[FM13]The Adriatic Adventure [Hajduk Split]

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INJURIES TAKE THEIR TOLL AS DINAMO TAKE LEAD FOR FIRST TIME IN 7 YEARS
DINAMO 1-2 HAJDUK
HAJDUK 1-2 ISTRA
HAJDUK 5-2 ŠIBENIK
ZAGREB 2-1 HAJDUK

It could mark the end of an era... it very well could mean that Dinamo, with 13 games left to play, could nab the title from Hajduk.

Or it could mean that, next week, when Pero Baši? and Teo Pesi? come back, Hajduk finally get the boost they needed for all of these months. In fact, it's gotten so bad that the 16 year old Duje Špadina has 3 starts plus all of his substitute appearances.

So, when people claim that Hajduk is in a bit of a crisis, they have to remember, that, although Dinamo have a game in hand and are even on points... this is Hajduk. The same Hajduk that are in the running for the Champions League this year. They aren't going to roll over anytime soon...

That's page THIRTY, by the way ladies and gentlemen... THIRTY

Nah, Haj' will still win.

Hajduk always find a way, and congratulations on page 30

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DINAMO DROP 8 POINTS AS HAJDUK FACE CHELSEA
HAJDUK 2-0 (4-0 AGG.) FENERBAHÇE

BENDIŠ EUROPEAN SUCCESSES HIDES TROUBLES AT HOME

DINAMO TAKING HAJDUK'S PRIDE AND JOY AWAY AT HOME

WHILE HAJDUK CONQUERS EUROPE, DINAMO EYE THE THRONE OF CROATIA

"What the hell is this."

It was a chilly April morning, but the sun was out, and that was more than the people of Split could usually ask for. Bendiš and his best friend were sitting on the balcony of his café with a cup of coffee. Dinamo had finally caught up with Hajduk, for the first time in 7 years, and, with Hajduk's loss to Istra had taken the lead away from them in the first division. Granted, it helped that they had dropped out of the Croatian Cup remarkably early, and that they were out of the Champions League Spot - that Hajduk had earned for them with blood, sweat, and tears... mostly tears - before you could say "Dinamo's in the Champions League!" But still, Split was not happy. Actually... Split would never be unhappy with Bendiš... but Bendiš was unhappy with his team, and that counted more anyway.

"Seven years I've not lost this title. Seven damned years, and we go through a few injuries, and suddenly Dinamo are challenging? Who invented this media!? SEVEN YEARS! Do you know what Dinamo won in seven years? The Croatian 2nd Division. Kudos. That's right, I got the damned team RELEGATED. That's how bad they are. And now, what?"

"Dude, there are ten games left. You're down by three points. It's not what some people would call 'ideal'"

"I don't think Kiš is going to win the European golden boot unless he gets his act together, to be honest with you... But I'll deal with Dinamo"

He flipped through his mail. There was a letter of congratulations from his sister for his marriage announcement. He got the one from his parents a few days ago, when he posted the plane tickets. He was getting married in the summer in the cathedral of Dubrovnik. It was a big deal, not many people got married at the cathedral on less than a year's notice, but this was the town's most prominent son. And, as soon as the wedding was announced, Bendiš realized that a small wedding was completely out of the question. This was Dubrovnik... everyone was family.

There was finally money for Bendiš to get a Personal Assistant. And she worked in the office at the club, and dealt with most of the mail, but only after Bendiš went through it once the first time. Then she would go through every letter and send back the appropriate reply.

And then, a much thicker envelope. This one had a massive, truly massive seal on the back. But Bendiš didn't recognize the seal. It was familiar, but he couldn't place it... it just slipped past him, before he opened it and found a much more recognizable seal.

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To Mr. Timmy Ivo Bendiš:

This is an offer for employment as the head coach and manager of Juventus Football Club S.p.A., Torino

It is a contract 2 500 000 euros per annum expiring in 2024

Please respond promptly,
Andrea Agnelli

Bendiš turned the envelope over and recognized the A as the Agnelli seal. He had seen it once before, but never like this...

He turned around and asked his waitress, "love, would you get the Agnellis on the phone? I honestly don't care if you get Elkman or Andrea... just get me to someone there..."

Great update! Timmy, you just keep getting better and better!

2013-10-18 06:31#138397 Akash : Great update! Timmy, you just keep getting better and better!

I try my best

-----------

"JUST WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE"

-a young woman's voice answered, trembling a bit, "... John Elkman's junior undersecretary... can I help you sir?"

"Oh, sorry love... is John in Torino, or is he somewhere else?"

-"He is, he's in a meeting right now, but if you wait for a few minutes, I'd be happy to put you through..."

"Thank you darling... sorry about the..."

