Page 33 of Playing the Game

“I’m going to get a public bollocking, aren’t I?” he said.

“Maybe not,” Udo replied.

“I deserve it.”

Ewen came and took the seat on the other side of Goran.

“What a fucking match,” he said. “Now you’ve got us in the shit and we’ve got a bloody detention.”

Adam leant forward. “What’s your problem?”

Ewen was red. “Why did you pass to Lopes?”

Is he for real?

“Because he found a decent position and you didn’t,” Adam explained. “Don’t do this shit. Your play, your problem.”

“Okay, I’ll take that,” Ewen replied. “I suppose getting yellow carded is enough punishment. First of the season has to buy us all a present. Remember?”

Adam was about to respond when he saw a glint in Ewen’s eye. They’d initiated this a few seasons back. Adam rarely got carded so it came as a double blow to him.

“This club is costing me a frigging fortune this year.”

I’ll order a load of dildos. That’ll team them. Well some of them. Actually who the fuck knows?

The conversation came to an abrupt halt when Javier and Steven came in. Neither of them appeared to be in the mood for squad banter.

Javier stood in his usual place in front of them. He cleared his throat.

“Well done on the win,” he began. “We’ve started as we mean to go on.”

Adam braced himself.

“I won’t keep you long,” Javier continued. “I know you’re under pressure?—”

“Can I speak, Boss?” Adam interrupted.

“By all means.”

Adam stood and joined Javier at the front.

“I was bang out of order today,” Adam said. “Let’s get that out of the way first off.”

A ripple of chatter went around.

“No doubt I’ll get some shit online. As captain, I should be leading and I allowed those knobheads to get under my skin.”

“You’re only human, Skipper,” Colin said.

The young lad seemed to be finding his confidence and it was a lovely thing to see.

“Thank you, Colin,” Adam replied. “Fact is I’d come down hard on any of you who did the same thing, so I need to be honest. Today would have been about us winning if I’d kept my head.”

Howard came into the room. The PR man usually had some doom and gloom to share with them.

Adam sat down.

“He’s right,” Javier said. “Reacting is not the way to solve this. Howard?”