Where Angels Play

[BertMerton]

NB - This is my first game of Football Manager in over 20 years. I last played Championship Manager in 2001 and contributed the story "All Roads Lead to Berlin" to this forum in its CM Stories guise many years ago. Bored at work, I managed to put together 350,000 words over a few months and frustratingly lost it all - the website underwent some sort of server crash and that magnum opus was lost forever. I haven't played Football Manager until now.

Longmead. A ramshackle corrugated shed of a stand envelopes the plush lawn of one of Kent's up and coming football teams. Kent, a county that has never really made a dent in the English football world - apart from the odd cup upset courtesy of Medway grifters Gillingham - now has a number of bright sparks vying for attention in the seething bearpit that are the Vanarama National Leagues. Bromley, Ebbsfleet, Maidstone, Dartford and now the Angels, from Tonbridge, who have never seen the lofty climes of the National league, but dream of a reality where they reach the apex of part-time football.

My aim - to make Tonbridge competitive. As a 48 year old novice in the realm of non-league football, where physicality and determination make short shrift of silky skills and faint-hearted technical types, I want to make this team a force in the Vanarama South, a task that is going to be Sisyphean in nature. Many have warned me that Tonbridge simply don't have the quality to stay up and given the paucity of funds at my disposal, merely clinging on at the end without being relegated is enough according to the club's owners, who thankfully don't live in cloud cuckoo land when it comes to the bare-boned reality of their situation. They have taken a gamble on an amateur with little to no qualifications and nothing but desire to mould a group of amateurs into something greater than their parts.

[BertMerton]

ANGELS PLUMP FOR UNKNOWN

Director admits to "stab in the dark" in new appointment writes Craig Tucker for the Kent Messenger

 

Recently promoted Tonbridge have made relative unknown Bert Merton their new manager. Whilst the Angels had recently toasted success in reaching the Vanarama South, previous manager Steve McKimm said that "he wanted new challenges" after a five year stint at the club. Director Frank Ingleton revealed that the new incumbent Merton had "surprised" and "enthralled" them with an unconventional interview and that they were "enthused" by his approach. Merton has signed on a one year contract and will look to take over team matters immediately. When questioned on Merton's experience and relative lack of, Ingleton said that he was "convinced" that the new manager had already shown he was of the "appropriate calibre" for a club of Tonbridge's stature and that he could bring a "fresh new perspective" to Longmead. 

Merton was unavailable for comment. Tonbridge begin their Vanarama South campaign with a tough visit to Ebbsfleet, who are considered to be favourites for the title. Club captain Sonny Miles was "intrigued" by the appointment when asked. "We don't know anything about him but there's a buzz in the dressing room".

 

[Faramir]

Bert- 

Welcome to FMS. Just a gentle reminder to avoid posting pics in stories (per Forum rules).  Good start and look forward to following along.

[neilhoskins77]

Hi Bert, and welcome to FMS. As per Faramir's post, I'd recommend just familiarising yourself with the specific House Rules in our little corner of these Forums. I've edited your opening post as such.

I look forward to seeing where your story takes you.

[Peacemaker7]

Kind scary that its 20 years...