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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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 cold and tense after the tough win over Swindon. At Broadfield Stadium's training ground, the wet pitches glistened under cloudy skies.


Niels pulled into the lot, his pickup's engine sputtering to a stop. He felt a mix of relief and urgency.


The 2-1 win had moved Crawley to mid-table with eight points from five games: two win, two draws, one loss, but the late goal they conceded still bothered him. It felt like a warning, a sign that one mistake could undo their progress.


Plymouth's fast counterattacks were up next, a real test of whether the team could stay consistent or buckle under the pressure of League One.


Media reaction was mixed. One paper said, "Crawley's spark returns, but defensive frailty persists." Reddit showed cautious hope, "Freeman's clicking, Kieron's a live wire" but some fans called mid-table form a fluke.


Chapter 134 - Lines Between Discipline