Bendiš's best friend was laughing hysterically on his chair. Bendiš had the occasional outburst over the phone. His waitress came up looking apologetic saying that she couldn't get us transferred directly to the Agnellis, but she got through to a secretary... Bendiš, waving her off, responded with "I may have figured that out..."

a few minutes passed before the hold music stopped. A calm voice responded in a neat Italian, "this is John Elkman speaking, Andrea Agnelli is on speaker with us"

Bendiš, also in a neat Italian, albeit with a slight Venetian accent "Oh, perfect... JUST WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

"Ah, Mr. Bendiš I presume..."

"YEAH, YOU'D BETTER FUCKING PRESUME, BECAUSE I'M WONDERING WHO THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE." Bendiš was livid, and Elkman thought he might know why. "See, I open the newspaper, and I see that you beat Barcelona 3-1 at home, and I thought, 'there is no way they fire their manager, no matter how badly the league is going... They'll at least let him get through the Barcelona return fixture and then sack his ass.' But no. See, what I get is a letter in the mail offering me, ME, of all the fucking people IN THE WORLD the job at the head of, arguably, one of the most successful teams in Sport. Trust me, I understand, Mr. Agnelli...

"-Dr. Elkman"

"WHO FUCKING CARES... anyway, I understand that I am a high profile manager at what can be only described as a low profile club, and I am the first person to run to, because I am "guaranteed" success. But let me explain something to you: There is no way I am signing that contract, even with the, frankly, absurd amount of money you're offering. 2.5 MILLION? Are you serious? No... the reason is that you did it now.

"This is my year John. I got SO FUCKING CLOSE last year. SO DAMNED CLOSE. Do you even know what that feels like? To be THAT CLOSE to the one thing your club has ever dreamed of but never had. I looked at the replay John. I looked at it so many times. It turns out that I was about 10 seconds away from winning at Nou Camp. 10 seconds.

"There was a famous skier in Croatia, Ivica Kostelić, and he loved our annual race in Zagreb. It's a big deal here and all. Ivica was the World Champion. Twice. Fantastic skier. But you know, in 5 years of skiing in the trophy in Zagreb, he was 2nd 5 times. He never won... not even once. Did you know that if you took the amount of time that made the difference between 1st and 2nd place for 5 years in a row, you would come up with a number less than a tenth of a second.

"Let that sink in, John. There is a man in Croatia who couldn't win the trophy in ZAGREB for less than a tenth of a second over 5 years. That will not be my legacy. I will not leave Hajduk... especially now, since I am so damned close to the fucking trophy.

"Do you know what would happen if I took control of your club now? Do you? I'd probably shut up shop against Barcelona, grind out a 1-0 loss, and then win the Champions League. And you know that. The problem is, if I stay here, there's about a 20% chance I can make it to the final with my home club. And, when I get there, there's about a 50% chance of me winning it...

"My life is here John. I'm getting married in June. And one day, far in the future from now, my kid is going to lift that damned trophy at my stadium, and then, 2 months later, he'll lift the World Cup, on the day I retire.

"Good luck Agnelli. I might have taken it in the summer... but right now, I recommend you bring Iaquinta back now, because without him, you're going to have a tough time against Barcelona..."

-Elkman, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke, "Good day to you as well, Mr. Bendiš. I wish you the best of luck... It was, as always, a pleasure".

"Sorry John... Sorry Andrea... sometimes I think... sometimes it truly is the trophy of the damned"

the next day, Juventus lost 4-3 on aggregate to Barcelona at Nou Camp

WOW. That update left me speechless. You are such a beautiful writer. Have you ever though of writing a book?

Damn, what brilliant writing!

That update left me with goosebumps. Absolutely wonderful writing. Poor junior undersecretary

Superb update! This story quality is just so awesome

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LION MOST DANGEROUS AT ITS DEATH
CHELSEA 3-3 HAJDUK - STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON
The Bridge is a big venue. The Londoners do bring in a very rich crowd, and with it, they are fearsome at the very least... but the Croatians have other things on their mind over losing. And Chelsea were never going to like facing Everyone's second favorite team.

And no one in England is thrilled about facing Tomislav Kiš...

But they had to, and of course Kiš was going to crash Chelsea's party. It only took 13 minutes before Courtois was beat, but it was a good goal. The Croatian danced through the ranks of Chelsea's strong defenders, and off a long ball from the absolute quality Teo Pesi?, who fed him from the wing, he placed it right past the oncoming Belgian and into the net, silencing the London crowds.

Well, the parts that were supporting Chelsea anyway... it's never a local crowd when Hajduk are playing.

But Chelsea came back, oh they came back. And it wasn't pretty...

Just before the half, Granit Xhaka scored the equalizer. The Swiss midfielder smashed one into the top corner off a free kick in the 41st, to make sure Chelsea went in equal, before Robert Di Matteo inspired Hazard to smash one in only a minute into the second half. Then, Xhaka got one more just past the hour, making Bendiš a little bit desperate. Hajduk was down and out... but... everyone knows that someone with nothing to lose is all the more dangerous.

