren’t sure exactly what I said, with my strange accent, and he looked pretty twisted up.

“I want you to play on the senior squad,” I said. “I can’t offer you much money, and can’t give you a regular contract until you are seventeen, if I’ve got that right. But I want you to play on the senior squad this year. We’re thin at winger and we could use your speed. Or pace I should say.”

“Thank you, sir,” he stammered out. He was still bewildered. By God, I thought, Peters has got this boy believing he’s no good! I’ll soon fix that.

“Look, Liam, this is not a joke,” I said. “I know you aren’t going to tear up the league, and I’m not asking you to be a better player right now than you already are. I simply need your speed on the wings. You can play both right and left – that kind of versatility is worth it almost by itself. Added to that, you’d be the second fastest player on the squad. I can’t guarantee you’ll get a lot of minutes – that always depends on the situation, but you’ll get time on the field, and it will be quality time.”

“I’ll.. have to ask me mum,” he said. He still looked shell shocked, but I’d allayed his fears that I was expecting him to be better than he thought he was.

The truth was, he was better than he thought he was. Damn Peters! Damn him to a stinky hot place! I had suspected it, but now I knew it. He was the kind of guy who put his thumb on you, to slow you down.

“Well, then, go have a word with your mother and get back to me today.”

“Yes sir!” he said. He left a lot happier than he’d come in.

That’s the best part of this job.

A few minutes later, Graham Pearson arrived at my door, and I waved him in.

“Yes sir?” he asked.

“Sit down Graham,” I said. “I can’t believe you are still on the reserve squad,” I began.

I hadn’t thought through what that would sound like, but I saw the color drain from poor Pearson’s face and started talking a little faster.

“What I mean is, I want to bring you to the senior squad. We need your speed. I know you are still raw, but we don’t have anyone on the team as fast as you are. I’ll see to it you get the proper coaching, and I won’t ask you to get in over your head, but you will see time on the pitch. That much I’m sure of.”

Pearson was older than Walker, so he wasn’t as upended, but this was still coming as a shock. He kept his head – a good sign.

“What are you offering me?”

“I can give you 25 pounds a week this year.” He paused a minute to mull it over.

“Alright Mr. Sidhe, I’ll take it.”

“That’s a good lad!” I said. “See you on the pitch, then.”

He took his leave with a noticeable bounce in his step. Would he have that bounce on the pitch? Would Walker?

[Sidhe]

I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain..

I can’t stop that from coming into my head every time I meet with James Taylor, our new striker.

Here’s the thing about James: he’s very accomplished in this league, having set goal scoring records at another club. But he’s 31. That’s not too old, but it’s getting there, for a striker.

Luckily for Mr. Taylor, he’s already learned how to play DC and AMC as well. He’ll never lack for a roster spot with that kind of versatility.

“How are you doing, James?” I asked him. I caught him in the training room. He spoke between curls.

“Alright sir,” he said.

“Are you getting everything you need?”

“Yes sir.”

“I need you to be happy, James.” I said, then I winked. He gave me a squint-eyed look for a second and I knew he was reading me. He’s a man who doesn’t say much. I’ve learned, though, that he’s very emotional on the pitch. He can go through a half dozen mood swings in a week. But if he could keep his head in a happy place, he could score a lot of goals. If we could get the ball to him. But I was already working on that.

One of the first things I did when I got into town was hire a new scout. I told the team’s previous scout that he could spend his time scouting our opposition. The new guy I set to work finding us some talent. One of the first prospects he returned with was a 28 year old midfielder named Andrews, available on a free transfer. I got him on the phone immediately.

“What do you think of Basingstoke?” I asked.

“It’s a good club,” he said.

“Be in my office tomorrow to sign a contract, then.”

[BYU 14]

Great read Sidhe, I will be following closely, good luck the with Basingstoke too, I am playing Cambridge City and Basingstoke was relegated my first Season, you have a task ahead of you.

