Chapter 111: What Stays, What Goes
Monday, July 5, 2010
The morning air at Broadfield Stadium was crisp, laced with the familiar scent of damp grass and yesterday's rain still clinging to the pitch. Beyond the stands, the quiet stir of Crawley waking up drifted in the hum of early buses, the distant clang of delivery trucks, and the occasional bark of a dog cutting through the stillness. Inside the gates, the ground felt heavy underfoot, the kind of morning that carried both promise and unease, as if the day itself wasn't sure what it would become.
Niels stood at the edge of the pitch, his boots sinking slightly into the muddy patches, the lessons from his coaching journey still fresh in his mind discipline, balance, long-term vision, and the energy of youth.
The pressure of the transfer window was building. Max hadn't returned, with Levante pushing hard to sign him. Parma wanted Luka.
