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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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 tunnel at Spotland Stadium thrummed with the roar of 1,800 Crawley Town fans, their red scarves a defiant slash against the bleak Lancashire sky. 


Niels stood outside the away dressing room, heart pounding, his breath visible in the January chill as he steeled his squad for a bruising clash against Rochdale, a playoff-chasing side known for their grit and set-piece menace.


Inside, the air was thick with liniment and nerves, the walls vibrating with the distant chant of "Red Devils!" 


Niels gathered his players, Max Simons, Luka Radev, Korey Henry, Dev Patel, Nate Sutton, Jamal Osei, Tom Whitehall, Reece Darby, Adam Fletcher in goal, Toby, and Kieron Marsh starting, with Thiago and José Baxter on the bench, their paperwork cleared but Niels banking on trusted legs. 


Chapter 37 - Battle in the North