Kiš got his ball in off the corner, to give Hajduk a lifeline. The prolific center forward will probably not get the European Golden boot this season, even with the promising start... but he may get the CL golden boot, if he keeps this up, seeing as the top two players are out (Cissé, Kiki Ronaldo). It was a simple shot, but it sent the Hajduk fans in London and in Croatia into raptures. This was why Hajduk was great.

Time slowly wound down. Bendiš was jumping up and down on the touchline... and then, out of nowhere, a counter attack. Kiš peeled off with the ball, he passed one defender, then a second, before he cut the ball outside, and Courtois missed the pass.

Mario Ljubi?i? is known to disappoint with an empty net and 10 seconds to go. He's not the most composed player on the pitch. But this time? The ball dinked off the inside of the post, and Split erupted into cheers. Bendiš ran into the stands and kissed his fiancée, while Hajduk prepare for the return to Split.

Chelsea, on the other hand, possibly have the most difficult leg of the round...

FC BARCELONA 2-0 ATLETICO MADRID
MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE
CHELSEA FC 3-3 HAJDUK SPLIT
FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN 2-0 MANCHESTER CITY

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TRANSFER WINDOW SHENANIGANS
Bendiš and his fiancée got into his Grand Tourer on the way back from the Champions League match in London. The yellow Ferrari Daytona was a personal gift from the Grimaldi family, who visited his café, and stayed in his guest apartment over the Riva every year as his personal friends.

An interesting story that is... One year, back in 2011, 2012, the Grimaldi's came to visit the Croatian coastline. They had been parked in the port, but visited the almost new Bendiš jazz café, which hadn't been as popular back then as it is now. Bendiš, who didn't recall what Princess Caroline looked like, sat down with them after a piece on the piano as he normally did with his customers, and, knowing French, engaged in a pleasant conversation, unknowing of the stature of his guests. After they complimented the lovely view of the café, and he heard that they were staying on their boat in the port, he insisted they used his guest apartment "just upstairs", and after a bit of haranguing, they relented, and stayed with the eccentric Croatian, who, incidentally, wasn't even the manager of the Hajduk squad at the time.

Rumoured to only be used by the visiting head coaches and various important people, the Grimaldis visit Bendiš every year for two weeks during the summer. One year, Prince Albert drove down in his Daytona, and hearing Bendiš compliment the car, he said, "Oh good, because it's yours" and tossed the keys to him."

Naturally, Bendiš refused, but Prince Albert insisted: "Every year, we come over, and you invite us in as if we were the closest family. We spend two weeks in your magnificent apartment, you have us over for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and take us to best spots in the city. And then, every year, two weeks after we leave, we find a donation to the Princess Grace foundation for the exact amount of money we hide in your apartment to attempt to give you some money, from an anonymous account in Split..."

Bendiš looked at his shoes very intently.

"You could've at least gone out of the city. I mean, seriously man... So, this year, instead of trying to leave you some money, which I know you won't accept, I'm leaving you something that you can't donate to my foundation. Isn't she beautiful"

And, putting his arm around the still silent Bendiš's shoulder (an impressive feat, considering the relative height difference),"Come on man, let's have one of those cups of coffee your girl makes, Pauline will be here on the next flight"

Anyway... Bendiš took his fiancée, and his frankly, gorgeous Ferrari (his second incidentally) and drove from London down to Paris through the tunnel. Then, after a night in the City of Lights, the two travelled to Amsterdam. It's hard not to follow them to be honest, and the press picked up his yellow Ferrari, then Bendiš and the head coach of Ajax Amsterdam, Diego Simione chatting downtown.

They moved towards the club, as Bendiš sat in on training, when a certain Josip Radoševi? spotted the tall Croatian, and ran over to hug him. It had been 5 years, but there was literally no one happier to see Bendiš than Radoševi? at that moment.

Radoševi?'s agent though... had different plans. Ever since his defensive midfield star was sold to Amsterdam after, admittedly, rough contract talks... memorable for the agent leaving in a media firestorm (nothing like that of Milovi?'s agent though) It was the first time in 5 years that the two agents sat in the same room. And it wasn't pretty. Radoševi?'s agent demanded a massive 1.4 million euros, before he was fired on the spot. It was, frankly, hilarious. Bendiš heard the sum, and nearly got up and walked back to his car before Radoševi? told Bendiš to wait for a second, before turning to his agent and asking, "Seriously... 1.4 million? Are you kidding? I've just had the worst 5 years of my career. I have one title, and Antonio Mili? is having the time of his life at home, and you're asking me to demand for 1.4 million euros a year for the only spot I deserve: a rotation spot? I'm sorry... I can't, in good conscious, deal with that." His agent kept trying to interrupt, trying to get Radoševi? to stop, before the midfielder said those glorious words, "You're fired."

Bendiš signed Radoševi? for 600 000 € a year... which, while it was a lot 5 years ago, is just about right now. Welcome home Radoševi?... we'll see you soon.

Josep Radosevic is Back! Congratulations!

Crazy match against Chelsea, end to end action, but it's all about Radosevic! Great signing, can't wait to see him back in Hajduk colors!