[Sidhe]

Hey, thanks. I'm glad you are enjoying it. I have just downloaded some stuff from the game so I can get into the first season a bit. FM2006 is very good at keeping everything for you. I can even still view the goals! It's a good game for writing dynasties.

I have had my hands full with Basingstoke, but they are already pretty good in the game, having come in 6th in 2004-2005. You may have had some significant injuries in your universe. The problem I've had is a board that really isn't going to be patient. Luckily, I've been able to keep them happy for a few years while I got my system working..

[Sidhe]

July 12, 2005. I haven’t been at the club for two weeks yet, and we’re having our first friendly.

Peters and I have butted heads again. It’s about Walker and Pearson, of course.

“These boys don’t have the quality to play for the senior squad,” he allowed as we watched them practice on the pitch the day before.

“Mr. Pete, sometimes a fellow can get stuck seeing what’s right in front of him and miss what’s up ahead.”

“And sometimes a fellow can end up arse over elbows because he don’t look right in front of him.”

“Walker will play tomorrow. He won’t start, but he’ll play. I think he’s going to show you something.”

“And I reckon he’ll show us both something.”

Mr. Peters has enjoyed being an expert, so he doesn’t like to be contradicted. He wouldn’t like being proved wrong, either. I know that Walker is going to prove him wrong. But Pearson, that’s another story. His natural speed isn’t translating onto the field. He’s faster than Walker – the fastest player on the team, but he lacks the instincts Walker has.

And neither of them are ready to start, that much I have to admit. Pearson is still playing with the reserves right now. At least he’s being patient.

The rest of the team is as ready as its going to be. I’m starting Peters and Ogbodo up front. I haven’t been happy yet with either of them, but they’ve got the experience in the system. Taylor will sub in sometime in the second half.

The midfield is still a mess. Andrews accepted our contract offer, but he’s not in camp yet. While we wait for him, Ricci Dolan gets the start. Jamie McClurg, our DMC, will start too, but he doesn’t look to be in match shape yet. I don’t know what to expect from him but I’m hoping he’ll show me something. On the wings, Cook, of course, starts on the left side, while David Ray, ordinarily an MC, takes over the right side. Dolan and Ray are young, and maybe I should give them time to develop, but I can’t help thinking I need to replace them. They’ve got good qualities, but they are both far too slow. You can’t coach up speed..

I’m much more satisfied with the defense. They’ve been practicing well and are in good shape. I won’t need to make a substitution here, so I probably won’t. I already know what Paterson can give me off the bench – not much. I need to know what my starters can do for a whole game. I’m very optimistic.

Bullivant has been having a great camp. He’ll be ready at goal. Neville Stamp, our LWB, needs a little more fitness training, but I think he’ll make it. Cooper, the RWB, is in fine shape. Bristow and Hemmings haven’t given me any reason for concern yet.

But it’s still early. I’ve only seen these guys for two weeks, though I’ve been reading about them a lot longer.

For our first friendly we are up against Wealdstone. We’ll play them here at the Camrose today. They’ve already arrived and I’ve had a look at them. Our scout said he thought they were pretty mediocre, and having seen them warm up, I’d have agree. This won’t be a true test, but it will be the start. We need to get off on the right foot.

I’m wound up tight right now! I don’t know when was the last time I’ve been this nervous.

[Sidhe]

We’ve chosen to use a conventional 4-4-2 for our first match and I don’t anticipate making a lot of changes this time. The lads are on the pitch, and the ref has given the nod.

There’s the Wealdstone kick. Goodness, but those boys are awful. We’ve already got the ball and are on the attack. I hope they can provide use enough of a test here. I don’t need everyone getting a big head. A lot of back and forth here. No chances yet.

Mark Peters has the ball and he’s pressing. He’s going right in for it like it’s pee wee football! The Wealdstone keeper, Godfrey, didn’t have much trouble with that. I suppose the “hammer it down their throats” tactic is one way to do it, but I’d have preferred Peters to have played the ball out to Ogbodo, who was there and would have scored easily. Peters chased after the rebound but he lost it to a challenge. My goodness, three minutes gone already! I’m still on edge, but I’m calming down. The boys look like they know what they’re doing. Ray heads the ball up to Cooper, who plays it forward to Ogbodo. Easy. This is too easy. But Godfrey kills another chance. Their keeper isn’t a pushover at least. He’s got a leg on him too – what a kick! Hemmings gets to it first.

