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Career A Canadians Journey - The Unemployment Career Challange


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I've always wanted to go a career on football manager and document it along the way. I spend a number of hours a day at my desk flicking through careers and challenges on mobile and pc. The ones that grab me are the unique ones. Storied ones. I'm sure it's great double the quadruple with Chelsea. But that's not for me.  So the prologue is done. Let's jump in. 

Chapter 1 to follow. 

 

Edited by Bridgeoftea
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Chapter 1 : The Masterplan

I don't know how this will go. A lonely Canadian soul. No badges, no career, just love. I found myself in love with the beautiful game for many years. It took many of nights of me thinking. But I've made my choice. 

I'm going to win 4 champions league titles. 

With 4 different clubs. 

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I've got my eyes set to 4 places. 

Holland. England. Scotland and Wales. 

4 tough tasks. 4 great nations. 4 new stories. 

I fly myself to London with the last remaining loonies saved in my piggy bank. 
 

Along the way searching for jobs, learning Dutch and failing to learn any Welsh. Helpwch fi. 
 

 

 

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Gatwick airport. Christ it hasn't improved since the last time I was here. 

I check the list of teams looking for a new manager. What is a Kidderminster anyways.

Derby would be nice. I'd take Barnsley. I know where Bromley is. 

This is harder than I thought. 



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My hands are bloody. Seriously. How many handshakes can someone do in a day. 
I lay back on the bench at the train station. Hoping. Praying. Needing that call from anyone. 

It comes. 

I panic. I jump up and answer in a fright. 

It's Bromley. They want to take a chance on me. 

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Get in boys. We are going back to London

Edited by Bridgeoftea
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Chapter 2 : Force Of Nature

I've been here before. 

No. Not managing a football team. No. not scared for my life. No. No afraid someone thinks my kecks aren't up to snuff. 

I have been here before. To Bromley. 3 years ago. What seems like a distant memory now. 
When I saw the job was available I thought it might not be what I want. But it might be what I need. A familiar comfort.


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I rock up to the ground. It's very non league, full of character. Perfect. Hayes Lane is pure football. Can't wait to make this a force of nature. 

 

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I've always loved non league football. The idea of clubs being broken and battered into oblivion. Or preparing them to be harder than your nan's five day old porridge. Makes this the perfect starting block.
Football means something here. To everyone. But to those who have faced the conference. Means something different. Something special. It's a harsh spot. And it's where we are starting from. 




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The board expect a fierce battle against relegation. And I see full why they set this goal. Semi professional teams mixed with professional teams.
You guessed it.
We are the former.

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When I asked the board for the transfer kitty amount before our first training session. They just laughed. 
There isn't any. 
I got these lads here. 
That's it. 

 

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I opt for a 4-3-3 counter attacking formation.
I don't have much faith in my strikers. But I've got a lot of them. 
So our plan is to run. And run. And run. 
Push teams to their limits before they see ours. 
And at that point. 
Kick the round thing into the square thing. 
And hope this league doesn't break us. 
Or me. 

 

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Chapter 3 : Rockin' Chair

 

We begin. 
Together. 
We need each other. 
Bromley and I. 
We need this. 

The season flies by faster then any of the past 22 years I've lived through. The spring air holds and grates against my lungs from the touchline. 

We fought bravely. Stoic. Steady. 

The board expected us to hold onto our place in the National League by our chin straps. 

By all accounts we didn't need our chin straps. 

It's March. 
We are safe. 


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Emmanuel. Pinau. Porter. Shaping this team. Carrying this team. Leading this team. 

The lads. They carried this team. 
37 Games down. 48 points. 
It's safety. 
It has to be. 
It will be. 
My mind focuses down to our schedule. 

Dartford. Second leg. We can win this trophy. 
We won't be seeing League 2 this year. Or maybe ever with the finances and the players we've got. 
But they've worked so hard all season. 
That cup can be ours. 

I remember sitting at my desk when the draw was made. 

4 teams left. 
1 National League team left. 
Bromley. 


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This can be my spring board. 
Trophies bring life to clubs. 
Trophies bring life to supporters. 
Trophies bring life to managers. 

I narrow in on the prospect of a trip to Wembley in my first season. 
Could I be so daft. 
I should be. 


We dismantle Dartford in our home leg. Hayes Lane was as vocal as choir from the heavens. 
Goosebumps. 

It's hard to focus the lads in training. 
In league games it seems like they're all too busy trying to plan their night out in Dartford. 
Focus. 
Concentrate. 
Greatness is in our grasps. 


A surprisingly warm night in Dartford. I keep the tracksuit top on. But underneath is that all important collard shirt and tie.
One game from Wembley. 
One game from greatness. 
We can't throw this away. 
Not now. Not ever.

 

Spoiler

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My eyes flutter open. My head kills. I open my left eye. I see red. The right eye struggles open. Red. 
I rub my eyes in a clinched fist and try to sit up. 
A swishing noise catches my ear. 

Streamers. 

I pull and pull and pull what seems like endless streamers. Off my head. Off my legs. Off my couch in my small flat in Bromley. 

I remember. 

We are going to Wembley.
 

 

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Chapter 3 : Take Me Away


15th. 

Bromley & 15th. 

We are safe. 
We knew it before the second leg of the FA Trophy semi final. 
Our season is nearly finished. 

I look back at the season we've had. 


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Out of the FA cup early. 
Can you blame us?
League 1 Barnsley show class. 

For us we have our own trophy to look at. 

