[FM13]The Adriatic Adventure [Hajduk Split]

MARSEILLE - SPLIT FLIGHT GREETED WITH OVATIONS
The manager, heavily drugged and leaning heavily on a cane, made it down the steps on his own this morning, as the flight from Marseille, a commercial flight, disembarked on the tarmac away from the airport. Walking back to the airport was an ordeal, but when he finally made it to the exit, after a prolonged stay away, the crowd waiting in the airport exploded with ovations.

And Bendiš smiled, waved, and made his way through the crowd, smiling, waving... a tear came to his eye, but he wiped it away. It took him an hour to make it through the gate, but, he did, and by then, the car had been pulled up to the curb. It was the club's car though, not one of his... and, while the black S Class was comfortable, it was not quite the same...

It would never be quite the same as the Fiat that had exploded in Marseille, just seconds after the couple had been pulled free. It would never be the same as the little car that he had bought when he opened the café, the only car that he had for years, before Hajduk actually received some money.

He coughed in the backseat, the divider finally closed in the Mercedes. Certain that the driver could not see nor hear, he fell apart, sobbing. Some things would never quite be the same.

And neither would he.

Heart wrenching... How do you do it? The updates like this one just tear you apart. Poor Bendiš

Just caught up a bit. Amazing updates and congrats on SOTM.

BENDIŠ LEADS HAJDUK TO WIN IN HIS FIRST GAME IN THREE MONTHS
HAJDUK 6-0 ŠIBENIK
Hajduk at home are always a class at home. There really aren't very many teams in the world that can top the Croatian champions when on form. Their attacks are fast, fluid, and lethal, and their defense, while shaky at times, still is imperious on most occasions. And they always played well... even under Franko Andrijašević, they were a solid, well put together outfit. They may have been uninspiring as Hajduk accomplished a standard 3-1 victory in Istra, but they still played well - albeit a bit boring.

Hajduk warming up against Šibenik at home was a regular sight. Both teams came out, pulled the standard exercises as the stadium filled - again a capacity crowd - and settled in.

And then Bendiš limped up the stairs and through the tunnel, leaning heavily on his cane. The crowd, thinking that the manager would not be able to make the match, began to gasp, before slowly breaking out into loud applause. It began with the far side of the stadium, the ones that saw him first, before it quickly spread around, finally roaring behind him, as he stood, leaning on Jamie Carragher's shoulder, and waved.

Šibenik and Hajudk both stopped warming up and joined in with the applause.

The noise was deafening, and when Hajduk played, there was no remnants of the match against Marseille in Rome. There were no remnants of the uninterested routine matches that kicked off the season. This was a Hajduk that played for glory, and that played with such finesse that one might think they'd carry off the Champions League trophy that very night.

This was the Hajduk that got 99 points last season...

This was the Hajduk that reduced Šibenik to a tennis score. A very bad tennis score.

With 33 000 people watching, cheering for Bendiš, Hajduk played their very best, with Josip Elež feeding the longest of long balls from the back-line to the offside-trap-breaking Tomislav Kiš. Within 5 minutes, Hajduk was up a goal. Then, 10 minutes later, they were up two, when Andrej Medarić broke on the left for two.

The floodgates never had to open... the fans were singing from the start, and with Poljud singing, nothing would stop them. When Josip Radošević drove one into the top corner from all of 30 meters, it was only an excuse for them to sing louder, as halftime came around.

The result was unimportant by that point. Bendiš let Toni Bjelanović on, and he did well to connect with Admir Lotinac for the latter's 2nd goal of the season... at four, everyone thought Hajduk were done... It was early in the season, there was no reason to crush anyone beyond reason.

And then, in the 89th, Ljubičić scored one, and Maloča scored the last one, as Poljud welcomed Bendiš back. The singing went on well into the added time, and, as the last goals were scored, Poljud started singing something they had never sung before:

You can have your money. You can have your fame
But for all your oil, you have no game
You bought your wife, your kids, your club
But you can't buy love, you can't buy love
Welcome to Split: Paris, Barça, City
But go home soon,
because the world isn't enough,
we love him too much, and that will never change
no, for Bendiš, the world will never be enough

And for the first time, Bendiš smiled

THE 20 MILLION EURO MAN
http://i60.tinypic.com/208hc8o.jpg

HAJDUK WELCOMES FORMER DINAMO PRODIGY, MATKO KARDUM, IN RECORD BREAKING 20M € FEE FROM OM
He cost Olympique de Marseille less than a million one year ago, but Bendiš had to pay more than twenty times the original fee to bring back Matko Kardum on time to keep him home grown in Croatia. Widely thought to be Tomislav Kiš's heir in the national team, he was, similarly to Kiš, born in Zagreb before moving to the coast... this time to France rather than to Split. But, after only a year in Marseille...

Bendiš picked up the check.