Damn! A score, but the ref waved it offsides. Stamp, of all people. That was no kind of offsides either. A note for Stamp in my book. Now Ogbodo has a chance! Tipped away. Ray is there to collect the long kick. That’s some fine footwork. But it’s like watching molasses roll downhill in January! Elegant molasses.. He’s tackled and loses the ball. I’m going to see that again, I can tell. Dogged, though. He’s chased and stolen the ball back! Another chance – McClurg, why’d you even try that? Leave it to the guys who know where the goal is.

Oh my this isn’t good for my anxiety level. We should be smoking this team, but we aren’t. We’re keeping the ball a good bit, and Bullivant has had nothing to do, but our chances are rushed. There’s no discipline out there. A shot from Ogbodo, well wide. Ray has a chance but puts it way over the bar. We’re keeping the ball on their half of the pitch. At least we aren’t giving up the counter.

It’s back and forth, back and forth, with a few awful shots thrown in. The boys are doing some good passing, but few of these end up with a shot on goal – the defense finds it fairly easy to fleece our guys. Our shots are coming in the confusion when we get a steal for the most part.

Finally, at 37 minutes, we get a corner chance. I want to see what we can do here. Oh, well THAT was worth waiting for.. Sheep on a biscuit. What am I watching here? My high school team could beat this team. I’ve got to get control of myself, I’m getting worked up. I don’t need the team thinking I have already decided they’re awful.

They are playing awful, however..

Well, but not on defense. Three times now Wealdstone has started a counter, but they’ve been neatly robbed of the ball each time. This time Dolan stepped into the passing lane and kicked it forward. They got it back but McClurg stole it again. Ogbodo is in the clear – Hemmings gives the long ball – finally a shot on goal, but it’s blocked. Another corner. Cook takes all the corner chances. He’s gifted. Nobody else I’ve got can do it anyway. Well that came to nothing.

Now things are heating up. We’ve been in their end now constantly the last five minutes and have kept possession. A few shots, then we collect the deflection and keep pressing. This is more like it! They’ve cleared, but Stamp has it. He knocks it forward to Cook. That’s perfect. It has to go through Cook if we’re to get anything, I think. Cook to Dolan, Dolan to Stamp – Stamp lobs a 35 yarder ahead to Peters! Peters is there, but he can’t get to it. He’s too slow. He’s got the ball again, though. He centers it – Godfrey tries to get it but can only knock it a short distance.. Oh good lord – their defender headed it back into his own goal!

What a way to rob my guys of their glory.. Now the pace has slowed somewhat. We’ve lost some of the initiative, even though we lead the game. But we’re knocking everything away well before it gets near Bullivant. He could take a nap back there. I hope he doesn’t.

40 minutes. Stamp has the ball, kicks it forward to Dolan, Dolan finds Peters – over the goal again. Godfrey tries to kick it to a defender, but the defender can’t control it. Ogbodo is there! A shot! Like a cannon, but Godfrey pushes it away.

It’s back and forth. We’re doing pretty well, but not scoring. Time is running down, but three minutes of injury time. Cook lobs a long pass to Peters. Peters is one on one with the keeper.. Slow Peters, robbed again from behind.

That about wraps it up. Halftime is here. What do I say to them? They had some initial jitters but they’ve calmed down now.

I tell them that they are doing well, to keep up the pressure on the Wealdstone keeper. He’s their best player, and if we can get him to break down, it’s going to be all over. I think the lads look pretty satisfied, but they are aware they should have scored more, so there’s an edge there. I don’t want that taking over.. I tell them not to worry, the good chances will come if they are patient.

It’s back out on the pitch. We kicked off to start the second half. A little bit of passing back and forth on the Wealdstone end came to nothing. Their defense cleared all our chances before they could materialize. I don’t think Wealdstone are ready to roll over and play dead.

