The Moss Side clubhouse, usually a place of laughter and boisterous energy, was eerily silent. I had called an emergency team meeting for Sunday evening, my last night in Manchester before leaving for St. George's Park.

The lads sat on the worn plastic chairs, their faces a mixture of confusion and apprehension. They knew something was up. The celebratory mood of the past twenty-four hours had evaporated, replaced by a tense, nervous quiet that felt heavier than any defeat.

I stood in front of them, my heart pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird. Emma was there, standing by the door, her presence a silent pillar of support that I clung to without looking at her. Terry was there too, his face grim but resolute, leaning against the bar he'd polished a thousand times. This was it. The hardest conversation of my life.

"Lads," I began, my voice hoarse, betraying the emotion I was trying so hard to control. "Thanks for coming. I… I have something to tell you."

I took a deep breath and just said it. All of it. The approach from Gary Issott at the celebration yesterday. The Crystal Palace offer. The UEFA B course that starts tomorrow morning at St. George's Park.

The fact that I was leaving. The words felt like stones falling from my mouth, each one heavier than the last. I watched them land, watched them detonate in the faces of the men who had given me everything.

I watched their faces as the words landed, each one a physical blow. I saw the confusion curdle into shock, the shock into a hundred different shades of hurt.

I saw it in Kev's clenched fists, his jaw tight with a familiar, fiery anger. I saw it in Baz's stony expression, his arms crossed as a defensive wall went up.

I saw it in the way Tommo's ever-present grin vanished, replaced by a look of utter bewilderment. And worst of all, I saw it in Big Dave's heartbroken eyes, the eyes of a man who had given his life to this club and was watching its heart get ripped out.

The silence that followed was deafening. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room.

"So that's it?" Kev was the first to speak, his voice laced with a bitter sarcasm that cut through the silence like a blade. "You win us the league and then you just… piss off to London? Was that the plan all along? Use us to make a name for yourself and then jump ship?"

His words stung because there was a kernel of truth in them. I had used Moss Side. Not deliberately, not cynically, but I had used them nonetheless. They had been my training ground, my proving ground. And now I was leaving them behind."

"It's not like that, Kev," I said, my voice pleading, desperate for him to understand. "This only happened last night. Gary Issott approached me after the game. I didn't go looking for this. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A Premier League club. A proper career. I have to take it. Surely you can understand that?"

"Understand?" Kev spat. "Yeah, I understand. I understand that we're not good enough for you anymore."

"And what about us?" Baz asked, his voice low and dangerous, the quietest man in the room suddenly the most intimidating. "What about Moss Side? Were we just a stepping stone for you, gaffer? Something to put on your CV?"

"No," I said, shaking my head fiercely, meeting his gaze and then looking around the room, at every single player. I needed them to hear this. I needed them to believe it.

"Never. This club, this team… you're my family. You're the first real family I've ever had. And I would never, ever leave my family in the lurch. That's why I'm here tonight. That's why I didn't just disappear. That's why I've spent the last twenty-four hours working on a plan. A plan to make sure Moss Side not only survives, but thrives."

I laid it all out for them. I told them about Scott Miller, their teammate, their friend, their brother, taking over as player-manager. I saw the surprise on their faces, the glances they exchanged.

Then I told them Mark Crossley, their former captain, was returning as his assistant. A wave of murmurs rippled through the room, a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief. This wasn't just a departure; it was a restructuring of their entire world.

I looked at Scott, who was sitting in the front row, his face a mask of shock and dawning pride. He hadn't known this was coming. I'd only asked him this morning, and he'd said yes without hesitation. That was Scott. Loyal to the core.

"Scott," I said, my voice firm, projecting the confidence I needed him to feel.

"You've been here and in Railway Arms for ten years. You've bled for this club. You know this club better than anyone. You know the players, you know the community, you know what Moss Side stands for. You understand what it means to be from here, to represent this place. You're the right man for this job. The only man."

He stood up slowly, his eyes glistening with emotion. "I don't know if I'm ready, Gaffer," he said, his voice thick. "You're a hard act to follow."

"You're more than ready," I said, my belief in him absolute. "You've been watching me for a year and studied under Frankie for more than that. You know the tactics, the philosophy. But you've got something I never will. You're Moss Side born and bred. These lads will follow you because they love you. They'll run through walls for you because you're one of them."

The tension in the room began to shift. The anger and betrayal started to recede, replaced by a dawning understanding. This wasn't abandonment. This was succession. This was continuity.

Tommo, the tireless midfielder who never stopped running, stood up. "We'll give you everything, Scotty," he said, his voice loud and clear, cutting through the uncertainty. "Just like we gave the gaffer everything. You're our gaffer now. And we're going to win the league again. For you. For Moss Side."

One by one, they began to clap. Not for me, but for Scott. For one of their own. It was the sound of a team choosing to stay together.

But I wasn't finished. There were futures to secure.

"And that brings me to JJ," I said, my voice softening. The room went quiet again. "Your future is the most important thing. You've got the talent to go all the way. And I'm not going to let you waste it here."

I told them about the Brighton offer. The Championship club. The £100,000 transfer fee.

JJ stared at me, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and disbelief. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. He looked like a kid who'd just been told he was going to Disneyland.

***

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