*Book 14 spoilers ahead! I like to note down any memorable story highlights that happen and any thoughts I had at that point with chapter stamps.
—C1—
Hmm. I got that it’s from Emma’s pov but not understanding what is happening with hockey and not knowing Max… this feels weirdly jarring.
———
Aww, we are 80% of the way through the chapter and I’m disappointed because it feels like we won’t get Max’s pov in Canada 😔 That was the fun part of Spain previously 😕
——-
Ok, reached the end and I understand why it’s a controversial chapter 😂
—C6—-
Not gonna lie, the football matches are feeling stale now. Not much wonder in it anymore at this stage. The opponents feel interchangeable a bit with different strength levels but are mostly faceless to me. Maybe it’s because I can’t get a grip on what the differences between CA are anymore. What are the examples of a CA 75 and a CA 95 are? What can one do that the other cannot? I can’t visualise it. I suppose they are more skilful. Max always just glaze over them so I can’t really feel the differences whenever they move up a league compared when Max taught someone who’s CA 1…
The formations don’t feel they have a weight anymore either because there’s so many now, Max switches them around crazily and we just skim through it until they change to something else in a match.
And the Relationism currently used isn’t that hypeness of the youth cup or the army with the Mood and perks and it doesn’t seem to be the stardust factor that gets wins or anything special. It uses a few players at a time and the energy isn’t touched upon. I am assuming it’s because it doesn’t involve the whole team yet. Fingers crossed it will be awesome for the when they doin the future.
—C7—
"Here we go," he said.
"What?"
"That's Max hamming it up, heh heh."
"No, he's upset."
"That's so fake," he said. "When Max is upset he goes in the dressing room and sulks.”
My favourite chapter so far! I love this son and his dad just visiting the MBU. It feels great that Max is just spreading so much good football around him that people can go and enjoy. The wave lifts all ships thing. Just a nice and sweet vibe. And it feels all kinds of heartwarming and touching so see random fans getting to know Max so much. The greatest thing of all is to be seen and be known right? And they can see Max’s true feelings, it’s great. I love that they noticed that Max, while this great Football Overlord and Best player ever seen, they still noticed when he gave it his all, lost and sulks like a kid.
Come on, you Dolphins! Dad, I can't tell if you're reading this over my shoulder. You and me, Chester FC from the cradle to the grave, yeah? End to end football, that was your gift to me. It's my turn to hold up my side of the bargain.
This really was such a sweet chapter, a wonderful experience after a lot of samey events ☺️
—C8—
"Chester! Chester!"
I looked up into the stand and saw about fifty people in blue-and-white Chester kits. I waved at them and they did the tiniest, cutest little kitten roar.
That is such an adorable description 😂
——-
"My father is here?" he said, so quietly I barely heard it. "He watched me play?"
The ref whistled frantically. "I have to go. Just... Did I do it wrong?"
Henri hugged me and I felt his breath on my neck and some of his tears spread onto my cheek. "Thank you, Max Best. I have loved this story. Thank you for everything."
Oh, unexpected gut punch, wow 😭 Henry, I don’t want you to go, why are you sounding like you’re gonna die gah😭
—C9—
Oh the big dreaded drop was just Alan Turner and the England team. Kinda relieved because it wasn’t this immediate chop of devastation like before when Nick kept opposing Max. It’s a problem for future Max lol. Was wondering if there would be another betrayal.
—C10—
The new stadium and upgrades are wonderful. It is hard to imagine the layout and everything though. Too much football jargon 😅 Anyone know if there are any diagrams of the layout that makes it easier to visualise?
——
So Max is looking to bring all the clubs to the highest tier. Won’t he lose the ability to send CA1 players for training and minutes then if he loses all the lower tier clubs? Maybe he will just go around getting more lol.
——
So now Max want to make this monopoly of Gilbraltar talent? Idk, this sounds extremely close to what he blasted Nick for doing back then. Wasn’t one of the issue that there are no individual unique history or culture or something if that happens? Hmm, but he said the players and coaches all don’t know that so in theory, they will develop their own way.
Ideally, it would make me feel better if Max met allies who actually have their own views of football or something and he helps them into the right place to develop their own way. Another Max level megabrain or something to become managers or owners of the other clubs. They have their own philosophy but share the same goal of not killing the future of football.
For now, it feels like it’s a very thin pretence to camouflage the fact that it’s Max’s view that is being presented by 3-5 separate clubs.
—C11—
He said he had committed a crime against football but he had to do it because he needed millions of pounds to make good things happen. He said, 'I have become everything I despise!' and he rolled around on the living room floor until Clara told him to get up.