The ball is crossing back and forth over the pitch. A long ball played into our end. Uh oh, Dolan is lining up to challenge for a header – he’s not the tallest guy on the squad. And he’s lost it. Their strikers are moving in – this looks serious. I hope Bullivant is awake back there. Hemmings tries to take the ball, but he misses – great move by Wealdstone’s Martin Carter – Bullivant is fronting him now – a fine save! That eases my mind. I can’t believe Wealdstone is giving us this much trouble.

Now the ball is moving over to their side of the pitch. Stamp’s got it – he’s looking good today. Now that I’ve said that he slips out of bounds.. The throw in goes deep into our defensive zone. Cooper clears it, but they’ve got it coming right back. It’s in the air – my God, is that RAY who’s going to challenge the header? What is with my short Mcs? Wealdstone’s Carter had no trouble, and the ball zips past Bullivant, who seems not to have seen it coming.

Fantastic. The game is tied, but they’ve been the only team scoring.

Time to substitute. I send in Taylor and Walker and take out Peters and Ray. Peters had finally calmed down and actually centered a few for Ogbodo when that was the right decision to make, but he’s just not doing enough out there today. I wanted to see Taylor anyway, but I might have moved Ogbodo, but the young African has been the better player.

After the substitution, it looks like the end of the first half again. All the action is down on Wealdstone’s end. Taylor gets heavily involved in the play, but the only chances come to McClurg and Hemmings. Oh what a pass from Walker! It was gorgeous – he set up Ogbodo perfectly, but Godfrey knocks it away.

I’ve got my eye on Walker and here’s what I see. Under pressure from an opponent, he’s indeed not the best player. He gets a little confused and gives up the ball far too often. But he’s a winger, and quite often he’s chasing a long ball. With his speed, he is the first to get there, and he gets there alone. He has time to make a decision, and with time he plays flawlessly.

Given time, he’ll play well under pressure too.

What’s this? Taylor has the ball now and it’s just he and the keeper. WHAT A SHOT! The keeper never saw it coming! Our first goal! That’s an inspiration. The crowd see it the same way, they’re giving Taylor a chant.

I think my substitutions have given us a lift. And here’s Walker now, picking up the deflection off a Godfrey save (another shot by Taylor on goal). Walker’s so fast he’s got the defenders going every which way. He feeds it to Ogbodo, who sends it in toward McClurg, but the defenders get it.

It’s shot after shot now – Ogbodo again, a header just over the bar, Dolan heads one wide, Ogbodo booots one over the bar again. Now a corner. The ball is loose – Taylor’s got it! GOAL! He’s not missed the goal yet.

We’ve hit stride, finally. This is how the whole game should have looked. Walker even gets a chance, but misses the goal. Ogbodo scores off a Taylor rebound. Wealdstone are mailing it in now. They are beaten. Our boys are winning every challenge. Walker uses his speed to catch up to a MC and steal the ball. I’m seeing all kinds of good things here. Bullivant could be well through his second nap by now.

It’s over. It was too close early, but after the substitutions things began to fall our way. I let the boys know they’ve done a great job. After the game I consult with the coach and Peters. We agree on grades. It must hit Peters very hard that Walker grades out at a ten, but he’s honest about it. Cook grades a ten also and wins man of the match honors. The rest of them are eights and nines, except for Ray, McClurg, Peters, and Bullivant, who each score a seven. In Bullivant’s case, I wonder if he’d graded higher if he’d had more work to do?

It doesn’t matter. The first game in my tenure is over, and we’ve won handily. I feel as if my insight is vindicated. Peters has been the preferred striker around here, but the new man Taylor is simply in another class. And Walker is a very capable sub. In fact, I am beginning to wonder if he shouldn’t start sooner than I thought..

