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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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.

The Utrecht morning unfurled in a soft mist, the lake outside Niels's inn glistening faintly in the early light.


 He rose from the narrow bed, the creak of the wooden floorboards breaking the silence, each step echoing through the quiet room.


The lessons of the previous day lingered in his mind, like the afterglow of a hard-fought match. 


Pieter's seminar on post-promotion planning, the relics of Total Football at the Nederlands Voetbalmuseum, and the echo of Emma's call about the looming transfer window, all of it intertwined, leaving him with a sense of focus and anticipation.


The season was approaching fast transfers, tactics, the grind of League One but for now, Niels allowed himself the rare peace of the Dutch countryside.


Here, in the quiet of the moment, he could gather his thoughts and clear his mind, letting the calm settle before returning to the chaos of Broadfield's muddy pitches.


Chapter 103 - A Coach’s Reflection