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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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

It had been three days since the team's last intense session, and Broadfield Stadium buzzed with energy.


The training pitches simmered under the relentless August sun, turning Crawley's air into a heavy, almost suffocating heat.


Niels pulled in at dawn, his pickup sputtering to a stop next to the training ground's rusty gate.


The air was thick with the smell of scorched grass and the distant scent of a fryer van's grease. His heart raced, a mix of nerves and focus.


The season's opening whistle was just days away, like a storm brewing on the horizon.


Today was all about pushing the squad to their limits with a full 11v11 match simulation, designed to mirror the raw intensity of League One.


With Pogba and Freeman starting to settle in, this session could be the key to finalizing Crawley's starting lineup and setting the tone for their battle ahead.


Chapter 122 - Starting XI Practice