FROM NOTHING TO SOMETHING
PART 1 - RANGERS
So this is it the biggest steps of my life, my first managerial job.The first part of my story began when I was just 21 years old, I was still just a kid, no one not even me expected to be offered a managerial job at my age. I had done some managerial work with various clubs but only under 18's and under 21's. I played abit myself when I was younger being picked up at the age of 9 by my boyhood club Everton. That was my biggest dream come true but unfortunately it wasn't to last, I was released by the young age of 13 and shipped out to Fc United of Manchester where I came up through the youth system before a serious knee injury forced me to retire and so young.
Fc United seen how much I got on with the lads and decided to offer me a contract as a under 18's coach which I snapped up in an instant, being only 17 some of the older lads didn't like listening to me and just got on with there own thing. 2 years went by and alot of the younger lads had moved on and we hadn't really been the same for a season, results wasn't going our way and we had been through 3 different managers when one day I received a phone call asking if I would manage the under 18's that night against Bolton, which I took in a flash. we came out as 2-1 winners that night but there was one young lad who caught my eye 15 year old Jamie Thomas the way he ran with the ball. the way he could make defenders go the way he wanted then flick the ball past them, quality.
After a season at fc united I managed to win the league but unfortunately was knocked out of the cup in the semi-final by Hull City who would later of me a job in there under 21's roll I was only there for a season winning the league and the cup in one season and that's when it came. the biggest day of my life, Dave King called me up and asked if I could get to Scotland by Saturday. I couldn't wait they had a great under 21 squad imagine what we called achieve. I arrived in Scotland and met Dave in a nearby hotel, we sat down and chatted for a good 45 minutes, I was asking him all sorts of questions like what the facilities where like if I could recommend players to the manger to sign for the under 21's and that's when he said it, that's the moment he told me I wasn't going to be the under 21's manager they wanted me to be the first team manager.