It is the largest ever transfer to Hajduk.

It is the largest ever transfer to the Croatian First Division.

And, last but not least, it is the largest deadline day transfer in the world.

So, as lunchtime rolled around on a lazy August afternoon, in the high sun of the tourist season, Bendiš appeared on the television screen on no notice, and brought in the most expensive 17 year old the club had ever seen. And, with that, everyone in Split's mouths collectively dropped.

If anything though, in Zagreb the reaction was even worse.

Your writing is just so mercurial, I absolutely love it. Touching bit from the Poljud, nothing like those fans! And 20M for a 17 year old, damn. I almost considered ridiculing you, before I realized that I'd spent 16M on a 16 year old and 20M on an 18 year old in my Inter save

£20M for a striker with finishing of 12?! Could this be Bendis first wrong move? Excellent update Timmy, Neal is correct about it being mercurial!

2014-04-06 10:41#167482 Nathaniel : £20M for a striker with finishing of 12?! Could this be Bendis first wrong move? Excellent update Timmy, Neal is correct about it being mercurial!

I'd like to point out that Kiš's finishing at 17 was 13... and he wasn't nearly as quick. He scored... 51 goals last season?

TOMISLAV KIŠ SCORES WITH FIRST AND LAST KICKS OF THE GAME
DINAMO 1-2 HAJDUK (T. KIŠ '1, '90+4)
Bendiš, far too weak to travel, was on the team bus on the way to Zagreb, against every doctor's orders he had cared to see. And, while he grimaced during the entire trip, his crushed rib and leg still healing, when they had finally arrived at the Esplanade in Zagreb, the staff there was there to shake his hand at every turn.

It was a routine for Bendiš. There was nothing he could do: he was a relatively nice guy, and, if unpopular in certain parts of the country, among people that knew him, he was loved and respected. The accident had not given him this quasi-legendary status, he had earned it himself. But it had taken so much away.

No matter. Despite a tense night in his lavish penthouse room, Bendiš remained composed, and it showed on the pitch, as Tomislav Kiš scored within 20 seconds to open the scoring. Elvis Scoria remained, yet again, on the wrong side of Bendiš. Dinamo wanted the result though, and despite losing out on the Champions League spots, they fought Hajduk every second of the way. They finally took the lead through a slightly offside effort by their front-line striker who's name escapes me this given moment.

And then they parked the bus. It was difficult for Bendiš to play in Croatia, lots of teams parked the bus when they stood a chance of nabbing points. But, as the minutes ticked by, Hajduk wanted it more and more. Finally, after a miscleared free-kick, Šoži?, who looks to pick up his Croatian passport this month, picked up on the ball in the box. He dinked the ball simply into the middle for Kiš to score the winner, and win the man of the match.

MEANWHILE... HAJDUK DRAWN IN DECENT GROUP
HAJDUK
CHELSEA
BASEL
RED STAR

Hajduk, drawn as the top seed over Roberto di Matteo's and Roman Abramovi?'s Chelsea, look to have a difficult group, although, not half so hard as RNK Split's (Leverkusen, Barça, and one more). Hajduk, always a class outfit, look to have easy matches versus Basel and Red Star, but Bendiš was notably uncomfortable during the European press conference:

"Do you look forward to this Croatia vs. Serbia war that you were drawn in?"

Bendiš visibly flinched, "Excuse me!?"

http://i62.tinypic.com/1z4fzmo.jpg

"This club war between Red Star and Hajduk. It is an old rivalry, and reigniting the Croatian/Serbian wa-"

"Stop saying that! This isn't a war. The war you are referring to killed a massive amount of people, ruined families' livelihoods... mine for one, their lives... This was a terrible terrible thing you are referring to, and you should never ever equate a modern day football match to a war, especially not one that happened less than 30 years ago. The Red Star manager and I are on good terms, and it was he who recommended me to sign Hašib Rami?... our current, and very Serbian goalkeeper, although we hope he decides to take up Croatian citizenship in due time.

"That is all, I will not answer any more questions. And you... reporter guy. I don't know who you are, but if you do not work on your sensitivity, you, nor any of your colleagues at whatever newspaper you work for, will ever be allowed to attend one of my press conferences ever again."

"Good day to you all, my apologies."

What an insensitive prick. People these days.

Awesome update, keep it up

HAJDUK DESTROY BASEL AS BENDIŠ NO LONGER WORRIES ABOUT BLAŽEVIĆ'S RETIREMENT
HAJDUK 5-1 BASEL Y. SOMMER (OG) (P. BAŠIĆ) M. TRIFKOVIĆ, P. BAŠIĆ, T. KIŠ x2
Hašib Ramić, 18, picked Hajduk up by the ear, and flung them face first into the competition assisting Mirnes Trifković for the opening goal with a ridiculous long ball. It took 45 minutes for that to happen, but, when that happened, it all opened up. In the added time, Bašić smashed the ball against Sommer into the net, before the referee blew the whistle for the half.

