Chapter 8: Shifting Ground
Monday, October 26, 2009
Two days after Crawley Town vs. Aldershot Town (1-1 Draw)
Sunday's recovery session was quieter than usual.
There was no music coming from the dressing room and none of the usual jokes from the younger players. Everyone seemed a little more serious.
The players went through their stretches and light exercises. A few balls were being passed around, but nobody was talking much.
Niels noticed that several players kept looking toward the touchline.
Milan was usually there.
But he wasn't today.
Niels had barely slept the night before. He kept thinking about the match against Aldershot. The good moments kept coming back to him, especially Luka's runs and Simons' goal.
The result hadn't been perfect, but the team had shown that they were improving.
Still, Niels couldn't stop thinking about Milan.
After the final whistle, Milan hadn't said much. He hadn't joined the players properly and had barely spoken to Niels.
When Niels asked if he was alright, Milan had simply said that he was tired before getting into his car and leaving.
Something about it had bothered Niels ever since.
On Monday morning, thick fog covered the training ground.
Milan was still absent.
Niels took charge again.
"Alright, same drills as usual. Just a bit quicker today."
The players started warming up.
At first, nobody asked about Milan. Niels had taken training before, so it wasn't completely unusual.
But once they started passing drills, Niels noticed the players looking toward the empty bench.
Luka kept glancing over between passes. Jamal looked distracted and hit one pass too hard.
Dev leaned toward Simons and quietly said something while looking toward the bench.
Simons nodded.
Nobody asked the question out loud.
But Niels knew they were all thinking the same thing.
Where was Coach Milan?
About ten minutes later, Milan came out of the mist.
He was wearing a heavy coat and a scarf around his neck. His hands were in his pockets, and he walked slowly toward the pitch.
He didn't say anything. He just stood near the side and watched the players.
Niels went over to him when there was a break in the drills.
"You alright, boss?"
Milan gave him a tired smile.
"Yeah. Just taking it slow this morning. Don't let me distract you."
"You sure?"
Milan nodded.
"I'm still the coach," he said. "You're doing a good job, Niels. Keep them focused."
Niels nodded and went back to the players.
He tried to focus on training, but he kept thinking about Milan. He didn't look well, and Niels was starting to worry that Milan was hiding how bad things really were.
That afternoon, most of the players had gone home. Niels was walking past the video room when he saw Milan inside.
The Aldershot match was playing on the screen.
Niels walked in and sat beside him.
They watched the build-up to Crawley's goal. Luka had dropped deeper, received the ball and played it forward to Dev. Dev then crossed for Simons to finish.
"That goal was your idea," Milan said.
Niels looked at him.
"Mine?"
"Dropping Luka deeper. That was your call."
"I think you would've seen it eventually."
Milan gave a quiet laugh.
"Maybe. But you saw it first."
He paused the video.
"You're stepping up faster than I expected."
Niels didn't know what to say.
Milan looked tired, but there was a small smile on his face.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The only sound in the room was the projector running in the background.
Tuesday morning, Milan was at training from the beginning.
He looked worse than he had a few days earlier. His face was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He kept one hand in his coat pocket, and Niels noticed that he was leaning against the fence whenever he wasn't giving instructions.
Milan still tried to act normal.
"Keep the passes quick," he said, but his voice was much quieter than usual.
He let Niels handle most of the tactical drills while he watched from the side. Every now and then, he would cough into his fist or stop to catch his breath.
The players noticed too.
Luka was quick during the passing drills, while Osei kept the midfield organized and helped the younger players. Milan tried to correct them from the sidelines, but after a while he stopped and sat down on the bench.
After training, Luka walked over to Niels.
"Is Coach Milan okay?"
Niels looked toward the bench. Milan was sitting there with his head lowered, writing something in his notebook. He stopped twice to cough before continuing.
"He's managing," Niels said. "He'll be alright."
Luka didn't look convinced.
"You're doing more now."
"Yeah. Just helping out."
"It seems to be working," Luka said. "You're doing a good job, boss."
Niels gave him a small smile.
"I'm just doing what I can."
Later that week, Niels had a short meeting with Paul Winters, the club director.
Winters was sitting behind his desk with papers spread across it.
"Milan isn't finished," Winters said. "But we're keeping an eye on him. You've been handling most of the training lately."
Niels shook his head.
"I'm not trying to take his job."
"I know," Winters replied. "Nobody thinks that."
He paused before continuing.
"But you need to be ready if things get worse."
Niels looked down for a moment.
He already knew they were getting worse.
Milan was still showing up and doing his best to hide it, but everyone at the club was starting to notice how much he was struggling.
By Friday, Milan seemed to have a little more energy.
He was giving more instructions during training and even pulled Simons aside to talk about his runs into the box. For a while, he looked like his old self again.
But Niels could still see that Milan was struggling.
His face was tense, and he was moving more slowly than usual. After one drill, he stopped and took a few deep breaths before continuing.
When training finished, Niels found him alone.
"Take tomorrow off," Niels said. "I'll handle the team."
Milan turned toward him.
"I'm not stepping down yet."
"I know," Niels replied. "I'm not asking you to. Just get some rest. You've been pushing yourself too hard."
Milan stayed quiet for a moment.
Then he gave a slow nod.
"We'll see."
Saturday morning was cold and foggy.
Crawley had their final training session before facing Chesterfield, a strong and physical team. Niels had spent most of the previous night studying their matches.
He had noticed that Chesterfield liked to push their full-backs forward when attacking. That left space behind them, especially when they lost the ball.
Niels wanted Crawley to use that space.
Luka would stay close to the midfield and look for quick passes forward. Simons and Dev would stay wide and run behind the full-backs whenever Crawley won possession.
The plan was simple: defend patiently, win the ball, and attack the open space before Chesterfield could get their players back.
Milan gave the pre-match talk.
His voice was rough, and he had to pause once to clear his throat, but he kept the talk short and focused.
"Stay organised. Don't give them easy chances. When we win the ball, move it quickly."
The players nodded and headed out.
Milan turned to Niels.
"You ready to run things?"
Niels smiled.
"Always, boss."
Milan gave him a small smile.
"Good."
They walked out together.
Before kickoff, Niels was already active in the dugout, giving instructions and pointing out spaces to the players.
Milan sat beside him. He watched the game closely, but he wasn't saying much. He looked tired, and every now and then he rubbed his chest or took a slow breath.
During a break in play, Milan leaned toward Niels.
"If your plan works, you get the credit. If it doesn't, we take the blame together."
Niels nodded.
"Deal."
It was a simple conversation, but Niels understood what it meant.
Milan was still the coach.
But more and more, Niels was starting to take responsibility for the team.