
by D.N. Newyn
Jamie Harrington used to be a defender you could rely on, until the match-fixing scandal that ended his career and relationship like a rogue corner kick. Seven years and one ban later, he’s just another ex-pro flipping steaks on a rusted grill, pretending not to watch football (soccer) highlights through the neighbor’s window. When his brother, now a Premier League star, drags him into coaching a struggling Tier 7 side, Jamie expects nothing but mud and bad pitches. What he doesn’t expect is the game. Not the game. His literal video game. The old Football Management Simulator he’s been playing to kill time starts bleeding into reality. He sees player stats above heads, morale bars hovering like ghosts, and form graphs in real time. And they’re accurate. Now, for the first time in years, Jamie’s got an edge. A disgraced defender turned reluctant manager, a small-town club on the brink of collapse, and a gift that shouldn’t exist. With his new vision, he might just rebuild Dunsvale from the dirt and drag them all the way to the top of the Champions League. Every stat matters now, and he’s playing for keeps. [For every chapter I add on Royal Road from C6 onward, I’m adding an extra chapter on Patreon. The Patreon will always be ahead.]
| # | Title | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapter 1: Match fixing was easy then 9 months ago | 0 |
| 2 | Chapter 2: He’d brought chicken breast and didn’t even care to season it 9 months ago | 0 |
| 3 | Chapter 3: Advanced Playmaker ★★★★☆ 9 months ago | 0 |
| 4 | Chapter 4: You takin’ the blue tabs again? 9 months ago | 0 |
| 5 | Chapter 5: Football under anaesthetic 9 months ago |
| 0 |
| 6 | Chapter 6: Jamie takes this lot 9 months ago | 0 |
| 7 | Chapter 7: Activision-level greed 8 months ago | 0 |
| 8 | Chapter 8: Try setting training routines in FM26 without punching a wall 8 months ago | 0 |
| 9 | Chapter 9: Stuff a Sock in Cousin’s Gob 8 months ago | 0 |
| 10 | Chapter 10: C’mon, Jamie. Where’s your speech? 8 months ago | 0 |
| 11 | Chapter 11: You’ve clearly got an eye for structure 8 months ago | 0 |
| 12 | Chapter 12: Abusing the mechanics 8 months ago | 0 |
| 13 | Chapter 13: Player-manager 8 months ago | 0 |
| 14 | Chapter 14: Stop making out with the far post, Mansfield! 8 months ago | 0 |
| 15 | Chapter 15: You’re a pain in the arse 8 months ago | 0 |
| 16 | Chapter 16: If you go forward, you bloody well get back 8 months ago | 0 |
| 17 | Chapter 17: You look like you’re about to shed a hamstring like a lizard tail 8 months ago | 0 |
| 18 | Chapter 18: Less essay, more execution 8 months ago | 0 |
| 19 | IMPORTANT (Not that Important but still) 8 months ago | 0 |
| 20 | Chapter 19: The lads want to know more than just a coach 8 months ago | 0 |
| 21 | Chapter 20: That dawg in me 8 months ago | 0 |
| 22 | Chapter 21: Who says that in a pub full of people? 8 months ago | 0 |
| 23 | Chapter 22: Fulham vs Burnley 8 months ago | 0 |
| 24 | Chapter 23: Even pints weren’t exempt from quests 8 months ago | 0 |
| 25 | Chapter 24: You gonna need another napkin for your notes, professor? 8 months ago | 0 |
| 26 | Chapter 25: Call that grit 8 months ago | 0 |
| 27 | Chapter 26: What nickname you and my brother give me in Year Seven? 7 months ago | 0 |
| 28 | Chapter 27: Famous for dropping acorns on unsuspecting windscreens 7 months ago | 0 |
| 29 | Chapter 28: Remember in Stranger Things when Eleven had to face the Demogorgon? 7 months ago | 0 |
| 30 | Chapter 29: The Demogorgon had a personality 7 months ago | 0 |
| 31 | Chapter 30: This wasn’t the Michelin guide 7 months ago | 0 |
| 32 | Chapter 31: Has to be a goal 7 months ago | 0 |
| 33 | Chapter 32: An island the size of Lichtenstein 7 months ago | 0 |
| 34 | Chapter 33: The ball slid into the bottom corner 7 months ago | 0 |
| 35 | Chapter 34: Make me the villain 7 months ago | 0 |
| 36 | Quick Update 7 months ago | 0 |
| 37 | Chapter 35: Yeah, sure. But where are the tactical adjustments? 7 months ago | 0 |
| 38 | Chapter 36: Bullshit more, gain more 7 months ago | 0 |
| 39 | Chapter 37: Man’s thinking he’s Pep or something 7 months ago | 0 |
| 40 | Chapter 38: HOLY GOD WHAT WAS THAT 7 months ago | 0 |
| 41 | Chapter 39: The man had left his cards at home with the rest of his officiating skills 7 months ago | 0 |
| 42 | Chapter 40: You have to be good to get lucky 7 months ago | 0 |
| 43 | Chapter 41: It’s system exploitation time, baby 7 months ago | 0 |
| 44 | Chapter 42: You don’t overthrow someone for being mediocre and grumpy 7 months ago | 0 |
| 45 | Chapter 43: Maisie Burns was my savior 6 months ago | 0 |
| 46 | Chapter 44: Mitch Thompson was a weird one 6 months ago | 0 |
| 47 | Chapter 45: Coward pricks who don’t trust their own shapes 6 months ago | 0 |
| 48 | Chapter 46: Gareth Bale if in front of him is Marc Bartra 6 months ago | 0 |