And then Hajduk just put it into another gear. Attack after attack came, Basel were struggling. It was like watching Mike Tyson ruthlessly decimate... well... anyone else. It was like watching Hajduk play to the very top of their game, and Bendiš was obliged to deliver to Poljud.

At the end, the only shame was when Matko Kardum missed a glimpse of a chance in the 91st. It would have been nice to see the youngster score, especially after his massive transfer on deadline day. But, with five in the bank, Kardum could not net number six. That being said, it was a quality half hour from the youngster, and Poljud can't wait to see what he brings to the table in a few year's time.

... IN CROATIA
HAJDUK SMASH CIBALIA AS RAMIĆ SAVES PENALTY, KIŠ NETS HATTRICK
CIBALIA 1-4 HAJDUK
Ramić and Kiš were, yet again, both named to the Croatian first division team of the week, as Hašib Ramić saved a penalty against Cibalia at Poljud to keep the result at a simple 4-1 victory. While still not claiming clean sheets, he has been an excellent supporting factor to the way that Hajduk's defense has been playing, especially with the casual rotation of longtime captain, Mario Maloča, as the 31 year old has started being rested in favor of former defensive midfielder, Antonio Milić in the defense. Milić, who has played as Hajduk's DM since Josip Radošević left for Ajax nearly 7 years ago, is reveling in his position in the back, and it gives Radošević a chance to play to his best, although he has stopped scoring wonder goals from thirty meters back.

MEANWHILE...
Timmy Bendiš made his first appearance in 4 months at his café. He has not played at his precious piano for a long time, and, hours before the band had arrived at the café, he put down the club's papers, walked down the stairs, and began to play. He mixed it beyond reason: the legend on the pitch is widely hailed in the piano community as well, and it only took a few minutes of him playing before the street began to take notice. He had not played the piano in the longest time, but the music, the one emanating from the café was noticeably his. It was slower, sadder even, but the style was Bendiš. For six hours Bendiš played alone, barely pausing to drink the ever-replenishing supply of alcohol placed on top of the piano. And the crowd stopped, they listened, and they stayed.

And they cried, they mourned, they rejoiced. Such emotions are evoked from the Hajduk faithful when their mighty team play.

Oh...My...god. I could picture it in my head :')

THE GREATEST MANAGER CROATIA NEVER HAD
Dalibor Zebić lost it... England took it away in Zagreb, and, with that, Croatia fell out of the World Cup yet again.

Bendiš, even in the state he was in, mailed his résumé in. The envelope resembled the one he had received from CSKA all those years ago. The fancy paper part of his present, and not anymore part of the future. The club that was respected was no longer the one across the Adriatic, in the East, or across the Channel. It was in Split.

And yet, when he mailed it in, he knew that there was no way he would receive the Croatia job. He knew it wasn't going to happen.

9 League titles. A European Championship. An U19 Champions League Title, two European titles.

And yet...

It didn't matter that 11 of his players had made the last Croatia call-up sheet. It didn't matter that these players waxed stories about his brilliance that would make even Bendiš himself, ego what it is, blush. It didn't matter that this was one of the most popular figures in Croatia; so popular that recently he had to seriously go on the record and say categorically that he was not running for a parliamentary office, simply off the basis of rumor.

It didn't matter that Croatia had literally tried and failed with absolutely everyone else.

They weren't hiring Bendiš, and it was killing him.

The day that he sent his résumé in, Bendiš called out from work. His assistants understood, it was one of those things for him. The Croatia job... it would never be his, but it was like that one girl that just escaped from your grasps, the one you would never see again...

So, in the morning, with an espresso spiked with a shot of Bailey's, Bendiš sat down and played the piano. People passed on the streets. The restauranteurs carrying the morning catch back to the kitchens. No one stopped, though. No one stopped to listen to the maestro.

Hours he played, isolated in his imaginary box, ignoring the world and teasing the notes with his own compositions. Down the road, a sleek, black, Mercedes pulled up, and a young woman stepped out, and walked towards his café. She sat towards the back of the terrace, and, when the waitress came to ask what she wanted to drink, she said something, but took nothing. And she waited.

It was 5 PM. Bendiš had been playing, and drinking for 10 hours straight. She was the only person in his café, but he was ignorant of her presence. With a high note, he finished a song, and downed his eighth scotch on the rocks. Bemused by the lack of a ninth on top of his piano, he looked up, and there she was.

He tried to stand, but couldn't. He succeeded in only leaning heavily on his piano, and, in a few steps, he managed to trip over one of the cobblestones.

But she was there, and she caught him as he was falling. She let him lean on her shoulder as she took him upstairs to bed. She was there as if nothing had changed. As if nothing from those awful two years had ever happened.

But they did...