Glory Of The Football Manager System

[Selhurst Park. Saturday May 5. 15:02 BST.]

Stoke at home was the tune-up.

I rotated nine of the eleven from Lisbon. Pope rested. Konaté rested. Mama rested. Eze on the bench. Wilf on the bench.

Steve Mandanda started in goal.

He had not started a match since the second round of the Carabao Cup in September. He had been our third keeper all season behind Pope and Wayne, and he had trained every morning at Beckenham for nine months without complaining once, and he was thirty-three years old, and Marseille had been on the phone to Dougie since March because Marseille wanted him home.

I named him in the team meeting on Friday and he did not change his expression. After the meeting he came to my office.

”Daniel.”

”Steve.”

”Thank you for the match.”

”You have earned the match. You have earned ten matches. I have given you one because I have Pope and I have Wayne and the maths is the maths. But you have earned ten.”

”I know the maths. I am not asking you to change the maths. I am thanking you for the one.”

He went out.

Mateo was in the directors’ box for the first time since Wembley. Crutches against the seat next to him. Iza beside him. The Holmesdale had seen him come in before kick-off and had sung his name for two minutes and he had stood up on the crutches and put his hand to his chest and sat back down.

Stoke came to defend. Stoke always came to defend.

[51’.]

Aviero on the ball at the edge of the box. He had started because Eze was rested and because Aviero had earned a start. He took one touch. Played Olise in behind.

Olise round the keeper.

Whump.

[Crystal Palace 1 - Stoke City 0.]

[68’.]

Pato off the bench. Bowen cross from the right. Pato at the back post.

Thud.

[Crystal Palace 2 - Stoke City 0.]

Mandanda had one save to make all afternoon and he made it in the eighty-fourth, low to his right off a Stoke substitute, and he held it rather than parrying it because Steve Mandanda was a goalkeeper who held the ball when a younger keeper would have parried it.

The whistle went.

BLEEP. BLEEP. BLEEP.

Clean sheet.

The Holmesdale sang Mandanda’s name as he walked off. He went to the Holmesdale corner. Put his hand to his chest the way Mateo had done from the box. He had played one match in nine months and he had kept a clean sheet and the Holmesdale had remembered him.

[FULL TIME: Crystal Palace 2 - Stoke City 0.] [Premier League: 2nd. P34 W26 D5 L3. 83 points.]

In the tunnel Mandanda found me.

”Daniel.”

”Steve.”

”Marseille.”

”I know about Marseille.”

”They want me home for next season. My family is in Marseille. My wife is in Marseille. I am thirty-three.”

”I know.”

”I am not telling you tonight. I am telling you I will tell you after the finals. I did not want you to hear it from Dougie or from the papers. I wanted you to hear it from me.”

”Thank you, Steve.”

”That clean sheet was for you. For the nine months. Whatever happens in the summer, that clean sheet was for the nine months.”

He went down the tunnel.

[Beckenham. Tuesday May 8.]

The Anthony Holland story broke in the Athletic on the Friday after Burnley, exactly the way Steve had said it would.

The Athletic lad had asked why his source had disappeared from the board, and the answer had been the story, and the story had run on the Friday morning with Holland’s name on it and the Roger Hewitt connection and the United consulting work. Holland had not commented.

Steve had not commented beyond the noon press release. By Tuesday it was last week’s story because the football had moved on to Tottenham.

The contracts started getting signed.

I sat down with the players on the list in ones and twos through the week. Pope on Monday. Konaté on Tuesday morning before training, who signed without reading past the length of the deal because Konaté trusted the club and because Konaté was nineteen.

Eze on Tuesday afternoon, who read every line because Eze read every line of everything. Olise’s father came in on Wednesday because Olise was sixteen and his father signed with him.

Jessica did the rest. Fourteen deals. She told me on Wednesday evening that twelve were done and two were close and all fourteen would be announced on the morning of the Etihad as Steve had wanted.

Mateo was at Beckenham every morning. Crutches by Tuesday, one crutch by Friday. Rebecca had him in the pool at seven each morning before the squad came in. He sat in on the team meetings. He did not say anything in the team meetings. He sat at the back next to Mama and he watched.

[Selhurst Park. Wednesday May 9. 21:48 BST.]

Tottenham at home was the match the title still hung on.

We were eighty-three points. City were ninety. City had a game in hand. The maths was thin but the maths was alive, and the maths needed us to win at Selhurst against a top-four side on a Wednesday night and it needed City to drop points they had not dropped since January.

Strongest eleven. Pope back. Konaté back. Mama back. Eze, Olise, Wilf. Christopher.

It was a proper match. Tottenham were a proper side. Kane led the line and Eriksen ran the game from deep and for half an hour it was even.

Then Eze.

[37’.]

He picked it up in the half-space. Took it past Dier. Took it past Dembélé. Slid it to Wilf wide left.

Wilf cut inside. Drew the full-back. Squared it.

Olise on the back post.

Whump.

[Crystal Palace 1 - Tottenham 0.]

[71’.]

Kane equalised with a header off an Eriksen free kick that Pope got a hand to and could not keep out. The away end of three thousand Tottenham fans sang. One-one. The title maths went from thin to almost gone.

[88’.]

Substitute. Pato for Christopher at seventy-five.

Eze on the ball at the edge of the box in the eighty-eighth minute. Two players in front of him. He did not pass. He took one touch to set his left foot and bent it from twenty yards into the top corner where the keeper could not reach it.

CRACK.

The net.

The Holmesdale took the roof off.

[Crystal Palace 2 - Tottenham 1.]

Eze ran to the Holmesdale. Did not change expression even running. The lads got to him. Mateo was on his feet in the directors’ box on one crutch.

[FULL TIME: Crystal Palace 2 - Tottenham 1.]

[Premier League: 2nd. P35 W27 D5 L3. 86 points.]

We had done our part. We had beaten a top-four side at Selhurst on a Wednesday night. The title maths was still alive by a thread.

The thread was City’s game in hand.