Day 10

As expected, Jason Fowler joined our coaching staff. He's taken over tactical training duties for both the first team and youth team, and is handling defensive training for the first team.

I took this opportunity to evaluate the pre-existing staff. I asked Chris Moyses, a youth coach, to leave the club (and he accepted, for a fee of £6), and I offered Grant Brown a step up from youth coach to, um, "Coach," which comes with a healthy pay rise. It must have been an exciting day in the Brown household—perhaps Mrs Brown thinks they can finally pay off that mortgage, while little Grant Jr dreams of playing with the big boys like his daddy. Or maybe he's single—I never thought, nor could I see a way, to ask.

I noted that we neither possess a goalkeeping coach nor a coach capable of coaching goalkeepers at any level of competence, so I had a quick look for someone to bring in. My choice: Chris Adamson, a perpetual 2nd or 3rd choice keeper at Championship level who has a coaching certificate and decent ability on both fronts.

The Rui Marques transfer went through. The veteran Angolan had been available as a free agent, and agreed to sign for us on the cheap—just £325 per week! I expect that his experience and quality will add a lot to our defence. And now Josh Gowling is really in a precipitous position—if he doesn't put his head down, stop whinging, and work hard to keep his spot, he'll spend the entire season on the bench (or more likely get sold, since he earns £900 per week).

We're one step closer to being competitive. If I can bring in a few more high-calibre players across the park, we might just do well.