25 and Still Jobless – 2018-19 Season – Knockout Stages

I have so many things that I want to achieve as the Birmingham City manager, one of these goals was to make the side that I currently manage into a team that can not only win the Premier League, but win the Champions League as well, without any discussion of it being nothing more than a fluke. Why? This would be my way of making sure that my name remained embedded in history. I am so ambitious at times, that it's not even funny. Whenever a job that I feel I can take over and improve the side to become a Championship winning side, I consider it, which was why I had considered Chelsea for a while and asked for many opinions. If someone like Barcelona, Real Madrid came knocking on my door, well, it would be pretty hard not to accept, especially since I have been linked with Real Madrid when they sacked Jose Mourinho in December. While I was never approached, it was most flattering to be linked.

The season so far has been ... mixed, I've lost to Manchester United twice on penalties in both the Community Shield and the League Cup, but I say the doing the double over Villarreal in the Champions League made up for it, especially since both results were 3-0 wins. Still, the league has had a up and down campaign as well, we dropped points we shouldn't have had, the Champions League holders Tottenham, led by AVB beat us at White Hart Lane again and we lost to Manchester United and Arsenal in quick succession. Thankfully my squad is talented enough to recover from these kinds of situations.

The League doesn't seem like it can be within our reach this season, as much as it disappoints me to say it. Still, the fact that we are within the Champions League places and fighting to be within the top 3 once more is a pleasing situation to be in, even if some occasions have made me scream in anger, something I never would have thought that I'd find myself doing before I took over Birmingham City. Still, we should finish in a really good position.

Our Champions League group stage was much more successful than last season, we actually finished in 2nd this time, meaning that we had found ourselves in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the very first time. We do have a game against Lyon in the last 16, but I am feeling quietly confident that we can sneak through to the Quarter Finals.

So far, there have been numerous players that have scored goals, with Juan Ignacio Pringles leading both the scoring and the assisting charts, with Danijel Perak in second, but out injured with a broken foot, much to my dismay. Keryn Masanabo is in 3rd, with just 4 goals. The only reason that Vincent Aboubakar has only played one game is due to injury after injury after injury, he has not enjoyed this season so far.

It has been numerous months since the transfer window ended and the Premier League season began, but at the same time, I made some signings before the Transfer Window in the Summer was closed and have already made 2 signings in the Winter Transfer Window. The most significant one that can be seen is the one that is worth £10M from Chelsea, Tonko Anicic, who I believe is worth paying £8.5M in installments over 24 months.

This young Spanish defender was brought from Liverpool before the end of the Summer Transfer Window, and when Zulu got injured, proved to be an amazing signing ... this is the words of the fans, not mine. Still, with the potential to be even better than Zulu's potential best and with Roma apparently looking to spend £17.5M on Zulu ... I might have to say with this guy, I might have to take them up on that offer, if they fork up the money.

There was a battle between myself and Arsenal for this young left midfielder/winger, but we won in the end to sign this 16 year old Croatian for £3M, something that I am pleased to have pulled off. With the potential to be TWICE as good as Adam Johnson, who is now 31, can be, do I take the risk to put this young talent straight into the main squad to give him experience, or do I play him as a substitute numerous times before putting him in as the main choice left midfielder/winger? Decisions, decisions.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be playing Tonko Anicic straight away as an attacking midfielder, this being helped by the fact that Keryn Masanabo will be off to the African Cup of Nations for a month soon, that and Anicic has the potential to be so much better than Masanabo's current and potential ability, I have to give him a chance, especially since I spend £10M on the man, making him the most expensive signing I've ever made, and the most expensive signing in Birmingham's history, which is ironic, since the most money we've ever made is from Seamus Coleman, who was signed by Chelsea for £11.5M in the past. Chelsea involved in both records, that's funny.

Great news on my reputation now though, I am now considered to be a World Class manager, in reputation at least, so that would mean that my name would most likely be linked with any major job that pops up for now on, like it did with Real Madrid. By the way, AC Milan are fighting to avoid relegation in Serie A, that was not what I was expecting to be saying this season.

Being the youngest ever manager in the history of football to have even won the World Cup with a national team was not what I was expecting to have on my CV when I began this job many years ago, nor did I think that I would be leading the team ranked 1st in the World Rankings at the age of just 32. Still, now as a 33 year old, I must confess that it feels so incredible that nothing could replace it.

I would have to say that my time with England, now only just being a year into the job is perhaps that greatest that I've ever had, the pressure, while enormous has fed my ego, my drive and ambition to do even better than before. People say that this is the hardest job in the world, but with the amount of clean sheets I've had as the England manager, I think it speaks for itself.

Our group for the European Qualifiers also speaks for itself, while barely underway, we have been nothing short of domination so far and my ambitions to take over the world with England is hardly a goal so out of sight that people ask me if I'm crazy, they just look at the results and believe.
Soon, the world will be mine.
My record with Bath : P 59 W 26 D 9 L24 GF 79 GA 74 GD +5 WR 44% Days in Charge: 413 My record with Gateshead : P 82 W 42 D19 L21 GF148 GA114 GD +34 WR 51% Days in Charge: 559 My record with Singapore : P 11 W 6 D 1 L 4 GF 21 GA 20 GD +1 WR 54% Days in Charge: 240 My record with Birmingham so far : P185 W122 D30 L33 GF387 GA171 GD+216 WR 65% Days in Charge:1295 My record with England so far : P 22 W 17 D 2 L 3 GF 57 GA 17 GD +40 WR 77% Days in Charge: 471 My record so far : P359 W213 D61 L85 GF692 GA396 GD+296 WR 59%
Career so far Bath: 26/11/11 - 12/01/13 Gateshead: 01/06/13 - 12/12/14 Singapore: 11/01/15 - 08/09/15 Birmingham: 16/06/15 - Present England: 17/09/17 - Present
Total honours so far Blue Square Premier - Gateshead (2014) FA Trophy - Gateshead (2014) npower Championship - Birmingham (2016) League Cup - Birmingham (2017) FA Cup - Birmingham (2018) World Cup - England (2018)
justplayingitcool, Alcatraz, The Rock 13, jackknife, YidArmy617, ho1mesy2011, Burton Boy, CatchFire, tangofanta, J_ames, Jakeyd, Chin2112, BH88, Patrick, Gonzales, AndyD_U, Cadey5, angusu2, hullfclegend, RedDevil, Severance, jamo86, HarriesCCFC11, arwelt, sUpErGiNi77, didge89, Mr180, chelseajoe185, parmar1993, DJ ones, KillaAshley, swimjim819, Scouse La, DJ ones, The Money
Like I said before if you don't want me to link your name, just say.
Would like to thank everyone who has commented so far, much appreciated.
Hope you enjoyed the latest post of my story.
10000 views, that is so amazing, I honestly never thought that I would get to it.
Also, sorry for taking so long, real life issues came into play.
One question though, what in the world has happened to the story forum? It seems like it's died in the few days I've been away.
Edit: Jul 05, 12 4:24am
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