[Sidhe]

When I walk the sidelines I have to use a cane. I keep it in my right hand even though most people would assume I’d use it in my left, since it’s my left leg that’s gone. But my left leg doesn’t hurt, not like the right one does, when I have to stand for long. The plastic leg – it chafes and often leaves a bruise if I overdo it. This wouldn’t happen if I had a new leg. They make a lot of really nice prosthetic legs now, but I can’t afford them and I’ve never kept good insurance. That’s part of the past I’m not telling you about, why nobody wants to insure me. But as I walk along the pitch, I use a cane, and I limp. I can see the theatrical usefulness of this image, but I don’t give a damn about that. I wish I had two good legs. If I did, I’d still be playing.

So when I watch a guy with two good legs coast through practice, I get a little uneasy.

That’s not the right word.

“Mr. STAMP! If I see you coasting like that again I’ll pull off this leg and beat you half senseless with it! Being as you’re half-witted now, that’d leave you with only a quarter of a brain. I want hustle, I want desire!”

Stamp doesn’t like being talked to like that. In fact, judging by his eyes, he hates it, and he probably hates me for it too. But he’s a guy who needs his fire stoked, he won’t keep it hot himself. Used rightly, that kind of motivation will make Stamp play like the player he should be.

Stamp is popular, and I can see some of the others are considering whether I should talk to him that way. Hemmings in particular. He’s a true hard-head, and tough as nails. I’d call him loyal, except it seems his loyalty is always toward the worst in people, and I don’t want to dignify it with a good word like “loyalty.” If there is trouble, you can be sure Hemmings will be in the middle of it. The only one he’ll listen to is Bristow, which is lucky. Bristow has his head on straight. He’s got natural ability and he cultivates it. That’s the kind of player I like. He’s not a star, but he’s solid. He is a good captain.

Other problems on the squad are already apparent. Ogbodo is arrogant, but I can take that if he applies himself. He does so, sparingly. Peters thinks he’s God’s gift to football and it’s only a matter of time before he’s playing in the upper leagues. He’s good, I’ll give him that. And he’s faster than I thought. He’s the fastest of my strikers, but he doesn’t play like it. I think he gets caught up imaging the things he’s going to do with the ball.

The friendlies are over. We didn’t do as well as I’d have liked, but we did establish some things. Taylor and Ogbodo will start most games at forward. McClurg hasn’t been as good as I’d hoped. He needs to hone his skills a bit. Walker is still a backup, and the fact he’s backing up Ray points to his needing a lot of help. I’ve tried to get them all a little more help. I’ve brought in new coaches. It seems I’ve caused a bit of a stir through this.

“We’ve always only had the one coach and the managers,” said Peters. As if he couldn’t hear himself! Haven’t we always been in Conference South? Maybe the two are related? Maybe? His lack of ambition scares me, but I’m stuck with him for five years. I don’t dare fire him, at least not yet. He’s the “safety blanket” for the board. They like him, and they don’t think they know me yet.

But I put my foot down and we got five new position coaches. I don’t think it’s enough, but I’ve already thought about that. I’ve got my eye out for player/coaches. I don’t have anyone on the squad right now I’d trust with the job, but I have my eyes on a pair of guys. My players need individualized coaching. There’s no way around it. It’s the only way a team like ours, with no money for big time transfers (not that anyone would come here anyway) can compete with the larger clubs.

And we haven’t had enough substitutes. I can afford to hire enough guys for a full second eleven, but they wouldn’t be good guys. I don’t think we need that many subs, but we do need a few. I’ve been scouring the scouting reports every day, looking for some help. I wouldn’t mind bringing in a front-line player if it was in the middle.

Andrews finally made it, but he’s not a savior. He’s got very good skills, but he’s slow. I’m thinking of bringing in two more attacking midfielders – who are also player/coaches. Craig Maskell and Andy Sinton. Sinton can play on the wings as well, which makes him all the more attractive. I’ve heard back from Maskell and I think he’s going to come in. I’ve said Taylor would start most games at forward, and he will, but if Maskell comes in this week, I’m starting him in our first game against Hayes. He’s a veteran and I want him to know I value his skills. And I want my guys to know I’m not happy with the way they’ve been playing.

“Mr. STAMP!!”