-Xenon- Posted April 1, 2007 Author Share Posted April 1, 2007 "I'm telling you Eammon, he's worth a shot" Manchester United youth coach Eammon Malvey's gaze was drawn to a tall, dark haired youth running his heart out on the poorly surfaced pitch. The youngster had got two goals already and had taken both of them with chilling efficiency. He had been summoned down as a favour to an old friend, who had insisted that Malvey take a look at the 17 year old. The journey all the way down to Surrey had not been in vain, he had witnessed the young player's two goals and it was not even half time. Malvey's old friend, a man named Mick O'Donovan was a local football coach and was struggling to contain his enthusisasm at such a find. "He's something else eh? I mean, I know this is only sunday league but you can't deny the kid's talent" Malvey was thoughtful as he watched the youngster skip past two players, showing impeccable balance. "I know Mick, but this is one game. You know I can't just hand him a contract on the basis of one game. Besides it wouldn't be my call even if I had that power. I can't deny this kid has talent though." O'Donovan looked deflated, he knew the young man's future rested on this one conversation. Out on the pitch, the youngster had skinned an opponent with a delightful step-over. Now he paused, almost arrogantly, pondering his next move. He had such a confidence but more importantly such an awareness as he effortlessly found a team mate with a sweeping diagonal ball. It was hard to tell just how good this kid was, but he was certainly impressing all those around him. Malvey knew that such a complete player at his age was rare, he knew that his club had paid £30,000,000 for the last teenager that had displayed such quality. O'Donovan began to plead his case desperately. "Eammon, this guy could be your next superstar. The next George Best! You'll only regret it when another club comes in for him, this is a fantastic opportunity for United. Alex is building a team for the future isn't he? Well let me tell you, you're looking at the future of Manchester United right there" It was such a fantastically bold statement to make, yet watching the young man play, Malvey couldn't help but see him donning the red shirt and leading out a team in front of thousands of adoring fans at the theatre of dreams. He just had that look about him, a charismatic leader as well as a bloody talented footballer. "I'll tell you what I'll do Mick, I'll give him a two week trial with the Under 18's. That is at least one power that I do have. I'll get Alex to take a look at him and we'll see where we go from there. He's 17?" "That's right, 18 in November actually. If you're any good these days you're in the first team by then, that's why I wanted you to take a look at him as soon as you could." "What's his name?" "Ciaran, Ciaran Byrne." "Irish?" "His father his, but he's born and bred here, as English as they come if you ask me!" "No chance of him wearing the green and gold then!?" "I doubt it very much, Eamonn" Laughing jovially the men shook hands and upon that handshake, a star was born. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Xenon- Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 "I'm telling you Eammon, he's worth a shot" Manchester United youth coach Eammon Malvey's gaze was drawn to a tall, dark haired youth running his heart out on the poorly surfaced pitch. The youngster had got two goals already and had taken both of them with chilling efficiency. He had been summoned down as a favour to an old friend, who had insisted that Malvey take a look at the 17 year old. The journey all the way down to Surrey had not been in vain, he had witnessed the young player's two goals and it was not even half time. Malvey's old friend, a man named Mick O'Donovan was a local football coach and was struggling to contain his enthusisasm at such a find. "He's something else eh? I mean, I know this is only sunday league but you can't deny the kid's talent" Malvey was thoughtful as he watched the youngster skip past two players, showing impeccable balance. "I know Mick, but this is one game. You know I can't just hand him a contract on the basis of one game. Besides it wouldn't be my call even if I had that power. I can't deny this kid has talent though." O'Donovan looked deflated, he knew the young man's future rested on this one conversation. Out on the pitch, the youngster had skinned an opponent with a delightful step-over. Now he paused, almost arrogantly, pondering his next move. He had such a confidence but more importantly such an awareness as he effortlessly found a team mate with a sweeping diagonal ball. It was hard to tell just how good this kid was, but he was certainly impressing all those around him. Malvey knew that such a complete player at his age was rare, he knew that his club had paid £30,000,000 for the last teenager that had displayed such quality. O'Donovan began to plead his case desperately. "Eammon, this guy could be your next superstar. The next George Best! You'll only regret it when another club comes in for him, this is a fantastic opportunity for United. Alex is building a team for the future isn't he? Well let me tell you, you're looking at the future of Manchester United right there" It was such a fantastically bold statement to make, yet watching the young man play, Malvey couldn't help but see him donning the red shirt and leading out a team in front of thousands of adoring fans at the theatre of dreams. He just had that look about him, a charismatic leader as well as a bloody talented footballer. "I'll tell you what I'll do Mick, I'll give him a two week trial with the Under 18's. That is at least one power that I do have. I'll get Alex to take a look at him and we'll see where we go from there. He's 17?" "That's right, 18 in November actually. If you're any good these days you're in the first team by then, that's why I wanted you to take a look at him as soon as you could." "What's his name?" "Ciaran, Ciaran Byrne." "Irish?" "His father his, but he's born and bred here, as English as they come if you ask me!" "No chance of him wearing the green and gold then!?" "I doubt it very much, Eamonn" Laughing jovially the men shook hands and upon that handshake, a star was born. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Xenon- Posted April 1, 2007 Author Share Posted April 1, 2007 Ciaran instantly became a popular figure at training during his trial at United. Easy to get on with and in possession of a wicked sense of humour, he blended into the setup with astonishing ease. However, personality traits aside, his football did most of the talking. A naturally gifted attacking midfielder, his ability with the ball left the other players drooling. Whilst a player like Cristiano Ronaldo had to sacrifice some his trickery and circus acts in order to progress as a world class player, Ciaran could pull off all the outrageous tricks but also with an end product. He was rarely dispossessed and was never selfish on the ball. He was also strong but at the same time he possessed great pace. In fact it was hard to pick out any negatives to his game. Sir Alex Ferguson had watched from the sidelines as the Under 18's underwent their pre-season training and had been immediately impressed. Upon asking where exactly Eammon Malvey had found this player, he was surprised to learn that he had been plucked from a Sunday league side in the heart of Surrey. He was equally surprised to learn that the youngster had never played football at any proper level, never tried out for a proffessional side's youth setup and he had never been scouted by anyone. The first thought that entered the Manchester United boss' mind was that they had just saved themselves millions of pounds. He ordered that a six month youth contract be drawn up for Ciaran to sign and providing he continued to impress, the matter of a professional contract would be discussed in January. So that decision gave Ciaran six months to show his God given talent.......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Xenon- Posted April 2, 2007 Author Share Posted April 2, 2007 Manchester United Under 18's vs. Manchester City Under 18's Ewan Fields, Hyde A mini Manchester derby was the perfect match for Ciaran's debut in the red shirt. Almost a 1,000 people turned out to watch this game in the Under 18's Group 3, most having heard rumours of a wonderkid that had recently signed for United. Ciaran had spent well over a month settling in, making new friends and training hard. All the youth coaches had been impressed with the effort he had made so far and before the match Sir Alex Ferguson had told him to relax and enjoy his debut rather than feel pressured to make an immediate impact. He appeared to take the boss' words on board, as he made a quiet start to the match. Playing behind the front two, a lot of the midfield play went through him and he concentrated on passing the ball around to the right and left flanks trying not to make any mistakes. It was nothing extravagant but it allowed Mitchell Bryant and Magnus Wolff Eikrem to bomb down the flanks and provide crosses for the two strikers. The breakthrough for United came when Febian Brandy beat the last defender to leave himself one-on-one with the keeper, Brandy made no mistake slotting the ball home for 1-0. Ciaran then began to show some of his trademark skill, an exquisite piece of control bringing the ball down on the left before turning on a sixpence and releasing Thomas Cleverly down the right. However Febian Brandy was overshadowing Ciaran's debut as he went on to claim a hat-trick, putting United 3-0 up. Ciaran still made sure he left his mark on the match, powerfully heading home from a whipped corner. He couldn't have asked for more, a scoring debut in a humiliation of their local rivals. City's embarrasment showed and a few of their players tried to exact their revenge, Ciaran fell awkwardly after a strong challenge and was forced to limp off the pitch with ten minutes remaining. Despite leaving the field with a nasty swollen ankle, Ciaran had impressed with a quietly confident performance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Nice start so far Xenon, I'll be keeping a close eye on this one Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Xenon- Posted April 2, 2007 Author Share Posted April 2, 2007 Cheers sherm Ciaran's ankle hurt like hell even though he had been told it was only a minor injury. The physios had found it funny when Ciaran complained at the pain and assured him he would face worse injuries later in his career. After making sure the ankle wasn't seriously sprained, they all agreed Ciaran would be available for the Under 18 Cup match against Reading in just 3 days time. Ciaran couldn't believe his injury would be gone by then. But what did he know? The next day Ciaran was running around in training and apart from some soreness, he was back in top condition. The performance against Manchester City had done wonders for his reputation. Highlights of the game had been paraded on Sky Sports News and other such footballing shows. Whispers of "the next George Best" were unwelcome distractions for Ciaran, he had only played one match and already the media were on to him. He soon realised that this was the darker side of football and he hoped he could keep the vicious British press at bay later in his career. But at the moment he was reasonably care free. He was earning more money than he could ever dream about, £500 a week made him the top earner in the Under 18 side. Together with his team-mates Evandro de Carvalho Brandão and Corrie Evans, he rented a small flat in Manchester which the three players shared. It took a while to sink in that in doing this, he had left home. For the first time he thought about the friends and family he had left behind down south. But then he looked at his surroundings. He was earning good money, making friends and most importantly playing football. He was happy with this new life and new that his friends and family would understand. He considered himself fortunate when he looked at Evandro, who had left his friends and family in Portugal to play in another country at the age of just 16. The day before the match against Reading Under 18's, Ciaran received some good news. He had been made captain of the Under 18's albeit on a temporary basis, as the staff believed he wouldn't stay in the Under 18's for long. It gave him some responsibilty and it was as popular choice amongst the players who saw Ciaran as their natural leader due to him being the oldest and most talented. A big performance against Reading and Ciaran could move up to the reserve squad..