Page 10 of Playing the Game

Udo burst out laughing.

“Shit, sorry,” Edi said, clutching his forehead. “I’m not going to talk all season.”

Adam went over and took hold of Edi’s face with both hands. “We’d miss you too much. Just think before you speak, yeah? And we’ll have a chat later.”

Edi nodded.

“Udo,” he said. “I hope I’ve not upset you. Honest, I am.”

“I know,” Udo replied.

Adam sat down at his spot again and began to put his socks on.

“I wonder if these newbies all gay,” Alain said.

The French defender was anything but. He and teammate Jerzy had well-earned reputations with the opposite sex.

“It doesn’t matter,” Colin replied.

“Well said, Colin,” Adam shouted over.

Poor Colin blushed. A regular occurrence in the locker room.

“I bet Tito Lopes is a dick,” Ewen said.

“Don’t get territorial, for fuck’s sake,” Adam replied. “This is going to be a drama-free season if it kills me.”

Adam suspected Ewen saw Tito as the biggest threat he’d faced in years. The young striker from Liverpool would be playing up front with Ewen, who’d been with Brockton for most of his career.

Like Adam, Ewen was on the wrong side of thirty. The life of a professional football player lasted twenty years at best. Adam would have a talk with him too. He had a busy week ahead.

Meg, the head physio, stuck her head around the door.

“Hey,” Ewen said. “We might be naked.”

“Don’t worry,” she replied. “I’ve haven’t got my glasses on.”

The lads all roared their approval.

It was a brave man who tried to go for Meg. In her early twenties and with the face of an angel, she packed a verbal punch as hard as a northern drag queen.

“Adam, Steven said you need to be out on the training pitch right now. They’re giving the newbies a tour then they’re coming to train with you.”

She let the door close behind her.

“You heard her,” Adam said. “Let’s see what we’ve got on our hands.”

It was drizzling as they kicked the ball from one to the other. Adam had led the warm-up. After a few weeks holiday, he’dexpected them to be a bit fuzzy. To their credit, things were already pretty good. Bilbao had helped too.

“Split into pairs and practice short-range passing,” he shouted. “That’s where we fucked up in Spain. Long-range, we’re great. Udo, you’re with me.”

Adam intended to develop the midfield with himself, Udo and Jonas. Canonbury reject or not, they would have to work together.

“Don’t go hard on Edi,” Udo said as he sliced the ball over.

“I won’t,” Adam replied. “But he has to learn that words have consequences.”

He returned the pass.