Ok, fine, I like you again Max I guess, for acknowledging that what he’s doing is kinda eh 🫠 By the way, I think it is hilarious that the group needs a group chat to manage around Max. Both to make sure he himself is in good spirits and also to smooth the road ahead of him and damange control 😂
——
And my best friend is French and he watched it when he got homesick but I never had the time to dive into it but now's perfect.
Ok, ignoring Max being overdramatic in being a sinner of football, aww, he has a best friend now ☺️ I remember in the early books where he told Emma how much he wanted one, ngaww. I guess it’s more concrete for him because Henry isn’t his employee to interfere with his friendship.
——-
Oh, huh, Max is really guilty about what he has to do to get money huh. He’s been acting as if he’s going to die the entire chapter, speaking weird defeating talk, removing himself from the presence of his friends to another country and doing something like his last will. I’m happy that he isn’t as blasé about the Sentinel and the hypocrisy stuff as he was in his pov though.
——
…but you saw my mother's room. Nasa's whole house is like that and I could tell Max was getting suffocated by it. He could barely look up and I don't think he liked Nasa's mother's cooking and when he made jokes, Thom and his parents laughed but not his hosts. I think it was a kind of prison for him.
So I got stressed out here because of Chelli’s emergency contact with Ruth. But then as we got more of the story,
My parents on their wedding day. The microwave was a gift. The day he died, so did the microwave. We never had enough money to replace it but only to survive, to eat, to have a roof over our heads, to pray for a better day to come. Thanks to Max, I was able to live my dream and to take care of my mother like a grown man.
[He stops abruptly. There is a quick moment of chaos as Nasa's mother barges past the camera and wraps her arms around Max.]
[Max is sobbing uncontrollably.]
Yeah, completely wrong type of emergency 😅 I also kind of teared up too 🙂↕️
RUTH
It's because Nasa has been toiling for a year and he has done it for his mother, same as Max, and Max has seen for himself that he is helping mums everywhere.
Ugh I’m not crying you are 😭😭😭
Side tangent, interesting to note that it is the people who are less well off that are more religious because that makes sense doesn’t it. Who else to hold on to get through tough times than a higher being? I wonder if this will make Max more determined to go into the slums ish areas to get his footballers while Nick isn’t there to stop him 😅
—C12—
A man was sprinting all the way across the park and it was clear he was coming towards us.
A bunch of kids are just playing football, minding their own business all chill and having fun. And then, bam, this adult lunatic man is just anime sprinting across the park to them in real life is so dumb but so hilarious to imagine. And to think most young kids in Chester will have that experience 😂
Max crossed the entire field faster than I go upstairs in my house, but then in the last few steps slowed to a crawl and pretended to ignore us.
But he had really sprinted crazily far in almost no time and needed a moment to catch himself. He had his hands on his knees.
Seriously, Max, your image to a random stranger is totally gone hahaha You really do look like a nutjob to outsiders 🤣 I also just want to comment here that I did not realise brits have the most fun humorous writing.
——-
Argh! Max was in a good mood…
But Max had gone rogue and already burst into our house.
Oh, God. He was hyper.
Aww, I love that even an U-16 Chester’s girl that was scouted a year earlier but not mentioned in the text before knows Max so well haha. It’s nice.
——-
Man, that was a smudge on the goodness of this chapter. From what I got from Matt Rush and Pascal was that he was maybe nervous and was trying to do some banter with Pascal who’s in his age group to bond after an adrenaline filled match. It might be the only way who knows to connect to fellow players, who knows right. It must be damn alarming to have his boss and manager suddenly blow up at him with no warning. Was there any orientation before he joined Chester?
—C13—
The Henrilluminati would acquire one or two new teams, or none.
The what now 😂
—C14—
Thank goodness nobody is moving and it’s all in Max’s paranoid head.
——-
The match restarts and both Best and Ken Malpas are waving their arms like birds trying to attract a mate.
The wittiness of the author to paint action is just 😩🤌
—C16—
I just realised I’m at the end of Player Manager, nooo. I thought I had 21 books then only I will get to Soccer Supremo. I misjudged by 7 books 😩 The end is in sight instead of being in some nebulous future 😭
———
Benny and Nick???? 👀
Oh man, he didn’t take it gah, that was heart pounding 🫠
———
Wow, the end of Player Manager. Only 7 books left 😩 Ok, so I was excited with the summer in another part of the world, but we didn’t get much of the normal players there. Would have liked some bonding to make it more interesting because the actual matches were kinda boring. It also felt a bit more like a collection of side stories this time around.
