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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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

Monday morning was overcast and cold after the frustrating draw at Notts County. Broadfield Stadium's training ground was filled with quiet focus, the pitches still wet from the weekend rain, and the air thick with the smell of damp earth and woodsmoke.


Niels drove into the lot, his pickup's tires crunching on the wet gravel, a mix of determination and urgency building in his chest.


The draw at Notts County felt like a missed opportunity, and with Swindon coming up, the team needed to step up or risk falling further in League One.


The media was ready to pounce. A BBC Sport article that morning hit hard: "Was Crawley's FA Cup run a fluke? Four games, one win. Niels's side are struggling to adapt."


The words stung, echoing the local press's "can't unlock" headline. But Niels could feel a fire in the squad, a determination to prove the doubters wrong.


Chapter 131 - From Frustration to Focus