| 49 | Chapter 47: That’s what separates a tactician from a coach 6 months ago | 0 |
| 50 | Chapter 48: You know a lot about this for someone who isn’t ‘in’ football 6 months ago | 0 |
| 51 | Chapter 49: The power of social engineering 6 months ago | 0 |
| 52 | Chapter 50: Time to stack boosters 6 months ago | 0 |
| 53 | Chapter 51: Quiet Quitting (Athletic Variant) 6 months ago | 0 |
| 54 | Chapter 52: FEED THE CAT! 6 months ago | 0 |
| 55 | Chapter 53: You’re a centre-back, not a bloody sports scientist 6 months ago | 0 |
| 56 | Chapter 54: Where the hell did they get this guy? 6 months ago | 0 |
| 57 | Chapter 55: If I was the head coach 5 months ago | 0 |
| 58 | Chapter 56: He really does walk like Sir Alex Ferguson 5 months ago | 0 |
| 59 | Chapter 57: Maybe she’s talking bollocks 5 months ago | 0 |
| 60 | Chapter 58: It would be a crime if he were to play for us 5 months ago | 0 |
| 61 | Chapter 59: Does the Bossman decide who plays? 5 months ago | 0 |
| 62 | Chapter 60: Passable? You live in Slough 5 months ago | 0 |
| 63 | Chapter 61: That’s how trials work 5 months ago | 0 |
| 64 | Chapter 62: Why were they still all down here? 5 months ago | 0 |
| 65 | Chapter 63: I did have a plan 5 months ago | 0 |
| 66 | Chapter 64: Like I was doing reality-TV psychology 5 months ago | 0 |
| 67 | Chapter 65: What was she even on about? 5 months ago | 0 |
| 68 | Chapter 66: Mitch was, understandably, livid 4 months ago | 0 |
| 69 | Chapter 67: Up the Bluebells! 4 months ago | 0 |
| 70 | Chapter 68: Bodies and timing 4 months ago | 0 |
| 71 | Chapter 69: You Can’t Win Anything With Kids 4 months ago | 0 |
| 72 | Chapter 70: I was not going to sabotage our own team performance for some boosters 4 months ago | 0 |
| 73 | Chapter 71: Unfortunately, FMSim wasn’t reasonable 4 months ago | 0 |
| 74 | Chapter 72: Better to just give up on him 4 months ago | 0 |
| 75 | Chapter 73: Sell them a dream 4 months ago | 0 |
| 76 | Chapter 74: How is that a free-kick? 4 months ago | 0 |
| 77 | Chapter 75: The ball would probably reach the International Space Station by tomorrow 3 months ago | 0 |
| 78 | Short Announcement 3 months ago | 0 |
| 79 | Chapter 76: I’d get that damned EXP if that was the last thing I’d do 3 months ago | 0 |
| 80 | Chapter 77: Put it to bed 3 months ago | 0 |
| 81 | Chapter 78: Assistant to the Director of Football Operations 3 months ago | 0 |
| 82 | Chapter 79: Development isn’t linear 2 months ago | 0 |
| 83 | Chapter 80: Character Building & Mild Hamstring Destruction 2 months ago | 0 |
| 84 | Chapter 81: People just… commission you to draw their livestock? 2 months ago | 0 |
| 85 | Chapter 82: This isn’t very professional of you, Mr. Harrington 2 months ago | 0 |
| 86 | Chapter 83: You’re just giving lifts to random people now? 2 months ago | 0 |
| 87 | Chapter 84: How do I maximize what I learn from it? 2 months ago | 0 |
| 88 | Chapter 85: You date criminals, mate 2 months ago | 0 |
| 89 | Chapter 86: Keep crying. Might get you a free kick 2 months ago | 0 |
| 90 | Chapter 87: Am I seriously doing this again? 2 months ago | 0 |
| 91 | Chapter 88: The art of getting under someone’s skin 2 months ago | 0 |
| 92 | Chapter 89: Don’t make eye contact with Bennett, you idiot 2 months ago | 0 |
| 93 | Chapter 90: You don’t fucking talk to me like that 2 months ago | 0 |
| 94 | Chapter 91: This could be a steal 2 months ago | 0 |
| 95 | Chapter 92: Steal someone else’s place 1 month ago | 0 |
| 96 | Chapter 93: Do your job 1 month ago | 0 |
| 97 | Chapter 94: I started to have a feeling that Mansfield just didn’t really know how to play football 1 month ago | 0 |
| 98 | Chapter 95: Fault Line 1 month ago | 0 |
| 99 | Chapter 96: That was an elite pair of eyebrows 1 month ago | 0 |
| 100 | Chapter 97: I didn’t fold 1 month ago | 0 |
| 101 | Chapter 98: What did that have anything to do with youth training? 1 month ago | 0 |
| 102 | Chapter 99: I reckon I can dribble past you 1 month ago | 0 |
| 103 | Chapter 100: Coach Shortie said something intelligent! 1 month ago | 0 |
| 104 | Chapter 101: This youth team was mine 1 month ago | 0 |
| 105 | Chapter 102: Not everything was some Machiavellian football conspiracy 1 month ago | 0 |
| 106 | Chapter 103: The standards are soaring 1 month ago | 0 |
| 107 | Chapter 104: So attendance counts now? 1 month ago | 0 |
| 108 | Chapter 105: Good decision. Awful execution. 29 days ago | 0 |
| 109 | Chapter 106: Right, mhm merchant 27 days ago | 0 |
| 110 | Chapter 107: That’s the worst you’ve got for us? 24 days ago | 0 |
| 111 | Chapter 108: You sound like you used to wear too much Lynx Africa 21 days ago | 0 |
| 112 | Chapter 109: This sounded suspiciously above my pay grade 17 days ago | 0 |
| 113 | Short Hiatus 12 days ago | 0 |
| 114 | Chapter 110: What the fuck? 5 minutes ago | 0 |