samd577

Sam Draisey played his last game for Aldersly Football Club. The left winger had been there since he was 18, and had seen players come and go like days of the week. He had reached cup finals, won titles and most of all, finally, won the respect of his peers. But his peers were all younger now, and Sam knew it was time to call time on his long playing career. He milled around in the football wilderness for a time, before eventually deciding he had 'the mental toughness to become a manager'. He did the coaching badges easily. As a former primary school teacher himself, he knew the teaching part came naturally. The football was pretty self explanitory too.

After searching the internet, and indeed the globe, for a job in professional management, he eventually found one in a perfectly sized club. The plane left for South Africa a week later.

Tambo Cosmos. That was the club that Sam was to shape in his own image. to turn this Semi Professional club, recently promoted to professional leagues, into a force in the South African second division. The following is a quick recount of the year spent there.

'I was expected to fail. The press didnt like my chances, the board didnt like my chances, and the fans just plain didnt like me! Through all this, with no money to spend, no place to train, and assistant to guide me, i took lowly Tambo Cosmos to tenth in the league! i brought in new faces, i changed the system and i hired new staff. The fans loved me. The players had me listed amoung their favourite members of staff anywhere in the world! the only people who were not impressed was the board. They said they were dissapointed with my performance. they offered me no money in the transfer kitty. i felt disillusioned and left out. It was the hardest decision i ever made. I resigned as manager of Tambo Cosmos.'

Sam was not out in the wild long. He was barely back on a plane home when he recieved an acceptance letter from another opportunity on yet another far flung corner of the globe! this time it was Austrlia, and premier division side Newcastle Jets. It was a big step, and few thought he could make the grade. But Sam had been under that sort of pressure before, and it brought the best out of him. Driven by the determination to make a side with a media prediction of an 8th place finish out of 8 succeed, Sam took Newcastle Jets to thier first ever Premier Division Title in his first, and ultimately only season as manager, and helped them to lift the 'super eights' cup.

After qualifying for the confederations cup in the summer, thats Asia's equivalent to the champions league, the expectations were high at Newcastle. They failed to deliver, and while still in at the semi final stage of the continental competition, Sam fell out with the board again, and resigned as manager. The man who, after one season in Australin football, had won a premier league title, a domestic cup, and shot strainght to tenth on the all time Australian managers leaderboard, was again heading for home.

And now, as we join Sam in his third season of professional management, with hid third club, Ferrol, in the BBVA league in spain, we can only wonder what the future holds for this rookie manager. Can he steer these relegation candedates to the safety of a midtable finish? Will he depart again after one semi successful campaign? only time will tell. time, and the posts on this website.