Nicholas Marjan, known as Niels, was an Asian football-obsessed loner in the modern world. A master of FIFA Career Mode, addicted to YouTube tactics videos, and followed every twist of the transfer window like it was life or death, he lived the beautiful game from behind a screen.
Until the day he died.
And woke up in the late 2000s, in the body of a once-promising young player at a lower-league English club. A player whose career had been cut short by a brutal ACL injury. With his playing career over before it could truly begin, his second life offers no glory on the pitch.
But Niels still has one weapon: his mind.
Armed with future knowledge of football's evolution, and guided by a mysterious, almost cheat-like instinct for scouting raw talent, Niels steps into the world of coaching. As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.
His methods are unorthodox. His instincts, uncanny. And soon, whispers about the "young coach with a gift" begin to spread.
This isn’t the story of a player chasing glory. It’s about someone reborn to change the game from the sidelines. From forgotten training grounds to Europe’s biggest stages, Niels is on a mission, 
not just to win, but to rewrite what it means to lead.
He once dreamed of lifting trophies as a player.
Now, he'll do it as a coach.

FA Cup Quarter-Final: West Ham United vs. Crawley Town


Crawley Town's 2-0 win over Burton Albion had moved them into third place in League Two with 69 points. Promotion was now looking like a real possibility, but the team had little time to think about the league. Their next challenge was much bigger: a quarter-final against West Ham United at Upton Park.


Niels knew it would be a difficult game. West Ham had more experience and quality, especially out wide, and their forwards could punish any mistakes. Still, Crawley had already knocked out Burnley, so nobody in the squad was willing to give up before the game had even started.


The team bus left Crawley at 4:00 p.m. for the two-hour trip to East London. Most of the players were quiet, watching the roads through the windows or listening to music.


Chapter 64 - Broadfield’s Triumph