Chapter 6: Echoes
Chapter 6: Echoes
The morning after the win against the League One side, the sun rose over Crawley like a curtain being pulled back on a new act. But for Niels, it wasn't the light that woke him—it was the silence.
Not the good kind.
He sat at his kitchen table, coffee growing cold beside his untouched toast. His phone buzzed with messages—congratulatory texts, media alerts, player reactions. But underneath it all, something gnawed at him. The win was real. The moment was his. And yet... he felt the shift again.
This was the part no one talked about. After the roar fades, after the adrenaline dies down, what's left?
Pressure. Expectation. And doubt, if you let it in.
He scrolled past headlines:
"Unknown Assistant Leads Crawley to Another Cup Upset""Marjan Magic? Crawley's New Brain on the Sideline""From Nobody to Next Big Thing?"
He closed the app. Hype could be dangerous—he knew that too well from his past life. One good run and they call you a genius. One mistake and they write you off like a fraud.
He wasn't here for the spotlight. He was here to rebuild, to create something lasting. But could he manage that now that the eyes were turning?
Tuesday: Inside the Walls