Tuesday, June 30th - Friday, July 3rd

The rest of the week passed in a blur of anticipation. Knowing Sarah would start Monday changed everything. I wasn't counting down the days until I burned out anymore. I was counting down the days until I had help.

Tuesday's training session felt lighter somehow. The players sensed something had shifted. Nya pulled me aside after the session.

"Gaffer, heard you hired an assistant coach."

Word traveled fast in academies. "Yeah. Sarah Martinez. She starts Monday."

"Good," he said simply. "You've been doing too much. We can see it."

That stung a bit, but he was right. "She's brilliant. You'll like her."

"Looking forward to it."

Wednesday, I spent hours with Marcus Reid planning Sarah's onboarding. What she needed to know, what systems to introduce her to, how to integrate her into the daily routine without disrupting the players' rhythm.

"You're overthinking it," Marcus said, watching me create my third different onboarding schedule. "She's a professional. She'll figure it out."

"I've never managed another coach before."

"Then you'll learn. That's the job."

Everyone kept saying that. "That's the job." As if learning on the fly at a Premier League academy was perfectly normal.

Thursday, I ran a tactical session focused on defensive transitions—the moment after a press fails. It was something Sarah had mentioned in her interview, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. We'd been so focused on winning the ball that we hadn't drilled what to do when we didn't win it.

The session was messy. The players were confused by the new focus. But by the end, I could see the lightbulbs going off. Reece got it first, then Nya, then the others followed.

[SYSTEM] Tactical Familiarity: Defensive Transitions: 23% → 34%.

Progress. Slow, but progress.

Friday afternoon, Gary called me into his office. "Nervous about Monday?"

"Terrified."

He laughed. "Good. That means you care. But remember, you hired her for a reason. Trust that reason. Trust her. And most importantly, trust yourself."

"What if I'm terrible at delegating?"

"Then you'll get better. Danny, you've spent five weeks trying to do everything yourself. You've proven you can survive alone. Now prove you can thrive with a team."

That night, I sat in my flat reviewing my notes for Sarah's first day. The system flickered to life.

[SYSTEM] Week 5 Complete. Progress: Significant. First hire completed. Leadership development: +15%. Next phase: Integration and delegation.

[SYSTEM] New Quest Unlocked: Build Your Coaching Staff

Objective: Successfully integrate Sarah Martinez and recruit additional specialized coaches.

Reward: Enhanced team performance, reduced personal workload, leadership skill development.

I smiled. Week five was done. Week six would begin with Sarah Martinez walking through the doors of Copers Cope. And I was ready to see what we could build together.

The boy from Moss Side who'd done everything alone was about to learn how to lead a team. And that scared me more than anything I'd faced so far.

But Emma's words echoed in my head: "Leaders build teams."

Time to be a leader.

Saturday, July 4th

Saturday morning, I woke up to a text from Emma.

"Stop overthinking. She's going to be great. You're going to be great. Now go do something that isn't football for five minutes."

I tried. I really did. I went for a run, grabbed coffee from a local café, even attempted to watch a film. But my mind kept drifting back to Monday. What if Sarah and I had completely different coaching philosophies? What if the players didn't respect her? What if I'd made a massive mistake?

By noon, I'd given up on the distraction attempt and was back at my laptop, reviewing tactical videos. My phone rang. Emma.

"You're working, aren't you?"

"How did you..."

"Because I know you. Danny, you need to relax. You've done the hard part. You identified the problem, you got Gary's support, you interviewed candidates, and you made a decision. Now you just have to let it play out."

"That's the terrifying part."

"I know. But that's what being a manager is. Making decisions and trusting them. You can't control everything."

"I've been controlling everything for five weeks."

"And you were miserable. Remember? Exhausted, stressed, making mistakes. This is better. Trust me."

She was right. She was always right.

"Come down next weekend," I said. "After Sarah's first week. I'll need to debrief."

"Already booked my train ticket. Now go outside. Touch grass. Be a normal human for twelve hours."

I laughed. "I'll try."

After we hung up, I actually did go outside. Walked around my neighborhood, explored streets I'd never bothered with before. London was starting to feel less foreign. Less overwhelming. Maybe I was finally settling in.

Or maybe I was just too distracted by Monday to notice the city anymore.

Sunday, July 5th

Sunday was prep day. I arrived at Copers Cope at 8am, even though I didn't need to be there. The training ground was empty, quiet in a way it never was during the week. I liked it like this. Peaceful. Just me and the pitch and the sound of birds in the distance.

I walked the pitch, thinking through Sarah's first week. Monday: introductions, tour, tactical discussion. Tuesday: first training session, let her observe. Wednesday: video analysis, get her input. Thursday: let her run a drill. Friday: evaluate, adjust, plan for week two.

Simple. Logical. Probably completely wrong once reality hit.

I spent two hours in my office organizing files, creating a folder for Sarah with all the tactical plans, player profiles, training schedules, and video analysis from the past five weeks. Everything she'd need to get up to speed quickly.

Marcus Reid appeared in my doorway around 11am. "Thought I'd find you here."

"Just prepping for tomorrow."

"You're nervous."

"That obvious?"

He walked in, sat down across from my desk. "Danny, I've worked with a lot of coaches. Young ones, old ones, experienced ones, clueless ones. You know what separates the good ones from the great ones?"

"What?"

"The great ones know when to ask for help. And they know how to use that help to make everyone better. You've done the first part. Now you just have to do the second part."

"And if I'm terrible at it?"

"Then you'll learn. But I don't think you will be. You hired Sarah because she challenges you. That takes humility. And humility is the foundation of good leadership."

He stood up. "Go home, Danny. Get some rest. Tomorrow's a big day, but it's a good day. Stop treating it like an execution."

After he left, I sat there for a long moment. Everyone kept telling me the same thing: trust the decision, trust Sarah, trust myself. Maybe it was time to actually listen.

I packed up my things, took one last look at the pitch through my office window, and headed home. Tomorrow, Sarah Martinez would walk through those doors. Tomorrow, I'd stop being a solo coach and start being a manager with a team.

Tomorrow, everything would change.

And for the first time all weekend, that thought didn't terrify me. It excited me.

The system notification appeared as I locked my office door.

[SYSTEM] Mental State: Stable. Confidence: Rising. Preparation: Complete. Recommendation: Rest. Tomorrow begins a new chapter.

I smiled. Even the system was telling me to relax.

Alright then. One more night as a solo coach. Tomorrow, I'd be something more.

Tomorrow, I'd be a leader.

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