Hendnesford F.C
They stand in our way. 



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It's bigger than I expected. 
History. 
This place makes history. 

We warm up. 
The supporters calling. 
Backing. 
Magic. 

The team names echoes around the half empty stadium. 
Corporate doesn't come to these games.
The seats behind us on the touchline.
Vacant. 
But to my left.
It's a wall of noise.
2000 strong. 

The game begins.
We start slow.
Very slow. 
They've done their homework. 
We can't get the space we need. 
It shows. 

0-1 Hednesford 43'

Calm. 
Half time is calm. 
We just need to play our game. 
Like a firework on a delay. It takes us time before we show our colours.
Boy do we ever. 

1-1. Pinau 63'

I'm out of subs. 
Extra time looms. 
But we have this. 
We've focused ourselves all season to run. 
We ran. 
We go again. 
Running. 

Left foot strike from outside the D. Who else. Emmanuel. 

2-1 Bromley. 106'

If Wembley had a roof. The left side would have been blown off. 
16 minutes.
Hold it.
Lock it d.....

My mind is snapped into reality. Watching Sean Williams, round our keeper. Slotting it. 

2-2 110'

Calm. 
10 minutes to go. 
I back our lads in the spot kicks. 
I back our lads to run. 
To lose our heads. 

The defense drops deeper. 
We let them have it. 
We want them confident. 
Pulling their line higher up the bright Wembley pitch. 
Careful. 

Counter. 
We counter.
Numbers fly forward. 
A flash before all of ours eyes. 
A well worked movement. 

 

 

3-2 Bromley 117' Cooke. 

GET IN. 
The celebrations are mad. 
But we still need to focus. 
Hold it. 
Keep it. 
The FA Trophy is coming home to Bromley.


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What a season. 
What a step. 
The meetings with the board want me to stay. 
They offer me a transfer budget. 
But memories are always past events. 
And I must move forward. 
Remembering my goal.
Key players want to leave. 
I need fresh scenes. And a new chip shop. 
The board wager that me staying would help my career moving forward. 
They also give me a list of new chip shops to try around Hayes Lane. 


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Season 2. Bromley. It's time to sample these new fish and chip shops.

3 minutes ago, Mikee1984 said:

What a great read mate enjoyed that keep up the good work, and good luck in the final.

Thank you so much! I've played up to the 2019 season already. So just posting lots of content when I can :)

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Wow that cup final looked tense mate, congratulations on the trophy. Time to aim for promotion next season I think they look more than ready.

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Chapter 4 : To Be Where There's Life

Ketchup stains on the trim of my beard. Not swept away by the passing of the fine napkin. 
The new chip shop. Delightful. 
The new season. Intriguing. 

I don't forget my goal for one moment. 
4 Champions Leagues. 
4 nations.
Bromley won't be the team. Not this time. 
But they are the team to get me there. 

I get to my laptop and pour over ideas for transfer targets. 
Remembering that I can make a choice here. 
To make history. 
To make fire. 

Push this clubs limits. 

I want to stretch this club. 
We aim high. 


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The names. 
The transfers. 
Aren't too important right now. 
We seek for a long term goal. 
We bring in a few more lads to bolster the squad. 
Find those who are willing to go on a journey. 


 


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4-3-3

We keep the lads that brought us glory only a few months earlier. 
We keep the mentality from the season before. 
We keep working. 

 

 

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February. 
It's cold.
I'm cold. 
But we are on fire. 
32 games in. 
We are a unit. 
Held together but fish and chips and lots of running. 




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4th. 
That has a nice ring to it no? 
We are aiming to achieve promotion. 
We are in a fight to have a chance. 
The league to win feels too far for this team. 
But the playoffs is our goal. Our will. Our might. 

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How many hours. 
How many days. 
How many cold Bromley afternoons has it been to this point.


46. 

Season finishes in a blur. 
All that matters is we have found our destiny. 

It lies within the playoffs. 


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Cheltenham FC. 2 legs. Coming soon. 

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Chapter 5 : Step Out


Playoffs. 
To a Canadian they might mean something different. 
To me they make me remember. 
Remember 1994. When a city burnt into the night.
Remember 2011. When the same city burnt into the night. 

Dear lord. 
Let's not burn Bromley down. 

 

We start at Hayes Lane. 
Proper football. 
We need to control. 
We need to fight. 
Though I just hope we don't get beat. This Cheltenham side are a good side. Should it not be fore the one automatic promotion spot. They'd find themselves on a beach in Spain. Finding comfort in the sun. 

Just don't get beat. 


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We hold our own. 
Better than we imagined. 
Conceded a goal from a well worked movement. 
Score a goal from a jammy corner. 
We take it. 

One week later. 
We know we need a goal. We know we would be better to bag two. 
I send the players out. Full of confidence and belief. 

We meet at half time deflated. 
It sets the mood. In the tiny changing room we have. 
Heads go. Hope goes. 
And it shows. 


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Clinical. 
Cheltenham were clinical. 
We were torn. 
But proud. 

To be honest I didn't expect to go up. 
I didn't even expect us to reach the playoffs. 
We played well all season and it is something we can be happy for. 

The players are happy. We created something. Built something. Had something. 

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11 days later I meet with the board. 
I can't stay here. I need to carry on. 
But I could not be more appreciative for this club. 
They ignited the fire. 
They were that fire. 
Small. But fierce. 

I say my goodbyes and try to hold back a tear as I walk Hayes Lane one more time. 
This is proper football. 


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