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Xenon- Posted April 2, 2007 Author Share Posted April 2, 2007 Reading Under 18s vs. Manchester United Under 18s Under 18s Cup First Round Madejski Stadium, Reading After hanging back a little bit in his debut against City, the new Under 18s captain felt it neccesary to make a much bigger impact in this game. Ciaran turned on the style immediately in this cup tie and from the word go he was everywhere, dictating the tempo. He got his first chance as early as 2 minutes in, Brandão flicked a header on which found Ciaran in space. It was a difficult shot as the ball was dropping over his shoulder, but with frightening technique he met it on the volley and smashed in United's first goal. He then had a couple of long range efforts that were inches wide of the goal, it was plain to see he was fired up for this game. He should have made it 2-0 when Febian Brandy whipped in a low cross, Ciaran connected with a diving header but it was well saved by Alex McCarthy in the Reading goal. Febian Brandy was keen to make an impact once more and he weighed in with a brace to make it 5 goals in just 2 matches. Brandão was also on the scoresheet as United led 4-0 at half time. The second half was a totally different story as Reading dominated and forced several decent saves out of Ron-Robert Zieler. Ciaran showed his defensive qualities with some telling defensive headers to relieve a lot of pressure at the back. However, he had a tendency to be a bit over-aggressive and was lucky not to be cautioned on a few occasions. Nevertheless he guided the side to a second consecutive 4-0 win against a very decent side. Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz was on the sidelines making notes on Ciaran's performance, it surely wouldn't be long before he got his big break.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panpardus Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Nice start Xenon sounds similar to mine just better written. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Xenon- Posted April 2, 2007 Author Share Posted April 2, 2007 Apologies Panpardus, I've been reading one of your stories, the one similar to this must have passed under my radar as it were, I hope its not too similar. Thanks for reading Ciaran was asked to train with the first team for the first time since his arrival at the club. The inspired performance against Reading Under 18s had turned a few heads and it looked as though his captaincy of the youth side would only last one match. The first team were immediately impressed with Ciaran's attitude in training. He was infectiously enthusiastic, not afraid to mix it up with the older proffesionals. He often bossed about players as if he were a 35 year old veteran not a 17 year old trainee! Attitude is only one half of the game though, skill is the other and he showed that in abundance. Players such as Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand often struggled to deal with his skill and in the midfield he showed his adeptness at picking out players. Cristiano Ronaldo often struggled to hide his jealousy, but of course only in a friendly way. In reality he was astounded and looked forward to working with the youngster. Wayne Rooney welcomed Ciaran in typical fashion by making some crunching challenges on the youngster. Whereas a few players would complain, Ciaran took it all in jest and was easing into the banter that flew about the training pitch. Ciaran's plight for a place in the first team squad had been hampered a little bit by the signing of Porto midfielder Anderson. Just a year his senior Anderson was positionally identical to Ciaran and while they got on well with each other, Ciaran knew he would have to jostle for a place with his talented Brazilian counterpart. In a half joking way and also half hoping it would pay off, Ciaran flamboyantly asked whether he would be in the squad to face Liverpool at the weekend. Ferguson and Queiroz chuckled at such a request and informed him that he wouldn't be travelling to Anfield. But they went on to say that they wanted him to remain training with the first team and if hew worked hard, they may consider taking him to Germany for United's Champions League opener against Bayern Munich, as a back-up member of the squad though. It was fantastic news, news that deserved to be celebrated. A few celebratory drinks surely wouldn't hurt..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amaroq Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Being as Panpardus's is one of my favourite, must-read-every-new-installment-as-soon-as-he-posts-it stories .. I'll be following this one closely as well. KUTGW! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop7774 Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 Good read.. Will these celebratory drinks hurt? Suspense.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panpardus Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Yeah the suspense is killing us, post an update already Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ockenback Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 I'm also a fan of Panpardus' story, and this one seems to be potentially as good. The irony? I don't even like Man Utd. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watford_fc_4_lyf Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 This is great. Drinks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ234 Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 i need a another installment Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfan2 Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I need another drink. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny.harv Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 This suspense really is killing me. I have been watching this page and clicking the refresh button every 5 minutes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
humanriff Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 classy story. keep it up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
suited2007 Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 anything Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacemaker7 Posted September 29, 2007 Share Posted September 29, 2007 This is story is long dead, whats the point in upping it, can't you guys read dates? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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